I'm Just Sayin'

 So much to say and how to say it... so I'll just start with. Wow, what a year it's been.  I mean, could anyone have predicted all the shite that has hit us in 2020?  NO way!  I'm grateful for so much though, and one of them is the freedom to be able to have blogs (yes I have many) and the freedom to say whatever I want ---this is important.  I'm grateful that I live where I do and even though I'm not rich, I am healthy and live a good life. I do what I can to help others, I also have a loving husband and a Westie who I adore.  As many of you know that aside from blogging sporadically on here I'm a writer and an artist AND I work one on one with both artists and writers to help them in their careers. I've been doing this since 2006 (artists) 2010 (writers). The past few years I've focused on coaching writers as I became the queen of writing conferences and people were always hitting me up for free advice. I even started a YouTube channel CHECK IT OUT Thi...

I have a new YouTube channel---which is why I haven't been here too much. https://youtu.be/Jn4UY7fWqAI Check it out! :)

Drawing by me, Stephanie Olivieri may not be used without permission. THANKS I have several trips coming up this spring and while I don't like the idea of winter weather while flying I do love flying and here is why.  1. No one can reach me while I'm on a plane so I get that alone time I so desperately need.  2. I get to do nothing and it's okay. It's okay that I'm not at the gym or doing squats at my house, it's okay that I'm not working on anything-I'm on a plane so yay, it's okay to do nothing.  3. It's soothing to my soul to be up in the clouds.  4. You can eat, drink, sleep, and watch TV/movies while getting to your destination.  5. I love to meet other people so while I'm not that annoying chatty seatmate, I do enjoy meeting others.  AIRPORTS. I love them. I love everything about them.  I know I'm strange, but I implore you to enjoy your next flight. Think about the fact that you are just there to relax an...

Truth--it was Dec 22, 2008, when I decided to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. I spent the next 5 months researching it, planning it, and looking for any reason not to do it. At the end of the day me wanting to live outweighed my desperate need for the pain from grief to go away so I learned how to deal with it. That said, I went up TWICE, but as I stood on that beautiful bridge staring out towards the city I realized that life itself was too precious to toss away in just four seconds. I chose life. I still get swept up in grief from all the family losses I had from 2000-2006 but I know that bottling it up inside almost killed me so now if I feel like crying I cry. It doesn't mean that I'm weak in any way. I hope if you are grieving that you will not let it take over. Grief is powerful-way more powerful than most of us know. Also, I'll say this. No one knew that I was planning my suicide. No one. I didn't talk about. I knew that it would hurt people. I didn't care. ...

AVOID TAOS FOOTWEAR unless you want to be treated like shit. Usually I like to take the high road and let things go, but after thinking about this for the last 24 hours, I'm afraid to say that I can't not tell what happened when I returned a pair of shoes that didn't fit me to Taos footwear. First of all, I love their shoes. I ordered four pairs at $100 or more in less than a month, but they don't care about that, they just needed to be right and right meant downright abusive and awful to a paying customer. Beginning of June, I order a pair of Taos shoes and love them. End of June, I order a second pair, the Hey Jute because they were on sale for only $100 instead of $130. The canvas is super tight so I call them up and speak to a woman, Lisa I believe is her name, she was amazing BTW, she is the only one who is decent at this company-or at least who I have talked to.  She said if they were hurting my feet to return them, but they didn't pay for shippi...

Well, it's been a long time since I've been here. Sorry about that. After the US Presidental election I kinda went into a tailspin of terror and worry, all the time. I know that I'm not the only one. 62 million of my country didn't feel that way. I've spent months trying to understand them, but I don't. I really don't. That all said, it messed with me and my schedule big time. I'm trying to live in our new reality and not be scared. I'm working on new writing and creative courses while searching for new representation for both my YA and my art. Please hang in there, I will be back with more opinions soon. I'm going to try to lean this blog towards satire instead of bitching about things I don't like. LOL Because it feels better to laugh and I don't want to be that girl. Namaste.

https://scbwikitetales.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/scbwi-community-corner-with-stephanie-olivieri/ My article about the SCBWI  The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has changed my life for the better in many ways. It’s hard to explain how a group of book writers and illustrators can do that, but they have. I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll start at the beginning: I’m a writer, who also draws. I worked in animation for many years and have recently worked in children’s books both as a writer and an illustrator. In the summer of 2012 I joined the SCBWI and then, boom, my father died. I was broke and I couldn’t afford to do anything or go to anything. I was not only devastated emotionally, but financially as my job also ended that spring *click the link to read more

I have to say something because I love you all and want you to be fit and healthy and not end up in the morgue. Regarding health and fitness-please always always always always check your sources and your doctor before jumping on board with any program. Also just because someone has starved themselves and lost weight, that does NOT make them an expert; the same goes for someone who works out every day and is fit. Personal trainers, fitness experts, nutritionists etc., go through YEARS of training. I know when I was a PT and an instructor, it took a lot of hours to get my certifications. The best thing to do is join a gym and or go to a personal trainer. Don't jump on trends like CrossFit-I'm not against CF but it's not for everyone and I'm so sick of people telling others to be Paleo and do CF like it's the only way to be healthy. Just do YOUR RESEARCH please, this is YOUR life. There are also GREAT online programs like Michelle Bridges, Tracy Anderson, De...

People often ask me about health & fitness because I was so involved in that industry for so many years and I still post about great programs, blogs, books, trainers, online classes, programs etc. (like Denise Austin-who was the first person I trained with in the late 80s to get certified, Michelle Bridges, Mari Winsor, Tracey Anderson and workouts like Barre3, The Bar Method, Zumba, etc). Here is what I'm going to say. 1) Just because someone has starved themselves and lost a ton of weight, that does NOT make them an expert. 2) Just because someone runs or goes to the gym, that also doesn't make them an expert. 3) People who give sweeping advice like, 'be gluten free, be vegan, only eat 1000 calories a day' etc.. are not qualified to tell you, or anyone else how to be healthy. 4) Also, SKINNY does NOT equal healthy, this is a dangerous concept. These are important things to remember. If you want to lose weight or get healthier, please go to your fitness cl...

"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". ~ Andrew Sheperd, The American President http://www.sbnation.com/2016/9/11/12869726/colin-kaepernick-national-anthem-protest-seahawks-brandon-marshall-nfl I think he is brave and amazing. People don't often go against the grain for something they believe in like he has. I have friends on FB who are upset by his actions, but for me, I support him 100%. Something in this country needs to change and that do...

Keeping it real for a minute. No posturing, just posting.  :)   People always assume that everything is great for everyone on social media-it's not. It's just that it's better to present a positive spin on life, than a negative one. I'm keeping it real here today just because why not? Maybe someone out there is struggling and needs to know that we all have it hard at some point. Especially those of us who have a creative career.  I was explaining to someone at Highlights last w eek that for me there is no backup plan, this is what I do for a living, and this person didn't seem to get it. It's funny to me. I feel like I've been drowning my entire life, but I'm doing what I love and trying to continue to do that. My writing is not where I wanted it to be at this age. I have been paid to write, I have sold stuff, but I wanted to be further, I'm not, but that's okay. I get up every day and I write, or I think about writing, or I don't do anythi...

Hi, everyone! So sorry I've been not so active on any of my blogs this year. The reason? I finished and revised two novels and took classes went to conferences and attended workshops. That said, I'm going to start a new blog series in Sept. I promise, thanks for sticking around!!

Happy New Year!! 2015 has been amazing for me in so many ways. Mostly because I have put everything on hold and spent thousands, literally around $16,000 on SCBWI events, conferences, workshops, the Highlights Foundation, plane tickets, hotel expenses, online writing classes with top people in the industry, all to make my goal of getting traditionally published in YA. With that came working literally every single day on my novel-writing every single day without exception. That sounds easier than it is when you work full time, have a boyfriend, and a dog, and go to the gym, etc., but I did it! This year and giving up so much time and money, was/is scary as hell, as I have basically only paid min payments to bills, and not saved a dime for taxes because every extra cent I have is going to my young adult writing. When I decided to stop acting and go into animation, this is what I did. Yes I was offered a job by Disney at an audition from doodling on my call sheet-this is true...

There are many resources out there in today's world. Here is just one article with facts and myths about suicide that I found in less than 5 minutes of searching... http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20507781,00.html   I think it's important for people, especially in the days of social media to do some research before getting on the internet and stating things as facts when they are either completely wrong or just opinions.  Suicide is one of the things that is so often ster eotyped, and that is hurting people not helping them.  For example, saying that all suicides are caused by clinical depression is wrong, it also makes people afraid to admit they have thought about it, or gone through a rough patch.  The only fact about suicide is that when people do it they are doing it for one reason, and that is,   a way out,  that's it. A way out of pain, a way out of a situation, a way out of a life they don't want.  It's a permanent solution to...

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District requests proposals from qualified bidders to construct a suicide deterrent on the Golden Gate Bridge.  The details of the RFP may be found here: http://goldengate.org/contracts/documents/2016-b-01-notice.pdf   “This is an important and vital step in building the suicide deterrent,” says Chief Engineer Ewa Bauer.  “We have been in the planning and design phase of the project for several years, with a lot of work happening behind the scenes.  Today signals a change to the construction phase.  We are all eager to put this deterrent in place and diminish future tragedy from suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge.”   The bid process will take several months to complete.  Interested bidders must sign a non-disclosure agreement, submit identification for background checks, and tour the property with District staff.  After the pre-bid, information gathering time passes, the District will beg...

Do you want a GREAT YA novel about a truly sad, messed up kid dealing with overwhelming grief? Read  NOT AFTER EVERYTHING by Michelle Levy *I chose the above photo because to me, it says everything about the main character in this story. I found it on the internet, but here is the actual cover. This book is the BEST book with a boy lead that I have read in years. I can say that immediately it reminded me of S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDERS, and J.D. Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. I was obsessed with both of these books as a middle school kid going through more than any kid should-and they are why I became a writer. When I opened Michelle’s book I couldn’t stop reading it. Although since I was on a plane headed to a workshop for writers, I had to. I picked it back up on the return flight and finished it. The day I finished it, I started again from page one and read it a second time. I rarely reread a book the same day that I finish it, but I wanted to savor every single wo...

I have been fighting, and not sure why, the idea that I have become a true Californian, and more importantly, a Southern Californian. I guess stereotypes exist for a reason, and that doesn't mean that I, or anyone, walks around saying "dude" or "like" all day long-that said, many do, and sometimes I do say like, but I rarely say dude. It means that I have lived here so long that things that seem normal to me in everyday life, really aren't in the rest of the country. I do belong to two gyms, yes TWO, most of my friends belong to at least one, and then go to a specialized yoga, zumba, piloxing, cardio barre or something. I belong to two that covers all that. OMG I am such a stereotype! Recently I was at a week long writing workshop in the middle of the country, and not in the middle of America, in the middle of the rural countryside of PA. It was awesome, but Oh. My. God, It was so quiet, that it freaked me out. Growing up in New England for th...