DRINKING IN HAPPY

Recently, I stumbled upon an interesting article: Can You Be Happy For 100 Days In A Row? At first I thought, Of course I can! What a ridiculous question! but then I read further. The phrase Every day submit a picture of what made you happy! jumped out and tackled me before I could navigate away. As the reality of the commitment the site was asking me to make sunk in, I realized that I couldn't even name one thing that made me happy in the past week. Except for sleep. Being able to shut off the stress of the day by simply closing my eyes made me downright ecstatic. I figured I'd better get on this stat.

I will be posting on my own site, in my own way. Sometimes I will share a picture, but other times it may be an anecdote or just a phrase. Every day, for at least 100 days, I will share something that made me happy - really happy.

This is my journey to happiness: 

DAY 8:

My morning coffee has always made me happy. It's delish, it wakes me up, and it warms my insides, even after struggling to roll out of bed. A few months ago, I went green and bought my own cup to fill up with at Starbucks and discovered that somehow I love getting my morning jolt even more when it's in that cup. I find myself shaking off the irritation I feel when it's dirty and I don't have time to wash it before I'm out the door, and I notice that when I use it, I feel perfectly content. Today I'd like to share the secret behind my morning smile: 

CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a quirky group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States. 

You can now order SUKI in paperback at http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/cf-winn/  or at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE. 

CF Winn is the founder of Winning! Publications, a firm specializing in editing and promotion services for authors. Her latest project is the just released Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name, a hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy saddled with a girl’s name and forced into a nomadic existence. Order it now: http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Trash-With-Girls-Name-ebook/dp/B00IX0MIAO 

 http://www.gofundme.com/577n90

Javier Robayo (author of THE GAZE) steps in to review PGB: "SHE"S DONE IT AGAIN!"

Javier Robayo, author of this spring's smash hit, THE GAZE, has generously offered his review of my latest short story in The Coffee Break Series. If you've ever read his debut novel, you know that his insights are deep, thoughtful, and usually spot on...especially if he's singing my praises! This is more than just a review of PGB, it's an open invitation to enter MY world, where the unusual and the eccentric are celebrated, much like a Quentin Tarantino film...or so I've been told by Mr. Robayo.


About PGB:
Is it true that one event can alter a person's life? After Samantha's car is broken into, the world around her no longer feels safe. She makes some drastic lifestyle changes, but three years and a thousand "plan B's" later, has she taken it too far? Yes, according to Lara, the only friend that hasn't yet given up on Samantha. The day that Lara tries to finally knock the rituals out of her is the day that PGB shows up. Will PGB be the one event that changes Samantha back to her old self? The laughter continues in the third installment of The Coffee Break Series. Follow Samantha as she copes during a day filled with speed bumps and challenges she doesn't normally encounter in the confines of the controlled environment she's created for herself.



Javier Robayo's Review:
CF Winn takes the reader on another fast-paced, whiplash-inducing ride that throws you right in the thick of things. It reads as a commentary on life itself and our constant battle to control our circumstances depending how one filters it, and it also reads like a literary challenge. If you're the kind of person who's blessed with linear thinking, I'm afraid you'll miss many of the subtleties within the mind of this unique author. But if you're able to multi-focus and open your mind to each strand of this fun ball of literary yarn, you'll get so much more than you bargained for. The sly references to the other members of The Coffee Break Series, Kafe Castro, and Moore than Meets the Eye, are masterfully weaved in, bringing a smile to your face and enticing you to read them again. CF's writing voice is one in a trillion and these shorts make for a better pick me up than a cup of espresso. Can't wait to see what CF will come up with next!

MORE GREAT BOOK CLUB PICKS BY INDIE AUTHORS: 

SUKI:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-reading-book-club-week-1.html 


WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/06/friends-dont-let-friends-read-alone.html?showComment=1430071350264

MY TWO FLAGS: 

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-am-master-of-my-words-captain-of-my.html?showComment=1430071350264

OCTOBER SNOW:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/06/life-is-like-blanket-of-snow.html?showComment=1430071350264

TRAILER TRASH, WITH A GIRL'S NAME:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/10/you-know-youre-modern-day-trailer-trash.html

MOORE THAN MEETS THE EYE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/09/theres-always-another-story.html

WELCOME TO HEIDI:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/06/welcome-to-must-read.html

KAFE CASTRO:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-are-you-so-serious-do-it-kafe.html

BROKEN ANGEL:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/09/broken-angel-review.html

DEJA DREW:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/08/deja-drew-excerpt.html

THE GAZE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2012/05/gaze-by-javier-arobayoyay-or-nay.html

HAUNTED HOUSE, HAUNTED LIFE:

http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/10/haunted-house-haunted-life.html






CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a hilarious group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States.

You can now order SUKI in paperback at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com or by calling (631) 271-1442.
Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE http://www.bookrevue.com/localauthors.html

Ding Dong The Ghostie's Here!

Anyone who knows me has heard stories about the ghosts that visit me from time to time.

I don't think that Ghosthunters from the Syfy channel will be setting up shop in my living room anytime soon, but we've had our share of strange events.

Sometimes a loved one is still looking out and leaves messages for us at just the right time.

A few years ago, while I was still married, an ex love passed away. I was flattered to learn that he was thinking of me on Valentine's Day, even in death. Without giving up too many details, he opened all of the cabinet doors in my kitchen and turned all of the pictures around on the walls in my hallway.

My then-husband discovered the Valentine's visit as I slept and he snuck into the house with a single red rose for me. Unfortunately, my ex's stunt upstaged my husband's romantic gesture, but in the end, I knew exactly why he had chosen to reach out from beyond the grave.

And sometimes, I think they just like to have fun with us.

A few months later, I was leaving the house with my son Max, a friend of Max's, and my daughter, Bella. My other daughter, Ali, was (as most teenagers are on the weekends) still in bed.

The boys went out the door and straight to the car. Bellie and I walked out together. I held the door for her and as she stepped over the threshold, we heard a doorbell from within the house.

Bella loves to ring our doorbell a million times for no reason, so of course I accused her of doing it although I knew better.

She screamed, "OMG Mom! You saw me walk right past it!"
She was right.
I asked the boys if they had rung it really quickly when they went out. They looked at me like I was crazy before answering in the negative.
I knew it wasn't them.
I called in to the house, "Hey Ali! Did you just hear the doorbell?"  

She answered, "Yes."
"Did it sound like our doorbell normally sounds?" I asked.
"No, it didn't," she answered, and Bella nodded in agreement next to me.

My doorbell makes a high pitched DING DONG noise. The sound we heard was a low DING only.

It's all about priorities.

If we hadn't been in a rush to get some McGriddles and Starbucks, I might have invited our visitor in to haunt us some more, but instead I closed the door and locked it - maybe whoever it was could figure out how to get Ali up so she could join us in the land of the living.


Check out a sneak peek from my latest book, HAUNTED HOUSE...HAUNTED LIFE, which was inspired by real events like this one: http://simplystick.blogspot.com/2014/10/haunted-house-haunted-life.html

CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a quirky group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States. 

You can now order SUKI in paperback at http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/cf-winn/  or at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE. 

CF Winn is the founder of Winning! Publications, a firm specializing in editing and promotion services for authors. Her latest project is the just released Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name, a hilarious and heartwarming story of a boy saddled with a girl’s name and forced into a nomadic existence. Order it now: http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Trash-With-Girls-Name-ebook/dp/B00IX0MIAO