Category Archives: self-improvement

Guest Author/Teacher: Diana Stout

When I began this series of blog posts featuring multi-talented authors, I knew that I needed to include someone who teaches others how to write. I didn’t have to look far – I see Diana Stout regularly at meetings of … Continue reading

Posted in Guest author, Guest author post, how to write, inspiration, Patricia Kiyono, self-improvement, teaching | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

“Socially” Acceptable

I thought of the topic of the week, “How do you use social media and how has it changed”, when I found myself on one platform more and more, one that I never expected to connect with folks through:  YouTube.  … Continue reading

Posted in advice, America, audiobooks, authors, battles, big plans, blessings, blogging, book review, Books, careers, collections, creativity, decisions, descriptions, experiences, Family, favorites, food, foreign language, foreign languages, foreign publications, friends, Friendship, history, hobbies, holidays, imagination, inspiration, inspirational stories, interview, language, libraries, Life, lifestyles, Lists, Miscellaneous, movies, Music, musicians, Narration, new skills, non-fiction, novels, paranormal, performances, personal libraries, pets, poetry, pronunciations, publishing, Random thoughts, reader interview, reading, reading preferences, recipe, reviews, self-improvement, shopping, short stories, shyness, teaching, time management, Tonette Joyce, translations, using talents, weather, writers, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ac’centuate the Positive

Since accents have played a major part in my life, I would be surprised if they had not come up here before.  Hello, my name is Tonette, and I pick up accents.  Do any of you do this when speaking … Continue reading

Posted in advice, audiobooks, blessings, blogging, Books, childhood, Daily life, descriptions, experiences, Family, foreign language, foreign languages, guests, hobbies, imagination, inspiration, language, Life, memories, misunderstandings, new skills, pronunciations, self-improvement, teaching, Tonette Joyce, traditions | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Where Shall I Start?

This week’s topic is one I suggested: “What’s first on your to-do list for 2023?” I guess it’s the list-maker in me that made me think of this. Each evening, I make a to-list for the following day. When I … Continue reading

Posted in author's life, Daily life, decisions, goals, lifestyles, Lists, Patricia Kiyono, publishing, self-improvement, social media, time management | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Went With the Wind

“Went With the Wind” was the title of the hilarious Carol Burnett lampoon of the famous Civil War saga, but Margaret Mitchell or her editors would probably would have named the book that today. Why? Because “gone” seems to be … Continue reading

Posted in advice, America, classics, Dealing with stress, descriptions, editing, helping others, imagination, language, Miscellaneous, phrases, self-improvement, Tonette Joyce, Words | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

ODDBALLS’ HALL

My sister had a quirky friend who was trying to describe where something was in a nearby town. It was next to the “Oddfellows’ Hall” but she didn’t really know about them and said that the place was “next to … Continue reading

Posted in America, big plans, blessings, careers, creativity, Daily life, Dealing with stress, decisions, experiences, Family, food, Friendship, helping others, hobbies, imagination, Life, Lists, marriage, new skills, self-improvement, shopping, Tonette Joyce, using talents, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Who’s the Oddball?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about three times when family members caught me daydreaming. I realized I tend to provide a great deal of entertainment for my relatives, so I posed this question to my follow bloggers: “Do you … Continue reading

Posted in Family, lifestyles, Patricia Kiyono, self-improvement | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Looking Back

    THIS WEEK:  At some point in your past, was there a year – or a significant period of time – that you consider your “favorite” time (or, at least, one of your favorites)? What was going on? I put … Continue reading

Posted in advice, America, authors, battles, big plans, blessings, careers, creativity, Daily life, Dealing with stress, decisions, experiences, Family, friends, helping others, hobbies, imagination, Life, Miscellaneous, movies, new skills, poetry, procrastination, self-improvement, Tonette Joyce, youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Never-Ending TBR, Part One

The new year brought a significant change in my daily routine, and my evenings are quieter. I’m reading at home, rather than in doctor’s offices or in the hospital. Will I read more? Time will tell. Once again, I set … Continue reading

Posted in book review, book series, Christmas books, Clean Writing, contemporary, cozy mystery, e-books, free week, Goodreads Challenge, historical, inspirational romance, Mystery stories, paperback books, Patricia Kiyono, reading, romance, self-improvement, short stories, TBR List | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments