Saturday, October 18, 2008

Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself (excerpt from When Company Comes)

So often, my mind becomes clouded with fear. Fear of lack, limitation, and/or rejection. Fear, exposed, is false evidence appearing real. I had anxiety over the unknown; anticipating the unknown to be monstrous. It is up to me to assign qualities of goodness, through a positive attitude toward the unknown, track down the fear and expose its unreality. I can do this by realizing that my Higher Power is my inexhaustible resource, NOW and always and I am never alone. Today I will not be afraid. I turn my back to fear and I choose faith. Faith is that innate ability to know when it doesn’t show, that nothing but GOOD is waiting for me.

Today I Am Reminded:
It is in my power to make today a good one just by the way I think about it. Whatever I think about, I bring about. As long as I concentrate on today’s activity, and don’t borrow from the fears of what might happen tomorrow, then there won’t be room in my mind for worry.

Angela Bolden-Thompson
"When Company Comes"
www.lulu.com/content/859880

Friday, October 3, 2008

JUST PAUSE AND REFLECT (excerpt from UFBL's Daily Inspiration for Better Living)

Stop rushing to and fro without taking a moment to enjoy your surroundings. How many times do you run here and there without really seeing what is in your environment? When you look at the ocean, what are you really seeing? What is actually going on when the waves are coming to shore? When you look at the plants and animals what are you really seeing? Are they the last ones that anyone will ever see again? Do you value them? Pause for a few moments, open your eyes and really take pleasure in what is going on around you.

Let God fill your soul with His joy, peace, love, and all else that is good. God is there with you, right where you are, for there is no spot where God is not. Pause often and reflect on what is in your surroundings at the moment. Be grateful for your life; appreciate your world. There is so much to
love.

Praise God for being alive during this time. Be thankful all through the day, at all times. Your prayer can simply be "Thank You, God."


--Alice J. Brown

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Think A New Thought- reposted from The Daily Inspiration For Better Living


Emerson said: "What is the hardest task in the world? To think."

Obviously this is so, when one considers that most of us are the victims of mass thinking and feed upon suggestions from others. We all know that the Law of Cause and Effect is inviolable, but how many of us ever pause to consider its workings? The entire course of a man's life has many times been changed by a single thought which became a mighty power that altered the whole current of human events.

If golf shots can be influenced by mental attitudes or proper visualization, and the "galloping ivories" turn up at the mental command of the players, who is there now to say that events are not influenced by thought and before us is a field that is gradually yielding to modern man some of the secrets of the ancient mysteries.

Writers have long declared that the luck factor comes about from a determined mind - a combination of visualizing, concentrated thought, willing, and believing. Think about this in connection with yourself and the goals you have set for yourself, for in it is the primary secret of this science.

Claude M. Bristol
"Belief Makes Things Happen"
The Magic of Believing

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

As for Me and My House...


As an artist, it's hard not to fall in love with the many different forms of art, whether it's graphic, musical, or literary. Although I have a passion for words, nothing moves me like music--House music.

I ride each note like a surfer on a wave. At first, slow pacing myself until my body catches the rhythm. It sucks me in, tosses me, flips me, bends me, pushes me, strokes me, lulls me, and then releases me.

Like an addict, I return for more. Hit after hit, I'm getting high off the energy. Lyrics ringing in my head, taunting me, seducing me, manipulating me, calling me back for more. I give in and we tango all over again.

Hi my name is Angela and I am addicted to House Music!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Beneath the Surface, Suzanne Perazzini (Check out this book written by a fellow Author)



Jo has the darkest of secrets in her past, which drives her to seek out the most traumatic of hotspots in the world as a war correspondent so she never has the time to confront what she did.


A fellow reporter, Craig, accompanies her into war-torn Sergavia to recover rolls of film from a dead colleague and along the way Jo finds love and a reason to go back to the beginning so she can move forward.

To purchase Beneath the Surface, please visit Suzanne's Blog @

www.suzanneperazzini.blogspot.com/

Excpert from Beneath the Surface:


Branko’s eyes, unseeing, gazed up to the heaven I hoped he had gone to. What freakin’ heaven, for God’s sake? Who was I fooling? Out of the black sky, a wave of hopelessness thundered over me.


For an instant a cavity opened and closed, but I had seen inside, and that image of empty loneliness scratched at my sanity.

I fell forward onto my knees by his side and touched an unblemished cheek. It was cold. This was the face Ana loved. I felt her sorrow, and tears threatened. I brushed his hair into place and rubbed at the dirt on that cheek. I had seen more death than most people see in a century of life, but this was Branko. He had a name. I had talked to him. I had liked him.

I heaved my pack onto my back, snatched up the rifle, checked the magazine and put the safety on. There was nothing I could do for Branko, but I could help save his family—if I could get to them before they reached the pass.

I turned around and faced the mountains. That was where I was going. Up there into the snow.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This interview was conducted by Crystal Adkins (Kendall Publications)

Monday, July 14, 2008
Interview with Angela Bolden-Thompson



Author Pen Name: A. Bolden-Thompson
CA: What genre(s) do you write?

ABT: My debut novel When Company Comes is a Young Adult Fiction but I love to work with Women's Fiction and Romance.

CA: Why do you write the stories that you write?

ABT: Partially because I want to give voice to characters that are not unlike ourselves, but mostly because I have a desire to document the beauty of life.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

ABT: As a youth, I had dreams of becoming an Actress. In order to show my talent, I needed lead roles to play so I wrote plays and skits that I could perform. Turns out, I fell in love with writing and the rest is history!

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

ABT: My inspiration for writing comes from life itself but for my debut novel, it came from a poem written by Langston Hughes, entitled "I Too Sing America." It was one of my favorite poems and I wanted to give voice to the main character.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

ABT: Full of distractions! If I could get an entire two or three days where I can do nothing but write, that would be a real accomplishment! But I have come to learn that it is necessary to be consistent and willing to burn the midnight oil!

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

ABT: Grateful!

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

ABT: When I'm not writing, I love to listen to music, spend time with my family and watch a great film!

CA: How many books have you written?

ABT: When Company Comes is my debut novel. I've just completed my second one.

CA: Which is your favorite?

ABT: To be honest, I don't have a favorite since they both come from the same imagination!

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

ABT: I would venture to say that all of my characters come from my imagination. That being said, my imagination is filled with people whose lives have intersected with mine at some point in time.

CA: Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

ABT: Be persistent and purposeful with your craft. Never allow anyone to discourage you from doing what you love. Write everyday because the more you write the better you become.

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

ABT: I can be reached at whencompanycomes@yahoo.com or http://angelathompson1.tripod.com/. My book is available at Amazon.com or any online retailer.
ISBN# 978-016151-4774-1

CA: Is there anything you would like to add?

ABT: I want to thank all the readers out there who make it possible for our voices to be heard! I ask that you continue to support your favorite author by helping to promote literacy! Thank you for this interview. It has been a pleasure!

CA: Thank you for doing the interview Angela! I’m on my way to check out your book!

If you would like to see this interview in its entirety, click on the link below or copy and paste into your browser.

http://interviewswithauthors.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-angela-bolden-thompson.html

Be Good!
~ABT

Friday, July 18, 2008

Lesson Learned

Since my last post, I've completed my second novel, celebrated a birthday, traveled out of town, attended a family reunion, sat for an interview, and penned the first sentence of my third novel. Whew! What can I say? Life is GOOD and I am grateful! Every year around this time, I sit back and reflect on what the year has meant to me so far and for the first time, I'm going to share.

This year, for me, the idea of change has been a major factor. Good, bad, or indifferent, I've experienced some major changes in my life. One of them was the loss of an aunt who was near and dear to my heart. It literally knocked the wind out of my sail but at the same time taught me to appreciate life, family, and all the small things that we sometimes take for granted.

When you appreciate the small things, the world becomes a bigger, more beautiful place. Don't get me wrong, that can be hard to do in a time when the economy is staggering but when practiced regularly, it can be like second nature. So, that being said, my biggest lesson since January is learning to be grateful for the small things, in a world full of big things, helps to keep things in proper perspective.

Be Good.

~ABT

Friday, April 25, 2008

I Can Only Be Me (excerpt from 'School Daze - The Coronation')


Butterflies begin from having been another,
as a child is born from being in a mother's womb;
But how many times, have you wished you were some other
someone than who you are?

Who's to say that if all were uncovered, you would like what you see?

You can only be you, as I can only be me.

Flowers can not bloom until it is their season,
as we would not be here unless it was our destiny;
But how many times, have you wished you were in spaces,
time, places, than where you were?

Yet who's to say, with unfamiliar faces, you could any more BE?

**********LOVE THE YOU THAT YOU SEE****************

You can only be you as I can only be me!

Be Good!

~ABT

Friday, April 4, 2008

Mr. Piano Man

Mr. Piano Man please play a song.

Play a song for the colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow was not enough.

Play a song for those who can’t hold their heads up long enough to see the sun cresting over the horizon.

Play a song for the youth who readily give away their treasures to those that are undeserving.

Play a song for the bag lady who holds on to everything except herself.

Play a song for the boy searching for a man and the man who rejects the boy.

Play a song for the young and restless who tread the burning sands trying to find a higher path.

Play a song for the caterpillars that are in the midst of transforming into butterflies.

Please Mr. Piano Man play a song for me.

~ABT

Monday, March 31, 2008

The Interruption of Everything


Don’t you hate it when...

You are in the middle of a great conversation and someone interrupts and you go completely blank?

You think you've got a few more minutes to sleep and you find that you're running late?

You find out that someone you were dying to see had already left just a minute before you arrived?

You mistakenly give away the wrong thing?

Something very sentimental is stolen from you and you know that you are never going to get it back.

You’ve been thinking about that last piece of cake all day and you can't wait to get home, only to look in the fridge and find that someone has beaten you to it?

You’ve got only one question left on the test and they call time!

...that’s what happened to me when my Aunt passed away.

Rest in Peace WJK. You will be deeply missed.

~ABT

Monday, March 24, 2008

An Ode to My Hat


Have you ever bought a hat that you absolutely had to have but once you got home and tried it on, it just didn't quite fit like you thought? So you cast it aside and reach for the frumpy one, tatooed with stains from all your travels. You know the one that you had to carefully pry from the dog's mouth so as not to turn the tiny pinhole into a button hole. The one your family uses to fan away insects. The one that you are always picking up off the floor. The ONLY ONE that crowns your glory to perfection, with a slight hint of royalty, complimenting every thing.

Looking around, I guess I've collected quite a few myself. Each one, with it's own memory and moment in the spotlight. Oh yes, I've fancied some more than others but none of them suited me like the one I'm wearing now - My Writer's Hat. At first, when I put it on, I thought that it would be too big for me. But then, without having to poke and prod and bend and twist, it naturally conformed to me. It was like magic!

Ever since, me and my hat have been everywhere together. Let me tell you, I've fought for it, I've cried in it, I've slept with it, I've been rejected in it, I've snatched it off and thrown it, only to pick it back up again, and protect it. I've stretched it, I've shrunk it, I've dyed it and even lost it but never stopped until I found it.

What can I say? I LOVE IT! It's my favorite hat!

Be Good!
ABT

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The Hell-Bound Train


A sinner man lay on a bar room floor,
having drank so much that he could drink no more;
so he fell asleep with a troubled brain
to dream that he rode on a hell-bound train.

The engine with murderous blood was damp
and was brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp;
an imp, for fuel, was shoveling bones,
while the furnace rang with a thousand groans.

The boiler was filled with lager beer
and the devil himself was the engineer;
the passengers were a most motley crew--
church member, atheist, gentile, and jew,

Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags,
handsome young ladies, and withered old hags,
yellow and black men, red, brown, and white,
all chained together--O my, what a site!

While the train rushed on at an awful pace--
the sulphurous fumes scorched their hands and their face;
wider and wider the country grew,
faster and faster the engine flew.

Louder and louder the thunder crashed
brighter and brighter the lightning flashed;
hotter and hotter the air became
til all their clothes were burned from each quivering flame.

Then out of the distance there arose a yell,
"Ha, ha," said the devil, "we're nearing hell!"
then oh, how the passengers all shrieked with pain
and begged the devil to stop the train.

But he capered about and danced with glee,
he laughed and he joked at their misery.
"My faithful friends, you have done the work
and the devil, never can, a payday shirk.

You've bullied the weak, you've robbed the poor,
The starving brother you've turned from the door;
you've laid up gold where the canker rust,
and have given free vent to your beastly lust.

You've justice scorned, and corruption sown,
and trampled the laws of nature down.
You have drunk, rioted, cheated, plundered, and lied,
and mocked at others in your hell-born pride.

You have paid full fair, so I'll carry you through,
for it's only right you shall have your due.
As a laborer always expects his hire,
I'll land you safe in a lake of fire,

Where your flesh will burn in the flames that roar,
and my imps will torment you forevermore … Ha Ha!"
Then the sinner man awoke with an anguished cry,
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high

He prayed as he had never prayed til that hour
to be saved from his sin and the demon's power;
his prayers and his vows were not in vain,
for you see he never rode the hell-bound train.

--Author Unknown

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

This Tell - Tale Life


In the midst of penning my second novel, I am bombarded with distractions ~ ringing phones, barking dogs, endless messages and emails, outside bathroom breaks for the doggies, regular household activities, etc. Meanwhile, the clock continues ticking and before I realize it, I've made very little progress.

I tell myself that if only I had a little hideaway I could escape to, I'd be certain to get more accomplished. If I could just get a little peace and quiet.

But would I really be productive? In fact, with all that silence going on around me, I would probably end up getting writer's block. If there were no phones, no dogs, no messages or emails, no outside bathroom breaks, then there wouldn't be much to tale(no pun intended).

All these distractions ~ all this life, going on around me, to think they're there to filter through my imagination, leaving fabulous ideas and stories to tale so that readers can escape from their lives. Funny how that works.

That being said ~ I embrace my distractions and continue to allow the Universe to send creative inspiration, in and through my life!

Ooops, the phone is ringing, I gotta go!

Be good.

~Angela Bolden-Thompson

Saturday, February 9, 2008

A Tribute to Myself


This is my favorite poem!(May differ slightly from the original version.) Enjoy!

I have to live with myself and so I want to be fit for myself to know

I want to be able as days go by always to look myself straight in the eye

I don’t want to wake up with the setting sun, and hate myself for the things I’ve done

I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf, a lot of secrets about myself

And fool myself as I come and go into thinking that no one else would know
The kind of woman I really am, I don’t want to hold myself in sham

I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect

But here in the struggle for fame and pelf I want to be able to like myself
I don’t want to look at myself and know that I’m blunt and bluff and empty show
I could never hide myself from me; I see what others may never see

I know what others may never know I have to live with myself and so

Whatever happens I want to be, self respecting and conscience free.
~Edgar A. Guest

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Some Q & A with Author A. Bolden-Thompson


What is your book about?

When Company Comes takes a provocative look at how we attract misery and end up becoming one of her guests.

Give us a brief summary of “When Company Comes.”

Narrated by eighteen-year-old Mattie Cordell, we embark on a journey back to her childhood where she absolutely adores two things, her father and her books. After her father loses his job, he makes some life-altering choices that profoundly affects his entire family. Desperate and unsure, he uses his home to entertain family and friends in an effort to take his mind off his misfortune. Misery makes her entrance on the heels of these guests who bring deep dark secrets to the table. As a result, Mattie’s world is affected and begins to unravel. She and Richard become estranged and end up on a trip down the rabbit hole where they find themselves eveloped in a sea of betrayal and scandal. At the height of the story, we experience what could be Mattie's breaking point. In the end, we discover that if misery loves company, then triumph deserves an audience.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

The book was actually inspired by a poem called “I Too Sing America” by Mr. Langston Hughes. It resonated with me as a child and remains one of my favorites.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. I wanted to be an Actress and I wrote plays so that I could have something to perform. Turns out, I liked writing more than acting and the rest is history!

How do you go about writing a book?

My experience has taught me that it takes passion and discipline to write a book. I have to be dedicated and willing to “burn the midnight oil” sometimes.

What is the inspiration behind your writing?

My inspiration comes from poetry, plays, and life in general.

Do you have a favorite Author or Title?

No. But there are many whose work I admire and respect.

What are you working on now and when can we expect to read it?

I am currently working on something that hints at romance. I'll have to wait until it is done before I can know for sure. I don’t have a release date as of yet but I hope to be complete this spring!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

What Lies Beneath?


What is the cause of vomiting? Sounds disgusting, I know. But for me, it's a necessary evil-so to speak. I'll explain why, if you can hang in there with me.


The cause of vomiting can range anywhere from sickness to poisoning to a viral infection-all indications that things aren't properly balanced within.


Have you noticed that when you allow your body to purge itself, in most cases you feel better instantaneously?


But sometimes, thinking about the pain that this purging produces, will cause you to resist a little. However, there is a part of you that knows when you allow this process "to just happen," you'll feel so much better.


What are you holding on to that you need to let go? A grudge? A habit? A person? A thought? A feeling? How is it serving you? Take a moment to get honest with yourself. Will you gain relief from letting it go?


Think about it.

Don't fight it-you will only cause yourself more pain.


Just release it.


NOW...LET IT GO!


Going...Going...Gone.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Feedback


Since When Company Comes's opening debut, I have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. Some personally and some via email. As with any book, no two responses are ever quite the same. One person may experience inspiration while another may experience empathy. Both are good because it is my intention to evoke some kind of emotion. But the real bonus comes when a reader receives more than just emotion. They actually get the message and it changes the course of his or her life.

I love it when that happens! For me, it is what makes writing worthwhile. (Ooops, did I say that out loud?) Okay. I guess this is the part where, those of you who think that my job is pretty easy, you should probably cover your eyes. Don't worry, I'll wait,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, no peeking,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.

The truth of the matter is that while writing can be fun, it can also be stressful, mindbending, lonely, frustrating, long, compulsive, impulsive, nailbiting, hard, dramatic....did I mention that it can be fun? That being said- it's no different from the average 9 to 5. It takes commitment and discipline. If you still think it's easy then you are officially my hero!

Now...as I was saying before....

For me, it's moments like those that make it all worthwhile. I never know how my work will affect people or even if it will affect them at all. What I do know is that if I can reach one, and that one reaches another then the world becomes a better place because of it and I am grateful.

Readers, thank you so much for your generous feedback. I am always humbled by it.



I gotta get back to work! Be good.




--Angela Bolden-Thompson