Talena Winters

February 12, 2016

Love, Family, Music, Photo Friday

Photo Friday: True Love

Talena Winters

February 12, 2016

Love, Family, Music, Photo Friday

Jason and Talena. Photo taken June 2008.

“If they asked me, I could write a book
About the way you act and whisper and look
I could write the preface on how we met
So the world would never forget

And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot
Then the world discovers as my book ends
How to make two lovers of friends.”

— "I Could Write a Book" by Rodgers & Hart

I love you forever, Jason. Sometimes I still can't believe I was lucky enough to get to spend this life with you. Thank you. For everything.

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Writer. Knitting pattern designer. Foodie. Tea addict. Book geek. Mom of boys. Aspiring mermaid. My Secret Wish: Be your most fabulous you.

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You've had a long week. You've taken steps. You've made progress, whether great or small. (And slow progress is still progress.) Take a moment to appreciate what you've accomplished. And breathe. . Happy Friday, friends! You've got this! . #dreams #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment

On a recent podcast episode by Holly Lisle and Rebecca Galardo (Alone in a Room with Invisible People, if you're wondering), Holly said that writers eat the elephant (what they learn to write a book) to give writers the berries (what they include in the book for readers). The metaphor doesn't make a huge amount of sense to me, but the proportions do. It's partly why it took nine years before the first book in my historical fantasy series, Rise of the Grigori, was published. When it comes to history, it's one thing to have an idea of context and culture while you're watching or reading something historical, and quite another thing to know it well enough to write about it believably. And no, you can't ever know everything. Still, you want to do a passable job. . I sure appreciate books like this one that were easy to read and understand and helped me understand the forces that shaped the thought patterns of the nineteenth (and even eighteenth) centuries. What surprised me was how much the social and personal struggles of the Victorians mirrored ours in some ways. They lived in times when technology was changing quickly and causing new social concerns, as well as bringing awareness of previous ones to centre stage. And they were characterized by their optimism, much as I see the millennial-and-younger generations today. We don't always get it right, but sometimes, as humans, we do learn some things. We've certainly improved on some of the issues the Victorians were dealing with. I hope in another 125 years, our descendants can say the same of us. . Happy Tuesday! . #riseofthegrigori #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting #victorianengland #richarddaltick @rebeccagelardoart @holly.lisle @alonewithinvisiblepeople

I was so excited when this yarn arrived, because I will be making my last hat sample for the upcoming Just Plain Hat pattern in it. This yarn is so very lovely. I started knitting the sample on Saturday, and will post update photos soon. This yarn is just as pretty in a fabric. . Also on my agenda this week: drafting The Sphinx's Heart, editing a romance novel, and talking to some dynamic local business people so I can write their stories. It's going to be a fun week. . Happy Monday! What are you up to this week? . #justplainhat #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects #musehandpainted #knitpicks @knit_picks #riseofthegrigori #thesphinxsheart #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #YAbooks #YAFantasy #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori #peaceriver #moveupmag

This is one of my favourite quotes. Throwback to this graphic I made a few years ago. Because we all occasionally need the reminder that it's okay to fail. . If you missed it, my newsletter went out yesterday with your monthly dose of inspiration plus some exciting news. Check your inbox! If you don't already subscribe, you can sign up and see archived emails at www.talenawinters.com/contact. You get a free novella and knitting pattern when you sign up, too! Just in time for Friday night chillaxing! . Happy Friday, friend. Practice being brave. . #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings

I'm thrilled to announce that my Patreon page is now live. The page is to serve readers and writers, with rewards including long and short fiction, early access to video writing tutorials, downloadable graphics, and exclusive monthly writing classes and Q&A sessions. "Up in Smoke," a short urban fantasy story that was published in March of this year in Constellate eZine, is now available exclusively for patrons. (Including Dana Vaillancourt's clever cover art.) Please check out my page and consider joining my community. I look forward to serving you this way! https://patreon.com/talenawinters . @paradeofzombies #constellatepublishing #upinsmoke #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans #patreon #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting #urbanfantasy #canadalit #canlit

What's inspiring me today. . Happy Wednesday, friend! . #thesphinxsheart #riseofthegrigori #roma #research #musehandpainted #knitpicks #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." I've had this quote hanging in my office for years, but now I've got it (or part of it, at least) on a pretty new chalkboard. Too many times we think our talent alone will ensure our success, but nothing could be further from the truth. While there are exceptions to every rule, in general, the most successful people are the ones who worked very hard to earn what they achieved, through honing their crafts and through putting themselves out there and being good business people. We never get anywhere by keeping our talents hidden in the dark. That, and the world never gets to benefit from the light you could have shone by using your gifts. . So, this week, shine, my friend. Work hard. Put your gifts out there. Bless others. And also, work smart. :-) Happy Monday. . #quote #favequote #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #liveinthemoment #itsthelittlethings

The stories we tell ourselves. I've been thinking about that a lot over the last few months. Oftentimes, those stories originated in a story someone else told. But since we have the power to choose the words we say, shouldn't we use that power to tell ourselves a story that's worth telling? . Think about the stories you are telling yourself today. Is there one you'd like to change? . Well, what are you waiting for? . Have an awesome weekend! . Photo by @lgnwvrphto courtesy of @unsplash. . #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #tellyourstory #tarawestover #educated #blog #blogpost

Lately, I've been working on getting a new cowl/scarf design ready to publish. This one started as a request for a scarf from my kid (as per usual), and has morphed into this fabulous series starter designed to use up bits from your stash—fast. The Stash Potion Cowl will be just the beginning of this series. Keep an eye out for more details soon! . #stashpotion #cowl #scarf #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects

Since this is the first day of back-to-school around these parts, and I totally did NOT take a picture of my kids this morning (Mom fail!), it seems like a good day to talk about this book. I listened to this on Audible several months ago (which is why I photographed an on-the-shelf version for this post. I know. SO tacky.) and it has not let me go. Wow. This memoir was pretty tough to listen to in parts (like, "she survived to tell about it so I'll keep listening but otherwise holy cr*p I just can't") but so inspiring and incredible. I highly recommend it. (Also, the audiobook narration by Julia Whelan was enjoyable to listen to.) . What are you reading this week, friend? . #educated #tarawestover #bookstagram #amreading #bookish #reading #igreads #bookworm #booklover #booknerdigans

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