#Sharing #BookPromotion D. G. Kaye’s “MenoWhat? A Memoir”

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Grab your copy of D. G. Kaye’s MenoWhat? A Memoir today! Why now? Because it’s on sale for $.99! It won’t get any better than this, folks. And you KNOW you want to read this one! Check out her post, and order your copy NOW. (I have an overwhelming desire to add “But wait! There’s MORE!” But I won’t. This is good enough all by itself!)

Go HERE to check  out Deb’s post with full details and commentary and reviews. Or go HERE to order direct from Amazon. And please share the news far and wide! Thanks!

#ExcerptWeek – P. S. I Forgive You by D. G. Kaye

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Thank you, Marcia for inviting me over again to share an excerpt of my work in progress. I’m going to admit I am a bit gun-shy because I never usually share my unpolished work, and please keep in mind this is only a second draft.

This segment is from my upcoming book P.S. I Forgive You. This is the sequel to my memoir, my first book, Conflicted Hearts, which was written and published while my narcissistic mother was still alive. This new book is closure to the hurts from emotional abuse and neglect, with understanding, and ultimately the forgiveness I found for my mother.

Excerpt from WIP – P.S. I Forgive You

Karma

It was up to me to break the bad Karma, according to the psychic reader and seer of past lives I was highly recommended to visit, while I was in Sedona, Arizona, early September of 2014.

After she informed me about events that would occur in my life in the coming year, Rayne granted me three questions. Being the skeptic I am, I was careful not to reveal much when having the reading done, in order to gauge how much the reader could tell me without my volunteering information. I merely nodded my head in affirmation when she’d say something accurate. Then I proceeded to ask her my questions.

I asked a minimally phrased question to Rayne, not wanting to divulge anything about my mother. “What about my mother?”

“What about your mother?” Rayne replied. She stared deep into my eyes with an inquisitive raised eyebrow. She looked at me in question, perhaps waiting for more before she told me she didn’t feel the presence of my mother in my life. My eyes held her gaze for a moment, but I didn’t offer another word.

Rayne proceeded to take a large, ancient-looking deck of cards out of a black velvet bag. She informed me these were not regular tarot cards, but her personal cards, handed down to her from past generations from her home in Thailand.

Dominating thoughts of my mother plagued my head with the guilt once again in that moment while Rayne shuffled the cards. I couldn’t seem to stop dwelling on the last time I abandoned my mother seven years before, because I knew, she wouldn’t live out the current year. My torturing thoughts nagged within, battling my indecision about whether or not I had to go see her and say good-bye before she died. Even though I knew it would have been a fruitless exercise, and would have only subjected me to more abuse, I still couldn’t manage to shake the guilt I carried.

Rayne continued placing her cards in a pattern of some random magical order, and raised her eyes to meet mine. In a soothing voice, she confirmed the truth, “Your mother is not in your life.” And then she added, “No, you don’t have to go back, but you must pray for her.” A feeling of relief ran through me as though she had read my mind, confirming and consoling me, by telling me it was okay not to have to go back.

After Rayne made that statement, I became eager to share some thoughts with her. She’d pegged the question plaguing me as every day passed in the few months before mother died. I let Rayne know I had already been praying for my mother every day, for seven years, even though we weren’t speaking. Rayne once again confirmed that was all I needed to do.

In the next sentence, Rayne informed me that my mother and I were mortal enemies in a past life. Vague as that statement was, I could almost understand it. Rayne continued, “Your mother didn’t learn her life lessons in this or her past life, and your conflicts weren’t resolved in your present lives.” She also shared with me that I didn’t choose to be born to my family, I was sent there. Rayne didn’t elaborate on that sentence. The past life regression part she was touching on wasn’t part of the reading package I’d purchased. She told me she was sharing those facts because they were so prominent in the cards.

I wanted to know more, but neither time, nor money permitted as a past life reading involved an hour and a half long session, and several hundred dollars more. I didn’t want to abuse her power, or seem like I was trying to weasel out any extra information, but I was compelled to ask Rayne why I was sent to my family. She told me I was sent there to teach my mother life-lessons.

Rayne reminded me once again to keep praying for my mother. She explained to me that by praying for her soul while she was alive, it would break the bad Karma between us that carried over into this life. Rayne continued, letting me know I’d be set free by praying for my mother, and that she would finally learn her lessons after she left this world.

I took solace in Rayne’s words. My intuition has always led me to believe I have some sense of an inner knowing, and that knowing strangely reminds me of the invisible hold my mother has always had on me. Somehow, this tiny piece of understanding from Rayne made me realize that life is bigger than anything I could ever imagine.

 My body felt a calming from my agitated state of conflict. A weight lifted from my soul. I received the confirmation. It was okay for me not to go back.

Six weeks later, my mother died.
D.G. Kaye ©2016

D.G. Kaye Author

Author D. G. Kaye 

Please drop by my blog and visit at www.dgkayewriter.com  and visit my author page on Amazon  www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7

My Books:

Conflicted Hearts           www.smarturl.it/bookconflictedhearts
Words We Carry             www.smarturl.it/bookwordswecarry
MenoWhat? A Memoir www.smarturl.it/bookMenowhatAMemoir
Have Bags, Will Travel   www.smarturl.it/bookHaveBags

 

 

 

#ExcerptWeek – MenoWhat? by D. G. Kaye

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Excerpt –MenoWhat? A Memoir by D.G. Kaye
FROM HIP TO WAIST WE JOIN
 

Until we actually live through something, it’s difficult to imagine what the experience is like. When I was young but nearing menopause, I became interested in how the physiques of menopausal women began to change. Women come in all shapes and sizes, but I noticed that even the waistlines of smaller women weren’t as proportionately small as their slight frames suggested. I was certain the dreaded middle-age spread would not apply to me, and I referred to it as circumference expansion.

As we approach the early stages of menopause, estrogen begins to cozy up to our midriffs. Then, when we reach menopause, our depleted estrogen is replaced by cortisol-induced fat cells. Cortisol compensates for estrogen loss and loves to store fat cells around the belly. Thanks again, estrogen, for abandoning us and leaving us with an unfair trade-off of fat as your substitute! This is certainly a cruel punishment for those of us who worked so diligently to stay on top of our weight issues.

As a woman who had spent most of her young life on diets and lived fearfully by the scale, I was sure this phase would spare me. I thought it was simple: If we let ourselves get out of control and eat too much, of course we’ll gain weight. I believed that if I was disciplined in my diet and exercise regime, I wouldn’t have a problem with my waistline expanding.

Wrong again.

My waist used to be my smallest feature, compared to my curvy hips. As a petite woman with a short waist-to-hip ratio, I was obsessed with keeping my weight down. Granted, as I approached my thirties and forties, my body weight began to shift. I had to accept that my twenty-six-inch waist had grown to twenty-nine inches all on its own. I did my best to maintain what I had left after I went through The Change. I noticed, without any change in my diet or exercise, that those little muffin tops or love handles, as they are so affectionately named, had somehow attached themselves to my body. Whoever had given them such sweet names was either deranged or male, I decided.

My body seemed to take on a new life. Don’t get me wrong, I can still fit into my pants, but somehow they don’t look quite as good with the outline of a muffin top through my shirt. Oddly enough, my hips and thighs have managed to remain the same size, albeit not as firm. But meno muffin had taken up residence in my midsection. My body had definitely been re-proportioned. Getting dressed became a completely new experience. Gone now were the wool sweaters and turtlenecks of the past, as were my nice fitted tops.

When I was younger, if I gained weight, it went directly to my hips and thighs. The new targets were my waist, arms, and back. No longer was I only plagued by my fear of an expanding waistline—I had discovered fatback. I’m sure many of you are well acquainted with this dragon. This is a fat attack on the upper body, love handles that stick out of the bra line when you wear a fitted top. I have yet to learn of any invention with the ability to camouflage this. Can we even liposuction this? I’ve gotten into the habit of buying my tops one size up to try to combat this occurrence. Hey, whatever works. It doesn’t eliminate the problem, but at least it doesn’t accentuate my overage.

Listen: We can exercise, starve, self-tan, buy bigger clothes, wear Spanx, or put on a happy shade of lipstick. Whatever it takes to make us feel better about ourselves, I say we should go for it. The bottom line is that we all reach a stage where we have to accept ourselves. We can highlight our best features, we can laugh and make light, and we should always just be grateful that we are still on the right side of the green.

D.G. Kaye Author
D. G. Kaye

Please feel free to visit and follow me at:

My website:   www.dgkayewriter.com
My Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/dgkaye7
My Goodreads page: www.goodreads.com/dgkaye
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pokercubster
Google: www.google.com/+DebbyDGKayeGies
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/dgkaye7
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/dgkaye7
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dgkaye
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dgkaye

Check out my books and read first chapters:

Conflicted Hearts:    www.smarturl.it/bookconflictedhearts
Words We Carry:      www.smarturl.it/bookwordswecarry

 

#Free Ebook MenoWhat? A Memoir — #Menopause #Humor – D. G. Kaye

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D. G. Kaye’s book, Meno-What? A Memoir is free today! Don’t miss a great opportunity to read this humorous account of what can be an exasperating time in a woman’s life.  Promotion lasts until Monday, November 9, but don’t wait until the last minute. Grab your copy TODAY! Read about it Here:

Meno-What? A Memoir is Free Today

 

“Have Bags, Will Travel” Review by Michelle James – D. G. Kaye

I was pleasantly surprised when Michelle James of BookChat, kindly approached me, offering to review my latest book, Have Bags, Will Travel. There is nothing as gratifying for an author than to find that her book was enjoyed and well received. I was even more elated that Michelle had given her time to review and recommend my book.

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My Review – Michelle James

Have you ever read a book that could have been written about you? D.G. Kaye did just that.

Case#1 – She’s a shopaholic.  Well, I love to shop, though maybe not as much as she does. Christmas shopping, back to school shopping, birthdays, anniversaries – I could shop for days on end.  I love buying gifts for others, furniture for our home, the list is endless.  The author loves to buy so much more, in fact shoes are her favorite shopping item. The problem is she shops when she travels and has to have a way to get it home without customs finding out she packed more than she is allowed to bring back. As you will see, she goes to great lengths to pack creatively. Continue reading

#Writing Prompt – Candlelight

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                  Hidden

The aging Diva primped for her grand entrance to the Christmas party she hosted annually. She reminded her assistant for the umpteenth time, to make sure the Grand Ballroom was to remain dimly lit — candlelight only. Her vanity dictated that she’d only be seen in best light.

The aging recluse hid within herself what she didn’t want to face in the mirror — the lines and wrinkles which marked her time on earth. As she entered the Ballroom, her flaws remained hidden to the crowd, but not to herself.

The Diva managed to conceal her face, ravaged with time, by wearing scarves and hats, and her signature cat-eye shaped sunglasses when she absolutely had to go out; trying her best to stay out of the limelight during the day. But certain social gatherings were expected, and obligatory.

As the evening progressed, a woman in an intoxicated state stumbled into the elegantly decorated sweet table. She was unaware that the jagged claws encasing the expensive diamond in the ring on her hand had latched on to the tablecloth in her passing stupor. As she continued to walk, without noticing, a thread remained attached to her ring causing the tablecloth to rip away from the table.

The disturbance captured the attention of the guests as the candles fell over and caught fire to an edge of the tablecloth and everything else flammable on the table. Pandemonium ensued, and in instinct, a guest dashed to flip on the lights.

The room was illuminated and the ornate chandeliers sparkled in all their glory. Guests and wait staff tossed pitchers of water at the spreading flames, and within moments, the fire was extinguished.

The Diva was nowhere in sight.

D.G. Kaye © 2015-10-13 DGKayewriter.com

Fabulous Friday Guest Blogger D. G. Kaye #Aging Gracefully

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D.G. Kaye Author

A misnomer – aging gracefully; pretty words for a difficult time for many who face new dragons at this certain time in life where physical appearance changes, yet some women bow gracefully to the onslaught of face and body alterations.

I admire the attitudes of many women whom just accept the changes, but I am a polar opposite to that kind of acceptance. I will use my last ounce of vanity to seek out the best methods I can find to combat aging. Sure, it’s inevitable; I’m not immortal, but most likely, I’ll leave this world wearing something leopard, a pair of stilettos (if I’m not caught dead at home on my computer wearing slippers), and sporting my signature orange lipstick and flaming red hair. All of these things became a part of me at a younger age, and I’ve maintained them for decades, so why would I cave?

Why should I have to stop striving to be the me that I’m comfortable in just because I’m in my mid fifties? I don’t have to. And nobody has to if they don’t want to. Getting older doesn’t dictate the rules on when we have to stop caring about the way we look and feel. That decision, my friends, is all up to us. From the choices we make for health and diet, to our preferences about our outward appearance, including skin-care – body and face, we all get to decide how we want to face the progression of time. We can let it slip in through the night like a thief, or we can ride the waves kicking up our heels.

I am anything but graceful. I’m assertive, inquisitive, investigative and bold, but I’m downright afraid of getting old. I know my attitude stems from my feelings of inadequacy I’ve harbored since childhood, and since that time, I’ve been an ongoing work in progress with myself, always striving for ways to feel better about myself; mentally and physically. And just when I thought I had the perfect antidote for my self-esteem, menopause came along and assaulted much of my diligent lifetime work of maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. And so I persevered in a new battle.

I’m not delusional, certainly when we approach our fifties and onward, we’re not going to look or feel thirty. But with a little maintenance, we can look remarkably good as the years and decades try to take control of us. Now, I’m not talking about man-made alterations with surgeries and injections. I’m talking about taking care of ourselves from the inside and out with healthy eating, a little exercise, and a plethora of choices available from the beauty department. My decision not to ever have to succumb to polyester, elastic waist pants and orthopedic shoes is a driving force within me that keeps me focused on my maintenance plan. Continue reading

#Book #Promotion #Kindlecountdown – Words We Carry

BREAKING NEWS book promotion

Starting Thursday September 24th until the 30th, my book Words We Carry will be on kindle countdown in the U.S. and the U.K.

For those lucky enough to be able to take advantage of this promo (countdowns are only available in the U.S. and U.K.), don’t forget to get your copy of Words We Carry if you haven’t already read it.

Please consider leaving a review if you’ve read it. I know it’s been said many times but ~ Reviews are an author’s gold~

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“I have been a great critic of myself for most of my life, and I was darned good at it, deflating my own ego without the help of anyone else.”

What do our shopping habits, high-heeled shoes, and big hair have to do with how we perceive ourselves? Do the slights we endured when we were young affect how we choose our relationships now?

D.G. takes us on a journey, unlocking the hurts of the past by identifying situations that hindered her own self-esteem. Her anecdotes and confessions demonstrate how the hurtful events in our lives linger and set the tone for how we value our own self-worth.

Words We Carry is a raw, personal accounting of how the author overcame the demons of low self-esteem with the determination to learn to love herself.

Get your copy HERE

http://www.dgkayewriter.com

http://www.about.me/dgkaye7