Tag: fiction

My Yoga Mat’s Magic

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I often joke that the phrase, “I am always in the way” is the running title of my future memoir because I find myself  in the way more so than not. 

It’s nothing new. Ever since I can remember, I have often been an unintentional yet awkward barrier to movement despite my awareness of where my feet stand and the space around me. The irony is that sometimes when I move to get out of the way, I end up more in the way.

It’s quite frustrating when I unwillingly transform into a giant rock stuck in the middle of a free-flowing stream that blocks the currents of water, traffic, and imagination. My exasperation spills over, and when it mixes with the noise of distractions and the crippling chatter of internal condemnation, I become hindered physically, emotionally, mentally, creatively, and spiritually.

Elixirs and apothecaries failed to free me, as did wizards, hokum, and positive mindsets. 

Last year, however, I unexpectedly encountered the one magical object that could unstick my stuck: my yoga mat.

My yoga mat allows me to breathe into places I wasn’t aware existed and provides the space I didn’t know I needed. Growth invariably happens as I remain present and rooted upon my mat while pursuing my right-now self’s desire for peace.

My mat is my own country, the continent of ME with a map full of gleaming treasures and plenty of bulldozers to obliterate barriers and boundaries. I am at home on my mat, and in the space around my mat during community practices, others are at home on their own magnificent continents of themselves.

My fortuitous discovery is where healing began, a healing that led me to nurture the brilliances of my mind, my body, my spirit, my soul, my life force, and my being, with each of their colors kaleidoscoping together while igniting their individual, radiant hues.

From my mat, I learned to appreciate my body instead of being at constant war with it. I formerly  regarded myself as being trapped inside a defective vessel cursed with autoimmune disease and other flaws deemed unacceptable by society. Now I regard those curses as blessings, as they have taught me resilience. With my new awareness, I accept my beautiful vessel as a glorious container for my kindhearted soul and unabashed spirit teeming with authenticity and incredible love.

Shame and regret no longer have a seat upon my mat, nor does the jabbering voice of self-doubt. I am at peace with all parts of my journey, including those I did not choose, because I did the best I could with what I knew in those times. 

My intuition assures me my gifts both on and off the mat are precious and needed. Creativity and goodness flow through me and from me, and my mat helps my spark to kindle the light in others.

The space of my mat led me to ME, and I don’t have to run away from myself anymore.

Now I relish the opportunity to be in the way as my healing continues.

I am indebted to my yoga teacher and mentor, Katie Morgan, who sparked my journey to becoming a trauma-informed 200-hour yoga teacher by lighting my path with her magical fireflies.

While I am unsure of where my yoga teaching path will lead, I welcome every opportunity to connect with others who might be seeking a similar experience on or off the mat. Please reach out if you are interested in talking with me about possible opportunities for growth, classes, workshops, or movement.

If you are local, I’d love for you to join me on August 15 in downtown Toms River from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Garden State Distillery! We’re planning a fun evening with short readings, Q & A, and mixing & mingling.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

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“My Yoga Mat’s Magic” was posted on jillocone.com on July 29, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

Thank You, Manchester Library!

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I had the honor of presenting a program I titled “Enduring Life’s Waves” at the Manchester Township branch of the Ocean County Library on Monday, July 22 with 24 guests present.

It was my first public presentation about my novel. I brought many brochures I picked up on my first two Dublin trips, as well as my travel journals and photo books to enhance my presentation. While preparing my talk and accompanying presentation, I looked at a number of images I took ten years ago while on my first trip to Dublin and more from my 2016 trip I call my “Mission from the Universe,” and marveled how when I took these pictures and saw these locations with my own eyes, I had no idea my novel would be the end result. Having faith in following the signs that appeared in my days changed my life in so many unanticipated ways.

I spoke about just that, trusting the path even when you cannot see the first step, and how important it is to be present in the moment at hand. So many times we go rushing through our lives, meeting this benchmark and crossing this or that task off our lists that we fail to stop and recognize with all of our senses where we are in the present moment. That’s one of the points of James Joyce’s masterpieces Ulysses, a writer and work that played pivotal roles in my journey.

Having Joyce’s inspiration mesh and meld with my path was not something I would have expected, but here we are, and I look to the pompous bloke as wise because I shifted my view and looked through different lenses upon him, and to be honest, upon everything over the past ten years.

I would like to thank everyone who came to Monday’s program and the staff of Manchester branch of the Ocean County Library for trusting me with presenting a quality program where I hope everyone felt included and learned to follow their inner compasses.

Promo Poster
During the Presentation
Reading a sample from the novel

If you are local, I’d love for you to join me on August 15 in downtown Toms River from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Garden State Distillery! We’re planning a fun evening with short readings, Q & A, and mixing & mingling.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“Thank You, Manchester Library” was posted on jillocone.com on July 24, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

Thank You, Bethany Beach Books!

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I traveled to Bethany Beach, Delaware last week with one of my best friends for my first real author event at a bookstore. Bethany Beach Books accepted my request for an author event earlier this year and it was an amazing milestone! I am forever grateful for Bethany Beach Books for hosting me. If you are in the Bethany Beach area, I highly recommend you visit this quaint book store. Might I add seeing my book near Elin Hildebrand’s most recent release was surreal!

Signed copies left at Bethany Beach Books waiting to be shelved.
Outside Bethany Beach Books
My lifelong and longest friend!
Post signing walk up to the beach. Go figure, free admission unlike New Jersey!
In action!
Signing a copy of “Enuring the Waves” for a reader!
It’s a real event! That’s my name!
My book among a-list authors!

I crossed off a few “firsts” on this quick getaway, including taking the Cape May/Lewes Ferry for the first time. We stayed at Hotel Bethany Beach, which I also wholeheartedly recommend. The price was right, the location perfect, and the accomodations wonderful. For meals, we enjoyed dinner at Mickey’s Family Crab House and The Cottage Cafe, and for lunch we sat next to The Gipper, Ronald Reagan himself, at Ropewalk. We enjoyed walking the main strip and browsing many surf shops and coastal decor stores. A few years ago, my niece and I stayed in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for a few days, which is about 13 miles north. Delaware’s shore area is similar to Jersey but has a very different vibe and feel, and I hope to return someday.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it). It’s a great beach read, and since it’s beach season, what are you waiting for? Order it. already!

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“Thank You, Bethany Beach Books!” was posted on jillocone.com on June 30, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

About Time to Promote “About Time”

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About Time‘s cover I designed

I am pleased to announce the publication of About Time: A Coming of Age Poetry Anthology published by Red Penguin Books. 

I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the collection’s guest editor, which was the first time I held such a role for an anthology. As editor, I sifted through the submissions after printing them and cutting off any identifiable information from each poem because I personally knew a few of the poets who submitted their work for publication consideration. I wanted every poet to have a fair chance regardless of whether I had a prior connection with them or not, so I blindly read each poem five times during the selection phase. 

The challenge of whittling down the number of accepted poems from the pool of over 300 submitted poems was real. I ultimately divided up the poems into three categories: yes, no, and maybe, then carefully read each poem two more times before making the final selections.

The hardest part of the process was contacting the poets in the “no” pile. I have received more rejections than acceptances in my writing life and know firsthand how it stings to find out my work wasn’t accepted. I did my best to pen a graceful and encouraging rejection letter, and to my surprise, received some replies from poets thanking me for such a kindly worded email. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every part of my role as guest editor for About Time, from redesigning the book’s cover and selecting poems that best exemplified the book’s vision and theme to providing a publishing credit for many new writers. I hope to work with Red Penguin again in the future!

You can order a copy of About Time by clicking this link.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it).

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“About Time to Promote ‘About Time” was posted on jillocone.com on April 19, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

The Red Light Conundrum

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Image Created in Canva, canva.com

Today is a bad light day.

I travel through 26 traffic lights on my 15-ish mile drive to and from my workplace every day. There’s typically one or two mornings every year or two when I hit green lights all the way, and those are the absolute best! I’m a time traveler of sorts on such mornings with an incredibly fast commute while maintaining posted speed limits.

Not the case this morning.

I actually left a few minutes earlier than usual and planned to use the added time to write. Excited about the sentences I would create on my computer screen, I backed out of my driveway after pressing the play button on my morning playlist, drove three houses up to the stop sign, and turned left.

And it began, the first red light glaring at me a few blocks up the road.

Then another. 

And so on. 

Five red lights in a row quickly added almost three minutes to my travel time, and I had just left my house six minutes prior.

I thought I had cleared the stop-and-go cycle when I miraculously drove through three green lights, but I was wrong. I was at the back of the green-light pack, and as my comrades in commuting sped up, I lingered to avoid the officer I knew was hiding in the trees alongside the highway, and much to my chagrin, the yellow-then-red lights mocked me yet again. 

Each light further irked me, especially those with no vehicles waiting for their turn. 

Phantoms. Frustrating as all hell.

The overwhelmingly unproportional number of red lights ridiculing me from above added a total of six minutes to my commute and robbed me of the extra writing time I thought I had so cleverly planned.

I realized, however, that while this morning might have been a bad light day, it is not a bad day. In fact, it is a good day. Taking some breathing exercises after I got settled helped to clear my mind, and I still had time to write, hence this post.

Life can be like that at times, constantly throwing up red lights and barriers in our path. Instead of letting them defeat us, we can learn to accept the adage that everything happens at the right time. Some of us may experience immediate success with our goals and dreams, while others may have to work a little harder and a lot longer to make our dreams and goals realities. 

While frustrating at the time, just now it hit me that perhaps those red lights might have prevented me from danger or harm. Maybe the extra time sitting in my car provided me with a springboard over the writer’s block obstacles that have recently plagued me so that the flow of words as I type this is smoother, more fluent, and more relevant.

The more I think about it, the color red is associated with the root chakra which provides grounding, stability, and safety. Words are rooted inside of me. I am open to all possibilities and trust the universe to support me, even if my journey is delayed by red lights and unavoidable obstacles.

I am grounded and have found peace.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it).

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“The Red Light Conundrum” was posted on jillocone.com on March 12, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

“Enduring the Waves” Surfs into the Hands of Readers

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February Breen’s Seasonal Book Club February Meeting at The Little Point Bookshop. Thanks to the staff for hosting us all!

I added a milestone to my calendar this month by attending my first solo event in support of Enduring the Waves. I spoke to the members of Breen’s Seasonal Book Club on Saturday, February 10, 2024 and enjoyed every moment of my time with them. It was wild to see people walking on the street of my hometown carrying my novel in their hands. “They have MY book!” I yelled to my sister-in-law as we searched for a coveted parking spot near The Little Point Bookshop, where the club meeting was held. 

After meeting club members at their December brunch, where some purchased signed copies of Enduring the Waves directly from me, I knew they were collectively interested in the book. And the waves of serendipity rolled through the February meeting as I connected with several teachers from different schools, some of whom worked with people I knew or had also worked with at some point.

I appreciated the thoughtful questions asked by some members after I shared a bit of the novel’s backstory with images taken during my own Ireland adventures to provide visuals of places that they read about in Enduring.  I am comforted when readers share with me they found Enduring to be healing, especially from readers I don’t know. I ultimately wrote Enduring to heal myself without ever thinking it would heal others, and yet it has.

It maynot make a best seller list, and some might not consider it to be worthy of promotion because I am largely unknown as a writer right now, but because my novel helped to heal many, it is a success in my eyes.

And it’s a damn good story. 

I went through countless folders of images from my Ireland trips on my hard drives to find the right pictures to share with the book club, and emotion suddenly swept over me. 

I did that, dammit! 

I followed the signs and went to a foreign country with nothing other than courage and a sense of adventure, and a trusted traveling companion along for the ride. Eight years later after my first true mission from the universe in 2016, I know some reasons I was there, with writing Enduring the Waves the most prominent.

The future of the path I am currently walking is foggy, but I know in my heart I am being led to something wonderful that involves words and light. I trust it despite not being able to see my feet moving forward or the final destination. Like Kelly (Enduring’s main character), I am riding all of life’s waves and enjoying every moment.

Thank you to those who have purchased and/or read Enduring the Waves ! If you haven’t, I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it).

Please reach out to me via email (jillocone@gmail.com) if you are interested in having me speak or present at your next book club or community group meeting. I’m happy to meet you!

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“”Enduring the Waves” Surf into the Hands of Readers” was posted on jillocone.com on February 21, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

The best books for lovers of the shore and the sea

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When I was approached by the folks over at Shepherd.com to provide recommendations for books with similar aspects to Enduring the Waves as a way to promote my novel, I hesitated at first as doubts and questions swirled around my mind. What kind of expert am I? How could I whittle down my extensive collection to only five surf and shore themed books, and which books had a message that could most inform and inspire others?

Then I looked at myself with different lenses.I realized I am worthy of providing recommendations, and knew the perfect books for my list because they are the ones I’ve reread more than once and/or keep going back to for various reasons.

As such, I accepted the challenge and my list went live today. Head on over to Shepherd.com’s newest list of book recommendations, The best books for lovers of the shore and the sea,

If you haven’t already done so, please consider reading Enduring the Waves as well! I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it).

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out.

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“The best books for lovers of the shore and the sea” was posted on jillocone.com on January 15, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.

The Blessings of “Un”-Summer

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Taken 7/13/2020 in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

I’ve officially titled the summer of 2020 the “Un”-Summer as it’s been the strangest summer of all my forty-nine years.

But I don’t mind.

Summer is my season, face masks required or not. I’ve always been a summer girl, and despite the abnormalities of this particular summer, I’m reveling in its magnificence.

The sunshine and heat, the thunder and rain, the humidity with its accompanying brassiness… it’s all good in my book.

Days are longer, hair is messier, feet are bare, and the carefree feeling of summer is like no other.

Summer just brims with absolute goodness: nectarines and pluots and watermelon and berries and ice cream from the ice cream truck, pedaling around my neighborhood or up to the beach and back with the wind blowing through my hair, searching for tiny shells or sea glass along the ocean’s wash line with sand between my toes on an empty early morning beach with a friend, sipping my morning coffee outside while the birds and the crickets and the cicadas sing-sing-sing along with each other, reading and writing outside as a cool breeze caresses my face, observing the fireflies dance with each other as the sun goes to bed for the night, watching the plants blossom from seedlings into flowers and fruits and vegetables…

I still enjoy these summer blessings in light of our current circumstances.

To be honest, I think our current state of affairs has actually increased both my awareness of and appreciation for every summer moment and experience.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the freedom of going to an amusement park without a reservation and a face mask, having lunch at some of my favorite restaurants that are currently shuttered due to a lack of outside dining availability or comfort, or strolling the boardwalk in the early morning without worrying about someone passing within six feet of me.

But the overriding arch here is that IT IS SUMMER.

I will continue living in my own little bubble of summerhood where life is good and bask in the glory of each summer moment and every summer day with appreciation for every summer blessing.

One of my accomplishments during this unprecedented “un”-summer is a complete revision/overhaul to my novel, Chapter One-A Novel, and this time, it’s the real deal. Over the past two months, I painstakingly dissected the manuscript and examined every word and sentence to improve its flow, voice, and story. That is why I’ve been absent from posting here; I focused wholeheartedly on the revision and did not want to become distracted by writing anything else. My hard work paid off, and I am wholeheartedly proud of and believe in the manuscript I produced. Chapter One-A Novel is now worthy of representation and publication. Here’s my one-sentence pitch:

Kelly Lynch, the twenty-something protagonist of Chapter One-A Novel, navigates the seas of friendship and the storms of loss as she travels from the Jersey Shore to Dublin, Ireland on a journey of self-discovery.

I know the universe will lead me to the right opportunity to put it into the hands of readers everywhere.

I hope that your “un-summer” blesses you with joyous memories filled with too many smiles to count. It will, if you make the best of it.

cropped-img_0764 Thanks for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you’re here.

With gratitude,

Jill

“The Blessings of ‘Un’-Summer” was posted on jillocone.com and on soulseaker.com on July 19, 2020. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not compensated in any way by any entity. Copyright 2020, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact jillocone@gmail.com with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries.