“I Am” was posted on jillocone.com on August 30, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
“About Time” is open for submissions of poetry that comments on and questions the essence of time. What does it mean to be present? How can we heal from what has been while preparing ourselves for the uncertainty of what may come next? Tell us what you’ve learned over the years–we’ve got all the time in the world.
Themes to consider while crafting or preparing appropriate poetry include growing up, withering away, generational healing, philosophical quandaries, passing of the torch, and more.
Once again, the universe led me to this wonderful opportunity that is replete with connections not only serendipitously seen in my upcoming novel Enduring the Waves but topics I often journal about. Being present is a skill I am still trying to master, even though the hamster in my mind hates being put on pause. I’ve posted here before that time is the biggest thief of all, and also about time leading me to my path of healing. There’s a lot more work to be done in that arena, but as editor of the “About Time” anthology, I look forward to reading the works of others to further help me heal. I’m also excited to provide a publishing opportunity for writers who are accepted for the anthology, as I remember what it felt like to get one of my first acceptances. If you are interested in submitting and have questions, please reach out to me.
In other news, I had my first meeting about my novel this week with a local book club organizer and they will be reading Enduring the Waves as their January 2024 book. I will go to their February meeting to speak about the book and sign copies for those who are interested. I recently completed a “Reader/Discussion” guide for the novel, which I will share as its release date of November 20 approaches. It’s not listed for presale just yet, but when it is, you know I’ll share immediately! Reach out if you’d like me to help your book club out with a visit, presentation, or anything.
“It’s ‘ABOUT TIME’ – A Poetry Submission Opportunity” was posted on jillocone.com on August 23, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
the curious little girl in pigtails who loved reading, and playing, and roller skating in the street, and swinging as high as the sky, and swimming for hours like a fish,
who cared about others and worried about who might have been hurt when the town emergency sirens would wail,
who was left with a vast hole in her heart when her dachshund died.
This is …
my younger self …
the awkward and unsure woman who was led astray from her desires,
who left footprints on a trail selected for her with no say in the route,
who searched for acceptance and love but found ridicule and hurt,
who has tattoos on her soul inked by ugly words, insecurity, and shame,
who sought escape in glass bottles and liberation in pop-top cans,
who ran away from her heart and smack into detours,
who abandoned her soul to dig a hole so deep it seemed like she’d never emerge from the depths of darkness.
This is …
my determination to say “when” and my commitment to myself …
my rising to right my navigational course spurred by currents of love and hope,
my intrinsic values and talents awake and ready to be seen,
my light that glimmers and shines.
This is …
everyone I’ve ever lost …
my grandparents,
my father,
my God-father,
my father-in-law,
my brother-in-law,
my uncles and aunts,
treasured friends and colleagues,
students and neighbors,
every single person who still lives in my heart after transcending to another dimension.
This is …
everyone I’ve ever walked besides, and those who still walk next to me …
my husband,
my brother,
my nieces and nephews,
my sisters,
my mothers,
my family,
my cousins,
my friends,
my colleagues,
my teachers and role models,
my students,
my connections,
every single person who has breezed into and out of my earthly voyage, including those who haven’t arrived just yet.
This is …
every word I’ve ever written,
every thought that’s ever scurried through my mind,
every “what if” that kept me up at night,
every photograph I’ve snapped,
every beat of my heart,
every breath I’ve taken,
every doubt that strangled me,
every step forward,
every step backward,
every tear I’ve cried,
every wow I’ve yelled,
every chuckle I’ve laughed,
every scream I’ve shrieked,
every smile I’ve ever worn on my face,
every pillow I’ve punched,
every hug I’ve given,
every pain I’ve felt,
every diagnosis I’ve been given,
every fear that’s crippled me,
every song I’ve sung,
every dance I’ve danced,
every book I’ve read,
every movie/show I’ve seen,
every sight/taste/smell/touch/sound I’ve sensed,
every one of my idiosyncrasies,
every setback I’ve surmounted,
every victory I’ve celebrated,
and every challenge that defeated me.
This is …
the daybreaks and dusks,
the raindrops and snow squalls,
the hurricanes and floods,
low tides, high tides, and rip tides,
wind gusts and sunshine,
spring, summer, autumn, and winter,
exhaustion and energy,
breathing and being.
This is …
every second,
every minute,
every hour,
every day,
every month,
every year,
my past,
my present,
my future.
This is …
My journey, which is my purpose.
My purpose, which is my journey.
This is …
THIS.
Me.
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
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“This” was posted on jillocone.com on August 16, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
It’s no secret that I have never outgrown my love of toys, especially little one and ones that spark my imagination. In fact, one of my favorite stores near me is “Big Fun Toys.” I love to wander their shelves, both with and without my nieces and nephews, and usually buy something to enjoy, such as the magic drinking bird or miniature replicas of classic toys.
I’ve written before about available toys for girls in the 1970s. From 2019:
As a little girl in the 1970s, I wasn’t a tomboy, but I also wasn’t a “girlie girl.”
I fell in the middle, a misfit of sorts, and always sympathized with those toys relegated to the Island of Misfit Toys in the classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” especially the polka-dotted elephant.
Toy options for little girls like me in the 1970s included various models of Barbie dolls including Cher and Farrah Fawcett, Shrinky Dinks, Easy Bake Oven, paper dolls, Holly Hobbie, Fashion Plates, Spirograph, and baby dolls.
While the Spirograph and Shrinky Dinks were okay, the rest?
No, thank you.
My little brother, on the other hand, always received the coolest toys for Christmas and his birthday, so I played with them instead.
I spent hours creating highways out of the plastic, orange track that my brother’s die-cast cars could take back and forth to work or use to race their nemeses. I took pleasure in building cities and creatures out of his collection of hard, plastic interlocking blocks in all shades of primary colors. I could pretend and use my imagination to create stories using my little people figures that didn’t have females conforming to the societal stereotypes of the era when I played with toys marketed to boys.
While going through boxes recently, I found a treasure trove of toys from yesteryear that were some of my favorites: die-cast cars as I referenced above, and Fisher Price Little People. I cleaned them up, and yes, I played with them, several times now.
I liked Little People because they allowed my imagination to come alive by creating stories for each figure. Even though their collective appearances suggested perpetural happiness, their little smiles always made me smile. The few I kept in my memory box (the little blonde me, the smiling doggy, and the cute little clown) I transferred to my office shelves just a few weeks ago. Now that I have them all again, I’ll keep them on hand to kickstart my creativity and to play with whenever I want to. And maybe some of them will get a coveted ride-along in my race cars!
That’s me as a little girl on the right, with a happy dog and a happy man.Circus, anyone?Three more of my favorite Little People.I loved the white car and always chose that as my race car. Dragon Wheels, a pop-up Bug with engine!Two more of my favorites…I think Argyle would fight me for either if I was in Stranger Things!
It was fitting to find my toys almost the same day we collectively learned Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman, passed away. I’ve only cried at a handful of celebrity deaths… Carrie Fisher, Tom Petty, and Chris Farley are a few that made me shed tears.
Add Reubens to that list.
I absolutely loved Pee-wee Herman. He was silly and childlike, whimsical and kind, and like me, someone who loved to play. My Saturday mornings weren’t complete if I didn’t watch Pee-wee’s Playhouse, even during my teenage years. I felt at home with his collection of talking objects, especially Chairry and Jambi (Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho!), and his colorful friends Cowboy Curtis (played by the incomparable Laurence Fishburne), Captain Carl (we miss you so, Phil Hartman!), Reba the Mail Lady (portrayed by Emmy/Golden Globe/Screen Actors Guild/NAACP Image Award Winner S. Epatha Merkerson), among so many others. I’d dance along with the theme song (written and performed by Cyndi Lauper!) and scream like a moron if anyone I encountered said Pee-wee’s word of the day. I may not know what the heck I did yesterday, but I can still recite almost every word of one of my favorite movies ever, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
I cried when I read about his passing because Pee-wee was joy, curiosity, compassion, empathy, and fun all rolled up into one. Regardless of poor choices he may have made in his past, he delighted in life and left an indelible mark of whimsicality.
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I will close my post with this question for you: Will you come play with me?
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Come Play” was posted on jillocone.com on August 9, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
I am beyond delighted to share that my debut novel, Enduring the Waves, will be released on November 20, 2023, and I am currently searching for ARC readers.
ARC stands for “Advanced Reader Copy.” ARC readers will receive an advance copy of my novel in digital pdf form prior to its release in exchange for honest reviews posted to Amazon, Goodreads, Book Bub, personal blog, or another site I approve. Please read the Media Kit/Information Sheet below to learn more about Enduring the Waves and to see if it is right for you before signing up to review it.
If you are interested in being a part of the ARC team for Enduring the Waves, please fill out the form below by August 15, 2023 and don’t forget to hit SUBMIT. Those who are accepted will be notified during the week of August 21, 2023.
If you haven’t already done so and you aren’t submitting to be an ARC Team Member, please consider signing up for my newsletter here to stay current with my journey.
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In other news, we’ve officially entered the “Teen” stage of summer, as per my post from earlier this month. Summer shows us nothing but attitude during its teenager phase. Bold and all-knowing, it repels any sort of advice or direction with backtalk and sass. It’s best to just let Summer be during this stage, as its instability results in out-of-the-blue storms with dangerous lightning and damaging hail.
Thank you for joining me on my journey and for your support. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Call for ARC Readers!” was posted on jillocone.com on July 27, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
My mind runs like a water wheel, with so many ideas about what to write spilling out of each bucket as it rises. As the bucket reaches the top and is as full as it can be, I sit down to write and it spills without warning. I’m left saturated with no concrete ideas and as blank as the screen in front of me, and the empty bucket mocks me in contempt thinking it has prevailed.
Such is the case today.
However, I’m not going to let the empty water wheel win. I am going to produce something, because that’s what writers do.
They write, no matter what.
I am a writer, and I am writing.
I submitted my final approval of my debut novel Enduring the Waves yesterday to my publisher, Wild Rose Press. I should receive a publication date soon and anticipate that to be sometime in early winter. Once I have that date, I will be revealing my cover. I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, creating a reader’s guide and updating my website. I’ve also been working on an announcement calling for Advanced Reader Copy reviewers, a schedule of social media interactions, and building my email newsletter list. If you’d like to stay current with my journey, please consider signing up for my newsletter here:
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I’ve also been working on magazine assignments and other writing projects, including putting the final touches on a non-fiction manuscript draft about something close to my heart. More about that to come, and that’s another reason to sign up for my newsletter, so you can stay current with everything I’ve got going on, in addition to the future release of Enduring the Waves.
The last week brought me to Boston with a quick jaunt with family to pick up my nephew (a rising high school senior) from a two-week summer course at Boston College. Last year was the first time I ever went to Boston, but the city charmed me something good. I love it there and relished the chance to visit it again, albeit for only a few hours.
Moon Jellies at Adventure Aquarium, one of my favorite creatures!
My nephew schooled me all about the exhibits as he has been there several times before. We walked the Shark Bridge Walk, saw the Hippo feeding, and went through all areas twice. I had a surprise stop planned and blew his mind by taking him to a store that sells retired Lego sets and parts called Andy’s Brick Shop in Oxford Valley Mall. Seeing so many vintage sets he had never before laid his eyes upon blew him away! I treated him to a special retired set and a few retired figures he did not have yet in his collection. It was a fantastic day.
I’ve disappointed myself at times by becoming too easily distracted, but that stops today as I reset my focus on engaging with what matters versus mindless scrolling. I’ve got 48 days left of summer, and I will balance each one with progress and my zest for life.
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Filling the Water Wheel’s Bucket” was posted on jillocone.com on July 19, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
Earlier this month, I was thinking about how each season is a life of sorts. Summer has alwasy been my favorite season, but as a teacher, each summer day is more urgent than its yesterday because that’s the one opportunity I have each year to live by my own terms. I jot down list after list of things I hope to do and experiences I hope to enjoy, then before I know it, summer is gone in the blink of an eye. Even this year, it feels like I’ve only been out of school for a week, but in reality, it’s day 20 of 75. One-quarter of my summer is gone already. According to my calculation of Summer’s Stages, we are officially in the “Child” Stage. Read on…
The Stages of Summer
Newborn: June 15-23. Summer is new and everything about it is too cute for words. The weather is refreshing and the days are immature. The summer equinox officially happens during the newborn stage, usually when the fireflies’ glow appears near nightfall.
Infant: June 24-30. Summer opens its eyes and smiles for the first time, but can do little else on its own. We must care for it by feeding it, bathing it, and changing it. Summer coos and snuggles in our arms, and as the infant stage ends, it waves bye-bye.
Toddler: July 1-4. The shortest of all stages, it is in this stage when Summer does not follow directions. It is just learning how to walk, run, and eat by itself. Summer begins to run around aimlessly, then ends its spirited toddler stage with a loud, showy, and sparkly display of light.
Child: July 5-15.WE ARE HERE. It is during Summer’s child stage when we start to feel the urgency of each day. During its child stage, Summer provides us with the best local fruit and produce, the song of the cicadas, and the energy of storms when humidity shows up to play with its counterpart, heat. Summer is still adventurous but also mischievous, with long days becoming shorter behind our backs and emotions that can switch without warning.
Tween: July 16-23. Summer is now awkward and stubborn, and at times, it loses its footing. It wants to rush to become a teenager, but we want it to stay young and innocent. We fight back against it and tell it to slow down, but it doesn’t listen and, instead, speeds up. The Tween stage ends before we even know it.
Teen: July 24-31. Summer shows us nothing but attitude during its teenager phase. Bold and all-knowing, it repels any sort of advice or direction with backtalk and sass. It’s best to just let Summer be during this stage, as its instability results in out-of-the-blue storms with dangerous lightning and damaging hail.
Young Adult: August 1-9. Summer has reached its peak of sexual maturity during its young adult stage, but is still temperamental. It’s trying to find its truth and voice from its experience, but is still lost on many fronts. During this phase, Summer attends its last party without realizing it, with brunches replacing keggers and a good night’s sleep supplanting all-nighters.
Middle Aged: August 10-20. Summer is finally wise and authentic. It basks in its glow and has learned from its mistakes. The days shorten still, with each one passing by quicker than its yesterday, while the bug-hum of late-afternoons increases in volume. Summer looks back upon its previous stages with disbelief and utters the phrase “Where did summer go?” on repeat.
Retired: August 21-31. Summer celebrates its freedom and lives each day according to its own schedule after a long and storied career. It keeps active while adhering to a fixed income, which gives it insight about what truly matters. Summer is satisfied while simultaneously enlightened, and doesn’t waste a second of time. We cram as much living as possible into the time we have left with Summer.
End of Life: September 1-Labor Day. Summer knows it will soon pass into fall and accepts its prognosis with dignity. We provide it with as much support as possible for its emotional, physical, spiritual and social needs, so it will peacefully leave us with a trove of treasured memories.
With the time remaining with summer limited, join me in living each day with intention and authenticy. Collect moments instead of likes, and memories instead of things. Every summer has a story, and I vow that my Summer of 2023 will be a bestseller.
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“The Stages of Summer” was posted on jillocone.com on July 12, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
For today’s post, I thought I’d share tidbits of wisdom I’ve collected over the past month from my writing group, colleagues, friends, family, and media. Perhaps one of these sentiments will provide you with what you need to hear right now.
We all have a circumstance to get in the way of our passion. Rise above it.
Make do with whatever you have right now and create anyway.
It’s okay to have a dream, but doers make their dreams happen.
Inspiration is bullshit.
Writers write.
Stop waiting for a special day. Instead, celebrate each day as special.
Show up for yourself and witness what is around you. Embrace all that you see, smell, feel, hear, taste, and touch.
You’ve got to live before you die.
Thank you, Lord, for these days of abundance.
Make the impossible possible, and the possible inevitable.
Be who you are, not who you are supposed to be.
Share your darkness so that others may see your light.
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Bite-Sized Wisdom” was posted on jillocone.com on July 5, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
German did it, his name forever added to baseball immortality.
Congratulations, Domingo!
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Immortal Perfection for 0” was posted on jillocone.com on June 29, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
Greetings! It’s time for my monthly newsletter-style entry titled “Ebb and Flow” that contains bits and pieces of reflections, updates, and anecdotes. Read on to find out what I’ve been up to…
Enduring the Waves Update: My novel is now in layout revisions, and final galley proof is pending. Once my editor and I approve it, a publication date will be assigned, which can take up to nine months. I am busy with behind-the-scenes work and preparing publicity materials, including this video trailer:
I have also created a newsletter, which will feature news, updates, and exclusive content similar to this post. I’d love it if you sign up using the link below to join me on my journey.
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Floating With Life’s Currents: On June 20, I was young again, reliving treasured memories at The Cure’s first of three concerts at Madison Square Garden. What a night, one of the best concerts ever! The Twilight Sad opened with an 8 song or so playlist, then after a brief intermission, The Cure took the stage. Frontman Robert Smith’s voice was as perfect as it was in my youth, and he sounded better than ever. The whole band did! They played for almost three hours with two encores. Unfortunately, my two friends and I had to miss the last four songs in order to make the 12:05 AM train home from New York. I didn’t crawl into bed until 2:30 and slept maybe an hour before my alarm blared at 4:39 AM on the morning of the last day of school. However, I was a big girl and muddled through my day with more alertness than I expected. The tiredness that caught up with me later in the day was totally worth the experience of seeing my second-favorite all-time band (second only to the Red Hot Chili Peppers) live on stage in sublime perfection.
The past month was also filled with end-of-school-year traditions and farewells, another trip to Hershey Park with “N” where we rode the brand-new Wildcat’s Revenge roller coaster twice, along with Storm Runner, Skyrush, The Kissing Tower, Fahrenheit, Comet, the Monorail, and CandyMonium. I took my littlest niece, “A”, to Dutch Wonderland, where we survived a pretty concerning tornado warning by taking shelter in a truck stop in Gap, PA with other travelers and several Amish people. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with my oldest niece, “E.” Even though all we did was drive around and wander stores, I needed her company more than she knows and am so thankful we got to spend time together. Tomorrow I am taking “I” to Six Flags Great Adventure, and sometime next week, “H” and I are headed to Camden Aquarium.
Tidepools: It’s officially summer, and I am relishing every single minute of it. My summer routine of waking without an alarm, showering, then coffee and writing in the morning is producing words towards my daily word count goals and keeping me focused on progress, versus wasting time scrolling through nonsense. I’m always in a better mood when the Yankees do well, which lately hasn’t happened all that much. You can probably hear me screaming at them from wherever you are when they collectively blow the game.
Navigational Hazards and Necessary Detours: We are in the process of emptying our storage unit, and the cornucopia of treasures I have unearthed has become a necessary distraction as I put the finishing touches on my office. So many books and little toys! It’s been fun sorting through it all and deciding what I display and what goes in the attic. I now have all of my pins in my possession and hope to create new pinboards inside my closet doors this weekend. Each pin is a memoir and tells a story of where I’ve been or what I like. I’ll share pictures of them as soon as they are ready and hung. We will also undertake the herculean task of cleaning out my Uncle’s home this summer.
When you hear the news about the scarcity of chemotherapy drugs, please know that it is legit and hits home. I had a bit of a scare regarding availability of a chemotherapy medication I take for Lupus, but it looks like I found a provider who can get it for me. Massive life-changing crisis hopefully averted.
I’ll be filling the gaps of time in between summertime tasks by producing words, creating marketing campaigns for my upcoming novel release, and making memories with those I love. No big trips as of now planned, but I’ve got a full plate, a lot of words to write, and a lot of progress to make before the school bell rings once again in September.
Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m glad you are here.
With light and love,
Jill
“Ebb and Flow, Volume 3 (6/28)” was posted on jillocone.com on June 28, 2023. 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 2023, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.
Jill Ocone 
