Maureen Petrosky, author of the new book, Wine Club: A Monthly Guide to Swirling, Sipping, and Pairing with Friends is my guest in this episode.

You can find out more about Maureen at her website, MaureenPetrosky.com.

I am so excited to introduce this podcast episode.

What better summer topic than wine (and chocolate tasting)

PLUS: If it is your goal to write a 'specialty book' you will learn Author Maureen Petrosky's publishing story. She is an author of several books.

This latest release, Wine Club: A Monthly Guide to Swirling, Sipping, and Pairing with Friends, is an updated version of a successful book she first published in 2005, The Wine Club: A Month-by-Month guide to Learning about Wine with Friends. What an interesting story. The new release is set up in a month by month format that suggests wines and food pairing. Everyone learns and everyone is introduced to great food and great wine.

As a community, we are socializing more and more. What a fantastic and fun way to get together.

In the interview Maureen, Master Sommelier and Trained Chef, shares:

• Tips on selecting and tasting different wines
• How wine, food and chocolate work together to form a complete tasting experience
• The one element you need to easily form a wine club with your friends
• What "leggy" means
• Tips for lifestyle authors on publishing and marketing
• and much more

Find Maureen Petrosky at her website and her new book, Wine Club, wherever books are sold.

Thanks for listening. If you like what you hear, leave me a rating!

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

Is Joining a Writers Group a Good Idea for Aspiring Writers?
(or a great starting point/)

Join authors Linda Wisniewski, Sandra Carey Cody, and Susan Wagner in a fun, illuminating conversation about Women's Writing Groups. All the women are part of a writer's group created through their connection with the Pearl S Buck House in Bucks County, PA. Not all writers groups are created equal and I was curious about how the groups work and how joining one be might advantageous for writers.

Linda, Sandy and Susan share:

• their individual writing and publishing stories
• how writer's groups help them personally
• how they cope with critics
• why they write
• advice for the aspiring author on publishing
• resources that have helped them through their careers
• and much, much more.

Find out more about these authors and their books at their websites:

Linda Wisniewski at Lindawis.com

Sandra Carey Cody at SandraCareyCody.com

Susan Wagner at SusanEWagner.com

Meet the authors! If you are local, the authors will be attending the Flemington Summer Book Fest being held May 26th thru May 29th from 10-6.

If wish to explore memoir writing, Linda Wisniewski offers a class that starts today. Check it out if you are interested, she may have room for you.

Other resources that the ladies mention in the broadcast:

StoryCircleNetwork.org

International Women's Writing Group

MeetUp.org

International Women's Writing Guild

International Poets

Sisters in Crime

Author's Guild

Pearl S. Buck Writing Center

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

Author and Influencer, Kelly Hopkins-Jones, is our guest this week. We chat about her popular Instagram site, @hillside-farmhouse, her book, Someday - a love letter to parents experiencing infertility, her publishing experience, and her baby daughter.

Kelly reveals how she went from advance practice nurse to Instagram influencer. Her Instagram site, @hillside-farmhouse, has over 13,800 followers. Kelly explains how she started to post pictures of her farmhouse remodel in Bucks County and then added posts that paralleled what was going on in her life.

She features fabulous pictures and video on her Instagram about her home renovations (two homes), her struggle with infertility, her fabulous product finds and her baby daughter, as well as products for baby and mom! She offers her advice on how YOU could do the same on your social media:

Consistency, Flexibility, and Connection are key.

Kelly's heartfelt journey to new motherhood through unexplained fertility is shared. She describes the role that writing and publishing her book, Someday, played in that journey.

You can find Kelly's book, Someday, at the link.

Thanks for listening. You can find me at @claudinewolk on Instagram - I need to catch up to Kelly's followers. As if...

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

• Eyebobs: Enter code 'StoriesandStrat10" for a 10% discount at eyebobs.com Your place for readers - fun to wear and fun to buy.
• ThriftBooks.com: the amazing site to buy and collect used books and dvds.
• Publisher Rocket - Software research tool for authors to identify Keywords and Categories for an existing book or the book not yet written.
• Voice Coaches: Use the promo code "WOLK" to get half off of their introductory workshop to determine if voice acting is the career for you. Voicecoaches.com.

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

You Need To Release Your Creativity Today

Why?

Because if you don’t, your creativity will be lost forever. The world will lose out on your contribution and YOU will miss out on progress toward self-actualization.

In this episode, part of a series by Claudine on Creativity, she introduces Abraham Maslow - the father of humanistic psychology and the creator the hierarchy of needs - of the concept of self-actualization. Using an excerpt from her audio books an example, Claudine shares why your creativity must be shared and why doing so will bring you to self-actualization and simply more darned healthy and happy.

Claudine's Audio book: It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers
except from Chapter 13, You Complete Me? about Abraham Maslow and Self-actualization

You can find out more about Claudine at her website: ClaudineWolk.com

This episode of Stories and Strategies for Women is brought to you by our sponsors:

• Eyebobs: Enter code 'StoriesandStrat10" for a 10% discount at eyebobs.com Your place for readers - fun to wear and fun to buy.
• ThriftBooks.com: the amazing site to buy and collect used books and dvds.
• Publishers Rocket - Software research tool for authors to identify Keywords and Categories for an existing book or the book not yet written.
• Voice Coaches: Use the promo code "WOLK" to get half off of their introductory workshop to determine if voice acting is the career for you. Voicecoaches.com.

Find me at:
ClaudineWolk.com
Instagram: @claudinewolk
Twitter: @Help4NewMoms.com

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

"We're going to look for the kind people," said author, podcast host, inspirational speaker and coach Kate Brenton to her five-year-old son recently. On arriving at the airport, Kate realized that their flight home had been closed even though she had checked-in hours before.

Her riveting story is more than a recounting of an annoying airline experience, it's about the human spirit, fellow human beings helping one another, the lessons we teach our kids, and how "looking for the helpful people, the kind people, is as good a piece of advice today as it was when Fred Rogers first proclaimed it on his famous show.

Speaking of looking for the kind people, Kate is one of them. Kate has a new master class that starts March 23rd titled, Sit in Your Center. It is a practical and magical journey of alignment and empowerment for women. More about this class can be found at Kate's Website

Use coupon code: "GATHER" for $100 off the Sit in Your Center Class. Deadline 3.23.23.

Also mentioned in the podcast:

Rebirth Podcast — Kate Brenton
Kate's Book: Rebirth: real-life stories about what happens when you let go and let life lead
Kate's Substack: The Golden Thread

This episode of Stories and Strategies for Women is brought to you by our sponsors:

• Eyebobs: Enter code 'StoriesandStrat10" for a 10% discount at eyebobs.com Your place for readers - fun to wear and fun to buy.
• ThriftBooks.com: the amazing site to buy and collect used books and dvds.
• Publishers Rocket - Software research tool for authors to identify Keywords and Categories for an existing book or the book not yet written.
• Voice Coaches: Use the promo code "WOLK" to get half off of their introductory workshop to determine if voice acting is the career for you. Voicecoaches.com.

Find me at:
ClaudineWolk.com
Instagram: @claudinewolk
Twitter: @Help4NewMoms.com

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

• Eyebobs: Enter code 'StoriesandStrat10" for a 10% discount at eyebobs.com Your place for readers - fun to wear and fun to buy.
• ThriftBooks.com: the amazing site to buy and collect used books and dvds.
• Publishers Rocket - Software research tool for authors to identify Keywords and Categories for an existing book or the book not yet written.
• Voice Coaches: Use the promo code "WOLK" to get half off of their introductory workshop to determine if voice acting is the career for you. Voicecoaches.com.

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk

If you own a business and you suspect that an employee is in a domestic violent situation, how can you help?

Your employee is already feeling vulnerable and work may be the only place he or she feels safe and confident. An employer want to be empathetic but not intrusive, right? How can a business help their employee?

The Standing-Firm.org organization helps businesses to fashion helpful company policies to aid employees suffering under domestic violence. Have a Listen.

On the Standing-firm website is a fabulous video where domestic violent survivors share their inspiring stories and a point of view that you may not have considered.

More information about the Standing-Firm organization and our guest Beth Lewis at the link or contact Beth directly at contactsf@standing-firm.org.

Claudine Wolk Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold
Claudine Wolk Website: ClaudineWolk.com
Claudine's Instagram - @ClaudineWolk