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Renee Writes Now!

Tag Archives: relationships

Read an excerpt from my new book

02 Wednesday Sep 2020

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author, books, ebook, entertainment, Family, Humor, Life, relationships, writing

PhotoFunia-1592856259

Suzette ran into Dougie, a midshipman who was the same age as she was, although his small frame made him look a lot younger. Many of the other boys teased Dougie about getting into the movies for the price of a twelve-and-under kids’ ticket. She remembered the night he got stuck in the ductwork above her bathroom, last year. Some older boys had forced him to sneak down with a camera to get photos of the commandant’s daughter in the shower. Fortunately, she heard him first.

“Hey there,” Dougie said with a shy smile.

“Congratulations on surviving to sophomore status,” Suzette said. “I bet it feels good to have a whole class of freshmen midshipmen starting below you.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “It does. How’s life at the convent?

Suzette laughed. “Off to a great start. I’ve got two projects due next week, including one on finding a universal definition of spirituality. I guess I’ll have to go to the library because I know zero about it.”

Dougie raised his eyebrows. “I might be able to help you out. I’ve got a couple of books in my room about spirituality.”

Seeing Suzette’s puzzled expression, he shrugged. “My parents are extremely religious— church every Sunday. They packed a lot of reading material for me— not that I’ll ever use it. C’mon up to my room and I’ll dig through the stuff in my trunk until I find it.”

“Women aren’t allowed above decks,” Suzette stopped in her tracks.

“So? You’re not a woman,” Dougie said, over his shoulder. “Hurry up. My door is right at the top of the stairs.”

She glanced at her father’s office and noticed that it remained empty—no faculty and no secretaries in sight. Suzette took the wooden steps two at a time and was relieved to see the corridor was clear when she reached the second floor. She found Dougie rifling through a large metal trunk at the foot of his bunk, scattering books on the floor.

Suzette stood with her back against the dorm door, but instinctively turned to open it when she heard a knock.

“Hey Dougie, my fake I.D. worked! Let’s celebrate.”

She heard the sound of a pop top on a can and felt a chilly mist spray over her. Foam dripped from the end of Suzette’s nose and landed on her T-shirt, which was enough to make her reek of beer.

Dougie sat frozen on the floor, too horrified to move, while two midshipmen stood in the doorway, clutching aluminum cans.

“Shit, I am so sorry. Oh no. Oh, my God.”

Suzette wiped her face. “Are you guys crazy? What are you doing with beer, for heaven’s sake? That’s totally illegal, in case you didn’t know. I can’t walk into my parents’ place like this. What am I going to do?”

Dougie grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the bathroom.

“You’re going to rinse off.”

“Oh, a great idea. And what possible explanation will I have for being soaking wet?”

“Maybe you fell in the swimming pool…?”

Standing in the porcelain tub and arguing with Dougie, Suzette failed to notice another boy turn the nozzle. Hot water from the shower head hit her with such force that she screamed. And then, she screamed again.

“No, stop it, right now. Turn off the water,” she sputtered.

Seconds later Mike McGrath burst through the door. A senior and the second highest-ranking officer in the school, Big Mac gaped at the scene in the bathroom.

“I heard screams and I…”

He was looking at Suzette, who stood dripping wet and furious. The outer edges of his mouth twitched slightly but he fought to keep from laughing. “Um, you know ladies aren’t allowed above decks,” he said

“No kidding?” she replied. “I can see why.”

She turned to Dougie and glared. “Get me a towel.”

“You two.” Big Mac nodded toward the boys with the dripping beer cans. “Sit down.”

He peered into the hallway and closed the door.

“We’ve got to get you out of here before evening inspection. You can’t go down the main stairway because you’ll run into some of the faculty.”

Dougie scratched his head. “What about the fire escape?”

Big Mac counted the number of doors between Dougie’s room and the end of the hallway on his fingers. There were only six. “It might work.”

Big Mac stood with his hand on the doorknob and waited as Suzette toweled off. Her rubber sneakers squeaked along the hardwood floors as she slid between the beer-can boys who surrounded her like an invisibility cloak. When the hallway was clear, he opened the door and stepped out, extending his arms to block the view. At six-feet-four, Big Mac stood taller than most of the senior class and wider, too.

The others scurried toward the fire escape, leaving a watery trail on the wooden floorboards. Big Mac ordered several guys to towel the floor dry before the Captain arrived for evening inspection.

“We’ll go down with you,” Dougie said. “If anyone is watching from a window, they’ll just see our gray uniforms.”

Suzette frowned at him.

“And don’t worry. I’ll bring the religion books by your apartment later,” he added.

 

Anchored Together is now available on Amazon.com

 

 

New book, new cover

10 Friday Jul 2020

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author, books, Design, entertainment, Family, Life, relationships, Writer

Anchored Together_Front hi_rez

 

Doing less, being more

27 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Dementia, Uncategorized

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author, books, Dementia, Family, inspiration, Life, relationships

 

Barbara downstairs

The pandemic taught us that we’re all caregivers, for ourselves and each other. However, I was thrust into the role several years ago, when my mother-in-law’s descent into dementia accelerated.

Today as we celebrate her 95th birthday, it seems like a good time to reflect on the lessons this retired school teacher has imparted to our family. I learned that care giving is an act which nurtures our best traits while healing our worst. She has taught me that communication involves more listening than speaking.

At its best, care giving is not a fight. It’s a practice…that never ends. It is not political and it transcends skin color, nationality, wealth, gender, and age. Care giving should not destroy, since discarding the flawed would mean discarding all of us. Finally, caring for someone often means doing less, but being more.

I realize that many of the kindest gestures we’ll ever make, and the most important things we’ll ever do, won’t come easy and will never be seen publicly.

Let’s do them anyway.

 

 

 

 

Award-winning author Renee Garrison has completed her second novel, “Anchored Together,” which will be released in the fall.

In praise of business cards

25 Wednesday Mar 2020

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author, business, Humor, Life, relationships, writing

Business cards

Call me old-fashioned, but I love business cards.

I asked my son for his business card recently, and it was as if I’d asked him for the Holy Grail. Today, it appears that digitally-minded young executives don’t use them (sales and business development officers seem to be the exception.)

Yet, the Vistaprint company reportedly prints nearly six billion business cards each year.

I have hundreds of them, collected from acquaintances or representing jobs I’ve left behind. I view them as sentimental: Mementos of my career path representing a little slice of time or career milestones.

(Full disclosure: I pitched the ones that were so old they didn’t include email addresses or websites. What could I do with them? Origami?)

Thanks to the rise of smartphones and LinkedIn, business cards are becoming extinct. Like the dinosaur or the dodo bird, they may disappear one day. Until then, I’ll carry mine – just in case.

 

 

Renee Garrison is currently writing the sequel to her award-winning book, The Anchor Clankers.

 

 

Emotional objects

05 Wednesday Feb 2020

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author, Family, inspiration, Life, love, relationships, writing

robe

I own a new bathrobe.

It’s Turkish white cotton and it replaces one that I have worn since 2007. When my mother died, I brought her bathrobe home with me and, for a decade, it served as the hug she could no longer deliver. It wasn’t expensive – its value was in its sentiment. Big and fluffy, it tumbled through the washer and dryer thousands of times until loose threads began to appear and, like my mother, it perished.

Finally, I was ready to let it go. Parting with an item (like a robe) may simply be a matter of accepting the end of certain relationships and understanding how the physical objects around us have served as their emotional accomplices.

I still miss my mother, of course, but I think she would be pleased to see me wrapped in a new bathrobe – especially one that looks a lot like hers.

 

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Shifting traditions

26 Tuesday Nov 2019

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Uncategorized

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Family, food, inspiration, relationships, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving dinners

Thanksgiving retro-

My grandmother set her Thanksgiving table with an Irish lace cloth. I’m not sure that I even own one. (If I do, it’s packed away.) In her eighties, Nana once threw a crystal cranberry dish across the table at my mother because Mom neglected to remove it from the china closet and serve the cranberry sauce in it. A stickler for tradition, that one…
When my children were growing up, we didn’t always live close to family. Today, my daughter lives in Illinois and my son, in Texas, so we are learning to navigate a shifting holiday tradition.
I’ve become a guest, now, rather than a host. It’s delightful to watch them prepare recipes that are meaningful to our family. But I’m also pleased to see their unique additions to the day. Candidly, my daughter-in-law does a better job with appetizers than I ever could.
Screen time with family is wonderful, but nothing replaces being together, the affectionate hugs and the opportunities for reconnecting with one another over a holiday meal.
I hope they will carry forward a few of the cherished holiday traditions of their childhood for the next generation. Unlike my grandmother, I let go of any expectations and – along with the food – I savor the moments, the chance to be together.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Renee interviews author Florence St. John

02 Monday Sep 2019

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author, books, Health, Life, relationships, writing

Janet Sierzant

Florence St. John writes psychological, nonfiction books about personality disorders. She is the author of, “The Codependence Trap,” a semifinalist for the Royal Palm Literary Award.

Tell me about your background. Where you grew up, where you live now, education, work experience? Share some interesting things about yourself that we should know about.
I was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island. I relocated to Georgia and lived there for 26 years until I got divorced. I love Florida, traveling to Sicily and writing.

What inspired you to write this book? What is the story behind the story?
I started writing after I asked my father to record five cassette tapes about his life growing up in Brooklyn. My first book is Gemini Joe, Memoirs of Brooklyn. After that, I couldn’t stop writing.

What has been your biggest challenge or obstacle?
I was always told that I wasn’t college material, but then I relocated to Georgia and attended Kennesaw State University, where I received my Bachelors of Science degree.

What has been your biggest “aha” moment or success?
My biggest aha moment was realizing that I am codependent.

What authors do you like to read? What books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?
I usually like to read non-fiction books, especially memoirs, but my favorite book is the Joy Luck Club.

Do you write every single day? Any writing rituals?
I try to write every day, I have so many books in my head. I never get writer’s block. But I’m also a compulsive revisor. I have no problem correcting or tweaking my work.

What are your interests outside of writing?
Zumba and walking on the beach

Share some tips for other Authors or Aspiring Authors: What would you do differently? What would you do the same? Please share anything you think would be beneficial to those reading this.
My advice to other authors is… write because you enjoy it, not because you hope to be rich.

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. To suggest an author interview, email her at rgarrison@bestversionmedia.com.

Front Cover

 

 

Taking care of the caregiver

26 Wednesday Jun 2019

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Uncategorized

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Family, inspiration, Life, relationships, Support, Writer

elderly
While being a caregiver for an elderly loved one can be deeply rewarding, it can also be extremely stressful. During those moments when my nerves are frayed and my patience is wearing thin, I’ve discovered some helpful techniques to remove myself from the situation and calm down.

How do I keep strong feelings from getting the best of me? I remember to “take five.” Best of all, my little mantra can take many different forms:

1. You could take five (literal) steps back from the situation if your loved one with dementia has become belligerent.

2. Count to five before you answer if you’re stuck in a cycle of repeated questions or comments.

3. Take five whole minutes to yourself (set a timer!) if you’re just worn out. While you relax, put on a calming television program or hand the person with dementia a favorite snack and leave the room.

4. In the evening, of course, you can always try five sips of wine…

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers. She is currently writing the sequel.

Memorial Day

24 Friday May 2019

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Uncategorized

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Family, Holiday, inspiration, Life, Memorial Day, relationships

20190427_175852.jpg

I won’t be spending Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery this year and I feel a little guilty about it. As a child growing up in New England, I remember my family’s tradition of gathering at the cemetery to honor our relatives by straightening tombstones, clearing brush and debris, and finally decorating the graves with fresh flowers. We said prayers for the dearly departed before eating “dinner on the grounds” (quite literally, on a blanket.)

It was a family reunion of sorts – between both dead and living relatives. I never considered it strange that we were picnicking atop the graves of our ancestors. It was simply a peaceful, all-day event, which included sharing stories and laughter.

Today, I live too far away to continue the tradition, but part of my heart will be in Washington DC and Brookline, Massachusetts, on this holiday.

May they all rest in peace.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of The Anchor Clankers.

Tea for two

05 Friday Apr 2019

Posted by ReneeWritesNow! in Uncategorized

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author, Girlfriends, inspiration, Life, relationships, thoughts

tea-2356764_960_720

Rifling through my pantry this morning, I discovered a small package of loose tea from Harney & Sons American Tea Company. I remember the day I bought it, driving through the Berkshires with my photographer friend, Barbara Rosen. She lost a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer five years ago and the tea was a memory I hadn’t wanted to part with. I wondered if tea ever went bad?

Clicking around their website, I learned that Harney and Sons tea does not have an expiration date, but the company recommends their product be consumed within two years of the “best by date” on the packages. Whoops. “If your tea is outside that window, there’s no harm in consuming it, however, it’s very likely the flavor and aroma will be very subdued.”

Happily, it wasn’t. In fact, it smelled as great as it tasted.

Holding the cup, I missed Barbara a little less and remembered a lot more. She once said, “If you want to reach me, put your hand over your heart and talk. I’m there.” So I did.
Cheers to you, my friend.

 

Renee Garrison is the award-winning author of  The Anchor Clankers.

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