Happy Mother's Day . . . Okay, So I'm a Little Early

Queen Me shares . . .

Recently Crown Me Club subscriber, Karlena Lee, ordered tiaras for the special women in her life. Her personal note to them made such an impression on me. She talked about sisterhood and celebrating bonds. Karlena said things like, "Take time to be a Queen for the day," and "Do what only royalty must do . . . Be Magnificient!" Not only that, but she thanked them for being in her life. We corresponded about it and I asked Karlena to write someting for Queen Power.

Below are Karlena's thoughts about why she was compelled to play tiara fairy!

Raise Your Tiaras In Celebration Of Love, Truth & Life

What does being a woman represent? It symbolizes strength, hardship, laughter, sadness, triumph and failure. It simply means being brilliantly multi-faceted in the things that make us who we are and develops our character.

That was on my mind when I decided to wave my wand as the tiara fairy and recognize the fascinating women in my family. What better way, I thought, than to articulate the core of what the women I know and love so eloquently epitomizes.

I come from a long heritage of courageous, intelligent, unstoppable women, who have had their share of tests and trials. I am blessed to have my great-grandmother still thriving, while venturing into her 90s. When I look at her, I see all the women that came before her and those who have and will continue to come after.

In her prime, she could be both gentle and fierce at the same time. She loved her children and family. She gave by demonstrating determination, perseverance and love. She’s been the nurturer of 3 children, 15 grandchildren, over 20 great-grandchildren, and countless great-great grandchildren–five living generations!

The soul of my family comes from this single woman. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to celebrate my mother, grandmother, aunts and sisters, because they are like royalty to me! The reason being–it’s not as though we’re fabulous and our lives have gone unscathed–rather it’s more the contrary. Collectively in our personal lives and as a family, we have confronted the face of adversity, and though fearful or even discouraged at times, we continue to REIGN!

So you see, being a tiara fairy for Mother’s Day goes beyond gift giving. It is a celebration of love, truth and life!

Well wishes to you and all the women in your life, who like you–are simply magnificent!

Karlena Lee
Founder and President Author/Speaker/Trainer EYPN: www.eypn.com and www.karlenaleeunlimited.com.
Partnership: www.smartsley.com

Thank you Karlena for sharing with us.

www.queenpower.com
www.CrownAtude.html

Seeking Sela

Queen Me shares . . .

This month I’ve had fun (and sometimes not much fun) seeking advance praise blurbs for Grab the Queen Power. The fun part was reconnecting with my author friends in cyberspace. Almost every author I asked read the book and decided to submit blurbs. Their responses overwhelmed me—and that was a good thing. Now, I’m after back cover blurbs. Already, I’ve had a well-known author agree to read the book and, if she is so inclined, submit a review blurb for me. So that is most exciting!

And now I’ve set my sights high. I’m going after Sela Ward. I read her book, Homesick: A Memoir while writing Grab the Queen Power. Much of what she said resonated with me. Both Mississippians, our stories in regards to our feeling of family and community were similar. So, I decided to go for it. You know, see if I could find someone that knew someone that could reach Sela.

The someone was closer than I thought! My Dad ended up having a business associate from Meridian, MS (Sela's hometown) who had worked closely with Sela on some community projects. Yippee! Soon I was on my way.

Last Friday my mother called me with a phone number. Through the contact, she had gotten the number of Sela’s publicist. You’d think I would be excited about this. Actually, I was a little bummed out. With the help of our very own Queen of Information, Marie Roker, I had the address of Sela’s manager, and well, I actually thought that might be a better connection than the publicist. Of course, I had no way of knowing that, though. But I persisted. I decided to call the number. I don’t know about you, but I hate making cold calls. So I put it off for a day. Then I wrote out a script to help me ‘sell’ myself. I practiced. And then I bravely picked up the telephone.

I dialed the number. I waited. A female answered the phone. I really couldn't understand what she said and thought to myself, hmmmmm, this doesn't sound very professional, but I knew I must proceed. So I cleared my throat and said, "May I please speak to Joe?" The lady responded, "Who Joe? This is Chinese restaurant!"

Well, not one to give up easily, I verified the number with my mother. Oops! I had inverted the numbers. So after practicing a little bit longer and then wiping off my sweaty palms, I tried again. This time I heard, “We’re sorry. You have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

You gotta be kidding me?!

The story does have a happy ending though. I now have a ‘real’ mailing address. Of course, it will probably go to an Assistant, Publicist or a Manager, but maybe, just maybe my note and manuscript will reach her! I’m sending a little Queen Power dust for good measure before I zap it off using the US Postal service.

No worries. I will keep you posted:).

9/8/05
It dawned on the other day that I never updated you on the Sela Ward story. The ending isn't happy. Darn. Yes, she received the manuscript! So, I did have the right address. But her filming schedule prevented her from helping me. I actually got the call as I headed to Dallas, TX this summer for a book signing. No, Sela didn't call me, but her personal assistant did. When the call came in ... I had to smile. I might not have been successful, but I did reach an untouchable without too much effort. Isn't America beautiful?

www.queenpower.com
www.queenpower.com/CrownAtude.html

Time for FlyLady?

Queen Me shares . . .

Last week Queen Camellia, Donna Warner, wrote an article for the Queens Write About Writing blog about the FlyLady.

Although I had heard of the FlyLady, I didn’t know her methods. Well, for Donna, her methods were the key to figuring some things out. She explained, “Flylady suggested I could reclaim my life in five, ten, and fifteen minute increments, beginning with cleaning my sink. I gave it try. And it’s worked for a week. Not only worked, but it’s fun. When I do something for fifteen minutes, I really can see the result; I don’t experience the trapped feeling that the task will never get done, and will just have to be done over again anyway. Now I look forward to the next time I can do a little more. It’s true. Where I saw weeds, now I see the possibility for zinnias.”

Then some time last week, Nicole Williams (our Queen-zine editor) and I were exchanging e-mails. I responded to something she said by writing: “Three cheers for the queen!” Nicole wrote me back saying, “Three years for a Queen? I hadn’t heard that yet . . . Well, that takes some pressure off of me. I still forget sometimes that I don’t have to fix everything overnight! Hearing this makes me want to sit down and make a three year plan!”

What? I thought. I returned to my inbox to find the e-mail. Yep, I had written “Three years for a Queen” instead of “three cheers.” So rather serendipitously, I discovered something.

Time seems to be a major inhibitor, or rather, the idea that all must be fixed immediately stops us cold. I’ve been a victim too. Donna seemed to be freed by permission to do something in fifteen increments. Nicole found relief knowing that “it takes three years to make a Queen.”

And as Donna recently shared with us, “This week I have not been stopped by dust in the corners, or my usual lament, not enough time to do it all. Flylady suggests taking baby steps and utilizing small increments of time. It works for dishes. And I must ask myself, if zinnias are possible, why not essays? Or books?”

I too must ask myself. If it works for dishes, then doesn’t it work for book promotions too? Sure it does. And if it works for such things like dishes and books, then most certainly it works for becoming more queenly. Ahhhh. There’s still hope for me.

© Allyn Evans 2005
www.queenpower.com

You Gotta Have Friends

Queen Me shares . . .

Here's the truth. I am a loner. Well okay, was a loner is more like it. If you met me, you might be surprised by that fact. For starters, I am quite the extrovert and have always been that way. For example, going to a party filled with strangers never bothered me. I knew how to socialize and make friends, and up until college, I didn’t have any problems. But as I matured, I lost site of the necessity and actually forgot how to form a meaningful bond with other women. Oh, I made a few here and there, but my close female friends were few and far between. I remember once in college, my younger sister (by 10 years) visited. She accurately observed: "Your telephone rings all the time, but it's never for you. Do you have friends?" How do you respond to that? I lived with a roommate that had more friends than she could effectively manage. I, on the other hand, managed mine quite well. Thank you very much.

But at some point, while transitioning from child to adult, I had decided I was better off without friends. Don't get me wrong. Like I mentioned previously, I had friends sprinkled here and there. And my mother always encouraged me explaining, "Allyn, you are simply one of those people who can count all her friends on one hand." Yep. That described me, all right.

Not having friends, though, makes the journey much more difficult—the road long, very long. I know because that was the route I took. Simply put, it was easier if I did it by myself. And well, I usually did. Having friends not only meant I had someone to share fun, laughter and sadness with, but it also equaled more responsibility. Basically, it added to my "to do" list. Yikes! How scary is that?

Friends will come and go, but I think you will find they will drift into your life when you need them the most—if you are open. That's the key. You have to decide if you are better off having friends than not. Boy, I am not looking forward to my life review (after I die:); I'm sure I'll be shown so many missed opportunities for having meaningful relationships. But, that's all behind me now because my 'friend arms' are wide open (and so is my heart). You see, I now have to use my hands, my feet, and a calculator to count them!

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