Book Launch Party on March 24, 2012

Come share in the celebration of the release of the romantic suspense series, The Sperling Chronicles. Dilsa Saunders Bailey, the author of Dreams Thrown Away and Split Images invites you to join her for live music by The Frame and refreshments on the upstairs patio of the Three Dollar Cafe.

Autographed books will be available at the Launch, but can be reserved on the Good Show Publications website. Reserve yours today and have fun being a part of a good cause. A portion of each book will be contributed to the American Cancer Society.

Hope to see you there!!! RSVP by registering as a subscriber to this site and tell me you will be there!!! And, if you could do me a BIG favor and "Like" my Facebook page.

I Quit Smoking Today

I love the stillness of the early morning.  I awaken from my last dream in a warm cocoon next to my husband, not wanting to leave that comfort to start a new day.  So most mornings, I stay in the little cocoon just a little longer and meditate on all the things for which I am grateful, or I dissect a dream I had, or I contemplate the things ahead of me that day.  This morning, after I thanked God for his abundant blessings, I began to look back at my life and realized it was about this time of year 40 years ago that I smoked my first cigarette.  It was a spring like day that I cut class with a few other students.  We went down to the football field and someone produced a pack of cigarettes.  I had been around smokers most of my life.  My dad smoked, so did my uncles.  My grandmother smoked when I was younger, but she quit when she lost her only sister to breast cancer.  I had seen movie stars and television stars smoke seductively on the screens looking sophisticated and sexy.  So I gave it a try.

It’s amazing how your body tells you immediately it is not something you should do.  And it did, I gagged and my friends laughed.  I didn’t try it again for a few weeks or months, but again I was with a group of kids that had mastered this smoking thing.  I tried again and coughed and gagged.  But, that didn’t stop me; I wanted to be like them.  I thought they were cool.  Well, off and on for the last 40 years, I have quit for extended periods of time, five years was the longest.  But, I would always pick them up again using one thing or another as an excuse.  It was always a bit hard, because my husband is a heavy smoker.  And I realized I didn’t like the smell of smoke when I wasn’t smoking, I hated being around him. Because now his smell was extremely unattractive, my attitude toward him changed and I could feel myself pulling away.  So again I would pick up a cigarette, so the smell would not be so offensive again.  Like I said though, that was an excuse.

I started smoking again over the past two years, not heavy.  I don’t think I was ever a heavy smoker.  But, my one a day became two, and recently has become three or four.  I then knew I was going to have to quit.  I talked to my doctor about it during my last physical a few weeks ago and she prescribed Wellbutrin.  It’s funny as she began to tell me the benefits of the drug, the only thing I could think of were the side effects on the commercials.  I shook my head no way, but I picked up the prescription anyway.  What’s even funnier is that I haven’t even opened the bottle yet.  I know it is an oxymoron.  I will put the detestable chemicals from the cigarettes into my body, but I won’t ingest a prescription drug.  I have never been attracted to drugs.  They frighten me.  But, nicotine is a drug I remind myself and then run for a cigarette.

Something I have recently realized though is that I am not addicted to cigarettes; I am addicted to the obsession of having a cigarette.  Is there a difference?  I believe there is.  So I have decided to test my theory.  I am likening myself to the Israelites who roamed the desert for forty years in order to arrive at their destination that was only 11 days away and I am putting myself to an 11 day test.  My intention is not to have cigarette for the next 11 days by trying to obsess on writing instead of cigarettes.  And the smell, well my husband and I might have to get used to avoiding each other if he smells.  So, my goal is to write whenever the obsession for a cigarette hits me until the obsession subsides.  Let’s see how many words I produce over the next 11 days.  If you have any tips, I would love to read your words, too.  Post with me at www.simplydilsa.com.

Dilsa Saunders Bailey is the author of a romantic suspense series called The Sperling Chronicles available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Whip Appeal

He took her breath away the minute she laid eyes on him. If you listen to the Michael Baisden Show and would like to know what "Sucka for Love" Thursdays are all about, read the hot suspense series The Sperling Chronicles, starting with Dreams Thrown Away. You will learn up close and personal what "Whip Appeal" is all about. Available in Kindle and Nook, as well as paperback.

Dilsa Saunders Bailey

"It is the Mind That Makes the Body"

"It is the mind that makes the body."  Sojourner Truth uttered those words over a century ago.  They were words of truth then and have been words of truth throughout history.  I am constantly reminding myself to treat me better, but I get so busy.  I allow my mind to get focused on work, on obligations, on everything other than treating my body like the treasured temple it is. 

Part of my busyness includes authoring a non-fiction book called "Lather Rinse Repeat, Three Steps to Success" which is an analogy for learning, assessing, and doing based on the learning and assessing.  The Lather and the Rinse is supposed to help you set goals, make good decisions, and do better because you know better.   It is about bringing together knowledge and experience to give you a leg up. 

Problem is, I have been so busy in the telling of stories, including my corporate job, my two romantic suspense novels, and the third novel in queue that I haven't been focusing on the practice of Lather Rinse Repeat (LRR).  In my case, LRR should mean I am putting to use the knowledge I have gained to eat right and exercise daily.  But, here I sit so focused on the words flowing into this blog that I am not moving.  And this morning, I had my bacon, eggs, and biscuit.  We don't want to go there on the downside of that breakfast.  So what have I learned that I feel I can share with others in LRR?  I have learned to never stop learning, and that I do know better, and that I am getting better.  And, the one mantra I need to keep in mind while accomplishing all of these things is that "it is the mind that makes the body." 

I will keep you posted on how well that works for me.

Dilsa Saunders Bailey is the author of the searing hot suspense series, The Sperling Chronicles.

Five Things I Remembered When I Heard of Whitney Houston’s Death

1.   No amount of wealth can you bring you joy and happiness.  It brings less worry.  You don’t have to worry about breaking the bank to take your family out to dinner.  You don’t have to worry about depleting your savings account for a pair of new tires.  Less worry yes, happiness no.  Feelings of happiness, joy, and contentment are up to you.

2.   The void can’t be filled with food, drugs, cigarettes, shopping or any other addictions.  It can only be filled with a true spiritual sense and understanding of yourself, a full acceptance that you are who you are, and that YOU are the perfect YOU.

3.   Love is the greatest wealth any of us can have.  We should freely spend it and receive it.  Love is a currency that could bail out any failing economy, if we stopped beating each other down.

4.   Talent is something to be shared.  Every person’s light should shine.  Whitney’s light shone around the world, touching souls at their very depths.  She will never be forgotten.

5.   Commitment is the key to living life to the fullest.  Committing to yourself a wholeness that was given to you at birth, a wholeness of spirit, of sound mind, and of good health.  To hold on to life, you must remain committed.

I can only be thankful that I could get up this morning and reflect on these things, and remind myself to stay committed to living.  Sometimes life is so busy we forget our commitments to ourselves and others.  Today, I hope I will continue to be committed to and mindful of all the love, peace, and abundance that are already mine.

  Dilsa Saunders Bailey, author of the romantic suspense series, The Sperling Chronicles.