Wow! So many of us went on Mystery Rides as Kids!

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On July 5th, 2008 I’m the guest on The Puddle People Hour on BlogTalkRadio.  The two hosts are Beth Marino and Pam Sargant.  That show will be archived and available 24/7.  We pre-recorded the show tonight and of course talked quite a bit about my first book, THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy and my newest book, The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything). It was fascinating for me to go between the two books-THE ENCHANTED SELF being a rather dense book, full of case studies, positive psychology techniques, historical perspectives on women, my own journey as a woman in our society, etc.  and The Truth which is a girl’s diary written in a simple, easy manner.   However, what struck me as the most fun as we chatted was our discussion about “Mystery Rides”.  The girl in The Truth goes on mystery rides with her family on Sunday afternoons and loves them.  I was sharing her adventures when both Mary and Pam joined in saying that they also, had gone on mystery rides as children.  

One family had eight kids and they would all pile into the station wagon and drive out into the countryside.  So would the other, slightly smaller family.  And Dad was the driver in both cases and he didn’t know where he was going.  But it was so much fun, discovering small towns and local fairs and at the end stopping for icecream.  The girl in The Truth also stopped for icecream at the end of the family’s mystery rides.

Now I’m wondering.  Are mystery rides universal if you are over 45?  Let me know.  I went on them also, but sometimes I think they weren’t supposed to be a mystery.  I think sometimes my father might have gotten lost!  I don’t remember icecream at the end but I do remember often ending up at Savin Rock in New Haven, late in the afternoon on Sunday after riding around.  What a treat!  That was an amusement park along the beach.   Usually I got to ride the ‘flying horses’ as we called them, my mom and Aunt Lil caught to sit on a bench and people watch and we all got to eat in the car at Jimmy’s hot dog stand, where we bought delicious grilled hotdogs (not boiled, like at home) and wonderful fenchfries that were crinkled and served in paper cones.  Ah, such sweet memories of the old days!

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June 29, 2008 | Filed Under The Truth, I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything | Leave a Comment 

Mother and Daughter talk on “Kids, Tweens and Teens, A Positive Psychologist looks at all three” about The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything

Robin and Rachel made my day on Monday.  They were my guests on my radio show, Kids Tweens and Teens on www.internetvoicesradio.com  We pre-recorded the show that will will air next Monday, June 9th at 4:30 PM EDT and then be archived 24/7.  What made the discussion so special was getting a chance to talk to both a mother and a daughter who had read The Truth, I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything.  Their reactions were such fun.  You will hear Robin discuss how the book made her remember her first crush which she hadn’t thought of in years, and then you will her Rachel chat about how she identified with the girl, even in secret things she does that nobody knows about. Rachel also will share her promises that she has made to herself for her future.  Both talk about how to utilize the book as a discussion tool for moms and kids. 

As an author it isn’t always so easy.  You write the book at some deep level of concentration and meaning.  You agonize in ways that the public never knows-what word here?  What should stay in the final draft?  What needs to go?  Who will read it?  Will anyone read it?  And then finally it is out and still there is agony.  Who likes it?  Do kids like the book?  Do moms?  Does it have the punch that a great book does? 

And then the universe sends a present by special delivery.  In this case the present was Robin and Rachel.   Their reactions confirmed what every author needs and hopes to hear.  The book works!  And best of all, it works for both kids and adults.  And that is unique.  I’m blessed. 

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June 4, 2008 | Filed Under The Truth, I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything | Leave a Comment