"The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, A Portable Mentor " by Gail McMeekin

"Career coach and author Gail McMeekin profiles many of today's most dynamic women and shares their secrets of success. From interviews with best selling authors, business women, artists, musicians and scholars to interior designer Chris Madden, software tycoon Brenda Laurel and actresses Christina Pickles and C.C.H. Pounder, "The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" book will inspire you and provide the tools to uncover your own authenticity and to realize all your creative dreams."

Several years ago, I spent an afternoon in a taped phone interview with Gail McMeekin, a career coach and counselor in the Boston area. I am one of 45 women whose interview and life stories are shared in this book. It was truly an honor and an energizing experience to be included in this project.

The book explores what we do intuitively to problem-solve our lives. The author has distilled the responses of women (all unique creative individuals) resulting in 12 useful categories that can easily be interpreted and applied. The stories are inspiring and the collective of women colorful and dynamic.

12 Secrets is full of personal and poignant life experiences with some common threads we can all use in making choices and moving through life¹s challenges. I hope as you share the experiences in our stories, you are inspired to find and trust your strongest, most authentic self.

"Craft to Heal:Soothing your Soul with Sewing, Crafts and Other Pastimes" by Nancy Monson

Nancy Monson has discovered that three-quarters of American households contain someone who loves to craft. Those of us who are hands-on devotees are not surprised. She has sifted through personal stories and statistical data to create this insightful resource. In the book, Nancy shares her thoughts and stories from other artists (including myself) on hobbies like painting, sewing, scrapbooking, woodworking, and photography and just how the act of creating provides the crafter with more than just a product.

Craft to Heal describes how creative pursuits can be transformed into healing arts. Mind-body research now shows that crafts have major therapeutic value. In our changing world, mental, physical, and spiritual health is more critical than ever. It is time to make what we love to do…what calls to us a priority in our everyday lives.

About the Author
Nancy Monson is a nationally published freelance magazine and book writer who specializes in the topics of crafts, health, nutrition, fitness, and psychology. She has been a crafter since she was a child and an avid quilter for the past ten years.

"A Room of Her Own: Women¹s Personal Spaces" by Chris Casson Madden

Chris Madden has explored a topic dear to my heart: having a personal space. In her introduction, Chris says:

"So many of us long to find the time in a busy schedule to relax and refresh ourselves, body and spirit. I firmly believe that in order to give back to our relationships, careers, families, and passions, we must pull in for short moments to take care of ourselves, then we can return to the people and places of our lives renewed, refreshed, and ready to continue the drama of our days with all the joys, sorrows, pleasures, and stresses that go with it."

Sharing this belief, the author has found women from all walks of life who have created their version of a personal space that provides them the quiet and solitude needed to restore their souls each day. I know you¹ll enjoy the stories drink in the fabulous photographs of spaces created by this diverse collection of women. Movie stars, teachers, homemakers, designers, writers etc... have all generously opened their hearts and doors to share the meaning of these delicious and replenishing sacred spaces. It is such an inspiration for those of us just looking through the window.