Hello Readers.
Lisa, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today.
Are you familiar with the song, “Little Boxes” written in 1963 by Melvina Reynolds?
~If you want to use the youtube video here’s the link~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2lGkEU4Xs
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same,
There’s a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
Lyrics from http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/malvina_reynolds/little_boxes.html
Listeners to the catchy tune and lyrics have several ideas for its meaning. One of them is the protest against all the cheap housing of suburbia which sprang up in the 60’s. People called the sub-divisions a cookie-cutter method of building homes with ticky tacky or shoddy materials.
The message I receive from the lyrics is the complaint of everyone trying to be the same and not stand out, but conforming to what someone else thinks they should be. Pre-teens and teens especially want to “fit in.” A person is embarrassed or humiliated for being different. Wearing the wrong clothes, having big ears, not speaking clearly can all be reasons for a bully or uncaring person to criticize and make fun. Sad to say the teasing happens all the time, and it is hurtful.
In my non-fiction ebook for girls, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, the family of a woman I interviewed moved so many times when she was a child, she couldn’t make friends. She was always the odd one in a group. Because she didn’t want to stand out, she tried to hide how smart she was and was not proud of it. Finally her last few years in high school, she joined the band and sports teams and made friends. She blossomed into the person she really was. She is now a medical doctor and researcher at a university.
No matter what your age, I think everyone should live by this quote from Oscar Wilde:
Be Yourself. Everyone else is taken.
~~Oscar Wilde
It’s very easy to forget to appreciate all the wonderful qualities each of us has. Instead of grumbling about what you don’t have, list the positive things in your personality. Every person is special with gifts and talents inside us just waiting to be developed along our life journey.
Tagline: Inspiring and empowering girls to achieve success in their dream careers.
Smashwords Link http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241825
Amazon Link http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NY6ZAS
Barnes and Noble Link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girls-succeed-jq-rose/1114041658?ean=2940045118033
Bio: After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction writing with her published mysteries released by Muse It Up Publishing. With Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women she returns to her first love, writing about real people. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. Spending winters in Florida with her husband allows Janet the opportunity to enjoy the life of a snowbird. Summer finds her camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.
Connect with J.Q. Rose online at
Girls Succeed blog http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/
J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/
Author website http://jqrose.webs.com/
J. Q. Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4
Book trailer http://animoto.com/play/QcAByshul5wZ5Bob9bdiug
Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom JQ! I’ve got your book on my TBR pile and will be writing a review soon! 🙂
Please share some of your stories of courage or when you started to bloom! We’d love to read about them! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and reading JQ’s Post today! 🙂
Hi Lisa, so happy to be on your blog today. Looking forward to hearing from your readers about that feeling of being different. I put up a review on my blog for The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer at http://girlssucceed.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-author-lisa-orchards-super.html Come on over to find out more about Lisa’s entertaining mystery!
Thanks for being a guest today JQ! I enjoyed your post immensely and it fits right in with the theme of my blog! 🙂 And also thanks for the great review! I appreciate your kinds words! And I’m glad you enjoyed the story! 🙂
Wonderful and timely book, J.Q.! Girls need to learn to become the purple snowflake instead of melting into the background. Cheers and best wishes! Great pick for a guest, Lisa!
Hi Sharon, Thank you. You made me smile with girls becoming “the purple snowflake instead of melting into the background” statement. May I use that? Thanks for popping in!
Thanks for stopping by Sharon and you’re right JQ’s book is timely and wonderful! I’ve got a copy for myself and I’ll be reading it soon! 🙂
Hi JQ and nice to meet you. I want to thank you. I will be singing this song for the rest of the night. I have read your summary to your book and it sounds divine! Your colors for the book fit as well as the design. I would love to have seen a book such as this when I was young. We seasoned girls could still benefit greatly as we go into our second careers. Well done!
Sara
Thank you, Sara. I know how that song sticks in your head!! Someone called it an earworm. LOL..For sure you don’t have to be a teen-ager to remember how unique you are. Seasoned gals…I like that! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for stopping by Sara! I agree with you, JQ’s book is an inspiration for young and old alike! Or should I say “seasoned” 🙂
Thanks for finally talking about >Please Welcome JQ Rose as
She Gives Teens some Awesome Advice | lisaorchard <Liked it!
You’re welcome, Ryder. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Reblogged this on lisaorchard and commented:
Hello everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m taking my kids to the zoo today, so I thought I’d reblog a guest post that I hosted last year. The author is JQ Rose and she has some awesome advice for Teens! Without further ado, take it away JQ!
I enjoyed reading this! It’s funny I’m not a teenager anymore, but I feel like teenager advice applies to all ages!
I feel the same way Savannah! That’s probably why I like the YA genre so much! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Hi Lisa, thanks for re-posting this. We just returned from a camping trip this week. Thanks to Ryder and always savannah for stopping in.
You’re welcome J.Q.! This is a popular post and I thought it had an awesome message as well. I hope you had a great time on your camping trip! 🙂
Thank you, Lisa. Yes we did have a super camping trip. Camped in a small campground, Tee Pee, in Mackinaw City. A real mom and pop business–so friendly with the owners onsight. Our whole family of kids and g’kids visited that magnificent island, Mackinac Island, also went to Historic Mill Creek, and Soo Locks. Michigan is a GRAND place for camping and sight seeing!! Weather was perfect too except for a brief shower one afternoon. Needless to say I am exhausted, but happy.
Glad to hear it JQ! You’re right about Michigan being a great place for camping and sight seeing. There’s nothing like a Michigan summer! Enjoy the rest of yours! 🙂