Tag: Kathy Eliscu

Look what I FOUND at FOUND!

by Karen, posted in author, books, Fashion Sense, quest for the best, shopping

I followed the articles in the local papers about the evolution of FOUND, a shop that is the vision of FOUNDer 🙂 foundPamela Bennett. Pamela wanted to showcase the talents of Maine women (and some men!) who create from the heart and give them a venue in which to make their products available to people who might not otherwise find them.

 

For example, Amy Rose of  Amy Rose Made in Maine makes lovely jewelry. One of my favorite pieces is her silver charm of the state of Maine on a silver chain. Find it at FOUND, as well as at her ETSY shop: Amy Rose Made in Maine. Below in the slideshow are some photos of her products.

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Also, Jeanne Emerson has some of her designs at FOUND. This is her process (paraphrased from her website): Eco-printing, sometimes known as botanical printing, uses the natural dyes in flowers, leaves and other natural materials to produce one of kind, magical and beautiful designs on paper and fabrics. Check out the slideshow below to see her scarves and cards.

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FOUND also has books! Kathy Eliscu’s wonderful book is there, Not Even  Dark Chocolate can Fix This Mess! Kathy’s book is about Tink, a woman in midlife who is so busy saying ‘yes!’ to everyone else that she starts to lose track of herself. She becomes overwhelmed, and then makes a mistake that turns into a big (you guessed it!) mess. Once you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down!

My book, One Brave Thing, is also at FOUND. Bebe wants to get married some day but keeps picking guys that are wrong for her. She learns from her mistakes, however, and in the process, learns how to stand up for herself and trust her gut about how to live her life.

me-and-kathy-at-found

Find signed copies of both books at FOUND!

I have given you just a small sampling of the amazing gifts at this great shop. Have some Christmas shopping left to do? Stop in at FOUND in Kennebunk, Maine! You will be able to find a beautiful gift for everyone on your list.

You’re welcome!

The BRAVE Interview #1 August 2016: Kathy Eliscu

by Karen, posted in books, Interviews, no fear, The BRAVE Interviews, writing

Hello and welcome to my new series: The BRAVE Interviews! It’s the Who, What, When, Where, How,  (and sometimes Why) of YOUR ‘one brave thing’!

We are kicking off the series with Kathy Eliscu, author of the wonderful book, Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess.

So, let’s get started-

Me and Kathy at Falmouth Library
Me and Kathy at the Falmouth Library, 2016.
  1. WHO are you? A: I’m Kathy Eliscu. I’m a retired RN (from an injury) and have been writing freelance columns for decades. I have a 7-year-long running humor column in Maine called “Lightly Roasted” and am the author of the humor novel “Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess.”
  1. WHAT is your One Brave Thing (so far!!) for 2016? A: I had been scheduled for a brief reading from my book but asked if I could share some of my “serious” unpublished material and was given the go-ahead.
  1. WHEN did you do it? A: This was in May of this year.
  1. WHERE did it occur? A: At the Local Buzz in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
  1. HOW did you make it happen? A: Well…I opened my big mouth and asked.
  1. WHY did you do it?  A: I’ve been working on some serious material for a couple of years but felt very insecure about it. I wanted to push myself to try it out. It just seemed like the right time to take a chance. And I got very good feedback on it, so now I feel I have the impetus to continue to do this kind of work as well as humor writing.   

Thank you so much, Kathy!

Kathy’s wonderful book (which I read and loved!) is available on her website: kathyeliscu.com and at Amazon.com.

 

Not even dark choc cover

*P.S. Sorry! I am not sure who took the above picture!

Book Review: Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess

by Karen, posted in Adult children, author, books, Brave books, family, Life's too short to read bad books, Marriage, relationships, writing

Not even dark chocolate can fix this mess by Kathy Eliscu is so much fun to read! I started reading this book weeks ago, when it first came out, and then I Not even dark choc coversadly had to put it aside so that I could finish a project (okay, publishing my own book!). But ‘Not Even…’ called to me the whole time, patiently awaiting my return (okay, fine! I lost it! I had to invoke St Anthony to help me find it and now that I’ve finished reading the book, I can see that he had a vested interest in the recovery effort). All I can say is that it was SO worth the wait.
This book is like a page (okay 309 pages-I checked) from my own life. Maybe from your own, too. From the GYN table to the toilet stall (really? Still wrestling with wings or no wings? I win-I quit that s*** years ago! Sorry, TMI? My bad), Tink had me at “hormones”. Once I picked the book up, I couldn’t put it down again. I read it all at once.
Not Even chronicles the daily life of Tink, which is a cacophony of ringing phones, buzzing beepers, and pinging answering machines, underpinned by the love of her friends, family, and fiance.
A good life.
A few notes to author:
Kathy, my nursing cap was white with 1 blue stripe! Or was it 2? Dammit, now I have to get up off the couch and go look…
Oh, and that gray hair trauma thing in Chapter 15 (insert zipped-lip smiley emoticon here)? Total empathy for Tink (again, sorry, TMI? My bad).
Also, I have one word (okay, 2 words) to add to the ‘SHUT. UP.’ list for nurses: ‘Best Practice’.
SHUT. UP.
There are illustrations in the book. A bonus, like free gift with (book) purchase (thank you, Kathy Eliscu! And William D. Eldridge!). My favorite one is on page 133. Don’t ask me why. Art is personal, remember?!
Now I have to go. That “little portable whirlpool tub” for tired feet? Gotta get me one of those…
This book? READ IT.

(This is my review adapted from the one I wrote for amazon.com).

After you finish this book, read my book! One Brave Thing

 

How to do a book reading and signing

by Karen, posted in author, books, Brave books, local fun, no fear, writing

me and kathy eliscu 5.6.16I’m planning to do my first reading from my book One Brave Thing next month, so I thought I’d visit another author’s event to show my support (oh, and to learn a thing or two, maybe) about how to set myself up for success. Kathy Eliscu was at the Falmouth Memorial Library last week reading from her book, Not Even Dark Chocolate Can Fix This Mess. I loved her book (I will be posting a review here soon) and knew I would love her reading, so off we (my husband and I) went.

Right off the bat, I noticed (as I ran into the room at 6:33pm for a 6:30pm start time–I was running late from my daughter’s track meet, my bad) that the little room was filled to capacity. Yep; standing room only. Now this wasn’t my first author reading. I have been to plenty of them and many are not as well attended as this one was. This was a great turnout. Note to self: call the fam and impress upon them the  importance of showing up, and bringing several friends apiece to my reading next month.

The next thing I noticed: the requisite flowers (check) and chocolate (check) were in attendance. I learned these are non-negotiable components of a successful book reading. Don’t ask me how I know this. I am not at liberty to discuss it, but I’m pretty sure it’s the law. I was already planning to have these at my reading, so I was starting to feel pretty good about my debut. Plus, Kathy’s talk was about her book and her mother (Margery Eliscu, who was also a writer) was great-fun and interesting. And, you know, there was chocolate. definitely an enjoyable evening.

🙂

And then there was a surprise: there was a local celebrity in the room! Joe Cupo was a meteorologist for WCSH Channel 6 for 37 years and recently retired. That didn’t stop him from answering a few good-natured requests for what the weekend weather was going to be like. He was there with his wife to hear Kathy speak.

Shoot! What local celebrity might unexpectedly duck into my book signing? Patrick Dempsey? Hmmmm….after all, I did volunteer at The Dempsey Challenge last October, and will be volunteering there again this year. I did say nice things about him when I was (email) interviewed by the Lewiston newspaper last year. Plus, he was just in Freeport lounging up against the L.L. Bean boot a week or so ago…I’ll bet he’ll be dying to come to my reading!

Okay, so I invited him.

I’ll keep you posted.

🙂