the power of grandmas...and NerdGirlOfficial blog

The NerdGirlOfficial's Gladys found me via Twitter. She liked a post about Invisible Wings. We tweeted it up and it led to an email convo, which turned into a guest blog post by me for NerdGirlOfficial. I am re-posting my original blog here. For the full Q and A article see NerdGirlOfficial.  And check them out. They support indie authors like me and I am grateful :)
HERE'S the REPOST:
As a little girl the favorite woman in my life was my Nonna (that's Italian for grandmother). She lived next door to us for a while, and I learned so much from her... like how real butter with sugar on a saltine cracker and warm tapioca pudding are easy snacks (forbidden to her because she was a diabetic, and when she would sneak the sweet stuff she always swore me to secrecy with, "I'm your Nonna!") She also taught me that cooking was an all-day process (a can of tomato paste and a toss of sugar were the key to a great red sauce). I remember her house smelled of my grandfather's tobacco pipe and dark chocolate. It was home. It was love. It was the best time of my youth. 

So what's the big deal about grandmas? Here's 10 reasons we love our grandmas in a way we love no other:
1. they truly love you unconditionally (they make you feel perfect)
2. disappointing them is not an option (there are things we've done that moms knows, that we'd be mortified if our grandmas knew!)
3. you accept they know things your mom doesn't know (it's like wisdom skips back a generation, to the consternation of mothers everywhere)
4. they have old school skills like sewing, crocheting, and cooking from scratch (if it's not from scratch, we are never told)
5. they are soft places to land (literally they hug you and it feels soft)
6. they listen to music that you would know nothing about if it weren't for them (like opera or Dean Martin or Frankie Sinatra)
7. they never had sex, but know how to explain love (...I know that's a hard one, but it's the truth)
8. they would never tell on you (and you would never tell on them)
9. they believe you can fly (they make you feel you can do anything, anytime, anywhere...)
10. they will stand up for you to your mother and WIN (because she's your mom's mom or your dad's mom and well, mothers always win...)

My Nonna happened to be a non-practicing catholic and with that came some heavy religious superstitions or beliefs, take your pick I won't be offended. And the one that stood out in my mind was this: always be kind to strangers because you might be entertaining an angel without realizing it. I never forgot that. Consequently, whenever I encounter a stranger in need, her words rush my brain. What I didn't know at the time was that this life lesson would become the premise of my first book, Invisible Wings. 

Now that I'm a Nonna myself, I understand how much she loved me and all her grand babies. So, when my granddaughter looks at me with her big brown eyes and smiles saying, "Nonna, I like you." It spears me through the heart.  It's truly a privilege and joy being a Nonna to all three of my grand babies. 

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Just when you thought no one was listening...there was Arabella. 

Get your wings at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and currently free @ Smashwords.

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