Category: DTBF Blog

For this post, I’d like to share one (of many) inspiring Dare to be Fabulous contributor updates. This update comes from GRAMMY® award-winning jazz musician Terri Lyne Carrington.

Photo Credit: John Watson

Terri Lyne Carrington’s personal story in Dare to be Fabulous is titled “Full Circle and Living an Authentic Life.” She writes about what it was like to be a protégé jazz drummer in the male-dominated jazz world, and how she has grown to become her fully authentic self.

RELEASED TODAY, SEPT.16:
Terri Lyne Carrington – new STANDARDS – vol. 1 
From her website:

“Drummer, bandleader, composer, producer, activist and educator Terri Lyne Carrington has worked tirelessly over her remarkable career to fight for inclusivity and raise the voice of women, trans and non-binary people in jazz. New Standards, her ambitious new project, was created to shine a light on women composers in historic new ways. New Standards will arrive this fall in the form of the first-ever lead sheet book of jazz compositions dedicated entirely to women composers, a newly recorded album of 11 selections from the songbook featuring an all-star band and dazzling line-up of special guests, and a multi-media exhibition at Detroit’s Carr Center.”

Listen to “Respected Destroyer” from new STANDARDS – vol. 1

RELEASED ON SEPT.9:
Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival with Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese, and Esperanza Spalding

Also: Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Project’s Waiting Game was nominated for a 2021 GRAMMY® award and has been celebrated as one of the best jazz releases of 2019 by Rolling Stone, Downbeat, Boston Globe and Popmatters.

Watch their video, “Pray the Gay Away”

I have many other amazing updates from story contributors to this book, and will share more in future posts. I’m also posting fun pictures and updates to the Dare to be Fabulous Facebook page.

Dare to be Fabulous book feedback

I’ve been getting wonderful feedback from initial readers of the book. If you  enjoy the book, please, pretty please, add your book rating on Amazon. You can rate the book on other retailer websites or Goodreads, as well. Every individual reader/customer rating makes a difference. (Thank you!)

It’s still early days for media coverage, but the book has been featured on Yahoo! Lifestyle and other media websites so far. It generally takes a few months before media runs stories or reviews or articles of a book. More to come!

I’ll sign off with one of the 50+ featured quotes in the new Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook. Let this be fodder for some weekend reflection:

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~ Helen Keller

DTBF!
Johanna

Dare to be Fabulous and the companion Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook are now available from both Amazon AND your local indie bookstores!

On Amazon, you can also “Look inside” each publication.

The glossy hardback Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook just released. It features 50+ humorous and inspiring women’s quotes and 120 pages. Consider this publication as a companion for the writing and reflection prompts offered in the book. You can also get it for journaling, list-making, creative writing, note-taking, and as a fun gift. (An alternate paperback option is forthcoming on Amazon, too. Keep an eye on that page.)

JOURNAL NOTEBOOK FROM AMAZON

JOURNAL NOTEBOOK FROM INDIE BOOKSTORES (select a local store from the list in the right column. The list is rendered by city or zip.)

PAPERBACK FROM AMAZON

PAPERBACK FROM INDIE BOOKSTORES (select a local store from the list in the right column. The list is rendered by city or zip.)

Remember that you can also follow the Dare to be Fabulous Facebook page for fun contributor posts, pictures, and other updates. #DTBF

Enjoy!

~ Johanna

Editor
Dare to be Fabulous

Dare to be Fabulous ratings and reviews

Every Customer Rating on Amazon adds up to make a big difference, especially when ratings are from “verified purchasers” of the book. These ratings help the book’s ranking and get it in front of more interested readers who might not otherwise know about the book.  If you enjoy Dare to be Fabulous, please offer your own rating or review on the book page. Scroll down the page and click “Review this Product.” 

Please encourage others who like the book to do the same. Thank you!! 

Three more easy ways to spread Dare to be Fabulous love: 🥰

1. Share a post about the book with your personal and professional networks. For social media posts, please include #DTBF and tag the @DaretobeFabulous page on Facebook.
2. Take a picture or short video clip with the book or the Kindle. You could post it to social media and tag the Facebook page; send it via Facebook messenger; or email it to info@daretobefabulous.com.
3. If you’re in a book group or a creative/supportive circle, select this book for future discussion. Each personal story in this book is followed by a writing and reflection prompt. That’s 27 stories with great fodder for meaningful conversation.

A brief personal video introduction to the book and journal

My fabulous contributors are posting and sharing pictures and videos with the book, so I figured it’s only right that I do the same as the book’s editor and publisher. Watch my short video introduction by clicking on the still photo, below. 

Follow/like the Dare to be Fabulous Facebook page for fun contributor posts, pictures, videos, updates, and more. It’s a public page, which means non-Facebookers can also visit.

Speaking of spreading the love, I want to extend a hearty thank you for all the enthusiastic responses you’ve been sending my way. Feels great for the book to finally be out there.

-Johanna

Editor
Dare to be Fabulous

Dare to be Fabulous is now LIVE and available on Amazon!

Dare to be Fabulous is now available to purchase in Kindle and paperback on Amazon. If you select the paperback option, you can also click above the cover image to “look inside.” You’ll be able to read through my Introduction and the beginning of the first story in the book. (The paperback will be available from independent bookstores and retailers at a later date.)

An early reader likens this book to a delicious assortment of tapas. I love that analogy. The book features 27 short and personal stories, averaging two to four pages in length, so you can choose to read as many as you like at one sitting. Each story is followed by a writing and reflection prompt, so you might also choose to read one story at a time as a daily meditation.

A companion Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook

This vibrant and glossy hardback publication will also be available to purchase on Amazon very soon. It features 50+ humorous and inspiring women’s quotes and serves as an optional companion for the personal writing and reflection prompts in the book. The two publications together make a beautiful set.

Note: A list of sources for all featured Dare to be Fabulous quotes (in the book, the journal, and the website) is posted on a dedicated page of the website. As I note on that page: “At a time when disinformation is rampant, it becomes even more important to give credit where it’s due, and to spend time on factual sourcing.”

Daring to be fabulous

A big celebratory cheer for the women who contributed a personal story to this book. They dared to be fabulous in more ways than one: first, in the very experiences they recount here, and second, by writing about those experiences and sharing them with all of you in this book.

May their stories (and the personal prompts) embolden you on the path to finding your own true north.

-Johanna

Editor
Dare to be Fabulous

Dare to be Fabulous just received a book endorsement from multiple award-winning actor and author, Julianna Margulies. Here’s an update on the book, along with her wonderful endorsement.

It makes me so happy to share this endorsement, not only with subscribers and blog visitors and potential readers, but also with all my contributors, whose personal stories comprise the book.

Let this be an affirmation: when you share your personal experiences with humility, courage, honesty, and humor, you can have a big impact.

The full roster of book contributors and their story titles is available to peruse on the Dare to be Fabulous website.

Pre-order your book today

You can pre-order the Dare to be Fabulous ebook for Kindle (pre-ordered Kindle ebooks sometimes arrive before the release date.)  The paperback will become available closer to the release date of August 4, 2022.

Offer an early book rating

If you enjoyed reading the stories previously featured on the website, you’re familiar with the theme of this book. Please consider rating the book now, so other readers can discover it! Link to the retailer book pages above and click the stars. You can also rate and review the book on Goodreads. (Amazon welcomes book ratings and reviews starting on, or just before, the release date.)

Consider the Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook as a writing companion

The Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook will also be released in August, 2022. This 120-page publication has a colorful, glossy hardcover and features 50+ inspiring and humorous women’s quotes.  Consider this as a companion for the writing and reflection prompts offered in the book. Together, they make a beautiful set.

More updates as they come!

-Johanna

Editor
Dare to be Fabulous  

A Dare to be Fabulous book is coming in Summer, 2022!

Over the years, the Dare to be Fabulous website grew to feature 40+ personal stories from women on all walks of life. A selection of those stories is now being updated and edited for an upcoming book publication. Stories for the book were selected based on the variety of topics and writing styles.

The website is evolving to focus on the book. This means that stories are no longer being featured on the website. As of now, the book contributors’ title pages remain public with their bios posted there. The comments section is also still open, so previously posted comments on their stories remain visible.

Check out the new Book page for more information about the book.

That’s the latest for now.

Join the mailing list if you aren’ t already receiving these posts. You’ll receive occasional email updates, including when these publications will be available to pre-order, and more!

DTBF!

Johanna

This guest post comes from story coach Cara Jones. 

Have you ever found yourself lucky enough to get a long awaited massage, only to then find yourself lying there feeling just subtly agitated or unsatisfied by the pressure or music or temperature. But then, when the provider asks how it’s all going you say “good” or “fine” because you don’t want to hurt their feelings, inconvenience them, or make them work too hard?

Recently, I had an experience that was the opposite of that. It’s called a “bossy massage,” a body work modality coined by Betty Martin that is all about inviting the client to direct the experience and ask for exactly what you want.

I obviously signed up for the adventure but, in the moment, I froze there on the table. My heart started to race. My hands got cold. I stayed silent for some awkward minutes watching my thoughts race. “What should I say?” “What would be okay for her?” I was so distracted I couldn’t access what I wanted.

The experience illuminated so much of what has and can still happen with me when I am challenged to tell the truth in my life and writing:

1. I get a hit of something I want to say, then start worrying about what others will think
2. As a result, I get cut off from feeling the depth of my own truth
3. I say something that’s acceptably “good” or “fine,” or don’t say anything at all

What I learned from this bossy experience is that so often the “shoulds” and rules we have inherited block us from even knowing what we hold inside. The truth asks us to slow down and give it permission so we can hear what it has to say.

I was in tears by the end of it all as I discovered that, underneath so many shoulds, was someone who was so powerfully clear about what she wanted . . . who could both ask for and receive that.

May you also feel permission to access and receive the gifts of your own truth . . . for your work, your writing, and your life.

If you are coach, artist, healer, or entrepreneur, I would love to welcome you to a free writing experience to support more of your authentic expression in the world. The Be Yourself Out Loud Writing Experience happens on Tuesday, October 19th from 10-11:30am PST. You can learn about it and sign up here.

Love,

Cara

If ever there was an ideal time to invoke the spirit of daring to be fabulous, this is it. Nothing like a pandemic to strike the fear in all of us and rattle our ways of life.

How are you doing? How are you holding up? Are you taking care of yourselves? Getting out for daily walks and fresh air? Eating well? Connecting with loved ones?

Are you nursing your spirit in other ways? Taking a class, learning a craft, cooking new recipes, or revisiting a long-shelved project? Keeping the spirit open and the mind pliable is also vital for good health.

With this in consideration, I plan to devote myself to some creative freewriting exercises during the month of May. Want to join me?

Each Tuesday and Thursday morning, from May 5 through May 28, I will send out a freewriting exercise prompt to those who sign up. The idea with these prompts is to freewrite, meaning to write without pause or prior deliberation, for ten minutes. That’s it. See where the writing takes you.

Each freewriting exercise will vary in focus or style, to keep your creative juices flowing by exploring sensory experiences, fresh perspectives, characterization, dialog, and more. I also invite participants to share their writing exercises with me! I’ll post some highlights in a future blog.

Here’s how to sign up:

• If you received this post via email, please click reply and write YES in the subject line.
• If you are not an existing blog subscriber, please email info@daretobefabulous.com and write SUBSCRIBE TO MAY PROMPTS in the subject line. I’ll add you to the email list.

Play time! Please share this with anyone else you know who might like to join the fun.

Stay healthy and safe (and sane) out there.

DTBF!

Johanna

Dare to be Fabulous celebrates the daring spirit that exists in all of us. Read through the roster of featured personal stories for a dose of inspiration.