Our Marriage Contract By Taylor M Fletcher ~ Interview

Our Marriage Contract

By Taylor M Fletcher

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Interview:

Crystal: Today today I have the pleasure of hosting Taylor M Fletcher. Welcome Taylor! I'm so happy to have you here to visit with us today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Taylor: Yes and first and foremost, I’m a happy married guy! And I’m not just saying that to be saying that. I’m a guy who feels incredibly blessed for all the little and wonderful things God has offered me in my lifetime.  By trade I’m a Corporate Attorney who again has been blessed with the ability to help my clients prosper and stay out of trouble. I’m a dog parent to a Boxer Beagle mix, named Gemma and married to my best friend. I enjoy a good movie on the couch with my BFF (my wife) or jumping on the motorcycle and grabbing a bite to eat with my wife. My favorite thing besides flea marketing hopping is to get a pedicure alongside my wife, man, those pedicure chairs are great! Other than that, if you strip away the titles, the degrees, the material possession, I’m just your average everyday guy except I found happiness through dealing with my expectations upfront.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Taylor: The most fun part of writing the  book came when I was writing and addresses what I call the Miss”Education” of Romance. How many classes or seminars have you attended that teaches people how to have a better relationship or romance? So although titled Our Marriage Contract and written by a lawyer; I'm happy to say the book has absolutely nothing to do with the court or U.S. legal system. Instead the book actually explains and shows people how their relationship Expectations...Leads to Disappointment....Disappointments Leads to Resentment and Resentment Leads to Failure. Writing the book from an average guy standpoint, who after years of dating and trying to figure why during most of my relationships I was either a hero at times or a big fat zero; even when I tried to do the right thing couldn’t get it right….until I decided to treat a relationship for just what it truly is and use what everybody uses and understands and that’s simple rules…And it worked…And so the RE-Education of Romance begun or as I wrote.

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for your book title.

Taylor: The book title comes from actually having a marriage contract, so at the time I thought it was a no brainer. But I have since learned that I should have titled the book “Our Relationship Contract”. Because the book deals with expectations of any relationship and not just marriages so hind sight, if I could go back, I would have definitely choose “our Relationship Contract”. I think the books message maybe lost of people who are not married or have no plans of getting married just because of the title. So the challenge is to educate people on the message with the current name and title, but it’s a challenge, I’ve happily accepted.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Taylor: The next project is going to be a book I’m affectionately titling “Grand Opening, Grand Closing” The art of keeping the business lights on.  Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 1 “American Dream”

“GRAND OPENING – GRAND CLOSING” So you're ready to start a new small business. You've looked around and looked around, and decided there was nothing close to what you need, so hey. Why not start a business, right? Sounds logical. People start a small business for several different reasons, of course. One of the most popular reasons, I believe, is financial freedom; they want to gain wealth. The second one is to fill a need. The third is that most small businesses happened to fall into the business itself purely by accident. Before we get ahead of ourselves about starting a business, let's make sure we're on the same page. If you are planning on starting a business, be prepared to do something you love while not getting paid for it for at least a year or more. Yes, you read correctly: I said expect not to get paid for a least a year! Be ready for that to last even longer, because most small businesses don't make money or break even in the first 3-5 years of operations. If that's going to be a problem, starting a business may be a huge issue for you. So let's make sure that your new business hobby is going to be fruitful for you. Before we even think about organizing the business, make sure you have the following in order.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Taylor: No special routines but I did find myself eating grapes and drinking milk, not sure why but it was the food and drink of choice when I was writing.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research this book or any other?

Taylor: Not really, the only research I did was looking at divorce rate information and related depressing stuff on why marriages and most relationships failed. Reading that depressing information, made me more determined not to be a statist. I’m really happy at how the message in the book came out and hopefully it’ll lead to more couples having better relationships.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Taylor: Well, because I read for a living, I tend to gravitate to more self-help books and books that help give you an edge in life. My favorite book of all time is by Jessica Dorfman Jones, I won’t say which one, but I’ll say this, the book I’m referring to is super interesting and had me shock, appalled and memorized throughout reading it.
Robert T. Kiyosaki
Jessica Dorfman Jones, and
Stephen Covey

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Taylor: No, I think I chose a difficult genre to right about for a first book. I figure if I can successfully get my message out there and it helps just even one person, then I considered my efforts a success and who knows I might even be tempted to right a love novel in the near future. Hey, who am I kidding, a love novel, lol but it sounded good.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About The Book:

NO JUDGES, NO LAWYERS, JUST GREAT COMMUNICATIONS...... Although titled Our Marriage Contract and written by a lawyer; I'm happy to say the book has absolutely nothing to do with the court or U.S. legal system. Instead the book actually explains and shows people how their relationship Expectations...Leads to Disappointment....Disappointments Leads to Resentment and Resentment Leads to Failure.

FROM A MALES PERSPECTIVE......In the book, I'm not writing from an expert or lawyer standpoint. Nope! I wrote the book from an average guy standpoint, who after years of darting and trying to figure why during most of my relationships I was either a hero at times or a big fat zero; even when I tried to do the right thing. 

I FINALLY CRACKED THE CODE....So I think. After finally coming to grips that as crude as it may sound; relationships are just like any other of life's fragile unions and in order to be successful there needs to be rules both people must follow to make it work. Now, here's the fun part, part of putting my hypothesis or what I called "cracking the code" to the test, not only did I test and try it out on my then fiancée' and now wife but I tested it on many of my friends who are in relationships or at the early stages of one. To my surprise it worked! Seriously! I was kind of shocked because I'm no Dr. Phil or other relationship expert, I was just a guy who figured it had to be an easier way to get what I wanted out of a relationship, and now I had the answer! 

Two years later, Our Marriage Contract "the book" was born and published. I am really happy with the final product because I stayed true to the books mission which was to share my personal experiences and explain in under 65 pages how people can have a great relationship, regardless if they've been in a relationship for 6 months or 6 years, all with just a simple piece of paper. In the book I think women will appreciate The Men's Quick Start Guide (page 17) and men in-turn will surely appreciate The Hostile Love Terms (page 32). In the end both people will know how to simply "ask" for what they not only need but want" in their current or next relationship and have fun doing it! Why? Because, I explain step by step how the process of "getting what you want" requires going to out to dinner along with a few other things designed to bring the couple closer in their relationship. Our Marriage Contract is currently listed on Barnes and Noble, Amazon and Kindle.

Paperback: 68 pages

ISBN-10: 1478754338

ISBN-13: 978-1478754336

Genre: Self Help, Inspirational 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Here's one of my many Relationship Expectation examples in the book.

Valentine’s Day is coming, so I ask my wife, "Honey what do you want for Valentine's Day"? She candidly replies "nothing ", I then say "are you sure"?, She again says "I'm fine"!. Five days later Valentine Day rolls along and because I didn't get her anything "but " all the ladies in her office are receiving flowers, cards, bears, balloons and flowers...all except my wife. And even when she comes home, there's still no flowers, cards candy etc. Now my wife is extremely disappointed at me but she can't say or show it because remember I did asked her. Instead she's disappointed, now what happens if this continues for years? You guessed it, Expectations leads to Disappointment...Disappointment leads to Resentment...Resentment leads to Failure.... Don't think this can happen, well it does and in the book I explain how to avoid that situation so both people ultimately "get what they want".

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buy Links: 

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XJREW3W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00XJREW3W&link_code=as3&tag=revibycrys-20&linkId=RMBUXKY5DV7DUAFT

Amazon paperback:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XJREW3W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B00XJREW3W&link_code=as3&tag=revibycrys-20&linkId=RMBUXKY5DV7DUAFT

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-marriage-contract-taylor-m-fletcher/1121845953?ean=9781478754336

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-marriage-contract-taylor-m-fletcher/1121845953?ean=9781478754336

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About The Author:

Taylor M. Fletcher is the Managing Partner at The Law Offices of Kawalski, Fletcher & Kirkpatrick, P.C. Mr. Fletcher has more than ten years’ experience as a corporate law attorney, an attorney consultant, and an expert legal volunteer for various public and private non-profit organizations throughout the Tri-State area.

Social Links:

Website http://ourmarriagecontract.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OMCthebook15

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ourmarriagecontract?fref=ts

Tour hosted by Write Now Literary

Follow the Tour  http://wnlbooktours.com/taylor-m-fletcher/

Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace By Mary A. Pérez ~ Interview

 Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace

By  Mary A. Pérez

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Interview:

Crystal: I'm really excited to have Mary Perez stop by today. Welcome Mary! Would you share a little bit about yourself today?

Mary: I am Puerto Rican descent, born in the Bronx and raised in Miami. I moved to Texas in 1977 and have been here ever since! I am happily married (the second time around) to an incredible, self-less man from California for twenty-one years with four grown children and two adorable grandchildren.
After starting a new chapter in life with my second husband, I gained some distance from the pain in my past and discovered a passion for writing. I write because I know I have a story to tell. As a kid, eventually I discovered we were dirt poor. In my teens looking back, I realized that I was neglected and forced to grow up too fast. I was ashamed of my childhood and bitter that I was my mama’s mother. As I “matured”, settled down, married and had children of my own, along the way I found I was a stronger person because of some of the things that I endured as a child. Once I embraced the God of my grandparents, I became a much better person, too. I share my story that I might help someone else understand this; and if I have done that, then I have done a good thing.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Mary: Soft, velvety cheeks. A round rosy nose. Dark hair like mine, but curly. Eyes, blue, that sparkled like the ocean I’d seen in storybooks. I kissed her sweet-smelling face. Her soft, pudgy hand with tiny fingers, curled inside mine. Anna melted my heart. I won’t be alone anymore. I caressed her face and whispered, “I’ll stay by your side for always.”
Soon left with the responsibility in caring for Anna, I became her substitute mother. I loved her and took care of her as best as a seven-year-old could. 

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace?

Mary: “Running in Heels” is not about a fast, quick and stable journey. It is an urgency determination but going about in an unsteadiness pace. She has always felt her shoes were too big to walk in, while stumbling along the way.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Mary: I do well to keep up with my weekly blog. I enjoy writing essays for submission and contemplating my next project worthy of publication. I have enough material to work with.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing?

Mary: I like total quiet. No music or background noises. I may have notes jotted down everywhere close by. I take these scattered thoughts of mine written on paper and begin to add fillers to make complete thoughts.

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book?

Mary: I could not have gotten some of the time frame right if it wasn’t for the help of the older members in my family. I did not merely write by what I could remember, but also had some supporting documents such as saved letters and photos to go by. 

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Mary: I enjoy reading the authors who can pull on the heartstrings and have a Christian message. I enjoy authors like Charles Martin, Jan Karon, Terri Blackstock, Richard Paul Evans, Karen Kingsbury and Mary DeMuth.

Crystal: Is there a genre you haven’t written that you would like to try?

Mary: I probably would like to try fiction for young adult.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 About The Book:

“More than a memoir—this book is a promise of hope for anyone who was abandoned as a child, to anyone who woke up hungry and went to bed hungrier every day, for every wife who has loved a husband who left bruises on her heart and on her body.”
Somewhere between stealing cold cuts from stray cats and watching a stranger leave her mother’s bed after breaking in through their bedroom window, Mary figured out that her family was dirt poor. Worse than her empty stomach, she was hungry for acceptance and love. She thought she found it when her baby sister was born and she became her “mommy”, taking care of her needs as best she could at the age of seven. Then she had to say goodbye over a small white casket.
Mary’s grandparents, first generation immigrants from Puerto Rico, took her in and gave her a glimpse of faith and stability. For a brief, shining spell, she had a real home—until they decided that Mama needed her. They may have been right, but Mama needed more than a little girl could give and Mary lost her way again.
Just out of Juvy Hall, Mary found a knight in shining armor to take her away. She became a teenage bride to a man twice her age—a man as deeply enslaved to booze as every “step-dad” she’d had as a child. She loved him anyway, even wearing the bruises he gave her, even when she tried to leave him to give their children a better life. Despite her fear and loneliness, she never imagined it would take a gunshot in the middle of the night to teach her courage. She was even more surprised when rediscovered faith paved the path to forgiveness after so many years of pain. 
Running in Heels is a memoir of the grit and grace that carried a young girl through the shadows of her mother’s choices and on through an abusive marriage. Mary A. Pérez narrates an incredible story of survival in the face of hopelessness, and learning to forgive against all odds. 
A story of coming of age, and coming into grace.

Paperback: 360 pagesGenre: Christian Living, Inspirational, Memoir, NonfictionPublisher: Chart House Press, LLC (January 28, 2015)ISBN-10: 1631250280ISBN-13: 978-1631250286

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buy Links: 

Amazon ebook | Barnes and Noble: 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
About The Author:

 
Mary A. Pérez was born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, and now resides in Texas with her husband of twenty years. Her award-winning essays have appeared in La Respuesta and Sofrito for Your Soul.








Social links:

Website: http://maryaperez.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MarysReflection
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterMaryAPerez
Tour hosted by Write Now Literary www.wnlbooktours.com 


Follow the Tour http://wnlbooktours.com/?p=5171