March 25, 2020 by kimberlywenzler

What to Read

Hi Again! I hope you’re all doing well. I had posted the sale of one of my books last weekend on Facebook (Both Sides of Love for .99 until tomorrow!) and promised to return with other book recommendations.

For me, reading is a great escape, and there’s no better time than now to lose yourself in stories. The following is a small list of books I’ve read recently and would highly recommend:

The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn

The Glass Lake, by Maeve Binchy

What The Wind Knows, by Amy Harmon

Stay, by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Chain, by Adrian McKinty

Life and Other Inconveniences, (or any book) by Kristan Higgins

And check out these wonderful stories, by self-published authors like myself:

I was lucky enough to discover Lucy Mitchell’s blog a few years ago: BlondeWriteMore. Her weekly posts about life and writing are humorous, entertaining and uplifting. Instructions For Falling In Love Again is her first novel and, like Lucy, is filled with laughter and heart.

Finding Edward is the third installment of the Save Me series, by Suzanne McKenna Link. Saving Toby and Keeping Claudia, the first two books in the trilogy, take the reader on a heartfelt and emotional journey of a young man struggling with his past and the love of a girl who just might save him. Finding Edward, which can be read as a stand-alone, follows Edward Rudack as he searches for a father he never knew he had – in beautiful Italy. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy and just loved it. It will be out March 31st and is available for pre-order on Amazon.

If you have any books to recommend, please pass them along.

Stay healthy and I look forward to speaking with you again soon.

~Kimberly

March 19, 2020 by kimberlywenzler

The Song

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday dear….Everyone,

Happy Birthday to you…

I wash my hands so often lately, I can’t get the song out of my head.

It’s been a while since my last post and for that, I apologize. However, I feel compelled to come out and say hello, to let you know I’m thinking of you, and I hope you’re all doing okay during these trying times.

We may be social distancing (I hope), but we’re united. It’s evident in the beautiful posts and videos I see, of people around the world sharing music, poems, messages of joy, and hope.

We’ll get through this together. Spring will be here soon. And when it arrives, may it bring a new appreciation for the lives we live, for those we love, and for all we have.

If you’d like to talk or share anything at all, I’m here. Let me know how you’re doing.

And don’t forget to sing the Happy Birthday Song while you wash your hands. It is, after all, a song about life.

~Kimberly xo

September 1, 2019 by kimberlywenzler

Moving on

For the first years of my son’s life, he was my shadow. On any given day, you’d find him on my hip, or on my lap, or hugging a leg. When I walked away, he followed. When I went out with my husband or friends, he cried. When he woke up in the morning, or from a nap, he called for me. It was endearing, exhausting, and short-lived (if you consider three years short).

About 13 years ago, both of my boys wrestled. For a few months in the winter, I brought them to practice at the high school. I sat in the hall waiting for one, then the other, to enjoy rolling around on thick, smelly mats in the gym with their peers.

One evening I was with my younger son, my shadow, waiting for the older one to finish his practice when a coach came out of the gym with a large box. He placed the box on the floor and asked me if I would help him to hand out tournament t-shirts to the players as they left.

Of course, I agreed.

As each boy came out, I found his size and gave it to him. To do this, I had to lean over and reach inside the box which caused my sweater to rise a few inches above my waist exposing my lower back. Each time this happened, I felt a small hand pull the sweater down to cover me. My son was almost five years old then.

Last week we dropped this son at college for the first time. We found his room, unpacked his belongings, made his bed, set up his television, and too soon, said goodbye.

I’m not sure why that memory, so clear in my mind, came to me. I can’t remember what I did yesterday. But I grabbed it, reliving the moment outside of that gym. Last week, I walked away from this child who used to pull down the back of my sweater so my skin wouldn’t show. I walked away and he didn’t follow, or cry, or call for me.

My heart is full of small, yet significant memories such as this, and to know I can draw upon them when I need brings me comfort.

This is the beginning of a new stage for us. And maybe, just maybe, the memories we’ve made over the years, the ones I hold like treasures, will make the moving on hurt less.

This is the face I saw at college drop-off

December 31, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

2018, Bookish Year in Review

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays. As we welcome in the new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on all book-related things that I experienced in 2018 and the gratitude I feel for all of the support I’ve received from family, friends and readers.

I met two of my idols this year. In May, Adriana Trigiani, author of Lucia, Lucia and The Shoemaker’s Wife, among many others, spoke at the retirement community where my mom and mother-in-law live. Adriana was a burst of bright energy, funny, engaging and so friendly. I listened, raptured, as she spoke of the women in her family and how important women are to storytelling.

In August, I met the wonderful Kristan Higgins, who I discovered a few years ago and who is my favorite author and social media personality. I fangirled all over her. “You’re my favorite person I’ve never met,” is what I said when I faced her. Yep, I did. And I meant it. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading her books and enjoy humorous, romantic, tug-at-the-heartstring stories, treat yourself in 2019.

With the release of The Fabric Of Us in October, I had the privilege and the pleasure of enjoying three book club meetings to discuss it. The first was a complete surprise. My own book club, aptly called “Lit Ladies”, surprised me by reading it without telling me. I love these women. They continue to support me and each other.

The next book club was put together by my “first friend” in life, Katie, who donned her Wonder Woman suit to orchestrate and mediate her first book club, specifically to get my book read. She managed to coax over forty women to join this club, which she named Baby Steps Book Club powered by The Association of Adults Who are Realistic People (BSBC powered by AARP). I write fiction, but I can’t make this up. The goal of this new club is to support new and lesser-known, local authors. She found a venue to accommodate the group and in November, we had our first meeting. Almost thirty women showed up, including several old friends. Katie has never been in a book club, but put this evening together beautifully. Did I mention she had a Power Point presentation? Like I said, Wonder Woman.

The group below read The Fabric Of Us and asked me to join them in December. The women were warm, welcoming and I had the best time. Yes, that is a dessert (Tower of Shame) on the table in front of us.

I managed to finish another manuscript this year. At present, it has no title and is still in the beginning stages of life. Here is the gist of what it’s about:

Finally, if you’re looking for something to read, here is a list of books I really enjoyed this year. I recommend all of them.

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani
Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins
The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves
Eleanor Elephant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Need To Know by Karen Cleveland
The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Luigman
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Woman Last Seen In Her Thirties by Camille Pagan
Educated by Tara Westover
Etched in Sand: A True Story Of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island by Regina Calcaterra
Saving Toby (Toby & Claudia book 1) by Suzanne McKenna Link
Keeping Claudia (Toby & Claudia book 2) by Suzanne McKenna Link
Glitter and Glue: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan

Thank you to my readers who reached out to say a kind word about my books – you have no idea what it means to me. And to my friends and family, for your continued love and support. I am so fortunate and grateful for each of you.

I wish you a peaceful, healthy New Year. And if you have a minute, let me know how your year was and what you hope to find in 2019. I’m all ears.

~Kimberly xo

November 24, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

“Do the Hustle…”

As I grow older and enjoy new experiences, my mind cannot hold onto every memory. I wish I could recall more from my youth or even the countless treasured ones of my babies before they so quickly became young men. I try, but I can’t. I guess it’s why we take pictures and videos. It’s why we tell stories. My boys are fortunate enough to be growing up with their grandparents. Grandparents are great storytellers. Through them, we learn about who we are and where we come from.

One significant childhood memory I do hold, though, is of my parents dancing. I don’t remember how old I was when they took lessons. Old enough to remember how they looked as they practiced the Hustle in the living room, and young enough not to want to be anywhere else but on that couch watching them. Maybe I can recall that with such clarity because it wasn’t a one-time incident. They practiced all the time, for hours.

We took a family vacation every year until I was sixteen. Holiday dinners, summer barbeques and New Year’s Eve parties at my house were the norm. So, when my parents decided to separate in my eighteenth year, it came as somewhat of a surprise. My friends were shocked. But they dance together! was a common response. They never fight, was another.

I learned then that you don’t have to fight or hate each other to no longer want to be married. Sometimes, it happens. Even to two people who are fond of each other.

For twenty years since, I’ve had birthday parties for my children, holiday dinners and various gatherings. Both of my parents attended, every time, each with their significant others. Dad likes Mom’s husband and Mom likes Dad’s girlfriend. Sometimes, they talk and occasionally hang out without me involved. They buy each other Christmas and birthday gifts. It’s the best possible scenario for the child of divorced parents.

About four years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It’s taking its toll on a woman who was once vibrant, loud and full of energy. But it can’t squelch her drive to keep going. Mom joined a boxing class specifically for Parkinson’s patients. A put-up-your-dukes, hour long session where she pushes herself to stay strong. Its offered once a week. Not enough.

Earlier this year, my father married his long-time love. The wedding was beautiful, the guest list, intimate. Mom was there, as was her husband, her sisters and nieces. I kid you not. Mom’s family took up half the room. At one point, my father helped my mother to the dance floor. She was stiff and slow, but oh so happy.

Dad, an awesome dance instructor for over twenty years, decided to research the benefits of dancing for Parkinson’s patients. He put together a plan and presented it to my mother. Now, they get together every week. He teaches her to Rhumba, Hustle, Line Dance. She’s got the Electric Slide down. Her doctor can’t believe how her mobility has improved.

I’m thankful for so many things this year. But I count my blessings most for two people who have taught me, by example, that love comes in so many different forms. Though a marriage may not last, affection, respect and kindness endures.

November 20, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

Gone too soon

You welcomed us to the party. No matter our mood when we arrived, we had to be happy. We danced and drank, toasted and cheered. Most of all, we laughed. The laughter could be heard everywhere. There were so many of us, people of all ages, all with one thing in common.

Occasionally, we’d look around and wonder how we got so lucky to find ourselves at this celebration. This amazing, life-affirming, gleeful, wonderful bash. We knew we were blessed. We never wanted it to end.

Then the music stopped playing, the lights went dim and we were told it was over. It was time to move on. But how do we move from something so celebratory and joyous? What will we do now?

This is what it felt like to have you in our lives. In your presence, we were at life’s exclusive gala, laughing. Laughing until we cried.

Thank you for giving us cause to celebrate, for filling our lives with joy, for sharing your generous spirit and kindness and love. We know how lucky we are to have spent time with you. And we will forever be grateful.

Rest in peace, dear friend. We’ll miss you.

October 18, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

It’s here!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all well and if you’re in the Northeast, I hope you’re embracing the change of weather. Welcome Fall, my favorite season!

Okay, this post is not about Fall and how much I love it. I have news.

I am so happy (and slightly terrified) to announce the release of my new book, The Fabric Of Us, now available in both the Kindle version and paperback on Amazon.

I’m excited to share Chris and Olivia’s story with you all. I love these characters and I hope you fall in love with them too.

Here is the blurb for The Fabric Of Us:

On the eve of Olivia Bennet’s fiftieth birthday, she and her husband, Chris, toast to the next stage of their lives. Their children are settled; Ella is married and planning a family and Nick is starting his senior year at college. After thirty years of sacrifices and struggles for their family, it is finally time to do all the things they’ve dreamed to do as a couple.

Always unpredictable, life has other plans for the Bennets when Olivia gets shocking news that threatens all that she and Chris have built together.

* * *

Alternating between the past and present, THE FABRIC OF US beautifully unfolds the layers of a devoted marriage, exposing an interwoven thread of secrets and consequences that threaten to unravel a relationship once believed to be built on love, trust and faith.

So comfy up on the couch, grab a blanket and sip a pumpkin beer. Tis the season. Happy reading!

Kim

August 23, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

The Highs and Lows of August

A teacher friend of mine calls August, “the Sunday of summer”. The month when the easy, breezy days warm days start to morph into fall – back to work, back to school, back to reality. I work everyday, every season. Did I mention I got a job? Anyway, I do know how she feels.

As our children get older, their independence is amplified during the summer. They’re rarely home for dinner, out all day with friends or working. It’s normal. We were their age not too long ago (okay, maybe long ago). Sometimes, we miss having them around: beach days, movie nights, playing board games, sitting outside gazing at stars and catching fireflies. So, this August, we took a family trip to the Bahamas. Six fun-filled days with only the four of us, digging our toes in the soft white sand, next to a turquoise ocean so beautiful we couldn’t keep away. We had nowhere to go and all day to get there. We enjoyed every meal with the boys, these men, catching up on their lives, their thoughts and summer experiences. It was blissful.

After dinners, we roamed the huge hotel casino and found a jazz lounge where we spent most nights listening to a band called The Essence, singing along to songs of Anita Baker, Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson while sipping martinis. Good times.

Symbolic, eh?

Our lovely vacation came to an abrupt halt when, merely 48 hours after we landed at JFK tanned and rested, our car was packed to capacity with the belongings of our older son. Leaving the younger one at home, due to space constraints, we made the eight-hour drive to bring our college student to school for his sophomore year.

The drop-off experience this year had a different vibe for sure. The mood permeating the car was less anxiety and fear of the unknown and more a subtle sadness that he was leaving us again. Even our son felt it, mentioning more than once just how fast the summer had flown.

Yes. It seems to pass faster every year. I have a high school senior at home. Next year, we’ll be whisking him to an institution of higher learning (God willing). And then, it will be me and my husband. Again.

Feeling wistful, I expressed my thoughts on the drive home while my husband silently focused on the double-yellow cutting through the fields of PA. Exhausted, we pulled into the driveway, unpacked what was left in the trunk and returned to the house, to work, to our daily routine, trying not to miss the boy and life as it was once.

Today at the office, I received an email from my love. It was an invitation. Four words.

Friday. Beach. Dinner. Wine.

Well, okay then.

June 29, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

The Big 5-0

Well, I’m here. I turned 50 this week.

It’s only a number, I know. But let’s face it. It’s a pretty big number. Yesterday, I was twenty years old with my life in front of me. This age didn’t even factor into my thoughts. And yet, now I can say…

I’ve lived half a century. Five decades. I’ve had friends for over 40 years. I’m a child of the 70’s and 80’s, when music was good, Mick Jagger was in his prime, Dudley Moore was Arthur, Rocky movies weren’t considered cheesy and we quoted lines from Sixteen Candles. (I should mention here that Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall are both turning 50 this year.) We ran around outside until sundown without anyone worrying about us. Fortnight meant two weeks. Atari, Space Invaders and Pac-Man were the video games we played and no one tried to kill virtual people.

Now I go to “reunions.” Songs I listened to in my youth and still do today, are considered classics. They’re re-making movies I watched in the theaters (yes, including Arthur). We no longer have David Cassidy, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett; icons of the day. I went to concerts with my friends and we didn’t take selfies to prove we were there.

For these reasons, I embrace my age. I treasure my memories, the times I shared with the family and friends I grew up with and love and still see. I truly believe my generation enjoyed the last, great decades .

There’s a saying that with age comes wisdom. I can’t say. I’m still learning, still trying to figure out my path, which is always changing (Did I mention I work at an accounting firm?). Hopefully, I’ll always keep learning and changing.

Until you put a mirror in front of me, I still feel like the twenty-year-old optimistic girl with her life in front of her. I just might move a tad slower.

I wonder what the next decade will bring. I hope to God it doesn’t pass by as quickly as the previous ones. Maybe that’s what I’ve learned – that life is not to be taken for granted, that I should make the most of the time given to me.

ice cream, of course

Something to think about.

I’m going to go now. It’s nearing five o’clock. Time to eat.

June 13, 2018 by kimberlywenzler

Bucket List Moments

I love award shows: Academy, SAG, Grammys, Emmys…and yes, the Tony’s. Comfy on my couch, in my pajamas, balancing a healthy-sized bowl of ice cream, is where you’ll find me during any of these broadcasts throughout the year.

With the exception of Sunday night. On Sunday night, I wore a dress and makeup – not a patch of flannel or a bowl of ice cream in sight – and sat in the audience at Radio City Music Hall. That’s right, I went to the Tony Awards.

I have to say that again.

I went to the Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall Sunday night.

It was A. May. Zing!

Thanks to my husband and the company he works for, who happens to be a large sponsor of the Tony’s, we had incredible seats. Mega-stars such as Denzel, Springsteen, Claire Danes, Laurie Metcalfe, Nathan Lane, Christine Baranski, Matt Bomer, Jim Parons, Amy Schumer, Kerry Washington, and the adorable Andrew Garfield (Yes –Spiderman!) are among those who walked past us, a mere arms-length away, all night. I was gaga.

Led by Josh Groban and Sarah Bareilles, the show itself was a veritable feast for the ears and eyes. Elaborate musical performances, presenters, winners and non-winners (there was not one “loser” in the place), entertained us for hours. Did you know that while you’re visiting the bathroom or the fridge during commercials, they’re still giving out awards? They take no breaks.

There were many humorous moments as well as tearful ones, in particular, the special award given to Melody Herzfeld, the drama teacher from Parkland, Fl, who helped keep 65 of her students safe during the school shooting, which was followed by the surprise, emotional performance of her students on stage.

In the bathroom, a woman standing behind us accidentally stood on our guest’s (and my new friend’s) dress. She was horrified and apologized profusely, to which my friend assured her it was okay. Half an hour later, that same woman was on the stage with her cast, receiving her Tony! We peed with her! I whispered to my neighbor.

Steve returned from the bathroom, sat down and said: I just walked past Anna Wintour.

Oh, just another day.

After the show, we were invited to the post-Tony Gala at the Plaza. I kid you not. I didn’t think it was possible, but the night kept getting better. This is where all the nominees and Tony-award winners went to party after the show. I met Ari’el Stachel, who won for The Band’s Visit, shook his hand and told him I loved his acceptance speech. He thanked me graciously and then I took a picture of him with Christopher Jackson, who played George Washington in Hamilton.

Matthew Morrison (Glee) was a doll, indulging me with a picture.

One word of advice: If you ever meet Andrew Rannells, the Tony award winner actor from The Book Of Mormon, Grammy award winner for Best Musical Theater Album, Tony nominee for Falsetto’s and Hairspray, Hamilton, Jersey Boys and The Boys in the Band actor, DON’T lead in with: I’m a huge fan…I loved you in The Intern. Take my word for it.

Food was in abundance and champagne flowed all night. Among other notables, we did miss Josh Groban and Sarah Bareilles, who were both upstairs socializing with the guests, and had left when we finally reached that floor. It was unfortunate but didn’t damped our high at all. After watching some performances by wonderful (unknown to us) singers, we finally pulled ourselves from the grandest party we’d ever been to and went home.

Here are some pics from the evening.