It was two years ago. I was coming down the stairs of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenville, S.C. when I noticed a pretty, smiling, bubbling-with-enthusiasm blond in the lobby below, wearing what had to be the perfect shade of red lipstick. Could it be? Could that really be KariAnne Wood of Thistlewood Farms? One of my favorite bloggers ever?
Without an ounce of self-control I descended upon her and let her know just how excited I was to see her there at the same conference I was attending.
KariAnne shared with me that she was waiting to meet with a publisher to pitch her book idea, and that she’d never done anything like that before, and how she had no idea what she was going to say . . .
Then, in spite of the bundle of nerves she must’ve been (I would’ve been nervous if it were me) she welcomed me into her “Super-star” blogger world and said we must have our picture taken together. And this. This is her telling the photographer that “No, no, no…” he mustn’t take the picture straight on as that wouldn’t be at all flattering.
As a complete aside (something KariAnne is known for inserting into her writings): The photographer was her husband Denny, whom she’d called on his cell phone to tell him he must come down to meet me. As if I were the super-star!!! Because that’s just the way she is 🙂
Now this. This is the proper way to take a picture, whether it be a portrait of others or a selfie. From above, where the under neck wrinkles are less obvious and the body grows slimmer as your eye moves down the picture.
After that she let me take one of the two of them. Aren’t they adorable? I’m not as tall as Denny so my picture wasn’t quite as good. But cute still, don’t you think?
Well that’s all for my photography tip, and now on to the thing I’m most excited about today. KariAnne got that publishing contract, and today is the official BOOK LAUNCH DAY for So Close to Amazing!!!
THIS book y’all (you can click on the link above to order). I received a copy to read as part of the launch team and I’m telling you, this book is more than amazing. It’s written for those of us who have tried real hard, but never quite made it to being quite as amazing as we set out to be. It’s a walk with KariAnne through her own Lucyesque life where, so many times, she thinks she has it all together, only to find out that life is a lot more complicated than those Hallmark movies make it out to be.
I laughed and cried and related to KariAnne’s journey every step of the way. I think you’ll love reading her story too.
By the way, did I mention that So Close to Amazing is the Number 1 best seller in the home decorating category at Amazon right now? Yes!
Here’s a slideshow that touches on some of the key sentiments in the book.
So thank you KariAnne, for teaching me how to take a great selfie so I could pass that on to my readers, and congratulations on your new book. You are a Rockstar!
I hope you’ll all check out the book, buy it for yourself or for a friend who needs to know how amazing they really are, just as they are.
Blessings friends,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
Oh wow!!!!! I love her and her blog!! She seems to be soooo down to earth.. and yet so amazing !!! I received an email today from Amazon that My book has shipped !!!! Can’t wait to read “So Close to Amazing” !!!lolol… You met a “Rockstar” !!!! ( that picture of the two of you is gorgeous!!)
I know, I did meet a Rockstar Terri. And even better, I get to go to her house this weekend and snoop through drawers and everything! Now that is going to be amazing. I’ll be writing about it for sure. Thanks for the compliment on the picture 😉
Oh this is such a cute story AND the photos are darling!
Thank you so much Rachel. I so appreciate the compliment. KariAnne is a very special lady 😉
You two are too cute! Looking forward to reading the book….!
You are going to love, love, LOVE it Trina! I’m taking my copy right to her house to have her sign it 🙂
Oh, I love this! I loved her book too. How fun that you got to meet her!!
It was so great meeting her. She really is as down to earth as her writing portrays her to be. A BFF to all who meet her I’m sure.
What a fun time looks like you had! Thanks for the selfies/portrait tip as well. Prim blessings.
It was the highlight of my day at the conference! Thank you so much Danice.
Sounds like an AMAZING book! 😉 I will have to get it.
I am laughing so hard after reading the selfie tip….I used to make my daughter get up on the ladder and take pix of me in the hallway against my bedroom door (Only space that didn’t have something hanging on it or in front of in in our teeny weeny house.lol). OOOh she hated taking my pic. I was the worst client ever. “Take another. I hate it.” over and over. LOL I was hiding a double-chin-in-the-making when i was in my mid 40s. Now it’s full blown double-chin-mania and I have hated pix ever since. When I REMEMBER I tilt my head down and to the side to try and avoid the chin showing. Or I make sure I am behind someone and use them as a chin-shield. hahaha
You are so funny Robin. I’ll have to remember your “chin-shield” trick. I really dislike neck pictures too, but I’m thankful for the PicMonkey editing program (totally free) that hides so many evils! LOL! We must be brave. Though we are ageing (UGH!) outwardly we are being renewed day-by-day in our spirits. That makes us beautiful beyond belief!
Patti,
You were THERE, at the very beginning, crucial moment in time when So Close to Amazing began its amazing journey. What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing at the blog Tour of So Close to Amazing Stories and Reviews.
Judith
I was there at the beginning Judith, and how honored I feel that I got to be a part of the launch team too! Thank you for doing the link party so we could all share our posts highlighting the book. You are amazing 🙂
You two cuties! I’m sure you both hit it off fabulously!! Congrats on her book. I’ll have to get a copy. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
You will LOVE her book Jann! It is just like her blog. Authentic, touching, funny, sad, and totally AMAZING!