As a writer, I am often challenged to write differently

.As a woman, and a baby boomer diva, I am now writing more on romance and was recently invited to submit a small piece I'd included in a previous book, and turn it into something more. Okay, so what is more? A novella! With so much Chick Lit buzzing about the literary scenes, my publisher and I put our thinking caps on, and decided it was high time we found out what women readers, really want in a romance book?!

Thanks to the genius of SCuppari Publishing, I have my ideas already flowing and once a few loose ends elsewhere are tied up, I will be plunging deep into the romance story, "Turning Right"-

Meanwhile, we would LOVE to gather some feedback from other women, those reading romance and longing for more! Here's your chance, especially if you are anywhere between the ages of 35+ to surf on over to Writing Edge, and fill in the online survey! Helps us, help you! We want to deliver the kind of romance fiction older women, mature women, sassy wome want to sink their teeth into! Check it out: http://writingedgemagazine.tripod.com/id174.html

If you have any queries, or would like to submit your own little piece of romance, drop us a line at enquiries@scuppari.com or magazinestaff@bigstring.com

As deputy editor for this magazine, I am open to any new ideas so put on those thinking caps ladies, let's inspire others!

If you would like to subscribe to our magazine, stop by www.scuppari.com or www.writingedgemag.com

A cool heavy-duty canvas, cotton tote bag courtesy of Writing Edge, with your subscription order!

It is the wee wee hours of Saturday morning. The heat has finally drifted off somewhere into the southern hemisphere, leaving us with a nice light breeze...that awfu stickiness, the kind of humidity that clings to your skin and makes you sweat more than usual, finally lifted. Well, it may be a few degrees cooler but tell that to MY body! You see menopause doesn't recognise weather this way, It has another purpose, it seeks out imbalanced hormones and attacks! Not everyone feels its presence, and for some, they have it under control. It has been placed under arrest with the help of HRT or the like...but not every woman is able to take Hormone replacement therapies, and many are afraid to! I fall into both categories, and have to rely on good old mother nature to guide me along...sadly, she doesn't come with rules, she just leaves doors open for other women to step in and help. I have some pretty good women working behind the scenes, they have shared great information and offered up a delight of ideas! Trouble is, they all live in the United States! Sadly, here in Australia women seem to be lacking the same kind of medical support so our women wander aimlesly, lost, stressed, angry, sad, tired and HOT! The term, HOT FLUSH, [known as FLASH in USA] represents a mean nasty character that causes a person to feel as if they are ready to self-combust! They can break out in cold sweats, hot sweats, BOTH at the same time! I have found many things that trigger an attack, so am learrning ways to keep it at bay...but its not enough! I want to RID myself of this horror, so how do i do this? Well, from what I know, the best thing is to locate a product that is a)Natural b)Affordable c) AVAILABLE! Why should women suffer in silence? But alas, help is coming...  We need to speak up about this whole menopause journey because it is a BIG part of our older life, and for others, alot sooner than some. We are taught about Menstruating as a younger woman, but why wasn't meanopause ever discussed? The baby boomer women are on the move....they have had enough! Gone are the days where we felt uncomfortable talking about such issues, and we also have the assitance of the internet to back us! More and more women over fourty are making a stand in society, for other women! They have held onto family values & traditions, but been bold and determined enough to step outside the comfort zone, and dare take on such issues without fear of ridicule or persecution! Someone had to do it! We can hold our heads high as we respect the generations of past, while bringing them forward into the 21st century.

So now what? For me, its all about timing. I know what I want and I now know what it is i need to get my life back! There are so many wonderful and exciting networks availabe across cyber-space, and you guessed it, they are run by women! Thanks to my various groups I have dared to ask questions to the medical profession I once would have shyed away from...we NEED to have more control over our bodies and what we put into them. The various companies based on WELL BEING, is growng every second and more and more people are daring to steer away from conventional methods of treatmentopting for a more natural and healthier lifestyle! Again, many of the women fronting these phenonemas are women, BABY boomer women at that! We are that breed of female that has experienced rock and roll, disco and punk eras..we have learned from the best! The great thing is, we are STILL learning, from one another.

I LOVE being in my fourties...I feel more comfortable sharing ideas and opinions than ever before, I am more laid back, more accepting and divinely liberated! YES, I am dealing with the 'change of life'..YES, have a hard battle ahead to get it under control, but I have the joy of knowing I am not afraid to tell you, the reader of this post, just how I feel and just what you can gain from what I am sharing...you don't have to be a baby boomer to appreciate a woman's struggle or her victories..You don't even have to understand her motives for anything she says or does....you only need to respect her, being a woman takes alot of work!.