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Julie Pennell
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Mrs. Stratton’s Words of Wisdom

by darreldressel@gmail.com | Jul 6, 2014 | across the ponderings, marriage, people, Relationships

One year ago today, Christopher asked me to be his wife. I believe my exact response was “Of course of course yes I love you ahh!” I didn’t envision we’d be celebrating that moment in England 365 days later.Today is our third day in Oxford....

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One of my favorite parts about my job as a journal One of my favorite parts about my job as a journalist is getting to talk to some of the smartest and most successful people around. In my latest for @tmrwxtoday, I spoke with business coach @cathy.heller about tapping into your passion to create your dream job. (For the record, writing for the @todayshow and being an author is actually my dream job so I’m very lucky and thankful for that every day.) But Cathy’s words sparked a fire in me and gave me an idea for a new side project that feels so purposeful to me. I started planning it and working on it immediately after hanging up from our call and can’t wait to share it with everyone when it’s ready. All this to say, thank you @cathy.heller, as well as @iamknewton and @missdesignberry for sharing your stories and advice in my latest article about side hustles. (Link in bio if you want to read it!) I hope the feature inspires a new side hustle/ purpose for everyone who reads it. And let me know if you have a side business or are starting one. I would love to hear about it!
So, I have a good feeling I’m gonna be a half bi So, I have a good feeling I’m gonna be a half billionaire tomorrow! 😂I bought a ticket for tonight’s Powerball drawing using the sisters’ winning numbers from my second novel “Louisiana Lucky.” (I know the ticket looks fake here but it turns out you can buy them online in PA). I don’t normally buy tickets unless it’s a big drawing like tonight’s. Could I possibly win? There’s something so fun about fantasizing about what you’d do with the money that I think it’s worth the $2 even if nothing ever comes from it. That’s what I loved so much about writing the book: the fantasy of winning and getting everything you wanted. So here’s my list of things I’d spend the money on if I win tonight: 1. Pay off my husband’s med school loans. 2. Buy a BIG house with a massive backyard for my wild little boys to run around to their hearts’ content. 3. Get new clothes. Like the comfiest lounge-around-home wear I can find 😂 4. Give some money to independent bookstores, my son’s daycare teachers (because holy moly they’re amazing and do so much) and various charities. 5. Fly our parents to come see us (on a private jet where it’s crazy safe from Covid if that’s possible) so they can see their grandson who they haven’t met yet since he was born at the beginning of the pandemic 😭 What would you do with the money? Please tell me so I can daydream with you!
In my decluttering session for the new year I came In my decluttering session for the new year I came across my scrapbook from college. My heart felt warm seeing these mementos. They belong to my favorite story and if you haven’t heard it, pull up a chair! I was a nerdy nobody teenager in Shreveport, Louisiana, who dreamed of becoming a magazine editor. Atoosa Rubenstein had my dream job, and her editor’s letters made me feel seen. After a missed opportunity meeting her at the Miss Teen USA pageant, I wrote a column for my local paper about how much she meant to me. I sent it to her in the mail thinking I’d never hear back, but then a handwritten note from her appeared in my mail box, and in it, she asked if she could be my mentor. I cried. After years of writing emails back and forth, she invited me to intern with her at CosmoGIRL! It was the absolute dream. But the icing on the cake? Her phone call to me a few weeks before I went to New York. “I kind of wrote about you in my editor’s letter for the next issue,” she said. Her words and her friendship have built me up through the years. I don’t think I would be where I am today in my career without her encouragement. Mentors matter. Reach out to people you admire. You never know, they might just change your life. #NationalMentoringMonth @atoosarubenstein
Dropped off some books at the @littlefreelibrary i Dropped off some books at the @littlefreelibrary in my neighborhood, and threw in a signed copy of Louisiana Lucky just for fun💕
Books make great holiday gifts! And if you buy Lou Books make great holiday gifts! And if you buy Louisiana Lucky or The Young Wives Club for someone, I’m happy to mail you a personalized signed bookplate to stick in the book. Just DM me, and we’ll set it up. 💕
Fun fact: the first fan mail I ever wrote to an au Fun fact: the first fan mail I ever wrote to an author was to @kirsty_greenwood after reading her novel “The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance” while I was living in England in 2014. Such a cute book and her writing style felt very similar to mine. So honored to hear she read and enjoyed “Louisiana Lucky.” 💕Also she has the most adorable dog. 😍 #Repost @kirsty_greenwood with @make_repost ・・・ What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? I finished reading Louisiana Lucky by @juliepens last night and I’ve been thinking about what I would do ever since. I adored the southern US setting of this book and as a person with two sisters myself, the relationship between Lexi, Hannah and Callie warmed my cockles. Louisiana Lucky was a sweet, warm and imaginative novel that made for perfect comfort reading! Today this angel of a pup is keeping me company while I write my new novella for the Love In The City boxset, coming in Feb 2021. I can’t get enough of writing at the moment. It’s really coming through as the best distraction from world events. That and thinking about my imaginary lottery win…
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