Mary wrote a wonderful post over the weekend. She recalled many fond memories about her father and since it’s Father’s Day this coming Sunday, I thought why not ask everyone to tell a little story about their father—a fond memory. And what is the best present you ever gave your father on Father’s Day?

I’ll start. I told one stroy on Mary's blog and if you need inspiration read it. You will smile.

Okay, one of my fondest memories of my father. My dad didn’t spend a whole lot of time with us as we grew up. He was busy building a business, a future for his children, but every first weekend of August we’d all (five kids plus parents) pack into the car and head down to Atlantic City for a long weekend of playing in the surf and walking the boardwalk.

My dad become a different man at the shore. He was playful, allowing us to bury him in the sand up to his chin. At home, money was always tight and he’d watched his wallet, but on the boardwalk he always treated us to snacks that we only enjoyed once a year, like salt water taffy. I remember him laughing in the sun and running into the waves and diving in. I remember him, later in the evening, crying out as mom put Noxzema on his cherry red shoulders. I remember him watching over us like a mom usually did.

Now for my gift. My dad hates cards. He thinks you’re wasting your money buying them. A few years ago, he frowned when I gave him one and made a remark about wasting my money. I snapped it back from him and now every year I give me the same card and then take it back. I also give him a couple lobster tails. (mom gets to cook them) He’s never frowned and never given them back.

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”~ Mark Twain

We often heard that we should try to be comfortable with our decisions; we should live our life the way we feel is better for us.

As writers we were often advised to write the story of our heart, write what we like not what the market trends require. Often time successful artists and authors are those coming with innovative ideas. Ideas that were at first rejected.

Many of us pretend we don’t care about the opinion of others. And yet we were raised with many rules imposed by morality and good behavior. As children we had to please our parents, teachers. Often time our opinion didn’t count. We did things because we had to or because we wanted to please someone. As we grew up in life, we rebelled and started staying, “I’ll do it my way.”—Where is Frank Sinatra and his “I did it my way”?

Now after we have established ourselves in life and career, in family and society, can we honestly say we don’t care about the opinion of others? Or are we still trying to please others above us?

As writers, do we let judges’ comments shatter our desire to try? Do we let rejection letters destroy our dream of becoming authors? Do we let reviews shake our pride in our books?

When we care too much about the acceptance or approval of others, we give our power away.
Terry Cole-Whittaker said,” The key to be true to yourself, is to stop living to try to please other people.”

And yet we strive to get our boss’s approval, we submit non-stop to attract an editor’s acceptance, we improve our writing to keep our fans’ interest.

Whose opinions really matter for you? How do you reconcile your desire to do what you want with your survival in society?

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world with stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat~

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN, winner of 2009 BEST contemporary romance at READERS FAVORITE and 2009 BEST ROMANCE NOVEL at Preditors & Editors Readers Poll.
Rx FOR TRUST: 5 stars at Readers Favorite.