A Chat with Author Janet Perez Eckles

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Greetings from Marti Pieper in springtime in Seneca, South Carolina, where we’re bonding in isolation as we recover from the recent tornado and remain on lockdown due to COVID-19! I’m grateful that, during our years in Florida, I bonded with today’s interview subject, my dear friend, Janet Perez Eckles. She’s a lovely lady with a unique story and message, and I know you’ll enjoy her interview! Welcome to the CAN blog, Janet! Please tell us about your book. Written in a friend-to-friend style, Simply Salsa explores the simplicity of living with joy. Each real-life episode illustrates the path to overcome…

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Tips from the Pros: Janet Perez Eckles

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Greetings from Marti Pieper in spring-is-coming Mount Dora, Florida! In my yard, that means the amaryllis are blooming, with the Easter lilies not far behind. And I imagine it’s close to the same in the yard of the subject of this interview, since she’s practically my neighbor here in central Florida. Janet Perez Eckles and I have known each other for a few years now, and I assure you that she is as lovely in person as she appears in this interview. I take great delight in sharing Janet and her special brand of sweet and spicy wisdom with you.    …

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Three steps to overcome rejection

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Hola from Janet Perez Eckles…Igniting Your Passion to Overcome A friend I knew from high school came to visit recently. As we sipped tea, we laughed about our days as teens. But then she got a bit serious and said, “You know, when you broke up with my brother, he was devastated.” Guilt came over me. I remembered the details of dating him. And for reasons only a 16-year-old immature girl knows, I ended the relationship in an insensitive and abrupt way.

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How to Make New Year’s Resolutions

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“I hate making long-range plans,” I said to hubby at dinner the other night. “You have to. If you don’t, you’ll flounder.” Grrr. He’s right. But setting goals is way too tedious for me. I’d rather just do what comes up. You know, follow God’s lead for the moment. And contently, try to do my best each day.

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Seven Ways to Find Joy

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It was our favorite Mexican restaurant and hubby and I sat across the table from friends with whom we re-connected after decades. And in the lively conversation a comment was made that jolted my senses. I positioned the wheelchair beside the table (I still couldn’t put weight on the foot with the broken bone). The comment came innocently, I’m sure. “Janet is blind and now lame,” he chuckled. “So… so much for this Jesus thing.” Although it was a comment in jest, he had a point. Amigos, does the world think that when you become a Christ follower, life is…

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The Advantages of Listening

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Don’t you hate long, silly greetings on voice mail? I do. I want quickly to get to the beep so I can leave a message. But I was surprised when I called a new friend and heard her beautiful greeting. “I love that sweet greeting,” I said when she returned my call. “It sounds so very positive and upbeat. Not like most that are the same as everyone else. I love how your personality comes through.” “Who is this?” the person said. Gulp. I had dialed the wrong number. Lesson learned: listen, listen, really listen—before speaking! And you know what?…

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Sailing to the Shore of Success

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“Did you want a four or a seven-day Caribbean cruise?” the travel agent asked. What a choice. Even one day on that luxurious cruise ship is enough to make me salivate with excitement. But recently, unfortunate cruising events broadcasted by the media brought that thrill a notch down. Many feel pity for those passengers who found a nice cruise turn to a crazy nightmare. But when sailing in our own ship to success, the fate isn’t much different.

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Five Keys to Triumph Over Internet Insanity

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  Anybody out there dizzy like I am? Are you being bombarded by offers, suggestions, advice, luring seminars, and workshops—all to expose your writing, enhance marketing efforts, and boost sales? Confessing…I’ve been caught in the gotta-try-that frenzy. Most of us are dashing here and there, hoping to get that platform built. Eager to get our books promoted. Trying to get that door to open, one that will make our work soar to the top. Trying to book that big speaking engagement. Trying, trying till we collapse into bed, our head exploding with endless possibilities—too many to try. And some, too…

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Seven Ways to Conquer Fear

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“You have to go to school,” my father ordered. My 12-year-old heart beat fast with worry. Just off the airplane from Bolivia, I knew no English. And America was too big, too different, and strange. Weeks of anxiety at school made the adjustment harder. But what paralyzed me with fear were the relay races in which I was told to participate. The distance I’d have to run between the starting point and the next runner where I’d hand off the baton made my stomach cramp. With each new race, I anguished—what if I should stumble or drop the baton? What…

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Surprise, surprise!

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  Hey you sophisticated speakers out there. Have you ever found a surprise during a speaking engagement? I did. And I thought I’d share it with you. “Wow…that was a long day,” hubby said when I told him how my Saturday was. “No, it wasn’t long,” I said. “It was lovely.”  

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