Guest Blogger, Claire Cook

Please join me in welcoming bestselling author Claire Cook as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress today as she tours blogdom promoting her latest release.

Claire is the author of SEVEN YEAR SWITCH. She's here today to talk about her new novel and what’s next.

SEVEN YEAR SWITCH is the story of a single mom whose husband ran off to join the Peace Corps. Seven years later, he’s ba-ack – proving he can’t even run away reliably!

If there’s an overarching theme in my seven novels, it’s that each of my main characters is trying to reinvent herself. I think that’s something most of us face at one point or another in our lives. I wrote my first novel in my minivan when I was 45, and at 50 I walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the movie of my second novel, MUST LOVE DOGS, so I know it can be done! Here are some tips to help you find what’s next for you.

Seven Simple Steps for Finding YOUR Next Chapter

Self. You can’t have self-awareness, self-confidence, or any of those other good self words until you decide to like yourSELF, and who you really are.
 
Soul Searching. Sometimes it’s just getting quiet enough to figure out what you really want; often it’s digging up that buried dream you had before life got in the way.
 
Serendipity. When you stay open to surprises, they often turn out to be even better than the things you planned.  Throw your routine out the window and let spontaneity change your life.
 
Synchronicity. It’s like that saying about luck being the place

where preparation meets opportunity. Open your eyes and ears – then catch the next wave that’s meant for you!
 
Strength. Life is tough. Decide to be tougher. If Plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters (204 if you’re in Japan!)
 
Sisterhood. Connect, network, smile. Build a structure of support, step by step. Do something nice for someone – remember, karma is a boomerang!
 
Satisfaction. Of course you can get some (no matter what the Rolling Stones said.) Call it satisfaction, fulfillment, gratification, but there’s nothing like the feeling of setting a goal and achieving it. So make yours a good one!

Claire, thanks for stopping by today and sharing these seven steps. These can be very helpful in finding the next chapter in our lives.

A little background on Claire. She is the author of seven novels, including Must Love Dogs, which was adapted into a Warner Bros. movie starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, The Wildwater Walking Club, Life’s a Beach, and her latest, Seven Year Switch. Her reinvention workshops have been featured on The Today Show, and she has been a judge for the Thurber Humor Prize and the Family Circle fiction contest. Claire’s books have been featured on Good Morning America and in People, Good Housekeeping, Redbook and more. She has two kids, seven brothers and sisters, and one husband. She lives in Scituate, MA.

For more information about Claire and her writing, visit her website and find reinvention and writing tips at http://www.ClaireCook.com. Friend her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ClaireCookbooks/. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ClaireCookbooks/.