Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday!
With us today is Inspirational Author, Teresa Hardister.

Welcome, Teresa!

How long after you get up in the morning are you at your desk writing?
I love to write early in the morning. My best ideas come at 6 am and I can get on a serious roll if I start out first thing with writing. So to answer your question, as soon as I have a cup of coffee on my desk, I start writing.

What is a typical day like for you?
My days are so unplanned, none are really just alike, but I do have certain things I do every day. I write in the mornings, go for my walk, check out my garden, goof off for a bit and then I meander to my swing with my headphones on and listen to music, most every day. Of course I have family life to take care of, and my day ends with supper and knocking new ideas around on paper. Any number of random funny things can happen in my day, and I always look forward to them.

Tell us, what’s the first thought that comes to your head when you read the following words…
Romance …passion, kissing, rainy nights with the windows open.
Spring …Rebirth, happiness, fresh, renewed spirit.
Vacation …escape, leisure, pleasure
Beaches …sand, sun, inner peace, home.
Big Bang Theory …Bazinga!

What is the most devilish thing you’ve ever done?
Ahhh! When my sister I were younger, I tied her to the front of my ATV four wheeler and would slam on brakes before getting to a tree, leaving her to believe we were going to hit it head on. I am much nicer now, I promise!

What is your favorite junk food?
Doritos with French onion dip.

What do you like to do for fun and relax?
Music, music is the most relaxing activity I can partake in. I also love to just be outside, whether it is gardening, playing in mud, fishing, or camping, as long as it is outdoors.

What five items do you take everywhere with you – besides cell phone, keys and purse/wallet?
Lip gloss, a token coin that my Mother gave me before she passed, photos of my family, breath mints and also some sort of jewelry in case I decide it is fitting to wear it.

Do you like to cook? What is your favorite dish to make?
I love to cook so much. I grew up in the South and so much of our culture is based on food and spending time in the kitchen. I would say my favorite things to cook are traditional Southern dishes: fried chicken, okra, homemade biscuits, gravy, and veggies. I try to be careful about frying everything, but here, it is a given!

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, real or fictional, with whom would it be?
I would say Edna, the main character from The Awakening by Kate Chopin. She led a somber unhappy life, but she threw caution to the wind and allowed herself to live in a time when it wasn’t acceptable for women to be rebels and to shed their ladylikeness.

Have you ever thrown a book you’ve been reading against the wall because you couldn’t finish it?
Yes! I normally always read a book before I see a movie version of it, but I watched “Under a Tuscan Sun” and loved it so much that I got the book. I began reading it and just couldn’t finish, it was so hard to understand and I was highly irritated that it didn’t flow and I had to keep refereeing back to even make sense of it at all.

What are you scared of most – spiders or snakes? If neither, what are you most afraid of?
Oh, good gracious, snakes! I just saw a black racer in my yard the other day and I flipped out. I detest them, it doesn’t matter if they are poisonous or nonpoisonous; I act like a two year having a tantrum when I see them.
***You and me both!!! My boys were never allowed to have rubber snakes. Seriously couldn’t even stand those ones. I’m very terrified of ANY snake.***

Who is your celebrity crush?
Oh that is tough; I have a couple or five! Kenny Chesney, because we have similar backgrounds and heritage and I admire his “don’t quit and don’t care what people think” attitude. Also, (and, yes, I am a weirdo), I grew up with a huge crush on Chewbacca from Star Wars!

If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
I would go right here in my home state to the shore. I love the Outer Banks area, and Rodanthe, where the wild horses run freely along the beach and all you can see is water and sand.

Which Avenger character are you?
Oh, I am the Hulk. Actually, my Mom used to call me that. My eyes change colors, and when I am mad they change from blue to green, so the Hulk seems very fitting.

If you could have a superpower, what would you wish it to be?
I would want to have the power of healing. So many people suffer in this world, some with visible illnesses and others that can’t be seen, and to be able to heal them would be such a great gift.

What song are you most sick of hearing on the radio right now?
Happy, by Pharell! I can’t handle that song! I find myself singing along with it and it makes me crazy!

If you had the chance to meet one author – past or present – who would it be? Why?
Oh, such a hard question. I would say from the past, Ernest Hemingway. I am in love with his work and have been my entire life. As for modern day, I would choose Nicholas Sparks. I am fascinated by how his mind works and how he creates such amazing pieces.

Tell us about your “big break” in the publishing world. Was there any one person believe in your work first (besides yourself of course)?
My Mom had urged me to share my writing for many years. I began writing as a child, but was very afraid to share it. I followed her guidance and decided that I would take the leap. She never waivered in her belief in me and my writing; and even though she is no longer with me here, I still feel her presence when I begin to write. What did you do to celebrate your first contract? I think my Mom, my sons and I ordered Chinese take out, and danced the entire night away in my living room with random bouts of screaming in disbelief.

Did you always want to be an author?
For as long as I can remember I have been writing. I went through a brief period in high school when I wanted to be a marine biologist, but writing has always been my one true love.

No matter the story, where do you always draw inspiration from when you begin each story?
I look into my past, I look into happenings around me and I compare what elements could be the same. I listen to so many people and I observe them, and I store it all away in my mind until it’s time for it to surface and be used on paper.

Uniquely Nobody (Author’s Edition)

 

I am nobody. I have no celebrity status other than possibly being known locally as the one who taped her pants in high school, or the bait shop girl.

I am not wealthy.

At times, I’m clueless.

I have taken many pages of mental notes and learned on my journey as a mother, friend, daughter, and, ultimately, a human being, that this chaotic world we live in is about the little things.

Moments, experiences, and priceless joys that we all share make us our own Unique Nobody.

Life can swirl by us pretty fast. Don’t we owe it to ourselves to hold hands with friends, skip, go fishing, and to remind ourselves that we are all here to live in each moment and treasure being our own somebody!

This book was written in hopes of making people feel good about themselves, and to make them assess their own lives.

Walking away feeling a sense of pride because of who and what you are, every one of us nobodies are our own somebody!

The Author’s Edition is much like a Director’s cut, it contains new content, and some deleted text and many revisions.

Buy Links:
Amazon.com — Ebook
Amazon.com – Paperback

Bio:
Teresa Hardister is forty one years old, she lives with her husband and two sons in North Carolina. She hopes to touch one person daily and bring them new insight.

Connect with Teresa:
Teresa’s Blog
Facebook
Twitter

 

 

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