Lela Davidson

Rogers Water Park in My Backyard

Lela Davidson — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:37:53 +0000

These are the people who I will be taking to the Rogers Water Park any time they want. Why? Because it is about five minutes from my house, it’s awesome, and as water parks go, it is practically free.

(They might have said: “How many pictures are there going to be? Seriously. MOM.”)

Way to go City of Rogers!

Also, technically it’s called the Rogers Aquatics Center, but we’re not holding that against them.

Check out their Facebook page here.

These are the high speed slides. Going down one of these was described by my 12-year-old daughter as “the worst mistake of my life.” A mother can only hope.

Also, check out that pool in front, and the wall. That’s actually a climbing wall. And it’s awesome.

Another shot of the slide I won’t be riding. Free fall? No, thank you.

In addition to the two high speed slides, Rogers Water Park has two swirly slides and something called the Toilet Bowl. For real. You circle a big bowl until you get “flushed” out the bottom. Say what you will, it was my kids’ favorite.

At the bottom of this shot you can see the lazy river.

Yes, I could have gotten better pictures, but it’s not cool taking pictures of other people’s children in bathing suits. We agree on that, right?

Speaking of weirdoes, the Rogers Aquatic Center employs state of the art surveillance to protect your kids. It’s SUPER Big Brother, and The Mama is okay with that.

Anyway, here is the lap pool where they plan to have dedicated exercise times and can even host small swim meets.

You probably won’t see me there.

Here are the happy park hoppers 4.5 seconds before they made that other face, the one that meant it was time to leave.

Slides!

Here’s that toilet bowl thingie on the right.

Plenty of spaces for the littles. And oh my gosh, did I mention children under 36″ get in FREE??? I could almost pass for that myself!

We so PriTAY!

My only beef: not enough shade. There are some tables next to the concession stand, and there are pavilions you can rent for parties. Other than that, it’s not the best place for the fair-skinned, or the wrinkle-averse. However, I was told this is not really a valid criticism for a water park. So there you have it. I’m a big baby.

But you know what? I don’t even care because the BEST part of our new water park is that kids 12 and over can hang out there WITHOUT adult supervision. Booyah!

There is so much I’m sure I missed. Like the light show, and the lily pad walk, and the huge (still clean, cross fingers) dressing/bathrooms. Honestly the place delivers. Go see for yourself.

Don’t forget to pick up your half-price passes. City of Rogers residents can get 10 visits for $42.50 until the park opens on May 25. Head over sometime this week to get your passes. I’ll be buying a few of those punch cards!

Official water park website here.

Special thanks to the City of Rogers and Arkansas Women Bloggers for hooking us up with a private tour on preview day.

Spreadsheets to Stories, My Project Eve Interview

Lela Davidson — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:19:06 +0000

You may learn something new about me in this interview by Rhonda Franz on a great site that promotes, supports, and celebrates women’s entrepreneurship.

Less than a decade ago, Lela was pushing the pen as accountant for a big firm. She took the leap from addition to essays and hasn’t looked back. She now successfully runs her freelance writing and media business from her home office—keeping a firm eye on two kids, a husband, and one dog, and a neighborhood full of funny stories just waiting to be told. I caught up with Lela just long enough for her to share with Project Eve readers about her road to entrepreneurship.

Read the rest of this post on Project Eve

Making Space for More Motherhood Stories

Celebrating My Yoga Mat with FREE Kindle Copies!

Lela Davidson — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:09:15 +0000

Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that there are two books out there with my name on the spine and my words on all the pages. It is impossible to thank everyone who has supported my writing up to this point. Whether you have bought books, helped me with an event, run my stories in your magazines, or just shared a kind word, I thank you.

In celebration of Who Peed on My Yoga Mat? being honored with a Benjamin Franklin Award, it’s going to be FREE until Saturday! Please tell your friends to snatch it up while it’s free for a great summer read, a funny summer read!

Thank you again, for all your support.

Click here to download a free Kindle version through Saturday, May 18.

My Yoga Mat v. Nuns and a Bathroom Reader

Lela Davidson — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:49:10 +0000

THIS is exciting. For the second consecutive year, for my second essay collection, I am up for another Benjamin Franklin Award. This is the most prestigious award in the “indie” publishing world and I am beyond thrilled to have these bragging rights. As one of only three finalists in the Humor category, I am already a Silver Award Winner. But I’d like to take home the gold. Last year I was beat out by zombies. This year I’m up against nuns and a bathroom reader.

Wish me luck.

The winner will be announced May 29th in New York City. Sadly, again this year I am not able to go! (Listen To Your Mother is the next night.) I have a friend accepting for me. We’re planning on gold, but I promise to be gracious if I take the silver. I have NOT directed my friend to knock anyone over, not even a sassy nun.

Listen To Your Mother NWA is SOLD OUT!

Lela Davidson — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:40:53 +0000

For real. It’s been so busy around here that I have not had a lot of time to mention that the second annual local production of Listen To Your Mother SOLD OUT!!! more than a month before the show.

Yes, we will have a larger venue next year. Maybe we’ll even do a matinee and an evening show like St. Louis is doing this year. Who knows. What we do know is that if you want to be at this storytelling spectacular (and why wouldn’t you want to be?) you are going to need to win tickets.

We or our sponsors will be giving away tickets every week from now until the show. To enter, watch our website, watch our Facebook profiles and the pages of our sponsors, and enter to win here.

Books for Mom $3.99 on Kindle

Lela Davidson — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:16:19 +0000

Know a mom who needs a funny book? Is that mom you? Just in time for Mother’s Day, Blacklisted from the PTA and Who Peed on My Yoga Mat? now available in Kindle for only $3.99.

That’s the price of a latte. And lasts longer.

Click here to buy Blacklisted from the PTA in Kindle.

Click here to buy Who Peed on My Yoga Mat? in Kindle.

Please help me spread the word!

You’re Doing Fine, Oklahoma Writers Federation

Lela Davidson — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:09:23 +0000

Hanging out with an erotic romance writer and a celestial wizard. This is why I love the Oklahoma Writers Federation.

I returned home yesterday afternoon from the 45th annual Oklahoma Writers Federation Conference. I tried to remember all the times I have been to this conference and I can count at least six. There may be more. This is the second year I have presented a social media session at the conference. I actually led two sessions and served on a panel. That’s a lot of talking and I loved every minute.

After a couple of mini-dramas including a lost phone and the question, “Checotah? What road are we on, anyway?” two of my favorite writing friends and I got busy with our list of things to do once we got home. Some of those items will happen in the next week, month, decade, and some won’t. You can never be sure.

What I am sure of, however, is that these gatherings of writers are always valuable, and OWFI is one of the best. I always come away with so much more than I had expected. This year I am grateful for:

Smashwords founder Mark Coker’s sessions on publishing and eBook trends, particularly the charts. As I may have mentioned once or twice, I’m a numbers girl.
Jane Friedman sitting in on the social media panel, especially that one time when she smiled and looked up from her work. I’m choosing to believe she agreed with something I said and found my delivery delightful.
Friends who sat through my talks and convinced me that yes, honestly, truly, I need a PowerPoint. Or, you know, whatever is cooler. Something, anything to look at while I’m speaking. Fine. I’ll do it.
Everyone who bought Sexy, Smart, & Search Engine Friendly: Get Found Online Without Losing Your Mind or Wasting Your Time. Thank you!
And for everyone who asked why the above was not in the bookstore. I’m still not convinced it needs to exist in paperback form, but you’re starting to sway me.
Good roommates. They bring snacks and accessories and shoulders and sass. Missing them already.
Renewed enthusiasm to work on the things that are not easy.
Old friends with new stories.
New friends with old stories.
Learning there is such a thing as the Arkansas Writers Conference.
Carpet in the conference center, which greatly facilitates the walking in the shoes that are pretty.
Reminders about things I have written that I had forgotten. Because if someone else remembers them, they might not be half bad.
Good gossip.
Bad gossip.
Envious as I was of friends with Awesome Ideas to pitch agents, I was so grateful not to be doing that this year. Because I already have one of those–an agent, not an idea.
Seeing friends from the critique group I attended most Saturday mornings for years. I miss them so much.
Authors who are empowered and not quick to fall prey to a certain publicist whose entire presentation consisted of a suggestion to max out our credit cards. (And thanks, too, to Mark Coker who gave the opposite advice: Debt is evil.) Friends, you do NOT need a trust fund or a rich uncle to be successful, and you certainly don’t need the services of “blood sucking parasites.”

And when I got home there were flowers waiting for me. Because when I’m away, there are no calendars, and my sweet family thought it was Mother’s Day. What more could a girl want?

She’s Not on Facebook?

Lela Davidson — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:48:53 +0000

A photo booth in 1986. Hard to get much more throwback than that. I was thinking of this friend this week–the one making faces in the background. Making me laugh, always. I was thinking about all our antics, the stories we told (mostly to boys at parties), the ever-present Aqua Net, and in my case the horrid combination of baby blue, pink, and white eye shadow–frosted, naturally.

It’s a weird social world we live in. A few years ago I was missing my high school reunion. But then suddenly the class of 1988 seemed to spontaneously combust onto Facebook. Here we are, in all our virtual glory. Most of us anyway. I’m grateful for the link to the past and oddly curious to see what people are up to. Some of these people I’m not likely to ever see again. But you never know. Others, like the one in this picture, have chosen to opt out, which is nothing less than what I would have expected from her. Every so often I search for her, knowing we grew apart years ago, but still hoping. Maybe we’d find a way to reconnect. Maybe. Probably not.

But she’s never there. Seriously? She’s not on Facebook? WTF is wrong with this woman?

Every time I look and do not find reminds me that even in this hyper-connected world, if you don’t want to play, you can still simply turn the machines off. For that I’m grateful, and for not having to have that awkward realization that beyond the feed, we have little in common anymore.

How have Facebook and other social media affected how you remember or renew your oldest friendships?

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Fireside Search and Social Chat

Lela Davidson — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:16:15 +0000

Want some of my best advice about SEO for authors? Before I head off to Oklahoma City tomorrow, I wanted to share one more bit of Missouri goodness with you. This video was filmed at the exquisite Sheraton Lakeside Chalet (it’s practically Switzerland) in St. Louis. Brad Cook, founder of The Writers’ Lens, interviewed me about search and social and how to get found online. Watch for all the great advice, and ignore the awkward pauses where I’m using all my will not to reach for the dirty martini that is just out of the shot.

Need more information? See these:

Good Morning Arkansas: Chatting Up The Rock

Lela Davidson — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:55:30 +0000

I had too much fun in Little Rock a couple of weeks ago, as I may have mentioned. If you’re local you probably didn’t get to see me on Good Morning Arkansas when it aired yesterday, so I’m posting it here.

They have the coolest studio complete with a working kitchen, living room set, and a stage for the house band. Melinda Mayo was sweet as could be and everyone at KATV was kind and welcoming. We talked all about my books because, hello, it’s almost Mother’s Day! Moms want funny books for women written by funny moms. And the very sweet producer put big images of my book covers on the screen. AND they called me an award-winning author, because I am but no one but me would ever say that if not for my fabulous publicist Loria Oliver at OWC PR.

What more could a girl ask for?

Okay, a girl could ask for remedial lessons on posting video, but since I can’t get the embed code to work, here’s the next best thing:

Click here to watch Lela Davidson on Good Morning Arkansas

PS – If this were a drinking game I might suggest drinking every time I move my hair out of my face. But it’s not, so I won’t, but you could if you wanted to.