Follow your dream…

Don’t we all long to follow our dreams and make them come true? That’s what I was thinking about when I wrote this song for my kids. Follow your dreams, work hard, be persistent and even when you fall…get back up and something wonderful will happen! You will learn to FLY….

Happy March and New Music coming soon!!!

March…in like a lion and out like a lamb! As my teens would say, “True Story!” This week’s snow that blasted across most of the country would qualify. It is cold but green here in Tennessee. The daffodils are blooming and the world is starting to drop hints of Spring and all things new! Speaking of new…..
Most of you know that I am a mom. I know it has never been fashionable to talk about motherhood in business….until this century. However, I AM a mom of 2 teens and have been married 25 years to a wonderful man. I LOVE those aspects of who I am and my music is starting to reflect that! I spend time with my family, my kid’s friends and try to be involved in what they are doing as much as I can.
Recently, I invited a group of teens from my daughter’s high school show choir into the studio with me to record on one of my new songs! In the next 2 weeks you will hear more about our experience and what we are trying to accomplish together! I will tell you however, I wanted to help them achieve some of their goals and they were all such fun to work with that I was the one who was blessed!! So stay tuned….for NEW MUSIC and lots of stories!!! In the meantime….take a minute to encourage a teenager near you. It means the world to them!

Happy New Year- 2013!!!!

As the new year begins I know we are all getting back into the swing of routine…even as I sit here looking at my tree…uh..yes..my Christmas tree is still up! After I send this email, I will be packing all the ornaments back into the boxes and putting them away for another year! My tree’s ornaments are diverse…some are from my childhood, some were made by my children,some were given to us by friends and still many are momentos we picked up from our travels through the years.) Long ago my husband and I decided that we would buy an ornament from each place we traveled as a reminder of our time there instead of a trinket. (We’ve been married for 25 years! so we have lots!) So… I love my tree and It is filled to the brim with memories!!!! However, as much as I enjoy reliving so many of those moments, at some point it has to be put away so I can get my household back in order…. or at least the living room!!!

Just like the tree…sometimes we can linger over past memories, even good ones for a wee bit too long. There comes a time when we need to put it away for a season in order to move forward into the next season of our lives. No matter where you have been in 2012…good place, hard place or in between….great job or job loss….I am praying for each of us to step into the New Year with hearts hopeful and expectant that “the best is yet to come…and won’t it be grand ” -to borrow a phrase from an old jazz standard!

May you and your family be blessed! I look forward to seeing you in 2013!!

All my love,

Debbie

How To Make Chocolate Fondue

I was interviewed for The One minute How To with George Smithe. Enjoy this short interview and let me know how you LOVE the recipe!

How to Make Chocolate Fondue

Thoughts on being an independent artist

Times are certainly changing in the music industry. Things are changing in EVERY industry, really. What we do and how we respond to those changes are what is significant. For the independent artist, there has never been a better time to be “Indie.” The Internet has made the marketplace global, even for the budding entrepreneur.  I’ll never forget the first time I sold a CD in Japan or Hungary. I’ve never been to those countries, yet, their music community has found me thanks to the Internet and great on-line CD stores like CDBaby. That is one of the many places my first CD, The Rest of Your Life, is currently sold. We no longer drive to the mall or local record shop. We press a button on our computer and instantaneously we have the music in our hands…well …ears! The biggest hurdle for the independent artist is national exposure that the major labels do so well. However, the Internet IS our international audience now and there is so much opportunity to spread the word about your brand of music, via social networks, on-line radio stations, magazines and music streaming. The list goes on and on. As an indie artist, I’ve been in National print magazines like MORE and have been in my first movie (SWAY the movie) as myself- a Nashville Jazz Recording Artist. Recently, I became a spokesperson for Darci by DiCaprio cosmetics. The Internet was invaluable as my connecting point in all of those. Not to mention, I stay busy with my jazz quartet performing at corporate, private and charity events! There is so much opportunity out there. It just takes work and consistency but after all, this is my job!  🙂

Indie Lady Interview

This interview on Blog Talk Radio was a great chance to celebrate some successes! It was recorded April 17, 2010.

Don’t be alarmed when you don’t hear my voice right away – my portion of the interview begins 8 minutes into the audio recording.

Listen to internet radio with Indie Lady A on Blog Talk Radio