Creatrix Rising by Stephanie Raffelock – Book Blog Tour

After a bit of a blog break, I am back, and it’s apt that I’m coming back for a blog tour with Lone Star Book Blog Tours and Stephanie Raffelock’s inspiring and honestly motivating new book, Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women. I can’t wait to share this book with you, so let’s get on with it.

A special thank you to Lone Star Literary Life and Stephanie Raffelock for providing me with a hardcover of Creatrix Rising in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Creatrix Rising:
Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women 
by Stephanie Raffelock 

Categories: Nonfiction / Self Help Memoir

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pub Date: August 24, 2021 

Pages:176 Pages

Scroll for the Giveaway!

SYNOPSIS

 
From the author of the award-winning book A Delightful Little Book on Aging comes a new self-help memoir Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women (She Writes Press). In her new book, Stephanie Raffelock liberates mold-defying midlife women, tired of the oft-inaccurate characterization of the “old crone,” to amplify the resounding strength within.

Ever since Eve was banned from the garden, women have endured the oftentimes painful and inaccurate definitions foisted upon them by the patriarchy. Maiden, mother, and crone, representing the three stages assigned to a woman’s life cycle, have been the limiting categories of both ancient and modern (neo-pagan) mythology. And one label in particular rankles: crone. The word conjures a wizened hag—useless for the most part, marginalized by appearance and ability.

None of us has ever truly fit the old-crone image, and for today’s midlife women, a new archetype is being birthed: the Creatrix.

In Creatrix Rising, Raffelock lays out—through personal stories and essays—the highlights of the past fifty years, in which women have gone from a quiet strength to a resounding voice. She invites us along on her own transformational journey by providing probing questions for reflection so that we can flesh out and bring to life this new archetype within ourselves. If what the Dalai Lama has predicted—that women will save the world—proves true, then the Creatrix will for certain be out front, leading the pack.

Praise for Creatrix Rising: 

“The perfect topic at the perfect time, Stephanie Raffelock’s self-help memoir, Creatrix Rising, identifies a new archetype, the Creatrix, that transcends the old archetype of Crone. Her stories and insights about how far women have come is nothing short of inspirational. A must-read for any woman who wants to embrace the strength and creativity of midlife.” -Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Women’s Soul

“Poetic and philosophical, Creatrix Rising will inspire readers to claim the courage and confidence that already lives inside of them. An intimate story of transformation, of journeying through life on your own terms without apology.”
-Richard Blanco, 2013 Presidential Inaugural Poet and author of How to Love a Country

“The new archetype Stephanie Raffelock assigns to midlife women underscores the assets and wisdom older women bring to our culture and to the greater good. Creatrix Rising is an affirmation and celebration of the feminine story taking place in leadership and creativity throughout our country.”
-Gabby Reese, volleyball legend, Nike’s first female spokeswoman, and New York Times best-selling author

Click To Purchase:
Amazon ~ Indiebound ~ Bookshop.org

REVIEW

I am (sadly? enthusiastically?) well equipped to review Creatrix Rising, as I am very much the perfect target audience. Around the time I was offered the opportunity to read it I had just turned 53. My oldest child has entered his senior year of high school, and I was deep in the throes of a finally-acknowledged midlife crisis of sorts. It was the kind where you realize that you still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up, but, as Raffelock points out, you’ve realized that more years of your life are behind you than are likely ahead of you.

It was a bit sobering to see it acknowledged. It was wonderful to be inspired and encouraged that there is more out there for us, if we only dream it and grab on to it.

Raffelock briefly outlines the “traditional” stages of life that women are categorized in: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I, like the author, have never been fond of the word or idea of older women as the “crone” – that smacks of a woman past her use-by date, old, withered, and maybe a little bitter or angry and most definitely tired. In lieu of the idea of “the Crone”, she proposes a new archetype: the Creatrix. Now, this is a concept I can get behind.

When I look at many of the women I know and admire, midlife is the time where many of them are reinventing themselves. They aren’t old or wizened. We’re vibrant, energetic, driven. Our children are soon leaving the nest, allowing us to step into the next stage of life, and we have a lot to give. This is about reinventing ourselves, a time for leadership, creativity, and a new stage in life – not a final stage. The Creatrix isn’t a tired old woman. She’s powerful, inspirational, and it’s a time of opportunity.

This should be intuitive, but apparently it isn’t, or else I wouldn’t find myself in the state I’m in, and for that, I have great appreciation for the reflections, activities, and journal prompts at the end of each chapter. I did not get the opportunity to do any journalling as I read the book the first time, but I’ve dog-eared all the journalling sections (it’s my book, so hush) so that I can go back and revisit them and do the real work.

I definitely appreciated her honest words around menopause, as while childbirth is discussed and written about profusely, menopause seems to be a topic that many avoid and is shrouded in mystery. She turns the tables on what we are told, and frames it as such:

“…Menopause is a great spiritual awakening, filled with the rich, dark mud of creativity. The myth of insignificance is not the truth, and all around us we see women rising above those worn-out attitudes, creating new, more beneficial attitudes in their wake.”

– Stephanie Raffelock, Creatrix Rising

Creatrix Rising is a book is filled with anecdotes, some relatable, some surprising, and definitely a bit philosophical. All in all, her words are thought provoking and serve well to support her new definition of women’s third stage in life as the Creatrix.

The gift in this book is also Raffelock’s storytelling. It is honest and raw, lyrical and beautiful. She is the embodiment of the Creatrix archetype she seeks to redefine. Despite the different paths our lives have taken, her stories were also relatable. For me, in particular, her story of losing her voice hit deeply, (hers more literally, while mine is more figuratively) but it was a punch in the gut. It instilled me with the hope that I will soon find mine again, too – and perhaps revealed why I might have lost it.

“Something extraordinary happened to me as I delivered that poetic stanza to the room: I forgot about myself. Iforgot to notice whether I felt judged or adequate. The poem simply deserved a voice…
…Could it be that when I spoke, I only had to give of myself, instead of thinking about how I was being seen, or whether or not I was doing it right?”

– Stephanie Raffelock, Creatrix Rising

Boom.

Raffelock’s gift for storytelling could not be better demonstrated than in her epilogue, which is not to be missed. The book was written during the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the epilogue she shares a tale that personifies the pandemic as a beautiful woman who reveals who we truly are as a society. She’s not wrong that much more than illness was brought to light over the past 18-20 months, but what has come out of it is also determination to make the world a better place, to share our voices.

I’ve arrived at a crossroads in my life, and while I still don’t know what my next steps should be, I’m honestly inspired by Creatrix Rising. I’m also encouraged by both the contents of this small but mighty book as well as the idea of midlife being a time for reinvention and reimagination. Midlife and beyond for women today is vastly different from that of our grandmothers, and this book is affirmation that we have so much more to offer.

This would be a wonderful book for book groups. I highly recommend it for women of all ages, be it the one eying her thirties with trepidation, those in approaching or in the midst of middle age, and those beyond but still young in spirit and heart.

I’m giving Creatrix Rising five stars for its inspirational and beautiful content.

BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Raffelock is the author of Creatrix Rising, Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women, (She Writes Press). She also penned the award-winning book, A Delightful Little Book on Aging.

A graduate of Naropa University’s program in Writing and Poetics, Stephanie was a contributor to The Rogue Valley Messenger in Oregon. She has blogged for Nexus Magazine, Omaha Lifestyles, Care2.com, as well as SixtyandMe.com.

A former i-Heart Radio host, she is now a popular guest on podcasts, where she inspires women to embrace the strength and passion of their personal story. Stephanie continues to build her speaker’s resume by giving presentations for groups like The Ashland Literary Arts Festival, Breaking the Glass, WINS at Charles Schwab and Southern Oregon University, Friends of the Hannon Library. Her commitment to uplift women extends to teaching personal development classes for incarcerated women and non-profits, including Dress for Success, Austin.

A recent transplant to Austin, Texas Stephanie enjoys an active life with her husband, Dean and their Labrador retriever, Mickey Mantel Raffelock.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

GIVEAWAY!

Four winners!
Each receive signed copies of Creatrix Rising plus,
 a $25.00 Starbucks gift card. 
(US Only; ends 9/11/21.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY.

Or, visit the blogs directly:

9/1/21	Excerpt	Hall Ways Blog
9/1/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
9/2/21	Review	All the Ups and Downs
9/2/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
9/3/21	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
9/3/21	Review	Momma on the Rocks
9/4/21	Author Interview	The Clueless Gent
9/5/21	Author Interview	Book Bustle
9/6/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight
9/6/21	Video Guest Post	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
9/7/21	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
9/8/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
9/8/21	Guest Post	The Page Unbound
9/9/21	Review	Jennie Reads
9/10/21	Review	Forgotten Winds
9/10/21	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles