Insecure Writers Support Group #IWSG ‘Blogging Friends’ #bookbloggers #amwriting @SCVincent

This post was written in response to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group monthly (first Wednesday of every month) blog hop to where writers express thoughts, doubts and concerns about our profession. By the way, all writers are invited to join in!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the February 3 posting of the IWSG are Louise – Fundy Blue , Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!

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February 3 question – Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

When I started blogging in November 2013, I had no idea what I was doing! I had heard of blogs, of course, and I’d probably read some blog posts, but I’d never even thought of starting one.

An online writer friend I met through Goodreads told me every writer should have a blog, so I started looking into what blogs actually were and decided to give it a go, and I’m really glad I did.

Blogging and interacting with other bloggers has helped me improve and develop my writing career by improving my craft through writing blog posts and creative flash fiction, showcasing my writing and sharing opinions and work with other readers and writers. It has given me a window to the world and a direct connection to other readers, writers and bloggers.

I’ve met a lot of bloggers along the way, and there are a few who I consider my ‘blogging friends’. But first I’d like to briefly reflect on the term ‘Blogging friend’. What is a blogging friend?

My blogging friends share many characteristics of the friends I see face to face. They are both supportive and friendly, which means I can ask them for help and advice on the topics that brought us together, in my case, mainly books and writing. We often share other personal opinions and some aspects of our private lives, too. We regularly read and comment on our posts and our projects. I feel as if I know them, so if I ever physically met them, I’m sure we’d chat away about our common passion and everything else we could think of!

The only thing blogging friendships lack is physical interaction and after this epidemic, when 95% of the contact I have with friends and family is online or on my phone, I’d say physical contact is overrated!

Sue Vincent: A Very Special Blogger

Talking about blogging friends, I’d like to introduce you to a very special blogging friend, who she has thousands of followers and blogging friends and is well-loved by many bloggers: Sue Vincent.

I ‘met’ Sue in 2017 when I first took part in her weekly photo prompt challenge on her blog called #Writephoto.

#Writephoto is a great challenge because there is no word or genre limit, just a picture prompt to take you wherever your thoughts go!

Sue is a very supportive host who comments on all entries and reblogs as many as she can every week.

She has three Websites where she shares her poems (And I love her #midnighthaiku) flash fiction, short stories, guest posts, poetry, books, etc.:

Daily Echo

France & Vincent

The Silent Eye

Sue is struggling with a serious illness at present read more about that here, so she could do with love and support from the blogging community to which she has contributed so much over the years.

Charli Mills’ Carrot Ranch Literary Community, another supportive online writing and blogging community, is organising The Sue Vincent Rodeo Classic, including a Flash Fiction Event to celebrate and support Sue. Read all about it in H. R. R. Gorman’s post on behalf of the Rodeo Organization Team and take part.

Find out more about Sue here

Finally I’d like to share a poem I wrote this morning. Hoping you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

 

#WednesdayMotivation ‘Be Still’ #Tanka #MorningMeditation #Mindfulness

I’m currently reading Mindfulness: an eight-week plan for finding peace in a frantic world, by Mark Williams and Danny Penman, and I’m doing their recommended One-Minute Meditation throughout the day. This Tanka is what happened this morning, immediately after my one-minute meditation.

Image from Pixabay

Be Still

Watch grey clouds drift past,
wave goodbye, smile at blue sky
Sail on quiet lake,
Breathe, be still,
Welcome new day,
All is calm,
I am ready.

****

You may think a minute is not enough, but I assure you it is. And one minute, several times a day adds up, so that some of the one-minute meditations will gradually become five-minutes or more. Priceless minutes during which we can be still, breathe and connect with ourselves. Try it! Follow the simple instructions below.

This ia a really simple one-minute meditation anyone can do at any time of the day, although I recommend you try it first thing in the morning, and regularly throughout the day, especially, but not only, when you may feel stressed.

Here’s how it goes:

1. Sit erect in a straight-backed chair. If possible, bring your back a little way from the rear of the chair so that your spine is self supporting. Your feet can be flat on the floor. Close your eyes or
lower your gaze.
2. Focus your attention on your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Stay in touch with the different sensations of each in-breath and each out-breath. Observe the breath without looking
for anything special to happen. There is no need to alter your
breathing in any way.
3. After a while your mind may wander. When you notice this,
gently bring your attention back to your breath, without giving
yourself a hard time—the act of realizing that your mind has
wandered and bringing your attention back without criticizing
yourself is central to the practice of mindfulness meditation.
4. Your mind may eventually become calm like a still pond—or it
may not. Even if you get a sense of absolute stillness, it may
only be fleeting. If you feel angry or exasperated, notice that this
may be fleeting too. Whatever happens, just allow it to be as it
is.
5. After a minute, let your eyes open and take in the room again.

****

The key is focussing on your breathing, trying to ignore any negative feelings, but if they appear, that’s fine, watch them drift away away across the sky like a cloud, and then see the blue sky and still lake they leave behind.

Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with yourself. You are worth it. You are enough. You are ready.

Picture from Pixabay

Have a wonderful day!

You deserve it!

#Tuesdaybookblog ‘The Book of Two Ways’ by Jodi Picoult #BookReview #Romance #Suspense @Audible

Today I’m reviewing another audiobook, The Book of Two Ways, by the great Jodi Picoult, a stunning novel about the choices we make, the life we leave behind and second chances, beautifully narrated by Patti Murin. I was so impressed by the narrative that after listening, I read the ebook version. 

The Book of Two Ways: A Novel

From the blurb

Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: Prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw 15 years ago: Wyatt Armstrong. 

Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, their beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, in which she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a career Dawn once studied for but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made. 

After the crash landing, the airline ensures that the survivors are seen by a doctor, then offers transportation to wherever they want to go. The obvious destination is to fly home, but she could take another path: Return to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways — the first known map of the afterlife. 

As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried with them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well lived look like? When we leave this Earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices…or do our choices make us? And who would you be if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?

My Review

‘My calendar is full of dead people’.

The first line of a novel novel pulls you in.

‘Brace, the flight attendants yell. Brace!
As we fall out of the sky, I wonder who will remember me.’

The first pages confirm your decision.

“Where do you need to go?”
Boston, I think. Home. But there’s something about the way she
phrases the question: need, instead of want; and another destination rises like steam in my mind.
I open my mouth, and I answer.

And the first chapter convinces you you’re about to read an epic novel and enjoy it to the very last page. 

After a stunning beginning, in which the heroine is faced with her own death, instead of going home to her husband and daughter, she makes the snap decision to go back to the man and the life the left behind in Egypt, when she worked as an archaeologist over sixteen years earlier.

The rest of the novel is an engaging narration of Dawn’s emotional journey through her past, her present and the decisions she must make regarding her future.

It’s a powerful novel about complex universal themes such as life, death, love, marriage and parenting, and about the decisions we make and the people and possibilities we leave behind as a result. It’s also about second chances and the freedom we have to change our minds and our futures. 

Dawn’s narrative wraps your thoughts as she takes you to Egypt and her life as an archaeologist, Boston, her family, the two men she loved, her daughter, her present job as a doula, and the decisions she must make, before it’s too late.

The Book of Two Ways is an unforgettable, emotional rollercoaster right up to the last agonising line. I can’t imagine any reader not loving this unique novel.  

Check out my other fiction book reviews here or my non-fiction, personal growth books here.

Happy reading! 

#MondayMotivation ‘The Miracle Morning for Writers’ #MondayBlogs #WritingGoals #amwriting

Over the past months, I’ve been reading a great number of motivational and inspiring books on personal growth. I’ve also been listening to podcasts and watching videos on YouTube. This interest has sprung from a combination of factors as I’ve recently reached a few significant milestones in my life; I retired and turned sixty, and I have five grandchildren between the ages of three months and nine years. I am concerned with aging, health, and emotional wellbeing, as well as my children’s and grandchildren’s future challenges. I have more time to reflect and more things to reflect on, so I’ve found these books, podcasts and videos very helpful, especially in these uncertain and volatile times in which we can take nothing for granted. I’ll be sharing my thoughts with you on Mondays.

This Monday I’m featuring The Miracle Morning for Writers, written by Hal Elrod, Steve Scott and Honoree Corder. As many of my readers are writers, like myself, I’m sure you’ll find the key ideas of this book useful.

The Miracle Morning for Writers: How to Build a Writing Ritual That Increases Your Impact and Your Income by [Hal Elrod, Steve Scott, Honoree Corder, S.J. Scott, James Altucher]

Hal Elrod also wrote The Miracle Morning, which I reviewed here, so it’s not surprising that in this book he gives us many examples of successful writers who get up early and do their writing in the morning. The first chapters are all about getting up as early as possible and establishing a morning routine which lasts an hour and comprises the following SAVERS: ‘Silence, Affirmations, Visualisation, Exercise, Reading and Scribbling’.

He also insists that we set realistic goals, including intended word counts, eliminate limiting beliefs and treat writing like a full-time job by scheduling time for writing and finding an ideal place to write.

This book also discusses practical aspects such as ways of being more efficient, outlining, writing numerous drafts, editing, monetising blogs and books, advertising, self and traditional publishing, finding an agent, building a platform and social media presence.

I love his ‘Miracle Equation’. You have to believe in yourself, no matter which obstacles come your way, but that’s not enough. You also have to work as hard as you possibly can to fulfill your dreams.

Finally he tells us that in order to achieve our writing goals, we should become the person who can achieve those goals. In the end, it’s not about publishing a book, it’s about the journey of becoming a writer.

I found The Miracle Morning for Writers useful and motivating. It’s a brilliant book for writers in the first stages of their careers because it has everything a would-be-writer needs from inspiration and writing to publishing and marketing.

The authors touch on all the aspects of being a writer, from mindset and motivation to writing and making a living from your writing. Every author at whichever stage you find yourself in your career will find value in The Miracle Morning for Writers.

Take care and stay safe.

Here’s the link if you’d like to read my other posts on #PersonalGrowth 

Check this post out to find out about my Blogging schedule.

#SundayWalks Last Day of #January #Haiku ‘7 things that happened in January’

Blue sky, bare branches,

Last day of January,

Why am I not sad? 

Seven things that happened in January 

Lots of things happened in January, but here are seven I’d like to share with you!  

  1. My six-month-old grandson laughed for the first time when he saw me on a phone screen!
  2. My brilliant daughter completed her Master’s Thesis.
  3. I’ve planned my blog posts for the next few months.
  4. I’ve prepared a goal journal with my goals and strategies for 2021.  
  5. My supportive and insightful editor returned my manuscript of Blood Moon at Eyre Hall. 
  6. I sent query letters, synopsis and first pages of The Ghost Wife, a contemporary romantic suspense, to four literary agents.
  7. I’ve watched the four seasons of The Last Kingdom on Netflix and started reading the books by Bernard Cornwell.

How was your January?

 

#WritePhoto ‘The Saxon Princess’ #FlashFiction #Netflix

The Saxon Princess, a 112-word flash fiction, was written in response to Sue Vincent’s weekly photo prompt. Join in or read other entries here!

The Saxon Princess

Princess Judith hid behind the huge rock and retrieved her slaughtered father’s dagger. 

The entire village watched her run to the mountains, her wedding dress trailing behind. No one stopped her or helped. They feared Bolverker, the conqueror.

Night fell. She could freeze to death or go back to the humiliation of a forced marriage to a pagan raider. Bolverker waited. He would not show weakness by chasing an arrogant, Christian girl. Judith returned; it would be more honourable than dying in exile. 

Bolverker smiled as she entered. The poisoned blade was hidden under her dress. She was ready to kill or be killed for her God, her people, and her freedom.

****

As you may have guessed, I’ve been watching too many episodes of Vikings on Netflix!

I’ve also watched The Last Kingdom, which would be the follow up from a historical point of view, although both series are not connected in any other way, as far as I know.

By the way, The Last Kingdom is based on thirteen novels brilliantly written by Bernard Cornwell and read on Audible by Jonathan Keeble. I love the series, and I’m currently reading and listening to the audiobook! I’ll be reviewing it soon.

There are also plenty of Vikings, Normans and Saxons in The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett, a fabulous novel set in this period, which I recently reviewed here. 

The Evening and the Morning (Kingsbridge Book 4) by [Ken Follett]

My favourite time period is still the 19th century and early 20th century, however, the Medieval era is a close second!

In which period are your favourite historical novels, series or films set?

January Full Moon #Blogging Goals 2021 #Blogger #amblogging

The first full moon of 2021, on the last Friday of January, with 1st of February just a few days away on Monday, seems like a magical day to tell you about my blogging goals for the next six months.

I’ve been carefully planning away all of January, regarding my personal, professional, spiritual and health goals for the first half of the year. I was more spontaneous up to now, which worked well for me, but I’m approaching blogging more systematically for the next six months, with calendar and topics in hand, and many posts outlined and even written well ahead of time.

These are my blogging goals.

Mondays will still have posts on Personal Growth. I’ll mainly be sharing books, videos and podcasts on this topic which I’ve read, watched or listened to and found inspiring and useful. I’ve been writing these posts for a few months and there’s so much motivational advice from experts on so many fascinating topics that won’t be running out of information to share for a long time!

Tuesdays will be #TuesdatBookBlog day when I’ll share reviews of ebooks, paperbacks and audiobooks that I’ve been reading on Kindle, Scribd and Audible, which are the platforms I use. There will be novels for everyone as my reading is eclectic. I have some Thrillers (techno and contemporary) science fiction, romance (thrillers and romcom), literary, historical, feel good and memoirs and much more, lined up!

Insecure Writers Support Group Badge

Wednesdays on Writing will be for The Insecure Writers Support Group #IWSG, if it’s the First Wednesday of the month and #WWWBlogs on other Wednesdays I might follow the prompt on Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge and other Wednesdays I’ll be talking about writing with the following hashtags: #WritersLife, #amwriting #writingcommunity #writingtips 

Thursdays are for #Thursdayphotothoughts which are personal posts based on a random Pixabay photo which appears in my email every week.

Thursday is in the exact middle of the week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have flown by, probably full of work, obligations and general business, but Friday, Saturday and Sunday are days we anticipate with joy, because they hold the promise of some free time for relaxation, friendship, family and hobbies.

Thursday is an ideal day to stop and reflect on the past three days and prepare for the three days to come, or write about anything the image suggests.

I’m not planning on stream-of-consciousness, because although it’s an unplanned post based on a random picture, I’ll edit my thoughts and words.

Friday is a very special day, because I’m very excited to start a brand new series on Rereading Jane Eyre by sharing Flash Fiction rewritings of a chapter every week. But I’ll tell you all about it next Friday.

Saturdays will be for Flash Fiction Challenges. I’ll be taking part in #Writephoto hosted by the marvellous and supportive Sue Vincent, this challenge isn’t exactly flash fiction, but we are asked to keep our entries short, and Carrot Ranch weekly Fiction Challenge hosted by the equally supportive and wonderful Charli Mills, who requires our entries to be exactly 99 words. Check them out and join in!

Finally, Sundays are for #SundayWalks, #SilentSunday, #Photosthroughthewindscreen or #SundayFunday, where I share photos with or without a brief reflection or short poem.

Well, that’s it for my blogging goals. I hope you find something of value or something to enjoy in my posts. Suggestions are, of course, welcome!

What are your blogging goals for 2021?

Do you plan them out months or weeks ahead? 

Let me know in the comments!

#ThursdayPhotoThoughts #Haiku ‘Infinite Rituals’ #January2021 @Pixabay

Photo by congerdesign on Pixabay

An apple a day

A simple, delicious treat

The taste of childhood.

****

There was an apple tree in my garden when I lived in Harrow, over forty years ago, so apples were a staple part of my diet. My mother made apple crumble, apple pie, baked apples with cream or custard, and countless other types of cooked apple recipes. We also ate plenty of raw apples. I have no idea how my mother managed to keep them, but we ate apples from our tree all year round!

I still enjoy eating apples and usually eat an apple a day. In fact, apples are the most constant thing in my life. I ate them as a child and still do so, even though I now live in Spain, where oranges are the queen of all fruits. I also have oranges every day, usually as juice, but apples have always been there and I can’t imagine not eating apples for the rest of my life. It’s not about the taste, smell, texture, vitamins or fibre. Every time I eat an apple, my past present and future merge into a timeless and boundless ritual. So simple and so real.

****

Image by ejausburg on Pixabay

I’ve noticed I get an email from Pixabay on Thursdays with an image. Pixabay is a wonderful site where many generous amateur and professional photographers offer their photos at no cost (there are also photos you have to pay for).

Thursday is a good day for thinking. In fact, it’s the exact middle of the week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have flown by, probably full of work, obligations and general business, but Friday, Saturday and Sunday are days we anticipate with joy, because they hold the promise of some free time for relaxation, friendship, family and hobbies. Thursday is an ideal day to stop and reflect on the past three days and prepare for the three days to come, or write about anything the image suggests. I’m not planning on stream-of-consciousness, because although it’s an unplanned post based on a random picture, I’ll edit my thoughts and words.

I don’t need a reason to write, in fact I have to force myself to stop writing at regular intervals, just to move my limbs, and interact with the rest of the world! But I do need a reason to stop and reflect for a few minutes, so the middle of the week and a random Pixabay photo are the ideal combination.

Feel free to join in! Grab the hashtag, photo and share your post in the comments. I’d love to read your thoughts.

What do apples mean to you? Which childhood food do you still love and eat regularly?

#WritePhoto ‘The Shepherd’ #Tanka

This poem was written in response to Sue Vincent’s weekly photo prompt. Join in or read other entries here!

The Shepherd

There stands the shepherd,

Staff in hand, patient, waiting

On dark, hopeless hill

to lead lost, weary travellers

to sunny, green fields of gold.

****

#Tuesdaybookblog ‘The House on the Water’ by Margot Hunt #BookReview #Whodunit #Mystery #Suspense @Audible

Today I’m reviewing The House on the Water, a thriller and mystery novella by Margot Hunt, and narrated by Taylor Schilling. 

The House on the Water Audiobook By Margot Hunt cover art

From the blurb

Every year, Caroline Reed takes a trip with her best friend, Esme Lamont. They’re usually accompanied by their spouses—but this year, everything’s changed. Esme has just gone through a bitter divorce, and Caroline is wondering if her own marriage is reaching its breaking point, as she and her husband John cope with the discovery that their nineteen-year-old son has been abusing drugs. Still, the inseparable duo books a week-long stay at a beach-front home in Shoreham, Florida, inviting Esme’s brother, Nick, and his new husband, Ford, hoping the additional guests will help lighten the mood.

After a blissful first night in the vacation home, tragedy strikes, and one of the houseguests is found dead. While it’s assumed at first to be a horrific accident, it quickly becomes clear that there’s something more sinister at play, and over the course of this fast-paced, deeply chilling novella, the potential motives of each guest are revealed—until a shocking conclusion is reached.

My Review

I don’t listen to many novellas, but I read the blurb and thought I’d take a chance with The House on the Water, and I was pleasantly surprised. Although it is described as a mystery and thriller, which it is, it is also a ‘whodunit’ in the traditional sense of the ‘Agatha Christie’ way! A group of friends in a house, a murder and everyone is suspect, because everyone had a powerful reason and the opportunity to commit the crime.

It could have been any of them, and I had fun wondering who it was, guessing and changing my mind, until the culprit owns up at the very end, but there’s another little twist… 

It was a light, easy and satisfying read. I love listening to audiobooks while I exercise, go for a walk or do the cooking, and it was great for that. For such a short read, the characters were mostly engaging and well-rounded, the suspense built up gradually, and the plot was cleverly thought out. 

The one narrator, Taylor Schilling, was very good with all the different voices. I’ll be listening to some more of the author and narrator’s novels and novellas which are included in my monthly subscription, so they’re great value.

By the way, there are plenty of similar novellas, which last between one and three hours, on audible. They’re great for a short listening break!