Welcome back to #MarcosPlaylist and #SaturdaySingalong with another song from the playlist I made for my grandson in August 2020 on Spotify, when he was just a few days old. I chose my favourite songs with a mellow rhythm to sing to him, dance with him cradled in my arms and perhaps send him to sleep, or at least calm him down! This post, tanka and playlist is for Marcos, now thirteen-weeks old.
Today I’m featuring Night Birds, an Album and song by the English jazz-funk band Shakatak, founded in 1980. Both the album and the song released in 1982, reached the top ten. All the songs in the album were written by keyboardist, Bill Sharpe and drummer, Roger Odell.
The group is still active, in fact they have just released a 3CD and DVD Boxset All Around the World 40th Anniversary.
The song’s lyrics are short, seven lines and 33 words. The lyrics are evocative, but my favourite sequence of the song is the instrumental part, which is most of the over six, wonderful minutes the song lasts. What can I say? I love dancing around the house, with Marcos in my arms, humming the tune and singing the song.
Here’s the Spotify link:
Here’s my Tanka inspired by the music and lyrics, dedicated to Marcos.
Night Birds
Flying through the night,
Across blackened sky, cool breeze,
City lights brighten heavens,
Nightbirds flutter, piano plays,
Kiss the day goodbye.
****
Watch them sing the song live on YouTube from Tokio in 2016.
I hope you have a long, lazy Sunday, free to do whatever makes you happy.
I’m driving about 800 kilometers to visit my mother. Actually, my husband’s driving and I’m writing this post! I was over the top busy yesterday, packing etc. so this weeks’ #Saturdaysingalong is being posted on Sunday.
what are you doing this weekend?
Do you have a special Spotify playlist or favourite song you’d like to share? Go ahead and tell us in the comments!
Stay safe, singalong, enjoy and have a great Sunday!
I’d like to share with you the four-stage, frustrating, although ultimately successful, process of searching for and discovering the perfect title for my current WIP.
Stage One: Initial Brainstorming based on the Catalyst
I brainstormed titles based on one of the most important characters, who acts as a catalyst in Jane Eyre’s life, at the start and throughout the Eyre Hall Trilogy,Annette Mason.
The Eyre Hall Trilogy is based on the characters and events portrayed directly or insinuated between the lines of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Wide Sagasso Seaby Jean Rhys. As a result of my combined reinterpretation of both novels, my main thesis, put forward in The Eyre Hall Trilogy is that the first Mrs Rochester, Bertha Antoinette Mason, had a daughter while she was locked in her attic.
Twenty years later, when her daughter reappears at Eyre Hall, Mr Rochester denies the child, Annette, now a beautiful, young woman, is his offspring, but as he proved to be a notorious and shameless liar throughout Jane Eyre, it is hard for readers and a mature Jane, to believe him.
In The Eyre Hall Trilogy, Richard Mason, Bertha’s step-brother according to Wide Sargasso Sea, took the child to Jamaica, where he lived, in exchange for monthly payments from Mr Rochester for the child’s upkeep and his silence.
My new prequel (if you want to know why I’m writing a prequel I explain my reasons here) will culminate where All Hallows at Eyre Hall begins, that is, with Annette’s arrival at Eyre Hall with her uncle, Richard Mason, as Mr Rochester lies on his deathbed. Annette’s reappearance leads to a series of dramatic events which will cause havoc in the lives of the Rochester family and all the residents at Eyre Hall.
Bearing this crucial event in mind, I brainstormed the following titles related to Annette Mason’s return to Eyre Hall, where she had been born nineteen years earlier;
My / Her Husband’s Daughter
Mrs Rochester’s Stepdaughter
Mr Rochester’s Secret
Mr Rochester’s Secret Daughter
Jane’s Stepdaughter
Bertha’s Daughter
Bertha’s Daughter Returns to Eyre Hall
The First Mrs Rochester’s Daughter
Miss Annette Mason
Richard Mason’s Niece
The Heiress
The Jamaican Heiress
These titles were fitting, but I didn’t find any of them striking, and although it wasn’t strictly necessary, I wanted ‘at Eyre Hall’ in the title of the prequel like the three subsequent novels, All Hallows at Eyre Hall, Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall and Midsummer at Eyre Hall.That meant that Bertha’s Daughter Returns to Eyre Hall was the best fit, but it was too long and disclosed too much of the mystery. I could also add ‘Returns to Eyre Hall’ in any of the previous titles, for example, The Jamaican Heiress Returns to Eyre Hall, but again, that made the titles too long or awkward, so as I wasn’t overly fond of any of the previous titles, I started from scratch, thinking up titles all over again.
Stage Two: Brainstorming Round Two for Emotions
I decided to add a specific moment in time to the title, as I had done with my previous novels, which are marked by significant festivities during which the climax of the novels occurs; All Hallows, Twelfth Night, and Midsummer.
I wanted the events in the prequel to culminate where All Hallows begins, so it had to be a festivity occurring not too long before All Hallows, which led me to a few more titles with September in mind.
Harvest Moon at Eyre Hall
September Moon at Eyre Hall
September Storm at Eyre Hall
Thunderstorm at Eyre Hall
Autumn Equinox at Eyre Hall
September Equinox at Eyre Hall
Michaelmas at Eyre Hall
Season of Mists at Eyre Hall
Again, none of these titles seemed the perfect fit, although I preferred Harvest Moon at Eyre Hallover all the others, in fact in my recent update on the prequel I’m writing to the trilogy, I said this would be the title of my new novel, but I was never entirely happy with that title, because it evoked a calm, happy, pastoral event and that is not what this novel is about.
I thought about the emotions I wanted to evoke in potential readers of my novel when they read the title, and I made a list of negative emotions and nouns such as; surprise, suspense, rage, hurt, blackmail, restitution, revenge, death, injustice, banishment, exile, justice, moment of truth, lies, and secrets. But there are also positive emotions and events, such as love, passion, forgiveness, restitution, gratitude, reconciliation, truth, honesty, rebirth, and new beginnings. Unfortunately, none of the previous titles immediately evoked those feelings, so I was back to square one, without a title.
So, I started from scratch for a third time. I slept on it and decided to search for visual stimulus by looking at premade book covers on the internet. This may seem strange to you, but I’m what many people describe as a ‘visual person’. On the one hand, my feelings and emotions are highly influenced by what I see with my eyes and my mind. I do not have a photographic mind, but I do try to visualise things in order to find them or remember them. On the other hand, I also spontaneously see what I’m reading or listening to (audiobooks, songs, conversations), in my mind’s eye.
Visualisation is also a very powerful tool for me as a writer because I ‘see’ my novel’s scenes before I write them. I act out whole scenes, conversations and places, in my mind well before I write them. I need to write a whole post about this, because sometimes I take this need to see to extremes.
Literally, I can’t write a scene if there’s a specific element I want to see and can’t figure out, so I search for it like a crazy person. This could be any prop I consider valuable to me or symbolic in the scene, such as the dress Jane is wearing, a clock on the wall, the exact colour of a character’s eyes, or a even the shape and colour of a chair!
I create and/or recreate visual representations of abstract information and ideas all the time. So, I thought looking at book covers might help. And miraculously it did, almost. I found this image by chance on The Book Cover Designer by BetiBup33 and I fell in love at once.
Even the title, Red Moon, fit perfectly. I’m a moon lover. I follow full moon rituals which I wrote about in a previous post, and I make sure to look for the moon in the sky and I follow its phases because it fascinates me. I’m delighted that my posts on The Moon in Jane Eyre are my most viewed and it’s something I share with Charlotte Bronte, the moon is not there by chance at key moments in Jane Eyre.
I showed my daughters the cover and my title, Red Moon at Eyre Hall. They are two wonderful women with a sharp eye for beautiful things (I also have a son, but he has other skills!), and they loved it, and yet, I wasn’t fully convinced. It was definitely the best title, so far, but Red Moon, sounded a bit too juvenile, or bland. Red is my favourite colour because I love the fire and strength it conveys, but it still didn’t seem powerful enough for my title.
Stage Four: Finding Perfection with some help from Google!
My next search was on the internet, I started looking for ‘Red Moon’ titles in other novels or general information on the phenomenon on specific webpages and I found many references to Blood Moon and I thought, of course, why on earth didn’t that occur to me before! I found the perfect title, Blood Moon at Eyre Hall. The title and the image with a huge, red moon in a stormy sky with a large country house below in dark shadows, transmits passion, love, mystery, nightmare, troubles, secrets unveiled, death and renewal at Eyre Hall.
So that’s how I found the perfect title for the prequel to The Eyre Hall Trilogy.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am. The scenes are spinning in my mind’s eye, my handwritten notes, which I always start with before typing anything, are all over the place in several notebooks, and my chapter outlines, plot and character arcs, are still in the process of reordering and completing, but I feel strong enough to pull it all together, now that I have an image and a title. I’ve printed out the title on my Dream Board (there will be more about dream boards in another post!). So I’m good to go, and I’ll be posting regular updates on my writing process on Wednesdays.
Next week I’ll tell you all about the biblical and astrological meaning and symbolism of Blood Moon and it’s relevance to the themes and events portrayed in Blood Moon at Eyre Hall.
Well, do you think my title is a good fit for my novel?
How do you decide on the names of your novels? Do you find it tough too, or do you come up with a name instantly?
Let me know in the comments.
Important news! Freebie over the Halloween weekend!
Book One of The Eyre Hall Trilogy, (International link follows) All Hallows at Eyre Hallwill be free for the first time on kindle deals to coincide with Halloween, from 29th October to the 2nd November. Make sure you download your copy!
I read a lot of psychological thrillers, historical and literary fiction, and personal growth books, so I alternate with light and/or steamy romance, although romantic comedies are my favourite type of escapist fiction. I love stepping into a fairytale world where happy ever afters are guaranteed, after a tiny bit of angst and a few misunderstandings or some suspense…
It’s all Cary Grant’s fault, he taught me to love romantic comedies, Audrey Hepburn is also guilty, as Charade (1963) is my favourite and if you haven’t seen it you’re in luck, because you can still watch this timeless, suspenseful, romantic comedy, which is also a thriller, set in Paris (where else?), for the first time!
But, back to today’s featured novel. I’ve recently discovered Australian author, Sally Thorne, who has written two bestselling novels so far, The Hating Game (2016) and 99% Mine(2019). I enjoyed them both. Today I’m reviewing her first novel, The Hating Game. Amazon.com link below.
From the Blurb
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman work together and they hate each other. They have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude. The tension grows when they both apply for the same promotion.
My Review
The Hating Game is a fun office romance, in which two colleagues who hate each other intensely, mainly due to their opposing personalities and life experiences, find themselves competing for the same promotion. They both desperately want the job for personal and professional reasons. As a result, the tension between Lucy and Joshua reaches its boiling point, and that’s when they discover that they don’t hate each other after all, but can they trust each other?
The premise doesn’t sound new or riveting, but I assure you it is a highly entertaining read. Their daily banter is entertaining, and the way their relationship gradually develops from enemies to lovers, as well as the expected resolution of the problem and happy ever after, is as believable as it is adorable.
I admit I was in the mood for a light, fun, romance and that was exactly what I got! The Hating Game is well written with engaging characters, for me that means I just kept turning the pages and hardly noticed a few hours had passed. In fact, I read it twice, once on my kindle and once on audible.
I must tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version. Did I tell you I love listening to audiobooks while I’m cooking, cleaning, working out or doing my laundry? It makes chores such fun!
By the way, Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell are going to star in the film based on novel. More information about the movie here-
So, if you’re in the mood for a romantic comedy, you’ll love The Hating Game! Amazon UK link below.
Over the past months I’ve been reading a great number of motivational and inspiring books on the topic of 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 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 nothing can be taken for granted. I’ll be sharing my thoughts with you on Mondays.
This Monday I’m sharing my experience of reading The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success by Dr Deepak Chopra.
Dr Chopra was born in Delhi, India, in 1947, where he studied medicine. He started his medical carreer in traditional medicine in Boston, in 1970 where he later became chief of medicine at New England Memorial Hospital. However, over the years he began to see the limitations of western medicine and in the 1990s he turned to a more holistic approach to the health and wellbeing. He moved to California and set up the Chopra Center for Well Being.
I still have my copy of ‘Creating Health‘ which I bought and read in 1999, when I was a stressed, working mother of three teenagers, approaching midlife. This book, which I’ve since reread several times, helped me understand the mind-body connection, and specifically the healing power of the mind, at a time when I needed to reconnect with myself.
Creating Health is a great introduction to his philosophy of life and healing, which is relatively easy to understand, although I warn you, Dr Chopra is brief and intense in the way he communicates his thoughts, but every word is worth the intellectual and emotional effort, because every one is life changing.
Dr. Chopra has written over eighty books and I’d like to tell you about one of his latest publications, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.It is short book of about 120 pages which takes less than two hours to listen to as an audio book, but again, I warn you, it is so intense, his ideas are so condensed and precise that you will need to listen to each chapter several times, at least I did! And not only will you listen to each chapter more than once, you will also have to think about, digest and apply what he says to yourself, which is an ongoing and life changing process.
Readers need the time, patience and right frame of mind for such profound introspection. I’m glad I’ve read it when I had read his previous work and when I was mentally prepared to try to embrace his proposals and improve my emotional and phyical wellbeing.
Dr Chopra defines success as ‘the constant expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of useful goals’. He proposes a more spiritual approach to success and abandance, which he describes as ‘a great movement of all good things towards us’.
The seven laws he proposes which lead to harmony with the universe and the creation of success in its material, physical and emotional forms are; The Law of Potentiality, Giving and Recieivng, Karma or Cause and Effect, Least Effort, Intention and Desire, Detachment and finally the Law of Dharma.
There is no way I’m even going to try to summarise any of these, it’s something each one of us has to do personally, and I’m sure they will have different meanings and interpretations in each one of us. But what will happen to everyone who reads is that we will find a new meaning to life.
Here’s one of his meditations where you can glimpse what his philosophy is about.
Meditation is a vital part of his proposals and I’m convinced that if I were able to harness the power of meditation more efficiently my wellbeing would improve, and the that’s the reason why I have his latest book on my kindle, which was published last month, Total Meditation.I’ll tell you about it in the coming weeks.
Welcome back to #MarcosPlaylist and #SaturdaySingalong with another song from the playlist I made for my grandson in August 2020 on Spotify, when he was just a few days old. I chose my favourite songs with a mellow rhythm to sing to him, dance with him cradled in my arms and perhaps send him to sleep, or at least calm him down! This post, tanka and playlist is for Marcos, now twelve-weeks old.
Today I’m featuring Easy (like a Sunday morning) a song written by the great, grammy-award-winning artist, Lionel Ritchie and made famous by Commodores, the popular soul, dance and funky group of which he was a member, until he launched his solo career in 1982.
Richie receiving the 2017 Kennedy Center Honors
Easy became a hit in 1977, when I was in my first year at Westfield College, such a long time ago, and yet it seems like yesterday!
Here’s the youtube remasterised version. Don’t you just love the shiny costumes flickering all over the screen! It takes me right back to the Age of Glitter in Pop Culture in the seventies; David Cassidy, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, shiny icons, sparkling stars, I danced and sang-along with them all! Such glowing memories!
As I was walking by the ancient walls of the city of Cordoba, first built by the Roman founders of the city, around the second century, and later reinforced by subsequent conquerors from central Europe, the Visigoths, later Muslims from North Africa, and finally the Spanish Monarchs from the north of the country, I was wondering about our need to conquer and feel safe from subsequent conquerors.
We have been building walls around our houses and cities for centuries and and now, two thousand years on, we still need to feel safe. Now the enemy is a virus, not an army, but we still retreat back within our walls, because the safety we perceive in the prison of our own making, is more important than the happiness we give up by not venturing outside. Home sweet home. ****
Today I’m reviewing one of my favourite genres and authors, a creepy psychological thriller set in the heart of London by K. L. Slater, The Apartment.
From the Blurb
Freya Miller needs a miracle. In the fallout of her husband’s betrayal, she’s about to lose her family home, and with it the security she craves for her five-year-old daughter, Skye.
Adrift and alone, she’s on the verge of despair until a chance meeting with the charismatic Dr Marsden changes everything. He’s seeking a new tenant for a surprisingly affordable flat in a fashionable area of London.
Adder House sounds too good to be true, but Freya really can’t afford to decline the opportunity and she will soon discover that Adder House has dark secrets…
The Apartment is difficult to pin down to one genre. It has mainly thriller, suspense and psychological aspects as well as gothic, ghostly and historical touches, and a hint of romance. It’s a creepy and ultimately unsettling novel which picks up speed quickly merging into a fast paced thriller.
K. L. Slater creates an atmospheric tale with engaging and unique characters, set in Kensington with its busy commercial streets, spectacular museums, famous parks, palace and secluded, affluent condominiums. I’m familiar with this well-known area of London, so it was easy and exciting to imagine Ader House and the surrounding area.
I listened to The Apartment on Audible and a huge plus to the audiobook version was listening to the author and narrator discussing the novel.
Well done! A fabulous read for readers who enjoy spine-chilling, psychological thrillers!
K. L. Slater’s latest novels, Little Whispers is on my kindle, waiting to be read (such a long list, but I’ll get there, eventually!)
Over the past months I’ve been reading a great number of motivational and inspiring books on the topic of 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 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 nothing can be taken for granted. I’ll be sharing my thoughts with you on Mondays.
Dr Chatterjee, a medical doctor with sixteen years experience, wrote Feel Better in Fiveas a response to the ailments and complaints he observed in his patients and many other people who feel overwhelmed by the demands of their daily obligations and stressful lives.
We may presume it is only serious illnesses which end, shorten or damage the quality of our lives, but it’s often the recurring minor battles and niggling setbacks which occur every day that erode the quality of our lives; the neck pains after hours at the computer, the fuzzy brain due to lack of sleep, the distress caused by an argument with your neighbours or colleagues, or heartache as a result of lack of communication with our loved ones, these daily episodes can lead to insomnia, high blood pressure and depression, among other ailments.
Imagine if we could improve the way we react and cope with these daily, so-called, minor events, how much would the quality of our lives improve? Feel Better in Five offers simple solutions which can lead to immense changes in the quality of our lives.
Dr Chatterjee proposes three types of health snacks which can be carried out in five minutes for our minds, bodies and hearts, leading to increased health, well-being and greater optimism to face our days with renewed energy.
This quote is from The Stress Solution: The 4 Steps to Reset Your Body, Mind, Relationships and Purpose by R. Chatterjee image by Enrique Lopez Garre on Pixabay
A little goes a long way.
I know what you’re thinking, ‘Five minutes will never be enough!’ I’ll prove to you that it is more than enough, and that you are already aware of the power of a short investment in time to improve your health. Most people spend between six and ten minutes a day taking care of their teeth, brushing, flossing and using mouthwash etc. It has become part of our daily routine since childhood. We all know that as a result of our improved dental hygiene, our dental health has vastly improved compared to previous generations.
Imagine what could happen if we spent between five and ten minutes a day on stretching exercises or meditation?
The power of less.
Less is more. This is not a gimmick, it’s a reality. Less will empower you to feel successful, create a routine and it could lead to more once you win the battle and recognise the benefits. We can all spare five minutes to improve our health and wellbeing, the difficulty, as with everything in life, is starting, that is, garnering the willpower and motivation to act. Dr Chatterjee talks about that extensively too, offering simple tips and strategies to create daily habits.
In his book, Dr Chatterjee proposes three groups of simple, 5-minute health snacks for Mind, Body and Heart which you can pick and choose according to your interests and motivation. You may even be doing some of them already. For example I was playing my favourite songs and singing and dancing throughout the day for five minutes during the recent covid confinement, and it did make me feel better.
Dr Chatterjee describes simple activities to calm our minds, such as breathing exercises, meditation techniques and morning and/or evening journaling.
He encourages us to activate our bodies with 5-minute workouts, yoga, press ups, lunges, etc. With no tools and no gym visits.
He shows us how to improve our emotional wellbeing, which he refers to as ‘heart’ by carrying out 5-minute meditations, doing things we love, daily affirmations, gratitude journals and engaging in kindness.
Why 5 minutes is enough
When you make something easy to do, people are more likely to do it.
If it’s too hard many won’t even try, and if they try and fail they will feel guilty and inadequate. Making time and finding the funds to go to the gym three times a week is anything but easy, yet doing 5 minutes of stretching exercises before your coffee break, not so much.
Everyone has 5 minutes.
We waste plenty of time surfing the internet or watching a TV programme because we couldn’t be bothered or feel too tired to get up from the sofa.
Completing your 5 minutes will motivate you to continue. You will feel successful and it may even encourage you do do five more minutes. It can be as easy as writing ten things you are grateful for or dancing to your favourite song.
It will keep the habit going.
Completing a short and simple habit will motivate you to carry on. If you skip a day it doesn’t matter. Remember, your teeth won’t rot if you forget to brush them for a day, but your breath will smell if you don’t brush them for a month.
I’m convinced it really is enough. Every minute we spend consciously improving our lives adds up. Five minutes lunging or skipping is five times more than zero minutes.
I listened to his audio book on Audible, which Dr Chatterjee reads himself, and it is full of positive energy, achievable goals and simple exercises and activities which are changing peoples’ lives.
Feel better in Five by Dr Rangan Chatterjee, is a brilliant book which will help you feel healthier and happier.
If you’re still not convinced, I urge you to listen to Dr Chatterjee himself here:
Welcome back to #MarcosPlaylist and #SaturdaySingalong with another song from the playlist I made for my grandson in August 2020 on Spotify, when he was just a few days old. I chose my favourite songs with a mellow rhythm to sing to him, dance with him cradled in my arms and perhaps send him to sleep, or at least calm him down!
Today I’m featuring What the world needs now, a wonderful song composed by the great Burt Bacharach and made famous by the singer, Jackie DeShannon in 1965, when I was six years old!
![The Hating Game: A Novel by [Sally Thorne]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kFZTPkczL.jpg)
![The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams by [Deepak Chopra]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cZtk9koZL.jpg)
![Total Meditation: Practices in Living the Awakened Life by [Deepak Chopra]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/414J4mDehJL.jpg)
![The Apartment by [K. L. Slater]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41J5KesjzgL.jpg)
![Feel Better In 5: Your Daily Plan to Feel Great for Life by [Rangan Chatterjee]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CPEZJACCL.jpg)
Rereading Jane Eyre 