Wishing You All A Happy New Year!

 

Another year has come and gone and I can say with certainty it’s been quite a year on many fronts. I’m not one to ever wish the days to go faster, especially since looking back I honestly don’t know where the year went, but nonetheless, I’m happy to kiss it goodbye.

 

I want to wish you all a beautiful, happy, healthy and inspirational New Year. I feel blessed to be part of this beautiful blogging community and am grateful for the many friends I have made through blogging. And on that note, I’m also announcing my annual winter vacation blogging break. Yes, soon I’ll be heading to the beaches of beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I have a wonderful social calendar lined up for the first part of my break as some family and friends join me in PV. I also want to catch up on some serious reading while away, but I don’t anticipate doing much blogging, if any. But perhaps I’ll get back to writing my next book. Who knows, I’ll go where my inspiration takes me. I also won’t be spending my evenings on the computer reading blogs as I normally do as I really need a timeout. But I know I’ll be popping by sporadically on Facebook, and I’m sure to the odd blog when time permits.

So cheers 🥂 to you all! Thank you for your continued following of this blog, and please don’t forget to come back here when I do 😍. And you never know with me, I might just feel like posting something before I return, and if I do you’ll get your email notifications to let you know I have something to share.

 

I found this great list of resolutions. I’m sure there’s something for everyone here to choose from. I know more than a few of my own resolutions are listed.

New Year resolutions

 

Happy New Year!

Wishing You all the Magic of Christmas

 

 

Another year has come to pass, reminding us to count our blessings. The year has offered some cold blows, blips, concern, and awakenings along with the joys and inspiration. At this time we should remember the love we hold for our family and friends and all the precious little things which bring us joy that we so often take for granted. This is also a good time to make plans for all our good intentions and desires so we can start manifesting  the best life we can coming in the new year and forward.

 

I wish for you all to stay blessed and may all your wishes come true!

 

Merry Christmas

 

Last Sunday Book Review for 2018 – The Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody by Marcia Meara

Today is my last book review for 2018 and I’m reviewing Marcia Meara’s – Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody, the second book in this series, soon to become a trilogy. If you enjoy reading feel good stories about angels, you will love this story.

 

 

 

Blurb:

In Marcia Meara’s second installment of The Emissary Trilogy, a Riverbend spinoff series of novellas, we find our three heroes at it again. Beautiful new places, exciting new adventures, and a whole assortment of new problems await them, bringing tears, laughter, and an extraordinary amount of love along with them. 

They’re back!

Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again.

They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It?

One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?

 

My 5 Star Review:

I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Book 1 where we were introduced to Jake who is chosen by the Archangel Azreal to become an emissary to go back to earth and help people in need as well as help to steer them in the right direction. We also met Dodger, a younger man who was also taken under the angel’s wings to be groomed as Jake’s assistant emissary.

This story follows the relationship that blooms between Jake and Dodger as they continue doing their good deeds while still in training by Azrael on how to become fully experienced new angel assistants. It’s a beautiful story about goodness, and heartwarming to read as Jake becomes father-like to Dodger as time passes, filling the void for both with love and compassion for one another, especially Dodger who never knew love from his own father when he was alive.

Meara does a wonderful job with all three of these characters, engaging us into the story and filling our hearts with compassion for these same characters. Even as emissaries, Jake and Dodger live as humans and can still feel pain, despite the fact they can’t die again.

This is a novella so I recommend reading Book 1 to familiarize you with the characters, you won’t be disappointed.

 

P.S. Just so you know, Marcia has put ALL of her books on sale for the Christmas season for just 99 cents. I highly recommend grabbing a few of her series. I love and have reviewed all books I’ve read so far of Marcia’s. You can visit her Amazon Book Page to check out all her other wonderful books.

#Writers Tips for Authors and Bloggers – Book Launching, #Twitter Tips, Editing Your Manuscript

Tips for Writers

 

 

My last Writer’s Tips post for 2018 offers some resourceful sites on bookmarketing, book trailer making, book launching, book editing and Twitter tips for authors – everything bookish! I hope there’s something for everyone here.

 

 

How today’s authors are launching their books, on the blog of Anne R. Allen

New Book Marketing: The Bad Girl’s List for Book Launch Success

 

Twitter tips and what you may be doing wrong with Twitter by Rachel Thompson, featured at the blog of Anne R. Allen

What You’re Doing Wrong on Twitter and How to Make It Right

 

How to edit your manuscript by editor Jeri Walker

https://jeriwb.com/edittip-how-to-self-edit-a-manuscript-for-language-59040/#comment-249756

 

A new type of presentation better than Power Point – Microsoft Sway and what’s it all about? Jacqui Murray has the scoop for us

https://worddreams.wordpress.com/2018/11/05/microsoft-sway/

 

And last but not least, here’s a great rundown on how to use Lumen to make your own book trailers at Indies Unlimited

 

Make Free Book Trailers with Lumen5

 

Have any of you used any of these apps or methods? Feel free to share your experience in comments.

The Fifth Day of Christmas at the Smorgasbord and a Free Book Promo

Sally Cronin is hosting the 12 Days of Christmas at her blog daily, and I was thrilled to be featured with my best Christmas gift along with 2 other authors, Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick. Every day of the 12, Sally shares a fun story and lots of food and drinks to celebrate the season.

 

As a bonus feature, I’m sharing Sally’s generous offer on her blog now through Christmas Eve where Sally is offering 5 of her ebooks absolutely FREE! Please check out the second link at the bottom of the post to get to Sally’s book promotion and take advantage, I promise Sally’s books never disappoint!

 

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Christmas – The Fifth Day of Christmas with guests D.G. Kaye, Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick

 

Welcome to the fifth day of Christmas, and today my guests are D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies), Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick.  We will find out more about their most favourite Christmas memories later.

 

As I continue to reflect on Christmas Past… I came across some pictures of Saas Fee in Austria the Christmas of 1995, here is a mountain shot that I found on Pixabay which is far better than the ones I took with my old camera. It was to be a memorable festive break for more than one reason… We stayed in a lovely hotel which was family run and the guests were mainly German speaking. There was one other English couple and the management kindly put our two tables close together in the dining-room. We actually got on with them very well and over the course of the 10 days we went on some excursions as a foursome. The other thing that the management did to make our stay more enjoyable was to translate their morning newsletter and guide to the day’s menu from German into English.

These were the days before Google Translate was offering such a useful service and I know that the two pager must have taken considerable time to convert especially as there were only four of us who could not speak German. That is true customer service. However, it unfortunately did lead to some hilarity at the breakfast table despite our best efforts to maintain a stiff British upper lip. There were a number of ‘moments’ including our confusion over the ‘Cancer Butter’ to be served with the salmon at dinner (Crab butter) and the title of the Version Original film to be shown at the local cinema ‘The Hard with a Vengeance’ (Die Hard with a Vengeance).

David was hitting the ski slopes every day whilst I explored the trails around Saas Fee by foot. However, between Christmas and New Year the four of us decided to try out the very long toboggan run from the top of the tree line down into the town. Luckily there was a ski lift up to the top where we collected our individual sleds. I was not very proficient to begin with and the other three were soon on their way as I trailed tentatively behind. The route took two hours normally and by the time I got to the last down hill stretch David and our two companions were gathered enjoying a mulled wine and waiting for my arrival. That last slope was both steep and lengthy and I perched over the lip prepared for a fast ride.

At that moment the three of them turned to face the slope and began waving.. as did most of the other spectators. I was quite chuffed by the attention as they all waved both arms over their heads and shouted encouragement. Taking a deep breath I launched myself off and gathered momentum very quickly…. too quickly and barely keeping the sled under control I hurtled downwards towards the waiting crowd. The end of the run ended in a gradual slope upwards to slow the progress of over eager tobogganers.

It was obvious to those watching that I was not going to be stopping anytime soon and the crowd parted as I rushed through them and I heard what they had been shouting to me on the way down as they waved their arms in the air “Ice, Ice, walk down on the edge – don’t do it. I took off from that ramp like Santa and his sleigh and thankfully landed in a snow drift positioned as a precautionary measure…. As I rose to my feet unharmed I turned to find anxious faces peering over the edge. I was laughing with adrenaline overload and with that everybody began clapping and slapping each other on the back… It was obviously the best entertainment in town….

 

 

Time for my first guest and it is D.G. Kaye.. Debby Gies who is not just a wonderful friend and supporter of the blog but also a much valued contributor. In particular the monthly Travel Column which has taken us to warm and exotic locations in the Caribbean and The Lesser Antilles…on cruise ships with all the know-how necessary to get the best value and enjoyment from our holiday. Recently Debby has been keeping an eye open for funnies to enhance the Laughter lines including this recent post

 

Debby shares her very poignant best Christmas Gift ever.. the first year that she was married.

My best Christmas gift was marrying my husband in October 1999. One week after our marriage I became almost fatally ill and spent the first few months of marriage in and out of hospital. The steroids I was put on made me gain a bunch of weight and my face wasn’t spared with the often talked about ‘moonface’ many experience on that drug. I was sick, depressed and couldn’t stand looking in a mirror. My husband caught me secretly crying in the bathroom and asked me what was the matter. I tried to explain how I felt through my fit of tears and here was his response: “I love you to the moon and back. You will always be beautiful to me and that’s all that counts.” If I hadn’t already known I married a prince, I knew in that moment.

Please continue reading at Sally’s blog, for more food, fun,memories and videos.

 

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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Buy a Book for Christmas – The last author to be (self-promoted) and Free Giveaway – Sally Cronin!

 

Time for some self-promotion…. but I do come bearing gifts!

 

I am going to share the books and one of their reviews, and offer five of the E-versions to you as a Christmas gift. I have no expectation of a review, but I write books to be read, and it gives me pleasure to know that someone is intrigued enough to want to accept the book.

 

The offer runs from today 18th December until Midnight Christmas Eve 2018 wherever you live – Please visit Sally’s post to take advantage of her generous offer 

 

December’s Featured Blogger: Author D.G. Kaye Guest of Art by Rob Goldstein

I was recently interviewed by artist and blogger Rob Goldstein. Rob dug deep with his questions for me and I’m thrilled to share the interview here today.

 


December’s Featured Blogger is Author D.G. Kaye.

 

D.G. Kaye was born in Canada and lives in Toronto. She is an accomplished author and an active blogger on WordPress. 

In your bio, I hear a sense of determination and hope. How do you find hope?

I don’t find hope, I keep it tucked deeply inside. Hope is all we have when facing tragedy or adversity. In our darkest moments many of us, like myself, cling to that hope. But those who cannot focus on the light often get lost in the abyss of the darkness of the moment. I refuse to go to that place. I’m a firm believer that we manifest what we focus on to the universe. And what we focus on we attract. Staying focused on the negative and dark thoughts of an undesirable situation keeps us rooted in the fear instead of finding solutions to rise above the issues. I am a problem solver by nature. When life is dishing out curve balls I don’t cower and drown in fear, I look for the way out or the path I must take to overcome the adversity, focusing on the overcoming and the healing.

 

Did you write as a child, if so, what is the first thing you wrote?

Yes, I wrote as soon as I learned how to write my alphabet. I began writing love notes to my parents. I was hyper aware of my family dysfunction as far back as 3 years old. All I wanted was for my parents to love each other and show me affection. I believe, looking back on those years, that my fears to verbalize what I was feeling translated directly into writing to express my feelings and desires.

 

What was your favorite book as a child?

Sadly, I hate to admit it, but I have no recollection of any books in my home growing up. The fairy tales I learned were from teachers reading to us in school. I somehow always identified with Cinderella and her wicked step-mother as I grew to realize that I felt my mother had used me as her personal housekeeper and messenger from the age of 7 and on. My love for reading began once I entered junior high school when we were given books to read as part of curriculum in English classes.

 

Who are your inspirations as a writer and in life?

Well, going back to childhood, I would have to say Barbra Streisand became my idol at a very young age. Funny Girl, still one of my favorite movies, became a movie I identified with because Streisand’s character – Fanny Brice, reminded me so much of myself.

Brice was portrayed as an awkward girl trying to make it on the stage, beginning with her shows with the Ziegfeld Follies. She didn’t consider herself beautiful or elegant enough to fit in with the beautiful and sexy cast of dancers, so she used her sense of humor to win over the crowd, which eventually, pushed her to stardom. One line in particular, caught my attention, and that line stuck with me and became part of my character – “I want them to laugh with me, not at me.”

As for my writing, it wasn’t the classics that inspired me as they have many writers. Being that there weren’t any books around my home, I loved reading the newspaper when sentenced to spending weekends at my paternal grandparents’ home, and soon found myself addicted to reading columns on everyday life and problem solvers by column writers like Ann Landers, Dear Abby, and Erma Bombeck. Even as a child I was fascinated by life stories and emotions and eager to learn how to resolve issues. As I got older, I found myself connecting with the writing of Norah Ephron.

 

When did you decide to write about your relationship with your mother?

I think it was in my early teens when I began to resent my mother for the way she treated my father and ignored the emotional needs of her children when I began taking notes about her and writing letters to her about my feelings. I never, ever gave her one of those letters, but somehow it was cathartic for me to get my pent-up angst on to paper and out of my head. My life was an ongoing saga of dramatic and traumatic events with my mother, so I often documented in journals what I was feeling and my analysis of what provoked my mother to act as she did. I got the urge to write a book about my life with ‘mother’, but my fear of ever publishing a book while she was alive kept me from bothering to write one.

I suppose the urge to expel my thoughts and stories rose to a peak as my mother became less lucid and immobilized, empowering me with knowing she could no longer attack me or reprimand me, or even sue me, for that matter. So, in early 2013 I began sorting out pages from my journals and writing Conflicted Hearts – A Daughter’s Quest for Solace from Emotional Guilt.

Conflicted Hearts, D.G. Kaye

 

How did the decision change your life?

When I began writing that first book that’s all I thought I would write. But while I worked on the book I began learning about self-publishing at the same time, which led me to opening a blog and connecting with a whole community of writers and new friends who shared the same passion for writing. By the time I published my first book, I knew there was no turning back. I finally found I was doing what burned within me most of my life – writing.

 

In your introduction to Twenty Years: After “I Do”, you describe your husband as a soul mate. What does soul mate mean to you?

First, let me state that soul mate is typically said of a partner, but soul mate could also apply to a friend we are connected deeply with.

A soul mate is one we connect with on a spiritual level. When we are in tuned with someone who we share similar values in life with, understand their words and feelings without being spoken, and share a bond where there’s an intuitive knowing of their soul is my definition of soul mate. Please continue reading at Rob’s blog

 

Twenty Years

 

 

Source: December’s Featured Blogger: Author D.G. Kaye – Art by Rob Goldstein

Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales Carrot Ranch #FlashFiction Winners

Fractured Fairy Tales Honorable Mention

 

 

My final entry for Charli Mills’ Rodeo Flash Fiction contest – Fractured Fairy tales. In 99 words exactly, re-write a famous fairy tale story with a fractured twist. I’m thrilled to share that I won an honorable mention for my entry.

 

Goldie’s Quest

 

Starving and tired, Goldie trudged through the forest, scavenging for anything edible when she discovered the house in the woods. After rapping on the door and no response, desperate for food and sleep, she turned the door handle and was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked. There, before her eyes were three bowls of pasta which had her salivating.

She didn’t hesitate to gobble up all three bowls and then headed for the couch for a nap. Half hour later she awakened to the discomfort of her rumbling, expanding stomach. “Oh crap,” Goldie exclaimed. That pasta was not gluten-free!

 

Visit the announced winners post 

https://carrotranch.com/2018/12/07/rodeo-4-fractured-fairy-tales-winners/?fbclid=IwAR3S0F4TMw-x-jDA8YybXi1PfJm9yb0_6ujhP4fTleS2Utxs2F6lMC78twU

 

Source: Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales « Carrot Ranch Literary Community

 

 

 

Guest author: D. G. Kaye ~ Mercury Retrograde 101 | Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo

 

Mercury Retrograde

 

 

Today I’m sharing a post I wrote for Sue Vincent’s blog on the topic of Mercury Retrograde. This retrograde was a doozie for sure. And even though it finally, officially ended December 7th, don’t be fooled. The retrograde leaves its remnants of chaos behind slowly as it wanes, so don’t expect ‘situation normal’ to return until Christmas Eve!

 

 

Mercury Retrograde 101

 

How’s the Mercury Retrograde doing for you guys? I can’t recall a more schizophrenic retrograde in my life, and I’ve sure had enough.

 

Mercury retrograde has sucked out every last ounce of my patience. Every day since the first week of November the planets have been doing a dance, particularly with technology and communications – make that miscommunications!  Nothing has gone smoothly:  important emails were lost, some of my Christmas online orders were lost, phone communications misinterpreted, and computer and techno issues abound. Thank goodness I have no travel plans till just after the madness ends Christmas Eve! Certainly, I can’t be the only one enduring this madness?

On November 16th, Mercury went into its 3rd and most powerful retrograde of the year in the fire sign of Sagittarius. The ‘pre’ retrograde began approximately 2 weeks before when things began going wonky. This phase will end on December 7th, but don’t be fooled, it will linger until the tail end has vanished by Christmas Eve. Everyone will be affected by this retrograde, but most prominent signs to feel the affliction will be, Gemini (oh yay my sign), Sagittarius, Virgo, and Pisces.

In case some of you aren’t familiar with Mercury retrograde, this is how it works. …… Nobody goes unscathed whether aware of the syndrome or not, only that you may be questioning many things and asking WTF?

 

What is Mercury Retrograde?

 

The planet Mercury goes into retrograde 3 to 4 times a year. In 2018 it retrograded 3 times. While in retrograde Mercury ‘appears’ to move in an opposite direction to earth. The planets run from west to east, circling the sun, but when Mercury turns, appearing to go east to west, this transition is called Mercury retrograde. Since Mercury travels faster than earth, it frequently catches up and passes earth, occurring 3 – 4 times a year. One year on planet Mercury is shorter than one year on earth, the equivalent of 88 earth days compared to earth’s complete solar loop of 365 days.

While Mercury goes into retrograde, it will feel as though the planets are moving backwards, but in fact they are not. Mercury travels around the sun quite quickly from west to east, and around every 4 months it passes us here on earth in its orbit, making it look as though it’s moved from east to west, but that in fact is an optical illusion.

 

How does Mercury Retrograde affect us?

 

Retrogrades are notoriously similar to Murphy’s Law – Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. This is a time where communications go awry, energetic forces overpower the norm, causing havoc for such things as, email and website snafus, delayed and cancelled flights, sensitivities are heightened, making many things happening feel ‘hyper-real’, among just some of the unpredictabilities. Mercury also rules other industries such as publishing, writing, editing, advertising, sales, public relations and all things related to transport, like airlines, the post office and pretty much, all modes of transportation!  Anything involving technical, you can expect mishaps. Our patience is being tested, and heated words have a propensity to take place within friendships and relationships. Typically, retrogrades are not a good time to start new ventures, seal new business deals, and lest I mention, political issues are escalated.

This past year in particular, the 3 retrogrades that have passed were powerful and stinging for many. This has been a year of transformation and change for many as the ‘clutter’ is brushed away with all these sweeping retrogrades, finally allowing us to breathe better and smile more in 2019.

 

What can we do to get through this retrograde with minimal collateral damage?

 

Since Mercury rules communications, affecting travel, contracts and most things technological, I suggest allowing lots of extra time if you must travel in this period as well as its shadow periods which typically begin 2 weeks before the retrograde and linger 2 weeks after as it wanes. I also recommend avoiding committing to signing any important contracts at these times and waiting for the retrograde to pass before finalizing any decisions regarding contracts. Plan ahead! Please continue reading at Sue’s blog

 

Source: Guest author: D. G. Kaye ~ Mercury Retrograde 101 | Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo

 

Mercury retrograde