The In Between Time

My favorite days are the ones In Between.

Everybody has a certain amount of routine which naturally gets sifted into their lives.  Life then invades our time with dinners out, shopping trips, birthdays, party's  special events, deaths, funerals, visits to the hospital and on and on.  Sometimes it’s bigger interruptions like planned trips to places you have never been before, sort of mini adventures away from your stomping grounds and venturing in to a new region of the world just over the horizon.

Most people spend their lives living from one special event to the next.  They have to have something to look forward to, a reason to check the days of the calendar to count down to that next big event.  They live the rest of their life just getting by, doing the least amount possible to just get through to that next event.

I live for the days in between the events.  The events to me are an interruption of my work, my life, my time that I use to accomplish my goals the time I spend with my family.  The in between times are the normal every day days of our lives, where you read another chapter or two in the book you are reading.  Get another chapter finished on the book you are writing, or write another blog post.  It is another lunch by yourself, dinner with the family and catching up with what is going on in their lives.  It’s listening to the radio and singing along with it.  Wearing comfortable clothes and not trying or having to try and impress any body.

It’s the in between times which are the back bone of our everyday lives and moves us to the special moments.  It’s the wise use of and the really hunkering down and enjoying the in between days that add up to make an ordinary life an extra ordinary life.  People don’t notice all that you do.  The kind word here and there.  The many things you have done just a little bit of work on today and everyday in between, which are slowly and quietly adding up to an inconceivable level over days, months and years.

So if you don’t have anything special going on today or tomorrow – relish in the fact that it is a in between day and knock yourself out taking full advantage of it.  Suck the marrow out of life.  Carpe Diem!  Slow down and smell the roses.  Express yourself!  Share the love! 

Make everyday, especially the in between days, the best and most productive days of your life!

Read more »

Posted in: Carpe Diem In Between Special Courage Goals Plans

Die Hard Movie Marathon

The local AMC Movie theaters are running a “Die Hard” Movie Marathon on St. Valentine’s Day, the same day as the newest movie of the bunch opens at the theaters.

This could be something that AMC is doing around the country or even worldwide as far as I know.  I only hope they do it again sometime so I can’t get off work to attend this awesome event.

I can only think of two other movie series that I would attend an all-day marathon to go watch them all back to back.

1.  The Indiana Jones Movies

2.  The Godfather Movies

I think it is hilarious that the newest movie in the series, “A Good Day to Die Hard” is opening on Valentine’s Day of all days.  I’m sorry it just catches me as funny and makes me giggle inside.  To be able to pay $35.00 dollars for five movies, plus you get a ‘Special’ Die Hard Poster and a commemorative lanyard for attending the event.  I love going to the movies because growing up where I did they didn't have cinema style movies.

We had to wait until summer time for the Drive-in Theater to open to see movies.  That’s how I saw Star Wars, Jaws, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and many other great memorable movies sitting outside in a lawn chair beside the car watching movies in the summer with my family.

To purposely sit all day in a movie theatre seems a touch insane to me but when I think of watching all five Die Hard movies back to back it gives me a shiver of excitement.

I am really sorry I am going to miss out on the opportunity to join in the craziness.  Somebody at AMC is a freaking marketing genius!

YIPPEE – KI – YAY!

Read more »

Posted in: Die Hard Yippee KI YAY Marathon

Competition and Cross Promotion

Authors are not our competition . . .and Cross Promotion

In today’s fast pace world of texting, e-mailing, television, movies, and video games for the home computer, home television, and even your cell phone, it is amazing that anybody still reads books.

Thankfully there still is a love of reading and in spite of all the things vying for our attention the potential market of people buying books is growing every day.

The way we read books is helping that because with the growth and expansion of e-readers around the world the way we digest our books is changing.

I love the fact that many of the books I read my Kindle can read them to me with the text to speech function.  This doesn't diminish the time I actually spend reading, it only serves to turn other times like driving or folding clothes times I can also enjoy listening to a good book.

As a new Indie Author I am always on the lookout for cheap and inexpensive ways to help market my books.  I know of two authors I plan to approach before publishing my next novel with the idea of cross promoting our books together.  At the end of my book I will include the first chapter of the next book in the series along with the first chapter of another author who writes similar stuff to what I write.  With each we can provide links to the other books.

That coupled with social media exchanges between the two authors on their blogs, tweeting about each other’s books; we can push like-minded readers into reading both our stuff and following both of us.  As I can only write one to two full length novels a year and as of yet been able to get that many edited and published within the same time period it will not take a reader long to read everything I have written.  So they will be reading other peoples stuff in between my books.  By Cross Promoting books with like authors we help each other get the word out about our books and with each sale of a book it is one more chance to help each other along our road to being successful best-selling authors.

Collaboration is an inexpensive way to bridge the gap between us, do it yourself authors, and the Big Publishing Houses which provide full services and prepaid royalties to their authors.  I personally have no interest in selling the rights to my work to a large company for a fraction of the royalties I can make publishing the book myself.  As the skill sets of the Indie Writers increases and we join together to help each other we are gaining ground on the Goliath s of the publishing industry.

Read more »

Posted in: competition cross promotion texting e-mailing television movies video games reading collaboration

Making A Connection

Have you ever met somebody and you could just feel the electricity, the connection, like the kinetic tumblers of life falling into place to open so unknown new path to something entirely new?  Just that hand shake, the look, something said that just lets you know you are going to like this person.  Many of us have had this happen in one way or another over the new medium of social networking here or there.

Have you ever looked over and saw that person that be stills your heart and makes it seem as if the earth stood still for just a second?  Have you ever had that casual conversation with a person who seemed too dynamic, interesting and more alive than anyone else you have ever met?

I was raised with people telling me things like, “God will bring people into your life when you are ready for what they have to offer and they ready for you.”

An ancient Chinese proverb says that, “Not a single grain of sand is out of place.”

It is very rare that these chance or pre-clan-destined meetings happen, so you should be open and recognize these moments when they present themselves.

You just never know when Lightening might strike.  When something simple, a chance meeting, an offer to help, an offer to teach, a look, a touch, could be the catalyist that down the road changed your entire life.  It could be as simple as helping somebody do the dishes.  An offer to help edit a book.  Sending a stranger a free book to read.  Clicking Accept Friend Request.

Read more »

Posted in: Lightening Strike connection people meeting person Social New

Book Review of Anomaly

Book Review

“Becoming Milla Blaire: Anomaly” by Candice Stockstell

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009I41UQM/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img

Candice takes you on a wonderful magical and wildly unexpected adventure in this intriguing novel.  I was astounded with questions upon questions about what was happening to this girl as I was drawn in, deeper and deeper, the more I read.  The author presents situations to her characters which makes you think about the situations.  She makes you think how you would react in those situations.  I can’t help but think that the list of adjectives you could use to accurately describe this novel could take up a whole page.

I found myself laughing at times, on the edge of my seat at others, captivated at many points, and most of all is that element that every reader looks for in a great book – that you want to be there in the story.  In parts of the book you hope you never see anything ever remotely close to what the characters go through or experience.  Other parts you want to walk through and smell, taste and enjoy it with the characters.

The book is intelligent as it seeps inside your mind and causes you to consider reality, perception, truth, honesty, redemption, and true love.  It tickles your brain while it tugs at your heart all in the course of a brilliant story that is new, fresh, and very imaginative.  I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and the depth of the writing leads me to wonder what else this author has done.  I will be following her writing as a fan from now on.

A very talented author.

Read more »

Posted in: Wonderful Magical Adventure Novel Intelligent Honesty Redemption True Love