For the Love of...Combining with Jo

Good Tuesday Everyone!

My guest today on this slightly, not exactly, regularly scheduled For the Love of...post is my friend Jo. Like many of us she has a lot of interests and aspires to make a living doing one or the other, or in Jo's case, combining everything she loves and rolling it into one lovely, workable, ambitious,and productive package. 

If you're a writer looking for solid, reliable, smart, and friendly promotion, Jo is your girl...or should I call her something else? Well, you'll just have to read her post to find out!

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Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by to visit. I love being asked to visit blogs… as a natural introvert, it's one of the easiest ways of being social from the comfort of my sofa *grin*. I have been trying to figure out what to tell you all about myself, which sounds silly, but it's far more complicated than you might imagine. Here in the real world I am an event manager – a job which I love. I love coming up with a great idea and then assembling all the elements that I need in order to make it real. I enjoy the challenges and even the stresses that are all part of the process. There is something about standing back on the day (usually in the last hour or two of the event) and looking around at everything, knowing you've succeeded in what you set out to do. Many of my events are also charity fundraisers and this gives the sense of achievement a whole different, and altogether more satisfying, spin.
 
Away from the real world I have a secret life as a writer. I've loved writing ever since I first learned how to string letters together to form words. At school, my essays were always just a little too long because I kept getting swept up in the story. I'm currently working on a fantasy novel, a romance story and a collection of children's stories. Yes, I have a wide range of interests and it's great to be able to shift genres when I feel like I'm hitting a wall in any of my manuscripts.
 
For the past two years I've been very fortunate to be able to marry my love of books with my love of organising things in my role as Marketing Director for Breathless Press, a small Romance and Erotica publisher which recently closed. As part of my job I discovered that I really enjoy organising blog tours for authors and being part of their journey. When Breathless Press closed, I saw an opportunity and decided to pursue it. Thus, my new freelance blog tour and promotions business – The Book Mistress - was born!

My aim is to provide authors with affordable blog tours as well as audio extracts that they can share on their websites and through their social media. I'll also be offering to provide guest posts for authors to use on their blogs, social media assistance and author PA services. It's an ambitious project, but one I feel strongly about. Authors love writing, they're not always so keen on the marketing side *grin* and unfortunately while there are some great, affordable marketing options out there (aside from doing it themselves which is free), there are sadly some businesses out there that are hopelessly over priced!

Step one, to set up all the online "stuff" for the new venture, is done. I have a few tours booked for June and now I start the real work of promoting my services. The only way to make this work is to connect with as many authors as possible.
So… here goes. Hello world, I'm The Book Mistress and I'd love to help share you with the world.

Cheers, 

Jo 



The Book Mistress on Wordpress
The Book Mistress on Facebook
The Book Mistress on Twitter
The Book Mistress on You Tube
The Book Mistress on Pinterest
The Book Mistress at Good Reads

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I'd like to give a big thanks to Jo for being on my blog today. Finding a way to help others while doing what you love is a position in life many of us would like to be in. I really admire Jo and I hope you've found her post to be inspiring!

Until next time,

Cin

For the Love of...Writer Friends with Mary Corrales

Hello Hello

Welcome to May 11th! It's time for another For the Love of... post.

A few years ago through blogging and what not, I met an author named Mary Corrales. She's sweet, kind, funny, supportive, and very talented. And before you read her post, please know that I had no direct influence over her topic other than asking her to be a part of my blog. :)

Enjoy and please welcome Mary Corrales.

***

For the Love of…Writer Friends

Every friend has a role in your life. Writer friends are no different. We have similar struggles throughout our writing careers that we share with one another, and hope for some inspiration or help. We're like daisies the way we spring up and cluster together in the sunshine.

When one of my publisher had to close shop, I turned to a writer friend, Kari, to figure out how to deal with rights reversal and covers. She'd assured me, since she'd been through something similar, that it'd all work out. Indeed it did and I'm okay now.

Kari and I have been through a lot together and, from writer's conferences to personal tragedies, we've never wavered in our friendship. While she lives in a different city than me, the distance has not changed the friendship. That's the essence of writer friends. We're always there for one another through emails, even when we can't spend time together in person.

Similarly, my lovely friend Cindy, inspires me with how much she writes and how fast she turns out stories. She has no end to her creativity. It's amazing. She reminds me how great life can be when you let your creativity flow. She's also one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever had the honor of being in contact with. Whether we ever meet in person or not, I know I have a true friend in her. Thanks for that, Cin. :)

Friendships should enhance your life, make it better. I've known people who have toxic friends and it's tragic that these toxic people are given are much value as a good friend. None of that for me, thank you. I hope none of that for you either. While life happens, I hope you maintain a circle of friends around you that supports you in your pursuit of dreams and lends you their strength when you need it.

Everyone deserves one good friend. I'm lucky enough to have two.

Thanks Cin for this opportunity to share what's been in my heart very strongly. Sometimes, we just don't say it enough how much it matters to have friends that understand, support, and commiserate on what it is to be a writer. The act of writing may be a solitary undertaking, but writer friends make being a writer the best profession in the world.

Happy Reading,

Mary Corrales

Mary Corrales is a multi-published romance author who writes in several genres. 

***

Many thanks to Mary for being a part of my post today. I think, in this day of being to meet people all over the world through our various internet ways, that many of you out there can relate to this topic in that I know I 'm not the only one who has become good friends with people I've never met in person. It doesn't seem to lesson the bond. You're friends or your not and with Mary, there's no doubt that we're friends.

Until next time,

Find your love, and share it with me! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cin

For the Love Of...the Little Things with Sharleen Hawco

Hello and happy Monday

It's dreary, rainy day where I'm at. The kind of day that, in all honesty, makes me want to call in blue and sleep the day away.

However, that would be fool hardy. The day, no matter how dark it may appear, always has a silver lining or at least a glimmer of it silver lurking somewhere in something.

Today, my lovely friend Sharleen Hawco shares with us the beautiful reminder that there is happiness in finding a love for the little things.

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For the love of...

When Cindy asked me to write a post I wasn't sure what to focus on. Everyone has something that brings happiness into their lives.  For me it is the little things.

This winter was long and dark making it hard to find your way.  Through the storm of it all you can find the brightest path by choosing love.  In the Springtime it is always easier to see the light.

To me it is the little things put together that bring joy; but, it is these little things that we often pass over and miss.

 For seeing those beautiful moments that bring love into your life.

For the love of choice, of change, of recognizing what needs to be changed,  of being able to get unstuck.

For little ripples that become waves.

For finding glimpses of peace and moments of stillness.

For friends with wisdom, with patience, who give back with more than you've given, who fill you up.

For rays of sun and drops of dew. For budding branches and emerging bugs. For spotting the first lady bug as the weather warms. For rainy days and rubber boots. For muddy gardens and seeds with growth.

For prisms that make rays of sunshine transform into dancing rainbows on the wall.

For paint brushes and palettes of color. For blank paper to capture design.

For the curiosity and brightness of three year old eyes. For endless questions and for delight in the answers.

For dragons and bears dancing in wispy clouds. 

 

For all of these things and many more that bring delight and joy to every moment.

For choosing happy.
For choosing now.
For being present.
For being mindful.
For seeing potential in everything small and everything big.

***

Thank-you so very much to Sharleen for being on my blog today. As you go about your day, in those moments where you have a second to reflect, think about the little things in your life that bring you the happiness that really matters and makes your life special.

Sharleen is right. There is potential happiness in so much around us.

Here's to choosing to see it and to being happy.

Cin

For the Love Of...Whales with Kari Underhill

Good Monday everyone!

And welcome to another For the Love Of...post. Today, my good friend Kari Underhill is here to share a love, a great big love if I may, with us. Kari is a Marine Biologist and has a love for whales. Whenever she can, she'll get up close and personal with her giant friends as well as many other kinds of marine life. As someone who prefers her marine life experiences narrated by someone with a lovely British accent (I have bit of a fear of things that live in the deep), I admire her immensely.

Without further rambling, please welcome Kari.

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Kari with a Southern Right Whale

For the love of…Whales!

That's right, I said whales. Marine mammals that range from over 2m in length to over 30m and spend the majority of their life underwater in our vast oceans! Not exactly cute and cuddly, but intriguing nonetheless, for me anyways!

Why whales you ask? I’ve always been an animal lover and biology was always my fave school subject so I guess it's not a HUGE surprise given that I also love water. I love observing animals in their natural environments and I grew up being outside and fishing. Whales though, that was a big (and perhaps random) jump. Fishing in a river is VERY different than being at sea. Oh and did I forget to mention I get sea sick?? But with persistence, and imported gravol at the start, I overcame that barrier too :) On paper I have my Master's Degree in Marine Mammal Science, but under all that scientific mumbo jumbo I am a real and true certifiable “whale hugger”! 

A Bryde's Whale

This whale persona began when I decided to study “whales” in Wales! I moved to the UK for a year to learn about everything whale. (PS- have I mentioned that at this point in my life, I had never actually seen a whale in the wild before…?) …Yes, let's just say when I decide to do something, I “go big or go home”! This led to me studying dolphins (whale cousins!) in the Mediterranean Sea for 3 months. Following more hours at a computer than I like to remember finishing my thesis, I came back to Canada to decide my next move. And only a few months later I was jetting off to South Africa (remember, “go big or go home”) to work on a whale watching boat. Working “one whale season” turned into 4.5 years living in South Africa and being privileged enough to see Southern right whales, humpback whales and Bryde’s whales regularly. And not to give all credit to the whales, while there I was fortunate enough to add multiple sightings of 6 species of the dolphin family, including 2 AMAZING sightings of Orcas (yes they are dolphins and not technically whales). The last 2 rendered me speechless, which if you know me, means A LOT.

Working on a whale watching boat is a pretty sweet “office” but as with any job has its perks and not-so-perks: tourists who have NO clue about boat safety/marine life, people who have ZERO appreciation for amazing wildlife (“why aren’t they jumping like on TV?!”), some pretty nasty sea conditions (hair raising in a few cases), not to mention watching people go green in the face, including me on my first day! Haha! That being said, I have never had a job which I was so excited to go to each day. Every day was a new day with new weather, clients, and of course the whales, none of our trips were EVER identical. 

An Orca

One of the biggest things you must learn when working with wildlife is that you take the amazing days with the not-AS-amazing days. We live in a high tech generation where people watch endless TV shows highlighting the best of the best of wildlife, and in the commercial breaks they never mention the weeks, days, months, and sometimes years involved with getting those breathtaking sightings. Each day was a privilege to get even the quickest glimpses into the behavior of these underwater giants!

I was often asked by tourists “Do you ever get bored of your job” and “How do you still get so excited each time you see a whale”, and honestly my response is “How could I not!!!??”.

If you have EVER witnessed a whale in the wild, it is a truly special moment. The way they move so gracefully through the water, those special moments when the whale is just as curious about the boat as we are about them, the Kodak moments when they breach out of the water, and the heartwarming moments between a mother and calf. Who can pick a favourite?!!? I am the crazy whale lady and proud of it! I am now back in Canada and although I currently have fewer opportunities to get out and see whales, I am always counting down the days until the season begins/my next chance at hearing and seeing “my big babies”. :) 

 A breaching Southern Right Whale

Thank-you very much to Kari for being my guest today. The closest encounter I've had, in the wild, with large marine life is the time my grandmother and I were surrounded by porpoises while we were trolling for salmon. There were 6 or 7 of them and if I could go back, I would uncover my eyes and enjoy the experience instead of crying in the boat because I thought they may be sharks. I don't think my grandmother ever forgave me for ruining that experience with my screams of terror. Perhaps one day Kari could take me on a whale tour and lesson my fear of our friends beneath the ocean.

Thanks for stopping by!

Be Happy,

Be Creative,

Be Yourself.

Cin

For the Love Of...Pipe Dreams.

Good Monday Everyone!

It's "For the Love Of  Day" and my guest today is, well, me!  I’m writing a post for a column I normally reserve for guests because the lovely lady who was going to do a post for me for today had a very busy week and needed to reschedule, but this gives me an excuse to write about something I love; Pipe Dreams!

For the past couple of years around my birthday, just for fun, I have a written a blog post detailing impossible and yet possible creative dreams. The list had/has five goals divided into three parts: Realistic Goal, Pipe Dream, and Extra Big Pipe Dream.

In February, I turned 42 and a lot has changed since I updated my list on my 41^st birthday.  I’ve experienced heartbreaking personal loss, great success career wise, and while I know I’ve made strides creatively, I haven’t matched them up against my list in quite a while to see exactly how things are going.

Let’s take that journey together shall we?

1.) Regarding Playwriting

Realistic Goal: Write another play and get it published.

Pipe Dream: Have a play that I managed to write and get published picked up by a producer or director of a major theater company. I would then be invited to help in either a very specific or general capacity and of course be invited to the star opening night and then...

EXTRA BIG PIPE DREAM: I will be commissioned by Brett Butt, Michael J. Fox, Rick Mercer, or another Canadian entertainer I admire, to write a play or a pilot of a TV show that they will star in. I will also be asked to star along them because they find me just so darn irresistible.

Reality of the Playwriting Goal: This year, while I have written, I have written exactly no plays. Why? Well, I just wasn’t feeling it I guess. I attempted to turn a short story I penned a while back into a play, but only got one scene written before I got distracted by a bee or something.  As a result of a play not being written, I was not commissioned by anyone to do anything thereby not achieving the realistic goal or the pipedream. 

HOWEVER, my Extra Big Pipe Dream did sort of come true.

OH yes, it's Rick Mercer.

In September I went to Toronto to visit one of my dearest friends who took me down to CBC where she introduced me to her brother who introduced me to one of the Canadians I admire the most, Rick Mercer. Not only did I get to meet him, I got to watch him rehearse and then film a skit, chat with him, and get my picture taken with him. A couple years ago, when my friend went to a taping of The Mercer Report, she got me an autographed picture of Rick Mercer which I hung in my kitchen.  About 3 years ago, my family and I posed in an ad for  the treehouses at Camping Miramichi and last summer it was featured in the NB Tour Magazine. I brought a copy of the ad with me, sighed by my family and I, and told Rick that because I have a signed picture of him, he must want one of me. He liked it, asked why we were in a magazine and said he would hang it up. I’ve yet to find out from my friend’s brother if it’s hanging in Rick’s office, but fingers crossed, it is.

It was an amazing day and because I got to meet one of my heroes, I’ll say that even though Rick didn’t ask me to be in a show with him, I came very close to accomplishing an Extra Big Pipe Dream.

2.) Regarding Novel Writing

Realistic Goal: Finishing a Nano (National Novel Writing Month) novel that I managed to get to the set goal of 50K, but never finished.

Pipe Dream: I believe, if I recall correctly that I was hoping to get this novel published by a major publishing house and then...

EXTRA BIG PIPE DREAM: have it picked up by Hollywood where it would be made into a hilarious film and become the comedy of the year.

Reality of the Novel Writing Goal: Writing a novel takes time and energy that I just didn’t have in 2014. The novel I wrote for Nano 2012 was a ridiculous comedy of nonsense called “Top Dog: Wiener Takes All”, a showdown, throw down between two wiener companies competing for the number one spot in small town America.  It was epic, full of comedy, family drama, and songs. I may take another look at it because it all seriousness, it was a lot of fun to work on and you never know, it could go somewhere.  I’m sure Will Ferrell and Jack Black are itching for a new project involving song, dance, and wieners.

 

3.) Regarding Music

Realistic Goal:  My first crack at this goal, I said that I would write five songs in a year. Didn't happen. The next year, I think I set the same goal for myself, again, while I didn't reach my goal, I did write at least one parody song about memes and I did quite a few covers. It’s all laid out in grand technicolour on my YouTube Channel “Incruleable”.

Pipe Dream: I believe I had expressed a desire to be asked to write a song for or have a song I wrote performed by a musician I really admire which would then lead to...

EXTRA BIG PIPE DREAM: me performing on stage with one of these amazing musician types.

Reality of the Music Goal: Well, as I mentioned above, I’ve not written anything totally my own this year, but I’m very happy with my cover songs and will continue to bust those out, and not just on the guitar. No, no blog fans, I’ve got a new instrument friend! I recently purchased the most adorable Ukulele and took it out for a show a mere three days after said purchase where I used it to perform “I’m Sexy and I know It” (like you do) to a fortunately amused crowd of co-workers.  In fact it went over so well, they wanted me to perform another song! However, I wasn’t prepared and stood by the adage (slightly adjusted):

“Leave them wanting more, not wanting that moron to leave.”

 

4.) Regarding Chat Shows

Realistic Goal: This has to be the silliest of my goals. It’s highly unlikely that I will ever be on one, but the first time I wrote this list I said that I would like to write a play based on or around the premise of a chat show and I think that still holds true. A friend of mine does host a local chat show, but unless I get a novel or play published, I can’t see being asked to be on it...unless of course they need a band that consists of a girl who can sort of play the ukulele.

Benny, king of the photobomb.

Pipe Dream: A couple years ago, this pipe dream was “Be invited to be on a chat show” and specifically a British Chat Show and more specifically Chatty Man with Alan Carr or Graham Norton’s chat show.   If I’m invited, that would mean I’d done something pretty fabulous like get the role of Ophelia in Hamlet opposite the delicious Benedict Cumberbatch. That’s still a possibility you know. As of the writing of this post, they haven’t announced which lucky actress is going to be Ophelia. I really, really strongly believe it should be me. I’m not kidding.

EXTRA BIG PIPE DREAM: This is just crazy talk, but hey, go big or go home, right? BUT, if I was ever invited onto a chat show, the only way that pipe dream could be better is if I was on the chat show with Benedict or David Tennant or Tom Hiddleston  or any other actor that makes me forget my own name...or that I’m married to a perfectly lovely and supportive man. 

The Reality of this Chat Show Goal: I MAY be able to go to a chat show, perhaps Graham Norton, when we’re in London, UK in October.  At the same time I may not try very hard to though go to a taping since to be in his audience you have to be 18 and I wouldn’t want to ditch Sorcha to go. Yes, I’m that nice.

And finally,

 

5.) Regarding Performances

Realistic Goal: This goal remains the same every year whether I write a blog post about it or not: perform as much as I can, time permitting of course.

Pipe Dream: To be paid to act and not just for one performance, but to be cast in a play that was running for a while and to be paid to be in it for the entire run. That would be heavenly and a dream job that I don’t feel, in some ways, is a Pipe dream since I’m only in my early 40’s and who says I couldn’t have a blossoming acting career once Sorcha moves out?

Or

EXTRA BIG PIPE DREAM: I begin my professional acting career now and get cast as Ophelia in Hamlet opposite Benny. I know I’m repeating myself and this isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned it on line, but I’m really hoping if I say it enough, I’ll get noticed and cast. Sigh...if only it were that simple...

Reality of the Performing Goal: Last year I had the opportunity to be in two plays and this year, I’m in at least one. I’m always up for more. No matter what other creative endeavors I pursue, acting remains the one I love the most. It’s crazy to think I’ve been acting for 33 years. That’s almost as long as I’ve been wearing pants.

Writing, however, s a great love, is a close second.

And on that note, I will leave you.  I hope that you out there too have pipe dreams. I love them because they keep me hoping and reaching for more than I can realistically achieve. I do not believe in setting goals so low you trip over them. I believe in setting them so high that they can become part of the stars and be wished on.

Pipe dreams, like many kinds of dreams, can come true.

Keep Pipe Dreaming,

Cin

For the Love Of...Body Love with Morgan Lee

Good day everyone and welcome to For the Love Of...

Today my guest is the inspirational Morgan Lee. She is the founder of Morgan Lee Wellness and in her own words she is a "Transformational Nutrition Coach, Spin Instructor Mad Woman and dedicated motivator and cheerleader for anyone who’s interested."

The post Morgan has sent me is one that many of us can relate to. We are all very good at complementing each other, seeing the beauty in those around us, but how good are you at being kind to yourself?

And now, please welcome, Morgan Lee.

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For the love of…Body Love

How many times a day do you tell yourself something nice about your body? How many times do you mutter something negative about yourself? I’m willing to bet that the latter is more common.

How did it become this way? Why is shaming and bullying your own body the norm now? A recent study found that more than 80% of women are unhappy with their bodies. It’s gotten to the point that we can’t take compliments and we shy away from the nice things that people say about us by responding with an insult towards ourselves.

We work out because we hate our bodies, not because we respect them. If we over-indulge in something, we punish ourselves for days and starve ourselves. We compare ourselves to strangers and work to achieve the impossible for our body type.

 

I started Morgan Lee Wellness because I was tired of hating myself. I was tired of starving my body or binging. I was tired of running 5 miles when I actually HATE running. I thought I was being so good to my body. Pushing it to the limit and such. I started this company because I was tired of all the body hate and punishing that women are doing to themselves.

How good would it feel to wake up and look in the mirror and be genuinely happy with how you look. To love the way your hips curve and your thighs giggle. To truly not want to change one piece of you. To not picture someone else’s body, wishing that it was yours.

Loving your body. I mean truly LOVING your body is not a faraway impossible reality. It’s about re-shaping your thoughts. Negativity breeds negativity and positivity breeds positivity. You get to CHOOSE which outlook you want to grow and strengthen. The change isn’t going to happen overnight. After years of self-shaming and self-hate, it’s going to take a while to quiet that voice and allow for the other one to blossom. But the time it takes is worth it.

You only get one body. You don’t get to trade it in and hand-pick everything you’d like. So it's time to start finding things you love about your physique. Start small. Look in the mirror and identify things you find beautiful about yourself. Maybe it’s your eyes or your hair or even the shape of your ears. It takes baby steps to grow your positivity muscle.

For the love of body LOVE, show yourself compassion and you’ll be surprised at how happy you’ll feel.

***

If you live out the Calgary way, Morgan is giving a Free Nutrition and Body Love Workshop on February, 21st. 

You a can also find out more about Morgan though these various forms of social media

Website: Morgan Lee Wellness

Facebook

Twitter

I'd like to thank Morgan very much for joining me on For the Love Of...As someone who used to see only the awful when I looked in the mirror, I can really relate to this post. A couple years ago, I made started being nicer to myself after hearing someone I love very much say, "Good morning Ugly" when she looked in the mirror. It broke my heart. How could she be so mean when she was so lovely? And then I took a close look at how I treated myself and realized that if I was going to set a good example of body love for my daughter, I had to stop hating myself. Now, two years later, when I look in the mirror, I don't see my flaws. I see a mother, a writer, a wife, an actress, a friend, a daughter. I see the good in myself and I'm happy with and love who I see.

Morgan is right, it takes time, but you're worth it. All of you.

Join me on the 23rd when my guest will be Leona deVinne. She's here to make the world a better place with Joy Socks!

Be happy,

Be beautiful,

Be yourself.

Cin