Alexandra Isobel's Blog, page 10
July 14, 2016
INTERNATIONAL AUTHOR’S DAY – Blog Hop and Giveaway
Summer reading. There is nothing better and more magical than the way authors take us away and make us believe . . . new places . . . people . . . and ideas.
I love summer reading and have discovered some new books and authors that I have already re-read so many times they haven’t even made it to my keeper shelf.
Reaper by A. Zaverelli is still on my nightstand being re-read again. I discovered M
s. Zaverelli’s Crow in June, the first in the series, and now eagerly wait for whatever comes next.
I’m honoured to participate in this year’s International Author’s Day. Authors spin us so many new worlds to escape to and get lost in. They give us the treasured summer reads that we sometimes never forget.
I always remember my summer reads, and because I also listen to audiobooks on long drives around my city, certain places and areas of town remind me of the books I was listening to long after The End. I love that.
Summer reads also give us those special reading spaces and places where you just drop down for a few minutes . . . okay hours of escape. Where is your summer reading space?
Please
enjoy a free copy of my latest romantic escape with my beloved Chimera Team soldiers. Writing their stories always takes me away to that special place where men of honour and undying loyalty reign supreme.
Come and join us at Bookish Indulgence to celebrate all the authors who take us away to those timeless places with those oh so special summer reads.
Filed under: Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: authors, blog hop, summer read, writing inspiration
July 13, 2016
EVERYONE HAS A PASSION – what’s yours?
Mine? I have a passion for the romantic. Movies, photos, art, television, books, . . . anything really. If I can look at something and see the romance in it, I’m hooked. Not to mention that I also have a wild imagination, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Blessing while I’m drafting a new romance story, doing some other creative writing.
Curse when I’m home alone and hear a noise.
Personal passion is your creative default. It’s where your mind goes when you daydream, that place where it circles back to time and again.
Personal passion is that thing that excites you, makes your eyes light up and your heart beat faster when your mind is free to think of all the possibilities.
Everyone should pursue their passion, though not everyone does. How do you pursue yours? If you don’t, why not?
It’s time to make at least one part of your life all about you and the pursuit of your passion.
Keep your head in your creative space.
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES, Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: creative, creative process, CrEaTiVe SPACES, inspiration, inspire, passion, writing inspiration, writing place
July 7, 2016
A Creative Morning – Chez Francois
There is a little bit of France in Ottawa’s Westboro. A hidden gem of a place with delicious croissants, supreme coffee and whole ‘lotta’ ambiance. It was a sister’s morning treat.
A quiet place to slowly start the day. Watch the city wake up and ready yourself for what’s to come.
Creativity comes to those who wait . . . and have patience.
Through quite we generate our creative ideas.
Be still.
Listen.
Enjoy.
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES Tagged: breakfast, coffee, creative, creative process, CrEaTiVe SPACES, croissants
July 6, 2016
Stillness — Heartstring Eulogies
When you want nothing more than to give up, don’t. If you never read another word, listen to another lyric, or feel another poem, at least know this. Don’t give up. Find your solace, that stillness in your heart and your mind, and let it fill you to the brim. Let everything else out. If that means crying harder than […]
via Stillness — Heartstring Eulogies
Filed under: Writing INSPIRATIONS
June 25, 2016
Creative Space – Long Island Locks
Driving through the outskirts of the city, along one of my absolutely favourite routes, I come across a national historic site I never even knew was there.
From the dirt road parking lot through a green oasis comes the Long Island Locks.
The water is calm. Pristine.
The surroundings unsuspecting that the waterway was originally built and cultivated as a preventive military measure. These locks are just a small part of the Rideau Canal lock system.
Maintained by Parks Canada, open May to October (way too cold in winter) the locks are the oldest continuously run system in North America.
Peaceful. Contemplative. A relaxing creative space for meditation and reflection.
An
d I couldn’t leave without a piece of fallen birch . . . my favourite.
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES, Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: creative, CrEaTiVe SPACES, inspiration, inspire, writing inspiration
June 18, 2016
Photos: Alex Markovich. Camera: SONY SLT-A55V. June 18, ...
Photos: Alex Markovich. Camera: SONY SLT-A55V. June 18, 2016. Dear poets, writers, artists and all creative people! Feel free to use any pictures on your social networks, sites, blogs, etc. If you need a larger image to be published offline, please let me know and I will send you the original file. I appreciate if you share […]
via Free images for poets. Part Five. Zen Postcards – at the pond. Sixteen images — MARKOVICH PHOTO ART
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES, Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: creative, inspiration, writing inspiration
June 16, 2016
Creative Space – Stunning Scandinavian Landscapes
Christian Schmidt is a German photographer, rewarded numerous times for his talents and his breathtaking landscapes. These photos are taken in Finland, in the region of the Lappland, as well as in …
Source: Stunning Scandinavian Landscapes
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES
June 13, 2016
Monday Flash Fiction – June 13, 2016
It’s been fourteen hours on this train.
I can’t sleep.
Can’t eat.
I’m sick of my playlist and all this sun.
I just need to see her.
Filed under: Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: Monday flash fiction
June 7, 2016
Chapel Duty Inspired
Creative inspiration comes at the strangest times and in the most unexpected places. This week it was during Monday afternoon chapel duty.
A very simple duty. Open the chapel and sit quietly while people come to pray or reflect for a few moments during a busy day.
Surrounded by silent beauty, stoic windows look down with colourful light.
The tranquility allows the mind to wander . . . to think . . . and imagine . . . before going out to the gardens.
Another beautiful day . . . inspired to write.
Filed under: CrEaTiVe SPACES Tagged: beauty, chapels, churches, creative, creative process, CrEaTiVe SPACES, gardens, inspiration, inspire, writing inspiration
June 4, 2016
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
Where does the term, Dog Days of Summer, come from?
” The dog days, in the most technical sense, refer to the one- to two-month interval in which a particularly bright star rises and sets with the sun, shining during the daylight hours and staying hidden at night.
This star is known by three names: Sirius, the Dog Star, and Alpha Canis Majoris. Apart from being the most prominent star in the constellation Canis Major (Latin for “Greater Dog”), this heavenly body is responsible for the origin of the expression dog days, a phrase that has endured through millennia.
The Dog Star’s connection to dogs was not only maintained by constellations and mythology, it was boosted by the fact that dogs seemed to take the brunt of the dog days. They suffered from the heat more intensely than humans seemed to, and were at greater risk of madness.
The Dog Star, being the second brightest star that can be seen with the naked eye, did not escape the attention of ancient astronomers. Nor did its annual disappearance from the night sky and the corresponding influx of heat. Initially, ancient Greeks blamed the Dog Star for the sweltering weather, assuming that its brightness paired with the sun manifested in the hottest days of the year. This belief was debunked in the first-century BC by Greek astronomer Geminus, but the significance of the Dog Star remained untempered.” http://blog.dictionary.com/dog-days-of-summer/
My work in progress The SEAL’s Undivorce features a very protective mama Rotweiler named Auntie. She’s a rescue family pet, come to the Sander’s crazy brood of five young boys, and newly arrived baby girl.
Including Auntie in the story was great fun! I’m a dog lover so of course Jake and Danika are dog lovers too! Featured is my Sheppard, Lexi when she was a puppy.
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Filed under: Writing INSPIRATIONS Tagged: dogs, romance books, SEALS, summer
