Tricia Copeland's Blog, page 61

Using Music as Inspiration?

Sometimes I need an idea or a pick me up. I'm stuck on a problem where the solution is eluding me. There are several things I do to break out the rut including:

1. Get outside
2. Exercise
3. Take a shower
4. Read a book
5. Call a friend

and my new go to.. #6. Crank the tunes!

The other day I was frustrated with getting a project just right. I posted on social media my dilemma. This is not a natural go to for me but I have a community and I decided to reach out. I got so many great ideas! One suggestion was to listen to songs that fit the theme of my project. The first thing I did was to Google inspirational songs. I found this blog with a top 25 inspirational songs. I went through and listed to a minute or so of each. Next, I jumped in the shower and eureka! A song popped into my head with lyrics that led me to the phrase I was looking for. 

The blog had a great list and you can find it here http://personalexcellence.co/blog/ins.... I found a lot of the other postings beneficial too! Happy Friday and rock on! :)

All the best,
​Tricia

Using Music as Inspiration���?

Sometimes I need an idea or a pick me up. I'm stuck on a problem where the solution is eluding me. There are several things I do to break out the rut including:

1. Get outside
2. Exercise
3. Take a shower
4. Read a book
5. Call a friend

and my new go to.. #6. Crank the tunes!

The other day I was frustrated with getting a project just right. I posted on social media my dilemma. This is not a natural go to for me but I have a community and I decided to reach out. I got so many great ideas! One suggestion was to listen to songs that fit the theme of my project. The first thing I did was to Google inspirational songs. I found this blog with a top 25 inspirational songs. I went through and listed to a minute or so of each. Next, I jumped in the shower and eureka! A song popped into my head with lyrics that led me to the phrase I was looking for. 

The blog had a great list and you can find it here http://personalexcellence.co/blog/ins.... I found a lot of the other postings beneficial too! Happy Friday and rock on! :)

All the best,
​Tricia

Knowing When to Let Go

We’ve all been in there, stuck with the volunteer position that isn’t fulfilling anymore, the job that sucks you of your will to live, the relationship that is just plain toxic, or the elusive goal that drains all your energy. But how do you really know when to make the break, cut your losses, and move on? Letting go of things we’ve put a lot of time and effort into can be hard and overwhelming. What if you make the wrong choice? What if there is nothing else to fill your time? What if there isn’t another job? I found some tips from Melanie Pilona of lifehacker.com.
 
Signs that it is really time to let go:
You consistently feel more anxiety or frustration than reward.You can’t envision a solution and can’t live with things staying the same.Giving time to this endeavor keeps you from more rewarding tasks or damages your well-being.You are keeping at it for the wrong reasons. 
To read the full article, go to http://lifehacker.com/5948908/how-to-know-when-its-time-to-quit.
 
Quitting doesn’t have to be a negative thing. It can open up doors not available before. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, you haven’t failed, you just found something that didn’t work! So go out there be your best self, doing better things! I know that’s what I aim for!

All the best,
​Tricia

Knowing When to Let Go��

We’ve all been in there, stuck with the volunteer position that isn’t fulfilling anymore, the job that sucks you of your will to live, the relationship that is just plain toxic, or the elusive goal that drains all your energy. But how do you really know when to make the break, cut your losses, and move on? Letting go of things we’ve put a lot of time and effort into can be hard and overwhelming. What if you make the wrong choice? What if there is nothing else to fill your time? What if there isn’t another job? I found some tips from Melanie Pilona of lifehacker.com.
 
Signs that it is really time to let go:
You consistently feel more anxiety or frustration than reward.You can’t envision a solution and can’t live with things staying the same.Giving time to this endeavor keeps you from more rewarding tasks or damages your well-being.You are keeping at it for the wrong reasons. 
To read the full article, go to http://lifehacker.com/5948908/how-to-know-when-its-time-to-quit.
 
Quitting doesn’t have to be a negative thing. It can open up doors not available before. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, you haven’t failed, you just found something that didn’t work! So go out there be your best self, doing better things! I know that’s what I aim for!

All the best,
​Tricia

Kathy Bosman's Love Finds a Way

Love Finds A Way (Album Book 2 - Pauline’s Story)
 Contemporary, Fantasy Romance
 By
Kathy Bosman
 
When Ella hands over The Album to Pauline, the young food blogger is about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime—she’s been chosen as a contestant in The Culinary Dream, a TV cooking competition. Pauline takes The Album with her to Italy where the filming is to take place and meets food photographer, Xaden, the brother of the man who ripped out her heart and put her off relationships for a long time.
 
To her dismay, she gets eliminated from the competition on the first round. Humiliated and determined not to be pitied by her friends and family, she decides to stay behind in Italy for a holiday as well as blog about her restaurant experiences in the exotic European country.
 
Xaden won't leave her alone and proves to be a friend in a time of need but when he kisses her, she pushes him away, afraid he’ll hurt her like his brother did. The TV series offers her a job as the editor of the food magazine and she is to work alongside the very man she wishes to avoid. Forced to be with the man she can't resist but whom her instincts tell her she can't trust, Pauline is in for an emotional roller-coaster ride with The Album as her companion and guide.

Author Bio:
 Kathy lives in South Africa, where the summers are hot, the winters cool and bugs thrive. She writes romance in many forms, most of the time with women who feel deeply, men who care strongly and characters who learn lessons along the way. Every so often, she sprinkles a little magic in her stories. When she’s not writing, she makes sure her kids work hard as they do school at home, tries not to get too distracted by dust bunnies and cooks up a storm to keep the tummies full. When she’s not hectically busy, she loves reading romance and fantasy novels, watching movies, and dabbling in different crafty things, depending on her mood.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Finds-Way-Paulines-Story-ebook/dp/B01BNMW1B4
 
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/614697
 
Kobo Books: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/love-finds-a-way-2
 
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-finds-a-way-kathy-bosman/1123406511?ean=2940152623901

Online Links for Kathy:
 
Website and blog: http://www.kathybosman.com/
 
Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/KathleenBosman
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenLBosman
 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5257900.Kathy_Bosman
 
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/gracewalk17
 
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Bosman/e/B007GCQBNK
 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxifimh0X62uZLvKkon8tDQ
 
Newsletter Subscription: http://eepurl.com/NokET
 
Authorgraph: https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/KathleenLBosman

Loving Better

As Valentine’s Day approaches I was thinking about all those I care about. I thought, how can I love them better? I’m not sure why this assessment thought hit me but it occurred to me that I wanted to treat the people I cared about the best way possible. I searched the web and found an article on how we can beef up our relationships.

Assess how close you feel – Draw circle around yourself and write down names of people you love. Think about how you can nuture those relationships. Is there a small act you can perform to let them know you care?Think kindness – Make sure you are showing love in your reactions and conversations. If there is tension take a deep breath, think about reacting in a kind manner.Create compassion – Develop empathy and stay present in the relationship.Take a breath – There are difficult moments in all relationships. If we commit to pausing before spitting out our thoughts we can communicate more effectively with kindness. 
We all lead busy lives but to take a hour, a day, or a weekend to really think about what matters most, who matters most, is an act that will help us be happier in our relationships. You can read more from this article http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/1....

Wishing you a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Tricia

3 Tips for Staying Inspired!

It’s late January and the winter freeze has me stuck inside. Further, I’ve lost sight of the reasons I made those New Year’s goals in the first place. My motivation is waning already! Are those hurdles really that important? Yes, yes they are! So how do I refocus and reenergize myself?

Psychology Today and Forbes Magazine gives us three tips for staying motivated: take action, do something small, and work with others. For me this means:Take Action – Sitting at your desk and raking the sand around in your Zen garden doesn’t generate ideas. Make a start on a project, move around, get your blood flowing, organize your desk, or write down a plan. Don’t stay stuck.Doing something small counts – The action doesn’t have to be finishing a big project. Checking off the small things on a list is still achieving part of the end goal.Work with others – Get help from people with other skills, talk about the project, brain storm with colleagues, forming a group of people with similar goals. Staying inspired is much easier as a group than going it alone.
​Life Hacker gives us these daily tips: first, stay healthy – hydrate, exercise, get a good night’s rest; second, organize your day – make a top three list of tasks, use the 50/10 rule, work for 50 minutes and take a 10 for a break (wow, I do that without knowing it), use 10 minutes at the end of your day for reflection and self-evaluation; third, keep learning – read, browse tutorials, brain storm ideas; fourth, stay positive – write down ten things you are grateful for (excellent idea), clean your desk, and set time aside for fun!

I’ll start my gratitude list right now: 1) I finished a rush project for a client on time! 2) My other client projects are finished for the week. 3) I get to volunteer at my kid’s school today. 4) I have four leads for goal projects. 5) My credit card organized my 2015 business expenses for me. 6) I have half of one of my tasks complete and know who to call for help with the other half. 7) I cooked last night so pizza is okay for tonight. 8) I came up with two new plot elements for the story I’m working on. 9) I have time in my day for a walk. 10) One of two blog posts for the week is finished (okay that was lame). 11) I got over fifty new likes on my Facebook page this week. 12) I have two author events this weekend (go to Facebook for the links-I’ll be up late on Friday the 29th!).

Wow, I floundered in the middle of that list there. I’m not sure about you but I already have my top three list for the day done. They include finishing up projects that aren’t the most fun, taxes, for one. But once I have those things checked off the list they won’t be floating in the back of my mind taking up energy for the fun stuff. For all those waiting for book 3, don’t worry, it’s ready to go to the editor!

All the best,
Tricia
 
Taken in part from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/12-tips-staying-inspired-and-productive.html, http://www.forbes.com/sites/augustturak/2011/09/09/3-keys-to-getting-and-staying-inspired/#78877579139d, and https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201201/three-strategies-get-and-stay-inspired.
 
To have a weekly blog post or new book info delivered to your inbox join my email list at http://www.triciacopeland.com/true-bird-publishing-llc-newsletter.html. 

Driven to Succeed

One of the traits of my main character, Amanda of the Being Me series, is she is driven to be successful. She wants to do well in her college courses maintaining a high GPA to keep a scholarship. Further, she has a goal of becoming a translator or diplomacy specialist for a government agency. Even in the face of health challenges she holds herself to this high standard. She feels the need to prove to her family she can be successful.

We can be driven to show our parents, bosses, or friends we can be successful. There may be hurdles we either are expected to or feel the need to surpass. Whether we are driven to achieve a certain position at work or reach a prescribed goal sometimes the end result can become our driving force. If we make being successful to please or impress others what propels us, then we lose our own purpose and self-satisfaction and can become depressed and burned out.

A friend recently shared an article that reminds me to remember my center. Achievement for the sake of showing the world that we are capable rarely leads to happiness. Her publication, “How One Sentence from My Ex lead me to Burnout (& How I Found my Way Back)”, highlights this predicament. You can read the full article at http://www.elephantjournal.com/2016/01/how-one-sentence-from-my-ex-lead-me-to-burnout-and-how-i-found-my-way-back/.

Be happy, be yourself! Wishing you all the best,
Tricia

Heartless by Kelly Martin book review

I’m not sure there are words for Kelly Martin’s new release. She sent me an ARC copy a couple of weeks ago. I started reading right away but then had to put it down. It is a very dark read, dark to the point you don’t want to read it. But the problem is there is this very beautiful soul Gracen, who is the leading lady, and you just have to find out what happens to her. I don’t like spoilers so I’m not going to include any. All I can say is I am wowed by this book! The creativity behind this story is amazing! I don’t generally like dark reads but all I have to say about this book is go out and get it! It is beyond awesome!

From the back cover:

Some things can't be saved. 

What would you do if your guardian angel wasn't sent to protect you from the world but to protect the world from you? 

For thirteen years, Gracen Sullivan dreamed about a red-eyed demon named Hart Blackwell who tortured her every night. Her mother freaked when she found out about her daughter's "hallucinations" and forced Gracen to go to the doctor, who prescribed some very powerful medication which kept Hart out of her head for five years. 

A week ago, Hart came back and brought a friend. 

But something has changed, and Gracen is seeing Hart when she's awake too. And the other "friends" in her dreams? They have been found dead. 

The police want to talk to her. 

Her boyfriend has become distant. 

Her dreams are becoming more and more intense. 

Hell wants her. 

Heaven has to stop her. 

When push comes shoving, can Gracen fight the evil eating away inside her or will she be forced to embrace it and destroy the world? 


Get it here today http://www.amazon.com/Heartless-The-S...

My Chalkboard List for 2016!

Happy January! I thought you guys might want a little snippet into my thoughts on 2015 and a look ahead at 2016. Last year was an exciting year for me from February, when I decided to self-publish my series, right through May with the launch of book one, November with the launch of book 2, and December with the first draft of book 3!

Now that the holidays are over and we have a bit more time, if you haven’t picked up Is This Me?, I hope you will try it out at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YIABVKG as it is only $0.99 for the Kindle version (free on KU). If you’ve read it, I love to hear what you think! Please review on Amazon and Goodreads!

I was so excited for Is This Me? to be listed #3 in Taking Life By the Books’ top books of 2015! What a great way to end 2015 and start 2016! Tobi Helton of Forget the Housework, I’m Reading called my series “super addictive”. I can’t wait to read her review of book 2, IF I COULD FLY, due out later this month.

IF I COULD FLY (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017KT3BXG/) came out in November and has already gotten some great reviews! Book 1 isn’t required reading and you could definitely read after the 2nd! If you have, Amanda thought she was due some smooth sailing, but unfortunately that’s not the case. But I’ll let you read it to find out!

Also in November, I participated in my frist NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month and completed the 50,000 word goal towards finishing book 3! December wrapped up with the finish of the first draft of this book and I’m excited to announce it will be released in May, title to be announced. Book 3 will also include a bonus chapter from book 4! I’m writing book 4 and plan to release it in September so you won’t have to wait long for the next installment.

As you may or may not know, I share helpful tips as well as review books on my blog at www.triciacopeland.com. Here’s my rating system: 5 stars, loved the book, will definitely read another by the same author, 4 stars, liked the book, will probably pick up another by author but maybe some part wasn’t my style, 3 stars, liked the book okay, might not run out and buy the next one.

Last but not least, I hope to start a new project so keep your eyes peeled for that. I haven’t decided what it will be yet but definitely something different!

By far the best part of 2015 has been how many people I’ve met and/or reconnected with! I love hearing from you so please find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Goodreads, and/or Pinterest!

All the best,
Tricia

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