K.L. Hallam's Blog, page 20

The Full Moon Affect

Did you enjoy the full moon on July 1? Wonderful, because we have two full moons this month, otherwise known as a Blue Moon, and the next is on the 31st. Apparently this hasn’t happened since August 2012. Well, Ok…. This time I will be prepared.



After about the hundredth time observing my children go bonkers during the full moon, (basically, turning into werewolves) I began to wonder about its effect on our emotions, creativity and sleep cycles. Even though some articles I’ve read state that the effects of the full moon haven’t been scientifically studied, so I’ve drawn my own hypothesis from years of experience, observation, and asking questions.

First, I’ll begin with what hits me right away: my teens fighting non-stop. They become easily frustrated, agitated and lash out at each other, verbally, and on occasion, physically – this is where momma werewolf jumps in.  It’s uncanny how distraught they become when the moon is full. Whenever they hit lunatic levels (above the “normal” Crazyland) I soon notice, why, yes the moon is full tonight or waxing toward it. 
Another affect the full moon has is to deprive me of sleep. I was puzzled when this first started, wondering why I couldn’t sleep; waking several times a night, or waking much, too early, say at 4 am. Yes, it’s the start of day for a Yogi, but it doesn’t work for me. It was consistent enough that I noticed the reoccurrence every full moon. OK, since I’m the mother of the werewolves, I must be affected by the glowing disk in the night sky, and began to wonder if I should go outside at howl at it.   EoOOWWwLL
I already know from friends and family that a hospital’s ER becomes a mess of activity, and police friends agree that the full moon brings out people’s base behaviors. There are more accidents in general during the full moon. Go ahead, and ask.
Children in utero fall to the earth more readily during the full moon, or I mean, are born. Many parents can attest to this. Right? And I know, you know all about the moon and the tides.
Oh, boy – watch out for the Super Moon then. Also known as the perigee moon, which means near earth. Next one is September 28, 2015.  I’ll be sure to stock up on sleep a few days prior, and possibly get a hotel to escape the madness of my teen boys at home.

How do you children behave during this time?  Is there any noticeable difference? And what about you, is there any change in your own emotions or behavior?     

Writers and the Doubting Blues

       … and one small measure that might help, aside from a good night’s sleep.

Writers, we go along this path impassioned by our thoughts and inspirations, characters, and twisting plots. We read as much as we can about writers block, contract mishaps, predators, friends struggles, long journeys, and depression. We might begin writing as the most optimistic person and still things happen that can bring you down.
Take depression, the blues, that low-down isolated feeling. Writers are isolated.  No matter what, you are going to find yourself alone at some point—because, hey writers take what’s in their brains and put into the world in physical form, and that needs a little think/inspiration/muse time.
You can either embrace the aloneness, which many of us do, or become swallowed by it. And many of us do. I’ve certainly had my days of doubt. Some days I’m better at moving through it. I’ve had to develop skills for this. My mother has suffered depression all my life.
Maybe you experience mood swings, and who hasn’t, whether from cyclical body rhythms, diet or life events. You may feel physically alone. That’s par for the course, the weight of responsibility and anxiety for the future, or fear.  It’s human. We go there. We can visit or we can stay.
In the beginning of my writing journey— not all the way to five years old, but during my definitive push for publication I read so many stories of others and the pitfalls, the things that can go wrong, I thought I was prepared mentally. I wasn’t going there. It can’t happen to me because I “know” better. It’s an illusion and I’ll push it away, I might tell myself.
On a few accounts, I’ve felt the wall of the blues pressing on me in physical form, at times when I had no reason to feel blue.
I found my diet at the time to be rich in sugar and processed foods. I unwittingly experimented with this idea, by eating most of my children’s Halloween candy and for the next two days felt glum and downtrodden. When I figured out the diet connection, many of my mood swings, and much of my anxiety calmed down or disappeared completely.  My diet was key to my feelings, and how well, strong and energetic I felt. Now I’ve become gluten intolerant. As I grow older I find I must constantly fine-tuning my diet. I steer clear of chemically produced produce as well. Trial and error worked for me.  It’s heredity. Many in my family have health issues, and never make the diet/food connection. They keep on their habitual food path and continue to suffer.
Guess what I want to say is depression, blues, low-down feelings are real, and it never fully goes away. What I mention here are blues with no known reason, not the stress or depression of dealing with life’s unexpected burdens. Life is filled with ups and downs, all the gorgeous and messy fodder we need for our stories. Writers are like warriors, taking life’s blows and reliving them on the page for others to experience.  Maybe we can ride the fear like a wave, knowing the doubts will pass eventually if we can float above the waters of emotion.
Some days I can dissolve the blues by running outside, along the Hudson River. It’s the best to help me de-stress, and I usually follow it up with a thirty-minute meditation on the pier, weather permitting. That’s my perfect day.  Most everything rolls off of me after a 5k run -- even my teens’ maniac bickering the moment I walk in the door.
What are some of the ways you beat the writer-low-down blues or writer-isolated-doubts?  Because we’ve ALL been there. But we sure don't want to stay. 

A Tiger In The Jungle.

King Tacho hanging out with me in my new office. 

MG Book Review: Anywhere But Paradise by Anne Bustard.

Anywhere but Paradise by Anne Bustard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I won Anywhere But Paradise in a giveaway, and thoroughly enjoyed reading this historical middle-grade book. Thanks, Egmont!

12-year-old, Peggy Sue has moved from Texas to Paradise, aka Hawaii. What a fluid, transporting entrance into the story it is. In its visual splendor, you’re sent back to 1960, Hawaiian Island Oahu, filled with sunshine, hula, salt, and hibiscus flowers. But Peggy Sue isn’t happy. Not happy at all.

She misses her understanding grandparents, her home in Texas, and worst of all, her cat has to stay in quarantine for 120 days! He’s slipping away, not purring, and barely notices her when she visits. If that’s not bad enough, she’s being singled out for Kill Haole Day, which is what the locals call her kind, the kind of people who dethroned their Queen Liliuokalani in 1893. Who continue to take their jobs, make them do all the work, or at least that’s what Peggy Sue’s nemesis, Kiki, tells her. And Kiki wants revenge.

Peggy Sues starts a couple odd jobs to earn enough money so she can fly back to Texas. She makes a friend in Malina, who helps her start a sewing business. It’s something Peggy Sue is really good at – and Kiki knows this and exploits her talents, bringing them a little too close for comfort.

The pacing is snappy; the chapters are quite short, making for a brisk read. And just when you think everything is simmering down – a terrible disaster strikes, and reorganizes many of Peggy Sue’s held beliefs. It changes her way of thinking and eventually changes the way others view her. She’s quite a tough cookie, even when she doesn’t think so.

A few historical events are entwined in this book, which makes for fun research later. The end is unexpected. An all around great read for 8-12-year-olds, and as someone who had to move too many times growing up, it’s very relatable and at times, a little scary.


View all my reviews