Caroline A. Shearer's Blog, page 19

Maintain Productivity During NaNoWriMo with These Three Tips

NaNoWriMo
is half-way over. How the month is flying by! Hopefully, if you’re
participating this year, you’re still excited about your subject matter, your
words continue to flow at an astonishing rate, and you’re cruising steadily
along toward your goal of having a completed first draft by the end of the
month. If that’s the case, congratulations! You can stop reading this article
right now, and go dash off another 3,000 words. If, however, (as is the case
with the vast majority of each year’s participants) your enthusiasm has started
to wane and/or your fingers are no longer flying across the keyboard quite like
they were on Nov. 2, consider implementing one of these three tips to get back
on track:

Tip #1. Turn off the Internet.

It’s been said time and time
before and in a million different ways, but the oft repeated is often true.
There’s no bigger time-suck than unfettered access to the Internet. If, try as
you might, you just can’t stop yourself from checking for status updates on
Facebook or browsing Pinterest or Reddit, consider using one of the many
Internet-blocking tools out there. (Click here
for some choices.) You could also turn off your wifi, disconnect your modem, or
write on a machine that doesn’t have online access.

Tip #2. Stop editing.

Revising and editing are
crucial, but not while you’re writing a first draft. In fact, bringing your
inner critic into the mix too early is a sure-fire way to kill your creativity
and relegate your book to the bottom drawer. To nix the misguided urge for
perfection, resolve not to use the delete or backspace buttons for an entire
writing session. It may feel strange and difficult at first, but after 20
minutes or so, you’ll likely be amazed at how fast the words fill the page.

Tip #3. Stop when you know where
you’re going.

Ernest
Hemingway once said the most valuable piece of advice he had for writers was to
“always stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next.”
Though it can feel almost painful to leave off in the middle of a scene or
right before a plot climax, it really does build your enthusiasm and feed your writing.
If you can do it, you’ll be amazed at how quickly and effortlessly you get down
to work the next day.

Need
more help with productivity? Want more in-depth tips on craft or the business
of writing? Check out our Coaching services here.

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

New Cover for Adventures of a Lightworker: Dead End Date!

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We are excited to announce that “Dead End Date,” the first
book in the Adventures of a Lightworker series and Caroline’s first book
published, has a new cover!

Caroline envisions the series covers as Nancy Drew-meets-metaphysical
– and we think she nailed it with this first book!

Do you see the metaphysical elements in the cover? Check out
the amethyst and yin yang jewelry, the Om symbol on Faith’s shirt, the dark
aura clinging to the man in the background, and, of course, angel wings!

Bonus: do you know what the heart in the clouds means?
(Hint: you have to read the book to find out!)

Visit Dead End Date's webpage to learn more about the plot for this metaphysical mystery and to explore this lightworker’s journey!

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

The Five Elements of a Successful Query Letter

While
most authors know they have to query editors, agents, and publishers if they
want to get their work out there, few seem to know how to do it successfully.
Stand out from the crowd and get your manuscript noticed by ensuring your
queries feature these five elements.

1. An effective hook. When our editor opens an author’s
query, the first thing she looks for is the hook. What is your book about, and
why should we care? An effective hook answers these questions clearly,
concisely, and quickly. ALP Editor’s Tip: Your hook should be one of
the first things an editor or agent sees upon opening your letter or email (after the salutation, of course). Don’t bury it at the end, after you’ve
described yourself, your platform, and your intended audience. None of those
things matter if you can’t hook your reader.

2. Personalization. This is the second thing we look
for in evaluating an author’s query. Why are you sending your book to us? A
successful query letter will show an agent or editor that you’ve researched the
company and have a solid understanding of what they publish and why. ALP Editor’s
Tip: The “why” is important. Most publishing houses have an underlying theme to
what they publish. Make sure you know what it is and how your book fits in with
it before you make your pitch. 

3. Information about the book. This may seem self-evident, but
you’d be amazed at how many queries we receive that don’t include a clear
explanation of the book. If an editor or agent reads to the end of your query
and still doesn’t know what your book is about or how you’re going to present
it, then chances are good you won’t get a response. ALP Editor’s Tip: Queries
should be brief, so you don’t have to send a full-page synopsis unless the
company asks for one. You should, however, include the following information somewhere
in your query: working title, number of pages, genre, and one-sentence summary.
If you are querying a fiction piece, make sure your summary focuses on
the plot.

4. Information about your market. Who is your intended audience?
Why will they want to read your book? You don’t have to go into much detail
here, but editors and agents want to know that you’ve put some thought into
this. ALP Editor’s Tip: Bonus points are typically given for showing an
understanding of the competition. Provide information about similar
books currently on the market, and tell us why your book is better than what is
already out there.  

5. Author bio. Who are you? What makes you
qualified to write this book? What is your reach? If you’re a nonfiction
author, highlight your relevant credentials. If you’re a fiction author with
10,000 Facebook fans, 5,000 monthly views on your blog, or a sizeable email
list, make sure you mention it in your query. ALP Editor’s Tip: If you haven’t been
published before and you don’t have much to add to your bio, put extra effort
into your market research and hook. If you can get the editor or agent
significantly excited, it may not matter that you don’t have an established
platform.

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

Call for Submissions!

Do you
have a positive message to share with the world? Absolute Love Publishing and
Spirited Press are now accepting submissions for our 2014 catalogues. We’re
looking for fiction and nonfiction books that intrigue us, inspire us, and fit
with our overall mission.
Genres may include mysteries; historical fiction; fantasy; humor; realistic
fiction; science fiction; adventure; creative nonfiction; memoir; body, mind,
and spirit; spiritual; inspirational; and women’s studies. 

Authors
interested in publishing with us should first familiarize themselves with our
already-published books. (A complete list can be found here.) Then, submit
a one-page synopsis that includes intended audience and expected word count, a
brief author bio, and a general description of why the book is a good match for
us.

Fiction
authors also should send a 15-page excerpt from a completed manuscript.
Nonfiction authors should include a complete outline and the first three
chapters of the manuscript. All submissions should be emailed to editor at absolutelovepublishing.com in
a Word document with standard formatting (i.e. Times New Roman, one-inch
margins, and 12-point font).

Thank
you for considering us. We look forward to reading your work!

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life, a min-e-bookTM

One of Absolute
Love Publishing’s perpetual bestsellers is our original min-e-book™, “Raise
Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life.” This information-packed
gem has appeared on Amazon bestseller lists every day since its release – lists
like Mental & Spiritual Healing, New Thought, and Energy
Healing – often right next to (and even ahead of) blockbuster titles such as “The
Secret” and “You Can Heal Your Life.”

In a quick-to-read
format, “Raise Your Vibration” provides
practical, usable information on how mind, body, and spiritual vibration impact
our life experiences. (We often hear from people that they like to refer back
to it over and over as they practice the lessons.) “Raise
Your Vibration” also helped launch follow-ups in Raise Your
Financial Vibration and Raise
Your Verbal Vibration.

Have you read “Raise Your Vibration” yet?
We’d like to share some of its “most highlighted” quotes from Amazon readers:

“Typically, classical-style
music vibrates at the highest frequency, and listening to it helps clear our
auras and chakras and mindset.”

“Moving faster does not raise
your vibration; being slower does. When we are in a centered, peaceful,
“available” state, the vibration of all we are transforms to high energy.”

“Create white light in your
mind. Imagine it coming down from heaven and surrounding you. Continually
picture it brighter and whiter. Feel it coursing through your body. Take time
to savor the feelings and absorb it as real. Allow the lightness of this
vibration to fill your being.”

“When we operate at a higher
vibration, we have positive thoughts, and we attract positive people and
activities. We also attract synchronicities, which allow us to go with the flow
of the universe and guide us on our highest and greatest path. We are also able
to enjoy clearer intuition, peace, and happiness.”

“Listening to your ego brings
your vibrations down; listening to your higher self brings your vibrations up.”

And
a couple more notes and highlights:

“Notice I use ‘kind’ rather
than ‘nice.’ Being taught to be nice is how many of us were raised, but being
kind comes from a deeper, more meaningful place. Nice can be simply polite, and
can spring from a place of ego, whereas kindness springs from the heart. When
our actions and thoughts toward others spring from the heart, we feel more
loving toward others and ourselves and are vibrating at a substantially higher
level.”

“When you have a thought that
lowers your vibration, be it a worry, a criticism, a fear, or a desire to
gossip, turn it over to God (or the universe, angels, etc.) so that you release
it. The more often you do this, the less often these thoughts will begin to
form in the first place. If/when you struggle with this, remind yourself that a
positive thought and a negative thought cannot share the same space.”

“Anyone who trades a half
hour of news or news commentary before bedtime for a half hour of meditating,
prayer, or sending the world love will see a profound difference in her or his
well-being within a month. And that’s a promise.”

Are you ready to raise your
vibration? What are you waiting for? Buy a copy of “Raise Your Vibration” today!

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

New Trail Blazed by Balanced Heart: Women Will Save the World

Dr. Katie McCorkle, a contributor to our women's studies compilation book, "Women Will Save the World," was inspired by Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken." And, this trailblazer certainly has created her own trail!



Dr. Katie is the author of "A Balanced Heart: 10 Weeks to Breakthrough" and founder of Balanced Heart Healing Center, a nonprofit health center that offers a holistic approach to health care, integrating mind, body, and spirit.



We are happy to announce wonderful progress
Dr. Katie recently made with Balanced Heart Healing Center! She moved her clinic to a new town and completed a
buildout, thanks in large part to the generous support of countless individuals and area businesses. She
also will be adding three grad school interns to her Counseling
Psychology staff to help teach yoga, positive parenting, and the 10
Principles of Unconditional Love upon which her work is founded. Other expanded offerings include a
program for women veterans and military families. Balanced Heart also offers instruction in Sahaja
Meditation, a time-honored technique that helps reduce stress. See www.balancedheart.org
for more information.




To read an essay by Dr. Katie explaining how she came to start her business and mission, please see Absolute Love Publishing's compilation, "Women Will Save the World."



In it, Dr. Katie wrote, "Reaching out for something more, or behaving in new ways, requires a leap of faith into the unknown."

Sometimes that one leap of faith can impact so many others' lives in a positive way. What leap of faith will you take today?



Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

Big News from Balanced Heart

Dr. Katie McCorkle was inspired by Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." However, this trailblazer has not taken a road that was already provided for her; she created her own. Dr. Katie is the author of "A Balanced Heart: 10 Weeks to Breakthrough" and the founder of the Balanced Heart Healing Center, a nonprofit health center which offers a holistic approach to health care. Based on the "10 Principles of Unconditional Love" (see here for details), the foundation for healing at Balanced Heart is the integration of mind, body, and spirit. (To read an essay by Dr. Katie, explaining how she came to start her business, please see ALP compilation "Women Will Save the World.")



We are happy to announce we were recently updated on some wonderful progress Dr. Katie has made! She has moved her clinic to a new town and has also completed a buildout, thanks in large part to the kindness of area businesses. She will also be adding three grad school interns to her Counseling Psychology staff to help teach yoga, positive parenting, and the 10 Principles of Unconditional Love. Other expanded offerings include a program for women veterans and military families. (See www.balancedheart.org for more information.) Balanced Heart also offers instruction in Sahaja Meditation, a time-honored technique that helps reduce stress, once a week at the clinic. 



In "Women Will Save the World," Dr. Katie wrote, "Reaching out for something more, or behaving in new ways, requires a leap of faith into the unknown." Sometimes that one leap of faith can impact so many others' lives in such a positive way. What kind of leap of faith will you take today?








Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

Announcing a new ALP min-e-book™ : Where Is the Gift?

Announcing a new min-e-book™ from Absolute Love Publishing!



Where Is the Gift? Discovering the Blessing in Every Situation, a min-e-book™



Inside
every challenge is a beautiful gift waiting for us to unwrap it. All it
takes is our choice to learn the lesson of the challenge!

Are you in a situation that is challenging you? Are you struggling
with finding the perfect gift the universe is holding for you?



This min-e-book™ will help you:

unwrap your blessings with more ease and grace
trust in the perfect manifestation of your life’s challenges
move through life with the smooth path your higher self intended

Make the choice: unwrap your gift today!

Purchase from B&N.com, Amazon, and the Absolute Love Publishing Store.

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

How to Talk to Angels

Raise Your Vibration Radio:

"Earth Angel" by The Temptations

Communication with angels (and spirit guides) is great for raising vibrations! We are constantly surrounded by them and conversations can be really easy. Create a sacred space and try reaching out to them through meditation or prayer. You can also write a letter if that seems easier. They are always listening and will help if we reach out to them. Most of what we experience as reality are lessons that they have helped us create for ourselves. You can always ask to speed them up or slow them down. Just be aware of how you phrase your questions or request. Like the Universe, they can take our words very literally! For more about how to raise your vibration, and other energy healing techniques, check out "Raise Your Vibration: Tips and Tools for a High-Frequency Life" by Caroline A. Shearer. 

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing

All You Have To Do Is Dream!

Raise Your Vibration Radio presents:

"All I Have To Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers

It might be easy to write this song off as a whimsical fantasy, a groovy tune from a bygone era. But actually there is some useful advice hidden in these lyrics. 

Our earthly beings don't always have the easiest time communicating with each other. Emotions can run high and interfere, or sometimes we have trouble finding the words to articulate how we feel or what we want to say. But there's a silver lining to all that! If we want to speak to someone - anyone - we can ask his or her higher self to visit us in a dream. Have you ever dreamed about an encounter with someone and woken up feeling more at peace and more rested than ever? If you've experienced this, on a very real level, the encounter did happen. Sorting these kinds of things out can be very good for raising our vibrations.

To learn more about communicating with other beings' higher selves, check out our newest min-e-bookTM "Where Is the Gift? Discovering the Blessing in Every Situation" which is also now available in a package with the Fall Issue of Law of Attraction Magazine.

For more tips on how to raise your vibration, see: "Raise Your Vibration," "Raise Your Financial Vibration," and "Raise Your Verbal Vibration." 

Copyright 2013 Absolute Love Publishing