Lee Bice-Matheson's Blog, page 12

CONTEST to win a copy of WAKE ME UP INSIDE ends July 21st

Don’t forget the contest ends this Sunday to win a paperback or ebook of Wake Me Up Inside! Just email info@leebicematheson.ca to enter and include why you love ghost stories.  It’s that simple. Good luck et bonne chance.

School’s Out for Summer!

In honour of students, everywhere, who have finished high school for 2013, and students in elementary schools who will be finished this Friday, I am hosting another book giveaway.  If you love ghost stories and a great summer read, then enter this contest!  Wake Me Up Inside is a page turner starring Paige Maddison who lives on a haunted estate.  Sounds familiar, you say? Not exactly.  Enter the contest to win a paperback copy or ebook, your choice.  All you need to do is email me at: info@leebicematheson.ca to win.  Also, please state why you love ghost stories.  It’s that simple.  This contest was first posted on my facebook page to my loyal followers and is now open to everyone who loves to read

Paige Maddison Series by Lee Bice-Matheson

and get lost in a mystery. My debut novel won a literacy award from the Orillia Public Library, 2012. Bonne Chance et Good Luck. Reviews for Wake Me Up Inside. The contest closes on July 21st, 2013.

 

Summer Solstice and Ghosts

With the super ‘supermoon’ happening this weekend, and energy abounding, what better weekend to write about ghosts?!  There are many forces at work and if you have strange dreams, don’t panic.  It’s all that energy swirling about in our atmosphere. I am honoured to be able to write books and have had some opinions on book two already. My editor says it’s too fast paced and I must slow down Paige’s experiences. Okay, I will try to do that.  Those who are connected to consciousness know that things happen quickly.  What would take hours to describe, takes a minute to convey to us humans.  It’s an interesting life for sure and I hope you celebrate your life on this Summer Solstice weekend

Book Two in the Paige Maddison Series

I just received the poster size cover of book two in the Paige Maddison Series. It’s a piece of art, thanks to Adam Dagenais of Effigy Design.  Thank you Adam!  The only thing I  can share is a partial view.  Readers are going to love it!

Can you guess what this is?

 

The Mind is a Beautiful Thing

It’s all about the mind.  It can reveal beautiful visions, scary dreams, trick us, or reveal the truth.  In my life, I look for the truth in friendships, family, relationships, and experiences. Sometimes, it’s difficult and downright agonizing to accept the truth.  And for a fiction writer, who creates an imaginary fantasy world, somewhere within my work lies my truth. You have to search for it, feel it and recognize it.  That’s why I am a writer.  I became sick of the lies, deception, manipulation and injury people can cause each other.  Just look at the news!  Although my husband and I often won’t watch it because of the wars, mass murders, bullying, torturing, and negativity that people will do to each other.  It’s our job as a writer to look at the truth of what’s happening in the world and somehow translate that into our writing.  It may not be obvious, it may be quite subtle but that’s the bottom line for me.

When Paige Maddison fights against evil, she’s representing every person in the world who has had to fight for something in the name of goodness.  She has a positive outcome while she personally suffers from negative energy.

I just received another fantastic review from a reader who ‘loved’ Wake Me Up Inside.

First public reading of Wake Me Up Inside held in the teen section of the Orillia Public Library. I read for 35 minutes and no one left the room! Followed by many questions. It was this author’s dream come true Thank you to all who attended.

And while I sit at my computer writing book two in the Paige Maddison Series, the review makes me smile.  I write what I feel in my mind and in my heart – emotions that people can relate to.  Anyone who has lost a family member, been estranged from family, or felt they had to fight a battle alone are the people for whom I created Paige Maddison.  She is highly energized, intuitive, selfless, passionate, strong-willed and is pure of heart.

I am often intrigued by so many readers who ‘see’ the story between the lines in this book. I wrote it for you!  Paige is human, has flaws and sometimes loses her way but in the end she knows what she must do to make things right.  She’s a hero and I am proud that in my mind, I created her.

Thank you to the readers who are still contacting me about book one in the Paige Maddison Series called Wake Me Up Inside.  Although I have not been actively marketing this book (taboo in the world of an author) there are many who are still finding their way to her story.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ghosts in the House

I am in the midst of re-writing Book Two in the Paige Maddison series.  It’s been an extremely lively time creating Paige’s world and once in awhile I wonder if there are ghostly spirits hovering over my shoulder as I write.  Come on!  I write about ghosts. What did you expect?  This is the most energized time in the world of a writer.  It’s like entering a bubble wherein the O’Brien Estate can be seen and watch as Paige moves about battling against evil.  This book has taken a twist that readers will not see coming.  I promise to provide an entertaining sequel to Wake Me Up Inside that readers cannot put down.  I have had many fans of Paige Maddison say just that about the first book.  Word of warning – do not read alone or late at night.  You do not know who will be hovering over your shoulder.

Book Cover Design

The key to a great book cover design is the graphic designer and their skills.  The author must succinctly communicate the key points included in the body of the text and in order to do this one must have a great working relationship with the other plus the capability of explaining concepts literally so the graphic designer can abstractly imagine them and then produce a literal book cover.  It’s an exchange of ideas and concepts that each professional takes to the next level until one day the book cover is complete and both parties look at it in awe!  To me, as an author, the cover is just as important as the content! Thank you Adam Dagenais of Effigy Design for doing it again for Book Two in the Paige Maddison series.  It looks fantastic!  I am working on completion of book two so the rest of the world can view your artistic talent within this year.  Adam, You’ve Got Talent!

ASTHMA AWARENESS: Dr Xiu-Min Li, Professor Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC

It was five a half years ago in NYC when I first met Dr Xiu-Min Li.  She is most gracious and humble and accepted me as a patient who suffers from asthma.  This is her speciality along with finding a cure for allergies.  Dr Li mainly works with children but my mild-moderate asthma qualified me, at the time, to become part of her trial for using chinese herbal medicines named ASHMI.  Instead of giving children steroids, which has a whole host of nasty side effects, Dr Li invented a remedy to manage asthma in children.

It has been five years of testing and I have been symptom free for two years now.  In fact, it has been recommended that I wean off my steroid over the next year and then slowly wean off the chinese herbal medicines in the years that follow.  Although I will always take the chinese herbal medicines, the dosage will be lessened.  This has been my goal since I first met Dr Li.  I felt that Eastern medicine holds the answers to asthma and Western medicine needs to catch up.

When I first had an asthma attack, the general practitioner (M.D.) thought it was a panic attack.  NOT!  The nurse gave me an inhaler and I could breathe again.  However, instead of undergoing testing they just provided me with a prescription for steroids.  This is not how it’s done!  And if you find yourself, or your child, in this same situation ask for proper testing.  I may not have needed the steroid that I was taking had the lung function tests been ordered. Unfortunately the body becomes dependent upon the steroid and it is a slow and dangerous process to wean off.  Steroids are nasty in the body and I for one cannot wait until I am steroid free.  It is a process, of course, and must be monitored by the medical profession!

I am not condoning or suggesting anyone to stop taking their steroids, but look into it further, especially if you have young children.  Thank you Dr Li for your hard work and support!  Our visit in NYC was informative and very enjoyable.  It was great to hear that my asthma is in remission and may remain that way for the rest of my life – symptom free!  I am so happy I contacted you in 2007 and feel very blessed and honoured to be a patient and friend of yours.

BTW, although I was already writing at the time, it was Dr Li who instructed me to find something I love to do indoors as the air quality where we were living, at the time, was the poorest in Canada.  I remember looking at Dr Li like she gave me a life sentence as I LOVE THE OUTDOORS.  However, I would not be writing if it wasn’t for her adamant instruction.  I do find it trickier now because I can be outside most days as we have moved to cottage country with fresh air!  Meeting Dr Li has been life changing for me!  I can do things I have not done in 15 years – ride a bike, run, and walk outside in the summer.  All of the anxiousness (from not being able to breathe), worry, illness and lack of hope I once felt has been channeled into my writing.  Thank you Dr Li and to the readers that contact me and encourage me to keep moving forward.  Dr Li recommends What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Allergies and Asthma by Dr. Paul M. Ehrlich for further reading.

 

NEW YORK CITY

We are heading back to New York City this Victoria Day long weekend and rather excited to return.  It is the land of opportunity for many Canadian authors.  I’ve had many New Yorkers offer their support to me as an author.  They are a kind and supportive group of artists.  Thank you to my connections on linkedin for encouraging me every step of the way as I write the Paige Maddison Series: for ghost story lovers only.

I LOVE GHOST STORIES

Leave a comment below if you love ghost stories – fact or fiction.  I want to know what you love about them.  Have a great Mother’s Day weekend everyone.