Lada Ray's Blog, page 99

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Soviet Cars and My Infamy

I bet, when you saw this title you thought I was mistaken for a thief of some old Soviet clunker, arrested by the scary KGB and shipped off to Siberia? Just as a clarification for those who missed it, there is no KGB any more. It has been replaced by the FSB about 20 years ago, which, much like the CIA and MI6, hardly concerns itself with auto theft, not to mention, they apparently stopped shipping people off to Siberia over sixty years ago (can you imagine that!).

No, my story is nothing as dramatic. It actually is cute and funny. So, if you wandered in here for the wrong reason, sorry to disappoint. But if you are still reading this, chances are you belong.

Want to join me on a fun journey back in time? Then, fasten your seat belt!

In the year 2011, I opened my Twitter account and suddenly was followed by a number of auto dealerships and manufacturers, ranging from Lombardini and Ferrari to Cadillac and Mercedes. My strange popularity among auto makers and distributors continued unabated, despite the fact that I never wrote a single tweet about anything remotely auto-related and never followed back my eager auto-friends.

As those, who follow me on Twitter know, I tweet about Russia, China, USA, world events and cultures, geopolitics, nature, spirituality, music, feng shui, social media, writing and publishing.

Then, several months ago, I discovered that according to Klout, I was influential in the following topics: Russia, thrillers, Amazon, epublishing and feng shui, to name a few. Which all made sense. However, my No. 1 TOP topic, according to Klout was… cars! For those who don’t know, Klout is the standard of Social Media influence and it rates how influential you are about various popular topics.

I stared at my Klout page. I’d never tweeted about cars. I tweeted about trains a lot, since my most recent mystery thriller, entitled GOLD TRAIN, includes some great train action, and since I happen to love trains.

But cars?

Then, I looked at my tweeter name, @LadaTweets, and knew: this was my answer! My mysterious and unwanted popularity with the world’s auto crowd has been explained!

Huh?.. You’ll say. But let me enlighten you.

It all started years ago, how many exactly is not important , when my well-meaning parents decided to call me Lada. This is a linguist in me talking: Lada is actually an ancient Russian, as well as Slavic, name and it means ‘balance’ or ‘harmony.’ As in ‘living in harmony.’ It’s a very good name and I am very fond of it.

As another example, the verb, derived from the noun ‘lada’ – ‘ladit’ – means exactly that: to live in harmony/ peace. A very well known in the West Russian name, Vladimir, means living in harmony (peace) with the world. V-lad-i-mir = In-harmony-with-world. Many, even among Russians, think that ‘Vladimir’ means ‘the owner (or ruler) of the world,’ but the ancient root of both notions is the same. It seems, the ancients were much wiser than us, as they understood that one can only own or rule one’s world by being at peace and in harmony with it. What a novel idea!

But back to my story. Here is the clencher: LADA also happens to be the name of the most popular Soviet car. Its manufacturer, the Soviet/Russian automaker AvtoVaz, thought it would be cute to give it a girl’s name, like Mercedes, you know. Mind you, Lada was nothing like a Mercedes. It was a rather simple – no luxuries – but solid and reliable, and in it’s own way, cute, little car.

Check out the general page for Lada on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada

Lada Classic. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Currently called Lada Classic, this is what Lada looked like in the Soviet days.

Lada Classic page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada_Riva

Lada Classic Estate. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Classic sedan. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Excessive capitalist luxury was frowned upon in the good, old, Soviet Union, so things manufactured in the country were rather perfunctory, but so over-enginiered that many became heirloom pieces. Interestingly enough, many of those who grew up in the Soviet Union and other socialist countries have very fond memories of Lada, the car. So fond that there is still a cult following of Lada Classic. Although AvtoVaz makes contemporary cars as well, they still sell Lada Classic practically with the same exact look as in the 1970′s and 80s. It’s sort of like Volkswagen Bug – people buy because of nostalgia.

In 1989, I just graduated from high school and started at the university. My parents had recently bought a Lada and jokes were frequently made about a Lada within a Lada. My fiance at the time wanted to follow in his and my parents’ footsteps and also managed to buy a Lada, after his and my folks chipped in. It was very rare for a twenty-year-old to have a car in those days, although, ours was a used one. We were an adventurous couple and that little Lada served us faithfully for a couple of years, until in 1991 we left the country, having sold our well-used car for a nice profit. Such was the power of hyper-inflation that was picking up before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Before we left, we made a very good use of our car, having traveled high and wide in it, including a super-tour of Eastern and Central Europe. During our European adventure, we’d visited a number of countries and some day I’ll do a post about that.

Our adventures included a story about the two-foot deep pot holes in Western Ukraine, which cost us the steering wheel that cracked in half. We made the rest of the journey to Poland, steering the car without it (I still wonder how we managed it). In Poland, we bought gasoline and the new steering wheel on the black market at a huge premium, along with some very cute boots for me (the only thing that was actually affordable). Then we crossed over to East Germany, only to find that all gas stations were closed because it was after 6 pm. And I mean, ALL gas stations! The orderly Germans loved to go home to their families early and didn’t care too much about any stranded motorists, which were admittedly very few in those days.

To save the day (or rather, the quickly approaching night), we had to cross the border on foot back to Poland under curious gazes of the Polish and German border guards, and persuade the Polish border patrol to sell us some gas from their patrol car, which they gladly did to make an extra buck. In Germany, we had a different problem. Apparently, our car liked it there so much that it refused to leave and it took us a while to convince it to start moving.

Later, the Chech border patrol was so shocked to see a loose Russian car on their little border crossing – apparently the first ever Russian car they’d seen in their lives – that they asked us if we wanted political asylum. In Prague, we settled down for the night in our car (to save money) in what seemed like a quiet courtyard, only to wake up in the middle of the Chech Police headquarters parking lot. In Hungary, we bifriended the gypsies, who were… But that is already another story, which I promise to tell one day, along with many, many other funny anecdotes.

Yeah, it was a great little car – a big nostalgic sigh. Some tend to laugh at it, but I’ll always have fond memories of Lada, my first ever car! Lada was actually considered a luxury car in other socialist countries. Everything’s relative in this world, isn’t it? Kind of like Toyota Camry is considered an impossible luxury in Israel, where it’s unaffordable even for people who make a very good living (as I found out when a was visiting my Israeli friends).

In East Germany, our friends Anke and Michel were very envious when we came to visit. They wanted a car, too. But the only one available to them was a Trabant, an unbelievably tiny and funny looking East German car, made out of either celullose or cardboard. There is no consensus to this day, which material was used to produce that incredible creation, but the comforting thought was that the material appears to have been bio degradable, therefore cows could chew on the remnants after humans were done with it. I am not  kidding! And guess what, the nostalgia for the good, old East German days causes people to collect even Trabants.

The infamous East German Trabant. Along with Yugo (Yugoslavia), voted one of the fifty worst cars ever made. Dan Niel, Pulitzer Prize-winning car critic remarked that it  ”gave the Communism a bad name.”

As opposed to Trabant, Lada, properly made out of metal, was the pinnacle of desire in Poland and East Germany. As we drove our Lada through East Germany, the locals shouted appreciatively: “Ohh, eine gute Russisch auto!” – “A great Russian car!”

And so, there you have it. The mystery of my popularity in the auto industry is solved. It’s all about branding, you see. They actually thought @LadaTweets represented Lada, the car, not Lada, the thriller and fantasy writer.

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Contemporary Lada: Lada Granta. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Kalina. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Lada Niva. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

The trick is now to make the Lada Ray brand name just as – preferably more – recognizable. The dinky little Lada is going strong after all these years. In the competition with the Hondas, Toyotas and Fords of the world, it has outlived lots of brands, both in Russia and abroad. And people still remember that old, classic Lada with warmth. Some even still want to drive it. Whatever you think about Lada as a car, those who made it, must have been doing something right!

So, I’ve been thinking: time is the ultimate test. If my books are remembered with warmth and re-read after many years, then I haven’t been writing in vain.

Book Review. Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill

Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill

 By M.G. Edwards

 

Book Review: 5 Stars

Conquering your own Kilimanjaro

This book is about many things. At forty, the author, M.G. Edwards, finds himself at a crossroads. Leaving behind the unfulfilling job as part of the American Foreign Service, he embarks on a grueling, excruciating, and at times scary, journey to the top of Africa, the famous Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Sound familiar? How many of us have gone through the same thing at some point in our lives? How many left an unfulfilling job behind, packed a backpack or a suitcase and embarked on a far away journey to look for answers? Only to discover that all of our answers lie within.

I was interested to follow the author’s journey to the top and the challenges he encountered along the way. But I was especially curious to read about the dynamics of his little group’s interactions with the crew of local guides, cooks and helpers, whose job was to carry the tourists’ supplies and tents up the mountain. For me, that put in striking perspective the harsh realities of local inhabitants compared to the “wealthy” Westerners dropping in for a brief visit.

The book includes a large number of photos, documenting the entire trip. I am very visual and in my opinion, the journey came alive through these photos. This was one of the best features of the book and I have to commend the author for including them. The book is a rather quick and easy read. In the second edition, I didn’t notice any errors mentioned in one of the previous reviews.

If you are considering a trip to Kilimanjaro, the author does an excellent job of providing guidance and tons of useful information regarding such mundane, but unavoidable, subjects as fees, procedures, hiring and interacting with guides/helpers, as well as local conditions. The addendum provides a number of other useful tips and local information, invaluable for future climbers.

This is the first book in M.G. Edwards’ World Adventurers Series. I am looking forward to reading about the author’s various other world adventures!

July 10: Last Chance to Download GOLD TRAIN Free!

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Mark your calendar!

GOLD TRAIN will be FREE on Amazon Kindle on July 10 for one day only!

Don’t miss it!

Dear readers and friends!

I will be saying goodbye to my participation in the Amazon KDP Select Program later this month.  Therefore, I’ve decided to use this last chance to thank you for your support by making GOLD TRAIN FREE for one day.

Gold Train Description:

For the fans of The Da Vinci Code and Jason Bourne comes this gripping thriller based on true historic events!

1918: Civil War in Russia. The entire Gold Reserve of the Russian Empire vanishes without a trace. But what if it’s about to resurface? And what if it’s about to be used to shift the global balance of power?

TODAY: The world’s largest treasure; dangerous adventure; forbidden passion defying time and space; conspiracy threatening to plunge the country into darkness.

Jade Snow, international journalist and stay-at-home mom turned spy extraordinaire, travels to Russia to reconnect with the country of her ancestors and investigate tantalizing mystery of the Gold Train. Instead, she is about to land in the middle of a deadly conspiracy threatening to change the fate of one of the world’s most powerful nations; and in the process, she is destined to meet a mysterious stranger who will change her life forever. When Jade’s only Russian friend gets murdered, she finds herself embroiled in a net of lies, glamour, intrigue and alien ideals. But running is not an option, as commitment to solve the murder and uncover the treasure makes her play the deadly game. Refusing to be a pawn in a struggle of forces beyond her control, Jade must choose between her worst friends and best enemies… and the future of the world just might depend on her choice!

Rated R for a couple of hot romantic scenes.

Click here to download!

A MUST Read if You Are an Author! Does Amazon KDP Select FREE Promo Work?

After hearing some success stories with Amazon KDP Select program, in May I finally decided to enroll GOLD TRAIN, STEPFORD USA and GREEN DESERT. I got a few borrows, but borrowing wasn’t my goal.

It appeared that the program was effective for the previous authors when they made their books free for up to 5 days. Usually, lots of copies would get downloaded during the free period, which made the book jump in the

How to Make a Book Trailer

Authors traditionally rely on writing to spread the word about their books. Yet they often overlook videos as a fabulous promotional tool. Trailers historically have been reserved for movies. But with the advent of Social Media, it became possible to make book trailers at low or no cost.

A book trailer adds an extra dimension and visibility to the promotion of your book. And in our competitive world, we, authors, should use every advantage we can get. This, visual dimension can be quite valuable. A book trailer can be posted on your YouTube channel, website, author Amazon and Smashwords pages, Goodreads, as well as a number of other places.

I know, I know. You think it’s too hard. It actually isn’t, but there is a learning curve – a rather steep one. One point I want to make is that the trailer doesn’t need to be overly complicated. For example, you don’t need to make it into a movie, unless you like that kind of thing. It is very effective to use pictures/photos, together with a snappy narrative and suitable background music. This is my preferred way of making a trailer, but of course, use your imagination and let your creativity tell you what works for you and your book. Sky is the limit!

I estimate the learning curve for making a trailer at about 50-60 hours. So, if you can’t afford to dedicate this much time to learning about movie and trailer making, than you are better off delegating this task to someone else.

But if you are up for the challenge, here is what you need to know.

First, you need to start a YouTube channel. It’s easy to sign up and setting it up takes no more than half an hour.

Mine is called Lada Ray Channel and for now, I keep it simple. So far, I’ve made 4 book trailers and a bunch of nature/Halloween videos. But I may expand my channel in the future, time permitting.

Take a look at my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/LadaRay/videos

Once you’ve set up your Youtube channel and learned the ropes, you can start making your book trailer. Estimated time for each trailer: 5-10 hours.

Here is what you will need:

1. Find and upload on your computer a movie maker software. Google it. There are several that are free, including Windows Movie Maker. Of course, you can also pay for a more sophisticated version.

2. Think about the theme and flow of your trailer. I love this part! It’s like directing your own movie. I usually write down the narrative for each frame and visualize what kind of picture would work with it.

3. Write out the narrative. Don’t overwhelm your trailer with text though. Remember, you are making a movie, not writing a book. It’s supposed to be snappy, entertaing, and a feast for ALL the senses.

4. Gather enough images to be used in your trailer before you begin. My advice, have plenty of extras. You can always discard the ones you decided not to use. It is much better than coming short while in the middle of your trailer-making process.

To find the images, go to a website like Shutterstock, where you can purchase no-royalty photos inexpensively.

I love photography, so whenever I can, I use my own pics for trailers and videos.

5. Find the music that works with your trailer. You can purchase a piece of music online, or use a no-royalty piece that is past its copyright. These are usually classics. A word of warning: classics are great if they go with your topic and presentation. But I sometimes see pieces that are completely mismatched. Try your music for size before applying it.

For example, check out my STEPFORD USA trailer. The music used is a classic: Second Waltz by Russian composer, Dmitry Shostakovich, written in the 1940s. And it works very well with this particular piece.

6. After you’ve assembled all the elements, the real fun begins! Upload your images into frames, add text and music! Enjoy!

TIPS:

1. To make my videos look and feel more professional, I usually play with extending or narrowing time frames depending on how long I want every image to linger.

Check out my GOLD TRAIN  trailer. Notice how the music changes and highs emphasize the narrative and work with images?

2. Always fit your music to frame. Otherwise it will be too long or too short. This will make it look sloppy and unprofessional.

Check out my videos:

Enchanted Autumn  and  Amazing Autumn Meditation  to see how the music precisely matches the length of the video. Unfortunately, not every video has this, resulting in a period of silence or a cut off piece.

3. YouTube offers some very cool video enhancement tools, like color enhancement, moving frames and text, etc. I used some of them in my videos. See if you can spot what enhancements I used in the following trailers and videos:

GOLD TRAIN  trailer

STEPFORD USA trailer

Autumn Waltz of the Ducks

Amazing Autumn Meditation

Enchanted Autumn

These video enhancement tools are great fun and I enjoy playing with them. Word of caution: make sure they work with your particular piece! And sometimes less is more.

Good Luck! If you decide to make a book trailer or if you already have one, feel free to post a comment together with the link!

P.S. When you set up a YouTube channel, make sure you subscribe to Lada Ray Channel and let me know about it. I’ll be glad to reciprocate!

To Blog Or Not To Blog: When a Great Tool Gets Corrupted

A few days ago, I visited the blog of my new friend, a San Diego photographer, Russel Ray (no relation).

I was intrigued by one of his posts, entitled: “Is there a WordPress store where one can buy likes and comments?” It sounded kinda funny, yet kinda disturbing. To make a long story short, Russel stumbled upon more than one blog, which were started as recently as one or two months ago and had very few and very lack-luster posts, yet boasted hundreds and hundreds of likes and comments per post and had over a thousand followers.

Here is the link to this very interesting post: http://russelrayphotos2.com/2012/06/04/is-there-a-wordpress-store-where-one-can-buy-likes-and-comments/

If you blog, you would know that oftentimes a really great post generates just a few likes and comments, especially if you are new to the blogging realm. I’ve been blogging since January, 2012 and can personally attest how much hard work goes into creating great content, and how hard earned each and every like and comment is. It takes a while to generate loyal and interested readership. Getting 600 likes and 800 laudatory comments for a tiny, 2 paragraph entry that hardly says anything at all, if you’ve only started blogging 6 weeks ago and have 6 posts all together, seems more than a little incongruent.

The post on Russel’s blog generated tons of comments, in which people were speculating what could have caused such an anomaly. Suggestions included: this individual had another blog and when he transitioned to the new one, he took his readership with him (highly doubtful with that kind of puny content); he has great following on Twitter/Facebook and these followers come to his blog to comment and like; he has great search engine optimization and gets lots of hits from Google.   Interesting suggestions which I’ll analyse and refute below.

Russel mentioned several different blogs and here are the links to two of them:

http://travelagos.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/happy-1050th-follower/#comment-744 (notice: in this post he’s bragging about having 1050 followers, and this is comment number 744)

http://2gallants.wordpress.com/

Now, I want to mention that in the past 6 months I met some wonderful bloggers, who put out truly awesome content. There is a number of people I could mention here, but suffice it to say, any praise they get is well-deserved.

And then, there are these… I went on both of the above-mentioned blogs and confirmed that indeed Russel was correct: way too many likes, way too little content!

I am usually not the one to complain, lament, or point a finger. I usually look ahead, concentrate on doing my best, and see the silver lining, however slim. But this one hit too close to home. And so, I wrote the following comment:

“Russel, this is a very interesting post and food for thought. I looked at both blogs, and it really is very, very curious.

What someone suggested, that these guys have a huge following on Twitter or Facebook doesn’t hold water. I looked at their stats, and each has 2-3 Twitter/FB mentions per post. Which means that these posts have hardly ever been tweeted/FBied. Which means that Tweeter/Facebook are NOT the driver here at all.

You can trust me on this! I have over 6,600 Twitter followers and if you look at my blog, http://LadaRay.wordpress.com, especially older posts, there are 40-100 tweets each and at least several FB mentions. I get mentioned on Twitter a lot, yet very few of my tweeps have WordPress accounts. Many still use Blogger. And unfortunately, these two blogging platforms don’t talk to each other. So, there goes this idea.

Then, what is behind this situation?

I think it would be useful to compare these two blogs to the Lada Ray Blog.

It is a good comparison, since I started my blog not too long ago, in January, 2012. But I think that’s where the comparison ends. I have written something like 55 posts by now, many very substantial, highly informative posts with tons of really great pics about world cultures and travel, especially Russia and China, 2012 Predictions, feng shui articles, and other unique and great stuff you won’t find anywhere else. As a result, I get tons of search engine viewings. In 6 months I have over 20,000 hits. I noticed that one of the blogs Russel mentioned has something like 22,000 hits with what, 6 short posts?

Every day I get at least hundreds of hits, especially for my posts about Russia and China. Many, as I mentioned, originate from the search engines from all over the world. Someone suggested in a comment that search engine hits may result in likes. This is almost NEVER the case, because people who visit your blog that way are interested in specific info they were searching for. They, most likely, don’t have a WordPress account, therefore can’t just click on like that easily. I think they have to sign in, provide email, possibly answer security question, etc. Very few have time and patience. Even if they really loved your post. I get comments sometimes, often from foreign countries. But these people hardly ever click on likes.

I also have close to 200 subscribers, but still get VERY few likes. Sometimes, I get more comments than likes. It actually saddens me, because I put all that work into my posts. I put them out so people could learn something, experience things they wouldn’t be able to experience otherwise. In return, I’d like to see at least some response and validation. At the same time, I see other blogs, with posts that are puny, oftentimes not even remotely interesting or even nonsensical, and they somehow get tons and tons of likes and comments. I do realize that perhaps these people have been around for a while. But looking at examples Russel provides, this argument flies out the window.

Yes, it is possible that these people had previous blogs with a large base of followers. It is also possible that they bought following. It’s even conceivable that they are somehow famous or notorious in certain circles, but it would not be FB/Twitter for sure. See my explanation above.

What I think though is that these new bloggers are using one trick. They go from blog to blog and subscribe to lots of blogs, as well as flood them with comments. And people reciprocate. Unfortunately, many people who like as return courtesy, don’t even read the posts. But all these hundreds of likes stroke one’s ego and make one look good, even if there is absolutely no content to back it up. Meanwhile, the really great blogs seem deserted, because their authors actually spend time creating content and have no time left to fleet around randomly.

As a result, a potentially great tool, which is supposed to be used as validation and recognition of someone’s efforts to provide great content, is corrupted. Unfortunately, social media can be a blessing and a curse. And often, it is too easy to manipulate it.”

One of these bloggers, named Lagos, actually responded to Russel’s question, defending his blog by saying that it is beautiful, that TO HIM it is the greatest thing since the sliced bread, that he has lots of friends and relatives who support his blog, and also that different people like different blogs.

Here is the link to the exchange between Russel and Lagos: http://russelrayphotos2.com/2012/06/08/extended-hours-at-the-san-diego-zoo-begin-june-22/#comment-3953

I decided to contribute to this conversation:

“Hi Lagos, I read the exchange between you and Russel and I checked out your blog. Unfortunately, I have to agree with everything Russel said. I started my blog in Jan. 2012 and created 55 great, substantial, unique and beautiful posts since then. I have over 6,600 Twitter followers and close to 200 blog followers. My blog is not only informative, but also beautiful, with lots of great pics, history, etc. I also got 20,000 viewings in 6 months. However, since I don’t have time to randomly go around clicking on likes for people I never met and because I don’t have a family who’d like my posts to death, I get 8-12 likes per post. And these are all hard earned likes.

I am inviting you to visit my blog to see for yourself. So, my friend, I am afraid, the verdict is that you are using some kind of trick(s). This is not real, and that’s sad. Very sad.

The question is, what’s the point in putting out great info? Let’s all create this illusion of being popular, instead of actually doing something worthwhile that justifies these likes. Yes, people are different, but they are not stupid.”

.

The way I see it, we all have a choice: why bother creating content if you can go around clicking on likes and flooding other blogs with comments. Some will reciprocate. This will provide the illusion that one is popular – a great ego-stroking tool! Let’s forget content, let’s forget beauty, humor, information. Let’s be mindless, indifferent, let’s exist in an illusion.

Tempting? Perhaps.

But I chose another road – in blogging and in life. It may take longer, and it may be a lot of hard work. And perhaps, I’ll never get 800 likes and 900 comments per post. But I’ll do my best to make each post unique, entertaining, intelligent and beautiful! And I’ll always make it real.

In the end, I know, my reader will find his/her way to my blog. And if each reader takes away a piece of knowledge they didn’t have, an inspiration they needed, or a chuckle that brightens their day, then my work is done!

GREEN DESERT (Jade Snow Prequel): Book Review by Author J.J. Collins

REBLOGGED from BooksReview4U Blog:

FIVE STAR Review by J.J. Collins

Green Desert by Author – Lada Ray, is an enthralling, captivating read. The author’s ability to take a topical subject and combine it with talented descriptive writing and creativity, always thrusts the reader into the very heart of her books.

Green Desert introduces us to daring investigative journalist – Jade Snow, and is set against the backdrop of the American forces occupation of Iraq. The author uses exceptional imagery throughout her story, to capture sheer mayhem and volatility of Baghdad, post the Saddam Hussein era.

The book has two central characters – Mohammed, a bright and ambitious young Iraqi man, who at the outset, harbours hopes to study in the West. On the other hand, we have the Oklahoman American Solider, Bill O’Shea, on his second tour of the country and missing his wife and family back home in the United States.

Jade witnesses the devastation of an explosion and the tragic aftermath of this unfortunate event takes us on the very real and moving journey, one filled with harsh realities and the subsequent very personal and real repercussions of war.

This journey is made all the more remarkable, as it is only after reading an unexpected hand delivered letter from a young boy in the street, that Jade can discover the hidden truth of these two men.

The letter allows Jade to use her investigative instincts to follow its contents in uncovering the truth, revealing the heart-wrenching pain and sacrifices of a young man caught in the middle of a war zone, trying his best to keep his family alive and safe. Only by tracing Mohammed’s story through the contents of the letter can Jade learn the truth about Sergeant William O’Shea.

This story will have you questioning the morality and justification of war, and what are the long term consequences of decisions to go to war. Is it a case of a “Rich Man’s” War and a “Poor Man’s fight?” or is it more a matter of a Western failure to understand Middle Eastern culture and their interpretation of freedom and democracy?

A powerful story in which Jade uncovers how two very different men are intrinsically linked, despite their national and cultural differences.

A gripping and entrancing  story.

Check out the Author’s website: http://www.LadaRay.com/

Available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Desert-International-Adventures-Prequel-ebook/dp/B005O0QJKQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339603465&sr=8-1

This review has been reblogged from BooksReview4U Blog by author and reviewer, J.J. Collins (London, UK)

Update: THE EARTH SHIFTER, New YA Fantasy/Thriller

The GOLD TRAIN blog tour, Stepford USA and Green Desert free promos, and life in general, have somewhat delayed the completion of THE EARTH SHIFTER, my new YA fantasy thriller. But I am getting back on track and have every intention of writing through the summer. THE EARTH SHIFTER release is scheduled for mid-September. So if I am MIA, you’ll know where to find me, namely, at my desk, typing away.

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Note: This is only the preliminary cover

THE EARTH SHIFTER is set in Moscow, sacred Lake Baikal in Siberia, New York, China, as well as other mystical realms of this surreal Blue Planet. I will be posting updates of my progress, as well as the book’s synopsis and excerpts throughout the summer. To find out more about THE EARTH SHIFTER, please visit my author website http://www.LadaRay.com/the-earth-shifter.

I am also working on DRAGON GATE, the new Jade Snow Adventure set in Asia. It is currently set for release during the Holiday Season 2012.

The weather has been very nice, and I hope to also find the time to enjoy the great outdoors. We have pretty fabulous nature here, in the Catskill Mountains. I enjoy hiking on the local Rail Trail, a defunct rail road turned nature trail, looking for inspiration.

I’ve taken some fabulous photos, but since WordPress has been pretty uncooperative lately, it’s been difficult to post a lot of pics in one post, evidently, due to WordPress’ servers being overwhelmed. My husband’s verdict: they need more bandwidth. He should know, this is right up his alley. Perhaps, one day I’ll share as many great pics as possible. But today, here are just a few as a sampler. I think you are gonna love them!

Spring in the Catskills:

A Cool America: Woodstock Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

This is part 2 of my Woodstock, NY post. It also features my original photography. Check out part one here.

Woodstock, NY has a distinction of being a Mecca for artists, as well as heaven for holistic and spiritually oriented people. As such, it is home to the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery located on Meads Mountain Rd.

One day I am planning on traveling to Tibet, but until then, why not explore a cool piece of Tibet, located practically in my back yard.

The official name of the monastery is Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) and it is the North American seat of His Holiness Gyalwa Karmapa. Founded in 1976, the monastery features the traditional teachings of the Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan meditation masters since the 10th century. The Monastery is located in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, just above Woodstock.

The Monastery has a number of monks and it hosts meditations, discussions about spirituality and higher consciousness, retreats and other events.

Recently it welcomed  Dalai Lama, as well as the Holy Man, Gyalwang Karmapa.

Monastery’s outer gate.

The inner gate.

The outside of the monastery.

Fu Dogs protecting the building.

Colorful Tibetan prayer flags are everywhere, surrounding the monastery with benevolent energy.

Tibetan symbols on top of the meditation building: 1. Wheel of life; 2. Stupa; 3. Victory banner; 4. Fruits of abundance; 5. Kalachakra.

Entrance into the mediation hall, painted with traditional Tibetan frescoes.

If you think this is beautiful, you aint seen nothin’ yet! The actual meditation hall is absolutely amazing. A WOW amazing! As someone who collects Asian art, I can totally attest to that! I was sooooo ready with my camera to snap those pics left and right. I was practically drooling! But… the very nice monks politely asked not to take any pictures inside the sacred space. Anyone is welcome to come in and meditate, but no photography is allowed in the meditation hall. So, I went in and sat on one of the pillows. I closed my eyes and meditated for a while. How I wanted to whip out my camera and snatch just a couple of pics of the magnificent Buddha statues towering at 25 feet, of beautiful thangkas and offerings! No one would see me do it, if I was really fast, would they?

But then, I thought of those monks and the trust they put in me, I thought of something intangible that I could distinctly feel in that room. What was it? The presence? Higher conscience?

As a result, my camera stayed in my pocket. I got up and went around the hall, taking in every statue, every piece of art and absorbing the atmosphere. After that, I exited the meditation hall, put my shoes back on and went outside without taking any pictures.

So sorry, no pics of the monastery’s most awesome room. But there are plenty of the rest. Enjoy

Inside the main building. Notice the floor? This beautiful design is called the mandala. It looks like a flower, specifically a lotus, and symbolizes harmony.

Ah yes, Thangkas… A thangka is a very special art form, particular to Tibet. They are painted by Tibetan Buddhist artists on canvas, using vibrant colors and oftentimes real gold paint. Nedless to say, because of that, they are awfully expensive.

The stroke is exquisitely fine; thangka’s design is usually very intricate, with lots of amazing images arranged in a very structured way around a main image of a Buddha, Tara, Avalokiteshvara, or another diety.

The canvas is usually framed with silk brockade and can be hung on the wall, creating a striking senterpiece for any space. However, when not in use, thangka can be rolled up, like a scroll, thus taking up very little space. This to me symbolizes a very Buddhist notion of “traveling light through life.” I collect thangkas and can’t stop admiring the amazing artistry of their creators.

A very interesting fact about thangkas is that despite being truly unique masterpieces, the artists don’t usually sign their names on their creations. It is believed egoic and inapropriate, as all art and creation belongs to God.

My husband with our friend Helen vising from NJ, and a Buddhist monk.

Philosophical paintings by Karmapa:

Awakening from slumber.

Inquisitive mind – genuine wisdom.

Dance of illusion.

The thunder dragon.

Union of mind and wisdom.

Pics of the Dining Hall.

The monastery has an extensive shop where one can buy very high quality Tibetan insense (I shop exclusively there), as well as thangkas, Buddhist devotional items, statues, books and other art. It is pretty awesome. Here are some of the images:

The monastery has been conceived as a fully sustainable, green project. Caring for the Earth and all its beings is an integral part of the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Solar panels on the monastery roof.

The monastery is still under construction. They are looking for donations and additional funding.

If you are interested in donating, please visit their website: http://www.kagyu.org/

I received One Lovely Blog Award

I’ve been nominated for One Lovely Blog Award by a wonderful woman, Sylvia W. McGrath. Dear Sylvia, thank you for thinking of me. It truly is an honor. You have a lovely, lovely blog and your flower banner is magnificent! I love flowers, can you tell?  

Here is the link to Sylvia’s post: http://sylviawmcgrath.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/one-lovely-blog-award/#comment-71
The rules of acceptance for this award nomination are as follows:




Thank the person/people who nominated you and link back to them in your post
Share 7 things about yourself
Nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire
Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know

In line with the title, One Lovely Blog Award, these are some of the things in this world I love most:

My husband and my family;
Creating cool new stories and making them come alive on paper;
As an internationally certified feng shui master practitioner I love helping people make their residences more harmonious and beautiful;
Flowers, animals and nature;
Really great movies and beautiful music;
Photography;
Travel and adventures big and small.

The lovely bloggers and wonderful people I choose to nominate are:

Madelaine Walsh http://1earthnow.wordpress.com/

Darlene Foster http://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/

M.G. Edwards http://worldadventurers.wordpress.com

Erin Pike http://erinbradypike.com/

Jeff Whelan http://jeffwhelan.wordpress.com/

Pranjal Borthakur http://pranjalborthakur.wordpress.com/

Lesley Carter http://lesleycarter.wordpress.com

Thelma Cunningham http://thelmac.wordpress.com/

Donna Jones http://donnaljones.wordpress.com/

J. Thomas Ross http://jthomasross.wordpress.com/

Marilyn Dieckmann http://marilyndieckmann.wordpress.com/

Cari http://audacityshewrote.com/

Story Addict  http://addictivestory.wordpress.com/

Nicky Wells http://nickywellsklippert.wordpress.com/

Congratulations, winners!

Once more, many thanks to my friend, Sylvia McGrath! Please make sure you visit her lovely blog:  http://sylviawmcgrath.wordpress.com/