Maranda Russell's Blog, page 103

Staying sane during troubled times

Lately things have been extremely stressful for me. Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged by circumstances that are somewhat out of my control, but still manage to weigh heavily on my heart and mind. I think I would have gone crazy recently if it weren’t for my spiritual connections and the support and encouragement of those who love me. Although I am not happy to be facing difficult times and circumstances, I am glad to have the reality check that helps me get back to the basics of what is really important in this life.

So now that I am (hopefully) starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, I would like to share the actual practices and actions that have helped me through, in the hopes that others going through the valley might find comfort and encouragement for their own battles. So here it is, a short list of lifesavers I have discovered:

Meditation and prayer – this is probably the one single thing that has helped me the most. I practice a combination of mindfulness and relaxation meditation, combined with prayer based on the particular Christian tradition I follow. I do breathing exercises, practice yoga, meditate to soothing music, read inspirational literature, journal and just spend time talking to God. Regardless of whether you are religious or not, there are plenty of relaxation and spiritual practices that may help you to find that inner peace and stability you need during rough times. Don’t be afraid to go within or look up for help.
Loved ones – this includes my husband, my family, my close friends, my pets and even Facebook friends that I have never met in person, but who have shown me great kindness and compassion throughout my troubles. One ironic thing I have found is that sometimes those who don’t even really know us show more compassion and love during hard times than some of the folks who we see on a regular basis. During times like this you find out that some people will always be there for you and other people are merely acquaintances. Although it may hurt, it is good to know who will be there when the chips are down.
Take care of your health – although sad and desperate times may tempt you to neglect your health, this will only make things much, much worse. Although I have had days recently where I was guilty of indulging in chocolate and caffeine fests, I find that I feel much, much better when I drag myself out to get exercise and eat what I know is good for my body. Make sure you take time to rest and sleep as well. Sometimes when all seems lost, laying down and taking a nap helps you recharge and “reset” your mind into a more positive direction.
Take time to play – this can be hard when you are facing tragedy and constant stressors, but it is important to try to keep life fun as much as you can. So do what brings you pleasure, even if you can only devote a few minutes a day. Read, write, draw, paint, do puzzles, dance around to your favorite music, watch cartoons, cook, shop, spend time with nature….whatever your bliss is, find time for it.

Well, that is the majority of what has worked for me. I can’t promise that what worked for me will do wonders for you too, but maybe it will if you give it a chance. It certainly can’t hurt to try.

Review of Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s Poetry Books

For this post I am going to review two poetry books by Patricia Neely-Dorsey, a poet who uses her writing to show her love for Mississippi and the simple pleasures of southern living.

Book #1 – Reflections of a Mississipi Magnolia: A Life in Poems

The first poetry book that Patricia Neely-Dorsey released covers a broad range of topics, from southern life & country living to childhood memories, family history and other deeply personal subjects. Although I have never lived in Mississippi or spent much time there, I felt that Ms. Dorsey was able to bring the culture to life in a way that anyone could relate to. The poet’s pride and passion for her state shines through, illustrating the importance of connecting to a place and taking the time to truly lay down roots.

Although I enjoyed the poems about southern life and country living, I must admit my favorite poems came later in the book when the author delved more deeply into her personal life and relationships. I especially related to a poem titled “Know It All (He Thinks)”, as I’m sure any parent of a teen or preteen could! Another favorite was the short poem, “Waxing Poetic”, which any creative spirit is sure to understand. As I read through the collection, I enjoyed the playful sense of humor in many of the poems, but also discovered a few poems that really made me stop and think or made me smile in wistful longing.

This is definitely a poetry collection that is heartfelt, inspiring and easily understood. Whether you are a Mississippi native or not, this is one that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Book #2 – My Magnolia Memories and Musings: In Poems

Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s second poetry book looks and sounds a lot like the first one if you only look at the cover and the title, but I was pleasantly surprised to find fresh, truly new material inside its pages. As I began to read through the poems, I noticed that the poet’s style and view on life had evolved and changed a little since the first collection. Although the subjects covered are similar in some ways to those explored in the first book, they are often tackled in a different way in this collection.

One addition to this collection that I found delightful was the small collection of photographs shared throughout. The visual aids definitely make the book more appealing and help to make readers feel more involved as they read through the poet’s experiences and memories.

I also noticed that the author seems to embrace free verse more in this collection. Although there are still some rhyming poems for those who prefer more traditional poetry, I felt that this collection leaned heavily towards freedom of expression and form, which seemed to make some of the poems even more personal and hard-hitting. Many of my favorite poems were in the section that talks about loss, a subject that wasn’t covered much in the first book.

Overall, I feel that this second book of poetry naturally picks up where the first book left off and shows the growth and wisdom of an evolving poet. I would highly recommend this book to poetry and literature lovers or to anyone that simply loves great writing.

For more information about Patricia Neely-Dorsey, her books or where to order a copy for yourself, please visit the author’s website, http://patricianeelydorsey.webs.com/.

To spank or not to spank – what kind of discipline actually works?

It’s been awhile since I have written a blog post related to foster parenting, but something has been weighing heavily on my mind and I would like to share it and allow others to share their own thoughts on the subject. As a foster parent, it is absolutely forbidden to give a child any physical punishments. No spanking, no standing in the corner, no hard physical labor or military-type exercise. In fact, sometimes it feels like as a foster parent the only type of discipline left to use is privilege removal and time out.

Unfortunately, I find that most of the discipline options we are allowed to use don’t seem to actually work. It leaves me wondering, what if anything would work? I have heard some foster parents swear that if they could just spank the kids or make them do physical drills like they are in boot camp, that they could “fix” these kids. However, I’m not so sure about that. I have known regular kids who were spanked or raised with military-type parents and some of those kids still didn’t turn out well.

So what is the real answer? Unacceptable actions do certainly have to have some kind of consequence, but what kind? Even our foster childrens’ therapists and counselors seem stumped sometimes as to what will help. They often have us trying one behavior management program after another just to see them all fail. This also leaves me wondering if it helps to constantly be changing your gameplan when it comes to discipline, even if a certified therapist recommends it. Sometimes I start to get confused about what we are supposed to be doing because it gets changed so much…so imagine how the kids must feel!

So now I am asking all parents, whether foster, biological or otherwise…what have you found that actually works as discipline? What seems to be totally ineffective? Are you for or against spanking?

Review of “Mud Puddles and Muscadines”

I’ll admit that before I even started reading “Mud Puddles and Muscadines”, written by Pat Brannon, I had to look up the word “muscadine”, because I had no idea what it meant. I guess you just don’t hear that word much where I grew up. So in case you are also unfamiliar with the term, please note that a muscadine is a grapevine species that is native to the southeastern United States.

Now, on to the actual book review. “Mud Puddles and Muscadines” is a collection of personal essays and poetry about the author’s experiences growing up in rural Arkansas. Ranging in time from the 1950′s until the 1970′s, the stories cover a broad range of people, places and memories that deeply affected the author’s life in one way or another. To me, reading through the book almost felt like watching an “Andy Griffith” marathon. Being a child of the 80′s and 90′s who was born in an urban, northern area, I certainly never experienced a place as innocent and charming as Griffith’s Mayberry, but while reading through these essays, I felt like I was vicariously experiencing the simple country life I had only before seen on tv.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the author of “Mud Puddles and Muscadines” always had an easy life surrounded by perfect people. She is very honest about the virtues and vices of those she knew and the struggles and victories she experienced growing up. However, even though life back then might not have been idyllic, there are some lessons our current culture could definitely learn from the past. It’s no wonder that many people long for a time when communities were close-knit and the people took care of each other. In our materialistic, often rushed modern society, it seems that some important things have been overlooked. Luckily, there are people like Pat Brannon who still remember those things and are willing to share them with the rest of us.

I would highly recommend this book for those who feel a bit nostalgic for their own past or for those who wish to experience the charm of an old-fashioned, small town world for the first time. For more information about the book and how to purchase a copy, please visit the author’s website.

Release of new children’s short story, “Vinny & Violet, The Unwanted Kittens”

This is just a quick post to let all my readers and fans know that I just published another short story ebook! This ebook, titled “Vinny & Violet, The Unwanted Kittens”, is a heartwarming tale about two abandoned kittens and the little girl who rescues them. The story quickly takes a serious turn when one of the kittens becomes extremely ill and has to fight for her life.

This ebook is best suited for independent readers age 7-12, but can also be enjoyed as a read aloud story. Not only is the book uplifting and inspiring, but it also teaches an important lesson about empathy and proper animal care. Animal lovers will definitely like this one! To purchase this ebook for only 99 cents, please visit the book’s Amazon page. If you and your child enjoy the story, please consider leaving a review on Amazon as well!

Should book reviewers charge fees?

I know many indie authors and others in the literary world have vastly opposing opinions on the matter of whether book reviewers should charge fees for their services. I struggled with this issue a lot myself as a book reviewer. On the one hand, you want your reviews to be unbiased, honest and taken seriously. However, on the other hand, as a reviewer, I know that it does take a lot of time to read and review books. Each book, depending on the length can take anywhere from 30 minutes (short picture books) to a few hours to read through, especially when you are reading with a critical eye to be able to give a fair review. Add to that the time it takes to write up the review, post it online and promote the post and you can easily spend many hours creating a good book review.

For a long time I did offer free or donation-based reviews. The trouble was that I became so overwhelmed with all the time and effort of reviewing everyone else’s work that I started to slack off on my own writing and book promotional duties. For a while I tried to balance it all, but eventually realized that if I were to justify all the time I was using writing reviews, I should ask for at least a small compensation for the time and effort on my part. I never did approve of those reviewers that charge ridiculous reading fees up to several hundred dollars and think that many of them exist simply to take advantage of excited indie authors who are having a hard time finding reviews. I decided right away I WOULD NOT be one of those guys. So I decided to charge between $15 and $25 for reviews, depending on the length of the book. I still generally don’t even earn minimum wage per hour for actual time spent reading and reviewing, but I’m ok with that because I do love the work.

I know not everyone agrees with my decision and I’m ok with that. I definitely believe everyone should go with their gut when it comes to doing what feels right, but I hope they can at least understand my point of view as well. I should also mention that I do sometimes still do unpaid reviews. I occasionally trade reviews with other authors if their books are in a similar genre and I still do some reviews just because I love a book or an author and I want to share my thoughts.

Even with the reading fee, I am still careful to pick books to review that interest me too, after all, there are some genres I just don’t feel like I can do justice to in a review, because I don’t know enough about the genre. That is why I tend to stick to children’s, young adult, women’s, nonfiction and poetry genres.

Well, that is my view on things. Feel free to leave a comment below and express your opinion.

Review of “Walk Softly, You’re Steppin’ On My Heart!” Poetry Collection

 As a poet myself, I am always happy to find great poetry collections by other authors. Unfortunately, in our fast-paced society, it seems that poetry has somewhat fallen by the wayside, but I feel that there is truly no more artistic, beautiful way to express true feelings than by putting them into verse. The poetry collection I am reviewing today, “Walk Softly, You’re Steppin’ On My Heart!”, written by Christian and children’s author Pat Brannon, is truly a heartfelt, touching collection of inspiring and thoughtful reflections.

The poems in this collection are undeniably Christian, full of faith and trust in a higher power, but at the same time, the poet does not ignore the rough side of life or the doubts that tend to creep in as we navigate the human life. The poems are by turns sad, philosophical, joyful, thought-provoking and always full of grace and forgiveness for a world that desperately needs a helping hand from above.

As I neared the end of this collection, I realized that it truly takes a special gift to be able to reach the human heart on as many levels as Ms. Brannon manages to do with this book. It also takes a special person to share their faith in such an open manner, without becoming overbearing or judgemental. This is a book I will definitely hold on to for those days when I need a little pick-me-up (which happens quite often in this crazy, mixed-up world).

This collection would make a great gift for someone in need of a little encouragement and inspiration. Of course, it would make a fine gift to give yourself as well! For more information about this book and how to order a copy for yourself, please visit the author’s website, www.patbrannon.com (for ordering information, just click on the “books” link on the left side of the screen).

Review of “The Adventures of Cecilia Spark” series

For this post I am going to share reviews of the first two books in the children’s chapter book series, ”The Adventures of Cecilia Spark”, written by Ngaire Elder and illustrated by Peter Maddocks.

Book #1 – The Adventures of Cecilia Spark: The Brimstone Forest

I could tell right away that Cecilia Spark is a character after my own heart. Instead of being into “girly” stuff like princesses, dolls and tea parties, Cecilia is all about adventure! She would much rather be out bug hunting or chasing dragons than sitting around painting her fingernails, which makes her my kind of heroine! It seems rare to find a book series where the main character is a strong girl with interests that fall outside of the female stereotype. While I enjoyed some girly pursuits growing up, I was always a “tomboy” who would rather be outside getting dirty than inside doing something domestic. This series will definitely appeal to girls who like adventure and fantasy.

I also really liked the elements of fantasy woven into the story and the creative names that the author bestowed on some of her characters. For instance the bad witch named Trixa, the dragon named Jinxi, the talking mouse named Soldier and the “Thingamabob” which turned out to be a good witch named Senorita Favorita. This book is full of creativity and imagination, aspects which are sure to delight young readers. The illustrations are simple black & white drawings, but they are very well-done and definitely add visual delight to the storyline. I would definitely recommend this book for grades K-3 (although kindergartners and first graders might still need some help reading it).

  Book #2 – The Adventures of Cecilia Spark: The Mystical Mountains of Terra

With the second book of the Cecilia Spark series, Cecilia finds herself facing an even bigger adventure than last time! This book is about twice as long as the first book in the series, but since it comes in at a little under 100 pages, it is still appropriate for the chapter book age set. In this book we get more of a look at the history behind the magical world that Cecilia finds herself drawn into. It was cool to find out how Soldier became a talking mouse. Although I don’t want to give the plot away too much, I will say that the plot for this book was more complex and personally, I found it even more fun than Cecilia’s first adventure. Using the suspense technique of pitting her characters in a race against time to help defeat evil, the author made this story into a book that is hard to put down.

We also meet several new characters in this book that I really enjoyed. Ractus the Armadillo was probably my favorite, maybe because he could be a little grumpy and high-strung, but in a lovable way. The two other new characters who really stood out were Pacha (a friendly little raccoon, who isn’t quite who she seems to be at first) and Turan (a half-human, half-tiger creature that plays a pretty important role in the climax of the story).  Again, this is definitely a series that would be enjoyed by children age 4-9.

If you would like to find out more about The Adventures of Cecilia Spark, please visit the series’ website, www.ceciliaspark.com. On the website you can find out where to order the book and enjoy some extra features like character illustrations, print-off activities to go along with the books and news stories related to the book series.

New ebook! “Whiskers and Hairballs: My Life as a Cat”

 Hi everyone! I just wanted to write a short post to let everyone know that I just released a new ebook entitled “Whiskers and Hairballs: My Life as a Cat”. This photo-illustrated picture book is a humorous look at the ups and downs of daily life, seen from the viewpoint of a house cat. With short, simple prose, this book is perfect for beginning readers, but the funny pictures and keen sense of humor will also appeal to cat lovers of all ages!

I hope you will check it out soon! You can buy this new ebook from Amazon for only $2.99 per Kindle download!

Two Children’s Books Perfect for the Holiday Season

Since the holiday season is rapidly approaching, I am going to feature two holiday books geared for children today. Both books are written by Pat and Jason Brannon, a mother and son team who obviously have a great passion for telling children’s stories. So without further ado…on to the books!

 Our first featured book today is a storybook that is perfect for beginning readers. With large print and easy-to-read vocabulary, “Snowman War” (co-written by Jason and Pat Brannon) is a funny, enjoyable story for kids who are still learning to master the art of reading.

The theme of “Snowman War” is based around a long-standing feud going on between the Frost Family and the Winter Clan, both of which are families composed entirely of snowmen and snowwomen. When the fight gets serious, things get funny fast! I loved all the snowman banter and namecalling and am sure children will be giggling out loud as they read this tale.

However, this is not just a story full of fluff and humor. The ending makes a great point about the importance of seeing past our differences and learning to work together for the ultimate good of all. From beginning to end, this is a fun, rollicking tale full of action and humor, that still manages to impart some good old-fashioned values. A great pick for any family to share this holiday season!

 Our second featured book actually contains two stories, “The Year Santa Refused to Wear Red” (written by Pat Brannon) and “The Sound of Hope” (written by Jason Brannon).

The first story is summed up fairly well by the title. Santa gets tired of wearing red, so he decides to change his style and instead wear a fancy suit, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. I must admit the idea of Santa dressing in such an outlandish fashion had me laughing as I pictured this new cowboy/business man image that Santa had created for himself. Of course, such a huge change to Santa’s image creates a great deal of controversy. Soon, Santa has to make a choice to either go back to his traditional look that everyone loves or to stick with his new style. Luckily, he makes a good choice that brings joy to everyone. This is a story that independent readers could enjoy over and over again whenever the holiday mood strikes.

The second story, “The Sound of Hope” is a creative, uplifting retelling of the Nativity story, told from the viewpoint of one of the donkeys in the stable where Jesus was born. Although I have read the traditional story of Christ’s birth many, many times, I found that the unique angle of this story brought a fresh perspective to the beautiful story that we may start to take for granted after hearing it for so many years. This is the kind of story I would highly recommend that a family sit down and read together around the Christmas tree or in front of the fireplace. It will surely spark some interesting conversation as it tells the old, old story in a way that will bring it alive for everyone, regardless of their age.

As you could probably tell, I really enjoyed both of these holiday books and hope you will check them out for yourself, especially if you have elementary-aged children. If you would like to find out more about these books or purchase a copy for yourself, please visit the “Books” page on Pat Brannon’s website (these two books are toward the bottom of the “books” page, so you will need to scroll down a bit).