Robyn Heirtzler's Blog, page 3

Finding Awesome when Faced with Darkness

I stumbled across Neil Pasricha's The 3 A's of Awesome on TED Talks yesterday and I feel like he recorded it just for me. He's so honest and sincere in the talk that it struck me that maybe that's what we're all missing, sincerity. Maybe we all need to just take a step back from what society tells us to do and who we should become ... maybe we should just be genuine!

He talked so openly about his life that he impressed me. He's gone through hard times. He's seen darkness. He'd dealt with the suicide of a close friend, divorce, etc., and yet he turned to the positives in life and created a blog titled 1000 Awesome Things. He talks about the little things we should all be grateful for, things often overlooked like:



Old Folks who sit on their Porch and Wave as you Walk By
Absolute Perfect Silence
When your Microwave Cooks Microwave Popcorn Perfectly
When Socks from the Dryer Match up Perfectly
Etc.

They're simple, sometimes silly things and yet, they're real and genuine and when we stop to pay attention to them it makes the world a little better place. 
I started something similar on Pinterest a while back, my gratitude board, where I record three gratitudes a day in picture form. I love pictures. It really does make the world look happier, more promising and helps me search deep within my own soul to discover what I truly value. Sometimes it's the smallest things that surprise me the most, like being grateful for:

Phineas and Ferb (makes our whole family laugh)
Encouragement
and Cuddles ...
[image error]
And after watching Neil's Awesome TED Talk, I wondered, can I institute his words into my life to help others be happier, to recognize the positives around them each day? There's already enough negative and scary out there. I want to think happy thoughts and pass them onto you. 
So, here goes. I'm officially making this blog my happy place and wishing all of you warm cuddles with your loved ones! :)

Blog Tour Begins Monday, Jan. 28!

I'm kicking off my blog tour today, that's right a few days early, with an interview on Book Addict 24-7! Think of it as an especially yummy appetizer, perhaps artichoke dip with baked tortilla chips or hot wings and blue cheese dressing.

The entire schedule is as follows:

Jan. 25 - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Book Addict 24-7 with Dayla F.M.

Jan. 28 - GUEST POST - Top 5 Ways to Procrastinate Writing
Word Paintings Unlimited with Sherry Gammon

Jan. 28 - GUEST POST - Ten Random Writing Facts
Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author

Jan. 29 - GUEST POST - Books that Influenced a Love of Reading
Lindzee Armstrong

Jan. 30 - GUEST POST - Author Spotlight & Path to Publishing
Writing Blind with Traci McDonald

Jan. 31 - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
James Duckett

Feb. 1 - GUEST POST - Pathway to Publication
Amy Jarecki Writes

Feb. 2 - BOOK REVIEW
LDS Forever Friends Book Nook with Teri Rodeman

Feb. 4 - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
My Keys on Writing ... with Mikey Brooks

Feb. 5 - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Paper Breaths of David James

Feb. 6 - GUEST POST - The YA Market isn't Just for Children Anymore
Write Through the Noise with Wendy Knight

Feb. 7 - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Jenuine Cupcakes with Jen Fisher

Feb. 8 - GUEST POST
No Thought 2 Small with Konstanz Silverbow

Feb. 9 - BOOK REVIEW
Writing Blind with Traci McDonald

And finally one last blog to finish it all off, like a long awaited dessert after the meatloaf finally settles.
Feb. 27 - GUEST POST
The Alliterative Allomorph

Any Other Sunday

Several years ago my mother told me the story of her aunt, who was murdered at a stoplight one night while returning from the beach, her young children in the backseat. I kept envisioning those children and what they must have felt watching their mother die and yet unable to help. This is a short story I wrote shortly afterward, inspired by the story of my great-aunt._________________________________
I was nine when my mother had her throat cut. It was any other Sunday, late May, and my father had just been sentenced to twenty years in prison. I suppose the thought of being away from my mother was too much for him, twenty years of wondering whether she would move on or wait. It was no secret to the rest of us, who’d watched her disguise black eyes with makeup and bruises with winter clothing.                Still, he begged her to wait for him the day the cops first hauled him away. She filed for divorce instead. I supported her so I always felt like I should have had my throat cut too, when I was nine, sitting in the back seat of the car while she bled out.                The California sun shone bright that day, the heat rippling in waves from the asphalt in the center of our apartment complex. It warped the buildings opposite like steam from the Ramen we’d had for lunch.                 “Ice cream or a movie?” my mother asked, her hand soft on my shoulder as I watched the heat from the front steps.                 My heart hammered in slight but irregular beats as I realized she’d crawled out of herself long enough to remember she had children. I knew my mother well enough to know she wanted ice cream and a walk on the beach. But I wanted to watch the newest movie to hit the dollar theater, the one all my friends had talked about three months ago, the one we couldn’t afford because my father traded all our money for crystal.Crystal what? That’s what I wanted to know, but my mother said it didn’t matter. The money was gone. My father was gone. And finally the bruises and crying were gone. Now it seemed there was money again, at least enough to escape the barred windows of our home. “What do you want to do?” I asked.She tried to smile, her lips a mixture of grimace and courage. “I’d like to watch the sun set over the ocean.”She’d already made up her mind, I knew because my little sisters ran from the apartment with towels and sunscreen, their swimsuits already covering their skinny bodies. I retrieved my suit as well, slipping it over my pudgy stomach and adjusting the straps on my shoulders. I was the fat kid. That’s what my father said, and he was right. My swimsuit pinched my thighs and the seams puckered at the sides.“We’re running out of daylight,” my mother called. I slipped on my flip flops and ran from the bedroom I shared with both my sisters. As I walked down the steps toward the parking lot I realized it didn’t matter where we went as long as we got away.But if I’d known Jimmy Maine would slit my mother’s throat on the way home, I’d have protested the trip. I’d have begged my mother not to go to the beach.But as the sun set, the shimmering buildings turning dark, the man my father hired approached us at the longest red light in California. His arm shot through the open window, the blade running across her throat while my sisters and I screamed in the backseat. They said my father did it out of jealous rage. They said we would be taken care of. But how can we be taken care of when we have to leave our own home, have to move in with someone who is not our mother? I took one last look at the tiny apartment where we’d finally escaped my father’s wrath to realize we’d never fully escape it at all.

Photo by Damian Brandon via freedigitalphotos.net

Escaping the Cult of the Average

Have you ever considered what it means to be normal? During a live radio interview a few days ago, that question arose, and the host stated that to be normal meant average and that we should aspire to be more than that, to be exceptional, not simply average. I agree.  
Average is following. Average is not reaching your potential. Average is existing but not truly living. 
Then I stumbled on something wonderful that validated the thought process and I've been sharing it with everyone! We need to change our thought process to be more grateful, to see the positives and the beauties in life and we will learn to excel. We will learn to escape the Cult of the Average, as Shawn Achor states in this TED talk. 
Watch it. He's awesome. Also, his sister is a unicorn, so how can you go wrong? 
I decided to take his 21 day challenge to change my thought process and created this incredible gratitude board on Pinterest. Yes, I'm grateful for each of these things, including the cookies and right now, especially the sunshine! But then I had a thought. If showing gratitude can affect the way we think, don't I want my children to do the same? 
I have awesome kids, who rarely complain, rarely fight, rarely argue ... awesome, right? So I wanted them to participate too. So, I showed them the video of Shawn and they laughed throughout the entire showing and then came the next idea, one I wondered if they'd actually participate in. A family gratitude board. Great idea, right? We hung it on the landing of our stairs, a place everyone passes multiple times per day and we set several dry-erase markers beside it. Three days later we have this.
And it makes me smile and laugh every time I walk by to see what the kids have posted. Seriously, "these weird people I call family" and "pigs and pig farmers" just so you know, that's the bacon gratitude there. Smaller words state "Lithuania" because one daughter is planning to teach English there this next fall, and "white boards" and why not? Without them we wouldn't have this masterpiece. 
Yes, it's made a difference in our house. I love it. My kids love it. I love that they're posting their siblings' names and even their gratitude of unicorns. And yes, even after a few days the level of positive energy has increased. I can't wait to see what happens by day 21, and I'm now trying to figure out how to make more space as this is truly a habit we're keeping. Thanks, Shawn Achor!

The Writing Process by Guest Blogger Kylee Shields

Guest Author:
Kylee Shields, author of Make It Happen: A Guide to Happiness for LDS Singles. Kylee has an eclectic writing process, a process she's sharing with us today. Thanks, Kylee, for visiting my blog! 

The Concept: 
I started blogging when I moved to Boston at the age of 26 and I love it! For the next few years I would blog about my travels, my experiences in Boston, my friends, and my ideas. I noticed a lot of people really relating to my blogs—people would bring them up in conversations at dinner, etc.

At the same time I noticed a lot of unhappy single adults around me. They seemed stuck in a cycle of working, eating, going to bed, and doing it again the next day. They were living their dreams or even making goals anymore. They were waiting to be married for
their life to happen. I NEVER wanted to be like this. I also never thought I would be single this long.

So I kept writing, journaling, blogging, and people started suggesting I write a book. My mom was a big proponent of me turning my ideas into a book. So over the course of many years, grad school, and life I turned my thoughts into a book

The Writing:
Once I started to conceptualize my blogs/stories/ideas into a book I had to go find them and gather them in one spot. I copied them all into a word document and started dividing them into different chapters or ideas/concepts.

It was really hard for me to decide how many chapters and what topics were the most important. Some ideas were really important to me but not to the general population of LDS singles. So once I gathered ideas of topics I chose my chapters.

Then I sort of storyboarded my chapters on my wall for about a year. I moved them around and folded up the corners when each chapter was completed. This was a visual way to really motivated me to finish my book

Whenever I would get writer’s blog (which happened a lot) I would take lots of breaks,
listen to great music, and I always went and played my piano for inspiration. I also found having lots of different conversations with other singles stimulated my writing process.

The Editing: 
The hardest part of writing this book was was deciding what to include and what to cut. I sent my chapters to many of my friends and family and asked them for their feedback, what I should cut, what stuck out to them that they loved, etc. I am really grateful for all their time and attention to detail that helped my book become what it is
today.

When I sent my manuscript to my publishers I had already cut many chapters. My editor asked me to to cut 12,000 more words and I ended up cutting 5 more chapters. All that cutting, switching, deciding took a long time and a lot of work.

The Publishing: 
After a few query letters and sending my manuscript out to LDS publishers my book found a home at Walnut Spring Press. With a writing undergrad degree I was familiar with writing and the process to get a book to a publisher but I was way out of my league what happened next. I am grateful for WSP for taking me under their wing and walking me through that process!

Kylee's book can be found on Amazon.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

inDIVISIBLE - A Powerful Concept

Dystopian novels have long been a staple of the Young Adult genre. However, following the release of a compelling new novel by Ryan Hunter, the genre is experiencing a revitalized and fresh appeal.
‘inDIVISIBLE’ presents a powerful concept where the Government controls each and every aspect of each person’s life, movements and relationships.
Synopsis:
Brynn Aberdie had everything: a loving family, security and an electronic implant that monitored every move. Brynn had everything but freedom. When her father’s life is taken Brynn vows to find that freedom, but it’s a task that puts her life at stake. She’s tagged as a terrorist and put on an Alliance kill list, forcing her to leave her home and become the rebel they already believe her to be. Brynn learns a lesson many in One United have already learned – by failing to protect their rights, Citizens have forfeited their lives with little hope to ever recover their own identities.
inDIVISIBLE takes a look at a future where the government has taken control. They decide where you live, where you work, where you attend school and with whom you associate. The Government’s tool to obtain this control? Fear.

As the author explains, what started out as a novel quickly became a tool for learning about one’s own principles.
“inDIVISIBLE wasn't written to be a story of fear and government coercion. It was just a story, but turned into more - a novel that promotes the idea of living what we believe in, in standing for what we know is right. It's also a story of discovering love and self. The relationship between T and Brynn is endearing, innocent and a journey of discovery as they begin to pursue their own interests for the first time in their lives,” says Hunter.
Continuing, “inDIVISIBLE was written after a disturbing dream in which I felt the despair of a total lack of freedom, of having every thought and action censored and observed. It encompasses the fears I have of the world my children are experiencing.”
Since its launch, the book has garnered a consistent string of five-star reviews. With some even calling it a ‘modern-day 1984’, feedback is proving increasingly positive.
“First time in a while that I've stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning to finish a book. It is also one of those books that you keep thinking about for a while after you've finished it,” says one reader, who reviewed the book on Amazon.
Another, Jeanie Walker, was equally as impressed. She said that, “Wow! This book is incredible! It opens your eyes to what our lives would be like without the freedoms we now enjoy. It is a very well written story of two young people who learn for themselves how precious freedom is, and how controlled our lives are without it. It is a must read for everyone! You won't want to put it down. It is a real thought provoker!”
With so much success on her hands, Hunter refuses to lose sight of what is really important.
“With the current level of government intrusion, readers are saying inDIVISIBLE wakes them to the issues surrounding us today. While primarily a story of fiction, I hope it helps people stand up and fight for their innate principles,” she concludes.
‘inDIVISIBLE’, published by CreateSpace, is available from Amazon: http://amzn.to/118bOlK

Houses of Section Seven

There are 12 Sections in One United, each one controlled by a city center that houses a large office for Alliance officials. But each Section is different in terms of industry and their housing arrangements.

Brynn comes from a Section in which the homes are new and uniform, each built underground to conserve energy. They're built from concrete with minimal comforts.

They've got one large, circular window directly above a mandatory garden. All the walls surrounding the garden are also glass so the light is visible throughout the home to minimize electrical costs. Curtains between the rooms and the garden offer privacy for Citizens living in the homes.

They access their homes via a spiral staircase that begins in an above-ground entryway the size of a large closet. The entry is just large enough to store a few folding bicycles. To enter, Citizens swipe their palms across a keypad that identifies them according to a chip in their hand.

I had the idea of an underground home in mind before I sat down to write the first word, but didn't quite know the design I wanted it to take on, until I saw this rendering on Anything and Everything.

This house is incredible, with every comfort imaginable, including a swimming pool and water slide.

The homes in Section Seven lack the comforts of this home, but the inspiration is well worth checking out in more detail!

Can it be considered a weapon? Ban it!

According to the government, there is only one way to keep people safe anymore and that's to ban anything that could be used as weapon.

Guns 
Kitchen Knives
Baseball Bats
Frozen Poultry ...
But we eat poultry, and baseball bats are not dangerous, at least according to a local judge, who recently let a suspect off after a brutal beating because a baseball bat is not an "inherently dangerous weapon."

What does it mean to be inherent? "an inseparable element, quality, or attribute."

So what if baseball bats weren't created to hurt people, they still have that potential. They're dangerous and we all know it, it doesn't matter that they were made to hit a ball in order to play a game. They kill, so let's call them what they are: weapons, and let's ban them.

The U.K. is already working on banning long kitchen knives to reduce the number of stabbings. What a great idea, because we all know that without long kitchen knifes, guns and baseball bats nobody will think to kill or injure anyone!

But what about frozen poultry? Wait, we've already got a law against that one, no assaults with frozen poultry, but since the government knows they're dangerous, why aren't they illegal to purchase? I can still buy poultry without ID ... maybe they're working on it.

Toys have been outlawed for being used as weapons, but what about books and toilet paper? What about toothbrushes - an easily sharpened instrument that can substitute for a knife? It happens all the time in prison ... and yes, people have found ways to make knives from toilet paper too. So where do we stop?

My guess: we stop when we no longer have freedom.

But we've got to do something, people exclaim. We've got to protect the innocent and make it harder for criminals to attack. I agree, but disarming honest people and putting a ban on anything sharp won't do it. I promise.

I recently read a blog post by Robison Wells about mental health and how it's being ignored. READ IT! It's great and I'm grateful to Robison for being so forthright in the post.

I believe there are huge problems in the way we handle mental health issues, but I believe there's more.

The family is being attacked, morals are declining, belief in God is fading. Violent movies and games are the norm ...

But that doesn't matter, people say. Violence in entertainment is just that - entertainment. Okay, but consider this:

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." -Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism
I'm not Buddhist, but I love this quote and I agree with it wholeheartedly. So, if it's correct, what's really causing all the mass killings? Could it possibly be the easy access we have to weapons? Could it be that if we simply remove them from reach that the violence will end? They do that in prisons every single day and the assaults and killings continue behind those bars. If people are dwelling on violence, if they're focused on their anger and frustrations, they will eventually let that out, whether they use a baseball bat, a frozen turkey or their bare hands. 
Thoughts trigger actions, not the things around us. 
It's up to each of us to strive for a better future by creating it any way we're able, and by allowing those who choose to defend and protect their families the opportunity to do just that. Because with each ban, we lose a little more freedom. We become subject to harsher government laws when we should be living a higher law.

If you agree with the post, please check out my latest novel, inDIVISIBLE, a dystopian that pursues a search for freedom.

Merry Christmas - Time for your Gifts!

It's better to give than receive ... so I'm prepared to give and excited to see you all receive! Yes, Christmas gifts for everyone from me, Ryan Hunter!

First up is a FREE download of inDIVISIBLE this weekend, two days, Friday, Dec. 21 & Saturday, Dec. 22. - not gift wrapped, sorry.

Next is a package deal for one lucky winner who helps spread word about the free download. This is a one time offer that I'm super excited about! Why? Well, when I first posted a picture of one of these items online I got such a HUGE response that I knew I had to include it in the giveaway. It may come as a shock, but yes, I'm willing to part with a single roll of One United toilet paper. -this one's gift wrapped.

You read that right. One lucky winner will receive not only a roll of One United toilet paper, but a signed copy of inDIVISIBLE (with a secret message inscribed in the text of the book), and a Property of One United towel, screen printed by the author herself.

The towel is screen printed by the author because it's a new skill she learned last week and has been having so much fun with it that all the linens in the house may soon bear One United status. It's also a new trend, to have sheets with One United stamped on the corners, pillow cases, shirts ... you know how it goes. Now you can be a part of it all!

Enter below and please share this giveaway with friends. If we can get enough people downloading inDIVISIBLE this weekend, I may be more generous with the gifts. :) -will ship anywhere in the continental U.S.

picture courtesy jannoon028 via  freedigitalphotos.net 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

12-12-12 Celebration Time :)

Popular things to do on 12-12-12Get married - it's hard to forget an anniversary like that.Meditate for world peace - not sure why, but it's being promoted online.Have a baby - many mothers have booked their C-sections for 12-12-12 ... I hope they're to term.Throw a party, or attend one - if you're like me, any excuse to throw a party works.Go to a concert - and party with the crowd.Attend an online party - if you're socially awkward and don't want to show your true self.Play the slots for free - if you live in New England.Attend a Charity Event - in New York it helps Sandy victims!Celebrate a birthday - Oh yes! Maybe this year my birthday cards will be specific to my special day instead of containing the words, "Merry birthday and Happy Christmas."Give into doom and prepare for the end of the world! 
Whatever you plan to do, there are apparently good fortunes coming to all those who do something with good intentions. So, go to your party prepared to have a good time. Get married believing that you'll last forever. Make new friends with the intention to meet a soul mate. As for doom - get over it!
I plan on celebrating my birthday with my family, enjoying the wonderful friends I have and making the most of life. I may even do a little book promotion with the intention of making millions in royalties ... ah yes! If anything I do tomorrow is blessed with good fortune. I will most definitely promote my novel. 
So go out and buy it. Consider it a birthday gift to me :) And read it with the intention to enjoy it thoroughly and you'll be rewarded. I'm sure of it. 
inDIVISIBLE in ebookinDIVISIBLE in hard copy
btw - have you considered giving inDIVISIBLE as a Christmas gift?Yeah, that's the promotion I'm talking about.
Photo courtesy photostock via freeditigitalphotos.net