Heidi Angell's Blog, page 10

I'm Baack! And Other Monday Musings

Hello Lovelies, Sorry no interview today. I had sent out requests to tons of authors before I went on vacation, my goal to have plenty of content for ya'll while I had family in town. However, not enough authors got back to me, and I was pretty busy the last month with family, and other work.So here we are, on a Monday with no author interview and me having had some time to reflect. When you take a break, you have time to breath and to ask yourself questions that you might not give yourself time for in the moment of the mad rush of daily working. And man, I slowed down A LOT the last month and had a lot of time to ask myself a lot of questions.Good questions. Important questions. Just some of the questions I asked:1. What do I want in life? 2. Am I happy? 3. Where is my life going?4. Why do I do what I do? Working 16 + hours a day, never slowing down, never taking vacations? It's not like I can justify it because I'm making so much money that I'm going to be able to retire at 65 and live comfortably. Heck, we don't even live comfortably now. Most of my ventures barely pay for themselves, let alone a living wage. I told myself when I started this blog that I was building my audience, but after 7 years, I am no more likely to get book sales than I was when I started out. This blog, social media, and all the free author content I create for readers, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I do like supporting authors. I do like sharing all this fun content. But it takes a lot of work to maintain, plan, schedule, and now with Booktube, record, edit, share, build an audience. And you know what? After 7 years, if I haven't built an audience this way, I'm not sure that I can. I spend more time on the blog and on social media promoting other authors books, than I spend writing my own books, never mind promoting mine (which has basically come to a painful stand still.) I have published 8 books in the last seven years, am running 4 different series now, and still am not making enough to pay off student loans.So, I am taking a step back from social media. I am taking a step back from the blog. I'm not going away completely, that would be crazy! But this posting 5 blog posts a week, recording 3-5 videos a week, running all over social media for two hours a day (or more, TBH) trying to cultivate an engaged audience? Yeah, I can't do all of that anymore when I am not getting any returns.I will still have at least one bookish post a week on each platform, but it's time for me to focus on writing. I was supposed to publish 5 books this year, but sales from the first two weren't enough to cover the cost of producing the next books and I don't have a full-time job to fund my writing dream. (I have to stay home to take care of my special needs kid.) So, as much as I love supporting bookish love, I need to focus on supporting my books through marketing and advertising.If you would like to see more bookish content, let me know by supporting me on Patreon. Even as little as a dollar a month, if shared by enough people, would be a big help. Plus, I'm giving away books over there every month as a way to continue supporting the bookish community. If you cannot commit to monthly payments, feel free to leave a one-time tip in the donation jar. Until next time, Keep Reading!

Poetry Corner- And I Wait

The days are growing longerand summer's drawing near.Life is growing strongerand loved ones are more dear.In my dreams I wait for him.This summer he may come. He isn't just a fancied whim,or a cold and heartless bum.Someday he'll be here with meand make all my dreams come true. He'll swear to forever and always love me, and promises that I'll never again be blue. Until next time, Keep Reading!

Thoughtful Thursday- Roy Huff Shares Tips from Think Smart Not Hard!

Hello Lovelies, Roy is back with us to share just a couple of the first tips in his new self-help book Think Smart Not Hard. Enjoy the great advice!Life’s too short to left fear crush your awesome life or let the wrong mindset kill your dreams and smother that amazing relationship you’ve always wanted. Stop the nonsense now.If you’re happy and fulfilled with your life, fabulous. But for most people, there’s usually one or more parts of their lives they want to improve, and that’s why I wrote Think Smart Not Hard. I won’t go into all 52 principles here, but I do want to hash out a few.Principle 1The first principle in Think Smart Not Hard is to forgive those who don’t deserve it. It’s key to developing the right mindset. It’s hard, but rewarding. As I say in the book. You’re not doing it for them. You’re doing it for you, to eliminate the dead weight that’s been dragging you down, not to forget, but to break free from the shackles that have enslaved you.Principle 2The second principle is to accept responsibility. Most people never get past this point. Instead of being proactive, they allow their past and current obstacles to paralyze their present and hide life’s opportunities. Once you accept responsibility, you’re free from the anger that’s kept you from turning life’s failures into learning opportunities for explosive growth.This is where things get exciting. The next set of principles show you how to create a high octane plan with clear milestones that work together in all areas of one’s life. Since most people claim they don’t have enough time, I destroy that myth with a blueprint on how to multiply your time instead of spinning life’s endless hamster wheel.What I mentioned here is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve packed the book with personal history of my own colossal mistakes along with the tools I used to overcome those disasters. If you’re reading to take action in your life, grab a copy of Think Smart Not Hard and start taking notes. Your ideal life is yours for the taking.- Roy Huff is a research Scientist by day and an author by night. The author of The Everville Series and Think Smart Not Hard. Learn more about his books on Amazon

Book Review: An Unseen Angel: A Mother's Story of Faith, Hope, and Healing After Sandy Hook by Alissa Parker

Genre: True Story/ Christian/ HealingSynopsis: As the mother of one of the children who died at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, Alissa Parker had her world shattered by a mass murderer's rampage. She was left to make sense of her daughter's life and death and to rebuild, seeking a deeply spiritual path to carry on with her life and find new meaning and purpose.As a co-founder of SafeandSoundSchools.org, a touring national advocacy group that helps people take action to make schools safer, Alissa has talked to hundreds of parents around the country about her ordeal and how she was able to endure the unspeakable horror of Sandy Hook.An Unseen Angel takes readers though Alissa's complete journey, chronicling the moment-by-moment account of the day that began with every parent's worst nightmare: hearing, "There's been a shooting at your child's school." It follows her faith-filled spiritual path to coping, healing, forgiving, and eventually feeling gratitude for the life and love of her daughter Emilie. She describes a bond of love between a mother and daughter that is so profound it transcends the physical body and touches Alissa and the people who loved Emilie who feel her presence every day. And she articulates her deep Christian faith, which guided the answers to Alissa's gut-wrenching, post-tragedy questioning:"Where is Emilie now?""Can love transcend the physical body?""How can I know that Emilie is in a better place?""How do I deal with the 'here and now' when the pain and anger I feel is so overwhelming?"This is the first book about the school-shooting tragedies with a focus on faith and spirituality. As we learn Alissa's story, we are introduced to a special little girl who was wise beyond her years and whose lessons about life and the transcendent power of love continued even after she had passed away."My Take: I wanted to kick my mother so hard when I got into the book because silly me, I started reading without knowing what I was reading, and she KNOWS I cannot not finish something once I've started! Seriously, I balled while reading this book. Not only because it was about an event that struck me really hard when I read about it in the press. (my boys were only a bit older than those children, and I am a helicopter mom as is) but because it is told from the perspective of the mother of one of those children, sharing every mother's worst nightmare, and how her family was able to come through it. It was made all the more poignant by the fact that I am living in SLC and recognize a lot of the places mentioned in the book and the actions and behaviors of people in the book, being immersed in the culture out here. What I love most about this book is that it doesn't focus on the killer, it doesn't focus on the crime, it focuses on the remembering of one of the victims, and on the path the family took to not let this horrible tragedy define them and their daughter, but to instead choose a different path and to not be victims, but survivors. If you are looking for a good cry, a book that explores how one's faith can help one through horrific situations, and how a couple can survive what many other couples do not, then this is the read for you. Grab your copy on Amazon for $10.49 in e-book or $10.19 in paperback. Until next time, Keep Reading!

Teaser Tuesday- Book 2 in the Queen of Thieves series by Andy Peloquin is Coming!

Hello Lovelies,Andy Peloquin is launching Book 2 in Queen of Thieves series on July 18th,and both the pre-order, and the first book (Child of the Night Guild, here's my review in case you missed it!) are being set at 99 cents! What? I know, right! I am totally snapping this up!What's this series about? Ruthless criminals are made, not born. Queen of Thieves—an insight into the transformation from innocent child to thief and killer willing to do anything to save the ones she loves.  Thief of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves Book 2)"I am Ilanna, Journeyman of House Hawk. I do the impossible."A cunning thief of unrivaled ingenuity, Ilanna is determined to secure her freedom. Nothing will prevent her escape from the Night Guild's callous cruelty, not even the most powerful man in Praamis, Duke Phonnis.Commanding a crew of pickpockets, bounty hunters, poisoners, and assassins, Ilanna schemes to disgrace the Duke. She must survive blackmail, a bloodthirsty rival syndicate, and enemies within her own House to claim her spoils: vengeance for the deaths of her friends and gold to buy independence.But all Ilanna's skill may not suffice to protect the one person who matters most: her son.Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Scott Lynch will love Queen of Thieves…(And, as much as I enjoyed the first book, I bet I will too! Also, isn't that cover ABSOLUTELY awesome!) Grab your pre-order for 99 cents.Not sure you're ready for this one? Well, grab a sneak peek of Thief of the Night Guild (the First Five Chapters) on Instafreebie.And if you haven't gotten the first book, Child of the Night Guild yet, (seriously, as much as I've talked about how awesome this book is, how have you not gotten it yet? But if you're new to the blog, or just haven't gotten around to it yet, now's the time!) it is available for a buck. Grab it today! Until next time, Keep Reading!

Meet the Author Monday with L.J. Kane

Hello Lovelies, I'm excited to introduce you today to L.J. Kane, the English author of Snatch Girl, the shocking, fast-paced, suspense thriller novel released on 21st April 2017.L.J. Kane lives in the UK with her husband who’s a great soundboard, full of encouragement, and great ideas. Between them, they have met many unusual characters over the years, people with extraordinary lives from whom she can derive lots of inspiration.L.J. Kane loves people-watching, overhearing conversations on the bus, dreaming up exciting plots while waiting in traffic, and while walking the dogs. She has so much fun writing novels, and it's because she’s always believed in herself, that she has finally become an author, after spending 20 years procrastinating!And with an intro like that, you know this is gonna be a fun interview. Let's get to it! Welcome, L.J. What is the current book you are promoting?Snatch Girl, my debut novel, was published in April 2017.Girl Missing: What if you’re with her all the way through to the end? If it ends…? Will Ellie survive? Would you?The shocking, fast-paced, suspense kidnap thriller that will hook you from the very first line.Snatched from her sadistic captor's lair by his own getaway driver, eighteen-year-old student Ellie realises that she's still kidnapped. As the enigmatic Darren Broderick drives off into the night with the terrified girl beside him, the sadistic Jon Braddon is not far behind.Thrown together, on opposing sides, Darren and Ellie must stay one-step ahead of Braddon's twisted mind, and Ellie must resist Darren's Aussie charms to the end. Darren Broderick needs the ransom. Braddon needs a victim. And he will fight to the death to get her back.Wow, what a great description to go with that chillingly beautiful cover! If you could have your book made into a movie, who would you want to direct it?It would have to be the late, great, Wes Craven! There is something about his films that grips you and doesn’t let go. I love the way his portrayal of the stories stay inside your head.Oh, he would be sooo good, I agree! Snatch Girl would be right up his alley. How do you write your books?I use a PC, but I do write longhand when I’m feeling lazy, lying on the sofa with a clipboard, pen and paper on my lap. I have typed like that too! A wireless keyboard is brilliant for that, though my back doesn’t thank me for it. I wrote the penultimate chapter of Snatch Girl in draft in about three hours, while listening to good music. I can’t write dialogue with music on though…Lol, I must always be lazy. I'm constantly writing from my laptop because it can go where I want, which is usually the bed, or the couch, or lying on the floor! Where do you come up with your stories?I get my ideas from a mixture of experiences, news, books, and films. Observing people is one of my favourite pastimes, and my best friend is just the same. We often meet up in a coffee shop (we can sit chatting for hours) and then fall silent, listening to an interesting conversation going on at the next table. There are some amazing people, with amazing stories to tell, even if they don’t realise it. My friends are amused when I jot down ideas on paper napkins, old envelopes, anything to hand really. I learned pretty quickly to always carry a writing pad with me!Love it, I am the same! The real world is a great inspiration for stories, right? Who is your favorite author?Stephen King. His books just hook me in, even if I don’t feel like reading. I also read his book ‘On Writing’ (part bio, part writing guide), and it really helped me focus on my own project, but I still can’t bring myself to read the axe scene in ‘Misery’.He definitely has a way with descriptions that follows the KISS principle, yet still grips you in it's simplicity. Well, thank you for joining us and we look forward to seeing more from you! Readers, want to get a copy of Snatch Girl? It's available in E-bookLinks:Snatch Girl is available on Amazon as an ebook through kindle unlimited, or for $2.99, and in paperbackfor $10.75Want to see what L.J is reading? Follow her on Goodreads.Want to see samples of her work and learn about her releases? Follow her blog. To learn more about her and her work, check out her website.   Until next time, Keep Reading!    

Book Review- Girl Underwater by Claire Kells

Genre: YA DramaSynopsis: An adventurous debut novel that cross cuts between a competitive college swimmer’s harrowing days in the Rocky Mountains after a major airline disaster and her recovery supported by the two men who love her—only one of whom knows what really happened in the wilderness. Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.My Take: This book was written in an interesting style such as to switch between flashbacks and the present. The main character, Avery Delacorte, has survived a plane crash in god knows where. Along with the other few people, a man and 3 kids, they have to survive until they can get help.Even in the future after they are rescued though, there still are problems. She is hounded non-stop by reporters wanting her story, and doctors wanting to medicate her for PTSD. She has problems with her boyfriend, who thinks that she and the man are more than just friends.I have to say, my favorite character is the man who survived the crash. He is strong-willed and refuses to leave anybody behind. He puts others before him, even to the point of getting himself almost killed! Even though the book was amazing I did not like how Avery’s boyfriend fit into it I think that he was a very big part of the story. I would have thought that right after she learned that he thought she was dead she shoulda left him, but oh well.Every twist and turn will leave you reading for more and more time. Grab your copy from Amazon for $7.99 for e-book or $16.85 for hardback. Until next time, Keep Reading!

Poetry Corner: On Diversity

In cold times and rainwe long for the sun.On hot summer days we yearn for autumn to come. If we have curly hairwe want it straight.With straight hair, we curl for hours and risk being late. If we are short we want to be tall.If we are fat,we want to lose weight.Why can't we seehow beautiful our differences are? If we are black, we want to be lighter. If we are white, we long for a tan. Why can't we be happy the way that we are,and stop turning ourselves all around. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that's what someone said. It's true, of so true. Diversity is great!If we all were the same, how boring life would be. Our differences are what make us uniqueand unique is true beauty. Not hairstyle or physique. Our different cultures are what make us great.So share your differences and let's celebrate!Until next time, Keep Reading!

Book Review- The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

 Genre: Short story/ religiousSynopsis: C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce is a classic Christian allegorical tale about a bus ride from hell to heaven. An extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment, Lewis’s revolutionary idea in the The Great Divorce is that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. Using his extraordinary descriptive powers, Lewis’ The Great Divorce will change the way we think about good and evil.My Take: I love when my mother comes to visit. We talk about books, share books, and are perfectly content to sit together reading different books after spending some time at the pool. I come by the bookish genes quite honestly! Well, this year she brought two books she really wanted me to read. The first is The Unseen Angel by Alissa Parker (Review coming soon.) and the other is The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. I've read many of Lewis' works and find his religious bent interesting. As a not particularly religious person myself, though having grown up in a very strictly religious home, I still find his work quite interesting, particularly in that it reflects much of what I have also observed about people's behaviors (never mind my religious beliefs.) The Great Divorce does not disappoint in that respect. Often those who think that they are better than, or less sinful, or more morally upright, or whatever thing we use to prop ourselves up in comparison of "Others" are often the ones outsiders look upon as being not very good people. Although I enjoyed the Screwtape Letters more, The Great Divorce is much along that same vein, not pointing the finger at the obvious sinners (such as myself) but providing a reflection for those who are striving to be righteous and do not see their sins, or minimize them for the sake of their religious pride. Even for those who are not religious, we can see ourselves doing the same if we look deep within. And at a time where people seem so determined to be divided by their moral/ religious/ political causes, this is a good read to remind us to look inward first and to ask ourselves if our behavior is just, or just to prop ourselves up? If you would like to read The Great Divorce, you can get a copy on Amazon. Until next time, Keep Reading!

Teaser Tuesday- Free Fairy Tale Re-telling!

Hello Lovelies! Hope you are having an awesome 4th if you are in the US. If you aren't in the US, that's ok, you can still have an awesome 4th with this free book from Erin Bedford! Price: Free for month of JulyGenre: Fairy tale re-tellingBlurb: Alice was wrong – Wonderland wasn’t so wonderful after all.Kat never expected to be back in her hometown, but when house sitting turns into a mad rabbit chase, Kat finds herself with a whole new set of problems.A two-headed bird with a Game of Thrones obsession, a party full of tea addicts, and a Cheshire Cat who could seduce the pants off her grandma? And if the citizens weren’t bad enough their prince was off his rocker.This wasn’t your run of the mill Wonderland. This was the Fae world, where rules are rules, and some things are exactly as they seem.I've always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland. This clever re-telling looks to be as much fun. One unsuspecting human. One rabbit hole. A whole lot of fae trouble. Can this librarian get out of the fae world before they try to keep her?Let's find out! Go grab your copy of Chasing Rabbits from Amazon right now. Hope you enjoy! Until Next time, Keep Reading!