Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog, page 152
January 20, 2014
Reincarnation – Fact or Fiction..?
My fascination with reincarnation began while I was a trainee nurse. I was allocated three terms on geriatric wards and although slightly unusual, I was happy to care for the elderly. Their life stories and experiences had me spell-bound on many occasions.
One particular instance sparked my curiosity and started my journey into researching life after death and reincarnation. I have related this story often and it is published on my blog within my writers group website. Here it is :
Whilst training as a nurse, I was assigned three rotations of geriatrics; two male and one female. It was while on one of the male wards that this event happened. My night shift started at 9 pm and after the usual updates from the day staff, my colleague and I were left to care for the old gentlemen.
One gentleman took my hand as I fluffed his pillows.
“Thank you so much for the daffodil.”
“Daffodil? I’m sorry, what daffodil.”
“It was so sweet of you.”
Thinking he was in a confused state, I just made sure he was comfortable and continued with my tasks with the other night nurse. The two of us administered medicines and settled the patients for the night, then turned most of the lights off. Our desk was situated at one end of the ward so we hear and see all the beds. For several hours we took turns in attending to patients needs, writing out reports and taking vitals.
At about 3:30 am, the gentleman who had spoken to me, passed away. After the doctor had been, I attended to his body. After cleaning and wrapping him in a sheet, as is the custom, I left him for an hour and went to write my report.
Later with everything in place, I watched the day staff arrive. One nurse was carrying a bunch of daffodils – yes, I was very shocked. The reason not only because of what the old man had said but also the fact that it was the midst of winter, much too early for daffodils.
“Where did you get daffodils from?”
“They’re from the florist down the street. The blooms are forced in greenhouses. I couldn’t resist a piece of spring to cheer us up.”
“May I have one bloom?”
“OK but why?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
I gently placed the yellow flower between the old gentleman’s hands, just the way he had described. He had told me he had ‘seen’ this happen and knew he was going to pass away. It had given him peace to thank me for my kind thought. As to how he had ‘seen’ this event before it happened, I have no idea, but I did want to ensure it was done.
Although this was not the first time I had experienced strange events of a spiritual kind; I had seen a ghost at the age of ten; it was the catalyst for me to start researching. Whether you believe in reincarnation or life after death, or not the subject is fascinating. Today researching this or any other subject is easy with the internet but at that time it was visits to the library and reading through numerous books to find the details, events and research I wanted to feed my curiosity.
After several years of research, I decided to put the theories to the test and went for a regression session. Under hypnosis I was directed to seven doors. Time only allowed me to enter three. These are the lives I found through those doors. Again I have already related this event on my blog. For those of you who have not read it, here it is: Regressed Lives
Indian Squaw
I look down into the still glassy water and see an old face, deep down I know it to be my face, and the deep lines creasing my eyes, cheeks and mouth are at the same time familiar and alien. Dark brown eyes and skin are in contrast to my hair, which was once a shiny ebony mantle but now streaked with silvery grey, hair now thin and wispy in one long plait down my back. Splashing my face with the icy cool water, I look up to see the tepees across the stream that feeds the lake and raise my old body upwards. I’m only good for collecting wood, minding the children and cooking. My days past slowly. Without a husband, I have to ingratiate myself to my daughter’s brave, be of help so I can have a place to sleep, tucked into the side flaps, under my buffalo bedding. Walking back the horror of that far day comes back, maybe it’s the similar setting, the crispness of the air but I ‘see’ the riders coming over the hill, the crack of the guns and the sudden screaming, startled me. The soldier’s were yelling and laughing as they rode through the camp, shooting my friends and family, everyone they see fleeing. I was helpless to stop them, I’d screamed back but was too far away. Fear stops me running toward the murderers but my heart breaks as I watch the massacre. Crouching under a bush I covered my ears until long after the screaming and pounding hooves had ceased. Too scared to move I waited until nightfall before walking back to a blood soaked and burnt earth where my home had once been.
I hadn’t noticed I was walking as the horrors around me had numbed my body and mind. The land was silent and still as though shocked and sadden as was I. Whimpering coming from the far side of the camp leads me gradually in that direction. To my utmost joy I found my grand-daughter but my grief had sprung into my heart as I saw she is huddled underneath my own daughter’s body. Taking her up into my arms, other sounds around me come to my ears as one by one the women and children uncovered themselves and crawled out of their hiding places.
This past will never leave me and I wait for my time to come when I will be with the spirits and my husband, who had fought so bravely on that fateful day against an enemy so cowardly and strong. The firewood is weighing heavily now as I enter the camp and I smile at the last of the Lumbee tribe survivors.
(Over 15 years after my regression session, my cousin found out that we did have a great, great grandfather married to a squaw of the Lumbee tribe.)
Manor House
My feet hit the icy floor, as I swing them over the bed’s edge, the cold chills my body very quickly even though I try to dress as fast as I can. Mother is already gone from the little attic room we call home. Tying my long hair into a bun, I walk quietly and swiftly down the long back stair case. The warmth and noise hits me as I enter the kitchen, cook’s voice shouting orders, the pan’s being filled with water, eggs being boiled and bread being cut. Cook is a hard task master so I run straight to the scullery cupboard to collect my brush and bucket. Quiet as a mouse I walk into the great rooms upstairs and start cleaning out the fire grates, laying out new kindling and on to the next one. I must be careful to be swift and unnoticed by the Lord and Lady, their graciousness to let my Mother stay after the disgrace of my coming; it must never be forgotten or taken for granted. Being our Lady’s favorite hand maiden had made all the difference to my Mother staying or being thrown out, once her pregnancy was discovered. I was put to work as soon as I could be taught to polish the silver ware, sitting at the servants table hour after hour. Our precious day off once a month was time for Mother to show me the outside world and let me play in the huge grounds and gardens.
Mother didn’t tell me about my Father until very recently, when I think it was more of a warning away from men. I had noticed a young gardener the month before whilst walking through the walled garden and his eyes seemed to penetrate my very being. I hadn’t noticed that Mother was still walking ahead and that I was rooted to the spot, staring back into those wonderful eyes. Her voice made me jump and look toward the sound. Catching up to her as she strode purposely on she started to tell me her story. She too had been entranced by a young gardener in this very walled garden and quickly became obsessed with him. Every month they would meet in secret and he told her of faraway places and his adventures. Swearing his love for her and the promise of marriage she succumbed to his wiles. Another month and he was gone without a word and quickly she realized her condition. Lady Havalore did send men to find the rogue but he was long gone and no one knew of a young man called Ted Franks, it probably wasn’t his real name anyway. Mother continued her duties as long as was possible and after my birth did as many of her duties as she could between nursing and comforting me. Luckily I was a quiet contented baby and my little crib was set in the scullery during the day for warmth. Looking at the grand ornate gates I can see the letters of the manor’s name but cannot read them; reading and writing are for our betters not the likes of us.
(With careful research through Who’s Who, I managed to find this manor house in Kent, England.)
Wooden farm shack
The smell of the cattle, the steam from their bodies mingles with the morning air. Waking early, I am excited knowing father is taking me to the town today. The trip will take most of the day on the cart, which is filled with grain, vegetables and trailing two cattle, all of which father will sell for cloth and other supplies. Leaving Mother, my brothers and sisters for more than a day is such a treat. There are advantages to being the oldest but I have a feeling father has an ulterior motive in taking me. Last autumn he had encouraged me to visit Bayard in his father’s butcher shop. A match between us would be a favorable match for our farm and their butcher shop. I really enjoy the ride into town with so much of my life spent around the farm, escaping to see the different views and smells is wonderful as well as having no chores to do. Father maneuvers the cart through the dirt streets and to the rear of the butchers shop. I can feel myself become hot and nervous, Bayard is so handsome and I hope my appearance is pleasing. Just as I think about him there he is at the door in a blood splattered apron greeting us with a wave and a smile. Lowering my head I glimpse Bayard come to the wagon to help father lead the cattle to the little shack at the rear of the shop, he will slaughter them later I’m sure. Watching him walk away from me, his muscular body makes me flush. “Wilda, move yourself.” Father’s shout makes me jump, so grabbing a sack of sawdust I enter the shop’s rear store and greet Bayard’s father with a quick nod and place the sack upon the floor. The air is full of the smell of meat and blood mingle with the sawdust scattered there. I have become accustomed to the smell over time. At first it clawed at the back of my throat and stayed within my nostrils, now it is a reminder of Bayard and I have come to love it. Sitting quietly while my father talks, I watch Bayard through the veil of my eyelashes imagining him oblivious to my staring. However as our father’s leave the store, he turns smiling and asks if I would like a drink, keeping my head lowered I gently nod.
(With no records kept I was unable to find where this life was lived)
My novel, The Twesome Loop has a reincarnation theme weaved between southern England and the Italian slopes outside Rome. The narrative follows four main characters who find their souls met in another lifetime.
Do you believe?
Have you had experiences you can relate?
January 17, 2014
Register for a Writing Conference Here:
Registration is open – Early Bird prize option.
If you enjoy the written word and want to increase your skill set you should attend.
http://wfscsherwoodpark.com/event/nine-ninety-nine-writing-all-ages-conference
Another Fun Day Friday…
Happy Friday everyone. Here is my Friday Fun Day submission. If you have something you would like me to post on a Friday please feel free to contact me. Interaction is key for writers after all.
Literary News :
http://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/events-news
A couple of quotes to ponder: It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly. C. J. Cherryh
Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short. Henry David Thoreau
Fun prompt to get that muse working: The fire alarm goes off in your building just as you step out of the bath. As you hurried wrap a towel around you and rushed into the hallway a shame faced neighbor rushes out of their door, apologizing profusely. “I was using my oil-less fryer and it filled the room with smoke. I opened the door to disperse it.” How would you or your character react?
January 15, 2014
Re-Blog Wednesday – Attracting Blog Traffic…
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/writing-great-post-titles/
Attracting Traffic: Tips for Writing Great Blog Post Titles
by Krista on January 9, 2014
You’ve been working hard on your blog: you put thought and effort into your About page, your site title and tagline, and you’ve even picked a . You sweat your photography. You read and re-read your drafts to make sure they’re just so.
With over 1.4 million posts published on WordPress.com every day, how do you make sure your work stands out in the crowd? Crafting strong post titles is one way to snag reader attention, pique interest, attract followers, and earn repeat visits. Here’s a few ideas to think about as your write titles for your posts.
Photo by ullrich.c (CC BY-SA 2.0)
GET ORIGINAL
There are plenty of posts like What Game of Thrones Taught me About Modern Society or Everything I know about Marriage, I Learned from Homer Simpson in the world today.
How many listicles have you seen recently? You know what I’m talking about: 10 Signs Millennials Will Ruin the World, or 15 Ways to Tell if You Really Are a Hipster. Sure, these types of headlines have become commonplace on the web and we too enjoy a funny listicle now and again. If you want your work to stand out from the crowd, you might want to rethink these types of constructions, unless you feel you’ve got a piece that transcends the genre. And in that case, we can’t wait to read it.
STUDY THE MASTERS
Chances are, there’s title inspiration and guidance in the blogs and magazine articles you’re already reading. Are there a few sites or magazines that you really like? Study their titles. Consider what it is about these titles that draws you in.
What captured your attention? What tickled your curiosity? Try emulating your favorite authors when you write post titles. Me? I admire Maria Popova‘s title writing style over at Brain Pickings. Never trite, always enticing, Maria’s posts always end up in my Instapaper account for later brain feeding. Here’s a few Brain Pickings post titles that caught my attention:
The History of Philosophy, in Superhero Comics
Henry James on Aging, Memory, and What Happiness Really Means
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Little-Known, Gorgeous Art
LEAD WITH THE END IN MIND
If you’re writing to educate, be it to share a personal anecdote or offer hard-won advice, it’s good to ask yourself: What’s the most important thing I want my reader to remember from reading this post? Crafting the answer into a post title automatically reinforces your most important point for the reader, making sure your message not only gets heard, but remembered.
Try creating intrigue or using the element of surprise with titles by alluding to something readers can only see or learn by reading the post. Consider Maria Popova’s headline above, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Little-Known, Gorgeous Art. Right away, I’m surprised — One of my favorite authors — Bilbo Baggins‘ daddy no less — was not only a writer, but also an artist? This piece of new information makes me want to follow that link and find out about Tolkien’s works of art.
BONUS: HOW DO GOOGLE, TWITTER, AND FACEBOOK SEE IT?
Your post’s title automatically becomes your post’s slug, which is part of the permanent link or URL to your post.
If your post title is fairly long, (over six or seven words) consider editing your slug to remove words such as “to,” “from,” “our,” “this,” “that,” etc., that don’t specifically relate to the post’s topic, for speedier search engine parsing. For example, this post’s slug would have been:
/attracting-traffic-tips-for-writing-great-blog-post-titles
I shortened the slug to the following to put the emphasis on the main idea: writing great post titles.
/writing-great-post-titles
If you’ve got your blog automatically connected to push and tweet posts to Facebook and Twitter, post titles are what gets sent out as a default via Publicize, so it’s important to consider how your post’s title might be perceived when it appears on your social networks.
As you write your piece, you may also want to think about the words readers will use to search for your post and ensure those words get a place in the title.
AND NOW, OVER TO YOU
Writing enticing titles is not only an art form, it takes a bit of practice. In your blogging experience, what have you found most effective when it comes to blog post titles? Share your tips with the class in the comments.
January 13, 2014
How Do You View Romance..?
Love makes the world go round – it’s an old adage but is alive and well in romance novels around the globe.
Historically, romance writing has been in existence since classical times. It is thought the 1740 novel, Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson to be one of the earliest true romance novels. The narrative relates a courtship told entirely by the female protagonist. A century later, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice epitomized the genre and in many ways launched the genre we know so well today.
Modern romance novels are divided into multiple genres :
Contemporary, historical, romantic suspense, paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, time-travel, inspirational, multicultural and erotic.
These in turn are divided into sub-genres: (and more appear annually)
Adventure, African-American, category, chick-lit, dark fantasy, erotica, futuristic, gothic, interracial, LGBT, mainstream, menage a trois, military, M/M, multi-cultural, mystery/thriller, Regency, rock n’ roll, single title, sweet, traditional, urban fantasy, World War II-era, Yaoi and young adult.
The sheer choice available to authors within this one genre is mind boggling. No matter your preferred genre, you can adapt it to be included into a ‘romance’ genre. Given this free range of setting and era; as long as you have boy meets girl as the theme, your narrative can be included under either one or more sub categories.
There are still the corset rippers, as they used to be called, but now a days reader choice is much wider. For an author, the flexibility in this one genre, allows for a more personal viewpoint through their own favored format and ‘type’ of writing. The idea of romance is a personal one, affected by our own experiences and preference.
In my speculative fiction novel, Life in Slake Patch, my protagonist, Evan, had to abide to laws forbidding daily contact with his loved one, while my novel, The Twesome Loop followed my female protagonists in finding love through reincarnation and my novella, The Rython Kingdom fantasy dealt with a troubadour falling for a good sorceress. When I was investigating branding, it became clear my novels all have a ‘love’ based theme, although not always romantic love.
Have you written romance?
Which genre or sub-genre did it fall into?
How do you view romance novels?
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rython-Kingdom-Mandy-Eve-Barnett/dp/1927510236
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/214247
January 10, 2014
Literary News & Fun On Friday’s…
My community announced the new Writers in Residence for 2014 recently – the details are below.
I would like to say if you have the opportunity to meet and gain wisdom and help from a Writer in Residence, then do so. Having an expert review your work and give you authoritative assistance, all for free, is worth its weight in gold. If you are unsure contact your local library for their residency details.
Margaret Macpherson 
Margaret Macpherson has worked as a full-time professional writer, teacher and editorial/educational mentor for the last decade. With a Masters of Fine Arts (Creative Writing) from UBC and she was widely published in newspapers and magazines both nationally and internationally before moving to Alberta in 1994.
After a career in journalism and teaching, which took her to the East Coast and Bermuda, Margaret began playing in long narrative prose. She has subsequently published seven books, both fiction and non fiction, including a biography entitled Nellie McClung: Voice for the Voiceless which won the Canadian Authors Association (CAA) Exporting Alberta Award in 2004.
Her collection of short stories Perilous Departures (2004), and her first novel, Released (2007) were both nominated for Manitoba Book Awards and her last novel Body Trade won the DeBeers Northwords Prize in 2012.
An essayist, poet and storyteller, Margaret has worked as a fiction editor for three different literary magazines and regularly performs poetry and aural story telling.
She represented Alberta in the National CBC Poetry Face-Off (2006) and has won (and lost) the coveted Story Slam championship.
An expressive arts practitioner, Margaret mucks about with oils and pastels and has sold the odd watercolour. She has written and co-produced a CD of original music and has had one of her plays produced in Vancouver’s NewWorks festival.
Although Edmonton has been home for the last 18 years, Margaret grew up in the Northwest Territories, and has lived extensively in Halifax, Bermuda, Vancouver and Nelson, BC. She lives with her husband, three kids and a very black cat.
Jason Lee Norman
Jason Lee Norman was born and raised in the Edmonton area. With a degree in English from the University of Alberta and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester he returned to Edmonton in 2009 to make his fortune. He is the author of two short story collections: ‘Americas’ and ‘Beautiful Girls & Famous Men’ and is the co-founder of the #yegwords (Words with Friends) creative writing collective which holds regular events in Edmonton throughout the year, including the very popular Word Crawl.
In 2013 he introduced Edmonton to 40 Below: Edmonton’s Winter Anthology. 70 pieces of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction all about or inspired by winter in Edmonton. 40 Below was published by Jason’s small publishing concern Wufniks Press.
In the past few years Jason has nominated himself for dozens of awards but has won very few. He hopes to one day finish his novel so that it may receive a scathing review in the National Post. Thus completing the circle of life
Full article here: http://metrowir.com/
Literary Magazine link: http://www.everywritersresource.com/l...
And for the fun part of today : Invent your own country! It can be on earth or another planet. Inhabited by humans or aliens. Hostile or idyllic. Let your imagination go wild.
January 8, 2014
How blogging about writing craft helps my writing (and makes me happy)
Some writers say that blogging is a waste of time. They think it’s better to spend writing time on their current work, whether it’s a novel, poem, short story, or essay.
Blogging about writing may not be for everyone, but I’ve found that blogging can be like an injection for my writing. If I’m stuck with some aspect of my writing, I often dig out of my blocked place by recalling some bit of advice or craft tip that I’ve written about here on One Wild Word.
For my first re-blog Wednesday, I am sharing this post by Carly Sandifer. Her blog is always full of informative posts.
January 7, 2014
I’m Interviewed Here Today:
Find me over at Reading recommendations today:
http://readingrecommendations.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/mandy-eve-barnett/
READING RECOMMENDATIONS
Authors and their books – Great reading suggestions!
Mandy Eve-Barnett
Mandy Eve-Barnett
What is your latest release and what genre is it? The Rython Kingdom – adult fantasy
Quick description: Set in medieval England a travelling troubdour is the unwitting pawn in an vengeful witch’s plan to escape her confinement and kill the king.
Brief biography:
A Canadian resident, Mandy Eve-Barnett has a wealth of experiences to draw from for her writing. She has lived in South Africa, England and Canada and the uniqueness of each continent left its essence within her. An avid reader her whole life, it wasn’t until she joined a local writing group, the Writers Foundation of Strathcona County, that the writing ‘bug’ gripped her. Now Mandy writes with an all-encompassing passion and is deeply involved with the foundation and its members. Writing in various genres, Mandy has been published in anthologies, on numerous web sites and in the local newspaper as well as regularly blogging about her writing journey. She has successfully completed three National Novel Writing Month challenges in 2009, 2010 and 2012 with the subsequent volume of work resulting in three novels. September 2011 saw the launch of her first children’s book, Rumble’s First Scare, and August 2012 her adult fantasy e-book, The Rython Kingdom was released on Smashwords, Amazon.ca & Amazon.co.uk., and is now available through Create Space as a print version. Currently, she is editing a magical/fantasy children’s book, Ockleberries to the Rescue and has completed a collaboration for a ‘how to’ write your memoir workbook, Your Lifetime of Stories.
Links to buy Mandy’s book:
Smashwords eBook
Amazon eBook Canada
Amazon eBook UK
Amazon eBook and print US
Mandy’s promo links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
What are you working on now?
My 2013 NaNoWriMo novel, Willow Tree Tears, which is a cowgirl romance & a children’s chapter book, Ockleberries to the Rescue.
Mandy’s reading recommendation:
I love all Stephen King’s novels and his non-fiction, On Writing, as well as The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.
January 6, 2014
Fantasy Comes From..?
The fantasy genre encompasses a wide scope of supernatural, mythology and futuristic elements. When I looked up the definition, this is what I found:
The faculty or activity of imaging things that are, impossible or improbable.
The creative imagination; unrestrained fancy.
A capricious or fantastic idea.
Fiction characterized by highly fanciful or supernatural elements.
Each of these definitions gives us the perceived idea of fantasy in a nicely tailored clarification putting it into a neat genre box. However, I have a personal interpretation one that looks deeper than the surface and trite pigeon holed explanations.
I believe that fantasy is our alter ego expanding our consciousness.
Just think of your dreams – they are fantastical in nature with obscure meanings and imagery. We have tried for decades to interpret them and give them meaning. Every vision has been given a ‘symbolic’ implication or significance in an attempt to harness them into something easier to understand, but what if these visions are something else entirely? What if it is another part of ourselves struggling to be acknowledged, a part of us that uses our subconscious mind to explore beyond the normal daily perceptions?
There are numerous theories about spiritual memory, trace elements of ancient wisdom and reincarnation and all of them are fascinating. What links them together though? All of them are the result of a deep seated belief that there is something more within us. There are few of us who can say ‘what you see is what I am through and through’ because we all have an alter ego. As humans we are subjected to pigeon holing ourselves – parent, manual laborer, manager or celebrity – the list is long. But the ‘badge’ does not define the whole person. You will have come across people in your lifetime, who have surprised you with an aspect of their personality, which was totally astonishing. A case in point, a surgeon I knew. He was a huge man with massive hands but his surgical technique was excellent. He came to visit me after my operation and watched in total fascination as I carefully French knitted with an old cotton reel. He asked if he could have a go…yes I was shocked but I let him. As he looped the wool over the pins he told me he would have to get one, it was so much better than his normal knitting or crochet. He explained that the intricate movements helped keep his fingers nimble. To look at this man crochet would have been the furthest image of him you could imagine.
All of us are multifaceted not just with the experiences our lives have given us and the roads we have followed but also another part hidden deep within us. The only way I can describe it is, as if we all have an inner twin, one that wants to be heard, and one that can enrich our lives if we let it. There is so much to imagine and experience so let your ‘twin’ loose. Imagination doesn’t have to be only a child’s prerogative. There are depths within us all that truly can expand our consciousness.
This quote by Albert Einstein give us food for thought:
‘When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.”
If such a great man can see the advantages of fantasy shouldn’t we?
What are your beliefs or thoughts on how our imagination works?
January 1, 2014
New Year, New Regime…
Today is a new beginning for my blog.
After a year of utilizing desk diary words for a post every day in 2013, I will be posting three times a week in 2014. This is the schedule I have come up with :
Mondays : A series of articles exploring topics reflected in my novels.
Wednesdays : Re-blog Day. Offering other bloggers a space on my blog to comment, post and discuss.
Fridays : Fun day. Prompts, quotes, literary news and more.
I will begin this new routine on 6th January 2014. Please come along and join me. I am always open to suggestions, blog links and comments.
