Monica Corwin's Blog, page 9

Cultivate Inspiration Week One Day Two

Welcome to Week One Day Two. If you're still with me this post is going to be about making choices.  This is all about your mind and how it might perceive things coming in or going out. 
Stress. Everyone deals with it. No one is immune to it's cutting grip. The choice is not to let it block out the rest. I can be stressed (I have a two year old toddler) and she can be throwing things, breaking things, in a general fit but the moment she comes up to me and says "mama, love you" I melt into a puddle. No matter how stressed I was a moment ago. I could push her away and say "no. go clean up your mess" but I don't. I kiss her and tell her I love her because I choose to feel that good emotion. 
One aspect of my life I fail this test is in traffic. No amount of mantra, affirmations, or chants are going to keep me from yelling obscenities at the person who cut me off. The point is knowing these things about yourself. I can yell at the "kind gentleman who showed me I was following too closely" and then I take a deep breath and jump back in the game.
Make the choice to allow inspiration into your mind. Feel things, marvel at things, wonder about things, touch things, laugh, joke, play. The minute you start playing and forgetting about the rest of it that is when you will truly start to filter in the world and grab all the inspiration it has to offer.
Now...for those of you thinking...I thought this was going to be a practical guide to cultivating inspiration...I need step by step guides and charts and exercises...that means you should be on the email list (or the FB event page) to get such things.
For now. Stay mindful and try to focus on taking a deep breathe and allowing the world entrance.
XOXOMonica
PS. Email me for that .pdf at monicacorwin(AT)outlook.com

Welcome D'Ann Lindun Today!

At sixteen, unwed and scared, Cat O’Brien gave up her newborn daughter for adoption. Seventeen years later Eve reappears…pregnant. Tanner Burke never forgot his first love. Or the daughter he gave up at eighteen. Forced together for the sake of their pregnant teenage daughter, can Tanner and Cat find a way to forgive each other and fall in love again? 
Ms. Lindun was kind enough to provide an excerpt! 
She grabbed the candy dish and peered through the peephole before sliding back the deadbolt. Someone stood on her porch, but Cat couldn’t make out any features through the tiny opening. She swung the door open and a gust of wind-driven snow blew in her face. The storm had picked up to be a regular winter gale, swirling snowflakes around them. Blinking, she looked around for small children, but only an adult in a heavy coat and a shawl covering most of the face stood there. Was this a teenager trick-or-treating? If so, as what? Obviously not a ghost or princess. “Can I help you?” The bundled-up figure mumbled something, but the words were lost in the wind. Cat struggled to hold the door with one hand, and held out the candy dish with the other. The stranger said something unintelligible. Cat raised her voice to be heard over the protesting shutters. “I can’t hear you.” The black scarf again muffled the answer. Cat shivered in the wind, but she was unwilling to let a total stranger in her house. This might be Granite, population eight hundred, but she had spent too many years in Denver to be careless. She motioned to the wicker chairs still sitting on the porch. “Step over here and tell me what brings you out in a storm.” Instead of moving toward the chairs, the stranger pulled the scarf from her face and striking blue eyes met Cat’s. “Are you Cathleen O’Brien?” “Yes.” A vague unease rose up Cat’s back. “Do I know you?” “No.” The girl jutted out her chin in an all-too-familiar gesture and shoved a wad of papers toward Cat. “But you gave birth to me.” “Oh, God.” Cat let go of the candy dish and it crashed to the floor, sending miniature candy bars and cheap plastic toys flying across the porch. Her knees threatened to buckle and she grabbed for the door. Was she hallucinating? How could this be? It wasn’t possible for the baby she’d given up almost eighteen years ago to be standing in front of her. She stared at the daughter she’d given birth to, but never seen. Her eyes, her nose…his mouth. She would not think about Tanner Burke. 
Buy: Amazon 


Falling in love with romance novels the summer before sixth grade, D’Ann Lindun never thought about writing one until many years later when she took a how-to class at her local college. She was hooked! She began writing and never looked back. Romance appeals to her because there's just something so satisfying about writing a book guaranteed to have a happy ending. D’Ann’s particular favorites usually feature cowboys and the women who love them. This is probably because she draws inspiration from the area where she lives, Western Colorado, her husband of twenty-nine years and their daughter. Composites of their small farm, herd of horses, five Australian shepherds, a Queensland heeler, two ducks and cats of every shape and color often show up in her stories!  D’Ann loves to hear from readers! Please contact her at dldauthor@frontier.net http://dlindunauthor.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/DLindunAuthor https://twitter.com/DLindun http://www.amazon.com/DAnn-Lindun/e/B008DKL9TU 

Cultivate Inspiration Week One Day One

Today's CIW post is the first in the series and it starts at home. In order to create a mindset you have to make sure that mind is ready to receive the message. Now, before I lose you all. This is not about religion. It's not about spirituality. It's not even a shaming post about how you ate way to many donut holes yesterday (you know I'm looking you) *dusts powdered sugar off shirt*.
This post is about creating a place for these ideas, dreams, visions to form and allowing them to grow and bear fruit. The basics: drink water and sleep. There are other things that could help such as eating well and exercise of course but the two main things that I find that truly affect my mind is sleep and liquid consumption. Don't get me wrong. I drink more coffee than a writer on the last day of her deadline (on a normal day). So drink coffee...drink tea...drink what you like but also drink more water.
Say, Monica, how much water do you drink? When I want to make sure ideas are coming to me...about a gallon a day. The normal range for humans is 8 - 8oz servings a day. Do what feels right, listen to your body, and your brain. Do you feel slow and sluggish...grab a coffee and a water bottle and go to town.
Now, SLEEP. I know everyone likes to stay up and binge watch Sherlock until 2am. I am one of those people. Who doesn't like to see Khan solve crimes with Bilbo Baggins? Try to sleep more. If that means taking a nap in the day or going to bed earlier...or power to you if you can sleep later. Just sleep more and give your brain time to recover.
At this point everyone is saying...really...is that it? NOPE.
That's the beginning. If you want to create a cycle of growth for your ideas and dreams you need to prepare the soil and be ready.
Next post...Make Your Choices.
If you want the full post with the exercises please email me to get them at monicacorwin(AT)gmail.com or join the FB event page and find them there to download.
Thanks for reading and your support.
Monica

AND Then There Was a Boxed Set

Hola!

Today I found out my novel The Count of Monte Cristo will be included in a Crimson Romance Literary Loves compilation! Might be a good time to try these out if you have been waiting!


You can check it out HERE at the Crimson Romance website. 
XOXO
Monica

Cultivating Inspiration Workshop

Dearest Readers,

I don't know about you but I have issues with finding time. Then when I can carve out a chunk of time for myself sometimes I'm not inspired. Last January I made it a goal to use the times I don't feel inspired to cultivate it. To sow inspiration into my life until ideas literally pop into my head all day long.

I now want to share that with you. I'll be doing a month long series in January and February, providing you all with exercises and readings that will help you cultivate inspiration in your day to day activities.



If you want to join in email me at monicacorwin@outlook.com. I'll be posting teasers on my blog but to get the full benefit and the .pdf package you will want to be on the email list. I'll send you three emails a week for half of January and half of February with exercises, questions, and readings that you can do in your own time. By Valentine's Day everyone will be inspired in whatever aspect of your life you feel needs it.

You can also join the FB event page where I will also be posting the activities and .pdfs. https://www.facebook.com/events/15180...

Email me your name and what you want this inspiration to push toward. For example, I write novels. You could write novels, create jewelry, deliver media posts. Anything...

Join me in this absolutely free exercise and start sowing inspiration in your own life.

XOXO
Monica

Nanowrimo You Dirty Beast

Dearest Readers,

As you may know if you follow me on other avenues I am one of the insane awesome people participating in NANOWRIMO. I am currently a few words over 20K. This is a psychological road blog for me at every novel. I hit 20-25K and I stall out, get down on myself, and generally bemoan the idea of ever becoming a writer. This time I've allowed myself to mellow for a few days in this wallowing state. Now I am ready to get out of it and push to my word goals. That is the ONLY way to do it.

I originally outlined my piece for 62,000 words (when it was only supposed to be 50,000 so I guess I've feeling a little off because I can't decide to reoutline to 50K or to just try to get to 62K.

Anyway, I'm alive, I'm doing Nano and I hope you like what is coming down the pipeline. In more recent news I've turned in my line edits (development edits, copy edits, line edits) for my next major release from Breathless Press, Heart and Souls. Will share as I get more information.

And here is the cover I had made for my NANO novel, On a Red Horse.


Let me know what you think. XOXOMP.S. I'll be doing a takeover of JoLynne Valerie's blog on December 13th (my birthday) and will have goodies to giveaway FROM LONDON. 

Halloween Blog Hop

Hi Everyone,

First I want to thank JoLynne Valerie for setting up this awesome blog hop. Next, I want to direct you to my predecessor on the blog hop schedule, Louisa Bacio. Lots of great posts and giveaways going on today and I hope you enjoy this round as well.

When Autumn rolls around I love the crisp scent in the air but there are a few things I have to do in order for it to officially be Fall. Two particular things actually...I have to watch Hocus Pocus and I have to make pumpkin spice cookies. Not just any cookies...

The Most Amazing Pumpkin Cookies Ever Made 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder (half this if you want less cakey cookies)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1  cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze (recipe follows)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease baking sheets.
COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Stir in pumpkin then egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually stir in in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.
GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.
Cooks Note: For a variation add 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts to the recipe.
Estimated Times: Preparation - 10 minutes; Cooking - 18 minutes; Cooling Time - 2 minutes cooling.

Once upon a time I really wanted to make some pumpkin cookies. I found a recipe and sent it to my friend Susan just to show it off because I was so excited. Susan said, "No. Do this..." and tweaked the recipe for me and the result...MAGIC. I fell in love with these cookies so now Fall can't officially begin until I have made them. (Yes, I have made them.)


Next, I have to watch Hocus Pocus. It is my favorite Halloween movie of all time. I used to make my mom rent it at the video story every week (dating myself sorry) and she got so tired of watching it. Now that I am an adult I own my own copy...AND YOU CAN TOO.

Just leave a comment below to win a copy of Hocus Pocus for your very own!

What do you have to do before you can officially start Fall??

I shall direct you to your next stop for TOMORROW -----> April Riley

NEW COVERS

I love getting new covers. Here are TWO.






Speaking of new covers. My friend Mia Epsilon also has a new cover!!



I present a BLURB:
After a near fatal accident leads to one incredible night of amazing sex, Christine and Charlie take the leap from friends to lovers.
Christine has battled many demons in the last few years. Charlie has always been her confident and support. When Charlie refuses to answer emails or texts after an embezzling scheme arises at work, Christine must come to terms with not only losing a fabulous lover and her best friend but her job as well.
Charlie carries his own scars when it comes to women. Yet there's something about Christine which brings out his protective side and makes him hope for love he's wanted for years.
Christine and Charlie must work together to catch the thief before they can secure a love of a lifetime. Can they catch the embezzler before they lose not only their jobs and each other, but their lives as well?
Here's a little more about Mia:
After a near fatal accident leads to one incredible night of amazing sex, Christine and Charlie take the leap from friends to lovers.
Christine has battled many demons in the last few years. Charlie has always been her confident and support. When Charlie refuses to answer emails or texts after an embezzling scheme arises at work, Christine must come to terms with not only losing a fabulous lover and her best friend but her job as well.
Charlie carries his own scars when it comes to women. Yet there's something about Christine which brings out his protective side and makes him hope for love he's wanted for years.
Christine and Charlie must work together to catch the thief before they can secure a love of a lifetime. Can they catch the embezzler before they lose not only their jobs and each other, but their lives as well?

A Little Something for my Faithful Readers...

I originally wrote this piece for an anthology that has since been cancelled SO...for you, my faithful readers, I offer it for free and with my humble gratitude for being amazing. THIS IS AN EROTIC SHORT STORY. THERE IS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE A HEART CONDITION. (just kidding...but really...it's hot). Also please know this has NOT been professionally edited. All mistakes are my own and I apologize. Please, leave comments, share, tell me what you think.
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Be still my fucking heart. I watched in the rear-view mirror as the cop climbed out of his car, put on his very official looking hat, and walked toward my vehicle at a leisurely pace. He was the hottest man, and cop, I’d ever seen in my life. I had no idea where to look first, strong chiseled jaw line or that very well maintained body encased in his tight uniform. When he approached my window I rolled it down and noticed he had that natural brooding look, dark and contemplative.“Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over?” he asked as he flashed his identification.“I’m not sure officer, can you tell me?”“I clocked you at 50 miles per hour. This road is a 30 miles per hour zone, ma’am.”I couldn't get past those deep brown eyes long enough to even worry about the speeding.“Ma’am?”“Yes, sorry officer, you say I was going fifty. I apologize, I’m tired, I guess I didn't realize.” I’d never in my life been dazed by any other man before. I shook it off and pulled my long brown hair away from my face and behind my neck.“Are you aware that 20 miles per hour over the speed limit considered a felony?”That got my attention quick. “I didn't know that, sir.”He pursed his lips at me, those damn full lips, and I waited. “License and registration please,” he said, extending his hand.I handed him my documents and took great pleasure in watching his ass as he walked back to his own vehicle.I looked down at my steering wheel and sighed. It was four in the morning and I’d just pulled a long shift at the bar I ran downtown. My legs were sore, my feet swollen, and I was beyond tired as I didn't get much sleep the previous night. Every inch of my body may have been tired but my mind was awake and attuned to that man only a few feet behind my car. I let a thought enter my head. It wound its way into my senses carefully, creeping along until I actually acknowledged its existence.It was four am, the road was deserted, and I had one sexy man out there. Maybe I could do like the movies, try a little seduction, and see if he would drop down the speeding from a felony to a regular ol citation.“It was worth a shot. If it didn’t work I’d be arrested either way so...” I told myself and the empty car.I pulled the mirror down from the visor and stared at my reflection. Long brown hair pulled to the back of my neck, blue eyes, a smattering of freckles across the bridge of my nose, I wasn't a bad looking woman. I ran my fingers under my eyes to erase the strayed eyeliner and smoothed out the lip balm that had become patchy in the course of the last hour since I applied it. Ducking down I reached into the glove box and applied some deodorant to my underarms while thanking any god that listened that I happened to groom that morning.I pinched my cheeks and shook my hands out to bring some life back into them as the cop sauntered back to my window.“Ma’am, here you go.” He handed me my paperwork and I sat it in the passenger seat. How the hell do you seduce a cop?He leaned down and shined his flashlight into my car.“Have you been drinking tonight, ma’am?”It was a fair question as I most likely smelled of the liquor I spilled on my pants and hands over the course of the night.“No, sir, just water.”“Do you mind stepping out of the vehicle for a quick sobriety test?”I carefully hid the smile that threatened to peak through my serious 'you're with an officer of the law' face. Now I could at least even the playing field. In my vehicle I couldn't do much but out on the road with him...there were definitely some moves I could use. Unless he arrested me.He watched me carefully as I unfastened my seat belt and stepped out of my car. It was dead in the middle of summer so the early morning air was warm with a pleasant breeze. I was instantly refreshed.“Can you step over here, ma’am?”The officer guided me toward the trunk of my car so were both away from the main road. His car hid us from view of anyone who might pass and I was starting to believe this situation had to be fate.He stood rigid and tall, at least three inches above me. I had to look up to meet his eyes and I could have fallen into them. Deep sea green and smart. God, I loved a smart man.I swallowed and waited for him to give me instruction. That way I could make a plan.“Ma’am, I’m going to ask you a few questions first,” he said.I nodded and looked him up and down while he did.“How many drinks have you had tonight?”“Four but all of them water.”“Why do you smell like alcohol?” he asked stepping closer but not close enough for my tastes.I moved into him a little more and met his eyes as I wet my lips.“I work at a bar, officer,” I looked down at his name tag. “Baretti. I often spill drinks or have customers spill drinks on me. That’s probably the reason.”“What bar do you work at?” He asked as he watched my every twitch.“McDougals up on 48.” I said, feeling bare and naked to his scrutiny.He met my eyes and I wondered if my pupils were dilated. They say your pupils dilate when you’re turned on and this man had me ramped up. He smelled like soap. Nothing but clean laundry and soap. I wondered if he’d just gotten on shift and what his lips tasted like. Any other man I would have just leaned up and found out but I didn’t feel like being shot.“Officer, I apologize for speeding, I really do, but I haven’t been drinking.”I was still only a few inches away from him staring up into his lovely eyes. He wasn’t moving, I couldn’t even tell if he was breathing. Eventually my nerves crept up and I was about to back away until he reached out and gently moved a stray piece of hair away from my face.I swallowed, my heart pounding in my chest as my fingers started to tingle from the adrenaline.“Officer Baretti, I’m going to kiss you now unless you stop me.”I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed in my peripheral vision and slowly I closed the distance between us, careful not to make any sudden movements. Just as my lips reached up to his he spun me around, pressed my back against the trunk of my car, and smashed his lips against mine.It wasn’t artful or erotic it was lust, simple and clean. His teeth scraped mine as he fought each other lips to lips. He tasted like coffee and dark chocolate. I reached up to slide my fingers into his short hair and knocked his hat to the ground. He growled in my mouth as I pulled the strands with a short sharp grip.We broke apart gasping each other’s exhales. My heart felt like it might burst from my chest even as I was pressed tightly between my trunk and his immovable body.I released his head and slid my palms down his chest to rest on the breast pockets of his uniform and met his eyes.“This is going to go one of two ways at this point,” I whispered, “You can give me my ticket, I can get back in my car, and never see you again or you can flip me around, pull down my pants and fuck me. Right here. Right now.”His eyes sparked and he inhaled sharply as I swallowed waiting for his response. My entire body tingled with awareness, every nerve ending standing on end, waiting and hoping for the answer I wanted to hear.“What if I want to fuck you and give you a ticket?” he asked gripping the bottom of my gray tank top.“Well, you’re the officer, but if you fuck me good enough I might have to show up on court to contest it just to see you again.”He chuckled a short sharp laugh then leaned down and pressed his lips to mine gently. When he broke away I looked up into those deep eyes and saw the change in him appear. He gripped my hips hard and spun me so my belly pressed into the logo on the back of my trunk.Oh God this is really happening.I heard metal clinking and turned my head in time to see his cuffs leave his belt before I felt the cold steel circle my wrists.I swallowed, and prayed I wasn’t about to become coyote food.Once the click of the cuffs signaled they were in place and my arms were immobile he circled his hand around the front of my neck and tilted my head back so his lips touched my ear.“I’m going to pull down your jeans and fuck you until you are screaming into the breaking dawn. Just nod if this is what you want.”I nodded as fast as I could in the confines of his hand and he released me before pressing my head down onto the back of my car. The metal was cool but I barely noticed over the hard chaffing of my jeans on my legs as he ripped them down my thighs. I spread my legs as far as I was able to make it easier and heard the clink of keys as he undid his belt.I started to shiver in anticipation every part of me attuned to this man’s movements.I heard the snap of a condom and then the prod of him at my entrance. Despite his threats he entered me carefully, reverently, and I waited tight as a spring for him to release the beast he held at bay.He clutched my hips and pulled my ass back into him. It was a strange position with my hands cuffed behind me but it didn’t matter I’d come all over him a matter of moments if he just did exactly as he promised.“Please,” I said against the car. I wasn’t above begging at this point.His fingers gripped me tighter and I knew it was over. He slammed into me rearing back and pulling me into him at the same time. I melted. It was rough, brutal, and absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t hold out very long and it seemed he wouldn’t be able to either.“You better come with me,” he said with an accompanying moan.It was a command and a promise. I let myself go as he slid in and out of me fast and hard. My hip bones were bruised from pressing against the trunk and the dull pain produced from those bruises as he fucked me sent me over the edge. I shouted my orgasm just as he said I would. He followed me reaching up and pulling my head back by my hair as he sunk into me a few more short strokes.I swallowed my throat dry from shouting and slumped against the trunk as he withdrew and pulled up his pants. He gently uncuffed my hands but I couldn’t move. I stayed strewn across my car with the dust of the road coating my skin as my own wetness trickled down my inner thigh.If I could have stood up I would have but after a moment he softly pulled my jeans up and rearranged my clothing back into its proper place. He must have gotten scared because he leaned down on my trunk to align his face with mine. I met his eyes before leaning forward to kiss him gently. Eventually I stood, my legs barely able to carry me as the weight of the long day and a mind-blowing orgasm settled into my bones.“Are you okay? Was I too rough?” he asked, timidly.I put my fingers to his lips. “No, you were perfect.”He smiled and circled my waist with his hands.“Well, then, same time next week Mrs. Baretti?”I smiled and thought how lucky I was to have married the hottest cop on the planet.“Same time next week but I’ll do thirty-five over and see how much trouble that gets me in.”He laughed and gently untangled himself pushing me toward my vehicle.“I love you. I’ll see you at home.”He followed me off the secluded highway back to the main streets and I ached in all the right places as I thought about my bed waiting for me at home.

SO MUCH TO DO

Dearest Readers,

Thank you for stopping by. I have a cover for you. My release You May Kiss the Bride due out on August 22 is HERE...so is the buy link. HINT HINT.


Further news...I had a few releases I haven't had a chance to blog about. I had a short story in Ms. Soloman's Bad Boy Menage. BUY LINK HERE. Cover Below.


AND MORE NEWS. My short story for the Breathless Press Birthday Alice in Wonderland theme is out! You can also just buy the entire collection in HARDCOVER. 

I am also very happy to announce I signed a new contract with my publisher for the formerly titled Soulless...now titled Heart and Souls. I can't wait to bring this story to life for you.
XOXOMonica