D.G. Kaye's Blog, page 93

Learning to Trust Your #Intuition – The Sisters of the Fey

As many of you know, I’m part of a collective blog with my Sisters of the Fey. Eight of us make up that group and once a month each of us shares a post on topics we specialize in according to our ‘universal gifts’. Today I’m sharing my recent post on Learning to Trust Your Intuition.   Do you struggle with trusting your intuition? Do you feel pangs of anxiety when having to face a big decision in your life, fighting the inner conflict of the two sides of the coin when you know something is off, yet, you don’t know whether you should trust your inside warning system or if you should just simply wave off your concerns as your imagination?   All of us have been in these predicaments at various times in our lives. And I’m sure many of us tend to wave off our worries, sometimes allowing the chips to fall where they may because we’re just too afraid to make an executive decision. But often, letting the chips fall where they may because of self-doubt will lead to a negative outcome. So how can we help ourselves become more assertive when it comes to making a decision about things we don’t really want to think about but aren’t going away? We must take a step outside of our worries and delve into the elements of our dilemmas looking at them from a different perspective. . . Please continue reading at Sisters of the Fey   Source: Learning to Trust Your Intuition – The Sisters of the Fey

I’m Back! – Not Thinking is a Great Stress Reliever! Beautiful #Sunsets

I’ve recently returned from a glorious two-month escape to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Our trip was fabulous, fun and oh so relaxing, but I will say that the mind often takes a little longer to catch up with the body when it comes to relaxing. It takes great mental concentration to not allow the mind to stray and wander back home to some of the crap we leave behind, or have to deal with upon return. But I did it!   How freeing it is to not have to think when we finally reach that point of letting go. The constant everyday issues of life become condensed to only one concern: What should we have for dinner tonight?” That should be my only worry. Anyway, I digress (as usual). I purposely didn’t post here while away (with the exception of a pre-scheduled #WATWB post), because if I post, I like to reply to comments in a timely fashion and I just wanted to let go of all responsibilities. And I have to say, it did take me a good week at first to get into that relax mode. But once I did, it was exhilarating to escape real life worries and obligations. I caught up on some good reading time, although only reading 12 books, I’d planned to read more, but it seemed my social circles were growing by the day, creating many distractions. I met a lot of people on my trip – some I’ll probably never see again, some who became new good friends, and of course, some rather unpleasant people too. But that’s another story for another day that I’ll no doubt be writing about – nasty people who have nothing better to do but gossip and stir shit for something to do. We had the usual chair wars (to be explained), and gained a ton of great tourist information from what has been deemed ‘the pool of knowledge’ where we all congregate in the afternoons to escape the hot sizzle in our lounge chairs, and mingling and sharing tips take place. We learn about some great places to visit, great restaurants to go eat, which grocery stores carry certain items, and who is who in the zoo, lol. I hope I got your curiosity going enough to reading my next few blog posts where I’ll be elaborating on my trip and sharing some fun photos and tips. All said, it was a fabulous trip, and a great rejuvenation. Thanks for coming back to my blog to visit again and I hope to entertain you with some spectacular sunsets! I’ll leave you with a few here.                 Thanks for visiting!    

Sunday Book Review – Son of the Serpent by Vashti Quiroz-Vega

  Well, I’m finally home! Of course I have lots to write about in coming posts, but I’m going to start of March with one of my favorite reads this past month – Vashti Q. Vega’s, Son of the Serpent. This book was so engrossing and touched me on so many levels that I can only add that I kept turning the pages as Dracul’s adventures continued in his quest to find the evil mother Lilith who abandoned him as a child. I think this book could be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading Book 1 – The Fall of Lilith to get a good scope of the characters, and to get a good feel of the emotion that poor Dracul exudes because of who birthed him. A great read!!!     Blurb:   In Son of the Serpent, award-winning author Vashti Quiroz-Vega crafts another fascinating glimpse into the dark, compelling world of fallen angels and demons, revealing more about their untold stories. The war in heaven might be over, but the ambitions of the fallen angel Lilith reach far across the roots of history. Will there be a being powerful enough to stop her evil influence before the destruction of mankind? Dracúl knows he is the son of Satan, but the rest of his memory has been taken from him. Alone and frightened, he awakens in a forest, beginning a quest to piece together who he is. The world he encounters is cruel, but he yearns to belong and find companionship. With each step he takes, another missing piece of his memory falls into place, revealing a truth that is ever more troubling . . . A truth that will turn his quest for meaning into one fueled by the hot-blooded thirst for revenge. A truth that leads him to Lilith, the most wicked and ruthless of fallen angels and one he soon will have every reason to hate. His quest will consume him, perhaps ruin his life, but somehow Dracúl is determined to find both belonging and vengeance—to be good, in spite of his evil nature and the dark secrets that haunt him every step of the way.   My 5 Star Review:   This book was just as engrossing, if not, more than Book 1 – The Fall of Lilith. Son of the Serpent begins with Dracul, son of Satan and Lilith, awakening where he was initially left to die by his evil mother, the fallen angel, Lilith. Dracul begins to piece his past life together and sets out on his mission to find his evil mother to seek revenge with plenty of twists along the way. In his quest to find Lilith, Dracul encounters some of the other fallen angels from his past who were kind to him, forging new relationships and experiencing real life emotions such as love and hurt. Written in first person, the story is told through both Lilith and Dracul. Author Vashti Vega did a fabulous job of fleshing out all characters, taking us right into the emotions of each character through this dark, yet, heartfelt journey. We feel empathy for Dracul for his loneliness being left as an outcast and the love he is capable of despite the evil parents he was born from. We feel contempt for the evil Lilith for her greed to dominate all in her quest to conquer divine supremacy, doing evil deeds to anyone in her path. Some of the punishments she inflicts on others for self-gratification will have you shuddering in disgust – sign of some great writing! The author did a magnificent job of tying in biblical characters and stories with these fallen angels in this dark fictional telling. An engrossing tale of good versus evil. I recommend reading Book 1 – The Fall of Lilith, to learn how Lilith came to be such an evil, power hungry entity, and how the fallen angels came to be, to gain a better understanding of how their personalities and evil traits evolved once God had evicted them from heaven. I was sorry when this book ended, but very satisfied with the ending. If I could give it more stars I would!  

#WATWB – We are the World Blogfest – Here is the story of Becca Schofield | #BeccaToldMeTo

Today is the last Friday of the year, and for #WATWB where we post about good things in the world on the last Friday of the month, I wanted to share this inspirational story about a Canadian girl, Becca Schofield, who passed away this year in February at the age of only 18 years old after battling terminal brain cancer but did not allow her death sentence to prevent her from sharing random kindness.     All this little girl wanted to do was to start a movement inspiring people to perform acts of kindness around the world and her movement spread to 94 countries, becoming a global movement with the hashtag #BeccaToldMeTo. The Canadian government has proclaimed September 15th as the Annual Becca Schofield Day.   You can read more about this beautiful girl HERE   If you’d like to take part in sharing a post for good things happening around the world with #WATWB, you can add your links HERE. This month’s hosts for the #WATWB are:           Source: Here is the story of Becca Schofield | #BeccaToldMeTo

Wishing You All A Happy New Year!

  Another year has come and gone and I can say with certainty it’s been quite a year on many fronts. I’m not one to ever wish the days to go faster, especially since looking back I honestly don’t know where the year went, but nonetheless, I’m happy to kiss it goodbye.   I want to wish you all a beautiful, happy, healthy and inspirational New Year. I feel blessed to be part of this beautiful blogging community and am grateful for the many friends I have made through blogging. And on that note, I’m also announcing my annual winter vacation blogging break. Yes, soon I’ll be heading to the beaches of beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I have a wonderful social calendar lined up for the first part of my break as some family and friends join me in PV. I also want to catch up on some serious reading while away, but I don’t anticipate doing much blogging, if any. But perhaps I’ll get back to writing my next book. Who knows, I’ll go where my inspiration takes me. I also won’t be spending my evenings on the computer reading blogs as I normally do as I really need a timeout. But I know I’ll be popping by sporadically on Facebook, and I’m sure to the odd blog when time permits. So cheers

Wishing You all the Magic of Christmas

    Another year has come to pass, reminding us to count our blessings. The year has offered some cold blows, blips, concern, and awakenings along with the joys and inspiration. At this time we should remember the love we hold for our family and friends and all the precious little things which bring us joy that we so often take for granted. This is also a good time to make plans for all our good intentions and desires so we can start manifesting  the best life we can coming in the new year and forward.   I wish for you all to stay blessed and may all your wishes come true!    

Last Sunday Book Review for 2018 – The Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody by Marcia Meara

Today is my last book review for 2018 and I’m reviewing Marcia Meara’s – Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody, the second book in this series, soon to become a trilogy. If you enjoy reading feel good stories about angels, you will love this story.       Blurb: In Marcia Meara’s second installment of The Emissary Trilogy, a Riverbend spinoff series of novellas, we find our three heroes at it again. Beautiful new places, exciting new adventures, and a whole assortment of new problems await them, bringing tears, laughter, and an extraordinary amount of love along with them.  They’re back! Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again. They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls. Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own. Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It? One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?   My 5 Star Review: I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Book 1 where we were introduced to Jake who is chosen by the Archangel Azreal to become an emissary to go back to earth and help people in need as well as help to steer them in the right direction. We also met Dodger, a younger man who was also taken under the angel’s wings to be groomed as Jake’s assistant emissary. This story follows the relationship that blooms between Jake and Dodger as they continue doing their good deeds while still in training by Azrael on how to become fully experienced new angel assistants. It’s a beautiful story about goodness, and heartwarming to read as Jake becomes father-like to Dodger as time passes, filling the void for both with love and compassion for one another, especially Dodger who never knew love from his own father when he was alive. Meara does a wonderful job with all three of these characters, engaging us into the story and filling our hearts with compassion for these same characters. Even as emissaries, Jake and Dodger live as humans and can still feel pain, despite the fact they can’t die again. This is a novella so I recommend reading Book 1 to familiarize you with the characters, you won’t be disappointed.   P.S. Just so you know, Marcia has put ALL of her books on sale for the Christmas season for just 99 cents. I highly recommend grabbing a few of her series. I love and have reviewed all books I’ve read so far of Marcia’s. You can visit her Amazon Book Page to check out all her other wonderful books.

#Writers Tips for Authors and Bloggers – Book Launching, #Twitter Tips, Editing Your Manuscript

    My last Writer’s Tips post for 2018 offers some resourceful sites on bookmarketing, book trailer making, book launching, book editing and Twitter tips for authors – everything bookish! I hope there’s something for everyone here.     How today’s authors are launching their books, on the blog of Anne R. Allen New Book Marketing: The Bad Girl’s List for Book Launch Success   Twitter tips and what you may be doing wrong with Twitter by Rachel Thompson, featured at the blog of Anne R. Allen What You’re Doing Wrong on Twitter and How to Make It Right   How to edit your manuscript by editor Jeri Walker https://jeriwb.com/edittip-how-to-sel...   A new type of presentation better than Power Point – Microsoft Sway and what’s it all about? Jacqui Murray has the scoop for us What Authors Should Know About MS Sway   And last but not least, here’s a great rundown on how to use Lumen to make your own book trailers at Indies Unlimited   Make Free Book Trailers with Lumen5   Has anyone ever used Lumen or Sway? I’d love to hear your feedback on how easy you found it to create trailers or presentations with either of these modes.

The Fifth Day of Christmas at the Smorgasbord and a Free Book Promo

Sally Cronin is hosting the 12 Days of Christmas at her blog daily, and I was thrilled to be featured with my best Christmas gift along with 2 other authors, Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick. Every day of the 12, Sally shares a fun story and lots of food and drinks to celebrate the season.   As a bonus feature, I’m sharing Sally’s generous offer on her blog now through Christmas Eve where Sally is offering 5 of her ebooks absolutely FREE! Please check out the second link at the bottom of the post to get to Sally’s book promotion and take advantage, I promise Sally’s books never disappoint!         Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Christmas – The Fifth Day of Christmas with guests D.G. Kaye, Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick   Welcome to the fifth day of Christmas, and today my guests are D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies), Lizzie Chantree and Joy Lennick.  We will find out more about their most favourite Christmas memories later.   As I continue to reflect on Christmas Past… I came across some pictures of Saas Fee in Austria the Christmas of 1995, here is a mountain shot that I found on Pixabay which is far better than the ones I took with my old camera. It was to be a memorable festive break for more than one reason… We stayed in a lovely hotel which was family run and the guests were mainly German speaking. There was one other English couple and the management kindly put our two tables close together in the dining-room. We actually got on with them very well and over the course of the 10 days we went on some excursions as a foursome. The other thing that the management did to make our stay more enjoyable was to translate their morning newsletter and guide to the day’s menu from German into English. These were the days before Google Translate was offering such a useful service and I know that the two pager must have taken considerable time to convert especially as there were only four of us who could not speak German. That is true customer service. However, it unfortunately did lead to some hilarity at the breakfast table despite our best efforts to maintain a stiff British upper lip. There were a number of ‘moments’ including our confusion over the ‘Cancer Butter’ to be served with the salmon at dinner (Crab butter) and the title of the Version Original film to be shown at the local cinema ‘The Hard with a Vengeance’ (Die Hard with a Vengeance). David was hitting the ski slopes every day whilst I explored the trails around Saas Fee by foot. However, between Christmas and New Year the four of us decided to try out the very long toboggan run from the top of the tree line down into the town. Luckily there was a ski lift up to the top where we collected our individual sleds. I was not very proficient to begin with and the other three were soon on their way as I trailed tentatively behind. The route took two hours normally and by the time I got to the last down hill stretch David and our two companions were gathered enjoying a mulled wine and waiting for my arrival. That last slope was both steep and lengthy and I perched over the lip prepared for a fast ride. At that moment the three of them turned to face the slope and began waving.. as did most of the other spectators. I was quite chuffed by the attention as they all waved both arms over their heads and shouted encouragement. Taking a deep breath I launched myself off and gathered momentum very quickly…. too quickly and barely keeping the sled under control I hurtled downwards towards the waiting crowd. The end of the run ended in a gradual slope upwards to slow the progress of over eager tobogganers. It was obvious to those watching that I was not going to be stopping anytime soon and the crowd parted as I rushed through them and I heard what they had been shouting to me on the way down as they waved their arms in the air “Ice, Ice, walk down on the edge – don’t do it. I took off from that ramp like Santa and his sleigh and thankfully landed in a snow drift positioned as a precautionary measure…. As I rose to my feet unharmed I turned to find anxious faces peering over the edge. I was laughing with adrenaline overload and with that everybody began clapping and slapping each other on the back… It was obviously the best entertainment in town….     Time for my first guest and it is D.G. Kaye.. Debby Gies who is not just a wonderful friend and supporter of the blog but also a much valued contributor. In particular the monthly Travel Column which has taken us to warm and exotic locations in the Caribbean and The Lesser Antilles…on cruise ships with all the know-how necessary to get the best value and enjoyment from our holiday. Recently Debby has been keeping an eye open for funnies to enhance the Laughter lines including this recent post   Debby shares her very poignant best Christmas Gift ever.. the first year that she was married. My best Christmas gift was marrying my husband in October 1999. One week after our marriage I became almost fatally ill and spent the first few months of marriage in and out of hospital. The steroids I was put on made me gain a bunch of weight and my face wasn’t spared with the often talked about ‘moonface’ many experience on that drug. I was sick, depressed and couldn’t stand looking in a mirror. My husband caught me secretly crying in the bathroom and asked me what was the matter. I tried to explain how I felt through my fit of tears and here was his response: “I love you to the moon and back. You will always be beautiful to me and that’s all that counts.” If I hadn’t already known I married a prince, I knew in that moment. Please continue reading at Sally’s blog, for more food, fun,memories and videos.   ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~     ~ Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Buy a Book for Christmas – The last author to be (self-promoted) and Free Giveaway – Sally Cronin!   Time for some self-promotion…. but I do come bearing gifts!   I am going to share the books and one of their reviews, and offer five of the E-versions to you as a Christmas gift. I have no expectation of a review, but I write books to be read, and it gives me pleasure to know that someone is intrigued enough to want to accept the book.   The offer runs from today 18th December until Midnight Christmas Eve 2018 wherever you live – Please visit Sally’s post to take advantage of her generous offer   

December’s Featured Blogger: Author D.G. Kaye Guest of Art by Rob Goldstein

I was recently interviewed by artist and blogger Rob Goldstein. Rob dug deep with his questions for me and I’m thrilled to share the interview here today.   December’s Featured Blogger is Author D.G. Kaye.   D.G. Kaye was born in Canada and lives in Toronto. She is an accomplished author and an active blogger on WordPress.  In your bio, I hear a sense of determination and hope. How do you find hope? I don’t find hope, I keep it tucked deeply inside. Hope is all we have when facing tragedy or adversity. In our darkest moments many of us, like myself, cling to that hope. But those who cannot focus on the light often get lost in the abyss of the darkness of the moment. I refuse to go to that place. I’m a firm believer that we manifest what we focus on to the universe. And what we focus on we attract. Staying focused on the negative and dark thoughts of an undesirable situation keeps us rooted in the fear instead of finding solutions to rise above the issues. I am a problem solver by nature. When life is dishing out curve balls I don’t cower and drown in fear, I look for the way out or the path I must take to overcome the adversity, focusing on the overcoming and the healing.   Did you write as a child, if so, what is the first thing you wrote? Yes, I wrote as soon as I learned how to write my alphabet. I began writing love notes to my parents. I was hyper aware of my family dysfunction as far back as 3 years old. All I wanted was for my parents to love each other and show me affection. I believe, looking back on those years, that my fears to verbalize what I was feeling translated directly into writing to express my feelings and desires.   What was your favorite book as a child? Sadly, I hate to admit it, but I have no recollection of any books in my home growing up. The fairy tales I learned were from teachers reading to us in school. I somehow always identified with Cinderella and her wicked step-mother as I grew to realize that I felt my mother had used me as her personal housekeeper and messenger from the age of 7 and on. My love for reading began once I entered junior high school when we were given books to read as part of curriculum in English classes.   Who are your inspirations as a writer and in life? Well, going back to childhood, I would have to say Barbra Streisand became my idol at a very young age. Funny Girl, still one of my favorite movies, became a movie I identified with because Streisand’s character – Fanny Brice, reminded me so much of myself. Brice was portrayed as an awkward girl trying to make it on the stage, beginning with her shows with the Ziegfeld Follies. She didn’t consider herself beautiful or elegant enough to fit in with the beautiful and sexy cast of dancers, so she used her sense of humor to win over the crowd, which eventually, pushed her to stardom. One line in particular, caught my attention, and that line stuck with me and became part of my character – “I want them to laugh with me, not at me.” As for my writing, it wasn’t the classics that inspired me as they have many writers. Being that there weren’t any books around my home, I loved reading the newspaper when sentenced to spending weekends at my paternal grandparents’ home, and soon found myself addicted to reading columns on everyday life and problem solvers by column writers like Ann Landers, Dear Abby, and Erma Bombeck. Even as a child I was fascinated by life stories and emotions and eager to learn how to resolve issues. As I got older, I found myself connecting with the writing of Norah Ephron.   When did you decide to write about your relationship with your mother? I think it was in my early teens when I began to resent my mother for the way she treated my father and ignored the emotional needs of her children when I began taking notes about her and writing letters to her about my feelings. I never, ever gave her one of those letters, but somehow it was cathartic for me to get my pent-up angst on to paper and out of my head. My life was an ongoing saga of dramatic and traumatic events with my mother, so I often documented in journals what I was feeling and my analysis of what provoked my mother to act as she did. I got the urge to write a book about my life with ‘mother’, but my fear of ever publishing a book while she was alive kept me from bothering to write one. I suppose the urge to expel my thoughts and stories rose to a peak as my mother became less lucid and immobilized, empowering me with knowing she could no longer attack me or reprimand me, or even sue me, for that matter. So, in early 2013 I began sorting out pages from my journals and writing Conflicted Hearts – A Daughter’s Quest for Solace from Emotional Guilt.   How did the decision change your life? When I began writing that first book that’s all I thought I would write. But while I worked on the book I began learning about self-publishing at the same time, which led me to opening a blog and connecting with a whole community of writers and new friends who shared the same passion for writing. By the time I published my first book, I knew there was no turning back. I finally found I was doing what burned within me most of my life – writing.   In your introduction to Twenty Years: After “I Do”, you describe your husband as a soul mate. What does soul mate mean to you? First, let me state that soul mate is typically said of a partner, but soul mate could also apply to a friend we are connected deeply with. A soul mate is one we connect with on a spiritual level. When we are in tuned with someone who we share similar values in life with, understand their words and feelings without being spoken, and share a bond where there’s an intuitive knowing of their soul is my definition of soul mate. Please continue reading at Rob’s blog       Source: December’s Featured Blogger: Author D.G. Kaye – Art by Rob Goldstein