S.E. Isaac's Blog, page 31
February 11, 2018
Diva Drama
The journey of being an author is not always pleasant. Today’s blog is a behind the curtain of the play ‘Authors’ lives’. Grab your popcorn & buckle up.
I do not expect anyone to be perfect. Hell, no one is. I do not expect people to not have bad days. Hell, everyone has a bad day. What I do expect out of others is respect. Everyone deserves respect; especially, in a professional setting. You don’t have to like me. Hell, some days I don’t like myself. (Shugs!) However, in this professional setting, let’s keep it business and cut out the cattiness. When I join something, anything, I give my all. I don’t half-ass it. There are so many people who half-ass stuff or just outright kiss ass so they don’t have to do their share. The title below should be stamped on some people’s foreheads, so the rest of us know to avoid that person or to bare ass (for those of you who like having your ass kissed).
As a somewhat new author, I take risks to learn what works and what works in this author world. This author world can be quite cutthroat and some authors will lead you astray intentionally. I have been lucky enough to find authors who have guided me, in the right direction, and given me knowledge (i.e. Josette Reuel, B. Groves, M.R. Wallace, and so many others). I truly wish that all other authors were like this. I hate the competitiveness and groupie settings that are part of the author world. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect groupies in the author world! One wrong word and these groupies will try to ruin your career. I have seen authors attacked because they go against the grain. Seriously? We are all authors, who share the same passion- writing.
The past few weeks, I have been part of hell. I have not spoken up about it, because I was trying to not be unprofessional or a bitch. If indie authors were to learn one thing from me, remember this: before joining anything author related, be sure to do your research. Learn about other authors, that particular group/page, and know when to hit the ‘abort’ button. If you have any feelings that something is wrong, after the third feeling of wanting to hit ‘abort’ just do it. It will save your heartache and headaches down the road 
February 9, 2018
A Smidge of Pimping
Good day, lovelies!
Time to do a bit of pimping on the upcoming paranormal romance anthology that I am co-coordinating and an author in! This anthology has me excited for so many reasons.
#1 The other authors are amazing! Not just as authors, but as people. And, all have a wonderful sense of humor! (Go, Team Scaredy Cats! HA)
#2 The stories within this anthology will be power hitters. None of these authors are holding back on their talent. Seriously, amazing work coming from all of them.
#3 Who can’t enjoy a good game of cat and mouse within the pages of a book?
I could list hundreds of reasons of why I love this anthology already, but I will leave you to form you own opinion
February 6, 2018
Special Announcement
Would love for you to pre-order your copy today. [image error]
A collection of ten never before published paranormal romance tales about strong females who struggle to hold on to their scaredy “cat” males. This anthology is full of steamy hijinks that might just melt your eReader.
Follow these lynx, panthers, jaguars, lions, tigers, witches, cu-sith, and familiars as they find love when they’re least expecting it.
**A percentage of each sale is being donated to the Wounded Warrior Project (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).**
Caught by Love by Josette Reuel
Distracted by a bad mane day and haywire magic, Laith forgot to hide from love.
A Roar of Her Own by S.E. Isaac
No place to hide, when she’s on the prowl to find love.
Changing His Spots by Catherine Bowman
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Hunter’s Moon by Romarin Demetri
Autumn should never have let him go.
Kenya and Her King by Crystal St. Clair
A king only bows down to his queen.
The Familiar’s Fate by Tiffany Heiser
Fate…a four letter word that could end it all.
Herding Cats by Edward Blackwood
Some cats just leave mice on the doorstep, he brought her a whole clowder of trouble.
Snowbound by A.M. Cosgrove
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An Unwanted Rescue by Adalaine Rose
An unwanted rescue breeds an unwanted love.
Tamed by Laura Stapleton
Only the queen of hearts can tame this king of the beasts.
BUY HERE –>
Amazon Global link: https://getBook.at/AG2-CaSCAntho
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079MHWBZ4
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079MHWBZ4
DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B079MHWBZ4
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079MHWBZ4
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940155393610
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1339522410
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/…/eb…/a-guide-to-claiming-a-scaredy-cat
Universal: https://www.books2read.com/u/b6r0JM
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38396498-a-guide-to-claiming-a-scaredy-cat
February 5, 2018
Crazy world of mental health
The brain is such a complex organ or machine depending on what you want to refer to it as. It is made up of approximately 100 billion neurons!
My son is 13 years old with a diagnosis of autism and mood disorder. Doctors have begun throwing around the diagnosis of ‘early onset schizophrenia’ (often referred to as COS- Childhood-onset Schizophrenia). This post originally was going to be about the connection between the two ASD and COS.; however, after researching, I see that the two have similar traits, but are not correlated to one another. (Hmmm. Fascinating. At least for me.) “One of the hypotheses supporting the similarities in the social and cognitive disturbances of ASD and SSD relates to abnormalities in the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory cortical activity (E/I imbalance).” (Canitano, R., & Pallagrosi, M. 2017) However, this same article goes on to say that the research was shown that 30% of the COS individuals followed had comorbid with ASD.
So what’s the truth? It won’t change the way my son is. It can only give me an answer; perhaps, even a sense of relief to know what goes on in my son’s mind. These answers could also help to find a medication that would be the most beneficial. How would the truth of the correlations between ASD and COS effect you, if your loved one has been diagnosed with one and monitored for the other?
It is such a confusing system- nervous system-the brain. One misfired neurotransmitter or one genetic anomaly & the entire brain can be changed resulting in a mental illness that affects an individual for the rest of their life. My son, regardless of diagnosis of ASD or COS, will always need to be supervised. Even in adulthood, he will need a caregiver to ensure that he is meeting his daily activities (brushing hair, brushing teeth, showering, etc.), ensure he is taking his medication, and ensure that the public is safe from him. By safe, I mean that he has outbursts and locks in on a target. A family member is usually there to redirect him, but that just strengthens my point of him needing supervision.
What are your thoughts on ASD, COS, or any other mental illness?
Happy Reading & XoXo
S.E.Isaac
Canitano R, Pallagrosi M. Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Excitation/Inhibition Imbalance and Developmental Trajectories. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2017;8:69. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00069
My life in a blender
Crazy title for this blog, right? It’s true. If you were to take the pieces of my life:
Being a mother
Being a mother to a child with autism, mood disorder, and early on-set Schizophrenia
Constantly getting texts or calls from the school regarding his behavior. He has paranoid early onset Schizophrenia with auditory illusions. The voices used to tell him to make good decisions. Now the voices tell him to make very bad decisions. I am constantly crying over this.
As though dealing with a special needs child wasn’t enough, I have to deal with myself who is a woman with anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. Extreme depression.
Being a fiance’ to a hardworking ironworker, who busts his ass all day so he is exhausted at night & just wants to relax (Kids don’t make that easy, so I get to play referee to ensure a fair fight in kids vs dad matchup)
Being an author, who apparently couldn’t sell her book, if her life depended on it (HA!…Seriously, crying)
Being a military veteran & military support civilian having crewed on helicopters from nearly a decade- my body is destroyed from missions, trainings, and such.
Being a woman in general & never feeling good enough.
The list goes on and on…these are just the quick jot downs
We are all struggling with something in our lives. Life isn’t perfect. It wasn’t meant to be perfect. It was meant to help us grow. However, how much growth are we expected to do before life cuts us a break? Am I being selfish for wanting the my blender of a life to be turned off or at least turned to a lower setting? Thoughts?
Happy Reading & XoXo
S.E.Isaac
Oh, Happy Monday by the way!
February 4, 2018
Train to Anguish by S.E.Isaac
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Blurb:
Going from the lap of luxury to an all-male war academy, wasn’t something that Kaitlyn Armistice ever imagined for herself. Trapped as a political bargaining chip between her government, the Nevan’s, and the Lynxan government, she finds herself in a scary new world at the Academy of Anguish.
Struggling to control her fears, complete her assigned tasks, and to understand her attraction to her instructors, Kaitlyn forces her focus on succeeding.
When success is finally within her grasp, will Kaitlyn be able to battle her way through the Academy of Anguish, hold on to a budding romance, and win the hearts of her people?
Excerpt:
Light beamed down on my face, as we passed through the ten-mile tunnel that led to Lynx Canton. The half an hour train ride seemed to last an eternity. I was the only one in the train car. I had no other passengers to pass the time with to ease my nervousness. I was filled with nerves, confusion, and rage on the inside but kept an emotionless composure on the outside. Emotions were my enemy. I had known that since day one.
The Academy of Anguish was an all-male war academy. The word academy is just another way of saying canton without making it political, but everyone knows Academy of Anguish is a lifestyle not an educational system. The males left the walls of the academy, conducting themselves in a variety of ways, often in a warrior way. When they caused trouble, they weren’t questioned by the law, simply returned within the walls to receive whatever punishment was deemed necessary, if any. This is why no female would be foolish enough to subject her body to the agony, torment, and suffering that may wait within those walls. With the academy, there was no guarantee of survival.
The academy reached out past their walls to the Nevan government, because they wanted a female test subject not of Lynxan blood. It was decided that I would be the one to go in exchange for a political alliance agreement. My father had selfishly signed my fate away to the unknown and with only a care for their people in mind.
The academy provided an outfit before my departure. Black pants, black boots and a black tank top. I was told I would not need to bring anything with me. I was to simply get on the private train at the Nevan train depot and everything else would be taken care of. My father tried to hug and kiss me goodbye, but I ran to the arms of my mother, who kissed me swiftly and whispered, ‘I love you’. I found the strength somehow and walked out the door. I never looked back.
Now, here I am sitting on a train to doom and not a friend in the world. Most females would be bawling their eyes out in my current situation, but I knew better. Even when you felt like no one was watching, there was always someone watching. And I refused to be seen as weak.
The train finally reached the end of the tunnel and the glow of lights from the academy walls could be seen. The Academy of Anguish was much bigger then I had imagined. It looked like a fortress that went on for miles and miles. The train began to slow down, as I continued gazing out the window in amazement. My focus came back to the train when I was jarred forward as it halted. I stood up from my seat and looked at the exit doors. I knew once those train doors opened, there was no turning back. I’d be forever marked.
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Happy Super Bowl Sunday
Happy Super Bowl Sunday, Lovelies!
Philadelphia just won a few moments ago! Wow! Great job, Philly!
Today has been a busy day. My youngest and I went and saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I really hope that that movie is the LAST Star Wars movie. It was painful for me to watch. I could tell lots of money was poured into it. Great job on that! Great actors but the script was poorly written to me, personally. I know lots of you will hate me for saying that. But, just a matter of an opinion.
February 3, 2018
Need your help! <3
Feel free to share this blog post with your friends, family, and even the crazy cat lady next door
February 2, 2018
Ah…good ole Friday
Well, we made it to the weekend. Doesn’t feel any different. A matter of fact, it’s kind of shitty and reminds me of Monday. What day does your weekend feel like?
It’s funny the type of person I am. I am always trying to inspire, motivate and be positive towards other people and their lives, but when it comes to my own, I have this gigantic black cloud hovering over my head. You know, like the ones in the cartoons. Yep! That’s my life. When it rains, it pours & I never have an umbrella. (insert ‘crummy’ face. HA!)
Enough griping from me. Let me name some positive things:
The paranormal romance anthology that I am co-coordinating is going great! Such an awesome group of authors that I am getting to work with. We are all so diverse from one another. I
it!Be sure to like our anthology’s page. We have events, giveaways, author spotlights, and lots of other goodies coming soon to the page.
Anthology FB Page
February 1, 2018
Naughty Read
Is it hot in here or is it just the mystery man sitting in the corner of the coffee shop? Aughbreigh Kelly keeps her cool and finds her way to the front of the line, but not before glancing at mystery man. Their eyes meet and Aughbreigh is ready to swoon. ‘Head up, eyes front, and no drooling’, she tells herself, but will she be able to resist such a treat?
Mature content below…
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