Deirdre Riordan Hall's Blog, page 3

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Get your copy of HeartCore Yoga Guide #1 to end the battle with your body once and for all.




 


HeartCore is a three-part yoga-inspired program designed for women to create peace, love, and confidence in their bodies—especially mothers, who avoid their middle aka their core, the seat of creation and intuition. Even if a woman hasn't given birth, likely she's created something in her life—mothered it into being.


This practice combines contemplation, movement, affirmations, essential oils, and journaling to support women in learning to honor their true nature—to transform avoidance of the body into acceptance (and maybe even affection), particularly for the tummy. A strong and stable relationship with our center helps us better deal with challenges and live our best lives.

Guide 1 follows the themes of grounding and planting—removing the weeds and nourishing our roots.
Guide 2 is about sprouting, cultivating, and growing into our potential and what we desire in life.
Guide 3 is about blossoming and thriving as we energize and uphold our new level of self-care and love.
HeartCore is where we move from saying that we're going to try yoga, get stronger, or think positively and into action. We learn to live a life from which we do not seek escape. When we love and respect ourselves fully, we create massive shifts—I dare say a revolution, and we might just change the world.
Shop via Paypal for an easy download.
Purchase on Etsy by clicking here.

Love Note from Carrick to Navy

Have you read Love, Hate, and Other Lies We Told? Yes? Then you're in for a treat... Read on for a sizzling love letter from Carrick to Navy. 

If you haven't read the book, hold up! Don't go any farther! You can get your copy for only .99 cents for a limited time to celebrate Valentine's Day! Then come back and have a read...


 UK // US //  Australia < all other digital stores >


Happy Valentine's Day, book lovers and romance readers!
P.S. Enter to win an amazing giveaway, including a Kindle Fire, an Amazon gift card, and more HERE

Ch-Ch Changes

PC: Tanya MarkulHello! You may have noticed some changes around here...  For so long I felt split between my life as a health & wellness educator, yoga teacher, and writer. It was kind of making me feel cuckoo-marookoo. You know? 

Then I was like, well, I should do something about this. I can unify these these two parts of myself and my life... So I did and now here you have writing, wellness, and a little bit of wonder here on my site. 

I shift between both aspects week to week, day to day, and sometimes hour to hour. Branding specialists suggest sticking to one thing, well, this is my one thing, er... three: writing, wellness, and wonder (aka magic!)

I'm incredibly enthusiastic about all of us, writers, readers, HUMANS having the opportunity to be educated and empowered in body, health (mental & physical), and feeling our best so they can do the things they love. 

I'm also passionate about writing and can't imagine a life without it. 

Where do both of these begin and end? I have no idea. They don't. They're intertwined. Linked. Dependent on each other. If I'm not taking care of myself, my writing suffers. If I'm not writing, I suffer. You see?

Is there something in your life you feel this way about? Please let me know in the comments or message me. I'm all over the socials. In fact, I find I've been connecting with more people there than here, so let's hang out!

Speaking of that, if you're a reader, a YA lover, a bookworm, a fan of all things magical... I'm forming a reader-reviewer group for High School Magical! Woot!

If you don't already know, High School Magical is about magic, mayhem, mystery... and takes place at Applemoor Academy, a boarding school for the magically talented. 

It's a monthly short series with each book building off the last. They come out on the 15th of each month. It's ongoing, kind of like a TV show. 


Check them out here! 
The first two books are already out and the next one comes out next week! Eek! They read fast, but overtime they'll become a full length story!

I'd love to see a group of book lovers form so we can chat about Maija, JJ, and just what the heck is going on at Applemoor. Strange things afoot. 

There will also be polls, you'll have the chance to chime in on HSM things, exclusive content, and more!

If you're interested please send me an email, DM, or comment below. And the next 14 people to sign up get to pick another book from my backlist (as a little extra thank you!) My apologies but this offer excludes Sugar & Pearl. 

Thank you!

The Truth of Letting Go by Amy Sparling Cover Reveal!

I'm so excited to share The Truth of Letting Go, the latest book by Amy Sparling & reveal the cover to you today! I was able to do an early read of The Truth of Letting Go and I fell in love with the characters, the adventures, and the heart in the story of friendship, family, and love. Do adore the cover? I do!

Here's an excerpt:

"Cece is bold and fearless. Except when she’s not. I think we’d all agree that sarcastic joking Cece is the best version of my cousin. The alternative is scary as hell. It’s the reason we’re not even friends anymore, which is saying a lot because the girl on the other side of this table used to be my best friend in the world.

The other side of Cece’s mental illness is a dark cloud that pulls all of the happiness from the room. And once it rises, we never know when it’ll go away. All we can do is hold on tight, maintain order, and wait for her to come back to us."


The synopsis:


The summer before senior year, Lilah Monroe’s parents take a nine-day trip, leaving her as the guardian of her bipolar cousin, Cece. When Cece’s parents died tragically five years ago, she and her brother moved in with Lilah. Her brother soon went missing and was presumed dead.
Lilah and Cece couldn’t be more different. They used to be best friends, but high school has changed them both. Lilah likes order, schedules, and a tidy room. She has plans for her future and won’t let anything derail it, not even Cece whose life is constantly on the edge of chaos. Cece is messy, erratic and sensitive. She also has a reason to believe that her brother is still alive. Despite Lilah’s reservations, Cece tracks down an old friend who believes her theories. Ezra happens to have gotten really handsome since Lilah last saw him. Too bad they never really got along when they were kids.
Knowing the odds are stacked against them, Lilah breaks all of her parent’s rules for order and reason and joins forces with Cece and Ezra to set out on the road in an old RV in hopes of finding her dead cousin. Lilah and Ezra have a love connection amid the chaos, and when they discover what really happened to Thomas, it’s a truth no one saw coming. One that just might get them killed. 
A powerful novel about hope, first love, and what it means to be family. Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson, Emery Lord, and Sarah Dessen.


Preorder link
Add to Goodreads
Visit Amy's Instagram for the latest and special reader surprises coming your way!


P.S. If you can't wait to get your hands on this, but yeah,  you have to wait until December, Amy has LOADS of other books to keep you happy until release day!

Young Adult Scavenger Hunt Fall 2017

Welcome to the Fall 2017 YA Scavenger Hunt! 
My name is Deirdre Riordan Hall & I'm the author of TIDE (the first book in the Sea & Sand series). I'm your host for this stop on the YA Scavenger Hunt and am on the GREEN TEAM. 



First, if you're a reader, you're my people! I consider reading to be part of my job as a writer so if you have any suggestions for books to add to my TBR, please leave them in the comments. My current read is A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab. I'm into YA contemporary & fantasy.
When I'm not reading or writing, (I write a lot. If you follow along here, you'll know I completed my challenge of publishing 10 books in ten months—they were already written and begging for a home on the digital and wooden shelves of the world. But I didn't stop there... Nuh uh. I started High School Magical, a monthly series, or episodes as I like to think of them that will continue until next summer.) you might find me surfing or stuffing my face with a plate of nachos... Mmm. Practicing yoga or using essential oils. It's all about balance for me. 
Also, this is Chewie in a kilt.


Anyway, I'm so glad you're here. Ready to get started?

So, what is the YA Scavenger Hunt? 
This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt on my team! 
But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online  From Tuesday, October 3rd at 12 pm Pacific Time until Sunday, October 8th at noon Pacific time.


How do I play? 
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SEVEN contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all. I am a part of the GREEN TEAM--but there are six other teams for a chance to win different sets of signed books!
If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

How does the YA Scavenger Hunt work?
Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the GREEN TEAM, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!). 
Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday,  October 8th at noon Pacific time. (Here's a time calculator to find out when that is.) Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.


Okay, ready to get to the fun stuff? Here we go! 
I'm hosting Samantha Bohrman for the YA Scavenger Hunt, the author of BREAKING THE RULES OF REVENGE! 

Samantha Bohrman lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and three children. As a kid, she attended every summer camp imaginable—gymnastics camp, French camp, biology camp, architecture camp, debate camp, band camp, and the list goes on. Sadly, as a teen, Samantha was too shy to ever attend a camp dance. She is making up for it now with plenty of fictional summer camp smolder. 
Find her at www.sambohrman.com Twitter: @sambohrman and @sambohrman on Instagram.



Mallory Jones is tired of being the girl who stays home and practices French horn while her identical twin, Blake, is crowned homecoming queen. So when she has the opportunity to pretend to be Blake, she takes it. At Camp Pine Ridge, she will spread her wings and emerge a butterfly. Or at least someone who finally gets kissed by a cute guy. That is, until bad boy Ben Iron Cloud shows up, ready to get revenge on Blake—aka Mallory.

If it weren’t for that infuriating girl, Ben wouldn’t even be at camp. Luckily, he now has six weeks to soak up some rays and get even with his nemesis. But the more time he spends with Blake, the more he realizes she’s nothing like the girl he thought she was—she’s kind and innocent and suddenly way too tempting. And soon enough, revenge is the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately, the girl he’s falling for is keeping a major secret…

Disclaimer: This book contains a super-hot bad boy out for revenge, all sorts of camp hijinks, and a girl who realized she’s been a butterfly all along. 
~ ~ ~
Now for the exclusive content!

Behind the Scenes of BREAKING THE RULES OF REVENGE!
My new release, BREAKING THE RULES OF REVENGE, is a YA summer camp romance. It’s chock-full of summer camp drama—twin sister mix-ups, kissing, hijinks, and plenty of s’mores. With all of those elements, I couldn’t help but feel the influence of several of my favorite movies. Here are my top 5 movie influences:

The Parent Trap
I used The Parent Trap for plot inspiration. My book starts out with a feud at summer camp. In this case, it’s not the twins fighting, but my hero and heroine. Just like in The Parent Trap, the camp director sends them off by themselves to figure out their differences. (They don’t have any problem with that!)
https://giphy.com/gifs/hiGtDruqN8x7W/html5


Dirty Dancing
I actually didn’t think of this one. One of my reviewers on Goodreads described the book as The Parent Trap meets Dirty Dancing meets Mean Girls. Mallory is a little bit like Baby, shy and invisible next to her twin sister. Ben literally doesn’t even know she exists at the beginning. That, of course, changes.
https://giphy.com/gifs/u5dIIXcW2I1gs/html5


Wet Hot American Summer
I laughed so hard at this movie and the Netflix spin-off series. When all those middle-aged actors pretended to be teenagers I laughed till I cried. Unlike the movie, which is a satire of summer camp shows, Breaking the Rules of Revenge is a real romance and not totally off-the-wall (my editor would have killed me if it was). Come to think of it, Wet Hot American Summer would totally make fun of my book.

https://giphy.com/gifs/ivS5y9NT661EY/html5


Gone with the Wind
Blake, Mallory’s twin, has a penchant for drama and loves being the center of attention. She’s Scarlett O’Hara, but a teen in 2017. As such, she’s not the easiest sister to deal with. If anything, she’s epically horrible. Mallory has her work cut out for her.  
https://giphy.com/gifs/ivS5y9NT661EY/html5

San Andreas Fault
So this one was a fluke. I had been thinking about the story that became Breaking the Rules of Revenge for a few weeks. When I finally sat down to write the proposal, the character names just popped into my head. This was a nice surprise because I normally agonize over names. While I was writing, my husband was watching San Andreas Fault in the other room (top volume, of course).
A month later I was watching San Andreas Faultand I realized that the characters in my book mostly shared names with characters from the movie. Clearly, half my brain was listening to The Rock while the other half wrote. Luckily, The Rock picked out awesome names for his kids in that movie. That’s where the similarities end, though. No earthquakes at camp.

https://giphy.com/gifs/v0X2PuEIWJHQ4/...
 

You can add BREAKING THE RULES OF REVENGE TO YOUR TBR list on Goodreads.
You can buy her book HERE!
Check out more on Sam's Website, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram pages


Don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a book by me, Deirdre Riordan Hall and a bunch of other amazing authors including Carly Anne West—she's the next stop on the tour! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 73. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the GREEN TEAM and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

Wait! Before you go, there's more!



The team green winner will get book 2 in the Sea & Sand series, ANCHORED. If you want a chance to win the first book in the series, TIDE, and get a head start reading, enter below. I will be giving away 3 digital copies. Good luck! 
a Rafflecopter giveawayIf you haven't already, please vote for TIDE on the Goodreads YASH Listopia!
Thank you for participating in the scavenger hunt and don't forget, I want your book recommendations! Please leave them in the comments below. 



Please share YASH with your friends! (See below...)

Like hunting for new reads? Join the @YAScavengerHunt to find 140 new #YA books! http://bit.ly/yashunt
Thank you for participating and don't forget to share your YA book recommendations in the comments below. 

Latest Post:

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Yoga & Sugar-Free

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Oil Life FAQ

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Doterra

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Essential Oils

Some might say I came for the scents, the calm, or the wellness benefits, but I'm sticking around after delving into the essential oil world to bring myself greater focus and creativity as a writer. I diffuse the Motivate to inspire feelings of confidence and creativity with a combination of mint and citrus essential oils. When I feel distracted and like I'm procrastinating, I use the InTune blend to help enhance my senses and sustain focus. It's perfect for staying on task when I'm trying to concentrate and meet a deadline. 
I've been a yoga teacher and co-owned a yoga and wellness studio, but these days I'm busier than ever and am more of a yoga student, if I can make the time. However, this has left me feeling out of balance. Like an essential component to my personal self-care routine has been missing. 
Lately, I've struggled with feeling stressed in general. Can anyone relate? 
Lacking concentration. My home office is smack dab in the living room, which means I'm always part of the action. While in many ways that's convenient, I have a tough time concentrating, causing me to stay up late to catch up on things.
This led me to feeling so utterly tired, like I was sleepwalking through life. 
As you can imagine all of this added to the stress and I felt like I was spread thin, barely able to motivate and function. Something needed to change. I got focused on only what was absolutely necessary in my schedule, got back on my yoga mat, but I also heard essential oils could help. 
[image error] I'd always had some eo bottles around, but grabbing the one that smelled the best from Whole Foods didn't quite cut it. I did my research and as a person who won't take so much as an aspirin unless it's critical, I needed to be sure the oils I chose were of the highest quality. One of my favorite yoga teachers turned me on to DoTERRA and I haven't looked back as I've integrated essential oils into my lifestyle.
I daresay it was almost like megawatt magical light bulb moment, bringing peace, clarity, and wellness into my family and my own daily routines.
It didn't take me long to discover the multitude of benefits essential oils provide, from helping improve sleep, providing relief from tummy aches, muscle pains, and burns. Our world is brighter, more cheerful, and calmer than ever. I actually said, "Where have these oils been all my life?" 
I delved into the Doterra world and saw that it made sense to become a wellness advocate because of the savings, but also because it makes it easier for me to share essential oils with you. I'd never push anything on anyone, but if you're interested, I'd love to talk some more about it.
Other benefits of essential oils and being a wellness advocate while building my business is the oils support my kids and myself balance school, social, and sports. Deep blue and several other oils are great for athletes. As a huge fan of Harry Potter, essential oils are a little like potions too. 
I'm also an advocate of the doTERRA business model because it helps me learn and demonstrate entrepreneurial skills setting a positive example for my children. I also am able to provide my them with access to trusted products and methods for self-care. 
For all of us there has been a marked reduction in stress, an overall improvement health and wellness, and essential oils just make me happy. Among some of the common applications of essential oils:
Acne Anxiety/DepressionStressWeight ManagementSkin Care/EczemaCold/FluSleepAsthma/BreathingArthritisBurnsTeethingDigestionsHeadachesInsect BitesAnd more!

Essential oils have many personal and household uses and the Doterra wellness products such as hand soap, toothpaste, hair and skin care, and vitamins can replace some of the current products you use daily with natural options.
Check out my Facebook Live class on using essential oils for writers, creatives, and people who feel all the feels!
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Want to know more? There are 3 Ways to Doterra
1. Become a Wholesale Customer
Create a wholesale account and order items online. It costs $35 for the first year, giving you wholesale prices which are 25% off retail on every order. (Renewal in subsequent years costs $25 and you get a free 15ml bottle of peppermint oil, which is valued at $27 retail/$20.50 wholesale. (*If you decide to upgrade to wellness advocate, you can do so with no additional enrollment fee.) The Wholesale Customer options is like having a Costco membership, you pay an annual fee and pay wholesale prices. 
There is no required monthly order.
2. Become a Wellness Advocate: You get the same great discount above while sharing the benefits of essential oils along with access to wholesale prices, but also are able to earn income from sales. You will also get a personalized online shop, business training, marketing tools, the opportunity to grow your business, earn commission on sales with access to bonuses.  There are loads of benefits of being a wellness advocate and this is a great option if you're ready for a majorly positive impact in  your life. 
You have the ability to share amazing, life enhancing and transforming oils with your family and friends. 
You can also grow your wellness business, create a team, mentor others, and have a positive impact on the lives of friends and family.
Work from home during hours that fit your schedule.
Become a part of an amazing community of wellness advocates.
Access to monthly promotions. 

As a wholesale customer or Wellness Advocate you have the added option of enrollment in the Loyalty Rewards Program. Recurring monthly order that can be customized, adjusted, or canceled anytime. For months 1-3 in the LRP you get 10% back in points on each order, 4-6 months, 15%, 7-9 months, 25%, 10-12 months, 25%, and 13+ months, 30%. If you keep 100 point value in your cart at all times, you get these points applied to your next order, which is like a coupon or you could think about it as Doterra dollars. 125 PV + orders entitle you to free products as well. 
EXAMPLE OF LRP: Every time you place an order, you receive 10% back in points (we can call them Doterra Dollars). If you purchase 100 points (PV), which is $100, you'll receive 10%, which is like a $10 coupon off your next order. Overtime, if you consistently place these orders month after month, you'll eventually earn 30% back in points. Loyalty rewards is great for items you use and need to replace each month such as vitamins, hand soap, toothpaste, and of course, oils!
Shipping Rewards Program: if you order online, you get points back on your shipping costs usable on your next order, which is like another coupon. 

3. Order through me. Let me know what you'd like and I'll handle the rest.
☼
Already on  your essential oil journey and want to learn more? Here are some great resources I recommend!