Sandra Healing Steiner's Blog, page 96
July 20, 2014
Animal cruelty ….
There is absolutely no reason in my mind for animal cruelty. Yet in the last week or two, not one but two different cases popped up in front of me on Facebook. It’s sad that humans can do this to other peoples fur babies.
Earlier this week there was a story on Facebook about a horse that was found cut. Someone purposely used a box cutter to cut into the horses leg while it was in pasture. This is part of the article off the internet.
A Jonesborough family wants to know who came onto their property and slashed one of their horses with a box cutter.
According to a report filed with the Washington County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, it happened between 8 p.m. Monday July 14th and 8 a.m Tuesday July 15th at a farm on Frank Lowe Road.
“An unknown suspect used some type of cutting instrument to cut an approximate 3 inch gash in the left rear leg of the victim’s quarter horse,” the report stated.
Pooled blood was found near the residence. Investigators found disposable box cutters wrapper near the scene.
Then this weekend a Facebook friend had three of their cats poisoned with antifreeze in the small town of Blackfalds, Alberta. Despite the efforts of the local vet two out of three of the cats have passed away.
Who did this? How difficult for the pet owner to look at their friends and neighbours wondering if they were the one who hurt their pet. These cases were people willfully harming someone else’s pet. What joy could you possibly get from this? I’m sickened and disgusted. In the case of the cats what if a small child had gotten the antifreeze? With the horse, if someone can deep cut a horse what’s next, a human? If you know anything about either case please do the right thing and report the guilty parties to the local authorities.
Earlier in the summer there were so many stories going around about people leaving their pets in the car during extreme heat. What is wrong with you people? How dare you get angry when someone breaks a window in your car to save them from death and heat exhaustion. These pets trust you to take care of them.
To many people, including myself, these pets are like children. They are a very important part of our families, our fur babies.
July 17, 2014
Enter to Win…..
There is a new contest running for Cherish the Past! Make sure you enter!
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Have you bought Cherish the Past? Have you read it already? Please post a comment on my Facebook author or personal facebook timeline along with a photo of yourself with the book (or download) and you could win a gift certificate that will cover the cost of the book! Draw will be made July 31, 2014. You must have read the book and posted a review on amazon/goodreads. Receipt will be required to verify purchase cost! Good luck!
http://www.amazon.ca/Cherish-Past-Spr...
If we have not connected yet please follow the links!
www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.21
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@healing_love
July 16, 2014
Going back….
Last weekend I went back to my childhood town of Lacombe, Alberta. I moved to that area in 1974 and moved away in 2010. That small town represented my school years from grade four to twelve. It is hard to believe looking back but I lived in that area for 36 years and had no close friends or ties. I married young, and divorced in 2008. My children went to school in the same schools I went to. They were even taught by some of the same teachers. Now my grandchildren are being raised there.
I moved from Lacombe to the Edmonton area in 2010. From there I made the leap to beautiful Victoria British Columbia in 2011. No matter how unorthodox the move decision was, I have not regretted the move even once. My story is I came to Victoria for a get away at New Years 2010 and decided I did not want to go back to Alberta. I did go back to Alberta for a couple of weeks, applied for several jobs in Victoria, came out to the island for job interviews and stayed. I had moved here by early February 2011.
Having said that I sure do miss having my boys closer, but they are grown men now and choose to live there. I go back every few months to visit my kids and grandchildren. I find that I fly in and out without much fuss these days. I am there to catch up with my boys and play with my grandchildren. I could of course make each trip a day or two longer and squeeze in time with friends and family but honestly I find it too stressful and my anxiety gets out of control. Inevitably there is always a reminder of my daughter that passed in 2004, and I find it too difficult. I choose to visit those most important to me, my kids and grandkids.
Often when I’m there I stay at Matt’s to be closer to the grandchildren. I spend my time playing, chatting and visiting with them, then leave for home. I have a close relationship with Matt and Adam, always have. I also enjoy a wonderful relationship with my grandchildren Mathew and Elizabeth and their mom Haley. We try to connect a few times each week via FaceTime, Facebook, text, mail, or phone. I have even been known to play a game of eye spy via FaceTime, or get a phone call from Mathew telling me he hurt himself.
Going back is weird, odd and often uncomfortable. To get to Lacombe I have to drive by the accident scene and it is as fresh in my mind as if it happened just yesterday. This last trip I saw from a distance a couple people who went to school with my daughter. It brought me happiness to see they are doing well, but at the same time anger that my daughter didn’t have the opportunity to grow old.
The little town of Lacombe is now a city. I see improvements in added street lights, beautiful paved walking trails, upgraded roads and new stores. I’m glad that my kids are there to take advantage of the changes, and grateful I left.
On each trip I also visit the cemetery and my daughter’s gravesite. This time my eldest son Matt accompanied me and I was able to give him the grand tour of all the family plots. My grandmother’s site, her family; my father’s site, his family. I was also able to pay my respects to my Auntie Lorna’s site. She passed recently and I was unable to be there for her funeral. Auntie Lorna and her husband Uncle Sid (who predeceased her) played an important part in my youth, I have many fond memories of them both.
On Monday my youngest son, and my baby, drove me back to the airport to catch my flight home. Home to Victoria, my new husband, my pups and our life here. It was an amazing visit as always, but great to come home.
July 12, 2014
Giggles….
I love people watching and I thought I would share a few giggles from my trip out to see my kids and grandkids! Enjoy….
The flight to Edmonton is nearly full and as always it is like a game of Tetris to fit everything into the overhead bins. One particular flight attendant was determined that a bag would fit…so determined that she was standing on the plane seat pushing the bag in with her shoulder! Finally another attendant came and helped her to see it was not going to fit, and needed to be moved across the aisle! Whew! Hope nothing is broken, crushed or otherwise!
A rather hip looking forty something guy across the aisle from me, you know the type! His hair is a punk style, he has leather boots and earrings. Anyhow he says really loud…..is this a daycare flight? I have to admit I did chuckle….there are about twenty five pre schoolers seated in the nearby seats! Let’s hope they don’t all start crying at once. On a side note one of the flight attendants came by and wished him and his band mates a good show tonight….I guess he’s famous! People were stopping to stare and point at them when they were walking down the Edmonton airport….. Hmmm I wonder who they were?
While waiting to board the plane there was an elderly couple seated behind me. I would guess they were in their seventies. They were adorable, holding hands still! I hope my husband and I are still holding hands after all that time. The fellow was obviously hard of hearing. His wife hollers at him “we board soon you better go pee”. Everyone is trying not to laugh as the gentleman gets up and walks over to washroom! All those years of training paid off….he listened to her!
My four year old grandson calls me Grandpa….always has! Often if we are out shopping he will holler for Grandpa and people sure stop and stare when Grandma answers the call! So today we were on our way to the park and I said to him, you know I’m grandma not grandpa …. Right? He says with a little smile “yup, your a girl”. So I asked him why he calls me grandpa then, “cause it is funny”. Lol. Out of the mouths of babes.
Anxiety….
I’m certain you have talked or heard of people who suffer from anxiety. For those who have never had an anxiety attack….it’s a horrible thing!
Wikipedia defines anxiety as…..
Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behavior, such as pacing back and forth, somatic complaints and rumination. It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely[citation needed] to happen, such as the feeling of imminent death.Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat; whereas anxiety is the expectation of future threat. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as menacing.
Right now my anxiety level is high. It has been since I started thinking about going to see my kids and grandkids earlier in the week. I live in a different province than they do, it’s just a short flight, or a sixteen hour drive. The flight does not bother me, it’s the destination. The memories.
I will be driving past the accident scene in just a couple hours. The scene that ten years ago changed our lives forever. The place my daughter died. Over the next couple days I will be visiting her gravesite, seeing her school, visiting with my kids and grandkids. I look at my sons now 24 and almost 22 and I see the sorrow. I see the way that day changed everything for them. It’s very stressful. I see people and places she went or knew and it builds the anxiety.
Some people have said that I ran away when I moved to the island a few years ago. Ran away from them, and my life. That is so far from the truth. What I did do, is remove myself from the constant memories…reduced the anxiety attacks. It was a healthy move for me. I go back only to see my kids and grandkids everyone else is blocked. I can’t see them without remembering her and that day.
Anxiety attacks are different for each person. For me it is a heart pounding, nauseous, migraine, insomnia, emotional thing and it lasts for days sometimes. As most do, I medicate and put a smile on my face and just carry on with life. Most don’t even realize what’s going on I have gotten so good style disguising it. In private I have my tears, my shakes, and then just carry on.
If you see someone looking stressed….please give them a break you never know what’s going on.
July 7, 2014
Reading and Writing….
As I have said many times I am a curious sort of person, I love reading, writing, sharing information and learning new things. This last week or two I have stumbled across some amazing books, and some new tools to get my book out there.
Honestly I have been reading a very long time, more than 40 years! I have a voracious reading appetite and love many different genres. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Goodreads! For those of you, like me, who have no idea what this is let me tell you. At first I was just looking for more ways to promote my book, but as I took a closer look at it I was blown away! This is like an online library with recommendations, reviews, and another entire social media community. I absolutely love it. It has given me the ability to not only recommend my book to others but to have books recommended to me! There are new and established authors listed along with readers and the books they are interested in. Not only that but there are tons of giveaways from authors like me to enter to win free books. If you have not checked it out, you should! Just copy and paste my link, make sure we connect….https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Author Skye Turner has been on my Facebook for awhile, so when I saw one of her books being promoted I thought I would give it a read. Was I ever pleased with the decision. Alluring Turmoil is by no means this author’s first novel, and I hope there are many more to come. She is dubbed as a sexy adult romance author, I wasn’t quite sure what this meant but the book intrigued me! Let me say the book was amazing! I loved the storyline, the characters, and I will be definitely adding more of her books to my private library. I gave it 5/5 stars on my review!
Alexia Sloane is the twenty-six year old owner of the highly successful Louisiana coffee shop/bakery, Java and Sweeties. The past couple of years have been all she’s dreamed of and her business takes all of her focus, all of her heart.
Jude Delecroix is the lead singer of one of the most famous rock bands in the country, Bayou Stix, and the man who broke Lexi’s heart.
Lexi and Jude have a past.
When Jude comes back to town eight years after leaving to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a famous musician and comes face to face with Lexi, forces collide, old hurts are brought to the surface, and life as these two have been living it will never be the same.
There are two sides to every story, and what happens when the things you believed to be concrete suddenly crumble like ash and fade away?
What happens when two people afraid to face the past, become involved in the present? Can they hope for a future?
Welcome to Louisiana where humidity and passion are high and things are not always what they seem.
***Contains graphic sex and language. Not for young readers.***
I bought an e copy of the book from amazon here is the link! http://www.amazon.ca/Alluring-Turmoil...
The next e book that I bought came as a recommendation on Goodreads, and it intrigued me. I was looking for a good story line, a little romance, and found it in L.B. Dunbar’s debut novel Sound Advice. Its funny actually, after I bought it I started seeing posts about it on Facebook and realized the author is on my friends list! This book kept me interested from the first chapter right through to the end! The story line is a second chance love story and it is very inspirational. I gave it 5/5 stars! It is also part of a trilogy and it looks like the next book is due out very soon.
“Nana’s Rules to Live By”
Gentlemen should always open the door for a lady.
I was busy and I didn’t have time for a vacation, let alone a weekend away. When a frantic phone call from an old neighbor brought me to my grandmother’s summer home, I wasn’t prepared for an extended stay. And I especially wasn’t prepared for the man holding the door open to the radio repair shop who made a lasting first impression.
In attempts at a relationship, a gentleman should always make the first move.
Calling Jess Carter’s clenched jaw and denim-colored eyes part of his standoffish manner was an understatement. His brooding exterior bordered on being downright rude. From the moment I bumped into him, quite literally, our lives began to intertwine in a way that made me question what I wanted.
Children should be seen and not heard.
Jess had secrets and I was determined to get to the bottom of them. Even he didn’t know the solutions to all his problems, I wanted to help. In doing so, I might have drawn too close to the truth, forcing Jess to risk something he wasn’t sure he could chance again. I had decisions to make for myself and it’s hard to know whose advice to take when so many questions remain unanswered.
I bought an e copy on amazon and here is the link. http://www.amazon.ca/Sound-Advice-Sen...
Another first time author Madison Street has been busy promoting her book Little Things on Facebook. It had a intriguing story line, lots of action and kept me flipping the pages to find out what would happen to Raya next through the entire book. I gave 5/5 stars for this debut novel and I know I will be picking up the next book in the series as soon as it is released!
Everything in Duke Grayson’s life was all he could ever ask for: A loving family, loyal friends, a beautiful girlfriend, and a scholarship to his top choice college. It’s his senior year of high school, and all he needs is to focus on his grades, lacrosse, and keeping his girlfriend happy. That is until Raya walks into his life.
From the moment they meet, Duke is drawn to her, not only for her natural beauty and her stunning crystal blue eyes, but because he’s aware there’s more to this girl than just his alluring pull to her. He senses secrecy and fear.
Throughout the year, their bond grows stronger, and his feelings for her become undeniable. Just when he is about to express his love, tragedy strikes and Raya disappears.
For six years, Duke is tortured by his struggles, as he’s unable to find her and blames himself for failing to protect her. Until the day, she’s found, and he’s given a second chance. Will Duke become her beacon of hope and make her see that it’s the little things that make life worthwhile? Can Raya overcome her fears and fight against the terrors that haunt her? Or will her dark and torturous past be too much for her to battle against?
*Warning: This book contains some disturbing situations, strong language and sexual content. Suited for 18 years and over.
I bought this book on amazon and here is the link http://www.amazon.ca/Little-Things-Se...
A few months ago had posted a query about publishing on Facebook, and KM Lowe answered. So when I saw a post for her debut novel The Smile, I bought an e copy to support her and of course to read. I was very impressed with it. I rated it 4/5 stars on Goodreads and will be watching for book two in the trilogy! I love how she brought her characters to life! Here is a bit about the book.
Ashley, is a normal girl living her dreams. Moving to Alaska to start a new job was her fresh start in life. She wasn’t to know that her life would be turned upside down and back to front. Falling in love with Dale Black, was always a dream for her. She never expected it to ever happen in this life time. All was going better than expected until a family secret stumbled out of the cupboard. But would it kill them or cure them? The couples happiness is short lived when Ashley, becomes ill but could all be well with a little help from a family member?
I bought the e copy of the book on amazon and here is the link. http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00KCISIGI
Of course I have to give a little bit about my debut novel as well. It went live about ten days ago now, and I have heard from several that it is on their To Be Read list, a few have bought it, and it has one 5 star review on Goodreads. Here is a bit about it.
“Angie sighed. A small smile began to form as she recalled the moments that led up to this incredible feeling. Life was good—no, life was amazing. It hadn’t always been, but today at forty-six, it sure was. She had reached a good space in her life. She was content, in love, at peace with her past, and excited about her future. Tomorrow she was marrying her soul mate. She had nearly given up hoping she would find him. He had actually prayed that she would find him before his birthday. Or so he said, and she had no reason not to believe him.
As she sat on the beach watching the waves roll in, the memories of a lifetime came crashing in, reminding her to cherish the past . . .”
The amazon link to buy http://www.amazon.ca/Cherish-Past-Spr...
MY INFORMATION:
www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.22
@healing_love
GOODREADS
July 5, 2014
I am me….just me…
So I don’t fit in, what else is new? I had to laugh this morning as I received a Facebook message from someone who indicated that I will never fit in the author/reader group with a status like that. This was the post:
I am me…just me….no bullshit…no lies….no drama….just living my life the best way I know how!
NEWSFLASH: I wasn’t trying to fit in!
As a child I didn’t fit in, I was the odd one who read and played alone. As a teen I tried to fit in, and did not like myself. As an adult I didn’t fit in…well you get the idea. I have always operated on the idea that either people will like what I do and say or they won’t. I can’t influence that, its a personal choice. Everyone has choices in life, and I don’t believe I have the right to say the choice is right or wrong. Different times I have had people message me with comments about other friends on my list, and I usually choose not to respond. I choose instead to look at what is going on myself and make my own decision based on the facts I see.
I have been on Facebook since August 2007 and in the beginning I would put a generic status update every few weeks. I had about three people that I was friends with. As time went on my positive outlook, and status updates attracted other people to friend me and the account grew, my updates became more frequent and the drama increased dramatically. In 2009 I had enough. I had played the game enough to know that if I made any comment on the negative posts they just got worse. So I quit commenting on them, started scrolling by. Those that continued to post the drama found themselves unfriended. I’m sure some did not even notice, some eventually befriended me again and we started over. Don’t get me wrong I have had my share of crap in my life, but I have always tried to focus on the good things and push the negative crap to the back. 99.9% of the time it works.
This new adventure of writing and publishing my work has created a flurry of new friends on Facebook and new followers on Twitter. It is difficult to believe sometimes that my list has grown from those first three to over 3100! But I am enjoying it. My posts make me happy and spread an infectious positive attitude to many, so I have succeeded in my goal. For years I have worked against the grain to try and install a “pay it forward” attitude with positivity, and each time someone likes my post or shares a giggle I have succeeded!
I have found many great authors, writers and readers to interact with through Facebook, my blog and Twitter for that I am grateful. I often post what I am reading, not because I want acknowledgement from the author, but because I believe it is a good read that others should take a look at. I do the same when I see a great movie, or an awesome television show. I believe in interacting with those on my lists, thats what I am there for. I love being able to ask questions and know that someone with experience in that area will point me to the information I need. I often post questions, fun facts, and giggles and I love the responses I get! I also post links to my debut novel that came out a couple weeks ago, because I am excited about it! I want others to see it, read it, comment on it! I have a group of wonderful Facebook friends who share the information for me with their friends and it is much appreciated.
My first book is Cherish the Past, and it is does have a few things that are from my life, as well as some scenes from my imagination and stories people have told me. It is written from my heart, as it should be. The main character Angie is definitely very similar to me. If you are curious the first few chapters are on Amazon as a preview, check it out, the link is below.
So in closing I would ask that if you are reading something I wrote and you love it, share it. If you read one of my novels, post a review and share it! Pay it forward….
LINKS:
www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.21
www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.22
@healing_love
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.ca/Cherish-Past-Spr...
GOODREADS
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
July 2, 2014
The beauty of social media….
I am continually surprised by the effect social media has on our lives these days. As I log on to check my Facebook account tonight there is a post about a missing young person in Ireland. Social media has become such a valuable tool for locating missing people, reconnecting with old friends and family, creating business networks and passing weather and news information along.
I have created a network of over 3000 like minded individuals in a couple short months on Facebook. The Facebook pages have allowed me to connect with a few hundred more authors. Then there is Twitter, another 3000 people following and sharing the things I think are important. We can now buy and sell products to and from people virtually and research information for projects while never leaving our homes. In my opinion the positives for social media far outweigh the negatives. Drama. Created, escalated and spread like wild fire through our social media shares. There are days when our patience is tried, the gossip mills are doing overtime. I work hard at not wasting energy on the drama, just keep scrolling on by. We have come a long ways from the party line phones and days of mailing letters to each other in the last twenty years.
Back in the mid 1980′s when I finished high school computers were for geeks and they were huge. An entire classroom devoted to a few massive computers. There was a sign on the door warning not to enter with Fodor drink, and to make sure that your hands were clean before touching the computers. The classroom next door was for the business students a huge room full of electric typewriters. It was in this room that I honed my typing skills and learned the fine art of shorthand. For those too young to know shorthand was a method of writing symbols rather than words during dictation, to be transcribed properly at a later time. Needless to say Facebook wasn’t around yet.
By the late 1980′s I was completing my degree at the University of Alberta. My degree was in education and believe it or not the computers courses were not mandatory yet. We had to submit projects etc typed, but everything was pretty much hard copies still. In fact I took an entire class on running movie projectors, laminators, and overhead projectors. When I arrived at a local country school in 1989 to do a practicum they had just received a government grant for computers for their school. The excitement was huge! I remember supervising elementary students while they played math games on them.
In 1992 my daughter went to kindergarten. She came home from school excitedly telling me about the computer station in her classroom. It was about then that I was beginning to realize that the computers were going to become an important part of school life. I started to look at buying one for our house so she could play games at home.
My first laptop was purchased in about 1999, it was pink and made by Sony. Such a luxury, but necessary for going back to school. It was quite the change in ten years, most of us at the university had laptops this time around, files were shared, paper use was reduced. I remember rumours flying around about the date issues going from the 1900′s to 2000′s, it’s amusing to think about now. Then we were sure the computers would lose everything.
Did you know Facebook was created in 2004 only ten years ago. I don’t know about you but I’m addicted to it, I love my virtual family and I enjoy keeping up with friends and family who don’t live nearby. I tweet, Facebook and blog and I love it! I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I have been able to promote my debut novel Cherish the Past via social media, see photos of my grandchildren, join virtual writing and reading groups….it’s truly amazing. We are blessed to have the technology I wonder what will be introduced in the next twenty five years!
Connect with me….and watch for my debut novel Cherish the Past on an online bookstore near you.
http://www.amazon.com/Cherish-Past-Sp...
Facebook
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Www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.21
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@healing_love
July 1, 2014
That made me smile….
My debut novel Cherish the Past went live a few days ago and today I got the first unbiased review. She loved it! THAT made me smile! I knew as I was writing it that there would be an audience that would love it. Don’t worry I’m not delusional there will be those that will hate it as well, but it was written so that those that needed inspiration and hope would find it.
Have you ever thought about what makes you smile? Sometimes its the silliest things like a corny joke on a sitcom, or a little child being silly. Other times its a glow from within from something totally unexpected. What makes you smile?
I am very observant, some would call it nosey, some would call it annoying. But, for me I find little things in my surroundings that make me smile. The other day I was out for a walk and a little girl was running in circles in her yard, as I watched she got dizzy and fell down. Her skirt flew up, her but smacked the ground, and she giggled this beautiful belly laugh. I smiled. Things like this are innocent and just make my day but, if your not observant you won’t see them. I can walk to the park with the dogs and notice if a neighbour has a new flower in bloom, it makes me smile. A stranger in a handicap cart needing the sidewalk coming toward me, as I move off the sidewalk I get a huge smile….it makes my day. My son sending me photos of my grandchildren watching cartoons, just makes me smile.
I work hard at looking around me to find things to make myself smile and be happy. Anger and sadness is such a waste of energy. I’m not saying I don’t go there, but, I do everything I can not to. People on Facebook are forever going on about how angry they are about this, or how that person pissed them off, what is the point of it? Why do they put themselves through the misery? Just push past and smile.
Happiness is an inside job. I’m sure you have heard this saying before. Simply put, no one but you can make yourself happy. Those that rely on other people to make them happy will be waiting a long time.
My debut novel Cherish the Past and the follow up second book in the trilogy Live for Today made me smile as I was writing them. I enjoyed the process of making the characters and helping them to realize they can be happy irregardless of the situations they find themselves in.
Cherish the Past is a story of love, loss and sacrifice. Reflecting on her life, Angie realizes that her past has helped make her a stronger woman, preparing her for a brighter future. It is now available on Amazon, Trafford Publishing, and Kobo. The first few chapters are offered as a sample on each of the sites, please go check it out!
Cherish the Past is now available online for KOBO…. http://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/eboo...
Amazon …. http://www.amazon.ca/Cherish-Past-Spr...
Trafford Publishing Bookstore …. http://bookstore.trafford.com/Product...
While I am at it I may as well remind you to enter into the latest contest to win an e-copy of Cherish the Past, make sure you enter each day! Take a moment to enter into the new Cherish the Past rafflecopter giveaway! Enter every day! Draw to be made July 14, 2014. Follow the link below to win! Good luck to everyone who enters!
As always please be sure to connect with me ….
Facebook www.facebook.com/steinerwrite
Facebook www.facebook.com/sandrasteiner.21
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Twitter @healing_love
The Madness of Authors by Nicky Fitzmaurice – Guest blog
The Madness of Authors
“There is no great genius without a mixture of madness”. Aristotle.
I can say with confidence that I have known Authors all my life. Driven and focussed as they are, their world is both tiny and massively expansive. Their incarcerated need to write felt as badly as any addiction. Failure to open the doors of their creativity and release the beast within, a torment constructed from the very pits of hell that could perhaps only be translated from the very Codex Seriphinianus itself.
A breed apart, Authors interact with the outside world with only half an eye; the other half is firmly fixed in observation and the gathering of data for a potential “work in progress”. Throw away sentences; interesting comments and how people respond to a given a situation are all essential moments in time that must be noted.
Authors never rest in their quest for more snippets to be added to their store of writers goodies. For instance, the lady sitting over? We can see that she is dressed in a smart cream designer outfit offset by her moulded Spanx figure. Her shoes worn to match are rich in leather, lacking in any scuff or scrape. Heavy gold jewellery placed just so, to match her perfected bob of hair. Not one iota of her presentation is out of place. Can you see her now? The writer silently smirks as they begin to place her not just in the room but in their work. Little details that make up this woman’s demeanour have been noted, but the writer has seen more. Her calm controlled exterior is fractured in their eyes as they’ve seen the agitation in her hands. Mild but true, she keeps turning the stem of her water glass, round and around. It matters not to this author, their observation of her agitation is a mere moment of passing thought; noted and logged for later. But what is this? Our ‘bit player’ has just shot up the ranks of interest. She’s made a fundamental error that has altered her bastion of control to one of humorous clown. The stemmed glass she’s been twirling is rimmed with her luscious red lipstick. In her determined efforts to hide her discomfort she has sipped from her glass without care. There for all to see is her trademark of agitation printed across the bridge of her nose. A bright red slice of lipstick has been stamped across her face for all to see. For most around her, they will either not notice, or passingly dismiss, but in the world of the author that red line has ripped through the room of ambling bodies and become the sole focus of their distraction. Will this woman notice? Will someone tell her? Time goes by and each and every conversation is firmly punctuated with the overwhelming desire to see how this cutting red scenario will play out. Disappointingly she departs without incident, but in the mind of the Writer the drama continues to unfold, they visualise the look of horror as her reflection in the mirror reveals the truth. The Writer envisages her inner struggle to convince herself that the unwanted stain on her nose has been there only a short time and that no one will have noticed.
The Madness of an Author means that although back in the real world this lady is long forgotten; for our Author this event will continually haunt them like a nagging pain. Like a thought that there is a task out there, forgotten and incomplete. The release from the madness will only come when, in the form of the written word, this lady’s moment is brought to life once more for all to see.
Nicky Fitzmaurice of Satinpaperbacks.com fell in love with books from a very early age. I became enamoured with the idea that different worlds and adventures could all be encapsulated within their pages, and thus my love soon became my passion. Having been in book clubs all my life, it soon became apparent that there was a need to help the Clubs save time, energy and money and so satinpaperbacks.com was born. The website aims to inspire your choice of books to read, to hire them to you whilst couriering them to and from your club; all at half the price of RRP paperback book. And where there are great readers, there are great writers: Satinpaperbacks offers editing, formatting and uploading to an ePublishing House of your choice.
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