Charlene Carr's Blog, page 9
December 14, 2016
Book Chat: Killer Me by Candace Osmond
Check out Killer Me
Author’s Website: authorcandaceosmond.com
Compelling characters and very visual. It felt like a movie – I could totally see a blockbuster film based on this book.
December 6, 2016
Behind Our Lives – It’s almost here! :D
Which means only TWO MORE DAYS to pre-order your copy and get some awesome bonuses. (More on that below).
The proof copy of the print book arrived yesterday morning, just five minutes before I went to speak to a class of Grade 11 students about what it’s like to be an author, and let me tell you, I was excited!
The book is lovely, and although we’re not meant to judge a book by its cover, if I were judging this one, I’d definitely pick it up off the shelves – and no, I’m not at all biased! 
December 2, 2016
Winter isn’t coming – it’s here! And it brings reflection and a bunch of sweet bonuses!
Yesterday, after less than three hours of sleep (following a crazy intense last month of work), I was on a three hour journey that tur
ned into over a six hour one.
I thought, booking my trip to see family this early in the winter, snow wouldn’t be much of an issue – think again, Charlene! (That picture is of the tarmac at the airport.)
On the last leg of my journey – what was supposed to be a quick 35 minute flight on a 19 seater plane – I thought, ‘Great! Perfect time to finally get some meditation in.’
You see, I’ve been so busy, running myself ragged trying to ‘get everything done’ before this trip (which didn’t happen) that I haven’t made time to meditate much.
(If anyone’s thinking of the story of the monk who didn’t have enough time to meditate for an hour, so was told to meditate for two – I know, I know.)
I’m fairly new to meditation; I’ve tried it off and on in the past, but I’ve recently learned more about it and have committed to give it a fair try.
I’m a pretty focused, driven person. I plan. I organize. I make lists and I’ve always had an inner desire to be perfect at the things I put on my plate, which, when I don’t live up to this desire, tends to make me feel a bit of a failure, or like I could have done more, better … you get the picture.
This is part of why I think meditation would be great for me – step out of my inner drive to make productive use of every minute of my day, relax, breathe, be still.
These things are wonderful. I’ve SEEN and EXPERIENCED how they’re wonderful in other ways. I keep getting delighted with how my focus on slowing down, on taking moments for joy, on letting myself NOT work until I burn myself out has changed me over the past few years.
But old habits die hard and all those personality traits I mentioned, all the reasons I should meditate, are also re
asons that make it very difficult for me to see the benefit of sitting and concentrating on ‘the sensation of the breath at my nostrils’ for 25-35 minutes when I could be doing this or that, or oh my gosh, THIS!
Okay. Back to that plane;
That plane that’s so small the average bus would make it blush, a plane that had sleet pelting the windows, whose propellers whirred to life … yet we weren’t moving, quieted, and we weren’t moving.
Then we moved, and we stopped, and suddenly an intense and disastrous sounding noise was at my window …
And I was supposed to be meditating. But I’d open my eyes. I’d look out the window (that noise was a man blasting a hose at the propellers – de-icing them I assume), and my heart would do a little flutter.
Then it hit me.
I’m letting myself be distracted. I’m letting myself worry – about the safety of the plane, about the family whose trip just overlapped mine and the fact that every minute I spent on that tarmac was stealing from the time I’d get to visit them, about whether I’d get to visit at all or if I’d die in a fiery crash.
But there was nothing I could do about any of it. I couldn’t control the snow, the ice, the decisions of the pilots to stay or leave. It was out of my control. All of it.
Unless I was about to unbuckle and scream like a madwoman until the flight attendant let me off the plane, which would only leave me stranded on a tarmac, all I could do was sit.
And once we were in the air, when the turbulence hit, then hit again, after a gut-reaction tremor, for the first time ever, I wasn’t afraid. If these were my last moments, why spend them worried?
It was out of my control.
Yeah.
And so I closed my eyes, I breathed, and I stopped worrying.
I learned something, something I’ve learned in the past, obviously, but that is always good to learn again.
Most of the time in life we can do what we can do, but then after that it’s out of our hands. Results are out of our hands.
I’m going to be honest, I’ve been worrying about this launch. I think the book is awesome and I want hundreds thousands of people to read it.
I want them to fall in love with the story as much as I have.
I also want sales, because bills have to be paid.
So I’ll do what I can do, but not at the expense of joy, of laughter. If everything isn’t perfect, that’s okay.
This email is coming a day later than I planned, no problem.
This isn’t what I intended to write about – oh well!
I’ve done the most important thing; I’ve written a book I’m proud of. It’s not perfect (what is?) but it’s beautiful, it’s real, and writing it has put something worth while into the world.
And so as far as worrying or stressing about the rest – Why bother? This email isn’t perfect. It’s probably too long, but it’s what’s in me to say. Some people will like it, some people won’t, and that’s out of my hands!
Weather … also so out of our hands, and what a beautiful result!
I would wrap this up here, but I told you in the last email I’d let you know about those pre-order bonuses.
Behind Our Lives releases December 8th and is available for 3.99USD and 2.99GBP.
Even though currency conversion says it should be higher, I personally find it hard to pay more than $5 for an ebook, so in Canada and Australia it’s $4.50.
If you order before the 8th, you’ll get some great (and exclusive) bonuses, and all you’ll have to do to access them is open to the book’s table of contents and click “Bonuses.”
Ready?
BONUS #1 – An Audiobook of Elixir Vitae
At just over 45 minutes, it’s the perfect length for your commute, a soak in the tub, or to make your next lengthy chore fly by!
Rachel Fraser doesn’t need a man to find some sort of personal fulfillment. She’s got that covered.
But when her best friend begs her to go on a haunted Halloween singles tour, she reluctantly agrees.
The moon is full, the night is young, and Rachel, far beneath the walls of a historical fortress, finds herself on a journey she never could have imagined and hardly believes.
BONUS # 2 – Behind Our Lives, The Back Story
In the video, I grab a cup of tea and chat to you about some of the inspirations behind the book and the characters. I laughed, I cried, and I learned something new about my story. I think you’ll enjoy it!
(Just to let you know, clicking the video won’t take you to the video – at least until the next book is ready, this gem’s exclusively for those who pre-order! It’ll take you to a page where you can find a link to get the book. :D)
BONUS # 3 – An Awesome Giveaway!
The winner will receive a hard copy of the ‘reader’s choice’ pick from the books in the survey linked below, a paperback copy of Behind Our Lives, and a personally addressed and signed paperback copy of my novella, Before I Knew You. Want to give your input? Click the image below to go to the survey and vote on your top pick – don’t forget to hit SUBMIT so your vote counts! – then make sure you come back to order your copy of Behind Our Lives.*
All right, so after all that, tempted to buy?
Click here to go to a Universal Link that will let you choose your favourite retailer.
(Save your preference and you’ll only have to pick once, after that the ‘link’ will remember your retailer.)
OR, if you want to learn a little more about the book and read some reviews from early readers, click the cover image above!
(* You don’t have to buy the book in order to enter the giveaway. I’ll post another way to enter it on Facebook and my website, but I won’t post that until at least ONE WEEK after Behind Our Lives releases so that those who pre-order will have a chance to get more entries.)
November 22, 2016
The Pain Of A Broken Heart
Most of us have.
Most of us know what it feels like to ache in a spot so deep it takes our breath away, to be baffled by the fact that we didn’t know this type of pain was possible.
To literally feel like something inside of us, something pivotal, has shattered, and to struggle with the need to compartmentalize, to get through the day, to put a smile on our face so those around us don’t get fed up and walk away too …
But what if we couldn’t figure that out – how to compartmentalize, how to smile?
What if the pain was so intense, the loss so strong, that we don’t quite know how to live anymore?
Lincoln Fraser was broken by love … or the lack of it.
In one moment he lost the woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with, the child he thought was his own, the career he’d spent the last four years building, and the brother who’d been the only father figure he’d had for the past decade.
He feels abandoned, betrayed, and doesn’t see how he can ever trust again, let alone love.
His journey – from a soul lost and wandering to one with a purpose – is a story of love, not just romantic, but love of self, love of humanity, love that teaches us how to forgive, how to move on and open ourselves up to a world that’s hurt us.
It’s not a story for those who want an easy romance.
It’s for those who are willing to push through the pain, so they can see the light at the end of a dark and dreary path.
It’s for those who savour the experience of watching love grow slowly, like a flower blossoming in a dimly lit room.
If that sounds like a story that’s meant for you, learn more by clicking the image below.
November 13, 2016
A Love Worth Rooting For
I’ve always enjoyed a good love story.
I read Pride and Prejudice when I was eleven or twelve and for the next decade it was my favourite book.
When I watched The Notebook, Noah quickly became my ideal man … not just for the intensity of love he showed in those early days, but for his consistency through trials that would stagger the best of us.
And I won’t lie, when I was a young’un, Disney features with their fairy tale romances captivated me. Heck, they still do!
But I’m more drawn to them for the stories of struggle, growth, and, of course, the music, than for the happily-ever-after type love they promote.
As far as the damsel-saving hero, my general opinion is ‘Hey, Rapunzel, Cut your hair off, tie it to something sturdy and climb down your own d**n self! Then, when Mr. Charming comes along you won’t be saved, you’ll be respected.’
As a result of these mindsets, over the years I’ve shied away from the Romance genre as a reader.
The whole cute meet, fall in love (with a few ups and downs along the way), then live happily ever after format just doesn’t usually do it for me.
Not that I’m a cynic but … okay, maybe I’m just a little bit of a cynic.
November 10, 2016
Book Chat: Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky
Check out Not My Daughter
Author’s Website: barbaradelinsky.com
A highly interesting premise … though I kind of felt it fell flat. That could just be me, though, and if the premise interests you, it may be worth a try!
October 11, 2016
Crisp air, brilliant leaves, and a time for reflection
I’ve never liked being cold …. scratch that. I hate being cold, and almost always am.
Despite my double thick socks, and two to three sweaters, I often find myself chilled even when my husband sits across from me in a t-shirt.
As a result, whenever the cold weather approaches, I become a tea addict.
In my cupboard you can find red tea, green tea, white, black, fruit, herbal, oolong, matcha, and from time to time even pu’erh.
When a deep chill sets in, it’s the only thing to warm me up.
So each year as summer’s warmth dissipates and I find myself donning multiple layers, dread seeps upon me.
Winter. Months and months of near ceasing chill.
My mood starts to drop, I get irritable at the thought of all the cold about to be thrust upon me.
And then I notice the first changing leaf.
And I remember …
With this change, also comes beauty. So I’ll layer up, I’ll drink massive amounts of tea, and I’ll take time to see the amazing beauty nature gifts us with at this pensive time of year.
Because that’s what fall is, a time for reflection, for enjoying the simple pleasures: crisp air, cozy sweaters, warm boots, pumpkins, friendship, an array of colour more majestic than any other season has to offer (at least in my part of the world!)
And I’ll also contemplate the changes in life … the truth that just as fall’s beauty comes through death, snippets of beauty, wonder, and joy, can always be found amidst even the most difficult losses or challenges of life.
I know not all of my readers get to witness the changing of the leaves, but we all experience the constantly changing seasons of life.
So, if you’re currently in a personal ‘fall’, grab your favourite (metaphorical) scarf, step out into the chill life has thrown at you, and open your eyes to the beauty to be found in this season.
If you look hard enough, perhaps within yourself, I’m sure you’ll find it.
And take time to read.
Treat yourself to a story that makes you laugh, or cry, or learn something about yourself. Fall is also a fabulous time for that.
Oh! Just heard the kettle click.
Time to make my next cup of tea.
October 2, 2016
Book Chat: Invisible City by Julia Dahl
Check out Invisible City
A fascinating aspect of a culture’s affects on its community members, the bonds of family, and the consequences of abandonment.
Author’s Website: juliadahl.com
[image error]
August 27, 2016
Book Chat: 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Check out 11/22/63
A journey through the obdurate past, complete with conspiracy, heroism, pure love and dancing. Oh, the dancing! This book is one I’ll think about again, already I want to revisit some of the characters and scenarios. An incredible love story, and an incredible human story was woven throughout.
Author’s Website: stephenking.com
August 21, 2016
Book Chat: Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Check out Bird Box
Compelling and captivating, with scenes as disturbing as they are memorable.
Author’s Facebook Page: Josh Malerman
