Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Coming Soon - The Glittering World Anthology

Have You Heard About The Glittering World Charity Anthology?

My Legend of the Spirit series was inspired by childhood friends who were part of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Every year I looked forward to spending summers together on Coldwater Lake. Native American lore wove it's way into my my life and stayed. Time and life separated all of us but my friends & memories hold a special place in my heart. (I tip my wine glass to my beta readers, Ann & Marion, and I love them like sisters.) 

When I found out some of my writer pals were participating in a big project I wanted in and offered to help promote this wonderful venture. For the next few weeks I'll feature snippets from the writers.

These amazing authors are excited to be part of The Glittering World Anthology in support of The Navajo Nation CoVid-19 Fund. Ten fantasy and paranormal stories that will take you away from it all from Elle Boon, Jamie K. Schmidt, Stephanie Burke, Wendi Zwaduk, Lia Violet, Kate Richards, L. Loren, Barb Shuler, Trinity Blacio, and S.E. Smith.

 Come join the fun, sassy and sometimes heated worlds today. Find a new hero or heroine to fall in love with.

Ten, never-before-released short stories fill The Glittering World Charity Anthology with tales that will take you away. Created with love, authors S.E. Smith, Elle Boon, Trinity Blacio, Jamie K. Schmidt, Stephanie Burke, Wendi Zwaduk, Lia Violet, Kate Richards, L. Loren, and Barb Shuler have teamed up to support The Navajo Nation fundraising efforts in their fight against COVID-19. These ten unique Paranormal and Futuristic Romance stories are filled with diverse characters you can’t help but fall in love with from a Navajo god to futuristic tales of romance The Glittering World Charity Anthology has a story for everyone. 

 


Out on July 21st. 

Preorder here 👉🏿 books2read.com/the-glittering-world

 Preorder on Amazon

Preorder on B&N

All the proceeds from this anthology will be donated to The Navajo Nation COVID-19 Fund. For more information on this organization, you can visit their website: https://www.navajo-nsn.gov

 

Donations to The Navajo Nation COVID-19 Fund can be made directly here: https://www.nndoh.org/donate.html 





Sunday, June 28, 2020

....And Just Breathe

Today is a good day to breathe.
The one thing about doing yoga outside is breathing. Yes. I know we breathe all day long, but we rarely focus on a single breath. 

When we take a deep breath, its almost as if time stops. Anxiety and tension melts. I feel my awareness sharpens. My senses wake up.

Take a moment to go outside or open a window and stick you nose close to the screen. Close your eyes and slowly take a deep inhale. Feel your chest rise. Hold that air for a couple seconds, feel the oxygen enter your lungs. Exhale slowly pushing bad air out. Cleansing your lungs, your body. Try it 3 times. 

How do you feel? What do you hear? What do you taste? 

Maggie found today's exercise very calming.
 

I tried a new video today.

Yoga With Adriene is pretty nice. I like the way she calmly explains the poses. As I learn yoga, sometimes I get caught up in the correct way to pose rather than to relax into it and breathe. 
I'm definitely going to use this video and will check out more of hers in the future.


Friday, June 26, 2020

#TakeABreak Get on Your Back, Baby!

Remember when you were a kid during the summer and you would lay on your back finding animals in the shapes of clouds?

My friends & I would lay on the front yard, school ground, vacant field, beach, or dock  and "see things". Sometimes one of us would doze off due to being so relaxed. Don't you wish you could bring that feeling back? Well, you can.
I was on my back doing my morning yoga when I something caught my eye. (Other than Maggie's head).
I saw Shamu. A cloud looked just like a statue of the famous killer whale I bought at Sea Workd when I was 10.

As I lay there, I saw more.
Three shapes reminded me of koi fish. There was a koi pond in the middle of the hotel we stayed at during our honeymoon. The critters were literally came to the surface begging for treats from anyone who stopped to admire them. Three clouds "looked like" those fish.

My heart filled with warm fuzzies with the memories of our honeymoon. I rose from my yoga mat with a smile on my face. 

Take a moment and lay on your back, gaze at the clouds. Have a friend, a child or your honey join you on this exercise. 

What do you "see"? What do you think of? How do you feel? Did it wake up the kid in you? Is your heart full?

Come on...get on your back,  baby. 
I double-dog-dare ya!

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Today's Yogi Tea Tag

A good day for a cup of tea on the porch. 
Sit a spell.


"The purpose of life is to 
know yourself 
and 
love yourself 
and 
trust yourself 
and 
be yourself."
 - Yogi Tea tag

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Love On the Other-side of the World

My pilot hubby spends half each month "on the road" and many people ask how we "deal with him being gone". 

After being together for almost 30 years, I simply shrug and say it's not that hard, after all, it's like a mini-honeymoon when my fly boy comes home. Ooo...I love a man in uniform!

Capt. "Quast in his "office"

I've learned to take fix things such as a broken washer, flooded basement, power outage, etc. You see, things only happen when he's gone. But that train of thought is best left for another day.

Keeping romance alive goes hand in hand with creativity. Before he leaves, I hide things in his luggage such as a mini card, small gifts, candy, sex coupons... you get the idea. I highly recommend getting to know your local Hallmark shop owner and Lover's Lane managers well; they will keep you in the loop for unique items and sales. 

Right now he's in Hong Kong while I'm in Mid-Michigan.
I love the photos he sends and it's fun hearing the antics of the crews while they bond during down time.

The 12 hour time difference gives us a small window to chat but we celebrate morning greetings and bed time murmurs every day. Little texts throughout the day are nice but we have to be considerate when the other is sleeping. (These guys are Freight Dogs and often fly at night which is a challenge state-side.) A phone call often starts with the entire family on speaker phone but ends in private time. Sure, we miss each other, but we don't focus on how much it hurts to be apart. Ending the day while sharing something that makes us laugh makes our hearts full. 

I believe the key is to find laughter and romance everywhere.

If you had to break down your day into only a few minutes with your honey, how would you handle it? What would do to make it bearable?