Me a Yogi--Bring It

I decided that yoga would be a great form of exercise for me. I've been rather stiff lately and it has made doing cardio not so great. I used to be able to go gung ho for 45 minutes on the stair climber; now, well, I plea the fifth.

 

Let's just say I pretty much suck at yoga right now. My balance is a fiasco of highly hilarious proportions. And my legs shake more than leaves on a tree during a serious wind storm. It reminds me of the first time I ever went rock climbing. Yet, I kept on gripping and stepping my way up the fabricated wall of death. If it weren't for me trying to impress my boyfriend at the time, I probably would have given up. Nah, I would have finished just not as speedy.

 

I have found a great website to teach me the strings. It is DoYogaWithMe.com. I hope to find my balance while doing the moves to the point where I can hang out there on one of my legs like a flamingo. Right now I don't stand as gracefully.

 

This makes me think of writing. When I began writing my first book, I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept on writing. Little by little, I learned how to write. I ended up reading some books about writing fiction novels, and that helped immensely. The books are: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King & 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them) by Jack M. Brickham. Also, betas and critique partners steered me in the right direction.

 

Anyway, my writing has excelled a great deal; however, my yoga expertise is in the novice stage, but it will only get better with time as my writing. Just keep writing, that's all you can do.

 

Have you done yoga? If so, how long did it take you to get a handle on it? Do you know of any great yoga websites? What have you done to learn how to write better?

 

Writing Jewels 

Review Time: "Until I Die: The Revenants" by Amy Plum

I've got a book review for you today! Enjoy... But first, the Goodreads blurb for the second book in Amy Plum's Revenants Series:

 

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

 

Now on to the review:

 

This is a fine second book in a trilogy. I have to say the first book was the best, but what introduction book to a series isn't the best? I found the plot to be satisfactory and was well paced, giving away a little bit of information here and a little bit more there. I was well pleased with the climax of the story and definitely wasn't expecting the turn of events.

Amy Plum truly knows the city of Paris. Even though I have been to the beautiful city of love, I felt as though I truly was there, taking in the aroma and the atmosphere. She did a fantastic job setting up the scene in such an epic city. I'm biased with my love affair with Paris, though. Sigh.

I still loved the characters and felt as though they all were given ample differences to set them apart from the rest. And of course, I can't help but fall in love with the, well, love story between Kate and Vincent. They twirl me in circles and place a happy smile upon my lips. I felt trueness to their relationship that I really haven't felt in a book before. Truly remarkable writing, in my opinion.

The end of the book sets up the third book nicely. I can't wait until I can delve into its pages, or rather audio book narrative.

I'd highly recommend this book and the Revanants first book in the series. Enjoy!

 

Have you read this series? What books are you reading these days?  

 

Writing Jewels

Sherlock and the Funny Text

I had a little get together with some friends to watch the pilot episode of BBC's Sherlock last week. Two words: Benedict Cumberbatch.

¬ Swoon

He pretty much stole the show (Star Trek, I mean).

¬ Did I swoon already? Well, I swoon again. :)

I invited a friend of mine to attend the gush all over Benedict party via a text message. Sadly, she already had plans. She asked me to say hello to Mr. Sherlock, though. I abliged but said I had dibs on him. Her witty response was:

"Darn it on Sherlock! I am always a touch to slow."

I which I responded, while giggling up a storm at work:

"He'll probably dump me before the night is over. He's just to focused on other things. It gets annoying that I never have his full attention. And I often feel as though he is scrutinizing my every move and can see each and every whitehead on my face. Plus, he is always comparing me to some chick named Irene. And that Watson guy is always hanging about, so Sherlock and I never have a chance to get in a good makeout session. Let's not even talk about Mrs. Hudson always bringing him tea. She's totally enabling him. It was a hopeless relationship from the beginning, I suppose."

Her fast response was: "Men!"

Well, I hope you enjoyed my silliness on this wonderful Wednesday!

Have you watched Sherlock? Do you like it? What do you think of Benedict Cumberbatch (what a name, huh)? He is handsome in a quirky way, I think. What is your opinion of his performance in Star Trek? Do you think he stole the show?

Writing Jewels

Insecure Writers Support Group: Defining

Hello there, fellow IWSG'ers and followers alike. For this edition of the Insecure Writers Support Group brought to you by Alex J. Cavanaugh, I'd like to discuss "defining."

Some back story about where this post's idea came from...

I'm listening to Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale. The main character's ex-husband left her for another woman (the cheating jerk). Now she doesn't think of herself as a successful internet business owner or the mother of two great kids; no, she thinks of herself as one thing: a divorcee. She has defined herself as something she considers negative.

This got me thinking about what I define myself as... And do you know what? I tend to define myself with all things negative instead of flowering myself with positive adjectives.

For instance: I'm single--in the bad sense that I have failed the dating scene miserably. There must be something wrong with me if I can't capture a guys attention... haha However, I should be defining myself as single in the sense that I can do anything, go anywhere, and not have to worry about a husband or children at this time of my life. I'm free as a bird!

Often times I feel that since I'm not published, I must be a terrible writer. All the rejections pile up and make me depressed. Therefore, I define myself as a crappy writer at times. Yet, I am a writer. Just because I'm not published by one of the top 5 traditional publishers (YET) doesn't mean I'm less of a writer than anyone else. I am a writer because I write and that is what should define me--not that New York Times Bestselling Author is printed on my book(s). Although, I would rather fancy that being the case. :)

Anyway, let's take a step back and re-evaluate how we define ourselves and make sure it is positive. We'd all be a measure happier, I think, if we consider ourselves better than we do.

Do you fall into the defining yourself negatively trap? How do you define yourself? Have you read Midnight in Austenland or any other Shannon Hale books for that matter? If not, you're missing out folks!

Writing Jewels   

Get Healthy Bloghop

Welcome to the Get Healthy Bloghop or at least my post for this hop around blogs.

I can't say I'm the healthiest person on the block, or rather in the bloghop. My eating habits are far from ideal (but what is ideal, anyway?). But I try to keep myself in shape by exercising three times a week.

What I have done in order to keep this goal is I have set certain days of the week as my cardio days and I must go. Bam!

The thing is: If I don't have something to entertain me while I'm huffing and puffing away on the treadmill, stair climber, or elliptical then I won't make it past 28 seconds without burning out. Ok, I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt... Let's say 3 minutes. *Big Smiles*

For this, my entertainment comes from either a Netflix show or reading a good book. Yup, I've become rather talented at holding a book and exercising at the same time. In addition, my watching TV shows or reading a book can be quite entertaining to fellow work outers. Why? I tend to LOL or be on the verge of tears depending on the part of the show or book I'm at.

For instance, the other days I was watching a particularly funny episode of Supernatural--"Yellow Fever"--and I could barely run for the giggles. My legs became all sorts of wobbly, quite dangerous, indeed.

About three months ago, I upped my cardio time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. I thought my body could use some extra time to build up even more sweat than I already produce. And yes, my face turns a bright shade of red in the process. I think my body had become used to 30 minutes and it started screaming for more. Likewise, my stringy arms told me (yes, they spoke to me. haha) I needed to lift some weights so I began pumping iron twice a week.

Now, if I could just listen to my body with what it should be fed then my world of a body might be a bit more happy. I digress.

Anyway, long story short. Set up a weekly exercising routine and by gum stick to it! Also, know yourself. If you get bored easily, watch a TV show while working out or read a good book;  it'll distract you from the efforts of your exercise program.

Can you exercise while reading a book? What is your exercise routine? If you don't have one, are you willing to start one?

Happy Healthiness!

Writing Jewels

Getting the Vision

I figured out what is wrong with me the other day... Yes, I eat too many sweets and like to sleep too much and maybe I'm a few nuts short of a fruit cake (or maybe I am a fruitcake. Pft. I'd rather be a piece of chocolate cake. Nom Nom).

 

No, no, those aren't the things I figured out were wrong with me. This is:

 

I haven't had writing vision for some months now (I plea the fifth on just how many months that may be). What I mean to say is I've been lacking purpose and an end goal to my words. This is why I haven't been able to sit down at my laptop and crank out chapters upon chapters as I have been able to do in the past.

 

By golly, I have seen the light and my vision is clear. Hal-le-lu-jah!

 

Suffice it to say I'm really back because I have some goals churning to be completed. I'm working on how to get there, but the most important thing is that I'm writing and plan to be doing that consistantly.

 

Woot!

 

So, my two cents worth of advice to my writing buddies is:

 

You've got to have vision or goals for your writing. This method will undoubtedly get you somewhere if it be checking the boxes of your to-writing-do-list or just whatever it is you want to gain from this journey.

 

Vision rocks and so do you! Hugs.

How's your vision lately?
 

Writing Jewels