Icon-type silhouette of an airplane. (Mainly to be used in Userboxes) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Yesterday, I had the pleasure to guest post for Michelle Proulx, a talented young writer, author of Imminent Danger. Here is the link to her awesome blog, where you can find my blog post – The Point of No Return.
I hope that you enjoy the blog post and that you visit Michelle’s fun and upbeat blog – you will love it.
Congratulations to the three winners of a paperback copy of The Dinorah Chronicles – Ramblings of the Spirit! The winners are Marisol Lopez, Maria A Calixto, and Grace Rhema. Please let me know your address, so I can mail your copy 🙂 I hope that you like it. Thank you to all of you who liked my author page.
Here is a couple of videos that I found interesting to share.
Amazing, right?
Ramblings of the Spirit is available through Amazon.
Every time I see the miracle of Nature, I can help but feel happy, and humbled by the perfection that surrounds us – Us, imperfect humans … are we? We are part of Nature. Today, I want to celebrate Nature, birds to be exact. I enjoy bird watching (and that is the extent of it; I don’t know many of the names), and I am blessed, living in an area where birds are abundant, even that I am not in the country, but surrounded by wetlands, and the shore – Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey (USA). Birds are beautiful and delicate, sweet and predictable, predatory at times, but also interesting to watch. For the past couple of months I have observed and photographed birds every time I spotted one near my house. I have enjoyed and watch with awe, the many birds that are around the area. I have learned to recognize a few everyday guests, many with their significant-bird. Amanzingly, they do the same things or follow a routine, as we do many times. Now that the trees are covered with leaves, it is hard to spot them, so I am happy that I took a few weeks to watch, as they came back for spring.
All the pictures have been taken from inside my home on purpose – I wanted to feel Nature’s blessing without stepping outside – a way of celebrating the wonders of Nature, knowing that it can trespass walls, if we are willing to be receptive. Call it an experiment. I had fun with it and found a new depth to my surroundings. Here are a few of my favorite shots.
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
Photo by Maria Diaz
I hope that you enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. For those wondering what type of camera I used, it is a Canon PowerShot SX500IS 30x optical zoom. I know nothing about photography, so please forgive any mistakes, as I only admire, point, and shoot. Just for the joy of it 🙂
HAPPY WATERCOLORS FRIDAY!
When inspiration runs dry and you get a case of the blues, whether writer’s block is operating on the background or frustration knocks at your door, productivity suffers and boredom settles in – life’s loses its luster, gray days abound, and opaque hours seem to stop time. This may happen to anyone, at any time; I have been there. I want to share with you a simple system I came up with that will help you fight those blues and keep you from becoming bored or uninspired. I assure you that you will always have something to dream about, something to be grateful for, and something to do. That in itself can jumpstart your inspiration. I call this system my Inspirational Jars, and that is just what it is. I use three empty glass jars and I label each one – Love Notes, Pick a Chore, and Promise Jar. Each Jar has a purpose; each jar gives me something to do.
The idea is to sit down and write as many small cards you can and fill those bottles, and if one day you think of something else, just write it and deposit it in the bottle. If you ever feel bored, uninspired, and not knowing what to do, pick one card from one of the bottles and do/dream/plan/execute whatever you wrote on that card. If it is something you cannot do now, you can always put it back and pick a card from another bottle or from the same jar, or you can sit down and dream/plan how to work towards that dream or goal. You will never ran out of things to do if you keep filling those inspirational jars. Make them pretty, colorful and enticing. Have fun creating this system. Create your own system depending on what you want to do. For example, a jar for blogging topics, a jar for writing scenes or character names … Mine are just what I use to keep productivity and inspiration alive. Here is what my Inspirational Jars look like.
I hope that you enjoyed this tip.
As I might have mentioned before, now I am writing Book 2 of The Dinorah Chronicles – The Book of Sharon. I have to say that the approach to this book has taken me on a different journey, one that I did not plan but simply followed. Most of the time I don’t follow an outline, if an outline happens, it does while I am writing and for “memory” reasons, so I don’t forget and keep things in perspective, and don’t forget important issues that should be resolved throughout the novel. Must likely, I don’t necessarily know how the story is going to end, although I may have a faint idea. Sometimes, I think of something but it happens that a character has a better idea, and I follow – I let go. Must of the time, I find that this approach lets everything fall into place and all ties come together in the end. This is what happened with Ramblings of the Spirit (Book 1) – it set the path for The Book of Sharon.
This presents a challenge for me, as I am writing the story that I want to write, however this time, the story contains the book of the main character, which is also the contents of an ancient book. It is a book inside a book inside a book – I hope you understood that. It is a more complicated way of writing but I am up to the challenge thanks to Dinorah Sandbeck, the main character. Of course, I am excited about writing it, but also on beating the deadline of publishing before the end of the year, and ideally, by the end of summer/beginning of fall. It is a tight deadline, thanks to Dinorah Sandbeck. This of course, presents another challenge, not only will I have to write in my voice, but in Dinorah’s writing voice, and in the ancient tome’s style as well. No wonder why I have gone through so many cups of coffee during the day. I am honestly feeling the pressure from these two characters – yes, the ancient tome became a character in Ramblings of the Spirit, although it was introduced in Moonlit Valley – my first novel and the story who gave birth to The Dinorah Chronicles.
So this is what is going on with the second book in The Dinorah Chronicles trilogy, and this is why you see the counter at the upper right corner of this blog, as a constant reminder of the contract that I have with my characters, with the readers, and with myself. I have worked on the design of the cover as well, although it is not ready yet.
If you are unfamiliar with Moonlit Valley and Ramblings of the Spirit, these are available through Amazon, and you can even preview a bit. I am also doing a promotion this month for a free kindle download of Ramblings of the Spirit. And if you want the chance of winning a free paperback of Ramblings of the Spirit, you can like my Facebook page by clicking the button at the right on this page. You will be entered for a chance to win one of three copies. The winners will be announced on May 20th.
Since time is ticking and I am not even halfway my story, or Dinorah’s, or the Tome’s, I will try to limit blog posts to two or three a week, most likely two, at least until I have a handle on the first and second drafts. For the next few months I will be immersed in this novel, much so as a monk writing a doomsday book. It will be an interesting journey.
Writing the Domesday Book (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I want to dedicate this Watercolors Friday to YOU. To all that is YOU. I hope that you think about that. You are more than the sum of your parts – you are a special creation. You are more than all your roles; you are more than all your labels, and you are more than all your thoughts and dreams together. Together … to be. All the possibilities that your being – your creation – gives you. I hope that you celebrate yourself today; I know that it is not easy to do this sometimes. Many times, we forget to celebrate ourselves because we are too busy celebrating others – or what others want in our lives. Sometimes, we do not want the same things, but we are afraid of saying NO.
It is easier to say YES than to say NO. It take guts to say NO because we are afraid of what others will think of us – and that is pretty much it, we care too much about what others “will think” or “feel” and we end up forgetting about our feelings, wants, and needs. We stop celebrating ourselves. At extreme, we end up living unhappy lives, lives that belong to others.
Saying NO doesn’t come easy; it takes time and training/practice. I remember the first time I learned to say NO and being conscious of it – as a decision. I was two and a half (my memories start at that age). My Mom wanted me to play with two little girls that lived across from us (by the way, we lived in a haunted house – no kidding here). I hated to play with them because they would not let me play with their toys – they wanted me to sit and watch only. One day, I had it. I waited until their Mom came to ask my Mom to let me go and play. I waited until they started playing with their beautiful plastic horses – tons of them. I wanted to play with a light caramel horse. I reached to grab it, and they took it away from me. That instant it clicked (I remember the moment like it was now) – I swiped my hand across all their horses and scattered them all over the living room – then, I could not stop doing it, and horses of all colors and sizes flew up on the air. I was free. I said NO. The girls started crying, and their mom took me home. That was the last time I had to go there; I was happy.
Over the years, I stopped saying NO and learned to say YES more often, until another dramatic day … It was like that for me for most of the time until I grew up and later in life, much, much later, I understood that I did not have to say Yes, when all I wanted was to say NO. That is when I started celebrating myself. Today, I am confident saying NO when I mean to say it, and that is when saying YES will make me unhappy. It is better to say NO than say Yes and do what it is that you said yes to with an unhappy and unloving feeling, or doing it half-way, with no passion, or to do a crappy job at it – just because NO was what you were supposed to say. That only disrespects the other person, who is counting on you.
There are many times that we will have to say Yes when we rather say NO; however, this happens because we truly want to help someone – and that is honorable. However, it is when we prolong the Yes, and it starts affecting our happiness that it matters to say NO.
Happy Watercolors Friday! Celebrate YOU!
Reminder:
I will be giving away three copies of Ramblings of the Spirit, the first book of the trilogy The Dinorah Chronicles. To enter for a chance to win one of the three copies, just like my Facebook page (link at the right of the screen on this blog) and that is all you have to do. I will announce the three winners on May 20, which is the birth date of the person to whom I have dedicated this book – my maternal grandmother.
The title of this post may seem a contradiction, but it is not. If you deal with customers or clients, you are probably very excited/happy every time you make a sale. It is the natural reaction; however, do you go the extra mile to deliver the same happiness and excitement to your customer/client? I hope you do. Once it is time to deliver the goods, do you take care of the presentation? Do you give something extra to the customer/client or do you deliver just what he/she paid for when the order was placed?
Going the extra mile for a client/customer is important to your business/brand whether you sell products, services, or entertainment. It is what the client perceives at the other end when he/she receives the goods that will determine repeat sales, and “word of mouth.” One of my retail customers emailed with this comment – “Love it! Just opening the package was a fun experience. Thank you!” I don’t have to tell you that this made my day, because having that praise from a customer meant that my efforts to show that I care, were perceived. It was perceived in the delivery of the goods, the product, and even in the package presentation.
What things can you do to wow your customers/clients? There are a few that I practice all the time.
These things are simple to do and tell the customer/client that he/she is appreciated and in good hands in the future. They should become second nature to you as you keep practicing them. There are many other ways in which you can give to your clients. It is a matter of using your imagination and enjoying the process.
I hope this post was of help whether you sell goods, services, or words.
I was very honored and humbled by receiving the Liebster Blog Award – Thank you Ado Bajic from The Daily Rant. Thank you for reading and considering Inkspeare worth of receiving it. I don’t take these awards lightly. I am always happy to know that someone found inspiration in one of my posts. That makes me happy; and that is all I want – to be able to share and inspire others. I hope I get the rules for the award right. Here they are.
11 Random Facts About Me
The Nominees are …
These are 11 of my favorite blogs that inspire me in different ways. I know I have mentioned some of them before, in random posts here and there. Some are more recent blogs that I have started to follow, and so far I love them very much. It is up to the nominees to answer the questions – I know some people do not like to get too personal or want to keep their information to a minimum. So I set you free to do as you wish 🙂 with your nomination. Answering questions is not required in my book.
11 Questions for the Award Winners (only if you feel like playing along)
Questions Left for Me
And here is a picture of the award
Truth – 1. Conformity to knowledge, fact, or actuality; veracity. 2. Something that is the case; the real state of affairs. 3. Reality; actuality. 4. A statement proven to be or accepted as true. 5. Sincerity; honesty. – American Heritage Dictionary
By looking at the above definition of truth, one will think that truth is one-sided, as we have traditionally learned to believe. “There is only one truth” is a phrase that we have heard many times, and possibly agreed with it. I say, we should consider a second truth, not only when the first truth does not suffice, but always. To illustrate this point, let me relate to you something I overheard this morning at the post office. This post was inspired by that conversation.
A man was talking to the clerk about a problem with his red mustang (later I saw the man at the parking lot pulling out in the new model). Apparently, something had been wrong with it and the mechanic took time figuring out what it was. The man was making these comments, feeling certain that he knew the truth.
Mustang Man – “These mechanics know nothing these days. They cannot figure out the problem unless they hook the car to a machine. I remember when good mechanics used to know what was wrong with the car just by listening to it – blah, blah, blah …”
Mustang Man continued to share his wisdom and the more truth he felt he shared the better he seemed to feel, and he left the post office smiling and wishing the clerk a great day. The clerk seemed to agree with him as well. I was smiling, and Mustang Man smiled and gestured a good-bye to me. However, I was smiling, not because I agreed with his truth, but because I knew of a second truth. There, I saw how truth is based on our own experiences and the knowledge we have at the moment of a particular subject.
My truth – My truth is based on different information and knowledge of the subject. See, I am married to a mechanic, and by default, a lot of the knowledge has trickled down to me. Many times, I find myself in conversation with my sister, and she tells me – “the mechanic just told me what you just thought it may be.” I laugh because, in 25 years of marriage, I have become a sponge, learning little bits by osmosis. Through my husband I have learned that today’s cars are not even a shadow of what cars where many years ago – possibly the time -frame Mustang Man was talking about. Today’s cars are computerized beasts full of software and sensors that depend on one another, like a steampunk symphony, one thing affecting the other but not necessarily becoming a part of it. Today’s mechanics are more knowledgeable in terms of absorbing and learning more information, and knowing different systems, than yesteryear mechanics. They need to learn software, and learn to use it to be able to diagnose a car properly. Today’s computerized beasts are more than motor and spark, therefore requiring precise computerized adjustments. With so many sensors and software systems, one little issue may trigger another, and therefore making it more difficult to diagnose. This would be impossible to do by a yesteryear mechanic or a.k.a. Mustang Man’s hero.
Another issue with today’s systems is that they keep changing at fast pace, as technology changes, and the consumer seems to want more “bells and whistles” and comforts. This creates the need for better trained mechanics who undergo continuing education through their jobs. High end cars, have very sophisticated computerized systems, that only become available to lower end models later on, or by special order – depending on the maker.
According to Mustang Man’s truth, which was based on old-fashion knowledge of automotive systems and an admiration for the good ole’ mechanic, today’s mechanics know nothing. According to my truth, which is based on more current information on automotive systems and my admiration for my mechanic hubby, today’s mechanics are more knowledgeable and educated. Two truths that are completely opposite and both influenced by the observer/participant experience.
And that is why you should always consider the second truth – learn, explore, inform yourself, and then make up your mind, before uttering your only truth.
English: Own Work, Public Domain School in Columbus Avenue, New York, NY, USA. Category:Images of automobiles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hello!
Today I am very happy to dedicate our celebration to a very special Artist – Anne Rymer. Anne is also the owner of BOOCRAFT, and she resides in Cornwall, UK. I love her paintings and I have acquired some of them. Her watercolors are full of magic, happy days, and I totally love the unexpected whimsical details in them, as well as the colors she uses. One of the things I love about her paintings is that there is always movement in her subjects and landscapes – from cats and witches, to country folk, to seaside and rivers … Her inspiration is the rich history of the lovely Cornwall, a place that seems magical. Her favorite poem is “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. Instead of me telling you her story, I will share with you what she has to say,
“Cornwall is my inspiration. Through my artist’s eye I try to portray the magical atmosphere of this beautiful part of England. A lady from America wrote to me that she wished she could live in one of my paintings! I suppose that is how I feel when I’m being creative, I go into the picture completely and It is an alternative world!
My home is so high up the buzzards fly past level with my window! This is where I paint, in my studio that overlooks the beautiful Tamar valley. There is an old church in the middle distance and patchworks of fields and ancient woodlands that stretch across the valley. Through this the River Tamar winds its way past Morwellham Quay, this is where the “Edwardian Farm” was filmed last year.
I am forever bringing home hurt little creatures. I even once had a large raven with a damaged wing, which eventually flew away. It stayed with me quite happily while it recovered. I think they must know they can trust folk like us.” – Anne Rymer
I want to share with you pictures of some of the paintings I acquired from the Artist. If you want to see more of her work, you may visit her shop BOOCRAFT.
I thank Anne Rymer for her time, and for being my guest today.
Happy Watercolors Friday everyone! I hope that you enjoyed today’s celebration, and please, take a little time to view more of her awesome art. – it is mesmerizing 🙂
Note: Anne’s shop will be shut from next Sunday May 5th until Monday May 13th.
Inkspeare 