Beyond Words

    It's nearly the end of January and I haven't yet abandoned my new year's resolutions. I'm still exercising and watching what I eat and I'm writing more. So, good for me. However, my weight hasn't changed much and this is frustrating. But, I think I may have found a diet that's not really a diet. It's the Paleo Diet or, as it's better known, the Caveman Diet. The idea behind this way of eating is to eat as our ancestors did and by ancestors I don't mean grandma and grandpa. I mean our ancestors from waaaay back - cavemen and women.   Apparently, our bodies haven't changed all that much from the way they were way back when. And since farming/agriculture didn't exist in the days of the caveman as it does now, our bodies aren't used to grains and other simple carbohydrates, thus, we have a hard time digesting them. Most of the energy from these foods are unfortunately stored as fat. The Paleo diet consists of eating mainly...

     As a writer I'm always trying new ways to market my book, especially in this day and age when publishers expect authors to do much more than simply write the novel. Since the publication of, Invisible , I've run the marketing gamut - from blog hops, to radio interviews, to guest blogs, to every type of social media out there. My novel was selling but in no way was it a best seller.   When I heard about Amazon's Prime Select Program, I figured I had nothing to lose and gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. Recently, I had my first 'free' day and just discovered that almost 6,000 copies were downloaded. This is a wonderful way to get your book out there and in the hands of readers in order to develop a following. I know I won't be making any money when my book is given away for free, but something wonderful happened. In the days following the freebie day, my sales soared. Another fringe benefit has been the positive feedback Invisible has...

It's been a week since my surgery and I'm feeling pretty good. So good in fact that I've started to exercise again. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to exercise yet but I took it easy and went slow, only doing light aerobics on my elliptical trainer. I did 40 minutes! Yay me! I'm still swollen and bloated from surgery so I'm not bothering to weight myself yet. I don't want to be disappointed. Exercise and weight loss weren't my only resolutions. I'd also resolved to write more and to be more diligent with my writing. I'm proud to say that I've opened a vein and have begun to pour out my soul onto my computer screen again. I'm working on the second draft of my novel, Incarnate . I find rewrites to be slow going so I've set easily attainable goals. Just taking baby steps at the moment but at least I'm heading in the 'write' direction. I'd be curious to hear how other writers keep themselves motivated. I want to tha...

Invisible will be free on Monday January 14th. If you've got Invisible on your 'to read' list, now is the time to download a kindle edition free. For one day only. Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that...   For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, life is a struggle. Born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Bullied and despised, Lola still has the support of her best pal Charlie and Grandma Rose.   Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”.   Slowly, with Charlie’s help, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Yet power can be a...

  I'm happy to report my gall bladder surgery is over. I had it done on Monday, January 7th. All went well. I'm a little sore and it's kinda tough to get around at the moment. But now that the black cloud of worry has finally blown away and I'm beginning to feel the nag of my muse at last.    I've learned something about myself over these past few weeks. I can't write unless I'm happy. So much for artistic angst. I've got to do my best to stay positive so my muse will be tempted to creep back into my life. She's a touchy one and I've got to keep her surrounded by love and positivity if I want to keep her around.   Not much I can do on the weight loss front for another four weeks. No working out for me at the moment and of course, I'm swollen up like a blow fish right now so there's no sense in weighing myself.   I want to thank my family and friends for their support over these past few days as well as extend a huge THAN...

Here I am on day three of my exercise/life change regime and when I got on the scale this morning, I was down 1.5 pounds! Yay for me! I ate well today...no junk food. Gotta up the water intake but there's still time to get in a few more glasses today.   Just wanted to provide a quick update before hitting the cardio equipment in my basement. No weights today. I'm too sore, but I will up the cardio workout to 45 minutes. How's everyone else doing on their resolutions?   Good luck and let's encourage each other.

    I've only been back to my exercise routine for two days - guess it's too early to quit or even complain. I shouldn't have any expectations at this point, but I am disappointed that my weight is exactly the same as it was when I started. I've also been eating healthier and eating less.   Today I did 30 minutes on my eliptical trainer and 15 minutes of weights, just like yesterday. I've been drinking more water, though I think I could improve upon that. Guess I'll just add that to my list of resolutions...gulp down another glass or two of good ole H2O. Anyway, I'm proud of myself for taking another baby step in the right direction. Maybe tomorrow I'll be down a pound.   As for my writing, well, that's still on the back burner. Can't seem to get my mind in gear because of my upcoming gall bladder surgery. I'm sure once I've lived through that horror, I'll be back to my old self and my muse will finally come back home. ...

Happy New Year! I haven't blogged for a long time. Frankly, I haven't had the energy but it's a new year and it's resolution time. I have many - to take care of myself, to lose some weight, to finish my latest novel, Incarnate and to blog more. I will post updates on my progress so that I can be accountable to someone other than myself and hopefully, to inspire others. Today, I exercised. Yay for me! I did 30 minutes on my eliptical trainer and 15 minutes of weights. I know it's not a heck of a lot, but it's a start. My goal is to lose 10 pounds. Right now, at this very moment, I weigh 144.8 pounds. Yikes, never thought I'd let that number be made public. However, on Monday, January 7th, I will be going under the knife to have my gall bladder removed. I'm sure I won't feel like (or be allowed to) exercise for a while, so I will be taking some time off to heal. BTW, I'm scared to death but it has to be done. Who knows, it might even help w...