Wilde's Fire Editor-Judged Query Contest

Welcome! Don't mind the mess, I'm just remodeling. You may want to visit my new author blog where it's not so chaotic. I'm posting the same information there.




“There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most.”—Katriona Wilde.

On Sale Now at Amazon

Sharon Bayliss is hosting an Editor-Judged Query Contest on her blog. Krystal Wade of Curiosity Quills Press is the Acquisitions Editor/Judge. She is also the author of the new release Wilde's Fire, and this contest is in honor of the new release.


You don't want to miss out on this great opportunity, because the winner will win a full manuscript request and a chance at publishing! Go HERE to sign up on the Linky List and to view full details of the contest.


Here are the basic rules:

1. Sign up on the Linky List.
2. On May 25th post your one-page query letter and first 500 words of your manuscript.
3. Between May 25 - May 28 visit the participants on the linky list and leave useful feedback and constructive criticism.
4. On 5/28 Sharon will post and ask you to email her your revised final entries for consideration by editor Krystal Wade at Curiosity Quills Press.

HERE IS MY QUERY LETTER


Dear Editor,


A modern day medieval village teeming with spirit activity is no place for sixteen-year-old ghost whisperer Indigo Eady, not when all she’s ever wanted is to be a normal girl. But normal girls don’t read the history of an object through touch (Psychometry), let alone see, hear and speak to ghosts.


After the death of her father, Indigo almost has the chance to start over and keep her secret, but the ghost of the missing Bart Bagley ruins it all by turning up and begging her to help solve his murder. Sorely tempted to ignore him, she only relents because he was the father of her new friend, Badger. That and the survivor’s guilt she feels over her own father’s death.


A murder investigation is hard enough without the disruption of interfering ghosts and a mysterious soul collector with her name topping its list, but when Indigo’s psychic abilities short-circuit, the sparks start to fly in more than one direction. The resulting mishaps compromise the success of the investigation and the budding but fragile attraction between Indigo and Badger.


When the body count mounts and a suspect ends up dead, Badger becomes a “person of interest" and they must surge ahead to solve the murders before they become the next victims.


GIVIN' UP THE GHOST, a 68,000 word young adult paranormal mystery can stand alone, although it is intended to be the first book in the Indigo Eady series.


Sincerely,


Gwen M. Gardner




HERE ARE THE FIRST 500 WORDS FROM GIVIN' UP THE GHOST:


“What the...” the dude sputtered. I lay sprawled across him, our eyes locked in stunned surprise, our bodies entwined in a tangle of arms and legs. Shock coursed through my veins. My breath came in rasps so I couldn’t speak, but muteness worked just as well. I mean, what could I say? Nice day for a run?


Luckily the early hour rendered the market square relatively quiet. I didn’t think anyone had witnessed my current fiasco. I only wanted to go for a jog. But now I could add “bowling over cute guy” to my mounting list of mishaps, along with, “Get a grip” on this growing problem of mine.


I chanced a quick, worried glance back toward the alley I had barreled from, but the thing was gone. I sighed. Not a graceful escape, I’ll admit. But all things considered, this new situation I suddenly found myself in was a vast improvement, never mind the embarrassment.


The dude beneath me began to squirm.


“I’m sorry,” I gasped, still trying to catch my breath. Now I had to get myself out of this current predicament. Trust me, the extrication process? Not so easy. Our entwined limbs and clothing became like a massive pile of clothes hangers. The more I tried to untangle, the more things got caught.


Plus, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t doing much to help me with the problem. In fact, based on his grin and that little devil dancing a jig in his eyes, I’d say he was enjoying himself way too much.


I tried not to grin back. I should have been thankful he wasn’t mad, but this was no laughing matter. I was extremely uncomfortable, on more than one level.


I didn’t know what the norm was in medieval England, but in this modern day medieval village, lying about on the ground? So not cool. The few people out and about on that gray morning had started to stare. The jettied, half-timbered buildings leaned over us, but it didn’t hide the fact that we were there, lying on the rain-soaked cobblestones, in broad daylight.


“You could help me, you know,” I chastised, my shaky hands working a strand of my braid from his jacket zipper. But with one strand down, I was still attached by another good-sized clump, preventing me from getting up - unless I was willing to rip out chunks of my hair - which I wasn’t.


“Oh, sorry. Here, let me.” All of a sudden he was all business. With gentle fingers he eased long black locks from the zipper, strand by strand. While he worked, I studied his face. He looked familiar. A slight scar above his right brow, about an inch long. Dark brown hair, slightly messy and overgrown. Golden speckles in brown eyes that...


...now viewed me with amusement.


Crap. Busted, checking out the dude I bowled over. So not cool. Plus, I had the feeling I totally missed something he said.

***

THANK YOU SHARON AND KRYSTAL FOR HOSTING!

I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to critique my work (nicely, of course) in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by!

Guest Host Meradeth Houston on Colors Like Memories

Today I am happy to be hosting Meradeth Houston, the author of the new release, Colors Like Memories.

Over to you, Meradeth!

*****

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Gwen! Also, before I forget, I have a contest running for my blog tour—all commenter’s are entered into a drawing for two copies of my book, and one person will win a $25 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. There are more details on my home blog, if you want to check it out!



Today, I thought I’d have a little fun and introduce the main characters in my debut novel, Colors Like Memories. The story itself is told from the point of view of Julia, who has been assigned to help Marcy. Julia has two guys to deal with, but not in a love-triangle kind of way. There’s Derek, her previous boyfriend, and Edison, who she feels like she knows but can’t seem to remember why. Here goes nothing:


Julia: the first thing you should know about Julia is that she’s a Sary. That means she’s kind of like a guardian angel, only for mortals that are thinking about taking their own life. She gets assigned to people she’s supposed to help, and it’s her job to get them healthy again. It’s kind of like a cosmic counseling service. Only it’s a secret. No one knows what she is, or what she’s trying to do, least of all Marcy.


Marcy: she’s Julia’s assignment. Her mom died a while ago, and she totally blames herself. So does her dad. Her home life’s fallen apart, and lately it’s just all been too much. She studies a whole lot just to keep her mind off of real life, and she’s addicted to chapstick. Her only friend is Julia, that is until Edison shows up and everything starts to get a little strange.


Edison: he picked his name because of the famous inventor—something he doesn’t tell many people :) Who he really is, and what he’s doing hanging around Julia is something she’ll just have to figure out. Until she does, he’ll have fun turning her world upside down. Or, at least reminding Julia of all she’s lost.


Derek (AKA Frederick): is the Sary companion/boyfriend Julia had and lost. He died quite some time ago. Julia’s never really gotten over him, which doesn’t make helping Marcy all that easy. He lives in Julia’s memories, and their story is as much a part of Julia’s present as it is her past.


These are the main players in Colors Like Memories. Just for some added fun, I have a few famous lookalikes for each of them (I mean, what author doesn’t like to find actors that they think would fit the role of their MC?). Julia would be best played by a younger Anne Hathaway (my husband votes for Mila Kunis, but I don’t think so). Marcy could be played by Dakota Fanning (her role in Push was so fun, which is what I’m drawing on here). Edison reminds me a lot of a younger Jason Behr, and Derek could be a non-sparkly Kellan Lutz.

Inquiring minds want to know: what actor would best portray your main character?


A bit about the Colors Like Memories:
Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.




Release date: May 11th 2012 from MuseItUp Publishing.

A bit about Meradeth Houston:


Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

• She’s a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use "like" a lot.
• When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
• She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!
• If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

http://www.meradethhouston.com/


http://meradethhouston.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/#!/MeradethHouston

 www.goodreads.com/book/show/13030422-colors-like-memories

http://www.facebook.com/ColorsLikeMemories


http://pinterest.com/merbear95695/

*****

Thank you so much Meradeth for coming by and sharing with us today!

Editor-Judged Query Contest

To celebrate the 5/13 release of the YA fantasy, Wilde's Fire by Krystal Wade, Sharon Bayliss is hosting an awesome editor-judged contest with Curiosity Quills Press! The judge will be Krystal Wade herself, a Curiosity Quills Acquisitions Editor for Young Adult fiction.

The grand prize is a chance at a publishing contract with Curiosity Quills!

Here are the details:

The contest is open only to unpublished manuscripts in the categories of New Adult / Upper YA (protags in late teens, early 20′s) and Young Adult (protags in mid-to-late teens). If you have an adult manuscript you'd like Curiosity Quills to consider, just follow their standard submission guidelines.


Under the YA and NA umbrella, Curiosity Quills is most interested in the following genres:

• Fantasy

• Speculative Fiction / Dark Sci-Fi / Traditional Sci-Fi

• Paranormal and Urban Fantasy

• Steampunk / NeoVictorian

• Mystery / Crime Thrillers

• Quirky/Humorous Fiction (in any of the above genres)

Here are the rules:


1) Sign up with the linky at Sharon's blog HERE.


2) By 5/25, post your query and first 500 words on your blog.


3) From 5/25-5/28, pop over to the other blogs and comment on entries. Contests like this are a great way to get useful feedback from a lot of people. So let's make it useful! Please post meaningful and helpful feedback that can be used to improve our work. Constructive criticism is encouraged but of course, unhelpful meanness is a no-go. If you're lucky, you may even find comments from Curiosity Quills editors themselves.


4) On 5/28 Sharon will post again asking you to email her your revised, final entries for consideration by Krystal. From these entries, Krystal will choose winners (assuming entries are strong enough, she will choose more than one winner!). These winners will get a full request from Curiosity Quills.

It's going to be fun, so please join us!

I'm Busting Out A Move!

That's right, I'm busting out a move and I hope you'll come with me!

All the same stuff, just a different bat-channel. Am I dating myself here? Did anyone else watch the original Batman television series? You know, same bat time, same bat channel?......

.....all right, I'll get on with it.

But first, I want to give you my new blog address:

http://gwengardner.blogspot.com/.

Let me explain:

When I started my blog in 2009, it was to find and give support to those who were trying to live a healthier lifestyle through exercise and healthy eating.



Little did I know that I'd find a whole community of writers!


It was serendipitous.


Did you ever feel that things were falling into place and that someone, a higher hand, was guiding you? A nudge here, and gentle point over there? That's what blogging has been like for me.

Without going into a big, long story, I've wanted to write for a long time. When I finally decided to get started in 2009, I had no idea you were all out there.

I came looking for something else, and found YOU!


It was divine guidance, it really was.


I've written my first novel, Givin' Up The Ghost, and I figured it was time to create an author's site, since, you know, I'm an author now! I've decided to self-publish when the final edits are done, hopefully in July, or maybe August. I will let you know when it's more definite.

But for now, I'd like to share a scene from my novel:

Illustration by Corona Zschusschen

I've been struggling for a while whether to split my blog or not. I knew I needed a new author platform separate from my running-turned-writing blog, but the thought of starting over to recruit followers over to my new blog has been holding me back. I still want you to follow this blog, too. Yes, I want it all!

So I've decided to quit waffling and bust out a move!

I hope that you will Follow me here on my new author blog!


I am awarding major blog-buddy points if you'll help me spread the word!

Thank you, my awesome blogsome friends!

Meditation Day 10 - Africa Awakens

Day 10 of Meditation for a Month over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

Years ago (10-15?) I bought a set of relaxation CD's called Natural Dreams. Each CD has a different theme. For today's meditation I chose a CD called Africa Awakens, and listened to the first two songs: Serengeti Sunrise and Kube-Tu (Cross the River).

Here's the description from the back of the CD:

"Experience the fabulous rhythms of Africa captured in this musical tapestry of drums, flutes, chants & other native African instruments, along with a backdrop of natural sounds from the forests & plains of Africa."

First, it was relaxing. The first song opened with an elephant trumpeting in the background. I thought, "cool - I'm going on safari!" But that's all there was until the end, when it closed with more elephant trumpeting.

The second song opened and ended with rain, which I loved.

I would definitely recommend the CD, but I do wish there had been more animal and water sounds and more chanting.

African chanting is mesmerizing. Here's a great one called African Sunset - African Tribal Orchestra:

Have you ever seen Zulu? The war chant 

in this scene is impressive:

To check out what others had to say about Day 10 of meditation go HERE.

Meditation Day 9 - The Celestine Prophecy

Day 9 of Meditation for a Month over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

Some of you will remember The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield, a best-selling book that came out in 1993, about a man who goes on a journey to locate a series of nine ancient spiritual insights from an ancient manuscript.

You may not know that James Redfield self-published this book, way back in 1993, and that it is one of the best-selling self-published books of all time!

Today's meditation audio tape, The Celestine Meditations, is a guided meditation based on the fifth insight of The Celestine Prophecy. 

The Fifth Insight  is a message from the mystics:


"Insecurity and violence ends when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness--buoyancy--along with the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended."

I found the meditation relaxing and soothing as it led me through a forest and white healing light, to a tall tree with water trickling nearby. The guiding voice told me that I was important to the spiritual evolution of the world, and that I was a spirit filled with white light. It made me feel good and I'll be listening to this one again.

Here is a trailer from the movie, which explains about the hunt for the prophecies:

You can also get the full 100 minute movie from youtube HERE.

To check out what others are saying about Day 9 of meditation go HERE.

Meditation Day 8 - Tribal Winds

Day 8 of Meditation for a Month over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

I decided to go tribal again, since yesterday's meditation worked out so well. Plus, it requires very little on my part except to sit still and listen. Today's CD is called Tribal Winds, music from Native American Flutes. But of course, it was much more than just flutes. Some drumming, some chanting, some hawk or eagle sounds, an owl, plus rain and rolling thunder. I love rain and rolling thunder.

Here is what the back of the CD says:

"For centuries, Native American people have honored the wind with their haunting, meditative flute music. On this one-of-a-kind intertribal collection, evocative flute songs performed by unsurpassed masters blend with drums, chants and authentic natural sounds, so that the wind might once again carry these ethereal, wistful strains to the far corners of the earth."

The front indicates this music is created by Cheyenne, Comanche, Ute, Navajo, Zuni, Dakota, Kiowa-Apache, Mandan and Algonkian.

Here is the first track

called Creator's Prayer

I listened to the first five tracks, which was about 18.27 minutes. It flew by! I only planned on the first three tracks, or about 12.76 minutes. It just goes to show how relaxing it is.

I didn't have any earth shattering epiphanies or anything like that, just good, solid, relaxation. I highly recommend it.

To see what others are saying about Day 8 of Meditation, go HERE.



Meditation Day 7 - Native American Peyote Songs

Day 7 of Meditation for a Month over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

Today I listened to a Verdell Primeaux & Johnny Mike CD called Hours Before Dawn. According to the CD cover, it contains "Harmonized Peyote Songs of the Native American Church."

If you've never listened to Native American chanting and drumming, it's awesome and I highly recommend it. It's very relaxing, soothing and meditative.

This is from the back of the CD:

"Peyote songs, accompanied by rattle and water drum, are musical prayers of the Native American Church. Created and sung by Grammy Award winners, Verdell Primeaux of the Sioux and Johnny Mike of the Navajo, these harmonized songs help listeners on their spiritual quest and provide an atmosphere of peace and harmony. Two songs in the healing style (peyote songs without drum and rattle) are included as a special encore."

Here's a song from the CD called

Standing All Alone

In a way, I found it more relaxing than a guided meditation, because guided meditation requires visualization. Visualization is tough - it's work. It's take a while to get good at it. I used to meditate quite a bit, but I've had to get back into the hang of it for this Month of Meditation event.

I just sat and listened to the chanting with my eyes closed, and tried not to think of anything. When I found myself "thinking" I focused on my breath.

I've had a lot of success with guided meditation, but this was a nice change. I highly recommend it!

If you want to find out what other's are saying about Day 7 meditation, go HERE.

Meditation Day 6 - Thich Nhat Hanh

A Collective Walking Meditation

I watched Oprah's Super Soul Sunday today and her guest was Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist Monk and prolific author. His whole life and the way he's lived it is an inspiration.

So I was very excited when he spoke about meditation, as I'm participating in Month of Meditation over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

In particular, he spoke about walking meditation. It's a mindfulness meditation where you breathe in, take two steps and say, "I have arrived. I have arrived." Then you breathe out and take another two to three steps and say, "I am home, I am home, I am home." In this way, you are living in the here and now. This walking meditation has been done in groups all over the world. I love this idea. Can you imagine the awesome collective energy?  

It's all about the here and now. Only in the here and now can you touch life with all it's wonders. Only in the here and now are you free from regret concerning the past. Only in the here and now are you free from your fear about the future and are able to touch life deeply.

Hanh says that people sacrifice the present for the future, but that life is only available in the present moment. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and now. This way we can live deeply in that moment of life and the practice of mindful walking helps us to learn how to live happily every moment of our daily lives.

This struck a chord with me. When everything is always in the future, the future never comes. So then you've lost the future, in addition to the present. By the same token, living in the past is a waste of time. The only thing that matters is the here and now. It'd be a tough practice to implement in our western world, but through walking meditation it is completely possible for a little while. And with baby steps, I think I could put some of the "here and now" into practice.

I haven't read any of Hanh's books, but after watching him speak on television, I am definitely going to pick one up. Check out his books on Amazon HERE.

To see what other's are saying about Day 6 of meditation, go HERE.

Meditation Day 5 - Spectators

It's Day 5 of Meditation for a Month over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodi Chapman.

I'm feeling tired today and not really in the mood for meditation. But Jodi say's that walking is a sort of meditation, and I did walk nearly five miles today. Probably not supposed to be listening to my ipod, though.

On the other hand, I live in the rural Rocky Mountains, so that's sort of meditative in itself. I live on ten acres of woods with lots of wildlife.

And today, I had some really cute spectators:

They blend in really well.

Do you see her?

Looking a bit scraggly - they're in

the process of getting their summer coats.

Hmm, this one might be ready to give birth.

Here is a fawn from last year. We worried she

might have been abandoned, but the mama came back.

Isn't it adorable?

If you want to read other responses from Day 5 of Meditation for a Month, go HERE. 

Meditation Day 4 - A Warm Tongue

Just a quick post as it's Friday!

It's Day 4 of Month of Meditation over at Soul Speak, hosted by Jodie Chapman.

Here's how it went:

I listened to the flipside of Guided Meditation from Brain Sync. I didn't know when I started that it was going to be music only. So after about five minutes I tried to remember the guided meditation from yesterday. It was relaxing and I was able to go at my own pace and move on when I felt like it.

Again, the meandering grassy path, perfect weather, soft breeze, sunflowers of all colors and sizes.

The warm, healing pool of water, the comfy bed, the golden healing light coming down in columns.

A warm tongue licking my feet....

Mind out of the gutter, please!

My dog Tuffy must have been attracted to all the white light I surrounded myself with!

If you want a good laugh, go read Crazy California Claire's Day 4 of meditation. It's hilarious!

To view how other's experienced Day 4, go HERE.

Barnes & Noble Declares War!

I subscribe to the PW Daily E-Newsletter which is delivered (free) to my email every day. It keeps me updated on what's going on in the publishing world. So when I opened it a few minutes ago to check out the headlines, under The Roundup section, I found the headline, Kindle 'Not That Good in Bed'.

It's no secret that there's a huge competition going on between Barnes & Noble and Amazon on the publishing and e-reader front.

But I do believe that Barnes & Noble has just declared war!  Take a look at this ad for Barnes & Noble's new Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight:

It's brilliant, of course. And clever. And hilarious. And totally mean! It reminded me of the bashing going on during a presidential campaign.

You can catch the whole article at mashable.com.

What do you think? Have they gone too far? Is it ever a good idea to mention your competitor in an advertising campaign?

Meditation Day 3 - Perfectly Lovely

Today is Day 3 of Meditation for a Month hosted by Jodi Chapman over at Soul Speak.

I did Guided Meditation by Brain Sync. On the case, it's says it's a clinically proven method, using sound waves that move your mind. I've had the cassette tape forever - I'm pretty sure they don't sell it in this format any more. I think the picture on the right is the CD version of what I listened to.

The 30 minutes just zipped by and it was so relaxing. I will definitely do this one again. Probably tomorrow.

Here's how it went:

Slipped into my chair, donned my headphones and started the tape.  

I was soon into the journey. Kelly Howell's voice was smooth and easy on the ears. Her guidance was descriptive and conjuring up the imagery was simple. The place she took me to was absolute heaven. Like I went to a spa in my imagination, and everything was about me.

Meandering paths, a secret door, a warm pool of water with towel and comfy clothing waiting when you get out, a bed to rest on, a column of gold healing light, and a surprise visitor.

I think I may have fallen asleep once...

AND it's in stereo. Kelly seemingly speaks from the center with occasional reminders echoing in your right or left ear.

I haven't had a chance to check Brain Sync's other products, but they do have a sample meditation HERE.

To check out other responses for Day 3 of meditation, go HERE.

Meditation - Day 2 - Tin Man, The Grinch & Whoville

Welcome to Day 2 of Meditation for a Month, hosted by Jodi Chapman at Soul Speak.

Today's meditation didn't go so well, but at least I sat quietly with my eyes closed.

For some reason, my imagination just ran wild. Totally out of control.

Here's how it went:

I chose a 20 minute guided meditation from the Spirit of Angels CD called Heart Centering. 

First, three minutes into it I wondered if I was listening to the meditation from yesterday, because it started out the same. Sat forward. Checked CD. Restarted CD.  

Guided to imagine healing energy going through the top of my head, forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, throat, chest. The guide said to imagine an instance of unconditional love. No problem, it's all good.

Guided to move down to the heart and feel the unconditional love. Okay, still good.

And then, the guide says to focus on my heart. This is where the problem came in. We all know what a heart looks like. You know that thing that comes inside the turkey every thanksgiving? Yeah.

So then the next thing to come to my mind was the tin man. You know all the poor dude ever wanted was a heart.

The wizard finally gave him one on a chain. Uh huh. I'm coming up with some vivid imagery here when I'm supposed to be concentrating.

And then, the guide says to imagine my heart growing and enlarging with all the love I'm feeling.

Yeah. Shades of the Grinch. His heart grew three times as large that special day when he learned to love.

Then the guide says to imagine the love growing, enlarging, spreading out.......to an area as big as a city! Seriously? Don't make me go there!

Yeah, here comes Whoville and the Grinch looking down that big mountain with his oversized heart nearly beating through his chest.

At first I thought I'd re-do this same meditation on Day 3 and try to get a better result. But I'm pretty sure it's too late for that...

To see what others had to say about Day 2, go HERE.

Meditation - Day 1

Today is Day 1 of month-long meditation. If you're interested, it's being hosted by Jodi Chapman at Soul Speak.

Here is the link to Day 1 at Soul Speak if you want to hear results.

Here's what I did and how it went:

I picked out a CD called Spirit of Angels, a guided meditation that leads you to meeting your spirit guide. I sat in my office chair, which is very comfortable. I closed my eyes and tried to settle. But I itched. Everywhere. Back, legs, arms, head. That place right between your shoulders. When I was scratched out, I willed myself to be still.

I was told to relax, starting from my head, then crawling down my arms, torso, stomach legs, feet. My right shoe was tied too tightly. Should I untie and loosen it? No. Tried to ignore it.

I was distracted by the fact that I could hear the person leading the meditation swallow every now and then. And breathe. Seriously? This is meditation, I shouldn't be hearing these things. I willed myself to focus.

I was guided to go to a park and to envision what everything looks like. Trees, bushes, grass. A peaceful setting.

The dogs barked. Loud. I thought deer were in the yard. But then I wondered if it was a bear, and maybe I should get up and look. But I didn't.

I told myself again to focus.

I was guided to look up the path and see who was coming.

It was me.

Here was my chance to ask my spirit guide (me?) whatever questions I wanted answered.

But I'm not going announce to the cyber world the crazy stuff my head made up after that. If you really want to know, email me at: ladygwen@centurylink.net.

In the end, it felt really good and I was pleased with the results.

IWSG: Change Your Story

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for another round of posts from the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Many thanks go to Alex J. Cavanaugh, for hosting!

I was watching Oprah's Life Class and Super Soul Sunday this weekend and I am so glad I tuned in. It was completely inspirational, as were her guests: Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Maya Angelou, Iyanla Vanzant and Bishop T.D. Jakes. It was a day of self-empowerment.

Tony Robbins spoke about fear and how we're all born with it. It's a protection mechanism from the earliest cave man days and the fight or flight instinct. Obviously in a real emergency situation it can save our lives. But it can also hold us back from what we're trying to accomplish.

We have all sorts of reasons for being held back or why we're not successful. It's the "story" we tell ourselves for why we don't succeed. Maybe your business failed because your competitor slashed prices. Maybe you didn't get the promotion because you wouldn't sleep your way to the top. Or maybe you couldn't compete because you weren't bloodthirsty enough, or greedy enough, or unwilling to step on people on your upward climb. Or maybe on a personal level your parents were abusive alcoholics and drug users and you didn't stand a chance.

You get the picture. We all have our story and we hang on to it like a life line. We can analyze it till we're blue in the face, which just gives the story more power. This is the enemy! The story that disempowers you, destroys you.

Tony Robbins says we need to divorce our story, just like a relationship or marriage that isn't working. Invent a new story, one where you're successful. Just like the old story, if we tell ourselves the new story enough times, we become conditioned to believe  it. It's like a self fulfilling prophecy.

Here are his three "musts" for success:

1. Strategy (come up with a strategy for success - have a plan)
2. The Right Story (change your story - come up with a story for success)
3. State of Mind (change your state of mind - act like a success, stand tall)

Do you see how we can use this to become successful?

Everything we need is inside us. We have all the tools. I'm not getting religious here, but according to Joel Osteen, we are children of God. We have God's DNA, so we are totally made of awesomeness!

Whatever you're trying to do, whether it's writing, losing weight or becoming healthy, we have the power through our mindsets to achieve our goals.  

Need some inspiration? Check out these websites and the video below:


Thought For The Day

Inspirational Quotes

Tony Robbins

Deepak Chopra

Joel Osteen

Normal Vincent Peale

Guideposts

Iyanla Vanzant

Maya Angelou

Bishop T.D. Jakes

Oprah Winfrey

Leo Buscaglia

Squire Rushnell

Eckhart Tolle

The Secret

The Biggest Loser

The Mayo Clinic

FitBit

Daily Mile

If you haven't seen Elizabeth Gilbert on TED, you should check it out. It's nearly twenty minutes long, but completely inspirational:

So what are you doing for inspiration and motivation?

A Month of Meditation

Is your life hectic or stressful? This is the perfect solution to slow down, breathe and get centered. Especially for those of you who just finished the grueling 30 days of the A-Z Challenge!

Jodi Chapman over at Soul Speak is hosting a month long meditation in May. All you have to do is meditate for a few minutes every day and then go to her site and report on how it went.

Here's the link to Day 1.

Your meditation can be a few minutes of stillness or a guided meditation on tape. You can even sit in stillness with relaxing music in the background. However you want to do it is fine. If you don't have meditation cd's or tapes, you can buy them on her site. I happen to have a few tapes and cd's so I'm all set.

It's been a long time since I've meditated, but I've been meaning to. I even dug out my tapes about two months ago and then didn't do anything with them! So when this came up, I took it as a little heavenly nudge to get busy and, er, relax.

My first meditation went awesome. I am soooo looking forward to this.

Be sure to check out my Insecure Writer's Support Group post tomorrow where I will post links to inspirational sites.

I'm on a roll!