Category Archives: author blog
Surviving the Scorching Summer Heat
We’re having another record-breaking hot summer this year, not only where I live but across the globe. It’s having an impact on how we live and what we do. More people are staying inside for longer periods of time due to the impact of heat on the human body. It’s possible to cook on our sidewalks here in Arizona, as crazy as that sounds. Outdoor barbecue has taken on a whole new meaning! The kids are staying out of the sun in the middle of the day and limiting their outdoor activities to the mornings or late afternoons and evenings when the sun isn’t so intense or has disappeared beyond the horizon. Even my dogs don’t want to be outside for long.
As an author and digital artist, I am perfectly happy to be inside my office where I can be comfortable in the air conditioning with my ceiling fan whirring over my head to keep me cool. That’s the most productive atmosphere for me, and my favorite setting. If I want to see the outdoors I can just look out of the window next to my desk and pull back the curtains to let in the light, without having to deal with the heat.
If you work from home, adjust writing routines when necessary, by working during cooler parts of the day, such as early mornings or evenings. Setting realistic goals and focusing on specific tasks like editing or mind mapping during peak heat hours can also be helpful. Writers may need to be especially mindful of channeling and shaping emotions in their work, recognizing the potential for heightened emotional responses during heatwaves. You can also try working from libraries or cafes to make your day more interesting.
Some writers find that the summer heat actually sparks their creativity. Ernest Hemingway embraced writing in the summer heat and his style flourished during these periods. He spent significant time in hot locations like Madrid, Spain and Key West, Florida.
If you’re in one of those excessively hot areas of the world, be kind to yourself and stay hydrated, comfortable, and safe from the effects of the hot sun. Many children are now heading back to school, which will keep them busy for a good part of the day. Stay indoors when you can and protect yourself if you do go outside with sunscreen, a hat or umbrella and wear loose, light clothing that will allow you to stay cool.
Being indoors gives us all a great opportunity to explore our world and other worlds through writing and reading!
Have a great summer!
Solitaire
12 Reasons Why Writing is Important.
- Sometimes an idea makes little sense until you can see it in words. It also helps when you’re trying to explain your idea to another person—if they can see it written down, it goes a long way for understanding.
- Communication – It is an essential skill that allows you to communicate with people. It also helps to build vocabulary skills, which in turn can improve our social skills. Nowadays we use far less words to communicate than our forefathers.
- Discipline – If you learn to write on a regular basis, it builds discipline. In other words, it provides you with direction and training.
- It engages your brain – both the creative side and the logical or analytical side, allowing you to make sense of what is being stated. It also improves memory function and helps you make better decisions.
- By writing things down we can often work through an idea or problem and come up with possible solutions. It helps to keep our thoughts organized.
- The written word very often influences how we think in society – via authors, journalists, bloggers, speechwriters, etc.
- We wouldn’t know what happened in history without those who took the time to write about it.
- Everyone has at least one book inside of them. We all have a story to tell, and no two stories are alike. The experiences of others can be very enlightening and can often influence and be of help.
- Keeping a journal is very often a means to better mental health. It is important for dealing with anxiety, depression, and other issues. You may not be able to tell someone what is bothering you, but writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you to change your outlook and reset your thinking. Writing down your anxieties or fears can often diminish them in our minds and put us in a greater state of ease. In short, it promotes emotional and spiritual well-being.
- Sometimes you need reminders of what your goals are to stay on track. You are more likely to achieve them if they are written down and you can refer to them to keep you heading in the right direction.
- Making a To Do list is often extremely helpful to organize your ideas and helps you to remember important things that need to be done. We all have busy, fast-paced lives that make it difficult to remember everything all the time.
- When you take the time to write to a loved one or a friend it forms a bond that would not otherwise have been made. You can relate something important to them without having to be where they are. It can build memories. When you take the time to write, it tells someone that you care.
Writing is more than just a means of communication; it is a powerful tool that can be used to inspire, persuade, and even change the world.
Solitaire
The Great Book of Amber – Roger Zelazny
The Amber novels were written by Roger Zelazny and published over the years from 1970 to 1991. One of the most revered names in science fiction and fantasy, Roger Zelazny accumulated numerous awards – including six Hugo and three Nebula Awards – over the course of his legendary career. He wrote more than fifty books, and his Amber novels were some of his best. The Great Book of Amber is a collection of the complete Amber chronicles featuring volumes one through ten. He had a great imagination, and his outstanding storytelling inspired a generation of authors, from Neil Gaiman to George R.R. Martin.
The Great Book of Amber is a ten volume collection of the stories of Corwin and his son Merlin. Both are involuntarily thrust into staying alive while most of the other characters and family members attempt to kill them. Neither considers themselves to be heroes, although both achieve that status through a series of misadventures along the way.
I found the narrative to be brilliant, entertaining, and humorous, all testaments to Roger Zelazny’s talent with the English language. The books are fast paced and lavishly descriptive, a combination difficult to master, yet Zelazny accomplishes it with ease.
I would recommend these books to anyone who relishes swashbuckling characters, high paced action, and a deep moral conviction for good always becoming triumphant in the end.
The Great Book of Amber includes:
Nine Princes in Amber
The Guns of Avalon
Sign of the Unicorn
The Hand of Oberon
The Courts of Chaos
Trumps of Doom
Blood of Amber
Sign of Chaos
Knights of Shadows
Prince of Chaos
I wish there had been more.
Solitaire
Insights from an Author’s Desk – The Writing Process
There is no particular time or place for writing – it happens when it suits you best and everyone has his or her individual approach. I drink a lot of coffee, the think drink. My favorite of late is a mocha blend. I have two dogs who can be pretty distracting, but only when someone comes to the front door. They’re couch potatoes the rest of the time.
Smashwords – Read an Ebook Week 2023 !
Welcome to the official Read an Ebook Week from March 5th through March 11th 2023!
Mark your calendars! Here’s an opportunity to find new authors with one of the biggest sales of the year! Support the many authors on Smashwords in this global celebration of Ebooks. You will find around 100,000 multi-format books regularly priced at free every day, and thousands more that are free or deep-discounted exclusively at Smashwords during Read an Ebook Week only. Browse the catalog by discount categories of FREE, 75%-off, 50%-off and 25% off.
This sale is a fantastic way to discover new authors and continue reading your favorite authors – so load up your e-readers and get started!
Solitaire
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/solitaireparke
TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL LEFT HANDER’S DAY
10% of the entire world population is left-handed. That is 760 million people around the globe. You are much more likely to be a lefty if one of your parents is too. I am one of those left handed people. It was in August of 1976, on a Friday the 13th, that Left-Handers International first declared August 13 to be a day where left-handers were celebrated.
It is thought that left-handed people are more flexible and adaptable, as they are often challenged in a world that is made for right-handed people. The left hand is also controlled by the right side of the brain, which is associated with emotion and creative qualities such as music and art. I have always been a musician, playing guitar and writing music, poetry, and books, and have a passion for digital art, so I guess it holds true, at least for me.
American Presidents Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton are part of the left-hander’s club, along with such famous musicians as Céline Dion and Jimi Hendrix, who was one of the biggest rock stars in the world. He was renowned for playing a right-handed guitar with his left hand.
Here’s an idea – if you are left-handed, challenge your right-handed friends and family to use their left hands for the next day or so! You never know when using your left hand could be a real benefit!
Solitaire
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
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Since 1949, the month of May has been designated throughout the nation as mental health month. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) joins the national movement to raise awareness. Their site provides support for those who deal with this everyday, along with their families.
I found a blog on LULU Books called Mental Health for Writers that applies not only to writers like myself, but has some great links for mental health in general.
After the last two years of pandemic living, many people are realizing that stress, isolation, job loss, and uncertainty have taken a toll on their well-being. To help slow the spread of coronavirus, many schools and childcare centers across the U.S. closed and transitioned to virtual instruction for at least some time. With these closures, children and their parents were experiencing ongoing disruption and changes to their daily routines. Throughout the pandemic, anxiety, depression, sleep disruptions, and thoughts of suicide have increased for many young adults. It has hit just about everyone in some form or fashion.
Personality may also influence how we manage in difficult times. How we endure uncertainty and our ability to tolerate distress are related behaviors that appear to make a difference. Some people are less comfortable with struggle or the unknown than others. Feeling afraid, depressed, or anxiety ridden has seemed to hit an all time high in our world right now.
We can’t always self-improve our way out of pain and difficulty. Facing it is the only answer, and there are ways that we can get help and help ourselves. This is one of those times when life really is harder by a little bit or a lot, depending on your situation. We need to work to feel better, stay connected, and help others however we can.
Solitaire
Have You Watched These 10 Movies About Time Travel?
Image by Solitaire on Emporeum
Time travel is described as the concept in which people are able to move backwards into the past or forwards into the future. This subject is one of my favorites, and I have written a few science fiction/fantasy books which focus on time travel in my Dragomeir Series. You can check them out at my website – www.solitaireparke.com
What is it about time travel that keeps us coming back for more? First of all, is it even possible? Yes, and you’re doing it right now – moving forward into the future at the rate of one second per second. But this isn’t the kind of time travel that has made science fiction writers so prolific, or movie makers so fascinated that Wikipedia lists over 400 titles in the category “Movies about Time Travel.” Traveling by way of a time machine or by using some other means into the past or future is what is really intriguing. If you are one of the many who find time travel to be incredible, you might want to check out the following ten movies.
- The Adam Project – “After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self for a mission to save the future.
- The Tomorrow War – A family man is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront the past.
- Tenet – Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
- Palm Springs – Stuck in a time loop, two wedding guests develop a budding romance while living the same day over and over again.
- Boss Level – Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, a former special forces agent must unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise.
- 12 Monkeys – In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
- Looper – In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits – someone like Joe – who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by sending back Joe’s future self for assassination.
- Avengers: Endgame – After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos’ actions and restore balance to the universe.
- Time Machine – Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two warring races.
- Donnie Darko – After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
To all the Travelers out there – Be Safe!
Solitaire
Change your life – Have an Attitude of Gratitude
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks, to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress.
It Heightens Your Quality of Life
A practice of gratitude raises your “happiness set-point” so you can remain at a higher level of happiness regardless of outside circumstances. Research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.
Notice and Appreciate Each Day’s Gifts
We tend to take for granted the good things in our lives. Imagine losing some of the things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. Start finding joy in the small things instead of the bigger things, like getting the promotion, having a comfortable savings, getting married, or having children, and so on – before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy. In the face of hard times ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”
Incorporate Gratitude into your life every day
If we increase our conscious awareness of gratitude it may require that we train ourselves to think differently. This can be done by incorporating some simple exercises into our lives. For example, you might begin to keep a gratitude journal. Gratitude journals can take many forms, but one way of doing this is to simply write down one thing that you are grateful for each day.It can be something that happened that day, something you felt, or someone in your life who has made a positive impact on you.
You can also speak your expressions of gratitude. You can engage someone in a daily discussion about what you are grateful for. This might take the form of questions like, “What was the best part of your day today?”, or “What is one thing that made you feel really happy today?” This kind of discussion not only helps to increase your own awareness of all that you have to be grateful for, but can also promote positive connection and experiences in your relationship with whomever you choose to have these exchanges. Focus on the positive things, which in turn help the stressors feel less significant, and help you feel happier. Basically, gratitude promotes gratitude.
You can train yourself to notice things that you are thankful for. They can be small things: maybe you notice that your bed is very comfortable, that your lunch is tasty, that a good friend said something nice to you, etc. It is easy to take these kinds of experiences for granted and not direct our conscious awareness to them. But training yourself to notice these kinds of things and really feel grateful for them can help increase your own experience of happiness.
Be Thankful –
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Solitaire
A Writer’s Secret Ingredient?
Perusing the web this week I discovered a guest post that I found to be particularly outstanding and possibly very helpful to other writers. It was a recent post from author and guru of all things writing and publishing, Jane Friedman. I regularly get her newsletter, Electric Speed, which contains a myriad of information for writers. (I highly recommend subscribing to it, by the way.) https://janefriedman.com/.
The post is about a secret ingredient that can keep readers riveted to your book down to the very last line, rather than lose interest and have it fall to the floor. The guest was C. S. Lakin, a writing coach, workshop instructor, blogger and award-winning author of 30+ books.
So, check out this post at the following link –
https://www.janefriedman.com/the-secret-ingredient-of-a-commercially-successful-novel/
Solitaire
Forthcoming book – The Atrium
Solitaire Parke - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books 
