Earth laughs in flowers...

Today’s been one of those days. You know days when you have accomplished so much and yet you feel as if you completed nothing. Well, it’s been one of those days. I started out with a good day at work, finishing everything on my to-do list before heading for home. On the way, I stopped to speak with Borders representative and made an appointment for tomorrow. Once I got home, I spent two hours outside pulling weeds in the beautiful but windy Arizona weather. Afterwards, I ran errands, found the perfect sunglasses, updated my lists, and worked on my book. Yet, as of right now I have accomplished nothing. How weird is that? I also looked up my next class assignment and let me tell you, the book is expensive and the assignment is hard. Oh, and I have three days to buy the book and finish the required assignments. Hmmm, tough.
However, none of those things will keep me down. Life is like that; hard, demanding, and sometimes frustrating. Those are all the emotions I am experiencing right now. But the sun was shining today, which granted is not a phenomenon in Arizona, with a breeze that cooled you down perfectly. I enjoyed spending a few hours cleaning up our backyard and enjoying the wonderful nature around me. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Earth laughs in flowers…” What a beautiful concept! We have rose bushes in the backyard that are in full bloom right now. While I was outside, I watched them fluttering in the wind while I worked on the grass. Such perfection in color and texture. We have an amazing Artist looking out for us, and giving us the precise pleasures we need. I am not a big fan of hot weather, but I am a big fan of outdoors. And today was a perfect opportunity for me to enjoy myself outside. If that is not a small, simple pleasure, I don’t know what is.

Full moon and good deeds...

When I started this blog I wondered “What will I say?” “How do I express myself in the way that will be profitable not only to me but to my readers?” Writing is a big responsibility. Yet, like I’ve said before its also a great privilege. I try to remember that every single day. It’s the joy of simple things that makes the world go round.
Tonight when I was driving home I noticed a simple thing. The moon is beautiful tonight. Full, yellow, and huge it sits in the sky right above the horizon. How many full moons have I seen in my lifetime? Probably over a hundred. How often I stop and actually look? I don’t know. So often we go through life without taking notice of the wonderful things around us. As I watched the moon, I started to make up stories about the craters I saw, the colors that seemed to change with the earth’s movement, and the starts almost dancing around the big queen. It made me smile, and I wanted to share that with you.
My countdown till road trip is down to 12 days! I’m so extremely excited! I still have so much planning to do. Yes, I am one of those people who need to have a plan to execute before they are responsible for any kind of an undertaking. Call me strange, but I like to know where I’m going in order to arrive there safely. However, it would be extremely fun to just get in a car and drive. Maybe, one of these days I will be able to check that off my list as well.
Also, my dear readers, I have been talking to Borders trying to set up a book signing in the next few months. Keep checking back for updates! I can tell you that there will be giveaways and yummy goodies at this particular event. I’ve also ordered a set of postcards for promotional purposes and I can’t wait for them to get here! As you can see I’ve been doing my best to try and promote my book. And I ask you to do the same! Tell everyone you know. John Dykes once said, “Our deeds follow us, and what we have been makes us what we are.” One day you may be rewarded for your good deeds!

Random Acts of Kindness...

Do you know what this world is missing? Random acts of kindness. Today I was a recipient of such a phenomenon and it absolutely made my day. Early in the morning my manager decided that she wanted breakfast. As I was walking to my office she came up to me and said, "I was looking for you." while reaching into a McDonalds bag. Pulling her hand out she produced a sausage burrito and handed it to me with a smile. "I love these," I said. "I know," she replied, and we went our separate ways. That stayed with me all day. She did not have to remember me at all at 7 am but she did.
How much better would our world be if we took time to be kind to each other? I know I've been focusing a lot on relationships and they way we treat each other. This is what makes our world turn. Why not remind everyone and myself in the process the importance of treating others well.
My book focuses a lot on rediscovering what kind of a person you are. Told in first person, it is a story of a young woman who loses everything and gains the world. When I wrote Simplicity I wanted to make people understand the importance of being the right kind of a person. And with this blog I will continue to do so.

On the other hand, I'm taking a road trip with my best friend in 15 days and I am so excited! I've been waiting to do this for a long time and I can't believe I finally have that opportunity! It's amazing what you can accomplish if you only set your mind to it. I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday! And remember; always smile - because you never know who is falling in love with your smile (author unknown)

Chapter 1...preview

The meeting was running late. So much to do
and I was stuck listening to some guy talk about
pointless things. The room was long with an oval table
in the center. Most of the company’s heads were
present and listening to well-dressed man babble
about naught. If there was a point to his presentation,
I wouldn’t have minded. But this Mr. whatever-hisname-
is really knew nothing about his topic. I
glanced to my left and was met by a bored stare. My
coworker and friend, Lanie Peterson, was feeling exactly
the same. She made a face at me and rolled her
eyes. I suppressed a smile before turning around to
watch the presentation.
This was an unusual meeting. The president of
the company was actually present. It is usually I who
handles all of these meetings, but today Mr. Howard
decided to sit in. Now, as I looked at him I could tell
this would not become a habit. “Thank you for your
time,” brought me out of my daze. The meeting adjourned.
“Sinclair! I want to see you in my office now!”
Mr. Howard commanded moving past me.
“Oh, sounds serious,” Lanie whispered, “Good
luck!”

Here are the first two paragraphs of my book! Hope everyone enjoys this tiny sneak preview. Keep checking back for more!!! Thanks everybody!

Words are magic...

I just want to say thank you to my new followers. It was such an amazing encouragement to get online today and read the comments posted! I actually cant believe that my words would interest anyone. Yes, I have published a book. Yes, I know many have bought and read and loved it. Yet, at the same time I am still amazed that I write.
Words are such an extraordinary privilege. Words are magic. English is my second language, and every day I still struggle with the concept of the right word for the right time. But I guess we all struggle with that sometimes. Whether or not you speak a different language, the right use of words can make or break a situation. Or a person. How often do we speak before we think? How much better as individuals would we be if we took the time to consider out speech?
Did you know that a harsh or criticizing word will stay with a person forever? We may never know the mark we leave on someone. And if we are touching lives with our words, why not make them better. Bring a smile to someone’s face. Cheer a weary soul. Bring joy into someone else’s life. We have the power to make someone’s life better, why not do something great with that? And if that’s not enough remember – “Be nice to people: remember, they outnumber you several billion to one.”

Now, I wanted to let everyone know that I will be posting a little bit of my book on here. There will be no real order to the postings from the book because I will be picking randomly. I will be posting once a week from my book. So keep checking back, and please spread the word! Thank you!

Life...

The list can go on and on forever. The smallest things that make life worth living. Simple things. Those are the real reasons why this world keeps turning. God gives us exactly what we need, when we need it. But the true beauty of a soul is the ability to love the simple things in life. To appreciate the small parts of the big picture. To see love and appreciate those details people take for granted. So often the world spins around us without us stopping to enjoy it.
Everyday we ought to stop and appreciate the beauty that God placed all around us. Everyday we should thank Him for the wonderful blessings He gives us. Everyday we should be grateful to Him for the simple things in life.

(This is the second part of the Simplicity post. Sorry I forgat to finish it earlier)

Attack...and smile

So I spent a good hour and a half looking up blogs and bombarding bloggers with my comments. Hmmmm… lets see if anything will come of that. I have to say that this whole promotion thing is a bit difficult. I wish there was more I could do, but with limited time and resources, its hard.

On the other hand, today was a beautiful day. Worked went by fast and uneventful. That’s always a blessing in retail.  My book is now available in Kindle version for all you technology lovers. See, I love the feel of a book in my hands, the turning of the pages, and the smell of a freshly printed copy. Maybe that makes me weird, but I think it’s what helps me write. When I received my proof copy for Simplicity, I was walking on air. The hard copy of all the work I put into it in my hands felt like paradise. It really is an amazing feeling. That is why I want to share it with the world. I want everyone to see the encouragement and adventure that can come from picking up a book every now and then.

And here is a word of wisdom from Oscar Wilde, “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” I hope you made someone smile today!

Clouds...

Today is a beautiful day! Call me strange but I love the fact that
it's stormy and rainy outside. The world seems so poetic when
everything is gloomy. It is the best time to snuggle underneath the
covers with a good book and a cup of coffee. It is a perfect
atmosphere for gothic writing. The big dark castle stands on the edge
of a canyon facing the sea as the lightning flashes behind it. The
shadows paint pictures against the dark light. The lone figure stands
on the edge of the canyon watching the waves crash against the rocks
with an angry determination.

I'm not exactly working on a gothic novel right now so I'll have to
keep that in reserve!

Simplicity...

So pure. So clean. A Father’s love. The Lord Almighty. A small butterfly fluttering in the wind. A quiet brook running over smooth rocks. The leaves whispering secrets in the breeze. The clouds making castles in the sky. The warm sand covering your toes. The smile of a friend. The smile of a stranger. The quick hug in a middle of a crisis. A mother brushing her daughter’s hair. A father throwing a football to his son. A grandfather holding his grandchild for the first time. The sound of the ocean. The smell after the rain. The first kiss as husband and wife. Holding hands. First steps. Sunset. Sunrise. Ice cream. Chocolate. Strawberries. Stars. Soft grass. Comfortable bed. Hot chocolate. Coffee. Favorite perfume. Snow.

The first meet. The first kiss. Soft music playing in the background.

Life. Love. Laughter. Peace. Joy. Hope. Tenderness. Beauty. Kindness. Compassion. Warmth. Thoughtfulness. Helpfulness. Gentleness. Energy. Excitement. Animation. Sparkle. Soul. Friendship. Marriage. Family

The simple things...

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hawthorne got it in one. He was a man who knew how to use words to his advantage. Truman Capote, of McCall’s, said in November of 1967, “To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music the words make.”

I want my writing to create the inner music Capote spoke about. I want to be able to express myself in the way that is best understood by many. I want to be the one Hawthorne described as writer who takes innocent, powerless words and transforms them into astounding, startling, and fierce. But today is not about that.
Yesterday I witnessed the wonders of God’s creation. A bird with as many colors as there are in the world. A giraffe, tall and strong, taking a stroll through the park. My hands running down the back of a beautiful stingray. To walk through the world and never see the beauty that is all around is one of the saddest occurrences in life. We all need to take a moment and look around us. There is so much splendor right outside our doors, that we miss everyday.

Today, I’m not sharing a new story, or posting an insert of my book. Today I am just trying to remind everyone that we must appreciate the world around us. Sometimes we don’t need books; we just need to open our eyes to the greatest story of all.

But words are things...

...and a small drop of ink,Falling, like dew, upon a thought, producesThat which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. - Lord Byron

Words are power. Words are tools. Words can make or break.

Being a writer is such an amazing privilege. I never imagined that I would be able to write. I know everyone writes, but not everyone has the privilege of being heard. We live in a free country, and the rights given to us by our Constitution are beyond compare. Yet, having English as a second language can be a barrier not easily overcome. However, as of February 10, 2010 I am a published writer. My first book "Simplicity" is now on amazon.com!

Every time I open that page, I stare! That’s my book. Those are my words! It took me almost two years to finish it, and now it is done. But publishing a book is not the end; it is the beginning. Now, comes a long road of promoting and selling. This is partly why I am starting this blog. I will take the time to discuss my books, book signings, contests, and other book related things here. But I will also take the time to share my thoughts and ideas with you. Writing is a freedom not to be taken lightly.

I am a writer. I write.

The saddest thing..

I had to remove my previous blog because the website was causing problems with my computer. But, I'm reposting my two previous entry's. Happy reading!