Book Review

Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE Prissy! This was an amazing story, and a wonderful introduction to the series. Not only was this book filled with incredible characters and a can't-put-it-down storyline, it was extremely well-written. My hat's off to Sybil Nelson. You are truly an inspiration to MG and YA authors, like me. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. At this rate, I'll be done with all of them by the end of next week. Nice job!

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Book Review

Spring Argyle by Christine Cunningham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick read, and great for a day sitting by the pool or at the beach. The small town where the story took place had several likeable characters. A few antogonists were brought in to give the story a little more meat. I enjoyed seeing a love story from the male viewpoint, yet still written by a woman. The combination made for a very likeable character. The ending seemed a bit quick to come, but was also a good outcome for the storyline.

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Meet Author Jessica Tornese

Today, I'd like to introduce author Jessica Tornese, whose new book "Linked Through Time" is now available through Amazon. Welcome Jessica!

Where did you get the idea for your book?

The book is fictional, of course, but the setting, and idea of the farm is based on my father’s life. He grew up so poor, and he and all 10 of his brothers and sisters are the hardest working people I know. It was sort of a tribute to them. I admire people who work hard and have an honest life. Kate is actually a lot like me. I moved from a big city to Baudette, MN when I was fifteen, and I was a sulky, very unhappy teenager at first. The country life grew on me over time, and now I can’t wait to go home and visit!

Why do you write for teens?

Well, I hope all ages read my books, but teens have always been close to my heart. I coached volleyball for several years, worked with youth groups, and taught sixth grade for two years before staying home with my own kids. I want to be a role model for teens and give them someone they can trust. I want them to know there are bigger things out there, and how to remain true to yourself.

Is there a plan for a sequel? The ending is a cliffhanger!

I hope for the book to be a trilogy, but that will be up to my publisher! The sequel is written and ready to be reviewed any moment. I throw a real twist into the story and give people a taste as to who Sarah really is. And Kate faces another brush with death- I bring in some true life history to Baudette’s small town. There was a horrible fire in 1910 that destroyed about 300,000 acres- and all of the town.

Do you have any other books published?

I have a self-published children’s book called The M&M Twins-Lost in Browser Cave. I am hoping for a publisher to want to make it into a series. It is getting great reviews from children and adults!

What is your absolute favorite book?

It’s a toss up between Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series and Francince River’s trilogy- Mark of the Lion. Both are very talented writers! I love all their books.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Jessica. Now check out her book!

YA Hot Summer Read- Linked Through Time

Fifteen year old Kate Christenson is pretty sure she’s about to experience the worst possible summer at her grandparent’s farm in Baudette, Minnesota. Without cable, cell phones, or computers, Kate is headed for total isolation and six tedious weeks of boredom. Until the storm.

A freak lightning accident has Kate waking up in 1960. But she is not herself. She is the aunt she never met, but has eerily resembled her entire life. Thrust into living a dirt poor, rural farm life, Kate struggles to make sense of her situation- a boyfriend with a dark side, a “townie” who steals her heart, and the knowledge that 1960 is the very summer her aunt drowns in the local river.

Even with every precaution, Kate cannot stop fate, and an unexpected twist adds to her dilemma. To her horror, Kate finds out firsthand her aunt’s death was not an accident or a suicide, but something much, much worse.

Thank you for visiting today, Jessica! Come back any time. Good luck with your book!

Visit Jessica at her website.

Exercise (Physical, not Writing)

I've had a chance to think about how little activity I do over the last several months while I was awaiting treatment for my arrhythmia. When I learned I was in A-fib in February, I literally used it as an excuse to do NOTHING. I sat in my chair in front of the TV or slept all day, everyday, for about three months. NOT GOOD!

So, now that I'm back in rhythm, I realize it's time to come up with a plan to get my body moving. But how? How do you start an "exercise plan" when you're so used to doing nothing? Not very easily, I can tell you that.

I attended an online webinar a few weeks ago through the Adult Congenital Heart Association entitled "Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health in the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patient." One of the topics was, of course, fitness. I listened really well to this topic. When it was time for Q&A, I asked what I could do to get myself active after being extremely dormant for so long. The presenter had a wonderful list of ideas for me:

Get up from my desk and walk around
Move to the music I listen to while I'm at my desk
Stretch while sitting at my desk
Go to the store and walk around

and the most important one,

Don't sit all day! (Yes, I have to make sure not to do this anymore)

So, right here, I have a nice list of simple exercises that I can easily handle.

I decided to take things to another level, and see if I could find any exercise tips specifically for writers, those of us who sit at our computers writing, researching, and reading blog posts, etc. all day everyday. I found a wonderful two-part blog post on Adele Kirby's blog about exercises for writers. Kirby had three tips for writers to get off their butts and get moving:

1. Multi Task: walk on a treadmill while reading or watching TV/movies.
2. Use reading/watching TV as an award for exercising
3. "Appreciate exercise as a way of exercising the imagination" In other words, use your exercise time as a time to create stories and characters in your head. This way, you can still work on your writing and exercise at the same time. What a concept!

Upon further research, I came across the May 23 posting on Writer's First Aid. Blogger Kristi Holl talked about the great idea of setting up a treadmill desk with step-by-step instructions for how to do so. What this provides you is a work station on your treadmill, so you can walk slowly while working on your story. Holl says this has really helped her relieve the pain she feels when she sits at her desk writing for hours on end.

So, there you have it. A variety of exercises you can start today that won't interfere with your writing. Try them! And let me know what you think.

Do you have any exercise tips for writers? Share them with us in the Comments section!http://www.clipartheaven.com/clipart/fitness/cartoons/exercise.gif

Pin Me!

Pinterest seems to be the newest way for web browsers to colaborate on their favorite sites, images, books, movies, and just about every other interest we have. It can be viewed by anyone, and allows others to simply "repin" your interests as their own. It's so easy to use, that even if you're all thumbs when it comes to posting on the Internet, you can do it in the blink of an eye with a simple click of the app button. Just like pinning a photo, letter, or memo on your cork bulletin board, you can pin anything from any website to your Pinterest board.

If you have good organizational skills, or just love to be organized, you will definitely love the organization Pinterest gives you to display all of your favorite websites. You can set up multiple boards with an easy-to-understand title, pin multiple sites to each one, and set them up by category.

If you blog, Pinterest can help you find ideas to blog about, websites to include as resources, and images to post. If you're a writer, Pinterest can inspire your ideas, and help you create  new ones. There are thousands of uses for Pinterest if you know what you want to research. Simply do a search for your topic, and you'll find lots of inspiration.

For more information on using Pinterest, check out USA Today. And remember, if you find this interesting or informative, you can pin it on your board. Have fun pinning!

I'm International!

I received incredible news today: Solstice Publishing has gone international! Our books are now available in Europe through Amazon Europe. You can visit the web site to choose from the available European countries that feature both "My Open Heart" and "The Chosen." To find my books, simply type my name in the search engine of the country you select.

Being an international author means a lot to me. It's very exciting to know that my books are available to readers on the other side of the pond, and in their native language. I hope this endeavor will help introduce me to a whole new set of readers. Thank you Solstice and Amazon Europe!

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

As some of you know, I've been on sabbatical for the past several months while dealing with a medical issue. I'm happy to say that it's been dealt with, and I'm slowly getting back on my feet.

Part of that has been working on required edits for "The Chosen: Book 2," which is still moving along. I'm hoping it will be published this summer.

I'm also back to writing a couple of TV reviews for Gather, so feel free to check them out, especially if you are a Grey's Anatomy or Private Practice fan. This is season finale week for many shows, and I'm sure fans around the world will be tuned in to their faves.

The only activity I need to resume now is my reading. I fell so far behind! I have a couple of books to start with, and I'm looking forward to reading them. Stay tuned for the reviews.

What have you been working on? Read any good books lately? Feel free to share them here!

Until next time,

Andi

My girls