We are not different. We are alive. Together.

Britt has come up with a simple question that is so thought provoking. The answers are a pleasure for me to read. Please enjoy

Britt Skrabanek

I was going to wait until later in the week to post the 2nd anniversary video of The Life Enthusiast Chronicles. Due to the uncertainty enveloping so many hearts after the recent attacks in Paris, I couldn’t wait.

If there is ever a time for us to come together, that’s now. One way we can rise above this tragedy is through positivity. And though it cannot undo what has been done, positivity has a way of healing us even when we feel lost.

I began The Life Enthusiast Chronicles on a whim two years ago. I wanted to start a monthly series where people were challenged by a theme that would bring out their truest human nature and exude inspiration.

Life enthusiasm was that theme. Specifically, to answer one question: What makes you enthusiastic about life?

I’ve been told by almost every Life Enthusiast—who are all brilliant writers—that this is one of the hardest things…

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Reading in Thailand

Letizia allowed me to visit and write a short post about reading. Her’s is one of the sites I never miss. Please stop by and see for yourself.

reading interrupted.

I love when my blogging friend and author, Dannie Hill, writes about his life, especially his time in Thailand. In just a few words, he is able to transport me to his home, and I feel as if we are sitting in his garden having a drink together.

©Dannie Hill

 

I asked him if he could share with us an experience of reading in his Thai garden. Once again, he has transported me with his words. Thank you, my friend.

Here is Dannie’s lovely piece:

©Dannie Hill

Letizia asked me to write a post for her site and, for me, it’s always exciting to interact with such an intelligent, pretty and dedicated person.

Her blog is one of my favorites because she talks about the things I love—books and readers—and she always makes me smile and think.

I’m a writer and the number one rule for those who…

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The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Dannie

I just wrote a post for Britt Skrabanek about Life Enthusiastic. I must say that this simple little post is one of the hardest things I’ve had to write. Please go over to Britt’s wonderful blog and you’ll be smiling like I am. Enjoy and let me know what you think. You are all in my thoughts.

Britt Skrabanek

Last month Kath from Minuscule Moments reminded us that we should build on our dreams to create the life that we wish for. Because Kath is right—life truly is a gift. In my monthly series, The Life Enthusiast Chronicles, marvelous humans from around the globe explain why life is so awe-inspiring to them.

Today I’m super excited to spotlight the fine words of a good friend in Florida, who has solid roots in Thailand, Mr. Dannie Hill. I can’t remember when I first started following Dannie’s blog, but I knew instantly that I connected with his depth and vulnerability. Dannie writes in such a beautiful way, showcasing the ups and downs of life with a strong spirit.

Recently I was blown away with one of his early works, In Search of a Soul, a unique and emotional adventure which follows a former Navy SEAL who hits rock bottom and sails off to find…

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The True Story of Rudolph (The Red Nosed Reindeer)

A wonderful Christmas story

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

This was emailed to me by a friend:

A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bob’s wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer.

Little Barbara couldn’t understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad’s eyes and asked, “Why isn’t Mommy just like everybody else’s Mommy?”

Bob’s jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob’s life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he’d rather not remember.

From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit…

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Newest Review of Death’s Door

I try hard not to inundate readers of my blog with books I’ve written and my lack of marketing skills, but this review from Jo Robinson is something that made my day. I know Jo from the great blog she has about writing, life in South Africa and her great support to other writers. She is a very talented writer, so this review means so much to me.

Reviews are so important to writers if only to know that their works are being read by others. They also help us be better at our craft.

I hope you will check out Jo Robinson’s blog and books because she has a very easy way with words and her stories are interesting, touching and so well written.

Sells of Death’s Door have had a slow start because, I think, I’m not known in the thriller genre. Recently it ranked at number 2 for Terrorism at Amazon and I nearly fell on the floor. If you haven’t read it please give it a go and let me know what you think.

 

Jo’s review:

The things that most struck me in this book were the descriptions of the lives of the people in the Middle East, as well as Muslims in the USA. With all the hatred in the world today, books like this are needed, and will go a long way to create a better understanding of those nations and the realisation that they are loving, feeling, and proud people just like everyone else, and deserving of our friendship and respect, rather than painting them all with the same brush.

That being said, even without that, it was a brilliant rollercoaster ride to read from beginning to end. From the minute I met Dell and Bill, slap bang in the middle of a vision and a bomb about to go off, I couldn’t put it down. Their journey to stop a catastrophic event that would inevitably lead to world war takes them from the States, to Israel, and Lebanon and back again. The desert scenes and the words of love are beautifully written, and took this book to another level for me. And the laughter will catch you unawares – I didn’t see any of it coming, and at the risk of a tiny spoiler, I have to say that Bill’s gas had me laughing so hard I had to stop reading for a little while.

At the end of this book, I loved all the characters, including whacky, crazy Captain Teasdale. A beautifully crafted story combining elements of emotion and humor skillfully with some seriously hair-raising action. I definitely recommend it

 

 

Meet Guest Author Dannie Hill

Please join me at Chris Graham’s great site for a post I wrote about my writing muse. Chris is a great supporter of authors and if you need anything he is there to help!

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

I have four published books and reams of manuscripts that didn’t make the grade. I’ve lived in many places in the States and around the world including, Viet Nam—as a warrior—, the Marshall Island for two years, Budapest and for the past ten years in Thailand with my wife. We still have a small farm there that I miss very much. We’ve recently moved back to the States to the East coast of Florida. I have a love for the sea and have sailed quite a bit. I used to ride bike—motorcycles—and of late bicycles. No one bothered to tell me bicycles don’t have a motor… Did I mention I love to read—a must for any writer.

Chris has ‘taunted’ me on several occasions to write a post for his fascinating blog. I have enough trouble coming up with subjects for my blog, but I do enjoy writing so…

I…

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How to Write a Book Review.

This is a re-post from Lit World Interviews by Ronovan about the importance of reviews. This subject matter has come up ever since book have been written and to the writer it means so much. Writing is a lonely, solitary, exiting life that feeds on readers and what they think.Please enjoy.

Lit World Interviews

How to Write a Book Review

One of my Mottos here at Lit World Interviews is ‘Read a Book, Write a Review’. Nice idea, huh? How do you write a review? Scary thought, isn’t it?

Trust me, it wasn’t easy my first time, and not my best. I was afraid I would say something wrong and perhaps dissuade someone from buying a book.

You’ve heard people talk about the KISS method of things. Keep it Simple Sweetie. For me I at times like to say Keep it Short Stupid, but stupid is like a profanity word around here and it really isn’t a nice word, but I was using it for myself. My having just explained all of that shows you WHY I use that definition at times, right?

Let’s give Keep it Simple Sweetie a shot.

But first;

Why Should You Write a Review?

The more reviews a…

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Big Moves, Sandhill Cranes and Writing

 

Please don’t gasp. Yes, I’m actually writing a blog post and not just relying on other talented bloggers to fill my pages. Okay, now you can gasp.

Actually I’m writing on my own blog because I have a guest post coming up in November and thought it might be nice to add a bit to my blog.

As some of you know I recently moved from my ‘home’ in Thailand back to the States. I must stop referring to my move as it’s beginning to sound a touch tacky, but I do still miss the quiet of Thailand.

We moved to a fascinating spot on the East coast of Florida called the Treasure Coast. That in itself got my attention. It’s called the Treasure Coast because of the number of Spanish galleons that sank off the coast during storms. To date I haven’t found any bullion or jewels lying about on the beach, but I do keep my eyes open while fishing.

My expectations of the move back far exceeded reality for me. Actually my wife, who was born in Thailand, wanted this return. Don’t get me wrong. I love America and the cornucopia of different people that live here. I just… well, the truth is I’m a recluse by nature and I’m pretty sure it’s in my genetic makeup, so I enjoy solitude.

STOP THE PRESS: My wife just yelled to come look. There was a raccoon looking in the front window. She, my wife, loves wildlife—as long as there is a window between her and the action. One other thing I enjoy about this area is the abundance of wildlife. We are in a Sandhill Crane area and everyday families come to our yard in pursuit of insects buried deep in the ground. The birds are beautiful and can be very loud, but that doesn’t happen often. My first encounter with a family of cranes was exciting. I was outside closing a window I had been repairing and I heard… you know the noise the Velociraptors made in Jurassic Park while searching for prey? Well that’s what I heard. I turned to find a male crane with its wings spread six feet wide and those prehistoric eyes staring at me while protecting its mate and young one. I excused myself while moving slowly to the door. We’ve made friends since then even though I refuse to feed them.

Osprey Nest

 

 

Now, where was I… The biggest problem with our move back was my muse refused to move with me. She was happy in a land far away.  The good news is, as of late, she has been stopping by for visits trying to determine if she likes the new surroundings. I have my own office with a real desk and that seems to help. I can look out my window—which I do a lot lately—and see the canal and open space behind our little house to give the illusion of being all alone. I do have some very fine neighbors and not only are they friendly but quite an eclectic group from different parts of the States, England and the islands too.

And so goes my return to life in the States. The jury is still out, but if my muse stays then so will I. I’m also trying to learn the new posting method for WordPress, so please forgive the lack of… extra stuff

Have you made any big moves that disrupted your routine?

Support an Author, Support a Business

Most Indie authors need the support of others– if for no other reason than to just know you’re out there. Mysti Parker says it well.

Author Mysti Parker

Being an author is a difficult and often lonely business. Yes, I said business, because soon as we put something out there for retail sale, we’ve officially evolved from hobby to business. The vast majority of us are indie authors, whether self-published, small press-published, or freelance, which means support in terms of both financial and word-of-mouth is vital. Without the six figure backing of  a “big six” publisher, we are small business owners, just like the guy who owns the diner down the street or the woman who owns the consignment shop or the friend who sells Avon. 

Often our efforts to spread the word and sell our product fall on deaf ears, lost in the crowd of the millions of other authors out there trying to do the same. Many times, support can feel very one-sided, particularly when we have done a great deal to support family and friends in…

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Once

This is a post from Meredith that touched me in some deep dark places inside myself. Not from some horrors of the past but of little things that won’t release me. I hope it will touch you too or maybe open the door to the light. Or perhaps you’ll just enjoy a great post.

Tim Dittmer, http://twdittmer.com/2014/09/26/once/ ,re-blogged this post and I too am doing it as well. There must be a word for re-blogging a re-blog, but I don’t know it