Lasting benefits from running

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By Denise Turney
Runners reap rewards other athletes don’t. A clear mind, lower stress levels and a healthy, slender physique are byproducts of running long distances. Run at a 10-mile per hour pace and you can burn more than 310 calories. Depending on your body weight, you might burn considerably more calories.

Exercise isn’t the only running benefit

Your endorphins rise while you’re cortisol levels lower. Raise your endorphins and you’ll feel better, happier. Endorphins are brain neurotransmitters that send electrical signals throughout your nervous system. As these chemicals (endorphins) are released your immune system improves, your libido may be stimulated and your mood may rise. Endorphins also help you deal with stress and pain.

Those are good things, all which you can get from running.

Raising your cortisol levels isn’t so good. In fact, heightened cortisol levels can cause you to feel tired, even after you’ve gotten 8 or more hours of restful sleep. You might also have difficulty thinking clearly, feel jittery, gain weight and/or raise your blood pressure if your cortisol levels remain high for too long. Staying in these prolonged states is dangerous. Blood tests are generally performed to determine your cortisol levels.

These benefits might explain why long distance runners experience what some refer to as “runners high”. Sporting a thinner frame offers another benefits — an improved self-image. Add in championship competitions, similar to those Raymond Clarke (star character in “Love Pour Over Me”) races in, and your self-esteem and self-image can be strengthened even more.

Even more, running is fun. Cover 10 or more miles and you can see parts of your community you might not otherwise have learned about. Start and end routes in different locations, and you could learn enough about these areas to pad your bank account by writing and selling real life and/or travel articles.

Because your head clears while you’re running, answers to problems you’ve been dealing with may bubble to the surface. It’s these benefits that make running more than an exercise regimen, that make running a gift, a blessing.

Get your copy of “Love Pour Over Me” Now at –

http://www.ebookit.com/books/0000001582/Love-Pour-Over-Me.html

Who Do You Think Is Better Than You?

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By Denise Turney
At first glance, this question might appear rude. However, it’s a question you may have been asking yourself for years, drawing up images of people you think are more successful, wholesome or intelligent that you are. Perhaps it’s time to ask yourself what it is about these people you admire. And dare I say that it’s these traits that are hidden somewhere right inside of you.

Just as you may not want to look at thought patterns, beliefs or emotions you have, choosing to, instead, project these feelings and thoughts onto other people (as if they felt and believed them, not you), so too you might project beliefs about your own greatness onto other people. After all, no one is better or greater than you, just as you aren’t better or greater than anyone else.

At times it could feel unfair that our thoughts create our physical experiences. But, that sense of unfairness is merely a judgment that changes nothing. Well, it could make you feel like a victim, but that belief definitely won’t help you step into your greatness.

Feelings and beliefs you hold about other people are clues (wonderful nuggets) as to what you feel and believe about yourself. (As a note, the one thing our thoughts don’t/didn’t create is us, and that’s very good news, my friend!!) So, take a moment and ask yourself who you think is better or greater than you. Then ask yourself, what it is about this person you believe is great, perhaps impossible to match or equal. Is there anything about this person you wish you possessed more of? Be honest.

Now look at your experiences. Search for times when you demonstrated these same traits or abilities yourself, even if on a smaller scale. Can you start to see your greatness?

Imagine what it would be like if you saw what you really are all day. Imagine how you would feel about yourself. Imagine how you’d know, completely know, that impossible doesn’t exist.

To start to manifest (bring about the physical expression of your greatness) it may take some inner work (perhaps lots of inner work), but you’re so worth it. The work is merely a matter of removing beliefs in all lies. Once you do that, all that remains is the truth. And then not even the question “Who do I think is better than me” will arise in your mind. You’ll know the answer.

Raymond Clarke learns this in Love Pour Over Me. As with many of us, it takes Raymond awhile to get this lesson. But that’s no concern. The universe is patient. We will learn and awaken . . . all of us.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

Taking the time to get to know your own mother better

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Other than the father and son relationship, no other relationship may be as acrimonious as the relationship a daughter has with her mother. An observer watching a mother and daughter communicate and relate with each mother might think that the two women are enemies. It might seem impossible to believe that the two women live beneath the same roof, share the same blood line.

Calling a truce with your mother

If mothers have unresolved issues with their own mothers, they might carry these unresolved issues into relationships they build with their own daughters. In fact, these unresolved issues could start to reveal themselves while daughters are young, well before the teenage years.

For example, mothers might try to keep their daughters from experiencing similar disappointments that they felt when they were their age. This could cause mothers to become critical of their daughters. Mothers might comment on their daughters’ new hairstyles or outfits, offering their disapproval as a way to encourage their daughters to always look their best so they don’t get teased, sneered at or talked about the way mothers did when they were younger.

Let this keep up and daughters might feel as if their mothers see them as failures, as if they are incapable of making smart decisions on their own. Wall Street Journal reporter, Elizabeth Bernstein says that due to the constant input from their mothers, “Daughters, meanwhile, tend to be very sensitive to mom’s input. They think she is being rude or doesn’t respect them as an adult. Underneath, they fear they’ve failed the one person they have been seeking approval from since before they could speak.”

Furthermore, “A natural break should occur between adolescence and adulthood, where the mother allows her daughter to grow up and make her own decisions. Some mothers, however, have trouble letting go.” To start letting go, mothers can set ground rules around things like dating and going to concerts. While setting these ground rules, they can ask their daughters for input.

Daughters can speak up for themselves when they are right or when a decision they make is truly up to them. If the two become angry, they can take several deep breaths and honestly discuss why they are angry, without placing blame. It also helps if mothers talk about their own childhoods and difficulties they may have had relating to their own mothers. Both should avoid trying to hurt or compete with each other. Lying is another practice that should be removed from the relationship. Mothers and daughters will also benefit from regularly focusing on attributes they appreciate about each other.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in my new book, Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

7 way to use social media to market books

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By Denise Turney
Authors published by traditional book publishers are learning what self-published authors have known all along. Book marketing is in the author’s hands. Fortunately, social media networks can be used to connect authors with thousands of loyal readers. Seven key steps writers can take to get the word out about their books at social media networks include:

  • Post free book excerpts at their social media accounts, being sure to include links to their book websites or book order pages.
  • Announcing dates, locations (i.e. street address, website URL) and times for upcoming author interviews at social media networks. For example, if authors are interviewing on online radio shows like Off The Shelf and Blake Radio, they can post flyers about the interviews at their social media accounts.
  • Share pictures of book covers at Pinterest. Again, to get the most out of the posts, it’s important that authors include links to their websites or book order pages with the pictures.
  • Publish links to book blog posts at social media networks.
  • Support other authors and book readers at social media networks by commenting on intriguing or interesting posts. Authors don’t even have to add their website URL to their comments. Social media networks automatically add linkable profile names or images to comments that visitors can click on.
  • Create a powerful social media profile. Book writers should do this for each social media account they have.
  • Add quotes about or made by book characters to social media network updates.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in my new book, Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

Life Happens While You Pursue Your Dreams

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By Denise Turney

Congratulations if you’ve recently realized what your life dream is. What a wonderful awakening. Now that you’ve come to know what’s inside you, don’t be surprised if passion to pursue your life dream starts stirring your emotions. Ideas may surface in your mind, ideas that, if you act upon them, will help you get closer to the realization, the physical manifestation, of your dreams.

Birthing Life Dreams

Life dreams are different from night dreams. However, Source may use night dreams to reveal the unfolding of your life dreams to you. As an example, recall Joseph in the Bible (Genesis chapter 37, verse 5). Joseph understood the meaning of his night dreams. He had a dream interpretation or analyzing dreams gift. But, you may not. Not everyone appears to have this gift the way Joseph did. In this case, you can pray and ask Source to give you the dream interpretation. However, if you’re not open to receiving the dream interpretation or knowing what the dream means, you may continue to be confused about the dream. Your own unwillingness to receive the dream’s message is what keeps you confused about the dream’s meaning.

Our life dreams are inside of us. They’re like seeds planted within us, waiting for us to nurture them and help them to surface in our lives so the fulfillment of our dreams bless us and everyone we come in contact with. Life dreams are powerful, impossible to ignore or turn away from. Yet, it takes courage to bring life dreams to pass. The world doesn’t pause so we can fulfill our life dreams, bring forth what Source has planted in us. Our loved ones transition, children continue to be born, we get hired into new jobs, leave old jobs, move into new residences, care for our families and meet a myriad of daily responsibilities . . . all while pursuing our life dreams.

Although it would be welcomed, the world doesn’t slow down just because we’re taking steps to manifest our life dreams. We can still feel pain, disappointment and discouragement as we go after our life dreams. There may also be times when we feel like throwing the towel in on our life dreams. In fact, after we realize what our life dreams are and start acting on them, opposition from the ego may build. It’s almost as if, as long as we stay blind to the good that’s inside of us, the world’s thought system buffets us less.

Wake Up to Your Life Dreams

Wake up to our truth and the ego seems to rouse from its slumber, challenging our courage to bring our life dreams to pass. If we continue moving forward, running with the vision, we’ll produce a good result. This work is not for the faint at heart. It requires courage. But, it can be done. Many have already fulfilled their life dreams, people like Harriet Tubman, Joan of Arc, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Owens, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Charles Drew, Wilma Rudolph, Marva Collins and Evelyn Ashford, to name a few.

Nothing can replace your life dreams. No amount of work or fun can fulfill you the way bringing your life dreams to pass will. Considering the truth that joy is our strength, it’s wisdom at work when you take the steps to fulfill your life dreams, even if you have to do so as the world’s thought system tries to stop you. Awaken to your life dreams!

Get your copy of “Love Pour Over Me” Now at –

http://www.ebookit.com/books/0000001582/Love-Pour-Over-Me.html

Have you stopped making new friends?

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By Denise Turney

It takes courage to really “grow up”. To grow up,  you must take on new responsibilities, start eating the fruit of your decisions. It’s how you learn and evolve.

Depending on decisions you’ve made thus far, it may also mean taking care of and guiding your children. That’s not all. By the time you reach your mid-30s, there’s a chance that you’ve taken on a mortgage, not to mention having health insurance premiums, household expenses and an auto loan to pay for. ge to really “grow up”. To grow up,  you must take on new responsibilities, start eating the fruit of your decisions. It’s how you learn and evolve.

No matter how old you get, you need good friends

Life fills up fast after you become an adult, and not always with responsibilities that you want. To meet those responsibilities, you might find yourself dealing with stress and anxiety. Work a typical middle or senior management job and you might have the added burden of finding time to catch up with family, not to mention friends.

If you’re not careful, years could pass before you realize that you haven’t made a single new friend since high school or college. After a decade or more of living this way, greeting someone new might feel as awkward as going out on a date for the first time in 10 years.

What won’t change is your hunger for friendships, the kind you write or call home about. Humans are social creatures. We love to connect with each other, engage in rich conversation, to simply be in the presence of people we trust, people we know love us. It’s these types of relationships that make facing challenges in this world easier. It’s also friendships that make personal achievements and celebrations worthwhile.

As one woman shares with Redbook when discussing her desire for rich, female friendships, “I miss that female connection.” She continues “Just being with my family doesn’t make me feel 100-percent complete.”

If you’re nervous about making new friends, start small. Say hello to the first person who steps on the elevator at work or the doctor’s office with you. Keep doing this until you start to feel comfortable striking up conversations with people you haven’t met before.

Join networking groups. For example, if you are passionate about arts and crafts, you could join an arts group and get together with other art lovers once a week to chat about your latest projects and to share laughs. You could also meet your next best friend while posting to a social media network or while responding to someone who leaves a comment at your blog.

The important thing is to get out there. Start letting new people discover the wonder that is you. Be open to starting and developing new friendships. You’ll be glad you did. It’s what keeps Love Pour Over Me’s Raymond Clarke going, even during the hardest times in his life.

Get your copy of “Love Pour Over Me” Now at –

http://www.ebookit.com/books/0000001582/Love-Pour-Over-Me.html

Getting ready to move to a big city the right way

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By Denise Turney
Moving to a big city can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never lived away from home and you grew up in a small town. The pace of big city life is faster.

On the other hand, small towns generally don’t attract as many big name entertainers, sporting events, corporations that pay competitive wages, retail stores and more. Small towns also generally aren’t on the cutting edge of fashion, finances and technology the way that larger towns are. It’s easy to get bored living in a small town.

Big city living brings big changes

However, it’s not all glitter and gold when you move to a big city. Traffic is congested on a daily basis. People living in the city may not be as patient as the people who lived in your neighborhood back home. If you already have furniture, that’s good. That one thing can save you hundreds of dollars, more if you bought your furniture from a store where you cut a special deal with the store’s owner.

Rent an apartment in a big city and don’t be surprised to pay $900 or more a month. This could be culture shock, especially if you come from a town where the average rent is $600 or less a month. For example, MSN Money reports that, “Living in a studio downtown with electricity, gas for the apartment, Internet, cable and a train card, I was already at $2,500 every month.”

Groceries and clothes are also higher in big cities. Move to a big city that has limited parking, and you should expect to spend $100 or more a month for private parking. That means you’ll pay to park your car in an apartment or private garage when you’re at home. It also means that you’ll have to pay to park when you go to work unless your employer covers those costs for you.

What you probably won’t have to deal with is boredom, especially if you make friends easily and have an outgoing personality. That doesn’t mean you’re chatty or talk all the time. It means you’re someone who enjoys communicating with other people. In a big city, you can take your love for communicating with people to check out live plays, go to major sporting competitions and use your natural talents to perform before live audiences at city parks and other public venues.

Talk to people who are already living in the city you’re contemplating moving to. Ask them about the ups and downs of living in the city. Be sure to ask about local taxes, street parking and rents and mortgages. You can learn about crime rates online or by reading through newspapers in the city you’re thinking about moving to.

Do your homework before you start packing, even if you’re feeling desperate for a change like Raymond Clarke is in Love Pour Over Me.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in my new book, Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

You’re a Masterpiece

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By Denise Turney

Even if you don’t realize it now, you’re a masterpiece. You’re one of a kind. The fact that you have a unique set of fingerprints is only one indicator that you’re absolutely distinct. No one can take your place. No one can be you . . . ever.

Life experiences you’ve had might have convinced you that you’re only one of many, a mass produced being. But, you’re not. Depending on specific experiences you had as a child, teen or/and adult, you also might think that your worth is below that of other people or below that of people you admire. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You’ve probably seen people who reminded you of someone else, perhaps yourself. All about you, it’s possible that you’ve seen or experienced things that are propelling you to think that you’re a limited being whose value and existence end (absolutely shut off) at the end of your physical experience. That’s something that might happen each time you look at life through the ego’s eyes.

But, are you ever so much more than you’ve ever imagined. You’re a wonderful masterpiece.

The sooner you get this truth down into your being, the sooner your life will start to change. After all, your behavior is directly impacted by your repetitive thoughts (also referred to as beliefs). Start believing, not just verbally repeating, the truth about yourself, until you reach your core, the part of you where truth resides.  You’ll feel this truth echoed back to you, and what a joy!

But, first you have to start at the beginning. Start accepting the truth (something that never changes) that you’re a masterpiece. Look or watch for changes in your life.  They should appear, as, again, your beliefs impact your behavior. Your beliefs also impact experiences that show up in your life. For example, as humans, we don’t see what we don’t believe at either the conscious or subconscious level. Start believing the truth about yourself (so you can start seeing evidence of it) — you’re remarkable, an absolute masterpiece!

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

What every writer needs to be successful

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By Denise Turney

ben franklin quote

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’re right to think that being a new writer’s tough. It’s kind of like being a new high school or college graduate who’s trying to land her first job. Similar to employers, editors and publishers often won’t hire you unless you have the training (or education) and the experience to complete their writing needs. Talk about a Catch-22.

It’s tough, but you have to start somewhere. The good news is that the Internet has made it easier to not only research writing styles and techniques, it has also made it easier to search for writing jobs. However, if you’re just starting out, you’re going to have to start building a writing portfolio.

Editors and publishers will review your portfolio as your writing career advances, taking note of specific types of assignments (i.e. copywriting, technical writing, medical writing) you’ve completed. They’ll also look at the types of clients you’ve written for (i.e. universities, magazines, newspapers, B2B websites).

To start building your writing portfolio, set aside time each day to look for writing jobs. If you decide to take on a few non-paying gigs, make sure you don’t make working for free a habit. After all, there’s no limit to the numbers of clients who’ll let you research, write and edit content for them for free. Hint – these clients will generally tell you that they’ll give you writing exposure and maybe even be nice enough to include your byline with your work (gee, thanks!). Don’t get sucked down this tunnel.

Other steps you can take to start building your writing portfolio include:

  • Applying for junior writer jobs (especially jobs at reputable firms, jobs that provide sufficient training to help you get up-to-speed)
  • Staying open to taking on a variety of writing assignments (this step alone could open you up to dozens of writing gigs)
  • Enrolling in online or offline courses (there are plenty of free writing courses) to develop your technical writing, medical writing, copywriting, novel writing, editing, etc. skills
  • Creating writing job alerts at websites like Indeed, CareerBuilder and Monster
  • Visiting job boards like Morning Coffee, Freelance Writing Jobs, Blogging Pro, Journalism Jobs, Online Writing Jobs, Media Bistro, Mandy, etc. every day
  • Keeping a spreadsheet to list each writing job you apply for, including specific jobs you gain
  • Storing copies of writing assignments you’ve completed on your computer or a removable disks, so you can easily use these past assignments as writing samples when applying for new jobs (If clients ask you to create brand new writing samples for this, be careful. Some people use writing samples to build a database of free content.)
  • Designing an effective cover letter
  • Adding training, certifications, etc. data to build out your writer resume
  • Reaching out to businesses, asking if you can write content for them
  • Checking company career boards for jobs you could apply for
  • Following up on jobs you’ve already applied for
  • Building your confidence, especially if you notice that you’re only applying for no-paying or low-paying jobs

At first glance, landing paying writing gigs might look darn near impossible. Commit to your goal of being a published writer. Start taking effective steps to build a respectable portfolio, a portfolio editors and publishers can’t possible ignore.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

Successful novelists wear multiple hats

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By Denise Turney

For many novelists the days of only writing great stories is over. Not only do novelists work hard to get their manuscripts in front of literary agents and publishing house editors, they also have to market their novels to readers. It makes the process of creating spellbinding books harder and harder.

Challenges today’s fiction writers face

Let novelists work full-time from home and they might also write non-fiction content for business clients. Types of content they might develop include press releases, blog posts, product descriptions, white papers, case studies, radio and television ads and magazine articles. During slow book sale months, it’s not surprising to see novelists spend more time creating non-fiction content than they do working on a new novel chapter.

As Suzannah Freeman shares at Writer Unboxed, novelists also juggle families. Suzannah says, “But, just because I’m ‘staying-at-home’ doesn’t mean I don’t work. In addition to all my normal mommy duties, I run a blog and regularly write for other blogs, write short fiction (some published) and novels (not published yet), and dabble in freelancing.” Pat Rice shares at Novelists Inc., “Stop the Promo, I want to get off!”

Another novelist says, “And in this whirlwind of busy-ness, while I am damn thankful to have two fine, well-respected editors requesting me to write these two Amish series…I really wonder sometimes if I’ll just STOP one day.”

To keep pushing forward, creating page turners, and generate enough money to pay the bills, novelists can work part-time jobs. They could also work marketing jobs, something that gives them sharper skills to advance their writing careers. Selling ads on their websites or blogs and interviewing book industry specialists for a fee are other ways novelists can start generating enough money to keep the hawk away from the door without totally abandoning their artistic passions.

So they don’t get off track and stop writing novels altogether, novelists should develop a schedule and stick to it. For example, they could write on a new novel chapter early in the mornings, before they start tackling other work, or they could knock out novel writing at night. One day a weekend, novelists can write for three or more hours on a new book. If they stick to their schedule, they should be able to write a new novel once a year.

Thank you for reading my blog. To learn what happens to Raymond, Brenda and the other characters in Love Pour Over Me, hop over to Amazon.com, B&N.com, Ebookit.com, or any other online or offline bookseller and get your copy of Love Pour Over Me today. And again I say – Thank You! Consider Love.

Sources:

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/01/08/8-busy-moms-who-published-novels/

http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/2-busy-2-write