Feed Your Reading Addiction

During any holiday, it’s hard to keep up with your usual routine. This blog article is for those who are addicted to reading. You’ve managed to cook a great meal for the family. You’ve done your Black Friday shopping. You have a little time to yourself—but you don’t want to get hooked by a book… because you may never have time to finish it. How do you find time to feed your book addiction? Why don’t you try these ideas?

Turn The TV Off…

And don’t start “The Walking Dead” on Netflix, either. That is addictive viewing… other shows to avoid are “Game of Thrones,” and “Mad Men.”

Why Not Try Short Stories For Size?

There’s always a spare half-hour between bed and breakfast if you choose to use it. Perfect for short stories – some of the greatest writers in the world have turned out world class short stories.

Embrace Insomnia

Those hours between three and five in the morning are perfect for reading, be it a gentle romance or something more passionate, or paranormal. These are uninterrupted hours that are perfect for feeding your reading addiction!

Buy That E-Reader!

Then there’s no excuse not to have books with you at all times – and nowhere too dark to read them.

Join A Book Club

You’ll be so behind the curve that all the lightweights who only joined for coffee and biscuits will have gone by now, leaving the serious readers to get on with it. Particularly good for those books you need to be prodded into finishing. Try it—it works perfectly!

Thanks! For Thanksgiving

Is Thanksgiving the most stressful of all the holidays? Recent polls say that it is, so this blog is all about changing that trend. I’d like to share some top tips about relaxing during the holiday. Between the cooking, the eating and the work that goes into creating a fantastic holiday, there are also opportunities to de-stress and take in a few books.

Celebrate, Don’t Ruminate

With all the hype and preparations surrounding the holidays, it can feel like one more “chore” that has to be dealt with. Your holiday can soon turn sour and become one more thing to add to your to-do list. If this happens, then really, what’s the point?

When you find yourself getting caught up in worrying and thoughts about how you’ll get everything done, stop and remember that most people say spending time with their family and friends is what they look forward to most about the holidays. This season should not be about stress… it should be about relaxing and sharing good times with those you love. Seriously! Chill!

And Breathe…

One of the best and simplest ways to calm your nerves when you’re feeling tense or anxious is to practice more mindful breathing. Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which induces the relaxation response.

Exercise. Yes, Even During the Holiday!

Exercise affects a neurotransmitter that has an antidepressant-like effect on your brain while helping to decrease muscle tension.

Participate and Do Things You Want to Do

Be sure to leave time for the holiday activities you love most, whether it’s reading, decorating your Christmas tree, or writing holiday cards. You may even want to start writing a book.

Take a Break!

Taking even a few minutes to sit quietly and shut out the chaos around you can trigger your relaxation response. Meditating during your breaks can help you to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety even more.

Live Here and Now

Turn off your racing mind and simply focus only on the task at hand. Avoid worrying about what you need to do later in the day or tomorrow.

My Latest Interview Reblogged: Reading, Writing and Storytelling Made Easy With Bestselling Author M.L. Newman!

What makes a book exciting? Is it the story? The way it’s written? It could be a mixture of everything. That’s the way I feel about M.L. Newman and her writing. She writes great stories, she has a great writing style and she really turns out books worth reading.

Her previous books have been bestsellers– her new one “Far, Far Away” is looking likely to match that high level of success. If you missed her previous books– you won’t want to miss this one! Why don’t you check out her latest interview!

What is your new book about, and where did you get the idea?

The story is continuing Lauren’s journey as a Sanguis Bellator. We watched her struggle with who she had become in the first book and even reject it entirely. Her choices will have consequences for all involved.

As soon as the first book ended, I knew where the sequel would lead. We watched Lauren interact with humans before and after the change. There was a need for her to not only “come home,” but to be able to see what was really going on inside the Bellator nest.

It’s always nice as a reader to watch a character learn and grow. Lauren will be doing exactly that, however, you know what they say about the best laid plans…

What makes this story one that you want to tell? Is there something about the story that grabbed you?

A great deal of the paranormal romances that I’ve read are of female humans falling in love with a nonhuman counterpart. I wanted to tell a different story, something off the beaten path with struggles not foreseen in other stories. Not just about what is lost, but what is gained from the experience.

Lauren has lost more than even she has realized. This is a turning point for her to see that even though some doors have been closed, there is another way. And it doesn’t have to be someone else’s way. She can make her own.

Why do you think readers will enjoy it?

The enjoyment of this story is the uniqueness of it. Readers look for excitement, a thrill of circumstances where a character does the unexpected.

You can read this full interview by clicking here.

Don’t Be Blue With The Post-Halloween Blues

Are you suffering from post-Halloween blues? Why don’t you spend the weekend curled up watching one of these tasty treats? Five of the best horror movies of 2016 are here for your viewing pleasure. Go out to the store, get yourself some munchies and scare yourself silly this weekend…

Don’t Breathe

Among the most acclaimed horror releases of the year 2016. This is a great concept combined with a couple of solid twists that delivers a unique approach to the “trapped in a maze-like house with a killer” horror story. Stephen Lang is what puts this one over the top as a must-see for the year, delivering a chilling performance that quickly switches our loyalties and sets up a breathlessly paced, violently surprising chase that turned a modest budget into a hit.

Ouija: Origin Of Evil

A very rare instance of a surprisingly excellent sequel to a terrible first film, this movie manages to take even some frankly overused tropes of the genre, and obtain effective, scary results. The key to that success is obvious and simple: good writing in a good story with good performances, plain and simple.

10 Cloverfield Lane

John Goodman is back… and this time he’s the bad boy. One of the year’s best films of any genre, transcending all expectations with a fantastic cast, wonderful twists, and gripping pacing that turns a simple story — three people in a bunker, wondering if the world has ended — into a character study where you’re not sure who to trust or what’s going on, and the potential for terror lurks just below the uneasy surface at nearly every moment.

The Witch

Not just the finest horror release of 2016, and not just one of the year’s greatest films overall, but one of the best horror movies of all time as far as I’m concerned. This is the rare horror film that is seriously worthy of Best Picture consideration, with Harvey Scrimshaw, Kate Dickie, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson all delivering remarkable performances.

Hush

This Netflix release is a beauty set in a single location with a tiny cast, but it does more with that than most bigger-budgeted studio releases. Kate Siegel’s performance anchors the story, as a relatable protagonist who avoids many of the typical bad decisions of horror movie characters, opting for a more realistic and self-defensive approach. A chilling, disturbing cat-and-mouse game with minimal dialogue and gore, relying on the slow-burn terror of its concept instead, it’s the film on this list most likely to leave you staring at your window or closet door, waiting for something to move.