A New Year of Being Resilient in my Author Life…

As we close up the second year of the pandemic, albeit a more hopeful year than 2020, I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for us resilient humans in 2022. Perhaps resilience is the key. Being resilient in your chosen profession and your life. If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything it’s to truly be resilient in the face of adversity. To adapt, go with the flow, rebound, or be flexible. It’s how we’ve survived throughout the millennia, and how businesses choose to evolve instead of die. Remember Sears? If not, do a check and see what businesses survived during this pandemic. How did they adapt? What did people do to keep themselves (and their customers) safe and protected? That’s where the answers will lie.

With our hands tied these past two years, even authors have had to give up in-person events such as book signings and doing public readings or book launches. Zoom became our friend in order to reach readers. Social media continued to thrive, though we should be mindful of what content we allow into our energy system. If we keep our wits about us, we’ll thrive. That’s what I plan to do in 2022. With the release of my latest time travel young adult book (number three in the series) The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, last September I worked hard promoting it (mostly online) to become my publisher’s bestselling author in the second half of the year. I’m high fiving myself in the mirror for that achievement! However, being a resilient author (or insert a profession here) doesn’t stop there. Like the Covid-19 virus has trained us, we need to mutate into the next variant if we want to better our best. After all, that’s what evolution is all about.

 Speaking of evolution, my publisher is celebrating their eighth anniversary in the publishing biz in 2022, and have got an amazing deal for readers who love to escape into a book. So, without further ado, Mirror World Publishing is offering a discount of 20% off ebooks and paperbacks in their online store to their friends, family, and fans for the entire month of January 2022. How does it get any better than that! Use the code MWFAM22 to cash in on some really great reads this winter by visiting https://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/discount/MWFAM22 to feed your need to read!

In case you never got the chance, please check out my candid interview with my publisher below as we go ‘beyond the bio’. I share some personal and professional info, as well as what’s happening next in my author life. Cheers and wishing you and your loved ones a safe and wonderful new year! Happy reading…

 Tell us a bit about yourself, your hobbies, or your background.

Only a bit? LOL! Actually, I really think my Twitter account bio nails it: Author of THE LAST
TIMEKEEPERS and MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS YA series. Lover of single malt scotch, anything arcane, and ancient mysteries.

Allow me to explain.

I’ve always loved watching shows or reading about the unexplained, supernatural, ancient mysteries, and legends throughout my life. Topics like Atlantis, the Druids, Robin Hood, Voodoo, monsters, and psychic abilities intrigue me. I’m a deep thinker, as well as an analytical thinker (in fact I’m an over-thinker) which prods me on to do the research needed to get those golden ‘fact’ nuggets I can use to make my books entertaining and educational for the reader.

Of course, the single malt scotch needs no explanation after a hard day of writing. Cheers!

What's your writing process like?

Cut a vein and write. Kidding. My writing process is always the same for every book. First, I start with the characters and build the story around them. The characters—my characters—must carry the story to completion, and give readers closure. It’s a must. In order to do this, I begin writing out character tracking sheets (stats on character appearances, clothing, likes and dislikes, etc.) which have served me well throughout the writing process. Then the fun begins. Research, research, and more research. I love this part of the process too. Only when I have enough facts, and I feel my characters are fleshed out sufficiently, then I begin to plot the novel. That’s another thing—I’m an intuitive plotter and love to outline the entire storyline. I also make sure I leave enough room for my Muse to pop in and direct me to where my imagination wishes to go.

Hindsight has taught me that I’m a little anal when it comes to managing my writing life, and love to be prepared and organized when getting to the guts of a story. Guess that’s how I’m built!

Tell us about your books and why you write in the genre that you do, or for the age market you've chosen.

A psychic once told me I’d always be a little girl at heart, so I figured why not write for her? I believe the young adult genre chose me, and not the other way around. The first book I penned was a supernatural romance thriller with shapeshifters, witches, and African folklore in the mix. When I received a critique from a dear friend who said my ‘voice’ was definitely more for the young adult crowd, I almost fell off the chair in shock. The more I thought about it, the more I knew in my heart that her constructive critique was bang-on.

Presently, I have two young adult book series on the go: The Last Timekeepers time travel adventures, and Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls teen psychic mysteries. Both series contain a healthy dose of humor, mystery, and the unexpected; served with a dash of inspiration, entertainment, and education on the side.

What do you have going on right now in your writing life? Anything new we should be looking out for?

Well, the third installment (fourth if you count the prequel) of The Last Timekeepers series entitled, The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave came out on September 17^th, 2021 which I was so excited about! It’s been a long time coming, as this book was put on the backburner so I could release books one and two of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls. Once I caught up with those launches, it was back to the writing grindstone to complete the next time travel adventure which is set in antebellum Georgia during 1855. My poor characters are in for the rides of their lives with this Timekeeper mission!

Currently, I’m working on the next book in Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls, Sticks and Stones, where the main character’s latent psychokinetic ability is unleased in the most unexpected ways. So, keep an eye out for this book in the near future!   

Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series:

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries…

Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with this freakish power. There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go.

Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.

Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.

What Writers Can Learn from Practicing Wu Wei…

I have to be honest. I haven’t been writing fresh content for my blog lately. I can blame Covid-19. I can blame not feeling like it. I can blame laziness. Truth is, after the world closed up for a few months in 2020, I found that I was burned out. Disenchanted with my publishing career came a close second (a.k.a. overworked and underpaid). So I knew it was time for a reevaluation. This put everything into perspective for me, and has taught me how to relax and be calm. One major lesson I learned during the pandemic was to embrace the concept of Wu Wei. In its purest meaning, Wu Wei reminds us to align with the present, and accept the flow and course of nature. Simply put, ‘go with the flow’. Easy said. Not so easy done.

Wu Wei means—in Chinese—non-doing or ‘doing nothing’. It sounds like a pleasant invitation to relax or worse, fall into laziness or apathy. Yet this concept is key to the noblest kind of action according to the philosophy of Daoism—and is at the heart of what it means to follow Dao or The Way. According to the central text of Daoism, the Dao De Jing: ‘The Way never acts yet nothing is left undone’. Huh? How’s that possible when it comes to writing your magnum opus? Or even your mini opus? This is the paradox of Wu Wei. It doesn’t mean not acting, it means ‘effortless action’ or ‘actionless action’. It means being at peace while engaged in the most frenetic tasks (insert anything creative here) so that one can carry these out with maximum skill and efficiency. Ever heard of being ‘in the zone’? That’s Wu Wei. Being at one with what we are doing, in a state of profound concentration and flow. Got it?

The hustle and bustle of the pre-Covid-19 world was getting to me. Too scheduled (my fault). Too many plans and not enough time to enforce them (also my fault). Too much pressure to be the perfect author/writer (more of a wake-up call). Too much ‘keeping up with the Joneses’. So when the world stopped in March 2020, so did I. What a breath of fresh air! No commitments. No obligations. Just a pause, a break, a respite. That’s when I found that Wu Wei was the prescription that I (and I believe the world) needed so desperately.

You can find evidence of Wu Wei everywhere in nature: in the tree that bends in the wind, then adjusts itself back into its original shape, and in a flowing stream—submissive and weak—until the water has gradually eroded the rocks to cut a path. Wu Wei involves letting go of ideals that we may otherwise try to force too violently onto things (or ourselves), and invites us instead to respond to the true demands of situations, which tend only to be noticed when we put our own ego-driven plans aside. What can follow is a loss of self-consciousness, a new unity between the self and its environment, which releases an energy that is normally held back by an aggressive, willful style of thinking. Try writing when anxiety is knocking at the door or you’re pushing against deadlines or the demands of the day. Doesn’t work, does it?

A good life could not be attained by Wu Wei alone—but this Daoist concept captures a distinctive wisdom we may be in desperate need of, especially in these post pandemic times. We are in danger of damaging ourselves through old patterns and belief systems that do not serve us anymore. Change is happening at a fast rate, and writers need to adapt if they want to survive in the publishing world. So the next time you find yourself staring at a blank page or screen, get up and go for a walk or make some tea. That way you’ll be swimming with the current of creativity, instead of wallowing in a pool of despair.

Have you heard of Wu Wei? If so, do you mindfully practice it? If not, are you willing to give it a try? Trust me, this concept will change your life. Either way, I’d love you to share your comments. Cheers, and thanks so much for reading my blog!

My Meandering #Authorlife…

Bet y’all are glad to put 2020 to bed, and start 2021 with clean sheets. Actually, we were lucky and blessed in a way as our lives weren’t so disrupted. True, we had to hunker down when everything (except certain stores) closed for a few months due to Covid-19, but our health, safety, and much of our sanity remained intact. Thank God the liquor stores were deemed essential! LOL! Of course plans, celebrations, and milestones went out the window, and my mother had to adjust with no visitors in her nursing home until I was made her essential caregiver in September. Masks became in fashion, and social distancing a requirement. I’ve had so many Covid-19 tests now, I swear my nose wants a divorce!

A shining light in 2020 is that it gave us time to reflect and review our lives and lifestyles. What we liked, what we didn’t, what we needed to get rid of, and what was important to us. Board games became popular again amongst families, as did learning to cook from scratch. We really got back to basics, and slowed down from the hustle, hustle, hustle of the ‘real’ world. I for one was happy for the break. I believe, at least in my author life, I was trying too hard to be like other authors, and not being my authentic author self. Trust me, that’s so exhausting.

So, I continued to post my weekly #authorlife images on my social media platforms to show people how ‘mundane’ an author’s life can really be. It’s not all about meeting readers at book signings, having extravagant book launches, receiving eye-popping advances from publishers, and making movie deals with our books (though that would be nice). The idea is to be present, connect, and engage. That’s all. Writers know there’s a lot of sweat equity behind showing up to write, whether blog posts, articles, or full blown novels. Not to mention (but I will) the hours spent creating marketing plans, posting ads on all your social media accounts, and constantly promoting your back list of books. An author’s life is also a fine balance between being there for your family, friends, or pets, as well as doing important tasks like housework, cooking, laundry, and grocery shopping. Add dealing with an unexpected pandemic, and you’ve got to juggle a whole lot more! Or…you can choose to drop those balls and focus on what you really want.

I was blessed to be quoted on author Colleen Story’s Writing and Wellness annual quote round-up post, which I’ll share with you here:

“Trust that inner voice of yours….Write what’s important to you, what you want to say, in whatever genre you’re compelled to write in….Know that you’ll be in it for the long haul if you want to make it as a career writer, so don’t give up on your dreams.”
~Sharon Ledwith

I never did give up. Recently I submitted the third installment of The Last Timekeepers young adult time travel adventure series, The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave to my publisher, Mirror World Publishing. I got the nod that this book will be published in the late summer or early fall of 2021. This will be my sixth published book to date, and I truly know that I’m in for the long haul. Or as I’ve dubbed it, ‘my meandering #authorlife’.

As I wait to begin edits on the next Last Timekeepers saga, I’ll be working on a side project to help and inspire writers with tips and tricks from my past blog posts. Plus, I’ll be getting back to writing the third installment of Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls entitled Sticks and Stones. So, bring on 2021! I’ll be ready. I’m betting you are too.

If you’re an author, what does your #authorlife look like? Did 2020 give you a chance to reflect on what kind of writer you want to be? Or were you a writing machine, churning out your best work? Would love to read your comments! Wishing all my followers a very Happy New Year in 2021! Cheers, be well, and thank you for reading my blog.

A Few of My Favorite Things for this Crazy Covid Christmas...

Given this unprecedented year (bet you’re getting tired of that word), 2020 has been an eye-opener for many people. In truth, I believe this year has brought families closer. Priorities changed, and I think for the better. Work has too. Many people now work from home, cutting travel time and saving the environment, as well as purchasing power suits and dresses for the office, opting for jeans and yoga pants. Though far from over, this pandemic has caused people to think about the impending holidays, how they want to spend them, and with who.

Since most of my family won’t be joining us over the holiday season due to Covid 19, we’ve had to come up with ways to fill the void. Yes, we’ll be decorating our house inside and outside, and I’ll be writing up Christmas cards to mail to family and friends. Guess I’m old school that way. We also get our fill of those sappy Hallmark Christmas movies playing 24/7 on the television. However, one stumbling block to contend with is that my 90-year-old mom is in a nursing home. Depending on the severity of the pandemic, she may or may not be joining us this Christmas. I’m keeping my fingers crossed though, and sending out positive vibes while asking Santa for a huge favor to stuff her in his sleigh and fly her over to our house!

So in lieu of a ‘traditional’ Christmas this year, here are some of my favorite things I don’t plan on giving up:

First Favorite: Eggs Benedict breakfast on Christmas morning. It’s a must. Been doing this breakie for years. If anyone doesn’t know what this tasty dish is all about, here’s the basic recipe:

1. Prepare hollandaise sauce according to package directions (I’m lazy and get the packaged hollandaise sauce, but you can find a recipe to make from scratch on your favorite cooking site).

2. Place English muffins and Canadian bacon (or Black Forest ham) on the same baking sheet. Broil 2-3 minutes or until English muffins begin to lightly brown and bacon/ham is warm. Remove from oven.

3. Bring pot of water to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Crack one egg into a small bowl and gently slip into the simmering water. Repeat with remaining eggs. Allow eggs to simmer 3-5 minutes or until they reach desired doneness. *We use a poached egg pan, which is much easier.

4. Top each English muffin with warmed bacon/ham, 1 egg, salt and pepper, and hollandaise sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, parsley or chives if desired. Trust me, this rich, delicious meal will last you until Christmas dinner.

Second Favorite: Single Malt Scotch. If it’s good enough for Ernest Hemmingway, it’s good enough for me. I ask Santa for a top shelf bottle every year, and he never disappoints!

Third Favorite: Books or gift cards from online bookstores or local bookstores, because you know, winter is coming! Plus, I love supporting my author peeps out there.

Speaking of books, I’ve got two young adult book series available for purchase online or through ordering from your local bookstore for the teen readers in your life. Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both series:

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries…

Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with this freakish power while trying to have a normal life. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go.

Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures…

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.

Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:

The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Legend of the Timekeepers, prequel Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:

Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

Guest Post: History - the Most Important Timeline of All by Carol Browne...

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

Covid-19 is a game-changer in so many ways. It is making people rethink their lives, their jobs, their relationships, their aspirations, even their diets and the way they treat the planet they live on. The virus landed like a bolt out of the blue, illuminating the dark places in our lives and altering our perceptions. Many things that were thought of as important are now shown to be superficial and shallow. The way we structure our days has also come under intense scrutiny. Two areas of human activity in particular are undergoing a much-needed overhaul, and they are employment and education. People who can work from home during the lockdown can see the benefits of making this permanent. Meanwhile, many parents who have been home schooling their children are wondering if they should continue with it.

I was discussing this with a close friend of mine who has been working from home and is considering home schooling. She was concerned about peer pressure at the school one of her children attends and how it has had a detrimental effect on the child’s self-esteem. It is always hard to be different. It’s equally hard for an adult to do something different from what is considered normal. We often stick with the status quo for fear of being criticised. But, as the memes insist, the virus has shown us that normal wasn’t working. It’s time to create a new paradigm for living and my friend has seen the beneficial effects that home schooling has already had on both her children.

But this isn’t a blog about home schooling! When my friend and I were discussing different ways of educating her children, I reminded her of how we used to be taught history. We started as far back as the dinosaurs and moved forwards incrementally to the present day. As a result, I have had a mental image in my mind of every century down the ages with major events recorded on this timeline of history, so that I know where I am in the great scheme of things. I can see how mankind got to where it is today. It is like belonging to the timeline of humanity where everything makes sense, even the bad things, because wars have causes that can be traced back and great transitions, like the one we are experiencing now, can be anchored in time and better understood.

Do children still learn history this way? I meet so many young people who have no idea what happened before World War II (and don’t see the socio-economic and political factors that brought about that global conflict). Yes, they know about the Romans and perhaps the Ancient Egyptians but can’t pin them down to a particular era.

Photo by Fauxels from Pexels

And here in the UK how many of the people who are so proud to be British know anything about the history of the British Isles? Why do we use the words British and English; what’s the difference? We were a nation of immigrants long before the Roman occupation, during which time we really were British but not English. If everyone understood that we have all migrated here from other countries, would we rethink our current attitude to immigration? And if we knew more about our imperialist past with its horrors of slavery and oppression, would we see how racism developed and be better able to reject it?

Everything that happens is a lesson and the lessons of history will keep repeating on the timeline until we decide to take a stand and say no more. Only by understanding the timeline of the past can we see the need for change in the present. Allowing children to grow up without reference points or connections to ancestral knowledge, is not giving them freedom. It leaves them adrift in the modern world not knowing why things are the way they are. To teach children the lessons of history is to give them the tools they need to make their world a better place and create a brighter future.

History is important. In my book Being Krystyna – A Story of Survival in WWII I showed how intolerance for other people’s differences can lead to persecution and conflict. Krystyna herself always feared the Nazis would return, and looking at world events today I think she was right. One way to stop the resurgence of such evil is to make sure that the lessons of history are never forgotten. But first we have to learn them.

Here is a brief introduction to my book. Thank you for reading it.

It’s 2012, the year of the London Olympics, and for young Polish immigrant Agnieszka, visiting fellow countrywoman Krystyna in a Peterborough care home is a simple act of kindness. However, the meeting proves to be the beginning of a life-changing experience.

Krystyna’s stories about the past are not memories of the good old days but recollections of war-ravaged Europe: The Warsaw Ghetto, Pawiak Prison, Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, and the death march to freedom.

The losses and ordeals Krystyna suffered and what she had to do to survive, these are horrors Agnieszka must confront when she volunteers to be Krystyna’s biographer.

Will Agnieszka find a way to accomplish her task, and, in this harrowing story of survival, what is the message for us today?

Buy Links

Dilliebooks - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Born in Stafford in the UK, Carol Browne was raised in Crewe, Cheshire, which she thinks of as her home town. Interested in reading and writing at an early age, Carol pursued her passions at Nottingham University and was awarded an honours degree in English Language and Literature. Now living and working in the Cambridgeshire countryside, Carol usually writes fiction and is a contracted author at Burning Willow Press. Being Krystyna, published by Dilliebooks on 11th November, 2016, is her first non-fiction book.

Stay connected with Carol on her website and blog, Facebook, and Twitter.