Since I returned from Norway, I’ve been back online as you can see. I thought before I resumed my regular writing routine, I would look at more avenues for marketing my books. Since there are overwhelming options for advertising plastered all over the internet, my head exploded, and then I wished I was still on vacation, unplugged!
I would love to go back to the Geirangerfjord. Our ship maneuvered right into it. I even woke up early that day to see it happen. My husband and I don’t normally like the early hours, but we forced ourselves out of bed. It was worth it. I stood on deck in awe as the crisp cool air blew my bed hair around. The ship passed boisterous waterfalls, mountains sprinkled with greenery, and jagged rocks as it eased into the fjord. It was around six in the morning, but the sun doesn’t completely hide during the summer in Norway so it seemed later. It was misty out, but I took pictures of anything I could. Even though I’m not a good photographer, and the camera couldn’t catch the sensation of being there, I still wanted to have physical images (over 300) to go with my memories. I posted some photos of the other ports (Alesund, Stavanger, Bergen) here too, because they all were amazing. Now I’m back to the real world. Once in a while I take short escapes and reflect on my Norwegian voyage. My day dreaming has helped me remain happy while I wade through the piles left on my desk at work. It has also helped me to not get too depressed that I’m not doing enough to get my books out to the world. I use LinkedIn to get guidance from more experienced authors and publishers in the book industry. It helped me find a wonderful editor and directed me to decide to self-publish. The problem with LinkedIn’s counsel is there is a great abundance of it. Everyone who knows something shares it in articles, free books, and through comments. So I find it time consuming to sort through it all. Some “experts” say you’re only writing as a hobby if you don’t devote every minute and dollar into your book. Many of their suggestions make sense, and they are successful using their own book promotion advice. The problem is that their ideas aren’t always feasible for me. I can’t devote all my time and money to promoting my books, because frankly, I like to spend time with my husband. My husband and I just celebrated 20 years of marriage, and that is because we enjoy each other’s company. We weren’t able to have children, so we use our extra money to travel. I could selfishly take away from all of our trips and times together to invest it all into my books, but I would miss out on the best relationship ever. I would also miss out on seeing the world, such as Norway. Does this mean I will never make a best sellers list? Could it mean that only family and friends will read my books? At this point I don’t know. I have taken steps to follow some of the advice on LinkedIn. I have also tried some of my own methods to reach the world. I do get a little frazzled, because all of the book promotion efforts take from my writing, which is what I really want to do. I’m so thankful I had my little break from social media, emails, texting and the web. I may never be the next J.K. Rowling, but I will have a lifetime of memories with my best friend, my husband. I strive to live with no regrets and our trip to Norway will definitely be on the “NO REGRETS” list. It even goes on the “BETTER THAN I EXPECTED” list. One more thing to check off my bucket list! (I have a lot of lists.)
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How does one chillax? Is that even a word? In case you didn’t know, It is slang for relax or calm down. Someone put the words chill and relax together and a new term was invented. The first time I said, “chillax” around my mom she looked at me admonishingly like I was using profanity.
I remember my sixth grade teacher assigned my group to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She said Lewis Carroll invented words in the book, because an author has artistic license to do that. At the time, I thought how cool it would be to make up words. I wanted to be an author before she had told us that, but when I realized writers could create new vocabulary, that put my goal on a different level. Mr. Carroll coined a lot of fun words such as slithy, the combination of slimy and lithe. The phrase I remember most was curiouser and curiouser, which sometimes I use even though it isn’t a proper form of curious. I read that Carroll also came up with chortle, a combo of chuckle and snort. That word did end up in Oxford’s English Dictionary. Before I get too far down the rabbit hole, I need to get back to the purpose of this blog. How do you chillax? Do I need to explain how bad stress is for your mental and physical health? There are a plethora of online health articles that explain how tension causes many ailments. Sometimes the diseases caused by stress create more diseases. If I fret that I’m too fat for my jeans that can make me fatter. So I gain weight because I’m worrying about gaining weight. Anxiety will do havoc on your ability to sleep, which may make you more fluffy around the waist also, and being overweight leads to other health issues. It is a vicious domino effect, and most of us struggle to find a formula to fix it. Even positive things can cause strain, so having stress is all part of the human experience. I don’t have a quick solution to slay the beast, and everyone has to find what works for them. During my travels I did find Hawaii one of the best places to chillax of all the beach destinations I’ve visited. I’ve been to the coasts of Florida, Oregon, California, Mexico, Maine and several in the Caribbean. None of those compare to the shorelines in Hawaii. I could write a multitude of paragraphs on the wonders of the Hawaiian Islands and you still wouldn’t totally grasp it until you experience the paradise for yourself. Even the photos I attached to this article can’t do it justice. Being on Hawaiian time means you don’t have to hurry and tire yourself out to take advantage of the islands’ activities. You can experience the nirvana on a slower pace, and you still feel like you are getting what you wanted from the adventure. There is something magical about those islands that takes your cares and washes them into the abyss of the deep blue ocean. Even the palm trees have a way of lulling your mind to peacefulness. Maybe you can’t afford to go to Hawaii or any beach for that matter, so that is where books come in handy. Reading can help you escape. Books are your travel agent. Sure you need more imagination, but give yourself a time out with literature. Perhaps books aren’t the right diversion for you. Find whatever it is that takes the pressure away. Exercise, pray, sing, dance, talk to a friend, or try adult coloring books. Seek a way to soothe the turmoil, and incorporate it into your routine for respite. For me to chillax, I reflect back to my favorite places I’ve visited in books and in real life. This forces me to focus my energy away from whatever is giving me anxiety. That is when the sounds of the ocean washing against the beach soon invade my mind, and once again I am at peace. You’ve heard the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, but isn’t it human nature to have an opinion based on first impressions? Don’t you pick up a book with a cover that catches your attention before you pick up the one with a boring front? I think what the phrase is asking people to do is realize that it is possible things aren’t what they seem to be on the outside. I found the truth in this statement when I got off a train in Germany, in a town called Rothenburg ob der Tauber. At the station, this place seemed somewhat modern with nothing too extraordinary. My husband and I went there because the Rick Steves’ guide book talked about a Christmas store there. Since it is one of my favorite holidays, I wanted a Christmas ornament keepsake. We didn’t realize when we walked toward our destination that we would be traveling back in time. Looming ahead of us was a medieval fortress. Once we walked through the archway of the walled-in portion of Rothenburg, we were enchanted by its likeness to a fairytale town from long ago. Again, I was surprised when we found the shop. The façade was similar to all the quaint buildings in Rothenburg, but as I walked inside, it felt like I was entering a small village on Christmas Eve. Were all the children getting snug in their beds with visions of sugar plums in their heads? Even after experiencing, this first-hand, it’s still easy to revert back to judging something or someone by their cover. No matter how similar your experience is to a situation someone else is going through, it can’t be judged by what it looks like on the outside. You can walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and still have no clue what they are going through.
We all have our own journey. We all deal with identical traumas and joys differently. You can’t judge what a person is going through just because it appears one way to you. This is the time of year when people seek out love, forgiveness, peace, and hope. Try to find a way to get past biases. Look on the inside of the “book” and not just the outside. Don’t go with your first impression to form an opinion. You might be surprised what you will find. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Music and reading are healthy for your brain. That's good because I love both and it made think of the Sound of Music tour I took in Austria.
Even though I like the rich culture and history of the places I visit; I also like the stereotypical tourist attractions. I found out during my Sound of Music tour that much of the movie was filmed in America, but I still wanted to see where the true story unfolded. Austria is a beautiful country and doesn’t need a famous movie to promote it. I was captivated by every place that was used for the movie or duplicated for it so I shared the photos with this blog. The pictures don’t do it justice. The Sound of Music portrays a family who had lost their joy when their mother died. They found it again when a young woman who loved to sing came into their home to care for the children. Ultimately music helped the Von Trapp family escape from an austere home life and the Nazis. Whether you like an upbeat tempo or a soothing melody, music has benefits. I’m not an expert so I don’t know if classic rock versus classical music has different results on the brain. I’ve read several articles online that state music benefits the mind. No matter what genre you like: country, rock, jazz, classical or alternative, you may be helping out more than just your mood. Personally I find music helps me get through a day at work and frankly I just love to sing. Another thing to keep your brain healthy is reading. We all should incorporate reading into our daily routine. As an author I push people to read, because hopefully they will read my books, but like music, it is good for you. I much rather read a book than eat vegetables, but I don’t think reading is the solution for all health issues despite my wishes. There are online articles about how reading increases your language and motor skills. Surprisingly I found that reading novels can be better than reading non-fiction. The same article said fictional literature helps people be more empathetic. So reading doesn’t just help you escape into a virtual vacation, but it can help keep your brain strong as you grow older. Reading has also been used to treat depression. Maybe it is just as healthy as those veggies I force myself to eat. You might think you are too busy, but even a little reading each day is better than none at all. Truthfully what you have time for is what you prioritize. What we deem is most important will get our time. So feed your brain and read a book. Online Articles where I found some of my information: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/doctors-are-now-prescribing-books-to-treat-depression-180948211/?no-ist http://blog.theliteracysite.com/this-is-your-brain-on-music/ http://blog.theliteracysite.com/how-reading-fiction-improves-intelligence/ Lessons from Paris came from not getting to see what I wanted to see. Once I reached a certain age, I decided to stop dodging the daunting things. I discontinued playing in safe mode and dared to be bolder. I didn’t want to look back at my life and find it full of regrets even if that meant sometimes I would fail. My two day visit to Paris was a perfect example of this. The venture started out exciting with a train trip through the chunnel from London to Paris. For those of you who don’t know, the word chunnel comes from combining the words tunnel and channel, because it was built to take a train through the Channel. http://www.raileurope.com/blog/12355-chunnel-facts-london-paris On the first day, my husband and I took a tour that toted us around Paris to view the major sites. Part of our tour was on a Seine river boat which gave us a glimpse of some of the city’s famous icons such as the opera house Napoleon attended regularly. When we weren’t on the Seine, our tour group was in a bus looking at other well-known Paris attractions such as the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, fountains I don’t know the names of, and the famous Harrods. The highlight of my Paris experience was to go up into the Eiffel Tower. The second day we were on our own to spend some time at the places we only saw the previous day. My wish was to visit the Louvre. I knew a partial day wouldn’t be enough time to see even a fourth of the whole museum, but I wanted to see the Mona Lisa and other renowned art pieces. The Louvre was closed for maintenance. What are the chances? How often does a place like that close in the middle of the week? I didn’t research this information, and I don’t want to know now unless I plan on returning there. I still don't regret the trip. Any fears of international travel were unfounded and I did see many amazing things. Before, traveling to Europe seemed impossible and scary. Now, I'm happy I took the leap. Before, getting a book published seemed impossible and scary. Now, I'm happy I went for it. Has it been everything I thought it would be? No, of course not. It doesn't matter, I no longer wonder, "What if". Hop on that perverbial train to Paris and see where it will take you. If the Louvre is closed for maintenance, take another dive into the unknown and experience something else. Side note: Paris also taught me that they weren’t kidding about pick-pockets with all their posted warning signs. I took them serious, but my father-in-law didn’t. He can now cross off his list, "getting robbed by a gypsy on the subway" of things not to do in Paris. I suggest if you go to Paris, ask the experts on how to avoid this, because it is common.
The reminder of how words can be dangerous happened to me at an unexpected place. I recently traveled to Universal Studios in Florida. My favorite part was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter where J.K. Rowling’s stories came to life. Her words are immortalized more than ever with the world Universal has built. Her fans now can be a part of what Rowling created, and it is definitely worth the visit for those who enjoy her books or the movies based on them.
My visit made me think about words. Once they are read or heard, they can be permanently engraved in the memory. You don’t need a theme park to do that. When I'm writing, I can edit and rewrite things that sound awful, but once words leave my mouth, they can't be taken back. I can have the best of intentions and still say the wrong thing or have them misunderstood. How many of you have said something you wish you could take back because you were too hasty? I live with the regret of words I can never erase or edit. That is why I say words can be dangerous. May we all be reminded that they can have conscequences before we blurt out the first thing that pops into our heads and if you decide to write something, beware, it may become etched permenantly in a published book or social media post. Remember: once on the internet, always on the internet. Castles remind me of my dreams to be a published author. Castle Neuschwanstein is located in Germany. I must say it is one of my favorites since the exterior captures all the expectations I have of what a castle should look like. When I visited it, I was surprised to see that not all the rooms of the castle were finished. King Ludwig II, who had the castle built, had been found drowned under mysterious circumstances before the interior was done. The completed rooms were magnificent to view, but those that were only shells reminded me of my stories. As I write this, I'm still editing Elle's Magical Shoes for the umpteenth time. It feels like I will never be finished and just have a shell of a book like the beautiful Neuschwanstein castle. When I think of castles, I think of other ones I’ve seen: Cinderella’s castle in Florida and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in California. Cinderella was my favorite princess when I was a little girl. I danced around the house to the record and memorized, “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep.” Just like King Ludwig II, Walt Disney, and Cinderella, dreams keep me writing away until I see completion of what I set out to do. I’ll look at these magnificent castles as a reminder to not give up no matter what. The Linderhof Palace pictured above is one of several castles Kind Ludwig II did complete.
As take the journey to get books published, I will write down my experiences along the way. I've never written a blog and I suppose that is what most people say the first time they start a blog. This blog will have my physical and mental travels. Since I've visited some awesome vacation destinations, I may share those as I compare them to my life.
The thing is life is a journey even when you stay in the same city. We travel every day whether it is going to work or to the store. It may not always be glamorous, like a trip to a far away land, but we are traveling through life one step at a time. I won't claim I'm an expert on anything, because I'm not. I'm not even an expert on me, but I've been told people want to connect with other people. This is my way to help you connect with me in hopes my journey will help you in some way. |
Ramblings on life, travels, & books
Carla Reighard Archives
December 2023
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