Blog Tour Spotlight - The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life

Wherever you are in your creative life---just tiptoeing in or fully immersed, The Fire Inside can be a source of encouragement and inspiration…

By Lucy Adkins & Becky Breed

The Fire Inside: A Companion for the Creative Life

Author: Lucy Adkins & Becky Breed

Publisher: WriteLife Publishing

Pages: 290

Genre: Creativity / Self-Help

Book Description:

The underlying principle of The Fire Inside is that we all have within us vast untapped reservoirs of creativity, and when we recognize and begin to connect with that potential, our lives will open in ways we cannot begin to imagine. Many books have been written about the art and craft of individual disciplines of creativity. Yet few are so inclusive, so welcoming as this book, offering insight not only for furthering ones abilities in the traditional arts, but also in our day to day creativity, which so enriches our lives.

Based on the authors’ combined fifty-five years of teaching, working with writing groups and providing workshops on writing and creativity, The Fire Inside is written in a spirit of warmth and generosity. It invites the reader to:

Say yes to creativity and the nurturing it provides

Choose to live a bigger life

Uncover inner sources of inspiration and discover how “the magic” happens

Become a part of the creative community

Let go of forces that try to limit you

Develop skills for what it takes to live more creatively

Locate the “sweet spot” needed to build your life as an artist and creative being

Wherever  one may be in his or her creative life—just tiptoeing in or fully immersed in the life of the imagination, The Fire Inside will be a companion in that life, a source of encouragement and inspiration. The manuscript is composed short essays designed to provide a daily dose of support and motivation. It includes anecdotes, inspirational quotations and end of chapter meditations and exercises which ask Why not me? What gets in my way of being creative? In what unknown ways am I waiting to blossom. 

More and more, we hunger for meaning and for opportunities of self-expression. The Fire Inside, in its bite-sized essays which can be read in five or ten minute increments, speaks to that hunger, and provides a source of the creative nourishment we all need.

Buy Links:

Indie Bound ¦ Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ iBooks ¦ B&N ¦ Kobo

Deep within us, we have a yearning, a passion, a desire to make and to do, to create something out of our hearts and imaginations that did not exist before. To bring forth something new upon the earth. It is innate in us, this intense wanting, and when we are engaged in the specific type of creativity we were meant to do—whether it be painting, writing, making music, or designing a new way to educate our children—we experience what Martha Graham calls “a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening.” It’s what puts the spark in our eyes, the skip in our steps. It is the fire inside.

         Do you know that fire? Sometimes it manifests itself as restlessness,a vague dissatisfaction, a feeling that there is something important you must do, you have to do, to be true to yourself. It is the little ache you feel when you read a story that is heartbreakingly true and think I want to do that, or when you see a painting that stuns you with its power, and your fingers itch to pick up a paintbrush. Maybe it isn’t exactly clear what is burning inside, what you want and are put on earth to do. Or perhaps you know in your bones that you must write poetry, you must dance or die, you must create gardens of incredible beauty, but maybe you’re afraid that if you try you will fall flat on your face. You doubt yourself and your abilities. This is the way we humans are, having an intense wanting on one hand, fear and doubt on the other. But let us accept as an essential truth that we are all creative, wildly creative, each and every one of us— that we have vast reserves of untapped talents and abilities—songs only we can write, sculptures waiting to be born from the unique spirit that is us; and when we accept that belief and act on it, oh, then! We wake each day with a new animation, a vibrancy and passion. We feel like children let out of a stuffy classroom into a blue-sky spring day, and we can’t wait to see what we can do with it.

         The fire inside is the “something” that fascinates you, intrigues you, so that you go to sleep and wake up thinking about it. You want to study it from all its interesting angles and make it central to your life, keep working at it, falling short in your aspirations at times, but trying and trying again. And if you are not currently involved with something that brings with it such zeal, if you’ve kept your fire tamped down, unable to act on your passion for whatever reason, know that it is still there—the beginning of days filled with intense purpose and meaning, waiting for you.

The Highest Kite

         Imagination is the highest kite that can fly.

         —Lauren Bacall, By Myself and Then Some          The human brain is a remarkable thing. It keeps the body going, stores knowledge, analyzes, remembers, puts two and two together to make sense of the world, and somehow allows for the miracle of imagination. When we were children, we lived in worlds rich in imagination, allowing us to transform a blanket draped over a chair into a cave, the tree-filled ditch behind the house into a secret forest. We carried out endless adventures in the worlds we created, the synapses in our brains sparking with delight and excitement.

         But when we become adults and take on duty and responsibility, we don’t invite imagination out to play as much as we used to. The good news—especially for those wanting to live more creative lives—is that we can become just as involved in flights of fancy as we used to be, rediscovering the world in all its beauty, its design as well as its asymmetrical magnificence. Ask yourself: if you were a little seed in the ground waiting for spring to warm you and pull the green livingness of you up to the sun, what would that be like? If you were a baby robin in a blue egg in a nest, how would it be pecking your way into the world? Crazy questions, maybe, but ones that can stimulate us to bursts of creativity, and as Lauren Bacall suggests, that is a joyous way of living in this world.

         So, if you haven’t exercised the muscles of your imagination lately, why not start now? Not that you have to embark on a novel, necessarily, or begin work on the next Mona Lisa; you can begin simply and joyfully as children do. Look at pictures of art and imagine stepping inside the frames. Who would you talk to and what would you see? Or look outside your window and take note of the different elements there. Maybe you see a bird flying or tree branches swaying in the breeze, then imagine a conversation with that bird or that tree. It may come haltingly at first, in fits and starts, but when you let whimsy back into your life, the brain begins to work in new ways, mapping out new neural pathways. And like muscles gradually becoming stronger as you exercise, so does the imagination become livelier and more free-wheeling. You will find your life opening up, becoming richer as your mind discovers ideas for your next artistic project in the pattern of the night sky or the sound of the wind before a storm. Imagination can be the be-all and end-all for you; it can be everything.

 

  

About the Authors:

Lucy Adkins earned her MFA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is a writer of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in many journals and anthologies, and her first poetry chapbook, One Life Shining, was published by Pudding House Press. She co-presents the Nebraska Humanities program “Diaries and Letters of Early Nebraska Settlers,” and is a frequent writing instructor for OLLI, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and the Larksong Writers’ Workshops. Her book, Two-Toned Dress, was the winner of the 2019 Blue Light Press poetry chapbook contest.

Author Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

 

Becky Breed, a veteran educator, poet, and essayist, co-wrote and facilitated “Women at the Springs,” a Nebraska Humanities program empowering women to live more courageously, as well as “The Intergenerational Project” connecting elders and teens through stories to promote communication, writing, and use of the media. She has an Ed.D. in Education, and in addition to teaching at the university level, was the principal of a Gold Star School which was awarded recognition for significant improvements in reading, writing, and math. The students’ resiliency and drive to be the best they can be helped shape the fabric for several of the enclosed essays.

Together the two co-authored Writing in Community: Say Goodbye to Writer’s Block and Transform Your Life, which was awarded an “IPPY” in the Independent Publishers Book Awards. Writing in Community, the first book in their “Essential Writing and Creativity” series, along with the impact of Adkins’ and Breed’s many presentations and workshops led to their being named winners of the 2020 Lincoln, Nebraska Mayor’s Arts Award in Artistic Achievement in Literature.

Author Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

WRITING IN COMMUNITY: SAY GOODBYE TO WRITER’S BLOCK AND TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE 

Blog Tour Organised by:

June 2021 Book Releases

 Need some inspiration for your next read?

Check out these new June 2021 Book Releases.

Click on the images to go to the book page

  

  

  

  

BOOK REVIEW: Junk by Melvin Burgess

Junk

Author: Melvin Burgess

Genre: YA Contempporary Fiction / Coming of Age / Romance
Publication Date: 3rd April 2014 (First Published 1996)

Book Description:

This 20th Anniversary edition of the classic novel comes with an introduction from former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman and bonus content following its controversial history, from its writing to when it won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.

It was a love story. Me, Gemma and junk. I thought it was going to last forever.

Tar loves Gemma, but Gemma doesn't want to be tied down. She wants to fly. But no one can fly forever. One day, finally, you have to come down. Melvin Burgess’ most ambitious and complex novel is a vivid depiction of a group of teenagers in the grip of addiction. Told from multiple viewpoints, Junk is a powerful, unflinching novel about heroin. Once you take a hit, you will never be the same again.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

Tar and Gemma are two teenagers from different backgrounds but both have the same urge to break free of their confined reality. Tar wants to escape from his abusive father while Gemma wants to escape her overly strict and controlling parents. When they decide to run away from home, they find that life on the streets comes with another set of demons they have to fight hard to evade. Battling homelessness and drugs might just be as bad or even worse than the life they so desperately wanted to escape. Survival has a new meaning in the new world they find themselves trapped in.

Love definitely comes in many different shapes and forms. The best thing about this novel was the characterisation and the authenticity of their portrayal. The plot was simple and straightforward, but there were times it dragged and got a little tedious, but I was so invested in the characters that I was encouraged to keep reading. Tar was my favourite character. His transformation from start to finish was intriguing. You couldn't help but love this character. Even though he was being physically abused by his father, he still had so much hope and still managed to see the beauty in the world. After running away from home and being taken in by an older group, that light inside him slowly started to fade once the addiction started to kick in. It was sad to experience, but quite an eye-opener and very moving. It took me a little longer to gravitate towards Gemma, I must admit. I didn't engage with her well throughout the first half of the book, but throughout the second half of the book, she went through her own transformation and became a character you're able to sympathise with more, which made her more likeable.

I wasn't too much a fan of the writing style, but it didn't bother me enough to make me put the book down. A lot of the times, it felt as if my outlook on the story and especially the characters were being overshadowed by the narrative voice, which somewhat hindered my desire to form my own impression of the characters and their stories. Having said that, I appreciated the fact that, even though I wasn't fully navigating my own interpretation, the portrayal I was presented with was so realistic that I could comprehend the difficulty and struggles the characters faced without even having no experience of the condition they lived in and the situation they found themselves trapped in. It goes to show that you don't have to experience something in order for it to feel real.

A very moving story about the struggles of heroine addiction and the many facets of love.

VERDICT:

Rating: 4 Star

Source: Netgalley

Book Blitz & Giveaway - His Billion-Dollar Takeover Temptation by Emmy Grayson

His Billion-Dollar Takeover Temptation

(The Infamous Cabrera Brothers, #1)

Author: Emmy Grayson

Published by: Harlequin Presents

Publication Date: May 25th, 2021

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Book Description:

In debut author Emmy Grayson’s sexy workplace romance, will the Spanish CEO be able to resist giving in to desire?

He will claim her company

But can he claim her, too?

Everleigh Bradford won’t simply hand over control of the family vineyard she expected to inherit. She’s lost too much already. If she must confront internationally renowned new owner Adrian Cabrera, she will! Even if she has to fight her red-hot response to the brooding Spaniard.

Bringing Everleigh home to Grenada to prove he’ll protect her heritage is essential to their working relationship—but it’s dangerous. Innocent Everleigh is intoxicating. And she deserves everything that Adrian’s past and his iron self-control won’t let him give her. No matter how tempting it is…

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ iBooks ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Play

Book Blitz & Giveaway - The Devil I Don’t Know by L.K. Shaw

The Devil I Don’t Know

(Brooklyn Kings #1)

Author: L.K. Shaw

Publication Date: May 25th, 2021

Genre: Adult Mafia Romance

Book Description:

Jacob

Loyalty

My father is dying, and I’ve been called back to Brooklyn to take my place as the head of the Italian syndicate. After a seven year absence, my first test of loyalty is to marry the granddaughter of the Irish mob’s leader. I may not want a wife, but I’ll kill anyone who tries to harm her.

I only hope she doesn’t expect love in our marriage. I can’t–won’t–love her. Not ever. I don’t have it in me.

Brenna

Duty

That’s all my life has been. Then, my grandfather signs a marriage contract, and I become a pawn in an alliance between the Irish and the Italians. Once again I’m bound by duty.

I’ve always been invisible–the person who fades into the background–except soon my new husband begins to see me.

He’s a Brooklyn king, but will our enemies destroy my chance to become his queen?

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ iBooks ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Play

BOOK REVIEW: The Goblin Pitcher by Paul Lonardo

The Goblin Pitcher

Author: Paul Lonardo

Genre: MG Fantasy / Adventure / Sports
Publication Date: 11 April 2021

Book Description:

The one thing eleven-year-old Jake Lupo loves more than anything else is baseball. However, despite his father being a professional pitcher, Jake's fear of failing has kept him from competing against children his own age. When his father, who has recovered from a serious arm injury, is invited to pitch for an independent team, Jake and his parents move to Pine Barrows, a far flung forested mountain outpost. Jake is excited about his father's chance at a comeback, but he soon learns that he is not the only one in Pine Barrows who loves baseball. Goblins love to play baseball, too, and Pine Barrows happens to be chock full of them. Then Jake discovers that the region is occupied by two factions of warring goblins.

Seeking to take control of the goblin kingdom, the leader of the evil goblins kidnaps Jake's mother and bans baseball, a game which itself is a natural source of power for the goblins.

It turns out that Jake has a secret kinship with the legendary beings, and he is the only one who can save them, their kingdom and his mother. However, Jake must believe in himself and play a winner-take-all game against the best goblin players in Pine Barrows.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

Jake Lupo is used to moving around due to his father being a professional pitcher. After recovering from an injury, his father is offered an opportunity to pitch for an independent team, which could be the kick he needs to get his career back on track, so the family pack up and move to Pine Barrows. But Jake has a secret he's been keeping from his family: he hears voices calling to him. And the move to Pine Barrows has made matters worse for Jake as the voices are no longer just voices anymore. Now Jake is starting to see things other people can't see. Who are these green creatures lurking around his new home, and what do they want with Jake? Was the move to Pine Barrows an opportunity or a trap?

Since moving to Pine Barrows, Jake finds himself facing off with a reality he couldn't he imagine let alone be apart of. Jake certainly learns a lot about his connection to the magical realm surrounding his family home in Pine Barrows, and the truth sends him on a time sensitive mission of finding a powerful object called the Sacred Amulet in order to save his family from the clutches of a powerful dark leader known as the Overlord, who wishes to possess the amulet so he can become the supreme ruler of his kingdom. The amulet can cause a lot of problems in the wrong hands, but with his family's life on the line, Jake has to make the right decisions or risk losing everything dear to him.

The Goblin Pitcher was certainly an enjoyable read. The ambience of the story put me on the mind of the Spiderwick Chronicles. I found it a little overwritten at times, more telling than showing, which kept pulling me in and out of the story and stopped me from being fully immersed in the story. Despite this, I liked the world building. The author brought certain scenes to life, which was rather magical. I had expected a little more baseball action given Jake's love for the game, but it was talked about enough to satiate one's hunger for the game. Apart from Jake, the other character I found very engaging was Lorcan. In terms of being trustworthy, he was a questionable character, but he was very likeable. The doubt I had about his character made me want to learn more about him.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable story, and I love the book cover, which exudes a youthful energy, just like the story. I definitely recommend this book for all, especially middle-schoolers.

VERDICT:

Rating: 4 Star

Source: Author

BOOK REVIEW: Everybody Poops by Justine Avery

Everybody Poops

Author: Justine Avery

Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publication Date: 15 November 2019

Book Description:

Taking the taboo out of POO!

Everybody poops—it’s true! It’s time to blow the door right off the bathroom, and shine a light on what happens on the loo.

For the little ones just discovering the contents of their diapers and nappies, the bigger ones needing reassurance that their most mysterious bodily function is as natural as can be, and the biggest ones who still hold a fondness for toilet humor, Everybody Poops! is piled high with bold and audacious illustrations and the truth about who’s doing the pooing: every body is doing it!

Sure to incite giggling fits and all-ages laughter, Everybody Poops! exposes the least talked about fact we all have in common the world over and among all walks of life, benefiting the youngest of us by opening the discussion, promoting comfort with their bodies, and helping them feel included. Poo pride!

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

The title of the book is the content readers are introduced to. No one wants to discuss pooping, but everyone does it. Children who are potty training will find comfort in knowing that pooping is a usual occurrence and that thought might help them with this period of their life. The book doesn't incite anything beyond this. I found some of the imagery inappropriate and uncomfortable, but the book overall does what it says on the tin: it showcases that everyone poops.

VERDICT:

Rating: 3 Star

Source: Own copy

Book Blitz & Giveaway - The Weight of the Sky by Caroline Schley

The Weight of the Sky

Author: Caroline Schley

Publication Date: May 20th, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary

Book Description:

For every important decision in her life, fifteen-year-old Chris Miller relies on silence rather than courage. In her rough Bridgeport neighborhood, Chris bites her tongue when her best friend gets sent to juvenile detention for a crime she didn’t commit. As a scholarship kid at St. Catherine’s Prep, Chris acquiesces to ‘drinkstagram’ at tony sleepover parties. At home with her overbearing mother, she swallows her questions about her father’s identity. Chris understands that quiet insecurity isn’t the most valiant approach to life, but it gets her through the day unscathed. Until she’s sexually assaulted.

In the aftermath, Chris’s tenuous happiness crumbles alongside her grades, yet she can’t find the courage to report the assault. At a crossroads, Chris is forced to volunteer at an afterschool program for low-income families to maintain her scholarship. Catapulted back to the very neighborhood she struggled to escape, Chris finds her family thrust into the crosshairs of a gang war. When one of the students from her afterschool program is put at risk, Chris discovers just how much damage her silence can cause. Ultimately, she must decide if she will remain quiet as others call the shots and remain a victim or if she can forge the strength to stand up, speak the truth and call herself a survivor.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

Book Blitz & Giveaway - The Devil You Know by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman

The Devil You Know

(The Diavolo Crime Family, #2)

Author: J.L. Beck & C. Hallman

Publication Date: May 21st, 2021

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance / Dark Romance

Book Description:

Nic is so much more than The Devil.

The night of the auction changes everything.

I thought I knew who he was, and what was going to happen next.

I had no idea how wrong I was…

***This is a continuation of Devil You Hate and can not be read as a standalone. This book has a HEA***

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK