2014 in Hindsight: Real World Adventures #2014inreview

Well, 2014 has come and gone and I was made (almost painfully) aware that personal energy makes the world go around.

I need more personal energy. I do a lot for my family and I need to keep my energy up. That said, there have been days when I've been drained to the bone. A change has to happen. Change is never easy, but if I look at it as establishing habits and takes 21 days to establish a habit, then change just might bring up my energy and get me to where I need to be.

Some of the Fun Stuff:

I started the year teaching 1^st grade religious ed for my church. I signed up to do it as a matter of practicality – I can't afford the fees for the boys, but they're free if I volunteer.  Quite honestly, I enjoy it. The kids are happy and eager in class. My favorite lesson is: "What did Jesus eat?" and I bring in foods from Biblical times. The kids like the grapes, but some wrinkle their noses at the tuna fish. My boys are in 7^th and 3^rd grade RE. I believe the classes compliments the morals/ethics/sense of responsibility I want the boys to develop so I'll be teaching RE for several years to come.

April we went to Yosemite and stayed in a heated tent cabin at Curry Village. The water falls are roaring then. We had a great trip and took lots of pictures.

We went to stations of the cross and fish fry dinners during Lent. In May, Joe my younger son, made his 1^st communion. I went down to San Diego a couple of times for work related training in May.

June brought swim lessons, swim team, summer enrichment, a trip to Camp Whitsett with the scouts, another trip to Yosemite and a visit to Catalina Island. Year long, the boys did scouts and gymnastics.

September brought a clam bake, Joe's birthday party at Sky High Sports, Halloween, NaNoWriMo and Christmas madness consumed December.

So what did I learn from all these real life adventures?

Answer: I need to take time out for me and focus on my health and weight loss. Welcome 2015 and "Steph's Big Selfie" year! One of the changes this year is that I'll be focusing on eating Paleo.  I'll talk more about a Paleo in upcoming entries.

Question: Do you eat Paleo? Do you have any recipes you'd like to share?

2014 in Hindsight for the Writer in Me #2014inreview

Happy New Year!

Well, 2014 has come and gone. It had it's up and downs, but if I had to use one word to sum up 2014, it was about "change."

And change isn't easy to deal with, even when you're flexible. People like to be grounded in routine, and change gets us out of our routines and stirs up the pot.

Some of the Fun Stuff: Writing, Marketing, and Reading

I was able to use Goddess Fish Blog tours for steady promotion. I focused on the review tours because I figured reviewers are reading and I want to get people reading. The Moldavian Moon, Windsor Diaries, and Hungarian Moon series all went on tour. I intend to continue using Goddess Fish in 2015.

I also used Book Daily for promo focusing on Victorian Scoundrel. I found Fussy Librarian and used them for promo, too. Going forward, I intend to focus on these promo methods and I hope to add one more blog tour company this year.

Writing wise, I published "A Lady Never Lies," Book 3 in the Windsor Diaries series and several short stories for the 2014 Victory Tales Press anthologies: "Arrow Through the Heart," "Young Witchcraft," and "Mr. Christmas Elf." I also wrote "Union Vote" for the Writer's Digest annual contest.

My writing has slowed down due to real life commitments, but I'm very pleased with the stories I had to offer this year.

Going forward, I have two stories I'd like to focus on, "A Princess is Always Right," and "Christmas in Germany." I foresee continuing to write at a slower pace and honestly, it will be nice not to have to write for a deadline knowing my real life commitments.

Reading wise, I discovered Janet Evanovich and the Stephanie Plum series. I really enjoyed reading these books. They were lighthearted and fun. Janet uses a great first person character voice.

I read the "killing" series by Bill O'Reilly. Love or hate his politics, his "Killing" series is well presented and shares interesting anecdotes about the historical times they are rooted in.

I re-read "Game of Thones" and "Clash of Kings" for a deeper, more critical read and I caught up on my Percy Jackson series with "Mark of Athena" and "House of Hades." I explored the Hunger Games and the Maze Runner. I read the prequel to the Maze Runner, "The Kill Order" and I'm going to start the New Year off with "The Scorch Trials."

Surprisingly, I didn't read much romance. I did read 3-5 books in the romance genre. I only wish I had time to read more.

My top 5 books:

Killing Patton

Mark of Athena

The Kill Order

One for the Money

Mockingjay

What did I learn about reading/marketing/writing that I can take forward into the new year?

Answer: My marketing efforts need to be consistent so my name is always floating around the net. I need to find time to write a little a day, just to keep words floating around my head, and I need to read so I can get lost in another writer's world. If anything, I'd love to read more Shana Galen, who is one of my favorite romance writers.

Question for you: Who are some of your favorite writers? 

Happy 2015! Got Resolutions? #newyearresolutions

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin

I'm up for a little peace. Heck, they were still looking for peace even in Ben Franklin's day.

With the new year, we're imbued with a sense of getting a fresh start. This hope usually inspires us to make a new years resolution – a promise to ourselves to do better or at least be a little kinder.

There a lot of historical new years resolutions traditions. The Babylonians promised to pay their debts and return borrow objects. The Romans made promises to their god, Janus. Medieval knights took a vow to reaffirm their chivalry.

I usually make a resolution, but I never make it past 31 Jan. I think I need to make more realistic resolutions. This year I'm going to stick with my weight watchers and try to get in more exercise. I want to eat more of a "Paleo" diet.  Who else eats a Paleo diet?  Any tips or suggestions?

 

Why do I make resolutions? I like the idea of self-improvement – of bettering myself. Who doesn't like that idea? Realistically though, I know it's probably a big challenge. I've got to buckle down. It's hard with my schedule, but hey, 2015 is the year of "Steph's Big Selfie" and I'm going to work on me.

Do you make resolutions? Why or Why not? If you could improve on one thing, what would it be?

I hope 2015 gets you off to a great start!

Smiles

Steph

Enjoy this fantasy romance:

The Green Rose

The Green Rose of Gaia is preserved in legends and myths. Can Sonia and Ivanstan find the truth in time to save their world?

5 Stars, "An Incredible Story." Joy Cagil, Amazon Reviewer

4 Stars, "Well written and engaging." Long and Short Reviews

4 Stars, "Enthralling" Fiction with flair, Amazon Reviewer.

Excerpt:She gestured toward the window. "I like to look at nature." "Why?"
"It's beautiful. It settles my soul."

He nodded his understanding and brushed past her, pushing the handle down and opening the glass door that led to the balcony. "Come."

She followed him. The spice and sandalwood of his scent made her stomach tingle. He placed his hands on the wooden rail and pointed toward the opposite shore. She stood next to him, finding the view perfect.

"Draco and the dragons are in a cave over there. Draco assures me Hendrik's dragon will recover, but he needs rest."

"I'm relieved, but what about your father's dragon?"

"The reptilian mind is resilient. Draco and Tristan will help Asura create several mental blocks so my father's absence in her mind won't confuse her."

"That's good to hear." She glanced around, marveling at the façade of the keep. "How did you come to carve the castle into the cliff?"

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B007QUBU2E

Barnes & Noble:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-green-rose-stephanie-burkhart/1109853031?ean=2940014183239

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thegreenrose-769936-143.html

Weight Loss Week #1 - 2-7 JAN 2012

Ah, weight loss! I think it's one of the most popular new year's resolutions. It's so popular, it's practically cliché, but this year, I'm dedicating "me" time for weight loss.

To that end, I went back to Weight Watchers on 2 Jan – and I brought my boys, Andrew, 9, and Joe, 5, to the meeting. Yes, I didn't really have a choice. I don't have a dedicated babysitter so they had to go. Besides, I shuffle them to dance class, appointments, etc., it's about time they let me have some "me" time.

Quite honestly, here's why I think my previous attempts at weight loss come up short: I'm always doing for others. (i.e., my boys and various other commitments) and not allowing myself enough time for what I want.

So, this year, to "fix" that, I built in the opportunity for "me" time. Mind you, I didn't ask for a lot – just enough to get about 40 minutes of exercise in and enough time to plan my meals.

My boys did good at the meeting. They sat quietly, but toward the end, Joe wiggled a lot. It was a good refresher. My daily goals: eat fruits and veggies, drink water, eat fiber & protein, take a vitamin, drink some milk and exercise. I'm a big walker so I hope to get a couple of 5K's in this year.

To accomplish my goals I need to pre-plan meals with my points in mind. I get 26 daily points. Do-able. I need to lay off the carbs and carbonation.

Now I know there are multiple ways to lose weight, but I chose to use Weight Watchers. If you've got a tip you'd like to share or you want to offer some encouragement, I'd love to hear it. The weight loss journey isn't easy and will take patience, but friends make it bearable.