Join Us on the TWIST OF FATE Blog Tour

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Welcome to the first stop on the Twist of Fate blog  tour! A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shawna C. Smith on our podcast, and I thought our readers could benefit from learning more about her writing process.   

My Writing Process

By Shawna C. Jones

I like to start a story by writing with paper and pen. When I hold a pen and jot down words in a notebook, my creativity opens up. It’s a freeing experience to be able to write something down, and eventually get into a flow with it. At times it seems to be an altered experience. Words start flowing, and sometimes after reading, I wonder if I actually wrote it, or if it came from somewhere else.

At any time, if I’m not sure what I want to say, I just start writing, and eventually the pen glides easily over the paper. At least for me, this seems to help “prime the pump.” Then later, finding a different way of saying something, or adding more to the picture, can give me an “aha” moment. I was once told in a writing class to not cross anything out while writing a first draft. They also advised us not to write longer than two hours, because you need to process the information you’ve written and let it percolate. Ideas for improvements could show up later that day, or in the following days.

It took several tries for me to write Twist of Fate. It started out as a memoir, but that didn’t work. Because I had so much travel in it, I felt like I was giving readers a tour. And that’s not my story, although journeying to foreign countries was an important part of it. So I decided to focus the story on the characters, and go into less detail about the landscape. I realize this way of writing doesn’t appeal to everyone. And that’s okay. It’s my story.

While reviewing my second try with the memoir style, an editor told me that certain events had to happen before this and that. She said it was a great story, but needed refining. By this time, I’d written over one hundred pages (twice), and I decided to rethink the whole process, and approach it from a different angle. I took out a lot of the travel, or used it as backstory. I removed several characters that didn’t add to the story, and weren’t really necessary. Who needs all those extras?

This new approach took another two tries by long hand before I was happy with it. Then I went to the computer and started typing. Now as I typed, other ways of making a sentence better would appear. Sometimes I would continue typing it as it was, and other times I would stop and use long hand again. Since this book is a memoir, I didn’t want to change a lot of it, but I had two separate journeys going on at the same time. I didn’t know if I could reconcile them without the story appearing disjointed. Somehow, I managed to pull it off, but don’t ask me how I did it. I just went with my soul. In fact, I would say my soul wrote a lot of this book. And sometimes in writing that’s all that’s supposed to happen.

When we get too caught up in the words, we miss something. Too much detail, for me, is distracting. I know some people prefer to have every little detail, rather than using their imagination. I’m not one of those. It will either bore me or put me to sleep.

So all in all, I wrote out my book at least four times. I had it edited three times, and proofread twice, by some terrific people. It took longer than I thought it would take: about ten months. All I know is everyone’s writing is going to be different because we’re all different. We come from various backgrounds and experiences. And guess what? It’s okay. My advice for aspiring writers is to not stop writing. Write even when you don’t feel like it. Write even if the only thing you write is about is the weather, or nonsense stuff. Deep inside you is a story dying to get out. And millions of us want to read it.

Best of luck to all of you writing. Please don’t quit.

Shawna will be awarding the winner's choice of a  $50 Amazon GC, a $50 Starbucks GC, or a crystal from Middle Earth Store in Mt. Shasta  to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour and a $25 Amazon  or  Starbucks GC to a randomly drawn host.

Enter to win a $50 Amazon GC, a $50 Starbucks GC, or a crystal from Middle Earth Store in Mt. Shasta. They will dowse for the right one for you. Value up to $60.00.(winner's choice)—a Rafflecopter giveaway)

Join Us for the Twist of Fate Book Tour!

My Spirituality

By Shawna C. Jones,

Author of Twist of Fate

Thank you for allowing me to blog on this topic today.

Spirituality to me is connecting with something greater than myself. I know there are many definitions, and I won’t even get into the specific religious ones. I believe spirituality and religion can blend, but I don’t consider myself a religious person.

I grew up with no religious beliefs, and I am grateful for that. It allowed me to choose what worked for me, and I didn’t get brain washed at a young age. I didn’t believe in God one way or the other. Perhaps God was invented by humans? If there was no God, would I be okay with that? The journey to finding your own truth may be a long one. But it’s yours and no one else’s.

Like most things in life, spirituality has to be experienced. It can’t be learned from a book or church service. In my book, I had a spiritual experience. It surprised me, since I didn’t expect it and, I don’t know if my mentor knew it would happen or not, but he must have felt I was ready to experience it. 

I would say that my search for my True Home became my spiritual journey. When I describe my home to anyone, they tell me it sounds like Heaven. And yet, I know it’s not Heaven. I don’t even believe in Heaven or Hell, but I do know there exists other dimensions and planets/stars, and even other states of consciousness. My home is a Star system of high frequency. It is called Astellerone (I’m not sure of the spelling). I get homesick just thinking about it. The good news is, I can travel there mentally at any time to be with my family and the wonderful beings that live there. Do I think I can advance even higher than that place? Quite possibly, but I don’t even know if I want to. It’s just too beautiful. And I belong there, which is huge for me.

That doesn’t diminish anyone else’s experience or place of origin. If you’re from Pleiades, Venus, Sirius, or other dimensions, you still shine a bright light on Earth, and help to uplift the planet. Most of us came here with a mission. We want to complete it regardless of what’s on our path. It relates to doing something for the planet or others here, whether to serve (help) others, anchor more light into Earth, honor all creatures (especially animals), or plant more trees. Whatever we do, we are careful to not cause more harm to a planet already in crisis.

I didn’t find my home until I had Chi Nei Tsang massages. We are carrying issues, blockages, and everything else from many, many past lives. We need to get rid of it. As Steve, my masseuse, used to say, “We’re putting more Christ light (Buddha light) into your body.”

I know this is my last life here, and I intend to complete my mission. I will resign from being a planetary healer, as I’ve done this too many times already. It’s someone else’s turn. As for this life, I intend to continue traveling, meditating, healing, and making this planet as bright as it can be. Mother Earth needs all the help she can get.

I hope everyone finds their connection to the Divine, whatever that may be. As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Thank you for reading,

Shawna

As part of the Twist of Fate Tour, Shawna is offering the following prizes to a random commentator:

A  $50.00 Amazon Gift certificate.

A half hour psychic reading of your choice of readers. (up to $60.00)

A $50.00 Starbucks gift card.

Enter to win your choice of prizes – a Rafflecopter Giveaway


Here is the full tour schedule--make sure to leave a comment!
May 26: The Reading Addict
May 27: Our Wolves Den
May 28: Writers in the Sky Podcast, Ezine and Blog
May 29: Deal Sharing Aunt
May 30: You Gotta Read Reviews
June 2: Sexy Adventures Passionate Tales
June 3: Welcome to My World of Dreams
June 4: Long and Short Reviews
June 5: Kinky Vanilla Romance
June 6: It's Raining Books

 

Nashville Author Shares Methods to Help Highly-sensitive People Shield Themselves from Detrimental Energy

Humans are connected in many ways: the air we breathe, our basic needs and physiology, and energetically/spiritually. No one feels the power of this connection more than the energy-sensitive people, known as empaths, who unknowingly pick up on the detrimental thoughts, feelings, and even the illnesses of others and their environment. Many carry this negativity as if it were their own. In fact, some empaths are so burdened with the energy of others, they are no longer aware of what their own energy feels like. Mysterious illnesses, anxiety attacks, hearing voices, seeing shadows, feeling negative, fearful, anger, or having an impending sense of dread,— you name it, they feel it. And most empathic people have no idea where this stuff is coming from.

“Around your physical body, there is a magnetic shield of energy known as your aura. Its purpose is to provide protection and gather energy and information as you interface with your environment. In grade school, we were taught to keep our hands to ourselves. The same is true with the energy field surrounding our body,” writes Nashville author Yvonne Perry in her new book, WHOSE STUFF IS THIS? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You.“Ideally, your energy field should be kept two to three feet from your body, but many untrained empaths unknowingly allow their aura to extend and blend with the energy fields of others who have lax boundaries around their auras. When empathic people tap into the thoughts or emotional impulses of another person, the intuitive gift of empathy (much stronger than heart-felt compassion) reaches in and absorbs energy in an effort to heal or ‘fix’ whatever is out of sync. In doing so, the empath can become contaminated with unhealthy energy. Unfortunately, most of them do not know how to clear the psychic clutter in their auric field.”

Yvonne is joined by psychotherapist Dr. Caron B. Goode, ED.D., NCC, DAPA to provide a fresh perspective on the psychological aspect of empathy and intuition. “Some of the characteristics that empaths display can also be diagnosed as ADD, agoraphobia, bipolar disorder, or clinical depression,” says Caron. “Most doctors and counselors are not aware that empathy fatigue exists, much less how to treat it, but this intuitive overload is a very real problem to energy-sensitive people.” Caron is the author of  Raising Intuitive Children and Kids Who See Ghosts - Guide Them Through Their Fears.

“Yvonne Perry's book thoroughly explains the process of being an empath in today's world. She provides cognitive, emotional, physical, energetic, and spiritual explanations for the origin of deep empathy, while sharing her own amazing story and the stories of others,” says transformational coach Gini Grey. “This book offers an array of powerful techniques to help empathic people create healthy boundaries, stay balanced, and release other people's energy and emotions from their personal space. This book is a must read for anyone and everyone who is sensitive to the thoughts, moods and problems of those around them.” Gini is the author of FROM CHAOS TO CALM: How to Shift Unhealthy Stress Patterns and Create Your Own Balance in Life.

Yvonne is a graduate of American Institute of Holistic Theology where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Metaphysics. For years she was enmeshed with the dogma of religion that her family and church leaders passed down to her. Before she had a label to put on her empathetic ability, she called herself an intercessor. While praying for others she empathically took on their suffering until it severely challenged her emotional and physical health. Embracing a totally different path and belief system, she now openly uses the gift of empathy to help others heal their lives. See http://WhoseStuffIsThis.com

PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.