BOOK REVIEW: Between the Dark and the Daylight

Between the Dark and the Daylight: Embracing the Contradictions of Life 

by Joan Chittister 

 To be honest, I struggled with this review. Maybe it just not the right time to read it or maybe it not meant for me. Whatever the reason, I support what the author is saying. I think this book shares great insights. However, I just didn't connect with it. But that is my station. I do recommend this as a wonderful spiritual read. The contradictions and paradoxes in life need to be grappled with to reach peace and understanding. God is attainable, near and accepting. I believe spiritual understanding can be simple. Not easy, but simple. 

I will keep this book on my shelf and one day pick it up again. 

 

My Novel

I wanted to take a moment and talk about my novel. Ages from Eternity released June of 2015. It is still surreal and even though I almost finished with the sequel, I still have a hard time thinking of myself as an author. A lot of the time, I doubt myself. I think that is normal for most people, especially artist types. We don't think we are good enough and we measure ourselves against unrealistic standards. There were errors in my book..."Oh no I am a terrible writer!" There are errors in other authors' book..."oh well it happens, doesn't change the story." 
Some days I think I'm strange. Grieving the loss of a character I killed off or neurotically running a certain scene over and over in my head to only delete it completely. 
I worry about the cover art, the font, the content, every curse, every word and other days I just let the characters do what they want. 
For me, writing is a spinning, twirling, terrifying, nauseating, wonderful ride. I am not perfect. I am not as good as I want to be but I have a lifetime to work and grow. Thank you to those who put up with me, encourage me and love this crazy world creation. 

Ages from Eternity is years in the making, most of that spent in my head, hidden from the world. It is the first book in a series that follows extraordinary people that are just as clueless, messed up and wonderfully unique as the rest of us. 

I am brand new to the writing scene. I am putting in the time and work and I have the desire but I still have a ways to go. If you like the story, tell a friend. If you want to know more about the characters, the Realm or myself, find me on twitter or facebook. Check out my website. loradouglas.com. 

There will be a sale before Christmas on Amazon if you want to pick up my novel for yourself or for a friend. 

There is some harsh language, violence and mild sexual content just as a heads up. 

Book 2 will be completed in the coming months, with an expected release of Spring 2016. 

Thank you to my readers, my supporters, my critics and my fans. 

http://www.amazon.com/Ages-Eternity-1-Lora-Douglas/dp/0692418148/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448136138&sr=8-1&keywords=ages+from+etern

ity

Eleanor by johnny worthen

(Disclaimer: I do book reviews by my own choosing. Not all books I read get a review. Sometimes I do it for friends or people who ask but if I don't like the book, I don't post a review. These are my honest opinions. Thanks for reading.)

Just finished reading Eleanor by Mr. Johnny Worthen. Wonderful story! The bitterness of reality and human emotion mixed with the gritty truth of how myths could play out paints a life of a being (Eleanor) worthy of our attention. 
Personally, I normally don't read YA literature. I find the cookie cutter, teen romance and coming of age tale to be, too often, sugar coated and fluffed into a fantasy of real life. Not all YA is like this but I have read enough that I tend to shy away from the genre. (Not saying the authors or books are bad, this is just a personal preference). I enjoy books with grit and sweat and confusion. Real life is tough and dirty and I gravitate to stories that mirror that to some extent. Now, I enjoy butterflies and happy endings as much as the next woman or hopeful romantic but I want some pain in there too. I like to escape into a fantasy world and recover from the stings of life but I still like a story with some sting of its own. 
Eleanor did that for me. It was sweet and wrought with the pains and confusion of first love and the infuriating, hormone wreaked storm of growing up. It carried the love and triumph along with the sorrow and fear that makes up life. 
Thank you Mr. Worthen, Johnny, for this glimpse into the life of Eleanor. She is not only loved by you, David and Tabitha anymore. You have shared her with the world. I love her too. Thank you for this novel and I look forward to reading Celeste. 

Check out Eleanor and more titles by johnny worthen. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK6BAVC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

Confessions

Guilty pleasures...

We all have them. Things, part of your brain knows you shouldn't like, but you do. These things tend to make you laugh or plaster that stupid grin on your face. 

So what are your guilty pleasure songs? 

Songs you crank up in the car when you're alone?

Songs you jam out to like a damn fool? 

Songs that transform the nearest item into a microphone and force you to sing until your coughing?

What songs do you hate to love? 

Here are five from my list. 

Wiggle - Jason Derulo ft. Snoop Dogg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiP14ED28CA

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE

Kiss from a Rose - Seal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yivLt9cTaio

I Drive Myself Crazy - NSYNC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikI-4D_1s-c

Whiskey in the Jar - Metallica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boanuwUMNNQ


Had to add another because Whiskey in the Jar is just awesome and doesn't deserve the title of Guilty Pleasure Song because no guilt here...

I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - Pitbull
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tMV96xULk

"Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair
Only worry in the world is the tide going to reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise"
--'Knee Deep' Zac Brown Band

I have never been an ocean girl. The sand and swimsuit thing was never for me. I was raised in a land where water came rarely unless it was flowing from the hose into a mud pit my parents dug in the backyard. Now I love water. I was a mud duck before I could walk but the beach...that was another thing all together. I never saw the ocean until I was in High School and the closest I ever was to the beach (other than a short vacation) was when I worked in Brazil for three months. I enjoyed looking at the ocean, the waves, sun and sand but I didn't like being on it.

Funny how things change....

Recently I moved to the beach for breathing issues and I think I am falling in love with the ocean. Sand don't bother me. I look good and feel confident in my swimwear and I don't care if anyone disagrees. The sun, the waves, the smell of salt air...I love it. The best part...I can breath. (Out of both nostrils at the same time! I didn't think that was normal....it is awesome).
Yesterday, I was lying on the beach, breathing and editing my novel. I got my book, my post-it notes, my pen and I was enjoying myself. I was at least 8 feet from the water. Not being a former beach girl...I still have stuff to learn...like about the tide. I was lost in my own world when I heard a guy run by. Most of the people run near the water so I was a decent distance from the runners. I looked up and haha. I was on my stomach facing the water so I got a great view of the approaching tide. Luckily the wave stopped about a foot and a half from me so I had time to get my stuff and move before the next pulse of water.

So now I understand. Thank you Zac Brown for preparing me for real life. Next time, I will be prepared and know whether or not the tide will reach my paperwork.

My sincerest gratitude to you and the guy who ran past me.

The itch

Holy gumballs it itches....
Let your head fill in the blank just as long as your brain ain't residing in the gutter. 

That's what I thought. :)

Seems like ages since I have been well enough, functioning enough, sane enough to be insane enough to write. Now I am on the mend, lost enough, and collected just enough marbles to be able to loss them all in the fabulous world that doesn't really exist at all. My imaginary escape. Got a major itch to write. 

So why am I here talking to you people? 

a. I am so much of an ADD brain that I have to multitask. 
b. I am a kind soul that felt you wanted to be filled in. 
c. No matter how much I want to do something, or need to do something, I am a procrastinator at heart. 
d. Too many people can hear me and to write I must talk aloud.
e. So excited that I just can't shut up so I am in my world and talking to you in yours

Feel free to pick the answer you enjoy most....cause it is probable, completely true ;) 

To my readers out there: "You are an exceptional group of weirdos...don't ever change."
To my friends and family: "Here is a hug just for you. You get me through the shit of life." 
To the reader that just stumbled along and found this blog: "Welcome. To quote the Cheshire cat, 'we're all mad here.' If you like my stuff, awesome! Tell a friend (or a stranger). If it's not for you, I hope find something that is." 

Have a happy Saturday. 

Book Review 'He Wanted the Moon'

He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him

By Mimi Baird

I recently read picked up 'He Wanted the Moon' due to my interest in mental illness and the human experience. I was overwhelmingly pleased with the raw and true approach of the author.

There was no romanticizing, no sugar coating, no skirting the details and for that I commend Mimi Baird. Stories of life are far from easy, especially those woven with illness. To tell the story of a created character or even of a stranger is one thing but to tell the story of one you love, a father, and to do it so well, with so much honesty is inspiring. 

Mimi, if you ever read this, please know that as someone who can empathize, thank you for what you did in honor of your father. His story lives on and he is still teaching others about life. Thank you for staying true to his plight. Well done. I hope one day to measure up to the honor you have shown in my own right with stories I have left to tell.