Cloud Nine Girl

Where I plan to buy it

It’s 7:28 a.m., Sunday morning, as I write this post, and I’m glancing out my patio door, watching the sun rise over the tops of the trees. I’m sipping my first cup of coffee shivering at the thought of the temperature outside. My mind drifts. I think of my mother, and how she used to rouse me from the bed with the sound of the piano and something beautiful she played like Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata. I can almost hear the songs now and I’m smiling so big I want to call her, but she lives in a different time zone and I don’t want to wake her so early.

My mother is the great Influencer in my life. She’s the one who introduced me to books and the entire series of Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I couldn’t read until I was almost eight years old. I had a mild learning disability and a lazy eye that didn’t catch up until right about that age, and also right about that age, I came down with the worst case of the flu I could ever imagine.

I slept in the basement, on my grandma’s old green pull-out couch. My mother was right there next to me, tucking me in, making me drink fluids, and of course, reading to me every moment I lay awake. She has a lovely voice, and I remember her opening Little House in the Big Woods and filling my pain-filled head with beautiful images that took away some of the misery.

I went to Amazon.com this morning and I searched for the book. I reread the first couple of pages in the preview section and sighed out-loud. It captured me again.

First of all, the book starts with my favorite fairy tale opener: Once Upon a Time … my fingers and toes already begin to curl up with excitement.

Next, the writing in the book builds up the imagination. Right from the get go, Laura Ingalls Wilder builds the scene in the simplest and cleanest way to where you are immediately pulled into the woods in Wisconsin. You see the trees, the bears, the wildlife she encountered as a young child. You meet Laura and you learn her language and the reasons why it was used. Ms. Wilder talks to the reader like she’s sitting there next to you explaining the relevance of the past with the present. I love this storytelling technique.

Last thought. Her stories are full of adventure, life and realism. There’s an edge of excitement. There’s a definite picture she creates. I can see it. I can feel it. I want that my for kids, too.

How about you? What was your all time favorite childhood book?

• GRAND PRIZE: $20 Amazon Gift Card + Swag
• Two runner-ups will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card

• October 18th – Kristy @ Kristy Centeno
• October 18th – Ladies @ One More Chapter
• October 18th – Sapphyria @ Sapphyrias Book Reviews
• October 18th – Maria @ Queen of the Night Reviews
• October 18th – Marissa @ Musings of a Fantasy Writer’s Life
• October 18th – END BLOG: Laurie @ Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews

All tour information is here: http://junipergrovebooksolutions.com/bulletproof-regan-black

*Don’t forget to find and write down the word in green.
Thanks for reading.

Today, I’m giving away a free digital ARC (an advanced reader copy) of the book One More Day, with permission from J. Taylor Publishing.

The Theme: 

What if today never ends?
What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—never happens?

The Details:

E-mail me

http://www.pinterest.com

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
~Harriet Tubman

…Once we know what our passion is.

Last week I mentioned brainstorming a list of topics and interests. Maybe you took the time and sorted the list, or maybe, if you’re like me, you have a million interests and you’re having trouble picking one from another because they both make you happy. So what do you do?

Topic two in the process of passion hunting, is all about using your interests.

I have many interests. For the longest time, I thought I’d become a Dietitian. As a kid, I was overweight. I ate terrible. I didn’t exercise all that much. With the promise of high school lingering the end of my eighth grade year, I vowed to change myself. I read everything I could on nutrition. I listened to tapes about training the mind. I got involved. I started taking aerobics classes, and that’s when the weight fell off. I started college with the plan to become a Dietitian wanting to help others, but quickly changed my mind once I joined the club in school. I still loved the thought of nutrition and exercise, but I turned that passion into something else. I became an aerobics instructor, using a couple of different interests from dance, public speaking, and still I found, I could mentor others. The workshops also gave me the energy and passion I needed to continue to feed my busy mind. I developed courage in standing in front of a crowd I never thought I’d master again after moving from a smaller town to somewhere much bigger. And maybe someday, I’ll even write some sort of magazine article about my own struggles through the weight loss process. I’d also be combining yet another one of my interests. Nutrition + Writing + Public Speaking = DEFINITE PASSION.

So in thinking about your own list of dreams, is there a possibility in combining a few of them? Is there a possibility in transforming a love from your past into something today you could do because you love the act of doing it? Maybe volunteer. Become a coach. If you wanted to be an astronaut growing up, what about studying the stars and finding a really great telescope. The reality might also be that some of your interests won’t pay the bills 100%. But at least you’ll get some of that necessary energy and passion you might have been craving and haven’t felt for so long.

Last thought for my Monday on Passion is this:

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