Some of the most gratifying moments in my life come from celebrating the success of my fellow authors. Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending one of my critique partner’s first book launch. Jen, aka Super Happy Jen, writing as J.M. Filipowicz released her science fiction novel, Wardroids, published by Double Dragon Publishing!

Now, any of you who are authors or live with authors or have best friends who are authors know how incredible an achievement this is. I have to remind that readers think it’s easy to write a book, but on average, writers face an 8 year learning curve acquiring the skill set necessary for a publisher to invest their money in a book.

This event was doubly exciting because Jen was able to share the launch with her mother, fantabulously prolific, young adult writer, Sylvia McNicoll who launched her latest book Dying To Go Viral.

Jen has taken the time to hone her craft, apparent from the first chapter of Wardroids. I admit, I’m not well-read in the science fiction genre, but Jen is an author who pulled me into her world with her rich, descriptive prose. She seems to build worlds effortlessly, ones I had no problem envisioning and believing in, throughout her story. I say effortlessly because Jen always appears laid back, calm, smiling, keeping to her daily word count with young children underfoot. She consistently hands in polished pages for our critique sessions. We’re not sure how she does it.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about Wardroids, so I was interested to hear Jen talk about my favourite character Commander Adam Black. She purposely set out to over-do the stereo-typical man. I think this is brilliant. NYT best-selling author and agent Donald Maass teaches us not to write ordinary characters, but to write them over-the-top. Adam Black is over-the-top. He’s a character you don’t forget. Jen writes this gritty man’s man expertly. Rough around the edges, Adam Black is a character I rooted for from the first chapter, despite his grumpiness.

Here’s an excerpt from Wardroids when we first meet Adam as he talks with a shipmate before heading out to rescue a messed-up wardroid 32-80:

My toes are all scrunched in these goddamned space boots and I’m really not in the mood. “You have a report for me or something?” Boris is in charge of internal control, kind of like a cop only without the authority and respect. Anything happens on this ship, he writes a report about it and gives it to me. Usually they’re pretty good for a laugh.

“Nah, nothing,” Boris says. “Just hoping you and me could cut out early and hit the lounge.”

“Sure,” I say.

“Really?”

“No, not really! The goddamned wardroid blew herself up again and I have to dress up like a marshmallow and go pick up the pieces.”

“You’re the Commander. Get someone else to do it.”

I hand him the suit’s helmet. “Here, go nuts,” I tell him.

Adam may be gruff, but he’s also redeemable. He won’t send the boy because the job is too dangerous, so right away, Jen gives us a reason to like Commander Black.

In ebook and print, this is a story that has is all: wonderful characters, humour, action, suspense, even a little hopeful romance. You don’t have to be a science fiction fan to love this book!

About the Author: J M Filipowicz lives in a quiet condo on the surface of the moon, with a beautiful view of the cosmos through her geodesic dome. She spends her time imagining new worlds and writing stories by Earthlight.

Having graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in both art and writing, she occasionally paints her subconscious onto canvas and performs improv at the Staircase Theatre in Hamilton. When she has to come down to Earth, the she resides in Burlington, Ontario, Canada with her husband, two children and her dog, Worf.

Find J.M. Filipowicz’s website here
Click on the link below to order Wardroids for your Kindle right now!

After complaining to my chiropractor, he recommended a water pillow. I was ready to try anything at that point, so I bite the financial bullet and spent the $70 on a Chiroflow pillow.

After using this pillow for years now, I have just one thing to say about it.

I LOVE MY PILLOW!

This is the best thing I’ve ever given to myself, so wonderful that when I sleep away from home, I take my water pillow with me. I don’t want to be without it for one night.

By following the simple instructions, these pillows can be filled to whatever height/firmness you require. I like mine filled to capacity. Once the air is pressed out, there is no water sloshing under your head, no movement at all. I can’t tell I’m sleeping on water, but I can tell my neck is perfectly supported. The pillow molds itself into the contours of my neck.

Since my first sleep, the neck kinks were gone. No more pain. No more restless sleeps.

If you have any kind of neck or back pain, I can’t recommend this pillow enough. And it’s good for the arm muscles when you make your bed in the morning because it’s heavy.

I think everyone should treat themselves to one of these pillows, so I Googled it and was thrilled to find it on Amazon, quite a bit cheaper than what I paid. The link below sells the pillow for $29.99 with free shipping!

Go. Click. Enjoy. And may you have a perfect sleep!

I needed to learn the philosophy behind this law. I needed to change my thinking.

The Law of Attraction is likely old news to many people, but lately, I’ve been feeling that I needed a reminder. I want my life to be as ideal as possible.

For those who don’t know the book, the philosophy is simple. Your thoughts create your reality. In other words, the circumstances you think about or dwell on are the things you attract into your life. For instance, if you’re suffering financial hardship, you may worry about paying the bills. Your thoughts may be focused on not having enough money. These ‘not having enough’ thoughts are detrimental to your well-being. You’re focused on your lack of money/security which is the opposite of what you want to bring into your life. Instead, your thoughts should only dwell on prosperity, on having abundant wealth, on what it feels like to have a healthy bank account etc. This way, you will draw into your life what you want, not what you don’t want.

But there’s another significant benefit to focusing our thoughts on what we want. It feels good. Good for your mind, good for your body, good for your soul. Negative thoughts increase stress. And we all know stress is a killer.

I can read the same book at various stages in my life and different words will resonate. Years ago, when I read this passage, a reminder of who I am and why I’ve come into this life, the words seemed to jump off the page:

“I will assume an identity with a clear and specific perspective. I will learn to see myself from that point of view and I will enjoy being seen as that point of view. I will observe what surrounds me and my response to what I observe will cause my own valuable personal preferences to be born.”

I’m here to learn a new perspective, as a woman, as a mother, as a wife, as a sister, as a friend, as a writer, as a Canadian, etc.

Nothing and no one comes into our life that we have not attracted. We have the ability to live a joyous, flourishing life. Try watching your thoughts today and take a moment to feel love for whatever it is that would make your life perfect. Remember your thoughts are powerful!

I’ve had back pain most of my adult life exacerbated by my sit-down jobs. I never want to give up writing, so my word-count goals now include exercise breaks. If I don’t take time to stretch, my back lets me know.

There are many yoga videos online, but I’ve found an easy one for lower back pain that takes about 20 minutes and leaves my body feeling relaxed and energized. This is one I try to do before bed:

Another option is to purchase a stand-up writing desk like the one Carole St. Laurent has here. Carole also has fabulous information on the proper writing posture and ergonomic set-up for pain free writing sessions.

Here’s another yoga video recommended by my chiropractor:

If anyone has a yoga video that makes their back feel better or their body feel limber, please share!

I like food. I like to cook, but as I grow older, two things have have become important to me.

1. I want the food I eat to do my body good.

2. I don’t want to spend a long time in preparation.

I am on a mission to increase my overall well-being. Earlier this year, I did a bio-energetic session that tested my food intolerances. I learned my body is not processing wheat properly. It’s likely none of our systems are happy with wheat. Wheat has been genetically engineered to the point where our bodies don’t know what to do with it.

My nutritionist also recommended I reduce my dairy intake. I talked about why dairy isn’t that good for us here on Carole St. Laurent’s healthy writing blog.

I have always eaten a high fibre cereal for breakfast, but with intolerances identified, wheat cereal drenched in cow’s milk was out. I turned to one grain I can eat: quinoa.

The following recipe is delicious. It may take a bit of time to make, but once done, it lasts me for days.

Quinoa Breakfast for a Healthy Brain

Step 1:

• 1 cup quinoa – rinsed in a tightly meshed strainer.
• 2 cups water

Bring the quinoa and water to boil in a small pot, then turn it down and let it cook on low until all the water is absorbed.

Step 2:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. maple syrup
• 1 tbsp. pure coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp. dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Cook all these ingredients over low heat for about 20 minutes until the milk is absorbed. This recipe makes 2 servings.

Coconut oil feeds the brain, protecting against dementia, so I started added it to my breakfast. You can read about coconut oil here on Carole’s blog. Walnuts are good brain food too as is cinnamon which also has many surprising health benefits – regulates blood sugar, reduces cholesterol, arthritic pain, Alzheimer’s and chronic inflammation. Read more here.

I hope you enjoy this delicious breakfast because a healthy body contributes to a perfect life!

If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully. – Anita Diamant, The Red Tent

It’s Mother’s Day and as with every day, I can’t imagine life without my three kids. At the moment I feel blessed to say that being a mother makes life pretty close to perfect.

Years ago, I read a book that gave me mothering perspective like no other book ever has, Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent.

This is a story about mothers and daughters, about ancient womanhood. It’s a story taken from the bible and told from the point of view of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, the one who had a dozen brothers. Remember Joseph and his coat of many colours? If you do, it’s because Joseph was a man. Dinah’s story didn’t get much of a word count in Genesis where the voices of women went unheard.

Dinah had four mothers—Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah—sisters who shared a husband. The red tent was the menstrual tent where women gathered to nurture each other, share wisdoms and pass down stories. This was the ultimate girl’s time. Here’s an excerpt of her mothers through Dinah’s eyes:

‘Like any sisters who live together and share a husband, my mother and aunties spun a sticky web of loyalties and grudges. They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me, the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember.’

After reading The Red Tent, I wanted to change the way I mothered. I wanted to bring forward ancient celebrations and tell cherished stories. I wanted to give my daughters things I never got from my mother. I wanted them to learn to love and value themselves and to be sure they drew on their inner wisdom. I wanted them to come together to celebrate their accomplishments and to overcome defeats. Most of all I want my daughters to always remember to mother themselves.

Every mother is different in strengths and weaknesses, perhaps that’s why it takes a village to raise a child. This mother’s day, I’m grateful for all the family and friends who are like mothers to my children.

One of the things that would be found in a perfect day for me, would be The Red Tent. I think every person should read this book, so please use the link below to treat yourself and spend the day with Dinah and her story.

Now, one last excerpt:

‘I can still feel how my mothers loved me. I have cherished their love always. It sustained me. It kept me alive. Even after I left them, and even now, so long after their deaths, I am comforted by their memory.

I carried my mother’s tales into the next generation, but the stories of my life were forbidden to me, and that silence nearly killed the heart in me. I did not die but lived long enough for other stories to fill up my days and nights. I watched babies open their eyes upon a new world. I found cause for laughter and gratitude. I was loved.

And now you come to me—women with hands and feet as soft as a queen’s, with more cooking pots than you need, so safe in child-bed and so free with your tongues. You come hungry for the story that was lost. You crave words to fill the great silence that swallowed me, and my mothers, and my grandmothers before them.

I am so grateful that you have come. I will pour out everything inside me so you may leave this table satisfied and fortified. Blessings on your eyes. Blessings on your children. Blessings on the ground beneath you. My heart is a ladle of sweet water, brimming over.’

These words give me goose bumps. Hurry now! Buy The Red Tent!

My vision may not be yours, but my hope is that this blog will be an accumulation of our favourite things, books, products, destinations, wisdoms, whatever it is that contributes to the achievement of our perfect lives.

First blog post is scheduled for Mother’s Day. I’m sharing a favourite thing that influenced my mothering perspective.