A is for Always be true to yourself (2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Day 1

2016 A to Z Blogging Challenge

The A to Z Blogging Challenge. Twenty-six posts in thirty days. It's doable! 

So here we go with A is for Always be true to yourself.

LAUNCH!!!

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Polonius:

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

Hamlet Act 1, scene 3

“To thine own self be true” is an often-repeated bit of advice. Polonius, who has an overblown sense of his own importance, nonetheless gives his son this very good advice. If you’re true to yourself, that is loyal to your own interests, it’s far easier to be happy and play well with others.

It took me a long time to understand the implications of those words. I struggled to be woman, daughter, wife, friend because I was afraid to be me. I lived to the expectations of others and it simply didn’t work out well.

I was thirty when I slipped the collar of my upbringing and set out, truly on my own for the first time in my life. Yes, I floundered some, but once “to thine own self be true” became my mantra, life got better. I learned to set boundaries that were true to who I am and I learned to enforce them.

Being true to yourself is a path to happiness. If your true self is caring for animals - go for it. If your true self is a gardener and sharing your produce - go for it. If your true self is being a teacher - go for it.

It’s been over a decade since I admitted to myself how important words are to me. Some people think words are merely communication tools, but to me, words are like lovers. I’m a writer, and I’ll always be true to that part of me.

Always be true to yourself. 

Rayne

www.rayneforrest.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest

Evolution sounds better than change

There are few things as constant as change. Each and every one of us experiencing change on a daily basis. Some changes we may not like but we learn to accept them. Others are immediately and fully embraced. But most of the time we're somewhere in the middle. We find ways to get along with change.

The publishing business is vastly different from when I began my journey in 2003. Digital publishing was just taking off and it was a force to be reckoned with. Small publishing houses sprang up overnight, and many vanished just as quickly. The future looked promising.

Then came change. I don't think anyone saw the magnitude of what was happening - at first. In retrospect, it's pretty clear that the people fighting digital publishing might have been on to something, although the collapse didn't happen for the reasons they feared. Or did it? Success on an individual basis has always been feared. 

Electronic publishing is here to stay - at least for a while longer. The indie author isn't going anywhere, either. But we still have to face change. We need to continually evolve. 

Today marks the end of an era for Rayne Forrest. The flooded market and piracy have taken their toll. My .com has been removed. It was my choice to give up the expense and move on to other venues. Yes, that would be free venues. Google has made it easy to find anything. Type in Rayne Forrest and you'll still find me. Rayne Forrest is also now piggy-backed on another author's website. It's a change. It's not good. It's not bad. It's an evolution. 

But does it feel a bit like defeat to give up the .com? Yes, and I'll get over it. 

Things have changed. 

Rayne
http://kckendricks.com/RayneForrest_home.html
http://rayneforrest.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rayneforrest


Money Back Guarantee

Slade Martin is under attack. An electronic thief absconded with all 
his liquid personal wealth and someone on his board of directors is plotting a hostile takeover. The obvious culprit isn’t the guilty party, and Slade gets help to find the real perpetrator from a surprise source – the lovely and capable Iris D’Vance.   

Iris D’Vance is determined not to repeat her mistakes with 
men – until she meets Slade Martin, and decides all bets are off. Accepting the invitation to sit on the board of Slade’s charitable foundation lands her in the middle corporate intrigue. Slade needs her help and makes her an offer she can’t turn down.

Slade and Iris join forces to unravel the plot to ruin Slade and 
discover their interest in each other runs deeper than sharing 
altruistic works. When the person behind Slade’s woes is found, it’s Iris who’s in danger. Slade has to act fast to bring her home safe and make good on his money back guarantee.

READ AN EXCERPT HERE.

Money Back Guarantee

Available now at online book sellers: Money Back Guarantee

Slade Martin is under attack. An electronic thief absconded with all his liquid personal wealth and someone on his board of directors is plotting a hostile takeover. The obvious culprit isn’t the guilty party, and Slade gets help to find the real perpetrator from a surprise source – the lovely and capable Iris D’Vance.  

Iris D’Vance is determined to not repeat her mistakes with men – until she meets Slade Martin, and decides all bets are off. Accepting the invitation to sit on the board of Slade’s charitable foundation lands her in the middle corporate intrigue. Slade needs her help and makes her an offer she can’t turn down.

Slade and Iris join forces to unravel the plot to ruin Slade and discover their interest in each other runs deeper than sharing altruistic works. When the person behind Slade’s woes is found, it’s Iris who’s in danger. Slade has to act fast to bring her home safe and make good on his money back guarantee. 

INTRO:

Slade stalked off the elevator, his prey dead center in the crosshairs. Primed and loaded, one word from Ms. Iris D’Vance, and he’d let the hammer fall. Damn her. He sucked in a deep breath to replace the air that whooshed out of his lungs as her appearance burned onto his corneas.

Damn her for standing in front of the windows with the sunlight coming in behind her. Every luscious curve was visible through the backlit fabric of her dress. He’d not seen anything that amazing in…well, he’d never seen anything that amazing. His temper bled away, replaced by a surge of lust. Maybe he needed to rethink his approach, and fast, before she got away with old man Farnsmore.

Iris turned slightly and spotted him. Her eyes widened, she stiffened, then her composure slid back into place. It didn’t matter. Slade had seen the sudden interest in her eyes. He held out his hand to her for a friendly handshake.

“Ms. D’Vance, I apologize for getting off on the wrong foot upstairs. I get a little nervous before board meetings.”

Iris accepted his hand. Her lips parted. He closed his fingers around hers, noting how cold hers were as he lifted them to his lips.

“I’m sorry. That was forward of me. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Her chin lifted, and her lovely hazel eyes took on a new, hard glint.

“I’m sure that well-rehearsed and very tired line still works on some women, but I assure you, I’m not one of them, Mr. Martin.”

Slade very grudgingly gave her high marks for honesty. He’d asked for that, and she’d given it to him.

“No, it doesn’t work, obviously. I’ll have to practice it.”

“Not on me, Mr. Martin. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s my ride.”

Dismissed, for God’s sake. Torpedoed.

Slade grabbed her wrist. She shot him a cold look that would have sent a weaker man to his knees.

Well, she could glare at him all she wanted to. What he had to say was important.

“Whatever it is you and Farnsmore have schemed up, I warn you now, he’ll turn on you the minute you’ve outlived your usefulness.”

Her look turned wary. “What are you talking about, Mr. Martin?”

“Don’t play stupid. I know old Reggie worked his glib tongue with the other members to get you a seat on my board. Now you’d best remember it is my board. Drop Farnsmore before you get in over your head.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Have it your way, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about Reggie and his cronies.” Slade left her standing there, turning abruptly and calling for his car.

Curse the day Reginald Farnsmore managed to wrangle a seat on the CRM board! The man was nothing but trouble. Slade slid into the driver’s seat of his vintage Cadillac. Crap. He needed to pay the permit for the gasoline engine because in his current financial straits, he couldn’t afford the steep fine for a lapse.

How did Iris fit into Reggie’s grandiose scheme to take over the board? Maybe Farnsmore thought she’d be a proper distraction. If that were the case, Slade had to admit the man had picked a woman who could get his mind on other things. Too bad she didn’t have the balls, well, ovaries, to own up to it.

The look in her eyes swam in his memory, the look of shocked confusion that she’d not been able to hide as he’d delivered his warning.

Fucking hell. His chest tightened, constricting painfully around his heart. She’d not been faking. No one could act that well. Maybe she really didn’t know.

Great, now he’d have to save both D’Vance and CRM from Farnsmore.

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IWSG - Writer's Block - an ending or a beginning?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Writer’s block are two words that strike dread into the heart of many a serious writer. You had such a great idea so what the heck is going on? You sit in front of the screen and stare. You want to write but the words won’t come.

Having suffered from this malady only a handful of times in my so-called writing career, I’ve reached a few conclusions, at least where I’m concerned.

I’ve concluded that sometimes I simply need a break.  It’s time to go blog, play on twitter, even watch television. I get busy on something else and stop obsessing over a daily word count.

My day job frequently wears me out and I don’t have energy to spare at the end of the day. I might go through a period where my life is on a social merry-go-round. Or like now, caring for my mother is taking my energy. It is what it is. 

Even when I’m not writing I’m thinking about writing. I know from experience the wheel will turn and I’ll be back at the keyboard, banging away.  

The main thing is to never give up on anything you want to have in your life. Let yourself rest if necessary, but always hold fast to the knowledge that you can find your way back to the things you love to do. Writer’s block is certainly scary, but it doesn't have to be an ending. It can be a chance to reboot, and an opportunity for renewal and regrowth. 

Search yourself for whatever is keeping you from the keyboard. Be honest about it to yourself. Don't hide from it, but learn from it instead. Write it into a story and render it unable to distract you from your path again. 

They say knowledge is power. Knowing yourself, and conquering those things which hold you back from your goals, gives you the power to achieve them.  

Rayne Forrest

Rayneforrest.blogspot.com

Mischief at Midnight - new cover up

I love Google calendars. I run several different ones because I share them with different people. It works well to have a shared calendar with my honey so I can "suggest" what he should prepare for dinner. Whether or not he actually cooks what I've suggested is fodder for another blog.

Anyway... Today marks the one year anniversary of Mischief at Midnight being out as an indie release. It's a little surprising it's been that long, but when they say time flies, they're not joking.

I've learned a lot in the last year and I decided it is perhaps time for Mischief at Midnight to get a cover do-over. It's not that I need more to do - trust me I don't - but MAM is a cute little story. You know, the tangled webs we weave and all that. What starts out as a harmless deception to help someone out with a dinner party quickly becomes an evening that's gotten out of hand. I thought it was great fun, but I confess to a bit of bias about the story.

Anyway... I decided to celebrate the success of the last year with an updated cover. Now I just have to go around to all the vendors and get it posted. That's that hard part.

Rayne
rayneforrest.blogspot.com

Raindrops on the pond

I’m not sure why, but I’ve been a bit ‘scattered’ this week. I feel like raindrops hitting the pond. All my energy ripples out from the center and is gone. 

Maybe it’s an awareness of all the things I need to accomplish over the next few weeks, or perhaps it’s just the end of a long, hard winter. Whatever the culprit, my concentration is non-existent.

Part of the problem may be that I’m physically tired. With the sudden fluctuations in the temperature, I’m not sleeping well. It’s too warm for blankets, and too cold to open a window and let some fresh air in the bedroom. 

Tired or not, the break in the weather means it’s time to start walking again. I’ve not been able to get outside on my lunch breaks since Christmas. We had a freakin' blizzard in January, you know. Thirty inches of snow. I wasn't impressed as I peered out the window. 

If you’re wondering what that has to do with writing, well, here’s the thing. If I’m going to ever go to writing full-time, I’ve got to have a good exercise regimen firmly established. I refuse to channel Jabba the Hut as I sit at my keyboard. A better me means better writing, or so I firmly believe.

So what’s up with the writing this week? I’m scattered. My alter ego is coming up on the end of a story, and the floodgate of new ideas has opened. Pick one. Pick one. PICK ONE! It’s always difficult to narrow it down to the most complete idea and forge ahead. The sooner I do, the sooner I can get back to another project.  Right? 

Rayne Forrest

rayneforrest.blogspot.com

Your Book, Your Way - IWSG

February 3, 2016

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

One of the first writing pearls of wisdom I learned was every author should write her/his story for themself.

Okay, so the above sentence isn’t perfectly grammatically correct. This is my blog so it’s written my way. Maybe it’s to prove my point or maybe because it’s to prove my point. I’ll tinder my apologies now in case the sky starts to fall.

I think it’s important for every writer to remember why they write. The little wisdom pearl is correct - write the story for yourself to please yourself. If you want to bring others into your book, you have to be there first.

Too many times, I think, worrying about what an editor or reviewer might say discourages a writer and they temper their words to please. It happened to me very early on and it was very discouraging. I eventually got over it, and I know it’s not easy to overcome. I’m even certain a wee bit of it lingers on.

I know the best stories I’ve written were for me. I’m blessed that I was able to share them. Grateful, too. But I’ll never forget the first rule of writing.

YOU are your very first reader. Write the story that at its core will make you happy. Everything else will fall in place around it.

 Rayne Forrest

http://www.rayneforrest.com

www.twitter.com/rayneforrest
rayneforrest.blogspot.com