Creating Sparks That Last & All Things Relationships

Books that rewire your brain Ever read one of those books that stay with you forever? Yeah, me too. This month I had the priviledge of accepting a review request from Dr Thomas Jordan for his book Learn to Love: Guide to Healing Your Disappointing Love Life.  This is not a s*x book, I'm not interested in those. What I am interested in, is books that enrich our relationships, and this is one such book . My Review: What I Loved: In his writing, Dr Thomas Jordan helps the reader to clearly identify past hurts that need a positive spin. That's the basic premise. What follows is deeply researched information that pulls feelings out of our hurts and replaces them with improved thought processes and behaviours that we, ourselves , are responsible for.  Yes, it's possible our hurts come from way back, but there comes a point when it is up to us to take responsibility and action for a better way of dealing with these emotions. POW! That is how you take your power back and redirect...

Reflection, Relationships, Romance Book Review: Watercolors and Tears by Jose Orlando Castaneda My review follows a request by the author who gifted me with a digital copy of Watercolors and Tears . My Thoughts: It was a moving tale that I did not want to rush. The observations by the author on human nature were evocative, made poignant by the fact that they were based on real situations told to the author. I truly wanted to absorb the resonance of the main characters portrayed.  Manuel and Elvira started their lives together full of promise and soon wanted more for themselves and their family. This resulted in separate quests for a decade; what follows, is a story of deep self-reflection, resilience, tenuous relationship longevity. What I loved about the book: I have many highlights to share with you from the story, first and foremost was Elvira's depth of knowledge as she grew into womanhood searching for a meaningful life. She falls under the guidance of Sister Felisa where she ...

Review:  Sisters in the Outback By Pura from Rosas Viajeras Sisters in the Outback  is a beautifully written short story that follows two adult sisters on a long-awaited weekend escape to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. More than just a travel narrative, it’s a reflective and moving piece about the connection between siblings, with the land, and within oneself. As someone who has visited this remarkable part of Australia, I found the story both relatable and moving. The story traces the sisters’ journey from their home to the heart of the Red Centre. From the anticipation of travel to the stillness of sunrise at Uluru, the author captures not only the physical beauty of the landscape but also the emotional significance of the trip.  What I loved most was how powerfully the story conveyed the visceral experience of being in Uluru Kata Tjuta. The descriptions of the changing light over the rock formations were so vivid, I was transported back to my own visit. The spiritual ...

Exciting Times HAPPY WINTER in the southern hemisphere and HAPPY SUMMER in the northern hemisphere. It's been a busy month of May and I have lots of fun news to share with you . Pets, Books and Adventure I'll start with the surprise I promised to reveal in last month's blog post. (ICYMI: May’s Blog Post ) You might know that I write children's books under a pseudonym, but what you might not know, is that I have a part-true / part-fiction story on preorder right now.  The story centre's around my furniece, Captain Binky, a real cat who went from street cat, to sailor cat, to landlubber. Her latest release tells of the adventures and scary experiences she encountered on her flight home to find a new house. By a lucky twist of fate, I got to see her in her own home soon after they moved in, and that's when Binky's second story idea struck. Included in her book, are photographs of Binky warmly ensconced in her favourite cosy spots. Binky and Jude stayed at a cat...

2025 Is the Year of Nonstop Surprises Well, for me it has been, anyway. And I'm here to share my excitement with you. After taking the month of April off to rest up after the unprecedented success of Love & Laughter's launch in March, I feel revitalized enough to continue... ...with another book launch!   If you read last month's blog post, you'll know about my new mini-memoir, Sisters in the Outback: An Uluru Adventure (Pocket Guide to the Magic of Place) . If you didn't read last month's blog post, you now know about it! But for those who are curious, you can read March’s blog post here:  New Beginnings By a serendipitous error, Sisters in the Outback is already open for preorders!  Honestly, this whole experience has been ordained by the universe, from beginning to end [more on that in the book itself]. The preorder error I made was a misunderstanding on Amazon's calendar, and since it was the second time I'd made the same mistake - what can I s...

Exciting times ahead! With book launch successfully tucked away in March, I can now focus on new projects! I’m excited! Book two in A Midlife Romcom Series is well on its way and is over the halfway mark. And I am bursting to share the surprises that the residents of Pelican Cove have got in store for you! But, you’ll have to wait. Suffice to say there are exciting adventures with lovestruck dramas and a few new candidates for a bit of romance 🤣🤣 The working title is Marriage & Mayhem (and some pandemonium). But if you’re curious about how the launch for Love & Laughter went in March, I’ll link some of the interviews for you: Sue’s Musings: Love & Laughter Intrepid Reader and Baker: Love & Laughter These were really special to me. And if they’ve whetted your appetite for more, the purchase link for Love & Laughter is below. She's a local yogi toying with new love in midlife; he's suave Captain Underpants, too cocksure for his own good. But when he finds ou...

End of Month Giveaway Draw ***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED*** Hello again avid readers! Launch month for Love & Laughter has gone so well and the book has been received with much positivity!  This has made me even more excited for our end-of-month giveaway! I want to be certain that any subscribers to the blog who would like the opportunity to win either a paperback (AUS/NZ), or digital pack (International), have the chance to - or just as importantly, have the choice not to, enter the draw. AUS/NZ Paperback prize:   Signed paperback of Love & Laughter, cover art bookmark International Digital pack:   ePUB of Love & Laughter, cover art wallpaper for smartphone with a quote from Love & Laughter. If it is something you are NOT interested in winning, please reply to this email. I know from my own reading experience, that not every book is for everyone and indeed shouldn't be, as we wouldn't have multiple genres to read and/or write if that were the case. I will b...