REGINA'S UNIVERSE
"Where the universe of writing and reading comes alive!"
Editor: Regina Paul
September 2006
Issue#10
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CONTENTS
o Editor's News
o Article: Feng Shui and the Working Writer by Regina Paul
o Article: On Writing: Defeating Self-defeating Talk By Pamela White
o Book Review: Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper
o Book Review: Buzzmarketing: Get People To Talk About Your Stuff
(A Book Review)By Joy Cagil
o Thank you to New Subscribers
o Advertisements
o Copyright Info
o Your Subscription Info
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o Editor's News
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Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all enjoying this last bit of Summer before the
colder weather comes, I know I am!
I will be posting a new chapter of Soul Memories by the end of next
week, so stay tuned for an e-mail by then regarding this.
There is a new place to check out some of the digital art I've been
working on when I have a free moment, which while it isn't often,
this is a nice way for me to relax and still be creative in between
writing. Right now there is only one piece posted there but I will
be posting more soon! You can take a look here:
http://artzone.daz3d.com/?reginapaul Feel free to let me know what
you think in the comments section.
There is a new contest posted for a Destiny's Choices tote bag! Just
do the usual, send me an e-mail at tiwatz@yahoo.com with the
words "DC tote bag," and you'll be entered in the contest. The
contest will run from September 6, 2006-October 6, 2006, so be sure
to enter!
I'm holding off a bit on the monthly special, as I'm thinking about
some different things to offer. If you have an idea of something you
might like to see for a special, don't hesitate to drop me a line
with your ideas. J
Angel has a few new entries in her blog, but she's waiting to get
some questions from her fans, so don't miss out on another
opportunity to win a cool prize, send your questions to
tiwatz@yahoo.com, with "Ask Angel" in the subject line. If she picks
your question to answer, you win!
www.angelwhitedoveonalienabductions.blogspot.com
Don't forget about "Ask Regina," as this is a third opportunity to
win something. Just send me your questions to tiwatz@yahoo.com,
with "Ask Regina" in the subject line. If your question gets picked
to be answered in my blog or during a chat you win a cool prize!
There are also a few new postings on my personal blog:
http://www.reginapaul.bravejournal.com/profile.php
Also, I have new articles published at Associated Content, a few of
which will be of interest to writers and readers, so take a look
when you have a chance. You can find them here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/10892/regina_paul.html
Have a great September!
Regina Paul
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o Feng Shui and the Working Writer by Regina Paul
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Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of arranging objects in order
to affect the environment in a positive way. Now I'll bet you're
wondering what the heck Feng Shui has to do with writing, right?
Believe it or not, not so very long ago I would've looked at a title
like this one and thought the same thing. Oh, I had read a Feng Shui
book or two, and thought about applying bits and pieces of the
philosophy to my home but I didn't follow through. That is until I
started doing research for an article on how the practice could help
my writing. I was stunned to discover that many writers use Feng
Shui techniques to improve their writing life.
Clear the Clutter
One of the first things you hear about when you begin reading about
Feng Shui is how important it is to clear the clutter. That's right,
the most important thing to remember is to "pick up your toys." The
idea around this is that clutter blocks the energy or chi from
freely moving in your work space and home, and as such allows that
energy to become stagnant which can affect us as writers by causing
things like writer's block, and being uninspired.
One way you can clear the clutter is to start by putting all your
loose papers into three piles. One for what you have to keep, one
for what you're not sure whether to keep or not, and one for the
papers you can recycle. This makes it easy to go through your papers
quickly. Then make sure you file or in some other fashion put away
what you need to keep, and then find a place for what you're not
sure about until you can move into one of the other piles, and of
course shred and or recycle the final pile.
Once you've done this, it's just a matter of picking up anything
else and putting it away that is laying around, particularly around
your home office or workspace, although it helps to employ this
technique throughout your home.
Clear off Your Desk
Yes, I know it sounds really weird. However, in order to put those
things on your desk which will help you to be a better and more
productive writer, you first need to clear your desk off.
If you have a file for where you keep papers relating to your
current projects, or disk holders, staplers and tape dispensers,
this is a good time to find another place for them, perhaps a small
table to the left or right of your desk. Believe it or not having a
clear desk space except for a few small items helps you to stay
focused and concentrate on your writing.
The Bagua Map
Some items you can add to your desk space are, quartz crystals
(these help specifically with concentration), or a small water
fountain which can help by adding positive ions to the air, and the
sound is relaxing as well. Another good possibility, particularly if
you have a book out is a framed copy of your book cover. This
reminds you of your successes so far and is another way to help you
stay focused.
You can even take this one step further by visualizing what is
termed a bagua map, which is a rectangular map with 9 equal
sections. The bottom three squares from left to right are Knowledge
& Self Cultivation, Career, and Helpful People and Travel. The
middle three from left to right are Health & Family, Center, and
Creativity & Children. The top three are Wealth & Prosperity, Fame &
Reputation, and Love & Marriage.
You can place your quartz crystal in the Creativity & Children
square in order to help increase your creativity. You could also put
it in your Career area to enhance conditions with your career. This
might be especially helpful to a beginning writer trying to
jumpstart his/her career.
If you have decided to have a framed copy of your book cover on your
desk, in order to increase sales you could put this in the Wealth &
Prosperity or Career part of the bagua map on your desk.
Flowing water can draw money to you according to Feng Shui, so
putting this in the Wealth & Prosperity area is one way to possibly
increase your sales as well.
These are just a few ways you can arrange your desk according to
Feng Shui in order to help you with your writing career.
Some Basics
A few other basics of Feng Shui are not to have your back to the
door. This fosters a feeling of being watched, and of not knowing
who might come up behind you which is uncomfortable. Since it is
difficult to concentrate if you are worrying about such things, it
is instead a good idea to have your desk situated in such a way that
you can see the door. If this is not possible, one way to correct
the problem according to Feng Shui is to hang a small mirror so that
you can glance at it and see your doorway. That way you can see if
someone is entering your home office.
Another tenet of Feng Shui is to have a wall at your back. This
helps you to feel supported in your writing. Even better hang a
picture of a mountain there, and double the feeling of security.
Want to keep the good energy flowing through your office space? Keep
the clutter to a minimum. Open windows periodically and circulate
the air in your space when possible. Don't have a window? Open the
door to your office and the closest window to it, the air will
eventually circulate through your home office. This coupled with a
small desktop water fountain will keep the energy or chi flowing
smoothly in your home office or work space.
These are just a few ideas for using Feng Shui to help you with your
writing career, there are many others which can be found in numerous
articles and books which are available. I have personally tried the
ones mentioned here and found them to be very effective in helping
me to stay focused. I've also noticed an increase in what I am
offered for articles which I've written, and an increase in book
sales. So, what have you got to lose? A little time maybe while you
set everything up, but I think you'll find the benefits of Feng Shui
far outweigh that little bit of time you lose initially in getting
started.
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o On Writing: Defeating Self-defeating Talk By Pamela White
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On Writing: Defeating Self-defeating Talk
By Pamela White
I've been writing for ten years but it's only been in the last year
and a half that I've been selling to national magazines, earning
larger checks, and creating my own writing business that both
satisfies me and promotes my work.
What kicked off my writing success? I like to think of "her" as the
final straw that broke my inner critic's back.
I was hired to work in a testing center. There were two of us,
working one day a week, watching candidates taking certification
exams for their professions. Why did I want the job? As I told the
woman who hired me, "I'm a writer. I need a steady paycheck for the
times when the writing dries up." And at that time the writing
seemed to be drying up...inside of me.
I liked the job just fine, but my co-worker was another story. After
a few months she began ridiculing me, telling me that I wasn't a
writer and had never sold any of my work. I pointed out my weekly
newspaper column. I argued with her, listing the magazines I'd just
been published in. I told her how I was starting a newsletter
online. She laughed. She called me a liar. She told me I was a
terrible writer.
And I denied all that she said.
How did this help me? I'd always told myself the exact things she
was now saying to me: "You're no writer! This essay is terrible.
Give it up. You'll never make it." But where I couldn't argue with
my inner critic, I found the voice to protect against and to defend
myself to my co-worker. Here, sitting across the office from me, was
my inner critic personified. It was an incredible opportunity for me
to face down my own insecurities as I refused my co-worker any power
over me.
Despite her predictions of doom, I built a website and started a
newsletter. She countered by doing the same and telling me how much
better hers was. I liked her website. It was cute and fun. I told
her so.
It didn't appease her. She critiqued each of my newsletters as they
arrived in her email box. I told her that her newsletters were funny
and wished her well. Still, it was knowing that she was watching me
and hoping for my failure that kept me on schedule. This newfound
dedication to my writing career -- a direct result of my co-worker's
negative comments -- attracted advertisers for my newsletter, and
editors who asked me to write for them.
My co-worker's anger increased as she fell behind in her planned
publication schedule. Her language deteriorated and the day she
threatened to get me fired, using a smattering of obscenities, I
quit. It was time to leave anyway. Suddenly I found myself with
several writing students and felt pretty sure that the writing
wasn't going to dry up any time soon.
I kept publishing my newsletter and chatting on my discussion list.
I was doing well but was hired for a regular, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
job.....as a writer! What a coup. I wrote about this in my
newsletter. Within 12 hours of sending that out, two Yahoo! ID's
created that very day joined my discussion list and sent messages
raging on me and my lack of talent. They both claimed to have been
scammed by me for hundreds of dollars. They gave my address and
phone number and promised to post messages all over the internet. I
felt sick and my inner critic had a few good hours of beating me
down.
Then I grew strong.
It only took a Google search to find a program that would trace the
IP of the sender. Sure enough, it was my former co-worker. I banned
her from my list and sent a message telling her to stop, or else.
She stopped...for a while. But by the time she'd come back, I had
more students, more published clips, and a new book underway.
Standing up to her had taught me how to stand up to myself, to
refuse to cave into that part of me that told me I was a loser.
Every once in a while she still posts, but lately it's been
questions about why I haven't done something. Recently she wrote to
ask why I haven't written that new class I talk about on my website.
Hmm, I thought, why haven't I written the new class? So, not only
did I write the new class, I sent a thank you to her newest alter
ego. "When you wrote me that note asking when the cookbook writing
class would be ready, I decided I had to get moving on it. I
researched, wrote and interviewed, and am busy writing the lessons
right now. I have two students signed up for the first session
already, and I have you to thank for that."
Not surprisingly, she didn't sign up for the class.
I can't wait until she writes me again. I could use the push to
finish my novel.
© 2006 Pamela White
About the Author: Pamela White has been published in Writer's
Digest, ByLine Magazine, Home Cooking, Back Home, Low Carb Energy,
Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, Without a Clue, Third Degree,
and multiple online periodicals. Her website – http://www.food-
writing.com – is home to her food writing newsletter, book and
online classes. Sign up for her newest ezine: "The Writing Parent"
at http://www.thewritingparent.net.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pamela_White
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o FEATURED BOOK REVIEW: Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper
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CHILL OF FEAR
KAY HOOPER
August 2005
ISBN#: 0-553-80317-4
Bantam Books
Hardback
Romantic Suspense
325 Pages
$25.00
Rating: 5 Worlds
Diana Brisco has spent the majority of her life thinking she is
unhealthy mentally. Being on drugs for most of her life as well
hasn't helped her, it is only recently that she finally finds a
doctor who says the drugs aren't helping her, and instead suggests
getting off all of them. When Diana does this, she feels mentally
clear, but somewhat emotionally weak. Her whole life she has
suffered from blackouts where she wakes up in strange places, one
time even driving her father's Mercedes at breakneck speed and
having no idea how she got there or where she was going. She has
come to The Lodge, a resort in Tennesee to take a therapy art course
and relax. She is not sure if the art therapy is helping or not
because she is having nightmares, hearing voices and seeing people
who cannot possibly be there.
Quentin Hayes, an FBI agent has been coming to The Lodge for over
twenty-five years. Haunted by the murder of a child he considered a
little sister, he has been researching her murder and trying to find
clues to her killer on his off time. Quentin works for a very
special unit within the FBI which is composed only of psychics. He
is a Seer, or someone who can see snatches of possible futures.
While probably born with his gift, it was only when Missy was
murdered and he found her body that it came forth enough for him to
be aware of it. He recognizes Diana on some level almost
immediately, and also knows she is the one who can help him to solve
Missy's murder. He suspects right away that she is not in need of
therapy, but rather in need of training, as she is psychic not
mentally ill as she's been told her whole. Now he just has to
convince her.
It takes a while before Diana begins to know that the experiences
she has had all her life were not mental illness but her psychic
gift of mediumship at work. Suddenly the blackouts make sense, as do
the voices and the people appearing to her dressed in clothing from
other eras. There is only one problem, someone else has discovered
Diana's gift and he wants her. Quentin is the only thing standing
between Diana and becoming lost in what she terms the "gray time,"
or being taken over by something far more horrible than any of them
imagined. Only time will tell if they can stop an unholy killer out
to silence those who suspect the truth, and it is a race against
time for Diana and Quentin to discover the truth and another person
is killed.
Chill of Fear is Kay Hooper at her best! I really enjoyed this
novel, while not a romance per se but rather an suspense with
romantic elements, it still is a highly enjoyable read that I would
recommend to anyone. The characters are well-developed, and the
psychic gifts well-researched and believable. The story line is
probable and real as well. The author leads you on a merry chase of
as Diana comes to terms with the fact that she is a medium and not
mentally ill, and Quentin with the fact that he needs her in his
life, and that he is her only lifeline between the physical world
and the world of spirits. Without him, she could become lost to the
world. If you enjoy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, then
this is the book for you!
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o FEATURED BOOK REVIEW: Buzzmarketing: Get People To Talk About
Your Stuff (A Book Review)By Joy Cagil
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Buzzmarketing: Get People To Talk About Your Stuff (A Book Review)
By Joy Cagil
Marketing creeps into all areas of our lives. We market everything:
our homes, our ideas, our work, our children, our lifestyles, and
even ourselves. Yet, sometimes in any one area, the most successful
and deserving people do not reap the fruits of their efforts, even
when they hold PhDs in marketing. This shows that there has to exist
more diverse avenues of marketing than those conventionally esteemed
ones.
When I started reading the first few pages of "Buzzmarketing: get
people to talk about your stuff" by Mark Hughes, I knew, as a
reader, this was a book I shouldn't miss, since the premise of the
book and its entertainment value defied convention. The book was
letting its readers peak into those other avenues of marketing that
worked better and possibly faster.
The aim of this book is to teach its readers buzz marketing so they
can "grow faster, expand further, and do it for one-tenth of what it
costs by more traditional means."
No one likes to be pushed into things. Yet, most conventional public
relations efforts, advertising methods, and other well-known and
overused marketing tactics push the customers into something whether
they want it or not. Buzz marketing advertises without pushing and
without spending an excess amount of money and effort. Using buzz
marketing, businesses can make themselves known: through word of
mouth, buzzwords, slogans, and using what is readily available;
through creative thinking and exploration; and through the goodwill,
support, and friendliness of people and communities.
Buzz marketing needs people to use their gray matter and steer away
from conventional, pushy business tactics. Traditional advertising
spends more, gains less. Buzz marketing spends much less, yet gains
more cash and people's trust, because buzz marketing is creative in
seeking and employing opportunities.
In this author's words, buzz marketing pulls instead of pushing.
Although the style of buzz marketers may be deemed as being
underground, it is the preferred alternative to pushiness. Yet, buzz
marketers do push buttons for they have six buttons to push and six
major secrets to tap into, as they make use of human psychology,
people's need for entertainment, and the latest technology. Smarts
and guts, therefore, win over the money and power of any big
business employing conventional advertising techniques.
The author of the book, Mark Hughes, is the host of Buzz Factor, a
radio talk show, and the CEO of Buzzmarketing, a consulting firm. He
has also been an executive in Half.com and Pepsi.
"Buzzmarketing: get people to talk about your stuff" by Mark Hughes
with ISBN: 1591840929 has 256 pages and is in hardcover.
The book is divided into sixteen chapters with an introduction and
an afterword. Inside it are anecdotes and accounts of how some big
brands and not-yet big brands have used buzz marketing, making
readers feel like gossip-mongers peeping into the practices of big
companies. This approach and the writer's easy-going style turn this
business book into a fun-to-read but very informative and serious
work.
This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with
http://www.Facsimile.Com/ which is a site for Fax Machines.
Joy Cagil is an author in Writing.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Cagil
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Do you have a review you'd like to submit for the next issue? Send
it to me at tiwatz@yahoo.com two weeks before the next monthly issue
is out to be included.
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o Thank you to Subscribers
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Thank you so much for subscribing to Regina's Universe! That means a
lot to me, and for those of you who signed up recently, I hope you
enjoyed your free e-books. Please feel free to pass this newsletter
along to anyone you feel might be interested. The only thing I ask
is that you pass it along in its entirety rather than just pieces of
it.
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Ancient traditions, love, secrets, and betrayal-DESTINY'S CHOICES
DESTINY'S CHOICES by Regina Paul is a fast paced romantic suspense!
The author creates a tale of young love lost and found again,
traditions older than time, and the true test of keeping a family
secret at a high cost with great ease.
Secrets are something Tiana Slickpoo knows all about for she is the
holder of a great secret, one she is unable to share with any save a
few within her tribe. When sacred tribal objects, and artwork begin
disappearing from the tribal museum, and Tiana's gallery, she thinks
she knows what the thieves might be looking for. The "indian
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to be investigating the thefts. James is the one person in the
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six years before, she wants nothing to do with him. However, the
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See http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com/Specials.html or
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Forbidden love, danger, and an eons old conspiracy-GETTING OUT ALIVE
GETTING OUT ALIVE by Regina Paul is a fast paced, fly-by-the-seat-of-
your-pants science fiction romance. The author weaves a tale of
other worlds, theories about the alien abduction phenomena, the
consequences of bigotry, and the beauty of love that overcomes all
obstacles with great success.
Secrets...everyone has them, but Angel Whitedove alien abductee and
researcher is about to discover one she hadn't bargained for
involving her missing father, and the special work she does.
Darek of Laren has one mission: retrieve the outlaw Laaen and return
him to his home planet for trial. Only he doesn't find Laaen as
expected, but Laaen's daughter Angel, and an ancient evil the people
of Laren thought had long since gone extinct.
Forbidden love, danger, and an eons old conspiracy follow these two
as they race to save themselves, humanity, and their worlds!
http://www.lulu.com/reginapaul or to order! Or if you would like to
save money, go to http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com/GOA.html and
purchase the e-book for $4.00 directly from the author, that's
$1.00 off of the publisher's price!
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Check out Karen's Korner a wonderful newsletter chock full of news
about her novels, and the writer's life by fellow author Karen
Magill! You can join by going to Karen's website
http://www.karenmagill.com and signing up to be on her mailing list.
It's that easy!
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o Copyright Information
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Copyright 2006 by Regina Paul, All Rights Reserved.
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