When the Reviews roll in...

When The Reviews Roll In...

Imagine working for years on a book and then finally it is ready to be released to the world. All that love and attention, all those hours of work have finally culminated in your creation and now... and yes now.... oh God you have to release it to the world. That moment for many authors is what makes them stick. All their fears and sense of it not being good enough rise to the surface. The tormenting feelings of doubt gnaw away at their stomachs. They justify not releasing it to the world and then imagine the worst: a top critic destroys their creation in a public humiliation. That feeling can be likened to being found sitting naked on a toilet in a public place...

So my author and reader friends there is a moment where that book has to be released into the world. There will be critics, not everyone is going to love it and who cares? The point is your creation exists and there will be people who are touched by your work. There will be those who love it and there will be those who think it is awful. The point is once you have created your work free it like a dove and let the world find you. Reviews will come in, some will be good and some will be terrible. You can't change that. My advice is do not dwell on the terrible reviews, instead get on and write your next book. The way that I look at it is that if someone takes the time to write a terrible review then at least you have 'touched' them in some sense.

The other advice I would give is that do not dwell on negative feedback. Take it objectively and consider what is said and then ask whether you can use it to improve. That is the most positive way to transform any form of negativity. Grow a flower from the shyte....

So far this week I have had two five star reviews and of course that has put a smile on my face. In the next couple of weeks the reviewers will get hold of The Hairy Legged Mystery and Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. When I first put myself out there, around six years ago, I was a nervous wreck... like all things you become used to it. The more books your write, the less you are affected by reviews because you have moved on to the next one...

NEW RELEASE: TINGLE DINGLE AND THE LITTLE MISCHIEFS

 https://www.amazon.com/Tingle-Dingle-Little-Mischiefs-Allure-ebook/dp/B01G9C0XC2?ie=UTF8&keywords=Ruby%20Allure&qid=1465049617&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

NEW RELEASE: THE HAIRY-LEGGED MYSTERY

https://www.amazon.com/Hairy-Legged-Mystery-Ruby-Allure-ebook/dp/B01G2C0Y9Q?ie=UTF8&qid=1465049724&ref_=sr_1_2&s=digital-text&sr=1-2

When the Reviews roll in...

When The Reviews Roll In...

Imagine working for years on a book and then finally it is ready to be released to the world. All that love and attention, all those hours of work have finally culminated in your creation and now... and yes now.... oh God you have to release it to the world. That moment for many authors is what makes them stick. All their fears and sense of it not being good enough rise to the surface. The tormenting feelings of doubt gnaw away at their stomachs. They justify not releasing it to the world and then imagine the worst: a top critic destroys their creation in a public humiliation. That feeling can be likened to being found sitting naked on a toilet in a public place...

So my author and reader friends there is a moment where that book has to be released into the world. There will be critics, not everyone is going to love it and who cares? The point is your creation exists and there will be people who are touched by your work. There will be those who love it and there will be those who think it is awful. The point is once you have created your work. Free it like a dove and let the world find you. Reviews will come in, some will be good and some will be terrible. You can't change that. My advice is do not dwell on the terrible reviews, instead get on and write your next book. The way that I look at it is that if someone takes the time to write a terrible review then at least you have 'touched' them in some sense.

The other advice I would give is that do not dwell on negative feedback. Take it objectively and consider what is said and then ask whether you can use it to improve. That is the most positive way to transform any form of negativity. Grow a flower from the shyte....

So far this week I have had two five star reviews and of course that has put a smile on my face. In the next couple of weeks the reviewers will get hold of The Hairy Legged Mystery and Tingle Dingle and The Little Mischiefs. When I first put myself out there, around six years ago, I was a nervous wreck... like all things you become used to it. The more books your write, the less you are affected by reviews because you have moved on to the next one...

NEW RELEASE: TINGLE DINGLE AND THE LITTLE MISCHIEFS

 https://www.amazon.com/Tingle-Dingle-Little-Mischiefs-Allure-ebook/dp/B01G9C0XC2?ie=UTF8&keywords=Ruby%20Allure&qid=1465049617&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

NEW RELEASE: THE HAIRY-LEGGED MYSTERY

https://www.amazon.com/Hairy-Legged-Mystery-Ruby-Allure-ebook/dp/B01G2C0Y9Q?ie=UTF8&qid=1465049724&ref_=sr_1_2&s=digital-text&sr=1-2

Mindfulness in the Working World

 

Mindfulness for the Working Day

 

Dr Gaby Davies, Director of Mindfulness Training at Mindlab, recently shared her insight into Mindfulness at a corporate  Emotional Wellbeing Speaker Event. Mindfulness is ancient Buddhist approach to paying attention in a specific way: on purpose, non-judgementally and whilst remaining in the present moment. The practice increases awareness, focus and acceptance of the reality of the present moment. Alternatively, you could look at it as an exercise for the brain that enables attention and emotional regulation. Consider where you place your attention on a daily basis? I am sure that it isn’t into how you feel within your body; instead, it is more like you are on a mental treadmill of trying to work through the ‘to do’ list. What you may not realise is that the practice of mindfulness has been scientifically proven to improve health, wellbeing and performance.  Employees who practice the technique have reduced levels of stress and have fewer days off due to illness. A few other added bonuses include improved relationships, increased ability to relax and an increase of 53% in a sense of happiness at work.

 

The regular practice of mindfulness affects neuro-plasticity, which is the technical term for how the brain is wired. What this means is that you can essentially re-wire your brain. Many of us are of the belief that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – however, where the brain is concerned you can completely rebuild, restructure and adjust your brain’s  neurotransmitters into old age. An old dog with a newly rewired brain can create their own new and invented tricks – you might even find that the rewired pooch becomes a trapeze artist. Imagine the potential! If you want to know more about this there is an excellent book called Mindsight, which provides plenty of information on this.

 

According to the Mindlab, Stress can be reduced when you recongise that you have been hijacked by an emotion. It is then that you re-align the mind and refocus within your body and count your breaths. Doing this regularly improves the individual’s ability to think in stress situations and affects your working memory capacity which improves mental adaptability in complex situations.  Just twelve minutes per day has an effect on DNA, reduces cellular aging and enables increased focus.

Mindfulness helps you to:

·         Come off auto-pilot
·         Provide clarity and objectivity
·         Respond rather than react
·         Enables you to experience situations as they are
·         Increases awareness
·         Development of flexible and adaptive behaviour
·         Reduce your stress and anxiety levels

 

So what do you need to do to generate all these benefits? Well you relax into the simplicity of breath. First you ‘check in’ this is when you pause and refocus your mind into your body and notice any areas of tension. When you locate these areas take a number of deep breaths as though directing the breath to the tension area. Actively choose to let go of the tension, which often results in a sigh.

 

 

 

Another technique is to simply breathe in and clench your fists and exhale and open them.  Make sure you do at least ten breaths. The same can be done with the shoulder blades with a ‘shoulder blade squeeze,’ where you sit up and motion your shoulder blades to meet as you inhale and then release as you exhale. After a minimum of ten breaths see how you feel. Obviously there are numerous other Mindfulness techniques that can be used; however, the above are easy and can be practised at the desk.

 

A few tips to maintain Mindfulness during the day:

·         Don’t get highjacked by your emotions
·         Understand yourself better
·         Develope clarity – the result is less misunderstandings
·         Reign in your wandering mind
·         Pay full attention to people – this improves resiliency
·         What can you do at the end of your busy day? What does your body need?
·         Question: who makes you hold your breath?
·         Question: What situation makes you hold your breath?
·         When aware of the situation that makes you hold your breath, breathe, release and let it go.
·         Give yourself a few mindfulness pauses during each day.
·         Practise this when going to the loo, getting a coffee, lining up for a sandwich etc.  recur
·         When you arrive home from work take some time to focus on the breath and let the day go

Enjoy your working day in peace:)

Ruby Writes  Books to Inspire:

LABYRINTHINE AMAZON.COM LINK: Link: http://amzn.com/B012FAYI5U




Olivia, the visionary artist, who fell by the wayside, discovers a way to access her creativity through the inner labyrinths. After visiting Labyrinthine, she awakes to find a mysterious figure holding a gun to her head. The episode triggers a series of events that reveal her boyfriend is attempting to swindle her, her agent has defied death and there is an underlying structure to people's life timings.

Rapidly, her world spirals into chaos. She learns that everyone on the planet has a divine blueprint contained within the iris of their eye. Unfortunately, there is a loophole in divinity. When death erases the blueprint, those who defy death affect the timing of everyone else on the planet. It seems the answers lie within Labyrinthine. However, the wisdom comes at a price.





21/08/15

 

"An Unexpected Gem"

***I was provided a copy of this audio book for the purpose of a review ***

With the required disclaimer out of the way, let me be brutally honest, I had not expected this little gem. In fact, I had expected my listening would be a bit rough and was fortified by it being less than 2 hours.

The synopsis says the author wrote the book as a takeaway from her evening classes on creative writing. My mental context was ... Community Ed evening classes ...and expected a well intended but kind of amateur product. However, I am interested in adult education, and batter my own nerd head against a giant personal creativity brick wall.

So you have an idea of my mind set... low expectations along with high interest.

Amateur hour it was NOT.

I don't know where the author teaches her class, but Sign Me Up! And bring the narrator. Wow. Two hours of unadulterated, straight up, right on, good learning material delivered by a close friend just sharing the material. The narrator's voice was warm, sincere without any artifact or pompous patronising, and well modulated throughout. The material was mind opening for me, with the right mix of the mechanics of writing exercises, sufficient context that using prompts now makes sense to me, and a sprinkling of the inner heart work of creativity through written material.

This was just what I didn't dare hope for in a how to creative writing listen.

Truly an unexpected gem and a learning and growing experience for me.

A keeper and one I will return to many times as I deconstruct my own wall, one block at a time.

Thank You, Ruby and Thank You, Erin.

A thought provoking workbook. 27 Aug. 2015

By SwordsLight - Published on Amazon.com

This book is great for some step by step, bullet by bullet guidelines on things you'll need to think about when starting a project and working through it. It's less inspiration and more practical advice for what questions you need to ask yourself before sitting down and creating characters, setting and story. It's rather like a workbook. I found it helpful to listen, pause and jot down notes, unpause and continue listening.

The narration was great too - it felt like the narrator was actually asking me insightful questions instead of blandly reciting the author's text.

 

 

TO BUY MONEY FARM ON AMAZON.com http://amzn.com/B010F04W9O

· Frode

06/08/15

5 STAR

"M.O.N.E.Y. is bad? This book is not!"

So Money Farm by Ruby Allure was a surprise! When I REALLY did not read things about this book I review for Audiobook Blast, I sometimes get books I don't know something about. BTW: I read 99% about the books I want to review, but this book I can't remember I did that for. Anyways: This was a nice surprise, and I think it is one of those books that is better the second time you read it. No joke! I listen to this twice before I made this! Money Farm makes you thin, and who does not like to hear a book that makes you think? It is an awesome book, that I will recommend to all that likes audiobooks, and really to people that does not!

Helen Lloyd English accent its the topic like a glow and a hand! Her "lady like" voice is so cold, and clear I feel that the author made this book thinking that Helen Lloyd would read it out loud! That is how I feel those two fits together! The 2 times 14 hrs and 6 mins I spend with her never feels boring or uninteresting! I would love to spend it again, and I will because this book I will hear again, and again, even when it is 14 hrs and 6 mins long! That is saying something!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

 

Money, Health and Wellbeing

Money, Health and Wellbeing.

 

Who would have thought that money, a metal lump, can actually make you sick? Can you imagine worrying over a shell, how many shells you have and whether you will survive without those shells? You then dedicate the hours of your life accumulating shells and work yourself into the ground to survive. Over time you accumulate a mass of shells so that you can feel as though you have more shells than others because the more shells you have then the more important you are. What makes the illusion worse is that your peers view you in esteem according to how many shells you have. In fact if you have over a million shells your sense of power enables you to be viewed as something special, someone important. Then one day someone comes along and takes away your shells. Suddenly you are worth nothing in the shell view of the world. You then descend into depression because your life has collapsed because you have no shells. Your partner leaves you because you are shell-less and goes for someone who has plenty of shells to support their way of living. You realise he or she was actually a ‘Shell-digger’.

 

When you replace money with shells you become very aware how ridiculous attachment to money really is and how we define ourselves through it. Yet money is a reality we have to deal with. What’s more, money is one of the biggest causes of stress, anxiety and worry. If you consider the fact that these three negative states affect your immune system then why would you be surprised that money can directly affect your health?

 

About twelve years ago I was transitioning from working on cruise ships and returning to land to study my Master’s Degree. The transition resulted in me worrying about how I was going to survive financially - and boom – my lower back went. My fear that I would not be able support myself got me right at the base of my spine. It was so bad that I could not walk for two days and during the time I was in laying on my back I noticed the churn of thoughts about money streaming through my mind. Was it any wonder that this mental pattern had migrated to the base of my spine?

 

It was during a random conversation that someone told me that the lower back ‘going’ was a classic sign of financial worry. Me being as analytical as I am, thought ‘rubbish’. Yet the more I looked into it then the more I realised that during times in my life where I was financially worried then my back would go. It seemed that this was more common that I realised. Such a revelation made me realise that people’s bodies responded to their thoughts. It was then that I discovered somatic psychology and the relation between thoughts and illness.

 

Later on in my career I became a business analyst and worked trending financial patterns. At the same time I watched colleagues go through different wealth related phases. I noticed when they were under financial strain a number of them developed back issues. When they wanted to avoid money issues they developed stiff necks. Others got stomach aches when large bills came in. The most simple of all was when they had been worrying about finances they developed colds. Obviously there are far more factors involved yet money seemed to be a trigger for many of their health issues.

 

One of the main causes of relationship break-ups is down to money. With this in mind is there anything we can do to improve our wealth health?

Here are a few questions I asked myself to enable movement beyond the financial flus:

Am I willing to be completely responsible for my finances?

Have you ever looked at how you view money and how much of your money is you?

How can you separate your identity from how much money you have?

How can you demonstrate your self-worth without using money?

If you have debt why do you maintain it?

If you have debt what do you need to do to pay it off?

How can the action of paying off debt be stress free? Note: a tip is to automate the pay off on your pay day so you the debt gets paid off without you having the temptation to touch the money.

What if money was simply an object or a tool?

What thoughts do I have about money?

How do my thoughts change when I start feeling stressed about money?

Where do I feel this in my body?

Have there been times in my life when I have become ill due to financial worry? Where did that turn up in my body?

 

Once one becomes aware of the patterns then one can take action. I read numerous books on finance and money management: The Richest Man in Babylon, Think and Grow Rich, The Rules of Wealth and The 4 hour Working Week. These were excellent books and provided plenty of information on how to make and manage money. Yet I had not fixed the actual issue – my attitude to money.  Nor had I looked at the health aspect. So a few more books later: You can heal your life, healing body healing mind and numerous other somatic psychology books, I realised that the body, the mind and our monetary situations were all linked.

 

 

 

I needed to understand how money made me feel and what emotions I experienced. So there I am feeling guilt when I go into an overdraft. I then felt angry when I received a huge bill. I felt levels of excitement at purchasing a new dress. I am sure you don’t need to my emotions about buying new underwear. The emotional money diary is revealing especially when you write down how you feel, the thoughts and why you need to buy something.

So I may as well share this with you – I realised that quite often that spending money compensated for boredom and made me feel free. After I had bought an object (that I did not really need) I would then descend into a cycle of guilt. After a few weeks patterns emerge and you will see what you are really up to. Through the money diary you may well identify beliefs such as ‘money must make me miserable.’ ‘I will never have enough money’. It is worth writing these beliefs down and affirming the opposite. This can make you feel quite queasy when you really hit an in-depth belief. When you do an affirmation over such an issue do it until you either feel free of the belief or you make a large exhale. Once you are clear of old beliefs then it is time to take action. Learn how to manage money, monitor your thoughts and shift them from worry to positives. It is amazing how the development of self-awareness relaxes you. The more relaxed you are then the less likely you are to become ill due to money.  

 

I hope the above inspires you. If you have any examples of how you shifted attitudes to money then please share in the commentsJ

 

MONEY FARM Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010BJOYFQ

LABYRINTHINE Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011LX0WUW

A SHORT COURSE IN CREATIVE WRITING Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012OV8JPU

 

Feeling Proud? Self-celebration, the Bottomy Dance and its Benefits!

Let me guess the 'Bottomy Dance' in the title made you curious... Smirk! Okay this is not going to be a monumental post of great epiphany. Instead, it is a simple suggestion for self-celebration. The thing is - how often do you stop and allow yourself to feel proud of yourself? How often do you allow yourself to let go and do a random bottomy dance that involves a lot of posterial shaking to celebrate all the hard work and hours you have put into something that means a lot to you? Let me guess - not enough?

This is it - when we work hard then how do we actually reward ourselves? So many of my friends work and work. They reach their goals and do not pause and take in their achievements; instead, they simply construct the next goal and start working towards that. Where is the motivation to succeed? With that attitude there is an endless treadmill of work, goal achievement and then more work. The way I see it is that life is more than work. So surely the pleasure is in the celebration. When you achieve something that is great for you then why not pause, feel proud, shake your behind and enjoy that moment?

I have noticed the world is in a state of continued rush. It grows faster and more complex day on day. In this state of rush we do not take time to 'sniff the roses'. Life, in my opinion, should not be a conveyor belt of achievement but contribution, celebration and shared moments of joy. So with this in mind I am feeling proud. Money Farm on audio is selling, I have just completed the audio edit for the production of CLAN DESTINE and The Office Zoo is in the pipeline to hit the audio market. I have to say Ray, the producer has a voice which will have you in stitches. Already people have contacted me to say they have discovered Office Stinkers and Office Freaky but definitely Geeky! Love it!

 

So today is that day of celebration where the bottom dance has been shimmied around the writing room and resulted in a few Jazz hand motions too! Some people may view such self-celebration as madness. Well if madness comes in the form or joy and misery is demonstrated by contained lack of self-appreciation and continued effort with no reward then the bottomy dance will win every time!

So how do you celebrate? I would love to hear how people reward themselves.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010BJOYFQ

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SZFEQIO

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H7MRV5G

 

Wellness advice

Wellness advice...

Has anyone else noticed that the world is run on money, yet most people do not spend time learning about money and investment? I might also point out that the body is run on nutrition, yet how many people learn as much as they can about food and its contribution to health? Maybe I have an alternative perspective - yet surely nutrition, financial wellness and good sleep are fundamental to a happy life. Of course psychology and emotions are all part of wellbeing yet sickness, debt and lack of sleep are the prime contributors to an individual’s demise.

With that in mind, let me ask you ask the following questions:

How much do you know about money and how you can genuinely invest your money to accumulate?

How aware are you of the nutrition that goes into your body?

How much rest and recharge do you allow yourself?

If you get the above right, you may well notice that your mental state changes along with your emotions.  When you feel good the world becomes filled with possibility. Try it and see… Have a lovely dayJ

http://amzn.com/B008Y65FWU

 

 

 

Excuse-fluenza - the success saboteur

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y65FWU

 

Progress and the issue of Excuse-fluenza.

How many people tell you what they would ‘love’ to do or ‘wish’ they could do and then quickly say but I can’t because…. Pay attention to this because the truth is we all do it. We have beautiful dreams that we quickly sabotage because we have a mental sneeze which covers our dream in our doubtful slime. This common mental ailment is Excuse-fluenza – it is the contagious mental disease of positive thought and the mental flu of progress. Now, before we go any further, I want to mention that this approach is not about ignoring reality and realistic situations. It is more about how we sabotage ourselves before we start. You may decide to be an astronaut and everyone will think you are a ‘space cadet’ and tell you why you can’t but you could experience being and astronaut by experiencing weightlessness in a simulation machine. The point is there are other ways of doing things and the dream can be landed in reality if you are open to alternatives. When I was in my early twenties I decided that I wanted to go around the world. I had no money to fund it and everyone told me that I had to work and save to do this trip. Well, that was one way, the classic way, but me being me was not going to be told no. I wrote down a list of all the places I dreamt of going and collected the pictures. A few years later I was offered a job as a photographer on an exclusive cruise ship that circumnavigated the globe. During my time on ships I circumnavigated the world eight times and went to Antarctica twice. I am glad that I did not listen to the voices of doubt. If anything I heard them and thought f* you – I WILL FIND A WAY!

While working on the ships I had the privilege to meet some very successful people. They all had a ‘can do’ attitude and certainly didn’t make excuses. Instead they looked for challenges and ways to succeed. One of my favourite moments was in Antarctica when I was stood on the bow of a ship with two very well know mountaineers who were studying various mountains and passes. These mountains had never been conquered and they were discussing the best way to ascend them. I asked them how they dealt with people who ‘told them they couldn’t’. They said they viewed them sympathetically because they realised they were telling them why ‘they’ couldn’t and that ultimately such attitudes led people to lead mediocre lives with no adventure. That was an insight for me because there are always doubters, there are always those who are jealous and in truth that is them – not you. Transform their doubt into fuel and use it to drive you to succeed!!! Hurrah!!!!

So the issue of success and the mental sneeze… Can we all be successful? I believe the answer is yes. According to all the negative messaging we receive – the answer is no. Well actually if we consider how we all define success then we can shift that perception. Success does not mean we all have to be celebrities or millionaires. Instead success is as wonderful as being a loving mother and nurturing a family. To another it might simply be becoming good at dancing. There are different levels of success and quite often the ideals we are fed destroy the success we are experiencing on a daily basis. I think one of the most under-valued successes is being a good friend. Instead we all chase financial ideals, being a celebrity or object ideals to demonstrate our success. Success can be in the person and who the person is. What is the point of achieving being a millionaire and being a selfish git? Financial success with a personality of an arse? Oh well done!!! Clap, clap! Although that individual may well be a huge success at being an arse!

So before going any further, if you wish to work on your success, write a vision of what success is for you? Is it paying off your mortgage? Becoming a world champion water-skier? Going for a jaunt around the world? Or becoming the best friend, mother, confident… When you know what it is that you want to achieve – write down all you mentally snotty reasons why you can’t. Apply the Excuse-fluenza and get it out of your system! Now it is time to realise that is your inner doubter. Next to each negative write two reasons why you can. That is your inner motivator. Now consider the classic ways to achieve it and now consider the alternatives… There are always ways and means, sometimes you simply have to be open to alternatives… 

In the meantime, look at your excuses and ask yourself why you are stopping yourself.

I can’t do it because…

I can’t do it because I am too old, too fat, too tired, there is not enough time, I don’t have the money.

Now look at the people who are doing what you desire. I heard someone say they couldn’t start yoga because they were too old. I then mentioned that I had a 90 year old yoga teacher who started yoga in their sixties. The response was – but that is not the same. Actually it is! There are people doing the things you want to achieve who had the same issues. In terms of time – know this: we all have exactly the same hours in the day. Can you swap watching television to focusing on generating success?

As I said, this disease of Excuse-fluenza is an accepted state. We all buy into each other’s mental sneezes and infect each other. The only way you can cure it is by noticing the self-sabotaging thoughts and shifting your mental habits. Use that sneeze a momentum to achieve your success. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y600X4

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H7MRV5G