Showing posts with label #reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #reading. Show all posts

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Information Overload

Posted by: Maureen

 By Maureen Bonatch


Many of us suffer from FOMO, or pride ourselves on our multi-tasking abilities and end up with too many things that you feel like need done ASAP, or overwhelmed with TMI.


So many acronyms! Are we so busy now that we can’t take the time to write things out?


  • FOMO: Fear of Missing Out
  • ASAP: As Soon as Possible
  • TMI: Too Much Information 

Multi-Tasking Machine

I pride myself on being a multi-tasking machine and find it difficult to do just one thing. If I’m stretching, I’m often listening to a podcast. I’ll walk on the treadmill while editing. I’ll check emails on television commercials–or while watching the show. I try to sleep and my mind is spinning with to-do lists which resume as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. 


Many studies now say that multitasking should be reduced because it can cause gaps in our thinking, may make it difficult to perform more than one task successfully, and make us feel tired quicker. 



I can’t say I can give up multitasking all together, but I do know what to do if I start to feel like I’m suffering from information overload. 

Slowing Down

It’s difficult to maintain my full attention on one task, unless I’m reading a book. A good book gets my total focus, and helps me slow the whirring to-do list in my mind, reduce feelings of overwhelm and quiet my thoughts to sleep.


I always have a book. You never know when you might be stuck waiting for a few minutes. 

Have Book, Will…Whatever

I like to read books here and there.

I can read a book anywhere.

I can read a book in the house.

Get so engrossed I might ignore a mouse.


I can read if it starts to rain.

For a long ride on a train.

My kindle lights up to read in the dark.

I can take it to the park.


I can read in a swing hung under a tree. 

It’s how I spend my time with me.

I can read while I wait to see the doc.

It keeps my mind off the clock.


I can read while I wait in a line.

It keeps me from wanting to start to whine.

Books make sure I never feel alone.

I travel the world without ever leaving home.


Try a book! Try a book, I say! You just might like it, anyway.


Looking for some Cozy Mysteries? Click Right Here to check out these Kindle Unlimited Cozies.














How About Free Cozy Mysteries? Click Right Here for Free Cozy Mysteries!












Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. 


While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival.


 Follow M.L. Bonatch all through cyberspace! 

 Amazon page    BookBub Facebook Goodreads Newsletter


Keep the conversation going by joining my Facebook Group right HERE!

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Can You Take the Paranormal Out of a Paranormal Writer?

Posted by: Maureen

  

by Maureen Bonatch


I’ve joined up with a group of 13 other authors to write a short story to be release on Friday, November 13th. I’d always wanted to write something a little darker, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. As I reviewed the requirements to connect the story one thing stood out—no paranormal.

 

Wait? What? I hesitated but then thought, sure, that’s no problem. Well, it was more of a problem initially than I anticipated. As I wrote the story I had to keep chasing out ghosts, and other paranormal elements that were just dying to get into the story. I hadn’t realized how much my mind strayed to a paranormal path on its own.

 

A Long Short Story

The story started and stopped and I shifted things around and then got frustrated that a short story—with a goal of 13,000 words—was proving harder to write than a full-length novel. I took some time to reflect on the story and the characters that were waiting to tell their tale. That’s when I realized what I’d known all along. The truth is often stranger than fiction. This year has proven that time and time again, but when you take a look at the news, and the people that fill the pages with bizarre stories that leave us asking ourselves, what would make someone act that way?

 

The Darker Side of Life

Indeed, what would. I’ve always been fascinated with the mind. Many of the movies that frighten me the most are the ones that seem as if they could actually happen because they’re about normal people, acting abnormally evil.

 

The story began to write itself without any paranormal elements and came out pretty creepy (as I’d hoped) just the same. I discovered I did enjoy writing a little bit on the darker side, but I still loved my paranormal elements.

 

You can be the judge this fall when Till Death is released along with 12 other author’s murderous mysteries and suspense stories just in time for Friday the 13th—if you dare.

 


If you want to find out more about the creation of this story, and more, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter.


Plus you get a free magical story.

 

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her websiteFacebookTwitter

 

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Thursday, June 18, 2020

So Many Books So Little Time

Posted by: Maureen

 By Maureen Bonatch

I made a resolution about 2 years ago and stuck to it. 

After years of neglecting my reading time due to raising twins, working, writing and whatever else life threw my way, I decided to make reading a priority again. 

There were a lot of good reasons for this besides my love of reading, including helping to make me a better writer, and for stress reduction and well, general happiness! 

The problem is in deciding what book to read next.

It’s a good problem to have and I’m usually continuously accumulating new books in my TBR pile on my Kindle. This has led to a plethora of books and for someone who is usually very organized, they aren’t well organized into what I’ve read or not, or even to remember that I added a book when it’s buried under the TBR pile. (note to self: organize Kindle better so I know what I wanted to read next!).

So how do I decide what to read next, or what I put in that TBR pile?


  • Recommendation: This has been the most common way for me to choose my next book. My mother and two of my sisters are avid readers so we’re always recommending books. Our tastes are similar in stories, so this is usually a sure fire way to know I have a story I’m going to enjoy. I also get recommendations from friends, and fellow authors. This can sometimes allow me to explore something a little out of my usual read. 
  • Reviews: Love em’ or hate em’, I do check out the reviews if it’s an author I’m not familiar with or a book that I’m not quite sure will be my cup of tea. But I will say that I don’t base my decision solely on this because I know each person has a personal taste in their reading choices.
  • Back to Basics: If I’m not sure what I want to read next, or I just want a book that’s comfortable in that I know it’s most likely going to be a good read, then I go back to a favorite author. Do they have something new out? Do they have a book that isn’t new but I have overlooked before?

How to Choose


Sometimes the recommendation or reviews listed above have me diving right into the story no questions asked. I don’t even read the blurb half the time, or at times I’m not even positive of the title. I just know it’s going to be good.

If I’m still on the fence I usually take advantage of the ‘look inside’ feature and read the first paragraph to see if I like the writing style and if the story hooks me from the start.

I asked my Facebook friends how they choose their next book and you can see some of their suggestions right here.

When It Doesn’t Meet My Expectations

I have to admit that I’m stubborn when it comes to a book—which is a good thing for authors. I refuse to give up until I’ve given the story multiple chances to pull me in. It’s very infrequent that I just don’t finish.
  • If it’s an author that I’ve loved in the past, I forgive a multitude of things that might normally aggravate me. One recent book had me wondering just what the genre was for the first third of the book to the point that I had to go back to read the information about the story. I didn’t give up because I usually love this author. It wasn’t his best story, but the writing kept  me engaged and hopeful.

  • Another new author had so much backstory that I struggled to keep moving in the story until I got about half-way into the book. I didn’t give up because a family member recommended this book and I wasn’t disappointed once I got going. It was a great book, which I realized after had received many awards—despite a plethora of backstory and other ‘writer no-no’s’.

  • My daughter recommended a classic that I’d never read. I struggled at first. A lot. The writing was so different than I was accustomed to, but in the end I enjoyed the story and we were able to discuss the book.  

How Do You Pick Your Next Book to Read?


Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four
seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her websiteFacebookTwitter

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter


Thursday, March 19, 2020

Stay Calm and Read

Posted by: Maureen

By Maureen Bonatch

Spending more time indoors lately? As an introvert, an author, and someone who works remotely at home for the ‘day-job’, spending a lot of time indoors and alone isn’t something new to me. It’s pretty much my way of life. That suits this introvert just fine. That doesn’t mean that all the recent panic in the world hasn’t gotten me a little stressed at times.

Unfortunately, there are many situations where there is little we can do but take care of ourselves and find a way to decompress as we continue with our lives. I’ve found that reading has often provided me with a wonderful way to take my mind away from things that I can dwell on, and worry about, but do nothing to change. This is just one of the benefits of making time to read, and since we’re going to be avoiding social interactions and staying indoors more, it’s a perfect time to catch up on your TBR list and find some new books.

Three Reasons to Read

  1. Reduce Stress- Reading can lower your heart rate, reduce tension and anxiety, reduce stress by 68% and calm your mind. I’ve found it to be a great way to improve sleep for those restless nights. Instead of lying awake with your thoughts, read for a little bit to relax and return to sleep.
  2. Improve Health- Reading and participating in mentally stimulating activities can help keep your brain sharp, improve memory and prevent, or slow diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
  3. Practice Self-Care – The term self-care is all the rage over the last few years, although it’s something we should all do ongoing, but often neglect since most of us are accustomed to putting everyone, and everything else before our needs. Reading is a great way to do something that’s just for you, and do it without any guilt (no need- did you read the two reasons listed above? Reading is good for you!)

Three Places to Find Books


When I’m looking for a new book I usually start with my favorite authors to see if they have anything new. Then I might check out other authors that write in a similar genre and take a look at the reviews. But as an author, I can assure you that reviews don’t always tell the whole story. We all have personal preferences of what we like in a story, or a character, and one person’s favorite book may not be someone else’s.

A few other ways to pick out new books include:
  • BookBub- follow authors you like, or friends who read in the same genre on BookBub. Review their recommendations and make some of your own to help someone else out when they’re looking for a new read.
  • Goodreads- follow authors, make friends, read reviews or join groups on this platform to help you choose new books, and recommend to others.
  • Ask for Recommendations- Most of us are all over one social media platform or another and generally we have friends with similar interests in those realms. Ask them what they’ve read lately that they recommend- although you might ask why, because as mentioned earlier, you might not share what they liked in the story, or you might be in the mood for something different and can tuck that book away on your TBR.

Regardless of reviews not telling the whole story, most people do go there first, so if you like a book, help another reader out and leave a review.

Can You Name Other Reasons to Read?


Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her websiteFacebookTwitter

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Havenport Release Day Blitz

Posted by: Ruth A Casie

Welcome to Havenport, RI a fictional town not far from Newport where you'll find romance, suspense, time travel and secrets shared by five authors in genres you love. Today they are releasing five new standalone books, come check them out and stay for a spell...
  A quick note from Havenport newspaper gossip, Candy Apples.... 
Okay, here’s the skinny. Havenport’s a great town. Perfect for a gossip like me. ;-) I’ve been writing this column for years and never struggle for a story. Easiest job I’ve ever had! We may have started as a small fishing town (stop by our maritime museum to learn more) but we’ve expanded into a thriving hub for business of all sorts. Lots of restaurants, a charming bookstore, souvenir shops, whale watching, ghost tours, even a metaphysical shop (the manager’s a member of our local coven)…there’s never a shortage of things to do here. We’ve got Manor Road, with titans of business known for bringing the money to town—and the drama. I don’t need a shovel to dig up the dirt (or the skeletons) over there. I’m no less busy when I take a stroll down Main Street and eavesdrop—um, I mean, talk to the shopkeepers. They’re a nosy bunch, but they’ve got your best interest at heart. I’ve seen some great couples get together over a drink at Royce’s Tavern or after dropping off a pup for daycare at Wags & Walks. With our close proximity to major cities like Newport, Providence, Boston, and New York City, we attract just about everybody. And, in the spirit of our founding fathers, Havenport welcomes them all with open arms. And when I say everyone, I mean it. Are you looking for a hometown hero to sweep you off your feet? A debonair best-selling author? Is a time traveler from the Roaring Twenties more your style? If you’re looking for adventure or to reunite with a lost love, you’ll find it here. And I’ll report all the juicy details. ~ Candy Apples

Discover Your Next Read 

Heart of the Matter Digging into the past can be murder. Addison Moore, a well-known psychiatrist, is having difficulty coming to terms with the death of her grandmother, Cookie. The woman was everything to her after her parents died in a plane crash over Lockerbie, Scotland. Little did Addy know, an old picture tucked away in the family bible of Cookie with a handsome stranger would lead her to a discovery for which she is little prepared. Ethan Taylor is an art historian. He’s lived with his Great Uncle Ben for a long time and would do anything for him. He never anticipated Ben’s dying wish would introduce him to his biggest sacrifice. Neither Addy nor Ethan are prepared for the lengths at which their families went through to keep Cookie and Ben apart. As they put the pieces together, they uncover a decade’s old unsolved murder implicating Cookie and Ben. Will Addy and Ethan’s blossoming love be able to stand the strain of finding the truth? Will they be able to get to the heart of the matter?
Grab your copy: Amazon | Add to Goodreads
RUTH A. CASIE is a USA Today bestselling author of historical swashbuckling action-adventures and contemporary romance with enough action to keep you turning pages. Her stories feature strong women and the men who deserve them, endearing flaws and all. She lives in New Jersey with her hero, three empty bedrooms and a growing number of incomplete counted cross-stitch projects. Before she found her voice, she was a speech therapist (pun intended), client liaison for a corrugated manufacturer, and vice president at an international bank where she was a product/ marketing manager, but her favorite job is the one she’s doing now—writing romance. She hopes her stories become your favorite adventures.
Everything Gage and Dani have been through it all: the struggles of life, exciting military service, rocky relationships, and heart breaking deaths. In twenty-plus years of being best friends, they've never faced as big of a challenge as they do now. Can their friendship and hearts survive the ultimate test of time?

Grab your copy: Amazon | Add to: Goodreads
D.C. “Desi” STONE is a best-selling romance author and full-time investigator. She lives in the northeast with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, and the ever-growing family of pets. After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial and organized crimes and became a lead investigator for many years. Reading has always been a passion of hers, and getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense, and erotica. When she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hudson Valley Romance Writers, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She served as the 2014 NJRW Vice President and Conference Chair.
Always Brianna Baxter thinks she has the world figured out. She lives a life of privilege and does whatever she wants. After living in New York City, London, New Jersey, and Florida she settles down in Havenport, Rhode Island. As the Christmas holiday approaches, a secret is revealed and she is challenged with the most important decision of her life. Workaholic Simon May gets an unexpected vacation over the holidays and visits family in London. At his childhood home, he finds an envelope that holds the answer to his future. Or does it? He throws caution to the wind and jumps on the next available flight across the pond in search of what he lost. He takes the biggest risk of his life, unsure of what he will encounter once the plane touches down. Will the uncertainty of Brianna’s future steer her in the right direction? Will Simon receive the answer he seeks?
Grab your copy: Amazon | Add to: Goodreads
LITA HARRIS spends her time between New Jersey and the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania. She even lived in Alaska for a short time just for fun. Her two rescue dogs are always close by and travel everywhere with her. An avid crafter, unused supplies clutter her basement and attempts at making pottery, jewelry, and stained glass are scattered throughout her house. She also makes candles and homemade soap. With enough books to stock a small library she may need to construct a building to store her literary obsession. She writes multiple genres, women’s fiction, contemporary romance, paranormal, and cozy mysteries.
Rescuing the Ranger Gabe Preston’s been sent on a mission: clean out his beloved grandmother’s house in Havenport and help move her into senior living—or so he thinks. Havenport had always been a special place to visit while growing up, but during this ride into town he finds more than he bargained for. Surviving multiple deployments as an Army Ranger hadn’t ever proved this type of challenging. All Gabe desires is to ride his motorcycle, enjoy his time out of the Army, and figure out his next stop in life. The best laid plans don’t necessarily work out when you’ve got a meddling, matchmaking grandmother. Francesca Montefiore loves Havenport, and her recently acquired florist shop. She’s finally made a fresh start in her life, one stem at a time. When she’s “adopted” by the local Garden Club members she treasures the ladies as family, something she’d been sorely lacking. When her past comes back to threaten her contentment, she’ll need the help of one hunky, visiting Army Ranger, the Garden Club President’s grandson to come to her rescue. But will she be the one doing the rescuing instead?
Grab your copy: Amazon | Add to: Goodreads
NICOLE S. PATRICK is a Human Resources professional by day and romance novelist the rest of the time. She’s a founding partner in Timeless Scribes, Publishing, LLC and crafts contemporary romance stories about military heroes. Former President of New Jersey Romance Writers, she met her business and writing partners at a meeting and the rest is history. Together they created the fictional town of Havenport, RI, where magic is in the air, and love happens with every story. Nicole currently lives in central New Jersey with her husband and two sons who keep her house in a state of constant chaos…but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Time After Time When Sophia Segarra, the owner of Time After Time Antiques in Havenport, finds a packet of love letters from the 1920s in her shop, she can’t help but fantasize about what it would be like to find a love like the one described in those letters. But even though she’s told the pearl necklace from her Halloween costume will bring the wearer to true love, she never imagined they’d transport her back in time to the Roaring Twenties. In 1928, Liam O’Connell is writing an article on the Main Street Bandits for the Havenport Herald while investigating the disappearance of his brother. He’s not having much luck with either and a trip to Tilly’s speakeasy on Halloween is about to make life more interesting. Liam’s reporter instincts tell him Sophia’s hiding something, and he’s determined to find out what. Will her secret keep them apart, or will they come to realize that time after time, love overcomes all obstacles?
Grab your copy: Amazon | Add to: Goodreads
EMMA KAYE is married to her high school sweetheart and has two beautiful kids that she spends an insane amount of time driving around central New Jersey. Before Scouts and drama club entered her life, she decided to try writing one of those romances she loved to read and discovered a new passion. She has been writing ever since. Add in a playful puppy, two patient cats, and a snake, and she’s living her own happily ever after while making her characters work hard to reach theirs.
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...