Finding the Human Spirit

I found a link to an amazing article on FB today. My cousin works for a company called Growing Bolder. Growing Bolder is, "An attitude. A mission. A passion. A team of people who believe in the power of hope, inspiration and possibility." Over the last several years, I have seen them do amazing work, sharing wonderful stories about people and humanity, and how much the human spirit can affect everyone around you.

Today's FB link led to a guest blog post on Growing Bolder's site written by a follower who is working hard to get back into shape. She joined a gym based on raving reviews of one of the spinning instructors, Kris Shanahan. She raves about how wonderful Kris is as an instructor, and how much better she feels after working with her for a while.

But the article isn't about the blogger's journey with Kris. It's about Kris' journey. She has overcome some very hard obstacles in her life and has worked hard to get through them. During her journey, she was able to use her story to inspire others. Take a look at the article. It's beautifully written and very inspirational.

I love hearing stories like this. One of the main reasons I wrote My Open Heart was to inspire my readers who are growing up with heart disease or other chronic illnesses. I never realized how much hearing back from some of them would inspire me. Once again, it's the mystery of the human spirit.

Book Review | The One by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What an amazing ending to this epic trilogy! I loved The Selection series, and how it built up to The Elite, and finally The One. There were so many twists, turns and turmoil throughout the storyline, and it kept it moving right along.

Things really heated up in The One, as not only relationships between Prince Maxon and the four remaining Elite heated up, but things really heated up in the world around them. I had no idea how much of a political thriller this series would become, and the author did an amazing job of tying the two storylines together. The One was so much more emotional than the rest of the series, and I found myself in tears in a few places.

This series has been a wonderful adventure to take, and the characters will always remain close to my heart. I look forward to reading more about them in the next part of the storyline. Kiera Cass is definitely an author on my TBR list now!


View all my reviews

Inspiration

I found some cute dragon pictures while pinning today, and decided to look the artist up. Randal Spangler does beautifully animated fantasy paintings! His work is truly inspiring, and I will definitely be visiting his website often for inspiration.

Inspiration comes from a variety of sources: art, music, movies, TV.... When I need to feel inspired, I know I have several sources I can tap. I often find myself needing some inspiration when I'm feeling down or tired, unsure of what to do next, or feel blocked in my writing. This is very frustrating, and I often just walk away and hide.

But I'm really trying to break this pattern, and I'm hoping some inspiration will help me do that. So, thank you, Mr. Spangler, for your help.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Spread Some Indie Love Contest Winner

Hello readers. I hope you all enjoyed the blog hop. The giveaway officially ended yesterday, and I have selected a winner today:

Stella Eromonsere-Ajanaku! Congratulations!

I will be in touch via email regarding you free eBook.

Thank you everyone who stopped by during the hop. I hope you enjoyed my new blog for teens, and will be back to see my future posts.

Reach for the stars, and make your dreams come true.

-Andrea

Welcome Spring

At last! We had a beautiful spring day today. The temp even got up to 81 degrees! I sat on the back porch for hours, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. It felt great. Spring is my awakening season, and it feels great to be awake.

I don't know how long it will last right now. I can't wait until we have several days like this back-to-back. We have so many great outdoor activities I'm looking forward to, especially visiting the Arboretum. I love strolling around and looking at the fresh blooms.

What's your favorite part of Spring? Has Spring sprung by you yet?

Spread Some Indie Love Blog Hop

Spread Some Indie Love Blog Hop 2016

31st March to 7th April

Welcome to the 2016 Spread Some Indie Love Blog Hop! I have been an Indie author for over 5 years, and I love it! I love the freedom it gives me to write what and when I want to write, set up my own publishing schedule and design my books the way I want them to look. It has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

Another benefit I love about being an Indie author is meeting other Indie authors and reading their work. One of my favorite YA Indie authors I have gotten to know over the years is Natasha Brown. Natasha has written one of my favorite series: The Shapeshifter Chronicles.

The series features an eighteen-year-old girl who is growing up with heart disease, just like me. When she moves to a new town, she meets Chance, and her life is changed forever. I love this incredible YA fantasy series. Be sure to check out all of Natasha's books, including the first book in her second series.

Natasha also designs book covers, and has designed the beautiful covers of three of my books:

Destiny

Fate

My Open Heart

I am giving away a free eCopy of one of my books, winner's choice. Comment below the name and author of your favorite YA book or series. Winner will be selected after the hop.

Thank you for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Wordless Wednesday

Today, I'm displaying some wonderful artwork by author Sheenah Freitas.

If you'd like to showcase your drawings for Wordless Wednesday, let me know!

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