Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Spunky Author Duffy Brown Does Mystery Parties


All my life I thought launch was what those really smart rocket science people do to get something into space and never in all those years did I expect to be involved. Yet here I am dong a launch of my very own. Not that I’m putting a rocket in space...though right now that seems like a snap...but I’m launching a book.

What do you mean launch, I asked. The book comes out on a specific day, booksellers, B&N and Amazon put it up for sale, end of story. Done.


To launch my first cozy mystery, Iced Chiffon, I though it would be fun to do something different. I’ll have a mystery party at my house, I decided! I have the house, I like parties. A match made in heaven.

Sixty is a nice number and I can just buy one of those inter-active mystery party things online. Piece of cake.

You can see where this is going, can’t you. Murphy’s Law on steroids.

First off there are no mystery parties online for sixty that has everyone involved all the time. That means I have to write the mystery. And if people are coming to my house I have to feed them and drink them.

Thirty years ago I decided I wanted kids and my husband went along with it. That gave me four waiters and barkeeps for my party. It took me a week to write the party with characters and clues.

A few things I discovered along the way. The most important is the more alcohol, the better the party and my ability to write the mystery. The second is that your friends are there for fun more than finding out who-done-it. And did I mention the alcohol?

The theme was Roaring 20’s and Duffy’s Speakeasy. Lots of decorations online to buy and an easy theme
to dress in costume for and did I mention the alcohol? I divided the guests into families...Manicotti family, Ravioli family...you get the picture. I think I did this at night when hungry. Working in families made everyone pull their info and come up with the killer.

I’ve had three parties now and each time it gets better. If you’re a mystery author it’s a great gig...do it. If you’re a mystery reader get invited to one. If I do party four I’ll let you know. I’d love to have one at the Cincinnati conservatory with a Clue theme. You know, Miss Scarlett in the conservatory with the candlestick. That’s my dream. I’ll let you know when the invites go out.

So…what is the best party you’ve been to? What makes a party special? Got any suggestions if we go to the Conservatory? 

 I'll give away two Killer in Crinoline totes from the answers.

When Reagan Summerside is asked to make an emergency bowtie delivery to Magnolia Plantation for a wedding, she finds the groom face-down in five-tiers of icing and fondant, a cake knife in his back and her good friend and local UPS driver accused of the murder. Can Reagan find the real killer without winding up in the local swamp as alligator meat? Will Walker Boone, pain-in-the ass attorney and once-upon-a-time gang member, help her out or feed her to the alligators himself?
**Facedown in five-tiers of icing and fondant a dead groom leads to wedding chaos for the bride, the bff and the hotshot attorney. 

Duffy Brown
Berkley Prime Crime
Consignment: Murder series
-Iced Chiffon  Oct, '12
-Killer in Crinolines May '13

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Spunky Robert Henry - A Pilot Plus a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist


About the Author:


Robert Henry, age 56, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Certified Personal Trainer, a Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, and a Certified Wellness Coach. His awareness of fitness and nutrition began at the age of 29. When Robert first started to exercise, it was mostly for the purpose of increasing body weight through the addition of lean muscle mass. However, more than 20 years later, at the age of 52, after years of being lean and enjoying good health, Robert experienced an undesired increase in body fat and his health profile changed in the wrong direction The loss of that body fat and the reversal of new and undesirable trends in his health profile became Robert's new exercise goals. By re-booting his exercise regimen and further "tweaking" his nutrition, he successfully accomplished his new goals and, as he likes to say, discovered his "inner athlete".
Although he had worked out for more than two decades, the journey he experienced in his early fifties ignited something within Robert and he voraciously sought to increase his knowledge and his credentials. It was then that he earned his numerous certifications and set about to share his passion for health and fitness with others.
Robert's background extends beyond fitness. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University and worked for many years as an attorney. 


Robert Henry at 14
He also discovered a love of aviation early in his life and, while still a teenager, became a Commercial Pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor. 


After law school, he went on to become an Airline Transport Pilot and eventually earned three jet ratings. Now in his fifties, he values his health, fitness, and wellness very highly, and seeks to inform and inspire others.

Robert’s latest book is the health/fitness how to book, Age Re-Defined.
Visit his website at www.RobertHenryFitness.com.
Connect with Robert:

What Robert Henry Says About His Book:

Your state of health, how you feel, and how you look are more within your control than you think – even in your forties and fifties (and beyond). This book addresses exercise, fitness, nutrition, wellness, and the mind-body connection. Its purpose is not to promote a particular exercise program or a particular diet plan – although its coverage of exercise, fitness, and nutrition is extensive – but rather to inform, educate, and motivate the reader on the importance of being proactive in one’s own health, fitness, and wellness.

Even if you are already physically active, this book can assist you in evaluating the effectiveness of your current exercise efforts. A foundational background in exercise and fitness concepts is provided. Not only does this book cite to numerous authoritative sources, but it also conveys the author’s own philosophy of exercise and an informative overview of his own exercise and nutrition regimen. 

The author, who is 56, shares his own motivating journey and the positive results he achieved through exercise, nutrition, and the mind-body connection, with particular emphasis on the challenges faced by him in his early fifties and the favorable results he achieved at that age by “re-booting” his commitment to health and fitness.

The importance of nutrition is explained and heavily stressed. A Registered Dietician with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition is a contributor to the nutrition content. One comes away with an awareness of quality nutrition and its role in optimal health, fitness, and wellness, and with a good working knowledge of the kinds of foods and eating habits which are most beneficial.

As stated in the book’s Introduction: This book is about believing in yourself, maintaining inner strength, and understanding exercise, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. This book is also about getting younger instead of getting older, discovering your inner athlete, and becoming and remaining healthy and fit in both body and mind. 

This book is for people who have never exercised but who would like to start; for people who would like to know more about good nutrition; for people who exercise but have not seen results; for people whose fitness level has declined and who want to re-ignite their fitness quest; for people who choose to be proactive about their own health, fitness, and wellness; for people interested in the mind-body connection; and for people who reject negative self-talk and self-limiting stereotypes about life after the age of 50. All ages are welcome.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Check out Robert Henry's Youtube Video:

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Spunky Fearless Author Liz Flaherty Not only Sews and Writes, but Also Parasails!


I'll let Liz Flaherty do the talking today, and she does a fine job of it!

   
Liz Flaherty with her dog, Bandit.
      I’ve been retired for two years and two and a half months. This is hard for me to believe, since I’m sure I just clocked out of the post office for the last time a week ago Friday.
          I worried before I retired, about the things I imagine most of us worry about. Would we have enough money to live how we wanted? Would our health hold up? Would we still like each other when we had more time to spend together? Would I still want to write when I had time for it? What about changes?—I hate changes!
         
But changes were my friends in retirement. I spent more time sewing. I volunteered in fun times at fun places. I decided to stop being afraid of so many things and went parasailing.
Fearless Liz Flaherty Parasails!
          Even my writing changed, although not because I wanted it to. Many, many writers’ voices don’t reflect their age. Nora Roberts writes a 20-some protagonist even better now than she did at the beginning of her career in 1981. So do Mary Balogh, Robyn Carr, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, to name but a few.
          I, on the other hand, can make a 30-year-old sound like…yes, exactly, like a 62-year-old retiree. A former—and very good—editor and a few contest judges referred to my voice as—shudder—old-fashioned. No one said it was bad, nor that I should just confine myself to helping with the church bulletin, nor that I should quit. I just needed to…well, what? Jazz it up? Oh, good grief, there I go again. No one says “jazz it up” anymore. No one has Early American furniture or decorates with baskets or still has flowery wallpaper in their bathrooms.
         Except maybe me.
          So here I was with Early and Nash McGrath, in their late 40s, divorced after 30 years of marriage. And it was time for another change.
          Although I’d read quite a bit of inspirational romance and some of my favorite people write it (Cheryl St. John, Cheryl Reavis, Diann Hunt, and Janet Dean, again just naming a few), I’d never seriously considered writing it. If for no other reason, I didn’t think of it because my faith is private. I once told my mother, when I was in the process of refusing to go to a revival with her, that I didn’t consider Christianity a spectator sport.
That hasn’t changed much. But inspirational romantic fiction has. More than just change, it has expanded. There are many evangelistic books to be found, but there are also many that are by and about people like me. People who go to church on Sundays and say quiet prayers every day and read a lot of secular fiction but don’t really like a whole bunch of cussing and are bored with sex scenes. Granted, even now most of the heroes and heroines aren’t 62, but Early and Nash fit just fine.
A Soft Place to Fall has already been released by Pelican Book Group in paperback and will be out digitally on April 26. Although I don’t know yet how my segue into inspirational fiction will work out, if it’s like the other changes of the past couple of years, I’m really looking forward to it.
Oh, and ziplining—I’m looking forward to that, too.

          Visit me at http://lizflaherty.com or email me at lizkflaherty@gmail.com —I’d love to hear from you and the coffeepot’s always on!


What A Soft Place to Fall is about:
Early McGrath didn’t want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it was forced upon her, she did the only thing she knew to do—she went home to the Ridge to reinvent herself. Only what is someone who’s taken care of people her whole life supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones— reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband. The definition of freedom changes when it’s combined with faith. Can Early and Nash find a Soft Place to Fall?
Liz Flaherty

JAR OF DREAMS / Carina Press / Available now!
ONE MORE SUMMER / Carina Press

A SOFT PLACE TO FALL / Harbourlight Books - 4/26

Please welcome Liz Flaherty to Spunky Senior Authors and Talents by leaving a comment.
        

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Spunky Senior Author Allison Knight's Life Change

Allison Knight entered this world seventy-eight years ago, on a cold and blustery Christmas night, to the delight of her mother who claimed the baby was all she wanted for Christmas.

As Allison grew up, she discovered she loved to read even if it meant reading late at night under the blankets. She started her writing career in grade school, writing poetry, essays, one of which earned her a monetary reward, then in college as a gossip columnist for the college newspaper.

When she started teaching high school Home Economics, she continued to read and write, even beginning a cookbook. Her husband claims it's a miracle that book was never finished because some of her recipes... (Enough said!) Instead of food, she turned to her love of history and the need to always have a happy ending into writing romantic fiction, and began her career as a romance novelist, selling the first three books she wrote to a NY publisher.

Her only claim to fame is being mentioned by Paul Harvey on his noon radio show, when he explained that a teacher in Michigan taught 'Family Living' during the day and wrote romance novels at night.

Her greatest writing achievement was accidentally exposing one of her male students to the joy of reading. He told her privately that he'd never read a whole book, but loved her story so much he read the book cover to cover. He had discovered the joy of reading novels. A year after he graduated from high school, she ran into him one evening in a local book store. With his arm full of books, he grinned, explaining he ought to blame her because now he spent all his extra money on the newest novel available. If her writing does nothing else, at least she opened the world of literature for one young man.

She is still writing romance novels and with the help of her husband who is quick to offer suggestions, edit each book before it's submitted, and do the promotional work at her request, she waits for the release of book number twenty in May of 2013 with another on her publisher's desk awaiting a decision. 

Allison Knight shares with us Her Late Change of Life - 
How to Change Your Life As You Near Eighty Years Young

The call came at ten o'clock at night. That's always worrisome. Especially with children, even if they are grown. But, at the other end of the phone was a timid, weak, little voice asking if she could please talk to Grandpa. It was one of our granddaughters. And with a poignant plea!

Could we please take her cat? The cat bite her dad and he said the cat had to go. She didn't want to take it to a shelter so if the cat could come live with us, she'd help take care of it. They lived close enough, only a few miles away, so she could come play with him and bathe him, feed him, take care of him, if Grandpa would say he'd take one orange tomcat. Her idea, not ours.

Of course, Grandpa agreed. I mean, who can deny the pleading of one of your grandchildren.

So, after many years of no pets, (the last pet passed away soon after the kids left the nest), and a great retirement, which meant time to travel and explore our country, we were suddenly the new owners of a big, mean, orange cat. Yes, he did bite and we immediately had to change his name. I'll only use the initials, and let you figure out the rest, because that cat was an animal with a mind of his own. He did his own thing in his own time, often going for an arm or leg with his mouth open. So his name became L.S. because that's what we called him when he was being obstinate or mean, which was most of the time.

However, somehow, over the next six years, that big orange ball of fluff grew into a loving cat, constantly needing a reassuring touch, a rub or a pat morning, noon and night.
He even started talking to us when he wanted attention. Of course we couldn't understand a sound he made because we didn't speak 'cat'.

When one of our sons called to say his crew found a tiny black kitten under the shelves in a big box store, I looked at our big guy and said, "Why not?" L.S. probably needed the company. So the kitten came to live with us. Wally, a black tuxedo, wasn't much of a companion for L.S., though. Too much age difference, I guess.

We took a trip to our vet in search of a kitten, one who could be a playmate for Wally, and brought home cat number three, a three year old, part Siamese, with an attitude. At the vet's, Celine jumped into my husband's lap and stayed there. We really had no choice.

Since then, three years ago, we've  discovered those cats are our entertainment, provide company, give us a lot to talk about and definitely lower our blood pressure. All three want attention, even when I'm engrossed on working on my latest novel, or my husband is involved in working on some of my promotional material.

L.S. is particularly fond of settling in on the hard copy of the latest manuscript my husband is editing for me. Celine is especially pleased when I decide to work at my desk, because she takes a giant leap, landing in the middle of my notes, then stretching out, scattering papers all over the floor, so I have room to scratch her back. All three love to jump on chairs, tables, desks, computers, even printers and sing loud and clear. "Time for us!"

And, yes, we do take time out and play with them. Okay, we admit it. It's good for them and good for us. That was one late night phone call we'll never regret taking.

                                       About Allison's Novel, Windsong:

Alwyn ab Brynn Ffrydd wants revenge against a powerful Baron without losing his king's support. What better way to exact revenge than to kidnap the Baron's long time mistress. But she is not what he thinks she is.

Shy, unworldly Milisent Mortimore has been confined for nine years by a brother who now demands she agree to wed a cruel, heartless man. Thanks to her father's will, she has the right to chose her mate or her spouse will lose her inheritance.

When Alwyn kidnaps her desires flares and together they must struggle against the treachery of Alwyn's current mistress, her brother and the man he wants her to marry.
In defying all three, Alwyn places his life at risk. Milisent saves him from certain death and together they celebrate their life of love. 

Or the tiny URL is:                        http://tinyurl.com/cksavku



My publisher, CBG, www.ChampagneBooks.com  is planning to release BETRAYED BRIDE, a contemporary Romance, May 6, 2013.  



My web page:                www.AllisonKnight.com.  (There are buy links for each of my books, plus reviews and excerpts for each book on the web  page.)
My blog:                        www.AllisonKnight.blogspot.com
My twitter account:         www.twitter.com/HistoricalAllie

PLEASE WELCOME ALLISON KNIGHT BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Spunky Senior Author, Rosemary Morris, Not Only Visits Gardens, But Also Grows Organic


Rosemary Morris says all of us know that we should eat healthily. She can’t claim to be a saint where this is concerned. However, as well as ornamentals this senior citizen grows as much of her own stone fruit, soft fruit, herbs and vegetables as possible.

She firmly believes eating freshly picked or organic food is an important factor in good health and tries to eat her five a day or more.

Her home grown produce is particularly important because she is a strict vegetarian. Meat, fish and eggs are not part of her diet. When asked if such a diet is healthy Rosemary points out that there a millions of healthy vegetarians in the world. She also says a vegetarian menu can include a wide variety of cuisines and need never be boring.

Rosemary enjoys visiting gardens large and small including those in the grounds of the Stately Homes of England. Those in which areas are set aside to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables inspire Rosemary to borrow ideas for her garden, albeit on a very small scale.

Stately Homes and other places of historical interest – in towns, villages, museums etc., - fuel Rosemary’s imagination.

Since her teens Rosemary has been interested in history, particularly that of the British Isles and the British Empire. She has also relished reading King James Bible with its rich language, Shakespeare’s inspiring works, the classics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayan which are as rich as the Greek Classics and so much more, Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell, Sir Walter Scott, the Bronte Sisters, Georgette Heyer, Elizabeth Chadwick, Agatha Christie, to name only a few.

At school Rosemary was a star pupil in literature, history and geography but had little interest in mathematics which led to the accusation of comments such as Rosemary could do better, Rosemary is lazy. Maybe she was lazy when bored by a subject but she was not without ambition, which was to become a published author.

In her mid twenties, while living in Kenya, Rosemary wrote a Regency Romance which was accepted by a publisher in the U.K. Unfortunately she did not know that a date for publication of a book should be included in the contract. The publisher was taken over by another one; the editor in the new publishing house did not like the novel so it was never published.

ROSEMARY SPEAKS

While living in Kenya I met a Brahmin from India. He read my palm free of charge and said: “You have an exceptional interest in literature.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“I mean exceptional,” he reiterated. “|An interest in reading and writing.”

He knew nothing about me, so my love of writing must have been written on my hand.

My children and I moved from Kenya, to an ashram in France, and then back to England where I was born. My late husband, who had stayed in Kenya until my return to England, encouraged me to write. Actually, I had never stopped writing but was too demoralised by my earlier misfortune to submit my work. Nevertheless, I wrote historical novels. Historical because I want to share my love of history with others.

Nothing can describe my joy when my novel Tangled Lives was published and nothing could describe my misery when the publisher went out of business. This time I did not accept defeat. I read books on How to Write, joined Writing Groups, Completed all three parts of a Writing Course which gave me credits towards a degree, and kept on writing.

At long last, Tangled Lives was republished by MuseItUppublishing as Tangled Love, since then two more of my novels have been published and fourth will be published this month.

My novels are available as e-books from:

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/  amazon kindle, kobo and elsewhere.

TANGLED LOVE
 Shortlisted for Romance Festival’s e-book award.

Tangled Love is the story of two great estates. The throne has been usurped by James II’s daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. In 1693, loyal to his oath of allegiance, ten year old Richelda’s father must follow James to France.

Before her father leaves, he gives her a ruby ring she will treasure and wear on a chain round her neck. In return Richelda swears an oath to try o regain their ancestral home, Field House.

By the age of eighteen, Richelda’s beloved parents are dead. She believes her privileged life is over. At home in dilapidated Belmont House, her only companions are her mother’s old nurse and her devoted dog, puck. Clad in old clothes she dreams of elegant gowns and trusts her childhood friend, a poor parson’s son, who promised to marry her.

Richelda’s wealthy aunt takes her to London and arranges her marriage to Viscount Chesney, the new owner of Field House, where it is rumoured there is treasure. If she finds it Richelda hopes to ease their lives. However, while trying to find it her life is in danger.

SUNDAY’S CHILD

Georgianne Whitley’s beloved father and brothers died in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte. While she is grieving for them, she must deal with her unpredictable mother’s sorrow, and her younger sisters’ situation caused by it.

Georgianne’s problems increase when the arrogant, wealthy but elderly Earl of Pennington, proposes marriage to her for the sole purpose of being provided with an heir. At first she is tempted by his proposal, but something is not quite right about him. She rejects him not suspecting it will lead to unwelcome repercussions.

Once, Georgianne had wanted to marry an army officer. Now, she decides never to marry ‘a military man’ for fear he will be killed on the battlefield. However, Georgianne still dreams of a happy marriage before unexpected violence forces her to relinquish the chance to participate in a London Season sponsored by her aunt.

Shocked and in pain, Georgianne goes to the inn where her cousin Sarah’s step-brother, Major Tarrant, is staying, while waiting for the blacksmith to return to the village and shoe his horse. Recently, she has been reacquainted with Tarrant—whom she knew when in the nursery—at the vicarage where Sarah lives with her husband Reverend Stanton.

The war in the Iberian Peninsula is nearly at an end so, after his older brother’s death, Tarrant, who was wounded, returns to England where his father asks him to marry and produce an heir.

To please his father, Tarrant agrees to marry, but due to a personal tragedy he has decided never to father a child.

When Georgianne, arrives at the inn, quixotic Tarrant sympathises with her unhappy situation. Moreover, he is shocked by the unforgivably brutal treatment she has suffered.

Full of admiration for her beauty and courage Tarrant decides to help Georgianne.

FALSE PRETENCES

Five-year-old Annabelle arrived at boarding school fluent in French and English. Separated from her nurse, a dismal shadow blights Annabelle’s life because she does not know who her parents are.

High-spirited Annabelle is financially dependent on her unknown guardian. She
refuses to marry a French baron more than twice her age.

Her life in danger, Annabelle is saved by a gentleman, who says he will help her to discover her identity. Yet, from then on nothing is as it seems, and she is forced to run away for the second time to protect her rescuer.

Even more determined to discover her parents’ identity, in spite of many false pretences, Annabelle must learn who to trust. Her attempts to unravel the mystery of her birth, lead to further danger, despair, unbearable heartache and even more false pretences until the only person who has ever wanted to cherish her, reveals the startling truth, and all’s well that ends well.

FAR BEYOND RUBIES
(To be released March 2013)

Set in 1706 during Queen Anne Stuart’s reign Far Beyond Rubies erupts when William, Baron Kemp, Juliana’s half-brother claims she and her sister are bastards. Juliana is determined to prove the allegation is false and that she is the rightful heiress to Riverside, a great estate.

On his way to deliver a letter to William, Gervaise sees Juliana for the first time in the grounds of her family home…The sight of her drew him back to India. Her form changed to one he knew intimately – but not in this birth.

An unexpected event brings Juliana and quixotic Gervaise together and circumstances force Juliana to accept his kind help. However, when Juliana’s life irrevocably tangled with Gervaise’s she discovers he is not all that he seems.


Member of: Romantic Novelist’s Association, Historical Novel Society, Watford Writers

Please welcome Rosemary Morris to Spunky Senior Authors and Talents by Leaving a Comment.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Spunky Author Wayne Hatford Channels Rudolph Valentino, Debunks Myths about Seniors!


What Wayne Hatford Has To Say about Rudolph Valentino and Seniors:
  
From one of the greatest lovers the world has ever known, a few observations about love:

Though others this have said, ‘tis indeed true, love is the glue whose purpose, among other things, is to fill in what we might perceive of as empty space, creating a coherent whole ~ be it micro or macro. Love binds us to each other as well as to the dimensions we inhabit. In essence, it’s our reason for being ~ THE reason why everything IS. So all-encompassing are its perspectives that for all practical purposes love is unfathomable.  Having neither sides nor bottom, it cannot be plumbed.” ~ Rudolph Valentino

Yes, Rudy was/is an icon of love, a ‘silent’ screen star that left this world at a relatively young age. So what is he doing talking about Seniors? Of course, you have to first suspend your disbelief that this kind of communication is even possible! But it is, and I am not the first person to channel Rudolph Valentino nor will I be the last. He’s always had a lot to say, and a little matter like death is not going to change that fact!
The Senior experience, which is currently part and parcel of my own personal reality, is the genesis for our second collaboration, Going for Excelsior: Thriving in Seniorhood. What is it about? How best to navigate our ‘Golden Years,’ safely, smartly, and creatively. GFE is a practical self-help/personal growth tool for Seniors, a blueprint for active living ~ how to embrace where you’re at in your life, find hidden gems, turn up the voltage! Most of us will have the opportunity to be a Senior, for greater or lesser periods of time. Why not have a good handle on it before you arrive at that age bracket, and/or fully embrace and enjoy it if you are already there?
One of the most noteworthy aspects of this book, I think, is its thoughtful examination of phenomena that are often associated with Seniors, such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s. They are scourges, to be sure, provoking concerns that are constantly being fueled by the media. But what if there is a bigger picture view of why these conditions occur? Offered in the spirit of love, here is an excerpt from Going for Excelsior that addresses Alzheimer’s, examining its import and genesis. Rudolph Valentino, speaking through me:
 Sometimes oldsters have to use every trick in the book to solve their karmic riddles. Alzheimer’s provides its clients with a rest from daily drudgery, so that they can begin the diffusing process, the decrease in specificity that some souls need to experience prior to transition. It is a phenomenon that appears to lessen one’s mental acumen yet it does not. Alzheimer’s is a fooler, a rabbit-warren wherein the patient hides from the vagaries of the tangible world. Never fear, a lot of work is going on while anyone is in this state, sort of analogous to being alive while at the same time appearing somewhat deadened. To the onlooker, it is a very curious condition, heart-breaking too, especially if you are one of their loved ones and they yours. Again, never fear; they can still feel love and even project it, though usually in rather off-handed ways.
 What are they doing? Exploring their inner realms, in other words, day-dreaming, which does not correspond to what most people agree on as reality. So, they listen to their own drummers (that perhaps is the most apt metaphor) and dance to their own tune. Have compassion for them but don’t dismay. Alzheimer’s per se is not a bad thing. It’s one of many devices the soul uses to further its own work. There is awareness among Alzheimer’s patients, though for the most part we, as observers, cannot discern it. They are aware but they are aware of different things than the rest of us, we who think in an unfettered way and can breathe freely, without any sort of restriction or supervision. They, too, advance. Alzheimer’s is not a step backwards nor is it karmic punishment. Karma is involved only in the sense that for Alzheimer’s patients it may be more complex, so much so that they need to focus on their innards to an even greater degree than most other people and again, that is what they are doing, shining a light on the inside, conducting research, making connections, self-circuiting. I would also say arcing and sparking, plugging in, being constantly engaged in their own worlds. They are re-wiring themselves prior to being re-born. Death for them is even more of a re-birth than it is for those who know not of this supposed malady.
People often get angry when they perceive someone dropping out. Alzheimer’s patients chose to drop out, true, but they did it in good stead and for many a valid reason. Again, have compassion and send them a loving thought. In a way, they are caught in the in- between, a living death ~ not bad, just what is. The bounty we can harvest from our inner gardens never ceases to amaze. Think of an Alzheimer’s ward as just another stage or film set where drama ensues. That is all it is.”
Going for excelsior blog Tour Information:

About the Author:
Wayne Hatford, B.A. in French and Spanish, M.A. in International Administration, is a teacher, writer, editor and author dedicated to bridging the gap between the physical and non-physical worlds. To that end, he channeled a friend, Janice Horn ~ Letters from Janice: Correspondence with the Astral Plane and, more recently, the spirit essence of Rudolph Valentino ~ Valentino Speaks: The Wisdom of Rudolph Valentino and Going for Excelsior: Thriving in Seniorhood, all of which are available via Amazon.com. Each of these works explores the “Other Side” while offering insight and practical suggestions on how best to make the most of this one.
A life-long student of metaphysics and transformation, Wayne has both taught in public school and been a personal property appraiser. Wayne Hatford now resides in Santa Rosa, California where he and the Valentino essence continue their collaboration.
His latest book is Going for Excelsior: Thriving in Seniorhood.

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About Wayne Hatford's Going for Excelsior:
What if you were as savvy as you could possibly be in matters of aging and, therefore, really soar, breeze through the final chapters of your life with flying colors? The ’senior’ experience, through only the most constructive and creative of lenses! Going for Excelsior” offers practical suggestions for successfully negotiating Seniorhood, a blueprint for active living ~ how to embrace where you’re at in your life, find hidden gems, turn up the voltage. Thriving in Seniorhood is about going beyond what’s expected or being directed at you by the host society and this book provides the reader with the tools and understandings to accomplish that goal. Conundrums solved. The sting removed from such phenomena as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Myths about Seniors debunked. These are only a few of the benefits that can be derived from reading this book which, hopefully, will serve to stretch your consciousness, something that’s rather elastic to begin with ~ in every stage of life.
‘Seniorhood’ ~ Where people often like to perceive us, once we have attained a certain age. Also, where we can choose to thrive, with clarity of purpose ~ and by design!
“Like all those who currently inhabit a body, you, too, are getting ready for Excelsior. Especially allow the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and beyond of your ages to be magical in this regard, for you to be way-showers, preparing yourselves mentally, physically and spiritually for the next phase. There always is a next phase, by the way, and we are always getting ready for it. You are part of a grand design as am I. There is no other option!” ~ Rudolph Valentino
Purchase Link:  AMAZON
  
Book Excerpt:

Now, let’s return to the more common definition of Excelsior, the loose packing material that is most associated with the shipping of fine art or antiques. It can come from many sources and, as a result, may have lots of different ‘looks.’ Metaphysically-speaking, however, Excelsior is a container for the soul and, being somewhat porous, allows for entry and exit, not only of the soul itself, but also of vibrations, both ours and those of other people. It might be easier to think of Excelsior as skin, that living, breathing, largest organ of the body whose properties model those of the Veil. Yes, once again our skin is a version of the Veil, that curtain of energy that separates the dimensions and whose function also is, under certain circumstances, to allow energy to pass through it. Our skin shields us from danger, yet it also allows us to shine our Light. Have you ever heard someone say that so and so’s skin was translucent? All of our skins are translucent. We shine, projecting the inner spark that is soul to the outer world while, at the same time, receiving Light from others, those we encounter in our daily lives. This is how we determine who to interact with, by what our impressions are of their Light. If, for example, we feel inundated or limited by their presence, it’s a sign that we ought to move on. So it’s about the quality of Light of each soul, which is the determining factor. This does not mean, however, that some souls have inferior Light. Rather, it simply signals that their frequencies are very different from ours and, as a consequence, are experienced as jarring. The converse could also be true ~ that we, too, might upset the applecart because our vibrations are not all that harmonious with theirs.

The following is perhaps a heady idea but, I think, very apropos. In lots of new age books, individual souls have often been referred to as Light workers. Indeed, that is exactly what we are, always putting on a show for our fellow travelers, those who happen to be in the body at the same moment as we. The skin, or Excelsior, monitors this so-called Light show, mostly on auto-pilot, but sometimes with the greatest of attention on our parts. What is it that throws the switch or adjusts the rheostat? A combination of factors, including, but not limited to, our own free will, emotional state of being and current degree of alignment. If we’re in sync with ourselves and our environment ~ in the flow, of course we glow. The soul is electric, like a dynamo or atom, independently functioning forever, and one of its modalities is to shed Light. That’s right, a soul cannot die, what we all know inside. It’s only the body that is capable of carrying out that task.

If you will, take a moment to focus on the porous nature of the skin. Not only does the soul make one definitive entrance and exit per physical body, but also countless others that are far more casual, such as each time we fall asleep or wake up. Yes, our soul or consciousness goes off to play in the Astral, in the so-called dream world when we sleep while remaining tethered to the physical body. It’s only when we die that the connection is broken and the soul can no longer re-enter the body. Some of you are more aware of the phenomenon of constantly leaving the body to dream than others. In the state we call half-sleep, people often sense their consciousness either floating close to the body or re-entering it with a thud when they suddenly awake. The skin, or Excelsior, breathes too, though in a more subtle way, in and out, mimicking the work of the lungs. Interesting that it’s the lungs, heart and skin that are the last bastions of movement before the body becomes inert, what we label as dead. At the very instant the first two stop working, the skin is poised to exhale the soul, ready to perform its final function.

Think of the skin that covers our bodies as millions of tiny mirrors, fractals with dampers that can be opened and closed at will. Yes, that is what we do when we emit Light, reflect it through the pores of our skin, and they are also the pathway for the Light of others to reach us. We are like solar panels then, forever in the process of reflecting and absorbing. What an exquisite landscape we wear! Who knew that packing material had such beauty, form, and function?

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