Writer's Ramblings - Articles - Zimbio

Piligrim's Progress

Tue, 24 Sep 2008 03:30:00 GMT

posted by maftukhin

Description
The adventures and perils Christian encounters on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City are a classic tale and a vivid portrayal of Christianity. In this fully illustrated book, the story is retold especially for today's children. (20041224)

Review
"The classic story of Pilgrim's Progress is told in a fresh way as Christian faces many dangers and adventures on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. As Christian tries to stay on the right path he faces lions, giants, monsters, terrifying forests and people who try to steer him away. This story of a life adventure is told especially for young readers and the amazing illustrations bring Christian values to life." (Kids Bookshelf )

"This classic and timeless story of the adventure of life is retold for younger children. The large illustrations are very colorful and modern looking. This makes for an attractive book, which can be read as a first introduction to a more elaborate version and edition, closer to the original text." (WD Christian Schools International )

Tuesday Tip - Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants

Mon, 14 Aug 2007 18:14:46 GMT

posted by CaridadPineiro

I’m almost at a milestone - 25 pounds lost. Almost. Just half a pound to go and then another 35 pounds to go.

Yes, you read that right. Another 35 pounds to go. It’s amazing to me how much weight I’ve gained and lost over the nearly twenty years that I’ve battled with my weight. But I try not to think about that, or about the big number I’m still facing. I’ve been trying to think of that number in smaller increments, happy about each and every pound. Ecstatic as I move from one size to a lower one.

As for the scale, we all understand that to know the pounds lost (presumably the measure of your success) you need to get on the scale.

That can be daunting for many reasons. There’s always that sense that the scale is like a pinball machine and the moment you set yourself on it, it’ll light up and start flashing TILT, TILT, TILT accompanied by an assortment of bells and whistles to add to your misery.

For those of you too young to have played much pinball, think of it as GAME OVER.

The truth of it is, getting on the scale can tilt your sense of accomplishment in a negative way. It can frustrate you to the point that the game, namely losing weight and getting healthier, is over. So here’s some suggestions (and mind you, it’s tough for me to keep to them sometimes, too!) for keeping positive:

1. Try not to get on the scale every day.

2. Try not to make your major weigh-in on a Monday. Weekends are killers for most people and a weight gain or lack of weight loss on Monday morning — TILT, TILT, GAME OVER.

3. Don’t rely on just the scale to judge the success factor of what you’re doing.

The last is probably one of the most important of the suggestions. Why? If you’re doing any kind of exercise (which you should be in order to improve your circulation and muscle tone), you will be building muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat. Muscle is leaner than fat. Muscle burns more calories in a resting state, so muscle is very very good.

If you’re building muscle, the scale may not move much, but your body will look and feel different. You will feel better and stronger.

So how do you gauge your success while you’re busy building muscle? You can measure yourself. Upper arms, chest, waist, hips, upper thighs. Think of the inches lost versus just the pounds.

Yes, all the measuring is tough so what else can you do? Pick a pair of pants that are tight on you, but not turn-your-legs-blue-because-they’ve-cut-off-the-circulation tight.

Use them as your measuring stick. At the end of the week, do they feel looser? After two weeks, how do they feel?

When they fit just fine, find another pair of tight pants in the next size down. Keep this going until you are back in the pants you wanted to wear.

Right now, I’ve left the tight size fourteens and am in a snug pair of size tens. My goal is to rid myself of the muffin top and spillover and move down yet another size. I want to keep on going with this until I am back to where I was nearly a decade ago — approaching a size 6.

Will that also equal losing the next 35 pounds? Who knows? As I exercise and try to improve the strength of my body, it may turn out that those 35 pounds aren’t the measure of my success anymore, but rather, how I look and feel!

The thing about using this kind of approach is that it is more truthful than the scale. It acknowledges that your body is changing for the good as you eat better and exercise. It also reminds you that it’s not going to happen in a day, but as those pants become a little looser each week, it should hopefully give you the boost you need to realize that you are succeeding!

Hope this little tip helps you join the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants! Have any suggestions of your own?

caridad, caridad pineiro, game over, losing weight, pants, pinball, pineiro, scale, shrinking pants, sisterhood, tilt, weight battle, weight loss

Thoughtful Thursday - Booksellers that Care

Wed, 9 Aug 2007 21:06:14 GMT

posted by CaridadPineiro

There’s nothing better than booksellers that care about authors and take the time to introduce those authors to their patrons. I think of booksellers as the infantry in the publishing world. They’re the ones who are out there in the trenches, providing the support that you need to survive as a writer.

Last night I was at a wonderful authors roundtable at the Borders in Fairfield, Connecticut. The event was run by an extraordinary event coordinator, Dianne Defonce, and her wonderful staff. We had well over thirty people who came to listen to a collection of romance and mystery authors talk about their favorite summer reads, and of course, their latest releases.

Karyna da Rosa, a fellow NJRW Member as well, and I took the train from NYC up to Fairfield and had a blast talking about books and getting to know each other better. At the store, I ran into my friend, Anne Elizabeth, who had been kind enough to arrange for me to be at the signing.

Also got to spend time with one of my favorite editors, Leslie Wainger, who was the one who helped start THE CALLING vampire series.

Here’s a picture of some of the authors with the group. Dianne, the wonderful coordinator for the event, is third from the left in the white shirt. FYI - Dianne holds these roundtables every Wednesday at 7, I believe, so you may want to check them out. The store is at 1499 Post Road in Fairfield.

Here’s the authors that were present at this wonderful roundtable along with the titles of the books they were signing in case you want to drop by and pick up a copy! I signed SECRET AGENT REUNION.
Karyna Da Rosa, DRY MOON
Anne Elizabeth, CARAMEL FLAVA
R. Garland Gray, FEY BORN
Mary Beth Bass, FOLLOW ME
Alisa Kwitney, FLIRTING IN CARS
Leslie Wainger, WRITING A ROMANCE NOVEL FOR DUMMIES
Lori Avocato, DEAD ON ARRIVAL
Sharon Linnea, CHASING EDEN
Jessica Speart, UNSAFE HARBOR
Roberta Isleib, DEADLY ADVICE
Mary Ann Tirone, GIRLS OF TENDER AGE

alisa kwitney, anne elizabeth, borders, caridad, fairfield, garland gray, jessica speart, karyna da rosa, lori avocato, mary ann tirone smith, mary beth bass, pineiro, sharon linnea, toberaisleib

Welcome to our wikizine called "Writer's Ramblings"

Tue, 22 Aug 2007 01:11:47 GMT

posted by CaridadPineiro
Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called "Writer's Ramblings". Here you can find fresh voices and respond in real time. Some members write articles about recent news and trends related to the wikizine's topic, others recount relevant personal stories or share their favorite pictures and video clips. Got an interesting idea or story to share with other members of this wikizine? Well, then put on your journalist's cap and add your own article!

Love Story - Erich Segal

Tue, 1 Oct 2008 04:38:00 GMT

posted by rajtilak
"Being in love means never having to say you are sorry", this is how it all happened. This is how one of the simplest stories ever written went on to become one of the most coveted Love Novels of our times. This is a love story between Oliver Barett, a rich jock and Jenny Cavilleri, a wisecracking working-class beauty studying music at Radcliffe. Opposites in nearly every way, Oliver and Jenny immediately attract, sharing a love that defies everything. Here is a love that will linger in your heart now and forever. Click on the link below to buy the book from Amazon.com.