July 30, 2013

Author Interview: Keith Kareem Williams

Interview with Keith Kareem Williams

Author Keith Kareem Williams



Keith Kareem Williams is an established author who has recently published his fifth book titled "War Angel". Below is a Q&A that I had with the Urban Fiction author about his newest release.







How many books have you published?
So far, I’ve published 5 books on my own and 1 anthology as a joint endeavor with a group of author friends of mine.

Tell me about your most recent book?
My most recent novel is titled, “War Angel.” I would classify it as Urban Fiction with a hint of Paranormal sprinkled in. I always try to keep the stories I write unique so at times, I mix genres which make it difficult to classify or label them at times. The goal is always to give the reader something new and to provide them with an unforgettable reading experience.

July 26, 2013

Author Interview: May Torres

Interview with Author May Torres

Author May Torres May Torres is a self published indie author with a flair for the dark side. Her first novel entitled "Enchanted Island" will take you on a whirlwind ride of love, friendship and best of all Karma as we follow the trials and tribulations of a young Latina and her three friends. Below is a Q&A that I had with this feisty indie author to find out about her book and also a little about her. 




How many books have you published?
I have one book, Enchanted Island, published so far and working on a second.

Tell me about that book?
Enchanted Island in simplest terms is all about Karma. I'm such a firm believer in Karma so you'll be dealt a healthy serving when reading the book. The story centers around a young Puerto Rican girl from New York City. She's shunned by her peers and pretty much a social outcast. By the end of the story she proves to be a pretty badass hero. The book has been described as a coming-of-age story with supernatural elements. It's about love, friendship and Karma. The book also has a historical fiction quality to it as it deals with the first natives of Puerto Rico, the Taino Indians. 

Enchanted Island Book Trailer


July 17, 2013

Recipes for Clean Eating

Below are a few recipes that I like and are included in a clean eating diet...




About a year ago I decided to change my eating habits and started eating healthy. After a while, I got bored with eating the same stuff over and over again and decided to find some creative healthy recipes. Here is a few of my favorite ones.




Collard Wrap

Ingredients:
Chickpeas
Plain Greek Yogurt
Avocado
Tomato
Fresh Collard Leaves

Directions:
Mix chickpeas with the plain Greek yogurt
Chop avocado and tomato
Wrap chickpeas, avocado, and tomato in a collard leaf

 **It tastes a lot better than it sounds**






Homemade Maple Granola

Makes 30 servings (approximately 1/3 cup per serving)

Ingredients:
5 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup roasted cashew pieces
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup date pieces
1 cup dried cherries

Directions:
1. Place coconut oil in a small bowl and heat to liquid. Add honey, maple extract, and cinnamon. Whisk until thoroughly combined.

July 11, 2013

Finding My Inner Peace




"Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it" ~ Unknown




I, like many people, have struggled with my past. It was riddled with abuse, hard times and not so nice people. Some of the things that happened to me were not due to anything that I had done but most of them were due to my bad choices. Over the past three or four years I have been coming to terms with the things that happened. I have taken full responsibility for my role in all of it and decided that enough is enough. It's time to let go of the guilt, the anger and the sadness and just be happy. I am determined not to let the bad experiences from my past influence how I feel about myself or how I handle current situations. The process of healing from the events of my past has been a long, hard one and I'm still not completely through it. I've learned many lessons about myself and others during this time. Here are a few of those lessons...


"Just get over it" ...I don't know how many times I have heard that and I really wish it were that easy. "Getting over" traumatic events doesn't happen over night and anyone that expects you to get over it that quickly doesn't care about you.


You can truly change the way you think. When I started this journey of healing, I really didn't think it was possible to get all the fearful, angry and negative thoughts out of my head...but it is! It isn't something that will happen over night but with determination you can change how you think. You can become less fearful and happier just by not allowing the negative, fearful thoughts to take up space in your head.


Know that you are loved. This one was hard for me. Growing up I was different from the rest of my family. Even as a child I knew this and so did all the adults in my family. I was treated differently than my other family members. I was left out and shunned. I was an outcast in my own family. Because of this, as I got older I felt like I was unlovable and had low self esteem. This set the tone for the bad decisions that I made and the abuse I suffered as an adult. Getting out of this mindset involved me just opening my eyes. I realized that I had people around me that loved me for me. They didn't expect me to be anyone different. It was then that I realized that all the things I was told about myself growing up were wrong and that I was unconditionally loved by the people that I have in my life now.


Surround yourself with people that love you and have your best interest at heart. Throughout this journey I have learned who is really there for me. I have learned who truly loves me and who doesn't. Because of this I have "cleaned house". I cut off anyone that was bringing me down or didn't have my best interest at heart. No one is off limits...including my family. I will only allow myself to have healthy, loving relationships from here on out.


It's ok to cry. I have always held in my feelings. If something/someone hurt me I would just suck it up and keep going. I now know that that isn't the healthiest way to deal with your feelings. This is an area that I am still working on because sometimes I'm afraid of my feelings. I'm afraid of the reaction I'll get if I tell my feelings. But I know that I have to stop bottling up my feelings because nothing good will come of it. And I'm working on it :)


"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" ~ Albert Einstein



Do thinks differently. If you want change then you have to change. Don't do the same things you always have and expect to see the change that you want. Even the smallest changes can have a big impact on your life. The first change I made was to start eating healthy and exercising. This had a great impact on my well being. I lost 10lbs, felt amazing and had tons of energy! The next change I made was to start doing things on my own. I started going out by myself and going out of town by myself. This taught me how to interact with people I don't know and I have met some amazing people this way. I am no longer afraid to be by myself and honestly, I prefer to be alone. I truly enjoy my own company. This is one area where I will never stop growing. I have found out that you will learn a great deal about yourself if you just step outside of your safe box and take a chance.



 Love yourself!! A few years ago, if someone were to ask me what I loved about myself I would have said nothing. Now....well...lol...let's see...I love the gap in my front teeth, I love the way I snort when I laugh too hard, I love how insanely random I am, I love how my absent mindedness can make my friends (and myself) laugh, I love how inappropriate I can be at times, I love my bright blue eyes, I love my freckles, I love my fingernails (I have great fingernails lol)...The list could go on and on and on. You can't be happy if you can't look at yourself in the mirror and love everything about yourself...even your quirks and flaws.


The journey to healing and happiness is a long one that I am still enduring. It gets easier with every passing day. The above are just a few of the things I have learned along the way and I'm sure I have many more lessons to learn. Hopefully one day, I will be able to say that I have finally found my inner peace but until then I'll just enjoy the journey :-)




An update can be found here: Letting Go and Burning Bridges


Click HERE to check out my Amazon Store!







July 10, 2013

Some of my favorite quotes

Here are a few of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!


Two things define your personality, the way you manage things when you have nothing, and the way you behave when you have everything


The value of experience is not in seeing much, but in seeing things wisely 


Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still 


Rudeness is a weak imitation of strength 


The most beautiful part of beauty is often the part of someone which no picture can capture

July 9, 2013

How to travel on a budget...

Do you want to travel but don't know how with your current budget? Here are a few ways that I have found to travel on a budget. 


A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted to start traveling but didn't know how I could given my budget. I did a lot of searching on the internet and there really wasn't anything written about traveling on a budget. I had to get creative to find deals on destinations. Below are a few things that I have found so far. I have been able to travel to a few places using these method and saved A LOT of money! I hope this helps anyone looking to travel but can't afford to pay the high travel prices.


Groupon:

Groupon is one of my all time favorite sites for deals. Not only can you find deals in your current city but you can find deals in almost any city that you travel to. You can also find great deals on destinations. When you sign up for Groupon (which is free) you enter your current city. You will then see different deals that you can purchase. For instance, a restaurant might have a deal where you purchase a $25 groupon and get $75 worth of food. All you do is purchase the deal on Groupon then print it out and take it to the restaurant. If you want to look for deals in a different city just change the city and all the deals for that city are listed. You can find deals for activities, food, spas, and practically anything on this site. There is also a section for travel deals. There will not only be travel deals in the US but all over the world. Some include airfare and some don't. Some are just for hotels in a certain city. These deals can save you a lot of money!

One thing to be aware of is the fine print. ALWAYS look at the terms. Some of the places make you use the Groupon coupon during a certain time frame and some you have to make an appointment or reservation and let them know you have the coupon. Even with this you can still save a ton of money!