Get Healthy Blog Hop :)

I'm so excited to be participating in today's blogfest! And only because I've been trying extremely hard to lead a healthier lifestyle which is sooooo difficult when I spend most of the day sitting in front of my laptop.

Thank you to the hosts: Stephen Tremp, L. Diane Wolfe, Michael Di Gesu, and Alex J. Cavanaugh. Please visit them today when you get a chance.

So, what have I done to get healthy?

Long term, I've eliminated sugar in my coffee It's been 2 years now and I can't drink sweetened coffee anymore.

Since I've already been eating healthy, I haven't really changed my diet other than the sugar, but I have increased the amount of my physical activity.

Short term, as of April this year I've been walking almost every morning. I've even added a bit of running in there too. I've also started a routine I'd heard they do on Dancing With The Stars called 8 minute abs and although I don't last eight minutes, I do crunches for as long as I can, without counting, until my abs (or my stomach for now) burn. When I don't think I can do it anymore I add another 20 crunches.

I've also been working on my arms (especially the back of my arms). And this part is not because they look bad, in fact they look pretty good, but if there's one part of the body that freaks me out as I get older it's that sagging back of the arm. I really don't know why, it just scares me.
What do I do? I support my upper body by leaning back on the second step from the bottom of my staircase, feet flat on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees and then using only my arms I lower myself slowly and then push up. I also do this until the back of my arms burns and I cannot lift myself up anymore.

Whatever you do, please pat yourself on the back today because whether you're eating healthier or exercising, it takes will and strength to lead a healthier life.

Now hop on to the other participants below and see what they're doing to get healthy:)

W4W, Season Finales and The Originals

A couple of things first:

• All Winners from the giveaway have been emailed so please check your emails. Thank you to all the readers who entered and Thank You to Elle Casey for hosting such an incredible giveaway.

• Happy Victoria Day to all my Canadian fellow bloggers, authors, writers and readers! If you're celebrating with some fireworks tonight, please be careful. This is what happened behind our house after a firework fell over (that's what we're suspecting). To make it worse, people ran off without calling the fire department. We weren't home at the time, but thank goodness for great neighbors. This picture was taken by a neighbour two houses to our left. As far as we know, no one was hurt.
  

  Today is a Writer's for Writer's Monday (also known as W4WS, created by Stephen Tremp) whereby authors support each other by spreading the word about their colleagues work!

You can find W4WS on Facebook and Twitter under #W4WS.

 The featured writers for May are Laura Eno http://lauraeno.com/blog/ and Marian Allen http://www.marianallen.com/

Visit their sites for what to post on FB or Twitter. Or retweet #W4WS on Twitter or share what you find on the W4WS FB Page - https://www.facebook.com/Writers4Writers

Let's take over the internet!

Season Finales:

I don't watch too many shows due to time constraint, but I do have a few favorites. I absolutely Love and Hate Season Finales. They have the best cliffhangers ever. And I curse and thank the writers of the shows at the same time. They draw on your emotions until you cannot wait for the next season.
If you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy, you know exactly what I mean.I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Shonda Rhimes has done it again. I will be tuning in to the next season on the day it airs.

Another awesome season finale was for Vampire Diaries. I don't watch this one as religiously as Grey's, but after having seen the finale, I just sat there with my mouth open, unable to believe what has happened. The wheels in my head began spinning wondering about future story lines and what the events meant for the characters. Absolutely Awesome! With the twists thrown in, this show has become one I'm looking forward to see again next season.

And as a writer I can appreciate what the screenwriters are doing and I learn from them as well.
It's like a good book with a sequel you cannot wait to read.
Or a book you wish you haven't read just so that you could read it again.
These kinds of shows inspire new ideas and teach me how to hook in a reader and reel them in on a thick fishing line - and you know that kind of a line will not break.

The Originals

This is a new show on the CW, premiering in October. I'm very excited to see where this show goes and only because it's a spin off the The Vampire Diaries and casts well developed characters. Can't wait to see it. 

This is what Joseph Morgan had to say when E! interviewed him:

"It's going to be darker, a little sexier and edgier. Vampire Diaries was more about these kids growing up, a coming-of-age high school story; our show is more about creatures embracing their true nature and reveling in that."

I can't wait for this show!





Do you have a favorite season Finale? Are you looking forward to the next season?
Will you be joining Writer's for Writers? How are you celebrating Victoria Day?

MASSIVE Book Giveaway! Over 1900 books!

I'm honored to have joined Elle Casey's Massive Book Giveaway. Almost 1900 books and 150 titles including some from Best Selling Authors!

I'm giving away 10 eBooks of Two Halves, 10 of Two Equals, and 10 of Evil-Bent:A Two Equals Novella. All my winners will receive an additional "treat" as a surprise:)

Please note, if you open the page in a Firefox browser, the full spreadsheet may now show (at least it doesn't for me), but in Explorer you get the full list. Or, it may be just my computer acting p as I know others were able to open it in Firefox.

The giveaway ends on May 15th, so you have a couple more days to enter. Feel free to spread the word, share with your author friends and let your readers know as well.

I hope you win and enjoy all the wonderful reads!