Lucy's Media Challenge: Beat the Anxiety Over Watching New Things Update 1

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Hi everyone! So something that might be familiar to some of you is the avoidance of wanting to watch new films or TV shows due to the familiarity and comfort of watching things you've seen before. Well, this year I decided to challenge myself to watch some popular TV shows I haven't seen before and to catch up on more recent films that I haven't seen.

Here's some of my list so far, please let me know if you think of anything else I should add:

TV shows

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

What If...

Arcane

Eternals

WandaVision

Gilmore Girls

Vampire Diaries

Supernatural

NCIS: LA

Films

Black Widow

Ant Man and the Wasp

All of the new Spiderman films

Shangri-La

Hawkeye

Disney films

So far, I have watched the first episode of Gilmore Girls and started Buffy. 

I liked Gilmore Girls but didn't feel a particular pull to watch more episodes, although I am going to when I feel like watching something chill and more contemporary. 

I am excited to watch more of Buffy. Charmed was one of my favourite shows and Buffy gives me definite Charmed vibes. 

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her children's book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk

Izzy Matias- check out her YA contemporary book and one of her blog posts!

Reading & Stuff Update 1

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Hello, I have decided to start doing daily or almost daily updates about my reading and other stuff as I used to love making vlogs but I'm currently not well enough to make them any more. So if you'd like to see the books I've read so far this year, please check out my Goodreads.

There's a lot of stuff I can't do right now so one of my main focuses is reading! I love reading so much. It's not always easy with my mental health but thankfully I have managed to get into the habit of reading more which I am so grateful for.

My loose goal is to try to read 100 pages a day, whether that be across one read or more than one. I say loose because sometimes I get chronic migraines which can last for many days and it also depends on my fatigue and pain levels etc. But I am going to try my best to read at least a bit almost every day if I can.

So at the moment I have a few books on the go (I have already done some reading today but never mind):

The Gift of Dark Hollow- this is the sequel to The Legend of Podkin One-Ear which I read this year and absolutely loved. I am currently on page 34. Total- 304 pages.

The Book of Stolen Dreams- I think I started this in December but didn't get very far. I am now on page 44. Total- 380 pages.

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System- This is one of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's books which have started to be translated. The cover is beautiful and glossy. I am really enjoying this even though I don't understand everything and I am frequently confused! I am on page 54. Total- 291 pages.

I am also reading the Rainbow Magic fairy books. I'm not sure how many I read as a child but I remember loving Ruby the Rainbow Fairy, the first book. I am now up to Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy so I will be reading these alongside other books. I am trying to read them in order but some series are harder to find than others! (There are so many series within the main series).

I also started Aru Shah and the Song of Death which is the second book, the first being Aru Shah and the End of Time which I finally read last year and loved. This is kind of on hold for now (I was enjoying it, just ended up picking up other books) but I will be going back to it.

So far today I have read some of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System and The Book of Stolen Dreams. The latter of which is quite gloomy at the moment but I am going to plough through (my mental health was not feeling great).

As for other updates, I wrote a blog post about writing a gratitude/positivity journal that I am really proud of. We also got our second Ko-Fi member yesterday!! Please do check out my members at the end of each blog post, they are amazing.

I will update you in my next post, probably once I have read a bit more. My updates will be shorter than this but as the origin post, this ended up being longer. Please let me know what you're reading in the comments!

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her children's book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk

Izzy Matias- check out her YA contemporary book and one of her blog posts!

Why You Should Start a Gratitude/Positivity Journal & How I Do Mine

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Hi everyone! So as most of you probably know, I am dealing with chronic physical symptoms, as well as mental health. One thing that I have found really helpful for tackling my mental health and the mental impact of being chronically physically ill, is to do a gratitude or positivity list daily. I want to chat through what I have been doing and I would love to hear if you've done this or would like to!

Gratitude/positivity list

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One method is to simply grab a notebook, piece of paper or a notes app on your phone and what I do is write the short date and then list everything I am grateful for; everything good in my life and good things that happened that day. So this could include people in your life, something you achieved or managed, small nice things that happened, maybe you had a slightly better afternoon than usual- anything really. Some of the things will be repeated and that's ok. The aim is to remind yourself, and your tricky brain that life is not as bad as your mind makes you feel it is and to start having a more positive view on things. 

I know this might sound silly but if you repeat this over and over again, it can really help you to feel a bit better. If we only ever focus on our worries or things that make us feel bad, we will just feel bad but if we try to have a more positive approach to things, even when it's hard and you can't think of much, you can feel a bit better. This really helps me. I try to keep a daily log and also when I feel my mental health dipping I aim to write down some positive things that have happened in that day or recently or just good things in my life in general. Which brings me on to another method I use: 

Positive things that happened today

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I have a beautiful planner with a to do list for each day. Within each day, I tend to have 3 headings: ideas for today, jobs and good things today. Ideas for today are things that I'd like to do, whether that's hobbies or blog-related or something else. I don't have to do all of them. Jobs are things I have to do so this could be your housework, phone calls etc. Good things today is where I list things like what I managed to do, for example, read some of my book or wrote a poem. I also list anything nice that happened, so, for example, if I had some kind messages from friends or I got a new Ko-Fi member. 

I like to do this to remind myself that it doesn't matter how much I do in the day but that things are good regardless. I want to focus on how I felt and just positive things, instead of thinking 'oh I didn't do xyz' and feel bad.

Summary

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Try to create a gratitude list, good things in your life in general and nice things that have happened lately- it doesn't matter how small.

Make a positivity list in your daily to do list- try to focus on good things instead of productivity and feeling bad about what you did or didn't accomplish.

It isn't always easy but try to keep it up and I hope it helps you to feel a bit better!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you try this please do let me know!

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Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her children's book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk

Izzy Matias- check out her YA contemporary book and one of her blog posts!

Indie Showcase #6 Poetry Books

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Writers work really hard, pouring all of themselves into creating their passion projects and achieving their dreams. One thing that I want to do is to help authors to reach a wider audience and make more sales. Something very important for all authors, is receiving reviews. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Waterstones and other shop websites help authors to find even more readers. Sometimes authors will run deals such as offering their book for free or for a cheaper price so that readers can access their books and review them for others to find. In these indie showcase posts I am going to share some of these books. Please check out any books that you are interested in and leave reviews online! See other indie showcase posts on my book lists page.

Check out these poetry books by self-published/small press writers!

The Beauty in Breathing: a collection of poetry

The Beauty in Breathing is a collection of poetry about loneliness, pain, hope, love, growth, healing, and trying to see more beauty in the world and in ourselves. It’s about a journey towards a better life.

Purple Sky Vol.1 : Talking to the moon

There are times where we all feel blue and other times where we're so happy we see the vie en rose. The sky of our life is full of these colors, and together they make a beautiful purple sky. "Talking to the moon", the first volume of the Purple Sky series, is a collection a poems related to themes such as grief, heartbreak and how to grow from them, hope for a better future, and love. So much love, for ourselves, and for others.Take on the first step of this dreamy journey; you won't be the same once you're done reading.

Collected Quirks: 2005 - 2020

The collected published works of poet and writer Sam Rose from 2005 to 2020.

The collection begins with her first published poem, printed in an anthology of love poems at the age of 17, and rounds off with more recent musings about the joys of cheese.

Between lighter reads, Sam Rose navigates early adulthood through the lens of cancer survivorship, with much of the poetry and prose featured tackling themes around illness and trauma, as well as nature.

An offering of hope and compassion for cancer 

survivors, caregivers and medical professionals alike.

Empowerthy

"I tease the knots out of my hair
like they’re the ones in my stomach,
remembering with each stroke
an easier existence."

Empowerthy is a collection of poems about being a cancer survivor and living with Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition which makes people more likely to develop certain cancers in their lifetime.

The poems are written to empower and empathise with readers – whether you are a cancer survivor, previvor, or simply a survivor of this world so far.

Linear

Linear is a poetic story of recovery. It's triumphant, it's raw, and it's real. Linear shows both the bad days and good days in the mind of someone with mental illness. It is poetically and painfully beautiful, because after all, healing isn't linear.

The Many Personalities of Me

** content warning. This book discusses mature themes such as mental health, suicide, self harm, and depression. Comprised of poems hand chosen by the author, The Many Personalities of Me tells a story of struggle, triumph, heartache and above all perseverance. Stories and poems based on first hand experience from my every day life living with mental illness.

Warm Cinnamon Rolls on Sunday Morning

No matter how much money there was, there was always something baking at Laura S. Tarasoff's childhood home. Concoctions from flour, sugar and butter went a long way to filling their home with wondrous aromas that relieved the stress of life.The simple pleasures of joy and hope found in the small, still moments, can be found throughout Warm Cinnamon Rolls on Sunday Morning. Laura S. Tarasoff reaches out a hand of friendship and welcomes the reader to find connection with a familiar memory. She hopes that you find here a poem that touches the heart and stirs the spirit in the still small way to lift the reader up and find their way to a path of light and hope.

The Cuddle Puddle: A Picture and Poetry Book

The Cuddle Puddle contains a collection of kitten photographs and poetry that is perfect for the entire family. Many of the kittens featured were once part of a rescue and now have loving forever homes. We hope you find them a cute as we do.

The Dream is Free but the Hustle is Sold Separately: A collection of poems and thoughts

A collection of poetry and thoughts.

Organic eMotions: Poetry for hUmaNITY

The inspiring poems are an introspective portrayal of deeper feelings of melancholy, confusion, hope, self-love, healing, wholeness, and empowerment. The verses capture both the transient and the prevailing emotions through a vulnerable lens, using a powerful and electrifying nuanced artistic expression. A rejuvenating, poignant, lyrical reflection of trauma liberation during humanity's evolution.

Ananda: Poetry for the Soul

Ananda, the bliss within, is an inspirational poetic sonata for the evolution of the Soul. With harmonic verses, each healing poem provides therapeutic, meditative, and transformative reading for self mastery. A handbook for the wellbeing of the Soul, with messages of hope and transcendence imbues each page and highlights the interconnectedness of humanity. “When we operate from the space of heart-centered consciousness, every Soul becomes our mirror and our teacher. We are all connected within this web of radiant life force energy called Love.” —Lali A. Love

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her children's book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk

Izzy Matias- check out her YA contemporary book and one of her blog posts!

Book Spotlight: Racing Devil: A 'Ride or Die' Romance of an F1 Driver by P.J. Scarlet

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Title: Racing Devil: A "Ride or Die' Romance of an F1 driver
Author: P.J. Scarlet
Genre: Romance, Sports Romance

Available on: Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com (Also free on Kindle Unlimited!)

Book description

After a racing accident, Myles Carlton, the famous Formula 1 driver struggles to accept that his face has become disfigured, and there is no way to fix it.

Everybody keeps saying that it’s a curse. He has been insulting, selfish, and irritable. He lacks sportsmanship and regularly breaks women's hearts.

But then he meets Nicky who checks every box for him, and most importantly, she never acts like she was repulsed by his face. The playboy driver decides to go on a mission to win her heart.

Nicky's life has been going well. She was a management expert, and even better at controlling her emotions, until she has to work as Myles’ manager.

He makes her feel flustered, lightheaded, and she is about to lose control.

Falling in love with a dangerous man was the last thing in the world that Nicky wants to risk her heart with, resisting his charms and his burning desires for her has also proven to be a very difficult task.

If a fair maiden's kiss could break the beast's curse,

Will her love be able to help this hunter beast break his curse as well?

Author bio

P.J. Scarlet is the pen name of a Thai female author who has published over ten books in the Thai language. She is also an award-winning author in the country. She is a hedonist who lives with anxiety. She loves listening to music and reading about people. She believes in the power of passion, dream, and determination, and she sets out to live her life accordingly. P.J. Scarlet has a rare disease. Writing fulfils both her life and her heart. Follow P.J. Scarlet on Twitter @PJScarlet_novel or write her at PJScarlet.author@gmail.com.

Book Spotlight: Dig Deep, Stand Tall: How to Connect with Your Heart, Take the Limits Off of Life, and Finally Reach Your Dreams by Adrian Hayward

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Title: Dig Deep, Stand Tall: How to Connect with Your Heart, Take the Limits Off of Life, and Finally Reach Your Dreams
Author: Adrian Hayward
Genre: Self help / Personal development
Available on: Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com - Book Depository - Kobo - Barnes & Noble
(Currently only 99p/99 cents on Kindle)

Book description
You’re tired of things in your life not working out for you.

You’ve given everything but nothing seems to stick.

You wonder, “Why can’t I make things happen? I’m trying so hard.”

And that’s why you’re searching for books on how to be successful.

Well, you’ve found the one that can help.

I have spent the last 20+ years learning how to turn dreams into reality while achieving lasting change. I have devoured thousands (literally) of books to build on my understanding. And I've given everything I have to overcome abuse, trauma, addictions, illness, and much more. I now love my life and want to show you how you can, too.

In This Book, I’m Going to Show You:

● How to search deep inside for the answers you’ve been missing so you know what choices to make
● How to break through obstacles no matter how tough they seem
● How to change the parts that have seemed completely stuck FOREVER – like crippling fears, addictions, and trying to shed excess pounds

What You’ll Get:

● An assessment of where your life is right now
● A simple 10-year plan you can create in just a few hours
● Wisdom and encouragement on how to Dig Deep so you can Stand Tall
● Guidance and personal examples for every step in the process

This is a book about lasting change. About how to design your life, YOUR WAY.

Don't let this opportunity to change your life be one of those that passes you by.

Author bio

Adrian Hayward is the author of Dig Deep, Stand Tall—a message of solidarity and a guide to self-transformation for those yearning for a rich, fulfilled life. He believes in the wealth that’s inside of us: our vital selves, our inner directions, and the intuition that guides us. Having overcome everything from abuse to addiction, homelessness, mental illness, and physical pain, he is passionate about sharing his learnings with anyone facing their dark moments. Adrian writes in a style that’s hopeful, challenging, honest, and inspirational—and his one goal: to help as many people as he can to experience the profoundness of living a life of their dreams.

Promote your book/blog/youtube etc. Affordable options with a big audience

All figures correct at time of posting, for most up to date social media statistics please see my contact page

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Hi everyone! I am a huge advocate for content creators and writers. I love to boost self-published indie/small press authors, as well as creators such as bloggers, youtubers and instagrammers and small businesses. I wanted to make a post to chat about some of the things I offer which are at affordable prices and come with a loyal growing audience.

Ongoing advertising

My Ko-Fi membership option includes promotion for your book/blog/youtube etc. with your name and links included at the end of every blog post I publish. Each post receives hundreds of views and I post often, with thousands of views a month. As an example, last month my blog received over 20k views.

I am very active on Twitter and share my posts in multiple writers lift threads, as well as tweeting my posts to over 8,000 followers. My posts are also shared on Pinterest which is currently at 27,000 views a month and it is increasing.

Ko-Fi membership starts from £2 a month, or the equivalent in your currency. My members also get priority in shout-outs on Twitter, as well as a lot of other benefits. Please check out my Ko-Fi members page to find out more.

Update!

I have added two more tiers to my Ko-Fi page which include further promotion and sidebar advertising.

Book spotlight posts

Another promotion option is my book spotlight posts. These posts can feature items such as a book cover, book description, book genre, author bio and buy links. These posts will stay on my blog and they will also be listed on my book spotlights page for readers to find. My recent book spotlight post has reached almost 800 views in less than a week. You can directly commission a book spotlight through my Ko-Fi page.

Sidebar advertising slot

Your book cover, a banner or logo with a clickable link (must not lead to spam or adult content) can be included in my sidebar beneath my members' banners for 4 weeks. You can commission a sidebar advertising slot on my Ko-Fi page or join my Page Master membership tier for ongoing sidebar advertising and much more.

So those are a few options to help you gain new readers or more views. I would love to work with you and I look forward to talking to you! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk

Freelance Marketing: Tips To Set You Up for Success

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With the evolution of the digital marketing space, freelance marketing has become a good way for creators to showcase their creativity. In addition, it enables them to make connections and ultimately grow their network. As a result, most companies are always in need of freelance marketers to help them leverage their social media platforms for marketing purposes.

So what is freelance marketing? Freelance marketers help companies and businesses to advertise their brands. If you are a beginner freelance marketer, ensure that you possess tangible marketing skills that will help grow brands and make more sales for various companies.

In addition, make efforts to improve your skills and ace your game. Here are tips to help you become better at freelance marketing as a beginner.

Book Review: The Fast Little Fox (The Fast Little Fox & Friends book #1) by Jill Horton

This book was kindly sent to me to review. However, all opinions are my own and honest. This post also contains affiliate links.

Title: The Fast Little Fox (The Fast Little Fox & Friends book #1)

Author: Jill Horton

Genre: Children's picture book

Available on: Amazon.co.uk - Amazon.com in paperback and on kindle (Also free on Kindle Unlimited!)

Add it on Goodreads

The Fast Little Fox is an adorable children's book filled with cute and humorous pictures. We follow Freddy Fox who runs so quickly, he makes mistakes. He makes a friend who helps him learn and he makes up for his actions.

I thought that this was a wonderful children's book. It teaches lessons whilst also improving vocabulary. There are various animal characters for the children to learn about, each of their names beginning with the letter of what animal they are which can help to build associations for children.

This book is a great length for a story time tale and I can't wait to see the rest of the books that Jill Horton creates. I highly recommend this book if you have children or work with them!

My rating: 5/5 stars

What I'm Focusing on This Year

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Hi everyone! If you follow me on Twitter, you will probably know that I have been dealing with debilitating chronic symptoms for a while. So for 2022, I decided to try to focus on positive things that make me happy. I thought I'd share some of my goals and ideas for this year. I'd love to hear any goals or anything you're focusing on for 2022!

Reading

I love reading. I get so excited about finding new books and reading makes me feel so many emotions but most of all, I get happiness from reading. 

I set my Goodreads goal for 200 books this year. On average I'd say I usually read about 50 books a year. But this year I am reading a lot of short childrens books and graphic novels between other reads, particularly middle grade fantasy. This allows me to complete more books and have something nice to focus on. 

I don't know if I will reach this goal but it is nice to have something I can reach for when I feel well enough to read.

Games

I have been a gamer for almost my entire life. I don't play games as much as I used to, and that's ok but when I feel like playing, I want to be playing games that I enjoy and make me happy. Some of my favourite games from last year are Animal Crossing with the DLC and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond.

Colouring and jigsaw puzzles

I wanted to do something that I can do whilst watching book videos, a TV show I've seen before or listening to an audiobook. I love mindfulness colouring, I find it really relaxing and it quiets my mind and just makes me feel calmer. I also want to make some bookish jigsaw puzzles up and glue them so I can display them. I am currently colouring in my Pokemon colouring book and I am really enjoying it.

Blogging

I want to continue to promote indie books this year and talk about mental and physical health, subjects that I want to bring out into the open and raise visibility and awareness for. I would like to work with more guest writers to help share their experiences. I also plan to continue posting poems when I feel inspired to write them.

Ko-Fi

Ko-Fi started offering a monthly membership option which is essentially like Patreon. I created a members tier which includes shout-outs for my supporters at the end of every blog post, including their links and a Discord server to chat, have a book club and text reading sprints, among other things. I would really like to get more members for this. It would really help me personally but I also want to support others through messages, shout-outs and things like reading sprints. 

Be kind to myself

Feeling really unwell physically every day, as well as dealing with mental health issues is tough. I want to try to be kinder to myself and think more positively. Even though there are a lot of things I can't do right now, I can try to focus more on what I can do and how I can help people. 

I also want to thank everyone who has been there for me, if you are reading this. Kind messages help more than you would know and I am really grateful to know so many lovely people who brighten my days. 

Thank you to my Ko-Fi members!~

Jill Horton- check out her book! Amazon.com - Amazon.co.uk