Monday, May 20, 2013

Hot ‘n Sexy Paranormal Memorial Day (Week) Celebration

 
Hot ‘n Sexy Paranormal Memorial Day/ Week Giveaways

This week I’m taking part in a multi-author giveaway at A.C. Jamesblog. Check out the other amazing authors she’s hosting and their book giveaways.
Here at the Passion Sense Blog we’re joining the fun by celebrating the upcoming holiday weekend by hosting paranormal authors and giving away FREE paranormal books. Any excuse for a party and free books, right? TWO places to meet some of the hottest authors in the genre and win books!
 
Sexy Paranormal and Urban Fantasy writer A.C. James invited me to participate in her Memorial Day Giveaway this Wednesday, May 22nd for her Sizzling Hot Memorial Day Giveaway http://acjamesbooks.blogspot.com/ http://www.acjames.com/ and, since I’m a huge paranormal fan, I couldn’t resist joining in.
Starting tomorrow, AC James will be kicking it off with Amazon Top 100 Best Seller Indie author R.E. Butler with author interviews and giveaways. Check out A.C. James’ blog for a chance to WIN several prizes this week.
*My interview is Wednesday, May 22nd. Check it out and leave a comment for a chance to WIN one of two copies of Desert of the Damned.
Here’s the line-up of great authors at A.C. James blog:
             Tuesday - R.E. Butler http://rebutler.wordpress.com/
             Wednesday - Kathy Kulig http://www.kathykulig.com
             Thursday - Robin Woods
http://www.robinwoodsfiction.com/
             Friday - Erica Stevens
http://ericasteven.blogspot.com/

Author Line up on Kathy Kulig’s Blog this week for interviews and Giveaways:
Tuesday: Jocelyn Dex http://www.jocelyndex.com/
Wednesday: Naima Simone http://naimasimone.com/
Thursday: Berengaria Brown http://berengariabrown.com/
Friday: Shelley Munro http://www.shelleymunro.com/books
Check back for more authors.
Leave a comment with email and drawings will be held next week.
Damned and Defiant
I’ll be giving away a copy of Damned and Defiant

***Tell me what paranormal creatures to you prefer: Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, Shapeshifters or others??? Leave a comment at any post this week to be included in the drawing for a copy or Damned and Defiant or any book from my list. That's in addition to the guest authors' giveaway.  Drawing will be done some time next week. Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 




Sunday, May 19, 2013

Healthy Writer Isn't an Oxymoron


 
A successful writer doesn't have to sacrifice good health. 

The image of a writer is one who spends hours and hours hunched over their computer screen, drinking ginormous amounts of coffee and eating whatever is fast and usually not very nutritious. Exercise? What writer has time for exercise when a deadline is looming?

A writing career carries a ton of stress. Especially with all the changes in the publishing world today, it’s difficult for a writer to decide which path to take in her career. Prolific writers seem to get ahead of the pack, but if you have family, young children, a full time job, the pressure of being prolific becomes even more stressful. Unfortunately, what suffers is a writer’s health.

Symptoms of an Unhealthy Writer:

·         Frequently sick with colds, stomach bugs

·         Headaches and/or migraines

·         Insomnia

·         Edgy and depressed

·         Increased weight issues

·         Increase blood pressure

·         Low energy level

·         Muscle and back pain

 

To be a successful writer, you have to write consistently, focus on goals, be persistent and positive, continue to grow and improve as a writer, schedule time to write.

To be a healthy writer, you have to be consistently health conscious, plan ahead, schedule writing times and healthy times(eat healthy and exercise) into your daily schedule. Change and adapt new habits slowly for the greatest success.


Here are a few Healthy Writer Tips:

EXERCISE: Exercise isn’t a dirty word. Exercise at ALL ages is important for good health. Do you have to join an expensive gym? No, but you need to be consistent and schedule the time. One hour is only 4% of your day. No excuses! Start slow and work up.

·         If you have a day job, go to the gym or do a workout right after work or before you start your job (get up an hour earlier). If you plan your meals ahead of time, you can make 30 minutes dinners after your workout.

·         Keep a variety of exercise videos at home. Email me and I can give you some great suggestions (kathykulig(at)rcn(dot)com).

·         If you’re a full time writer, schedule your exercise daily. Let’s say at 10 AM, you take a break from writing, go for a 30 minute walk/jog, and do some strength training with hand weights, or 30 minutes of yoga for flexibility and toning.

·         Strengthening your core with exercises like yoga, pilates, plank exercises. This will tone muscles especially your abdomen, back and over all muscles and build stability. Notice how older people have frequent falls? Not as often when you have strong muscles. http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-the-Plank-Exercise

·        Keep hand weights at your desk and take frequently breaks to stretch and do arm lifts. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/sexy-arms-for-summer
 
      
·         Meditation is also good for good health. 10-15 minutes of calming the mind can do a world of good to refocus and distress.




  
EATING: We’ve become a fast-food/processed/high calorie world with our constantly moving lives. Planning ahead and making gradual changes toward good eating habits NOT DIETING is the best method for a healthy lifestyle and a healthy writer. Balance and portion is the key. Try different foods, snack less, eat smaller portions. Don’t eliminate your favorites, just don’t eat tons of them. You know that lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruit and whole grains are healthy. Build your meals around these. Avoid fad diets.
 

·         Make substitutions. 1 cup of whole milk has 157 calories and 9 grams of fat. Buttermilk has 99 calories and 2.2 grams of fat. Almond milk (unsweetened) has 30 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. For lunch or breakfast, I make a protein smoothie. I can drink this at my desk while I write. http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/kathykulig

·         Chicken breasts can be large. Cut it in half. Eat half for dinner and have the other have with a salad for lunch the next day.

·         Make your own dressings. Use buttermilk for creamy dressings. Olive oil and different flavored vinegars like tarragon or balsamic. Add spices. Add a little Stevia or Truvia for a slight sweetness.

·         Avoid sodas, diet or regular. Bad!

·         Watch out for the “healthy” snacks and cereals with hidden high fat or high sugar contents.

·         Make a pitch of lemon water and keep it in your refrigerator. Juice of one lemon to 1-2 quarts of water and one packet of Stevia or Truvia. Can also slice up cucumber, sliced orange, or strawberries, add mint leaves. Lemon helps detox your liver.

·         Read labels. That “low fat” dressing for your healthy salad may have 11 grams of sugar in it.

·         Write down what you eat for one week. REALLY, do this! You may be surprised how much mindless eating you do between meals, at your computer and late at night.

·         Try different recipes using fresh food. I check out online sources like http://www.allrecipes.com and  http://www.cookinglight.com/

·         I’m having fun trying out Mediterranean recipes. My parents recently returned from a trip to Greece and Turkey and I like the healthy eating recipes. They also brought back some olive oil and saffron.

       
Here’s one recipe I recently tried that was yummy. If you want to check out other Mediterranean recipes check out this site. http://the-mediterranean-diet.com/ I get their email newsletter and it comes with great recipes.


400 degree oven

Ingredients:

Green beans                               ¼ C. Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Garlic, 1 clove, minced             ¾ C. Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon                                      1 tsp. lemon zest
2 T. Kalamata olives, chopped    2 T. green olives, chopped
2 (6 oz.) Cod filets                       4 minced anchovies (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil                    salt and pepper  
 

-Combine garlic, olives, anchovies, lemon zest, tomatoes, parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil.

-On two sheets of foil, lay out a handful of trimmed green beans. On top add ½ of the tomato mixture. Place the fish on top and drizzle with an little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add two slices of lemon on top. Fold and seal foil.

-Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Pleasures of Cris Anson's Mercy & Redemption


The Latest in the Redemption Series

 Mercy and Redemption -- Cris Anson

Blurb:

Searching in an old cemetery for likely gravestones to illustrate her colonial cookbook, Mercy Howe meets two hunks who are tracing their ancestry. And sparks fly. Literally.

When Mercy casually touches Seth and Adam, her vividly erotic vision involving all three of them feels like a memory, not a dream, and awakens long-dormant sexual urges. With their kisses achingly familiar, she welcomes each in turn into her body. Then she spends a no-holds-barred weekend with both men in her bed and discovers an intimacy—and a past—that blows her mind.

As memories resurface from three hundred years ago, Mercy will have to choose whether to relive the experiences from their joint past or forge a new bond with either Seth or Adam. Or both.

Excerpt:

She’d been acutely aware of Seth’s presence as he alternately followed or preceded her through the downstairs, aware of the piney, masculine scent of him, of the way his clothes hugged his lean body. Aware that they had deliberately refrained from brushing against each other in doorways.

Aware of the stark desire in his deep, dark eyes, the bulge in his jeans that he did nothing to hide.

Just last night she’d allowed a complete stranger to take greater liberties with her body than she’d ever encountered in her thirty-five years of existence. And tonight she was contemplating even more with another stranger.

If Seth knew about her encounter with Adam, would he think her a slut? Did she think she was?

No. Today’s woman was as emancipated as today’s man. If she wanted it, she should go for it.

And she wanted Seth. No guesswork about it.

They moved simultaneously, halting a mere inch apart. “Mercy. I want to kiss you.”

The cream seeping through Mercy’s panties threatened to make a dark patch on the faded denim of her shorts. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. Maybe he would notice and would welcome its appearance.

Maybe she should stop overthinking this and just lean a hairsbreadth forward…

Their lips met softly. Mercy’s eyelids fluttered downward at the contact. Nothing but lips brushing together then melding to each other with mouths closed. For a long moment she savored the sweetness, the luxury of it, unhurried, nascent, fragile. Then she felt the gentle stroke of a finger on her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw, her throat, felt the soft exhalation of his breath against her skin.

She needed more than a chaste kiss. Somehow she knew Seth could give her more, much more than this baby step. Tentatively she opened her mouth, allowed her tongue to explore the seam of his lips.

On a groan he grabbed her upper arms with strong hands and brought her body into full contact with his, chest to breasts, hips to hips, thighs to thighs. His cock, hot and hard behind his jeans, pressed into her belly. His mouth opened to receive her tongue, and then his tongue was stroking hers, thrusting and receding, demanding her response.

Mercy replied by snaking her arms around his waist, undulating her hips to deepen the contact and declare her intentions. Skin to skin, that’s what she needed. This reckless feeling he aroused in her was new, made her bold, knowing. Her hands slid down to his firm butt, which at the first touch she decided was world-class. She grabbed his round ass cheeks and kneaded them, bent her knees to rub her body up and down against his. She couldn’t get enough of the feel of him, hot and hard and…here. Finally. After how many lifetimes—

“Mercy,” he moaned, “I want you. God, I’ve thought of nothing but you since we met. But—”

Suddenly, inexplicably, he withdrew, holding her at arms’ length to look into her eyes, chest heaving with his ardor. “Mercy, I’m sorry. I was out of line. I don’t want you to think you’re merely a notch on any bedpost of mine.” He took a deep breath. “I want to spend time with you, to get to know you. You’re somebody special, I already know that, and I don’t want to blow it.”

Mercy smiled, licked her lips while staring deeply into those dark-chocolate eyes. Eyes she’d stared into before, somehow she just knew she had. “Seth, everything you’ve just said to me was a negative—‘I’m sorry.’ ‘I don’t want this.’ ‘I don’t want that’.” She shook her head. “What I don’t want is…”

When she didn’t continue, he blew out a breath. “What?”

“I don’t want you to hold back. I want you to follow whatever urges you—”

He ground out an oath, thrust his hands under her armpits and lifted her several inches from the floor. “That worktable. The first time, it has to be in front of the fireplace.”

A scant moment later, Mercy found her ass plunked on the table as Seth bent her backward to position her on the scarred and weathered oak, then hoisted her legs to wrap around his hips, with him curved above her, overwhelming her mouth with the intensity of his kisses.

Seth had no clue how this sudden inspiration—desperation—had flared into his consciousness. He only knew that he had to have her on that table. Never in his life had he performed such an impetuous act. Never had he so disrespected a woman, treating her like a thing to be ravished.

He only knew that he had to have her—now.

Lifting his head, he searched her eyes. They held a matching desperation. For him. Mercy’s pupils were so dilated with lust the startling blue had all but disappeared. Her mouth was swollen from his plundering. Sweat beaded at her hairline, rolled down her temple.

He kissed his way down her throat, down the center of her chest. That flimsy scrap of clothing had to go. Buttons. He had to unbutton the front placket. His fingers felt encased in cement. Grabbing the soft fabric, he pulled. Buttons pinged on the oak, on the floor. Relishing the sight of that creamy expanse of skin, he bent his head to her exposed breast, sucking one hard nipple fully into his mouth, foreplay be damned. He felt as though he couldn’t get enough of her firm, pillowy flesh. As though he needed to consume her totally.

Mercy’s head thrashed from side to side on the unyielding oak. Her thighs tightened their grip on his hips. Small mewls of pleasure erupted from her throat, sexy sounds that egged him on. He shifted to her other breast, giving it like treatment as his fingers pinched the nipple of the first one, still wet and turgid from his mouth.

More. He needed more of her. All of her. Now. Or he’d die.


Buy Mercy and Redemption:  Ellora’s Cave    Amazon   Barnes & Noble

Find Cris Anson’s World:

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Steal Me Away, Cerise Deland


Cerise Deland, one of my fav authors is having a release today! May 8th: Steal Me Away from Ellora’s Cave. If you like sexy historical erotic romances, check this one out.

 
Steal Me Away

Blurb:

Fancy Turner knows it isn’t wise to hunger for the touch of the virile Comanche chief, Bull Elk. She should catch a husband from among the few men who returned to Texas after the Civil War. But tall, bronze Bull Elk, in his feathers and buckskin, is so handsome—and forbidden.

When Bull Elk charges onto the ranch one morning and catches Fancy up in his arms, he knows he risks the anger of his own braves and the fury of the long knives to have her. He’ll risk everything to twist her golden hair in his fist, to caress the pale swell of her breast as no man has before him. He’ll have Fancy as his wife even if he has to fight his own people to make it so.

Excerpt:

Fancy Turner and her sister are outside picking vegetables and flowers one spring morning. They argue about men and the losses during the Civil War. Suddently, Fancy’s sister points to the hill above them.

“Francine!” Collette screamed. “Don’t go! Look up at the hilltop!”

Fancy whirled to her left, one hand up to shield her vision from the glaring sun—she stood stark still. There on the ridge stood a party of half-naked mounted Comanche braves. A lot of them. Eight, nine, ten in all. By their build, Fancy could see a few were her age, maybe younger. All wore tawny loin cloths of buffalo hides, short boots of the same soft substance, long white and black hawk feathers in their shoulder-length ebony hair and nothing on their broad, bronze chests. Their leader, the tallest man among them, wore red paint across his nose and cheeks. His large, hell-dark eyes, he had ringed in black paint. Despite his fierce markings, Fancy knew who he was, and she smiled and waved at him.

“Nothing to fear from him, Coll. That is Patuwa kum. Chief Bull Elk.” She continued to walk toward the party, refusing to comfort her insolent sister any more than necessary.

“Wait, Fancy. How do you know that savage?”

“He came to a powwow with Ranger MacRae and Herr Mannfried last month in Fredericksburg.” That day, Bull Elk had worn his ceremonial headdress for the meeting and long buckskin trousers. No shirt then either. The better to show off that magnificent muscular chest. She quivered recalling how attractive she had thought him then. How his gaze made her want his large hands around her waist. How she imagined him kissing her lips. Her breasts. And even, oh god, her pussy. She cleared her throat, trying to rid her mind of her forbidden lust for the Comanche. “Ranger MacRae introduced me when I served them all food and lemonade.”

“That doesn’t make him civilized, Fancy. You’d better not go near him.”

“Don’t be a ninny, Coll. He’s fine. He speaks English too. I heard him.” She continued her way up to the ridge and stopped in front of the handsome Comanche who some said would lead his people to white folks’ ways. “Hello, Chief. How are you today?”

Though she smiled at him in greeting, he narrowed those large umber eyes at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. “Fancee. Tur. Ner.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “Nice. You remember my name.”

One of his braves spoke up, gesturing to her and shaking his head as he pointed toward Collette.

“Patuwa kum,” Fancy tried for some polite conversation, “do you…perhaps…go to Fredericksburg today?”

Two other braves murmured to their leader and Fancy could make out that they spoke his name the way she had. From the amused looks on their faces, they were making fun of her pronunciation.

So much for trying to be neighborly. Not eager to be an object of their ridicule, she bid them good day. She turned her back and trod along the stony path toward her family’s ranch house.

“Fancy,” Collette called, “don’t you dare leave me here alone with these beasts.”

Fancy didn’t bother to turn. Her sister didn’t deserve her consideration after the way she had spoken to her today. “Maybe they can teach you some manners, Coll. As for me, I am going home. Come, if you wish, or stay and reconsider your ways.”

“You little bitch!”

At the insult, Fancy halted in her tracks.

At once, the air was filled with war whoops and Fancy felt the earth vibrate with the pounding of horses’ hooves.

“No! Noooo!” Collette cried out.

Fancy whirled to see Bull Elk and his nine braves charging toward her. Her fingers went numb. Her basket of flowers fell.

Bull Elk rode straight at her. Her body frozen, her fears of being trampled by his horse turning her blood to ice, she cringed. Then she hiked up her skirts and ran. She didn’t get but two steps away.

The Comanche chief yelled a heinous cry as he came upon her and scooped her up across his lap, hanging her over his horse’s back, face down. Air slammed from her lungs. Her head spun. She tried to scream and no sound came out.

Bull Elk’s braves galloped beside him, chanting ear-splitting cries. He echoed their sounds as they raced across the hills.

Still Collette’s cries rang in her ears. “Noooo! Oh, god, no. Bring her back! Fancy! Fan-ceeee!”

The chief pinned Fancy down, his massive hand to her spine. Her long platinum waves escaped her bun and cascaded around her face. Her fingers scraped tall grasses as Bull Elk rode like the wind across the rough terrain. She winced, curling her fingers to her palms. His companions rode nearer and nearer to them so that dirt and stones cast up from their horses’ hooves hit her in the face. Clamping her eyes shut, she heard Bull Elk call to them, curt commands she took to mean, Hurry. Others follow. Their wails frightened her so that she feared she die of it. Breathless, her lungs straining for air, her ribs bruised from the galloping of the horse across the barren plain, Fancy feared all hope was lost for rescue when Collette’s shrill demands died in the distance behind her.
She writhed but Bull Elk hooked his arm around her, bent over her to keep her firmly across his saddle and rode on. And on. And on.

And she wished he would never stop. For when he did, Fancy understood from tales of so many others who had been captured by the Comanche, that he would strip her, scalp her and maybe even skin her. She fervently prayed before that happened, she would die.

Buy Steal Me Away: Ellora’s Cave    Amazon    Barnes & Noble

Check out Cerise DeLand’s worlds:



Twitter: @CeriseDeLand

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Transmute Writing Failures Into Success



How can you turn rejections, writer’s block, poor sales into success?

Look for the benefit in each and every failure. No really. If the book was rejected, that’s an opportunity to make it better. Having writer’s block? Is that a signal that you need to completely rework you story, start a new one, work in the garden, exercise, take a break and read a good book? Replenish the well of ideas? Brainstorm with friends? How do you handle poor sales? That’s a tough one. The best answer for that is write another book, and another. Are you writing in the right genre? Are you spending at least a little time marketing it? On social networks (blogging or visiting and commenting on blogs, Facebook or Twitter?). And not just “Buy my Book” socializing.

Fear is faith in reverse. Make a habit of being positive about your career. It may sound crazy but the positive energy perpetuates positive energy.

Visualize what you want. Do you want to be a best-selling author? What does that look like? Feel like? See it in your mind, experience it as if it already happened. Set your goals and write them down. Read them often with enthusiasm and emotion.

Transmute negative thoughts and doubts into positive ones. Anyone who works in the medical field will tell you patients who have a positive outlook on their health and life, recover much faster than patients with a negative, depressed attitude. Any time a negative thought comes into your mind, push it away and replace it with the opposite positive one.

Rejection is just another step toward success. An opportunity to learn and sharpen your craft, build connections, make new friends. Come up with your own.

Never talk badly about another author, publisher, agent, reviewer, etc. It may be hard at times because we’re so close to our work and we tend to take it personal. Take a step away from that negative response. It’s part of the business and you’re a professional. Self-discipline.

Look for opportunities. When they come up, think of them as gifts and GRAB them. These are bonus chances to succeed toward your goals.

Step out of your routine and old habits. Try something different in your writing. You may discover you have skills you didn’t know you possessed. Take a class, a day trip, a college course, go to a conference, read a book in a genre you’ve never read before, etc.

Always strive for greatness, never good enough! Imagine greatness. Think about greatness and your goals before you go to bed and the minute you wake up. Let me know if you notice a difference or change taking place in a few weeks. J

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Cave Chaos Talk Radio on the 'C' Word


Two Appearances Coming Up:

I'll be a guest blogger at ARe All Romance eBooks Café Friday, April 26th. http://www.arecafe.com/ talking about the Perpetual Spring Break
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/

#
 
I'm also very excited to be a guest on Cave Chaos. If you haven't listened to one of their shows, you have to give them a try. 



It's not very sexy but the "C" Word--CENSORSHIP will be the topic on Cave Chaos Radio Monday April 29th from 12-1:00 PM EST. Kathy Kulig will be a guest.

http://cavechaosshow.com/

Controlling information and ideas circulating in society. In this day and age, you wouldn't think we wouldn't have an issue with censorship anymore. There are some valid reasons like national security, protecting children, child pornography, hate speech, preventing slander and libel. It's still a touchy issue.



Author Anais Nin's works were censored for decades.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Adventurer Discovers Strategies to Capitalize Triumphs & Misfortunes


AMERICANS’ LACK OF TRAVEL BREEDS IGNORANCE
Memoirist seeks to inspire his peers to get out and make nice with the world

Adam Shepard is my guest on the Passion Sense blog celebrating the release of his new book ONE YEAR LIVED
Adam has a passion for adventure, which you'll see by his bio. He's also a speaker and author empowering people by sharing what he has learned on his journeys to elevate people's performance. He creates strategies for success by capitalizing on both triumphs and misfortunes. Too many people are living the instant gratification life or have the entitlement attitude. By taking initiative and broadening their perspective, many people can enhance their lives and reach their goals.
 

His book ONE YEAR LIVED is an adventure story of his travels backpacking through 17 countries and the life lessons he learned that we can all use to enhance out lives.

*** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT ***

Check out the end of this post for a chance to WIN a copy of Adam Shepard's new book ONE YEAR LIVED.
 

Bio:
Attending Merrimack College in North Andover, MA on a basketball scholarship, Adam Shepard graduated with a degree in Business Management and Spanish. Serving as a Resident Advisor during his upperclassmen years, he began to take particular interest in the social issues of our nation. Shortly after graduation—with almost literally $25 to his name—Shepard departed his home state for Charleston, SC, embarking on the journey that has now become his successful first book, Scratch BeginningsScratch Beginnings tells the story of starting with $25, a sleeping bag, and the clothes on his back in a random city to test the values of hard work and discipline in today’s “me first, gotta have it right now” society.

After a whirlwind journey that took his self-published book to the Today Show, CNN, Fox News, and NPR, he sold Scratch Beginnings to HarperCollins and made appearances on the Dave Ramsey Show and 20/20. He has likewise been featured in the The New York Times, the New York Post, The Atlantic, and The Christian Science Monitor, and Scratch Beginnings has now been used on the curriculum or as a First Year Common Read at over 90 colleges and universities in the United States and translated across the world.

After a few years working as the world’s slowest bartender, Adam set out in the world to spend all of the money he had been saving. The narrative of this experience—a spirited blend of leisure, volunteerism, and enrichment—comprises his most recent book, One Year Lived. One Year Lived tells Shepard’s tales of travel and life lessons learned among seventeen countries, four continents, 42,134.6 miles, and one haunting encounter with a savage bull.

In his spare time, he reads, plays tennis, and travels the country empowering audiences to elevate performance by taking initiative. His keynote speech What Will You Do Next? details strategies for capitalizing on both triumph and misfortune.
www.OneYearLived.com.

Adam fights bulls here: 
 

(Raleigh, N.C.) – Do Americans—young Americans, especially—really know what’s going on in the world? Are we prepared to embrace globalization? Adam Shepard hopes his story will inspire young people to get out and arm themselves with a broader perspective.

By the time he was 30, the North Carolina man had already completed goals most people wait a lifetime to pursue.

From late 2011 to late 2012, spending just $19,420.68, less than it would have cost him to stay at home, Shepard visited seventeen countries on four continents and lived some amazing adventures. "It’s interesting to me," he says, "that in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, it’s normal for people to pack a bag, buy a plane ticket, and get ‘Out There.’ In the U.S., though, we live with this very stiff paradigm—graduate college, work, find a spouse, make babies, work some more, retire—which can be a great existence, but we leave little room to load up a backpack and dip into various cultures, to see places, to really develop our own identity."

His journey began in "the other Antigua"—Antigua, Guatemala—where Shepard spent a month brushing up on his Spanish and traveling on the "chicken bus." During his two months in Honduras, he served with an organization that helps improve the lives of poor children; in Nicaragua, he dug wells to install pumps for clean water and then stepped into the ring to face a savage bull; in Thailand, he rode an elephant and cut his hair into a mullet; in Australia, he hugged a koala, contemplated the present-day treatment of the Aborigines, and mustered cattle; in Poland, he visited Auschwitz; in Slovakia, he bungee jumped off a bridge; and in the Philippines, he went wakeboarding among Boracay’s craggy inlets and then made love to Ivana on the second most beautiful beach in the world.

His yearlong journey, which took two years to save for, was a spirited blend of leisure, volunteerism, and enrichment. He read 71 books, including ten classics and one—slowly—in Spanish. "If you can lend a hand to someone, educate yourself about the world, and sandwich that around extraordinary moments that get your blood pumping, that’s a pretty full year," Shepard writes.
One Year Lived is the compelling and transparent account of his experiences abroad.

The trip comes just three years after he made national headlines for taking a year to test the viability of the American Dream. With just $25 in his pocket, he boarded a train and headed to Charleston, SC. He lived in a homeless shelter for 70 days and took odd jobs until finding a full-time job as a mover, eventually earning enough money to buy a pickup truck and a furnished apartment.

Can everybody take a year to get missing? "Maybe, maybe not," he says, "though that’s not really the point. I’m just concerned that some of us are too set on embracing certainty. We want life to be cushy and regimented, but that’s not how we can create a lasting impact on our lives or the lives around us. There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom. Sometimes you have to get out there to experience it, to touch it, to feel it, to see it for yourself. It’s fascinating the perspective we can gain when we step out of our bubbles of comfort, even just a little bit."



Readers: Share a favorite place that you've traveled to where you learned something about yourself or the people there or the world we live in. (Not required to enter contest.)

I've learned many things from places I've traveled. I also visited Guatemala in the 90s when their civil war was still going on. The people were very poor and worked long, hard hours. They were kind, proud and happy. They lived very simply. A straw mat on the floor was their bed, wove cloth to sell for food, but they were always friendly and polite. One image I won't get out of my mind: A man with an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, and in his other arm he carried a little girl of about three (his daughter?). She was smiling and giggling and so was he. How much we take for granted.

Adam's website: www.OneYearLived.com.


*** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT *** CONTEST ALERT ***

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ONE YEAR LIVED