Guest Blogger - Elissa Wilds!

Please help me welcome our guest today, Dorchester author, Elissa Wilds!

Elissa Wilds write paranormal romantic fiction and metaphysical/new age non-fiction. She loves to write about magick (spelled with a "k" to differentiate between stage magic and real magic) because she lives a magickal life. She enjoys investigating all things paranormal and has developed extensive knowledge and expertise in areas such as alternative healing, intuitive development, Wicca, Feng Shui, and more. She's spent the past fourteen years teaching others about these and other metaphysical topics and holds Bachelor degrees in Communication and Creative Writing and a Master's degree in Communication. In addition to writing, she enjoy singing karaoke, reading, meditating, and spending time with her family.

Elissa's 2nd book - DARKNESS RISING, the sequel to her 2008 debut BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK - just released last week from Dorchester. Here's a sneak peek at DARKNESS RISING:

He is a god, and he embodies everything the word implies. Everything. That makes Aurora a very lucky woman. Because Mobius wants her—not for her ability to neutralize the dark forces of the Umbrae, or for her kick-butt approach to the Finders wreaking havoc all over Earth. No, he wants to protect her, to harmonize their separate energies, to show her exactly what it means to be perfectly attuned to another being.

In a realm where creating a sexy little red dress is as simple as thinking it, the mind is the most powerful tool of all. And Aurora will use hers to tantalize her lover, outwit their enemies and defeat the...DARKNESS RISING.


Check out Elissa's website at www.elissawilds.com.
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Summer is officially over. Sigh of relief. Kids are back to school. That’s good. The house is quiet. It’s easier to work. Summer is officially over. Sigh of sadness. I didn’t make it to the beach even once this summer. Not once! And I live in Florida! I started the summer with all sorts of ideas for how to use the time. I had lots of plans – much to my husband’s chagrin – for what he was going to get done around the house. Some got accomplished. Some didn’t. Not all his fault either. It seems, despite my plans for yard work followed by leisurely days on the beach as our reward – I’m just too darn busy! And I made my family just as busy as me! How did I manage to fill every waking moment with stuff to do? And then more stuff to do? And not much of it, relaxing and enjoyable? Does this sound familiar?

Here’s is what I realized. I’m an overachiever. And I clearly subconsciously expect everyone around me to be one too. Granted, I usually manage to do a lot of things at once. There was the time I was writing a master’s thesis, starting a new job, finishing a book, and became pregnant. There was the time I worked two jobs, took three or four classes, wrote a book, and taught Feng Shui and intuitive development on the side. These are just a couple examples, but my friends will tell you – there are plenty more examples from my life. Apparently doing too much is the norm for me. And I’ll bet I’m not alone. I’d bet plenty of you are also overachievers.

The problem with doing so many things at once is that you rarely get to do everything you’d like, and inevitably, some aspect of your life suffers. For me, it’s been the relaxation and fun part that has suffered. My house is clean, laundry done, book getting written, day job getting accomplished, kids are fed, but…I’m still feeling like I’m lacking somehow. I know it’s because I haven’t gotten to do anything for me. I recently read a book called Harmonic Wealth by James Ray. I loved it. He talks about our attempts to accomplish everything in our lives and how hard it is – if not impossible – to touch on all facets of our lives and keep them in balance. He gives some wonderful suggestions for coping, however. And I’ve already put one of his suggestions into practice. I make a list every morning of 6 things I need to accomplish that day. I automatically make one of those items (and I place it near the top of the list) something that is either fun and/or good for me. Examples, an afternoon at the beach, an hour on the elliptical, an hour of reading for pleasure, etc. Sometimes, I put two of these on my list. I focus on that list and that list only. If the housework isn’t on it, it waits until the next day. If I don’t get to everything on the list, I roll items to the next day, putting the ones I didn’t accomplish at the top of the list.

So far, it’s working splendidly! Granted, I’ve only been working this process for a couple days, but man – what I’ve been able to get done! And, I’ve had time for myself. Which is huge with a new baby in your life!

In honor of the release of DARKNESS RISING, I'm giving away a copy of the book to one lucky commenter! All you have to do is answer this question:

What are your tricks for accomplishing all that you’d like to get done each day?