Cynthia D. Griffin

Book Review: The Goddess’s Choice by Jamie Marchant

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

The Goddess’s Choice: Book 1 of the Khronicles of Korthlundia by Jamie Marchant is available in paperback and on kindle.

I really fell in love with the characters in this book. I loved the main characters from start to finish, and I even liked a lot of the secondary characters as well. It is obvious that Marchant spent lot of time developing and molding people the reader can get deeply invested in. The other remarkable thing was that her book has a very large cast of characters, and she switches back and forth between them quite a bit. But Marchant does it in a way that is understandable and at just the right times.

This is a story of magic, legend, love, and lust of power. It follows the main characters of Korthlundia’s Crown Princess Samantha, and Robbie, a peasant farmer’s son with the magical power of healing. The Princess struggles against power hungry nobles who want to marry her and become her consort and the new king. Meanwhile, Robbie deals with persecution from his own people for being considered a demon because of his magic and skin color.

The danger at the palace increases as Samantha’s father, the king , becomes ill. And Robbie learns of a mysterious destiny he must fulfill while also learning more about his vast healing abilities. The two major story arcs are masterfully woven together to create a rich and unforgettable story.

If you love adventure, magic, love stories, and fantasies this book is for you. There’s a lot of action and intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is the first book in a series of four. I really look forward the reading the next book The Soul Stone.

empowerment, journaling, Journaling Discoveries, writing

Journaling Discoveries: Enjoying the Journey, Even the Not So Great Parts

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” ––Babs Hoffman

It’s not always easy to enjoy the journey, especially when the journey appears to be a struggle. How can we enjoy the struggles? Is that even possible?

I have an aversion to struggles. Maybe this is a universal thing. I mean, really, who wants to have conflicts and continual issues in life? So why is it that people talk about enjoying the journey, or just letting the process unfold like it’s some secret joke as they smile and walk away? Will someone please let me in on the punchline?

My family and I recently went through a particularly “fun” struggle from mid -September, until last week. My husband was rear ended in a car accident that left us without reliable transportation for nearly a month. It was a tough time for us. But it also was a bit magical too. Okay, maybe a lot magical.

I had finally decided that I was done with feeling so upset and twisted up by life events. I wanted to ride this struggle with a little more enjoyment. I decided to try out the sage advice of those who would smile and say “enjoy the journey,” because not enjoying the journey was becoming too much drama for me. Why was I torturing myself so much over a freaking car? It was just a car after all.

I won’t say I was perfect. I had moments and whole days where the situation of having no car really got to me. But then I’d catch myself, shake it off, and try to find the things in life that were going very well for us. And I have to say, we do have a whole lot going right, and I don’t think I realized how much until this incident.

So I spent a lot of time basking in the things I was appreciative for. I had whole days that I decided to “pretend” we had no car issue and that all was fantastic. I even imagined our new car in the garage, and us taking it out for a ride as a family. And you know, doing these things really helped me enjoy the struggle more than I ever managed to before. It was a huge step forward for me.

The car incident also had some magical results too. A big one was my husband’s coworkers stepping up to offer him rides to and from work. It was really great to feel that sort of love and support. We also ended up with a much newer and bigger car than what we started out with. And we love it so very much (and yes, we’ve taken the Chevy Equinox out for several family rides since purchasing it).

Another major benefit from all of this is it’s really made me reevaluate how I deal with adversity. I’ve always looked at adversity and struggle as negative. I always felt a desire to avoid such instances at all costs. But maybe the struggles aren’t so terrible? Maybe they help us find clarity and help us understand what we really do want out of life?

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better writing, build confidence as a writer, free writing, How to Be a Writer, how to write, writing, writing advice, writing discipline

5 Steps to Setting Up a Daily Habit of Writing

Posted on October 13, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

In order to be a writer, one must write. But let’s face it, it’s not always easy to find the time to fit writing in, especially as a daily thing. But I’ve been writing long enough to know that I’m a lot more successful at writing, when I make writing a daily habit. So let’s take a look at five steps to be a daily writer.

Step 1: Time of Day

First identify the best time of the day to write for you. Everyone will be different, so don’t judge what works for you against someone else’s writing time. If you aren’t sure, do some experimenting. Is it first thing in the morning that you do the best writing? Is it midmorning or midday? Or is it the afternoon, or late at night?

Step 2: Set a Time Period

Next, set a period of time that you will write. This can be anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, to several hours, or more. Even if it’s just a short writing session, if you are writing everyday, then that time will add up. You may find too that somedays you will get more writing in than others, and that’s okay.

Step 3: Have a Routine to Get You Started

It’s a lot easier to start writing if you are in the right mindset. Otherwise you could be sitting for half your writing time or more just trying to get into the piece you want to write on. There are many ways to get into a writing mindset. I will list a few here.

Listen to music you have specifically for writing
Start by free writing for 10 minutes or so to get into writing
Spend a few minutes clearing your mind and setting an intention on what you plan to do
Have a specific spot that you write and only write so when you sit down you are automatically put in the writing mood
Use a “writing hat” which is anything you wear or have near you while writing

You can do one or more than one of the above, or even come up with your own way(s). The important part is having a routine, so that your mind knows you are sitting down to write, and it’s time to get to business.

Step 4: Do Things to Prep for Writing

It’s important to only write during the time you allot to write. This may mean doing some prepping before hand such as letting anyone who lives with you know not to bother you during this time, turning off distractions like the phone or access to internet, and deciding the day or night before what you will be writing on. If you set an intention to write on something specific, you will be far more likely to have a great writing session the next day.

Step 5: Have Fun With Writing

Most important step of all. Don’t forget to have fun with writing! That’s why you started writing in the first place isn’t it? Writing was fun. It was exhilarating as you created new characters and worlds, or mind-blowing nonfiction. That should still be the case. Don’t let your deadlines or feelings of obligations suck all the fun away. Remember why you started writing, why you keep writing, and how much fun it is to play with words!

Do you already have a writing routine, and would like to share? Please feel free to post in the comments.

better life, empowerment, finding balance

5 Steps to Taking Back Your Power

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

Many of us give our power away on a daily basis, and we don’t even realize it. It’s an automatic reflex that chips away at the power we each hold inside of us. After a while, we can feel completely powerless because we’ve allowed so much to be leeched away.

Did you know that you can take that power back? You can feel more energized and happy. You can feel lighthearted and peaceful.

The first step to feeling more powerful of yourself and your life is to recognize who or what you are giving your power to. Anything that steals your time and energy is considered a power stealer.

What’s stealing your power?

People (family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances)
Things (books, tv, phone, computer, ect.)
Situations (this can be anything that makes you feel drained and empty)
Yourself (Your thought patterns and negative emotions)

Notice I put yourself on the list. It actually should be number one, because I believe that is the biggest power stealer of all. How many times have you caught yourself in a downward spiral of negative emotions? Or have you caught yourself giving yourself a bunch of negative self-talk? Be honest. It happens a lot, doesn’t it?

That’s okay, because being aware of bad habits is a good first step to releasing the power stealers so you can move forward in a more confident way.

Step 1: Make a List

So first things first, make a list of all your power stealers (including yourself), and just allow yourself to be an observer of your own life. Don’t judge. Don’t beat yourself up for falling down and letting the power stealer(s) suck you dry. Tomorrow is always a brand new day. A fresh start to try again.

Step 2: Be Patient

That leads me to the second step. Be patient with yourself. Don’t expect to be perfect or to sweep your whole life clean of power stealers overnight (or even in a week or two). It takes dedicated time and effort. Slowly, you will notice a change as you have more energy and creativity in which to do things.

Step 3: Find Balance

The next step is to find balance. What can you do to keep yourself centered and focused on what’s important in your life? Maybe even set up a daily routine that helps you shine. Try doing one or more of the following…

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blog, changes

Retirement of Speak Your Truth And Newsletter

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Cynthia D. Griffin

After a lot of consideration, I have decided to retire the Speak Your Truth blog series. The purpose of creating this series has been realized (for myself). It was what I needed to learn and grow. Now I feel a need to expand beyond just this series.

One of my new goals is to have empowerment blog posts every month (maybe even a few times a months). As well as Journaling Discovery posts. In these two ways, I will be continuing the idea of Speak Your Truth, but in a better way. This will allow me the freedom to experiment with new ideas and to go a little deeper, which the Journaling Discovery posts are supposed to do.

I also will be retiring the weekly newsletter. It was a great idea, but right now I don’t feel capable of maintaining it (but I may retry it again in the future). My main goal is to add more content to my blog, so that’s where my focus will be for a bit.

I know there have been a lot of changes to this blog in a short amount of time. I have been working to decide how I want to move forward, and implementing changes as I go along. And sometimes the changes will be getting rid of the old, or releasing something that’s to time consuming. My end goal is to add value, but in a way I can maintain and get excited about.

I also wanted to take a moment to thank all those who read this blog. Sometimes it feels like I’m talking into a dark void. But I enjoy having a platform in which to speak from. It’s nice to know I have a voice. And it’s pretty cool when sometimes people hear it.

Love and Light to you all!