Author Donna Fasano, In All Directions: February 2014

"Let the Beauty We Love Be What We Do." RUMI - We Are ALL Magicians

I read a wonderful post over on Dea Lenihan's blog. I invite you to pop over to The Ki To Happiness and read it for yourself. Dea mentions two book in her blog and I have read and can recommend both. Have a great day!

"Let the Beauty We Love Be What We Do." RUMI : We Are ALL Magicians: I recently re-read the book The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. The Four Agreements say: * Be impeccable with your word. * ...

Pinterest! What Is It? And How Do I Join?

I'm a visual person, so when I discovered Pinterest I was a happy girl.

Pinterest is a social networking site that allows you to share and organize images. It's fun and very easy to use.

Go to Pinterest.com and join. You can create an account using an email address and password, or you can sign up using your Facebook or Twitter sign in information. If you choose to sign up with email/password, you'll have to verify your email address (Pinterest will send you an email and you'll click a link to confirm you are who you say you are).

Once you have an account, fill in your profile information and upload a picture of yourself (if you wish).

At the top left of your Pinterest page, you'll see a button with three horizontal lines alongside a search bar. If you click the button, you can Explore Interests (find pins and boards from other members you might wish to follow), go to your Home Feed, see the most Popular pins, etc. Look around and get acquainted.

Once you start following people, their pins will show up in your Home Feed (along with yours). Hopefully, your pins will interest people and attract followers.

To create boards, click on the red + near the top right corner of the screen. On the pull down menu, choose Create a Board. I have created about 2 dozen boards since becoming a member. I have one for Recipes I Love, one for Authors I Love, one for Book Review Blogs I Love, Alternative Health, My Style, Inspiration, and so forth. Click here to take a look at my boards.

Boards can be private (only you can pin images on them) or public (two or more people are invited via email to add images). To make a board public, simply click on the board and then click "edit board." You invite people to pin on the board by supplying their name or email address. This edit box also includes the ability to delete a board if you choose.

Remember, you can always go to your Home Feed by clicking the red "Pinterest" located at the top of the page.

You can comment on the pictures that others have pinned, you can "like" the images by clicking on the little heart located at the top right of each photo, and if you REALLY like the image, you can re-pin it to one of your boards. One of my pins has been re-pinned 120 times.

To make pinning images extra easy, I have installed a Pin It button to my browser. It was as easy as clicking on the button and dragging it to my browser's tool bar. (Seriously, it was that easy!) Now I am able to pin an image to one of my boards without leaving the spot where the image is located on the web. When I use my Pin It button, I get to choose which image I want to pin and which board I want to pin it on. Super easy once you done it a few times. If you pin an image to the wrong board (which I have done a time or two) you can "edit" the image and pin it to the correct board.

Find the Pin It button on the Pinterest Goodies page.

Find me on Pinterest and happy pinning!

Win a Kindle! Enter #Giveaway Now! Many Ways to Enter! @DonnaFaz

Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7" (or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash).

All New Kindle Fire HDX 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)

Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)

Giveaway Sponsors

Sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Fire Giveaway:

http://www.iamareader.com/category/kindle-giveaway-sign-ups

Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International).

There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7".

Ends 3/16/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Imogen Rose and She Said Save Me - Portal Soundtrack @ImogenRoseTweet

About a year ago, when Imogen Rose, the author of the cult bestseller, the Portal Chronicles, was surfing You Tube she stumbled upon a song, If We Fall, and she instantly fell in love with both the lyrics and the male vocal. She put it on her writing playlist and looked up the band (She Said Save Me) on Facebook… and liked their page. A while later, she received a PM from Joe Vercillo, saying that if her books were ever adapted for film or TV to feel free to use his music. She had no idea who he was, but looked him up. Imagine her fan girl squee moment when she discovered that he was the lead singer for She Said Save Me! They have been Facebook friends ever since.

The Portal Chronicles starts off with a serendipitous meeting in a London pub, which rockets the lives of the characters into a time warp of what-ifs. During the prologue, which is the key to the story, Rupert is humming a song in the London pub where Olivia and him seal their fates. Imogen Rose always wondered what he was singing. Now she knows. She wrote the lyrics and She Said Save Me has put it to music, and is releasing it under their label. Needless to say, both parties are uber excited about this collaboration.

The song will be released on Valentine’s Day and will be available as a free download.

Click here for free download

Joe Vercillo - vocals, guitar 

Randy Lee - violin 

Mike Olsen - cello 

Ryan Granville-Martin - producer, engineer, arranger 

Mastered by Nick Rawson 

Lyrics by Imogen Rose

Find Imogen Rose:

Find She Said Save Me:

Their Website

On Facebook

On Twitter

Portal Book Links:
Kindle
Nook
Kobo
iTunes
Paperback

German, French, Japanese, Spanish language editions: links on Imogen Rose’s website

Audiobook Sample

GIVEAWAY

Signed CDs of the new Portal song by She Said Save Me
Enter Now:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PORTAL Lyrics

Tonight you wished upon our star

I had this feeling

Releasing dreams into the dark

Starlight revealing

A shooting star of promises

No delusions

Fades into the lights below

A spark of illusion

It’s fantasy, unwritten destiny

A portal to a secret wish

Is this real, or is this just a midsummer night dream’s what-if

Is this a dream of you and me

What if you’re not real, just hallucination?

An imaginary fixation

What if we escape to a new dimension?

Through a time warp in a broken constellation

It’s fantasy, unwritten destiny

A portal to a secret wish

Is this real, or is this just a midsummer night dream’s what-if

Is this a dream of you and me

7 Inexpensive Valentine's Day Ideas by @DonnaFaz

You don't have to spend a bunch of cash to show your Valentine how you feel. Here's a list of cheap…er, ah, inexpensive ideas that will have the love of your life smiling!

1. Start the day right. There's nothing like being surprised with breakfast in bed. It doesn't have to be elaborate: toast with butter and jam, fruit, yogurt, coffee, juice. Easy.

2. Write a poem from the heart. You don't have to be a Poet Laureate to jot down some words of love. Writing "from the heart" is what matters.

3. Make a card. Fold a piece of card stock in half and create your very own Valentine. If all else fails, you can depend on Hallmark.

4. Cook a meal. Guys, this is where you can shine. Ladies love it when their man dons an apron!

5. Go someplace special. I'm not talking about Paris or London. I'm talking about someplace that means something to the two of you, like the first place you met, or the spot where he proposed.

6. Slip into some culture. If your lover loves museums or art galleries or local theater or foreign films, do that.

7. Organize a Treasure Hunt. Post small clues around the house, each clue pointing to the next clue that ultimately points to the "treasure" which could be a bottle of bubble bath (found in or near the tub, of course), or a box of chocolates, or some other small gift.

The important thing is opening your heart and showing your lover exactly how you feel. That's what Valentine's Day is all about. I wish you and yours a very special day filled with love and memories!

If your wife, mom, sister, or girlfriend owns an ereader, Taking Me I'm Yours would be a great Valentine's Day gift for under a buck! The book is available for Kindle, and Nook, and Kobo, and an an iTunes iBook.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Guys and Gals!

You have just two weeks to pick out the perfect gift that will let the love of your life know exactly how you feel. So let's put on our thinking caps and see if we can find that one special thing that will bring a smile to your lover's face. (And, hopefully, my little parenthetical wise cracks will put a smile on YOUR face.)

First off, there's always CHOCOLATE. Here's a suggestion for those who are on a budget. And here's something for those with a little more cash in their pockets: you can't go wrong with Godiva! (And you might have something like this as a backup. Wait! On second thought, maybe not.)

Candles are always nice! This one offers a written message along with romantic mood lighting (after you light it, of course). If you feel up to baking a cake, these would be perfect. (On the other hand, this one shouldn't be purchased by ANYONE as it'll just get you into trouble.)

If you're looking to spice things up a little in the bedroom, try this. Ladies, here's a version for your man (Don't you just love the name? Yes, feel free to go back and have a second peek). If you're looking for something a little more risqué, how about this? (But this is definitely going way too far...because it looks a little painful.)

Now for some way out, wacky suggestions: This and this would probably get you into trouble. But this "kiss on a chain" or this emerald set would surely melt the heart of your special someone. And, guys, there is absolutely nothing more romantic than popping the question on Valentine's Day! (Unless, she has an allergy problem. If that's the case, keep your questions to yourself.)

And, ladies, if your man forgets Valentine's Day altogether…buy him this…and give him the works. I guarantee, next year he'll remember.

I hope I gave you some good suggestions...and offered you a chuckle or two.

Why are you still reading? Get your shopping done. Now!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!