Today’s Dreams Build Tomorrow’s Castles
I love this inspirational piece by Claire Gem. And I truly believe today’s dreams build the foundation for tomorrow’s castles. Go, Claire!
My morning ritual: boot up computer, brew cup of coffee, check email, read horoscope.
No matter. I can’t start my day without my daily dose of woo-woo.
Every once in a while, though, I actually get smacked in the heart with a horoscope that resonates, deep down, somewhere in the murky depths of my creative soul. This one, recently, was especially inspiring.
The horoscope spoke of courage, and confidence, and defying self doubt. But it was the last line that got me: …today’s dreams are building the foundation for tomorrow’s castles.
I’ve always been a dreamer, and dreamers sometimes get a bad rap, because dreams don’t accomplish anything without action. Dedication, hard work, perseverance. But let’s face it, without the initiating dream, all that toil and trouble would have no impetus and no direction. Without our dreams to guide us toward a goal, we would float aimlessly about on the sea of life and never get anywhere, no matter how hard we work.
Now to share some of my personal tips:
What I’ve found to be the most useful promo tip, to remind not only the world but myself of my living, breathing authorial life, is to tweet a sentence from each of my books—often. No “buy my book” rant, just a snippet of description, dialogue, or action from each book, along with a buy link. I’ve noticed a pretty consistent record of a sale, or two, on the days I tweet, or the day after.
Right now, I’m in the final editing stages for my upcoming release, Spirits of the Heart, due out on Valentine’s Day. I’ve found that the only way—the only way—to find each and every typo or grammar glitch is to read it out loud. It’s amazing what you’ll hear coming out of your mouth that your eyes can’t see.
So I’m toiling for my castle. And every new sentence I type onto the page gets me one stone closer to realizing the dream.
Dream on!
Claire’s newest book
Spirits of the Heart – A Haunted Voice Novel
will be released on Valentines Day, Feb. 14, 2017
An addiction counselor and a security guard struggle
to reunite a little girl and her father—two spirits trapped
within the walls of an abandoned mental asylum.
Watch Her Trailer:
Laura Horton returns to her hometown to start her career with the Alcohol Crisis Center. But her homecoming is jarring. Her old friend moved out unexpectedly, so Laura’s new roommate is the friend’s intimidating ex-boyfriend—in a house that snugs up to an ancient graveyard.
Miller Stanford works nighttime security for the State grounds. He’s a man with a shattered past. His Dad destroyed their family with alcohol, a weakness Miller is terrified will consume him too. The last thing he needs is an addiction counselor—a sexy blonde one, to move in and start watching his every move. When he begins to see specters in the dark, he starts questioning his own stability.
But Laura sees them too—Greta, a pathetic child-spirit searching for her father. When Laura starts digging into old asylum records, she reveals a horrific cover-up. Can Laura and Miller unravel the mysteries of Talcott Hall without jeopardizing their love—and lives—in the process?
Read the first chapter FREE here: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/TGeAw
Find Claire:
Media Links:
About Claire Gem
Strong Women, Starting Over~Redefining Romance~Claire is a multi-published, award winning author of emotional romance—contemporary, paranormal, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. She writes about strong, resilient women who won’t give up their quest for a happy-ever-after—and the men lucky enough to earn their love. No helpless, hapless heroines here. These spunky ladies redefine romance, on their terms.
Her paranormal/romantic suspense, Hearts Unloched, won the 2016 New York Book Festival. Her latest release, The Phoenix Syndrome, won the women’s fiction division in FCRWA’s The Beacon Contest.
A New York native, Claire has lived in five of the United States and held a variety of jobs, from waitress to bridal designer to research technician—but loves being an author best. She and her happily-ever-after hero, her husband of 38 years, now live in central Massachusetts.
Other Books by Claire Gem
Buy Links:
The Phoenix Syndrome (Winner 2014 FCRWA The Beacon Contest)
Trailer: http://bit.ly/2bpRSqG
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bIMkHJ
A Taming Season: A Love at Lake George Novel
Trailer: http://bit.ly/1RCcQeU
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UwbK9d
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2a2CSda
Hearts Unloched (Winner 2016 New York Book Festival)
Trailer: http://bit.ly/1T8Vzzz
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TkE8fv
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2ag8oHG
Phantom Traces
Trailer: http://bit.ly/1EIj4IY
Amazon: http://amzn.to/19OUERc
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Enjoyed the interview. Great tip by the way. Spirits of the Heart sounds amazing. Best wishes to you.
Thanks so much, Amity. Just last night, reading Spirits of the Heart out loud for my final editing round, I caught a MAJOR timeline glitch! One two beta readers missed entirely…it really does work 🙂
Wonderful post. I, too, need to read my horoscope–many times at the end of the day. I think it’s a habit because I don’t alter my life by anything it says. It’s just uplifting most of the time. I enjoyed your blurb. Good luck with promotion.
So, you read your horoscope at the end of the day…why is that? Do you find it often applies to whatever experiences you had that day?
Great advise! Us dreamers have to stick together, less we float away on the sea of life. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with Spirits of the Heart!
Thank you, Tena. It’s up for pre-order now…just doing my final read-it-out-loud editing round 🙂
What a beautiful post, Claire! I’ve been told often to get my head out of the clouds, lol! I’m a constant day-dreamer–always have been since I was a child. Yet, this is where my stories come from and I’m blessed to have found my passion. My dream. All the best! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Mary. I wholeheartedly agree – day-dreaming is the best story fodder in the world.
Thanks for the upbeat post and advice!
You’re so welcome, Charlotte!
I wholeheartedly agree with you. You must have dreams/ideas to accomplish anything. Best wishes on your book!
Thank you IIona. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me going are those dreams!
Love the optimistic tone of this piece. Good luck with Spirits of the Heart!
Thanks so much, Nell. I’m very excited about this one’s release on Feb. 14th.
Great post! I enjoy toiling for my castle. And I enjoy envisioning it even more. A good reminder to keep our dreams in sight!
Thanks so much, Laura. Yes, I figure every page I write is one more stone for the foundation…;-)
Spirits of the Heart sounds intriguing! I love the castle-building quote and the tip to tweet lines from books–so simple. Thanks and best of luck!
It’s great you stopped by, Sorchia. Have fun searching through your own books for tweetable lines!