The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

I'm sure you've figured out by now that when I disappear for long times, it involves one of my many illnesses. And so it was this time too. I was under the control of a migraine headache that went on for weeks. I didn't want sound or light, so no TV. Those of you who suffer from severe migraines understand. Since no TV, that left one recourse - reading (one of my favorite hobbies). After a day or two, I realized this series of headaches was not going to go away too soon, so I decided to read a story series. I chose the Twilight Saga because I've only read it twice since the books were written.

The first time I read the books, I didn't enjoy the story that much. There were some interesting parts and the characters were well-defined, but I have never liked authors who leave you hanging at the end of a chapter so you feel almost compelled to keep reading.

A couple years later, I read the series again. This time, the movies intrigued me and I wondered if I were missing something in my reading. I truly enjoyed the books, found them to be delightful. Still, they didn't compare to the Harry Potter series.

This last time, well, I must admit, I treasured every moment that I read from the books. I finally saw  the great love story in its simplicity and its complexity. I understood the connection between Romeo and Juliet and Edward Cullen and Bella, and especially caught on to the concept that Bella and Edward were meant to find each other.

I want to express my deep gratitude to Stephanie Meyer for writing this saga. Having to be down in bed so much can be so boring and hard to deal with, but every single day I looked forward to joining Edward and Bella in their adventures.

Short Synopsis:
Isabella Swan makes a life-changing decision. Still in high school, she decides to move back to Forks, Washington to live with her father. Her mother parted from her dad when Bella was an infant and moved to Phoenix. Now, Bella's mother has finally remarried and Bella feels her mother and new husband need some alone time.

Bella spent the summers with her dad, so she's used to the small town. Like her mother, she doesn't enjoy the sunless, rainy, cold days that are the norm. Her father has purchased her an old truck to get around in and is very happy to have her back in his life.

At the small high school, she's immediately accepted and several boys are quite interested in her. During her first lunch in the cafeteria, she sees the Cullen's 'children' - unusually beautiful and graceful people. She learns that Carlysle Cullen and his wife (both young) have adopted Emmet, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Edward. She also learns that Emmet and Rosalie are a couple, as are Alice and Jasper but no one seems good enough for Edward. She's instantly attracted to him and finds they have a class together. Sadly, Edward seems to loathe her and takes a week's absence from school. The next week, though, he's friendly and even admits he's attracted to her.

Through a series of events, Bella begins to realize there's more to the Cullens than what others are seeing. Her dad's best friend Billy is a Quileute and she purposely flirts with his son Jacob to learn some of the tribe's legends. And she discovers what the Cullens truly are - vampires. Edward is shocked to find out that this doesn't frighten her at all. He explains that they don't kill humans, just wild animals. It doesn't matter to Bella; she feels right at home with this coven of vampires.

The story takes off from there, and in each succeeding book we find that Edward and Bella's love grows deeper. Bella wants desparately to be a vampire and she wants Edward to change her. Edward refuses. He plans on spending his life with Bella until she dies. Bella doesn't want to age. She can't imagine being an old woman while Edward remains 17 forever.

Unfortunately for Edward, Bella is disaster-prone. If she's not falling down, breaking a bone here or there, or conking her head and splitting it open, other accidents seem to happen around her such as a friend's car skidding on the ice right towards her. And because she's human in a vampire world - well, other vampires are after her.

If you haven't read these four books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, I encourage you to do so. Yes, Stephanie Meyer takes some creative action with her vampires, but it fits into the story so nicely. Even if you've seen the movie, I encourage you to read these books and witness for yourself the creative genius of Ms. Meyer.

By the time I finished all of the books, I wanted to read them all again. Of course, my migraine had begun to abate by then and I knew it was time to get back to my own writings and poetry.

My favorite character from the first time I read this book has never changed. I adore the character of Alice Cullen. Tiny, full of energy, the organizer, and a kind, kind disposition towards everyone. She accepts Bella immediately into the family.

If I haven't convinced you on what a great saga this story is, maybe some of the quotes will:

Quotes from the Twilight Saga:

Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. (Bella Swan)

So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I’ve never seen him act like that. (Mike Newton, high school friend)

Edward Cullen is staring at you. (Jessica Stanley, high school friend)

It would be more… prudent for you not to be my friend. But I’m tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella. (Edward Cullen)

Kryptonite doesn’t bother me, either. (Edward Cullen)

I couldn’t imagine anyone, deity included, who wouldn’t be impressed by Carlisle. Besides, the only kind of heaven I could appreciate would have to include Edward. (Bella Swan)

I wished I could feel numb again, but I couldn’t remember how I’d managed it before. (Bella Swan)

Here’s to responsibility. Twice a week. (Jacob Black)

As long as you like me the best. And you think I’m good-looking — sort of. I’m prepared to be annoyingly persistent. (Jacob Black)

Try not to trip. We don’t have time for a concussion today. (Alice Cullen)

As I stared at his too beautiful face, trying to understand the change, it suddenly struck me that I was really here, in Edward’s arms, however fleetingly, and that we were not — at this exact moment — about to be killed. (Bella Swan)

The idea of being in danger from even the most deadly of humans while I was with Alice or Edward was downright hilarious. (Bella Swan)

If we could bottle your luck, we’d have a weapon of mass destruction on our hands. (Edward Cullen)

Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior. (Bella Swan)

Fall down again, Bella? (Emmet Cullen)

You know that you nearly gave me a heart attack? Not the easiest thing to do, that. (Edward Cullen)

Sometimes it was so easy to forget that I was kissing a vampire. (Bella Swan)

I’ve been waiting a century to marry you, Miss Swan. (Edward Cullen)

I couldn’t tell if he was moved by the tears trembling in my voice, or if he was unprepared to deal with the suddenness of my attack, or if his need was simply as unbearable in that moment as my own. But whatever the reason, he pulled my lips back to his, surrendering with a groan. (Bella Cullen)

I always knew he would kill her. (Jacob Black)

Did you ever notice that she’s exactly as strong as a normal hundred-and-ten-pound human girl? How stupid are you vamps? Hold her down and knock her out with drugs. (Jacob Black)

Make Bella see sense? What universe do you live in? (Jacob Black)

But most significant in this tidal wave of happiness was the surest fact of all: I was with Edward. Forever. (Bella Cullen)

LHR my friends. LHR

Is Success Your Goal?

Is success your goal? Then you've already reached it. We are all successes in our many endeavors. You learned to walk, didn't you? Learned to read? Became an adult? Aren't these all successes?

So often, we set our goals for success. But what happens when we attain that? You learned to walk. Did you stop there? No. You continue to walk, don't you? Continue to read? Continue to grow older?

So is it really success that you're after?

Many people strive for success in their lives, in their careers, but when they attain that, what then? This is where many stop trying and give up.

Winston Churchill once said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."

In many of the writing groups I'm in, I see the same question asked in different ways.
     How do I get people to buy my book?

You've written your book, edited it, formatted it, and published it. You've sold a few books and got some reviews, but you don't see this as success. Yet, that's exactly what it is. It's the next step that is the hardest.

George Patton once said: "I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits the bottom."

After those initial successes of publishing and a few sales, now you must continue to climb that mountain and not give up. True courage means BELIEF IN YOURSELF. When others tell you to give up or that your project isn't worth doing or that you can't make anything of yourself, that's when BELIEF comes in. Believing in your own abilities and believing in the path you take - that takes courage and the ability to bounce back when you slide down part of that mountain, and you will slide down at some point.

Now, that's not to say that you don't have to put any effort into it. The more effort you exert in the right direction, the closer to your true goals you become.

People who ask the question, 'what next?' forgot the first step up that mountain. Setting SMART goals and having a formula, a plan and following it.

When books stop selling or don't sell at all, that's when it's time to look at marketing techniques. The step after that is implementing them through networking. However, the biggest mistake that I see authors doing is thinking that networking is advertising 'buy my book' in every site they can find. I've read where new authors have paid huge amounts of money to advertise on well-known sites with no success. That's not networking.

Here is a 12 minute video that talks about what networking really is and how to reach people in a positive way. I encourage you to watch this.

 

True networking, then, is knowing the people you meet, interacting with them. Having thousands of followers or friends does nothing for you. Getting to know them is a giant leap up that mountain. Why?

Well, let's let Neale Donald Walsch explain. http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/This was the empowerment message I received from him yesterday:

 On this day of your life, Donna, I believe God wants you to know...
That the person on the mountaintop did not get there by falling.
You have to climb where you want to go--and you cannot get there by climbing over others. It is about climbing with others, side by side, and even pulling some others up with you.
Are you willing to do that? If you are, you'll get to that high place and others will be happy that you're there--which is what will keep you there. Neale Donald Walsch

Don't get Neale wrong in that 2nd sentence. We all fall, but it's picking ourselves up and bouncing higher.

Sadly, we do climb over some people - those who've given up and refuse - absolutely refuse - to get up even with our help.

·   On the road to their destination

Lie the bleached bones

Of countless millions

Who – when at the brink of decision

Hesitated

And were lost.

But notice, we should help each other. Claudine Guey mentioned that in a comment on my blog. It's that positive energy we get from each other that keeps us going.

Yes, we will meet negative people or receive bad reviews. No, everyone will not be happy with what we're doing or what we've written. Don't accept negativity. Turn it around and use that new positive energy to fuel you farther up that mountain.

Here are a few more quotes I really like that help me to believe in myself:


  Whatever you do, do it with all your heart.  Proverb

  Learning is like rowing upstream:  To not advance is to fall back.  Chinese Proverb
 
You will never rise above the image you have of yourself in your own mind.  Your Best Life Now Journal by Joel Osteen
 
   What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.  Dwight Eisenhower

   Obstacles cannot crush me.  Every obstacle yields to stern resolve.  He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.  Leonardo da Vinci 
 
One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.  Wayne Gretzky
 
Somebody once said: “The only difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is in how you use them.”  One Day at a Time in Al-Anon. 

 No, try not, do or do not…there is no try…  Yoda

Over 20 years ago when I lay in my bed ill, knowing my life from then on would be a struggle, I had a choice. I could stay in bed every day and bemoan my situation or I could find a positive path to help me through the rougher times. I began a journal of positive quotes. To this day, I still add to it. The quotes above are all from there. I encourage each of you to start a journal of quotes that help to motivate you. It's well worth it.

As I continue to say: Believe in yourself and dream above the clouds. I do and I believe in you.

A while ago, 3 of us got together with the idea of helping each other and helping others too. We developed The Ink-Slingers League. We have done some amazing things in this past year and met some of the best online friends, and we have several more things in the making.

If you are an author or a book lover, please join us on our Authors/Book Lovers Pinterest Board. It's been a great success. Follow me: http://pinterest.com/merridm so I can follow you and send you an invite. Then you can put your covers on our board. And please, if you do join our board, follow the other authors in the group. 

I want to say thank you to all my internet friends who support me in my endeavors and encourage me up that mountain, but especially I want to shout out to Roger Lawrence and Joleene Naylor. The 3 of us are always dragging each other around the internet just as a train goes around a mountain on its way to the top.

If you would like to be a part of our Ink-Slingers League, you are welcome to join us. 

As long as I'm talking of helping others, Joleene Naylor is on a book tour right now. Please check out the dates and give her your support:

https://www.facebook.com/events/445666335520036/ 

One of the best and easiest ways to support one another is by clicking links like FB, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkdIn, etc. 

Thank you all again for your support and encouragement.

LHR and remember to PAWS for Success (poets, artisans, and writers striving together) for success.

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