A Piece of My Mind on Peace of Mind

A couple of years ago, I found that I was becoming anxious and overwhelmed with work and the stress in my day.  I couldn’t sleep. My mind was a jumble of thoughts, what ifs, and to-dos.  And when I could get to sleep my mind would spin out the most anxiety riddled worst case scenarios possible. 

Faced with the possibility of a lifetime of dark circles under my eyes and the jitters...oh and did I also mention I became mean as a wet cat from being sleep deprived? No, well trust me when I say it wasn't pretty? But I digress...
I knew I had to find something to help. 

There were a million and one options that came up in my google search for peace of mind but the one that I kept coming back to was meditation.  So, I decide to give it a try. 

I started with the Deepak Chopra and Oprah guided 21 day challenge becuse it seemed easy enough...and it was free.  I loved it.  I have been a firm believer in the power of mediation ever since.  Medition has become my go to whenever I need to relax and find clarity.

More importantly for me, it also worked to help easy the restless nature of my thoughts.  I could now look at situations as they arised with more consideration and focus.

But that is what worked for me.  Everyone is different.  Some will find the same solace through prayer.   Others are able to find it in some form of art or other creative medium using their hands.  And others still in dance or excercise. 

Life is chaotic.  Everyday we bombarded by images and sound.  It overwhelms the senses and can make us anxious and sometimes aggressive.  So whatever your prefered outlet, take the time to quiet your mind.

That is just a piece of my mind on finding peace of mind.  Call it my own public service announcement on the benefits of mediation or on finding any other practice that will help you get a moment of stillness and quiet.

Besos y abrazos
❤
Vita

Soulmate or Life Lesson?

Hello My Beautiful Ones,

Have you ever come across one of those posts online that manage to completely stop in your tracks?

A little over a week ago, I came across this post on Instagram from poet and writer Angela Abreu at @NOROOMFORTHEBROKEN.

So many thoughts ran through my mind at once.

As a woman, I was remind of my own hard learned lesson.  While I will spare us both the less than glamorous details, I can say that my mistake was confusing attention for love.  But with time and experience I am able to the see the difference.  In retrospect, I can say the knowledge I gained from that experience I have used to help me grow more confident in who I am not just as a woman, but as a writer as well.

With that being said, when the writer in me read that question, lets just say mind mind went into overdrive.  As a romance author, this one question led me to think of so many different story lines and the heroes and heroines that would come to life within them.  In my mind's eye I can see their journeys to find not just love, but to also find themselves in the process.  To me their answers to this question would be the beginning of the story not the end.

In romance and in life so many paths are open before the person that can answer yes to this question. The person that answers yes has learned the lesson.  Whether it is the weary yes of resignation, the angry yes of frustration, or the laughing yes of the person that is cringing at his or her own naivete, there is a story there.

So for those who have learned their lesson, please share what your learned.

For those still fighting their way through...as C.S. Lewis once said, "Have courage Dear Heart".  You will come out on the other side of this life lesson better, stronger and wiser for it.  The next chapter of your story is about to be told.  And I for one can't wait to see what happens next.

Besos y abrasos,

Vita

PS. Thank you Ms. Abreu for the moment of pure inspiration.

Second Chapter Beginnings

Hello My Beautiful Ones,

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I'm back and ready to take on the new year.  And yes, I am well aware that it is February 1st and not January 1st.  But, not all great stories start at the beginning.  Most start a couple chapters in right when somethings about to happen.  They begin with the hero or heroine on the precipice of a great journey.  So I will start here...today, the second chapter in,  instead of at the beginning.

I must confess, I have ridiculously high hopes and aspirations for the new year.  I have no basis for this other than a gut feeling that 2016 is going to be monumental.   And in my honest opinion, that's probably the all the motivation I need.  But let me be clear, no amount of belief or faith will get you were you want to be without the the work being put in behind it.  So please know, I've already rolled up my sleeves and I'm ready to get to work.   

So here is my salute to the new year.  I have great things planned for us.  Just you wait and see.

Besos y Abrazos,
Vita

Another Tease...

 

 

I will begin this post by asking forgiveness for my absence.  I know I have been gone for a bit.  But in that time I have been working on a few things.  So as an offering to appease you  my darling reader and the Muse, here is a bit of what I have been working on.  I hope you enjoy a story with tall, dark and Latino hero...oh, and a baseball player too. 

 

Here is an excerpt from "The Second Inning."

  "Why did you come?” he asked.

            “Do you want me to leave?” I asked softly.

His response was a tilt of his head, as he rested his chin on the top of his childhood baseball bat which he held between his legs. The light from the afternoon sun cut across the room, lighting him along his right side. His pose had an almost childlike quality, but the mass of muscle and strength in his build and the look of heartache etched across his face belied any pretense of youth.  He wore a crisp white ribbed tank and cotton shorts and to me, he was a vision of perfection. His months at the training camp had enhanced his tan and together with the glow of setting sun coming through the open window illuminating his hazel eyes, gave him a gilded quality that took my breath away.

            I’d dreamt of nothing but him since I’d walked out of this apartment three months ago, when I swore to myself that I’d done it to help him not feel any obligation to me. I wasn’t going to be the thing that held him back. But I knew now as I stood before him, I’d done it to protect myself because I was helplessly and desperately in love with him. The idea of him saying he was leaving me was too much for me to bear, so I beat him to it. I hoped my poker face would hold, because if he told me to go I would shatter where I stood. His eyes traveled the length of my body and I leaned back against the door unsure if my legs would hold me. I let out a shaky breath that I'd been holding.

    "Nate I…”

            “Come here.”

   His voice was deep, low and filled with hurt. I wanted to run to him, but instead I unzipped my jacket and dropped it on the floor near my gym bag by the door. It left me in a hot pink sports bra and spandex shorts. I walked slowly over until I stood before him. He closed his eyes for a moment.   He turned his eyes up to me, the barest hint of a tear in the corner of his eye. He slid his beloved bat his chair and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close and hiding his face in my abdomen. I buried my hands in his hair and held him close as my breath caught.

Stay tuned for more... Vita

 

  

  

A Spool of Ribbon

As a writer one question that I seem to get asked often is...Where do you get your inspiration?

For me, inspiration or the initial idea behind a story, tends to come at a varied and completely unpredictable moments.  I could use one technique for a story and get an idea instantly and then try the same method for the next story and get nothing. 

But, if there is one way that is the most consistent of them all, it is at night when I am lying in bed listening to the sounds of Brooklyn slowly finding its way to sleep.  Lying there in bed, letting my mind drift, the characters and storylines will eventually come.  In this magical moment, when I am on the cusp between the sleeping and waking world; not quite asleep, not quite awake, inspiration sparks.

It is on the edge of the twilight hours that I can become more receptive to my muse, the universe, inspiration...or whatever you wish to call the spark that leads to creation. 

I can get an idea about a room, a face, a passing glance.  Then bit by bit the ideas build and then come the words...a whisper, a confession, the tilt of a head as a character speaks, a sigh as another listens.  Is it an admission of love or longing?  On and on the questions and story reveals themselves to me and I write.

While this scenario is not always the case of how I get inspired to start a story, it is how more than a few have begun.  Once I have an initial idea, I am able to carry it with me through the days and weeks as I work on a story.  And as each day progresses so do the ideas. 

It is in these moments, in which inspiration unfurls like a spool of ribbon across the floor and I race behind collecting the remnants as it goes, that I am happy.

Vita

Finding My Way...

My journey, like countless others, of becoming a writer has not been easy.  It began when I finally overcame my own trepidation and started writing romance and erotica.  Once I did, it was as though a light had turned on.

It felt so natural.  I'd read what felt like a thousand novels in these genres as a fan before I attempted to write them.  After finishing each one I would imagine alternate endings, or continued the stories in my head.  The stories flowed and I didn't look back.

But my fear of what family and friends would think still held me back.  I was afraid of what their perceptions would be about not just erotica, but romance as a whole.  There are so many people that look down on romance as the black sheep of the literary world.  It's either viewed as the naughty little cousin to serious writing or all fluff and no substance. 

It pains me to say it but, once I did start writing, I hid it from some that are close to me.  And truth be told, of the few people I did work up the courage to share my journey with there were a couple who's reactions were less than enthusiastic.  But growth begets confidence.  As I continue to evolve as a writer, so does my understanding that not everyone will understand or love what I do, and nor should they.

 

I did not start writing to please anyone else but myself.  I started writing because I dream whole stories at night.  During the day the stories whisper in my ear as I ride the train, or while I am standing in line at Starbucks.  The characters are there bumping around in my mind in every quiet moment and even in some not so quiet moments.

People will either love what I write or they will hate it.  But regardless of either opinion, they can not change what I have to say.  Its my path, my story, come what may.

A Tease and a Taste...

I thought I would share a little tease...a bit of a taste...of my short story from the "Tie Me Up" Anthology.

 

"Love on the Line"

 

 “Let me take your coat.” She unbuttoned it without turning to him, letting it slip past her shoulders as she turned.  “I see you got the lingerie I sent you.”

            “I did.”

            Taking her coat, he tossed it on to the same chair as her bag.  Damon swept her hair back off her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine as he moved around her.  She faced him, and he backed her up against the closet door.  Her heart pounded in her ears, from a mixture of fear and excitement.  Running his fingers over her jaw as his thumb skimmed over her bottom lip, he let out a low hum of pleasure.  Slowly he moved his hand further up into the nape of her neck. She licked her lips, and watched as his eyes became heavy with want.  Fisting her hair lightly, he angled her ear to his lips. 

            “Open your mouth wider, and lick your lips again for me.”  She obliged drawing out the movement, reveling in his eyes locked on her mouth.  “Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about those lips?  I wanna see those pretty thick lips…” He tilted his head, eyes locked on her mouth.  “All over me.” 

Her body ignited.  Wet did not even begin to describe what he’d just done to her with just his words.  Her knees felt weak at the mental image of placing her lips over his most delicate parts. 

            “Are you ready for me?” he questioned.

            “Yes.” She panted as he tightened the grip in her hair.  Kissing her hard, his tongue plunged into her mouth finding her own.  Nina felt on the verge of coming just from that penetration alone.  He broke away from her, leading her to the doorway of the bedroom, leaving her standing there alone.  He quickly returned with red satin ties in his hands. 

 

Like what you read?  Want more?  Check out the full Anthology now available in print and ebook.

 http://riverdaleavebooks.com/books/5173/tie-me-up-a-binding-collection-of-erotic-tales

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/tie-me-up-Solomon?store=allproducts&keyword=tie+me+up+solomon
http://www.amazon.com/Tie-Me-Up-Binding-Collection-ebook/dp/B00VKNO6II/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428256329&sr=8-1&keywords=tie+me+up+solomon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25277314-tie-me-up-a-binding-collection-of-erotic-tales?from_search=true