Saturday Seven ~ April 6th 2019

Happy Saturday, what have you been up to this week? Here is a rundown of highlights for the week. I hope you find them useful in your life! My goal as a person and a writer are to always Pay-It-Forward so please let me know how I can help you. YES, YOU!
Enjoy your weekend & this post! Amazing things to come!
~Amy

What am I Reading? – I am addicted to the Curiosity App (a must for your mind) Curiosity offers quick 5-minute articles on everything from space exploration to time management.  This week I read all about how Jupiter’s Red Spot is Shrinking, The Simple Technique that will instantly make you a better Listener & Daruma Dolls are a Japanese tradition for achieving goals. Good stuff!!

·       What am I Listening to? –  Exciting news! I have been asked to be on a podcast! The amazing host of Write Away, Natalie Lockett, has asked me to be a part of a creativity panel and I am thrilled! We will be talking about inspiration and creativity resources. It airs on May 1^st! Check out previous episodes now here.

       

·       What Quote am I pondering? – Pay it forward ~ not really a quote but been thinking a lot about my own blessings and good fortune. I am a big believer in karma and what goes around comes back around. I try to keep this in mind with every action I take, personally and professionally.

·       What am I Researching? –  Interesting enough, kink. Yes, I said kink and yes, I mean that kind of kink. One of my fellow writers is writing a book on alternative lifestyles, specifically, polyamory and kink. Not something I have ever considered for myself but interesting none the less. I am looking into understanding the lifestyle and choices of the community. Here is a terrific article I found if your curiosity is at all piqued.

·       Yummy Meal of the Week – Baked Feta Crusted Salmon – Holy yum! Love fish, and super love this amazing dish! Get the recipe here.

·       What did I Learn? –  Choosing our battles is important. There are lots of reasons to fight back, draw the line and state enough is enough and there are just as many reasons not to. Some people use the fight as a vehicle for drama, attention, and even distraction. Either way, it is used energy --positive or negative. As I have gotten older, I am realizing I need to choose how best to expend my energy and what battles (good and bad) are worth fighting and which are better spent unfought and even ignored.  This is a difficult choice at times, but definitely necessary because in the end not battles are won in the fight, some are won in the strategy to ignore, compromise and or resolve without conflict.

·       What am I Watching? –  The Rookie on ABC. I have always been a fan of Nathan Fillon, he got my attention in Serenity (Firefly) and then again in Castle. I was recently challenged into watching the pilot episode of his new ABC show – The Rookie about a 40-something man who is looking for a clean slate after his divorce. Showing bravery and a knack for de-escalation he moves to Los Angeles and becomes a police officer.  Obviously, I was not initially interested in the show but after the pilot, I have to admit I am intrigued. I am a fan of 911 and this has a similar feel. I am putting it to the three-episode test! (if you are curious, the deal was I have to watch The Rookie and they had to watch Blindspot – they are almost through Season One!)

Have any thoughts on my week’s activity or want to make a recommendation? Drop me a line, or a tweet. One lucky commenter will win a free Romine book of their choice! Never want to miss a blog post or a Saturday Seven? Join my mailing list and I will be happy to send it straight to your inbox!

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Saturday Seven! ~ March 16th 2019

Happy Saturday, what have you been up to this week? Here is a rundown of highlights for the week. I hope you find them useful in your life! My goal as a person and a writer are to always Pay-It-Forward so please let me know how I can help you. YES, YOU!
Enjoy your weekend & this post! Amazing things to come!
~Amy

·        What am I Reading? –  Buy a cat, stay up late, don't drink: top 10 writers’ tips on writing by By Travis Elborough ~ I love reading about other writers, their thoughts, habits, and advice. Great article.

      The Day Dostoyevsky Discovered the Meaning of Life in a Dream by Maria Popova ~ Read it, think about it, discuss it.

      Tribe of Mentors - What would this look like if it were easy? is such a lovely and deceptively leveraged question. It’s easy to convince yourself that things need to be hard, that if you’re not redlining, you’re not trying hard enough. This leads us to look for paths of most resistance, creating unnecessary hardship in the process.~ Tim Ferris

·        What am I Listening to? –  My new favorite song is by Francis and the Machine called – Moderation. I keep listening to it, just love it.

      The 10X Rule  - The only difference between success and failure by Grant Cardone ~ While most people operate with only three degrees of action-no action, retreat, or normal action-if you're after big goals, you don't want to settle for the ordinary. To reach the next level, you must understand the coveted 4th degree of action. This 4th degree, also known as the 10 X Rule, is that level of action that guarantees companies and individuals realize their goals and dreams.

     

·        What Quote am I pondering? –  “Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”. – unknown.  It is so true and must be remembered. This is one of those quotes you hang on your desk for YOU and everyone to see.” People have this belief that the world revolves around them so when they are in a crisis everyone else should be as well. Not true and not cool. Right?

·        What am I Researching? –  This week the research was all about what scares us as a human being. What makes a movie, book, poem, etc terrifying? What do you think is the answer? Everyone is different of course, fear is highly subjective however the # thing that links all humans is the fear of isolation. Makes sense. “Well if I were You-Know-Who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else; because if it's just you alone, you're not as much of a threat.” ~ Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

·        Yummy Meal of the week – I discovered Stouffer’s Seasoning Wraps. Funny, I have a link to a video on my site about them and there are all of these comments about how it is the stupidest product ever. I disagree. I love them and thus my write up this week on Friday Food Love!

·         What did I Learn? –  This week I learned focus is key to any endeavor. When you are distracted doing too many other things you are not giving 100% to your goal. Doing 10 things at 10% focus is not as effective as doing 1 thing at 100%.

·         What am I Watching? –  This week I was only able to enjoy one show, Blindspot. I have loved this show from the beginning and I try to enjoy it while folding the seemingly endless amounts of laundry my family seem to generate. 😊

Have any thoughts on my week’s activity or want to make a recommendation? Drop me a line, or a tweet. One lucky commenter will win a free Romine book of their choice! Never want to miss a blog post or a Saturday Seven? Join my mailing list and I will be happy to send it straight to your inbox!

P.S. ~ I am on tour promoting my series Trust Me, (Serenity Lost, Veiled Deception and Jaded Promises)all month so make sure you stop by and say hello. Not only because you are AWESOME but because you could win a $50 Amazon. Check out my Twitter or Facebook for locations.

See the full schedule of tour locations.

** Added bonus, all of the Trust Me Series Books are on sale at the Extasy site for $1.99!!

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Fall TV Picks - Blindspot Hits the Mark and Minority Report Lacks the Majority

Blindspot - Premiered on NBC, An unidentified woman with amnesia is found covered with tattoos, and the FBI soon realize that each mark on her body reveals a crime to be solved. This new NBC series premiered right after The Voice and I am gonna say off the bat WOW. The show begins in Time-square with a unmarked duffel bag. A tag attached to the bag says “For the FBI”. The street is cleared, and the bomb squad is called. A very nervous bomb technician approaches the bag and as he reaches out the bag moves, he jumps back and the zipper to the bag slides open…

From that moment the questions, intrigue, drama, and pace doesn’t stop. Jaimie Alexander, as Jane Doe, is brilliant in her portrayal, giving us a full range of emotion-confusion, anger fear and helplessness all shining back into the camera with every scene. Her plight and the mystery automatically pulls you in and does not let go. Her male opposite, FBI Agent Kurt Weller is played by Sullivan Stapleton, a virtual unknown from Australia, who does a fantastic job of keeping that cool cop exterior but also revealing the slow break down of his defenses when it comes to Jane.

All of this is playing as we move seamlessly from one scene to the next. There is no illogical coincidence in this show everything, and I mean everything happens for a reason. Even Jane Doe’s instinct to protect a beaten wife thus exposing her martial arts skills. Reminiscent of Jason Bourne in many ways, the characters are driven into the plot two fold, by their own need for answers and their desire to stop the bad guy.
First episode out I am hooked and looking forward to next week!

Minority Report - Premiered on FOX yes this show is based on the 2002 Tom Cruise/Stephen
Spielberg film. Per FOX television, The series is set in Washington, D.C., it is 10 years after the demise of Precrime, a law enforcement agency tasked with identifying and eliminating criminals… before their crimes were committed. To carry out this brand of justice, the agency used three precogs – “precognitives” Dash, Arthur and Agatha – who were able to see the future. Now, in 2065, crime-solving is different, and justice leans more on sophisticated and trusted technology than on the instincts of the precogs.

Despite the interesting premise and heavy-hitting producers I am less than impressed with Minority Report. Bombarded in the first scenes with technology overload, the dialog is sub par, characters are predictable and cardboard. All of that being said, I always give a show three chances. The pilot has set the stage, and the characters. I will wait to see how the chemistry plays out.
First episode out and I'm not holding my breath…

Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!

Fall Picks 2015 - Blindspot on NBC

It is my favorite time of year, new TV! I do get excited, and sometimes scared about the new Fall television series. Television is such a versatile medium and every year there are marvels of greatness and oh-god-what-were-they-thinking? My DVR is already full of shows I LOVE to watch, how can I possible make room for more? Well I am hoping to at least off some guidance in the ‘what should I try’ category. 

Here is how it works, I have chosen shows I think are good bets, I put them to the three episode test and then decide whether to click ‘Series Record’ or Delete. There are A LOT of new shows his year so I am going to list them as they premiere. 

Blindspot - Premiere’s Sept 21st on NBC, An unidentified woman with amnesia is found covered with tattoos, and the FBI soon realize that each mark on her body reveals a crime to be solved. Talk about thinking outside the box or body in this case. This one looks to be intriguing in not only the decoding of the tattoos but the unraveling of who this woman is and how she became the ‘messenger’. Liking the intrigue and premise of this show.

Starring Jaimie Alexander, as Jane Doe. Jaimie is best known as Lady Sith (I know I knew her face from somewhere)from both Thor movies and Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D., she is an up and coming actress with HUGE potential in my humble opinion. Playing opposite her as Kurt Weller is Sullivan Stapleton, a virtual unknown from Australia, he has frustrated cop written all over him.

While Martin Gero doesn't’t have a huge resume of hits under his belt I am willing to overlook that for creativity alone. It will all depend on characterization and dialog, it always does in my book :)

As always here is a first look for you...see you on Wednesday when I will be reviewing the Blindspt pilot.

Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!

Fal Picks 2015 - Blindspot on NBC

An unidentified woman with amnesia is found covered with tattoos, and the FBI soon realize that each mark on her body reveals a crime to be solved.

Staring, Jaimie Alexander, Sullivan Stapleton, Audrey Esparza





Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!