Exclusive First Look: Artist Rendering of Ash by Charli Infante

This week I am really excited to bring you something different from my usual content. You get to be the first to see an artist rendering of Ash. Ash is one of the main characters in the Beyond Heights and Depths Trilogy. The portrait was drawn by an incredibly talented young artist named, Charli Infante (sagisosonchi.deviantart.com). Please take a moment to take a look at some of her work. She is an amazing artist, who I am certain you will be hearing more about in the near future.

Since the books were initially released, fans have asked me who Ash is based on. I know who I based her off of, but I prefer to keep that a mystery. Fans have also expressed many opinions on who they think would be best to play Ash in a film. This is interesting to me because of how different Ash appears to many people. A few people in particular stand out because of how many times their names have been mentioned: Shay Mitchell, Chloe Bennett, Nicole Scherzinger, and Hawaii Weather Anchor Kanoe Gibson Nitta have been mentioned the most.

Charli is the first I know of to take what she knows about my books and draw her own version Ash. The result is something special. I would have to say that Charli’s version of Ash is the closest to the way I have always envisioned. I was blown away when I first saw it, and I can’t wait to share it with you! So, without further ado, Ash by Charli Infante:

 

Creating a Ripple

Events from this past week have me thinking about the ripple effect. All of us who serve others hope to see the ripple effect in action, though we do not always get to see the fruits of our labor. I definitely believe in the ripple effect. I firmly believe one small act of kindness can lead others to pay the act forward; therefore, our actions have a much bigger effect on the world around us than most of us realize. However, truth be told, I cannot say with any certainty that I have witnessed the ripple effect as much as I wish.

This completely changed this week, and I just want to take a moment to share this tiny event with you. I went out for Breakfast Burrito Ministry, as usual. I met a lot of the regulars and talked story with them. As usual, I had to drive around town to find some of the other folks who prefer to stay hidden. Along the way, I noticed many new faces. This is not unusual. I tend to see more new faces when the weather gets warmer.

One of the new faces was going through the garbage at a 7-11. I hopped out of my car to offer him a burrito and a water. He was very happy to get a warm meal. He also wanted to talk for a minute, so I happily obliged. During our short conversation, a construction worker walked by us. The construction worker gave me a weird look - which is also not unusual, and then went into the store. I was about to head back out to see who else I could find. As I was getting into my car, the construction worker walked out of the 7-11, looked at me one more time, smiled, and then went over to the man and asked him if he could buy him something to eat or drink for later.

It was amazing. The construction worker went in and bought him a couple of things, came back out, gave me a nod, handed the guy some food and drinks, and then took off. I had finally seen something other than dirty looks and condescending stares. This construction worker saw what I was doing, and he wanted to do the same. Moreover, he did so expecting nothing in return. It really blessed me to see someone else do something for the homeless. I only hope others will do the same.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you all. Sometimes it feels like our efforts don't help at all, but we don't always know how we are creating change in the world around us. If you can make a difference in the life of even one individual, I believe it is completely worth it. To see others try to help is also pretty incredible. Keep at it. It's been over year since I have seen anything besides people giving me dirty looks or making rude comments about helping those in need that they perceive as unworthy, but every so often you see something amazing that shows you that it is all worth it.

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

A case of the "what if's?"

Over the weekend, I released my second book. I knew I was going to have problems with this release date because I did not have time to do the promos that I wanted. We are still awaiting results on the exact nature of my son's blood disorder. His medical needs are the priority, not my book. Nevertheless, I felt I could still release my book because I at least had some experience in this area with my first book.

Oh boy was I ever wrong. I'm not sure if it is just me, but I felt just as anxious about the release of this book as I did the first one. In fact, I am still freaking out a little--Lol. It really is an amazing process to take something you worked hard on and let it out for the world to see. I don't think it is a feeling I will ever completely get used to, and I still have one more to go in this series.

I'm pretty sure most of my anxiety is because of fears of the "what if's?" What if I do this? What if I do that? What if I fail? We all know what it is like to get a case of the "what if's?" However, it is very important to not let a case of the "what if's?" get in the way of you reaching your goals. There's nothing wrong with making sure everything is in order, but it does become a major problem if you are unable to accomplish anything because you are too worried about failing.

It really is better to try and fail than to never try at all. I'm nowhere near as successful as I would like to be one day, but I do pretty well. I've made the bestseller list a few times. I have some fans. Unfortunately, a person who never tries gains absolutely nothing. Whatever it is you hope to achieve in life, go after it with everything you've got. Do not let a simple case of the "what if's?" prevent you from reaching your goals. Keep trying your best, and whatever you do, do not give up before you have a chance to succeed. Have a great week, friends!

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."  -Thomas Edison