Well fellow Kalan Porter fans I have given you a few days to purchase and listen to his new CD WAKE UP LIVING. What did you think about it? Personally I am truly enjoying it. At first I wasn’t quite sure about his first single DOWN IN HEAVEN, but it has grown on me. It’s also being played quite a bit on the radio in Ottawa. Are you hearing it on your favourite radio stations?

A long weekend is upon us.  What do you have planned?  I’m planning to get some writing done, meeting up with friends and relaxing.

Did you watch he TLC special “Crazy Sexy Cancer” yesterday?  I did and boy am I glad I did.  Do I have cancer? No.  Do I know anyone who is going through treatment? Yes I do. 

The commercials peaked my interest but I thought if I have time I’ll watch it.  Well I was so glad I made the time to watch the documentary.

Crazy Sexy Cancer starts with the diagnosis of one woman, Kris Carr and all the different stages and emotions she goes through during the next 3-4 years.  During this time she tries to find a cure and a life with cancer as a constant and unwelcome companion.  Along the way Kris meets 4 other wonderful women who are affected by cancer, different kinds of cancer.  Their cancers might be different but they all go through the same emotional turmoil.

I looked at their website Crazy Sexy Cancer . It’s an attitude. This is portrayed really well throughout the documentary. All five women were shown as fighters, physically and mentally. 

Kris has also written a book called CRAZY SEXY CANCER TIPS.  It was released earlier this month.  If you know someone who has cancer send them a copy. I plan to pick up a copy of my own for myself.  You never know it might come in use in the future.

If you have 5 minutes I encourage you to visit their site.  You’ll discover how truly blessed you are to have a healthy body.  That’s what this documentary made me realize.

Yesterday the youngest man sentenced to death in Canada, Steven Truscott was vindicated and acquitted of the murder of Lynne Harper.  Lynne Harper died at the age of 12 in 1959.  At that time Mr Truscott was 14 and the last person to see her alive.  He was on death row for 4 months before Canada abolished the death sentence. I’m happy for Mr Truscott and his family.  This was long over due.  However I feel for Lynne Harper and her family.  She is now an unsolved murder.  The sad part is that she’s only known for her death.  Yes she was only 12 but by that age you have dreams, aspiration, you have character.  I’d love to know what hers were.  I’d like to see her portrayed as something more than just another unsolved case.

Last night I made my way to the local mall and picked up my copy of Kalan Porters newest release.  It seemed as though there was a nice little dent into the display they had which is great to see. Have I listened to the CD yet? No but I did bring it with me to listen to at work. Then I made my way to the local bookstore hoping to get a copy of WICKED MAGIC by Cheyenne McCray. Miserably none of the stores had copies of the book.  I’m hoping that we’ll be getting copies soon.

Well Kalan Porter fans the day is finally here.  WAKE UP LIVING is now on sale.  I don’t know about you guys and gals but I’ll be picking my copy up today in order to help increase his chances to make the bestselling lists.  I still can’t believe it’s not available in the US except as an import, which cost a lot of money.  This is one talented singer who deserves to get the exposure Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood get.

Fellow paranormal romance readers you’ll be happy to know that Cheyenne McCray’s latest release is now available.  I’ve been waiting for months for this book.  I truly enjoyed the first two books in this series.  I can’t wait to read this one.

So don’t forget to pick up a copy of both talented artists while you shop today!

It was a beautiful weekend. I hope some of you got out there and enjoyed it.  I ended up taking it easy yesterday, watching TV, reading and going for a long run.  Miserably summer is quickly coming to an end and running outside for me will soon come to an end and so will running outdoors. Then I’ll have to start running on the treadmill in the gym. I hate doing that.  I’m the kind of person who needs the change to scenery in order to run for a long time (over an hour).  The longest I usually last on the treadmill is 20 minutes.  I simply get bored.

Tonight is Canadian Idol night, the top 4 will be doing the Standards with guest mentor and

Ottawa native Paul Anka.  In

Canada he’s considered to be the first Canadian Idol.  His career has span over 50 years. WOW!!!

Now the popular votes are saying that Jaydee is the clear winner.  He’s the 17 year old from

Drumheller, AB who loves to sign country songs like Elvis.  I have to confess I’m not a big fan of his at the moment.  While the Ottawa Sun says Brian Melo from

Hamilton, ON should win.  Granted Brian is the most talented signers left. Now do I think he’ll win? Only time will tell.

The spa we went to yesterday didn’t have facials or pedicures.  It was a Scandinavian bath spa.  Le Nordik in Chelsea Quebec is the perfect retreat for a day of relaxation.  How this works is you go into either a sauna or steamer (with eucalyptus) for 10-15 minutes then you dip into a pool that’s only 55 F for 10-15 seconds followed by relaxation (sitting on one of the chairs outside or inside, lying in a hammock) for as long as you want.  They suggest you do this cycle 3-4 times.  They also have small pools that are 65F if you’d prefer them instead of the colder one along with hot tubs that are 95F.

 

What does it do? It cleans out the toxins from your body.  It may sound easy, but be prepared to be tired.  My mom and I did this 4 times and by the end I was exhausted and felt completely spent.  A very satisfying feeling. We only spent between 8-11 minutes in either the sauna or the steamer.  I had a hard time breathing. Boy do you sweat out those toxins.  

How much was it?  It’s only $40 CAD per person and you can spend as long as you want.  So you can spend a full day at their spa. They also have a restaurant on site.  Do I intend to do this again?  Yes I do, but it’ll have to be for a special occasion, such as the end of my edits.  Do I recommend this resort/spa? You bet I do. Here is their website http://lenordik.com/

Today is my condense work day off. Yes every other Friday I have off because I work one hour more each day.  I usually spend the morning catching up on sleep and the rest of the day working from home on my writing or simply cleaning the house.

Well today I’m doing something different. What am I doing? My mom and I plan to go to a spa.  Most women my age have already been to one more than once, but I have never been to one.  Why? I simply can’t afford one and don’t usually have the time.  Today I put it in my budget and I’m making time. I’m also in need of a way to relax.  I’ll let you know all about it in tomorrow’s blog.

Have a great Friday!

I don’t know about you but until I got more information about the writing industry I figure anyone who was published made tons o f money and live off their royalties. As if! 

I also thought that bookstore owners and managers loved to get have visits from published authors, loved to have them sign their stock.  Well based on blogs from some authors that isn’t always the case.  Doesn’t that just boggle the mind?  It does for me.  Some of these authors are New York Times Bestselling authors.  I would be more than happy to sign the stock I had on hand.  Didn’t they know those books will fly off the shelf after being signed?  How do I know this?  Well I spoke with my publicist LeeAnn at Lessard Public Relations (www.lessardpublicrelations.com) she went around town with NYT Hannah Howell a year or so ago and within 3 weeks of the tour she returned to the stores to see their stock and more than 80% of the books had sold and were replaced with new stock. 

I’m just hoping that when my book comes out that it will be on the shelves when I go to the stores.  My publisher is a new and small press so stores don’t have a tendency to carry a lot of copies.

Kelly Clarkson sang beautifully last night on Canadian Idol.  She sang her new single NEVER AGAIN and it sounded better live than on her CD. Can you believe it?  This past week the theme was ‘my own idol’. Most of the idols sang some good old ones from Elvis, Stevie Wonder and Bonjovi.  Kelly said her old is Reba McEntire, no surprise there.  She’s a fabulous entertainer.  Who would I have chosen as my own idol? Well for me that’s easy, Celine Dion. I have loved her music since her first French CD was released and she sang for the Pope in 1982.  I was in awe back then and still am.

So fellow blogger who would you consider your private idol?

Last night was the first time one of the guest judges sat in the audience and watched the contestants on Canadian Idol.  It was great to see Kelly Clarkson show such support.  I watched most of the performances which were not bad but not really what I expected out of top 5 contestants.  

Did any of you watch BLOOD TIES? I watched the first hour and couldn’t really get into the show.  It wasn’t the subject matter or anything like.  I found the actors to be good but there didn’t seem to be anything gelling them all together.  I’ll try and watch a few more shows before deciding to walk away from this one.  However the show did remind me and made me miss the early ANGEL episodes.  This was the spin off from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.