Explore the Queendom with Jordan H. Bartlett

In a Queendom divided, can one girl unite the realms?

To save her people, Lower-born Jacs must infiltrate the Upper Realm and earn her place to compete in the Contest of Queens. In a story about friendship, love, bravery, and defying gravity, Jacs will strive to prove that a Queendom is strongest when united.

Jordan H. Bartlett delivers a beautiful masterpiece that masterfully uses fantasy elements and preaches the importance of kindness and bravery.

Jodan has devoured literature her entire life and spent the last three years working on her debut novel, Contest of Queens to add to the world’s library. Learn more about Jordan and her work at https://jordanhbartlett.com/

Without further adieu, here is my conversation with Jordan:

Writing, cooking, and reading with Author Joanna Elm!

Joanna Elm is an author, journalist, blogger, and attorney. Before the publication of her first two suspense novels (Scandal, Tor/Forge 1996); (Delusion, Tor/Forge/1997), she was an investigative journalist on the London Evening News on Fleet Street in the U.K. She also wrote for British magazines like Woman’s Own.

Then, she moved to New York where she worked as a writer/producer for television news and tabloid TV programs like A Current Affair. She was also the researcher/writer for WNEW-TV’s Emmy-award-winning documentary Irish Eyes. In 1980, she joined the Star as a reporter, eventually becoming the magazine’s news editor and managing editor before moving to Philadelphia as editor of the news/features section of TV Guide.

After completing her first two novels while living in South Florida, (Nelson DeMille described Scandal as “fresh, original and unpredictable”) Joanna returned to New York, enrolled in law school, graduated summa cum laude, passed the NY Bar exam, and worked as a principal law clerk for an appellate division justice in the prestigious First Department.

This year, Joanna is gracing the world with her newest suspense novel, Fool Her Once, published on March 1st by CamCat publishing. Order the book here!

Without further ado, enjoy my conversation with Joanna Elm!

Q&A with Spy Thriller Author Susan Ouellette

Susan Ouellette’s smart, fast-paced political thrillers plunge readers into the post-9/11 world of politics and espionage. Maggie Jenkins, the novels’ unstoppable CIA-analyst heroine, searches for the next terrorist threat even as she battles corrupt politicians, inept bureaucrats, and her own self-doubt. In an uncertain world filled with ever-changing threats, Maggie faces a choice between caution and courage, reason and prescience, inertia and action

Maggie’s decisions affect not only national security but also the lives of ordinary Americans.

Susan Ouellette’s novels will leave you breathless and guessing until the final pages. The Wayward Spy and The Wayward Assassin are thrillers for those who understand today’s security threats and the consequences of inaction.

Check out my interview with her below:

Anxiety vs Anxiety Disorders

Everyone feels anxious from time to time, like before an exam of a big event. If you’re in a stressful time of life, such as college or wedding planning (or the middle of a pandemic) stress and anxiety can be even more common.

This is why it can be tough to tell the difference between typical anxiety and a condition like panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

WHAT IS IT?

Typical anxious feelings –

A temporary and expected response to a stressful situation but not an ongoing problem. This is an appropriate reaction to the situation. It doesn’t interfere with other areas of life but can actually be a good and helpful thing. Can act as a motivator to accomplish assignments or warn you about dangerous situations. Can also activate the fight, flight, or freeze response.

Boundaries – A Breakdown

It is essential to have personal boundaries in order to have healthy relationships. These protect you, your mind, your heart, your soul, and your relationships.

WHAT ARE BOUNDARIES?

These are basic guidelines in a relationship for how you are treated, how the relationship looks, and for what’s acceptable and what isn’t. A boundary can be made for every area of a relationship: physical, emotional, responsibilities, spiritual, etc.

Healthy boundaries increase self-esteem and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

The relationship does not have to be a romantic or sexual one. In fact, you should have boundaries in every relationship. This includes family members and friends.

Think of an imaginary line separating you from something/someone else.

A study in grief

WHAT IS GRIEF?

Grief is the natural reaction to loss.

Grief is a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people due to a loss, particularly of someone or something that the person had a strong bond with or affection for. Although, grief can also be for a relationship that has ended badly, a healthy lifestyle after a terminal illness, or other losses, such as a family home or a job.

FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF:

Denial

Denial is a conscious or unconscious decision to refuse to admit that something is true. This is natural as grief brings sudden and intense emotions. It’s a survival instance to ignore these feelings.

Working through a Panic Attack

Difference between a panic and an anxiety attack

Panic and anxiety attacks can feel similar, and they share a lot of symptoms, but they are different conditions.

PANIC ATTACK:

Comes on suddenly & accompanied by intense fear. The panic attack is often more disruptive than the anxiety attack. They can be caused by a trigger or external stressor or have no obvious cause.

ANXIETY ATTACK:

Comes on gradually and typically related to something that’s perceived as stressful or threatening. It can be mild to severe and occur while normal everyday activities continue. Usually related to a trigger or the anticipation of a stressful situation, experience, or event.

2020 LINGERS

“Trauma in a person, decontextualized over time, looks like personality.

Trauma in a family, decontextualized over time, looks like family traits.

Trauma in a people, decontextualized over time, looks like culture.”

-Resmaa Menakem

LOCKDOWN & QUARANTINE

Depression & Anxiety

The Office of National Statistics in the UK has found that rates of depression have doubled. Fatigue, anxiety, a lack of cues, and fewer social interactions all play into the rise of depression and anxiety.

A Look Inside an ADHD Mind

PART ONE: THE BASICS

ADHD isn’t a character flaw. It’s a developmental disorder of the brain. Some of the symptoms of adults with ADHD are:

• Trouble completing and organizing tasks
• Frequently losing important belongings
• Forgetfulness and distraction
• Restlessness and Impulsivity
• Difficulty following details
• Impatience
• Strong, sometimes inappropriate emotion
• Obsessive behaviors
• Poor memory

ADHD, anxiety, mood disorders, autism, and other conditions are not single or simple disorders.
They all have multiple types. ADD affects many areas of the brain and can manifest in many different ways.

Experts agree there are about 7 main types of ADHD.

Loving Those With Mental Illnesses

Beware of Spiritual Bypassing

SB is the use of spiritual ideas to avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and societal problems. Basically, it’s the use of religious words, theologies, or cliches to invalidate or avoid addressing the actual issue.

When spirituality and religion are used to compensate for challenging traits such as low self-esteem, social isolation, mental health issues, social issues like racism or sexism, or other emotional issues, they corrupt the actual use of the spiritual practice.

Some examples include:

• “It doesn’t matter who is president, Jesus is always in control.”
• “Everything happens for a reason.”
• “I don’t see color.” & “All Lives Matter.”
• “Try focusing on the positive!”
• “Don’t be anxious, just trust God!”
• “Rely on God and you won’t be so tired.”
• “You shouldn’t feel lonely. God is always with you.”
• “Have you prayed about it?”