Spidey’s Serene Sundays | But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 259 – Next Steps

16 Feb 2020 28 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Dreams, Next Steps, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
Confucius

Firstly, welcome back to your regular spot, Spidey! I appreciate you letting me take the reins last week, with the book launch, and all that. I hope you managed to have a great break!

And secondly, thank you for a truly apt quote, for this week.

It’s no secret that it took me FOREVER to get my book baby ready to fly, and I am fully aware that I am no Harper Lee… people won’t wait YEARS for the sequel… so I really need to get my skates on with the next book.

Especially since a good few readers of the book have already expressed an interest in finding out more about the characters in the story.

And, yes, I have at least two more stories planned, about the same cast of characters, and I have even started the next one.

But I have been feeling so exhausted recently, I haven’t been able to devote the time I want to writing.

So, I am going to take the advice of Confucius, and make sure that I am trying to add a few words at least, to my new WIP, daily. And hopefully those few words will add up to a book, in less than twenty years!

I know exactly where I want my writing career to go, it’s just taking those next steps.

So… tell me, what are your next steps in making your dreams come true?

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 258 – #PubDay #MarriageUnarranged

09 Feb 2020 50 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Marriage Unarranged, Release Day, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

Today, Spidey just threw the door open to me, and said “You got this. It’s your day. Use my spot.”

So, here I am, on the 9th of February, 2020, extremely excited to announce that my book, Marriage Unarranged, is officially published!

It is available on Kindle from all Amazon Marketplaces, and in Paperback from Amazon US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Japan!

The blog tour has been going amazingly, and I have read the comments, and responses from all, with tears in my eyes. The first review was up on Goodreads last week, which blew me away too! If you want to read it, click here.

After all this time, eh, my book is finally out there!

I hope you’ll celebrate with me today!

It all ~~started~~ ended with that box…

Aashi’s life was all set.

Or so she thought.

Like in the Bollywood films, Ravi would woo her, charm her family and they’d get married and live happily ever after.

But then Aashi found the empty condom box…

Putting her ex-fiancé and her innocence behind her, Aashi embarks upon an enlightening journey, to another country, where vibrant memories are created, and unforgettable friendships forged.

Old images erased, new beginnings to explore.

And how can she forget the handsome stranger she meets? A stranger who’s hiding something…

If you are interested in purchasing, click here….

getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 257 – Excitement

02 Feb 2020 44 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Excitement, Quote, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“I am excited about what the future will bring, and I think the best is yet to come.”
Alonzo Mourning

Thank you so much Spidey for finding a quote so perfect for how I am feeling right now.

Actually, my feelings are a mixture of nerves and excitement.

It is literally a WEEK until my book baby is officially published!

A WEEK!

How has nearly twenty years passed, since I first had the idea for this book and started to write words on a screen?

Did I ever think that it would really be a ‘thing’?

No.

I never thought I would be a blogger, with an award winning blog, either. I just excitedly posted all manner of stuff, and people seemed to like it, then the best thing happened. I got recognised for it!

The same goes for my work. I always put 110% into my job, and the excitement I have for working with my class is palpable. And the rewards are huge, at the end of every year. Not financially. Everyone knows a teacher’s salary is rubbish. But emotionally. Seeing a child read a word for the first time, unaided, or crack the code of how to add a number to another, independently. Priceless moments. Watching them develop into these amazing little human beings with empathy, and seeing their imaginations grow, because we have helped them to learn to access the tools they need to succeed in life. No better feeling.

And similarly, I have an excitement for my book baby. Nervous excitement, as I said. You never know what might happen, but the feedback I have received from beta readers, and some advance readers has been enough for the excited butterflies to be going crazy in my stomach for the last few weeks! I can only hope that other readers feel the same about my story, too!

Who knows?

So… tell me, what excites you at the moment?

And… have you preordered, yet? The Kindle version is available to preorder, or the paperback will be out from the 9th Feb! Check out the blog tour that starts tomorrow!

And you can pre-order here.

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps. And enjoy your week! ❤

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 256

26 Jan 2020 36 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Smile, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.”
Phyllis Diller

Well, thank you for that, Spidey. You know exactly how I feel about smiling. 🙂

Personally, I feel so much better, when I have a smile on my face. Even if times are tough, that slight upwards curve of my lips, sets the tone for how I approach things.

I guess a smile helps to send positive hormones around your body, and they will make you look at situations in a much brighter way.

Equally, greeting someone with a smile (a genuine one, though) eases moments too. I know that as long as I have a smile for my parents, when opening the door every morning, and more smiles for my pupils, the parents leave, reassured, and the children come in happier, too.

I am known for having that smile on my face. When I was at university, I was described as ‘that smiley, curly haired girl from Birmingham’. See, the smile was always noticed first!

And I am totally unable to put a false smile on.

Even if I try and smile to mask any hurt or upset, it is quickly picked up on by those closest to me. Because that smile won’t reach my eyes. (That’s how you can tell anyone’s genuine smiles – if they smile and their eyes shine, or even crinkle at the edges, that’s a real one. If they are all teeth, but the eyes are a bit dull, and wide open, hello fake smile!)

Equally, a smile from a stranger can be worth more than you know. It costs us nothing, but benefits us by exercising plently of facial muscles, and can give someone who may be feeling forgotten, a real boost.

So… today, I won’t ask a question. Today, a challenge. Try and smile a little through adversity, and see how it might change your outlook on a situation. Or give someone who looks like they need it, a smile.

Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps. Smile, and enjoy your week! ❤

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 255

19 Jan 2020 35 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Dreams, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“If not us, who? If not now, when?”
John F. Kennedy

Thank you, Spidey, for making me think!

When you have a dream, often there is an inspirational person out there, willing you to dream this dream.

Why keep it at dream status?

If you want to achieve something, you are the only one who can do it. And if you don’t, there are many people out there with the gumption to take their dream, which might be similar to yours, and fly with it.

BE that person. Live your dream!

Okay, so you want to be that person. But, life, you know. Too much going on. Work, family, commitments. They all take up so much of your time, that there is none left to achieve your goal.

Nonsense.

Unless your dream involves a huge amount of planning, and maybe finance that you have to raise, there is NOTHING stopping you getting on the ladder to climbing up to that dream cloud your idea is sitting in, and reaching it.

It may be small things to start with, but if you want to buy a house, start looking. If you want to streamline your life, start decluttering small parts of your house. If you want to write a book, cut down on the TV you watch, and put some words to paper.

They may not be your dream achieved, but they are the starts. And everything has to start somewhere!

So… tell me, what dream do you have, and what step can you take to make it come true?