Another in my series of strips, this time about an issue that I often faced as a university lecturer

My latest writing experiment is comic strips, courtesy of Bitstrips. Here’s my first experiment:

Life as a stay at home mom has ups and downs. I’m always interested to find others who are sharing this experience. One of those is the person behind the Mom2Two blog. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and covers such diverse topics as animals, cooking, decorating and growing up.

One of the sections I like best is the Mommy Time section, where she details how she carves out some time for herself. There’s also plenty of drama in her life, and the story of a Saturday night out is worth a read. This is a relatively new blog, but I am sure it’s worth watching.

I was tagged by Michael Kwan to write a six word memoir. Some piece of useful advice that I would want to pass on, or that guide my life. It took me a long time to come up with the six words I wanted to use. In the end I fell back on six words that I keep on the noticeboard in my office:

Choices have consequences; use them wisely.

It reminds me to be careful of the choices I make. It’s not intended to be paralysing, and prevent me from making choices, but encourages me to be mindful of the likely results of the decisions that I make. I’m supposed to tag five other people, but I’d like to leave it open to those who want to play along. If you do, please post a link to this post and drop me a comment with the link to your six word memoir post.

I found a gem today when I was trawling through some writing blogs. It’s called Writer, Writer, and it’s run by Suzanne James. I’ve met Suzanne before online and she has been a mine of information on anything to do with writing and publishing. As an editor and a published historical novelist, she knows the business inside out. Add to that her knowledge on promotion and you have a very useful blog indeed. Here are a few posts that caught my eye.

• Grandfather stories
• Why Publishers Buy Books
• How To Get Published
• Parenting and Writing

The blog has been going for a few months and it contains some great information. Definitely one to watch. It’s also worth following the links to Suzanne’s other blogs, which are also useful for writers.

I’ve been checking out a new blog recently. It’s an author site for a forthcoming novel called Bloodstone Castle. It’s set in Genoa, and the site has a lot of information about the history of the city and some of the locations used in the book.

I especially like the post about pesto sauce. The site is still growing, but it’s one to watch. Check out the on-site profiles of some of the leading characters. It’s a great place to get some ideas for how to promote your book with a site.

I’d like to see slightly more information there, but I realise that it’s a work in progress. I’ll stop by to check it out again.

Originally published May 31, 2007 on Communati

My daughter is four (or four and a half as she insists). This morning she ‘wrote’ this song. All I did was write it down – the words are hers.

I wish I lived in the sky
I wish I lived in the sky
But we are human beings
So we don’t live in the sky
If I was in a flying boat
I could jump onto the moon

I suspect that she’s been influenced by my hubby’s love of the Beatles.

This is one I have saved from WU

One day last year I nearly lost my daughter for good. It wasn’t through illness, but because she’d developed a couple of new skills I didn’t know she had and because she was a normal stroppy toddler.

Last summer, a group of us decided to take advantage of the nice weather and have a picnic in a local park. It was set back from the road and had a childproof gate on it. We had a great time sharing sandwiches and drinks and taking it in turns to supervise our children on the swings, slides and climbing frames.

When it was time to go, I collected my daughter and stooped down to pick up our bag. When I looked up, she was gone. My heart stopped. I looked around frantically and saw her heading towards the road. I called her; she ignored me. This is normal toddler behaviour. She raced away – I hadn’t realised she could run so fast. Even while I’m typing this, my heart is pounding. I raced after her, realizing that I couldn’t catch her before she reached the gate, but at least it was childproof, so she couldn’t possibly reach the busy road.

Then she opened the gate and ran outside. My heart stopped and I screamed for her to stop, still running after her. I was sure that this would be the last time I would see her alive. After all, she was in ignore mode, so she probably wouldn’t listen. The thought of those big, bad cars and my defenceless little daughter was more than I could bear.

Then she stopped. That was the first miracle. The lady who was across the road dragged her three children across and came to stand by the pavement so my daughter couldn’t get past. That was the second miracle. I grabbed my daughter’s hand and didn’t kill her for nearly killing herself. That was the third miracle.

What did I learn? That my daughter was even more capable than I thought she was. That she needed to learn the Green Cross code (she knows it now) and that I should treasure every moment with her.

Dyan Garris is the author of Money and Manifesting, a book that goes beyond The Secret to help people achieve success with manifestation. I’m pleased to welcome her for an interview here today. A

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to write this book?

“Money and Manifesting” was a natural consequence of the body of work that I’m finishing up building. I’m building a toolbox filled with tools that anyone, anywhere on their journey can pick up, find something that they resonate with, and then use as a platform for spiritual growth and change. I’m a psychic, teacher, energy worker, healer, lightworker, musician, and author. That is many words to say that at a core level I am a clairvoyant counselor. I help people move forward on the path.

There is a new-ish book out called “The Secret” that is about the same thing. It has become a phenomenon and has been featured on Oprah. What makes this book different?

“Money and Manifesting” picks up where “The Secret” left off. We have a lot of people out there trying to manifest with just the power of their minds and not understanding why that isn’t bringing them what they desire. The power of positive thinking and utilizing the laws of attraction are but one step in the process of manifesting. And it was important that the information contained in “The Secret,” which never was a secret, filter into mass consciousness and resonate as the truth. “The Secret” is a foundation. “Money and Manifesting” isn’t about the Law of Attraction. It’s about how to activate and integrate the power of creation rather than just think about it. If someone wants to tell Oprah that there is more, that would be fine. However, with or without Oprah, the principles in “Money and Manifesting” will also someday become as widely utilized as the basic principles in “The Secret,” because they are also true. If “The Secret” was the foundation, the information in “Money and Manifesting” can be used to build the house.

What’s your writing process and when’s your best writing time?

I write a Daily Channeled Message on my main website www.voiceoftheangels.com So, I’m always writing in the morning after prayer, meditation, and a long swim. As for the writing process, everything I write is channeled and co-created and that information flows continually if I’m open to it. I do find that the creative process of writing music flows better in the evening.

Who or what is your best source of inspiration or advice when writing?

I’ve counseled a lot of people over the course of my lifetime here. There is always inspiration in that and particularly if you are open to the reflection. Everything happens for a reason. So I like to take information and events and figure out what they mean in a “bigger picture” framework. Everything I write, both books and music, is channeled and co-created and just being open to that divine inspiration is completely joyful.

What’s the best advice you have received about writing or publishing?

I really wish someone had given me some advice. I’m sort of just walking on the path and seeing what happens next.

For much more information about Dyan Garris and Money
and Manifesting, visit
http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Dyan+Garris for
complete tour details. To learn about the products
Dyan offers, visit her website -
www.voiceoftheangels.com. You can order your copy of
Money and Manifesting from her website or from
http://www.amazon.com/Money-Manifesting-Dyan-Garris/dp/0977614069

An extended interview will also be published tomorrow on the Reiki Voyager blog.