Don't Hate Me Because I'm Happy

What You Think About, You Bring About...

Sometimes, despite their lack of modern technology, such as indoor plumbing and electricity, I envy the Brown family, a.k.a. the Alaskan Bush People. "Why?" you ask. Because they are practically oblivious to the world around them. They don't hear the negativity that floats around on social media, the news, or in general conversations, so their life is a bit untainted. "But we need to know what's going on in the world," some say. "Don't be blind to the things happening around you." Um... why not? The Brown family has no clue to what's going on, or modern technology, none of them having phones or computers, and they seem to manage just fine... happily, might I add. News will happen whether I follow it or not, and to be honest, I'm much happier when I don't. I'm on a 'need to know only' basis with the news, and that's enough for me.

As an author, I am often on social media. If it wasn't for the need to network and communicate with my readers, I probably wouldn't be on any of it. I find myself, often times, shaking my head at the myriad of negative posts, which are pointless and do nothing but bring others down. You don't like that gays can now marry; we get it. You don't like Obama, Trump, or Hillary; yeah, we know. You don't like your neighbors, or your son's girlfriend, yada yada yada. And it's not just in social media; it's everywhere. I sometimes find myself not even wanting to talk to people because I know something negative is going to come out of their mouth, and to be honest, I don't want to hear it. I refuse to let one's negativity bring me down. Remember... what you think about, you bring about, so choose your thoughts wisely.

Yes, there are some things I don't like, either (like people who complain all the time), and feel negative sometimes, like everyone else, yet I keep it to myself, trying to focus on the positive things in this world that I DO like, which there is still a lot of, despite what we all hear. The world, as I see it, is still a beautiful place with beautiful people in it. I just wish everyone could see it that way, despite its flaws. 

Surprisingly, most of the negativity I read and hear about comes from my Christian friends, and as a Christian, myself, it makes me question my own faith, which is sad. I could get into a full blown rant here, but I won't (you're welcome), but I will say these two simple words: be grateful. No matter your faith, your beliefs, or the lack thereof, see the greatness that surrounds you and know that your situation could always be worse, no matter what happens around you. "But I am grateful," you say (despite your recent Facebook rant). Then show it. Show it in your words and actions (and posts)... it will rub off on others when you do.

I have two people in my family who are disabled; one paralyzed from a car accident, the other a multiple amputee due to a motorcycle accident. They have been dealt less than fair cards in their life, yet they continue to play that hand to the best of their ability, not complaining about how bad life is. Their smiles, despite everything, are one of the biggest signs of hope there is. One of my son's friends, as well as another boy, was killed in an electrical accident the day after he'd been with him at a sleep-over, and even though I'm not close to that family, I was deeply saddened and cried so hard for them. Despite this tragedy, his mother has risen above that grief and sorrow and inspires others to live their life to the fullest. (If you'd like to read some of that inspiration and see her journey, you can find it here.) All I'm saying is that if you let the negativity of the world (which, for me, happens to be those who constantly complain about the world, not the actual bad stuff in it) it will consume you. Not only will it steal your happiness and actually make you sick, but it can do the same to those around you. If you're constantly complaining about this or that, trolling 'woe is me' or 'dooms day' sites, just stop. Yeah, complaining might be your way of voicing your opinion and beliefs, letting others know where you stand, but unless it somehow brings positivity to the situation, it's not worth the breath it's formed on.

The reason I'm writing this blog post is to make you think about your thoughts and the things you say on a daily basis. Are they more positive, lifting people up? Or are they negative, pulling others down with you? Are you feeding into the negativity or rising above it? 

And with that, I'll leave you with this....

If you're able to get up and walk, be grateful, but don't belittle those around you who walk a different path than yours.
If you have both of your arms, be grateful, but don't use them to hold your fists up at those who don't do right by you, since you're not their judge or Creator.
If you are able to take a deep breath of fresh air, be grateful, but don't use that breath to talk negatively about others, or yourself.
In all you do, look at the greatness around you--your health, your family, the change in your pocket, the clean water that pours from your faucet--and be grateful. I know I am. 

Are you kidding me with this?

I'm not one to rant... but I'm making an exception today. 

I got a call from my sixth grade daughter (who was at school, crying) recently and was told I needed to bring her some clothes to change into because hers weren't 'appropriate' for school and went against the dress code. What??? I thought back to what she had on that morning, which was actually an outfit she wears to church; leggings & a baby-doll style top that came to her thighs--completely covering her butt--and a long-sleeved blue-jean jacket. I took a deep breath and told her I would be right there. 

Well, when I got there, she was upset and embarrassed that she had to be taken out of class (missing her lesson) so she could wait on me to bring her clothes. When I asked the office why her clothes broke dress code, I was informed it was because her top didn't come within an envelope's width of her knees. Really? So, let me make sure I understand. She can't wear leggings when she wears a top over them that comes to her thighs? Okay. I understand (not really), but don't want to be one of those moms, so I hug my daughter and give her the t-shirt and jeans I brought for her.

That night, my daughter and I sat down to go over the dress code, since it had obviously changed. Well, come to find out, they can't even wear sweat pants! You know, the comfy cotton pants that everyone wears in the winter? Yeah, those. Nope, the only pants she can wear are athletic pants or jeans... and leggings, as long as she has another entire outfit covering them up, pretty much. 

Okay, school systems... let me see if I've gotten this straight. The dress code seems to have been made mainly for girls, so they won't distract the boys. And even though they are COVERED and in no way look inappropriate (just like my daughter didn't), they will still be taken out of class so they can change from sweat pants/leggings into jeans, which are often made so they are even tighter than sweat pants. I know if my daughter is late or misses any classes for any reason, it is highly frowned upon and I get a letter stating this, however, the school can take her out of class and, in this case, for no reason, and it's okay? Hmm....

One thing I see that is a bit ironic and COMPLETELY goes against the school dress code happens to be some uniforms that are distributed BY the schools, themselves. I don't see how cheerleaders can wear (to school, might I add) skirts that come up to their butts, yet that seems to be okay. And the school's volleyball team have shorts that are made of spandex, no less, and also come up to their butts, especially when they are bent over or diving for a ball. 

(Photos are only examples and doesn't depict any particular school.)

So, what kind of message does this send to our young girls? I can only imagine, since I, myself, am very confused by this. They are told not to wear cotton pants--clothes that cover them and are not inappropriate for most people--yet get assigned uniforms BY THE SCHOOL like the ones pictured and it's acceptable? It's okay to jump around and do flips in skirts that are butt high in front of the entire school, but it's not okay to wear cotton pants to class? 

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think our schools need to re-evaluate their dress codes. Should short shorts or tank tops be worn? No. What about leggings with short t-shirts? No. However, when you utilize a dress code, make it reasonable and fair. Don't make it so girls get in trouble and feel guilty for wearing certain things that are cute and presentable, covering them up appropriately, yet do nothing to teach the boys to respect them no matter what they wear. Also, make sure you enforce it where it needs to be enforced the most, which, in my opinion, is in the high schools. I can't tell you how many girls I see coming out of/going into our local high school--walking right by the principle--with shorts on that are so short that it looks like they don't have any on. Then, on the flip side, my eleven-year-old daughter gets embarrassed by her school by being taken out of class because her top came to her thighs instead of within an envelope width of her knees? Get it together, dress code people!

Signed Copy Giveaway!

I've got another giveaway going on!

PRIZES:

1st Edition Signed Copy
of For Always

Signed copy of Feels Like Rain

Ebooks of Haunted & Unleashed

Winners will be announced in a week or so HERE!

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FOR ALWAYS Spotlight & Giveaway

FOR ALWAYS

Author: Janae Mitchell

Series: For Always #1

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

✧✧ SYNOPSIS ✧✧

Malyn Reed meets, and quickly falls in love with, Beau Brogan, who seems to be perfect in every way… 

except for the fact that he died in 1910. 

Malyn Reed has been able to see spirits her entire life. Now that she’s almost seventeen, she has learned to differentiate between the living and the dead, making her gift feel less like an evil curse. She ignores the spirits she encounters on a daily basis, which has made living side by side with them slightly easier…until she moves to Dandridge, the second oldest town in Tennessee. 

Beau Brogan was a hard working country boy from Dandridge, Tennessee who loved his family and stole the hearts of many southern belles. But all of that came to a tragic halt at the age of nineteen when his life came to an untimely end. For the past hundred years, his spirit has been entombed in a ghostly life of loneliness and misery that he wishes would just end…until the Reeds move in.

✧✧ FREE TO DOWNLOAD ✧✧

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1JmGtTg
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FOR NOW

Author: Janae Mitchell

Series: For Always #2

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

✧✧ SYNOPSIS ✧✧

Malyn Reed has always been able to see spirits, but never thought she would fall in love with one…
until she met Beau Brogan. 

Even among the spirit world, Beau Brogan is different. He has the ability to interact with the living world in ways that are uncommon for most ghosts, drawing the much unwanted attention of Takers, the inhabitants of the Darkness. When Beau realizes the secrets that are held within the Darkness, he will have to face one of the toughest decisions he has ever made, dead or alive. That decision could ultimately change everything, for him and Malyn, forever. 

Malyn Reed is not only fervently haunted by Beau, but she is also haunted by the decisions he makes, which could make her rethink everything that she has ever believed in. And when a freak accident turns Malyn's and her best friend's lives upside down, Malyn will have some decisions of her own to make.

✧✧ PURCHASE ✧✧

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1CxvpLo
_________________________

FOR ETERNITY

Author: Janae Mitchell

Series: For Always #3

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

✧✧ SYNOPSIS ✧✧

In a world of Darkness, one must hold fast to the Light... 

When Malyn Reed, seer of ghosts, fell in love with one, she knew it wouldn't end well, but when love pleaded with her heart, she was unable to deny it. Falling hard for the sexy, southern gentleman, Beau Brogan, who died in 1910, her already strange life quickly turned into a life she'd never imagined. Filled with love and heartache that would change her... for always. 

When Beau Brogan died, left to haunt his homestead for over a century, he thought it was his hell on earth, until Malyn Reed moved in. Stealing the heart that hadn't beat in over one-hundred years, she gave him a new life that he'd never known, even while he was alive. But like his life, their time together came to an untimely end and they were forced to say goodbye... for now. 

In this third and final installment of the For Always series, love will be tested in ways that Beau and Malyn aren't prepared for. During the battle of good and evil—Darkness and Light—choices will have to be made and sides taken. Unbeknownst to Beau, one final decision will change everything... for eternity. 

Their love survived beyond Beau's death, but can it survive
beyond his absence and the Darkness that threatens them all?

✧✧ PURCHASE ✧✧

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1CxM6WU

✧✧  MEET THE AUTHOR: JANAE MITCHELL ✧✧ 

"First & foremost, I'm a country girl. I'm no different than most, I just happen to write... a lot. If I'm not writing books, I'm reading them. I live for the HEA. I've been interested in the paranormal most of my life, living in a 'haunted' house growing up. This fascination, mixed with my love of writing, made my first YA paranormal romance series, For Always, inevitable. Of course I'd have to throw a spooky ghost story in there, too.

I'm a huge fan of readers! They breathe life into the books we give birth to. Thank you, fellow readers, for making books come alive." ☺

Janae was born and raised in East Tennessee, where she currently resides with her husband, two children, and their hairless dog, Dobby. In her spare time, she likes to read, play tennis, and spend time with her family on the lake.

www.JanaeMitchell.com

✧✧ GIVEAWAY ✧✧

Enter for a chance to win a PAPERBACK COPY of one of the books in the series! Winner’s choice!

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Bullying in the Book World

10 Years ago, a legendary story was born.

Firstly, let me tell you that when it comes to either being a lover or a hater of the Twilight Saga, I'm an obsessor. I love it to the point that my heart literally aches when "Leave Out All The Rest" starts to play at the end of the movie. And don't even get me started on the feels that "A Thousand Years" incited. With that being said, it's hard to understand how someone couldn't like this series as much as I do (or at least a small fraction), but then I tell myself that there are also readers who don't like Harry Potter *gasp*, so I do understand that not everyone likes the same things and has their own opinion. However, the bashing of this series and the bullying of this author, no matter your opinion, has become ridiculous. Even if I wasn't a lover of Twilight, I wouldn't do or say some of the things that have been done and said by readers and fellow 'professionals' in the book world.

Everyone has heard and/or seen a negative post, joke, or comment related to Twilight. They are everywhere, which I'm sure Stephenie Meyer, who used to be very interactive with readers, appreciates. I know how just one 1-star review can hurt, so I feel for her when I see things like this all over social media, making fun of something she devoted so much hard work and time to; time away from her family, might I add. Why has everyone jumped on this bashing bandwagon over the years? In my opinion, I think it's jealousy over the success of this saga, or just immature readers 'expressing themselves' the only way they know how. However, I've also seen fellow authors make jokes and belittle this author's work... in their own books, no less. How professional is that?

I recently started reading a book about angels by an author who I (used to) enjoy reading, however, when she made it a point to bring up 'sparkly' vampires, making fun of them within a span of a couple of sentences on the very first page, which added nothing to the story, I was done. I exited the book, deleted it from my kindle, and quickly wrote this author off as one I don't want to read. Why? Because I will not support an author who belittles another's work, plain and simple. The sad part is that this isn't the first author I've seen do this. I don't know if they think rallying the Twilight haters will somehow build them up as an author or if they just don't care to be rude, but either way, I won't be a part of it. Hate Twilight? Write a professional review as to why and leave it at that. There's no reason why any author or their work should be treated with such disgrace as this.

Even though it was published in 2005, one of my very first vlog posts was about Twilight. I wish that more readers who love this story would speak out and blog, vlog, post, and comment their feelings, drowning out the negative with positive, fighting the bullying that has been widely accepted as okay. I honestly think many are afraid to admit they like Twilight, or even if they don't, are afraid to speak out against the bullying associated with it.
"Oh, you like Twilight? Ugh."... "But vampires aren't supposed to sparkle."..."She's a bad writer."..."I'll stick to books with real vampires in them." Really? The last I heard, vampires of any sort aren't real, and the fact that she made hers sparkle, in my opinion, is an original concept that makes them more beautiful and fantastical, which this story called for, than the common dark version. Yes, I love my "Lost Boys", but that's not the only version of vampires allowed in fiction and movies. And to say that she is a bad writer doesn't really ring true when you look at the accomplishments and awards she's won. Were all of those people, including The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and many other prominent voices in the book world, in fact, mistaken and delusional in regard to her talent? I don't think so. Just because you don't like her writing style, characters, or this story doesn't mean she's not a good writer; it simply makes it your opinion.

Aside from the bashing and juvenile jokes, Stephenie Meyer is still laughing all the way to the bank (with a reported net worth of $125 million in 2011), and admiring her many awards and accomplishments, however, it still makes me wonder if she feels, at times, that it's all worth it. I hope so. I hope she realizes that, aside from all the haters who feel a need to post their dislike in a publicly rude and immature manner, there will always be those of us who are thankful to have Twilight be forever a part of our lives. The fact that this saga has helped readers find their love for reading again should be a testament to this fact. I applaud Stephenie for giving us the great love story that is the Twilight Saga.

"Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and within weeks of its release the book debuted at #5 on New York Times bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Twilight was named an "ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults," and Amazon.com "Best Book of the Decade...So Far", and a Publisher Weekly Best Book of the Year.
The highly-anticipated sequel, New Moon, was released in September 2006, and spent more than 25 weeks at the #1 position on The New York Times bestseller list."  -- StephenieMeyer.com

Aside from her bestselling works, The Twilight Saga and Host, Stephenie, along with her producing partner, Meghan Hibbett, has started her own independent production company called Fickle Fish Films. With her history of success, despite the critics, I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

Janae Mitchell's Book Giveaway

I love, love, love my readers, so as a thank you, I'm doing a giveaway, and not just for one of my books, but for ALL of them! The fact that I've got loyal readers who will read anything I write means more to me than I can explain in this blog post, so just trust me when I say I'm overwhelmed, grateful, and humbled by the kind words, messages, posts, and comments I receive from all of you.

♥ ♥ ♥

Now, on to the giveaway...

Prize #1

The first prize is a complete signed set of the FOR ALWAYS series, which includes the first three books I ever wrote—For Always (which is FREE), For Now, and For Eternity.

Prize #2

The second prize is a signed copy of FEELS LIKE RAIN, which was inspired by the For Always series. There is a character introduced at the very end of the third book, For Eternity, who I felt had a story to tell, and this is it.

Prize #3

 

The third prize is a signed copy of both of my spooky novellas, HAUNTED & UNLEASHED.

(Both e-books are only $.99!)

HAUNTED is a ghost story that I originally wrote one weekend while in a funk when writing For Now. It became a featured story on Wattpad, and after much prompting, I added to it and published it.

Prize #4

The fourth prize is three audio books of UNLEASHED, which was also originally a Wattpad story that ended up becoming a promo for the Ouija Movie on Wattpad and is on their "Creepy Ouija Board Stories" list (Eek!). To my surprise, it has only 5-star reviews on amazon and readers are saying this story creeped them out, so I hope you enjoy it, too!

Thank you for reading & sharing my stories!

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FEELS LIKE RAIN Release & Giveaway

What if the feelings you felt were never your own?

Jet is different. Able to feel the emotions of those around him, he chooses to spend his days in solitude, pushing out the feelings that attempt to consume him. With numbness his only relief, he’s surprised when he finds himself letting someone in, actually wanting—craving—to feel what she feels.

Even though he was warned to stay away from Kalista LaFontain, Jet didn’t listen, not caring what family she came from, knowing she wasn’t like them. Somehow, she was able to make the emotions that assaulted him on a daily basis more bearable, a pleasant contrast to his usual numbness. He didn’t care how powerful or hated her family was; he’d risk it.

Little did he know, that risk would change his life forever.

After writing the FOR ALWAYS series, there was one more character (who is introduced at the very, very end of the last book) who kept yelling at me to tell his story, which led me to write "Feels Like Rain". Even though this novel is a stand-alone and can be read independently from the FOR ALWAYS series, I recommend you read the FOR ALWAYS series first, if you plan on reading it at all, due to possible spoilers you might encounter by reading FLR first. Personally, I like spoilers, so it's just a personal preference, really.

Book one in the FOR ALWAYS series can be downloaded HERE
(Currently free in the US)

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This is me! ☺ I'm the author of "Feels Like Rain", as well as "For Always", "For Now", and "For Eternity". I've also written a couple of spooky novellas titled "Haunted" and "Unleashed".
I was born & raised in beautiful East TN, which reflects in my writing, and I love to chat with readers. You can connect with me on my website or here:

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GIVEAWAY TIME!

Good Luck!
☺

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