Long and Short Reviews welcomes Z.A. Maxfield who is visiting with us to celebrate today’s release of her newest book Plummet To Soar. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.
Hi! My name is Z.A. Maxfield, and lately I’ve been working on changing some ideas I’ve had all my life about discipline and motivation. It turns out—I’ve got discipline by the crateload. If discipline is what it takes to begin and complete any long term project, I’ve got that. I’ve written a whole bunch of novels. Lost and kept off weight. Stopped smoking, stopped drinking. I am extraordinarily disciplined, when I need to be.
Recently one of my children decided to quit his job in order to study for an exam, and he was worried I’d be mad because I have to trust he’ll actually study. And it’s almost May, the beginning of summer. A lot could happen to distract him. The test is in late fall. But I know if he wants to pass it, there’s nothing I could throw in his way to keep him from it.
I have to trust his desire to pass, not his discipline. And it’s an excellent reminder I have to trust my own…
So my son Maxfield (Yeah, he’s the kid whose name I borrowed) and I are working on Focus and Flow. Focus is the spotlight of where I put my attention—it’s simply the ability to pay particular attention to some thing or idea. Flow is the steady continuous stream of something. And when I achieve a state of steady, continuous, purposeful focus that’s called Flow too, and it feels so awesome, I don’t need discipline at all. It’s a cycle of challenge and achievement that brings joy.
Creatives refer to the muse. Athlete’s talk about the zone. Writers sometimes talk about “unconscious” writing, where they might unintentionally link a concept or theme from one section of the book to another. Lately I’ve been looking for ways to get into focus, stay focused longer, and keep myself from negative distractions.
Most of us have oodles of discipline. What we lack is focus.
Here are five of my favorite Ted Talks on the subjects of focus, discipline, and motivation, in no particular order. I’ve watched these more than once, and I’ve discovered new things each time.
1. The art of Focus – A crucial Ability by Christina Bengtsson
2. Attention, distraction and the war in our brain by Jean-Philippe Lachaux
3. How the power of attention changes everything by Jeff Klein
4. How to fix the exhausted brain by Brady Wilson
5. How to stop screwing yourself over by Mel Robbins
Thanks so much for letting me spend time here, today! I hope that one of the Ted Talks that excited and motivated me does the same for you!
Best,
ZAM
Feckless, luckless, and charming, Mackenzie Detweiler is the author of a self-help book one reviewer calls “the most misbegotten motivational tool since Mein Kampf.” He’s maneuvered himself into a career as a life coach, but more often than not, his advice is bad. Really bad.
It’s even getting people hurt… and Mackenzie sued.
It falls to Mackenzie’s long-suffering editor, JD Chambers, to deliver the bad news. He chooses to do so face-to-face—to see if the spark he senses between them is real when they’re together in the flesh. Unfortunately, a snowstorm, a case of nerves, a case of mistaken identity, and finally a murder get in the way of a potential enemies-to-lovers romance.
There are many, many people who have good reason to want Mackenzie dead. JD must find out which one is acting on it before it’s too late for both of them.
Enjoy an Excerpt
ONCE MAC was alone, he opened his pop and poured himself an ice-cold plastic cupful. How he wished he’d purchased extra bottles of booze on the airplane. He knew it was going to be a long, long night. No matter how much he drank, sleep might not come.
It took ten minutes to unpack and slide his few boxes of books, swag, and audiobook CDs of Plummet to Soar out of the way. He hung his clothes and placed his socks and underwear in drawers. Then he unfolded and assembled his cardboard cutout—the one he used at book signings, where he looked like the love child of Tony Robbins and Captain Ron. NYT Bestselling author, Mackenzie Detweiler. Plummet to Soar.
After that, there was nothing to do but take a shower and hit the sack. Before he did, he unlocked and opened the connecting door. Just in case.
Why did he do it?
Because it was an old-school hotel, and because the connecting door was there, and because he wanted to leave just that much, that tiny bit of an opening into his world for Doug, if he should want it.
Completely passive. Completely legit, because unless Doug tried the door, he’d never know it was open on Mac’s side. That was the perfect metaphor for every awesome sexual encounter he’d ever had. Nobody planned those things. Someone just… opened a door.
Anyway, it wasn’t about sex. Douglas had more going on in his aristocratic head than sex. Not much more, maybe, but those cloud-gray eyes hid pain and disappointment and fragile, fragile hope that somehow, Mac had crushed before he even spoke a word. He felt the change in Doug’s handshake. That’s when he made up his mind that Doug had to be a shill.
But now? Maybe Doug was simply looking for more than a life coach could give? Maybe he was hoping for something rubber-stamped like twentieth-century philosophers or something occult or religion. He hated to tell the dude there were no certificates of authenticity. The plummet thing was going to be hard on him. Douglas would want someone to talk to, maybe someone to cling to.
Which, up until the clinging part, would be a piece of cake. Mac’s body resonated every time they barely brushed fingertips. So, until the plummet was over? Mac could be a shoulder, a sounding board, but not a body. Check.
Wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing is ever easy.
About the Author:
Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back. Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends. Three things reverberate throughout all her stories: Unconditional love, redemption, and the belief that miracles happen when we least expect them.
If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four can find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”
Buy the book at the publisher, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or iBooks.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
All the costs spent for that purpose will be added to the MRP of cialis brand the drug. With the booming internet marketing fast encompassing all fields and technologies it was only a matter of fact, many people who have already received adjustments from a professional chiropractic practitioner said that their health generally improved with the look at more info viagra soft 100mg help of these therapies. Men with order levitra online secretworldchronicle.com ED feel ashamed to talk about their sexual dysfunction. Clearly, Horny goat weed is true to its name, horny goat weed is long known for being a strong aphrodisiac, a substance that boosts libido in men and women. best viagra in india
Great cover and excerpt Thanks so much for sharing and the giveaway as well.