Happy New Year 2023!

 

Happy New Year to you all!

I have to say 2022 for me has been every bit a rollercoaster as the previous two years!

Family stuff.

Personal stuff.

New books ~ I launched The Conned Lady and Dead Man's Doll! Check them out!

                   

New projects ~ I started creating essential oil products under the name Lavender Moon... My witch name. Yup. I'm one of those! I don't do well with perfumes but love the smells of essential oils. I'm also loving upgrading my Reiki to go along with it!

  

So with all these great things, what's coming up in 2023?

More great classes and becoming a Reiki Teacher!

A new Glitter Bay Mystery in June called All That Shimmers - Laken, Sage, and Quinn are back with a whole new mystery!

Many more interviews, podcast appearances, and book reviews!

Maybe...just maybe...another new book in time for Christmas 2023. More details to come!

Oh and a great new book coming in November 2024! A Canadian Historical Mystery from my publisher BWL Publishing called Jesse James' Gold. https://bwlpublishing.ca/authors/canadian-historical-mysteries/  

Believe it or not, there is a local legend here in Southern Ontario that Jesse James rode and buried gold here. I'll be taking a road trip in the spring to find the area where he's rumoured to have buried it. In the meantime, I'm planning a book around the legend.

As you can see, lots of great things coming in 2023! Even a couple things on the back burner that I haven't shared yet.

Have a wonderful year!

Diane

Come find out more on my website:  https://dianebator.ca/

A Lazy July Sunday

Now that all my paperwork is done for The Bookstore Lady and I need a day to shift gears to edit Four Possessions, I wanted to do something a little different. Yesterday, the kids and I celebrated our town's 150th birthday by wandering through the festivities downtown. Parading dragons, acrobats, artists, dancers and singers abounded. So did the heat! Today, with the rain, we wanted to do something a little bit different.

Having obtained my Reiki III not so long ago, I've been itching to teach some of what I've learned. My kids, likewise, have been asking me to teach them. With the rain coming down in buckets this morning and hubby away, my kids became very willing students. We only did a half lesson, giving them time to absorb the things we discussed, but wow the things that came out of that session were amazing!

First off, who knew three teenaged boys could sit still so long without a computer or a video game?

Secondly, meditation means different things to different people. It blew my mind what each boy thought of what they went through. Sensations of heat/cold/peace/comfort and gifts received during the guided meditation.

Thirdly, how energy pulses through each of us in different ways. One son's hands were hot, another son's hands were warm and the third son had one hot hand and one cold hand.

The one thing that struck me the most about all of it was the rain outside. It was raining when I took my Reiki I a few years ago. It was kind of an affirmation for me. A cleanse of sorts. Today, the rain poured while we did attunements then died off as we ended the session and chatted.

Afterward, I felt like I'd achieved a wonderful sense of peace and energy. Energy that has guided me today to recreate both my blog and my website! I hope you, my wonderful readers, like what I've done!
Please don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Love and Peace,
Diane
 

Busy, Busy, Busy...

This has been a very busy month!
First of all, my husband did two karate gradings in the past two weekends and will get his first degree black belt sometime in the near future. We're all very excited that part of life is behind us. We hardly saw him for six months! At least he's home just in time to celebrate our wedding anniversary on Oct 6th.

Secondly, I've taken my Reiki Level II and, on top of all the other things I do all week, plan to start offering sessions. This came about after I was asked three times yesterday how much I charge and if I had business cards. The Universe is so subtle sometimes, isn't it?

Thirdly, my edits and information is due within the next couple of weeks for my agent Dawn Dowdle. I've gotten some great e-mails from her lately about what her writers are accomplishing and am very excited to get The Bookstore Lady on its way to her.

Number four, I've volunteered, as I do every year, to assist with the yearly fall Dance-a-thon at my kids' school. I spent the past two nights making posters that my kids are convinced are works of art! I'll have to post them just for the fun of it. Looking forward to the end of October when we actually get to have the dance.

And last, but not least, I've been doing physiotherapy for me knee and finally able to walk without pain!That alone is worth celebrating. My therapist is great and I'm looking forward to seeing Michelle for a massage tomorrow once all of this editing and polishing of my novel is behind me!

As busy as the month has been, it's all things that are going to be worth it in the long run. I love my physiotherapist's take on it: "This is a marathon, not a sprint." While he means it about my therapy. I'll take it as a life lesson.

"Life is a marathon, not a sprint."

A Day in the Life of my Cleanse

Okay, I won't bore you by regaling an entire day. Between work and other things going on in my life, you'd be asleep in thirty seconds or less! One thing I have noticed is that each Chakra seems to take centre stage on the days related to the cleanse. For example, the other day was a Navel Chakra day which relates to finding your place and asserting yourself in a group. Exactly what I had to do.

Looking at the calendar, I had to make the decision to step away from my writing group for the next few months due to my schedule and the fact that I get overwhelmed when I don't get time to write or paint. Add to this some on-going aggravation and wanting to move ahead with my own work.

Today is Good Friday. Good for me because it's a day off work, but a day to write. I've spent some time editing The Bookstore Lady. Yeah! I haven't been able to get to it for a couple of weeks because of work and other things. It's nice to be able to sit and play. I also have to get my edits done for Murder on Manitou. Before you know it, they'll be due at the publisher's office and going to print! How cool is that?

Have a wonderful Easter filled with family, food and - of course - chocolate!