Review: The Glitch by Ramona Finn @yaboundtourspr

The Glitch
by Ramona Finn

Published: September 5, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy


Blurb:

On the brink of extinction, being human means more than just surviving. 

In Lib’s world, it’s dangerous to deviate from the norm. In fact, for someone who doesn’t live up to the Artificial Intelligence’s standards, it’s practically a death sentence. Lib learns this the hard way when she wakes up in a barren wasteland, with her memories erased, and only one thought lodged in her mind: 

“It’s all my fault.” 

Lib is a Glitch—an imperfect human component of the utopian world called the Norm. Now she’s thrown out, Lib will be forced to team up with another Glitch, Raj, and the mysterious Rogue Wolf and his clan to survive. Wolf only cares about the survival of his group, but Raj thinks they can hack the A.I. and change the Norm for the better. 

Now, Lib will have to decide which path to choose—whether to go with striking loner Raj or stay with Wolf and his tight-knit group. Her heart is drawn to both, but she’s carrying a deadly secret that could jeopardize them all. Will she be able to save her newfound family and stop the A.I. before it’s too late?

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My Review:

A young girl wakes up with the hot sun beating down on her. The ground beneath her is dry and cracked. Her memory has been wiped. She doesn’t know where she is, where she came from or even what her name is. She hears someone scream and she knows she has to help them. She finds a girl Skye who looks to be about the same age as she is and after she rescues her Skye tells her that she is a glitch like her.

A Glitch is someone who has been thrown out of the Norm. A Glitch is someone who has not lived up to the AI’s standards. If you make a mistake then you are out no if ands or buts about it. The AI will not tolerate anything in its system that may cause a problem in the schedule.

Now she is all alone with no memories and with no clue of how to survive on the outside. But no problem her new friend Skye will take her back to her home with her and introduce her to other Glitches and the Tracker Clan. Well maybe there is a problem; a problem with the Clan and the clan is only out for number one and that is the Clan. Glitches and Clan may live together but Glitches are not a part of the family they are not clan and never will be. Glitches are used by the Clan to scavenge for them but with all due respect the Clan scavenges as well. But there is some things the Glitches can do that the Clan cannot do.

Over time parts of her memory comes to her in flashes and she remembers that her name is Lib. When Lib and Skye return to the caves where the Clan live Lib meets the leader of the clan Wolf who Lib thinks is hot but she meets another guy Raj and he is a Glitch like Lib and Skye.  Lib wants to be friends with both the Glitches and the Clan but that may not be possible for the Clan considering what the Glitches are. The Clan doesn’t know if they can trust them or not. Can Glitches change? Can they live on the outside or even want too?

Raj wants to go back to the Norm to live and he thinks that with Lib’s help they can fix the Norm so they can go back to live there. But Lib is not sure that is a good idea or if it is even possible. But when terrible things start happening to the Clan and everyone thinks that it is Lib’s fault she starts to rethink her position. Can they fix the AI so that hopefully she can change the Clan’s opinion of the Glitches and they can all live together in peace? Will she find out who she truly is? Will she get her memories back? Who is Lib? Who is Raj? Who is Skye? Who is Wolf? Who or What is the Clan? What is their story? To find out pick up your copy of The Glitch today to find out.

The world of The Glitch was so well thought out and it all came together brilliantly and I loved it. I loved that we got to know Lib and learned who she was at the same time she did. I also liked how the Glitches connected with the Norm and the AI. It was all so amazing and I can’t wait to read the next book The Empties.

If you like reading Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Post-Apocalyptic then you are going to fall in love with The Glitch it is unlike any Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic novel I have ever read. If this is your genre then this is your book. 

About the Author:

Ramona Finn writes about courageous characters who fight to live in broken, dystopian worlds. She believes a person's true characters is often revealed in times of crisis, and there is no greater crisis than the worlds that she drops her characters into! 

She grew up sitting cross-legged on her town's library floor--completely engrossed in science fiction books. It was always the futuristic world or the universe-on-the-brink-of-extinction plotlines that drew her in, but it was the brave characters who chose to fight back that kept her turning the pages. 

Her books create deep, intricate worlds with bold characters determined to fight for their survival in their dystopian worlds--with a little help from their friends. And, of course, romance is never out of the question ;)

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: The Clothing Mogul by Aubrey Parker @AubreyParker11 @XpressoTours

Trillionaire Boys’ Club: The Clothing Mogul
Aubrey Parker
Publication date: December 6th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

“You have to fall in love,” Alyssa suggests. And then, because she’s my publicist, she adds the key word: “Publicly.”

My name is Ashton Moran, and I’m CEO of the $2.2 billion Hurricane Apparel company. You’d think that’d be enough, but it’s not. Not for Alyssa. She says my public image sucks. She says my being a womanizer is hurting Hurricane’s brand.

So she found this girl, Jenna, who I’m supposed to pretend I’m in love with for the press. I’m not supposed to sleep with any other women for as long as this farce goes on. Only with Jenna — if she’s into it, which she will be.

I understand what Alyssa is trying to do by making Hurricane more “family friendly,” but … Me? In love? With only one woman?

There’s no way this is going to work.

The Clothing Mogul is part of the Trillionaire Boys’ Club series by Aubrey Parker. Each book tells the story of one of the Club’s powerful members … and you’re going to want to collect them all.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

“Ashton? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” He slides closer. “Not anymore.”
I turn to look at him. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing’s gotten into me.”
But it’s too much. Too weird. I sit up straighter. I watch his dark eyes in the sparse light filtering up from the street. “Don’t you want to …?”
“What?”
“Don’t you want to have sex?” For a second I’m embarrassed — ridiculous, given the things we’ve done.
“Very much.”
“Well?”
“I just wanted to take a moment.”
“Why?”
“To do without. As if you’ve denied me.”
“I’m not denying you.” The words stir something. My hair against my shoulder, bare but for the straps of my nightshirt, is like the brush of my lover’s fingers. I forget why I was put off by the idea that he’d come here and simply expect to fuck me.
This change is even stranger than the one at dinner. Stranger than the one I saw when he spoke to my father, deferring to the older man’s authority like a proper suitor. His lack of action is making me more aroused, not less. I want to be the aggressor. I want to take him all without asking.
“I know,” he says. “But you could.”
“Anyone can. What’s so special about denial?”
“You don’t know, Jenna. You can’t know what it’s like to be me. Everything is so hard at first, but at a certain point everything gets too easy. You’re the only person who challenges me, who pushes back, who made me work to have you.”
“I’m yours.” I lick my lips, finding control harder to summon. “You don’t have to work to have me anymore. We have a deal.”
“Don’t mention it. Don’t talk about our deal.”
“Why not?” I don’t understand. I’m uneasy, nervous.
“Because I’m sorry we made it. Too many lies to keep track of.”
“You mean the lies about us being together?”
“I mean the lies about how we’re not.”
I look down at him. He can’t mean what he seems to. His hand is at my breast. He’s stroking it idly, almost as if he doesn’t realize what it does to me. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t really know who I am anymore, Jenna. I thought I did, but tonight I found I was wrong. The old me would have been different. He would have lapped it all up. But I didn’t want to. It just made me angry. All I could think about, the entire time, was coming here.”
To my house? It’s so ridiculous.
“You’re Ashton Moran.” It’s such an empty thing to say, but some of the disorientation and confusion leave his expression. I don’t know if it’s what he honestly needs to hear, or if it’s more that he needs me, of all people, to say it.
“Am I? We’ve lied so much, I’m not sure. There’s the old story of Ashton Moran, and now there’s this new one. I’ve been in the new story for months now, but tonight I re-entered the old one. I didn’t feel comfortable in it, like I don’t know or like the old Ashton anymore. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Because if I don’t like the old Ashton, it means I like being the new one instead. But the new one is a lie. The new Ashton doesn’t exist.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s all bullshit. Everything we’ve said in those interviews … bullshit.”
I look down. I don’t know what to say.
“Tell me it wasn’t all bullshit, Jenna.”
“I … I don’t know.”
“All I know is that tonight, I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t like me or who I’d become. I only like myself these days when I’m here, in the belly of the lie.”
He raises my shirt and bares my breasts. He kisses them sweetly, one by one. His hand his on my leg, moving slowly, warming me.
Then his hand goes to the center of my chest. To my heart. It’s ironic — he made his billions manufacturing clothing that monitors vital signs, relaying them to an app. But right now the great clothing titan is feeling my vitals using only the biometric device of flesh and bone offered by God. A connection born not of Bluetooth, but skin to skin.
He comes to my lips and kisses them.
“Don’t deny me now.”

Author Bio:
I love to write stories with characters that feel real enough to friend on Facebook, or slap across the face. I write to make you feel, think, and burn with the thrill that can only come from getting lost in the pages. I love to write unforgettable characters who wrestle with life's largest problems. My books may always end with a Happily Ever After, but there will always be drama on the way there. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Mr. Match by J.A. Huss @JAHuss @XpressoTours

Mr. Match
JA Huss
(Mister Series, #5)
Publication date: December 7th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Oliver Shrike thinks ahead. He likes to make lists and tick off boxes. He plans, he plots, and he’s got everything under control.

Until one day he sees my videos on his dating site. The private erotic videos I make just for him.

When I’m looking at the camera I can practically see his face. Hear the internal arguments. Feel his desire.

Because I’m that kind of woman.

You should delete my videos, Oliver Shrike. It’s your job to keep that dating site on the up and up.

But you don’t, do you?

You watch them. You get off to them. You crave them.

Every week I make a new one with you in mind. I’ve hooked you now, Mr. Match.

You’ve been in control for way too long and this is where it ends.

The Mister Series
Mr. Perfect
Mr. Romantic
Mr. Corporate
Mr. Mysterious
Mr. Match

Goodreads / Amazon / Barne & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

I stand in front of the tub, each of the three cameras already recording, and shrug the details off with my robe. Once the silky fabric slides over my shoulders it slips down my body in a silent whoosh of air, and makes a soft green puddle of fabric at my feet.
I say nothing. I will say nothing. Let him guess what I’m thinking.
It’s only fair. I’ve been guessing what he’s been thinking since we parted ways four years ago.
I pose for the camera. Something I do naturally now. Taking a moment to imagine myself staring into his eyes. I forgo the pouty lips and play air-kisses and just stand there. Let him appreciate me. Let him think about all the days and nights we’ve been apart. Let him wonder what I’ve been doing.
I start fondling my breasts, pinching my nipples to make them hard and bunched. My nails are just long enough, and the steam inside the bathroom just hot enough, to leave red marks on my fair skin.
He likes that. He likes the animalistic nature of sex.
I find myself unconsciously biting my lip and stop.
I am not a weak little girl. I am not trying to seduce him, or entice him, or make him want me.
He already wants me.
None of that play-acting stuff matters with Oliver Shrike. Everything with him needs to be genuine.
One hand continues to lightly scrape the skin of my breasts, while the other tracks down my ribcage with just enough pressure to make marks. It slips easily between my legs and only then do I let myself become aroused.
My lips part as my mouth opens. My heart beats faster. My skin prickles up, even though the heat in this room leaves no room for chills.
I will not moan for him. Not on camera. If he wants more he needs to come to me.
But I do enjoy it.
When the tips of my fingers find the sweet spot I smile and rub a little faster.
Do you like that? I want to ask him. Do you enjoy looking at me? Watching me? Do you want more? Do you want to feel me again? My body, my breath on the tip of your cock?
I come. Silently. He might not even notice, that’s how quiet I am.
And then I open my eyes and smile as I step into the tub. Sink down into the frothy white bubbles and let the hot water burn me. Turn my pale skin red, make my cheeks flush, relax my muscles, and ease my worries.

Author Bio:
JA Huss is the USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending. 

You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her blog, New Adult Addiction (www.jahuss.com). 

If you’re interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox. 

Blog / Facebook / Facebook Group / Twitter 

Goodreads / Newsletter / Pinterest / Instagram

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Release Blitz: When in Rome...Break his Heart by Lena Mae Hill @LenaMaeHill @HelpingHandsMel

Title -When in Rome...Break his Heart

Series- When in Rome # 4

By- Lena Mae Hill

Genre- Sweet College Romance

Blurb-

Maggie has her life all planned out. She'll marry her childhood sweetheart and live happily ever after. But when he doesn't propose by her predetermined date, she begins to question everything. It doesn't help that she'll be spending the next six weeks studying abroad in Rome. And when she meets a guy in Rome who refuses to let her go without a fight, she begins to question all those plans she made with a guy who seems all too willing to let her go.

Buy Links-

Amazon US ~ Amazon AU ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA

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Excerpt Tour + #Giveaway: Ties of Smoke by Claudia Herring @claudiakherring @GoddessFish

Ties of Smoke

by Claudia Herring

GENRE: Fantasy

BLURB:

Lady Lavinia Bramley is master of a Djinni.

Lavinia runs away from her husband to make a life with the djinni Yasir, but it’s not what she thought, not pearls and flying carpets and wishes come true . . .

Her desperate efforts to find happiness with Yasir are foiled by her husband’s reappearance, murder attempts by the jealous magician who cursed Yasir to the urn, and Yasir’s desire for revenge.

Lavinia finds love, and loyalty, are as ephemeral as ties of smoke.

Excerpt:

Chapter 8: page 3-4

“ . . . not any blood type I’ve ever seen, not in the ABO or Rh group. He doesn’t fall into any of the known genotype-phenotype distinctions.” The baritone voice in the distinct accent of the Indos wavered into Yasir’s burgeoning consciousness.

“You drew his blood?” A woman’s voice, cool, aristocratic.

“Of course, Dr. Kushner, it’s standard proce—”

“Dr. Senei,” her tone flattened. “We have our orders, I went over them—”

“But he-he’s not human. I’ve never seen anything li—”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s a giraffe. We were told not to draw blood.”

“But his condition is worsening. We are doc–tors.” Dr. Senei’s voice broke.

“This is a private hospital. We are doctors to our patrons. And we do what they want.”

“The patient needs help. Do you want him to die? Does our patron want him to die?” Desperation jumped his voice to a higher register.

“Dr. Senei, our patron wants his patient kept alive and drugged. His wound must not heal totally.” Yasir heard her take a deep breath. “You said it yourself. This man is not human. And I will tell you what no one else knows.” She paused. “He has great powers. If this wound heals, even if he’s drugged, he may escape. Our patron also has great powers. Do you want him to find out it was you who allowed his patient to escape, to grow strong enough to use his powers?”

“I-I have never— I am a doctor. I took an oath—”

“You also signed a contract. It clearly states that our oath is subject to our patron’s wishes. And he pays you a considerable sum.” Her voice was cold. “Perhaps you need a little time to reread the contract. To rethink what you want to do here.”

The sweep of the heavy door and subsequent footsteps drowned out the hum of the machines. “Dr. Senei may have breached his contract.” The woman’s stern voice stopped the shuffling. “We have protocol for that.”

“What?” Dr. Senei’s voice shrilled above the scraping shoes. The blow of a fist on flesh. “Ooof. My glasses!” The clink and snap of metal. “I am not a criminal. No!” A sharp cry. “What is in that? You can’t drug me. I haven’t done any—”

“Here?” Her timbre sharp. “You did it here? Can’t I trust you?”

 “He was getting hysterical.” A deep voice suppressed to a hoarse rasp. “Did you want all the doctors and nurses to—”

The sound of someone running. The door banged open. “Did you need help in here?” A silent pause. The machines hummed, smooth and efficient. “I thought I heard— Oh. Dr. Senei. Who put cuffs on him? I don’t think he’s breath—”

Quiet settled in the room.

Had they left? Yasir lay still, listening.

AUTHOR BIO:

Claudia Herring aspired to be a baton twirler when she was five and an archaeologist at thirteen. When she became a graphic designer and an author of fantasy, she decided she'd hit upon the perfect compromise.

Along the way she worked as a gift wrapper, a server in a Mexican restaurant at an amusement park (where she rode the Black Dragon at midnight—an actual ride, not a sexual allusion) and an illustrator in medical graphics (where they featured videos on wound healing during lunch) at the Texas Medical Center.

Her novel, His Master's Bride, a historical fantasy with romantic elements set in Regency England, won first prize in the Houston Writer's Guild Novel Competition. Ties of Smoke is the second in the series The Djinn Chronicles.

When she's not delving into the world of the Djinn, Claudia is practicing yoga to go to that hushed space where she imagines and plots her next fantasy novel.

If you like Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series or Carol Berg’s Soul Mirror series you'll love His Master’s Bride and Ties of Smoke.

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Amazon

Buy Links:

TIES OF SMOKE

Amazon

HIS MASTER’S BRIDE
Amazon

Giveaway:

$15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
 

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Book Blast + #Giveaway: Kiss Me at Last by Holly Cortelyou @HollyCortelyou @GoddessFish

Kiss Me at Last

by Holly Cortelyou

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

BLURB:

KISS ME AT LAST (A Wescott Springs Novella) by Holly Cortelyou

What's better than wine, chocolate and a little renovation magic? A sweet and sexy matchup between a handsome, hammer-swinging contractor, Sean McMallory, and a flirty and stubborn champagne bar owner, Melinda York, who's in a remodel pickle! Kiss Me at Last brings you back to the charming mountain hamlet of Wescott Springs, Colorado in a heartwarming contemporary, small town romance that's sweet with a little kiss of heat!

One tempting kiss will rock his world…

Melinda York has every last penny tied up in her business remodel so the last thing she needs is a complication—like surly Sean McMallory. But when "McGrumpy" blows through her front door with a hammer and toolbox, she knows she’s doomed…her replacement contractor is none other than the jerk who humiliated her at the town council meeting. With Melinda buried in sawdust and the exasperating, but ever-so-sexy, Sean constantly underfoot, how is she supposed to maintain her professional poise when she can’t stop daydreaming about his broad shoulders and his unexpectedly kind heart?

Sean McMallory likes his life simple and straightforward, and his plate is full with a booming construction business and family responsibilities. When a cousin begs a favor, he’s plunged neck-deep into the whirlwind that is elegant, jet-setter Melinda York and her wine bar renovation. There’s just no trusting the flirty Melinda even if he can’t forget her kissable lips and surprisingly, vulnerable eyes. So he’ll stick with his beer and country roads, and she can keep her bottles of bubbly and fancy truffles!

Can one kiss build a bridge to love and heal their wounded hearts?

Excerpt:

He stared at her with those penetrating emerald eyes and Melinda's voice petered to a stop. There was a small furrow between his eyebrows as if he was curiously studying a new breed of beetle or a peculiar specimen of noxious weed.

Melinda gurgled a nervous laugh. So much for unnerving him with a bout of pushy flirtation. She went for broke. "One of these days, we're going to convince you to sample our wares."

Sean's gaze whisked from her face to her chest and then down to her hips before returning to her eyes. Melinda flushed. That backfired.

"I'm a beer kind of guy. I'm here for the truffles." His voice was dismissive, but his eyes widened as if he noticed the disparity in his choice of words.

Melinda blinked and refused to smile, but she had gotten under his skin…at least a smidge. "You might be surprised. Many of our goods are most approachable to any type of customer. You only have to be open-minded to new things."

A flicker of a grin played at the corner of his lips, and a glimmer of triumph streaked through her veins. Ha! She'd scored a hit. But just as quickly, his expression darkened. He glanced at the ornate clock hanging on the wall.

"I'm running late," Sean said. "I'll stick with the usual."

"Of course," Melinda replied and was careful to keep her fingers from touching his as she took the debit card from his hand.

Without another word, Sean signed the receipt, picked up the white and gold bag with its expensive cache of rich, French chocolates, and exited out the door.

She glared at his retreating back and wished for the hundredth time that he would move to a new town. Melinda scrunched her nose in irritation.

AUTHOR BIO:

Holly Cortelyou is a romance author who pens sweet and spicy small town, contemporary romances as well as supernatural and paranormal romances. On any given day, you’ll likely find her posting dog and cat pics on Facebook (HollyCortelyouAuthor) or goofing off on Twitter (@HollyCortelyou) and Pinterest! And of course, you can always visit her on the web at www.HollyCortelyou.com. Holly has hazel eyes, a goofy sense of humor and…all the rest is subject to change without notice.

Buy Links:

Nook ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Amazon

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
 

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PROMO Blitz: The First Few Steps by Kelli Hackett @hackett_writes @RABTBookTour

Non-fiction, Self-Improvement

Date Published: October 27, 2016

In her debut non-fiction title, Kelli Hackett delivers a simple, no-nonsense guide to nourishing the soul. The First Few Steps: A Beginner's Guide to Practical Soul Care describes the action steps she took in her own life to revive a spirit illness she didn't even know she had... until it became too painful to ignore.

This guide aggregates several major recovery tools and principles into a quick, easy-to-read, how-to manual in healing the spirit. Offering a fresh perspective on how to prevent death of the spirit, this book includes techniques in NLP and meditation, borrows from 12-step recovery principles, incorporates the work of leading healers, and draws from the author's personal experience.

After practicing each Action Step, you will know how to:

* Put yourself and your health first

* Keep moving forward, no matter what

* Remove negativity from your life

* Find a mentor

* Enjoy the present moment

* Discover the lesson in everything

* Start healing your inner child

* Depend on your inner spiritual strength

* Begin a meditation practice

* Live and let live

Using the tools laid out neatly in this guide, you can tap into an internal source of power that will enliven your spirit and give you a life of wisdom, purpose, and peace.

EXCERPT

Distance Yourself from Negativity

“You are an average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

Think about this for a moment.  If you are watching the news every morning and every night before bed, you are bookending your day with negativity. The news is designed to instill fear in its audience. The media hooks us in and creates a desire in us to watch more. Social media is not much better. We constantly sit at our computers or on our phones and get caught up. We look at a few articles or catch up with an old friend, and suddenly we have fallen down a two-hour  long rabbit hole of the political and social ranting of “friends”. Even the office isn’t safe. We go to the break room to get a coffee, and the next thing you know we are engaged in water cooler gossip about the receptionist’s bad haircut or the boss who’s cheating on his wife. Even our private social lives can be a hotbed  for negativity. Our best friends tell us how terrible their marriages are, and we quickly find ourselves comparing stories about whose spouse is the most awful.

If we surround ourselves with negativity, it seems to seep into our spirits by osmosis. Soon, we let the uncontrollable events on the morning news run our emotions for the entire day. We feel we have to out- do our friends’ negativity with the negativity of our own. We get sucked into gossip and social media,and let other people’s problems affect our personal peace.

I remember watching a news story several years ago about the Chinese stock markets falling. The newscaster was in a panic, and so were the people he was interviewing.  They were predicting  major international fallout from this one-day drop. I took that panic with me to work that day. I was anxious, irritable, and short-tempered. Finally, a co-worker asked me what was wrong. I answered that the Chinese stocks had crashed, and our economy was going to take a punch  for it. He laughed. It pissed me off, actually. I asked how he could be laughing when the economy was going to shit.

He asked, “Kelli, do you own Chinese stock?” I said I didn’t. He asked me, “Is this going to affect you directly?” After thinking about it, I said it probably would not. Then he smiled and asked, “Can you control any of this?” He was right. I laughed, then, too.  I realized in that moment how worked up I had gotten over a fear-induced news story. None of it mattered. In the bigger picture of life, family, love, and all things important to me, the Chinese stocks falling for one day didn’t matter one bit. After taking back control over my own thoughts, my day turned out to be much better.

We can’t let people steal our happiness. People in this case include the media, our friends, coworkers, neighbors, social media, family, etc. Joy is a precious thing, and if you find yours being threatened by certain people or things, take a good  look at where it is coming from and make the necessary adjustments. Decrease the time you spend with negative friends, cut back or eliminate the news you ingest, leave the room when the conversation turns to gossip, limit social media, and unsubscribe from negative news feeds. In general, eliminate the things that produce fear, judgment, or insecurity in you.

Action Steps

Try something different. Eliminate or severely limit your intake of negative people, news, social media, and gossip for the next several days, and see how  you feel. I stopped watching the news completely in early 2015, and I have not regretted that decision. If you can’t stay away, deactivate your social media accounts for a while.

Replace the negative with positive. Hang around more positive people over the next few days. Read only positive news stories. Read inspirational quotes and books. Print out spiritual passages or write out uplifting quotes (Pinterest is a great source for inspiration), and put them on your walls, desk, or your screensaver. Surround yourself with positive people, places, and things.

Determine if the event that has you concerned is something you can control. If the situation is something you can control, then take the small steps necessary to make the change. If it’s something you can influence, talk to the right people or do what you can to influence the situation. Take the first step, and do something. If you decide it is something you can’t control, do your best to acknowledge your lack of control over the situation, accept the situation as it is in this moment, and let go of the worry around it.

Over the next few days, listen to the words you speak and the stories you tell. Are they mostly negative? Mostly positive? Become aware of which group you fall into. Are you the negative person in the group or on social media? Are you the one bringing negativity into the office? If so, realize this and make adjustments to stop spreading negative energy.

About the Author

Kelli Hackett is the author of the suspense novel Defending Wellton and the contemporary fiction trilogy Something Perfect. The First Few Steps: A Beginner's Guide to Practical Soul Care is her first self-improvement publication. Kelli holds a BA in Psychology and is a certified Spiritual Life Coach. She is also a certified practitioner of Reiki, meditation, and neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Her passion is helping others see their own potential and grow to radical levels of self-love, while reminding them of their connection to Spirit. For more information about spiritual coaching, meditation classes, Reiki and NLP services, or workshops, visit kellihackett.com.

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