Join Me for These Book Events

On May 8 at 11:00am I will be doing a book signing at Michele’s Place in Annapolis Mall, Md. I thought I would be signing for my new book, Secrets Unraveled, but unfortunately it will not be ready in time. Nevertheless, the show must go on, and I will be signing my first two novels, Life is Never as It Seems and It’s Not Over Yet. If you’re in the area please stop by and get your copies of the books.  With the purchase of a book, you’ll receive either a free numerology reading or angel reading.  Additionally, I will be on BAP Blogtalkradio show Http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/18598 with hostess, Ananda Leeke, tonight, May 5, at 8:30pm talking about writing, gratefulness, and my books. And boy am I grateful, read the interview below.

J.J.  Interview  with Shunda Leigh of Booking Matters Magazine

 Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

 Yes, I first started writing when I was nine years old. I loved to read and always wanted to write my own fiction stories. I remember going to the library and looking up publishers and their addresses and submitting my handwritten stories. I received my first reject letters at that tender age. Nevertheless, I didn’t give up my dream.

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing? Any special memories that you would like to share?

My childhood dream to be a writer has been realized. This is what I am supposed to do, not only write, but also write spirituality or metaphysical books. I believe that this is my life path. I remember the first time I saw my book on the shelf of a large chain store. I was overcome with joy. I flipped out my phone and took a picture of it. Then I called my daughter and she informed me that she was at another store and found it on the shelf. She also took a picture. I have since calmed down, but only after several booksigning events.

What books have influenced your life the most?

When I was fifteen I found a book at the public library that changed my life for ever. It was a book on reincarnation called The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein. At that time, I had no idea that I had unlocked a door to a wealth of esoteric information that would set the course of my life. In fact, this was just the beginning of the many synchronicities that occurred in my search for spiritual truth. The second book is The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I traveled to Scotland and Paris to see some of the sacred sites that Brown mentioned in the book. I am also a fan of James Patterson, Walter Mosley, Tananarive Due, and Sidney Shelton. I like mysteries.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I write psychic fiction meaning one or two of my characters have paranormal abilities that they demonstrate in the storyline. My challenge is to make the character’s psychic experiences believable. I spend a great deal of time in character development and strong plots. It is important to me that the reader buys into the character and the plot.

How much of the novel is realistic?

Although I write fiction, I tend to write from experience or realistic events. I describe characters as if the action was really happening so that the reader can identify with the situation that is taking place in the storyline. At the same time, I strive to make the novel entertaining as well as though-provoking.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Most definitely! I want reader to become educated about metaphysics and the occult without having to fear it. There are so many myths and misinformation about these two subjects that keep people weary of them. I hope to dispel these myths and show my readers that metaphysics and the paranormal are a part of everyday life and one need not fear it. The main plot of my stories may center on paranormal events, but they are also about everyday folks leading normal lives.

Do you see writing as a long-or short-term career?

I hope to write forever. It is more than a career; it is my passion. As the years pass, I hope to grow as a writer and be able to help others who have a desire to write and publish. I feel that one of the major benefits of writing it that you leave a legacy—a history of who you are

I'm a Gatejumper-Rethinking the Publishing Industry

Change your mind; change your life.

                        Dr. Ernest Holmes

It’s been 8 months since I attended the Writer’s DigestConference in New York. I was there to learn how to build my marketing platform to take my writing career to the next level. I left the conference full of enthusiasm and high expectation for my writing career, because I had changed my consciousness to join the ranks of the gatejumpers. I was no longer bound to the rules of the old traditional publishing model of finding a literary agent and getting accepted by one of six major publishing companies, and then adhering to their rules.  I wasn’t a stranger to the traditional publishing. My first two books, Life is Never as It Seems and It’s Not Over Yet, were published by Genesis-Press, a medium sized publishing house. Opting out of another contract with them, I was free to soar and take the road less traveled.

I remember when I first decided to become a gatejumper. During the course of the conference, I had a three minute interview with an expert on literary agents. He was going to review my query letter to point out its strengths and weaknesses to help me find the perfect literary agent.

As I sat there listening to him giving me some great and some not so great points about the letter, I had an epiphany. Why was I even at this meeting? I had decided hours ago that I was going to follow in the path of Scott Sigler, Seth Harwood, and Chris Brogan and become a gatejumper. I thank him for his time and left within one minute of the interview.

I don’t regret my decision. Within these 8 months, the revolution within the publishing industry between the gatekeepers and gatejumpers continue at a rapid pace. Gatejumpers are using innovated technology to publish their books such as the eBooks, iphone apps, Publishing on Demand (POD) and there are now many small independent self-publishing companies. The rules of the gatejumpers—you make your own. The more creative you can be to provide the reader with the reading material they want, the better. The New Yorker magazine recently published an article, Publish or Perish: Can iPad topple the Kindle, and save the book business? by Ken Auletta. Mr. Auletta gives an excellent history of the changes that have caused the publishing revolution. Go to http:// newyourker.com/reporting/2010/04/26/100426fa_fact_aulet. 

As my new release, Secret Unraveled, comes out this month, I am so excited about all the innovated things I can do to reach my readers, giving them so many wonderful and affordable ways to purchase a copy. If you want to hold the book in your hands, then purchase the trade paperback through any on and off line bookstores. But, you want it on Kindle, ipad, or Nook than you can do that too.

Do you want to write a book and have it published? Now it the time. The gatekeepers can’t keep you out of the publishing game. Spread the word about being a gatejumper.

Join me at:
www.jjmichael.com
www.jjmichaelblog.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/jjmichael.author
www.twitter.com/jjmichael

Poetry for the Soul

                                              

Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is God's gift,
that is why we call it the present.

                        Anonymous

________________________________________________________

                                                 

The Path That Leads To Nowhere

There's a path that leads to Nowhere
In a meadow that I know,
Where an inland island rises
And the stream is still and slow;
There it wanders under willows
And beneath the silver green
Of the birches' silent shadows
Where the early violets lean.

Other pathways lead to Somewhere,
But the one I love so well
Had no end and no beginning --
Just the beauty of the dell,
Just the windflowers and the lilies
Yellow striped as adder's tongue,
Seem to satisfy my pathway
As it winds their sweets among.

There I go to meet the Springtime,
When the meadow is aglow,
Marigolds amid the marshes, --
And the stream is still and slow. --
There I find my fair oasis,
And with care-free feet I tread
For the pathway leads to Nowhere,
And the blue is overhead!

All the ways that lead to Somewhere
Echo with the hurrying feet
Of the Struggling and the Striving,
But the way I find so sweet
Bids me dream and bids me linger,
Joy and Beauty are its goal, --
On the path that leads to Nowhere
I have sometimes found my soul!
                                            Corinne Roosevelt Robinson

______________________________________

Sista to Sista

We are made from the same cloth

woven together by a silver thread.

Our spirits have laughed and cried many lifetimes together.

In this life we are sisters.

Tears of joy, tears of sadness

bond the special moments of our lives

We stood strong

sharing dreams and secrets as others

flowed through our lives leaving their footprints on our hearts.

As the years passed, dreams became realities.

What sweet songs sprang forth from your heart,

as I took the pen to make these precious moments last forever.

                                                  JJM

_________________________________________________________________

Mommy, why do people stare at me?

Because you are the chosen one.

Mommy, why do strange sounds utter from my mouth?

Because you still singing the sweet music of the angels.

Mommy, why don't my legs let me walk or my hands hold a cup?

Because your body is a temple that God is still building.

Mommy, does God still love me the way I am?

Yes, my son, how could he not, when you are his Perfect Child.

                                                                                                               JJM

Being Grateful

You can come into full harmony with Formless Substance by entertaining a lively and sincere sense of gratitude. Gratitude unifies your mind with the thinking mind, so your thoughts are received by the Formless Substance. You can remain on the creative plane only by uniting yourself with the Formless Intelligence through a deep and continuing feeling of gratitude.

                                        The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles

This coming Sunday, I will be taping a show for DC Public TV. The hostess, Alice ‘Doll” Tyson, will interview several inspirational speakers to discuss how positive thinking can help those who are experiencing life challenges.  Each of us will discuss one aspect of positive thinking that can change a person’s life around. I chose-gratitude.  

Gratitude from the Latin word gratis means the state of being grateful or thankful.  As a child growing up, my siblings and I were taught by our parents, grandparents, teachers and minister to give thanks before eating, after someone gave you something or did something nice for you. We were also taught to be grateful for our lives. By the times I was in my twenties, I was attending Unity and Science of Minds, New Thought churches that reinforced my basic teaching of gratefulness. I was also heavily involved with metaphysical principles such as the statement above by Wallace Wattles.  

I wanted to give you a little background of my philosophical beliefs so that you can understand why I approach my life with gratitude when I am confronted with major life challenges. Some of you may have read in my book, Path to Truth, that in 1984, my son, Antoine Aparicio, was born with multiple-disabilities. He had a deformed skull from severe hydrocephalus and small tumors, Neurofibromatosis. The doctors gave him 3 months to live and told me he would be a vegetable. Antoine lived to be 16 years old.

What got me over a lot of bumps in the road was being grateful for my son’s life and his accomplishments. His physical therapist told me he wouldn’t crawl, but he did when he was almost two years old. I pulled out my gratitude book and wrote, Thank you God for the perfect healing of Antoine Aparicio. We are grateful for him crawling. I had books full of those types of gratitude statements. I started writing gratitude statements even before he actually could  accomplished a developmental goal. By the time he had walked at the age of 12, I had already given thanks a million times.

 I believe that the act of gratitude has a strong energy vibration. Being grateful and acknowledging it sends out strong wavelengths of goodness that attract only goodness back to you. This is the law of reciprocity—what you give comes back to you, whether it is positive or negative.

Writing those gratitude statements also helped to keep my mind focused and not let it run away with negative thinking. And if I did get in a slump, I would pull out my gratitude book and read the statements aloud, soon my spirits were up, and I knew based on the law only good would come out of feeling grateful.

 For those of you going through life challenges, Antoine’s story is for you. If you’re reading these words, I am grateful for your life.

Volcanic Ash --A Call for a Change in Human Consciousness.

 I have been following the disruptive air travel over Europe due to the volcanic ash, because I plan to travel to the UK this summer. I read several articles about the volcanic ash and discovered that this problem might not go away anytime soon. Scientists are now studying ways to handle a recurrence due to the  possibility that Iceland’s volcano, called Eyjafjallajokull, will continue to erupt and her sister Katla will follow with and even more devastating eruptions. Katla is known to spit out ice balls as large as some houses. Curious about the energetic blueprints of volcanoes, I decided first to find out basic scientific information. The following is an excerpt from http://answers.com.

When pressure from the molten rock beneath the earth's surface becomes too great, the rock, usually accompanied by lava or gases, escapes through a fissure or vent in the crust of the earth. "Volcano" is the term given to both the vent and the conical mountain left by the overflow of the erupted lava, rock and ash. More than 80% of the earth's surface comes from volcanoes. Innumerable volcanic eruptions formed the sea floor and some mountains; gaseous emissions from volcanoes formed the earth's atmosphere.
The name "volcano" is said to have come from Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy. The name Vulcano originates from Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology. The study of volcanoes is called volcanology (sometimes spelled vulcanology).

Energetic Information:

  Volcano                                      Vulcan

 6733157=32/5                          663315=25/7                

Using the Chaldean Numerology system, I calculated the numerical vibration of the words volcano and the name of the god it originated from--Vulcan. As a number 5, volcanoes are ruled by the planet Mercury, representing change, communication and movement. The Icelandic volcano ash disrupted air traffic in Europe and changed the traveling plans of thousands of people. The airspace closures created the worst breakdown in civil aviation communication since World War II. 

As I meditated on the energetic blueprint of the volcanoes, I immediately received the message: are we living in harmony with the planet or are we about destroying it for our own self-serving purposes? The environmental movie, Avatar, is a perfect example of greed and using technology to destroy the natural environment of a planet. The vibration 7 is considered sacred and God’s number. From a spiritual perspective, the volcano is the god of the weather; remember 80% of the earth’s surface comes from volcanoes. In some cultures, volcanoes played a significant role in religion and tradition. 

Volcanoes spit out fire. Fire, one of the four elements, is symbolically represented as purification. In the Tarot Card deck, card number 16/7 is the Tower, with fire coming out of the top of it, represents upheaval and disruption. It asks that change be embraced, whether we like it or not. We have no say in it, change will happen.
 

The volcanic ash that put a halt to all air travel over Europe, might be sending the message for humanity to change on many levels. One level may be to change our consciousness to create lovingly within the laws of the universe; a second level--slow down and pay attention to what is important in life to maintain a harmonious balance for humankind as well as the planet. I learned that lesson  in 1992, while visiting family in South Miami, Florida, I got caught in Hurricane Andrew. A terrifying and horrendous experience, I thought sure my family and I were going to die. The night of the storm we prayed and talked. It gave me the opportunity to release some old hurts and embrace the change I needed in my life at that time. 

Volcanoes are all about upheaval and change.

Live Like It's Heaven on Earth

"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth." — Mark Twain

Yesterday was Earth Day so I decided to go to my favorite place—the garden. Once there I pulled out my iPod, inserted the ear plugs in my ears and turned on the meditative music. I grabbed my inner child’s hand and off we went across the Bridge of Understanding to the labyrinth. What a magnificent scene lay ahead of me. The weather was perfect, the garden was perfect and so was I. As I went to step into the labyrinth for my meditative walk, Michael Jackson’s song, The Man in the Mirror, blasted into my ears. Not knowing what happened to the soft, sweet sound I was listening to, I reached to change the music when my inner child said, “Let it be.”

Instead of my usual slow walk with my hands held at my side, I danced through the twisted path with my whole body moving to the beat. By the time I reached the circle, I was in full swing of the music--alive with an energy that pushed the stress out of my body, mind and soul. I danced in the circle as if no one was watching. My spirit was one with nature and my inner child was egging me to be me. Finally, when the music stopped, I faced each of the four directional signs and gave thanks to the Creator for our beautiful planet and the resources she constantly give us for our survival. I looked across at the green grass, the tall trees, and  the pond with the geese, turtles and frogs and knew for that moment in time I was lost in a space that is neither here or there; I was everywhere and everything.

I danced out of the labyrinth, and then stood on a nearby rock and lifted my arms to Father Sky as people walked by. Oh yeah, I danced a few more steps before skipping down the path with my inner child in hand. I was living like it was heaven on Earth.

A Go Green Consciousness Commitment

I’m a firm believer that in order to make any changes in your life or the world you have to release old belief patterns and build a consciousness for the new ones. I knew that I hadn't embraced going green as much as I should have. Sure, I recycle, but only after my neighbors bugged the Management company of my complex to reinstate recycling. Then I decided to do an organic garden this spring and that changed everything. I started reading about gardening that led me to the Go Green Movement and Earth Day. I realized I was taking our natural resources for granted, and I'm not alone. So many of us are so caught up in our busy schedules, we do a little to help the environment, and some do nothing at all. I'm admitting my head was in the sand. But my eyes are now wide open, and I'm aware that as the world population expands there will not be sufficient resources, such as clean air, clean water, and adequate fuel sources and soil. I'm committed now to take the necessary action, and not just some of the time, but everyday to prevent future generations from having to experience a lack of resources. Here are a few things you can do to help the environment: 1.Don’t throw away old batteries, paint and other items that contain harmful chemicals. If these chemical leak into the ground of the landfill, they will affect the soil and water that we use for our food resources. 2.Recycling helps to protect our natural resources. 3.When the principles of electricity became understood in the mid-1800s, everyone’s life changed with the invention of the electric light bulb. Now those same electrical principles are the leading contributors to climate change and global warming. 4.Energy derived from wind power consumes no fuel. Buying renewable energy is one of the best contributions that you can make to the environment. Check out your light bulbs.