Author: Cindy

About the Book:
Whitney Stewart’s straightforward, non-denominational guide makes meditation simple. It covers the basics in a concise thirty-three pages: Why meditation is good for you, how to sit, how to let your mind rest, even what to do if you feel weird or uncomfortable during meditation. Most important, it provides sixteen accessible, useful meditations you can easily learn at home. Age ten to adult.

Stewart’s top reasons to meditate:
*To focus inwardly
*To slow down internally
*To develop awareness
*To understand your mind
*To increase tolerance
*To experience “BIG MIND”

About the Author:
Whitney Stewart began writing young adult biographies and meditating after she met and interviewed the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, the subject of two of her books, and lived with a Tibetan family in India. For her next biographies, she trekked with Sir Edmund Hillary in Nepal, interviewed Burma’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in her Rangoon home, and climbed along China’s Great Wall to research the lives of Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong. In 2004, Stewart published a picture book about the Buddha, which contains a foreword and a meditation suggestion from the 14th Dalai Lama. In addition to nonfiction books, Stewart has published three middle-grade novels. In August 2005, Stewart was trapped in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and evacuated by helicopter from a rooftop. She returned home and volunteered as a creative writing teacher in the public schools. She discovered that her students suffered from post-Katrina stress. Using meditation, improvisation, and word play, Stewart taught her students to write about their lives.

Her latest book is Give Me a Break: No-Fuss Meditation.

You can find more about Whitney Stewart at her website at http://www.whitneystewart.com/.
Follow her at Twitter at www.twitter.com/mindfulneworlns
 and www.twitter.com/whitneystewart2
 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/New.Orleans.Kids.Author.

I want to thank Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book for contacting me and asking if I would host Whitney on her blog tour. I also have to thank Whitney for taking the time out of her busy schedule to write up this guest post for me.

Wishing you both a Happy Holiday.

      You shop. You cook. You wrap.

      You skip the gym, guzzle caffeine, eat too fast, or too much. You run errands, fight traffic, wait in lines, unpack groceries, vacuum the house, make the guest bed, iron holiday clothes, and WORRY. About money. About presents. About not being able to do everything. You snap at the kids. At your spouse. At the check-out lady.

      Stress makes you jumpy, agitated, and depressed. You don’t have enough time. You don’t get enough sleep. Dark circles form under your eyes. But you smile and make the best of the holiday. Then you vow that next year you’ll be nicer. You’ll make time for yourself, for your friends. You’ll simplify. You’ll enjoy the holidays.

      BUT WAIT! There’s still time to unhook for this holiday. There’s a way to be more mindful and create peace.

      BREATHE!

      FOCUS!

      MEDITATE!

      I know what you’re going to say. You don’t have time to meditate, not with everything else going on. I’ve said the same thing, but it’s not true. Even ten minutes of meditation a day will change your heart rhythm and your brain waves. Ten minutes will allow you to experience deep relaxation and heightened awareness. And you don’t have to go anywhere to meditate. You can do it at home, in your pajamas, on the floor, in a chair, even in bed.

      Meditation is mindfulness. It’s a gentle unhooking from your mental stream, your inner babble, your mind’s construction of yourself and your life. Instead of listening to your recitation of a holiday to-do list, listen to your breath. Feel the bumping of your heart. Soften the muscles in your shoulders. Allow space to move into the corners where stress was hiding, and you’ll find that you control less and flow more.

      And when you shop and cook and wrap and clean and eat and entertain, you’ll find room for the joy.

Thanks so much Whitney this is perfect advise for this stressful holiday season.
here is the trailer:

A quick guide to simple mediatation:

Recently I was asked if I wanted to be a part of the promotion for:

I didn’t have to think twice about being a part of this because I had Julie’s previous books that I bought sitting on my bookcase waiting to be read and what perfect time to read them then this.

So check back later today for my review of The Iron Knight.

I am honored to have guest Q&A with Julie Kagawa. So thank you Julie for being able to answer these questions and for stopping by my blog today.
1. What is your favorite part of being an author?

I don’t know if I have a favorite part; I just love it all so much. This was what I always wanted to do, and now that I’m here, it’s a dream come true for me. =)

2. If you could pick one of the characters from The Iron Fey series to have dinner with, who would it be and why?

I’m going to have to go with Ash, because I know he’d at least be polite. Unlike a certain faery prankster, who might put something in my food or turn the waiter into a hedgehog. Meghan would also be a good choice, we could catch a movie afterwards. Grim…not so much; he’d order the most expensive thing on the menu and then turn up his nose at it.

3. When you first started this series, with The Iron King, did you know then that there would be multiple books? And did you know you’d want to write them with a changing point of view?

When I first began The Iron King, I knew I wanted to write at least a trilogy, but I left an open ending on the first book in case the publisher didn’t want to buy the whole series. Fortunately, they did, though I did intend the series just to be a trilogy. I didn’t think I would write a fourth book from Ash’s POV, but it made the most sense to continue the series with him.

4. Being that the Iron Knight is written from Ash’s point of view, was it easier or harder to switch over and tell his story?

It was a little harder, initially. I knew Meghan; after three books I knew her voice and her personality and her quirks. It was difficult with Ash, because he was such a guarded character, and he never was really chatty. And because he’s lived such a long time, and is an Unseelie fey, he’s done some things in his life that might change how some people view him. It was actually kind of scary putting his story out there; what will people think now that they know the real Ash? But I wrote his story as honestly as I could, and I hope they will come to love the Winter Prince as much as I do.

I want to thank Julie Kagawa for taking the time out of her busy schedule to do this and to Erin from Meryl Moss Media for asking me if I wanted to be a part of this and for all that she has done to make this possible.