Books, the world wouldn't be the same without them. I was reminded of that today when I was spending time in Chapters browsing around and looking at the latest and greatest thing. It was only a few weeks ago that I was at that very place having a drink at starbucks and chatting with island author Vanessa Winn. I had first met Vanessa when I was learning to dance tango at cafe casablanca here in Victoria, B.C. Vanessa not only dances and teaches tango but is the author of a highly successfuly book "The Chief Factors Daughter". It launched while I was in Argentina so I have yet to read it. But from all the rave reviews I've been reading, I know I'm in for a treat when I do get around to it.

For the success for me as a writer, it is important for me to connect with other writers. And I truly enjoyed that afternoon catching up with Vanessa. There are many styles of writing out there and Vanessa and I are on the complete opposite end. She has a real gifting for poetry and period pieces. Whereas I'm the modern day blogger who does things through the web and writes on not just my thoughts but pop culture and trends in our society. And I must say that I have a tremendous respect for her style of writing, it is something that I could never do.

To do a period piece properly, it takes alot of research into the culture and customs of that time period that you intend to write about. With society becoming so fast paced and people wanting everything quick, writing period pieces is fast becoming a lost art. This is why I admire her commitment as a writer. She was also the author of that magnificent poem "The Immigrant's Tango" that I've got on my other website. It is such a lovely poem in which she generously gave me permission to use on "Making the Same Difference". Having been written by a proven author, it shouldn't have been any surprise that the poem generated quite a buzz when I put it on my website. And I cannot wait to write a blog on "The Chief Factor's Daughter" when I do finally get the chance to read it. But for now, here is a review of what someone else had to say about it :)

The Chief Factor’s Daughter ... reviewed by Deborah


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One of my weekly rituals is that there are some podcasts that I listen to by inspirational speakers. Normally they are mainly about faith and Christian stuff and I know not everyone is into that so that's why I haven't blogged or promoted it before. But the one I listened to this morning is one that I absolutely have to blog about.  This week, Christine Caine is interviewing this Dr. Caroline Leaf. She is a Dr. who has been always interested in how the brain works (neurons, pathways etc) and has dones studies into brain injuries and rehabilitation.

The doctor wasn't a Christian when she started her studies and only embraced the faith much later on. And Dr. Caroline Leaf had some amazing stuff to share on this weeks podcast about how our minds are wired in relation to faith. Traditional thinking says that you are controlled by your genetics and your genetics determine your outcome. But new scientific discoveries show that your genetics and actually controlled by your thoughts and your thoughts wired the direction of your genetics. So what you think in your head is actually programming and wiring the setup of your body.

And it gets even more interesting than that! According to Dr. Caroline, new studies are showing that your genetics are wired to "faith based" thinking and believing.  In other words, your brain is naturally wired and programmed to want to go in a direction of having faith in a higher power. Interesting! There is a tons more that was in the podcasts. She talks about healing from abuse, that when you've been abused, there's actually damage has done to the wiring and your brain actually has to go through the process of rewiring your system to heal.

Of course she puts in more technical and scientific-al terms than I am writing in here but the podcasts is worth a listen no matter what background you are from or what belief system that you have.  You can access Christine Caine's podcasts on my website here. Just look on the sidebar and it is the section that comes just before my photos of Buenos Aires.  The podcasts I was referring to in this email was called "On the Couch with Chris" and I promise you that it is nothing less than fascinating.


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