Consider me a mutant

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

So I have to tell you something. My friend (who for the sake of privacy I will refer to as J), well he recommended I read this book. So sure I didn’t take it seriously, it took me a few months to order the book from amazon. Then it took at least a month before I read the back (and by read I mean skimmed the first three lines) and put it back into my reading pile. Ok so the day comes when I think, ok time I should read it.

I WISH I HAD BEEN RECEPTIVE TO READING IT SOONER!

No word of a lie.

The book that was recommended? Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan.

I read the first chapter and thought hmm, this looks good. But then my attention wavered and gave it a couple of days. Then I read the rest of the book in one day. Yep that’s right. Morning to evening I didn’t put the book down for longer than two minutes.

I don’t want to give the book away. But I love how well written it is. I love that it is a book where you are able to take away from it as much as you are receptive to. I can see someone reading this book for entertainment and discovering their perspective altered just a tiny bit or a lot.

I came to this book with an understanding to a degree of the law of attraction. This heightened that understanding, underlined it and showed itself in a demonstrative way.

I can see why J thought this book was so important for me to read. I owe him a huge thank you.

Ok so basic story for someone not interested in the law of attraction: Woman goes to outback with a dying race, her life changes because of it, she has to go back to the real world.

Those of us interested in the law of attraction: Amazing journey, a woman ends up going on a journey where she finds her whole belief and life system tested. She comes to understand not only the law of attraction but the incredible details of the world to a very strong understanding of the world. Discovering her natural intuition. She returns to the society she came from and began to try to uplift the resistant. But finds more success on uplifting those closest to her with open minds and hearts.

This book is great.

I started recommending this book before I even reached half way I knew that no matter what the ending was going to be. Sad or happy it was going to be fulfilling. I just knew this book needs sharing. Had it not been for J, I would never have known. But now I do it cannot be ignored.

I would happily direct friends to this book. I genuinely mean it when I say “you should read this book”

Even if you don’t think you will take anything from it, even if it entertains you for a little while, that is great. Because you never know what you will end up taking away from this book.

While I can’t imagine myself doing the whole outback down under adventure of my own, my path doesn’t hold ground in that direction. But I do appreciate the values, the understandings, the teachings that it shows. The lessons and the tests. I know it is not my path to replicate the footsteps, I lived them however through the words on the page. They are as profound as the adventure itself. It is appreciated.

While it is fictitious that doesn’t diminish the possibility to extract something positive from this story. Whether you look at the world with a greater appreciation for the planet or you learn to trust your own instincts.

It is nice to escape for a while into another adventure where you can perhaps come to a newer realisation of self-trust.

Sure the world is probably going downhill. But to be honest. This book is a good read even if for entertainment. It has a very real feel to it.

The story is exactly that, a great story, if it helps you trust your intuition or encourages you to look for good in the world it has done its job.

Looking at the world with appreciation and gratitude is something that a lot of people would enjoy learning, to give up the struggle and resistance and just learn to live a positive life.

So to the author I send thanks and appreciation for the story.

To you readers, I strongly suggest reading this story, if even to find a place of peace or appreciation that you can take from this story and implement it into your everyday lives.

My challenge to you, name one thing each day that you truly appreciate, one thing that you are grateful for, one thing you are genuinely looking forward to tomorrow. Make that your daily challenge please. I’d love it if you all feel good more of the time.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

Here is the cheeky little link for The Diary of Elliot Parker available now!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX

What is but a name?

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

How do I name characters?

 

Well that is a question that I am finding hard to answer. There are instances when characters are inspired by real people, this can be tricky, I try not to use real names for real people ever, as you may have noticed. To a degree I respect their privacy. But I also am aware that sounds like a contradiction. Yes, I still tell the story, it is my story, I make it principle that I still give the opportunity to have a degree of privacy. That being said, I am unlikely to use the names of people that mean a lot to me in general, just because again I respect their privacy and because they are precious to me. I am also unlikely to ever name a character a name I would like to name my kids if I ever have them. Partly because it would feel weird to me but partly because I don’t want to presume that it won’t influence who they become as adults. Weird huh?

Characters in a different sense still have that feeling of being almost children, it’s hard to describe. We create them. Sometimes naming them feels impossible, some characters go through a few names until there is one that fits them just right. Its natural.

So, originally I started searching for names via baby naming websites, that can be frustrating, you can however see the meanings which is something I often take into account. Although occasionally it really is just what feels right for the character and their journey. So it can also be easy to end up very split in a name no matter how hard you try. The most recent way that I have chosen to name the characters on a project is to go through a cheap (literally 2 quid) baby name book I picked up, go through and underline names I like and write down names that might be appropriate and to take note of the meanings. Once this is done I got cracking on the fun side of the work which is the writing and the plotting finished. But no once I had a list of names at least 20 to each gender. Then I got cracking on choosing the names appropriate to the story and then made a clear note. Some characters changed their original name in this process.

Sure it can be tricky, of course there are names that naturally appeal to being used for certain characters. I know for a fact there are maybe two or three names that have been used a few times for a few characters. It happens, there are certain characters that just appeal to those names. I do try to find other names but sometimes it just fits to re-use them.

There are odd characters with significant names. Sometimes they are just by nature a character who makes me smile that gets that names.

But not all characters are created equal. Much like when you read a book there are characters that you don’t like there are names you don’t really like so of course they go hand in hand with one another. That being said I don’t always use those names.

I didn’t realise how hard I would find this question.

I name characters in a way that I try to relate their journey or who they are or what they symbolise. That is the core of it. Some of it really is just fun, choosing a name that just feels like that is going to be the right choice.

I don’t know how people name their kids, but pets I can deal with sometime is just is choosing something that suits their personalities.

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

Here is the cheeky little link for The Diary of Elliot Parker available now!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX

The Diary of Elliot Parker Playlist

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

I am sure you all know by now I sometimes listen to things when I write, sometimes the rhythm just helps me type. Sometimes, the rhythm has me dancing as I type.

So what was the playlist for The Diary of Elliot Parker Part one???

Well. I interrupted my writing this, so time for me to get back to it now that I have updated my music list, got to make sure I have more Ed Sheeran to play.

So ah yes play list…

Right so a majority of the part one was written using youtube and letting that just dictate what I was listening to. Often it would be the odd Abraham Hicks video, there was also a song, at one point it was a brief addiction to a song called “Love Myself” by Hailee Steinfeld. It was fun, great to write to for a while.

I also listened to a bit of The Hunger Games sound track, whether or not that is a guilty pleasure I will let you all decide.

I listened to a lot of the songs I’ve put on my guitar list to learn. I hate you don’t leave me by Demi Lovato was often on repeat. I also had a few of Ed Sheeran’s songs cycling on repeat. Sometimes it just gets to be that way that certain songs just sustain your inspiration for about three or four hours.

The playlist wasn’t too big, I just wish I could remember all the meditations I listened to as well when I was writing so that I could spread that peace and calm.

I am about to start making sure I keep a list of what songs inspire me as I write. Even if it’s just me who enjoys it.

So if you want to know what all this music on constant repeat inspired The Diary of Elliot Parker is OUT NOW! There is even the bonus of a preview of the next three entries in the series!

 

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

LAUNCH DAY IS HERE

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

Well… Today is the launch of the Kindle book of The Diary of Elliot Parker…

You probably may not know this, but I am super excited about today. This project has taken months. In the early days of the creation of this story I sent the first say 5 chapters of The Diary of Elliot Parker to a few friends/testers that are honest and trustworthy judges.

The response varied, but I was happy that there was one consistency. Everyone had questions, they wanted to know more. They demanded to know more. I kind of felt a bit mean but I didn’t give them the answers. Or the next chapters. But I did do one thing. I asked them what they thought. Those of you that write will know just how scary that is. It is literally like handing a bit of your soul over to someone and asking, “hey what do you think?” It is anxiety inducing. One person assumed the gender of the lead character, Elliot was their own. They didn’t even question sexuality or anything. There was a willingness of my testers who automatically accepted and enjoyed and loved being Elliot Parker.

Now the writing of The Diary of Elliot Parker was a new challenge. I set myself a structure, rules and demands of each entry. To answer a few questions and ask more and to never satisfy the reader, to never have enough of it. I hope that it worked. It’s a new technique I wanted to try. The chapter structure, the scenery. The specific-ness of what I wanted Elliot to reveal each time. I found it a true challenge, I might just have to pull that back and see if it is something I can use in a different way in another project one day.

Well I know I said my aim was to never satisfy you, the reader with the Diary of Elliot Parker. But there is more. In the Kindle book OUT TODAY… just in case you have missed the hints- GO GET IT (please)!!! As a very special thank you to those of you who have been reading Elliot Parker’s entries, I have included the next three entries… that’s right you get a head start on seeing what is going to happen next. Not only are the entries in one nice neat place, there are BONUS entries.

You get to see the exclusive world of what Elliot has to say next.

So with all due respect, gratitude and appreciation I would like to thank the readers of arappleby.com for their willingness to read the stories, to read the writing and the writing exercises and all the fun that I have had writing for this website.

It will be a little while before there is more Elliot Parker so please, keep yourself in those worlds a little longer and splash out on the Kindle book.

Out today!!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX

May luck and adventure be on your side!

ARA xxx

The Diary of Elliot Parker

Posted on by April-Rose Appleby

.: Entry Thirty :.

My name is Elliot Parker. I should be angrier than I am. I should be livid. I feel deceived, this room with the books, it was all his doing. It was all his creation.

“You hate me don’t you?” His words punctuate my thoughts.

“I can’t hate you, even when I try and you know that.”

“Are you mad?”

“You know that you asking that is normally the thing that makes me mad. That’s that thing you do.”

“Elliot, what are you thinking.”

“When I said I love you, I meant it, I still mean it. When I said always I meant exactly that. But this, seeing you like this and hearing what you can’t or won’t say in the real world, that is not enough. This needs to have real world consequences.”

“I can’t promise that, I am standing in my own way.”

“You need to sort that out, it is not fair that you and I both know what we want, it is not fair that we both want the same thing ultimately. But I am tired of being the only one willing to pursue that. You need to meet me halfway, at least.”

“I want to.”

“I know that, I know. But this has to have some consequence in the real world. You are the one who insisted we stayed friends. You are the one who keeps us in each other’s orbits. I know this is stupid. It is stupid that I have to say this to you. My friends who have barely any idea of the complications of what goes on with us, they say that you still have feelings for me, that you aren’t over me. I already know that, I read it in you. And yet I have always been the one who made the first move to reconcile arguments to sort things out, I have always tried my best. But you not meeting me half way reinforces the feeling that I had that I was never good enough.”

“That’s not true.”

“I know that. I know that I am good enough. I am worthy. I am standing here, in this created place where we can talk openly and you still want me to jump through the hoops and wait forever. I love you. I do, always. But I need you to meet me half way in the real world. I am tired, so tired of this. Of knowing what I want, knowing that what I want is what you want and yet nothing ever changes. It is time for the real world to change.”

“I want to try.”

“Then try. Meet me halfway. I don’t care that you are following your career and working away. I care that we want the same thing but we can’t work on that if we aren’t working as a team.”

I feel the twist in my stomach. His expression reads hurt. I know I am asking the impossible of him. His conscious self will stand in his way and he will be fighting the stubborn unyielding self. The man standing in his way. I have tried and tried. And now I feel like it is time to just let go of everything I have asked for and let it just happen. To stop beating the drum of what is.

I am done with what is. I am ready for the things that I want. I am letting this struggle go, the struggle with myself, the struggle with him.

If it is in my highest good, if I am vibrationally aligned with this desire it will manifest.

There is nothing that I need to do, I just have to appreciate the knowledge that I have, that I know. Things are always getting better.

“We are a team. We always have been. I am always going to be here for you.” I am sure of every word. I know that he knows what I am saying is true.

“You always are, whenever I need you, I know that you are there.” His expression has softened. He looks less hurt. I just hope that he understands and remembers the truth of the dream when he wakes up.

“Please, just let this have real world consequences, let’s just enjoy the becoming of the both of us working together, being a team again. I am certain that I am ready, I am ready for us, I am ready for us to enjoy every little detail of all that is and all that we are when we are together.”

“Even if I ask you wait for me, to sort out the work side of things.”

“If you ask me for what you want, and you don’t stand in your own way at all… Ask and it is given.”

“Ask and it is given?”

“Always.” I can’t help but take a deep breath here, the smell of the room is fading and I can smell him. I can smell the softness of his skin. His proximity. The feel of his hands taking my own. The proximity of how close his body is to mine. His eyes smiling in the way I know the words behind that look, that is his “I love you” look, the words that are behind the eyes that he doesn’t say. I know I have him, I know I have his heart and his love and I know that I look after him in a way no one else seems to be able to do, or has done. I know the love I give him, the nurturing and unconditional love he receives from me is something he doesn’t know the depth of. I love him unconditionally and whole heartedly. He knows it, he might not actively realise it or understand it. But he knows it, that I am always here. I love him. He knows that. That’s the thing, the future we can have, it is real, it has been asked for from the universe. The universe has already said yes. It is just all a question of alignment. Right?

RELEASED TODAY!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG21QLX