I'M STILL HERE...AND MY EBOOK IS FREE FOR THE MONTH OF JULY ONLY

It's been a few months since I posted. Just thought I would say hello and give you an update on my author status. I'm still writing and selling. Life has been busy...too busy.

I have two big news items to share with you.

First, my ebook for "Winter's Captive" is FREE for the month of July, 2013. That's right. So get your copy by clicking HERE. Follow the instructions for purchasing a copy and use the following code SW100 in the Coupon Box. Please leave some feedback.

Secondly, I'm retiring from my job in local government in two weeks. I will truly miss the work and the people I work with but it's time for me to do for me.  All the advice for retirees say the same thing. Have a hobby or part-time work lined up when you retire or you will go crazy with boredom.

Well I have no fears in that department. My time will be spent WRITING, WRITING, WRITING. So excited to reach this stage in my life where I can dedicate my free time to something I love to do. Empowerment! Just like Georgia, my protagonist.

Don't forget to download my free ebook. If you don't have an e-reader you can download Kindle for PC - free software for your computer or laptop. Then you can download a .pdf copy right onto your desktop.

So get ready to hear from me more often and get reading

For you writer's out there, Keep on Keeping on Writing!

POST CANADA DAY

Today, I've been reflecting on Canada Day and what that means. I'm lucky enough to live in a great country that allows me to be free. Freedom is multi-faceted and encompasses so much like freedom of speech, freedom to travel, freedom to vote (not only democratically, but as a woman), freedom to become whatever I choose to be, freedom to live where I want to live, freedom to follow my own belief system...it's endless.


Estentially what that means to me is freedom is to not have to do what I don't want to do, 'cause the only thing I have to do is die. Until then, everything else is optional.


I love my country, I love living in a beautiful province surrounded by raw nature...unpredictable, challenging...yes, but Mother Nature is constant and she's free.


On checking my visitor stats on my blog I have had visits from all over the world. I don't know who you are but I know what country you're from.  This morning saw a huge jump in my blog visits. A big portion of those have come from a little country in Europe called Latvia.  A nice surprise. Latvia is a small country on the Baltic Sea and borders Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, and Eastonia to the north. Probably about the size of Vancouver Island. They are an independent, democratic country of about two million people whose land mass is hugely raw, natural forests, undeveloped beaches, protected wildlife. I'm sure these people are fiercely proud of their country and heritage as I am of mine.


Yes, I'm a Canadian and proud to be one of its citizens. But living in my cyberspace world, I'm linked to people from all over the world just as proud of their citizenship. This has me reflecting if perhaps our fierce pride in our own little spot of the world can create an isolation. Cyperspace confirms we are all citizens of a global village. And if we believe we aren't alone on our little ball in the universe, then we are all citizens of the universe.


Yesterday, I wished my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day. Today I wish my fellow citizens of the universe a happy Monday. Just sayin'.


And to all my cyberspace visitors, thank you for visiting me and next time leave a comment, so I know who you are.


All you writer's out there: Keep on keeping on writing!


http://www.junebourgoauthor.com/


          

THE BOXER HOBO AND JUNE BOURGO??

Today, I want to talk about a book that moved me so much. After I finished reading it, it haunted me for days before I felt able to write a review. This tale is a true story written as creative non-fiction. Because it reads like a novel in the first person, I had to keep reminding myself that this is someone's real life testimony, one full of courage, grit, and vulnerability. The author has a unique writing style all his own. I warn you the language may offend some. However, they are just words, descriptive words that are unique to this man's true life account.

Our lives in comparison couldn't be further apart, thus the title above. In fact, some people in my circle would call him a homeless, alcoholic. Well, that is exactly what he calls himself. But the author of Boxer Hobo, Johnny T. Noctor, tells a riveting tale that not only chronicles his life as a boxer, exposing his demons and vulnerabilities, it also exposes the underworld element of the boxing world in Australia. A courageous expose by a man not afraid to talk about how that world affected his life professionally and personally.


What moved me was his battle to sobriety. I found it amazing that after falling into the depths of alcoholism on numerous occasions over the years, his mental focus was so intense that he was able to overcome the physical affects and throw himself into the extreme physical training required of a boxer and find his way back to sobriety and another fight. And it wasn't just his journey that fascinated me. This man wormed his way into my mind and into my heart because he is a writer. A VERY TALENTED WRITER, in my opinion. I love his writing style.


Here is a description of his book from Amazon:


When a homeless alcoholic boxer wakes up in a Tasmanian Neuro-Trauma ward with a fractured skull, doctors inform him he won't be able to box or drink alcohol ever again. Though he's now having seizures and in excruciating pain, that's not an option for this thirsty pugilist. While in hospital, he has no visitors or phone calls because nobody it seems has contacted his family. No one is willing to help him find out who attacked him on the dark streets of Hobart, they say he probably fell over drunk, but this old tramp knows different and is determined to find out who the perpetrator was. The Hobo refuses to give in to the prejudice of society's laws and is determined to get well and fight again. After all, he took up boxing to keep off the grog.


This is the review I gave him:


I don't even know where to begin about how this story affected me. I have never been a boxing fan, or understood the need for men to bash each other's brains out, but this story is spellbinding. Johnny Noctor gets under your skin, into your head and has you feeling his pain, sharing his dreams, and rooting for the underdog. Entering a world filled with criminal intent came as no surprise but reinforced that the boxing world is a corrupt one that feeds on human prey.

Our worlds couldn't be further apart, but the author writes with such an intensity and passion that I not only lived every step of the way with him, but understood his frustrations, his demons, and his hobo existence. On one hand, I'm angry at him and want to shake him and tell him he is a highly intelligent man who has many talents, writing and boxing just two of them. So why does a self-proclaimed alcoholic healing from brain damage, whose behavior is up one day and down the next, let his low self-esteem drag him under and allow himself to be used as a human punching bag?


On the other hand I admire his courage, his tenacity, and his ability to keep dragging himself out of the lows and put himself back on his feet. I admire him for not giving up on his dreams. I respect his intelligence and his obvious writing ability and unique style.


This is a story of a man who isn't afraid to expose his frailties and the corruption and injustice of others. A must read for anyone who has the guts to enter the world of boxer hobo.


Keep writing Johnny, I want to read more.


Johnny Noctor self-published his book through Amazon. He has received 5-star reviews. He remained sober during the editing and publishing process,  and has been travelling through Tasmania and Australia promoting his book. He is writing a sequel book as you read this. His book is available on Amazon. See the link below and a link to his blog site.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Boxer-Hobo-The-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0078NXI0G
 
http://boxerhobo.blogspot.ca/2012/02/boxer-hobo-by-johnny-t-noctor.html
 
        To all the writer's out there, keep on keeping on writing!
                     http://www.junebourgoauthor.com/

...THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Did you know that 70% of all people have suffered at least once from the Imposter Syndrome?

Today, I'm choosing to write about the imposter syndrome because the majority of us suffer with what I call this "condition", with mild to extreme reactions that can affect our daily living. It is a very common phenomenon. We are not alone and yes, I have suffered with this syndrome too.


The following is one description of the Imposter Syndrome. 

The impostor syndrome, sometimes called impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome, is a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. It is not an officially recognized psychological disorder, but has been the subject of numerous books and articles by psychologists and educators. The term was coined by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978.[1]


Despite external evidence of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.


I once read an article on a local news anchor who suffered for years believing she was an imposter. Here was an educated, competent young woman fully qualified for the position; yet, she feared she would be "found out" and people would see she wasn't as intelligent as they believed her to be. Jody Foster admitted in an interview that when she won an Oscar, she felt like an imposter who had "lucked out". She felt "they" would find out and knock on her door and tell her they made a mistake. A very talented actor, and one of my favorites, I was confused by this admission at the time.


But I was soon to recognize this condition in myself when writing a blog post about my book, "Winter's Captive". It was difficult for me to write about the abuse of my first marriage because I felt like a fraud. My abuse had been mainly mental, with only a little amount of physical abuse. So many women suffered so much more physically than I had. How crazy is that? Abuse is abuse, regardless of its form, or how much more or little one form is over the other.


Then, a publisher knocked on my door and handed me a publishing contract. That old syndrome really knocked me aback. I mean, who was I to think I could fool people into thinking I was a writer? After all, I didn't have any formal education or writing degrees. Nor had I lived the life of the long-suffering, struggling writer. After much soul-searching I accepted the words of one editor who said I was a natural writer and that my education came from life and those who have passed through it.


Georgia Charles is the main character in "Winter's Captive". As her character developed, I recognized that she too suffered from the imposter syndrome as a wife and as a woman. She overcame her insecurities and became empowered. With the editing and re-editing of this heroine, she became my healer and my hope is that my readers will relate to Georgia and draw from her confidence and strength.


Here is the final paragraph of the description above for the Imposter Syndrome:


The impostor syndrome, in which competent people find it impossible to believe in their own competence, can be viewed as complementary to the Dunning–Kruger effect, in which incompetent people find it impossible to believe in their own incompetence.


Hmm...I think I would rather have to deal with the Imposter Syndrome than the Dunning-Kruger effect. I would rather be humble than believe I'm something I'm not.

There's nothing stranger than people! Aren't we though?

http://www.junebourgoauthor.com/