MONDAY MUSINGS—A MYSTERY IN RED

First he tried to break in through my living room bay window. It was totally unexpected.

Click, click, ka-thunk.

I jumped; my book did a loop-de-loop with a bad landing on my armchair table, barely missing my coffee. All I caught was a flash of red and he was gone. Once I caught my breath a flicker of movement across the room showed two of my cats in hunt mode slinking, belly down, across the room.

Click, click, ka-thunk.

Casey on my desk and my Dragon 

My cup of coffee did not survive the second attack on the window or the twenty-pound cat leaping up and over. She’s a Maine Coon cat (on her mama’s side) and huge. Despite her size she’s incredibly fast.

As I mopped up the coffee I watched with bemusement as a flash of red flew first at one side then the other of the window then moved to the porch railing and back to the window for another run. Hover and attack. Repeat again and again.

I couldn't make out what he was other than bright red. But I became accustomed to his fascination with my window and dive-bombing the lower areas where two of my cats settled on the wide window seat for a front row view.

Then he tried to break in through my kitchen garden window while I was doing dishes and about scared the life out of me. The saucer didn't make it.

Then he fell in love with my car. Granted, he has good taste but my car window had...gunk on it. Then my car developed multiple paw prints because, of course, the pride of cats had to investigate. I moved the car from near the oak tree where his nest was located. Three hundred feet away seems to be the magic number.

All the while I’m trying to figure out what he was. It was a mystery. Not a Cardinal, which has more sense than to attack my windows and his song, is prettier. He sits up on the oak branches (or on the front porch railing) and sings his heart out. Beautiful repertoire. Definitely not a Cardinal. I have a Mockingbird family in another oak out front. Two different males almost drown out the other birds like my Golden Finches, Grosbeaks, and Orioles. I have a lot of Robins who sing, Bluebirds, and a couple of pairs of Indigo Buntings, but they’re usually in the back yard area. A truly marvelous symphony happens in my yard everyday. J

Wiki commons

I finally identified him. He’s a Summer Tanager. His mate is sort of a golden color with some reddish tones, but I only see her once in a while. Summer Tanagers were once classified as songbirds and now are classified as part of the Cardinal family. I've seen Tanagers before, at a distance, and thought they were Cardinal without the black markings or the crest. I thought they might be an immature male Cardinal? Didn't think much of it until I got a close look at this one as he assaulted my windows.

wiki commons

My area is a prime breeding area for the Tanager. While they’re raising babies they consume a lot of bees, wasps (they knock the stinger off against the tree and then carry it to the nest) and fruit, like Poke berries and blackberries. This guy does not like any squirrels in his tree. I've watched him chase them off. He also doesn't like Blue Jays, which is understandable, considering Jays will attack the young of other birds. I do have a pair of Jays that customarily raise their young on the far eastern boundary of my yard. They mostly stay away from each other but do clash now and then.

So, the mystery red bird has been identified and although I’m not thrilled with his window attacks—which are becoming less frequent or I’m becoming inured.  I am happy he’s taken out two good-sized wasp nests near the front bay window and the one near the front porch. Saves my husband from spraying them, as he’s had to do the last few years. He is fine looking bird and makes beautiful music.

I’m going to miss him when he leaves for Mexico. I hope he returns next spring.

Here's his song.

FILLING THE CREATIVE CUP

My guest is author, Mia Marlowe, who is a prolific writer. Her topic today is how to regroup and refill the creative cup.  

For the past couple years, I've been writing like a house afire, producing 4-5 full length novels plus the occasional novella in each cram-packed 12 month period. Since I have two publishers (Sourcebooks and Kensington) to please, plus releasing a number of self-pubbed novels, it’s been necessary. However, now that I’m ready to start another couple of contracts, it became clear that I needed a bit of time to regroup. We also had an anniversary and 4 years of me being cancer free to celebrate. My DH of many years suggested we run away together.

So toward the end of May, we did.

We booked a 12 day cruise around the British Isles. The weather was on the coolish side, and we made good use of our umbrellas more than once, but it proved to be just what I needed. We rested. We played. We soaked up the sights, sounds, smells and tastes (ask me about haggis, neeps & tatties sometime!) of the UK. I know I’ll use so much of what I experienced in my upcoming books.

Still, I felt a bit self-indulgent about the trip. I should be able to conjure up Regency England and 16^th century Scotland purely out of my internet/library research and imagination.

But then at our last stop, I realized there’s no substitute for actual experiences. And we writers aren't the only ones who need to prime the creative pump from time to time. When we visited Claude Monet’s house just outside of Rouen, France, I was treated to a peek inside that genius’s head. His home was very simple, and not at all spacious considering that eight children and two adults lived there. Perhaps that was its charm. Monet wasn't distracted by a plethora of “things.” He had what he needed to be comfortable and no more. The lack of extraneous “stuff” freed him to be creative. 

It gave me a fresh appreciation for our Boston condo. At 1100 square feet, it’s not going to win any prizes for expansive living space, but it provides all that’s needful. And it’s easier to keep clean than a big place, which is important when I’m deep in my “bookhead” and can’t come out for mundane things like housework. 

But the real treat at Monet’s home was his garden. It was a riot of color. Fortunately for us, Europe is experiencing a late spring and all the irises were in full bloom. I’d never seen so many different colors. In addition to his French garden, he also created a water garden, diverting a bit of the Seine onto his property to meander through his stands of bamboo and drooping wisteria. It was heavenly.

I discovered even Monet needed more than his imagination. He needed the shifting play of light on the surface of the smooth water. He needed the twitter of birdsong and the soft ruffle of the stream. He needed the intoxicating fragrance of green growing things.

If an acknowledged creative genius needed those things, how much more do I?

So now that I’m home again, I’m ready to start my new stories with fresh vigor and sensual memories I can bequeath to my characters. My imagination is fully primed and ready to churn out experiences my readers can enjoy through my words as if they’re wearing in my heroine’s shoes.

Speaking of trying on someone else’s life, let me invite you to slip in Lady Georgette’s...

                                                                                                                                                        

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

ONE NIGHT WITH A RAKE – IN STORES JUNE 2013

BY CONNIE MASON AND MIA MARLOWE

For King and Country, Three Notorious Rakes Will Put All Their Seductive Skills to Work.

After All, The Fate of England's Monarchy is in Their Hands.

Since the death of his fiancée, Nathaniel Colton's polished boots have rested beneath the beds of countless wayward wives and widows of the ton. He's careful to leave each lady smiling, and equally careful to guard his heart. So seducing Lady Georgette should pose no problem. But the beautiful reformist is no easy conquest, and Nate's considerable charm fails to entice Georgette to his bed. To woo her, Nate will have to make her believe he cares about someone besides himself--and no one is more surprised than Nate when he realizes he actually does. Excerpt

                                                                                                                                   

Connie Mason is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels. She was named Storyteller of the Year in 1990 and received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews in 1994. She currently lives in Florida.

Mia Marlowe is a highly acclaimed new voice in romance whose debut novel released in Spring 2011 from Kensington. She lives in Boston. Together, they are working on the next book in the Royal Rakes series, Between a Rake and a Hard Place, which will be in stores in January 2014. For more information, please visit www.miamarlowe.com . 

You can also find Mia on Twitter and Facebook!  

The Historical Writer’s Dilemma: How Accurate Must You Be?

My guest is historical author, Anne Cleeland. Fascinating lady and one who writes an excellent tale of adventure, danger, spies, and suspense set in regency England. Today she shares some of her thoughts on research and writing historicals. 

I am lucky enough to have two series debuting this summer—and neither of them draws from personal experience. I’m a lifelong California native, but I’m writing a Regency adventure series and a British detective mystery series—that features an Irish heroine, no less. It almost goes without saying that precise accuracy will be abandoned in the interest of telling a good story, but how much license should be taken, and at what point do you run the risk of having the reader abandon your implausible ship?

There are no easy answers, but along the way I've attended a few panels on the knotty problem of how accurate you should be when writing historicals, so for those of you who read or write historical novels, I thought I’d pass along what I've gleaned.
 

In the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, neither Elizabeth Bennett nor Mr. Darcy wear gloves to the formal Netherfield ball—an omission that would have been unheard of at the time; both would have gone home rather than attend bare-handed. In Downton Abbey, one of the streets in the town has a double yellow line—not exactly Edwardian. The movie Braveheart tells us that the future Edward III was the product of a liaison between William Wallace and Isabella of France.  The problem is, Wallace was executed seven years before Edward was born, and Isabella of France was nine at the time Wallace was executed.

Are the stories any less compelling? The answer probably depends on your perspective. If you teach history—or are just a purist in general—these liberties are unacceptable and your disbelief is no longer suspended.  On the other hand, if you are not familiar with the era, you may not even notice these types of errors, but you may also come away with a distorted view of historical fact.   The trick to writing a story from an earlier time period is to find the right balance between dry-as-dust history and an engaging story, and how accurate you need to be—at least in my opinion—depends on your target readership.

If, for example, you are writing “hot” Regencies, strict accuracy is necessarily abandoned unless you write about the demi-monde, because nice young ladies didn't fool around (and were never given an opportunity, even if they were so inclined.)   I know some may want to argue about this point, but remember that Jane Austen served as a reporter at the scene, so to speak, and in her books it was a scandal if an unmarried woman wrote a letter to a man she was not yet engaged to. “Nice” women of the time were chaperoned within an inch of their lives until they were handed over to a husband with the correct pedigree.

So it seems that the question is not whether to take liberties with historical accuracy, it is how much liberty to take. My own rule of thumb is to never write anything that would “jolt” the average reader out of the story’s time frame—not the average history professor, just the average reader.

Here are some things to ask yourself: 

Link Opens to an other page.

   

• How much accuracy do you like to see from your favorite historical writers? Can you think of any other examples where an anachronism “jolted” you out of the story?

                                                                                          
                                                                                                                      

BUY: AMAZON, B&N,INDIE BOUND

TAINTED ANGEL Anne Cleeland

A Deadly Game of Deception...

Notorious and beautiful, Vidia Swanson works as an "angel," trying to coax incriminating secrets from powerful men who may or may not be traitors of the Crown. Her latest target is suspected of stealing gold from Wellington's troops, but matters take an alarming turn when Vidia realizes that her spymaster thinks she is the one who is tainted—a double agent working for Napoleon.

Backed into a corner, she can only hope to stay one step ahead of the hangman in a race to stop the next war before it destroys her—and destroys England. Tainted Angel offers up a compelling game of cat and mouse in which no one can be trusted and anyone can be tainted. EXCERPT 

"A world of spies and traitors where no one is quite what they seem and the truth is only true for a moment...a thrilling take that will keep you guessing until the very last page."—Victoria Thompson, author of Murder in Chelsea

                                                                                                                                                       



Anne Cleeland holds a degree in English from UCLA as well as a degree in law from Pepperdine University, and is a member of the California State Bar.  She writes a historical fiction series set in the Regency period as well as a contemporary mystery series set in New Scotland Yard.  A member of the Historical Novel Society and Mystery Writers of America, she lives in California and has four children.

MONDAY MUSINGS—SUSPENDING BELIEF

When you pick up a book or watch a movie a certain suspension of belief must take place to make the story real for you, the audience. The writer has to touch the audience’s emotions and make them care. Otherwise the world isn't real and you can’t buy into the characters, and therefore the story.

An audience is a tricky thing. While they willingly suspend belief when reading or watching a story, if the writer doesn't stick with the rules set out in the initial world building or the characters act contrary to those implied rules, your audience becomes irate. Writers, regardless of the medium, have to maintain a strong plot and character continuity especially in series. In a book, this is usually the point where I tend to toss the book across the room in disgust, “You have got to be frickin’ kidding me!”

My husband and I were having a discussion on the matter of suspending belief and writers, especially Hollywood writers, who have no regard or respect for their fans. Well, to be honest, it was more of a…heated debate.

As I mentioned last week, I've been watching the first season of Grimm. I really like it because it’s a mix of my favorite genres—police procedural, suspense, kick ass action, romance, paranormal, and a touch of fantasy. I’m a season behind Dan. I've actually seen parts of season two. I know more of what’s going on because when my husband gets disgusted with certain things writers pull, he has to tell me why something isn't working. 

Grimm season premiere promo

In season two of Grimm one of the main characters, Juliette, has lost her memories of Nick. This is a result of a spell. What is unsettling, to my husband, is the way the writers have changed the character’s core personality because it plays false to the original world and character building. 

Season one the writer’s spend quite a bit of time establishing Juliette as a strong and confident woman. She’s funny, feisty, supportive, and she’s likable. In season two she becomes a wimp and unlikable. If you read some of the show’s fan forums it’s apparent that Dan’s disgust is felt by many of the fans. They don’t like her anymore and they want her gone.

I suggested that part of the core change would understandable. If these two characters were living together for three years and their lives were so closely entwined, if separated it could leave her feeling out of sync —at least subconsciously. That sort of dichotomy could, logically, assault her sense of confidence and self worth and cause fear and other personality changes. She may not know what happened consciously but unconsciously pieces and sense of time are missing. Dan maintains there have been no foreshadowing or psychological clues of that sort of disorientation happening. He further maintains, as do many of the fans, that if she can remember everything but Nick, her basic personality should remain the same and have the benchmarks that would have drawn Nick to her in the first place.

I do understand his frustration. I've felt the same about popular shows. Like Lost (purgatory? Really?) and this season’s Bones. C’mon, this latest villain is a computer “genius” with more power and capability than is possible in the real world, even with a team of people at his disposal. The idea of one man having all that power, genius or no, is ludicrous. The writers have played false to the initial premise of their world building and the intelligence of their audience.

Star Trek wall poster

Another is Star Trek and the latest version of the stories for the last two movies. Basically, J.J. Walker has rewritten established franchise history. I've been a long time fan of the Star Trek franchise. I spent a great deal of the first movie thinking or saying to my husband, “wait a minute that never happened. How can they do that?”

What happened, of course, is Walker (with writers Orci and Kurtzman) created an alternate timeline version of Star Trek.  He made a choice to develop an alternate reality created by time travel. They needed the original story elements and characters (and fanbase) but wanted freedom from the franchise continuity constraints. Okay, I get it. It’s still disconcerting.  I can suspend belief under those circumstances.

Dan and I laughed midway through our debate over people in movies, TV shows, and books. These aren't real people and yet we discuss them as if they were. It’s all fiction and meant to entertain. Writers feel justified in taking leeway with established characters in the name of entertainment.

Howling Dane

Fans are a tough audience, though, and loyal. They feel betrayed when writers step out of sync with their favorite characters or world. When that happens, even if the story is good, they are distracted by the inconsistencies. They’re not buying into the story or the characters. Chances are the writer has lost not only the trust of their fans but also a portion of their established audience.

I don’t think that’s a place I’d like to be as a writer.

What are your thoughts?

WHEN COWBOYS START TALKING

 I love writing romance because it’s about emotions and relationships. Human nature hasn't changed a bit since Eve coveted the fruit in the Garden of Eden. - Carolyn Brown

My guest today is, New York bestselling romance author, Carolyn Brown. I absolutely adore Carolyn. She's funny, sassy, and even her self proclaimed evil streak makes me laugh. 

Carolyn always has a fun story to tell. What makes it even better is she writes some fun stories, too. Hot and sexy and filled with people so real I swear she's been visiting another dimensions as a fly on the wall. I know if I could just find that door I could go visit with these people. Haven't found the door, darn it, but I do have Carolyn visiting today to tell us how her latest series came about.

Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

I have voices in my head.

They showed up a few months ago and refused to leave. I’d just finished the last Spikes & Spurs book, and suddenly four cowboys took up residence in my head.

These cowboys were rich beyond imagination which was unusual. Most of the time when cowboys start talking to me, they’re just good old hard working ranchers, but not so this time. My first thought was that this was going to be a wild bunch who’d be hard to control and I decided that I wasn't going to pay any attention to them. The last thing I needed in my head was a bunch of unruly cowboys but they followed me around every where I went. The manager of the local grocery store aimed all the cameras in the store at me when I walked through the doors because I argued with the cowboys quite loudly in the store and things did get heated when they didn't get their way.

But hey, they insisted I buy such things as extra cocoa to make chocolate sheet cakes and blackberries for cobblers. Then I had to eat them because I couldn't bear to see good food go to waste. Which resulted in weight gain and none of my clothes would fit.

It came down to a choice. Write the story or get banned from the grocery store. And I do like to eat!

Finally, I sat down and said, “Okay, tell me your story and introduce me to those ladies you've been all moony-eyed over.”

OMG!

Now that I said I’d listen to their story, I had sexy cowboys in my dreams.

I ran out of hot flash pills in one week after Colton Nelson decided my dreams would be a good time to tell me all about how he became a billionaire. There he was in living color in those tight jeans, shirt sleeves rolled up to his bulging biceps…and believe me, my eyes had trouble staying above the big belt buckle.

I swear that cowboy sat on my pillow and whispered in my ear. And when he got to the spicy scenes about him and Laura, well, dear hearts, I blushed scarlet. Husband woke up and thought I had a hot fever and it took a fair amount of persuasion to keep him from rushing me to the hospital emergency room.

When I finished Billion Dollar Cowboy, I thought I’d have some peace and dreamless nights.

But Natalie brought her pink pistol and a baby boy named Joshua into my head. If I didn't tell the story then poor little baby Joshua was going to grow up without a father. Believe me, I've never worked with a more stubborn pig-headed cowboy than Lucas. He and I clashed horns on aisle five in the Wal-Mart store and I had to go back to the books, pick up a copy of my latest book, show them my photo ID and prove that I was really a romance author before they’d let me leave the store…without the straight jacket.

I finished The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby and declared I was taking a week off and going to the beach. Yeah, right! The first scene from The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride popped into my dreams. Thank goodness I wasn't in Wal-Mart because Greg thought Emily Cooper was a stripper and nothing would change his mind. Emily said I couldn't have a week off and leave her on the porch with a sexy cowboy who expected her to start taking her clothes off.  So I wrote while I watched the ocean waves slap against the sand.

The fourth cowboy said not to be even thinking of a vacation, that he and his twin daughters had been patient long enough. And besides there was that poor woman in a tattered wedding gown asleep on his porch. I had another choice. I could write How to Marry a Cowboy or I could take his daughters for the summer. I’d done already found out in the first three books that Lily and Gabby were a hand full so I started writing. The twins told me that if I didn't get on the ball they were bringing their tom cat and their two young goats to my house with them. Believe me! I wrote until the wee hours and I helped Annie Rose all I could so I didn't have to keep those two ornery girls.

The rough drafts were written. The store manager was happy. Wal-Mart was happy.

And then four more cowboys showed up! Shhhh…don’t tell anyone.

                                                                                                                                              

BUY: AMAZON, B&N,
WALMART

Billion Dollar Cowboy

A Billionaire Can Buy Anything...

Colton Nelson was twenty-eight years old when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. Now he's desperate to keep the gold diggers away. It shouldn't be too hard to find a pretty girl and hire her to pretend to be his one-and-only.

Or Can He?

Laura Baker's got mixed feelings about this—she's on the ranch to work, not to be arm candy. On the other hand, being stuck for a while in the boondocks with a gorgeous cowboy isn't half-bad.

What neither Colton nor Laura expects are the intensely hard lessons they have to learn about the real cost of love...Excerpt

                                                                                                                                           

THOUGHTS ON GRIMM AND 3 UP BLOG HOP

Grimm Title Card Wikipedia 

Have you watched Grimm?

Grimm, Season 2, just ended. I didn't watch it. My husband, on the other hand, has watched it faithfully since it debuted. I've caught bits and pieces but never watched an entire episode.

Dan was telling me about a particular episode. I was interested in his take on the episode and his thoughts about otherworldly creatures and the show. I like the clever premise of Grimm’s fairy tales being more of a profiling of different otherworldly creatures rather than stories written to entertain and the Grimm’s being enforcers or guardians protecting (mostly) humankind. Not that the original Grimm’s tales were light reading. They were pretty gruesome, actually.

“You like reading paranormal. I've seen your books and you read all about different otherworldly creatures. I think you’d like this series.”

I got to thinking about what he said. He’s correct. I do enjoy reading stories featuring shifters, vampires, and otherworldly creatures. I went to my Amazon Prime account and started streaming the first season. Dan’s correct. I do like the series. Oh, some of it gets a tad…hokey, but it’s a good premise. Even in books I like the idea of these types of creatures hiding in plain sight. I like the idea of the guardian being a police detective. I love some of the characters and Munroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is a favorite of mine and I love the humor between Nick (David Giuntoli) and Munroe. I also love Hank (Russell Hornsby) personality, humor, and his caring heart. He ain't bad to look at either. J

 

There is a nice blend of humor (some have cracked me up), suspense, danger, romance, and a touch of horror. I’m the first to admit I don’t like horror. I will also say that the pilot (and a few other episodes) made me squeal like a girl and with enough volume to have hubs dashing in to see what was wrong and then laughing his head off at my expense.

There’s a difference in reading something paranormal and watching paranormal. Film relies on the use of special effects, combined with sound and movement and the timing of those aspects, designed to startle the viewer. Color me startled. Sheesh.

I’m only part way through the first season but I know I’ll be joining Dan in watching the third season. Have I mentioned my husband is a bit diabolical?

                                                                                                                                                     

Randi Lee, of The Emotional Process of Writing , not only has a very nice blog but came up with an interesting blog hop called 3UP! This is where you are partnered up with another blogger and you tell 3 nice things about the blog. My partner is Tara and Jason Argue About Movies I can’t say they actually argue so much as have a mild debate now and then. I hadn't visited this blog before. I did a bit of exploring. Here’s three things I like:

• They love movies. They've seen far more movies than I have and some they mention I've never heard of. It’s not about a movie review as much as their take on the characters, storyline, and the redeeming features of even bad movies.

• I enjoyed reading all of their A-Z entries. I found them fun and entertaining. I liked the personal point of view for each. The article, Mists Of Avalon, by Tara, was very interesting. Her views, on prominent women of legend, written by men and therefore slanted, were spot on. “influence of patriarchy strongly interprets even the most progressive telling of events..”

          I also liked the sense of fun in Jason’s articles and like his little digs at Tara’s movie             choices (they both fling little digs at each other). 

• I enjoyed watching some of the You Tube scenes and the character aspects shown in the little moving sketches, plus they chose some goofy overlay of songs—okay, I had to shake my head and laugh over the one with Thor and Loki. But I admire how they think out their subjects and then present it.

Hope you're enjoying your week and had some fun over Memorial Day weekend. I enjoyed my time off and the break from the blogging merry-go-round. I needed it. 

• Any TV series suggestions? What do you like about them?

HEALTHY AND WISE: STAYING PRODUCTIVE

Staying healthy isn't always easy in today’s world, is it? Most of us work at a desk, have tight schedules, we’re stressed, out of shape and/or overweight, we don’t get enough sleep, and healthy eating is a adding lettuce and tomato to that burger. An exercise routine is either a New Year resolution forgotten on January 2^nd, or is reduced to running for the bus or to the car on our way to yet another appointment.

No wonder we’re tired, cranky, or sick.

A sedentary lifestyle is not good for anyone, regardless of age or occupation. It takes effort on our part to change the pattern and make choices to keep us healthy. This doesn't necessarily mean we have to change everything at once but analyzing our patterns and incorporating gradual changes will help clear the way to a healthier you.

I've learned the hard way that getting healthy and staying healthy takes effort and some of the necessary choices require dedication to maintain. Like millions of men and women in the workforce I have to juggle my family, a ranch with animals, social media, and creative writing with my employment. I don’t have an office to commute to daily; I work a virtual office job from home. My job entails sitting, whether I’m answering phones or doing contract writing. Deadlines (stress) are a way of life. Here are some things that helped me.

I need energy and a clear mind. This means I need to get plenty of sleep. I can assure you that is easier said then done. Writing to deadlines tends to make for some late nights. I make sure that I space those late nights with three solid nights of eight or nine hours of sleep. Sleep is vital to good health and being able to function properly. If I don’t get enough sleep I’m going to be running on empty by mid afternoon and cranky, tired, stressed, and not productive. I also tend to schedule some nap time after lunch to refresh me. Burning the candles at both ends every day never healthy or wise.

Drink plenty of water. Your body performs best when it’s properly hydrated. I’ll be the first to tell you that I love coffee and always have, but I usually drink a couple of cups in the morning and depending upon my mood, a one in the afternoon or in the evening. Caffeine has never worked to keep me awake it tends to quiet my mind and calm me rather than keep me awake.  However, I always have bottled water on my desk. I drink at least two thirty-six-ounce bottles a day. Water keeps me fresh and alert. If you don’t like the taste of water try adding a slice or lime or lemon to your water bottle.

FYI: caffeine and sugary sports drinks might give some a boost in energy, but they aren’t a substitute for sleep or water. Neither is healthy in large doses. Put the Red Bull away. J

Choose healthy food. I always eat something for breakfast. For me that means a good cereal with fruit and almonds or an omelet. I have food allergies so there are many foods (especially processed foods) out there I can’t eat—like wheat and some whole grains. Since I can’t eat whole wheat I tend to choose potato or combo of gluten free flours but sparingly. I tend to eat more protein and rely on fruit and vegetables for my carbs. Lunch is always light.

Research shows our circadian rhythm is at a low point between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and so one is normally a bit tired about then. If you eat a heavy meal or high carbs at lunch it tends to make you even drowsier because blood and oxygen is diverted from your brain to your digestive track. I find high protein/low carb to be the best lunch for a productive afternoon. My snacks, when I have them, are usually fruit or veggies. I love celery (or apple slices) with peanut butter. These types of snacks tend to boost my energy rather than deplete it like chocolate, cake, and cookies.

Exercise. It’s good for the body and brain. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that energize your mood, relieve stress, boost your self-esteem, and trigger an overall sense of well-being.

I walk. Not as much as I should but I’m working on that. I've been known to put on a fast paced dance song and dance. Most dance songs are maybe five minutes? Gets my blood moving and my heart pumping. I also do stretches. Stretching throughout the day can help reduce pain and pressure on your muscles that often accompanies sitting for long periods.

I do light exercise after eating. It will help get your blood flowing and will help to ward off fatigue. At lunch I try to get outside (regardless of the season) in the sunshine for ten-fifteen minutes and breathe in the air and soak up the vitamin D.

Staying healthy and productive isn't always easy especially when we we’re stuck behind a desk for long periods of time everyday. But, it is do-able with some planning.

• What’s helped you stay healthy and productive each day?