Tag Archives: Avelynn

A Writer's Musings, B, Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day

Balance – ABCs of a Passionate Life

Leave a comment

Balance by Marissa Campbell

Can too much of a good thing really be bad?

Chocolate? Perish the thought.

Time with good friends? Never.

Shopping? Say it isn’t so!

Yet, I am loath to say that yes, indeed, too much of anything isn’t good. We need balance. A little of this, a sampling of that, a pinch of something old, a smidge of something new. Taken all together it creates a wonderful harmony, a delicious symmetry in life.

Too much work causes stress. Too much worry and fear leads to disease. Too much blood, sweat, and toil leads to disillusionment and dissatisfaction. There must be time to enjoy ourselves, to stop and smell the roses. To nap, to read, to play. There must be passion and motivation to drive us toward our dreams but we must seek to find a work ethic that maximizes efficiency yet allows ample time for relaxation.

The most disheartening word I hear often is ‘guilt.’ We feel guilty if we take time for ourselves. We feel we should be doing something else—slaving toward financial freedom, toiling toward the next rung on the corporate ladder, striving and struggling for the bigger house, the prestige, the title, the coin. Ambition is a wonderful thing, but not at the expense of our souls, our life force, our passion, and our enjoyment of life, with all its wondrous experiences waiting for us to savour.

Yes Man with Jim Carrey is a wonderful movie, filled with inspiration. A reminder that fantastic things happen when we stop trying and just let life happen, giving into the moment, allowing ourselves to experience. I try and say yes to each new opportunity that flows my way, not worrying about why they are presenting themselves. If it is something I am interested in, or find entertaining, I will usually give in to the experience, and rarely am I disappointed. While I appreciate, I can’t spend every waking moment smelling the roses, I make sure to grab each opportunity as it arises and make space for the unexpected and pleasurable.

Take a nap. Read a book. Go for a walk. Dance in your living room. Laugh over lunch with a friend. Put the work down. Breathe. Live. Enjoy. Relish a quiet moment. Break the mold. Rebellion is exhilarating. 🙂

In gratitude,
Marissa xo

A, A Writer's Musings, Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day

ABCs of a Passionate Life – Awesome!

Leave a comment
An Awesome Life by Marissa Campbell
An Awesome Life by Marissa Campbell

To take my one-word-a-post concept even further, I’m going to attempt to go through the entire alphabet, highlighting the keys to an abundant, passionate life one word at a time. And to start this crazy train off right, I’m picking the word: Awesome.

I love the word awesome. I remember meeting someone who said that awesome was overused. He complained that we had lost the original meaning of the word and it was just superfluous. Bummer, man. Seriously.

Here’s what my tried and true, 1977 edition of The Living Webster has to say: Awesome: Inspiring awe; as, an awesome display of talent; characterized by awe. Now let’s flash forward a few years to my 2006 edition of the Oxford Canadian Dictionary: Awesome: 1. Inspiring awe; 2. slang excellent.

Great, fantastic, excellent, wonderful . . . these are all good, but awesome? That hits the spot. It’s a simple word expressing supreme awesomeness!

“How do you feel today?”

“I feel awesome!”

“How was the concert?”

“Totally awesome!”

“What kind of day would you like to have?”

“I’d like to have a lovely day.” or

“I’d like to have a wonderful day?” or perhaps

“I’d like to have a wicked, totally freaking awesome day today!”

Even if we added all the adverbs to lovely, wonderful, or great, it just doesn’t have the same ring to it. And who’s to say we have lost the original meaning of the word? I’d love each day to inspire and create awe in me. I’d love to be blown away by life, in awe of each moment. I want my life to be most excellent, dude. I want it to be freaking awesome!

Far from being overused, this word isn’t used nearly enough. Why? Because most people don’t feel awesome every day of their lives. We get too bogged down in expectations and demands. We force ourselves to fit into other people’s visions for us, to allow their judgements to influence our behaviours and our choice of words, clothes, actions, careers, music, etc. We can’t be awesome when we are giving up our authenticity, or our passions and dreams. There’s no room for awesome there.

Awesome stems from being enlivened by life, by allowing our passions and dreams, our goals and desires a place to grow and flourish. When we allow others to tamp down our vitality, it’s very difficult to find awe in our daily lives, to find awe in each moment. But if we plant our feet firmly on the passionate path, staying true to what makes us happy, being honest with ourselves and others when we explain what we need and what we want out of our relationships, careers, etc., we will find that life can and should be totally awesome.

In gratitude,

Marissa xo

A Writer's Musings, Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day

A Passionate Life

Leave a comment

 

A Passionate Life
A Passionate Life

Years ago I started a little blog over at www.lifelivinginfulfillmenteveryday.com to help celebrate the wonderful message in my book Life. But it’s really hard to juggle two blogs at a time, so from this point forward, all things Marissa Campbell will be held in a nice, neat, and convenient place: here. 🙂

When I started on the path to writing Life, I had a plan. I wanted to live a passionate life. I wanted to feel the wondrous love of living. I wanted to experience the delicious scoop-full of vitality in my daily life. Part of the quandary was recognizing and appreciating what I already had, another part was looking for new and unique ways to bring more joy and fun into my life.

My philosophy is simple. Follow what feels good to you, what feels right. This cannot be done in a vacuum, we have to be considerate of other people’s feelings, but we also have to be considerate to our own and live our life authentically, being true to who we are and what we need and want. There must always be compassion for others as we embark on this passionate path, but we cannot compromise ourselves in the process.

As I sallied forth into this gloriously passionate life, I figured I would reflect and blog about things that I have experienced or insights I’ve had. I’ve tweaked and messaged my original idea and have come up with a new concept. Going forward, I will pick a word and expound upon it, and in my own unique and humble way, I’ll give you the nitty-gritty on feeling giddy. 🙂

Stayed tuned, and join me in a passionate life!

In gratitude,

Marissa xo

 

 

Avelynn

Let's Make a Deal!

Leave a comment
New Historical Fiction by Marissa Campbell
New Historical Fiction by Marissa Campbell

I am thrilled to announce that Avelynn will be published in the fall of 2015 by St. Martin’s Press imprint Thomas Dunne Books. Gratitude and much love and respect to my wonderful agent, Margaret Bail, of  Inklings Literary Agency.

As a reminder, here’s a little ditty all about Avelynn. Can’t wait to see it on the shelves!

Avelynn wants equality. She wants love, respect, and the freedom to choose her life and follow her pagan faith. Unfortunately, she lives in Anglo-Saxon England.

It is the year 869, and Somerset has flourished under twenty years of peace. But with the whisper of war against the Vikings threatening their security, Avelynn’s father makes an uncompromising decision forcing her into a betrothal with Demas, a man who only covets her wealth and status.

As tension mounts between her unwavering convictions and Demas’s ambitions, Avelynn stumbles into a passionate affair with Alrik the Bloodaxe, a Viking warlord. In a summer of awakening passion, Avelynn finds the love and respect she craves, while Demas’s tactics to possess her become more desperate and increasingly brutal.

Avelynn challenges the country’s most powerful men, disregards the Christian church, leads an army into battle, and faces Alrik on the battlefield. Passion and desire come at a high cost and through her inexorable choices and actions, Avelynn risks losing everything she values most.

Set within the social and political turmoil of Alfred the Great’s England, Avelynn brings the Dark Ages to light and illuminates one woman’s passionate struggle to fight for what she believes in.

Join me for a wonderful journey into ninth century England and on the road to publishing!

In gratitude,

Marissa xo

 

Avelynn

Vikings are Sexy!

Leave a comment
Raven's Blood by Marissa Campbell
Raven’s Blood by Marissa Campbell

A little Viking foreplay … a peak from Raven’s Blood … Enjoy 😀

By the time the wine was finished, I was feeling warm and languid. “You’ve been to Francia and Ireland … but where is home?”

“I am from Västergarn, Gotland, an island off the eastern coast of Sweden. My Grandfather is Jarl there.” He leaned against the log, the fire between us. “And you are from England.”

“I live a day’s ride from here. It was quite the adventure to meet you this evening.” I proceeded to tell him about Ealhswith and her daring plan to help me with my deception.

“I am forever in her debt.” He poked the fire with a stick, sending a procession of hot, orange embers floating upwards. “I hadn’t thought of the means necessary for you to meet me. I was focused solely on what it took to make my way back to you.”

It hadn’t occurred to me there would be challenges for him either, but I felt rather pleased with the notion that he had gone to some length to see me again. “What could possibly stop a Viking from getting what he wants?”

The distance between us evaporated, and he pulled me onto his lap, my skirt rucked up to my waist, his intentions hard and clear beneath me.

“Nothing,” he said and proved it.

A Writer's Musings

Bennet and Associates

Leave a comment

 

Bennet and Associates, writing by Marissa Campbell
Bennet and Associates, writing by Marissa Campbell

It could have been the way her voice poured over him like cream, or the way Mr. Bennet lapped it up, all but purring and rubbing against her calves, but Tom froze. Three HB number 2 pencils gripped in his left hand, a package of White 96 Bright, 20-lb. Bond paper in his right. He had stepped into the stationary closet to retrieve them, but when his boss walked in the break room with her, he had been unable to leave.

This is my response to the writing prompt … “An employee overhears a conversation between co-workers and is not happy with what he hears.” I had  a lot of fun with this one. 🙂 Please be warned there are a few swear words in the following paragraphs, so if you are sensitive please feel free to enjoy another post.

He peered through the small crack in the door, pushing up his glasses with the back of his left hand. They were sitting at the table now, steaming coffee in front of them, “Bennet and Associates” in white capital letters on the smooth black surfaces of each mug.

“I’ll be making the announcement about the Vice Presidency this week,” Bennet said.

She leaned toward him, her posture, her smile directed only at him. “Perhaps, I can sway the decision?”

Tom watched her red painted toenails leave the confines of her black stiletto and travel up and under Bennet’s pant leg.

“I think we can discuss this in more detail tonight, over dinner,” Bennet said.

She slipped her foot back into the shoe and stood, resting a French manicured hand on Bennet’s shoulder.  “I’d like that.” Her fingernails trailed along the back of his neck as she walked away.

Tom pressed his back against the shelves, his breath shallow and fast, his heart clawing at his breast. Her shadow passed. He gripped the pencils tight, the edges pressing into his palm.

He chanced another look. Bennet stood and adjusted his grey woolen trousers, a hungry smile fixed on his foolish face. She was just using him, the slut. Couldn’t Bennet see that?

Tom had been in line for that promotion, working his ass off, and for what? For that upstart little bitch to steal it from him? He had worked here eighteen years. Eighteen goddamn years. And her? One. One fucking year.

He pressed his back against the shelves as Bennet passed, then slipped out of the closet. He walked over to the table and looked down at the coffee mugs. He put the paper down, placing the pencils carefully on top so that they didn’t roll, then ran a finger over the bright red lip stick, a perfect imprint of her filthy mouth.

An image flashed in his mind. Those bright toenails severed, her swollen lips wrapped around the barrel of his gun. He smiled and adjusted his grey woolen trousers. There was so much to do before dinner.