Coach Cassandra Rae

Alex the novelist

Dear Alex ~

I don’t know exactly why I’m writing this here on my blog.  I just am.  And I wonder if it was inspired by this beautiful tribute post.  You know what? It doesn’t really matter why…

A few years ago you gave me a manuscript to read.  I’ve always thought of it as the Dearest Rook manuscript as those are the first two words of the prologue.  Anyway, I never read it.  I don’t know why {I’m sensing a theme here.}  I just didn’t.  In fact, I’ve moved it around from pile to pile of paper in my office until finally it made its home in an upright paper organizer on my desk just behind my laptop.  Whenever I gaze off into la-la land to give my mind a break I often rest my eyes on “Dearest Rook.”

Well, this afternoon while I was waiting for my computer to reboot I rediscovered your manuscript.  Before thinking about it, I picked it up and read the first paragraph.  And there was simply no way I could put it down after that juicy adventure of an introduction.  I have now spent the last hour reading every single word, sentence, and suggestion {there are notes in the sidebar.}

One of the final notes written about your manuscript was “very good” and I must passionately disagree.

It’s not very good.

Alex, it’s beautiful.

No, that’s not the right description.

It’s amazing.

No, that doesn’t sum it up either.

Alex, it’s literary.

It’s genius.

It’s literary genius!

And I *LOVE* it.

You are a master at crafting words to create a vibrant and very real scene in the reader’s eye complete with physical and emotional sensations.  You are a magical story teller.

I’m so sorry that I didn’t take the time to see this when you initially gave me the manuscript.  I can only trust that right now, today is the absolute perfect time for me to realize that you are a talented writer.  This is print worthy fiction and I am dying to know how the first 3 chapters fit together in the bigger picture of the novel, how the characters meet one another, if Yuri is murdered, how Edwin comes to believe, if Jennifer lives, and so much more.

Alex, it is no coincidence that you now work in a library surrounded by books.  I know that you are meant to write, to be published, and to be a part of a library long after you’ve physically left this world.  You are talented beyond description.  And you don’t have to wait to become a writer.  You already are one.

Please write more.  And if you’ve already written more of the Dearest Rook manuscript please send me a copy.

I love you.

~ Tia

Tags: advice, career, Family, inspiration, Relationships, talent, tribute

Oh my god. This very well might be my most frightening moment since beginning the 100 Things I Fear challenge.  I am quite frankly shivering with fear and excitement.

You see, I received $5 of Borders Bucks.  I know, that in and of itself isn’t frightening at all.  But, just wait until you hear what I did with it.

I bought this book…

…and even before I purchased it I felt the power of it.  I held it in my hands.  Turned it over.  Read a few phrases.  And immediately began talking myself out of buying it.  There were so many good reasons to put it back:

I have countless books I haven’t read yet.

I’m behind in the blogging book club for The Joy Diet.

When am I going to have time to read?

I’m already in the middle of Convos with God book 2.

I shouldn’t spend more money on books – this is becoming an addiction.

And yet, despite all the very well-thought-out-reasons to put this book back and pass it up….I bought it.  I did it.  And now there is no turning back.  Its message is already humming in my heart.  Its power coursing through my veins.  I want to run and hide.  But, I want my dreams to come true too.  I want to put my talents out there.  I want my thoughts to become intentional things.  I want to lead the way.

Oy, and that pesky voice of fear says, “Put it away.  Don’t read this book.  You don’t need it.  You can do anything you want on your own.”

Well, you know what, fear?  I’m not going to run away.  And nothing you can say will stop me from reading this book, absorbing it, and putting it into practice.  I’m done saying, “It can’t happen to me,” and “That’s too big for me,” because:

It can happen to me.

It’s not too big for me.

I can publish a New York Times Bestseller.

I can travel the world spreading the Simply Fearless message.

In fact, I am a New York Times Bestseller author.

And I do travel the world spreading the Simply Fearless message.

There simply isn’t any way you can stop this from happening because it’s already happened.  The path is paved.  The rewards are there.  And I get to take one step at a time towards it and through it.

Life is glorious right now.  The process is perfect.  What a grand adventure.  I am the luckiest person on the planet.

Now step aside.

Thank you.

Tags: 100 Things I Fear, books, courage, fear, Infinite Possibilities, Mike Dooley, success

This is one of the best self-discovery books I’ve read and it’s all about “creating the work you love.” She poses this powerful question:

If you’re this successful doing work you don’t love, what could you do with work you do love?

If this question stirs something within you, then I invite you to stop reading this blog post, take out your journal, and write about it.

The really cool thing about this book is that Tama shares so openly about her journey. She tells the truth about the ups and downs of leaving the “comfort” of a socially-praised career in order to follow her heart. I found it inspiring and so helpful even though it wasn’t filled with worksheets for the reader to use. But, it is filled with poetic and wise words. I’ve known for quite some time that when an author has hit a deep understanding of a topic that she can write in a concise and simple way. This is one of those books with an added poetic bonus.

As a life coach, I pick up self-discovery books all the time. In fact, I have a library of ones that I haven’t had a chance to read yet. Lots of times I begin, get distracted, and haven’t returned to them yet. Well, this particular book I bought because Tama was a guest speaker at my spiritual community The Center for Spiritual Living in San Jose and after listening to her message my 16 year old daughter asked me to buy it. That right there says leaps and bounds about the power of this book.

Learn more about Tama Kieves on her website at AwakeningArtistry.com

Tags: Book Reviews, books, cancer, change, courage, fear, inspiration, job, Life Coaching, life purpose, transformation

What a fun and fast read! Ever since I read the Twilight series I’ve been devouring all sorts of vampire books. I had no idea there were so many! This one was definitely catchy. Yeah, there were some parts that were kinda hokey, but the writing was sharp. I could see all the action clearly in my mind and I didn’t get the numerous characters confused.

Surprisingly enough there is some great advice in this book for parents of teens. Sometimes it’s easier to see into the life of a teen who isn’t your child. There’s less of an edge to it. I really liked this part when the main character talked about wanting her mom to simply wrap her arms around her and tell her it’s okay. As parents, we have a tendency to make it a lot harder than it is. The truth is a simple hug and a few words of encouragement go a long way.

One of my other favorite parts is when the leader of the vampyre high school told the fledglings who were going through the change to live their life to the absolute fullest as if today was their last (partly because they really could die at any time – sometimes their body rejected the change) because if they did die, then they would leave behind a great legacy and if they didn’t die, then they had already created a solid foundation for potentially centuries of greatness. How cool is that? What great advice!

Tags: advice, Book Reviews, books, Family, life purpose, Parenting, teen

I met Debbie Ford in San Francisco earlier this year as she was preparing for her movie debut.  She has a phenomenal message and I highly recommend this book:

This book shines a bright light of awareness into the dark corners of your heart, mind and soul.  Yes, it asks you to look where you probably don’t want to look.  In fact, you’ve probably spent most of your life running from these parts of yourself.  And that’s exactly why Debbie Ford asks you to go there:

Because you cannot live a fulfilling, purpose-driven life while you deny and hide any part of yourself.

I know, it sucks.  But, it’s true.  And this book will guide you through the grueling process step-by-step.  I recommend that you read this book with a partner.  Let me know if you’re up for it, because I wouldn’t mind reading it again.  Wait.  I haven’t actually finished it all the way through.  Yeah, I guess I need the support of a partner.  Like I said, let me know if you’re up for this and we can read it together.

Tags: Book Reviews, books, courage, Debbie Ford, fear, humanity, inspiration, life purpose, support

This book wil NOT teach you new parenting skills and strategies.  It will give you a comprehensive understanding of a potentially boring and dry topic (brain development) in an interesting and readable way.  The author (a health and medical science editor) weaves in personal stories with facts and research findings about the teenage brain, which makes this non-fiction book a page turner.

The bottom line is that the human brain is under major construction (some might even say destruction!) during the teen years and if you’re frustrated with your teen’s inability to think things through ahead of time, then stop judging your teen and your parenting skills and read this book.  This is ground-breaking news that every parent should know because it will change how you look at your teen and your expectations.  Add this knowledge to your parenting toolbox today.

p.s. There is also some interesting information about the toddler brain in this book, so if you have babies and young children I highly recommend you read this book too.  Besides the more you know before your child is a tween and teen, the better off you are!

Tags: Book Reviews, books, brain, health, Parenting, teen, tween

Michael Port says, “The single most important act of any one individual thinking big is inspiring others to think big.

Truth be told, sometimes it’s easier to help others to think big than to do it ourselves. And here is the gift of thinking big… the process of helping others is what builds our confidence and increases our capacity for doing big things in the world.

So today, as a big thinker I very respectfully and humbly request that you tell 3 people about the Think Big Manifesto.

Together, we can make the world a better place. Together, we can make history. Here’s the link to Amazon.com for The Think Big Manifesto:”

And so while I was online buying the Think Big Manifesto I also picked up:

And in order to get “free” shipping I also bought:

Tags: books

You know that I love to post about God and spirituality. Well, if you like these topics too, then you absolutely must read The Shack by William P. Young.  It offers an incredibly unique perspective about God, religion, and our relationships with both.  Plus, it’s literary!  It’s very well-written and the story is super intriguing – it’s about a father who’s daughter has been brutally murdered.  Don’t worry I didn’t give anything away!  The reader knows up front about the daughter, but it’s still a mysterious read.  You’ve gotta read this book…in fact, even if you don’t believe in God.  No wait, especially if you don’t believe in God!

For those of you who are regulars here, then you know that I’ve grappled with Christianity a lot in my lifetime.  Well, this book has inspired me to look at Christianity in a whole new light and believe me, that is huge!

Here, I’ll make it real easy for you to buy the book on-line.  Here’s a direct link to it on Amazon.com:

Happy Reading!

Tags: Book Reviews, church, God, religion, spirituality

I personally *LOVE* this novel. In fact, it is definitely one of my all-time favs. Total two thumbs up and 5 stars. The writing was superb. There wasn’t a single wasted word. I loved the pace and created an instant “movie in my head” from the very first page. The story was vivid and I love May. This felt like a novel that was alive – the story took shape through the characters who I genuinely cared about. Fergus did an amazing job writing so many female characters. In the back of my copy, he shared about how writing women characters allows him to step farther outside of himself as opposed to writing male characters.

Description from jimfergus.com
“One Thousand White Women begins with May Dodd’s journey west into the unknown. A government program, in which women are brought west as brides for the Cheyenne, is her vehicle. What follows is the story of May’s adventures: her marriage to Little Wolf, chief of the Cheyenne nation, and her conflict of being caught between two worlds, loving two men, living two lives. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.”

Tags: book club, Book Reviews, books

Total thumbs up for Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert!

Before I became self-employed I used to read a ton of fiction and being involved in a book club was mandatory. I simply loved talking about books and connecting with others.

Back in 2005 when I went back to school to become a life coach and founded my own practice I completely let go of fiction and book club. I delved into non-fiction like never before. In fact, before this time in my life I used to say things like, “I hate non-fiction!” But, I discovered that I loved dissecting humanity and universal questions like, “Why am I here?” and “What the heck am I meant to be doing because I hate my career?!”

Anyhow, fast forward 3 years and I discovered that I missed reading fiction and being a part of a book club. So I got together with a friend of mine and asked her if she wanted to start a book club together. She agreed and we founded the Bellano Book Club (we meet at Bellano Coffee half way in between our homes). So once a month I plan on posting a book review here based on the books we are reading.

Last month we read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. What a phenomenal read! It is the true story of a woman who took a year off to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia to reconnect with herself. Basically, she was a miserably successful woman who was so confused about her misery that she traveled the world to figure it out. And boy did she ever! She writes so candidly about experiences that probably all of us go through, but rarely ever talk about it. And she shares openly about all of her messy feelings, relationships, and short-comings. Needless to say, it was a refreshing read! I highly recommend it to everyone – male and female alike even though this book could easily be categorized a “chick book” – because she really let’s us look into the heart, mind, and soul of the modern day woman. Both genders can benefit from that!

p.s. We have an on-line forum for our book club and that would be awesome if you joined us. You can check out all the books we’ve read, create a profile, and join in the discussion. To join, click here. It’s free to join, but it is a private forum and you must be approved for membership.

Tags: book club, Book Reviews, books, Eat Pray Love