Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Giveaway and Guest Blog: Ami Blackwelder, The Mers



I'm so excited to give away two ebook copies of The Mers by Ami Blackwelder! Just leave a comment at the end of this post with your email to be entered!

Ami also has a great guest post for us today:

Anyone else have neck pains?

Neck pain can be caused by a variety of activities. How we sit at our computers. Stress. Lifting heavy things. Car accidents.

I was asked to write a guest blog for this stop and well neck pains are on my mind. Anyone else have these? I often carry my stress in my shoulders and in my neck and when I have to go through something stressful the pain often intensifies. The initial pain was caused when I served in the military, but since then the pain is triggered on and off through-out my life.

I write a lot and have to use my computer to promote my work as well and so this also contributes to my shoulder/neck pain.

What can be done to help?

While in Asia I did try acupuncture and that temporarily alleviated the sharp knife-like pains. The needle pricking into you at first is strange, but then it feels good. Like a good pain if that makes sense. You have to find someone who really knows what they are doing and definitely check out the sanitation of the place beforehand. There are some acupuncturists in the states, but I haven't been to one here yet.

Massages are always useful, but they can be expensive. As with acupuncture, you'll probably only need one per month. I used to take Thai massages in Thailand once a month to keep my shoulders and neck in check. I worked with 35 kids per class. 2 different classrooms. That often brought a lot of stress, but it was very rewarding.

Now I'm trying a muscle relaxer before bed. My neck has gotten much better. I also suffer from some TMJ and grinding of my teeth…so the relaxer helps a lot. I still miss my Thai massages, but I guess American remedies will have to do for now.

For anyone with similar problems, if you are afraid of acupuncture…I recommend finding a massage parlor you can stick to regularly. There are some that only charge about $50-$100 per session. Once a month would help erase some of that tension and take away the stress built into your shoulders and neck.

But if you can't afford massages or acupuncture, muscle relaxers might do the trick. They are not expensive, but you do need a doctor's prescription.

I can say I am having much better sleep now, so thanks to modern medicine.

If you need a diversion from your pain or from your life, please check out my books at
http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com


“Ami Blackwelder is a Romantic Suspense author with a Unique Voice and Unpredictable Plots.”




Synopsis:


Book 1 Mer Chronicles

What lies beneath the surface?

One hundred years from now, the world has changed and brought with it, new forms of life.

Who are the Mers? Who is Mira?

Mira always knew she was different. Growing up with Mers, she never quite fit in. When Mira breaks the rules and takes Niren across the border that divides Ellis Island and New Jersey, a border that divides two vastly different worlds, she thought the journey to find out who she really is would be an easy one.

But as the world in Jersey proves to be a convoluted mix of Aristocrats who hate the Mers, Pirates who want to sell them, and Magi who want to use them...finding her true identity will be a challenge, especially when her best friend Niren is a Mer willing to fight to the death.

About the Author:




About The Author:

Ami Blackwelder is a forbidden romance writer in the paranormal, scifi, and historical genres. Growing up in Florida, she went to UCf and in 1997 received her BA in English and teaching credentials. She travelled overseas to teach in Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Korea. Thailand is considered her second home now. She has always loved writing and wrote poems and short stores since childhood; however, her novels began when she was in Thailand. She also wrote three nonfiction spiritual books at this time.

Acheivements:

In university, having won the Best Fiction Award from the University of Central Florida (Yes, The Blair Witch Project University;), her fiction From Joy We Come, Unto Joy We Return was published in the on campus literary magazine: Cypress Dome and remains to this day in University libraries around the country. Later, she achieved the Semi-Finals in a Laurel Hemingway contest and published a few poems in the Thailand’s Expat magazine, and an article in the Thailand’s People newspaper. Additionally, she has published poetry in the Korea’s AIM magazine, the American Poetic Monthly magazine and Twisted Dreams Magazine.

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