I am delighted to welcome Linn B Halton to Rachel's Random Reads today, and she is going to be talking to us about horoscopes, which feature in her books Under The Stars, and Quintessentially Yours.
Okay – horoscopes are fun, but what if you take them a little more seriously?
I believe coincidences and luck are not as random as many people seem to believe. I have found that my forecasts constantly give me advance warning as each new step (or coincidence) takes me along the path I’m travelling. It began towards the end of 2008 when my forecasts started to hint at a growing interest in the esoteric things in life and then came references to a major change in direction for me that would give vent to my creative side – writing a book was one example given by renowned astrologer, Jonathan Cainer. At that time I was an interior designer and I remember laughing and thinking ‘one day, not for quite a few years though …’
Then everything changed overnight for me as my lovely mum became ill and I gave up my career to look after her. Within three months she tragically passed away and instead of going back to work, I began writing. And what was my forecast saying at that time?
This transit of Uranus will find you will be entering a period when expressing yourself becomes very important. Vital Mars and impulsive Uranus combine to inject you with flashes of energy that simply must make their mark in the world. During this period you will have at your disposal much larger amounts of energy with which to assert yourself. Now you will be able to do things that you thought you would never have dared to do. You will be able to make yourself heard too amongst people with whom you would not usually associate. Freedom and the right for you to do as YOU want for a change will become of paramount importance to you.
What I've learnt after following Jonathan Cainer’s forecasts (for over twenty years now) is that the effects of planetary alignments on what happens in my day-to-day life, is very strong, and real. If Jonathan tells me that it’s not a good time to do something, then I hold off. If he indicates that the planets are signalling great opportunities coming my way, then I make the most of it and consider things that, sometimes, will take me outside of my comfort zone. Above all, it’s helpful and comforting. If I have a disastrous day, Jonathan has usually forewarned me and somehow it doesn’t feel quite so bad, knowing that it was always going to be ‘one of those day’.
Strange? Yes, maybe, but (in my opinion) no stranger than the fact that the rotation of the Earth, Moon, Sun, Jupiter, and other planets, have a real effect on the tides on earth …
One thing life has taught me, is that it’s much richer if you approach everything with an open mind.
Thank you so much Linn for this thought provoking post on the subject of horoscopes. I'm not convinced they do much for me, but I completely accept they do provide comfort for many people, or else they wouldn't be so popular.
Katherine Dale lives her life according to her daily horoscope forecast. Having recently hit forty, Katherine is living with her partner, James Kingman, and their delightful little six-month-old daughter, Leyla. James is an up-and-coming name in astrology and that’s how they met. At a party to celebrate the publication of Katherine’s first novel, James was about to propose when Katherine announced the news that she was expecting a baby. ‘Ask me later, when I can fit into my dream dress’ she’d told him.
Wind forward thirteen months and while there is an engagement ring on Katherine’s finger, James still can’t mention the ‘m’ word. Leyla suffers from colic and won’t settle into any semblance of a routine. The lack of sleep is taking its toll on them all. James is at his wits’ end trying to cope with his increasing workload, while handling a hormonal woman who feels like an abject failure. And then there’s his boss, who has designs – on him
With feline help from No. 4, plus a little timely advice from old postman Tom and neighbour Ed, can James and Katherine’s love for each other survive all of the challenges that life is throwing at them? Will there ever be time to plan that dream wedding?
Bristol-born Linn B. Halton lives in the small village of Lydbrook, which nestles on the edge of the Forest of Dean, in the UK. She resides there with her husband and feline with 'catitude'- Mr Tiggs.
Linn began writing in March 2009 and her debut novel was published in February 2011. In a recent interview Linn was asked about genres:
"From a very young age I knew romantic fiction was always going to be my genre. I am, and will always be, madly in love with love! Whether that's love of life, a partner, or the things I'm passionate about.
My stories are about love, life and real relationships - but romance is always the one thing that holds each story together. Often there's a light, psychic touch and I never dreamed I would write drawing upon my personal psychic experiences. But as my interest and understanding in the subject has grown, it is now such a part of my life that it finds its way into my fictional tales. However, what is heartening is that most of my experiences have been uplifting and it's wonderful to know loved ones are around me always. I hope it will make readers stop and wonder 'What if?'
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I believe coincidences and luck are not as random as many people seem to believe. I have found that my forecasts constantly give me advance warning as each new step (or coincidence) takes me along the path I’m travelling. It began towards the end of 2008 when my forecasts started to hint at a growing interest in the esoteric things in life and then came references to a major change in direction for me that would give vent to my creative side – writing a book was one example given by renowned astrologer, Jonathan Cainer. At that time I was an interior designer and I remember laughing and thinking ‘one day, not for quite a few years though …’
Then everything changed overnight for me as my lovely mum became ill and I gave up my career to look after her. Within three months she tragically passed away and instead of going back to work, I began writing. And what was my forecast saying at that time?
This transit of Uranus will find you will be entering a period when expressing yourself becomes very important. Vital Mars and impulsive Uranus combine to inject you with flashes of energy that simply must make their mark in the world. During this period you will have at your disposal much larger amounts of energy with which to assert yourself. Now you will be able to do things that you thought you would never have dared to do. You will be able to make yourself heard too amongst people with whom you would not usually associate. Freedom and the right for you to do as YOU want for a change will become of paramount importance to you.
What I've learnt after following Jonathan Cainer’s forecasts (for over twenty years now) is that the effects of planetary alignments on what happens in my day-to-day life, is very strong, and real. If Jonathan tells me that it’s not a good time to do something, then I hold off. If he indicates that the planets are signalling great opportunities coming my way, then I make the most of it and consider things that, sometimes, will take me outside of my comfort zone. Above all, it’s helpful and comforting. If I have a disastrous day, Jonathan has usually forewarned me and somehow it doesn’t feel quite so bad, knowing that it was always going to be ‘one of those day’.
Strange? Yes, maybe, but (in my opinion) no stranger than the fact that the rotation of the Earth, Moon, Sun, Jupiter, and other planets, have a real effect on the tides on earth …
One thing life has taught me, is that it’s much richer if you approach everything with an open mind.
Thank you so much Linn for this thought provoking post on the subject of horoscopes. I'm not convinced they do much for me, but I completely accept they do provide comfort for many people, or else they wouldn't be so popular.
Quintessentially Yours (The sequel to Under the Stars)
Genre:Chick lit/romcom
Release Date: 5 August 2015
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Katherine Dale lives her life according to her daily horoscope forecast. Having recently hit forty, Katherine is living with her partner, James Kingman, and their delightful little six-month-old daughter, Leyla. James is an up-and-coming name in astrology and that’s how they met. At a party to celebrate the publication of Katherine’s first novel, James was about to propose when Katherine announced the news that she was expecting a baby. ‘Ask me later, when I can fit into my dream dress’ she’d told him.Wind forward thirteen months and while there is an engagement ring on Katherine’s finger, James still can’t mention the ‘m’ word. Leyla suffers from colic and won’t settle into any semblance of a routine. The lack of sleep is taking its toll on them all. James is at his wits’ end trying to cope with his increasing workload, while handling a hormonal woman who feels like an abject failure. And then there’s his boss, who has designs – on him
With feline help from No. 4, plus a little timely advice from old postman Tom and neighbour Ed, can James and Katherine’s love for each other survive all of the challenges that life is throwing at them? Will there ever be time to plan that dream wedding?
This sequel can be read as a standalone novel.
ABOUT LINN B HALTON
Bristol-born Linn B. Halton lives in the small village of Lydbrook, which nestles on the edge of the Forest of Dean, in the UK. She resides there with her husband and feline with 'catitude'- Mr Tiggs. Linn began writing in March 2009 and her debut novel was published in February 2011. In a recent interview Linn was asked about genres:
"From a very young age I knew romantic fiction was always going to be my genre. I am, and will always be, madly in love with love! Whether that's love of life, a partner, or the things I'm passionate about.
My stories are about love, life and real relationships - but romance is always the one thing that holds each story together. Often there's a light, psychic touch and I never dreamed I would write drawing upon my personal psychic experiences. But as my interest and understanding in the subject has grown, it is now such a part of my life that it finds its way into my fictional tales. However, what is heartening is that most of my experiences have been uplifting and it's wonderful to know loved ones are around me always. I hope it will make readers stop and wonder 'What if?'
The result is that I get a lot of mail from readers who have had similar experiences and some are sharing theirs for the first time with me. I always feel that's something rather special and for which I'm very grateful."
Love, life and beyond... but it's ALWAYS about the romance!
Linn is published by Choc Lit, HarperImpulse, Endeavour Press and Sapphire Star Publishing.
Linn is also the managing editor of Loveahappyending Lifestyle emagazine.
Website/blog: http://linnbhalton.co.uk/
Twitter: @LinnBHalton FB: Linn B Halton Author
Loveahappyending Lifestyle emagazine: http://www.loveahappyending.com/
Linn’s Books on Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LinnBHaltonbooks
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One swag bag
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And a healthy attitude. Love it, Linn! You certainly made a right decision. :) xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheryl - it's certainly been a frenetic time, that's for sure!
DeleteBack again ... HUGE thank you, Rachel, for being so very kind and being such a great supporter. And for some great questions ... made me think!
ReplyDelete