Cheerio on My Yoga Mat – Ditching Perfection Part 2

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This year I’ve jumped back into yoga, or rather stretched into it. I’m older and hopefully wiser. I’m ditching perfection and showing up—which isn’t always easy. So here is my third blog post of many this year. Yay me! I didn’t give up on my blog challenge.

This blog post was inspired by the little Cheerio that was hidden in my yoga mat⁠—courtesy of my little one! LOL! I made sure to take a quick photo of it before I rolled up my mat.

Even though the yoga instructor always says not to compare oneself to others, I can’t help but sometimes feel like I’m going for the gold in the Olympics each time I step on the mat.

Ugh!

Well, this time, I had a cute little reminder to chill out and enjoy the process.  I swooped low for a forward bend and noticed this cute little Cheerio on my mat just behind my feet.

The cheerio dissolved my self-imposed perfectionism. I smiled as I unwound and enjoyed the moment on the mat.

What did the little Cheerio on My Yoga Mat remind me?

  • Let go and stop trying so hard

  • Enjoy and give in to the moment

  • Remember the love of those around you. That Cheerio represented my toddler’s hugs

I don’t know if a Cheerio is going to show up on your mat, or another silly moment will pop up for you. When it does, recognize that it’s there to remind you to give in to the moment.

I’m still over the moon for my new book coming out soon. The main character has a bunch of things thrown at her at once. She’s a recent high school grad, new telenovela actress and new witch. Whew! Juliette juggles it all in THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR.

I was inspired to write the book because of my love of nature and my fascination with magic.

Read more about the book here.

 

Isabelle Hardesty writes stories about girls doing magical things and kicking butt. She writes these stories for all readers, and girls like her, who didn’t see themselves in their favorite fantasy adventures growing up.

She is the author of THE DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES and THE DELACOURT SHAPESHIFTER TRILOGY.

The heroine of her young adult novel, THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR, is just the courageous mixed with awkward teen she would have fallen for and been inspired by as a kid. Juliette Mariana Fontaine is Afro-Latina. She’s a budding telenovela actor, who’s a recent high school grad, and she re-awakens both good and evil magic in her hometown, Belle Fleur, which is tucked near the swamps in South Florida.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR is book one in the DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES, a three-part series. Book two is MIDNIGHT IN BELLE FLEUR, which is published, and the last book is RETURN TO BELLE FLEUR, available later this year.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR was named quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition and was named to the Coverfly RED LIST. It is in the top 10 fantasy book manuscripts on Coverfly.

Isabelle was recently in Atlanta for Dragon Con, one of the country’s largest multi-media conventions focusing on science fiction and fantasy literature, art, and gaming. She is a returning author panelist at Dragon Con, where she discusses her books, the writing process, evil witches, and more!

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Ditch Perfection and Jump Into Creativity Part 1

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Okay, so you all know that I’m blogging every week this year! Part of me is excited and part of me still wonders what have I gotten myself into!

By the way, perfection will not be part of my plan at all. Perfection  is a set up to feeling lousy and giving up early. Merriam Webster’s definition of perfection is, “An unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence.” Uh– no thank you.

I am ignoring the desire to be perfect. That’s the only way I’ll be able to write one blog post a week. Otherwise I’d worry, polish, and basically edit myself out of writing one sentence.  Believe me, I’ve done it before. Ugh!

Nature is imperfect and takes our breath away, time after time. The flowers above are not perfect, but they are beautiful as is.  I need to keep that in mind each time I sit at my laptop to write.

Take a deep breath. No one is perfect and it’s wonderful.

So, join me this year in ditching perfection for other things like:

  • Creativity

Let’s focus on the process rather than the product. It will help us loosen up and be open to where creativity takes us in all parts of our lives.

  • Joy

Children are great at this. I need to remember to bring more joy into my life by accepting the imperfect.

  • Expression

I’m going to express myself more this year in different ways that are true to who I am.

  • Fun

It’s got to be fun! Yay

Isabelle Hardesty writes stories about girls doing magical things and kicking butt. She writes these stories for all readers, and girls like her, who didn’t see themselves in their favorite fantasy adventures growing up.

She is the author of THE DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES and THE DELACOURT SHAPESHIFTER TRILOGY.

The heroine of her young adult novel, THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR, is just the courageous mixed with awkward teen she would have fallen for and been inspired by as a kid. Juliette Mariana Fontaine is Afro-Latina. She’s a budding telenovela actor, who’s a recent high school grad, and she re-awakens both good and evil magic in her hometown, Belle Fleur, which is tucked near the swamps in South Florida.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR is book one in the DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES, a three-part series. Book two is MIDNIGHT IN BELLE FLEUR, which is published, and the last book is RETURN TO BELLE FLEUR, available later this year.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR was named quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition and was named to the Coverfly RED LIST. It is in the top 10 fantasy book manuscripts on Coverfly.

Isabelle was recently in Atlanta for Dragon Con, one of the country’s largest multi-media conventions focusing on science fiction and fantasy literature, art, and gaming. She is a returning author panelist at Dragon Con, where she discusses her books, the writing process, evil witches, and more!

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Isabelle Hardesty writes stories about girls doing magical things and kicking butt. She writes these stories for all readers, and girls like her, who didn’t see themselves in their favorite fantasy adventures growing up.

She is the author of THE DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES and THE DELACOURT SHAPESHIFTER TRILOGY.

The heroine of her young adult novel, THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR, is just the courageous mixed with awkward teen she would have fallen for and been inspired by as a kid. Juliette Mariana Fontaine is Afro-Latina. She’s a budding telenovela actor, who’s a recent high school grad, and she re-awakens both good and evil magic in her hometown, Belle Fleur, which is tucked near the swamps in South Florida.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR is book one in the DESTROYER WITCH CHRONICLES, a three-part series. Book two is MIDNIGHT IN BELLE FLEUR, which is published, and the last book is RETURN TO BELLE FLEUR, available later this year.

THE WITCH OF BELLE FLEUR was named quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition and was named to the Coverfly RED LIST. It is in the top 10 fantasy book manuscripts on Coverfly.

Isabelle was recently in Atlanta for Dragon Con, one of the country’s largest multi-media conventions focusing on science fiction and fantasy literature, art, and gaming. She is a returning author panelist at Dragon Con, where she discusses her books, the writing process, evil witches, and more!

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

 

 

Blogging and My New YA Fantasy Novel

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I’ve been working on my book, The Witch of Belle Fleur. It’s a YA fantasy about a teen who is a telenovela actress and a witch! It was fun to write and I’m adding bits and pieces in my upcoming blog posts.

My little one is growing and growing! How is this happening so quickly?

One of my goals is to write a post each week during this year. This wasn’t my idea. I happened to read a blog post by Tim Ferris. You can read his blog post here. As I read it, it scared me. That’s when I knew I had to do it!

Why did I decide to write a post a week? Yes, Tim Ferris is cool, but it was more than that.

  1. I wanted to command time and not let 52 weeks zip by
  2. It’s a great way to turn off that inner critic and just write
  3. I’m curious to see what I come up with
  4. It’s a great way to connect with readers
  5. This will help me be a little more fearless

I look forward to seeing how I grow with this self-imposed challenge.

 

Isabelle Hardesty is a Miami native who uses her creative work to share her experiences growing up in South Florida. She is committed to creating rich and strong female characters in her books. Hardesty wants young people and women of color to see themselves in her novels and know they are a meaningful part of the world they’re in.

Hardesty received her BFA from Pratt Institute and has worked in NYC as an assistant fashion designer. Her rich and textured life experiences allow her to create characters and plots that engage readers. One common thread in all of her professional experiences is that storytelling is always king.

Isabelle Hardesty’s first published work was a short story that was published in an anthology. This short story grew into The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy.

Hardesty wove her love of magic and nature into her most recent novel, The Witch of Belle Fleur. Her book tells the story of Juliette, an Afro-Latina teen telenovela actress, teetering on the edge as she unravels her family’s secret of magic, only to discover that if she becomes a lead witch, she must let both good and evil magic return to her town.  Midnight in Belle Fleur is the sequel and will be available this year. This year, Isabelle will be returning to Dragon Con where she will discuss books, creativity, evil fae and more!

Her book, The Witch of Belle Fleur, placed on ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition 2022 and is on the REDLIST. In 2022, she is the Young Adult category winner for the SPF Foundation 2022.

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

5 Must Haves for Readers

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5 Must Haves for Readers by Isabelle Hardesty

Reading is a pleasure that we can sometimes take for granted. Stop. Let’s make sure you’ve got some creature comforts to make reading pure joy.

  • Slow down. What will you be having to drink? Take a few minutes and prepare your drink of choice. It will be worth the wait.

 

  • Pillows can make all the difference for comfort. Throw a bunch of pillows around you to get extra cozy. Perfect for the plot twists coming your way.

 

  • Are you reading a tear jerker? Have tissue nearby. It’s good to have a good cry, now and then.

 

  • What time is your perfect time to read? Don’t fight it. Find the time that works best for you and celebrate it with a great book. You’ll have the energy to read for as long as you feel.

 

  • And finally, lighting can make reading a joy or chore. Be sure your lighting works for your print or ebook.

The Takeaway…

Some people find they don’t read as much as they used to. Maybe it’s the time of day they read. Or for some, it’s just about changing the lighting. Find what works for you and enjoy reading!

 

~Isabelle

Related blog posts by Isabelle you may enjoy:

Isabelle Hardesty is a Miami native who uses her creative work to share her experiences growing up in South Florida. She is committed to creating rich and strong female characters in her books. Hardesty wants young people and women of color to see themselves in her novels and know they are a meaningful part of the world they’re in.

Hardesty received her BFA from Pratt Institute and has worked in NYC as an assistant fashion designer. Her rich and textured life experiences allow her to create characters and plots that engage readers. One common thread in all of her professional experiences is that storytelling is always king.

Isabelle Hardesty’s first published work was a short story that was published in an anthology. This short story grew into The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy.

Hardesty wove her love of magic and nature into her most recent novel, The Witch of Belle Fleur. Her book tells the story of Juliette, an Afro-Latina teen telenovela actress, teetering on the edge as she unravels her family’s secret of magic, only to discover that if she becomes a lead witch, she must let both good and evil magic return to her town.  Midnight in Belle Fleur is the sequel and will be available this year. This year, Isabelle will be returning to Dragon Con where she will discuss books, creativity, evil fae and more!

Her book, The Witch of Belle Fleur, placed on ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition 2022 and is on the REDLIST. In 2022, she is the Young Adult category winner for the SPF Foundation 2022.

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

 

5 Top Supernaturals We Love to Read About

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Okay, let’s be real. We love to read about supernaturals. Why? Because, at least for me, they are a fun escape into a world that’s interesting and filled with surprises.

Some readers love zombies, others swoon for vampires. But which supernaturals do you love to read about?

Here are my top 5 supernaturals:

Witches ~ Yes, I write about witches, so I love to read about witches, too! The Witch of Belle Fleur is my novel about witches coming out soon! Witches are fascinating and they can be more realistic than supernatural, which only makes them even more interesting to me.

Vampires ~ How can I not have vampires on this list? My current projects include a vampire novel and I love the drama, romance and history that surrounds vampires.

Shapeshifters ~ Shapeshifting is the power I would probably choose, if I had the chance. I wrote a trilogy called The Delacourt Shapeshifter Saga, which is about a half shapeshifter and half fairy.

Werewolves ~ They are like shapeshifters, but limited in power. They seem more tragic and limited than shapeshifters, at least to me. I love their passion and courage.

Fairies ~ Fairies, or the fae, can be both light and whimsical or the more serious and sorceress kind, which is what I favor. This makes me think of Bex, one of my favorite characters from The Delacourt Shapeshifter Saga, She’s a pretty mean spirited fairy queen and may have her chance at redemption in an upcoming trilogy.

Hmm. What about you? Yes, I left off zombies. I’m just a wimp and can’t get my head around the fact they’re not real. I confess, that I love a good zombie story, now and then.

Please email me at: isabellehardesty (@) gmail dot com with any questions or comments.

~Isabelle

Related blog posts by Isabelle you may enjoy:

Pre-order your copy of The Witch of Belle Fleur today!

 

 

Isabelle Hardesty is a writer of young adult fantasy.

She enjoys writing about characters who are like people you know and people you want to know.

Isabelle lives in Seattle with her husband and son. She loves being with her family, eating chocolate, and connecting with readers. When she is not writing, you can find her either researching for her next book or painting.

 

5 Quotes for Creativity

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Discover these inspiring quotes that celebrate creativity!

These two quotes are perfect for a project’s beginning:

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”

— Maya Angelou

 

“Creativity takes courage.”

— Henri Matisse

 

These two quotes will inspire you to keep going, when you may want to give up:

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”

— Barack Obama

 

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

— Albert Einstein

 

The following quote is perfect for some who may think that growing older means they must give up on their dreams:

“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”

— Gabriel García Márquez

 

I hope these inspirational quotes will help you achieve your dreams!

Please email me at: isabellehardesty (@) gmail dot com with any questions or comments.

~Isabelle

Related blog posts by Isabelle you may enjoy:

Pre-order your copy of The Witch of Belle Fleur today!

 

 

Isabelle Hardesty is a writer of young adult fantasy.

She enjoys writing about characters who are like people you know and people you want to know.

Isabelle lives in Seattle with her husband and son. She loves being with her family, eating chocolate, and connecting with readers. When she is not writing, you can find her either researching for her next book or painting.

 

5 Tips for Creativity 

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Creativity happens when we are bold enough to fail. Enjoy the creative process and be open to falling into creativity.

As an author, I use this, otherwise, I would close up, too scared to write anything! When I let the writing process take me away on an adventure, I loosen up and that’s when the ideas flow.

1.  Don’t be afraid of being the first, or last, person to fail at what you are attempting. This goes for all forms of creativity.

2.  Ignore what others may say while you’re stumbling and learning.  Be like a child and have an endless reservoir of self-esteem and don’t give up.

3. Are you sure it was a mistake? Re-define and examine the mistake. Whose standard are we using to measure the outcome? Some things can’t work, but before you throw it out, see if it may be the beginning of something new!

4. Be willing to fall on your backside! Again, like a child, when we are open to failure, success can sneak in while we are not looking.

5. Find a community who can support you as you’re learning the ropes.

 

~Isabelle

Related blog posts by Isabelle you may enjoy:

Isabelle Hardesty is a Miami native who uses her creative work to share her experiences growing up in South Florida. She is committed to creating rich and strong female characters in her books. Hardesty wants young people and women of color to see themselves in her novels and know they are a meaningful part of the world they’re in.

Hardesty received her BFA from Pratt Institute and has worked in NYC as an assistant fashion designer. Her rich and textured life experiences allow her to create characters and plots that engage readers. One common thread in all of her professional experiences is that storytelling is always king.

Isabelle Hardesty’s first published work was a short story that was published in an anthology. This short story grew into The Delacourt Shapeshifter Trilogy.

Hardesty wove her love of magic and nature into her most recent novel, The Witch of Belle Fleur. Her book tells the story of Juliette, an Afro-Latina teen telenovela actress, teetering on the edge as she unravels her family’s secret of magic, only to discover that if she becomes a lead witch, she must let both good and evil magic return to her town.  Midnight in Belle Fleur is the sequel and will be available this year. This year, Isabelle will be returning to Dragon Con where she will discuss books, creativity, evil fae and more!

Her book, The Witch of Belle Fleur, placed on ScreenCraft’s Cinematic Book Competition 2022 and is on the REDLIST. In 2022, she is the Young Adult category winner for the SPF Foundation 2022.

Isabelle Hardesty lives with her husband and son in the Pacific Northwest.

An Inspiring Gift

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paint brushes next to drawing book and water color palette
Mr. Flaum called me to the back of the classroom. He looked serious.

I couldn’t imagine why he’d want to see me. I was a good student, so I wasn’t too worried. But, I was a little concerned because, like most teens, I was a talkative middle school student.

I stood in the back of the room with him and relaxed once I saw him smile.

He said, “Isabelle, I’m giving this sketchbook to you because you’re an outstanding artist.”

Me? I liked drawing and loved painting, but I had never been told that before. I raised my eyebrows. This was much better than I expected. I reached my hands out and held the sketchbook as though it were covered in gems. This wasn’t my first sketchbook. But it was my first sketchbook given to me by an art teacher.

“Thank you,” I said. It felt good to know that Mr. Flaum thought my art was good. It’s quite simple but also profound.

A teacher’s day can be full of paperwork, phone calls, meetings, field trips, classroom issues, and students. Yet, countless teachers stop and recognize a student and influence a child’s life, with a simple gesture.

That sketchbook helped give me the confidence to pursue my love of art and creativity. I have had the pleasure of exhibiting my work in Paris and received my B.F.A. from Pratt Institute. I have had the honor of being an art teacher in fantastic schools in both Miami and the Metro-Atlanta area.

My writing is a celebration of my creativity and owed in part to my love of art, which was fueled by a simple gesture from a caring teacher.

Isabelle Hardesty

YA Fantasy Author

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Print books and ebooks

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person holding opened book

There are some people who are devout print book readers, while others sing the praise of the ebook.

For print book fans, the feel of the pages are one of the things they enjoy. Many readers talk of the smell of the pages. Some say the weight of the book in their hands just feels right.

Ebook lovers say that they now are able to travel without having to drag a heap of books with them. Ebook readers enjoy the ease of downloading a book instantly, with ease.

Some readers are like me and see the benefit of both. I do love the feel of pages at my fingertips, but I also enjoy the clarity of the ebook page.

What’s your favorite way to read?

Whatever format, just keep on reading!

Please email me at: isabellehardesty (@) gmail dot com with any questions or comments.

~Isabelle

Related blog posts by Isabelle you may enjoy:

Pre-order your copy of The Witch of Belle Fleur today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isabelle Hardesty is a writer of young adult fantasy.

She enjoys writing about characters who are like people you know and people you want to know.

Isabelle lives in Seattle with her husband and son. She loves being with her family, eating chocolate, and connecting with readers. When she is not writing, you can find her either researching for her next book or painting.