Elizabeth Seckman, Author: 10 Ways to Boost Creativity by HR Sinclair

HR Sinclair is celebrating her new release by sharing some awesome tips on boosting your creativity. Be sure to read well, take notes, and grab a copy of the book!

10 Ways to Boost Creativity

We all have times when creativity eludes us. We stare at the canvas or paper, unsure where to start. The good news is that we can give our brains a creative push. Below, I’ve listed easy tips and techniques to ignite your imagination and break free from creative blocks.

1. Take something ordinary and ask, “What if something was different?” What if flowers gossiped? What if chocolate turned you invisible?

2. Make a quick doodle, then turn that doodle into something. I usually go with monsters.

3. Use a random word or phrase generator or pick a word from the dictionary, then write for 10 minutes about that word or phrase. Make it outlandish.

4. Try out different arts and crafts such as dance, sculpture, building a mosaic stepping stone, or decoupaging something.

5. Embrace daydreaming. Relax, kick back, and let your mind wander.

6. Read a book in a different genre or an article on an unusual topic.

7. Engage your senses—taste new foods, listen to different music, smell an assortment of perfumes, or look at surreal art.

8. Learn about a different culture, their traditions, myths, or history.

9. Keep a creativity journal and jot down random thoughts, spontaneous ideas, and dreams.

10. Alter your routine in small ways, like drinking your morning coffee on the porch or rearranging your desk.

Bloodstone

Author: H. R. Sinclair
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Lost Witch, Book One
Date of Publication: September 22, 2024

ISBN: 9798329367645
ASIN: B0CTHQJJTF
Number of pages: 290
Word Count: 76k

Available in paperback and eBook

Tagline: Family secrets hold the key to buried magic. Her legacy awaits.

Book Blurb:

Katelyn Grey is a gardener in Southern California. She’s content with pruning shrubs and looking after her step-mom, the only family she has left. That is, until a lawyer shows up and tells her that her long-lost aunt died, leaving her the family home on the other side of the country.

Though Katelyn hates to travel, a weird clause in her aunt’s will forces her to visit a quaint New England seaside town. Her world changes when she discovers she’s inherited a haunted brownstone, fickle magic, and a hidden key that someone else wants. And they’re willing to kill for it.

Now, she must learn how to use magic, find the key, and figure out what it’s for before she ends up like her long-lost aunt. Dead.

Excerpt:

Small colored flecks danced in the sunlight. They darted back and forth. They rushed me, encircling me, round and round, faster and faster, creating a whirlwind of color that made me woozy. I began swaying before the flecks scattered. They swooped and gathered in front of me, coalescing into the shape of a small, translucent woman. She hovered several feet off the ground, sparkling like multicolored glitter and moving like an ethereal ballerina.

When she spoke, it echoed a thousand voices speaking in harmony. “Fáilte. Welcome. We are the Breena. You are of Andraste.”

“I’m Katie.” Wariness crept into my voice. The family books read Andraste. “Yeah, I think I’m Andraste.”

“Yes. You wear the Taith, a gift of the Breena.” She gestured to the traveling boots. “We are pleased to see them in this form. It has been long since the clan Andraste has visited. Tell us, what has become of sweet Clara and her quest?”

She—they—knew Clara? “I’m sorry, she died.”

“That is unfortunate. We liked Clara. You are taking up the quest?”

My stomach dropped. They may have said it as a question, but it sounded like a statement. “I ... I didn’t know my Aunt Clara, and I don’t know anything about a quest. I’m not the right person to talk to.”

“Yes, she was given the quest. As she is no longer, the task falls to the next in line.”

“Is this an optional type of quest?”

“It is your charge.”

“Well, I’m not the next in line. That’s probably my uncle. I’ll put him in touch with you.”

The Breena moved closer to me. One of the little flecks zipped from one side of her face to the other. “You are next in line. You wear the blessing. You are of Andraste, Keepers of Secrets, Guardians of Mamwlada. You are the Legacy. Protector of the Light. You will take up the quest. Find the Oubusch. Find the Others before the gates open. Stop the disciples of Morus.”

“Find what now?”

“Find the Oubusch. Find the Others before the gates open. Stop the disciples of Morus before they break the lock.” The Breena’s voice reverberated off my skin.

I swallowed. “Who’s Morus? What gate? What others? What’s an Oubusch, and how do I find it?”

“The Oubusch will lead you to the Others. Find the Stone, find the Others.”

“But how?”

“Open the box. Use the sundial.” The words rhythmic like a song. Her essence oscillated, and her form began to melt away.

“Wait, what box?”

“What is there is here, what is here is not there. You must hurry, time is ending.” With that, the flecks disbursed, and she was gone.

“Wait, please, I don’t understand.” No one answered.

Short Social Blurb:

BLOODSTONE: A gardener inherits a haunted brownstone, fickle magic, and a hidden key that someone else wants. And they’re willing to kill for it.
#bloodstonewitch #lostwitch #urbanfantasy

Buy Links:

Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B0CTHQJJTF

Apple: books.apple.com/us/book/bloodstone/id6587574545

Kobo: kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bloodstone-42

B&N: barnesandnoble.com/w/bloodstone-h-r-sinclair/1146070561

Books2Read: books2read.com/lostwitch

H. R. Sinclair

author • artist • dreamer

H. R. Sinclair is a left-handed hermit prepping for the squirrel apocalypse. She was born and raised in Southern California, but now lives and works in New England. She writes fantastical stories and visits cemeteries for inspiration.

Website: iamhrsinclair.com

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