Though coaching, classes, and therapy have their place in society (and have never been easier to access), there’s so much that we can teach ourselves if each and every one of us listen to our own thoughts.
In a world where people seem to say what they think everyone wants to hear, I hope my journals will help you hear yourself when you choose to reflect upon your own thoughts by writing them on paper.
Issues 1-3 of Second Draft Journals
Journaling For Kids
There’s no way to stop social media’s influence, but in a quiet room, with nothing but their journal and a pen, let’s teach kids that it’s okay to sit and think. Record and re-read. Be still and ponder. With journal prompts, goal-setting pages, art, and a short story in each issue, I am excited to introduce Second Draft Journals to the classroom.
Second Draft Journals For Everyone
Journaling has many benefits for maintaining good mental health. and short stories awaken the imagination and give people a brief respite from the anxiety and monotony of day-to-day life.
Whatever your day, it all matters. It all counts, and each moment will only happen once. Write it down because you won’t be the same person tomorrow as you are today — and perhaps armed with your journal, you’ll have a clearer vision of what you want to achieve and who you want to be.
I’m calling on teachers, parents, and professionals within the fields of healthcare, mental health, and psychology to help me introduce Second Draft Journals to classrooms so that we can build a stronger, healthier, and happier future. If you’d like to get in touch, kindly email me at journals@thewriteresults.ca.
Pre-pandemic, I thought that signing a deal with a major publishing company was my only ticket to literary success, so I started publishing short stories in hopes that I would attract their attention and build an audience while I focused on my freelance writing business. Then COVID-19 hit.
All of a sudden, publishing my own full-length novels was a better idea than to wait for professionals to take notice of my work, so I started writing a novel I thought would be enjoyed by a mature audience (likely adult women).
I turned the short story that started my foray into publishing, Musings of a Masterpiece (which is available in Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories) into a screenplay and my work has been sold and enjoyed by people in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and Japan. (Which is incredible! Thank you to everyone who has read and purchased my work.)
What’s on the Horizon?
Throughout 2020, my focus has shifted from merely wanting to attract attention from people in the industry to a desire to become a respected professional in publishing as time goes on. (I would like to help other writers as I progress and grow, so I am starting a writers’ group in 2021.)
Though The Ties That Bindis the first novel I published, it’s not the first novel I wrote. I completed my first novel (an untitled work of fantasy intended for readers 16+) in the summer of 2019.
Since we’re in a 28-day lockdown in Ontario, I am focusing on editing and publishing it as soon as possible.
If you’d like to receive updates and special offers as I continue on my journey, please join my mailing list.
I’m sure that you’re familiar with the saying, “Hindsight is 20/20″. (It’s poetic that we are looking forward to leaving 2020 in the dust.) When we reflect on this year down the road, I wonder what the most important lessons will be when 2020 is firmly in the rearview mirror? (That includes lessons from the hard-won and heartbreaking to the industrious and adaptive lessons learned globally, within our communities, and individually.)
This year has initiated a tailspin as many of us have been forced to focus on the urgent matters and what’s before us (rather than reflecting on the past or the distant future) as we struggle to maintain our balance… but (once you’ve adjusted and attended to you and your loved ones’ immediate needs) there’s something special about taking stock in what you want from this life (if you’re able to do so) while remembering that each day is precious.
Pre-pandemic, it was my goal to be a successful author, but I thought it best to build a portfolio (including self-published short stories) slowly that would be attractive to literary agents and publishers down the line.
When COVID-19 hit and we didn’t know what was to come as industries changed quickly and businesses struggled to adapt, I focused on writing fiction that will allow readers to escape the day-to-day grind.
I am pleased to announce that I have two works (Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories and The Ties That Bind, the premiere novel in a series for mature readers, 18+) available on Amazon (and through KDP Select).
Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories
Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories; cover links to listing on amazon.ca
Female reindeer fight for equality and respect in the North Pole after a multi-generational cover-up is discovered. A masterpiece narrates its journey through time. An atheist talks to God. A premature baby decided when to be born. A mature dog finds a new life after the death of her beloved owner.
In Staycation for the Soul: A Collection of Short Stories, each story is imaginative and heartfelt. A.F.S. Green’s first collection is for anyone looking for a short break from their day-to-day life with messages of hope that are sure to reverberate long after the last page is read.
*Intended for readers who are 8-years-old and up (at the discretion of their parent or guardian).
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
The Ties That Bind
The Ties That Bind; cover links to listing on amazon.ca.
It was unfathomable that Angel would lose her twin sister, Eve, to an underground community in early 2009, but after Eve was attacked, things started to change — quickly.
The Ties that Bind is the premiere novel in a series about sisterhood and friendship, lust and affluence, and control and loss. When a seductive woman and a man with smouldering good looks present the twins with the keys to a world where lines are blurred between tradition and an alternative culture, professionalism and desire, and loyalty and a sexy, taboo lifestyle, which path will each sister choose?
*Intended for a mature audience, 18+.
Available on all Amazon marketplaces, including Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia.
I’ve started publishing under the pen name, A.F.S. Green (formerly, ‘Amber Green’) and I’m excited to do everything in my power to ‘make it’ as an author (because if not now, when?).
Since I sell my e-short stories on Amazon, I thought I’d show you how easy it is to add to your library with their one-click purchasing.
The Details:
Navigate to your Amazon marketplace (I’m Canadian and I prefer to pay in Canadian currency, so my marketplace is Amazon.ca)
Sign in to your account
Have you received an Amazon gift card? You can add it as a payment option and/or ensure that your payment information is up to date in ‘Your Account’ a. b.
Search for the Kindle edition/e-book you’d like to purchase and click the ‘Buy Now with 1 Click’ button
Click ‘Place your order’
“+Follow” the author to receive notifications
Navigate to your Kindle app on your desired device and download your new e-book to your library
Happy reading!
Give life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green
Looking for a great short story? You’ll really enjoy:
A work of art narrates its journey through time in this short story.
In the centuries since its creation, it has witnessed the joy of love and companionship, the heartache of loss, and hardship. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but what if the masterpiece you so admire silently muses at the countless wonders of humanity?
We’ve all heard the stories: a woman unexpectedly finds a priceless work of art in a second-hand store, a family had no idea their grandmother’s furniture was worth a fortune, and he was down to his last $10 when he sold a garage sale knick-knack for untold millions, etc.
You’d think it was the financial windfall that inspired me, but it wasn’t.
I asked myself: If a masterpiece painted centuries ago was aware, what would it think of life? What would it want us to know?
I hope that you enjoy reading Musings of a Masterpiece. It is one of my favourite works. (And if you happen to know Thomas Adamson, kindly send him this link.)
It’s A Go!
Amber Green
**Please note: Depending on the device, the book cover may be best viewed in landscape orientation.**
Like her name, Candy is a sweet six-year-old dog who never imagined life without her beloved human. When she finds herself up for adoption, she learns about the dark past plaguing the dog in the neighbouring kennel; hardships she hadn’t contemplated.
In this heartwarming short story, a dog’s point of view uniquely illuminates the human experience of overcoming hardship and heartache, establishing friendship, and the virtue of loyalty.
Inspiration for ‘Puppy Love’
Before writing this short story, I was talking to a family member about depression and the prevalence of anxiety in our society. (As an aside, I’m so happy that mental health is discussed openly. Have you seen Oprah’s 2020 Vision Tour Visionaries: Lady Gaga Interview? If not, do yourself a favour, and check it out. I hope that the stigma surrounding mental health issues comes to an end in my lifetime. Go, Gaga!) During our conversation, a re-run of Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation: Meet Me in St. Louis (season 1, episode 4) played. In that episode, they discussed the atrocity of puppy mills.
Combining these themes, I was inspired to consider how dogs from different backgrounds would be impacted by mental health issues (if they experienced life the way we do). Employing significant creative license (the story is in the perspective of a dog, after all), I wrote ‘Puppy Love’ (fun fact: I named the human character ‘Ellen’ after Ellen DeGeneres, as she loves animals).
The Power of the Internet
This is the first story that I’ve released exclusively to Amazon’s KDP Select publishing platform. It was on the #1 New Release List on Valentine’s Day (thanks for your support!), and it has a 5-star rating, which includes reviews from Canada and the UK. Extraordinary! Thank you for your kind words, Val and Julie!
Praise for ‘Puppy Love’ from readers in Canada and the UK.
Young Readers
‘Puppy Love’ has inspired me to write short stories for young readers, as my stories are intended to be enjoyed in thirty minutes or less, and they are inspirational and thoughtful. I hope that my words resonate with parents and teens alike, as I truly believe that- even when life gets you down- each and every one of us can have an impact.
