Big Better Best Books

Welcome to the last episode of the Big, Better, Best Books podcast. We are saying goodbye as Katarina takes a break from the amazing world of books and goes on some other wonderful adventures. Thank you to everyone who has listened, everyone who has sent emails, and everyone who has ever recommended Big, Better, Best Books to one of your friends. If you would like to listen to any of the previous episodes, you will continue to be able to find them at bigbetterbestbooks.com [https://www.bigbetterbestbooks.com/] or katarinawalletin.com [https://www.katarinawallentin.com/] Remember: Books ARE magic. They HAVE magic. And they can create magic, if you allow them.

Do you have the magical capacity of awareness? Today’s guest is Diva Diaz, a woman of many talents who has also recently become a children’s book author. Her first book is called Magia and the Feelings That Flew...Away, a book with a melody, one that takes you on a journey that children and adults of all ages can learn from and enjoy. Magia is a little girl who lives in a magical land where many things are the opposite of what they appear to be. The book follows Magia’s journey to school one morning as she encounters different things and takes on the same feelings as those things. But she realizes those feelings she has are not her; it’s just her awareness of the world around her. In Diva’s personal life, she works with something in Access Consciousness called X-Men, which is about how aware we truly are. Listen to learn about the difference between sensitivity and awareness, and how what we think is so wrong about us is actually our greatest strength, power, and ability. Key takeaways: * The traditional form of rhyming: a melodious journey * What’s the difference between sensitivity and awareness? * Getting back to the core of who we were before we learned to be scared, doubtful, or untrusting * There’s nothing wrong with any child, it’s about the capacity behind the behavior * A huge door is opening for children labeled with autism, ADHD, and other “disabilities” * Asking questions that empower your children * The next Magia book: what new adventures will she go on and what will she learn? Resources: * Magia and the Feelings That Flew...Away [https://www.amazon.com/Magia-Feelings-That-Flew-Away/dp/1634932692/] * TheAdventuresOfMagia.com [http://www.theadventuresofmagia.com/] * DivaDiaz.com [http://www.divadiaz.com/] * Access Consciousness X-Men [https://www.accessconsciousness.com/xmen]

What is one of your best book experiences? Talking about your favorite books can be a difficult conversation, especially if you’re an avid reader like today’s two lovely guests, because books serve different functions in different times and different areas of our lives. Rebecca Hulse and Marilyn Bradford join Katarina today to discuss the books that have made the greatest impression on them in different periods of their lives, and how these books have impacted their lives. Listen to open up new possibilities with books, discover new books, and learn how certain books find you, change you, and show you that other realities are possible beyond this reality. Key takeaways: * Choosing the best book is impossible * Opening up whole new worlds of possibilities with books * Different books give us different things at different times of our lives * What is one of your best book experiences? * Characters who choose something greater * It’s not always about how well-written a book is, it’s about a sense of something greater * When the experience is over, what next? Books: * Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford [https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/0609809644] * Be Here Now by Ram Dass [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517543052/] * Being You, Changing the World by Dr. Dain Heer [https://www.amazon.com/Being-Changing-World-Dain-Heer/dp/1939261023/] * The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis [https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Narnia-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060598247/] * Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren [https://www.amazon.com/Pippi-Longstocking-Astrid-Lindgren/dp/0140309578/] * The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah [https://www.amazon.com/Nightingale-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250080401/] * Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens [https://www.amazon.com/Where-Crawdads-Sing-Delia-Owens/dp/1984827618/] * The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien [https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0395489326/] * The Secret History by Donna Tartt [https://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Donna-Tartt/dp/1400031702/] * The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle [https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577311523/] * Endgames (The Imager Portfolio) by L. E. Modesitt Jr. [https://www.amazon.com/Endgames-Imager-Portfolio-Modesitt-Jr/dp/1250293650/] * Wild Magic (The Immortals) by Tamora Pierce [https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Magic-Immortals-Tamora-Pierce/dp/1481440225/] * The Place by Gary Douglas [https://www.amazon.com/Place-Gary-M-Douglas/dp/1939261147/] * Just One Damned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St. Mary's Book One by Jodi Taylor [https://www.amazon.com/Just-Damned-Thing-After-Another/dp/1597808687/] * The All Souls Trilogy [https://www.amazon.com/All-Souls-Trilogy-Boxed-Set/dp/0147517729/] * Still Life by Louise Penny [https://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Louise-Penny/dp/0312541538/] * Enid Blyton’s Famous Five Series [https://www.amazon.com/Blyton-Famous-Books-Collection-Complete/dp/1444931016/] * His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman [https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Materials-Yearling-3-book-Boxed/dp/0440419514/] * City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert [https://www.amazon.com/City-Girls-Novel-Elizabeth-Gilbert/dp/0593104366/] * The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert [https://www.amazon.com/Signature-All-Things-Novel/dp/0143125842/] * Good Omens by Neil Gaiman [https://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Accurate-Prophecies-Nutter/dp/0062697250/] * The Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood [https://www.amazon.com/Testaments-Novel-Margaret-Atwood/dp/0385543786/]

What is erotic literature? What is it that actually draws us to it and makes it so exciting? Erotic fiction has always existed, even in ancient times, and erotica is much bigger than a sexual act. It gives us something that makes the world bigger and pushes our boundaries. Georgia Watson is an Access Consciousness facilitator, a horse person, a painter, and she also has a secret business as an online dominatrix. She is today’s expert, and together we will explore the topic of erotic novels, why we read them, and what makes them so enticing. Listen to learn more about pleasure and exploring your fantasies through erotic fiction and how the things that turn you on can be empowering, fun, and experienced without shame and completely guilt-free. Key takeaways * Erotica versus porn: what’s the difference? * Fantasies don’t have to mean anything about you * Why do women write erotic fiction? * The seduction and flirtation of build up and anticipation in erotica * What if this topic didn’t have to have a stigma attached to it? Resources: * BretandGeorgia.com [https://www.bretandgeorgia.com/] * Georgia Watson on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaWatson1000?] * Secretary (movie) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_%282002_film%29] * Basic Instinct (movie) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Instinct] * The Handmaiden (movie) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaiden] Books: * Lady Chatterley's Lover [https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Chatterleys-Lover-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553212621] * Fifty Shades of Grey [https://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Grey-Book-Trilogy/dp/0345803485] * Delta of Venus [https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Venus-Anais-Nin/dp/0156029030/] * Fingersmith [https://www.amazon.com/Fingersmith-Sarah-Waters/dp/1573229725]

If you have a manuscript in a drawer that wants to get out, this episode is full of tips and inspiration for you to get started again. Today’s guest is Jan Bertoft, Swedish author of the book Minnets slutna rum, which in English translates to The Memory’s Locked Room, or The Locked Room of the Memory. Jan has been writing his whole life and worked in journalism before starting a career in consumer issues for a Swedish NGO, but in his spare time, he began co-creating a fiction project with a friend. When his friend got ill and he was no longer able to work on the book, it went into the drawer for several years before coming back out again. Listen to hear this author’s journey to publication, what it was like co-creating with someone, and the details of the process from idea conception to working with a publisher and then finally holding the finished product. Key takeaways: * Why did the book go into the drawer? * How one book led to another * Feedback from the publisher: having a good editor and receiving criticism * Creating the time to write * What it’s like co-creating a book * Choosing a publishing company * Advice for taking your book out of the drawer Resources: * Hoi.se [https://www.hoi.se/bertoft-tangnander]