Six Tricks to Conquer Insomnia AND The Exclusive, Long-Anticipated Sneak Peek

Read to the end because I have something EPIC in this post.

Speaking of reading, I read a LOT of books when I should be sleeping...because I can't. Sleep, that is. 

We could call out a couple reasons for that -- stress, my musical, kids, health...but we'll leave it there.

A couple things I've learned about NOT getting healthy sleep:

- Over time the brain will degrade and Alzheimer's symptoms may appear.

- Good luck taking off the weight if you don't give the body adequate time to rest.

- Your brain and tongue become separate entities.

So how do we overcome sleeplessness?

1. Exercise: When I first expressed I was having sleep issues, my father and doctor told me to exercise more. Default advice. (But not right before bed.)

2. Hormones/Gut health/Allergies: I don't know about you, but I have TERRIBLE allergies. If anything is off in my environment, sleep is the first to go. And let's face it, for women, hormones are constantly fluctuating, so...you know...get that under control.

3. Light pollution: The body is sensitive to light. Light tells us it's time to wake up. Darkness is your best, sleeping friend. This includes screens. Turn them off a couple hours before sleeping. Use a dim lamp while preparing for bed to help your body recognize it's almost sleep time.

4. Decompressing/routine/limiting stress: Build a routine around bedtime that helps your body and mind relax. For myself, that includes writing in a journal (getting out all the thoughts). Massage and soothing music may be helpful as well.

5. Breathing/meditation/prayer: Deep breathing -- meaning getting air all the way to the bottom of the lungs -- physically relaxes the body. Meditation releases the worries of the day. Prayer gives us an opportunity to place our cares on someone else.

6. And if none of that works, some people count sheep, but I've never found that effective. My brother in law recently taught me a new trick: WORD SOUP. Pick a word at least 6 letter long. While resting in bed, imagine an image that begins with each letter, going through them one at a time and -- focusing on each image for a minute or so. 

Example: Hungry 

H= hat

U= umbrella

N= newt

G= gold fish

R= rain

Y= yo-yo

This relaxes the brain. Chances are you'll get through 3 to 5 letters before sleep steps in.

Speaking of sleeping, the IWSG question this month addresses writing -- and since many of my story ideas come from dreams...

July 2 question - Is there a genre you haven't tried writing in yet that you really want to try? If so, do you plan on trying it?

Yes...and no. I want to write a biography about my special needs brother. I started it once and couldn't continue -- mostly due to the emotional drain. Also due to worries about conflicts with siblings who have DIFFERENT memories. Will I get back to it? Maybe. Maybe not.

And now the BIG awesome!!! 

Check out the highlight reel from my musical! Snatches, fun little snatches from our staged reading back in March. We'll be sharing more in the coming months -- a whole series of videos outlining scenes, giving the inside scoop, introducing characters, etc. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if you want the updates, join the newsletter to get all the insider info, and if you want EARLY access to all the awesomeness (and more), donate to the WORLD PREMIER. (Tentatively schedule for October 2027.)

What sleep techniques have you learned/employed? Are you trying something new (writing, reading, survival)? Like musicals?

Tagged! (What are your powers of randomness?)

*doing a silly twirly dance* Someone tagged me. ME. =) --And that someone just happens to be the AWESOME Claire Hennessy. (Thank you Claire. I adore you Claire. I'm sending cheese in mass quantities Claire. Um btw, what's your address?)

So what does that mean? I have to extrapolate 10 random facts about myself. Whew! Ten?

1. I LOVE CHEESE!!!! (!!!!!!)


2. Speaking of Random, my son is named Random. Yes, it's partially after his Dad's sense of humor, but it's also partially after my special needs brother Randy who passed away a year before our son was born.


3. I wrote a musical. No, I'm not talking roadshow or stage play. I'm talking 2.5 hrs of PURE MUSIC AWESOMENESS. And one day (when we crack down on our producer) it's going to go somewhere. =)



4. My name is literally Chicken. Or was. C (first initial) + (maiden name) Hicken= C.Hicken.


5. I home school my 3 kids. Like, every day. Like, all day. Yup.

6. I'm a total . No, I'm not kidding. I have 4 living brothers who are all computer geeks, and I laugh at every one of their stupid jokes.


7. I used to believe I was one of Santa's elves. Even had a shirt with a rainbow heart on it I could press and open the gateway to the north pole--you know, like a Star Trek call button. (I said I was a geek.)



8. I love living in tourist towns/vacation sites: Spirit Lake (High Uintah's), West Yellowstone, New York City, Oswego NY (but it was only touristy 1 week of the year), and now KISSIMMEE FLORIDA--with Disney fireworks shaking our back yard every night.




9. I grew up in Utah and have STILL never been skiing. That's like a crime, right?

10. I'm more comfortable on a stage in front of thousands than with one or two people at a time.

And now, what you've all been waiting for, five incredible people I'm tagging. This WAS SO HARD, only picking 5. I have so many AWESOME blogging buddies.

1. Susan Kay Quinn--One of the nicest people I have ever met...digitally that is.
2. Wendy Swore--I love Wendy.
3. The Misadventures of Mub--Kim makes me laugh. Always has. Aw Kimmy, if only you didn't live so far away! *sigh*
4. Ali Cross--Because deep down I really want to be a ninja too.
5. Rachel --PERSONALITY+ Everyone needs an outlook on life like this. You inspire me Rachel. =)

Whew! Out of breath!

Okay, your turn. What's one random or quirky fact about you?

Decisions: dream or die?

I've made the choice a hundred times. The first time resulted in working for a music/video production company. The second time meant learning how to be a studio singer. The third time meant overcoming my fear of intricate computer programs. The fourth time required moving to New York City...

So why is it so hard to make that decision, yet again? Maybe because this time I know it's serious, that other people will be involved, that I'm going to have to fight for my artistic vision or worry about industry scavengers trying to embed their own seal...

If you're new to my blog, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Well, that pretty link on the side there, Immortal the Musical, that's my baby and it finally has a producer.

After a brief hiatus we are about to go into discussions--the scary kind: the kind where we look at that ginormous endeavor (the one we've spent the last 8 years of our lives building,) and figure out how to chop the pie.

Who will be doing what? Who will be paid what? Who will retain the rights for this or that?

*gulp*

When you write a book no one quibbles over lyric royalties vs libretto rights. Granted, these are my shaking knees speaking. I have no idea how this will play out. I only know this is the beginning, the real beginning. There will be no going back. No second guesses. Past the point of no return.

Oh boy. I think I need some muenster to settle my nerves.

Okay professional nail biters, how do you deal with moments like this?

The Secret Project: Pull Back the Curtain

Eight years ago I wrote a musical about a vampire. For the last 4.5 years we've bouncing between NYC, Upstate NY and Florida in pursuit of this project, including several false starts.

That's not the secret.

INTRODUCING THE SITE: 

www.immortalthemusical.com

Highlights: 

Intro: front page--listen to the opening number...except for the vocals. They will be added shortly...relatively speaking.

1. Story: Read the teaser.

2. Music: Listen to 7 selections of the 34 songs. People who have experienced the entire musical will tell you what you hear represents only a minor dynamic of the show. It is much more varied, and in the next several months we hope to add MANY more numbers (including updated ones of the current features). 

3. Characters: Meet the characters. They have been with us eight years. We love them. You will too.

4. Volunteer: SHARE THE SHOW!!! E-mail a link to everyone! Like it on Facebook. Share it on Facebook. Twitter it! Sign up for a newsletter and receive updates instantly. Donate...if you feel so inclined. In the future there will be more opportunities to get involved. (Contests, events, etc.)

5. Creative Team: Say hello to our AWESOME support group. They totally rock. 

6. BLOGS: A general news blog will keep you up to date, and you can get to know our fabulous team through their own words. BEST OF ALL, get the inside scoop from the characters! They've agreed (though some very reluctantly) to share their story with the world, and you could be the first to learn it.

THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED (Where you come in): We are not shopping the show through conventional means. We don't have money, and we don't know anyone with clout. SO, the only other method at our disposal is a viral approach. We will be promoting the site through contests, youtube videos, and potentially, through an online reality show. If we have enough fans (because we really deserve them, we hope), then we don't need money or clout. We just need you. AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

How to Get to Broadway

When people find out I've written a Broadway bound musical, the next question out of their mouth is "How do you get a show on Broadway?"

I laugh and respond, "Do you want the long answer or short?"

THE LONG ANSWER: How You Get a Show to Broadway

This is a subject of much musing for my husband and I. We've spent 8 years trying to figure it out. Typically a musical begins when one industry artist turns to his friend (I did specifically say "his") and says, "You know what? We should make this story into a show!" They track down a composer, a lyricist, and a scriptwriter (also known as a librettist,) and chart the high points of the plot. (Where it really sings.) Then the composer goes away, writes a song, brings it back, and everyone gives the thumbs up, or thumbs down. Rinse and repeat. 

Step two is to record a CD: the musical's hook. (Costing between 10 and 100k, dependent on the number of instruments/voices involved.) After the CD is complete, a "reading" is in order. This is a dry run of the script with the music. Typically there are a few of these and many many edits between. Finally the show is work-shopped with actors one scene at a time, then test run in front of an audience. 

Staging: Here's where someone foots the bill for production and invitations go out to every major voice in the community. The goal is to get rave reviews so some NYC big wig will pick up your work. If that doesn't happen you move to New York City and pound the pavement until you run into the right producer. Hopefully he even cracks your script open. Then hopefully he loves it. (Again, he, there are no she's in this industry.) The other approach is to hit California and work your way in with a major film company, like Wicked did. 

The expected journey from conception to production (if it ever gets produced) is 7 to 10 years, and the cost for a Broadway run is 10 to 20 million. 

THE SHORT ANSWER: How You Get a Show to Broadway

Most people don't.

BUT WE WILL.

The Secret Project: Revealed

This will not come as a surprise to some of you, but 8 years ago I wrote a musical about a vampire. For the last 4.5 years we've bouncing between NYC, Upstate NY and Florida in pursuit of this project, including several false starts. If you want to read about that I've blogged it in my blog section (the one on the website).

That's not the secret.

INTRODUCING THE SITE: 

www.immortalthemusical.com

Highlights: 

Intro: front page--listen to the opening number...except for the vocals. They will be added shortly...relatively speaking.

1. Story: Read the teaser

2. Music: Listen to 6 selections of the 34 songs. People who have experienced the entire musical will tell you what you hear represents only a minor dynamic of the show. It is much more varied, and in the next several months we hope to add MANY more numbers (including updated ones of the current features). 

3. Characters: Meet the characters. They have been with us eight years. We love them. You will too.

4. Volunteer: SHARE THE SHOW!!! E-mail a link to everyone! Like it on Facebook. Share it on Facebook. Twitter it! Sign up for a newsletter and receive updates instantly. Donate...if you feel so inclined. In the future there will be more opportunities to get involved. (Contests, event, etc.)

5. Creative Team: Say hello to our AWESOME support group. They totally rock. 

6. BLOGS: This is where content will change EVERY WEEK. A general news blog will keep you up to date, and you can get to know our fabulous team through their own words. BEST OF ALL, get the inside scoop from the characters! They've agreed (though some very reluctantly) to share their story with the world, and you could be the first to learn it!

THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED (Where you come in): We are not going to shop the show through conventional means. We don't have money, and we don't know anyone with clout. SO, the only other method at our disposal is a viral approach. We will be promoting the site through contests, youtube videos, and potentially, through an online reality show. If we have enough fans (because we really deserve them, we hope), then we don't need money or clout. We just need you. AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Immortal, the book

About 2 yrs ago I started penning a book to match the musical. Scared me to death. I had never written for a strictly adult audience because, quite frankly, I didn't (still don't) feel qualified. My hubby liked it though, and he never goes easy on me, so I must have done something right. Let me know what you think--honestly.

*deep breath* Here lies Chapter 1.

Chapter 1

            Rain seeped from the sky as though the heaven’s jugular had been severed. A deafening blast of light scathed the glistening puddles of a flooded thoroughfare, a muddy night-strewn bog at the edge of civilization.

            Phineas eased into the panorama, cautiously, determinedly. This storm, blessing or curse is what allowed him to track with such ease, to move steadily up on the trail, to nearly overtake. It slowed the fugitive.

Three weeks of playing cat and mouse, three weeks and the culprit had not eaten in all that time… He must be weak!

            Phineas pressed into the elements whose beastly force bore no greater wrath or ardor than that ravenous howling in his own chest. He was close. Twenty years of false searches, dead ends, horrendous interrogations and sleepless nights would finally end! One wrong turn, one moment’s hesitation and the instant of triumph would escape him—yet again.

            Phineas crouched to rediscover the tracks, lost almost in soulless dark pools.

            The last impression harbored ridges, the reverse of the creature’s wader, the only sight of him Phineas had ever known—and yet known intimately. That the detail remained, not yet swept away by the deluge ignited a surge of adrenaline down his spine.

            This imprint twisted violently to the right, water strangling a single lengthwise corner and quickly taking away his evidence.

            Where had it gone? Upward?

            He froze.

            The very air had thinned, slowed, chilled… When did that come about—or had he simply not noticed a gradual change?

            Through the curtain of falling water he peered anxiously ahead. The horizon cut vividly against a haze of light: town. He scanned to the right; a thin copse of young spruces. He scanned to the left; a rocky outcropping…

            There!

            Weighty air rasped through his lips, sticking in heightened stillness. One wrong gasp, a single sound too voluminous, a movement—any indication he’d seen it in the sickly moonlight and his chance would vanish.  

            The moment of truth! The final hour, or his own likely demise…

            With methodically hushed accuracy Phineas checked the clasps of the loaded crossbow to his arm, verifying the poised bolt without turning his eyes from the night. Water dripping down his heavy brows fell uninhibited across unblinking pupils, over his stalwart cheeks, off his mustached beard, transversed his pressed lips…

            Phineas released a breath. Rivulets flailed outward, an accost of motion in the uncannily leaded stillness.

            He rose, aiming.

            Rain spattered vertically across a now fully-upright silhouette. Erect atop the rocks, black, smooth, menacing, it waited.

            His heart seized. Fear, dread, terror as thick as tar collapsed his windpipe, worked to rob the very life out of his chest, enveloped him so fully he began to drown in its wake.

            The being advanced.

            Pain registered up Phineas’ arm, a flux of blood potent enough that it threatened to burst straps holding his weapon in place, to rupture the veins, singing out to the enemy…

            He lifted the crossbow. The creature leapt. The machine fired, tiller smacking Phineas’ ribs. The world rocked. Heavy clouds dropped their stock. A jolt to the elbow, back landing in a puddle, a wail…

            Sloshing mud spattered over him. Weight pressed on his chest. Pinned to the ground, blackness above, a hiss, water filling his nose and mouth, something icy at his neck, circling, tightening…

            He flailed at it. No avail. Again! His forearm knocked into something wooden, a shaft protruding from the creature’s chest, a thicker wetness than rain seeping down it.

            Darkness threatened—eternal darkness.

            Wound it! Kill it! End this!

            He punched the bolt.

            Instant pain. A scream!

            Whose?

            Again!

            Another howl!

His chest lightened. He could breath!

            Phineas rolled over, sputtering out water, wheezing in life.

            Lightening.

            A figure trampled on the horizon, lost almost in the storm, leaning, haggard…

            Pain. A new burning heightened Phineas’ awareness of his fist. He looked down. Black liquid…

            He rolled back over, exposing the limb to the full wrath of the elements. He ripped his belt out of its holsters, tightening the synch unbearably about his bicep, staring in dread at the broken skin over his knuckles. Let the rain wash the taint out! Let it take the disease away! Please, God in Heaven, let him not be infected!