25 Days of Christmas - Food, Cheer and Song

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” - J. R. R. Tolkien


What’s up people!
Today is the second day of my 25 days of Christmas Holiday Blog and I have to admit being in college I am currently more worried about my numerous papers due then my Holiday traditions but as a December Wild Child I can’t ignore the wonder that is Christmas time. This morning I was wondering what to write about today and then one of my good friends sent me this great quote by one of my writing idols, J.R.R Tolkien


Tolkein was perhaps one of the most influential writers of the 20th century and it turns out he was pretty smart. I thought the quote above was perfect for the holiday season. How about this year instead of fussing about who has the most gold a.k.a who gets the most expensive present, we focus on food, cheer and song a.k.a the simple things in life. What if we valued spending time with our families, eating good food and if you enjoy singing, singing christmas carols or any other song you feel obliged to sing. Why don’t we value the simple things over our hoarded gold?


The simple answer, we’re humans. Which means we’re greedy and want the new shiny things but as humans we also have the capacity to change. So this year instead of your entire christmas season being about who got the best most expensive present why don’t we focus on good food, being cheerful and singing our hearts out. Just a thought.



Until next time be blessed, stay strong and never give up,



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want the perfect christmas present for your daughter, niece, granddaughter etc then check out "The Guys The Roses and The Regrets"

The Leaves of Change

Hola Amazing Readers!

Since being a kid I’ve loved autumn and the beauty of the leaves. However living in Florida for the past six years we don’t really have autumn. It’s always green in Florida and if leaves do fall they simply fall off, no pretty colors for Floridians. So I am officially excited right now as I sit outside at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina as golden, red and orange leaves appear and slowly fall to the ground.



It’s quite beautiful here with the mountains all turning brilliant shades of color. It really reminds me of the wonder of God and how every moment of beauty is a blessing. As the leaves change here in North Carolina a lot of changes are going on in my life as well.



I just finished mid terms at college and I can’t believe I am half way through my first semester as a college student but what I wanted to talk to you, my awesome reader, about is the changes that are happening in regards to my books. If you follow me on twitter @gracehatton you will probably know that I recently signed a contract with a major christian publishing house, Bridge Logos, for not ony “The Guys The Roses and The Regrets; The Girl to Girl Dating Guide” but also my second book in the girl to girl guide series “Finding Your Inner Moxie; The Girl to Girl Confidence Guide”



What does this mean? Well “The Guys The Roses and The Regrets” will be re released on a huge scale, i.e going on the shelves in Barnes and Nobles and Borders and my second book will be coming out straight after the re-release of “The Guys The Roses and The Regrets”. To say I am officially excited would be an understatement. I have worked so hard to get a traditional publishing deal and I finally have a great one!



So with this fantastical news comes a lot of new responsibility and I am looking for your help. I have been so blessed to have loyal readers (or should I call you fans?) like you and to have support from all around the globe. I am so grateful for everything you have already done for me and my books but what I really want to do is create a movement of readers spreading the news about the new release of “The Guys The Roses and The Regrets” and of “Finding Your Inner Moxie”




I suppose like a musician has a street team that’s what I would love to create but I am honestly not sure how. Any suggestions? The first thing we could do is if you have a facebook, myspace or twitter account sending out a quick update that would say something like this



“So excited for Teen Authors Grace Hatton book “The Guys The Roses and The Regrets” to be re released with Bridge Logos!”

What do you think? Once I get a date and more info for the re release I will be posting all of that info on my blogs, my official website, facebook, myspace, youtube, twitter and more. I will probably run contests and stuff to see who can be the best street team member but until then help me out, how does a teen author start a crazy good street team?

Let me know, I really appreciate your feedback and I hope you are loving autumn as much as me,



Until next time, be blessed, stay strong and never give up,



God Bless,
Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
www.gracehatton.com

Bet You Didn't Know I Could Paint

Hey Guys,

How are you this beautiful day? I hope you are having a great day and remembering that sometimes the little problems that pile up are simply distractions from the big picture God has given us. Anyhow I wanted to write this quick post to let you know that as well as being a best selling author I am also an artist.

In fact I am going to college to study art and creative writing. So after years of waiting I decided heading to college was a good as time as any to start selling my artwork. So I set up a shop on Etsy where I am selling my original acrylic paintings. My store on Etsy is called GraceHoneyBun (the reason for the name is because its my name plus the nickname my sister calls me). You can take a look at my most recent listing and get to my store by clicking the fancy widget just below

Etsy Buy Handmade gracehoneybun

But if that doesn't work you can click here to go to my store as well. All the proceeds from this store go towards my college education. So if you are into art please check out my shop and if you like my work why not purchase it? If not just let me know what you think, I love feedback. I am very happy with the fact that I finally got the guts to put my work out there and I hope you enjoy it,

Let me know what you think and until next time be blessed, stay strong and never give up,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton - Best Selling Teen Author
www.gracehatton.com

The Elusive College Laptop

Hey Guys,


As you may know I recently graduated high school and in about two weeks I am heading out to college which is great but also a little daunting. I am going to an out of state school in North Carolina which is many miles away from my sunny home in Orlando, FL.

One of the things that come along with a college career are college expenses. I am very blessed to be on a full ride scholarship apart from some loose change. I have most of the things for college apart from one elusive essential item, a laptop. As part of my college experience and part of my work a laptop is kind of essential. In order to keep my blog, website, books etc going I need to have a laptop for school.

I have been able to get half of the cost of my laptop but I am still missing a big chunk of the cost of the laptop. So I have a simple request. If you like my work and appreciate my blogs could you support me in getting my college laptop. If you take a gander over to the support Grace page on my official website. In fact you can click this link to get to the page. Once you arrive you will see a PayPal donate button that allows you to donate any amount from $5 to $100 into my paypal account. This donation will only be used towards the purchase of the laptop and once I have reached my target amount I will let you know.

Any support I recieve means the world to me and helps me on my journey to my dreams. I am very excited about college and the possibilities that are coming my way. I will keep you up to date on all the happenings in my life and on the situation with the laptop.


Thank you for your support in advance,



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/

Graduation is Upon Us

It’s almost done, my high school career. First of all I don’t know why people call it a high school career. As a home schooled student I never considered high school a career. I just enjoyed learning and getting and education.



To me high school is a stepping stone towards our destiny and purpose. Yes we all have a destiny and purpose. I am very thankful that I know my purpose and destiny. However if you’re graduating like me and trying to figure out your destiny its okay. The truth is destiny is all about finding out what you love and pursuing it with a passion.


For me as a Christian I believe God appoints our destiny but if you’re not a christian or have another faith that doesn’t mean you don’t have a destiny. You do! You were put on this earth to do something great and as you graduate think about that. Think about all the possibilities out there. I pray that you’ll go confidently in the direction of your dreams and make everything you’ve ever wanted happen. Now I know that might seem hard so check out the link below to video about one of my favourite Britain’s Got Talent performers


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Gs02ZmUmE

Paul Potts went on to win Britain’s Got Talent and by singing he gained his confidence because singing was what he loved. I graduate this weekend and I intend to have a lot of fun. So to my fellow grads go graduate and have fun at parties but remember at the end of the day it’s just a stepping stone towards your destiny.



Until next time be blessed, stay strong and never give up,


Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/

Only a Week Left to Vote for Me on Pepsi Refresh Everything!

So for the month of April I’ve been moving up the ranks on the Pepsi Refresh Everything grant program. I originally started at 195 and I am now at 112! Which is fantastic but in order to get my grant I need to move up to the top 10! So how do I do that? With your votes! Every vote makes a huge difference so please go to www.refresheverything.com/missmoxie  and vote!




You can vote once per day until the end of April so you have a week to go voting crazy. That's right there is only a week left until voting closes.  So go crazy this week, vote like crazy and tell everyone you know to go to www.refresheverything.com/missmoxie  and vote for my idea! I want to start a magazine that is going to make a true difference for teenage girls and young women but in order for that to happen I need to get this $25k grant. Your vote is what gets me to the top 10 and thus the 25k so please go vote. Every vote makes a huge difference and means the world to me.



Thank you so much for your continued support and for your votes in advance,

God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/

Ask Me Your Burning Questions this Monday at 2pm EST!

Hey Guys,


This is a quick post to let you know this Monday (April the 12th) at 2pm EST I will be doing an interview with Marla Tabaka on her radio show The Millionaire Mindset. Now I do interviews all the time but what’s great about Monday’s show is Marla is allowing call ins. So if you’ve ever wanted to talk to me personally or ask me random questions this is your chance!


You can find out more about the show at http://toginet.com/shows/milliondollarmindset and the call in number for Mondays show is 877-864-4869. Marla loves call ins because she likes her shows to be interactive so feel free to call in. It should be a good show and it’s your chance to ask me your burning questions.

I hope to hear you on the show and as always thanks for reading this post,



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S - Please keep voting for my project on the Pepsi Refresh Everything Grant Program. I am now ranked at 121 but I really want to break the 100 mark so please go vote for me at www.refresheverything.com/missmoxie and vote again every day in April! Thank you for voting. Your support means the world to me =]

Awesome Upcoming Event – Virtual Children’s Book Fair

So this is a quick post about a pretty cool opportunity I’ve been presented with. From February 27th through to the 29th I will be participating in the first Annual Online Children’s Virtual Book Fair.



Think about a traditional book fair well a virtual is very similar apart from all the vendors a.k.a authors are presented online. While it’s called a children’s book fair the book’s represented range from children’s books all the way up to young adult books like my own.

I will be posting again later on in the week with the list of all the other participating authors. We will create an online community of authors and readers for the couple of days that the fair is going on .


You can take a look at the Fair’s main website and there you can see all the author’s books including mine. It’s a pretty exciting event and I am happy to be a part of the first virtual book fair ever!


I will be posting more information soon so look out for that and have a great night.



God Bless,
Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/

14 Days of Love (The End) - Happy Valentines Day!

It’s the last day of our 14 Days of Love experiment, can you believe it? I know I can’t it seems like just yesterday I started this experiment but I think it was quite fun. I enjoyed blogging everyday (it’s been a while since I blogged every day) and I enjoyed looking over the different aspects of love.




So what should I talk about for the last day of 14 Days of Love? I could talk about Valentines Day, about its origins, I could talk about how to have a great Valentines Day and how to build on your relationship but honestly I believe Valentines Day is about love, all aspects of love and for me the best part of love is giving it away.



We all have a chance to make a difference in this world and the greatest way we can do that is by showing love to others. Instead of judging people or putting them down why don’t we try showing love. Go out of your way to show love in peoples lives, talk to the homeless, listen to those who are never heard, build up those who are torn down and be there for those who have no one. There are a million little ways to show love we just have to take the time to actually show it.



The Beatles did a great song called All You Need is Love which is true but part of love is taking action to show it. If you just have the love and keep it to yourself it’s not true love because true love isn’t selfish. So if you’re lucky enough to have love in your life share it and it’ll be heard around the world.




 
 
Love is what makes this world beautiful and we should celebrate it everyday. I suppose that was the point of this little experiment to remind you to celebrate love everyday in every way. I hope the 14 Days of Love experiment showed you that.




Now I will be blogging again soon because I am part off an online virtual book fair so watch out for that but for now have a great Valentines Day night and remember to celebrate love everyday in everyway =]



God Bless,



Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/


P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love – Best On Screen Romances

I was on Fandango today looking up showtimes for Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief when I saw Fandango’s blog and in honour of Valentines Day they were discussing their top five on-screen romances. They had in their top five,


Han Solo and Princess Leia (‘Star Wars’)

Alvy Singer and Annie Hall (‘Annie Hall’)

Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson (‘Grease’)

Jamal and Latika (‘Slumdog Millionaire’)

Joel and Clementine (‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’)



Out of those five couples I only agree with two, Hans Solo and Princess Leia and Jamal and Latika. I was inspired by Fandango’s blog so I decide to post clips of those two couple and my other three favourite couples.

Leia and Hans Solo




Why I Love Them: Because they start like most couples hating each other but their attraction is undeniable. Once they realise they kinda like each other there is no tearing them apart even when one of them is frozen and the other is having issues with her brother. It’s the classic love/hate but I really love you relationship.


Jamal and Latika




Why I Love Them: Four words, this is our destiny. This couple went through so much to be together and they were without each other for big chunks of their lives but in the end they found each other.


Landon and Jamie




Why I Love Them: This was one of the first movies to really make me cry like a baby. While Jamie dies in the end she shows Landon what its like to live with purpose. She shows him how to love and be a better person and he shows her what it feels like to be loved. Both are changed by the love even if they could only be together for a short time


.Sam and JoAnna and the Rest of Love Actually





Why I Love Them: I couldn’t find the clip of Sam and JoAnna at the airport but incase you were wondering Sam and JoAnna are the kids in the movie. I love them because they show love at its purest and simplest. As for the rest of the stories in Love Actually I love them all apart from the porno couple. So if you haven’t seen it you should =]



Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (Both Versions)








Why I Love Them: In literature they are the it couple, totally different but totally right for each other at the same time. I don’t need to tell you their story but I am sure you love it just as much as me. Personally I would love a Mr.Darcy but I guess I have to wait for mine. As far as the Bollywood version it was actually pretty awesome and shows the who Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy in a whole new light.


There are tons of other on screen romances I love like Aragon and Arwen from Lord of the Rings but I wanted to keep it short and sweet. So tell me what do you think of my top 5 choices, love them or hate them? If you don’t like mine let me know what your top 5 favourite on-screen romances are. Valentines Day is only a day away people! I feel like its only been a couple of days since we started the 14 Days of Love but alas it’s almost at its end. No matter I will be still be blogging about many things but for now let me know what you think of this post



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - Single on Valentines Day?

First of all let me say I am so sorry I didn’t post anything yesterday! I feel horrible I wanted to make sure I posted everyday for this 14 Days of Love experiment but yesterday I messed up however I do have an excuse about why I didn’t post anything yesterday. So her it is, I was in Sarasota visiting colleges and then when I got home I had to do more college applications online. I was like a walking zombie when I got to the end of that plus it was way past midnight so I just went to my comfy bed. Thus the reason I didn’t post yesterday =[ but then again they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder so maybe me not posting yesterday made you miss me =].




Anyhow since I forgot to post yesterday today I wanted to make sure I gave you some good solid information. At the beginning of February I posted an article on Associated Content about what to do if you’re single on Valentines Day so today I wanted to share it with you. Check it out



Valentine’s Day, the day when love is celebrated worldwide but what happens if on Valentine’s Day you don’t have someone to share it with. The truth is many people are single on Valentine’s Day and in my opinion there are two ways to deal with it. Option number one, sit around and pine for a relationship or option number two enjoy Valentine’s Day anyway. You may ask how this is possible. Indeed many people think that to have a great Valentine’s Day you have to be in a relationship but the truth is Valentine’s Day can be rather fun even if you’re single. So I have created a quick list of sample ideas for having a great Valentine’s Day as a fun-loving single.



#1 – Make it About You

On Valentine’s Day it’s so easy to think about all the other people in relationships but why not make it out you? Being single on Valentine’s Day isn’t a crime and you deserve to enjoy it no matter what. So light some candles, eat some chocolates, take a long bath and watch your favorite movie. Stay in, do what makes you happy and just relax. Don’t think about going out and going through all the Valentine’s Day craziness. Instead make it about you, relax and do whatever makes you happy. As they say just have some me time.



#2 – Make it A Girls Night Out

Even though sometimes it feels like you’re the only single person in the word, it’s very likely that some of your girlfriends are single as well. So instead of everyone sitting around and mopping, why not make it a girl’s night out? Gather all your single friends, get dressed up, hit the town and have some fun! Spending time with your friends is a fun and easy way to spend Valentine’s Day. The truth is relationships come and go but true friends will also be there for you no matter what so go have a great Valentine’s Day celebrating your friendship.



#3 – Make it a Take a Chance Night

There are three kinds of single, single because you want to be, single because there are no prospects on the horizon and single because you’re two afraid to jump into the relationship that’s right in front of you. So I want to discuss the third reason for being single. If there is a guy you really like but he hasn’t made a move yet then you’re the third kind of single. Valentine’s Day is probably one of the best days to take a chance on a relationship. I know it can be scary after all what if he doesn’t feel the same way? He may indeed not feel the same way but if that turns out to be true you won’t have lost anything. In fact you’ve gained something; you’ve gained the ability to move onto the next relationship. However if by chance he does feel the same way then you’ve just jumped into a new relationship that could be quite wonderful. Either way you can finally know if he wants you. So on Valentine’s Day take a deep breath, take a chance and find out if you have a Valentine after all.



I hope those few ideas helped you realize that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be horrible if you’re single. It might not be perfect but it can still be rather good. So this Valentine’s Day if you have someone, congratulations and if not keep your chin up and go have a fantastic Valentine’s Day anyway.



Did you like that article? I hope you did, we are getting closer to Valentines Day and to the end of our little experiment so stay with me and let’s make this the best Valentines Day weekend ever!



Until tomorrow, God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - Loving the Underdog

The Saints won! It was an amazing game and I am so glad the Saints got the victory for New Orléans. So in honor of the Saints Superbowl victory today I wanted to talk about the love of the underdog. The saints were the underdogs in yesterdays Superbowl and throughout history we’ve loved the underdogs.

Most movies, books and other entertainment is based on the underdog winning. So why do we love the underdog so much? I think it’s because when we see the underdog win, we believe its possible for us to win. We all feel like the underdog sometimes when life gets us down its easy to give up but when we decided to fight most of the time we’ll end up winning.

However we have to believe that no matter what, no matter how big the obstacles may seem we will win. So here are a few quotes to inspire the underdog in you.



“Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. Most of all other people can’t stop you. Only you can stop you” – Jeffrey Gitomer



“You may not realize it when it happens, but at kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney



“Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records” – William A Ward



“Things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be.” – Charles “Tremendous” Jones



“The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” – Nelson Mandella


“Never, never, never, never give up” – Winston Churchill


When the underdog wins it’s a beautiful thing, when we win it’s a beautiful thing. Every victory we win is a beautiful thing and life is generally is a beautiful thing. Yes everything is beautiful today =] So as you go about your business remember to push on through the obstacles to your victory. It’s totally worth it.



Until tomorrow, be blessed, stay strong and never give up,



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - Love of the Game (And the Awesome Ads)

It’s the Superbowl today and I have to admit as an English lass I still think American Football is a weak version of Rugby however this year I can’t help but be excited about the Superbowl. Why you may ask, well the answer is simple, the Saints. I don’t really have a favourite football team and I don’t really follow the NFL but the New Orléans Saints have my attention.

They remind me of the Orlando Magic last year in the NBA playoffs last year. No one had expected the Magic to get into the Playoffs but we did and the city went crazy. It was like the entire city was having a block party and even though we didn’t win the Playoffs it was a great experience for Orlando and besides we’re going to win this year. So the Saints remind me of the Magic and I watched the Vikings VS Saints game. The end of the game was amazing and I believe that the Saints could pull of a cinderella story against the Colts. Technically the Colts are a better team plus they have Peyton Manning but like I said it would be a great win for the Saints and for the city of New Orleans if they could pull of a Cinderella story.




Now the other thing I love about the Superbowl is the ads and I am not alone in my love. The NFL did a survey last year and apparently 51% of people watch the game for the ads. Granted that’s probably all the women watching the game but anywho I decided to put my favourite ads on the 2009 Superbowl in this post. So take a look and enjoy.

Free Doritios




E Trade Babies




Maybe You Should Get a Dog




Talking Flowers





Did you laugh? If you did awesome if not tell me what were your favourite ads from last year.I hope you have fun today watching the Superbowl with your friends and family. Until tomorrow, Go Saints!




God Bless,



Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - The Essential Best Friend

As we continue our little experiment about the different kinds of love, I wanted to do the post today about best friends. For me I have two best friends, both utterly amazing both polar opposites of each other. I love both of them like my sisters and I would do anything for them. I believe Best Friends are an essential relationship that everyone should have.



A best friend is someone to laugh with, someone to cry with, someone to ramble on with and someone to live life with. Granted sometimes it takes a while to find that best friend but when you do you should hold onto them with everything you have.

I would say something else really inspirational and witty at this point but the truth is it’s almost midnight and tomorrows the Super Bowl so I need some sleep. So if you have a best friend, hug them and love them. If not go out there and find yourself one =]


Its the Superbowl tomorrow and yes I will be doing a post most likely about the game so watch out for that and have a good night,



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/


P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love – Press Release for Valentines Day

Another day, another post. Today I wanted to share with you the Press Release I am sending out for Valentines Day about my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”. So I hope you like it let me know what you think and I promise tomorrows post will be something special but for now here it is.




Still Need a Last Minute Relationship Expert for Your Valentines Day Story?


(Orlando, FL) According to the National Retail Federation, every year consumers spend around $13 billion dollars on Valentines Day and Hallmark Cards report that almost 180 million Valentines Day cards are exchanged each year. Lets face it Valentines Day is one popular holiday. People love to talk about love. On Valentines Day various media outlets cover stories about love and discuss relationships with relationships experts. Do you have your Valentines Day story planned? Do you need a relationship expert to complete your story? Then why not interview Grace Hatton, the 18 year old teen author of the Amazon Best Seller “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; The Girl to Girl Dating Guide”?




“Every Valentines Day people search for love or if they’re in a relationship they want to know if its true love. While there is no magic formula to love there are ways to understand relationships and figure out if you have the real thing or not. However if you’re not in a relationship on Valentines Day that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great Valentines Day. There a plenty of ways for a fun loving single to have a great time on Valentines Day. Either way Valentines Day is a beautiful day to celebrate love and relationships”, says Grace.



Since the release of her book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets” last Valentines Day, Grace has been featured on numerous radio shows, TV shows and magazines. In fact Grace was recently featured in WOW Performance Magazine alongside Michelle Obama! If you’re still looking for a great relationship expert to interview for your Valentines Day story then Grace may be the perfect choice for you. Being only 18 and already a best selling author, Grace is certainly a unique and insightful guest to interview.



Grace Hatton is an eighteen year old British teenager who has lived on two continents, traveled on mission trips to South Africa and won international writing awards. Grace wrote her first full length novel at the age of 14 and Grace is the author of the new book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; The Girl to Girl Dating Guide” which has been endorsed by Mark Victor Hansen and is an Amazon best seller. For more information on Grace Hatton and her books please visit www.gracehatton.com



Thank you for your time and consideration.



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - A Fathers Love

So as we continue our experiment I can’t help but think about the kinds of love other than the romantic kind. For me the love a family shares is invaluable. I know for me if I didn’t have my family my life would be so different. I love my brother, sister and mum more than I could ever tell you but I believe a relationship so many young girls miss out on is the relationship with their father. For me I have been very lucky to have an amazing Dad who even though sometimes I don’t get along with I know no matter what he will be there for me. I know he’ll be ther for me when I need to cry, he’ll be there for me when I fail and when I do well. I know he’ll be there for me after a broken heart and when I am a little crazy. The truth is little girls need their Daddies and even though I am pretty much grown up now I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to grow up without a Daddy to hold, protect and love me.



So today I wanted to celebrate the beauty of a fathers love and there are some pretty incredible stories of a fathers love. However I have two stories that are just beyond incredible and I warn you, you might cry. Never the less take a look at the videos and enjoy the incredible stories.



Team Hoyt

Dick Hoyt is the father of Rick Hoyt. Rick was born not being able to talk or walk. He has been confined to a chair his entire life. However Rick learned how to use a computer to speak, at 15 Rick told his Dad he wanted to take part in a 5 mile benefit run. Dick wasn’t a runner but agreed to push Rick in his chair. For the first time in his life Rick didn’t feel handicapped. Now together they compete in marathons and triathlons across America. This is on of the most beautiful stories about a fathers love. Watch the video and you’ll se what I mean. That father is willing to push his body to the absolute limits to be with his son and that son is so happy just to be with his father. Thats love and its beautiful.





Patrick Henry Hughes and His Dad



Patrick Henry Hughes was born without eyes and crippled. Before his first birthday Patrick started playing the piano by sound. It’s actually kinda amazing as you’ll see in the video in fact by his second birthday he was playing requests. His dad decided to help him with his music as he grew up. By the time Patrick arrived at the University of Louisville his musical ability on piano and trumpet was well-known in the city. The school wanted Patrick to play in the marching band but obviously Patrick couldn’t do that on his own. So his father decided he would help his son by pushing Patrick during the routines. His dad does all the work with Patrick, the practices, rehearsals and games. In order to be at every band practice and to sit beside his son in every class Patrick’s father works the grave yard shift for UPS. He goes to work at 11 at night, gets in at 6am and sleeps until 11am where he then takes his son to school. To me thats beautiful, his father basically lives two lives for his son. That kind of love is extraordinary, watch the video to see more.





So today as you go about your business, if your Dad is your life make sure to give him a hug and say I love you and if not think about the love you have with the rest of your family. Love in a family is a beautiful thing and I pray everyone has a family that loves them so they can be surrounded with love.




Until tomorrow, be blessed and be loved,



Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - The Online Search for Love

Its day three of our little 14 Days of Love experiment and its harder than you think to blog every day but today I decided to just search for love. So I hopped on Yahoo and put in Love in the search engine. I have to admit I was pretty curious to see what would come up.


The photo to the left is the first image search for love, interesting right? Anywho as far as the top 5 sites that come up when you search love online.



1. Love – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. K-Love Christian Radio Network
3. Positive Encouraging K-LOVE – Listen Online
4. love: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com
5. Luv‘ – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



So yes if you ever wanted to know what comes up when you search for love, now you know but what else comes up is WikiQuotes. WikiQuotes is pretty amazing and they have some amazing quotes about love and I decided to share a couple of my favourites.



“I’ve made the most important discovery of my life. It’s only in the mysterious equation of love that any logical reasons can be found.” -John Forbes Nash (portrayed by Russell Crowe, in A Beautiful Mind (2001)

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” -Matthew Henry in Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 1, under Genesis 2:21


“You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn’t true. I know a lot about love. I’ve seen it, seen centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate… Made me want to turn away and never look down again. But to see the way that mankind loves… I mean, you could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So, yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and… What I’m trying to say, Tristan, is… I think I love you. My heart… It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it doesn’t belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I’d wish for nothing in exchange — no gifts, no goods, no demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me, too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine” – Yvaine” in Stardust (2007 film), based on Stardust (1998), by Neil Gaiman.



All of those quotes remind me of the beauty of love and as a single gal it reminds me that I’d rather be single now and have that kind of love later than settle for the average. True love is a rare amazing thing and I don’t think we should ever cheapen it. I have to admit I get pretty annoyed when couples just say they love each other because they think they should. It’s not even as though the couple has to have known each other for a long time (my parents were engaged a month after they met and have been married for 25 years) its more about understanding the meaning of those three words.



If you truly love someone you would through yourself in front of a bus to protect them so all I am saying is lets remember how unique, rare and special love is =]



Until tomorrow have a good night and God Bless
Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - When in Rome

As promised I am blogging everyday up to Valentines Day as part of my 14 Days of Love experiment. So I decided to do a review today simply because I can and I just watched this movie so hey why not talk about it. The movie is When in Rome and yes its a romantic comedy.




It’s actually a pretty cute story and it made me want to go to Rome. So heres the basic plot line, this woman Beth whose a little uptight goes to Rome for her baby sisters wedding. She’s the maid of honor at the wedding and at the wedding she meets Nick, the best man. They both like each other but Beth catches Nick with some Italian girl and so with a bottle of champagne Beth goes to the fountain of love. The legend goes that if you throw a coin in the fountain true love will find you, so Beth decides to take a few coins. However when you take someones coin they fall in love with you.



Beth jets back to New York with the coins, from that point on it’s basically these five guys trying to get Beth to love them in return including Nick. Beth learns that the Italian girl Nick was with was actually the grooms drunk cousin and he was making sure she didn’t mess up the party. So Beth starts to fall for Nick but then she discovers one of the coins she has is Nicks! Thus Beth tries to figure out if Nick really loves her while trying to figure out how to stop the other guys from loving her. I won’t spoil the end for you but its a really cute movie. It has some very sweet moments in it and my favourite scene is the wedding scene before the coin drama happens. Beth and Nick (or Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel) have great chemistry and that scene shows the awesome firsts moments of a relationship. Those moments when you see the guy, share a smile, you feel the butterflies and then suddenly its the start of a relationship.



All in all its a great romantic comedy set in some really beautiful places and it has quite a few laugh out loud moments. I would recommend this movie if you want a fun romantic comedy that reminds you of the beauty of love. Tomorrow I will be blogging again about well honestly I am not sure yet but it will be around the topic of love. So keep checking back, feel free to comment on the posts and remember to celebrate love.



God Bless,

Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/


P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

14 Days of Love - The Experiment

As we are all aware, Valentines Day is just around the corner. For me as the author of “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; The Girl to Girl Dating Guide” Valentines Day is a crazy time because obviously my book is all about love, relationships and dating.

However as Valentines Day draws close I wanted to try an experiment, from today to Valentines Day there are 14 days, usually on these days if you’re a woman one of two things happen. If you’re not in a relationship you pine for one and if you’re in a relationship you expect Valentines Day to be magical with your significant other. The truth is either way we are really focusing on ourselves instead of the beauty of love. While love in relationships is the most popular sort of love there are all sorts of love. In fact did you know the Greeks had 17 different meanings for love. They had 17 kids of love, for example you love your family, you love those new shoes etc.



Its my belief that in todays day and age love is thrown around far two loosely thus cheapening the true value of love. So back to the experiment every day from here to Valentines Day I am going to do a post about love. It might be about the traditional kind of love (in a relationship) and it could be about the other kinds of love we sometimes forget about. I am also going to thrown in a couple of reviews in just because its my blog and I can



The point of this little experiment though is to remember the true beauty of love and how sometimes we get so caught up looking for the traditional kind of love we forget about the love all around us. So if you want this Valentines Day to be different, if you want to have a Valentines Day surrounded with love, come along for the ride, check back every day and let’s have 14 days of love.



God Bless,


Grace Hatton – Best Selling Teen Author
http://www.gracehatton.com/



P.S – Want a copy of my book “The Guys The Roses & The Regrets”? Go to Amazon.com to pick up your copy in time for Valentines Day!

Don't Be the Playdough In Your Relationships

So Valentines Day is just around the corner and as you know my book "The Guys The Roses & The Regrets; The Girl to Girl Dating Guide" is all about dating and realtionships so Valentines Day is a big day of the year for me. I go to conferences, I do interviews and in general I get the word out about me and my book. The other day I was doing an interview and as always I was talking about how important it is to know who you are before you enter into any romantic relationship. Its important to know who you are because when you go into a relationship you are going to be changed. That relationship is going to affect you whether that be a good or bad thing.

So as I was talking something slipped out I said that if you go into a relationship before you know who you are its kinda like being Playdough. Because you're mushy, easy to change and easy to mess up. You go into the relationship as Playdough and the guy messes with you, changes you, then the relationship doesn't work out and you're left as some weird sculpture (like the one in the photo). All because you were mushy Playdough in the first place! Does that make sense? I thought it was a kinda cool comparision for relationships.

The point of the whole Playdough thing is that you shouldn't be Playdough. You should already be a sculpture before you enter any relationship. You should know who you are, what you stand for, what you want to be, what you want from the relationship and what your boundaries are. Knowing all of these things makes you a firm sculpture before you enter the relationship and of course you are going to alter a little but the guy won't be able to make you into whatever kind of sculpture he wants because you're already a strong sculpture.

I hope that made sense and made you think about relationships. It was just a quick interesting realtionship tip I wanted to share with you so remember don't be the Playdough in your relationships. Know exactly what kind of sculpture you are before you get involved in any relationship =]

Look out for lots more posts from me on the run up to Valentines Day like I said its a really busy time for me so I will be posting like those crazy bloggers who never leave their computers :P However if you want to keep up with me every minute of ever day (stalk much :P) you can follow me on Twitter @gracehatton

Well thats it for now so until next time, be blessed, stay strong and remember Don't Be The Playdough!

God Bless,

Grace Hatton - Best Selling Teen Author

http://www.gracehatton.com/