REVIEW: Just Beneath the Surface by Kass Hillard

May 1, 2023 / The Eclectic World of Christina / Leave a comment

About Just Beneath the Surface: Awakening, Uncovering, Discovering, & Remembering Your True Self

Parents and caregivers, clergy and teachers pour into us their beliefs about life, the world, and God. Other family members, friends, media outlets, etc. soon enter our life, adding even more influences. We trust, believe, and accept what we see and hear as truth, rarely questioning those facts and statements, or sources.

As we journey through life, we find that our thoughts and perspectives change. The more we learn or are exposed to ideas and experiences beyond ourselves, the more our world expands. We begin to question, seek answers, challenge our beliefs, and find our own truths.

The purpose of this book is to assist you in discovering what a beautiful soul you are. There are challenges that offer questions and prompts inviting you to look deeper within yourself and in doing so, perhaps a greater awareness and understanding of your true self which is waiting just beneath the surface.

About Kass Hillard

Kass is a retired certified reflexologist, hypnotist, and Reiki Master, and was the owner of a holistic healing center and practice in southwest Michigan for many years. She now enjoys writing, traveling, and teaching reflexology, past life regression, and psychic development.

She is the author of “Games Psychics Play: Enhancing Your Intuition and Psychic Gifts.” Her story, “The Final Gift” is featured in the #1 international best-selling book, “The Last Breath,” published by Franklin Rose Publishing. Her piece, “Woman, Rise Up,” is included in the Audie nominated audiobook, “Nevertheless, We Persisted,” by Blunder Woman Productions.

Kass currently resides in northwest Ohio with her husband and their two goofy dogs. You will rarely find her without a cup of coffee, working on an art project, or taking a class to learn something new. She is still trying to figure it all out.

My Review

Are you looking to delve deeper into your Self, your mindset, your soul? Author Kass Hillard has written another wonderful book to help gain insight through challenging prompts and questions. I found Prompt #35 especially tough and yet inspiring, a change to my mindset. Discover a better understanding of your true self. I highly recommend this book. Five Stars!

Just Beneath the Surface on Amazon

Only Love Remains

November 10, 2020 / The Eclectic World of Christina / Leave a comment

“It all happened within minutes. For some, it would last a lifetime.”

As many of you know from previous posts, my dad was a Navy Corpsman with the Marines during the Korean War. He never shared his experiences. After he died, I read the letters he wrote to his parents during the war and finally understood (reading between the lines) why he was hard and emotionally absent. I think the war had affected him more than he had let on.

Although Dearest Mother and Dad is historical fiction, I believe my dad was beside me as I wrote it. You may love the story. You may hate it. This healing process dissolved my anger and pain. Only love remains.

I’ve shared some of my dad’s pictures from Korea in my book trailer photo album. I used them to visualize and create the story. Take a look.

To all our Veterans, thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Dearest Mother and Dad on AMAZON

Dearest Mother and Dad on BARNES&NOBLE

My Unexpected Journey toward Forgiveness

May 21, 2020 / The Eclectic World of Christina / Leave a comment

For two years, I’ve stepped beyond my comfort zone and into a raw place of anger, sadness, and then understanding in this personal project of historical fiction.

It first started after my dad passed away. We were going through his things and found a stack of letters he wrote to his parents during the Korean War. Well, my dad never talked about that time in his life. I wanted to know if these letters gave any indication why he was unbending and emotionally absent.

I organized the letters chronologically with the idea of sharing these historical papers with his grandchildren. For a month, I carefully typed up the chicken scratch cursive on pages of transparent tracing paper. At first, I thought the unreadable writing was some kind of secret military code. With my mom’s help, we deciphered his words.

As I read through one hundred letters, I found that they weren’t quite complete. As a corpsman, Dad had antidotes about life in Korea, but the letters had no context, no big picture history. I wanted to give my family a complete awareness of that time period, so I decided to create my own fictional story around his letters using a character from my Series. If you’ve read the Chemical Attraction Series, you may be familiar with Matt Connor’s father, Orrin. He was the perfect age and had the demeanor I needed to tell the story.

After six months of researching the Korean War, I was able to match dates and battles with my dad’s letters. I had fit more pieces of the puzzle together, and I have two thick binders to prove it.

Next, I needed to tie the letters together with a beginning, middle, and end. I spent another four months outlining a complete story battling my own emotions about my dad along the way. In a sense, writing this story was healing therapy between my dad and me. We weren’t close in life, but I feel like I know him a little better now. Through his letters, I learned how much he loved his parents. I found inspiration in the picture on the cover. Can you see and feel the love?

I wondered if our relationship would have been different if I had known about his past while he was alive. I will never know. In the end, it is what it is. Do I have regrets? No. I may not have written this story otherwise. I’ve made my peace. I’d like to think Dad had a hand in the fictional scenes of the story. Wishful thinking? Sure, why not? I believe we have spirit guides. Maybe my personal journey was heaven sent.

Dearest Mother and Dad now available

Add Dearest Mother and Dad to your GOODREADS list

Corpsman Orrin Connor’s faithful letters with a touching twist shield his parents from the horrors of war. His buddy Rawley Armstrong’s poignant letters give his sister the harrowing truths. Throughout their dangerous assignments during the Korean War, they debate the consequences of their choices. Orrin gains comfort in downplaying his experiences while Rawley feels a healing purge. As they get to know the Marines in their charge, the corpsmen gather a variety of opinions. Although Orrin and Rawley disagree, their friendship remains true until the bitter end.

“It all happened within minutes. For some, it would last a lifetime.”

Based on her father’s letters to his parents throughout the Forgotten War, author Christina Thompson has produced this work of historical fiction to pay tribute to Navy corpsmen by remembering their service to their brothers and their country. Imagining her father had guarded his parents from the carnage of war, Christina elaborates on what could have happened while staying true to the dates and experiences her father shared in his actual letters.

Holistic Science

April 18, 2016 / The Eclectic World of Christina / Leave a comment

Red Books

We are awesome. Not just me although I am! I mean our bodies are awesome. We have an innate ability to heal ourselves. A cut on our finger makes a scab for protection. A rise in our temperature kills viruses. Broken bones mend. In an amazing way, our bodies somehow know what to do.

Stress creates havoc within our bodies that can worsen into a vicious cycle. For example, stress may cause a headache, which, in turn, makes it hard to sleep. The lack of rest makes us tired. Fatigue prevents us from eating right or exercising, which causes more stress with more aches and pains.

Let’s start from the beginning. If stress causes a headache, the first thing we do is rub the area whether the headache is at the temples or the bridge of the nose. We do it automatically. Our bodies intuitively know what to do. We may then crave a cool washcloth or the heating pad.

From a science standpoint, we have four different types of nerve endings across the skin. Some detect heat and cold. Others detect pressure and pain. One type can override another. For instant, hot and cold packs or the Icy-Hot gels lessen pain just as finger pressure may override pain. Kids know that kissing the boo-boo actually works—the pressure over the pain.

Sometimes that helps. Sometimes that relief is temporary and we need a little extra help. Drugs help but usually have side effects that cause problems elsewhere. Doctors also recommend exercise or physical therapy. Many holistic modalities help break the stress cycle, so the body can heal naturally—like a reboot.

In Chinese acupuncture, the channels or meridians carry Qi (energy) throughout the body. Stress and pain can block energy causing other symptoms. The emptiness of energy in front of the blockage creates deficient symptoms like fatigue or depression while the buildup of energy behind the blockage creates excess symptoms like indigestion or insomnia. Acupuncture breaks it up and moves the Qi.

Stimulating reflexes on the hands and feet in Reflexology can help relieve stress and tension. Reiki helps replenish the positive energy. Massage over stimulates muscles which makes them relax. These modalities work on different levels—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—to create a healthy and balanced person.

Personally, I love reflexology or a good old fashion foot massage. Do you have a favorite? What works for you?