Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Learning to Bend by Michelle Davis

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Learning to Bend by Michelle Davis. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you as well as a guest post from the author. There's also a tour wide giveaway to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: Learning to Bend
Author: Michelle Davis
Publication Date: February 10th 2020
Print Length: 257 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction

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Jenna Moore's flawlessly orchestrated life and engagement to Ben Kelly, “the perfect man,” vanish when she discovers a controlling side of her fiancé. Confused and unsure of who she is without Ben, Jenna decides to uproot from her safe, predictable life in Boston and move to Bend, Oregon, hoping to find her answers there. It’s when she meets Jackson, a former Navy SEAL who battles demons of his own, that Jenna finds the courage to let go of being perfect and embrace uncomfortable risks, transforming her life through forgiveness, compassion, surrender and acceptance. Yet the rewards from discovering her true self exceed Jenna’s expectations – not only does she find the greatest love of her life, but she also understands what’s kept her from learning to bend.

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Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Kobo

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EXCERPT:

I’m drawn to a solitary man with shoulder length thick brown hair sitting alone at a café table. I try not to stare, but I can’t help myself. When I get closer, I see a faint scar on his cheek. It intrigues me. He intrigues me. Yet it’s his captivating green eyes that truly catch my attention. I look in the opposite direction and make it appear as if I’m about to walk away. But I can’t, he pulls me toward him. I pause, actually freeze in my tracks before I find my body shifting in his direction. He’s drinking coffee and gazing at me. Who is he and why am I feeling this way? Doing my best to regain some composure, I try to avert my eyes, but they won’t stop staring at him. What is it? He’s not traditionally handsome – he’s more of a sensual “bad boy” type – nothing like Ben. Suddenly, I feel my throat tighten and butterflies appear inside my stomach. I become conscious about my hair. I’ve had a helmet on all day. It must look awful.

Stop it. He’s just some stranger.

Although he’s sitting, I quickly assess his height and notice his chiseled muscular build. I’m guessing that he’s older than me, by at least five or more years. Something deep inside of me begins to stir as I pass by his table. That’s when I hear, “Place the weight on your inside toe when you turn. You’re using your knees too much.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michelle Davis, whose career path includes banking, teaching, and college admissions consulting, holds a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and a M.S. in Education from St. Joseph’s University. Through her blog, elevate, Michelle’s goal is to inspire others to shift their perspectives and welcome change as they realize their life purpose. A Pennsylvania native, Michelle and her husband enjoy visiting their sons in Boston and spending time in Bend, Oregon, the settings of her debut novel, Learning to Bend.

Website * Book Website * Facebook * Instagram

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GUEST POST:

Showing Up 
by Michelle Davis

While apprehensively waiting for an especially challenging yoga class to begin, the owner of the studio shared with me a wonderful message… Our yoga practice should be the most difficult thing we do... if this is the case, then consider the ease that we bring to the rest of the day. These words resonated deeply within. If I just “showed up” on my mat, regardless of how I felt, what I was battling, what I needed to do, or where I wanted to be, could that be all it took? Might showing up be enough?

I’ve been practicing yoga long enough to appreciate that lessons from the mat transfer to all areas of life. It made me wonder… could “showing up” to write work the same as “showing up on my mat”? What would that look like? What if writing was the most difficult thing that I did each day? If I showed up and diligently expressed my thoughts, allowing the words to pour onto the page, would the rest of my day flow more easily?

While I don’t feel inspired to work on my book daily, I usually can muster up enough from within to write something. Maybe journaling is all that I do, but it still counts… I’m writing. Other days, like today, my mind’s spinning, and I seem to jump from one project to the next, frantically attempting to organize my ideas and refine my thoughts. And occasionally, all I want to do is focus on the back stories, the “whys” behind the plot, much of which the reader will never see but remains crucial to the craft.

Whether it is the sense of accomplishment or the act of composing, I know that I feel better on the days that I write. Maybe this sensation emanates from a release, allowing my inner most thoughts, hopes, and beliefs to take shape. Perhaps I feel heard when I’m able to put words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into chapters. Or, who knows, it’s possible that I just thrive when my creative juices flow, allowing me to offer others a different glimpse of the world through my stories.

Most likely, it’s a combination of all of the above that makes my day fuller when I choose to write. Like so much in life, it’s easy to create excuses as to why we can’t do something. There’s always another need on the back burner, desperately requiring our attention. However, when we commit, dig deep, and show up, incredible things can materialize. Sure, this doesn’t happen every time I write; it can’t be forced. But those rare moments when I compose the perfect line, realize the missing link, or capture the essence of the moment with a poignant phrase, makes all of those hours staring at a blank screen or empty page worth it. And, when I tackle those difficult challenges that all writers face, somehow the rest of my day seems to be smoother, easier.

Maybe showing up, expressing myself through writing and allowing my voice to be heard gives me the strength and perseverance to weather the unexpected traffic, the burned dinner, or the cranky friend. Every day that I write, I take a risk, put myself out there, and bare my soul. Doing these things brings me closer to my truth, knowing who I am and what I believe. Therefore, showing up, each day, doing the work, even when we don’t want to… well, that’s enough. And, knowing this, even if we resist or want to be elsewhere, that’s what makes the rest of the day, maybe even life, better. We’ve done our part… we’ve shown up.

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GIVEAWAY:

Michelle Davis will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to one randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway