Tag Archives: books

Five Things Felons Need to Know

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Welcome back Reader!

Today, I’ve got a short list of five things that felons should know after their conviction.

This isn’t a hate post either, I am the Friendly Felon after all – so you’re in store for some nifty information that is really going to give you hope and help you get back on track.

That’s what I’m all about here – finding those little rays of hope for a better life and growing that into a goal you can reach. Just thought I’d mention that for the newcomers – because they might not have known what they were getting themselves into here. (Partly why Enigma is part of my chosen moniker)

Anyway, without further ado, I present my newest list:

Felons Should Know:

1. We can get the majority of our civil rights back – and some states even allow restoration of rights immediately after you finish your last day locked up or once you get released from whatever level supervision you might be on. This includes voting, earning a public office seat in a governmental body, and more. Some rights will take more time than others, and every state is different in their limits, but ultimately – the rights are available again once you’ve kept yourself out of trouble for a while. Not a bad bargain really.

2. We can gain legal certificates that help us get jobs. First, there is a federal bonding program that is available for all felons in every state across the entire nation. There are also some states that offer a ‘Certificate of Good Conduct’, or a ‘Certificate of Relief from Disability’. Both of these help with getting a job, and one can even help you get a professional license. You’ll have to earn these with a lot of research and a lot of action – but it is completely possible!

3. We can do anything we put our minds to! If you’re a felon that wants to go to college, there’s not much that can stop you. Sex convictions aside, most felons – including drug-related convictions (might have to wait for financial aid to be allowed again, but otherwise chances of acceptance aren’t terrible)- can attend college without hassle. I’ve been accepted numerous times into various colleges for interior design, art, beauty school, and psychology. I might have only stuck with one of these choices, but all of them were willing to work with me regardless of my background. The payment of the tuition is the biggest hassle here, but most convictions can apply within just a few years of completion of your sentence.

4. We need to be honest about our backgrounds with employers. When you hide it, you’re just wasting time (yours and the employers to be honest). There might be restrictions in various states as to how far back the background search can go – but in many cases, a simple background search performed online will bring up every single conviction under your name. It is a much better idea to be honest, and spend more time learning how to prove you’re a good employee to potential employers. (Character references, volunteer experiences, letters from probation, parole, etc, anything and everything that gives ‘proof’ of a good worker).

5. We are worth the effort it takes to overcome our obstacles. Just because we made a mistake doesn’t mean that our lives have to be over or that we’re doomed to a life inside an institution or on the ‘wrong side’ of the street. Of course, if you want to continue the life that brought you to this point – that’s up to you. Personally, I recommend picking the important pieces of yourself up and building a better life – it’s the most difficult thing to do – but that just means it will be that much more meaningful when you accomplish your goals.

So, that concludes my list for the day – I hope you like it and if you want more information about how to overcome your conviction related obstacles – please purchase a copy of my Guide to Life After a Felony – available in print on Microcosm and on just about every eBook retailer out there – click here for the Kindle edition.

If you want some personalized research done for your situation – I offer that on Fiverr – click on the Hire Aza link at the top of the page – I’m here for you to help you meet your goals and dreams. It’s what I do – seriously, it’s all I think about. Keep going strong everyone! Rise above!

Love and Peace,
Aza (@aza_enigma Twitter)

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Interesting Reads – List of the Week

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Hey Readers! I’ve been browsing the catalog again!

There’s a lot of nifty books in this list, check them out below:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/503385?ref=AzaEnigma (Strong Brains, Sharp Minds)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/23934?ref=AzaEnigma (Digital Media Skills)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/398936?ref=AzaEnigma (Job Guide for Nurses)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/578517?ref=AzaEnigma (Doctor Who Stuff)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/252936?ref=AzaEnigma (Learning on the Go)

And that’s my collection of interesting reads this week!

If you dig this list, why not check out my previous posts for more links (here and here)

That’s all for now folks

Love and Peace – Aza

No Rest for the Wicked

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Good Afternoon Readers!

It has recently come to my attention that I’m basically working all of the time. When I talk about my life to my co-workers and other peers, they’re often left wondering how the hell I do all these different things and how I’ve picked myself up time and time again.

The simple fact is… I’m just constantly putting in effort in some area of my life. Even on my ‘days off’, I often find myself ‘working’ in some way.

Just last week, I cleaned an entire house of soot damage and repainted the ceiling in two rooms on a ‘day off’ from my payroll job.

Today (also a ‘day off’), I wrote out another round of postcards for the mailer marketing I’ve been running for ‘The Friendly Felon’s Guide to Life‘, am writing this post currently, and have also been adding content to not just one book in progress, but two completely different books in progress. (Spirituality and Perspectives (non-fiction exploration), and Letters of Love and War (fictionalized memoir) simply because those are my two favorite works in progress today) I’ve also read three Tarot spreads for clients online in the last 24 hours.

Point is…. there really aren’t any days off. Not when you’ve got something in mind to work toward.

Now, this doesn’t apply to just us felons…. My mom friends and work friends are also crazy busy between balancing their children, work lives (sometimes multiple jobs), and also building toward their goals – whatever they may be, some are in nursing school along with a full time job and the millions of sporting events that 4 children in middle school bring while others are working two jobs and attending college courses while living out of their vehicle to save on expenses.

The grind is real, for all of us.

Now, this isn’t to say, ignore everything else in your life while you run your nose into the metaphorical grindstone…
Just that you can’t stop going after your dreams. Even when things seem slow or pointless or even overwhelming simply because you’re so busy. (For instance, after a year and not even 50 followers, many people would have given up on their blog as a way to reach others… but here I am, still chugging along – slowly… but surely. Even if I had to take a couple breaks here and there to keep other things in life on track as well.)

So, when you’re feeling tired of the grind, remind yourself that the rewards are worth the lack of ‘rest’. And even if we aren’t all ‘wicked’, we all have those dreams that are worth chasing, and worth the lack of relaxation. We can relax once we’ve crossed our finish lines.

Love and Peace – Aza

 

 

Resources / Reading List

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I’ve compiled another list of newly released reading materials, some are helpful for a variety of reasons, others are simply fun (make note that some may have strong language – if you’re against that sort of thing – you’ll want to double check the ratings)!  These are all on Smashwords (they have every format you need too!) – as it’s not only one of my own publishing platforms, but it’s an amazing supporter of indie publishing and they offer a wonderful affiliate program so that we authors can help each other out. Check them out and I hope you enjoy!

For fellow aspiring authors:

Author Secrets

For those who need to find some quiet in their mind:

How to Meditate

The Happiness Paragraph

For those who want to manage time better:

Time Management

For those self-improvement types like me:

Motivation and Personality

Grit – I Can and I Will

For entertainment:

Trigger Warning

 

Happy Reading! Love ~Aza

 

Who Likes Reading? (raises hand)

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Hey Readers! Back again today with a short list of inspiring reads I’ve found on Smashwords while doing a bit of research.

I’ve bookmarked them for myself too, for that rainy day that I have off every now and then. Hopefully, I’ll snag enough time to finish these before the end of the year, so I can use them as stepping stones for my goals next year!

Check them out below:

1. Smashword Reading List Book 1
I’m hoping to get into the interviewer mindset from this, to help build a workshop for local ex-offenders who need interview training.

2.  Smashword Reading List Book 2
Who doesn’t love getting pumped up with inspirational quotes? These are fuel for me, and also give additional perspective on the various situations we can encounter.

3. Smashword Reading List Book 3
This one, well, it seems a lot more blunt from the title, and yes.. you’ll have to click to find out what it is. I have a feeling that I’m going to love it, the reviews are wicked, and I can’t resist that darkly honest and slightly edgy writing style and perspective.

Thanks for stopping by again! Love and Peace
Aza

Playing Around on Canva

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Hey Readers! I’ve been working on a local marketing campaign, and came up with this. Still not sure if the links I tried to embed (not even sure if that’s the right word – I’m still learning all of this stuff) in the image using Canva’s creator page are even working. It didn’t pan out for the Facebook attempt, so I’m seeing what it will do on here. Feel free to click around on it and see if it does anything. lol

If it does, you can let me know if you have a moment to do so. Anyway, here it is, one of my most recent Canva creations …..

The Friendly Felon

Ok, well, I guess that’s what a PDF upload will do on here. (Again, still learning – mostly from trial and … obviously ….numerous errors.)

I’ll stick with the plan though, and see what it does after the post is published. If you have advice about this stuff, I would not mind hearing it. Heh.

Peace and Love
Aza

Updates!

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Hey Readers! Happy Labor Day!

As always, things are crazy busy for me! Just started an additional side job tending bar and waitressing at a local bar & grill (gotta save up for the holidays ya know!), and just got my first publishing contract (with Microcosm Publishing).

Microcosm has offered a non-exclusive publishing agreement, which will allow me to continue to publish Finding Freedom on any platform I choose. I encourage everyone to check their site out here, and to see what all they offer.

On another front, we have a couple interviews coming up for our Successful Felon Stories. We may define success differently, either as different people, or because we had to adapt to our post conviction lives, but I can’t wait to share these stories with you to help show that a happy life in society is possible and to help inspire to you find your own success!

Finally, we are slowly building up our nationwide network of after felony specialists, I hope to share some really great news with everyone on this aspect soon! We’re building towards free classes and programs that will help give our fellow felons a steady footing in society and improve our rate of success.

Enjoy your day, be safe, and above all…. RISE ABOVE!

Aza

 

 

Spiritual Experience Search

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Hey Readers! I’ve been busy adding to my books, and there’s no update on the ticket situation yet, so I’ve been slacking on my posts again. I’m sorry, but I’m back now, and a ticket update is coming up very, very soon. I go in to talk to the court later this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that because it will be either one of my best days or one of my worst. We will just have to wait and see.

Now, as for today, I wanted to get you guys involved in my now current project (I just finished the roughest of drafts about my family’s World War I letters – more on that once I’m closer to publishing it), a book on spirituality and perspectives. I’m currently working on including a section that features experiences with spiritual, religious, and supernatural forms.

This includes (but is not limited to): demons, angels, deities (gods), ghosts, orbs, shadow people, reincarnation recalls, successful spells (from ANY magic-inclined system), and just about anything that you can think of that is associated with ANY religion or things that have really changed your spiritual perspective.

I’d love to read your stories, post them in the comments below and I’ll consider including them in the experiences section of the book.

In addition (who would have guessed it, lol) I will now share one of my own odd experiences here.

I was around five years old when this happened, and it’s probably the fourth scariest experience I’ve had in that house.

Strangely enough, it was early in the morning, with sunlight streaming through the upper windows into a shared bedroom that was on the second floor. The set of windows did not have any sort of roof or anything anywhere near them yet, that would come at a later time. And that’s important for reasons you’ll see in a moment.

My parents were already downstairs preparing breakfast and cleaning up whatever mess in the kitchen sink that had been left for the morning. I was alone upstairs, playing with toys and generally minding my own business. I always loved that early morning light in that room, it’s just so comforting in its own way. New day dawning and all that. Now, for whatever reason, I look toward the wall that is opposite of those windows. On the wall there is the dark shadow of a man, wearing a tall hat. Not quite Abe Lincoln hat tall or anything, but noticeable enough.

Of course, I am suddenly confused, but don’t really feel any malice or meanness about it. I’m mostly just curious and wondering why it’s there. I look out the window, and while there is a tree outside near the road, it’s not in a position to cast a shadow that exact. (It certainly never appeared again, at least not for me) I look back toward the wall, even more confused than ever, and begin to look a bit more closely.

It is still there, and as I start the closer examination, I abruptly notice that where a human’s eyes would be, there are glowing red areas.

Now, I finally feel scared, and realize that it might have an intent to harm me. So guess what… I did the silliest thing ever. I hid under my parents blanket for what seemed like forever, until my Pops had to come and rescue me.

Thankfully, that was the last of that particular thing showing up in that house. But it wasn’t the last of my odd experiences. There are tons more where that came from.

But, enough of my story – what’s yours?

Don’t be shy, I can’t wait to get to see and share your story! Til next time Readers, Goodnight! 🙂