Loralee Evans's Blog: Loralee Evans, page 51

History of Halloween

With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be fun to do a little research on the history of the holiday. Long ago, in November 1st was known to the ancient Celts as Samhain (pronounced SAH-win)
. The day before Samhain, Oct. 31, so the people believed, the ghosts of the dead would come back. If people had to go out, they would dress up in like ghosts as well, to fool the other ghosts. Later, the day was changed by Christians to All Saint's Day, or All Hallow's Eve. It wasn't until just this past century that the child centered, family friendly Halloween that we have now, came into its present form.  If you're interested in learning more details, watch the fun video on The History Channel!  It's great!

Kimberly Loth--It's Not About Luck Part II

Author Kimberly LothI was very pleased to find another blog post by Kimberly Loth, continuing her three part series about how writing well isn't about luck. This time, It's Not About Luck Part II in  she talks about her great support system. I'm glad she did. Writers need those. If a writer doesn't have a good support crew immediately handy, then they should go out and find one! Writing groups are made up of authors eager to help other authors, and I'm lucky enough that I belong to a few of them. Support systems are great to have. Like Kimberly said herself, "Support is important. If you don’t have supportive people in your life, go find them." I agree!

Anna del C. Dye--Writing a Book Review

Author Anna del C. DyeA few days ago, I wrote a post here about Kimberly Loth, and her blog post on Indieauthorhub.com about how writing well has more to do with hard work than luck, Today, I'd like to mention another blog post by a talented author, Anna del C. Dye about writing book reviews.
She shared a lot of useful ideas, and opinions, and I think the two main ideas of her blog post, was, 'be helpful' and 'be positive.' I think those are great ideas. A five star review that says something along the lines of "I loved it!" is nice, but doesn't help potential readers know what it is about the book that you loved. Give the reader something about the characters, the plot, the writing style (preferrably no spoilers, though) to let them know what stood out to you. Conversely, leaving a one star review with "I hated it!" is equally unhelpful. In almost every story I've read, there's something that's redeemable, and even if you leave a negative review, try to find something to mention that is positive about the book. After all, while one person may dislike a certain book, another person may like it very much.

Kimberly Loth--It's not About Luck

Kimberly LothI just recently read a blog post written by one of my fellow writers in a writing group I belong to, the Indie Author Hub, and I really enjoyed her post about how writers don't find success simply because they happen to be luckier than other people. To be a truly successful writer, Kimberly attributes three things, and I agree with her. These three things are: hard work, support, and faith. I'd like to expound on these three things, and say what exactly about them, in my opinion, helps authors become successful. (And really, this applies to all professions, not just writers.)

1. Hard Work: In her post, Kimberly gave an outline of a usual day for her. I could see that she's a busy lady, and she could use that as an excuse not to write, but she, like all people who achieve sucess, doesn't make excuses. Instead, she makes time for the things that are important to her, and that includes writing. All people who achieve success know that it isn't a one time thing. You need to work hard at it every day; develop habits that will lead you to success, and keep pushing yourself.

2. Support: It's great to have people around you to support you, and who believe in your dreams, but what if there aren't such people? Does that mean you can't do it? Goodness, no! If you support yourself, that's enough! If you believe you can do it, and you work hard, you can achieve it! Still, support from others is massive help, and if you can find others who are like-minded, other writers, for example, having their support is so amazingly helpful.

3. Faith: To be successful, you need to believe in yourself. Your opinion matters more in your success and progress than any one else's. It is also helpful to believe in a higher power that is looking out for you, and wants to see you succeed. I personally believe in God, and believe that he gave me the ability to write for a reason. Therefore, I feel, I need to use my talent in positive ways to make the world a better place.

Anyway, I was very glad to read that blog post, and I'm very grateful to Kimberly Loth for having written it!

To read more about what Kimberly herself wrote, follow this link to the blog.

Son's First Letter from MTC

My son sent his first letter from the MTC (missionary training center). He is learning Tagolog, his companion's name is Elder Knight, and he seems to be doing well. I'm sure it's not easy for him. It wasn't for me. But I sure hope he loves the MTC, and the experiences he's having. I did, when I went there. One thing he mentioned, is his great view of the mountains. That's one thing, of the many things, I loved about the MTC. The beautiful mountains that are right close. Anyone who has trained as a missionary at the Provo MTC knows what I'm talking about. It was always inspiring to look up and see those gorgeous cliffs towering up into the sky.

Spotting A Sociopath

In my recent personal studies, I discovered some interesting tips on how to spot (and hopefully avoid) a sociopath. (A person with Antisocial Personality Disorder.) I found this information on wikihow. This includes tips on how to spot a sociopath, as well as how to avoid one. Follow the link to learn more information, which, while there are some typos, it is very useful to know.

Spotting a Sociopath:

1. Look for a lack of shame.

2. See if the person is constantly lying.

3. See if they are able to stay eerily calm in spite of circumstances.

4. See if they are extremely charming--at first.

5. See if the person is exceptionally intelligent. (Of course, not all intelligent people are sociopaths.)

6. See if the person is manipulative.

7. Look for signs of instigating violent behavior.

8. See if the person has a huge ego.

9. See if the person cannot hold eye contact. (Or, oppositely, stare with strange energy.)

10. Read their faces.

11. See if the person has few real friends.

12. See if the person likes to isolate you or others.

13. See if the person is immature.

Getting Away

1. Don't give them anything they want.

2. Stay away if you can.

3. Be immune to the sociopath's charms.

4. If you're dating the person, get out as quickly as possible.

5. Warn others.

6. Think for yourself.

7. Give up fear of the sociopath.

............................
How to Spot a Sociopath. Wikihow. Mediawiki. 7 October 2016. http://www.wikihow.com/Spot-a-Sociopath

My Parents, Marilyn and Grant Woolston

My Parents, Marilyn and Grant Woolston, 
with my nephews, Jarron and JustinMy parents, Grant and Marilyn Woolston are pretty terrific people. My dad got me into the habit of running, which eventually helped me get a scholarship to SUU in track and cross-country. They've been supportive of me through my life, and have always been ready to help others. They're currently called as LDS Missionaries to the Salt Lake City Inner City Mission. They don't leave home to do this mission, like many others. What they do, is help women who are leaving incarceration, to return to life by helping them find housing and work, and help them work with their local religious leaders to begin productive lives. They've always been kind, selfless people, and are great examples to me. I'm very lucky to have them as my parents.

My Son is Going to the Philippines Manila Mission

Today, my son went into the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center) to prepare for an LDS mission to the Philippines. I am both excited and nervous for him. Here is a picture of him with his wonderful paternal grandparents. I served an LDS mission in the Japan Sapporo Mission, and while leaving the MTC, (we said goodbye to him at the gate going in) I saw two elders with Japanese nametags. I greeted them in Japanese and spoke to them for about a minute. They'd been in the MTC for four weeks, and understood me! I will miss my son, but I am confident that he will do great things in the Philippines.

Nancy and Steve Evans

Nancy and Steve EvansMost of the time, when I'm talking with friends, church leaders, or coworkers, and it comes up that I think the world of my former in-laws, most people brighten, and say something along the lines of, "That's great you get along with them so well!" Once in a while, though, someone does a double take, and says something along the lines of, "You get along with them? How is that possible?" Well, not only is it possible, but it's incredibly easy. Why? Quite simply, my former mother and father-in-law, (and former brothers and sisters-in-law) are wonderful human beings. That's how.
You will not find people who are more genuinely kind than them. My former parents-in-law are good, sincere people who live the golden rule, and treat others as they want to be treated in all aspects of their lives, whether it's with family (or former family) members, people in church, or their professional lives.
My former father-in-law, for example, Steven Evans, is a real estate broker. When working with clients, he doesn't have to pretend to be sincere, or to care, because he really is sincere, and he really does care. He sees people as human beings first and foremost. The same with my former mother-in-law, Nancy Evans. I have never known a more caring person than her. My children's paternal grandparents are two of the best people I know, and I love them a lot.

Michele Paige Holmes

Michele Paige Holmes
I mentioned a little while ago, how pleased I was with Precision Editing Group, and their skill in line and copy editing manuscripts. Well, I wanted to mention the person who had edited my latest manuscript, and did a fantastic job with it. 
Marrying Christopher (c) 2015Michele Paige Holmes pointed out some things that needed tweeking in my manuscript, and offered some suggestions that really helped to make my story better. I was very grateful for her help. But Ms. Holmes isn't just a great editor. She is a fantastic author besides. I haven't read all her works, of which she has several, but I have read Marrying Christopher, which was published last year, and I thought it was very well written; full of romance, suspense, and history. It was a great book!