Pamela Harstad's Blog: The Writing Life, page 4

The Key to Life is…

What is the key to life? In my newly released book, THEIR GREEK KEY, love is their key. But what encompasses and creates that love? On my Facebook page, I received some replies to “the key of life is…”and I think they’re good ones.
Steve and Joyce Russell suggest “the key to life is to love yourself first.” Without that, you really can’t love anyone else, and without love, hate breeds, life can be lost. Excellent point.
Susan Dailey answered “the key to life is to live simply, so that others might live.” Another great point. If we don’t learn to help or share, which means caring for and loving others, life can be more difficult for some, to say the least.
With these few words from y guest bloggers, the main tenants of our existence is explained. There is tremendous power in words. Experience life, be inspired, tell your stories and write.

New Book Release

See the book description for THEIR GREEK KEY, my inspirational novel below, available for pre-order at
https://amazon.com/author/pamelaharstad
Abandonment. Trust. Intrigue. A complicated past and present span from Chicago to Greece.
Connie Pappas has a lifetime opportunity to leave Chicago and design fashions in New York when the love of her life returns, and spins her world around.
For Nick Kanelleas, all that remain are two pendants from his deceased father and uncle, who were abandoned. He follows their mystery, but he also wants business success. He reconnects with Connie when he renovates her father’s restaurant, but past issues and new conflicts arise.Connie questions Nick’s business transactions. His job leads to problems at the restaurant, and his own future.
Will Connie move to New York and leave Nick when trust affects their relationship? Will Nick pursue Connie if she can’t trust in him? From Chicago to the Aegean, will their faith be strong enough to overcome their difficulties?

THEIR GREEK KEY

The digital version of THEIR GREEK KEY will be released this month, with the print version to follow. More to follow.

BookBub

With another book finished and under consideration, I have the time to give a short update for readers and writers, alike. There are many sites offering book specials. BookBub is one of them. In addition to their daily book deals, they offer authors a profile site and the opportunity to have their new book releases sent out to their followers.
For instance, if you type in your favorite authors by clicking on a link, https://www.bookbub.com/author/pamela-harstad in my case, or another author’s name, you can follow that author directly, or go to the BookBub website to join their daily specials and view their authors. You’ll be notified when your authors have a new release.
Happy Summer Reading!

Amazon Celebrating Writers

Amazon is graciously celebrating authors all month with their #PoweredByIndie event. When invited to discuss why I became a writer, I gladly accepted the invitation. I realized I wouldn’t be the person I am at all without books, whether reading for information or entertainment. And so appreciating reading and stories, I wanted to be able to share life experiences, travel, emotion and inspiration with a message through my fiction novels. I receive satisfaction in penning my novels for others to read. And if someone can enjoy them, all the better.So thanks, Amazon for your recogntion.

Authors in the #PoweredByIndie group I recommend is Anna Faversham.

Pamela Harstad

#PoweredByIndie

 

New Novel Ideas

As you might guess from the photo, I’m considering writing a novel partially set in Greece and also in Chicago, with a family Greek restaurant. It’s still needs to be worked out, but  k…

Source: New Novel Ideas

New Novel Ideas

As you might guess from the photo, I’m considering writing a novel partially set in Greece and also in Chicago, with a family Greek restaurant. It’s still needs to be worked out, but  keeps rumbling around in my head. It would certainly be different from ERIN’S MISSION, set in Iowa, and HEALING JOURNEY set in Port St. Lucie, Florida, if I choose this setting and story. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions welcome!

 

Writing Description

I had the privilege of spending the 4th of July in the Windy City of Chicago. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells left vivid images as always. But on returning home and reflecting on what …

Source: Writing Description

Writing Description

 

I had the privilege of spending the 4th of July in the Windy City of Chicago. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells left vivid images as always. But on returning home and reflecting on what I experienced, I realized to put the events in writing would take more description in words, than the story of what I actually did; the warmth and savory taste of the pizza, fresh fish, steak and fresh Garrett’s popcorn. The cool spray from Lake Michigan on the water taxi. Traffic, sirens, and fireworks sounds. The colors of the river, lake, and buildings, many adorned with red white and blue lights and flags.

I didn’t think much about these descriptions at the time, as I was so involved in what I was doing, but am glad I remember them now to tuck away in my memory, as description is so important in writing. It’s easy to gloss over when writing a first draft, but makes such a difference to bring a reader into the story. So, my thought is to list what descriptions I’ll need when planning the next novel, to be sure I vividly bring the story across.

Writing Themes

What is theme in writing? Universal truths? Beliefs? We read for escape, adventure, excitement, knowledge, a satisfying story, but what binds it altogether? It should be the theme. We’ve all …

Source: Writing Themes