Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 29

Manic Monday: The Touch!

Pexels Photo: by Rubenstein Rebello, Anonymous woman hiding in thick smoke

Hello My Happy People,

I hope you all had a great weekend. My weekend was so much better than my week, thanks to P.R.. I know I write this a lot, but I really did marry well! P.R. knew I was still hurting from events during the week (and I had been stressed for a few weeks because of book decisions I had to make) so on Saturday P.R. took me out to get a couples pedicure together and we brought dinner home Saturday and Sunday so no cooking! I really love that man!

He has also been riding my backside about getting this new book on the page. Thanks to his "loving" nagging, I have started my new book, The Touch, and have already written the first few pages. The only problem is, I worry that I am going TOO dark with this FBI profiler/serial killer/sexual predator story. It will definitely not appeal to the same market I had for the Into the West Saga Serial books. Where those books had no real violence, cursing, or sexual content whatsoever, this book starts out with a sexual assault and other violence.

As someone who has studied sex crimes and sexual predators for my forensic criminology degree, I can tell you that what I have written does not even come close to the actual details of the worst cases I have studied. However, it still may be a bit too much for some people, especially those who have been assaulted. It will have to come with a major trigger warning for sure.

The photo I used for this blog, is part of the cover of the new book. There is a lot more to the cover than this photo, but I thought it would be cool to give you hints like this leading up to the full cover art reveal.

So that is where I am right now, Working on building my TikTok following, writing the new book, I have more doctors visits coming up for all the "now that you are old you have to have all these tests" time in my life. Plus, we just got tickets for my birthday celebration this year. I will be turning 55 this year and normally on my landmark birthdays (like 25, 30, 40, 45 ... I have missed a few over the years) I go out and do some crazy stunt like bungee jumping, skydiving, flying a glider, you get the idea. This year P.R. and I were going to go ride a rail cart down a mountain in Switzerland for my birthday but Destination Star Trek has started having conventions again this year and they re-booked their Voyager celebration for this September.

I started collecting photos of meeting Star Trek captains a few years ago after I met William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart. Kate Mulgrew is going to be here in Germany at the convention so there was no way I could pass up this chance to meet and get a photo with her. The rail carts will have to wait! I would love to do the Voyager cast photo on the ship's bridge, but it is more than I want to spend and more than I would ask for a birthday gift, even from P.R. So I will settle for the photo with Kate Mulgrew and maybe one or two of the cast members from the Riddles episode.

In this episode, Tuvok has a brain injury and goes through unique struggles because of it. I love this episode! Everytime I watch it, it makes me feel like someone out there knows what I went through after my brain surgeries. Tim Russ did a fantastic job and I hope I get to tell him so in person at the con. I hope I also get to thank Ethan Phillips, who plays Neelix and did a great job playing the caregiver to Tuvok while he recovered. His challenges dealing with the "new" Tuvok are a great example of how people with brain injuries can change and affect the relationships of those around them as they all deal with the "new" personality. I also want to thank Roxann Dawson who plays Lt. Torres and also directed this episode. She did a wonderful job!

I am off to get back to writing the new book and secretly worrying about myself as I write this twisted bit of horror. I wonder if Stephen King ever thinks, "what is wrong with me that I think of this stuff" as he writes his books?

This week in the podcast, I think I will be talking about the new book and how dark is too dark for horror books. And seeing as how my birthday is coming up, this seems like a great time to share the top 10 best gifts to give the writer in your life, just in case you might one day need this information ... of course.

So that is the update for now, my happy people. Check out my TikTok page (@burckhardt_books) if you haven't yet and have a great day!

Enjoy,

Dianne

Friday Funnies: Change Up!

Hello My Happy People,

I am running so far behind today and do not have time to do my regular blog post so I am going to share my TikTok post from today. I hope it makes you laugh. I will try and get some jokes up tomorrow but I will be running all day long. Cross your fingers I can get everything done. BTW, I have a new book outlined, a new cover design and I start writing tomorrow!

I'll share more soon but for now ...

Enjoy my bad day,

DianneMy Day from Hellhttps://video.wixstatic.com/video/2c304a_5606ed2ec044480ea069f3b4eca7a844/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Book Banter EP 28: 10 Motivational Tips For Writers

Hello My Happy People,

This will be short and sweet. In today's episode, I bring you another hodgepodge of goodness. We have updates on the Into the West Saga Serial and news about a new book to be published under Dianne Burckhardt. I give a brief recap on some of the tips I tried out from the interview with Lisa Sillaway, The Social Media Professor, and how they have been working for me ... including my new, unexpected love affair with TikTok.

And of course I share 10 Motivational Tips For Writers. (If you want to skip right to the tips, you can jump to the 15:45 minute chapter marker.)

We also have this week's writing prompt challenge prompt. So don't wait ... go listen now!

Enjoy,

Dianne ,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

BurckhardtBooks.com/podcast ,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

Kara from ,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers,, (Coming in Sept.) ,Wise Oak Soapery website ,Wise Oak Soapery on Facebook

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Future Guest Interviews:

TBA

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Manic Monday: Breaking News

Hello My Happy People,I'm afraid I have some news that some of you may not be so happy about ... I know I am not. I have been struggling with this last book in the Into the West Saga Serial, Into the West: Family Ties, for almost a year now. I had started getting it set for publishing about last October and had intended it to be a Christmas release, but it just didn't work out ... obviously.If you subscribe to this email, I am sure you know I have been pushing this book back and back and back, but honestly I am just so burnt out with all the behind the scenes work to generate sales for this serial. I have been doing everything I can to try to make it profitable. I have been working practically 24/7 for five years to promote these books on zero budget and the truth is, they have cost me much more to publish than I make from them. Unfortunately, I am at the end of my savings and can't afford to devote more time to this right now. I could whip something up and quickly publish to just to finish this serial and have it over with, but I care too much about these characters to do that. I have worked so hard to try to do good work on all of these books, I do not want to just throw something together and end the serial with a shoddy book just so I can end it. However, I am to the point where I have to publish something that makes money or I have to start looking for a 9-5 kind of job to cover my publishing expenses. I have just run out of time to make The Into the West Saga Serial profitable. So for now, I'm going to shelve the last book in the Into the West Saga Serial and try publishing something more marketable to create some income. Once I can cover my basic needs (which is a shocking low amount per month) I will go back and finish the Into the West Saga Serial as it deserves to be finished. This has not been an easy decision for me. I have been struggling with this for months. To try to gain more interest in my books, I came out as the actual writer behind the pen name Stephen Burckhardt (which I had not wanted to do) so I could advertising the book serial more, I redesigned my webpages, started a podcast, I even broke down and got on TikTok (which is surprisingly more fun and addictive than I expected). I have been reaching out to bookstores to carry my books and possibly do a signing, but living on the other side of the planet from my main target market makes it tough. Because I do not write in German, or speak it well for that matter, there is very little interest in author events for my books here. Now, I could travel back to the US to participate in author events or to another English speaking country near me where my books are available, but the added expense of travel would pretty much negate any benefits from such events. I could keep trying to reach my books market long distance, but without an advertising budget, effective promotion is very much an uphill battle ... if the hill was Everest! Now to be clear, I'm not giving up. I'm not canceling the last book. I'm just rearranging my publication schedule to make things more financially viable. Into the West: Family Ties will get published ... just later. So that is where things are for me at the moment. I appreciate your understanding. In the meantime, I am working up a new book to be published as Dianne Burckhardt. It is a murder mystery I have been thinking about for a long time with a paranormal twist to it. I am hoping to use my degree in forensic criminology and my extra studies in profiling, sex crimes, and crime scene investigation to write A crie series. It will be about an FBI agent who has left the bureau, but gets dragged back into cases because of her special talent for profiling and psychometry. However, she does not want to work cases anymore because of her talent/curse. It is why she left the bureau's Behavioral Analysis Unit in the first place. Personally, I had the great privilege of taking a profiling seminar with Robert Ressler. One of the people who helped put this unit together for the FBI and was credited with coining the term "Serial Killer". I learned a lot from that training and have always hated that I never got a chance to work on a crime scene unit. I had my accident that caused all the brain surgeries one month before I graduated with that degree and the injury prevented me from meeting requirements for most of the jobs in law enforcement. Writing crime stories would at least let me finally use this knowledge. So that is what is going on here. Most of you who follow me regularly are personal friends of mine or friends of friends so I want to be open and honest with you all. And in truth, that is just the kind of person I am. I feel no need for pretense to uphold a certain public image. This is me and I like who I am so this is who you get. Have a great day, people! Dianne,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

BurckhardtBooks.com/podcast ,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers,, (Coming in September)

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24) ,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Future Guest Interviews:

TBA

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Friday Funnies: Need Sleep!

Hello my happy people,

I am just about half asleep as I type this. I have been so busy this week and just ramping up my anxiety daily because of it. This weekend will definitely be some self-care time. Actually, it is more that P.R. is taking me out to get pampered and forcing me to relax. I have a feeling that was triggered by P.R. coming home from a peaceful three day business trip to a very stressed out writer.

But ... great things have been happening here. This week I was trying to get everything done on my own and it was stressing me out. I sent out press releases this week for the SheInspires award for which I am one of the finalists. I had sent out the first eight to the major newspaper and TV stations I wanted to hit and after I hit send on the last email in that first round, I noticed one instance where I dropped an "n" in my own name. Ugh ... of course! I Hate Murphy's Law!!!

I got passed that mistake and finished up the press releases for the first round of places I wanted to submit to and realized it was about 6 am when I was done. I went to bed and got up around 9 am and started to focus on the second round. It was about 3 pm when I realized I had not finished editing the second half of the interview with Lisa Sillaway, The Social Media Professor which was to air this week, so I had to rush to do that. I did get it posted on Wednesday as it should be, but it was about three hours later than usual.

During these days I was forgetting to eat so I was getting horrible headaches. WHen I realized how late it was, I would just grab saltines or a pudding cup and keep going. At least I didn't forget to feed or walk Shaggy. I even took a few breaks to go play with him a bit since it was just us here. P.R. usually pays a lot of attention to Shaggy so he notices it when P.R. is gone and will come to me for extra attention ... which he always gets!

This week I also finally got my TikTok channel going. I had created it back in March but then never did anything with it. The last week or so I finally got around to figuring it out and have decided to use it as a platform to promote my books and to be more of an advocate for people with brain damage and/or neurological issues. To that end, I have started posting my Mutant Chronicles where I talk about my neurological conditions, and other neurological disorders, and the kinds of challenges people like me face on a daily basis. Below is part 1 of the Mutant Chronicles I recently posted on TikTok. It has more than 400 views at the moment.

TikTok: Pt 1 The Mutant Chronicles - burckhardt_books

(^--- link to TikTok page, click to go)

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2c304a_0572bc2443dd4be8b84e0ceb773dce2f/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

I hate to admit this, but I was so busy with everything this week, I did not write one word on the next book, Into the West: Family Ties. I plan to write this weekend and will just shift the sneak peek to Monday.

That is all for today. I'm so tired I'm losing track of what I want to do so it's time to stop writing and get to the jokes!

Have a great weekend, my happy people!

Dianne

Q: Why did you wake up with a such puzzled look on your face?

A: I fell asleep on my crossword.

Q: Why do dragons always stay in their den and sleep all day?

A: To be rested to fight knights.

Q: What dinosaur is noisy when he's asleep?

A: A Tyranno-snorus.

Q: Know why I'm so good at sleeping?

A: I can even do it with my eyes closed.

Q: If the King sleeps on a king size bed and a Queen sleeps on a Queen size bed, where would a princess sleep?

A: On an heir mattress!

Q: Did you apply with the mattress company to test out new products?

A: Of course, getting paid to sleep would be my dream job.

Q: What does the gingerbread man put on his bed?

A: Cookie sheets.

Q: Do you ever have the urge to sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” ?

A: No, but it feels like it's just a whim away, a whim away, a whim away, a whim away.

Q: What do you call a sleeping steer?

A: A bulldozer.

Q: What do you call it when a kid refuses to go to sleep?

A: Resisting a rest.

Q: Where do books sleep?

A: Wrapped up in their covers.

Q: Did you hear about the guy who always overslept until his doctor recommended sleeping in a herb garden?

A: Now he always wakes up on thyme.

Q: DId you hear about the kidnapping on my block today?

A: It’s okay though, he woke up.

Q: Where do fish sleep?

A: On the river bed.

And last but not least ...

Q: Did you hear about the condition that makes you eat when you can’t sleep?

A: It’s called insom-nom-nom-nom-nia.

Funniest Sleep Stand Up Comedy Jokes | Jim Gaffiganhttps://video.wixstatic.com/undefined

Funniest Reading Jokes | Jim Gaffigan

https://video.wixstatic.com/undefined,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (Coming in September)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Book Banter EP 27: Lisa Sillaway Interview Part 2 of 2

Hello My Happy People,

Today on Book Banter with Dianne Burkhardt, I have the conclusion to the interview with my guest, Lisa Sillaway, The Social Media Professor. Lisa works with large and small clients to expand their reach online and improve the effectiveness of their social media marketing.

In today's episode, Lisa shares the social media platform "must haves" for people to reach the widest markets and which generations are more likely to be reached on the different platforms. They discuss how marketing has changed over the years and what people need to do in today's world to connect to consumers.

Do you need to connect with your social media market? If you don't want to do the work yourself and need help with your social media, you can hire The Social Media Professor to do it all for you.

Be sure to check out Lisa's social media links listed below. We have a new prompt for today's writing prompt challenge, and I actually remembered to read it in the episode again today so take a few minutes and go listen to today's podcast. You will find links to some of the popular providers below as well.

Have a great Wednesday, people!

Dianne ,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (TBA)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Manic Monday: Stop the Presses!!!

(Yes, this is a goofy photoshop of me into a WIX stock photo. When I get bored, I do things like this.)

Hello My Happy People!

I hope you are having a great start to your week. I have been driving myself crazy (as usual) trying to keep up with all my social media responsibilities and working on public relations. P.R. and I have been actively looking for a regular dog sitter for our boy, Shaggy, so we will be set for when we want to start taking vacations again.

My greatest fear about letting anyone watch Shaggy for us is that someone might be mean to him. He had such a hard life before we got him and came to us with so much fear. We have worked with him for years to get him where he is now and if anyone ever did anything to set him back and make him afraid again ... well ... let's just say, I would not feel the need to be nice to anyone who was mean to my boy!

We will be meeting a new potential pet sitter this next Sunday and we are hoping she works out because she seems just about perfect. She is in our neighborhood so we could just walk Shaggy over to her house. She is close enough we could meet her and her dog at a dog park once in awhile just to keep them acquainted if we are not going on trips often. Plus, she is familiar with special needs dogs, which Shaggy is. She is everything we are looking for in a sitter. Think good thoughts for this to work out.

The other thing I have been driving myself crazy with is I got a press release template and press package from the SheInspires Awards publicity department. Since there are so many award finalists, they are sending us the press packages and having us send out the publicity after we personalize their basic press material for ourselves and the award for which we are in the running. I have not had to write a press release in almost 30 years and was stuck on some of the formatting. I finally found a good resource site that even has free press release distribution to targeted markets. So I have been going crazy trying to get the press packages put together to send out this week.

I need to take some photos tonight. I had wanted to have good headshots by now but have not had the time to get that done. I need to touch up my hair color. The purple has faded out to a bluish grey in some places. It wouldn't hurt to touch up all my roots. Sometimes I think it's not work playing with my hair color for all the upkeep. But it is fun and I like the results. Clairol just needs to hurry up and make a magic wand for hair color.

In case you are interested, Here is the press release that is going out this week.

The technical question I was stuck on this weekend was I was not sure if the [Bolton, UK, August 16, 2022] should be "Bolton, UK", where the association is and where the awards are taking place, or if it should be "Düsseldorf, Germany", where I am. I decided to go with where the awards are actually taking place. I could be wrong (wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last) but I don't think it will be a huge issue. At this point, I just want it all done.

I am still writing on part seven, Into the West: Family Ties, but man it is going so slooooooow. I really wish I knew why I am having such a hard time dragging this last book out of me. I still love how it is coming together and I have always said the story is what is important to me. I'd rather it come slow and be a great story than come quick and be horrible. So there is a silver lining to it all. I may do a sneak peek this Friday, maybe even a TikTok reading. That might be fun. I will post it in a blog or on a page of the website and post a link in the blog for those who don't use TikTok, but we will see.

Still working on the website to get the SEO and Meta Data all correct and adding Alt text to images ... ugh! My biggest dream at the moment is to one day make enough profit from my books so I can hire someone else to take care of my website technical upkeep for me. I would still do all of the fun stuff like blogs and design but I'd LOVE to delegate the technical upkeep. I dream BIG!

So that is what is going on here at Burckhardt Books. This Wednesday we will have the second half of the interview with Lisa Sillaway, The Social Media Professor. I am working on setting up some more interviews in the near future. I am searching for writers who would want to be on the podcast in October. If you or someone you know writes horror, sci-fi, mystery, any genre that can help us gear up for Halloween, drop us a line to set up an interview, please!

Have a great week, people!

Now go forth ... and be happy!

Dianne,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (Coming in September)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Friday Funnies: Heat Wave ...

Hello My Happy People!

I hope you have had a great week and have something fun planned for the weekend. P.R. and I were heading out tonight for date night tonight, but after he had a less than pleasant dental appointment we are postponing for a few nights. Most Friday's we just order dinner delivered and stay in and watch movies together. Once in a while we like to get out and do something in town. We were going to dinner at a steakhouse and then seeing Thor Love and Thunder.

I know at least a few of you who know me are thinking, wait a minute, a vegetarian going to dinner at a steakhouse, that seems wrong. The thing is, my husband is not a vegetarian but he eats a lot of vegetarian meals with me. I feel it is only fair I go to a steakhouse with him once in a while so he can get the food he likes as well. Besides, surprising as it may be, steakhouses usually have fantastic vegetarian side dishes from which I can make a whole meal. I have never had to leave a steakhouse hungry because they had nothing vegetarian.

We have been going out more and more this year, but I have still not gotten back to going out all the time to run errands like I used to, walking a few miles to all the shops and carrying things back home. There are a few good reasons for this: 1. It's really hot here right now and walking in the heat is not pleasant when you do not have air conditioning to come home to. 2. I'm old and really don't like walking a few miles just to pick up laundry detergent and dog treats when I can have them shipped to the house for free. 3. Did I mention it's hot and I'm old?

Given the situation here, I thought today would be a great day for heatwave jokes!

So get ready for a good laugh (or at least a heartfelt groan) at these certified Dad Jokes.

Enjoy,

Dianne

Q: On hot summer days, what is a cat's favorite frosty treat?

A: Mice-cream cones!

Q: Why don't celebrities worry about heat waves?

A: They always stay cool because they have lots of fans.

Q: What do you call a dog in August?

A: A hot dog

Q: What do you call a dog in January?

A: A chili dog.

Q: What kind of tea can Englishmen not stand?

A: Humidity.

Q: Why was it so hot in the stadium after the soccer match?

A: Because all the fans left!

Q: Why is the corner always the hottest spot in a room?

A: Because a corner is always at 90 degrees.

Q: Which is faster, hot or cold?

A: Hot. Anyone can catch a cold.

Q: What do you call the southern part of Texas in a heat wave?

A: Corpus Crispy.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It’s so hot we used our seat belts for branding irons.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It’s so hot, Ice Cube changed his name to puddle.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It's so hot, I tried to stream the movie Frozen but it kept playing Waterworld.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It's so hot, I started using Only Fans just to cool off.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It’s so hot, today I saw birds using oven mitts to pull worms out the ground.

Q: How hot is it?

A: It’s so hot, I bought a loaf of bread but by the time I got home it was toast.

And last but not least ...

Q: How hot is it?

A: It’s so hot, I saw Optimus Prime transform into an air conditioner.

How Hot is it?

The Press-Enterprise

https://youtu.be/2rXTkLf4x4w"Hot Weather vs. Cold Weather? Which is better?"

Jim Gaffigan Stand up (Quality Time)

https://youtu.be/xX_dtHKVnf0,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (TBA)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Book Banter EP 26: Lisa Sillaway, Social Media Professor

Hello My Happy People,

It is only by the grace of God that this episode is actually going to be aired (I am going to knock on wood too just in case since I am writing this before it goes live). I had a major panic attack as I was getting things set up to finish the edits for this show and post it.

I had actually done most of the edits for the entire interview right after we recorded it. P.R. was out of town and I had plenty of alone time to kill. All I had to do today was open the edited interview, split it in two episodes and add the openers and closers to the audio. That is if things had gone to plan. They did not.

I tried to open the edited interview, but it was corrupted and would not even open for me. Somehow the data file is missing and I have no idea how that could have happened. Luckily, I always save the raw interviews just in case something goes wrong, like today. This way I may have to redo the editing, but at least I do not lose the interview ... in theory.

When I tried to open the raw interview the only thing in the recording was a lot of static and one word ... "testing". This made no sense to me because I do record me saying testing to do a sound check, but then I always delete it and record the interview over it. When I'm doing the interview I am always messing with levels and mic adjustments and i can see the conversation recording so I know it was there. How it got replaced with just "testing" is a mystery I cannot figure out.

Luckily, I'm the paranoid type who worries about just such technical glitches happening and I had a second backup recording of the raw interview. It was still a few tense moments as I had to reboot the computer, do a few terminal workarounds, and was finally able to get the raw interview to open and edit the show again.

In a Murphy's Law kind of moment, when I tried to copy and paste the second, not yet edited half, of the interview into a new program to save to finish for next week's episode. I somehow managed to copy this weeks half and dumped the second half of the interview. I still had the untouched raw interview file and was able to copy it from there. I never work in those for this very reason.

I almost feel like this episode was cursed. Lord knows it was a real stresser for me to put together, but thank goodness it seems to be set now (knock on wood again). Please give this interview a listen if for no other reason than I worked so very hard to bring it to you. Another good reason is Lisa has great suggestions for growing your social media following too.

Be sure to check out Lisa's social media links listed below. We have a new prompt for today's writing prompt challenge, and I actually remembered to read it in the episode today so take a few minutes and go listen to today's podcast. You will find links to some of the popular providers below as well.

Have a great Wednesday, people!

Dianne ,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Listen to Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt on These Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (TBA)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.

Manic Monday: 10 Ways to Break the Block...

Hello My Happy People,

I'm in bed today. I'm not sick, just exhausted. I have been running at top speed doing everything seven days a week for so long now and I just finally hit the wall. I think I have been trying for too long to push through and force my writing. I've been working on "book stuff" every single day for years now, not even taking weekends off, often working until 2 or 3 or even 4 am and I am just worn out. I think it will do me a lot of good to take some time off.

The issues I have been having with my own writing gave me an idea for this blog so if you are a writer who is having your own writing issues, I hope this helps.

10 Ideas for Breaking Writer's Block

1. Walk away, literally.

Get up and walk away from your project. Go outside, get some fresh air, go get a coffee.

Basically, take a break. Get your mind off your project and just enjoy some fresh air.

2. Read a book.

Reading something outside of your project. Sometimes reading your favorite authors

can jump start your own creativity.

3. Dance it off.

Getting up and getting moving can relieve stress and relieving can help open up

creativity. Doing yoga, lifting weights, anything physical can help.

4. Try a writer's group.

Going along with relieving stress, take a break and connect with other writers. Having

social interactions where you can bounce story ideas off other writers can help open up

your creativity. Plus, getting constructive feedback can help you view your blocks from a

different perspective

5. Push through.

Just write. Whatever you are working on, just write something, even if it's all crap and

you end up throwing it out later, sometimes writing anything will break through your

barriers and get your creativity flowing again.

6. Reread your project from the start.

If you are working on the last book in a series, reread the series from the start. Diving

back into the world you created from the beginning can sometimes get you back on

track and help kick the storyline back into gear for you to bring the story to a close.

7. Try a writing prompt.

Sometimes writing anything, no matter what it is can help get you back in the right

mindset. There are loads of sites online with writing prompts for every genre. Or you

can check out our writing prompt challenge on our podcast pages (links below). You

could even win a prize with our prompts.

8. Try some writing tools.

You can find al kinds of writing tools online. Everything from plot generators to character

name lists. Sometimes these tools can give you ideas that get you to start thinking

outside of your box.

9. Reach out to your readers

If you have a core following who has read your books, take a poll and ask them where

they hope you will take your story in the next book. Their ideas might give you a new

direction you had never even considered and refresh your entire outlook on your

fictional world.

10. Write something else

Don't have a set publication date for your current project_ Set it aside for awhile and write something different. Writing a romance? Try a writing a cozy mystery. Writing historical fiction? Try writing Sci-Fi. Creating a new world might give you new ideas for your old one.

Bonus suggestion:

Don't give up on your work. You got this! Just because you might need a break to recharge your creative batteries does not mean you can't or won't finish your project. You can be determined and driven and still need a break once in a while. It's all perfectly human. Just take some time to regroup and then get back to it!

Now why not go check out our podcast episodes and our writing prompt challenge. They might give you some new ideas too.

Have a great week,

Dianne,Important Podcast Links

Listen to our podcast, Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt, every Wednesday on any of these providers and more. Check your favorite for listings.

​

Featured Podcast Providers:

,Buzzsprout ,Apple Podcasts ,Spotify ,Amazon Music

Burckhardt Books Pages:

,Subscribe to Our Newsletter ,Members Only Page (Join FREE and stream our new audiobook at no charge. Plus, you get access to our Book Banter Interview Archive) ,Writing Prompt Challenge (Rules and submission links on Writing Prompt Challenge page)

About Dianne:

,Dianne Burckhardt, Award-Winning Indie Author What is a ,Chiari Malformation, a ,Syrinx (Syringomyelia), and ,Hydrocephalus? Want to know more about the host of Book Banter with Dianne Burckhardt (formerly Whatever Wednesday with Dianne burckhardt)? Check out ,Episode 1: Who Am I?

Support Our Book Banter Buddies (guest interviews):

,Lisa Sillaway "Social Media Professor" (Episodes 26 & 27: Aug 10 & 17, 2022) ,Social Media Professor on Facebook Guinea Pig Lab

Past Guest Interviews:

,Mark L. Redmond website: The Box M Gang (Episode 8: March 23, 2022) ,Buy The Box M Gang on Amazon ,Buy The Box M Gang on Barnes & Noble Booksellers ,DJ Jamison, Amazon Author Page (Episodes 21 & 22: July 6 & 13, 2022) ,Two Truths and a Lyle free book promotion ,Allie "Book Historia" Alvis website (Episodes 23, 24, & 25: July 20 & 27, Aug 3, 2022) Book Historia Social Media: ,Bite Sized Book History - YouTube Channel ,Twitter ,Instagram ,Fore edge painting TikTok artist mentioned in interview (Episode 23) ,Horn book mentioned in interview (Episode 24)

Future Guest Interviews:

,Kavo Creative Studio - Mastering Videos for Makers (TBA)

Support Us:

It's even easier now to support Burckhardt Books and our Book Banter Podcast, many options are no cost to you. ,Click here for more information.