C.A. Milson's Blog, page 137
September 12, 2019
Book Blast – FRAGMENTS OF FRENCH
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Fragments of French, an Unexpected Journey of the Heart
by Wanda St. Hilaire
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GENRE: Memoir (travel)
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BLURB:
After a harsh brush with her mortality, shadowed by a premature divorce, Wanda St. Hilaire pledges to be true to her primary passion—living ardently through travel. On the fateful day her life intersects with Jean-François, a charming Frenchman, on a bustling street in Lisbon, every fiber of her being feels as though she has finally entered the doorway to a magical world that she knew existed since she was a young girl.
St. Hilaire turns a complicated romantic ballet full of missteps into a collage of people, places, and cultures. Fragments of French is an exquisitely detailed travelogue of Portugal, Canada, France, and Mexico, filled with minor characters who delight with their humanity. However, what really makes this tale a standout is a gift for pacing and description to rival Tom Wolfe.
The hero’s journey is not only for the characters of our favorite stories or mythical legends. At some point, each of us receives the call to adventure. Fate summons the hero; we can refuse the call, or step into something that will turn our lives upside down, and potentially change everything we know to be true.
From feeling “completely disarmed, no fortress standing”, to embracing her untethered strength, the author turns this account of living life out loud into lessons for us all.
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EXCERPT
Our day-to-day lives typically flow with the minutiae of the known. There is the mundane and the comfortable; like the ratty robe that we wrap around ourselves to watch movies in, with a hot cup of tea from our favorite mug. There are our unvarying routines, our jobs, the people we know, and the places we frequent, which give us stability and a sense of certainty in an uncertain world.
And occasionally, there are the extraordinary moments when a life-altering fork in the road appears, when constancy vanishes underneath us and we are presented with an opportunity that excites us, stretches us far beyond the boundaries of our self-imposed restrictions, and scares the bejesus out of us. We have the freedom to choose, but we cannot know the long-term ramifications, or predict the final outcome of either decision, be it yay or nay.
Had I picked the road most traveled, this house would look the same as it did three months ago. My heartbeat would be steady and, at this moment, I would be asleep in my big brass bed, safely tucked under a thick, goose-down duvet. Monday morning, I would awaken to a flurry of faxes and phone calls in the small office upstairs, and then race off on a snowy road-trip for a week of intensive work. But that pathway may have led me to a deep gorge of regret, and a lifetime of what-ifs. I could not take that chance, ending up an old, disenchanted woman, retelling what might have been.
No one I know has done this before; I have no frame of reference. I am taking the fork to the far left, one that holds an exciting adventure fraught with potential peril. I have overcome my fears by nullifying them one by one. I am leaping without a net.
I crawl into my sleeping bag and toss restlessly, a barrage of questions battering my bewildered brain. I will leave tomorrow on a jet plane for the most unknown journey of my life. I do not know what awaits me, and I do not know when I will be back again.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
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Her prime passion is the thrill of travel—of experiencing other cultures, traditions, lifestyles, and languages—thus expanding her perspective.
Wanda St. Hilaire has a predilection and passion for all things Latin, and she believes life is too short not to do what you love, where you love. She spends time writing in Mexico for inspiration, and to escape the frozen landscapes of Alberta.
Through writing, St. Hilaire shares what she’s learned from the high peaks of adventure and love, to the dark valleys of illness and heartbreak. Her mission is to help people overcome the self, and tap into their wise inner guidance system. Her wish is to inspire others to live true to their unique and beautiful nature.
Fragments of French on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fragments-French-Unexpected-Journey-Heart/dp/189433115X/ref=sr_1_1
Companion Poetry Book, Of Love, Life, and Journeys
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Life-Journeys-Companion-Fragments/dp/1894331176/ref=sr_1_3
(Inspired during the story of my travel memoir, this collection of poems and verse was first published in 2004 and became a Canadian bestseller for poetry. This second edition was created as a companion book to Fragments of French,)
Blog: www.lifebyheart.wandasthilaire.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandasthilairethewriter/
Twitter: @spicytraveler (https://twitter.com/spicytraveler
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
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Wanda St. Hilaire will be awarding a ribboned beret & Paris coin bag with an E-book of Fragments of French to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (International offer)
Enter to win a special prize pack – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Trailer:
September 6, 2019
Movie Review – The Shadow People (2017)
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Director:
Writer:
Stars: , ,
Storyline
Newlyweds Megan (Kat Steffens, Parkland) and Andrew (Bug Hall, Castle) have just moved into their dream home with aspirations to start a family. But soon strange events start happening. Voices and shadowy figures haunt Megan, and even Andrew, starts questioning his own sanity as their marriage is being torn apart. The visions grow increasingly real..and threatening, yet Megan is unwilling to relinquish her home. When the appearance of a mysterious priest (C. Thomas Howell, The Amazing Spiderman) unveils the truth behind their nightmare, Megan’s reality takes a desperate turn that her haunting visions never could have predicted.
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Review:
I would not say that this movie is all bad. The Shadow People starts out bland enough. A newlywed couple driving home swerve to avoid a person on the road, and ultimately, their car gets stuck. What follows in n unraveling sequence of events that, at first only Megan can see.
My initial thoughts here were: Why didn’t Andrew turn off the car before they decided to prance home in the rain? Why didn’t one of them call a tow truck when they got home instead of getting down to sex? Was Cain supposed to be a remake of a similar character (Kain) in Poltergeist?
It is not until the final act that we see the reality of what happened in that “near miss car accident with mysterious girl on the road”.
I am not going to say anything here to give away the spoilers, but, the acting by Kat Steffens and Bug Hall was good enough to make me watch to the end.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
My Rating: 6.0
August 31, 2019
Movie Review – Dark Phoenix
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Storyline
The X-Men. Protectors of peace. Jean Grey is one of the most beloved X-Men. But when a mission goes wrong, Jean is exposed to a dark and ancient power. This power has destroyed everything it comes in contact with, until her. Now that this power is becoming unstable, she releases it with destruction and anger. Now that this foreign power is consuming her, and the world is threatened, the X-Men have to face an important truth: they must save either the world, or their friend who threatens it.
Director:
Writers:, (comic book created by)
Stars:, ,
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Plot: Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all of humanity.
My Review: Overall this was a good film – if it was an indie film spin-off from the Marvel universe – however, as this is a Marvel Studios film, how does this film “Dark Phoenix” fit into the X-Men universe as it should play out?
Yes, it is set in the younger years of the X-Men, but when Jean Grey was a late teen-early twenties, shouldn’t have Wolverine had a cameo in this, as he did all the others?
Also a few other things to the time-line of X-Men/Marvel Universe:
1. Mystique being killed off early in the sequence? (Wouldn’t this affect ALL the other X-men films?)
2. Towards the end Jean-Grey sacrificing herself for the classical Star Trek cliche of “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” (Although she didn’t say it, this is what the scene referred.
3. No Wolverine?
This is NOT X-Men, unless a lame attempt to introduce us to the “Eternals“, which, if it is, kinda borders in the story lines of “Thanos“. After all, if “Dark Phoenix” has the tie-in to “all things Marvel”, shouldn’t there be a film of Eternals defeating Thanos, rather than just the X-Men?
Yeah, just NO.
My Rating: 5 out of 10.
Meh….. The Marvel Universe Does Your Head In With The BS……
August 25, 2019
VBT – ALICE, A MEMOIR
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Alice, a Memoir
by Alice Gilmore
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GENRE: Non-fiction
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BLURB:
Few, if anyone, could have had a life like Alice Gilmore. It was almost unbelievable yet carried on under the cover of a respectable middle-class existence.
You might strongly disapprove of what she did, but Alice was determined. She overcame insurmountable obstacles to keep the love she longed for.
Her single-minded fight to live out her love makes a gripping, riveting story that one eminent literary person called ‘staggeringly readable’. It is shocking. Her methods will upset some, but are you with her or against her? Your decision.
This is no misery memoir. It’s a story told with joy, wit and fervour – the astonishing story of the overwhelming love Alice Gilmour was determined to live out.
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EXCERPT
I am going to tell you our story, my darlings. It is really only for you three and one other (you know who) but I can’t help hoping that the world will read it, which is why I shall probably publish it. But not for some years. When you’re fully grown up and have flown the nest. God knows what they will make of it, the world I mean, whoever they are, but I am not suggesting that any rules or taboos should be changed by our story, or new rules made. Leave all that alone. Our story, perhaps I should say my story, just is. You could tritely call it the exception that proves the rule. Perhaps that is just what it is: unique. I doubt that but it is certainly extraordinary. I have carefully chosen those words. Any old event of yawning banality is called ‘amazing’, ‘fantastic’, ‘unbelievable’, ‘fabulous’ in our current jargon. Whatever else people may call my story it is certainly extraordinary.
It is, above all, a love story, an all-consuming love story, though I have never felt consumed by love, rather continually renewed. But isn’t that what love should do to you? Consume you and renew you constantly like the phoenix. And it brought with it another constant emotion: fear. And pain. The fear of pain. The fear of the pain of losing it, this wonderful state. The word love doesn’t fully express what I/we felt. Another word that is more or less totally debased.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
If you want to know about my life and background read this book. I can scarcely add to what I have written about myself in there. I earnestly hope that the rest of my life is too uneventful to even consider writing anything else, I am no novelist. The life I have described was full enough and rich enough for me. God knows what I would come out with if I had to invent. If you find you need a good chef I shall consider anything not too energetic – which rules out most jobs in the kitchen.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/100110001-alice-gilmore
https://www.facebook.com/alice.gilmore.92775
https://twitter.com/AlicetheWife1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alice-a-memoir-alice-gilmore/1131732791
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/940716
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/alice-a-memoir
https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Memoir-Gilmore-ebook/dp/B07S8HK65K/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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INTERVIEW
What are your favorite TV shows?
Good four to six episode thrillers or police dramas. Good documentaries about current events. Some quizzes.
What is your favorite meal?
I start with grilled whitebait; go on to liver, not done with bacon and too much juice in the English way but fegato con salvia as the Italians cook it. That is liver lightly grilled with sage and sauté potatoes. Afterwards blackberry and apple crumble with lashings of clotted cream.
If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
It would have to be a family saga stretching through generations. That could encompass everything from love to war to adventure to business, religion, snobbery, treachery. It can all be in there.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
Difficult to think of one but I love Kate Atkinson’s prose. She can pack so much subtle humour into one sentence she makes me squirm with delight and she just keeps doing it. I think William Boyd is the best novelist writing in UK English at the moment. If I look back, Jane Austen, of course, and George Eliot, Dickens and Evelyn Waugh but I have a very special place in my heart for PG Wodehouse. Just listen to him when read out loud by a good actor. Comedy heaven.
How did you come up for the title of this book?
Oh, don’t. My title, Alice, A Memoir, about as dull as you can get, is a compromise reached after the publisher and I had wracked our brains trying to think of something that was not a clue to the content of my story. I am the worst inventor of titles in the world, I think.
August 23, 2019
Release Blitz – Highway to Hell
About the Book
Title: Highway to Hell
Author: Lydia Anne Stevens
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Death. Reapers. Atonement.
Catriona Clarke is a mercenary demon leading a gang of reapers and working with Lucifer to atone for her sins. The Hellcats’ mission is to collect the marked souls of the damned and bring them to Hell once they perish. When Catriona returns from collecting a soul, she discovers the rival gang of demons, the Hellhounds, have marked her ex-boyfriend.
Conflicted about going to reap Zeke’s soul, she reluctantly goes to collect. In a whirlwind of chaos, Catriona discovers that the son of Satan, Damien, has mistakenly marked the innocent and pure soul of Zeke’s twin brother, Lowell. Her gut instinct tells her to stand up against Lucifer and the demons of Hell, but in doing so, she will lose everything she’s worked hard for.
Is her ex-boyfriend’s brother worth the trouble?
Readers of Patricia Briggs, Darynda Jones, and Kevin Hearne will devour this Hellishly fantastic series.
Author Bio
Lydia Stevens is a full-time author and freelance writer having written over 75 novels for clients – with two series having become Amazon Bestsellers. She is an active member of the Maine Romance Writers Association, The Horror Writers of Maine, The Fantasy Writers of Maine, The Maine Women Authors, The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, Sigma Alpha Pi’s, National Society of Leadership and Success, and Sigma Tau Delta’s, International English Honor Society. Lydia graduated from the University of Southern New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English on May 12th, of 2018 and she graduated with a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and English on May 11th, 2019.
She’s the author of a paranormal/humor trilogy, The Ginger Davenport Escapades and is contracted with a second trilogy, The Fire Series with LM Vintage Publishers. The first book, Phoenix Fire, is slated to be released in 2019. Lydia currently works as an internist in the second semester within a literary agency and plans to pursue future endeavors within this line of work, as well as a PhD in Creative Writing. Her creative writing research proposal is under review at Lancaster University in Lancaster, England.
Lydia lives in Maine where she enjoys living life with an active eight-year-old and a black cat, Sirius Black, who is equally competitive for her attention. In her spare time, Lydia loves knitting, reading, coaching soccer, completing fantasy-themed jigsaw puzzles for inspiration, traveling and having a laugh with her best friends.
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Links
Buy Highway to Hell
Author Links:
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August 21, 2019
VBT – SOUL READER
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Soul Reader
by Lisa Zajkowski
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GENRE: Paranormal Romance
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BLURB:
When skeptic Marvin meets artistic Natalie in a coffee shop on a cold October morning, the two fall fast in love, but nothing is ever as easy as it feels.
Natalie believes that a divine something is guiding her life for her greater good, and it seems to be true. She lands her dream job and she and Marvin marry at a beachside castle. However, the ease and flow of their lives start to change. At the same time that Natalie becomes pregnant, Marvin experiences strange symptoms and visits his doctor.
When faced with a diagnosis that changes everything and odd dreams of the child that hasn’t yet been born, will Marvin let go of his skepticism or will he miss out on a lifetime with his loving family?
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EXCERPT
Marvin heads into his oversized master bath to start the shower. He is sensitive when it comes to nature, so he has a top of the line water purification system that allows him to use the ocean water in his home. It siphons water from the ocean, removes the salt and impurities, and leaves him with the smoothest, cleanest water in town. He is hopeful that the city will one day take advantage of such a resourceful product, but he isn’t surprised that they haven’t. The water is silky and hot as it rains down on his body. His showerhead is automated with voice command, so he can tell it if he wants jet stream, raindrops, massage or pulsating. Marvin’s home may be more modest than most in the area, but he never held back on the luxuries of things he liked. He turns the steam feature on as he shuts the water off and grabs his towel. He loves standing in the steam, with it smelling the way only steam in a clean shower can smell. He has always been very in touch with his senses and felt them all deeply: touch, taste, smell, hearing, vision, and the unspoken sixth sense. He is unconsciously aware of his intuition because his analytical mind has yet to bring it forth; however, it will happen when the timing is right. He steps out of his steamy fortress, his hair awry, and drapes his towel over the shower door. As he steps in front of the mirror, admiring his sculpted body, he wonders if Talie might be up, if she was even awake.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Lisa M. Zajkowski has an exhilaration for life while exploring all areas from the ethereal to the ordinary, and she appreciates learning something from every aspect. Her main theme in life is fun, as she indulges in laughter and looks for the positive in every situation. She also thrives on pushing the boundaries of the body while enduring in the sport of Triathlon, having completed a Half Ironman. However, it’s her first love of running that brings her an immense sense of liberation and connectedness with the beauty of the world. Lisa loves connecting with people, and being a massage therapist allows her to do this as she enjoys helping people facilitate healing within their innate body systems. She is comforted in the softer side of life while cuddling with her dogs and cat, and desires to own a horse ranch. Lisa revels in the freedom of being fluid in her writing, taking pleasure in all genres of authoring. She is currently working on Drama, Sci-Fi, and Horror novels.
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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INTERVIEW
What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Currently, Vanilla. It switches with mood and cravings. And even before I’ve submitted these questions, it has changed to mint chocolate chip that I put a little Almond milk in and make it more like a little milkshake.
Which mythological creature are you most like?
A Unicorn
First book you remember making an indelible impression on you.
“Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?” I don’t remember how old I was when I read it, probably around 10 years old. I loved how it gave such fluidity, to talk to ‘your god’ wherever you were. It also touched on several adolescent issues of young women.
How do you develop your plot and characters?
I get an idea and I build my characters and plot from there. It’s a ‘now’ process for me, meaning I don’t usually plan ahead the ways it’s going to flow. Upon re-write things may change and be more fine-tuned.
Describe your writing space.
I feel it’s pretty ordinary. I write on my couch in my living room. I have a beautiful view of the intracoastal with a slight obstruction of 2 bikes on their trainers. I sometimes take my laptop with me and will write in various places, but the couch is where most of the magic happens! I suppose someday I’d like a writing room, but I don’t know. I like the freedom an open space gives without the feeling of ‘having’ to go to a different room to write.
August 19, 2019
Book Blast – Julian Fox
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. E.J. Miranda will be awarding a 1st prize: $50 Amazon e-gift card, and a 2nd prize: $40 Amazon e-gift card, to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
It is said that dreams are just that: only dreams. But believe me, this is not always true. Some dreams are as real as the dreamer.
Thanks to their dreams, dreamers can receive the special visit of eternal wisdom that has inspired the creativity of great inventors, scientists, musicians, and even writers throughout the ages.
This creative wisdom is not always the type that appears to the eager conscience. Sometimes, a Defiler, a destroyer of dreams, is the one who tries to appear before the dreamer. These creatures were once humans, but they allowed their pain and desire for revenge to take over and seek the same miserable fate for the one who dreams.
You must not fear — Dream Guardians, also known as Kelsdrant, will always protect the one who dreams, even with their own life. They are people of flesh and bone, just like you and me, or at least they are on Earth.
The following story is dedicated to the fun, extravagant, and enlightening life of Julian Fox, the Dream Guardian.
Be prepared, dear reader. It is time to dream, laugh, reflect, and even maybe cry.
Welcome to the Land of the Wise Dreams.
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 8: The Fate of the Carrier
That night, he locked his door to protect himself from Nicholas’s intentions. He knew his brother was very patient and would wait for the opportune moment to execute the perfect prank.
The occasion was presented that night when the unsuspecting victim, Julian, was asleep since he had to get up earlier than usual. Nicholas could finally do something to torture his brother to compensate for the terrible sushi experience. He dressed in black, wanting to be mysterious like in the movies. He glided silently through the house unseen, even by the discreet service staff. He went to the kitchen where Julian had forgotten to remove the duplicate key to his door from the keychain that contained all the copies of the house’s keys.
Taking it, he went quietly to his brother’s room with a small flashlight in his hand. He opened the door quietly, knowing that if he was discovered he would be in trouble. However, his evil desire forced him to move forward. This audacity cheered him on:
“Bah! So what if Mom rips my ears off? At least it is for a good cause.”
His evil plan was to move forward all the clocks in the house by two hours. Thus, the innocent Julian would get up early, sleepy and most importantly, in a bad mood. Julian would need those two hours, just like he had needed the indigestion medicine that his mother had given him to prevent further damage to his body and mind.
One by one, Julian’s watches joined the conspiracy. His own cell phone, all the watches, and the alarm clocks surrendered to Nicholas, the defiler of time.
About the Author: E. J. Miranda is an avid reader, an enthusiastic traveler, and a passionate author. Her great sense of humor and love for nature have granted her a rebellious writing style: Her approach describes the adventures of life but in such a way that each reader can have an individual take on the matter. Her inspiration comes from her curiosity about other countries’ cultures and peculiarities. A few countries in particular that spark her curiosity are Colombia, Italy, Costa Rica, England, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Her favorite places to visit are historical sites and museums, locations that allow her to explore important and even overlooked details. She currently lives with her husband in Colombia but frequently travels to Houston to visit her daughter and son. E.J. Miranda has a degree in tax accounting, but she prefers interacting with people to calculating their taxes. To learn more about her life and work, visit http://www.ejmiranda.com.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46288494-julian-fox
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorejmiranda
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EJMirandaAuthor
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/julian-fox-the-dream-guardian-e-j-miranda/1132532225
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julian-Fox-Dream-Guardian-Miranda/dp/173379820X/ref=sr_1_1
E.J. Miranda will be awarding a 1st prize: $50 Amazon e-giftcard, and a 2nd prize: $40 Amazon e-giftcard, to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Upwork … and Triple Dipping
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Ever since E-lance and O-Desk merged, there has been a decline in how Upwork operates, especially for the Freelancer.
Here’s why in a nutshell:
Triple Dipping… Here’s why:
I am on Upwork as both a freelancer and an Employer. I have seen that although Upwork “States” that if a bid is lost or closed, you get the big credit replaced, they actually do nothing of the kind. So, here is how Upwork triple dips:
1: Bid Credits – You pay to place a bid on projects (some of them are scam – PROVEN – Go search groups on Facebook for this). Upwork states that it is based on “Employer history, amount of money they want to pay plus budget. Yet, 99% of these “so-called” gigs are ranked at 6 credits per bid. Does the freelancer get reimbursed these unsuccessful credits? No. I have waited 90 days and I still do not see any reimbursement of bids on “closed jobs”, even though I get a plethora of notifications that “X” job has been closed.
2. 20% fee on any gigs up to $500. – Most employers will “test the waters” to see how a freelancer performs. If the employer is satisfied, they will continue. If not, then the contract ends. Which leaves the Freelancer 20% down on their earnings. (not including the amount of credits that it cost to get the project).
3. Cost to withdraw funds – We all know that one. Upwork charges an additional fee when you withdraw funds to any payment source, regardless if it is Payoneer, Paypal or a Bank account.
On the flip side: What does the employer get charged?
As I said before I use Upwork for Freelancing plus hiring virtual staff. The ONLY fee an employer gets charged is the credit card fee, if they use a credit card. No fee to list a project, and no fee when hiring a person. (And believe me, I have hired a number of people over the years).
I agree with the fact that Upwork charges $0.15 per connect, but… when 99% of all gigs posted cost 6 connects to place a bid, that amount can cost in the long run. Lets look at it like this:
Old Model – 60 connects free a month = 30 bids = No fee to Freelancer. (Bid Cost To Submit = 2 credits. No fee to Freelancer is they stayed on basic service)
New Model (based on purchasing the same 60 connects a month) – $9 a month cost to freelancer. (Now, under Upwork policy, if you are denied or job is closed, you get reimbursed those credits) ((AHHH.. FALSE)). You DO NOT get that reimbursed!
PLUS: You buy 60 credits to place bids. That give you at best 10 bids. Then guess what? Yes, you have to buy more!
Old Model: 60 Free Credit Bids a month = 30 bids a month – no cost to Freelancer to bid.
NEW Model: 60 Credits a month = $9 cost per month for 10 bids a month!
Do you see the fucking math on how Upwork now operates?
But wait, you can avoid that by buying into Upworks “Premium Account” which gives you a grand total of 70 bid credits a month for the fee of $15 a month! (Most gigs are listed at a cost of 6 credits to bid!)
Hmmm… Seems that the writing is on the wall with Upwork, where it rips off the Freelancer, posts “fake gigs” (Proven), and tries to “upsell” freelancers to a higher fee for bidding.
So yes, triple dipping!
Upwork seems to be great at reporting everyone on TrustPilot who speaks the simple facts.
Yes, Upwork, you can go ahead and flag this review as you have done to so many others for speaking the facts on Trustpilot, but you cannot flag the same post for going up here!
August 18, 2019
VBT – 13 STEPS TO THE CELLAR
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Teresa Mathews will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
There were thirteen steps to the cellar. They were steep and they were narrow—but was a fall down them enough to have caused the twenty-seven deep lacerations to her aunt’s head?
Callie Harris travels from her home in Alabama to her aunt’s former mansion in Maine to unravel the haunting forty-year-old mystery of Dr. Laverne Harris Doss’ brutal death.
Why wasn’t a murder weapon found? Was her uncle justly convicted of the killing? Was his mistress involved? Or was the murderer the bearded stranger rumored to have arrived by train that night?
In the charming town of Richmond, located on the banks of Maine’s historic Kennebec River, Callie uncovers the community’s darkest secrets—a botched police investigation, a betrayed widow’s lie, a dead woman’s blackmail, and a wealthy philanthropist’s shame. The web of intrigue extends far beyond Callie’s suspicions and its connection to her personal story pierces her to the core.
Read an Excerpt
In passing, she leaned and straightened the flowers in the urn on her aunt’s grave. Squatting, she ran her fingers across the dates on the headstone, calculating her aunt had only been thirty-six years old when she died. She inched closer and studied the inscription, Dr. Laverne Harris Doss. Beloved doctor, daughter, and sister.
“My father’s beloved sister,” Callie whispered. “Oh, how he grieved for you, Aunt Laverne.”
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About the Author: Teresa Mathews is a graduate of The University of South Alabama. She’s a member of the Mobile Writers Guild and serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association.
An avid gardener and artist, she has multiple book covers to her credit. Several years ago after visiting the site of her real-life aunt’s murder, Teresa discovered another passion–storytelling. Although inspired by an actual tragedy, Thirteen Steps to the Cellar is fiction.
Raised on the Gulf Coast, Teresa, her husband, and son now live on a farm with a second home on the sparkling white sands of Fort Morgan, Alabama.
https://instagram.com/teresamathewsauthor
http://www.amazon.com/author/teresamathews
http://www.facebook.com/TeresaMathewsauthor
http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Mathews_Teresa
THE BOOK IS $0.99 DURING THE TOUR: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWXJC6V/ref=as_li_ss_tl
Teresa Mathews will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
VBT ~ Julian Fox: The Dream Guardian
About the Book
Title: Julian Fox: The Dream Guardian
Author: E.J. Miranda
Genre: YA Fantasy
It is said that dreams are just that: only dreams. But believe me, this is not always true. Some dreams are as real as the dreamer.
Thanks to their dreams, dreamers can receive the special visit of eternal wisdom that has inspired the creativity of great inventors, scientists, musicians, and even writers throughout the ages.
This creative wisdom is not always the type that appears to the eager conscience. Sometimes, a Defiler, a destroyer of dreams, is the one who tries to appear before the dreamer. These creatures were once humans, but they allowed their pain and desire for revenge to take over and seek the same miserable fate for the one who dreams.
You must not fear — Dream Guardians, also known as Kelsdrant, will always protect the one who dreams, even with their own life. They are people of flesh and bone, just like you and me, or at least they are on Earth.
The following story is dedicated to the fun, extravagant, and enlightening life of Julian Fox, the Dream Guardian.
Be prepared, dear reader. It is time to dream, laugh, reflect, and even maybe cry.
Welcome to the Land of the Wise Dreams.
Author Bio
E.J. Miranda is an avid reader, an enthusiastic traveler, and a passionate author. Her great sense of humor and love for nature have granted her a rebellious writing style: her approach describes the adventures of life, but in such a way that each reader can have an individual take on the matter. Her inspiration comes from her curiosity about other countries’ cultures and peculiarities. A few countries in particular which spark her curiosity are Colombia, Italy, Costa Rica, England, Belgium, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Her favorite places to visit are historical sites and museums, locations that allow her to explore important and even overlooked details. She currently lives with her husband in Colombia, but frequently travels to Houston to visit her daughter and son. E.J. Miranda has a degree in tax accounting, but she prefers interacting with people to calculating their taxes. To learn more about her life and work, visit www.ejmiranda.com.
Links
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