Ann Harrison's Blog, page 5
April 18, 2023
I’m taking a Step Back from Podcasting on Inspirational Journeys
God is leading me to take a step back from podcasting. I’m not giving up on the podcast, but my episodes will be less frequent. In today’s YouTube video and podcast episode, I share my reasons for making this difficult decision, as God leads me into a new season of my writing life.
If you have suggestions for future podcast episodes, have an author you’d like me to reach out to, or if you are launching a book, please email me at anwrites75@gmail.com, fill out my contact form, or message me on social media via the links at the bottom of this post, with Inspirational Journeys in the subject of your email or in your message.
I challenge you to read to get inspired, write something inspiring, and share your creation with the world, for when you’ve touched one life, you’ve touched thousands. Your story matters, and God can use your words to change the world and advance His kingdom.
Visit www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.
Support this podcast with a monthly donation by visiting:
https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support
or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:
https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?c...
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
The post I’m taking a Step Back from Podcasting on Inspirational Journeys appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 14, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: Celebrating Milestones in my Walk with God as a Writer
Today is a day to celebrate my milestones as I walk with God as a writer. First of all, I want to say happy 4th anniversary of Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter! My second milestone is that I finished editing my Middle Grade novel and uploaded the manuscript to Google Docx and shared it with a few select beta readers. I have a couple more people to share it with, but now I’ve done what I needed to do, now it’s time for me to let God take it from here. I also want to celebrate the winning milestones of other writers. Watch the YouTube video to see me unlock my milestones and listen to the podcast episode as I describe the process. If you’d like to share your milestones, please do so in the comments below.
Visit www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.
Support this podcast with a monthly donation by visiting:
https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support
or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:
https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?c...
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: Celebrating Milestones in my Walk with God as a Writer appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 11, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: Moving Forward in my Calling to Write
In today’s YouTube video and podcast episode, I give a few updates on my writing life and share some encouragement with you to help you move forward in your calling to advance the Kingdom of God and change the world with your words as you follow God’s calling to write.
Visit www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.
Support this podcast with a monthly donation by visiting:
https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support
or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:
https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?c...
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: Moving Forward in my Calling to Write appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 10, 2023
News and Inspiration from the Heart for April, 2023
Hello all you lovely readers in the blogosphere,
After attempting to send this newsletter out to my subscribers, I decided to post it here on my site, to share my good news with you. Please enjoy.
Welcome to News and Inspiration from the Heart for April 2023
This month I have a lot of behind the scenes news to share with you, and a couple of extra features at the end. I hope you’ve had a lovely month. Happy reading and let’s get started with all the goodies inside.
News and Updates
This month, I have a special person to thank for helping me move my website from wordpress.com to a self-hosted wordpress.org site, hosted by Dream Host. Thanks to Jack Falejczyk for his time and technical expertise and the work he’s doing on the back end to help me get my new and improved site up to speed. Stay tuned, because I will be making some changes to my podcast in the near future, and, drum roll please, I am in the process of placing eBook versions of The Spirit of Creativity: Inspirational Poems for the Creative at Heart up on my site for sale. For those of you who are visually impaired, I will have Daisy audiobook and BRF formats available as well. Stay tuned, because I will be sending out a special announcement once my sales page goes live.
As for Shadows on the wall, I edited five chapters last Monday and I’m six chapters away from sending the book to beta readers.
Speaking of that, I need your help. My entire book title is Shadows on the Wall: Spirit Writer Society book 1. However, the phrase “shadows on the wall” is used so much in music and there are so many books with this title, that I don’t want to send the wrong message to my readers with an overused cliché. Here’s how you can help: Read the blurb pasted below and pick the title you think fits the storyline by April 15. Send your suggestions to annwrites75@gmail.com and I’ll pick three lucky winners at random to receive an eBook copy of The Spirit of Creativity: Inspirational Poems for the Creative at Heart and announce the winners in next month’s newsletter. Here’s the blurb:
After twelve-year-old Becca Martin and her little sister are kept away from the Stepping Stones by an invisible force, she forms the Spirit Writer Society to solve the strange occurrences happening around her. Mysterious messages begin to appear. How can Becca, with the help of her friends and Papa Joe, uncover the truth, find a lost treasure, and solve the mystery before the shadow engulfs them?
Featured Articles8 Questions to Consider Before Launching a Podcast
I wrote the following article for the World Blind Herald last month:
IntroductionStarting your own podcast is a great way to increase brand awareness for your business. However, there are several things to consider and action steps you must take to ensure the success of your podcast. Here are eight questions to ask yourself before recording your first episode. Be sure to have a method for journaling, so you can brainstorm a list of possibilities for each question and create an action plan in preparation for your podcast launch.
Check out the Blogpost I created with a list of questions to help you create your own podcasting plan. In this post, you’ll find links to the podcast episode and YouTube video, in which I unpack these questions and give you tips and suggestions to get you started.
A Blast from the PastHow Not to do Book Promotion
This article was one I pressed on my site, when pressing posts was a lot easier than it is now. If you are a writer, or you know someone who could use this valuable information, please pass it on, because the information in this article from four years ago is still relevant today.
Book Recommendation
Today is the launch of Mark Snoad’s debut novel entitled, Maggie and the Mountain of Light, published by Monarch Educational Services. The book description and purchase links are as follows:
A Middle Grade contemporary fantasy featuring a 12-year-old female protagonist named Maggie, who battles food allergies, asthma, and anxiety. Maggie attends an ‘apocalypse training’ camp in London run by the Wayfinder Girls (a pseudo Girl Scouts). Maggie finds out about the secret that the Wayfinder Girls have kept hidden from the world; they protect Earth from inter-dimensional threats. Maggie is invited to join the elite Guardians programme but struggles to know what to do; she is barely coping with this world as it is, let alone having to deal with other worlds. She reluctantly accepts, only to be swept up in a magical adventure which pushes her, and her unit, to the limit. It’s been described as Men in Black for kids but features an all-female team.
You can purchase Maggie and the Mountain of light at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and wherever books are sold.
I interviewed Mark on my Inspirational Journeys podcast to celebrate his book launch. For links to the YouTube video and podcast episode, visit my podcast show notes, where you’ll find all the information listed above, an excerpt of the book and links to connect with Mark online.
Do you have a book you’d like to recommend? Please send your recommendations to annwrites75@gmail.com with “book recommendations” in the subject line. In the body of the email please provide the book title, author’s name, description, and a purchase link. Books must be clean, containing no strong language, explicit adult content, or violence, to be considered for inclusion in a future issue of my newsletter.
Until next month, I wish y’all a Happy Easter. Happy reading and God Bless you.
Hugs,
Ann Harrison
PO Box 877 Rochelle, GA 31079
The post News and Inspiration from the Heart for April, 2023 appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 7, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: The Connection Between Art and Writing with Lynda Lambert
In today’s episode, Lynda Lambert and I talk about her connect between her art, painting in particular, and her writing. You can watch our conversation on YouTube or listen to the podcast episode on the go by clicking the link above and finding the show on your favorite podcasting app.
Here’s Lynda’s bio in her own words.
My mission statement:
Seeking euphoria through art and writing, I reveal what is forgotten, lost, or invisible.
My books:
Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, Kota Press, (2002)
Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage, Kota Press (2002)
Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems, DLD Books, (2017)
Star Signs: New and Selected Poems, DLD Books (2019)
first snow (chapbook) Finishing Line Press (2020)
Songs for the Pilgrimage, DLD Books (2021)
My degrees:
BFA Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 1989 (Painting)
MFA West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 1991 (Painting)
MA in English, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 1994
Lynda’s latest book is entitled Songs for the Pilgrimage.
Description:
Full-length book features poetry, journal entries, meditations, photography and non-fiction personal stories.
Predominate theme is “pilgrimage as a life long journey.”
This book has 5 sections:
Part 1: The Unfolding of a Story
Part 2: Drawing – Writing – Dreaming
Part 3: Singing – Dancing
Part 4: Landmarks – Landscape
Part 5: People – Places – Scattered Among Rumors
Writings created, between 1989 to 2021.
Purchase link:
https://www.lyndalambert.com/wordpress/my-books-page/
Excerpt From the Epilogue:
Begin right where you are. Start with a dream. First, you must plant a seed. It only takes a wisp of an idea to create your journey.
pi
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: The Connection Between Art and Writing with Lynda Lambert appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 5, 2023
Original Poetry: A Writer’s Lament
Oh, for manuscripts lost
I wonder what the cost
I must pay to get my story back
In time and content.
But when the manuscript is found,
A song of joy resounds
In my heart,
To replace my writer’s lament.
If I lose my manuscript
In the realm of cyberspace
Will I lose the story
Or Will God replace
My words with something better?
My protagonist, I can’t forget her
She fills my heart and soul
To take complete control
Of the story as I rewrite
The words both day and night,
To meet my self-imposed deadline.
Will I make it on time
Or Will God slow me down
To write a better story
And give Him all the honor and glory
He deserves?
As I change the world with my words
Lord, please protect my story
As I write it for Your glory
And give you honor and praise
For the rest of my days.
Amen
The post Original Poetry: A Writer’s Lament appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 4, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: Maggie and the Mountain of Light Book Launch with Mark Snoad
Today marks the launch of Mark Snoad’s debut middle grade novel entitled Maggie and the Mountain of Light. Join us as we celebrate this book launch and learn a little about how God called Mark to write. Watch the conversation on YouTube or listen on the podcast.
Mark Snoad is an author and teacher living in Aotearoa New Zealand. As a professional make-believer, he strives to find the magic and joy in everyday life. It’s definitely there, at the edges. You’ll soon discover it, if you believe. Mark lives with his wife, two daughters and rascal dog, Wilbur.
Mark’s debut novel is entitled Maggie and the Mountain of Light.
Description:
A Middle Grade contemporary fantasy featuring a 12-year-old female protagonist named Maggie, who battles food allergies, asthma, and anxiety. Maggie attends an ‘apocalypse training’ camp in London run by the Wayfinder Girls (a pseudo Girl Scouts). Maggie finds out about the secret that the Wayfinder Girls have kept hidden from the world; they protect Earth from inter-dimensional threats. Maggie is invited to join the elite Guardians programme but struggles to know what to do; she is barely coping with this world as it is, let alone having to deal with other worlds. She reluctantly accepts, only to be swept up in a magical adventure which pushes her, and her unit, to the limit. It’s been described as Men in Black for kids but features an all-female team.
Purchase link:
Excerpt:
”Welcome to the apocalypse!” the sign declared in large, cheerful red letters. “Please register here.”
I sucked in a long, deep breath. Surely the best thing
to do when always fearing the worst was to attend an “apocalypse” training camp. And better yet, a fun camp run by the Wayfinder Girls at Dux Manor, a three-storied hostel and activity center located about a fifteen-minute drive from my home in North London.
Dux Manor seemed more like a place for a royal visit rather than a camp, with the red-brick exterior speaking of age and wealth. The large building, with matching wings on either side of a central entrance, reminded me of the Lego castles I’d built with my younger twin brothers. It was cool that Dux Manor had been converted into a hostel, and it would be a fun place to stay, as long as the rooms weren’t haunted.
But the rooms wouldn’t be haunted. Dux Manor was the Wayfinder World Center.
Please don’t let the rooms be haunted!
“Maggie and Anahira, we have to register over here,” my mum declared, doing her best to power walk toward the sign while carrying an oversized blue chilly bin.
Connect with Mark at the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/mark.snoad1
https://www.instagram.com/mark.snoad.writer/?hl=en
BE a GUEST:
As authors, creative artists and entrepreneurs, we often find it hard to stand out above the constant chatter on the internet. If that sounds like you, I’d like to help you boost the visibility of your brand. My name is Ann Harrison and I run a podcast called Inspirational Journeys. On my podcast I post solo episodes of value to my listeners, led by the Holy Spirit. I also talk to authors, creative artists and entrepreneurs who want to share their inspirational journeys with the world. If you’re interested in being a guest on my show, please send an email to annwrites75@gmail.com with Inspirational Journeys in the subject line of your email, so I can send you my featured book questionnaire.
Thanks for listening to Inspirational Journeys and have a Blessed Day.
Visit https://everyday-excellence.com/ and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.
Support this podcast with a monthly donation by visiting:
https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support
or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:
https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?c...
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: Maggie and the Mountain of Light Book Launch with Mark Snoad appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
April 2, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: 4 Benefits of Keeping a Writing Journal for Nonfiction
In today’s YouTube video and podcast episode I share with you the four benefits of keeping a writing journal for your nonfiction. If you can think of more, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
A journal is a Place to capture ideas for blogposts and articles.A journal is a Place to take notes during your research.A journal is a Place to capture the URLs of your research sources.A journal is a place to take notes during expert interviews.
How do you use a journal for your nonfiction projects?
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: 4 Benefits of Keeping a Writing Journal for Nonfiction appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
March 28, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: Beth Jones Returns to Talk about Walking with God in the Prophetic Lifestyle
In today’s episode, God has anointed my conversation with Beth Jones about her latest book and the two new books He has given her for the near future. Pray with us and have your Bible and a method for taking notes handy, because this conversation has some golden nuggets about prophecy and writing the vision and making it plain, as the Lord states in Habakkuk 2:2. Beth also shared Isaiah 30:21 with us, which tells us that we will hear God’s Voice as He guides us down the path He has chosen for us. May this conversation be a blessing to you, as it was for us as we recorded it. You can watch my conversation with Beth on YouTube or listen on the Inspirational Journeys podcast.
Beth Jones is an International Speaker and Author, wife to fire chief-paramedic Ray, and mom of 3 beautiful daughters Heather, Eden, and Leah. She also has an adopted black cat with green eyes, Natalya, who follows her everywhere. Beth’s mission is encouraging others to use their gifts for God’s glory, fulfilling their purpose, and living a life they love. She also helps aspiring speakers and authors to share their hearts’ unique, powerful messages.
Beth’s latest book is entitled Walking with God in the Prophetic Lifestyle
Description:
When you hear the words “prophecy,” “prophet,” or “prophetess,” what do you think of? Psychic? New Age? Woo-woo or “out there”? Some people think prophecy is strange or even downright demonic. Others believe it is from God, but that the gift of prophecy died with Jesus and the apostles. Prophecy is very much in use today, and we need it in these unpredictable, frightening, dark end times. Prophecy is a beautiful, precious gift from God. We see its proper use in the Old and New Testaments and exemplified perfectly through the life of Jesus Christ. Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:10), and it should always point to Jesus and glorify Him. God desires for us to prophesy (Numbers 11:29 and 1 Corinthians 14:1) and in these end times, God is pouring out His Spirit on everyone. (Acts 2:17) The author, Beth M. Jones, shares her personal, exciting journey in learning about and using this powerful gift from God, in her office of prophetess, to glorify Jesus and encourage others.
Purchase link:
Excerpt:
This is a non-fiction book about the spiritual gift of prophecy and how it functions and operates in the Body of Christ, with examples from both the Old and New Testaments and the author’s own exciting experiences.
Connect with Beth at the following links:
https://www.amazon.com/author/bethmjones
BE a GUEST:
As authors, creative artists and entrepreneurs, we often find it hard to stand out above the constant chatter on the internet. If that sounds like you, I’d like to help you boost the visibility of your brand. My name is Ann Harrison and I run a podcast called Inspirational Journeys. On my podcast I post solo episodes of value to my listeners, led by the Holy Spirit. I also talk to authors, creative artists and entrepreneurs who want to share their inspirational journeys with the world. If you’re interested in being a guest on my show, please send an email to annwrites75@gmail.com with Inspirational Journeys in the subject line of your email, so I can send you my featured book questionnaire.
Thanks for listening to Inspirational Journeys and have a Blessed Day.
Visit https://everyday-excellence.com/ and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the site.
Support this podcast with a monthly donation by visiting:
https://anchor.fm/inspirational-journeys/support
or you can give a one-time donation via PayPal at:
https://paypal.me/annHarrisonBarnes?c...
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: Beth Jones Returns to Talk about Walking with God in the Prophetic Lifestyle appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
March 24, 2023
Inspirational Journeys Presents: 7 Benefits of Keeping a Writing Journal for Fiction
In the first YouTube video and podcast episode of my mini series called Journaling Benefits for Writers, I explain the benefits of keeping a fiction writing journal.
A Journal is a place to dump unwanted thoughts and feelings.A Journal is a place to write your prayers and responses from the Holy Spirit.A Journal is a place to capture new ideas.A Journal is a place to develop new ideas.A Journal is a place to brainstorm plot points for stories.A Journal is a place to flesh out your characters.A Journal is a place to keep track of your story’s timeline.
How does keeping a journal benefit your writing? Leave your answers in the comments below.
Blessings,
Ann
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
The post Inspirational Journeys Presents: 7 Benefits of Keeping a Writing Journal for Fiction appeared first on Ann Writes Inspiration.
