Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 133

Smashwords July Summer/Winter Sale

In July, Smashwords holds a Summer/Winter Sale. Participating authors offer discounts of 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% on selected books. This is a great chance to stock up on bargain ebooks in a variety of genres.

All my self-published books are offered at 50% off. Visit my Smashwords page to check out my books.

Related Posts:Smashwords Summer/Winter SaleSmashwords July Summer/Winter SalesThe Growing E-Book MarketFree E-Books for Read an E-Book WeekDid You Get an E-Reader for Christmas?Powered by Contextual Related PostsSmashwords July Summer/Winter Sale was first posted on July 3, 2012 at 12:04 am.
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Review: Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t imagine that I have never read this book, even though it’s been on my to-be-read list for years. I thought I had a pretty good idea about what it was about, but I wanted to read it because of its historical significance—Abraham Lincoln credited it with leading to the Civil War. However, I didn’t expect it to have the powerful impact on me that it did.

Since “Uncle Tom” today refers to a subservient, obsequious person with no courage to stand up to evil, I was surprised to read about the character of Uncle Tom. He was no weak-willed, servile person, but a devout Christian who lived the way he understood the Bible said. He didn’t rebel against his earthly masters because he believed in turning the other cheek, as Jesus preached and practiced. However, when ordered to whip another slave, Uncle Tom sacrificed his own life by refusing to carry out the evil order. He would not take part in violence against another person even though his refusal lead to violence against him. Uncle Tom is an example of how Christians should live and die. I would consider the highest of honors if I were called an Uncle Tom!

The other thing that really struck me about the book was how people who considered themselves good Christians owned slaves and/or approved of slavery. They felt that if they treated their slaves well, they were doing their Christian duty. They didn’t see that the enslaved people were created by God in His image, just as they were, that the slaves deserved to live their lives in freedom, just as the slave owners did. From today’s perspective, it’s easy to see how evil slavery was and how much those Christians who participated in it were violating God’s will.

As a society, we pride ourselves on being so much better than the generations before us that perpetuated such an evil institution as slavery. Yet today, we have a class of human beings who are, like slaves, considered less than human; a class of human beings who have no right to freedom, indeed no right to life.

Those who are denied the right to life are the unborn, the most innocent and most vulnerable of God’s people. A mother can murder her baby legally, just as the slave owner could murder his slave legally.

Ending slavery meant that thousands of uneducated men and women with no experience at making the simplest of decisions were suddenly responsible for themselves and their families. The whole structure of society had to change, and that process has taken more than a century.

Ending abortion is much simpler. Pregnant women simply carry their babies to term rather than discard them like garbage. The mother may find that a temporary hardship, but killing the baby results in permanent death. If the mother is not able or willing to raise the child, the baby can be adopted by a loving family. Because of the huge number of abortions each year, it will probably take time to have enough adoptive parents for all the new babies. However, today many families are unable to adopt a baby as they would love to do because there simply aren’t enough babies. Finding loving homes for babies will be much easier than changing the whole structure of society after the elimination of slavery.

I can see why Uncle Tom’s Cabin awoke the conscience of the country regarding slavery. Thanks be to God for the advocacy of abolitionists who believed that every human being is made in the image of God and deserves life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I’m praying that the advocacy of Christians who believe in the sanctity of all human life will bring about an end to abortion.





View all my reviews

Related Posts:Slavery and Abortion: Moral RelativesUncle Big BudA Thirty-Six Year TragedyMartin Luther King, Jr and Uncle Big BudNational Human Trafficking Awareness DayPowered by Contextual Related PostsReview: Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first posted on July 2, 2012 at 12:42 am.
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Read More to Become a Better Writer

Last week I posted Copyblogger’s advice on how to become a better writer. That advice all involved actually writing—no matter what else you do, you will never become a good writer if you don’t write.

There is something else that will improve your writing, and that is reading. Often aspiring writers think that means they should read books and articles about writing. Reading about writing can, indeed, be extremely valuable, but that’s not the only kind of reading I recommend. Read the newspaper and magazines. Read books, both fiction and nonfiction. Read in the genre you write and read in totally unrelated genres.

What keeps you reading after you’ve promised yourself you’ll go to the bed at the end of the chapter? What pulls you out of the story and brings you back to the real world? As you think about what you like and don’t like in what you read, you will start to improve your own writing. You will do more of the things that work and less of the things that don’t.

By reading in your own genre, you’ll stay current on the conventions and expectations. By reading in other genres, you’ll get ideas for adding new twists to your own writing.

I have heard aspiring writers say they don’t have time to read because they’re too busy writing. Of course, you have to maintain a balance, but if you don’t love to read, how can you expect other people to love to read your work.

So far this year, I have read and rated  more than 100 books (including short stories) on Goodreads. If you look at the list, you will see subjects ranging from light romance to Bible study to biography to culture and politics.What do you like to read? Do you post reviews or ratings of what you read? I’d love to see what a variety of reading interests there is among readers.

photo credit: theurchiness

Related Posts:My Reviews at GoodreadsDo You Plan to Read the Bible in 2012?Happy New Year 2012!Overcoming Writer’s BlockNational Bible Week 2010Powered by Contextual Related PostsRead More to Become a Better Writer was first posted on June 29, 2012 at 12:15 am.
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Book Storage: Guest Post from Matt Schexnayder

How to Properly Store your Books

Who doesn’t love a good book, especially during this time of the year. Sitting by the pool on a sunny day sounds like the perfect setting for a good book read. For most of the hardcore readers out there, their collection is huge, and continues to grow every day.

While most of you heavy readers have probably made the switch to e-readers or tablets by now, I am betting that a good percentage of you still have many of your most cherished books in print form. If you have hung on to them this long, they must be important to you. And if they are important, the last thing you want is to see them ruined while they are stored away somewhere. But how do you ensure the safety of these books, and where will you find a place to keep all of them?

Finding space to keep all your novels can be quite difficult. If you have more books than shelf space, storing them may be a good option for you, but where? It may surprise you to know that self-storage units are actually the perfect solution to this problem. Storage facilities provide a safe and secure location to keep among other things, your massive book collection.

Historically, when people think of renting self-storage, they think that units are only used for hoarders that have too much stuff and just need a place to dump it. While there may be some truth to that, there are actually a wide range of uses for storage that most people fail to consider.

You have to be careful when you are storing your books is storage though. It takes more than just renting a unit and throwing a bag full of books in your unit. With these few simple steps you can learn to store your books properly.

Make sure your books are clean. Wipe the covers with a soft cloth and check for anything that might be between the pages. Things like food, pressed flowers, bugs, or even bookmarks can easily damage the pages.
Stay away from moisture/humidity. A key thing to remember with book storage is that moisture is your enemy. Nothing damages a book faster than exposure to water, but there are several ways to protect your books. To start, consider climate controlled college storage. Next, store your books in plastic bins or tubs, never on the ground. This reduces the risk of flood damage, as well as possible moisture from the floor of the storage unit.
Keep it organized. It’s easier to store books that are uniform in shape and size, so organize your books accordingly. Do not pack so many in one box or container that you can’t lift it.
Finally, don’t forget to label each box. That way, you know exactly what books are where.

With these tips it should be easy to keep those books in excellent condition this spring season.

About the Author

This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage that offers consumers a complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry.

Related Posts:POD: Part 2 – Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing with PODBlog Action Day: Publishing and the EnvironmentSigned by the AuthorE-Books, Part 3: Books from Electronic or Traditional PublishersBuilding Long-Term Client Relationships – Part 5: Example – The Relationship ContinuesPowered by Contextual Related PostsBook Storage: Guest Post from Matt Schexnayder was first posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:17 am.
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Ten Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Excellent advice from Brian Clark. Thank you, Copyblogger!

I have heard that an individual needs to write a million words before they are a really good writer. I’m sure that number varies for different people—some may have more natural talent and can achieve greatness with less practice and others may need to write more. But regardless of whether it’s a million, half a million, two million, or some other number of words, it takes a lot of writing to become a good writer!

Just for fun, I estimated how many words I’ve written.

Published works (total of 314,000 words) include the following:

Look Beyond Tomorrow , nonfiction, 25,000 words.
How to Get Started in Network Marketing, nonfiction, 9,000 words.
Six short how-to ebooks for Your Information Center, average length 7,000 = 42,000.(Three of these ebooks are available from Smashwords.)
Stroke of Luck , contemporary romance, 73,000 words.
Trapped by Love , romance novelette, 7,000 words.
Dream or Destiny , romantic mystery, 86,000 words.
Self-Publishing Primer , 10,000 words.
Editing Primer , 5,000 words
Creating Fictional Characters , 9,000 words
Fern’s Fancies , contemporary romance, 48,000 words.

Other writing I have done includes the following (total of 165,000 words):

Research and other papers in high school and college, estimated 40,000 words.
Employee manual, policy and procedures manuals, and training program for my interior landscape business, estimated 50,000 words.
Articles for interior landscape industry journals, estimated 5,000 words.
Articles for newsletters, estimated 20,000 words.
Manuals, brochures, and other materials for clients, estimated 25,000 words.
Unfinished manuscripts/works-in-progress, 25,000 words.

So outside of blogging, I’ve written nearly half a million words—only halfway to becoming a great writer. Since my blog posts vary in length and some are videos, guest posts, or thanks to commenters, it’s hard to estimate the total number of words I’ve blogged. However, I think it’s reasonable to guess that I’ve written close to 1000 of the 1223 posts on this blog and that the average length is 500 words. That’s 500,000 words, which added to the other things I’ve written puts me close to a million words. So I should be a great writer by now!

Okay, I did say above that the number of words required to achieve greatness varies. So I may need to write two million words or three million … I’m continuing to write!

How many words have you written?

Related Posts:Did You Get an E-Reader for Christmas?BooksA Milestone: 1,000,000+ …20,000 Comments!Smashwords July Summer/Winter SalesPowered by Contextual Related PostsTen Steps to Becoming a Better Writer was first posted on June 22, 2012 at 12:08 am.
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Thanks to May 2012 Commenters

Thank you to the 59 commenters who left 86 comments in May. Your comments extended the conversation and added value and interest, and I enjoyed replying to every one of them.

Every month when I post thanks to commenters, I get questions about how I compile this list. I have explained my system in detail in Compiling Thanks to Commenters.

Top Contributors (10 Comments)


Azam
Fashions Trend


Jane
Recover Deleted Files


Major Contributors (4-5 Comments)


Dawn Colclasure
Dawn Colclasure’s Blog


Maja
Alls Fashion


Outstanding Contributors (2-3 Comments)


Chie
People Per Hour


Dominique
4Walls and a View


Doris Plaster
Hold My Hand-A Social Worker’s Blog


Heather
Jogging Strollers Parental Review


Racho Alberto Jr L
Virtual Assistant Talent


Significant Contributors


Adam
OK Pneus Mede


Alan
Hip Hop Knights


Alan Gray
News Blaze


ana
Apartmente Vanzare


Ashley
n/a


billie
BarriBryan.com


Carolyn Howard-Johnson
How to Do It Frugally


Chris
Maryland Drug Rehab


Christopher Roberts
Christopher Roberts


Ciprian
Doarvacante


Dan C. Rinnert
Dan’s Lame Blog


Danai
People Per Hour


David Abramson
New Pathways


Dennis
Click Architect


Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
Diana’s Blog – Home in My Heart


Don
How to Improve Writing


Ejaz Alam
Life Quotes City


Elly
True Value Hardware


Frederick
Jewelry Article


Gracie
Scie double lame


Jack Bonlko
Natural Path Medical


jade
Chambre Fille


Jan McClintock
n/a


Jeff
Jail Break and Unlock iPhone


Jeff
Web Content University


Jeremy
Holyrood Hotel


Johnny
Everist Genomics


johny
Anything Everything Here


Jordan Xiong
hunnt.com


Kim
Raquette de Tennis


Khudadad Alam
Khudadad Alam


lauren
Vintage Rail Posters


Mark
ProPower Rooter


Matt Keegan
Word Journey


Matt Lowe
Lowe Productions


Mikael
Hus Plus Have


Oliver
NetQuake


Peejay
Entrelink Solutions


Peter
Hastings and Hastings


Sam
Pushkar Tour


Samantha Kelly
Juno Lucina


Sarah
Huîtres chaudes


Sean
Management Training Specialists


Steve
Herc’s Nutrition


Thomas
Max Blinds


Zvi
nyc blinds



Related Posts:New Voices Contest for Young WritersHappy 101 AwardThanks to April 2012 CommentersThe Premio Dardos AwardThanks to March 2012 CommentersPowered by Contextual Related PostsThanks to May 2012 Commenters was first posted on June 19, 2012 at 12:22 am.
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Father’s Day 2012

Happy Father’s Day!

May each reader enjoy a special day:

If you’re a father, may you be honored and pampered by your children.
If you have a father, may you enjoy special time honoring and pampering him.
If your father is no longer with you, may you recall special memories of your times together.
If you know a father without a family, may you stand in the stead of children for him and make his day meaningful.
If you are estranged from your family, may this be the day you forgive each other and start a new loving relationship.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ~ Exodus 20:12 (ESV)

ALMIGHTY God, we give you thanks for fathers who love and care for us and entrust our fathers who are so dear to us to thy never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come; knowing that thou art doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

photo credit: dadblunders

Related Posts:Mother’s Day 2012Happy Mother’s DayHappy Valentine’s Day 2012Devotion for Christmas EveThanksgiving 2011Powered by Contextual Related PostsFather’s Day 2012 was first posted on June 17, 2012 at 12:16 am.
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Flag Day and Honor America Days 2012

Today is Flag Day and the beginning of Honor America Days.

Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

Americans are encouraged to fly the flag during the entire week, which is National Flag Week.

36 USC § 112 describes Honor America Days:

(a) Designation.— The 21 days from Flag Day through Independence Day is a period to honor America.

(b) Congressional Declaration.— Congress declares that there be public gatherings and activities during that period at which the people of the United States can celebrate and honor their country in an appropriate way.

Let us honor our flag today and this week and honor our country for the next three weeks until we celebrate Independence Day.

photo credit: moonlightbulb

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Update

I am recovering well from surgery and expect to be back to normal activities next week. Thanks for the kind wishes and comments.

I have been very well cared for. My sister stayed with me several nights to help, and my home helper has come in every day to make sure Jack and I and Kitty had food and medicine and anything else we needed. My associate, Jan McClintock, took care of email, comment moderation, and clients. Friends brought food, called me, sent cards, and generally made me feel like a pampered lady of leisure.

O GOD, who art the giver of life, of health, and of safety; We bless thy Name, that thou hast been pleased to begin to deliver from her bodily sickness this thy servant, who now desireth to return thanks unto thee. Gracious art thou, O Lord, and full of compassion to the children of men. We thank thee for the compassion and help of friends and family as well as the healing skills of the medical staff. May her heart be duly impressed with a sense of thy merciful goodness, and may she devote the residue of her days to an humble, holy, and obedient walking before thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ Adapted from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer

Related Posts:Prayers for Tucson, AZ VictimsPrayers for Fort HoodI Shall Return SoonWishing You a Blessed ThanksgivingGiving ThanksPowered by Contextual Related PostsUpdate was first posted on June 13, 2012 at 1:02 am.
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Six Years Old Today …

Six years ago today, I said “Hello” to the blogosphere. Six years, 1,200+ posts, and 22,000+ comments later, I love blogging more than ever.

In previous birthday (or is it anniversary or blogiversary?) posts, I’ve shared what I’ve learned and how my blog has evolved.

A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye is one year old today
Two Years Old Already?
Happy 3rd Birthday
4 Years and 800 Posts
Happy Belated Blog Birthday!

I look forward to another six+ years and hope you stick with me as a reader and commenter!

photo credit: 3liz4

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