Rochelle Campbell's Blog: The NoteBook Blogairy, page 16

Too Early for Shark Tank

Jumped on Twitter after doing a small load of laundry and having a great breakfast of Bisquick’s Gluten Free pancakes with sweet apple sausage.  I am attempting to interact every day even if it’s only for 15 – 20 minutes at a time.  We’re all busy and I know that you know that.

While reviewing my notifications I noticed a tweet from @jamesoliverjr and long story short we had a few things in common.

1) Shark Tank

2) Both of us lived in Brooklyn

3) Both of us went to the same HS

This is why I love Twitter!  It makes our great big world so small.  But the real reason I’m writing this post is because of his post about how he did not get to pitch the Sharks for the final round to get on the show.  You can read his post here.  While you would expect a rant session in his post you won’t find one.  James has a balanced viewpoint and he is still very enthused and confident in the success of his company WeMontage.  His company creates montages out of your photos utilizing photo wall paper, stickers, decals, etc.  You can then transform any room, or space, with your own personalized photos.

I read his post with an understanding smile on my face.  In the days before Shark Tank, I had a business that was I so passionate about I did not sleep.  I worked several 24 hour days to fulfill orders.  I raised funds from friends, raided my 401k — I did the grind as well.  My business was a vegan bakery.  At the height of my business, I supplied 13 restaurants/diners with my baked products in the mecca of vegan eateries that was (and still is) New York’s City’s the Village.

Restauranteurs told me customers came from Connecticut to get my baked goods on a weekly basis.  But I was baking from my home.  I became partners with a couple and we went into a lease for a space in a location that could have been pretty good — by the entrance of the Long Island Railroad on a busy street in Brooklyn.

However, for reasons too numerous to recount here, the business did not fly.  I was able to release myself from the lease without penalty and walked away from my business and my customers.  So, I know a thing, or two, about disappointment.  While I highly doubt the Sharks would have been interested in my business due to the relatively low revenues generated.  I know Mr. Wonderful would have asked me if I would want a royalty deal.  Barbara may have asked me if I would be willing to license my recipes to a large manufacturer.  Mark would have been out along with the other Sharks who would have cited scalability issues.

But Barbara might have done the deal.  I grew something out of nothing in a niche market that was then just beginning.  I was at the forefront of the vegan baked goods upward trend (maybe a couple of years prior to the big hit).  This was in the late 90’s.

I’ve been an entrepreneur at heart for a long time.  I respect people like James Oliver, Jr. and his incessant grind towards making his business dream a reality.  To that end, please share your business’ website/links in the comments below to let us know what you’re grinding towards this year.

I wish James and all of the other Shark-preneurs out there a very profitable 2015.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

7 Awesome Blogs to Follow in 2015

With the New Year’s resolution-making upon us all, I decided to figure out what 7 blogs I would like to really follow and read regularly.  Here’s what I came up with…

1. The Minimalists – http://www.theminimalists.com/

A great site run by two guys who eschew the tons of materialistic physical things we tend to pick up and hold on to.  They share their views on how to live within their means and lead more fulfilling lives.

2. The BillFold – http://thebillfold.com/

All things related to money that you were to polite to ask about.

3. Attack of the Cute – http://attackofthecute.com/

If you love little cute furry animals dressed in fluffy costumes you’re going to love this site!

4. Janet Reid, Literary Agent – http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

Want to know what a working conscientious literary agent thinks about publishing today?  Your manuscript?  Your query letters?  Check out Janet’s website.

5. Terrible Minds: Chuck Wendig – http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/

A great talented and funny prolific writer that shares his thoughts on writing and the publishing industry.

6. Young & Gluten-Free – http://youngandglutenfree.com/

I have been looking into a gluten-free diet as it agrees with my system very well.  To that end, I have found this wonderful site filled with yummy looking entrees, appetizers, salads and desserts!  Hope you enjoy the recipes as much as I am going to!

7. Liphar Literary Magazine – http://liphar.com/issue3/index.php

This relatively new literary magazine features writers from around the world, photographs, poems and thought-provoking essays.  Download their current issue today!  I found them shortly after the launch of issue #1 and was pleasantly surprised when they accepted one of my stories for publication.  You can read it here, “How Charlie Saved My Life.”

#Giveaway: Seed: Keepers of Genesis Book 1, (Keepers of Genesis Series) by DB Nielsen

Seed: Keepers of Genesis I


Keepers of Genesis Series
Volume I
DB Nielsen

Genre: YA PNR/ Urban Fantasy

Publisher: LBLA Digital

Cover Artist: XLintellect PTY LTD





Book Description:

A powerful, hidden artefact is unearthed and, with its discovery, an ancient conflict is reignited. Seventeen-year-old Sage Woods, the daughter of an eminent archaeologist, uncovers the artefact’s disturbing secret and is placed in terrible danger.

Unwittingly, she has stumbled into an invisible war between two primordial dynasties of a supernatural order – a war in which she has a fateful role to play in a race to control the power of the SEED.

Embroiled in a quest that takes her from the British Museum to the Louvre to the Vatican Secret Archives, Sage realises that her blossoming romance with the mysterious, alluring St. John Rivers is inextricably tied to the artefact.

Up until now, St. John has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Sage is determined to delve deeper to uncover his dark secret and his connection to the SEED.

It is a decision that will have a devastating effect on humankind…

Available at Amazon






One thrilling quest, twin sisters and their sweeping and adventurous romances, a perilous rivalry, intriguing exploration of some of Western culture’s greatest mysteries, a magical tale of angels and demons throughout the ages. Incorporating historical facts intertwined with myth, fantasy, fascinating esoterica and love story, SEED is a captivating read which marks the arrival of a wonderful new voice in YA and crossover escapist literature.




Excerpt:

I had no idea where to begin in my quest, so I decided to simply follow the path of least resistance, working my way around the exhibition. It was like a jigsaw puzzle; reconstructing pieces of the past and trying to find the bigger picture. I didn’t really know what I was looking for, I only hoped that there would be something, some tablet or bas relief, that would be able to shed some light on the artefact and, more importantly, on what I’d seen. I would have sworn that I saw it transform before my eyes in Dad’s office but I didn’t know whether I should doubt myself now. I’d only seen the artefact for a few moments and yet it had felt like it was speaking to me, imparting some ancient knowledge. Of course, I didn’t understand any of it, but I hoped to.
Because I was in a reverie, I almost missed the piece altogether. It was a tablet not much more than ten centimetres in length, containing a cuneiform inscription and a unique map of the Mesopotamian world. The symbols on the tablet were an exact copy of some of the symbols I’d seen on the artefact though a little more crudely formed.

The cuneiform inscription composed the top section of the tablet whilst, underneath it, was a diagram featuring two concentric circles. The outer circle was surrounded by triangles at what seemed to be random distances. The inner circle held more geometric symbols and cuneiforms. A rectangle in the top half of the inner circle in the centre of the tablet represented Babylon. Assyria, Elam and other cities were also depicted. The tablet and its inscription were by no means complete as it had been reassembled from the broken pieces found by archaeologists. Information was obviously missing but I was elated at finding anything that could tell me more about the artefact.

It was because I was so transfixed with my find that I initially failed to notice that I was being scrutinized from across the room. The first I became aware of it was a prickling sensation down my back, the hairs on my neck and arms raised giving me goose bumps. I turned my head round nervously, looking back over my shoulder.

He stood at a distance, a young man in his mid-twenties perhaps, taller than average. No mere accident of lighting, his slightly curly locks, the colour of polished brass, formed a halo around a face that was much too beautiful to be called handsome. The only way to describe him was golden. His skin was golden, his hair, which he wore slightly longer than was fashionable, curling into the nape of his neck, was golden and I suspected his eye colour was, if not golden, amber like mine.

When I caught him staring at me intently, he neither looked away in embarrassment nor did he pretend to know me. Instead, he continued to assess me with an unblinking, hypnotic gaze. It was I who broke contact first; flushing with embarrassment, I dropped my eyes at once.

This can’t be happening! I thought, feeling panicky. Dragging in a deep breath, my eyes skittered back to his. He was still staring at me, his indescribably beautiful face unmoved.

My heart fluttered in my chest. I didn’t know what to think – was this some random stalker or had he seen me before around the museum and couldn’t place my face, seeming familiar to him? No serial killer looked the way he did. He was dressed immaculately all in black; a pair of black trousers was topped by a fine woollen black turtleneck. He wore the sleeves rolled up, exposing his sun-kissed skin. And the black only accentuated the perfection of his face. Of course, I had no idea what a serial killer looked like, but I was fairly certain it wasn’t this golden god.

As curious as I was, I did the only thing that made sense; I ignored him – or pretended to. Deliberately turning my back on him, I tried to refocus on the tablet in front of me. But I was merely staring blankly, nothing was registering. It was all so unreal.
‘It’s not real.’ A low, attractive voice remarked by my side.

I almost jumped out of my skin, whirling to face the owner of that voice.

‘Sorry if I startled you.’ He smiled, apologetically. ‘I saw you looking at the map of ancient Mesopotamia.’ He nodded in the direction of the display case.

I blinked. He was even more stunningly golden up close. He belonged in a museum – he had the kind of face and figure that artists used as a model. Statues should have been made of this man, posing as Apollo, Phaenon or David. I almost envied him his looks; such beauty on a guy wasn’t fair.

I had been wrong about the eyes though; they were an impossible jade green flecked with gold and framed by the longest eyelashes on any guy I’d seen. He was also taller than I imagined; a good few inches above six feet. All in all, he was quite a package and way out of my league.

I somehow regained my scattered wits to stutter, ‘S-s-sorry?’

Great! Now he was going to think I was an idiot! An idiot with a stutter!

I almost groaned aloud.

Link to Giveawy: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba112ffc871/

About the Author:

db nielsen was born in British Hong Kong and immigrated to Australia in childhood. db likes to travel the world with family; dividing time between residing in Sydney and visits to the cathedrals, crypts and museums the world over, doing research for new projects. The author is a university lecturer in Linguistics and Semiotics, and continues to teach English Literature and Language whilst writing fiction.

Goodreads: http://goo.gl/tfpbLH

Twitter: https://twitter.com/db_nielsen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/db.nielsen.author

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/115744644823758983175/+Dbnielsen

Website: https://www.dbnielsen.com/

Reviews:  https://www.dbnielsen.com/index.php/reviews

Still on the road to diagnosis…maybe

My last post dealt with my journey thus far in figuring out if I have celiac disease.  A short recap if you did not read my previous post, or follow my blog — since 2012, I have added and then removed gluten (and gluten containing products/foods) from my diet.  In my self-testing, I found my health DRASTICALLY improved.  I was unable to smell and after being gluten free for 4 months I was able to maintain my sense of smell without medication!  Then, I had myself tested for the genetic marker for celiac and I am positive for it.  The last step for official medical diagnosis is to have an upper endoscopy done and if the villa are flattened I have celiac disease…officially.

Here’s the rub.  I’ve been gluten-free for 19 months.  I feel well!  Alive.  Creative.  Vital.  However, I would have to purposefully eat gluten for a whole month before having the upper endoscopy done.  This is called the gluten challenge.  While I was not happy about it, I decided to go through with it as I wanted to ‘prove’ I had celiac disease.

The month came and went with bad tummy aches, digestive issues, a rash on the backs of my hands and general malaise.  However, nowhere near as bad as when I was in the throes of my gluten eating days (ahh, the bliss of ignorance!).

I even eat a bagel with cream cheese a couple of days prior to my test.

The result?  Mixed.

Part of my gut shows absolutely nothing wrong; it’s healthy and normal villa.  The other part (in the duodenum) shows flattened villa — an active case of duodenal irritation.  This is one of the ways in which celiac disease appears, as chronic duodenal irritation.

In my case, since some of the biopsied areas were normal the result is I do not have celiac disease.  Fun.  So, me removing gluten from my diet and enjoying a complete reversal of a decades long issue mean nothing?  The fact that I carry the genetic marker for celiac also means nothing?  Well, okay.

Here’s one more factoid.  I also happen to be Caribbean-American (read Black).  The incidence of celiac disease in the African-American (Black) community is quite small; infinitessmial really.  So, generally, Blacks are not tested for celiac disease.  It’s not even brought to the table as a possibility.

Let’s back up a bit.  My GI doctor ordered very specific blood tests in the early stages of working with me.  In essence, through a process of elimination my GI doctor tried to rule out celiac disease through this series of blood tests.  He tested my nutrient levels, blood levels and everything in between.

My blood count levels, specifically my white and red blood cell counts, were not as expected.  He ordered a Thalassemia test (aka Mediterranean anemia).  The lab sent back a diabetes test.  A bit annoyed, my GI doctor took more blood and requested the Thalassemia test again.  Do you know what?  The lab sent back another diabetes test.

Given what I’ve told you already I’m sure you can see what conclusion the lab decided upon.

Since this happened prior to my upper endoscopy exam, it make me wonder if the same factors were in play where the assumption is that I shouldn’t/couldn’t have these illnesses due to my ethnicity.

This leaves me in a pickle as to what to do moving forward.  Do I drop the whole thing?  Let the medical establishment tell me I can’t have celiac disease and just follow the gluten free diet and reap the benefits of good health on my own?  Or, do I push and get diagnosed properly and go on to help other people who look like me?

My reasoning is simple, if I am diagnosed with celiac disease then others who look like me may have more access to getting tested due to increased awareness.  I say this because I will blog about it and be an advocate of people of color being tested if they have the symptoms of celiac disease.  The color of one’s skin should not determine what illnesses we are tested for; that thinking is archaic.

I’ll keep you posted on the fun goings-on with my gluten-free journey.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

 

On the road to diagnosis…still

There’s a place that I know I should start but I cannot seem to place just where that is.  I might as well start with here today.

I’m eating gluten again.  Not because I ‘want’ to but because I have recently learned that just because I tested positive for the genetic markers for Celiac Disease that, in and of itself, does not confirm one has Celiac Disease.  It seems I was supposed to do an upper endoscopy to check the villa in my small intestines prior to going gluten-free.  If my villa are flattened coupled with the positive genetic marker blood test THEN I will have an ‘official’ diagnosis of Celiac Disease.

But let’s back up even more.  How about NO medical doctor even breathed a word about Celiac Disease to me?  I have experienced IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), a distended abdomen, anemia, digestive issues, malnutrition, and general malaise for years.  The major issue I experienced over the last 10 years was extreme nasal congestion and nasal polyps that grew like weeds (sorry for that image!).  But the doctors could not tell me what my body was reacting to; all they could do was tell me what my options were for minimizing my discomfort (surgery to remove the polyps, nasal steroids, experimental drugs with unusual usage methods that cost a small fortune, etc.).

How did I figure out that gluten is an issue for me?  You’re going to love this.  I went to a holistic practitioner who wanted me to detox my body by removing ALL processed foods.  For 21 days I ate foods that came directly from the earth via the ground, from plants, vines, or trees.  This was supplemented with herbs meant to cleanse various organs and I used copious amounts of raw organic honey for its healing (and medicinal) properties.  In those two weeks, the excretions from my nose went from multi-hued to clear but it did not stop.  After a little more than a month, my ENT doctor and I decided to do a run of antibiotics and oral steroids.  This cleared up the sinus infection and completely STOPPED the nasal discharge within a few days.  Why?  Because my body was ‘clean’ now.  The cause seemed to have been found — the cause of my issue was clearly something that I was ingesting.  But, I had removed so much what one thing could it be?

So, I did the work of trying a food and paying attention to my reaction over a few days.  After a few weeks, it became clear that bread, pasta, and other wheat products created a reaction in my nose within 2 hours and within 3 days my sense of smell diminished.  If I continued to ingest gluten (in any form intentional, or unwittingly), within 10 days at the most, I would lose my sense of smell completely and the multi-hued nasal discharges would begin.

I did that original detox in the Spring of 2012.  I decided to fully go gluten-free at the end of June 2013 when I tested, re-tested and knew that gluten was the culprit.  It is now the Fall of 2014.  It has been 17-months since I have committed myself to a gluten-free diet.  I enjoyed waking up with energy, verve and a passion for life.  Gone were the the headaches, the vague phantom aches and twitches that plagued me.  I enjoyed being able to smell without the aid of medications.  Okay, back to today.

I began eating gluten again the evening of November 17th.  I thought I would enjoy Thanksgiving being able to eat all the stuffing, cakes, pies, and gravies.  I did not touch any gravy.  I tried only two desserts — and small pieces.  I stuck to the proteins (turkey, a bit of baked chicken and a slice of ham).  I ate roasted sweet potatoes with a cilantro pistachio pesto and some potato salad.  I was terrified of gluten loading and not being able to breathe correctly the morning after.  But I couldn’t resist the cornbread stuffing!  I ate so much salad to help my body!  I took papaya pills to help my digestion and made sure that I took my Singulair shortly before Thanksgiving dinner.  Totally not the feast day I anticipated.

I eat some gluten every day so that my body can do what it does.  Then, when I go for the endoscopy my doctor will see if my villa is flat, or not.  I have to eat gluten for 3 – 4 weeks and I still have a couple of weeks left.  My sense of smell is wonky.  I’ve gone through two boxes of tissues in the last 5 days and my digestive issues are back.

Don’t you love the progress of modern medical technology?

Before we go, here is a recent video of Dr. David A. Johnson.  He discusses the new guidelines for diagnosis and management of Celiac Disease.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

‘Tis the Season to Decorate with The Christmas Boutique!

From my earliest remembrances Christmas was the one holiday that I loved and treasured.  My grandmother was an awesome cook and made meals that my family still remembers to this day.  (Her Easter buns were legendary!)  Grandma loved the holidays too.  We began pulling out decorations in mid-November and cleaning them off and deciding what would go where.  Then, the day after Thanksgiving (now Black Friday) we would spend the day decorating the inside and outside of her beautiful house including the front yard.

Every window had lights, tinsel and “snow”.  Each doorway had fresh pine and pine cones.  There were holiday ornaments from years gone past as well as new ‘modern’ decorative elements that dotted the walls, the credenza, the china cabinet, the side table in the dining room.  And forget the dining room table!  It had a brand new (or, newly designed) holiday centerpiece each and every year.

While I can never hope to rival my Grandmother’s prowess with the copious holiday decorations I have begun to look around for different and unusual decorations that exemplify the holiday season for me and my family.  To that end, I came across The Christmas Boutique a lovely little gem of an online store based in the UK.

If you are seeking a more rustic and authentic look for your home for the holidays you can’t do better than The Christmas Boutique!  From holiday-colored stag heads to decorate your walls, Gingerbread hanging ornaments, an Advent Calendar complete with good-sized pockets for sweet holiday gifts and treats for each day, to eclectic cupcake tree decorations for a touch of holiday whimsy The Christmas Boutique has it all!

I used the Gingerbread Christmas decorations for this sweet holiday mural for my wall between our bedrooms. I also used the Gold Multi-Layered Wooden tree decorations (the star & the tree ornaments). Finally, at the top is the Green Frosted Berry Heart Christmas Decoration.

 

 

For a very rustic look, I tacked up the large Father Christmas Hessian Sack Jute Draw String Gift Bag. I love his kindly face and the peacefulness in his countenance!

 

 

On the other side from the Father Christmas gift sack, I have the above Felt Advent Calendar hanging. My 15-month old daughter loves playing hide-n-seek/peek-a-book with it! Not exactly the right purpose but hey — she’s happy!  There are other Advent Calendars too that are more whimsical such as the Santa one!

I’m also looking at picking up the following items for additional holiday touches in my home…

Bavaria Bear Draught Excluder

Two-Tier White Christmas Display Stand

Gold Glitter Hanging Decoration

Snowman on Swing Decorations

Large Felt Christmas Gift Bag Sacks

Hanging Glitter Star Decorations (set of 3)

And then, of course there’s the tree itself that I have to decide upon.  Will I get a fresh one again this year?  Or, should I buy a big gorgeous permanent fir tree?  But I LOVE the smell of fresh pine in my home for the holidays! (And don’t you hate the fake smell of the pine spray they sell during the holidays?!?!@!)  I suppose there are candles that can use for the pine smell.

As a total aside, Bath and Body Works has a delicious candle that smells like fresh baked holiday cookies!  The candle is by White Barn and it’s called Butterscotch Toffee plus there are tons of other scrumptious scents for the holidays.  I’ve been burning the Butterscotch Toffee one for the last two weeks! LOL.

Either way, do yourself a favor and check out The Christmas Boutique!  There are tons of great items to make this the best most personalized Christmas holiday ever.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

10 Random Things About PIG PARK by Claudia Martinez

Hi Folks!

Today we have Claudia Guadalupe Martinez visiting with us today.  She recently published her second book entitled “Pig Park.”  And this is a doozie of a coming of age story.  When I read the synopsis (below), I knew I wanted to host Claudia and find out some more fun things about this hilarious novel.

Synopsis:

It’s crazy! Fifteen-year-old Masi Burciaga’s neighborhood is becoming more and more of a ghost town since the lard company moved away. Her school closed down. Her family’s bakery and the other surviving businesses may soon follow. As a last resort, the neighborhood grown-ups enlist all the remaining able-bodied boys and girls to haul bricks to help build a giant pyramid in the park in hopes of luring visitors. Maybe their neighbors will come back too. But something’s not right about the entrepreneur behind it all. Then there’s the new boy who came to help, the one with the softest of lips.

Makes you very curious doesn’t it?  So, based on this I wanted to find out more about this book before diving into it.  So here are some cool random things about Claudia’s “Pig Park”.

 

10 Random Things About Pig Park

 

1.       I first set out to write a play about a mom and pop bakery fighting for survival, needless to say it went a different direction.

2.       The protagonist’s name was Tomasina until–much like an old fashioned skirt–I shortened it.

3.       Pig Park’s working title was MasaAmerica–a play on the Spanish word for dough (masa) and Meso-America.

4.       I imagined the delicious marranitos (ginger pigs) from Bowie Bakery in my hometown of  El Paso every time I sat and wrote about the  marranitos at Burciaga’s.

5.       The marranito on the book’s cover is not from Bowie Bakery, rather from Gussie’s across town.

6.       Skinny pigs, sugar-free ginger pigs, are a made up delicacy

7.       There was no pyramid in the initial draft of the novel.

8.       The pyramid was inspired by a man who walked into the community organization I worked at looking for sponsors to build exactly that.

9.       The real life pyramid was going to be a wood frame topped by thousands of candles.

10.    Although I might not want to admit this, I’m most like the mom character in the novel.   (Yep, I’m a totally a mom.)

 

 

 

 

 

Claudia is the author of The Smell of Old Lady Perfume (Cinco Puntos, 2008) and Pig Park (Cinco Puntos, 2014). She grew up in sunny El Paso, Texas where she learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns with her father. She now lives and writes in Chicago.

Author Links

Website: http://www.claudiaguadalupemartinez.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Claudia-Guadalupe-Martinez/107095645999600

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maquilagorilla

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1010472.Claudia_Guadalupe_Martinez

Book Thoughts: Gotta Find A Home: Conversations with Street People by Dennis Cardiff

Gotta Find A Home: Conversations with Street People by Dennis Cardiff is one of those books that you pick up on a lark. I picked it up because the second part of the title intrigued me. Conversations with street people? What the heck?!

So, I added this book to my to-be-read bookshelf and went on my merry way. Why did my mind keep wandering back to the question that Cardiff’s title implies? What kind of conversations are we talking about? Real conversations? Fictionalized conversations? More importantly, my brain had this question. What could street people have to say?

I’m not (too) ashamed to say that prior to reading this book I, among the masses, averted my eyes when passing a panhandler on the street. I assumed that they were there because they wanted to be there; they missed/lost opportunities and now had to fight and claw their way to get back to ‘normalcy’.

Gotta Find A Home did not disabuse me of this notions. For the most part, those beliefs of mine remain largely intact. The conversations that Cardiff shares with his readers are actual factual retellings of his many conversations with people he met on the streets who identified themselves as “Street People.”

According to Cardiff, Street People are people who panhandle for a living and have done it for a long time (like a decade or more). But I digress.

Gotta Find A Home is a book that pulls no punches. It is a straight forward daily account of the day-to-day lives of this close-knit group of panhandlers in Toronto. There is no plot. There is no structure other than the loose timeline of these conversations. There is no true end. This book is a fly-on-the-wall view of what life is like for various members of this group of people who in one week have more crises than the UN, the Pentagon and the Middle East put together. Members of this group have fatal illnesses, severe health issues, psychological issues, financial woes, and of course, issues with finding stable clean housing.

Add on top of these major issues the normal squabbling among a large group of close-knit friends (which many times devolves into fist fights…) and you have what Cardiff calls a ‘soap opera’.

Gotta Find A Home: Conversations with Street People will leave you feeling haunted, questioning and, I believe, sympathetic. While many of the people in this book did not change one iota their stories and back-stories are compellingly sad. It makes one realize that with just a different decision (or two) any one of us could have chosen the path that some of the people in Cardiff’s book have chosen.

This is an excellent and very thoughtful read. I give it 5 stars for content.

Dennis Cardiff, Author

 

The Writer’s Bare Necessities

Remember good ‘ole Baloo from Disney’s “The Jungle Book”?  He taught Mowgli about the bare necessities of how to live and survive in the jungle.  Many of us live in the urban jungle and have our own home-grown survival skills pretty much in place.

However, I began thinking about that little horrible word that we writers like to pretend doesn’t exist – writer’s block.  Some of the causes of writer’s block can be stress, concern over where your story/characters are headed, plotting quandaries, or any number of writerly concerns.

But, writer’s block could also be caused by trepidation over non-writerly pursuits such as livelihood, career — or your credit report.  Yeah, your credit report which feeds into your ability to finance a car (which you’ll need to use to get to your contract signing with your agent/publisher), or a house, or get into that fab condo complex you’ve always wanted to be a part of.

So, maybe you’re not writing because your credit score is not where you want it to be (or, need it to be).  What now?  Fix it!

If you’re not signed up with Credit Karma (CK) do it yesterday!  This handy FREE website will help you to get the upper hand on your financial life.  Once you enroll, you will need to put your personal information in so that they can find your specific credit profile.  (No need for inputting your credit card information! This site does not charge at all.)

Once that’s done, you can update your credit score every two weeks.  They will even send you an email to let you know it’s time to log in and update your credit score.

Now comes the good part.  CK even breaks down your credit report to make it easier for you to get a handle on each aspect of your credit picture that impacts your credit score.  For example, there are six categories that factor into your score:

Credit Card Utilization

Very simply your total credit card balances need to be below 50% of your total credit limit, or else you will get dinged in this category and your score goes down.  It’s best if your total credit card balances is no more than 20% of your total credit limit.  Specifically, let’s say your total credit limit over 2 cards is $1,000 (keeping it simple folks!).  That means that for each of your two cards your balance should not be more than $100 on each card.  Yeah, so why bother having a credit card? That’s besides the point.  This is how your credit score is calculated.  To get the “A”ranking, your credit card utilization should be between 1 – 20%.
Payment History

This is also a very simple one — pay your credit cards and all items listed on your credit report early, at the very latest on the day it is due.  Some of your creditors may give you between 1 – 4 days of grace but this is not standard.  You must communicate with EACH of your creditors to know if this is the case and which ones will grant you a grace period.  The best practice is to assume there is no grace period and pay your bill a couple of days early to ensure that no computer glitches/foul-ups affect the date your payment posts.  (Yeah, you’re dinged if they make a mistake and post later than you paid.  It would then be your responsibility to follow-up with them and correct the error and have it removed from your credit report.)  If you miss a payment, it goes down on your credit report in the next billing cycle (usually 30/31 days later) and will remain on your credit report for up to 7 years.  Yes, one missed payment can stain your report and lower your score tremendously!  Needless to say, to get the “A” ranking you need to pay every single bill on time — 100% on time.
Derogatory Marks

This is the not so fun one.  This is the area that messes up a lot of people simply because you are not informed when derogatory/negative information is added to your credit report.  At least, not in an official manner.  Derogatory marks are items that you did not pay through collection agencies, doctor/hospital bills that then go to a lawyer’s office (read collection agency) for payment.  This category will also include defaulted student loans, or any outstanding debt that a creditor wants to report.  Of course, a bankruptcy goes in this section.  Negative information can remain on your credit report for up to 10 years.  The credit reporting agency can take it off after 7 years but don’t hold your breath.  The “A” ranking is for have ZERO derogatory marks.  [Please note: You will have a very difficult time getting a mortgage if you have derogatory marks.  If you do have any, you will pay through most of your bodily orifices to get that house loan.]
Age of Credit History

There’s not much you can do about this category.  The longer you’ve had credit the better your score.  Only time will help you in this category.  The “A “ranking is reserved for those accounts which you have held for 8 years, or longer.
Total Accounts

This category infuriates me.  Why?  To receive an “A” ranking in this category you must have at least 22 credit accounts during the history of your credit file.  So, here again, only time will help you on this factor.  But here’s the thing, if you wanted to try and get into the higher rankings for this factor you would have to open a number of accounts around the same time and then pay them on time each and every month for the life of that account (Yes, you can pay the minimum but you know the story with that!  That needs an entire post unto itself to discuss that!)
Credit Inquiries

This category details how many times a creditor has publicly reviewed (looked) at your credit report in order to see if they want to offer you credit.  This can be done at your request, or if there are third-party creditors out seeking business they can pull your credit without your consent.  Whether you have given consent, or not, your credit score goes down with EACH credit inquiry listed on your report.  Hard credit inquiries remain on your credit report for 2 years.  That begs the question as to what a soft credit inquiry is, right?  From my understanding, a soft credit inquiry is when an existing creditor checks your report on an existing line credit in order to decide if they want to give you an increase in credit limit.A soft inquiry can also be you requesting to look at your own credit report (when you ask one of the three reporting agencies for it.  This usually is something offered to you after you have been denied credit.  Funny.  That’s usually when you find out you have a problem!).  To get the “A” ranking in this category you must have ZERO credit inquiries.  For the “B” ranking the number of credit inquiries is 1 – 2.  [Now you see why category number 5 irritates me!  In order to increase the number of total accounts, you will incur credit inquiries therefore your score will decrease with each credit pull to (ha ha) increase your credit score.]

Okay, I’ll stop my ranting here.

However, can you see how concerns over your financial life can impact your daily word count?  With so many “hidden” factors in this one area of our financial life imagine if you have other concerns that you are ‘pushing to the side’ in order to write?  It would be no surprise to anyone if you are not wholly successful in getting that book done, or finish that anthology of short stories, or enter those writing contests you’ve been eyeing.

Now, if this is not your issue with your writing — COOL!  Write on!  If this is a part of your issue, even a miniscule part — begin taking care of it today.  Your writing muse will thank you.

Ta-ta for now,

NB

 

Secret Santa’s Indie Book Giveaway 2014!

You know the holidays are coming and everyone’s beginning the scramble to get ‘just-the-right-gift’ for every person on their numerous lists (work friends, friend friends, family, associates, the doorman, mailman, UPS/FedEx persons, the pool boy, etc.).  Isn’t it time you stop the rat race and find the perfect gift for yourself? 

I know that you know that we all know that you LOVE to read so why not join our Secret Santa Indie Book Giveaway and pluck out a great Indie book to read for the holidays?!

There are well over 2 dozen books that are up for grabs in this fab bookish Secret Santa Blitz!  (Including mine! Fury From Hell.)

How it works is we will pick a winner for each of the 30+ books that are part of this awesome giveaway and send them to you if you’re a winner!  We’re still adding books so the chances are great for you to walk away with a great new book to curl up by the fireside and read while sipping on hot apple cider.

The winners will be chosen on December 15th, 2o14 at midday (Pacific time).

For your chance to enter click on the link below for your chance to win! Tell your friends about it too!

A Very Secret Santa-ish Rafflecopter giveaway

 

In the meantime…

Ta-ta for now,

N.B.