Laina Turner's Blog, page 40

Who Doesn’t Love Fiction

Welcome and thanks for visiting my virtual home and that of all my book characters.

Are you stopping by to visit because you love reading fiction novels?

You’re in luck because I LOVE writing them. 

It’s like the BEST JOB EVER (well except for maybe a meteorologist since they can be wrong EVERY TIME and don’t get in trouble).

I get paid to make shit up. End of story (no pun intended). My daughter thinks I’m super lucky that I can stay home making up stories and she has to go to school. I try to tell her how important and fun school is but secretly I know she’s totally right. I am lucky.

If you’re ready to:

Learn about one (or all) of my cozy mystery stories.
Hear about what else I write about.
Find out how you can be part of the super fabulous street team and get input on my works in progress, early releases, and all kinds of fun swag

And more importantly….HAVE LOADS OF FUN and get a free book!!!!

Who doesn’t love a free book? Who doesn’t love a free anything??

Then click next.

The post Who Doesn’t Love Fiction appeared first on Laina Turner.

Traffic Jam Link up Weekend #35

Welcome to another week of this fantastic linky party. Come on in and see our features and link up some more of your old posts for new traffic.

WELCOME TO
TRAFFIC JAM WEEKEND
LINKY PARTY #35!

 

 

For any newcomers to Traffic Jam Weekend, this weekly linky party is all about linking up your old posts so you can get some new comments and traffic. To the frequent TJW visitors, thanks for always linking up.

 

The lovely ladies bringing this fabulous party to you:

 

Kimberly from Being A Wordsmith | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

Tanay from Life With Tanay | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Arnitris from Blessed Be The Tie | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Instagram

Laina from LainaTurner.com | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

 
These are the featured posts from
Traffic Jam Weekend #34…

 

Laina chose this Cast Iron Brownies post from Ramblings of a (Bad) Domestic Goddess as one of her favorites. “This I can’t wait to try.”

Kimberly also chose this post as one of her favorites. “The add on tag line is So Good You Won’t Care About the Calories. She got that right! LOL”

 

 

 

 

Laina chose this post, The Reflection of Disappointment from Living in Mommywood, as one of her favorites. “This is so inspirational.”

.

 

 

Kim berly chose 10 Beautiful Ways to Color Easter Eggs from Mom N’ Daughter Savings as another favorite. “Who knew that there were so many great ways to decorate an Easter egg?! Unique stuff.”

 

Thank you ladies for sharing! Please grab a special Traffic Jam Weekend featured button below to display on your blog.

 

 

Just a few rules for the party…

Grab a Traffic Jam Weekend button below for your site
Link up as many of your old posts as you like below
Take some time and visit the other posts
Create some traffic jam for the hosts of this party
Share this party on social media with the hashtag #trafficjamweekend

 

Follow Being A Wordsmith’s board Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party on Pinterest.*Disclaimer: Adding your link to this linky party gives permission to Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts to share your posts and pictures via social media with a link back to the original source. It also gives Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts permission to contact you via e-mail or social media for networking purposes.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post Traffic Jam Link up Weekend #35 appeared first on Laina Turner.

Wedding, Workout, and Weight loss Wednesday.

Hey Friends,

You’ll be impressed. I actually got some wedding stuff done over the weekend.

I know…shocking.

We headed up to Plymouth, Wisconsin on Friday night and after a wrong turn and a failed trip to find a liquor store before 9 pm which is when they stop selling alcohol (crazy law) we made it up there.

Saturday we headed to Westlake Market, where Kohler catering is, for a food tasting and WOW did they have a spread for us to try. I was expecting a small sample of each of the foods I wanted to try and it was a feast!

I was so completely impressed with their quality of food and the customer service.

If you’re in the market for a caterer in that part of Wisconsin, you MUST look them up.

Once we got to talking to the event coordinator, we found that they have a bakery, a florist, and a beverage manager on site. So, HOLLA, I got all 4 of those things knocked out at one time. I felt proud of myself.

We then went to the mansion and we were all blown away.

The kids finally got excited about the whole thing because the place was GORGEOUS and fun. There’s an underground hallway from the main house to the carriage house. How cool is that.

They have kayaks and bikes and a Ping-Pong table. Downstairs in the bar area, they have a pool table, foosball, and tons of other games. The kids could stay there for weeks and not run out of stuff to do. And if all else fails they have a million TVs.

Then on our way back home Sunday we met with wedding planner, Samantha, just to coordinate the rehearsal evening and day of the wedding. Love, love, love her! She’s going to make life peachy that weekend.

I still need to send out the Save the Dates, which means I need to finalize the guest list. I’m only about a month behind schedule. Not too bad. I leave for a conference in San Francisco tomorrow, so I need to get on this today.

I do have a question for you. The out of town family who will never make the trip to the wedding do you still send them an invite, so their feelings aren’t hurt or do you spend the couple bucks to make sure they’re are invited?

On the workout and weight loss front, I haven’t made any progress since 2 weeks ago, but I haven’t backslid either so I guess that’s better than nothing. Once I get back from San Francisco I’ve got to start being very focused on what I eat and getting exercise every day. I’ve still got 20 weeks to go and so my goal is totally doable, but it won’t be forever.

If only my kids didn’t have so many darn activities.

Hope your week is going awesome!

Until next time

The post Wedding, Workout, and Weight loss Wednesday. appeared first on Laina Turner.

Writing to Trend

Hey, writing friends.

Ready to sit back and watch the royalties from your books roll in while you sit on a beach sipping fruity drinks?

Yay for you!!! I’m totally excited for you as being an author is the absolute the best job out there. In my opinion anyways.

But while it’s a super fun job it’s also SUPER hard!

Well part of it is hard. The writing part is actually the easiest. It’s selling what you’re writing that proves to be the challenging aspect.

The good news is making a living as a writer is possible. Notice I said making a living not becoming filthy stinking rich. That is a bit harder. Though not impossible either.

That’s the beautiful thing about life. Anything is possible.

Most of us enjoy writing in certain genres and on certain topics. We write what we like. That’s why we write it in the first place. But if what you like isn’t what the masses like then you have the decision to make.

Do you write for yourself and, therefore, have a much harder time selling anything or do you write what people want to read and make money.

It’s what is called writing to trend and it’s not selling out.

Click to the next page to find out why YOU should write to trend.

The post Writing to Trend appeared first on Laina Turner.

Traffic Jam Linky Party

We really appreciate everyone’s help last week in sharing the news about the changes to the linky party. Come on in and see our features and link up some more of your old posts for new traffic.

WELCOME TO
TRAFFIC JAM WEEKEND
LINKY PARTY #34!

 

 

For any newcomers to Traffic Jam Weekend, this weekly linky party is all about linking up your old posts so you can get some new comments and traffic. To the frequent TJW visitors, thanks for always linking up.

 



 

The lovely ladies bringing this fabulous party to you:

 

Kimberly from Being A Wordsmith | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

Tanay from Life With Tanay | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Arnitris from Blessed Be The Tie | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Instagram

Laina from LainaTurner.com | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

 
These are the featured posts from
Traffic Jam Weekend #33…

 

Our very own Arnitris from Blessed Be the Tie shared this insightful post about how someone’s unhappiness has effects on everyone.

 



 

Yvonne Chase shared an intriguing post, Dress How You Want to Be Addressed, about the debate on women’s provocative attire today. She explored a recent episode of the new talk show It’s Not You, It’s Men on Oprah’s OWN Network (must-see TV, BTW!).

 

Thank you ladies for sharing! Please grab a special Traffic Jam Weekend featured button below to display on your blog.

 

 

Just a few rules for the party…

Grab a Traffic Jam Weekend button below for your site
Link up as many of your old posts as you like below
Take some time and visit the other posts
Create some traffic jam for the hosts of this party
Share this party on social media with the hashtag #trafficjamweekend

 

Follow Being A Wordsmith’s board Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party on Pinterest.*Disclaimer: Adding your link to this linky party gives permission to Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts to share your posts and pictures via social media with a link back to the original source. It also gives Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts permission to contact you via e-mail or social media for networking purposes.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post Traffic Jam Linky Party appeared first on Laina Turner.

How I Started Writing Fiction

Hi, I’m so glad you stopped by!

You like fiction novels? Then you’re in the right place. I not only write them but I also LOVE helping other authors realize their dreams.

I now have 15 fiction and 2 non-fiction books published, not counting the boxed sets. It was 17 until I took 2 down (in the Athena Parks series – long story/different blog post) last year to revise and republish this year.

Being an author is seriously the BEST and one of the most DIFFICULT jobs on the planet.

But it’s so worth it! I promise you!

Regardless of whether you’re a reader looking for a new book or aspiring author ready to get published you are in the right place. I’ve got something for you!

If you’re ready to:

Ignore the self-publishing naysayers.
Take the first step to writing YOUR book.
Be proud of your writing and shamelessly self-promote.
Work your a** off.

And the most important step???? Be ready to scream at the top of your lungs, I’M A WRITER!!!!!!!

Then keep reading.

Here are the top three things you MUST know before taking the plunge to be a writer….

(if you’re a reader looking for a new book click here for a sample chapter of Stilettos & Scoundrels)

Go to step 1 – next page

The post How I Started Writing Fiction appeared first on Laina Turner.

Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party!

I am so excited to announce I am now a co-host for the super fabulousTraffic Jam Weekend Linky Party!  

Thank you for stopping by!!!!

The host of Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party, Being A Wordsmith has teamed up with some fellow bloggers and writers to give this party more exposure. AND Traffic Jam Weekend is now a WEEKLY party instead of a bi-weekly one. So come on in, get to know us, and link up your posts.

 

WELCOME TO TRAFFIC JAM WEEKEND
LINKY PARTY #33!

(NEW AND IMPROVED)

 

For any newcomers to Traffic Jam Weekend, this weekly linky party is all about linking up your old posts so you can get some new comments and traffic. To the frequent TJW visitors, thanks for always linking up.

 

 

The lovely ladies bringing this fabulous party to you:

 

Kimberly from Being A Wordsmith | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+
Tanay from Life With Tanay | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Arnitris from Blessed Be The Tie | Facebook (site) | Facebook (book series) | Twitter | Instagram
Laina from In Pursuit of Fabulous | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

 

These are the featured posts from
Traffic Jam Weekend #32…

 

 

Noreen always has unique DIY posts to share. This post was no exception. Simplistic, easy-to-follow, and super cute!

 

The Journey of a Steward

Kelly gave us this post to help you figure out if you are organized at home or not. Think you are? Check out her quick test to see how you measure up.

 

Thank you ladies for sharing! Please grab a special Traffic Jam Weekend featured button below to display on your blog.

 

 

Just a few rules for the party…

Grab a Traffic Jam Weekend button below for your site
Link up as many of your old posts as you like below
Take some time and visit the other posts
Create traffic jam and comment luv all over the place
Share this party on social media with the hashtag #trafficjamweekend

 

Follow Being A Wordsmith’s board Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party on Pinterest.*Disclaimer: Adding your link to this linky party gives permission to Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts to share your posts and pictures via social media with a link back to the original source. It also gives Being A Wordsmith and co-hosts permission to contact you via e-mail or social media for networking purposes.

An InLinkz Link-up

The post Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party! appeared first on Laina Turner.

Wedding, Workout, and Weightloss Wednesday

It’s just a little less than 6 months before I get married, 158 days to be exact, and I’ve had a hard time getting into all the planning. The ring and the dress were fun and were a priority because they both had to be ordered and I knew I needed the lead-time.

The rest of it takes a lot of planning and decisions I’ve just been putting off. Not that I don’t want to plan this thing, but I keep waiting for life to slow down, and it’s not if anything it’s getting busier and busier by the minute, so all this wedding stuff is taking a bit of a back seat. However, if I want anyone to show up, I need to make sure to get Save the Dates out because I know everyone else in my world is also super busy and are probably already making their summer plans.

It also might help if I find a clergyman/woman to marry us (and I do have a lead) but first things first.

There are a few things I really, really care about in planning this wedding. By really, really care about I mean I want it my way, and thankfully my fiancé is amazing enough to let me have it my way. Our household is truly one who embraces if mama’s happy everyone’s happy.

Hey, at least, I admit it.

Click next to continue reading.

The post Wedding, Workout, and Weightloss Wednesday appeared first on Laina Turner.

3 Tips for Staying Sane and a FREEBIE

First I want to start out by saying that sanity is relative and there is nothing wrong with having a little crazy in you. Let’s face it. In today’s society, we are all so busy trying to juggle a million balls in the air. While coffee, wine, and chocolate are totally my GO TO crutches when I’m feeling stressed and crazy, I have to admit there are better, more healthy, ways to manage my day, besides driving through Starbucks, so I feel peaceful.

Though my favorite Guinness Chocolate cupcakes do take the blues away. I encourage you to try them.

But if you’re not in the mood to eat your blues away then try these 3 tips!

1. Take at least 5 minutes in the morning for yourself.

As a busy mom of 2 (who’s schedules are INSANE – yes honey you can play a 2nd spring sport as long as you keep your grades up – what was I thinking) days can go by where you don’t have a minute to yourself. I’ve found that waking up just a little early (I know that doesn’t sound fun either) and taking those few early morning minutes as precious quiet time can make all the difference.

I wake up, read my devotion for the day, journal a few minutes, and just focus on me.

2. Plan your day the night before.

I can’t stress this one enough. Failing to plan is planning to fail and all that. While you might not fail you WILL add a lot more stress on your shoulders if you fly by the seat of your pants and if you’re anything like me you will forget things you need to do, appointments will fall through the cracks, and you’ll be scrambling. That is never a fun feeling. Though I will toot my own horn and say in 14 years, I’ve never forgotten to pick someone up. I’ve been close, very close, but I always made it.

I love technology and put EVERYTHING in my calendar so it’s always available on my phone. However, I also love lists and writing things down helps me retain information. So each night I look at my calendar and think about the tasks I have to do and schedule my time.

It might look something like this.

5:30 am-5:45 am journal

6-7am workout

7-8am get kids off to school

8-9am check social media/promote the day’s blog post

9-3pm work on blog/writing

3 – 4 pm take Sydney to dentist

5 pm pick Caden up from wrestling

5:30pm dinner

7 pm take Sydney to basketball

It might look crazy but I do schedule by the hour or even less. I know how much time things will take and pencil them in so I stay focused on what HAS to be done.

And yes there are times I throw it all out the window and watch Netflix.

Finally…

3. Learn to say NO and be OK with it

This is by far the most difficult one. Who likes to say no. I don’t. I’m superwoman and want to figure out how to do every single thing that comes my way so I can feel like the best most together female on the planet. But let’s be realistic there is only so much time in the day and we can’t do it all. Trying to IS a certain recipe for disaster.

Shonda Rhimes had her year of YES (FANTASTIC book by the way) well I work to say NO to one thing daily. If saying no to something doesn’t negatively impact my kids, doesn’t positively impact my family, my life, or my business I take a second to think about how important it really is.

If you need help getting your day started then download this list of affirmations to read as you wake up and throughout the day. Guaranteed to get your mind centered and your day off to the right start.

The post 3 Tips for Staying Sane and a FREEBIE appeared first on Laina Turner.

Goal Setting: make profits from your passions

I know I’m not the only one with a love/hate relationship with setting goals and trying to achieve them. I love to set them and hate myself when I don’t meet them.

Am I right? I know deep down you totally agree with me. It’s ok. It can be hard to admit when we fail to hold ourselves accountable and don’t accomplish what we want.

Been there. Done that.

So why do we do it? Why do we put ourselves through that horrible feeling? Why bother to set goals at all?

We set them when we decide our lives need an overhaul.
We set them at the beginning of the year as New Years resolutions.
We set them when there is something we want to accomplish.
We do it because of that promise of something better, the thought of being able to achieve something really meaningful whether it be a new skill or to lose 20 lbs.
We set goals to make a change.

But how often do you set a goal and then fail to follow through, get discouraged and give up, or completely forget about it 3 days later and are on to the next?

You aren’t the only one. It used to happen to me all the time. I would get super excited about something, put a goal in place to reach it, tell people about my super awesome goal and what I was going to accomplish, and then 6 months later realize I was still in the same place as when I started and hoped no one I told remembered.

I felt like a hamster on a wheel running, running, running, and never getting anywhere. The cycle was completely defeating and depressing.

I finally decided enough was enough and I got back to basics. Clarity and focus.

What keeps YOU from reaching your goals?

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