Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 40
May 17, 2016
Link of the Week – Goodreads Ebook Giveaways
Authors, in case you missed the news, Goodreads had added a new way to offer giveaways. Up until now, Goodreads only allowed print book giveaways. It was a nice way to get some discoverability toward you and your books. Now they’re introducing Kindle ebook giveaways. It’s a beta program currently for US residents only.
Here’s how it works: The author or publisher of a book – whoever controls the digital distribution rights to the book – can now offer up to 100 copies of the Kindle ebook in a giveaway. The author or publisher chooses how long the giveaway will run, and Goodreads does the rest. At the end of the giveaway, Goodreads randomly chooses winners and automatically sends the Kindle ebooks to their preferred devices and Cloud accounts. Winners receive real Kindle ebooks, complete with all the great features and security that Amazon’s Kindle platform provides.
Sounds pretty cool. Ah, but not everything that is shiny is gold. There is a cost involved.
Read all about it on the Goodreads blog. But don’t stop there. Read some of the comments, too. You decide if the program would work for you.
May 13, 2016
Friday Fun Facts- Thailand
The mysterious Orient. A place that feels more ancient than time itself.
I had the privilege of living in Thailand for two years when I was younger and it was mysterious and ancient. I bet I’ve uncovered a few tidbits you didn’t know about this country!
We know the capital as Bangkok. That’s not really its name. Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit is the official title. It translates (roughly) to “City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra‘s behest”.
It was home to the world’s first set of Siamese twins. Thailand was under the rule of the great Kingdom of Siam- hence the name. These conjoined fellows moved to the States around 1811, married, had kids, and lived to the ripe old age of 62.
It is against the law to criticize the king and queen. How often they punish folks for this transgression depends on the mood of the country. If all is peaceful, only 4-5 people get thrown in jail per year. If there’s civil unrest, up to 700 people are in the clinker in a given year.
There was a serial killer in Thailand. He was publicly executed and his body was put in a clear box so everyone could see he was really dead. His mummified body has been bronzed and is still on display. (Wow- they are serious!)
Tilly Smith, a 10 yr. old girl helped save her family and hundreds of tourists in 2004 when she recognized what was happening when the ocean water rushed out from shore. It had been a geography lesson in school shortly before their holiday.
The Thai Grand Palace in Bangkok is inspired by Ayutthaya, the ancient capital, and is some of the finest examples of Thai architecture found anywhere.
The Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace is considered to be the most holy of Buddhas.It is carved from a single block of emerald and is 45cms tall.
95% of all Thais are Buddhists.
Good story. A Thai janitor stole the Saudi Royal jewels. When they were then returned, it was discovered half of them were fake. 3 month later, a Saudi business man with close ties to the royal family traveled to Thailand to investigate. He was abducted and killed along with 3 other Saudi officials. Whoa.
Thailand’s name in Thai means “Land of the Free”. In fact, it is the only country in SE Asia that was never colonized by a European nation.
In the past, all Thai men, including the Prince, became monks for a short time.
1/10 of all animal species on Earth live in Thailand.
More than 1500 types of orchids grow wild.
May 11, 2016
Hump Day Kick Start – Welding Edition
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.
It’s hump day. Let’s fire up a picture prompt.
Lot’s going on here—propane tank, beaten face, cigar, pulse pads, droplight, welder goggles, single glove, unbuckled belt. Who is he? Where is he? What’s going on? Is he someone’s science project turned uncooperative? Maybe he is doing his own experiments on himself. Why? Could he be devising a diabolical plan to destroy those that are a threat to him/his woman/his species? And just where do those wires disappear to?
What’s your take? I’d love to hear it. Or just caption the pic.
May 10, 2016
Link Of The Week-I Spy!!
This is a very cool link for a product out there that will help you look into how Indie authors are doing. It will tell you how much they’re making, what key words they’re using, how many books, if any, they’re offering for free etc. It’s a wealth of information!
“Reverse Engineer The‘Best-Selling’ Categories With A
Single Click
Browse any category in the Amazon Kindle marketplace and in the background, KDSPY will ‘automatically’ reverse engineer the best sellers. When you want more information about a Kindle category, just click on KDSPY and in mere seconds, you’ll know the landscape of that category and the potential profit you could make here, along with a breakdown of each individual books performance.”
May 6, 2016
Friday Fun Facts- Singapore!
Hello Musetrackers!
I’m battling jet lag because I just returned from a fabulous trip to S.E. Asia. Sheesh! This old body doesn’t bounce back like it used to when travelling. It was so nice to go back to the home of my heart since I spent almost 18 years living in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. What a lucky girl I am.
Here’s some things you might not know about Singapore!
Singapore is an island at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula.
You can find the national anthem written in micro-text on the back of the $1000 note.
A prince from Palembang thought he saw a lion when first exploring and so it was called The Lion City. There were never any lions there. He probably saw a tiger. Now, they do have the iconic Merlion guarding the city.
Singapore is one of three remaining city-states left in the world. Monaco and The Vatican are the others.
They have a Coke machine that dispenses the soda when you hug it. No, really. You hug it. It’s located at the university campus.
ACK! The cartoon network thought Singapore was located in Malaysia. Talk about a faux pas. Sigh. It is NOT part of Malaysia or China as many people seem to think.
The British Council did some research and they concluded that Singaporeans are some of the fastest walkers around. Their speed is kinda like a bumble bee flitting around.
The youngest person to pass the “O” level exam for Chemistry was a Singaporean. He was 7 years old!! Wow! I feel dumb.
There was a two-part episode of Hawaii 5 0 filmed in Singapore. It was actually done while I was in high school there. Many of us were extras milling around in the show!
There’s a Singapore, Michigan. What?!?
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has more species of trees than the whole of North America.
Singaporeans can vote in British elections. They are part of the British Commonwealth countries.
Here’s some pretty pictures of this wonderful country!
May 4, 2016
Hump Day Kick Start – Sold Edition
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.
I’ve been on my deathbed for more than a week. Ok, not really. But I have been very sick since last Hump Day. So today’s prompt seemed appropriate.
Was this person sold before or after they died? Who is doing the selling? Who is the buyer? And for what purpose? Science? Nefarious world/species domination? Just what kind of auction was it, anyway? Get those creative juices flowing.
Tell me a tale or caption the pic. I’ll just be over here hacking up a lung.
May 3, 2016
Link Of The Week- A Place For Creatives
This is a place for creatives! They will send you free images you can use every week, send out writing prompts, or be an inspiration to other photographers. Get your muse on and check this place out!
http://deathtothestockphoto.com/about/
April 29, 2016
Friday Fun Facts-Travel Tips
Hi!
I’m on my way to some pretty exotic places and I wanted to share a few travel tidbits with you. Did you know:
The OK sign made in the States by making an ‘O’ with your thumb and your middle finger doesn’t mean that elsewhere. In Turkey, Brazil, and Germany it’s an obscene gesture. In the Middle East, it’s considered a threatening taunt.
In Australia, it’s great and expected to ride in the front seat of a taxi.
Do NOT add salt and pepper to your food in Switzerland- you’ve just insulted the chef and is considered rude!
In Tibet, if you stick your tongue out at someone, it is considered a greeting.
Talk about confusing the rest of the world- in Albania, nodding your head means no, and shaking your head means yes. ACK!
On many airlines, the pilots will eat different meals so if something is bad, only one pilot will get sick.
Dying is illegal in the House of Parliament.
In 1930, flight attendants had to weigh less than 115 pounds.
The shortest flight you can buy a ticket for is a 2 minute ride in Scotland.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where there are no rivers.
In 1987, American Airlines removed 1 olive from their first class salads and save $40,000.
April 27, 2016
Hump Day Kick Start – Caught Edition
Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or ju st a visual treat.
Uh-oh. Today’s prompt is serious business.
What’s going on? Is she a supervillain that has finally been caught? Could she be an informant for an international intelligence agency? Has she been wrongly accused of a high-profile crime? If so, what was the crime? Has she set herself up as bait in hopes to get on the inside of a dirty regime that has overtaken the city, reunite with her lover, and take out the organization’s leader? Maybe she being arrested for being a member of the Kardashian cult.
You tell me. Tell a tale or caption the pic.
April 26, 2016
Link of the Week – Power Thesaurus
Can’t find the right word? Do I have a site for you.
Power Thesaurus is a super easy word finder with an endless supply of synonyms and antonyms. It even has filters based on action, sounds, topics, and parts of speech.
Power Thesaurus is a fast, convenient and comprehensive online thesaurus.
It’s crowdsourced, meaning it has been built by a community of writers for writers.
Check it out! You might just bookmark the site.
