Linda K. Sienkiewicz's Blog, page 30

How confident are you with Gmail?

Some people might be delighted if one day their email vanished, but not me. And I will never ever trust Gmail again.

My Gmail folders vanished:

I’m not a computer expert. I only know what works for me and what doesn’t.

Recently I learned I was not the only one to have their Gmail disappear.

Years ago, I was using Microsoft Outlook when I started getting frustrating messages stating that something I wanted to send was “suspected spam,” and I was unable to send it. Someone suggested I switch t...

12 Tips to Survive a Book Festival

Every time I’m at a book festival, I learn something new. This summer I shared a table with author Sylvia Hubbard at Sterlingfest, and learned to give attendees permission to pick up your book and browse through it. “It’s okay to touch it!” Sylvia told a man who was intently studying the cover. When he started reading with evident concentration, she asked him what part he was looking at. He then read aloud to her as if auditioning for the starring role in the movie version of her book. He was...

Sacral Torsion

My back pain began in 2011. I don’t know what made me think I could lift, or even drag, an oversize duffle bag packed with magazines and books with one arm, but that’s what I tried. Full stop. The bag didn’t even budge. Instead, it was me that gave way. Immediately I felt intense pain on my right side that ran from my middle back down my butt and into my leg. I’ve never been the same since.

My doctor diagnosed sacral torsion and had me see a physical therapist.

What is sacral torsion?

This d...

The Joy of Meeting with Book Clubs

A fabulous multi-generational book club I met with this summer The Joy of Book Clubs:

As an author, a great way to foster a relationship with your readers is through book clubs. 

Readers at book clubs are incredibly sincere, and they are thrilled to meet with a real life author. It’s quite an ego boost. They want to know about your inspiration, your approach to writing, how you create characters, how long it took you to write your book, how you got it published, and whether or not the people...

Boredom and Creativity

“Creative people need time to just sit around and do nothing.” ~ Austin Kleon

My 10 year old granddaughter flopped next to me on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

“Hey, how are you doing?” I asked.

She sighed. “Fine. I’m just bored.”

“That’s okay,” I told her. “It’s not a bad thing to be bored.”

She gave me a funny look. I tried to explain that boredom can be a meaningful experience that leads to creative work.

Which got me thinking about how I’m thwarting that kind of deeper thoughtfulne...

WWII via letters between two brothers

“I see quite a lot of these collections – but this one stands out.” ~Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation

Letters Lost Then Found

At the Scriptorium BookFest, I had the pleasure of sharing a table with author and graphic artist Amy L. Johnson. Her book, Letters Lost Then Found, is a memoir containing the letters between her grandfather, William, and his younger brother Fred, penned during WWII when Fred was in the army (1942-45 to be exact). Before the day was over, she handed me a...

What, Why, How: Heather Duerre Humann

What: While my piece that appears in  Idol Talk  is a personal essay (where I write about the 1990s, my Pixies obsession, and Fight Club, among other  other topics), most of my writing could be be best classified as Academic Nonfiction. To date, I’ve published three books: Domestic Abuse in the Novels of African American Women: A Critical Study (McFarland, 2014), Gender Bending Detective Fiction: A Critical Analysis of Selected Works (McFarland, 2017), and Another Me: The Doppelgänger in 21st C...

Over 60? Here’s some good news

I’ve seen Over-the-Hill milestone birthday cards for ages 30, 40, and 50, but that’s as high as they go. I guess when you’re 60, you’re so far gone over the hill that you don’t as rate over the hill, card-wise. However, according to AARP Magazine, there’s lots of good news for us who are 60+.

How much living is left?

For starters, you have plenty of years left. If you’re a woman aged 65, you have a whopping 21.5 years left. If you’re a man aged 65, you have 16.3 years. I feel so much better...

Changes in the second edition of your novel

Second Edition Second Edition: You Can Go Back!

Do overs are a great thing, right? I mean, you write a book, you print that book, you re-read that book, and, BANG!, page 4: T-Y-P-O.

Repeat after me: ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Then: “If only I’d read it one more time. If only I hadn’t been in such a rush. If only…”

Get the picture?

As my contract renewal date for the first novel approached, I wondered how much I could change. Paragraphs? Scenes? That crazy bit of exposition mid-way through the second...

Quick Bicycle Helmet Visor How-to

After too many midday rides with the sun in my eyes, I crafted a visor for my bicycle helmet. It was easier than I thought, and all it cost me was a dollar.

Bicycle Helmet Visor Tutorial

My visor attaches with three elastic straps and Velcro, and it tucks under the existing plastic visor on the helmet. This is my helmet:

If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, you could hand stitch pieces of ribbon instead of elastic, and simply thread it through the helmet like I did, and tie it on the...