Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 110

#KidLit #Pets - Toby's #Dog, Max. Plus A #Giveaway!

I wrote the first drafts of all five Toby books one after another, before returning to revise them. It's a good thing I did, to be honest, since it was while working on the second book - Toby's Monsters - that I knew for certain what breed of dog Toby's family's dog, Max, should be.

I needed something that - to a six year old, at least - would seem large and hairy, but that was suitable to live in a family home, and potentially trustworthy with a disabled child. I also wanted one where anyone familiar with the breed wouldn't be surprised to hear it had been eager to run off and chase something while out on a walk. At first I was torn between a Golden Retriever and a Rough Collie, but the Retrievers I've known have been rather slobbery, and I didn't want too much slobbering going on. So, in the end, I decided on the Collie.

For those not familiar with the breed, here's a little about it:

The Rough Collie shares it origins with the Smooth Collie in the working sheepdogs of Scotland. The earliest Collies were smaller than today's dogs and largely black/white or tricolour or black/tan. The first sable, Old Lockie, born in 1868 caused a sensation and from that time the sable/white become the most popular colour. However, the tricolour and the blue merle are still very much evident in the breed.

It was not until 1870 that there were separate classes for “Sheepdogs Rough” and “Sheepdogs Smooth”. The founder of the Kennel Club Mr S.E. Shirley promoted the Rough Collie and Queen Victoria brought some from Balmoral to her Royal Estates including Windsor Castle.

Perhaps it is the “glamour” of the coat which attracted many people to the breed at the expenses of the Smooth Collie and for many years the Smooth was considered the poor relation.

Breed Group: Pastoral
Vulnerable Native Breed: No
Size: Medium
How much exercise? Up to 1 hour per day
Length of coat: Medium
How much grooming? Every day
Supposedly sheds? : Yes
Town or Country: Either
Type of home: Small House
Minimum Garden Size: Small/Medium
Lifespan: Over 12 Years

~Above taken from this page on the Kennel Club's website.

If you want to see the part Max the dog plays in the Toby's Tales series, you can do so by grabbing your own copies of the books. They're available in multiple eBook formats, paperback, and now also in audio - read by Joseph A. Batzel.

The following links will take you to where you can buy the books in one - or sometimes more - of the above mentioned formats:

Book 1 - Toby’s New World
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 2 - Toby’s Monsters
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 3 - Toby’s Outing
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 4 - Toby’s Games
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

Book 5 - Toby’s Special School
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Want a free set of the audio versions of the books in this series?

You're in luck! I have some free copies to give away via Audible, and I'm giving you a couple of chances to win them.

Today is your last chance during the audiobook launch. So...

To get a free copy of each of the five books in my "Toby's Tales" series, simply send me an eMail with the answer to the following question in it:

When was the eBook version of "Toby's Monsters" published?

If you're one of the first six people to send an eMail to keroberous2004@gmail.com with the subject "Toby's Tales" and the correct answer to the question, I'll eMail you back with the codes to claim free copies for all five books.

The codes will be one use only codes for either Audible.com or Audible.co.uk. Please let me know whether you would prefer codes for Audible.com or Audible.co.uk in your eMail.

#Writing Wednesday - A Toby's Tales Teaser - #KidLit

Toby sat down, wondering what Miss Ivy was going to show him and how to make her understand that he was blind so couldn't see writing like other people could.

"Give me your hand," Miss Ivy said.

Toby let her take his hand and place it on a piece of paper she'd put in front of him on the desk.

He gasped in amazement as his hand touched the paper. He’d expected a smooth piece of paper, but this paper wasn’t smooth.

"There are bumpy bits on this paper," said Toby.

Miss Ivy laughed. "It's called braille," she said. "Would you like me to show you how to read it?"

"Yes please," said Toby, excited for the first time since he’d learned he’d be going to this new school.

So Miss Ivy began to show Toby how to tell which letter was which. "There are six dots," she explained. "And it depends which ones are used to which letter it is."

Toby was a little confused, but excited about being able to learn writing that even blind people could read.

"I'll see you later, Toby," said his Mother after a while.

But Toby didn't pay any attention. He was much too busy learning about braille to notice anything else.

His Mother smiled, waved goodbye to Miss Ivy, and left.

~Above from "Toby's Special School" by Victoria Zigler.

Enjoy what you just read? Want to read the rest of Toby's story? Then grab your own copies of the books. They're available in multiple eBook formats, paperback, and now also in audio - read by Joseph A. Batzel.

The following links will take you to where you can buy the books in one - or sometimes more - of the above mentioned formats:

Book 1 - Toby’s New World
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 2 - Toby’s Monsters
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 3 - Toby’s Outing
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Book 4 - Toby’s Games
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

Book 5 - Toby’s Special School
Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

Meet The #Narrator: Joseph A. Batzel

As I mentioned in yesterday's post - not to mention, in several of my "recent"Writing Wednesday" posts - Joseph A. Batzel is the narrator for my "Toby's Tales" series. I thought you'd like to get to know him a little, so here's a little bit about Joseph - in his own words:

Joseph Batzel has a BA and an MA from Brigham Young University in Film and Theater. He is also a professional actor for stage and film for over thirty years. Joseph has over 150 voice- over credits including radio, TV, audiobooks, and animation. He has traveled extensively throughout the US teaching voice over workshops. Joseph is a dialectician and can perform most American regional dialects and most foreign accents.

Mr. Batzel has just joined Deyan audio one of the world’s largest Independent producer of Audiobooks as one of their narrators.

He is married to his wife Alice of forty-four years, she is a published playwright and working on her first novel. They have two sons and five grandchildren.

He presently lives in Brigham City, Utah where he currently works as an adjunct instructor at Utah State University teaching courses in Creative Arts and Public Speaking. 

Joseph is excited about being involved in producing the audiobook narration for “Toby’s Tales” and working with Victoria Zigler, the author.

You can get to know Joseph a little more by checking out his recent interview on Library Of Erana.

Also, he's doing a live Facebook event in a couple of days time, which you can find details of here. He has some more copies of the audiobooks to give away during the event.

#KidLit #Books - The Toby's Tales Series By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio! Plus A #Giveaway! #Blindness #SightLoss (LBE)

Thanks to the skills of narrator Joseph A. Batzel, my “Toby’s Tales” books are now available in audio!

For those who don't know: My "Toby's Tales" series is a five book series designed to show children - and adults too - the struggles and challenges faced by people who are blind, or who are adjusting to sight loss, while also being useful tools to show anyone who finds themselves in Toby's situation that they aren't alone in facing those struggles and challenges.

***~~~***

Book 1 - Toby’s New World

Toby has just learned he’ll never see again. Now he’s learning just how frustrating it can be doing even simple things when you’re blind. And it doesn’t help when his big brother Jake, and little sister Emma laugh at him when things don’t go right. But there’s always a way to make things easier… Isn’t there?

Buy "Toby's New World" as an audiobook, eBook, or paperback - in some cases two or more of these formats - from Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Book 2 - Toby’s Monsters

Toby’s world is scary and full of monsters his mind has created. If he wasn’t blind he could see what the monsters really are, but he is, so he can’t. Can he find a way to battle his monsters? Or will he spend the rest of his life afraid of every unexplained noise?

Buy "Toby's Monsters" as an audiobook, eBook, or paperback - in some cases two or more of these formats - from Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Book 3 - Toby’s Outing

Everyone is excited about the trip to the aquarium. But not Toby. Toby’s sure he won’t have fun, after all, aquariums can’t be fun for blind people… Can they?

Buy "Toby's Outing" as an audiobook, eBook, or paperback - in some cases two or more of these formats - from Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Book 4 - Toby’s Games

Now that he can’t see, Toby can’t play with his big brother Jake like he used to, and every time he tries to he just gets frustrated, upset or hurt. He’s starting to feel like he can’t do anything fun any more. Is he right? Or can he find a way to still do the things he enjoys?

Buy "Toby's Games" as an audiobook, eBook, or paperback - in some cases two or more of these formats - from Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Book 5 - Toby’s Special School

Toby’s starting to feel like he’s the only blind boy in the world, so when his first day at his new special school comes around, he’s sure the other children will tease him because he can’t see. But when he gets there he soon learns just why they call it a “special” school, and even manages to make a new friend.

Buy "Toby's Special School" as an audiobook, eBook, or paperback - in some cases two or more of these formats - from Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

***~~~***

Want a free set of the audio versions of the books in this series?

You're in luck! I have some free copies to give away via Audible, and I'm giving you a couple of chances to win them.

Today is your first chance. So...

To get a free copy of each of the five books in my "Toby's Tales" series, simply send me an eMail with the answer to the following question in it:

What is the name of the eye condition Toby and I share?

If you're one of the first six people to send an eMail to keroberous2004@gmail.com with the subject "Toby's Tales" and the correct answer to the question, I'll eMail you back with the codes to claim free copies for all five books.

The codes will be one use only codes for either Audible.com or Audible.co.uk. Please let me know whether you would prefer codes for Audible.com or Audible.co.uk in your eMail.

#Furkid Friday: Herbal Remedies For #Pets

Here's an interesting post from my friend, Sally.

It discusses the use of some herbal remedies for pets.

Go check it out, especially if you have furkids of your own.

Sally has several other great posts under the pet health tag on her blog, so you may wish to take a look at the other posts too.

#Writing Wednesday - September 20th 2017

Thanks to the skills of Joseph A. Batzel, my "Toby's Tales" series are now all available in audio. I'll be sharing links, doing guest posts, offering chances to get your hands on free copies, etc, all next week. Some of this will take place on my own blog, some will take place on the blogs of others. I'll do a round-up of the posts once they're all live so you can make sure you didn't miss any of them. If you're in a hurry to grab your copies though, you can find them on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. Oh, and Joseph is doing a live event next week on Facebook. You can see the event details here. I'm going to do my very best to be there for it.

The audio versions of some of the other books I'd set up for production are now headed to retail and will also be available soon, so I'll be able to add their links to their posts, and get those posts sent out to the people who have generously agreed to host me. I have blog tours scheduled to start every four weeks starting from this coming Sunday, with the last of them scheduled for January.

With that being the case, I'm starting to think about dealing with the production and promotion of my stand alone stories and poetry books. I've decided not to ask people to host guest posts and things for me for those, since I don't want to make their readers sick of hearing my name. So I'll just be posting about the stand alone stories and poetry books on my own blog, as well as all over my own social media accounts. I'm sure the narrators will post about them on their own blogs and social media accounts too - assuming they have them. When I next publish something new, I'll plan another book tour to promote the new title, and mention in it that all my books are available in audio. That seems like the best option to me. Oh, and... No. I'm not only saying that because it means less promotional posts for me to put together (AKA less work for me). I genuinely think it will be the best way to avoid making people so sick of hearing my name on other sites that they start ignoring anything that mentions me. As it is I worry followers of my own blog will start getting sick of book announcement posts before I'm done. But I have to post them somewhere, so I'll be posting announcements for the stand alone stories and poetry books as and when they're available, probably between the tours for the series books initially. I promise to make sure to get some posts that aren't about the availability of audiobooks in among them though. Just bear with me over the next few months, OK?

Anyway, if you have books you want to make available in audio too, here's a guide to self-publishing an audiobook. Bear in mind that the amount of time required for doing it will actually depend on the length of the book. The author of this article, for example, quotes an average of eight hours listening time for the finished book, where as my own books - which are children's stories so much shorter than your average novel - don't even come close to that length. You need to make sure you allow the time you'll need to set everything up, deal with auditions and any questions your narrator might have, listen to the sample they'll send you first, and then listen to the final version. Not to mention, extra time if something needs to be changed that means you have to do the listening stages all over again, or if ACX spots an issue when your book goes to their review process. It's quite time consuming even for someone like me with shorter books to deal with, so just bear that in mind if you plan to join me on the audiobook production path.

Oh, and since Audible recently introduced the Audible.Ca platform, your audiobooks will now be available to even more listeners.

#Fantasy #Book Release - "Path of the Traitors" By @cyallowitz

On the eve of destiny, the fate of the champions are in the hands of those they once called Enemy.[caption id="attachment_21575" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cover Art by Jason Pedersen[/caption]

Hated and distrusted, Queen Trinity must leave the shadows and reach for redemption.

With their final battle on the horizon, the champions are faced with a long-lost piece of the prophecy. Unable to search for the crests that are rumored to be the key to survival, they must turn to a band of their former enemies for help. Sinister desires and hopes for redemption collide as Queen Trinity of the Chaos Elves leads the hunt and struggles to keep her companions on the path of heroism. Monsters, traps, mysteries, and their own pasts will rise up to stand in the way of these people who have spent their entire lives committing sins. Throughout it all, another old enemy is lurking in the shadows and determined to claim her own delicious prize.

By the end of their journey, those who survive will learn that being a hero is more than simply stepping into the light.
Dive into the adventure on Amazon for $2.99!
Find it on Goodreads!

Excerpt: The Aura Syphon

A gurgling causes the two women to pause and look into the pit where the shadows are swirling among the jagged stones. Two black tentacles lance out of the ground and wrap around Yola’s waist, the ooze-dripping projections turning silver at the taste of her magic. Attracted to the stronger energy, the aura syphon yanks the immortal into its slime-covered maw and becomes a metallic beast. With its armored skin, the camouflaged predator is now visible and resembles a sea anemone with the body of a beetle. The jagged rocks are fused to the animal’s exoskeleton and there are six jointed legs that help it scurry out of the pit. Standing over Trinity, the creature opens a faint crease on its body to reveal a bulbous eye with a star-shaped pupil. It pauses to shove a few tentacles into its mouth and hit Yola with pulses of electricity to stop her from struggling. It changes from silver to gold when she attempts to break free, her efforts being quickly drained by the monster.

“Let the crazy woman go before you get killed,” Trinity whispers to the aura syphon. She creates a fireball in the hopes of getting its mouth open, but her spell is ignored. “No reason to have a snack when you have an eternal meal in your belly. Maybe we can have a trade. Can’t believe I’m trying to bargain with this thing. Well, I gave you a chance, so I’m going to blow you up before things get worse. Hope you heard that Yola and are bracing yourself.”

The beast gurgles before releasing a blast of sticky strands that lock Trinity in place. Instead of going after the trapped chaos elf, the creature turns its attention to the helpless army. Having had its fill of magic, the aura syphon is ready to gorge on fresh meat and opens a second mouth that is filled with knife-like teeth. Heading for Sir Harbiss, it is stopped when a chunk of earth erupts beneath it and flips it back into the pit. Unsure of where the attack came from, the aura syphon leaps out and reveals several eye stalks that search for an unseen enemy. A cutting wind lops off half of the projections, but Yola’s potent energy revives them and protects the crystalline armor plates. When the spell comes back around, it bounces off the new defense and bursts against a hill. Blasts of fire strike the beast from behind, so it sprouts a fan-shaped tail of water that douses the flames.

Looking around, the aura syphon stops when it sees that Trinity is nowhere to be seen and there is a hole where she once stood. Spikes grow from the predator’s belly and it slams against the ground in the hopes of impaling the chaos elf. The hiss of escaping gas is heard an instant before an explosion sends the shrieking animal into the sky. Careening towards a solitary cloud that is very low to the ground, the beast catches the scent of an aura that revives the one currently in its gut. Passing through the cloud, it finds its legs caught in a net that runs down to where Trinity is hiding behind a hill. With enhanced strength, the channeler slams the aura syphon into the ground and delivers a leaping stomp to its soft upper body. Instead of ejecting Yola, the creature opens its skin to swallow the chaos elf’s leg up the knee.

“Fine. Backup plan it is,” Trinity mutters, synching her aura to that of the imprisoned immortal.

Releasing as much magic as she can without killing herself, the channeler creates a power surge within the aura syphon. Unable to absorb or redirect so much energy at once, the predator tries to reject the grinning chaos elf. Plunging her fingers into its flesh, Trinity refuses to be thrown off and continues her assault. Blisters appear on the hard exoskeleton and the metallic color flakes off to reveal the natural black of the tentacles. Without warning, the gold returns and the animal explodes with enough force to collapse the ground. Before she can escape, the channeler falls into the pit and is buried beneath the icy dirt.
Need to catch Legends of Windemere from the beginning? Then click on the picture below! First book, 'Beginning of a Hero' is free![caption id="attachment_21548" align="aligncenter" width="640"] CLICK FOR AMAZON SITE[/caption]
Ready for the newest adventure in Windemere? Find out if Queen Trinity earns redemption or will return to the Baron's side!About the Author:Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

#HobbitWeek And #HobbitDay (FD)

Hobbit Day is this coming Friday. So, with today being the Sunday of the week in which Hobbit Day will fall, that makes this week Hobbit Week.

What are Hobbit Day and Hobbit Week?

Well, here's what it says on the Hobbit Day page on Holiday Insights:

Date When celebrated : Always September 22

Hobbit Day is today. It is the birthday of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, two of the main hobbit characters from The Lord of the Rings. There also is a Hobbit Week, which occurs on the Sunday through Saturday where Hobbit Day falls.

Hobbits are little guys, and little gals, just two to four feet tall. They are our heroes in the Lord of the Ring movies, performing great acts heroism and courage. Notably, Hobbits go around barefoot, and eat seven meals a day. They also like to dance, have parties, and enjoy fireworks. The movie "The Fellowship of the Ring" opened in this manner, celebrating Bilbo Baggins birthday.

You can celebrate this special holiday, by going to a Lord of the Rings movie, or reading any of author J.R.R. Tolkien's books that include hobbits. You can hold a Hobbit party.... don't forget the fireworks. You may also chose to walk around barefoot all day. That sounds like fun. As for me, I will celebrate this day enjoying seven meals.

It actually depends whether you go by the books or movies to whether it's six or seven meals. Either way, here are the details about what the meals are, taken from this page on Ask About Middle Earth:

• 7:00am – Breakfast
• 9:00am – Second Breakfast
• 11:00am – Elevenses
• 1:00pm – Luncheon
• 4:00pm – Afternoon Tea
• 6:00pm – Dinner
• 8:00pm – Supper 

((EDIT: Pippin lists all these meals in the Peter Jackson movie adaptation, but in the books “dinner” and “supper” are two words for the same meal, so it’s actually 6 meals that hobbits aspire to. In fact, the actual quote from the LotR Prologue is this: “And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them).” So it’s implied that hobbits don’t always manage to have all six meals.))

Looking for a Hobbit themed menu? Try making some of these Middle Earth Recipes during your hobbit celebrations.

Happy Hobbit Week, and an early Happy Hobbit Day!

#Furkid Friday: Lilie The #Westie On Toys, Treats, And Doggy Clothing (FD)

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

(The above photo of me sat in the Mummy human's chair was taken the weekend I turned 19 weeks old).

The things in cages like to chew on sticks. I don't blame them... Sticks are fun! I like chewing on them too, but it's also fun to play fetch with them, like I'm doing in this photo:


I still love my cuddly toys with squeakrs in them, and still absolutely adore balls. As you can imagine, with my love of balls I was super excited when a human friend named Lorna came to visit with two new balls for me. One was a tennis ball with a special stick that goes with it called a "ball launcher" - maybe it will help the Mummy human actually manage a decent throw? I hope so, because her throws are rubbish... I hardly have to run at all to fetch a ball she's thrown! Anyway, the other is the purple ball I'm playing with in these next three photos:


The humans noticed I also had a liking for toys I can get my teeth in to. So they got me this rubber bone:


I love it!

They also got me some other toys I can chew on without them breaking too easily, including three different rubber balls. This is the biggest of the rubber balls:


That one doesn't do anything special, but I love it anyhow, because it's a ball. One of the others is like that one, but a bit smaller and with a bell in it. The other one is my favourite though, because it has a hole in the middle, and the Mummy human sometimes puts something tasty inside it for me to find and pull out to eat. I love when she does that! Whoever came up with the idea of having a treat and a ball in one needs a treat themselves for being so clever! They can't have my treats though, because they're mine, and I don't want to share.

Besides, I earned my treats with letting them do things like put a cute shirt on me...


OK, so it's cute. Also, it's right: I do give free kisses. Still, I'm not the kind of dog who likes to play dressup. My coat that stops the wet stuff from the sky from landing on me is fine, but I'd rather that be all the doggy clothes, thank you very much. The humans are lucky they give nice treats, and that I'm generally a friendly dog, otherwise I might have had some not nice things to say about them wanting to play dress-up. I just hope they don't plan on making a habit of it, that's all.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#Writing Wednesday - September 13th 2017

I was interviewed by Teri Polen as part of her "Indie Author Friday" series on Friday September 8th 2017. If you want to check it out, you can read my interview here.

***

Whether you plan it or not, your life experiences will influence your writing. However, if you want to conciously write about real events, here are some things to think about when deciding whether to write memoir or fiction.

Do you write for children like I do? If so, here's a post that explains the difference between the various children's literature genres.

No matter what age you write for though, when it comes to fiction writing, you may want to consider this advice on naming people and places, as well as these tips on how to handle those times when stories run alongside each other. Also, here's some advice on what to do when YAY becomes YUCK.

Regardless of whether you write fiction or non-fiction, you need to consider your setting, and think about the best way to bring it to life. Dialogue matters too.

As you probably already know, as well as children's stories, I write poetry. If you're a poet too, here are some tips on how to write a Tanka poem in English, for any fellow poets out there who want to have a go, but aren't sure how to do it.

No matter what it is you write, if you've taken a longer writing break than you planned to and are having some trouble getting back in to your writing, here's how to reboot your writing.

By the way, if you plan to do some guest posts, or plan to host others on your blog, you may want to read the tips in this post on guesting and hosting.

Before I end this week's post, I'd like to remind any fellow writers out there who are feeling jealous of another writer's success that there are things you can do instead of feeling jealous. Some writers may make it look like their path to success was simple, but they were all where you were at some point.