Pamela Roller's Blog

Halloween's excitement changes but never disappears

Halloween’s excitement for me has changed over the years, but never completely faded. When I was a child, the delicious anticipation of Halloween night was not only the costume, but also the knowledge that I’d be receiving several pounds of candy into my paper grocery bag. One chilly, leaf-strewn night in our Centreville, Virginia neighborhood, my brother Don and I sprinted—and I mean sprinted—from house to house during the two hours we were granted by our parents, and collected our sweet l...

How Not to Give Blood

Photo courtesy of freeimages.com It is 9:00 AM and I will leave in about forty minutes to drive to the community center. My palms are sweaty and my toes are cold. Yes, I am nervous.

When the lady from Virginia Blood Services called two weeks ago to ask if I could donate blood, I marked the calendar, in a heat of passion in wanting to help others, with the date and time. I've given blood many times, but it's always a matter of getting past one part of the process. And that part terrifies me.

I...

What to do if you've been sexually harassed at the workplace

In my last post, I discussed sexual harassment in the workplace. The heroine in my current novel-in-progress is dealing with unwanted sexual advances by the conceited vice president of sales, and in my research I came across some interesting information on sexual harassment. Now, understand that I’m not a lawyer and make no claims that I know what the hell I’m talking about. All the information I present here is off the Internet, where you can find more information if you’d like.

So we talk...

Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

The heroine in my current novel-in-progress is dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace. The vice president of sales gives her the up and down look, eyeballs her breasts, calls her “sweetness”, and makes a request that she spend some one-on-one time with him learning the business.

According to equalrights.org, sexual harassment is legally defined as “unwelcome verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is severe or pervasive and affects working conditions or creates...

Use Stock Photos to Generate Story Ideas

Three months ago, I signed up for Bigstock’s five images per day plan at a special price that would save me money on stock photos I use for my social media sites. Five images a day seemed a little crazy, but the price was good and I figured I’d make use of them.

For a few weeks, it was easy: I started on holidays and special occasions and collected images to use throughout the year. I downloaded images to use for my Twitter and Facebook pages, as well as backgrounds and ornamental swirl vec...

Author Website Roundup

Today I have four author websites to share with you. Be sure to check their books and buy them if you like what you see!

Elaine Isaak is the author of The Singer's Crown series of traditional fantasy novels and the epic fantasy novella series, "Tales of Bladesend". Each link to the book doesn't open in a new tab (hint: hold down the Ctrl button on your keyboard when you click the book link, and a new tab will open. That way, you can still have the author's website tab open.). Here is the link...

Early American Christmas Cards and a Colonial Christmas Romance--by Beth Trissel

(Holiday Series)
Today I have fellow author Beth Trissel here to chat about early American Christmas cards and her holiday release, A Warrior for Christmas .

Ever wonder about the history of Christmas Cards in America? Here’s what I found.

From Something Olde : Christmas Card History

“In the late 1700’s merchants sent their customers best wishes for the new year. The cards were created on lithographs and hand-colored. A lithograph is an etching on a stone that can be reproduced on paper. Sendin...

Early American Christmas Cards and a Colonial Christmas Romance--by Beth Trissel

(Holiday Series)
Today I have fellow author Beth Trissel here to chat about early American Christmas cards and her holiday release, A Warrior for Christmas .
Take it away, Beth!

Ever wonder about the history of Christmas Cards in America? Here’s what I found.

From Something Olde: Christmas Card History

“In the late 1700’s merchants sent their customers best wishes for the new year. The cards were created on lithographs and hand-colored. A lithograph is an etching on a stone that can be r...

Christmas in Merry Old England

Christmas is my all-time favorite time of year. I get as excited as a little kid.Was Christmas exciting 400 years ago? Imagine, no new laptops under the tree, no Kindles,iPhones, books by fabulous authors, nor the latest in kitchen gadgets. No new car in the driveway with a huge red bow (not that I ever got one of those), no inflatable snowmen in the yard or netted lights around the bushes. Just what did people give as gifts four centuries ago? How did they celebrate? How did they decorate?

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Christmas in Merry Olde England

Christmas is my all-time favorite time of year. I get as excited as a little kid.Was Christmas exciting 400 years ago? Imagine, no new laptops under the tree, no Kindles,iPhones, books by fabulous authors, nor the latest in kitchen gadgets. No new car in the driveway with a huge red bow (not that I ever got one of those), no inflatable snowmen in the yard or netted lights around the bushes. Just what did people give as gifts four centuries ago? How did they celebrate? How did they decorate?
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