Emily Harper's Blog, page 2

February 3, 2017

Fashionista Fridays: Oh, you pretty little things!

Fashionista Fridays:


If you follow my Instagram feed (@emilyswhitelies) you will know I am somewhat obsessed with the amazing Stella and Dot line. This week’s post is about the recent gems I have nabbed to make my ears look ever so pretty.


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First is these amazing Asher earrings (link to purchase). I mean, let’s all just take a moment and admire them. Sigh…


They are pretty light and my favourite thing about them is they are a combination of silver and gold, so I can wear a combination of necklaces and rings with them. They really jazz up a pair of jeans and button down top, and I think they will really rock with a summer dress (that is, if we ever see the glorious sun again!). They come in at $54.00, but honestly they are worth every penny. They don’t irritate my ears which 99.9% of all fashion jewelry usually does- one of the main reasons I love Stella and Dot so much, as this has never happened with one of their pieces. I give them 9/10, only losing a point because I find sometimes the connection between the dangly part and the part that goes through my ear (yeah, I’m super technical in my descriptions ;)), gets caught and I have to wiggle them a little to hang free again.


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Second is these super trendy ear climbers (link to purchase). I’ll admit that when I first ordered them I was a little unsure. Because they go up the side of my ears I was worried it would give me a bit of an elfish look (I don’t know why, but you know me- I worry about the weirdest things!). They actually look really chic on. I’m planning to rock then with a ponytail soon, but I desperately need my highlights done and I’ve been wearing my hair down recently to try and not bring attention to this fact, ha! I give them a full 10/10 because I don’t feel them when they are on, they look stunning and I have received a lot of compliments on them. I’m thinking of hinting to the hubby a gold pair would be a welcome Valentine’s present.


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Published on February 03, 2017 04:27

February 1, 2017

If you write it: Audiobooks

[image error]A while ago a friend told me that she loved to listen to audiobooks on her drive to work (she has quite a long drive, so she goes through a few audiobooks a month). I’d never really considered an audiobook before, but on her recommendation I gave it a go. I subscribe to Audible.com, which costs me $9.99 a month and gives me a credit for one free audiobook. Sometimes I go through more than one audiobook a month depending on the length, but other times I have credits from a previous month and just use those (they accumulate so you never lose them and they don’t expire). Audiobooks usually cost around $30.00 each, so I’ve found the subscription really good value.


I’m hooked. I feel like I am actually accomplishing something on my commute now, rather than a necessity of just getting from point A to B. So far my favourites are autobiographies. I have never read an autobiography before, mainly because I am not a huge nonfiction fan. But there is just something about having the author read their own story to me that makes me feel like we are sitting down, chatting about their life. Favourite autobiography of 2016: tied between Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” and Michael McIntyre’s “Life and Laughing”.


I also really enjoy listening to literary fiction via audiobooks. Again, literary fiction isn’t something I would run to pick up myself, not because I don’t appreciate it, but because I think I am lazy. They just tend to take a little longer to fully engulf me, and I don’t seem to have time or the patience for it. Best literary fiction of 2016: Anthony Doerr’s “All The Light We Cannot See”. There is no chance I would have been able to sit down and read this book, but listening to it drew me into the world of the two main characters and I was hooked. So much so, that when I would get home in the evening, I would sometimes sit in the driveway to listen to just one more chapter. Brilliant, that’s all I can say.


Honorable mentions for 2016: I listened to all of the Harry Potter books. Okay, I know what you are thinking. This was an easier choice for me because I am kind of obsessed with Harry Potter. Well, let me tell you, I didn’t know Harry Potter could get any better until I listened to the audiobooks. The narrator, Jim Dale, turns each book into a one man play. He was simply sensational, and I fell in love with the books once more (something I hope I never stop doing with each new read).


Right now I am currently listening to the audiobook of The Light Between Oceans. I love it so far (I’m about half way through). Again, not something I think I would read curled up on the couch (those tend to be more romance or mystery books), but I am really enjoying it. It’s one of those novels that about three chapters in you think, uh oh, this isn’t going to end well. Time will tell, but I am loving the journey. And now I totally want to live in a lighthouse.


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Published on February 01, 2017 07:27

January 31, 2017

So this just happened:

I’ve owned a children’s hair salon for five years now, but I’ve been a hairstylist for over ten years. Side note: you know, on a normal day I really don’t feel old at all, but when you start putting down on paper that you have been a hairstylist for the last ten years you think- man, maybe I am getting old!


Anyways, I can tell you that as a hairstylist I have seen it all. At this point, I’m not even sure what it would take to phase me.   Especially working in a children’s hair salon (and 9 times out of 10 it’s the parents that shock me).


I thought I would spend this month’s Monday posts sharing with you my top 10 best and worst moments in the hair industry.


#10 (one of the worst)


So, it is only fitting that we start the list with my very first day roughly ten years ago at another children’s hair salon. Now, as you may or may not know most boys don’t like getting their hair cut. (And “don’t like it” is probably the understatement of a lifetime.) I’ve been kicked, punched, pinched- you name it, it’s probably happened to me. I never really mind because I understand the kids are little and they are scared. I try and make them as relaxed and as calm as possible, but sometimes they are sitting lovely and they suddenly remember what is happening and a fist comes out of nowhere. Luckily at this point I have the reflexes of a cat, so I avoid the left hooks most days!


Anyways, back to my first day. A boy came into the salon and the mom wanted his hair cut. OK, no problem, I thought. He was around six (the mom told me he was in grade one, but he was sick that day so she thought she would bring him in for a haircut- oh, lovely, cheers for that!). Well, he lost it. LIKE LOST IT! He was kicking, screaming, so much so I couldn’t even get near him with the flailing limbs. Now seeing that today wouldn’t phase me, but for my first day I was a little hesitant (so young, so naïve ;)). Anyways, I suggested to her that maybe because he wasn’t feeling well, it might be better to try another day, but no she wasn’t going to be deterred. She said, “It’s okay, I know what to do.” She then proceeded to take her six year old, and pull him onto her lap (he was almost as big as she was) and started to breastfeed him. She looked up to me and said, “Okay, cut his hair now.” I’m not sure what I was more shocked about, that this massive boy who was almost as big as her was currently being breastfed to calm him down or the fact that she wanted me to cut his hair like that.


Okay, now before you get your pitch forks out, I have no problem with breastfeeding your kids. Good for you! Breastfed, bottle fed, spoon fed, whatever! I’m just not entirely comfortable watching a six year old do it while I am trying to cut his hair. Call me crazy!


#9 (one of the best)


A dad had come in with his two daughters. The younger daughter was wearing a wooly hat, and the older daughter had beautiful ringlets. Once the older daughter had picked her chair, I turned to dad and asked, “What are we doing today with her hair?”


He looked at me and said, “We are shaving it all off.”


I paused, waiting for him to laugh thinking he was teasing his daughter (which 99.9% of dads do), but he was serious. I frowned at him and looked at the girl in the chair.


“Like all of it?” I asked. “Or you just want it shorter?”


He shook his head, “Nope, all of it.”


“Oh okay, umm, is everyone okay with this?” I asked, wondering if I was going to have a sobbing little girl in the chair after we were done.


“Yep,” he nodded and looked down at his daughter. “Do you want to tell Miss Emily why you want to shave your head?”


She nodded and looked up at me. “My sister has cancer and lost all her hair and thinks she looks ugly, but I think she looks cool. If I shave my head we can be cool together.”


Oh my god, it took everything inside of me not to fall into a sobbing mess right then and there. I looked at the younger little girl smiling at her big sister and I just nodded and smiled. It’s all I could do. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t say a single thing because I thought if I opened my mouth I would burst into tears.


The situation could have been so sad (and it was), but it was also filled with hope and love, so it totally had to make the top ten list.  We shaved the big sister’s head, and she was right. They both looked amazing.


 


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Published on January 31, 2017 08:51

January 27, 2017

Fashionista Fridays: The WunderBrow

Every time I go on Facebook (which is far too often), I am constantly seeing “sponsored posts” of products Facebook has decided I would like. After much resistance on my part- meaning I held out for a grand total of five days before buying it- I splurged and bought the WunderBrow.


Haven’t heard of it, you say? Well, let me tell you, I am about to change your life.


I’m not a huge makeup person. I like makeup, but my routine pretty much consists of a bit of eye shadow and mascara. Foundation I wear to weddings or special events because a) I tend to break out if I have anything on my face for more then five minutes and b) it just seems like a lot of work to put it on every day. Recently, however, I had my makeup done for headshots and the makeup artist penciled in my eyebrows. I was unsure about it at the time, but once I saw a photo of myself I realized that a defined eyebrow actually does make a huge difference for my face. Maybe because I am very fair skinned, maybe because I have lighter hair- who knows? The point is it made a difference, at least to me it did.


Fast forward a few months and I see the Wunderbrow coming up on my Facebook feed all the time. Well, I had to try it, didn’t I? The Facebook gods were practically demanding it. So, I bought it, and the results are in:


I LOVE IT!


I would call it a cross between a gel and a liquid liner, but then it dries to look like an eyebrow pencil (I don’t know how it does it, so don’t ask!). I don’t use the brush that it comes with because I attempt to have a light hand when applying and the thick brush tends to be too heavy. Instead, I use my angle brush I got in one of my IPSY bags (another post for another day, I’m sure), and apply it using that. It allows me to get thin short strokes in an attempt to get it to look natural. Yes, I want my gorgeous fake eyebrows to look like they are naturally sculpted to perfection. And it works! Don’t believe me? Well, see for yourself!  


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You really should try it.  It cost me around $30 including tax and shipping and I reckon there is enough in the bottle for six months use.  It’s also waterproof and if you YouTube it, there is a woman pouring all sorts of liquid over her face to prove it (forget the product, it’s worth the search just to see what else she finds to pour all over her face- we’re talking juice, milk, I was waiting for someone to bring out the garden hose!). But word to the wise: really enunciate if you plan on talking about this with anyone.  My dad was on the phone with me when it arrived in the mail and he thought I said my Wonderbra had arrived, and I was going on about how excited I was to try it out!


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Published on January 27, 2017 02:17

January 25, 2017

If you write it…

Oh, what to write?


As some of you may know, the second book in the June Jenson series was released last week (insert shameless plug for the book including Amazon link

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Published on January 25, 2017 04:00

January 23, 2017

So, that just happened.

I live in a pretty small town in the country. Our population is 2,180 but I’m not sure if they have updated the sign since we moved here so let’s call it 2,184.


I love living here. Coming from a busy city, I appreciate that we only have one general store that sells everything you could possibly need (Well, actually, it’s more like they sell candy bars and pies- but I am VERY comfortable with this). Because we are such a small community, I felt an immediate sense of inclusion. People are so freaking nice here. When you’re standing outside waiting for the school bus, people actually stop and say hello to you. After two minutes you know their daughter is visiting on the weekend, they have two cats- they used to have three but Misty got out last Spring and never came home, and they will be returning this afternoon with that cobbler recipe they told you about.


As any good resident to a new town, I immediately joined their social media group which mainly consists of people posting that their cat has gotten out, or they heard a loud noise and want to know if anyone else heard it.


I was late getting out of the house last week. My son couldn’t find his glasses, so the time I usually spend making my coffee was spent turning the house upside down looking for his glasses (we eventually found them in the exact spot I told him to look from the beginning). Finally managing to get the kids on the bus, I quickly made my coffee and got in the car. The quickest route to work consists of going down a country road for a quarter of an hour with no cellphone reception. It makes me a little nervous so I try and avoid this route in the evening, but I guess I am a risk taker in daylight and drive down it in the mornings.


I just turned onto the road that morning and spotted a small dog to my right, just wandering around. Even though I was late for work, I had to pull the car over. I know I would have thought about the dog all day if I didn’t at least stop and try to help. Disclaimer: Since moving to the country I have discovered that just because roads are winding and have many blind corners, this does not slow people down. I was therefore imagining this poor dog getting hit by a car and in my mind it would have been my fault. Anyways, I got out of the car and not sure what to do, I tried to call the dog over to me. He looked up, but made no indication of coming over to me. I looked both ways and then took a few steps towards him, but every step I took he kept backing up more and more. At this point I was really late for work, and I thought better of trying to somehow get a hold of dog that really didn’t want me to approach it. Instead, I grabbed my phone and took a picture of him and posted it to our town’s social media group. The post went something like this:


Hello! This is my first post to the group (yah!). I was just on my way to work when I saw this dog wandering down the side of the road. I have tried to call him to me, but he doesn’t seem very friendly so thought better of approaching him. I thought I would post a picture of him instead, and if anyone is missing their dog or anyone knows whose dog this is, come and get him! Hope he gets home soon!


I attached the picture to the post and continued my drive to work. When I got to work the first thing I did was check my phone to see if anyone had commented on my post. There was only one comment and it read:


Umm, yeah, that’s a coyote. Definitely don’t try and put him in your car.


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Published on January 23, 2017 12:00

January 22, 2017

I’m back, baby! Oh boy, does it ever feel like a long tim...

I’m back, baby! Oh boy, does it ever feel like a long time since I’ve had a go at writing a blog post (probably because it HAS been a long time since I’ve wrote a blog post, ha!). But that’s all in the past now. This is my new years resolution.


Well, in all honesty, my New Years resolution was to spend more time doing things I love to do.  This is my plan: I am going to write three blog posts a week. I know, I know, I shouldn’t run before I can walk, right? But, in all fairness my original idea was to do a new blog post every day. So, you see, this is actually the more reasonable of my plans. Anyways, the plan:


 


Mondays: So, that just happened.


You would be absolutely shocked at the things I see and hear in my everyday life. My friends have a running joke of: “That would only happen to you…”, and I plan on sharing these crazy events with you guys and gals.


Wednesday: If you write it….


This day is dedicated to all things literary. It could be about what I’m writing that week; what I am struggling to write that week; a good/bad book I’ve recently read. Sky’s the limit!


Fridays: Fashionista Fridays.


It may seem hard to believe (me being so level headed and sensible), but I love new and shiny things. I love watching YouTube tutorials on pretty much anything and then seeing if I can do said thing myself. I love finding an amazing deal! Fridays are dedicated to my score of the week!


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Published on January 22, 2017 21:30

May 29, 2016

It’s been a struggle.

Well, it has been a year since I published my last book, June Jenson and the Shield of Quell.  I have a sequel in the works (I am about 80 percent done, and if I am honest the last 20 percent is as much of a struggle as the first 80 was).  The book is good (you know, in my humble opinion), and I am not FORCING words to come out, it’s more forcing myself to sit in my chair and write it.  I desperately want to tell June’s story, and I am hoping that this will be a three-part series.  But let me tell you, I take my hat off to historical writers.  Especially historical fiction writers.  There is a lot of research that needs to go into a historical book, but then to really mess with the whole process I then have to weave fiction into what actually happened and make it sound believable (Dan Brown, I literally have no idea how you did it).  Having said that, I am enjoying the series.  I love the Professor.  I love all the characters, but he is definitely my favourite (don’t tell the others!), and once I get into the swing of things re:writing it comes out so naturally.  But then I have to do some “real life” things like laundry, kid’s soccer games and go to work and I can’t seem to get my butt back into that chair for weeks.


I am apart of a local writers group and I find it very helpful with the motivation and determination to get this done.  A) because I can’t really show up to the meetings without something written and B) talking about writing with people who are just as passionate about it as I am is very encouraging.  I now try to clear my mornings the week after my meetings while I am still in the “zone” and write my heart out.  Then for the next three weeks I get distracted until the next meeting and it all starts again!  Maybe one day I can be a writer full time and I will have to drag myself OUT of the chair (that’s exactly how that would work, right?).


Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know that June Jenson Book #2 (another problem is the book title, but I really can’t tackle it right now on top of everything else!) is on it’s way hopefully by the end of the summer.


I am hoping to release a traditional chick-lit Christmas book before the New Year as well so I really need to get on this!


More updates to come, I promise.


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Published on May 29, 2016 17:56

February 3, 2015

The Price of Ebooks, Thoughts?

Recently my writer���s group and I (another fun blog post to come next week about this wonderful group) have been having a little debate over the price of eBooks. Obviously this has been spurred on between the argument between Hachette and other major publishing houses with Amazon. I won���t get into the argument, mainly because I have tried to avoid a little of the ���drama��� here. I���ve read Hachette���s side, I���ve read Amazon���s side. I very clearly saw how they were trying to get both authors and readers on each of their sides. I stayed in Switzerland.


The argument is two fold here.


A) Should publishing houses be told how to price their eBooks? (I guess indie authors are in the mix here too.)


The answer to this directly corresponds to the second part of this argument.


B) Should eBook prices be lower than print prices for the same book?


I���ll try and be brief in my answers as I would really like everyone else to weigh in on this as well and wouldn���t want my long winded opinion to sway you from your gut reaction. Even in my writing group we are slightly divided. My friend Dan, who writes amazing sci-fi and thriller books (www.danielside.com), is on the equal eBook/print prices and his arguments are pretty enticing as well.


For the first question, my first reaction is no�� Amazon and other big retailers should not be able to dictate to the publishing houses how much they want to sell their books for. I���ve been ticked off quite a few times with Amazon���s seemingly endless and overbearing rules (sometimes I feel I am in business with Christian Grey here ;)). As an author, publisher, etc., if you want to put your book on sale through Amazon and receive your standard royalty you have to sign up for KDP, which basically translates to Amazon owns you for a three month period. That���s right, you cannot have you eBook listed on ANY other site for that time. If you chose not to enroll in KDP you can still put your book on sale but you receive a FRACTION of the price you normally would (I believe it falls from 70% royalty to 35% royalty).


So yes, I think in theory we should stand tall and say no to the bullies who try to dictate our eBook pricing. But the problem is, Amazon are just so freaking successful. Not just for themselves (though I seriously do not want to even think about what their bank account looks like), but they show us results too. I sell, hands down, WAY more books through Kindle Amazon than any other platform I have my books listed on. I���m talking like 99% of my sales are through them. Who knows, maybe this is me doing something wrong, but I don���t think so. I only have one book listed under KDP, the rest are normal listings and even those out perform through Kindle than on any other platform. So, unfortunately for me I begrudgingly have to agree to Amazon���s�� at times bully-ish�� rules and not bite the hand that feeds me.


For the second question, I think this is where a lot of people become divided. Personally, as an avid reader first and foremost, I think eBooks should be priced at a lower cost than print books. I stand by this as an author too (though I have some exceptions on this that I will explain in a moment). First off is the simple economics. It doesn���t take as much money to produce an eBook as it does a print book. It just doesn���t. Yes, the initial costs for both are the same: editor, proofreader, cover design, etc. Yes there is a cost to make an eBook (though to be honest you can get a decent eBook formatting for under a hundred dollars and it is done in under 24 hours��� nothing earth shattering but it gets the job done). If I sell an eBook, after those initial costs I don���t have a lot of overhead. Yes, the retailer takes their share�� roughly 30%, but this is based on the price that I set. For example (for simple math) if I sold my book for $1.00, I would have to pay $0.30 to the retailer for ���selling my book���. Physical books however are more set in their costs�� first you have to pay to actually produce each book (for indie authors maybe roughly $3.00-$6.00 depending on the length of the book), then I have to pay the retailer their royalties for ���selling my book��� and then I get my own royalty from whatever is left over. Putting aside the economics for a minute, there is also the lack of versatility with the eBook. You have it on your eReader and there it will stay. I can���t loan it to my grandma, aunt, friend, etc. unless they also have an eReader and even then the eBook has to have a ���lending��� option, set by the retailer and author.


From a writer���s perspective, I also think lower eBook prices are a way to gain new readers. Personally, I am just not willing to spend $14.99+ on an author I have never heard of��� But I am more than glad to spend that on an author I love and know I will enjoy the read. I think as an author, careful pricing of our eBooks is a way to gain new readership. Here���s an example: I once got a free eBook written by Marie Force. I hadn���t read any of her other books but this was a first in the series. After I read, and loved, her book I very willingly paid $4.99+ for each of the other books she wrote in the series. I think there is close to ten now. I probably, in all honesty, would have never read any of her books and now I am a huge fan. I try and price my eBooks fairly so I���m not undermining my time and craft but so people who have never heard of me will give my books a chance. Then, once they have read my work and hopefully liked it, I would hope they would stick with me for the rest of my career.


Okay, so here is the BUT. I can completely understand why the major publishing houses have to price their eBooks higher. Publishing houses have very large overheads. There are many people whose salaries depend on the sale of those books. Editors, marketing, proofreaders, copy editors, even the nice newbie who has to bring everyone coffee and their mail. When you slice the pie up, you have to price the eBook higher so that people can pay their mortgages. I don���t believe, however, that because you charge more for an eBook it means that it is a better quality book. I���ve read some terrible traditionally published books priced at $14.99+ and some FANTASTIC indie books for $0.99! And vice versa. Sometimes I think indie authors undersell themselves, but that���s a different debate.


Okay I will leave you with a final tidbit to mull over before you let me know what you think:


Traditional publishers usually give roughly a 30% royalty on eBooks to their authors, 10-15% usually for print books. This makes me wonder if they too realize that the overhead is not as great for eBooks and are therefore able to give more back to the author.


Okay, I think I���ve talked enough now.


What are your thoughts?


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Published on February 03, 2015 02:00

July 4, 2014