Jo Robinson's Blog, page 46

Guest Post on Guest Author Etiquette by Chris the Storyreading Ape

Originally posted on Legends of Windemere:

(Today is a post from Chris the Storyreading Ape.�� Enjoy and check out his site.)

Author Guest Post Etiquette

My thanks to Charles for inviting me to discuss Guest Author Etiquette (although, an APE discussing etiquette does seem a bit odd, however, since there���s no food involved let���s give it a try and see what happens���

First, there is the obvious question from authors with their own blogs all nicely set up to tout sell their own books���

���WHY should I promote other authors and their books on my blog ��� I want people to buy and review my book(s)?���

The Answer?

By featuring other authors and their books on your blog, it will bring new visitors and followers to you; and your books (which are probably on display somewhere nearby, e.g., in widgets showing the covers, embedded with the purchase links, on the column beside the article)

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Missing Kylie

jorobinson176:

To my longtime online friend, I find it hard to find the words. Suddenly books become irrelevant to me. You and your wonderful family group have not only gathered around your beautiful Kylie, and kept her close and nurtured with all your hearts, but you’ve taken on the challenge of stopping childhood cancer – and loving Kylie’s kitty forever. I will support every thing that you do in memory of Kylie. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, because just as a follower of Smiley for Kylie, and having listened to your words of hope over the past months – I’ve cried and smiled for Kylie. I know your baby is in heaven now, but I mourn with you, every one of you wonderful Myers family, for your loss. I know that Kylie wanted a bit of humour posted in her memory – and I know you’ll all make an effort to do that. Please click on the links in Mark’s post. Twelve is just too young. We love you Kylie. From South Africa – Hamba Kahle small one – go with God.

Originally posted on Life in Portsong:

I have been absent from posting for a few weeks. The reason is that Kylie took a sudden turn for the worse and left her battered body on February 13th. I miss her every day.

There are so many questions and very few answers. My lovely wife and I had to plan out her funeral, which was truly heartbreaking. During the discussion, I felt compelled to speak at the memorial because I knew that Kylie would never want anyone to waiver in their faith because of her passing. So I did. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I made it through.

I would like to share the video with you. If you would rather read the text, it is at the bottom of the blog���s Kylie page.

There is no formula to recovering from this type of thing, but I think we are doing���

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Five Star Treatment – Echoes of Narcissus in the Gardens of Delight by Jo Robinson

jorobinson176:

Thank you Sally for this Five Star Treatment! I love that you chose this beautifully written review from Dannie Hill. Thank you both!

Originally posted on Smorgasbord - Variety is the spice of life:

The Five Star Treatment today is for a book that I read and reviewed earlier this year.�� It has now received further great reviews on Amazon deservedly so and I hope that you will add it to your book list.

About the book.

Donna thought that there was something wrong with her. That she was suffering from a mental illness that had caused her husband to despise her, distance himself from her, and cheat on her. She blames herself for the desolate, miserable thing that is her marriage and her life. Then she comes across a book that will change everything for her, and reading it, she discovers that there���s nothing wrong with her mind at all, but that there is something very wrong with her husband instead.

Marco, she realises, is a malignant narcissist. A textbook case. He has a real and documented mental disorder, and that he���s been���

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Sugars – here, there and everywhere in our modern diet

jorobinson176:

Sugar is my nemesis, but thanks to Sally’s advice some months ago, I now have pretty much cut it out of my diet – apart from honey – hmmmm – honey…..

Originally posted on Smorgasbord - Variety is the spice of life:

I am a sugar addict���������..along with millions of people around the world, most of whom have struggled with their weight and their health all their lives. Sugar is everywhere ��� there is no getting away from it. Not just sweets and chocolate, cakes, muffins, bread and cereals but hidden in pasta sauces and most of our savoury favourites. In every shop and in our own kitchen cupboards and fridge ��� always within reach and as enticing as anything in our lives. Sugar addiction is recognised as a real and extremely harmful craving mentally and physically.

Before I recognised that sugar addiction was part of the problem with my obesity I would move heaven and earth for a fix. It might seem amusing looking back but I can tell you that Halloween was my favourite time of year. I could legitimately go into stores and come out with bags of chocolates���

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Does Everyone Deserve Compassion?

Individually we can���t fix the whole world, and seeing the awful things going on all over I���m sure that a lot of us would rather look away, so it���s wonderful to see so many people out there trying to help in any way that they can. Humans are strange beings. Most are instinctively compassionate. Not all though. We���re powerful creatures in our ability to hurt. Lately with all the barbaric killings of innocents, committed in ways premeditated to be both painful and terrifying both for those who are being so brutally murdered, and for those who see these things, I���ve been wondering what goes on the minds of those killers as they execute that final act. What would happen to them if in that final minute they found that they couldn���t do it? Probably their compassion lies elsewhere, and all they feel is hatred for their victims, so that���s not likely to happen. Those of us who feel compassion for their victims then get to feel hatred for them, and if we could hurt them in return, would we?

Can you feel compassion for one who hates like that? The viciousness of the farm invasions up in Zimbabwe shocked me. The levels of violence seemed unnecessarily evil to me. A couple of things seemed senseless. Dogs, pets, and livestock were sought out and methodically beaten or maimed. The invaders would slash the tendons on the front legs of cattle, while their owners could only watch helplessly as the animals cried in pain as they crawled bleeding along the ground. Home invasions (a burglary where the robbers are fully aware that there���s somebody home) here in South Africa are the same. It���s not only about the stealing. Clearly they want to hurt, and humiliate as much as they can. An old lady was repeatedly burned with boiling water which the robbers boiled the kettle for, over and over to pour over her. Later she died from her injuries. They felt no compassion for the defenceless woman they did this to ��� no ��� their compassion lay with the victims of their own people who had been wronged by hers. Still. How can you feel compassion for someone who does that?

I find it pretty hard. I would very happily beat the crap out of anyone who did that if I could. I do understand the deep rooted hatred that causes such acts though. I just don���t accept it. Why should one person suffer for the wrongs of others, just because she’s the same colour as they were? The way the world is, with nations hating nations ��� remembering all the hurts of the past, compassion isn���t easy to come by. We���re human after all. I save my compassion for the helpless. I will never have compassion for those who choose to hurt or kill the helpless ��� no matter what has happened in their histories. Two wrongs don���t make a right. Sometimes terrible things happen to people, who then choose to go on and do further terrible things. Circle without end. They don���t get my compassion, because the choice to continue the cycle of terrible things is their own.

But at some point we���re all going to have to try and figuratively walk miles in the shoes of others, no matter how different to us we perceive them to be. Maybe understanding will help. I see voices raised by so many people around the world today, asking for understanding, and to not blame entire nations for the actions of some. They���re getting louder, and they���re getting heard, and we have to hope that our compassion for each other, regardless of race, colour, or creed, will become strong enough to overcome the actions of individuals or groups committing atrocities, and causing us to act with suspicion and hatred towards others who have done no wrong. Compassion may be our only weapon to break vicious cycles everywhere.

Time Management for Writers

Originally posted on :

Writers must always have time to write, and we need to be careful of getting too involved in selling our wares rather than creating our wares. Marketing is vital, but���.. We all know by now the importance of social media as far as marketing our books is concerned. It���s important to have a platform, with a few favourite sites where we interact with others. If you still have small followings, you might be complaining about too few likes, comments, or retweets, but I also see many overly stressed writers out there whose followings have grown, trying to move at light speed just to keep up with everything. I promise you though, you will reach a point where you can���t keep up without pruning a little.

How many blog posts do you read every day? Times that you take to read an article vary. I���ve timed a couple, and for me���

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Is There No Room For Adventure?

Originally posted on Legends of Windemere:

Long ago, there were adventures.�� The plots were fun and the characters weren���t as realistic as those of today.�� Conan was big, fast, strong, and brutal with the ability to survive everything.�� Also an odd penchant for choking enemies more than beheading them.�� At least in the collection I read.�� Anyway, these were the days of the fun escapism and pulp fiction.�� Feels like another world when I read those stories and I���m not talking about where Conan is wandering.�� It���s like there was an old society that cherished these kinds of tales more than we do today.

I���ve been playing with such a series while I try to get my head together.�� Yet, I keep coming back to one question:

IS THERE STILL A PLACE FOR ADVENTURES?

You don���t see things like this any more.�� People seem to want epic-spanning tales, hot romance, angst, death, and things that are���

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Fifty Shades of Stanley – Tuesday Challenge – A Bit of Silly

George Witherall had had a lucky escape when Stanley had been struck down by that vicious geriatric crone on her motorised wheelchair. But today was another day, and Stanley was determined to address the assault on his life���s work in the form of that one star stinking steamer of a review, pulsating mightily online in all of its lying filth, for all the world to see. He���d had a look at George���s Facebook page, and seen that he was very excited to be going to see the premier of Fifty Shades of Grey tonight. Well. So would Stanley. He���d bought a hugely overpriced ticket, and laid out his clothes.

Stanley regretted the fact that he���d forgotten to change his knickers before he���d got run over by that ferocious stick wielding Methuselah. Her abuse had been relentless no matter how loudly he explained that the importance of setting his reviewer straight justified his accidental elbowing of her ear. His first review for the book that had taken years of his blood, sweat, and tears to write. Not to mention that that time spent had given him a carbuncle of some size and character in his nether regions from all the sitting that writing an assured bestseller required. That carbuncle was a stayer. It pulsed, and seemed to have a life of its own, and the only way he could get his mind off it was to contain it. Your run of the mill undies couldn���t cut the mustard. Only extra large, comfy, nylon knickers did the trick. And he figured that since he had to wear knickers, why shouldn���t he wear attractive ones? He didn���t see what all the fuss was about anyway. Pants were pants after all. He wondered if it would be worth his time to discuss workplace professionalism with the nurse who had laughed out loud when she���d removed his trousers, and then again when he had informed her that his name was Stanley Wacker. No time now. Mother had been given a large dose of a little something to help her sleep, and Stanley had to get a move on.

Stanley found a seat right behind his nemesis and the painted floozy he was with. He looked around at the people surging in. He had no truck with films. The written word was all Stanley was interested in. He wondered what this Fifty Shades thing was about to attract such hordes. After hearing someone in the lobby say that it was based on a bestselling novel, his interest had been piqued. Maybe he could pick up some tips. He leaned furtively forward to check that his 38 was still snugly resting in its holster on his leg, and also to hear what George was whispering to his date as the lights went down and the movie started. Stanley���s plan to exterminate his reviewer with a well placed bullet, and then escape in the crowd was immediately forgotten, as the things that he was seeing on screen affronted his senses. What was this?

Distracted only occasionally by the lustful fumblings of the gasping and giggling couple to his right, Stanley���s jaw hung slackly, absorbing the details of the sort of story that earned a hundred million dollars. Finally Stanley saw the light. He knew now where he���d gone wrong. Pain! Readers wanted pain! They wanted to be assailed! The thing was to confound readers with dearth of plot, inanity, criminal assault, irritating sensuous pencil placements, a lot of wowing, and a surly billionaire. Vapid Stanley ��� think vapid! No wonder George had hated his book! He had entirely missed what readers really wanted! Yes! He could do that! Rushing home to begin again, and to emulate his new writing hero, E L James, Stanley was once again struck down. This time by a large set of handcuffs falling from a sign outside of a hardware store. Just before he passed out, he smiled, relieved that he had indeed remembered to change his knickers.

A Negative World?

Originally posted on Legends of Windemere:

First, an apology for changing topics after I promised someone this week would be about outlining.�� I moved that to mid-March because I���ve had a lot on my mind.�� This probably breaks my ���no personal��� stuff, but I really need to vent on a few things.

Is the world becoming more negative?�� I see it every day.�� People put incredible amounts of energy to tear down something they dislike or disagree with.�� You hate my favorite TV show?�� Then war has been declared.�� We see a topic from a different view?�� I should punch you in the face.�� This celebrity said something I don���t like?�� I hope they die in a plane crash with these other people I don���t like.�� Is this what the world has always been like or is it steadily going in this direction?

I���m not even talking about a single area.�� This came to me when���

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Anyone who has done a Charity Anthology – Please urgently advise Kevin…

Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog:

Received this email from Author Kevin Morris who is blind and has a guide dog Trigger���

Hi Chris,

As you know I am in the process of pulling together a charity anthology to raise money for The Guide Dogs For The Blind Association.

Prior to publishing I want to establish a means of getting the money directly from Amazon to Guide Dogs (I.E. without it passing through my bank account).

I am liaising with Guide Dogs but am still awaiting their response.

I was wondering whether you could kindly put something out on your blog asking that anyone who has done a charity anthology please contact me at:��

newauthoronline (at) gmail (dot) com

I am keen to get the anthology out ASAP, however I want to avoid tax complications hence my preference for the funds going directly to the charity.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Kevin

newauthoronline.com

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