Jo Robinson's Blog, page 77

Hitting a Happy Medium

I haven’t managed to get my email totally cleared for a long time now. I never, ever, have less than six hundred newbies there on any given day, so if I’m away from my computer for longer than that I generally log on from under the table with only one eyeball open. When I try and handle all of them, I don’t get any scribbling or scribbling related projects done, and if I don’t handle them all, they tend to get buried under all the new ones. Not to mention forgetting to eat and feed people. This is not good, and it freaks me out when I find something important that’s been waiting for me, or I’ve unintentionally missed a comment on any of my sites. This has to change. Now that I’m pretty much back to my – ahem – normal self, I’ve decided to try and hit a happy medium.

I’ve generally always saved what I can’t get to on any specific day for the next – or the next – or the next, but nowadays there’s just too much coming in – it’s impossible to keep up. So I’m going to have to start allocating specific daily amounts of time to each of my sites, and unless they’re really important, any emails that I know that I’m not going to be able to deal with in twenty four hours are going to have to be deleted now. Time for me to ditch the OCD and get a little more professional with my chosen path in life I reckon. So, from now on it’s going to have to be only writing related things first every day, then the interweb and email fun stuff, and then the delete stuff, so there’s also a little time to relax and enjoy living too.

Now – just off to check my emails.

WTF FACEBOOK?????

jorobinson176:

No words.

Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog..... An Author Promotions Enterprise!:

To say I’m upset is very, VERY understated!!!!!

To see WHY click in the Buzzfeed link below:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/facebook-refuses-to-remove-a-video-of-a-kitten-being-set-on Sent from the BuzzFeed app

I’m normally peaceful, but right now I’d like to get hold of the young ‘persons’ directly involved AND the Facebook ‘persons’ who made the decision to leave it on Facebook.

Then do EXACTLY THE SAME TO THEM!!!!!

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What It Takes To Be A Serious Writer

jorobinson176:

Excellent advice from one who knows.

Originally posted on Have We Had Help?:

In the good old bad old days, wrongly or rightly, writers were shielded by their agents and publishers from their reading public to maintain an air of mystery, and to shield them from the more repugnant elements of society, among other things. These days since the internet became reality, it has become a necessary tool for all writers to be able to let their readers get to know them.

Even so, as a writer you need to be cautious. There are a few drawbacks. The  spread of internet trolls, armchair critics and pedants springs to mind. But, always providing the writer doesn’t engage with them, they remain where they belong, lurking in the darkest recesses of the internet fora. With the way the review system operates on a lot of book sites these days, they do their darnedest to put people off buying books written by every writer they hate…

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Calling ALL Debut Authors

Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog..... An Author Promotions Enterprise!:

I remember my first novel. All the excitement of being published, in ebook and paperback too! Then the letdown – no one knew about me, or this awesome fantasy romance novel that I wrote.

As I have learned, eventually, there are numerous opportunities for promotion and exposure for authors online, like this blog (Chris, our dapper StoryReadingApe) does on a daily basis.

But October is an opportunity for those first published books on The Broomstick. Claim your spot (only 8 available) and introduce the world to your first book.

Send an email to blog.tour.info (at) gmail (.) com with OCTOBER DEBUT in the subject line and grab this opportunity to introduce yourself and your book to the world.

——

You can do a background check on me HERE :) and also find me online at:

Blog (Butterfly on a Broomstick)


Facebook
 – Twitter – Pinterest –

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Jemsbooks Book Signing – Coffeeberries – Sat. Sept. 20th – 12 noon – 3 pm

Originally posted on jemsbooks:

Hi everyone!

I am very excited to announce Jemsbooks book signing at Coffeeberries, a wonderful coffee & gift shop in Londonderry, NH, USA.  If you are in the area please stop by and sit for awhile, buy a delicious cup of coffee or some lovely gifts and some of my books for the young ones in your life.

I would love to meet you and chat for awhile and visit with your children. They will love my books!

Christine, the owner of Coffeeberries has been gracious enough to host Jemsbooks.  Thank you, Christine.

Thank you for your kind support and continued readership.

REMEMBER:  READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY!

-Janice-

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Guest authors: Viv Drewa, the Owl Lady and her novels.

Originally posted on Just Olga:

Hi all:

As you know on Fridays I bring you guest authors and recently also new books. I met today’s author, Viv Drewa, through a group of authors I belong too, and especially through her efforts blogging and sharing the work of other writers and bloggers. If that wasn’t enough, she loves owls (so do I) and one of her blogs is called ‘The Owl Lady‘. She also has owls in her books, so, how could I resist?

Here with you, Viv Drewa!

Author and blogger Viv Drewa

Viv is a Michigan native who has enjoyed reading and writing since 1963. Though she studied medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan her passion has always been writing.

She was awarded third place for her nonfiction short story about her grandfather’s escape from Poland. Later, she rewrote this story and was published in the “Polish American Journal” as…

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How To Read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series, In One Handy Chart

Originally posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog..... An Author Promotions Enterprise!:

Guess who didn’t read them in order :D :D :D

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Reblog Saturday – This week’s pick of posts from exceptional bloggers.

jorobinson176:

Time for Reblog Saturday with our wonderful Sally Cronin – lots to enjoy this week. :)

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

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that the small selection of posts from exceptional bloggers this week will entertain and interest you.  Although many of the bloggers already have large followings I am sure that they will welcome more.  Be warned you may end up spending hours in their archives when you drop by.  You will see there is a bit of a monkey theme going on – and here is one to kick start the proceedings.

This week has been busy in the house as we begin the final declutter.  Some treasures have been packed up safely ready to move with us but I am having to be ruthless about the clothes that I have horded.  Even if I do get down to the weight I was 20 years ago (the lyrics The Impossible Dream come to mind!) I am not sure those tight pink jeans with glitter…

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Monkey See, Monkey Run Like Hell

I can’t be messing around much if I’m going to get anything published at all this year. With things still being CRAZY hectic around here, and me not having much time to write, distracting me from my work is not a good idea when I’m hard at it in the little time I do have. Especially when I’m really getting a lot done quickly. These epic word rolls don’t happen often, and it’s particularly difficult to get my attention when I’m on one. Success at finally getting my attention at such a time is never going to be a good thing – for man or beast. Birds don’t count, because they’re generally attached to me, so part of the process. While I would be the last person to want to hurt any sort of creature on the planet, that doesn’t mean that every single one of them makes me come over all warm and fuzzy. Worms creep me out to the point of screaming and belting around the house with hair on end a couple of times if I accidentally grab one while whiffling through a bit of damp soil – as you do. Mortally venomous snakes in my house are not going to make me put anyone in it at risk by talking to it in a friendly fashion while attempting to pop it into a bag to transport to pastures new. No. It will unfortunately get to meet its maker early if it doesn’t get me first. And I absolutely loathe African bees after helplessly watching a swarm of them kill my animals in the most agonising and long drawn out way. No bees allowed around me. Yes I’m the only person on the planet who doesn’t think they’re lovely little things that should be decorating cakes. No child around here should think of bees as cute in any way as far as I’m concerned. Four year old twins were killed by them at a dam down the road from us in Zimbabwe. Now this brings me to monkeys.

I’d love to see the people who abuse them in labs have their kneecaps shot to shreds and then have them dumped in the middle of millions of fire ants. I think monkeys should be left alone to get on with things in whatever wild parts remain to them. But I’m not particularly fond of them, and they’re most certainly not welcome to pop around to my house for any sort of snack. (NOT APES!!! WE LOVE STORY READING APES, WHO ARE ALLOWED ALL THE SNACKS THEY WANT!) Monkeys. I’ve had a running battle with the little sods for years now. Up in Zimbabwe, among other terrible acts of theft and destruction, they used to eat the baby weaver birds out of their nests. Not on my watch Dagwood! I never ever harmed a hair on one of their smelly little persons, but chase them away I did. Monkeys know what guns are, so all you have to do is point one at them or let off a shot in the direction of nothing at all, and they’ll hightail it out of there. They’re clever buggers though, so I got a lot of exercise warding off their various military style tactics to gain entry from different points.

Monkeys in suburbia are another kind of pain in the bum altogether. They know which day the rubbish is collected, and driving down the road on Tuesdays looks like a warzone after they’ve ripped and tossed everybody’s trash all over the place. Now I know a lot more about my neighbours than I cared to thanks to them. If you don’t have screens on your windows and doors they’ll pop in and destroy your house for you in their quest for snacks, while you cower in the toilet waiting for them to leave, and any yards with fruit trees are open season. They don’t delicately pick a fruit or two and munch on it either. They hoik off everything whether its ripe or not. Around here, they’re very interested in what my feathered horde have lurking around – and the horde have food of some sort all over the house. Every time you hear those demolishing beasties thundering over the roof, or one of their faces pops up at a window, my birds freak right out, and Button has flown into things a couple of times now, hurting his tiny little body, and almost knocking himself out. Apart from the constant distraction from my scribbling, I’m worried that one day the poor guy will hit just a little too hard to survive. Can’t have that. So war it is!

Now – you can’t go zooming around the yard in suburbia with a real gun letting off shots willy nilly. And you aren’t going to get very far with a broom either. Monkeys know what brooms are, they’re not scared of you, and if you try and interfere with them unarmed they’ll bite your face off. They really will – not fluffy cuties, monkeys. So – not a scribbler for nothing. Googled and googled. And now I’ve got me a nice little replica rifle that shoots plastic pellets. The lovely man at the shop is very clued up monkey-wise – they’re the terror of the area – and supplied me with some “special” little pellets that would most certainly sting without causing actual injury – just in case. I’ve been having a ball zooming after them now, after having them show me the finger all the time – not to mention some pretty serious looking dental equipment – buggers. They’re avoiding any sign of me now. *Grins* *Shows monkeys the finger* Jo 100 – Monkeys 0 – HAH! Anyway. Back to work.

Reblog Saturday – All the elements of an amazing community.

jorobinson176:

It’s time for Saturday Reblog with the wonderful, witty, wise, and generous Sally Cronin. A fantastic selection for us today – if you haven’t already met Sally – waddya waitin’ for?

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

Welcome to my small selection of the blogs I have followed this week.  It would be impossible to share them all but thank you to everyone for making the week so enjoyable.  I am sure that I will find a few more before the day is through.

I was thinking today about the communications I have had during the week on FB, Twitter and here on WordPress.  There has been loss, celebrations, family dramas, stories of pets and children, recipes and a regular check in to say hello or just good morning and a virtual hug.

I feel part of the community and thank you for all that you share.  I hope that you know that there is always a welcome here.

Tomorrow my special guest of the new series of The Sunday Show is the marvellous author Mira Prabhu – I recently reviewed her book The Whip of the…

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