Cheryl Seagraves's Blog, page 4

Marriage is about communication - WaltonTribune.com: Columns

Marriage is about communication - WaltonTribune.com: Columns

INTERVIEW THE AUTHOR : ANNE CONLEY

Anne Conley                                                   7/23/2013


Question:what are you working on at the moment?  At the moment, I’m working on a novel in my Four Winds series, about the archangels:  Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael.  This one is Rafe’s story, Falling for Grace.  As the archangel of healing, he has heard numerous prayers offering self-sacrifices for loved ones, and he’s always wanted to understand that emotion better.  At last, God has chosen someone for him to “fall” for, but is she willing?

Question: who or what inspired you to start writing?  I’ve been writing my entire life.  My husband is the one who actually told me to quit messing around, and write something to publish.  I ran with that and haven’t looked back.

Question: what other books or works have you published?  I’ve written four book in my series, Stories of Serendipity, about finding love in a small town.  I’ve currently got one of four (or five) paranormal romances under my belt in the Four Winds series.

Question: do you read the reviews of your work and how do they affect your writing?  I love reading reviews, both good and bad, even the awful ones that tell me I’m horrible.  They’re hard to digest at first, but I’m a firm believer in finding something to learn from every experience in life.

Question: what do you hope to accomplish with the book you are currently working on?  I just love to tell stories.  I hope people can read my work and look at something in a new light, whether it be parenthood, relationships, sex, love, hardship, humor, or religion.  I want to entertain, I always have been that way.

Question: what works best for you when writing? Meaning do you outline or write freely when you feel inspired to do so?  I am a highly disorganized person.  I HAVE to outline, or else my writing is all over the place.  I currently have three outlines going on my laptop in various stages of completion.  I will start with some “free” writing before my outline, and there’s usually some stages of “free” writing to get through some blocks along the way.  I also have found that when the going gets tough story-wise, the tough get a pen and paper.

Question: for other authors who may be struggling what advice can you on handling rejection? Find something positive to get out of it.  If there’s nothing positive in the rejection (agents and such usually find something positive to say, reviewers don’t always), then just try to move on.  Know that some people use the anonymity of the internet to belittle others in order to make themselves feel better. I tell myself that and eventually, I feel better.
 
FOLLOW ANNE CONLEY:

Free Novella:  http://amzn.to/12uLA8t

Blog:  www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6907845.Anne_Conley
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/anneconleyauthor  I want to say Thanks Anne for being my  first author to interview on this blog! I appreciate your honesty and the thoughtfulness you showed in your answers, I'm sure it will inspire more authors to keep writing. Your books seem fascinating and I must say I am ready to check them out. Thanks again! Keep Writing!!!  
 
 

 

How To Treat Your Princess To A FairyTale For Her Birthday!!!

I just want to say my daughter had a wonderful birthday week with minimal fuss and lots of fun! She just  turned six and since we just got back from a week long vavay at the beach I was too tired to plan a big party, and I'm still not caught up on all the vacation laundry. We have six people in this joint gimme a break! Anyway I stumbled upon a great deal, and before I knew it my girls had an appointment to be princesses for the day.

I made sure to keep it a surprise, in fact my oldest daughter kept telling Cheyenne that they were going to the zoo to help shovel elephant poop. Really?! So you can imagine her surprise when we pulled up to Once Upon A Fairytale, and she saw those beautiful dresses in the window, that was it! She was thrilled.

Both girls were given the royal treatment. Once they picked out their dresses, had their make up, and nails done they were treated like the princess models they know in their hearts that they truly are! The photo shoot, the red carpet, the crowns! the entire experience was great, from the purple and pink drenched décor, with gold accents to the mirrors and glitter, I am definitely taking my kids back! Don't tell anyone, but even my husband had fun, where else can he proudly sing a long to all the Disney tunes he knows? They have mother daughter days, Daddy daughter tea time, and other events!

I am always looking to do something special for my kids.  I have four of them so when I find something so fun, easy, and affordable I feel it's my job let people know about it. Our package also included 7 pictures from the photo shoot, so I'll be sure to remember the day, not that ever will! We will definitely be going back, and I hope to see you there!






Check them out by clicking this link, book your appointment today!
 http://www.fairytaledreamscometrue.com/GeorgiaPromotions.html 

LIFE OVER LOVE

Looking back on a simpler time - WaltonTribune.com: Columns

Looking back on a simpler time - WaltonTribune.com: Columns: Our dishwasher is on the fritz and it’s driving me crazy that every time I turn around, I hear “That’s not fair,” or “It’s too hard.” I mean w…

How to handle rejection without the tears ... eh hem writers, authors, this ones for you!

So the time is here, after long months, editing, re-editing, proofing, and tweaking the novel you've finished and are ready to send out those query letters. And even hat needs to be edited, re-edited, proof read, and tweaked before your actually ready. So after a couple of days sometimes week you're finally ready, and so it begins. If you're like me you researched the crap out of who is who to find out which agents you should send it to and if you're brave which acquisitions editor enjoys reading your genre. That takes time as well, so it's easy to understand how all this time, effort, and heart can seem wasted when the rejections come rolling in. It's easy to get frustrated and even discouraged. The way I see it you either roll with the punches, take them as critisms, and keep pushing forward or just throw in the towel, and prove that you actually have been wasted all your time! It's been my experience though that with a little more effort and research on my part, I was able to get my query to more of the people that were interested in my type of novel. Which really made the rejection feel a lot less like a punch in the gut. I mean you wouldn't turn in a brilliant mathematical theory to an English teacher hoping for great feedback, the same is with your novel.  Listen to what they say and apply the critiques to your work. I got a bunch of regections the first week, most agents said thanks, but it's not my genre, but it reaffirmed my faith in myself because I realized they have thousands of queries a day and they took the time to actually tell me no thanks and most gave me feedback as to why, and often left links to other agents that may be interested. It is hard to keep positive when faced with no, no thanks, I'll have to pass on this, and it's coming from someone who would get a huge chunk of change just for representing your work, just for saying hey I know someone who has a book that readers will buy. I actually got one rejection from an agent that basically said she just plain didn't like my story, I thought to myself how snobby that seemed, because she personally didn't like it, she probably hates romance for all I know, she would have to pass. I thought to my self the heck with that do I really want to share any of my profits with someone like that anyways? I'm not a patient person either, so if you find your self feeling frustrated, but you know in your heart that you have a book people will buy, and you just want the pleasure of seeing your book in print don't write off the possibility of self publishing. I actually Independently published my novel "Life Over Love" While I was waiting for a response from a publishing house that requested my full manuscript, and I just received an email from an agent who said she is excited to read my work. You still have to do a lot of the marketing for your book yourself no matter which route you choose, just don't let any one else make you feel like your work is of less value because of an opinion. The only opinion that matters is yours. It's your heart, time, and skill in those pages stand behind that and you've succeeded already.
  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5XRH3C/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=mommymusings-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00D5XRH3C&adid=16YK4MYCGBWCY5BPBSPR&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cherylseagraves.blogspot.com%2F

Parenting: it gets better with time - WaltonTribune.com: Columns

Parenting: it gets better with time - WaltonTribune.com: Columns

Top Ten Free and Frugal Findings and Tips of the Summer For Awesome Moms Like Yourself!

Hello all you beautiful wonderful ladies out there, enjoying this lovely summer day! I've come across some great tips and freebies this summer so far and wanted to compose a list to share with you, spreading a little sunshine of my own if you will.

1.Use your Favorite Fabric Softener sheets as an AMAZING shoe deodorant! Most of us already have it in the house, and if you are like me you like the cute little slide on shoes, and I'm not ashamed to say that after a long day my feet are not lemony fresh. The fabric softener absorbs wetness and keeps shoes and feet smelling fresh!

2. Use Lemons as a natural alternative to deodorant and antiperspirant. The first pro is the cost, hello a stick of my daughters favorite deodorant costs almost $6 lemons $0.39, it's a no brainer. You just cut the lemon in half, squeeze a little juice, and apply to under arm. I have two teenagers, and I had a hard time finding anything that would work for my son, so I was willing to try anything. This is an awesome natural approach to personal hygiene that I love. True my kids thought I was crazy at first, but they came around.

3. Use Baking Soda for a facial cleanser and add a little (teaspoon) to your shampoo to remove product buildup. During the summer my skin gets a little oily and one day I just mixed about 1/2 a cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of peroxide together to make a paste and smoothed it on my skin. Disclaimer it does kind of burn on areas that you have blemishes, but they were gone almost the next day. My daughter who is 13 loved the results and washes her face with it once a week, I don't recommend more than that and even less if you have sensitive skin.

4. Use Vinegar, a teaspoon of Dish detergent, and Water for cleaning windows. The results are awesome, streak free windows and mirrors at a fraction of the cost, and bonus it's good for the environment.

5. Ok so this tip was just some awesome info I came across that I wish I known sooner, If you look at the little icon on your cars display, you will see a pic of a gas tank with an arrow beside it indicating which side of the car the you fill up on. Good To Know Right? I Know!

6. Here in Georgia if you go to the Library and watch the Zoo's thirty minute video you get two free adult and two free kid passes good for the next seven days, this was a great find!

7. Use a PILLOW CASE to clean the dust from your ceiling fan blades! You just put the pillow case over the blade and wipe all the dust on the inside, throw it in the washer, done no mess no fuss! Wonderful!

8. Use Coffee Grinds to eliminate the onion smell from your hands after you chop onion. Just pour some on your hands and wash with it as you do hand soap, trust me it works.

9.Yes this seems like a repeat, but it just has so many uses, Vinegar again my friends, as a weed killer this time, it also works as a laundry booster along with baking soda to remove stains and smelly odors during the wash.

10.  Last, but not least use a combination Peroxide and Baking Soda on grease, chocolate, and grass stains before you put them in the wash. It may need a second application, but it works just remember not to put it in the dryer until you are sure the stain is out.

I got a bunch of theses tips from Pinterest of course, also from my mom, and face book. I simply felt like I've used these tips and ideas so much this summer so far they are worth telling to you my wonderful readers. Hope you find these tips as useful I have...

see I told ya!


    I just found an amazing product, with all the flies this year, I'm not sure what it's called, but I got it at Piggly Wiggly. We put it on the porch and in an hour, look what happened!This one is number 11. But it's my personal favorite #1
It was less than $4 totally worth it, if you live in Georgia!




Which ones did you find helpful? Also feel free to leave a comment of any  that you have been so glad to know about this summer that I might not have heard before!.Thanks for being You!

how to sneak in a little summer learning

Summertime is every child’s favorite time of year. No kid likes to think about school during summer vacation, but how do you incorporate some type of learning to ensure that they don’t absolutely forget everything they learned throughout the whole school year?  I have a few ideas that work for us to make sure that they at least practice spelling, reading, and writing. I felt like if I didn’t think of something their brain cells would shrivel up and die, never to be seen again. I was afraid their teacher would punish and hate me if I sent them to school again having to start over from scratch.  So since I have children in almost every level this year; elementary, middle, and high I wanted to get creative with their summer assignments.  For the older children an idea I had was to make them write a summer journal, they don’t have to write a lot just as long as they write at least one entry every day.  There are a few rules they must follow. They have to pay attention to punctuation, spelling, and grammar. If it doesn’t make sense I make them rewrite it, so yeah I do hold them accountable.  I read their entries, and it’s quite entertaining for me too, and that’s a plus.
For the younger two, one is six the other three I had an awesome idea, which I wished I’d thought of for the older ones when they were little. I messaged a couple of friends on Facebook that have little girls the same ages, one lives in Savannah the other in Nevada, and asked if they would like our little girls to be pen pals! My six year old absolutely loves writing letters to a friend who lives so far away, and really focuses on writing neatly. She spends almost an hour on the letters each time she writes. Her sister practices drawing and a different letter of the alphabet each time. Both girls are always so excited to see the mail man each day, and I am proud to see them learning the lost art of letter writing.
It doesn’t take much to do something at least once daily to exercise their little minds. My older kids groaned at the idea at first, but over time they enjoyed the creative writing. We’ll have some great stories to read in years to come. My summer has been much more amusing after reading all the things my crazy kids have put on paper. So the next time you have to step in front of the TV or turn off the X-box to get your son to answer you, think about throwing a summer writing journal at his head instead and require him to write about why he loves that game so much. His new teacher might just thank you for it. *disclaimer I originally published this in my column in the Walton Tribune  7/3/2013

The power of positive thinking

The moment you start putting out something positive, good things will come.  I tell my son that all the time, he sometimes has a way of getting stuck in the negative. By that I mean when something goes wrong or he can’t grasp a thing he only focuses on the can’ts, won’ts, never’s, and other negative words that do not help progress in a positive direction. I always try to give my kids advice that I know to be true by my own experience, so you know when I say this I can attest to the power of positive thinking and self-talk. When I first started painting, and my daughter would tell people I was an artist I used to balk at the description. I didn’t feel confident enough to say I was an artist, but in my heart I desperately wanted to be one. It wasn’t until I started to say that’s what I am; an artist, an author, a writer, and put that positivity out there that I actually sold my paintings and my work. I used to wake up every morning wishing things were different, but nothing changed until I changed it. I’m not saying that you can simply say something and it will become reality, but if you really want something to change for the better, you have to be willing to let go of whatever is in the way and go get what you want. That is true for most everything in this life from relationships to money to circumstance. For instance if you are a married woman and wish your husband was more romantic, you have to make that known, they are not mind readers you know, and if you’ve been married longer than a week I’m sure you’ve heard that one before. Yes it is true that Snow White never had to tell prince charming to rescue her, but life isn’t a fairy tale. Sometimes we have to plan our own romantic evening, and tell our husbands that next time it’s their turn. Sorry ladies, but there’s only one Nicholas Sparks and it’s highly unlikely that he is even half as romantic in real life as the guys in his books. In real life if you want more money you have to put a smile on your face and work harder for it. No matter what it is if you put it out there, and act on it something will change. It may not be perfect or just like you imagined, but it will be a step in the right direction. Take it from someone who knows, if you eliminate the negativity, and say something positive out loud instead, good things will come. Before you know it you will find yourself smiling more often; the can’ts become cans, won’ts become wills, never turns into always, and life becomes so much more like actually living.