Stephanie Faris's Blog, page 25
July 27, 2016
How to Do a Giveaway on Your Blog
As a writer/blogger, I've seen more than my share of book giveaways. I've even offered a few of my own. With my new book coming out, I can't help but review the things I've learned. I have many, many more things to learn, so please feel free to share your own tips in the comments.
And now...here are my tips for hosting a giveaway on your blog.
Tip #1: Don't offer the item to a random commenter.
I'm actually afraid to comment on blogs now that do this. I stay pretty busy reading books from those of you who help me out with my blog tours and such. I don't have much time to read random books. So if you contact me to tell me I won a book, I won't take it. Ever. If the book is written by a member of my network, I'm going to want to buy it. If it's written by someone who isn't part of that network, it's just a big, fat:
Tip #2: People want the Amazon gift card, not the book.
If, like me, you use an Amazon gift card giveaway to get people to tweet about your book, be prepared. There are thousands of people out there who will do whatever it takes to get that gift card. If they win second place and second place isn't that gift card, this is what you'll hear:
Tip #3: Give away just enough.
A while ago, someone offered advice that I've found handy. If you're doing a Goodreads giveaway, offering one book is just as effective as offering two or three or four. You'll get just as many entries and you can save one of your freebies for a later giveaway.
Tip #4: Decide whether you're limiting it geographically.
You have the option to limit your giveaway to your own country or send your free item around the globe. Before you decide, know the cost of postage to get the item overseas, as well as the complications that come with shipping internationally.
Tip #5: Know your goal.
Before you press "publish" on your giveaway, know what you hope to accomplish. Do you want to sell more books? Get more "to read" adds on Goodreads? Increase your Twitter follower base? Make sure when you set up your giveaway, you make those goals a part of your giveaway requirements. If you're interested in boosting your Twitter followers, require entrants to tweet about the giveaway. If you want Goodreads adds, use that as a requirement or host your giveaway through that site.
Tip #6: Use the right tools.
There are several options for hosting giveaways. One is to host it through Goodreads, which you do through your book's page. You can also use Rafflecopter, which is the best. Rafflecopter lets you create the entry requirements mentioned in tip #5...plus the basic version is free.
Okay, now it's your turn. What are your tips for hosting giveaways?
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And now...here are my tips for hosting a giveaway on your blog.
Tip #1: Don't offer the item to a random commenter.
I'm actually afraid to comment on blogs now that do this. I stay pretty busy reading books from those of you who help me out with my blog tours and such. I don't have much time to read random books. So if you contact me to tell me I won a book, I won't take it. Ever. If the book is written by a member of my network, I'm going to want to buy it. If it's written by someone who isn't part of that network, it's just a big, fat:
Tip #2: People want the Amazon gift card, not the book.
If, like me, you use an Amazon gift card giveaway to get people to tweet about your book, be prepared. There are thousands of people out there who will do whatever it takes to get that gift card. If they win second place and second place isn't that gift card, this is what you'll hear:
Tip #3: Give away just enough.
A while ago, someone offered advice that I've found handy. If you're doing a Goodreads giveaway, offering one book is just as effective as offering two or three or four. You'll get just as many entries and you can save one of your freebies for a later giveaway.
Tip #4: Decide whether you're limiting it geographically.
You have the option to limit your giveaway to your own country or send your free item around the globe. Before you decide, know the cost of postage to get the item overseas, as well as the complications that come with shipping internationally.
Tip #5: Know your goal.
Before you press "publish" on your giveaway, know what you hope to accomplish. Do you want to sell more books? Get more "to read" adds on Goodreads? Increase your Twitter follower base? Make sure when you set up your giveaway, you make those goals a part of your giveaway requirements. If you're interested in boosting your Twitter followers, require entrants to tweet about the giveaway. If you want Goodreads adds, use that as a requirement or host your giveaway through that site.
Tip #6: Use the right tools.
There are several options for hosting giveaways. One is to host it through Goodreads, which you do through your book's page. You can also use Rafflecopter, which is the best. Rafflecopter lets you create the entry requirements mentioned in tip #5...plus the basic version is free.
Okay, now it's your turn. What are your tips for hosting giveaways?
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July 25, 2016
Introducing the Proctor Hollow Series by Valerie Capps
Today I have a very special book release to tell you about. A very talented author has just released two new exciting short stories that are part of the same larger series. Best of all, they're only $.99 each! Valerie Capps already released the first book in the series, The Holler Witch, last year. Scroll down to read about the next two stories in the series.
Encounter on a Deserted Highway:
Blurb:
Seven-year-old Lucy Rhys has a special gift and a powerful talisman she received from her grandmother. One summer day in 1956 Lucy and her father met a mysterious man that changed their lives forever. Was the chance meeting a simple coincidence, an angel unaware, or could it have been a benevolent spirit conjured by Lucy’s wishful thinking with a little help from a magic medallion and her dead grandmother?
Incident at the Diner:
Blurb:
The afternoon seven-year-old Lucy Rhys boldly confronted Harvey Jacobs, the town folks silently cheered the child's courage. But many were also concerned for Lucy's safety. Lucy made a fearsome enemy that day. Everyone in Proctor Hollow knew the fact that she was just a child would make no difference to the town bully. But Lucy was oblivious to the danger--or was she?
Bio:
Valerie Capps is a freelance writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in magazines and newsletters with world-wide circulation. Her latest endeavor is a series of short stories set in a fictional mid-twentieth century small town called Proctor Hollow. The tales are individually published on Amazon as Kindle e-books. Valerie lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband. Visit her blog at www.valeriecapps.com.
Links:Blog| Amazon| Twitter | Goodreads
Still time to sign up for my Piper Morgan blog tour. I ran out of August dates, so I added some in September.
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Encounter on a Deserted Highway:
Blurb:
Seven-year-old Lucy Rhys has a special gift and a powerful talisman she received from her grandmother. One summer day in 1956 Lucy and her father met a mysterious man that changed their lives forever. Was the chance meeting a simple coincidence, an angel unaware, or could it have been a benevolent spirit conjured by Lucy’s wishful thinking with a little help from a magic medallion and her dead grandmother?
Incident at the Diner:
Blurb:
The afternoon seven-year-old Lucy Rhys boldly confronted Harvey Jacobs, the town folks silently cheered the child's courage. But many were also concerned for Lucy's safety. Lucy made a fearsome enemy that day. Everyone in Proctor Hollow knew the fact that she was just a child would make no difference to the town bully. But Lucy was oblivious to the danger--or was she?
Bio:
Valerie Capps is a freelance writer. Her short stories and articles have appeared in magazines and newsletters with world-wide circulation. Her latest endeavor is a series of short stories set in a fictional mid-twentieth century small town called Proctor Hollow. The tales are individually published on Amazon as Kindle e-books. Valerie lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband. Visit her blog at www.valeriecapps.com.Links:Blog| Amazon| Twitter | Goodreads
Still time to sign up for my Piper Morgan blog tour. I ran out of August dates, so I added some in September.
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July 22, 2016
Cowboys, Babies, and Brides
Once upon a time, I was an aspiring romance author. I had a brilliant idea to write a book about a pop star and the publicist assigned to go on tour with him. I was a PR consultant at the time, so I had that knowledge...and I figured Hollywood-style books were huge in the 80s. It was the 90s, so how much could have changed since these days?
As it turns out, a lot. I joined Romance Writers of America and learned very quickly that books set in the entertainment industry don't sell. Publishing houses were all too eager to tell writers that, as well.
"I read romances set in the entertainment industry all the time," you'll say. This was before self-publishing (which we called e-publishing when it first came up just before the turn of the century). There weren't a billion small presses willing to take on your book. There were big romance publishers and category romance (Harlequin, Silhouette, and Bantam Loveswept). And all of those publishers knew what sold and stuck strictly to it.
"What sold?" you ask.
These:
These:
And these:
To be more specific, cowboys, babies, and brides, which translated as cowboys, pregnant heroines, and marriages of convenience. For the next few years, I wrote books focusing on pregnant women marrying tycoons. I wasn't too into the whole cowboy thing.
Then came chick lit. Which was funnnn. And nobody said you had to write about pregnant women marrying cowboys. The trend lasted about a minute.
Of course, all along I wanted to write fun YA like the books I read as a kid. These...
...aren't the type of YA most publishers want, though. My voice was a little too "Sweet Valley High" for their taste...which meant by 2000s standards, it was more "Sweet Valley Middle School."
While there are more alternatives to traditional publishing today, cowboys, marriages of conveniences, and pregnant heroines are still popular with readers. Which is fine...but the action-adventure thing has taken off in romance, as well, giving writers many more options.
What are your favorite types of heroes and heroines in fiction?
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
As it turns out, a lot. I joined Romance Writers of America and learned very quickly that books set in the entertainment industry don't sell. Publishing houses were all too eager to tell writers that, as well.
"I read romances set in the entertainment industry all the time," you'll say. This was before self-publishing (which we called e-publishing when it first came up just before the turn of the century). There weren't a billion small presses willing to take on your book. There were big romance publishers and category romance (Harlequin, Silhouette, and Bantam Loveswept). And all of those publishers knew what sold and stuck strictly to it.
"What sold?" you ask.
These:
These:
And these:
To be more specific, cowboys, babies, and brides, which translated as cowboys, pregnant heroines, and marriages of convenience. For the next few years, I wrote books focusing on pregnant women marrying tycoons. I wasn't too into the whole cowboy thing.
Then came chick lit. Which was funnnn. And nobody said you had to write about pregnant women marrying cowboys. The trend lasted about a minute.
Of course, all along I wanted to write fun YA like the books I read as a kid. These...
...aren't the type of YA most publishers want, though. My voice was a little too "Sweet Valley High" for their taste...which meant by 2000s standards, it was more "Sweet Valley Middle School."
While there are more alternatives to traditional publishing today, cowboys, marriages of conveniences, and pregnant heroines are still popular with readers. Which is fine...but the action-adventure thing has taken off in romance, as well, giving writers many more options.
What are your favorite types of heroes and heroines in fiction?
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
July 20, 2016
My Favorite Children's Books
There aren't very many children's writers who read my blog, but we all were children at one point. We pass the books we loved as kids along to our children and grandchildren. Today, blogger Lori L. McLaughlin is here to tell us about her favorite children's books. She's also announcing the release of her own
My Favorite Children's Books
by Lori L MacLaughlin
I've loved books for as long as I can remember. I have my parents to thank for that. When I was little, they would read to me all the time. I loved hearing the words and looking at the pictures, seeing the stories in my imagination. And when I'd say, "Read it again! Read it again!", they would. Multiple times. So many times, in fact, that it wouldn't surprise me if they recited the stories in their sleep.
Even after all these years, I still love those old stories. These are some of the ones I remember the most:
1. The Large and Growly Bear by Gertrude Crampton
"Once there was a large and growly bear. One spring morning he woke up with nothing to do."
2. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
"Five little puppies dug a hole under the fence and went for a walk in the wide, wide world."
3. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
"I think I can — I think I can..."
4. Curious George by Margaret and H. A. Rey
"This is George. He lived in Africa. He was a good little monkey and always very curious."
5. Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
"If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny."
6. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
"Mike Mulligan had a steam shovel, a beautiful red steam shovel. Her name was Mary Anne."
7. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
"Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand."
8. Farm ABC by Patricia Lynn
"A is for acres, our farm has many. Meet Dad, Mom, and Johnny - and my name is Penny."
9. Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
"Once there was a peddler who sold caps. But he was not like an ordinary peddler carrying his
wares on his back. He carried them on top of his head."
10. A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
"Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
Wary of the weather and steering by a star?
Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
To Providence, or Babylon, or off to Malabar?"
What children's books did you grow up with?
Blurb:
Tara Triannon is no stranger to trouble. She's yet to find an enemy her skill with a sword couldn't dispatch. But how can she fight one that attacks through her dreams?
With her nightmares worsening, Tara seeks answers but finds only more questions. Then her sister, Laraina, reveals a stunning secret that forces Tara to go to the one place Tara's sworn never to return to. Her troubles multiply when Jovan Trevillion, the secretive soldier of fortune who stole her heart, is mentally tortured by an ancient Being intent on bending him to its will. And worst of all, the Butcher — the terrifying wolf-like assassin she thought she'd killed — survived their duel and is hunting her again.
Hounded by enemies, Tara sets out on a harrowing quest to discover the true nature of who she is, to come to grips with the new volatility of her magic, and to defeat the evil locked in a centuries-old trap that will stop at nothing to control her magic and escape through her nightmares.
Buy Links:
Bio:
Lori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She's been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.
She has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids' shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.
When she's not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.
Links:Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
My Favorite Children's Books
by Lori L MacLaughlin
I've loved books for as long as I can remember. I have my parents to thank for that. When I was little, they would read to me all the time. I loved hearing the words and looking at the pictures, seeing the stories in my imagination. And when I'd say, "Read it again! Read it again!", they would. Multiple times. So many times, in fact, that it wouldn't surprise me if they recited the stories in their sleep.
Even after all these years, I still love those old stories. These are some of the ones I remember the most:
1. The Large and Growly Bear by Gertrude Crampton
"Once there was a large and growly bear. One spring morning he woke up with nothing to do."
2. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
"Five little puppies dug a hole under the fence and went for a walk in the wide, wide world."
3. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
"I think I can — I think I can..."
4. Curious George by Margaret and H. A. Rey
"This is George. He lived in Africa. He was a good little monkey and always very curious."
5. Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
"If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny."
6. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
"Mike Mulligan had a steam shovel, a beautiful red steam shovel. Her name was Mary Anne."
7. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
"Once upon a time in Spain there was a little bull and his name was Ferdinand."
8. Farm ABC by Patricia Lynn
"A is for acres, our farm has many. Meet Dad, Mom, and Johnny - and my name is Penny."
9. Caps For Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
"Once there was a peddler who sold caps. But he was not like an ordinary peddler carrying his
wares on his back. He carried them on top of his head."
10. A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
"Where shall we adventure, to-day that we're afloat,
Wary of the weather and steering by a star?
Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat,
To Providence, or Babylon, or off to Malabar?"
What children's books did you grow up with?
Blurb:
Tara Triannon is no stranger to trouble. She's yet to find an enemy her skill with a sword couldn't dispatch. But how can she fight one that attacks through her dreams?
With her nightmares worsening, Tara seeks answers but finds only more questions. Then her sister, Laraina, reveals a stunning secret that forces Tara to go to the one place Tara's sworn never to return to. Her troubles multiply when Jovan Trevillion, the secretive soldier of fortune who stole her heart, is mentally tortured by an ancient Being intent on bending him to its will. And worst of all, the Butcher — the terrifying wolf-like assassin she thought she'd killed — survived their duel and is hunting her again.
Hounded by enemies, Tara sets out on a harrowing quest to discover the true nature of who she is, to come to grips with the new volatility of her magic, and to defeat the evil locked in a centuries-old trap that will stop at nothing to control her magic and escape through her nightmares.
Buy Links:
Bio:
Lori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She's been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up.She has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids' shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, journalist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.
When she's not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.
Links:Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
July 18, 2016
Rodents and Your Car: A Recipe For Disaster
Today I'm welcoming a very special guest to my blog. Tamara Narayan is a fellow blogger with a book of heart-stopping short stories out. Today she's here to tell us a little about rodents.
Rodents and Your Car: A Recipe For Disaster
by Tamara Narayan
After coming home from Christmas vacation one year, the heater in our Toyota Camry sounded strange—like it was stuffed with paper. And it stank. Inside the hood, we found birdseed. Oh-no. Some little critter had set up house in our car over winter break.
Source: Bryant Olsen; cactus mouse up to no good
Why do mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels love our cars? First, the car provides shelter from the cold, the rain or snow, and from predators. Second, it's full of nesting material like air filters, carpeting, and seats.
And that’s not all. Rodent teeth grow continuously. They must gnaw things to keep those choppers in check. Cars are full of rodent gum chewy wiring, tubing, and plastic.
And finally, there’s food. The trail mix of smashed Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, and Craisins your kids dropped on the floor and under their car seats makes primo snacks, and those McDonald’s fries desiccating under the driver’s seat? Yummy. But that’s just the appetizer menu, baby.
"Going green” is supposed to be a good thing, right? Humans are way too dependent on petroleum-based products, and that certainly goes for cars. But the replacements auto manufacturers have come up with sound like a smorgasbord to these toothsome car invaders.
Since the 1990’s, soy products like milk, nutrition bars, and tofu have become familiar to the public, but did you know that soy is also used in cars for making wiring harness covers, wire insulation, seat cushion foam, and carpeting?
Here is an advertisement featuring the tasty sustainable 2013 Ford Fusion.
Source: Inhabitat: The Interior of Ford’s All-New 2013 Fusion is Made of Recycled Bottles and Cotton
To expand the amount of green material in cars, Toyota is developing an “Eco Plastic” made from sugar cane or corn. Sounds delicious. Toyota is also working on a green alternative for rubber hosing made of Twizzlers plant-derived bio-materials. (Source)
The potential problem with edible wires and hosing goes beyond spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on repairs. Imagine the wires to an airbag being damaged so it can’t deploy in a crash. Or chewed-up brake lines leaving someone speeding down a highway with no way to stop.
This is where normal people think “lawsuit” and writers think, “Cool! I could totally use this in a story!”
And that’s what I did for Monitor, one of four tales in Heart Stopper and Other Stories.
Blurb:
Peppermint, mice, and a cold-as- winter voice
A mother must make a desperate choice.
Heeding her instincts to save the child
What’s lost instead, the pain won’t be mild.
Monitor: Perched on a mountain with a view to die for, Laura and Paul Alderson have it all: new home, new baby, and new challenges. It’s the American dream, but when the baby monitor whispers urgent warnings to Laura about the garage and the safety of her infant son, her new life takes a nightmarish turn.
Want to know if you're driving an especially tasty car? Check out this excellent article from Synlube.com: Incredible Edible Car.
Bio:
Tamara Narayan modeled her career trajectory after the title of the Monty Python film, And Now For Something Completely Different. She began with one the best minimum wage jobs a person could hope for: doling out overpriced popcorn to moviegoers. The perks included unlimited popcorn, sodas, and movies all for free.
After getting a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she decided working with animals would be a hoot, especially in the birdhouse of the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. There she hand raised half a dozen African penguins, had her car keys munched by a scarlet macaw, and was vomited upon by a black vulture.
Next came a return to school, this time the University of South Carolina, where she graduated in 2001 with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. After spending three years as an assistant professor, one at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA and the other two at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate NY, she turned in her dry erase markers for diapers.
Shorty after baby number two turned one, Tamara decided to write. Besides the Heart Stopper collection, she has another called Ursa Major and Other Stories. The IWSG anthology, Parallels, Felix Was Here contains her story Scrying the Plane. Her blog can be found at www.tamaranarayan.com.
Links:Blog| Amazon| Goodreads
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
Rodents and Your Car: A Recipe For Disaster
by Tamara Narayan
After coming home from Christmas vacation one year, the heater in our Toyota Camry sounded strange—like it was stuffed with paper. And it stank. Inside the hood, we found birdseed. Oh-no. Some little critter had set up house in our car over winter break.
Source: Bryant Olsen; cactus mouse up to no goodWhy do mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels love our cars? First, the car provides shelter from the cold, the rain or snow, and from predators. Second, it's full of nesting material like air filters, carpeting, and seats.
And that’s not all. Rodent teeth grow continuously. They must gnaw things to keep those choppers in check. Cars are full of rodent gum chewy wiring, tubing, and plastic.
And finally, there’s food. The trail mix of smashed Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, and Craisins your kids dropped on the floor and under their car seats makes primo snacks, and those McDonald’s fries desiccating under the driver’s seat? Yummy. But that’s just the appetizer menu, baby.
"Going green” is supposed to be a good thing, right? Humans are way too dependent on petroleum-based products, and that certainly goes for cars. But the replacements auto manufacturers have come up with sound like a smorgasbord to these toothsome car invaders.
Since the 1990’s, soy products like milk, nutrition bars, and tofu have become familiar to the public, but did you know that soy is also used in cars for making wiring harness covers, wire insulation, seat cushion foam, and carpeting?
Here is an advertisement featuring the tasty sustainable 2013 Ford Fusion.
Source: Inhabitat: The Interior of Ford’s All-New 2013 Fusion is Made of Recycled Bottles and CottonTo expand the amount of green material in cars, Toyota is developing an “Eco Plastic” made from sugar cane or corn. Sounds delicious. Toyota is also working on a green alternative for rubber hosing made of Twizzlers plant-derived bio-materials. (Source)
The potential problem with edible wires and hosing goes beyond spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on repairs. Imagine the wires to an airbag being damaged so it can’t deploy in a crash. Or chewed-up brake lines leaving someone speeding down a highway with no way to stop.
This is where normal people think “lawsuit” and writers think, “Cool! I could totally use this in a story!”
And that’s what I did for Monitor, one of four tales in Heart Stopper and Other Stories.
Blurb:
Peppermint, mice, and a cold-as- winter voice
A mother must make a desperate choice.
Heeding her instincts to save the child
What’s lost instead, the pain won’t be mild.
Monitor: Perched on a mountain with a view to die for, Laura and Paul Alderson have it all: new home, new baby, and new challenges. It’s the American dream, but when the baby monitor whispers urgent warnings to Laura about the garage and the safety of her infant son, her new life takes a nightmarish turn.
Want to know if you're driving an especially tasty car? Check out this excellent article from Synlube.com: Incredible Edible Car.
Bio:
Tamara Narayan modeled her career trajectory after the title of the Monty Python film, And Now For Something Completely Different. She began with one the best minimum wage jobs a person could hope for: doling out overpriced popcorn to moviegoers. The perks included unlimited popcorn, sodas, and movies all for free.After getting a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she decided working with animals would be a hoot, especially in the birdhouse of the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. There she hand raised half a dozen African penguins, had her car keys munched by a scarlet macaw, and was vomited upon by a black vulture.
Next came a return to school, this time the University of South Carolina, where she graduated in 2001 with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. After spending three years as an assistant professor, one at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA and the other two at the Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate NY, she turned in her dry erase markers for diapers.
Shorty after baby number two turned one, Tamara decided to write. Besides the Heart Stopper collection, she has another called Ursa Major and Other Stories. The IWSG anthology, Parallels, Felix Was Here contains her story Scrying the Plane. Her blog can be found at www.tamaranarayan.com.
Links:Blog| Amazon| Goodreads
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
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July 15, 2016
The Mystery of JonBenet Ramsey's Murder
Few unsolved murder cases are as well-known as the one involving this beautiful little girl:
She was killed on Christmas night, only hours from the time this photo was taken of her and her mother:
It all started with a call to 911 from Patsy Ramsey. They had found a ransom note in their daughter's room.
Soon after police arrived, JonBenet's father found her body in the basement. For years, the world was sure the parents had done it.
Years later, it came out that there had been evidence of a break-in. The couple was cleared in 2008, two years after JonBenet's mom died of ovarian cancer.
Some have said the son was guilty, with the parents covering it up. The parents insisted he'd slept through the whole thing, but the 911 recording showed he may have been awake earlier than his mom has always said.
In recent years, more information has come out. There were more than 100 burglaries in the neighborhood in the months preceding the murder. There was a pattern of someone breaking in late at night dressed in black, attempting a sexual assault, and fleeing. One break-in involved an attempted assault on a little girl who danced at the same studio as JonBenet. The intruder knew her name.
Police were so focused on the parents, they refused to listen.
In recent years, attention has turned to a man named Michael Helgoth, who committed suicide mere hours after a press conference where the district attorney said the suspects would be narrowed down until "soon there will be no one on the list but you." Who is Michael Helgoth?
Helgoth ran a car salvage business and was described to the police as having been "violent and bizarre." They said he enjoyed killing kittens. Police focused the investigation on him for a while, but stopped when he committed suicide.
In late November, he told a friend he was excited about a moneymaking opportunity. The two of them planned to make around $50,000 or $60,000 each. The ransom note demanded $118,000.
After Christmas, his friend said he was depressed...and the money he was expected to earn was nowhere to be found. The friend reported it to the police, but nothing happened.
In recent years, though, detectives have discovered he collected Barbie dolls and got a little too close to a girlfriend's daughter. She took out a restraining order to keep him away.
Among his collection of videos were violent films and a recording of news coverage of the murder of a little girl. They also found a stun gun among photos of his suicide scene. A stun gun was used on JonBenet Ramsey.
The JonBenet Ramsey murder remains a cold case, but it's possible with DNA advancements, the case may be resolved in our lifetime.
What do you think happened to little JonBenet Ramsey?
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
She was killed on Christmas night, only hours from the time this photo was taken of her and her mother:
It all started with a call to 911 from Patsy Ramsey. They had found a ransom note in their daughter's room.
Soon after police arrived, JonBenet's father found her body in the basement. For years, the world was sure the parents had done it.
Years later, it came out that there had been evidence of a break-in. The couple was cleared in 2008, two years after JonBenet's mom died of ovarian cancer.
Some have said the son was guilty, with the parents covering it up. The parents insisted he'd slept through the whole thing, but the 911 recording showed he may have been awake earlier than his mom has always said.
In recent years, more information has come out. There were more than 100 burglaries in the neighborhood in the months preceding the murder. There was a pattern of someone breaking in late at night dressed in black, attempting a sexual assault, and fleeing. One break-in involved an attempted assault on a little girl who danced at the same studio as JonBenet. The intruder knew her name.
Police were so focused on the parents, they refused to listen.
In recent years, attention has turned to a man named Michael Helgoth, who committed suicide mere hours after a press conference where the district attorney said the suspects would be narrowed down until "soon there will be no one on the list but you." Who is Michael Helgoth?
Helgoth ran a car salvage business and was described to the police as having been "violent and bizarre." They said he enjoyed killing kittens. Police focused the investigation on him for a while, but stopped when he committed suicide.
In late November, he told a friend he was excited about a moneymaking opportunity. The two of them planned to make around $50,000 or $60,000 each. The ransom note demanded $118,000.
After Christmas, his friend said he was depressed...and the money he was expected to earn was nowhere to be found. The friend reported it to the police, but nothing happened.
In recent years, though, detectives have discovered he collected Barbie dolls and got a little too close to a girlfriend's daughter. She took out a restraining order to keep him away.
Among his collection of videos were violent films and a recording of news coverage of the murder of a little girl. They also found a stun gun among photos of his suicide scene. A stun gun was used on JonBenet Ramsey.
The JonBenet Ramsey murder remains a cold case, but it's possible with DNA advancements, the case may be resolved in our lifetime.
What do you think happened to little JonBenet Ramsey?
I'm guest posting on different blogs throughout the month of August to celebrate the release of my new series. Let me know if you want to help out!
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); 123ContactFormReport abuse
July 13, 2016
A Month of Celebration
Something exciting is coming. On August 9th, my new series releases. So far there are five books in the series, going through the summer of 2017.
On August 9th, the first two books in the series hit the shelves:
Instead of doing a big launch day, I'm hanging out on my friends' blogs all month. Just pick a day and you can either interview me or let me do a guest post on your blog that day while you sit back and sip margaritas.
Or you can just enjoy the entertainment. It's all good!
If you can help, complete the form below. If you host me, I'll promote the post here and on Twitter. Plus, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a free autographed copy of both books.
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
On August 9th, the first two books in the series hit the shelves:
Instead of doing a big launch day, I'm hanging out on my friends' blogs all month. Just pick a day and you can either interview me or let me do a guest post on your blog that day while you sit back and sip margaritas.
Or you can just enjoy the entertainment. It's all good!
If you can help, complete the form below. If you host me, I'll promote the post here and on Twitter. Plus, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a free autographed copy of both books.
]+)>)/ig,'')).replace('%26','[%ANDCHAR%]'); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + cfJsHost + servicedomain + "/jsform-1168969.js?ref="+frmRef+"' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
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July 11, 2016
My Super-Fun Washington D.C. Vacation
I spent last week in the nation's capitol, watching fireworks and looking at faded documents.
We chose a room with a view of the fireworks, which meant we overlooked the Pentagon (and just about everything else!):
On the 4th, we Ubered our way to the Washington Monument and walked about a billion miles to see everything important.
On Tuesday, we took one of these:
And stopped by to see the Prez.
We visited Ford's Theater...
But first we had some historic breakfast at this cheesy place:
We also visited the Newseum, which was my favorite of all the museums. They had newspapers for each decade going back 500 years.
On the final day of our trip, we drove up to Gettysburg, where we took the tour of the (huge) battlefield:
We stopped by the Jennie Wade House to learn about the only Gettysburg civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. A ghost-hunting steroid head investigated the house on his show. Here's the two-minute story of how Jennie Wade was shot while cooking:
We finished up our trip with a Gettysburg ghost tour. Check out the shadow of Abraham Lincoln at the top left of the picture. (It's not a ghost--just a fun coincidence with the bricks!)
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We chose a room with a view of the fireworks, which meant we overlooked the Pentagon (and just about everything else!):
On the 4th, we Ubered our way to the Washington Monument and walked about a billion miles to see everything important.
On Tuesday, we took one of these:
And stopped by to see the Prez.
We visited Ford's Theater...
But first we had some historic breakfast at this cheesy place:
We also visited the Newseum, which was my favorite of all the museums. They had newspapers for each decade going back 500 years.
On the final day of our trip, we drove up to Gettysburg, where we took the tour of the (huge) battlefield:
We stopped by the Jennie Wade House to learn about the only Gettysburg civilian killed in the Battle of Gettysburg. A ghost-hunting steroid head investigated the house on his show. Here's the two-minute story of how Jennie Wade was shot while cooking:
We finished up our trip with a Gettysburg ghost tour. Check out the shadow of Abraham Lincoln at the top left of the picture. (It's not a ghost--just a fun coincidence with the bricks!)
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
July 6, 2016
IWSG: 4 Ways for Authors to Avoid Being Sued
It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means hundreds of us will be posting about our insecurities. If you're a writer, join in!
If you're reading this, you're probably some form of a writer. The extent of your writing may be your personal blog, but you still write publicly.
Did you know your writing could lead to this?
If you've published (or are planning to publish) a novel, it's important to be aware of the legal risks you face. Here are a few things every writer can do to avoid being sued:
#1 Avoid reading unpublished manuscripts
Critique groups and beta readers are essential to any new author. However, you have to be careful when reading unpublished manuscripts. An author could claim that your new book was stolen directly from something he or she wrote, even if you read it years earlier. Many successful novelists refuse to read unpublished manuscripts for this reason. (And others...)
#2 Copyright your work
Known as the "poor man's copyright," some people have found that the best way to prove a manuscript was theirs is to mail it to themselves. However, this method has been proven ineffective. Your work is copyrighted as soon as you create it and, as this post points out, it is highly unlikely someone will successfully steal your work and get it published before you can, so such measures will likely be unnecessary.
#3 Change names and details
It can be very freeing to write about the real people you've known throughout your life, whether you're creating fiction or nonfiction. However, as the author of The Help found out, people tend to get litigious if they see a little too much of themselves in your characters. Know that if you make your characters too identifiable, you may find yourself in need of an attorney once your book is publicly available.
#4 Use copyright-free images
If you're creating your own book covers, you likely already realize the importance of using commercially-available images. There are many authors who know more about it than I do, but it's important to make sure your book cover images are free for commercial use.
If you're still concerned about lawsuits, professional liability insurance could provide that additional layer of protection you need.
What are you insecure about this month?
If you're reading this, you're probably some form of a writer. The extent of your writing may be your personal blog, but you still write publicly.
Did you know your writing could lead to this?
If you've published (or are planning to publish) a novel, it's important to be aware of the legal risks you face. Here are a few things every writer can do to avoid being sued:
#1 Avoid reading unpublished manuscripts
Critique groups and beta readers are essential to any new author. However, you have to be careful when reading unpublished manuscripts. An author could claim that your new book was stolen directly from something he or she wrote, even if you read it years earlier. Many successful novelists refuse to read unpublished manuscripts for this reason. (And others...)
#2 Copyright your work
Known as the "poor man's copyright," some people have found that the best way to prove a manuscript was theirs is to mail it to themselves. However, this method has been proven ineffective. Your work is copyrighted as soon as you create it and, as this post points out, it is highly unlikely someone will successfully steal your work and get it published before you can, so such measures will likely be unnecessary.
#3 Change names and details
It can be very freeing to write about the real people you've known throughout your life, whether you're creating fiction or nonfiction. However, as the author of The Help found out, people tend to get litigious if they see a little too much of themselves in your characters. Know that if you make your characters too identifiable, you may find yourself in need of an attorney once your book is publicly available.
#4 Use copyright-free images
If you're creating your own book covers, you likely already realize the importance of using commercially-available images. There are many authors who know more about it than I do, but it's important to make sure your book cover images are free for commercial use.
If you're still concerned about lawsuits, professional liability insurance could provide that additional layer of protection you need.
What are you insecure about this month?
July 4, 2016
Happy 4th of July!
If you're online today, you'll likely find the blogosphere is eerily quiet as everyone celebrates a HUGE American holiday. Mostly we just hang out in the heat and grill out!
But in case I miss you, just wanted to wish you a happy hang-out-in-100-degree-temperatures day!
But in case I miss you, just wanted to wish you a happy hang-out-in-100-degree-temperatures day!
