Stephanie Faris's Blog, page 68

E is for Email

This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is indulgences. Today's letter is:


Today, I'm writing about something I spend far, far, far too much time on.


In addition to being a novelist, I'm also a freelance writer. Because I have so many clients, I have started turning away clients who say, right off the bat, "Can we have a quick phone call?"


I've learned over the years that some people work better by phone and some work better by email. I work better by email. Therefore, I work better with people who can express their thoughts through email. Once you realize that, life is much easier!

So I spend my day chained to my email. Luckily, over the past three years, I've collected a group of longtime clients who send me what they need. I do it and send it back. All is well.

Unfortunately, this means I spend far too much time on email!

How do you prefer to communicate with people? Do you find yourself preferring one method of communication over another?

D is for Diet Dr Pepper

This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is indulgences. Today's letter is:


For D, I chose an item you probably weren't expecting!

Sure, I could have named my dog. After all, what's cuter than this face?


Spending time with her is definitely an indulgence. But this blog series is more about little things than big, big things like family, friends, and pets. So for "D," I've chosen my favorite daily caffeine indulgence:
I don't drink coffee. This is my morning pick-me-up. It also helps fill me up so I don't eat as much lunch.
What's your favorite way to get caffeine into your system every day?

C is for Chocolate

This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is indulgences. Today's letter is:


No blog about indulgences would be complete unless it included the ultimate indulgence:




But, of course, my personal favorite is the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. YUM.

If you had a choice between any chocolate dish on Earth, what would you choose?

B is for Bookstores

This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is indulgences. Today's letter is:



Is there a more exciting feeling than walking into a bookstore?


So many stories, just waiting to be read. Of course, once you're published, it's even more exciting because you know YOUR book is in there, somewhere.



I read almost every book on my Kindle today, but I miss that exciting feeling of buying a stack of books and taking them home.



Do you still shop in bookstores?

A is for Apps

This month I'm participating in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is indulgences. Today's letter is:


One of my biggest indulgences? Apps!

I love loading my iPhone down with apps. My favorites?

Songpop, which I play while walking on my treadmill. An hour can fly by when you're Songpopping. I just learned at one time it was Mark Zuckerberg's favorite app, so I'm in good company!


Spotify, which I discovered two weeks ago, thanks to the fact that if you like a song on Songpop, you can add it to your Spotify playlist directly from the app. Spotify is awesomeness defined!



And, of course, I'd be lost without my Google Maps. Literally.



What are your favorite apps? Be sure to check the comments. You may find some great suggestions from others!

Boost from a Longtime Friend

In the course of blogging, we tend to make friends along the way. We visit each other's blogs and become familiar with each other's lives. We may never meet in person, but we still feel excited when the other person has a victory.

That's why I'm excited to be doing a giveaway at Diane Estrella's blog today.

Diane is an author, blogger, mom, and a wide variety of other things. Mostly, though, she's a cheerleader for her fellow authors. Check out her blog and follow her. Oh, and enter the last giveaway on my blog tour to win an autographed copy of 30 Days of No Gossip.

20 Years as a Pre-Published Novelist

It's been 20 years since I wrote my first novel.

What took me so long?

How did I keep going despite all the rejections?

I'm writing about my 20-year journey at Elizabeth Seckman's blog today.

Come over and leave a comment for a chance at winning a free autographed copy of my book.

 Rejection and Triumph: 20 Years as a Pre-Published Novelist

Life's Little Indulgences

We all indulge in a little gossip every now and then, right? It's one of life's guilty pleasures.

So in celebration of the release of my book, I'm participating in the A to Z blogging challenge with the theme of "Indulgences." 30 days (minus Sundays) of the best things in life.

What are they? You'll just have to come back and find out!

If you want to join the (literally) THOUSANDS of bloggers participating in the A to Z challenge this year, click on the pretty button below. It's a great way to meet new bloggers and gain a few readers for your own blog.


Want to win a free autographed copy of my book? There are still a few more chances...two of which are coming up before the end of the month. Check back for details. Meanwhile, be sure to enter for a chance to win one of five autographed copies at Goodreads:

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Goodreads Book Giveaway 30 Days of No Gossip by Stephanie Faris Giveaway ends March 31, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

Author Interview by Jaxy's Shared Universe

I'm hanging out on Jaxy's blog today. She interviewed me about my personal experiences with gossip--a fun, insightful Q&A. Check it out here:

Jaxy's Shared Universe
And don't forget to enter her giveaway. She's giving out a free autographed copy of 30 Days of No Gossip. Enter here.

Here are my remaining book tour stops.
Jaxy's Shared Universe: March 17-24 Elizabeth Seckman, Author: March 28Diane Estrella: March 31Be sure to check out Jaxy's blog and enter the giveaway to win a free signed copy of 30 Days of No Gossip!

Jaxy's Giveaway

I'm giving away a free signed copy of 30 Days of No Gossip over on Jaxy's Shared Universe.

Read details on how to enter here.

Here are my remaining book tour stops. Later this week, Jaxy will be posting a great interview of me, so stay tuned!

Jaxy's Shared Universe: March 17-24 Elizabeth Seckman, Author: March 28Diane Estrella: March 31

Also...to celebrate my book tour, I'm part of a Rafflecopter (isn't that a cool word?). If you want to enter to win, all you have to do is follow me on Twitter or like my 30 Days of No Gossip Goodreads page. The more sites you follow in the widget below, the more entries you'll have into the giveaway. Here's the widget to get you started:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you already have a Kindle, don't worry. The winner can choose $229 in an Amazon gift card or PayPal cash instead!