S.K. Nicholls's Blog, page 59
February 6, 2014
Dreams of Love Poetry Collection
Reblogged from Poetry by Pamela:
I alluded to working on a project - and now I'm going to unveil that project. Only a couple of good friends were even aware of this. But I took the plunge and published a collection of my love poems.
http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Love-Poe...
I have been supported by one friend in particular and without her encouragement, this would never have happened. So, if you have enjoyed my poetry, please check this out.
A lovingly inspired debut poetry collection by Pamela Beckford. Just 99 cents.
February 5, 2014
Book Giveaway on an Awesome Read That is Currently at Sale Price
I have already told you what a big fan of author Patrick O’Bryon I am.
Corridor of Darkness is one of the best books I have ever read.
Right now he is doing an Amazon Countdown Deal, the book is on sale
AND
There is a Goodreads Giveaway in progress.
You just might win a copy, but why wait!? This price won’t come along often and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Corridor of Darkness
by Patrick W. O’Bryon
Giveaway ends February 28, 2014.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Filed under: Book Reviews and Books Tagged: 20th century, Corridor of Darkness, Countdown deal, favorite books, Germany, Goodreads giveaway, Historical Thriller, pre-war, Spy novel, thriller, WWII
Lean on me
Reblogged from Poetry by Pamela:
Tears do not convey your deep ache
Let me take away your pain
What hurts you, makes my heart break
Crushed is your refrain
Grieve my friend, grieve
Bury your head in my shoulder
Never doubt but always believe
Even when it feels emptier and colder
Give me your wounds and bruises
Let me be the one who is shattered…
The heartfelt bond of friendship.
How to write a best-selling supernatural YA novel
Reblogged from Michelle Proulx - The Blog:
I've recently been inspired to start a series of "How to write _____" posts. We're going to kick off today with "How to write a best-selling supernatural YA novel".
Be warned: the advice presented below is terrible. Do not, for the love of sandwiches, follow this advice.
* * * * * * *
How to write a best-selling supernatural YA novel…
A clever post on formulaic YA fantasy! Much of it most likely works on other genre as well.
Too Much Money!
Have you ever thought about having too much money? What would you do with it? I don’t mean what would you buy, or how you would treat yourself, but what would you do with a huge sum of cash?
Let me explain.
We do all of our banking online. Payments and paychecks go direct deposit to our account. We have little plastic cards we use to shop…for everything. Rarely do we carry more than twenty dollars on our person.
A friend of mine was recently robbed in the parking lot of a supermarket. Her purse was grabbed out of her shopping cart as she went to put her items into the trunk of her car. In fifteen minutes she had cancelled all of her cards using someone else’s cell phone.
When people pay us with checks or money orders, we scan those on the computer or cell phone and the amount is instantly deposited into our bank account. The convenience is something we have become accustomed to. When we pay for services in situations where the provider has no card swiper, like the yard men and housekeepers, we pay with checks.
So, my husband had this Land Rover that has been with him since 1972. He brought it back from England in the 1990’s. It has sailed across the ocean and stayed in his garage forever, until he finally gave it the attention it needed to have it ready to sell.
My husband is a big online shopper and seller. He deals with auto parts online almost every day. We don’t even subscribe to a newspaper or magazines anymore. Last year, everything purchased for Christmas was bought online. Everything is done online. Of course, when he got ready to sell the Land Rover, he marketed it online and had a buyer within the first week.
The guy drove over from the coast, so we knew he was serious. He took the Land Rover for a few drives and offered my husband exactly what he was asking for it, $12,000.00. No problem. Great! Marvelous!
Only, he paid in cash.
So here we were, suddenly drawing the curtains, sleeping with gun box by the head of the bed, using the
security system every night (something we don’t do if we are home), fearing that someone from “Crime Hills” was going to come into our neighborhood and bust through the glass and rob us. When nobody A) knew we had this money, B) has ever done that before. Now, it wasn’t like winning the lottery, but I have a much greater appreciation for the paranoia that most winners develop.
How to deal with this?
We called all around trying to find a place we could purchase a money order to scan to our online bank, which is located in Texas. NOBODY would make money orders for amounts greater than five hundred dollars. Western Union wanted to charge us a small fortune, and the bank had complications with accepting it via Western Union. Then, the bank tells us that we have to send money orders through UPS, and they would only accept up to $6000.00 deposit via money order to one account in one day. So we figured half in my account and half in my husband’s account.
We ended up at the local supermarket buying money orders. Twenty four of them. Can you imagine, with all of the forms to fill out to buy one, just how long that took?
Then, we walked over to the UPS place, which was conveniently in the same shopping complex. After having spent an hour at the grocery store, with a mile long angry (babies crying, parents screaming, people swearing) line behind us at the customer service desk, we had twenty four more forms to fill out, and the machine that processed the transactions took about twenty minutes per transaction. The man processing our money orders, one at a time, was at least kind enough to give attention to folks coming in for other services so we didn’t feel so awkward, but it did mean OUR wait was longer, as having to give other customers attention also meant we had to wait for his attention periodically. No problem…it was not his fault.
I kid you not, ten hours later; with crippled writing fingers, our money was safely in the bank.
We were exhausted. That was a whole day’s work and then some. We had to laugh to keep from crying.
Have modern conveniences caused you more inconvenience than they should?
Filed under: Humor Tagged: cash, convenience, Humor, inconvenience, money, online banking
February 4, 2014
Return of the Community Storyboard! New Guidelines!
Reblogged from The Community Storyboard:
(Sorry! We forgot to make the blog public when we returned! Oops!)
We’re back!!!
After careful consideration and discussions with a panel of experts (we hear voices), we are implementing some not so drastic changes. In the spirit of keeping this a fair and fun community for everyone, we have rearranged some privileges, made some editorial changes, and adjusted our guidelines.
Community Storyboard is up and running again! Get your submissions in.
February 3, 2014
Autographed Paperback Book Giveaway: Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls
To celebrate “Red Clay and Roses” new availability as a paperback print on demand, I am having a Goodreads giveaway!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Red Clay and Roses
by S.K. Nicholls
Giveaway ends March 03, 2014.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Every entry has four chances to win!
Two books and two Amazon gift certificates up for grabs!
Filed under: Marketing Tagged: Amazon Gift Certificates, autographed copies, Book Giveaway, celebrate, free, paperbacks, Red Clay and Roses
February 2, 2014
Sunday Synopsis
Today we have sunshine and temperatures are back in the mid-seventies, after a week of pouring rain and overcast skies. I know you people under snow and gray skies for months hate us. We really don’t have the tolerance that you do. We are weak and pitiful in ways you don’t relate to.
Last night we had dinner with some snowbird friends of ours, a couple from Nebraska. The lady tells me she read my book and liked it. She said it was sad and rather Gothic. I agreed with her that it is a poignant story, but ends on a very sweet note. She didn’t say anything. (I wonder if she read the final conclusion chapter.) There was a long, painful pause. Then she says, “At least you had the courage to put it out there.” I didn’t know quite how to take that….the “At Least…” part. Sort of gave me the idea that she felt it amateurish. I am probably reading more into it, because of my own personal insecurities. I still think I need to practice how to speak to people about my book…not selling it…not marketing the book, or encouraging others to read it, but how I respond to them when they share with me that they have read it. The lack of eye contact made me somewhat uncomfortable. Geez, was she just being nice?
She asked about reviews. Of course, I had to tell her about my four and five star reviews…I was defensive to a certain degree. She seemed a bit surprised at the good reviews. Said, “That’s interesting.” That made me feel worse, and I realized I should have stopped while I was ahead, sort of. “Not everybody is going to like what you write!” I reminded myself.
About my goals from last week, my excuse is the same for most of them. It was raining, so I didn’t want to go out. I didn’t get the oil changed in my car. I didn’t get out and peddle my books. I didn’t schedule my sensory deprivation chamber experience. We did not make it to the antique mall in Mt. Dora, but we did find a Spirograph for the granddaughter on Amazon. She has a birthday coming up in three weeks. Any suggestions?
I did, being a recluse in the house, manage to get quite a bit of writing done. I also went back over the last few chapters and moved some paragraphs around. I write in stream of consciousness style. Sometimes my mind wanders. That might be a bipolar thing, but as I read over what was written, I found paragraphs that needed to be rearranged for better sequential flow from childhood to teenage events. It reads fine now. I am quite satisfied with it. There is one thing that I am seeing again. It is going to start out a sad story, and there is really nothing to be done about that. That is how it is.
Brainstorming with the beautifully minded and warm-hearted spirit, Ionia Martin of Readful Things blog, I have a better sense of how this novel and its main character will evolve to achieve a sense of redemption and achievement on a most positive note. That is a good thing and will lead to a most satisfying ending. I was about to take my character on a journey that I really wasn’t happy with and now I feel stronger and much more pleased with the moral of the story. Healing through helping others heal is the pathway we are taking. Thank you, Ionia, for be who you are, and for having time for me in your outrageously busy and full life.
This week I will revisit last week’s goals and hopefully make some progress. I will also be writing, and writing, and writing. I am planning a Goodreads Giveaway that I will announce formally when the Goodreads people approve it.
Filed under: Sunday Synopsis Tagged: dumbfounded, goals, in person reviews, Ionia martin, progress, sad story, Sunday Synopsis
February 1, 2014
Celebrate 1 Year of Beginning of a Hero!
Reblogged from Legends of Windemere:
On February 27th, Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero will be 1 year old. To celebrate, I'm running a month long Giveaway through Rafflecopter. Honestly, Danielle Taylor put it together because I'm so lost on here.
There are over 20 prizes to win, which range from a free book to a $10 Amazon gift card to a set of Legends of Windemere INCLUDING Family of the Tri-Rune when it's released.
Rafflecopter to celebrate 1 year anniversary of release of Beginning of a Hero, the first in the Legends of Windemere series by Charles Yallowitz!
January 31, 2014
The Year Long Story, Sentence #17
Pamela Beckford said:
Dorgon and I go way back, back before he was anything but amazing.
Join in the fun of the Year Long Story, on line by line! Read the complete story so far..., and add your sentence to #17 on the home page.
