D.G. Kaye's Blog, page 137

#Writing the First Chapter Blues of a Novel – Tips and Fixes – Ruth Harris

Today I’m reblogging one of my favorite blogs that are geared towards writers and always full of great tips and information from both Anne R. Allen and Ruth Harris. Both, Anne and Ruth write articles on the blog of Anne R. Allen

 

This article delves into the meat of writing a first chapter of our books. From the words of Ruth Harris:

 

“Your first chapter needs to be seductive, enticing, compelling and coherent. Getting it right is crucial—and it’s not easy.”

 

 

First Chapter Blues? Tips and fixes from NYT bestselling author Ruth Harris for self-editing the first chapter of your novel.

by Ruth Harris

 

“Someone waves a gun in the first sentence.

 

In the second sentence, Jim (or is it Jill?) is walking his (or is it her?) dog in the rain.

 

In the third paragraph, the dog gets loose, runs into the middle of a movie set where the handsomest/most beautiful/most famous movie star in the world falls instantly in love with the owner of the toy poodle/doberman pinscher/golden retriever.

 

In the last paragraph, Jim (or is it Jill?) is tied up in a cellar. She or he is getting fired/laid by his/her billionaire boss. Or s/he is in the kitchen making cupcakes. Or driving a Ferrari on the Grand Corniche while some people (good guys? bad guys?) are going somewhere in a truck/tank/bus/boat/private jet.

 

So what is this? A mystery? A thriller? A cozy? A romance? Urban fantasy?

 

Who the hell knows?

 

Certainly not the reader who by now is gone, girl, gone.

 

Basically, what we have here is a mess.

 

Of course I exaggerate but, based on a recent random reading of “Look Inside” samples, I didn’t completely make this up, either. . .” CONTINUE READING

 

Source: Writing the First Chapter of a Novel Tips and Fixes

Memoir Bytes – When Private Moments are no Longer Private

 

Both my parents lay side by side in their respective graves, and quite possibly in the ever after. I’m not certain about the happy ever after because we can only assume there is peace and congeniality on the other side.

 

Twenty-six years ago yesterday, January 9, 1991, we buried our father.

After 26 years of my father laying peacefully by himself, finally finding peace from his ailing and broken heart, he awaited my mother’s arrival for all those years, for her to be buried beside him. We buried her there just over 2 years ago. He got his wish to have my mother with him in eternity after pining for her all the years without her while on earth. But I can’t help but wonder if it was a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’ or if something magical happens on the other side where even the coldest of hearts can become humble.

I can only hope he’s still at peace.

I’m writing this here because of a conversation I had with my sister awhile ago. My sister, like me, still talks to our dad frequently and visits his grave in times of despair when in need of some solace. While he was alive, my dad was always there for us, and his departure from this world never changed the way we felt about him in our hearts. My sister told me a story about how she recently went to visit Dad, poured her heart out to him, had a meltdown, then felt an inner peace after her tearful release. I listened to her story with a heaviness in my own heart for her demise and for my own recollections about how many times I’ve gone there and done the same.

As is customary for us when we visit the grave of a loved one, we leave a token behind to mark our visit. Often that token can be flowers, a coin, or anything we may happen to have on our person we wish to rest around the headstone. At the very least, we can pick up a pebble or rock and leave that instead.

My sister finished her story by telling me she had a tiny angel in her pocket that a friend had recently given her and she placed it on our father’s grave. I couldn’t help but ask her, “What about Mom’s grave?” She hung her head as though in shame as she continued to tell me she had picked up a small stone and placed it on our mother’s grave but couldn’t bring herself to say anything to her.

In her next breath she said, “I feel horrible that I was talking to Dad and didn’t talk to her. I feel like a terrible daughter because it didn’t bother me that I ignored her.”

I told my sister not to feel horrible. That was how we lived our life with our mother, always dodging her as best we could to avoid conversation with her, in fear whatever we said would stir her wraths or opinions, a cycle which repeated itself throughout our entire lives.

I tried to console my sister as best I could because I too have those same strange, uncomfortable feelings now when I visit my father, no longer alone in his peaceful place where I always felt comfortable and free to speak to him in private. After 24 years of being able to confide in him one on one, my sister and I both feel as though we should be including our mother in our conversation, yet we can’t bring ourselves to do so even after her passing.

Some people have a way of burying the past once the death of a loved one with whom they may have shared a troubled relationship with, passes. And other people like us, can’t seem to change what’s been engraved in our hearts for our entire lives. I told my sister I understand how she feels, even though our reasons are slightly different for feeling at unease, hers because she felt nothing of it, and mine because I still feel guilty excluding my mother when I visit my dad. But I reminded my sister that I have found my way to forgiveness for our mother’s sins and I’ve learned that I no longer feel like a horrible daughter, just sad for our lives with her and for her own lonely life and how pathetic her life was when it ended.

It’s difficult to visit the grave of a parent you couldn’t share anything with in life, a parent that made us nervous just being in her mere presence, a parent who wasn’t a parent, and then perhaps expected her children to feel differently once she left this earth.

So as was in our life, when my sister and I always tried to our best to ‘do the right thing’ by our mother, we remain respectful and acknowledge we have visited by leaving behind a simple stone, respect, but choose to keep our conversations with our dad private as we always did while he was alive.

Sunday Book Review – No Sex Please, I’m Menopausal! by Stevie Turner

 

My Sunday book review on No Sex Please, I’m Menopausal by Stevie Turner.

 

If you like women’s fiction, a bit of chick-lit, and can identify with menopausal madness, you’ll like this book.

 

Get this book on Amazon! 

 

Blurb:

After going through the menopause Lyn finds that she no longer wants sex. This is unfortunate, as her husband Neil still does. When he discards her after 35 years of marriage like an old worn out shoe, Lyn moves to Cornwall to start a new life. However, new friends are hard to find, and she feels lonely.

On the spur of the moment she decides to join an online dating site, ‘MatchULike’, just for companionship. Amongst the peculiar people she meets is Peter; shy, and conscious that his ‘gentleman’s’ operation has rendered him an unattractive prospect in the marriage stakes. Lyn makes a friend of Peter, but when Neil gets to hear about the friendship he realises too late that there is more to a relationship than just sex, and he suddenly starts to appear back on the scene and wants to turn her life upside down all over again!

 

My 5 Star Review

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Lyn, whose life is turned around after experiencing residual effects of menopause, while her husband Neil seems to be going through a mid-life crisis. Lyn discovers Neil’s philandering ways by finding out about his adulterous affair he’s having to satisfy his sex drive. This escapade leads to the end of their marriage.

Lyn’s devastation has her moving away and starting a new life with new adventures, friends and relationships. Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’, Neil learns his newfound freedom and relationship with a younger woman isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and finds himself pining for his ex wife.

The story mirrors real life in many ways – pitfalls in relationships, side effects of menopause, and marriage mishaps. I found myself laughing with Lyn and drawn into her drama and decisions. And although I’m in total disagreement with some of the choices she made at the end of this book, it was her story, not mine, and that didn’t change the fact that the story was engaging and well written.

New Series – Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

Attention Authors!

Many of you know who Sally Cronin of the SmorgasbordInvitation blog is, but for those of you who don’t, I highly recommend checking out Sally’s blog. It’s a wealth of information from articles written on her health series, to her musical series, her own creative short stories she writes, daily reblog of noteworthy blogs to visit and follow, and of course her generous promotions she runs for other authors.

Opportunity to Feature Your Books

Below you will find a reblog of Sally’s post, inviting authors who are not yet in her virtual bookstore and cafe to submit your books which she will promote intermittently throughout the year. And if that’s not enough, for existing authors in her bookstore, Sally invites authors to submit new reviews for their current books so she can showcase them in her weekly ‘authors with new reviews for their books’ series. Talk about a big heart! Sally is selfless when it comes to sharing, so have a read below then continue reading and follow the links Sally provides to get your books into her virtual bookstore! Oh, and don’t forget to share!

 

Welcome to part two of the Smorgasbord book promotions for 2017 and as I mentioned yesterday, I am going to be using the 2016 Cafe and Bookstore as the platform for both of the promotions.

Just a reminder that if you are already in the bookstore, any new releases, major reviews etc will be included in the three times a week Cafe and Bookstore updates. I usually find these when I am checking all my social media sites but it is very helpful if you let me know when you have a new book coming out or have a rave review you would like to share.

Details are in the post – https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/smorgasbord-author-promotion-2017-if-you-are-in-sallys-cafe-and-bookstore/

For authors who are not yet in the bookstore I will do a full promotional post which will include their latest book but also a brief review of their other work including reviews.  

For this I will need the following:- > > 

 

Source: New Series – Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

Who Has a New Book? – Kevin Cooper – Caboodle and the Whole Kit

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Today’s author with his newest book is Kevin Cooper. Many of you may know ‘Kev’ as not only an author, but a blogger, songwriter and a wonderful promoter of other author’s books on his own blog KCBooksandmusic , where he interviews authors, reviews books and even offers FREE book covers. Kev is an all round nice guy who gives of his time so willingly to help promote others. But today it’s his turn to be interviewed here. We’re going to learn a little more about Kevin and his latest book, Caboodle and the Whole Kit.

 

About Kevin:

Kevin Cooper is an eclectic author and song-writer. His works are multifarious with books in genres ranging from Fantasy & Sci-Fi to Memoir/Drama with something for all ages through the medium of novels, novellas, short-stories, poetry, and music. Some of KC’s major influences in literature are JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, C.S Lewis, Terry Brooks, and J.K Rowling.

Kevin was born in Hull, England. At 21 years of age, he moved to the USA where he first attended Western Kentucky University, but transferred to Asbury College where he graduated with a BA in Psychology. He then attended Asbury Theological Seminary for a couple of years studying Christian Counselling & Psychopathology, and Biblical Languages before moving to Arizona where he enrolled at the Grand Canyon University, obtained a research fellowship and eventually graduated with M.Ed.

 

KC’s career in education spanned from tutor to teacher, to college lecturer. He later changed careers and went into management working for The Hertz Corporation. After almost twenty years living and working in the USA, he returned to England.

Finding suitable work in England was difficult, and KC eventually had to settle for an office job as a dispatch officer working with patient data services for the NHS. Seven years later, he gave it up to care for his wife and focus on his writing and music. He has since become the author of several works, and released his first music single in November 2015 and now focuses on releasing his first full music album and completing other existing book projects.

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Get this book on Amazon!

Blurb:

Caboodle is filled with relaxing episodes of life, family, love & romance, faith, and even the odd, inadvertent run-ins with some quite unsavory characters.

The wonderful collection of short stories, poetry, and songs has been grouped together to bring a variety of tales that are mostly based upon true events, people can easily relate to.

The whole kit is designed to ignite a mixture of emotions to bring smile, laughter, and moisture to the eyes. There is something for everyone in Caboodle.

Now let’s get to know a little more about Kevin!


Kev, can you tell us about what inspired you to write your latest book, Caboodle and the Whole Kit?

I had a few finished short manuscripts lying around and a few others that still needed a bit of work that I had no real plans for when I came up with the idea of grouping them into topics best I could, and putting them together to form some kind of a short anthology.  That’s how Caboodle & The Whole Kit  all came about. I actually struggled more coming up with a title for the collection then I did putting it all together.

 

You’ve authored quite a few books in different genres, do you enjoy writing one genre more than another?

I’ve always loved writing songs. That’s my first love of writing and always will be, followed closely by poetry as they are somewhat related. Even some of my very short stories are more or less free verse poetry.

My first memoir was written more out of necessity than anything else. I needed to work through some serious problems I had locked away in my closet. It was mentally and emotionally draining to say the least. This was my first serious attempt at actually writing a book. My second memoir simply continues the story up to my leaving for America.

The Devil’s Apology which I view as a Christian/Religious Fantasy was fun to write as was The Wizard, The Girl and The Unicorn’s Horn… A Childrens’/YA Fantasy. I definitely prefer them over my memoirs. They were by far easier to write.

 

I love to ask authors how they juggle their time. How do you manage to write books and music, read and review so many books, and run a blog with promotions simultaneously?

You’re after my secrets aren’t you? It’s rather challenging. As far as my writing goes, whether I’m writing music or books, I simply follow my muse which is rather chaotic. Seriously! Anyone would think we were related or something! Like… three sides to the same coin. The third side is when I’m living on the edge… Didn’t see that one coming did ya! Ha ha! (See what I mean.)

Reading and reviewing go hand in hand. I read everything on my kindle fire which allows you to post a review direct to Amazon and Goodreads when you’ve finished a book. This is why I prefer to buy the books I read or opt for a free kindle download when it’s available rather than accept pdf/mobi copies. I simply copy my reviews to my blog and add the book cover and links.

I read almost every day. I speed-read an awful lot, so get through quite a lot of books. I only review the books I finish though. If I can’t finish a book, it’s not worth my time writing a review. Certain books however, demand my attention, and for those that do, I slow down my reading to savour them.

I don’t run a whole lot of promos because I don’t do this for money or fame. I do it for enjoyment and self-edification. I usually promote on special occasions or when I have a new release out. This is probably why I find it easy to promote for others. Anyone who wants to promote their new book release through my blog are always welcome to do so and I always try my best for them.

 

     4. Is there something new you’re working on you’d like to share with us?

I have several works in progress with no real timetables. (I write in a leisurely sort of way) I’m still working on putting together two full albums. Both are distinct in musical styles. I’m still working on the sequel to The Wizard, The Girl and The Unicorn’s Horn. And, I’m slowing working through my final memoir which recounts my life in America… I’m doing a pre-edited version on my blog that folks can comment on.

 

I know you run a book of the month on your blog, and I was pleasantly surprised to find one of my own books listed there earlier last year. Can you tell us what criteria you use to evaluate your choice for book of the month?

Congratulations for making it, Debby! It’s harder than you think. It takes a little bit of research on my part; I go over the stats for previous month’s book reviews I’ve posted… give or take a week or so (depending upon when the reviews were posted within the month.) and the book review most popular with other visitors, (e.g. comments, retweets, other social media sharing, reblogs and likes etc.) wins the spotlight.

So it’s actually my readers/followers as a whole that influence the book of the month spotlight and who becomes author of the month based on their book review. I try to be fair. If it was just me who decided, that would be too biased. This is also why I chose to have a panel of judges for The Diamond Book Awards.

 

Do you have any advice you can share for new writers?

I’m probably not the best example for those who have timetables and deadlines strung to their book projects. But what I think is most important is, authors not try to be too like other authors. There’s a lot of this, “I write like…” business going on these days. Stay true to yourself. Strive to be unique. Those authors before you whom you crave to be like, got where they are through their own uniqueness. Moreover, ENJOY your writing.

 

Now please tell us a little about your new book and share an excerpt with us?

 

Caboodle & The Whole Kit is filled with relaxing episodes of life, family, love & romance, faith, and even the odd, inadvertent run-ins with some quite unsavoury characters.

The wonderful collection of short stories, poetry, and songs has been grouped together to bring a variety of tales, some of which are based upon true events, people can easily relate to.

The whole kit is designed to ignite a mixture of emotions to bring smile, laughter, and moisture to the eyes.

There is something for everyone in Caboodle & The Whole Kit!

 

Excerpt from, Interview with the Phantom

 …After the show, I was minding my own, as you do, and decided I’d have a nice stroll back to my hotel when upon passing a dark alleyway around the back of the opera, I heard a strange sound and that’s how I ended up interviewing, The Phantom of The Opera!

Phantom: Psst!

Kev: Hello. Is someone there?

Phantom: Psst (a shadowy cloaked figure beckons Kev to follow him)

Kev: Are you sure this is wise, it’s rather dark and cold down here?

Phantom: Fear not, I am your Angel!

Kev: Really? Oh well that’s all right then.

The Phantom leads Kev down through a labyrinth underneath the opera house. It’s cold, damp and there are candles and broken pieces of glass like shattered mirrors everywhere. They stop by an enclave in the cave. There is an old bust of a woman wrapped in a rather old and shabby wedding dress and what is left of the veil.

The Phantom motions Kev to sit.

Phantom: Are you Kev?

Kev: That’s right, but you already know that ’cause you’re an angel, right?

Phantom: Ah yes, quite right.

Kev: So, what can I do for you?

Phantom: I need you to interview me, of course!

Kev: Ah… Well it just so happens I brought my trusty pen and have a pad in my coat pocket. (Kev produces the pen and pad to show as evidence)

Phantom: Excellent! Let us begin!

Kev: Well what I normally do is start by saying, in a generalised way, tell us a little about yourself. Where you grew up, siblings, family life, education, and how you got to where you are now, but being an angel, I’m not sure that will do for you.

Phantom: Oh no, that just will not do! I do not wish to go into my childhood… it is full of horror and pain! I was abused and beaten because of my facial deformity, you see… hence the mask!

Kev: (The penny drops) Hang on a minute… Where are we?

Phantom: In the catacombs beneath the opera house. This is my lair!

Kev: You’re no angel! You imposter. You’re, you’re… The Phantom! Aren’t you?

Phantom: I am an angel. Ask Christine, she’ll tell you! She even said as much when she followed as I coaxed her to my lair. She sang only for me. She was my angel of music! She loved only me.

Kev: Can’t you see, that only proves that you seduced her?

Phantom: I loved her! And she would have loved me too if it wasn’t for that meddling Raoul!

Kev: (He sounds like a villain from Scooby Doo now!) But didn’t she love Raoul rather than yourself? (Kev sees an object in the cave and picks it up) Look! Is this not her engagement ring?

Phantom: How dare you! I should run you through for your insolence! I have my sword!

Kev: And I sir, have my pen! (The pen is mightier than the sword and all that… wink, wink.)

Phantom : Trait de plume !

…

 

Thank you for visiting here today Kev and sharing your insights on writing and promoting. I look forward to reading some of the many books I have of yours awaiting me on my Kindle! Wishing you much success on the new book! 

 

Visit Kev’s Amazon Author Page Here 

 

Visit Kevin on Social Media:

Blogs

https://kcbooksandmusic.wordpress.com/

https://lovelifetearsnlaughter.wordpress.com/  (Personal Blog – Pat & Kev)

 

Musician Links

http://www.songcastmusic.com/profiles/Villanelle

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsMqio6ejYFSd21BwyMknWQ

https://soundcloud.com/kevin-cooper-62

 

Author Links

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00EWFEYKQ

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00EWFEYKQ

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/460158.Kevin_Cooper

 

Book Trailers

https://vimeo.com/user57803740/videos

 

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/kcbooksandmusic/

https://twitter.com/kcbooksnmusic

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KevinCooper/posts

 

 

How To Become a Good Writer: 50 Quotes From The Greats | WTD

 

Today I’m sharing a fun and interesting post I came across by Mary Jaksch on a website called Writetodone.com . 50 Quotes from writers on how to become a good writer. These should bring a smile and perhaps be some inspiration for some of us as writers for the new year!

 

“Do you want to become a good writer? Check out these 50 quotes and be inspired, sustained and entertained on your journey as a writer.”

 

How to Become a Good Writer
Inspiration

“I feel like part of getting better at writing is knowing where to find that inspiration. Right after something happens to me, the first thing I’ll do is go write when those feelings are really, really fresh.” ~ Troye Sivan
“I’m not patient at all. I avoid writer’s block by writing. I power through with a bad version, so I can move on, and usually once I’ve gotten to the next scene, I’ll discover what was missing from the bad version scene. Then I can easily rewrite it to get back on the right path.” ~ Anders Holm
“I think one of the keys to better writing is releasing all of your ideas and to not be afraid. Dream big. This could be the greatest novel in the world you know.” ~ Adora Svita
“Writers get ideas all day every day. The FedEx guy delivers a package from Sears and the writer is thinking how it could actually be a ticking time bomb.” ~ Dan Alatorre
“Writers don’t forget the past; they turn it into raw material.” ~ Joyce Rachelle
“Coffee, my delight of the morning; yoga, my delight of the noon. Then before nightfall, I run along the pleasant paths of the Jardin du Luxembourg. For when air cycles through the lungs, and the body is busy at noble tasks, creativity flows like water in a stream: the artist creates, the writer writes.” ~ Roman Payne

Continue reading these interesting thoughts HERE

Source: How To Become a Good Writer: 50 Quotes From The Greats | WTD

Are you Maximizing your Blog’s Visual Appeal Using Widgets?

 

 

Many of us blog for varied reasons. Some of us are authors and writers, some have a brand which blogging represents, some specialize in a particular niche, and some just blog because they like to share thoughts, rant, rave, or whatever strikes their fancy. But no matter our reasons for blogging, there’s one thing all bloggers have in common and that is wanting our posts to gain visibility in the vast blogosphere.

 

I can say without a doubt that the best way to have our posts shared is by communing with other bloggers, engaging with readers by interacting with comments, and by visiting other blogs and engaging with content that resonates with us. These are important elements to be included and get involved with the blogging community, but how do we develop that engagement if nobody is visiting or commenting on our own blogs?

 

 

Here are some tips to make your blogs inviting to readers:

 

About Page:

I don’t know about you guys, but first thing I do when visiting a new blog is go to the ‘about page’. This gives me a feel for the person who writes the blog posts. Why? First, I want to know what I can expect to find in posts from that blogger. Second, many bloggers don’t have their name in their website title or avatar. I like to be able to address someone by name when I leave a comment. Without learning the identity of a bloggers, it doesn’t feel personal.

For example: My dear friend Sally Cronin’s blog is called Smorgasbord Invitation, aptly named because her blog is an eclectic mix of posts from stories, various series she runs and lots of generous promotions she does for other writers – hence the ‘invitation’ part of the name. If I went to Sally’s blog for the first time, I’d know right away that her name is Sally. I could see it clearly displayed on her top tool bar on her clickable “About Sally Cronin” page. Even if her name wasn’t added to the ‘about’ link, once I go there, she introduces herself. That way everyone knows Smorgasbord Invitation is Sally’s blog, gratefully, because I wouldn’t have wanted to keep commenting by addressing her as Smorgasbord.

Sadly, I’ve come across some blogs where there is no hint of the person’s name behind the blog, on their ‘about’ page or otherwise. Our ‘about’ page gives us insight as to who the person blogging is about. It’s difficult to form a blogging relationship with someone when we don’t know their name.

 

Avatars:

Having an avatar representing us when we leave comments behind on blogs, as well as for our own social media so people can easily recognize us, is a good idea for people to become familiar with us, avatars are part of our branding. All bloggers should get themselves an avatar. An avatar not only is a photo of yourself that others can identify you by but they are also enabled to share information about you, your website, and anything you want to add for discoverability just by hovering over it with your mouse. Some bloggers don’t use a photo of themselves for whatever their reasons, but in actuality, a real photo of yourself is the best way to become easily identified around blogging circles and social media.

 

Widgets:

Are you taking advantage of using your widgets on your blog?

Widget options can be found in your WordPress dashboard. You can add widgets on your sidebar, before a post, under a post or to your footer. Widgets offer engagement, information, and give us another place to display information about us, our books, our social media links, and our blogs. Anything in a widget can be made clickable with a link to take a reader directly to whatever it is displayed in the widget.

There are many things we may choose to display in widgets, just to name a few:

Our social media feeds, ie: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Our social blogging community
Our books
Awards and Badges
Recent blogs, Search, and Archives, to enable readers to look up older posts
Google has recently offered a new ‘translation’ widget to help expand readership by inviting readers who may not speak English to translate our blogs into another language

Learn more about using widgets HERE.

 

A Word on Share Buttons:

I’ve written a post before on the importance of having and using ‘share buttons’ under a post, and also to make sure when setting up those buttons, your name is attached to those share buttons so that when someone ‘likes’ your blog and clicks to share it to their own social shoutout, your blog is recognized in the social sphere. You can do this by going into your ‘settings’ in your dashboard and then clicking on ‘sharing’ where you can connect your social sites to your share buttons.

And don’t forget about using the ‘press this’ tool. You can find more about this from a previous post I wrote too. The ‘press this’ tool is available in your ‘tools’ available in your dashboard. This is a handy tool to use for reblogging a post in draft you may want to share on your blog, but the blogger doesn’t offer a ‘reblog’ button because on self-hosted sites, there isn’t an option for a reblog button. ‘Press this’ allows you to clip the blog post’s website link and copies over a few words from the post, then you can set it as a ‘saved’ draft which you can then open in your drafted posts and if you click the ‘preview’ button, it will open up another tab with the original post. From there, you can copy and paste from the original post whatever you choose over to the drafted post.

‘Press this’ is also handy to clip anything off any web page you may want to save in draft to revisit or blog about at a later time.

 

There are many other things we can add to our blogs to enhance them, but the above mentioned are key components to allowing readers to get to know us better and a great method of getting more engagement with our posts.

Happy Blogging!

Spotlight on #Blog Visions for 2017 ~ New Year’s Delight | TINA FRISCO

Tina Frisco has written a beautiful post after taking some surveys from a few authors and bloggers around the WordPress community about what they have in store for 2017. Please have a look at the post over at Tina’s to learn about some bloggers you may not yet be familiar with and check them out. I was honored to be included in this list of bloggers.

SPOTLIGHT ON #BLOG VISIONS FOR 2017 ~ NEW YEAR’S DELIGHT
 



I

I’ve thought for some time now that I’d like to have a theme for my blog. Many of the blogs I follow have themes I find most enjoyable. I’ve asked several of these folks to be my guest, tell us what they envision for their blog in 2017, and include their images and links.

 

I want to thank all of those who responded and wish them great success in the New Year. They are listed below in alphabetical order by first name. Please visit their sites, like and follow, and perhaps download a book or two. Enjoy!  Please Continue Reading . . .

Source: Spotlight on #Blog Visions for 2017 ~ New Year’s Delight | TINA FRISCO

Final Book Review 2016 – P.S. I Forgive You -by Judith Barrow

 

Wrapping up the year of reviews, I just came across this wonderful review on the blog of Judith Barrow. I was delighted to find that Judith had read and reviewed my latest book, P.S. I Forgive You.

 

 

My Review:

 

When I reviewed  D. G Kaye’s Conflicted Hearts (http://amzn.to/2iqL3Wc) I wrote “I laughed and cried with D.G.Kaye and finally, applauded her. A wonderful book from a woman of great strength.” On reading P.S I Forgive You  I can only reiterate those words yet also add that the author reveals a great wisdom in the acceptance and forgiveness for what she endured in the past (none of which she could control). Her words show an inner peace that many of us, who have been in the same circumstances, may never reach.

There is such honesty  in D. G Kaye’s writing.   P.S I Forgive You  is threaded through with sorrow. But it’s not a self-serving or selfish sadness, it’s a  lament for a parent who never had any self awareness, who never grew away from that belief we all have as a child; that the world revolves around us. Over riding all that this is an account that reveals understanding and compassion for the author’s mother.

This is an empowering book; a must read for anyone trying to make peace with their past in an effort to making the most of the future. . .Continue Reading 

Source: My Review of P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy by D.G. Kaye | Judith Barrow

Reflections: Another Year Draws to an End – Happy New Year

 

As this year of 2016 draws to an end, many of us will reflect on what has transpired in our lives in the last 12 months. We may re-evaluate some of the decisions we’ve made, take pride in our accomplishments, kick ourselves for things we didn’t get done, and be busy planning for the new year.

 

Personally speaking, this year has been one of the most challenging for me of any I can remember. The year started off exciting as my husband and I got to spend our dream winter vacation, 2 months in Arizona, and within one day of landing back home, our health related nightmares began, first with our both contacting Influenza on the airplane coming home, knocking us both out, me for almost 2 weeks and for him, setting off underlying issues which had him in and out of hospitals till mid May, and my almost losing him twice through his demise.

In the midst of the mayhem I was finishing my latest book and spent the summer in re-writes and edits and gathering oodles of information in defense of the Revenue Canada Agency audit that had been ongoing since the previous year, claiming being an author isn’t a job. Ya, pretty funny eh? Well after 14 months of that battle, I managed to win, not without costing thousands of dollars in accounting fees which proved to be almost as much as the government wanted back from me in the first place. And my husband’s audit is still in appeals since last year.

I spent a lot of time with my sister this year, trying to help her with her own unpleasant issues, health and otherwise, and even began writing a new book. I began doing my Sunday book reviews and weekly authors with a new book interviews, and had been invited to do several interviews myself, which was a thrill for me and a great boost to my book sales. And with all that’s gone on, I’ve been enduring my own health issues, residual effects of stress I’m told. I say that because I never know when to stop even though my body sends me the warning signs. So with that said, I know I have to come up with a new plan of action in the new year.

I have never taken a blogging break in almost 4 years. I always feel as though everything I’ve worked hard to build for my following and readership will disappear if I abandon the blogosphere, so I never stopped, even when on vacation. But I’ve done a lot of soul searching and I’ve seen other bloggers come and go on vacation and it seems their lives pick up where they’ve left off without others abandoning their blogs, so I think this winter when, hopefully we get another chance to go away again, with the expense it costs to do so and especially with extra insurance costs to make sure my husband is covered to travel with peace of mind, this time I’m going to take a time out and savor every moment of my vacation. I’m working on my plans for the new year.

I will continue my Friday author interviews until the end of January, and book reviews will become sporadic, as I finish one, I’ll review through January. And in hoping that our plans to leave for Florida in early February take off, I’ll be busy sorting out things to prepare for the trip, and of course PACKING, which is a full time job for me, LOL as many of you may know from my book, Have Bags, Will Travel  .

I’ll be around in January, so before I take off in February, I’ll write a post stating whatever I decide to do with blogging while away. I’m hoping to venture into some different promoting next year, finish writing another book, and extending my writing to doing some freelance content writing to supplement ‘the author income’. So I already know I have a full plate set for next year.

I’d like to take this moment to wish all of you a beautiful New Year. May it be filled with health, peace and happiness, and a little prosperity is always nice too.