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By:
Sara Burrier,
on 5/5/2015
Blog:
warrior princess dream
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Monday officially sets the week in motion, and by Tuesday, I feel like I can best determine what kind of week it's going to be. Granted, things unexpected always happen, but this week Norah has a cold, which means a lot of play and a lot of snuggles. I need to keep my to do list simple and not expect to get everything done.
If she has a cold, I'm not too far from one, so self care (napping when she naps, eating well, etc) is just as important for me too.
Today I'm excited because I get to paint three lovely ladies sipping tea. I was going to do coffee (since I'm a coffee fanatic), but I wouldn't have been able to draw the wee tea flags that I adore so much. ^_^
Tuesdays are a day for creating. I do my best to reserve this day for painting or drawing. Sometimes if I am able, I will paint or draw Monday night to gear me up for Tuesday. Somehow that works for me.
Last night I was able to put 4 hours in (!!!) and got some Christmas art finished, and today is the reward by painting something fresh and new!
By: Thao,
on 9/24/2010
Blog:
B is for Books
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“A wonderful student but…” is a phrase that would commonly show up on my report cards and I swear my dad’s eye would twitch each time he stumbled across one of those “buts”. The only complaint I ever got all through school was my lack of concentration. English class was spent deep sea diving, looking [...]
Mardi Gras Updates
The winner of Monday's Daily Prize drawing is ...
Jemi Fraser!
You win a LOT of Meg Cabot books (3 Hardbacks and 1 Paperback): Sweet Sixteen Princess, Pants on Fire, How to be Popular, and The Boy Next Door.
Please email me your address. Congratulations and thanks so much for following me and participating.
Reminders on how to Enter
There are 3 different ways to win! You must Follow me and Elana (who is also giving away agent critiques!)to be eligible for any prizes
- Daily prizes - Comment on each daily post (random drawing, awarded daily)
- Follow Prize - Follow me by Thursday night 12 PST (random drawing, awarded Friday)
- Two Grand Prizes (1 agented, 1 unagented): Answer Scavenger Hunt question on FRiday and Fill in Friday's form.
- You can get extra entries by doing these things.
- For rules and schedule, go here.
- You do not need to email me or comment and include all the links you are doing for extra points. Be sure to come back on Friday and fill out the mandatory form to be included in the Grand Prize Drawings. BTW - This is on the honor system.
- These prizes are for agented authors AND unagented. You both can win!
Note: To all winners of this week's contest as well as The Fabulous Follower Contest held last week. All prizes will be mailed out by the end of NEXT week.Frugal Marketing for Authors (Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of Frugal Marketing)
Remember:
- A big prize will be awarded to a post commenter (you must also be a follower): A copy of her ebook of Frugal Marketing along with other great books. You must comment by 12 midnight PST/3am EST.
- Clue #2 for the Marketing Scavenger Hunt will be hidden in the post
The Winner is (from the Random Number Generator).....
PATTI!
Patti - email me at [email protected] with your address. I probably won't mail it until after the holidays though.
Congratulations!!
My kids were stuck home today from school - for the flooding - and we went to the bookstore.
So did a ton of other moms.
A lot of them were talking about what they do with their kids and what they dont' do. Some of them i thought "I do that.". Some i thought "What? I would never do that!"
I realized there is a difference between Good moms and Super moms.
- Super mom - helps her kids throw up when they are sick
- Good mom - helps her kids throw up but..... in reality is gagging and about to throw up herself
- Super mom - picks a paci (or food) off the floor and washes it off
- Good mom - picks up a paci (or food) blows on it and shoves it back in kids mouth to build up immune system
- Super mom - loves to play with her kids
- Good mom - loves to play with her kids but... only for so long before she feels like she just cant be the dog anymore.
- Super mom - never yells and is always calm
- Good mom - yells at least once a week and then apologizes for "losing it"
- Super mom - has kids who eat spinach and broccoli
- Good mom - gets excited when a bad eater loves spinach pretzels at B&N and then happily counts that as one of the daily vegetables.
- Super mom - is always dressed in super cute outfit (cape and all)
- Good mom - is lucky if she gets to take a shower and throws on what is clean (or not)
- Super mom - negotiate with kids in stores to avoid arguments and effectively uses time outs at the checkout
- Good mom - lets kid fall on the floor and then asks others around if they want to "watch the show" (while waiting for fit to be over)
- Super mom - packs a lunch for her kids everyday with love - keeping the four food groups in mind
- Good mom - packs a lunch for her kids everyday with love- but some days throws in a lunchable and tells herself its a treat
- Super mom - lays out the perfect outfit so her kid looks perfect for school
- Good mom - lets kids pick out clothes and as long as they are wearing pants - lets the unmatched socks and contrasting stripe patterns pass inspection
- Super mom - only gives kids TV if the American Pediatric Assoc recommends it
- Good mom - commands "movie day" and sticks her kid in front of TV to get a break.
- Super mom - volunteers to be the head of the PTA
- Good mom - wants to be on the PTA and knows when the meetings are, but somehow even with best intentions never gets there on time
- Super mom - loves to clean the grime in the toilets b/c "cleanliness is next to godliness".
- Good mom - love to pay someone else to reach those places.
- Super mom - loves to get up in the middle of the night with kids when they wake, go potty, or are in the bathroom
- Good mom - does rock paper scissors with hubby to see who wins and gets to sleep in
- Super mom - sings Elmo and Sesame Street songs in the car everyday, all day
- Good mom - gets her kids to like Justin Timberlake and sing "I'm bringing sexy back"
- Super mom - cooks homemade meals every night from scratch
- Good mom - cooks hot meals from the four food groups even if three of them are processed and heated in microwave
- Super mom - would rather be with their kids 24/7
- Good moms - loves time with kids but sighs a breath of relief when kids are finally tucked in bed and a bottle of wine is already open.
- Super mom - loves to share her food with her kids, giving them the last bite
- Good mom - resents giving away the last bite b/c she loves sweets
- Super mom - loves every bowel movement their child takes - 1 or 2
- Good mom - cringes when she hears the words "Booty check!!!" coming from the bathroom (that also happens to be flawed in its flushing ability)
- Super mom - loves being pregnant
- Good mom - doesn't like being pregnant (really through the first 3 months of babyhood) but loves her kids unconditionally
- Super mom - loves to talk about everything their kid does, all day, all the time
- Good mom - loves to talk about her kids but only for so long then she likes to talk about herself.
- Super mom - loves to play chase and run after her kids, up and down the playgyms
- Good mom - loves to play "hide and seek" so she can hide in a corner and get at least 5 minutes of peace and quiet.
I have a confession: I am a Good mom. I will never be a Super mom. I'm Ok with that.
Anyone looking to buy a "never before used" cape?
I am procrastinating finishing my last few chapters on my tween paranormal book (which BTW I am loving right now and having so much fun with.)
To me, the hardest time about writing is the beginning. I get great ideas - its just starting them.
I love the moment when you are ALMOST done with a book and it is just pouring out of you. So fast that you almost cant type coherently.
Then my fingers started to cramp.
Damn fingers!
I was sitting here writing (well technically typing) when my hands started to cramp which made me stop for a break which made me start thinking - man I wish i would have learned to type better which led me to this post.
HindSight is 20/20
And in hindsight, these are all the things I wish I had never done:
- cheat in my typing class. Don't get me wrong I am a fast pecker (wait that doesn't sound good does it?). I am a fast typer with about 5 fingers - 3 on my right hand and 2 on my left (wait thumbs count as fingers - right?). I wonder if I'd done typing class the right way would I be typing faster? Which makes me wonder if I'd be writing faster? Which makes me wonder if I'd crank out books faster? At the very least, I am pretty sure I would have avoided the "claw-hands" on the keyboard.
- complained about my weight before kids ( I'll throw in another one here - never yo-yo dieted). I have been on a diet for the last 6 weeks, have lost 14 lbs and have 8 to go just to get back to my pre-baby weight (notice i said weight! not shape!) And do you know what? The pre-baby weight is what I used to complain about and call fat. Now, it's the weight I (and my tightish clothes) only dream about. I'm talking if I could just get back into my pair of Skinny-Fat jeans, I'd be happy. The skinny-skinny jeans are a joke at this point. I didn't really start this diet (or now way of eating) to lose weight (though I should have), I started it b/c of the 6 month vertigo thing, thinking maybe if I detox I'll feel better. And it worked! But I had to drop everything - caffeine, dairy, sugar and complex carbs ( I sound so healthy right?), but the drop in weight has been great. Why did I ever complain about where I was - it's crazy cuz I now I realized I looked damn good :)
- left journalism school to become a business major. I don't think there is much I need to explain on this one - its obvious right? I am so much more happier now writing in jeans and flip flops than I was in my expensive executive suits. But more than anything, I could really use that MFA (instead of my MBA) about now. To think I was only 3 letters (C, D, and E) away from my path! So close!
- took out a 20 year graduate school loan! yes that's right, this is my last year for those who just grabbed a calculator and tried to figure out my age *sigh*. In graduate school, I had the option of 10, 15 or 20 years. I chose 20 to keep my payments down and of course (just like my parents said -you were right dad!!) I never paid more than I had to in any month. Now 20 years later and probably 100,000$ instead of 20,000$, I can see the end. Only 3,000$. AH! Well at least it will be gone before I turn 40 in 2 years.
- went out of state for my college degrees. Auburn's grad program (though I loved my time there - War Eagle!) was 4 times as expensive as UGA's. See #4 for further explanation of why this is a regret.
- bought our expensive car. We bought a BMW before I quit my high-paying, high-fluting executive job. Every month when I write the car payment, I cringe. Why I thought expensive cars were so cool and necessary, is beyond me. Now I just want to get rid of it but of course in this economy - what crazy person is buying a BMR. And those that are, surely don't want my cheerio-infested, grimy handled one. I look forward to the days of old cars, lots of miles, and low payments. Though now my hubby drives it and I have my jeep Commander. The BMW just wasn't me :) You cant be a starving writer and ride around in a BMW. It doesn't fit the image.
- was late on paying my bills on time. Yes, in this economy on only one salary, credit is key to low interest and loan offers when needed. Now, I am good at paying bills but I wasn't always. Now, I have BillPay at BofA (love it!). And my late-late payments were years ago, but unfortunately still within the dread 7 year window. *sigh*. I just could not remember to pay bills when I was in college, traveling on my job and especially when I was prego - sorry honey but still i did it like 90% of the time. But it doesn't matter - one or two kill you.
That's it for now - my claw hands are back. :)
Marketing Muse: Its a Librarians World
Did you know you can purchase lists of all mailing addresses and contacts to Librarians in the US? Go to http://www.librarymarketinglist.com/ Depending on your book/genre, it may be worth the investment.
Tuesday's Teaser
OK so I always see great posting about all of your new books and love reading them. I have never put my writing out there. I guess because I feel kinda vulnerable.
Am I crazy?
I mean what if you all hate it but don't want to tell me? What if you love it but hate to comment so all the comments are negative? What if the people who will love it dont' come today?
But I need help. So I have to just put it out there.
Past or Present, that is the question.
Do you like the book in present or past tense better? Or does it even matter? Before I ever query my book, I need to know. But I can't decide and have had different people pick each way.
OK so here goes (thanks in advance for your time in reading this.)
Be honest....
But be gentle :)
Premise
Gabby is a tween angel assigned to protect her high school rival, Angela. What’s worse, Angela is now dating Gabby’s pre-Transfer boyfriend. Soon, Gabby is put on probation by her Sky Agent for the three offenses: popping Angela's Wonder Bra, conducting an onion breath spell on Angela's first date with Michael, and influencing Angela to buy a pair of jeans that make her butt look big. But when Gabby continues her pranks and refuses to give up her mortal life, she sets off a series of “death changing” events and learns what can happen when you hate someone to death.
Present Tense (chapter 1/Copyright 2008)
Like all my birthday parties, my funeral is just plain boring. Nothing different. Nothing exciting.
Not exactly the final act I hoped for. Then again, I never expected this day to happen so soon.
First off, I hate elevator music, AKA crap tunes. I much prefer something a bit angrier. I’m also majorly bummed that my mom chose the hideous white pants that made my butt look as big as Texas. But then again, it didn’t really matter anymore. Except that now, I’m stuck with these pants for eternity. Lucky for me, white is cool where I’m going.
I balance on the open lid of my casket and watch all the tear-streaked strangers stream by my mortal form. The guest list freaks me out more than the music. I’m not only shocked at who has come, but how many. I am more popular dead, than alive. Who knew?
The strange, acne-infested kid from my Drama Class strolls up and starts to whimper. Weird. The kid never gave me the time of day so how can he be disturbed by my death? He’s probably hoping our Drama teacher notices and offers a lead role in the upcoming school play?
Ms. Cross, my World Religion teacher, comes up and whispers her respects. I betcha she feels guilty for giving me a D on my last test. Someday real soon, I’d probably be able to teach her a thing or two about “life after death”. That would definitely spice up her syllabus.
The snaking line parts and my mom stumbles through the sea of black polyester. She slumps over my mahogany box and sobs. Pain screams through my chest, forcing me to double-over. I remember what I learned in my Orientation Class. A downside of being a Bright is that we experience the pain of our loved ones, only 1,000 times more. Sometimes my mom’s agony gets so bad, it paralyzes me.
Now I know why every Brights hates it when a loved one mourns. Because we suffer too.
I clutch my chest and wait for the tide of agony to pass. Deep inside, I have a deep urge to cry with her. I’ve heard most Brights think their inability to cry is a total perk. But not me. I always loved a good cry. Not the whimpery kind. I’m talking about the all-out blubbering, snotty, suck-in-your-breath kind. The kind that - somehow – always makes you feel better.
Now, I’d give anything to have one last wail session.
One more thing I’m sure I’ll miss up here.
PAST Tense: (Just an exerpt of Chapter 1 so you can compare)
Like all my birthday parties, my funeral was just plain boring.
Not exactly what I expected as my final act.
First off, I hated the elevator music, AKA crap tunes. I much preferred something a bit angrier, like Muse. I was also majorly bummed that my mother choosing the hideous white pants that made my butt look as big as Texas. But then again, it doesn’t really matter anymore, does it? Except that I’m stuck with those pants for eternity. Lucky for me, white was in fashion where I was going.
I perched on the lid of my casket and observed all the tear-streaked strangers streaming by my mortal form. More than anything, the guest list totally freaked me out. Not only was I baffled by the people who showed up, but surprised by the sheer number, more than in my whole crummy town.
An acne-infested kid from my Drama Class strolled by and started to whimper. As I recall, the kid had never given me the time of day. Was he really that disturbed by my death? Or was he just hoping our Drama teacher would finally notice him and offer him a lead role in the school play?
Ms. Cross, my World Religion teacher, strolled by and whispered her respects. I bet she felt guilty for giving me a D on my last test. Now I betcha I could teach her a thing or two about “life after death”.
A few minutes later, the snaking line parted. My mom’s wilted body stumbled towards the front. She slumped over my mahogany box and sobbed. Pain screamed through my chest, forcing me to double-over. One downside of being a Bright was that you actually experienced the pain of your loved ones. Only 1,000 times more. Sometimes the agony was so bad, it paralyzed me.
The reason why Brights hated it when a loved one mourned. Because we suffered more.
I clutched my chest and waited for the tide of agony to pass. Deep inside, I felt an urge to cry with her. Some Brights thought their inability to cry was a total perk. Not me. I’d give anything to have one last wail session. I’m not talking about the whimpering kind, but the all-out blubbering, snotty kind. The kind that - somehow - always made you feel better.
Just one more thing I would miss up here.
What do you think? Past or present?
Marketing Muse - Tips for Blog Tours
- While you ultimately want to increase your book sales, the purpose of a blog tour is to generate buzz about your book.
- Don’t just announce your tour on your personal blog, announce it in your newsletters, in press releases, and through traditional media outlets like radio interviews.
- While it can be rather costly to send out review copies of your books to every blogger in the blogosphere, especially if you’re not sure how popular a blog is, you can offer to hold a book drawing for every blogger who participates in your blog tour and then give away one to five books to whosoever name you pull out of a hat—at the end of the blog tour.
- Ask if the blog host will post a link to the sales page of your book whether it’s on Amazon.com or another affiliated program.
- Be sure to target blogs with target audiences that match your book’s target audience.
I'm just Sayin'.....Why do people put pictures of themselves not wearing a shirt up on Facebook? And if I know them, do I still have to friend them? Isn't it bad enough I have to reunite with high school memories? do I really need to view your 40 year old pecs?
If we can make strides forward in technology and space and medicine, can we not get rid of Miss USA pageants? Are they still in fashion? Does anyone watch them anymore? The answers are the same "I want world peace." Great thanks for sharing.
Why do people keep their old clothes, thinking it will come back in style again "someday"? When it does, won't they be either too old to wear it anyway? Not to mention, I'm pretty sure the "style" will be redesigned in some chic new fashionable way. I think it's safe to say those parachute pants won't be coming back in style for a while and if they do, hopefully they will be upgraded! Maybe more pockets?
On twitter, I do NOT want to know when you are going to the bathroom. Trust me, you can leave that part out!! I won't mind missing a few minutes (maybe 10 depending...) of your time.
If a martian landed on our plant with their fast UFOs and invisible lights and telepathic abilities, do we really think they need to probe us for our radios, reproduction ability, and crummy computers? If they can make a cool, fast, ultra-UFO, I'm have confidence that they can probably find ways to reproduce and make more things than any Radio Shack. I'm sure something exists, but I think the "encounters" we hear about are a bit odd. Even for a martian.
How come when Madonna falls off a horse and busts her tush, she gets to cry "Paparazzi!". But when I fall down (which I tend to do often), I'm just a klutz. Can I try that next time? Maybe the horse didn't want his picture taken? Maybe it wasn't about Madonna! (what?!)
How can Justin Timberlake yell at MTV, asking them to play more videos than reality shows, but now he just signed on for a reality show with them?
Do we need to know when Brangelina breathes? Cant we give them some space. I don't think its headlines news that they took the kids grocery shopping (stay tuned for a list of what they bought) Priorities people!
Do we really need a picture book by Mario Lopez. Isnt it depressing enough to try hard to get published than to have Slater blow by you? *sigh*
I felt compelled to voice atrocities! ;)
First Business of the day:
The Random Drawing Winner of the Comment Your Butt Off Contest is.......
Casey McCormick - Literary rambles!
Congrads! You can email me offline to discuss your "Sur-Prize."
Your dream can come true!
Some of us when we started this dream of ours - to be a published author - may have had doubts, may have been laughed at, may have even been brushed aside.
After seeing this, I truly believe that dreams can happen. And they can happen to anyone. At anytime.
If you have ever given my blog 5 minutes of your time, I ask for it now. If you want to groan, laugh, and even cry, take a few moments and watch this video. It will lift your heart, your hopes, and help you fight for this dream of yours.
I chose this longer version b/c I think the transformation in people, i attitudes, and in spirit is touching. I've watched so many times and still get tears in my eyes.
It will inspire you to never give up on your dream no matter what anyone, any agent, any author, or any editor ever tells you.
It is your dream and you have the right to spend the rest of your life seeking it!
I promise you this video is worth a quick break in your day.
If only to feed your soul after that last rejection, the last review, or your moved publication date.
This gives true meaning to the phrase: NEVER judge a book by its cover! And NEVER give up on your dreams.
So here's to you Susan Boyle!!! May you shine like the new star you are. And may you change perceptions around the world. That no one is what they seem.
Let me know what you think! (They won't let me post the video anymore!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU
The "Comment Your Butt" off contest was a huge success!
The final numbers were posted last week: (March 1st - March 31st)
1345 comments
3,148 unique visitors
81 commenters
52 Blog followers (hopefully you wont leave me now :)
86 Twitter followers
The winner who commented the most over the month of March is...
"A"
Congratulations "A" - please contact me by email for your free web site design.
I will hold the random drawing this week (it will take some time to put all the names in a hat. Remember= you get an entry for every point you got during the month.
I will announce the random drawing winner next Monday!
We will have another contest in the summer - with different rules, different prizes, and hopefully different players.
Thanks again to all who participated!
Marketing Muse
Authors can now create a video representation of their book, to show their market exactly what they are buying, before they buy. Book trailers are still few and far between, but their popularity is growing. In short order, everyone who writes a book will be creating a book trailer. Here are a couple of introductory articles: how to make your own Book trailer and the elements of a successful Book trailers
AAAAH - It's Baaaaaaaaccckkkk!
For those of you who do not know, basically my computer died last month taking all my files and emails with it. "Lucifer" was laid to rest in cyber hell.
If you are dying to know what happened, read my past posts:
http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2009/02/to-my-computer-may-you-rest-in-cyber.html
http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-word-its-domainits-mega-byte-man.html
Well, now Lucifer is back!
Yes, you got it. My computer will not die. It has been revived.
Just to taunt me. Just to rub it in my face.
Don't ask me how.
Evidently, I bought the extended warranty when I got Lucifer (like I knew he would be a pain in my hard drive. So Best Buys had to either fix it or replace it.
I was thinking "Surely they will replace it. I mean the thing was smoking and making cranking noises!"
But no!
They replaced the motherboard and harddrive and returned it to me. Lapskin and all.
"Great!" you say?
No, because I still lost everything! Nothing was recovered.
Now Lucifer is back to haunt me and Munster (my 10 year old computer) is tired people and I refuse to buy another computer until I
get an agent or book deal!
I hate that I need Lucifer. I hate that I can't let a bad thing go. he isn't good for me - I know - but he's all I have.
For now, it's time to suck it up. To kiss Lucifer's hard drive until I don't need him any longer.
Someday, I will get a new computer and spend more quality time (not quantity time) with it so we can be happy together making books.
Someday, I will do the Happy Computer Dance.
Marketing Muse: Book Trailers
Here is a great interview with Sheila Clover English of COS Productions giving you some information on how Book Trailers Offer Excellent Branding Opportunity. Thanks to a blogger for suggesting this as a hot topic. More to come on this topic this week.
Be a Comment Chameleon!
We are 1/2 way into the contest! But it is not too late for you to enter. I've added an extra prize!
- Unique Visitors since the blog started in Nov 2008 - over 7,000!
- Unique Visitors (from March 1-March31) - 1,726 (547 returning ones)
- # of Comments since March 1st - 814!
Rule clarification: - Starting today, you will only get a point if there is at least 1 comment between your multiple comments. You may no longer comment several times in a row on the same post just seconds/minutes apart. This also gives you the chance to comment on other people's comments which is always helpful.
- Again, YES you CAN comment on past posts.
- Don't forget the Bonus Points but remember you HAVE to email me on the bonus points. I cant keep searching to see who has done what. You need to let me know.
- The comments must be related to the post. hey cannot be random. If you have a comment on a past post - you need to put it on that post.
New news!
I am adding a prize.
I want to make this contest fun and worthwhile to everyone, including the people just finding out about us. The new people who are just joining us are pretty much out of the race unless something changes, which I did not consider in the beginning. The purpose of having this contest was to meet others and get some great dialogue going and to reward people for coming and participating.
So the prizes:
1)
The person with most comments will still get the free web site! I already promised that. Right now, a few are neck in neck so keep it up. Remember - you need to have time and comments from others in between your comments. If i do this contest again, this process will change but for this contest, I have to stick to the original promise. If the winner already has a web site, they can opt for a different prize and give the web site to the drawing. I would recommend this if you really
don't need it.
2)
I am adding a prize for others. To everyone else who posted comments during the Month of March gets to put their name in a hat, you will get a shot at a random drawing for another marketing prize. I don't know what it will be yet. I have not figured it out yet but trust me - you will like it!!!! It will either be a business card design, a blog design, or some marketing consulting.
- The winner is excluded in this drawing!
- You get one point for every comment as well as your points for the bonus pieces.
- I will add up your score and put your name in the hat that many times. So if you have 100 points, you get your name in the hat 100 times. If you have 5 points, you get your name in the hat 5 times.
- My hubby will draw out a name and that person wins the Sur-Prize! (trust me he is as honest as they come :) (psst he also speaks with an English accent that makes him sound polite and intelligent too so I just want to hear him say who won out loud :)
This way some people who are just joining us will still have a shot if they comment. But the ones who are already working hard will have a much higher chance.
Have Fun and remember to Comment responsibly :)
Oh yeah and please - Don't comment and drive!!!
Oh yeah - one more thing - Don't you think Boy George's song could be my contest theme song?
Comment Chameleon.
What?! It's Karma Chameleon? You mean I've been singing the wrong words this whole time! Fudge!
"Comment Comment Comment Comment Comment, Chameleon!!!!!
You comment, go! You comment, Go!
Lovin' you would be easy if you comment and light my dreams.
Those golden dreams. A blogger's dreams."
*cricket cricket* Hello - is this thing on??!
Marketing Muse
Don't get stressed out about marketing. It's not worth it. It should just be something fun you do to get ready for the day that your book is picked up and put on the shelf. Have fun with it!
I am a Head Case!
I've thought long and hard, wondering if I should post this post. It seems a bit depressing for my taste, but I think I need to post it for me.
As some of you know, I have been having chronic vertigo for the last several months (4 to be exact). I had a slight inner ear infection last Oct/Nov. After that, my head hasn't quite been the same. To sum it up - I feel like I'm trying to walk on a rocking boat. And I feel that way often.
How does it feel? Go spin in a circle 5 times fast and try to walk. That's me. I have had weeks where I felt great and then all of a sudden a wave will hit me and I'll be down for the count for a couple days.
To be honest, as positive as I have tried to be, it's been a very scary and frustrating time. The fear comes in more around my kids than anything. For those who have kids, you will totally get this. I get panicky at the thought of not being here for them. Not that I am going anywhere, but this illness has brought up a "possibility" that I'd never really thought about before. And if I think about it too long - which i try not to do - I realize if anything were to happen to me - my kids - at their ages (5 and 20 months) - would not remember me. :(
Now I don't want you to worry because in Jan, I was officially diagnosed with a vestibular disorder and started therapy. Did you know that vertigo is the 2nd most common complaint to back pain? I blogged about it here (off my rocker post). Since the therapy, I've had longer periods of time where I feel better. I would say, I at about 80-20. Whereas before I was 20/80. So the improvement is a positive sign. I just am not totally "me" yet. especially with my kids, my patience is thin and Im not as fun.
But last week, I finally succumbed to the idea of having the MRI and it is scheduled for tomorrow. Just to double check my ears and head, to be sure everything is ok and all is where it is supposed to be. I wonder if you really can "lose your mind".
Now I know the chance of me having brain cancer or some kind of brain tumor is very slim (like under 5% at my age - don't think I did not look! twice!).
But I am still very scared about tomorrow.
- What will they find?
- What is an MRI like?
- What if something is really wrong with me?
- What if nothing is wrong with me? Then, where do I go from here?
- Will I always feel this way ?
- Will I ever remember what it is like to feel normal again?
My hubby said I was up all night, yelling in my sleep. I remember having bad dream, dreams of being chased. But this was also after I found out a blogger buddy of mine had been diagnosed with cancer so I think it was all mixed inside. The fear is real.
I am trying
so hard to be positive and just focus on being healthy and being positive. I am excited to finally be reassured that NOTHING is seriously wrong with me. And come up with a therapy plan to continue until this annoying vertigo thing is gone. And I know my life could be worse and that I
am so lucky in everything I have.
Blah Blah Blah .....
But when I hear of other cancer stories of young ladies in their 30s, I have admit, the thought bursts into my mind.
And do you know what I realize immediately?
What is really important.
My kids. My family. My friends. My health.
All of this publishing stuff and writing stuff and marketing stuff and bailout stuff is NOT important. It is not worth stressing over. Because as long as I have my health and am with my family who is also safe and healthy, I am exactly where I want to be.
All this other stuff is extra. Like whipped cream on your ice cream. Not essential but adds a little somethin' somethin! But it is not critical to my happiness.
It is the time I am here with my kids and my hubby and my family and my friends that is most important. And it is what I do FOR OTHERS - what I give back - with the time I have here on this earth that truley defines me.
I know
that I am probably fine. That I am being neurotic and probably subconsciously figuring out how to use these emotions in a story of mine.
But after the last 4 months, after feeling so bad so often....the emotionaly side kicks in.
I am scared.
So, I could use some extra good thoughts tonight. Positive Ones.
And you? Go hug your kids, significant others, family, and friends.
Go outside and take a deep breath.
And, love/take care of that body of yours because it is the only one you have. We take our bodies for granted.
Our life is precious.
Oh yeah, don't forget to hug yourself.
You deserve it.
(PS Send an extra thought to blogger buddy Bridget Zinn.)
(PSS Right when Ifinished this, an advertising email popped up in my box that said, "Imagine your fear away." Crazy right? So that is what I am off to do. Thanks for the sounding board! ;)
Marketing Smarketing: Just Do it (Thanks Nike!)No Marketing Tip today.
Tip? - Just do it. :)
To be honest, I'm just tired of talking about it today. I am on 3 jobs right now that are about 90 hrs of work with 12 hrs of child care (and that does not include my writing) :) Ill start my 30 days of marketing back up tomorrow.
Think Back TuesdayWith the whole
Facebook thing, I've been
forced to see photos of my old self and reconnect with people from the past - some I cared about, some I did not really know, and....others.
It has also brought back some memories that I have not thought about in years about my life in the 80s.
My Style- Hershey Kiss Lip Gloss and Lip Smackers - I loved these! Especially the ones that came out at Christmas in the Candy Cane tube.
- Mood lipstick was huge! After you applied the green lipstick - it turned pink! Go figure.
- Mousse and Perms - Unfortunately I bought into this even though my hair was (and still is) naturally curly. If I had my yesteryear hair today. I'm pretty sure I'd be stopped by Homeland Security for harboring a possible weapon.
- "Rooster Bangs", Mullets, and Side ponytails - yeah baby!
- Head bands! How else do you hold back the big hair?
- Apollonia's eye makeup from the movie Prince - I called in Rainbow eyes.
- Fake moles - yes I did this. When I stopped doing it, I think I just told people I had it removed :)
My Fashion
- Leg Warmers - Thanks Jennifer Beal! Ah, s many colors, so little time. Weird how no one had cold legs until the 80s.
- White Keds - These looked even better with multi-layered colored socks. I'd change these up with some Vans or Chucks.
- Stirrup pants - just in case I wanted to ride a horse after school - I was prepared.
- O-Rings (Jelly Bracelets) - the pretty colored neon plastic bracelets . I say, the more the better.
- Parachute pants - I needed all those pockets, don't care what anyone says. I had a red pair and a black pair! I was Double-Kool.
- Swatch Watch - Not just one... but three or four. Imagine one arms filled with Jelly bracelets and the other covered in Swatch Watches (so why was I always late for school)
- High Waisted Trousers - I htink they made my legs look long - which I needed.
- Shoulder pads - b/c the look of a football player was what I wanted.
- Black Lace fingerless gloves - I was a Material Girl in a Material world. What better material than lace.
- Jelly shoes - b/c they were so comfortable - NOT!
- Acid wash jeans - I would feel safe saying that these shoudl not make a come back. Oh, I just had a frighteningly vivid Punky-Brewster flashback.
- “Pegged” cuffs - Don't laugh. I was actually voted: "Most likely to Peg" in school (fold and tuck)
My Fun
- Atari Pac Man and Super Mario Brothers - Rock on! I flipped Pac Man like a zillion times.
- Breakdancing - uh, not that I would know.
- Rubix Cube - I used to impress my family with my RC skills. Little did they know that I simply removed the stickers and replaced them with all the colors together. Ha!
- Cabbage Patch dolls - my parents would not get me a REAL one so my mom had one made?? I was the laughing stock at school. *sniff*. I still get sad feelings when I walk down the cabbage patch aisle ay Target. There are some wounds that will never heal.
- Friendship Pins - The more the better. I accepted them from anyone, even if it was from someone who hated me.
- Duran Duran, Bon Jovi, Madonna, A-Ha, Pet Shop Boys - need I say more?
- Roller skating at Sparkles - I had my own skates - white with green sparkly laces. Oh yeah, I actually broke my wrist skating showing off for my mom. Just can't be cool.
- Ouiji Boards - man this was fun at slumber parties :)
- Slip and Slides - lesson? only do it in a one-piece bathing suit.
- Aerobics/Jazzercise - remember Jamie Lee Curtis in "Perfect" with JOhn Travola!
- Dungeons and Dragons - even then I was always on the comupter - it was just a mainframe that's all.
My Slang
- "do the wild thing"
- "Fer sure dude!"
- "Gag me"
- Geez, don't have a cow?
- Let's "party harty"
- "Eat my shorts"
- "Totally awesome" (crap i think I still say this *sigh*)
Events I remember
- Challenger explosion
- blizzard in Georgia
- Just say no!
- Bomb disaster drills
- Getting suspended for having one beer while I cheered at a football game (3 others were with me so at least I didn't drink alone - right?)
- Craig Bolier breaking my heart
- Wrecking my parents Jaquar - twice.
- Meeting at the DQ!
- My first car.
If you don't
remember if you grew up in the 80s, heer are some reminders:
- You know what "Willis was talkin' 'bout?"
- You think Atari was a state of the art computer.
- You still wonder why Smurfette was the ONLY female Smurf.
- You know the deep meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
- You know who Mr. T is.
- You still have old cassettes.
- You still feel wary about the water because of that damn movie - Jaws.
- You practice moves from the Thriller video.
- You thought we'd be living on the moon in the year 2000.
- You had a light saber because the force was with you.
- You wore biker shorts under skirts.
- You still call motorcycle cops - Ponch
- You still use your Snoopy Sno-cone Machine.
- You consider the "Jo vs. Blair" conflict a major one of our century.
- You saw the New Kids on the Block in concert when they opened for Tiffany.
- You get in and out of your car through the windows.
- Sometimes you just want to "shout, shout, let it all out."
- You use your Speak and Spell to phone home.
- You know the original members of Menudo.
- You still feel St. Elmo's fire burning' in you.
- If someone says, "Who are you gonna call?"- you yell "Ghostbusters."
- YOu wished your number was 8675309
So please if you are old enough to have memories of the 80s - drop me a comment and tell me what you remember. Let me know I am not the oldest one here?
As a guest blogger here, I have conducted this scintillating self-interview as my introduction, accompanied by our self portrait. I'm sure it is obvious that we're super photogenic people. Who? I am Jennifer Kulman, Children's Editor at For Immediate Release Reviews - Kids! We exist for the sole purpose of writing reviews for newly released children's books, videos, games and toys. We enjoy tracking down fun and fabulous items to share with other families. We try to move right along to keep it interesting for our readers, posting new reviews frequently, sometimes as often as daily. Why? Because Kane/Miller is an awesome book publishing company. When they were looking for guest bloggers, I couldn't put my hand up fast enough. They put out some of the best and most interesting children's books on the market. It is an honor to be linked with a company who is committed to publishing such books with extraordinary care and attention. Where? Physically, my husband and I live in small town Howell, Michigan; rural enough to see farm animals from our windows - not rural enough to own any ourselves. We do have an aging pug. And a four year old boy. They act like farm animals - fighting over snacks and space on the couch (not five minutes ago there was a flare up over stolen biscotti). When? I'm here every Tuesday. Let the wild rumpus of randomness begin!What? What? Isn't that enough to start with? Or are you one of those people who has an infinite number of questions? If so, you should check out Why?, a book of fun animal facts by Lila Prap. Why do hyenas laugh? Why do hippos yawn? The author has several silly and one factual answer to every question.
If Why? Why? Why? is often heard at your house, this book is an ideal choice. Most enjoyable of all is hearing the responses these questions will elicit from your child's imagination!
Jen Kulman is Children's Editor of For Immediate Release Reviews - KIDS! and will be a guest blogger every Tuesday at Kane/Miller Kidlit. Here's what she had to say when I asked her to a share a little bit about herself:My name is Jennifer Kulman. I am a children's book enthusiast and am addicted to children's books. We believe all children deserve good books to read. The trouble is - the books just keep improving! They are funnier and way more clever than when I was a child - even the illustrations are better now! I hold Kane/Miller responsible for my shrinking bookshelf.
My husband and I live in the small town of Howell, Michigan. We are brave/foolhardy enough to lay claim to a nine-year-old pug and a four-year-old boy. They fight like brothers over snacks and space on the couch. That is no exaggeration. The boy just called "Mom! Toby won't stop looking at me!" Gosh, why do we only have two?
Even though we live in the country, I enjoy mostly indoor activities: reading, baking and decorating our old (1919) but new-to-us house. I'm a real fifties housewife type, except I work outside our home and my husband does a LOT of the housework. Possibly he does more than me, but he has not caught on. Sometimes (okay, every time) when he is out mowing the lawn, I lounge around on the Internet and leap up to vacuum when I hear him come in. Probably he has caught on and is just driving that mower about to catch a break from me. I know June would have done that to Ward, had the Internet been available then.
So that's the two minute intro to the Kulman family. I'm thrilled to be here and will be blogging at this space every Tuesday! Come back for more ramblings...
No, my little beasties, I am not a pirate today. Just a tad tired and a wee bit cranky.
Have an advance that's late, did follow ups and half were out of office today (where is everyone? I wanna come too). Did some new subs and read, read, read.
20 subs rejected over the past 2 days.
GASP! 2 requested manuscripts (that makes 4, me thinks)
15 subs left at this moment (not counting fulls), so I gained a ground of 5 lol.
Just goes to show, though, that a good piece of work can get past the "this is what we're taking and only this" barrier. Got a sub today for a Young Adult. No guarantees we'll sign it, but it was great enough and fun enough to grab my attention (whenever an agent has an initial sub list in mind off 3 chapters, that's a good start).
DOUBLE GASP! That'll be another full I ask for. Methinks I must have saved some of the best subs for last (actually, I kinda have a habit of doing that).
Alas, I have no words of wisdom for you today. Have a terrific Tuesday.
Stay literate;)
Steve Lawson has some details about why library apps for Facebook aren’t being approved along with all the other applications that are being created to use Facebook’s API. It’s got nothing to do with the libraryness of them, just that Facebook doesn’t allow applications to do web searches, for whatever reason.
Actually the reason to me is fairly obvious. Facebook would like to keep you on Facebook. They would like to take your loyalty for other sites like Flickr and YouTube and shift it to Facebook so they can serve you Facebook ads while you look at the online content you were looking at anyway. The fact that when you are searching an online library catalog you are not technically searching the web may be a detail that might act in libraries’ favor this time, but it’s still an overall Bad Thing for the profession, in my opinion (though I acknowlege that this is a debatable point). I hope this Facebook thing can be resolved decently. I can see a few ways that it might be — returning search results to the FB interface, FB loosening up over OPACs for two easy ones. I don’t do much on Facebook except look up friends’ phone numbers and change my stauts every so often, but it’s got a killer grip on today’s students and young people (and oldsters like myself) and it would be nice if we could find a way to leverage that to help do our jobs better.
update: be sure to read the comments for Ken Varnum’s story of working successfully with Facebook to get the UMich catalog app on there.
facebook,
facebookapps,
libraries,
seealso
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Great interview. Such helpful tips!Thanks so much!
I'll definitely be checking out the websites and books.
Wish I had had this information and the tools back in 2000 when my first book was published. Great tips.
Thanks for the great help to store for later!
GOOD STUFF! My favorite line :Quit thinking of marketing as selling books. Marketing is about building your career. :)
This blog continues to be a gem as I work through my first novel. Thanks for offering such helpful info, Shelli.
Thanks for the great advice. I'm going to check out your website & books too. It's really helpful to know the pitfalls to avoid.
A friend of mine recommended your contest, and I'm happy I've checked this out. Great interview, Shelli! I will have to spend the next couple of days becoming acquainted with your blog, it looks rich in information and inspiration (yah, I got the perspiration part, tee hee).
Nice to meet you!
A friend of mine recommended your contest, and I'm happy I've checked this out. Great interview, Shelli! I will have to spend the next couple of days becoming acquainted with your blog, it looks rich in information and inspiration (yah, I got the perspiration part, tee hee).
Nice to meet you!
Great interview - I'm surprised to hear the 7 times exposure before buying - I hadn't heard it was that high (I think I'd heard 3 times) but I guess by hearing good things the 7th time I'd be way more likely to buy something! Also, I love the bit about "Marketing is about building your career." That's right on!
thanks and
Namaste,
Lee
Nice writerly contest y'all have going on.
Happy Fat Tuesday! Laissez les bon temps rouller!
Another great interview! I'm filing it all away...
I'm all about frugal! That was a great interview!
Awesome advice, Carolyn. I"m off to buy your book right now. Can't wait to start reading it and using all your fabulous tips!
Jennifer
Great stuff! As the CFO of the household, I'm all about frugality -- I'm off to check out the website. Thanks!
VERY COOL INTERVIEW. I love what Carolyn said, "Quit thinking of marketing as selling books. Marketing is about building your career." Perfect advice. Because I have often thought if marketing as selling books.
And the Amazon thing too. She's right. So right.
Thank you Shelli (your awesomeness =)) and Carolyn. Great advice that I will remember from now on. =)
Very interesting! This is such important advice when you know that you will have to do a lot of your promotions out of your own pocket (yikes!).
Wow! Great advice! Thanks Shelli and Carolyn!
I suppose being online only helps if I'm not playing computer games ...
I love the idea of marketing as building a career. It reminds me that successful authors are the ones who are in it for the long haul!
Great tips.
Loved the article. That's the thing I like about Carolyn - she's clear and concise and doesn't leave the reader wondering.
I might have to buy the Frugal Promoter....some great ideas there!
Shelley
That's the thing I like about Carolyn - she's clear and concise and doesn't leave us wondering.
I agree with Heather several posts up...this interview whets my appetite and piques my curiosity...now I'm curious about the idea of using Amazon...
Clearly I need to read the whole book!
Thanks for being thought-provoking, Carolyn & Shelli!
Great tips. I'm going to check out her blogs. Thanks!
Congrats to Jemi Fraser!
Thanks, Shelli and Carolyn.
Thanks for the tips! I like that persistence is key. Not money, or connections. Persistence. That sounds like something I can do.
Fabulous tips! Thanks!
Sounds like a very useful book!
Great post! Frugal--LUV it!
Great interview - thanks for the tips. I especially liked the part about thinking about marketing at building your career. That makes a lot of sense.
Thanks for the great post!
I'd love to get this book--- sounds so helpful!
Great interview. Very interesting about the 7 points of contact. I believe it!
I loved the tips in this post. Fave tip: "Quit thinking of marketing as selling books. Marketing is about building your career."
I loved the tips in this post. Fave tip: "Quit thinking of marketing as selling books. Marketing is about building your career."
"Quit thinking of marketing as selling books. Marketing is about building your career."
Love that!
Cool contest and thanks for the interview.
Frugal-to avoid waste. I love that word,its something I need to practice in all parts of my life.
Great interview, thanks for sharing.
Wow, this was a popular post! I thought I'd never get to the end of the line of comments. I have her marketing book and it's wonderful. Of course, like anything else, it's only as good as your commitment to following THRU on her advice. Time to pull it back out!
Thanks for this! :D
Great interview with great advice. I really like that you point out the need to evaluate the source of the tips you are receiving. I feel this is so important in everything we do. The internet is making getting to information so easy that people are forgetting to evaluate sources. Thanks for the great tips and reminders!