How to use this Page

I'd like to thank Carma Dutra of Carma's Window for bestowing on me this lovely award - I'm honored. Please be sure to stop by Carma's site and check out what she's up to.

According to the One Lovely Blog Award rules, I need to choose 5 other blogs to receive this wonderful award.

I wanted to make this post purposeful as well as pass this award on, so I am offering the award to sites I visit regularly and learn a great deal from.

Okay, here we go:

Pen Perfect Associates (Lea Schizas - writing)

Sharing with Writer (Carolyn Howard Johnson - writing)

Kid Lit  (writing)

Author Marketing Experts (Penny Sansevieri)

Book Marketing (John Kremer - he's offering FREE weekly marketing teleseminars through most of 2010)


These sites are really worth clicking on, they provide some of the best information on writing and marketing.

I'll notify these sites, but I'm not sure if they'll have the time to pass the award on...

Karen Cioffi

Display Comments Add a Comment

Did you know you can have a chat room of your own on your site or blog for free? Most of us have had an IM (instant message) talk with a friend real time and if you have been to a chat room talking with many people at once then you might like a chat room of your own.

Though chat room talks are in real time like in IM that is where the similarity ends. With a chat room you can hold group chats with co-workers, group members, interviews with authors, webinars, discuss your genre or techniques, have authors chat with their readers. With some chat room applications you can hold large discussions with up to one hundred people, which might be a little crazy, but you get the idea.

Some of the chat rooms, also called chat rolls and chat boxes, are free and along with a blog posting board were you can add content for an event, such as a writing chat where a number of authors write a story together, you can have an hour or two or more of fun.

How can you do this you ask?
If you have a website that has more than one page you can add a private chat room to one of the pages and do not list that page on the navigation bar.
For the blog you would make another, separate blog to use as the chat room that you set for privacy!
For instance, on Blogger (Blogspot) under SETTINGS go to BASIC and then to ADD YOUR BLOG TO OUR LISTING and choice NO. Then at LET SEARCH ENGINES FIND YOUR BLOG select NO again and finally click SAVE SETTINGS!
If Blogger isn’t your blog provider you will need to take a look at your blog providers privacy settings to see if it could be done there.

Some of the free chat room sites that I looked at are; xat, chat roll, chat-form, spin chat and parachat. To find out what else is out there you can Google and Bing search to see what other chat rooms services there are available.

Of course, like most site on the internet where you have to join the community, chat room or chat roll sites are no different. You sign up for an account at one of these sites and you place the HTML code they provide on your blog or site. If you don’t know how to place HTML codes you will need to learn how or have someone do it for you. Then the only way someone can get to your chat room is if they have the url which you provide.
Also with some of the chat communities your guest will have to sign up at their site to participate in you chat room as well. You can even have more security by setting the blog settings so that your guest or members must sign in to your blog too.

To see what chat rooms are all about, one place you can visit is the writers and artists site Minds-Eye. http://minds-eye.ning.com/
That’s Using A Private Chatroom: In A Nut Shell.
Happy Chatting!
2009 JD Holiday

Add a Comment

The wonderful Aaron Polson has awarded 'The Poisoned Apple' the One Lovely Blog Award - a wonderous thing, and the contents of the cup are not in the least poisonous.

First off, I hit panic mode - but there are so many wonderful blogs that I visit and so many people I want to give a pink teacup to, I bemoaned, and then inspiration hit in the form of the lovely pinkness of the award and I realised I could bestow the lovely blog award on no one else. So who is this lucky recipient...

Jameson T Caine of course. He is one of a hardy band who have helped promote Olive Lemon's tale this month (and helped to add width to my grin), and I'm hoping that Duotrope will pick up that he's received this award and will finally realise that he's not lying, that he has had all those acceptances, that he is that good.

Pass it on son, pass it on. Here be the rules:

1. Accept the award, and don't forget to post a link back to the awarding person.

2. Pass the award on.

3. Notify the award winner(s).

Display Comments Add a Comment

I am honored to have been given the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD from my friend,
Author Helena Harper. Helena, a winner of the ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD herself, is a children’s author and poet. Her works include "It's a Teacher's Life...!" and "Family and More - Enemies or Friends?"
Helena is one of the first writers to become my friend on My Space. From the start, her positive personality, cheerful and thoughtful ways made friendship easy and fun! I can always count on Helena for inspiration.
In the spirit this award was given to me I am honored to pass it along to an author I greatly admire. These are the rules for the award. They are simple:
1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winner.
After 25 years of trying to get a publisher for my books I decided I was my own publisher. Though I had an agent at one time and editors interested in my works none of my stories made it into print. This award gives me the opportunity to acknowledge my admiration and thanks to the woman I am passing this award to:
MAYRA CALVANI
Mayra Calvani is a multi-genre author and book reviewer. Some of the titles of her books are, Sunstruck, Crash!, The Magic Violin, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing and Dark Lullaby.
When I looked for advice on getting my children’s books printed, Mayra was there. She also invited me to join her on several key author sites when I begin networking. Mayra review my first book and her glowing review got the book noticed. Over the years that I have know her I have learned that Mayra’s words are golden and the she is always true to her words!

Display Comments Add a Comment

Yesterday, I received a wonderful award from Lea Schizas at The Writing Jungle – the One Lovely Blog Award.

I have to say I was totally surprised and honored. I’m relatively new to the business of writing and promotion so being included among Donna McDine, Katie Hines, Nancy Famolari, and Carolyn Howard-Johnson is thrilling.

As Lea mentioned in her blog, “It’s truly touching when some acknowledges your work…” I feel the same way.

Now, as an awardee, I’m responsible to pay it forward. For those individuals I choose, just follow the instructions below.

The rules are simple:

1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winners.

Two people I would have immediately chosen for this award is Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson. These two ladies definitely inspire and motivate me. Lea always makes me laugh, and is always so helpful; I don’t know how she does all she does. And, Carolyn always goes above and beyond. In addition, they work tirelessly to put together the Muse Online Writers Conference and offer it for FREE! These are two women I certainly admire and trust.

Okay, now for my choices of the women who inspire and motivate me in some way:

Kathy Stemke: Kathy is someone I can say, I knew her when. I had the privilege of critiquing her mss. I knew she’d have no problem finding a publisher. Kathy is a talented writer and I’m happy to call her my friend. It’s great to watch Kathy become all she can be.

Helena Harper: I reviewed Helena’s book, Family and More – Enemies or Friends and greatly admire her writing. Helena is a wonderful writer and goes the extra mile. She reviewed my book and posted the review in numerous sites for me. I truly appreciate it.

Heather Paye: Heather is a new member to VBT – Writers on the Move and she is only 15. There is an expression that youth is wasted on the young; well, this isn’t true of Heather. She if the most enterprising, determined, and enthusiastic young person I’ve ever known. She jumped into our group with both feet and does a great job as a host and a participating member. I’m very impressed by Heather Paye and pleased to have her in our group.

Next, I award this to all the members of VBT – Writers on the Move. Each member is talented, and they each give of their time and put forth effort to promote the other members. Being part of a participating group that is ongoing takes commitment – these members definitely have what it takes. I’m honored to be part of this wonderful group and they each inspire and motivate me.

Karen

Display Comments Add a Comment

Display Comments Add a Comment