Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge – #Haiku #Tanka #Haibun: HEAT & CONFUSE

Colleen’s prompt words this week are heat and confuse.

I reckon I’ll write a passionate Tanka this week! Why? I’m feeling happy having just set up my author page on Amazon: Amazon Buying Link… for my debut novel The Curse of Time – Book 1 – Bloodstone, even though it was stressful setting it up….

Yes, formatting isn’t my favourite job. It made me confused, hot, headache prone and more than a bit irritable, so let’s have some passionate poetry to make me feel less stressed! Lol…

It's National Kissing Day!

To join in with Colleen’s wonderful weekly poetry challenge follow the link: https://colleenchesebro.com/2017/07/25/colleens-weekly-poetry-challenge-haiku-tanka-haibun-heat-confuse/

Keep an eye out for my next post – my book cover reveal!!!  Yippee!!!

Bye for now,

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Sittin’ On The Porch With Kelly – Author Jack Strandburg – Setting up a Macro in Microsoft Word to Target Weak Words

Reblog via Kelly Abell. Author Jack Strandburg’s tips – How to set up a macro in Microsoft Word to eliminate weak words.

Kelly Abell's avatarAuthor Kelly Abell

Good Morning. I wish I could say that we were sitting on the porch today, but BRRR. So this morning I’m joined in my warm kitchen by Author/Editor Jack Strandburg. He offers some fantastic advice about targeting those useless words to make your manuscript read more smoothly. You don’t want to miss this chat session. Take it away, Jack.

I have two goals for this session today, Kelly.

One, I provide examples of how certain words, when eliminated or revised, will greatly improve the readability of a manuscript. This exercise applies to all forms of writing; novels, short stories, non-fiction, article, blogs, and essays.

Second, I provide step-by-step instructions for creating a macro in Word to highlight these words and reformat as you choose.

All authors have their own approaches to revision. Some read every word and sentence aloud in a slow and methodical fashion in hopes of hearing something…

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Guest writer: Cat Davis – Against stigma

Excellent guest post from author Cat Davis sharing her experiences with bipolar via Sue Vincent’s blog. A must read, for anyone struggling with a diagnosis, or wanting to discover more about this mental health condition.

Sue Vincent's avatarSue Vincent's Daily Echo

Hello to all of Sue’s fans! I’m thrilled to write for you. My name is Cat Davis, and I write a blog about my experiences with bipolar 1 disorder. Years before I was diagnosed with bipolar, I discovered my passion for working with people with special needs. Since then I’ve proudly advocated for people with “neural differences.” Now advocate for myself as well! Mental illnesses and disabilities are often stigmatized, so I enjoy teaching other about what exactly it means to live with something different going on in your brain. Before my diagnosis, I certainly assumed that bipolar disorder was only an illness for really crazy people, the people tucked away from society and institutionalized for their entire lives. Mental illness is an interesting topic, but also a confusing one. We just don’t know what causes mental illnesses, or how to cure them.

The article I’ve written for you today…

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How to Use Canva in Your Writing

Great tips for using Canva to create great stunning graphics reblogged from Worddreams.

Jacqui Murray's avatar

canvaNo one disagrees with the importance of the visual in communicating. The problem usually is creating it. Most writers are great at wordsmithing, but not so good at matching colors, picking fonts and font sizes, and then laying everything out artistically. It’s much easier to leave the artistry for the artists. When Microsoft Publisher came out over twenty-five years ago, it was the first major desktop publishing effort to make it easy to blend layout, colors, and multimedia. Unfortunately, it was (and continues to be) an expensive piece of software not traditionally included in Microsoft’s Office Suite (though that changed with Office 365).

Say hello to Canva. It’s web-based (including apps available for iPads and Chromebooks) with a drag-and-drop functionality that makes the design process simple and intuitive. You can create professional presentations, posters, multi-page documents, marketing materials, social media graphics, and more using Canva’s more than 1 million photos…

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Colleen’s Weekly #Poetry Challenge # 35 – FAIRY & MAGIC

Thrilled to discover I am poet of the week – Colleen’s weekly poetry challenge. Thank you Colleen. Read this reblogged post to read all the entries and details of Yecheilyah Ysrayl’s poetry contest that Colleen is hosting on her blog. She is one of the judges!

Blog Tour and Cover Reveal: Linda G. Hill – The Magician’s Curse

Cover reveal and Blog Tour Guest

Today, I am delighted to welcome fellow member of the Facebook Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club, author Linda G. Hill as my Blog Tour/Cover Reveal guest.

Her release is entitled The Magician’s Curse. How exciting! I love the sound of that….

When Herman Anderson leaves home to make a better life for herself, she doesn’t expect to meet a tall, dark stranger with whom she’ll fall hopelessly in love.

Charming and mysterious, Stephen Dagmar is a stage magician seeking an assistant. The moment he sets eyes on Herman, he knows she’s the one. He brings her home to his Victorian mansion where they embark upon an extravagant romance. Yet a shadow hangs over their love. Will the curse on his family end Stephen and Herman’s happily ever after, before it really begins?

Amidst lace and leather, innocence and debauchery, The Magician’s Curse begins the Gothic tale of The Great Dagmaru. Magic and romance await.

Book Cover for 'The Magicians Curse' by Author Linda G.Hill

 

Official release date: June 27, 2017! Pre-order your Kindle copy today here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721ZH2KN

Available soon on Kobo, and on June 27th in paperback on Amazon.

An excerpt from Chapter 2:

The moment Stephen stepped out the door, the foyer fell silent again. He didn’t have to look at any of the interviewees perched, alert upon burgundy velvet-covered benches against both sides of the room, to know their eyes were on him. They were drawn to him as though he were a human magnet, just as Herman had been. He passed the stairs, turned right, and stepped into the dining room where his agent, Margaret, waited for him to arrive.

“Hey,” she said without looking up. She sat poring over the applications that were strewn across the large antique dining room table. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, staring at the top of her dark mane of hair shining in the light of the chandelier above her head. Her long, graceful fingers, poised to turn a page, were an elegant extension of the rest of her lithe body. Finally, she looked up and took in his appearance with icy-green eyes. She was every bit as beautiful as any of the women outside.

“What’s the matter with you?” she asked. Being inseparable for five years, both as best friends and then co-workers, made it easy for her to tell when there was something different, however subtle, about him.

“I found her,” Stephen said, his back still to the door.

“Who?”

“She has a perfect body and long, brown hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. And her lips! Full and beautiful. And the way they move when she speaks … absolutely captivating.”

Margaret narrowed her eyes. “You hired someone on the train again, didn’t you?” It was a statement more than a question.

Stephen nodded.

“Okay,” she said, sitting back in her chair. “Tell me more about her.”

“I think she’s running away from home. She has a job to go to, but she agreed to come and check this one out. She’s sweet and innocent and she’s almost eighteen.”

Margaret crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes even more.

“No, I didn’t audition her the same way I did the others,” he said.

“So you didn’t bang her in the limo on the way here.”

“No! She’s not of age. And anyway, I knew from the second I saw her that she’s the one.”

Margaret began to say something just as the door opened on the far side of the room to her left, and Nina came in from the kitchen. Both Stephen and Margaret glanced at the slight young woman and then at each other.

“Should I leave the two of you alone?” Margaret asked.

Stephen shook his head almost imperceptibly and walked over to have a quiet word with the girl. After a few seconds she bowed and backed out of the room, and Stephen turned back to his friend.

“Well then,” Margaret said, throwing her hands up and glaring down at the stacks of paper in front of her. “Tell them all to go home.”

“No, I still want to interview them.”

“What the hell for?”

“Herman might not take the job.”

Margaret raised her eyebrows. “Herman?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You’re telling me she’s the one you want but that she might not stay. I’m confused.”

He stood, silently pleading with his friend to understand what he had only begun to comprehend himself.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Stephen? I’ve never seen you undone like this before …”

Margaret put her hand up to her mouth, realization dawning on her face. “Oh my God,” she said quietly.

He closed his eyes as he spoke. “It doesn’t matter whether or not she’ll be my assistant, Margaret.” He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. “She’s the girl I’m going to marry.”

About the Author

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Linda G. Hill was born and raised an only child in Southern Ontario, Canada. She credits the time she spent alone when she was growing up, reading books and building worlds and characters of her own to keep her company, as the reason she became a writer.

A stay-at-home mom of three beautiful boys, Linda is a graduate of the Writing Program at St. Lawrence College in Brockville, Ontario. Aside from caring for her family, she enjoys traveling the world, eating trout cooked on the barbecue, and, of course, reading.

Follow Linda:

Main blog: https://lindaghill.com

Fiction and Poetry blog: https://lindaghillfiction.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindaghill.fiction/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaGHill

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15577348.Linda_G_Hill

And on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-G.-Hill/e/B01K2LICL0/

 

I enjoyed that snippet,  definitely sounded like a book I’d like to add to my TBR pile. What about you?

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Here are my links:

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A Friend In Trouble

So sorry to hear that my good friend Irene is in intensive care in hospital, reblogging this to share the news. I shall be thinking of her and her family and hoping that she will get well. Please spread the positive energy by reblogging this post and sharing on social media. Thanks.

What a WINNER Of A Day! #BloggersBash2017 #SundayBlogShare

I had an amazing day at the Bloggers Bash, it was wonderful to meet up with old friends and make some new ones too. Ritu at But I Smile Anyway was the deserved winner of the Best Overall Blog, so to honour her wonderful accomplishment I’m reblogging her post.

195 Powerful Verbs That’ll Instantly Spice Up Your Writing

Powerful verbs to use in your writing reblog from Colleen Chesebro Source: Jerry Jenkins.

Help! Do I Really NEED an ISBN?

Excellent post about ISBN’s, the free or paid versions via Just Can’t Help.Writing

vanderso's avatarJust Can't Help Writing

For book writers and lovers

As I was finishing up my posts on how to format your own Print-on-Demand book interior using InDesign, I reached the point where I found myself writing about copyright pages and ISBNs. I wrote confidently, “You must have an ISBN.” In a recent post, I recounted my own experience buying an ISBN for my paperback copy of King of the Roses and my upcoming publication of a POD version of Blood Lies.

But a query from a reader triggered research that suggested that my advice might be a little too simplistic. I found arguments that seemed to undercut that that screaming need for an ISBN.

Those posts inspired me to look a little more carefully into the question. In this post, I’ll explain what I’ve gathered from searching out a range of opinions.

My research suggests that if you were publishing only digitally, as of this writing, you WON’T…

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