Five Links 2/15/19 Loleta Abi

lasso, rope, hay, cowboy hat in barn

Five Links…2/15/19

Loleta Abi

Writing:

1. http://booksbywomen.org/writing-to-release-pain-by-maria-leonard-olsen/ “I more or less raised myself. My father was a raging alcoholic and my mother was fighting her own demons. Thank goodness I found some solace in writing.” Sometimes finding yourself in life is letting go of who you thought you were and accepting yourself flaws and all.

2. https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2019/02/10/how-does-gardening-help-writing-guest-post-by-jemima-pett/ “I was out in the garden picking frosted kale last Sunday morning. Yes, that’s the sort of rock and roll lifestyle I lead. Kale, grown in the garden, picked on a frosty February morning, for the guinea pigs’ breakfast. It takes about five minutes to lose the frostiness, in case you worry about giving my boys frozen food. Frozen veg should not be given to guinea pigs (or any other animal I can think of, save reindeer, maybe).”

3. https://kimwrtr.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/characterization-tips-what-to-avoid-where-to-focus/ “This post is focused on a very important, if not the most important, aspect of your writers, your characters. Readers become invested in characters. They learn to love and/or hate characters. They sympathize and/or empathize with their flaws, quirks and events that shape them. Character development is both essential and difficult.”

4. https://storyempire.com/2019/02/11/do-you-flume/ “Over the course of our time together, you’ve probably come to realize I consider social media a somewhat necessary evil. I know writers are supposed to use it, but so few of us use it consistently and creatively enough. I often feel it’s a waste of time, but if I don’t do it, I feel guilty. And when Google announced G+ was going away, I was relieved. It was one less platform for me to neglect.” I feel the same. I’m almost non-existent on FB, twitter is where I spend most of my time. I do use Pinterest as well.

5. https://www.suecoletta.com/haunted-house-crime-writers-research-trip/ “As I mentioned in my previous post, I went to a reported haunted house for research. I’m now racing toward the finish line for LURED and edits come back for SILENT MAYHEM tomorrow. Hence why I missed posting this last week. Plus, y’know, I took Sunday off to watch my team win the Super Bowl.” Chilling. 

Research & Fun Bits:

1. https://annetterochelleaben.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/angel-messages-february-10-2019/

2. https://nicholasrossis.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/the-fight-against-fake-news/ “If you haven’t heard the term “fake news” yet, please come out from under that rock and join the rest of us. As for the rest, you will no doubt be aware that fake news has been linked to extremist politics, social division, mob violence, and crime.” I didn’t realize it was so bad. I’ve heard about fake news but I try and steer away from most news reports anymore, they’re just too-loaded.

3. https://legendsofwindemere.com/2019/02/09/guest-post-are-character-interviews-worth-the-effort-t-r-robinson/ “I first came across character interviews here in Alex’s Library of Erana blog. There have been a couple elsewhere but the majority have been here. Now for a bit of honesty: My initial thought? ‘Silly and pointless.’ As a consequence, I simply glanced (not even sped read) through a couple and thereafter ignored them. I now feel a little ashamed. It is not usual for me to make such determinations prior to fully investigating the validity and seeking to comprehend people’s motivations. Why I did not do so in this instance I am not sure. I suspect it may have been I was new to authoring and probably, as most when first setting out on a new career, felt under pressure to complete a work and to interact in social media. Time pressure in…”

4. https://margotkinberg.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/i-want-to-hold-your-hand/ “As this is posted, it’s 55 years since the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Talent, hard work, serendipity and luck came together, and the Beatles became an international phenomenon. Even now, there are Beatles fan clubs, online Beatles discussion groups, and so on. And that’s not to mention the myriad Beatles cover and tribute bands.”

5. https://yadadarcyyada.com/2019/02/10/zombies-dont-like-fast-food/ “1. Zombies, an analogy for over-consumption? We’re killing ourselves off quite efficiently, figuratively and literally. And Hordes of bloggers and fewer places to find us…We are The Walking Dead.”

Teaser Fiction & Poetry

1. https://johnwhowell.com/2019/02/09/stream-of-consciousness-saturday-prompt-ly/ “Amazingly, it is Stream of Consciousness Saturday and this weeks prompt is “ly.” Yup. You read it right, “ly.” Linda Hill says to use an adverb as a prompt. There are bonus points for beginning and ending the post with an adverb. You now understand why I began the post with “amazingly.” If you would like to join in on this crazy fun simply (see what I did there)  visit Linda Hill’s blog and read how. Here is the link https://lindaghill.com/2019/02/08/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-9-19/”
2. https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/02/09/the-magic-of-whimsy/
3. https://authorsteveboseley.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/serial-saturday-horror-im-watching-you-5/ “We’ve been following the story of MIKE, a man who believes he is slowly losing his grip on sanity and is struggling to recognise what is real and what isn’t. Last time, Mike had gone to work, hoping to escape the hallucinations that he had been having at home, but with no luck. The disembodied eye seems to have followed him to the garage where he works, causing Mike to walk off, leaving his colleague wondering what is going on.”
4. https://twodropsofink.com/2019/02/10/100-prompts-to-get-the-ink-flowing/ ““Truthfully, I do a lot of travel, and I get far more ideas from wandering down random roads than from sitting in front of my computer. I’m a firm believer that a writer needs to get out and discover things and people to write about.~Victoria Schwab”
5. https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/02/10/aiming-for-the-stars/
6. https://jenanita01.com/2019/02/10/when-the-elephant-bumps-the-mouse-house-chapter-3-2/ “Note – This is Chapter 3 of the story.  See chapter 1.  Note 2 – the viewpoints of Jesk are purposefully disturbing.)”
7. https://scvincent.com/2019/02/11/bedwyrs-song-writephoto/
8. https://legendsofwindemere.com/2019/02/12/teaser-tuesday-not-another-hider-fantasy-adventure/ “Been a long time since I did any type of promo for Quest of the Brokenhearted, which is still one of my favorites to have written.  It’s tough to do excerpts because each chapter is almost like a short story with a fight involved.  So there aren’t many things I can do without posting some spoilers.  Feel free to buy the book and read it at your leisure though.”
9. https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/02/12/a-new-home/ ““Africa!” his mother trumpeted.

He did not reply. He was having too much fun playing with the other calves. Flopping their heads back and forth, swinging their trunks to and fro, and pretending to trip and fall, without actually meeting the ground, face to dirt. This game was the most exciting, and the most played game among the calves. The adults growl, and violently shake their heads, especially when the irritating calves pretend to trip and fall at their feet.”

Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, Releases, & Author Interviews:

1. https://barbtaub.com/2019/02/10/so-you-want-to-write-a-western-plus-bookreview-of-martas-daughter-by-gordon-rottman-western-humor/ “As genre’s go, this one’s tropes are relatively easy to nail:”
2. https://lmnelsonscorner.wordpress.com/2019/02/09/author-spotlight-aduro-tri/ “Welcome to another episode of Author Spotlight. Today, the light shines on Aduro Tri. Aduro is a full-time author, while trying to learn computer programming, having a base online presence here and there. Specializing in High Fantasy stories that take place in an expansive world with the intention of them feeling alive, while also being able to dabble in other genres. With a deep love of storytelling and especially character creation. As well, he prefers to stay in the company of nature and animals over people, while at the same time enjoys playing video games as a hobby. In as quiet of a city as Mountain Home, ID, though, quiet might not be the word as a train passes through the town every now and again.”
3. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/02/10/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-the-sunday-interview-getting-to-know-romance-author-laura-m-baird/ “Welcome to the blog for the first time to romance author Laura M. Baird who shares her love of country, music and tattoos, as well as one of the craziest and most detailed dream…First a little bit about Laura…”
4. https://dsm-publications.com/2019/02/09/guest-author-kenneth-l-decroo-right-turn-clyde/ “Meet Guest Author: Kenneth L. Decroo from this post on Sue Vincent’s blog.”
5. https://thepbsblog.com/2019/02/11/introduce-yourself-introducing-guest-author-sophia-tsegaye/ “I arrived in America as a newlywed, and my husband and I had to adjust to the cultural difference at first, with the help of my sister.  And soon our neighbors and co-workers led us through our new lifestyle. One of the adjustments was being away from my parents and extended family members.”
6. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/02/11/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-reviews-claire-fullerton-darlene-foster-and-angie-dokos/ “The heart has a home when it has an ally.”
7. https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2019/02/11/rosies-bookreview-of-romance-a-little-christmas-faith-by-kathrynfreeman1-choclituk/ “A Little Christmas Faith is a romance set during the Christmas holidays. Faith Watkins opens The Old Mill hotel in the Lake District, just ten days before Christmas.”
8. https://kriswrites.com/2019/02/13/really-cool-award-news/ “The readers of Asimov’s SF Magazine have given me a great honor. Three pieces of my fiction have made the final reader’s award ballot. The two novellas, “Joyride,” and “The Rescue of the Renegat,” are part of my upcoming new Diving novel, The Renegat, which will appear in September. “Lieutenant Tightass,” which is up for best novelette, is part of the recently released Searching For The Fleet. Obviously, though, all three of the stories stand alone.”
9. https://charlesfrenchonwordsreadingandwriting.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/book-giveaway-to-celebrate-500-followers-and-being-published-in-a-cookbook/ “Very excited to have reached 500+ followers this past Sunday! Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, follows it, and comments. Your support is truly appreciated, and I’m grateful every day that I’ve found this platform to share my writing, books I love, and food I enjoy cooking.”
10. https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-social-drama-the-swooping-magpie-by-lizaperrat/ “I had not read the preceding book by this author, also set in 1970s Australia, but based on a review by another member of Rosie’s book review team, I decided to delve into this one, The Swooping Magpie, purchasing the book for review.”
11. https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/just-when-you-thought-it-was-safe-here-come-the-zombies/ “The old saying goes there are only two things certain in life—death and taxes. Our own mortality is front and center, the ultimate deciding factor in every single human endeavor. Since we’re born into the grave, it makes sense that humans would strive to find a means to become immortal, or at least find a way to come back from the dead.”
12. https://dsm-publications.com/2019/02/11/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-reviews-claire-fullerton-darlene-foster-and-angie-dokos/
13. https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2019/02/12/rosies-bookreview-team-rbrt-cosy-mystery-picture-not-perfect-by-dehaggerty-tuesdaybookblog/ “In Picture Not Perfect we are reacquainted Terri, school librarian, and Melanie, school guidance counselor. Melanie’s ex, Owen, is trying his best to rekindle their relationship but Melanie is reluctant. Her over abundance of energy and lack of consideration for others is down to her ADHD and make her a complex and sometimes irritating character. She is aware not many people can cope with her hyper personality and recklessness. Afraid of Owen’s reaction to her diagnosis, she prefers to keep him at arm’s length rather than be let down.”