It’s Here!

My iphone6 which was back ordered arrived today.

Disclaimer: I’m an Apple girl.

This phone is great. I looked at the iPhone 6 Plus too. It was huge. My hands aren’t big enough to hold the Plus comfortably. So I went with the 6.

The screen resolution is awesome. Pictures are beautiful.

The extra size is just enough to read comfortably any website I’ve seen.

And, of course, since I synced with the iCloud, it took a short time to have it up and running exactly the way I wanted.

Oh, and the camera is great. The forward facing (for all those selfies) is much better resolution, plus the added timer is great.

The one thing I had seen in s competitor commercial was the speaker. As in one and not two. No problem. The sound is very good. And let’s face it, if I want it really loud, I will Bluetooth it to a bigger speaker anyway.

I’m extremely happy.

Playing Catch Up

I have been truly awful on blogging regularly. Life just keeps getting in the way. I’m not even able to carve out much reading time.

But today I did finally take time to organize my poetry. I use Evernote to store all of my poetry. Still trying to figure out a back up system for it because it makes me very nervous that I don’t have it backed up somewhere else. Anyway, I use Evernote to keep all of my poems. But I just use my notepad to create them.

So, I got them all moved from my notepad into Evernote and categorized. I have found that I have lots and lots of poems that are not published on my blog or in my books – and here I was stressing out that I wasn’t writing and wouldn’t have enough for another collection by January. Ha! I should probably publish a collection now of mostly unpublished stuff and I will still have plenty by January.

It feels good to get it organized. I was writing and just pushing it aside and didn’t know what I had put on my blog and what I hadn’t.

It’s been a great Saturday for me. Again, just the normal get errands run, pick up the house and take time to read kind of day. Plus I got the poems organized. And my pseudo brother was in town so he stopped by for a visit. Only thing left to do is go see dad after his dinner. Then more reading – early to bed so I can get up early. Heading to Cincinnati to Trader’s World (it’s a giant flea market) and IKEA (to buy dad a dresser). I’m still fighting with the stupid insurance company that is keeping us from getting dad on Medicaid. But I think we may at least be in the last stages of that – but it’s been a four month ordeal with them. I will end with a picture of the flyest kindergartner (my daughter’s words, not mine). Although he is definitely adorable. Doesn’t every kindergartener go to school dressed like this? LOL

Occasional Soulmates by Kevin Brennan Review

http://www.amazon.com/Occasional-Soulmates-Kevin-Brennan-ebook/dp/B00NKO0B2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411503962&sr=8-1&keywords=Occasional+Soulmates

Kevin Brennan’s Occasional Soulmates is a delightful novel. It is a “relationship novel” told by Sarah as she is writing her personal relationship novel of her life. She meets, quite by chance, the man she thinks is perfect for her. The book explores the ups and the downs, the great sex they have, the lack of meaningful communication they seem to have and whether or not this is the relationship of her life. Told in a humorous vein sometimes, it still left me a bit sad by the end.

The storytelling style of Brennan will keep you turning pages through the night. This is a book I would like to re-read (when I can find the time).

Five out of five stars.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Flummoxed turned into Gratitude

So yesterday I was happy yet confused by all the new likes on my author facebook page. I’ve received a total of likes of my page. 72 to be exact. I only had 114 to start with so it was quite double, but close.

Well, I figured it out. The Story Reading Ape had evidently invited his friends to like my page. And they did. I’m so grateful to have supporters among the blogging world. Especially grateful when it is so unexpected. Thank you Chris for lending a hand.

Now the pressure is on to provide quality content. But I’m ready. Besides, I will be participating in OctPoWriMo. This is just what I need to get me writing regularly again.

The reading habit

A subject near and dear to my heart

SPEAKZEASY

How can we cultivate the READING HABIT in children ? Start them young.  Read them a bedtime story regularly.  Little children love listening to a bedtime story, it calms them and helps them to sleep.  It’s a time to bond.  always have a few story books, and let the child choose the book.  Some children love to hear stories at meal times.

There are plenty of beautifully illustrated books for children.  There are washable books that can be read, while in the bath.  The late Maya Angelou said, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”  Reading stories enlarges a child’s vision, fosters imagination and improves language skills  It has been proved that the act of reading heightens brain activity.  Doctor Gregory Berns of the Emory University’s Centre for Neurology in Atlanta…

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Editing and Proofreading

I found a great blog that addresses one easy way to help proofread your book. I think everybody who is publishing a book needs to read this article.

http://murderby4.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-catch-those-pesky-typos-aaron.html?spref=fb

Flummoxed

First of all, this is not a complaint. It is merely saying I don’t understand.

Okay, nothing new today. Blog stats are the same or a little lower than usual today. What is new is the 48 new likes to my author facebook page.

Let me put this in perspective. I had 114 likes this morning. I have done nothing to ask for new likes. And throughout the day I have received 48 new likes. I’m flummoxed.

Now I have been doing everything I could to promote myself and my books. But nothing different with the various author interviews. Then, BOOM! Where did these people come from? I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but….

Okay, I’m doing being flummoxed. I’m grateful. But now I feel the pressure to provide good content.

Normal

It has been months since I’ve had a normal weekend doing normal things. Things like household chores, mowing the yard. You know, normal stuff.

I had vowed that this weekend I was doing exactly that. Actually I think I said I wasn’t doing anything for anyone else. Only things for me.

Well that didn’t exactly work out. It was expected we were getting a big storm tonight and much cooler temps tomorrow. One look at the grass and I knew I had no choice but to mow.

So two and a half hours, 2 swallowed flying insects, 3 large spider webs in my face and a frightened blue heron later, the yard was mowed. I still found time to get some reading done and a visit to see my dad. All before the storm hit. Well, it hit on my way back from dad.

So I’ve declared that tomorrow is my day too. I do have to get my oil changed, stop at dad’s house and get a few groceries. But then I’m parking my butt in the recliner with my kindle and snuggling under a blanket.

Everything else can just wait another day. I needed a normal weekend. I think the last one I head was Memorial Day.

In anticipation of Occasional Soulmates: Get Yesterday Road for 99 cents!

Both are great books – get Yesterday Road today for 99 Cents!

WHAT THE HELL

Starting today, you can snag a copy of Yesterday Road for 99 cents, if you haven’t already hopped on the bandwagon. And don’t forget, you can give it as a gift via Amazon. At this price, you can give a copy to everyone you know who has a Kindle! (Just an idea…)

This, of course, is to work everyone into a frenzy for the release of Occasional Soulmates on Tuesday. It will be available as an ebook for $3.99 and as a splendid little paperback for $9.99.

Read all about it here.

Meanwhile, enjoy this stellar guitar line-up, including the great Pat Martino, doing — what else? — “Road Song”:

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Beacon of Vengeance by Patrick O’Bryon Review

http://www.amazon.com/Beacon-Vengeance-Germany-Corridor-Darkness-ebook/dp/B00MU7PSXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411225348&sr=8-1&keywords=Beacon+of+Vengeance

This is the second installment in a trilogy by Patrick O’Bryon. I read Corridor of Darkness (book one in the trilogy) a few months ago and fell in love with it. Beacon of Vengeance is again set in Nazi Germany (and France) with enough history to satisfy, but plenty of intrigue as well.  Ryan Lemmon, an American college professor turned spy, returns to find that his friends and his son need him to help them. One tragedy after another provide the twists and turns necessary to keep the reader engaged. We also get more in-depth with the characters and meet some new ones.

I loved this book and give it a firm five out of five stars. I’m anxiously awaiting the final installment in the trilogy. In fact, truth be told that is my only complaint about this book – the cliff hanger at the end that we must wait to see what happens in Fulcrum of Malice.

Read Corridor of Darkness first in order to get the full understanding of the story (although the books are written in a way that they could be read without reading them all). But definitely read Patrick O’Bryon.