Posted by Christine on Aug 27, 2010 in Follow Friday, Randomness |
Yeah, I know, I’ve been MIA the past few days and I haven’t done a FF in weeks then I show up with a blog title like this. What can I say, that life sometimes. So why follow Smart Bitches, Trashy Books… oh so many reasons. First off, their funny. They tell it like it is. Ever looked at the cover of a novel and thought uhm what the… . Yup… so have they. Want to know who won, check it out here. They follow the romance market in the business world and keep their readers informed, but keep it at a level that is understandable. I personally have never picked up Bloomberg Business Week or any other business publication. But thankfully, the Smart Bitches are paying attention, and I am paying attention to them. They are also helpful, with frequent book reviews and their HABO (Help A Bitch Out) posts that help people track down books they read a long time ago and can’t remember the title and author of. I’m amazed how quickly their Blog readers come up with the title and author based on snippets of plot from a book, some of which were published 20 years ago. I have to say reading the site has helped me learn a lot of what NOT to write in my romance novels. What people don’t want to read and what doesn’t work. Reading some of the snippets of plots and some of the comments people make about certain phases I find myself thinking – are my plots that contrived? Do I use language that flowery and metaphors that are craptastic? I like Smart Bitches because it makes me think. Mostly I enjoy the site because at heart I am a fan of the genre. I like romance and they handle the topic with a mixture of honesty and humor. I think the people writing for this Blog are intelligent, savvy and creative individuals who know the romance market and do a great job sharing their knowledge with an edge of wit. So today my Follow Friday goes to the Smart Bitches. Check them out at their blog, or follow them on Twitter @SmartBitches Happy Friday...
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Posted by Christine on Jun 25, 2010 in Follow Friday, General, Kudos |
Today is the BEST Follow Friday. (For me anyway ) The man I’m following today I would follow anywhere and everywhere. In fact I have. Why? Well, there are many varied reason. I could give you some platitude like he’s the love of my life or something. But I want you to know about him, not me. So why follow Jason? Jason Douros loves people, in fact he is one of the few people I’ve met in my life who looks at the people around him with eyes of equality and love. Jason believes that there is something beautiful and lovable in everyone. Not only that but he loves to serve people. I’m not talking about waiting on people hand and foot, Jason is one of those observant people who you’ll be walking around with and will notice the woman with five kids and 8 grocery bags and just walk up and help her in the parking lot – because that’s Jason. He’s the guy who opens the door for people with their hands full, no matter what their gender or age – because that’s Jason. He’s the guy who will buy lunch for a homeless person and eat with them as often as possible just to sit and learn their story – because he’s Jason. He’s the guy who always has a compliment for everyone, and somehow it’s always exactly what that person needs to hear that day – because that’s Jason. He’s the guys who finds out the name of the hotdog vendor on the corner – Tula – by the way – and makes sure he uses it – and this makes both their days – because he’s Jason. He’s the guy who will take time out of his life to help his friends pursue their dreams, no matter what they are – because he’s Jason. I have never known a human being with a heart more called or more committed to serving people than this man. If he could do it 24/7/365 he would. Pesky day jobs. It’s funny, I believe he has the power to change the world. Not by being a politician, (Thank GOD) but because he loves people enough to inspire them to reach higher, do better, believe in themselves, and the goodness of others. Ultimately, I believe it is love that will change the world (that and forgiveness). Jason happens to be very good at both those things. So thank you Jason – for being worthy of my Follow Friday today....
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Posted by Christine on Jun 11, 2010 in Follow Friday, General |
Okay, I have to make apologies to everyone. I haven’t blogged for a week and I’m sorry. I don’t really have a good excuse except I was sick. But I can blog from home so I guess that really doesn’t count as a “good†excuse. So on to today’s Follow Friday Blog. Today my Follow Friday goes to a good friend and a wonderful artists Jeff Greer. Jeff is a personal friend of mine and my hubby’s he is also an incredibly talented musician, both guitarist and vocalist. You can find his music on iTunes or if you live locally you can check out his gig at the Park Pub on June 26th 2010. In addition Jeff recently auditioned for America’s Got Talent – you’ll have to watch this season(5) to see if he made it onto the show. However Jeff’s true passion is people. Jeff has a heart for working with the marginalized in society and acting to end slavery. He is involved with the local homeless community where he shares his musical talents each week. Beyond that Jeff takes the time to research and understand where products come from and if slave labor is being used to manufacture/obtain them. He does more than just talk about the problem, he takes the time to learn about it, get involved and make life style adjustments to try to effect change. In addition Jeff is passionate about ending sex trafficking. Jeff works to find ways to raise awareness of the issues of sex trafficking, slavery and homelessness with his music and to help create a society where social justice is the norm, not the exception. Jeff is a person to watch, I believe that he will, along with my hubby (but that is a Follow Friday for another day), change the world. So take a few minutes to check out his music and his web site. It’s worth your...
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Posted by Christine on May 28, 2010 in Follow Friday, General, Kudos |
This week my Follow Friday goes to an entity and all the people who create and run that entity on a regular basis. I know it has to take more than one. That entity is the West Seattle Blog. Blogs are fantastic social media tools, there is no doubt about it. Heck, I’m using one right now. The West Seattle Blog, in my opinion, takes this tool to a whole new level of awesome. My husband and I have been reading the West Seattle Blog for years. Its part of what convinced us we chose the right neighborhood of Seattle to move into. (We also considered Freemont, but really, who wants to live in the center of the universe?) The West Seattle Blog covers everything from hard news, such as the SWAT standoff, to local interest stories that help members of the community stay connected to each other, local businesses and even nature, such as this piece on some orca’s. Not only that but check out these stories about a local Young Authors day, and the West Seattle Bookshelf from West Seattle’s own neighborhood bookstore (yup we have one ) So as a resident of West Seattle, a writer, and user of social networking tools I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the West Seattle Blog and the people who make it such a wonderful community resource. Thank you West Seattle Blog for being so helpful and worthy of my Follow Friday this...
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Posted by Christine on May 14, 2010 in Follow Friday |
This week my Follow Friday goes to Angela Crocker, she is a great woman, a member of the Book Broads, and a soon to be published author. I connected with Angela for the first time via twitter, this is oddly coincidental (And oh how I want to use the word ironic here- but I know that would be improper usage of irony.) considering she is currently writing a book about social networking ( The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network) that is scheduled to be released in Feb. 2011. I can’t wait to get my signed copy. We met for the first time in person at SiWC this past year (Oct. 2009) and we really clicked. Wait, I’m seeing a theme in my Follow Friday’s – I know and follow a lot of people related to SiWC. What can I say, it’s an awesome conference. I very much enjoyed spending time with Angela and getting to know her more. I’ve since had the opportunity to share dinner with her and get to know her further through social networking. I chose Angela for my #FF this week for many reason, first off, I consider her my friend, and friends are vitally important in life. Weather you write, or work a nine to five desk job, or do both or neither, you need to have friends. Life was not meant to be lived in isolation. Friends keep us grounded through the day to day issues that come up and to help us laugh and enjoy the moments that we want to celebrate. Also their great for helping us face our evil doppelgangers when they pop up. Those things should NEVER be fought alone. (So Angela, how are you with evil redheads?) Recently, Angela and I participated in a Word Count Challenge together and while neither of us reached the “ultimate†goal we set for ourselves (darn illnesses) it was a lot of fun to check in with each other and to be challenged. Not only that but I know the challenge gave me a great start on my new YA novel and I hope it got Angela a great start on her project as well. Angela is also a wonderful example of using social networking to interact with PEOPLE – not just to sell THINGS. This deeply impresses me and makes me think she is the perfect person to be writing a book about the subject. I’m glad the publisher thought so too. I love it when the people who should be writing the books are the people actually writing the books – it makes me smile. So on this beautiful Friday I recommend to you my friend Angela, who not only knows about, but uses, Social Networking to its best and fullest...
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Posted by Christine on May 7, 2010 in Follow Friday |
My Follow Friday for today goes to a wonderful author and a beautiful human being. She has been an inspiration to me and has given me valuable and honest feedback about my writing and my chances of being published, which I appreciate. So following the trend of the last two weeks this week I am following an author I met at SiWC her name is kc dyer. I clearly remember the first time I spoke to kc. She called my house on a Saturday morning, and asked me if I was sitting down. I laughingly replied no, and she recommended I do that, then proceeded to tell me I won the Surrey International Storytellers Award. WOW! A real life published author called my house. I believe this is one of Ms. Dyer’s many gifts, she makes those around her feel special. When I met her at SiWC in 2007 she made me feel like a minor celebrity, and a “real writerâ€. When she sat down with me at SiWC this past year (2009) and took a few minutes to give me advise and share her convictions about my writing she made me believe that I would one day truly be a published author. I have copies of her books (signed of course ) for my kids and I would recommend that you check them out too. More than any of this though is that kc has treated me like a real person and a friend. She has joked and laughed with me and had drinks with my husband and I. She made time in a very busy schedule as conference coordinator to spend a few minutes with us.She became my friend on Facebook and laughs with me on Twitter. So perhaps what kc has taught me more than anything else is that authors are real people. Thank you kc, for being honest and inspirational. Thank you for helping me become a better writer through your honesty. Thank you for being a friend as well as a writer who has inspired me. You are truly an author worth...
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