Universal Truths from CHILDHOOD to ADULTHOOD to OLD AGE!

As I've aged, I learned several universal truths. I ran across a few of these in past emails and wanted to share the wisdom.

Enjoy!

From the youngest to the oldest, it's often the simple pleasures that measure our success.

Childhood wisdom . . . trial and error. Sometimes, the smartest in the room are the youngest.

Families . . . middle age . . . and adulting when you'd rather be relaxing on a beach with a drink & umbrella.

And finally, with age comes WISDOM . . . or does it?

Final thoughts . . . too important to be left out: Dog Wisdom

HARM'S WAY AVAILABLE ON KINDLEUNLIMITED - tips for TheImageApothecary.com & Canva.com

HARM'S WAY NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!

As I push for completion on the second book in THE DONOVAN LEGACY, CHASING DESTINY, I have moved HARM'S WAY to Kindle Unlimited.

I've spent the past several days on THEIMAGEAPOTHECARY.COM downloading multiple images for book release ad-building. Special thanks to FLIP-FLOP SISTER, and fellow author, Mary Karlik for the author & marketing friendly insight into THEIMAGEAPOTCHECARY.

WRITERS, MARKETERS, BLOGGERS -- looking for a way to build graphics, ads, release teasers????

Then visit, THEIMAGEAPOTHECARY. Click onto their Instagram page 1st and scroll. Quickly, you will discover the jest of THEIMAGEAPOTHECARY and find its multiple uses and reasonable pricing. Read the Term & Conditions so you'll understand the download conditions before you begin. If graphics are not your forte, then a visit to this site is well worth the time.

I downloaded the images into my local PAINT folder and then moved them into Canva.com for actual manipulation. I've designed several 'work' graphics and brochures on CANVA.com so I had a basic understanding of the graphic design site. Again, user-friendly, and there is a FREE version so you can check it out before committing marketing dollars. The above KindleUnlimited release shows how easy it is to change the colors on a designed graphic. There are more FONTS than you'll ever need, and the ability to easily fold in text on existing images.

Canva.com also has multiple social media release choices. You don't need to know all the standard formatting requirements for the different social media platforms, just click on the required selection and start creating a design. There are also a number of YouTube videos on how to effectively use Canva.com, which I found hugely helpful.

Finally, it is with the greatest pleasure to offer a massive:

to:

SS Bazinet
Carol Kilgore
Carol Marrs Phipps

These 3 writing friends have offered remarkable expertise and marketing advice. They have graciously given of their time to my many, many, many questions. All are fabulous authors with busy writing schedules, but they have generously imparted their knowledge.

May this blog help you with your own ad and marketing building. I have learned from the best -- if you have any questions, please do NOT hesitate to contact me @ k.m.saint.james@gmail.com.

Bluebonnet Ballerina by Carol Kilgore -- book review

Bluebonnet Ballerina is not your average cops and robbers’ type of suspense.

Readers can expect characters, both live and the ‘gently deceased’, to appear on the pages of Bluebonnet Ballerina. The cast includes ex-CIA, cops – active to reassigned, a best friend complete with her guiding spirit, a couple of love interests, and even a few decades-old ghosts thrown into the mix. The hard hitting world of human trafficking, guns for hire, and genuine bad guys are counterbalanced by a healthy – and much appreciated – dose of the ‘woo-woo’ factor.

Bluebonnet Ballerina is filled with: a plot that MAKES sense – always a pleasant surprise in a suspense novel; characters that are intelligent; and enough Texas scenery to bring the favored destination spot, San Antonio, to life. Through the eyes and exploits of Agent Gracie Hofner, readers can enjoy the city street-by-street. In addition, author Carol Kilgore’s veracity of law-enforcement and criminal investigation research guarantees realism on every page.

As Bluebonnet Ballerina winds down the roads of South Texas, readers will be shocked by a murder or two and the harsh reality of the dark web, but they will enjoy vivid scenes deep with sultry evening air, condensation on long-neck bottles, and breathing a little fire from spicy tacos.

Bluebonnet Ballerina is the second feature in The Amazing Gracie Trilogy. Author, Carol Kilgore, allows frighteningly accurate criminal situations to fully develop, and just like investigations in the real world, readers shouldn’t expect easy answers or for the varied plot lines to wrap up by story’s end.

Other K.M. Saint James book reviews:

A Warlock Under The Mistletoe by S.S. Bazinet

Tempting Mr. Townsend by Anna Campbell

Grey's Lady by Natasha Blackthorne

Giving a Heart of Lace: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance

Marketing Plan of Action - how to start simple and build to great!

Tim Grahl, author of Your First 1000 Copies and founder of booklaunch.com
believes that Marketing doesn't need to be a 'eew' prospect.

So, I've read over a few of his techniques and decided to break-it down into a Plan of Action.
New Year . . . New Goals . . . and all that.
More importantly, it's about finding a way to market that doesn't make the author in me cringe at the idea.

READ ALONG & SEE IF YOU AGREE

According to Tim, MARKETING is about creating long-lasting connections. I'd say this is sound business whether you're selling books, artwork or cars off the used lot. None of us want just the ONE-AND-DONE customer. We want repeat business. We want to develop long-lasting connections/relationships that will keep folks coming back because they're pleased with their purchase.

Tim breaks it down into three categories for connection.

1) Outreach – The act of moving people from not knowing I exist to knowing that I DO exist.

Here are my ideas:

a. Facebook
b. Twitter
c. Pinterest
d. Blog
e. Book-signings
f. Public readings
g. Carrying a business card with my books/blog listed AND handed those out.

i. Where can I leave these?
1. With every receipt/tip I leave on a table
2. Any bulletin board
3. Any clerk that I speak with and mention I'm a writer
ii. Order from Vista-Print

h. Get some print copies of books and carry them on vacation –

i. Look for independent book stores and ask if I can donate a few copies.
ii. Libraries

i. Interview on Podcast
j. Book reviews
k. Post a lot on Reddit

2) Content: Providing a way for people to get to know me and my writing.

Again, here are my immediate thoughts:

a. Blog writing
b. Book teasers
c. Samples listed on Amazon
d. Samples listed on my blog.

3) Permission: A way to stay in contact with people long-term.

a. Build an email list – remember that I'm looking for a way to stay in long-term contact with these folks so that every time I release a book they’ll know about it.
b. Gain readers for the blog – this is interactive: if readers come back to the blog and see the new releases, they'll be more likely to purchase. Readers can't buy what they don't know about.

i. Building readership to the blog is a way to not only introduce my writing, but to encourage folks to experience my voice, my style of writing. Ultimately, I want readers to be pleased with their purchase and feel like their funds were well-spent.

So a huge Thank You to Tim Grahl and his insight.

To me these are more than goals for 2019 -- this is a Plan of Action.

Do you have other ideas????? Other plans that have worked for you?????

Please feel free to comment, or send me a Twitter reply.


K.M.Saint James
@LoneStarMeander

Learn More! Additional Writing Tips . . .

A Writer's Magic . . . as close as fingertips!

6 Steps to Editing like a PROfessional!

3 New Year’s Traditions: are they worth the effort?

SHOULD YOU EAT BLACK-EYED PEAS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE?

A Southern Tradition, traditionally called: Hoppin’ John (black-eyed peas served with rice, pork, and seasonings. If you follow the full tradition, you’re to eat 365 peas. That’s a mouthful.

Thought to originate from Civil War days – Sherman on his march through the South left devastated crops, and not much beyond black-eyed peas and salted port, which were considered animal fodder. The reeling South was grateful for any bounty and the practice of eating black-eyed peas (with pork/bacon/renderings) was thought to bring about good luck. Sherman’s marching dates seem to discount this theory, but it’s another Southern story passed along. (Wiki-pedia)

Superstition or not – Black-eyed peas are good for you:

"Even though it's myth that black-eyed peas bring good luck, it's fact they can benefit your health. Just one cup of black-eyed peas delivers 20 percent of the daily magnesium, calcium and iron one needs, plus they are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, according to the Mayo Clinic." (Times Free Press)

LOOKING FOR A GREAT KISS AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT?

This tradition is thought to originate from an Ancient Roman (8th century BC) Festival of Saturnalia. The party started mid-December and continued on for days. The midnight kiss is thought to be part of this celebration. This theory holds that the kiss was rather just a ‘thing that happened’; no particular significance. (Bustle.com) Personally, if I'd been partying for two weeks straight, I'm not certain that I'd remember one kiss at the stroke of midnight.

However, The Washington Post offers a couple of different theories:

According to The Washington Post, Europe’s Renaissance Masquerades were events where anything went as long as party-goers were masked. To cleanse from their decadence, those misbehaving revelers laid one on the first person they saw after pulling off the mask. Something about keeping the evil spirits at bay. (The Washington Post)


Or


English & German folklore offered that the 1st person met/encountered in the New Year would set the tone for the upcoming year. Perhaps, these folks decided to tips good odds in their favor by kissing someone they liked or wanted to like them – rather like tempting destiny, I’d think. (The Washington Post)

PERHAPS MY FAVORITE NEW YEAR'S TRADITION: COLORFUL UNDIES.

That’s right. The shade of your panties, knickers, bloomers, thong could influence the upcoming year’s outcome.

According to the Underwear Expert, color matters.

Who knew there was an Underwear Expert????

Planning your last minute outfit? Don’t forget the color of your drawers:

Yellow: Prosperity, Wealth & Success
Red: Passion, Romance & Love (not exactly hard to figure out this one.)
White: Peace, Harmony & Happiness (also won’t show through the color of your garment for the evening.)
Blue: Good Health, Wellness & Tranquility (makes sense. Who doesn’t want to gaze at ocean blue?)
Green: Life, Nature & Well-Being (Mother Earth, I’m thinking.)
Pink: Luck in Love, Harmony (okay, ladies, decide if you want passion for 2019 or luck in love. Remember that those 2 goals are NOT the same thing. At least, not exclusively the same thing.)

However, you spend your New Year's, may the upcoming year be prosperous and filled with joy.

A Warlock Under The Mistletoe by S.S. Bazinet - book review

Are fantasies and fairy tales required for a happy ending? Or is true love the only necessary magic?


In S.S. Bazinet’s Christmas release, A WARLOCK UNDER THE MISTLETOE, heroine, Pippa sets out to prove to co-worker and friend, Adeline that real heroes are more than just a fantasy.

Readers, world-wide, will identify with Pippa, a heroine who believes in romance of the heart and has her very own true love: Chester.

Chester . . . Chester???? Can you really make a HERO out of a ‘Chester’?

If you’re author, S.S. Bazinet you can.

For doubting-Thomas readers, who believe there’s no conflict if the heroine and hero are already a matched pair, S.S. Bazinet proves that trite theory wrong.


By interjecting a sometimes cranky and always cynical co-worker into the mix, readers are treated to a full dose of the misguided friend and her attempts to prove to our heroine that: ‘People want believable stories, not some gibberish that’s all sweetness and fairy tale nonsense.’ (excerpt from A Warlock Under The Mistletoe, Chapter One.)


A bet, a dead-line, and a woman’s heart are all on the line as Pippa must confront her own questions about her fiancé, their relationship, and romantic disillusionment.


Don’t be fooled by Chester’s steady-Eddy personality. Or Pippa’s ever-sunny take on life. There are bumps for these characters along this Christmas path. Change, even inside the most stable relationship, is bound to cause a bit of world tilting.


No spoiler here: I’ll not reveal how Pippa finds a warlock in her fiancé, Chester, but I will remind all – and especially those who have truly loved another – that magical heroes come in all shapes and sizes and appear in the most amazing places: like under one’s own nose or mistletoe.


A WARLOCK UNDER THE MISTLETOE is a true sweet romance; closed bedroom doors only in this book.

Do today’s readers demand the edgy, steeped in reality, border-line harsh styled romance?
Or is there room on the shelf for a sweet read that’s just a really great story?

My holiday heart projects that readers will embrace A WARLOCK UNDER THE MISTLETOE.


Discover the magic of Christmas, as Pippa finds love in the strong arms of her Warlock under the mistletoe.

AUTHOR'S PAGE

Sunday Morning Construction

Why do those pesky 'small' fix-it or reconstruction jobs turn out to be so:

And HOW, oh HOW do we make them easier?

1) Read the directions
2) Don't be afraid to ask for help
3) Proper tools
4) YouTube Videos are your friend
5) Take pictures

As a serious do-it-all fixer, I've learned -- through my share of mistakes -- a few keys lessons that make installing . . . repairing . . . replacing . . . new construction a bit easier.

1) Read the directions. And I do mean ALL the directions. Don't skip to what you think concerns you. Read them all. Especially, the WARNING section. If the directions say, wear PROTECTIVE anything -- do it.
I use plastic Barbecue gloves for a lot of my painting/refinishing jobs. They're CHEAP and the come in boxes of 500. Who cares if you strip off the pair every time you change sections of the project? Super useful if you're using that expandable insulator mixture. Comes in a can. Spray in the opening and then it expands. OH - word of warning - USE a very small amount of this mixture. It really, truly expands. READ the directions.

2) Don't be afraid to ask for help. Find a hardware store (NOT a supercenter) and ask for insight. Want to refinish a piece of furniture? Then go to the experts and ask for them to talk you through the basics. These experts will save you MASS amounts of time, frustration and expense. I have three different hardware stores, depending on my project, that I'll visit before starting, and I've been handling repairs for a number of years. But products change - there's always something new on the market. Maybe better. Maybe not. But the experts will know if those new products for my PROJECT are worth the investment. Finding the right hardware store has been key for me, and those are the smaller stores.

3) Proper tools. If you're just starting out your remodeling/refinishing/repairing project this can get expensive. (Again, asking the experts WHICH tools are a must can be a tremendous cost savings.) Purchase tools and supplies will be a must. A multi-head screw driver is an excellent investment and hugely helpful when you're stuck under the kitchen cabinet and suddenly realize that it's not a flat-head screw, but a Phillips head. One quick flip on the multi-head screw driver and you're back in business. Don't skimp on your paint brushes. Trust me, picking out the wayward bristles from your finished painting project is NO fun. But you can save money on the Cheap-O drop clothes. .99C at loads of stores. Spread out, use, and discard. Unless you're a professional, the Cheap-O versions are fine. If sanding, buy multiple grits. You must step down the sanding project from roughest grit to lightest grit in order to assure a smooth finish and no 'divots' in your sanding job. (Ask the experts.)

4) YouTube Videos are your friend. Recently, I purchased a new refrigerator. I paid for delivery, but as I wasn't eliminating the old, it needed to be moved. Into the garage - easy, right? Not so much. It was too wide and hauling it out the backdoor and a sizable threshold seemed like a bad plan. Then it was how to make big fridge fit through small door. Answer: take the fridge doors off. Wait, still not so easy. Water & ice maker in door and they were connected . . . WHERE? In came the YouTube videos. Which I watched no less than 10 times. Yep, because that lovely water hose didn't quite disassemble in the 1-2-3 fashion that the instructions promised. Nonetheless, brawn eventually won out and the old fridge is now in the garage, and the new is in place. YouTube videos . . . yep, watch them. And if the first one doesn't make sense or is leaving out steps, check out another then another if necessary until you find an explanation video that makes sense. Or you realize that this project is outside your wheelhouse and need to call in the professional.

5) Finally, take pictures as you go.
a) you'll want to document your success. Yes, you will. When completed, you'll want to post the 'Ta-Da' moment. It's worth celebrating.
b) if you're repairing - that normally entails taking the original apart - then you'll want to remember exactly how it CAME apart.
c) if you get so far into the project and need to visit the hardware store again, those pictures of the progress can be hugely helpful to the experts to advise you.

Not every project in your home should be a DIY. Experts exist for a reason. There's no shame in turning over a project to an outside source. But there's no shame in wading into the DIY world and handling 'fix-it' projects on your own.

Happy repairing/refurbishing/refinishing!

Grey's Lady by Natasha Blackthorne - Book Review

Grey’s Lady (Wild, Wicked and Wanton – Book 1) by Natasha Blackthorne

1st Spoiler Alert – this novel is Book 1 in a series. While there is a Resolution, there is NOT a conclusion to the story or with these characters. But no grousing! Author Natasha Blackthorne has this as a current KindleUnlimited download, and has the book marked as a ‘Prequel’.

While historical, author Natasha Blackthorne offers readers a more unique setting as this story line takes place in Philadelphia, PA, spring 1812, where the Port of Philadelphia is blooming.

Attic-borne, Elizabeth (Beth) McConnell and wealthy merchant and shipping owner, Grey Sexton set the sheets on fire with their torrid meetings. If readers are searching for hot and heavy on page, then Grey’s Lady feeds that desire.

Beth, deserted by her first Gentlemen lover – and in her belief, her true love – finds herself trapped in a traditional woman’s role, and stifled under society’s expectations. Wanting, needing release, Beth embarks on a series of dangerous one-time encounters with other Gentlemen. To Beth it is about selectively choosing risks that will curb her sexual needs, then leaving those men after only ONE encounter. The men are left craving more, and Beth can never be ‘truly’ deserted, if she is the one who starts, ends, and controls the assignations.

Author, Natasha Blackthorne, deals with what is seldom considered during historical stories: were ‘ye olden women’ simply free of rampant sexual desire? Natasha Blackthorne takes on the task of answering that question as she weaves Beth’s character.

Grey, in his youth married a society belle, only to discover that name and rank were all that interested his wife. While a son is the result of their union, Grey finds himself in a cold, solitary bed. When his wife dies, Grey swears to keep his relationships to straight sex – a mistress – and not become entangled again.

Beth’s choice of Grey as her newest sexual conquest opens the story, and readers don’t wait long for the first carriage-bump-and-grind between these characters. Instead of Beth’s normal ONE AND DONE excursions, the two are drawn together again and again. Rather like the moth to the flame, but which is the moth and which is the flame is what keeps these sexual rendezvouses hot.

If wanton is a reader’s taste, then Grey’s Lady will satisfy the palate.

However – 2nd Spoiler Alert - readers need to be aware that these characters spend a great deal of their time ‘angry’ on page. Beth and Grey seemed trapped in this one predominate emotion and the characters miss an opportunity to develop more 3-dimensional attributes that could deepen the storyline.

Remember Your Value!

Giving a Heart of Lace: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance - book review

Giving a Heart of Lace: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance is a lovely, sweet read.

How many times has a novel left you wanting to ‘thunk’ the historical heroine in the head, and say, “Take control of your life, girl. Stop waiting for the inevitable.”? Too many times for me. Giving a Heart of Lace: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance is a great change of pace from that normal historical and often, hysterical female character. While staying true to the period, Ms. Richmond has linked two characters—one confined to rank by constraints of birth and one a true victim of circumstances beyond financial control—who find themselves on the outside of the TON plate-glass window looking in. If the protagonists are guilty of a bit of bemoaning their fates, they don’t dwell on it, but rather find ways to survive and then thrive.

These are my favorite types of characters: the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootlaces characters.

Ms. Richmond also does a wonderful job of setting the scene for subsequent stories. Not to the degree where the reader is lamenting the fact that characters are introduced and then left hanging. No, it’s much more handily accomplished. Just a tease to know there’s more to come from this time period and this delightful author.

While some novels are meant to be deep and dark, full of plot twists, and crammed with villains, others are meant to provide a gentle respite from the world where heroes are obvious and the happy ending is guaranteed. Arietta Richmond has provided just such a delicate escape in Giving a Heart of Lace: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance.

Teaching an Old Dog (writer) New Tricks. Secrets to Better Writing.

The Donovan Legacy (HARM'S WAY - current release) actually started with a prequel.

CHASING DESTINY

CHASING DESTINY was written a year in front of HARM'S WAY and then promptly buried among all my floppy disks. Yep, that long ago.
Having recovered my earlier works, I realized the characters of CHASING DESTINY (Garrick & Jaycee) deserved their own release.
To that end, the rewrites began.

The process has been enlightening: good & bad. And that tenuous, often painful, process deserved to be shared as well. Producing better writing is hard work. Short cuts are not generally the answer, but you can learn to be a smarter writer by following some of these writing tips.

New eyes on an old manuscript allowed my editor’s eagle eye to find:

1) Uh-oh, are all those TYPOs really mine? One editing pass or a dozen, some TYPOS are hard to spot because it’s often not about spelling. Becomes or becoming. Too or to. They’re or there. A new read will often find what’s actually written on page.

2) Wow! These characters are witty. How much more life can I breath into the page if I capitalize on that trait?


3) Grammar is an on-going learning process. The rules don’t change, but my ability to better utilize them evolves.

4) I will habitually overuse the same words. It’s as though my writing needle is stuck in the same vinyl groove.
This problem leads me to #5.

5) Use a word recognition program, which will highlight most commonly used or abused words in a chapter or scene. I use Wordle.net, but that’s my preference. There are other options – quite a few inside of Microsoft Word itself. See my blog: Wordle.net Turning actual words into ‘art’ never gets old for me. Writers are visual creatures; it’s how we bring black-n-white to full-life color. A program for generating ‘word clouds’ is a positive editing experience, and it’s just plain fun.

6) Older MS means newer, less experienced, writer = some written words are just drivel. My Southern editor says, “Just dump the dang drivel.” My professional editor says “Discard the dreaded drivel.” Whichever editor shows up for my proofing session, she is right. Don’t be afraid to eliminate writing that slows the pace, is redundant, or is sophomoric to your current style. Again, being a better writer is often about what should REMAIN on page - not what was originally written.

a. Don’t be afraid of ‘white’ page space. If the writing is awful: cut it/chop it/lop of its head – okay, almost a bit slasher movie language but the point is valid.
b. Read the older MS aloud. This is the quickest way to find trite dialogue or slow narrative. It also highlights redundancy. Your eyes might skip over the same phrase, but when read aloud, your editor’s ear will hear it.

7) Protect the white space! After I’ve exiled drivel to the junk folder, I’ll type the simple phrase – ‘something wonderful happens here’. I’m not required to know – in that one instantaneous instance – what the wonderful will be. Nope, I just need to give my MUSE time to think of what’s best to do with the white space. Maybe, it’s nothing. The deletion may lead to a better tightened scene or conversation. Or, maybe, there’s an actual point – an ‘Ah-ha’ moment – that needs to happen on page. On that page. Giving my MUSE time to consider the options can lead to effective writing.

8) Wordy internal dialogue. I talk to myself. Argue with myself. Sometimes silently. Sometimes . . . yep, aloud. When the house is empty, I’ll have detailed conversations. I’m brilliant with an argument after the fact. The point: most of us have an internal voice going on in our heads at any given moment. Characters will as well. But it’s not necessary to prooooooo-long the internal conversation.

*****Think it doesn't happen in big name, well-published authors' writing? Then think again. I have read more than one NYTimes Best Seller during the past year, who committed the same infraction. So, newbies & established indie authors take heart. Even the most experienced writer can commit this faux-pas. The point is to be aware of the tendency, find the offenses, then cut them out.*****

This sent me back to my own re-vitalized WIP with a figurative red pen.
1. Did my characters drone on for 10 sentences when 2 would do?
2. Did my characters ‘rehash’ the same point over and over again. Remember, we want our heroes and heroines to be SMART. (TSTL is never a good review)

Character emotions take time to develop; character attitudes – just like ours – will evolve over the course of the book; and character behaviors will adjust as he/she learns. But if my heroine is rambling on with the same internal argument on page 200 as she did on page 10, then I’ve committed the writing sin of prolonged internal dialogue.

I’m happy to report that my current hero & heroine are well on their way to becoming brilliantly succinct.

As my older MS is still a work in progress – very much so – I’m certain there will be more lessons learned from a new take on old work. I’ll share any tidbits of writing wisdom with you. We, as writers evolve; so, too, should our writing. Remember, better writing means happier readers.

Learn More! Additional Writing Tips.

Snapping Photos? Breathe LIFE into Writing . . .

Demystify Graphic Images for Easy Advertising.