Michael Simon, author of the crime thriller novel, THE LAST JEW STANDING (Viking, Aug. ‘07) is appearing on my book marketing blog, Book Marketing Buzz, today!
If you would like to find out his book marketing secrets, visit www.bookmarketingbuzz.wordpress.com!
Don’t forget to leave a comment because you could win one of Michael’s books at the end of November!
Winners will be announced at www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com on November 30.
Everybody loves Christmas…or do they? Sheila Roberts, author of the holiday women’s fiction novel, ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS (St. Martin’s Press, Nov. ‘07) gives us the inspiration behind her book at The Story Behind the Books at www.thestorybehindthebooks.blogspot.com. While you’re over there, leave a comment on whether you love Christmas or not…AND…get in the running for a free copy of Sheila’s delightful Christmas tale from St. Martin’s Press. See you there!
We’ve all heard of writer’s block and many of us have experienced it. Check out Dyan’s take on writer’s block as she stops by http://storycrafters.blogspot.com during her Virtual Book Tour.
Leave a comment and be eligible for a free copy of her cookbook, Voice of the Angels Cookbook - Talk to your Food: Intuitive Cooking.
Freelance writers are always looking for a way to make more money the easy way. One way to do that is to generate more work from the clients you already have. I talk more about this in How To Get More Work From Existing Clients. The tips I outline have worked for me - and my clients are happy too.
Today (Friday, November 9) is another spotlight interview for my paranormal romantic suspense, THE JAGUAR LEGACY, as part of my month-long Virtual Book Tour.
I know, I know, you’ve seen these announcements every day this week, but each interview is different. One of the questions asked in today’s interview is: “What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?†My answer to this question is something that might fall under a category entitled “Confessions of a Fraud,†and begins, “My Inner Voice must have been hollering at me for decades, trying in vain to get my attention. My knack for denial is well honed and finely tuned …â€
Please pop in at Fiction Scribe at http://www.fictionscribe.com/ for a visit to learn more than you ever dreamed possible about me. I welcome your comments, opinions, or observations, and will check in occasionally to respond. At the end of November, one lucky commenter will be chosen to receive a copy of my book.
I would love to know what prompted each of you to turn to writing.
Maureen Fisher
THE JAGUAR LEGACY: Strong enough for a man … but WRITTEN for a woman
www.BooksByMaureen.com
Drunken drivers are recking havoc across Canada to
the tune of 4 deaths a day and 200 injuries daily.
How would you confront this problem?
Some persons have suggested life long suspensions
for repeat offenders, but would that stop a person
from driving illegally without a license?
I have heard that some states impound the driver’s
automobile for a period of time, which makes a good
deal of sense to me, but if the driver has more
then 1 vehicle there is no deterrent.
Another suggestion is using a special locking system where known offender have to breath into an analyzer before the ignition switch will work, but again this could be bypassed by a technologically savvy individual.
Is anything short of jailing drunken drivers for lengthy periods of time going to work?, because every year the situation seems to be getting worse.
One man who had been drinking killed 2 little girls playing on their front lawn got an 18 month jail term.
Fines have never made any significant difference in offenders habits and neither has educational advertisements.
So what would you suggest and enforce if you had the power to get rid of this scourge on our society?
Keep the faith.
I came across a blog post recently by Mom is Teaching that outlined “thirteen things you didn’t know were educational.” I love that topic so I’ve been thinking about some things that at first glance may not appear educational, but in reality can present wonderful learning opportunities.
Here is a short and incomplete list of some things that may not seem to be educational…
1. cereal boxes-my kids have read cereal boxes from the time they started learning to read. Not only did they read all the fun facts, but they would make up games for each other. Using the nutrition information on the side, they would quiz each other on the nutritional values contained in the cereal, either with or without milk.
2. cardboard tubes-empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls and wrapping paper rolls can be used for any number of things. They are safe and easy to work with and seem to be in never-ending supply. They are great to spark the imagination for anything from lightsabers to torches to our most recent-lances and flails.
3. duct tape-yes, I know that duct tape can do just about anything! I know a young man who made a knight’s armor completely out of duct tape. This same guy made his and his date’s prom outfits, yes, out of duct tape. This is apparently good for the imagination and out-of-the-box thinking. I hear that Duck Tape even offers scholarships for such forward thinking individuals.
4. grocery shopping-this never-ending seemingly mundane chore provides a wealth of educational opportunities for our children. From the time they are young they can learn about physics (don’t stand in the shopping cart or you can fall out/tip over…) to the obvious nutritional aspects as well as consumer math and home economics.
5. cooking dinner-again, this monotonous chore can turn into a lesson on fractions, following recipes, nutrition, and home economics. It provides a great time of family togetherness allowing for learning more about each other as well.
6. picking flowers-here is a lesson on biology/botany if you are so inclined. Or it can be a simple lesson in chivalry/making mama’s day by bringing her some flowers for the table.
7. playing in the rain-this is a wonderful way to learn about weather and the changes brought about by weather. You can learn about your senses and the animals that come out during and after the rain.
8. going to the mall-here is the perfect opportunity to learn about budgeting, home ec and you can get in some good people watching too.
9. making ice cream-I came across this great little lesson this past spring. The students can learn about “freezing point” and congealing and condensation, and even frost bite!
10. amusement parks-there are some amusement parks that offer “school days” in which they provide lesson plans on the physics of the rides. Roller coasters seem to be a great way to study a unit on physics .
11. fundraising-we have just finished with our first public school fundraiser. Although we were not initially thrilled with it, we did learn some things. My son learned that he is a good salesman. And he enjoyed it. He did not mind making his spiel to folks and enjoyed delivering the product once here. This may one day help him to find the kind of work he enjoys.
12. blogging-yes, blogging. I could not go without saying that one! There is the aspect of writing and learning different kinds of writing. There is learning about HTML if using codes, there is learning about the world outside your front door.
Here’s a great opportunity for Doris Lessing fans.
The featured contest at ReadingGroupGuides offers you a chance to win a complete set of the Doris Lessing titles published by Harper Collins. That’s 22 books.
Simply fill out the online form at ReadingGroupGuides by December 10, 2007.
What a great Christmas for the winner–a chance to discover or re-discover:
You must be at least 18 years old and a legal resident of the United States (except Puerto Rico) or Canada (except Quebec).
Well, unfortunately, winter is here (in the south it’s just getting here) and that means one of two things for motorcycle riders; either you winterize your bike and put it up for the winter or you tough it out, bundle up, and ride right on through to warmer weather. Personally, due to high gas costs, I ride right on through. So, that means there are some precautions we should take.
First and formost is staying warm. As you ride, you must keep in mind what the wind chill factor will be. It may be a balmy 45 degrees outside, but moving at 50mph can make it feel more like it’s in the 30’s. It’s a good idea to have a wind chill chart. I found one from the NOAA. It lists wind chill factors up to 60mph winds and temperatures ranging from 40 to -45 degrees. If you don’t want to print a copy of the chart or you need faster speeds (you sportbike folks amaze me!), here’s the formula: WC=35.74+0.6215T-35.75(V^0.16)+0.4275T(V^0.16). WC is wind chill, T is temperature, and V is wind speed. So, make sure you are dressed appropriately for the wind chill you will be experiencing. Frost bite can take as little as five minutes to set in, depending on the factors.
Next would be tires. In colder weather, the air in your tires will shrink. You should always check the air pressure in your tires before you ride. Low pressure can effect the way the bike stays balanced in turns. The last thing you would want is to take a corner at 45mph with under inflated tires. It only takes a minute and can be done while you are warming up the bike.
That leads me to my next point; make sure you allow the bike to properly warm up before leaving. If the bike is not allowed the proper warm up period, it can cause problem in the combustion chamber. I have never personally experienced this, but guys in our local riders club have told horror stories of engines locking up from vapor lock and such, all because they decided the bike didn’t need that long to warm up. I usually allow my bike 5-8 minutes, even longer on extremely cold days.
Finally, if you have a helmet with a visor, be aware that it can fog up in cold weather. You may need to keep open one notch to allow fresh air to keep it clean. There are products on the market that are designed to keep your visor from fogging, but I haven’t tried any. You might ask around before purchasing one of them.
Riding in the winter can be as exhilarating as any other time of the year, but you need to be aware of the extra precautions needed. If you heed these warnings, you can enjoy yourself and still get those looks from people in cars. You know those looks; ones of longing and thinking you are crazy. Have fun and stay safe.
It seems like every time I ride my motorcycle during the winter, I will inevitably hear a question about riding when it’s cold outside. For one thing, I am principled. If it’s below about 30 degrees, I usually will leave it parked in the garage. Second, it’s not like I’m traveling 300 miles, it’s just around town.
I love the reaction to my answer, though. When I tell them that the cold is not near as bad when I think about the 42 miles per gallon I’m getting, they look shocked and don’t ask much more. I love that!
Now, I live in Tennessee, so it doesn’t get so cold in the winter. For example, today is mid-50s, so that’s pretty mild. When you consider I wear a coat, helmet and gloves, that pretty much covers the cold. Even when it gets to 30 degrees, I have a pair of coveralls that I wear, and they keep me so warm that if it’s above 45 I sweat when I wear them.
For me, besides the fun of riding, it gets back to miles per gallon. Did I mention that I get 42 mpg. And, that’s around town! Let’s see, the best a hybrid will get is 50 mpg or so, and that’s highway. With gas prices as they are right now, if more people rode motorcycles, we could really put it to the oil countries. But, we have become addicted to oil.
The real problem I see is that for most people, it’s all about absolute comfort. We want to make sure we are the most comfortable we can be at all times. I look at the standard features on most cars today and then look at the options offered some 30 years ago, and most people now wouldn’t own a car from then because it was just barely better than what Fred and Barney rode around Bedrock in.
So, we buy the biggest, most comfortable vehicle we can get our hands on, not thinking for a moment what it will cost us in gas. Meanwhile, those of us who don’t mind a little discomfort, are riding around town, getting strange looks from everyone, enjoying the wind in our face and the gas money in our pockets. Ride On!
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