Etcetera
This is where I get to sound off on anything and everything that isn't necessarily related to writing (although it could be). In other words, What I Have to Say About....
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Most mornings, I watch The Today Show. Each of the hosts, if not all of them now, have written books and shamelessly promote them on the show. A perfect platform to sell your book with millions of viewers watching daily. The majority of them have written children’s books, as have I. What I can tell you about children’s books is it is mostly about the illustrations. Children, particularly those 5 years old and under, are fairly easy to entertain and you put some thoughtful and inspiring words together, along with a talented illustrator, and you have a children’s book. Not to demean the books they are writing, but remember, these are all people who are already making million-dollar, or close to that amount, yearly salaries.
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....you know what that is....IT'S CHRISTMAS. With a brief visit from Thanksgiving, of course. But it is late this year and after Thanksgiving we will have a short 26 days until Christmas. So, I'm thinking people are already starting their Holiday shopping. I know I have already started mine, even though my husband won't give me any kind of a list until just a week or so before Christmas. Which means, I have to fill it in with what I think he might want/need. On the other hand, I have given him a very detailed list of what I want this year. And when I say detailed, I put the actual URL on a list so all he has to do is click on it to find the majority of my Christmas wishes.
And now to my point - I hope books are on your Christmas list. I have books for kids, for teens and for adults. From our BBD Publishing website, we even have Large Print Books to cover seniors or those who have vision problems. If you lived during the 1950s and 1960s, I'm sure you will recognize some of the stories I share in my memoir "Me and Them". A novel and a collection of stories can be found in "The Mart". A variety of stories based on the kinds of houses people live in will surprise and delight you in "Seven Storied Houses". "Deep Lake House" covers decades of guests who visited the special place for a week or two each year. For your pre-teen, "The House at the Top of the Trees." will keep them turning the pages. Also, book 2, The Castle at the Bottom of the Sea" is not far behind so stayed tuned.
As always I appreciate your support. Not only is reading fun, it is the very best way to spend a snowy, winter afternoon. But of course, for me, it doesn't matter the season. It is my favorite way to spend any day, snow or not!
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It is always interesting to me to talk to other published authors, whether self-published or traditional. So many of them are at the mercy of their publisher or some 'expert' who has convinced them they need to have the latest and greatest whatever it is they are selling. My husband, who is an internet architect extraordinaire, has so many skills that I have come to appreciate over these years.
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At this point in my life, I have written seven books (and illustrated two of them, also). And I have two other completed novels that are in the editing stages. But, I wonder, who besides close friends and only a couple of my family members (I’m including cousins, too) know about or are interested in purchasing any of them. But there are young people, twenty-somethings, who are debut authors and are on the Today Show, selling, I can only imagine, thousands of copies of their books. How does this happen?
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Over the years, I have set up weekly goals that I write down in a notebook, to keep me on track. I feel more productive when I can check off things I accomplished in a particular week, even if the week included vacuuming and mopping floors, a couple of my least favorite chores. One of my favorite quotes is: "I understand the concept of cooking and cleaning, just not as it applies to me." And since I do not have a housekeeper visiting to take care of my housecleaning, those chores are mostly mine to do.