Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Blog Writing Ideas: How do you keep your blog fresh and entertaining?



In celebration of reaching 203 blog followers I'd like to get a discussion going: "Blog Writing Ideas: How do you keep your blog fresh and entertaining?"

I for one have fallen into bit of a rut and haven't given my Write What Inspires You! blog the attention it deserves, so to spark my creativity I decided to get the juices flowing by holding a 203 blog follower celebration and hopefully my enthusiasm will get a good old virtual slap.

To add to the celebration for all visitors who leave comments, become a follower, and Tweet about this discussion you will be automatically entered at a chance to win:



"What drives you to write? How does a particular piece of writing come to exist? And how do some people's lives come to revolve around writing? In Inspiration and Discipline, more than one hundred accomplished authors set aside talk of character and scene to address the more private aspects of their writing lives, including such topics as family support (or lack thereof), using autobiographical material, and the responsibility of writing - sharing their personal and philosophical approaches to this most strange, heartbreaking, and wonderful of artistic vocations. There may never be an explanation for where stories come from, but the wisdom, humor, and advice of the writers in these pages will provide you with the inspiration you need to keep your writing life moving forward."

Discussion and contest giveaway ends: October 31st at 12 midnight.

Winner announced: November 1st.

Be sure to leave your blog URL with your comment so I can follow you back if I'm not a follower already.

Thank you for visiting, I'm looking forward to interacting with you and conducting a lively discussion.

Be well!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Friday, October 14, 2011

5 Tips for Researching the Children's Magazine Market by Donna McDine










Hello, I welcome you to visit my article "5 Tips for Researching the Children's Magazine Market" at Writers on the Move http://www.writersonthemove.com/2011/10/5-tips-for-researching-childrens.html.

Thank you for your time and interest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Kindle Explosion: Paranormal Novel - Embraced by the Shadows by Mayra Calvani

Three-hundred year-old Ottoman prince vampire falls for a Latina Nietzsche freak fresh out of college.

Embraced by the Shadows by Mayra Calvani breaks free from the depths of passion, love and betrayal and reveals itself through a Kindle explosion.

In a bazaar in Istanbul one evening, ten-year-old Alana Piovanetti sees a man standing in the shadows. He smiles, and over time she convinces herself that it was just her imagination that placed sharp fangs amongst those flashing teeth.

Twelve years later, Alana is surprised when she is chosen to manage a new restaurant opening in her home city of San Juan. She has neither training nor experience to justify her success. But La Cueva del Vampiro has the kind of ambience she adores, for Alana has always had a penchant for the dark side of life. Yet she is also plagued with dreams of dark sensuality, dreams that take on shattering reality when she meets the stunningly alluring, charismatic Sadash.

For Sadash is the man she saw in the shadows so many years before…and Sadash isn’t human…

We invite you to travel along if you dare through the electronic waves of cyberspace where shadows lure you into the fascinating mind of Mayra Calvani:
October 10 - Anna's Book Blog: http://annavivian.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-blog-with-mayra-calvani-offer-of.html 
October 15 – Readinista: A devoted follower of reading: http://www.readinista.com/

October 17 - Rebecca Georgsson: http://www.thekindlefever.blogspot.com/ 
October 20 - Buckeye Girl Reads: http://www.lovesromances.blogspot.com/
October 21 – Vamp Chix: We Love Vampires: http://www.vampchix.blogspot.com/ 
October 24 – Book Lovers United: http://www.bookloversinc.com/
October 25 – Vamp Chix Presents Bite Club: We Read Books with Bite: http://www.vampchixreadbooks.blogspot.com/

October 26 – A Book Lovers Dream: http://www.abookloversdream.com/

October 28 - Yel – The Itzel Library: http://www.the-itzel-library.blogspot.com/

October 30 – Read All Over Reviews: http://www.read-all-over.net/
Come celebrate with Mayra and her hosts and find out what her special “thank you” is for taking the time out to visit with her. Each gift will satisfy your taste buds for the Halloween season and beyond.
What they're saying about Embraced by the Shadows: “Mysterious, intriguing and somewhat unsettling at times, this novel is a must for all vampire reading fans. A rich, twisting plot and a surprising ending awaits you.” The Midwest Book Review

Title: Embraced by the Shadows

Written by: Mayra Calvani

Publisher: Twilight Times Books

Format: Kindle Edition

ASIN: B005T4DPCM

Published: 2011 Revised Edition (October 5, 2011)

About the author: Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. A reviewer for over a decade, she now offers online reviewing workshops. She also offers workshops on the art of children’s picture book writing. When she’s not writing, reading, editing or reviewing, she enjoys walking her dog, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Visit her website at http://www.mayracalvani.com/, join her mailing list, and receive her free e-Book, Reviewers Talk about Their Craft and the first lesson of her Slippery Art of Book Reviewing Workshop. To receive two free lessons of her popular Walking on a Rainbow, a Fiction Picture Book Workshop, visit http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.com/.  



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Writer’s Submission Guidelines by Working Writer’s Club member and children’s author, Donna M. McDine


Editors and publishers are swamped by hundreds even thousands of submissions a day and if a writer cannot follow simple submission guidelines, editors will not have the inclination to continue reading your manuscript.

The Working Writer's Club is a professional club for freelance writers, authors, coaches, and speakers providing training, resources, and networking opportunities for its members. The Working Writer’s Club is pleased to share with you the latest writing article from member, Donna M. McDine entitled, “Writer’s Submission Guidelines: The Importance of Staying within the Parameters.”
A sneak peak…

“At a young age many of us are taught to follow directions, especially for school assignments and projects. As freelance writers it’s equally important to do so when querying or submitting a manuscript. Each publication or publishing house has their own submission guidelines that they expect the writer to read and adhere to. Said guidelines are the gateway to getting through the first step of the review process. Don’t make the assumption that most magazines follow the same guidelines, they do not. Treat each as an individual and research and learn about them before submitting.

Editors and publishers are swamped by hundreds even thousands of submissions a day and if a writer cannot follow simple submission guidelines, editors will not have the inclination to continue reading your manuscript. The lack of following guidelines, gives the impression that the writer did not do their homework by studying the magazine or catalog and reading through their submission guidelines. Therefore coming across as a writer who will not be easy to work with throughout the editing process…”

Visit the Working Writer’s Club today and read McDine’s full article where she discusses the importance of following writer’s submission guidelines. Please feel free to leave your comments or questions so Donna can interact with you: http://www.workingwritersclub.com/2011/10/02/writer%e2%80%99s-submission-guidelines-the-importance-of-staying-within-the-parameters.

About Donna M. McDine

Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Books, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book Fiction, and Literary Classics Seal of Approval Picture Book Early Reader ~ The Golden Pathway.

Her stories, articles, and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has three more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, and A Sandy Grave. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids, Publicist for the Working Writer’s Club, and owner of Dynamic Media Release Services from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI.

Visit Donna at www.donna-mcdine.blogspot.com and www.donnamcdine.com.

Visit Suzanne Lieurance at The Working Writer’s Club, and become a Facebook Fan today at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Working-Writers-Club/221038321276421. By becoming a Facebook Fan it will ensure that you are updated on all of the valuable resources and articles at The Working Writer’s Club.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

How to Promote Your Book ~ The Frugal Book Promoter, Second Edition by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

New Edition of Multi Award-Winning Book Released

Thousands Expected to Dig for Nuggets
More than a dozen authors, mentors, and nationally known book marketers will offer thousand in bonus gifts focused on the needs of authors when novelist, poet, and book marketer Carolyn Howard-Johnson releases the second edition of the first book in her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter.

Among those supporting Howard-Johnson’s book are self publishing gurus Dan Poynter and Shelley Hitz, book marketers Dana Lynn Smith, Patricia Fry, D’vorah Lansky, and Aggie Villaneuva and even some fun stuff like a full book of poetry from Magdalena Ball and advice on feng shui from Anna Maria Prezio, Ph.D. Leading the charge is Amazon and book launch expert Denise Cassino.

Collectively, they offer an inestimable value in career boosting bonus gifts to anyone who pays a mere $9.95 for The Frugal Book Promoter in its Kindle iteration (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkProKindle) or $12.82 (discounted from $17.95) for the paperback on Amazon (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo).

The project will reach a crescendo on Wednesday, October 8, when an unprecedented number of people will visit Howard-Johnson’s launch page and launch her valuable to number one on Amazon.com, a great way to help make this book visible to even more authors who need it. Check out her site on October 8 at http://frugalbookpromoter.homestead.com/index.html
Howard-Johnson, an instructor for nearly a decade at UCLA Extension’s Writers’ Program, chose to have the new edition published in both e-book format and paperback in order to give her struggling students and clients affordable and convenient choices. Whichever format a reader chooses, The Frugal Book Promoter assures an author’s book the best possible start in life. Full of nitty-gritty how-tos for getting nearly free publicity, the author shares her professional experience as well as practical tips gleaned from the successes of her own book campaigns. A former journalist and publicist (she wrote media releases for fashion designers like Christian Dior), she tells authors how to do what their publishers can’t or won’t and why authors can often do their own promotion better than a PR professional.

Howard-Johnson even assigned a new subtitle to this edition of her book to reflect its appeal to a broader array of authors. It is now The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or partnering with your publisher. She says, "With the advances in Internet marketing and the role social media plays in communicating, it was high time even writers who had the first edition had access to my frugal (frugal of both time and money!) ideas for new networking opportunities." The big, fat book (416 pages) also has money-saving ads in the back and an amazing new cover—the epitome of “frugalness”—by Chaz DeSimone, http://www.chazdesimone.com/.

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of 14 women of “San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen.” She has worked for Good Housekeeping Magazine and as a journalist for several newspapers and has been a popular presenter at writers’ conferences nationwide like the one at San Diego State University and the Sinclair Lewis Writers’ Conference. She is also a novelist and poet, which informs the advice she gives to authors of those genres.

Learn more about Howard-Johnson at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/ and http://carolynhoward-johnson.com/
# # # #

Cover image and media kit available on request at HoJoNews@aol.com
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Instructor for the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program
Author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally books:

The Frugal Book Promoter
The Frugal Editor
The Great First Impression Book Proposal
Great Little Last-Minute Edits

E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com

Web site: http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Children’s Ezine Guardian Angel Kids: Sports and Activities – October 2011 Issue


Although technology is a wonderful learning tool, it’s important to teach our children the importance of getting up and outside to enjoy the boundless adventures of sports and physical activity. Not only is it good for the body to stretch your muscles and participate in physical activity it does wonders for the brain and soul of one’s body by releasing endorphins.

Join us at Guardian Angel Kids Ezine October 2011 issue and get you and your children grooving through physical action by becoming inspired by this month’s poetry, stories, activities, and articles at http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/.

We also invite you to stay connected with Guardian Angel Kids through our Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Guardian-Angel-Kids-Ezine/163785080346247.

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER: Lynda S. Burch

FEATURED BOOK AND VIDEO:

Cartwheel Annie Flipping Book by Marilee Crowe and illustrated by K.C. Snider – Annie likes being upside down. When the neighborhood children see her cart wheeling down the sidewalk on the way to school, they begin to tease her. That embarrasses her siblings. It seems everyone is tired of her gymnastics, until the circus comes to town, and Annie becomes the star of the show.

Whispering Wally, art and story by Kevin Collier - Watch a special video of Wally the Whale and his treasure hunt, keeping active swimming.

CHILDREN’S POETRY, SHORT STORIES, AND ARTICLES:
“The Name of the Game,” by Ellen Javernick – clever poetry that takes you for a whimsical ride through sports.

“Once Upon Home Plate,” Katie – 5th grader – self confidence soars at the awe inspiring homerun.

“The Magic Bat,” by Marcia Faber and illustrated by Samantha Bell – imagination and fantasy takes you on a delightful outcome of a special bat.

“Fall Freeze,” by Erin K. Schonauer and Jamie C. Schonauer and illustrated by Kathleen Bullock – two sports plus one party equals an icy situation. Can a figure skater and a hockey player learn to balance their differences or are they bound to collide?
“Turtle and Rabbit Relay,” by Karen Robuck – Does the turtle always win the race? In the familiar fable he does, but what about in real life?
“Ways to Use Activities and Games to Teach Vocabulary,” by Dorit Sasson – Engage your students in games of vocabulary and have fun along the way.
FEATURED DRAWING, GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

Draw yourself being good with Painting Board – PAINT page

Featured Games from Books - GAME page

Please feel free to drop Editor-in-Chief, Donna McDine an email at submissions@guardian-angel-kids.com and let them know what you think of Guardian Angel Kids and what you'd like to see in the future. They aim to please!

We look forward to your visit. Thank you for your time and interest.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm