Reading the Bible in 1 Year

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Showing posts with label #book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #book. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Voice for Writers


When writers submit a query with an example of their work, they wait and sometimes wait and wait to hear back. And, like Tom  Petty said, The Waiting is the Hardest  Part.  

But then when that long-anticipated email arrives, excitement floods the writer's heart.

Sometimes, it is a quick let down with the only bit of feedback saying, "The sample didn't speak to me." Or, sometimes the feedback might be, "The voice didn't resonate with me."

"The Voice" might seem like an easy thing to capture but it's not always so easy.

Voice is a  difficult thing to define but literary agent Rachel Gardner said, "Your writer's voice is the expression of YOU on the page."

But even hearing this definition, voice is still an "unseen" characteristic of your writing. I think of it as an element that makes the characters come alive. 

This is a clip I put together years ago with my family to help "show not tell" what Voice is. 

Each person will show an example of Voice, that illusive element all writers strive to achieve. 

I hope you enjoy it.


 If you can't view it, copy and  paste this url into your browser: https://youtu.be/_4h_PnIFLzg 

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Writerly Wednesday - Interview of Author Stormi Lewis




Author Stormi Lewis shares tips, tricks and hints on how to get published in this short half-hour interview. Join us for a trip down the path to publication. Stormi has two books out and a third one on the way. I'm sure you'll enjoy her warm personality and value her writing wisdom. 

Plus, post a comment below for a chance to win an autographed copy of her latest book:



And don't forget to click on the link below to view the interview, and visit my YouTube channel to see more author interviews. 

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

My first annual L.A. SCBWI conference

If you've ever gone to an SCBWI event, then you already know how jam-packed with keynotes, various speakers,  workshops, classes, parties and more these conferences can offer. BUT the annual summer conference is the no-holds barred, throw-down event of the year. And I'm going to show you... with just a few pictures that a NON-photographer person (me), sitting in the audience took.

The days began with keynote speakers like Libba Bray (can I just say WOW! - because she was funny, poignant and just plain filled with heartfelt moments (okay I'm girl crushing for a moment))
And then after the keynote, we would head off to our workshops, which had such great speakers as the Mavin of Social Media: Debbie Ohi. who taught us tricks, hints and tips of how to get out into the world...without ever leaving our seat. Really.  

And, if awe-mazing keynotes and wonderful workshops weren't enough to whet your appetite, we also had some tempting treats..
And, yes, I do mean REAL treats that were served during our lunch with . . .

Lois Lowry

LOIS LOWRY. . . Yes, can you believe it? Lois - because after this session - I felt that we could have been on a first-name basis ;D and she entertained us while we ate...SERIOUSLY.

She told us all about her inspirations, process and just some of the things about her life.

And if that wasn't enough to make your jaw drop and your head hit the table... they threw parties you wouldn't believe. There was a street party with prizes for the best book costumes. Just look:

And we literally danced in the street

And to top it off, I made some wonderful friends that I'm sure I'll be connecting with again in the future:
All in all, it was a trip I'll never forget and if you get the chance and can make your way to L.A. one day, you should definitely do it.


Sunday, April 1, 2018

Cake Fail for Easter

Everything doesn't always turn out.  We all have failures in life and this can apply to writing, working or even baking. And sometimes I have absolute fails and I've had my share when it comes to making cakes. I like to think it's just because I tried to do too many things in a day. But that's just an excuse because after putting in the time to bake a cake and  attempting to decorate it...well,  let's just say it's not fun to have a fail. But it happens.

The last two cake fails I had were because I tried to add something to the recipe and obviously it didn't work out. The one above was because I cored out a portion of the inside to add a pudding filling for that fun-family surprise. But the hole damaged the "structural integrity" (yeah who even says that when they are talking about cake...I guess just cake nerds--like me) and the cake started to implode. Of course my son said,  "didn't you learn from the last time you did this?"

I guess not.

He is right. There was another cake fail where I added pumpkin to the batter...and not just a little but a LOT. That extra-added pumpkin damaged the structural integrity of my bear cake...(see below).

Not so pretty but he tasted just fine.

Still I had to remake him because he was for a birthday party.

But that's not the only cake fail I've had. There was also the sad turkey cake for Thanksgiving.
He sure didn't look happy for our festive family feast. So I had to take another do-over. This time with cupcakes because they sure cook a whole lot faster than an entire cake.

Luckily, those little guys turned out pretty cute, at least in my mind. 

But there are still more fails in my past. Like the time I saw something on the Food Channel and  thought, "hey I can do that". 

"Not!"

Sculpting a person out of rice krispies sounds EZ Smeazy but, take it from me, those people on the Food Channel are there for a reason. They have talent. Something I must be lacking because look at this sculpted figure of my brother-in-law Bo.

Yeah,  it doesn't look anything like him. At least I had the Bee and the Hive cake as backups and they turned out ... sort of. . . so we still had a party-with cake--for his birthday. 
Plus he was interested in the Beekeeping book, so that took his mind off the horrible fail...I hope.

I'm not saying all my cakes have been horrible fails. Some have actually turned  out. 




But it's always the fails that keep me striving to get better. Like this cake fail, where I tried to make my fondant out of marshmallows...yeah marshmallows - what was I  thinking?

Okay maybe it doesn't look so bad from  far  away but let's  get a  close up shot so you can really see.
Okay,  so maybe this one should be called a "fondant fail" because at least the cake  tasted good. And that cake in the background really did turn out...so 1 out of 2 isn't so bad...I'm hoping.

So, what is the point of this post? I just wanted all the homebakers out there to know that you aren't alone in your burnt, botched or under-baked disasters. We all have them...at  least I hope so. Otherwise, I'm the only one who has those disasterous moments in the kitchen. But just to prove that the motto "If at first you don't succeed,  try-try again," is a good one to keep in the back of your brain anytime you're testing new recipes at home, I wanted to show you that I took another do-over to make my little Easter penguin (yep, Easter penguin) cake and he actually turned out--at least  I like  to think so. (Okay the nose is a little large, but so is mine, nothing wrong with having a BIG nose... right?


And, if you want to see  how I  made him,  just keep on reading.

First I baked the cake in a pan shaped like a sphere

Then I cut off all the excess and used it to cut out little feet and wings ... and that BIG penguin nose. I used some frosting to glue the two halves together then I started frosting the ball.
And I kept frosting...
And frosting. . . until:


Plus it doesn't hurt (at least that's what I think) to throw those white chocolate penguin pops on the table,  to prove sometimes things turn out for me...even if the penguin cake does have a BIG nose.

(And, if you want to see how I made the penguin pops...come back later this week to see how EZ those little guys are... and, if you like to bake, or write,  or read you might want to think about subscribing to my blog so you will get notified when I have a new post ;D )

Thanks for taking the time to read about my Easter Fail. I hope it gave you a smile.