It’s Not Easy Being Green

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Okay, any excuse to post a picture of Kermit. I love Muppets!!

And when you are finished reading, go HERE to see what Kermit the Frog and Christian Bale have in common - it’s a riot!

Some updates:

I’ve been working on my next book. Wow, it’s been so long! Finished Book V of my series two years ago and made plans for another non-fiction book, but it just didn’t happen. Now I have purpose again as a writer. And it was the easiest outline to create. Gotta love that!

For those of you who can’t physically attend BEA, the Armchair BEA will be back! Visit their SITE for details.

And I folded to the pressure and signed up for the A to Z Challenge. Pits! At least I have a theme in mind.

And, Tamara at Get Your Giggle On gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. She has a great blog and a wonderful spirit!

Passing it on to:

Susan at Susan Says
Lynette at Crazed Mind
Angela at My Poetry and Prose Place

Finding and Pitching to the Media

There were a million books released last year - the media doesn’t care about the fact you are yet another author with a book! The media is looking for interesting stories, but not from the angle of an author promoting a book. They are more interested in the subject of the book and you as the expert. Do you present new information? Tie in with a current event? Do you show their listeners/viewers/readers how to solve their problems? What is your unique angle?

There’s many ways to locate the media and reporters, but here’s a few basic ones to get you started:

Online Newspapers
On the Radio
Media Post

Happy pitching!

I also posed the question - is it the end of bookstores and author signings? - on my site, The Circle of Friends.

Where I'm Going as a Writer

Ever since I finished the fina; book in my series two years ago, I've been in a writing lull. Those five books consumed eight years of my life's focus. I have an outline for a sixth book, but that's on hold for now. I also have an outline for a teen version of Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! but between slow research and missing my deadline, that one's not happening either.

Fortunately, this writing community is great for sparking old interests and ideas. There's a book I've wanted to write for years and now is the time to begin.

I teach sessions on publishing and promoting, and the question always arises - do I have a book that covers those subjects? My Overcoming Obstacles ties in with my leadership and goal-setting talks - it's time I wrote another book that ties in with my speaking topics.

Now there's no way I can create a book on par with John Kremmer or Dan Poynter's works. So, I won't even try. But with my extensive notes and research for my two seminars, not to mention the wealth of information online provided by many of you, I can put together a book that would be perfect for those attending my seminars. And of course, anyone else interested in learning more. After all, none of us knows everything!

That is my plan - now time to begin!

Did You Know...

In the area of book trailers, everyone knows about You Tube.

But did you know you can post and view trailers on these sites as well?

Meta Cafe
Vimeo
Daily Motion

The more places the better, right?


Everyone knows to check the Preditors and Editors when looking for a reputable publisher.

But did you know that the SFWA also lists warnings about publishers and agents?

In addition, Every Writers Resource and Publishing Central list publishers of every genre.


And did you know this is read an eBook Week? (Visit their website for more information.) Thousands of eBooks marked down or for free on many of the sites and platforms. (Mine are not free, but you can start The Circle of Friends series for .95) Look for bargains and deals on books this week, and start reading digitally.

Thanks for stopping by and picking Spunky's brain. Go forth and conquer!

Colorful Writing

Today I'm going for some visuals.

Writers don't have the luxury of visuals. We must convey color in our writing. We do that with descriptions, mood, emotions, the weather...

Below are some ways to use color to convey these things.

YELLOW

We all associate yellow with flowers - growth and spring.

Yellow can also be classic and illumionous.

It can be vibrant and convey energy.







BLUE

Blue can convey a beautiful day.

It can also show strength and power.

It can convey peace and flowing.






RED

Red is vibrant and alive.

It also causes things to stand out and attract attention.

Red also conveys mystery.










GREEN

Green is associated with plants and growth.

It is also refreshing and moist.

Green also conveys energy and movement.






ORANGE

Orange is most often associated with fall and changes.

It can cackle with energy and spark.

It can convey bounty and plenty.









PURPLE and PINK

Purple is the color or royalty.

It conveys passing and closure.

It is like a blast of cold heat and power.

And it conveys softness and magic.










How are you coloring your words today?