Reflecting on the Loss of Friends

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year’s. Last year, my husband and I were both sick, so it was nice to enjoy the holidays this time. We enjoyed Christmas with just the two of us. Technically four when you count the two black cats that were playing in the shredded wrapping paper. I had fun stirring them up even more with my new Despicable Me Talking Minion. He talks, giggles, and sings!

One thing happened that made me reflect on friends past and present. Before my husband and I were even dating, we worked for a contracting company in Arkansas and were good friends with another employee, Debbie. She was one of those happy, free spirits that is a joy to be around. We lost track of her for a couple years, and then got to visit Debbie and her husband in Orlando on several book signing treks south.

We didn’t get a Christmas card in 2012, and I don’t think I sent one. But I sent one for 2013 just to let Debbie and her husband know we were thinking about them and missed them.

We get a letter from her husband, apologizing that he didn’t have our address and the phone number he’d tried was disconnected.

Two years ago, Debbie committed suicide.

My husband and I are still in shock. It was due to a situation with her family, but we just can’t fathom Debbie killing herself over it. Our heart goes out to her husband.

I went through my photo albums and gathered every photo I could find of Debbie and sent it on a CD Rom to her husband. As I looked through the pictures, I thought of other friends I’d not seen or spoken to in a while. I was an only kid, so solitude is often my thing, and I wonder if that works against me sometimes. How many friends have slipped away because I haven’t maintained contact? Even the Internet, it’s easy to let time pass without interaction. That’s something I need to work on.

How many friends have you lost contact with due to neglect? Can you do something about it now?

The Fifty States of Pray and IWSG - How to Stay in Writing Mode During the Holidays

For the holidays, I am joining in Mark Koopman’s Fifty States of Pray.
I also posted Monday at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site - How to Stay in Writing Mode During the Holidays.

I wanted to share the lyrics to a beautiful song called Bless Us All from my favorite Christmas movie, The Muppet Christmas Carol. We watch the movie every Christmas Eve and every year, we end up crying over fuzzy felt.

Life is full of sweet surprises

Everyday's a gift

The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirit

Fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song

I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong

Bless us all, who gather here

The loving family I hold dear

No place on earth, compares with home

And every path will bring me back from where I roam

Bless us all, that as we live

We always comfort and forgive

We have so much, that we can share

With those in need we see around us everywhere

Let us always love each other

Lead us to the light

Let us hear the voice of reason, singing in the night

Let us run from anger and catch us when we fall

Teach us in our dreams and please, yes please

Bless us one and all

Bless us all with playful years

With noisy games and joyful tears

We reach for You and we stand tall

And in our prayers and dreams

We ask You bless us all

We reach for You and we stand tall

And in our prayers and dreams we ask You

Bless us all

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Cats!

Since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd bring back some Christmas cat favorites, including a couple of Spunky. Enjoy!

I will be back on Monday at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site and then here on Tuesday for Mark Koopman’s Fifty States of Pray.

And of course, Spunky the cat is here for the holidays!

Are Discounted and Free Books Still Effective?

There was an interesting article at The Digital Reader this weekend - “Are Deep Discount Sales Blasts Like Bookbub’s Still Effective Sales Tools?”

Several points were raised in the article and I thought of a few more:

• Is the glut of free and 99c working against itself? Are there so many discounted books that they just aren’t drawing attention anymore? 
• Are buyers merely hoarding without reading?
• With more large, traditional publishers discounting, will that hurt self-published authors?
• It still works well for some authors - what is the deciding factor?
• It encourages buying without reading and little reader to author connection, which is vital in developing fans. Is it then just a short term solution and one that may not really work?

I’ve never been a fan of KDP Select and those days of giving away one’s book, although it was more because of the exclusitivity that’s required. I’ve already read several articles this past year that stated the free aspect was not as effective as it once was due to the amount of authors using it. With sites like Bookbub, you are also paying hundreds more to promote your free or discounted books.

How would you answer those questions?

Last Friday I participated in Milo James Fowler’s ‘Tis More Blessed book giveaway event. And the winner of a copy of The Circle of Friends, Book V...Heather is...

Helena at Becoming Layla

Congrats, Helena!