Author: Marcia

Thanks, Everybody!

/ Marcia / 3 Comments

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who commented on my post about beta readers. I decided to remove the post because I did a terrible job of explaining what I really wanted. (I’ll admit, I’d just come back inside from some labor intensive yard work in 90 degree weather, so was probably too tired to even try to tackle the post.)

Please know that I definitely understand that most writers don’t have the time to be beta readers for another writer. I was mostly hoping you might have a friend or family member who’d enjoy it, but honestly, it’s not a big deal. And I apologize profusely for bothering you folks unnecessarily. 

So … pay no attention to that crazy ol’ granny behind the curtain. A good night’s rest in the glorious air conditioning, and she’ll be back to normal again. (Or, as normal as she gets, anyway.)

And THANKS for putting up with me. (I do go crazy now and then!)

 

#ReblogAlert – Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Weekly RoundUp Post

/ Marcia / 5 Comments

Looks like Sundays are going to be my weekly roundup post days, folks. Seems like the last day of the week is appropriate for a weekly roundup, so I’ll give it a try. 

As always, be sure to take a look at Sally’s roundup post. With all she has going on over there, it’s pretty easy to miss something good, so stop by and check out what happened last week. You’ll be glad you did.

Check out Sally’s RoundUp Post HERE
Enjoy!

#ReblogAlert – This Week on #StoryEmpire

/ Marcia / 13 Comments

Another great week, as always, on Story Empire. If you missed any of the latest posts, head on over and check them out. You’ll be glad you did!

MONDAY: Jan Sikes continues with her marketing series with #MKTG – Part 6 – Pinterest. Lots of good stuff to learn here on a topic that baffles many of us. Check Jan’s post out HERE.

WEDNESDAY: Gwen Plano gives us a very thought-provoking post entitled The Before and After of Writers. This one certainly resonated with me, and I’m sure it will with you as well. Check out Gwen’s post HERE.

FRIDAY: Mae Clair’s post, Are You Ready? #NaNoWriMo, is an interesting  and fun perspective on all that comes along with taking part in this major writing challenge. You can check out Mae’s post HERE.

And there you have it once again, Folks: 
Another wonderful week on #Story Empire.
Enjoy!

#BadMoonRising – Post 23 Featuring Mae Clair

/ Marcia / 19 Comments

 

I’m really excited to share today’s Bad Moon Rising post because it features my good friend, Penderpal, and fellow Dresdenphile, Mae Clair. You definitely want to check out Mae’s interview Q&A! It will leave you shivering, I pretty much guarantee, and I can also attest to how great her new book is, because I’m reading it right now, and loving every word! 

Check out Mae’s Post HERE
Enjoy!

Looking for Some Advice on How to Approach a Project

/ Marcia / 24 Comments

Good Morning, Folks! Hope your Freya’s Day is off to a great start, and you have a wonderful weekend ahead!

I’ve been contacted by my friends at the Enterprise Museum on behalf of someone who wants to tackle an ambitious project. She isn’t sure where to start, and wondered if self-publishing via Amazon was the way to go, or if she needs to seek out a smaller, inexpensive traditional publisher. I have no experience that is really helpful for her, but thought some of you might. 

In a very condensed version of her own words, this is what she’d like to do:

“I want to develop a history of Enterprise through illustrations, maps, drawings, portraits, etc. beginning with the indigenous inhabitants of the area  …  and up to today. “

“This would be just the highlights of Enterprise history that would interest the general public and secondary students, not an academic record of all the history of the area  ….  It would include a series of side-by-side “then and now” illustrations … Text would be limited to captions, side bars, callouts, brief snippets, … “

Yes, it’s an ambitious project, but a worthy one, I think. Her idea  is to make this a small, probably paperback book (not a coffee table tome) that could be sold in gift shops and the like, and she’s hoping to find a way to pull it together with some volunteers for funding, etc, but that’s another topic.

What I would like to find out for her is if Amazon is a good fit for this type of book? (I’ve heard some conflicting opinions on how well they do with books that have  a lot of photos and  illustrations.) Or do any of you know of better publishers to handle this type of project?

Any advice you have, or experiences (good or bad) you can share would be very helpful to her. While she is chock full of historical knowledge about the little town of Enterprise, she’s never attempted anything like this before. The director of the museum put her in touch with me, because of my experience with self-publishing, but I write fiction novels and poetry. I know nothing about what would be involved (besides a lot of work) in a project like this, or if Amazon is even a place to start. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to put the question out there to see if any of you had suggestions.

I’d love to see this idea become a reality! Thanks for any help you can offer.  😊

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NOTE TO ALL: My new friend, Lani, is having a hard time accessing the blog in order to respond to your comments. She asked me to tell you this:

“Hi to everyone who commented! I am immensely grateful for your wonderful outpouring of suggestions and truly helpful advice for my proposed project! I will try to print them out. Maybe Marcia can tell me how to do this because each one has valuable information that I need to review. Marcia, esteemed hostess, how do I do this or can I get this page sent to my email?
 
I am bowing in humble appreciation for all of your kindness and encouragement! Such nice people!! You have all made my day/week/month. Sorry for the delay posting this message. I had tried to post several times over the past two days, but I had huge problems with WordPress which dear Marcia has since resolved.
 
The most important thing I got from your posts is encouragement, that so many writers(!) no less think it’s a good idea. Wow. That in itself is priceless. I will start (as many of you suggested) by checking out similar local history publications and see where and how they were published. I am also going to check out the links to the online publishing websites/aids you so kindly provided. This is SO helpful! I have been totally in the dark. You each turned on a light for me. Endless thanks to everyone, Lani

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#ThorsDaySmile – #amlaughing – #humor

/ Marcia / 36 Comments

Every other ThorsDay is #ThorsDaySmile time, so here are a few Signs
of the Times to make you laugh. Hope some of them are new to you!
Enjoy!
😄


And here’s a cat, because, hello?  CAT!

And last, another one of THESE, because … well, no real reason,
except that I’ve loved every caption I’ve seen added to these pics!
Now on that note, I am outta here!
Keep smiling, folks!