#JoanHall

#ReblogAlert- #TwoFer #ThisWeekOnStoryEmpire & #SmorgasbordWeeklyRoundUp

/ Marcia / 24 Comments

In case some of you didn’t get the memo, it’s Sunday again, and that means it’s time for me to share this week’s posts from two of my favorite blogs! Between laying new floors here at home and my Meet the Author Tea at DeBary Hall yesterday, I haven’t even had a chance to read all of these posts yet (though I’ll get to it soon), but I have no problem at all passing them along for you to check out anyway. You know as well as I do that they are always entertaining, enlightening, and informative, so please do take a look. You’ll be glad you did! 

MONDAY: John W. Howell starts the week off with what appears to be a very instructional post entitled Gestures and Dialogue–A Perfect Show Don’t Tell Team. I can’t wait to read the entire post and feel sure I’ll find it helpful! Check out John’s post HERE.

WEDNESDAY: Joan Hall’s mid-week post entitled Plan Ahead to Maximize Time is one I’m eager to read fully. This is something I’m sure all of us struggle with at least now and then, and I know I can use all the tips I can get. Check out Joan’s post HERE.

FRIDAY: Staci Troilo wraps up the week with what I know will be a terrific post, entitled Story Development and Execution Part 4: Dialogue.  Can’t wait to read it, and I’m sure you’ll want to as well. Check out Staci’s post HERE.

And once again, Sally Cronin and crew have outdone themselves with a weekly roundup that is chock full of great things. Animal videos, music, cooking, reviews, new releases, you name it. It’ll be there!

Check out Sally’s Smorgasbord Magazine Weekly RoundUp HERE

And there you have it!
Happy Reading Everyone!

#InternationalDayOf Awesomeness – #SallyCronin – #SmorgasbordBlog – #Celebration – #StoryEmpire

/ Marcia / 52 Comments

A most remarkable thing happened on Thursday.
For those who weren’t aware (like me), Thursday was the official
International Day of Awesomeness. 

While I may have been oblivious about this day,
the good folks over at Story Empire were not!

Nope. These wonderfully talented and sharing authors decided to celebrate the day in grand style by letting the world know exactly who they thought deserved to be honored in all her awesomeness: 

Sally Cronin

Now, I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect that most of us who spend a lot of time blogging and/or writing are very familiar with Sally and her fabulous Smorgasbord blog, and have probably been the beneficiaries of her support and encouragement many times. I know I certainly have! And if you missed out on all of these great tributes to this lovely lady, I do hope you’ll stop by her blog to read her post about how she spent her Thursday, and what it meant to her. 

You can read Sally’s post (and find links to each Story Empire post) HERE.

Sally, I hope you continue to feel the love for a long, long time. You deserve it my friend! And as always, never forget YOU ROCK!

#ReblogAlert – #Twofer – This Week on #StoryEmpire and #SmorgasbordWeeklyRoundUp

/ Marcia / 24 Comments

I apologize for missing last week’s round up posts, but I was still running way behind and just couldn’t catch up. I’m happy to say, I’ve been improving a bit more the last few days, and have high hopes I’ll be back to my normal routine (and blogging schedule) before much longer. Let’s start things off right with a recap from last week’s #StoryEmpire and #Smorgasbord posts. Enjoy!

MONDAY:  Joan Hall starts the week off with a very interesting post entitled Would You Buy This Book? She raises some questions about marketing tactics that may or may not be helpful, and could even be a turn-off for some potential buyers. Check out Joan’s post HERE.

WEDNESDAY: A great mid-week post by Staci Troilo entitled Story Development and Execution Part 2: The Story Bible really caught my attention. Whether you are a plotter or a pantser,  I think the tips Staci posted can help you. The sure helped me. Check out Staci’s post HERE. 

FRIDAY: Gwen Plano wraps up the week with a post entitled The Rise of Short Stories, and I think you’ll really enjoy this one. Ever compare yourself to a goldfish before? A bit alarming, I must say, but some super info to consider. Check out Gwen’s post HERE.

And of course, Sally had yet another fabulous week of posts on everything under the sun. Here’s her RoundUp of the week, in case you missed anything. Happy Reading!

Check out this week’s #Smorgasbord WeeklyRoundUp Post HERE

And there you have it, Folks …
Another wonderful week on two of my very favorite blogs.
Enjoy!

#ReblogAlert – This Week on #StoryEmpire and Sally Cronin’s #Smorgasbord Weekly RoundUp

/ Marcia / 21 Comments

Once again, it’s time to share the love! If you haven’t checked out these posts on Story Empire and Sally’s Smorgasbord blogs, you really owe it to yourself to stop by and see what’s up. There’s always something good going on on these two blogs, you know. Stop by and see for yourself! You’ll be glad you did!

MONDAY: Joan Hall starts the week off with a great post entitled Writing Historical Fiction. Check it out HERE.

WEDNESDAY: Staci Troilo’s post entitled Messy Middles and Mystery Boxes is one that I found exceptionally helpful. I think you will, too. Check it out HERE.

FRIDAY: And John W. Howell wraps up the week with Thanksgiving wishes and a gorgeous photo HERE. (Thank you, John, and I hope your Thanksgiving weekend has been great so far!) 

And here are this week’s goodies from Sally’s Smorgasbord blog. Have a look for yourself, and you’ll see why I like to pass this one on, too. You can check everything out HERE.

And there you have it, Folks …
Another wonderful week on two of my very favorite blogs.
Enjoy!

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Joan Hall

/ Marcia / 107 Comments

So happy it’s Wednesday again, because you know what that means?  Yep! It’s time for another Ten Things list. This week, our guest is my good friend, author Joan Hall, and I know you’ll enjoy reading this one! Take it away, Joan!

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Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Joan Hall

  1.  I bleed burnt orange. Just kidding, but I’m a diehard Texas Longhorn fan. Burnt orange (and white) are the school colors.
  2.  My all-time favorite movie is Casablanca.
  3.  My maiden name is James and much to my husband’s dismay, I’m not related to the outlaw Jesse. (Hubs thinks that would be so cool!)
  4.  I wrote my first novel on notebook paper when I was seventeen years old, but I threw it away.
  5.  I once killed a four-foot coiled rattlesnake with a garden hoe.
  6.  My earliest memory was when I was eighteen months old. It happened during a visit with friends and relatives near Christmas.
  7.  As much as I love cats, I used to be more of a dog person. We once owned five dogs at the same time—two Dachshunds, a German Shepherd, a Lab-mix, and a Chow-mix. Feeding two cats is much less expensive.
  8.  Speaking of pets, we have a family tradition of naming our dogs after songs or singers. This came about by accident when I decided to name my German Shepherd puppy after George Harrison’s first wife, Pattie Boyd. Since then, we’ve had names such as Dylan, (Bob) Maggie (Maggie May), and Penny (Penny Lane). We don’t follow the same naming convention for our cats, but we once named one after a baseball player.
  9.  One of my pet peeves (of which I have many) is people who can’t park straight or park too close to the line.
  10.  In the early 1970s, my brother and I buried a piece of his pottery on our family property with the hope that some future generation would discover it and wonder about life in twentieth century America.

Joan and Hubby

~~~

Author Joan Hall

Joan Hall has always enjoyed reading or listening to stories about inexplicable events, so it’s not surprising she writes mystery and romantic suspense. A lover of classic rock music, songs often serve as the inspiration for her books.

When she’s not writing, Joan likes to observe the night skies, explore old cemeteries, and learn about legends and folklore. She and her husband live in Texas with their two cats. Learn more about Joan at her website, http://JoanHall.net.

Buy All of Joan’s Books HERE

Reach Joan on Social Media Here:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |   Bookbub  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram

#ReblogAlert! #Twofer #ThisWeekOnStoryEmpire & Sally Cronin’s #SmorgasbordWeeklyRoundUp

/ Marcia / 17 Comments

This post is going to be what we call a “Twofer,” or two posts for the price of one! Since I’ve made Sunday my regular #ReblogAlert day for both Story Empire and Smorgasbord, I realized I could do them in the same post, rather than one in the morning and one in the afternoon, thus giving each of them all-day long exposure. Great idea, huh? (Yeah, I know. Sometimes I’m slow, but I usually get there eventually! 😀 ) So, here you go!

~~~

Another great series of posts from the gang at Story Empire. You’ll definitely want to take a look, if you haven’t already done so.

MONDAY: John W. Howell’s post Indicators During a Writing Session That It Is Not the Best Work is a simple, yet very helpful way to help authors  understand why their work might not be as good as it should be. Check out John’s post HERE.

WEDNESDAY: Joan Hall wraps up her terrific series on developing different types of characters with Character Types: The Helper. You can read Joan’s post HERE.

FRIDAY: Staci Troilo’s post, Do’s and Don’ts of Story Beginnings, is another one you won’t want to miss! Learn more on this from Staci HERE.

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And for those who may have missed some of this week’s fabulous posts on Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord, be sure to check out this link. Loaded with good stuff, including at least one video sure to bring tears to your eyes, and another to make you smile all over, you’ll definitely be glad you did!

Check out Sally’s Weekly RoundUp Post HERE
~~~

And there you have our first Reblog Twofer everybody!
Hope you enjoy checking out both sites!

 

#ReblogAlert – This Week on #StoryEmpire

/ Marcia / 19 Comments

Been a crazy busy week, complicated by everything from doctor’s appointments to major computer problems, and the difficulty of putting together a PowerPoint program for my Saturday talk amid it all. BUT. Here I am! Still at it, with things looking more hopeful for the week ahead. And I’m very happy to say, I’m able to do both of my weekly roundup posts today. First, here are the links to all three of the terrific posts over on Story Empire. If you missed any of these, do stop by to check them out. Always good stuff going on over there!

MONDAY: Throwing SHADE at Your Sentences is a wonderfully helpful post by Staci Troilo. So much to learn from this one and you can check it out HERE

WEDNESDAY: Five Ways to Know You are Doing Good Work on Each Writing Session by John W. Howell is exactly what it sounds like. A list of ways you can evaluate if your writing session is working as it should. Check it out HERE.

FRIDAY:  Character Types: The Extrovert byJoan Hall. It’s always a good idea to understand the personality type of your characters. Joan has shared some very interesting tips HERE.

Yet another week of wonderful posts on Story Empire. If you’ve missed any of these posts, do yourself a favor and head on over to  see for yourself how much you can learn there! 

#ReblogAlert – This Week on #StoryEmpire

/ Marcia / 11 Comments

Another week gone by in a flash, but the good news is, it’s time for a recap of all the great posts over on Store Empire. Here goes:

MONDAY: Joan Hall is beginning a new series I think I’m going to love, and her first post is entitled Character Types: The Attention Seekers. It’s great! Check out Joan’s post HERE

WEDNESDAY: Staci Troilo’s post, Three Elements of Horror, really struck a chord with me. I have always had a fascination with truly scary stories, and if I ever decide to write one, I’ll be paying close attention to her guidelines. Check out Staci’s post HERE.

FRIDAY: John Howell asks a question in his post today that I’m sure will resonate with each of us: Why Am I Avoiding Working on My WIP? I know it made me stop and think. Check out John’s post HERE.

And there you have the latest from the good folks at Story Empire!
Happy Reading!

#Reblog Alert – This Week on Story Empire

/ Marcia / 28 Comments

Once again, Story Empire has presented a fabulous week of excellent posts. You’re gonna want to take a look at all of these, if you haven’t already done so.

MONDAY:  John W. Howell starts the week off with a great post entitled Writing Motivation Killers Are Out There — Let’s Discuss Three of Them. The title says it all, and believe me, you’ll want to check it out HERE.

WEDNESDAY: Joan Hall’s mid-week post, entitled simply Words, is full of interesting tidbits and is a lot of fun, especially if you are a lover of new words and coined phrases throughout history. Check it out HERE.

FRIDAY: Staci Troilo wraps up the week with a super post called Developing Your Villain. This one has some great tips even for those of us who don’t write murder mysteries, etc, because Staci explains how to strengthen the contrast between any character up to no good and the protagonist of the tale. Check it out HERE.

And there you go, folks! Great stuff, huh?