How to Play Nice in Cyber World

There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your truth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself. "It all depends on me." ~ Andre Gide

Hey everyone, quick post today, 'cause I'm on my way to my local RWA chapter meeting. But check out my article over at WOW - Women on Writing:

Online Friendships and Virtual Connections: How to Play Nice in Cyber World

I found this a fun one to write, based on everything I' ve learned over the past 5 or so years being part of different online groups. Hope you'll find it useful or a good reminder!

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P.S. WOW is always looking for article and column ideas, so it's a good market if you're trying to get your name out there, or if you just have something you'd like to write about. Plus the pay is decent ;) I think they do a really nice job formatting everything, too. I'll have to ask Angela, the editor, what their upcoming issue themes will be. If I find out, I'll let you know.

Happy Saturday!

Whew! One Long Week!!

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose." ~ Napoleon Hill

I am so glad to get to Friday, this week...somehow, January became a crazy month. Signed my contract with Samhain, yesterday, though, and will put it into the mail today - exciting! (Even though they made some changes to it...notably that you have to sell more copies to make $$...but it wasn't like One Night in Boston was rocking the charts, so I didn't have a huge problem with the changes. Anyway...)

Today's Marianne's birthday - go over and wish her a happy one!

I'm off to my local RWA chapter meeting tomorrow, and have lots to do, promo-wise, between now and the end of the month, so I'll be busy reading and writing and marketing (what else is new?). During my telephone interview the other day, I told the woman about what an effort constant self-promotion is, and that it's probably the one thing I wish I knew before I first published. Not that it would have changed my desire to be published - I just would have been more prepared.

For any of you writers out there, how challenging (or frustrating) do you find marketing yourself? I've gotten better, I think, and I know what seems to work for me and what I feel most comfortable doing...and what I don't. Still, it's a never-ending process, isn't it?

At least until I land an interview spot on Oprah...LOL

Happy Friday!

Can I Please Have Yesterday Back?

"Sometimes when I'm talking, my words can't keep up with my thoughts. I wonder why we think faster than we speak. Probably so we can think twice.” ~ Bill Watterson

Yesterday I had my first-ever telephone interview about my books and my writing. It was with the "Living" Editor at my hometown newspaper (the hometown where I grew up, not where I currently live). It was weird! I did have an interview appear in another local paper, a few months back, but the editor just sent the question via email and I sent them back. At my leisure. When I could think through my responses and reread and reword them if I wanted to.

With this, I just had to think on my feet and answer her questions...and of course when we finished and hung up I thought of at least 2 things I wanted to say differently. Or add. Or delete altogether. But I don't know the etiquette for that sort of thing. I don't think you're supposed to call back up and say "Oh, by the way, you know when I was rambling on about what I would do if I actually appeared on Oprah? Well..."

And it wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't going to appear in the local paper of the town where I grew up. I mean, I don't even live there anymore, so it's not like I have to read it and see it and hear people in the grocery store talking about it. But at the same time, it's a pretty small town, and a lot of the kids I grew up with are now adults raising their own kids there...and if you know anything about how people talk and remember things in small towns, then...

We'll see. I think it went well overall. She didn't really ask me anything I couldn't answer. And I have to be better at letting go of what's done and gone and what I can't control. Aargh. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Judith Rochelle

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm visiting with Judith Rochelle, who writes in a variety of romance sub-genres. Enjoy the interview - then make sure to watch her book trailers and visit her website to find out more!

Hi, Judith! Can you start by telling us a little about your background?

I think I’ve had almost every kind of job you can think of – newspaper reporter, insurance agent, special events planner, manager of rock bands, concert promoter, merchant, public relations and fundraising. Ad that doesn’t include the summer I picked beans or the one I spent cleaning out stalls at a stable!

What' your latest published title? Any writing projects waiting in the wings?
My latest published title is a psychic romantic intrigue, Always On My Mind, published by The Lotus Circle, a sister imprint of Ellora’s Cave, and it’s a project that really excited me. I just completed a novella for The Wild Rose Press as part of their Wayback, Texas series called Shadow of the Hawk, that has kind of a mystical quality to it. An d of course I always have a lot on the drawing board.

What do you find most difficult about writing?

Editing and proofreading,. I’m a terrible proofreader and an obsessive self-editor.

What do you find most exciting or rewarding?

The pleasure people tell me they get from my books.

Oh, that's definitely a warm fuzzie :) What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read and watch football. I’m obsessive about both of them.

So when you write, do you use the computer or compose by hand, oral dictation, or some other method?

I use the computer, but I always carry a notebook with me so I can jot things down as they occur to me – ideas, people, scenes, etc.

Always a fun question: What is your favorite movie? Did it inspire your writing in any way?

The Hunt for Red October, and while it didn’t inspire my writing, it made me drool over Sean Connery. He’s aged very, very well.

Oh, yes, yummy!
Is there anything else you’d like to mention to our blog readers today?

I just want to thank all the people who buy my books and read them, and encourage them to email me at judithrochelle@judithrochelle.com or desireeholt@desireeholt.com with their comments. I love hearing from my readers.

Thanks, Judith!

"K-Mart Sucks"

"For every nine people who denounce innovation, only one will encourage it… For every nine people who do things the way they have always been done, only one will ever wonder if there is a better way. For every nine people who stand in line in front of a locked building, only one will ever come around and check the back door. Our progress as a species rests squarely on the shoulders of that tenth person. The nine are satisfied with things they are told are valuable. Person 10 determines for himself what has value.” — Za Rinpoche and Ashley Nebelsieck, in The Backdoor to Enlightenment

Yesterday, we had a great, dynamic, inspiring guest speaker in my class, and she used the quote above to start her discussion about why we need great people to go into the field of education...and make change.

She gave a really practical, honest presentation about the field of special needs students, and one of the things she talked about was the growing prevalence of autism. It's a scary thing: 1 in 90 boys, and 1 in 150 girls, born today will be diagnosed somewhere along the autistic spectrum.

Here's the thing that startled me the most, though: she mentioned the movie "Rainmain" when she was talking about the brains of autistic children (and that's fodder for a whole different, fascinating look at how the brain is wired)...and not one of my students had seen the movie. Most hadn't even heard of it! Wow...

So guess what we're watching later this week?

Love 2008

“I read in the newspapers they are going to have 30 minutes of intellectual stuff on television every Monday from 7:30 to 8. to educate America. They couldn't educate America if they started at 6:30.” ~ Groucho Marx

Happy Monday to you! I have about a zillion things going on this week at work, so I can't promise any of the next few posts will be terrible scintillating...but I'll try! Anyway, you'll still want to post a comment so you can be in the running to win the very cool, author-autographed copy of Cast in Stone, which is my January book-blog giveaway. Right?

I forgot to mention last Saturday that I was doing a book giveaway of Lost in Paradise, over at The Romance Studio...so apologies if you didn't get a chance to enter. I had a turnout of 100+ people who entered to win, though, with over 50 who opted to join my newsletter, so that's always encouraging :)

[And every day they offer multiple books being given away, so check it out if you're interested!]

Hey, check out this rather interesting video (click on "Love 2008" when you get to the main page). My dad sent me the link (I haven't asked where on earth he found it), but the concept is an original one. Plus it's about love, so how can you go wrong?

Enjoy, and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Sunday and I'm Strapped for Time

"A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content." ~Anonymous

How is it possible that the weekend is almost over?!

In the interest of time, today's post will be a very brief one.

I spent all of yesterday helping a group of volunteers clean and sanitize rooms housing 50+ cats, at a local animal shelter which is in over its head and closing soon..but in the meantime all of these lovely felines are passing around upper respiratory infections because they're living in crowded conditions that aren't properly cleaned. I know people mean well, but geez. How hard is it to use some bleach once in a while, or change bedding, or empty the litter pans, or wipe the projectile vomit off the ceiling? (Sorry, but it's true.) It was gross, somewhat depressing, but hugely satisfying when we made some headway and these poor things rushed madly to curl up in their new beds and cushy towels and blankets we put on the shelves.

Sigh. I hope at least some of them get healthy and find good homes.

Anyway, I did nothing else yesterday, which means today I have to find time to work out; finish edits on the "My Mom is my Hero" story; send in my author and book info for my Featured Author Spot over at The Romance Studio; tutor a student (we have a standing Sunday appointment); get my hair cut; and go to a friend's 30th surprise party later this evening.

Wait a minute...how many waking hours are in a single day??