Blogging Authors

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Call Me Crazy, But Can a Fendi Be Used as a Book Bag?
2008-01-30 00:23:00
Maybe I’m confusing myself with Jackie Collins . . . but doesn’t it seem like a cool idea to splurge on an upscale Fendi as a book bag? I can’t be the first one with this idea, can I? Or is Jackie Collins already walking around New York City, toting her latest manuscript in a Fendi Hobo Bag? I’d be crushed if this wasn’t my original idea. So I did a little research. I couldn’t discover if Jackie carries a Fendi as her book bag, but I did find a Fendi reference in her book, Lovers & Players. “Dangerous sex, family secrets, irrestible power, mega-money, and two murders equal one reckless week in New York.” In the book, Jackie has her character packing up her brushes and makeup equipment into her large Fendi carry-all. Okay, so not a book bag . . . but close enough. Knowing Jackie’s books, I’m betting that carry-all was a Fendi Spy Bag. Whadda ya think? Whenever I travel (like all good authors,) I buy book bags; how...
More About: Fun , Announcement , Book , Crazy

A Master Class from the Maestro
2008-01-29 16:16:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer While the name ‘Allan Rich’ may not jump into consciousness of the general public immediately, the face and persona of the man who adopted the name years ago are doubtless known to all who love the stage and film, whether in the form of motion picture or television. Rich is a character actor par excellence who is so immersed in his roles that in becoming the character he loses his ’star identity’. Some would say that is a negative statement, but after reading this excellent book, A LEAP FROM THE METHOD, and learning from every page how Rich practices and teaches acting, then there could be no higher compliment. Rich’s book is so warmly user friendly that after the first fifty pages of biographical information and photographs the manual feels like a conversation with an old friend - and a wise one at that. While many actors have the ability to ’show’ students ‘how to act’ by proximity in a s...
More About: Book Reviews , How-To , Master , Class , Maestro

A Crash Course for Info-Junkies
2008-01-28 15:13:00
The Illustrated Timeline of Inventions: A Crash Course in Words & Pictures, by Craig Sandler, is one of those handy reference books that info-junkies will want to keep close at hand. Richly illustrated, the Timeline covers man’s inventions, beginning with the spear and ending with Wikipedia—with just about everything else you could think of in between. Prozac, electricity, cash register, Mason jars, linoleum, plow, submarine, bayonets, telescope, globe, anchor, abacus, fishing hook. The illustrations are beautifull rendered, and the sidebars illuminating (did you know there was a patent for the safety pin?). Discover which civilization was the first to use irrigation, or why the QWERTY keyboard on a typewriter came into being. Learn too, about the people you SHOULD know, but don’t: George Stephenson, Oliver Evans, Joseph Henry, and Jacob Perkins. Each page is color-coded so readers can easily see where an invention took place, i.e. Europe is tagged blue, As...
More About: Book Reviews , Announcement , Info , Junkies

Who is Njedeh Anthony and why is he so Fascinating to Read?
2008-01-27 16:14:00
Grady Harp is our favorite Top 10 Amazon Reviewer THE SEVENTH KING is the first book to come from the mind of Njedeh Anthony and it raises as many questions as any new novel in a while. A strange mixture of Western and Eastern religion, based on a verse from the book of Revelations in the Bible, thoroughly perfused with scientific information and magic and ritual and fantasy, this book is an enigma. At the close of the book Anthony adds the following: ‘The birth of the book occurred after I died in a nightmare and the things that happened after I died. I woke up from my father’s couch and wondered what the afterlife was about. I researched all I could find and found myself writing, and when I wrote, I questioned if I was writing a book based on a nightmare or the book was writing me into something I had no control over.’ The storyline follows the life of one Hades, born of Hagar (the name of infamous Egyptian slave of Abraham’s wife Sarah who bore Abraham chi...
More About: Book Reviews , Read

101 Things to Do in Wartime 1940
2008-01-27 00:08:00
This little book is a big reminder of a tough time in world history - the years between 1939 and 1945: World War II. Originally published in 1940, and reissued in 2007, the book is a treasure of how practicality and ingenuity triumphed over Britain’s darkest (and most shining) hour. 101 Things to Do in Wartime 1940 contains dozens of made-up and make-do games, with illustrations showing how to make many items, including how to craft a croquet game for the floor, or structure a wire puzzle for the kids. The book also includes tips on more practical matters - like how to ventilate a blackout curtain, how to stay safe from flying glass in case of an explosion, and how to use every inch of the yard to grow food in the garden. Although this book provides a charming glimpse into another time, the reader is always reminded of the fact that it was written because the people in Britain were undergoing terrible deprivation. Learning how to cook without water, preserve eggs, or make a ...
More About: Announcement , How-To

How to Write a Memoir to Remember
2008-01-24 22:17:00
“What are you looking at me for? I didn?t come to stay . . . Whether I could remember the rest of the poem or not was immaterial. The truth of the statement was like a wadded-up handkerchief, sopping wet in my fists, and the sooner they accepted it the quicker I could let me hands open and the air would cool my palms.? So begins I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the first of six volumes of memoirs written by poet Maya Angelou. Using powerful imagery??the dress . . . sounded like crepe paper on the back of hearses??Angelou, immerses readers in the culture of pre-Civil Rights Arkansas, her own personal losses, and the hopes that survived even in the darkest of days. The enormous popularity of memoirs such as Angelou?s?and more recently Angelas Ashes: A Memoir ?speaks volumes about our love of riveting tales, even though some pull readers into the darkest corners of human experience. But what defines this genre, and how does it differ from other, extraordinarily similar, formats? ...
More About: Write , How-To

Sometimes Authors Just Wanna Have Fun
2008-01-24 19:51:00
Back in the day when I wrote for an astronomy magazine, I wore a special pair of tennis shoes whenever there was an eclipse. My eclipse shoes were made from a fabric printed with suns, moons, stars, and comets. Those shoes were my lucky charms, ensuring I got great eclipse photos and even better elipse article bylines. But now, I’m turning in my eclipse shoes for new lucky charms - - a great collection of fun shoes for the writer in everyone. Problem is, I can’t decided between the red polka dot thong sandals, the pink rockin’ round-up Sugar Shoes, or one of the hip Red Wing boots. Sometimes even the most serious authors just wanna have a little fun. Whenever my niece cooks, she plays music to match the menu. Whenever I write, I do the same - - but now I’m wondering if my writing would pop up a level or two if I wore shoes to match my topic. You know - - lightweight hikers when writing an article about the best hikes in San Diego County, or those red polk...
More About: Authors

New Young Adult Novel. . THE TRUTH: I?m a Girl, I?m Smart and I Know Every
2008-01-24 18:15:00
THE TRUTH … how do we carry the truth from girlhood to adulthood? That priceless ?truth? that we all recognize as kids? How do we walk over that bridge into growing up, carrying the Truth ? How do we not hide it? How do we not forget what it is? How do we recognize THE TRUTH in our children and help them carry their most precious selves into adulthood? The Truth: I’m a Girl , I’m Smart and I Know Everything is a delightful, humorous secret diary, written by a girl who is 10-11 years of age. She is wise and yet so innocent. She makes us cry and laugh and remember ourselves. Behind this very easy read is the psychological message to the women reading THE TRUTH that they can and must recapture the fire and passion of their girlhoods not only for themselves to flourish and be happy, but for the next generation to also have the gifts of good emotional and spiritual health. ?This wonderful story is about a girl on the cusp of puberty, as spoken in her own voice. She is ch...
More About: Young , Adult

We make our own truths and lies?.Truths are often lies and lies truths
2008-01-23 19:54:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer Bernhard Schlink stunned the reading public with his brilliant 1999 novel THE READER and once again with Homecoming: A novel he proves he is one of our most important authors today. Written in German and translated by Michael Henry Heim, HOMECOMING addresses, as did THE READER, the prolonged impact of the WW II fall of Germany on the lives of those who survived it. Not only is this a gripping story of a deserted son’s search for his mysterious father, it is also a treatise reflecting on the horrors of evil and challenges the responsibility of those who perpetrated it and those who ‘allowed’, or were victims of, its perpetration. There is much profound philosophy in these pages, enough to make the reader stop, think, turn to other resources for references, and become transported by the mind of a truly gifted writer. Peter DeBauer was raised by his distant mother who refused to inform him about his father, a mysterious man who ...
More About: Make , Lies , Ruth

Want a 24/7 Bookstore? You Can, At BooksFree
2008-01-20 16:45:00
I’ve always wanted a bookstore that stayed open 24/7 . . . what a perfect place for the night owl who doesn’t get moving til 10 pm, or the earlybird who is up at dawn. Fortunately, that bookstore DOES exist, and it’s called BooksFree.com. BooksFree is like the movie paradise Netflix, except it’s for book lovers. Starting at $9.99 a month, with 100,000 titles to choose from . . . what are you waiting for ? This online store carries both paperbacks and audiobooks, and is the first place I’d suggest checking out, particularly if you’re having trouble finding a specific title at your local bookstore. How BooksFree Works Cruise over to BooksFree.com and sign up for the option of your choice, depending on how many books you want to rent a month. Next, browse the many genres, adding books to your reading list. Your reading list goes into a queue and viola! you’ll receive your books within 5-10 days. Once you?re ready for the next batch, simply ...
More About: Bookstore

Book Review: The Philosophy of Design
2008-01-19 20:09:00
Grady Harp is one of Amazon’s Top 10 reviewers–and a wonderful friend to BloggingAuthors. Design ing Design is quite possibly the most beautiful book on design ever published. Not only is the content illuminating and intelligent, allowing the world to gain an appreciation for one of the truly unique voices in the design field ? that voice being the Japanese master Kenya Hara ? but also in keeping with the subject, the book itself is a paramount of elegance, simplicity and superb creative force. This is a white book, a volume of information and illustration that embraces the purity of white as the matrix upon which everything blossoms and emerges. In an introductory essay by John Maeda the author states ?Kenya Hara is a complex man. He views the world through his many lenses of seeing, tasting, smelling, erasing, evaporating, and all the forms of construction and deconstruction.? And after those appropriate words this pristine book opens into the genius that is Kenya Har...
More About: Philosophy , Book Review , Review , Book

The Crimes of Austin Carr Crime Blog Launched
2008-01-19 03:37:00
Austin Carr , Big Numbers main character, has launched a blog called: The Crime s of Austin Carr Crime Fiction, Hot Tips, Redheads, and more… My name?s Carr. I?m a fictional stockbroker. The slick expensive business cards in my wallet say I?m a Senior Financial Consultant for Shore Securities, Inc., Members of the American Association of Securities Dealers, but I?m really just a salesman and I work for myself. Straight commission. If I don?t sell, I don?t eat. Here?s what Jack Getze, author of Big Numbers, has to say about it: What the heck IS this? Agents blog, editors blog, authors blog. Why not a character? I’m sick of reading everybody else’s opinion on stuff. I want to have my say on cheap stocks, pricey redheads, and staying alive in the crowded world of crime fiction. Check out Austin Carr?s blog Jack?s second Austin Carr Mystery, BIG MONEY, is set for publication March 1, 2008, again by Hilliard & Harris. A third book in the series, tentatively titled BI...
More About: Announcement , Blog , Austin

The Tale of a Political Robin Hood
2008-01-13 23:30:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer Harry Leonnoff is the Fixer of the title of this interesting first novel by motivational author Ed Brodow: he is patterned on the author’s grandfather and provides a character around whom we are invited to revisit the turn of the century New York landscape and sociopolitical shenanigans. Brodow covers the era from 1883 to 1961, weaving fascinating stories about WW I, the plight of the Jews during WW II and in the USA, the rise of the Irish political giants of Tammany Hall, the colorful Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, the Depression, the plight of the poor and disenfranchised, and the plague of polio that blighted the life of the hero - and even possibly provided the first of the hurdles such as overcoming evil with good that ruled Harry Leonnoff’s life. By separating his book into time framed chapters, Brodow gives us an excellent history course, told in the manner of a novel with extraordinarily interesting characters that are well dra...
More About: Political , Hood , Robin , Tale , Robin Hood

Do Pantyhose Lie? Excerpts from a New Volume of Poetry
2008-01-10 16:43:00
Skipping Emotions, an excerpt from Do Pantyhose Lie? ?On the outside we still see the beauty But inside we are so ugly How could my own self lie to me? And pretend we don?t see what we see What starts as disappointment turns to hurt What starts as a smudge becomes full blown dirt The buzzer goes off: a red alert As from the pain we try to skirt? There are so many areas that this applies to and not all the lies are told by us. Many are told to us by the world, culture, Hollywood and other outside influences. In Hollywood, a man can continue working well into his fifties, sixties or seventies possibly. However, the same is not true for women with a few exceptions (i.e. Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon). There is a confidence one must have in themselves that is not defined or detoured by Hollywood, magazines or anyone else but that person. This confidence must come from more than physical appearance, fame and financial status. Mature women are very beautiful and as they come into their...
More About: Poetry , Volume

Book Review: Examining the Problem of Unmotivated Boys to Men
2008-01-06 14:23:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon top 10 Review er ‘The children now live in luxury and love chatter instead of exercise.’ Sound familiar? Describes youth today? The quote is from Socrates! It serves as an excellent springboard for this lively discussion by Leonard Sax’ Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men, a book that may be directed to health care workers, but one that deserves attention from the general public. The five factors Sax entertains are 1) feminization of education; 2) video games; 3) increased prescription of psychotropic drugs that affect the motivational systems of the brain; 4) exposure to endocrine disrupters; and 5) lack of heroic role models. The factors are quite straightforward and Sax succeeds in carefully explaining his research and opinions in terms easily understandable. While many parents bemoan the current trend of video game couch potato children and the falling away of physica...
More About: Book Review , Book , Problem

An Auspicious Debut by a Fine New Novelist
2008-01-05 02:38:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer One of the major pleasures in reading ‘first works’ by unknown writers is the discovery of great writing in the nascent stage. With White Lies: A Tale of Babies, Vaccines, and Deception Sarah Collins Honenberger steps onto the stage with a securely written, well researched ‘mystery’, a novel based on fact that is played by actors so well defined that by the end of the book we feel as though we know each of them - the ‘heroes’ and the ‘villains’ - so well that from every angle of each the character motivation is fully detailed. No mean feat this, especially when dealing with a subject matter that is by nature controversial. That Honenberger succeeds in making this fast paced intrigue a truly memorable novel places her in the upper echelon of new writers. White Lies: A Tale of Babies, Vaccines, and Deception explores the lives of two disparate women: Jean is a divorce lawyer, happily married with t...
More About: Book Reviews , Fine , Debut

Journals and How They Teach Us
2008-01-03 16:31:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer Jeff Alt has a mission: reacquaint the world with the beauties and the challenges of Nature and find inner peace and the source of human kindness. And if that sounds like a hopelessly impossible task for these times in which we live, then his A Walk For Sunshine: a 2,160 mile expedition for charity on the Appalachian Trail, 2nd just may change that. It is difficult, if not impossible, to read this entertaining and meaningful book and not rearrange mindsets as to priorities and the significance of living in the moment. Jeff Alt may not be an academically trained writer, or a student of philosophy, or a prophet sent among us to alert our attention to environmental issues and the importance of family, but in Alt’s case, those ‘restrictions’ allow him to relate in more simple honest terms a life altering experience and stimulate each of us to find our own dream journey - and follow it! The story is well summarized in all the rev...
More About: Journals

Love is Visible and Audible when it?s really love . . . a new book review
2008-01-01 12:29:00
In a time when novels about love are so often shrouded in the tragedies and pain that accompany the emotional bonding of two people that they push the joy into the background, along comes new novelist Kevin E. Taylor with a love story so genuine, so beautifully developed, so free of angst, and so uncharacteristically about two men finding a powerful relationship that reading this novel is a pleasure - and a discovery of a fine new talent! Writing from the African American stance on same sex love is a challenge for Taylor, but his ability to incorporate the beauties as well as the idiosyncrasies too often reported as the down low form of male bonding allows him to create a fresh and genuine approach to storytelling. The theme of Jaded is the parallel lives of two men - both handsome, successful, well adjusted, and gay - who have been bruised by past experiences in seeking a life partner for a stable and loving committed relationships. Joshua Knight is a brilliant ad exec on the brink...
More About: Love , Book Review , Book Reviews , Review , Book

Book Review: The Bloody Battle for Suribachi
2007-12-31 18:52:00
I’m a great Richard Wheeler fan, having read his Sherman’s March: An Eyewitness History of the Cruel Campaign That Helped End a Crueler War and A Rising Thunder: From Lincoln’s Election to the Battle s of Bull Run: An Eyewitness History; so was surprised to find this World War II-era book, based on the fact that I know Wheeler only through his books on 19th century American history. However, once I read that Richard Wheeler enlisted in the Marine Corps during World War II, and was a corporal in the 250-man company that raised both flags on the summit of Mount Suribachi, I understood his need to tell the story. Wheeler’s The Bloody Battle for Suribachi: The Amazing Story of Iwo Jima that Inspired Flags of Our Fathers is a first-hand WWII narrative that chronicles the Marines? savage struggle to wrest Mount Suribachi from its tenacious Japanese defenders during the 35 day battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. Revised with a new introduction by the author and recently dis...
More About: Book Review , Review , Book

Empowering the Individual: Finding the Leader in Each of Us
2007-12-29 20:19:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer Too often self-help books stimulate the reader while the pages turn, but after the back cover closes the session is over and on we go. David M. Traversi avoids that route in publishing The Source of Leadership: Eight Drivers of the High-impact Leader , the result of his years as a motivational speaker and writer and coach, that on the surface is a primer for executive search teams to determine who among the hundreds of applicants for CEO jobs deserve to be termed ‘leaders’, but for the average leader, Traversi has written an extremely user friendly manual that allows the reader to open the potential of personal lives to be everything each of us can be. It is stimulating reading and an enormously helpful guide for self-improvement. Traversi talks about the ‘persona’ and the ’shadow’ aspects of our personalities: the ‘persona’ is what we present to the world while the ’shadow’ contains...
More About: Business , Book Review , Non-Fiction , Book Reviews , Individual

Do Pantyhose Lie? A New Collection of Poetry by Vincent Ivory
2007-12-29 02:10:00
Do Pantyhose Lie? is an intimate collection of poetry about life, love, emotions, creativity, sensuality and spirituality. With an unorthodox yet contemporary style, Vincent Ivory engages the timeless questions of purpose and passion while admiring the tangible and intangible beauty of mature women in pieces like Women & Wine. Every reader will find themselves in at least one of the creations as they discover a collection of poetry that definitively makes you go ? hmmm. Listen to the author discuss his book. About the Author A poet, author and screenwriter, Vincent provides a telescopic view into aspects of his own life and the lives of others in his new volume of poetry. No TagsBookmark to: ---Related Articles at Book Reviews, Author Interviews all Genres:The Art of the Book Review, an Interview with Grady HarpReview: The Bon Appetit CookbookA Corpsman’s Response to The Vietnam War: SequelaeDancing With Gods, a New Collection of Short StoriesTruth, Meaning, and Beauty, a ...
More About: Poetry , Announcement

Time is either invested or spent . . . a review of a new novel, LEARNT
2007-12-28 06:20:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon top 10 Review er Learnt is for this reader one of the most powerful, engaging, poignant, and learned books of the year. These may sound like excessive praise for a first major novel by Edward M. Baldwin, but if this novel gains the readership it deserves over the next year it likely will make its way to the top 10 list: reading Learnt is ‘time invested, not spent’! Edward M. Baldwin is an African American writer whose background as a high school English and literacy teacher in Florida provided the seeds of inspiration that drive this novel. The book not only tells a perfectly formed and molded and executed story, but it also addresses many important concepts that are necessary to face and even more necessary to mend. Dealing with contemporary attitudes and prejudices concerning education, racism, interracial marriage, crime, abusive parenting and the coexistent abusive response from the victim children, Baldwin stirs this hefty stew with the added ...
More About: Book Reviews , Time

New Course on Getting Traffic to Your Blog . . . It?s Free!
2007-12-21 03:50:00
I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog. It covers: The best blogging techniques. How to get traffic to your blog. How to turn your blog into money. I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free. blogging, free course, mark joynerBookmark to: ---Related Articles at Book Reviews, Author Interviews all Genres:Authors! Want More Traffic to Your Blog ? Blog Traffic Program Closes Doors on December 10Ted Lewis The Jazz KingBlog Carnival: promote and sell your book carnival April 1Ron Standerfer’s Blog: The Eagle’s Last FlightTeleclass for Authors: Article Magnetism . . . Writing Articles That Attract
More About: Free

Revisiting Sightlines . . . A Poetic Journey from Tragedy to Connection
2007-12-19 16:17:00
By Janet Grace Riehl A beautiful collection filled with 90 poems, 190 pages, 25 photos and tribute to a loved family. Sightlines offers a frank portrait of a family not only coming to terms with its grief, but also celebrating its past and difficult present. Although deeply personal, these poems strike poignant and universal chords. They offer a vision of life filled with little treasures that carry us back to what is truly important in our lives. As the author of this book, I want to share some of the creative process behind writing Sightlines. The book evolved over a year, following a secluded retreat, in response to my sister’s death in a car accident. During this time, I came to a strong sense that the world is charged with meaning, and that is a poem. The only trick is to tease out the meaning. That is what I proceeded to do as I moved back and forth between my Midwest home to my Northern California home. Putting together this poet’s diary was a little like assemb...
More About: Tragedy , Journey , Connection

The Ravages of Longing for Posterity
2007-12-18 16:15:00
Grady Harp is an Amazon Top 10 Reviewer The Tree with no Branches, the title of Ella Race’s fine little novel, refers to the Family Tree, the concept of the known origins of a family being the trunk and the various children born to the initial couple forming the first branches which then spread out as each family child continues the growth of the tree. But what, Race asks, of the childless members of the family? Does their fruitless branch mean the end of their influence/existence when they die? The manner in which Race poses this age-old conundrum forms the basis of her deftly woven tale of life in England in the 1960s. Leila, a child of a poor couple, serves as the main character. She is from a family with traditions and history despite the fact they are without means. Leila is sent to Northern England stay with her mother’s more monetarily fortunate sister - Aunt Dotty and her solicitor husband Fred. In their more gracious home Leila becomes used to the better things ...
More About: Book Reviews , Longing , Ages

Rosie?s Daughters, A Memoir of Baby Boomer Women
2007-12-15 20:23:00
In Rosie ’s Daughters: The “First Woman To” Generation Tells Its Story, Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett have written an inspiring collective memoir of the generation of women who excelled at ?firsts.? These women, born during World War II, were shaped by and then helped to shape the American historic, economic, political and socio-cultural landscape. They were the pioneers who charted the paths for the Boomer generation. From the vantage point of their sixties, they share their experiences and insights with their own and younger generations. The figurative mother of this generation, Rosie the Riveter, is a mythic figure in our culture, with good reason?she built ships, flew bombers and filled thousands of other essential wartime jobs, upending traditional views of ?women?s work.? When the war was over, however, American industry thanked Rosie and sent her home. Rosie, who had known the economic dislocations of The Depression and the employment and service oppor...
More About: Women , Baby , Baby Boomer , Memoir

Authors! Want More Traffic to Your Blog? Blog Traffic Program Closes Doors
2007-12-07 17:09:00
Blog Mastermind Yaro Starak has put together a nifty blogging program for anyone who wants to increase traffic to their blog. Yaro is becoming the guru of blog traffic, and the materials we’ve reviewed contain nuts and bolts information for bloggers of all genres and all industries. His program closes on Monday December 10, so if you’re interested in signing up or learning more, best get over there right now.  Yaro produced an informative video that tells all about his program.  Check it out here. blog traffic, blogging, traffic to blog, web traffic, yaro starakBookmark to: ---Related Articles at Book Reviews, Author Interviews all Genres:Blog Carnival: promote and sell your book carnival April 1Promote and Sell Your Book Blog CarnivalRon Standerfer’s Blog: The Eagle’s Last Flight14 Principles of Successful CompaniesTeleclass for Authors : Article Magnetism . . . Writing Articles That Attract
More About: Blog Traffic , Traffic , Blog , Program

Review:Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing
2007-12-06 13:13:00
Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing , 57 Word of Mouth Marketing Challenges for the Entire Workforce, by Ron McDaniel I had the pleasure of reading Buzzoodle on a long, bumpy flight from Houston to Tallahassee. I’m not a great one for reading on flights (preferring instead to catch up on my marketing podcasts) but I looked forward to digging into Buzzoodle because of Ron’s innovative approach to the topic. The premise of Buzzoodle is that every member of an organization can do something everyday to create buzz, without spending big bucks on a pricey marketing campaign. Many of the 57 ideas take less than 5 minutes to complete, and pack a powerful punch. My favorite feature of Buzzoodle is the way each Buzz Challenge is displayed, making it easy for the reader to tell at a glance if a challenge is difficult, time consuming, has any associated cost, or technology requirement. In addition, the facing page has space for notes, comments, and suggestions for implementing the Buzz. For e...
More About: Internet , General , Review , Buzz

Want to Write About the Past? Get Your Hands Dirty!
2007-12-04 12:05:00
by Kathleen Ernst For over a decade, while I was developing my writing skills, I had the great good fortune to work at a large outdoor ethnic museum near Milwaukee called Old World Wisconsin. This historic site includes a crossroads village and ten working farmsteads, with restoration dates ranging from 1845 through 1915. Old World Wisconsin is a place where Interpreters get their hands dirty, so my knowledge of historical domestic and agricultural processes grew exponentially. I learned how to warp a loom, how to milk cows, how to make rennet and lye soap. I prepared wine, sauerbraten, hops yeast, and Finnish egg coffee. And I?ve passed many of these skills, of course, on to my characters. But hands-on experience brings much more to a writer?s toolbox than technical understanding. Living history sites and events can provide the specific sensory details that bring a scene to life. I know what hog intestines smell like when they?re being prepared for sausage casing, how flax fibers ...
More About: Write , Dirty , Hands , Past

Stress Free Productivity with David Allen?s Getting Things Done
2007-12-02 18:40:00
    This is the book that should be read (not merely bookshelved!) by every entrepreneur: Getting Things Done : The Art of Stress -Free Productivity . I don’t know about you, but my business life goes in 100 directions daily; unfortunately I’m not a spreadsheet kind of person, so keeping myself organized is a major challenge - and one I struggle with on a daily basis. I can only imagine what I could accomplish, given the time I spend everyday angst-ing about my lack of time and organization! I particularly like the fact that Allen designed this book for both left and right-brained thinkers. There are flow charts for the leftys and discussions about stress for the rightys. Pop over to Amazon and you’ll find a zillion reviews of this book, so I won’t go into great detail here, except to note that if you’re an overwhelmed entrepreneur, you need to order this book today. Right now!     david allen, flow charts, get things done, stress f...
More About: David