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Mid-Year Review of my Focus Word GROW

August 12, 2024 by in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as , , ,

GROW is my focus word this year and I haven’t spent as much time with it as I’ve wanted to, so I figured it was time for me to do some reflecting on my word GROW from a writing perspective. Like a mid-year review of my focus word GROW.

I try to write in a journal once a month about my word. I use Bible verses and quotes as a starting point to dig deeper into that word. Here are some themes that are starting to sprout out (see what I did there – lol).

The word GROW can be synonymous with plants

When I typed in the word grow, several graphics and quotes had plants in them. What’s interesting is that in order for a plant to grow, you need patience, time, & continuous love and care. This is exactly what we as writers need in order for our books to be written.

We don’t grow without being watered. We need feul and we need rest. If we want to grow as writers, we need to think of ourselves as plants and take care of ourselves. This is something I’m still working on. And since this is a mid-year review, I know what I need to focus on for the rest of the year.

grow graphic with butterfly

I love that his graphic has a butterfly on it. Each butterfly is unique and first starts out as a caterpillar. And I love this Bible verse:

Plant goodness, harvest the fruit of loyalty, plow the new ground of knowledge.

Hosea 10:12

Taking chances, making changes help you GROW

As writers we have a lot of decisions to make for our stories. What names to use, what ages, hair color, and so much more. Sometimes I feel stalled and I have to remember to just try something and move forward with it.

I’m in the thick of it right now as I work on book two. So many little decisions about our characters personalities that add flavor to our stories. I want to be better in this area of decision-making so that I can move on with writing additional stories.

The same came be said with putting ourselves out there with social media or podcasts. Post something a little more personal so your readers can relate. Figure out how to connect with them. After the launch of my debut novel this year, When Plans Go Awry, I have learned and found additional things to talk about and share with my readers.

Synonyms for GROW include evolve, develop, produce

This is what we do in our stories. They evolve, we develop them, and produce them. So we are manuscripts are growing all the time. It may not feel like it, but every 100 words we write is advancing our story. Stretch yourself to keep moving forward.

Because I’ve now published a book, I now know what’s expected after you write ‘the end’. I’ve learned how to edit more with my original writing and I know how I want to story to be. When I first started, I didn’t know any of these things. 

I also am learning how to think like a published author. Building my author brand, interacting with readers, paying attention to websites such as BookBub and my author Amazon page that you can’t do when you are not published.

I have been talking about my focus word every year now for several years. I’ve been slowly building pages on my website to highlight the quotes, verses, and learnings about each word (and I have more to do), so if you decide to choose that word, you have a reference point. Check out my GROW page on my website.

I’ve also done something new this year. I created a sticker that I can hand out or sell at reader events for my word GROW. I love how this came out. I hope to make more of these from past words soon. I’d love to know what you think of this.

Grow sticker with plant and word GROW on it designed by Denise M. Colby, author

So I guess I could say I have grown a lot this year already, which is a great so far this year. Here’s to five more months to continue to Focus on my word GROW.

Check out my post from the January 2024, when I first began with the word GROW.

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Find out how many schools I went to as a kid and book news about ‘Sisters of the Resistance’ by Jina Bacarr

August 11, 2024 by in category historical, Jina’s Book Chat, Paris, sexual assault, sexual violence, World War 2, Writing tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

Fifteen.

Yep. From first grade through high school, I went to 15 schools, sometimes for weeks only. I learned to be resilient but I’m still shy.

And I still remember my best ‘friends’.

Books.

I got a library card in every town, big or small, and boy, did I use it. I want to give a shout out to the librarians I met along the way who never failed to give a shy little girl who didn’t know then she was dyslexic the kind words & encouragement she needed to keep reading.

When you’re left-handed, it ain’t easy… transposing words, letters, etc. Lost because you can’t figure out directions (I remember when I got totally lost in the big ole vintage library in Lexington KY). No one talked about it then, but several librarians took time with me, finding books and helping me believe in myself.

Thank you!!

BOOK NEWS!

Sisters of the Resistance will be featured soon on NetGalley on the Boldwood Books page! If you’re a member, check it out and dowload a copy. I’d love to hear your tyoughts about the sequel to Sisters at War about sexual violence against women during wartime!

Writing the sequel to ‘Sisters At War’ (Paris WW2 — the story of two sisters and how sexual assault on a sister by the SS affects both their lives),

It’s also the story of the women of the French Resistance.

LINK to more info on Sisters At War and Sisters of the Resistance

 

 

 

 

Sisters At War:

US https://a.co/d/eZ25gZb      

UK https://amzn.eu/d/0LEWy2z

Who are the Beaufort Sisters?

They’re beautiful

They’re smart

They’re dangerous

They’re at war with the Nazis… and each other.

BONUS The Orphans of Berlin in French

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Bananapants by Penny Reid

August 7, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight tagged as , , , ,

★★ NOW AVAILABLE! ★★


‘Bananapants’ by Penny Reid is LIVE and available on all platforms. Don’t miss out on this bonkers romantic comedy.

Bananapants: A Bonkers Romantic Comedy

Penny Reid
August 6, 2024
Cipher-Naught

★★ BLURB ★★


Estranged childhood friends unexpectedly reunite under bizarre circumstances and bicker their way to love in this bonkers romantic comedy.

Ava Archer misses her best childhood friend most especially during the month of April. Ask any tax attorney, it’s a lonely, grueling time of year. Luckily, Ava has just received a surprising and delectably absurd offer from her posh doppelgänger at work. She must pretend to be the aforementioned posh co-worker for one night at an extremely fancy party; a party so fancy, there exists absolutely no chance anyone will recognize her or suspect her ruse. . .

Desmond (Des) Sullivan is a thief. And not the heart-of-gold kind. He’s the steal-from-the-rich-and-give-to-the-also-rich-so-he-can-get-paid kind. He does, however, have one firm rule: never steal what the target can’t afford to lose. After a brutal falling out with his father, Desmond hasn’t returned to Chicago in over ten years. But when a good friend is swindled and something priceless is stolen, Desmond must return home, both as himself and his thieving alter ego.
Infiltrate a dangerous secret society of the world’s most elite billionaires while leveraging his estranged father’s resources and not blowing his cover? Sure. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be a problem if Ava Archer hadn’t just walked into the room, wearing a ridiculous wig, speaking with a preposterous accent, and pretending (badly) to be someone she’s not.

★★ Read ‘Bananapants’ Now ★★

‘Bananapants’ is a full-length, contemporary romantic comedy filled with hijinks and shenanigans. It can be read as a standalone, but the parents of the main characters will be familiar to anyone who has read the Knitting in the City series.

More Books by Penny Reid

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Steamy Lit Con Recommendations

August 5, 2024 by in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed tagged as , , ,

Sigh…that’s me exhaling from the all the excitement from spending the weekend at the Steamy Lit Conference (SLC). I’m going to make this brief because I’m recovering. My voice tuckered out before I did. I don’t know what happened, but around the last thirty minutes of the conference signing, my voice gave up.

This was my second year participating in SLC and it was even better than last year. This year, I was able to do a little book shopping. A part from hanging out with my author friends, I get to meet readers and make new author connections. I met some amazing authors and culled some very helpful information and resources.

This year, I was able to do a little book shopping and thought I would share these books with you. If you aren’t familiar with them, I highly recommend reading them.


Fake It Till You Make It – Siera London
A Fire In The Sky – Sophie Jordan
Whiskey Business – Elliot Fletcher
My Fault – Mercedes Ron
Trial Of The Sun Queen – Nisha J. Tuli
Course Correct – Aliza Mann
The Duke Gets Desperate – Diana Quincy
Her Night With The Duke – Diana Quincy
Along Came Love – Tracey Livesay
Forbidden – Beverly Jenkins
To Catch A Raven – Beverly Jenkins
Night Hawk – Beverly Jenkins
Rebel – Beverly Jenkins
The Art Of Scandal – Regina Black
Sex, Lies and Sensibility – Nikki Payne
Pride and Protest – Nikki Payne
An Extraordinary Union – Alyssa Cole
Pardon My Frenchie – Farrah Rochon
Never Cross A Highlander – Lisa Rayne

And Some of Tracy’s Books

THE GOOD GIRL PART FOUR

Buy now!
THE GOOD GIRL PART FOUR

THE GOOD GIRL PART FIVE

Buy now!
THE GOOD GIRL PART FIVE

THE GOOD GIRL Part Trois

Buy now!
THE GOOD GIRL Part Trois

THE FIX UP

Buy now!
THE FIX UP

A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN

Buy now!
A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN

MISS MATCH

Buy now!
MISS MATCH

THE GOOD GIRL PART DEUX

Buy now!
THE GOOD GIRL PART DEUX

WHAT MY FRIENDS NEED TO KNOW

Buy now!
WHAT MY FRIENDS NEED TO KNOW

WHAT MY FRIENDS DON’T KNOW

Buy now!
WHAT MY FRIENDS DON’T KNOW

GIRLFRIENDS & SECRETS

Buy now!
GIRLFRIENDS & SECRETS

DESPERATE DESIRE

Buy now!
DESPERATE DESIRE

INTENTIONAL CURSE

Buy now!
INTENTIONAL CURSE

GENERATIONAL CURSE

Buy now!
GENERATIONAL CURSE

UNEXPECTED LOVE

Buy now!
UNEXPECTED LOVE
GOD’S BOMBSHELL: LIVING A BEAUTIFUL SINGLE LIFE

LOVE NOTES

Buy now!
LOVE NOTES

FIRST ENCOUNTERS OF LOVE

Buy now!
FIRST ENCOUNTERS OF LOVE

THE GOOD GIRL PART ONE

Buy now!
THE GOOD GIRL PART ONE

THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE

Buy now!
THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE

THE FLING

Buy now!
THE FLING
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The Blue Riders

August 3, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours tagged as , , , ,
 

Historical Thriller

Date Published: June 28, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the pen becomes mightier than the sword, a reporter’s quest for truth leads her into a web of danger and deceit.

1897. In New York, the newspaper war between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst rages, while in Cuba a brave band of Cuban rebels struggle to overthrow the tyrannical rule of Spain. When reporter Cassie O’Conner goes undercover in an insane asylum, she discovers a plot to murder President William McKinley that triggers a thrilling adventure

 

About the Author

 

 

 

 Jim Lester holds a Ph.D in history and is the author of three successful young adult novels, Fallout, The Great Pretender, and Till the Rivers All Run Dry.

He is also the author of two previous historical thrillers, Deadline New York and Call to a Nightmare as well as the disaster thriller Atlas 5 and a non-fiction book entitled Hoop Crazy: College Basketball in the 1950s. He lives in Colorado.

 

Contact Links

Website

BookBuzz

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

 

RABT Book Tours & PR
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