Are Lacy Panties Holy Underwear? by Kitty Bucholtz
April 9, 2023 by Kitty Bucholtz in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing tagged as Funny stories, It's Worth It, Kitty Bucholtz
I’m not being blasphemous. It’s actually a funny story from earlier this week. I was in a Zoom Bible study and we were talking about the body of Christ, and how we make up all the parts of the body, and I was super tired and blurted out — “Yeah, even the underwear!”
Hahaha!!! Then I tried to explain — “You know, when I’m thinking too highly of myself I remind myself that I might only be the underwear.”
My friend Charlotte said, “But you’d be the lacy underwear, Kitty.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” I said. “The bride of Christ isn’t wearing granny undies. She’d be wearing lace. So she’s probably wearing Victory’s Secret lace underwear.”
Hahaha!!!! It took a minute for us to get back on track after that!
Then I was thinking that’s probably true. As much as we try to be “good,” we don’t always succeed. Sometimes there are holes in our faith. And lace has holes. So our faith — my faith, for sure — is probably more like lace underwear than sturdy granny undies. Hahaha! Of course, that analogy only goes so far since sturdy cotton lasts a long time, longer than lace. But you see where I was going with it! Haha! Sometimes I blurt out the strangest things when I’m tired! (And guess what conversation is going to find its way into this book or the next one!)
Whatever your views on cotton vs. lace 😉 I hope you have a beautiful Holy Week and a blessed Easter!
The 2023 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award—Deadline April 30th
April 8, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Contests, From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing Contest tagged as Barb Goffman, Bethlehem Writers Group, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, Writing contest
The 2023 Short Story Award competition deadline has been extended through April 30th!
You still have time to polish that short (2000 words or fewer) holiday story for a chance to win cash and publication in our next “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” anthology, SEASONS READING!
For BWG’s purpose, a holiday story is one that involves any holiday between US Thanksgiving and News Year’s Day, inclusive).
So get that short story ready to enter.
Winners will receive:
First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales
Second Place:
$100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Third Place:
$50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Click here for submission rules
Other Books Published by BWG
ZERO PENNIES FOR TEN TRENDS TO SEDUCE YOUR BEST FRIEND
April 7, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight
★★BOOK ALERT★★
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friend, a grumpy sunshine standalone romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is ZERO PENNIES for just a short while on Amazon!
★★Grab your copy TODAY!★★
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3EV4yPv
Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/3K6nH5X
Amazon CA: https://bit.ly/3U8sAjj
Amazon AU: https://bit.ly/3KwXNtr
★★Blurb★★
Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends.
Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he’s being condescending (which is all the time).
The truth is, they have nothing in common. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous bestselling fiction author. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators?
When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between nonfriends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely—very rarely—you should believe what you see online.
Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete standalone, adult contemporary romantic comedy.
★★Grab your copy TODAY!★★
Inspirations Everywhere
April 6, 2023 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Dogs!, ideas, inspiration, Mexico, writing
Where do inspirations come from?
With me, it can be anywhere!
For example, my Alaska Untamed mystery series for Crooked Lane Books was inspired by my most recent Alaskan cruise. I’d gone on several before, but happened to be on one just before the COVID pandemic started and went on a boat tour in the waters near Juneau while we were docked there. The guides pointed out a lot of wildlife as we passed by—and I was enchanted. And inspired. My books’ protagonist is a wildlife expert who gives tours in Alaska! My first Alaska Untamed mystery BEAR WITNESS came out last year, and the next, CRY WOLF, will be published later this year.
Why am I writing about this inspiration now? Well, I just went on a short trip to Mexico that inspired me to start researching some ideas related to our travels and where we stayed. Will a book, or series, result? Yet to be seen. But it’s certainly possible!
My most numerous and obvious inspirations are dogs. I love them. I love writing about them. That’s why nearly all of my stories involve dogs. That includes my most recently published book: UNDERCOVER COWBOY DEFENDER, a March Harlequin Romantic Suspense release.
So what inspires you to write or read?
Some of Linda’s Books
First Quarter List Building Results
April 5, 2023 by Tracy Reed in category WritingHappy Spring.
This is a special week for me. It’s Easter and my birthday.
Let’s get to this month’s post. I just finished the first quarter of my newsletter building project. As of this post, my efforts have netted 2365 new subscribers. I am beyond excited about this number. As I mentioned before, whenever I send an email, I lose a few. My current loss number is 65…less than 3% of the new subs. I can live with that. Right now, I’m averaging approximately 17 new subs per day. I can live with that as well. If I stay on tract, I’ll reach my goal of 10,000 subscribers.
If you’re looking to build your newsletter list, I highly recommend using Book Funnel group promotions. They’re free, easy to set up, offer multiple genres with minimal effort.
The only thing I haven’t done, is check for duplicate email subscribers. I know that’s a possibility, because each download requires an email sign up. Once I export all the lists, I’ll get the answer to the question of possible duplicates.
While the email sign up promos are doing well, the sales promotions aren’t going as well. I’m not sure why, but once I do I think it will be good for sales. I’ve read a few articles or posts about the success authors are having direct selling ebooks. Direct sales don’t allow refunds. YEAH!. I don’t about you, but I’m tired of readers binge reading and then returning the books. I’ve gotten to the point when I see a series has been ordered, I cringe waiting to see if the books will be returned or not.
In a nutshell, I’m about to join the ranks of authors direct selling ebooks. I believe this is the answer to dealing with Amazon’s read and return game. Sure, I can’t stop Amazon from allowing people to read and return, but I can offer another ebook option that will work to my benefit. It may take me a little while to set up my books and get readers used to this option, but I believe it will work.
One of the reasons why I think I’m tanking on direct sales at Book Funnel, is incorrect sign up. Once I get that fixed, I expect see a vast difference in my direct sales numbers. As well as studying authors who are doing this successfully.
Speaking of new sales options, I was reviewing my Kobo sales and discovered I’ve been earning sales with Kobo Plus. I completely forgot I had put some of my books in this lending program. So while I was a little disappointed in my sales, I’d actually been earning money. The reason I didn’t know about the Kobo sales is because Kobo Plus sales don’t show up on the Kobo sales dashboard.
Have a wonderful Easter and see you next month.
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