All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
Author website, Change, Wordpress

Changes:How do we handle them?

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best-free-wordpress-themes

I’m fortunate that there are free websites for me to use for my author’s page. I use WordPress. It gives me enough widgets and space to profile myself and my brand. I do like to change it up a bit with the color, pictures and format of the page.

However, last Friday it was changed for me. I released a post in the early morning. Going back around 11:30 to check on something I saw my page was different. The reason being the theme had been deactivated by the site. Not only that but my side bars went with it.

Yes I went ballistic. I was in the process of wrapping up edits for my book, “Squirrel Mafia”, so I could send it off to my editor. But this stopped me cold. I’ve been working on my social platform for at least three years, maybe four, now and every sites revolves around the other sites I go to. It had to be fixed, pronto. In my mind, there was no other thought. For the next three hours I tried different themes trying to get one I’d be happy with. I posted on FB my displeasure. I reached for a Pepsi as I fussed, complained and talked to the computer about my frustration. What I have now I like to call a WIP. I’m not quite happy with it, though people have told me it looks fine. Maybe it will grow on me.

Change. How do we handle change, whether they be small or big? Does this depend on our age or our environment or perhaps how we were raised? Things that use to bother me in the past rarely is a blimp on my radar now while others will get me stalled for a bit. How we choose to handle each situation varies from each situation and hopefully we learn from each experience as we move along in life.

Yes this was a small bleep for me. It showed me a bit of myself in how I interact with the big and little. But it also showed me that I would keep at it until it was solved or to do the best I can.

I was told by a friend, “Sharon you are grace under fire – I like that about you LOL!” I like that, even if it means having to go through trials to get to this point.

Author, Guest Blog, Pam Funke

Guest Blog: Pam Funke

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MY JOURNEY by Pam Funke

One day while I was standing in the local Wal-Mart looking at the books on the shelves there, it occurred to me that there just was not enough Christian Fiction books out on the market. I was disappointed with the books that were available for the public to read, especially those on the market for our youth. The books that lined the shelves are not feeding their minds or souls with positive things. Now mind you there are some very good non-Christian novels out there that instill a positive message, but unfortunately there are many out there that are not. There has to be something in a good book that not only feeds the mind with positive values and teaches the reader how to improve their life and give them some hope. If not, then what’s the point? A good book should have a lesson in it that someone can learn something valuable from it and not just an escape away from their problems in the real world ~ because when the story is over the real world is still there and so are their problems. They should be able to come out of that story with something positive that they can use to help them in the real world. From that very moment I decided that I would try to fill that very void and hence The Apocalypse series was born.

Operation Dark Angel: The Rise of Nicolaitanes, which is the first book in the series, began my journey into authorhood. When I first sat down to write this novel, I honestly wasn’t sure what it was going to entail. I sat there for a few moments wondering how to begin the story. I put my pen down and sat there for a moment pondering what to do. As I sat there with my eyes closed it suddenly came to me. I started to see the events of my novel unfold before me in my mind. It was as though I were watching a movie on the television set. It seemed kind of odd to be writing in this manner, but I wrote down everything that I saw and heard in my mind. Although I was able to picture my story, I still had to do some research into various things. For example, I had to find out about different cultures and religions so that I could incorporate them into my story properly. I also had to read extensive news articles from around the world to figure out which ones I could use to enhance the storyline. A year later, I had a completed manuscript and sat down to read it from cover to cover. It turned out to be a really good story worthy of being read by others. I must admit that I was nervous about getting it published, but I figured what harm could it do? The audience would either love it or hate it. Receiving my very first physical copy of the book was a wonderful feeling. To see that others are enjoying the book as well and leaving reviews on Amazon, B&N and Goodreads is great. I love to read what others think about what I wrote.

Well it is now a year later and I am happy to say that my fourth book, Sodom: A Nation On Its Knees, will be published later this month.

As a new author, my advice to all of you out there who have the desire to write or are newly published authors as well; write to your heart’s content. Don’t give up your dream and even if one door or more is closed in your face be patient for there will be one door that will remain open for you. Write for not only your enjoyment, but for the enjoyment of others. Stay encouraged and happy writing.

frontThrough the Eyes of a Child book blurb: God created the heavens and the earth. He created all of the plants, animals and birds of the air. He created man. When God was finished He looked at all that He had created and saw that it was good. Come see the world through the curious eyes of a child.

Links:

Amazon (this is a global link) http://myBook.to/EyesOfAChild


Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1ag2EKb

Author Website http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00949V7KK

Author Blog http://authorpamfunke.blogspot.com/

Book Blog http://godcreateditall.blogspot.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Pam-Funke/400956839999492

Twitter https://twitter.com/4HorsemenSeries

Book Giveaway https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/79049-through-the-eyes-of-a-child

Mailbox and letters, Simplicity, Writing

Writers:Do you send letters through the mail?

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2013-05-02 12.57.56(2)

How many people enjoy getting real actual mail? I’m not talking about the bills and flyers that flood our mailbox. But a real letter or card that someone specifically took the time to get, write and then send out to you.

I love them. It trumps an email any day of the week. A few days ago I received a card from my good friend Walter. I had sent him some pictures of Jasper and some feathers for his grandchildren. He had purchased two of my books. And as he pointed out in his card, this was a more personal way to say thanks. Walter is old school. He doesn’t have a computer or an email account. He prefers to do it the way it use to be. I like that. I use to send cards on a regular basis for it felt good and I knew the person on the other end appreciated the thought and time it took for me to do so.

With life always getting in the way, I have strayed from that. I need to make more time to go back to my card writing and spread some cheer to others. For what greater way to make a person smile as they sort through the mountain of bills and to find a card nestles among them? I know for me, it is huge. When I saw his card I smiled from ear to ear all the way back to my front door, opening it up on the way, wanting to read every nugget he had written.

Technology is great, it is pretty awesome. But we need to remember the simple and slow way of doing things. They are not bad and should not be forgotten simply because the world have deem them obsolete.

I hope I never get so busy again that I forget this simple pleasure of sending someone a real card or letter through the mail.