Saturday, March 30, 2013

And the Winner is.....







Thank you so much to Jill Williamson and Stephanie Morrill for guest blogging here and giving away a few book.

The winner is.....

Emily Rachelle

Emily Rachelle said...
I love this post! It really goes well with my OneWord365 for this year, dream. :)

Thanks for commenting everyone!
Happy Easter!

Friday, March 29, 2013

Top Five Friday- Colors


Top Five Friday is when we post our favorites, depending on topic...colors

1. Pink



2. Indigo



3. Chartreuse



4. Coral/ Honeysuckle



5. Burnt orange



What are your favorite colors?

Monday, March 25, 2013

Jill Williamson on Five ways to Respect your Dream plus a GIVEAWAY




I am a huge fan of the GO! Teen Writers blog and am thrilled they have published a Go! Teen Writers book. I'm even more thrilled that Jill is here today talking about respecting your writing dreams. If that isn't enough Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson are graciously allowing me to giveaway an e-copy of their book to one commenter.

Leave a comment from now until Friday, March 28th and you'll be entered for a chance to win!

About Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson:
Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have written a combined two dozen speculative and contemporary novels for teens. They also blog obsessively at www.goteenwriters.com. When not writing or blogging, they can be found at the teen table at writer's conferences or wherever chocolate is being given away. Come hang out with Stephanie at www.stephaniemorrill.com and Jill at www.jillwilliamson.com.




5 Ways to Respect Your Dream
By Jill Williamson

You may have heard my story about how I wanted to be a fashion designer when I grew up. How I chased that dream to New York City, then to Los Angeles, worked in the industry, and eventually started my own business.
After I left the fashion industry and started writing, I daydreamed, big time, about how successful I was going to be once I got published. I just knew I was the next J.K. Rowling. So I took my half-finished book to a writers conference and pitched it to an agent.
And I got rejected, big time.
Shortly after I had a major pity party, a huge “Ah ha!” moment seized me.
I hadn’t respected my dream of writing a book.
I had totally respected my dream of becoming a fashion designer. I learned to sew when I was nine. I made or remodeled my own clothes. I designed my gowns for formal dances. I studied famous designers and could tell you the life story of people like Coco Channel, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Ralph Lauren. I learned to draw and how to design fashion collections. I went to fashion college and graduated. I worked in the industry and started my own businesses.
I knew fashion well.
But writing? I’d written half a book and expected to publish it for a million dollars. Ha! Talk about ignorant.
So over the next five years, I put in time respecting my dream. I finished my book. I edited it. I joined several critique groups, let people read and edit my story, then I rewrote it again. I read books on the craft of writing fiction. I had some articles and short stories published in magazines. I submitted my story and got rejected a ton. And I wrote more books.
Eventually, the sixth book I wrote got published.
Here are five tips to help you respect your dream:

1. Declare what it is that you want to achieve.
I meet a lot of people who like a lot of things. They say, “Well, I like writing, but I also want to be an actor and write screenplays and be a singer too.” That’s great. And you have a long life ahead of you and might very well do all those things. But you can’t do all of them now and do them well. Pick the one you like best and go for it. Declare your dream to yourself and others. Make it known. And be loyal to it until you’ve given it your all.

2. Believe in yourself even if no one else does.
People might laugh at your dream. Who cares? Find people who’ll support you, and talk to them when you get discouraged. You have to believe that achieving your dream is possible. If you doubt yourself, you’ll make excuses to give up.

3. Learn all you can about your dream—and don’t stop learning
Learn by doing, reading, and learning. Go to college for it, if you can. If not, read books on the topic of your dream. Become an expert. Interview people in your chosen profession. See if you can job shadow someone. Look for workshops or conferences that will help you learn more about how to achieve your dream. There is always more to learn, no matter how old you are or how many years you’ve been a professional. Remain teachable.

4. Practice your dream—and don’t stop improving
Do the thing! Sit down and get it done. If you’re writing books, write! Finish the book. Edit the book. Then write another and another. Don’t stop. Practice makes perfect, so keep at it. There is always ways to improve, no matter how many books you might have in print.

5. Don’t give up
As Journey sings, “Don’t stop believing.” Keep at it. There will be hard times. But if you love your dream and are passionate about it, you’ve got to keep at it, no matter what. Even if you can only work at it for fifteen minutes a day. Do that. It adds up.

Don’t procrastinate and don’t neglect your dream. Respect it by declaring it, by believing in yourself and finding people who believe in you, by learning all you can and more, by practicing and perfecting your craft, and by never giving up. You can do it!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Top Five Friday - Bible verses


Top Five Friday is when we post our favorites, depending on topic. This week Bible verses

1. Romans 8:28



2. Isaiah 40:31



3. Jeremiah 29:11



4. 1 Peter 5:7



5. Ephesians 3:20




What are your favorite verses?

Friday, March 15, 2013

Top Five Friday- Animated Movies



Top Five Friday is when we post our favorites, depending on topic. This week animated movies.

1. Shrek



2. Beauty and the Beast



3. The Little Mermaid



4. Madagascar



5. Tangled




What are your favorite animated movies?

Friday, March 8, 2013

Top Five Friday- Amimals




Top Five Friday is when we post our favorites, depending on topic- Animals.

1. Westie



2. Pandas



3. Koalas



4. Penguins



5. Zebras




Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Free E-books!!!




My friends over at Go Teen Writers (goteenwriters.blogspot.com) have written some awesome books. This month they are free on kindle and nook, go check 'em out!

By Darkness Hid
By Jill Williamson




Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Blood-Kings-Book-ebook/dp/B00266Q078/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362515068&sr=1-1&keywords=by+darkness+hid


Me, Just Different
By Stephanie Morrill





Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Different-Reinvention-Skylar-ebook/dp/B00B76T3PE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362515262&sr=1-1&keywords=Me%2C+just+different

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/me-just-different-stephanie-morrill/1100376293?ean=9781441204462

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Next Door Savior






Next Door Savior
By Max Lucado
About the book:
We applaud men for doing good things.
We enshrine God for doing great things.
But what about a man who does God things?
One thing is certain. We can't ignore him. If these moments are factual, if the claim of Christ is actual, then he was, at once, man and God.
New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado shows readers why they need a God-man Savior. A just-God Jesus could make them, but not understand them. A just-man Jesus could love them, but never save them. But a God-man Jesus?
Near enough to touch. Strong enough to trust. A next door Savior.
My thoughts:
Just saying a book is by Max Lucado is enough to make some people read it. Many have come to see him as an extraordinary pastor and teacher. "Next Door Savior" is no exception.
The book is divided into two parts the first, No Person He Won't Touch, and the second, No Place He Won't Go. No Person He Won't Touch explores lives in the Bible Christ touched. Showing circumstances they went through and how Christ changed them. Max Lucado explains that if christ can do that for them He can do it for you too. No Place He Won't Go focuses on difficult places Christ went and how He calls each of us to go places for Him.
This book is an encouraging example of how God is near to us and as Max Lucado says, right next door, if we turn to him.
*I received this e- book free for review from Thomas Nelson Publishers*
Rating: 5 carats





Friday, March 1, 2013

Top Five Friday-Foreign cities to visit




Top Five Friday is when we post our favorites, depending on topic- foreign cities to visit

1. London, England



2. Auckland, New Zealand



3. Dublin, Ireland



4. Paris, France



5. Geneva, Switzerland




Where would you like to visit?