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The Five Best Books On Writing

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 As I continue to work at improving my skillset as a writer, I continue to read and write on a regular basis. Occasionally someone suggest a book specifically on writing or someone asks me to recommend a book on writing. To date, I have found these five to be the most helpful. They are listed in no specific order.   Ernest Hemmingway on Writing  Hemmingway always said it was bad luck to talk about writing, but numerous time throughout his life, he tossed out some pretty sound advice. Phillips assembles the gems into one cover and a brief 140 pages. I may be a little bias, but you can't go wrong with writing advise from a master. On Being a Writer by Kroeker & Craig On Being a Writer provides 12 simple habits to develop and maintain a writing career. Though some may seem simple and obvious, they provide good suggestions that can benefit every writer new, established, young, and old. Storyville: An illustrated Guide to Writing Fiction by John Dufresne Storyville gets into to nuts

The Beanee-Weenee Economic Index

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  Image source: Amazon.com For years there have been many economic indexes utilized as an indicator of the strength or weakness of the current economy. One index that was widely publicized for sometime was the  Hot Waitress Economic Index  which asserted that the higher the number of hot looking  servers in a food establishment, the weaker the current state of the economy. This indicator relied on the assumption that physically attractive individuals do not have any problem securing a high paying occupation during economic upturns, and that during times of economic downturns, physically attractive job hunter were forced to work as waitstaff. This index was unsubstantiated due to several other factors that were not properly taken into consideration. Another index is known as Lipstick vs Nail Polish . The theory behind this index is that women splurge on cheaper luxuries when the economy is weak and money is tight. If gas is $3 a gallon, the budget has to be rearranged.  While this index

Drinking the Kool-aid

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photo credit: https://cookingwithkoolaid.wordpress.com/ "Drinking the Kool-aid" is a phrase that gets used regularly in today's society. If you are under 40 years old, you probably have no clue where it originated. Back in the 1970s, there was a "minister" by the name of Rev. Jim Jones. Jones had served as student pastor at Sommerset Southside Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1952, but parted ways with the church over racial integration issues. In 1954, he  rented some space in Indianapolis and launched his own church, Community Unity Church. By 1956, he and had garnered enough funds to purchase his own building naming it Wings of Deliverance and then the Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church. In 1959, they joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and renamed itself as the Peoples Temple Christian Church Full Gospel.   Jones spread a message of racial equality while mixing elements of Christianity, socialism, and progressive idealism that appea

Jobs

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 Over a recent dinner with friends, the comment was made that they believed there wasn't a job I hadn't held at some point in my life. I laughed, but honestly there are several jobs I haven't held. I never worked in fast food. Not because I didn't want to, but the owners of the local Dairy Queen when I was in high school wasn't too keen on my reluctance to work on Sundays and wouldn't hire me. But there have been a myriad of jobs I have worked over the years. Photo Credit:www.floridamemory.com The first I recall was riding my bike to the local Suwannee Swifty convenience store (which no longer exists) before school every morning and sweeping the parking lot. I think I made $5 a day for it. I worked that job until one morning I finished up, walked to the counter to collect my agreed wages, and the manager looked at me with a smirk and said "Doesn't look too good to me." He pointed out the front window as a big wind whipped up blowing dirt and leaves

Giveaway

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  I am giving away three paperback copies of my new book Lendercide! You can enter the giveaway for your chance to win one of the copies starting on April 18, 2021 at GoodReads.com  This giveaway ends April 30, 2021. Enter TODAY!!

You Are Cordially Invited!

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  Lendercide Launch Hey Y'all, I’ve got some pretty exciting news: It’s almost time for my next book to be released! It’s called  Lendercide , and it releases on June 1, 2021.  My publisher, Charm House Publishing, and I want to invite you to join the launch team! Lendercide - " Some Women Shouldn't Be Crossed" Colleen Smithwick is a loan processor at Sunshine City Bank in Saint Petersburg, Florida suffering myopic and tyrannical loan officers while grinding through unreasonable deadlines, when suddenly one by one loan officers are being found murdered. Gary Black, an attractive young City of Saint Petersburg Police detective is working tirelessly to find the killer before they murder again. He will have to unravel murder, mystery, and romance to get to the bottom of this case if he ever hopes to nab the killer. Will he catch the killer or will he somehow become involved? The  Lendercide Launch Team  will be a fun and personalized group with only so many spots availab

New Release Announcement: LENDERCIDE

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I am thrilled to announce my latest book,   Lendercide , a murder mystery set in Saint Petersburg, Florida is set to release June 1st.  Some Women Shouldn't Be Crossed! Colleen Smithwick is a loan processor at Sunshine City Bank in Saint Petersburg, Florida suffering myopic and tyrannical loan officers while grinding through unreasonable deadlines, when suddenly one by one loan officers are being found murdered. Gary Black, an attractive young City of Saint Petersburg Police detective is working tirelessly to find the killer before they murder again. He will have to unravel murder, mystery, and romance to get to nab the killer. Will he catch the killer or will he somehow become involved? Upon release. it will be available in Kindle, Paperback, and audiobook forms. Coming June 1, 2021 to a Book Retailer Near You!