Invasion of the One Lovely Blog Hop

Recently (like on Friday) I was nominated by the lovely and talented Johanna K. Pitcairn (who currently has a new book, 32 Seconds) in the One Lovely Blog Hop. This challenge consists of listing seven interesting facts about me, although I may use a loose definition of interesting as I lead a fairly boring life. 

Here are the Rules:

Share seven facts about yourself

Link to at least 15 blogs that you enjoy.

My Facts

• Fact 1: I am not what you’d call a girlie girl, but I do have a scarf obsession. Pretty patterns, flimsy fabric, decorated material, it all calls to me, and then sits in my closet, waiting…
• Fact 2: I have a strange fascination for Pikachu, from the Pokemon franchise. Don’t ask why, I just do.
• Fact 3: I love ballet, ( so much so, I squealed with delight when dancer Rex Harrington was a contestant on Amazing Race Canada), and listen to classical music and opera. Also, I’m fond of the ditties from Broadway musicals.
• Fact 4: I once tied a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue, after watching a Twin Peaks episode (I just wanted to see if it could be done, nothing kinky involved). And yes, I did do it, but it took about ten minutes.
• Fact 5: While growing up, I've been hit in the face with a soccer ball, hit in the shoulder with a baseball, I ran (on foot, mind you) straight into a parked truck, and walked into a fire extinguisher at school.
• Fact 6: While I write horror stories, I am a reluctant reader of the genre, or watcher of scary films. I’m too much of a chicken, though I’m better than I used to be in this regard.
• Fact 7: I do not own a cell phone (you can all collectively gasp now).

Okay here’s my victims, uh, bloggers list:

Sheila Deeth

Danielle Shipley

Justin Guay

R. M. Ridley

Diane Lee Jortner

Ben Ireland

Angela Yuriko Smith

Michael Brookes

Joylene Nowell Butler

Maggie Secara

Carole Gill

Irina Dimitric

Emma Michaels

Sarah Hunter Hyatt

Rie Sheridan Rose

Just click on the linked names to see their wonderful blogs/websites.

All my nominees are under no obligation to join in, but, if you do, please link back to the blog of the person who nominated you (namely me), share some fun facts, and pass the hop on to 15 blogs (or as many as you scrounge). And if you've already participated, feel free to ignore the nomination.

Drabble Wednesday: Winter Cometh

It’s a celebration (or condemnation, I’m not sure) of the winter season on today’s Drabble Wednesday…

Echoes of Winter

The snow fell deep and frigid that winter season. At night, doors were bolted against the cold, and hearths snapped with blazing logs and roasting meat. Dogs snuggled at their master’s feet, pricking their ears to catch the howl of the wolves outside. And under the rising moon, fields of snow sparkled while rabbits fled the sound of scratching footsteps.

Crunch, crunch, came the noise of each footfall. A line of tracks led from the woods, displayed in the moonlight through the frozen expanse. But nowhere to be seen, not silhouette nor form, was the creature that made those tracks...

Ice

Like lemmings they gathered at the sites, with their cameras and their cell phones recording the slow moving, ever encroaching ice. The air echoed with laughter, jokes; it seemed an entertaining game. They captured the scene on shaky video and in snapshots, and uploaded it all to the digital stream. It even went viral.

Such innocence was fleeting, for they never realized the significance. Until far too late. Never realized that the ice heralded the first moments of the end, the beginning of the final ice age of Earth.

Now they wait, we all wait, as the last fires die…

Bad Winter

I can’t believe this weather!  Nothing but blowing wind, snow, and arctic cold!  I don’t like whining, but when icicles are forming on the inside of the windows and even the cat’s toes are turning blue with the cold, it’s time to complain.

The heating won’t work; I think the oil froze.  Wood is running low for the stove and the food supply is down to four cans of peaches, half a roast chicken and one prune.  I’d call for help, but my fingers are too stiff to dial the phone.  This snowstorm had better break soon or we’re doomed.

Snow and Globes

I poured myself some coffee made from fresh melted snow and adjusted my new top hat to a jaunty angle.  I tossed the carrot in the dustbin, and sat down at the kitchen table to admire the seventeen orbs of my snow globes.  They were safe now.

Maybe I should've felt guilty about what I did, but he got what he deserved for cheating in the snowball fight.  I’m not giving my snow globes to a cheat, not even Frosty the Snowman.

No, he got a hair dryer and bucket instead.  And he melted like silly putty on a grill. 

Pinterest Tips

Hello, I’m A. F. Stewart, and I’m a Pinterest addict. Well, maybe not an addict, but I can definitely lose an hour or two on the site if I try. But it’s not all fun and games, it’s also serious marketing for my writing and books. And that’s what I’m here to discuss today on the blog.

I see many, many writers over on Pinterest, but not all of them are using the site to their full advantage. Pinterest is designed for shoppers, and their click-through-rate (which means consumers click the pins and go to the links) is high and growing. The stats for Pinterest as a viable (and still free) marketing tool are too good to ignore.

So why aren't authors and writers utilizing it properly?

I can’t say for certain, but I do hear some writers express qualms and confusion on how to use the site to their favour. So here’s a brief explanation of how the Pinterest site works, and a few of my tips specific to writers and authors.

Pinterest is a visual site; it’s for sharing graphics, photos, memes, cool geeky fan stuff, and book related stuff, like covers, trailers, blog posts, etc. You join the site, create a profile, then you create what the site calls boards. Think of them like virtual scrapbooks, or photo albums, full of pictures. Each board gets a name, a description and a category, and you’re ready to pin your pics to your boards via their bookmark extension widget thingy.  Easy, right?

But in case you’re still confused, here’s the site’s guide to getting started that explains things in better detail: https://help.pinterest.com/en/guide/all-about-pinterest

Okay, you've setup your profile, gotten somewhat familiar with the site, and you’re ready to pin.  Now what?

Here are some things you need to know:

Following/Followers:  Just like other sites you can follow users, and they can follow you.  You may press the big red follow button on a profile, and you’ll follow every board and every pin of that person, or follow individual boards (which is what I recommend for most people). Following individual boards (with pins you enjoy) as opposed to everything vastly reduces the possibility of clutter on the home page, and makes it easier to find pins you like on the site.

Repinning:  If you find a photo you like on the Pinterest site you can repin it to one of your boards, either from the Pinterest home page or the profile of a user. I recommend beginners make use of this feature as it’s a simple way to get started filling boards.

Board Covers: You can leave a board with no cover and the latest pin will show as the face of that board. Or you can pick a cover by choosing a nice pin (via the editing mode). You can also change covers when you like (by editing), but once you choose a cover you can’t return to the former mode.

Group Boards: Groups boards are just that, a group of users who are pinning on the same board. You can join them, or make your own, but like all groups be sure to read and follow the description and rules.

Comments/Messages: Comments can be left on pins, and Pinterest now has a message system, so if you need to contact a follower you can.

Now for my tips for writers:

• Post a bio (and this goes for every social media site writers use). THIS IS IMPORTANT. Tell people who you are and what you do, even if it’s just one line like: I’m a writer. Especially if you want invitations to group boards geared towards books and writers. If they don’t KNOW you’re a writer, you may not be invited to pin. Don’t make people guess.
• Create book boards. You can do an all inclusive board, such as “Books I've Written” or boards for a book series, or individual book boards or a combination of the above.
• Put your book/writer boards on the first row. You want your work front and center. Not everyone scrolls half-way down to find your hidden gems.
• Create niche boards (also see next tip). Showcase your personality and possibly other talents. Geeky boards, fan boards, craft boards, boards for quotes, are all popular and help sell you on Pinterest. There can be some overlap in board topics, but don’t overdo. Six boards on the topic of say, doilies, is too much.
• Be professional, but still fun (see above tip). You’re on Pinterest to market and sell books, but that doesn't mean you can’t display other sides of your life and personality. Just keep in mind the image you want to craft on the site.
• Do not create an empty profile. Once you've generated boards, pin something to your boards. Pin your book cover, find some pins on the site, find something to pin on Google, but put pins in your boards. You can start out slow if you like, with a few boards with a few pins each, but fill your boards. Which brings me to the next tip.
• Do not leave empty boards. They’re unsightly, they’re lonely, they scream “I don’t know what I’m doing”, “I don’t want to be here”, “help me, help me.” In other words, not the image you want to project of a capable, professional writer.
• Do not use cutesy names for boards. Again, not the image of a professional writer. Now, you can be clever with names, have some fun, but text speak with cutesy-pie hearts is not what you should be using. Leave that to the teenagers.
• Do not have all group boards. Now I’m not suggesting you restrict the amount of group boards you want, just have a balancing amount of non-group boards as well. Not everyone wishes to join group boards so if you want followers give them choices to follow. 

What To Pin:

That is up to you, but book covers are a must, book trailers are fun, images with quotes from your books are great, and representative images for places and things from your books can be cool.  You can check out my profile for what I've done to get some ideas and examples:  http://www.pinterest.com/scribe77/

And feel free to repin anything.

Remember you want to present an interesting profile on Pinterest, one that will encourage followers, and repins.  So avoid boring and annoying at all costs.

If you have any questions, or tips of your own, please leave them in the comment section.

Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Drabble Wednesday: New Year’s Eve

Here’s the strange and slightly out of this world New Year’s Eve edition of Drabble Wednesday…

A Glitch in Time

Tick, tick, tick

The sound in my head, always time tick-tocking.

Tick, tick, tick.

Shut it off! Stop the clockwork, stop the sound!

Tick, tick, tick

Something’s wrong, not right, always the noise, always the clockwork in my head.

Tick, tick, tick

Tick-tock. Goes the clock. Always in my head. Wish I were dead.

Tick, tick, tick

Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!

Tick, tick, tick

What can I do? For silence, for quiet? All I want is quiet.

Tick, tick, tick

But what’s a mechanical man to do, when the clockwork is him?

Tick, tick, tick

Mystical Renewal

I watched as the crows flew past the shining moon, like flowing black ink over parchment. The lunar beauty dominated the sky, even overshadowing the darkening clouds. It was a perfect night to usher in a new year.

I poured the sanctified oil, shaping a circle in the snow, and knelt inside its confines, cold seeping into my bones. I bent my head and intoned the ritual prayer, extending my hands in supplication. For three breaths, I felt nothing, then the blessed radiance of the moon flowed into my flesh and blood. Suspended between earth and heaven before I transformed.

New Year’s Moon

~Base Dispatch News~

Well, Moon Base Alpha decked the halls for Christmas, and transformed the dining hall into a moonlight ballroom for New Year’s Eve. The party boasted a Dance Under the Stars theme with the latest holographic decorations.

Base personnel partied hard, donning festive hats and downing drinks. There were the usual indiscretions and high jinks, and chaotic excitement when Lieutenant Mills’ Flashineger Beastie got out its cage and knocked over the Orion cocktails. However, it was the midnight countdown that set everyone abuzz. No one expected our commander to bare his backside to ring in the New Year.