The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Thankful for my Readers Bloghop

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

I’m combining this with Taraand Vicki’sI’m Thankful for my Readers Bloghop.

My seventh book will be out next February. It’s the third genre I’ve tackled and it probably won’t be the last. (Remember, Hammy the Squirrel is all over the map!)

I look back at my journey as a writer and author and can’t believe the passage of time. I started writing Book I of my series in 2002, over ten years ago. I’ve grown so much as a writer since that time, taking on so many other duties including professional speaker.

I’m grateful for the readers who have enjoyed my books: the people who’ve found inspiration and motivation in my self-help book, the ones who’ve fallen in love with The Circle of Friends characters; and everyone who’s been motivated to pursue their dreams by the words I’ve written. The latter is why I started writing in the first place.

The insecure part today also comes from that journey. I’ve improved since that very first book. My writing is better. My word count is less! (The original version of Book II had 205,000 words - holy cow! Much less now.) Will those who picked up one of my earliest books know that though? Will they trust my growth as a writer?

I really hope so, or I’ll be one unhappy Hammy.

SHARING: When English teachers retire...

Shared by Grammarly via Facebook

SHARING: Read Anywhere

Courtesy of Kensington Publishing Corp. via Facebook

How to Unfollow a Blog

Unfollow? That sounds so cruel! Why would you want to unfollow another blogger? There are many reasons:

• The blogger unfollowed you. Maybe they lost interest or they were just phishing for followers.
• The blogger never returned your follow or comments on his or her blog.
• Blog posts become offensive. Or the blog changes topics. Or you discover you’re just not following a nice person. (The green trolls are out there…)
• The blog shuts down or goes inactive for a very long time.
• An abandoned blog is taken over by someone else. (Always by a company that blasts out advertising posts - so annoying!)

How do you escape? If the blog in question is on a platform other than Google’s Blogger, or it was followed via RSS, it’s only a matter of unsubscribing. In Google Reader, just click on the little arrow by the name and unsubscribe:

However, if you originally followed through Google Friends Connect, unsubscribing in Google Reader won’t hack it. Like a stray cat, the blog’s feed just keeps coming back. And you are still listed as one of that blog’s followers. There are two options here.

On the main dashboard of your blog, look to the far right and you will see this:

Click on the little symbol, and it will bring up a list of the blogs you follow. You can unfollow them from here. If the blogger has removed the Google Friends Connect widget (which is what some do when they take over an abandoned blog - evil!) unsubscribing here is your only option. After that, you can unsubscribe in your Google Reader and the blog will forever vanish.

The other option is to unfollow at the source. Go to that blog and find the Google Friends Connect widget. Often it will look like this:

If you know you’re already following, hit the button to join - you will be prompted to sign in:

(And if you asks you if you want to Join this site, run away - you're really not following that blog through GFC!)

After that, the GFC widget looks like this:

Click on Options and then Site settings:

Another box will pop up - click on Stop following this site on the far right:

Now you have officially unfollowed and only have to remove them from your Google Reader if you use that feature. You are free at last from this blog. And in the case of annoying ads or negative green trolls, you are happy to be free!

SHARING: The state of bookstores in the NE

We all know of the devastation left in the wake of Sandy. Being book bloggers, we may be especially interested in the state of bookstores hit by Sandy. The LA Times gives us a little glimpse. Check it out!

Looking to help those affected by Sandy? How about donating to the Red Cross?

And NBC will host a telethon tonight from 8 PM to 9 PM EST to raise money for the American Red Cross. Read more about it on Arts Beat at the NY Times.

Hammy the Squirrel

Something a little different today.

Recently Hart Johnson had a post, Nakedness Disrobed, where she talked about her image online and being true to herself. I left a comment and it got me to thinking.

Online, I wear many hats. Part of me is an author of both YA fiction and non-fiction. Part of me is a professional speaker. Part of me offers services to writers such as publishing consultation and book formatting. And of course, this blog is geared toward publishing and promoting tips. So I try to maintain a certain level of professionalism.

The real me? I’m Hammy the Squirrel.

For those of you who haven’t seen the animated film, Over the Hedge, Hammy is a very energetic, hyperactive, happy-go-lucky squirrel. He’s so hyper, he’s not allowed energy drinks. (Until the end when his maniacal energy saves the day.)

In real life, that’s me. My husband says I am the Energizer Bunny. I am a bundle of nervous energy with only two settings - full stop and warp 9. On top of it, I’m Type A and always have to be doing something productive. (I am allowed energy drinks though.)

That comes through in my speaking. I’m not a detail guru nor am I really funny. I can make people laugh, but I’m not one of those speakers who has people rolling in the aisle. But the one thing I can do well is bring a lot of energy to my talks. I didn’t gain the nickname Spunk on a Stick for nothing!

Unfortunately, I don’t think it comes through very well in my writing. I have improved - since my upcoming book, How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now, is based on two seminars I teach, I was able to infuse some of my energy and enthusiasm into the pages. But online, I don’t think that part of my personality comes through very strong.

What I’d like to do is start dumping more of ME online I’d like to see if I can still maintain professionalism while letting more of my personality shine through.

So thus begins the great Hammy experiment.

I hope you are all ready for the ride!

Introducing...All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann

Introducing books through the first paragraph or so...

Margaret

Mama always told me bad things happen on Wednesdays, 'cause it's the middle of the week and the Lord just ain't looking then. I never really understood what she meant by that, because I thought the Lord was always supposed to be looking. But her explanation still consoled me when the goats got into the saltbox and Mr. Ashmore took the switch to me for it, or when my stomach was growling at night because rabbits had gobbled up our small garden and all we had to eat that summer was Johnnycakes.

I'm grown now, and Mama's long since gone. But, oh, how I pray she was wrong about Wednesdays and that the Good Lord is looking down on York County, Pennsylvania every day.