As writers, we always say something like, "Man, I wish I had time to write. If I did, nothing would stop me." What happens when, oh, a medical pandemic arises, forcing you to stay in place? Crickets. And for many of us, no writing. Although I see a plethora of memes every day telling me that I need to hustle hard and that I'm a slacker if I'm not using this time to grind and write, overall, I have not practiced self-loathing over not writing a book a day during this pandemic. I've been doing some writing--on social media, and I've been an editing queen, but for the most part, I've used this time to develop another talent: designing digital products to help keep people organized and "planned-up." This talent has morphed into a new Etsy shop, #HUGSlove Studios . For the shop, I create digital planners, planner pages, and stickers. I've created journals for writing self-care love notes and for journaling your coffee- and...

Looking ahead to Father's Day, I thought it would be nice to feature a few books that would make a nice gift for your father. There is everything from humor, to inspirational, to fiction available and books always make a good gift. Maybe Dad would like that better than a tie.  I know my father did. There isn't room to list all the wonderful books out there, so I picked just a few. The Life Of Dad Jon Finkel Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Adams Media (May 7, 2019) Language: English ISBN-10: 1721400303 ISBN-13: 978-1721400300 Kindle $10.99 Hardcover $11.72 ABOUT THE BOOK A heartwarming and enlightening collection of advice, wisdom, and practical skills featuring an all-star cast of fathers from the popular online community Life of Dad. Becoming a dad gives men a VIP pass into the greatest club on earth: fatherhood. Its rewards are unmatched, its challenges, uncharted. The experience can reach euphoric highs and gut-punching lows. For those moments (and everythin...

The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors by Anne R. Allen  Anne R. Allen is the author of the Camilla Randall Mysteries and a number of humorous novels. She blogs with New York Times Bestselling Author Ruth Harris. Their blog is listed as one of the top 100 websites for writers by both Writer’s Digest and The Write Life , and is visited by tens of thousands of readers each week. Anne has learned how to blog the hard way by trial and error (she even had to deal with a hacker locking her out of her own blog!) and now she is sharing all this knowledge so other authors can take a short cut. I found myself nodding wryly several times, and I wish I’d had a book like Anne’s to help me along when I started out on the wild Web. It might be satisfying and character-building to work something technical out for yourself, but writers really should be doing more fictional character-building and less fiddling with WordPress plug-ins. Anne makes the important distinction betw...

Over the years Slim Randles, a writer who has quite a way with words, has shared his wit and wisdom with the readers here at The Blood Red Pencil. As a way to thank him (see how I tied this to our Thanksgiving theme?) I thought I would pimp his books. Every one of them would make a terrific gift for readers on your holiday shopping list. I am especially fond of Home Country , as that is also the title of the column that he so generously shares with me to use here and on my own blog. This is a collection of humor and philosophy that speaks to the important things in life like love and friendship and fly fishing. The column is currently featured in several hundred newspapers across the United States, with a readership of over 2 million. Slim has won numerous awards for his work, the latest the 2012 Rounders Award , which is presented each year by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to “individuals who have lived, promoted or articulated the Western way of life.”  A C...

Yes, I know the gift-giving season doesn’t officially start until next month. Think of this list as a handy-dandy helper to hand out to others if they want to indulge in a spot of spontaneous gifting. I grant you, however, that handing out a list does somewhat negate the ‘spontaneous’ aspect. Ah well. 10. Paper . I am aware that most writers do their actual writing on some sort of computer, but I assure you that crumpling up a piece of paper and hurling it in the direction of a recycle basket is a far more emotionally gratifying experience than hitting the delete button. Thumping your desk with your fist raises the satisfaction level. 9. Pens . This summer I spent a large amount of time writing with a pen which resulted in scattered ink stains on my hands. These stains made me feel, in an odd way, like a real writer . It was literally my work leaving its mark on me. Try it. Of course, it may help if (like me) you're writing in the shadow of the Globe Theatre in London. ...

This post originally ran here at The Blood-Red Pencil on December 29, 2010.  It first ran as a column in the Plano Star-Courier when I was known as the Erma Bombeck of Plano, then I incorporated it into my humorous memoir, A Dead Tomato Plant & A Paycheck. Enjoy... The day after Christmas was usually one of the best and one of the worst days of the year for our family. If that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry, I'm not sure it does to me either. But let me try to explain. It was the best because: There were now 364 more shopping days until Christmas. It was the one day of the year when perhaps the kids were just as tired as we were, and they’d sleep off and on all day. All the build up for the Big Day was finally over, and the noise level in the house had dropped about 20 decibels. I didn’t have to cook since we had all those leftovers from Christmas dinner. (If we didn't have a big Christmas dinner, I was in trouble on that score.) The kids would dec...

In the spirit of this holiday season, I thought I would share a memory of a special gift my husband got for me one year.  He has always supported my writing habit, and this year was no exception. They say - whoever "they" are - that when it comes to gift-giving, it's the thought that counts. While I don't always agree with everything "they" have to say, I have to give them this one. My husband puts a great deal of thought into not only the present but the presentation. It isn't enough to merely hand over a package for some occasion, he has to somehow turn it into an event and over the years we've been together he's devised numerous, and often complicated, ways of surprising me. Once he initiated his Christmas charade the week after Thanksgiving. It began with the announcement that this year he was going to be practical about my gift. Perhaps he'd build the bench in the kitchen I'd been wanting. Since I really liked the bench when he...

Tis the day before Christmas and all is not done, Things on the “to do” list number a million and one. There are cookies to cut while the oven is hot, And a gift for Aunt Mildred. Egad! I forgot. There are presents to measure, to balance and wrap, If the stacks are not even the kids will know in a snap. The turkey is snug in the freezer so cold, Will anyone notice if I put dinner on hold? Tis the day to test stamina, courage, and brawn, The survivors are heroes at next morning’s dawn. Just when I thought I was running out of time A stranger appeared with a smile so sublime. He was dressed all in silver from his head to his toe. And I blinked my eyes twice to see if he would go. He patted my shoulder and gave me a latte, “Your’re almost there,” he said. “The rest will be easy. “Don’t worry, don’t fret, don’t get in a frazzle, Together we’ll do it with narry a hassle. I’ll hang the tinsel and check all the lights, You bathe the children...

Gift Book Suggestions I recently read two books that would make great gifts for the upcoming holidays, especially for writers. One is a memoir by a political cartoonist, Jeffrey Koterba, titled Inklings . This is a funny, poignant, and interesting look at Koterba’s life journey that was anything but smooth and easy. In it he writes freely about his dysfunctional family, led by an alcoholic father who also had Tourette’s syndrome, but the writing is not filled with angst and anger. It is almost a celebration of the craziness that played a big part in shaping the artist Jeffrey was to become, and he shares that artistry with wonderful sketches sprinkled throughout the book. The second book 600 Hours of Edward is a novel by Craig Lancaster, and I read this one right after finishing Inklings. This book is about Edward Stanton, a 39 year old man who has a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder along with Asperger's syndrome. The title comes from the 25 days, or 600 hours t...

I have another book to recommend for gift-giving this holiday season; Little Journeys by Jory Sherman, a wonderful book of short stories. In the introduction Richard S. Wheeler writes, “All of these stories reach deeply into the human heart, and touch upon the great burdens that life brings to us all. These are stories of optimism, of love remembered, of the unexpected sweetness of grief, of the impulsive kindness that transformed a life and he gives us still more. Jory Sherman is quintessentially a poet, and he brings his mastery of the English tongue to each of these stories.” After that quote from the introduction, I’m hard pressed to come up with other words to better describe this collection of stories by award-winning author, Jory Sherman. He is well known for his westerns, of which he has written hundreds, but it is his lyrical prose that I enjoy most. The Ballad of Pinewood Lake, a novel that was released in 2001 was my first introduction to the more literary style of th...

();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgr-Yfo6anD0CGGt_EqdWwRtoEMauom82h8fWcW9grgY6NOadJf8Tx9d_o29RJCS0WYD_NG93TFO6Gzgcrz-dFDmTKzXO2-zBLNyQO-9U-jZLuW0L8qP1RHMDNPgOA4_pnHL9z_GpmRg/s1600/Inklings.jpg"> ();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieiaWv1jMPrjpFM9eYa6I6EJ0z4n9HmJmkZ5914G4ymWKYlucP6btz9tsGfJ5CGOf9c6n23RLDWzfC-EbD2MckpqouvFVeMJQR9_AxrXDIcX0GMOPS7KWBgvdOZeRjsdQ72k8OUdinn4/s1600/600+hours+of+Edwardcover.jpg"> More Gift Book Suggestions I recently read two books that would make great gifts for the upcoming holidays, especially for writers. One is a memoir by nationally syndicated political cartoonist, Jeffrey Koterba, titled Inklings. This is a funny, poignant, and interesting look at Koterba’s life journey that was anything but smooth and easy. In it he writes freely about his dysfunctional family, led by an alcoholic father who also had Tourette’s synd...

Five Years at Sea by James V. Lee is a unique book. It’s part memoir, part travelogue, part insider’s view of being on board Navy ships, and all interesting. Lee spent five years, from 1989 to 1994, traveling the world aboard 13 different Navy ships as a civilian teacher of English as part of the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education. Since he was former Navy, he presents a unique perspective on shipboard life. He enjoyed his years teaching students under difficult circumstances, and he talks about these men who, having found purpose and structure in their lives, are eager to learn. He also took advantage of the opportunity to visit places all over the world and interact with the people who lived there. He takes readers along on his many journeys to places most tourists don’t go. Those years also provided him with a front-row seat to some historical events. I’ve never been in the Navy or even on a ship, but I enjoyed reading and looking at all the pictures Lee includ...

Here at the Blood Red Pencil, we are making recommendations for books that would make good holiday gifts. There have already been some good books introduced, and I have several that I will be reviewing later this month. It is much easier for me to rave about someone else’s book, than my own, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to introduce you to the book of my heart. One Small Victory This story was inspired by a woman of great courage and I think readers will enjoy her story of victory. SHORT SYNOPSIS Life can change in just an instant. That's the harsh reality that Jenny Jasik faces when her son is killed in an automobile accident, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to be working undercover as a member of a drug task force. She is, after all, just a mom. But don’t discount what a mom can do when the safety of her children is at stake. REVIEW SNIPPETS “One Small Victory is an amazing, heart pounding, emotional tale about one mother's love of ...