Where to get FREE ebooks

Book lovers rejoice! The internet has made books so much  more accessible, letting you find thousands of eBooks for  absolutely no cost. Read on your eBook reader, your  tablet, smartphone, laptop, or desktop computer. Here are  3 of the best sites where you can download your free books. 1. HundredZeros.com

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This site is a treasure trove for people who own a Kindle. The site will refer you to thousands of free books straight from  Amazon.com. If you don’t have a Kindle, don’t worry – You can download a Kindle app for your iPhone & iPad, your Android  device, for Windows Phone, and even for the PC or Mac.

2. ProjectGuttenburg.org Project Guttenburg is a free organization that wants to spread knowledge in the world. They offer several thousand titles, mainly in English but also in Czech, Portuguese, German and French. 3. Free-Ebooks.net Another great source for free eBooks is the aptly-named site,  Free-Ebooks.net. Offering their own collection of thousands of  books, magazines, including many titles in Spanish and Portuguese.

Enjoy a FREE Gift of Love for Valentine's Day!

                                                           By Trina Boice
                                                     www.TrinaBoice.com


Just in time for Valentine's Day...my Gift of Love eBook version is FREE today through Friday!  http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Love-Trina-Boice-ebook/dp/B00IDAY3IO/

Thank you for reading this blog! On behalf of all the authors here at Writing Fortress, we LOVE you, our readers! Have a LOVEly Valentine's Day!

A FREE Valentine's Day gift just for you!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Thank you for taking the time to read my silly blog posts. I truly LOVE my readers!

In honor of Valentine's Day and all things love, click on this link to get a FREE copy of my fun love pun ebook entitled "A Visual Pun Book of the Heart." I think you'll get a kick out of it! The link will allow you to download the ebook to your Kindle instantly.

The ebook is free until February 17th, so hurry! Feel free to share it with others and even write a review about it on Amazon!

LOVE,
Trina

Get Dan Poynter's newest book on writing for FREE!

                                                  by Trina Boice              www.TrinaBoice.com

Dan Poynter is know as an author's "guru" and now he's sharing his great wisdom for free!

Writing Your Book:
Cashing in on Publishing, Faster, Easier, & Cheaper.
by Dan Poynter

What should you write about and how should you write it?
Discover the resources to research your market, title, and information sources. Then follow the steps for writing your book. A superb, easy, and fun guide.
Essential recommendations for fiction, non fiction, ebooks and printed books.

You can get the Kindle edition FREE.
Download the book free on one day:
Friday, July 13 & Saturday, July 14, from midnight to midnight, Pacific time.
Log on to the Amazon page for this book and you will note that your price on Friday & Saturday is $0.00

Any time Friday or Saturday, log on to

or Copy\Paste:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VP66Z0

AND, please forward this announcement to your colleagues who have a book inside them.

DESCRIPTION (Back Cover)

Reference\Book Writing

Write Today—Earn Tomorrow

New equipment and advanced techniques make writing a book faster, easier, and cheaper.

You will discover:

--What fiction and nonfiction subjects are in demand.

--How large is your potential reading market
--Where to find the information for your book
--How and where to sell your book online
--Organizational steps that make writing your book quick, easy, and fun.

“Dan Poynter is the top coach for writing, publishing and, most important, promoting.”
—John Tullius, Director, Maui Writers Conference.

“One essential ingredient to our Chicken Soup success was consulting with Dan Poynter in the early stages.”
—Jack Canfield, co-author,
Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

“Dan Poynter has generously guided thousands to authorship. Their books make this a better world.”
—Dr. Robert Müller,
Author & Past Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations.

Dan Poynter is the author of more than 130 books. His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in The New York Times. He is the leading authority on how to write, publish, and promote books.

This ebook provides the shortcut to becoming a published author.

54 jam-packed pages
ISBN Ebook Edition: 978-1-56860-154-0
ASIN: B007VP66Z0

Get your free copy on Friday or Saturday (only).

Getting Paid To Give Away Free Books

                                                               www.TrinaBoice.com 

How would you like to get paid to give your books away for free?   Amazon has a new program that does just that!  Their KDP Select-Free system helps you get your name out in front of millions of customers.  Book sales will not take off until your words are read, enjoyed, and recommended. Word-of-mouth publicity is made possible by Amazon’s KDP Select Freebie Days. Amazon pays you to give your ebooks away!

 Have you discovered Dan Poynter yet? He's considered one of the top gurus in the book industry, helping thousands of authors navigate the publishing world and become successful.  He even has a free newsletter you can sign up for with terrific tips each week.   Now he has a new book out that teaches authors how to understand the KDP Select-Free program at Amazon.  In his book you will discover:

--The step-by-step details on how KDP Select-Free works.
--How to set up your ebook for the Freebie Days.
--Promotion. Where to send announcements. A valuable, long list.
--Tracking your downloads and sales.
--Responding to emails from your new readers/friends.
--Detailed steps and advice. No generalities. 

Dan Poynter is also a master at advertising his book, as evidenced by some of the big names he got to endorse his new book:

“Dan Poynter is the top coach for writing, publishing, and, most important, promoting.”
—John Tullius, Director, Maui Writers Conference.

“One essential ingredient to our Chicken Soup success was consulting with Dan Poynter in the early stages.”
—Jack Canfield, co-author,
Chicken Soup for the Soul series

“Dan Poynter has generously guided thousands to authorship. Their books make this a better world.”
—Dr. Robert Müller,
Author and Past Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations.

Dan Poynter is the author of more than 130 books.  He has been a book publisher since 1969, and is a Certified Speaking Professional. His seminars have been featured on CNN and his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. 

If you're interested in checking out this book, you can find it on Amazon at:

http://tinyurl.com/7wel525

To sign up for his free author newsletter, go to:   www.danpoynter.com/sites/para/ 

Good luck out there in the book world!
Trina


www.trinaboice.com

Win a FREE Roku by submitting ideas!

                                                           www.TrinaBoice.com

Win a NEW Roku HD player with 450+ entertainment channels available, including hundreds of free movies.

 

Submit a topic for the final episode of my online book How to Stay UP in a DOWN Economy. If your episode idea is selected, you will win a ROKU HD Streaming TV player. If there are multiple suggestions with the same topic, we will hold a drawing for the winner.

Submit your ideas to contest@bigworldnetwork.com. Be sure to include your first and last name. The winner will be notified by email. Contest ends Friday, June 15th at midnight. The winner will be announced June 25th, and the season finale episode will air on July 25th.

By submitting your suggestion, you agree that your topic may be used as an upcoming episode, even if it isn't selected for the first prize as the Season 3 finale. Sponsored by Trina Boice's How to Stay UP in a DOWN Economy and BigWorldNetwork.com.

Starting the new year right with FREE books!

                                                                     By Trina Boice
                                                                www.boicebox.com

What's the best way for a writer to start the new year right?  Read more books!  Even better....get them for free!  Nothing gets me more excited than getting awesome stuff for free, so I just had to share with you a list and link of the top 10 books that are available for free download on Kindle:

1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
5. Dracula by Bram Stoker
6. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
7. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
8. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
10. Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery Series #1) by Lorena McCourtney

Enjoy!  May your 2011 be filled with many wonderful adventures, both in and out of books!

Start off the new year winning free stuff!

                                                                    by Trina Boice

                                                                www.boicebox.com 

I'm the Entertainment News Editor at BellaOnline.com and I'm offering a fun contest there that I wanted you to know about!

While living in Atlanta for 15 years, I became a big fan of Ray Charles’ famous song “Georgia on my Mind.”  Concord Records recently released his newest collection entitled Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters , an incredible collection of newly discovered Ray Charles recordings.   The hit album was produced by John Burk, who gave us Genius Loves Company, Charles’ 2004 Grammy award winning last album. 

After sifting through four decades worth of Ray Charles’ unreleased material, John Burk explains “We have so much respect for Ray, and now being the guardians of his legacy, we didn’t want to release anything substandard. In the end, I think what we have here is on par with some of his greatest works.”  And it is.

Although Ray Charles Robinson died in 2004, the world gets to continue to enjoy his great music, thanks to technology.   The “sonically enhanced” material creates cool tracks, smooth background vocals from Eric Benet and Keb’ Mo’ guitar licks. If you love Ray’s cool blues, soulful gospel and warm country sounds, you’re going to get a kick out this new album. 

In addition to the tracks culled from R.P.M. International, the set also includes a surprise from the Sony vaults – a stirring rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me, Lord?” a gospel flavored duet with Johnny Cash produced by Billy Sherrill in Nashville, recorded in 1981. This one-of-a-kind pearl has gone unheard by the public until now. Contrary to correspondence between Charles and Cash anticipating the release of the song on CBS, the track never saw the light of day for three decades for reasons that remain unknown. Cash takes the lead vocal, while Charles hangs back slightly and delivers hefty backup vocals and equally compelling piano lines. “Ray’s presence in the song helps to establish a sort of marriage between gospel, Christian and country music – the kind of thing Ray was so uniquely good at,” says Burk.

A great American Jazz legend, Ray’s newest CD includes high energy music that gets you moving, as well as romantic ballads that will make you sway and laugh, such as in the song when he questions why he’s still talking to a particular woman when he could be doing something else with her, if ya know what I mean. 

His spirit is alive and well in this album, a reminder that Ray was truly an American treasure.   “The rhythmic and improvisational things Ray did with his vocals were incredibly influential to generations of singers in all genres of music,” says Burk.  “And he would always get inside the meaning of a lyric and make the listener believe every word, as if he were describing his own experiences.  His vocals carried incredible emotion and intensity, even on demo tapes.  That’s how Ray approached his music; I don’t think he knew any other way to do it.” 

Ray would have turned 80 this year, so I thought it would be fitting to hold a contest in his honor, awarding the winner a copy of this outstanding CD. 

To enter the contest, simply answer the 5 questions in the Bella Online forum at:

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/653051#Post653051

Be the first to respond correctly and you win!  The free CD is being provided by Concord Records.

Free song: http://raycharles.com/2010/09/21/download-a-free-song-from-rare-genius-and-enter-to-win-an-11-cd-ray-charles-catalog/
All people who download are entered to win an 11 CD catalog and a travel itinerary owned by Ray Charles and used on his 1998 tour.

VIDEO:  Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters - Episode 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7zeXfNPtOI

Ray Charles Store Buy  Link: http://bit.ly/c5BYmt  includes special packages

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/bP9MVF

Changing Lives One Book at a Time

                                                                       By Trina Boice
                                                                       http://www.boicebox.com/

Teach a child to love reading and you can change his life.   I remember sitting in my bedroom as a young girl, reading for hours.  When my mother called me to dinner, I would yell back "Just one more paragraph!" and another hour would fly by.  My parents thought they were teaching me a lesson by making me miss dinner if I didn't get to the kitchen in time, but as I continued reading I didn't even notice I had missed a meal.  That's pretty significant, considering how much I really love food!

There is a wonderful orphanage in Guatemala that is led by an amazing American mother, Vickie Dalia.  She and some other angel volunteers have come up with a way to create a library for their orphanage that I thought you might be interested in.  I hope this doesn't sound like a sales pitch...

They're holding an Usborne on-line Book Fair (eFair) to benefit Safe Homes for Children! Usborne is a leading publisher of children's books, offering high-quality commercial-free books.  By the way, I don't sell Usborne...I'm just sharing this information because I love this little orphanage!

For total Book Fair sales of $200-$499, Safe Homes for Children will receive an additional 25% in free books. For total sales of $500+, Safe Homes for Children will receive an additional 50% in free books! For example, if total Book Fair sales reach $800, Safe Homes for Children will get an additional $400 in FREE books!  There are two ways to shop... both Wishlist sales and personal use sales count towards this total.

Please go to the website below, then click on "Safe Homes for Children" under Active e-Fairs. There is a Spanish book wish list for you to choose from. Once you get to the check-out, choose "Ship to Organization – Safes Homes for Children", and the shipping will be free. Also, there is no sales tax.

Or, if you would like to shop for your family, while benefiting this Book Fair, just click on "Safe Homes for Children" under Active e-Fairs and begin your shopping. Once you get to check-out, choose ship to your home and your order will ship immediately.

The Book Fair will be open until Sept. 15th. At the close of the Book fair, the Spanish books will be mailed to Vickie Dalia, then make their way to Guatemala and into the hands of those sweet little ones.

Thanks for considering supporting this Book Fair.

www.OrderGreatBooks.com

Knowledge is power...and free!

                                                                    By Trina Boice
                                                                 http://www.boicebox.com/

Can you believe it’s BACK TO SCHOOL time already? While some parents are celebrating the idea of a quiet, clean house during school hours, others are sad to leave behind the carefree fun of summer spent with their children. My kids think I’m crazy because I absolutely love the smell and anticipation of opening up a new textbook.


For parents who are just a bit envious of their children’s opportunity to learn new things at school, I have a goldmine of resources for you! The following web sites include thousands of video lectures from some of the world’s top scholars! Knowledge nirvana! And they’re all FREE!

One of my favorite quotes, and one worth teaching your children, is:
“The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice
When speaking your mind or making your choice!”

Enjoy!

http://academicearth.org/
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/av/index.htm
http://worldlibrary.net/Collections.htm
http://freevideolectures.com/
http://videolectures.net/
http://lecturefox.com/
http://www.ted.com/
http://ocw.nd.edu/
Courses include detailed lecture notes, a calendar of teading assigned for each class and a description of major assignments.

http://ocw.tufts.edu/
Offers student-made documentaries about social issues as well as a list of weekly readings.

http://itunes.stanford.edu/
Professors Martin Evans and Marsh McCall lecture on great works by Virgil to Voltaire.

http://itunes.berkeley.edu/
Berkeley's lectures online
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/
Alternate site of Berkeley's lectures.

http://scholarspot.com/

http://www.varsitynotes.com/

http://www.learnerstv.com/

If anyone is interested in Entrepreneurship and learning more about what it takes to own or run a business, I highly recommend the Standford eCorner ( http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1554 ) or the Harvard business school ( http://www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurs/ ) podcasts. Both are great resources that provide outstanding insight into running your own business.   Others include:
http://oedb.org/library/features/236-open-courseware-collections
http://www.careervoyages.gov/education-videos.cfm
http://www.sba.gov/training/index.html
http://www.sba.gov/tools/audiovideo/Podcasts/index.html
http://www.openculture.com/2007/07/freeonlinecourses.html
http://www.videomd.com/featured_videos.aspx
http://freesciencelectures.com/
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
http://education.usgs.gov/common/video_animation.htm
http://www.nachi.org/advancedcourses.htm
http://education-portal.com/video_library/index.html
http://www.serve.org/nche/ibt/aw_video.php
http://www.practisinc.com/interactive/patient-education-videos.php
http://scholarspot.com/
http://www.varsitynotes.com/
http://www.learnerstv.com/
http://www.stumbleupon.com/
http://www.ovguide.com/education.html


CENTSerely,

Sister Thrifty a/k/a Trina Boice
http://www.sisterthrifty.com/

Make it a Memorable Memorial Day this year!

By Trina Boice

http://www.boicebox.com/

For most Americans, Memorial Day is a chance to sleep in and get the day off of work or school. If you have children, it’s a terrific opportunity to teach them about our country, respect, honor, reverence, history, and more.


Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day set aside for remembrance of those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day was first proclaimed on 5 May 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. The South, at first, refused to acknowledge Memorial Day, honoring their dead on separate days until after WWI. It is now observed in almost every state of the union on the last Monday of every May. Since the Civil War more than 1.1 million veterans, both women and men, have lost their lives in military service to America.

With four sons in my family, we’ve created a fun tradition with our Cub Scout pack where we place flags on the tombstones of fallen soldiers and then we present a special wreath at the cemetery’s ceremony on Memorial Day. The boys really get a kick out of reading the tombstones and imagining what the soldiers would have looked like. The parents go crazy with their cameras, taking incredibly patriotic photos of their own sons in uniform who are paying respect.

Memorial Day reminds us of our duties towards the wounded soldiers and the bereaved families, orphans and widows of the dead soldiers. In addition to the fun BBQ's and recreational activities next weekend, we should take a few minutes to show our gratitude to those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Here are a few ways you can honor their memory this year:

Placing flags, garlands or flowers on the grave sites.

Visiting cemeteries and memorials.

Furling the American Flag at half-mast until noon.

Furling the 'POW/MIA Flag'.

Keeping silence for a minute at 3 p.m., 'National Moment of Remembrance' and listening to Taps being played.

Taking a pledge to aid the disabled veterans, widows, widowers and orphans of the dead and keeping it.

Offering thanks to the veterans and appreciating the ultimate sacrifices of the soldiers to the bereaved families personally.

I live for freebies, and here are some that can help you celebrate Memorial Day:

Free Memorial Day quotes, poems, songs, tributes, reflections, presidential declarations and facts: http://www.thememorialdaytribute.com/observe-memorial-day.html

Free Memorial Day essays, speeches, and prayers: http://www.usmemorialday.org/write.html

Free Memorial Day clip art images: http://www.designedtoat.com/memorial_day.shtml

Free Memorial Day ecards:www.memorialsday.com   http://www.123greetings.com/   http://www.bluemountain.com/

Free Memorial Day coloring pages: http://hubpages.com/hub/FREE-Coloring-Pages---American-Memorial-Day---Colouring-Sheets-Free-Downloads

Ok, now I can’t ignore the fact that Memorial Day also means the end of school and the beginning of summer vacation for many families in America, so here are a few more fun freebies as you get prepared for some serious fun in the sun!

Free Orlando Vacation Planning Kit: http://www.orlandoinfo.com/vacationkit/

Free Gift Bag from PacSun (5/29) - PacSun on Memorial Day Weekend 5/29: "First 50 in the door when the store opens score a gift bag stuffed with a piece of monster schwag. We're talking music, headphones, clothes, or even trips. BIG trips. How big? Check 'em out..." http://shop.pacsun.com/content.jsp?pageName=summer

Free Limeade at Taco Bell valid through 7/11/2010 or until 500,000 free Limeade Sparkler online coupons are redeemed, whichever occurs first. http://www.tacobell.com/promo/limeade-coupon

Free One-Year Subscription to ELLE Elle reports on emerging trends in fashion, beauty and style. Its visual core is surrounded by features, news and analysis of the larger world. Its articles feature information on culture, health, politics, art and relationships. http://www.freebizmag.com/emailelle02welcome.htm

Chick-fil-A Free Spicy Chicken Sandwiches 5/21 Chick-fil-A is giving a limited number of FREE Spicy Chicken Sandwiches to customers who make a reservation. To make your reservation, visit this offer beginning Friday, May 21 and choose your preferred Chick-fil-A Restaurant location and time. http://www.getspicychicken.com/

Dice: Hundreds of the Latest Technology Magazines Hundreds of the latest technology magazines offered by Dice technology magazine center in association with Mercury Magazines. Tell them about yourself, choose up to three magazines and complete subscription forms. http://www.mercurymagazines.com/pr1/111/111158

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend next week!

Writing for generations yet unborn

By Trina Boice

http://www.boicebox.com/

 

Want to put your writing skills to REALLY good use?  How about writing an autobiography for your grandchildren to read?  What...they're not even born yet?  Great!  That'll give you even more time to work on it!  How about writing your grandmother's autobiography or one for Uncle Alvin?  While your fiction manuscript may be brilliant, your family history is priceless. 

Here on our blog we don't usually endorse products, but this is a good one and it's FREE, so I thought I'd share it with you!  Here's the link: http://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&tab=wm#inbox/12753f4643888d73

Roots Magic is offering a free download for their genealogy software!  Here's a description of what their program can help you do (and no, I get absolutely no kickback for recommending their product):

Easy to learn and use:  RootsMagic Essentials' friendly screens and menus allow even the most inexperienced computer novice to get up-and running quickly. Navigation is a breeze with both pedigree and family views, and RootsMagic Essentials lets you view and edit every piece of information about a person from a single, easy-to-use screen.

Unlimited capacity:  Enter an unlimited number of facts, notes, sources, and multimedia items to each person and family.

Flexibility: RootsMagic Essentials makes it easy to track multiple relationships such as adoptions, foster parents, and more.

Find People Quickly: Easily find and edit anyone in your file. The RootsMagic Explorer lets you type a person's name to quickly jump to the person, or find people with an easy-to-use criteria search screen.

Multimedia Support: Add photographs, sound bites, and video clips to bring your family history to life. Then have RootsMagic Essentials include your photographs in your printed reports.

Reports Galore:  RootsMagic Essentials makes it easy to publish and share your family history. Create and print dozens of reports, charts, and lists.

Professional Looking Sources: Our unique SourceWizard writes and manages sources and citations for you. Built-in templates based on Evidence Explained make citing your sources as easy as "filling in the blanks".

Power Tools:  RootsMagic Essentials includes tools which make it a snap to clean up your data. Potential problem lists, sophisticated merge techniques, date and soundex calculators are just the start.

Unicode Support:  Don't limit yourself to a genealogy program that can't handle international character sets. RootsMagic Essentials' Unicode support means you aren't limited in the characters you can enter.

Compatibility:  Import directly from Family Tree Maker, PAF, Legacy, Family Origins. Plus RootsMagic Essentials has full GEDCOM 5.5 support for both import and export.

FamilySearch Certified: RootsMagic Essentials bridges the gap between your personal family history data and the New FamilySearch internet site. RootsMagic is also the first software certified to reserve and request LDS temple ordinances. You can find, reserve, and track needed ordinances from the comfort of your own home.

Enjoy!

3 New Year's resolutions I can help you keep!

By Trina Boice

http://www.boicebox.com/

No doubt that most of us have the same stuff on our list of New Year's resolutions this year: lose weight, exercise more, be a better parent, save more money, write more, and serve others more. Right? Well, I can help you out with 3 of those right now! (Save money, write, & serve more.)


Starting on January 1, 2010 volunteers will be able to sign up for volunteer opportunities specifically designed to engage whole families in volunteer service. In exchange for your day of service you and your family members aged 6 and up can qualify to receive a free ticket to a Disney Park! In order to receive your Disney ticket you must follow the directions below:

Go directly to www.disney.com and click on "Give a day, get a day"

Complete the registration process for you and your family

Sign up for a Disney qualified project listed on the Disney parks website

Show up for the project you signed up for and volunteer

Make sure when you show up for your Disney qualified project you sign in and out so you receive credit for your volunteer service. The FAQ will answer most of your questions regarding participation, black out dates, ticket redemption and more.  Believe it or not, some of the volunteer work involves using your writing skills!

While you're revising your New Year's resolutions, here are a few more worth considering:
Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games

7. Read more books than you did in 2009.

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don't overdo. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything..

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come..

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your innermost is always happy. So, be happy.

Writing in 5 minutes

Several years ago I read a blog about writing. I don't remember who's blog or much that I read that day. (I know. It must have really been amazing!) But I do remember doing some writing exercisers. Now, I've never taken a creative writing class and any bit of writing I've mostly learned through trial and error. I also don't feel like I have a lot of time to do writing exercisers. So I was skeptical about this exercise. However, this one only takes 5 minutes! And after trying it, I was utterly amazed with myself!

So let me tell you a little about this exercise. I will show you two words, which you may look at for 30 seconds, and you sit and write anything that comes to mind at the first glance. You have five minutes to complete the assignment. It doesn't have to be a full story. Just start writing. Don't let your pencil (or fingers) come off the paper (or keyboard.) Try to write for a solid 5 minutes. Push yourself and see how much you can do in 5 minutes. You'll be amazed.

There are a couple of things, though. You need to use the first word shown you as the first word of your writing. The second word needs to appear in the first sentence.

So, are you read?

Get set...

(Remember you only have 30 seconds.)

Look...

Fire

&

Chair

Now write and let me know how it goes! Good luck and have fun!

If you want to do this again, go here and there's another set of words.

The Ball's in Her Court Giveaway!

This month as part of the End of Summer Giveaway, I'm offering an autographed copy of my book, The Ball's in Her Court, which won't be released until October. I dont have a cover yet, either, but it should be coming before too long, and I promise to post it as soon as I have the final version. I'll be picking a winner for my book on August 28th, so make sure to leave me a comment to enter the contest.

Denise DeWalt thought she had it all together and put the past behind her. Then an incident in her apartment parking lot brings the memories of her abusive childhood back to the forefront. When her past continues to haunt her, she decides the time has come to look for her birth parents. She just hopes the family who saved her from a life in the foster care system will understand.

Rich Jensen felt drawn to Denise the moment they first met--when he was introduced to her as her new boss. Though he knows he should keep things professional, every instinct has him finding ways to get to know her better. As he watches her struggle with her search and her past, he wonders if there's any hope for a future, but he's willing to give her time. The ball's in her court.

And to tease you with a little taste, a scene from the first chapter:

The afternoon was almost over when Denise caught her first look at the promising interviewee. Southwick ushered him into the room like an old friend. The younger man exuded authority and self confidence from the tip of his well-polished shoes to the mass of brown hair on his head. The body in between was broad shouldered and powerful looking as well. It wasn’t until he turned his gaze around the room that Denise saw his confidence went all the way to the core.

His dark eyes saw right through her, jolting her, stealing her breath, and there was something familiar about him. Denise wondered if the lightening bolt of recognition wasn’t where the aura of power came from. Or was it the other way around? His eyes widened for a moment before he blinked and returned his gaze to Southwick.

Denise could feel her pulse beating a wild tattoo in her veins. She calmed her expression and fought to make her insides comply as well. Maybe he attended the University of Utah or had a sibling who did. Or maybe he reminded her of someone she once knew. She clung to those explanations, though none of them accounted for the something more than recognition bouncing around inside her.

When Southwick reached her and Richard Jensen extended his hand, she took it in her own. A strange tingle began at her palm and extended up her arm. She met his brown eyes—eyes that would have seemed too big on any other face. Somehow the strong chin and cheekbones seemed perfectly suited to them. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Denise.” The words flowed like Southern honey from his lips—strange for a guy from Chicago.

“Finally?” Denise smoothly withdrew her hand from his grasp, desperate to break a connection that had her antenna standing on end. She wondered why her hands weren’t shaking when her insides were doing a tango.

“I’m Lily’s cousin. You are the one who told me about this company,” he murmured.

“And we’re sure glad you did. I know Jensen here will do well, though he’ll have quite a job to fill my shoes!” Southwick said, pounding Richard on the back and grinning.

“Oh.” Denise felt stupid the moment the sound left her mouth. No wonder he had seemed vaguely familiar, Lily had shown her his picture after Denise had sent him a list of companies he might want to check into. “Well, welcome to our little family.” Hoping to inject a note of levity, she jerked her thumb toward Jake. “Don’t take the joker here too seriously. And don’t let him anywhere near your soda if you don’t want it tampered with.” She forced a smile and hoped it looked sincere.

Richard glanced over at Jake and smiled, turning his slightly nicer-than-average face into something only a step below breathtaking.

Or maybe she was a bit short of breath after all. His gaze returned to her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

You can read the whole first chapter on my Website here. But first, leave a comment so I can enter you to win a copy!

By Love or By Sea - Give Away!

I thought I'd give you a little treat and include a small section of my book. I'm so thrilled with the idea of this contest! And I hope you will all eagerly leave me a comment! I will announce the winner on Sunday, August 23rd. (So just leave me a comment about how much you want to read it and how much you adore me and you are automatically entered!) There will be prizes given away between now and then too from other authors, so make sure to stop by and see what they are! I wish you all the best of luck and happy kissing.

As Alice began on her journey home and passed through the town, she exchanged pleasantries with a few people but mostly kept to herself, enjoying the view of the vast ocean growing in front of her and the goings-on of the town...
Then, as though nothing more than a mirage, she saw a tired man crest over the hill coming from the beach and walking towards her. The distance between the man and herself allowed her time to stare at him without being obvious. The tall man wore a tattered pair of trousers and a fairly clean, cotton shirt fastened only by three lower buttons, allowing his vast muscles to protrude from beneath as he carried a knapsack on his shoulder. His skin was bronzed from what she assumed were probably years spent in the sun. His sandy whiskers weren’t long but had obviously been neglected for many days, and his blonde hair was nearly as white as old Mrs. Winters’, but unlike hers, his hair traveled halfway down his back.
He sported an odd appearance, yet he was almost intriguingly familiar...
“Excuse me, miss?”
Alice turned at the sound of a soft, masculine voice and there, looking expectantly at her, stood the man she had been visually devouring only moments before. “Yes?”
“I realize this is probably a strange thing to ask, but . . .” He paused and looked at the inquisitive eyes that were lingering on him from passing spectators. He seemed suddenly less sure of himself. “D-do you know if the . . . the Newman’s still live around here?” he asked in a lowered, hesitant voice.
“Well, sure. They’ve lived west of town about a mile for longer than I can remember.” Then as curiosity got the better of her, she could not restrain the question from escaping her lips. “Are you one of Augustus’s nephews? You bear a striking resemblance to Augustus himself.”
The man chuckled uncomfortably and pushed a hand through his tangled hair. “Well, thank you, miss, but I’m not his nephew.”
A look of pain seemed to cross his face before he tipped his head to her in parting and left her alone to ponder on the encounter. Alice knew she had never seen this man before. She would have remembered. His weathered face made him appear quite old, and she felt a stab of sorrow at the look of pain that had so recently crossed his face. The look in the man’s eyes caused him to look somehow even older than he did at first sight.
That evening as she sat in the parlor with her nana and pappy, her gaze lingered on the fire while her embroidery sat forgotten on her lap. “What has your mind in a tumble tonight, peach?” Gretchen asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she answered casually...
“Well, are you just going to sit there until she drags it out of you, or are you going to tell it to us straight out?” Henry asked, equally concerned about his granddaughter.
“I don’t really know what to think, Pappy. My mind’s all muddled up and I can’t seem to make heads or tails out of anything.”...
“Why don’t you start by telling me how things were while you still could make sense of them,” Gretchen encouraged.
“Well, I went to see Mama and everything went well. She was attentive to me, and we had a real nice time. I came home, just like I always do and then . . .”
“Yes?” Henry said when she paused.
“Oh, I don’t know what to think,” Alice whispered desperately. “I was walking home, and then there was this man who came over the edge of the hill. He’d obviously come from the beach.”
“Was it Clarence?” Gretchen interrupted. “He’s normally coming back to town about that time of day.”
“Of course not,” Henry put in. “She would have recognized him.”
Gretchen and Henry were both completely captivated by what Alice had to say, but in truth Alice could not figure out what she was thinking. So how on earth did they think she would be able to tell them a story they could understand? “No, it wasn’t Clarence. In fact, I don’t know who it was. My gut instinct tells me he was a ghost, except he spoke to me.”
“A ghost?” Gretchen laughed. “Really, peach! What would put your mind to thinking something as crazy as that?”
“I’m serious, Nana!” Alice whined loudly.
“All right then. What was it about the man that put it into your mind that he was a ghost?” Gretchen asked repentantly.
“Well, he looked real enough, but he reminded me of . . . He kind of looked like . . .”
“Who?” Henry coached.
“I don’t know if I can utter his name.” Gretchen’s rather disappointed look displayed itself blatantly upon her face. Alice knew her grandparents were dissatisfied with her answer, but she didn’t know if she could tell them who the man looked like. So she changed the direction of the conversation. “He spoke to me though. His voice was low and hushed, as though he was afraid to speak.”...
“Alice, who was it that the man reminded you of?” Henry asked.
“Pappy, I don’t know if I can utter his name,” Alice whimpered.
“And why not?”
Alice hesitated, attempting to give enough information without actually having to say the man’s name aloud. “He died about six years ago in a ship wreck while he was at sea as a merchant sailor.”
“Are you trying to tell us that you spoke to Caleb Newman on the street in town today?” Gretchen asked reverently.
“I don’t know that it was him, Nana. And besides, how could it be him? Remember? Grace said there were no survivors.”
“But . . .”
“No, Nana. I’m certain my mind was just playing tricks on me. It was probably some poor sailor, anchored in town for a few days.” With that, the topic died, and the conversation moved on to other things, but that night as Alice lay in bed waiting for sleep to engulf her, the image of the man on the street kept her weary mind company. He was, after all, intriguing and very striking in his appearance, no matter how tattered and tired he looked. The thought of him being an older version of the ever-so-handsome Caleb Newman made the mystery of the man all the more enticing. He had been such a good looking young man; tall and very handsome. Rolling over with a smile on her face, she eventually found respite as she fell asleep thinking of the young man she’d thought of so often before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UC78cx-kE

A Chance to Win "Mormon Mishaps and Mischief"

By Cindy Beck

In case you missed Jillayne Clements' post last night, we’re holding a giveaway here at the Writing Fortress. For your edification, let me just tell you what we are not giving away—a llama, Gila monster or night on the town with Burl Ives (which you'd probably appreciate not winning, since he's passed on).

Most, or possibly all of the prizes are real, live, printed-on-the-page books by authors here at the blog.

Unfortunately, the printed-on-the-page book that co-author, Nichole Giles, and I have written (with stories compiled from other great authors as well) won’t be out until December, but we wanted to give our 90 million readers a chance to win it.

What? We don’t have 90 million readers? Okay … 89.9 million.



Our book, Mormon Mishaps and Mischief: Hilarious Stories for Saints, contains humorous, true stories of Latter-day Saints that will have you holding your sides and laughing. It covers everything from bloopers at the pulpit and gaffes at priesthood camp outs to blunders during family home evening. The book makes a great gift for yourself, family, friends, or even a Christmas gift for your home teachers—when they finally show up on December 31.

How do you win a copy of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief? Just leave a comment on this blog entry and we’ll throw you into the random generator … well, not actually throw you, but your name (which will be assigned a number) into the mix and pull a winner two weeks from now, when Nichole posts her thoughts here. That person will win a copy of the book and we’ll send it when Mormon Mishaps and Mischief comes out in December.

Best of luck to each of you!

~ Cindy and Nichole