Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Zombieland of Book Titles

So I was watching Zombieland, great movie, and I was inspired! If you have never seen the movie, zombies have taken over the country and four survivors meet and travel together, kicking serious zombie ass. The main character makes this list, the rules of how to survive Zombieland. So I thought why not make the ‘rules’ of picking a book title.
Okay here we go, in particular order, feel free to add on…

Don’t be cliché but don’t be too abstract - One of my pet peeves is when a book has a title that says one thing and content that is another. You can always tell when someone is overly dramatic with the title…you know what I am talking about.

Google it before you choose itperfect example, my first book is entitled Serenity Lost. Well there are several challenges here, apparently there is a rock band by that name. There is also the television show Serenity. So every time you type in Serenity Lost all of this other stuff comes up. Then there is the second book, Veiled Deception, yeah…there is another book with the exact same name and by a bigger author. Suck!

Hook ‘emYour title is as important as the blurb or the cover itself. It needs to grab attention and work with the cover to make you want to pick up the book.

Don’t pull your hair out, it will comepicking a title can be one of the most frustrating parts of the process. Sometimes I have the title before the book, other times the book remains untitled until the very last moment. Either way, you will find it, and sometimes in the most unexpected ways. It is different for everyone.

Make sure you love itIt is your book, your name, your heart and soul. Do not skimp on the name. It is a representation of your work. (no pressure or anything…lol!)

Be prepared to change itIt will happen. You will have the PERFECT title and then someone says no. Or you have to take the one book and make it into three. This has happened to me twice now! Lol! Trust Me turned into Serenity Lost, Veiled Deception, & Jaded Promises. Dead Air turned into Shockwave, Backlash, & Fallout.


All of this is nothing you don’t already know. Writing a book is not an easy thing to create and build. It takes blood, sweat, tears, passion, and heart. Number one rule, above everything else, go with your gut it will never do you wrong.

Friday, March 6, 2015

For Fun -- Baby It's Cold Outside

Baby, It's Cold Outside 

I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice

My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry?
Father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some records on while I pour

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink? - No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now
To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

I ought to say no, no, no - Mind if I move in closer?


At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside

I've got to get home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand - Thrill when you touch my hand
Why don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?

There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died
I really can't stay - Get over that hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside
Oh, baby, it's cold outside

Oh, baby, it's cold outside

written by Frank Loesser in 1944

Frank Loesser (June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and music to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the latter. He also wrote numerous songs for films and Tin Pan Alley, many of which have become standards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards for best song, winning once, for "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Sky’s the Limit for Superheroes


A common saying for those who are driven to do all they can. The ambitious of the species often live by the saying, and theoretically it is true. Theoretically. As an author I am always pushing myself to be ahead of the curve, to not rest on my lollies, and keep moving. I am all about momentum. I know if I want to be a success there is never going to be a time where there is nothing to do. There are always new opportunities for growth and if you do not grab them when they appear you will miss out.  I think we all live by the same philosophy but then there is reality. I am human. You are human and there are only so many hours in the day. So many projects one can work on until things fall apart.

I got an email with an amazing opportunity this evening. One that I would gladly hop on to if I had the time to commit to it. Unfortunately, there is no way, with my current schedule of projects. I must say I am really disappointed as I would have loved to been a part of such an amazing opportunity. Not only to sell books, but to work with someone I really respect. So much so, I want to send them an email stating how much I want to participate. 
So is this an opportunity lost? It might feel like it right now, but I have to trust in the choices I have already made.

Could I try to do it by spreading myself so thin that I lose my mind and then fail miserably? Sure but I do not want to do that. If I were to sign on to this project (or attempt to, there is no guarantee that they would even accept me) I would want to give it 110% and I just do not have that much to give.

Sometimes it is better to walk away and this is a hard thing to learn. Sometimes you have to just say no, because it is not the right time. I don’t want to say no, I personally want to do it all! I admit it, I want to do it all, but I can’t. No matter how much I want to be superwoman, I am not.
If I build it they will come – If I keep steady and move forward the opportunities will come and next time I might be able to grab it.


Everything happens for a reason there is a purpose to everything and I need to trust that and myself.


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

A Little Girl's Dream

The dream of every little girl is to be a ballerina, a flawless porcelain fairy with a beautiful flowing dress, gliding across the stage as if she were enchanted. I remember the first ballet I went to see with my mother, Coppelia. It was wonderful, beautiful, and amazing. I recently took my own daughter to the ballet, and was fortunate to experience the dream again through her eyes.

The vision of a ballerina is one of exquisiteness, strength, and grace. Digging a little deeper, there is also focus, an enduring commitment, and tenacity. The drive it takes to pursue the mastering of the ballet is a seemingly impossible conquest. Amongst the most competitive, most difficult, fickle, dangerous, and short lived accomplishments there is in the world, the title of Prima Ballerina, or Prima Ballerina Assoluta, is a title earned, not given. Originally inspired by the Italian ballet masters of the early Romantic Ballet, the title was bestowed on a ballerina who was considered to be exceptionally talented, above the standard of other leading ballerinas. (For some, Prima Ballerina Assoluta is apparently the second rank to the ‘principle’ title of the Royal Ballet, though not nearly as romantic)

The simple, flawless, feminine grace of the ballerina is the most defining. A woman’s steel is her emotional and physical strength, flexibility, allure, grace, presence, and charisma. This list of qualities is what we all strive for in our lives, and one of the most important abilities of a ballerina is the power of balance, both figuratively and literally. Anything worth doing is worth doing with your whole heart, but there must be balance. Where you have physical strength, you must have health. To maintain emotional strength there must be Zen, a place of calm where focus rules and the wilds of the world disappear.

From the moment she could walk my daughter has loved to dance. She has been enrolled in dance school since she was five and has strived to be the best in her class. I am so very proud of her and in thinking of this post a conversation I had with her came to mind. All women should strive to be ballerinas, and the prima-ballerina is the strongest of the breed. Some think it is a girly, non-women promoting statement, but I think the biggest compliment someone could ever give me is that I am a prima-ballerina.

Perhaps we should find the ballerina doll, picture, music box, or snow globe, we have tucked away in a forgotten box and dust her off. She is beautiful, fragile, inspiring, romantic, and the fantasy of the little girl we once were and the women we are.

Here are some wonderfully inspiring quotes about ballerinasenjoy!

    ~In life, as in the dance, grace glides on blistered feet.

    ~It doesn't matter where you are on the stage, just as long as you're there.
   
   ~Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt and dance like nobody's watching.

   ~Ballet technique is arbitrary and very difficult. It never becomes easy--it becomes possible.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Armor of the Goddess - Red Heels


Undeniably, the color red is a sign of strength and power, the clout seekers of the world wear it like a uniform, and the most influential countries have it as part of their flags. It is known as the power tie, and a universal statement of, “don’t mess with me, you will regret it.”

Great leaders of the world wore red when making some of the most infamous speeches in history. There have been many songs have been written about its luster, and the color has been symbolized and condemned in the same thought.

After much thought on the iconic symbol of unforgettable women and all super-women I have decided red heels are the winner. Superman has his red cape, Superwoman has her red heels.

Have you ever watched a woman try on a pair of red shoes? There is a shy smile, a twinkle in her eye, and many times her cheeks will blush in embarrassment. Every woman on the planet owns a pair of red heels, and if they don't, it's because they haven’t found the perfect pair yet. Oh yes, you will find them in every closet, of course they may be hidden in the back corner, but they are there, waiting to be worn. There is no understating the confidence it takes to wear them either. We want to be able to back up the statement they send and some of us are not quite there yet.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, to wear a pair of red heels, even in the privacy of your own bedroom, is like an adrenaline shot to the heart. They exude power, confidence, sexual prowess, and most importantly--the armor it takes to be unstoppable.
Many will think that I am staking too much on a pair of shoes, that it is just a symbol of a confident woman with a sense of style. Oh no it is much, much more than that. There is a reason women do not wear red heels, and there is a reason they do.

Red heels are scary. If you wear them, people will notice, people will look, and you will attract attention. Self doubt closes in and suffocates those who are just not ready for that kind of exposure. So the heels sit at the back of the closet waiting for their time in the spotlight. It will come, someday, we just have to be ready for it.

The power of the red heel is not something to be trifled with, it is a double edged sword. The red heel definitely obtains the spotlight, but there are always critics who will not approve of the choice. We know as women we must be prepared for both, and in reverence to the red heel we must be strong and gorgeous or the magic disappears.

Wow Amy, you are going way overboard on this whole red heel thing…

Am I? Ask yourself, when was the last time you wore your pair of red heels, and how did you feel when you did, and why haven’t you donned your red heels lately?

The truth is red heels--your red heels, speak volumes about who you are as a woman, your strength, your passion, your fire. When you wear red you feel confident and in control. Wearing red brings excitement into your day. It is the color of stimulation, showing a sense of exhilaration, but also suggesting a demanding character. You are amazing and the red heels make sure everyone knows it! So pull them out of the closet, put them on, and prance around the living room, wear them to lunch, or pull them out for some fun in the bedroom.

They, my dears, are one of your many secret weapons, use them wisely and knock the world back a few notches! You are sexy, you are strong, YOU are unstoppable!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Hero Arsenal - The Utility Belt


While usually unfashionable, all superheroes have their patented utility belts. The little gadgets that make them seem incredible. Grappling hook, throwing stars, a button to activate stealth, a small rotating saw, cryo-capsules, and anything else the hero would need in battle.
 
Sure, Batman could have used the stairs, but the grappling hook is so much cooler, right?

We all have our little shortcuts, our utility belts. I am going to share a few of mine, and I hope you will share a few of yours. 

MS Excel – For most this program is a foreign language. If it is for you, put the Rosetta Stone CD away and take an excel course. It will save your life! The automation available in this program is phenomenal and will enable you to turn tedious work into productive process and quick results, quick being the focus word in that sentence. Working in today’s world people want the information now, and the faster you can get it them the better. Excel can boost your productivity, reduce human error, and if used correctly, will earn you a reputation as someone who can get it done. 


ASAP Utilities for Excel - The cheat for Excel, this cheap program enables you to be macro-tastic without the hours of having to learn visual basic and tons of code.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Software - Speech to text has come along way and I have found Dragon to be the winner. Easy to set up and use, Dragon is a life saver when I need to just spout and not worry about typing. Also super handy for spreadsheets when you are copying invoice numbers into a list. 

Ladies Efficient Organizer - I was using an excel spreadsheet for all of my stuff (by stuff I mean a million and one passwords, accounts, software serial numbers, etc. LEO lets me keep it all in one spot and there is a portable version I keep on a thumb-drive, total life saver.
Ginger - This is one I just started using, it is a LIVE grammar checker. I am a grammar dunce so this program saves my skin on a regular basis, they have several different plans based on how much you will use it and it is web based so it can be used on any computer. LOVE IT!

Google Docs (aka Google Drive)– This is a fabulous online resource that too many do not know about. It has saved my butt on many occasions, from the online ability to share a document in seconds without email, to the wonderful survey builder that takes all of the data and puts it into a neat excel file. It takes a few minutes to create the survey; you post it and gather the data when you are done!

Dropbox – Wonderful, easy file sharing program that makes it incredibly easy to share documents between teams while also securing files you do not want to be seen. It is also an awesome place to back up your documents. Instead of emailing files large and small, I save them to the shared box. It alerts the people I have shared the box with, and allows them to download, edit and resave to the same place.  All of your documents are also accessible online, safe and sound. 

Evernote – This is a life saver for those who are out and about or have several jobs, like myself. It is loaded onto your laptops and cell phones. Make a note on your cell and it syncs with your computer and vice-versa.  Your computer and cell are obliterated in a shoot out in Gotham City? Guess what? All of your notes can be accessed online. 

So what is on your utility belt, you can’t live without? Share it with us, you are amongst friends, we promise not to give away all your super-secrets.