Saturday, December 24, 2016

M Lemont Unleashes Brilliance with Write Like You’re Already Famous!


Do you remember the Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka? The ticket to your wildest dreams and utmost fantasies? Well Write Like You’reAlready Famous (WLYAF) is like that. WLYAF is full of Golden Nuggets, each one a plethora of information when read, studied, pondered and then actualized will help you create your own golden ticket. When M LeMont states says you’re already famous he is giving you the keys to the kingdom, encouraging every reader to defy the ‘rules’, smash the box and break out of our own self-imposed shells. 

WLYAF is witty, thought provoking and entertaining. Author M Lemont shares a wealth of information in varies forms. Some of them direct, some subliminal, all with the intention of motivating you to be the best you can be and break out from millions vying for their fifteen-minutes of fame.

Write Like You’re Already Famous  starts as an interview, a taste of the finer things, a little dazzle and mystery with co-author Jennifer Lopez.  You get to eavesdrop on a conversation between two professionals and Jennifer does a great job of asking the questions I would have if in her shoes. Next you dive into the theory and the reality of being an author in today’s digital universe. It is a tough act and M Lemont shares his strife and victories. 

Then we get to the conversation with you (or me) the direct ‘here’s what you need to do and why’ nitty-gritty of the book.  This includes the Golden Nuggets as well as an introduction to other amazing thought provoking ideas and people out there doing exactly what you are! WLYAF has a bit of repetition, but for me repetition works, it reminds me of how everything is connected and nothing can be put in a silo. You can’t complete only one or two pieces of the puzzle and expect success, you have to follow through to the end. 

Reverberation and spinning of the same ideas in new ways  is actually one of the genius tactics in WLYAF. LeMont challenges the readers to the end, making sure they are paying attention and not skimming the nuggets. If you don’t read the book cover to cover you’ll miss some of the best information he has to offer.


M Lemont taught us about Twitter, the ins and outs and the steps to becoming a master of the Twitter-verse. Write Like You’re Already Famous teaches us about ourselves and give us the tools need to push out of the norm and accomplish our goals.

Get YOUR copy of the book now here. 
and then Come Find Me!

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Wednesday, December 21, 2016

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

In high school we were given the assignment to write a story about our family during the holidays. I was a kid and didn’t really appreciate my family at the time. I talked about my family as any teenager would, pointing out the oddities and ridiculousness of tradition. Now that I'm older, I realize the quirks I once saw as character flaws, are actually the threads that will, and do, hold a family together.  

When I look back over the years, some of the best times with my family have been during the holidays. As I have become an adult those times become even more cherished, little pieces of time, nuggets of gold that we carry around in our hearts. 

I have to be honest and state that I struggled with the topic of this post. We all have our favorite Christmas memories. We all also have those memories that are not so merry. Those are the ones we remember more than the good ones. We think of them as scars on our perfect greeting cards. The truth is, those scars make the meaning of Christmas that much more poignant. Those are the events that show us the true meaning of Christmas. 

When I was younger I couldn’t wait to start my life. It was never about what was happening at that moment, it was more about what was ahead of me, the bright, limitless future. As soon as I graduated from high school I moved out on my own. In that time I became fairly estranged from my family and Christmas was just another holiday.  The holidays came and went, and I was alone for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I lived in a one bedroom apartment by myself, and friends were co-workers.  I worked all the time. It was better than sitting in a silent apartment, so of course I worked the holidays. 

In February of the next year I found myself in a predicament and went to my mother’s house to ask for help. No one was home, but I went inside anyway. She and I hadn’t spoken in months, and my visit was unannounced. As I walked through my childhood home it felt different, foreign and like I didn’t belong there. Nothing about the house had changed, and I ventured into the kitchen where I found an overflowing gift basket with my name on it. The dust around the gift told me it had been sitting there for a while, just waiting to be claimed. It was then I realized I had changed. When I left my family, I was of the mindset that I was a girl without a family. As I stood there, it dawned on me that I was wrong. My family was without a daughter. I left the basket unclaimed, and left the house without leaving a note. 

It was time for me to be the daughter who deserved the seat at the family table. It had been saved and left empty, waiting for my return. Seven months passed before I rallied the courage to call my mother and that, to be honest, was out of pure fear of a mother’s wrath. If I didn’t call her that day, I would regret it for the rest of my life. You see, it was August 13th 1994, the day my eldest son was born. I was ready to come home and be part of my family again. 

On Christmas I think about the times I lived without my family, and it makes me cherish every moment even more. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this is true with holidays as well. You don’t realize what you have until it is gone. So the moral of the story is simple. Enjoy the holidays, cherish your family, savor the time you have. There is no holiday without family, and I use the word family loosely. Family -- meaning those who are loved and important in our lives. Happy Holidays to you all! I will see you in 2017!

Monday, December 19, 2016

Procrastination or Inspiration?

As a writer the easiest thing in the universe to do is procrastinate.  

You can find any reason to not write.
Too tired, laundry is piling up, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, you need to go to the store, weeds need to be pulled, the fly buzzing around the room is too distracting, kids need me, too loud, too quiet, no inspiration. I have used them all.

Fortunately, I've broken out of the sticky web of procrastination. Not saying that I don’t fall back every now and again. However I have realized that my procrastination will actually stall my creative flow. I am in essence putting my muse on mute. I have learned that if you keep it silent for too long, when you do turn the volume back up you will find nothing but silence.

I love people that tell you they are ‘working up to’ something. I have learned it is code for ‘I have no freaking idea what I am going to do’. But that’s okay. We've all been there, when the ideas and the flow seem just out of reach, so why waste time staring a blank screen? Why spend precious hours writing useless prattle? If the inspiration isn’t there, it just isn’t there…right?

See, here’s the thing…staring at the blank screen, believe it or not, is not a waste of time. Writing gibberish does more than give you sore shoulders. These seemingly useless exercises can in fact amount to brilliance. How? Because you are doing it! You are focused on your task. You are allowing your mind to wander to all of those wonderful places where the kernels of inspiration collect. Given enough time and patience they will pop and you were soar!

I have said it a million times and I cannot stress it enough. The reason I do is because I don’t want anyone to miss out on the chance of brilliance! If you are going to write, than write! If you are going to write a song, write it! If you are going to conquer the world, get to work!

Someone once said that ‘Procrastination is the ruin of the brilliant man’. And while I'm not going to go to that degree, I will say it is a slippery slope. So mind your balance and open the door for brilliance, it's waiting!

Come Find Me on Amazon!

Friday, December 16, 2016

Shockwave Character Blog - Kate Weiss


I have a problem with no solution. I think I'm in love with a man I can never be with. Just thinking about him makes me weak. No one has ever had this effect on me and I have to say it is really pissing me off. This is not the way it is supposed to work. I don’t want or need a relationship. I don’t have the time or energy. But…oh the way I feel when I am with him. His control over me is palpable, scorching and addictive. I lose myself in the warmth of his touch, his demanding embrace and his liquid gaze. 


The memories of our night together are still fresh in my mind. While I struggle to push them away they always return. We can never be together, we come from two different worlds and I know how that works. I can’t do it again. So if my brain knows this, why won’t my heart listen? Why does it continue to call his name in the dark of night? 


I left for a reason, he rejected me. He thinks I lied to him, that I was keeping the truth hidden from view. The betrayal shining in his eyes still stabs at me. How could I ever ask for his forgiveness when any relationship we could build is doomed to failure?





Taking a deep breath, he moved across the parking lot and to her door. He was about to knock when he heard his name.


“Jack?” He turned to see her walking toward him, her male companion at her side.




“What are you doing here?”


“I needed to see you,” his eyes locking with hers.


“You two obviously need to be alone,” Kate’s friend said giving Jack a look of warning. “I’m going to head inside.”


Kate simply nodded, not breaking Jack’s gaze. The man disappeared into her house. She stood staring at him and Jack realized she was waiting for him to say something.


“I wanted to apologize for the way I left things in Vegas.” She looked away from him.


“Thanks, but it’s over. I’m --”


“I know I messed up. I didn’t mean to push you away and I--”


“Jack--”


“I don’t know what this is. All I know is that since you left 
everything…stopped.””


“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Her eyes filled with emotion and he saw a ray of hope.


 “Listen to me,” moving closer, looking down into her eyes. “I know that this isn’t what was supposed to happen, but it did and I want to start over.”


“I’m not good for you, Jack,” hugging herself as if a chill had fallen between them.


“That’s not true,” shortening the space between them. The ocean air swept through her hair, her scent filling him. “I have never been more alive than I am with you.”


“It’s a fantasy. It isn’t real.”


“Yes it is,” seeing the denial in her eyes. “I’ve tried to forget, Kate! I’ve told myself that it wasn’t real--”


“No, Jack…”


“But I was wrong! It is real and I can’t let it go,” refusing to let her push him away, keeping her eyes locked within his. “And I don’t think you can either.”

He watched her struggle and wanted desperately to wrap his arms around her.  He forced himself to stay where he was. She gulped something back and took a deep breath.


“I have nothing to give you.”


“I’m not asking for anything,” searching her eyes for some sign of hope.


“Yes you are.”


“Kate…”


 “You are…you are looking for Texas Kate. Problem is that laid back, nice, Texas Kate doesn’t exist! My life is complicated, dangerous and all consuming! At the end of the day there is nothing left.” she purposely stepped back, out of his reach. “You think you know me, Jack, but you don’t.”


“You’re right I don’t, not all of you. But I do know the Kate I rode the stratosphere with, the woman who prefers an orange soda over a beer, who didn’t hesitate to tell me when I was being a selfish ass. The exquisite creature I held before the world exploded.”


“Please…stop.” the words sent her spiraling away from him her hand running through her hair as she refused to meet his eyes.


“I’m useless without you.”


“I’m sorry.”


“There’s nothing to be sorry for!”


“Yes there is. I was trying to run away from who I am and you got caught up in it.  None of it was real. The Kate you are talking about doesn’t exist, she never did. I’m sorry that I misled you—“


“Don’t do this. Don’t stand there and tell me it was a lie when you know it wasn’t! I know you felt it too. I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me. It was overwhelming and I can’t forget. I don’t want to forget--”


“It’s a fairy tale,” breaking away from any connection he had made with her. 
“It’s not real. She’s not real! I created a character to cope, to hide and you fell for her, but she doesn’t exist. She never did! Let it go.”


“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”


“Believe it, I’m not as understanding as your Kate. I don’t have the time or the patience. It’s unproductive and does me no good.”


“Fine,” blocking her eye line, forcing her to face him. “Look at me and tell me that you don’t want me here. Tell me that I am crazy. Tell me there is nothing but air between us and I’ll go.”


They seemed frozen in time. Jack saw a flicker of light in her eyes but it disappeared, as if she had consciously decided to extinguish their last ray of hope, and his heart ached.


“I’m sorry, Jack.” He watched her turn and walk away from him. He wanted to stop her, tell her that she was being stupid. They could make it work, but he didn’t. He let her go.


He let her walk away.
~

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Thursday, December 15, 2016

The Genius Brain of M LeMont – How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers

I discovered M Lemont via Twitter (shocker, right?). Someone re-tweeted a promo tweet for his book, Write Like You’re Already Famous! The cover of the book and the title intrigued so I went on to Kindle Unlimited and downloaded it. Took me only a few days to start reading and within the first chapter I was already taking notes! I honestly haven’t finished the book because I immediately downloaded How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers: Twitter Secrets Revealed by An Expert (HTG100K Dare 2B GR8 Series) and dove in.

I have read a lot of marketing / social media how-to books and I usually don’t complete the books (even if they are short). I rarely review these kind of books because I hesitate to endorse or condemn anything that is subjective. All of that being said, I am not only going to rave about this book I am also going to admit my professional worship and  intellectual crush on M LeMont.

M LeMont (@mistersalesman) while an open book, is a bit of a mystery and personally, I kinda dig it. He’s like the alpha male of social media—confident, cool, educated, a love of the finer things and I know he has a gadget or two he is keeping to himself. 

So he is cool, big deal? Why, why is this on different, Amy? Why are you willing to go out on limb for this guy, this book, this system? 

Well as LeMont would say, the proof is in the results! I’ve been using only part of the system he lines out in the book and I have already gained 134 followers since the beginning of December 2016.  I know, my word is not enough, well peeps, let me lay it out.

HTG100KTF is simple, logical, and encouraging. . Lemont’s tone is not condescending or arrogant. His narrative voice makes you feel like he is talking directly to you, an old friend, over a glass of wine. In his book, M LeMont encourages you to engage him directly and it is not just a ploy. He is also completely engaged on Twitter! I have engaged him directly several times and enjoyed the conversation. Not auto-tweets, not canned answers, real conversation with candid commentary. 

How To Gain 100,000 Twitter Followers: Twitter Secrets Revealed by An Expert (HTG100K Dare 2B GR8 Series) is not a promise, it is not a guarantee, because the results depend entirely on you. HTG100KTF is a comprehensive, logical, no nonsense, no double-talk, plan of action for you to, for whatever reason, increase your influence on Twitter. 

As an author trying to find an audience, I whole heartedly recommend this book. Read it, follow it, memorize it and get it done. 

Here is a clip from the Amazon listing of HTG100KTF
 
“I'm not only the Author of a bestseller Twitter book, but I'm also a CLIENT. I USE the strategies every day to gain 200,000+ followers. I gain over 12,000 Followers a month and so do a lot of other people who read the book and implemented the strategies.”

The Book Offers:
• The Secret tool how to find people who follow back
• Six Powerful Factors that work fast!
• How to use the Secret formula to gain 300-400 followers a day
• Strategies for an unfair advantage
• Time-saving shortcuts

Come Find Me!
@AmyJRomine