Liberty

Today is Independence Day in America! I hope you enjoyed  family friends and loved ones this great day. Even though, it was a great day in History, I hope you made your own; by celebrating freedom, Liberty, and able to be who you aspire to be.
Keep doing what you're doing, being a positive entity.  Continue to create, whether it is through singing, dancing or writing.
YOU have Liberty!

Grammarly Corrected.

Happy Spring everyone!

I have taken a great leap and signed up for the basic free service of Grammarly! There is another option to get the Premium version, that checks 250 points + of your text. It's a program to help you to make the best of your writing, while on the web. I read a blog post about it several weeks ago. Although, I had heard about the program for a couple of years. I came to the conclusion that something like this can be beneficial for me as a novice author. I appreciate people that come up with helpful tools for someone like me.

Actually, I might be rambling off a bit, its because I am trying Grammarly out for the first time! So far, as I am typing, I am getting quite a few red lines under my typed words. That's okay. This program is already proving that it will be a valuable tool.

Maybe this will help me with getting those regularly posted blogs out. I think, sometimes it is a challenge when you want to write, but you might get overwhelmed by the editing you might have to do in the end,  Grammarly, is going to help speed the blogging process up! Yay!!

That's all for now, I just wanted to share my good news! if you want to check out Grammarly for yourself. You can click on the link. Grammarly.com


Dee

Best Books I Read in 2016

     Okay, okay, okay! I said I would read 52 books in 2016, that's a book a week for 52 weeks. It didn't quite happen that way. See, what happened instead...I read 15 books!! Yahoo!! I'll celebrate alone, if need be. I did not reach my personal goal last year.  I did better in 2015, I read just over 25. Whew! That was something.

     For last year, I have listed the books I read below, along with what I thought of each one. I thought I had my system all figured out on how I was going to complete the reading task...reading early morning before I started my day. That proved to be harder than I thought. In January 2016, I started off good, then digressed by March. This is a new year to practice. I just have to keep reading until I make it a permanent habit. 

     I think I took too much time trying to find the best book to read, to resemble the situation or  feeling that I was experiencing at the time. Uhmm, not a good idea. It just slows the whole vibe of getting to the story, by running pass great titles or covers.  Although, I still have last years list of books to finish, I'll try not to get distracted by purchasing or scrolling through other books on my reader; I'll chose from my old list. Oh, well, enough of me going on. Here is my list.  This time, I remembered to number the books in the order I read them.

 Books I read in 2016

1.    Concussion    by: Jean Marie Laskas   This book made me look at the NFL in a whole different way. I began thinking of youth players who play the sport through college. It was a bit saddening. But, Looking forward to the SuperBowl this year! #GoCowboys
2.    Waiting For Morning   by: Karen Kingsbury  This was a sad book. See the review above on my blog. I kept reading and It got more depressing. But it had an excellent point to make. I read it for my church book club.
3.    Black Water Rising  by: Attica Locke  I liked the twist in the story, and the background story of how the main character and mayor met. Ms. Locke is an Executive Producer for Fox's hit show Empire. Love her books.
4.    The Bible Way to Receive the Holy Spirit  by: Pastor Kenneth Hagin, Sr.  Small book with a lot of information. Great to give to someone who is inquiring about things concerning their spiritual life.
5.    Profit Blogging  by: Marc Guberti  I like this young man. He is always adept with fresh information regarding entrepreneurship.
6.    Go Set a Watchman  by: Harper Lee  Well, this was a mouth dropper. Atticus, noooo! Anyway, I thought it was cool for her to publish after all these years. What a humble woman. R.I.P
7.    Corrupted 1-25  by: Omar Tyree  I began reading serial books 1&2, then I purchased the whole book (set) as he called it. It was in my face! It had a lot of dialogue concerning the ups and downs of the book publishing world. I kind of think he was describing issues he's dealt with. It was very entertaining. The ending though! Check it out.
8.    The People Factor  by: Van Moody  This one will help you get silly people out of your life. Simple Biblical ways to avoid negative people and their issues, as well as, strengthening yourself. I had heard about it for years...was a pleasure to read. Loved it! 
9.    The Advocate  by: Teresa Burrell  I got this book from the author, Ms. Burrell whom I had the pleasure to meet at a book fair. Its the first in a series. I think she's going through the alphabet...she's like on book H, The Advocates Homicide. The Advocate was all that! Check her out on her self titled website.
10.   Water Ski Girl Wonder  by: Shellie Blum  OMG! Check her out on Facebook. The book is something special. I wrote a review on Amazon for it. Ms. Blum is hoping the book becomes a movie...better read it soon.
11.    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  by: J.K. Rowling Now,  I understand why children are fascinated. It has every thing in it to make them laugh, wonder, and dream. Oh, adults love it just as much. I had several adults spoil the plot for me.
12.    Who Asked You?  by: Terry McMillan   She still has it! I loved the book and how Ms. McMillan devoted chapters to each character. It is filled with modern day challenges and issues. I still find myself thinking about the outcomes. My niece told me that she attended Ms. McMillan's book signing in the State of Washington and she got her personal book signed ...Who asked her?! 
13.    Brooklyn  by: Colm Toibin  by: Sorry Mr., I don't know how to place the accents in your last name. This book was everything I expected. I thought it started out a little slow but, it then, It kept a steady pace and kept me intrigue, even after I read it. I plan on reading more of his books.
14.    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children  by: Ransom Riggs  I had this book on my reader for a while. I happened to stumble onto it back in 2012 or so. The book cover and title drew me in. I think I love the way in which the book was conceived as much as the story itself. I have to see the movie also. Great job, Mr. Riggs.
15.   Can You Stand to Be Blessed?  by: Bishop T.D. Jakes,  As always, Bishop Jakes deliverers a direct and powerful filled 119 page book, about perseverance, overcoming struggles and pushing the limits, to a fulfilling life in through Christ. a great quick read and pick me up book!

Well, there you  have it. I hope you find my list interesting. I plan on getting better at writing lengthier reviews. I think you get the basics of the books.

Do you have a few favorites from my list or your own? Feel free to reply and let me know.

Dee

New Year Bliss!

     Happy New Year! We are in 2017! I am forecalling it, "the year of bliss!" I hope 2016 was great for you and you accomplish many of your goals. Now, we are in a brand new year; everything is fresh we have a clean slate. We can get those books written, get articles completed, build our blog post, make new friends and reach out to millions of people.
      I just want to say,  2016, wasn't the greatest for me, But, it could have been worst...I'm glad it wasn't.  I was able to turn some things around and push forward. I could do much better.  We all can if we do not stop and continue to do our best; we can get to that point where we want to be in our writing endeavors and any area of our lives.
     So, for me, 2017 is the year of bliss! Let's do this! Let's make it that way....only we can do it ourselves.

Dee

It's Time! I 💘 NaNoWriMo

     NaNoWriMo it's here, people! Wow! Look how fast 2016 is flying by!  I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I participated in my first NaNoWriMo writing challenge. NaNoWriMo means National Novel Writing Month.  I stumbled upon it on the web. I read about it, looked over the website and, I initially, I said, "I don't have time for this." But, I guess I signed up for their newsletter and they kept emailing me...the hype got me  excited! You get coaches, Municipal Liaisons, were in some areas, you can go meet and spend writing sessions together. There are Word Sprints, were you are giving a certain amount of time to write, write, write. You can also win prizes and percentages off items, etc.
NaNoWriMo is pretty active over social media.  My favorite is following on Twitter, as well as their website. Both platforms, you can meet people and get support from other authors.
     I actually won in 2015! I wrote 51000 words!  The requirement is 50000. I was so elated! But, as of now, I'm still working on loose ends on my book I wrote last year's NaNoWriMo, Bingo, Baby! Begginer's Luck.   I've been working on it little-by-little...I've procrastinated a lot... just being honest.  It will be released soon! I'm going to tell you; this is pretty scary for me😰
     But put that aside... I'm excited about NaNoWriMo 2016! I have already committed and announced my second book in the series: Bingo, Baby! Instant Winners. I'm going to make the outline tonight.  I'm thinking maybe I should have 13 chapters...just because. 
     Tomorrow,  the fun begins.  November 1st to November  30th,  I'll step up to the challenge. I intend to have Bingo, Baby! Instant Winners, done in a couple weeks, at least by the 20th; that's when the winning begins! Plus, I'm going out of town. I encourage all of you to check out their website.  There you'll find lots of information. They have a store for you to purchase items, such as, t-shirts, sweatshirts, you can leave a donation to help further  support student writers. My favorite is the word counter; it keeps track of how many words a day you should type, to reach the 50000 word count goal by November 30th!
     I think NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity and fun. I am looking forward to doing so many more years to come. If you've already familiar with NaNoWriMo but, you don't want to take that 50,000 word challenge. Get your pens and paper, talk-to-text or just type, type, type away and get your book out there!
     Come on, I know we can all do it! If you are like me, I can't wait till my first book is released. Maybe this is your first or seventh book; I hear it is something to be happy and thankful about.  I'm looking forward to it. I hope you are encouraged. 
Happy National Novel Writing Month! 

Dee

Momentum Hacks

I wish I can say that my debut book Bingo, Baby! Is completely ready to go off to the publisher...not so. I thought I was busy before, but now that I have my sights on getting this book into the world, it is harder than I think.

I have not done much of anything since I did my first video chat on Periscope 7/17/16. I was extremely excited and proud of myself for going through with it. I just knew "going live," would be the catalyst to propel me to get my book out.
It didn't! Since that date I have seemed to have lost my momentum and  procrastinating even more!

I have excuses. Several events have interrupted my flow. Here are so of the events: My only son got baptized, my youngest daughter is representing Puerto Rico in the Mrs. United States Pageant in Las Vegas, my eldest daughter just received her B.A degree, my granddaughter travels and competes in basketball tournaments ...and I was chosen as her driver....not to mention that I will return to work (from summer break) on tomorrow...it goes on and on. I am not complaining about the wonderful events that have taken place. I am just feeling elated, but yet, a little guilty because I have now pushed forward with matters surrounding the book.
This is truly procrastination. Even though, I am busy enjoying sweet events, my book is just sitting, waiting on the sideline, to be put back into motion; tighten up the loose ends to be published.

I have decided to tuck my head a focus on the task at hand. Time is steadily passing. I have to utilize it. I will try to enjoy all the wonderful events surrounding me, as well as keep my nose to the grindstone. Don't come up for air until Bingo, Baby! is in my hands, ready to be delivered to wonderful readers. Can you believe, I still haven't chosen a cover? Procrastination at its worst. By reading back this post before publishing it, maybe it will give me momentum realizing how slowly I am dragging my efforts. Hmmm.. Time will tell.

Dee

Bingo, Baby! Book Pre-Launch Success

     A hearty thank you to all who took time out to sign-in on Twitter/Periscope on Sunday 17,16. My Pre-Launch was a success! I want to thank my guests: Mrs. Cherish Frazier of Cherish Your Beauty, Empire, Inc. Ms. L. Bailey of Quotz4ALL on Facebook., and Mrs. Charmill Vega if Make It Happen Center. MIHwithcare.com. Thanks for your time and sharing of your information.
     During the Pre-Launch, I showed and explained how to play Bingo. I talked about how the name of my book came about and encouraged viewers to not procrastinate, like some has done,😬 but to get busy on their projects, whatever they are.  I'm telling you, I was on a roll! I don't know where the energy came from. 😃
      I am just elated and ready to continue this quest for Independent Authorship. I understand that it will take lots of perseverance and focus to achieve all that I desire...to deliver great and enjoyable books.
     If you want more information on my guests that were featured you can email me at dblaregold@gmail.com, or type in their names on: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and you will find them.
     Thanks, again!
Dee