Author: PTLPerrin

WRITING AND EMOTIONS

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If you want a great read, pick up one of my friend D.L. Finn’s books. They have plenty of emotional content to keep your interest. Here, she shares how important that is.

Story Empire

Heart Shaped Colored Pencils created in Canva, Pixabay

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about emotions and writing.

Last month was National Poetry Month, and I celebrated it by reading poems. Most of the poetry books I read evoked emotions from me. Those that did not, I stopped reading. I didn’t feel wonder, anger, amusement, fear, curiousity, sadness, or hope. It left me with nothing because I wasn’t emotionally invested.

With poetry, there are a limited number of words to capture the reader’s attention. A poet has the hard task of doing this immediately. When I’m reading, I must feel something, even uncomfortable, and it has to be within the first couple of lines.

This got me thinking about fictional writing. Do these same emotions pull me into the story? They do. Like any good relationship with people, I have to care about the poem or story. Otherwise, I move…

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#RRBC Shines the light on #RWISAAuthor, @healthmn1, Day 6 as May’s “Spotlight” Author! @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA

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As an Indie Author writing a new series, I often think about what my book covers will look like. Harriet’s example is her eye-catching non-fiction cover (a book that’s next on my TBR list). She’s an amazing lady. Enjoy her post!

Blog Tour Maven

RRBC _SPOTLIGHT_ Author

Elements of an Eye-Catching Cover

Self-published books and books published with independent publishers need to be as eye-catching as the books other companies publish. Potential buyers who are surfing the internet make up their minds in seconds. Few seconds. That’s why your book cover needs to have these elements.

The Grandma Force by Harriet Hodgson

  • Title that conveys what the book is about. One-word titles seem to be popular these days, but that can be chancy. The title of my book, TheGrandma Force, makes people think about the word force. While you are thinking of a title, think about the sub-title.
  • Explanatory sub-title. The sub-title should leave no doubt about the theme of your book. A long sub-title is fine. In fact, a long subtitle can tell the potential what they need to know.How Grandmothers are ChangingGrandchildren, Families, and Themselves is a long sub-title and it works.
  • Font that suits the…

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It’s Day 2 of #RRBC Spotlight Author Blog Tour for #Author, Harriet Hodgson @healthmn1! C’mon @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBCSA #GriefDoodling

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I like nothing more than to support an outstanding author like Harriet, who has poured her life into helping others. She’s written many books, but this one especially touches my heart as a Mom and Gramma. Read on to see why….and don’t miss the great recipe she shares!

SUSANNE LEIST

Harriet Hodgson Brief Bio

Harriet Hodgson, BS, MA has been a freelance writer for 42+ years, is the author of thousands of print/online articles and 42 books. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Alliance of Independent Authors, and Minnesota Coalition for Death Education and Support.
Harriet is Assistant Editor of the Open to Hope website. She is a contributing writer for
www.opentohope.com, The Grief Toolbox, and “Grief Digest,” now an online magazine.
A popular speaker, Harriet has given presentations at The Compassionate Friends national conference, Bereaved Parents of the USA national conference, public health, Alzheimer’s, and caregiving conferences. She has appeared on more than 185 radio shows, including CBS Radio, and dozens of television stations, including CNN.
This award-winning author loves writing so much she writes in her sleep. GriefDoodling: Bringing Back Your Smiles, written and illustrated by Harriet, is her latest…

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Don’t Call Me Crazy! @nonniejules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @4WillsPub #MentalIllness

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Nonnie Jules has some timely and sensitive advice for the times we live in. Don’t let the picture fool you. She’s MUCH prettier and has a heart of gold.

Watch Nonnie Write!

Several days ago, I receive a Twitter notification on my phone: Lee MacMillan, Instagram Influencer, Dead by Suicide at 28…

I am not an Instagram user and I wasn’t familiar with the name Lee MacMillan until I received this notification. Always curious as to the reasons people decide to take their own lives, I took a seat on my chaise to read through the story in its entirety. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about Lee MacMillan.

By all accounts, she was a beautiful young girl, who could have easily been anyone’s daughter — even mine. I watched her videos on YouTube, again, wanting to know as much as I could about this beautiful young flower who felt that the only way out {of her pain} was to end her life.

Since the pandemic began, we are hearing more and more about mental illness…

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THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE … @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @nonniejules #RRBC #RWISA #Poetry #writingcommunity #readingcommunity

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This poem by Nonnie Jules moved me today. Life IS uncertain from our limited perspective, but when we choose God and, like Nonnie, thank Him for each new day, we can be certain that He will never leave us no matter what happens in life.

Watch Nonnie Write!

This morning I opened my eyes, rolled out of bed onto the floor, and onto my knees, to pray.  This is a morning and nightly ritual in our family.  My kids are adults now, but the last thing I say to them at night is, “Say your prayers, on your knees.”

I always begin my prayer with … “Thank you, Lord, for waking me up this morning … “ but after saying those words this morning, my prayer was cut short as I jumped up and ran to my desk to pen the piece below.  (By the way, I did return to finish my morning prayer).

THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE

We lie down, but we don’t know if we’re going to wake up.

We leave the house, without the certainty that we’ll ever return.

We get behind the wheel of a car

Not to go far…

Just a few blocks…

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Research – Love It or Hate It

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The title of Joan Hall’s blog immediately caught my attention today. Do you love or hate research? Like Joan, I started out one way, and quickly learned what an adventure it truly is. Enjoy!

Story Empire

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today.

I have a confession to make. When I first began writing fiction, I hated to do research. I didn’t want to bother with such mundane tasks. Once I even wrote a blog post titled “Research, A Necessary Evil.”

I’m not sure why I had such an aversion. I’ve always loved history and trivia. In general, I’m a curious person and there’s no telling what might pique my interest.

But with writing, I was like “Thanks, but no thanks.” Maybe I wanted to adhere to the adage, “Write what you know.” Needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to discover I knew very little.

The setting of my first novel was in a fictional Texas town during the horrible drought of 2011. I lived through that time. I experienced the better part of two months where the daytime temperatures reached triple digits…

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Quotes and Writing

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I love quotes that inspire, challenge, affirm, confound, and make me think. How about you? I found this fun post by my friend D.L. Finn, whose books I enjoy reading. Check out her fun quotes matchup game!

Story Empire

Hi SERers! Denise here. Today I’m going to talk about something I appreciate, quotes.

Growing up, I heard many quotes that would make me think. There were a few my great-grandmother would repeat to me, and I would nod with no understanding. Later her wisdom would replay itself to me, and when the youthful veil lifted, I understood her words.

Some words affected me so deeply I passed them on to my children.

A favorite of mine was, “Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.” Words my great-grandmother may have borrowed from Edgar Allan Poe’s line, “Believe nothing you hear and only one half that you see.” It’s even truer today with social media.

As an adult, I not only appreciate quotes but read them any chance I get. When I’m overwhelmed with writing projects or I draw a blank, it’s nice to connect with…

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Another reason to read and write…

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Enjoy this great blog post by Gwen Plano via Story Empire! Gwen has overcome some powerful challenges, and shares the proven benefits of something you may love doing as much as I do. If you need an excuse to do more reading and writing, Gwen is serving it up to you here!

Story Empire

Hi, SEers! Gwen with you today. After learning that March is Brain Injury Month, I thought it might be interesting to share some medical benefits of reading and writing. Before we begin that discussion, though, I’ll digress with a personal story.

In December 2018 I had neurosurgery and in February 2020, just as COVID reared its ugly head, I had my second surgery. Because of an unusual spine disorder, I developed multiple leaks along the spinal dura which ultimately caused my brain to sink into the cervical area of my neck. I know that sounds strange, but it happened. Fortunately, I had one of the best neurosurgeons in the world and a very positive outcome. Prior to the surgeries, I had severe narcolepsy. I could fall asleep midsentence and not remember a thing. I had limited use of my fingers and could only raise my arms slightly. I glimpsed…

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RELECT UPON THIS: Don’t Trip On Your Way To Greatness! @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA @nonniejules @JohnJFioravanti #Quotes

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John Fioravanti is a superb author and a man whose reflections on his favorite quotes are inspiring and deeply encouraging. I’m sharing this post from my friend Nonnie’s blog because I know you’ll love it as much as I do.

Watch Nonnie Write!

One of my favorite authors has been on a bit of a writing-hiatus lately, but fortunately for those of us who have been inspired by his writing, Author, John J. Fioravanti, has a new release coming out this year!  His first book of quotes, REFLECTIONS: INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES & INTERPRETATIONS, is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2020 RWISA SUPREME BOOK OF THE YEAR Award, so that means it is an excellent read!  I’ve no doubt, REFLECTIONS II will follow closely in its footsteps.

Because I love and live by profound quotes, I was honored to find that in John’s first REFLECTIONS, he reflected upon a couple of my personal quotes.  As I was reading through the book again the other day, one of his reflections resonated with me so loudly, that I just had to share it with you here. 

Here is Reflection # 31: 

“DON’T TRIP ON…

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Welcome to Day 1 of the #RRBC “SPOTLIGHT” Author Blog Tour for @bakeandwrite! @RRBC_Org @nonniejules #Poetry

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Poetry like Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s poem, The Beggar’s Child, moves me like a tuneless song whose words create the rhyme and rhythm that speaks my heart’s language. Take a deep breath, and let her speak to you, too.

Watch Nonnie Write!

Hello, Friends!

As poetry is my first love, I am so excited to open up RRBC’s March “SPOTLIGHT” Author blog tour for member, Robbie Cheadle! Robbie will be sharing her love of poetry with us today via her book, OPEN A NEW DOOR: A COLLECTION OF POEMS.

Robbie, welcome to Watch “Nonnie” Write! although today, we’re going to watch you! Take it away!

In the author’s own words…

I like simple poetry that shares a powerful message. I also like poetry that rhymes.

I have heard that poetry editors hate rhyming poetry, and that rhyme has become a sore subject in our modern world. My understanding for this dislike is that people believe that serious subjects cannot be tackled using rhyme because poets make their poems to frilly and nursery rhyme like.

I like rhyming verse and it is my ‘go to’ from of poetry. I hope that the topics…

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