The LAST Word

 Libraries, college alumni associations and book clubs offer summer reading programs. Here are some options for your summer reading program. The newest book, Coastal Voices and Visions , came out this year with an essay I wrote in it. The anthology includes stories of living in Florida or Carolina coastal waters. Common Sense by James E Razzino is a thought-provoking book to cut through the noise about issues affecting the United States. The government is chipping away at our rights. As authors and business owners, we should protect our freedoms and rights to say whatever we want. The book also will help you decide who to elect for Congress, president, governor, state legislatures and councils. Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/jameserazzino to get your copy. Are you having back pain? You should read this book before you agree to have surgery on your back. Michael Ahearn went through four back surgeries, and now his back doesn't align correctly. He has had issues stem...

 Summer time is great for eating watermelon, writing by the beach, and enduring thunderstorms. Many times after the storms, a rainbow appears in the sky. It is beautiful to see in the gray sky. It adds colors and should give you a sense of inspiration and peace. Unfortunately, the beauty of the rainbow has been altered by how people use it. Instead of using rainbows as symbols for something ugly, try using rainbows for inspiration for your writing. 1. Beautiful Colors -- If you have ever seen rainbows after a storm in the sky, the colors are vivid against a dark stormy sky . These can make you think of colorful descriptions for your settings. Everyone knows the seven colors of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and indigo). However, the colors of the sky can range from a bluish gray to a deep charcoal when a rainbow appears. Those bright colors against the deep charcoal can be impactful.  2. Resilience -- They also can represent resilience of your...

 For this year's Earth Day, I plan to write tips on how small businesses can help the environment and still save money. Usually, I debunk myths about the environment, but I have done a few of those blogs. If you want to read about those myths, you can click on the link. Buy Remanufactured Electronics -- Computers, cell phones, electronics and old gadgets are filling up landfills at a high rate. Most computer components and cell phones can't be recycled. With cell phone companies, they ask consumers to replace their phone every two or three years. Then, they choose not to support the older software, which means people have to throw away their phones for a new one even though they have one that works fine. Small business owners can buy remanufactured computers or toner to save money and the environment. These computers put newer components in older casings, which means they do not end up in landfills. They are usually several hundred dollars cheaper than those that are brand ne...

    Authors have to figure out their characters first before they begin plotting or creating a setting. Sometimes, the characters and setting come at the same time, such as a lady in Regency England. When authors determine the characters, they are able to fit a setting around them. Here are things to consider when writing characters . Sometimes, authors are unsure how many characters are enough for a story. The answer depends on the type of fiction and author's taste. Fantasy authors often use 10 to 12 main characters to build out a world while romance authors can stick to about four or five. Children's authors use one or two. You need interaction, world-building and suspense, but you also do not want to confuse your reader with two many characters. This confusion often shows up in movies when directors pack a movie with characters and fail to develop them. If you are unsure, let someone outside your genre read it to tell you.  The most believable characters have ...

  Authors get inspiration for their characters from many locations. The more relatable your characters are, the more likely you will be successful as business owners and writers. For example, the above character was created for a client of mine who needed to talk to entrepreneurs about technology so they could understand it. I created Joe Entrepreneur who asked the author direct questions that were answered in each chapter. In this blog, I delve into some common traits of characters to make them relatable.   1. Transfer What You Feel to Characters -- Some people have asked me what led to me writing my first novel. I answered that I was lonely, and the main character was lonely. As I wrote, she absorbed my loneliness. Then, it was gone from her too. Have you noticed that sometimes our characters take on what we are feeling at the time of writing? Fiction is a great way to release those anxieties and fears we have every day because we can put them into the characters. ...

  Spring is a great time of year. The colors are as vibrant as those in the fall. The difference is they are buds and blooming instead of dying and preparing for hibernation. Plants, trees and animals are breaking free from a long cold winter to enjoy longer days, warmer weather and mating season. You will see purple, pinks, white, yellow, light green, blues, red, orange and lavender. Spring is a time of renewal on the Earth and in your soul.  But, with spring also comes the dreaded Daylight Savings Time. This is a system we do not need and should outlaw. First, the name is incorrect. We aren't "saving" daylight. We are moving it to be later in the day, but the number of hours that are bright is the same in EST or EDT. During June, it is about 12-14 hours of daylight whether that day starts at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. Second, it was started for farmers and to save energy, but most of us live at our computers inside an office instead of on the farm. I would also argu...

  I often hear first-time authors worry about the publishing process. Because it's Halloween, I want you to know that it doesn't have to be scary. Whether you write horror, fantasy, self-help or cookbooks, the process is not difficult. If you trust your abilities and your instincts, you could create the perfect book without being frightened. Here are tips on publishing. What to Say If you feel like you need to write a book, you also will know what to say. For example, you want to inform readers of a new technique and believe you need to write a short book about the technique. After you have done your research, your mind will help you organize your thoughts into the book. If you are writing fiction, you will hear the characters' voices in your head as you sit down to write. Your writing coach will guide you on what is important to say and what you should eliminate.  What Art to Use All books, fiction and nonfiction, print and electronic, must have ...

    Everywhere you look, people are told to embrace technology to make our lives more efficient, help with marketing and automate mundane tasks. While I agree that writers do need to embrace technology, there should be caution. Here are some pitfalls that technology can cause. E-mail Marketing -- Due to changes in policy at Google and Yahoo, e-mail marketing software companies are having to change their system to be in line with Google and Yahoo's rules. Unfortunately, writers , such as myself, do not know how to update their websites or e-mail addresses to add in the special coding that is required to authenticate my website domain. When I added coding to where I thought it was supposed to go, I no longer can send simple e-mails from Thunderbird. I use Thunderbird because I have many e-mail accounts that I need to track. Thunderbird puts them all in one place. It's annoying that I can't use louise@lastresearchandediting.com to send via Thunderbird because of changes I ma...

  Happy new year, fellow writers. I am often told by new authors that they think writing a book is too much work or too daunting a task, yet they always tell me that they think they should write a book. To start the new year, I thought it would be good to give some tips on reducing your stress over writing fiction. 1. Set Goals -- January is the perfect time to set goals for the year. This applies to all writers and business owners. You want the goals to be realistic. For example, "I will write every day." Set a date for when you want it completed. Set another date for editing and marketing . 2. Break Down the Project -- Before you start your work, break down the big project (a completed book) into smaller parts: outline, 10 pages a day or one chapter a week, first draft completed, edited draft, completed manuscript and published. This helps to make it not so daunting a task. Remember, a book is either 6x9 or 8.5x5.5, which means those 10 pages are really half ...

    I am going to have some fun with my blog today. Here are things I want this Christmas. I put it in the 12 days of Christmas song. On the first day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: a contract for editing On the second day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: two press releases On the third day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: three blogs to write On the fourth day of Christmas, my sports stars gave to me: four #Eagles wins On the fifth day of Christmas, my company gave to me: five thousand dollars On the sixth day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: six ways to market On the seventh day of Christmas, my customers gave to me: seven times the pay On the eighth day of Christmas, my dentist gave to me: no more procedures On the ninth day of Christmas, my family gave to me: nine days of laughter On the 10th day of Christmas, my customers gave to me: 10 book reviews On the 11th day of Christmas, my family gave to me: 11 hugs and kisses On the 12th day of Chri...

 I wrote a series of posts for a writers' group. I am rehashing some of them here. Fantasy Plotting There are tips to be gained about plotting. This month, we focus on fantasy genre. Here are some rules to keep in mind when writing fantasy. 1. Medieval Times -- Even though you create a new world or a fantasy world attached to our current world as in Harry Potter books, you usually set it in medieval times. That means clothes and weapons of that era. If you choose to use modern day, you can add medieval elements. 2. Swords, Wands, Magic -- Most fantasy novels involve sword play, wands and some magic. How much you use these things is up to you. Some books are full of them. Others put in a little here or there. 3. Relatable World -- Make sure the world you create is relatable to your audience and is understandable. If you create a language, make sure you define words. If you create laws and rules, make sure you tell the reader what those are. In every book, magic has cert...

  Easter is just a few weeks away. Instead of writing about marketing or editing tips, I thought I would highlight some Christian books that you could buy for gifts. The Thief, the Harlot and the Healer tells a fictional story of strength and courage in 33 A.D. of a woman who had no rights. The main character by Mike E Clements was abducted as a young woman and forced into prostitution. She has the courage to leave the brothel and is looking for salvation, but she doesn't believe her life is worth saving despite what people tell her. The story leads the reader to Rachel kneeling before the cross and understanding how much God loves her. Words in Red: Witness for the Prosecution thinks about the people around Jesus and what they did for a living. The main character is a scribe for a leader in the Jewish religion who is trying to get evidence he can use to prosecute Jesus to death. The writer follows Jesus throughout his life and listens to His teachings. Colin Rank captures how ...

  It started when libraries banned Dr. Seuss . This is violating the 14th Amendment. Now, "Sensitivity Committees" want to rewrite Roald Dahl's books to make them "sensitive" to today's audiences. How can they know what Dahl wanted his characters to be. They are his characters. Only he knows what they are thinking and doing. No one can say, "It was meant to say this." That is the first problem.  The second problem is that if "Sensitivity Committees" rewrite characters and books, they are making everyone the same. That will read quite boring. In the real world, people say negative things, do negative things, do not care about being sensitive or politically correct, and act whatever way they want. Most people know what is right and wrong. Therefore, fiction should reflect life. That is why these stories stand the test of time. They reflect life, and readers can relate because they know people like the characters. The third problem is rewri...

When you are looking for ideas for stories, blogs, poems or press releases, you should consider holidays, such as Valentine's Day or Presidents Day. You can find ways to use them in your writing or business marketing.  You might be surprised to know that I write romance novels but hate Valentine's Day. This might seem odd. I write about love, but I don't like the day dedicated to love. The reason I don't like Valentine's Day stems from being alone in high school and college. In high school, one of the fundraisers was to sell heart-shaped lollipops with messages on them. It was hard to watch many of my friends get messages and I didn't. In college, everyone on my floor was given something for Valentine's Day except me.  To me, Valentine's Day is set aside to make those without a significant other feel bad about himself or herself. Even after I met my future husband, I asked him not to give me anything on Valentine's Day. To this day, he will give me ...

    People who know me, know that I love football. I went to Eagles games as a kid with my grandfather and father. I still support my Eagles. I supported them when they didn't win games, and now, they head to divisional playoff round. However, I think we can pull some ideas from football to improve your business marketing and your writing . 1. Get First Downs -- In football, the goal is to get into the End Zone for a touchdown, but before that, you need to march down field 10 yards at a time. This relates to business. You have keep moving, being consistent with your marketing and being patient to trust your marketing will work in the long-term. Nothing happens overnight. Many people think they can get a quick score. Sometimes, in football, that happens, but usually it doesn't. Same is true in business. You can't expect people to know you and buy from you immediately. This is also true in writing. Your main goal is to finish a book, but you need to remember to break down...

      January is a great time to start fresh on the year. I like to clean out my files on the computer that I no longer need, and I also move the file folders I don't need going forward in the new year. That gives me a new beginning for my writing and my business. I also re-evaluate what I do for marketing for the year. You can decide where to focus your marketing and what you can do differently. It always is a good idea to try something different in the new year. This is true whether you are an author, small business owner or employee. Although employees are told what to do every day, they do have to market themselves to land the job in the first place and to keep their job. Here are my tips for your market plans this year. 1. Do Video Marketing -- Authors often don't like being in front of the camera, but they should do some videos about their books. Having someone interview you on their podcast or YouTube channel would be great. Creating your own YouTube chan...

Writers are always looking for inspiration. They will use art, nature, family life and quotes. They even get inspired from other writers. Marketers also are looking for inspiration for blog ideas or places to sell your products or services. My favorite way to get inspired is through watching television or movies. Here are my favorites. Year Without a Santa Claus – This will inspire you to do whatever it takes to reach a goal. If you don't know the movie, Santa is sick and doesn't want to travel around the world to deliver the gifts. He thinks no one cares about him. Two elves, Jingle and Jangle, go to Southtown USA to find children who care about Santa. They have to get their reindeer from the pound, talk to the mayor and deal with the Miser brothers, but they are successful. The mayors declare a holiday for Santa and show him that children still care about him. They kept trying new ideas until they got what they needed. You can keep trying new things to be succ...