The X-ed Bird, Some Threads, & an Elephant in the Sky

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with social media. I’ve been complaining about it (sometimes right here) for almost ten years. Yet there I still am.

For me, drowning in the sea of social media platforms that we “should” join isn’t new.

However…

Changes have been made and things are happening and it’s all a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment. 🔥🔥🔥

The tweeting blue bird has officially been X-ed.

Threads are weaving through the online world. Messages are floating through the big blue sky. And mammoths are running amok.

Never being one to jump at the shiny, new thing, I’ve not done so with the millions who are Threading. (Yes, I just turned that into a verb. I’m embarrassed.)

Still, I am wondering whether these new (or newer) platforms might be worth it.

Threads *seems* easy. I’ve heard of Mastodon. I recently got an invite to Bluesky. And yet. 

I’m not really active on any platforms at the moment. I honestly don’t know where to share stuff anymore. Because I want to share. Sharing is nice. 

Don’t get me started on all the privacy issues, the owners who are…sketchy or worse, the potential problems (because of said owners and, let’s face it, people on the sites). I try not to think about it too much and just live in a small bubble of followers and followees.

My random thoughts in (slightly over) 200 words.

Are you on any of these platforms? How do you like them? Which do you suggest? (And, may I ask, why?) 

 

Why I’ll Never Write a Novel

While compiling the latest anthology, I found this paragraph in the middle of one of my stories.

I wrote this while trying to pen a 500-word piece. Five. Hundred. Words. It’s no War & Peace, my friends. It’s five hundred measly words. And, wow, did I struggle.

It’s sad but kind of hilarious (to me, anyway). Figured I’d share it.

Me, writing:

Okay, think I’m done. Phew. Not bad, Sarah, not bad at…how is that only 136 words? Dammit!

Okay…add some here, one more…no, that sucks. How about here? Okay, not bad. Now it’s…what? 287 words? I can’t add anything without ruining… Well, I guess… Yeah, I could try that. Nope. Oh, how about here? And…again no.

Oh! This would work. Boom! 373 words?! FFS!

Maybe I’ll start a new one. No, I’ve worked on this all week. Argh! Okay…skim, skim…here could work…no. Here…nope.

Okay, I guess I could add to this part but I’m saving a draft because this is totally going to ruin the story. Type, type, type, aaaand…362?! Wait, what?! How?! Oh, right, I deleted that part so this part would work. RAWR!

People have asked me how I cut my pieces down to so few words. Well, that answers it. I don’t. I struggle to get to where you all are at.

We all have our crosses of t’s and dots of i’s to bear, I guess.

As funny as it is (because I really did write this in the middle of a serious story), it made me wonder if I’ll ever be able to string enough words together to write the book(s) I’ve always wanted to write. Maybe novels are not for me.

My random thoughts in 200 words or less.

Watch this space for news about the newest volume in The Shadows We Breathe series!

Do you write flash? Micro? Short stories? How do you cut your word count down (or do you)?

 

Spring Has Sprung: Vernal Equinox

One week ago, 20th of March, was the first official day of spring. The Vernal Equinox–a time of beginnings and balance.

We’re given a fresh start as the earth wakes from its winter slumber. I’m going to take full advantage of this opportunity with the support of the universe and all its energy of newness floating about.

This past week, I tried. I made lists and plans of what I wanted to do. What I needed to do. I got overwhelmed. And I’m happy to report, I used my One Word, and breathed.

I stepped back from the lists and breathed. I went for sunny walks and breathed. I went for muddy walks and breathed.

Then I found an equinox post from years ago and decided to follow this advice from myself:

I’ll sip my coffee a little slower, savoring its flavor, and watch birds gather on the still-bare branches of the tree outside my window. I’ll listen, really listen, to them chirp and sing.

I’ll go for a walk to see tiny, lime green shoots peeking through caked earth. I’ll imagine the seeds of my dreams growing with the world around me. This is the season I will bring my ideas into the open, shake them out, and dust them off.

Day and night are of equal length on the equinox, lending its balance to us mere mortals. I gave up years ago trying to attain the elusive balance. It leads to frustration. Life will always tip, sometimes just a bit, to one side or the other.

Instead, I try to be aware and adjust accordingly. From that same post, I found some advice about this:

I will take some time to look inside myself, find pockets of discontent and fill them with light. I will also acknowledge the darkness. I will refuse to tuck away the uncomfortable pieces. Because, along with the beauty of relaxation and joy, the ugliness of stress and upset is part of me. Hiding them or denying they are there is unhealthy.

In this way, I honor my whole self. This is, in essence, “finding balance”.

My random thoughts in (slightly over) 200 words.

How are you, gentle readers? Do you feel like you could have more balance in your life? Are there any new projects, mindsets, or habits would you like to start?

Happy Spring! 🌿 (And, to my friends in Australia, Happy Autumn!) 

 

 

Light & Hope at Midwinter

In many cultures, past and present, February 1st is a promise of release from the dreary darkness and bitter cold of winter. Beneath the frozen earth, life stirs. This midwinter celebration, halfway between the first day of winter and the first day of spring, gives us hope.

Like watching your children grow, you look up one morning and say, “When did you get so tall?” Those extra minutes of sunlight each day since the Winter Solstice have accumulated. Lift your eyes, look around, become aware of the light. The lengthening of days is a slow process—but the change is now noticeable.

The pressure to set goals, reflect on last year, or make resolutions to better ourselves is associated with the calendar New Year.

The first day of February offers a fresh start. It is about new beginnings. It brings knowledge that the seeds we planted are deep within—there is life underneath the frost and snow. These plants will soon break through the soil, reaching and growing.

Trust that there is life in the darkness and there you will find hope.

My random thoughts in 200 words or less.

Health & happiness to you, my friends. 💖

Beauty Is Not Enough

Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

Spring

To what purpose, April, do you return again?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.

Life in itself
Is nothing,
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,
April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

It’s spring. Though it feels more like a distant cousin. A time of year in which we struggle to find our place during the uncertainty of seasons. When we throw off our jackets and listen to blue jays. Then huddle in our heavy coats and listen to howling winds. When we both turn our face to the sunshine and dance between raindrops.

It is that unpredictability we crave when the earth beneath our feet is frozen solid in winter or lush with summer greens. But the fickle springtime plays in quicksand, leaving us wishing for stability, making us wary.

Sometimes we see the roughness of the world around us, regardless of its softness and beauty. Sometimes in spite of it. And, sometimes, it just ceases to be enough.

In these moments, I take a deep breath and return to my OneWord for this year: “embrace”. I embrace the uncertainty, the rough edges of life, and only then am I able to embrace its beauty.

My random thoughts in 200 words or less.

(This has become an annual celebration of April coming in like an idiot, babbling, and strewing flowers. 3rd year I’ve seen this old post and thought “how fitting…” The uncertainty of spring mirrors life yet again.) 

Here’s to embracing the year as it unfolds. Happy Spring, gentle readers. 💚🌿

You can read the entire poem here: Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay

One Link to Rule Them All

 

 

Most of you know of the “universal” or “global” link for books. A lot of authors use it. The link allows you to customize your book url so it redirects interested readers to the correct country. (Amazon .com becomes Amazon .ca or Amazon .co.uk—you get the idea.)

So, yes, I do want this. And, sure, I’m willing to learn about different options. Which is why I’m here today.

The companies that change your link range from free to one-time fee to monthly subscription. So you can assume they range in services. (They do.) We’re going from cut-and-paste-your-link to tracking sales, customizing domains, and tons of other techie stuff I don’t understand.

Some give you a link that automatically redirects your Amazon customers. So your country’s Amazon store will become their country’s Amazon store. This allows readers to quickly and easily buy your book from the site where they have an account. This is Amazon only.

Others completely transform your link. They go global and create a link that works in every country, on every operating system (iOS, Android, Windows…), in every store (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks…), on every device (laptop, tablet, phone…) so you’re not only international, you’re, like, intergalactic.

Here are a few that I’ve seen. If you use any of these, please let me know in the comments. If you know of any I’ve missed, drop those in the comments, too. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

SmartURL

BookLinker

RelinksMe

Books2Read

Genius Link

 

My random thoughts in (a bit over) 200 words.

Do you use a universal link? Do you like it? Which company would you suggest and why (price, ease-of-use, accessibility for buyers)?

 

I was recently searching for the best universal/global link when I remembered this post. Forgot it was from 2017 (!) but, as it’s still relevant and quite timely for me, thought I’d repost it.

Since that post, I’ve been using BookLinker, and it’s worked fine, but I’d like to change it. I don’t need (or want) bells and whistles but do want to branch out (and away from an Amazon-only link). 

A Fresh, New Look

 

 

So… Remember all the hubbub about whether or not I should change my book covers? Well, folks, the deed it done. Just a super short post to show you the new beauties.

Meet the new Hinting at Shadows and On the Edge of a Raindrop.  

 

 

To celebrate the new look, Hinting at Shadows will be on sale for a limited time. Just 99c/99p! 

 

I’m guest posting over at Marcia Meara’s today (thanks, you fantabulous gal, you) so go check that out! 

 

Huge thank you to the talented Loni Townsend for the gorgeous cover art.

And thanks to Allie Potts for getting these covers into print-ready form so I could have my precious paperbacks (and for creating the beautiful 3D images). 

 

Hinting at Shadows

On the Edge of a Raindrop

Changing Your Book Cover

 

 

I’m not sure how many authors feel that annoying need to update their book covers. I didn’t think I would.

But I do.

However.

I have some questions, concerns, and downright worries about doing this.

Hence, the post.

Thoughts are whirling in my head (as always).

Where do I start? Do I go with what I love or what is marketable? What about the cost? What if I change my mind and/or the cover again? What about all the places I’ve already put the images online? What about readers who have my books and mistakenly think I have a new book and purchase it? (I’ve heard of that happening and, full disclosure, I’ve almost done it.) Gah!

I know I’m forgetting something. Or, possibly, many somethings.

I know some authors who update their covers regularly often occasionally and others who never have. *shrug*

Moneywise, timewise, pain-in-the-ass-wise. I just don’t know if it’s worth it. All this has kept me from just going ahead with it. But I’ve wanted to for a bit now and I’m getting antsy. What say you, gentle readers?

 

My random thoughts in under 200 words.

 

Authors: Have you ever thought about changing your book covers? Have you actually done it? How did it go?

Readers: How do you feel about authors changing covers? Does it throw you off/make it difficult to find the next book in a series? Do you think the author has a new book? 

 

Hey, Lovely People… It’s #WorldKindnessDay

 

 

It’s Friday. TGIF, right? Also, it’s the 13th. Which means, well, it’s Friday the 13th. So… Spooky, creepy, unlucky, and all that jazz. But here’s a cool thing about today:

It’s World Kindness Day. 

What a lovely thought.

I mean, sure, yeah, every day should be World Kindness Day. Just like every day should be Earth Day. That said, regardless of wishes and whatnot, today, November 13th, is World Kindness Day. 

I’ve always been a fan of RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness). I also sort of like the whole being nice to people on a regular basis thing. And this day is rooted in a desire for more kind acts, random or otherwise. So count me in. Always.

A global celebration of being nice? Yes, please.

I know a lot of people (including me) will say we need this now MORE THAN EVER. Seriously. Look around. With everything going on… But then, really, not so much. We always need this. We do. 

While you’re being kind to neighbors and computer screens full of colleagues, remember to be kind to yourself. (That’s one some of us forget. *ahem*) 

 

Here’s to kindness, both given and received. 

My random thoughts in (slightly over) 200 words.

 

Hoping things are kind in your world today (and always).

Happy World Kindness Day, my friends.❤️🌎 

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/world-kindness-day/world-kindness-day

https://inspirekindness.com/

https://worldkindness.org/about-us/

#WorldKindnessDay2020 ❤️🌎 #BeKind #MakeKindnessTheNorm 

A Canopy of Green

 

 

The trees haven’t started to turn.

Usually, this late in September, there’s at least a splash of color touching the uppermost tips of maples and oaks. The proverbial fall picture—yellow, orange, and red. The fiery gems of autumn.

But when I go for walks, I’m covered by a canopy of green.

It’s weird.

When I look out the window this close to October, I want to see a seasonal landscape. The jewel-toned leaves of autumn are gorgeous but, also, they would bring some normalcy to life. I kind of need that right now.

Yes, I know. I know there’s a scientific explanation (weather and such) but it somehow feels like nature is apprehensive. Like it’s mirroring the angst. Like the leaves don’t want us to see what color they are. They hide beneath their chlorophyll so we won’t see what the world really looks like. And right now, this year, the uncertainty of not knowing what color the world will be is too much.

 

 

My random thoughts in 200 words or less.

How are things in your world? Has some semblance of normalcy returned? Any autumnal color in your neck of the woods? 

 

Happy Autumn, my friends. 🍃🍂 (And Happy Spring to my friends in the southern hemisphere.)