Publishers Comments – Page 27 – Rosepoint Publishing

Freaky Friday Features

I’m a list person.

And a scheduler.

Sometimes I keep a list within a list (i.e., grocery list on my daily list). Perhaps the list and the schedule go hand in hand. I keep a list to remember what I’m supposed to do that day. Ergo, the schedule. That creates the time frame for the list. Before I retired, it was a great deal more detailed. I won’t say the list was down to the minute–more like the quarter hour. Things are a little more relaxed now, though I still run through the mental list in the morning so I can set the pace for the day.

I suspect it is easier to keep that modus operandi if you are single. Living with a spouse or partner involves their schedules or lack thereof. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t have one. He is now retired–again–and doesn’t feel any urgency in keeping any kind of plan–daily or weekly. So it is when he came home last week and turned our world upside down that I find the first casualty in my previously ordered world is now my writing schedule; blog posts and copywriting.

We are now on an extended fact-finding trip searching for possible employment and housing opportunities associated with the locations of our son and daughter. (Heaven knows we are not getting any younger.) I hope that the earth will slow the spinning a bit for me in the near future, but for now, this is my contribution for the Freaky Friday Feature. 2016 ©Virginia Williams Resource Box

Friday is Fun Day

Freaky Friday Features

Probably like myself, you tend to slack back on Friday–it’s the end of the week. You may have dress down day; finish those nagging projects that took all week. Did you finish your chapter, edit your book, or create the outline of a new one? Now you can sit back, ruminate on the work week and look for a little relaxation. This is the time to wind down. The weekend will likely present non-stop activity, and too soon, Monday starts the whole thing over again. It’s happy-hour time. Friday is Fun Day!

Artists who do amazing caricatures just blow me away with their renditions of our well-known personalities. It’s not just a matter of capturing the one outstanding feature that defines the person–it’s the ability to capture the character behind the face. It is the very essence of the celebrity–like a book cover that describes the book–words become unnecessary. From writers to musicians, politicians to television personalities, there is no one safe from the pins and brushes of those prolific artists. These caricatures amuse, stimulate, and conjure stories and ideas.

I just love this particular caricature of Stephen King, but there are a number of interpretations of him out there. Also posted on my “Outrageous Pins” board is Agatha Cristie, Donald Trump, and Barbara Walters. Check them out. Then sit back and relax. 2016 ©Virginia Williams Resource Box

Freaky Friday Features

YAY! As promised, I’ve found an outrageous, but totally delightful, Pinterest pin for you this Friday. Yes, I can do outrageous and delightful at the same time, because if you’ll look at this pin you can see it is righteously both.

Now here is a woman who managed to create herself back in her 20’s and has pretty much stayed in the game, actually using her aging model self to her advantage. I realize there are others who have done the same, but can you honestly point to another with quite the same panache? I think not!

Iris Apfel is 94 (born August 1921) and has a very strong fashion style. But I have a question—where does she exhibit this style? When she goes to the grocery store? To the doctor? Uh Oh…..did she drive there herself? Does she party? With other 90 year olds? Is this her day-to-day makeup? And how long does that take? Actually, I’m pretty impressed she can move her arms; those bracelets are not made of styrofoam. This is scary–I’m not that far behind her! @ 2016 Virginia Williams

Craft a Feature Post

Okay, this is one I can get into up to my well-endowed and rapidly aging hips since it follows my new discovery–creating pins for Pinterest. The current assignment from Blogging 101 is to craft a recurring feature post.

Perfect–and I know JUST what I’ll call it:

Freaky Friday Features

While the title is not terribly original, the first one posted is a pin I created today using of one of the latest discoveries from my Grandfather’s treasure trove, a painting of Cocos Island. (Only freaky, I guess, if you consider the original painting is close to 90 years old.) Yes, another subject I’ve covered fairly well on this blog. The island is a fascinating study actually borne of all the stories relating to pirate treasure, including the Loot of Lima. There were a number of pirates who buried their treasure on this island, however, one of which was Edward Davis, the subject of my grandfather’s sail to the island.

There are a number of reasons I like the idea of a recurring feature: Continue reading “Craft a Feature Post”

Who Writes This Stuff?

Hubby and I are probably the last couple in the U.S. to discover the drama series “Breaking Bad.” Living and traveling in an RV using Wally World parking lots, family driveways, and over-the-air antennas will seldom get you much in the way of serious TV other than news and weather–if luck is holding. Actually, we went the way of free over-the-air antennas well before that giving up on the ever-escalating charging practices of cable and satellite companies. Social Security benefits just doesn’t include extras

The series, originally aired on the AMC network through 5 seasons, tells the story of Walter White. Yes, yes, I know–you’ve seen it! Then I don’t have to mention the impact it has on you–scenes continue to haunt your thoughts. Who writes this stuff??! This series was widely regarded as possibly the best television series–ever. The event stacked up awards that included everything from writing to acting including best actor and supporting actor. They all deserved the awards.

In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time.

Continue reading “Who Writes This Stuff?”

Do You Need Inspiration to Write?

I’m very proud of my fellow Idaho Author Community member, G. S. Wright, for continuing to doggedly get those words out there. He has an unparalleled drive I’ve not seen in many other authors in that he is keeping, and posting, his total daily words. No, Garth is not writing a book (he’s writing several). Garth has a number of projects going, including series installments and short stories.

I admire his dedication and keen ability to keep all his plots separate in his head. It must be a youth thing, as I feel accomplished getting out one blog post a week. Back during the Blog Challenge, I took on writing a blog a day for five weeks. Thank heaven for the writing prompts, as I am slow to initiate when forced to originate. For me, writing comes so much easier and more natural when inspired. skyline

My inspirations often hit when walking the dog and I walk her several times a day. Impossible to stop and make notes, I begin dictating thoughts on my handy-dandy cell phone which is also keeping track of my steps, miles, and route.

Last week during a visit with my hikin’-lovin’ cousin came a crash course in writing prompts, inspirations, and blog post ideas. Lost! Difficult to dictate when hiking with someone and gasping for breath. Fortunately, the hiking trails themselves were inspirational and apparently something this area (Phoenix) excels in providing. Who would have given serious thought to a desert, which may exceed 120^o in the summer, would discover the winter-long pastime of hiking? Continue reading “Do You Need Inspiration to Write?”

Do You Buy A Book From The Cover? Covers Get You Noticed (or not)

Perhaps you buy a book based on the cover–I bought this one because I loved the cover. It is compelling, isn’t it? You HAVE to look at it. Is it the face, the expression, or just because it’s a cow? There is something in those whimsical eyes that makes you want to see/read more. And that’s what I’m talking about!

That old sage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” has a multitude of meanings–generally considered that we shouldn’t let first appearances seal our judgment. That’s true! But I see the cover before even reading the title–don’t you? According to Nick Thacker of The Book Designer, you do as well!

Covers Get You Noticed!

How heavily does a book cover get you noticed (or ignored)? There is a reason so many experts in the business point to obtaining a professional to design your cover–it leads to attention and credibility.

The First Impression

The cover represents that instant first impression–critical to maintaining interest. It creates a visual impression regarding your writing. Does it exhibit quality? Millions are spent on packaging. How is your packaging? Does it project the feeling that you didn’t care or just wanted to finish the book and get it published?

Covers Promote the Genre

The best covers communicate the genre of the book before the title does. The cover of the book above spoke volumes and I knew what it would be about before I read the description.

But if you think about the genre of the book you are currently reading, is the cover:

Bloody, violent, or dark? Is it a thriller, mystery, supernatural, vampire?
Muted tones of blue or pink with two people embracing–romance?
Ultra-future depictions of buildings, vehicles–sci-fi, fantasy?
An authority figure standing next to a desk pointing at you–non-fiction?

Many publishing houses are dusting off the old favorites now with expired copyrights and designing new eye-pleasing covers. Penguin Classics is having a great time with their successful reprints of the Jane Austen classics. The venerable Barnes & Noble began more than 20 years ago with its “Collectibles Editions.” Fresh New Cover! Show me the money!

I enjoyed the blog written by Liz Stinson years ago regarding the book whose cover judges you before you can open it. The subject of book covers, however, is one I’ve scrutinized before on this forum. I decided to use my grandfather’s own paintings for several of the covers for the manuscripts written and painted a century ago.

Incidentally, how did you perceive the book I introduced above? Did you correctly guess that this is a folksy, down home bit of western Americana? The book examines three generations of a family living in a gritty, small town in rural eastern Oregon. Ox (Gramps) has increasing age-related health problems as he is met by his son with the startling discovery of a skull on their five-generation ranch property that quickly has his son Jiggs questioning all he’d believed about their family origins. Jiggs’ son, Nap, is caught between the two and is too young to have sufficient experience in dealing with family issues he isn’t privy to. Jiggs, however, is determined to discover to whom the skull belongs.

While my grandfather wasn’t a professional book cover artist, it somehow seemed appropriate to use those little pasteboard paintings as they were originally intended. To quote another of those famous old sayings, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”