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Scooping The Litter Box #MFRWauthor

There are days I feel like Dexter’s mom when I’m running around the house. The only difference is I refuse to wear yellow rubber gloves. My gloves are green. Even though madge says that Palmolive is good for the hands, it’s rough on my nails. Besides, I hate washing dishes or actually the silverware. Another thing I would pay not to do is to scoop litter.

 

I know, two alternatives would be you use disposable plates and cutlery, but is that environmentally sound? Not to mention the expense of purchasing those items on a regular basis. It’s more economical to just pay someone to wash the dishes.

 

And the alternative to scooping litter would be to not have a cat. I’m working on that but in the meantime I have a self scooping litter box.

 

Self-scooping when it decides to work.  I’ve found that even trying to bribe or pay the kids, when they lived here, didn’t work. No one likes scooping the litter box.

A self-scooping or cleaning litter box is definitely the way to go. And the one I purchased worked great until it didn’t. And since I have two cates I have two litter boxes. One of the traditional kind since one of the cats is territorial about where he goes. So I’m stuck scooping.

 

Anybody want a black and white domestic short-hair? He’s free to a good home…

 

 

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Five-Minute Friend #MFRWauthor

How was your day? Not what you were expecting? That’s okay. Tell me what you enjoy seeing in a book.

 

Several years ago, I attended my very first writer’s conference. You know, one of the big ones with NYTimes bestselling authors on the roster, the kind of place where an indie author gets pushed to the back of the room. Yeah, one of those. Let’s just say it was an enlightening experience. It taught me the value of a reader.

 

Readers love to read and more importantly, they love to share what they’ve read with other readers. While chatting with one of the readers, she mentioned that she only reads M/M romances. I was going to let it go at that, but I couldn’t. I asked her what was the appeal for her. Her answer was that the characters and situations were real.

 

Ding! Ding! Ding! Flashing lights, balloons and confetti descend from the sky.

 

I could’ve pushed and boasted about my books, but going that route wouldn’t have granted me a five-minute friend.

 

What’s a five-minute friend?

 

It’s someone you’ve taken the time to know how they’re doing, what they’re looking for, or if they are having any issues. I first heard this term from my son when he did sales at a previous job. but the principles apply for marketing as well.

 

Establish a rapport with the reader.

 

Instead of bragging about Lynn Chantale, ‘The Queen of Sensuality’ I took the time to find out what a reader likes and wants in a story. It didn’t matter that it was M/M. what did matter was WHY she liked reading the genre. Had I not taken the time to build a relationship, which marketing is all about, I’d have lost some valuable knowledge and a potential reader.

 

Next time, instead of jumping in with how great the story is, try getting to know the reader. You’ll be surprised at what can be built with a five-minute friend.


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Prelude to a Plot #MFRWAuthor

Prologue – a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work. Now that we got that Google definition out the way, when do you really see a prologue? At the beginning of the story, of course. 🙂 

 

Writers use this tool across multiple mediums. In movies and television, it’s called a teaser. In fiction, it’s a prologue. It’s that bit of information that’s shown to whet the imagination. One of my favorite movies The Mummy’, opens with a dark priest, forbidden love, betrayal, murder and retribution. The Magi guard the tomb of tee dark priest to make sure he’s never resurrected.

 

Clive Cussler employs the prologue in many, if not all, of his novels. One that stands out for me is ‘The Silent Sea,’ where five brothers explore a rumored treasure pit and only four return home.

 

I use the prologue in my writing. It’s a useful tool to set up the rest of the story. Why? Hopefully, the prologue will have the reader asking how does this tie into the rest of the story? Or what’s so important about this tidbit of information? 

 

In The Mummy, it was the catalyst for Evie to prove she’s worthy as a scholar and archeologist. In ‘The Silent Sea, Chairman Juan Cabrillo of the spy ship Oregon to foil a plot to world domination. 

 

I like prologues because it can give backstory without having to use flashbacks or a lot of ‘telling’. The write can ‘show’ the reader instead. A prologue isn’t necessary, but it is a useful tool. 

 

“Indulge Your Inner Romantic” 

 

 

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