Why I probably haven't been writing

Wow, it has been about a year since I last posted to this blog. And here I thought that by now I would have something finished and published. Not so much!

I often struggle with getting my words and stories out of my head and onto paper. There is no shortage of ideas. I can see storylines from start to finish. I can envision characters as if they were real-life friends with whom I had just had a casual dinner. They just stick in my head. Some kind of fear appears to be the barrier for their dismissal from my brain. Why is this??

Today, I had an epiphany. After four years of waiting, one of my all-time favorite novels was finally on sale for Kindle. I have read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier dozens of times. I have seen the movie just about as many. Both the book and the movie are family favorites. I remember a sort of phone chain that existed along my father's side of the family, any time that the movie was going to be on TV. I own multiple copies of the book, including one version that ties into the movie. 

When my father was in a coma four years ago, I tried to keep his brain engaged by talking to him and reading to him. I really wanted to read Rebecca to him, but didn't want to spend $8 for a Kindle copy to read on my phone. I settled for Jane Eyre, instead. (Another family favorite.) I have kept my eye on the book, occasionally checking on it, but it has always been expensive.

FINALLY, today, it was on BookGorilla for the lovely sale price of $2.99. I immediately snagged it. I settled into my friends' pool and opened it up. 

...Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again...

Immediately, I was swept away.

I read the first few chapters while soaking in the pool and hot tub. I savored every single word as if it were a sweet morsel of decadent dessert. I found myself getting emotional. Then, I sent my best friend the following text:

I know part of the reason I don't finish my stories. Because my words will never achieve the poetic perfection and imagery of people like Daphne du Maurier.

She totally understood and doesn't blame me. I want to put out the best of me.

I love many contemporary authors. I realize that I would also be a contemporary author. People such as du Maurier, Austen, and the Brontes lived in a completely different time period. Perhaps that has something to do with why their words are so much more eloquent. I still think that good writers today should be able to have their own spin on this style of writing. That's what I want to do. I want my words to evoke images and emotions as they are woven together. I want my words to stand the test of time. I want people to read them again and again. Perhaps I have placed the bar a little too high for myself. That is a fault of mine, yet a fundamental part of who I am.

So, how do I fix this? I really don't know. I already read constantly. I do write a lot, as I pen reviews of the books that I read. I know that I need to write my other stuff on a daily basis (or on some other regular schedule). I don't always have the time, nor the inclination to do so. And, I now realize, that I don't have the faith in myself to do it, either. I guess I need to get over myself and just start getting stuff out there. We shall see how this goes.

#FeaturedFiverr Memorial Day Weekend Sale!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Most of you will be out there celebrating with loved ones. I will be remembering those who served and who are lost, but while working.

Take advantage of my workaholic state this weekend! Any Fiverr book/author promotion gig ordered between now and 11:59 PM EST on Monday will get a FREE bonus gig extra!

Order a gig and get your cover as a blog ad in the sidebar for a week or a bonus five daily tweets for free!

Order one gig extra and get the other one free!

Or, order both gig extras and get bonus tweets and extra days in the sidebar! Your choice!

Browse my Fiverr gigs here!

Photo courtesy linder6580 at FreeImages.com

Win a Kindle Fire from Winsor Hoang, author of 'The Bull, the Bear, and the Baboon'

Product Details

Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (September 20, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1484888987
ISBN-13: 978-1484888988
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches

Description:

Why do 90% of the people who start trading FX lose money?

‘World-class traders, trainers and authors’ have spent many years exaggerating, misrepresenting, advocating techniques that no one could ever master, and taught out-of-date, worthless techniques is why. Adding to the fact that new traders trust “experts”; they attend “free” how-to-trade FX seminars offered by self-described expert traders; they buy books that “reveal the secrets” of successful traders and eventually have to learn a lot of hard lessons of big money losses.

This book will arm you with the knowledge you need to avoid the fate of 90% of new FX traders and in turn, big money losses.

How can I be so sure? I was one of the thousands who graduated from the school of big losses. The only thing I became an expert in was losing money. I paid for courses, bought and read books, and purchased a number of software systems when I first became an FX trader.

I only wish is that this book had been available then, being armed with these lessons and those learnt from others' experiences. I would have saved thousands of dollars of hard earned money, years of time, and trouble at home.

This book details the experiences of seven of us who believed the experts. It reveals the ways FX trading experts misrepresent their success, why the methods they teach don't work for traders. Reading this book before you spend anything on “expert” training, you’ll know what questions to ask, how to get to the truth, how not to get taken by disreputable trainers, and how you can more likely become one of the 10% of new FX traders who actually make money.

After two years of planning, writing and editing, utilizing Winsor Hoang’s 15+ years’ experience in the forex market as well as drawing on the experience of others, this book is able to identify the lessons learned and ways to be more aware of the pitfalls of investing in a competitive forex market.

With so many “experts” in the market, taking peoples' money and offering nothing of value in return, this book provides a wealth of knowledge that every new investor should know when entering the forex market!

The Bull, The Bear, and The Baboon offers an insight into the currency trading market through the eyes of seven people, each with a different reason for becoming a trader. Their individual stories and the ways in which they interact and influence each other provide the reader an eye-opening portrayal of the trading world.

Both entertaining and informational, this book reads like a suspense novel and, at the same time, offers practical advice to both the novice and experienced investors. It is a captivating narrative story in what is typically a nonfiction, educational genre.

Inspired by the overwhelming number of swindlers that fool the average individual entering currency trading, this book is written for mainstream audiences, weaving very real trading cautionary points into the technical pitfalls, disciplines, and psychologies related to trading.

Buy on Amazon

Harry, a stock broker who lost everything in the dot com crash, turns to foreign exchange currency trading where he quickly learns there is more money in training than in trading. Selling students dreams of independence and wealth, and selectively showing his own trading history, Harry is again living the high life. But, seven students soon realize that Harry was selling lies, and everyone will have to pay the price – including Harry.

The Bull, The Bear and The Baboon looks inside the currency trading market through the eyes of seven people, each with different reasons for becoming a trader. Their individual stories and the ways in which they interact and influence each other provide the reader an eye opening portrayal of the trading world. Both entertaining and informational, this book reads like a suspense novel and, at the same time, offers practical advice to both the novice and experienced investors. It is a captivating narrative story into what is a typically non-fiction, educational genre.

Ron, an entrepreneur and self-made multimillionaire, needs a new challenge. Michelle, an unemployed, recent college graduate is seeking income. Joey, a compulsive gambler, sees a new game he can play from home. Each succumbs to Harry’s sales pitch and enrolls in a course that will change their lives – and the lives of four others who band together to form the “Gang of Seven.” The Bull, The Bear and The Baboon recounts each person’s situation, examines the reasons their trading strategies failed, offers specific steps that investors should take to avoid losing all their money, and outlines a trading edge to significant profitability, even when one is right only half the time.

Inspired by the overwhelming number of swindlers that fool the average individual entering currency trading, this book is written for the mainstream audiences, weaving very real trading cautionary points into the technical pitfalls, disciplines, and psychology related to trading.

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About the author:

Winsor Hoang is the founder and CEO of CTS Forex, and is also a registered Forex commodity trading advisor (CTA) with the National Futures Association (NFA) offering managed account services to high net worth individuals with a minimum account of $50K. Winsor is the author of “The Bull, The Bear and The Baboon – FX Lessons Learned the Hard Way." Using his 15 years of automated system design as a professional electrical engineer, Winsor has successfully transitioned to systematic trading development. Winsor started researching the FX market in 2003 and founded CTS Forex in 2007, specializing in the systematic trading of the EUR/USD currency pair. Winsor has nearly two decades and more than twenty thousand hours of trading experience. Not all of Winsor’s twenty thousand hours came without their challenges, losses and learnings though. Throughout this process, Winsor and those around him had some very interesting and varied experiences with their introduction to FX trading from many “experts” around the world. In his book, The Bull, The Bear and The Baboon, Winsor shares his lessons learned to help others avoid the same pitfalls he and others experienced.

CTS Forex actively works with several high profile mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and computational finance specialists at the University of Calgary and other leading institutions to develop reliable and robust trading systems. Joint FX research has also produced several academic papers that have been published in first-class international scientific journals such as Journal of Mathematical Finance (JMF), Elsevier Procedia Computer Science Journal, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Journal, and International Conference on Computational Science. CTS Forex uses an automated, statistical, risk-managed FX trading system that produces profits with just 50 percent winning trades. CTS Forex's systematic trading has the advantage of imposing strict risk discipline, avoiding emotionally induced errors, and capturing profitable opportunities. Automated trading has proven to increase portfolio returns by removing the need for 24-hour monitoring of international markets, overcoming the effects of human emotion and eliminating costly trading pattern inconsistencies.

If you are interested in more information about our Managed Forex accounts, please call CTS Forex on 1-888-260- 3939 or contact us at info@ctsforex.com.

The author is giving away a kindle fire 7 inch tablets for a reader. Fill out the form below to enter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

'Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism' by Karina Poirier

To your dismay, your child has received a diagnosis of autism. Along with this alarming news comes the barrage of emotions that suffocates you like an avalanche— denial—confusion—depression—guilt. You want to fix your child; you have a million questions; and you want answers immediately. Autism is a journey in which the child and her family navigate challenges and experience achievements along the way. To guide you in this rewarding journey, Dr. Karina Poirier offers her expertise in this book that parents will find incredibly useful.

In this book, you will find the answers you’ve desperately been seeking. Dr. Poirier has provided in simple, easy to comprehend language, an overview of child development, a descriptive explanation of how autism affects each developmental area, and guidelines for advancing your child’s functioning in all developmental domains. You will appreciate the multitude of hands-on, full-color sample lessons for teaching social and emotional skills, language, problem-solving and decision making, and play skills to children with autism.

Publisher: Social Cognition Publications | Irvine, CA Color: Full-color illustrations Pages: 300 ISBN (Print): 9780988798205 ISBN (Digital): 9780988798212 Available: March 2014

Available at: http://www.socialcognitionpublications.com/

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Improving social and communication skills in children with autism

Dr. Karina Poirier, author of Unlocking the Social Potential in Autism, says that understanding a child’s unique needs is the key step to dealing with concerns and developing their strengths.

“Bring everything into the light. The worst thing you can do,” she said, “is to ignore the issue. Parents can help their children learn how to communicate better and develop social skills that will help them thrive later in life.

Get help early, identify the specific issues you are facing, ask questions, learn everything you can, and devise a concrete and detailed strategy for engaging your child so key skills are developed and strengthened”.

Here are her answers to some key concerns that parents of a child with autism are faced with.

Q: My child can sit through a learning task on the iPad or television; however, he becomes restless and fidgety when working with a teacher. Why?

A: Your child’s attention system is reactive. Consider how much children learn from viewing television. Teachers struggle to get children’s attention when an activity does not include the sensory kaleidoscope children are used to receiving when sitting in front of the television.

Key Action: Children must be taught at an early age how to develop the mental tools (attend, remember, think) to engage in deliberate and self-directed learning experiences with an adult’s guidance.

Q: My child does not respond appropriately to mood changes in others (e.g., when a peer’s mood changes from happiness to distress). Why?

A: Your child may be lacking the ability to read nonverbal cues. Children with autism often have impaired ability to read, interpret, and process social and emotional messages. Children who are unaware of others’ thoughts and feelings risk not developing the sense of self.

Key Action: Treatment to teach the child the emotional codes that are part of the social experience. The child needs to develop the ability to understand other peoples’ emotions from their facial expression, tone of voice, and body posture. The child should be taught to recognize and interpret how people around him think and feel.

Q: My child has difficulty with describing his/her day at school, recounting an experience, or relaying a message. Why?

A: Delayed recall skills utilize episodic memory. Episodic memory allows us to remember past events and share these events with others. In other words, it is how we engage in reciprocal conversations with others. Episodic memory produces a conscious awareness of events that have occurred at any one time; it enables people to remember what happened to them in the past or to conceive the future.

Key Action: Effective treatment is required for the child to learn about memory strategies and to practice remembering. Through repetition, the child develops not only better recall of past events, but also the skills to communicate the memory of the event to peers or adults during a conversation.

Q: My child is verbal and has good command of language; however, he has trouble initiating conversation with others and taking turns during a conversation. Why?

A: Children with autism have difficulties in social initiation and social-emotional understanding. Engaging in a reciprocal conversation with others requires the development and interaction of memory, information processing, and expressive communication skills—all of which are pervasive deficits of children with autism. It is not that these children do not desire involvement with their peers. On the contrary, they do have the desire to be socially engaged with others; however, the dilemma lies in the fact that these children lack knowledge of social norms.

Key Action: Effective treatment that emphasizes social norms and rules, and teaches children how to process social information by distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information in a social situation. Initiating and maintaining a conversation requires a person to have social knowledge, which is knowledge of event schemas.

Q: How much play time is appropriate to include in my child’s learning routine?

A: For a young child, teaching through play is extremely important. Play gives children something to do with their ample free time; it also serves the important purpose of honing children’s physical, social and emotional development. Play does not occur spontaneously in children with autism the way it does for typical children.

Key Action: Investing significant time teaching through play focuses the child on developing fine and gross motor skills, interpreting the social cues of other children and adults, and responding to those social cues appropriately. Play can be used to develop the ability to interact with, explore, and, ultimately master their surroundings. Play is an essential part of the learning process, and its ability to mimic real-life scenarios makes it an ideal way to stimulate overall development.

---

About the author:

Karina Poirier, Psy.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Karina Poirier is the Director of the Center for Social Cognition , a board certified behavior analyst at the doc-toral level (BCBA-D), and a certified cognitive educational therapist. Her clinical practice is devoted to providing outstanding individuals and group therapy that improves social and cognitive outcomes for individuals with autism, ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and related disorders.

Learn more at www.drkarinapoirier.com.

ONLINE RESOURCES

http://www.drkarinapoirier.com
http://www.facebook.com/CenterforSocialCognition
http://www.twitter.com/SocialCognition
https://plus.google.com/+Centerforsocialcognition/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2hZCpP_TDdGzWxrREAbJ4w

Win a $75 Amazon gift card Fill out the form below to Enter

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Full week off means it will all be done, right?

I have had this entire week off from school. No, it isn't a massive snow day collection. My corner of Upstate New York has actually been just on the edge of the Polar Vortex that keeps swooping down upon the US. We have only had two days off for extreme cold. One of those days, we were the only school in the area that closed. (Perks of a private school!)

This is Presidents' Week. While most of the nation celebrates on Monday, we take off the entire week. It is also known as Winter Break. And just like every other break, I had these grandiose plans of getting the house completely cleaned and organized, and finally finishing one of my stories and/or books.

Did I achieve my goals?

Pffffft. HA! Same disappointment as every other break.

No, I take that back. I did actually accomplish some things. I have actually been ahead of schedule on most of my book blog posts, instead of rushing to get them done the night before (or really stinking early in the morning). I've gotten in some reading of choice, instead of only mandatory book reviewing for book blog tours and publishers. I racked up tons of points on all of those fun sites that let you earn Amazon gift cards. (Want to know which ones I use? Let me know and I will share links!) I even managed to clear out about a third of the bathroom. (It's huge and has a ton of built-in storage that I regularly misuse.)

Oh, and I sent out four stories to be edited and proofed.

Granted, they are all shorts, BUT I still did it. I have only ever had friends and family read them, to give me their initial feedback. One is a children's story that I wrote last summer. One is a short story based on the theme "Love Gone Wrong" that was quite possibly going to be in an anthology that fell through. Two other ones are little romantic ditties about couples finding each other. 

And now I await a professional's opinion. Yes, this is someone who actually edits for a living and has been doing so for years. Yes, I have read books edited by this person. I can tell the difference between authors' works who have used her for some books, but not on others. I trust her completely.

So, now I take a deep breath and I wait. And perhaps feel a little more inspired to work on some other stuff in the meantime?

Chapter book spurt

Finally! The muse has been striking! Around New Year's, I came up with an idea for a chapter book series. It's got some educational value to it, but should also hopefully be entertaining, as well. I managed to outline the premise, as well as prospective titles. I even started doing tome research.

Of course, I was going to blog about it, to let you all know, and then didn't have a chance...

I managed to get a couple of pages written in that book and then let it go for a bit. Today, I felt like I needed to do something productive before watching the football championship games. I opened up the laptop, thinking I would work on the book I had started during NaNo. Instead, Beth and Derek were calling to me.

My fingers flew across the keyboard and now I can say that the first two chapters are complete. I also was able to figure out the missing piece of the quest. I knew there had to be something for which they were searching, just wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I'm excited.

Now, I definitely need to do some more research, to make sure my facts are correct, before I keep on writing. I hope I can do that part soon! And, in the meantime, perhaps some of those other stories will also yell in my ear.

'Writing Habit Mastery' by S.J. Scott $0.99 Countdown Special 1/13-1/19

LEARN:: How to Forever Eliminate Writer's Block and Write THOUSANDS of Words a Day

Do you struggle to write every day? Many people dream of becoming a successful author, but can't *find* the time to write. The truth is this: Great writers don't have more time than you do. They make time to write. Not only do they make time, they also follow specific routines that help them avoid writer's block altogether.

By developing the "writing habit" you'll have the confidence to sit down in front of a computer every day, knowing the words will come.

YOUR GOAL:: Write 2,000 Words a Day -- Every Day!

One of the key factors to effectively developing ANY habit is choosing a specific, measurable goal. So if you want to become a prolific writer, then you'll need to choose a specific word count for each day. While I *suggest* 2,000 words as a goal, you can pick any number that fits in with your busy schedule. You might choose 500 or 1,000 words a day. Or, you might have more time than I do (or write faster than I do) and choose to write 3,000 or 10,000 words each day. The important thing is to establish a daily word count goal and then stick to it.

In "Writing Habit Mastery" you'll learn how to incorporate writing into your daily routine. What you'll get is a strategy and list of tools that will help you develop a sustainable writing habit and demolish writer's block.

DOWNLOAD:: Writing Habit Mastery - How to Write 2,000 Words a Day and Forever Cure Writer's Block

"Writing Habit Mastery" contains a step-by-step blueprint of habits and routines you can use to develop this routine.

Inside this guide you'll learn how to:

• Establish the PERFECT writing routine and environment
• Find the time to write--even if you have a full-time job
• Minimize distractions and interruptions
• Crank out PUBLISHED works on a consistent basis
• Create an energized state where you're ready to write
• Make money from your completed books or screenplays
• Follow a simple seven-step process that prevents writer's block

You can write thousands of words every day. All you need is a strategy to develop this habit.

Available on Amazon

S.J. Scott believes that the way to improve yourself is to set achievable goals and develop daily habits that move you towards these outcomes. That's why he publishes actionable books that help you immediately develop positive habits.

New handprint poem

I like to do a handprint poem with the kids at the holidays. I got tired of reading the same one over and over again, that seemed to be used in every early childhood room around the world. So, about a dozen years ago, I wrote my own.

I didn't use it every year, because I didn't want it to be overused. I also usually have my kids for three years at a time and didn't see the point in reusing the same material with the same children.

This holiday season, I was left without my assistant for a week, as she was out with the flu. With the holiday singalong coming up the following week, I felt the pressure to get the project done. It's actually very simple. I paint the kids' hands white with a sponge and then print their hands on a colored piece of paper of their choice. I cut out the poem to put on the paper. We have also started to use their photographs, now that it is so easy to print them off. On the back is the child's name and the year.

I'm all excited, hustling through all of the kids. One of my second-year four year-olds gives me a big grin. "I already know how to do this! We did it last year!"

#$%&!#$@^%&

Okay, I have now gone through half of the class. I don't want to waste all of these papers. I don't want to use the same thing I did last year. I don't want to use that traditional one, either. What to do, what to do?

That afternoon, the following words made their way from my brain onto a piece of paper, with a few minor edits. This is what we used.

When I was a baby
I grasped your hand so tight
As you held me through the day
And lulled me to sleep at night

I'm starting to get bigger
And letting your hand go
I still grab it from time to time
For reassurance and hope

The love I find in your hands
Keeps mine filled with promises and dreams
Possibilities are endless
With your support, it seems

Before you are even ready
I'll be grown and away from home
Carrying you with me
Wherever I may roam

I leave you with this memory
Of when we were together
So you can know I hold your hand
In my heart forever

Even the gym teacher said he was about to cry when he read it. And if his daughter were to bring home that project, he would definitely cry. Mission accomplished. ;-)

And for those who would like to read the other one, you can find it at this link.

Feel free to use either one for your projects. Just please leave my name on it when you do and let me know what you did with it. Thanks!

My NaNo recap

Well, NaNo was sort of a bust for me, because I just didn't get much writing done. Every time I would sit down to try it, I would get interrupted. Or the words just wouldn't come. It was very frustrating. At the same time, I was traveling around a lot, going to shows, and preparing for my awesome Bucket List trip to Seattle. I have also learned how to loom knit, needle knit, and crochet, and was working a lot on those projects.

But, I am okay with this. I do have an outline of sorts for the book that I started. I know in which direction I want it to go. I still don't know if it is going to be a standalone book, or if it will require more than one as a series. I won't know until the words begin to flow again. I do find that to be a huge accomplishment for myself, though, because that is more than I have ever done before in a longer piece.

It's weird. I am not usually a fan of reading short stories. I prefer longer ones, because I get more out of them. Yet, I find myself more apt to write a short story than a longer one. I think it's because I get into a groove. Once that train is derailed, it is hard for me to get back into the same frame of mind. The same thing always happened to me with painting. I love oil paints, but lose my mojo when I have to wait in between layers.

So, no NaNo success for me, in the traditional sense of the word. But, a feeling of accomplishment for myself. That is what matters the most.

Finally starting NaNo...

I don't know what my problem is. I have the worst case of Writer's Block I have ever had in my life. I can't seem to even begin anything, despite a complete lack of ideas running through my head. About a week ago, I finally came up with the idea I wanted to do in my novel And I haven't even come close to getting started, yet.

Here we are, on the 12th of November. I should be at over 20,000 words. I have maybe 100 written, consisting of the outline of scene ideas in my mind. I am feeling frustrated and almost like a failure.

Yet I refuse to give up on myself.

I am sitting at my favorite bar & grill, laptop on the table, notebook for jotting notes, spiked root beer, and the start of snacking and dollar tacos. Let's do this!

Okay, I'm doing it!

Hey, did you think I disappeared? I was kind of afraid that I had, as well. As quickly as that idea train got started, it also quickly got derailed.

Oh, I have been writing up a storm for the past few weeks. Probably enough to fill at least a novella, if not a novel. Oh wait, that's called parent-teacher conference reports. :-P

But, this year they were complete by this first week in November. (In previous years, they took place throughout the month of November.) Which means, I no longer have my annual excuse for not participating in NaNoWriMo.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writer's Month. You have 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel.

Am I crazy?

Yes. But, something like this just may be what I need to kick myself in the ass and get this whole thing going. I have a ton of children's books completed, that just need photographs and illustrations. I have a few short stories that are either complete or close to completion. I have a couple of novel ideas started. Now I am going to be forced to actually get one completed.

Of course, I was so brain-dead this weekend after doing all of those reports and meetings that I couldn't come up with any ideas. See, I have a couple started, but you have to have a brand new idea in mind for this challenge. You may have an idea and an outline completed ahead of time, but you may not start writing until November 1st. I don't like to break rules, so I was struggling to think of something new. I slept a ton this weekend (15 hours Friday night, alone), which I think helped me to recharge. I woke up this morning with an idea in mind that I think I would like to work on.

No, I am not going to share it, yet. I don't want to jinx myself by sharing about it quite yet. Instead. I am going to start on it and then see how it goes.

And when I say start on it, I mean start tomorrow. I had the last two reports to write tonight, and some Fiverr obligations to finish, and book to review tonight. It's only 6 o'clock, but after Daylight Savings ended, and I am already tired. I'm still fighting off the ick. And falling further behind.

But I *WILL* do something with this. Getting anything written this year will already have me winning vs. the previous two years.

I promise to keep you posted.

A conversation with Devin D. Thorpe, author of 'Crowdfunding for Social Good'

What prompted you to bring the crowdfunding concept to readers?

Like most people, my first exposure to crowdfunding was backing a project on Kickstarter. I was immediately intrigued. After tackling crowdfunding for Forbes for a while, I recognized the need for a book describing how to be successful with it.

Can you sum it up in just a few sentences, to give readers a taste of what is in your book?

Crowdfunding is a powerful tool to help people raise money for their companies, causes and projects. I hope that people will use their passion and energy to do some good in the world!

How does this book go hand-in-hand with your others?

Your Mark On The World and 925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World are designed to help people manage their own money to help people do good in the world. Crowdfunding for Social good is written to help people raise the money they need to do good.

What message do you hope readers will take with them from your books?

I want people to believe in their own power to really make a difference. You don’t have to be a billionaire. You don’t have to be a genius. Anyone can make a difference.

How does sharing your knowledge with others fulfill you?

Knowing that over 100,000 people have read my books inspires me to keep going. People are reading them, pondering their ideas and some, at least, will not only change their lives, they will change the world!

What was one of the best parts about living in China for a year?

“Living in China gave me an opportunity to meet and learn to love new people. It also gave me a chance to experience life in a place without some of the civil liberties we enjoy. I returned with a much greater appreciation for the freedoms we take for granted in America and much of the West.”

What are your goals for the future?

I’m always looking for new ways to do something that matters, something that will have an impact, to really make a difference in the world.

What else should we be reading?

Read whatever inspires you to do good and be your best! Your potential for good is infinite regardless of where you’ve been.

What is something readers may be surprised to learn about you?

Readers would probably be surprised to learn that my most embarrassing moment involves a women’s restroom.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Thank you so much for this opportunity!

Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World

by Devin D. Thorpe Over the last year of writing my Forbes blog, I have had the opportunity to really dig deeply into the world of crowdfunding. I’ve just completed my first draft of my new book, Crowdfunding for Social Good: Financing Your Mark on the World.

The book is a guide to successful crowdfunding for people who want to change the world.

The book is not a sequel to my book, Your Mark On The World, but it is written in the same spirit. I’ve studied a dozens of successful crowdfunding campaigns, interviewing the people behind them to learn their secrets for success.

Devin's Book, Your Mark on the World, was downloaded over 75,000 times and reached the #19 spot on Amazon's free book list--among all free books. It remains on the top 50 free nonfiction books at Amazon.

Available in Paperback

About Devin:

Devin D. Thorpe thinks he is the luckiest person alive. After being “let go” from the best job he’d ever had—as the Chief Financial Officer of the multinational food and beverage company MonaVie—he and his wife ended up living in China for a year where he wrote Your Mark On The World and embarked on the career he’d always wanted yet hadn’t dared dream.

Now, as an author, a popular guest speaker and Forbes contributor, Devin is devoted full time to championing social good. His current life isn’t much like his past.

As an entrepreneur, Devin ran—at separate times—a boutique investment banking firm and a small mortgage company. He served as the Treasurer for the multinational vitamin manufacturer USANA Health Sciences years before becoming CFO for MonaVie. Over his career he led or advised on the successful completion of $500 million in transactions. Devin squeezed in two brief stints in government, including two years working for Jake Garn on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee Staff and another year working for an independent state agency called USTAR, where he helped foster technology entrepreneurship during Governor Jon Huntsman’s administration.

Devin is proud to have graduated from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, which recognized him as a Distinguished Alum in 2006. He also earned an MBA at Cornell University where he ran the student newspaper, Cornell Business.

Today, Devin channels the idealism of his youth with the loving support of his wife, Gail. Their son Dayton is a PhD candidate in Physics at UC Berkeley (and Devin rarely misses an opportunity to mention that).

Connect with Devin:

Twitter: @devindthorpe

Facebook.com/yourmarkontheworld

Google+: devinthorpe.com

Tumblr: yourmarkontheworld.com

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The Ultimate Writing Bag

My best friend gave me a belated birthday present the other day, when we finally had a few minutes to cross paths. I refer to it as the ultimate writing bag.

To start, it is purple, which has been my favorite color for my entire life. Inside is a multisensory experience, designed to facilitate the writing process for the rest of the summer.

I can slough away dead skin and reveal a new me with a new bath pouf and foot cream. Lavender and rosemary soap stimulates my sense of smell, while keeping me calm. Incense inspires the creative mind. The moon pendant seeks to channel the creativity.

Chocolate wine and ice wine roll around on my tongue and release inhibitions. Chocolate snacks add to the gustatory delight. 

Black Keys CDs and Jim Morris's biography enlighten the musical side that drives me.

The obligatory notebooks and folder are for recording thoughts and ideas, while theoretically also staying organized. 

Even more fun treats are spread out on that table, that have special meaning to me, and she knows it. Let's hope the birthday bag works its magic these next few weeks!

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

I have been so bad about writing on here! Too much fun this summer? ;-)

I feel like my summer is slipping away, and I have barely reached the writing goals I had set up for myself. I do have a tendency to overshoot, though. So, I am trying really hard to just enjoy what I can get done in the next few short weeks before I go back to work.

I do have one completed short story that I wrote a some weeks ago. I have had people read it, and tweaked it. I still like it, even after letting it simmer for a while. It's loosely based on real life, as in the characters and the t-shirt that inspired its title. Working on it made me decide to revisit the first short story that I had written in a long time. I did it back in December. People liked it back then, but betas did have a few suggestions for it.

It is very highly based on a true story. One friend who read it said that she felt like she now knew the backstory behind the real story and loved it. Other people also had kind words about it, but I just don't like it as much now. I feel like I was recording a story, kind of like a diary or journal entry would be. So, now I want to rework it to make it more like a piece of fiction, which was its original intent.

I think my favorite comment that popped up from a couple of readers was how certain actions, pieces of dialogue, or other tidbits in the story couldn't possibly be true. They just didn't seem realistic. The funny thing is, a lot of the dialogue was verbatim from the situation. All of the actions happened. The people are all real. I just changed names and identifying details to protect the so-called innocent. And it made me think of that old line about how truth is stranger than fiction.

So, my new quest with this piece is to rewrite it. I am probably going to do it by hand, in a notebook, as I read off of the computer screen. I would rather print it off and decimate it that way, but I don't have access to a printer right now. I also love the feeling of connecting with the story as my hand touches the pen which touches the paper. Perhaps I will be able to make my fiction a bit more believable by the time I am finished with it.

Fawning all over myself

Yes, today I have been fawning all over myself. I needed to get out of the house, so I drove aimlessly looking for a new place for breakfast. After getting my nourishment, I continued to just wander around the suburbs, until I came across the Helmer Nature Center. I have been near it many times, but usually only when dropping off children at games or picking them up. Today was really cloudy, again, with the threat of rain later. No one else was there. I decided to check out the trails before the rain came.

I went around a bend and gasped. Just off the trail was a little fawn, nibbling away at a berry bush.

 

It turned to look at me, trying to decide if I was friend or foe. I quietly tried taking its picture and stood still until it decided to continue snacking. I decided to inch a little closer. Before I knew it, a second one had joined it!

 

I got very excited. The second one seemed even more wary of me. I continued to inch closer.

This was the closest that I got to them. Can you see the one under the bush? We stood there staring at each other for another moment, and then they took off across the fields. I was actually a little teary after the encounter.

Alas, soon after I saw the fawns, thunder started crashing, because a storm was blowing in. I made my way back to my car and eventually got home. I did some research about the meaning of fawns and what it means to encounter them in the wild. In a nutshell, they are supposed to indicate a new adventure starting in your life, thanks to the gentleness, love, and compassion that they represent and that you have in you. Again, I got a little teary.

I also got tremendously inspired. As of this posting, I have written one post for BubbleWS and one article for Examiner. I have a couple more in mind. 

I also wrote a children's story about the experience and started a nonfiction story for kids about fawns. I am working on a couple of other inspirational pieces that could make their way into book form some day, as well.

So, yeah, I am fawning all over myself, thanks to these beautiful creatures. 

What was your most recent inspiration? 

Thank you, Black Keys!

I have been so bad about keeping up with this blog to stay accountable! Here is a quick summary:

I got sick and far behind during the A to Z Challenge. I just couldn't do it this year. So, look out 2014! I will be better prepared next year!

I did finally complete an entire short story, that I submitted to an anthology whose theme was "Love Gone Wrong". I wrote the whole thing on Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, they didn't receive enough submissions, so it didn't get published. However, people who read it liked it. I've started working on a couple of related stories to go with it, to make my own collection. The second story for that collection is almost complete. I am in the middle and know how I want it to end. I just have to connect the dots to get there.

The other night, I went to my friend's house for dinner and movies. The back of his t-shirt read, "Rub Me, I'm Irish." It's for a spice rub company, but it got the wheels spinning. For the past two days, I wrote a short, steamy story based on that phrase.

Most of it was written sitting outside at my new outdoor writing office space. I can look at my beautiful flowers, breathe in the scent of lavender, and have enough space to eat and drink.

Sometimes, I even bring out the laptop. I have this thing about starting out by hand, though.

Anyway, today it was pouring rain all day. I couldn't work outside. I sat here listening to Pearl Jam and Black Keys concerts, in preparation for the ones I will be attending over the next few weeks. Once I got to the Black Keys, the writing bug bit me again. (Every time I listen to the Black Keys, my fingers fly over the keyboard.) I actually finished the steamy story, by hand! I went to my friend's house again this evening. When I came home, I turned on the Black Keys again and typed it up. I only changed a couple of words and phrases, so it is still quite rough. I am also not wearing my contacts, so who knows how many typos are in it and this post?

It has been sent to five people to read. Two are good friends who are also writers. The other three are good friends who are as voracious in their reading habits as I am.

And now, I must try to sleep as I await feedback over the next couple of days. I shall keep you posted!

Promote your book with a trailer by AuthorsBroadCast.com

**While this is a paid review, all opinions shared are honest and my own.**

A new trend in book marketing is using book trailers, similar to those used to promote movies. Book covers and other still photography are used to illustrate the story's plot and to introduce the characters to potential readers. Basically, they make the book blurb just a little bit more exciting.

If you follow any of my blogs, you will have seen many of these book trailers over various posts. Most of them consist of words going across the screen, accompanied by music. They only last a moment or two, and hope to get the point across and to entice you to purchase and read the book.

I have to say that I am impressed by the book trailers that I have previewed from AuthorsBroadCast.com. They offer basic promotional book trailers, and then so much more. But these basic promo videos are much more exciting than many that I have seen. The graphics are better and much more exciting. They also do trailers that interview authors, and longer episodes featuring multiple excerpts and titles and marketing tips. All genres, including both fiction and nonfiction, are represented on their site. Check out one of their videos that demonstrate their services:




Peruse their YouTube channel to get a better feel for the book trailers that they have created in the past, and to inspire you to have your own made. Then, visit their website at www.AuthorsBroadCast.com to view featured books and authors, read testimonials, and to see their price list. To make your book successful, it is worth the investment to have quality promotional materials to share on your social media and to embed in your own website.

#AtoZChallenge Creating characters

Creating characters is something else with which I tend to struggle. Yes, you are supposed to write what you know. Your characters almost inevitably end up being a reflection of you in some way. You are a part of them and they are a part of you. I keep finding that I put too much of myself into those characters. I get so wrapped up in their lives as my own, that I get stuck, because perhaps that situation in my life is stuck. I would love to create an alternate universe in which I can get every outcome that I want. But, I'm not sure how healthy that would be.

On occasion, I have come up with completely different characters. I have an early reader chapter book type storyline on which I have been working. Those characters speak to me in their own voices. Unfortunately, the last time that I was working on them, I wasn't at home. Someone deliberately interrupted me, thinking he was being cute. I haven't been able to find their voices again.

Again, I know that if I just keep writing and writing, I will find their voices again. That is part of the reason that I undertook this challenge on *cough* 12 *cough* blogs this year. I am hoping that by having to be more creative on these, I will better lubricate those wheels and channel those characters again.

Thanks for all of the words of support. It's helpful! :-)  

#AtoZChallenge Bunches of beginnings

Does anyone else have these laying around the house?

That is just a handful of the notebooks that I own that hold the beginnings of many stories and lists of other ideas. Every back to school season, I stock up on dozens of notebooks. Most of them end up being used by the students in my classroom. However, I always save a selection for myself. I prefer to use purple, which is my favorite color, but occasionally use a different one for variety.

I know, I know. Holy crap, woman, get busy and finish writing these!

If only it were that simple...

Beginnings are always easy for me. It's the endings with which I have a problem. I often have an outline in mind. A direction in which I want to go. And then for some reason, the characters and the story don't want to go that way. Sometimes, I end up at a crossroads and am not sure which direction is the right one. I have a hard time with that. It's a personal issue. :-P

Now that the first story is actually finished, though, I have more hope of actually getting the inspiration to finish more of these. I am spending more time this spring break week on my A to Z challenges than I had originally anticipated. (Gotta love it when life throws you curve balls that distract you from the task at hand.) I had hoped to get more original writing done. I have also come up with about a dozen new starts. One of these days...  

#AtoZChallenge: Am I an Author?

Ah, the A to Z Challenge is here, yet again. This year, I have added new blogs in order to make some new friends. I also figured this would be the perfect way for me to really kick my butt into gear with writing my own books and stories.

I have been contemplating these posts for a couple of months now, since I launched the blog back in January. I was working on several stories at the turn of the year. Unfortunately, life has regularly gotten in the way and my muse likes to come and go.

I began to question if I was really an author or merely a writer?

To me, a writer writes. It can be blogs, fiction, nonfiction, content, you name it. But an author is someone who actually creates a new world and new people, giving birth to a new creation. I haven't had a shortage of ideas, but could never get them to fruition. Was it premature to start a blog and Facebook page? Was it ever going to happen? Am I a poser for trying to call myself an author?

Finally, last night, I felt justified. I was naughty on Easter Sunday, as I was taking notes in my bulletin on new story ideas that kept jumping in my head. (Should the pastor be happy that someone was still being inspired by her words, even if not exactly in the way that she had hoped?) I had been working on numerous ideas for a couple of anthologies, whose deadlines were midnight last night. Nothing was really flowing, though, and I hated everything I was writing.

But one idea kept spinning around in my brain. Even though I was at Easter dinner with my adopted family, I still spent most of my time glued to my laptop in the living room. I lubricated the writing wheels and just kept at it.

And then, there it was. A fully completed short story. The first one I had finished that didn't require any further additions. I had some of the "family" read it, as well as a couple of friends. With their stamps of approval, I sent it off for submission. There is hope that more stories will reach fruition, especially with this week being Spring Break.

Welcome to new friends from A to Z. I look forward to getting to know more of you!

Now I feel justified as an author.