Friday Feature

Lindsay Wise

An amazing woman who has a wonderful voice and a beautiful message.  This is her first album called Fancy Free. You will defiantly find a song for you in her collection. Follow the link to find out more information about her and her music.

Her website, it has a link to purchase her music on iTunes:

http://phipper.com/

Enjoy!

My other hobby

I like to build things. Like furniture things so here is a couple pictures of one of our recent projects. We made our bed thanks to Ana White.


Here it is:

What do you think?  We went with the king size farmhouse bed and altered it a tiny bit (we made it a little taller and used a different system to make the underneath-that holds up the mattress). It has a cream paint and brown glaze. Benches for the end of the bed are coming soon!


So what hobbies do you have?

Author Spotlight

Tristi Pinkston

I met Tristi a while back at some writers function or another and we are a part of a couple writing groups together---one is: iWriteNetwork. She is the author of several LDS market books, such as the recently released Hang 'em High, a Secret Sisters Novel. Sh is also a wonderful freelance editor. She has a great blog (links @ the bottom) and organizes sensational blog hops for all interested as well as book reviews for other authors. Passionate about her kids, who she home schools, and the color pick, she is a great writer and a happy, positive person.

                          Her website:

                          http://www.tristipinkston.com/

                          The AMAZING blog:

                          http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/

Friday Feature

Foster the People

This is a band I can listen to over and over again. Their most popular song is "Pumped up Kicks" and it's great, but so are these:
--Pumped up Kicks:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4vTQ
---this is just a different version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3evobQo0pc&feature=related
(i love it better in some ways)
--Waste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq-PlAC5XlA&feature=related


This is the link to their website:
http://www.fosterthepeople.com/us/home

Finding a story

So you want to be a writer? You have an excellent idea and it is going to be an amazing book. GREAT!  You write that but then think, I should write another book....

How do you find something to write about?

Look everywhere. Ideas can come from multiple sources. Friends, news, science, politics, travel, or a twist on a classic---but a big twist, no copy, pasting.

You can grab part of one, say a gene they isolated to cure skin cancer (no not really, I am making this up) but it can have side effects---say, it can make you invisible. How could that work for the army? In the hands of the bad guy? What does the hero need to do to solve the problem? Maybe the hero is invisible himself---one of the first in human testing.

So how easy is it to come up with ideas? It takes practice. You shouldn't hold back yourself if you think you are just being silly or it's too crazy you can always strip away the extra and you might surprise yourself with something really great. Just go with it, brainstorm and write down everything that comes to mind.

Remember it's not only about coming up with great ideas, it's about turning those ideas into stories.  :)

Author Spotlight

Allow me to introduce...
Anna Godbersen

Author of The Luxe series and the new Bright Young Things series this YA author is gaining quite a following and is a New York Times Bestseller. She paints a vivid picture with her words and readers are transported to the time and places in her stories. Check out her website for a great Q&A she has about both herself as well as her characters.  :)

Have you read any of her books? Which ones did you like best?

This is a link to her website: 

http://www.bytseries.com/

And this is her Goodreads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/548551.Anna_Godbersen?origin=

Enjoy!

Friday Feature

October blog hop is Yesterday's post--scroll down to enter. REMEMBER: to win you must FOLLOW and COMMENT   :)

Nikki Minaj

Here is the link to the song SUPER BASS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JipHEz53sU&ob=av3n

Here is the cutest cover ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7hTAp6KrGY

This is a video of the little girls meeting Nikki on The Ellen Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9573kGBtuE&feature=channel_video_title

My 4 yr old loves to sing this song in the car and when we saw the video of the 6 yr old singing we showed it to her and now she wants to watch it all the time.  :)

And before you ask, no. She hasn't seen the real video---no need for her to at her age.  :)

Blog Hop!!!

YEA! It's Blog hop day. How exciting. :) So welcome all you lovely newbies. I hope you take a min to look around, make yourself at home.
 On Tuesdays I do Author Spotlights on um, authors I like, know, admire. Whatever. And on Friday Features I highlight a band or group of musicians and have links to songs I like. I post art, photos, and crafts I like/do. Websites that catch my eye and if I'm really on top of things I share a writerly tidbit I heard or have been working on. In general I post the things I do to procrastinate doing things I don't want to do but should be doing. ie: laundry/dishes.  :)

Prize?? Oh right a PRIZE well, I am giving away:  An Amazon Gift Card  :) (US only)
How to enter: FOLLOW and COMMENT. Tell me why you would like to win this prize
  If your e-mail address isn't visible through your Blogger profile, please also leave it with the comment so I can notify you if you win.  You can enter until midnight MST on Saturday night, October 15th.

Welcome to the October Blog Hop, where you can visit new blogs, enter to win prizes, and have a great time!
October Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston 2. I Am a Reader, Not a Writer 3. Bonnie Harris 4. Michael D. Young 5. Misty Moncur 6. Debbie Davis 7. Mandi Tucker Slack 8. Mary Ann Dennis 9. Deanna Henderson 10. Laura Bastian 11. Kristy Tate

12. Kristy Wilson 13. Jennifer Debenham 14. Jenny Moore 15. Elizabeth Hughes 16. J. Lloyd Morgan 17. Close Encounters with the Night Kind 18. Billy Boulden 19. Scott Bryan 20. Maria Hoagland 21. Shirley Bahlmann 22. Shelly Brown

23. Marcy Howes 24. Lynnea Mortensen 25. Jaclyn M. Hawkes 26. Diane Stringam Tolley 27. Gail Zuniga 28. Betsy Love 29. iWriteNetwork 30. Canda's InkBlast 31. Stacy Coles

Learn more about October Blog Hop here.
View More October Blog Hop Participants
Get The Code

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Now off you go hopping along to the other delightful blogs in the chain.

Author Feature

I was thinking that I needed to post more often. I am pretty good about posting on Fridays because I just choose a band I like and highlight them so I thought that I would do the same thing with authors. Our first is...

Sophie Kinsella

(AKA Madeleine Wickham)

I love her books. The first book that I read after high school that I choose, just for fun was confessions of a Shopaholic and I laughed all the way through. And I've laughed through many of her other books. The whole Shopaholic series, Can You Keep A Secret, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl. The list goes on and they all have a great flow and witty humor. And many of you may be thinking of the movie that came out a few years ago and no, that's not like the book---are they really ever?--- and you should still read the books. I have read them many times and still enjoy them. But after all, isn't that the hallmark of a great book? When you can read it over and over and still go back again later? I think so.  :)

Here is the link to her website:

http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk/

And this is her Goodreads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6160.Sophie_Kinsella?origin=

Have fun reading!

Blog Hop

Perhaps you've noticed my new button. It's the October Hop hosted by Tristi Pinkston It will be this Thursday-Saturday. So be sure to stop by and check it out. There will be lots of blogs to cruise through and prizes (yea!) to enter to win. :) 

For extra fun, I am also doing the hop in November. The 8th-11th to be exact. So plan to follow along then too. :) So many exciting things going on. Now what to give away......

Friday feature

Taking Back Sunday

Here is the link to their Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/takingbacksunday

I like a bunch of their songs. A few are:

Faith

http://www.youtube.com/user/takingbacksunday#p/c/3861F3D8D992BF26/1/z300zmq1XTo

Sink Into Me

http://www.youtube.com/user/takingbacksunday#p/c/3861F3D8D992BF26/5/ryWV7LsF-ps

A Decade Under the Influence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSex7T-XzxM

Have a listen, have fun  :)

iWN

So some writer friends and I are starting a new group. We wanted something that helps new and experianced writers polish their skills, encourage/support eachother and have a place to talk, and all that so we created iWriteNetwork. And since today is the first day we are sharing with the public we thought we would put together a couple of prizes. You can't enter here but you can if you go HERE. There is a blog you can read through and a NING you can join---very fun--- so hurry hurry, the prizes are great and we have so much more planned in the near future. It will be a blast!  :)