Building Your Public Presentation Skills

The cloistered life of a writer can take a toll on your social skills. As an author, we all spend a lot of time in our own heads as opposed to interacting with other people. Social media doesn’t count. I mean the kind of people you actually might have to go outside your house to encounter. Real people—like the ones you see on television. The ones on television don’t count either.

Sooner or later, you will need those social skills because at some point, you will be asked to do a presentation of some sort. Perhaps you will be asked to speak before a book club, or at a library function, or (as in my case) to ask people in the grocery store if they’d like to try a sample of today’s cheese.  Continue reading “Building Your Public Presentation Skills”

Week 20 Flash Fiction Challenge Winner: Donna B. McNicol

Today we’re pleased to announce the winner of the 20th weekly Flash Fiction competition at Indies Unlimited.

The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

A total of 18 votes were cast in the contest this week. The winner (with 67% of those votes) is Donna B. McNicol.

Congratulations to Donna, and thanks to everyone who participated – excellent entries! Now, without further ado, here’s the winning entry: Continue reading “Week 20 Flash Fiction Challenge Winner: Donna B. McNicol”

Ed’s Casual Friday: After a colon…a hot mess.

And now for something completely different… I’m going to say a few words about grammar, and editors. And colons.

First-things-first for all you authors out there: You need an editor. I don’t even mean at the story/plot/character level, though a good editor is invaluable there, too. For my purposes here I just mean strictly as a proofreader. You may not think you do, but you do, and not because you can-t rite gud English. Continue reading “Ed’s Casual Friday: After a colon…a hot mess.”

Video Trailer: Love’s Everlasting Song

Rebecca Gordon never believed in “happily-ever-after” but she had no idea how far her marriage had crumbled until she walked in on her husband with another woman. Unable to save her marriage, she decides to focus on her career and win the horse show that would put her ranch on the map. Wanting to use the latest, chic music for her competition, she flies to L.A. where she is to meet with the managers of Luke Grayson, the hottest singers of the decade.

The physical attraction between the two is immediate but Rebecca struggles with her pending divorce and need to be successful in her career. As Rebecca begins to open her heart and believe in her future, her past won’t leave her alone and threatens to destroy everything she has worked for. Can she fight to put her past to rest and begin a new life or will this be her swan song?

  Love’s Everlasting Song, by RaeAnn Hadley is available from Amazon.