Blog

Tis the Season for Stories!

By Karen Ballon December 10, 2014

December has to be my favorite month of the year. I love all the preparations and decorations and celebrations for the Christmas season. But two of my favorite things about the Christmas season are the books and movies we savor every year because, for those of us in the Ball household, it just isn’t Christmas without:

Books

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. (“Hey! Unto you a child is born!”)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Debbie Macomber’s Angels series (LOVE Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy!)

Movies

Christmas in Connecticut (the Barbara Stanwyck version)

White Christmas (I sing along, of course)

Ernest Saves Christmas (Yes, I’m serious…knowwhaddImean, Vern?)

Die Hard (Hey, it’s a Christmas movie!)

Babes in Toyland (“This is the forest of no retuuuurrrnnnn…”)

A Muppets Christmas Carol (“You may be a bit of undigested beef…”)

How about you? What books or movies to you just have to read or watch when December rolls around?

And the Winner is: Words

By Dan Balowon December 9, 2014

Everyone has a preference as to the type of art and media they consume. Some people like books, others prefer movies, television programs, live theater, music, online content and many simply like a combination of all of the above. Even though our modern society is captivated by “the next big thing” technologically, it is the written word, no matter how it is delivered (printed or on a screen) that …

Category: Art, CreativityTag: Art, Creativity, Written Word

Fun Fridays – December 5, 2014

By Steve Laubeon December 5, 2014

The smiles in this video are infectious!

Category: Fun Fridays

Should I Be Writing This Genre?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 4, 2014

Often I talk with new authors writing in lots of genres. This is fine if it’s part of your personal writing journey and learning process. I want my authors to enjoy what they’re writing. But when you get serious about publication, know when to choose and what to choose. One mistake is to write strictly to market when you don’t like the genre. I love to tell the story of a friend who said she knew …

Category: Career, Craft, Creativity

Communicating to a Distra (Hey look at that!) cted Audience

By Dan Balowon December 2, 2014

It is pretty clear that our modern society has more distractions than any other society in human history. Combine all the conveniences of modern day life that make acquisition of food and other necessities so easy and we end up with a lot of time on our hands, which we quickly use up with all our personal media options among other things. While I write this, I am traveling by train. Across from me …

Category: Book Business, Communication, CraftTag: Audience, Communication

Fun Fridays – November 28, 2014

By Steve Laubeon November 28, 2014

Seven phone tips. And a lesson on never leaving your phone unattended…when with a friend.

Category: Fun Fridays

Thanksgiving Blessings

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 27, 2014

In the spirit of gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day, I share with you today’s Gospel reading from The Book of Common Prayer: John 6:26-35 26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto …

Category: TheologyTag: thanksgiving, Theology

Thankful

By Karen Ballon November 26, 2014

Holidays. People love them…people hate them. For my family, we fall in the “love ‘em” category. Thanksgiving always means getting together, sharing laughter and great food and playing all kinds of games. We bake and decorate and spend time watching football. Even the challenging Thanksgivings become a source of fun. Like the first time I fixed a turkey for Don and me. I made a huge bowl of …

Category: Faith, PersonalTag: Faith, thanksgiving

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

By Dan Balowon November 25, 2014

Everyone is thinking about being thankful this week so it is comforting knowing that I am not alone on this bandwagon. When President Obama said the words, “You didn’t build that,” back in 2012 and drew such ire from opponents, I was troubled. I understood what he was trying to say…that no one does things on their own without help from someone else. He probably could have found better words to …

Category: Career, Personal, TheologyTag: Personal, thanksgiving, Theology

Fun Fridays – Thanksgiving 2014

By Steve Laubeon November 21, 2014

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving next week!

Category: Fun Fridays