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Fun Fridays – February 19, 2021

By Steve Laubeon February 19, 2021

When it comes to singing, I’m a bass. When listening to music, I’ll often pick out the bass line and sing along. With today’s video, I could keep up for the first couple of verses; and then Geoff Castellucci sank lower than thought humanly possible with his voice and made it sound effortless!

I’ll let you try to come up with a metaphor to writing. I’m still trying to recover my vocal cords.

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God at Auschwitz

By Dan Balowon February 18, 2021

Back in 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to a conference in Poland and afterward tour Auschwitz/Birkenau, one of the more infamous Nazi death camps. More than a million people were murdered there at the hands of the SS from 1942 until its liberation by the Russian army in early 1945. The picture I took above shows still-visible fingernail scratches on the wall inside the lone remaining gas …

Category: Creativity, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Theology

Coming Full Circle

By Guest Bloggeron February 17, 2021

by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Today's guest blog is from Kim Vogel Sawyer a best-selling author whose books have topped the sales charts and won awards since 2005, when she left her elementary school teaching job to write full time. Her books have won the Carol Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Her stories are designed to offer hope and …

Category: Career, Get Published, Guest Post, Inspiration, TamelaTag: Career, Get Published, Inspiration

How to Create Companion Products for your Book with D’vorah Lansky

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on February 16, 2021

It’s very common these days for books, especially nonfiction, to come with additional workbooks, study guides, and video courses. These extra materials are also a great way to connect with your readers on a deeper level, while at the same time creating additional income and incentives. Paper and digital don’t need to be at war; they can work together. But how do I know if a workbook companion or …

Category: The Writing Life

How to Create Companion Products for your Book with D’vorah Lansky

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on February 16, 2021

It’s very common these days for books, especially nonfiction, to come with additional workbooks, study guides, and video courses. These extra materials are also a great way to connect with your readers on a deeper level, while at the same time creating additional income and incentives. Paper and digital don’t need to be at war; […]
You can listen to this episode How to Create Companion Products …

Category: The Writing Life

President’s Day – 2021

By Steve Laubeon February 15, 2021

Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and all other U.S. presidents. Over the centuries, there have been some amusing statements by various U.S. presidents. In honor of today’s holiday, I thought I’d compile a few from the Internet for your …

Category: Humor

Fun Fridays – February 12, 2021

By Steve Laubeon February 12, 2021

I claim no originality. Nor do I claim responsibility for any groans, hiccups, or spitting of coffee. Enjoy! Twenty Corny Word Puns to Brighten Your Day When is a door not really a door? When it’s really ajar. How do you organize an astronomer’s party? You planet. What do you call a factory that sells generally decent goods? A satisfactory. I went on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Never again. You …

Category: Fun Fridays

A Writer’s Keyboard Prayer

By Bob Hostetleron February 11, 2021

Lord God, my Father, my King, my Sovereign, my All, I RETURN to you with all my heart, I ENTER your presence with gratitude and joy, I ESCAPE into your arms and nestle in the shadow of your wing. DELETE the stain of worldly strife and wicked desires. SHIFT my attention and priorities to reflect your wishes. COMMAND me and bend me to your will. CONTROL my impulse, intellect, and intentions until I …

Category: The Writing Life, Theology

God’s Autonomous Zone

By Dan Balowon February 10, 2021

In the late 17th century, Catholic theologian and scientist Blaise Pascal authored a book titled Pensées. In it, he wrote: What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he …

Category: Creativity, The Writing Life, Theology, Trends

Fun Fridays – February 5, 2021

By Steve Laubeon February 5, 2021

This dance performance is one of the most poignant visual representations of the writing life I’ve ever seen. Of course, the music is perfect–one of my all-time favorite compositions. But it is the creativity of the choreography and the flawless execution of the dancer that had me from the start. Your thoughts?

Category: Fun Fridays