I’ve worked on this book, off and on, for the last five+ years. However, it is finally almost ready for publication.
It will be on Amazon sometime in late 2020.
Author: Debra
Slow Blogging Year
I’ve hardly blogged this year. I’ve been dealing with kidney stones and I haven’t had the energy to blog. Hopefully, next year will be better.
Menu Bar Update
I’ve been using the Menu Bar I made last April for several months now. It’s extremely helpful and I’ve added another ten sites. Clearly it is such a simple way to have immediate access to websites you frequent. I had to update the legend, but that was easy.
I just look up the site number on the legend, that is in alpha order and then I click on the corresponding number in the menu bar above. Simple.
Marketing Company
When is it time to find a marketing company for yourself and your books? I don’t know, but I think I might be there.
I have a BS in Business with emphasis in Information Systems so I think I have a better than average social media presence. I have websites, Facebook sites, YouTube accounts, a twitter account and…
However, maybe I’m not doing the right thing or enough of the right thing. Regardless, I’m tired of guessing.
Now where do I go?
I’m going to start by reading some articles on marketing authors. Here’s some of the first articles I’m going to read:
https://www.bookworks.com/2018/05/book-marketing-services-explained/
https://www.amarketingexpert.com/when-and-how-to-invest-in-a-professional-book-marketing-company/
https://1106design.com/2018/11/what-a-book-marketing-coach-can-do-for-you/
Then, I’m going to check in with SCORE (Business Mentors) San Luis Obispo.
If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.
Menu Bar
Have you ever want to be able to go automatically to your most used sites? Are you tired of having to type them in every time?
Yes and yes. I programed my menu bar to go to 38 sites easily. I used an old-school system of alphabetizing my sites and then giving them a numeric designation. I did it all under Chrome/Bookmarks/Edit. It was easy.
Here’s how it looks finished with the alphabetic legend taped to the computer (only half of it is showing) and the numeric menu bar below (showing 1 -16).
I’m not as good with a camera as I am with a computer. Sorry the photo isn’t better.
Little Library Near You
https://littlefreelibrary.org/faqs/
Here’s the Friday Night Writers’ first book in one of the free libraries around San Luis Obispo.
Two Poets Have Their Work on Exhibition in “Animal Friends in Art and Poetry”
I’m proud to announce that two Friday Night Writers’ Group poets, Shirley Radcliff Bruton and Debra Davis Hinkle, have their work on exhibit in Animal Friends in Art and Poetry.
The exhibition is from Monday, March 4, 2019 through Friday, May 31, 2019. at the Atascadero Library.
Thursday, March 7, the Atascadero Library is hosting a reception from 5-6 pm so that members of the public can meet the artists and poets and enjoy their work. Light refreshments will be served.
Atascadero Library
6555 Capistrano Ave
Atascadero, CA
Landscaping: Before & After
We started *xeriscaping the front yard four years ago. It took use a few months to finish the following: Creating a buy list of plants and sprinkler parts, remove old plants, creating less of a slope in one area, converting all the risers to a drip system, and finally planting the new plants according to size, color, shape, texture, slope of the yard.
We used a large bulb auger to create most holes and filling in with a shovel on the, very few, big holes. Every day we would plant a small area three – ten plants, run a new drip system around the plants and then install the emitters. Hubby dug the holes and helped with the planting. I ran the drip line and installed the emitter. Every day we were both exhausted but thrilled with the progress. Sometimes we took a day off.
*Xeriscaping (less commonly xeroscape) is landscaping and gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. From Wikipedia.
Repairing a Cat Tree or Scratching Post
With several cats my cat trees seem to need repair periodically. The rope gets destroyed by their claws more frequently than I would like. Of course, this is the trade off for not having damaged furniture.
I’ve had to repair all of the cat trees in my house at some point. I use a u-shaped staple and a hot glue if the underlining material is wood. If it is cardboard I use hot glue and add a staple to the two ends only. I use a nail gun for the u-shaped staples, but you can use a hammer. It’s as simple as removing the old rope and gluing the new rope in place.
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. I always manage to burn myself on the glue. Ouchy.
Ragdoll Cats
How many people have heard of a Ragdoll cat? When I thought of a Ragdoll, it was always Andy and Annie, the dolls. My mother made a pair once and I watched her. Interesting, but I would never go to the trouble of making a doll. I wouldn’t even want to own one. Enough said.
Back to cats. What is a Ragdoll cat. It’s a breed of cats that have blue eyes and mostly white background. Oh, hell. Here’s a picture.
This is Annie Renfield Hinkle and she is a tri-colored Ragdoll and this little girl is mine.
More information on Ragdolls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragdoll