Monday, July 29, 2013

Podcasts, Blogging, and Reinvention

I've mentioned this briefly before, but I haven't officially announced it.

I'm a podcaster!!

Every Monday, I kick out a new episode of the show and interview great guests about aspects of writing. It's been an incredible experience... I've befriended some incredible writers and learned a lot from the experience.

You can listen to our podcast at http://www.foreverwriters.com/category/podcast/, and this morning I released the latest show.

It's about blogging.

I've thought about this show a lot since we recorded back in May. It was the show that inspired my post on social media. I had vowed to cut back on my social media networking and focus more on writing and blogging.

Notice the phrase "cut back". I didn't eliminate it completely, nor did I intend to, but I am spending less time there. And writing-wise, put a big check mark there!! I'd say my writing productivity has increased significantly. I still have more cutting back to do and hope to see more words appear in my word processor.

But my blogging activities haven't increased. I would  like to start blogging more, and I think it is time for a reinvention. I'll post on this again soon as I revise my focus and commit myself to a schedule.

So, stay tuned. I hope that you'll find this a more interesting place to hang out!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

What I've Done This Summer

This blog post makes me think of those "what I did this summer" reports we always had to write in school. Most of mine lacked a lot of details because the statute of limitations hadn't passed yet. But, here goes...

I did some traveling this weekend. I think that was "vacation" #5. Vacation is put in quotes because most vacations are just me being a chauffeur for somebody else and, if I'm lucky, I might be able to put in some reading or catch a movie.

I'm rarely lucky.

This weekend, I got to drive up to Orem and attend a writing convention (yay!), then I recorded a podcast (yay!), and then went to my high school reunion to catch up with old friends (yay!). Then, I drove home (boo!). I just really needed to be back home for a number of things on Sunday.

Despite being up for about 24 hours there and spending a third of that time behind the wheel of a car, I quite enjoyed myself. It is nice to socialize with others, learn, and catch up with old friends. And I didn't have to drive anybody around except myself. I was the master of my happiness.

Just sayin'... sometimes I think it is important to do something for yourself. Most vacations are me trying to spend time with the family, which is important. You can't put a price on pleasant memories, and I wouldn't trade any of my "vacations" for anything else.

I just need occasional me time, and I think most people do. If you feel yourself burning out, you might not need a vacation, you might just need to get away from it all for a few hours or a day or two and pamper yourself. It is an excellent opportunity to recharge your batteries for all the other things you have in life.

How about everybody else? What are you guys doing? And how do you hide and recover from the stresses in your life?

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Emblazon Launch

Today, a new website launches called Emblazon, a website dedicated to the writers for 11-14 year olds. I think this is great, I often hear of people struggling to find reading for children of this age. They are hungry readers with little to turn to to satisfy their reading cravings.

Also, I'm happy to see two of my personal friends at Emblezon (stuff below is shamelessly pilfered from their website):

Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as adult. On occasion you’ll find him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several picture books including BEAN’S DRAGONS, the ABC ADVENTURES series, and the author of the middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel, THE DREAM KEEPER. He spends most of his time playing with his daughters and working as a freelance illustrator. Mikey has a BS degree in Creative Writing from Utah State University. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast. Website  | Blog  | Facebook  | Twitter  | Goodreads | Amazon Page |


When Monique Bucheger isn’t writing, you can find her playing taxi driver to one or more of her 12 children, plotting her next novel, scrapbooking, or being the “Mamarazzi” at any number of child-oriented events. Even though she realizes there will never be enough hours in any given day, Monique tries very hard to enjoy the journey that is her life. She shares it with a terrific husband, her dozen children, one adorable granddaughter, two cats, and many real and imaginary friends. She is the author of the GINNIE WEST ADVENTURE series. Website Facebook  | Twitter  | Goodreads |Amazon Page |