Lessons in Life and Writing

I have an essay in Memories From Maple Street about the moment (and it was a single moment) when I went from innocent childhood to realizing there was a world beyond the magical place where my mother, sister, and I lived. Instead of giving away that experience, I feel the need to address, if just for myself, how much has changed since that experience.

The short story is that last week my nearly 97 year old mother broke her hip. She'd be a terrible surgery risk so will spend the rest of her life with a broken hip. Because she was already living in a foster home, not much has changed except that I'll no longer be able to load her into my car and take her out for our weekly lunch date. At least not much has changed for her.

My sister and I are the ones being hit with inescapable proof that we're now parenting our parent. The woman who raised us on her own, who juggled parenthood and a teaching career, who cared for her own mother, can no longer control her life. Dementia has exacted a terrible price but maybe that's for the best because she, hopefully, isn't aware of how little she has left. She still recognizes and dearly loves her daughters and that means the world to us and I'm so glad I'm not a single child. There's someone else with the same memories of that independent, upbeat, and basically simple woman, someone else who remembers hugs, laughter, certain songs, a love of nature, and a couple of horses named Trixie and Misty.

I'm finding it hard to write these days, not just because of what happened last week but what other family members are going through, but somewhere in these experiences are the kernels of inspiration that feed writers' imaginations. I have the sense I'm going to come out of this with a deeper understanding of the human condition. Hopefully--or should I say it's my vow--I'll be able to transform my walk into something readers can connect with. When I write about parenting one's parent or watching a spouse's decline, I'll be writing from the heart.

However, in case the universe is listening, I could do without the memories of trying to get through the medical insurance system without losing my mind. That I'd rather not write about--but might.

#NewRelease--NINE DEADLY LIVES An Anthology of Feline Fiction--#Giveaway!

From magic to murder, from felines to faeries, the authors of NINE DEADLY LIVES spin thirteen tales featuring those sometimes aloof and occasionally dangerous but always adorable creatures we know and love as cats! Whether it's mystery, fantasy, historical, or romance, these cat tales provide plenty of entertainment and thrills!

As a Hollywood stuntwoman, Beth Hallam follows in her famous dad’s footsteps. But can she measure up as a private eye, as well? In Livia J. Washburn’s SECOND NATURE, Beth must solve her first attempted murder case—on a cat!

Can Dominique dare to hope she—the girl everyone shunned—could win the love of sexy Bran MacKenzie, the most popular guy in town?  In Deborah Macgillivray’s SHOES, SHADES, AND FAERYDUST, it might happen! Take red shoes, a pair of sunglasses, and sprinkle liberally with golden faerydust, and you have a magic spell in the making…

Lovey Villines’s cat, Mr. Fred, is the only witness to her possible murder. Brady Rowe, a veteran police officer, searches for a key that will open MR. FRED’S TREASURE BOX and possibly clear everything up. But what will become of Mr. Fred in Cheryl Pierson’s tale of squabbling siblings and “treasure” to be had?

When cat lady Lynley Cannon discovers a stray kitten trapped in a gym bag, she finds herself pursued through Portland’s warehouse district by gun-wielding thugs.  Lynley is not about to give up the kit to those crazies, so the race is on. Will Lynley survive? Come find out in Mollie Hunt’s CAT’S CRADLE!

In Isabella Norse’s THE NERD IN SHINING ARMOR, working girl Abby needs a hero. Ryan, her neighbor, needs an assistant. Can a battle-scarred tabby with a penchant for quoting from Star Wars bring them together?

Rochelle Spencer’s tale, THE CAT ON COOGAN’S BLUFF, involves a cranky detective who uncovers secrets about baseball, Harlem, and cats. The clues are scarce, and hinge on Harlem’s mysterious residents, a blue-eyed Persian, and an old love gone bad. 

In MISSING LYNX, Clay More pens a story of supernatural tragedy that seems to never end. It is 1926, and the world mourns silent movie heart-throb Rudolph Valentino who has tragically died at the age of thirty-one. But Rudolph’s death is only the first in a series of tragedies in this supernatural feline murder mystery tale from the silent movie era.

C. A. Jamison’s story, DREAM WEAVER, has California newcomer Mary Price being given the impossible task of reading three romance novels in three days. Mary is in disbelief when her newly-adopted cat has her dreaming the outcomes of the stories. The handsome blue-eyed stranger is the hero in each novel, and Mary has no idea she is falling in love with her new boss.

In Mariah Lynne’s CLAWS FOR JUSTICE, two spunky shelter cats, Shurlock and Wattson, learn their time at the shelter is up. The furry duo finds a clever way to escape their fate, only to find their caretaker, Robby, dead. They now must make it their mission to find Robby’s killer and bring him to justice before they get caught again.

WHO LET THE CATS OUT? That’s the question in this story by Faye Rapoport DesPres. When a mysterious fire tears through the main house of the Jane S. Dooley Cat Shelter, Adalyn, the shelter’s director, vows to keep the shelter open. Now, Adalyn has two mysteries on her hands: Who set the fire, and who let the cats out?  

In Brandy Herr’s tale, after Larry's wife walks out on him, the sudden arrival of a mysterious calico cat appears to be just what he needs to lift his spirits.  But appearances can be deceiving. Will THE CALICO be a blessing... or a curse?

Angela Crider Neary pens a supernatural story about an enchanting cat named ANGEL, a series of suspicious fires, and a Colorado sheriff who finds himself wondering if cats really do have nine lives—and trying to figure out who the next victim will be.

Bill Crider’s THE EASTER CAT—When Hollywood private-eye Bill Ferrel gave a ride to the Easter Bunny, he thought he was just doing a friend a favor.  How was he to know he’d wind up chasing a cat through the jungle and trying to prevent a murder?

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a free ecopy of NINE DEADLY LIVES!

BUY LINKS    Barnes and Noble Nook      Smashwords       Kobo

Hyperlink Know-how Part 2

In last month's FIRE STAR PRESS blog post I wrote about how to hyperlink words on Blogger. You can access this post by clicking HERE. This is part of my series which began with my post about putting together an online media kit which you can find by clicking HERE.

This month I'll demonstrate how to hyperlink words using a Microsoft Word document. If you use a Mac computer or a different word processing program, the process for will probably be similar.

I find that there are certain links, such as those for my author platform social media sites and my purchase links for my books, which I use over and over. It can be time-consuming and a hassle to type the descriptive words and hyperlink them from scratch every time I wish to use them. I have found that by formatting the information in a Word document, and then hyperlinking those words, I can copy and paste the information from the Word document to either an email or a blog post. What is more, the hyperlinked words stay hyperlinked.

Here is how I go about it:

1.  In my Word document, I format the information I want in the proper font (one that is compatible with the available fonts on my email program and Blogger), font size, and lay-out. 

I save this in My Documents as part of my online media kit. Links like the one below I save on my desktop where I can find and access it easily. To begin the hyperlinking process, I highlight the word I wish to hyperlink. In this case, it is my personal website.

Very important!

I cannot stress this enough.

A word of caution if you plan to put together a grouping of words like author platform links or book purchase links, whether you are doing it on a Word document or directly into a blog page:

Do not use the TAB button on your computer keyboard to separate the words you wish hyperlinked.

Use the SPACE BAR.

Here is the problem if you use the TAB key. The tab will connect word one with word two. Then what can happen when you hyperlink the first word and accidentally pick up the tab in your hyperlink, you are unable to hyperlink word two because it is already connected to word one by the tab.

I like to use two spaces, a character, and then two more spaces to separate my words I wish to hyperlink. In this example, I use vertical bars, but there are other options. 

Word  |  Word  ~  Word  *  Word  <>  Word  /  Word  #  Word

Choose a style that fits you, or just use spaces. Just be sure to separate your words to be hyperlinked using the space bar. And, when highlighting the word to be hyperlinked, do your best to not catch any of the spaces or the separators.

Yes

NO!

3. Go to Insert on the command tools ribbon and click on Hyperlink. You can also use the shortcut command <CTRL>+K.


4. This will bring up the Insert Hyperlink command box. Set the Link to: to Existing File or Web Page. Set the Look in: to Current Folder if you are copying the link from a Word document or to Browsed Pages  if you are copying the link from the web.

5. The next step is to copy the URL, or web address, of the site to which you wish to link the word(s) you have highlighted. You can go directly to the site on your web browser.:

Or, you can do it this way. What I have done is put the links at the bottom of the page below my formatted section I intend to copy and paste to emails and blog pages, etc. and save it as part of my permanent record. You can do it either way. 




Highlight the URL of the website to which you wish to connect your word(s), and use either the shortcut command <CTRL>+C or right-click your mouse or touch pad and click on Copy.

6. Down at the bottom under Address:, Paste your link by using the shortcut command <CTRL>+V or by Right-clicking on your mouse or touch pad and clicking on Paste. Now your link is in the command box. Click on the OK button.

7. Now your word is hyperlinked to the website to which you connected it. Continue to hyperlink all the words you need hyperlinked. Save your document with a descriptive name.

8. Once you get your Word document formatted, hyperlinked and saved. you can copy and paste the section you need to your email or blog post. Not only does the font style and size stay the same, but the hyperlinks transfer. You will see this very same grouping copy and pasted from my word document to the bottom of this blog post.
 

 Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. Her novel, Family Secrets, was published by Fire Star Press in October 2014 and her novelette, AChristmas Promise, was published by Prairie Rose Publications in November 2014. The first two novellas in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine and A Resurrected Heart, are now available.

The author is a member of Women Writing the West, American Night Writers Association, and Modesto Writers Meet Up. She currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.

AUTHOR LINKS:

WEBSITE  |  BLOG  |  FACEBOOK  |  PINTEREST  

GOODREADS   |  AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Leading cause of insanity

My computer hates me. Okay, I doubt that my computer has such a complex thought but seriously, there are days when I'm convinced the gremlins buried deep inside have it in for me. Case in point—today the curser is acting as if it has a mind of its own when I'm on the Net. "Maybe I'll go where you direct me, maybe I won't."  And recently it's been doing such unnerving things as suddenly going black or freezing up. Then there's the incomprehensible message that reads ProgramFiles/Windows NT corrupt and unreadable. Run Chkdsk utility. Say what? Like I'm supposed to know what that means.

I have a pretty good idea what the core problem is. I'm just not sure how to do anything about it short of hiring someone to whip said computer into shape. A couple of months ago I updated my virus, etc protection program to the tune of about $80 a year. Of course the updating took longer than I thought it would but there's no way I'm going to not have some kind of protection so figured I'd covered my tail.

Not.

About an hour later, everything froze. My monitor went black. When I punched the power button on the tower, nothing happened so I unplugged the darn thing and plugged it back in. Nothing. Always before the unplug/plug has gotten my computer's attention but not this time. Hey, I'm a writer. There's no way I can exist without my computer aka my brain. In a bit of a panic, I took the tower to my trusty computer tech. (Of course this all happened on a Friday afternoon)

Long story short, my tech who I'd adopt if he wasn't a smoker, called the next day to let me know he'd isolated the problem. As I understand it, the virus protection update is set up to work with Windows 10 and I'm holding onto my Windows 7 for as long as I can. The protection program apparently went through my computer making random decisions about which utilities to keep and which to dump. My tech told me that 80-90% of his work comes from similar lack of communication.

So my tech got rid of what he thought were all signs of the program I paid $80 for and installed AGV which he trusts for a much-appeciated low price. He also encouraged me to contact my credit card company and ask for my money back from the original program which I did.

All well and good except I'm convinced that gremlins from the original program are still hanging around in my hard drive determined to mess with my mind. It's a conspiracy I say, a conspiracy designed to prove that computers are a leading cause of insanity.

At least I can still word process aka write without problems which is what I've been doing.   

And that's my excuse for why I'm behind.

Hyperlink Know-how Part 1

 As promised on my last month's FIRE STAR PRESS blog post about putting together an online media kit which you can find by clicking HERE, I'm going to share with you how to hyperlink words. This month I'll demonstrate how to hyperlink using the Blogger blog service. If you use a different blogging or website service, the process for your blog or website host will probably be similar.

You can just copy and paste a URL, or web address, directly into a blog. For example, the web address for my novel, Family Secrets published by FIRE STAR PRESS looks like this:  

http://prairierosepublications.com/OTHER-IMPRINTS/FIRE-STAR-PRESS/


I prefer to hyperlink descriptive words to direct the reader to the web page. It is neater, more concise and more descriptive. I can word it something like:

Read about Family Secrets by Zina Abbott by clicking HERE.

Or I can word it as follows:

Read more about Family Secrets by Zina Abbott on the FIRE STAR PRESS website. 

Either way, by clicking on the hyperlinked words, the reader will direct the web browser to open a new page with the website page linked to the words in the blog post. Whichever style is used, I believe it looks much cleaner than just hyperlinking the URL. Here is how to hyperlink words in Blogger step by step:

1. Type the words in the blog window/page. Using your mouse or touch pad, highlight the words you want hyperlinked. Then click on the Link icon in the toolbar.

 2.  This will bring up an Edit Link command box. You will be interested in the section that links your words to a web address.

  3.  Next, on your web browser, open a new window and bring up the URL, or web address, of the site to which you wish to connect your hyperlinked words. Note in the example below I have one window for Mozilla Firefox Start Page, one for Blogger Fire Star Press and one for Prairie Rose Publications, which happens to host the Family Secrets page of their imprint Fire Star Press. Highlight that web page's URL and Copy using either the <CTRL>+C command, or by right-clicking on your mouse or touch pad and selecting Copy.

4.  Toggle back to the page for your blog post. In the Web address window of the Edit Link command box, Paste the URL you just highlighted using either the <CTRL>+V command or by right-clicking on your mouse or touch pad and selecting Paste. Note that the words you have highlighted to be hyperlinked are in the Text to display window. 

5. I always use the Test this link function to bring up the URL I pasted into into the Link to:Web address window to make sure the link is correct. If the webpage does not come up properly, I find out why not and redo the link so it works.

 
6.  I prefer to have my links open in a new window, so I check the Open this link in a new window command. Then click on OK.

7. Once the Edit Link command box closes, the words you highlighted are now hyperlinked, or connected, to the website. When you hover over the hyperlinked text, information about the link plus options to either change or remove the link are made available.
 

 8. And, once again, here is what that hyperlinked text looks like in the blog post. click on the following link and let it take you to the FIRE STAR PRESS page for the book:

Read more about Family Secrets by Zina Abbott on the FIRE STAR PRESS website.

Next month I'll cover how to make life easier by hyperlinking information you regularly use in Microsoft Word so you can copy and paste it to an email, blog post or where you want it. 

 Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. Her novel, Family Secrets, was published by Fire Star Press in October 2014 and her novelette, AChristmas Promise, was published by Prairie Rose Publications in November 2014. The first two novellas in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, Big Meadows Valentine and A Resurrected Heart, are now available.

The author is a member of Women Writing the West, American Night Writers Association, and Modesto Writers Meet Up. She currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.

Please visit the Zina Abbott’s Amazon Author Page by clicking HERE.

Zina Abbott Author Links:

Website  |  Blog     |  Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads