Salmon and Fields: A Journey in Mixed Metaphors by Jim Hart

It’s writer’s conference season, and soon there will be multitudes of writers coming home to start blogging as if their lives depended on it. It makes me think about salmon swimming upstream to spawn. All of these writers are in the same stream, struggling towards the same destination. And now the stream of the world-wide-web is full of authors who are building their platform, and are struggling to reach the same readers as all of the other authors in the same stream who are building their platform.

Rob Eagar’s marketing blog recently addressed something similar to this in what he calls ‘preventing sales burnout.’ He cited “publishers who try to sell more books to the same readers” as an example of sales burnout.  He says “modern-day farmers know that trying to harvest too many crops out of the same field creates negative consequences. Over-farming can extract too many nutrients from of the soil, eventually leaving a field barren and useless. To maintain a good harvest, farmers will rotate crops, let fields rest, or expand their acreage to prevent one area from burning out.”

So it may time for you to ask yourself if you're wearing out your current network, and how can you expand outside of your current network?

Blogging is still a great way to build, and maintain your platform, especially when used to collect subscriber’s e-mail addresses. But it has to be more than that if you want to engage those readers on a regular basis. You’ve got to offer not only something of value to your intended audience, but also something unique that blog readers may not be able to find elsewhere. If all you do is write about writing, and post it on Facebook, well – you run the risk of just being another salmon swimming upstream.

Here are two things to consider:

1) Blog in another field. Is there a hobby or skill that you are competent in, beyond writing books, in which you could write about? What have you learned, or experienced in some other area of your life that could be of real value, and a service? There could be an untapped community just waiting to hear from someone like you. Look for opportunities to be part of a new community and that will naturally add to your platform. 

Writers spend so much time in research - what interesting things have you uncovered that could be shared in a blog or other social media post?

Some other ideas would be: devotions, healthy living tips, recipes, crafts, social concerns, raising a family, vacation tips, life hacks, banjo lessons - tell your readers how-to, where-to and why-to.

2) Let the field rest. Try another different social media platform. If you’re starting to get burned out on Twitter and Facebook (can I get an “amen”), don’t give up on them or forsake them, but try something different like Pinterest, Goodreads, YouTube, or even pod-casting.

Or get out from behind the keyboard and take part in, or host, public events at your library, church, bookstore, or coffee house. The key is to have content or a presentation of value. This is a great way to connect on a personal level. Don’t worry that this could be just be local exposure, because someone in attendance could go home and post about the event on their Facebook page, gaining you exposure that you would not have gotten on your own.

So here's where we really mix our metaphors: Salmon can live in both salt water and fresh water. If they couldn't make the transition from the sea to the stream, there wouldn't be any more salmon. Learn to naturally navigate through different platforms and media. But like the salmon, and the farmers, you have to have a plan and a schedule.

You want new people (readers) to find you naturally without forcing them to wade through post after post on Facebook and Twitter encouraging them to “buy my new book”.  There definitely is a time and place for announcing your new title, or if your e-book is on sale for the next 48 hours, but that can’t be all you post, or you risk burning out your audience.

So work to increase your audience with people who discover you by reading something totally unrelated to your new book, or WIP. The beauty of this is now you’ve created an opportunity to hook a reader, and down the line, when you do need to announce your new book to the world, you can set the hook and reel ‘em in.

What have you done to expand you current on-line reach? Have you enjoyed blogging about topics unrelated to your writing endeavors?

Blog Elements by Jim Hart

As a writer, or author, you need to have a purpose for your blog. It can serve several purposes:

1) Connect you to potential readers who will buy your book(s)

2) Offer some sort of information that will be of value and benefit to the reader

3) Simply entertain the reader

Regardless of why you blog you want people to connect with you on more than a surface level. You want to encourage them to engage with you, and the community or tribe that you’ve formed.

But to do this, you need to offer content of interest to the people that you are already reaching. A consistently strong blog will lead to a stronger marketing section in your proposal. It’s writers’ conference season and soon there will be hundreds – nay, thousands - of new blogs from aspiring writers who have been told to “go forth and blog!”

Here are some things that you can interject and include in your blog to help your blog standout:

Quotes

Interesting quotes are often shared or re-tweeted! You can use:

• A quote from an author who writes in your genre
• A quote from your latest book (just a sentence, maybe two)
• A quote from another blogger
• A quote from a person who is somehow historically tied to the subject of your book
• A quote from the Bible
• A quote from a popular media figure that somehow ties into the subject of your book

Facts

A short memorable fact such as:

• A fact about the book you just read
• A fact about the book that you are writing
• A fact about what you’ve learned about publishing
• A fact or statistic that you uncovered while researching one of your books
• A fact about you that would be surprising to your readers
• A fact from the period in history that you write about

Tips

Everyone appreciates some good advice now and then. Share:

• A tip on how to write the perfect first line of a novel
• A tip on how to graciously accept a rejection of your proposal
• A tip on a cool life-hack that you’ve discovered
• A tip on how to work a writers conference
• A tip on how to write a great synopsis
• A tip from something related to your non-fiction book
• A tip on a tricky grammar rule

Links

Include a link in the body of your copy:

• A link to one of your older blog posts
• A link to a blog that you often read, or are quoting
• A link to where you just wrote a guest blog
• A link to support something that you wrote about
• A link to another site that would interest your readers

Pictures:

There’s a reason Pinterest is so popular. People might like to see:

• A picture of the space that you write in
• A picture from some cool place that you just visited
• A picture that makes the reader laugh
• A picture of you from 20 years ago
• A picture of a calm nature scene
• A picture of your cat
• A picture from you book signing

Questions

These are great for eliciting a response and a comment:

• Ask the reader if they agree or disagree with your current post
• Ask the reader to help you name the brother of your protagonist
• Ask the reader how many times they were rejected before being offered a publishing contract
• Ask the reader who they would cast in the movie of their life
• Ask the reader to subscribe to your blog

So…what’s your favorite blog element?

Image Posting Help by Diana Flegal

#486964355 / gettyimages.com

Colorful, creative  images of people, scenery or objects help draw people to your blog, website or social media pages.


Have you ever attempted to post a picture and been informed your image is not the right size?


This Ultimate Image Posting Cheat Sheet from Financial Brand's website will help you.


I think it is best to take your own photos when you can. This eliminates the risk of infringing on anyone's rights or cheating anyone out of their royalties. NOTE: Just because a picture can be found online does not mean it can be used without permission.


Another option of course is to purchase photos from sites like StockPhoto.com. Always be sure to read over the agreement page before committing your credit card numbers to them.


Getty Images is a site that allows you to embed many free images into your blog. The image at the top of this blog is from Getty Images. (be sure to use the HTML tab in your blogs tool bar).


A easy to use free basic photo editing site that I use to crop my photos as well as lighten or enhance them is Pic Monkey. You can upgrade if you want to utilize their other features.


Experiment and have fun.


The biggest thing is: Do not be afraid to try.

Let the Sun Shine on Your Words by Diana Flegal

Yesterday, I had planned on spending my lunch time outside basking in the sunshine- enjoying it’s warmth and the promise of Spring it spoke of. But when I left my desk, that very same sun exposed my lint and crumb festooned carpet and all my housekeeping flaws. Ugh!

So instead of getting outside, I grabbed my vacuum and attacked the litter, promising myself I’d get outside later. (I did.)

Critique partners and editors are a lot like the sunshine, revealing things we need to eliminate. Fingerprints (personal opinion) and excess words can cloud our readers vision and what we intended to say. Excess description clutters the beauty of a scene.

Do not be afraid to allow others a view of your work. Their suggestions might clear up your story's meaning, redefine your plot or help you clarify the point you were making, providing a punch to your words. You and your reader will be happier. 

How do you review your work objectively?  With the help of others, or with a set formulaic structure?

Improve Your Blog's SEO Results by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

#SEO #Blogging

Are you using SEO plugins or updated meta tags on your blog(s) for better search rankings? Does Google recognize you as the author of your blog(s)? Some of you might be surprised.

Google Authorship
First, let's discuss Google Authorship. What does it mean and why is it important?

Google wants to know that your blog is legitimate and written by you. This means that you must take a few extra steps to prove that your blog is owned by you and not hacked by someone else. By doing this, your photo will be linked with your posts in search results and it will stand out among worded results that have no image. It's like a free ad. According to a study on Catalyst, it increased click through rates by 150%. Below is a preview of what my search results look like when I did a search on the title of my new 3-book series "The MacGregor Legacy". The first image is of my personal Google+ account and the second image is of my Google+ author page and is why the images are different. Notice how having an image stands out from the rest of the search results almost like an ad.

Also, by being legit according to Google's standards, it allows Google to recognize when people try to copy your posts and paste your words as their own--taking credit for your work. Who doesn't want to help fight the war on copyright infringement and piracy?

Search for yourself on Google. When you see your blog or website listed, is there a photo beside your post? If not, you need to link your blog to your Google+ profile. If you do not have a Google+ profile, you need to create one. Please note, that if you have a Gmail, YoutTube or Blogger account, you can use that same account to set up your Google+ profile.  Go here for more information.

SEO & Meta Tags
It used to be that we inserted a long list of keywords in the meta tag area of our websites and blogs. Things have changed and that is history. Keywords are now more important in labels and hashtags. If you have a Wordpress blog, you need to insert SEO plugins. Here is a great article on which ones to research: 10 Essential Wordpress Plugins to Improve SEO & Usability.

If you have a Blogger blog, there are no SEO Plugins, but you can enable the meta data on your blog. You need to login to your Blogger account, go to your dashboard and click "Settings". Scroll down and click "Search Preferences". Click the box for "Enable" under the Meta Tag heading. A text box will open allowing you to type in a summary of your blog. You only have 155 characters--similar to a tweet. Think of it as a slogan for a commercial. According to iAcquire, 43.2% of people click on a search result link due to the meta tag description.

Was this helpful? What steps have you taken to improve your SEO? Post your questions in the comments below.

Get to the Point by Andy Scheer

I've all but given up on one Christian writing blog.

Week after week, post after post, the feature article typically takes paragraphs before it begins to approach any promised point of reader application.

Instead of getting to the point, its articles commit a felony that back in my magazine editing days we called “backing into the story.”

That's a far cry from constructing an inverted pyramid and giving the core of the who, what, where, when, why, and how in the first paragraph. Or from the feature approach of beginning with some hook like a dramatic quote, telling statistic, probing question, or shocking statement.

Perhaps somewhere there's a school of “cozy blogging” that advocates making the reader feel at home by first describing the grounds of the manor house, its multiple rooms, and all the guests invited for the gala weekend.

Unless I'm dedicated to a blog, I'll give the headline a glance to see if it's worth investigating. Then perhaps a scan of the opening paragraph to confirm my impression.

Multiple other blogs and emails are begging for my attention before I plunge into my morning's work. Unless I'm deep into procrastination mode, the lead needs to hook me, and the material that follows needs to keep me hooked.

So why begin a posting with an author bio, followed by a rambling anecdote designed to set up an analogy? Such throat-clearing might be necessary in a first draft. But never in a piece that aims to attract and keep readers.

Blogging Fluff Isn't Wanted Content by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

#blogging #platform #social media

As a publicist, there is one thing I hear all the time. "I need to build a platform so I need to create a blog. Where do I start?"

Well, you might need a blog, but it may not do you any good. It all depends.

It depends on if you:

• Have time to blog
• Have the determination to be consistent and keep at it
• Have a niche theme that isn't already over saturated in the market
• Can recognize change in the times and in your audience and be flexible enough to change with it and them
• Genuinely like to blog

Now that the trend word platform has made significant rounds for several years, and everyone has figured out they need one, social media is exploding, blogs are saturating the web, and podcasts are increasing in quantity like wildfire. The big trend word right now is content--and has been the buzz word for awhile now. In fact, last year I wrote a blog post on Everything is Content. In spite of our ideas of what content is or isn't, we need to realize it takes many forms and isn't just words--images, podcasts, videos are all content.

This brings me back to my title, merely blogging a bunch of fluff isn't what people want. It will be ignored, deleted, challenged, and criticized. So what do people want and what should your blog content contain?

Your blogging content needs to be:

• Informative - It should not be repetitive or sound like everyone else. Share and teach others what you have learned. This will give you credibility and make others appreciate friending and knowing you. This is what it means for content to have value. 
• Interesting and entertaining - Include a mixture of images, illustrations and videos to make your point. Be yourself and use your writing voice in your blog. It should not sound like a work report or scientfic study.
• Full of variety - Take different approaches to your topic and explore ideas and thoughts. You don't know everything, even in your field and niche. Invite other experts and colleagues to guestpost on your blog. In return they will promote their post and you will gain new visitors you normally don't have access.
• Consistent - People are creatures of habit and like knowing what to expect so they will know how to fit your blog into their reading schedule. If you blog once a month or every couple of months, they will forget about your blog and fill that time with other content. My advice is weekly, post a blog schedule on which days you will blog and stick to it. Keep in mind that it doesn't have to be everyday, but 2-3 times each week.
• Organized and legible - When someone lands on your blog for the first time, they may want to read more of what piqued their interest and brought them there. Have a good archive system in place. I'm not referring to the auto-archives arranged by months and dates on your sidebar. I'm talking about using static pages on your blog to organize some of your best posts under specific categories. For instance, my blog has specific pages categorized by Writing Tips, Historical Research, and Inspirational Devotions. Also, include a search feature in the sidebar. Make it easy for people to find the content they are looking for. 
• SEO - It's true that Search Engine Optimization is important and helps in ranking your pages higher on a web search. However, I caution people against writing a bunch of fluff in order to get those SEO words in your title and in your post. Make sure your content is relevant and helpful. This is where less is more and the value of quality is better than quantity. If you can't come up with original content each day, then daily blogging isn't for you. Blog once or twice a week. Your readers will appreciate you not wasting their time and save you from losing credibility and followers. 

Have you ever seen a blog title and clicked to read more, but was disappointed at the content and felt like you wasted your time? Did you take action and leave a critical comment, stopped following, or ignored their next few posts?

An unscheduled interview by Terry Burns

I belong to a lot of social media sites, facebook, twitter, writing groups, etc. I don't have time to participate a lot but I watch what is being discussed and who is doing it. Sometimes I see something being discussed that I think maybe I have something I should contribute and I do, but mostly I quickly just keep my finger on it quickly before I delete and get back to work.

I take note when someone without sufficient experience is giving advice I consider not to be solid and when I see that I will watch a bit closer for a bit. Usually a more experienced writer will chime in and I don't have to, but if not I'll speak up. Not that I consider myself an expert on everything, but I attend a lot of conferences, network with a lot of people who are terribly knowledgeable and well, a lot of good information does come my way.

But what's with the title of this blog? What's an unscheduled interview? I keep an eye what I have on my plate, what I have in my inbox to work. If I'm holding some work to evaluate I recognize if I start seeing that name coming through the social media. In a proposal people often tell me what they want me to hear. As part of the evaluation process if I start having some interest I'll probably google them to get a closer look.

But if I see them coming up in social media I may tune in. I get an informal look at who they are, what they think, if we might be a personal match for each other. Snooping? No, it's out there for personal consumption. It's out there because they want others to know them better and that's what I might use it for.

I've said that the process of getting an agent and the process of an agent deciding to represent a client is a lot like dating and it is. First and foremost it is about the writing, pure and simple. I'm looking for well written stuff that I can fall in love with and really want to help get it out on the market. But I also want people that I like and get along well with, people I connect with, people who will fit well in my very tight-knit client group.

Sometimes I can find out a lot about that in an unscheduled interview.

What Are You Reading by Diana Flegal

"A man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."   Mark Twain

What are you reading now?

As an agent, I periodically receive submissions from writers in a genre that they do not read. Hard to understand.

It just makes sense that they would write in a genre they are familiar with. But it does explain why those very submissions are inferior in quality and lack a vital element: Believability. 

I recommend authors practice the Immersion Technique. A technique often used in learning a new language.

Immersion works on the assumption that your brain will pick up, absorb and store what it is subjected to on a routine basis. Our brain then accesses this 'stored knowledge' when needed. As you read good novels, you will begin to internally grade other novels accordingly and become a connoisseur of good writing. Develop an appreciation for it, like one does for fine wine or beautiful art. Of course these things are subjective and relative to individual taste.

If you are desiring to write inspirational romance novels, it would be a very good idea for you to become acquainted with current popular inspirational romances. If you want to write a Sci-FY title, I would like to think you have a pretty good idea how one should read, because you read them routinely.

I read everything. Toothpaste tubes and cereal boxes, but mostly nonfiction self help books. Or nonfiction titles that explain and offer me new information about subjects I am interested in. So, you would be right in thinking those submissions are the ones I can make the easiest and quickest decision on. Contemporary fiction would be my next strength, followed then by romance titles, contemporary first then historical, then fantasy and sci-FY. I am not as familiar with genres I only read occasionally, but do have my favorite authors in them as well. But I can recognize good writing in all genres because I read a lot. Reading serves me well in what I do.

As an author, your writing will vastly improve as you read in your genre.


I just finished reading a contemporary fiction novel and have started a mystery. I also have three nonfiction titles going. Two on business building and another on spiritual growth.

What are you reading now?

Seduce Your Reader With Your First Line by Diana Flegal

Writers who ignore the first line create fiction that lacks literary seduction.
                               Aaron Gansky Firsts in Fiction

Have you ever grabbed a book off the shelf in a bookstore, opened it and read the first line and determined to buy it? Or at the least, pull up a chair and read a little more while sipping your latte' ? (Gosh, I miss my local Borders Bookstore). 

Like the mermaids siren song, we are seduced and can not escape, even though we might wish to. We are hooked and at the mercy of the author, compelled to read on. That is a wonderful experience, is it not?

Fiction and Nonfiction can capture us this way.

Erwin Raphael McManus captured me with a fictional opening to his nonfiction Christian Living title, Seizing Your Divine Moment.  He wrote: Rumblings are more felt than heard and certainly never seen. They come to you through the soles of your feet into the depths of your soul. Only then do they open the eyes of your heart. They speak of a shift that is about to take place.

Margaret Becker, in her title, Coming Up For Air, hooked me with her first paragraph. I will let you read it yourself. Amazon says this about it: Artist Margaret Becker shares her personal story of exhaustion, loneliness, faith, and success in a lighthearted yet thought-provoking story. Through her experiences women will learn how to redefine, reclaim, and rejuvenate their lives.

Yes, both times the authors grabbed me where I was at. I was feeling tremors beneath my feet and knew I was in for a shift. And I certainly needed to get away as Margaret spoke of. But if they hadn't wrote what they said in a compelling and  fine way, I would have moved on.


A reader will not continue reading if you do not capture or 'hook' them quickly. They simply place your book back on the shelf and pull out another. With limited budgets, there are so many options and so little time.

When an agent or editor read your sample chapters in a proposal, we sometimes know by the first line and often by the first page, whether we are going to read on or reply with a kind rejection. Sometimes out of duty, having met the author at a conference face to face, we will read the full three chapters contained in the proposal. And if we catch a glimmer of something special, having waded on, we might respond with a suggestion for a rewrite and request for a resubmit. But all too often we know by the first pages end,it just doesn't measure up.
 
While refreshing my First Pages workshop for an upcoming conference, I turned to Aaron Gansky's book mentioned above.This small book is power packed with great writing advice. The subtitle of the book is: First Line Hooks, Hints and Help. And it is just that.

Aaron lists four ways you can begin your story with the first line.
Through character, conflict, voice and setting.

Eddie Jones, in his book, The Curse of Captain LaFoote, begins; "I'd just ordered a large pizza the evening our apartment building burned down." I was curious enough to read on.

Which style of beginning would you say Eddie used?

What are a few of your favorite first lines? Share them here with us, but don't forget to credit the author.


And be sure to check out Aaron's book.

Happy Wednesday!

Platform By the Letters: A Beginner's Guide by Lisa Lawmaster Hess

Platform. 

If we writers had a dollar for every time we read or heard that word, the accumulated pile of cash might even be as large as the elusive advance we've been dreaming of. 

So, what is a platform? A wooden contraption? A blog? Social networking? Finally getting to that magic number of hits when you "Google" yourself? 

All of the above. And though you're probably safe without the traditional wooden contraption unless you intend to literally get up on your soapbox, the visual is a good one. Just as that wooden platform allows you to be seen in a crowd, so does a virtual platform, consisting of an online presence in a variety of places. Although the physical world doesn't allow us to be in more than one place at a time, the virtual world has no such limitations. 

And that is exactly what editors and agents are looking for in a publishing world with ever-tightening budgets. Authors (especially first-time, unknown authors) are expected to play a significant role in promoting their books. Consequently, blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and other social media have become integral pieces in the promotion puzzle. 

If you feel overwhelmed (and perhaps a little overexposed) by this whole concept, don't despair. The process doesn't have to be daunting. Read on, and take one letter at a time. In any order. In whatever time frame works best for you. Build at your own pace.
If, of course, you happen to be the lucky writer who has a book deal in hand and whose editor and/or agent is strongly suggesting you wave your flag from your platform, say, yesterday, you may want to build with a bit more alacrity. 

Pick up your hammer (or your mouse) and let's get started! 

Put yourself out there. This is the foundation of your platform. Anything that gets your name in the public eye qualifies. Book signings. Speaking engagements. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In. Like Legos, some building blocks have bigger pay-offs than others, but anything that makes a connection between you and your (potential) readership is a "plank." Online presences are the most universally noticeable, but e-mailing everyone in your contact list about an upcoming book-signing, speaking engagement or published article is a start as well. 

Let go of modesty - professionally speaking. This isn't so much a step in the process as a necessary mindset. You have to believe that there's an audience for your blog, your book, your Twitter posts and your Facebook status. Then, you have to engage that audience. Otherwise, why are you writing these posts in the first place? For writers who are naturally reclusive, this can be the hardest part...until they discover that posting all of their book signings, events and publishing coups online not only sells books, but builds relationships. These posts are also great exercises in writing tight and getting the same point across to different audiences in different ways. Keep your audience and the protocol of the space in mind, though. While an overwhelmed reader can scroll past endless self-promotion posts on Facebook, she may un-follow you if do the same thing on Twitter. 

Access other writers. Your best audience is other people who know what you're going through. This part can be the most fun because you're building relationships and nurturing your creativity through these interactions. The best place to find these folks is in the same online PR improvement stores you're already haunting - social networking sites - which can lead to following one another's blogs and careers, as well as sharing what works and what doesn't. Conferences and online forums are also great places to make connections, build camaraderie and share great ideas. 

Take advantage of free resources. When I first started blogging, I paid a monthly fee to the site that hosted my blog. Later, I discovered that despite my technological inadequacies, I could blog just as easily and look just as professional on a free site. Don't make the same mistake I did, assuming that sites that cost money look more professional than a free site. Check out all your options and choose the one that best fits your needs.
Find a partner in crime. Blogging is so much easier when you do it with friends and colleagues. Ditto book signings. In addition, if you are one of the aforementioned reclusive writers, having a fellow author along takes the edge off and gives you someone to laugh with, as well as potentially drawing a bigger crowd. Take advantage of guest posts - invite people to post on your blog and accept (and pursue) invitations to do the same on other writers' blogs as well. 

Online presence is essential. Google yourself. Go ahead. What do you find? That's exactly what an editor or agent will find when they look you up after reading your query. Are you out in the open, or playing hide and seek? Bear in mind, though, that everything you write online - good or bad - contributes to your public image, so edit all posts in all forums for both quality and professionalism. 

Read widely...and then comment. Read in your genre, not only so you'll know what's out there and who's publishing what, but also so you can speak intelligently about the competition. Read blogs, too, and comment on them. Don't be shy, but do be polite and articulate because once you post, you can't take it back. And, if you get in the habit of commenting on editor and agent pages, these publishing professionals may recognize you when your query crosses their desks, or when you meet them at a conference. In addition, your blog comments will increase the number of hits search engines return when you type in your own name. 

Make sure you don't lose sight of your real goal. We are, after all, supposed to be writing content, not just tweeting and posting status updates. You don't want to find yourself perched atop that platform with no book to wave!
Unless you're in a hurry for some reason (the aforementioned book contract, for example), building a platform can easily be a weekend project - one that you undertake in small pieces over a period of time. Start where you are most comfortable (Facebook, perhaps?) expand from there, and from time to time, step back to review your work and see if it looks the way you want it to. If not, make changes to the content or the aesthetics until you have it looking the way you want it to. As your platform expands and you become more comfortable, seek out other resources on the subject to see where small tweaks can yield big results. 

For a writer, a platform is simply another work-in-progress. And who knows? Maybe you'll even learn to love the possibilities revision brings. 

reprinted with permission from the Institute of Children's Literature

Lisa Lawmaster Hess is a writer and retired school counselor on a constant quest for organization. The author of Acting Assertively and Diverse Divorce, Lisa is currently at work on an ebook as a means of putting off revisions on her novel. She indulges her teaching muse as an instructor for community education classes and classes for retirees. Her blogs are The Porch Swing Chronicles and Six Children and No Theories.