Live to Love on the Edge Blog

Posted on

Thoughtful Thursday – Technology Woes

As you guessed by yesterday’s message, something was in the works technology-wise, namely my moving this site to a new hosting company!

I’m happy to say that the service I’ve gotten from my wonderful friend is exceptional. For anyone interested in a new site or hosting, check out my great web designer – Crocos Designs – and their hosting company. Fast service. Amazing support.

Unlike my last hosting company who shall not be named.

The amazing thing to me is how much we’ve all come to rely on technology. I may kid my daughter that she’d be lost without her gadgets, but that apple did not fall far from the tree.

Take away my computer and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Heck, when I’ve been working on a computer related project, I’ve had stereo computers – one at each hand (in my other life I have to manage Information Systems for my office).

Ask me to write a book without a computer – NO WAY!!! I type so much faster than I write and having been pre-med in college, my writing is illegible. I definitely aced Chicken Scratch 101. LOL!

How about you? Can you imagine putting away all your tech gadgets for a month? For a week? For even a day?

Not me.

On another note, in the shift to the new hosting company, we did lose the post with the wonderful new cover for FURY CALLS, my March 2009 Nocturne, so here it is for you again. I so love this cover!

Posted on

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Goo Goo Dolls Bad Boy

I took my MIL to Atlantic City this weekend and we had a great time, but while we were there, the inspiration came for today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday – John Rzeznik the lead singer for the Goo Goo Dolls.

The band will be in AC sometime soon and every couple of minutes, the ads for the concerts would flash up on the casino screens and I’d get my little guilty pleasure. Guyliner and all, there’s something about this guy that is so totally hot. Bad boy hot.

You can check out more about the Goo Goo Dolls at their official site by clicking here!

This is also a special Guilty Pleasures Monday because I’m guest blogging over at my friend Lynda Hilburn’s blog. Click here to not only check out the blog, but leave a comment and you may be one of the lucky winners of one of the prizes — a CALLING t-shirt, copy of DESIRE CALLS or a copy of my December release, SOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD!

Posted on

Thoughtful Thursday – The Automaker Bailout

A Little Holiday Help for the AutomakersFirst of all, so sorry for missing yesterday’s Wicked Wednesday. It was just one of those days when life got in the way of everything!

But I can’t miss today’s Thoughtful Thursday since it’s something that’s been on my mind for weeks — the “bailout” of the Big Three U.S. automakers. I put the “bailout” in quotes because they’re not asking for charity. This is a loan that they intend to payback much like Chrysler paid back the loan given to them in the early 1980s.

When I look at the TARP bill and what it contains (click here for the Washington Post list of the breakdown), I’m wondering why Congress can spend a large sum of the 700 billion to bail out banks with bad mortgages (oftentimes created by their own failure to properly assess risk when granting loans), 478 million to movie producers and 170 million dollars to rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but not consider assisting the automakers.

Then there’s the 306 billion dollar Citibank bailout.

The WSJ reports in its article that “”With these transactions, the U.S. government is taking the actions necessary to strengthen the financial system and protect U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. economy,” the Treasury Department, Fed and FDIC said in a joint statement issued late Sunday.”

All well and good, but if we’re busy doing 700 and 306 billion for the banks — Wall Street as it were — why can’t we spend a measly 34 billion on Main Street — the automakers.

There are the shortsighted who say, “Let them sink”. Sink? I don’t know who said “As GM goes, so does the nation” but that’s a fact not to be ignored. Losing even one of the automakers could plunge this Nation into a depression. Why?

When you think about letting one of these companies go away, you’re not just talking about those companies. You’re talking about the suppliers of all the products they need, like paint, textiles, leather, tires, batteries, radios, wires, etc. And you’re talking about the dealers and their mechanics. You’re also talking about the mom and pop shops around all those automaker and supplier factories who will close when there’s no one there to stop in for a cup of coffee or lunch.

It’s a massive domino effect that the U.S. can’t afford to let happen.

Here’s some facts from a recent study by the Center for Automotive Research**:

    • One in 10 American jobs depends on U.S. automakers
    • Nearly 3 million jobs are at immediate risk
    • U.S. personal income could be reduced by $150 billion
    • The tax revenue lost over 3 years would be more than $156 billion

To learn more about the bailout and support our local automakers, please take a moment to visit these sites and send a message to Congress that you want a bailout of Main Street and not just Wall Street! Why do I care so much? I’m one of the three million who rely on the automakers.

GMFacts and Fiction
Chrysler Employees Tell America Why They Should Care
Ford Plan Presented to Congress

**Info courtesy of General Motors.

Posted on

Writing Articles to Create Website Traffic

The Thirst for KnowledgeMy mother instilled in me a thirst for knowledge. I firmly believe that a day in which I do not learn something is a day wasted.

I know I’m not the only person who believes this since the world is full of libraries, schools, universities and of course, information on the Internet.

That thirst presents a wonderful opportunity for writers in many ways, including using that thirst to create website traffic by submitting articles on topics of interests to a number of sites on the Internet.

You’re probably asking yourself about what could I possibly write an article?

If you’re a writer, the most obvious answer is that you share information which you’ve learned about your craft with others. Explain about the basics, such as dialogue; goal, motivation and conflict; how to use a semi-colon (LOL! and I hope I’m doing it right); plots, etc. You get the picture. As with any article writing, try not to make it too dry by not just offering blah facts, but personalize it with your experience and what worked for you. Oftentimes that hands on advice is just what someone needs to get over their own hurdle.

If you’ve got expertise in some field, for example, you’re an ER nurse or an attorney, offer up facts that someone might find useful for a particular activity. As an example, if you know about forensics, write an article on the reality of forensic investigations versus fictional TV forensics so that writers might understand what would be correct in that romantic suspense novel they are writing.

Have you visited somewhere interesting? Take the time to write an article on your experience in that city or country. Provide details of restaurants, events, interesting sites, etc.

Have you recently had a life-altering experience? How did you cope with it and what advice could you offer others that might be of benefit.

These are just a few of the possible ideas you can consider for an article to be submitted to the various Internet sites. Once submitted, the articles will be available for viewing by others and the Internet article sites generally provide a link to your website. Someone who reads an article that they find interesting or useful may then choose to come visit your website, thereby creating traffic to your website.

In addition to the benefit of increased traffic, there’s the benefit in practicing your craft by writing. Practice does make perfect (or at least better!).

One difference with Internet-based articles versus print articles is that you will also be asked to provide keywords for the search engines so that they may categorize your article for the future. Make sure you have identified the key issues in your article and list keywords related to those issues in the appropriate keywords field on the article submission site.

So are you ready? Here are some sites where you can submit your articles:

    articlecity.com
    goarticles.com
    submityourarticles.com
    ezinearticles.com
    articledashboard.com
    searchwarp.com
    articlesbase.com
    amazines.com

These are just a few of the dozens of article submission sites available. As with anything else, please make sure you read the fine print and that you remain the owner of the copyright in the article and that there are no hidden fees for submission. Also, some sites require that the article either be original or not be posted to any other sites.

Good luck with your article submissions!

Posted on

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Mark Harmon

Mark Harmon photographed by Jerry Avenaim Created 2005 for TV GUIDEThis Monday’s Guilty Pleasure is Mark Harmon and I’m not alone with thinking he’s sexy. He was People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986. Well, he’s still a sexy guy even at 57!

I watch him every week on NCIS and it’s a show I won’t miss! It’s been on the air since 2003 and it’s one of those shows that’s actually getting better.

Mark has a prolific career in movies in television. He’s appeared in dozens of movies as well as a number of other successful television programs, including St. Elsewhere. Plus he was the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins, following in the footsteps of his father, Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon.

Hope you enjoy today’s Guilty Pleasure!

Posted on

Fun Friday – You all deserve an award!

Think you know someone who deserves a special award? Today’s Fun Friday is a site that let’s you create all kinds of awards for your special friends and loved ones! Click here to visit Awardwinner.com and create an award for that someone who has done something really special.

Here’s one I created for myself:

Caridad's Award

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and hope you all have a great weekend.

Proudly powered by WordPress