I'm Interviewed on Writers in Business

Brigitte Thompson interviews me over on Writers in Business today; check it out:  http://bit.ly/hWmuGc

What Can I Say on Facebook?

Okay, here’s the thing. I know social networking is the wave of the future. I know we writers need to get our names out there as much as we can: on Facebook, Linked In, Goodreads, Twitter, etc.

Personally, however, I’m a bit frustrated.

How can I promote myself (in a positive sense, that is) if I have to censor myself? As a writer, I have a problem with that. On the other hand, as a business person I absolutely see the need.

Unfortunately, I’ve got a Push Me-Pull You thing going on inside.

What do I do when someone I don’t care for asks me to befriend them or “like” their fan page? Do I tell them the truth: No way in hell! or do I prostitute myself and be a hypocrite?

I also have to consider that if I “like” the other person’s page, maybe they’ll “like” mine. Maybe they’ll buy one of my books. Maybe one of the people who “likes” them will “like” me.

Okay, not very likely. But still, what if?

Another thing that frustrates me is when one of my FB “friends” posts forty-seven times in three hours. I don’t really care that her cat barfed on the bed, that she heard her favorite Aerosmith song on the radio today—not once, but TWICE, or that she plans to have lasagna for supper.

True, maybe other people DO care about those things. After all, if my granddaughter posts that stuff, I read it. But still…

And although I don’t want to give anyone the false impression that I lack confidence, I’m a bit leery of posting too much stuff about ME. After all, I want people to like me, buy my books, and spread the word. But cripes, they can’t really want to know what my favorite color is, when I last went potty, or who I’m going to vote for in the next election. Can they?

So, people, help me out here. How much is too much? What kinds of things do you WANT to see on Facebook?

More Thoughts About Inspiration

I've recently discovered that old photographs are an incredible source of inspiration.

When visiting my family in Massachusetts earlier this month, my sister and I stayed up late several nights, talking. Okay, I admit it, every night!

She showed me some old family photos, like from the 1920s and 1930s. We speculated about our family, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents. We tossed around old stories, old rumors--both hilariously funny and tremendously sad. 

As we speculated, my imagination went wild, and so did Celenie's. I came up with a terrific plot idea for a family saga-type story that includes romance, betrayal, and all kinds of other heartstring-tugging emotions.

It's amazing how you can what-if your way into creating a reality. (I guess soap operas do that on a daily basis, eh?)

Anyway, this photo of my daughter dressing up as a hula girl is just a visualization of how wonderful it is to pretend and what-if. Care to dig up and share any of your inspiring photos? If so, send them to me and I'll post them and we can get some really wild stories going!

My Newest Book is Available for Pre-Order!

Taking the Mystery Out of Business is now available for pre-order and has its own personal page on my publisher's website.

Business owners, independent contractors, managers, and employees often wear many hats and deal with limited time, budgets, and resources. In this practical primer, Linda Faulkner lays out the fundamentals, providing examples and tips so newcomers to the business world can easily gain an understanding of the challenges they face. Experienced professionals will benefit from a refresher on basic strategies and how to stay a head of the competition.


"If your preconception of a successful business person is one who wears a designer suit, carries a leather briefcase, drives a German sports car, and earns a six-figure income, you may want to put that idea aside for the next two-hundred pages or so."


To read the first chapter, pre-order, or for more information, visit my website or TMoB's Page on my publisher's website.

Has Your Imagination Ever Taken A Vacation?

My imagination has been AWOL for the past couple of days.  Has that ever happened to you?

I have the time and the inclination to plot something out and ... poof! ... nothing useful comes to mind. Sure, I come up with a scary scene, or a romantic scene, but nothing that works in my WIP.

I regularly use clustering to tap into my creativity and that's not working lately. I almost always come up with something good in the shower--you know, where pens, paper, and the voice recorder are inaccessible? That's not working these days,either, and I have the pruney skin to show for it!

I'm coming up with bupkis, nada, or crap-poopie.

HELP!

Should I dive into the Jameson? Any other suggestions?