Monday Magic - Install and Update Apps Easily

Installing a computer app and keeping it up to date can be frustrating and sometimes extremely challenging.

NINITE to the rescue.

This website is considered highly effective and safe. It's widely trusted for its core features—downloading clean software, blocking junkware, and working automatically—that can solve the installation and update problems we all face.

Ninite gets programs straight from the official publisher websites so you don't get junkware like extra toolbars, spam offers, and bundled bloatware.

Ninite also verifies official file signatures or hash values before installing anything. You can select multiple programs on the website, download a custom file, and install everything at once. You don't have to be hands-on. It will run in the background without needing you to click "Next" or restart your computer during the process.

Updates are easy. You run the same installer again to update your apps to newest versions.

HOW IT WORKS

All the instructions are on the NINITE website. Look over the home page and you'll see how easy it is. Simply put a check mark in the box for each app you want to install or update. Then Download and Run the Custom Installer. The website is free for home use (money-wise, but also free of ads and junkware) because income from Pro users keep Ninite running.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Honestly, this is one of the best free utilities I've come across in a long time. I like anything that removes the tedium of installing and updating apps.

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IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO START A WRITING CAREER?

Is it ever too late to start writing with the goal of publishing?

I received that question in an email. I didn't answer right away because my inclination was to say, "It's never too late." because I firmly believe that it's never too late to do something if you really are passionate about it.

Instead, I did a little research to add to what I already knew to be true to go along with my personal opinion.

OLD AUTHORS GET PUBLISHED 

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett had an article that addresses this question. Published in The Writer's Toolbox, Writing Into Your Seventies and Beyond, answers this question beautifully.

She cites May Sarton, one of the examples I was going to give, who wrote and had published dozens of books—poetry, fiction, children’s books, and nonfiction into her early eighties. 

DeMarco-Barrett goes on to give a dozen other successful, older authors as examples and posits that the writings of many older authors grow richer with age. I agree with that assessment. As long as the brain functions well, there's no end date for an author.

ALWAYS WRITING, FINALLY PUBLISHED

In case you haven't heard of PEGGY ROWE, a New York Times bestselling author and the mother of Mike Rowe, TV star, podcaster, and proponent of blue-collar careers, read on. 

Mrs. Rowe wrote all of her life. She typed up her slice-of-life personality pieces and secured the pages on her fridge with magnets. 

She'd tried to get her work published but received only rejections. That didn't stop her from writing. Through her son Mike, she had a publishing offer which was rescinded when she turned in what she'd written. Her son had 10,000 copies of her manuscript printed, talked about it on his podcast, and the print run sold out in a few days.

That made the publisher who'd rejected her work take a second look. She was offered another contract. To make a long story short, this 80-something first-time author has hit the New York Times bestsellers' list with each book she's published. 

Have you always written? Is it your passion?

HARRY BERNSTEIN published his first book at 98. LORNA PAGE was 93. 

Read the article, It's Never Too Late To Begin Writing, that cites several examples from the distant past and from the last few years about older authors.

One thing you should know about these older authors mentioned above is that they were all published by traditional print-based publishing houses, not self-published. 

I'll be the first to admit that these 90-something authors wrote beautifully and had an enormous amount of luck in getting "discovered" by editors/agents. In today's world, it still very hard to accomplish that feat whether young or old. 

SELF-PUBLISHING

How many self-published first-time authors are over the age of 60? I have no idea. To my knowledge, no one has conducted a study of that. I'll take a guess and say a great many. I was over 40 when I received my first publishing contract. At that time, I knew dozens of authors just like me who had been rejected time and time again. Many of those never made the jump to publication. 

Then the Kindle happened, and, suddenly, all those authors who'd wanted to be published had a way to make it happen without a New York publishing house or an agent. 

I personally know of at least a dozen who jumped at the chance to get their books into print. They've done quite well because their books were excellent, well-written novels. They just didn't fit the pigeion-holes required by agents and New York editors.

BOTTOM LINE

I stand by my first impulsive answer to the question: "Is it ever too late to start a writing career?" My  answer? "No. It's not."

You can write fiction or nonfiction about almost anything and find an audience if you write well and produce a book with good production values. You just have to possess the desire to put words on paper to show others the story you have in your head and be willing to learn the publishing end of it or delegate those aspects like editing, proofreading, format, cover art, etc. to others.

 

I'm not saying New York will sign you to a contract and acclaim you as the next genius novelist.

I am saying if you produce a good book, you can find an audience.

In today's world, if traditional publishers say no, you have alternatives, or you can choose indie self-publishing from the beginning.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

You can absolutely have a successful, fulfilling writing career even if you're not young. It's never too late. You'll never know until you try.

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PROGRESS IN SPITE OF DISTRACTIONS

Hurray! I made it to Wednesday. Yesterday was challenging, but then, many days are.

I am dismayed that I haven't finished my book yet, but every time I seat myself in front of the computer, some guy knocks on the back door and says, "Can you go to Home Depot (Lowes, True Value, or Ace Hardware) and get this bolt and nut, this gauge wire, another roll of insulation, another gallon of Kilz, etc.

Seriously, guys putting up a building need a woman on the crew to whip them into shape.

But, I digress... I'm here to help you regain focus and make progress in the face of distrations. although this applies to writing, these steps can be adjusted to whatever your particular project is. Just change the text to fit your situation.

GOING FORWARD WITH SO MANY DISTRACTIONS 

When I get to the point where I can't maintain the narrative long enough to put sentences down, I take a step back. This is hard to do when I already feel the pressure to get this book out there, but it's necessary.

Even thought I wrote my first few novels with 4 kids running through the house—shouting, screaming at each other, wanting lunch, snacks, parental face time, etc.—that is no longer the norm. 

The kids are grown, and I've become accustomed to a quieter, more peaceful environment.

Yet, I remember what I did back then when distractions and interruptions were the pattern of a summer day. 

6 WAYS TO WRITE WITHOUT ACTUALLY WRITING

(1) When you write every day, it's easy to keep the scope of the book in your head. When you're not writing every day, the project can go stale, and you may lose your enthusiasm for it. 

That's not good so set aside at least 2 blocks of time—maybe 15 minutes or longer—to think about the project from beginning to end. Focus on what made you want to write the book. Experience the emotions associated with your premise, with the chracters you've created. 

No one writes a book unless there is something about the idea and the characters that touches you deep inside. Mine those emotions until you literally can't NOT write.

(2) Use your imagination to figure out how you'll market the book when you publish it. Imagine the graphics you'll use, the teaser text to hook readers. In other words, be thinking about your book and the end result—a published book. 

(3) Keep a notebook and pen near by if you can't steal an uninterrupted half hour away from whatever is going on in your life so you can make notes that may pop into your head about the book, the setting, scenes that may be needed, snippets of dialogue you hear in your head when you think about the characters. 

(4) Is there any information you need about the background, setting, or characters? Make a metal list about that until you can write it in your notebook.

(5) When you can get to your computer, warm up your engines by using the notes you made to quickly find the information. Be sure to notate the websites or resources you used.

(6) Adopt the habit of writing an affirmation 10 times in the morning and 10 times in the evening that focuses on your writing and/or the work in progress itself.

After a few days, you may find yourself thinking and saying your affirmations when you have to be away from your computer.

Here are a few examples:

• "Writing is easy and fun for me."
• "Writing makes me happy."
• "This book I'm writing is awesome." 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

You may realize that each of these tips are designed to build and maintain enthusiasm for your book in progress so you'll look forward to writing rather than losing interest and wondering why you thought it was a good idea in the first place. Hang in there! Good luck.

Need a little vacation? Read DECEPTIVELY YOURS, a book that will sweep you away to the beach, and it's now on sale for 99¢!

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Author Advice - Why Write Every Day

Writing success is built one day at a time.

A universal truth is: "If you want to be a writer, then write."

To be a "professional" writer, one must write. Not once in a while, but every day. If not every day, then on some kind of consistent basis.

 Why?

Two reasons.

(1) It builds the habit of producing words on a consistent basis. If you write 2,000 words each day, Monday through Friday, it's easy to sit down on Monday and do that.

It's not so easy if there are many days since the last time you wrote. You end up wasting time trying to motivate yourself to write. 

(2) A novel is a massive cluster of ideas. If you write every day, you have the universe of the story in your head. You don't waste time looking at notes to refresh your memory.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Here's another universal truth about writing. Writers write. Those who want to write, but don't, make excuses.

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Difference Between Art and Craft of Writing

What is the difference between the Art of Writing and the Craft of Writing?

THE ART OF WRITING

What is this? It's the creative process of translating emotions, abstract thoughts, and ideas into words that convey meaning to the reader and helps the reader connect with the written text. 

I think this could conceivably be viewed in part as the author's voice. How one author conveys an idea is different from other authors. Maybe that certain something some authors seem born with that enables them to easily master the art of writing is akin to being born with artistic talent.

THE CRAFT OF WRITING

This is much easier to define. It's the grammar rules of punctuation, spelling, choosing the correct word, sentence structure, plotting, scene development, dialogue, characterization, and mastering the narrative elements of writing, just to name a few, in order to properly create text that connects with your readers.

Good writing requires both Art and Craft. Learn your Craft and then use what you learned to write 1000s upon 1000s of words. Why? Because Craft can be learned from outside oneself, but Art can only be learned within by writing.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Want to be a great writer? Learn everything you can and then write, write, write.

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Monday Magic - Identify Fonts

Have you ever seen a font on a book cover or in an advertisement and wondered what it was?

Now you can find out easily with What Font. It's a free website app that's easy to use.

At the search box, simply post the URL of the image or upload an image showing the font used in words. 

You can even drag and drop a text element onto the page. The app will give you the results which you can click on.

The app works online with your computer and also on iOS and Android too.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Using What Font is that easy. Try it. You'll like it.

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Think As You Wake

In Darling Hubby's Happy Friday post, I read this quote and liked it so much that I'm sharing it here with you.

These wise words came from the Dalai Lama. I'm sorry. I don't know which incarnation of the Dalai Lama said it.

In case you don't know exactly who the Dalai Lama is, he is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th, and he is 90 years old.

The Dalai Lama served as the resident spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet before 1959.

After that year, he led the Tibetan government in exile as represented by the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India.

Now you know who he is so let me share what he said. 

"Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards 

others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can."

I'd like to take that apart and present each thought separtely and put a personal emphasis on his words. 

As you wake up each day, think these thoughts.

I am fortunate to be alive.

I AM a precious human life.

I am not going to waste my life.

I am going to use all my energies to develop myself.

I am going to use all my energies to expand my heart out to other.

I am going to use all my energies to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

I am going to have kind thoughts toward others.

I am not going to get angry at other people or think badly of them.

I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Those are wise words that I hope you take to heart. They're another way of saying, "Be a blessing to others." Have a lovely Sunday.

Books are little vacations between two covers. Pick up a book today and take a vacation!

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10 Ways NOT to Succeed

 I've been trying to write this book since the beginning of the year.

Trying to write a book is vastly different from writing a book.

To quote that famous philospher: "Do or do not. There is no try." —Yoda

With a new month started, I was so disgusted with so little progress that I read a post I wrote many years ago. I needed that reminder of certain truths I know. but am consistently ignoring.

Reading it helped me so maybe it will help you if you have a project that you just can't seem to bring to completion. Just substitute the name of your project where I call it Book and Writing.

Peck,peck,peck.

10 WAYS NOT TO SUCCEED

1. Wait until everything in your life is perfect before starting.

2. If started, wait each day until all the other nitpicky things of daily life have been done before you tackle your writing.

3. Write only when you feel like it rather than establishing a weekly quota of pages or words produced.

4. Write and rewrite the first chapter, not moving ahead until you have the beginning done to perfection.

5. Find a way to procrastinate. For instance, when you finally get to a new chapter, decide it's time to design the cover art. Get lost in that project and drown in indecision until the month is over. Then go back to the manuscript at which point you've lost your enthusiasm for the project.

6. Wallow in indecision about the story, the genre, the marketability, the cover—even after you've had a dozen created—rather than moving forward because that's so much easier than facing the blank page each day.

7. Take on a volunteer project that benefits all of your friends because you feel it must be done as soon as possible rather than procrastinating on it to write a book which is such hard work.

8. Take on another volunteer project because you finished the previous one.

9. Realize that you have 2 trips coming up so you know you won't get the book finished before then so set it aside to get your hair done, a mani-pedi, and new shorts and tops or whatever you think must be done now, now, now.

10. When you think about your work in progress, you get depressed so stop thinking about it. Watch some captivating documentary on TV when the itch to write makes you uncomfortable.

Depressing? You betcha. Fortunately, you'll eventually come to your senses and start saying NO to anything that isn't writing the book. You'll go to your office, give yourself a stern lecture, and start writing.

TAKEAWY TRUTH

Thomas Carlyle said, "Our main business is NOT to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." That means FOCUS on what you set out to do, and get it done. That's what I'm doing now. I'm writing, NOT trying to write.

Books are little vacations between two covers. Take a vacay today—read a book!. If you love reading, sign up for Joan's free newsletter, I LOVE READING, and receive exclusive content and news about book bargains and new releases. SIGN UP TODAY.

What Should I Write? Keep the Well Full

Why do people give up on blogs or newsletters or social media?

Two words. Content creation. Make that 3 words. Constant Content Creation.

Yes, when you set yourself up to "give" something to the public, you go in knowing you've got to create something new and interesting on a regular basis.

After a while, people just abandon their blogs, newsletters, and social media accounts. The constant need to create, creat, create on a daily or even weekly basis wreaks havoc on the very thing needed to keep going—creativity.

I have a better plan. Maybe it's because I wrote for newspapers, but I always seem to find something to talk about. In fact, my biggest problem is finding the time to actually write the blog or newsletter of FB post. That's because I'm always over-committed personally and professionally. (I have a hard time saying no, but I'm working on that problem.)

So, getting back to the big question: "What should I write?"

The answer lies in the second part of the title above: "Keep the Well Full." 

We all have a creative well inside us. If we don't fill it constantly by reading widely—books, articles, white papers. Watch informative documentaries or videos about many varied subjects including what's going on in the world arouond you.

Interact with people from every walk of life. observe the world around you. Experience life from the commonplace to the extraordinary.

When you fill the well with all of that, you must also make note of those moments. That makes it easy to prompt your imagination when the time comes. After all, how do you recall all of those moments and bits and pieces of information that intrigued you?

You take notes. Seriously, yes. Keep a notebook next to your chair where you sit when watching TV. See or ehar something interesting? Make a note. Same with reading anything. Make notes. 

Overhearing people's conversations when you stand in lines? Pull out a tiny notebook or your cell phone and make notes. I've done that. It's fascinating what people will talk about.

Be aware of what's happening around you and what you're experiencing, and write notes about it. Then you won't draw a blank when it's time to filter all of that through your own attitudes, experiences, beliefs, etc. and spill it onto the digital page.

Your creative well will help you write a blog, FB post, newsletter, or whatever format you've chosen to stay in touch with your readers, customers, family and friends, or whoever is your chosen audience.

Ready to write your monthly newsletter? Get your notebook out and skim through it. Where do you think the idea for this post you're reading came from? I've been on more than 1 group email over the years where people said they gave up on blogs and newsletters because they never had anything new to say.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Start filling your creative well and keeping track of what goes into it. You'll be surprised how the simple action of "taking note" literally and figuratively prompts your imagination when the time comes to write. 

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7 Ways to Build Your Social Media Audience

I never thought about this before!

Building an audience for Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. is about the same as building one for a Blog.

Any social media activity from Blogging to TikTok should be fun. If it's not fun, change something in your approach.

Also, your audience should grow each month. If it's not, then it's time to shake things up a bit.

I haven't talked much about blogging lately. I thought BLOG OPS, the book I wrote and published about the subject, said everything. (The book is in KU or sells for $3.99.)

But I realized that what I said about blog audiences also applies to the other social media platforms too.

For instance, try this which was originally written about blogging, but which can be adapted to virtually any social media.

7 Ways to Build Your Social Media Audience

1. Post often to the social media platform you've chosen as yours.

2. Comment on other accounts in the same platform. Your name/link is there for anyone to click and learn about you and your social media account.

3. Join a group account like RomanceGems...Where Authors and Readers Meet, the facebook group to which I belong. 

The burden of posting every single day is removed since there are many in the group with a date assigned to each. You get exposure and a chance to build an audience probably larger than you can do individually.

4. Always interact with your social media visitors. If in a group blog, be sure to support the other authors, Like and Share their posts, and comment on their posts as well as the visitors who leave comments.

5. Change your banner image at least every 3 months. That will keep your Facebook, etc. page looking fresh.

6. Try to engage your audience by asking questions, offering prizes occasionally for specific actions, and always use a clear call to action.

7. Be yourself and share from the heart.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Do you have any tips you'd like to share about how you built your audience? If so, please leave a comment. 

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Velouté Sauce

Last Saturday, I shared a recipe for Chicken Cutlets and also gave you a recipe for Mushroom Sauce. I  promised to post a recipe for Velouté Sauce today.

In case you don't know what Velouté Sauce is, here's a tiny bit of history.

Velouté sauce was created in France in the 17th century during the reign of King Louis XIV.

It's called one of the five French "mother sauces" codified by chefs in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Velouté is a word that means velvety in French, and that describes the texture of the sauce itself.

By the way, I always use unsalted butter since I prefer to add the salt so I know how much is in the recipe. You can use salted butter if that's what you have.

Velouté sauce is made using a blonde roux and light stock like chicken. So let's make Velouté Sauce today. It's very easy so don't be intimidated, and it's very delicious served with chicken.

Velouté Sauce

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

3 tablespoons AP flour 

2 cups good chicken stock

Directions

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low.
2. Add the flour and whisk until well blended.
3. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Don't brown the flour.
4. Add the chicken stock slowly, whisking to incorporate.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
6. The sauce should be a very light yellow or ivory color.
7. Adjust the seasoning (salt) if needed.
8. Store the sauce in a glass container with a lid (a Mason jar works great) in the fridge. When you want to serve it, warm gently over low heat.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This sauce is versatile and can be served with any kind of baked or fried chicken.

Love to read? Plan on attending THE POWER OF LOVE party for Readers and Authors on May 16. Event starts at 11:00AM CDT. Visit Romance Gems first and join so you can take part in all of the party's activities.

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Wednesday Wise Words - Time

Today's quote is by Harvey Mackay, an American businessman, author, and syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick for which he gives career and inspirational advice.

You've probably heard or read his most famous book, How to Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.

One of the secrets of success is learning how to use your allotted time each day rather than frittering it away on unimportantmportant tasks.

Mr. Mackay is 94 now so he definitely knows the importance of using time effectively. Here's what he said.

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Like money, time is something you can't take with you when you die. When you're living, time is more important than money because yo can always make more money, but you can't make more time.

Romance Gems...Where Authors and Readers Meet 

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MONDAY MAGIC - ANOTHER CYBER SECURITY TIP

Welcome back to Monday Magic. Today I'm offering some more Cyber Security Tips.

Previously, I posted CYBER SECURITY TIP a couple of weeks ago if you want to check it out which I advise you to do because you need to take the action it explains.

If you receive a phone call from an unknown number, do 1 of 2 things. 

1. Answer but saying nothing, and make sure there is no noise in the room, just total silence. The caller may say, "Hello, is anyone there?" Do NOT answer. Do not say, "Yes."

After a few attempts, scammers who repeatedly call your number—probably purchased from the dark web on a list of 1000's from data breaches—will assume your number is out of service or not assigned. They'll remove it from their list and move on to another potential victim.

2. Again, say nothing. Follow the silence scenario above because if you DO say something and the call is from scammers, they will record anything you say. 

If you say, "Hello, yes, I'm here or yes, I can hear you," they will use your recorded YES to "prove" you agreed to whatever scam they are trying to perpetrate.

If you follow the silence routine, you'll notice that most of these scammers ask, "Can you hear me?" They want you to say, "Yes, I can hear you." Don't be a victim. Be silent.

SCARIER SCENARIO

If you say anything—like telling them where to go or cursing or any cutting remarks—they will be recording everything you say. They end up with a recording of your voice which they can then sell to anyone or any group they want, and they'll get paid for it. Those who purchase voice recordings will then use AI to market your voice, possibly to duplicate your voice and get paid for selling it.

EVEN SCARIER SCENARIO

They may use your voice in an extortion scheme. Example? Your son receives a phone call, "Honey, don't panic, but I've been kidnapped. You've got to access our bank account and send $50,000 to this routing number. Please, if you don't, they will kill me."

The crooks have a 50-50 chance that one of your kids may have access to your bank account. (Please read my previous post with a Cyber Security Tip. 

How on earth do people think up these horrible things to victimize people? Don't answer any phone call if you don't recognize the number. If it's your doctor or something equally important, they will leave a message. If you choose to answer, be silent in a silent room, and listen. After a few weeks, you may notice these calls decrease enormously.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Don't be a victim. Be smart. Be safe. Contact the FBI if you receive any kind of extortion attempt.

Mark your calendar to attend this event on May 16!

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CYBER SECURITY TIP

In this world where Artificial Intelligence is capturing more and more of our time and attention, we are faced with puzzling questions and frightening scenarios.

How do we protect our family in a world where privacy seems to be declining?

FAMILY PASSWORD

This is something we've had in our family for a couple of decades. Create a secret password that each member of your family can remember.

If that password is ever used in what seems like ordinary conversation, it means: "I'm in trouble. Call 911. Send help."

If you receive a late night phone call from one of your kids: "Help. I've been arrested. Wire $5000.00 for an attorney to SOME WEBSITE." If the call is really from one of your kids, he would say the password to verify it's really your child.

WHY IS ALL THIS IMPORTANT?

Because we live in a world where people put their real birthdates and private information on social media. They have their phones set so they can take calls from social media followers. 

They post pictures and videos of spouses, siblings, children, and grandchildren. They log their daily movements and restaurants they frequent, vacations they take, and so much more.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

All of the above is fodder for scammers and crooks who can take those images and information and use Artificial Intellience to take advantage of you.

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Hang Tough

I've been coping with some challenges lately. Just thought I'd remind myself and my readers of this truth.

Sometimes, you have to look for something good when what you see and hear are bad.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Hang tough, baby. Life isn't for sissies.

Monday Magic - Character Count Tool

In creating my latest Facebook ad, to make sure I had no more than the specified characters allowed, I plugged my proposed Headline into an app I've used for years.

In fact, every time I must fill out an online form that limits the number of characters, I use this app. 

I can't remember if I ever shared it with you so I'm doing that today.

Online Character Count Tool is free and it's priceless!

You can use it to count actual characters or characters and spaces. It's invaluable for anyone who has to restrict the size of text to a certain number of: Characters, Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, or Spaces.

In fact, I plug in what I want to say and then edit in the app until I hit the magic number allowed. You can use it on the website, no registering or download required.

Yes, it's ad supported, but the ads aren't popping up all over the place. They're not that intrusive.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I think you'll find this is one of the most useful website apps ever.

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