Prime Day Deals for Readers

Where have I been for the last month?

Sick. I'm finally starting to recover.

Alas, I missed the first of the 2-day Prime Day Deals, but I'm here today!

I hope you haven't got your fill of Amazon Prime Day Deals because I have some great bargains to share with you that are aimed at Readers.

You're going to love these so be sure and scroll down.

(1) Kindle Paperwhite. Readers, if you don't have a dedicated ereader, you don't know what you're missing.

This Kindle Paperwhite is the latest edition of a dedicated ebook reading device that has its own light for reading in bed without disturbing your spouse.

Best of all? It's waterproof in case you're reading while soaking in the tub. This Kindle Paperwhite has a 6.8" display that's glare-free and can be read in bright sunlight—actually very like reading actual printed paper—or in darkness.

There are many variations of the Kindle ereader which, in my opinion, promoted the growth of ebooks because it makes reading so convenient. You can store 1000's of ebooks in this device so you never run out of something good to read.

(2) Amazon Fire 7. In case you want a tablet with which you can read ebooks, listen to audio books, take photos, and go online, but you don't want to pay up for an iPad, consider this Amazon  Fire 7 priced at only $39.99.

This Amazon Fire 7 has a 7” display, 16 GB storage, and 10 hours of battery life and comes in 3 colors.

This tablet easily fits in your purse. It's lightweight and  portable for entertainment at home or on-the-go.

Guess what? For $15.00 more, you can get the Amazon Fire HD 8, regularly priced at $99.99, on sale today for only $54.99! It has an 8” HD Display, 32 GB memory, and a 30% faster processor. It comes in Rose, Denim, and black too.

(3) Prevent eyestrain with Blue Light Blocking reading glasses when reading hours on end on a computer, cell phone, or other device.

NOVIVON Reading Glasses for Women come in a 5-Pack of mixed colors, Cat Eye frames with Anti Glare Filter, UV Ray. 

Order these readers in the diopter you need to correct your  presbyopia, the farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the lens of the eyes which usually occurs in middle or old age.

If you're lucky enough to have good vision and don't need to correct for presbyopia, you should still wear blue light blocking glasses.

Many are offered with "plain" glass lens that are blue light blocking. Here are some plain lens computer glasses that are also a Prime Day Deal.

(4) Need a stronger signal online? Get the NETGEAR Wi-Fi Range Extender EX3700. 

This Prime Day Deal is only $20.79, discounted from the usual $39.99 price. 

This extender offers coverage up to 1000 Sq Ft and 15 Devices connected. 

It's a Compact Wall Plug Design that doesn't take up a lot of space and is designed to work with any routers, gateway, or cable modem.

(5) Read in comfort. Get some comfortable Wide-Leg Lounge Pants. 

These come in several designs and a wide range of sizes. They're perfect for lounging around and reading.

These lounge pants are a Prime Day Deal at $19.99.

Takeaway Truth

I should stop and post this. Right? I nearly forgot. I do have an Ebook Special Deal for this month.

Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones is on sale for 99¢ so grab a copy for your new Kindle of Amazon Fire tablet. This book is also available in print and audio.

REVIEW

If you like Sweet Home Alabama, you'll love JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES!

***

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Saturday Share Recipe: Okinawa Stir Fry

It's been a while since I shared a recipe. Actually, I haven't cooked much lately since I've been traveling.

I'll call today's recipe Basic Stir Fry.

When I lived in Okinawa, all of my neighbors were Okinawan. I shopped at the mamasan store across from my apartment building.

I was eager to learn the language and all about Japanese culture. The people in my neighborhood were friendly and happy to answer any question I had.

Many spoke some English, but I learned a lot of Japanese words by pointing  and asking, "Namae?" I also learned a lot of Asian cooking from my time there. 

There's not really a name for this recipe. I call it simply Stir Fry, and I have a hundred variations on this depending on what I have on hand. It's a little different from what I made in Okinawa because it's adjusted for ingredients I can easily get at my local grocery store.

I've added links for something you might not find in your local grocery. Today I'm using leftover pork roast to make this. 

Basic Stir Fry

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts (I sprout my own—a mixture of mung bean sprouts and radish)

1/2 sliced celery

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup diced onion

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger root

1 garlic clove, mashed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional (very flavorful, but heavy so don't use too much)

1 1/2 cups cooked pork roast (or whatever cooked meat you have on hand)

1 1/4 cups chicken broth (chicken broth works for poultry or seafood—use beef broth if using beef)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1 to 2 tablespoons Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce (See Note below.)

Instructions

1. Heat both oils in large skillet or wok

2. Toss in the carrots, celery, and onions. Saute until onion translucent.

3. Add the ginger and saute a couple of minutes then add the garlic. Saute a few minutes taking care not to burn the onion and garlic. 

4. Add the sprouts. Saute only a couple of minutes. 

5. Add the pork and the chicken broth and bring up to a simmer.

6. Mix the cornstarch and the 2 tablespoons of cold water until disolved. Add the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. The slurry should look like the rich brown of coffee with cream. Blend well. Now stir it into the bubbling mixture. 

7. The mixture will begin thickening. Stir and let it simmer a few minutes.

8. Taste and add black pepper and more soy sauce if not seasoned enough.

Serve with rice.

Note: If you want to try something special rather than the commonplace Kikkoman, you might try a Japanese Artisanal Soy Sauce Handmade in Japan, Naturally Brewed, No Additives, Non-GMO, Double Brewed, and Aged 1000 Days Aged. (630 mg of sodium per serving.

The artisinal soy sauce is $23.60 which breaks down to $1.93 per ounce. (The Kikkoman is $2.40 per ounce. 590 mg of sodium per serving.)

Takeaway Truth

The whole family loves it when I cook the dishes I learned in Okinawa. I think you might like it too.

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Friday Facts: About June

We've reached the middle of June, and the official first day of summer is just a few days away.

Here are some Fun Acts About June to entertain and amuse you.

1. In leap years and regular years, June is the only month that always begins on the same day of the week

2. June was named for the Roman goddess Juno, who was the patroness of marriage and the well-being of women. That may explain why June weddings became such a cliché.

3. June Bug us the common name for a beetle that lives in the United States only between May and June. Remember what Mark Twain said about the June Bug? “It is better to be a young June bug than an old bird of paradise.”

4. The Algonquin tribes in North America called the full moon in June, the Strawberry Moon.

5. If you're born in June you have 3 choices of birthstones because June is 1 of 2 months which have 3: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone.

6. The Anglo-Saxons called June sera monath which means “dry month.” I imagine that was because it was the month when the spring rains ceased.

7. June Gardening Tip: Plant lantana which thrives full sun and is drought tolerant. This wonderful perennial comes in many colors and attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and honey bees. In warm climates, it's a shrub that spreads like wildfire. In colder climates, it may die off in the winter, but will probably come back. If you don't find the gallon containers for sale in your area, you can order Lantana seeds from Amazon.

Takeaway Truth

I love what sports commentator Al Bernstein said about this lovely month: “Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.”

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Review: Dangerous, Action Flick on Tubi

If you're looking for a free streaming service with what seems like thousands of movies, subscribe to Tubi. It's a film browser's paradise.

If I can't find something new and interesting on the other services we use, I go to Tubi and usually find something between good and weird.

Sure, there are commercials, but that's the cost—the necessary evil—of streaming free.

Dangerous Starring Scott Eastwood

Yes, this movie stars Clint's son who sometimes looks so much like the young Clint that it's uncanny. Also in this flick directed by Canadian David Hackl are Mel Gibson, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Durand, and Famke Janssen.

The blurb for the film says: "A reformed sociopath travels to a remote island to uncover the truth behind his brother’s mysterious death, but he's met by a band of mercenaries."

In fact, this film is an odd mixture of a sociopath who killed a bunch of people—why didn't they say psychopath?—the therapy sessions by the prison shrink played by Mel Gibson designed to rehabilitate him and make him a member of society—affirmations and coginitive therapy seem to the be treatment—and the characterization of this oddball hero which seems the writers want you to infer he has Asperger's Syndrome.

Truthfully, I watched the film out of curiosity. Scott Eastwood is easy to look at, and I suspect he's a good actor. He just needs a well-written movie to show what he can do. I've seen him in a few things, but most have been clichés, stories that just miss the mark, or muddled stories like this one.

If you're an action fan, give it a look. If you want to avoid commercials, rent Dangerous on Amazon. It's only $3.99, and it might be your cup of tea.

Takeaway Truth

Speedman definitely has a presence. I look forward to seeing him in a really good movie.

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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6 Road Trip Snacks to Pack

6 Road Trip Snacks from a Texas road warrior.

Yes, our kids live hundreds of miles away in different parts of Texas, and my 2 brothers live in different states.

Neither brother is near an airport which means renting a car at the airport to drive another few hours to reach them.

We log a lot of miles each year hence the subriquet "Road Warrior." From our experience, here are some tips to keep you comfortable on a road trip.

6 ROAD TRIP SNACKS

1. Bottled water. How many? That depends on the length of your trip. Water is cheap. We stick a case in the back of the SUV.

2. Nuts. If you're not allergic to nuts, then make a mixed bag of nuts and peanuts—lightly salted ones and raw are best except for peanuts. They need to be roasted. Nuts are filling because they're protein, some fiber, and assorted vitamins and minerals.

3. Trail mix. This is a variation on the above, but making a bag of mixed nuts, peanuts, raisins, dried cranberries, and other dried fruits gives just enough to sweetness to satisfy the urge to grab a candy bar at the next planned stop.

4. Low-sugar cookies. A shortbread cookies adds some zing to a coffee break which brings me to the next item.

5. A thermos of coffee. Believe it or not, many small towns don't possess a Starbucks, Dutch Brothers, or other caffeine establishment, and fast food restaurants are notorious for having awful coffee that will make you regret stopping. Get yourself a thermos if you don't already have one, and fill it with your home brewed coffee before leaving home.

6. Beef sticks. Not the gas station type—the healthy type like Jerky Beef Sticks by Country Archer. They're 100% Grass-Fed, Gluten Free, High Protein, and they come in a 28 Count pack for a little over $20 from Amazon. That's less than a dollar each. Costco also sells a beef jerky that's pretty good, but not everyone has a Costco membership.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

These snacks won't kill a diet, give you a sugar high, or break the bank like stopping at every Mickey D's across the state will. Travel safely!

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Branding & Name Recognition

If you're in business on the internet—whether you're marketing books, tee shirts on shopify, or widgets of some sort—branding is of extreme importance.

WHAT IS BRANDING

Branding is telling the world who you are and what you have to offer.

A more formal definition is that branding is the process of creating a distinct identity for your business and/or product in the mind of consumers, specifically, those consumers who are your target audience.

At its basic level, branding is created by a company's logo or a product's image, the use of a consistent visual design, your goal or mission statement as to what you're doing or selling and why, and the style of the way you communicate to your consumers.

AUTHORS & OTHER ARTISTS NEED BRANDING

If your an author or other artist, the above translates into your name, your photograph rather than a logo although some authors are now creating a logo to represent what they offer in books, your books—cover art, voice, genre, etc.—your website, blog, and social media pages, your author tagline and/or credit line. 

For example, my tagline is "Writing Romance—One Sexy Book at a Time" and my credit line is NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. My tagline tells readers that they're getting a Romance with sexy scenes. If I could add extra words, I'd use One Man/One Woman to indicate that this is sexy traditional romance, but that would make the tagline way too long.

For artists, Name Recognition is a huge factor in branding. 

You want the public to see your name and recognize it immediately as that author or that YouTube painter or whatever.

8 WAYS TO BUILD NAME RECOGNITION

1. Use your "real" name meaning the name under which you wish to do business for everything the public sees, not something cute like I did back in 2005 when I started this blog and named it SlingWords.

2. Write compelling biographies for every website you join if you're joining because of your business. If you're an author, Amazon Central, BookBub, Draft2Digital, all the social media sites to which you belong, etc. Make your biograph interesting. Shake it up and change it at least once a year. (I'm doing that now.)

3. Write reviews for books, products, and other things you use. You're a writer, so write reviews. It's time well invested because it hones skills. Make it a policy not to leave bad reviews because you're doing this for professional reasons. You want positive name recognition so if you can't say something nice, then say nothing at all.

4. Add your URLs, but not all of them, to your signature file for emails and forums, and always follow the group rules.

5. Choose one major social media you'll work. No one can do them all and do them well. Make a plan on what you'll post and when. Don't post the same message to every webpage.

6. Practice talking about your book so when you're in public and tell someone you're an author you can succinctly answer the question. "What's your book about?"

Practice in front of a mirror so you get comfortable talking about it.

7. Blog often on your own blog, group blogs, and guest blog when you have the time. Make it more than a "buy my book" blog post.

8. Do newsletter swaps with other authors so you reach a different audience.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

In marketing, it's known that a name must be read/seen/heard at least 9 times before someone remembers it. Even if your promotion budget is zero, you can still create name recognition by using the targeted approach above.

Joan participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Make blogging easier and more effective with BLOG OPS, a book containing lessons I learned in15+ years of blogging.

Only 99¢ at Amazon.

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Just Graduated? Here's Some Advice

Darling Hubby and I took a week off for high school graduation celebrations. Wow! What a party.

We had a lot of fun and loved seeing the enthusiasm and optimism of the graduates.

We live-streamed the commencement program because there were more than 1,700 graduating seniors.

The after parties were a joy. I thought of all the bits of wisdom I'd like to share with those happy kids embarking on college or technical schools. Since I can't speak to each of them, I decided to share some wisdom here. 

JUST GRADUATED? HERE'S SOME ADVICE

"You cannot dream of becoming something you do not know about. You have to learn to dream big. Education exposes you to what the world has to offer, to the possibilities open to you." —Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice

"There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob aimlessly in the current. Wouldn’t you know that your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become." —Jodie Foster, Actress

"We may live in an age of instant messaging, instant gratification and Instagram, but there is no way to short circuit the path to success." —Tory Burch, Fashion Designer and Philanthropist

"Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." —Arnold Schwarzenegger, Actor & Former Governor of California

"Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." —H. Jackson Browne Jr., Author of Life's Little Instruction Book. (By the way, if you're looking for a great gift for a high school grad, this little book is wonderful.)

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I'm possible." —Audrey Hepburn, Actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Dream big, graduates. It's like Albert Einstein said: "Imagination is everything. It is the preview to life's coming attraction."

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. She may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

If you love Reading, sign up for Joan's FREE Newsletter. You'll receive exclusive content, information about new releases, book bargains, and giveaways. Plus, you'll get a download link for a free ebook.