August 7th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! Plagued with fog brain this morning, so I surfed the net until I woke up a bit.

A friend posted this picture which made me laugh. We have three strictly indoor cats. (One lives in my room, but that's another story.) Mikey and Sebastian have run of the house, and Sebastian (Bashy) is a talker. On RARE occasions, Mikey sneaks out of the house, and Bashy has this special meow for when that happens, so I know I have to go outside to hunt. He also has a different meow to tell me when the water dispenser needs to be refilled, when he wants to go visit Sunny (the kitty in my room), and even one where I swear he's complaining about something the dog did (evidence left behind gives me a clue). So yeah, quite often you'll find me having complete back and forth conversations with Bashy. LOL

Then I traveled over to Twitter, a platform I am seriously lacking skills in. Author Terry Tyler posted basically a PSA yesterday on her blog. She warned other authors about being contacted by an author asking to post a five star review on Amazon – sight unseen. The person wanted to combat some one star reviews she had received. Not only was this bold because Terry did not know this person from Eve, it was a totally unethical request.

Terry told her to have a nice life. I made a reply to Terry’s post, and she commented back. We volleyed several times this morning. Because of that conversation, I am now following Terry on Twitter, and when I have time, I’ll go check out her other sites and probably her books as well.

Hmmm, I’m thinking this is exactly how social media is supposed to work. I didn’t know of Terry before yesterday, but because someone I was following was following her, I saw the post when the person I was following commented on Terry’s post. (Good grief, that sentence even confused me, but I think you’re smart enough to follow it.)

So there are initial signs of improvement based on Nick’s suggestions. The day after I made those tweaks to my tags, my rank made a significant jump – to the tune of 150K. Obviously two days does not hail success, but I’m being cautiously optimistic.

Are any of you thinking of coming out for Peach Festival in Peddler’s Village this weekend? If it is anything like the Apple and Scarecrow Festivals, it should be a great time. One added bonus is it is also sidewalk sale clearance time, so you’ll be able to get some really good deals. I’ll be there from 10 – 3 on Saturday, and 11 – 3 on Sunday, so if you’re in the area, please stop by and say “Hi”.

I had a nice surprise when I opened my email this morning. Not one, but two of my books were included on the Amazon pre-weekend shout out to romance readers. I’m in some pretty good company, so hopefully a few folks will pick my books.

Okay, I have to get to work early today, so I need to go get ready. I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

You receive a text from an unknown caller…

“Your package arrived.”

“That’s nice. Who is this?”

“Thunder1301. Please proceed to the designated pickup area.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“All the information was in the packet sent last week. Time is of the essence.”

“I did not receive a packet, and I did not order anything. What is this all about?”

“You will receive further instructions once you pick up the package.”

“Look. I don’t know who you are, what you are talking about, or where you want me to go.”

“Cameo911?”

“Who?”

“Nevermind.”

“Who is this?”… “What package?”… Crap! Can they trace me through my phone? Should I call the police? The FBI? What the hell is going on?

Your Next Challenge is:

Your boss surprises you with three PAID days off. How do you spend it?

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.