Self-Publishing with Ingram Spark. Things I learned:

Get your book reviewed first, before you launch it so you'll have reviews on your cover.

Make sure your website and/or blog are working well before you publish and send it out there for the world of readers to stumble over.

Ingram Spark really does distribute your book to a lot of different bookstores/online book sellers, so about a week after publishing have fun googling your book to see where it lands.

Learn how to make buttons and shortened links. I'm using Bitly to shorten link.

Study what metadata is and don't be fooled by bots on FB who message you that you've got it all wrong.

Search for local bookstores that may be happy to have you do a book signing and/or purchase your book for their shelves.

Don't get too excited about Amazon selling your book because other small book sellers may actually provide a discount and some people would rather support them than Amazon, so provide more links than just Amazon on your website/blog.

 Wow! I created this blog soo many years ago! It didn't get very far but this post is about doing what you love and not waiting until a time when you think you're going to have more time. I've always wanted to write books, stories, and picture books for children. I have written about thirty or so short stories, a few picture books, and several poems, but each time I've done so... over the many years I've had a spurt of inspiration and taken the time to actually write and then I've gotten distracted and put it aside. Now I'm old and my brain doesn't work as well as it used to.  So here's my advice everyone.

Write while you can. Walk while you can. Run while you can. 

Ride--feel the exhilarating breeze blowing through your hair--while you can. Lift your legs off the pedals and shout "Look Mom! No hands!" while you can.

Love on your babies--rock them-sing to them--read to them--hug them. While you can. Give them the best bedtime routine complete with a favorite book... back tickles...and a sweet lullaby..while you can.

Listen to the colour of your dreams-- so said a wise man who didn't get to see his son grow up, but left a legacy of fulfilled dreams...full of colour...while he could.

Sing at the top of your lungs, in your car, or in your shower, kitchen, or yard. While you can.

Dance. While you can--even if you can only do the white man's shuffle and feel like a dork. You've got the moves! So 

Move. While you can.

Love your friends-- while you can.

Talk to your mother. Call your father. While you can.

Flowers

"...if there be anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things..."

I love this sentiment. If we look all around the world we see many gifts that have been given to us in God's creations. One of these gifts comes in all sizes from the tiniest Forget-me-not, to the stupendous giant sun-flower. This week-- bring flowers into your home.

More later with pics.

Janee

Life's Simple Pleasures

The dirty word is dieting. That's how this all started and now that I'm way old and my metabolism is running slower than mollases in January, I'm sure the dirty word will follow me around forever. Fortunately, this blog is not going to be about dieting. It's going to be about rewarding one's self with life's simple pleasures. It's going to be about destressing; thus the title--The Decompression Chamber.

Busy. Stressed. Overworked. Underplayed. Exhausted. Discouraged. Depressed. Jaded. Disillusioned. Unhappy. This is the language of stress; the language of this fast food--microwave-rushed world.

This is the blog of happiness; of end of the day or end of the week bits of joy that you can bring into your life. One section of my blog is entitled Pour Moi. This means For Me in french of course. (now from here you must read in your best "outrageous French accent." Pour Moi means "for me" but the me in the equation is not me; the author of this blog, the Moi is you. You deserve to find time to be kind to yourself, even if it's just for 15 minutes at the end of each day. Or a few hours at the end of each week.

Here, in the decompression chamber, I hope to give you some ideas; ways to reward yourself, many of them free, and most of them very inexpensive. I hope to write out my thoughts every Sunday and possibly add links to support my thoughts throughout the week. This will give you an entire week to prepare for you Friday night adventure in simplicity, your Saturday morning indulgance, or your Sunday night-before-returning-to-frantic-rat-race-Monday treat.

So this is the intro...now I just have to choose which indulgence to write about first!! Happy reading everyone. I'll love to hear your comments, suggestions, and especially tales of experience when following my advise.

and... remember this blog is not about dieting. This is not--if you loose 3 pounds this week you get to indulge in something special. This is: You are special...just because you are....so come visit the decompression chamber often, be kind to yourself and your list of words will include: happiness, life is good, relax, simplify, love, joy, pampered, luxuriated, encouraged, and invigorated.