Life in progress

Category Archives: Cool Stuff


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#JusJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt – Jan. 16th, and One-Liner Wednesday

Dedication:

“Can I get you anything at all? A piece of toast? Coffee? Tea?”

Offers to me from nurses in the emergency room and while I sat in Alex’s room in the hospital.

To all the nurses out there who take care of patients and their families, thank you.

Here are the general rules to follow for Just Jot it January:

1. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list) counts as a “Jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. I’ll post the daily prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5), every day except for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness (SoCS) prompt–you’ll find that one on Friday morning at 9:30am. That daily post (i.e. this one) will be where you leave your link for others to find in the comment section. There will be a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday.

2a. Since today is Wednesday, I challenge you to make your JusJoJan post a one-liner. If you don’t care to, or if you’ve already written your post, no problem. Remember, with One-Liner Wednesday you can write anything – it’s only a prompt to write one line, not necessarily to keep to the same theme as mine. The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

(i) Make it one sentence.

(ii) Make it either funny or inspirational.

(iii) Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

(iv) Enjoy yourself!

(v) Use our One-Liner Wednesday badge.

#1linerWeds badge by Cheryl, at dreamingreality646941880.wordpress.com/

3. As long as your blog is on WordPress, you’ll be able to link via pingback. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! If you’re participating from another blogging host, just drop a link into the comment section. Note: The newest pingbacks and comments will appear at the top.

4. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

5. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

6. The prompts are here both to remind you and to inspire you to write. However, you don’t have to use the prompt word of the day. You can link any kind of jot back here. Note: If it’s 18+ content, please say so in a comment with your link or close to your pingback.

7. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

8. Have fun!


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#JusJoJan 2019 Daily Prompt – Jan. 9th, and One-Liner Wednesday

I have a lady in a puffy sleeveless dress and a spiffy hat, made unintentionally from a poorly peeled-off sticker, on the side of my recycling box.

Here are the general rules to follow for Just Jot it January:

1. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list) counts as a “Jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

2. I’ll post the daily prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5), every day except for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness (SoCS) prompt–you’ll find that one on Friday morning at 9:30am. That daily post (i.e. this one) will be where you leave your link for others to find in the comment section. There will be a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday.

2a. Since today is Wednesday, I challenge you to make your JusJoJan post a one-liner. If you don’t care to, or if you’ve already written your post, no problem. Remember, with One-Liner Wednesday you can write anything – it’s only a prompt to write one line, not necessarily to keep to the same theme as mine. The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

(i) Make it one sentence.

(ii) Make it either funny or inspirational.

(iii) Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

(iv) Enjoy yourself!

(v) Use our One-Liner Wednesday badge.

#1linerWeds badge by Cheryl, at dreamingreality646941880.wordpress.com/

3. As long as your blog is on WordPress, you’ll be able to link via pingback. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! If you’re participating from another blogging host, just drop a link into the comment section. Note: The newest pingbacks and comments will appear at the top.

4. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

5. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

6. The prompts are here both to remind you and to inspire you to write. However, you don’t have to use the prompt word of the day. You can link any kind of jot back here. Note: If it’s 18+ content, please say so in a comment with your link or close to your pingback.

7. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

8. Have fun!


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#NaNoWinner2018 – I did it!

It was a tough race to the finish. I was behind by 13K words coming out of the weekend, but I was fiercely determined to finish my novel by November 30th. I had a week to write 21,461 words.

So I devised a method. In a ten-minute sprint I can write 300 words. If I could just do two of those an hour for the seven hours Alex was at school, getting to 50K by the end of the month would be a piece of cake.

And guess who’s going to the store to buy cake? (And all the groceries I’ve been running out of all week.) ME!!

About an hour ago I finished my sixth novel!!

 


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Buy Indie Books!

Create your own awesome design at canva.com for free!

 

This Black Friday, as traditional publishers are throwing millions of dollars into advertising, a lot of us indie authors are finding ourselves swept under the proverbial rug.

So to give us all a boost, I’d like to propose that if you’re a self-published, independent author, drop a link (Amazon only, please) and a sentence or two about one of your novels in the comments here, especially if it’s on sale today.

And if you’re a reader and you love to escape into the magical world of books, consider buying indie! Find the links (mine included) in the comments.

And don’t forget to please share this post!

Thank you, from the bottom of my little writer’s heart. ❤

 


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Yay! It’s a Book Sale!

While I’m hard at work finishing off my first draft of Book 3 of my The Great Dagmaru series, I’ve decided to put Book 2, The Magician’s Blood on sale!

Today, tomorrow, and November 1st, you can pick up the e-book for just $2.99. That’s $2 off!

Text on graphic reads: “… unpredictable in where it was going, and I love how very different this is to anything else I have ever read.” ~ Cassandra, Goodreads reviewer

Here are the links:

KOBO

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Australia

Amazon Canada

So if you’ve read The Magician’s Curse and you want more, get The Magician’s Blood now!

But that’s not all!

The new anthology, Moonlight, Monsters & Magic, is also on sale for just 99¢! It’s a great compilation of 13 paranormal romance stories, each about 25 pages in length. Included is my cute but sexy romance tale, “Pixie.”

Text on graphic: Revel in the enchantment of Moonlight, Monsters & Magic. Now on sale for $.99 October 27 – November 2.

There are too many links to list, so here’s the handy link that will take you to the e-tailer of your choice for Moonlight, Monsters & Magic.

Click here!

Thank you so much in advance for reading my work. Enjoy the escape!

P.S. Please reblog and share on social media. Ta!


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The Magican’s Blood – now available in paperback!

🎩He’s a magician with a dark family secret …

❤️She’s his assistant, the love of his life …

🌹A prophesy, a curse, and his incubus bloodline conspire to come between them. Will she survive?

Finally, The Magician’s Blood, Book 2 of The Great Dagmaru series is available in paperback on Amazon!

“Unforgettable and gutsy. Linda G. Hill is a force to be reckoned with.” ~ Jessica Cale, best-selling author of Tyburn.

Herman Anderson is in love. Thrilled to travel across Canada with her boyfriend as his assistant onstage, she returns to her hometown—the first stop on the Great Dagmaru magic tour. Anticipating a reunion with her brother, instead she finds her family has moved without a trace.

Stephen Dagmar’s career as a stage magician is taking off. With Herman by his side, his only concern is her father’s dislike for him. But as Herman’s father makes a prediction and resolves to come between them, Stephen’s family curse returns to haunt him.

Darkness descends as the reality of the Dagmar’s incubus bloodline surfaces for the first time in over a generation. Can Herman and Stephen’s relationship survive this new trial? Will Herman survive at all?

A sinful tale of beauty and romance, love and determination, The Magician’s Blood will chill you and leave you breathless for more.

*18+ Contains explicit scenes.

If you enjoyed Book 1, The Magician’s Curse, you’re going to love The Magician’s Blood.

Here are a couple of reviews:

Pick up your copy today!

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0994891245/

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0994891245/

Amazon Canada – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0994891245/

or if you’d like a signed copy of either of the books, please contact me at bacamjoly@gmail.com!


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Vote Here for the 2018-2019 SoCS Badge

Voting day is finally here, and we have a record TEN designs in the running for our 2018-2019 Stream of Consciousness Saturday Badge! Our new winner will have his or her badge displayed both here and all around the Internet by whomever participates in the weekly SoCS prompt.

Before we get started, I’d like to say thank you one more time to Jill for her wonderful 2017-2018 badge.

I’m pleased Jill’s back in the running with a new one for this year! Thanks, Jill!

So here we go. The links below will take you to the contestant’s sites, to the posts on which their badges are displayed. Please make sure you have a look at all of them before you vote! I’ll give each a descriptive name which you’ll find both with the link and on the poll for easier voting. I’m not going to vote unless there’s a tie, so it’s all up to you!

Here are the badges in the order they entered the contest:

Ritu, with Silhouette

Pamela, with Leafy Stream

Jim, with Thinking Cap

Fandango, with Shining Clouds

Bethany, with Sunset

John, with Binary

Jill, with Mushrooms

JoAnna, with Ripples

Melanie, with Rainbow

Ellen, with Mind

Thanks again to all the contestants! You’re a creative bunch, and all your badges are lovely. It’s going to be a tough decision!

The poll will be open for 24 hours–all of Thursday, August 23rd, -5GMT. Vote once, vote carefully, and be sure to tell your friends!

 

Best of luck, and may the best badge win!

 


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Update on the 2018-2019 SoCS Badge Contest

Normally about now I’d be reminding everyone to hurry up and get their entries in for the Stream of Consciousness Saturday badge contest before the deadline. But there’s no need! Ten bloggers were so quick this year, I had to cut off the contest early.

If you’d like to go and have a look at all the lovely badges, here’s the link to the post: you’ll find the individual links in the comment section. I cleaned it up a bit so there’s only one of each.

I’ll write a post with links to them all on Thursday, along with a poll so everyone can vote on their favourite.

Thanks to all the contestants for your awesome badges! Best of luck to all!


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One-Liner Wednesday – Snail Mail

I got home yesterday to find I have snail mail.

(Pictured: a snail slithering across the lid of my mailbox.)

If you would like to participate in this prompt, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do, you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a pingback, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a pingback from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our lovely new badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!


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Happy Book Birthday to The Magician’s Blood!

It’s publication day for The Magician’s Blood! The second book of The Great Dagmaru Gothic paranormal romance series is a fair shade darker than the first, The Magician’s Curse.

The magician, Stephen, and his lovely assistant, Herman, are heading off on tour after their difficult beginning. But surprises await them as her father makes a prediction and Stephen’s incubus bloodline makes itself known for the first time in generations. Can Stephen and Herman’s love endure?

 

“… I could not put this book down! Much like the curse that holds Stephen Dagmar under its control, I tore into this book, reading into the wee hours …” ~ Colleen Chesebro (read her full 5 star review here on her blog).

The official description of the book:

Award-winning author Linda G. Hill brings you the second book in her modern-day Gothic romance series.

Herman Anderson is in love. Thrilled to travel across Canada with her boyfriend as his assistant onstage, she returns to her hometown—the first stop on the Great Dagmaru magic tour. Anticipating a reunion with her brother, instead she finds her family has moved without a trace.

Stephen Dagmar’s career as a stage magician is taking off. With Herman by his side, his only concern is her father’s dislike for him. But as Herman’s father makes a prediction and resolves to come between them, Stephen’s family curse returns to haunt him.

Darkness descends as the reality of the Dagmar’s incubus bloodline surfaces for the first time in over a generation. Can Herman and Stephen’s relationship survive this new trial? Will Herman survive at all?

A sinful tale of beauty and romance, love and determination, The Magician’s Blood will chill you and leave you breathless for more.

*18+ Contains explicit scenes.

 

The Magician’s Blood has been a very long time coming. My own blood, sweat, and tears have gone into it … much of the sweat over the editing of it, and what should stay in and what should be edited out. In the end I’m still sweating, hoping you’re going to enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Here are the links for The Magician’s Blood:

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FKZMVLS/

And everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/bzPZQ9

In case you haven’t read Book 1, The Magician’s Curse, here are the links for that:

Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0721ZH2KN/

And everywhere else: https://books2read.com/u/3R16Mv

Here are all my social media links–please follow me if you don’t already!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15577348.Linda_G_Hill

FB: https://www.facebook.com/lindaghill.fiction/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaGHill

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-g-hill

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/lindaghillfiction/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda.g.hill/

And finally, please share this post! Help me get the word out by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, and all the other social media you use, as well as reblogging it.

Thanks so much for your support!

With love & magic,

Linda