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Book Review: An Innocent Client

Quote of the Day: “I write not because I want to but because I am destined to.” Jules Haigler

The Writing Life, Book Review: An Innocent Client
Photo Credit: Pixabay

The why behind the doing!   

First, let me define some of the terms I’ll be using as to not complicate the understanding of what I’m saying.

  • Who is a writer?

A writer is a person who uses written words in various styles and techniques to communicate their ideas. Wikipedia

  • What is the difference between a writer and author?

According to the dictionary, a writer is one who expresses ideas in writing or engaged in literary work. An author is a person who writes a novel, poem, essay etc., and the composer of a literary work. You become an author when your books are published, but if your writings are never published, you remain a writer.

  • What is the meaning of authorpreneur?

Authorpreneur is the business end of being an author. To me, it’s no different than being an entrepreneur for starting up any kind of business. Of course, the author added to the shortened entrepreneur pinpoints the exact kind of business the person is involved in.

Learning to be an authorpreneur is about positioning yourself (branding) for the best possible outcome for your writing efforts.

You may be thinking I don’t want to do this! I’d prefer to just write. You are not by yourself. Many writers turned authors who became entrepreneurs feel the same way. However, even the bestselling authors are required to participate in the marketing of their books. Many embrace this opportunity to better understand their readers and to help keep the buzz around their names.

Being a writer and authorpreneur, in the business of promoting and marketing to sell and profit from your writing, is a lifetime learning experience. To accomplish this feat as a writer you need to write, read, and study the craft of writing.

Then changing directions towards getting your book/s in the hands of readers is another challenge in of itself. The same lessons apply to learn publishing and marketing – study, read, write, and learn how to expand your brand to reach new readers.

To improve as an author, I’ve found that it’s a good idea to read books in your genre, continue your daily writing and set aside time to learn more about writing.

Today’s blog post is the result of my applying these steps to my writing life. My personal standard is to never read a book I don’t think I’ll enjoy!  Hope you enjoy my review of An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt!

An Innocent Client (Joe Dillard, #1)An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wherein Lies the Truth?

Joe Dillard was a criminal defense attorney who didn’t like his job. Never did. His plans after law school were to work in the District Attorney’s office as a prosecutor. The problem, the pay didn’t line up with the time and cost of the education required to practice law.

The only choice was to open a law firm. He did with a promise to himself that eventually he’d quit and become a prosecuting attorney. But, first, he had to provide for his family and see his children through school. The pay was good. Yet, knowing his clients were guilty and worse, maggots of the earth tormented him. He desperately wanted to be on the opposite side, not defending the scum of the earth.

The years passed by and he was looking forward to retirement. The income from his practice and his wife’s management of their assets was securing their future. And, when the time was right, he’d call it quits. But, for once he’d like to represent an innocent client before he retired.

He was counting down the days to his exit from practicing law when a new case was offered him. He quoted a fee much higher than normal for he’d not planned to stay for a lengthy trial.

Money wasn’t an issue and his desire to represent an innocent client came to mind. All he had to do was talk to the young, beautiful woman charged with first-degree murder and decide whether to take the case. Would he finally get a chance to represent an innocent client?

If you enjoy reading legal thrillers and mysteries, check this one out! It’s a well-written story that’ll keep your interest.

View all my reviews

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I share on social media daily. Hope to see you there, too! Carolyn Bowen

Social Media Hangouts!

These are a few of my favorite social media hangouts! Drop by and say hello!

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A Tribute to Native Americans

Native American Heritage Month

Paying Tribute to Native Americans
Photo Credit: Pixabay

Quote of the Day: Everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence. – Mourning Dove Salish

 “Sovereignty, Trust, and Resilience.”

November is Native American Heritage Month and we pay tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.

Background

  • The first America Indian Day was established through the leadership of Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y.
  • The first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens was declared September 28, 1915. The annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day with observation to be the second Saturday of each May.
  • New York was the first state to observe American Indian Day. The governor declared the second Saturday in May 1916 as the beginning of the proclamation.
  • Many years later, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Additional proclamations have been issued since 1994 under the names “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian Month”.

Here are some of the events scheduled for this month honoring the American Indians.

Paying Tribute to Native Americans, National Native American Heritage Month, Writing Life, Carolyn M. Bowen Author
Photo Credit: Pixabay

Recollections from days gone by…

Interview with a half-breed: What’re your favorite memories growing up in a mixed culture?

Looking out the window and seeing headlights from automobiles coming up the lane to our home stuck in my memory. I knew it was a significant moment.

Word spread and people lined up at our front door to seek alternative herbal healing from my grandmother, a medicine woman. So much it became a problem and my first generation English grandfather stopped it.

She was never the same again. You’re probably thinking I can help you with the insights she provided. NO! According to her, the Native American medicine, what some folks misunderstand as magic, is passed down through the opposite sex.

She shared her knowledge with a male she’d helped. However, she did tell me who to talk to. It was way too complicated for my mind and at the time – honestly not interested. I wonder who the young man passed the secret to for keeping it in his family. Be what it will be – the young man she shared her secrets with had two sons who became M.D’s – medicine men in their own rights.

You’ll be very lucky if they’re you’re attending physician. For a secret has to remain a secret – Native American Heritage protects those who are called to help their fellow earth walkers.

May you soar with eagles in your quest to learn more about Native Americans. The  American Indians saw the Eagle as a symbol for great strength, leadership, and vision.

Recommended reading

Native American culture is explored in Cross-Ties, a fictional coming of age novel. You’ll meet Nokuse and his family in this classic novel.

Thank you for following my blog and connecting on social media. I appreciate your support. Carolyn M. Bowen

These are a few of my favorite social media hangouts! Drop by and say hello!

Goodreads

Twitter

Love picture ideas? Me, too.  Pinners Follow Here!

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Social Marketing Today

Quote of the Day: Everyone lives by selling something. Robert Louis Stevenson

Social Marketing Today, Carolyn M Bowen Author
Photo Credit: Pixabay

The art of marketing is solidified when you have identified your target market, folks who are interested in your products and services and provide a means to communicate. Today, social media plays an important role in connecting with like-minded people – talking and listening. But, how do you choose which platforms to use for finding your audience and potential customers?

When you are able to see the overall picture and plan your business future, you’ve just become an author, the business end of being a writer.

Answering the Question

For me, as much as I enjoy creating and sharing photos/videos when posting about my books, I’ve got to be aware of the conversion rate. As an author, you need to know how and where to get your books in the hands of interested readers. I asked the question, where are my potential readers hanging out and what site delivers the best return on my investment?

Having lots of followers on social media isn’t the point. Having people interested in what you say and your offerings are important and play a key role in building relationships.

Many new small businesses rush to share on most or all of the social media platforms. Take your time. Begin with two or three of the major ones and expand from there, if desired.

I would suggest sites, in the least, where everyone who follows can see your posts without advertising. I’m not saying don’t advertise, you can pick a post that’s performing well within your community, tweak it and monitor the results.

My favorite social sites for some time have been Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Google+ is phasing out this platform as currently operated. I’m sad. Second, Twitter has always been a great site for me although the news feed moves quickly. Your post most often has a shelf life of 30 minutes max. The good news is your posts are shown to everyone and advertising is affordable if desired. And, third, Pinterest is a fun place to show-off both personally and professionally. It is a behind the scenes kind of thing that allows followers to get to know the real you.

If you enjoy photos and following the trends for just about anything life has to offer, you’ll love this site. Me, I especially love the cute kitties, travel, fashion, and meeting book lovers!

I’m trying out a new site, MeWe.com, the next-gen social network. I like the idea of a site engineered with privacy in mind and the ability to connect with like-minded folks. I’m learning the ropes and will share more about my experiences in a later post.

Do you have favorite social media sites? I’d love to hear from you about what works for your business. Note: I’m on other social sites for various reasons – business and personal.

The Writing Life, Carolyn M. Bowen
Photo Credit: Pixabay

Latest Writing News

There’s a new mystery/thriller release coming up in my near future. If you’d like to become a part of my advance launch team and receive a free copy, sign-up below. Thank you!

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Stress: The Good, Bad and the Ugly!

Quote of the Day: “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember

World Mental Health Day

Stress: The Good Bad and the Ugly!

Today is World Mental Health Day and a worthy awareness cause to celebrate. However, concerns for friends and family’s mental health and our own should be something we recognize daily.

Recently I was told about a woman who was in the midst of the worst and best days of her life. The events happened in threes with some planned and others unplanned. The occurrences hiked her normal stress levels to new heights.

The first was the unexpected death of a parent, immediately followed by her daughter’s planned wedding, then a car accident where she was at fault. You’re probably thinking – how in the world was she coping? It seemed she was attempting to put one foot in front of the other and carry on until she could find a place and time to personally make peace with life events.

Stresses can build up over time if not resolved and can destroy your mental and physical health. We don’t think about it often, but good happenings like weddings, new job, partner, home, financial windfall, and others add to our stress level. Then when the boom falls caused by death, divorce, job or business loss, home disaster, and other life problems we find ourselves staring at the bottom of a dark hole.

We feel debilitating stress when the good and bad experiences make an impact acting as a vortex spinning our world out of control.

When you’re feeling you’re being swallowed up by things out of your control, seek help. Don’t wait for things to get better on their own. There is qualified help to get you back on a wellness path. For immediate free help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Today through the end of the year, December 31st, 2018 I’m offering new subscribers a free Kindle version of my personal transformation book, Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success! Act Now! Limited Offer – Fill in the information below for emailing your gift code to redeem your book.

Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success, Personal Development, Carolyn Bowen

“Cross-Stepping Your Way to Success!”

 

To learn more about my books, review my “About” page, Amazon Author Page, and/or your favorite bookstores.

Stress Relief, Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success!, Books by Carolyn BowenThanks for connecting, Carolyn Bowen, Author.

 

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