Yell Less, Love More by Sheila McCraith - Review

Yell Less, Love More
by Sheila McCraith 

How the Orange Rhino Mom Stopped Yelling at Her Kids - and How You Can Too!: A 30-Day Guide That Includes: - 100 Alternatives to Yelling - Simple, Daily Steps to Follow - Honest Stories to Inspire

The Rhino: A naturally calm animal that charges when provoked.

The Orange Rhino: A person that parents with warmth and determination and who doesn't charge with words when angry, impatient, or simply in a bad mood.

Do you often find yourself losing your cool and yelling at your kids? It happens to us all, but it doesn't have to. With Yell Less, Love More you'll learn practical, simple solutions to keep you focused on loving more and yelling less, no matter what the circumstance. It is possible to change and enjoy a calmer life because of it! Take the Orange Rhino 30-day challenge to yell less. In this guidebook to happier parenting, author Sheila McCraith shares daily thoughts, tips, and motivational personal stories to help you toss out the screams and welcome in the peace. Whether you have one child or twenty (or one you still yell at who is twenty), strengthen your relationships and maybe even laugh a little more--by taking the challenge today.

Goodreads * Amazon

My review:

I absolutely love this book. It is broken down into a 30 day guide. Each day includes a personal story from the author about her own journey and challenges to stop yelling, tips to help you stop yelling, actions to take to help you on your own journey, "Orange Rhino Revelations," plus inspirational quotes. This book is totally written as if the author, Sheila McCraith, is writing directly to the reader and is right there trying to help you. At the end of the book, there is "Beyond Day 30" and a summary of key points, including some of the most common triggers along with good suggestions for solutions. There is even an "Orange Rhino" sign on the back flap that you can cut out to put up in a high yelling area.

Can you stop yelling without reading this book? Of course. You can even do the Orange Rhino Challenge without this book. The author's blog, Facebook page, and Orange Rhino community are great resources. However, having this book would definitely be a plus, and I highly recommend purchasing it to help you on your way to yelling less and loving more.

I won an autographed copy from MomCaveTV. I was not required to write a review.

About the author:

Sheila McCraith, also known as The Orange Rhino®, is a mom to four boys, all under the age of 7. In January 2012, after her handyman caught her screaming at her boys, she made a promise that she would go 365 days straight without yelling at her kids. To chronicle her progress, keep herself accountable, and find support, Sheila launched her blog, The Orange Rhino Challenge®, shortly after her promise was made. She successfully met her goal in 2013 and continues to work everyday at yelling less and loving more.

Sheila has been featured in Parents magazine, where she was the 2013 winner of “Blog Most Likely to Help You Achieve a Goal” and her article “10 Things I Learned When I Stopped Yelling at My Kids” instantly became a viral hit on The Huffington Post. She has also been featured on Babycenter.com, Mothering.com, Everydayfamily.com, Allparenting.com, Families.com, and more.

Find out more at TheOrangeRhino.com. 

Will Write for Shoes by Cathy Yardley - Review

Will Write for Shoes:
How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
by Cathy Yardley
Originally published: 2006

* What is Chick Lit exactly?
* How do I write a Chick Lit novel?
* What are the steps I need to take to get published? 

Once dismissed as a fad by the popular press and literary community, the women's fiction genre called Chick Lit is now one of the hottest growing markets for new writers. In Will Write for Shoes, veteran Chick Lit and romance author Cathy Yardley addresses the common questions (and misconceptions) about the genre. 

Based on years of teaching about commercial women's fiction, this definitive guide provides invaluable tips and step-by-step methods for writing and selling a successful Chick Lit novel. Features include: 
* The history of Chick Lit
* A blueprint for writing a Chick Lit novel
* New trends in the genre
* Tips and tools for breaking into the market
* FAQs and miscellanea 

A directory of agents and publishers who acquire Chick Lit, sample submission materials, and online resources make this fun and comprehensive manual a must-have for all women who want to write a Chick Lit novel.  

Goodreads * Amazon

My review:

Will Write for Shoes is a great resource for anyone who is considering writing chick lit (but it can also be useful for writers of any genre). Ms. Yardley has a humorous style to present a wealth of information about everything from what is and what is not chick lit, how to develop your chick lit story, and how to market and sell your chick lit novel. She doesn't sugarcoat anything, but it is perhaps tied up with a pink bow in a pair of stilettos, with titles such as "Warning: Period of Time When Your Life Will Necessarily Suck: Revisions" and "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes... The Crapshoot That is Selling Your Novel." 

Keep in mind that this was written about 8 years ago, so some of the information on publishers and agents may be outdated, but it is still a great guide for a new chick lit writer.

(Ms. Yardley sent me a signed copy of this book years ago after I "met" her on an online forum for work-at-home moms when I mentioned that I was interested in writing. This was years before I became a book review blogger. After a recent move, I uncovered this while unpacking, read it again, and knew it deserved a review.)

A copy was gifted, but I was not required to write a review. 

About the author:

A few random facts about me:
I am a fiction addict.

I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.

I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.

I am an out of the closet foodie.

People who follow me on Facebook can attest: I am a foodie-blog whore. Love Smitten Kitchen. Adore Pioneer Woman Cooks. Bake my own bread on a weekly basis (because the recipe is so frickin' easy, a chimp could do it -- and it tastes phenomenal. I am a walking infomercial for this bread. ) Total Top Chef freak.

I am a geekgirl.

I love the San Diego Comic-con, or "The Con" as they call it.

I was part of the SCA -- The Society for Creative Anachronism -- and briefly sponsored my own mini army. I learned to speak some Japanese from anime.
I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of character actors and obscure movies. I have been called to settle bar bets.

I have a more-flirtatious-than-appropriate relationship with Excel spreadsheets. When I used to work at a day job, if I wore lipstick they assumed I was going on an interview. To this day, an entire marketing department lives in fear of my memory.

I love being an author.

Love writing. Love promoting. Love everything about it. And I love hearing from readers. Email me, anytime, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Find out more at CathyYardley.com.

   

How I Make a Decent Income Writing Fiction by Kristy K. James - Review

How I Make a Decent Income Writing Fiction
by Kristy K. James
Published: August 6, 2014

If you’re looking for a book that’s going to take you several days or more to get through, How I Make a Decent Living Writing Fiction isn’t the book for you. If you’re looking for tips from someone who actually does make a decent income from writing fiction, maybe my experience can help you.

While I have yet to reach my target level of success, I'm still paying the bills with my writing income. All of my bills. And it's providing some of the luxuries in life, too.

If that sounds like something you could live with, check it out. Maybe some of the things I do will work for you, too.

Amazon 

My review:

This is one writer's story of how she makes enough money from writing romance novels to pay all of her bills. If you are new to the self-publishing world, this book contains a lot of great advice. If you are familiar with the indie world and been around "book people," you may already know many of these tips, but this book is still a good read because it gives you a sense of hope and shows you that it can be done. Kristy K. James has written a great little piece that gives it to you straight. I highly recommend reading How I Make a Decent Income Writing Fiction to any new writers or even already published indie authors. 

I picked this up during a free promotion on Amazon. I was not required to write a review.

About the author:

Kristy K. James' first goal in life was to work in law enforcement, until the night she called the police to check out a scary noise in her yard. Realizing that she might someday have to investigate scary noises in yards just as dark as hers if she continued on that path, she turned to her other favorite love...writing. Since then her days have been filled with being a mom and reluctant zookeeper (7 pets), creating stories, and looking for trouble in her kitchen.

Find out more at KristyKJames.net.      

God Has Better Things to Do Than My Laundry by Heather Nestleroad - Excerpts

God Has Better Things to Do 
Than My Laundry... and Other Observations From an Overly Dramatic Mom
by Heather Nestleroad

If you've ever tackled a mound of laundry taller than you, made reservations instead of dinner, turned to prayer to deal with your teenage daughters, and accidentally wet yourself laughing at your best friend, then you'll like God Has Better Things to do Than My Laundry (and Other Observations by an Overly Dramatic Mom). Heather Nestleroad gathers all of her blog posts from the last few years into a comprehensive book that can be enjoyed by parents, chocolate lovers, and coffee drinkers of all types. Read about how Heather learned to like (and order) coffee, explores her questions about the purpose of our lives, bares her neurotic confessions, and details conversations you'll swear you just had with someone in your family.

Add on Goodreads, or buy on Amazon, or Smashwords.

Excerpts:
When I was pregnant with my first child, I used to drink milk and root beer out of the containers and swish them around together in my mouth. That way I could have a root beer float at any time during the day. I’m not actually allowed to do that anymore. Those were good times.

 ***

I love to throw a kid party. However, I secretly believe that the mom is the one who should get the party instead of the kid. After all, we are the ones who carried them for 9 months, gave birth to them, changed their diapers, fed them, clothed them, and did all the work. They … showed up crying and have complained ever since.

 ***

Having been married with children for some time now, I know how important it is to keep things fun and interesting. One way I like to do this is to kiss the hubby in front of the kids. This does a couple of things. 1. Lets them see you love each other. 2. Grosses them out, which then inspires me to tell them that I think it would be nice to relive our wedding kiss in front of their friends. After all, we did kiss in front of a group of people when we wed. They are then filled with terror at the prospect of such a sight. This is a good time to ask them to clean their rooms. (Isn’t parenting fun?)

 ***

Typical Sunday night conversation:

Vaughn: Did you set the alarm?
Me: No, why? I don’t have school in the morning.
Vaughn: So you are not getting up with the kids?
Me: I don’t need an alarm to get up with the kids. Even if you get up, the kids always come in and make sure I know they’re up, thereby waking me up and ruining my sleep pattern.
Vaughn: Didn’t you say you aren’t sleeping well anyway?
Me: Well sure, but I like deciding when I’m done. It’s kind of like when you use public toilets that flush by themselves.
Vaughn: You don’t like public toilets?
Me: Well, no. Sometimes you are just doing your business and the thing flushes on its own. I always think “How do you know I’m done? I’ll let you know when I’m done.” What kind of technology is that, anyway? Is it a motion detector? Is it Pee Pee Technology?
Vaughn: You are considerably faster when using a public restroom than you are at home.
Me: That’s because half the time at home, I’m just hiding.
Vaughn: OK, can we go to sleep now?
Me: Sure, knock yourself out.

 ***

When my house is particularly messy and I’m the only one to clean it, I like to put on my tiara when I clean. That way while I’m grumbling about what a hot mess it is, I can remember that even Cinderella had to clean up after people, and she was a princess.

 ***

I used to pray for patience. I now know that if you pray for patience, God just gives you opportunities to be patient.

***

I have not been to the restroom by myself since 1995. As a child, I was taught to go to the restroom in pairs, for safety reasons. As teenagers, we travel in packs to talk about boys. I believe this is all preparation for marriage and children. Once you have them, you will never attend alone. They either walk right in, or knock until you have no choice but to answer. In my house it usually goes something like this:

<knock knock>

Me: Yes?

Kid 1: Can you do my hair?

Me: Um, no, I’m busy at the moment.

Kid 1: OK.

<knock knock>

Me: What?

Kid 3: The girls won’t play with me!

Me: Can I do something about that later?

Kid 3: OK.

<knock knock>

Me: WHAT IS IT?

Kid 2: Man, grouch. I was just asking when we are going to eat.

Me: When you learn to cook.

<knock knock>

Me: GOOD GRIEF—WHAT???

Kid 1: Whatcha doin’?

Me: My taxes. Go away!

***

Things mom never told me, about being a mom:
1. It’s your fault. It doesn’t matter what the situation, and doesn’t even matter if you were there, it is your fault.

2. If something is missing, you hid it from sight to spite them. It is your job to find it.

3. Laundry miraculously gets washed, dried, folded, and put away. You have nothing to do with it; therefore, why should they thank you? Also, if it’s not done, it’s your fault.

4. You will need to remember everything you have ever learned in school. You are not allowed to have forgotten anything. If you forget how to do something, you are considered stupid.

5. Food just happens. You will need to make sure it is ready, or if it’s not ready in time for the stomach growling, you will need to have a backup plan. (I like to refer to my backup plan as “going out tonight.”)

6. You will either have to get up before everyone else to get a hot shower, or wait at least an hour after everyone is gone for the water to replenish to a temperature above Arctic Ocean. 

***

I think perhaps that women who have lived through their childrens’ teenage years (with girls especially) have formed a secret society of sorts. They are all sitting around in their little clubs, watching the rest of us flail around, and enjoying the show. They won’t get involved because they have already lived through their fair share of drama. (It’s either that or they are mostly institutionalized.)

A friend of mine suggests that perhaps they are sitting around sipping their drinks and waiting for the next survivor to arrive. I am not a drinker, so I said, “What will I do? Learn to drink?”

She said, “Well, I didn’t say they are drinking alcoholic drinks. You could have an orange mint julep.” I asked her what that was. Apparently that is what Reese Witherspoon served at her wedding. It’s some kind of a southern drink. I persisted in asking what exactly this was. Her reply was, “I don’t know, I don’t live there!”

My friend has two daughters. Neither of which are yet into the teenage stage. While I love her dearly, if she had teenagers herself, she’d understand that perhaps I may need to learn to drink. And as to whatever an orange mint julep is, it may not be enough to get me through this stage of life. But I am willing to give it a try at this point.

***

My girls got the scared, “Please don’t cry, why don’t you listen, what can I do, I’m messing this up” mommy. My son got the relaxed “I’m old, you’ll live if you fall down, sure, spill something on the floor, it needs to be cleaned anyway, if you want to eat Cheerios from the floor, the ten second rule applies here, go ahead, stick the binky in diet soda to clean it off and give it back” mommy.
Boy: Is Shamu a boy or a girl?
Me: I don’t know, but I think Shamu must be a girl, because did you see all the water that whale was retaining? That thing looked like I feel a week out of every month.

Boy: But mom, I thought Shamu was a boy?
Me: Well, that explains why he gets such great service, and why no one ever mentions that he needs to lose weight.

***

The Stay-at-Home Mom Poem
Oh give me a home,
Where a maid does so roam,
And the skies are not cloudy all day,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the house stays clean every day.
Home, home in never, never land,
Where the dishes do themselves,
Where the meals are all free,
And the laundry all clean,
And you can relax and read books all day.


About the author:
Heather Nestleroad was born in a small Midwestern town to parents who loved each other, until they didn't anymore. She then spent the rest of her childhood watching family shows and dreaming of one day having a family just like on TV. After getting married and having children, one day she discovered she did have a family like that, only funnier. Heather now lives in yet another small Midwestern town with her husband, three children, and two cats. When she isn't writing, she is working with preschoolers, going to Bible study, driving her children around, searching for the best place to have lunch, and looking for ways to get out of cooking dinner. 

You can Heather on her blog, NestledinSuburbia.com, and Facebook.

Heather is having a book release party on the day of this post. It will take place at the Tree of Life Christian bookstore on Saturday, July 28, from 2-4 p.m. The address is 4601 S Western Ave., Marion, IN. They are offering free refreshments, 50-cent coffee specials, a book signing, and readings by the author. If you are in the area, stop by and meet Heather! And please come back here to let me know how it went!

Guest Post by Julie Smith, author of Writing Your Way

Julie Smith is the author of Writing Your Way: The Great American Novel Track.

About Writing Your Way:
WRITING YOUR WAY is a no-nonsense, jam-packed book on writing fiction that came directly out of the author’s belief that most writing teachers need to cut their students a little slack. Edgar-winner Julie Smith’s approach is to help you find your own writing method, not bombard you with “unbreakable” rules. But make no mistake, she’s going to give you plenty of how-tos—on plot, character, setting, voice, point-of-view, dialogue, pacing and marketing. As well as plenty of practice exercises. And lots of motherly advice.

She also thinks most writing books are so absurdly padded they’re a waste of students’ time. Or they’re all about getting in touch with your inner writer so you can finally get started. WRITING YOUR WAY is for the pre-published novelist who is way past that. It gets right to the point. Offering nuts, bolts, and marketing methods, it’s a thick, dense concentrate of wisdom learned from years of actually… writing. Smith’s the author of dozens of novels and short stories and the founder of Writers’ Track, a method of teaching writing by conference call. She has also taught fiction both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.


Guest Post by Julie Smith:

SINCE WHEN IS PAPER SACRED?

You love the feel of books, you love the smell of books. These are the reasons why, if you’re under the spell of paper nostalgia, you will never, ever, for any reason consider using an ereader. Let me take a guess—you’ve never tried one. Or only once or twice, briefly and with a closed mind—yes, I truly believe you declined to open your mind on that one!

Because in your heart of hearts you know there is something sacred about books, something that’s always been there and that…well, that you just can’t imagine your life without. How do I know all this? Well, to connect the dots here, my book, WRITING YOUR WAY, is an ebook, but in addition I’m a digital publisher and I routinely talk to people who greet that news with the first line of this post. The one about the feel; and sometimes the smell. Boy, are we all in agreement on this one! We all love the feel. One hundred per cent of people who even think about it say this, I promise you.

And about fifty per cent mention the smell, which, in my opinion, is misguided because if you can smell a book you are in danger from thousands of deadly mold spores. But these people may not have the kind of allergies I do.

It’s kind of bizarre how many people who’d never voluntarily hurt a tree seem to feel paper is sacrosanct. Except for that part (and the smell thing) I completely get the love of physical books. A book feels like…well, a book in your hands. I don’t think any of us would ever have considered that this was something we loved before ebooks, but it’s familiar and the other thing’s foreign. So suddenly it’s the thing we love about books.

But how, you may ask does an ereader feel? (Not that anyone ever does.)

Hey, just fine! And you can adjust the type size! I was talking with a friend about this today—a constant reader and best-selling author who said she felt exactly the same way you do about the feel and the smell. Until she held a Kindle for…well, thirteen seconds was the time she gave, but honestly, I think it could have been twelve or fourteen—who’s that precise?

So if we’re in agreement here, what’s bugging me? Well, I guess I want to reassure you, if you’re in the love-the-feel stage. The bad news is, one day you’re going to go over to the dark side, just as, kicking and screaming, you gave up the old Underwood for a computer.

The good news is, it’s very unlikely paper books are going the way of the typewriter. Why should they? My husband gave me a Kindle three years ago and I never looked back. But my reading to this day runs about 50-50, digital and paper. I didn’t for a moment consider giving up paper books. And neither should you.

Listen, did movies drive out radio and did television drive out movies? And did DVDs kill both TV and movies and did streaming dispatch DVDs? Not yet, anyhow.

In fact, did CDs and MP3 files even kill off vinyl records? Well, more or less, but they rose up again like the Terminator.

New York publishers, maneuvering to stay in the game, are actually fancying up paper books for us, so much so that the New York Times ran a Page One story about it. Good way to clean up their act, in my opinion! Who likes shoddy books?

Another good piece of news—here’s a recent headline in that very same New York Times: E-Books, Shmee-Books: Readers Return to the Stores. Looks like a hardcover Christmas! Right alongside the digital one we all know is coming, the one that’s going to involve Kindle Fires, iPads, and downloads in record numbers.

So, relax already. Peace on Earth. Let the revolution come—and try to smile if you find a Nook under the tree.

About the author:

Julie Smith is the award-winning author of twenty novels and as many short stories. She’s a former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the San Francisco Chronicle,  as well as a veteran of her own online writing school, plus an editorial service she founded with two other writers. She’s also taught writing at the  University of New Orleans and in numerous private seminars. During her long career as a novelist, she has created four mystery series, including two set in New Orleans where she lives, featuring homicide detective Skip Langdon and poet/P.I. Talba Wallis. In 1991, she won the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. Counting all the novels, all the stories in all the anthologies, the odd essay, and a progressive novel or so, her publishers include just about every big publisher– Ballantine, St. Martin’s, Tor, Walker & Company, Knopf,  Doubleday, Avon, Harper-Collins, Berkley, Warner,  and Oxford University Press– plus some smaller ones, including Akashic Books, Carrol&Graf,  Allen &Unwin, Taplinger, and Four Star.

You can find Julie on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.