This article has beautiful pictures, capturing a moment in time when women of the library took to horseback to deliver books to those in need during the Great Depression in America.
This article is by Ash D Solomon and I had to share it with you.
This article has beautiful pictures, capturing a moment in time when women of the library took to horseback to deliver books to those in need during the Great Depression in America.
This article is by Ash D Solomon and I had to share it with you.
To my son
I wish for you
With all my heart
For happiness
In abundance
Make memories
Try new things
Make friends
And take chances
Never believe
The hateful words
The spiteful
Things People say
You are perfect
Smart and amazing
In every single way
Never dull your shine
Find the beauty
In all you do
Follow your heart
And have fun
Be confident and be brave
Always try your best
Reach for your dreams
Rise above the rest
We’re all unique
So be yourself
I’ll help you
Overcome self doubt
Most of all I wish
Above all else
I want you to know
Forever you have my heart
Love mum
This is my first poem in ages and I wasn’t sure where to start. I used the NaPoWriMo prompt ‘love letter’.
I like poems that rhyme and aren’t too long. I thought about writing something soppy, picturesque or fictional. Then I decided to write something for my son who really has stolen my heart. ?
I hope you enjoyed.
To start the year, I set myself some goals for the year ahead. I plan to check how I’m getting on with that periodically during the year to check I’m on track. If you set yourself goals it is important to check on yourself to make sure you are on target and to re-focus yourself.
Summary: Considering these were annual targets I think I’ve kicked off the year with a really good start at achieving them. I’m not sure listing my goals as bullet points was the best idea, so to re-focus I shall put my goals into a table.
April appears to be the month for celebrating all things poetry. I am aware of two groups promoting poetry celebration in April so I shall start by introducing them.
The Academy of American Poets founded National Poetry Month in April 1996. The celebration is used to acknowledge the achievements of American poets, share poems and encourage support and awareness of their work.
Click here to find out more about the celebration.
It was started in 2003 by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. She was inspired by NaNoWriMo – hence the similar name. It stands for National Poetry Writing Month. The challenge is to write one poem a day for the 30 days of April.
Click here to find out more about how to participate.
So, I am going to dare to take the NaPoWriMo challenge. It might not be great to start with as it is a while since I’ve written any poetry but I hope we will see an improvement towards the end. I also hope that I find time to participate everyday.
Please let me know if you are taking part or have a poetry blog. It would motivate me to see what you are doing and I would find it inspirational.
Skin Organics Clean Beauty is a subscription box with a selection of non-toxic, cruelty-free, organic and natural products. These may be skincare, body care or beauty products. Their aim is to help you discover clean, green and cruelty-free products and brands. They dispatch on 20th of the month.
Cost: £19.00 (+£3.95 P&P) subscription, UK
I decided to try them out since the products that they are promoting are by the sort of brands I really want to use more of.
The box came with a piece of paper with ‘Rebalance’ on it. I’m wondering if this is the theme of the box but as I’ve not had one before I’m not sure if there is always a sheet of paper with ‘Rebalance’ written on it. On the other side, it has details about the products inside and discount codes.
Apothaka: Rejuvenating face oil – normal/combination skin (website RRP £19.50, Sheet lists price as £19.95)
This oil has been shortlisted for the Beauty Awards 2017 and featured in Vogue. It arrived in a blue organza bag and a personalized card from the owner of Apothaka. I have normal to combination skin so this oil is perfect for me. It is very moisturizing and I’ve only tried it before bed – I’m not sure my make up will stay on it. It reminds me of Antipodes Divine Face Oil – which is one of the best face oils I have ever used. I really like this oil. I’m going to continue to use it and see how my skin gets on.
NKnaturals London: Delicate – Healing Cleansing Balm (website RRP £25.00 for 60ml, Sheet lists price as £15.00 for 30ml)
This balm arrived in a black box but as soon as I saw it I was excited to use it. It reminded me of my Moa Balm and has a similar texture and colour. However, this seems more ‘delicate’. I have used it for removing my eye makeup and it is so gentle it hasn’t irritated my eyes at all. My skin has never felt so soft after cleansing. I’m going to see how my skin reacts to this as I use the pot up but on first impressions, I’m won over!
It smells like honey and lemon.
The Salt Parlour: Calm – Salt and Sulphur Scrub (Rose and Shea Butter) (£15.00 RRP for 200g on the website, £5.90 on the sheet for 60g tin)
This tin looks lovely but as I am not a fan of scrubs I thought about giving it to my husband’s best friend who loves scrub and the anchor theme makes it a little more masculine as you think of the marines and sailors but… I don’t think he’s going to get this one.
As soon as I opened the box, the delicious scent of this scrub caught. I had to sniff everything in the box to figure out what smelt so good. I decided to give it a go and found that it doesn’t scratch the skin, it scrubs and melts. It’s full of nourishing ingredient so my skin didn’t feel dry. This scrub is for keeps!
It’s a beauty shortlist winner and the wooden spoon that came with the box is for scooping it out so you don’t need to use your fingers. It also has tiny rose petals in it and you can see all the natural ingredients. I’m not sure my photo has captured how beautiful this product is.
North-burN: Revive – Luxury Bathing Salts (Orange, Lavender and Palmarosa (£4.00 on the sheet)
I thought the wooden spoon was for the bath salts but it was for the scrub. I haven’t had a chance to use the bath salts yet but I was looking to buy some so I am really pleased this was in my package and I will keep it ready to try in my cupboard for a special occasion.
Beauty Kubes – Organic shampoo for normal to dry hair (£1.00 on the sheet)
The ‘Kubes’ are about the size of a sugar cube. You crumble them in your hand to make a powder, add water to make a paste and then rub it into your hair to form a lather.
I’m not a massive fan of products that I have to make up myself – I’m lazy. So, I never would have bought it myself. However, I actually found it incredibly simple, fun and it lathered up quickly. At first, it felt a little crumbly on my head so perhaps I didn’t get the paste quite right but it soon worked into a lather and didn’t matter.
I am really pleased with the contents of the box. I can see myself using up all the products. I am considering repurchasing the cleansing balm, facial oil and even the scrub! The Kube was fun but I’m not sure it is my thing and I’ve not yet tried the bath salts.
All the products meet the promise of clean, green and cruelty-free – so if that’s something you desire, this is a great box for you. I’m going to continue my subscription; I think that says it all.
This is my first nomination and it came from Shabri – A Door To My Life, a blogger I recently connected with. Her blog is varied but always has an upbeat positive vibe and the first post I read was about going bare (no makeup) and how it has empowered her. Go check out her blog – she posts regularly.
“It’s an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.” Created by: Okoto Enigma
Whats the reason behind your blogs name?
It’s my real name. I did have some unusual blog names. I started with ‘Ethereal Vanilla’ for my organic beauty blog and ‘Writer to Author’ was one of my writing blogs but when I merged it all together I just went with my name as I felt it would help people connect and identify me.
Would you go a month without pizza or would you go a month without chocolate? why?
Ooo, this is a really tricky one as I love naughty food. I like savoury food and melted cheese so pizza is winning – as long as there isn’t a spicy topping. I love milk chocolate but a bit fussy with other types and I think you can have too much of a sweet thing.
When did you start to love yourself more? how?
I spent a lot of my youth feeling like I didn’t fit in – mainly for my red hair. My husband helped me to see it was beautiful and then I did a little modelling and realised that being different is good. I still sometimes feel awkward and like a sore thumb and every so often I will get a rude comment about my hair but I am much better at brushing it off and picking myself back up and I hope to pass that on to my son.
If you could have one superpower for a week what would it be except for reading people’s mind and being invisible and why?
Ha ha, my husband and I play this game all the time. My ultimate power is ‘luck’. If you can influence luck in your favour you are pretty invincible. Someone shoots a fireball at you, luckily it rains and puts it out or they trip and luckily it shoots up into the sky. You got to the bank and borrow money and luckily they are offering free money to the next customer to walk through to door which is luckily you. I think you get the gist. You also could use it to help friends and ruin enemies – mu ha ha ha.
Your favourite blog that you have posted and why is it your favourite also provide a link too
Oh my… I am still not very good at blowing my own trumpet. I looked at my statistics and identified the post with the most likes. It is Writers and YouTube Playlists and was a featured article from my writers blog (that has now merged with this one).
I’d like to nominate Shabri because her blog really is awesome but she has already been nominated by someone else so here are some fresh nominees:
Hev with This Pug Can: If you love pugs and keeping fit, this blog tells it as it really is. You won’t see any of those fake glam shots here.
Nathaniel Tower with Juggling Writer: I recently discovered Nathaniel and featured one of his articles. His blog is a wealth of information for writers.
Andrew McDowell with An author of many parts: Andrew was the first blogger to welcome me to Word Press. I have featured a few of his articles and always find his posts engaging.
Theryanlanz with A Writer’s Path: I have featured quite a few articles from this site. The blog covers topics that are really useful for writers, especially for fiction writers.
Keithgarrettpoetry with Man of many thoughts: This guy is knocking out poems faster than you can read them – I don’t know how he does it.
Radiant Behavior: This was the first bloggers whose post I shared. It was on how to contour and how to highlight using Vapour Organic. She often reviews ethical beauty product and on how to use them.
Beccapbeauty: She writers beauty reviews and posts often. Whenever I have commented on her blog she always acknowledges me.
Rabia with Rabia Rambles: Rabia’s website has beauty product reviews and stationery that looks so beautiful that it makes me want to take up bullet journaling.
Ross Hunt with IsaBlog: Ross writes about being a father to Isabelle. There are lots of cute pictures of his daughter but mainly engaging articles about parenthood.
Slow Days, Small Feet: This mum shares tips and activity ideas to help out other parents. They are really simple that anyone can apply often using everyday items.
My husband spoilt me and Christmas and bought this foundation and lipstick from my wish list. I’ve used the foundation every day since and I’m now waiting for payday so I can buy some more.
About the brand
https://instagram.com/p/Bgf6Y-9jAGc/
Nui cosmetics are from Berlin, Germany. They produce natural and organic beauty products that are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.
My products were purchased from Glow Organic (Brighton, England). This is my go-to online store for organic makeup.
About the foundation
The foundation isn’t the cheapest I’ve bought but it is well worth its price tag.
It is the perfect shade for me and I love how I can build it up where I need it. It goes on easily like a liquid foundation but dries with the longevity of a Matt foundation. It doesn’t sit in creases and looks very natural. It has a sweet scent to it making it a joy to use.
I apply with my fingers or a sponge. I like the little cap (lid) that clicks on to prevent the foundation coming out when not in use.
About the lipstick
You need to be confident to wear this lipstick every day as it is a daring colour. True red is a tricky colour to find in organic brands but Nui has done it!
It’s quite a nourishing lipstick and feels lovely on your lips, however, this means it doesn’t last long and needs to be reapplied during the day.
Repurchase
The only downside of the foundation is I didn’t know I was about to run out until it did. ?
As I had already been on a hefty shopping spree this month (probably the biggest in a decade), I had no budget left to repurchase. I had to wait until payday. ??
Surprise: Luckily, my husband knew it would make me very happy to surprise me with my favourite foundation. Upon seeing me trying to use up samples I had, he ordered it without me knowing. ?
https://instagram.com/p/BglArNrj60S/
So, you’ve written your masterpiece and created a shortlist of potential agents. Now, it is time to start querying.
In this article I am going to encourage you to create a template cover letter with common content themes, however, do not send this template to agents. Sending a blanket email will not impress.
Take time to make it personal
First, make sure you have time for each agent. Do not rush your query. Read their requirements and personalize the template to show them that you choose them for a reason. This will make them feel more special than if you ignore their guidelines and send them flowers and chocolates.
I’ve been querying one of two agents a week. This enables me to think about what I am sending them. I am focused on that agent as an individual rather than as another query.
However, although requirements differ between agencies there are common themes in the content requests. I have created a ‘cover letter ideas’ document with headings for the different content requests. This helps me find the paragraphs I need for the agency and then amend to personalize it for them, saving me a lot of time.
Here are the themes:
Letter opening
Okay, no agent has requested this as content in the letter but it is a basic requirement for letter writing. I just state the reason I am contacting them ‘please represent me’.
Tagline
In the age of social media, more agents are requesting you to pitch your novel in one sentence! You can use your tagline to promote your book on sites like Twitter or Instagram.
About me
Finding an agent is a bit like dating. They want to know a bit about you to see if you are someone they want to work with. They are interested in what makes you-you.
Writing Bio
This is a paragraph or two about my writing experience. They want to know if you have ever been published, won a literary contest, completed a writing course.
About your novel
To start with they need to know the basic credentials of your book like the word count and genre.
They also want to know things such as why you wrote this novel and what is it about.
Brief pitch (Blurb)
Check what they mean but this as one agent said ‘brief pitch’ and when I read what they wanted it some described a short synopsis (see below). More agents who requested a brief pitch wanted me to sell them my story so I shared my blurb as I type of teaser to encourage them to want to read the manuscript.
One paragraph synopsis
They want you to sell the story to them and the plot in one paragraph – if you thought writing a synopsis was hard then you are going to enjoy this… Actually, I found this easier than condensing the whole plot to one page because I knew they had the full synopsis to read if they wanted so I just had to make it enticing enough for them to want to know more.
Book marketing
They may request who you think the target market is and what books it would be placed alongside in a bookshop. They need to know if the book is part of a series or have the potential to be.
Why you?
Some agents wished to know why I had chosen them. You can’t default this content as will be a unique element of the query for that individual or agency. Instead, I created some prompts:
Letter closing
This is a simple ‘look forward to hearing from you’ together with my valediction and contact details.
Before you send your query to make sure it is as perfect as you can make it before you send it:
Many agencies today will request you send them an email or use an online form on their site. Make sure you follow the instructions for the format of documents correctly. For example:
If you don’t follow the instructions, they may not be able to open your documents, it may get blocked by virus protection or their server. If you cannot view what you have sent, then you’ve wasted your time as well as theirs.
Preparing these common attachments before you start will save you time.
Query manuscript versions
I have a few versions of my manuscript prepared for querying to meet the most common requests. These are:
Query synopsis versions
I have a few versions of my synopsis prepared for querying to meet the most common requests. These are:
You can get free online spreadsheet software from Google or Window Live and many smartphones even had free spreadsheet apps.
I keep a spreadsheet with the name of the agency and agent I contacted, the date I contacted them and when I expected to hear back – check their sites for details on response times. When they responded I recorded the date they replied.
I hope you have found these tips useful. I would love to hear how you got on and if you have any tips to help me too.
I didn’t grow up with makeup and, traditionally, I would only wear mascara and tinted lip balm at the weekend. At college, I started experimenting with colours and wearing the palest foundation I could afford, but was still a tad orange for me.
A love of make up
I was twenty and in my second job when I visited a Lancome counter for the first time. The woman did my make-up and I was amazed at the transformation. I promptly bought as much as I could and vowed to return. Their foundation was the closest match to pale skin and their skincare felt amazing; plus, they had deals giving away free stuff with purchases or big discounts.
For years, Lancome was my counter of choice and occasionally I would try other brands like Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown or YSL.
Changing thoughts
I read an article about an ingredient in lipstick that causes cancer. I checked my tubes of Lancome and discovered it was present. I searched for reassurance that in small amounts it would cause no harm – this was the start of me questioning my products.
The next occasion was a girl at work who was very vocal on raising awareness of animal cruelty. She’d share horrific pictures and stories of what the beauty industry and meat industry does to animals. I started paying attention to whether brands I bought were cruelty-free and discovered many leading brands sell in China – they have a law enforcing products must be tested on animals. Sadly, many of my favourite brands were trading in China and I realized they must have allowed this to happen in order to sell there.
The final change was when I discovered my toddler sitting among a cracked pallet of eyeshadow by Pixi Beauty, finger holes in my Bobbi Brown foundation and a red-smeared face covered in Benefit’s Benetint (I suspect he had tried eating it). I was in a blind panic that he could be poisoned by my make up. I cleaned him up and realised it was time to clean up my beauty choices.
Hanging onto the baddies
Changing to clean beauty products wasn’t going to be an overnight transformation. On maternity pay (then returning to work on part-time hours), I didn’t have the funds to overhaul my makeup or skincare in one go. It was a slow gradual process.
To start, I held onto all my products. There was some trial and error in finding what worked for me as many brands are online so ordering them was a gamble. More brands are now offering affordable samples making it more cost effective to experiment. With my successes, my old brands started to get replace and the old products relocated to a box for emergencies – I was still scared to throw them out.
https://instagram.com/p/BfBWXfDhRNs/
https://instagram.com/p/BfDaJPyBayK/
Fresh start
We recently got our bathroom refitted. I had to clear everything out for the workmen to rip out our old suite and put in our new bathroom.
This finally gave me the push to say goodbye to my baddies that we’re gathering dust and out of date. I only put back the products I use that are cruelty-free and most are chemical free too.
Now, I open my bathroom cabinet and smile…
https://instagram.com/p/Bgj2bnrjP5s/
In this featured article by Nathaniel Tower (The Juggling Writer) he shares his tops tips to help you win any writing contest you are planning to enter.
https://nathanieltower.com/2018/03/11/how-to-win-a-writing-contest/