Top 10 Success Tips from Prince – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Jenny Hansen

Over the last few years, I’ve shared “Top 10” lists from several amazing people on the topics of writing and success but I haven’t branched out into musicians. In my humble opinion, there’s no one better to talk about creative success than Prince. (Yes, that Prince. aka Prince Rogers Nelson.)

This massively talented genius, who died in 2016 at age 57, left behind millions of devastated fans. He also left behind a locked vault reputed to hold 1,000+ unpublished or unfinished works. The contents of the vault are unknown as no one can get into it.

Prince wrote scores of hits under his own name, and others you might not have known were his songs, like:

• The Bangles’ “Manic Monday”
• Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You”
• Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”
• Shiela E.’s “The Glamorous Life”

Rather than examine boring things like his estate plan (which was so non-existent, they’re still duking things out in court almost five years later), I’d like to focus on Prince’s own inspiring words about how he built his phenomenal success.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Prince on what success looks like for creatives:

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – New Book on the Shelves -#YA – Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady (An Amanda Travels Adventure Book 8) by Darlene foster

Head on over to the Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore where there’s a new book on the shelves. It’s Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady (An Amanda Travels Adventure Book 8) by Darlene foster

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Delighted to share the news of the latest release by Darlene Foster – Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady (An Amanda Travels Adventure Book 8) on Pre-Order for May 11th 2021

About the book

Amanda receives a postcard from her best friend, Leah, and is surprised to learn that she is in Malta with her aunt. Reading between the lines, she senses Leah is in trouble. Desperate to help her, Amanda travels to Malta with her classmate Caleb and his parents.

Amanda is intrigued by this exotic island in the middle of the Mediterranean, full of colourful history, sun-drenched limestone fortresses, stunning beaches and fascinating birds. But…who is killing the protected birds? Who stole a priceless artifact from the museum? And why is Leah acting so strange? She couldn’t possibly be involved in these illegal activities, or could she?

Join Amanda and her friends as they visit ancient temples, an…

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Do You Know What To Do When One Of Your Blog Posts Gets Reblogged?

Check out this helpful and insightful post from Hugh Roberts’ blog titled: Do You Know What To Do When One Of Your Blog Posts Gets Reblogged?

Hugh's Views & News  

Many bloggers agree that having their blog posts shared is one of the best things that can happen in the blogging world. After all, whoever is sharing the post is putting your work in front of a new audience.

I remember when, for the first time, another blogger reblogged one of my posts. As a new blogger, it was one of the most exciting moments of my blogging journey. Even today, I still get a lift whenever one of my blog posts gets reblogged.

But is there anything you should do when one of your blog posts is reblogged?

Yes!

Do You Know What To Do When One Of Your Blog Posts Gets Reblogged?

Unless you’ve switched off your WordPress notifications, you will get an email notification from WordPress when one of your posts gets reblogged. It gives the following information –

• which post got reblogged

• who has reblogged it

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Words of Wisdom

Check out this great post from Staci Troilo via the Story Empire blog with the title: Words of Wisdom

Story Empire

Ciao, amici!

This will not be my usual post. I find myself being very introspective these days. Over the years, there are certain dates that take on different meanings to us. Days that used to mean nothing suddenly mark a happy occasion, like a baptism or anniversary. And days that used to mean something special we stop giving meaning to or try to forget.

As we get older, I’m not sure where our birthdays are supposed to fall. I know as a child, I wanted to grow older. I couldn’t wait to reach double digits. Then to be an official teen. Then sixteen, then eighteen. Twenty-one. By the time I reached a desirable age, time had speeded up and obligations had piled up and I wasn’t able to enjoy the age I wanted to be because it had already passed me by.

I turned 50 on April 4. My life…

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Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Weekly News – #Poetry Sue Vincent, #Paranormal #Romance Jan Sikes, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach

Check out what’s happening at the Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore via this post from Sally Cronin.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to the Weekly New and recent reviews for authors on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore.

The first review is for Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End by Sue Vincent.  I promised Sue that as long as I was blogging I would continue to promote her books that have been on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore since it began five years ago. She has left an incredible legacy for us to read and for me it is a way to keep her spirit alive and with us.

About the book

Do you know what really happened between George and the Dragon? Or why Briar Rose got her name? And have you ever suffered the indignity of an overdunked ginger nut?

Take a life with a small dog in tow, add a dash of red hair dye, a selection of crumbling biscuits and a…

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Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – New Author on the Shelves – #Historical, #Spiritual -The Windmill by K. Lewis Adair

Today, the Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore has a new author on the shelves. Check out The Windmill by K. Lewis Adair

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Delighted to welcome K. Lewis Adair to the cafe and bookstore with her book The Windmill.

About the book

What is love at first sight? What do we mean by destiny? Are things sometimes just meant to be? And are there messages within our dreams?

Told through a lens of three snapshots in time that are connected by a ‘soul’s journey to reunite with past loves, K Lewis Adair’s astounding fiction debut, The Windmill, focuses on three people against a stunning historical backdrop. Both spiritual and historical, it is ideal for readers looking for an emotionally immersive read.

Virginia ‘Ginny’ Lewis Faulkner thinks her luck is in when she inherits a previously unknown property. Little does she know all that awaits her as she begins a genealogical investigation to discover more about her Great Aunt Florence Stanley, whom she and other family members have little knowledge of following her disappearance…

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Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Share an Excerpt from a previous books 2021- #Scifi #Cats – Fluffy’s Revolution by Ted Myers

Head on over to the Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore where it’s time to share an excerpt from a previous books 2021 featuring Fluffy’s Revolution by Ted Myers

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

We put a great deal of effort into promoting our new, recent and upcoming books but often our previous releases get sidelined.

In this latest series I am offering authors in theCafe and Bookstorea chance to promote an earlier book (not your most recent) by sharing an excerpt from the book of 500 words. At the end of the post you can find out how to participate.

Today Ted Myers shares and excerpt from his first novel, Fluffy’s Revolution, an animal-centric sci-fi adventure starring a cat. The book is not exclusively for kids (as the title may suggest), but appeals animal lovers of all ages. In this scene, the GABs’ (Genetially Altered Brain animals) hideout, an old warehouse, has been discovered by the cops, who are bent on destroying these unique animals…

About the book

“Brisk sci-fi futurism with a feline star and a positive outlook.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS

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Audio Marketing: From Radio to Clubhouse

Check out this interesting post from Nicholas Rossis via his blog titled: Audio Marketing: From Radio to Clubhouse

Nicholas C. Rossis

With audiobooks gaining in popularity, it makes sense that audio marketing is seeing a surprising resurgence as a means of promoting one’s books. This is a general trend, as Transcription Outsourcing reports. In its article, they explain thataudio still has the ability to emotionally connect with listeners and leave a lasting impression.

Accordingly, audio markets have been steadily increasing over the last decade. Podcasts, audiobooks, and streaming services are becoming increasingly popular as customers explore ways to multitask or access content on the go.

With the advent of fashionable Clubhouse, an invitation-only audio-chat iPhone app, and Twitter’s own voice-focused social, Environments, a flood of social audio quickly took over in the last year.

As both authors and companies become more aware of the power of audio, they can begin to incorporate it into their marketing campaigns, giving their books a voice and allowing them to communicate with consumers…

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The Roles of Secondary Characters – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

By Ellen Buikema

Secondary characters add depth and interest to the world your main character inhabits, helping to make the tale more memorable. They play a significant role in your story, but aren’t necessarily integral to the plot. These characters may be protagonists or antagonists of their own subplots.

Strong secondary characters reveal more about your primary character by, motivating, creating stumbling blocks, or helping define the setting by use of cultural clues. He or she may goad the protagonist into doing something out of character to the benefit or detriment of either of them.

These ancillary characters may become more popular than your protagonists. This happened to me in my children’s chapter books as Frankie, Charlie Chameleon’s obnoxious pet fish, became the favorite of many readers, adults as well as children. There is something about Frankie, maybe his naughtiness, that makes him relatable.

Read the rest of this post HERE.

A trick that works

Check out this helpful post from C.S. Boyack via the Story Empire blog titled: A trick that works

Story Empire

Hi gang, Craig with you again. I’ve been toying with something I think you’ll be interested in. First you get some background.

When I started writing I used to play classical music in the background. I can’t handle anything with vocals or I won’t focus on the task at hand. This worked well for about a year, until my wife started having the same days off I did.

When you get up at 4:00 to write, your wife won’t appreciate your classical music while she’s trying to sleep. I started writing in total silence.

Time marched on, and we wound up with different shifts again. I made a playlist of theatrical music and that helped. (Still no vocals.)

This year we got one of those silly Alexa devices for Christmas. After about a day of trying to stump her with obscure blues music, the new wore off. Then, I was…

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