” I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and look at it , until it begins to shine.”
Emily Dickinson.
My thoughts on this are brief. I believe that a word, written or spoken, has the power to lift someone up or shut them down. You hear so much about physical abuse, by both men and women, but the words are what often make abuse even less bearable. Words do not control a person but they can affect everything about a person.
How organised are you when it comes to blogging? Do you have a blog schedule or do you play it by the ear? For the most part I am very organized but in a relaxed sort of way. Every morning I do the same routine, but it isn’t necessarily at the exact same time, which is why I say it is a bit relaxed. One of the things I have started doing is using my Rocketbook to keep track of challenges and prompts. If you haven’t heard of Rocketbook check out the video. The thing really is so great: https://getrocketbook.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjZmTBhB4EiwAynRmDweuzvVj6ouzNR_vUKVMUdZe1Kna0FSouGXQ5qOs0a8-_u_echeTyhoCEx8QAvD_BwE Anyhow, this lets me keep track and it uploads it so quickly to the right spot. That way I don’t have to search my blog posts for who-knows-how-long to look for a specific post. I am hoping it makes life easier.
How often do you’ tidy up’ your blog? e.g. go through your Drafts Folder, or go through old posts checking for broken links etc.? I don’t usually have much in the Drafts folder because I don’t like things there to begin with so they don’t pile up. I have to say that I have never gone through old posts checking links. One of the mistakes I did make and learned from was the media part of posts. My media “file” is getting full so I decided to go through it. There were some of the same pictures, etc. multiple times so I deleted all the copies except for one. Well, if you don’t already know this, what I did was erase the media from a specific post. So to be more clear, if I posted a picture of my dog a year ago and it was on five different posts and I delete four of the pictures in my media file, now four of those posts no longer have the picture there. I know this might not be a big deal but for things like my Book Tours and the such, I really would like the media to stay on there. Once I am full I guess I will either have to go back and do a big delete from way back or pay WP more $ to get more storage.
1) If you were to be cast as part of a comedy double act, which part would you play: the straight man or the funny one, and why? I would probably start of as the straight woman but then end up being the funny one once I got into it. Once I get on a roll I’m good…
2) If you were to be reincarnated on Earth as any non-living/inanimate object of your choosing, what would you come back as and why? Hmmm….I guess maybe I would like to be a freezer…people like to put things in there to save and a lot of times they fill it with good stuff like ice cream. Who doesn’t like a little extra freezer space?
3) We all know how dogs mark their territory. How do you mark your territory? I make miniature things that are very detailed. People have come to see miniature things and think of me.
4) If you were on a trivia show and had to correctly answer ten questions in one subject to win a million dollars (or whatever currency is used in your locale), what would you hope the category would be? Potpourri – a little of everything
5) In democratic societies, do you believe that the right to vote is merely a privilege or a duty for all citizens? This should not be thought of as an “Americans only” question. ANY ONE is welcome to answer. I think it is sort of both. I think that it is a privilege that can be lost, like if you commit a crime but I also think it a duty so that the system works properly. The way the government seems to want to make new rules about voting so I don’t really believe in its truth-aspect. I mean, if you vote but the decision is based on a bunch of other factors, what’s the point?
To celebrate the release of The Storm of Storms, book #3 in her YA Dystopian saga, Juche, Adria Carmichael is giving the first two installments away for FREE! From September 14th to the 18th, you can download The Demon of Yodok and The Weeping Masses on Amazon for zero dollars!
The Storm of Storms (Juche #3)
Publication Date: September 15th, 2021
Genre: YA Dystopian/ Survival
A highly addictive Young Adult Dystopian Survival Saga that will keep you glued to the pages.
Nari’s shocking revelation in the watermill changes everything in an instant, and Areum is once more faced with an impossible decision. Will she betray her sister in order to save her life, or support her and let her die? In the midst of this struggle, the storm of the century hits the camp, and life goes from hard to impossible overnight. Areum slowly comes to realize there is only one way to ensure their survival.
To escape!
But how can they escape from an escape-proof prison camp? And even if they would get past the ferocious dog patrols, the machine gun-equipped guard towers and the electrified barbed wire fence… will she be willing to condemn everyone they’re leaving behind to an inescapable end through torture and death?
Just when Areum, daughter of a privileged family in the totalitarian state of Choson, thought she was free from her personal prison, her world collapses around her as her family are taken away in the middle of the night to a hell-like camp in the mountains where people who have strayed from the righteous path are brutally re-educated through blood, sweat, tears and starvation.
There she has to fight for survival together with the family she hates and is forced to re-evaluate every aspect of her life until then – her deep resentment toward her twin sister; her view of her father in face of the mounting evidence he is a traitor with the blood of millions of fellow countrymen on his hands; and even her love and affection for the Great General – the eternal savior and protector of Choson, whom she had always considered her true father.
Areum’s hopes to be set free from the brutal political prison camp holding them is crushed, and the heinous assault on her sister plunges her into a state of shock and horror… and puts her on a collision course with her family. All hope seems to be lost. Just when she is about to give up, however, a disturbing revelation is made… and as the evil of the camp is given a face, Areum finds a new purpose to keep fighting.
Revenge!
But first they need to survive, and with the constantly harshening conditions and her family being targeted from all directions, daily life in Yodok turns into a never-ceasing fight to evade imminent doom.
On top of everything, an impossible tragedy strikes Choson, and the unquestionable truth Areum has built her life around is challenged to its very core.
Adria Carmichael is a writer of Young Adult Dystopian fiction with a twist. When she is not devouring dystopian and post-apocalyptic content in any format – books, movies, TV-series and PlayStation games – she is crafting the epic and highly-addictive Juche saga, her 2020 debut novel series that takes place in the brutal, totalitarian nation of Choson. When the limit of doom and gloom is reached, a 10K run on a sunny day or binging a silly sitcom on a rainy day is her go-to way to unwind.
To all those who we lost on 9/11…a moment of silence, a silent prayer for peace.
I may have found my dream home!!! We have the inspection Tuesday!
The season for miniatures is coming and I will be working my butt off to make sure I have some inventory ready for the holidays. Remember to check out my store on Etsy.com – StineWriting: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StineWriting?ref=seller-platform-mcnav I am also starting to list my handcrafted jewelry. Mostly earrings now, but all made by me!
Writing, writing, writing…my other passion! Please comment if you have a challenge that I haven’t participated in yet, or at all, so I can check it out! I love them. I also have my challenge on Tuesdays: Simply 6 Minutes. It doesn’t have to be done on a Tuesday, I love input all week long!
This may be the longest I’ve been away. I have been working on placing my dad in an appropriate situation!
A week and a half ago my dad went to the emergency room. It was a hernia. They admitted him but it took a few days for them to say they would NOT do surgery. Luckily, the night in the ER, the ER doc had “put back” the hernia so my father was not in much pain after that. Anyhow, I have been considering a memory care unit or something safe for my father as his care needs are increasing and I am not really equipped. So finally he was sent to a nursing home for a few days. This was not going to be suitable as he really needs to be up and about and active, not lying in a hospital bed all day long. I was lucky to find the Grand Villa of St. Petersburg.
The Grand Villa of St. Petersburg is an Assisted Living Community with a Memory care unit. The place is clean and beautiful. On the memory care floor, all of the residents are taken every day of the week onto what they call the recreation floor. Here they can do anything from nap to watch tv to participate in crafts and other entertainment. There are so many things going on all day. My father will really benefit from a place like this as he was always so social!
Now that David and I have moved him in and he is stable I will be back to my writing. I hope I get back into the groove quickly! I’m sure with all of friends here and all the encouragement I always get, it will be easy!
David and I have also decided we will get married on September 18th! Woo Hoo! Details to come….
Thank you for continuing to follow me and to participate in my writing and in my Tuesday challenge. I look forward to reading everyone’s work which I have missed so much!
Dr. Tanya has put a new twist on Blogging Insights. Check it out here
Here is the secret of writing : there is no secret. — Ralph Fletcher
There has to be some secret to it! I have been told I am a good writer but my mind goes blank. I would love to write more stories but I get so… I don’t know…I just can’t think of things to write about that go anywhere….
Stine Writing 
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