Living the Dream #MFRWAuthors 52-Week Blog Challenge Week 16

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Today’s prompt for the #MFRWAuthors 52-Week Blog Challenge is My Biggest Dream in Life. Problem is I have had three big dreams in my life: travel, write books and live near the ocean.

SC beach

California beach

I got the travel bug honestly, from my father. He, too, had the wanderlust, though he was always content to take driving trips in the US. When I was a kid, we traveled from Pittsburgh down to Miami and back, then out to Nevada to visit my brother who had settled in Las Vegas. When i was 14, we moved to Southern California, and alternated duty trips back to Pittsburgh with road trips around California and other Western states like Arizona. My dad was a big Western fan and loved to search out ghost towns, like Columbia, California. As an adult, I expanded my travels to Mexico, Australia, Canada, the British Isles and Europe, but continued to travel with the USA.

Welcome To Alaska

Welcome To Alaska (I’m the one on the right)

The second big dream was to one day be an author and write books. It took a long time, but I finally published. I put my love of history into most of my books, starting with Rogue’s Hostage, set during the French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania, my home state. Two other works, Lady Elinor’s Escape and How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride, take place in London, and my last historical novel, Lily and the Gambler takes place in Northern California, an area I toured with my husband.

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My third big dream was to live near the ocean, which I now do. I’m not sure why the ocean fascinates me, but it did even before I’d seen one up close and personal. Maybe it has something to do with my wanderlust. I do enjoy cruises. My travel and writing dreams haven’t ended, though. There are still lots of places to see and books to write.

What are your big dreams?

Linda

Click on the linky list before for more author’s big dreams.

Social Media Hangouts & Graphics: Week 15 #MFRWAuthors 52-Week Blog Challenge

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It’s week 15 of the MFRWAuthors 52-Week Blog Challenge, and this week’s prompt is My Social Media Hangouts.

My hangouts are pretty basic: Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. Please feel free to friend or follow me on any of the above links. I’d love to connect with you online.

The fact that I have any social media hangouts at all is due to my friend Elena Dillon, who taught an online social media class a while back for my local OCCRWA chapter. I now consider her my social media guru.

This year, I took a class on Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer, also taught by Elena. In it, I learned how to make kick-ass graphics for my books and social media sites. The big breakthrough came from learning about Canva, a terrific website that helps you create graphics using templates designed for each social media site, postcards, blog and web graphics, etc. They even have a template for an e-book cover! Haven’t tried that one yet.

Here are a few examples of what I did in class:

seek help graphic

My first attempt at using Canva.com to create a graphic.

LM facebook cover

Facebook cover image for my Linda McLaughlin author page

LL facebook cover

Facebook cover image for my Lyndi Lamont Author page

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RB twitter graphic

Twitter graphic for How to Woo… A Reluctant Bride

I have to admit, though, that I wasn’t entirely successful at the class. The branding still challenges me, and I tried and failed to create an account at Instagram, and gave up after a while. I’ll just have to live without Instagram, I suppose.

If you’re like me and still a bit leery about social media, Elena has a another website where she discusses social media for the Confused and Terrified Writer.

Where do you hang out on social media?

Linda / Lyndi

Use the linky list below to find more great blog posts in the #MFRWauthor 52-Week #Blog Challenge.