by Yvonne Perry

As you may or may not know, Nashville, Tennessee was flooded and many houses and businesses were destroyed when a record-breaking 13 or more inches of rain fell in one weekend. The rapidly-rising muddy water from the Cumberland and Harpeth Rivers forced thousands to flee their homes. The Opryland Hotel evacuated 1,500 guests to a nearby high school.  Rescuers had to use boats and Jet Skis to reach stranded residents at their flooded homes. Governor Phil Bredesen declared 52 of Tennessee's 95 counties as disaster areas. President Obama approved plans for FEMA to help victims in hard-hit areas. Twenty-eight people died as a result of the weekend storms; 17 in Tennessee alone, including 10 in Nashville.  Six houses in Kingston Springs were completely washed off their foundations. There one hour; gone the next! Here is a video of one of the houses as it floated down the street! If you are interested, here is a link to a video that depicts some of the flood scenes around Nashville the first weekend in May2010.  Barbara Milbourn, one of the editors on the WITS team, lost her car and home during the flood, but she is in good spirit as she and her husband start over with the help of friends and neighbors.

Many of us in Nashville are sensing change on a spiritual level to a higher plane of consciousness as we ask  "how do I transform my life through this process and what can I create now?!" Ever since the Nashville flood I have felt a need to attend to some projects that I've had on the back burner. One of those projects is We Are One in Spirit Blog and We Are One in Spirit Podcast. I actually started the blog and the podcast before I started WITS blog and podcast. Another is a joint venture project with Dr. Caron Goode, who is the author of Kids Who See Ghosts, Guide Them Through Their Fear. We plan to have a Facebook Group to provide a forum and assist people with children who exhibit supernatural gifts. Caron's book will be launched June 8.

I've also returned my focus to my joint venture partnership with Chaplain Oscar Smith.  He and I met by synchronicity at the Donelson Post Office in the fall of 2009. We immediately knew that there was a universal reason for us to work together. Once we shared our similar visions, we began a community resource and radio Web site. NashTN1.com is a designed to bring comm-unity (that's communication and unity) through networking and information sharing. We are in the beginning stages and invite you to become part of the network at http://NashTN1.com. Oscar and I would be happy to list your business, club, church, organization, announcement, or event in our directory. We can also help you get your own radio show or podcast started. If you already have a podcast you may list your current show on our site.

Travel writer Linda Ballou is our featured WITS client this month. Her book, Lost Angel Walkabout: one Traveler’s Tales is a spirited collection of travel narratives recounting the haps, mishaps, and serendipitous adventures that have given  Linda Ballou her sense of wonder and delight. She will be my guest on WITS Podcast July 2.

Thanks to the creative marketing mind of our new author's assistant, Vonnie Faroqui, WITS is now offering virtual blog/book tours and social marketing campaigns, and assistance with managing Twitter. Check out these new services at http://writersinthesky.com/author-publicity.html to find out how Vonnie can help you market your book without spending a lot of money.

This e-zine was proofread by Sarah Moore.  I appreciate your contributions and thank Sarah for her expertise.

WITS Web site: http://writersinthesky.com
WITS Blog: http://writersinthesky.blogspot.com/
Phone: (615) 415-9861
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by Kate Garvey

Do you have a passion? Mine has always been for animals. My father was a veterinarian and I began rescuing wildlife and injured animals as young as six years old. During my teen years I worked for my father and witnessed first-hand the suffering animals endure when they are injured or ill. In college I wrote term papers opposing animal research. For much of my life I felt so powerless and overwhelmed by cruelty toward animals. Back in the 1980’s the United States was euthanizing approximately 17 million healthy adoptable animals because of pet over-population and irresponsible ownership. Many of the top research institutions were using animals for medical research; vegetarians and individuals who chose a vegan diet were thought to be eccentric and a little weird.

Instead of following in my father’s footsteps, I became as a property manager in Nashville, Tennessee. I routinely rescued animals that were abandoned in streets, parks, and even left inside vacant rental homes without access to food or water. I started reading about factory farming of livestock and my consciousness and food choices changed even more (even as a kid I could not eat mammals). My feelings of frustration and sense of powerlessness regarding animal cruelty grew. In 2003, I saw a Pit Bull who was literally starving to death on the streets. I’ll spare you the description but this poor creature was the most abused animal I had ever seen. Most likely she had been used as a “bait” dog for a dog fight ring. One-thousand dollars later, I had a dog-aggressive Pit Bull I could not place. She was an unwanted high maintenance pet but I loved her deeply and gave her a good home despite the physical and emotional costs of her care.

When Michael Vick’s dog fight operation was exposed, I wrote an impassioned response to an article I read in the Wisconsin State Journal, which is a highly respected, well-read daily newspaper in the upper mid-west. The following morning a friend stopped by with the paper and there was my unedited letter under the Featured Guest Editorial. This was a major credit to my writer’s bio. It led to two writing assignments for Wisconsin Woman Magazine and other freelance work. But, the best reward is that I got to be a voice for those who suffer wretchedly and yet have no voice and no political power.

The battle against animal cruelty continues as does my passion to be the voice for those who cannot speak. I like to think in some small way my words have been part of the growing consciousness toward sentient beings. Because of animal activists, writers like me, and great animal welfare organizations, progress has been made. The euthanasia rate has been cut in half in the past thirty years, more and more people are become vegetarians or at least buying free-range meats, and most major research institutions are using non-animal model testing for medical experimentation.

Edward Bulward-Lytton said, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” As a writer you and I have been given a precious gift that allows us to touch thousands of lives. So, if you have a cause, I implore you to write, write, write! Write for a cause you believe in and give it your best effort. There can be no greater reward for a writer.

Kate Garvey is the founder and director of the Institute of Sound Healing and a freelance writer. She has had more than fifty articles published on animal welfare. Kate will be releasing a series of e-books on animal welfare this fall. For more information on ways to prevent animal cruelty please visit the “Free Info and Products” section at www.InstituteOfSoundHealing.com or email Kate at kategarveygarvey@yahoo.com (put Reference Writer in the subject line).

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A great deal for anyone needing online publicity!

by Carlene Rae Dater

I have been writing for over 25 years and have to say, I don't get writer's block. I'm lucky because I started my writing career working for newspapers and believe me, there are no writer's blocks in newsrooms. Newspapers have deadlines. If you're given assignment and told to write four or six or 12 inches by 6 PM, you do it. If you can't make deadlines, there are a lot of bright young writers lined up to take your job. Working for newspapers also taught me to write fast, get all the facts up front and to always spell names correctly!

I don't have deadlines anymore, well other than those that are self-imposed, but I still don't get blocked. Oh, I may run out of steam on one project or get bored with it, but then I just shift to another piece and work on that for a while. Because I freelanced for so long, I always have multiple projects going. Right now I'm working on and alternating between: a memoir, an article about my rescue dog for an anthology and three novels. I also write a blog twice a week and do some freelance articles for a variety of magazines. That's not much I know, but I'm semi-retired, I've been writing for a long time and I'm getting lazy.

If you're the kind of writer who only wants to do one thing at a time, that's fine. You still don't have to get blocked. Instead of staring at that blinking cursor, write nonsense, write a poem, write something but whatever you do, don't stop. That waylays madness. Once you stop writing you'll talk yourself into being blocked and that's not good.

Try to write something every day, even if it's only in your journal. Remember, you're allowed to write crap. You know you have to revise your work anyhow, so just write. Start by copying lines from one of your favorite novels or paragraphs from a magazine article. Your brain will take over and before you know it the words will flow again and your fingers will be flying across the computer keys.

I guess I don't understand writer's block or why writers get blocked. I mean, do plumbers get blocked? Do teachers get blocked? Have you ever heard an accountant say, "I couldn't go to work today, I'm blocked. I simply cannot add another number." I'm afraid that poor accountant would starve to death pretty fast. So, like the plumber or teacher or accountant, you show up at the page every day and just write. Don't worry about writer's block, it doesn't exist.

Here's a quote from comedian and author Steve Martin about writer's block that I love: Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol.

Carlene Rae Dater has published over 350 pieces of short fiction and non-fiction as well as nine novels and a non-fiction book. Her tenth novel was released in May, 2010. Visit Carlene’s blog at: www.CarleneDater.com. 

Beyond Books: Building Multiple Streams of Income by Dana Lynn Smith

It takes a lot of time and effort to attract people to your website and blog, so it's important to maximize your income opportunities from those visitors. Below are some ideas for earning money from products and services other than print books.

Ebooks

The easiest way to create an ebook is to convert your printed book to a PDF document. Nonfiction authors may also want to spin out portions of the book into several smaller ebooks or create ebooks that expand on the information in their printed book. You can also create ebooks by combining or expanding on articles you have already written.

If you'd like to publish in a variety of ebook formats, check into Smashwords. For a 15% sales commission, with no upfront fees, they will convert your book into several ebook formats and handle the online orders and payment processing for you. Book formats on Smashwords include PDF documents and formats that can be read by ebook readers and devices like Kindle, Sony Reader, iPod, and Palm. Smashwords is a good way to get started with ebooks.

Teleseminars and Audio Products

Free teleseminars are a great way to promote your products and services, but nonfiction authors can also earn income from hosting paid teleseminars or webinars. Be sure your paid sessions provide excellent value for the dollar and record the session for those who cannot attend.

Informational teleseminars, in-depth interviews, or live presentations can also be recorded and sold as a CD or downloadable MP3 file. Many authors charge extra for a written transcript of their teleseminars and audio products.

Package Deals

Increase your order size by offering add-on products for an additional fee. For example, when promoting your ebook, offer a companion audio product for a small additional fee. Novelists can offer several books together at a package discount. Children's books can be paired with companion products like stuffed toys that relate to the story. Package prices should reflect a discount of 20% to 30% of the price of the products purchased separately.

Home Study Courses

Once you have content in several formats, such as books, audio, and video, you can package them together into a comprehensive "home study course." Some courses also include individual or group coaching sessions. These courses are often presented in a three-ring binder which includes the printed text and sleeves containing the CDs or DVDs. Like packages, the price should reflect a discount off the prices of the separate products.

Ecommerce

To sell your information products, you'll need to have an ecommerce system to process payments. Clickbank and Paypal are among the easiest to set up. Other choices include ecommerce processors such as Plimus. If you expect to generate more than $2,000 a month in online sales, consider getting your own merchant credit card account and setting up a shopping cart system. Kathleen Gage offers a free tutorial on choosing a shopping cart. If you publish ebooks through Smashwords, they will handle the payment processing for you.

Affiliate Programs

All authors and small publishers should belong to the Amazon Associates affiliate program. In addition to collecting a commission on sales of your own book, you can promote non-competing books and a myriad of other products. For example, cookbook publishers can promote their favorite small appliances and authors of parenting books can promote children's products available on Amazon.com.

Many nonfiction authors offer their own affiliate programs, so check to see if there's a program for your favorite information products. You can also find affiliate programs on sites like Commission Junction. To maintain your credibility, only promote quality products that you believe in.

Advertising

The easiest way to earn advertising revenue is to sign up for the Google AdSense program. But think carefully whether the ads will detract from your site and whether you might have a problem with inappropriate ads appearing. Because just a tiny percentage of visitors will click on the ads, you need a lot of traffic to make any money.

If your site gets a significant amount of traffic, you may be able to sell banner ad space or sponsorships to other organizations that want to reach your target market. This can be done manually on a small scale—just set aside one or more ad spots on your site and charge advertisers by the month for those spots. Run your own ads to fill any blank spots.

There are a variety of ways to generate additional revenue. Just be creative and look for things that are a good fit for your business and your book.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. and several other book promotion guides. For book promotion tips, visit The Savvy Book Marketer blog. Get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips e-book when you register for her free book marketing newsletter. For more book marketing tips, follow Dana on Twitter or visit TheSavvyBookMarketer.com .

by Sarah-Anne Playle

I hit the keyboard and type out letters and words. Next to me, long shadows fall across the studio suite as the sun sets outside. I barely notice as I continue to type, trying to figure the story that has hounded me since November, now with an official three false starts. I open up a new document and try starting for the fourth time, but like the other attempts it fizzles and stalls, like a car running out of gas, a few spurts, a few grumbles, and then it's dead. I go down a paragraph and try again. I turn the ignition but the car doesn't start. I am creatively stuck. I lean back and stretch my shoulders as the pet behind me squeaks for dinner. Her pleas fall on a brain that is not currently focused on the real world. Instead it is focused on the imaginary and fictional.

What is it with this story, I question again. It hounds me, haunts me – the premise, the title, the characters, but the theme eludes me. And this is problem, I think, the fact that I can't find the true essence of the story. The sun has finished setting now and the studio slowly fills with evening darkness. I roll my shoulders to release some of the tension and then lean back over my keyboard. I don't know what to write. I have two characters, each of which have starred in different aborted beginnings, and I do not know which one is the star of the story. Who's story is it, I wonder, Rogue or Katlin's? And what about that third time travel assassin that crept in last week? I would like to forget it, just get up and walk away and go and get a real job, but I know I would end up feeling creatively stifled and miserable like I have at every job. For some reason, this story wants to be told, and I'm the one who has to tell it.

I stretch my neck, moving it side to side, hoping inspiration will hit. I sip cold Starbucks coffee, waiting. I turn on my antique Victorian lamp as the studio gets darker. Inspiration does not hit. Finally, in frustration, I try an old writing trick I know. I set my cell phone alarm for ten minutes, put fingers to keyboard and start writing about the story, without editing, without stopping, letting anything come. Slowly, as type, the story begins to take shape and create meaning in my mind. I begin to understand what it is about the story that has fascinated me and what I want to tell. The main premise takes shape, the plot begins to evolve and scenes get outlined. Rogue and Katlin stay, but switch roles and the third assassin becomes a pivotal player.

The pet behind me is now chewing on her cage bars to get my attention. I continue to write, barely noticing her. Professional athletes talk about being "in the zone," and a similar thing happens with writers when we are fully engaged in their work, when the outside world ceases to exist. The pet chews and squeaks and I, I write. By the time the alarm goes off I finally, after nearly six months, have a clear picture of the full essence of the novel. I stretch my back again I glance at the clock. An hour has gone by since I sat down at the computer. It feels like five minutes. I don't remember working with such interest and focus in months, and with such a sense of satisfied completion. My art career was filled with half finished pieces that needed the last boring bit of layering done that I would have to force myself through, or, more often than not, put off until all inspiration was dead and then start a new drawing, just to repeat the process.

The pet now resorts to ringing the bell at the bottom of her hay bale. “I know, I know,” I say to her as I reengage with real life. “I'm a terrible owner.” I ruffle her nose and pour her food. My mind still back with the story, I feel excitement for the next day when I can go back into the creative trance.

Sarah-Anne Playle started writing novels at the age of ten and finished her first published work, The Distance Between Us, at the early of eighteen. Since then, she has worked various 'real' jobs in order to support her writing “habit” as she nicknames it. Recently, she has also started a visual arts career, and has already had one gallery display, with another one coming in the near future. Both writing and artwork can be found at http://www.innerheartgallery.com 

A Little Red Wine

A little red wine can sure make a difference
In just how you look at the world.
It puts on a veil of rose colored glasses
So sweet, as your head starts to swirl.
It won’t change your life
Or heal all your troubles,
But the feeling can be so divine.
So, open the bottle, sit down beside me,
And let’s share a little red wine.

The weight of the world is there on your shoulders,
As sure as the night turns to day.
You could use someone to share all your demons,
And help you to chase them away.
I’ll see you through without even asking,
You don’t need to give me a sign.
We’ll face it together, if it takes all night
With the help of a little red wine.

Traces of life, traces of anger,
Images lost and forgot.
Dreams that came true and dreams that were shattered,
Lessons unlearned and untaught.
Loved ones we’ve known, or wished we knew better,
Friends that were left far behind.
We’ll share it all and make it seem better
With the help of a little red wine.

Dennis S Martin
Website: www.iwritesome.com 
Blog: www.iwritesome.blogspot.com
Storefront: www.lulu.com/dsmartin

Other Life Out There

I’m trying to settle down to sleep;
Some motel on some road.
Other rooms are stacked high, wide, and deep.
I know I’m not alone.

Doors to here. Doors to there.
Doors to rooms are everywhere.

I hear a voice; and then a laugh.
Oops, there’s a sneeze; then it’s a cough.

Suppose this place is the universe,
And my room is our earth.
Then suppose we start to hear some sounds,
From other far-off worlds.

Beeps from here; blips from there.
Other brains are everywhere.

Catch a signal; check an image.
Send a broadcast; text a message.

I should be drifting off, but now I’m wide awake.
Thinking of those others in places out in space.

Someone starts a shower; down a hall, up a stair.
And now I fall asleep; I know there’s life out there!

Jan Bossing©2010, Joelton, TN