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| Our favorite turkey! |
We Have Winners
Did you claim your giveaway from LAST WEEK?
Giveaway rules can be found here. Please drop us a line to claim your giveaway at seekers@seekerville.net. All prizes not claimed in 8 weeks go back into the prize vault. We wish we could contact all our winners individually, but we'd rather write books!
Monday Love Inspired Suspense author and Seeker Debby Giusti blogged on "Giving Thanks for Turning Points in a Writer's Life." The discussion focused on those important steps toward publication and beyond. Debby's drawing was for a copy of her Christmas anthology, Holiday Defenders, and a special gift. The lucky winner is Becky!
Wednesday Seeker Tina Radcliffe brought you, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effectual Writers: Part I." This is the first in a series based on Stephen R. Covey's international bestseller. Winner of a Kindle copy of Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effectual People is Walt Mussell. Winner of the Seeker 2014 Holiday book of choice is Vonni Harris.
Friday: The Best of the Archives: The Everyday Author's Guide to Establishing a Book Marketing Plan. Winner of the Seeker 2014 Holiday book of choice is Tracey Hagwood. Winner of an ecopy of The Indie Author Power Pack: How To Write, Publish, & Market Your Book by David Gaughran and Joanna Penn is Helen Gray.
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| What Your Favorite Pie Says About You. Take the Quiz. |
Next Week in Seekerville
Monday:Mary Connealy is hoping to come out of her turkey-induced coma by Monday. To celebrate Cyber Monday, Mary will be giving away an $25 Amazon gift card and talking about the Cyber in her lives and why she'd probably never have written a book before they invented computers.
Tuesday: Today we kick off the final book from the Big Sky Centennial continuity series Ruth Logan Herne took part in by welcoming Arlene James to Seekerville. Author of more than 80 books (!!!!) Arlene will be sharing her time and wisdom as we ring in the holiday season!
Wednesday:An avid Chicken Soup for the Soul reader for decades, Ruth Logan Herne is celebrating her role in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Forgiveness" by sharing her thoughts, views and motivations on chicken soup for the soul... and the wisdom of Jewish mothers who knew chicken soup was good for the common cold, as well! Ruthy will be offering two copies of "The Power of Forgiveness", a hard copy and an electronic version. Stop by for a dose of inspiration and some Christmas cookies... because they're good for the soul, too!
Thursday: Today welcome back indie author, Leslie Ann Sartor. Are you thinking of writing a series? Leslie will share tips and insights on creating a "bible" to help you keep your story world details organized.
Friday: December Contest Update in Seekerville! You'll get to meet the December Contest Diva/Divo too! The prize vault is open.
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| Turkey and cranberry sandwich. What's your favorite turkey leftover meal? |
Seeker Sightings
Julie Lessman Sightings: November 24-December 8, 2014: Julie is on the Artist Librarian blog for an interview and giveaway of winner's choice of any of her books, including her latest release, Surprised by Love!
December 1-7, 2014:Join Julie on the Carole Jarvis' blog for an interview and giveaway of winner's choice of any of her books, including her latest release, Surprised by Love!
Yes, it's true. Tina Radcliffe is cooking in the Yankee Belle Cafe...again!. Then that's it. No more home cooked meals until 2015. Join her on Friday, December 5th! 
The #40DaysofPrayer 4 #40LostBooks has launched with the first post today, Day 1. Hashtag #40LostBooks and Facebook note explaining how this came about: http://tinyurl.com/40LostBooks
December 12-13th you can find Pam in a multi author booksigning. If you are in the area, stop by! More information here.
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| Guess which Villager is a SUPER shopper (7+ hours)? |
Random News & Information
Coming soon to the eHarlequin Community!
The December calendar is up in the Village. Stop by and check out the fun that's coming up.
Don't Pay to Self Publish (JA Konrath)
HarperCollins Forms Partnership With JetBlue (GalleyCat)
Why You Should Welcome Anything Less Than 5 Star Reviews (Future of Ink)
Outlining: Why I Made the Switch and Tips for Trying It (Writer Unboxed)
Blazing the Self-Publishing Path : An indie pioneer looks to the future of self-publishing (PW) and follow up blog post here.
The Rise of the Seven-Figure Advance (The Passive Voice)
Top Four Best Practices for Writing Great Book Blurbs (DBW)
Three Secrets of Three-Dimensional Antagonists (K.M. Weiland)
Adding More White Space to Your Life (Writer Unboxed)
That's it! Have a great rest of your holiday weekend!
Another great WE TINA. Thanks and congratulations to all the winners hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteYAAAAAAY!! I really need that indie author power pack. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteGlad I quit fighting the formatting and found that.
Gotta go read some more links now.
Coffee's brewing.
Thanks for another great weekend, Tina. Congrats to all the winners.
ReplyDeleteIf you're out shopping, don't forget this is small business Saturday. I'll be working and then plan to support some of our local stores including Joseph Beth Booksellers. I'm sure I'll see, and buy, many of your books tonight. In a way, authors are independent businesses also.
Have a great day!
Jackie, good to know. Small business Saturday. We writers are small businesses too. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Helen, Yay! I realy need Her Holiday Family too ;) Thank you Seekerville.
ReplyDeleteI took a look at that first link on 6/7 figure advances, wow. I didn't realize some new authors were getting that kind of money, interesting they are better off not having a track record?! Also suprised the end of the article says they are getting less submissions? Kind of shocking since there is a ton of talent out here just waiting for a chance. An eye opening look into publishing.
Today is set-up-Christmas-tree-day! Fa la la la la!
The tree! The tree!
ReplyDeleteI love tree day.
Real or not real?
Oh and Tina, thanks for all the FOOD PICS, just what we needed, can't wait to check out that pie link and see what it says about me, haha.
ReplyDeleteYay Helen!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteA thumbs up to ALL the winners, and a big thanks to you Tina, for another info filled WE.
Everyone have a great weekend!!!!
Ah oh, I fear I may give the wrong answer, but I have a prelit tree because of the convenience. I haven't had a real tree in 4/5 years. I always do what I can handle by myself. I love trees so much I have them in 6 rooms, today will be my 2nd full size tree. Yeah, I'm one of those people.
ReplyDeleteI do love the real ones and get to enjoy them at both my daughters homes. Best of both worlds! Maybe next year.
Great WE, and congratulations to the winners! :)
ReplyDeleteMay I just say, that first turkey looks beyond delicious!!! :)
Hubby and I braved the Black Friday crowds yesterday and bought all our Christmas gifts, save two. Today I'm recovering. :)
I clicked the writing a book blurb link, and I hope to check out others later.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I saw your table on FB, Jeanne! You are a hostess with the mostest AND you went shopping.
ReplyDeleteI am pooped thinking about it.
Guess which link I clicked on first.
ReplyDeleteThe one about the 7-figure advance!!!
Guess who isn't getting one of those in the foreseeable future and wishes she was!
Pre-lit trees, the bane of my Christmas season. They work great for the first year or two, and then a strand goes out and there is NO WAY EVER IN THE UNIVERSE to find the bad bulb amidst all that prickly greenery. So now our pre-lit is double-stranded with the dead lights it came with and the new strings we had to weave in.
Really?????
I came away from Thanksgiving with NO LEFTOVERS.
ReplyDeleteIt is fantastic. We had two thanksgivings at my daughter's house and my mom's house but I walked away from the meager offering I brought (two pies) and took nothing with me.
And then on the day after Thanksgiving I ate canned tomato soup for lunch and we went out for dinner. Now today, well, I might make chili soup.
btw that rice krispie turkey looks disgusting.
ReplyDeleteWhich doesn't mean I wouldn't eat every bite of it.
Okay, so I'm thinking that turkey is rice krispies, yes? But just looking at it makes me cringe. That's just wrong somehow! lol
ReplyDeleteWe had a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner at my MIL's. But all the turkey is GONE, gone, I tell you! :( But I do love BBQ turkey sandwich leftovers. Sweet Baby Ray's and turkey meat reheated in the microwave, toasted bread, mayo and a slice of American cheese. Yum!
Lots of folks must be on the road or still entertaining Thanksgiving guests or recovering from Black Friday!
ReplyDeleteOR are they all like ME--racing toward a Monday book deadline and barely coming up for air?
TRACEY -- do you decorate your trees in the various rooms with different "themes?" I have a 4-ft Christmas tree on a little table next to my desk. I switch themes every year. This year it's white fairy lights, fat ponderosa pine cones (you can get 'em for free with a little bending and bagging in the Arizona high country), artificial roses, and dainty red and white satin ribbons swagged around it. So fast to put up and fast to take down!
TINA - has anyone in your neighborhood decorated a cactus yet? Always fun, too, in the Sedona area when someone stacks tumbleweeds and turns them into a "snow" man. :)
JACKIE - What a wonderful way to spend the day--BUYING BOOKS!
Yes! They decorate cactus with little Santa hats or lights.
ReplyDeleteGlynna, keep the tiny tree up all year round and decorate it for the holidays. Hearts for V-Day etc. They have decorations at Joanne's Fabric or Michaels.
I have turkey soup simmering. Just have to add the wild rice when it is done. YUMMM.
ReplyDeleteI'd do a post in Yankee Belle, but I think they may be tired of me. hahha
Oh my stars, I'm dying laughing over the being grateful for less than 5 stars article!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen authors get their knickers in a knot, it's just funny.
Kind of like Hollywood stars, defending themselves for being Hollywood stars and wondering why they draw attention.
Great article!!!
I have some leftover stuffing. That sounds like supper to me!
ReplyDeleteWe left the rest at the kids' house.
Except for pumpkin pie.
:)
No carb worries until Monday! This is my weekend to chill-ax and eat whatever I want.
PARTY IN SEEKERVILLE!!!!
Radcliffe...
ReplyDeleteI want soup.
Please share.
Signed,
The Ruthinator
Oh dear heavens, decorating cacti.
ReplyDeleteIs nothing sacred?????
GLYNNA, since you asked...I do decorate each tree according to the room and love them all. The 5 small trees I keep decorated, just cover and store, so easy. The two full sizes trees each take an afternoon but I enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteLr- angels,snowbabies,churches, musical,verses all gold/white, hubbys fav.
Den-slimline tree with old fashioned glass ornaments, beautiful but I break at least one every year :/
And, two tabletop trees in a basket with cross stitch orn. and gingerbread orn. I made over 25 yrs. ago, my kids still love this tree.
K-18" blue/white with minature teapots and silver tea caddys and spoons
Kids-mini snowmen
Bath-seahorses and seashells
MB-miniature birds and birdhouses
MYRA, you are SO RIGHT about the prelit trees, I have a couple of branches like that right now, ugh!
ReplyDeleteI'm ignoring my perfectionist tendencies and wrapping some prelit garland in and out, similiar to what you had to do. The prelits are great and aggravating at the same time.
Wahoo to our winners! Looking forward to next week's lineup.
ReplyDeleteTina, thanks for the WE and the links. I'll check out a couple before I head back to the laundry. Our kids are gone but left dirty towels and sheets behind. So I'll be manning the washer and dryer between decorating for Christmas. Monday we decorate our church. Hoping to be done with ours by then, but we may not make it.
Our turkey turned out great this year. Roasted it breast down so it sat in the juices. Just had a cold turkey sandwich. Still delicious. My girls and I shopped Black Friday and got a lot accomplished. Yay!
Tina, when our kids were home we always had a real Christmas tree. Still can smell the tree and remember gathering all the needles before I swept. Don't miss that at all. Our articial trees were bought before pre-lit. Takes a lot of time and patience to put the lights on as Martha recommends. We have four trees. Call us crazy but two are little. While my dh handles getting the trees up and lit, I put out the nativity, my Santas and Dickens Village.
Have a wonderful weekend all!
Janet
With just hubby and me this year for Thanksgiving, we made jambalaya in the Crockpot and YES we have leftovers--YAY!!!
ReplyDeleteHubby is going to bring in the spastic prelit tree as soon as Ohio State/Michigan goes to halftime. Priorities. Puh-leeeeze.
TRACEY -- So many clever tree themes! I love the seahorses and seashells idea for the bathroom tree! The miniature teapots, tea caddy's and spoons one is ideal for your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteTINA -- Those year-round holiday decorations sound cute! But my office tree will come down BEFORE New Year's Day--a family tradition to set aside the "old" year before ringing in the new one. :)
Those pictures of pies made me so hungry! I love every one of them. I made turkey pot pie last night and it was great -- not exactly sweet and gooey, but delicious just the same.
ReplyDeleteI haven't finished reading all the articles, but so far, they're all really helpful or interesting. Where do you find all your info, Tina?
I could happily live in Tracey Hagwood's house.
ReplyDeleteI would never, ever want a big advance like that.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you almost never earn out and my conscience would kill me. I mean that sincerely, I would hate that responsibility.
Second? I would know that a hundred mid-list authors were NOT making the money they should be making because it was in my pocket.
I am beyond blessedly happy just getting paid. #happyifcrazyauthor
That was a very nice thing to say RUTHY, I do love to decorate for Christmas and have been collecting a long time, when the boxes come out all those good memories come with them.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina:
ReplyDeleteThanks for another wonderful WE!
Each week is like being served an ‘All You Can Learn' buffet.
There’s a very good quote in the Outlining article:
“I was a mystery writing pantster. I was rather proud of it. This approach worked enormously well for me. Until, one day, it didn’t.”
Elizabeth Craig
BTW, I don’t agree with the philosophy of articles like: “Why you should welcome less than 5-Star reviews, rejection letters, or getting writer’s block.” There is a big difference between welcoming road blocks and turning them into stepping stones.
I like the sign outside the Three Bears' Cave.
Trespassers Eaten But Not Welcome!
A Question for Authors:
Does Your Christmas Tree Look Like Your Voice?
How about a contest later this month?
Match the Seeker with her Tree
I did very well with the match the Seeker with her work area some years ago. I think the trees will look like their writer’s voice. What does a ‘voice’ look like? It looks like the sound it would make if it was a real voice.
Vince
Bring on Speedbo!
The "Adding More White Space To Your Life" link is such a good one. I only can DREAM of white space right now. :) Maybe AFTER I hit "send" on my latest manuscript? The article (link within the other one) on napping is excellent, as well.
ReplyDeleteI guess MY tree can't be entered in Vince's "guess the Seeker tree" game since I already told what mine looks like this year. :)
We had a real tree for years, but my allergies usually kept me sick the entire month of January and into February. So, I go with artificial now.
ReplyDeleteSIX trees, Tracey???? Wow!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the WE once again. Congratulations to all last week's winners. I love mincemeat pie. Never thought I would until hubby introduced me to it made the British way. Have turkey and sides leftovers all lined up for dinner. And turkey soup later next week. Enjoy yours, Tina. Tried making mashed sweets this year. Those organic potatoes made all the difference in the outcome.
ReplyDeleteRead the 6/7 figure advances link. That article was an eye opener with some astonishing facts.
We have a real tree.... and an artificial one. The family tree is real with all the cute kid stuff from years gone by.
ReplyDeleteThe artificial one is just sweet.
I can't say more because if we do the VINCE CHRISTMAS TREE CONTEST thing, you might GET A CLUE.
That would be unfair.
Suffice to say I love Star Wars and I love that trailer they released for next December's STAR WARS!!!!
Great WE, Tina!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We went to Kentucky to be with my family and just got home today. I worn out! But we had such good time.
I'm hoping to get a tree tomorrow if I can get the kids to decorate it while my middle child is still here. I love a live tree! Love the smell.
ReplyDeleteGood question,Vince.
ReplyDeleteSeeker trees:
Ruthy's is full of angst and lots of homemade kid's ornaments and there are platters of delicious desserts next to the tree.
Tina's is spartan. Red and blue glass ornaments. That's it.
Debby's has a Southern theme with magnolia leaves dipped in sparkle and ropes of white velvet.
Mary's is still in the closet and it is pre lit and pre decorated and she'll pull it out when she finishes writing six more books before Christmas.
Julie's has a GWTW theme. Scarlett and Rhett figurines adorn the tree along with lace ornaments.
Cara has an artificial tree and it's on a neon pink beach blanket with pink flamingo ornaments.
Audra's tree is a cowboy theme. Colorado pine with a Stetson on the top.
Sandra's tree is on top of the motor home and is lit up with red white and blue lights.
Missy has a Georgia tree and like Missy, it's just CUTE!
Janet's tree is traditional with poinsettia blossoms strategically placed between the boughs.
Myra has dog biscuits hanging from her branches, and the flag of Texas on the top.
Pam has a miniature farm toys as ornaments. There is plenty of wood for the fireplace.
Glynna Kaye, now she's a mystery, I suspect she has Charlie Brown ornaments on an artificial tree, but I cannot prove it.
Golly that's a good article about three-dimensional antagonists. I like the "stop thinking of them as villains." And the pie link ... even now it is making the rounds of my family members. I found out I have incredible inner strength. Go, sweet potatoes!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all you winners!
Thanks, Tina, for another WE that helps me stay in touch with what's happening out there.
And Audra -- majorly cool about the book signing at Barnes & Noble. Was it part of their signed books initiative this weekend?
Nancy C
Tina Radcliffe said...
ReplyDeleteSeeker trees:
Tina's is spartan. Red and blue glass ornaments. That's it.
And it's so short she has to keep adding to the trunk to reach the required word count ... uh, height.
Nancy C
Nancy knows me too well.LOL. I may have to buy her cement overshoes for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteDay three of turkey sandwiches. Thankfully, we have soup as a supplement.
ReplyDeleteTINA, thanks for the great WE. And I really like your Seeker Trees post! Mary's made me laugh out loud. I awakened the dogs. Bummer...
We have artificials - a skinny Martha Stewart that we put up in years when we're being lazy because it has so many prewired lights that you don't notice the ornaments are missing. And we also have a ten foot giant that never has enough ornaments despite boxes and boxes of glass figures and hand blown glass ornaments hanging on its green lacy boughs.
I hope everyone has been enjoying their holiday. I still have dishes left in the sink from Thanksgiving after having done three loads since we ate the meal! Those big pans sure take up a lot of dishwasher space.
I love that rice krispy turkey! Ha, I wonder what my cousin would think if I showed up to the party with that? OMG!
ReplyDeleteGreat WE, Tina. So much good news and so many winners! Congrats everyone.
Has everyone powered through Black Friday and Saturday? No way am I fighting those crowds. Amazon and I have been good buddies this season...Amazon offers products, I order them, UPS delivers.
ReplyDeletePretty slick deal : )
Jackie, you're right about supporting small businesses. Now that I have the bulk of my shopping done, I plan to take my time during December and stop by shops along Main Street that I don't take the time to visit. We have an awesome Cheese Importers I've been dying to walk through!!
LOL, Tina! I think you nailed the Seeker tree themes : )
ReplyDeleteI initially mis-read your tree theme and thought, Hmm Tina has blue-grass ornaments? How cool is that!
LOL. It's late. I'm going to bed.
You nailed my tree!!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteDo you think the angst component is over the top, darling?????
Great WE Tina.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I up to? Packing up to move to Tucson for the next four months. We are staying in a really nice RV resort. Lots of great pickleball which is why hubby is sooooo excited. This will be a fun adventure because we don't know the area that well and love discovering new places.
The first week of advent. I love this time of year. Have a blessed week all of you.
Now about the tree Tina. At the house, we have ornaments from the past. And actually one from about everywhere we have traveled. My nieces and nephews made us ornaments as gifts for years, so those are all on it. I decorate the tree for my brother who lives in our house.smile ery old-fashioned and full of memories. smile
ReplyDeleteNow our tree in the motorhome is like Mary's. It comes in a 24 inch box all lit up when you plug it in. Brightens up the motorhome just perfect. We also put Santa hats on the mirrors outside which is really quite comical. And then I get a Christmas rug for the entryway. I get a new one each year.
I love Christmas. Oh yes, the RV parks are all decorated to the hilt. Here in the desert they decorate the palo verde trees with white lights. And they wind lights up the palm tree trunks. Very pretty.
Love that turkey picture! No bake -- that's my kind of bird.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the Rice Krispies turkey, Tina -- SO cute, although I do prefer the traditional turkey (it's one of my top-3 favorite meals EVER!).
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE the pie test!! It's a toss-up of three pies for me -- peach, pumpkin, and cherry. But when I saw that "if pumpkin pie is your favorite, there’s a good chance you’re incredibly good looking," it immediately went into first place because frankly, I need all the help I can get! :)
PRE-LIT ARTIFICIAL PENCIL TREE -- not much to decorate and fits in our tiny hearth room just right. :)
LOVE turkey leftovers!! Have eaten them two nights in a row now and have more in the freezer. Will make turkey soup, turkey tetrazzini, and turkey pot pie eventually.
RUTHY!! Didn't know you were in Chicken Soup for the Soul, darlin', so GREAT JOB!!
LOL, PAMMY ... LOVE The #40DaysofPrayer 4 #40LostBooks!! Nice recovery, sweetie! ;)
MISSY & DEBBY ... Recipe for Romance looks sooooo good!! Hope it does well, my friends. :)
SUPER SHOPPER??? Brrrr.... COLD CHILLS!!! There's few things I hate more than shopping, so you gotta admire a gal who can go the distance like that.
LOVED the link for "Why You Should Welcome Anything Less Than Five-Star Reviews" because I thought I was the only anal author who isn't over the moon for 4-star reviews. And 3-stars? I spew them out of my mouth because they're lukewarm. :) Which means the BEST advice in that article is DON'T READ REVIEWS!!! :)
GREAT WE, Tina!
Hugs,
Julie
Julie??? You missed the billboards up and down the interstates saying the Ruthinator is in "The Power of Forgiveness Chicken Soup for the Soul?"
ReplyDeleteREALLY??????? :)
Notice how I CLEVERLY DISGUISED THAT SHOUT OUT, THAT BOOST!!!!!
I love Chicken Soup for the Soul books and I'm stinkin' thrilled to be included. Goes on sale in 16 days.
Happiness is touching another's heart... in a good way.
Pies.
ReplyDeleteTrees.
Local Shopping.
Rice Krispies Turkey.
Soup.
Pickleball.
7-figure advances.
Cement overshoes.
Only at Seekerville ... :-)
Nancy C
Tina:
ReplyDeleteAmazing Seeker Tree post.
It speaks volumes!
It will take me most of the day to read all that subtext!
Hi Ruth:
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to read your “Chicken Soup for the Soul” story. I already have the headline for my Amazon review of the book:
”It Can’t Hurt”
Wow, Thanksgiving came and went so quickly. Wouldn't it be nice if the extra pounds gained went quickly too. :)
ReplyDeleteNice Ruth! I can't wait to read your story.
Thank you for all of the informative news, it's always so helpful
Jill!@ Good to see you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this week's encouragement! We also use a pre-lit tree. Some day I'll blog about how one year our other one died and we had to move right before Christmas... terrible year. Every year I remember my parents grumbling over the real ones when my wonderful husband just wheels it in the front door from the garage and I think all the angst that is saved. For those with dead bulbs on their trees, you can buy a gadget at Home Depot to locate the loose bulb and just hold it up to the tree to locate it. Poof, magic, and it's fixed, like in my books, almost...
ReplyDeleteBless you all. We were at the beach this year. Got to see the Monarch butterflies migrating North. They hang off the pine trees in big clusters together and just float around in groups. Pretty stupendous. I like your idea Jill about the pounds, can you please share your tips? Bless you Tina for making this so super!
Elizabeth, when I lived in Oklahoma we would see the monarch migration each year across Oklahoma. It is totally amazing!!!
ReplyDelete