Fill-Me-In Friday: Best Links of the Week

I may or may not have done this dance when I turned in my book. :)

Hey there. Hope everyone has had a fantastic week. I turned in my latest book to my editor yesterday so I'm in celebration mode. : ) Now I get a few days to clear my head before I get to work on the E-serial, NOT UNTIL YOU, on Monday. 

Here are the best links I've come across in the last two weeks. Since I've been in serious writing/editing mode, my surfing time has been scarce so this is a little shorter than normal, but I still wanted to pass them along.

On Writing/Publishing:

• Campbell, Vogler, the Hero's Journey, The Writer's Journey and Narrative Structure Cheat Sheet  — Readability
• 35 Synonyms for “Look” via Daily Writing Tips  <--this is a favorite overused word of mine so I found this very helpful
• There Is No Time For Despair - Rachelle Gardner
• Why Ebooks Are Inspiring A New Age Of Print via Huffington Post

On Social Media/Promotion:

• Social Media Hangover? via Elana Johnson
• Is it Time to Change Your Blog? « August McLaughlin's Blog
• Are Writers Too Insulated from Their Readers? | Rachelle Gardner
• 3 Social Media Myths that Can Cripple Our Author Platform via Kristen Lamb
• 10 Marketing Techniques That Annoy Potential Readers | Nathan Bransford, Author
• High Concept Blogging: Achieving Bloggy Goodness in Record Time via Jenny Hansen

Bright, Shiny Randomness:

• Smexy New Pics of David Beckham via Huffington Post
• BDSM DIY: The acronym-free guide to home pervertables | Offbeat Home (guest post from author Joey Hill) - I'll never look at a Bowflex the same way again. :)
• NoHomophobes.com <--This was really interesting. This website keeps a live total of how often homophobic slurs (things like "you're so gay") are used on Twitter. Shocking how constant it is and how hateful language can become so casual for us. 

What You May Have Missed Here:

• New Music Page: The Loving on the Edge Playlists
• Chilling Reads: A Few Books That Will Make You Leave the Lights On
• Books That Left Me Breathless: The Darker Side of Erotica & A Giveaway <--LAST DAY to enter to win a signed copy of Tiffany Reisz's THE SIREN.
• Losing Perspective on Your Writing: Does This Sing or Suck?
• And if you missed my radio interview on Bring Back Desire After Dark radio and are just DYING to listen to me talk about my books, my hubs, and romance, then you can listen here. (My portion starts around the 30 min mark.)

All right, that's all I have for you this week. Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Catch Up Friday: Best Writing Links of the Week

Photo by Son of Groucho
  

 Okay, so I know I said earlier in the week that I wasn't blogging for the rest of the week. But I've got a pocket of time tonight and have too many good links not to share.

But first, if anyone is in the DFW area, I'll be signing books tonight from 6:30-9pm in Irving along with a bunch of other authors. Proceeds go to charity so hope y'all will come by. (Deets here.)

Alright, on to the links...

Ten Things You Should Know About Endings via Chuck Wendig

5 Key Elements of Author Branding | Self Publishing Team | Duolit

Humor Writing for People Who Aren’t Funny via The Write Practice

So, You Want To Be An Author? Part Four – Ideas « Donna Newton's Blog

Attack Of The Blog | Writers In The Storm Blog 

50 Shades Overrated – Nina Badzin's Blog

The Other Side of the Story: Guest Author Tiffany Reisz : A Twitter-Sweet Love Story

How to Make a Living as a Writer, Part One | Rachelle Gardner

The First Steps to Building an Author Platform: A Guest Post by Dan Blank 

105 Author Blog Prompts: It’s Megapost Time! | Self Publishing Team | Duolit

Start Your Week Off Write: The Dangers of Self-Censoring, Avoiding Controversy, ...

10 Types of Killer Filler Content for Your Blog : @ProBlogger

How To Get Book Reviews Without Spending Too Much Money | The Creative Penn

50 Successful Blogs That Prove You Don’t Have to “Blog About Blogging” To Create a Winner via Sparring Mind

Interview: Book promo mavens Pamela Spengler-Jaffee and Nancy Berland - USATODAY Happily Ever After

Amazon Book Reviews: Democracy in action, ignorance or bullying? | GENREALITY

What You May Have Missed Here:

Boyfriend of the Week: Alex O'Loughlin via Sharla Lovelace

What Race Are We In Again? Parental Competition | My post at peanut butter on the keyboard

And April will be here in a few days. Thanks the heavens because March has been beyond nightmarish for me. But anyway, April is the month of the A to Z Challenge. I think I'm going to give this a shot because it will shake up my blog a bit and force me out of my normal schedule and comfort zone. Anyone else doing it?

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: 2012 A to Z Challenge Sign Up List 

Alright, hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I get to spend mine at a writers' conference with my lovely agent and some writer friends. I can't even tell you how much I'm looking forward to a weekend of fun writerly stuff.

Fill Me In Friday - Best Writing Links of the Week

Photo by Son of Groucho
  

Busy week? Need to catch up? It's that time of the week again. Hope everyone has had a great one (and survived spring break with your kids!) This week's links list is actually a compilation from two weeks because I skipped last week. Hope you enjoy!

Oh, but first, I'm a guest over at Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor today. Come find out answers to questions like --who's been the most popular boyfriend of the week and where I found the inspiration for my stories.

On Writing, Blogging, and Social Networking:

• The Intern: a follow's not a book sale (though it's very nice): thoughts on social media
• Is A “Niche” Or “Non-Niche” Blog Right For You? via Write it Sideways <--loved this post since I recently made the switch from niche to not so niche
• Not Just Another Writer’s Writing Blog - Write it Sideways 
• ReDesign 101 | Camryn Rhys - on redesigning your website
• W.I.P. It: 7 Ways to Cut Back Without Losing Out - on social media
• Social Media Is Free, But Comes with a Price | Michael Hyatt
• Goodreads' CEO on Winning the Battle of Book Discovery | Publishing Perspectives
• 12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Every Time | SEOmoz
• Indie Authors—Getting Those All-Important Reviews—by Rachel Abbott | Mystery Writing is Murder
• Anne R. Allen's Blog: Are the Big 6 Publishers Really Dying?
• Grab a Hoe and Let's Go | Live Write Thrive
• Kindle Singles, Genre Between Magazine Articles and Books - NYTimes.com
• Welcome to the Blog Home of Tabula Rasa, Indie Author « Me and My Shovel <--really appreciated this post, about not being so "generic" and formal on your blog but to really show your personality
• Bits and Bites to inspire | GENREALITY
• The 5 Most Common Author Website Mistakes | Rachelle Gardner
• Goodreads: 8 Things Writers Should Know | Rachelle Gardner
• Pinterest: 13 Things Writers Should Know | Rachelle Gardner
• Writing Multiple Books a Year--It Doesn’t Take as Much Time as You’d Think. by Elizabeth S. Craig

On the 50 Shades of Grey hoopla:

• Fifty Shades - My Fifty Cents by Carly Phillips at Plot Monkeys  (You can also win a copy of CRASH INTO YOU over here)
• EvilReads - Fifty-One Shades: A Parody - come on, you know you can't resist
• Erika Christakis on 50 Shades of Grey: Why Is It News That Women Like Sex? | TIME
• Romance, Arousal, and Condescension by Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
• When Does Fan Fiction Cross an Ethical Line? by Jami Gold
• What to Read If You've Read 50 Shades of Grey and Want More BDSM Romance (this one is from this blog)

What You May Have Missed Here:

• A Sneak Peek from STILL INTO YOU
• Boyfriend of the Week: Paul Walker via Author Tiffany Reisz
• Twelve Writer Woes and the Books to Cure Them
• An Exclusive Peek Inside MELT INTO YOU
• Boyfriend of the Week: Gabriel Aubry via The Karens
• A Lesson in "Don't Write to the Trend"
• The Too Observant Child - my post over at Peanut Butter on the Keyboard

All right, that's what's I have this week. What were some of your favorite posts of the week? Anyone else ready for spring break to be over?

Fill Me In Friday - Best Writing Links of the Week

Photo by Son of Groucho
  

 Had a busy week? Need to catch up on the writing blogosphere? That's what Fill Me In Friday is all about. : )  This is where I gather up the best writing links I've come across this week. Enjoy!

On Writing/Publishing:

If Publicity Doesn’t Sell Books, What Does? « Meghan Ward's Writerland 

Focus Your Story | The Editor's Blog

Goodbye, Google Friend Connect–Now What? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author

Can Blogging Help Your Writing Process? | Jenny Hansen's Blog

Make Me Stay: Author Blogs | Camryn Rhys

2 Ways to Make the Most of Goodreads | Jane Friedman

Lara Schiffbauer's Motivation for Creation: Blogging Your Naked Passion - Are You Brave Enough?

Are You a Purple Cow? | Author Media <--on standing out

Are Teens Embracing E-books? via Publisher's Weekly

Between Fact and Fiction: 10 Things I Wish I Would Have Done Differently (Natalie Whipple)

25 Things I Want To Say To So-Called “Aspiring” Writers by Chuck Wendig

25 Ways To Unf**k Your Story by Chuck Wendig 

On Romance Writing:

BDSM: A Conversation With Eden Bradley (a.k.a. Eve Berlin)

Oh, You Write THOSE Books – On Writing Romance | Nicole Basaraba (my guest post)

What You May Have Missed Here:

Made of Win Monday: Movies That TRULY Make You LOL

Boyfriend of the Week - Chris Pine

Enough With the Quid Pro Quo Blogging Etiquette - Free Yourself

All right, that's what I've got for the week. What are some of the best links you've seen this week? Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

Fill Me In Friday - Best Writing Links of the Week

Photo by Son of Groucho
  

 Hope everyone has had a great week! This one has flown by for me. How is it already Friday? If yours has been a whirlwind too and you need to catch up, here are the best writing links I've come across this week.

But first a quick announcement. I've joined forces with a few other author moms to start a new group blog called Peanut Butter on the Keyboard. We'll be blogging about parenthood and balancing the writing life with family life. Hope you'll stop by and say hi for our inaugural post!

Alright, now on to the links...

On Writing/Publishing:

• BOOK PREGNANT: Are You Competitive With Other Writers?
• How a New Pen Name Can Make All the Difference - NYTimes.com
• Ten Myths About Editors with Theresa Stevens | Romance University
• Purging clutter to to Unleash Creativity - Toby Neal
• Stephen King's Greatest Lesson for Writers | Write to Done
• Writer Unboxed » Advice for Indie Authors
• Eliminating Unnecessary Plot Complications | Mystery Writing is Murder <--I am so guilty of doing this to myself
• 4 Ways Inspiration Helps You Beat Writer’s Block | WritersDigest.com
• The Best Writer's Block System: Creative Writing Exercises | WritersDigest.com
• Deadlines: Lifelines for Writers « August McLaughlin's Blog
• Do You Really Need to Write Every Day? | WritersDigest.com <--Love this tip

On Social Media:

• 7 Ways Agents Measure Social Media | The Steve Laube Agency
• Pinterest Boards for Book Lovers - GalleyCat
• Jim C. Hines » Who Controls Your Amazon E-book Price?
• BOOK VIEW CAFE BLOG » Writing in the Digital Age: Connecting with Readers: The Stephen King Problem
• 7 Ways to Stop Staring at the Screen and Start Writing Your Next Great Blog Article

Just For Gits and Shiggles:

• How To Name Your First Novel : Monkey See : NPR
• Pin This. - Pinterest vs. Reality - Scary Mommy <--SO true

What You May Have Missed Here:

Made of Win Monday: The Concert Rush

Boyfriend of the Week - Hot Chef Edition

Author Websites: Layering Yours With Sticky Extras

That's all I've got for the week. What were some of your favorite links this week? Feel free to share them in the comments. Hope y'all have a great weekend!