April 2017 Around the Web

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

Wow! It’s May already? Below are April posts I found interesting. Maybe you’ll find a nugget among them that provides you with just the right insight and inspiration you need today.

INSPIRATION:

“Our Shield,” a post from the Woman to Woman blog is short and sweet and a scriptural reminder of Who has our backs when the enemy strikes.

“But we’re never asked to do the things He calls us to alone. We’re just asked to step up, be willing, and follow in His footsteps.” If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all that’s on your schedule or need a spiritual shift in thought, Rosanna White wrote an inspiring post on her blog: “Thoughtful About…Capability.”

How do you handle worry in trying situations? “Instead of Worry Warriors, you need Prayer Warriors.” Barbara Britton provides numerous tips and scriptures for getting through those times in “Kicking Anxiety to the Curb“ on Patti Shene’s Over Fifty blog. 

“Where Does the Book Battle Belong?” on Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T — This post revolves around writing, but I put it under Inspiration, because I think its advice applies to whatever we do for the Lord that Satan doesn’t want us to accomplish.

READING:

I don’t know about you, but I cringe when I check out recent followers on Twitter. Too much of the list is bogus. While it gives me a laugh to see that Prince Harry has followed me (numerous times) or half of Seal Team 6 thinks I’m dying to follow them back, it gets annoying. Everyone needs to be as careful as possible on social media. So I found Edie Melson’s post “How Can You Avoid Facebook Scams?” on the Novel Academy blog to be helpful for any social media site.

While short and not as in-depth as I would have liked to have seen it, Rachelle Ayala’s post on Sweet Romance Reads brings up a good question: How much violence is enough in a romantic suspense? And I ask, in a Christian romantic suspense?

If you’re looking for books to introduce poetry to your kids without boring them to death, try some of the books listed in this post on the What Do We Do All Day blog. 

WRITING:

Marketing is an ongoing learning experience for me and I devour articles about it. I particularly liked “Marketing Books: Understanding Book Launch Teams” on The Write Conversation as it explained why authors should join other authors’ launch teams. 

The next time you’re discouraged about the ways things are going in your writing life, read this post from Steve Laube: “Books Change Lives“. You know, even if you’re not discouraged, go ahead and read it anyway. It’s that good!

Have you prepared a media kit? Is it on your website? “What’s in Your Media Kit?” on the Inspired Prompts blog will have me taking a good look at improving mine.

What has your career path been like? Are you a “Phenom” or a “Slow Build”? “Staying Alive: How to Thrive in the Publishing Industry” on the Writer’s Digest blog discusses achieving success in the slow-build way.

Did an April blog post inspire you to improve your life in some way?