Pay It Forward: That Montreal Girl

Pay It Forward Fridays came from this post by Emily Guido. The idea is to feature a blogger or author on Fridays and give them a little shoutout. Anyone goes as long as they’re interested.

I’ve received an incredible amount of support from bloggers, authors and people I’ve met on line who didn’t know me and were just very kind, supportive souls. And, when I read that post by Emily Guido, I thought: time to give back.

I loved this quote from Emily’s mother:

“I cast a couple of pieces of bread on the water and the waves bring me back a ham sandwich.”

Karma is a beautiful thing.

Today I’m focusing on That Montreal Girl.

She says of herself: “Just a girl born in Quebec City and have been living in Montreal since I was a toddler.

I am a full time cube occupier by day, part-time blogger and amateur photographer by night.

I love to travel and explore new places.

I have a BA in Sociology which goes a long way in explaining my fascination with how people behave in society.

My interests are:

– photography
– food
– fashion
– make up
– travel”

That Montreal Girl has amazing photography. Check out some of it here and here.

She’s on Pinterest, on Twitter and on Instagram.

One of her top posts “What who you piss off on the bus” has a story accompanied by rather unusual photography. There is tons of examples of why she’s behind that camera on her blog.

Why not check it out? thatmontrealgirl.wordpress.com

Karma

Blogging tips

A new gaggle of helpful links about blogging. Hope these are helpful to you!

This one is a do and don’t for Twitter. 5 suggestions of what to do and what to avoid. I found it helpful because it’s written in plain language and has some common sense ideas that I thought were great. See if you agree. A big thank you to SCOTT MULRANEY for the great post!

Here‘s a great post on 10 things to know before you start blogging…and maybe even after you’ve started! A huge thank you to Marc Andre for the great post on Twelveskip. By the way, this is a great blog to have as a resource, check out their blogging tips page here.

If you’re already blogging, here‘s one on how to increase traffic by Marcus Taylor. A fantastic post by a great site for resources, problogger.

This one is focused on free marketing resources, imaging resources, tools, technical resources, and others. All Free. A huge thank you for that awesome list to Beafreelanceblogger.

If you’re still looking for blogging resources, here‘s another site full of them, CrafterMinds. Awesome list of great ideas, resources and tips.

Thank you!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been so incredibly kind and supportive of my book. I thought of the Surprise idea as a sort of fun post/free gift but I really had no expectations. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the outcome.

People got my book. They bought it even though I explained I would give it to them for free. They bought it even though they don’t even read romance! They Twitted messages, made banners for Facebook, they re-blogged the post and basically shouted out support for my book everywhere.

I was overwhelmed. I shared it with my hubby, who was amazed, and my mother-in-law who forgets things and asked: “You wrote a book?”

It was really incredible and I wanted to say thank you so very much. You guys are so kind.

Jaw-dropping gifts

I know this really kind person who also happens to be an incredible writer. She’s supposed to be going away on a holiday and is really busy getting everything done in time–not to mention the courses she’s taking. Instead of getting to her to-do list, she did this:

By herself, with no help or hint from me. Nothing. I just opened up my mailbox this morning and almost had a heart attack.

That’s not it either. Nope. This little busy bee managed to do this too:

Winter Bayne, I can’t say thank you enough.

Posts I loved this week

There were so many awesome posts, I actually considered splitting this post into two parts! Like spring’s flowers, these writers are just full of inspiration and great ideas. Personally, I really enjoyed reading them.

Loved this post by Part Time Monster simply because the very first sentence caught me and refused to let go. If it was a book, I’d have to buy it. Loved it that much. Absolutely delicious….And now I want a book to read.

Loved this post by Amos M. Carpenter. It reminded me why I started writing in the first place. Guilt-free writing. Delicious.

Here’s another along the same idea: be true to yourself. Jeff Goins wrote a powerful post on that and still managed to make it easy to read. Loved it.

Motivation to write. I’m always looking for good tips. Here‘s a great post from Think Ink.

Great tips for Twitter. I had no idea the meaning of followers and how many I followed. Suddenly, the numbers have meaning. I owe that to this great post and this one by Sourcerer. Psss, there might be a new series of posts on Twitter coming to Sourcerer soon…Keep reading.

A great cover reveal by Mishka Jenkins in this post along with an excerpt. That’s one awesome cover, Mishka!

Warning…this next post is a little…on the hot side! How to use the five senses to create sexual tension. Read at your own risk. 🙂

Okay, hilarious once again, this post by Outmanned made me laugh out loud. Don’t miss it.

Book recommendations! If you’re looking for summer reading books, here’s a post full of them, and by category no less. A big thank you to Sourcerer for that great post!

I shouldn’t add this post because this blog is a reading/writing/book blog and dogs aren’t a part of that…but I can’t resist. This post is full of dog blogs! Full of them. There’s a list! I just loved that. Doggies…everywhere. 😀

This one is a reflective post on the A to Z challenge. I love reflective posts. What did they learn? What do they regret? What won’t they do again? I particularly liked this post because Gene’O has answered exactly those questions and said what he’s learned and what he’ll avoid in point form. Personal and easy to read. What a great post!

If you’re considering starting your own blog, here‘s a great post on reasons for and against it. A big thank you to Shanan at the Write Conversation for the great post!

Posts I loved this week

Here are the posts I loved this week. Tons of help in tips in everything from Twitter to researching for a character. Absolutely amazing posts, a big thank you to those wonderful bloggers who worked so hard on them!

‘The Benevolence Archives, Vol 1‘ came out this week in amazon. A big congrats to Infinitefreetime!

This post is the must-read follow up for Twitter by Sourcerer. Sourcerer breaks down the process of getting followers into clear, easy to understand steps. He warns and explains the pitfalls so even I understood them and promises more to come! A big, big thank you for sharing those proven steps, Gene’O!

A great way to turn leisure activities into writing inspiration. I loved this post by Karen O’Connor in Live Write Thrive because it not only gave me tips, it also encouraged me to self-care!

Want more inspiration? Check out this great post by Lisa L. Jackson on how to kick-start your writing.

Want more still? All right. One more on how to start writing when you can’t. Here’s a great post by Marianne Richmond with four great tips on how to make that muse inspire you on The Write Practice.

This post on Writer Unboxed was awesome. One, not only is Keith Cronin a good writer, he’s funny–this post practically read itself. And two, I’ve had the issue he talks about. I’d like to have a heroine that is a pharmacist…except I know nothing about it. I dread having to do that research. Keith comes up with great ideas that he shares with you and I. A big thank you to him for those tips.

A how-to for choosing a WordPress theme and customizing it, PAT HAGGERTY does a great job of explaining not only how to pick a theme but how to customize it. I’m always looking for new ways to freshen up my blog, what a great post at Romance University!

It’s a list and a countdown, so I loved it. The top seven qualities all writers have by Victoria Grefer. 

This post contains a little sample from Phoenix. I love samples and this one rocks. A big thanks to Winterbayne!

This post on Part Time Monster is another countdown. I loved it. Cute, humorous and plain fun, it kept making me smile.

I loved, loved these quotes by Oprah. They’re just something else. A big thank you to Jeff Moore for them!

Finally, I love themes in blogs and this one is one of my favourites. Wordless Wednesday. Check out this picture.

Posts I loved this week

From the amazingly useful to posts that are just so well written I was in awe, this week’s posts speak for themselves.

A how-to for those interested in Twitter. Sourcerer is committing to a series of posts to teach readers how to not only Tweet but to also grow a following. You can find the first of those instalments here. They’re easy to read, short and uncomplicated. A great big thank you for Gene’O for being so giving and sharing the secret of his hard-researched success with everyone!

If you’re dealing with burn out, or are in the grip of that nasty Writer’s Block, check out this post by Winter Bayne. One of the hardest working people I know, she has a very unique way of dealing with the exhaustion that comes from tough deadlines and the demands of writing.

Six tips on how to write a surprise ending. A big thanks to Chris Musgrave for that great post!

A really interesting look back by a participant in the A to Z Challenge, this post highlights what Elsie Elmore has learned from the process and includes links to some awesome blogs!

On that topic, here‘s Amos M. Carpenter‘s perspective on the same challenge. He’s a newish author and has a very different take on the entire thing–though not any less interesting.

Trying to present a professional writing front is all good but there’s something to be said for honesty. I connect to other authors through their struggles and their triumphs, so I definitely enjoyed this post by Mishka Jenkins on the subject. And this interview giving me some insight into who she is.

If you’re looking for inspiration, check out this post by Monica M. Clark. She has four great tips I loved. What a great post!

I can’t thank Part-Time Monster enough for this post. So, so, sooo good. Thank you. It made my day. It also made me wonder why I waited so long to follow them. Nuts. I hate missing out on a great blog.

If you’re looking for narrating your story from a different point of view here‘s a great idea from  Liz Bureman.

Super-excited about this book coming to film. I hope they do it justice because the book is absolutely incredible and I think it would make such an amazing film–if done right. I had no idea this was happening until I saw Winter Bayne‘s post. It made my day.

Finally, I loved, loved this quote. It’s exactly what I want to do to my book Amy’s Courage. I’m going back and it’s going to be nasty. A big thank you to Serial Narratives for it.

Useful links for bloggers and writers

I thought these were too good to pass up and keep under wraps.

Check out this post by Molly Greene on How to use Twitter to grow your blog. Isn’t it awesome? I’m still struggling to understand how to work Twitter without somehow sending an insult instead of a happy face, let alone use it to grow my blog, but she’s a pro.

This one is for writers a how-to in developing your plot and filling out your characters by Vanessa Knight. Personally, I loved the pictures. But the content is the real gem–don’t listen to me, I’ve had too much coffee.

Some grammar advice from a pro, this post is pretty important for those authors out there. Turns out, adverbs are pretty tricky and D. Emmery Bunn knows just how to tame those little suckers into behaving.

One for those of you sick of getting writing advice and ready to throw the laptop across the room because those words just won’t behave. Writing isn’t easy. Nope, it’s frustrating. That’s what it is. Don’t take my word for it, Carlos Cooper says it much better on his post.

Some very insightful tips for writers from a pro. Robin LaFevers delivers in this amazing post.

And finally, change those passwords. Here is the reason and the sites affected: The heart bleed bug.

My latest #socialmedia antics, and everything I know about Twitter

What an amazing post! A big thank you to Gene’O for this excellent resource! I’ll let him do the talking because this is so worth the read.

http://sourcererblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/my-latest-socialmedia-antics-and-everything-i-know-about-twitter/