May 16, 2018 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Well, I’m just hours away [read: one day without problems. So, realistically, Thursday] from launching my newsletter, Author, Etc. I’m very excited to bring this to you, chock full of authors being, well, not authors.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : That One Time I Started a Newsletter and Gave Away a Story
Curious? Here’s a little of what it will contain:
- Social media and marketing tips.
- Creative ways to stay organized.
- Recipes. Because food is fun to play with.
- Links to author-related sites I think you’ll enjoy.
- Happy Planner downloads created by Yours Truly, and not just for writers.
- Polls, surveys, and much more.
Want in? Just look for the Author, Etc. banner on the upper right of the website, and click. Easy peasy.
Frankly, My Dear . . . Sign Up Here
Oh, did I mention there’s a free short story in it for y’all? My award-winning Walker Smith. #truestory. It’s one that I’ve always been very proud of, and love to share. Back in my college days, it earned third place in a blind-read contest. That means the judge didn’t know who the authors were, so all entries were based on writing merit. My English professor, Conrad Balfour, was an instructor at Minneapolis’ prestigious The Loft, and asked the group to bend the rules: They created a scholarship and extra position for me to join. I’ll never forget their kindness in opening up mid-semester to me. Unfortunately, it’s an opportunity I couldn’t take as I was already in the motions of transferring back to Cal State. Walker Smith changed my life in many ways. It was the first time I got paid for my writing. An entire $15. So I bought a collection of short stories from the campus bookstore, and a pint of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream from the market.
And here I am, many many years later, and I’m still doing the writing thing. Still doing the networking thing. Still doing the loving life out loud thing. And I’m ready to put it all together in Author, Etc.
I sure hope you’ll be a part of the inauguration.
With a groovy dance and a ready pen,
Happy writing.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
May 11, 2018 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Ohhhmagosh. This thing happened. I got this email, and I swear to you, the sweet tea poured and the heavens sang. Wanna know what it was? The Happy Planner is looking for new Squad Members. #trustory!
And I’m over here like Donkey in Shrek, screaming “Pick me! Pick me!” And as I’m trying to wrap my head around the application, I decide music is the way to soothe the soul (or at least drown out the pleading taps coming from my own fingertips as I type out why I’m a good selection for the Squad) so I say, “Hey, Echo. Play music.” And, #truestory again, she/it says, “Here’s a song you might like.” And I hear “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” You know what I’m gonna say to that, right? *Insert Southern-Belle-Bohemian-Hurricane nod of approval here!*
Frankly, My Dear . . . : That One Time I Crafted a New Envelope System
So I’m trying to impress them with my amazing creations and my. mind. goes. blank. I have written blogs and shared Instagram photos, tweets, and endless Facebook posts about my love need addiction for Happy Planners since my first recipe for Hobbes, my #NOLA-inspired Creole Meatloaf, and even using the blank calendar pages to storyboard my novel-in-progress. (Which, btw, is coming along quite nicely in the rewrite stage. thankyouforasking.) But right now, oh-the-pressure of coming up with that one ahh-mazing idea and submitting it in time to be considered but I have so many other things to do like clean house and make dinner and do the work and the coffee and the budget and the cat love and writers conference prep pack and and and . . .
Ah. Mental click and the light comes on.
Stop. Breathe. Focus. Use what you already have.
Well, I think it’s quite evident I already have enough to create some great pages.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Happy Planner #SquadGoals: Getting Started
I parked myself at my big-enough-to-work table and spread out all the Happy love I could muster. Oh, and this is just for the daily planner. This doesn’t include my essential oils planner, my recipe planner, my novel planner, or my writing conference planners. Yes, plural. I have a writers conference planner from 2017 and a writers conference planner for 2018.
All of which you can scope out by searching for them here on the blog and my other social media sites. [Shameless self promo, what can ya do?]
Wait. What was that? Prepping for the annual writers conference? Why, yes. What kind of planning does that take? Oh, I’m so glad you asked. You got your story writing. You got your schedule. You got your journal. You got your packing list, to do list, coffee appointment list, travel itinerary list. Ohsomanythings. And then of course there’s the money, honey.
So it’s a good thing I created an envelope system to keep my funds organized, yah?
Frankly, My Dear . . .: My Happy Planner- A New Envelope System
With some blank cards, washi tape, paper clips and HP stickers all tucked into a Happy Planner organizer tote, This Girl is ready to go places.
But wait! There’s more! I can track it all with my budget pages, too. Remember this awesome Budget Inspiration Dashboard? I love the ability to keep stickee notes on it, and move it to the current month. It keeps me focused, on track, and aware of my spending.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Happy Planner Budget Dashboard
That little turtle sticker is there to remind me that “slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t need to pay off everything all at once, or buy everything the first moment I see it. I just need to know I can do all things, with God, with a budget, and with a plan.
Who knew a Happy Planner addiction could keep me so fiscally responsible?
I have plenty of other Happy Planner creations in the works, and I’ll be sharing them with you more regularly. For now, I wish you many pages and tons of stickers.
With an open planner and lots of plans,
Happy Planning.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Be Your Own Scarlett
May 4, 2018 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : That One Time a Fox Joined the Team and Tied Everything Together
It’s not that I haven’t been doing anything. I just haven’t been doing anything on the blog. At least, not as much as I used to. You see, I’ve been working behind the scenes lately, editing NOLA, working some freelance projects, crafting my upcoming newsletter. (Now, everyone, nod your heads in sympathetic busyness understanding. Thank you.)
Lemmetellya, it’s a bit of a challenge. I wanna get it just.right for y’all, and well, for me. People say “write for yourself” and while that’s a good way to remain happy, it ain’t always gonna bring in the readers. So I am happily crafting my message for you, my beloved Swarm.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : An Object in Motion . . .
And as promised, since it’s a new month, there’s a new Media Menagerie over at New Inklings Press. Did you miss the big reveal on Instagram? It was a live video, my Nippers’s first actually. And of course he (okay, I) forgot to save it for posterity. So while I introduced you to the current members of our #MediaMenagerie, Nippers also asked what our May member should be. And the next day he whispered his answer in my ear.
Ladies, gentlemen, Southern Belles and Yankee Gents, I give you May’s Media Menagerie Member, Gypsy Skylark Walton.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Say Hello to Gypsy Skylark Walton
Gypsy is a fox. Foxes are crafty. They’re quick. They’re stealth-like (hmm, maybe like a ninja?). They’re beautiful. Foxes are smart, too. Problem solvers. What, think I’m wrong? Read Aesop’s Fables. People call them sly and crazy. (the foxes, not the fables).
Now, how did Gypsy get his name? Well, first, from the beautiful Johnny Mercer song, Skylark. Y’all know This Girl’s favorite inspirational movie is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. And my favorite song from the soundtrack is Skylark. There’s a line in the chorus, “sad as a gypsy,” and it just gets me every time. It’s such a beautiful visual.
“Gypsy” can mean so many things. Romanian descent. Fortune tellers. But for me, it’s the wanderer, the free spirit, that my Bohemian self relates to. It’s like that old toy, Spirograph. You set your pen in a stencil and draw as it bumps you along the edges. A few ink color and shape changes, and in the end, your wandering pen has created something uniquely beautiful. You can’t have that without the wandering. As a creative soul, there’s nothing more effusing than to be able to just be who I am. Gypsies get that. It could also be that I’m currently addicted to Hallmark Channel’s The Good Witch series. Who doesn’t love a little good magic now and then?
And Walton? Well, that’s two-fold. John-Boy Walton was a writer. Sure, he was a fictional TV character in the 70’s and early 80’s. But still. What self-respecting aspiring writer girl back then didn’t have a crush on him? It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized my fancy for the man was due in great part to his wordsmithing. Let’s not forget that greatest of all goodbyes, “Good night, John-Boy!” I say it often, mostly when signing off social media for the night. Which has led to others calling me Mary-Ellen. (Yah, I’m talking about you, Del and Caleb!). Which now brings me to Caleb. Affectionately known to me and my peeps as JB. Because his last name is Walton. And he’s from the South. And he grew up watching The Waltons and we still talk about our favorite episodes. Oh, and of course, JB (my “little big brother”, not the TV guy) is a writer. So there’s that.
Oh, but wait! There’s more. In chatting with JB recently (again, my JB, not the TV guy) [but if you’re out there, Richard Thomas, and feel like saying “hi,” I wouldn’t mind having you over for coffee!] and sharing Gypsy’s adoption, I realize his initial’s are GSW. Which, in NCIS world, stands for gun shot wound. Okay, not the Southern romantic history y’all were hoping for. But it’s NCIS. Which is another commonality I have with JB (and, well, about 13 billion other humans). And NCIS had the arc about Le Granouille (“The Frog”) which inspired my daughter and I to adopt the shaggy little frog now known as Nippers. And NCIS has a spin-off I may have mentioned once or twice. NCIS: New Orleans. Which is the location for my first City Series novel. Yup. We’ve come full circle.
I now own a stuffed fox named Gypsy because I wanted to be a writer with a frog. I know . . . It’s hard to be in my head sometimes. That’s okay. I know my thoughts. You just have to enjoy the outcome.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Say Hello to Gypsy Skylark Walton
Now I want to hear from you: How do you express your creative soul?
With a compass and a spirograph,
Happy wanderings.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Oh, PS: If you haven’t yet taken my survey, and/or want to be added to my email lists for this blog, and/or Firsts in Fiction Newsletter, and/or Molly Jo Realy: Author, Etc. . . . just click on this photo to sign up. BONUS: You’ll get to tell me how you like your coffee. Thanks! (And super-shout out to my über professional graphic artist brother who worked with me to create this awesome visual.)
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Author, Etc . . .
Apr 12, 2018 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Ufta! Oh, my. The winds are blowing around Bedford Manor. It’s times like these I’m glad the FabFurFour are indoor cats. And just as the wind is blowing outside, the winds of change are sweeping on the inside.
First things first: Y’all may have noticed a few subtle changes lately. Yup. I done and did it. I streamlined my social media from @RealMojo68 to @MollyJoRealy. I figure it’s my name, it’s a good name (thanks, folks!), so why not use it? Also, I know you know, but it kinda helps people to find me easier online.
Second, I’m starting a new newsletter.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Author, Etc.: a newsletter about writing. And other things in life.
Author, Etc.
As y’all know, writing isn’t just writing. We’re media specialists, marketers, editors, flame-throwers… whatever it takes to get the book noticed. Am I right? But we’re so much more than that. We’re creative people, parents/children/spouses/individuals. And we don’t associate with just writers. We watch movies, talk over coffee, love on our pets, clean our homes. A diamond isn’t a diamond because it’s flat. No! It has many amazing, beautiful, eye-catching facets. And so do writers. And chefs. And bus drivers. And people who breathe. This newsletter strives to bring a writer’s creativity into all aspects of our lives. Including how to create a newsletter and gather readers.
By the way, did I mention there will be a free download when you first subscribe to Author, Etc.? Still working on the perks, but you won’t want to miss this. I. Promise!
And of course, let’s not forget the Firsts in Fiction podcast we all know and love.
Then there’s the blog itself. And I know some topics are better than others.
So here’s the thing. It would help me out so much (and by so much, I mean SOSOSOSO MUCH!) if you would complete this ten question survey for me. You may have (should have) received it under separate email. But if you’re just looking at the blog without being a subscriber, click away! Your input matters, too!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE MY TEN-QUESTION SURVEY.
If you have shared Frankly, My Dear . . . in the past, please consider sharing it now so I can receive the right feedback to enable me to write more of what you want.
With a happy hug and wind-blown hair,
Thank you.
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Frankly, My Dear . . . That One Time I Created a Survey for my Readers (that means you!)
Mar 26, 2018 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Y’all remember last month when New Inklings Press introduced their February #MediaMenagerie Member? [Phew, I double-dog dare ya to say that five times fast on a late Sunday evening.] Bridges the Raccoon was brought on board to help writers find a way to get from here to there . . . Whatever “here” and “there” is.
Well, this weekend, it was in the kitchen. And after a crazy usual month of go-here-see-there-stop-now-breathe-okay-get-going-again activity, I just needed a bit of a break. So I opened the fridge and pantry, and asked Bridges what he thought.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook: Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut
Being the smart raccoon that he is, he foraged around a little, and put me to work. Yup, this recipe was created over ten years ago in a tiny apartment by This Girl and her daughter. Then, just like Bridges did now, I grabbed a few items from the food stash and decided to put them together. I took a chance, turned on the slow cooker, and left the apartment. When Dot and I came home that evening, the aroma was heavenly. The taste like something from a restaurant. And I knew I had to write it down.
This Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut recipe began
The Unemployment Cookbook.
And since I’m in full swing of writing-editing-blogging-marketing again, it’s a no-brainer that my no-time-to-cook weekend should include that which started it all.
Now, you gotta be impressed with the frugality of it all, yes? Take a look at this:
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook: Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut
With eight servings to this dish, that’s less than $1.75 per serving! Hey, I’m not making this stuff up! That’s some pretty hearty eating without a hefty price, dontcha think?
Don’t forget to set up your mise en place. It’s French, pronounced “MEES ahn plahs” and it basically means “everything in place.” Betcha didn’t think this was a cultural post, too, did ya? Well, there ya go. I mean, voila!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : The Unemployment Cookbook: Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut Mise en Place
So, you ready for the recipe? Okay, here it is, Bridges style:
The Unemployment Cookbook: Slow Cooker Pork & ‘Kraut
Bring people to your table with this hearty, delicious dish.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (22 oz. each) Cream of Mushroom Soup.
- 2 medium onions, peeled, and chopped. Because no one likes onion skins in their food.
- 6 medium russet potatoes, sliced. Like thick potato chips. Only raw.
- 1 jar (32 oz.) Old Fashioned Sauerkraut. The kind that Grandpa still makes.
- 8 thin-cut pork chops. Boneless. Because otherwise they wouldn't be so thin.
Instructions
- First peel the onions, and chop them. Some like them thick, some like thin. It's up to you.
- Then, wash your potatoes. Seriously. Bridges is a domesticate raccoon. He don't eat no dirt! Slice them, then rinse with cool water to remove the starch.
- Put the sauerkraut in a large colander and rinse, rinse, rinse. Sure, it's yummy stuff, but let's keep the flavor from being too overwhelming.
- Now, spread a large spoonful of soup on the bottom of your slow cooker. This keeps the meat from sticking. Layer some sauerkraut and onion. Cover with two pork chops. Maybe three. Depends on how much room you have in your cooker. Top with potato slices. You can even arrange them all pretty like if you want.
- Continue the layers until you run out of stuff to layer. Then you can just dump whatever's left on top.
- Make sure the cover fits snugly.
- Cook on low for eight hours, or medium/high for five.
- Serve with your favorite vegetable, bread, or wine.
- This is one dish you won't find going in the trash!
3.1
https://franklymydearmojo.com/2018/03/26/the-unemployment-cookbook-slow-cooker-pork-kraut/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
Click on any of the photos to order your own copy of The Unemployment Cookbook, or visit http://newinklingspress.com/.
Now if you’ll excuse me. Bridges forgot to take out the garbage. We’ll see ya round the dinner table.
With a big fork and a hungry tummy,
Happy Eating.
~Molly Jo
