VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

  What's the back story on the big story for "No Justice"?   by Darcia Helle   Some time ago, I served on a jury for the murder trial of a man accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend. While I had known that our justice system had flaws, this was a close-up view of those injustices behind our justice system. We, the jury, were not allowed to hear anything about the plaintiff’s past. His life was a locked box. The victim, however, had no such privacy. The defense attorney gleefully flaunted the victim’s past, including her sexual history from as far back as her teen years. I will never forget the look of anguish on her parents’ faces. The defense did a great job of spinning the tale and making the victim out to be less than virtuous. After a week of this, when we were sent to deliberate, only two of the 12 jurors initially voted for murder one. I was one of them. The other 10 wanted involuntary manslaughter, citing her behavior and his cocaine use as “excuses”.

Why Self Publish? - A Good Story Is A Good Story – Tuesday November 16, at 12 Noon –CST- Host Marsha Cook – Listen in while you have lunch. This weeks show is about the controversial subject - traditional publishing verses self publishing. Writing is a business and time is money. Special guest Robert Raymond, author of Entrepreneurs Guide to the Universe. Virginia Grenier will be joining Marsha Cook as well as Denise Spooner for a lively discussion. This show is as always informative and entertaining. The great discussions that come from a show like this are the conversations that can make a difference. Callers are always welcome and the chat room is always open with help from Denise Spooner. Please call in and tell us what you think. Phone -656-595-4478 - Call the same number to listen in - LINK TO SHOW -There is a podcast after live show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2010/11/16/a-good-story-is-a-good-story-with-host-marsha-casp

Managing time efficiently when marketing on the internet is arguably the single biggest contributing factor for business success online. In addition to the myriad of responsibilities associated with an online business the internet also presents entrepreneurs with an ongoing atmosphere of change. This change in turn leads to new policies and techniques that need to be learned and addressed. When running a business these changes and challenges require the establishment and use of certain time management strategies. Of course the strategy you adopt needs to best fit your particular skills and preferences but some type of approach does need to be put in place. Here are 3 time management strategies that you can choose from to help you efficiently tackle the different challenges that may face you on a daily basis. These strategies mainly address the best times to 'schedule' any routine, difficult or unfamiliar tasks or challenges as they arise. Tackle New Challenges Immediatel

A Good Story is A Good Story has moved from Monday nights to Tuesday afternoons starting today! I won't be on the show today because my 5 year old daughter is having a hard time breathing due to a cold that just isn't going away. I can't tell you how bummed I am about, not only my daughter's illness, but about missing the show. It's going to be a good one so I hope you'll try and listen today at NOON CDT (10am PST, 11am MST & 1EST). If you can't make the show then you can listen on demand at the link below. Actually the link below the info will let you listen live or on demand . . . depending when you tune in. SPECIAL GUEST John Kremer  Fran Lewis, a frequent guest book reviewer, will be joining the discussion. The very first show on Tuesday the 9th of November will be just as much fun as the evening show. Virginia Grenier will be on the show but in January she will be the host of her own show. John Kremer is an expert in book marketing ,publishi

Have you written or illustrated a children's book and you need to get the word out about it? Are you an author or illustrator working on building your platform? Or are you trying to get the word out about workshops or services you offer writers, illustrators, parents and teachers?  I'm happy to announce Stories for Children Publishing is offering services to help you build your platform and get the word out about your book(s) and services. I've really enjoyed doing the "Interview Firdays" here at The Writing Mama. I've also enjoyed doing interviews and book reviews through Stories for Children Magazine and the Families Matter blog. Now with Stories for Children Publishing, I want to take it one step further and really help make writing/illustrating dreams come true. Below I have pasted a little blurb on these two services we're now offering at Stories for Children Publishing; along with the other services we offer. You’ll find our World of Ink Tour o

Rachelle's fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for children have appeared in Highlights, Scholastic Scope, Pockets, and other magazines. She is also the author of the picture book TREE HOUSE IN A STORM (Stemmer House Publishers, 2009). Rachelle visits schools and libraries as an author and storyteller, and provides critique and editing services to other children's writers.  As a children's entertainer, Rachelle performs at parties, schools, and other events. In a parallel universe, she is a licensed clinical social worker, specializing in crisis intervention, and a member of her local Rescue Squad. She resides with her family in New Jersey. VS: I want to thank you Rachelle for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I am sure you have been in my shoes from time to time where you find yourself running around trying to get everything done. So to start here is the first question, what do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life?  Rachelle: I

The SFC blog Families Matter is hosting Cheryl Malandrinos on her book "Little Shepherd" as it makes it way along its two month blog tour. Please swing by and learn a bit more about this amazing woman and read an excerpt from her book, too! About the Author: Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. A regular contributor for Writer2Writer , her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children , Ms. Malandrinos is also Editor in Chief of the group’s quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens .     Little Shepherd Synopsis: Obed is in the hills outside Bethlehem when the angels appear to announce the Savior's birth. Can he trust that the miracle of the first Christmas will keep his flock safe while he visits the newborn King?   You can visit the Little Shepherd blog tour at  http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com/2010/11/little-shepherd-blog-tour-with-author.html

There are several writing strategies that online authors use to help gain the interest of their readers. When publishing anything online you want it to make for interesting reading so that people will be more incline to view any additional works of yours in the future. There are various styles of writing that appeal to people online but there are a few that are more effective than the rest and for good reason. They all attempt to make readers more 'actively' involved in the content. Here are 3 guidelines for writing any type of content online that will help to improve your writing so that you may more fully engage your readers. Speak Directly to Them One way to improve your writing and make your content more intriguing is to address the readers directly when discussing your topic. Mentioning to them that 'they know what it feels like' or 'we have all been there before' draws people deeper into your discussion of the content. It is quite natural for some