Pinterest…Love it or leave it? By Dora Hiers

I’m about to let you in on a little secret.

I’m addicted to Pinterest. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody! 

But how’s a person supposed to resist those delectable cookies and savory soups filling the screen? Or how about those comfy looking spaces that just cry out to a reader to curl up with a great book? And, oh, those delightful rustic cabins with the rocking chairs on the back decks overlooking mountains and sunsets and towering trees …imagine the inspiration for a writer!

Have you investigated Pinterest? What do you think? Do you agree with me?

If you have never visited Pinterest (really? How is that possible?), essentially Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board or scrapbook… a place to collect ideas. Maybe you enjoy collecting creative recipes for your culinary pleasure, scoping out the perfect vacation destination, or hunting down DIY instructions. Whatever your interests, you’ll find inspiration along with plenty of pictures there.

Just to give you a basic rundown, a “pin” is essentially a picture that bookmarks and references the original source. You can upload your own pictures, pin from websites or blogs, or “repin” other pins. A “board” is where you organize your pins.

Take a moment and pop over to my “bulletin board” and see what the rave is all about. While you're there, if you already have an account, you might want to click the red "follow" board on some of the boards that excite you, but make sure you come back and let me know what you think, OK? Click to visit Pinterest here > http://www.pinterest.com/dorahiers/

With the holidays now behind us, I bet you can see how Pinterest might have been a gold mine for ideas. Decorating, gifts, recipes…sheesh, I never buy cookbooks anymore. For the most part, I pin and print all my recipes, and then organize them in a binder. Did you see any recipes you couldn’t wait to try? Salivate over any desserts? 

What about for writers? Can you see why Pinterest might be a place to hang out? Join us next month when we'll dig deeper into Pinterest. If you're not sold just yet, you might be after our next discussion.

Some people unwind by watching TV. Others by scrolling Instagram pictures or Facebook statuses. Next to reading, browsing Pinterest is my favorite hobby.

What about you? Love it or leave it? What’s your favorite hobby?
I'll be in and out of Internet service this week, but will check back and respond to all comments next week. Wishing you a glorious weekend!

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Purchase Link

Five years ago, Emily Mannerson escaped small town living and moved to the big city where nobody knew "poor little Emily" and her miserable background. Now an attorney, Emily longs for what she left behind…her adopted mother and high-school sweetheart. Fire captain Matthew Westerly treasures his small town of Journey Creek and values faith, family, and friendships. When he rescues Emily from a horrific car accident, he's determined to win her back and make up for the lost years. Can a big city girl and a small town boy discover their true treasure? Will they trust God to work a miracle?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA, ACFW, and the Treasurer for ACFW-Charlotte Chapter. Connect with her here on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Giving Our Characters Our Hobbies by Patricia Bradley

After I read Shadows of the Past and learned that the author's hobby was pottery, I asked Patricia Bradley to share about adding personal hobbies to our stories. -- Sandy

Patricia: He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer. Exodus 35:35 ESV

Thirteen years ago I had a character for a book, but I didn’t want her to have the same old-same old occupation. When I closed my eyes and brought her to mind, I saw her sitting at a potter’s wheel, outside under a spreading Oak. Occasionally, she would look up from her work and gaze in the distance. That was in January 2001.

I loved it! But there was a problem. I didn’t have the first clue how to use a wheel or clay. In fact when I was in the seventh grade my art teacher brought her wheel to class one day. After I had my try, she shook her head and said, “You’ll never be a potter. Get up and let someone else try.”

In May of 2001, I went to a Women’s Conference and one of the sessions featured a potter. After an awesome presentation, I asked where she learned to use a wheel, and she gave me the name of her instructor. I called him and signed up. And became this great potter.

No. The instructor did say he’d never seen a person so determined to learn how to throw on a wheel. That’s the way potters talk about working on the wheel. Throwing. You see, you take a ball of clay and throw it on the wheel then try to keep it there while the wheel is spinning 90 to nothing.

*Sigh*

But I was determined. I bought a wheel, clay, even a kiln. And sat down and practiced. And practiced. Remember the throwing bit? I occasionally threw the clay…out the door. But I kept at it. I think that’s the secret whether it’s writing or pottery or anything you want to get good at. About that time, I began working in the abstinence program in Mississippi, and I used the wheel and clay to show how to build a good foundation for your life and how to reclaim your character when you didn’t build that foundation.

It was seven years before I wrote the book that had a potter in it. In that time, I became quite accomplished at making vases, bowls, and mugs. I even began fashioning jewelry from my porcelain clay. While I don’t have time right now to play in the mud, I am itching to get back to it. But first, I have a third book in the Logan Point series to write. And guess what? My subplot character is a potter…creating beautiful things on the wheel is how she regains sight of who God created her to be.

Have you had an experience similar to Patricia's? Has your character inspired a personal hobby or have you given your hobby to a character?

~~~ 

Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum. But her heart is tuned to suspense. Patricia’s mini-mysteries have been published in Woman’s World, and her debut novel, Shadows of the Past, is the first of three set in Mississippi and will release February 4, 2014. She presents workshops, her most recent is Writing 50,000 words in 30 days, at the Midsouth Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN on March 8, 2014. Her tag line on everything is: I asked God to teach me patience and He gave me a book to write. And when she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.

Back cover copy:

Psychology professor and criminal profiler Taylor Martin prides herself on being able to solve any

crime, except the one she wants most desperately to solve—the disappearance of her father twenty years ago. When she finally has a lead on his whereabouts, Taylor returns home to Logan Point, Mississippi, to investigate. But as she is stalking the truth about the past, someone is stalking her.

Nick Sinclair pens mystery novels for a living, but the biggest mystery to him is how he can ever get over the death of his wife—a tragedy he believes he could have prevented. With his estranged brother the only family he has left, Nick sets out to find him. But when he crosses paths with Taylor, all he seems to find is trouble.

Connect with Patricia Bradley at:

www.patriciabradleyauthor.com
www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
https://twitter.com/PTBradley1

Links to buy book:

Available at CBD: http://ow.ly/qIx2k and Amazon: http://ow.ly/qIx90 and B&N:

http://ow.ly/qKdSL