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In The Write  Blog

The Best email Marketing Services Providers

8/27/2021

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Need a trustworthy email marketing service provider? Try AWeber or Mailerlite!
There’s no comparison when looking for an email marketing solution to grow your business. AWeber delivers more powerful, simple features and support. You get a lot with a free account on Aweber:
  • Email marketing and landing pages
  • Campaign automations
  • Web Push Notifications
  • 24/7 customer solutions access by phone/email/chat
  • Integrations
  • Free migration service​
AWeber
AWeber Free is available for users who have less than 500 subscribers. Once you have over 500 subscribers, your subscription cost is based on the number of contacts in your account. Complete information is available on AWeber’s pricing page, including discounts for quarterly and annual subscriptions.

​As a new author, your email subscriber list may be small, but it will grow as you send newsletters and reach out to your potential readers. Be ready! AWeber can help you do that!
Affiliate Disclosure:
The links contained in this product review may result in a small commission if you opt to purchase the product recommended at no additional cost to you.
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Next on my short list:
MailerLite


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MailerLite is one of the fastest-growing email marketing services in the world. Designed for people of all skill levels, MailerLite helps you create professional email campaigns.  I really like that their features are intuitive and easy to use yet they’re just as powerful as other email tools.
My favorite features include:
  • The easy drag & drop editor
  • Landing page builder
  • The many pop-up variations
  • Advanced automation
  • In-email quizzes, surveys and other interactive elements
If I need help, I contact their 24/7 live support or browse through the many help resources. They also have an active community on Facebook where customers inspire and support each other.


MailerLite Free up to 1,000 subscribers! And you can send up to 12,000 emails per months on the free plan! Of course, if you have a larger subscriber list and more features, then you can upgrade. Click MailerLite Pricing.

MailerLite
Affiliate Disclosure:
The links contained in this product review may result in a small commission if you opt to purchase the product recommended at no additional cost to you.

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PenPodcast with Nico Pengun

7/29/2021

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Reading & Writing Podcast with Jeff Rutherford

7/29/2021

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Eulogy to a grandmother by Alyssa Mojica

7/26/2021

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We all have people in our lives who we look up to. Role models to teach us the lessons of life. Who embed morals and instill a sense of being into who we are. My family and I have been so blessed to have had our Abuela Nilda as an exemplary role model. She was intelligent and ambitious, sassy and strong, fiery but kind, humorous and independent. She kept our heritage alive and our family bond strong. 
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Many of you know Abuela worked in the jewelry manufacturing business, working her way up from starting as a secretary to owning her own company; however, you may have not known that her company was nationally acclaimed––not only in one, but in two different years––and was even featured in a PBS network documentary for her special custom-order pieces. And what made that even more amazing?––She was a pioneer, being one of the only women in her day to do what she did in a male-dominated field. Not everyone has the privilege of saying that they had a grandma that cool. For a magazine publication, she had said, “I believe that with good self-esteem, proper education and management abilities, women can join the male mainstream that currently leads this country. Women are a strong and resourceful species who have struggled against insurmountable obstacles to succeed. I believe that with the right channeling and support, we can achieve our potential.” She was so wise and ahead of her time. Abuelo joked that if she had accomplished and said what she did in current days, she would have been canonized as a saint.

​Her ambition, determination, and strive––unmatched from anything I have ever personally known. The fact that she got up everyday and still went to work as she underwent chemotherapy and cancer treatments was a true testament to the hard-working, driven woman she was. 

I attribute my own sense of drive and ambition to her. My desire to achieve grandeur heights in life, it’s because of her. I only pray that I can one day be as successful and leave the legacy Abuela has so graciously left behind.

Her strong character was admirable but goodness did that make her stubborn. Abuela was one of the strongest people I know, never asking for help, trying to be as independent as she could. This even proved to be true in her last few days at the hospital. 

I love you Abuela and I  love who you taught me to be. A fierce, driven, passionate, and generous spirit. We have tons and tons of priceless memories. One of my recent favorites was when Abuela and I both made homemade limoncello and had a friendly competitive taste test to determine whose limoncello had come out better. While mine tasted much like a sweet lemon drink an amateur college kid would make, hers could dissolve the outer layer of my esophagus as it went down. But she loved it, she loved the burn, and she fully believed hers was much better than mine. A little bias but okay. 

I will always remember the days the cousins would go into her office and touch everything in sight and ask a million and one questions. I remember how admirable she looked  rocking her pantsuits, running the show at the office. While she conducted herself with pristine poise like the professional business woman she was, she wasn’t afraid to show her candor by cracking jokes and being silly. You would think the brains and personality is where it stopped, but no, she had the beauty, too. It’s almost unfair. Looking at all the photos we pulled out this past week reminded us of the true icon she was. From her thick gold hoops to her choice of bright blue eyeshadow to her funky oversized sunglasses and wild color animal print shirts, she was a true fashionista and put my daily outfit choice of athletic leisure wear to absolute shame. 

I am sure everyone here can say our Abuela touched their heart in some way with her selflessness and generosity. Abuela was the epitome of what generous is and what generous should always be. I have never witnessed altruism so grand or comparable to hers. 

We will miss her vibrancy and spunk. She was the type of person who carried a small bottle of Tabasco hot sauce in her purse, who would walk the George Washington bridge to New York and back, who loved the color purple and frogs and orchids and dirty martinis and red lipstick, who had a second Christmas tree solely dedicated to her alcohol-themed ornaments and even named her dog after her favorite vodka.

Leaving here today, I hope everyone can remember the impact Abuela Nilda had on our lives. I hope we can all live with a sense of passion, ambition, and selflessness we have all been so blessed to know and with such vigor that Abuela would be proud of. On behalf of the family, I want to thank everyone for coming here today to be with us and provide an air of love and support. 

***Alyssa Mojica is a biochemistry major at the University of Delaware and my sister's niece. I was compelled to share this beautiful tribute by this lovely young lady about her amazing grandmother, a woman I wholly admired and loved.***



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4 Books you should read if you want to self publish!

7/13/2021

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I can’t give you my list of best books on writing without also including those books written for self published authors. 

When I wrote my memoir I did not want to wait months for traditional publishers to accept or reject my book. I couldn’t wait. The memoir was a healing tool for me. My Mother had just passed away and she was the reason the book was born. So as part of my healing, I felt that the memoir had to be out there. I wanted to share my story with someone, with the world… with others like me that were grieving. I wanted to immortalized my parents by telling their stories, my story as a child, and the family dynamic that I always treasured. It was and is unique. At least, it is special to me and my siblings.

I wrote a book. Now what? I was clueless! But, as a writer, I am also a voracious reader and began to read anything that would educate me on the publishing process. I needed an editor. I needed a cover designer. I needed to learn to format my book. What did that even mean? I had to reach out to bloggers, reviewers, and media. The thought was overwhelming but the answers were out there… the pioneers of independent publishing. Here are the four books for self published writers that I read and read and then read some more:

  • Write. Publish. Repeat. By Truant, Platt, & Wright
  • Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran
  • Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Annie Dillard
  • How to Make a Living with Your Writing by Joanna Penn

Those were my go-to’s, in addition to searching the internet and watching YouTube. Later, my library expanded and I read other books more niche. That’s it! That is all I needed to get started. Four books. I was not alone. And over the last few years some things have changed and thankfully, David Gaughran updated and revised “Let’s Get Digital” which I referenced a lot since I have the worst memory and some days I am a blank slate. More on that issue another time!
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Books on Writing

7/7/2021

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I came across an aspiring memoirist the other day and he really got me thinking about what helped me write my first published book, which happened to be a memoir. He had a lot of questions and felt lost. He did not know where to begin. I know the feeling! Well, this brings me to what I wanted to write about on my blog today…Books on writing. There are so many great books available on the craft of writing. Some are inspirational, others are technical— meaning grammar and the not so fun parts of writing a book. Here is my list of the books I wish I had recommended to that aspiring memoirist:

  • On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
  • The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work by Marie Arana
  • How I got Published by White and Lindsay
  • Your First Novel by Rittenberg and Whitcomb
  • Consider This by Chuck Palahnuik
  • Woe Is I by Patricia T. O’Conner
  • Robert’s Rules of Writing by Robert Masello

I own and have read all of these amazing books and refer to them often. At times I need a little pick-me-up from a successful author, other times I wrestle with the placement of a comma! And these books have helped me along the way— my writing companions that sit on shelves behind my desk. My other companion, is  my Maltipoo, Remi. He lays down underneath my desk, by my feet.



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AwesomeGang.com Interview

7/3/2021

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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Instead of a silver spoon in my mouth, I was born with a book in my hands! Books and writing have been my passion since I was a young child. I have written five books, but only published three so far.

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled: More Than Just Finn: Just Finn Book Two. It is the second book in the series. I am working on the 3rd! It is a work of love as it was inspired by my brother who was diagnosed with Asperger’s in his mid-40s.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Is it unusual to write with a pen and paper? I love my MacBook but there is nothing like the feel of paper beneath my hand as I pour words out onto clean, crispy white pages. I also drink a lot of water when I am writing!

What authors, or books have influenced you?
My influences have been so many… Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Frank McCourt, Junot Diaz, Ernest Hemingway, William Shakespeare, Jeanette Walls, Ken Follett and many more!

What are you working on now?
Just Finn’s Book Three… The title is a surprise!
And I am also working on a compilation of poetry I have written over the years.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?

I love Goodreads. It is a great forum for authors and readers. I am both, so it is a bit of paradise over there for me. Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write! There is no such thing as writer’s block. Get the words out there! On paper or your laptop or record yourself narrating. Do not give up… keep writing!

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Keep the eggs separate from the rest of the groceries. DO NOT let anyone bag the eggs for you!

What are you reading now?
A novel by a new author called 34 Below that has yet to be published. It is so good!

What’s next for you as a writer?
More writing! Lots of podcasts and narrating my novels for audiobooks.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
34 Below, Brother’s Karamazov, What the Wind Knows, and a Bible

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Lovely Amazon.com Review

7/1/2021

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"Just Finn, by Paz Ellis, is a young adult novel about an 18-year-old named Finn. He’s had it tough, with rotten parents and a condition he thought made him into a worthless human being. At 18, he’s kicked out of his house and his nightmares increase as he moves into a local shelter for the homeless. But along comes a doctor, a priest, and other new friends who help him restore his life. Scratch that. They help him create a life he’s never had.
This book is unique in two ways. First, it allows those of us who don’t have autism to have an insight into the brain of one who does. We begin to understand why Finn acts the ways he does, and allows us as readers to sympathize. But more important, the book show those of us who do not have this condition, how to act and respond toward people like Finn. It is an excellent teaching tool that role-plays the positive ways that you and I can make and keep friends like Finn. The author’s experience in growing up with a brother with Asperger Syndrome shows she knows what she writes, sharing her life lessons and creating a gift for us, the reader.
The story itself is character driven, funny, and it flows well. You’ll find yourself cheering for all those who try to make Finn’s life a positive one. And the author promises more to come. I look forward to reading how Finn’s life progresses. Highly recommended." ~Avid Reader
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Podcast with Daisy Cedeño

10/12/2020

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Listen to "PAZ ELLIS AUTHOR OF PLANTAINS AND THE SEVEN PLAGUES" on Spreaker.
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Review Tales by Jeyran Main

9/11/2020

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    Paz Ellis writes in several genres and loves to read and support fellow authors.

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