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What Color Are Your Lenses?

 

Greetings from Connie Mann in Central Florida!

With Valentine’s Day just past, roses have been on my mind. Or, more particularly, rose-colored glasses. The term is often used as a negative, a condemnation of someone who deliberately overlooks life’s jagged reality, and instead, sees things with the harsh edges blurred. These are the folks who see what can be, rather than what is.

I’ve sometimes pooh-poohed such naiveté, but I’m changing my perspective on that lately.

New Year, New Perspective

 

Happy 2014, everyone! This is Connie Mann with a question for you. Do you choose a word for the year? Or maybe a phrase? Something that will act as a touchstone for the next twelve months?

 

Some years I’ve chosen one word; others needed a bit more. This year, I’m turning the whole process on its ear. I’ve realized my goal for 2014 is something much deeper, less tangible. It’s certainly not something I can check off a color-coded to-do list.

 

I’m trying to change my perspective.

The Season of Less

 

This is Connie Mann, wishing you Merry Christmas from Florida!

This Christmas season, I’m using a different approach. I’m on a “less is more” campaign. Instead of trying to figure out how to change the world, for example, (I do tend to think big), I’m focusing on more doable things, like decorating for a neighbor, sending a card, inviting someone over.

Instead of buying more, I’m buying less, but taking time to really think about each purchase. 

When Inspiration Takes a Holiday

Hi, this is Connie Mann, with a question:

Have you ever opened a new document and then just sat and stared at the blank screen, wondering where on earth you were going to find more words? And what on earth made you think you had anything worthwhile to say, anyway? Certainly not anything new or fresh or…enlightening...

3 Reasons to Love Your Local Librarian

Greetings from Connie Mann in still-sweltering Florida, here to talk about libraries and the wonderful librarians who staff them.

My love of books was born in my local library. During elementary school, I eagerly awaited the big lumbering bookmobile that used to whoosh to a stop near our home. I knew that once I scampered up those stairs, I entered a whole new world. Through books, I embarked on adventures to faraway places and made new friends to spend time with. That was where I first met Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and Harriet the Spy.

Balancing Visibility and Safety Online (Part 2)

Connie Mann here, waving hello from Central Florida! Thanks so much for stopping by. Today is the second part of last month’s balancing visibility and safety online. It’s a tricky question for authors, but an important one I think we need to consider.

How do we balance being public with being safe?

Last month we talked about how much personal information we share online. (In case you missed it, here is Part 1 of Balancing Visibility and Safety Online)

This time, we’re taking it a step further. When it comes to connecting with readers, to being a “public” figure, how transparent should an author be? How much personal information should we share online? How much of ourselves do we need to reveal?

Balancing Visibility and Safety Online (Part 1)

Connie Mann here, waving hello from Central Florida! Thanks so much for stopping by. Today is part one of a two-part blog on balancing visibility and safety online. It’s a tricky question for authors, but an important one I think we need to consider.

How do we balance being public with being safe?

 When it comes to connecting with readers and being a "public” figure, how much personal information should we share online?

How to Add 20 Minutes to Your Day

Connie Mann here, with greetings from Central Florida.

What do you think? Adding 20 minutes to your day sounds great, right? It seems everyone I talk to is pressed and stressed, frazzled and frustrated and trying to figure out how to accomplish everything scheduled for that day. But is adding time to an overloaded schedule even possible…? I think it is and the answer may be found somewhere you haven’t thought to look before.

The Blessing (& Curse) of Instant Access

Greetings from Connie Mann in Central Florida, where summer means sweet tea,
afternoon thunderstorms and mosquitoes the size of dinner plates. It is so tempting to hunker down inside—air conditioner at sub-zero, ceiling fans whirring, and our favorite electronic device clutched in our hands.

Tips From the Pros

Greetings from green and gorgeous Colorado. Davalynn Spencer here with a fun interview from author - and boat captain - Connie Mann.

How did you get into writing?

I’ve been hooked on books since I learned to read and found out books were like magic carpets to fabulous adventures. Since Susie’s Babies, my third-grade masterpiece, I’ve written articles and ghostwritten books for clients. I was also the editor of a parenting magazine, and through that, published a non-fiction parenting book with Revell. My new release is Angel Falls, a romantic suspense set in Brazil. This novel took ten years to get published and has a hero and heroine who are near and dear to my heart.