A Healthier Lunchable?

Today I found this article about Lunchables through the “Lunch Hour” Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lunchhourmovie)–http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/business/lunchables-king-of-the-lunchbox-faces-another-challenger.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. It discusses a new form of “Lunchable” called Revolution Foods Meal Kits. Revolution Foods seeks to provide a healthier option than just normal Lunchables; although some experts are saying that these new meal kits aren’t super healthy either, Revolution Foods does avoid using high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and in general holds higher standards for their ingredients than their rival company. I hadn’t heard of these new meal kits until reading this article, and I figured maybe my blog audience hadn’t either. If you’re used to sticking Lunchables in your children’s school lunches, maybe consider checking into Revolution Foods Meal Kits as an option.

Do Bioenergetic Practitioners Really Exist?

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year already since I released my suspense novel, Illegally Innocent! The main character in Illegally Innocent, Grace Hampton, is a bioenergetic practitioner, and in the past year, a popular question seems to be, “Are there really bioenergetic practitioners?” Yes, there really are, and they can provide significant information for you regarding your health problems and how you can improve your health. If you’d like to know more about bioenergetics, you should visit www.zyto.com, where you can read about the test and see videos about how it works.

Second Annual “Reader Issue” Contest

I am THRILLED to announce the second annual “Reader Issue” contest! 🙂 Here are the details: Last fall I invited everyone to submit pieces of their own writing (including poems, short stories, creative nonfiction, and articles) for a contest–two judges and I picked five winners, and each winner received a $15 Amazon.com gift card, along with having his/her piece published in my January 2013 e-newsletter. (You can subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter by visiting the homepage of www.angelabaconbooks.com and hovering over the black, white, and red banner that says “Welcome to AngelaBaconBooks.com”–a message will appear that says “Click here to subscribe.”) The judges and I had a ton of fun reading everyone’s entries last year!

The second year of this contest has begun, and I am accepting entries between now and Thursday, October 31, 2013. There will be five winners again this year, and each winner will receive a $15 Amazon.com gift card and will have his/her entry published in my January 2014 e-newsletter. I will notify the winners on or before January 1, 2014. Check out the rules below:

1.   I will accept submissions beginning now through October 31, 2013. If you submit something after that date, it is not a valid submission and will not be considered for the contest.

2.   Whether you are five years old or 105, you are welcome to submit a piece for this contest. There are no age limits.

3.   If you were one of the five winners who appeared in the January 2013 newsletter, you must take a year off. You will be allowed to submit again next year for the third annual “Reader Issue” contest.

4.   I will accept poems, short stories, creative nonfiction pieces, and articles for this contest. Whichever category you choose, your submission must be no longer than 5,000 words.

5.  Each person may submit up to two pieces.

6.  When you submit your piece, please send it to angela@angelabaconbooks.com. In the subject of your email, put “Reader Issue.” In the body of the email, list your name; home (or mailing) address; email address; phone number; and the title and category of your work (article, poem, short story, or creative nonfiction) and then provide the work as an attachment.

7.  Before you email me your piece, consider the following: 

A.     How is the grammar and overall sentence structure of your submission?

B.     Did you follow directions regarding how to submit your piece—including your name, address, etc. in the body of the email?

C.     Is your submission 5,000 words or fewer? (If you’re submitting two pieces, each piece can be up to 5,000 words.)

D.     Is your submission appropriate? If you would rate it worse than PG, there is a strong possibility that much of my e-newsletter audience (which covers a wide range of ages and belief systems) will be offended, and I most likely will not print it.

E.      Is it well-written? Did you spend a significant amount of time on it, or did you just throw it together in a few minutes?

           F.      Entertainment value—I am looking for something that holds my interest and will make me want to keep reading after the first page (or in the case of a shorter piece, it will make me want to keep reading after the first few lines).

Have any questions? Email me at angela@angelabaconbooks.com, and I will gladly answer them. 🙂 Can’t wait to read your entries! If you have a blog or website, I’d love it if you’d promote this contest on your site as well! Thanks so much!

Personal Update and Thinglink

So much has happened in the past couple of months since I last posted! I finished up planning for my wedding, hung out with some great friends from college (some of whom I hadn’t seen in years), got married, went on a honeymoon, and moved into a new place. We are still waiting on most of our wedding pictures, but here is one (courtesy of Jessica Mayhew Photography):

I’ve enjoyed these past couple of months tremendously, but I’m glad to be back and to be able to spend some time promoting Illegally Innocent, finishing up the eBook version, and working on new book projects. I wanted to alert you to a fairly new way to promote your self-published or traditionally-published book–Thinglink. My husband, Mike, who all along has been an amazing helper regarding all the web aspects of Illegally Innocent, recently created two versions of an Illegally Innocent Thinglink. Thinglink is basically an interactive photo where you can post links to all of your social media, your book trailer, an audio clip, online stores that sell your book, and more. Click on the links below to check out the two versions Mike created and then vote on your favorite!

Version 1:
Thinglink 1

Version 2:

Thinglink 2

Have a great Saturday!