From Miniature Staircases to Creating a Social Media Presence, Here’s This Week’s Cool Links:

Wonder at these miniature staircases

I imagine myself ascending one of these staircases to go to my own private library. Or, having watched portions of Gone With The Wind lately, seeing Rhett Butler carry Scarlett O’Hara up one. If you’re intrigued by the craftsman ship of miniature anything, you’ll enjoy the artistry of these miniature staircases.

Photographer: James Hart

What’s most intriguing about this story, is the secret society that carves the staircases. Called ‘compagnons’, groups of young people live in boarding houses in France, learning their craft, then moving every six months to a new master. They train for at least five years in one of five groups—working with stone; wood; metal; leather and textiles; or food. For their “masterwork”, signalling the end of their apprenticeship, these craftsmen traditionally choose to produce a miniature staircase. Astounding!

As a writer, I am incredibly intrigued that a secret society of craftsmen exists. My mind spins with a hundred different stories of fantasy worlds populated with craft halls and guilds. How and where can I use this idea?

Love books? Learn how they were made in the past

From the Gutenberg press to the world of digitization, printing has come a long way. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of printing and if you live in or near New York state, I recommend a visit to the Cary Graphic Arts Collection in Rochester. It is housed on the second floor of Wallace Library on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus.

Curators can demonstrate different printing techniques on various presses from their collection. You can examine printing related artifacts or listen to a free lecture.

Here’s a link to learn more.

Create a Social Media Presence

Do you struggle to create a social media presence? Do you scratch your head when you read “create a brand”? If so, Morgan Hazelwood has the answer. In the first of three parts, she breaks down what you need to do, how to do it, and how to act online. She offers great tips for anyone lost in the sea of social media.

Reminder! Snow White and the Eighth Dwarf on sale for 99¢

If you’ve read Snow White and the Eighth Dwarf, I thank you (please leave a review, it’s much appreciated). If you’ve not done so, here’s your chance. In celebration of the one year anniversary of its publication, I’m running a sale. For the next two days, closing after 3-25-18, Snow will be available for 99¢.

Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/SnowWhite8

Here’s the blurb:

Marked for death by her stepmother’s manic jealousy, Princess Snow White of Enchanted narrowly escapes the huntsman’s ax. Plunged into a treacherous blizzard, she stumbles across a cottage deep in the forest. But the owners, seven dwarfs and their adopted (and cute) human brother, cannot offer Snow refuge for long. Snow, who’s never done anything more arduous than princessing, must brave grueling weather, cross two kingdoms, and reach her only living relative ahead of the Evil Queen’s army. If Snow fails, she loses more than her throne . . .

Lex Sands, always out of place within his family, has his world turned upside down when a woman with skin as white as snow and hair as black as coal—and a curve or two—breaks into his house. Suddenly, he’s responsible for her safety. With nature against them and time running out, can he prove his worth to his family, and, more importantly, to Snow White?

Act now and pick up Book One in the Enchanted Series. (I’m working on Book Three now).

The AtoZChallenge is almost here!

If you don’t know what the A-to-Z Challenge is, go here where I reveal this year’s theme.

I’m super excited about presenting twenty-six short stories to my readers. Set in the fictional small retirement community of Twilight, Arizona, each story follows a weird event that happens to one of its residence. From being affected by the Arizona heat (you’ll never believe how one resident copes!) to celebrating a hundredth birthday (One-Zero-Zero), you’ll shake your head at the oddities of Twilight.

Stop by this blog from April 1-30 for a little bit of humor and a little bit of the unexplained.

Blessings,

Cheryl

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