All posts by carolannnewsome

C. A. Newsome writes mysteries with a dash of romance centered around the Mount Airy Dog Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Diet, Food

Turmeric for Weight Loss: The Saga Continues.

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This is going to play hell with my morning smoothie.

In October I posted Turmeric: The New Fat Terminator? after reading an article in First for Women about using it to lose weight. The article promised as much as a pound a day weight loss, starting immediately. Results, BTW, I did not expect to match.

The article suggested taking supplements containing turmeric extract. I hate spending lots of money to put something in a capsule when I already have it in my spice cupboard. I did a little research and found a few sites that said 2 grams was the recommended safe dose of turmeric. A little more research and I found that a teaspoon was slightly more than 2 grams. I decided to try consuming a teaspoon of turmeric a day in hot water, as a tea. I did this in the evening, before bed.

My results, as detailed in Turmeric for Weight Loss: Cautiously Optimistic, were not conclusive.

I had every intention of continuing this experiment with an increased dose of 1 Tablespoon in hot water, in the evening. Two weeks of this again had negligible results, but I intended to keep it up for at least a month to be sure. Then I launched my book and Thanksgiving hit and I fell off the wagon.

Today I noticed that I keep getting hits on those prior posts, so I thought I would do a little more research online to see if anyone had anything more specific to say about using turmeric in a diet. I was pleased to see that more information is now available. I found 3 sites that recommend taking a teaspoon of turmeric before or with each meal to assist in weight loss.

I’m going to give this one more try. Tonight I added a teaspoon of turmeric to my chicken and quinoa, and it was fine with a little salt. I suggest tossing a bit of curry powder in with your turmeric, to improve the flavor. I also read that black pepper increases the effectiveness of turmeric, so I’ll start adding that, too.

Mostly, I’ll drink it in hot water, either before or during meals. No, I am not going to dump it in my smoothies.

I should know by New Year’s if this is doing any good. Stay tuned!

On Being a Writer

Self Publishing: Cover Tips

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In my last post, A Cover is Worth . . ., I talked about the importance of your book cover. In this post, I’ll share my tips for creating an effective cover.

Create one cover for all formats
Format your cover with enough pixels to meet the specs of all your publishing venues.

  • Smashwords and Apple require a minimum width of 1400 pixels, with the height greater than width.
  • ACX (Audible) requires a cover which is 2500 pixels, square.
  • Createspace requires 300 ppi.
  • KDP (Amazon) requires a minimum of 625 pixels wide and a minimum 1000pixels tall. Preferred dimensions are 1563 by 2500 and a height/width ratio of 1.6

Create a master cover file using a layer for each image and piece of text (in Photoshop, this is .psd), then tweak your .psd to fit different formats. I like a wrap-around cover for my paperbacks, so I start with that. I can crop out the front cover for eBooks. A wrap-around image also gives me the extra width for my audio cover. Another option is to use a front cover image that is 2500 pixels wide and crop the height for your audio cover.

Things to keep in mind:
Periodically scale your view down to the size of a postage stamp to see if your cover will pop in Amazon searches and “also boughts.” Is the title legible?

Research other covers in your genre. You want to stand out, but also follow genre conventions well enough that people will know what they’re getting.

Take your time. Look at your cover over a period of days. Today’s great idea may be tomorrow’s vomit-fest.

Your cover should reflect the mood of your book more than anything. Color is the most immediate signifier of mood. Think bright colors for fluff, pastels for romance, dark for thrillers, faded images for nostalgia.

Keep your fonts big, simple and bold.

Use the best art you can get for your cover, but don’t let it overwhelm the title and author. Don’t be afraid to overlap your image with text.

If you are using stock art, run a search on your image to see if it is overused. You may discover that it is associated with other products that would not reflect well on your book.

If you like a certain artist’s style, consider asking them about creating a custom image for your cover. It may cost less than you think.

Cover art does not need to be a literal illustration of your book, as long as it conveys an appropriate idea.

Red, yellow and orange on your cover will pop out and draw attention. A little will go a long way. Don’t overdo it!

You can use layer style settings to set off your text from your background. Subtle adjustments can make your text easier to read. Be careful about going overboard here, it can look gimmicky.

Dog Park Culture, Dogs

#WoofWednesday – Gossip Fest

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Photo courtesy Angie Hall. Caption by Myrna-Sue Shimberg

On Being a Writer

Self Publishing: A Cover Is Worth . . .

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Last weekend I gave a talk about self-publishing at the Regional Gathering of the Cincinnati Mensa chapter, invited by John Cunningham (AKA “Terry Dunn”), my one-man street team. As I spent my odd moments over the past couple months compiling the distilled wisdom of my two years as a self-published author, it seems like a waste not to share this information here. This is the first in a series of blogs derived from that talk.

I couldn’t complete the title of this blog because I can’t quantify the value of a good cover. I won’t say that people buy books because of the cover (though some fans report buying my first book because of the fetching portrait of Max on the front), but the cover conveys the first impression of your book, and may be your only opportunity to grab someone’s attention.

The digital landscape that makes it possible for me to earn a living as a writer also changes the way books are viewed and bought.

At a brick and mortar store, you are given a limited number of options in your chosen genre and are likely to pull out several to flip through. Unless the publisher has paid for a front-facing display, your first contact with a book is via the title on the spine. A nice cover is an asset, but is not necessarily involved in the decision to pick up a book.

Compare this with your experience at an online book store. Whether you browse categories or search keywords, you are confronted with a glut of postage stamp sized images accompanied by text. The image that catches your eye first has the best chance of being clicked. That takes you to a product page, away from the other books.

You have 1/2 second to grab someone’s attention with your cover. If you succeed with this, you have two to four sentences to keep it with your blurb. If you succeed here, people will do one or several of the following things: Buy your book (Yay!); Skip to the “Look Inside,” where you have a page or so to sell them with your prose (or not); or check out your reviews (A portion of your product page over which you have no control).

Unless you have been referred to a specific book by some means, the entire process of selecting a book online begins with the cover. I have had one person argue that they pay no attention to covers. I would argue back, based on my background in the visual arts, that we are affected by visuals whether we are aware of it or not.

If you have to make a choice in where to invest hard cash in publishing your book, put it on the cover. Formatting can easily be done by anyone willing to read Mark Coker’s free style guide at Smashwords. As a writer, you likely know other writers you can trade with for beta-reading/proofing/editing. Unless you’ve got mad graphic skills, I suggest getting a pro cover.

Next: Tips for creating an effective cover.

Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Dog Park Culture

Dog Park Couture: Layers Are In!

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It’s that time of year again. Time to snuggle by the fire, drinking hot chocolate, and, what did you say? The dog needs to go out? Again?

Regardless of the weather or our own inclinations, dogs have to go outside on a regular basis, and they like having a schedule. There’s nothing easier than tossing your pack in the car and driving to the dog park. It’s so easy,  people forget that it’s cold outside.

I’m not talking about our resident New Zealander, who wears shorts and thongs when it’s 50 degrees out. He’s a special case. I’m talking about the less-hardy souls who hop in their heated cars, only to arrive at the dog park sans hat and mittens.

Forget that big fluffy coat. Go for layers. I typically wear 2 pairs of socks, yoga pants under sweats, then a tank/undershirt under a long-sleeved jersey, under a tee-shirt, under a sweat shirt, under a fleece-lined hoodie. All of this is topped with my warmest knit cap (hand-knitted by my favorite librarian).

Oh, and gloves – I like to layer gloves, too. I start with a pair of those cheap, one-size, knit gloves and top them off with even cheaper brown, cotton workman’s gloves. They are as warm as anything. I need not concern myself about ruining a nice pair of gloves with those unmentionable tasks we perform at the dog park. No worries if you lose one, since they come in packs with multiple pairs.

If it’s really cold, I pull on a neck gaiter. I knitted a tube that comes up over my head if needed or scrunches down around my neck. It stays in my car, just in case.

Lastly, once you arrive at the park, keep moving! It will help you stay warm.

Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Dog Park Culture

#WoofWednesday: Julie Andrews, Eat Your Heart Out!

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PRETTY

Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Dog Park Culture

#WoofWednesday: Action and Adventure!

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LASSIEToday’s Dog Park Drama courtesy Jill Scheilbaum.

Life, Woo-Woo Stuff

Metaphysics of Gratitude

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EmotoCrystal

It’s Thanksgiving. Count your blessings. What are you grateful for?

We’ve heard it all our lives. When I was younger, I thought it was just a way to make yourself feel better. It’s more than that. There’s magic in the phrase “thank you.”

Masaru Emoto photographs water crystals formed after water is exposed to different words, pictures, music and conditions. His most beautiful crystals  occur after exposure to the words, “thank you.” To my mind, that makes “thank you” the most important words you can say. If you are not familiar with Emoto, check out his work. I’s awe-inspiring.

Gratitude is transformative. Many years ago, I read one of those “how to be a real woman and manipulate your husband into giving you everything you want” books. I forget which one. And I was only reading it for my personal amusement. Honest!

The author said that you should thank your husband for every gift he gives you, even if you don’t like it. Why? Because if you make him feel successful at gifting you, he will do more of it. and if you criticize his effort, he won’t want to try again. Praise gets you more and better stuff.

I’m not going to share my feelings about this as marital advice. But it works on a cosmic level. The catch? You have to mean it.

What ever life hands you, find the gift in it and give thanks. It may come wrapped in newspaper and duct tape, but don’t be fooled. There are blessings inside. Honoring those blessings will make them multiply.

Master your situation and find happiness in it. The irony in this is, when you find that mastery and happiness and are perfectly willing to keep your situation, the Universe will decide you are ready for more of its special brand of blessings and propel you into a new one.

Catch number 2: Many of these situations involve lessons. To master the situation, you need to grow in a way specific to your situation. Mastering it may mean to come to love it. But it may also mean to see it for what it is and reject it, as in toxic relationships. The trick is in telling the difference.

How can you be grateful for a toxic situation? For my no-longer co-dependent self, I was grateful for the opportunity to re-experience childhood dynamics as an adult. It gave me the opportunity to see those relationships for what they were, change my behavior and let go. It freed me from the past.

That’s just one item on my gratitude list. I’ll publish more later this week. Until then, peek under the duct tape in your life. What blessings in disguise are lurking there?

Books, On Being a Writer

Gotta Brag! A Shot in the Bark is #1!

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Doing the happy dance here! I never thought I’d see #1 in the Free Kindle Store. Shot is free through Monday. If you don’t have your copy yet, click the cover in the sidebar to get yours.

BONUS: Shot is part of the whispersync program with Audible. If you own the Kindle edition, you can get the audio, with Jane Boyer’s wonderful narration, for $1.99. How cool is that?