Contest Time!

Well, today's the day--the contest begins and I'll be providing an excerpt from my free eBook coming out Friday, June 4th! First things first: The Contest. This is for everyone aged 5-16. Between now and Thursday, June 3, I will be accepting entries from everyone on their ideas of how to prevent bullying. This can include written and/or drawings. Show me or tell me what you would do to prevent the situation from happening, as well as how to stop it when you find it occurring. I will choose one entry from each age group (5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16) and the winners will be announced the day the book is published and available! Winners will also be posted during the week following the contest, one on each day. Prizes include gift cards for iTunes and Barnes & Noble, t-shirts, hats, and cool accessories! Send your entries to: sharleyte@gmail.com. Put eBook contest in the subject heading. ENTER TODAY!!!

Now, here is an excerpt from the book, 12 Signs Your Child May Be A Bully. It is from the section, Myths About Bullying. Bullies don't have many friends. Actually, the opposite is true. Kids that bully usually have a lot of friends. Those friends are their support system and are the ones that encourage the bully to continue in his/her behavior. Children that bully usually have high leadership skills, as well as being extroverts.

Next week, I'll have more excerpts and also, a quiz for kids to take! Have a great weekend and don't forget to ENTER THE CONTEST! Good luck!

This Crazy World!

What a lot of excitement in the news today! First off, congratulations to John Travolta and his wife, Kelly on their announcement of the new baby on the way. Exciting! Also, as a dog owner for most of my life, I share their sorrow in the news that their dogs were killed while being walked at the airport. Our condolences to the Travolta family.
In other news, related to animals, the first sea turtle was rescued as a result of being harmed by the Gulf oil spill. I can't even begin to imagine the horrific effects this spill is going to have on the environment. The government needs to institute tighter controls and laws on these oil companies so that things like this won't happen. If stricter requirements are imposed on the freighters as far as maintainance and such, as well as better decision-making and responsibility on behalf of the crews, there would be less chance of accidents.
On the writing side of things, I have an eBook coming out in a couple of weeks that I will be offering as a FREE DOWNLOAD. It is entitled, 12 Signs That Your Child May Be A Bully. Many of you participated last week in the poll I had on my blog here about whether or not you had been bullied in school at one time. 69% responded yes! I will be posting some key points excerpted from my eBook off and on during the next few weeks, as well as starting a contest. It will be posted on Friday, May 21 and will run for the 2 weeks leading up to the eBook's release date. ENTER FRIDAY!

Love the writing life!

I'm a writer and have been told that it is hard work. I don't think writing articles and books is the hard part, I think being a single mom and trying to learn how to market myself is the hard part! Writing comes fairly easy to me--I feel like an idea factory! It takes time to edit the rough drafts and all, but the key to successful writing is the business part of it: marketing. If nobody knows you or your book/articles, then you're not going to sell much. The most time-consuming part is learning all about how to market myself. Once I get more accomplished at it, then it will go by faster and become easier (then I can spend more time writing!). What also takes time is parenting. I have a 10 yr. old son at home and my now 22 yr. old daughter is on her own, but they never really reach the point where they don't need you! We talk to each other daily (even though we are several hours away from one another!) and see each other at least a couple of times a month. She has a young son and I think that aspect has drawn us even closer. Parenting definitely takes a lot of time and single parenting even more. If only there were more hours in the day--but then I would probably fill them with more of what I'm doing now, now with ways to relax! Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't change a thing about my life. Being a parent and a writer is heaven. I can't think of anything else I would rather do.

Trump Network On The Move!

Just got back from a great weekend in Las Vegas where I was invited to hear Donald Trump speak about his newest business launch, Trump Network. He is a very humorous speaker and I have to say, I agree with everything he said in his presentation! It was not only about being a successful entrepreneur, but also his views on different topics. I was motivated to achieve whatever my dream is and believe it will happen. Trump Network is all about health and doing the best for yourself and others that you can. They have a unique line of products that include vitamins, skincare, weightloss, and more. The vitamins are individualized to each person's body needs and therefore, you are taking only what is required by your body. I am definitely going to be a client after what I heard and researched. The company used to be Ideal Health. Some friends of mine, Dennis and Gail Mather, have been involved with it for awhile and love the financial freedom it gives them as well.