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IWSG

#IWSG June 2014: Summer Magic

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

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As some of you may or may not know, I am a teacher by day. That means that summer vacation is quickly approaching. To say that I’m happy or looking forward to this vacation would be a ridiculous understatement. I’ve had a rough term in more ways than I care to try and list now, but with summer on the horizon, I have hope. Summer is a time of magic for me.

For me this summer vacation means:

More time to read leisurely. I haven’t skimmed through a book since college, but sometimes I feel as if I rush more than I’d like to with books because I’m trying to cram in a few precious moments of creative reading into my busy day as a means of relief. While that has worked, over the summer I won’t need to cram in my reading.

More time to write leisurely. For almost the same reason as above, I haven’t been able to write like I want to. I find, from past experiences, that my writing productively increases almost 3 times in the summer, when that’s all I have to focus on. That’s why the idea of being a full-time professional writer is enticing. To not have to work, but to be able to make a living writing would be ideal, but it’s currently not reality.

More time away from things that make me anxious. This means that in the summer, I don’t have to spend a lot of time around people. Some people love being around other people, but for someone who has anxiety just looking at Wal-Mart, going to work every day, surrounded by people, can be hard. I can say that the more time I spend around a set group of people the less the anxiety gets, but even if others think it’s weird, it’s sometimes nice to know that I don’t have to be around more than two people on any given day, in the summer.

More time to worry about myself. I spend of a lot of my time worrying about others and trying to do for others, even if I don’t always pull through. In the summer, there’s enough time for me to be a little selfish and spend some time thinking and doing for myself…I always lose weight in the summer and then gain it back when I return to work.

Needless to say, I’m ready for summer magic to take over my life. Below are some updates and shout outs for any who may be interested.

Are you looking forward to summer? What are your plans?

Happy Birthday to my sister, Tori J. Jones!, Eternal Cause is a Go!, possibly another publication on the way, and I need to get busy with Miss Boop.

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:  C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo, Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #179).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Promotion

Eternal Cause is a Go!

Even though I’m going it alone, I’ve decided to stick to my plan to do my part to support a cause that matters to me. On June 16th, I will share Abraham’s story and host a giveaway in efforts to raise funds for The American Cancer society. I’ll be offering 50% of the proceeds of my book sales, but most of all, I’ve be allowing entry into my giveaway without purchasing any of my books. If people will consider giving directly to the ACS, I’ll enter them into my giveaway as a thank you.

I tried to get others involved in this endeavor, but no one was interested. If by any chance another blogger wouldn’t mind to share my Eternal Cause post on or around June 16, they’ll be entered into my giveaway also. I’ll also have a separate special prize to offer participating bloggers outside of my overall giveaway. If you are interested, please click here.

So here’s what I’m giving away, whether I sell any books or not. It’s all about this cause!

Eternal Curse themed gift box including:
A set of gourmet coffee, tea, and cocoa (Green Tea Cocoa is a thing),
1 signature piece of December 10 jewelry from Tori J. Jones (my inspiration for Mira),
1 DVD copy of Rear Window (Abraham’s favorite movie),
1 paperback copy of the Dreamer’s Dictionary (It’s all about Giovanni’s dreams),
1 digital download card of Eternal Curse to give as a gift, and
1 Eternal Curse Fan pack: t-shirt, pen, poster, and bookmark

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Promotion

Worth a Shot for a Good Cause

After suffering a recent loss, I have a desire to give to the American Cancer Society, but funds are lacking. I’m not impoverished or anything like that, I just can’t give the way I’d like. I thought about using some proceeds from my books sales, but I wanted there to be an emphasis and focus on this cause. I thought that if I could bring about increased awareness of this cause, that would be just as good as if I gave what I truly desired. That’s when I decided to combine these ideas.

For a set period of time, I’ll be giving 50% of my book proceeds to this cause, but this isn’t all about selling books. I’ll be offering a pretty sweet giveaway to help incentivize people into participating in this endeavor, but no purchases of my books will be necessary to enter and win the prize. If I can’t raise the funds I desire to give to the ACS by selling my books, at least I hope I can be a driving force that gets other people involved in donating to this cause.

Here are my meager offerings:
-1 free entry into my giveaway for each blogger who posts the blitz
-a chance to win an Amazon gift card for participating bloggers
-1 800word, cleaver, and colorful post for your blog
-and a link-back in a post on my blog in tribute to each blogger participating in this blitz

If you are at all interested in this endeavor, please fill out the form at this link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11NEXOb_Z2DUzFqlY_XQ9AD5s8apKOSwKqPqW_roz8P0/viewform

I know this isn’t going to be for everyone, so thank you in advance all for your time and consideration. If you like this let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords