The trick is to keep up on some of the leading publications as to what’s been found and use that as your guide.  For example, a few years back, a gentleman in Staffordshire England found what in know  referred to as the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold items ever found…EVER!!!  And as cool as the reality of it all was, and is, the fictional ideas behind it can be astronomical.  For example, who were the people who made the items?  Why were they found buried in various places of one small area?  Who could the items have been made for, or who could they have been MEANT to end up with?  The possibilities are endless.

There are hundreds of sites online that discuss all the latest finds from all around the world.  Some have to do with ancient civilizations, some with the world before humans, and some look into various religions of different cultures.  If you have the desire to learn about it, it’s out there.  And if it’s out there to be learned, it can be used as fodder for a great story.

Think about your own favorite time in history.  This might be as recent as the Vietnam War or as far back as the battle of Kadesh.  Whenever the time is, use some of the facts to add some depth to your stories.  A little bit of fact can turn a good story into a great read.

I think it’s because that’s when I finally had time to sit down and do something for myself.  When I was a kid, that’s when the chores were done–homework was done–and the folks were off to bed.  I’d sit in my room in the quiet and write my stories.  After having kids of my own, night time was the only time I had to myself and didn’t have babies under foot.

Now that my kids are all grown, you’d think I’d be able to write anytime I wanted.  The truth is I still do my best work after everyone has gone off to bed.  It’s quiet and the ideas rolling around in my brain start to get a bit louder than normal.  I find it relaxing and it even helps me sleep better to get all that stuff out of my head because it can get quite noisy in there and it’s hard to sleep with all those people in there yakking and trying to get their voices heard.

When is your best time to write?  Are you a day writer or do the words flow more easily at night?

This is a very cool submission site that helps writers send the work into publishers without having to scour the Internet and beyond just to find someone who’s accepting submissions at that time.  They’ve got an entire list of magazines/e-zines, but it is up to the writer to visit the site and read the guidelines for themselves.  But working the Hey Publisher site is a breeze.  Once you’ve registered for an account (which is free), you’ll be able to visit the publishers page.  There are over 1,200 publishers in their database so you’ll need to choose which category you want and enter a keyword or two so you have a smaller list of possibilities.

The site also offers a community powered support system.  So when someone has a question, they type it in and someone in the know will come along and help answer if they can.  From what I can tell, there doesn’t seem to be a ton of activity in there, but enough to know that there are people helping their fellow writers.  It’s kinda cool.

I’ve had a ball going through the publishers and favoriting some of those that I’ll be submitting to at some point.  I did send in one submission so far, but probably won’t hear anything back from them for about another month.  By which time I will have probably forgotten about submitting to them and will wonder who they are and what they want.  LOL

So hey, check them out and see if there isn’t somewhere in their vast list of publications where you can send some of your stuff.  It isn’t all fiction zines, there are some non-fiction places, some for poetry, and so on.  Pick a topic and add some keywords and you’re on your way.  Have fun and tell them I sent you if they ask. LOL

I love lists! Yes I’m one of those people who has to write a list for everything I do. I have a housework list, a grocery list, I even have a “to write” list. So when I came across the site All You Need Is Lists, I got all excited. I had to go do a little checking around the site just to see what it was all about.

In a nutshell All You Need Is Lists is about information. Some of it is entertaining information, some of it is need to know information, and some of it is totally useless information. But when you bottom line it, it’s going to inspire someone. According to the site’s About Us page, the site basically started out as a place to post information on things that couldn’t be found in one spot anywhere else on the Internet. Over time, the site basically took on a life of it’s own.

There are only 3 main categories on the site; gaming & entertainment, technology & design, and world, business, & lifestyles. There are further sub-categories from there, but this is a good place to start. I was blown away by the wide variety of topics and the ideas that the writers put into these posts.  I loved the list about the Non-Fiction Books That Read Like Fiction.  Being an avid reader and a writer, I loved this one and quickly realized that I need to update my non-fiction reading list.

I really like the way this entire site is put together. Not only do they have a link where the average blogger can submit their own lists, but they encourage their readers to post comments. Not through the usual fodder found on most blogs, but in great big bright letters. “Come leave a comment and get free backlinks”. I don’t usually leave comments on blogs unless I feel I have something worthwhile to add to the conversation. But this site makes me feel that even if I post something that is, shall we say, less than intelligent, I won’t be called out for all to see.

I had a ball going through the different lists on the site. I had so much fun that I had to check out their Facebook page and their Twitter page. I’m even thinking about putting together a few lists of my own to add to this way cool site. I mean, if someone can post a list about the Top 5 Cartoon Spies (and NOT mention Secret Squirrel or Spy VS. Spy), I’m sure I can come up with something to add to the mix.

Seriously, the next time you’re out browsing through the Internet, you’ve got to check this site out. It’s a riot and oddly enough, you might accidentally learn something. Need a better reason? What, do I gotta write a list for ya???

My name is Christine Senter and I’ve been a freelance writer for the past 20+ years.  I began writing as a hobby in grade school and began trying to write professionally at about age 18.
I wasn’t able to go to college as children and life got in the way, so I read everything I could find about the writing field on my own time.  I wrote articles, short stories, and poetry on an old
1950s manual typewriter.  And after several rejection letters, I did manage to get a couple poems published in small chapbooks.

In 1994, I finally joined the online revolution.  My husband got us our first computer and I spent 3 days in my room teaching myself how to work the Internet and how to build a site using HTML.  In 1995, I found a free online site that would help me with my online writing career.  The class was called “Beginning Writing” and the teacher was Shery Ma Belle Arrieta.  She taught me a lot about being a writer online, and soon gave me my own column on her personal website.  Her site was called The E-Writer’s Place and I wrote a column called The Write Sites.  I researched the Internet looking for sites that had anything to do with writing, from free classes to research sites to literary agents.

Within a couple of years, I was producing my own sites through a company called WebSeed Publishing.  It was one of the very first writing communities and I ran 2 different sites.  One was called Finding the Father.com—a site about finding God in today’s society—and the other was called PlantLore.com—a site that looked into the histories, mysteries, and mythologies of the plant kingdom.  When Webseed went under, so did my sites.

It was then I decided to take the plunge and buy my first domain.  It was a site called The Prompt Writer and was filled with writing prompts for my fellow writers.  I also put together a weekly newsletter for my readers and posted each week’s prompts onto the site.  Though I no longer maintain the newsletter, the site has been updated several times and is still filled with free writing prompts.

From 2004-2007, I worked at writing poetry and short stories.  I had a few published on various websites and made a little money along the way.  When I started writing for Associated Content, my writing career took on a life of its own.  I found out that I could make money as a writer, though I didn’t see me making enough to pay off any bills.  I had also started writing for Hubpages and a couple other sites that are no longer in existence.

In 2008, everything changed.  I was contacted by a pro-blogger by the name of Garry Conn.  Garry and I became great friends and he began paying me to write SEO styled articles for his many web blogs.  Up to that time, I had had a blog, but it was more of a play place than a way of making money.  Garry taught me how to monetize my sites and how to run a WordPress blog.  With a year’s time, I owned 3 more blogs—Special Offers Blog, Sapheyerblu Review, and Christine Senter.com.

Today, I still work to maintain my many blogs, though I don’t get it done as often as I’d like.  I do, however, make enough to keep me going by writing for several different content sites such as TextWriter.com and WordGigs.  I also work as a ghostwriter for a couple other bloggers who prefer to remain anonymous.

Outside of being a writer, I also run a couple different online shops.  I run a webstore called Classic Curios Boutique and I’m working on putting together my own Zazzle store.  However these are only as a hobby for the time being.  My real triumph is winning my own EZshoppe called Prairied Treasures, which I’m working on getting put together as I write this.  I want to have enough items made (all handmade items) to make it worth sending people over to see.  My problem is that I’m a perfectionist and I can’t see anyone wanting to buy my jumbles.

So that’s me.  I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff I’ve forgotten about.  Several sites I’ve written stuff on that I can’t remember the address of or even the name of.  I’m sure there’s a lot more out there about me, but some of it’s probably not worth seeing.  If I think of more stuff, I’ll update this page.  Until that time, this is the bio that is me.

I was lucky enough to win a total of 5 books during the Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway Event. 2 e-books and 3 physical books. So far, I’ve received 4 of the 5, with the last one sent being sent out tomorrow. Rather than just send out thank-you’s (which I’ve already done), I thought I’d do something nice for those 5 bloggers/writers to show my appreciation.

The very first book I won was a hard cover copy of Stephen King’s The Dark Half. This win came from Grab A Book From My Shelf, with a total of 3 winners. I loved the fact that the winners were chosen by the site-owner’s pets. Very cool video posted showing the drawing. LOL. Thanks to Spunky Doodle for sitting on my name.

The next book I won was an e-book copy of The Noble Pirates from the book’s author, R.L. Jean. Though there were originally going to be 5 winners, this kind person gave everyone a copy so everybody was a winner in this contest. And I’m thrilled to be one of them.

Number 3 came from a very sweet girl who’s created more than just a neat book, she’s created a visual trip through modern day Egypt that inspires children and adults alike. An ABC Escapade through Egypt is an e-book bursting with vivid pictures that take the reader/viewer through an alphabetical journey through modern-day Egypt. I highly recommend this e-book to anyone who has children. It’s very cool!!!

My forth win came from the lady who put this entire event together, Inspired Kathy. I love this site, and there’s a contest going on all the time. I won a copy of Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. It takes place during the Civil War on a train called the Dreadnought. That’s my mom’s favorite period in history so I,m thinking about giving it to her for Christmas.

And finally, I won a copy of Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews from Urban Girl Reader. I received a message from site owner, Sherri Wright that she will be sending my copy out tomorrow. She was a bit worried as the copy has been a little loved, but that’s totally cool with me. I like books that have known love.

I want to thank all of these people, and everyone who contributed to this event. I had a ball, and I can’t wait until the next one so we can do it again.

First of all, Happy late Halloween. I’ve been a little off my game since I finished up doing all those sites for the Spooktacular Book Blog Giveaway. But I had fun and that’s all that’s necessary. The down side is that I didn’t get a post done yesterday and broke my almost 3 month streak. I hadn’t missed a post since before the 1st of August. But guess what, the world didn’t come to an end. LOL.

I’ve started my own blog hop/meet & greet and I’m inviting all book bloggers, writers, wanna-be writers, poets, or anyone who has a blog that they use for anything that has to do with writing. I want to help bring together a wonderful community of like-minded people. I’ve been a writer since I can remember. I’ve been writing stories, poetry, notes, whatever. As long as I was writing something, my life was a happy one.

Please join along as I work to bring together the people who keep imaginations flowing, and those that express whether or not those stories should be told. Simply add the button to your blog or site, add your site to the link up below and check out any of the other sites involved. This is a very new idea, so right now there aren’t very many sites on the list. So, helping to spread the word would be greatly appreciated.

<a href=”http://sapheyerblu.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://thepromptwriter.com/images/mondaysmuse.jpg” alt=”Mondays Muse Meet-N-Greet” border=”0″ /></a>

Spooktacular Post #1
Spooktacular Post #2
Spooktacular Post #3
Spooktacular Post #4
Spooktacular Post #5
Spooktacular Post #6
Spooktacular Post #7

So let’s get this going so we can get this finished.  Here We Go!!!

78.) Two Little Cavaliers
This site is giving away a copy of the picture book, Paw Steps To Happiness.  This is a funny, and inspirational, picture book filled with pictures of dogs and how they make us happy.  It’s just too cute, and there are only 3 ways to enter this giveaway.  This one is open to International entrants.

79.) Just Joan
This is a nice little giveaway.  Joan is giving away a copy of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and a copy of Koko by Peter Straub.  She’s also giving the winner either a crocheted pumpkin or witch to keep in theme with the Halloween theme.  There is only one way to enter this giveaway so this one’s gonna keep everyone on an even playing field.

80.) My Neurotic Book Affair
I kinda dig this site.  Shari is giving away a signed copy of She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens.  I read the summary of this book and it sounds interesting to say the least.  There is only one mandatory entry , but 4 extra entries are available.

81.) Reading Angel
This is a quick little giveaway as there is a choice of only 2 items.  You can win either a $10 gift card to your favorite book store (as long as they offer e-gift cards), OR a $10 book from The Book Depository.  This giveaway is open to International entrants but must be at least 13 years of age.

82.) Literati’s Literary Library
This site is giving out 3 prize packs to 3 lucky winners.  I like the way this one is set up.  Each pack has a total of 3 books in them, and they will be giving out in order of names picked.  This one is open to US and Canadian residents only.

83.) A Novel Idea
This one is way awesome.  This site is giving away 5 books from Scholastic.  Remember scholastic books???  I loved them and would do almost anything to get my mom to let me have one or two a month.  LOL.  This is an easy one to enter, only 2 ways to enter.

84.) A View From The Other Side Of The Hill
Author L.C. Lewis is giving away a signed copy of any one of her Free Men and Dreamers series.  There are a total of 4 ways to enter her contest.  This is an easy one, kids.

85.) A-Musing Reviews
This site is holding several giveaways all ending on Halloween.  Though these aren’t expressly on the Spooktacular giveaway round, she is promoting these giveaways for the event.  There are a total of 3 giveaways ending on the 31st, one ending on Nov. 5th, and one ending on Nov. 12th.

86.) Midnight Book Girl
This one is short, sweet, and to the point.  Book Girl is giving away a $10 Amazon.com gift card to anyone in the world who has an email address and can use Amazon.com.  From there, just fill out the entry form and you’re done.

87.) Read For Your Future
This one’s a bit tricky as there are two different books being given away, in separate giveaways, and you must enter them BOTH!!!  Mandatory requirement is that you be a follower of the site, but there are ways to earn extra entries.

88.) Grab a Book From Our Stack
This site is giving away 3 Stephen King books.  What better way to celebrate Halloween???  They are giving away a hard cover copy of The Tommyknockers, Four Past Midnight, and The Dark Half.  This giveaway is open to US residents only and there is only one requirement for entering.

Oh My Stars and Garters!!!!  I did it.  I’ve blogged about all 88 (one more than I knew about on Monday) giveaways, and entered all but one.  I’m totally stoked about this and can’t believe I did it before the deadline.  LOL

Go check out some of these giveaways, enter a few more, and have some fun.  After all, come Monday this is all over with for another year.

So let’s get this finished, shall we??

72.) Simply Stacie
I love this site and have been following Stacie for awhile now.  She’s giving away a $20 gift card to Amazon.com.  My all time favorite online shopping site.  This is an easy one to enter as there is only one mandatory entry, but there are several extras.  Hurry over and get in on this one.  Who couldn’t use an extra $20 to spend at Amazon.com right before Christmas???

73.) The Book Tree
This site is giving away a $10 gift card to Barnes and Nobles and all you have to do is leave a comment and tell what you’d spend your gift card on.  This giveaway is open to residents world wide.  This is an easy one, kids.  Better get over there and check it out.

74.) Emeraldfire’s Bookmark
This site is giving away a copy of There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Adrienne Barbeau (audio book).  There will be 2 winners.  This one is open to US residents only.  One entry is to add a comment with valid email address, but followers are welcomed.

75.) Simply Ali
Ali is giving away 4 paranormal romance books.  And she’s actually doing something each day of this giveaway, so I’ll have to go back tomorrow and check out all the other days worth.  The only requirements on each day is that you answer her question of the day.  There are a couple other extra entries, but nothing elaborate.  Open to International entrants.

76.) The Blue Bookcase
This is a cool one.  This site is giving away a copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s complete Tales and Poems (hard cover).  Also, she’s giving away a short story called Lambs to Slaughter and she says it’s a very strange tale.  Hmmm, my kinda story.  This one is open to International entrants and there are only a few ways to enter.

77.) YA Enthusiast: Romance Lover Anonymous
This site is giving away a copy of Thirst No. 1 by Christopher Pike.  This one is open to US and Canadian residents only and there are only a few ways to enter this one, so it won’t take but a couple minutes.  This is neat little site, by the way.  Very cool.

Okay, I’m going to end this one here for the night.  I had planned on getting all 16 finished, but my fingers have gone on strike and my eyes refuse to stay open any longer.  But that’s okay as I’ll do one last post on this tomorrow and they’ll all be done.  I am bummed that I didn’t get to actually enter each and every one of these giveaways, but there was one in there that I just couldn’t enter because I don’t live close enough.  But that’s okay, up to this point, I have entered every other giveaway or at least part of them (for those that have more than 1 part to them).

Until tomorrow my chickadees.  I’m off to lala land to dream about my own knight in shining wolf skin.

You can find the other posts with the first 45 links at the following links:
Spooktacular Post #1
Spooktacular Post #2
Spooktacular Post #3
Spooktacular Post #4

So let’s get to it!!

46.) Walnut Springs Press
This site is giving away something completely different, while still keeping in theme with the whole Halloween thing.  She’s giving away a copy of Gross-Out Cakes: Kitty Litter Cakes and Other Classics.  This is an actual recipe book with recipes that look like things you’d never eat normally.  Open to International entrants.

47.) Jennifer’s Musings
Author Jennifer Laurens is giving way a signed copy of you YA book, Heavenly.  Along with that, she’s giving away a Heavenly t-shirt, a Heavenly keychain, and of course, Halloween candy.  Leave a comment and your entered.  Takes less time than it took me to actually write this segment.  LOL

48.) Icey Books
Hafsah is giving away a gently loved copy of The Enemy by Charlie Higson.  Simply fill out the form on the site and you’re in.  There are extra ways to enter, but nothing serious.  This is an easy one that can be done in just a few minutes.

49.) Haunts Haven
Author Joan Sowards is giving away a copy of her book Haunts Haven to one lucky winner.  Entries are few and easy.  That’s all there is to it, be a follower and leave a comment.  Check it out, this would be a great read for Halloween.

50.) Nikki’s Starbucks Reviews
Nikki is giving away a total of 4 prizes during this giveaway.  She’s giving away 4 $15 gift cards to iTunes.  Now this won’t do me much good, but I’m sure my kid would love it.  She’s almost as plugged into her iPod as she is to her computer.  It’s only a matter of time before I have a cyberkid.  Winners will be announced the week on Nov. 1st.

51.) Pure Imagination
This site is giving away 2 books to one lucky winner.  Those books are Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John and Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler.  Open to International entrants and only one way to enter.  Now that’s a giveaway anyone can get into.

52.) Candace’s Book Blog
Candace is giving away 2 books to one winner.  Those books are Bras & Broomsticks and Frogs & French Kisses both by Sarah Mlynowski.  This one is open to US residents only and there’s only one way to enter.  Very easy one, kids.

53.) Reading is Dreamy
This site is giving away a $15 trip to The Book Depository.  If you can find 2 books you like, and they equal about $15, you get two books.  And because the books will be coming from The Book Depository, this is an International giveaway.  Simply fill out the form and you’re entered.  There are a couple ways to get extra entries, but they’re easy.

54.) Curious Minds Children’s books
I did NOT expect to see this in a Halloween book giveaway, but what could be more right?  Halloween is predominantly a kid’s holiday, so why not have a kid’s book giveaway.  This site is giving away Smelly Peter; The Great Pea Eater and The Bernstein Bears Trick or Treat.  One winner will receive both books.  There is only one mandatory entry and one extra.

55.) Cindy Bennett
Author Cindy Bennett is giving away an autographed copy of her book, Geek Girl.  She’s also throwing in a bookmark, an Amazon.com gift card, and a bag of candy.  I’m in it for the candy as my daughter will surely steal the book from me should I win.  LOL.  This is an easy one to get in on, hurry over and sign up.