Only 5 Days Left to Win a Kindle!!!

October 10, 2014

Dear friends, family and constant readers,

There are only 5 days left to qualify for the Kindle giveaway or to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.  If you aren't familiar with the contest, here are the details:

The Free Kindle Contest:

During the month, September 15 through October 15, 2014, I am holding a special contest to giveaway a brand new Kindle from Amazon.  All you have to do is subscribe to my blog, "One Writer's Life," to receive posts by email  which come out approximately 2-4 times a week.

How to Enter:

Go to my blog's homepage, scroll down and look on the right-hand navigation bar for "Follow By Email."  Enter your email address in the form and click "Submit."  You will receive an email confirmation of your desire to be subscribed.  Be sure to confirm through the link included in the email.

You only have to subscribe once and your name will be entered in for the drawing.  The winner will be notified no later than October 18, 2014 by email, so please be sure that you register using a valid email address.  If the winner does not respond with his or her mailing address within 48 hours of the notification email being sent, the prize will be forfeited and an alternative winner will be selected (same guidelines apply).  The contest prize - the Kindle - will be shipped after a mailing address is provided.  Once the prize is claimed, the winner's name will be announced on this blog.

Start and End Dates:

The contest will be held from Monday, September 15, 12 a.m. through Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 11:59 p.m.

How the Winner is Selected:

The winner will be chosen completely at random from a list of all who subscribed to the blog in the period specified.

Rules and Restrictions:

You must be 18 years old to participate.  You cannot be a member of the author's immediate family.  Your mailing address must be in the United States.  All previous winners will be excluded from the drawing.

So What If I'm Already Subscribed?  What About Me - the Constant Reader???

Okay, here's the deal!  You, too, can enter a separate contest by encouraging NEW readers to subscribe.  Let

your friends and family know about this blog and the opportunity to win a new Kindle, and if they like what they see and read, encourage them to subscribe to the blog.  If you recommendation results in a new subscriber, you will be entered in a separate contest to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

The way that you enroll in this contest is that you must send me an email and let me know who you have helped to subscribe.  I'll need a name and an email address in order to confirm that this person has subscribed.  That information will be disposed of once the verification is made to protect privacy.  The same rules to win the Kindle also apply in this contest as well.

If you have any questions about either contest, please email me and I will respond.

Good luck to all!  May the best person(s) win!  And may our blog community grow!

Cheers,

Stephen

Reaching New Readers... Can We Have 200 By Oct. 15? 300?

September 27, 2014

Dear Constant Readers,

Just a brief reminder, I'm hosting a contest to win a new Kindle reader from Amazon this month.  The contest began on September 15 and will end on October 15.  The way that this contest works is that anyone who registers to receive my blog posts by email during this time period will be automatically be registered.  That's all you need to do.  Very simple!  And even if you don't win the Kindle, you'll still get wonderful blog posts delivered to your email inbox when they are published.

Now for those who are already registered (before September 15), there is a second contest to win a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.  (By the way, the gifts are all from me - Amazon is not sponsoring or underwriting this contest - FYI.)  To qualify, you just need to recommend this blog to a new reader who subscribes to receive the posts.

As of today, we have 165 subscribers for "One Writer's Life"  - that's 165 people who read this blog by email.  Can we make that 200 reader subscriptions by October 15?  What about 300 readers?

For more details about this contest and how to qualify for the gifts, please read this post.

Thanks for your help increasing the audience for this blog and for your support for my writing in general!

Cheers,

Stephen

Contest to Win a New Kindle By Subscribing to My Blog By Email

September 14, 2014

Dear friends, family and constant readers,

The Free Kindle Contest:

During the coming month - September 15 through October 15, 2014, I am holding a special contest to giveaway a brand new Kindle from Amazon.  All you have to do is subscribe to my blog, "One Writer's Life," which comes out approximately 2-4 times a week.

How to Enter:

Go to my blog's homepage, scroll down and look on the right-hand navigation bar for "Follow By Email."  Enter your email address in the form and click "Submit."  You will receive an email confirmation of your desire to be subscribed.  Be sure to confirm through the link included in the email.

You only have to subscribe once and your name will be entered in for the drawing.  The winner will be notified no later than October 18, 2014 by email, so please be sure that you register using a valid email address.  If the winner does not respond with his or her mailing address within 48 hours of the notification email being sent, the prize will be forfeited and an alternative winner will be selected (same guidelines apply).  The contest prize - the Kindle - will be shipped after a mailing address is provided.  Once the prize is claimed, the winner's name will be announced on this blog.

Start and End Dates:

The contest will be held from Monday, September 15, 12 a.m. through Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 11:59 p.m.

How the Winner is Selected:

The winner will be chosen completely at random from a list of all who subscribed to the blog in the period specified.

Rules and Restrictions:

You must be 18 years old to participate.  You cannot be a member of the author's immediate family.  Your mailing address must be in the United States.  All previous winners will be excluded from the drawing.

So What If I'm Already Subscribed?  What About Me - the Constant Reader???

Okay, here's the deal!  You, too, can enter a separate contest by encouraging NEW readers to subscribe.  Let

your friends and family know about this blog and the opportunity to win a new Kindle, and if they like what they see and read, encourage them to subscribe to the blog.  If you recommendation results in a new subscriber, you will be entered in a separate contest to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

The way that you enroll in this contest is that you must send me an email and let me know who you have helped to subscribe.  I'll need a name and an email address in order to confirm that this person has subscribed.  That information will be disposed of once the verification is made to protect privacy.  The same rules to win the Kindle also apply in this contest as well.

If you have any questions about either contest, please email me and I will respond.

Good luck to all!  May the best person(s) win!  And may our blog community grow!

Cheers,

Stephen

Ways to Read My Blog

September 7, 2014

Hello All and Welcome!

Now that my blog, "One Writer's Life," is back on schedule, I want to thank the readers who have hung in there with me - and also to welcome folks who are coming to this blog for the first time.  I'm glad that all of you are willing to take a little time out of your busy days to read my ponderings on life.

There are several ways to be able to access this blog which I would like to share with you in today's post.

1.  By Email

One of the easiest ways to receive my blog posts is by subscribing for email delivery.  All you have to do for this option is going to my blog - "One Writer's Life" - and in the right hand column locate the option, "Follow By Email," then type in your email address and hit "Submit."  You will receive a notification email asking whether you want to subscribe, so be sure to click the link in that email letting Blogger know that you do indeed want to subscribe.

2.  On the Blog Itself

If you want to read this blog directly from the website itself, hosted by Blogger, then all you have to do is go to "One Writer's Life" and you can read not only the most recent post, but any or all of the posts to date.  This blog site is searchable if you are looking for a particular post or theme.  There is also a list of the most popular posts, and many other helpful elements.

3.  On My Website

My blog is also available to be read on my website - www.stephenarhodes.com.  If you go to my home page, you will see a tool bar at the top of the page.  Choose "Stephen's Blog" and you can read the most recent posts there.

4.  By Mobile Device

If you have a tablet like an iPad or a smart phone, my blog is designed to fit your screen.  To access it on your mobile device, all you have to do is type in your browser the address of this blog - http://stephenarhodes.blogspot.com/ - and you'll be able to read it on the go!

5.  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ Notifications

When I publish each post, I also add links to it on my Facebook page, Twitter account, Pinterest and Google+.  If we are connected on any of these social networks, then my new posts will show up in your feed.  You can click on them and read that way, too.

6.  By RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

Lastly, you may like to keep up with blogs or other internet postings by using RSS.  To receive posts this way, just go to my blog page - "One Writer's Life" - and locate in right hand column (it's at the very end, so you'll need to scroll down to find it).  You may subscribe there - both to receive the posts themselves and also to receive follow-up comments by fellow readers.

However you choose to access my blog posts, I just want to thank you for making time to read them.  It's hard to be a writer if you don't have any readers!

Oh, and One More Thing... Please COMMENT

From the very beginning, I envisioned this blog to not just be a creative outlet for me, but also to be a source of community to those who read it.  I would be very appreciative if you take time to comment on posts that you find interesting or thought-provoking.  I value feedback and want to know what you are thinking too!  There is an option on each post to post a comment on the blog's homepage.  If you post there, others will be able to read your comment and respond, creating a conversation in our little online community.  If you prefer to comment to me directly instead, you can use the email submission form on the blog or else just email me directly - stephen@stephenarhodes.com.  I would love to hear from you.

Have a great rest of your weekend!

Cheers,

Stephen

Take My Online Poll

January 17, 2014

Dear Faithful Readers:

I am conducting an online poll on my blog homepage so that you can help determine which topics are chosen for future posts.  Now the reason for this isn't because I have run out of ideas, but because I really want your input and opinions.

I have listed a number of possible topics.  You may vote for more than one.  The poll will last six days.  If you don't find a topic that you are interested in, then I encourage you to email/message me and suggest one of your own.

Here is the list of topics:

• My Experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• More Top Ten Lists of Books
• Answer Your Questions
• My Adventures in Crock Pot Cooking
• My Anti-Bucket List (Things I Would Never Do) 
• My Upcoming Book Projects
• Sneak Peak (On What I'm Writing)
• Tech I Can't Live Without
• The Process of Writing and Publishing
• Someone Who Has Inspired Me
• A Day in the Life Of...
• Bill Gates or Steve Jobs?

My hope is that the readership for this blog will grow because there are interesting things to read here.  I also hope a type of online community will form around these various blog postings.

To participate in this poll, please go to my blog page - http://stephenarhodes.blogspot.com/ - and you will see the poll in the right hand side of the page, immediately beneath the "About Me" section.

To suggest a topic of your own, you can contact me through the blog post form or email me directly at: stephen@stephenarhodes.com.

Cheers,

Steve
________________________

P.S.  Remember that the contest for the free Kindle giveaway is ongoing through January 31st.  If you have friends, family or colleagues whom you think might enjoy receiving this blog by email, then feel free to forward this posting on to them.  To be eligible for the free Kindle, a person must visit my blog website - http://stephenarhodes.blogspot.com/ - and subscribe to it through the "Follow By Email" option.  Also, you will receive a confirmation email from Feedburner which requests that you confirm you want this subscription.  If you do not confirm, you will not be subscribed, so please do so.

You've Got Mail!

Okay, I'll admit it - I am a philatelist - yes, a philatelist!  I love collecting stamps.  Recent ones, old ones, new ones, used ones - I love them all.

When I was about 10 years old, my mom's adopted (sort of) sister, Aunt Maude, came for a visit and especially to spend time with my grandmother, Cora.  My grandmother had taken Maude in at a very critical period in her life and had cared for her.  They loved each other as if they really were mother and daughter.

During her visit, Maude introduced me to two things: 1) Ranger Rick Magazines (a blog post in and of itself); and 2) the love of collecting stamps.  After she returned to her home in California, she sent me a large envelope of used stamps - some of which dated to WWII and were from Germany.  My parents promptly locked them away in a box because of this potential value, so I didn't get much of a chance to enjoy looking at them.  But I have never forgotten this wonderful gift - both of the stamps themselves and of the hobby.

In the last year, I have begun collecting stamps again.  It happened quite by accident.  After my

daughters, Sarah and Gabbie, left for college, I realized that four of my children no longer lived at home.  I wanted to stay in touch with them and so I started sending all four of them monthly (usually around holidays) greeting cards.  I picked out what I thought were cute cards or cheesy ones, but at least able to bring a smile.  Then I began to stop by the post office to pick out interesting stamps.  All the feelings of my childhood fascination with stamps came flooding back.  Soon it wasn't enough to pick from whatever was available at the local P.O., I started ordering directly from the U.S.P.S. online which had a much greater variety of stamps.

As time has passed, no longer do just my four daughters receive cards from me (now more frequently than monthly), but I've even started getting requests for cards.  My mailing list has greatly expanded - much to my joy.  I love picking out the cards and inscribing them with greetings.  I also enjoy decorating the outside envelope with various kinds of stickers - on both sides.  But the choice of which stamp to affix to each envelope really brings me delight!

I encourage you to think about becoming a philatelist - a stamp collector.  Or at least, become a supporter of the post office and buy stamps for letters and cards that you can send to your family members and friends.  The truth is - everybody loves getting mail, and especially mail sent adorned by beautiful stamps, cheesy stickers, and lots of love.

Cheers,

Steve

P.S.  Remember that the contest for the free Kindle giveaway is ongoing through January.  If you have friends, family or colleagues whom you think might enjoy receiving this blog by email, then feel free to forward this posting on to them.  To be eligible for the free Kindle, a person must visit my blog website - http://stephenarhodes.blogspot.com/ - and subscribe to it through the "Follow By Email" option.