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Several years ago (okay, it was 2006. Who’s story is this?) I settled on the couch in the living room and turned on the TV. We’d upgraded our cable that summer. So rather than 7 channels (2 local, 2 Spanish, 2 religious…you do the math) we suddenly had a 100. Yeehah! Channel surfing, here I come.

As I flipped through the channels, a field of golden sunflowers flashed on the screen. And then this undulating rainbow of spandex clad guys rode by on a pack of bicycles. It was the Tour de France. And I was hooked.

I originally watched for the scenery. But by the end of July I was hooked on the sport. That’s another post entirely. This one is supposed to be about music!

Flash forward a few years. Another year. Another Tour de France…but it wasn’t. This year the producers had procured the rights to use a certain song as their theme song, so to speak. They played at the end of each broadcast.

Now you’ve heard that scent and memory are closely tied. I think that songs, emotions and memories are tightly woven as well. Case in point. This particular song.

Whenever I hear it I’m taken back to those 23 days where ordinary men became extraordinary. Where things you didn’t think were possible (like riding a bike up an Alp – a dozen times!) is suddenly possible and incredible to watch. Days where you watch a field of a 200 of the world’s most elite athletes dwindle down to 150 broken, tired bodies.

There are the underdogs. The superstars. The sprint finishes that literally have you clinging to the edge of your seat lest you fall into the floor. And in the end, after thousands of kilometers (hey, pro cycling is metric, people), endless crashes and enormous heartache, one man is declared the winner.

And they play that song.

Now, whenever I hear King and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars, my mood lifts and I feel like anything is possible.

Even climbing an Alp…or say, finishing this book.

One really quick way is to look at your Facebook Page. I don’t mean your profile. I mean the Like/Fan page you created to promote yourself. (Don’t tell me you haven’t done this yet. Shame, shame.)

In the left column under your picture you’ll see how many people “like” your page. Beneath that you’ll see another number. It indicates how many people are “talking about” your page. “Talking about” includes comments on the page, likes, and shares. That’s the easiest way to look at it. The higher the number, the more engagement.

How to you increase that number:

• ask your readers questions
• post covers
• post lines from your WIP
• share photos and content from other peoples’ pages and walls
• most importantly – reply to comments, like your readers’ comments

A few authors that I think do a great job of interacting with their readers are Susan Mallery, Selena Blake and Eloisa James. I’ve included a screenshot of Susan’s FB Page to the right.

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

So here are my three quick and sure ways to start reducing clutter in your digital life. These are starting off points and would likely serve you well throughout the year.

1. Empty out your inbox.

Depending on how you file your email, consider creating a folder for last year’s mail and file anything from before January 1, 2012 in it. This way you automatically get rid of old email. If you haven’t gone back for an email in 6 months you likely don’t need it. Delete the folder. Or, if it’s important to you to keep records, keep it. But at least those messages aren’t cluttering your inbox. While you’re in there, check out the folders you have currently. Do you use them all? Do you need new ones? Take some time to think through your day to day needs. Do you need a folder for tax documents (Royalty statements, purchases, or expenses?) How about a folder to keep track of your online registrations?

2. Delete yahoogroups you no longer use.

If you own a yahoogroup that you no longer use, delete it. If you’re a member of a group that you’re no longer interested in (a good sign is if you delete every email from the group for more than a month) go ahead and unsubscribe. You could carry this over to Facebook groups and Goodreads groups for that matter. Remember, we’re getting rid of digital clutter. One way to reduce email clutter is to limit the sources of potential email – like groups!

3. Weed through your bookmarks.

Do you have bookmarks saved in your browser? Do you use a thirdparty service like Delicious or StumbleUpon? Scan your list and see if there are any links you can delete.

Remember, reduce digital clutter! This will leave only the most important emails, groups, and bookmarks on your computer which will save you time all year long.

Somehow I missed this book the first time around, but thanks to Kindle and Harlequin’s Treasury program, I got a second chance. That’s sort of what this book is about. Second chance friendships, relationships, and first true loves.

I love the romance aspects of this book. Greek hero. Kind heroine who’s the sort of woman you’d want as a friend. The only thing that confused me was the paranormal aspects. The UFOs and the military being after the heroine. It was easy to skim those parts to get back to the romance at hand. What a darling that little Ari is. I can’t wait for Stella and Nikos books.

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First up:

I’m giving away a digital copy of Rancher’s Perfect Baby Rescue (Harlequin Romantic Suspense) by Linda Conrad

I’ll select a writer from the list to win Writing Fiction for All You’re Worth: Strategies and Techniques for Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level by James Scott Bell.

To be eligible you need to be signed up for my free newsletter and select writer or reader (or both) in the profile (you can also use the check boxes when you sign up.) To make sure you’re subscribed and/or update your profile (reader or writer?) type your email address into the newsletter sign up form. If you’re already on the list, the form will let you know and show you a link to update your profile. If you’re not already on the list, the good chimps at MailChimp will sign you up and that’s that.

Good luck!

List your title(s) on the left, your wordcount milestones on the top and then give yourself a checkmark (or star or better yet, star sticker) when you make progress.

>> Download <<

Turns out that DH had given me an old address.

Well last week we contacted H&D to figure out what could be done. I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to buy the whole thing again but yummy snacks are perishable, so…H&D said they’d gotten the goodies back and would send out a new batch to the NEW address ASAP. No charge. No extra shipping.

What a nice thing for them to do. They’ve certainly earned two more customers for life!

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I’ve been on a customer service kick lately (seems like I need customer service more around the holidays, lol). Here’s my experience with Bell and an unnamed major internet florist.