Announcement: Social Networking & You Ecourse

We may have mentioned before that both us Annes are social media nerds, though we prefer to say things like experts or gurus. (Self-Confidence building!)

Not only do we love spending our time social networking, but we actually are both social media managers and consultants for different small businesses. After college, the Annes bonded over this fact and decided to start putting our skills together and thus, we have this blog as it is!

We also have been working "behind the scenes," on an ecourse about using social networking for your blog (or business). 

Today, we are SO excited to announce that our Social Networking & You Ecourse is finally ready!

In this ecourse, we take the tools that we use to promote our blog (and the blogs of our freelance clients) to teach ways that you can make social media work for you.

This is a very thorough, step by step kind of program that you can use at your own pace. It is designed for both the well versed and completely clueless social media user, so you can skip around and take what you need from it.

Here's more explanation on what exactly this ecourse entails:

• -Step by Step instructions on setting up Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest
• -Tips and tricks for using the big four to get people to your blog or site
• -An overview of smaller social networking sites
• -Tools for choosing which social sites to invest your time in and exactly how to use them for best results
• -Guide for pulling all the information together into a personalized social media plan
• -A PDF you can reference anytime and use at your own pace/experience level to fit your needs
• -Real life examples of social media in action

In addition, we are making ourselves available for questions that may arise along the way while taking this ecourse. 

Interested in finding out more? Click here.

Let's get social!

—The Annes

Writer Talk: So you want to write a book

Holli Anne made a good point yesterday. When you tell someone you're writing a book they either respond with a.) what's it about? and b.) I want to write a book someday too.

I've run into both reactions before and couldn't help but wonder how many of my friends are actually trying to write and finish a book. So, I made the whole "Like this status if you're writing a book" and was surprised at how many people Liked it and messaged me about it.

See, Holli and I have been making Writer Talk plans and were going to wait to unleash later next month but I don't see why we can't do it earlier!

What we did
We created an open group on Facebook called Writer Talk. Go here to see it.

Its purpose is to first and foremost create a sense of camaraderie among aspiring writers. Anyone can be a writer and that makes for an interesting variety of talents. Writer Talk is a place on the internet where you can talk with The Annes and others about what inspires you, what problems you're having, your success stories, and so much more!

What we will do
We will start daily discussions within the group. We will ask questions that are writing-related and offer writing resources on the web.

Another big part of this group will be our prompts! Every now and again we will give you a writing prompt for you to address within the group. We will then pick our personal favorite response (or all of them, depending) and post it as a Writer Talk post on this site! (That is if you are okay with it. We will not post anything by you without your permission!)

What we hope to accomplish
Basically, we love to network and we love to write. This group is mashing those two things together! Writers face very normal and very weird problems from time to time. This group will allow us (and you!) to talk it out with fellow writers who are just trying to realize a very awesome dream--writing a book!

We hope you'll join our group! Remember, go here to join!

Running: A Couch to 5K Mid-Review

(Photo from deviantart.com)

Hey, I'm running again! 

If you aren't one of my close friends that sentence probably means nothing to you, so I'll try again. 

I used to run 3 miles a day. Everyday. It was the best part about many of my days, in fact, and somewhere along the line I got out of the habit.

I started cutting back on my hobby during my first full-time job, where I worked far from ordinary hours, then cutting WAY back during grad school to pretty much no running at all. 

It's not that I've been completely lazy the last number of years since college (I don't wanna talk about how long it's been, OK?!). I mean, I've actually started back running SEVERAL times. This is how that venture always goes:

I run. It's hard. I keep running and a few days later I love it again. I'm hooked. I run everyday. BAM. Injury. (I actually have a stupid IT band issue that I have to be leery of). 

This time, I want it to count. I want to be running like I used to (and better!), but I want to ease into it. So I decided to give the ole Couch to 5K Running Plan a go, and yesterday was my half-way mark.

It's not a huge venture, but it's pretty awesome considering I tried to do this before my wedding and ended up doing week 1 four times (Hey, it was like the month before!). 

Anyway, since Almost There is all about chasing your dreams, I thought it'd be a nice time to talk about the latest aspiration I'm literally chasing. In case any of you have similar hitting the pavement goals, I thought I'd give my mid-Couch to 5K Review.

Time Consumption: A+ 

The program is basically a lot of walking mixed in with some jogging for the first few weeks. It takes 20 to 30 minutes a day, three days a week. Not really a time consuming experience. Week 1 starts off with 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minute intervals and week 4 includes a lot more running for 2 miles. 

Difficulty: A

I'm not sure if A is the right letter, but honestly, the program is a wonderful pace, I think. It's designed for the non-runner, so getting into it hasn't been such a challenge for me. They even encourage you to repeat weeks if it turns out you need more time before moving on. 

Enjoyability: A+

Of course, I might be biased since I love running, but the workouts vary every week, keeping things really fresh and interesting. 

Overall: Can you guess? A's all around!

I just love it so much. I've even started getting that "I crave running" sense back again. Ahh…young love!

Any other runners or aspiring runners reading our blog? 

—Holli Anne

Books Galore: Questionnaire!

Part of running a good blog is making sure you read other good blogs. If only for the inspiration they bring. One of my favorite blogs to stalk read is She Learns as She Goes. Today her post  inspired me to also fill out this little reading questionnaire. (If you do one too we'd love for you to comment with a link to it!)

I'm always yapping about how I am obsessed with reading so some of my answers may be a bit intense!

Do you snack while you read?
Normally, I never eat while reading. I'm too zoned in to realize I need food. However, there have been a few times where I refused to put a book down and had to eat supper around it. Usually though, I'm too focused to break it for something as silly as food.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Just like eating, I rarely drink while reading. I have been known from time to time to drink some caffeine to help keep me awake and reading, though!

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I went through a phase where I would underline or use brackets to section off a sentence that I thought was particularly inspiring or just plain awesome sauce. I had to stop this habit while reading Airborn by Kenneth Oppel...I liked all of the Matt and Kate scenes too much and was basically underlining entire pages.

Then I went through a studious phase in school where I'd annotate in my school books. It's a good practice when dealing with Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad),  Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), and...dare I say it...Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. (For my thoughts on THAT subject read this post.)

I had to buy another copy of Hamlet because the first was so annotated I could barely read it!

Now, though, I keep a pen and pad near me when I read just in case I NEED to remember something. I try to keep away from writing in books anymore.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? 
I may be weird about my eating and drinking habits while reading, but I'm just plain lazy when it comes to book marks. Usually I just use the receipt it came with or just a random bit of paper. Whatever it is though (and here comes the weird part) I keep with that book forever. Once I'm done reading I slip it under the front cover. So...yeah, all of my books have the original book mark in them. That's normal, right?

Are you the type of person who tends to read to the end of the chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I used to go until the end of a chapter then put it down. Now, I have a really hard time doing that because at the end of a chapter there is usually a cliffhanger or motivation for me to turn the page. So I'll read to the end of a chapter then HAVE to read the next page and then I tell myself I'll stop at the next chapter. This goes on and on until, finally, I just put the book down during a lull in the middle.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or onto the floor if the author irritates you?
I only throw a book if there's a spider. Even then I do it with care. If I threw a book every time I had an irritating author then at least 25 percent of my book collection would be damaged. I make it a point to read really awesome books...and really terrible ones. I've had authors do away with wonderful characters and completely crush great plots before. I've had authors tell me how I feel and spit in the face of plot opportunity. 

I game rage in my head, though!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you look it up right away?
Normally I can use the context clues and keep going. When I read on my Nook I can just click the word and BAM there's my definition. If I can't grasp a word and the book is kicking ass, I'll write it down and come back later. If not knowing the word is altering my reading experience, I'll go look it up.

What are you currently reading?
I'm kind of bad about reading multiple books at once. If you are connected to me on my GoodReads account (here) then you probably have seen some of my recent ones.

Right now I'm reading: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; Redshirts by John Scalzi; Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski; The Collector by Victoria Scott; Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton; High Five by Janet Evanvich; Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie.

You're probably thinking that I'm a big bag of lies on this one, but I promise I'm reading all of those. Minus the first two, I'm about 75 to 85 percent finished reading them. When it comes to books, my memory is spot on. I can pick them back up and finish without rereading.

I told you I was addicted.

What is the last book you bought?
Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio

Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski

The Collector by Victoria Scott

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
I'll read anywhere at anytime. However, I like reading in a place where I can lean back and prop up my book so I usually find myself in bed with a punch of pillows behind me. For time, well I usually love reading late at night and early in the morning...when everyone else is asleep so I won't be bothered!

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE series books. If it's a really good one I don't want it to stop. Sometimes I won't pick up a book unless I know it will have a sequel. However, some of my favorite books have been standalones so I can't exactly shy away from them all.

Is there a specific book you find yourself recommending over and over?
Recently I've been shouting Elegantly Wasted by C. Elizabeth Vescio off of roof tops. (See my post about that here.) It's a wild ride and I can't wait until the second one comes out.

There's only really be one other book that I recommend to everyone and their mothers and that's The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. 

Both are fantastic reads and I have read them both more than once.

How do you organize your books?
I want to say I have a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast but the sad fact is that I recently moved so all of my lovely books are in boxes. I will be building a huge bookcase soon so I can seem all of them daily! However, right now I do have three or four on my night stand and about a handful on my couch in my office. Plus, my Nook is always near me!

That concludes the reading questionnaire. I really like anything book-related because I'm so passionate about reading! Remember, if you do your own we'd love to have you link us to it in the comments!

Hope you enjoyed!

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Top image found here.

Holli Wants: Summer Ruche Swimwear

Summer Ruche Love (Click there to see each of these items separately)

The weather in the south is being awesome this week. It's that perfect not-too-hot, not-too-cold temperature.

I find myself daydreaming of laying out on the beach and soaking up the sun (with loads of sunscreen because I am VERY pale), and luckily for me, my husband's band plays a lot of shows at the beach this time of year.

All these things, plus Ruche's awesome swimsuit collection popping up in my Facebook newsfeed, have me doing a little window shopping.

I'm a pretty shy person when it comes to my swimwear. I want to be in the ocean. I do not want to be half-naked in the ocean. That's just me!

I am drawn to these swimsuits by Ruche because they are oh, so classy! They take the classic swim wear and put an awesome modern twist.

So, these are my favorites, and while I'm super indecisive on swim suit selections, hopefully one of these bad boys will make their way into my closet this season.

What about you? Have you found any nice swim suits for this summer?

—Holli Anne

Writer Talk: Over-sharing & Under-sharing

Over-sharing, under-sharing and letting you know about the apple on the table 

Hello, my name is Tyler and I’m an over-sharer. Don’t want to know what I had for lunch, how it made me feel, and what I thought about while I ate it? Then don’t talk to me after lunch. I am a bottomless pit of talk and I’m not afraid to let my words fly.

I’m not ashamed of this particular personality trait, however, when it comes to writing it can be a bit of a problem.

I have read hundreds of books that walk the line of over-sharing and under-sharing details and books that have fallen in between. I know that giving too much information can be as bad as not giving enough. I want to know what the main character is thinking as he sees the city for the first time but I don’t need to know every single detail in the building to his left or the storm drain next to his feet. On the flip side, you can’t tell me that this is his first time to the city and then let him just walk down the street and into a nondescript house without a new thought in his head.

Getting the details just right is a balancing act in any story you write. At times, it’s a struggle for me to pull in my description reigns because I want need the reader to not only understand my story and characters but to see them as well. As the author I will always know 110 percent more than the reader about my story. I know why she bounces her leg whenever it storms. I know that the police station has a leaky basement causing the captain to have a series of hellish allergies. I know that, after the book ends, Mary is going to have a daughter and name her after her estranged sister.

Some of these details enhance the story; others just distract from it and enable over-sharing tendencies. Unless a detail furthers the readers’ understanding of a plot or character, really think about if it should be in there at all.

I’m going to use a very obscure book as an example of over-sharing.

Jude the Obscure (by Thomas Hardy) made me want to become a character in that book just so I could punch Jude and tell him to stop thinking about nonsense all of the time. You don’t have to know about the plot to know that dear ole Jude couldn’t walk a damned step without analyzing everything around him, how it all made him feel, and at least two flashbacks into his past. If I hadn’t been forced to read it for school I would have put it down within the first chapter (and I normally ALWAYS read past the first chapter).

Sure, some thoughts were relevant to the story. He questioned the love of his life, the way the city made him feel, and a bunch of other important who-am-I issues. However, he also described a ton of things that wasn’t worth a damn to him, me, or the story. Now, I know for a fact that some people insanely love this book (awkward moment: trashing this book to your professor before realizing she did her dissertation on it) and that’s good and all but they can’t deny it is, at best, long-winded.

You don’t need to write out everything that your character feels and sees and smells and touches because you love your story. You automatically know more than anyone about your story and you should keep it just like that. Your story, no matter the plot, is an extension of you and you need your secrets. Sometimes I tell you more than you need to know about my main, sometimes I don’t tell you enough to put together who-done-it, and sometimes I just want you to know there’s an apple sitting on the table.

At the end of the day it’s still your story. You can over- and under-share all you want, just remember that there are people who will put down your book in a heartbeat if you abuse either option. Don’t make them compare your story to Jude the Obscure.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Recipe: Homemade Coffee Syrups

I may have mentioned a time or two that I LOVE coffee. If you don't know this about me, I'll go ahead and let you know I have a pretty healthy obsession. 

A few months ago, I made a Facebook status jokingly that said something like this: Maybe I should buy an expresso machine so I'm not tempted to go spend $4 at the coffee shop for the drinks I want. 

Well, an old friend from college was kind enough to just offer me her expresso machine…um yes!

So, I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with some fancy coffee drinks (when I perfect the proportions I'll blog about those, too). 

These homemade coffee syrups were the first step in taking me to my awesome mocha drinks, so I thought I'd share the recipes with you. Plus, they make pretty adorable gifts and Mother's Day is right around the corner.

Vanilla Coffee Syrup:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Peppermint Coffee Syrup:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1-2 tsp. peppermint extract (depending on your taste preference)

To prepare:

Heat water and sugar on stove top until sugar dissolves. Make sure you stir constantly. Add in extract. Pour into a 1 pint mason jar (or dispenser). 

If you are giving this as a gift, I definitely recommend cutting out a little fabric to put on the lid of the jar! I definitely want to try some more flavors next, but I don't want my home to be too inundated with coffee syrup at once. Anyone have any other flavors they love? Perhaps I'll try them next!

—Holli Anne