Stories to Share for Your Reading Enjoyment

October 20, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

I love reading and I particularly like sharing a book or story with others. So, today’s post is a list of stories, I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks. I hope you will take the time to check them out, as well as, the magazines and websites, in which, they were featured.

Not From Here by Angela Mitchell

GLASS: Heat Sand to 1,700° by Maggie Veness

: The Boss’s Daughter by Tabitha Peyton Wood

Every Day Fiction: The Bench by Jennifer Knopp Leeper and Food for Thought by Jemma Marie Beggs

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did and, please, leave a comment if possible. As writers, supporting each other is an avenue to success for all of us.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Literary Journals & Magazine Connections

Own it, Sweetheart

October 19, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

New 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups: Week 171 prompt: “… I can’t decide when to change…

Ericka sighed, “I hate clothing rules.”

“What are you talking about?” Gretchen said.

“You know, the no white after Day Labor rule. I can’t decide when to change out my clothes. I mean it’s still hot as Hell outside.” She moved to hide a white dress behind her winter wools.

“Wait!” Gretchen jumped up grabbing the dress. “Ericka, this is gorgeous, can I borrow it for Saturday?”

“It’s October, you wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, but I would, ”she said. Mama always told me, “Gretchen, don’t’ ever just walk into a room, make an entrance. And, no matter what you’re wearing, own it, sweetheart, own it.”

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

You Asked: SEO, What is it, and How Do I Use it ?

October 17, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Welcome to another, You Asked, the Experts Answer, segment. This week ‘s question is: SEO, what is it, and how do I use it?

For those of you who are as confused, as I am most of the time about SEO, I’ll try to make this easy to understand. First off, if you have a WordPress blog, they take care of all the technical stuff related to SEO.

What is SEO? The acronym stands for Search Engine Optimisation.

“… the name given to activity that attempts to improve search engine rankings.” In search results Google™ displays links to pages it considers relevant and authoritative. Authority is mostly measured by analyzing the number and quality of links from other web pages. In simple terms, your web pages have the potential to rank in Google™ so long as other web pages link to them.” Redevolution.com

Why is SEO so important? Simply put, SEO is a way for your website/blog to be found in search engines from relevant keywords or phrases.

What are Keywords? Keywords are words or phrases that your target audience might use when searching for your site. Example: if I want to find information on iCloud. I might type into Google, “Tips on using iCloud.”

SEO and keywords are nothing more than how we find things, information, or websites on the internet. Knowing that, we certainly want our website or blog discoverable.

And the more often your page is found or linked to by someone else, the higher your website is ranked by Google. The higher the rank, the more Page Authority Google gives your site.

What is Page Authority?

“Higher page authority means greater chances of your page showing up on search engines, and that your page will be placed closer to the top of the search results. Note that page authority is related to the pages within sites, not the site itself.” Drumbeatmarketing.net

Images can give your blog/website a big boost in rankings as well, but you have to label them correctly. Google doesn’t know an image is about the Eiffel Tower unless you provide a clue. ie. the image name, the URL of the image, or using a keyword to tag the image.

WordPress handles the technical aspect, but it’s up to you to choose the right keywords and phrases. The good thing about that is you can search for trending keywords or even tags right in your WordPress Reader.

Like everything else, there is a knack to using keywords:

Use some broad words: ie. Dogs
Then get specific: Bichon Frise’
Don’t overdo it.
Don’t use the same word, repeatedly.

Want more Information? Check out the following articles and always remember WordPress support is always available.

So, before you write your next post, check out what’s trending.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.

Death’s Fortune Teller

October 16, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 8 Comments

Julia’s Place: 100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups – Week#170 “but she saw”

“Come in, Lovely.”

Madame Esmeralda motioned to the round table in the center of the dark, candlelit room. Sadie didn’t believe in mystics, but the blinking neon lights pulled her like a spider to the fly.

The bejeweled woman reached across the table. Sadie’s hand felt like death in the Madame’s warm hands, her touch light, and soothing. She closed her eyes. The room’s temperature dropped to a chill.

Sadie opened her eyes to deafening silence, but she saw the truth of her fortune and her sin reflected in the dark, penetrating eyes of the Madame.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilagood, and Contently.