Barbara Reed's Blog

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It’s that time of year and we’re all starting to race around, wondering how to top last year’s gift-giving, and how to do it without breaking the bank.  Here’s a way to do both, and enjoy yourself in the process:

Read one (or both) explosive Liz Hanlon novels–Harmonic Deception and/or High Notes Are Murder, then post a Review on either Goodreads.com or Amazon.com, and receive a personally autographed print copy of either book in the mail (no shipping charges either!)

How?

Contact me here, or at  http://www.BarbaraReedBooksandMusic.com , and let me know which book you’d like to read first.
Add your email address – where to send your e-book.  E-books are in .pdf and readable on all devices.
Write a review and post it on the page for that particular book at http://www.Goodreads.com, or http://www.Amazon.com
Alert me by email that the review is there (I’ll be checking but in case I don’t see it.)
Include a physical address for your autographed book, and the name of the person to whom you’d like it to be autographed (if different from you.)
Check your mail!  The book will arrive shortly.

Wasn’t that easy?  You get free reads in ebook format, and the gift of a free, autographed book–sure you can re-gift it, but maybe you’ll want to repeat the process by reading the other Liz Hanlon book….while awaiting Book 3 which will arrive in 2016!

Free gifts…pass the word!

thanks,

Liz Hanlon herself…

mysteryandmusic:

What he’s saying is not to get so caught up in what I call the “minutiae,” of life or any area you’re pursuing, that you miss the main passion that started you down that road in the first place. Example: Musicians who spend so much time on the mechanics of playing–the scales, the technique needed for their instrument–that they don’t really make creative music. Now these mechanics are all completely necessary; you can tell that just by the number of people who try to bypass them and sound like you-know-what when they attempt to play with others. But it’s a balance: learn the “craft” well (those mechanics, whether in Math, medicine, music, banking, whatever) and THEN, like my old Berklee music teachers told us, “try to forget it when you get up on the stand.” That doesn’t really mean to forget it, at least not the knowledge of those scales and techniques, but don’t have them in the forefront of your mind. They are TOOLS only, and they should be solid so that when you do create your music, that beautiful stream-of-consciousness sound does what you originally intended it to do: move people.

Another example: When I first started writing novels, I felt very restrained by what I was afraid was the “the right way to write.” The correct method of getting the words down. My editor helped a great deal, but it took looking back at that first book for about 10 yrs to realize how stiff it was, and to develop a balance of correct grammar–very important too–and writing with excitement, style, and developing something people would want to read. Those mechanics and techniques are vitally important, but they are not the THING. Since we know we need to earn a living, pay the bills, etc, it’s easy to do things because we think we “should”… but in the end it’s never a path to satisfaction. Finding a way to achieve both is the key, and my opinion is that we usually have to accept a few things we were trying to avoid, like perhaps a smaller paycheck, or a move to a small town instead of the city. I also believe you’ll know it when you hit on the right decision.

Originally posted on Inspirational Blogs:

Steve explains how to pursue dreams:

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It’s true!  Get autographed copies of Harmonic Deception for $10 AND get High Notes Are Murder FREE!  Go to:  http://www.BarbaraReed.org and order only Harmonic Deception (so you’re not charged for both books) and High Notes Are Murder will be in the package with Harmonic Deception!  Both personally autographed!  If you’d like them personalized, email me your name (or your recipient’s name.)  And enter a short review if you’d like!

Both books for one price here:  http://www.barbarareed.org/order.htm

While I was editing my novel Harmonic Deception, I learned that readers wanted to actually hear the songs they'd be following right from the moment of conception--so I recorded them and the result was a staggering "thumbs up!" Which brings me to ask you: what kind of music do you like the most? In this blog we talk about it all. It can be songs mentioned in your favorite books, or just you feelings about the music you love (and don't love!)

So please join in and lets get the party rolling....

Hey! Liz Hanlon here, star protagonist of Harmonic Deception and High Notes Are Murder by that musician person what’s her name…oh yeah, Barbara Reed. Enough about her; let’s talk about me. Last night at my favorite watering hole, I told one of the usual suspects that they could get my music absolutely FREE here on this blog and they knew nothing about it! Obviously, author Reed’s promo techniques leave something to be desired. So I’m here to tell you–there’s free stuff below, PLUS you get to rant freely, giving your opinions and get more free stuff for doing it. You can’t beat that! Here’s how:

1. Send your email to Barbara@BarbaraReed.org and get a song emailed back to you. That’s it. If you have a favorite, let me know, otherwise let me surprise you. Many songs were written about the characters in the books or the storyline.  Send an email here: Barbara@BarbaraReed.org

2. Get a FREE CD–that’s the whole concert on the High Notes Are Murder Soundtrack–with the purchase of either book. Print books are at: BarbaraReed.org, and Amazon.com. Ebooks are on Amazon Kindle or Smashwords.com. Send me a link from your purchase and you’ll find the CD in your mailbox!

OK . . . now I’d like to hear from you with real ideas about LIVE music. The kind I make with my band all the time. So . . . tell me where you go to hear live music, and why. There are lots of great local bands out there and you can help promote them just by telling the world about them right here. What’s their name? How many people are in the band? Do they write their own music or do covers? What’s your favorite style? Favorite singer?

Want it a little juicer? Me too. You first.  Give us a few tales about the conversations at the bar, that’s good too. For example, last night a fight broke out among two of my usual suspects mentioned above. Not a real fist fight, but damn close! It all started with a pizza order. I’ll tell you about it in my next blog, but suffice it to say it was hard to go back into the music groove for my last set with the weird vibe in the room. Which proves what I’ve always said: once a musician gets past the mechanics of how to play an instrument, playing music is an emotional experience, not necessarily a physical one. What’s going on in the mind and particularly the heart greatly affects our performances. Sometimes we have to work to keep up a good front, continue the show with a smile and all, but being that emotional being is something to be proud of, not ashamed of. We’re humans, not automatons. Music, and especially lyrics, are all an expression of our emotions. Just like a movie or a book. Never apologize for those strong emotions, just figure out how to present them correctly. If you decide to read either of my novels, you’ll see how my emotional displays sometimes get me into trouble! But that’s OK. I’m used to being an internal person in an external world which, of course, also gets me into trouble.

Okay, your turn . . .