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Veronica Cline Barton
- Apr 7
- 6 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, It's an #IndieApril Exclusive with Scottish, #Author/#Poet, Derek R. King!
What better way to start off the new month of #IndieApril than an interview with a writer whose works I've come to greatly admire! In today's post you'll meet the multi-talented, author/poet/musician/singer, Derek King. His poetry soothes the soul, his short stories evoke scary chills, and non-fiction works inspire us all. Ladies and Gents, Mr. Derek King: Do you remember the first poem you wrote? Ha! Yes, I do remember it. I was thirteen. I wrote it sitting on the grassy slo
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Mar 24
- 5 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Light at the End of the Tunnel...
#Spring has finally sprung! This past week has been filled with sweet moments of #hope that we may be emerging from the darkness of #lockdown and into the #light...Sunny weather has arrived, my latest #book is almost ready to release, and #knock wood--we may be getting ready to hit the friendly skies, ships, roads soon! This week I thought I'd share a few pics of a springtime visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville N.C. that we took a few years back. The scenic views of the
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Mar 17
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, 🍀No #Blarney Here!🍀
💚“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song, may each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all year long.” 💚Irish Proverb ☘🍀Top of the mornin' to ya and a very happy #StPatricksDay! ☘🍀 This is a day to celebrate your #Irish roots and perhaps tip a sip of Guinness, or in my case, Irish coffee. #Yummo The feature pic today is of the Blarney Castle, which is located near Cork, Ireland. We were lucky enough to have vis
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Mar 10
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Spring Forward
Spring is in the air, with its colorful beauty and fragrant splendor highly anticipated. The flowers and succulents are beginning to bloom here in SoCal. We're still waiting and hoping for our winter rains--they haven't really materialized as thought thanks to the La Nina in effect. Let's hope they come, otherwise it's going to be another fiery summer. I thought today I'd share some of my favorite garden pictures from Hampton Court Palace to get into the spring vibe. These pi
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Mar 3
- 5 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, Fecundity is My #MarchWish
"If not us, who? If not now, when?." ~ John F. Kennedy #HappyMarch! What better way to celebrate a new month than with a fav quote and new word to inspire you?! I think the Carpe Diem inspired questions of the former President are perfect for the je ne sais quoi of my post today. As for words, fecundity, is my choice for fav March lexeme (TYSM Brenda B., had to look this one up): The condition of being prolific; The use of imagination or original ideas to create something. I
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Feb 24
- 2 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #InspirationResearch at Big Bear!
Oh, happy days--we finally made it up to Big Bear to experience the chilling temps and snow! My snow boots were so happy after sitting unused in a dark closet for over a year, LOL (I knew exactly how they felt😜 ). The weather was gorgeous during our stay--invigorating, winter beauty without the slush and mess. This was our first, official road trip of the year. #SocialDistancing and #Mask policies were strictly enforced. Sadly, many of our fav restaurants were not open--most
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Feb 17
- 5 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, It's an Almost-Royal #Book Birthday!
What a week to celebrate! Tomorrow, February 18th, is the three year book birthday for The Crown for Castlewood Manor, the first book in my cozy mystery series! Who knew that three years on I'd be preparing for the 6th book's release? In honor of #TheCrown I thought it would be fun to go back in time to my first #blog post on this story and update my nouveau #author views then, with a 2021 perspective. Today we're talking about main character Gemma...💖👑 From March 11, 2018
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Feb 3
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #February Wish
Well hello, February! The shortest month of the year is packed with famous days to celebrate. February 2nd is Groundhog Day ( the good news is that Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, leading to the prediction of six more weeks of winter for those of us who love this time of year); the 12th is the start of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Ox); the 14th is the day of romance and chocolates, Valentine's Day; the 15th is President's Day; February 16th is Mardi Gras ( laissez
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Jan 27
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, Eye on the Prize
Tick-tock...A short post this week--it's crunch time for me! I always have mixed emotions heading into the final stretch of a new book production. I really enjoy the time spent with my characters--figuring out what they're going to say and how they'll react to the situations I put them in. After the editing is completed and final changes made, I give them a final salute, until we meet again. I tend to get a bit teary eyed, but I know they're in good hands and hopefully provid
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Jan 13
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary #January Reflections
January has always been a fun month for us to travel--the #holidays are over, a #NewYear started, and it's a perfect time for me to enjoy a few weeks of cold weather. I thought I'd share some of our January pics from prior year travels since we're all kinda stuck in #lockdown mode these days. The feature picture⏫ is the Silfra Fissure in Iceland where I spent my 60th bday. We snorkeled in the 34 degree, ancient, iceberg waters that narrowly separate the North American and Eur
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Jan 6
- 3 min
Veronica's #Writer'sDiary, Vintage Vibes 1958
How's your #NewYear2021 going? I'm still basking in the #holiday lights for a few more moments. Today's post is a blast to the past...1958 to be exact... "(MCMLVIII)...the 958th year of the 2nd millennium, the 58th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1950s decade". Impressive! The feature pic⏫ this week intrigued me. It's a 3 cent postage stamp depiction of the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year (IGY), when scientists from sixty-seven countries launched ma
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Dec 16, 2020
- 8 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Post of #Christmas Past...
This week and next, I want to share with you once again one of my favorite things to do as a #reader and fellow #writer--highlight some exceptionally, talented people whose written works excelled beyond the norm, IMO. I take my #reading responsibility very seriously as each week I read and review a new work from writers I follow on Twitter and Facebook. It's a personal goal I've set for myself and my small way of giving back to a community of people I admire very much. Last y
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Dec 9, 2020
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, Deja Vu It's #Lockdown2...
Well, it is what it is here in southern California...Once again we are told to stay inside, businesses are closed, essential travel only for the next three weeks. I was one of the lucky ones--I was able to squeeze in the final pedicure of 2020 at the lovely Spa Gregories before their doors locked--at least my toes will be twinkling for Christmas! This wasn't totally unexpected, but none the less disappointing. I think all of us are more than a bit fatigued with #QuarantineLif
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Dec 2, 2020
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, 1-2-3 #Ribbons & #Bows!!
#HoHoHo December! No, I'm not in Jackson (that Moet 🍾igloo tent was a-ma-zing) but I have Elle King's tune, Ex's & Oh's on my mind (modified to #Ribbons and #Bows for this post🎀😁) It's that most wonderful time of the year once again--bring on the #holidays! The weather has been pretty delightful these past few days (except for the Santa Ana winds that blew everything everywhere). The house is lit, the stockings hung, and the cats are napping under the #Christmas tree (thei
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Nov 18, 2020
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, The Big #Reveal: Twins in the City: Playtime at Castlewood Manor!
Oh baby, it's a #bookcover reveal ⏫(turn up the sound)! It's that most wonderful time of year (to #promote and #sell those books) and what better way to celebrate for a #writer than a new title to reveal!? (plus I get to use an interrobang, how cool is that?!😁) I decided it was time to show the world my latest creation and give myself a #writing, um, incentive (ie if you #reveal it you must #write it🤪). Let's give Twins in the City: Playtime at Castlewood Manor a big #HearH
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Nov 11, 2020
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Seasons Change and So Do We...
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 The pictures today were taken in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. In January, I remember as I stood and stared at the regal valleys, in awe of their rugged beauty. I had titled the pic ◀, Veronica's Ridge, because it reminded me of a fav scene where Jaime and Claire stare out at their Fraser's Ridge land in the Outlander series. The air was crisp and cool, giving no hint of th
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Nov 4, 2020
- 3 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #November's Promise
'From sea to shining sea...' from the song America the Beautiful has been stuck in my mind these last few days. I've pulled a few of my fav coastal pics to include today---the beautiful blues of the ocean and jagged shorelines get me every time. #Halloween came and went, ushering in #November with a quiet, calm resolve. As the rest of the world goes into yet another COVID lockdown, here in the U.S. we're sheltering in place, preparing for the outcome of an election that has d
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Oct 28, 2020
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Trick or Treat Bloos---Ghosts of #Halloween Past...
The scariest day of the year is almost here---Election Day, oops, I mean #Halloween is this coming weekend! Here at the Rusty Pig aka our front yard pub, we only have memories of Halloweens past this Covid year since trick or treating house-to-house is currently banned. We decided not to put up our outdoor Spooktacular lights and décor this season so as to not tempt any tricksters. This is the first time in my 62 years that Halloween has been cancelled---I think the great pum
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Veronica Cline Barton
- Oct 21, 2020
- 4 min
Veronica's #WritersDiary, #Writers: What Are the Top 3 Reasons #Readers Want to Buy Your #Book(s)?
I thought I'd throw out a #challenge to the #WritingCommunity this week since we're about to head into #NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and the busiest (at least it used to be) #book buying season of the year with the upcoming #holidays. For this challenge, I'm going to assume you have a product to sell (and quality is in the eyes of the beholders, er, reader/spenders). I've taken many sales classes and tutorials during my previous career selling software. After thir
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