“Yes, Writers, Authors, And Bloggers Need Love Too”!!

February 14, 2014February 14, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

WISHING ALL MY READERS, FRIENDS, AND NEW VISITORS A VERY HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

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AND TO MY WONDERFUL, LOVING HUSBAND…..”You have been there for me at my BEST and my WORST, Thank You will never be enough to express my LOVE I have in my HEART for you TOM. We have been through good times and bad,….well really bad, but we have been able to endure for 26 years. That my love is an “Amazing” accomplishment in its self. As much as I love my life now in Recovery, I know I’d have never made it 7 years without you loving me all they way! Thank You for that my love…..Catherine~XoXo

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE
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AMEN! XoXo Author Catherine Townsend

Dear Copenhagen Zoo, WTF Were You All Thinking?

February 12, 2014February 12, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer News Around The Web, Posts ANIMAL CRUELTY, My Thoughts about Copenhagen Zoo, What is the world coming to?

OK,……IS IT JUST ME, OR IS ANYONE ELSE “OUTRAGED” ABOUT THE KILLING OF A HEALTHY ANIMAL AT DENMARK’S, COPENHAGEN ZOO?
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(Warning: Strong Word and my writing is a hot mess due to getting my point across)

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I found my own photo to use for my blog post, as I didn’t want to indulge the “Copenhagen Zoo” by using one of theirs, and the “POOR JUDGEMENT” & ACT of MURDER of an innocent giraffe!
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What the HELL were you all thinking? I guess you weren’t when you SHOT & KILLED a giraffe for nothing more than OVER POPULATION?? AND THEN, you cut it up in pieces and fed the giraffe to your lions?
WHAT WORLD DO ALL LIVE IN?
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It surely is not planet earth. I just happen to see the zoo curator on CNN news trying to defend what HE allowed at his zoo, and he had the F_ _KING BALLS to say that, “WE in America may not understand their countries actions to over population of animals. Then he also had the NERVE to say that they shot the giraffe while attendees at the zoo WATCHED!! AND OF COURSE,…..Most were young children!! AGAIN, WTF?
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The curator explained it as a “Learning Lesson of Life” for the children. WTF? I watched one little girl pull her beanie cap down over her eyes on CNN as to not want to LOOK AT THE DEAD GIRAFFE!! I mean, this is SO WRONG on SO MANY LEVELS!
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Yes, I’m hopping F_ _KING MAD! I think this curator, and the zoo should be prosecuted for “Animal Mutilation, Cruelty to animals, and INHUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS at the least”!! NOW honestly, what parent would let their children stand around and watch an animal get shot in the head?? What kind of PARENTS are these people? They let their kids watch this Brutality? I think I can safely say,…..NOW I’VE SEEN IT ALL!!

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IS IT ME? AM I missing something from this violent act to an animal. Yes, we do need to teach our children about life, and the cycle. We are born, we live, and yes, we die. But I’m sure as HELL there is a more appropriate way to teach them then going to your local zoo and let them watch an animal get shot in the head POINT BLANK isn’t there? Here is some of the CNN story sort of, kind of defending the zoo’s actions:….
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**OH, and by the way, I deleted most the photo’s that CNN had, as they showed the zoo showing and talking to THE VISITORS about the Autopsy he performed on the giraffe and the photo’s of the zoo showing all the visitors them feeding the poor animal to THEIR LIONS!!

Protestors demonstrate outside the Copenhagen Zoo against the killing of the giraffe on February 9.

Danish Zoo criticized for killing giraffe

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CNN:
Our European Endangered Species Programmes (EEP) have been established to ensure a viable future for endangered animals — including giraffes — despite the destruction of their habitats and rampant poaching of wild animals.
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More than 700 giraffes are kept within our institutions to the highest possible standards of welfare and care by zoos such as Copenhagen, and EAZA monitors breeding closely to ensure that the species has the genetic diversity it needs to have the best possible chance of survival in the long-term.
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While we understand that some members of the public are upset by the euthanization of the giraffe at Copenhagen zoo, the protection of the species as a whole must be our priority.
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Our resources are regrettably finite, and as a result, the EEP must prioritize animals which can give to the overall genetic health of the captive population.

This means that in rare cases (five in the case of giraffes in EAZA zoos since records began in 1828), animals must be removed from the population by management euthanasia.

Compare this to the 60 billion+ healthy, young animals killed each year worldwide for human consumption. In-breeding is a serious problem that can lead to genes being passed on that increase the population’s susceptibility to disease and other chronic conditions which threaten the future of the species in our care.
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Zoo staff get death threats

As for alternative solutions, we cannot in good conscience recommend the transfer of animals under our protection to zoos which are not our members and therefore not subject to our strict standards of animal husbandry and welfare; transfer within our network does not represent a solution to the unsuitability of the individual animal for breeding. Contraception is difficult and in its infancy for female giraffes, and can be irreversible.
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Castration of a male animal can have also undesirable side-effects, and a place that could otherwise be reserved for an animal that can contribute to its species’ future is lost.
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Release into the wild of this single individual would almost certainly result in early death for the animal, after a long and stressful journey of thousands of kilometers — reintroduction is an intensive and complicated matter and we would not countenance this unless recommended to by the IUCN, the paramount global body for nature conservation. All of these alternatives were explored, and none were found to be viable; in addition, EAZA’s position is supported by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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EAZA members do not euthanize animals lightly, and we are saddened by the death of any animal in our care.

Nonetheless, we strongly support Copenhagen Zoo, which has an exemplary record of animal welfare, education, research and conservation, and which took great pains to be transparent about the situation — 7,000 visitors came to Copenhagen Zoo on Sunday, while 15 protesters stood outside.
The Copenhagen public spoke with their tickets to the zoo and left knowing far more about the real threats to conservation of giraffes in the wild.
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OK, so do by the explanation? I sure as hell don’t. They can Spin It anyway they want. This was pure and simple
“Animal Cruelty” in it’s Finest Form…..SHAME ON YOU Copenhagen Zoo!
What are your “Thoughts”?
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Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon

Bipolar Valentine Part 1: Is It Love or Just Bipolar?

February 10, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

My friend “Nectar Madness” she makes *Bipolar* look Sexy…..I really wish it was, but she sure has a wonderful way with words about Mental & Emotional illness and disorders. *Catherine*

Nectar Madness: My Bipolar Sapience

You feel sexy. You feel on top of the world. Your heart has never been more full. You’ve never been so turned on. You want attention- and you’re getting it. It’s euphoric. It’s definitely love…or is it?

In lieu of Valentine’s Day, I’ve pieced together a three-part series on various aspects of bipolar disorder and love. This is meant to be informational with a shot of perspective, and a smooth aftertaste of personal connection. Please feel free to leave feedback or share your own experiences.

Well, is it love? Or is it bipolar?

Picture that you just met someone you are insanely attracted to. You notice every single detail about their perfectly angled face, the tiny dimple on the left side near their mouth, and their adorable laugh. You are dizzy with intoxication by the very scent of this perfect human specimen. Upon this meeting, you are charming, so very…

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“Do You Love Music? Then Meet My New Friends At StutterHouse”!

February 8, 2014February 8, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Featured Guest, Posts Fly Music, Music Guest Post, Stutterhouse

Hello Friends And Welcome New Visitors!

I happen to be my Twitter, when I happen to come across a new tweet pal that is “All About The Music”! I have a wonderful following on my Recovery and Author Twitter accounts here,
http://www.twitter.com/LUV_Recovery @LUV_Recovery and http://www.twitter.com/kitcatlyon @kitcatlyon Of course I’m going to ask you to Follow!

And a Tweet caught my eye from these guys! PLEASE Meet “StutterHouse” a UK based record label. But, their website is really “Fantastic” and filled with loads of Great Music! Here is a little about them, and their Founder and their Team, as you’re in for an “Awesome Musical Treat”!
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ABOUT US:

Stutterhouse is a UK–based record label founded by producer Kevin “Def” Umebolu . The label is known for discovering and developing new acts like Conscious T, SuCity Entertainment and Lanrenchi, as well as music publishing and distribution.

To know more about our producers, please read below:

http://Stutterhouse.com/

Kevin “Def” Umebolu

Music Production/Distribution

Fav: NI Maschine, Logic Studio

“The Old Grey Whistle Test”

Def
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Catchy riffs, lush harmonies and experimental drums, define the creative style of Def. He is known for having a profound way of manipulating notes, that leaves the mind of it’s audience wondering in space. Having been involved in music production since the late 90’s, he has been responsible for various artists. His style of music can be summarized as “Experimental mainstream sound”.

Def’s musical inspiration originates from influences such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross to name a few. His style of production is energetic, lively and “soulful”.

He has worked with up-coming acts such as Stain, Steven Licker, Stone, D-law and many others. In 2005, he teamed up with Stain and Steven Licker to form the group ‘Solo Tunes’(now So-Jamz) and produced the album, ‘Sounds Of Survival’…
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Taaya “Conscious T” Shangula Music Producer, Song Writer, Artist

Fav: Reason, Logic Studio

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Conscious T. has always been in awe of artists who shed a light on what goes on in the world like Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, and Tupac Shakur etc. His alias “Conscious T” represents his awareness towards world affairs, the past inclusive and his ambitions to help shape the future through music.

His production style can be very eclectic from slow beat hip-hop to more up-tempo urban music. Conscious T is a self-taught lyricist with lyrics that can be edgy and inspirational without being vulgar.

He hopes to bring people together through music and change the views of what urban culture is and what it can be.

Watch Conscious T in the studio, producing “Cloud 9”!!…
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What’s cool also about the website is that you can listen to various “Artists & Styles” of music they produce. They use and go through Spotify.com which you can login using your Facebook acct. They have features like a bumping “Playlist,” and I loved, “Plastic Ville” and my 2 favorite songs on there are, “Welcome to La La Land” & “Lets get Naughty”!
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You will find a fly “Community” tab with inter-active threads you can join in on too! So please go give these guys a Look and Listen, as your be very pleasantly surprised at ALL THE TALENT. Better yet!, login through your Facebook into SPOTIFY and give all the Music a listen. YOU won’t be disappointed. And I’ll tell you right now, your BODY won’t stop moving to the Beats!
You can find them also on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stutterhouse @stutterhouse
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Stutterhouse
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AS ALWAYS, Let the guys at StutterHouse know that you I sent you!
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GOD BLESS FRIENDS,
AUTHOR, CATHERINE TOWNSEND-LYON

I Was Just A Little Girl From I Thought, A Normal Family…..

February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer DPChallenge Daily Prompt DailyPrompt, DPChallenge

“ONCE UPON A TIME I WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL”
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Daily Prompt: Those Dishes Won’t Do Themselves (Unfortunately)

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Young, Little and Innocent. Doing everyday things little girls seem to do. Play hopscotch, dress-up, play with Barbie and Ken, and loved my “easy bake oven.” But then one day that all changed….
All I ever wanted was “Unconditional Love” from my parents. I spent a lot of years just wanting their “Approval,” and just to hear, “Catherine, we are proud of you”…It took to many years to count….

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“ONCE UPON A TIME WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL”
I remember the first time awful things happened to me as a little girl. It started as a game while playing with my little best friend at her house up the street. Her parents were working, and her high school brother was home babysitting her. The afternoon started with “Ice Cream, Candy, and Games” as they say abusers “Groom” their victims. Then we played a game of hide n seek, and somehow I ended up in a bedroom closet with HIM, all alone in the dark.

In that dark black closet, things happened to me that no little girl need EVER go through. I felt scared, alone, and confused when he touched me. He told me if I told anyone he would hurt me, and my parents would know I was a liar, and wouldn’t believe me. They would punish me. Sadly, I believed him…
This happened many times. Times when my friend and I had sleep overs at her house, or just playing during the day. He would always somehow get me alone. This went on for a few years until one day,……he died.

I then began to think it was all my fault that he died. You see, every night when I was in bed alone, I would say my nightly prayers to god, and I always ended with a “plea” to have god make HIM not touch me ever again in that hurtful way. I prayed to god if he would just let him die or go away so he could not hurt me again.

Our family was told by his parents that he had the flu real bad, he must have got up during the night in his room and he fell and hit his temple of his head on the night stand. He fell face down and was bleeding from the nose & mouth and suffocated. His parents were devastated, and my parents couldn’t believe the loss of a child. I remember his mom crying uncontrollable. My parents helped my best friends parents get through it by helping with making funeral arrangements. So of this I learned when I got older, as our parents stayed friends for many years to come.

I still began to slowly withdraw into myself. I felt dirty. I could not process why, but it’s how I felt. I knew what he was doing was wrong, and I felt helpless to say no or stop it. Even they way I acted around others when he was around my family didn’t even wave any red flags. People thought I was being shy, when inside my head I was screaming!! And now he has died! I felt it was all my fault. More hurtful baggage I’d carry into adulthood. I also could not understand my best friends feelings. She had no reaction to her brother’s death. No tears, didn’t talk, nothing,…..kind of like me. Of course later in life that made me feel that he had to have been hurting her to.

I know it sounds cold, but I felt a sense of relief that he would not touch again. But sadly, it only lasted a year or so. As another man became my next monster. A man who was a friend of my fathers. And my nightmare began all over again…..WHY ME?
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“ONCE UPON A TIME I WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL”….
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Just Sharing Some New Tips For Writer & Bloggers

February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Marketing and More, Posts New Marketing sites, Social Media Tips

Hello and Welcome Friends, Peekers, & Visitors,

If you are a writer, author, and blogger like me, and looking for some places to get more traffic and exposure for what ever it is your promoting, then I have a few tips on some websites you may find interesting to go try for Free!

I do use these sites for many different reasons. To start, I moved my writers blog here to WordPress because they are a fantastic blog hosting site, and I set up and designed my blog to be simple and easy to read, all by myself for FREE. Their instructional video and written follow along instructions are the best for even not so competent computer users like me to figure out to easily make a blog. I’m more about “Content” on my blog than the “Looks” of my blog.

So as I come across many helpful sites that can make my writing or blogging easy and save me time with gained exposure, then I enjoy passing it on to help others.
So if your thinking about a new hosting place for your blog, check out WordPress while your here.
My next 2 tips are to help you get more traffic to what ever you do. If it’s a blog, website, for any purpose, and love “Social Media,” then you really need to check out http://about.me.com
Here is what About.me does for you, as I use and added my Page as my “Author Bio” on my blog. They have a link tool to add your about.me page into your Blog or Website!:
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It’s All About You!:

Having an about.me page will make it easier for people to find and learn about you.

Build Your Presence!

It’s a great place to start, or improve your presence on the web.

Public Profile

Your public ID online. Visitors don’t have to sign up to see any of your information.
Market Your Business

Drive awareness for your business with a simple, beautiful page.

Helps With Job Search

Give your applications a personal touch by adding your about.me URL.
- Personal Homepage
  
  No need to know code or build your own site. About.me is free and easy to set up.
- Central Point Of Contact
  
  Stay organized by putting all your links in one place.

*It’s a fun, fast, and easy to make a page, and you’ll increase your web or blog presence.
Here is my page, http://About.me/AuthorCatherineLyon *

This company is out of San Fran, that offers a free or cost upgrade page for you to create in little time. Their community is different and “Powerful,” and you can follow, your “Page” be followed, or complement other people’s pages, they can compliment yours with share buttons for Twitter and many other sites. You can make collections of friends with different categories. I get shared & complimented a lot on Twitter! So check out how About.me can increase you exposure on the web!
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My next site is brand new to me, and it’s also a great way to make a “Social Media Impression” through! You add all your Links on social media, your blogs or websites and they do all the “Mixing and calculating” to make YOU LOOK GOOD!

First, second, even third impressions don’t just happen across conference tables or at cocktail parties anymore. If you use social media regularly, chances are good that your future boss, potential clients, even your next drinking buddy, are getting to know you by going online.
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Just what are they getting to know? It’s easy for them to find out you work at Acme Corp. But do they know you just ran a marathon? That you just finished reading the complete works of Dickens? That you make a mean bowl of chili?

Which version of you do they see? Which version matters?

At Vizify, we believe they all matter. Because you are more than the sum of your parts. Vizify helps you transform all those interesting impressions you make online into one definitive, multidimensional, graphical biography, without ever asking you to face a blank screen. It’s the easiest, most advanced tool for showing the best of you online, all in one place.
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So I urge you to go check out WordPress.com, About.me.com, and Vizify.com and see if they can help you in any way. They do save me time and increase my web presence all in one!
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My next tip is for the “Writer” inside you! One of the reasons I started my Author/Writers blog here was for a few reasons. One is TOO WRITE!…LOl and write I do. I maybe a Published Author with my current book, Addicted To Dimes, (Confessions of a liar and a Cheat)……”Shameless Plug” http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984478485
But I set this blog up also to become a “Better Writer”…..

Of course a “Good Editor” can make us authors & writers look really good on paper, and inside our book covers, but I want to grow and learn as a writer to. So one place I do this is at: http://yeahwrite.me …. They have several “Weekly & Weekend Writing Challenges.
Even though my passion is writing, I need to practice my craft in order to grow as a real writer.
So what better way then to do writing challenges. It is another reason I chose WordPress to as my blog host site. They also offer their own Weekly & Daily writing challenges as well. Here is a little about “Yeah Write Me”….
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A writer’s community for writers who blog and bloggers who write!
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Become A Yeah Write Subscriber!

Yeah write is growing quickly and it’s become one of the best groups for writers on the Internet. When it comes to supporting writers who have smaller blogs and writers who are learning to write for an audience, yeah write is the best you’re going to find.

Yeah write is:

the smaller blogger’s long lost tribe, the Okaformee Moonshiners. Mascot: four beautiful people soaking in a bubble bath of gin. Official flower: the iPad.
when we are on our best behavior, a blog reader’s paradise. There are no commercial or gimmicky sponsored posts snuck onto the grid. The casual surfer can stumble over us, click a thumbnail and start reading what we know will be a pretty decent personal narrative.
a surprisingly fun way to spend Tuesday through Thursday in good company while other, more dramatic, yet somehow less important, shiz is going down on the Internet.
experienced writers helping emerging writers helping beginning writers struggle with the decision of writing for a public audience. We do not abandon our beginning writers who speak up and don’t quit.
an open community where writers and bloggers can submit when they want and not submit when they don’t want. When you finally get bored with our shenanigans and unsubscribe, we heal our broken feelings with a new design element. True story. Typeface, graphic or WordPress template. Sometimes sushi.

Yeah write is not:

for everybody. And that’s okay. We all have personalities and working styles best taken in small doses, and ours come with a really long list of contradictions. Take our managing editor, especially, with food, hard liquor and big chunks of dark, cynical humor.
your writing partner. If you don’t have one, find one. Start looking here if you like, search a few writing groups, but beware the hidden agenda. Some people live to discourage the dreams of others. And some don’t know enough about the process, about the art, to be considered your writing equal. You need a writing partner, not an intern.
a replacement for a writer’s workshop or an instructor-led class. Sometimes, you just need to be in the same room with the person you’re trusting with your hard work.
your first drafts folder. Bring your best stuff doesn’t always mean bring it right now. It never means bring the best you happen to have on you, cohesive narrative be damned. Bring us your best stuff when you know it’s gonna be the best on the grid.
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WHY YEAH WRITE WORKS!

Yeah write is supported by a wonderful core of writers. Many of those writers have hung out with us since 2011, the year we got started bringing our own brand of the weekly writing challenge to the Internet. Along with that faithful core, we have a transient community of writers. Those writers may or may not know what it is we do here, and we are happy to explain on various pages published on yeah write for those willing to explore and click around.This “why yeah write works” page is being lifted from our yeah write #109 weekly writing challenge from May 2013. It’s long, it’s nearly 1500 words. It’s here if you need it and even if you don’t, kind of like the drunk uncle who is always good for a pint on your loneliest days.Thanks for reading and learning and for being here with us at yeah write, the best place on the Internet for writers who blog and bloggers who write.
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And last but not least….if you are a Blogger, you may want to check out, NetworkedBlogs!
It’s an interesting site that gets “Readers and Bloggers” together. YOU share your great Content to many New People and share News! http://www.NetWorkedBlogs.com
Read your favorite blogs and news all in one place. Share on Facebook, Twitter or direct to friends.
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NetworkedBlogsNetworkedBlogs is a user-generated blog directory and syndication tools for publishers. NetworkedBlogs is one of the largest news apps on Facebook.

Ninua News

Ninua News is a fun and social way to get bitsize news while going about your day. A user’s interests are crisscrossed with what’s popular among friends to serve up a personal, social view of the news.

Available on Android, iOS coming soon.
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So take some time to go visit their site, as I have BOTH my Recovery and Writers blogs on the site and saw many NEW Readers to both my blogs! When I began to write my first book, one of the best tips I ever got was just “Write What You Know”…..

That is what I do on my Recovery blog. I share “The Rest Of My Recovery Story”there.
I also write about living with Mental illness & Emotional disorders in which I suffer, and I began to open up recently about being a “Sex Abuse Survivor” as well. It happened to me when I was a little girl, but……it added fuel to my addictions because I used addiction to “Escape & Hide” from the “Old Wounds” that came back knocking on my door in my early 40’s. Those pains and hurt contributed to my gambling and alcohol addiction, and why I went down that path. The drinking I got control over quickly, it was the addicted gambling that became my Major Demon. But I’m happy and PROUD that I just *Celebrated* my 7 year Recovery B-day a few days ago on Jan 29th 2014!!! And WRITING & Journaling was one of my Tools to get there! So,…I write what I know. So back to Yeah Write Me….
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*So if you enjoy writing and want to grow as a writer, I suggest checking out http://yeahwrite.me and see if they are a good fit for you. They use badges and Inklinkz to post and link your writing challenge submissions, as this to will increase your blog or website traffic as yeahwrite.me encourages all their writers to go and read all entry submissions and “Vote” on the “Weekly” ones. I really enjoy their challenges! So these are my “Tips” for
this week. Off to find some news to share Next Week*!!
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Thank You for coming by!
Author Catherine Townsend-Lyon :-)