Tag Archives: Life

Life happens. These posts are about the day to day or some aspect of living. Sometimes humorous.

How We Use Cookies

Pietas, Lord of the Immortals, explains cookies on behalf of Kayelle Allen.

Cookies

Kayelle wishes you to know she employs no “cookies” other than those required to provide social media interaction, and to determine how best to create her site in order to meet your needs. She will not track or follow you with nefarious cookies or malware.

She tells me people should consider investing in an app such as Ccleaner, by Piriform, which deletes cookies easily. This is why you can trust her, you see. She cares about your well-being. Why humans are so concerned about such trivial things is beyond me. Cookies are part of the online experience. Deal with them, delete them or ignore them. How difficult is that? If one wants to have a good experience online, then one must expect technical issues. If you don’t understand them, don’t whine about it. Learn, ignore, or move onward.

In my humble but accurate opinion, you should do yourself a favor, human. Stop caterwauling about cookies and privacy. As a human, you are a puny, hollow-souled Mundane. No one wants to track such a pathetic excuse for a living being. You have no value to me, personally, nor to the universe at large. I suggest you sit at your desk or stare at your mobile device and shut up.

However, if you mess with Kayelle, I will send my faithful followers to dog your steps to the end of your days. You would do well to simply dump your cookies and/or cache and go about your business without attracting undue attention to your worthless self. If you had a brain or any courage in that despicable body of yours, you’d have the guts to follow ME.

#Dare2Follow
Pietas ap Lorectic
Lord of the Immortals
Get to know Pietas better (if you dare)

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Thanks, but no thanks. Are you doing this one simple thing to end #PlasticPollution #NoPlasticStraws

Updated on 05/13/2020 by Kayelle Allen

There’s one simple thing each person can take to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. Ask for no plastic straws in your drinks. Americans use 500 million straws daily. Once. That happens day after day, filling our landfills and contributing to ocean plastic.

What if every person reading this post shared it with a friend and pledged to reduce the amount of drinking straws they used each day?

Do that one simple thing: Here’s how

1. Personal commitment
Make a personal commitment to reduce your use of plastic straws when you dine out. When you order a drink, simply say, “No plastic straws, please.”

2. Ask your friends and family to commit
Share your commitment to no plastic straws with friends and family.

3. Ask your favorite restaurants to serve straws only on request
This will reduce plastic straw purchases, saving them money. If restaurants served paper straws (or bambo, glass or stainless steel), it would make an impact on our communities and our world. You can even share how they can become part of the “No Plastic Straws” business movement. Want a printable card you can leave when you pay your bill? Click here and look at “Level 2” under Take Action.

4. Carry a reusable straw of your own
Amazon has a selection of reusable straws in bright colors and in steel and other forms. Try this one. These colorful straws fit the Yeti tumbler and other reusable drink bottles and come with a cleaning brush. You also get a cleaning brush with these sleek stainless steel straws or with a cool bamboo set from The Other Straw.

My goal isn’t to sell you straws. It’s to make you aware of the problem and give you a step to take. Every step we take toward a solution makes a difference.
5. Find companies that pledge to use less plastic and give them your support.

Here’s one you might not have considered. Flooring. You will walk on your floor for many years, but eventually, it will end up in a landfill. Is it made of material that will biodegrade? Check out what The New & Reclaimed Flooring Company is doing. What other companies are you discovering?

Please share this post on your social media and pledge to use fewer plastic straws each day. Remember, this is just one simple thing to do. What else can you try? Share it in the comments below.

Click this banner to see a full-sized infographic on plastic pollution in the oceans.

Posted in Reducing Ocean Plastic | Tagged Fun Stuff to Do, Life, Ocean Plastic |

5 Exercises and 5 Excuses for Writers #writerslife #MFRWauthor

Updated on 07/10/2017 by Kayelle Allen

You might not be aware, but writing can be hazardous to your health. For example, carpal tunnel syndrome affects millions and is a serious threat to many writers. I had surgery (called a carpal tunnel release) on each hand, one after the other, many years ago. I’m completely recovered but it was a long haul. Here are some exercises that helped me recover.

These five exercises are ones my physical therapist taught me. After those, I’ll pass on five excuses for the author who likes less of a challenge. Any writer can do these hand exercises. They are pleasant, and simple. Performing warm up exercises for your hands can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other maladies.

I am not a doctor or a trained physical therapist, but I am a writer who has dealt with carpal tunnel and lived with the pain it causes. These are suggestions based on what I do myself and what my therapist gave me to do. As with any exercise program, check with a medical professional before beginning, or if you have concerns. I personally do all the exercises below and they work for me. I hope they’ll help you.

Exercises for Writers

Exercise 1

Spread your fingers as wide as possible, hold the stretch to a count of five. Make a tight fist and hold that to a count of five. Repeat. Do this at least twice per hand before beginning your day.

Exercise 2

With right hand open, place fingers in the palm of your left hand. Press with the right while resisting with the left. You might feel this all the way to your elbows. That’s okay. It means there’s a good stretch. Hold for a count of five. Reverse hands and repeat. Do this twice per hand. I credit my fast recovery from surgery with this kind of therapy.

Exercise 3

Holding your hand straight up, keep fingers together and bring your thumb across your palm. Try to touch the base of your little finger. Stretch for it. If this is difficult it likely means your hand is tight. Repeat five times. You can do both hands at once.

Exercise 4

Use a small stress ball. Here’s one available on Amazon that is safe, non-sticky, and is said to last a lifetime. This one claims to be safe around children, but use your own judment. http://amzn.to/2tEhEOi Place the ball on a firm surface and place the palm of your hand atop it. Keeping your fingers straight, roll the ball beneath your hand. Stress balls often come with their own suggested exercises.

Exercise 5

If you have twin sinks this is easy. If you don’t, try two deep bowls. Fill one with hot water. Make it cool enough to hold your hand in comfortably, but still be considered hot. Fill the other side with cold water. You can float a few ice cubes in it. Plunge your hands in the hot water and hold for 30 seconds. Then put them right into the cold water for 60 seconds. Repeat five times. This makes my hands feel wonderful! I hope you enjoy it too.

Excuses for Writers

We all have days where we just can’t seem to cope. Days when good enough is good enough. For those days, try these excuses. Because we’re writers, these are writing-related.

Excuse 1

You’ve worked hard on marketing and writing so take a break. Play Spider Solitaire, Mahjongg, a word search puzzle, or other game. Alternate option: read.

Excuse 2

The submission process is stressful, so write in a pre-formatted document. To create, open a blank document and save it as Chapter One. Double-check the formatting. Set a new format to indent automatically five spaces when starting a new paragraph, format it for double lines and name it Editing.

Excuse 3

You should be well hydrated before beginning any exercise. Fill your coffee cup, lift, sip, and put it back down. Repeat with the other hand. Do this until the cup is empty. Refill so you can repeat again later if needed.

Excuse 4

You should keep to your schedule as much as possible, so check your email and calendar for any upcoming events. Because these tasks fall under marketing, this is an acceptable writing activity.

Excuse 5

Writers should use good equipment, including things used for exercise. Double-check the exercise equipment you have on hand to be sure it’s high quality. You might try comparison shopping online. While you’re ordering new items, stock up on coffee, creamer, and sugar. This might be a good time to consider the meal plan for the week.

There you have it. Five exercises and five excuses. Which you use depends on you. Have you faced similar issues with pain when writing? How did you deal with it? Feel free to leave a comment.

Posted in Life and Family | Tagged Fun Stuff to Do, Kayelle Allen, Life, MFRW, New Writer Tips, Tips and Tools, Writing |

Is it right to quit? 10 times it’s ok #author #entrepreneur

Updated on 02/24/2017 by Kayelle Allen

The question, “Is it right to quit?” seems to require a “No!” in response. But does it? Not if you are quitting for the right reasons. Here are ten times it’s okay (and perhaps advisable) to quit.

When is it right to quit?

When you realize what you’re doing is wrong. You’ve gone about it the hard way, for example, or you realize your information was incorrect.
When it’s harmful or dangerous to yourself, others, or the environment.
When it’s wasteful and not a good use of resources. Is it right to quit if you can fix the issue? Perhaps not.
When someone else can do it better for less. This is an iffy one — quality and quantity are market related. If you can make a widget for a dollar and someone else has a means to make ten of them for that price and they outperform yours, give serious thought to moving on.
When it’s not going in the right direction for your purposes.
When you can’t control what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, this is a good time to step back and reconsider how and why. Is it right to quit if you can’t control the outcome? This is probably one of the best times, depending on what you are trying to do in the first place.
When it’s no longer necessary. At some point, when no one needs this product or service, set it aside and move on.
When it’s time to hand it over to a new person. Perhaps someone you know needs a chance to succeed and this project would be ideal for them. Step back and coach, but let it go. Is it right to quit when it means enabling others? Yes.
When you’ve lost your enthusiasm. Perhaps a different approach to the issue is needed, but if you’ve tried different things and you still don’t care, quit. I know, that flies in the face of contemporary advice, but don’t beat a dead horse. Ride a live one.
When you no longer love it. You might be enthusiastic about the concept or the product, but you’re tired of it. You don’t want to do this anymore. Then by all means, step back and move on.

The point of knowing when to quit is knowing what to do afterward. Is it right to quit just because you feel like it? Well, why do you feel like it? Is it because one of the reasons above?

Let me share some things I decided to quit doing recently. I unsubscribed from a few online services I no longer used and from a few newsletters I never read. I stopped wasting time opening email and then filing it and instead, set up a filter in email to automatically file many emails from my target people (friends, family, and businesses). Now I can see the folders have unread mail, read it, and then either delete it or go on to the next thing. It cut down on time filing quite a bit.

I am a graphic designer and love creating fanart, plus book covers, banners, and more. I created a company, The Author’s Secret, for that purpose. However, after five years, I realized I was spending so much time maintaining social media, websites, blog posts, and more for both myself and the company that I had little time left to do what I want to do most. Write. So after a long soul-searching period, I decided to close the company.

Instead, I will offer a few of the same services from my own website. That way, I’m promoting only one site and one set of social media. It’s a win-win.

Is it right to quit? I think so, yes, when the reasons are sound. What do you think? Is it right to quit or should you slug it out no matter what? Share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear from you, yea or nay.

Posted in Marketing for Romance Writers | Tagged Family, Kayelle Allen, Life, Marketing Tips, MFRW, New Writer Tips, Tips and Tools, Writing |

2013 Goals: Beginning a New Cycle

Updated on 12/28/2016 by Kayelle Allen

Goals = Growth

I’m reblogging this post, which I shared with Dariel Raye on her blog, Musings of an Independent Artist. Click the link to visit her blog, where there is a giveaway, and info on goals by a dozen other writers.

—

Dariel asked me, “On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate the attainment of your writing goals in 2012? Did you have goals? What will you change for 2013?”

My answer: Looking back, I set five specific goals for 2012, and met only one of them. However, I give myself a 5. I met the first because I made it a top priority and worked at it daily. I set aside the second goal for other priorities. I abandoned the third and fourth because I found better plans to follow. I completely forgot about the fifth one because I didn’t go over my goals periodically, the way I have in previous years. I won’t make that mistake in 2013. I set a new set of objectives for 2013 back in December 2012, and have already accomplished two of them. I am tweaking the list, and will be adding back the item I had forgotten.

2013 is shaping up to be a successful year for me as a writer, a person, and as a wife, mother, and grandmother. For example, my husband and I are working through a workbook by Dr. Gary Chapman called The Five Love Languages, and together, we’re reading Life Code: New Rules for Winning in the Real World by Dr. Phil McGraw. Both of these are making a difference in our personal and professional relationships.

I have short stories scheduled in two anthologies so far, and expect to complete a long awaited sequel. I’m excited by the future I see.

Okay, shoe on the other foot. What are some of your goals this year?

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.

Posted in Marketing for Romance Writers | Tagged Kayelle Allen, Life, New Writer Tips, Writing |

With Love, to Spammers #humor

Updated on 09/27/2016 by Kayelle Allen

Stop Spam.

Dear Spammers,
Thank you for the many emails you’ve sent me. I’ve become quite adept at spotting them. One trick I particularly like is when all of you decide on a specific topic for the subject line of your emails, and then you all use it the same day. Such as “Notice of Extreme Win.” Nothing grabs my attention like seeing six of these lined up in my inbox, all from different people.

Another favorite — and recent trick — was a flurry of notes that advised me about my “ex” saying bad things about me, or in some cases, that he was posting bad pictures of me. That had me puzzled at first, especially since I’ve been married to the same man for 37 happy years and don’t have an ex. But it helped me spot you!

Then there’s the “Can you tell English is not my first language” message. Topics such as “Plese to be my frend” or the oldie but goodie “strive to use for benfitting of ze chilldren.” I also like the tried but true “this massage no the spam” one.

No Spam

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank you for reminding me that I, too, can add an extra inch to my manhood. The fact that I’m female apparently doesn’t make any difference. How nice to know. Recently, you brought to my attention that there is “strength in the extra inch” — so I guess those old commercials about being a “silly milimeter longer” might have been right. And of course, I can always “Watch it grow bigger.”

Thanks, too, for the email subjects that begin “Dearest One” or “Dear Winner” or “Dear Beneficiary.” I look forward to these because they show me how many people out there love me. People I have never even met, but who go out of their way to show me how much they want to get to know me. I appreciate the opportunity to share with you, especially your kind requests for my checking account information, credit card secret number, passwords, and the like. The internet is an amazingly friendly place. People like you make it “oh so special.”

End Spam

Another good thing you’ve provided is the reminder that to get the full benefit of your email, I should open and download attached documents. These have contained items that remind me of the fall of Troy, and that big horse that was left for its residents. Good of you to note in your subject that “this message is verified safe” — which is what I know most of my true friends would put in their subjects to reassure me.

Stop Spam Forever

Lately though I’ve wondered about a few of you. Why do you put ***SPAM*** in the topic of your email? Do you think it will somehow miss the target that I’ve set for it on my mailbox system? I have to say, that isn’t one of your better decisions. Kind of like painting a target on your back and chest. I am disappointed that you’ve gotten that lazy. I’ve been having fun trying to figure out which message is from you and which from real friends. I have noticed though that friends don’t tend to send me emails telling me where to score the best drugs. Some of my friends might ask *me* where to get them — but few will volunteer that info in the open.

Overall, I wanted you to know that I take special pains with your messages, and even have a folder just for you. Nearly all of your messages go directly there. I’ve trained my email program to recognize most of you. For those who are new, take heart. I’m sure I’ll figure you out eventually, and you’ll be routed to my exclusive list of “special emails” or that elite folder I’ve set up for you and your friends. Till then, My Dearest, may your inbox never be empty.

Posted in Humorous Stories | Tagged Fun Stuff to Do, Life |