Our newsletter provides monthly updates on the latest projects supported by A Little Help co, the links to news headlines from around the world, jokes, riddles, and more!
Maybe it's the change in temperatures or the smell of budding flowers, but our long winter hibernation is about to end!
Why do we offer this monthly newsletter?
With the overwhelming sea of media and depressing headlines, our newsletter offers a small reprieve while still offering you global highlights and humor for your day.
Subscribe to our email list or become a supporting member to receive a special copy of the newsletter sent straight to your email inbox with a special "VIP" section.
Table of Contents
Good News
Take this fun quiz to find out which plant matches your personality.
With spring right around the corner, we are all eager to open the windows and bring in some new life to our homes. Take a moment with this fun little quiz to match upi your personality and hopes with the best plant suggestions for your home. Enjoy the entire article by clicking the link below...
Tech News
Speaking of 'Spring Cleaning'...
Here's a great article on cleaning up your iPhone when you are running out of storage.
Last month's Spotlight: Nevvie Gane - Editor
If you missed the Spotlight interview, here's another opportunity to "Read All About It"!
KJ's Corner
Spring is Hear!
Yes, I intentionally misused that word! Spring is all about opening up after a long winter's nap, like opening our windows to let in some fresh Spring air. The same can be said for a another milestone on my little journey to becoming published: Creating an Audiobook!!!
With today's advancements in technology, making everything easier and more accessible, a small aspiring author now has the ability to self publish an audiobook. In the past, this would have been a HUGE undertaking with voice actors, a studio, and tons of revenue. None of which I can afford as a working mom. Fortunately for me, indie publishing is a whole new world of DIY for anyone on a very tight budget.
"If you are a new author, on a budget, why bother with an audiobook?" Good question, but the answer is not what you think. Yes, our world has become integrated with technology and audiobooks are pretty much common place now. My reason for stretching out my pennies a bit more actually goes back to my childhood. I have fond memories of learning to read with books-on-tape. Little did I know at the time, I had mild dyslexia that those early audiobooks helped to mask quite well. As I dove into the wonderful world of reading, I gravitated more towards picture books to help me with context reading. Yet, audiobooks, when I could find them, were a delightful treasure! Fast forward to the present and here I am wanting to bring the same auditory joy I had as a child to another generation of readers. The excitement of hearing my favorite character's come to life is an experience I wanted to share with my novels.
How I managed to work in an audiobook with the main novel concept was also a wonderful surprise. I dreaded the notion that I was just too poor to even consider another venue for my first novel. Turns out, I was wrong! There are TONS of indie authors out there creating their own audiobooks and succeeding on very low start-up income. It does takes a little more 'elbow grease' to go the indie publishing route, but nothing new for this little diamond in the rough. DIY is something I've always done throughout my life, so this was simply another hurtle I was determined to overcome.
I discovered an online application that allows me to start creating audio files using digital voices that sound very realistic! MicMonster is either free to use a basic version or a one time purchase to get the pro version with more features. The other benefit is a commercial license for any audio files created with the pro version! So, here I am working on drafting a script and will be cutting tracks for the narrator after that. I might even assign a few smaller roles to MicMonster's long list of voices. Unless I find some interested parties willing to help out an aspiring author! ((Hint: there might be a special member-exclusive later this month to win a chance to be one of the voices in the audiobook!))
This has certainly turned out to be an eventful journey and I'm glad I can share these small milestones and course changes with you. If you would like to learn more about MicMonster or any other the other resources I have discovered along my way to publishing, click here to jump to the Resources page.
The Funnies
Monthly Riddle: Each month we will post a curious conundrum to tickle your brain cells. The answer for each monthly riddle will be posted in the following month's newsletter.
April's Riddle:
What is in seasons, seconds, centuries and minutes,
but not in decades, years or days?
March's Riddle Answer: Pencil-vania!
Creator Richard Stevens
Have a Wonderful Day!
Comments