Happy birthday Codi!

Every now and again I write something about my family. Since today is my nephew Codi's birthday, I thought it appropriate to talk about him.

Codi AKA Codeman has always been a skinny kid and it's hard to believe he's grown up to be a teenager. He was so skinny I used to call him "no butt." His response to me whenever I said that was, "I not no butt." Then he would turn around and flash me his little no butt tushy. Isn't innocence wonderful?

At age three, we introduced Codi to the computer. We bought him a Tonka Truck game and a colorful, blue-red-yellow kid computer mouse. He took to the PC like a fish to water. He even decided that he preferred the "big person" mouse. After that, we invested in a boatload of computer games. Thank goodness there are some terrific educational software companies out there. Now the kid wants to learn to program games. Cool!

I believe it was that same winter that Codi took his first skiing lessons. Being a kid from Florida, he thought snow was very cool and whenever he visited he wanted to ski. Of course, when he found out that we snowboarded he wanted to do that instead of skiing. Fickle kid.

Codi has always had the most amazing memory. He remembers absolutely everything anyone has ever given him and cares for the fuzzy, quacking duck I gave him for Easter as if it were worth a million dollars instead of the 5 dollars it cost. Now, he still holds every gift as though it were a most valued possession, but the price of those gifts has gone higher than 5 dollars. For his birthday this year, I sent him an Xbox game. Not only did I send him a game, but I had to send my other nephews the same game so they can play across the internet with each other. Isn't family wonderful, not to mention expensive.

He loves spending time with his grandparents and strives to be like his grandpa. He enjoys shopping with grandma and nagging her to make him stuff like a quilt for his bed. He's crazy about doing "guy" things with grandpa. Codi and my dad do the "guy" things such as going to the driving range and hitting some golf balls, mowing yards, building things at Home Depot. Occasionally, the two will go off and take a day trip where there are "no girls allowed." Hm. Hope Codi isn't teaching my dad any bad things on those outings.

Codi is a wicked smart kid, but the poor guy has my personality when it comes to learning something new. If he doesn't get it the first time or right out of the gate, he gets frustrated. Hopefully he figures out that frustration leads to learning and that persistence is a wonderful tool to success.

Codeman - I hope you have a wonderful day and that your birthday celebration is filled with family, friends, and fun. And don't forget to call your Aunt Denise.

Love ya!

Drawing pictures in words

This morning I woke up thinking...no surprise there, but I was thinking about drawing pictures in words. If you're like me when you first write something you don't always put the description of the scene in first, especially when I'm handwriting something in the middle of getting a haircut. I write the telling version. When I'm at my computer I take out the telling portion and draw the image in words.

Can you believe this is the stuff that wakes me up in the morning?

Anyway, I thought we could use some exercises in drawing an image through words. I'll throw out a few sentences that TELL and you post your comments back with the SHOWING.

You ready? Here are a few sentences to have fun with.

She sat contemplating.

He looked angry.

She appeared embarassed.

He wanted her.


Happy writing and look forward to seeing your descriptive showing of one, some, or all of the above sentences.

How to cut words from your novel

GASP! That's your first response when your editor says I want you to cut 12,000 words from your novel. Then you start sweating bullets and thinking, "There is no way I can do that. Everything is important."

But is it really?

As the author of said novel it is only natural to feel possessive of every word written. Guess what? That possessiveness is not going to work in your favor.

Here is where I recommend you grab another person to edit your work to get you started. A fresh set of eyes can sometimes pick up on the words you don't need. Tell him or her that the specific editing needed is the chopping of words and scenes. When you get it back, it's your turn to see if what was suggested meets your needs and doesn't change your story. Now you edit it.

Did the mention of chopping scenes make your stomach clench and bile rise in the back of your throat?

Don't worry. It will all work out. There are places in your novel that lend themselves naturally to the cutting process. One of the easiest places that you will probably find all over your novel is taglines. Taglines are those lines at the end of someone speaking such as, "Oh no you don't," she yelled loudly.

That may be an exaggerated tagline but then again, I don't think so. Here is why you want to nix that little tagline. First, you see the word "loudly" sitting there? Kill it. No one wants to read a dreaded "ly" word. Why? Because it SHOWS nothing but TELLS everything. Second, you just said she yelled. Does that not imply loud? Have you ever heard someone yell in a whisper? I think not.

Beyond that little "ly" word, do you need the "she yelled" addition. How many people are in the conversation? Two? Three? If you have written each character in a fashion to be able to tell them apart by how they speak then a tagline is not necessary. If you have multiple people in a conversation then you only need a tagline every few sound bites or when a character first interjects. After that, the reader should be able to distinguish the difference.

In this brief example, we could simply change the sentence to "Oh no you don't!" The fact that someone is yelling is quite obvious by the exclamation point. As long as you have made it obvious that she is the one yelling you should be good to go.

Now onto more ways to cut. Have you ever been told to extinguish PASSIVE VOICE sentences? There are two reasons. One is because they are not action oriented and therefore more telling. The second reason is because they take up more words. Didn't realize that did you? Example of passive voice would be "The suspect was questioned for sixteen hours by Gabe and his partner." Okay, not only is that a mouthful, but blech! How about this instead? "Gabe and his partner questioned the suspect for sixteen hours." We went from 12 words down to 10. It doesn't sound like much but when it comes to cutting, every word or less word counts.

Let's get to the bigger chunks, the place where you cut partial or whole paragraphs, maybe even entire scenes.

GASP! Clutching at your chest in the vicinity of your heart. A little dramatic don't you think?

If you're in the middle of the scene with a couple of girlfriends drinking at a bar and they're naturally talking about men, don't go off topic in the heroine's mind and think about where she grew up UNLESS it is pertinent to how she thinks in that conversation. First, all you did was throw the reader off, but second, you just wasted two or three sentences. Is that information important to the storyline and moving it forward. Is it important at that point in time? Can you show it or do you already show it somewhere else more appropriate? If the answer is yes, then CUT.

Before the girls get to the bar they have to drive there or maybe they walk. Either way, are you showing the reader that walk or ride? Do we need to see it? Does something important happen or are you just drawing a picture of the city lights and the busy street for us until you get to the scene that is of value and moves your story forward at the bar? CHOP! Don't need extraneous words just to fill space. The ride to the bar must go bye-bye.

Lead-ins are nice but if you wrapped up one scene letting us know the girls were meeting at their favorite bar at 6 PM then get to the bar. Keep in mind "page-turner." Why? Because if you drone on giving the reader too much description that has no significance then the reader will be turning the page to get to the good parts. While if you keep the description tight and to the point of the scene then the reader will be turning the page for more, making your story a "page-turner."

I have edited a couple of manuscripts where entire chapters do not have the protagonists or the antagonist in them. Instead, a secondary character who plays a good role is the focus of the chapter. Even though the secondary character is talking about the protagonist and the supposed situation, how is this moving the story forward? Seriously, think about it. You as the writer are talking about (TELLING) what the secondary character thinks about the situation as opposed to having the protagonists showing us what they are thinking or doing. Even if this character is going to be in future books, do you need this chapter with him or her her and now? This chapter must go! Again, I look at that and think the writer was looking for filler.

When you are trying to meet a short word count or asked by your editor to eliminate 12,000 or 20,000 words the key is to keep your mind open and to make sure the words, sentences, paragraphs, or even entire chapters are needed in moving your storyline forward. Action is always better than wordiness. Show the reader and you will be certain that your script is tight and that your editore and readers will be loving your story.

Happy CUTTING!

Author event at local business involves social networking

Last week I posted a blog about how to support your local author. This week, I thought I would share with you some photos and quips about how a local book event went.

This past Saturday, Nora LeDuc and I had a book event at Big Easy Bagel in Manchester. I have known Nora and the owners of Big Easy Bagel for years so to host event there and with Nora makes the event that much more comfortable. I also know many of the regular customers so it’s always nice to see smiling and supportive faces.


I believe that a successful event is not necessarily one in which you sell out of books, but is one in which you have fun and reach one new reader. I surpassed my goal so this was a very successful event.




In addition, a successful event benefits not just the authors, but also the local business that hosts the event. Big Easy benefited because everyone who came in to buy a book or see the authors bought a cup of coffee, a bagel, or some French fries, etc. I mentioned that win-win situation in Friday’s blog post.


To top that off, some writer friends showed up to support Nora and I so we had the opportunity to talk with people we had not seen in a while. One of those writers is Stephanie Giancola who writes a national column for Examiner.com. You can see her columns here: http://www.examiner.com/x-2533-Romance-Novel-Examiner. Between Stephanie and me, we will both write up an article (or in my case a blog post) on the event and include some pictures. This will further promote the authors, the restaurant (Big Easy Bagel), and Stephanie’s column.

This is the epitome of social networking and marketing at its best.

The next event that Nora and I will be at together is February 13, at Toadstool Bookstore in Milford http://toadbooks.com/. Stephanie Giancola will be there as well as a few more writer friends and hopefully some friends who own www.youdontsaynotogirls.com. Afterwards we plan on celebrating the event the same way we celebrated the book event at Big Easy Bagel – with margaritas. We will be visiting the local Three Amigos in Milford afterwards. See…social networking.

Picture is worth a thousand words...but can you write the thousand words?

Sunday morning I was sitting in Panera working on chapter 5 of my WIP when I checked Twitter and saw a link from @TheWritersDen (AKA David Hunter) put up a link to a gorgeous picture of dawn over a city.

Shivers ran through me when I saw the image and of course I had to leave a comment. David posted a few pictures, all just as gorgeous and as riveting as the first. Then it hit me that it would be interesting to try and describe the photo with words. Apparently, David and I were on the same page because he graciously agreed to allow me to post the image as a writing prompt. A first for both of us.

To view all the photos David took at sunrise please go here. http://inkypaw.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/dawn-in-the-city/. David also has a wonderful blog that talks about writing. Check it out here: The Writer's Den.

On with our beautiful prompt. The old adage of "A picture is worth a thousand words" is our goal. Can you describe David Hunter's picture in 1000 words? Don't be just literal, but share the feelings in the image. I chose the Imminent Sunrise picture because of the three David posted he seemed to like that one best.



















To see the Imminent Sunrise photo on David's photo site go here http://inkypaw.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/imminent-sunrise/

Book event day with friends and food

Nora LeDuc and I will be at Big Easy Bagel today from Noon until 2 PM signing and talking about our latest books. We hope you will stop in for a bagel and a book!

See Press Release below:

Bagels and a book event

Would you like a book with that?

Not the usual question you hear at a bagel shop, but you’re invited to enjoy a book with your bagel on Jan. 23, when highly acclaimed techno-romantic thriller author Denise Robbins and mystery-romance author Nora LeDuc stop by to sign copies of their novels at Big Easy Bagel in Manchester, N.H.

Called a master of the techno-romantic thriller field, Robbins is a software engineering manager who uses her knowledge of computers and technology to create tales of crime, romance, and suspense.

As a regular customer at the bagel shop, she looks forward to seeing familiar faces at the Bagel and Book event and hopes new readers stop by as well. “What better way to spend a cold, winter day than with a bagel and a book?” she said.

Coffee Time Romance called Robbins’ last novel Killer Bunny Hill, a “gripping suspense story,” while Café of Dreams said in its review, “Ms. Robbins blends together secrets, intrigue, suspense, and romance as easily and wonderfully as a master chef blends the ingredients for a delectable gourmet meal.

Robbins’ newest novel, Connect the Dots takes readers on a page-turning tale of suspense, intrigue and international espionage with a storyline ripped straight from today’s headlines. Torture, secret prisons, and ghost flights are just a few of the modern-day themes touched upon in Connect the Dots, which was just released on Dec. 15.

Readers are invited to stop by Big Easy Bagel, located at 2626 Brown Avenue, Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 23, from Noon to 2 p.m.

Support your local author

I want to discuss the topic of supporting your local author from several different points. First, do you know who your local authors are? How do you find the local authors?

I will be the first to tell you that I as a local author am probably standing on my rooftop shouting to the world, “Here I am! Read my book!” Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but if you ask my neighbor she’ll tell you I asked her to paint me a sign (she’s a painter/artist) that says “Denise Robbins – author lives here.” You think I’m kidding?

My point is that most local authors are truly trying to shout out their names so look around, read the calendar section in the newspaper, do a search on the web for your area, check out the local writing groups, or even ask the local library or bookstore.

Now that you’ve located a local author or twenty, how can you support us?
I’m going to look at this from two perspectives, the first being from a reader and another author, the second from the viewpoint of a local business.

As a reader and an author, the number one thing you can do to support your local author is to buy the author’s book. Even if you don’t read romance or science-fiction, buy the book and give it a try. If you can’t bring yourself to read a horror story, but want to support your local author then buy the book and give it to a friend who does like horror.

Okay, you bought the book and read it. Now what? Write a 5-star review. It doesn’t have to be longwinded and detailed, just tell everyone why you liked the story. Did the author capture your attention from the very first page? Could you not put the book down even when it was one in the morning? Maybe the descriptions were so vivid you thought you were actually seeing the story come to life. Whatever reason you have for liking the book, write a quick one sentence or small paragraph and submit the review at Amazon.com, BN.com, even your local newspaper book section. As much as we authors like shouting about our books, it’s even more fun when a reader makes a little noise for us.

A few other things you can do to help your local authors include telling others to read the book. Tell your librarian and local bookstore managers that they should carry the books or even suggest the library or bookstore host a book event with the author.

When an author you have discovered has a book event, attend. Even if you already have the book, go and take a friend. Tell the audience how much you enjoyed the story and encourage them to buy the book. Heck, buy another copy and have the book signed by the author. Then give your original copy to a friend. Remember, the best marketing is word-of-mouth.

As local author and a reader, I do all of the above and more. I arrange as many book events as possible, am always willing to, and like to invite other authors to participate in events with me. Group events are a lot of fun and give the readers more opportunity to meet more local authors. Spread the word by including others.
When you write a press release for an event you are attending, mention the other authors’ names and what they write. Always suggest to a host that if that would like to do another event in the future that you can recommend some other authors.

Attend another author’s event. This evening is the perfect example. I will be going to Elaine Isaak’s book event at the Milford Toadstool this evening after work starting at 7:00 PM. Yes, I will buy a copy of her book!

As a local businessperson you can do all those things and a little more. You don’t have to be a bookstore to host a book event. Doe a local author come into your bagel shop or your pizza joint on a regular basis? Ask the author to have a book signing at your shop.

What’s the benefit?

Well, as my friends who own a bagel shop can tell you, “It’s a win-win” situation. People who come in for their Saturday morning bagel will buy a book. People who are going to your shop to get a book will buy a bagel or a cup of coffee or perhaps a glass of wine if the event is at a local winery. It’s exposure for both the author and the business owner.

Bookstores and libraries are a different matter…they sell /lease books. Why would they not want to sell a local author’s books? Or host a local author book event? Even if you carry just one copy of the book at a time when a reader asks the author on the street where she can buy a copy, the author can tell the reader to go to your location. There’s a no-brainer.

Bookstores and libraries host all kinds of events, why not a “Meet your local author night”? I bet people who visit the store or the library on a regular basis would be thrilled to know they have an author living right down the street. The first time a man I met in a restaurant found out I was an author he couldn’t believe it. He was even more aghast when he was driving home with his wife one day and saw me in my yard planting some of my flowers. He yelled out the car window, “I can’t believe I live down the street from a real live author!” That, by the way, is no exaggeration.

Many bookstores or libraries host book clubs. Why not host a book club that reads local author books? Invite the author in to the meeting so the readers can ask questions. Reading is great but it makes it so much more enjoyable when you meet the person behind the words.

I hope this little editorial has helped inform you as a reader, a local businesssperson, or author as to what you can do to help support your local authors. If you have other suggestions, please feel free to post them here.

Comfort food in novels

This past weekend my neighbor stopped over and brought me a container of homemade chicken soup. An immediate sense of home and comfort swamped me as I sat on my wood stairs where I had just painted the kick plates and at the warm food. With that one kind act, my mind went tripping down memory lane.

Remember when you were a kid how your mom would make you tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich? What did your mom or dad make you as comfort food? What is your favorite comfort food? When do you eat it?

I was thinking about it over the last few days and it hit me that even in my novels I write about comfort food. In my first novel, the heroine makes Better than Sex cake. I wonder what comfort she was looking for? Hm. The Kickass Chili the heroine makes is one of my favorite comfort foods at any time of year.

In Killer Bunny Hill, the hero throws together beef barley soup and cornbread right after they come in from the freezing cold. There’s that warm soup comfort that’s perfect after making snow angels outside in a foot of snow or snowboarding down a treacherous bunny hill.

While writing Connect the Dots my mind went directly to my favorite pizza (Hot and Sassy) and favorite pizza place (Waldo’s). Hot and Sassy pizza is a concoction I invented. It has pepperoni, prosciutto, jalapenos, feta cheese, and whenever possible add green olives. YUM! Actually, when I was in high school it was a ritual to go out for pizza on Friday nights. Kinda like my heroine does.

Great! Now I am starving. Pizza is my all time favorite food. I could eat it every day for a week and never complain. Of course, nowadays I make it on Omega-3 wraps when I make it at home.

Do you see a pattern here? My characters are so real they eat what I eat. They like comfort food for their meals.

My next novel has this great old Irish guy in it who runs an Irish pub. Guess what he serves?

Tell us about your comfort foods? Do you include them in your writing? Do your characters only eat out or perhaps they never actually have a meal? Think about it.

Bagels & Books event at Big Easy Bagel

Would you like a book with that?

Not the usual question you hear at a bagel shop, but you’re invited to enjoy a book with your bagel on Jan. 23, when highly acclaimed techno-romantic thriller author Denise Robbins and mystery-romance author Nora LeDuc stop by to sign copies of their novels at Big Easy Bagel in Manchester, N.H.

Called a master of the techno-romantic thriller field, Robbins is a software engineering manager who uses her knowledge of computers and technology to create tales of crime, romance, and suspense.

As a regular customer at the bagel shop, she looks forward to seeing familiar faces at the Bagel and Book event and hopes new readers stop by as well. “What better way to spend a cold, winter day than with a bagel and a book?” she said.

Coffee Time Romance called Robbins’ last novel Killer Bunny Hill, a “gripping suspense story,” while Café of Dreams said in its review, “Ms. Robbins blends together secrets, intrigue, suspense, and romance as easily and wonderfully as a master chef blends the ingredients for a delectable gourmet meal.

Robbins’ newest novel, Connect the Dots takes readers on a page-turning tale of suspense, intrigue and international espionage with a storyline ripped straight from today’s headlines. Torture, secret prisons, and ghost flights are just a few of the modern-day themes touched upon in Connect the Dots, which was just released on Dec. 15.

Readers are invited to stop by Big Easy Bagel, located at 2626 Brown Avenue, Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 23, from Noon to 2 p.m.


Nora and I hope to see you there!

Writing prompt, pictures, painting

This morning I woke up early and decided that we needed a writing prompt. Okay, maybe I need the writing prompt as a little extra motivation. So I was sitting at my desk which is currently in the middle of my bedroom due to my house painting and wood floor obsession at the moment. Anyway, I was sitting there trying to think of something to give as a prompt when all I did was look around at my disaster and it hit me. Painting!

But before I give you the prompt I thought I would share my latest pictures of my venture into paint. No, this is not art. This is plain paint my walls a fresh color. Yeah, so who knows what prompted me to do it but my dining room is now Caliente Red. Take a look.


Okay, enough about the paint, let's get to the prompt.

Writing Prompt: The bucket of paint tipped. . .

Gone Spear Phishing

Yesterday we discussed Phishing, the most common form of social engineering that targets a large number of people in the hopes that someone, anyone gullible enough will take the bait.

Today we move onto Spear Phishing, which are focused attacks and seem to come from people you know. Much as a fisherman uses a spear to target a single fish, spear phishing targets individuals. Where cyber criminals might send a single, mass email to a couple hundred thousand people in a phishing attack, spear phishing attacks are customized and sent to a single person at a time.

How does spear phishing work?

First, criminals need some amount of inside information on their targets to convince them the e-mails are legitimate. Often criminals obtain this “inside” information by hacking into an organization’s computer network or sometimes by combing through other websites, blogs, and social networking sites.

Once the criminals have your name and whatever other personal information they could retrieve they send emails that look like the real thing to targeted victims, offering urgent and legitimate-sounding explanations as to why they need your personal data. Just as in a phishing scam, the victims are asked to click on a link inside the email that takes them to a phony but realistic-looking website, where they are asked to provide passwords, account numbers, user IDs, access codes, PINs, etc.

Unlike phishing scams where the email is addressed to “Dear Valued Customer,” the spear phishing email usually contains personal information such as a name or some tidbit about employment. They are unique emails, rather than being the mass “your bank account has been compromised,” type emails that are more common in phishing.

Spear phishing is a greater threat because the email message is addressed to a name and not a generic addressee. In addition, the email may contain other legitimate information about the receiver. The email message might look like it comes from your employer, or from a colleague who might send an email message to everyone in the organization, such as the head of human resources. It might include requests for user names or passwords or might contain malicious software, like a trojan or a virus, but by all accounts, the message appears genuine.

How can you identify Spear Phishing emails?

Spear phishing is a more sophisticated type of social engineering than phishing, but the techniques used to avoid being scammed are the same with the exception of now the cyber criminal sends the message addressed to you with your name.

Just because the email is addressed to your name does not mean the email is legitimate, be suspicious. As long as the email is requesting you to click a link or provide personal information then be wary.

If you do not see "https" in the link, do not proceed. Roll your mouse over the link and see if the pop-up matches what appears in the email. If there is a discrepancy, DO NOT click on the link.

If you receive an email requesting your personal information, it is probably a phishing attempt. The whole point of sending phishing email is to trick you into providing your personal information.

If there is a sense of urgency, be suspicious.

If you see misspellings or bad grammar, do not proceed.


What to do if you responded to a phishing scam?

If you suspect you have responded to a phishing scam with personal or financial information, take the following steps to minimize any damage.

Report the incident

Contact your credit card company or bank if you have given your credit information. The sooner an organization knows your account has been compromised, the easier it will be for them to help protect you.

Contact the organization that you believe the forged information came from directly, not through the email message you received.

In the United States, report the circumstances to the Federal Trade Commission: National Resource for Identity Theft. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

You can also report the phishing scam to the Anti-Phishing Working Group and to the FTC at spam@uce.gov. Visit their website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/spam/index.html for further information.

Change all your passwords

Change all your passwords and start with passwords related to financial institutions or information.

Change all your passwords and make sure they are STRONG passwords. What is a strong password?

An ideal password is long and has letters, punctuation, symbols, and numbers.
Whenever possible, use at least 14 characters or more.

The greater the variety of characters in your password, the better.

Use the entire keyboard, not just the letters and characters you use or see most often.

Don’t be caught off guard

Visit the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/crimeschemes.aspx and LooksTooGoodToBeTrue http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/ websites for tips and information.



**I hope the research for my latest novel has made you a little more security conscious.**

Gone Phishing

No, I'm not talking about the kind of fishing where you use a rod, reel, and bait.

The kind of phishing I am referring to is the most common form of social engineering. Before I delve too deep, let me take a step back and define phishing. Phishing is the process of falsely posing as a legitimate enterprise through an email or website in an attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. In short, it’s a scam.

Hmm. Maybe phishing does involve rod, reel, and bait. Rod would be the email or website you receive or visit. Bait would be the load of crap the supposed legitimate email or website is spewing. And the Reel is the link you click on that takes you to the place where you put in the information they just scammed from you.

Let's get into a little more detail. One example of phishing is a fraudulent email or website.

Phishing scams employ fraudulent e-mail messages or Web sites that try to trick you into revealing personal information.

Who has not received an e-mail message appearing to come from your bank or other financial institution that asks you to update your account information?

The e-mail message includes a link that appears to go to a legitimate site, but really takes you to a spoofed or fake Web site.

Does this email message look familiar? Or have you seen a similar email message in your inbox?

Dear First Bank User,

As a courtesy to our valued customers, First Bank conducts regular account verification processes.

In order to ensure your account information is not made vulnerable please visit http://www.firstbank.com.aaccount-update-info.com.

Please click on the above link to our website to confirm or update your account information. If you do not do this within 48 hours, you will not be able to use your First Bank account for 30 days.

Sincerely,

First Bank

**If you enter your login, password, or other sensitive information, a criminal could and would use it to steal your identity.**

How can you identify Phishing emails?

If you don't see your name, be suspicious. Notice the generic greeting. Internet criminals tend to send phishing emails in large batches and to save typing time the criminals use generic names like "First Bank Customer".

If you don't see "https", do not proceed. Notice the forged link. Even if a link has a name you recognize somewhere in it, it does not mean it links to the legitimate company. Roll your mouse over the link and see if the pop-up matches what appears in the email. If there is a discrepancy, DO NOT click on the link. Notice how the link starts with “http”. Secure websites where it is safe to enter personal information begin with "https" — the "s" stands for secure.

If you receive an email requesting your personal information, it is probably a phishing attempt. The whole point of sending phishing email is to trick you into providing your personal information.

If there is a sense of urgency, be suspicious. Notice the time sensitivity. The faster the criminal gets your information, the faster the criminal can move on to another victim. Internet criminals want you to provide your personal information now. They do this by making you think something has happened that requires you to act fast.

If you see misspellings or bad grammar, do not proceed. Phishing e-mail messages often include misspellings, poor use of grammar, threats, and exaggerations.


Tune in tomorrow when I discuss Spear Phishing.

In the meantime, DO NOT reveal any personal information in e-mail or online unless you know who you are dealing with and why. Additionally, make sure you are in a secure environment.

Staring down at...what?

Tuesday's writing prompt: Staring down at...

How did you complete that sentence? What did you come up with? Here's how I did it.



Staring down at her hands, Jane shivered, opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. So much blood. Wet and sticky it dripped from her skin, bright red tears landing on the glistening white snow. She had to get it off, make it go away. Heart pounding against her chest, Jane scrubbed her palms over her pants, slid them down her thighs. She looked again. The blood was still there.

“Why did it not go away?”

“Ja-ane,” a voice sang out across the crisp, cold air.

Fear shot up her spine, twisted her gut. Heart caught in her throat, Jane ran. She slugged through the snow in her boots, made an effort to lift her knees and gain speed but her knees refused to cooperate.

“Ja-ane.”

Jane glanced over her shoulder, tripped, and fell sinking into the snow up to her knees. The cold hit her like a punch to the chest, knocking the wind out of her.

Keep going. Do not let the bastard get you. Get up! Move! She reached out, her hands plunging into the snow and halted when her fingers hit something hard, solid. Her breath came in shallow pants as she tugged. She lost her grip, slipped, and fell back on her ass. Tears threatened to escape as the wind whooshed out of her. Try again! Do not give up! Scrambling to her knees, Jane thrust her hands back into the snow and felt around blindly.

Got it! She curled both hands around the object, braced herself, took a deep breath that had nails of frigid air spiking her lungs and yanked with all her might. Her scream rent the air, echoed in the mountains.

The ones that got away

Way back in 2009 on Tuesday, December 22nd, eleven Romance authors got together to read original short stories on live radio to raise donations for the homeless and the hungry in Detroit, and to fund the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit.

For those of you who missed this extraordinary event, don't fret. You have another opportunity to listen and donate - TODAY, January 5, 2010.

More authors volunteered than there was air time for on December 22nd, so on Tuesday January 5th, "The Ones That Got Away" will be read starting at TEN A.M. EASTERN.

Loretta Wheeler will read her story "DARK PLEASURES".
Pauline Baird Jones will read 'GETTING A CLUE"
Becke Martin has contributed "SILVER AND GOLD" which will be read as a play with various authors taking speaking parts.

The host is Rowena Cherry.

ROWENA CHERRY on PIVTR site
http://internetvoicesradio.com/Arch-Rowena.htm

Authors Reading Shorts For Soup Kitchen

To Listen Live
http://internetvoicesradio.com

Enter
In the Black Box, click on "Listen Live"
Sign in (there's a box for that)
Listen and Enjoy

To enter chat room
http://internetvoicesradio.com
Look on the lower right under "In The Spot Light"
Live Chat Room... click on that.

To set up an RSS feed (to listen on mobile)
RSS feeds
click on middle box RSS/PODCAST
Put "Soup" into description
Pay $3.50

Your donation will be acknowledged.

To donate to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen with or without listening
either:
PAYPAL
lsaracauldwell@gmail.com
Memo "Soup"

or:
visit http://www.cskdetroit.org
Click on Click_And_Pledge or Donate Online
to donate using a credit card (https ... secure site)

(Permission to forward!)

Writing prompt Tuesday - Staring down at...

Our first prompt of the year is here! See what you can do with hit. Have some fun and share whatever you write. Whether a single sentence, a paragraph, or a page try to capture the reader's attention right out of the gate.

Prompt: Staring down at. . .

My blondest moment yet!

If this is how 2010 is going to start I can tell I am in big trouble.

On this first day of 2010 yours truly pulled the blondest things I have ever done.
Yours truly locked herself inside my home office and was stuck there for over an hour. I had just finished painting the trim work and the door and cleared the room out so I could yank up the carpeting for the hardwood floors to be installed next week.

When I went to yank up the carpeting I shut the door so it would be out of the way. When I went to open the door the knob refused to turn. I removed the tape I put on to I didn't get paint on and tried again. No good. I couldn't get the lock to turn and the only thing I had in the room was my knife. No phone, no nothing.

I managed to get the door handle off by unscrewing it with my little knife but still couldn't get the knob to budge. What the heck was I going to do? I tried taking the hinges off but with no other tools in the room that was not happening.

If I thought I could have squeezed out the window (not a normal window but one of those crtank open ones)and dropped to the deck without breaking my neck or leg I might have tried that approach. Not sure if my butt would have made it through the crank out window.

So what does a resourceful woman like myself do when pounding and rattling the door does not work? I resorted to screaming out the window yelling for help. It was at least a good thirty minutes of me yelling, "Help!" until my neighbor finally heard me. And only because he had just gone out to the garage to work on his car.

There - that little story should put a smile on your face.

One good thing about this little incident - it will make a great scene in a book. :-)

Welcome to the New Year. Sheesh!