Category: Blogshare

Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award from Stevie Turner

Published on by dgkaye32 Comments

No, you aren’t seeing double. I recently posted a Q & A for a previous nomination from Laura Lyndhurst, and caught my name again on Stevie Turner’s blog where she has also nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Of course I’m going to answer her questions. 🙂

Is Your cup of life half full or half empty?

I would have say definitely both. I have created a new life after losing my husband. Half of me is still empty from my greatest loss.

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What are you afraid of?

Most definitely, getting old and being alone.

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Do you believe in an afterlife?

I most certainly do. It’s also what keeps me going. Plus, I’ve had several encounters with spirit in my life. Bodies die, energy never dies so the soul lives on. How else could there be ghosts? 😁

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What is one thing you wish for?

Truth to make a comeback.

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Would you rather do a skydive or go punting on a calm river?

I suppose punting is a British term? I definitely have no ambitions of skydiving. I’m not really sure how punting is meant, but if it involves anything other than being a passenger on a boat, I’ll pass on that too. 🙂

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What would you like politicians to ban?

Don’t get me started with politicians! As far as I’m concerned, they are ALL bought and paid for. They make BS promises they can never keep because whoever controls their pursestrings is where THEIR loyalty lies.

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Would you rather go to a music festival where your favourite band is playing, or watch them play on TV instead?

Once upon a time, I was an avid concert goer. At this time of my life I get high anxiety in big crowds. Cheaper and more convenient to watch at home.

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There’s one thing (not person) you have with you when you become stranded on a desert island. What is that one thing?

I can’t even imagine just having one thing on a desert isalnd. I could think of a million things, but let’s start with an unlimited water supply – maybe a well?

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What would you like to learn?

I love learning languages. My problem is I can speak moderately or broken, in Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew, and better at French. But because I get bored so quick, I jump around from Spanish and Hebrew on Duo Lingo, and not sticking with one language to learn makes it more confusing for myself.

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What in your opinion is the best social media site for writers to get their work noticed?

Lol, you’re asking the wrong person. I’ve severely narrowed my participation on social sites. Every writer has their own fav. I am bad at promoting my own work so I stick with the groups I moderate on Facebook – or Fakebook as I like to refer to it. Although, I also post a lot on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Bluesky.

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Could you dance the Cha-cha if your life depended on it?

Absolutely! I love dancing. I’ve always had great rhythm, and I do Cha cha at least twice a week in Zumba class.

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If you enjoy learning little tidbits about your fellow bloggers, visit Stevie’s blog and read the answers to questions given to her. Stevie’s blog is always interesting, whether it’s opinion or her stories about her vacation home on the Isle of Wight – or books, Stevie always has something interesting to say.

Source: The Sunshine Blogger Award | Stevie Turner

Note: I stopped participating in award posts years ago. Despite this, I always honor those who include me as a nominee so I’m happy to answer their questions and share their blog. I also invite my fellow bloggers to help yourself to the Blogger Award image, because let’s face it – you all deserve one. 💗

©DGKaye2026

Sunshine Blogger Award

The Sunshine Blogger Award – BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK – #appreciation

Published on by dgkaye58 Comments

It’s been a while since I was nominated for a blogger award, so I was pleasantly surprised to be nominated by Laura Lyndhurst over at Books That Make You Think for the Sunshine Blogger Award. If you’d like to pop by Laura’s blog, you’ll find answers to questions about her, and I am sharing her questions for her nominees, with my answers below.

1. Do you still live in the place where you were born? If not, where are you now?

I am living minutes away from where I grew up, only, the name of my borough in the City of Toronto has changed from Willowdale to North York.


2. What’s your favourite type of music and performer?

I am addicted to the 70s and 80s music. Period.


3. If you’d had a choice, where in the world would you have spent lockdown?

Absolutely, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.


4. What’s your ideal way to spend a day?

Go take a gym class or two with my gal pals then go for lunch. Lol, I know, so exciting 😂🤣 But I’ve reached a point where I enjoy being mobile and agile – and that doesn’t come by sitting on a couch. And just spending time with friends who like to talk, listen, and laugh.


5. Do you have a favourite childhood memory?

I didn’t have many family outings, but when my Aunty Sherry visited or stayed with us, we’d have so much fun going to a movie, stopping at the candy store on the way home (for more candy), going home to watch another movie and having lots of laughter with her.


6. Did you always know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Let’s say I was on the right track. Since I was a little girl I wanted to be an investigative journalist. Nobody inspired or asked about my aspirations and I just let life take the lead. Even now, I know I missed my calling.


7. What’s the food you like most in the world?

That’s almost a toughie because I’m not much of a foodie, but I do have my preferences. I mostly enjoy Mediterranean foods as well as Japanese and Thai. That’s my palate.


8. What do you dislike most?

Inhumanity.


9. Do you have a hobby you’re passionate about?

Does going to the gym – a lot, count? Of course, that’s besides reading and writing.


10. What got you started on blogging?

I started blogging in late 2013 while I was writing my first book, Conflicted Hearts. I was also learning the self-publishing biz and learned fast that it was important to have a platform. When I began blogging, I honestly had no idea what I’d be blogging about. Here I am, thirteen years later. I finally landed.

Thanks to Laura for the nomination.

Source: The Sunshine Blogger Award – BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU THINK

©DGKayewriter 2026

WTF

What Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Means for Authors | Kindlepreneur

Published on by dgkaye73 Comments

I recently published my January Writer’s Tips before coming across this important article for authors, from the Kindlepreneur, I felt it was an important share. I don’t know about you peeps, but I don’t relish the idea of Amazon A.I. speaking for me.

Amazon’s A.I. is now describing our books – WITHIN our books! I couldn’t believe this when I came across the article from the Kindlepreneur. Since I recently published my January Writer’s Tips, this article didn’t make the cut, but so important for authors to know. It actually would have been nice had Amazon even bothered to email us and inform us, even though we have ZERO ability to stop it.

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From the Kindlepreneur:

“Amazon just rolled out a new Kindle feature called Ask This Book. It lets readers ask questions about whatever they’re reading and get AI-generated answers on the spot.

Right now, it’s available in the Kindle iOS app for U.S. customers, with plans to expand to Kindle devices and Android later in 2026.

Forget who a character is? Want a reminder of what happened earlier? Confused about a scene? You can now ask, and the system will tell you.

What makes this different from most reading tools is that it doesn’t send you back to the page. It offers its own explanations.

And it does it without the author’s involvement, permission, or ability to intervene.

That’s the problem…”

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My thoughts: Just no! I don’t appreciate Amazon OR A.I. describing what I MEANT in a passage of my book. I don’t appreciate A.I. translating what I intend for my readers.

Read the full article below:

https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-ask-this-book/?ck_subscriber_id=1963030192&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Amazon%20just%20added%20AI%20inside%20your%20book%20-%2020457604&sh_kit=976707896cc1471f2f5ac7049353998bf4ab6d78a0059f7a9b433fd507cba830

Source: What Amazon’s ‘Ask This Book’ Feature Means for Authors | Kindlepreneur

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Then don’t forget to read the page where Amazon tells you all about it:

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/books-and-authors/kindle-recaps-feature-ebook-series-refreshers

I’m fuming! What about you guys?

©DGKaye2026

Blog sharing

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Safety and Awareness – #Fire #Prevention #Home #Escapeplan by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Published on by dgkaye33 Comments

Heart

Welcome back to my Safety and Awareness series here at Sally’s Smorgasbord Blog Magazine. In this post, I want to talk about preparedness in the home in case of fire.

Do you have safety protocols around the home in case of fire? 

So, What prompted me to write on this topic?

I had read somewhere about ‘fire blankets’ and seen an episode on Shark Tank a while back where some firemen were selling a home and safety product, an inflammable, emergency item that is available in various sizes for varying uses.

Living in a condo has always concerned me, when it comes to fire. We all live together and must trust that everyone is careful when it comes to preventing fires. Where I live, there must be faulty wiring because the fire alarm in the building goes off wayyyyy too much. And because of those wolf cries, I don’t pay them any mind. In ten years of living through hundreds of alarms, there’s never been a real one. But we should always be prepared for that one day it could happen. And so, I’ve watched enough movies and videos on fire escapes and had my plan of action, if need be. I live on the third floor. I figured I could tie sheets together and slide down if disaster struck. But when I came across these so called, fire blankets, I made sure I purchased two.

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Like I mentioned, they come in various sizes, and the packaging is brilliant. The material is neatly packed into a contained bag, almost resembling a lifejacket packaged, where two pull tabs hang out of the packaging. There is an encased ring on top to hang on the included mini hanger with two-sided tape, ready to stick on, then hang the bag. The tabs hang down so if there is a fire at the stove, all we have to do is pull down the hanging tabs and the fire blanket comes out. Then throw it over the fire. The logic behind the packaging is the ready-made to hang with the grommet hole and pull tabs hanging down at the ready to pull.

I hung mine on the wall beside my stove. It’s there in my face to grab without giving a moment’s thought. Adversely, you can hang it anywhere you feel it is most beneficial to you. I hung my second one on the laundry wall near my bedroom. And for those with homes, I’d suggest the garage is another great place to hang one of these blankets.

Living in a building, if fire really does strike, I had given some thought to escape route stairways if needed. I’d also learned that if there is fire outside a door, to place wet towels along under the door to help prevent smoke coming in until fire department arrives, or, in my case, to give time to tie a few linens together to rope down the balcony.

But when I saw these fire blankets, I thought essential to have because what if the fire has spread and I must run through or by flames. This is what spurred me to purchase the fire blankets. They come as large at 4 feet by 6 feet, a good size if one needed to wrap oneself and run without getting burned.

Just the same, if by chance we have flame upon us, we’re told to get down on it and roll to extinguish the flames. Just as the Fire Department advises: If your clothes are on fire – ‘Stop, drop, and roll’. We are told not to run, but drop to the ground while covering our face, and to extinguish ourselves by rolling.

It’s always important to have an escape plan – and an alternative escape plan in case of fire. Below is my list of safety precautions everyone should have in their homes on hand for safety and protection: . . . please hop over to Sally’s blog for the conclusion and tips.

Source: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Safety and Awareness – #Fire #Prevention #Home #Escapeplan by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

©DGKaye2025

Life Lessons 101

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – New Series – Life Lessons 101 – Dating Now and Then by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Published on by dgkaye43 Comments

In my Life Lessons 101 series at Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Blog Magazine this week, I’m sharing my article here on – Dating Now and Then.

Welcome back to my Life 101 series. You can find the first post in the series Kindness Matters

Dating Now and Then  

Today I’m talking about the potentially scary world of digital dating compared to the pre-digital era. Maybe it’s because I spend much of my waking life online, so I know how intimidated I would feel to ever think of dating someone I only know through online. Not to say that I am at all interested in dating anyone at this time – or as far as my inner eye can see, but the conversation is still quite worthy of having.

Dating isn’t as easy as it was when I was younger, the days when we got dressed proper and went out with friends, be it clubbing or disco-ing, out for a gathering, a friendly sports competition or just for an ice-cream or coffee. So much of that lifestyle has dissipated into Netflix, takeout food or delivery, gaming, and in my case, nowhere to really go to meet anyone with my same interests.

Life was more personal back when – no cell phones or texts or emails – just face-to-face conversations and phone numbers exchanged. People went out and met other people in person. Working from home wasn’t yet a thing. And quite frankly, much of my own dating life was very busy interacting with colleagues at jobs I worked at, places we all spent much of our waking hours with together. Alas, not everyone met a romantic interest at their jobs, but it just seemed back in the era, pre cell phones and computers, life was just simpler in many ways, and social interaction, face-to-face was a huge part of the way we met people and invited them into our lives.

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If we physically went on a date with someone, we could see who they actually were, in the flesh. We could learn from their conversations – or lack of them, or if we either admired or disliked qualities in that person. Their body language also reveals things about them. One cannot get any of that by meeting someone online, primarily because sadly, often in the scammy world we live in, how are we to trust a total stranger who could type anything they want or put up any photo and say it is them, and not leave us skeptical about who we are really talking to?

Nowadays, how easy is it to meet someone? Many of the men I dated when younger, I met at my jobs. That’s how many people meet. Or met. Now, with so many working from home, is it even harder to meet someone? Not to mention the many who are at jobs and in their ‘free’ moments seem to be appendaged to their phones. And dating, or getting to know someone, by text, isn’t enough to give me any sense of trust of the person’s personality, mood, or quite frankly, their intelligence. For me, eye contact is a big teller of much about a person. I’m a staunch believer in ‘the eyes are the windows of the soul’. Personally speaking, I don’t enjoy texting at all. I find its value in quick messaging as in – meet up times, appointment reminders, but certainly not in deep conversations or for getting to know somebody.

I spend too much time online and have a huge mistrust for even thinking of joining a dating site (which is furthest from my mind), but just sayin’, what if I was? So where can people go to meet other people without feeling as though they’re being set up or potentially scammed? I’ve thought of this question many times, especially when speaking with my single friends. And the only thing that makes sense to me as a good alternative is to join a club or hobby doing something we like to do and there we will meet like-minded souls who enjoy same things. Where better to go than where we can share an interest with someone else?

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What is it we enjoy doing – outside of the home in social surroundings? Hobby? Singing in a choir, volunteering for an organization that we support? Joining a gym? Join groups that may be online but offer in person trips and/or get togethers? As long as we are joining a group of like-minded people in the flesh, better than virtually, we will be among others who share our same passions. . . please read read the conclusion at Sally’s Smorgasbord.

©DGKaye2024

Source: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – New Series – Life Lessons 101 – Dating Now and Then by D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review- Say Yes to Everything by Michele Northwood #Christmas Comical #Romance

Published on by dgkaye54 Comments

Today I’m reviewing a book I was gifted by Michele Northwood, perfect for a lazy holiday season, beach read or rainy day – Say Yes to Everything. Michele offered me a copy and although I’m not much of a romance reader, I did enjoy this fun and sweet story over the holidays.

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Blurb:

Kate Massey has lost her Christmas spirit.

No mince pies, mistletoe, and merriment for her this year! She’s back at home, living with her parents, with no money, no job, and no man.

Alison, her private detective sister, believes Kate needs to get out of the house and broaden her horizons, so she challenges her to a deal. If Kate agrees to wear a hidden microphone and says yes to everything, until New Year’s Day, Alison will set her up in a flat and get her out from under her parents’ feet.

Kate agrees, and Alison drags her to the job centre. Once there, she encounters Mike, a grumpy civil servant and ex-classmate who is pricklier than a sprig of holly and holds a grudge worse than the Grinch. He gets her a job interview to be a pixie in the local shopping centre, hoping to reap his revenge.

As the countdown to the holiday season continues, Mike expects her to fail. But Kate’s new job and her obligation to say yes to everything opens more doors than she could ever imagine, even though not all of them are positive.

Can Kate keep her promise to her sister, step out of her comfort zone, find herself and fall in love, or will life have other plans for Kate Massey the cute Christmas pixie?

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My 5 Star Review:

This was a sweet escape read perfect for the holidays, or anytime really. Kate is in the dumps living back at home after a boyfriend breakup, and her mother Dorothy is always trying to motivate her to get out of the house and get a job. Her sister Alison helps Kate get a job, which turns out as becoming a pixie at Santa’s booth in a shopping mall. There she meets some likeable and unlikeable fellow Santa workers. Kate is always mic’d when out because she must say ‘yes’ to everything anyone asks of her in order to get her own apartment as promised by her detective sister Alison; a ploy to get Kate out of her funk. But saying yes to everything isn’t always easy.

Kate’s boss Ivan asks her out on a date, the same night Kate’s parents have arranged a blind date for her. Because she can’t say no, she begrudgingly agrees to go on the blind date and blatantly tells Ivan she’d love to go out with him on another night because she had to go on the blind date. Eventually, Kate and Ivan hit it off, but not without many interruptions in their quest to form a relationship. Most of the trouble is caused by Mike, both a disgruntled trouble-making neighbor, and a mall employee, and still smarting from Kate who refused him at a high school dance, now jealous of all the attention Kate is garnering at her job. And it seems that with every good deed Kate does, Mike finds a way to twist it to make Kate look bad.

Mike is the antagonist in this story, one we’d love to smack in the head as he foils all Kate’s good doings. Despite Ivan being a good match for Kate, I didn’t like that he gets duped every time Mike pulls another lie about Kate and Ivan believes Mike without proof until Kate has to prove that she wasn’t responsible for whatever Mike did to set her up, not giving her the benefit of the doubt first. Nobody needs these types of men. But as the story continues to unfold, it turns out Ivan is a good guy, and Kate gets an education on people, love, and trust.

©DGKaye2024

Writer's Tips

December Writer’s Tips – #Scams to avoid, Artificial Intelligence, #WordPress Support, #Editing

Published on by dgkaye86 Comments

Wrapping up the year with my December picks for Writing Tips – Diana Peach at the Story Empire on Tightening our Prose, Just Publishing Advice shares new Author Scams and Book Publishers to avoid, Dan Holloway at ALLI talks about U.K. writers calling for A.I. protections, WordPress Support from Hugh Roberts, Diana Stout on Self-Editing, and Ruth Harris with some worthy Pro Writer Tips.

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Diana Peach is at the Story Empire sharing tips on how to avoid Redundancies in Writing

Tightening our Prose: Redundancy

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Just Publishing Advice sharing the latest Author Scams and Book Publishers to Avoid

Book Publishers To Avoid And New Author Scams

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Self Publishing News at ALLI from Dan Holloway talking about U.K. Publishers and Writing Groups calling for protection tools against A.I.,Self-Editing, and Writing Advice from the Pros

Self-Publishing News: UK Publishers and Writers Groups Call for AI Protection as a new Tool Enables “Data Poisoning”

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Hugh Roberts is back with another helpful tutorial on various methods to contact WordPress Support

Exploring Multiple Avenues: How to Contact WordPress for Support: 6 Best Ways

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Why learning how to Self-Edit is important by Diana Stout at the Writers in the Storm blog

Why You Want to Become a Better Self-Editor

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Ruth Harris at the Blog of Anne R. Allen with Writing Tips from the Pros

Helpful Writing Advice from the Pros

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©DGKaye2023

Writer's Tips

November Writer’s Tips: #Taglines, #Editing, #WordPress, Writing Tone, Self Publishing changes with #Amazon

Published on by dgkaye54 Comments

Welcome back to November Writer’s Tips. In this edition, Staci Troilo is at the Story Empire with another helpful formula on writing Taglines, Anneli Purchase shares some Editing Tips, Anne R. Allen writes about ‘writing tone’, Hugh Roberts has another tutorial using the block editor – test emails, and from the Alliance of Independent Authors – updates on Amazon category, keywords and meta data for self publishers.

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Staci Troilo at the Story Empire – Formula for Writing Taglines

Taglines

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Anneli Purchase shares some Editing Tips on with Editing Apps and what to beware of

Writing Aids to Use with Care

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Anne R. Allen with another informative post on Writing – The importance of Conveying the right Tone in our Writing

“I Don’t Like Your Tone!” The Importance of Tone in Writing

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Hugh Roberts – The WordPress Blogging Guru, has WordPress tips to help making Blogging easier. And a warning about Reusable Blocks

Have You Discovered These Two New Excellent WordPress Features? And Where Have Reusable Blocks Gone?

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From ALLI – Amazon changes for entering Meta data, Keywords and Categories

Book Metadata, Keywords and Amazon Category Changes: Help Readers Find Your Book

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©DGKaye2023

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