Merry CHRISTmas from author Trina Boice

Merry CHRISTmas! 

Thank you for reading my blog in 2016! 


 @TrinaBoice





 

Love is like baseball

I just received another fantastic review for my newest book Base Hits and Home Run Relationships: What Women Wish Guys Knew

Here is a book review written by Melanie Valderrama who reviews a TON of books on her blog at on www.melsshelves.blogspot.com    To read more about her review, you can go to her site.

Love is like baseball, so hit a home run in your relationship! With Trina Boice's advice, any man can learn how to step up to the plate. Learn tips, stats, and skills to make a powerful and lasting romance whether you're in the “minor leagues” of dating or the “major leagues” of married life.

I like the idea of this book and think it's full of great advice! There are three main sections, or "innings." The first inning is "Play Ball!" where the author explains how her book is set up. She gives some advice, then turns it over to her son, Cooper, who shares his perspective on the topic being discussed and shares tips and examples to help be successful in dating and relationships (yes, he's tried and tested these ideas himself). She also shares Stats in each chapter and has assignments which are various challenges and go along with the baseball theme. Women aren't off the hook, either. She has a section for them at the end with advice, assignments and challenges as well.

The second inning is "The Minor League." Most of the chapters are in this section and some of the topics include first impressions, how to flirt, when to call a girl, courting and dating ideas (these work for relationships at every level), persistence, first kiss, defining the relationship, and finally, the proposal.

The third and final inning is "The Major League." This deals with marriage. There are topics that cover newlyweds, sex, continuing courtship in marriage, forgiveness, communication and avoiding divorce.

No matter which stage your relationship is in, there is something for everyone in this book. Dating can be scary and I liked how Trina and her son, "Coach" Cooper, break it down and explain it. The baseball theme makes this book fun to read and is something men can relate to. I enjoyed their stories, get to know you games and questions, questions to reflect on, and advice. I also thought the body language discussion was interesting.

I had to read through it quickly this time and plan to go through it again slowly. There's a lot of information and assignments so it will take quite a while to get through all of it if you're looking to improve your relationships. I also plan to share it with my son when he starts dating so he can feel more confident in the dating game. Guys (and girls), this is a book worth reading and you'll want to follow through on the assignments!

Helping guys understand how women think

Another great review of my new book about helping guys understand how women think!

This one was posted at: 

http://reidheadrandom-ness.blogspot.com/2015/04/review-base-hits-and-home-run.html

About the book:
Love is like baseball, so hit a home run in your relationship! With Trina Boice’s advice, any man can learn how to step up to the plate. Learn tips, stats, and skills to make a powerful and lasting romance whether you’re in the “minor leagues” of dating or the “major leagues” of married life.

From Reidhead Randomness: 

Sports and Relationships go hand in hand, right?  This book takes you through great analogys that sports fans can relate to.....to give you relationship advice.  Written by a woman, for men, this book gives them the information about understanding women's thoughts, dating, and many other topics.  There is lots of humor mingled in the information of "WHAT WOMEN WISH GUYS KNEW."

While this book is written for the guys, there is "A league of their own" section at the end of each chapter that is written for the women.  They are filled with great advice and reminders to help the women as well.

The book is broken into 3 innings.  The first inning is (Play ball) "for all the guys."  The second inning (The minor leagues) "for single guys" is by far the biggest chapter.  The Third inning (The Major League) "for married guys" wraps up the book.

The author has a great understanding of baseball and has written a very entertaining and informative book.  This was very clever and used the baseball analogy to its fullest.  There are cute one liner "baseball card" cartoons that brighten up the book.

You can purchase the book here:     

                                                                  

Who tells the 47 Ronin story best?

Many books and movies have been created to inspire others with the famous story of the Japanese Samurai and these 47 loyal Ronin.  I've never read any of the books or seen the movies until now.  Have you?  I'm curious which ones have held true to the tale.  Here's my take on the newest film to bring the story to life from my movie review blog, Movie Review Maven:

Movie Title:  47 Ronin

Grade: B

In a Nutshell:  It’s as if this long movie couldn’t decide which one it wanted to be: epic war history or CGI action fantasy.  I love Keanu Reeves and wanted this movie to be legendary for him, but it just falls short of being very memorable.  It prides itself as telling a true Japanese story, yet it mixes in modern CGI villains that spoil the authenticity.  The movie takes itself very seriously, but has a few humorous moments, such as when a pudgy Ronin tries to cut a branch with Keanu’s sharp sword.  (Is Ronin plural?  What’s one Ronin called?  Roni?)

In case you didn’t know already, a Ronin is a masterless Samurai and the film is a remake of others made in 1994 and 1941.  While many critics have been quite rough on this version, if you’re interested in Japanese lore, you’ll still find plenty to enjoy here.

Uplifting theme: I thought the ceremony with bloody thumbprints on paper was powerful.  Oishi inspires with this short speech: “We will leave this record of courage so the world will know who we were and what we did.  Tonight, we will regain our honor and avenge our Lord.  None of us knows how long he shall live or when our time will come.  But soon, all that will be left of our brief lives is the pride our children feel when they speak our names.”

At the end of the movie, the narrator explains “the memory of the 47 Ronin who put duty and justice before their fear of death has lived down through the centuries as one of the greatest examples of loyalty and honor in Japanese culture.”  The screen then shows text, telling the reader that each year, on December 14^th, thousands of people from around the world visit the graves of the 47 Ronin to pay their respects.  This film was inspired by their story.”  That statement alone made me want to learn more about the true tale.

Things I liked:   I love symbolism and the movie provides a few touches, such as the candles blowing out when one of the Samurai dies or when the Ronin wear white robes to show purity in obedience, surrounding a white tree in the middle, representing the pillar of tradition.  I also love it when Keanu calmly tells someone he’s going to kick their butt.  Rinko Kikuchi gave a sexy and bewitching performance.

Things I didn’t like:  The boy who plays Keanu’s character (Kai) when younger speaks with a British accent, but the older Kai does not.  Someone should have caught that little inconsistency.  The prejudice against Kai, the “half-breed” seemed a little too familiar and tired for a movie theme, although certainly experienced in many societies still today.  Maybe I’m just tired of ignorance.

Funny lines:

• “I knew it was you.  I saw your belly sticking out from behind the tree.”  - Kai
• “I knew you’d come for me.”  - Mika  (Wow, how many times have we heard that from melting starlets?)
• My niece lived in Japan for a year and a half and told me oishi means “delicious”, so I thought it was interesting that one of the character’s names was Oishi.

Inspiring lines:

• “Mountains of corpses will not stand in our way.” - Witch (Wow, that’s dedication, eh?)
• “What I propose ends in death.  Even if we succeed we will be hanged.”  - Oishi  (It’s hard to inspire people with a speech like that.)
• “A Samurai does not take credit for victories of others.”  - Oishi
• “I will search for you to a thousand worlds and a thousand lifetimes until I find you.”   - SPOILER ALERT  - Kai  (Now that’s romantic, right?)
• When a crime goes unpunished, the world is unbalanced.  When a wrong is unavenged, the heavens look down on us in shame.” – Oishi
• “My father told me that this world was only a preparation for the next.  All we can ask is that we leave it, having loved and being loved.”  - Mika

Things to look for:

• wooden Japanese shoes worn by the King Lord guy
• Samurai wear 2 swords

Tips for parents:  No profanity and mostly bloodless fighting.  It features honor and loyalty, but also revenge.  It’s certainly an opportunity to discuss those values as a family.  Young children may get a little bored.  

If you saw this movie, I'd love to hear what you thought about it!

In case you're interested in learning more about this famous Japanese story, check out these other versions of the retelling:

What someone who loves books said about my newest book!

Do you love to read books? Shauna Wheelwright loves books so much that she created a blog about it!   In fact, it's called "I love to read and review books". 

She recently read my newest book "Ready Resource for Relief Society" and had this to say about it:

----------------------------------------- 
I am really impressed with this resource book!
I mean REALLY IMPRESSED!

This gives a teacher of Relief Society a plentiful supply of materials to supplement the lessons from the Church Manual.

In this resource guide you get for EACH LESSON:

*Hymn selections that correlate with the lesson.
*A brief summary of the lesson.
*Quotes from Apostles and Prophets
*Picture ideas to use from the Gospel Art Kit
*Church video suggestions

and my favorite part...

*it gives you OBJECT LESSONS to use to bring more understanding to the lesson!

But that's not all...

You also get:
*Ensign articles to use

*Scripture Mastery verses to expound the lesson
*Correlating pages from Preach My Gospel
*AND a CHALLENGE to help the class members put the lesson to practice in their own lives.

And if that is not enough...
*There are handouts all ready made for you!

This makes teaching SO EASY!

------------------------------------------------------------

The book hits stores THIS WEEK!  Woohoo!
To grab a paperback copy or an ebook version of it, buy it online at Amazon.

Thanks Shauna!

Book Review: "The Alias" by Mandi Slack

Haven’t we all fantasized about changing our identity and slipping into another world at some point?  Ok, maybe I’m revealing a little too much about myself now.  (wink)

Blog tours for new book releases are a lot of fun, but I’m so busy that I don’t normally participate in many.   My blog post today concludes a tour that features newbie author, Mandi Tucker Slack, whose first book caught my eye and made me want to jump on the blog tour train.  I love a good man-on-the run story, especially when he’s innocent, and especially when he’s a woman!   Mandi’s suspenseful story reminded me of Julia Roberts’ movie “Sleeping With the Enemy,” which I got a real kick out of.

Without any spoiler alerts, here’s the gist of Mandi Slack’s tale:  Jacey’s ex-husband is wanted by the FBI.  To protect her son, Jacey flees to a small town and attempts to hide their identity, but her past is never too far behind.  Neither is the FBI.  Throw in a little romance, and it’s a fun, quick read, perfect for when I was taking a long flight, escaping from my own personal world on a quick business trip.

Jacey’s son’s name is Blaze, the same name my family gave our pet dog.  Every time I read the name Blaze in Mandi’s book, I imagined my sweet Papillon as a shapeshifter in her story.  Their personalities are somewhat similar…young, adventurous and not quite a man.  What mother doesn’t want to protect her son?  I have four sons and could relate very well to the mother-bear mentality of doing whatever it takes to keep them safe.  The author is a playful mother of three who lives in beautiful Utah, where the story takes place. 

In an interview with Mandi, she explains “I love to incorporate my hobbies and interests into my writing.”  My favorite thing about writing is being able to create my own adventure. I was a tom-boy and as a child I craved adventure. I explored exotic countries and conquered high mountain peaks all from the comfort of my own back yard. I had a very vivid imagination and that love of creativity followed me into adulthood. I have so much fun when I am able to sit down and pound out the ideas floating around in my head, and I enjoy writing the type of stories that I love to read.”

To learn more about Mandi Tucker Slack and her new book “The Alias”, visit her blog at:   http://heyyouslackers.blogspot.com/

To purchase her book online, go to:    http://www.amazon.com/Alias-Mandi-Slack/dp/1599555093/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317347209&sr=1-1   

The Kindle edition is only $3.99!  To read more reviews about Mandi’s new book, check out the rest of the blog tour stops:

October 1st –   DebbieDavis        http://debbiesinkspectations.blogspot.com/
October 3rd –   KimberlyJob       http://scribbledscraps.blogspot.com/
October 4th –   JulieBellon         http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com
October 5th –   CindyHogan      www.cindymhogan.blogspot.com
October 6th –   CamiChecketts     http://camicheckettsbooks.blogspot.com
October 8th –   LauraBingham    http://alvor-daretodream.blogspot.com/
October 11th – Aimee Brown     http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/
October 12th – Steve Westover    http://www.westoversleftovers.blogspot.com
October 13th – Mindy Holt         www.ldswbr.com
October 14th – Holly Barnes        http://2kidsandtiredbooks.blogspot.com
October 14th – Danyelle Ferguson       http://www.queenoftheclan.blogspot.com/
October 15th – Lynn Parsons       http://lynndeniseparsons.blogspot.com/
October 17th – Janice Johnson   http://www.toothsomefamily.blogspot.com/
October 18th – Kaylynn England   www.bookreviewsandmore.com
October 18th – Maria Hoagland   www.mariahoagland.blogspot.com
October 19th – Rachelle Christensen       http://www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com/
October 21st – Alice Gold                    http://imsofunny.blogspot.com/
October 25th – Tristi Pinkston            http://www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com
October 28th – Heather Justesen     http://www.heatherjustesen.blogspot.com/

By the way, if you’re a new author or even a seasoned one, take note of Tristi Pinkston’s excellent marketing techniques.  She’s the one who put this blog tour together and is a master at networking in this industry! 

 

27 Traffic Tips for Bloggers

I've been writing several different blogs about specific topics for 10 years.  My loyal readers have been asking me for years where they can find my author blog, but I never created one...until now!  Yay!  Here it is! 

Thank you for cheering me on as I write books and blogs that enrich your life.  You have no idea how much I truly appreciate your support, comments, and friendship!  My goal is to bring you GREAT content to help you achieve YOUR goals!

There are a gazillion blogs out there on the Internet these days.  How do you draw traffic to yours?  Try experimenting with some of these simple tips.  Why 27 and not an even 30?  Because 30 would have been too predictable!  Keep your blogs interesting and don't be afraid to mix it up.  The most important tip is to provide valuable content....with that many blogs out there, you need to give your readers such rich content that they keep coming back to you for more!

1.  Post often and on the right days: People are more likely to read blogs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
2.  Turn on Google Sitemaps.  Claim your Internet real estate.
3.  Invite people to comment.  People don't like to be lectured.  Have a conversation.  Reply to comments.
4.  Build your following.   Follow others.
5.  Share posts to Twitter and Facebook
6.  Optimize your post titles and tags
7.   Draw in traffic with a capture or "squeeze" page
8.  Add email alerts
9.  Include plug-ins
10.  Reach your followers' followers with Reblog and TypePad Micro
11. Add videos
12. Run contests with prizes
13.  Participate in a blog tour with other bloggers
14.  Advertise it on swag at booksignings and other events
15.  Invite guests to share their posts
16.  Interview other people your readers are interested in
17.  Ask readers what they want to learn about.  Include fun surveys.
18.  Build trust.  Before people engage, they need to know you, like you and trust you.
19.  Provide links to your blog on your web site
20.  Make it a fun place to visit!  Lighten up!
21.  Provide RSS
22.  Keep your blog posts short and sweet.  Write like you talk.
23.  Include eye-catching graphics.  Use a theme to show who you are visually.
24.  Mix it up.  Don't be so predictable.  Keep it interesting.
25.  Write grabbing titles. 
26.  Provide your readers with solutions to their problems.  Be a helpful resource.
27.  Provide valuable content