In Episode 16, I welcome Elara Dunn to the podcast and talk about writing blog posts.

Writing Blog Posts:
How do you write blog posts that people want to read? Well, the first thing you need to do is have a hook to draw them in. A call to action. Tell them up front why they want to read the words following the headline. 

Questions can be a great way to draw people in, but numbers work too. 
​“Three Things You Need to Know Before You Go Camping!” 
“Nine Reasons to Own a Cat!”

What’s great about numbers in blogs is they give you a built-in structure. A revisit to the 5-paragraph formula we learned in high school:
Introduction - Three points (or however many you want) - Conclusion. 

Each one of your points can have a visual included in the blog. These visuals can then be shared on Social Media as organic or paid posts to direct people to your blog. Pinterest is a great place to share your blogs. People go to Pinterest to find answers or be inspired, and it can be a great platform to drive traffic to your blog. 

Elara Dunn
In this episode, I chat with Elara Dunn for the first time. The internet brings people together, and this is absolutely true within the writing community. 
Elara is the author of the YA Fantasy series, The Magic Locker. She lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband and twin daughters. She is an accomplished fiber artist, specializing in weaving. Elara is one-half of the Banshee Energy Show Podcast.
While participating in GISHWHES, Dunn realized the magnitude of the long-term effects bullying had on herself and others, shaping her into a fierce ally for those who deal with emotional and physical abuse. The idea of writing a book series centered around bullied kids came to her in a fever dream.
Dunn has always been interested in how other people live and has studied different cultures and religions. Understanding and embracing both our differences and commonalities has been a driving force in her life. She is a passionate civil rights advocate and volunteers to assist others with disabilities.
Dunn enjoys board games, trivia, and cosplay in her spare time. She is an avid watcher of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. She hopes one day to own a red Plymouth Fury and order one of everything at the diner.

Episode 15 is all about paying it forward. First, I talk about paying it forward in social media, then Mike Faber and I talk about living a life of paying it forward.

Engage! Social Media Paying it Forward
 
To build a community or following, you need to engage. By engaging with influencers in your industry, top fan contributors, suppliers, and cities where you do business, you can support their growth while getting your name out there as well. Follow and subscribe, watch their videos (time spent watching matters), like their posts, share them on stories or your own feed, and save them as well.
 
If you want to support your favorite author, musician, podcaster (*cough*), or artist, make sure to watch their videos/reels all the way through, like/love their posts, comment, share, and don’t forget to subscribe. Especially to podcasts  The more you do these things, the more likely it is for someone else to see your favorite’s post because you have helped support their organic growth. It also means YOU are more likely to see your favorite’s posts organically because you have engaged with their content.

Mike of all Trades – Finding the Silver Lining
 
What hasn’t Mike Faber done? Journey with me as we trip through time learning about his life. From Woodstock at 2 years old to finding the silver lining with his wife, Judy, Mike’s love of life and history shines through.
 
Mike started podcasting in 2007 and is the creator of The ESO Network. He is the host of Earth Station One, Earth Station Who, the producer of Tales from Hollywoodland Podcast and creator of The Dragon Con Report Podcast. His love of podcasting and paying it forwarded is why he does podcasting seminars and mentors new podcasters on how to get started in the field.
 
His long running Earth Station One Podcast started in 2010 and ran to January 2024, releasing an episode every week. A variety show with discussions on pop culture, science fiction, fantasy, comics, movies, TV, and much more. One of my regrets is I never got to be in the “Geek Seat” on the show.
 
Mike is still podcast hosting on Earth Station Who, but is starting to move into the producer roll with the Tales from Hollywoodland Podcast. He also has a YouTube channel with his wife, Wandering with Mike & Judy, where they share videos of their trips, concerts, and having a fun life together.  ​