Amanda’s story: Child Sexual Abuse

Amanda stared at the tall, lengthy silhouette of her neighbor, Mr. Condit, as he pulled up his pants and slowly buckled his belt.  Suddenly, he invaded the silence by calling her name seductively, “Amanda.” She reluctantly looked around at him and saw him waving the $10 bill he had in his hand. He quietly placed it on the table next to him. This was the routine every time she would come over to his house to get money for school. 

Amanda grew up in a household with 7 siblings and a single mother who tried her best to meet the family’s needs, but they were always in need. So, one day, Amanda approached her neighbor, Mr. Condit to ask for monetary help. Mr. Condit was always nice to her. He would wave from his backyard and smile at her. She felt safe with him until Mr. Condit told her one day, “You are going to have to give back something in exchange for my money, Amanda.”

“I don’t understand,” Amanda said quite innocently. “Come over to my house after school and I will show you,” he said with a mischievous smile.  

Amanda soon found out that Mr. Condit was not the man that she thought he was. He took advantage of her innocence and as she now grabbed her underwear and slipper, running out of the house was easy compared to the memories that would not escape her.

Most of the child abuse incidences are rarely reported. In Amanda’s case, Mr. Condit told her that if she told anyone, he would hurt her entire family. Amanda is not alone. Many children are fearful of their perpetrator, which is usually someone they know. Even when some of the parents (usually single mothers) know, they won’t say anything. In Amanda’s case, her mother had a notion of what was going on, but she knew that Mr. Condit was providing money that she couldn't, so she let it be.

This is not OK. Kids, like Amanda, who are being abused by adults that they once trusted, can be emotionally and psychologically damaged for life. I can attest to this because I am a survivor. Lucky for me, I found a way to channel my frustration by writing books on the topic. You can find some of my books on Amazon here. I have an innate passion for this subject because kids feel that they don’t have a voice and the idea that they can be violated in such a horrific way is not something that they can wrap their minds around.

No child can be prepared psychologically to cope with sexual stimulation; whether it is one time or repeatedly. Even smaller children (2 or 3 year old) who don’t know anything about sex will have issues later as a result of being violated. If the abuser is a relative, friend, neighbor or associate, it is even more difficult for the child since this is a person who the child may greatly admire. A child like this may want to please the perpetrator for fear of being unloved or hurt if he or she tells someone.

How do we break the silence? I did by writing my books, but what can you do? Don’t turn a blind eye. Look at this as a lifetime problem for a child and for society at large. I challenge you to buy my book, which is a similar story to mine. What this will do is to educate you on the effects of sexual abuse on a child. It will also give you an opportunity to introduce the book to someone who may have been sexually abused or a parent who may have a child in such a situation. In addition, proceeds of the book will go to a related charity. So buying the book today will lend a voice to this devastating issue that most of us don’t want to talk about and subsequently keeping it hush-hush!

Buy THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS right now and make a difference in a child’s or parent’s life!

Writer For Hire Now: Adding a Human Element to Your Content

Writer For Hire Now: Adding a Human Element to Your Content: Content marketing has seen a surge in the recent past and it is not letting up. However, not all content marketers get the hang of how to l...

Adding a Human Element to Your Content

Content marketing has seen a surge in the recent past and it is not letting up. However, not all content marketers get the hang of how to leverage their content. Readers are not interested in just hearing about the opinions of your brand or reading rewritten material from other industry sources. They want to relate to what you have to say. In fact, most readers are looking for solutions and that is what valuable content should provide.

Adding a human element to your content will make you more believable and that is why Google implemented the Google Hummingbird concept. Instead of writing for the search engine ranking with a bunch of keywords or phrases stuffed here and there throughout an article, why not write specifically to benefit the reader? Here are four guidelines to humanizing your content:

1.    A blog is a great way to break into your industry. It is an excellent tool for building relationships, in addition to social media. A blog is more up and personal. You have to post regular content on your blog, though, that your readers can look forward to. In other words, they will know where to come when they need answers or solutions. Make sure you keep your blog topic-specific, which means, you don’t want to have a blog about pets and you are also including articles on dating, unless your furry feline, for example, is dating another pet (just kidding!) A little humor helps too.

2.    Conduct extensive research on the topic that you are writing about. Don’t do this haphazardly. Spend some time to dig deep into the soul of the Internet. Your readers can tell if you put a lot of work into an article or not.

3.    Make sure that your content is properly edited. If you need help in this area, hire a writer and editor like myself. View my prices here. A girl has to eat, right? Once you have written a piece of content, share it with your Twitter followers and Facebook fans as well as other social media platforms such as Google+.

4.    Add infographics, videos and images to your content to make them more visually appealing.

Don’t worry about how many words you have in your article. For the most part, a 500-word article is quite acceptable, but if you end up with 400 words, so be it. Quality is more important than quantity. Remember, you are not writing for an article directory or search engine. You are writing to please your readers. Although not your entire focus, write an attention-grabbing title with keyword included. This will get your reader to pay attention, but write content that informs the reader rather than seduce them. Many copywriters would disagree, but who cares? My ethical obligation is to my readers and it should be the same with you. You want your readers to trust you. No one wants to deal with someone who has ulterior motives or bad intentions. With valuable and interesting content, readers will want to share with their friends and associates.

PAUSE: Take a look at this book written to support the victims of child abuse and view other books written and featured on AMAZON.

Leave your Ego at the Door

This is not about you! You are creating content for the reader and you must have the best of intentions – not necessarily writing to specifically sell a product or service, but writing to share your knowledge and expertise. Of course, your content will eventually sell the product because if this is your only source of income, no one expects that you are just going to be a sucker. You simply can’t, if you have mouths to feed.

Write as if you were the reader. What would you want to read and is your own content worth reading? When you create value, you build stronger connections and relationship with your reader – addressing the issues of concern to the reader. You will become the ‘go to’ person when your reader is looking for similar information.

Conclusion

When you use the appropriate techniques to relate to your readers, content writing becomes easier and is more effective in reaching your desired audience; driving traffic to your website and making you look like the expert and leader you are. Purchase one of my latest book on AMAZON and you, too can enjoy the kind of content created for readers like you.

Promoting Your Audio Books

Believe it or not, some people find it mentally painful to sit and read a print book. Some people don’t have the time, considering their busy schedules. In the past, this was not the case. People loved to read, but with the advent of innovative technology such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, iPads and the latest gadgets, there are hardly many people buying printed books as before. So what is the option since the written word has to be read?

Audio books have been around for a few years, but have not been as popular as E-books (electronic books). Recently, there seems to be a surge in the purchase of audio book formats. Consider the convenience of listening to an audio book while you drive in your car or exercise at the gym. I love to read, so I could do both printed and audio, but for those who just cannot see themselves opening up a printed book, audio is the ideal option.

I have created a couple of audio books from my printed copies and the response has been amazing. In fact, people are buying more of these audio books than the printed copies and guess what? They are the same price, so what is the catch? People prefer to listen with their ears than read with their eyes.

Delivering Content

When you are a writer, it is crucial that you deliver content in a variety of formats so that you can reach a broader audience and allow them to read the content in a way that they would prefer. Doing so will ensure that the information is easily and properly digested. I love printed books, but in the past, I found more time to read. These days, I am busy writing and don’t have as much time. So I can relate to anyone who doesn’t have the time.

Audio books make it easier for many people and for writers, like me as well. There are many different ways to promote your audio book. You could share a sample chapter on your blog, or you could host a webinar speaking on the related topic in your book to educate your target audience. You could also produce a book trailer, which is a preview of the audio and any visual components associated with it. This combination will bring your book to life.

Beyond Audio Book Production

The hard work doesn't start when creating your audio book, but it is at the end of production. When promoting your audio book, approach your marketing efforts as if you were launching a new product. Don’t treat it as an extension of the printed copy. This is the mistake many authors make. Consider it an entirely new product for an entirely different target audience – the ones who prefer to listen more than read. Use all the avenues and techniques that you are privy to such as:

• ·         Writing a blog like this one with information on where our audio book version can be found online
• ·         Add a hyperlink on your website so that it can be purchased with one click
• ·         Post updates on your social media pages
• ·         Use Google+ Hangout and Twitter chat to get the word out to your online audience; pretending that it is a new book and not just a version of the previous one

I don’t like to leave cash on the table and neither do I want to prevent the listening audience from getting a hold of such valuable information just because they don’t like to read printed books. I realized from my experience that there was a market segment that loved audio books and I was determined to serve them. 

You, too, can enjoy my audio books. It only takes two easy clicks: ONE HERE and the OTHER HERE. If you would like to solicit my copy writing and content writing service, please Click Here.

Showcasing my talent

My name is Cheryline Lawson and I am a writer and self-published author of several books and a wide range of online content. I have an innate passion for reading and writing. My main focus is on bringing valuable information to people who are searching for it. I currently reside in Florida with my husband of almost 29 years and two sons; aged 24 and 19. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Miami. When I am not writing or reading a good book, I like to volunteer at her local church soup kitchen and goes on travel adventures with her family.

I love to write…period. This is my life and something I get up in the mornings and look forward to. I wrote my books to inspire, encourage and motivate others and to give hope. I published my books to get the word out that – life happens and people should be inspired about their experience; whether it is good or bad. Everything happens for a reason and you can turn what seems bad into something good that will help others.

I wrote and published my first book in 2011 when I received a book I had ghostwritten for a client and didn’t see my name on it. I, then, knew that if I could do it for a client, I could do it for myself. There was no excuse. Of course, it took me a while to finish, but once I had the first book ‘under my belt,’ the other seven books were easier.

My first book, “For the Wounded Soul,” is very special to me. In fact, so much so, that I got the title tattooed on my ankle. It was such a painful experience because the ankle is such a delicate area of the body, but it exemplified the title of the book and the pain was worth it.

The Editorial Review of the book at http://tinyurl.com/woundedsoul

The book, 'For The Wounded Soul,' was released on October 26, 2011. This 352 page book contains several compelling and gripping true stories of individuals who have experienced abuse, domestic violence, addiction, rape, prostitution, infidelity, death of a loved one, serving time in prison, alcoholism, adoption and more. Every page in this book makes you want to turn the next page. You won't be able to put it down.

The author connects the dots by cleverly inserting her life story to make it more interesting and more life-like. You will feel her pain, sympathize with her and the others mentioned in the stories and finally realize at the end that we all are truly connected in more ways than we think. This is a MUST HAVE, book for your library.

The author tries to exemplify that what you go through may serve to empower you; if you look for the good in it and to always remember that you are never alone. Others go through similar things and still come out victorious and you can too! This book is enlightening, truly powerful, motivating, encouraging, and dynamic and an absolutely exceptional read.

My latest book - The Man in The Shadows - http://tinyurl.com/ManinShadows

Sarah and Emily are sisters. Regina is their cousin. The girls spend their summer vacations with their grandparents every year. As the girls grew older, strange things began to happen with their grandfather and Grandma Rose felt helpless. 

Days and nights, the girls had to play hide and go seek to escape their grandfather's grip. Sarah, the older one, got to experience his violent behavior one night when he went on his prowl, but so did Regina and Emily in other seductive ways. Read how the girls handled it after being recalled in their later years to face their grandfather on his dying bed about the truth. This novel is packed with suspense, moments of terror and a silence that no one wanted to break.

The story starts out with Regina and what her current life was like ---until the day when she got that letter. Sarah, a well-established attorney received her letter and was taken aback since she had purposefully changed her name to distance herself from the whole ordeal and family connection. Emily, the youngest one, got her letter and was ready to go to Georgia right away to face the man she knew as her grandfather. The plot thickens as other gruesome details were unfolded in the quest to divulge the truth. You have to read this book and see how child abuse can affect so many people - even the ones who keep it silent for years.

Writing these books is not just about making money for me. It is much more than that. It is about reaching people who will get something out of reading my books. Of course, I would love to be compensated for my efforts since this is my only livelihood, but even if I don’t get paid, I will still do this and that is the honest truth. 

You can support me by going to Amazon to see a list of which books you would like to purchase. Even if you don’t read my books, please bless someone with it. I need to spread hope and I need your help to do it! Thank you.

Check out my blog at: http://writerforhirenow.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/writer4hirenow

Facebook: http://facebook.com/hireawriter

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cheryline-lawson/2/45b/a33

The Ideal Way to Write your Press Release

When you own an online business, a press release is an important commodity, especially when you have an announcement to make. A press release helps to tell the world that you have something new, unique and worth looking at. This is the ideal way to create a buzz in the media about your new launched product or service. The world will know that you have something new to offer and something that you are proud of. Not all writers or online business owners know how to write a press release. Most turn it into an advertisement and that is something that online newspapers and magazines don’t like. If it is done as an advertisement, it will be rejected by the media and by consumers.

Tips of how to write a press release

A press release is not an article or web content. It is written in a specific way. Here are some tips:

·         Using the customary news release format is very important. This means you should include your full contact information at the end of the press release. You should include a catchy headline and then write your announcement in a journalistic fashion. If you are unsure, look at other press releases on prweb.com or hire a writer like myself to write a winning press release for you. Leave out the graphics and use basic fonts

·         Don’t make the announcement about you, which means, the only place to put your name in a press release is when you are providing a quote

·         Avoid the superlatives: A press release should be factual so leave out the descriptive text. Stick to the facts. Your press release should not express an opinion. It is just an announcement. Avoid words like “amazing,” “extraordinary,” or “revolutionary.”

Save your press release in text format and not PDF because then someone can copy and paste it easily. You want to make it easy for people to grab your information. Give permission for anyone to reprint your press release as long as you are given author credit. For example, “Cheryline Lawson supports child abuse and has written a new book titled, “The Man in The Shadows,” where she plans to give proceeds of the book to the Child Advocacy Group in her local area. You can find her book on Amazon.com.” Most people leave out the key information, which is necessary for readers to take action.

Your Goal

If you are announcing a new product, be sure to include the name of the product, the price, the product features and the benefits to the consumer. Be sure to put the press release on your website, on your blog and submit to specific media outlets.

The goal is to get the announcement out so that the right people will see it. You are creating a buzz that could go viral. Follow up the press release with a tip sheet. It is the same format, but the tip sheet includes valuable information in bullet or numbered list. Your tip sheet will allow readers to view you as an expert. If your tips prove to be helpful, everyone will want to buy your product or service.

Support a hard working writer like me by soliciting my services to write your next press release or purchasing one of my books on Amazon.com. Thanks for your readership!

Local Businesses Need Online Content Marketing Help

There are many local businesses that are not marketing their companies online and it’s a mistake. It doesn't matter what kind of business you are in, you need to get the word out. Some people prefer to shop online and have products delivered to them instead of standing in long lines. Online marketing offers so many benefits; especially if you have both a blog and website. On your blog, you should add valuable content that will help your prospective and existing customers. This is the place where you build strong business relationships. This is where you will position yourself as the expert in your industry. This is where your clients will come when they need answers. So don’t take this for granted.

Can You Write?

Oh, so you can’t write? Well, you don’t have to be the expert writer. You can convey your thoughts to a hired writer who will do the job of writing on your behalf. All you need to do is to give the writer an idea of your voice (how you like to write) and he/she will transform it into something that you would write. Content marketing is first writing the content or have it written for you and publishing it in strategic places online. Your content has to be unique, which means, it cannot be found elsewhere on the Internet. In your article or web content, you should provide benefits, which will trigger the reader to want more information. Always put a call to action. Sometimes, people need to be told what to do. In your resource box, give the reader instructions on what to do next.

Great Content

Your content should be seen by a group of targeted people who are looking for what you have to offer. When a search includes specific keywords or keyword phrases, and the prospects land on your blog or web page, it should have exactly what the searcher needs. Be sure that you have an attention-grabbing headline on your blog or web page. You want the searcher to be curious enough to want to know more. In your content; whether it is an article or web content, I cannot say it enough - list all the benefits and value. Make it interesting and not filled with a lot of fluff. List some of the features, but don’t let all of the content be based on just the features.

Marketing Your Content

Use article directories as much as you can. Ezinearticles.com is an excellent platform for great exposure. This website already has high search engine ranking so you can ride on ‘their coat tail,’ so to speak. You must keep your blog regularly updated, which means post on a daily basis or at least three times per week. The search engines love fresh content. If you have a Twitter and Facebook account, which you should, then you need to share your content with your followers. It can go viral in a matter of minutes when your followers share it with their followers.

Conclusion

Be aware that as a local business, you may be leaving money on the table. Some of your targeted prospects can be overseas; providing a possibility for you to make money while you sleep. Get an experienced writer to put your content together and many writers also know how to market the content. Don’t underestimate your own writing abilities, but if you can’t or don’t have the time to do so, then a hired writer is the next best thing. Good luck with your business. Check out my self-published books at Amazon.com. You can also hire my writing services here.

No Writing Credits for Ghostwriting

I started to take writing seriously when I received a book I had written for a pastor via USPS mail. I didn't see my name on the book, but instead his name was visibly apparent on the cover. I received no credits. In fact, no one knew I had written the entire book, but the pastor and myself. That is what ‘Ghostwriting’ is all about. 

Once the person solicits your writing service and you sign the contract, you have indicated that after you are paid for your services, the work no longer belongs to you. You give up sole rights to the content. Is that a good place to be? Well, if the price is right and you agree to the terms, you should have no qualms about it. 

However, in order to produce your own writing credits, it is ideal to write your own books as well. If someone were to ask you, ‘what books have you written and published for yourself,” would your answer be, ‘well, I wrote a book for such and such, but the copyrights didn't belong to me?” How would that sound? A person soliciting your writing services and wanted to know if you had written any material of your own couldn't be able to tell if you indeed wrote a book for someone else or not. You must have your own book(s) in order to be taken seriously.

That is what I did. 

You can find my books on Amazon.com, if you click the link.

As I said before, it took holding the book I had written without my name on it – to realize that I was doing myself an injustice by not writing a book for myself. So I delved into it; after convincing myself that this was the best thing to do. It took me several months to finish because writing for others was how I earned my income and time spent doing that – only afforded me little time to spend on writing my book. I finally finished my first book, “The Wounded Soul,” of which I am the proudest; not only because it was the first one, but for the first time, I held something in my hands that was mine and it HAD MY NAME ON IT! It was an exhilarating feeling; to say the least.

I felt proud to know that I created something that could actually help others. I write and publish my own books for this reason only. It is not all for the money. A lot of times, I give away my book to someone I meet as long as I know that they will appreciate my hard work and will actually read the book and not put it down to collect dust.

I still love to write for others and I know sometimes I short-change myself when it comes to payment, but if someone wants to write about a particularly good cause and I can help, I try to work out a reasonable rate and will go below my rate, if I feel that the finished content will be very important to the readers. This is how passionate I am when it comes to being involved in a good cause and getting the word out through the written word.

Writing allows me to learn so much more than I know now or knew before. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It sharpens my research skills and sometimes pushes me into certain industries and niches that I had never been before. I am always growing and learning and I love that!

If you own a website and need web content or an electronic book written, I would be happy to assist you. Email marketing, article writing, manuals, forum postings and web auditing are also some of my specialties. Check out my books on Amazon by clicking the link here.