Heather Erickson ~ Author~Writer~Speaker

Nitty Gritty Grammar Lesson: Diseases

heatherericksonauthorWritingJune 26, 2019

Today in our Nitty Gritty Grammar Lesson we will be looking at diseases and grammar. Before we go there, I’d like to share what a Nitty Gritty Grammar Lesson is.Google’s online dictionary defines “Nitty Gritty” this way:the most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation.“let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of finding a job”The Minneapolis Star and Tribune[1] Published this article about the top 10 reasons good grammar is important.Beyond High SchoolIt seems that by the time we are old enough to recognize the importance of good grammar and admit that our own grammar skills might be lacking, we Read more…

A Speech Tip if You are New to Public Speaking

heatherericksonauthorPublic SpeakingJune 19, 2019

A year ago, I was asked to speak to our local Rotary Club. My speech topic was, What Not to Say to Someone who has Cancer. I tweaked the speech until I finally felt like it was as good as it would get. Then I practiced this speech several times a day, every day, for a couple of weeks.I am always worried that I will freeze up, so I have to have my entire speech in front of me, typed out word for word. I’m also afraid that I will drop my pages or rely too heavily on them, leaving Read more…

What Does It Feel Like to Die? – A Book Review

heatherericksonauthorLiving with Cancer, ReviewsJune 12, 2019

“What Does It Feel Like to Die?: Inspiring New Insights into the Experience of Dying” by Jennie Dear may seem like the last book I would want to read only a few weeks after my husband died of Stage 4 lung cancer in our home on hospice. But I am so glad that I did read it. So many questions I had about my husband’s experience, and our experience as his family, were answered. The author did meticulous research into the things that patients experience at the end of their lives. What she learned has been presented in a conversational, Read more…

What Genre do You Like Best? #IWSG

heatherericksonauthorWritingJune 5, 2019

It’s the 1st Wednesday of the month again. That’s when I take part in Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Thank you to this month’s IWSG co-hosts: Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte! Today I’ll be talking about genre as I answer June 5th’s optional IWSG Day Question:Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?Sci-Fi Genre with Dystopian ElementsThere are 3 genres I enjoy writing. Even though I don’t read a lot of it, sci-fi is one of my favorites, particularly those with dystopian elements. They are Read more…

Following Jesus – A Book Review

heatherericksonauthorReviewsMay 29, 2019

Henri Nouwen has a gift for expressing the deep truths of an intimate walk with God, in a very accessible way. So I was very excited when I heard that “Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety,” was ready to hit the bookshelves. This is some of Nouwen’s never before published work. It focuses on how loving God and following Him in that love, allows us to feel His peace in the worst situations. This is expressed especially well in the chapter entitled The Cross. At one point I felt almost as if it was written Read more…

Accounting Tips Every Small Business Owner Should Know

heatherericksonauthorGuest Posts, Self-PublishingMay 22, 2019

Accounting Tips for a Small Business Owner

Accounting is one of the most important parts of running a small business. Unfortunately, so many small business owners leave some of the most critical details of accounting for a time when they are forced to think about them. This can lead to inefficiencies in your business, the mismanagement of finances, and missed opportunities. The following are a few tips to help small businesses owners manage their accounting better.Record All of Your ExpensesTimes can get hectic when running a small business, and it can be easy to lose track of your expenses if you are not careful to record them. For Read more…

The Pink Bonnet: A Book Review

heatherericksonauthorReviewsMay 18, 2019

After the 1st book in the “True Colors” series, blew me away, I was looking forward to the next offering in the series. I was rewarded! In “The Pink Bonnet,” author, Liz Tolsma, explores the underbelly of Memphis Tennessee in the 1930s when parents dared not to leave their children alone, for fear they may just disappear.Imagine leaving your child with a neighbor so you can go on a job interview. You return home to discover the neighbor has given her to someone who runs an orphanage. What lengths would you go to, to get her back? That’s just what Read more…

Those People : A Book Review

heatherericksonauthorReviewsMay 9, 2019

“Those People” by Louise Candlish is a mystery/psychological thriller set in England that strikes at the heart of where you live. I found it incredibly gripping, similar to the 1990 film, “Pacific Heights,” about a bad renter. Only this was more disturbing, because you don’t have to become a landlord, but you can rarely control who moves into your neighborhood. What’s your recourse when the new neighbor on the block is a menace?The characters were well written and easy to relate to.I couldn’t stop turning pages to see what would happen next. What would this lunatic newcomer do next? And, Read more…

Reflections on the 2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge

heatherericksonauthor2019 A to Z ChallengeMay 8, 2019

The 2019 A to Z Blogging Challenge didn’t go as expected for me. I spent the months of January and February writing posts for both, Facing Cancer with Grace and Heather Erickson Author/Writer/Speaker. I scheduled them to publish automatically, as I have done in past years, planning to use April to comment on other A to Z bloggers’ posts. In past years, this has been extremely helpful. This year A to Z would take a back seat.In March, my husband’s cancer took a dramatic turn for the worse. By the end of March, after repeated visits to the hospital, including Read more…

The Sentence is Death : A Book Review

heatherericksonauthorReviewsMay 3, 2019

“The Sentence is Death” by Anthony Horowitz is the 2nd book in the Detective Daniel Hawthorne Series. The first book in the series is “The Word Is Murder.” What makes this series so unique is how “meta”[1] it is. Horowitz places himself in the story as a writer who is following and working with a disgraced detective turned police consultant, Daniel Hawthorne. They don’t particularly get along. Horowitz spends a great deal of time trying to solve the mystery himself, while also trying to find out what Hawthorne is trying so hard to hide about his private life. These characters Read more…