Blog · Blogging

100 AMAZING SITES WITH FREE STOCK PHOTOS

Free Stock, Free Images, Photo, Public Domain, Image Directory

Without any doubt, images make your blog posts stand out. They act as eye candy and are an important part of design and professionalism.

If you often use images for your creative works, it’s important to bookmark a handy list of your go-to websites where you can find images that are absolutely free.

I literally cringe when I see bloggers slapping on photos or images with copyright and watermark credits stamped all over an article that they’ve taken time to craft. It looks sloppy and simply shows lack of professionalism.

Using copyrighted images is not the ideal solution. Such practice could expose you to issues of copyright infringement. To be honest, before I knew better, I made the same mistakes, but the good thing about information is that when you know better, you do better.

Online, there are millions of free images that don’t need accreditation, and one could equally create their own images through photography or by using creative solutions like CanvaPicMonkeyPowerpoint, Font Studios, Pic Art etc.

However, there comes a time when we are searching for something specific to buttress our message and when we don’t have a suitable one in our photo bank, we resort to other sources.

Quick Note About Licenses

Free Images, Free Stock, Free Images, Photo, Public Domain, Image Directory, Copyright, Infringement, Legal Restrictions,

Most of the images in this list are free from restrictions or licensed under creative commons public domain. It means is that copy, modify, share, use for commercial purposes – without permission.

However, some of these photos may need attribution and the best advice is to take a few minutes to check the restrictions of an image before using. If in doubt, contact the author of the site and even when attribution is not required, it’s always a nice thing to do.

100 Amazing Sites With Free Stock Photos

  1. A Digital Dreamer
  2. All The Free Stock
  3. Ancestry Images
  4. Barn images
  5. Big Foto
  6. Boss Fight
  7. Bucketlistly
  8. Budget stock photo
  9. Burst
  10. Cepolina
  11. Clker
  12. Creative Convex
  13. Crow the Stone
  14. Cupcake
  15. Death To The Stock Photo
  16. Designers Pic
  17. Dreamstime
  18. Epicantus

100 Amazing Sites With Free Stock Photos – The Art of Beautiful Expressions

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Writing

Ready To Get Your Book Out Into The World

There’s nothing better than being a writer, other than a writer who has actually managed to finish writing a book! That’s an achievement in itself. But as you’re probably already aware, this is only the beginning of the journey of your book (and hopefully your writing career!).

If you want your book to be read by people other than your close friends and family, you’re going to have to do more than type ‘The End’ in your novel.

Writing, Typewriter, Notepad, Notebook, Workspace, Glasses, Writer

Source: Pexels.com

First Thing’s First

You think you’ve finished your book, but you haven’t. Even if it’s been through several rounds of drafts already, there’s at least one edit you can do! There always is.

Go through it and be as critical as you can be; even if you end up trimming fifty pages, it’ll be worth it if your book is as strong as possible. But remember: there is such a thing as spending too long on a book. Being thorough is fine, but being obsessed is not!

Building an Audience

Unless your novel has a title and cover that instantly draws people in (they’re rare but do happen!), you’re going to have to build an audience for your book before it’s launched. This will involve being an active social media user, following like-minded people, and try to become part of a community interested in the genre of books you’re planning to publish.

As well as social media, you should also have your own website and blog, where you’ll be posting snippets from your book, as well as giving ‘behind the scenes’ insights into the process of writing and publishing. The more people who read your blog, the more chance you’ll have of selling copies to as many people as possible.

Finalizing the Book

When it comes to finalizing the book, you’ll need to think about which avenues you want to sell it through. There are many good websites out there that allow self-published authors offer their book to an audience.

You’ll also want to have your book printer, regardless of whether you plan to sell it in a hard copy form or only digital; book printing is inexpensive, gives your book a professional look, and is useful for sending out to websites in exchange for a review. Also, it just looks pretty darn cool to have a copy of your own book just sitting there on your bookshelf!

Promoting the Book

When the book is out there, don’t sit back and hope for a surprise runaway success; be proactive. Send books out in exchange for an honest review, try to arrange interviews for websites (and local media if you think they’d be responsive), and make sure you’re making regular social media posts about it.

And onto the Next One

You won’t have gotten into the self-publishing game just for this one book. You’re in it for the long haul. While you’re promoting your present book, keep an eye out for ideas about your next book, and start writing as soon as you can.

Author Zone

Bring Your Books 4 – Author Zone

This week in Author’s zone

Watching the Daisies: Life Lessons on the Importance of Slow by [Gallagher, Brigid P]

Check it out Available on Amazon

A Bit About Brigid

Brigid P. Gallagher aspired to become a doctor but God had other plans! She spent thirteen years in the life assurance industry, including Actuarial and Life Underwriting departments, before following her heart and training as a Natural Medicines therapist. Brigid trained in colour and crystal healing, aromatherapy, reflexology, nutritional medicine, flower essences, electro-crystal healing, radionics, and E.F.T or Emotional Freedom Technique. She practiced and taught Natural Medicines for 20 years, teaching at Stirling University’s Open Studies and Summer Schools from 1993 to 1999, setting up the Scottish School of Holistic Healing plus a therapy center and shop in Stirling, Scotland. In 1999, she relocated to Donegal, Ireland the home of her ancestors. Four years later, she succumbed to a mystery illness which was eventually diagnosed as fibromyalgia and possibly rheumatoid arthritis. Stopping the world for 2 years, forced Brigid to reassess her life, and thus she began retraining in Organic Horticulture. She taught this subject in schools part-time until early 2016. Her garden was featured in the Donegal Garden Trail in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Brigid continues her lifelong passion for gardening, singing and writing in her new life of SLOW.

Word From Others

Brigid does a great job in capturing her journey of health challenges…
Brigid does a great job in capturing her journey of health challenges and bringing spirituality to life to help a person move through difficult times.
Divya Parekh
Author of “The Entrepreneur’s Garden: The Nine essential relationships to Cultivate Your Wildly Successful Business”

A wonderful, insightful book!
A wonderful book! I forced myself to put it down a couple of times because I didn’t want to stop traveling vicariously with the author. Gallagher has written a memoir that takes to many beautiful countries but also on her journey of family loss, health and commitment to learning. Her gifts as a healer and gardener add to the beauty of the book.
Alexis Rose
Author of “Untangled: A Story of Resilience, Courage, and Triumph”

Check it out on Amazon

Annette has so many book titles under her belt and in her words below:

A Bit About Annette

I was born writing! At least this is how it seems. I had the good fortune to be published while a sophomore in high school so continuing the journey by publishing books has been a natural course of events.
I have chosen to release my annual haiku collection in time to celebrate National Poetry Month, in April. A Haiku Perspective 2017 is filled with smiles, laughter, wisdom and creativity, all cleverly disguised as haiku poetry. Enjoy!
My book, GO YOU some encouragement when you need it, is a pep-talk in a book! Each page gives you a quick way to start your day, help you through a moment or even provide someone else words that can inspire them to a better life. We can all use a cheerleader when one isn’t available, this book fits the bill!!

Most of the books I have published here are centered in poetry, Haiku poetry to be exact. Much of the feedback I receive about the haiku poetry is that people can really understand the messages and they appreciate that the poems are short and sweet!

Angel Messages – a wing and a prayer is my first book about Angels. Filled with photos, prayers, poems and prose of and about Angels, this book will delight any Angel lover in your life. Check out the reviews, people are drawn to the inherent inspirational nature of this book and as result is fast becoming their favorite. You can have it right away using the Kindle option or order a paperback copy (or two) and carry it with you wherever you go.

I mentioned that many of my books are filled with my poetry and several of them combine that with my love of taking pictures. Books that feature poetry and photos include Perspective, it’s all about replacing one thought with another, PhoKu, visual perspective haiku and BooKu, Halloween haiku. Perspective has a wide variety of pages that can feature prose, poetry and nature photographs, while PhoKu is filled with the photographs I have taken in nature with Haiku poetry added to them, hence the title: PhoKu. BooKu is a “behind the scenes look at how Halloween decorations feel about their jobs. All three of these books are available in print and Kindle formats.

A Haiku Perspective 2015, and A Haiku Perspective 2016 are haiku poetry books. When I first experimented with the haiku writing format, I have no idea I would enjoy it as much as I do. These days, I am writing haiku daily and finding myself thinking in 17 syllables. You can find these books in both print and Kindle formats
There are several other books planned for release this year alone, So please, check back frequently to see what I have published and share what YOU are doing! Cheers!!

A Word From Others

What a Beautiful book. Written by a very talented gifted author. I am so happy she finally put a book together of her Angel Messages that she sends out every day. Of all the books Annette has written this by far is my favorite. I don’t think I can say enough about this book or how proud of Annette I am for putting it together. All of her books are a labor of love and worth having. They are also great for giving as gifts.
Kylie
Inspirational messages are always a hit with me. In a world where you could be anything, be inspirational. That’s what Annette Rochelle Aben has done with this book. Open your heart and allow yourself to be inspired too!
I absolutely loved this book! very touching and loved it from the front page to the back and  I would highly recommend this book if you needed your spirit lifted!!!  I loveAnnette’s books! She is a wonderful writer author!
Mary Irvine
A writers’ journey can be a lonely and arduous trip and the success of a writer is the collective effort of all those who surround him/her. You are welcome to promote your book on Author Zone. To learn more check this.
Writing

APPLY THE MINI-SKIRT RULE – ESSENTIAL WRITERS TIPS

USING THE MINI-SKIRT RULE

Mini skirt rule, writing tips, keep short, cover everything, writers, Golden rule

One of the golden rules of writing is the ‘mini-skirt rule.’ Using the mini-skirt rule can certainly make your prose sexier and vibrant; if you get my drift.

The rule indicates that you should ‘keep your prose long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep it interesting for your readers.’

Don’t have your writing dressed up like a Victorian lady trussed up in a ball gown with girdles and multi-layered petticoats, topped off with a jacket and a bountiful hat of peacock feathers and flowers. Phew! That is literally exhausting to think of.

It’s a fine art to write in a strategic manner and to create a balance between keeping the bare necessities with some flesh to the bones and over spilling the prose with excesses.

For writers of fiction, don’t waste your words and bore your readers to such tears that your story or your book ends up in the dust gathering pile of books that went unread.

When it comes to length, follow this rule in keeping your story short and engrossing and work at making your book ‘unputdownable.’

‘Cut. Cut. Cut.’

  • Cut words, like those unnecessary adverbs.
  • Cut sentences
  • Cut pages
  • Cut paragraphs
  • Keep it short and simple

Things to consider when editing. READ More…

Author · Author Zone

Bring Your Books 3 – Author Zone

This week in Author Zone

The Love Labyrinth, Novel, Author Zone

A bit about the book

Noelle Harrison is a hard-working wife and loving mother to two young sons. Although supportive of her husband Wayne’s professional pursuits, she rails at his constant out-of-town travel to conferences and seminars. What about her needs and wants? Then one day on her way home from church… There are two sides to every story. Or maybe three.

Available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback

Pamela D. Beverly’s author bio simply makes me smile – I guess it’s her calling herself ‘The Jacqueline of all trades.’ 

I am a Jacqueline-of-all-Trades but a master of none. Mostly I’m a student of human nature that enjoys writing and studying mankind. I have traveled all over the United States as well as to several foreign countries and enjoy meeting people of all races, religions and creeds. My main wish for mankind is that we learn to get along and enjoy one another’s differences.

You can also get to know her better on her blog

Untangled, Alexis Rose, Author Zone, Book

Untangled, A Story of Resilience, Courage, and Triumph:

Recalling her life, the author takes us on a journey of unimaginable abuse with continued explicit threats that eventually led to her being sent overseas on an impossible mission.  She repressed the memories of her past until a family tragedy forced her to face what her life had been. A history of abuse, torture, and threats to maintain her silence or be killed could no longer be denied.

This is the story of facing the truth and risking the consequences of breaking the silence. The author learns to accept the effects of the trauma that echo through her daily life as PTSD.

Available on Amazon Paperback 

A Word from Others

  • I discovered Alexis’s blog randomly and after reading some of her blog posts I knew I wanted to read her memoir too. I didn’t put down the book for three days and for that time I felt I was re-living what the author has lived through herself. It is so well written and the story is grasping. Although it isn’t a light read and sometimes I wondered how such atrocities are possible. But Alexis is here to show us that no matter the trauma, even the deepest and most damaging, we can still summon courage and faith and overcome it. Thank you Alexis for sharing yourself with the world!

 

  • Wow! Hard to read because of the subject matter but I could not put it down! This is truly a story of resilience and courage!!!
    I have never experienced trauma or abuse but after reading this book, I have a much better understanding of the struggles of those that have.
    This is an amazing book.

Author Zone, Ritu Bhathal, Poetic Rituals, Writer

 

Delve into a book of verse exploring different topics and different genres, all with a RITUal twist.
A collection of poetry drawing on the experiences of the writer, ranging from matters of the heart, love for the family, situations in life and some verses written with a humorous twist.

Available on Amazon Kindle

A Bit About Ritu

From childhood, I always enjoyed reading. This love of books is mostly credited to my mother. The joy of reading spurred me on to become creative in my own writing, from fiction to poetry. As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, I have drawn on inspiration from many avenues to create the poems that I write. A qualified teacher, having studied at Kingston University, I now deal with classes of children as a sideline to my writing! Happily married, I live in Kent, with my Hubby Dearest, and two children, not forgetting the furbaby Sonu Singh. I am currently working on some short stories, and a novel, to be published in the near future.

A Word From Others

  • I enjoy reading funny or clever verse, mostly on the internet, in blog posts etc, when I come across them, but books of poetry are rarely my thing.I ‘picked up’ an ecopy of Poetic Rituals when it was discounted because it’s something different and an easier read in between fat novels and autobiographies.It is really great to open a book and be surprised in every good way by the contents. I read through the poems at one sitting, delighted with each one to the next. They reminded me in some ways of Pam Ayres work; witty, funny, poignant, some slightly tongue-in-cheek. What impressed me most was their unfailing observations of family life, relationships and the frustrations of daily life. One is about not being able to get a printer to link to a computer – I could wholly identify with that one!

    Read this book, raise a smile and even a little tear. This is a lovely read!

 

  • Bhathal’s Poetic Rituals is a collection of poems that explores life’s rituals, those of a mother, wife, lover, and teacher. There are real gems in here with lovely imagery, humor, passion, and ambivalence. My favorite poems were the lighthearted rhymes about being a mother of young children. A great read to visit and browse throughout the day.

Why I started Author zone.

reading

A writers’ journey can be a lonely and arduous trip and the success of a writer is the collective effort of all those who surround him/her.

I know that I am a small time blogger out there but I believe so much in the strength that lies in unity.

It’s been in my heart for quite a while to find ways of contributing, encouraging and promoting my fellow authors around.

Many are struggling to get their works out there and the challenge of breaking into the limelight of traditional publishing is humongous.

We are the only one’s who can attract and drive our own growth in here. Buying and reading bestsellers is brilliant, all well and good, but contributing to lift up a fellow writer in our midst from one level to the next should be our collective care because it matters.

Support your fellow author/artist/writer/blogger. Collaborate with each other to help them grow.

The truth is that purchasing a book from a little-known author barely costs much. If you are buying 3 books a month, pick up one from an author in our midst, the cost is not even up to a cup of coffee at Starbucks, Tim Hortons, London Dairy or where ever it is that you love to get your sweetness.

The idea behind ‘Author Zone,’ is to highlight a number of authors and their books bi-monthly.

If you would like your book highlighted, please feel free to contact me. I would also try to do a review of a book once a month.

Please share this as much as possible to reach as many authors/writers as we can. BYB

Thank you for your support.

Jacqueline

Writing

20 TIPS TO OVERCOME YOUR WRITER CUM BLOGGERS’ BLOCK

Argh! The Writers’ Block

There are days that you would find yourself scribbling and tapping away with much zeal and then the following day you wake up to a blank mind that stretches from one day to the other, then weeks…months…and you are waiting for the inspiration to ignite. You’ve just been visited by the gremlin that blocks creativity aka writers’ block.

Writers Block, Writing, Tips, Solutions, Writers, Avoid Editing

Writers’ block can last for as long as it chooses if you let it. It’s a common malaise that every writer struggles with now and again, but the most important thing is what you do when faced with it.

Writing is an art that takes a lot of brain power, creative energy, focus and mental acuity each time. It’s not a science that has a ‘Eureka formula fix’ as such, we have to approach its solution with that in mind.

Igniting that inspiration is not going to happen unless you take it in hand and having been writing for a while, here are some of the prescribed methods I use to doctor my creative constipation to enable easier passage of inspiration. Read More…

Writing

Write on The Toilet – Essential Writers Tips

Write on the toilet

Write till you get that book done.Toilet writing, writers tips, book writing, writing habits, best practice, unconventional approach

Writing till you get that book done may involve some quirky habits like writing on the toilet. As unconventional and as shitty as this approach might sound, have you ever observed that loads of inspiration flood into your mind when you are on the potty or taking a shower?

Surprisingly, the onslaught of inspiration has a way of dwindling down or completely evaporating like a mist when you now settle down to get the writing done.

Here’s a tip…

Writing

Overcome Your Writing Fears – Essential Writer’s Tips

Essential Writer's Tips, Writing, Overcome Writing Fears, Writer

Writing Fears

What are your greatest writing fears?

Writing is not for the faint of heart and to build a successful career as a writer is not without its’ fair share of anxieties.

At various points in their pursuit, most writers have experienced writing fears, so this is not a challenge peculiar to you.

I remember when decided I to follow my passion and started writing actively, I had bubbles of anxiety in my stomach for days, I lost several nights of sleep wondering what made me think that I was good enough for anyone to want to spend their time reading my words.

Coupled with that, I enrolled for a creative writing course and as much as I tried not to take the instructors critic to heart, I never looked forward to hearing from her and was literally developing an ulcer from anguish. After much angst, I decided to put my anxiety to an end, to believe in myself and chose to face my fears.

Your fear might be one or even all the following: READ More…

Author Zone

Bring Your Books 2 – Authorzone

This week in Author zone

ricky-baker

A word from me.

There are words you read and tears flow out of their own volition. This is how the words of haiku for Ricky Baker moved me.

Tanya Cliff is a beautiful soul. Her rich writing and words always reach in and grab my attention. I’ve followed her blog for quite a bit and I am never short of admiration for this writer friend of mine. You can get to know her better through her blog, Post Prodigal.

A word from others

I only recently discovered Tanyas writing, although the way it touches my heart I feel as if I have known her for a long time. …
Good writers encourage you to keep reading, to enjoy the story. Great writers encourage you to believe and be a part of the story. Rickey story did exactly that. It touched me deeply and challenged me to go out and do something.
If you have a heart for the disadvantaged, forgotten children of our world this little book will challenge you as well.
If you don’t read it anyway. You might be surprised where it takes you.

Please Note: “A Haiku for Ricky Baker” all the proceeds from the sales, including 70% of eBook sales, go to fund art and writing projects for at-risk youth.

Please read and lend your support to the Ricky Baker’s of our world. Available on Amazon.

collected-sketches

A word from me

Talented writer. Iain’s stories create intrigue that leaves you wanting to know more.

‘Collected Sketches’ is a series of short stories and flash fiction pieces. They take in varied locations, topics and people but together build a picture of the modern world that we live in, and ask what the future of our world will look like. Some tales are funny, some serious, dramatic and poignant, covering genres from science fiction to historical drama.

It’s available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK.  Support the authors in our midst.

Iain Kelly is a writer based in Scotland, currently writing his first novel.

More of his short fiction can be found on his blog: https://iainkellywriting.wordpress.com/

 

Why I started Author zone.

A writers’ journey can be a lonely and arduous trip and the success of a writer is the collective effort of all those who surround him/her.

I know that I am a small time blogger out there but I believe so much in the strength that lies in unity.

It’s been in my heart for quite a while to find ways of contributing, encouraging and promoting my fellow authors around.

Many are struggling to get their works out there and the challenge of breaking into the limelight of traditional publishing is humongous.

We are the only one’s who can attract and drive our own growth in here. Buying and reading bestsellers is brilliant, all well and good, but contributing to lift up a fellow writer in our midst from one level to the next should be our collective care because it matters.

Support your fellow author/artist/writer/blogger. Collaborate with each other to help them grow.

The truth is that purchasing a book from a little-known author barely costs much. If you are buying 3 books a month, pick up one from an author in our midst, the cost is not even up to a cup of coffee at Starbucks, Tim Hortons, London Dairy or where ever it is that you love to get your sweetness.

The idea behind ‘Author Zone,’ is to highlight a number of authors and their books bi-monthly.

If you would like your book highlighted, please feel free to contact me. I would also try to do a review of a book once a month.

Please share this as much as possible to reach as many authors/writers as we can. BYB

Thank you for your support.

Jacqueline

Writing

Essential Writers Tips – Go Easy on The Punctuations.

Exclamation Points, Punctuation Rules, Punctuation Usage, essential writers tips, emotion

Curb the exclamations!

Guilty as charged. I am one of those writers who loves to emphasize words with punctuations and I believe there are a lot of us. It’s a no-no.

As much as you would love to make that emphasis, avoid using a lot of exclamation marks or using them with a question mark to tell a reader how important something is.

Minimal use of exclaiming punctuations serves as an opportunity to explore your descriptive capabilities as a writer.

Exclamation Point

  • The Exclamation point (!):  Added to show yelling (in a dialogue ) or extreme emotion (in a narrative).

Don’t use more than one (!!), and avoid using it with a question mark (!?).

Most editors discourage its usage, the rule of thumb is not more than two or three exclamation points in an entire manuscript.

This is because overuse of the exclamation point creates room for weaker writing when the writer uses it consistently to show emotion. Instead, a writer should use a stronger dialog or narrative that will better convey that emotion. Read more…