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Denise M. Colby

Historical Romance Sweetened with Faith, Hope, & Love

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    • Best-laid Plans Series
      • When Plans Go Awry
    • Short and Sweet Compilations
      • The Short and Sweet of It
      • Short and Sweet’s Family Album
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  • Focus Word For the Year
    • Grow, Word of the Year, Highlights
    • Change, Word of the Year, Highlights
    • Courage, Word of the Year, Highlights

OC Romance Writers Meeting 3.11.23 Handouts

PDF of the presentation slides

10-Ways-to-Improve-SEODownload

Below are some handouts that were discussed during our meeting

On-Page-SEO-ChecklistDownload
CategoryTagsOrgHelpBlankDownload
Blog-SEO-Tracking Excel FileDownload

Blog posts about SEO – Additional content/support

Testing out Alt Text Example

Adding SEO with Book Reviews

Custom URL and How To Make One

Using a Blog SEO Checklist to Streamline Your Blog Post

Bible Verse 1 Corinthians 13:7 written over a photo of a ranch entry with wood and dirt path
Bert the Rooster in When Plans Go Awry drawn by Kyle Colby

Meet Bert the rooster in When Plans Go Awry - releasing June 2024

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Denise M Colby

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Played a new game over the holiday. Ticket to ride Played a new game over the holiday. Ticket to ride legacy game is a STORY connected to the railroads and the expansion across the US. Each round is a different year. The history lover in me is jumping up and down. And I’m SO excited because there’s a California round. In my next book in the Best-laid Plans series there’s a new train route that’s based on history. Is it in the game? I don’t know yet- we haven’t gotten that far. But I’m waiting patiently for Christmas week when we will all be together again to find out.
New book alert!! I’m reading this right now and New book alert!! I’m reading this right now and loving it. You can check out the first three chapters for free - see the link in the graphic - and preorder the ebook today for $3.99. Tomorrow is launch day. Congratulations Donna!
I love visiting my hometown. The history lover in I love visiting my hometown. The history lover in me enjoys the stories from the past along with the pieces of my family history I can share with my kids. Some elements inspire ideas for my stories. Others are there waiting to be used in a future story. The story behind the pics included in this post. 1. My grandfather on my mother’s side started an auto shop that my uncle still operates. a treasure trove of old vehicles connected to our family history 2. originally a wagon bed that later was connected to a vehicle. Used to transport people from the train station to the hotel 3. A new to me park within Napa and it’s history 4. My parents grew up in Glen Ellen right next to Jack Londons land. This building used to be a restaurant/bar where my grandparents held their annual birthday family gathering 5. Original hotel in Glen Ellen 6. Marshall’s Body Shop in Glen Ellen. First started as a gas station by my grandfather (where my uncle met his wife). 7. My father’s parents home where one of my cousins lives. 8. My family is all about old cars. A couple used for local parades. 9. My cousin collects old signs 10. The chair! Located at the downtown river walk. Beautiful area with lots of history. 11. Charles Krug Winery - the very first wine tasting room - and one of the oldest operating winery’s in the Napa Valley 12. The plaques on the outside - detailing some interesting history 13. Additional history of the winery 14. Inside includes more history. Some of the timing fits my story timeline….😊 15. The carriage house on the Charles Krug property 16. I have a fascination with trains. And trains in my stories. 17. My family in front of the big sign. Thanks to my husband for stopping so I could get a pic 18. My great great great grandfathers grave 19. His grave is on the cemetery tour and includes a historical reference 20. This remodeled ranch house was built by my great great grandfather. My grandmother was born in this house. My dad spent his summers working the ranch land, that was later sold and now includes the house my parents bought in the 1950s.
Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours. Many bl Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours. Many blessing to you and your families. 🦃🍁🍽❤️
This past weekend I had the pleasure to attend Scr This past weekend I had the pleasure to attend ScrivCon 2024 in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I met my publisher, new to me authors, and learned new writing craft tips I can apply to future manuscripts. I also was able to visit a new to me town and National Park. It was a great trip. I didn’t get pictures with everyone (too busy chatting). Here’s a partial list of all the authors I met. Do you recognize any of these author names? Angela Hunt Regina Rudd Merrick Susan Page Davis Lynn U. Watson Susie Waltner Heather Greer Amy Anguish Donna Wichelman Betty Woods Donna Stevens Erin Howard Angie Hyche Linda Fullerton Christina Rost Shirley Gould Ellen Withers Terri Wangard Barbara Britton Laura DeNooyer Linda Dindzans Tonya Ashley Donna Wichelman Jenny McLeod Carlisle Janell York Mary Pat Johns Teresa Wells #scrivcon2024 #writersconference #writerslife #scriveningspress
So fun to work my first reader event ❤️📖🐓
Attending the #scrivcon2024 conference in Hot Spri Attending the #scrivcon2024 conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas. So excited to meet both my editors Regina and Linda. Linda is also my publisher, owner of Scrivenings Press.
I love this old fashioned pic. That’s me with my I love this old fashioned pic. That’s me with my mom and dad. I think I was eight. I wonder if that’s what started my love of history? That and Little House on the Prairie. ❤️ I’m posting this today in memory of my dad’s passing. It’s been many years now (27) but he’s always close to my heart.
It has been a tradition for me to make my son’s It has been a tradition for me to make my son’s birthday cakes every year, similar to how my mom made mine. This year I made a Lego Batman cake out of the Lego mold we had for my youngest (look at my comic con post and see his costume). They are never polished but they are appreciated and I love doing them. Swipe to see some of the others I’ve made through the years. The Wall-E one is one of my favs but it was too heavy and squished together by the time we sang that night. 🎂🍰🥰🥳
Three months ago I officially gained a daughter ❤️ So fun to see all the photographer’s pictures from our son’s wedding in June. It’s neat to relive all the love and joy from that special day, and I wanted to share with all of you. Their love story is a perfect example of why I write the stories I write. 🥰 thankful and blessed.
I’ll be in Hot Springs, Arkansas on November 9 f I’ll be in Hot Springs, Arkansas on November 9 for the ScrivCon conference and reader event from 2-3:30. If you are in the area, would love to have you come by!
Fun day at the @ocromwriters annual birthday bash Fun day at the @ocromwriters annual birthday bash this weekend. Loved seeing all my writing friends and making new ones. Especially happy to share my book with @debmullinsauthor, who was instrumental in helping me write scenes early on in the process. This is our groups annual fundraiser every year and the organizers did a fabulous job. Great speaker, good conversations, and great raffle prizes and auction offers including these goodies and some new books to read. My book cover for When Plans Go Awry won best in genre!! Love the beautiful ribbon made my @lesliev.knowles. Can’t wait for next year #amwriting #writerlife #writerscommunity #bookstagram
Woohoo 🥳 Book two is finished and sent to my pu Woohoo 🥳 Book two is finished and sent to my publisher. 📖 Much to celebrate 🎉 and be thankful for. There will still be edits, but the plan is for a May 2025 release for A Slight Change of Plans. Book two in the Best-Laid Plans series. Can’t wait for you to read Jenny and Ren’s story. 🥰 And yes, Bert makes an appearance. 🐓. #ASlightChangeofPlanBook #bestlaidplansseries #christianhistoricalromance #inspirationalromance #readersofchristianfiction
I’m a little late in posting this but still want I’m a little late in posting this but still wanted to share about this wonderful conference I attended two weeks ago. The Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers conference was amazing. From seeing my critique group members @kimberlykeaganwrites and @mariewellscoutu and hearing Dani Pettrey and Susan Meissner as the keynotes, to meeting Beth Vogt, Kimberly Woodhouse, Heidi McCahan, Suzie Walter, and Robin Lee Hatcher, and so many other authors. To catching up with Nancy Farrier, Tanya Stowe, Lisa Jordan, Karen Witemeyer, Jeanne Takenaka, Tari Faris, Susanne Dietze and many more. Wow. Did I just name drop! But I wanted to share their names so you could look them up and find their books. So many books. Learned more things, picked up author swag at the table (I’m already using my new bookmarks), and was rejuvenated to write more stories. So thankful for this opportunity. Thankful to be around my people all weekend. #amwriting #fhlauthor #writersconference
So excited to be bringing some swag to the Faith, So excited to be bringing some swag to the Faith, Hope, Love Writers Conference this weekend for the swag table. #amwriting #fhlauthor #whenplansgoawrybook #bert #grow #bookswag #bookmark #books
Welcome Fall! 🍃🍁🍂Time sure flies when you Welcome Fall! 🍃🍁🍂Time sure flies when you are busy writing. Book 2 almost turns into my publisher. I’m excited for Jenny’s story. And for you to meet Ren. And see Bert again. 🐓 #amwriting #mickeypumpkins
This is me right now as I’m finishing up book tw This is me right now as I’m finishing up book two in the Best-laid Plans series. I saw it this morning on my desk and laughed. I was just telling my family that my body is living in a real world, while my brain is in my fake town of Washton. 😂 Nothing else exists. ⌨️🖥️ = 📖. #amwriting #writerslife #christianromanceauthor #historicalromance
Today I cleaned out a large stack of papers. What Today I cleaned out a large stack of papers. What would seem like a very easy toss was not. It represented the entire set of printed papers of all the different versions my story went through before it became a published book. I don’t need them anymore. But when I look at this stack I see where it all began and what it then became. When I started this writing journey I had no idea what I was doing. I read a lot of books and had story ideas, but how did you actually write one? I started out by joining a writing group that held workshops every month and online classes. Then I joined a few more and took more classes. I printed out scenes, had writing friends review. I worked on sections during these online classes. I entered contests (a lot) and printed out all the feedback. Some was hard to accept, but I’d come back stronger and try again. I’m not sure what drove me. God, definitely. He never gave up on the story He wanted me to write. I also wanted to follow through with what I started. To read some of my early early scenes helps me see how far I’ve come. How I wrote scenes over and over again to find the words people would want to read. I also found some gems in side notes that came from those classes (I did save a few of those). It’s now time to say goodbye to this stack, but I took a picture to remind me that anything worth doing is a journey. A process. I’m really thankful for all of it. I don’t think I’d change a thing. #debutnovel #whenplansgoawry #whenplansgoawrybook #bestlaidplansseries #scriveningspress #christianhistoricalromance #inspirationalromance #readersofchristianfiction #readersofchristianromance #goodreadsauthor #historicalfiction #historicalromance
My focus word is Grow this year. When doing resear My focus word is Grow this year. When doing research, plants are the theme with this word, so I created this sticker to represent ❤️ I love how it came out. Just like I love the little garden growing in my yard. Both the vegetable garden and the rose garden. 🪴 it’s important to take care of yourself. Water every day and be kind. It will help you grow.
Working on Book 2 in my Best-laid Plans Series. Ex Working on Book 2 in my Best-laid Plans Series. Excited for how Jenny’s story is unfolding. Snagged my son’s old bulletin board to put the map of my fictional town of Washton that I drew, along with pictures and notes to focus on as I’m writing.
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