Author pics - to glam or not to glam

You may (or may not) have noticed that I changed my author pic on blogger a few days ago. Heck, you may never have noticed my author pic even if you visited every day. Not that you needed to. But IF you did, you'd see that my glamor shot photo has gone bye bye. Oh, it's still saved on my hard drive and still on one of my many web pages somewhere. However, it's not here, on my main web page (www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com). Why not? A famous author has been giving me some suggestions and one is to lose the glamor shot. Supposedly it's not professional and isn't something the bigger name authors do. Is this really so? I'm not sure. Usually, I'd research by going web page to web page of the best selling authors at the big publishing houses and do a survey. I probably will soon and post the results here. But I've been a bit busy between overtime at the day job and edits out the ying yang. Anyway, I changed it. I was tired of that pic anyway and personally I do prefer pictures showing us as our normal selves in our every day attire and make-up. I didn't hop to change it right away. I wasn't being reluctant or obstinate any more than I was rushing to comply. But I didn't have any good recent shots of me. Then I finally (duh!) remembered I had my MySpace pic I could use for blogger. So, I've finally done it. I hope this is more acceptable. Let me ask you, other authors and readers: Does it matter to you what kind of picture an author posts of herself (as long as it's not criminal or immoral?) Would it affect sales to readers or getting a contract with a publisher? Does it bespeak of professionalism? Opinions are welcome. If you're an author, what kind of picture do you have posted of yourself? Or do you post your pic and if not, why not? I see that a lot of authors don't post any picture but instead, they post one of their book covers. You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirsch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

The many uses of an ordinary brick

I'm continuing this discussion from Brynn Paulin's Litergasm chat last Friday night, when the chatters got a little creative and a whole lot raunchy. LOL, it was fun. Brynn asked the question: "Give me five uses for a brick." Sooooooo, what were some of the answers? 1. pillow 2. foot warmer (if it could be heated) 3. weapon 4. birth control ??? (one said to threaten her hubby away with it) 5. sleep aid (as in hit yourself in the head and knock yourself out so you can sleep) 6. tie it around a man's balls??? (what the??? MAJOR OUCH!!!) 7. decoration 8. hold up tv 9. book mark 10. hat 11. door stop 12. paper weight 13. spider killer 14. extra chair (why not an entire couch or table? throw a cloth over it and use gingerly) 15. husband and teenager motivator (sadistic???) I'll add a couple. How about: artwork? you could do tole painting on them or build statues build an entire couch or table (my idea) build a tower and see how many bricks it takes till they fall? an outdoor oven (let food cook on them in the sun???) shoulder pads shoulder straighteners (to make them even if you're hunchbacked) shoes (tie them on with string - they'd look like wedgies, be all the rage) sound effects door knockers musical instruments (percussion of course) Okay, it's your turn. What other uses can you think of for bricks that's out of the ordinary? You'll want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirsch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

What my names mean - according to an Internet blogthing

What Elaine Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Elaine is the name my mama gave me. So here's Ashley, the name I gave me.

What Ashley Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Um... I see a lot of similarities between the meanings of "Elaine" and "Ashley". So does this mean the quiz says basically the same thing about every name, just moved around? (probably - like in horoscopes). Or if I were to test a few other names would I truly find others to be a lot different?