Cynthia D. Griffin

Book Series Review: Chronicles of an Urban Druid By Auburn Tempest and Michael Anderle

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Cynthia D. Griffin

I started this series almost two weeks ago, and I’m still not done, but I loved it so much, I decided to go ahead and do a review. Yep, it’s that good.

I was looking for a series on Kindle Unlimited that had a strong female lead, magic, and lots of adventure in it. This series hasn’t disappointed on those expectations. It also had plenty of other unexpected (fun) surprises too.

Chronicles of an Urban Druid starts out with a young woman living in Toronto who is from a large family of cops, but is disappointed because she doesn’t seem to really fit in that life. She’s a big supporter of her father and brothers, but being a cop really isn’t for her. Little does she know that a mugging in the back alley of the pub she works at will lead Fiona to her Irish heritage and Druid one as well.

Thrown into a whole new life, Fiona finds herself with a lot of catching up to do, but she’s excited for the task of learning to become a Druid and especially excited to find her true calling. The only thing is it comes with a lot of dangerous new enemies that stalks her, kidnaps her, and gives her quite a few near death experiences.

As Fiona learns to handle the new responsibilities and challenges of becoming an urban Druid, she also finds new friends and love that fills her life and heart. She’s excited by the magic that she’s now allowing herself to see and be apart of as she welcomes fae creatures to live in her backyard and becomes the mother of twenty-three rambunctious dragons.

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freelance, guest post, small business, writing

Guest Post: Your Guide to Starting a Small Business as a Stay-at-Home Parent

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Cynthia D. Griffin

By Virginia Cooper

Studies show approximately 20 percent of American parents choose to stay home with their kids, which can be rewarding. However, it’s perfectly natural to want goals of your own, and starting an in-home business can provide an additional sense of purpose as well as income.

What Are the Steps to Starting Your Own Business?

Starting a business is easier than you think. Once you have a solid idea, you can create a professional space and legally register your company.

Create a Home Office

You need a space to work without distractions and meet with clients, so creating a home office is a good idea. Having a separate room for work also helps you “check out” when off the clock.

Choose a Business Structure

If you’re a one-person operation, you can choose a sole proprietorship or limited liability company as your business structure. Many entrepreneurs choose LLCs for the benefits:

Considered a separate legal entity from the owner
Numerous tax advantages
Flexible ownership

The process for registering an LLC varies by state, so you’ll need to do research before filing. The good news is, you can do it yourself or with a formation service, so there’s no need to spend money on a lawyer.

Find Funding

Starting a small business requires money for fees, supplies, and marketing. If you have savings, you can tap into those. Otherwise, you’ll need to apply for financing.

Market Your Services

To get clients, you need to put your business out there. Fortunately, there are many marketing techniques small businesses can use:

Create a website
Post on social media
Join local groups

What Kind of Businesses Can You Run From Home?

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Appreciation, love of my life, thankful

A Thank You For All Who Have Reached Out To Our Family

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

It’s been a rough couple of weeks since my husband passed. He was such a huge part of my life. I didn’t even realize how much until he was gone. The sadness and tears come when I think about what I’ve lost. And I think about it all the time because he is everywhere I turn.

He’s fixing our favorites for breakfast––bacon, eggs, and cinnamon rolls. He’s sitting on the couch laughing at something funny on the tv. He’s sitting next to me on the porch drinking his coffee while I drink my tea. He’s giving our dog Bella lots of love and belly rubs. He’s standing right next while I’m washing the dishes.

I know that eventually things will settle down. That time will heal the loss, but it feels very far away sometimes.

Surprisingly, I’ve been able to move forward to some degree. Some moments I even manage to feel okay. One of the things that has helped is remembering all the time we had together. We had twenty-one years of marriage. That’s a lot of memories, and a large majority of them were good ones.

Another help has been the large outreach of love from many friends and family. If there could be a good side to this whole experience, it would be the amazing amount of phone calls, texts, facebook messages, and cards I’ve received in the last two weeks.

I wanted to take a moment to send out this thank you to all who have reached out to me, all who allowed me to call/text/message to express my grief, all who were kind enough to send much needed donations, and those who were able to come and spend a little time with Caleb and myself last week. All of it has been such a huge blessing, and I appreciate it very much. It’s helped make an unbearable experience a little easier.

I’m slowly starting to make some plans for what comes next. There’s still a lot of uncertainty, but it’s getting a little easier to move forward. I know Dean would want Caleb and I to do what makes us happy, so at least I know what to shoot for. I’m just trying to adjust to what happy looks like without him there too.

Appreciation helps me stay positive, so I try to live there as much as I can, because even though this is a hard transition, there’s still so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for the great memories I have with Dean. I’m grateful for all the love I’m receiving from so many people. I am thankful for the new (and closer) bonds I’m making with friends and family since Dean passed. And I am thankful that I have grown enough to see the good spots even in the bad.

Above is a video Caleb and I put together for the family memorial we had for Dean last week. It’s a little long (what can I say, I love taking pictures), but I’m sharing it for those who would like to get a small taste of some of the awesome moments our family has had. I hope you enjoy.

celebrating, love of my life, thankful

Celebrating The Life Of Dean Griffin

Posted on November 25, 2021November 27, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

On November 24th our family suffered a great loss. My husband Dean Griffin passed away. I’m still processing this loss. He was an amazing man, and we had a fantastic twenty-one years together. I feel incredibly blessed to have had him in my life, and to honest, I believe he’s still with me and my son. A few times since he passed, I’ve felt his hand on my shoulder telling me it’s going to be alright.

I write this post because I want to celebrate him, especially on Thanksgiving Day. Yes, I am sad, but I am so thankful for my time with him. So, yeah maybe he isn’t with us physically this Thanksgiving, but there were many others that he was. We always had this tradition at our Thanksgiving meal, we would each say three things we were thankful for, and always his number one was our family.

One of my favorite things about Dean was his smile. I always commented on it, telling him it was as big as the sun. He also gave these amazing bear hugs. You know you were hugged by the time he got done with you. lol…

He was a happy-go-lucky guy who kind of shrugged things away. I always admired that about him, because I always seemed to take things too seriously. But he helped remind me that life was meant to be fun and enjoyed, especially when he got his goofy side going. No matter how serious I was, I couldn’t help but laugh.

One thing everyone could say about Dean was that he had a big heart. He wanted so desperately to help people in any way he could. That’s why he spent over half of his career as an emergency medical worker. It was a very satisfying job to him, but it took it’s toll too. He was extremely grateful for the time off during the pandemic. He managed to do things and explore in a way he never got to before. His last year and a half was the happiest of his life, mine too.

Some of the things he enjoyed was going to the beach, going for walks with me and our dog Bella, talking tech with our son, playing video games, watching anything related to Star Wars, spending time in the backyard in his hammock, laughing at TikTok videos, and doing research on the internet about anything and everything.

He also loved to satisfy his curiosities. He often said, “Don’t get me curious about something, because then I’ll have to figure it out.”

I don’t know what the future holds for my son and I. It seems really overwhelming and scary now that my best friend has left. Dean and I had been a team for so long, I’m not sure how to do it on my own. I know some big changes are coming. One of the biggest things that has helped is the many phone calls and texts I’ve been receiving from family and friends. Thank you so very much. It means a lot.

I continue to ask for positive thoughts and prayers please as we figure out what comes next. And if you feel inclined, we would also appreciate donations to help us through this transitional period of our lives.

Also, give the people you love an extra hug this Thanksgiving. You never known it might be the last one.

Thank you Dean Griffin for being my best friend for 21 years. You are loved and deeply appreciated.

amazon, book review, book series, books, Kindle, Kindle Vella

How To Get Started On Kindle Vella

Posted on November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 by Cynthia D. Griffin

I’ve been curious about Kindle Vella for awhile, but I was so engrossed with my Kindle Unlimited books, I didn’t take the time to check it out. Then something happened to help me out a little with that.

Recently, I was contacted by an author to review his book. Since I was in between books at the time, I told him I could get started right away. Then he responded that his book wouldn’t be out until March, but he did have episodes posted on Kindle Vella.

Well, I certainly couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out Vella and get a start on another awesome story. Isn’t it great when stuff lines up like that! Anyways, the following is a how to on Kindle Vella and my thoughts on A.R. Witham’s The Legend of Black Jack.

What Is Kindle Vella?

Kindle Vella is a place to read (and publish) serialized fiction. Any device that can download the kindle app can easily access Vella. It’s really geared toward readers who want a quick read on their phones.

A story is broken down into episodes (instead of chapters). These episodes can vary from author to author. I’ve seen some really long and some really short. One thing I like is that authors have an opportunity at the end of each episode to address the audience directly in A Note From Author. Sometimes there’s little stories extras in the note, or information to contact the author directly if desired.

Another cool feature is if you liked the episode, then you can do a thumbs up at the end of it.

How Does Vella Work?

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