Hello readers,

Today I did something awesomely productive. I built a website! What?

This humble English major was told to find out how to work a web builder and start one from the ground up!

First things first, I said to myself. Google everything! So after watching about 2 hours of YouTube videos, scrolling through what seemed like thousands of search pages, I finally embarked on this voyage of making a webpage. 

DAM WEBPAGE.

I go on 9GAG a TON and if you don’t know what that is and you are a NetHead like me, you are missing out. I see a lot of posts made by computer programmers about how they would scour their codes looking for the missing link that would make everything all better again, spending hours searching out where they went wrong, only to find a Period was missing.

That was not how this experience went.

 It went much better, and yet much worse.

I was staring at a computer screen all day, something I am very much used to in this day and age, but because of the slightly mindless clicking through of options, or the sudden necessity of meticulous plotting of points, my eyes and brain were exhausted.

I’ve only been working here for a week, and I had to write all these flashy bits of information, and arrange things, just… UUUUUUUGH.

After two days (seriously shouldn’t complain, that was all it was) it was finally DONE, and I am proud of it.

And then I get home and ask my mom to look it up on her ipad… the formatting was off.

Dammit.

Scruggs Life for me, it took me another 2 hours to finding where I went wrong.

But now it is done, and I actually can stamp my name to something.

And that’s the Scruggs Life too. 

This is Scruggs the Shelter Dog, Hero of 

Scruggs and Samantha How a Shelter Dog and Kitten Saved Cinderella's Marriage

Buy it on Amazon today! 

New Life for Scruggs' Life

Hello readers,

My name is Alli and Im an intern here with Tara Fina Publishing, working directly with the author Mary de la Pena and all of her books.

She decided today that I was the official writer for this blog, Scruggs Life, and that I should use it to fine tune my own writing.

So, wow, that happened, and now I have to learn how to blog… to hopefully be paid attention to, I guess, or better yet, sell books… since that IS my job now. 

Kinda.

I was then trying to think of how I could start this, and really, after staring at a blank word document for a few minutes at the words Scruggs and Life, I focused on the name Scruggs.

Scruggs

Such a strange name. Really it’s the perfect name of a mutt like the dog that owns the name, and I mean owns it. He really is a shaggy, scraggily dog that likes a good scrap and tears around his back yard like a mad mutt.

But you all know that from reading the book, or previous blog posts, or just seeing his picture.

When I think of the word Scruggs, not as a name, not as a dog, I think it actually works really well as a name for a position like “Intern.” I got the scruggy job today of cleaning out used coffee mugs, or refilling the ink in the printer, most of which is now on my shirt, or better yet, I was scrugged into getting lunch and 4bucks today. Again.

So it really is the Scruggs Life for me. Which now makes me think of Thug life… Word. 

Is this you? Don't put off another day. Live your dreams, life is short!

For years I kept telling Prince Charming I'd write a book. Our vacations were always spent with me musing about characters and plots and the book I was going to write. 

Then, one magical day I was connected to Tom Bird, the man who gave my thoughts, and prayers, and characters a chance to live on actual pages instead of the pages in my mind.

So, for all of you, here is some advice and motivation, Tom has a few spaces left in his Atlanta writer's retreat. Read below, and you, too, can be an author before you know it!
Good luck, and God bless,
Mary de la Pena-author.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK?
If YOU have always wanted to write a book, here is your chance! Tom Bird has some openings in his upcoming Atlanta Retreat May 16-18, 2014 (Thursday Night too!).

If you have ever had any interest in getting your book written Go To This Retreat! Under Tom's guidance I have written my first novel and it has changed my life. He is a Best Selling Author, whose proven method is based on tuning into what he refers to as our Divine Author Within. It is real, it is from the heart, and I am forever grateful!

There are only a few remaining spaces for Tom's Atlanta retreat, but he will offer you a half price discount off the regular fee for the retreat if you mention my name, M.J. de la Pena.

You can register by either calling his office at 928-203-0265 or emailing info@tombird.com.

If you would like some further information on the retreat, you can either visit the retreat page on his website by clicking here, or give his office a call to set up a time to speak with Tom, or, reach out to me! I will gladly share my experiences with you.info@tombird.com

Hi, all:

I received this inspirational message from my mentor and very good friend, Tom Bird. It is because of him that I now see my books in print, and finally got the courage to believe I am not only a writer, but an author!

Miracles need a little help, and Tom gives a clear path to achieve them. He also inspires and mentors writers from around the world. He knows that all of us who want to write only need to set our psyches free to do so. 

Read this, then check him out at TomBird.com. TomBird.com

Lots of love, 

Scruggies Mom, Mary de la Pena marydelapena-author.com

Tom Talks

Manifesting A Miracle

So many individuals speak about waiting for a miracle like one has to come and visit them for it to appear in their lives.

Me? I believe completely differently.

Even though we are all born with individual strengths and the desire to use them, I feel we create our own fates on the fly, based upon what we draw to our ownselves. How we handle that which we draw to us defines whether we have created a space for a miraculous event to appear in our lives, or not. Along those lines, I feel every breath is a miracle which is created through the needs and desires of our soul. We reach out for the breath, receive it, release it, and move onto the next – miracle after miracle after miracle.

But First of all, it is our desire that creates the need for the miracle (the breath in this case) to transpire.

Secondly, acting upon that manifested desire creates, what is often referred to as, “Divine Timing”.

Third of all, for that miracle to occur, the right thing must be done at the right time, which, of course, is determined by us first creating that so called “Divine Timing” in our lives.

But let me be clear on this very specific, important point. From my perspective, it’s all about us. We create the desire for a so-called miracle to come to life in our lives by first either consciously or unconsciously, which is always the case with emotional drama and baggage, releasing a need or a want which creates the Divine Timing needed.

Where so many of us have fallen short in creating the miracle of a successful writing career in our lives come as the result of the taking of the third step – “doing the right thing.”

If you have been struggling with the writing of a book or with the publication of a book, or the elevating of a book to best seller status, innocently, you have simply being doing the wrong things. Whether what you were taught to do or not to do came to you via formal education or friends, family or society in general, who told you to stay hidden in your little rabbit hole of a life, doesn’t matter. Doing the right thing is the only thing that matters and is what will make the difference in your life to make room for the literary miracles you seek.That is also what we specialize in – doing the right things, which has bred massively successful results for our authors.Just last week, at our most recent Write Your Best-Seller in a Weekend Retreat in Santa Fe, thirty seven brand new authors wrote thirty-eight books. Within the last few weeks, four more of our author’s book, written at our retreats, have found homes as #1 Amazon Best-Sellers, and we have been part of successes like this for decades.

Miracles?

By current, societal definitions, I suppose you could call them that. Me? I just prefer to refer to them as doing the right things, in the right way, at the right time. Moving with the flow of “Divine Timing”. If you have a need to write a book, the desire is already there, and because of that need the “Divine Timing” is already in place. Let us show you the right way and experience the so-called literary miracles so many of our authors have enjoyed.We have done everything to make this all important, real life transition convenient for you:
We offer a variety of retreats yearly
Our prices are way affordable (the price of finally getting your book written at one of our retreats equates to one tenth of the price of a semester in college)
We offer our retreats at a variety of locales
You can even attend remotely
We are even offer financing on all of our programs, even our Publish Now program

So what are you waiting for? Take the next step.

Remember, you can have the miracles in your life that you desire, but not unless you are willing, just like that next breath you are about to take, to reach our and draw them to you. Together we can create the literary miracle you have been seeking in your life…..Tom



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