Perfectly Pinterest: One Year Later by Cerella Sechrist

Regular followers of this blog may recall my post from over a year ago where I confessed my mild (cough, cough) addiction to Pinterest.

I'd like to tell you things have improved, that I've learned to resist temptation and curtail my daily visits to the image-filled feed.

Alas, I am weak.



And yet, as my sister never fails to remind me, I'm also the queen of justifying myself.

After all, Pinterest is a fairly harmless addiction. I'm not spending any money (although, with the release of purchasing through pins, this could become an issue!), and all these images serve to inspire in so many ways -



- I've cataloged hundreds of health and food recipes on hidden boards to assist with meal planning and exercise.

- I'm piling up loads of research links and imagery for the historical and YA novels I've been working on in addition to my Harlequin Heartwarming Findlay Roads series.

- In years past, I would weigh down my computer's hard drive with images for my books, but now, I keep them all in the Pinterest-universe - no more bulky organization on an overloaded hard drive!

- I love to organize, and arranging my pins by category grants me a strange sense of satisfaction.

- It's really fun to promote a book's release through a Pinterest board by featuring images of an author's dream cast, setting, recipes, and just general pictures that relate to the story.



- And finally, I'm not alone in my love of Pinterest. Some time ago, Heartwarming reader, Laurie I., was emailing me about last year's Pinterest post (thanks, Laurie!) and her shared love of the site. It's a great way to connect with people of similar interests and of all the social media venues, it's my favorite.

Tweet: You can learn a lot about a person by the images they pin. - @CerellaSechrist #PinterestAddiction #Harlequin http://bit.ly/1Rm9FtA

You can also indulge in a lot of heartwarming inspiration via our Harlequin Heartwarming Pinterest page. I curate the account, and we have boards that not only relate to our stories (such as Anna Stewart's Butterfly Harbor board, Kate James's K-9 Trilogy and my own Findlay Roads series), our awards, giveaways, reviews, settings from our collective books, our gorgeous covers, as well as loads of general Heartwarming boards displaying quotes, wedding planning, couple imagery and more.

Though writers deal in words every day, I've found we're also a pretty visual group of people. We love to imagine our stories coming to life, and for me at least, Pinterest is one way to give a "face" to my novels.

That's my story.

And I'm pinning, er, sticking to it.

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To follow the Harlequin Heartwarming boards on Pinterest, click here.

You can also find and follow Cerella on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/CerellaSechrist

***



CERELLA SECHRIST lives in York, Pennsylvania with two precocious pugs, Darcy and Charlotte, named after Jane Austen literary characters. Inspired by her childhood love of stories, she was ten years old when she decided she wanted to become an author. These days, Cerella divides her time between working in the office of her family’s construction business and as a barista to support her reading habit and coffee addiction. She’s been known to post too many pug photos on both Instagram and Pinterest. You can see for yourself by finding her online at www.cerellasechrist.com. Harper’s Wish, Book #1 in her Findlay Roads series, is her third novel with Harlequin Heartwarming.

Comments

  1. Cerella, you've shamed....er....inspired me to putting some time into my Pinterest board. (Give me a week or two, though, please!!)

    I love your boards, and thank you for doing such an amazing job with our Heartwarming board!

    Happy pinning!

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    1. You're off to a great start on your boards, Kate! And I can't take credit for anything I do on the Heartwarming boards. The art department does such an astounding job with the covers that any re-pins are simply because of how good they make us all look! :)

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  2. I am on Pinterest the same way I am on Twitter. I stand on the sidelines and wave feebly at everyone who knows what they're doing. I do love your post, though, and thank you for what you do with the Heartwarming board.

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    1. lol, Liz! Everyone has some sort of social media venue that resonates with them, and Pinterest is mine. I'll wave back at you if I can tear my eyes away from the "pin it" button... ;)

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  3. I love your last two lines, Cerella...cute! Pinterest is on my list of "things to learn when I have time." I'd love to utilize it for promotion. When you first started, did you find it user friendly? Ever thought about teaching a crash course? I love the board you shared.

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    1. Thanks, Jill! You know, I never thought of offering a crash course for fellow writers. But I'm going to think about it! I love talking Pinterest almost as much as I love pinning. Almost. ;)

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  4. Hello, fellow Pinterest-addicted-sister. I'm currently noodling home improvements, so I'm Pinterest addicted now, too. But I don't let myself do it until the end of the day on my not-so-smart phone!

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    1. I'm the same way, Melinda! I try not to log in until later in the evening, sort of a reward for getting all my tasks done for the day. Occasionally, I open it up on my iPhone, but then I just tune everyone out while I click away... lol

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  5. I'm a lot like Liz - standing on the sidelines and wishing I knew more. I did start creating a board once, but got busy and didn't go back to it. I think Jill's idea of a crash course is a good idea. And it would give you an excuse to mess around with it without having to justify yourself. (I, too, can usually explain away myself.)

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    1. Perhaps we can convince her, Muriel. :)

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    2. You guys really do have me half convinced to do some sort of crash course! Your enthusiasm to learn makes me want to teach it!

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    3. (hand raised) You've already helped me in a significant way!! Count me in.

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    4. Okay, Guys, I'll start chewing on how I can make this work. ;)

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  6. I love Pinterest and I thank you for maintaining the Heartwarming board. It's so much fun! I get so many recipes from Pinterest and idea for gifts. It's my go to place for so many things, including inspiration.

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    1. Oh, me, too, Amy! My sister and I were just saying this past week that we hardly ever buy cookbooks anymore because we get all our recipes from Pinterest!

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  7. I know nothing about so many of the new tech areas and Pinterest is one. I'm super impressed with all of you who know so much.

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    1. There's so much to learn when it comes to social media, Roz, so don't let yourself get discouraged! I can be a little bit shy on some forms of social media, but not on Pinterest. Give me pictures, and I just pin away. lol

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  8. I'll have to try it someday, but I have this fear I'd fall into Pinterest and never come up for air again.

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    1. That is actually a completely valid concern, Beth. lol Sometimes, I wonder where my night went and then I realize - it was spent pinning recipes and pug photos and writing articles and character inspiration.........

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  9. Love, love, LOVE this post, Cerella! I'm truly blessed to call you friend...and blog partner! Your big heart and sense of humor are just two reasons why readers (and your author pals) love you to pieces!

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    1. Aw, thank you, Loree! I appreciate that! You're such a sweetheart, and I'm so glad you're my friend and mentor. Big hugs! <3

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  10. I learn something new everyday. I am Pinterest challenged but now I know who to call. Thanks Cerella!

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    1. Anytime, Sophia!! Jill and Muriel have almost convinced me to offer some sort of crash course on Pinterest! :)

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  11. I'm so visual that it's funny it has taken me so long to get a Pinterest page. I've always enjoyed browsing photos though and love seeing everyone's characters pictured :).

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    1. And I feel like once you're hooked on Pinterest, Rula, you can't ever go back to life without pins. :D It really is perfect for people who love photos and other images!

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  12. I cannot believe I wasn't already following you! I think there's a gremlin in my computer! You have some fantastic boards and when I can give myself time, I'm going to hang out at your site.

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    1. Thanks, Patricia! I appreciate that! :) Have a great weekend!

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  13. Cerella I am cracking up over here!! I'm sorry I missed your post yesterday. I still chuckle when I think about that picture of Jack Nicholson....such an accurate depiction of when you're on a pinning frenzy. And the picture above cracked me up too....so true. It's so easy to justify a Pinterest addiction, isn't it?! I'm with you on that one. I follow your Pinterest boards and will love referring to the Findlay Roads board when reading Harper's Wish. I think they're the best for reference and visuals.
    Thanks for the shout out Cerella. Sending a big hug your way. You are hilarious!! ( :

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