Friday Fun Facts: Did You Miss Tweet-It-Up Thursday?

TGIF, everyone! Boy it's good to see the end of the week :)

By now, I'm sure you know that the Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set I'm part of is releasing in just under 2 weeks. Yesterday the other authors and I decided to "Tweet it up" at 5 pm EST and share a whole bunch of teasers for a sneak peek into what you're going to get in this set.

In case you missed it, here were just a few:

“Oh yeah? Let me show you how it’s done.” His words were laced with his hot breath against her ear. #10kisses

"If you dump him and he’s available three months from now, I’m going to pursue him like there’s no tomorrow." #10kisses http://

Her mission to break up with him did not include throwing herself at him. #10kisses

"Betty tells me the young man who does their yard is quite the stallion.” “Grandma!” “What? We’re old. Not blind.”
#10kisses

"I can barely shower in twenty minutes with everything I have to wash, condition, exfoliate, and shave. It’s hell being a girl.” #10kisses

“I can barely keep my hands to myself. Now should we go in for a drink?” #10kisses

If you're on Twitter, you can search by #10kisses to see the rest. Lots of fun! And our Amazon ranking jumped for a few hours last night, so even better!
 

Monday Mentionables: Super Bowl Commercials!

So did you watch the Super Bowl?? And did you watch it for the game or the commercials (be honest...).

Actually, it was one of the better games I've seen in past years -- what a crazy last 2 receptions! Gotta feel for the Seahawks, though I was disappointed in the punches thrown. Hello, sportsmanship?

Anyway, let's talk about the commercials, always highly anticipated, right? What were your favorites this year? Interestingly, there seemed to be an abundance of daddy + son commercials this year. Did anyone else notice that? And let's not even talk about the terribly depressing Nationwide insurance ad (dead kids? pictures of overflowing bathtubs? really?).

Here are my top 5 faves from last night:

What about you?? Which did you like??

Friday Fun Facts: Two Emails That Made Me Happy This Week

I know, that isn't a very succinct blog post title, but I couldn't think of a clever way to condense it. Anyway, I got two so-fun emails from readers this week, I just had to share them with you.

One is from Judy, who read my novella Setting Sail as an early reviewer for the Passionate Kisses Boxed Set. She wrote to say, "Just finished Setting Sail this morning. Very very good. I hope everyone who buys it enjoys it as much as I did."

P.S. If you haven't ordered the set yet, you still have time before release day by clicking here!

The second was from one of my newsletter subscribers, who wrote in response to last week's Free Poem Friday issue: "Words cannot express - what an amazing poem!   Simply wonderful!  In fact, I forwarded it to my husband at work ~ thank you!"

P.S. You too can read these poems each and every Friday -- just sign up to receive my newsletter right here!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Writers' Wednesday: Events from Author Matthew S. Field

Hello local Hudson Valley writers!! Here's an event hosted by a colleague of mine who's published in both adult and children's fiction:

YOU have a story to tell. You may already have a manuscript or you may not yet have gotten your ideas on paper. Regardless of where you are in the process of writing your book, The Book Inside You Writer's Workshop will provide you with the knowledge, tools, and a plan to transform the book inside you into a book in print.

Bestselling novelist, biographer, and top inspirational journalist Sharon Linnéa and award winning children’s book author and novelist Matthew S. Field have announced the next in a series of successful The Book Inside You Writer’s Workshops, scheduled for February 7 and 8, 2014 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Middletown, New York.

Authors who want more information or who want to register can visit the official The Book Inside You Writer’s Workshop website, www.The-Book-Inside-You-Workshop.com, or call 845-987-2807.

Also from this author, if you're looking for a feel-good story in time for Valentine's Day, consider supporting his release day! 

The day before Valentine's Day is the official release on Amazon Kindle of 'Tiny Footsteps: A Short Story' written by my alter-ego, Matthew S. Field. It's my favorite among the short stories that I've published so far.

Chance is a business "road warrior" whose serendipitous meeting with Hannah, a pensive and melancholy auburn-haired beauty who drives a Jeep Wrangler and wears the cutest, smallest, and most "tricked-out" sneakers, appears to have changed his life. With a little cover from his executive assistant and a job that permits him to make his own schedule, something like a love, or at least a meaningful lust begins to flourish. Fate, however, is marching toward Chance as each day passes. Sometimes, Fate takes very tiny footsteps.

I'm asking all of my friends who are readers and/or who are readers of my work to buy, if you'd planned on buying, 'Tiny Footsteps: A Short Story,' on Friday, February 13, 2015 between 8 a.m and 5 p.m. at the following link: http://amzn.to/1GOYWae (It's more than an hour, but you get the idea.)

Thanks and Happy Valentine's Day . . . a day early.

Monday Mentionables: Where Story Ideas Begin

So I've been thinking about writing a Christmas novella (more on the reason for this later this week), but I really had no idea where to begin. I knew I wanted to set it in the town of Pine Point, because that's where my novel Summer's Song takes place, and if all goes well, this novella will be a precursor to a series set in that town. Beyond that, I had no idea who the characters were or what was going to happen to them.

Hmm.

So I was reading the Best Friends magazine over breakfast last week (put out by one of the biggest and best animal rescue organizations in the country), and I came across an article on people and their "pet soulmates" -- you know, those pets that somehow were more special than the rest, that you just knew would have a special place in your heart for all time.

And I started thinking.

What if my heroine is an over-the-top animal lover? What if the hero doesn't want anything to do with them?

And the ideas sprang from there. I've spent the last 5 years volunteering at an animal shelter, and I'm good friends with both the past and present managers, so I have a pretty good idea of what's involved. Besides, who doesn't love a feel-good animal story around the holidays?

So there you have it. I've written the first two chapters, and I have a general idea about the conflicts coming up, so while nothing's concrete, I have a much better idea of this story than I did a week ago.
And that, my friends, is where story ideas come from.

Everywhere.

Friday Fun Facts: One Indie Writers' Income

TGIF! I have 2 great blog posts to share with you today, written by none other than one of my Passionate Kisses sisters, Jessi Gage. In the first, she chronicles her income of one title published through a small press and then re-released on her own, as an indie title. The results are truly stunning -- she made 3x the amount of money when she released this title on her own. She's a great author, so I'm not surprised!

In the second, she looks at her other titles along with the costs she put out to publish on her own (cover design, editing, formatting, marketing, other business expenses) as an indie author. Remember that publishers will absorb those costs for authors, which is why you will also make lower royalties with them. Please keep in mind that not all indie authors make this kind of money in their debut year -- some do, which is terrific. Many do not.

As with any endeavor, if you're considering venturing into the world of indie publishing, do your research first. And as part of that, read these blog posts!

Writers' Wednesday: How Many Beta Readers Do You Need?

Hi gang! Found this article thanks to a Twitter feed and thought I'd pass it along to my fellow writers. It's a good look at selecting beta readers and what to keep in mind when you're considering their feedback.

Write on!

How Many Beta Readers Do You Need?

Monday Mentionables: A Review of The Orphan Train

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's blog post comes to  you from Allie the reader rather than Allie the writer. One of the (many) books I got for Christmas was The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. Anyone read it? It's a beautiful story and a quick, easy read -- I highly recommend it. The book follows two heroines, Molly a 17-year old foster ward who ends up doing community service for 91-year old Vivan, who was an abandoned 10-year old in NYC when she was put on one of the "orphan trains" to the Midwest and her subsequent journey through 3 different adoptive families (two of which were pretty horrific). The connection between the two "orphaned" women is obvious but not done with a heavy hand, but what I liked most was this glimpse into history. I had no idea about these orphan trains or the circumstances these immigrant children faced if they lost or were cast out by the families in New York.

Anyone else read it?

Friday Fun Facts: I Figured Out Jutoh!

Okay, this subject line may not mean much to you, but Jutoh is a software program that allows writers to format their own e-books. Formatting is one of the many areas where I had NO experience or expertise when it came to indie publishing, and as many authors do, I sought out formatters and paid someone to format my books for me.

What does this mean? Well, e-books need to be formatted in a particular file depending on the retailer/publishing platform/e-reader device. Kindles use mobi files, Nooks use epub files, pdf files are useful for other e-readers, etc.

The advantage of using someone else to format is that you can use that time to write. You can also be assured that the formatting will be professionally done and that the files won't be rejected when you upload them for publishing.

The disadvantage is that you're always paying someone else to do your formatting, and if/when you want to update the book files (like putting new links in the back), you have to pay that person again. And again.

An author friend of mine recommended using Jutoh, claiming it was very user-friendly  (and reasonably priced at only $39). Well, I was nervous. I had reservations even after I tried it. But! Lo and behold, after a few hours of tinkering and reading the User's Manual, I was able to produce a formatted file all by myself! This is huge. This will save me money and give me more control over updating my books whenever I want to.

Mac users, apparently Vellum is a great program for you to use -- check it out here.

I haven't mastered Jutoh, not by a long shot. But I have hope that I will become more comfortable using it and will save a great deal of money in the long run by formatting my own books (a typical novella can cost anywhere from $30+, and a full-length novel, $50+ for formatting).

What about you? If you're an indie writer, do you outsource your formatting, or do it yourself? Do you have a particular program you recommend?

Writers' Wednesday: Two Ways to Tease

Happy Hump Day! Today's post is for writers: among the many marketing strategies out there is the "teaser" picture, a visual that usually includes a book cover and titillating quote to make readers want to know more and buy the book. I am THE WORST when it comes to any kind of artistic design, but fortunately, there are websites out there that make it easy for even people like me to create some decent teaser images. Two I've used in the past are PicMonkey and Canva.

Here's an example:

Thankfully, it doesn't usually take too much time to create these, and while it's hard to say what the overall effect is on readers/purchasers, it can't hurt to have a few in your arsenal of promo, right?

Try them out...you might find them as fun as I do!  And if you have other websites you've used to create teasers, which do you like?

Monday Mentionables: A Sneak Peek at Setting Sail Today!

Happy Monday, everyone! I've posted an excerpt from SETTING SAIL, my brand new novella that will be releasing next month as part of the Passionate Kisses 2 boxed set, over at our Facebook page today. Stop by if you'd like to meet Jace and Pearl, the hero and heroine! 

Also, if you're interested in reading and reviewing this book, and you're able to do so and post your review on our release date of February 17, please let me know, and I'll send you an e-copy!

Friday Fun Facts: Excerpts Abound!

Hey readers, if you haven't stopped by the Passionate Kisses 2 Facebook page lately, you're missing out on a week's worth of great excerpts from the books coming out in February. Get your tease on and read away -- then preorder your copy, releasing February 17th!

Writers' Wednesday: Visiting Andalusia Farm, the Home of Flannery O'Connor

Last week I had the awesome opportunity to visit Andalusia Farm in Milledgeville, Georgia - the home of American author Flannery O'Connor. If you're not familiar with her work, she wrote primarily about life in the South, featuring flawed (really wacky, in some cases) characters most of whom need to find grace/salvation/God. She was hugely influenced by her surroundings and spent most of her short life on the family farm with her mother, writing, until she died of lupus at the age of 39.

Getting to visit her farm was like touching her creative soul, for me. I felt such a profound connection while I was there, walking the grounds, sitting at her piano in the parlor, peeking into her bedroom and seeing the typewriter where she wrote almost all her short stories, coming eye to eye with one of the peacocks that still live on the grounds (she raised over 40 of them).

I felt inspired and also at peace, because even though the property is set off a fairly main road in a decent-sized town, it's back in the woods, and once you drive up the dirt road to the main house, you definitely feel like you've left modern civilization behind.

If you're ever motoring through south-central Georgia, take time to stop at Andalusia. Even if you're not a writer, it's a neat glimpse into a piece of mid-1900s southern farm living. And if you are a writer, I challenge you NOT to find inspiration in the beauty of the place and the knowledge of a brilliant creative mind that once lived and wrote there:

The backside of the farmhouse - check out the awesome water tower

Her bedroom, where she also wrote (you can see the crutches she used later in life too)

A peacock and I having a "moment"

The beautiful wide front porch - where apparently she entertained quite often and "loved her martinis" according to our tour guide. My kind of writer!

The kitchen where Flannery and her mother ate & discussed affairs of the house and farm. The perfect model for the kitchen in "Good Country People"

Flannery's piano! Yes, I played it while I was there :)

The dairy barn in the back of the property. Again, the perfect model for the hayloft where Joy-Hulga lost her leg in "Good Country People"!

Monday Mentionables: You Need a Little Poetry in Your Life

Good morning, and happy new year!! I hope you all had a wonderful, safe holiday.....now here we are, ready to tackle the first Monday of 2015!

Readers, I'm so happy to announce that the next book in my Hometown Heroes series, Labyrinth of Love, will be releasing this year. I've been working on this book in many variations for a few years now, and I think it's finally going to see the light within the next few months :)

One of the things I love most about this book is that there are 2 love stories, not just 1, and there are love poems written by one of the heroines scattered throughout the book. For all my newsletter subscribers, you're going to get to read some of those poems long before the book releases, because I'll be sending them out weekly.

What? You're not a subscriber yet? Well, click right here to sign up. Don't worry, I will never spam you or sell/give your email address to anyone else. I only send out my newsletter when I have a release or an appearance to share -- or when I have a poem about love I think my readers would like to read as Valentine's Day approaches.

Want a preview? Here's one:

Just once –
            In the dark, or in
            The light, I think that
            Once will be enough, but now
            I know that once is nothing, that once I
            Have touched you, laughed with you, danced in
            Your arms, that once is only the start of twice and three
            Times and forever – forever, the only place this can end.

Friday Fun Facts: Time for a Vacation

Hello readers! Hubby and I are off on a road trip to sunnier climes, so I'll be away from blogging for the next week or so. Have a FANTASTIC New Year -- can't wait to see what 2015 will bring! 

Writers' Wednesday: Merry Christmas Eve!

To all my friends, family and readers who celebrate Christmas, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas Eve! I hope you are able to enjoy today and tomorrow, to spend time with those who are important to you and enjoy the small, magical moments that we often overlook in our busy lives.

And if you'd like to read an original (and somewhat corny) adaptation of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," hop on over to our Passionate Kisses Facebook page! 

Monday Mentionables: A Yoga Memoir Worth Reading

Happy Monday! Today I wanted to mention a short, quick read, a yoga memoir that I had the pleasure of editing for my sister. Isn't this cover fantastic? It's a picture of her practicing yoga in Argentina:

“Yoga Makes You YOU” is a quick light read about a woman who had everything she wanted and nothing that she needed. What she thought was a perfect marriage, great job and beautiful home soon turned into an empty soul that took her on a journey across the country to find her true inner strength. Along the way, she found yoga, which helped her to refocus, gain strength and find love again.

It's always interesting to read/work on a book very different from one's own, and a nonfiction memoir certainly qualifies. If you're in the market for some inspirational reading, check it out!

Friday Fun Facts: Some 2014 Romance Stats

Happy Friday, everyone!
Whether you're a reader or a writer, you might find these statistics, published in the recent Romance Writers' Report, kind of interesting. I know I did! (Consider these, authors, when you're thinking about target market)

• Women make up 84 percent percent of romance book buyers, and men make up 16 percent.
• The U.S. romance book buyer is most likely to be aged between 30 and 54 years.
• Romance book buyers are highly represented in the South.
• Romance book buyers have an average income of $55,000.

• How long have been reading romance: 
• 35.1 percent: 20 years or more
• 20.6 percent: 5 to less than 10 years
• 20.4 percent: 10 to less than 20 years
• 16.1 percent: 2 to less than 5 years
• Top 10 popular romance tropes: (1) friends to lovers; (2) soul mate/fate; (3) second chance at love; (4) secret romance; (5) first love; (6) strong hero/heroine; (7) reunited lovers; (8) love triangle; (9) sexy billionaire/millionaire; (10) sassy heroine
  

Most-important factor when deciding on which romance novel to buy (ranked from most to least important):

(1) The story
(2) The author
(3) Price
(4) Review
(5) Part of a series
(6) Back cover copy
(7) Cover art
(8) Recommendations on a social media site
(9) Deal/bundle/bargain/special offer
(10) An endorsement by another leading author

E-book pricing: The $6 range is considered a "fair price" for e-books.

Interested in reading the whole article? Here's the link!

Writers' Wednesday: Notes on Promotion

Hello writers! You probably know by now that I try to share information with fellow authors whenever I can. Today, two pieces of info when it comes to marketing and promotion that you may find interesting:

1. Make sure you have a newsletter. Time and time again, I have read this piece of advice as one of the best. It costs very little (even free, depending on the subscription service you use and how many subscribers you have) and it's a great way of connecting with readers. I recently switched from YourMailingListProvider to MailChimp (cost reasons) and have been happy with how user-friendly MailChimp seems to be. I also recently ran a contest through Fresh Fiction, on the recommendation that it was a good way to gain subscribers -- I had 985 people enter the contest/subscribe to my newsletter, and when I sent out a new edition this past Monday, a few things happened:

A. 2 addresses bounced as spam (I had been warned about this but was relieved to see that the spam addresses were so low).

B. 28 people unsubscribed. That's not great, but that still means that I have over 900 new subscribers for my newsletter.

C. I had a nice sales bump of Cocktail Cruises yesterday and today, which I will attribute at least in part to the newsletter mention and also to my second point of today's post...

2. Don't hate the bad reviews. I'm running a blog tour right now of Cocktail Cruises, and while most readers have really enjoyed it, yesterday's did not love Sex on the Beach (#2 in the series). Among other things, she didn't like the heroine (even though she admitted that once the heroine started to change thanks to the hero's influence, she liked her a lot more). At first, I cringed. I mean, we want everyone to love our babies, right? But then I thought, OK, well everyone has an opinion. And when I had a sales boost yesterday, I thought perhaps at least some of those purchases came from people who read the review and maybe wanted to see for themselves. Remember, readers often buy books just because other readers are talking about them -- not necessarily saying good things, but just talking.

(Want to read the whole review? It's right here).

Write on, friends!

Monday Mentionables: Time for a Cover Reveal!

Okay gang, here it is, the cover for my upcoming novella, SETTING SAIL, which will be available ONLY as part of the Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set until mid-2015. Do you love it??

This story takes place about 3 years before the first book in the Cocktail Cruises trilogy, Tequila Sunrise, and introduces readers to Toby and Bryce (among other characters) before they became heroes in their own books. I LOVED writing this story and can't wait to share it with you all! It's romantic and a little more on the sweet side, and I think the cover captures the mood perfectly.

A quick peek: 

When real estate agent Jason McClintock discovers his billionaire client's latest target is the historic diner owned and run by his high school crush, Pearl DeVane, things get more than a little complicated. Does forging a successful career mean giving up everything from his past, including the only woman to ever steal his heart?

Haven't preordered your copy of the Passionate Kisses Boxed Set yet? Here are all the links: 

Amazon http://amzn.com/B00QL8OHEK
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1G2Cs1z 
Nook: http://bit.ly/12tDwwy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1G3j9Ft