Writers' Wednesday: A Run-Down of the Latest Writer's Digest

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Time for my run-down of the July/August issue of Writer's Digest. I love this magazine, folks, and if you're a writer, it's worth the annual subscription. It has content for writers of all kinds, all genres, at all steps of the publishing journey. Definitely worth its weight in information!

5 Things Novelists Can Learn From Screenwriters talks about focusing on dialogue, tension, and cutting out the non-necessities - this from the screenwriter of Life of Pi whose first job was reading books & then abridging them for audio.

What "High Concept" Means in Any Genre dissects 7 key qualities that make a book that elusive "high concept" that editors and agents are looking for. Among them: high entertainment value, originality, highly visual, highly emotional, and possessive of mass market appeal. (Sure. Easy, right?)

"New Adult": The Next Big Thing looks at this new YA+ genre, what it includes plot and character-wise (18-24 year olds and their dating/first jobs/first apartments/money issues/identity/self-sufficiency issues), why readers like it, and why it's more than just sexually amped-up YA. The article also mentions 4 agencies currently seeking NA works (check the websites first to see which agents to target!):

Foreword Literary Agency
Nelson Literary Agency
Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
New Leaf Literary & Media

How to Write and Sell the Cross-Genre Novel is a great look at how many successful authors are blending genres and targeting multiple audiences, following their own hearts and interests in doing so. Charlaine Harris's best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels (inspiration for the TV series "True Blood") combine paranormal with traditional romance and mystery. Advice from agents in this article included focusing on your strong genre first, and then adding in a second and creating characters that don't fit the typical genre stereotypes. Sounds interesting but challenging...but filled with potential, right?

Be inspired, folks - and write on!

Monday Mentionables: The Next Three Big Things

Happy Memorial Day, for everyone observing it in the U.S. It is certainly a day worth honoring :)

In other thoughts, the next book I want to read is And the Mountains Echoed by Khalid Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both of which I loved).

The next movie I want to see is Before Midnight (did anyone see the first two in the trilogy, Before Sunrise (18 years ago) and Before Sunset (9 years ago)? I love the concept of following love in "real time" over 2 decades...




And the next TV show I want to try is Mistresses on ABC, just because it looks dishy and dirty and perfect for summer. Anyone else??

Friday Fun Facts: Reasons to Smile

Happy Friday, everyone! It's the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S., and while that usually means days off from school and pools opening and backyard get-togethers, it also means that it's time for us to remember why we have a Memorial Day, to honor and remember those who have served and lost their lives for our country:

 

While you're taking some time to relax and reflect this weekend, here are a couple of videos that are well worth watching, if you haven't seen them already. We love our animals and the way they make us smile, don't we?

 



Monday Mentionables: A Litte Catching Up to Do...

Happy Monday, everyone! First off, congrats to winners of two recent giveaways:

Karen H from NC won the $50 Barnes & Noble gift card for commenting during my Beacon of Love review tour!

And Sherry Strode won the $10 Amazon gift card from The Romance Studio's Release Party on May 9th!

Congrats to both readers - and thanks, as always, for following along on my cyber world adventures. If you haven't yet entered my latest giveaway through Black Lion Tours, another $10 Amazon gift card PLUS any of my back ebooks, make sure to click on this link right here and do so before the end of the day today: Allie's Black Lion Tour Book Blast

In other news, it was a rough weekend here, as one of our beloved cats passed away unexpectedly :( It's always tough to lose a pet, and she was young, only 4 years old. I do find comfort in the Rainbow Bridge poem - have you read it? It's worth posting here, if only for my own solace.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....  Author unknown...

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Friday Fun Facts: In-Person Appearances Coming Up!!

Happy Friday, everyone! There's still another week left to enter my Black Lion Tour giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card + your choice of any ebook from my backlist, so here's a link if you haven't entered yet: Love in a Book

I'm happy to welcome a whole bunch of new followers on my author Facebook page, so THANKS if you're one of them! I admit to still favoring Facebook over Twitter when it comes social media - it just seems more personal and manageable. Whenever I check into Twitter, I'm instantly overwhelmed by the news feed there. I know other people - other authors - who love it, but I've never warmed up to it the same way. Do I use it? Yep. I figure it's yet another way to reach out and connect with people, but it's not my favorite. What about you? Do you have a preference?

I do believe writers should use the medium that feels best to them, whether it's blogging or FB or Twitter or their website or (gasp!) in person. And speaking of in person connections, I have a couple appearances coming up in the next few months. I hope you'll be able to join me, if you're in the area(s)!

July 20, Holiday in Homer - Homer, NY -This one's definite

These next 2 are tentative:
September 20-21, SOAR Conference - Vernon, NJ
October 4-5, Indie Romance Convention - Lebanon, TN

Monday Mentionables: Lookie! More Blog Stops!

Happy Monday, everyone! Yes, yes, I know you've been following me all over cyber-space the last few weeks, helping me celebrate the release of my books - and I really appreciate it! First off today, congrats to blog commented Karen H in NC who won the $50 B&N gift card last week. Hope she enjoys shopping with it!

I do have a few additional blog stops today to mention...and you can win gift cards by commenting at any or all of them! Some are excerpts, and some are original chatty posts by Yours Truly, so do take a peek if you have a few minutes :)

Krystal Shannan
Ms. Romantic Reads
Lindsay's Scribblings

I also wanted to mention that The Promise of Paradise will be releasing in audio book this summer! And I'm thrilled to announce that the narrator will be professional actress and voice-over artist Teri Schnaubelt. I think you'll love her voice! 

Friday Fun Facts: Don't Forget to Enter for that $50 Gift Card!

TGIF, everyone!
Don't forget, any comment on a blog post this week wins you another chance for the $50 Barnes & Noble gift card I'm giving away at the end of this weekend. yesterday Romance Addict posted a lovely review of Beacon of Love, and today Queen of the Night is hosting me.

Please drop by and thank them for having me! Oh, and if you've read Beacon of Love and wouldn't mind leaving a review, I'd be forever grateful! Thanks so much, readers. And a Happy (early) Mother's Day to all mothers out there, especially mine!

Writers' Wednesday: More Blog Posts!

Hi, everyone! Yesterday I blogged over at The Romance Studio about where some of the ideas behind Beacon of Love came from. I always think it's fun to see (and share) how authors develop their story ideas :)

And don't forget that you can win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card this week just by commenting on any of the blogs that are hosting me during my review tour! Yesterday All in One Place hosted me, and today it's Teena in Toronto! Please drop by, visit, and thank those lovely hosts for having me :)

Monday Mentionables: A New Release and a $50 Giveaway!!

Happy Monday!! It's the official release day of my new contemporary romance, Beacon of Love!

I'm thrilled to share my "baby" with the world and hope you'll love it as much as I do. And to help celebrate, you can follow my review tour this week for multiple chances to win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!!

All you have to do is leave a comment on any blog post along the tour - I'll update this blog with the links each day, as well as add them to my sidebar. Today, Kaisy Daisy's Corner is hosting me...please drop by and say hello!

TGIF: The Promise of Paradise is FREE Through the Weekend!

Happy Friday, everyone! Through the weekend, The Promise of Paradise is FREE over at Amazon - grab yourself a copy if you don't already have one. It's been doing well on the Free Lists, too - as of last night, it was #47 on Contemporary Romance and #261 overall. Not bad, considering all the free Kindle books advertised every day :)

So please spread the word - and don't forget that I and some fellow romance authors will be reading, speaking, selling, and signing tomorrow, Saturday May 4th, from 2-4 pm at the Newburgh Free Library in Newburgh, NY (the Town Branch, which is located in the Newburgh Mall at 1401 Rte 300). Love to see you there!

Beacon of Love is Now Available!!

Well, I'm super-excited to announce that my BRAND NEW contemporary romance, Beacon of Love, is available a whole week early!! Here's the cover and blurb; if you want to read more, click the cover to go straight to Amazon and take a peek inside!

Welcome to Lindsey Point, Connecticut: suspicious of outsiders, loyal to tradition, and absolutely devoted to its local legends.

Enter Sophie Smithwaite, travel show host, in town to film an episode about Lindsey Point’s haunted lighthouse. But digging into the story of a tragic murder-suicide and love gone wrong reveals startling connections to Sophie’s own past. When a gorgeous local handyman fills in behind the camera, Sophie’s life gets complicated by more than just her family history.

Part-time paramedic, handyman, seasonal Santa-Lucas Oakes does it all--except get attached. He’s still reeling from the death of his best friend ten years ago and the more recent infidelity of his ex-fiancee. Yet despite Sophie’s big-city nosiness and her insistence on chasing long-dead ghosts, he’s drawn to her.

But mixing with an outsider means questioning people and traditions Lucas has always defended. When a series of attacks seem to be connected to Sophie’s investigation, both Sophie and Lucas must decide if they are willing to risk everything to uncover the town’s secrets...and their own. 

Monday Mentionables: New Blog Posts, New Releases, Newburgh Library Here I Come!

Happy Monday, everyone! Just a few quick things to mention today: first off, last Monday the hero and heroine of The Promise of Paradise were chatting it up over at Read Your Writes Book Reviews. If you missed it, here's the link. (And P.S. authors - this is a fun way to promote your books that's a little bit different than the average blog post).

Also, my long-time writing friend Marianne Sciucco has just released her first novel, Blue Hydrangeas, about an elderly couple dealing with the wife's descent into Alzheimer's. Not a light subject, but certainly one worth giving attention to. You can check out the beautiful cover and read more about it right here.

And finally, just a reminder that I and some of my fellow romance authors will be reading, talking about romance, and selling & signing books this-coming Saturday, May 4th, from 2-4 pm at the Newburgh (Town Branch) Library in Newburgh, NY. This branch is located right inside the Newburgh Mall, which means you can do a little shopping before or after you visit us! (Just a heads-up for anyone on a tight schedule: I'm the last reader of the group, which means I'll be up around 2:45). Address: 1401 Route 300, Newburgh, NY 12550 Hope to see some local fans there!

Monday Mentionables: A Sneak Peek at my WIP

I've been taking a break from revising the sequel to Beacon of Love and revisiting the Young Adult book I drafted last summer. It's funny - people ask where story ideas come from, and here's the truth about this one: I was sitting in the hair salon trying to think of the oddest combination of story ideas I could come up with. I knew I wanted to write a YA, but I wanted it to be different. I thought, OK, what about Shakespeare set it in an alternate universe? That's different, right?

And that was how What You Will was born. I'm calling it "Twelfth Night meets Fringe," because that's as much of a description as I can manage right now. I wrote about 50K words over the summer and then left it alone. When I opened the file again about a month ago, I was happy to see that I actually had something to work with, and I didn't hate everything on the page (LOL). It's been really refreshing to look at a new project, especially one so different from the contemporary romances I've written the last few years. I like writing in first person present tense, and I like trying to capture the teenage voice.

It's fun and different and we'll see how it goes. In the meantime, here's a blurb and the opening scene. What do you think?

When seventeen-year-old Shane is transported to an alternate universe as the result of the September 11^th attacks, she decides to either find a way back to Earth or, failing that, a way to transport her twin brother to join her. But part of Shane's plot involves disguising herself as a male and taking an internship with a powerful young politician she soon develops a crush on. When he asks Shane to send romantic messages to a gorgeous entrepreneur, she must decide whether she’ll reveal her true identity to the guy she's falling for, despite the risk of losing her internship and her chance to investigate the innermost workings of her new world – and any chance of finding home or her brother again.

September 11, 2001

 Every single part of me hurts.

My arms, my legs, my back, my feet, my head. My toes. The hollows in my ankles. Nerve endings in my earlobes I didn’t know I had. I have this weird feeling like I’ve been broken apart and put back together again, but wrong. I try to open my eyes, but all I see is black. All I can remember is a few fragments of color. A clear morning. The bluest sky. My cigarette burning down to my fingertips because I’m staring above me and thinking I’ve never seen a plane fly so close to the earth.

Then nothing except this God-awful pain. What happened?

The plane hit me.

That makes sense. I saw it above me. I saw it turn over and then nose-dive toward the ground.  I should be dead, fried into a million tiny pieces. Or if I'm not dead, then I'm so badly injured I’m in shock. I blink once, twice, look at my fingers and wiggle them in front of my eyes. I press two of them to the soft spot of my neck and wait to feel a pulse. My tongue darts out and licks my bottom lip. I don't feel dead. I move one leg, then the other, then all ten of my toes, and glance down to realize my leather boots are gone.

Someone touches me, and I flinch.

 “Hey.” The voice is gravelly, almost not a voice at all. But when I turn my head to the left, I see a man lying next to me on the ground. His face is covered with ash and blood and I wonder if I look the same.

 “Hey,” I croak in response.

 His fingers clutch my arm, and I flinch again. Where are we?

Friday Fun Facts: Pre-Order Beacon of Love!

Hey, check it out! You can pre-order my new book, Beacon of Love, over at iTunes!!!

Oh, in case you missed it, I blogged this week with both Christy McKee and Rachel Brimble - love for you to stop by :)

And my writing friend Liz Matis blogged about using the promotional emailer service BookBub - a good read for anyone who's self-publishing and exploring different marketing avenues.

Have a great weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: In Honor of Boston

I'm blogging today not as a writer, but as a runner. And, to be honest, as a member of the human race whose heart is broken after the attacks on the Boston Marathon Monday.

I have been running, and racing, for almost 20 years. When I write that, it's hard to believe. I'm not as fast as I used to be (not that I was ever that fast), and I don't run as many 5Ks and 10Ks as I used to, but I still lace up my running shoes and head outside a couple of times a week.

I've run in about every kind of weather imaginable, on every terrain imaginable, in a variety of cities and towns and states and races everywhere from 1 mile to 26.2 miles. I know what it means to struggle through the last few hundred yards to the finish line, and I know how it feels to stand on that finish line and cheer for the runners crossing it, because I've done both well over a hundred times in the last 2 decades.

I think part of the horror that comes from Monday's attack is not only knowing that it can happen anywhere, to anyone, when we're least expecting it, but that this one happened in a place that is meant to celebrate life and health and activity. There is no protection when you're running, no umbrella or sunshade or wheels or anything at all to ease the motion of simply putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. It is you and the road. That's it. You are vulnerable to wind, rain, traffic, other runners, your own pain, blisters, sun, and yes, bombs planted by people who have hate in their hearts the likes of which we cannot imagine.

I weep for those lost and injured on Monday. I also am eternally grateful for those who stepped in and comforted, healed, and helped in the moments and hours and days following the crisis. That is, after all, what you do when someone falls, when someone stumbles as they're running - you steer them back or pick them up and help them cross the finish line or hold them when they need you.

I hope that - I know that - those in Boston and around the country will continue to move forward, put one foot in front of the other with the strength and determination and optimism that comes from living in this country and from belonging to a fiercely determined and proud community that calls itself runners. I am sad, but I went out yesterday to run and I will continue to run, to race, to travel to big cities and small towns and foreign countries because I will not live, or run, in fear.

Run. Walk. Pray. Love. Connect. We need to remind each other, not only in these moments of sadness and loss, that we are there for each other, always, cheering and pulling each other to the finish line.

Monday Mentionables: Congrats to the Winner!

Happy Monday, everyone! First off, a great big congratulations to CatherineLee, who won a $25 iTunes gift card just by following and commenting on my blog tour for The Promise of Paradise over the last 2 weeks. Thank you Catherine for all your great comments and questions - much appreciated!

There are more chances to follow and win coming up in the next couple of months as well, and I'll make sure to share those links with you all :)

One of those opportunities will be on my Book Blast Tour hosted by Black Lion Tours. They've created a fantastic page and banner for Beacon of Love, which you can see right here (and sign up to host, if you have a blog and are interested!). While I find their tour packages a little pricy for my budget, their "Blast," which I'm doing, is totally reasonable AND includes that gorgeous banner they made for me! So if you're an author looking for some publicity, give them a try. So far, they've been lovely and professional to work with.

On another note, has anyone read Amanda Hocking's YA trilogy? I'm thinking of getting the first book in the series. Thoughts? Reviews?

Writers' Wednesday: Pitch Your Book at Savvy Authors!

Hey writers, just a quick mention today:

Savvy Authors is hosting a slew of agents and editors this week over at their website, all of whom are taking pitches for material!

Click here to find out more. 

Monday Mentionables: Learning to Take a Deep Breath from Hugh Howey

I read a terrific article over the weekend in Writers Digest, about self-published success story Hugh Howey. I hadn't heard of him, but apparently he writes sci-fi and had a breakout with his novella (series) Wool. Long story short, he ended up winning agent Kristin Nelson and signing a contract with Simon & Schuster for print rights only, while keeping his right to self-publish digitally. This is a huge deal because it's almost unheard of. Big New York publishers traditionally want all the rights they can get: digital, print, audio, movie, foreign...

But apparently Howey held out because he didn't feel a burning need to grant those rights (he was making upwards of $150K a month in royalties from his self-pubbed works, so I guess he could afford to be choosy). He wanted to secure a "hybrid" deal for himself in part to break ground for other authors to do the same - which I think is oh so cool.

That's not the part of the article I liked the most, though. This is the paragraph that stood out for me:

"...maybe you're earning $20 or $50 a month with the six or seven titles you have out there, and you're busy writing your next work. You're not thinking about landing an agent. You're not writing query letters, you're writing stories. And meanwhile, your ebook sales might be paying your cable bill...Instead of having your manuscripts in a drawer or in self-addressed, stamped envelopes, you have them out there where readers can find them, and maybe one of them will take off..."

Something clicked for me when I read that, a reminder that we should be writing because we love it, not because we need to pay bills with it or because a contract/editor/agent is breathing down our necks for the next manuscript or because a genre is bursting with new works and if we don't keep up then we'll somehow lose our chance to publish...well, ever.

His words reminded me that I need to take a deep breath and worry a little less about when my books are coming out, when I'm finishing the next one, whether anyone will want to sign it, how I'll promote the backlist along with the new release and...

Yeah. Deep breaths. And remembering why I love to write. Thanks, Hugh Howey. I needed that.

Friday Fun Facts: Covers, Covers Everywhere!

Got a "Favorite Cover Alert" for The Promise of Paradise (a nice review, too!) at my blog stop today, Flirting with Romance Reviews:

And my writing friend Liz Matis just released her new novella, Real Men Don't Drink Appletinis. It's a steal at $.99. Check it out!!

Happy weekend, all :)

Wrtier's Wednesday: A Little Scandal Here, a Little Rogue There...

Did you get a peek at yesterday's blog stop over at Crazy Four Books? We had a great discussion about whether or not you would stand by a loved one involved in a scandal. Would you lend support no matter what? Would you try to escape it all? Would it matter if the person was innocent or guilty? Check it out and share your thoughts!

Also wanted to give a shout-out to a brand new published author from my local RWA group, Elf Ahearn, whose Regency romance A Rogue in Sheep's Clothing, released this week. Check out this yummy blurb and cover:

In Lord Hugh Davenport’s opinion, women of the ton perpetually hide behind a mask of deception. That’s hard for Ellie Albright, the daughter of an earl, to swallow – especially since she’s disguised herself as a stable hand to get back the prized stallion her father sold to Hugh to pay a debt. If Hugh learns her true identity she’ll lose the horse and her family will go bankrupt. Somehow, though, losing Hugh’s affection is beginning to seem even worse.

Already only a step away from being snagged in her own web of lies, Ellie’s deceit threatens to spin out of control when Hugh’s mother invites Ellie and her sisters to a house party. Now Ellie has to scramble to keep Hugh from knowing she’s the stable girl he wants to marry, while simultaneously trying to win his trust as herself. Can she keep her costumes straight long enough to save her family? And even if she does, will it be worth losing his love?

Monday Mentionables: A Vacation and Blog Tour in Review...

I'm back from vacation! And yes, it was just what I needed: sun, sand, and time away from it all. Even better, in Key West I had a chance to see Robert Frost's cottage and Ernest Hemingway's house - all I needed for some new writing inspiration :) I didn't DO any writing, though, just some reading and relaxing. Here are 2 of my favorite pictures from the week:

Giving love to one of the 45 cats living in the Hemingway House (all 6-toed, all descended from Hemingway's original pets) 

My side of the family together for my husband's birthday - while on vacation!!

Also...I just finished up a blog tour with Reading Addiction Blog Tours, and if you followed along with me, you know I was talking all about "5 Things" in many of my guest posts. In case you missed some of them, though. here were a couple of my favorites:

5 Favorite Vacation Spots

5 Favorite Hero-Heroine Moments in my Books

I got some fabulous reviews along the way, so I want to give a shout-out to everyone who hosted me and read The Promise of Paradise and took the time to write kind words about it. Among my favorites:

"This book was an unexpected gem...I connected with the characters and even the minor ones were deep enough to be memorable." (T's Bookish Moments)

"Both characters come alive and leap off the pages with witty dialogue and interactions, you can feel the electricity in the air as the sparks of attraction for each other simmers below the surface...With drama, twists and turns, and quirky secondary characters, The Promise of Paradise is an enjoyable romance story that will leave you satisfied." (Jersey Girl Book Reviews)

Believe it or not, Goddess Fish is hosting another tour for me starting today, but this one's strictly reviews, no guest posts or wise or witty (or otherwise) words from Yours Truly. I'll  post the tour stops over on my sidebar later on today, so you can visit with me and see what others have to say. The grand prize for this one is a $25 iTunes gift card to one random commenter, so check in and chat with me!

Friday Fun Facts: Spring Break!!

Happy Friday! I only have one Fun Fact to share today, and that's the fact that today (well, tomorrow) officially begins my Spring Break! Ooh, it's been a rough winter, both with the weather and the workload at school, and I am soooooo ready to relax and escape!

P.S. - Don't forget that my blog tour continues through next week - follow, comment, and earn chances to win a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Writers' Wednesday: Links for Writers & A Lovely Review

Happy Wednesday, everyone! First off, just a reminder that my blog tour for The Promise of Paradise is going on right now, and yesterday featured 2 fun stops: the first, at Gimme the Scoop, was all about 5 quirky things about Yours Truly - and the other, at Readholic's Reviews, was a lovely review that called the book "a sweet wonderful romance."

Follow along with me - all my stops are linked on the sidebar, and every time you leave a comment, you're entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. How can you go wrong?

Writers, here's a heads-up for you: first, there's a Free Webinar offered by author Gary Kawasaki titled "How To Become a Best-Selling Author" TONIGHT from 6-7 pm EST. (This info was sent to me from Women-on-Writing, a website I trust and visit regularly.) Might be worth checking out. Click here to register.

Second, BookBub is a marketing service that indie-published authors might want to take advantage of. A fellow author recently took out an ad with them and saw TREMENDOUS sales as a result. Worth a look, in my opinion.

Happy writing!

Monday Mentionables: Blog Tour Starts Today!

Happy Monday! I'm sooooo excited because my first blog tour for The Promise of Paradise starts TODAY! And this is a fun one for a couple of reasons: first, the theme is "5 Things..." which means every stop that isn't a review or an interview is a post where I'll talk about 5 Things About My Life. What things? You'll have to visit me to see! And second, I'm giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one commenter from all the comments left on this tour. Visit me at each stop, leave a comment, and each one earns you another entry!

Come and join me, starting today, over at Reading Addiction Blog Tours for a Meet and Greet. The next 10 days of tour stops are listed over there on the right sidebar. See you on tour!

Writers' Wednesday: Talking All About Blog Tours!

Welcome writers! Today I want to chat (briefly) about blog tours. They are definitely one of the popular ways for writers to talk about and promote their books, especially new releases. They can consist of anywhere from 5 - 50 blog stops, over the course of a few days or a few weeks, where an author chats about her book, or provides excerpts, or answers interview questions, or provides her book for a review for said blog.

Lots of work, yes, but it can pay off with sales in the long run. Wondering where to start? One of my local RWA chapter members, Wendy S. Marcus, presented on this very topic last weekend, and rather than summarize her many helpful points, I'll give you her link to a blog post she wrote about it.

A couple of things to keep in mind, if you're thinking about a blog tour:

1. Organization is key! You'll need to keep track of the blogs you're visiting, the posts you're writing, when they'll be posted, and whether you'll be stopping in that day to respond to comments.

2. It's time-consuming. Blog posts are typically anywhere from 300 -1000 words or more. That's a lot of time to write an original, witty, reader-catching posts (and you don't want to reuse posts, because many readers will follow you from stop to stop).

3. Consider hiring a person or organization to help you. There are many virtual assistants who can help plan a blog tour for you, as well as blog tour companies who will take care of every last detail. They vary in cost, and I make no claims about any of these (except the first, as noted), but here are some places to start looking around:

Goddess Fish Promotions - This site is owned by the folks who also run The Long and the Short of It, and they are also personal friends of mine. Having given that disclaimer, I find them professional and very, very organized in their tour offerings. They work hard to target blogs that will appeal to your genre of reader, and they check their blog partners regularly to make sure posts are up and people are commenting.

Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Black Lion Tours

Virtual Book Tour Cafe

Jar o' Marbles (this one's a virtual assistant rather than a blog tour company)

OK folks, happy writing and happy touring! And don't forget, I have not one but TWO tours coming up in the very near future...and I'll be giving away goodies on both of them. Hope to see you on tour!

Monday Mentionables: Check Out All These Links!

Happy Monday, everyone! Just a few things I'm mentioning today:

1. Tomorrow's a double-header day for blogging: I'll be at both The Romance Studio AND at fellow author Mae Clair's blog. Please drop by and visit with me if you can!

2. Interesting links & articles from this month's Romance Writers Report:
~If you're an author, are you making the most of your Author Central Page at Amazon? It's a free service and a great place and way to showcase not only your books, but your reviews, your Facebook or blog links, and more!
~A few up-and-coming websites that writers can use to promote themselves include Togather, Libboo, and Writer.ly (on a side note, I'm interested to hear from anyone who's used them - I have yet to check them out in detail)
~Using the in-house publicist at your publishing house is a great (free!) way to build buzz about your name and reach out to partner with someone to market yourself even more. Don't be afraid to ask for the publicist's name and contact info, if you don't already have it, and send an email to find out how the two of you can work together.

3. Interesting links & articles from this month's Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators issue:
~Animoto is a web application that can help you produce your very own book trailer!
~Smilebox is a fun way to create photo collages, release announcements, and more, that uses videos, photos, music, etc. to appeal to your computer-based crowd of readers.
~Swoon Reads is a brand new YA romance imprint from the Macmillan Publishing Group that will be soliciting manuscripts and then using a reader recommendation system to choose which get put through for actual publishing consideration (side note: I tried signing up yesterday and had trouble submitting the form. If you're successful, let me know).

I'll be talking about blog tours on Wednesday, sharing info from our local writers' group meeting over the weekend as well as some of my own experiences, so stop by if you're a blogger or a reader or a writer who's interested in hearing more. See you then!

Friday Fun Facts: March Came in Like a Lion...I Think

Well, this is the view outside my window this morning. Looks like March isn't giving up without a fight! And in our part of the county (lower Hudson Valley), we were spared the worst. Lots more east and south of us. I don't know...do we still say March "came in" like a lion? I mean, we're already one week into the month. And yet we haven't had particularly warm days...more like chilly, cloudy, flirting with snow (although my daffodils were trying valiantly to push their way through, a couple of weeks ago). Yeah, I'm going with the lion analogy.

Be safe, everyone! Dream of the "going out like a lamb" side of this month, of sun and warm weather...I know it's out there somewhere!

Writers' Wednesdays: Here's What's Happening...

Hi writers! Next week I'll post a summary to all the good stuff in this month's issue of Romance Writers Report - it just came in my mail, and I haven't had a chance to go through it.

But here's a link you might want to check out: Digital Book Today has some great promo opportunities for writers, including their Top Free Books, Guest Blog Posts, and New Releases sections. What I like about this site is that for almost all their promo spots, your book needs to have a minimum 4-star review rating on Amazon. Yes, I know reviews are subjective, but a minimum rating (and a minimum number of reviews, which they require too) can help sort out the really-avoidable-at-all-costs books from the good-ones-you-havent-heard-about-but-should-try ones. Check it out!

And this weekend, I'll be heading to my local RWA chapter for our monthly meeting AND a special lecture by Harlequin author Wendy S. Marcus about blog tours for your ebooks. Since I have a couple coming up in the spring, I can't wait to hear what she has to say. I'll share all the good tips with you next week - stop back and see me!

Monday Mentionables: Reading, Writing, Reviewing...

Happy Monday, everyone! What am I mentioning today?

First, a lovely 4-star Amazon review over the weekend: "Nice story, well written and kept my interest to the end. A story about discovering what you have in life."

Short and sweet, right? If you enjoyed The Promise of Paradise too and feel like leaving a review, I'll be eternally grateful!

Digital Book Today has some great features for both readers and writers. One fun one is their 100 Top Free Books - a listing of the best free books available each day on Amazon's Kindle Store. They rank by number of reviews and the average review, too, so you can see exactly what others have thought.

Don't forget that I'm the Featured Author over at The Romance Studio all month long. Lots of trivia about The Promise of Paradise - and a peek into the soon-releasing Beacon of Love!

Friday Fun Facts: Is It Spring Yet?

What a winter it's been! Here on the East Coast, it's almost-warm one weekend, snowing the next. Flirting with freezing rain, icing up the driveway, then a balmy 40 degrees a few short hours later. My poor flowers are already starting to come up, though it's only March 1st and I have a sad suspicion that they'll be buried at least one more time before winter finally retreats for good:

Speaking of it being almost spring, though, I'm the March Featured Author over at The Romance Studio! Want a little insight to The Promise of Paradise? Have yourself a read...and dream of warm weather. You know, like sultry summer in a little town called Paradise, in a little state called New Hampshire, where anything is possible... ;)

Happy weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Tracking Down E-Pirates

Today, a short rant on e-piracy. What is it? Basically, it's copyright infringement - offering electronic files (usually for free) that you do not own the rights to. You can find ebooks, audio, and video files all over the Internet that you can download without paying for them, thanks to "torrent" sites like

Why is it so bad? I mean, people share books/music with their friends all the time, right? If I want to read a book, and a friend has it, then why shouldn't I borrow it if I can, instead of buying it? I understand that, I really do. But think about: when you buy a book, how many people do you loan it to? 2? 5? On the Internet, piracy sites abound. Within a week of my new ebook, The Promise of Paradise, being available on Amazon, I found listed for free on at least 10 "torrent" sites.

To give an idea of how many freely downloaded books that potentially represents, and more important, how many lost sales, here's an excerpt from the article "E-Piracy: The High Cost of Stolen Books" by Karen Dionne:

"Lost book sales can't be quantified, making it impossible to calculate the full cost of e-piracy, but the sheer number of illegal copies available for download gives an idea of the scope of the problem. At one file-sharing website, users have uploaded 1,830 copies of three books by a popular young adult author. Just one of those copies has had 4,208 downloads. On the same site, 7,130 copies of the late Michael Crichton's novels have been uploaded, and the first 10 copies have been downloaded 15,174 times.

Even if only a fraction of the downloads from this and dozens of other file-sharing websites represent actual lost sales, they still translate into a staggering amount of royalties that have been stolen from authors."

Here's the thing: some people will say that hey, at least readers want my book. I should be glad it showed up on so many sites, right? And if people are reading it, maybe they'll buy the others because they like my work so much. Hmmmm.....how likely do you really think that is? Don't you think that, instead, they'll try to find the others for free as well? I'm not a best-selling author by any stretch of the imagination, but listen folks, every time someone buys my book from a piracy site, that's royalty $$ I'm not getting. I work hard on my books - writing them and marketing them. The few cents I get per sold title doesn't compensate me that time (yet!), but it's still payment for a job I've done.

Please, please don't download books from piracy sites. You are helping those sites rob artists of the rightful royalty money they have earned by doing a job - the same way you earn a paycheck by going to work each day.

And writers, if you're concerned about your own titles, do a search and see what you find. I subscribe to a service called Muso that, for $15.00/month, searches the Internet daily and sends takedown notices to all sites that are posting and offering my books illegally. An individual author can send takedown notices too (this is a legal first step in notifying someone/a site that they have violated copyright law and can be held legally responsible), but it's very time-consuming to find these sites and send the notices, especially if you have more than one title out there. For me, it's well worth the money to have a company do it for me.

OK, that's it for today! Go out into cyberworld smarter and savvier about e-pirates than you were before :)

Monday Mentionables: Flu Season and Spring Break

Happy Monday! I'm glad (and relieved) to report that our household made it through a bout with the flu last week. My husband has never gotten the flu shot, and this year it caught up with him :( He did say, midway through the illness "I don't think I've ever had the flu before." (This was also his reason for never getting the shot)

For those of you who have suffered from it, you know one of the worst things is that the flu knocks you out, hard, and for those with weaker immune systems, it can turn into pneumonia or worse. We heard a lot of reports this season about how the flu shot did protect many people (even those who came down with the flu anyway had a much milder case of it) - so please, please consider getting the shot next year! (Note: I get the shot each year, and though I was living in a house full of the virus I didn't come down with it).

Having survived THAT, we are looking forward to Spring Break in Key West, Florida next month. We've never been and are really excited about going (my husband is also celebrating a birthday while we're there, too - even more fun!). So....any suggestions from those who have gone? Good places to eat/drink/visit? Must-sees? Of course the Hemingway House is already on our list!

Friday Fun Facts: Some Reflections on Indie Publishing

OK, The Promise of Paradise has been indie published (that's the new term for "self-publishing," since self-pubbing was getting a negative rap) for all of a week now, and I've discovered a couple of things:

~I'm very glad I had experience with the whole publishing process, through a couple different publishers, before I did it on my own. I know people who go straight to indie publishing, for a variety of reasons, but I think the learning curve must be so huge, everything from editing to designing a cover, to marketing, that I'm glad I saw the process happen through publishers and editors before I tackled it myself.

~Going along with the first observation, if you choose the route of indie publishing, make sure you do your research and know how to produce a good product. I've seen way too many covers that look unprofessional, as well as typographical errors from authors who edited their own work (tip: you'll never catch all your own mistakes), to know that the smallest error can make your book stand out as NOT something consumers will choose to buy.

~AND on that same topic, make sure you have a great cover. Really. They make such a difference when people are shopping. I love, love, love mine, but it was done by a professional cover artist who's familiar not only with the romance genre and e-publishing, but also with my own writing, since she had designed my cover for Beacon of Love. So we were a good match.

~It's really, really nice to be able to track my sales (through Amazon, anyway) and connect them to my marketing efforts. When you have a book out through a traditional publisher, you don't see your sales numbers until months after sales occur, so it's hard to know what advertising or promo really works. Over the last week, I've watched my sales bump after certain things I've done (sending out my newsletter, posting an announcement on The Romance Studio, [a website well known and frequented by romance readers] and participating in an online release party), so I have an idea about what to spend time on and what to avoid in the future. Very, very helpful!

~It can be a lot of work - but then again, so is all writing and publishing. Still, it can become very easy to be consumed with what marketing to do next, checking those sales numbers every hour, and getting off track from writing in general.

Will I do it again? Maybe. In the meantime, if you'd like to read my posts from yesterday's release party, click here, and then look for my name on the left sidebar. Click my name, and it will take you straight to my posts. Also, here's a great mini-course on the pros and cons of indie publishing, if you'd like to read more from an author who's done it multiple times.

Happy Friday!

Writers' Wednesday: Join the (Release) Party!!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Just a very quick note today: tomorrow, all day (midnight to midnight!), I'll be one of the participating authors at The Romance Studio's Release Party! What does that mean for you? Lots of chatting with authors, sneak peeks at excerpts from a whole slew of new books, and best of all, tons of prizes! Click here (tomorrow) to join the party!

Monday Mentionables: Battling the Flu and Chatting about Paradise

Happy Monday, everyone! We've been battling the flu here at our house all weekend long (poor husband, not feeling very well), so here's a head's-up: it's a really good idea to get the flu shot each year. I got the flu once, the first year I started teaching (oh yes, those germy germs are everywhere in schools!), and ever since, I've gotten the shot. I never want to feel that miserable again :( It's a tough illness, too, since there's not much you can do except wait it out and try to rest and ease your symptoms.

Suffice to say that I am armed with Lysol wipes, rubber gloves, bleach, and matches (yes, some things will be burned) so I can rid the house of this virus once hubby is back in the land of the living.

While I wasn't washing my hands 100x a day and bringing chicken broth, gingerale, and tissues to Mr. Sick this weekend, I was sharing the news that my new release, The Promise of Paradise, is on sale over at Amazon's Kindle store for the super-low price of $.99 - today as well! And I'll grovel a little here and ask any of you who have read it (or bought it), to leave a review on Amazon too...since those stars definitely affect people's buying decisions AND since I don't have any yet :(

Finally, I do want to mention that I'll be blogging and guest-posting and doing giveaways around the Web for the next few months, and I'll keep track of them over there, on the right sidebar of this blog, so you can find me and enter for some of those giveaways as well! Hope to see you in cyberspace :)

Friday Fun Facts: The Promise of Paradise is Now Available!!!

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you enjoyed a lovely Valentine's Day. And speaking of love and romance (we were, weren't we??), I'm thrilled to share the news that my re-released contemporary romance, The Promise of Paradise, is now available in the Kindle store!!!!

Even better, I'm offering it for the super-low launch price of $.99 - what else can you get for under a dollar these days? Maybe a small cup of coffee....to go with that full-length novel you just bought ! I'm running this price through the long weekend, so please hop over and download yourself a copy....and spread the words to your friends as well.

Finally, if you're a blogger and are interested in participating in a blog review tour of this book, Goddess Fish Promotions is handling all the details for that, which will happen in April. Click on the banner below for more information. And happy reading!

Writers' Wednesday: An Awesome Advertising Sale!

Attention writers! The Romance Studio is having a fantastic Valentine's Day advertising sale, now through 2/16/13!! Check out what you can get:

Ad Offer #1

Single cover, banner, video and release party ads are buy 1 get 4 free for 5 ads @ TRS! No discount code is needed. Order your ad below and the bonus ads will be applied.

Ad Offer #2

6 cover/banner ads -- 1 month duration each ($90 value)
6 video OR single day release party ads -- 1 week duration each video ad/1 day duration release party ad ($60 value)
3 newsletter ads -- 1 issue each ($105 value)
6 social media blitzes -- 1 week duration each -- TRS promotes your release for 1 week on our Yahoo groups, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest
6 months featured membership at TRS ($60 value)

$50 - Featured members of TRS 

$65 - General Public 

Click here to find out more or to purchase an ad package. I highly recommend TRS; they're professional and super-easy to work with!

Also, for anyone who writes Christian Fiction, Lovely Christian Romance is holding a writing contest AND looking for submissions for their Christmas 2013 anthology. Here's more info:

www.lovelychristianromance.com is hosting a writing contest. First prize is $300. The theme is Christmas on the Frontier. We want Christian themed novellas between 15,000 and 30,000 words. Many stories submitted that are not winners will be asked to be put in our great line of novellas which sell in print and e-book at Amazon and at Barnes and Nobles. See our requirements at www.lovelychristianromance.com at the top of the page. Send us a pre-email and let us know you are planning on entering the contest at lovelycromance (at) yahoo.com

Monday Mentionables: It's Almost Release Time!

Super-excited to say that my re-released book, The Promise of Paradise, will be available this week, just in time for Valentine's Day! Stay tuned for all the details, and in the meantime, here's a sneak peek at a brand new scene from the story, along with a brand new character:

“Lucas, it’s perfect.” Ash wrapped her arms around Jen’s younger brother. “Thank you so, so much for coming up and helping out.”

            “Aw, didn’t do much,” he said gruffly. The six-foot-seven giant turned three shades of red as Ash released him.

            “Yeah, you did.” The porch still smelled of fresh paint, and all the loose boards had been fixed, along with the leaking toilet and the stuck window in Ash’s bedroom, which he definitely hadn’t

had to do.

            Lucas ran one hand over a head full of curly dark hair. “It’s a nice apartment.” He leaned against the railing and stared at the street. Always solemn, he seemed quieter than ever today. Broken hearts tended to do that, Ash supposed.

            “Yeah,” she agreed. “Hey, you’re gonna stay for the party, right?” She was almost positive Eddie had some single friends she could steer in Lucas’s direction.

            “Naw, I gotta get back.” He pulled a baseball cap from his back pocket and stuck it on lopsidedly. “Mom an’ Dad are havin’ a barbeque later. Told ‘em I’d try to make it.” He grinned. “It’s always hit and miss with Dad and the grill. I’d rather see him keep his eyebrows tonight.”

            She laughed. Such a good guy. She still couldn’t believe his girlfriend had cheated on him. In another life, Ash might have considered letting Jen set her up with Lucas, the way she’d been trying to

since about the second week the two of them had lived together. Ridiculously tall, seriously built, and sweet down to the core – what woman in her right mind would cheat on someone like that?

            Ash straightened the tables in both corners of the porch roof as Lucas planted a kiss goodbye on the top of her head. Guess you never really knew the thoughts in people’s heads. Secrets hid, lies

grew, and sometimes the very people you thought you knew best were the ones burying their knives in your back. Or their hearts in someone else’s.

            She shook away the thought. Not tonight. No sadness, and no regret. She glanced into the street below. A few cars already lined the curb in front of the house, and the sun hadn’t even begun to

set. Apparently, thanks to Eddie, half of Paradise had been invited to their housewarming party.

            A few minutes later, he poked his head through the window, looking out from the kitchen. “Ash? Everything good out here?”

            “I think so.” She and Jen had spent most of the afternoon decorating. Now red, white, and blue lights twisted themselves around the porch railing. Flags perched in buckets of ice, while picnic

benches and tables bowed under piles of food and soft drinks.

            “Jen’s brother’s not staying?”

            She shook her head.

            Eddie rested both arms on the sill. “Seems like a nice guy.”

            “He is.”

            “You and he ever…” He didn’t finish the question, but she read

            the look on his face.

            “Me and Lucas? God, no. He’s like – I mean, he’s Jen’s little brother.”

            “So?”

            “So nothing.” She propped one hand on a hip. “Are you jealous?”

            “Nope. Just curious.”

            She grabbed a handful of ice from the nearest cooler and tossed it in his direction. “Whatever.”

             “I’m gonna run out and get the beer,” he said. He picked up a few slivers of ice, already melting, and palmed them. “Like it wet, huh?”

Available soon!!

Friday Fun Facts: Nemo's Coming!!

As I write this on early Friday morning, Winter Storm Nemo is bearing down on the Northeast US, threatening us here in lower NY with anywhere from 1-2 feet of snow. (Sadly, this does mean that the Hudson Valley RWA Reading scheduled for tomorrow at the Newburgh Library has been cancelled). 

In anticipation of what we might get between now and tomorrow, I thought I'd post some pictures from the last time we had a big storm here, 3 years ago:

View looking down our driveway

Yes, we have a few trees on and around our property! 

The front view of our house

The backyard

So I'm off to batten down the hatches, after which I'll snuggle up by the fire with my laptop and do a little writing. Hey, sometimes there's nothing at all wrong with being trapped indoors :)

Be safe, everyone!

Writers' Wednesday: Contest Links and More!

Helllloooo writers! (OK, and readers too). Today, a few links for you: 

Lyrical Press is featuring several books this month at their newly revamped website store - 50% off! Click here to shop.

Speaking of Lyrical Press, they're holding their 2nd annual "How Lyrical is Your Romance?" Contest Here's more info:

The entry with highest average score will receive a $100 Advance and publishing contract with Lyrical Press, Inc. Highest-average scoring entry from each category will receive a 25-page edit and a revision letter from an acquiring editor.

Categories are as follows:

· Contemporary Romance· Romantic Suspense· Historical Romance· Paranormal Romance
Entries accepted from Feb. 1-10, 2013

Deadline to enter:

Click here for all the info!

And finally, Winning Writers is a website that has even more information on writing contests and publishing opportunities. Check out their complete site for all the details.

Happy Writing!

Monday Mentionables: A Look at the Super Bowl

Happy Monday! Here it is, the Monday after the Super Bowl, and I have to say.....what a bizarre game. Actually, I'm writing this blog post early in the third quarter, during the power outage, and I'll echo one of my Facebook friends who wrote, "Really? Football players play games in blizzards, mud, rain, but they can't play in a half-lit stadium?"

Among other things (the poor first-half performance of the 49ers, for example), what did you think of the commercials? The halftime show? Thought Beyonce did a good job of redeeming herself after lip-syncing at the Presidential Inauguration, and my favorite commercials were the Audi one (the teenager going to prom solo and kissing the prom queen) and the Best Buy one (with Amy Poehler asking the salesman if he'd read Fifty Shades of Gray to her in a sexy voice).


Speaking of football games and writing (well, I didn't yet, but this blog is by a writer about writing, so...) I wanted to remind you that my writing friend Liz Matis is part of the "Romancing the Jock" group blog, and they always have lively conversations over there, so check them out!

Also, just a reminder that Liz and I (and many more) local Hudson Valley authors will be speaking and reading at the Newburgh Library (Town/Mall Branch) this-coming Saturday, Feb. 9th, from 2-4 pm. Hope to see you there!