Friday Fun Facts: My Final Thoughts on the Convention

Happy Friday, everyone! A few thoughts on the writer's convention that I didn't share on Wednesday's blog:

1. People love series. I didn't realize this quite so much until the convention, when both readers and writers talked about how well books in series sell. Readers become attached to characters and love to see them get their own story or a new story in the next book that comes out. Glad Inferno of Love will continue the Lindsey Point tradition from Beacon of Love for me!

2. Erotic is still one of the hottest-selling sub genres of romance. There was a panel at the convention (I missed it because I came in late on Friday) about BDSM and the different toys used in the bedroom - and apparently it was the best attended panel of the weekend! It's interesting: ebooks and ereaders have really accelerated, or at least perpetuated, this love of erotic stories. People no longer have to worry about hiding book covers or titles, because no one can see what you're reading on that Kindle (one woman, a manager of some company, told me that very fact, that she read Fifty Shades at work and no one knew it).

3. Connecting with readers, esp. online, is key. Social media makes it easier that ever to meet and chat with, to virtually become friends with, so many people from around the globe. Readers love to check in with authors' Facebook or Twitter pages, or attend a Goodreads event and talk about books. Of course, this means that authors have to be ever-vigilant with updating these sites and maintaining a near-constant presence on them. Which brings me to my final point...

4. Writing is a full-time job. At least, it almost has to be if you want to sell big. I didn't meet anyone else at the convention who worked full-time outside the house and wrote full-time. All the authors, both the big sellers and the newbies putting out their first title, either worked part-time, were stay-at-home moms, were retired, or didn't work at all outside the house and instead wrote full-time. I was really, really surprised. And it made me both a little discouraged, that perhaps my dream of being a best-selling author won't happen while I'm also a full-time English teacher, and a little reassured: I don't put out 3 books a year because I'm simply doing other things. I love teaching. I do wish I had more time for writing. But at least I can be a little less hard on myself for not keeping up with all these other authors I see who are producing and selling books like mad. There really are only 24 hours in a day...

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Writers' Wednesday: Blogging Over at The Romance Studio!

Happy Hump Day, everyone! I'm blogging over at The Romance Studio today about my thoughts after last weekend's writing conference - please stop by and join me!

Monday Mentionables: Recovering After Indie RomCon!

I made it back from Nashville! The Indie Romance Convention was a good experience - I learned a lot and can't wait to share it with you. Today, however, I'm up to my ears in my day job, and catching up with home stuff after a weekend away, so I'll have more details for you back here on Wednesday. (Biggest piece of info that surprised me: there are very few of us who work full-time day jobs and are also published authors trying to grow our careers. When I bemoan the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day, I found that, in fact, that might be true - for everything I want to do. But more about that later.)

Until then, here are a couple of pictures from the weekend:

One of the ads I purchased, on a display placard in the main meeting room (it worked!)

Visited downtown Nashville on my Sunday down time

Friday Fun Facts: Planning a Trip to Tennessee

Fun facts about my trip to the 1st Annual Indie Romance Convention this weekend:

1. I have to fly west in order to get south (the convention is in Tennessee). Don't you just love airline routes?

2. The town where the convention is being held is home to the largest, and the original, Cracker Barrel restaurant.

3. The "fun unknown fact" about me that I sent in for the Saturday evening game/giveaway is that I don't like & don't eat any kind of cooked fruit. This includes apple pie, blueberry muffins, oatmeal raisin cookies...

4. I'm looking forward to meeting new readers and writers!

See you back here next week with a full report...

Monday Mentionables: Getting Ready for a Convention!

5 days and counting until I'm off to the 1st Annual Indie Romance Convention in  Lebanon, Tennessee! Very much looking forward to chatting with other indie writers and readers and learning more about the industry! For anyone who's in the area (I'm told it's about 20 miles outside of Nashville), there will be a book signing open to the public on Saturday afternoon, at the Comfort Inn in Lebanon, from 3:30 - 5:00. For all the details, click here.

Also, I'm giving away an Autumn Tote filled with goodies, as part of the charity raffle at the convention. Looks fun, right?

And over the weekend, I treated myself to a specially-designed manicure, in honor of all things romance (yes, those are hearts, if you look closely):

I'm ready to go! Will make sure to tell you all about it next week :)

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview!

I'm being interviewed over at Joyfully Reviewed - check it out!

Monday Mentionables: Congratulations Contest Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered my recent giveaway....and now...drum roll....congrats to the lucky winners!

The Promise of Paradise Audio Books (2 winners) - Sebella Blue and Coleen Burright!

Choice of any signed print book from my backlist - Amy Hart!

(Amy, Sebella and Coleen, email me at allieb@allieboniface.com to confirm your email/choice of book - and thanks so much for participating!)

Don't worry, more contests to come in the upcoming months :) Always something to celebrate when books are being written!

Happy Monday, everyone~

Friday Fun Facts: Why Email Subscription Services are Great Ad Options for Writers

TGIF! Whew, it's been a long week here on my end...glad it's almost over! If you've been following me here, you know that I've been participating in a couple of different parties and blog hops, and my contemporary romance, The Promise of Paradise, has been on sale as well. Through tomorrow evening, you can still pick it up for $0.99.

From a marketing perspective, it's been an interesting couple of days. In conjunction with the sale price, I took out 2 online ads, through BookBasset and E-readerNewsToday. Both are email subscription services that send out daily email announcements featuring free or bargain books. (The biggest one of these subscription services currently seems to be BookBub, which costs anywhere from $100 - $500 for an ad - but authors report HUGE sales returns that are worth the initial output of $$). BookBub has become tougher and tougher to have an ad accepted these days, though, plus it was a little above what I was willing to spend.

Happily, through these 2 ads I did take out (and I'm sure it helped that they ran on back to back days), as of last night I had sold just over 200 books in about 36 hours. Now, the royalty on a $.99 book is of course fairly low, but considering name recognition (getting my book in front of new readers), the potential visibility is worth just as much as money returns for me. Side note: late yesterday, I broke the Top 100 for both the Women's Fiction and Contemporary Women categories!

Also - and this is so important - sales of all my other books went up as well (BookBasset allows authors to feature up to 5 books for the single ad price of $22.00). Though my other books are traditionally published, which means I don't have access to real-time sales, every single Amazon ranking improved over the course of those same 36 hours.

Lesson? Taking out ads on these kind of email subscription services seems to be a pretty good marketing technique, one I'll probably do again. And the more books you have, the more "trickle-down effect" you'll enjoy across all your titles.

So keep writing and keep marketing. Happy weekend, everyone!

Monday Mentionables: The Party Continues!

Happy Monday, everyone! Thanks so much to all those readers who stopped by last week to take part in the Sultry Summer Blog Hop. The grand prize winner is being announced today, so make sure to visit the Safari Heat website and see if it's you!

And the news isn't over yet...

The Romance Studio is holding its 10th Anniversary Party this week, which means lots of excerpts and fun posts for you to read. Even better, they're giving away a $170 Amazon gift card AND there is a HUGE list of individual author prizes you can win. All you have to do is visit the party site and fill out the entry form. I love my prize package for this one, too: it's a blown glass wine stopper in the shape of a lighthouse (to celebrate my novel Beacon of Love), along with any choice print book from my backlist AND a collection of romance novels that I'll put together and send the lucky winner. Make sure to enter by clicking here!

Are You Still Hopping? There Are Still Prizes!

Oh my gosh I'm such a slacker today! Forgive me... :)

It's Day Five of the Sultry Summer Blog Hop, and there are still prizes to be won! Check it out:

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Today's prizes:

Three Book Marks: Lara Adrian
Signed Book: Sleep With The Lights On By Maggie Shayne
Signed ARC Copy: Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy
Signed Book: Like Humans Do by Daryn Cross
Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott

Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis

In addition to these great prizes, I'm also running a giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter right here, via Rafflecopter.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Welcome to the Sultry Summer Blog Hop!

Welcome to the fourth day of the Safari Heat Blog Hop contest!

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Today's prizes:

Swag Pack: TG Ayer

Signed Book: Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian

Signed Book: Darkness Rises by Dianne Duvall

Signed Book: Skin Deep T.G. Ayer

Three Bookmarks: Lara Adrian

Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott

Signed Book: Poems by JoAnne Myers

 

In addition to these great prizes, I'm also running a giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter right here, via Rafflecopter.

Have a wonderful weekend!
 

Day Three of the Sultry Summer Hop!

Welcome back to the third day of the Safari Heat Blog Hop contest!

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Today's prizes:

Five-Dollar Gift Card to Are: Dynese Bridger

Signed Book: Perfect Mate by Mina Carter

Signed Book: Ruthless by Debra Webb

Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis

Five-Dollar Gift Card: Carey Abbot/Tabitha Blake

Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis

In addition to these great prizes, I'm also running a giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter (scroll down to Wednesday's post)

Here's today sultry read, from my EPPIE-nominated contemporary romance One Night in Memphis (and yes, it was inspired by an actual night I spent on Beale St. a long time ago...) Enjoy!

In the moment before Dakota knew what was coming, Ethan bent down and kissed her. His hands moved to her face. His mouth landed squarely on hers, hot and hungry; his tongue parted her lips before she realized what was happening.

Oh wow, this wasn’t supposed to happen…was her first thought. Oh God, I want him to kiss me like this all night was her second. She leaned into him, into the solidness of him against her, and was amazed at the feeling of rightness that swept over her. A whimper escaped from the back of her throat. She let her fingers pull at his waist, drawing him closer. There was attraction, she thought, and then there was inevitability. 

There was the hot jolt of desire that pulled you toward someone because you liked their eyes or their smile or the way they filled out a pair of jeans. There was the want that warmed beds late at night because company was better than being alone.

And then there was something beyond the physical, beyond the way two bodies fit together. There was chemistry that created itself from bits of conversation, from skin brushing skin by accident, from the air surging between two people who were simply supposed to be together. There was a strange working of the universe that led you to someone you’d never even envisioned and then suddenly couldn’t imagine being without.

Sensations too strong to ignore slipped into her veins. She felt herself sway and wondered if it were the crowd pushing her or the ground wavering beneath her. Closing her eyes, not caring where she was or who might see, Dakota gave herself up to the kiss and the way it turned her mouth into an animal all its own. His palms pressed against the small of her back. His tongue was inside her, and he was tasting and whispering and asking a question she didn’t know how to answer. Ethan brushed the hair from her cheek with one hand and a lightning bolt moved straight from her toes up to the crown of her head.

Day Two of the Sultry Summer Blog Hop!

Welcome back to the second day of the Safari Heat Blog Hop contest!

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Today's prizes:

Signed Rack Card: Bobby Romans

Signed Book: Sleep With The Lights On By Maggie Shayne

Signed Book: Blood Destiny by Tessa Dawn

Signed Book: The Rancher She Loved by Ann Roth

Singed Book: Love’s Prophecy by Brenda Dyer

Signed Book: Billion-Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Signed Book: Against the Mark by Kat Martin

In addition to these great prizes, I'm also running a giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter.

Here's today sultry read, from my very first novel, a "24 hour" contemporary romance novel set in one of my favorite cities: One Night in Boston. Enjoy!

Jack placed both hands on Maggie’s cheeks, and she gave herself up to him. Their tongues twisted in pleasure, seeking, finding their way, filling hungry spaces between them. She gasped, feeling as if he’d slipped inside her and turned her inside out. One hand made its way from her cheek to her throat, down one bare shoulder and then lower, where it rested on a breast that ached for his touch. Maggie’s toes curled inside her shoes. Nipples rose under the memory of his caresses. She let her hands roam across his face, through his hair, plucking at his lapel and pulling him closer.

Ten years of lost passion spilled from them both. A whimper escaped her lips as Jack moved his mouth to her earlobe and down one side of her neck. He whispered something into the hollow of her throat, burying his face in her hair. For a crazy moment, she wanted to tear off her dress, peel away his tuxedo, feel his bare skin against hers and remember the way they’d moved together a hundred times. A monumental ache consumed her.

And if the door behind them hadn’t opened just then, Maggie was sure she would have lost herself in Jack’s embrace for the rest of the night...

 

   

Writers' Wednesday: Remembering Sept. 11th & a Safari Heat Blog Hop

Welcome, everyone! I know some of you are probably here for the Safari Heat Sultry Summer Reads Blog Hop, and thanks for dropping by :) Before the details, though, I'm taking a moment to remember and honor all those who lost lives and loved ones on September 11, 2001. May we never forget and always honor the privilege of living in a country that banded together and rose above the sorrow of that day...

Now, as many of you know, the Safari Heat Blog Hop contest begins this week!

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Today's prizes:

Signed Swag Pack: Dianne Duvall

Signed Book: Crush by Alan Jacobson

Signed Book: The Look of Love By Bella Andre

Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis

Signed Book: Murder Most Foul by JoAnne Myer

Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott

Signed Book: Release Me by J. Kenner

In addition to these great prizes, I'm also running a giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter.

Without further adieu, here's today's Sultry Summer read, from (of course!) my contemporary romance novel Summer's Song. Enjoy!

"Yes," Damian said, his breath warm on her cheek. "Sometimes I write my own songs."

He repositioned the instrument, curved his fingers into place and began to play. The melody was simple, a sweet tune that rose and fell without lyrics. It reminded Summer of a butterfly in the morning or dawn above the ocean. The notes dropped honey-like into an endless pool of longing. In the middle, it changed, became low and sensual with guttural chords that hovered and hung in the air. Damian’s shoulders hunched, and his arms tightened with intensity as he played on. A pause, and then the first melody returned, sweeter than the start, if that was possible. The sun coming out after a brilliant summer storm. A baby waking with a smile to a brand new day. It faded, grew, then faded again to nothing. With the final chord, the notes vanished into the night.

"God, that was…" Summer couldn’t find the words. "…beautiful," she finished, but it wasn’t enough to describe the passion or the complexity of the song.

He smiled. "Thanks."

"Does it have a title?"

He looked toward her and paused, opened his mouth and closed it again. "Summer’s Song."

Damian set down the guitar and moved toward her, and this time Summer saw the kiss coming. She felt it, knew it and wanted it with every part of her. He brushed his lips against hers, reached up with one hand to cup her cheek, and the step fell away beneath her. Sweet lightness flooded her stomach, her chest, her mouth. He pulled away, whispered her name, pressed his cheek to her temple and let her feel the pulse that raced there.

"Summer." The name sighed out of him, and he kissed her again.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday's Mentionables: It's Contest Time!

OK everyone, are you ready? I'm part of 2 different contests this week and next, and in addition to the prizes you can win on those sites, I'm giving away some of my own right here. It's getting cooler, school is back in session, and so what better time to win books and other great swag, right? Here are all the details you need for the contest that begins this week:

The Safari Heat Sultry Summer Reads Blog Hop will take place from September 11 - 16. What do you have to do? Simply visit the participating blogs, enjoy reading some sultry, steamy posts, then leave a comment for a chance to win. Yes, I'll be participating too, so every day you'll get to see a new and different excerpt from my books! Several prizes will be given away every single day!

The Hop's Grand Prize is a Kindle Fire HD 7” with Second Prize a 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N! Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle! (Note: due to shipping costs, winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada).

Even better, there are four ways readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway.  You will get an entry for completing each of these: leaving a comment, following my blog, following me on Facebook, or following me on Twitter. Easy, right? Don't worry, I'll post those links every day.

All the rules and a description of how the hop will work are listed on the Safari Heat site. Click the banner above or follow the link below.

http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com

Now...I'm also running a separate giveaway this week and next. What can you win? I'll be giving away 2 audio book copies of The Promise of Paradise AND one signed book from my backlist (you can view it here). All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter.

Looking forward to seeing you back here later this week. Any questions about what's going on with all the giveaways, leave me a comment or send me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com. And Happy Monday!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Fun Facts: Good News! Good News!!

Just 2 quick shares today:

First, I blogged yesterday over at The Romance Studio about 5 great things that audio books can offer. Also, heads-up that next week, I'll be running a contest on my blog (in addition to participating with the Safari Heat Summer Blog Hop!), and 2 of the prizes are a free copy of the audio book of The Promise of Paradise.

Second, I shared this news on my Facebook Fan Page, but in case you missed it, I found out this week that I was accepted to a Master Class for YA writers this-coming November in upstate New York. Sponsored by the Eastern NY SCBWI, this conference offers me and 30 other writers a chance to work in small groups under the guidance of editors from publishing houses like Kathy Dawson Books (Penguin), Delacorte/Random House, and Scholastic. Very excited!

OK folks, I'm off to tackle the day. Have a great one!

Writers' Wednesday: So How About Those Box Sets?

Here's a question for you: how likely are you to purchase a box set of books? Of course "box set" is kind of a funny term in the age of e-books, because you won't get a nifty actual box that holds 4 or 5 or 8 books on your shelf. But the concept is the same: you'll receive a group of books, usually in the same genre or sub-genre, to download and work your way through. Often there's a common theme. Sometimes these sets are all by the same author, and sometimes they're a collection by different authors.

I did a quick search on Amazon for popular selling box sets right now, and here are a few I found:

Sugar and Sin - 6 romance novels by 6 different authors for $5.99 (my friend Liz Matis is one of the authors - check it out!)

Historical Romance Boxed Set - 2 historical romance novels by author Brenda Novak for $5.99

J.K. Drew Boxed Set - 6 Young Adult mystery novels by author J.K. Drew for $3.99

Wounded Heroes Boxed Set - 5 historical romance novels by 5 different authors for $0.99

As you can see, the variety in what you can get, and for what price, varies widely. I was approached over the weekend about collaborating with some other authors in a box set of contemporary romance novels. After some thought, I decided to decline. Here's the thing: for readers, box sets are a sweet deal. For writers, they're a mixed bag. First and most important for me, you're splitting your royalty profits among all the participating authors. Of course, you're also benefiting from the name recognition of the other authors, so your have to decide which one outweighs the other. If you want to gain visibility and readers you may not have reached before, then go for it. But if you don't want to see your book sold for much less than it will sell as a stand-alone title, then a box set with other authors might not be for you.

Of course, if you're boxing your own titles, then you're reaping all the royalties, of course. But when it comes to profit sharing, especially since I don't have a title to contribute that is a first book in a series, that will lead purchasers of the box set to want to read my other titles, I've decided to wait.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            I'm interested to see whether it will become a popular marketing and selling technique for indie authors. Which brings me back to my original question: how likely are you to buy a box set of books? And if you're an author, how likely are you to contribute a title to one?

Monday Mentionables: What We Can Learn By Observing Labor Day (Every Day)

To all those who reside in the United States, Happy Labor Day! Here's an official definition of what today is meant to observe:

In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

So no, it isn't a day for sales in the stores (though undoubtedly people will rush to those), and it isn't a resting day off for those who labor - although that's a nice way to think about it, isn't it?  In fact, it's a tribute to the hard work that people do every day, often without thanks, sometimes without wages that really equal the job done.

Here's to all of you today who work hard and contribute to our country's well-being. And here's to remembering that in a sense, every day should be Labor Day. Every day we should take pride in the work we do, strive to do our best, and ask ourselves whether we are contributing to the growth and well-being of our country (and I think we do that in a myriad small ways, by reaching out to the people around us, by sharing ourselves and our skills).

I'll be spending today grading papers, writing a little, and yes, relaxing, all of which I hope will make me a better worker and member of our country's labor pool. Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Friday Fun Facts: September's Coming!

I know, I know...summer's winding to a close. Leaves are starting to change (around me, anyway, and when the heck did THAT happen?) Schools are gearing up to welcome kids back, and the lazy hazy days of sitting by the pool are, sadly, going to be in the rearview mirror for most of us.

BUT!

Lots of good stuff is also coming up in September! First off, I'll be part of 2 week-long blog hops/contests:

Sept. 11-16: The Safari Heat Sultry Summer Reads Blog Hop - visit the blog sites of a variety of authors, all of whom will be sharing excerpts to make readers sweat AND giving away all kinds of swag! Grand prize? A Kindle Fire loaded with free ebooks!

Sept. 15-21: The Romance Studio's 10th Anniversary Bash - where you can win tons of goodies from participating authors as well as read all kinds of excerpts from new and recently-released books.

Right here on my blog during those events, I'll also be giving away 2 copies of the audio book of The Promise of Paradise AND signed copies of some of my print titles :) So stay tuned and please join me for September fun!

Enjoy your weekend, by the way. If you live in the U.S, it's a long one thanks to Labor Day on Monday. And then it's back to school for most of the kiddos and teachers after that. Speaking of which, did anyone see the video of the mom dancing as she sends her son back to school? Too funny:

Writers' Wednesday: Look At All These Prizes!

Happy Hump Day, gang! Today, a slew of blogs for you to visit - read, be entertained, and best of all, enter to win a variety of prizes! First off is The Long and the Short Of It's 6th Anniversary Bash. All week long, I and other authors are answering random questions and providing wacky, little-known facts about ourselves. This morning's question is "What do you think you're bad at?" and the answers range from "being patient" to "downhill skiing" to "picking a restaurant for dinner." The answers are fun to read (and there are 4 questions posted every day, throughout the day!) - but even better are all the prizes you can win:

$100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC
also...

$10 GC to Torquere Press

$20 GC to Dreamspinner Press

$6 GC to Total-E-Bound Publishing

$5 GC to Prizm Books

$10 GC to Choc Lit

2 Winner's Choice of eBook from Tirgearr Publishing

Bundle of six print paranormal romance books (US only)

Bundle of six print sexy and/or erotic romance books (US only)

Bundle of six print contemporary romance books (US only)

Bundle of six print romantic suspense books (US only)

Bundle of five print historical romance books (US only)

5 Cool author swag pack (bookmarks, pens, more! - US only)

******

Also in your trek around the Web today, check out these blog posts/contests, all by fellow indie authors who would love your support!

Get The Chocolate Affair for free with a coupon code at this blog interview!

Read about Marie Higgins' newest time travel romance and what she loves to read in her spare time.

Read an excerpt from Cynthia Woolf's new release Fiery Bride and enter to win a B&N gift certificate too!

Monday Mentionables: It's Time for a Bash!

Happy Monday, everyone! Big news this week: The Long and the Short of It is hosting its 6th anniversary bash, and you can win TONS of prizes all week long!

Click on the graphic below to be redirected to the main website, where you'll find all the important info starting this morning:

There will be eight blogs posted daily. Four will be erotic, four non-erotic/other genre and all eight will have that day’s Rafflecopter giveaway.  What can you win? How about one of four $100 Amazon Gift Cards  – along with publisher GCs, books, ebooks, and author swag?!  The Long and the Short of It promises dozens of winners all week long...plus you'll get to find out wacky facts about your favorite authors, including Yours Truly. So hop on over...and have fun all week long!

Friday Fun Facts: Ah, the Beach!!

One more day on vacation in the Outer Banks (NC) and we've been blessed with beautiful weather all week long. Good for relaxing and tanning...not so good for writing. I mean, who wants to be on her laptop when the rays are calling? That's OK...plenty of time for writing in the future, right? By the way, the beach is as beautiful in the morning:

as it is at night:

Oh! And the audio book version of The Promise of Paradise received its first review the other day: 4 stars :) Always a bit of a relief to know someone liked it!

TGIF!

Writers' Wednesday: "So, Are Those Real? And Other Bad Pick-Up Lines"

Happy hump day!

Still on vacation, but I brought my laptop and am trying to get a little writing in between the beach and shopping and, well, this:

But yes! I am writing when I'm not in the pool, and right now I'm working on revising an earlier work. The plan is novella length (about 1/3 the length of my regular novels), and just in case you wonder where writers get their ideas, this was what started me thinking about this story, a couple years back:

"Dating Site Gives 30,000 'Ogres' The Boot"

So I'm throwing my heroine into a speed dating activity in the opening chapter , and I'm trying to think of terrible pick-up lines she'll have to face. I posted this question on my Facebook page as well, but I'll ask you too:

What awkward or offensive pick-up lines should she hear while on speed dating?

Monday Mentionables: It's Vacation Time!

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm not going to promise serious, insightful, or otherwise thought-provoking posts this week (sorry...). We're on vacation in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, so while I'm definitely hoping for some writing inspiration, I'm also going to spend a fair amount of time by the pool or on the beach :) I hope, anyway. Storms are heading this way...but so far, sunshine!

This is the view from our room:

And this was a view of the full moon last night:

Meanwhile, I'm be doing some brainstorming about some novella ideas. What do you think about prequels to my One Night books? Would you like to know what came before Boston, Memphis, and Napa? If you need a refresher about these books, some of my earliest, you can check them out here.

Have a great week! Fingers crossed for sunshine here... :)

Friday Fun Facts: Sometimes It's Better to Take a Day Off

TGIF! If you're interested in knowing a little "behind the scenes" action of the cover design for The Promise of Paradise, designer Amy Gamet is featuring me on her blog today. Stop by and visit :)

Also, I'm super-happy to announce that I've hired both an editor and a cover designer for Inferno of Love, so (fingers crossed) you will be able to read that book by the end of this year!! I'm aiming for a holiday 2013 release, AND I'm going to release it in print and e-book, simultaneously, so if you still prefer the feel of the pages in your hand, never fear! You'll have this one just the way you like it.

And if you didn't see it on my Facebook page yesterday, this is what I spent the day doing, instead of writing - hubby and I hiked all around this gorgeous state park, which is just 1/2 hour from our backyard. Sometimes it's better to get away from the keyboard, away from the stories and the characters running around inside my head, and just relax and enjoy Mother Nature. A perfect day!

Writers' Wednesday: Free Samples of The Promise of Paradise

Happy Hump Day!

Just a quick note today, as I'm busy writing and planning and doing lots of fun creative stuff while I still have the time (you know, before school starts up again):

The Promise of Paradise is now available at Smashwords! What does this mean? Good news for everyone who doesn't have a Kindle. Smashwords releases e-books in a variety of formats, so you can find something that's compatible with just about every e-reader out there.

Even better, you can read a sample of the book before you buy! Click on the cover below to see the main page and do just that:

Remember, this book is also newly available in audio book too! If you have a long trip planned and need something to listen to, why not give it a try? You know you'll get a happy ending. And please share with others you know who are avid listeners as well! Click on this link to hear a sample - I love this narrator!!

Monday Mentionables: Audio Books and Sneak Peek Releases!

Happy Monday, everyone! Exciting news to mention this morning is that The Promise of Paradise is now available in audio book! If you're going on vacation and are looking for some escape listening, this is your perfect chance :) Or if you know friends who enjoy audio books, please share the news with them. It's discounted, too - OR you can get it free with Audible's 30-day trial. (Plus I have to add that my narrator is awesome. Click on the sample to hear her voice!)

Now for my question of the day. I am exploring the possibility of indie publishing the follow-up novel to Beacon of Love, called Inferno of Love. While I was offered a traditional contract, accepting it means you, lovely readers, won't see it in ebook for at least another year, and in print, probably 1.5 years+. I would love to release it earlier, and since I've gone through the indie publishing experience with The Promise of Paradise, I feel confident that I can do it again.

Here's my question: if Inferno of Love was available in print and you could pre-order it, would you do so? Would you pay extra to have a signed copy that was released early, and only to a select number of readers? Or are you happy with ebook releases? I'm playing around with a marketing plan that will allow readers to help me shape the story (to a certain extent) and then be rewarded with having early sneak peeks to the novel, including a chance to read it before the regular buying public.

I'd love to know what you think!

Friday Fun Facts: Exciting Release News!!

TGIF, everyone! I have exciting news for a (rainy) Friday: The Promise of Paradise will be available from a variety of distributors as early as next week! Look for it on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and AllRomanceEbooks - I'll share all the links as soon as they're up!

Also, the follow-up story to Beacon of Love, Inferno of Love, will be coming soon :) No definite release date yet, either late 2013 or early 2014, but because I'm releasing it independently, same as The Promise of Paradise, you know if you're a regular follower that you'll get awesome sale prices on this story! Inferno of Love follows Finn the bartender and his bumpy road to love. Can't wait? Neither can I! I promise to do a cover reveal of the new title and share with you all the exciting upcoming release dates and giveaways as the months unfold...

Have a great weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: What's In A Cover?

Hi, gang! Today I'm over at The Romance Studio, blogging about book covers (and some of the background behind all of mine). Hop on over and let me know what you think!

Monday Mentionables: Make Sure You're Keeping Up With Me!

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm busy writing, so just a couple of things to mention today:

If you haven't "liked" my Facebook page, please do so! Lately I've been posting snippets from my latest WIP, my Young Adult, so you can have a sneak peek at that over there.

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter, now's the time to do that too! I'll be running some contests and fun giveaways later in the year, but you can only find out about them if you get my newsletter! (Don't worry, it only comes out maybe 4-5 times a year, so I promise not to overfill your email inbox).

See you back here for Writers' Wednesday :)

Friday Fun Facts: The Two Books I'm Reading Right Now

TGIF! Hope you're heading into a nice weekend :) We have a wedding to attend later today for good friends - should be a great way to spend the evening!

So...what am I reading right now? Two terrific books that are about as different as they come:

First, I'm about 1100 pages into the 1300+ of Stephen King's Under the Dome. Yes, the hit summer TV show is based on this book, but very loosely. (The book is better - aren't books always better?) I've always been a King fan, even when some of his horror was a little much for me to stomach. But take heart: Under the Dome isn't horror so much as a fast-paced psychological study of human nature, of what happens to a small town in Maine when an invisible and impenetrable dome falls over it and isolates it from the rest of the world. There is a ridiculously long list of characters, but King does his usual masterful job at developing every one of them. This is always what I've loved about his writing: he makes you care about his characters, because they're real and flawed, and he plants conflict on EVERY SINGLE PAGE so that you have to keep turning. For me as a writer, it's been a great reminder that conflict is so important to push plot forward. For me as a reader, it's been a total joy to get lost in. Don't let the length scare you - the pages fly by. I don't want it to be over!

Second, upon the recommendation of a very well-known, New York Times best-selling author, I downloaded The Naked Truth About Self Publishing, put together by 10 other very well-known New York Times best-selling authors. Very interesting. More and more, "indie publishing" as it's also known, is becoming popular not just for unpublished authors who want to see their work in the marketplace, but for already-published authors who either want more control, more $$, or are disenchanted with their sales/publishing house/release schedule/the list goes on. This book is a great resource for laying out the benefits and the challenges of doing it yourself. I'll tell you: since releasing The Promise of Paradise on my own back in February, I can see the draw. That book sold more copies in its first month on Amazon than in 4+ years with its original small press, and more than Beacon of Love did in its first 3 months with a small press. I also hold all the rights, which meant I could publish it in print and audio when I wanted to. Will I indie publish again? Almost certainly. I have a pretty clear idea of what's needed to put a book together, from editing to cover design to formatting (I hire people to do most of this), to marketing (which I do on my own). For anyone who's thinking about publishing their own work, this book is definitely worth the $4.99 download price.

OK, I'm off. Happy reading, writing, and weekend to all!

Monday Mentionables: Oh, Those Kraft Zesty Ads!

First he was featured in a magazine layout:

Now Kraft is running TV ads with Mr. Sexy, and they're "zesty" to say the least. Some groups, like the Christian advocacy group One Million Moms, are complaining that the ads go too far. I think they're terrifically entertaining (and great eye candy).  What do you think??

Friday Fun Facts: Can You Tweet Your Book?

Well, we all know social media is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest way to reach an audience, communicate with others, sell a product...you name it, Blogger/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Instagram/ Google Plus can do it. One of the latest uses of these tools is the pitch - that is, pitching your book to an agent or editor online, instead of the old-fashioned way, in person.

I've attended a few pitch events that are blog-based. You pitch a sentence or two (sometimes the first couple hundred words) as a blog comment, and then the pitch-holder reads and makes his/her choice. This has extended to pitching via Twitter - which, if you Tweet, you know can get a little tricky, since a Tweet can only be 140 characters.

How am I supposed to pitch  MY ENTIRE BOOK in 140 characters, you might ask?? Well, here's a blog post that shares some of the successful (i.e., requested) Twitter pitches from a recent event. Also, there's another Twitter pitch event for all you YA authors coming up on the 31st - details here.

All this made me think: could I pitch my books in 140 characters? Hmm. I don't know. Here are a couple of my attempts:

Woman changes her name when she moves to a small town, only to meet a man who sweeps her off her feet. Can love trump lies in Paradise? (The Promise of Paradise)

Haunted lighthouse+big-city reporter+hunky hometown handyman = steam and lots of small-town secrets revealed. Peyton Place on the beach! (Beacon of Love)

What do you think? Can an author convey enough interest in a book in just 140 characters? What about YOUR books? If you're a writer, I'd love to see you post your book in a Tweet in the comments section today :)

Happy Friday!

Writers' Wednesday: What's in a Name? Everything!

By now you've probably heard the news about J.K. Rowling writing a mystery novel under a different name: The Cuckoo's Calling. It was released back in the spring, got good reviews, but sold poorly. Then the news leaked that Rowling had in fact written it, and POW! People talked, sales rocketed, and now it sits at the top of best-seller lists.

Lesson: a great book with great reviews can still see lousy sales without a Name to back it up.

Stephanie Evanovich's debut novel, on the other hand (Big Girl Panties) got a review in the recent People magazine. This author is, of course, related to the uber-famous author Janet Evanovich. The review called the book "fun and fluffy, if somewhat predictable" that uses a "tried-and-true storyline" with a "plot that sometimes strains credulity." But it's written by the relative of a best-seller, it's featured in a major magazine, and according to Amazon lists, it's seeing the kind of sales and rankings that most debut authors never do.

Lesson: a debut novel that's not particularly outstanding or original can get notice and sales simply because of the Name attached to it.

I'm not writing this blog post today to sound bitter or resentful, but simply to point out one of the realities of the publishing world. Name and brand is everything. Authors have to find a way to establish themselves, to set themselves apart, so that their Name will instantly call up a certain image, a certain promise to be found in the pages, and readers will want to buy that book simply because of the Name on the cover.

So....if you're a writer, are you actively doing that? That is our challenge, each and every day. Good luck, and happy writing!

Monday Mentionables: Your Chance to Win a Copy of Beacon of Love!

Happy Monday, everyone! Yesterday I was the featured author over at Tracy's Place, and for the next 10 days, you'll have a chance to win a FREE e-copy of Beacon of Love! Here's the link to enter.

And if you're not sure whether it's your kind of book or not, here's a newly made trailer (not by me!) that might give you a better idea: