Friday Fun Facts: Three Random Websites

Hello everyone! Happy Friday!! Today I wanted to share with you 3 completely random and unrelated but also otherwise cool (in my opinion) websites. Check 'em out:

For Writers: Writer's Digest Successful Queries - For anyone who's struggled with writing ther perfect query letter to nab that perfect agent, this blog post is full of query letters that worked, along with detailed commentary from agents about why they did. This is an author's must-have resource link!

For Shoppers: I loved this link, posted today on MSN, about how to shop for the holidays with less stress. Sadly, Christmas time has become such a rush of materialism for so many people - even in this economy, which is tough to believe. So this list of ways to bring happiness to those on your list for less $$ and less hassle was perfect. Best tip: On December 16, 2011, over 100 online retailers will be offering free shipping! Now that's reason enough to check this article - and mark your calendars!

For Everyone: www.age-me.com is a fascinating website that allows you to take a picture of yourself and age it - 5, 10, 20 years into the future - and add the effects of weight gain, sun exposure, and more. I actually read about it in a magazine at the eye doctor's office earlier this week, in an article about planning for retirement. The claim was that if you're young, it's hard to picture yourself at retirement age, so it's harder to save for it. Anyway, I thought it was a cool (though a little scary, to be honest) way to see how you might look after years of sunning yourself poolside with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other...or not. I haven't tried it yet (it costs $4), but I might this weekend. Just to see. You know, for research or something like that...

Happy Weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Holiday Stories

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Remember, every blog comment between now and the end of the month earns you another chance to win the "Keeping Warm in Winter" prize package! Today I wanted to share with you a couple of books links:

First, one of my fellow romance authors, Diane Craver, has a wonderful holiday story called A Christmas Gift (and don't you just love the cover??). Why not try out a new author and new story this holiday season?




Second, one of my publishers, The Wild Rose Press, is giving away free books right now - all you have to do is head on over to their website and see what's new today.

And speaking of which, do you have any favorite holiday stories? I do love Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," both the written and the multiple movie versions. Do you have a particular story that puts you in the holiday mood?

Monday Mentionables: Holiday Traditions

Happy Monday everyone! (Remember, every comment during the whole month of December earns you another chance to win my "Keeping Warm in Winter" gift package!)

Over the weekend, we celebrated an early Christmas with my side of the family in the town of Skaneatles, New York - which was extra-charming because every weekend in December, the village rewinds to Charles Dickens' times, and wandering Victorians carol and re-enact scenes from "A Christmas Carol" and generally remind you of a much simpler time. My favorite photo:



The woman's sign says "Where there's drink, there's always danger!" (Of course, I think to keep warm in Victorian England a lot of people drank a lot of liquor, but at least there were a few teetotalers like these women around to post warnings!)

Anyway, we had a great time, and now that our house is mostly decorated for the holidays, I'm feeling in the mood! We'll probably get our tree this-coming weekend, though it seems like a lot of people already have theirs up. What about you? If you have a Christmas tree, do you put it up at the same time every year? And when is that? Do you have a tradition for putting it up and taking it down?

Friday Fun Facts: Favorite Holiday Songs?

OK folks, now that it's officially December, my month-long Keeping Warm in Winter blog giveaway contest is open! All month long, every time you comment, you'll earn a chance to win:

~Signed copy of my novel Summer's Song
~Signed copy of debut author Liz Matis's steamy novel Love by Design
~Warm woolly socks
~Gourmet hot cocoa
~And a few other surprises tucked inside!

Unfortunately, due to shipping costs, the winner must be a US resident.

So, to set the holiday mood, let's talk about holiday music. What are some of your favorites? I love many of the traditional Christmas carols, especially "Silent Night" and "Whose Child Is This," but when it comes to contemporary, these are 2 of my favorites:








So, what about you?

Monday Mentionables: A Guest Blog and a Contest!

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm guest blogging over at Savvy Authors, all about trimming the deadwood from our writing. I presented some of this info at a Savvy Authors mini-workshop over the summer and got a lot of positive feedback from the participants, so I'm bringing it back with some changes and additions.

And...a sneak peek at my December blog giveaway: everyone who comments, either here or on any of my guest posts this month, will have their name put in the running (for EVERY comment)for a chance to win a "Keeping Warm in Winter" gift package:

~Signed copy of my novel Summer's Song
~Signed copy of debut author Liz Matis's steamy novel Love by Design
~Warm woolly socks
~Gourmet hot cocoa
~And a few other surprises tucked inside!

Unfortunately, due to shipping costs, the winner must be a US resident.

Even though this contest officially begins on Friday December 1, I'm counting all comments from today forward. Join me over at Savvy Authors today!

Finally, I want to wish my mom a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY today!! (I won't give away her age, because you probably wouldn't believe it if you saw her anyway. Hope I get her longevity genes!)

Friday Fun Facts: Black Friday Here We Come!

Happy Black Friday! Anyone brave the sales this morning? Anyone brave the new-this-year midnight sales at many of the big stores? My husband and I go out each year, usually leaving the house between 4 and 5 am, but we tend to avoid the huge/crazy places like Best Buy and Walmart (we aren't big electronics consumers, anyway). We made it a point NOT to shop the midnight sales this year because, as you probably read, many employees and consumers thought it was somewhat insensitive & disrespectful to start the shopping on Thanksgiving night, a time that's really meant for spending time with family.

Anyway, I think a lot of people must have disagreed, because the stores were virtually empty by the time we got there this morning. Our luck, though - we still managed to find everything on our lists, this year with a lot less stress!

December is right around the corner, which means, among other holiday happenings, I'm going to be running a month-long blog giveaway contest right here...and I'm also going to be guest blogging in a few different places as well, so stay tuned for your chance to win! Monday will have all the details of what's in store...

Ten Things I Am Thankful For

Happy almost-Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope (if you celebrate the day) that your Thursday is filled with yummy food, time spent with loved ones, and happy memories being made. Today, 10 things I am thankful for this year:

1. My and my husband's well-being after our scary car accident earlier this month
2. The Good Samaritans that stopped right after said scary accident and helped us on a busy highway in the middle of rush hour.
3. My two jobs - I love teaching, and I love that I can write (and make money doing it) on the side!
4. My love of, and ability to, travel and see so many different places, both in this country and in others.
5. My family, both immediate and extended, even though I don't see some of them as often as I'd like to.
6. My friends. I am blessed to have wonderfully smart, funny, and supportive friends in many different areas of my life.
7. My health and fitness. I'm so happy that, at almost-41, I'm in better shape than I was 20 years ago. Love the gym!
8. Music. Just because there's always a song for every mood, and I can't imagine life without it.
9. My inner strength that allows me to deal with hard times and hurt.
10. The roof over my head, the food in my refrigerator, the fact that I can speak my mind, vote, wear what I want to, practice any religion I choose, and stand up for myself and for those less fortunate than I am without fear of punishment. It's a great country we live in, flaws and all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday Mentionables: For Readers and Writers

For readers: Who's looking forward to seeing the movie version of recent blockbuster YA novel The Hunger Games? I'm not usually a fan of books-turned-into-films, but I did enjoy the tension and interesting storyline of this book, and I think I'll probably check out the movie. Here's the trailer, if you're interested:



For writers: The Long and the Short of It is running a "Stuff Your Stockings With Books" blog giveaway in December. Here's the forwarded info:

We need authors who want to guest blog around the holidays! It doesn't cost you anything but a prize – what could be better than free promo on a really busy site?

It's easy to participate. Simply send us a COMPLETED blog post that is holiday themed (can be winter, Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah, New Year's, etc) and NOT pure promo (no posts that are only excerpts, etc) along with an author bio, website links and ONE book cover to use as promo. Also tell us what you'll be giving away in your spot. It can be a book, a GC, or other prizes (please be as specific as possible).

The posts will go up on our guest blog pages sometime between 12/19 and 12/30 (we'll tell you your date when we schedule you) and each author will be responsible for doing a drawing for their prize from the comments on their post and then posting the winner in the comments.

Email us your blog post and other information along with which site it's appropriate for (WC or LASR) with `STUFF YOUR STOCKINGS BLOGFEST' in the subject header to lasreviews AT gmail DOT com – and we'll do the rest!

We'll accept posts up through December 14, 2011.

Short week of work for me, just 3 days this week, and then it's off to celebrate good food and good times with family. Happy Monday!

Friday Fun Facts

Random thoughts on this Friday morning:

~It was 20 degrees here last night. Brr! I'm thinking about running a "Keep Warm in Winter" giveaway for the month of December, to include a copy of Summer's Song (of course!) as well as other goodies to remind us of those long-gone days of sunshine and heat. Stay tuned as next month nears!

~Since my car was totaled in my accident of 2 weeks ago, we found a replacement this week. The same car, same year, fewer miles, for just about the same price as insurance gave us to replace the other. Different color (not race car red...sigh...), but that's ok! It's safe, as we now know from experience, which is THE most important thing!

~I recently joined The Romance Studio again, after a membership lapse of a couple of years. It really is a great bang for your buck if you're a romance author - they offer tons of promo opportunities and ways to connect with readers. In terms of price, I think they're one of the best sites around.

~One of my students said yesterday, "Do you think that when e-readers become really popular, everyone will bring them to class instead of books?" I said, "Aren't they already popular? And wouldn't you like to have all your heavy textbooks loaded onto a single e-reader so you don't have to haul them to and from class all the time?" Answer: "Oh, yeah. Huh."

Happy Friday everyone! Anyone planning on tackling the Black Friday sales one week from today? Or are you just thinking as far as turkey and stuffing right now??

Monday Mentionables: Trying to Predict the Market

The latest issue of Romance Writers Report featured an article "Industry Insiders Give Their Predictions" - which, of course, is nearly impossible to do, but it was interesting to read all the same. Among the points mentioned:

~Upswing in acquisitions of dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories (this is a tough one...writing a happy ending in a notably unhappy world situation...hmm)
~Erotica and paranormal romance markets are fairly saturated (which is not to say you can't sell in them, but you need something a little different & fresh)
~Upper YA is becoming more popular: think heroines between 18 and 25 (hey, that's a terrific but terribly fragile time for many women...great potential for both conflict and happy endings!)
~Contemporary romance, esp. those with small town settings, may see an upswing, along with the idea of "gentle fiction", set in places with a slow pace and charming, small-town characters

Of course, this last one interests me the most, since I just (finally! it's about time!!) finished the second draft of my contemporary/small-town romance, Beacon of Love. It's off to a beta reader now while I figure out where to send it (agent, publisher, etc) and what project I want to tackle next. Let's hope these predictions ring true in 2012...

Friday Fun Facts: News for Writers and a Thank You to Veterans

Well, because I missed Writers' Wednesday this week (I've been knocked out by a bad sinus infection...think my immune system after last week's stressful accident was a little, um, depleted), I wanted to share a couple of pieces of news:

Fellow romance author Leanna Hieber announces a brand new release, DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul, "the first in a new Victorian Paranormal series set in 1880 New York City, full of adventure, love, faith, mystery, mayhem and plenty of spooky stuff." Leanna is a doll and I've signed with her on a couple of occasions. If you're looking for something new and different to read, check out her works.

And All Romance Ebooks has a slew of promo opportunities for writers, from ads to free to reviews and more. Check out everying they're offering by clicking here. It's a great time to take a look at your promotional plan for 2012 and start booking spots NOW (this message is for myself as much as for any other authors out there!).

Finally, I'd like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to all our veterans on this day, who have served and continue to serve to protect our country, most especially my own father-in-law, who fought in the Vietnam War.

Happy 11-11-11, and Happy Veteran's Day. We honor you :)

Monday Mentionables: Everything Changes in the Blink of an Eye

"There but for the grace of God go I..."

It's a familiar saying, right? How many times do we read stories in the newspaper or hear something tragic on the radio or drive by an accident on the side of the road and think that? But it's also all relative, too, because that's what I'm saying today after my husband and I were involved in a car accident last Friday night. I hesitate to call it a "serious" accident, though if you look at the picture of the car, you might say I'm crazy. I guess I don't consider it serious because we both walked away from it unhurt. But for a couple of seconds, though, it could have ended much differently, and that's why I think that even though we WERE that couple standing on the side of the road next to wreckage during rush hour, it could have been so much worse. The grace of God did help us out of this one.

I pray no one has to experience a car accident at all; it's a terrifying feeling in that split second when you realize someone else is going to hit you and the only thing you can do is hold on and press the brake pedal to the floor and pray the car will stop without hitting anything else. And it is absolutely true, how time slows down in a moment like that. I'm sure it was only a second or two between impact and when we stopped, but it seemed like many more, 5 or 10 or 15 seconds at least. And it's odd, the things you focus on, the sounds or the sights, and then the things you do or don't remember.

Anyway, we're fine. But it certainly does make you stop and take stock of things in your life in a moment like that one. I don't need the holiday of Thanksgiving to say prayers about all the things I'm thankful for right now~

Friday Fun Facts: Talking About Book Trailers

I didn't have a chance to post on Writers' Wednesday (busy week!) but I wanted to let you know that fellow author Liz Matis has a brand new book trailer for Love by Design! Click here to see it

I always really enjoyed making trailers, both for my own books and fellow authors'. Whether or not trailers translate directly into sales is tough to know for sure, but another marketing strategy is never a bad idea. Remember, your "brand" (your name, your title, your website, your concept, etc) has to be in front of someone 7 times before they remember it - this is a marketing FACT. So a trailer combined with other marketing strategies (especially if you can make it yourself, or have someone do it for you, inexpensively) can be a good idea.

I looked back through my own book trailers and decided my two favorites are for Lost in Paradise and Summer's Song. Take a look:







Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Monday Mentionables: A Freak Snowstorm

Yes, the HUGE Nor'easter that moved its way up the East Coast over the weekend hit us, but good! We were super-fortunate not to lose power (many people in our area did), but we did get about 10 inches of snow when it was through:




Funny thing, to see leaves and snow on the trees. You never can tell what Mother Nature has in store for us (case in point: it's supposed to be in the 50s this week!)

And just because it's Halloween, and in honor of the snow and one of the most talented modern-day storytellers, here's a clip from The Shining. I don't know which is scarier, the book or the movie, but I definitely can't watch it (or read it) when I'm home by myself! Happy Haunting :)

Friday Fun Facts

Fun (?) Fact #1: It snowed here last night. Yes, really. Sigh...and it's only October. Wonder how long THIS winter is going to be?

Fun Fact #2: Hubby and I are going to be spending spring break at a race track in Salt Lake City, where he will get to drive a very fast car at very fast speeds and I will get to...watch. Hey, I'm thinking it will be good book material, right?

Fun Fact #3: I'm now more than halfway through my revision of Beacon of Love and seeing, maybe, a glimmer of the light at the end. Incidentally, I'll be looking for a couple of beta readers for the story when I'm through. If you're at all interested, shoot me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com and let me know.

Have a great weekend, and happy writing!

Writers' Wednesday: It's a Guy Thing

I'm in the middle of revising my latest WIP, Beacon of Love, and I'm finding it interesting that my hero, Lucas, has really become the central character at this point in the novel. Don't get me wrong, the heroine, Sophie, is holding her own, but Lucas has somehow developed this complex backstory that (for me anyway) is enriching him as a character. I hope this doesn't turn off some readers; I know that usually in a romance the heroine is the one with the central conflict and journey. But this time, it seems as though it's going to be the guy.

Here's an excerpt from the chapter I revised last night, and even though it's told from Sophie's POV, it's still more about Lucas than about her:
*********************

“Hi there.”

She stopped in her tracks, halfway between the kitchen and the parlor. “Damn, Walker. Looking good.” The combination of dark blue button-down shirt and faded jeans suited him well.

He colored. “You ready?”

She nodded. He reached for her hand, and her fingers tingled as he tucked it into the crook of his elbow. Scratch that. Her whole damn arm – okay, the entire right side of her body, spreading fast to the left and all parts south and lonely – tingled. Could we maybe skip dinner and go right to dessert? she wanted to ask. Instead she just breathed in his cologne and led him lead her down the front steps.

“Hey, no hat!” she realized as they walked to his truck. To be fair, she’d only looked up a few seconds earlier. The parts of him on her level – broad back, wide shoulders, ass that filled out his jeans in just the right way – were more than tempting. But the rest of him up top was pretty nice too.

“No hat,” he admitted.

“I like it. I can see your face.”

He grinned but didn’t say anything, just helped her into the cab of his truck and closed the door behind her.

“So what’s the name of this place again?” she asked as they headed for the highway. He adjusted the radio to a jazz station.

“The Cove.” At the cross out by the city limits – for Barbie Collins, Sophie remembered after a minute – Lucas slowed. For a minute she thought he was going to stop, maybe say something or get out and pay respects. But he didn’t even glance at the cross, and then she wondered if the slowing was almost subconscious, a reflex that happened every time he went near one of the memorials without even realizing it.

How do you measure grief? Watching Lucas, Finn, the Walkers, even Shannon O’Brien, the answers were beginning to come to her: in little pieces, minute actions, the slightest change in the everyday ways people adjusted their lives after a loss.
****************

What do you think? Do you have a certain expectation when you read a romance novel that the heroine is going to be the focus? Do you want her story to be the focus? And, would you care if the hero had at least as central a role as the heroine?

Monday Mentionables: Don't Forget About Audio Books

Opened my email to a pleasant surprise this week: my royalty statement from AudioLark, where 2 of my books are available as audio books. I released them in that format over a year ago, more interested in the process than thinking that the additional format would bump my royalties. And for the most part, the payback has been very, very small.

However, most of AudioLark's titles are now available on Audible, the biggest audio book website out there, and what a surprise to find that my sales of One Night in Memphis saw a terrific boost over the last quarter! In fact, it was a nice reminder to me not to forget that I should be marketing those books as well (hint hint...the holidays are coming). I clicked on over to my page at Audible and found a listener rating of 3/5 - not great, but I was more pleased by the fact that the average was based on 22 ratings. Not too shabby!

So...if you're a reader/listener, consider purchasing an audio book or two, either for yourself or for a friend. Remember they're great for riding in the car, listening to while you're doing housework, etc. And if you're a writer, consider putting your work into audio book format (provided you have the audio rights, if you're previously published). You never know how many additional fans you might get!

Friday Fun Facts: Words and More Words...

Funny story for the week:

One of my students wrote a recent essay about the causes of the rise in teenage pregnancy. A primary cause she cited was sex education programs in schools, especially those that only teach absence. Uh huh. Absence. At first I wanted to correct her spelling - then I realized I really couldn't. Then I wanted to correct her word usage. Then I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was onto something. Maybe "absence" is actually a better form of birth control to teach than "abstinence." I mean, if you aren't even there, you can't commit the act, right?

Gotta love when people mix up words :) Maybe not in the books we read, but in student writing? Yes, it makes me smile.

(A close post-script to this essay was the one that also cited school sex ed programs for the rise in teen pregnancies, though this one said that students were more at fault, specifically those students who don't care, don't pay attention, and thus don't really know how to use a condom and just "slap it on." Uh huh. Really, I don't make these things up.)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Blogging at Samhain Publishing

Hi everyone! Today I'm blogging over at Samhain Publishing, about why I'll never quit my day job (yes, even once I get that million-dollar advance...). Please join me there!

Monday Mentionables: Finding Time

Just finished reading a great article in the October 2011 Romance Writers Report that talked about finding time to write (because we can all find time to put it off, right?!). One of the things I realized after a hectic start to the school year, and then taking a few days off to visit Iceland, was that even a week or two away from my WIP makes it that much harder to get back into the swing of things. I forget where the plotline is, I forget the subtleties of my character development, I have to spend time reading backwards instead of time moving forward.

So....write! Every day! Yes, every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. Some tips from the RWR article, which I whole-heartedly agree with:

~Find "hidden pockets" of time. You don't need a stretch of a few hours to accomplish something on your WIP. Believe me, you don't. Even if it's only 10 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever, there are still pockets of time in your day you can take advantage of. Figure out your best "natural" time to write (are you a morning person? or do you function better late at night?) and then carve out time when you don't have to be devoted to 5 other things then, and use that time to write.

~Focus/minimize other distractions. This means (as I tell my students in English class) don't have your Internet browser open, turn off your email notifications, turn your phone to silent. You'll be amazed at how those simple things can give you more time and attention to your WRITING.

~Just write. This is the age-old "Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard" mantra. Don't worry whether it's any good. Don't edit and re-edit as you go along. Just write. When you go back the next day, you'll find that it isn't nearly as "awful" as you might have originally imagined. Better yet, you'll have something to work with - and something is always better than a blank page of nothing.

~Turn waiting time into writing time. If you know you'll be sitting in a waiting room, or standing in line somewhere for a while, see if you can use that precious time to your advantage. Even if you can't type, can you use pen and paper to jot down thoughts for a next scene? Or a new project? Creative juices can flow anywhere, if you let them :)

~Schedule time drains. Are you a Facebook or Twitter junkie? Find it impossible to stay away from the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars"? Figure out which of those activities you must have in your life, and then schedule around them. Again, as I tell my students in English class, you don't need to spend 30 minutes at a time updating your Facebook status or commenting on your friends' 67 pictures from their trip to Disney. Give yourself 10 minutes and move on. Do you really, really, need to get sucked into watching a brand new sitcom (I know, there are a few tempting ones on TV this fall)? Or would that half-hour at the end of the day be better served to writing a page or two?

~Keep track of, and celebrate, your successes. It's hard work to write a novel! (or a novella or even a short story) Lots of people talk about doing it - far fewer succeed. So definitely give yourself credit for the milestones you reach. Your first draft of a 20K-word story?Awesome! The mid-way point of your first full-length novel? Awesome again. Finally getting through that first kiss scene and liking the way it turns out? Hooray!

Yes, writing is tough work. But you can do it - and I hope some of these tips inspired you the way they inspired me. Now I'm off to write~