Writers' Wednesday: Happy 2013!

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” ~Virginia Woolf


Hello, everyone, and welcome to 2013!! I hope you had a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve celebration, and I hope that the new year has exciting things in store for you :)

Now, if you follow my blog on a regular basis you know that Wednesdays here are usually devoted to tips for writers, and while that will still be true in 2013, today I'd also like to put out a general call for any writer who would either (a) like to be interviewed on my blog this year or (b) like to share any writing tips of their own on my blog as well. If you'd like to be featured in any form on a Writers' Wednesday on Allie's Musings, either leave me a message in the comments section today OR drop me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com.

This is a great chance to promote a new or current release, or just meet some new readers and writers in cyber-world :)

I'll be back here on Friday with a new (and I hope fun!) twist on my usual Friday Fun Facts. See you then!!

Friday Fun Facts: The Last One!

It's the last Friday of 2012! Can't believe it....what a whirlwind year in many respects. FYI, I'll be changing up my blog and my Friday Fun Facts a little bit in 2013....tune in next week to see exactly what those changes will include.

For now, thought I'd share a few famous "Fridays" in honor of ushering this last one out of the year. Happy almost-2013!!

• TGI Fridays: restaurant chain
• Good Friday religious holiday
• Friday’s: comedy variety show on ABC back in the early 1980s.
• Friday: fictional character from the book/movie Robinson Crusoe
• Friday Harbor, Washington, in the lovely San Juan Islands
• His Girl Friday: motion picture starring Cary Grant from 1940
• Friday the 13th: movie series
• Black Friday for the busy shopping day after Thanksgiving
• Casual Friday at the workplace
• Freaky Friday: motion picture from 1976 and remake in 2003
• Friday: 1995 motion picture
• Friday Night Lights: television show and term for high school football
• “Friday, I’m in Love”: song by The Cure. 

Writers' Wednesday: Links for Authors

Happy day after Christmas! Hope you had a wonderful day, if you celebrate it, and a wonderful day anyway, even if you don't :)

Here for writers are a couple links worth checking out, especially if you're looking for ways to promote your work in the New Year (and who isn't??)

The Romance Studio is having a blow-out advertising sale, with deals on individual ads as well as a Crazy Christmas Package Deal of ad combinations worth over $500..for only $125!! (or $100 if you're already a TRS member...even better!)

Goddess Fish Promotions has some great package deals on Virtual Book Tours for anyone who's looking for a lot of online exposure for a new release (or hey, even a not-so-new one). They're updating their prices as of January 1, so take a look now if you're interested.

And for anyone who's been playing around with a Young Adult manuscript that really isn't so Young (because your main characters aren't teenagers, but instead college-age young men and women negotiating that tricky time between adolescence and adulthood), Entangled Publishing is currently accepting submissions for their "New Adult" line, getting ready to launch in Summer 2013. Click here to find out more.

Happy writing!

Monday Mentionables: My First Time on the Radio!

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone who celebrates it! Is your shopping done? Your wrapping? Will you be celebrating with friends and family tonight or tomorrow? Attending a Christmas Eve service at your local church? (I love those most of all...the carols, the candles, the camaraderie of the congregation sharing the moment)

In the meantime, if you have a few free minutes, give a listen to my radio interview right here. This past Saturday, Bernadette Walsh interviewed me for her Blog Talk Radio show Nice Girls Reading Naughty Books, and I really had a ball! Very low-key (just a phone call from your own landline), great questions,a  fun way to talk about my writing as well as my upcoming release. And I was happy to hear, listening to the playback, that I sounded okay and not like a stuttering idiot LOL.

Have a great holiday, all :)

It's The End of the World as We Know It... (Or Not)

 

 

See you back here on Monday, folks! Have a great weekend!!

Writers' Wednesday: Check Out All These Deals!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Holiday time usually means great deals on all kinds of items, as retailers look to grab those last-minute, and this December is no exception when it comes to books. Check out these deals:

All Romance Ebooks is giving away a free ebook EVERY SINGLE DAY, for the 12 days of Christmas. Click here to see today's giveaway title.

Lyrical Press is holding a "Doomsday, You Say?" sale from December 21 - 31, with 75% off every title in their catalog. Every title!!

And finally, my writing friend Liz Matis has a short story featured in the anthology Martini Madness, now on sale at Amazon. (Hers is titled "Real Men Don't Drink Appletinis.") Support a fellow writer and download it for some fun holiday reading :)

Have fun shopping!

Monday in Mourning

I usually have a lot to say on Mondays - about my own writing, about my fellow writers and what they're up to, about the latest books and good reads and pages you should check out. But today, folks, I have no words, just a broken heart after last Friday's school shooting in Newtown, CT. And as I head in to work in a few minutes, I'm trying to decide what I will tell my students who are aspiring to be teachers themselves someday. I think I will start by saying that I have always thought that anyone who chooses education as a profession has a heroic nature.

Now I know that to be true.

Prayers to everyone struggling to deal with the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.

Writers' Wednesday: What You Missed in the RWR

Last week I blogged about the highlights of the latest Writer's Digest. This week, it's the December issue of the Romance Writers Report:

~"Sports Romance: Can They Go All the Way?" discusses the potential rise of sports romance as a niche genre. Football players, hockey goalies, race car drivers...you gotta admit, there's something about an athlete (in almost any sport) that cries out alpha hero. My writing friend Liz Matis writes sports romance, and she'll be joining other well-known authors like Jaci Burton and Cassandra Carr in 2013 to write a blog on just this sub-genre. Can't wait!

~"Which Path to Published Should You Take?" explores the pros and cons of traditional, e-, and self-publishing, and makes a good case for an author's hybrid approach to incorporating all three (thus my Monday blog post on the possibilities of re-releasing one of my back novels as a self-pubbed ebook through Amazon). I think it's great how the industry has changed to the point where this is a viable, respected alternative to typical New York houses that dominated publishing for so long.

~:Connecting with Readers" talked about how best to use social media (or in-person connections) to build a reader base. Bottom line: find what you're most comfortable with and exploit it, whether that's blogging once a week, chatting on Twitter, or making connections on your Facebook page (and yes, if you're an author, you need at least one of these)/

and finally...

~"Can Free Ebooks Be Profitable?" talked about the ways in which authors have used free ebooks to boost their sales of other books. While it takes some work to format and promote your work (if you're going it alone), it can definitely pay off. It seems as though Amazon's Kindle Direct Program is at least worth a look when it comes to this option.

And that's the high and low of it! Enjoy your Wednesday, and happy writing!

Monday Mentionables: Weighing the Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing

Had a great writers' group meeting and luncheon with my fellow romance authors over the weekend! It's so refreshing and heartening to share stories, celebrate successes, and lament struggles with people who understand. When you say, "I have no idea where to go with this character," they'll make a suggestion. When you want to throw something at the computer screen because everything sounds terrible, they'll tell you to take a walk or clean a closet (believe me, for some reason cleaning really helps free up the creative juices). And when you have no idea how to motivate a character or how to dress her, they'll tell you to take an hour and watch Real Housewives of New Jersey.

In all seriousness, amid the discussion of business, and reading the latest Romance Writers' Report, I found myself toying with the idea of republishing my book Lost in Paradise on Amazon as a self-published work and use their Kindle Direct Program to feature it free for 5 days, then sell it directly myself...mostly as a lead-in to my upcoming new release Beacon of Love in the spring.

My thoughts are such: contractually I can get my rights back from the publisher who currently has it, polish and possibly revise (with the outside thought of weaving in some plot/characters that will tie into Beacon of Love). If I have it up for sale in the month or so before Beacon of Love releases, I'm hoping to build some positive press that will lead to greater initial sales for Beacon. Also, Paradise has never had great sales with its current publisher, and if I can boost it through self-pubbing it, then why not give it a try?

I'd love thoughts from anyone who's gone this route, esp. using free ebooks to boost other sales. It seems like it has potential, but I have to weigh the costs with the possible outcomes. So....what do you think?

Writers' Wednesday: What You Missed in This Month's Writer's Digest

I let my subscription to Writer's Digest expire a few months back before signing up again, and I have to say, I missed it. It's the best $16/year you'll ever spend, if you're a writer. Every issue is full of articles covering the craft, promotion, interviews with people in all areas of the trade, and best of all, it's not genre-specific. RWA is great for romance writers, but it's nice to hear about writing success and struggles and advice in very different areas.

Anyway, my favorite articles from the November/December issue:

"How to Develop Any Idea Into a Great Story" - gives some great, off-the-charts ideas for "bending" the traditional into the absoutely fresh and innovative. Among other suggestions: add insane characters; play up the pain of blood ties between characters; don't overplay the emotion; and my favorite (talking about starting in the right place): "Everybody's bloody and panting, everybody's heart is broken, everybody's hanging on by theor fingernails. Now what? Let the story begin!"

"Overcoming Writers's Block Without Willpower" - my favorite subsection in this article talked about eliminating one's constant dependence on technology. Don't check anything (email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, voicemail) while you're supposed to be writing. Just write.

"The Amazing Mr. Appel" - I'm not sure I love him or hate him, but the winner of Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition has not only won before, did not only place 4 times this year in the Screenplay category, but is also a doctor at Mt. Sinai Hospital, a teacher at Gotham Writer's Workshop, and holds 4 Master's degrees and a J.D. (in addition to his medical degree). Um, yeah. Anytime I feel overwhelmed by my life and job, guess I better look to this guy (who apparently doesn't sleep) for motivation.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Monday Mentionables: I'll Be on the Radio!

Well, not really on the radio. Or, well, sort of. A fellow romance author, Bernadette Walsh, is dabbling with starting a blog radio show featuring romance writers. I'm always one to give a new kind of promo opportunity a try, so I jumped in and said Sure!

What will it entail? On Saturday December 22, at 11 am (EST), she'll be interviewing me live (via phone) for "Nice Girls Reading Naughty Books" and you'll be able to hear it online right here.

Even better, though, it will record so that if you miss the live interview, you can play the link as a sound file anytime in the future. And I'll certainly have it on my website (and here on this blog) so readers can listen in.

Fellow romance authors, if you're interested, she's actively looking for people to interview. Click on the link above, and there are details there about contacting her for a spot. All interviews are held on Saturdays at 11:00 am, for 30 minutes. (She's interviewing a senior editor from Lyrical Press this-coming Saturday, Dec. 8th)

Can't wait to give it a try and report back here! Remember: "Nice Girls Reading Naughty Books" on Saturday, December 22 at 11am. Give it a listen - and if you're really brave, call in with a question of your own for me to answer!

Friday Fun Facts!

I know, I know: I've been remiss in blogging lately. Chalk it up to my busy day job, or the busy time of year, or my lack of sometimes remembering that I NEED to blog, and, well.......

Anyway, I wanted to share with you 2 fun facts today: first off, one of my dear high school friends, who's a military wife and stay-at-home mother of 3, has started her own blog. And she's funny. Really. Well, sarcastic too. And hard-hitting, depending on the topic. Her Facebook status updates alone would make a pretty funny this-is-my-life type of book, a la Chelsea Handler. Drop by, would you? She's at MyLifeMyFamilyMyWay.

And I want to give a shout-out to a fellow Hudson Valley RWA member, Elf Ahearn, who just sold her first manuscript to Crimson Romance! Big cheers and congratulations!! Crimson is a fairly new imprint of Adams Media, and it looks like they're settling into the romance niche pretty well. Want to know more? Click here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Cyber-Monday Deals!

Whew!  Did everyone else survive the holidays? Between cooking for Thanksgiving, heading out in the wee hours for Black Friday sales, and leading my mother and sister on a walking tour of lower Manhattan on Saturday, I'm ready to go back to work!

In all seriousness, it was nice to see and spend time with friends and family...hope you felt the same.

And now, just in case you DIDN'T finish your shopping last week, Cyber-Monday has rolled around with some more great deals. For romance ebook readers especially, here are the ones you need to know about:

Samhain Publishing is offering 50% off ALL titles from midnight to 9 am on Monday, and then 40% off all titles from 9 am to midnight! Use EARLYBIRD coupon code for the first one and CYBERMONDAY coupon code for the second one ;)

Lyrical Press is holding their "Doomsday" sale from now through December 21st. Check our their home page for more information AND great discounts on all books purchased through their store.

Of course, there are more sales all around the web, including BN.com and Amazon.com. Go forth and buy books!

Monday Mentionables: New Audio Books Available!

Imagine my surprise when I discovered over the weekend that One Night in Napa and One Night in Boston are both now for sale on Audible.com! The release dates were scheduled for early 2013, so I'm thrilled that they're up early :) And check out these fun covers:

 

Hey folks, audio books are AWESOME for anyone who's too busy to sit down with a book (and unfortunately, that's a lot of us these days). Commuting? Prepping your kitchen and your turkey for the big day? Sneaking in a little time on the treadmill? Download a book or two for your iPod and enjoy a little romance a la Allie Boniface!

Friday Fun Facts: Thanksgiving Trivia

Just in time for the holiday, here are 10 little-known facts about Thanksgiving (well, they were little-known to me, anyway). Hmm....think maybe there's a story idea in here somewhere?

#1. Lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and goat cheese are thought to have made up the first Thanksgiving feast.

#2. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.

#3. The heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog.

#4. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade used to use live animals instead of floats (they borrowed the animals from the Central Park Zoo).

#5. The night before Thanksgiving is the single biggest day for bar sales in the United States. 

#6. According to Guinness World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked was 12 feet in diameter and 2,020 pounds. The recipe required 900 pounds of pumpkin, 1,860 eggs, 300 pounds of sugar and 250 pounds of crust!
#7. While commercially raised turkeys usually can't fly, the wild variety can hit speeds of up to 55 mph when outrunning a predator.

#8. Part of the reason that Swanson started creating T.V. Dinners in 1953 was because they needed to find something to do with 260 tons of frozen turkeys that were left over from Thanksgiving.

#9. The original cornucopia was made from a curved goat's horn.

#10. Scientists have found fossils suggesting that Turkeys roamed North America 10 million years ago!

Monday Mentionables: There's a Party Coming Up!

Hey readers, next week The Romance Studio will be holding a Thanksgiving Week Bash, with tons of authors posting teasers and questions and trivia and PRIZES....and I'll be there as one of them!

Want to know more? Click on the banner below. Three days of partying....hope you can join us!

Friday Fun Facts: Does Swag Lead to Sales?

The latest issue of the Romance Writers' Report was all about the statistics of romance sales: who's buying, what they're buying, and in which format. The feature article also discussed why readers buy books, and the top reasons included familiarity with the author's other works, recommendations from friends, & excerpts from the book they could read online or at the end of other authors' books. To a lesser extent, reviews and covers encouraged readers to buy a book. What landed at the bottom of the list? Swag, or free "stuff" that authors give away, such as bookmarks, magnets, goodie bags, etc.

I mention this for a couple of reasons: my local RWA meeting is this weekend, and a few members want to discuss swag and what works/what doesn't (for the record, I've found it's very hard to tell what promotional items or efforts are directly tied to sales. Marketing experts will tell you pretty much the same). I'm also interested in knowing YOUR opinion: what makes you buy a book? Have you ever bought a book because of swag you got from an author? Should we authors be putting money into promotional items - bookmarks, pens, posters, flyers, etc...? Or not?

Please share!

Writers' Wednesday: Hook, Line & Sinker Contest Still Open!

Calling all writers! Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Hudson Valley RWA has extended its deadline for the Hook, Line, and Sinker Contest to this Friday, November 8th. Entry fee is just $10 - get feedback from published authors on the first 3 pages of your manuscript....those tricky opening lines where you either hook your reader or lose 'em!

More info here.

In other news, I finished my edits for Beacon of Love and now just have to work on the dedication and the "catchy but brief" author bio to put at the end. And now off to the keyboard, my friends.....

The Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Today my heart and my thoughts go out to all those people in NYC and New Jersey who suffered loss at the hands of Hurricane Sandy this week. If you don't live in the area, I'm sure you've seen the pictures: so much of the Jersey coast, lower Manhattan, and Long Island has been destroyed. At this point there is widespread power loss; people are struggling to find gas stations; some are returning to their homes to assess the damage while others are trapped in their homes unable to leave. 

I send prayers to ALL of you, and I urge anyone who is able to reach out in whatever way you can, even if it's just a similar prayer or a wish on social media or donations to a charity that's actively helping the survivors. 

My husband and I live in the lower Hudson Valley, about an hour north of where the hurricane hit hardest. We were very fortunate: we only lost power for about 30 hours, and our house didn't suffer any damage. Many, many trees are down around us, though, most torn up by the roots:

The gas shortage is starting to affect our area now. I know many, many people are desperate for gas to run the generators at their homes, not to mention for their cars so they can get to the grocery store or leave and stay with relatives. Yesterday every gas station in our area had lines backed up along the road, and by late afternoon/early evening many were out of gas altogether. I am hopeful that this is only temporary and that shipments will be on their way soon. In the meantime, we'll be cautious here over the next few days and stay close to home. 

Amazing how affected we all can be by an natural disaster like this one. Join together however you can, folks, and know that those people in NYC/New Jersey really need your strong thoughts and support right now :)

Monday Mentionables: Riding Out Hurricane Sandy

Happy Monday, everyone! So...if you're anywhere on the East Coast, you're probably either in the middle of or anticipating the impact of Hurricane Sandy. If you are in its path, please stay safe! Here in the lower Hudson Valley, NY, we're preparing as best we can and hoping the damage is minimal.

Anyway, the good news today is that (if you didn't see it on my Facebook or Twitter pages) I have a cover for my spring release, Beacon of Love! Here it is:

Hope you love it as much as I do!

Also, for readers, Lyrical Press is offering a great Halloween Sale: 50% off all titles this week! Great time to shop for new books and authors, don't you think?

And for writers, The Romance Studio is offering a tremendous 7 for the price of 1 advertising sale - through October 31! More details here.

Okay - batten down the hatches and let Hurricane Sandy do her worst! See you on Wednesday :)