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:

Friday Fun Facts: The Promise of Paradise is Available in Print!

TGIF!! And I'm super-happy to share today's news with you all: my contemporary romance novel The Promise of Paradise is now available in print! So for all you non-ebook readers, this is your chance to buy the book that I've been yakking about for the last 5 months :) It's only $7.99 from Amazon, a steal for a 200+ page book, and as always, if you'd like an autographed book plate for inside the front cover, just email me (allieb@allieboniface.com) with your snail mail address and I'll send you one!

 

 

 

"This book had secrets, romance, great characters with issues, steam, a kitten, and a slew of emotional scenes all wrapped up with a wonderfully fantastic ending." —Crazy Four Books

"I'm a sucker for opposites attract stories and this one is no disappointment." — 4 Winks from Flirting with Romance

"I highly recommend this book if you enjoy some delicious torture with the sexual tension, that is well worth the wait in the end!" —Romance Addict Book Blog

Writers' Wednesday: Do You Use GoodReads Giveaways? You Should

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Are you on GoodReads? Do you use it to post reviews, to see what others are reading, to follow your favorite authors, or to promote yourself? GoodReads is a great and growing resource that you SHOULD be using as an author (disclaimer: I don't use it nearly as often or as completely as I should. But I'm trying to remedy that...)

One of the best tools they have for writers is the chance to give away a copy of your book. Anyone can enter, and you choose the length of the giveaway & how many books you'll give away, and GoodReads does the rest for you! The best part about this is the exposure - and I've found that people will add your book to their "To Read" list just from seeing it on a giveaway. Others, I hear (tough to prove for certain) will purchase your book after they don't win it, just because they're tantalized enough to enter the giveaway and then bummed enough to want to get it for themselves anyway.

So what's the skinny on getting the highest number of entries and reaching the highest number of potential readers? Here's a great post I found a while back that gives some great, concrete advice. Good luck!

Monday Mentionables: Will I See You Next Weekend?

Happy Monday, everyone! First off, very important to mention: my upcoming appearance at the annual Holiday in Homer craft fair on Saturday, July 20, in wonderful, small town, Homer, New York. I'll be there all day long, with all my current print releases INCLUDING the brand new The Promise of Paradise, which is releasing in print this week! Details to follow on how/where you can order it :)

Hope to see you in Homer!

In other news, I blogged last week at The Romance Studio about digital books vs. print books, and I'd love your input! The link is right here.

Finally, if you read my blog last week, you'll know that I was visiting my sister in the great state of Idaho. Had a great time, and here's my favorite picture from the visit, in an over-sized chair on one of the main sidewalks in town (apparently things ARE bigger in the west, at least when it comes to furniture):