Writers' Wednesday: Story Ideas are Everywhere

While I was getting a manicure over the weekend (in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month - do you like it?), the nail tech and I got to talking. She asked the inevitable question: where do you get your ideas? And I told her, as I usually do, that all I have to do is read the paper or turn on the news. Case in point, headlines from the last couple of weeks that got me thinking:

Family Friend Arrested After Teacher Finds Pot in 3-Year Old's Backpack

Massive Hunt for Missing Autistic Boy in NYC

Hawaii Surfer Throws Punches to Escape Shark

Groom Who Halted Own Wedding with Bomb Threat Jailed

In fact, here's a great website that collects these kinds of headlines. If you're a writer and you're stuck for ideas, get to browsing. It's crazy what a true-life story might inspire in your own fiction!

Monday Mentionables: A Romance Ezine and a Call for Erotic Category Romance

Happy Monday! The Romance Reviews just released its October 2013 ezine, and Beacon of Love is featured on page 20. Check out this link for all kinds of great romance reads!

AND, for all writers, Lyrical Press just released this announcement:

Going forward, Lyrical is going to focus on erotic romance, with a tremendous push of category erotic romance. Sure, we know other houses are doing category, but we're going where not many have ventured. As Penny and I talked about, Lyrical will dare to put a new spin on classic category romance. Rather than fear putting a toe past the invisible line and stop at steamy, we're going straight to erotic romance. 

Since Lyrical loves breaking rules, we're increasing the ‘traditional’ category word count to 50,000 - 80,000 words. This ensures every category book will have a simultaneous digital and print release.

In fact, every Lyrical book over 50,000 words will be have a simultaneous digital and print release beginning November 2013. Yes, you read that right. Every book over 50,000 words will be released digitally and in print at the same time.

Each category line will be a fully branded and unique Lyrical Press imprint. 

Category erotic romance

• Entice: Category contemporary erotic romance
• Enigma: Category contemporary suspense erotic romance 
• Fervor: LGBT category contemporary erotic romance

Will we still publish non-erotic romance? Absolutely. Non-erotic romance will be published under the umbrella of Lyrical Presents: Romance. 

Lyrical will also open our house to erotic romance serials. These are books 90,000 - 150,000 words. Serials will be released monthly in 25,000 word installments, attractively priced at $1.99 each. 

We want danger, excitement. Shock us. I dare you.

If you write erotic romance, you can check out Lyrical's website for all the details!

Friday Fun Facts: What Women Want Expo on December 1st - Mark Your Calendars!

Great Friday news! Just in time for the holidays (I know you don't want to hear it, but it will be gift shopping time before you know it) I and fellow romance/women's fiction authors Liz Matis and Marianne Sciucco will be at the What Women Want Expo on Sunday, December 1, at the Homewood Suites in New Windsor, NY. All kinds of vendors will be there, plus Safe Homes of Orange County will receive a portion of the proceeds in addition to all of the toys collected at the event.

If you're local to Orange County, please join us!!

Writers' Wednesday: Happy Hump Day!

Monday Mentionables: Have You Liked my Facebook Page Yet?

Happy Columbus Day! (do we still celebrate this? I know it's become a little less politically correct to do so.). Well, okay, happy Monday instead! And if you happen to have this day off, then I hope you're enjoying it. Around here, we're trying to do the late-fall clean up: empty planters of the last remnants of summer flowers, move deck furniture inside, spruce up the sign post at the bottom of our driveway with some fall decorations and mums.

Oh, and write! Did I mention write? The tentative release date for Inferno of Love is January 2014, and I have lots to do before then! Will be sharing the cover with you in December, and I can't wait. I promise some teasers and excerpts as well. So get ready for a brand new story featuring the folks in Lindsey Point, CT. And in the meantime, have you liked my Facebook page? (yes, I'm sneaking in some shameless self-promotion today) I'm only 5 away from 300 Likes, and I'd love to jump that hurdle this week :)

Thank you!!

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.

 

 

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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!
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