The Final Countdown (A Book Launch Story)

Hi there, Sugar here. And I have got a twitchy eye. Why? Because I’m stressed out. Forget about the multiple deadlines and the difficult day job, I’ve got a book coming out in a little over four months. And while I am over the moon excited, am I ready? Absolutely not. 

Saturday I spent the day with my CTRWA peeps and listened to Kristan Higgins give a great talk about how to prepare for a book launch. I listened to every word which is hard for me because I have severe case of self diagnosed ADD but I had trouble absorbing everything because the entire time I kept thinking oh S#@t I’m not ready. I’m never going to be ready. Book seller letters, and authors assistants and giveaways and swag and book signings and public speaking and workshops and blog tours and Facebook and Twitter and Goodreads and websites and newsletters and put me out of my misery.

I went home that night sobbing with all of that stuff swimming in my head. I think I feel the way all writers feel. If I can just get my book into the public’s hand they’ll like it, some will hate it, but a lot will like it. But how can I do that? I know realistically I can’t do it all. I don’t have money to hire an author’s assistant or to buy really cute swag.  There is no way in hell I’m going to be able to put together and manage a street team. I have no back list to give away, no legion of fans that I can ask to spread the word about me.

But instead of thinking about all the things I can’t do I started to think about the things I can do.

I can continue to write good books. Before anything else I will focus on this. I write because  I feel compelled to not because I need or want to.

I can update my Facebook fan page and Twitter daily. I sometimes have trouble with this. I can’t talk about my day job, or bitch about my mother. I don’t have any kids to tell cute stories about. I don’t have a cute boxing trainer that I can pant over. Hell, I don’t even have a pet, so I sometimes wonder if what I have to say is good enough. (I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I think I’m pretty damn engaging.) Check me out here.

I can spend my limited advertising money wisely. In DANGEROUS CURVES AHEAD my heroine is a wicked funny, ultra curvy fashion blogger/designer/shop owner. And if she were a real person she would be all over Full Figured Fashion week which is taking place in NYC June 17-21st.( PS I’m looking for some women to hit the sample sale with, if anybody is interested.) I’m researching taking out an ad in their program. Even if it doesn’t reflect in direct sales, I can get my name out there and let girls like me know I write books about girls like them. I can also take out targeted ads on Facebook and GoodReads without having to spend much of my hard earned cash.

I can look like the super sexy successful author I want to be. I’m shedding some of this extra coat of winter fat. (9 pounds and counting). This also includes buying new outfits which is no real hardship for me.

I can attend conferences. Look out Atlanta here I come!

I can take care of myself. I can eat healthier. Sleep better. Drink more water and try to not let the stress take anymore of my hair out. Because without me there are no books to launch. We ALL need to take care of ourselves!

So what do you do? What do you think I should do to help with this book launch? Any and all comments are welcome. 

Stories that Stick

Happy Friday everyone! Casey Wyatt here.

With the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to share some of my favorite books in case you’re looking for gifts or something different to read in all your “free” time.

Either because of the characters or the adventure, these are the stories that have stuck with me over the years. Sometimes, I re-read them (except for #6, explanation to follow), other times, the memory is enough to make me smile.

By no means, is this a list of all my favorite books. Absent, but no less loved, are The Lord Of the Rings trilogy, A Christmas Carol and all of Harry Potter. Instead, I wanted to offer more obscure titles that maybe you’ve never encountered. And I do admit that some of these have a sci-fi/fantasy bent (but I can’t help that!).

1.In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker – a 24th century cyborg named Mendoza time travels to Elizabethan England to the garden of Sir Walter Iden. While there, she falls in love with a monk name Nicholas Harpole. While there’s a romance, this is really speculative fiction and is the first of an epic series about the mysterious Company – Dr. Zeus, Inc.

2. Spring Moon: A Novel of China by Bette Boa Lord – I first read this book as a teen. I distinctively remember that you could choose among an assortment of different colored covers. I choose a pink one with red lettering (which I still own). At the time, I knew next to nothing about China, let alone about the turmoil at the turn of the twentieth century. But I never forgot this tale about Spring Moon and how she survived her country’s massive social upheaval. I re-read this book several years ago and it was still as poignant as I remembered.  If you are a fan of Lisa See, check this book out.

3. A High Wind In Jamaica by Richard Hughes – this book was out of print for many years but returned in the early 2000s, when I first learned about it. This story is a dark comedy about a group of siblings on their way home to England after their Jamaican plantation home is leveled by a hurricane. Along the way, their ship is hi-jacked by pirates who have no idea what they are in for. And it begs the question, who is more wicked? The children or the pirates?

4. The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett – A wacky variation of the story about the guy in the in the red suit. In the land of Discworld, Hogswatchnight is in danger when the beloved Hogfather goes missing.Death’s granddaughter has the task of finding him before disaster ensues. With appearances by a down on her luck tooth fairy, a nasty assassin, and Death himself, this is a satirical holiday tale like nothing you’ve read before.

5. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote – A short story that I read in high school English class. Young Truman recalls holiday visits with his aunt and their annual mission to find ingredients to make fruitcake. I believe this tale sneakily contributed to my fascination and enjoyment of fruitcake. Yes! I admit it. I like fruitcake!

6. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks – This book scares the crap out of me. Written in fast-paced, first person, documentary style, this story is so plausible, it’s freaky! And, since Brad Pitt will be starring in the movie version (which I am sure will bear no resemblance to the book), you might want to check this out. If you read Stephen King, you can handle this. Don’t be put off by my nightmares! I’m just a big scaredy cat when it comes to zombies

7. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley –  Everyone has a book that they read a zillion times as a kid. This was mine. I took it out of the library so often that I knew its exact shelf. My love of Beauty and the Beast traces back to this book. And I suspect my love of romance too.

Who wants to share their favorite (not as popular) stories? And what books are you looking forward to reading in 2013?

Marketing Makeover

As the end of 2012 looms on the horizon, I’ve been working on my first quarter marketing plan for 2013. Being a relative newbie to indie-publishing with much more to learn, I’ve been studying the results of my first year efforts, and in retrospect, I can say I’ve definitively learned one thing. Well, I’ve learned a LOT actually, but one thing in particular stands out for me. I’ve learned that there are no constants in this business. What worked for one book didn’t work for others. What worked yesterday might not work today, and no matter how hard I work, there is an element of luck and timing that I have no control over. PJ Sharon here, welcoming you to the Writing Secrets of Seven Scribes. Today, I’ll be sharing what I think is a more focused approach than my previous “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” marketing plan.

Not that I haven’t had some moderate success with this approach, but like any business, the only way I can survive is if I trim the fat so to speak, and look for areas where I am wasting my time, effort, and resources. To that end, here is what I plan to do differently in 2013.

1) KDP Select-The exclusive 90 day enrollment that I did last spring with Amazon for Savage Cinderella was by far the most successful (at least in the short term) promotional tool I found. With 39,000 downloads, a temporary spot on the top 100 list, and a significant uptick in sales for several weeks after my FREE days, I felt like I was seeing some real progress forward. However, shortly after coming off the Select program, my sales declined in June, and the numbers tumbled every month after that for my first three books. I heard from industry veterans that the best way to rebound was to publish another book, which I did in September. Despite a month long blog tour and several group promotions, I have not seen much improvement in sales since then.

I resisted continuing with the KDP Select program because I didn’t like the idea of exclusivity, and I was hearing that results for the Select program had reportedly not been as good as they were last spring. That being said, I’ve decided to take the plunge again—for several reasons. I would be foolish not to tap into the Amazon pot that is set aside monthly to be divided amongst Select participants, paid out for “borrows” from the Kindle Lending Library. With 1.5 million dollars available for December (twice the norm), “borrows” should offer authors a nice Christmas bonus. Being able to offer my books for FREE for five days during that 90 day period without jumping through all the hoops of playing the “price matching” game is a simple and effective marketing tool. It also helps me to increase my reader base and my visibility, which are probably the greatest challenges that an author must focus on.

So I’ve revamped my cover for Heaven is for Heroes and enrolled both it, and On Thin Ice, into the program for the next 90 days. That means Only Savage Cinderella and Waning Moon are available on all platforms. If all goes well, when my 90 days are up, HIFH and OTI will go back onto all distribution channels and I’ll put Waning Moon into the Select program for a few months prior to the release of Western Desert, book two in the trilogy. I hate feeding the Amazon “monster,” but until I see real sales on B&N et al. I can’t pass up the opportunity. I literally have made an average of $15 a month from B&N—and less through Smashwords–hardly worth giving up potentially hundreds of sales through Amazon.

This is where I was supposed to mention earlier that both Heaven is for Heroes and On Thin Ice will be available for FREE on Amazon this Friday and Saturday, December 22-23. If you haven’t read them, I’d love it if you would download them or tell anyone you know who might enjoy some YA romance drama. The more downloads I have, the closer I’ll get to that top 100 list so all those new Kindle owners can find me after Christmas. I appreciate it!

2) I’ll keep exploring available social media platforms-I now have almost 500 FB likes and nearly 1000 Twitter followers, which is where I have put my focus over the past year. I’m not sure how that translates directly to sales, but it sure helps me connect with some great authors, bloggers, readers, reviewers, industry professionals, and some all-around awesome people. Since word of mouth is still the best advertising, it’s clear that social media is here to stay and is a useful medium to help get the word out. I would like to try to focus on finding what works for me and best helps me connect with my target audience. That will include more time on sites like Good reads, Pinterest, Tumbler, Wattpad, and Kindle Boards.

3) Budget funds for paid advertisements and production costs. Short cuts are not the way to go in this business. It’s a very competitive industry and becoming more so every day. Hiring a cover artist, quality editors, and paying for advertising that has proven to be effective are worth budgeting funds for. My husband and I doing everything ourselves at first seemed like a way to save money and maintain control of my product, but in the long run, I can see I didn’t give my books their due.

The nice thing about Indie publishing is that I can make changes whenever I want. The books won’t be taken off the market if they don’t sell in a month or two. My backlist can become my front list if I want to start a new advertising campaign and change up the cover, try a new venue, or target specific groups of potential readers. The sky is the limit, but it all costs money, so I’ve realized that I have to budget money to give the books their best chance to succeed.

4) More than anything, though, I’d like to become more organized about my time management-This is a business. But without writing good books in a timely manner, I will have no business. That means that the writing has to come first. I’m not kidding myself into thinking I’ll be able to keep it all under perfect control, but I will budget my time differently, allowing for 50-60% of my time to go towards production of new material, with only 40% of my time spent on administrative details.

There have been times over the past year where I haven’t written a word on a WIP for weeks because of getting caught up in all the crazy business chores and responsibilities. I’m finally beginning to let go of all that, and bring my focus back to the writing. If it means less time building my network or promoting the books, then so be it. And if I only get one quality book out this year, then that’s okay with me, too–though I’m planning for two and possibly another short story.

Most importantly, staying healhy, sane, and having some fun along the way is much more important to me than sales figures these days. When I start stressing about all the “to-do’s,” I remind myself to relax and enjoy the ride. You never know what’s going to come over that next big hill.

What will you do differently this year?

Goodreads Giveaway by Katy Lee

I have to be honest. Since I joined Goodreads this past year, I had my doubts if it was worth my time. I just didn’t see the benefits of investing the little extra time I had in it. I wondered if people really hung out there enough to read updates and reviews from their friends, or if those updates scrolled down the page, never to be heard or seen again.

But before I made my final judgement call on this social media, I decided to hold a one-week giveaway of Real Virtue. (Click here to enter if you would like.) And so far, I have to say, my opinion is being swayed toward the positive.

First of all, readers are adding my book to their libraries constantly. (So people are hanging out there) Whether they will buy it is another study, but more people are seeing the ad and having to respond in some way to it versus other (PAYING) ads where they glance over it and move onto the next thing. And notice I said PAYING ads. The Giveaway is free, minus the book, of course.

And second? It was easy. I like easy. Plus, once I sign up, Goodreads takes the campaign from there and gives me the tools to get the word out on my end…as I’m sure all my Facebook and Twitter friends can attest to. But honestly, I would LOVE it if one of my followers won the free copy.

When you are reading this on 12/16/12, I will still have another two days left of the giveaway, and won’t be able to give concrete numbers, but at the rate I have seen action, I’m pretty positive it’s not going to let up. I’m thinking as it crunches down to the final seconds, more and more people will see it and make the decision to enter and add it to their lists.

The Unlocked Secret: In the end, it’s not about numbers of sales for me, but rather the chance to bless someone with the message of Real Virtue. But if no one knows about the book, that will be hard to do. I know God gave me a story to tell, and He’s not going to leave it on the shelf. It’s nice to know there are sites like Goodreads that want to help me get it out there.

Question: Have you done a book giveaway? How did it help you spread the word? Or did it?

AND DON’T FORGET TO ENTER!

Indie Excellence

PJ Sharon here, talking about Indie Excellence today. With all the new indie-published authors flocking to the internet, the gazillion free self-pubbed books available for Nooks and Kindles, and the influx of Small Press publishers, how can we possibly separate the chaff from the wheat, or in this case, the good from the bad in published books?

Most readers, in an effort to narrow their search, will go to those trusted Top 100 lists on Amazon or BN. How do books make the list you ask? And which list are we actually talking about? Here’s a great article by David Gaughran about the difference between the Top100 lists and the Popularity lists. Most people don’t realize there’s a difference or what it means. The trick is getting on those lists and becoming visible to readers who routinely shop there. But making the list is one thing—staying there is another. Both require a tremendous amount of promotion, a dollop of good timing, and a heaping helping of luck. One big edge that traditional publishers have is the power of advertising. They know how, where, and when to advertise to get maximum exposure. Whereas us indies are figuring it out as we go along, and taking shots in the dark that either pay-off or they don’t.  

Ironically, there are nearly as many indie-pubbed books on the Top 100 list lately as traditionally published books, a fact that makes us indies very hopeful that the playing field is leveling out quickly. The truth is that readers don’t care HOW a book is published. They care about a good story. But finding great indie books can be challenging since there are no real controls in place to ensure that what is published is a quality product. And yes, there is a tremendous amount of poorly written, poorly edited, and shoddy work out there. My personal experience, however, has been that there are some amazing indie authors producing phenomenal books. Stop back next week to see my “Favorite Indie books” list.

My favorite part of reading indie books is that they are unique in plot, structure, voice, and character—all the reasons that they weren’t picked up by trad-publishers who are looking for “the same, but different”. Indie books often fall outside the traditional mold and therefore are overlooked by agents and editors who think they know “what the market wants”. Thankfully, the Top 100 lists filled with all those indie-pubbed books are proving them wrong. My feeling is that there is an audience for every well-written story.

If you want to find some great quality indie books, check out the following sites.

 Indie Bound

Good reads Indie Book List

American Booksellers Association

There are also more and more review sites that are now reviewing Indie books.

Kirkus Reviews (although it is pricey to get a review from them and paid reviews just seem wrong to me.)

Indie Book Collective

Indie Reader

Even RT Magazine is “Hot for Indies” according to this article on the WG2E. Still, there is something about being traditionally published that screams legitimacy. Not that being traditionally published guarantees quality. I’m sure we have all read poorly written and poorly edited books straight off the bookshelves of BN and the desks of Big Six publishers. But for most writers, the legitimacy of being traditionally published still means something. We want our friends, families, readers, and peers to know that we DESERVE to be published—that our work was recognized as standing out among the hundreds of thousands of writers who submitted their manuscripts into the fray. And that our writing has been judged worthy.

So who decides what truly makes the cut in the Indie world? Enter the IndiePENdents,  a group of authors who started a review site set up to judge and legitimize good quality indie books. Each book submitted to the site goes through a panel of three volunteer reviewers and a validation team prior to being awarded the IndiePENdents Seal of Approval. I’m proud to say that my first book, Heaven Is For Heroes was one of those books selected for the honor. I received a certificate and this lovely seal to place on the covers of my print books to show that this book has met the industry standard of excellence in writing. The book also made the Awesome Indies review site’s top picks.

I’m so thankful to the wonderful volunteers who read and review indie books, making it possible for readers to find the best of the best in Indie Publishing. You guys rock! be sure to stop by Rhonda Hopkins’ blog later this morning. I’m a guest on her Authors Give Back charity blog and I’ll be sharing one of my favorites and why I love it. The post goes live at 9 am EST.

Please tell me dear readers, have you read any good Indie published books lately? What did you love about them? How did you come to find them? And was the quality up to your standard for a good book?

The Many Faces of Promotion

PJ Sharon here, and I thought I would address a topic that every author struggles with. Promotion. It’s difficult for most of us to toot our own horn, let alone jump up and down shouting about our books to the ethers. Even if we  overcome the discomfort of having to talk about ourselves and our books, the work only begins there. I wanted to share with you some of the promotional efforts I’ve learned about over the past year ,and their effectiveness in today’s market.

KDP Select-You probably remember my FREE promotion through KDP Select (read about the details here). For authors uploading their books to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, the Select program has lost a bit of its charm. With so many FREE books flooding the market, the five FREE days are not producing the same outstanding results they did even a few months ago.

Blog Hops- A group of authors get together (I think 10-20 max works best). Someone creates a landing page with all the details and rules, and everyone works together to encourage readers to “hop” from one author’s web site to another, entering to win prizes in a massive giveaway. Entry can be contingent on “liking” a FB page, signing up for a mailing list, or “following” you on Twitter. Prizes often include free e-books, gift cards to Amazon or B&N, or even a Kindle or Nook if authors want to chip in and do a big giveaway. With 20 authors, it’s only about $5 each. Hops generally have themes. They are a great way to network with other writers, meet potential readers, and gain some exposure without much cost other than your time. Check out the “Summer Splash Blog Hop,” hosted by a few friends of mine.

Facebook Contests-This one you need to be careful with. FB has some rules about holding contests and you can read them here. I haven’t done this yet, but may at a later date—once I study up on those rules. It seems like a great place to hold contests since there is so much visibility. You can also set up FB Ads that target your specific audience. You decide how much you want to spend per day and they will help you create an advertisement for your book. I’ve heard mixed reviews on the benefits of this and have not yet tried it.

Blog Tours- Blog tours are great for a new release. Essentially, you contact bloggers who have a readership that might best fit your book. Contact them well ahead of time (at least two months before your tour), and ask them nicely if they would consider allowing you to be a guest on their blog. Offer to write an original post that might be appealing to their readers, or ask if they have set interview questions they would like you to answer. Be professional; don’t make them do the work. Have your post to them by whatever deadline they’ve set, including any pictures, book cover, bio, buy links, and a short excerpt or review of your book, as well as any contact info you’d like them to include, such as your FB author page, Amazon author page, website, or Twitter handle. A blog tour can be as jam packed as you like, but remember, more is not better when it comes to promo. Your peeps who are helping spread the word will get as tired of seeing your book as you do of shouting about it. I think 4-6 weeks, 2-3 posts per week is a healthy tour. That is 10-20 posts at targeted blog sites. You can hire someone to set these up for you for anywhere from $20-$75. Or you can do it yourself. On the day of your “appearance,” plan to check in frequently and respond to comments. Blog tours are still one of the most successful promotional tools you can use. It takes a bit of research to find the right blogs, but for a small yearly fee, you can join a site like Author EMS, and there are amazing resources available to point you in the right direction. That site is worth every penny!

Paid Ads- These are hit or miss. Sites like Kindle Nation Daily and E-reader News Today can give you a nice bump in sales and exposure, but they are a bit pricey ($50-$299) for a one day ad. If you are doing a big promotional push and you have some expendable cash, go for it. But you’ll have to plan ahead, since their ad space fills up months in advance. I’m also not a big fan of advertising in publications like RT magazine or RWR. Yes, you might get some nice exposure, but for the hundreds of dollars you’ll spend, you won’t recoup the loss in sales generated. Those magazines are targeted more to writers than readers, although RT ads can get you a review that might give you some nice street cred.

The list goes on, of course, and includes book signings, Good reads giveaways, On-line book launches, and Twitter parties. You can also hang out on sites like Shelfari, Kindle and Nook Boards, or Wattpad, where you will likely find your audience just waiting to connect with you, their next favorite author. There are endless ways to promote and no one size-fits-all promotional plan. Be creative, pick one or two ideas that work with your social media platform, and jump in. I try to do one big marketing event per month.

This month, I’m part of a YA Note Passing promo with a dozen other YA authors. It’s a fun way to find some new YA readers and writers, and give away some great prizes. You can find details on our landing page which is the FB page of Sykosa, a very troubled young lady who is our head note passer. My main character from Heaven Is For Heroes, Jordie Dunn, will be getting some shady advice about her love life from Sykosa on Friday at YA Beyond. I hope you’ll pop in and say hello.

The bottom line is that it’s not all about “BUY MY BOOK!” Promotion is about reaching out and connecting to readers. Have fun with it, try not to stress out, and if all else fails, enlist your friends to toot that horn for you. Happy promoting!

Questions? Promotional opportunities you’d like to share?

Anita Clenney – Embrace the Highland Warrior

Happy Friday everyone! Casey Wyatt here. I’m thrilled to welcome NY Times and USA Today best-selling author Anita Clenney! Not one, but two lucky commenter will win a copy of her latest release -  Embrace the Highland Warrior. You’lll have read to the end of the post to find out how!

1. How do you battle the Doubt Monster? Doubt Monster: the nagging feeling while writing that your prose is terrible, your plot is silly, your characters are insipid and no-one in their right mind would read this drivel, let alone buy it.

After listening to him whine for a while, I flick him on the nose and say, “Be gone, Doubt Monster. I have emails proving that people like my stories.” And I also remind myself that all writers suffer the Doubt Monster.

2. Have you thought about writing something that is completely different for you? Perhaps writing in a new genre or just taking a story someplace that you haven’t done before.

I love mystery and romance and I think every story I write will have a lot of both. In addition to my highland warrior series, I’m writing a paranormal relic hunter series which will be even heavier on the mystery. I also have a cozy mystery that’s partially started.

3. What story haven’t you told yet that you want to tell? What is holding you back?

I think I’m lucky enough that I’m able to write the stories that I love for now.

4. What is the most surprising thing that has happened in your writing career?

I was shocked to hit the big bestseller lists so quickly. NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists, and also Amazon’s bestseller lists. This was a very pleasant shock.

5. What would you do if you couldn’t be a writer any longer?

I have lots of interests besides writing, but I can’t imagine not writing. Even if I didn’t write stories to sell, I would probably write for myself.

6. They say that every author has a partially completed, quite-possibly-terrible half a story shoved in a drawer somewhere. What is yours? What is it about? What makes it terrible? Would you ever consider picking it up and finishing it?

I was actually very lucky. My first two manuscripts were Awaken the Highland Warrior and Embrace the Highland Warrior. However, I do have a few partials I started later that I haven’t had time to finish, and probably won’t have time to do anything with. They were romantic suspense.

7. Author Jane Haddam says that anyone who seriously annoys her gets bumped off in her next book. How do you incorporate your real-life experiences into your stories? And where did you find the wonderful name Faelan?

That’s one way to deal with frustrating people. I find pieces of myself in my characters, and I think my experiences probably reflect in my writing, but I don’t have any definite parallels. I found Faelan’s name when I was researching names. The King of Leinster, a Province of Ireland, who died in the year 666 was named Faelan. I fell in love with the name, and even though Faelan is a Scot, it works perfectly for the story because his mother was Irish and she chose his name.

8. We hear you recently attended a book signing with Nora Roberts and other wonderful authors. Please tell us about that event. And how can we get a highlander book thong?

This was my second signing with Nora and it was fantastic; just a great group of authors and readers. So many people came to see Nora, of course, but the rest of us authors had readers there as well. I had one lovely woman tell me that Awaken was one of the books that helped her get through the grief of losing her husband. And it’s always amazing just being in the presence of Nora. In fact I blogged about the experience if anyone wants to go back and read it. www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com  Check the December 6th blog.

As for the book thong, (aren’t they cute!) here’s the link.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76322340/awaken-the-highland-warrior-faelan-hand

9. Please tell us about your latest release – Embrace the Highland Warrior. Any sneak peeks at what Unleash the Highland Warrior is about?

Cody and Shay make a great couple, but they meet unexpectedly after years separated by betrayal and pain. That makes for some explosive emotions…and passions. I’m hearing from readers and reviewers that it’s even better than Awaken. Unleash will be shocking and so much fun. That’s all I’ll say for now. Here’s a blurb from Embrace:

Cody McBain and his family spent years protecting the identity of a powerful female warrior who was targeted by an ancient demon, keeping the secret from even her. When she found out her entire life had been a lie, she abandoned Cody and her clan. Now, vampires and demons have discovered she’s alive and are in a race to find her and the clan’s sacred Book of Battles. Cody will have to break all the rules to save the woman who shattered his heart.

When the powerful demon who left Shay for dead discovers her empty grave, he comes seeking retribution, believing she possesses an ancient book he has sought for centuries. But the vampires also want the book, and they want her. Knowing she can’t fight this evil alone, Shay returns to her clan and the Scottish Warrior who betrayed her…the only man she’s ever loved, where she discovers that betrayal isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes it’s far worse.

When they realize that half the underworld is after Shay, Cody calls in the rest of the Connor Clan. Meet my warriors.

There’s Faelan, the only warrior who’s ever been assigned two ancient demons. Born in the 19th century, Faelan was most powerful warrior of his time. He was trapped in a time vault and slept for 150 years, waking to a strange world filled with modern technology and even stranger…modern females. For God’s sakes, they’re even warriors, now. What will they do next, he ponders, send children into battle? Then there’s Ronan, 6’3 inches of raw, sexy warrior, better than Robin Hood with his bow, and equally at home with a sword or a bonny lass. Cody, the only other warrior who’s been assigned an ancient demon, might have pretended to be the tough boy next door, and he’s good at hiding secrets, but his world will never be the same when he finds out what’s been hidden from him. Shane is quiet but the fastest with a sword, and Niall is a one-man army, with legs like tree trunks. Tomas is a clan medic and Brodie’s the prankster of the bunch, always getting into trouble. Duncan is brooding and frustrated, and Sorcha likes flirting almost as much as killing demons. Anna, a stunning beauty, has chosen to remain a warrior forever, but destiny has some surprises in store. And my heroines are more than just mates to these sexy warriors. They have talents that will shock even them.

10. What was your biggest misstep in your writing career so far?

I wish I had learned to manage my time better and write faster.

11. Do you have a word related pet peeve?

A couple of years ago, I realized I had too many repeats or echoed words in my story. I started focusing on them so much it nearly destroyed my writing. I felt like quitting. Thank goodness I didn’t.

12. What is your junk food of choice?

Give me a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi and a Krispy Kreme and I’m in a very happy place.

13. What’s the most dangerous or risky thing that you’ve done?

I’m not a very risky person when it comes to things like skydiving, but I can think of a few idiotic things I’d rather not mention.

14. What is your guilty pleasure? {Remember: this is a ‘G’ rated blog! }

That’s easy…shopping for bargains. It drives my husband insane.

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Anita Clenney grew up an avid reader, devouring Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books before moving on to mysteries and romance. After working as a secretary, a Realtor, teacher’s assistant, booking agent for Aztec Fire Dancers, and a brief stint in a pickle factory (picture Lucy and Ethel–lasted half a day)…she realized she’d missed the fork in the road that led to her destiny. Now she spends her days writing mysteries and paranormal romantic suspense about Secret Warriors, Ancient Evil and Destined Love. Anita lives in suburban Virginia, outside Washington DC, with her husband and two kids.

You can find out more about Anita and her books at:

http://www.anitaclenney.com

http://www.facebook.com/anitaclenneyAUTHOR

http://www.twitter.com/anitaclenney

http://www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com

http://www.goodreads.com/anitaclenney

http://www.redroom.com/anitaclenney

Some of the places Embrace can be purchased:

http://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Highland-Warrior-Anita-Clenney/dp/1402251262

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/embrace-the-highland-warrior-anita-clenney/1100076266

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Embrace-Highland-Warrior/Anita-Clenney/9781402251269

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/embrace-the-highland-warrior/id468777516?mt=11

Click here to read an excerpt from Embrace the Highland Warrior

My publisher will give away two copies of Embrace the Highland Warrior to commenters, US and Canada only, please. Since we’re approaching Christmas, my question is, which romance hero would you most like to see reclining next to your tree on Christmas morning?

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Anita – Thank you so much!! Remember Scribes’ fans – leave a comment and you might win!

Reviews-The good, the bad, and the ugly.

 

Hello my Tuesday Scribe’s readers. PJ Sharon, here today talking about reviews.

Reviews come in many forms. You have the all-important “Big Name” endorsement or the Editorial review from some well-known source like RT or Publishers Weekly. And then you have consumer reviews. Summaries and quotes from wonderful readers who take time to go onto Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc, to leave starred reviews. These reviews are essential to leading others to find your books

 For some reason, I don’t always listen to movie reviews. I do, however, tend to look to reviews when it comes time to buy books. It matters to me if others have enjoyed the story and the writing. But what about a bad review? A bad review can potentially derail a young career by lowering the author’s starred average and keeping them from being able to advertise on certain sites.  Some book review blogs and promotional sites require as many as five, ten, or even twenty, 5 star reviews to advertise on their site.

Let me say I’m happy that so far Heaven Is For Heroes hasn’t had (to my knowledge) a bad review. I had a Publishers Weekly review that was average but neither stellar nor derogatory. I was just thrilled that they actually read and reviewed my book. I’ve been lucky. I know lots of authors who have had bad reviews, and it seems hard for them to get past it. My thinking is that you can’t take anything personally in life. You have to expect that at some point someone will have something negative to say about you or your work. It’s the risk we take when we put ourselves out there. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but just because you have one, doesn’t make it right. I have to believe that the positive can counteract any negative feedback you get if, indeed, you have a great book.

I’ve recently started to review books and my feeling is that I will only review a book if,

 1) I am dying to read it. I have VERY little time to read so I’d better be having a good time. I’m picky about how I spend my reading time.

 2) If I like it enough to give it at least four stars.

3) If I have only positive feedback to offer. I don’t want to be responsible for saying anything negative about anyone or their work. If I felt strongly that I could offer the person constructive feedback, I would e-mail them privately or not post a review at all.

I might note as a sidebar that I won’t take points off for typos as much as I’m tempted to. I learned on my first book how hard it is to catch them all. The perfectionist in me who recalls a time when I rarely found a typo, is sad to see the current production of books in the digital world of the flawed spell check and the pinch of having to pay for many layers of editing. There are typos in most books these days, indie and traditionally published.

For today, I wanted to share with you my latest book review. If you haven’t read Renee Pace’s OFF LEASH, you must. It is a wonderful contemporary YA.

PJ’s Review for OFF LEASH by Renee Pace

OFF LEASH is a story of life and death, dogfighting, and discovering that a best friend, in any form, can save a life. Renee Pace’s debut novel takes you inside the life of poverty in a truly heartrending account of Jay Walker, a fifteen year-old boy saddled with a drug addicted mother and a little sister who’s dying from cancer. Jay’s life is one of desperation and hopelessness until he meets Ollie, a selfless and endearing Boxer that Jay is paid to walk. I don’t want to give the whole story away, because you should definitely read this book for yourself. I fell in love with the characters and found myself rooting for them on every page.           

I loved the voice of Ollie in a first person perspective of what life is like for a dog. This sweet, rambunctious canine steals the story. And Jay’s nitty-gritty account of his life and the hard choices he is forced to face, are spot on in their depth and meaning. The way that Pace reveals Jay’s character in many layers throughout his personal journey from boy to man is commendable. I felt like I was at his side from beginning to end.

Speaking of endings, Ms. Pace offers alternate endings for her books which I think is brilliant and I wish I’d thought of it myself. For me, I always choose the Hollywood ending. Although I couldn’t stop myself reading both endings and finding them diverse and poignant. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. I’m waiting patiently for her next book in the Nitty Gritty series, OFF LIMITS. To see more of Renee Pace’s books or buy information go to http://www.yabeyond.com/books/renee-pace/

 

How about you? Do you buy books based on reviews? Do you think it’s okay to trash a book if you don’t like it?

Kristan Higgins – Until There Was You

Until There Was You

NYTimes Bestselling Novelist & 2x RITA Award Winning Author Kristan Higgins has generously agreed to answer a few questions for us.   Kristan, thank you so much for taking the time!  Let’s just jump right into things.

How do you battle the doubt monster?  The Doubt Monster is the nagging feeling while writing that your prose is terrible, you plot is silly, your characters are insipid and no-one in their right mind would read this drivel, let alone buy it.

I love and embrace the Doubt Monster. It took us a while to fall for each other, but because I am old and wise now, I’ve come to learn that the DM and I are actually meant to be together. He lets me know when I need to rethink a plot point or adjust a character, back off or tone down or beef up. That being said, I try to ignore the DM during the first draft. Experience has shown that while first draft may indeed suck, it doesn’t mean the final product will. So I try to barrel through that part of writing, then fling open the doors and let the Doubt Monster have at it.

What story haven’t you told yet that you want to tell?  What is holding you back?

I have an idea for a murder mystery based on a love triange I watched unfold. It would be very dark – the main character wouldn’t be a likable person. I think the lack of an 8th day in the week is holding me back…I’m under contract for the next three years, so until I have a little more time, that project will stay in the old noggin (where it may well be forgotten).

What is the most surprising thing that has happened in your writing career?

Winning the RITA Award twice. That was just stunning. Truly stunning.

What would you do if you couldn’t be a writer any longer?

I’d be a pastry chef. Or the taster for a pastry chef.

They say that every author has a partially completed, quite-possibly-terrible half a story shoved in a drawer somewhere.  What is yours? What is it about? What makes it terrible? Would you ever consider picking it up and finishing it?

Oh, yes, I do. My now-infamous 93-page outline of a historical romance set during the Potato Famine in Ireland.  Po-Fam romance, I think they call it. Oh, lordy, it was so bad! The hero loves—truly loves—the heroine because she’s Terribly Beautiful, and though she hates him with every fiber of her being, she nonetheless falls for his Irresistible Charms. Stop laughing. It had its moments. Not very many of them, but one or two. Your question about would I ever finish it up made me laugh so hard I choked on my coffee.

How do you come up with your shtick?  For instance, a lot of your books take place in New England, so they have a distinctive flavor (like Red Sox/Yankees rivalry)

Do I have a shtick? I never really thought about it…that stuff is pretty innate to who I am. You really are a product of where you’re from and who your people are, I think. I do love baseball and welcome any chance to type the words “Derek Jeter.” I pride myself on my bad date scenes and sometimes call upon boyfriends or not-boyfriends of old for my material. But the shtick part…I think that’s organic. Every writer has their own truth. That sounds terribly profound, doesn’t it? Somebody, write that down! I must remember it! 

Please tell us about your upcoming release. I hear there is a biker dude named Liam. Did you spend a lot of time hanging around biker bars for research?

The bad boy of Bellsford High returns to New Hampshire after eighteen years. Now a widower with a teenage daughter, Liam is somewhat surprised to find what a long memory the town seems to have. Posey Osterhagen, once a classic teenage misfit, worshipped Liam Murphy from afar, but even from that distance, she managed to have her heart squished to a pulp by his careless ways. Now he’s back, as irritatingly attractive as ever, and while Posey wants to stay well away from him, she can’t help wondering if fatherhood has changed him, or if he’s the same arrogant guy he was back then. How’s that sound?

As for hanging around biker bars, yes, I did. A certain guy named Scar gave me invaluable input on super-hot men, and we toured the country on his custom—oh, hang on, that was just a dream I had. No, unfortunately, most of my research came from one very happy ride on the back of a Harley, two episodes of American Chopper, and a lot of time on the Internet.

What was your biggest misstep in your writing career so far?

Oh, gosh. Maybe it was the time when the head of HQN Books called me to say congratulations on hitting the New York Times bestseller list, and I hung up on her because I thought she was a telemarketer. (True story.)

Do you have a word related pet peeve?

Yes! Yes I do! I have hundreds, probably thousands. The misuse of the word “would” is one. If I would’ve known Scar was single, I would’ve given him my number. Makes me cringe. Also, when people use “I” instead of “me.” And “whom” instead of “who.” Also…oh, wait a sec, I’m being told that’s enough. Sorry. My mother’s an editor. I have issues.

What is your junk food of choice?

Anything bright orange—Twinkies, Cheetos, Cheezits, those strange little cornucopia things you could put on your fingers…

What’s the most dangerous or risky thing that you’ve done?

Said ‘yes’ to my boyfriend of six weeks. Worked out okay, though…we’ve been married for 20 years now.

What is your guilty pleasure? Remember: this is a ‘G’ rated blog!

America’s Next Top Model. That show is like crystal meth for me. So stupid. So shallow. Miss J? What the heck, right? And how could anyone use the word ‘smeyes’ and still have a job? But I love it. Heaven help me, I love it.

Kristan and Scar

About Kristan:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA^© award, Kristan Higgins has been called “a rising superstar in contemporary romance” by USA TODAY; “one of the most creative and honest voices in contemporary romance” by Romance Junkies and “the easiest of all my three kids to raise” by her mother. My One and Only received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews named All I Ever Wanted as one of the best romances of 2010. Her latest book, Until There Was You, was released on October 25, 2011.

Find Kristan here:

www.kristanhiggins.com

www.Facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks

Say “hi” to Kristan and feel free to leave a comment.

Julia Rachel Barrett – Ghostly Love

Happy Freakish Friday everyone! Casey Wyatt here.

Please welcome today’s guest  Julia Rachel Barrett.  If you haven’t read any of Julia’s books, you are missing out on some great reads. Click here to read my review of her book Beauty and the Feast.

 And in  the spirit of our  Spooky Week theme – please check out her ghostly love story Incorporeal.

Let’s here what Julia has to say about romance.

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Why Write? 

Perhaps the better question is, why not? I have a spotty history in the world of literature. Like so many readers, I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was very young, maybe five or six years old. Here’s a truism, if you love to tell stories, to make up stories in your head, you probably love to read and chances are you’d like to write.

It’s not as simple as it seems and a lot depends upon what your goals are. Do you want to sell a whole lot of books? I suspect anybody can sell bunches of books if the subject matter is prurient enough. Do you want to be a damn good writer? Takes work.

A Tale of Ghostly Love

How did I begin? I began by reading everything in sight, in every genre available to me. My early loves were poetry, mystery stories, fantasy/science fiction, and even comic books. Don’t laugh. Comic books are great for learning economy of words. The creator has to express an emotion and move a story forward in very few words. Of course comics also contain expressive action words like Pow! Bam! Smack! Crash!

I moved from poetry to short stories – which are making a comeback with the advent of e-publishing – to nonfiction articles for nursing and medical journals to literary fiction. Aside from freelance articles, finding a publisher for my works of fiction was an exercise in futility. I queried agents and publishers for too many years without results. While I was raising small children and working part time, I filed the manuscripts away and focused on my job as a hospice nurse.

Smokin’ Hot Good Read

In 2007 I found myself sidelined by a climbing injury…tore my left knee up pretty bad. For a year I either wore a titanium brace or used crutches while researching surgeons and then waiting for the surgeon I chose to fit me in for a repair. A friend took pity on me and brought me a romance novel – Kill and Tell, by Linda Howard, and I was hooked. I had always dismissed romance as ‘bodice rippers’ and it was one genre I ignored. Linda Howard told a damn good sexy story. I went on to read everything she’d written up to that point and moved on to Karen Marie Moning, then Hannah Howell and Lynsay Sands. I realized that with the life I’d lived, I had stories to tell, romantic stories, gripping, touching, loving stories, and I wrote my first romance.

Never looked back. Now I look forward to a brave new world of self-publishing. I can revise and release the series of short stories I worked so hard on years ago. In the meantime I have a full-length paranormal romance available on Kindle, Incorporeal, and I’ll soon release the sequel, In the Flesh. I have nine romances out to date with publishers in ebook and print and I’ve self-published another five books in a variety of genres and lengths.

Coming soon!

Come visit me anytime on my site – Julia’s World – http://juliarachelbarrett.net

Thanks for having me, Casey!

Any time Julia. Thanks for being our guest today. Please feel free to leave Julia a question.

Tell us, what are your writing goals? And why do you write? And for our readers, what are you looking for when you choose your next book?