Whereby Life Has Gotten Away From Me Again

You may or may not have noticed I didn't manage to blog last week. I will just say day job and leave it at that. We get crazy in summer and I was given a last minute project finishing somebody else's thing, then my own thing, and erm... yeah.

And then there is life...

LAST weekend was AWESOME. I went to Chicago and got to meet a few writer friends in person...

Back: Leigh T Moore, Dawn Ius, Jessica Belle, Bryan Wilson, Susan K Quinn; Front: Me, Rebecca and Samantha

So much fun to meet people in person that I've known for years. Jessica and Leigh, in particular, are some of my original writer friends. Also met with my long time friend Andie who I hadn't seen in probably 20 years.

And then...

My son was at Leadership Camp to prepare for college this weekend. It is just the first of a string of prep things for graduating high school and leaving for college. I am sad and excited for him and a little nervous about how life will change.

In the mean time my daughter, an adult, but still navigating life on the long road, got her wisdom teeth out Friday, so instead of near maintenance activities for my baby who doesn't want to be a baby, I got to pamper and baby the grown up. It was so nice to have time with her—the swollen face the only thing that could keep her from being off acting the social being that she is. Instead we binge watched this season's Orphan Black, caught her up on Game of Thrones and rented three movies via On Demand. I made mashed potatoes for the first time (hubs is normally our cook but he was off golfing) and sold her on my favorite soup (a tomato-red pepper soup from Pacific).

Writing

So while I had been baby stepping my final edit of Medium Wrong, I got stopped up in a new scene that needed writing. I'd gone through the full hard copy edit and was just entering, but “Write this” really stops up momentum. There were two of those, but yesterday I finally hammered them out. It is done... query and synopsis next... 9 days to get 10 query letters sent.

In addition, I really need to find all my plotting notes and organize them... 8 days to BuNoWriMo...


Home? What spring cleaning? That is what I have to say about that. And what gardening? I already gardened this year—two days in a row—total of a half hour. Nobody can say I didn't. And I am trying to learn some new cooking stuff...


So those are my excuses and my “well I'm neglecting everything else, too”s...


But the entertainment has been excellent! Season Finales, shows I really love... that doesn't help my blogging time, but it keeps me from being homicidal at work, so I will take it.

Anybody else feeling overwhelmed?  Got a time turner you can spare? How's everything going?

May Mish Mash

Mother's Day, Prom, Progress, College Looming, and 3 weeks to BuNoWrimo

So there. Tired yet? Maybe I will give you a bit more so you can then decide.

First, I hope all of you who ARE Moms or HAVE Moms had a great Mother's Day! (that was easy)


Senior Prom

(and now for the bragging portion of this blog post)

My son had his prom Saturday. He and his group of friends all got together with their dates for dinner at a country club first, then the dance, and the after party was at one of the girls's houses (a house that seems to always host many of them—I asked my son what was so welcoming and the house is large and they always have good food. So there you go. The trick to being the host house...

Mine's the tall one. A few are missing, but this is most of them.

My son and his date. I hear she was excited to go with him as it allowed her to wear her 6" heels.

The full group

And a windswept pose.

And no arrests or suspensions!!! Erm...


College Prep

So this month son needs to get his dorm sorted, attend leadership camp and June 2 we go to orientation... It's coming too fast!!!


Writing Progress

About two thirds done the LAST fix I am going to do before querying Medium Wrong. It's going slow, but going at all is an improvement over the last few (many) months. I want to get queries sent THIS month (10 is my goal) then July 1, after BuNoWriMo, I can add 10 more.

*muttering about synopses goes here*

And Finally... BuNoWriMo

Who wants to write a book in June!? We manage it HERE and on Facebook and we'd love it if anyone wants to join. My Writing Group began this in 2016 and yes, I know there is Camp NaNoWriMo now, but we had June first... plus, there is no rule that says you can't do both. The nice thing about BuNoWriMo is it is a bit more personal... smaller, so people interact and get to know each other. (we also run during NaNo for that personal touch)

Here is the Facebook link if anyone wants to join there.

Getting my CHEESE On!!!

Hey friends, I am visiting Crystal Collier over at her Blog of Cheese today! Erm... I mean her author feature.... Come see us! Play two truths and a lie with me and see my thoughts on CHEESE!

Parallels Release Day!!!

So I'm late today, but still have some excitement to share. I've shared blurbs from all ten stories if you want to check out these posts:

LG Keltner and Yolanda Renee
Cherie Reich and Crystal Collier
Michael Abayomi and Sandra Cox
Melanie Schulz and Sylvia Ney
Tamara Narayan and Me

I also interviewed Dancing Lemur's Founder, L. Diane Wolfe

So today is the day!!!

You can find everything you need to FIND AND PURCHASE Parallels: Felix was here, HERE.

Z is for Zite

This was my daughter's high school mascot--seriously. Only rainbow zebra in the country.

Seriously, what is this? I put it in my file for ideas with each letter and I can't remember even where I saw it.

Anybody use Zite?

What does it do?

Is it easy or difficult?

Does it sell books?

Please! Enlighten us!!!

Y is for YOU

And by You I mean Yibus... the collective you... All o' y'all.

We can't sell books without readers, and who better to reach readers than MORE readers... Duh!

But how do we ACTIVATE this YOU?

I see authors with enthusiastic street teams... I want one. But HOW?

So I am asking YOU how to activate YOU!!! (see what I did there?)

How does a person recruit and utilized a group of individuals to be their voice in the Out There? Anybody know?

X is for X-ing Ts (and dotting Is)

Because seriously, what word actually starts with X. But this is an important point...

Whether you are submitting to agents or publishers or are self-publishing, it is so critical to cross (X) your Ts and dot your Is...

What this means is READING ALL THE DIRECTIONS

Research who wants what

Frame all this PERSONALLY for whomever the gatekeeper is.

Have your work checked, rechecked, edited, proofread...


Can YOU think of other Ts that need X-ing or Is that need dotting?


And gang... only two days left!!!

W is for Wattpad

So I know a few of you use this. And I get the impression one of the things you do is share some of what you are writing? And this idea stresses me out... I somehow can't get myself to share any until I have edited ALL...

Wombat wisdom

That said, this is the full extent of what I know about Wattpad... So I am asking YOU!


Do you post writing on Wattpad?

From in progress stories or only done stories?

Has it built readership for you?

Has it helped sell books?

How does one go about getting involved?

V is for Virtual Bookcase

So this is a service where you pay a fee to have your book listed. And that is the full extent of what I know...

I would just pretend my books were going here... (Prague)

Has anybody used this before?

Does it help sell books?

Who is the typical user? (like is it good for particular markets or genres?)

Do they have standards they require? (some quality test?)

It seems like a great idea, but I have absolutely no clue about the utility of it, so would love it if somebody could share their experience.


ALSO... I plan, next weekend, to go through all my posts and create a "best of" ideas post. Probably it will get posted the 2nd or 3rd, though the 3rd is also release date for Parallels, so I will have to see what works, but I wanted to let you know it was coming.

U is for Understanding

Understanding publishing seems a bit like this, doesn't it?

As in understanding how all this works... the systems. Self publishing. Traditional publishing... So I'm not asking you to explain it all to me, as this ever changing game is way too big for that, but I am asking for your best sources.

What websites, blogs, newsletters help you the most to maintain a understanding of this industry—for knowing the trends, the dos and don'ts, the tricks that help and the pitfalls to avoid. What helps you understand?

T is for Twitter

So I understand this can do more than I somehow managed to do... I have a friend who has found requests for certain sorts of stories... agent wish lists... people network... But apparently I am a Twit...

Can anybody clue me in how to use this in a functional way?

How can I use it to network for an agent or publisher?

How can I use it to sell books.

Because it seems to me I use entirely too little crack to keep up...

Also THRONES!!!!! TOMORROW!!!!

Tyrion's Trial

S is for Story Bundle and Seismic Crimes

So most of the days this month I am only on something to help with book promo, but today Chrys Fey has also asked if I'd share a bit about her new release, so I am going to do that first...

BONUS S: SEISMIC CRIMES!

Today is the release of Chrys Fey's first novel!

BLURB: An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his
brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his
innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a
deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion
consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his
darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she
can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do
whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a
criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's
location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic
proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have
to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one
another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

DIGITAL LINKS:

Amazon / Barnes
& Noble / KOBO / The
Wild Rose Press

ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT!

So you should go check that out...

and on today's theme...

I recently had a friend (Allison Dickson, who inspired an earlier post, too... I will have to send Allison cupcakes, or a strip fireman or something...) who had her book included in a Story Bundle... It was $20 for like 9 books, so when about 4 of them looked like YEAH, it started to look like a really good deal. And Allison said she had earned more in that week of promo than any of her other books in about the last year (don't hold me to this—this was a few months ago—but it was good sales). Now I have seen many friends bundle books, but Story Bundle was a formal THING... A real system...

Some of us really love books...

* What I want to know is how does someone get into one of these?

* Do you put together your own set of authors and books? Or do they do it?

* What is the screening process?

* Has anybody ever done this?

* How does it work?

Anything you can share about getting a book included in a Story Bundle and whether it is worth the effort to do so would be appreciated!!!

R is for Reviewers

So supposedly enough reviews really help you sell books, right? I wouldn't know. I've never had enough reviewers to push me into one of these higher sales categories. So I thought I would bring the questions to YOU!!!

How does one IDENTIFY potential reviewers?

Is there any way to incentivize reviews? (like not pay for them—that doesn't seem cool, but to encourage people to read and review)

Are any of the sites that help you find reviewers particularly good?

Do you know specifics on how much X reviews help sales-wise? (like what is the minimum you really need and are there tiers after that?)

Q is for Query Tracker

So I've used Query Tracker to find agents who might be appropriate, but I've never used it for.... you know... tracking... And I'm not sure I'm using it optimally to find agents... I mean I generate names of people who take my genres but still have to look into every person individually to see what they really like (And I believe I have not been particularly good at this).

Some trackers are hotter than others...

So nimble readers...

What tricks can YOU make Query Tracker do?

Have you had any big successes using it?

Are there any shortcuts in this process?

How is the system better than an Excel spreadsheet?

Is there some competing system you like better?

P is for Publisher's Weekly

Is this still a thing? I mean I know it is still a thing because I still get emails from them--the newsletter, but it has been a couple years since I opened said email...


But when I was first blogging and trying to polish that first book this was the MUST DO way of keeping up with the industry... then self-publishing had its honeymoon and there stopped being rules.

Well maybe there were rules, but nobody knew what they were. (Lots of people claimed to, but after about 2 years of chasing them I learned they were ever-changing so there was no point learning them until it was time to apply them).

* So back to Publisher's Weekly...

* Has anyone had success from either following advice, crumbs, or news from this source lately?

* How? What is the best way to use it?

* If not, has anything replaced it as the MUST READ industry source?

* Where do y'all get your publishing news from?


ALSO: I am over on the Parallels blog today talking about my favorite villain: Pharma.

O is for Online Presence

In terms of book promoting, this is a big DUH, but I thought I'd poll all of YOU for which two or three things you find most valuable in term so branding yourself, selling books, staying top of mind... being an author.

It can be overwhelming, eh?

* What online system(s) help you MOST?

* Which ones are the biggest bang for the buck (or rather time—good benefit for the time required)?

* Which have you found to be a waste?

* Any that have big caveats? (good to do but be careful of...)

* Any huge rules for online interaction that you follow? (Any you break?)


And be sure to go visit some other A to Z bloggers!

N is for Newsletter

Do you have any idea how much I hate this topic? If you've been here before, you may know my philosophical problem with Newsletters. Okay, not so philosophical. I don't like receiving them, so I have trouble with the idea of putting one out. See, they stress me out. I feel like I ought to read them, but would really prefer to seek information at my leisure instead of having it arrive in my in box.

But I've been told a thousand times authors need to do this.

So help me.


* Please provide a convincing argument that will make newsletters less painful as a philosophy.

* Any recommendations on which tool is best? (Mail chimp?) Others?

* Are there any chemical aids that will help me find this activity more palatable?

* How does one build readership?

* What is the recommended frequency? Is there a sweet spot?

* What is recommended content?


Anybody have any answers? I'd love to hear them!

Also... we have just crossed the half-way mark!!! w00t w00t!!!


And don't forget to go visit other A to Z bloggers!

M is for Media Kit

Welcome friends! You're HERE to work for ME, yes? Erm... I mean that IS my theme this month... bringing up a topic then asking YOU to tell me something about it...

Really hoping this media kit includes marmosets

So for our M Day, what I have come to is Media kits... I've had friends who have released books and I offer to be part of a blog tour and they say, “Hey, I can send you my media kit” but it is so MUCH that I find this very overwhelming and I haven't managed to analyze what should go in one.


SO....

* What goes in a media kit?
* Who do you send it to?
* Do you sometimes just send part of it?
* Any dos and don'ts?
* Clever out of the ordinary add-ons?


Your wisdom is appreciated!!!

Now go visit some other A to Z Bloggers!

L is for Libraries

Hallo fine peoples!!!

So in line with the theme of the month, we are talking about libraries as a mechanism for promoting our books. They are awesome in all sorts of other ways, but what I want YOU to teach ME is how to utilize libraries to increase book sales.

Now I worked up my nerve once to request the library carry a book I wrote, and they did. It was very nice of them. I felt a little like a beggar doing it, but I know it was a good thing to do. I think LOCAL libraries are often willing, especially if you tell them, “I'd like to be able to tell people who are interested that they can find it at the library”.


But in what OTHER ways can libraries be used to promote?

Have any of you engaged in creative ways with your local libraries?

Has anyone worked up a good system for reaching out to NON-local libraries?

How do you find library events you might get involved with?

Have you ever held your own event at a library? How did you set that up?


Okay.... now go visit some other A to Z bloggers!

K is for Knowledge Base

This is a bit of a cheat, too, but call it making up for yesterday, as it is exactly the opposite kind. Yesterday I didn't even have a TOPIC. Today I actually might be able to tell YOU something useful for a change. And not about one thing but about MANY things... because what I offer you is a RESOURCE. So useful in fact, that not only have I bookmarked it, but I have permanently put it in my sidebar.

Knowledge from OTHER heads into yours! Easy peasy!

You see, Elizabeth Spann Craig (which starts with a C but it sounds like a K, so bonus points, right?) and a computer engineer friend of hers developed a SEARCH ENGINE of BLOGS... so you can put in a writing, promoting related topic and up will pop blogs on the matter.

It is actually called the WRITER'S knowledge base, but KNOWLEDGE is the key... lots of it, right at your finger tips.

So if you need to know something, go to Writer's Knowledge Base.

And if you need to visit more blogs, which you do, go get the A to Z List.