Blog Tours
Out of the Box Promotion with Charles Yallowitz
Who said promoting your book couldn’t be fun? Thank you Charles for these fabulously funny suggestions.
A big thank you to the Jo for having me on for a guest post so soon after being part of the promotional tour for my latest book, Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger. This is the 10th volume of this series and I’ve found that it’s one of the most difficult to do any promotion for. The entire story revolves around a heavy revelation of Timoran Wrath’s past and the twists that come along with it. It brings the big man into the spotlight for once, so I don’t want to spoil things by saying too much. Yet, I have to say something and I’ve come up with several methods with varying degrees of usefulness.
1. Just put one line from the book in a post behind a ‘Read More’ cut. It doesn’t matter if context is a problem, people complain about the confusion, and that you refuse to explain who Lucy is. You did a promo and got people talking. Though the conversation usually revolves around where to find torches and pitchforks at this time of night.
2. Take a tip from the government and redact until you feel comfortable. Be creative with the colors too. So what if the excerpt looks like a tired college student mistook a permanent marker for a highlighter. You’re pretty sure the essence of the scene can be captured by those 10 words that survived your paranoia.
3. Write fake excerpts that are kind of connected to the story, but never show up in the actual book. What could go wrong since people won’t know until they book and read the thing? There they go talking about torches and pitchforks again. Maybe you shouldn’t have been so open about your home address.
4. Only promote through skywriting. It’s expensive, but you can’t put long messages up there. There would be no temptation to say more than you should. People can see skywriting from everywhere in the world, right?
5. Repeatedly swear that everything on the Internet is a lie, so you can post spoilers that nobody will believe. People will think you’re pulling a gag. At least until those who read the book show up to confirm the information. Maybe you can add a ‘non-disclosure agreement’ to your book. What are the chances of a reader not signing that?
6. Buy a decent video camera, start up a YouTube channel, and promote your book through interpretive dance. You laugh, but this will get you and your books attention. People will wonder what kind of craziness is in those stories if the author is twirling around on camera with a jack o’ lantern painting on their belly. Especially since there is no indication that Halloween has anything to do with the books. Best part of this is that you can go spoiler heavy and nobody will have a clue.
7. Be as vague as possible with all promos. If you get to the point where even you aren’t sure what the book is about then mission accomplished.
Interested in a new adventure? Then grab your Kindle & dive back into the world of Windemere! Don’t forget an apple for Fizzle.
About the Author:
Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.
Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com
Book Launch – Tales from the Garden by Sally Cronin
Here is the wonderful Sally Cronin with the launch of her new book of wonderful stories for everyone from age five to ninety five. All links to find it here, and if you have not already met her, do zoom over and do so. Take it away Sally!
I am delighted to announce that my latest book Tales from the Garden is now available in Ebook versions with the print copies available shortly.
We will be leaving our house and garden at some point in the future and when we put the house on the market, I realised that it was not only the sunshine that I would miss. I already had many photographs taken over the last sixteen years and I decided to capture as many aspects of the garden as I could to take with us digitally at least.
As I photographed the statues, most far too heavy to take with us, it came to me that some of them had been here at least for 60 years and had seen many changes over that time. Also there was the mystery surrounding the missing dwarves? Just exactly where did they disappear to some nights; when the garden seems to be alive with excitement and you can hear the fluttering of many wings in the air?
I wrote the stories weekly on the blog but was so delighted by the response from those who read them, that this became my surprise book of the year. Those that were planned will be released in the New Year.
The Ebook is available now, and the print version will be available in the next week. Both are discounted on my publisher’s website, as there are no additional charges as on other online bookstores.
About the book.
Fairy Stories for children of all ages, from five to ninety-five, that will change the way you look at your garden, forever….
With over 80 photos/illustrations, “Tales from the Garden” by Sally Cronin, reveals the secrets that are hidden beneath hedges and trees.
You will discover what really happens at night as you sleep unaware in your bed. Stone statues and those hidden worlds within the earth are about to share their stories.
The guardians who have kept the sanctuary safe for over fifty years will allow you to peek behind the scenes of this magical place. They will take you on a journey through time and expand your horizons as they transport you to the land of fairies, butterflies and lost souls who have found a home here.
Meet Queen Filigree of the Kingdom of Magia, The Last Emperor and The Lost Boy who live in the sanctuary on the Spanish mountain. Ten stories of adventure, magic and love.
Book Trailer.
Find out more about Tales from the Garden and buy the Ebook in Mobi for Kindle Format and Epub at a special 50% discount via the website – £2.48. Print copies are discounted by 23% at £8.42. The photographs in the print copy are in black and white and will be available in the next week to ten days.
Secure payment through the Moyhill Publisher site: http://moyhill.com/tales
Or through Amazon at the recommended retail prices.
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0180Q6CKM
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0180Q6CKM
About Sally Cronin
Sally Cronin spent a number of years in each of the following industries – Retail, Advertising and Telecommunications, Radio & Television; and has taken a great deal of inspiration from each.
She has written short stories and poetry since a very young age and contributed to media in the UK and Spain. In 1996 Sally began studying nutrition to inspire her to lose 150 lbs and her first book, Size Matters published in 2001, told the story of that journey back to health. This was followed by another seven books across a number of genres including health, humour and romance. These include Just Food For Health, Size Matters, Just an Odd Job Girl, Sam, A Shaggy Dog Story, Flights of Fancy anthology, Turning Back the Clock and Media Training.
For the last two years Smorgasbord Invitation has offered a legitimate excuse to write daily, meet amazing people from around the world and provide a platform to assist any artist, musician or writer to showcase their work.
Connect to Sally on social media.
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/sallycronin1
https://twitter.com/sgc58
https://www.facebook.com/sally.cronin
https://www.facebook.com/sallygeorginacronin
https://plus.google.com/+SallyCronin/about
I would be very grateful if you could reblog and share this on social media and of course would love to have your feedback.
Book launch
Any help that you can provide in promoting the book would be most welcome and you can contact me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com – I am doing a series of guest posts on various aspects of the book. Behind the scene stories of the statues, parts of the garden etc. I will of course share any posts on your blog across by social media.
Thanks for being part of the writing and publishing of Tales from the Garden.
Sally.
Cross Genre Promotion by Authors from Around the World
Many thanks to Michael Fedison for setting up this great cross genre book promotion, and also for including me in it. The authors included here from all around the world each have special deals for you starting from today and right up to the twenty second of November, so zoom on over to their sites to stock up on your favourite genres at very special prices. I’ve got a couple of deals and freebies too, which I’ll share the links to right after sharing the list of the fabulous authors taking part in this, with the genres that they write in next to their names. Every single one of them has discounts happening, so just click on their monikers below to check them out.
Barbara Monier Contemporary Literary Fiction
John Howell Fiction Thriller
Michael Fedison YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Shehanne Moore Smexy Historical Romance – Yes that word is indeed Smexy and not a typo
Janice Spina Middle-Grade Junior Detective Series
Luciana Cavallaro Historical Fiction – Mythology Retold
Evelyne Holingue Middle-Grade Fiction
Sonya Solomonovich Time-Travel Fantasy
Jennifer Chow Adult Cozy Mystery – The beginning of a new series
Nicki Chen Historical Fiction – WWII China
Katie Cross YA Fantasy
There they all are! Now it’s my turn. Firstly I must apologise for a mistake that I made and only discovered this morning. A couple of my discounted books are only available at the low price at Amazon.com and another couple are only available at Amazon.uk. I never realised that it was one or the other and not both for these deals, but next time I’ll make sure that they’re all on special at the same time. Just click on the cover pics to follow the links to Amazon. The freebies should be free on all Amazon platforms.
First up, on Kindle Countdown priced at 99 cents from now to 18 November at Amazon.com is The Absolute Indie. It contains all you need to know if you’re publishing on Amazon and CreateSpace for the first time, or if you’ve already published but have found it tricky. Also for those of you who have yet to include the NCX table of contents which is now mandatory on Amazon, this book will show you how to do that – easy peasy. It also has loads of links to places and freebies useful to Indie authors and includes a simple how to section on making your own covers.
Number two on Kindle Countdown for 99 cents at Amazon.com to 18 November is Echoes of Narcissus – my novel about a woman who discovers that she’s married to a malignant narcissist, and her journey out of there, with a bit of luck and the help of new friends.
Number one Kindle Countdown for Amazon.uk only at 99 cents is my African Me & Satellite TV. A story about racial hatred set in Zimbabwe, and about a woman finding her own inner strength and the ability to stand up for her beliefs.
Number two Kindle Countdown for Amazon.uk only at 99 cents is Sands of Time, the first book in my Sci-Fi series about the universal battle between very real and physical good and evil. Dragons, demons, and sentient chickens ahead! Books two and three in this series will be released in January 2015.
Finally two freebies for all over the place. First is my Fly Birdie. A short story about a little bird, a magical tree cutter, and a mystical tree, and how these three things help Hannah learn to love again.
Lastly is Skin – the final freebie. A short story about mankind. I have actually completely changed the ending to this story since it was first published, so if any of you actually bought it, please let me know and I will send you a copy of the new version if you want it.
Angelic Business 1 – Pink Matters by Olga Núñez Miret – Launch Week Book Tour!
It’s a great pleasure to have Olga Núñez Miret here with me today for the exciting release of her Angelic Business trilogy. Olga is a truly multi-talented author and fascinating and fabulous friend to have. Now it’s over to Olga!
Hi all:
First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Reader, don’t worry, I’m not here forever, just twisting the arm of your favourite blogger and borrowing a bit of space.
My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I’ll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).
I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.
Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).
I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shades of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)
And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?
As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).
The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they’ll go up shortly after publication.
Here, a video:
Link:
https://youtu.be/ZKWP_Q89CiQ
Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.
And here, the series:
Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters
You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!
It seems you’re in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.
Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17 year old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can’t help but ask: Why me?
And a snippet:
“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.
“Oh no, not again” I said.
“Hi Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”
“Let me guess…You’re an angel.”
I could say he smiled but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.
“Yes. I am.”
“O…K….And…to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort…I could have done with some notice.”
The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.
“It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know…G…”
“Yes?”
“I know he told you he’s an angel.”
I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.
“Yes. I also “know” things…In my case it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”
Pink Matters is currently available for pre-order and will be published on the 26th of June 2015 (Amazon time). So, if you’re reading this post after the 26th of June, you’re in luck and can get the book straight away! (I’m also publishing it in other platforms although as their processing speed is different the dates might vary. Do check there or in my website, that I regularly update).
Link:
In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:
Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg
What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn’t lose gracefully.
One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn’t know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?
Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on the 15th of July.
Link:
And last, but not least:
Angelic Business 3. Pink, Angel or Demon?
OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.
However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She’ll sort her friends out, she’ll help her family and, she’ll live a bit. And then, she’ll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.
Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you’re gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.
Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on the 30th July.
Link:
As I threatened you before, here are some link:
My website is:
I have a Twitter account:
@OlgaNM7
My blog is:
I also have a Facebook author page
www.facebook.com/OlgaNunezMiret
In Amazon:
My Goodreads author page is:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6562510.Olga_N_ez_Miret
G+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/118443714277719085351
Pinterest : (Don’t miss my board about angels)
Wattpad:
Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs! Ah, and thanks to Lourdes Vidal for her covers.
Food in Fiction with Charles Yallowitz
It’s a big pleasure to have the author of the wonderful Legends of Windemere series, Charles Yallowitz, here with me today to talk about one of my favourite pastimes – munchies. I love his dry wit, and the fact that he is always so down to earth and friendly with everyone, no matter how busy his life must be. Thanks for joining me Charles.
Thank you to Jo for offering to host a promo/guest blog. Now to get the introduction and promo stuff out of the way. My name is Charles E. Yallowitz and I’m the author behind the Legends of Windemere epic fantasy series where the latest one is Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue. I also just released a 27-page short story for 99 cents called Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts, so you can get a quick, cheap taste of me . . . whatever. Let’s move on to the fun!
I think many authors overlook the versatile uses that food can have in a story. It doesn’t have to be the central focus like in the manga ‘Toriko’ where the entire story revolves around discovering new foods and recipes. (Great series by the way.) Now that series is an extreme use that doesn’t have to be added to every story. Like in the above scene that occurred after the credits of ‘The Avengers’, you can make a food scene mild and simple. Though, I have yet to figure out what shawarma is or even try it. Staying on topic, here are a few non-central uses for food in fiction:
- Cultural Depth– Every region and culture has its own culinary identity. Think of any group and you’ll probably touch on an associated food within the first minute or two. I just thought of Jews and Matzoh Ball soup and Russians and vodka. Yes, these tend to be stereotypical in our world, but it makes the point. In a fictional world, you can create local cuisine that is unique and strange. This can relate to the type of land that the culture comes from too. For example, in Allure of the Gypsies you learn that Luke Callindor’s hometown is a big supplier of honey-based products because it is in an area that is perfect for raising bees. Bor’daruk has a lot of flat breads and giant scorpion meat is a local delicacy. So think of implementing a food scene when characters reach a new location.
- Dialogues– This is one of my big uses for eating scenes. Characters need to talk about events and they commonly do so over either a meal or drinks. This allows me to have them do something while talking. Otherwise, it’s a back and forth chat where you get an image of the characters standing like mannequins. Also, I’ve found that how people eat tells a little about their personalities and you can see it when compared to each other. For example, in my series Timoran Wrath eats piles of food and takes his time. Sari snatches food off people’s plates. Delvin is rather simple and casual. Fizzle sits in the apple basket. All of this in one scene paints a bigger picture.
- Conflict– Nothing to declare war on, but characters can fight over food in some situations. This can bring in some amusement and development. Yes, I know this sounds odd. Just imagine your heroes ordering a pizza or anything where you can pick toppings. You can go the simple routes with everyone getting their own pie, they decide to order a plain pizza, or have a group of people unrealistically agree on toppings. That last one is severe fiction. Now you can also take a little time to have them argue over what to get. Again, this can demonstrate personalities and roles within the group. It can even lead to some pent up aggression coming to the surface. Maybe that warrior is still angry about his favorite sword being lost by the caster’s clumsiness. Well, they fight over the dipping sauces for the chicken and the rage bubbles into a real problem. Sounds strange, but this happens in real life.
- Threats and Villainy– Ever see a movie or read a book where the villain is eating something strange? Maybe all their threats involve eating organs. This relates to one of my favorite parts of a Spider-Man story is in a novel called ‘The Venom Factor’. I don’t remember it exactly and the book is buried in my library, but the gist is Venom threatened to eat Spidey’s spleen. After years of being threatened with brain eating, Spider-Man says he doubts Venom even knows where the spleen is. The villain’s retort, “We can find out. It might be fun.” This may be a minor use of food and a stretch of the topic, but you can also have villains physically eating disgusting things. Vampires are a good one where they’re draining a person while talking.
Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts Cover Reveal
Coming on June 1st for 99 cents!
In a time of heroes, a man will take any job to provide for his family.
Ichabod Brooks has earned a reputation for taking the jobs most men and women fear to challenge. This reputation has brought him to the charred remains of a small village nestled within the hills and forest of Ralian. The ruins are a source of strange monsters that terrorize the countryside and repeatedly elude the local guards and hunters. The few brave souls who have entered the creatures’ lair have yet to come out alive or dead.
The chances of survival are slim, but that generous payment is too much for Ichabod to resist. After all, a man and his family have to eat.
Author Biography
Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue – Launch Tour
LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE:
SLEEPER OF THE WILDWOOD FUGUE
LIVE on Amazon Kindle!
The final champion stirs and reaches out to any who can hear her voice. Yet all who heed her call will disappear into the misty fugue.
Awakening their new ally is only the beginning as Luke, Nyx, and their friends head south to the desert city of Bor’daruk. Hunting for another temple once used to seal Baron Kernaghan, they are unaware that the game of destiny has changed. Out for blood and pain, Stephen is determined to make Luke wish he’d never set out to become a hero.
By the time the sun sets on Bor’daruk, minds will be shattered and the champions’ lives will be changed forever.
Don’t forget to mark it as ‘To Read’ on Goodreads too!
About the Author:
Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.
Blog: Legends of Windemere
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com
Read the Previous Volumes of Legends of Windemere!!!
A Tour Through Blogland Award
A huge thank you to my lovely friend Sally Cronin for nominating me to tag along on the Tour Through Blogland Award Hop. From the first day I met Sally I could see the wonderful person that she is – the fabulous soul that she is shines through so brightly, it’s impossible to miss. She also has my kind of wicked sense of humour, and loves to laugh. We share an abiding love of animals and the Earth. Straight away we became firm friends, and we will always be that. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to laugh and party in reality if her International Convention happens – we’re all buying LOTS of lottery tickets. Sally has shown me the most amazing support in every possible way, and I’m regularly humbled by her thoughtful kindness. We chat away on emails all the time, and all I can say is that I’m very, very happy to have my dear Sal in my life. She is also amazingly supportive of all sorts of bloggers and authors out there. She shares the work of talented artists, poets, photographers, musicians, cooks, and generally cool people and things with us, boosting them, and giving us opportunities to meet new and interesting people and friends.
Sally is the author of several books, every single one of them brilliant. I’m not saying this because she’s my friend – I don’t ever lie about writing. Her books are real, emotive, beautifully written, with her wry wit and humour adding to the way that they grip you from the start. She’s lived an eclectic life, and has done much successfully over the years, including working in radio and television. Her personal experience as well as her training as a Nutritional Therapist resulted in her writing columns in the media in the United Kingdom and Spain and the publication of the awesome book, Size Matters which I’ve read a couple of times, reviewed here, and still often pop into. This book is a gem for anyone who wants to live a healthy life without being deprived.
Sally’s beloved and gorgeous husband is the Ebook Doctor, and also runs Moyhill Publishing, where you can find all of Sally’s books as well as the works of other authors you might like. All her books are also available from:
Amazon
And
Smashwords
If you’re not already connected with her, I really suggest you do.
LinkdIn
Twitter
Facebook
Facebook Page
Google+
Now on to the tour.
The rules:
1. Pass the tour on to up to four other bloggers.
2. Give them the rules and a specific Monday to post.
3. Answer 4 questions about your creative process which lets other bloggers and visitors know what inspires you to do what you do.
4. The last part of Tour Through Blogland is to write a one-time article which is to be posted on a Monday (the date supplied by your nominator). This article can be in the same post in which you answered the 4 questions. The article can be anything of your choosing.
The date supplied by my nominator was Monday, 9th February 2015. I’m a bit late (for a change) because I squished my left hand and up to now it’s been refusing to type anything without letting me know about it rather painfully, so I’ve been forgiven. The dates I choose for my nominees to post is any Monday between 16th February and the end of March 2015, if they choose to hop on.
Questions Section About My Creative Process
1. What are you working on at the moment?
I work on a couple of different things simultaneously. I didn’t like that “What Now?” feeling after finishing my first book and having nothing else on the go at the same time. I like to work on different projects and genres at the same time, but always there is one main focus which is the next in line for publication, so I’m working on Shadow People two and three mostly.
2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?
Shadow People is difficult to put into a classic genre. It’s science fiction, fantasy, metaphysical, spiritual, with an element of horror – especially in the coming books. I generally don’t think genre when I write. If something seems right to me I’ll plop it in anywhere.
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
I’ve loved to read all of my life – multiple genres – fiction and non-fiction. Writing is just taking that pleasure up a notch for me, in that I get to decide every little thing that happens – a very giddy joy indeed. I’ve neglected my arty attempts for years and years, and have only started getting back into it when I created a couple of my own book covers. I’ve always leaned towards pencil sketches, children’s pictures, and collages, but pastel and oil painting I also enjoy. Now that I have a Wacom tablet and a couple of nice paint programmes I have a lot of plans for future art.
4. How does my writing/creative process work?
Unless the universe tosses me a dodgy curve ball of some kind (and just lately I’m wondering if my destiny was to take up cricket – thank you universe), I always write in the morning. Monday to Sunday, whether it’s one hundred words or three thousand words. Good words bad words – I like to get done either way. If I don’t then I don’t feel right until I do again. I don’t have a problem with thinking up ideas for stories. Those little guys arrive all the time, and when they do, I immediately stop what I’m doing, open a new document, scribble the idea, and the first couple of paragraphs, and then leave it alone for the future. I have piles and piles of paper notebooks filled with ideas and stories too. The Shadow People series has an enormous amount of it still in notebooks. As I write any of my stories I take notes too – this is especially important writing a series. Things like names, appearance, or items I might forget, important scenes and the page numbers they’re on. Sometimes I add a couple of bold XXXXXX’s when I can’t think of what comes next and want to move around it – then I go back and sort it out later.
The Article: Sometimes Scribblers Have to Scrub
I’ll say this first off – I’m not overly fond of housework. In fact I really can’t stand it. I’ve got books to write, people to create, worlds to imagine. I really do enjoy cooking and spending time in my kitchen – but actually washing the dishes – not so much. Sometimes I’m so busy scribbling or doing some Indie related thing that I don’t realise how much clutter builds up till it falls on me.
Any sort of job isn’t going to go smoothly in a cluttered, disorganised, or dirty environment though. Subconsciously that pile of dishes, dusty everything, or the fact that you’ve been in your PJ’s for three days subsisting on Doritos is going to have a detrimental effect on your creative output.
Scribblers will get to a certain point where their inbox is loaded with thousands of emails. The fridge has taken on a bluish glow from all the new life taking form in its neglected innards, life gets in the way, the cat is lost in the towering pile of ironing, and the dishes… well…. But no matter how hard you stubbornly try and ignore all of these things, you still can’t write. I’m all for write first, and the rest must wait, but sometimes it doesn’t happen because all those festering piles of things waiting to be done really is taking up too much brain space even though you aren’t fully aware of it. So in the long run, pulling up your sleeves and spending a day having at it all will probably actually translate into more and better scribbling when you park your tired bum back in your chair, basking in the afterglow of having done what needed to be done, and the piles get to start from scratch again….
Nominees
My first nominee is Noelle Granger. A lovely lady and fascinating author. You can find her on her blog at Sayling Away. Have a squiz at her Interview with Chapel Hill Magazine and be as blown away as I was. She’s one very humble lady doctor with many kudos to her credit, and a fabulous way of researching her books, which you can find on Amazon.
Noelle A. Granger grew up in Plymouth, MA, in a rambling, 125 year old house with a view of the sea. Summers were spent sailing and swimming and she was one of the first tour guides at Plymouth Plantation.
She graduated from Mount Holyoke college with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and from Case Western Reserve University with a Ph.D. in anatomy. Following a career of research in developmental biology and teaching human anatomy to medical students and residents,the last 28 years of which were spent in the medical school of the University of North Carolina, she decided to try her hand at writing fiction.
Death in a Red Canvas Sail is her first book and features an emergency room nurse as her protagonist. The book is set in a coastal town in Maine, similar to Plymouth, and she has used her knowledge of such a small town, her experiences sailing along the Maine coast, and her medical background to enrich the story.
She has also had short stories, both fiction and non-fiction, published in Deep South Magazine, Sea Level Magazine, the Bella Online Literary Review, and Coastal Style Magazine. Her second novel in the The Brewster mystery series, Death in a White Dacron Sail, will be published soon.
N.A. Granger lives in Chapel Hill, NC, with her husband Gene, a physician, and is the mother of two children.
My next nominee is the lovely author and artist Carole Parkes. I have her book on my Kindle, and am dying to get stuck into it. Check out Tissue of Lies on Amazon US or Amazon UK.
Carole was born in Liverpool, England in 1945 and has lived in her current house in Lancashire for the past 37 years. She’s been married for 49 years and has three married sons.
She started writing in 1985 when she produced several short stories, a series of children’s books and her newly published book on Kindle “TISSUE OF LIES.” Between 1985 and 1989 she also encouraged her elderly mother to write her life story whilst she started on her own biography. Owing to her commitment to her elderly parents, she didn’t take her writing too seriously until after they both passed away in 2012, aged 97 and 94.
She has since rewritten “TISSUE OF LIES” to take in the technologies of our modern age. Although it’s been hard work to finally finish, edit and publish it, she’s thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and has already started on her second book.
My final nominee is one of the most fantastic musicians I’ve ever come across, Mihran Kaladjian. A wonderful supportive blogger and friend, I’ll never forget the first time I clicked on one of the YouTube videos of him playing the music he writes. Angelic, beautiful – it will knock you off your chair. Have a listen.
Mihran Kalaydjian loves the outdoors, comedy, bbq, reading and travelling. He worked in the beer industry in college so he loves talking about good beer. He used to be a competitive runner so (like all runners) if you make the mistake of asking him, he’ll tell you about his entire career and PRs. He also spent his youth working in restaurants, so if you’ve done the same, he’s happy to swap stories. As well as all that, Mihran Kalaydjian provides visionary leadership and management oversight of the sales, marketing and revenue strategies for Classic Hotels and Resorts.
Love Aflame by Pamela Beckford – Launch Tour
Pamela Beckford publishes her 3rd solo poetry collection. Using various poetic forms she illustrates how love can set the heart on fire but also shows how that same love can turn to ashes. Poetry is an expression from deep within the soul. It can be therapeutic and healing. It can bring out all the best or the worst in life. Her poetry comes from the heart, not the head. It is an outpouring of emotion and she exposes it to the reader in the pages. She leaves a piece of her soul in every poem Reviewers have said things like:
“Pamela’s poems are refreshing since they are truly written from the heart. She has a gift of writing a poem that speaks to each person’s heart and emotions.”
“Breathtaking. That singular word – breathtaking – is the best one-word description of “Dreams of Love” by Pamela Beckford that kept coming to mind as I lingered within the pages.”
http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Love-Pamela-Beckford-ebook/dp/B00NVDUYQS/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_1
“These are not just words strung together in forms. Somehow she manages to share huge and deep emotions with two words – or one. ”
“Pamela’s poetry is diverse and creative. Lyrical without self-conscious fluff. Quiet confidence in her abilities with the various forms.”
Pamela Beckford has been writing poetry for about two years. She began writing with the encouragement of a couple of friends and has found that it has taken over her mind. She is a nonprofit CEO and enjoys reading with children on a regular basis, as well as her own reading. She lives in northern Indiana where she devotes her life to others through her job and her family.
Dog Bone Soup by Bette A. Stevens – Book Launch Tour
DOG BONE SOUP is not only the title of Bette A. Stevens’s debut novel; it ranks high among the paltry meals that the book’s protagonist, Shawn Daniels, wants to forget. Plodding through mounting snow and battling howling winds, Shawn is ready to leave it all behind—living in poverty, Dad’s drinking, life in foster care, the divorce, the bullies….
Travel with Shawn Daniels through the guts and the glories of life. You’ll find them all in DOG BONE SOUP, a Boomer’s coming-of-age saga. Available now at “YOUR AMAZON”
From the Reviewers
“Dog Bone Soup is the poignant tale of a dysfunctional family struggling to survive in America in the 50s and 60s, when most others were on the crest of a wave. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. But most of all it will make you glad you read it.” ~ Charlie Bray, founder of the Indietribe
“In Dog Bone Soup, Bette Stevens captures the feeling and images of growing up in hardscrabble times perfectly.” ~ John Clark, librarian and author
DOG BONE SOUP
READ the opening Excerpt from Chapter One right here…
The postcard arrived four days before my eighteenth birthday. All I had to do now was sign the final papers and light out for basic training. I could hardly wait to leave this place behind.
There were six of us ready to become soldiers. The other five guys were headed to Fort Dix. Soon as we were inducted, the sergeant who swore us in started calling us a bunch of lily-assed bastards and worse. When the jerk marched the other five guys off, I was happy as hell I wasn’t one of them.
Lieutenant Richards called me into his office. “You’ll be heading out tomorrow, Private Daniels. Here are your tickets.”
We sat in his office and talked about my future with the U.S. Army. Then he handed me a schedule for the next day’s journey and we went over every detail.
“Now let’s get you home so you can get a good night’s sleep before you fly off to serve Uncle Sam, soldier.”
“Good luck Private,” the lieutenant said when he dropped me off at the house. We saluted and I stood there watching until his car disappeared over the hill.
I’d always liked army people. They called me Mr. Daniels and even sir sometimes. Now I was officially a private in the U.S. Army and I was ready to start a new life. I pictured myself in an officer’s uniform one day—a lieutenant, a captain, maybe even a general.
Mum and I didn’t get much more than a few winks of sleep that night. I don’t know how many pots of coffee she perked while we sat at the kitchen table and talked the night away. Of course, it was Mum did most of the talking. Once she opened her picture books, I felt like I was drinking in the life I wanted to leave.
Mum took all of those pictures with her Brownie—that camera was her pride and joy. None of us kids was allowed to touch it unless she supervised a picture taking every now and then. If Dad wasn’t around, it was me peeking through the lens. Mum was fussy about taking pictures just so.
Five books were piled on the table and we went through them one page at a time. Mum had a story for every snap shot. Some made me laugh so hard that I doubled over.
It was two minutes shy of three when she closed the last album.
“Thanks for staying up. I’ve got the alarm set for six and I know that won’t give us much sleep.” Mum pulled out her hanky, sniffled and hugged me before we turned in. My leaving would to be hard on her.
Willie was snoring away, likely dreaming about cars. I slipped in next to him and pulled away some puffs and huddled under them.
The minute I closed my eyes I started dreaming about my new life. No more freezing to death up north. I was headed for southern sunshine and I saw myself soaking it all in.
Bzzzzzzz. I jumped out of bed, threw on my clothes, grabbed the suitcase and headed for the kitchen. Mum already had breakfast on the stove, so I ran outside to do my business and came back in to grab a hot biscuit and down it with a cup of steaming coffee.
I was half frozen and snow was whipping around me in circles when I headed out on the three-mile walk into town to catch that bus.
I shook flakes big as quarters from my jacket when I climbed the steps of the Greyhound. Two hours and I’d be boarding a plane headed to Fort Jackson. South Carolina was sure the place to be, especially in February.
### end of excerpt
- Read all of Chapter One
- OR Grab your own copy of DOG BONE SOUP here at “YOUR AMAZON” and dive right in!
About the author
Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).
Bette A. Stevens is the author of award-winning picture book AMAZING MATILDA; home/school resource, The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to DOG BONE SOUP.
Find out more about the author and her books right here on “YOUR AMAZON”
- Bette’s WEBSITE/BLOG
- Find Bette on FACEBOOK
- Follow Bette on TWITTER
- Author Bette A. Stevens at “YOUR AMAZON”
Jo Robinson 