Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Fun with Fictitious Endorsements


Know one thing I’m loving about the approaching release date for my novella? I’m receiving exciting
feedback from endorsers. And it’s beyond thrilling—to read their responses, to let it sink in how my words moved them. Ah, it feels awesome!

Today I’ve decided to have some fun. I’ve created a list of fictitious endorsements, because, hey, why not?

Without further ado…

THE DISAPPEARING KEY bent me all the right ways. – Gumby

The characters in this book made me want to rock down to Electric Avenue. – Eddy Grant

After reading THE DISAPPEARING KEY, I’ll never be hungry again. – Scarlett O’Hara

It made my day. – Clint Eastwood

I’d say this novella was the cat’s meow. It certainly wasn’t Odie-ous.” – Garfield

I liked it. I really liked it. – Sally Field

The prose made me want to love it and list it. – Hilary, Love it or List It, HGTV

You should read THE DISAPPEARING KEY. And when you do, make sure to say hello to my little friend. – Scarface

THE DISAPPEARING KEY made me feel like I’m king of the world. – Leonardo DiCaprio

This novella completed me. – Tom Cruise

If you plan a boating trip with all the people who are going to love this book, you’re going to need a bigger boat. – Roy Scheider

THE DISAPPEARING KEYS was peas. We go together. – Carrots

This novella was one to grow on. – 80s PSA commercial creator 


If you could have someone give one of your projects a fabricated endorsement, who would you choose and what would they say?

*Get ready for “Key Giveaways” in October to celebrate the release of THE DISAPPEARING KEY in ONE WEEK!
**photo by stock.XCHNG
***Note: No one really said any of the above during the making of this blog post. Hence the word fictitious. No one was hurt either.





Tuesday, September 17, 2013

6 Things the Writer in Me Wants to Tell the Mother in Me...




6 Things the Writer in Me Wants to Tell the Mother in Me
There are times when finding the right word usurps having the last word.
Pay attention. You’ll blink and they’ll be out of the house. Small moments count.
There’s always a story. Moods, distance, erratic behavior. . .always a story.
The best investment you can make is to pour into character(s).
Growth as a parent equates to that of countless edits. Take the time needed to make necessary changes.
You can read about how to excel at your job until your eyes dry out, but the best way to learn is to practice.

6 Things the Mother in Me Wants to Tell the Writer in Me
Relationships are the pulse of a good story.
Your children have a tendency to surprise you. Characters shouldn’t be too predictable.
Like babies, solid ideas take time to incubate.
You’ll poke your eye out if you write to impress or seek validation from others.
Adjust your expectations. Your baby will poop at the most inopportune times.
Nothing compares to knowing you’ve invested your time in something meaningful. No matter if you’re bombarded with advice, cut to shreds regarding your style, and/or judged ruthlessly or relentlessly. Devotion to craft will reveal itself in time.




*Gearing up to announce GIVEAWAYS linked to THE DISAPPEARING KEY that you’ll want to write home about!
**Would love for you to visit my guest post at Married with Fiction 

***photo by stock.xchng

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

To Market, To Market & Defining Upmarket


Woman writes book. Woman spends copious hours editing book. Then woman gets book professionally
edited. Woman decides it sure would be nice if her aunt Sally isn’t the only one to buy book.
And so it is. Marketing is born.

But how does woman go about it? Blow horn broadcast the news to her neighbors every morning? Join every social networking site under the sun? Tweet five million messages about her beloved book (eh hem, woman will be unfollowed quicker than I can eat a pan of brownies just out of the oven).

No. Woman trusts.

Step one of marketing = Trust
Invest in relationships. Believe there’s an audience for the book. Then do everything in your power to connect with that audience.

Step two of marketing = Give
As the commercial goes, “It’s not rocket science.” The more willing you are to help others out, the more willing they’ll be to help you out when the need arises. But adjust expectations. Not the wisest idea to offer favors purely in hopes they’ll be returned. Do it because you know how arduous the road can be. Do it because it’s fun.

Step three of marketing = Develop a Plan
Strategize. Study what engages your core readers. Pay attention (cannot stress those two words enough) to what moves them. Then establish a link to your book. Plan giveaways, events, and posts with your audience in mind.

Step four of marketing = Think soft
Whenever you’re tempted to pull out the blow horn remember the following Jane Friedman quote.
But social media is predominantly about “soft” marketing when it comes to authors and books. In my experience, the best marketing that can possibly happen centers on creating and strengthening…relationships.”

Check out both of these informative Writer Unboxed posts on the topic:



~
And now for the best definition I’ve come across for the term upmarket:
“Mainstream or women’s fiction that has book club potential; blends the line between commercial and literary.” – Writer’s Digest, October 2013

Draw a circle around this post, then put your pen down on that definition of upmarket and you’ve got a bull’s-eye. That’s what I write and what you’ll read when you download my novella next month.

This little piggy went to market…
;-)

Wee, wee, wee!

Which kinds of marketing do you respect? What gets your attention?

*Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter (upper right sidebar)

**photo by stock.xchng

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

8 Things My Dog Would Say if She Could Talk ~ A Tribute


Korah died yesterday. I can’t think of a better tribute than to repost one of my most well-visited posts. Enjoy reading some of my favorite memories about her…

We taught our dog to talk. She can say I love you and out, though the two often get confused. We sometimes think she’s expressing her affection for us when she really just needs to hit the grass.

This got me thinking. What would our beloved canine say if she really could talk? Here are my thoughts on this I 8 Wednesday:



  • I like how my mom (she calls herself that, but I’m no fool. I don’t believe I grew in her belly like those other three non-hairy ones) nestles next to me when she’s sad. Yum…salty tears.
  • I’ve worked hard to master what they call “a cute puppy dog face” when I’m drooling, and dying to have a little nibble of what they’re eating. Mom caves easily. The non-hairy ones seem indifferent and usually let me take a few licks. Dad, he’s the hardest one. Gotta work on my face more.
  • My family feels bad for me when I get squirted by a skunk. Sheesh, it’s happened enough times. What they don’t know is I’m the one who wins. They’ve never seen the skunk after the fiasco, have they?
  • Mom must really enjoy picking up my poop. She saves it all for one day toward the end of the winter and spends over an hour scooping it up in the backyard (aka: my kingdom).
  • Yes, I eat my own fur after they brush it off of me (if I can get to it in time). What they don’t know is every time I eat it it goes into my stomach and finds a way to grow on my skin again. So the brushing thing—it’s really a futile act. Wonder when they’ll wake up and smell the truth? Humans!
  • The vet = public enemy #1. Cats in our neighborhood are spies for the vet. I can’t figure out what side the mail carrier is on. But I’m beginning to understand those pesky squirrels in the backyard (my kingdom) aren’t just gathering nuts. I think they’re transferring messages to the cats to take to public enemy #1.
  • Yeah, so, I walked straight up to the police station where the animal control guy parks his truck? I wanted to see what it was like on the inside. Mom’s a writer. She gets this. All in the name of research, right Mom?
  • I’ve been all around the country, but I’d have to say the coolest place my parents took me (other than a park in South Dakota where my parents had to chuck graham crackers out of the car…dropping some inside the car…in order to get past the enormous donkeys) was Mount Rushmore. Loved seeing those big rock heads. A little afraid they’d tumble down on us, but I tend to pick up on Mom and Dad’s anxiety and they didn’t act near as scared as when they do when they detect the first whiff of skunk.

What would your pet say if they could talk?

Also, I'm guest posting about being 14 over at Heather Sunseri's today. So grateful, Heather! 


Taking Time

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