Sandy Nathan's Blog, page 13

Operation Desert Swap––Now Authors Can Support our Troops!

Operation Desert Swap provides a way for authors to support our troops with more than bumper stickers. If you are an author and join Operation Desert Swap, you'll be paired with a soldier. You'll send him or her a copy of your book. You'll also agree to write "your" solder at least once a month, send him or her at least one care package during deployment, along with a Christmas card and possibly a birthday card.

The soldier receiving your book agrees to read it and pass it on to others when finis

Negotiation Skills and Working with Professionals - Add a little Sugar!

Cookies make a difference. These are French macaroons, or Luxembourgers, made by Burdick Chocolates of Northhampton, MA. Photo courtesy of Burdick Chocolates.

I recently posted an article by super publicist Susan Schwartzman about working with a publicist and the importance of sending cookies once in a while.

This seems like a small thing––maybe even a bribe––but it's not. What Ms. Schwartzman introduces is the very large topic of use of influence. Use of influence means what authors can do to ma

Working with your Publicist - Send Cookies!

I'd work for these cookies––French macaroons, or Luxembourgers, made by Burdick Chocolates of Northhampton, MA. Photo courtesy of Burdick Chocolates.

From Sandy Nathan: We have a great treat today: an article on working with a publicist by guest blogger, Susan Schwartzman of Susan Schwartzman Public Relations. Susan has been called "The Navy SEAL of Publicity" by the publicity director of a well-known publisher. She specializes in book publicity campaigns for publishers and authors and is known f

Rewriting your Draft Novel: Surviving the Rewrite or Can Frustration Lead to Death?

It was just a bad day, okay? Not the end of the world, really.

Blogging the rewrite of my novel,  Mogollon:

Yesterday morning I woke up with a red hot love scene from Mogollon raging in my brain. I'm rewriting my manuscript and realized what I'd written was NOT ENOUGH. I piled down the stairs full of enthusiasm, the words crackling through my synapses. I pulled up the Word file and sat with my fingers poised over the keys, ready to let 'er rip.

I heard my husband on the phone in his office. He was

How Contests Can Promote Your Novels & Extend Your Shelf Life

The River by Cheryl Kay Tardif

From Sandy Nathan: We have a great treat today. Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of The River, Divine Intervention, and Whale Song, is our guest blogger. Cheryl shares with us ways that contests––not the kind you enter, but the type you create––can enhance your novel’s visibility and sales. Great tips from a real pro.

Here’s Cheryl:

As a writer, you can enter contests for just about every aspect of writing, from postcard/flash fiction to short stories to poetry to novels t

UNLOCK WRITER'S BLOCK - WHAT WORKED FOR ME

Sandy Nathan, award winning author, rides her horse for the first time after having her ankle fused. Little did she know that getting over writer's block would be harder.

I wrote an introductory article on unlocking writers block a few weeks ago. (The one illustrated with photos of us trying to get a horse into a trailer.) After three weeks of vacation in New Mexico, I'm home and happily and productively working on the rewrite of Mogollon, sequel to my award winning novel, Numenon.

What did it ta

UNLOCK WRITER’S BLOCK - WHAT WORKED FOR ME

Sandy Nathan, award winning author, rides her horse for the first time after having her ankle fused. Little did she know that getting over writer's block would be harder.

I wrote an introductory article on unlocking writers block a few weeks ago. (The one illustrated with photos of us trying to get a horse into a trailer.) After three weeks of vacation in New Mexico, I’m home and happily and productively working on the rewrite of Mogollon, sequel to my award winning novel, Numenon.

What did it ta

Unlock Writer's Block - What You Need to Know When the Words Won't Flow

I'm going to illustrate this blog post with a simple tale springing from ranch life. This is a true story, obviously, since those are photos. This is The Day Corcovado Learned to Load and Unload from a Trailer. Note that the horse is not freaking out, pitching a fit, or tramping his handlers. No, Corco is doing something more effective. He's adopted The Mule Stance. My mind follows Corco's example as I contemplate rewriting Mogollon.

A while ago, I wrote that I was going to blog about the rewrite

Unlock Writer’s Block

I'm going to illustrate this blog post with a simple tale springing from ranch life. This is a true story, obviously, since those are photos. This is The Day Corcovado Learned to Load and Unload from a Trailer. Note that the horse is not freaking out, pitching a fit, or tramping his handlers. No, Corco is doing something more effective. He's adopted The Mule Stance. My mind is following Corco's example as I contemplate rewriting Mogollon.

A while ago, I wrote that I was going to blog about the

Buy Stepping Off the Edge for 99 cents!

Stepping Off the Edge is a wild ride to sacred places. Includes an exclusive interview with Bill Miller, award winning Native musician, artist, & speaker.

Now you can buy the Kindle edition of my award-winning book, Stepping Off the Edge , for 99 cents! The book is offered at this great price for a limited time only. Click here and go to the Kindle store.

The Kindle edition of Stepping Off the Edge is absolutely gorgeous: The Native American themed interior and cover converted to the Kindle form