Allie Boniface's Blog, page 45
April 7, 2012
Special Saturday Blog Announcement: Facebook Contest Starting Today!
Allie's April Showers Contest!
It's time for another fun Facebook contest – are you ready? We all know April showers bring May flowers, but sometimes those rainstorms can bring a little (or a lot!) of romance too. For the next week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day on my Facebook Fan Page from my published novels (and a couple of WIPs too) that features a "shower" scene. Vote for your favorite by email, and the winner will be chosen randomly from all emails to receive a super-cute travel umbrella (for those REAL spring showers) and your choice of any ebook from my backlist.
Are you ready to get wet? Come over and join me!
It's time for another fun Facebook contest – are you ready? We all know April showers bring May flowers, but sometimes those rainstorms can bring a little (or a lot!) of romance too. For the next week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day on my Facebook Fan Page from my published novels (and a couple of WIPs too) that features a "shower" scene. Vote for your favorite by email, and the winner will be chosen randomly from all emails to receive a super-cute travel umbrella (for those REAL spring showers) and your choice of any ebook from my backlist.
Are you ready to get wet? Come over and join me!
April 6, 2012
Friday Fun Facts!
Fun Fact#1: I finished my taxes this morning. Yippee!! (not celebrating so much that now we have to pay the govt, but at least they're done...)
Fun Fact#2: My April Showers Contest is starting up on my Facebook Fan Page TOMORROW! Come on over for a week of sexy wet scenes and have a chance to win a super-cute travel umbrella and your choice of any of my ebooks!
Fun Fact#3: My new publisher, Lyrical Press, has a Goodreads group that's growing every day with chatty authors and industry news. Stop by and give a peek if you'd like.
Fun Fact#4: For spring break, hubby and I are traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, so he can take part in a race-car driving experience. I will be looking on from the stands and taking lots of pictures!
Fun Fact #5: It's Easter Sunday this weekend, which means it's also time to take a few deep breaths, look around us, and rejoice in the new and wonderful things that make our lives so precious. Have a wonderful weekend!
Fun Fact#2: My April Showers Contest is starting up on my Facebook Fan Page TOMORROW! Come on over for a week of sexy wet scenes and have a chance to win a super-cute travel umbrella and your choice of any of my ebooks!
Fun Fact#3: My new publisher, Lyrical Press, has a Goodreads group that's growing every day with chatty authors and industry news. Stop by and give a peek if you'd like.
Fun Fact#4: For spring break, hubby and I are traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah, so he can take part in a race-car driving experience. I will be looking on from the stands and taking lots of pictures!
Fun Fact #5: It's Easter Sunday this weekend, which means it's also time to take a few deep breaths, look around us, and rejoice in the new and wonderful things that make our lives so precious. Have a wonderful weekend!
April 4, 2012
Writers' Wednesday: Two Good Websites
Hey, writers! Two sites worth visiting today: WOW! Women on Writing has posted their latest edition, and this one's all about The Art of Storytelling. Looks like a great collection of info on captivating readers and the media as well. Savvy Authors has a number of pitch opportunities coming up this summer (July will be here before you know it!). I landed my contract with Lyrical Press through a pitch on this very website, so polish those book descriptions if you're interested in any of these agents: Tamar Rydzinski (Laura Dail Literary Agency)Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Agency)Laurie McLean (Larsen Pomada Agency)Peter Knapp (Park Literary Group)
Good luck, and happy writing!
Tamar Rydzinski
Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyons Agency)
Laurie McLean (Larsen Pomada Agency)
Good luck, and happy writing!
Good luck, and happy writing!
Tamar Rydzinski
Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyons Agency)
Laurie McLean (Larsen Pomada Agency)
Good luck, and happy writing!
April 2, 2012
Monday Mentionables: Reflecting on a Reading
Last week I was one of 6 authors featured at a local library "Author Showcase." I was with a self-published suspense author (who asked me if I could hear his knees knocking under the table), a British poetess, an 83-year old Italian-American woman who wrote a novella about her own love story/marriage, a local historian, and a woman who wrote a fictionalized account of a 1920s local murder.
My thoughts?
~It's always nice to be with other writers and hear about other authors' stories and struggles.
~It's also nice to be comfortable and confident in a setting like that ~ I've spoken in front of lots and lots of groups (New Authors: get yourself out in the public eye whenever you can!)
~Come prepared with enough bookmarks/business cards/promo materials - you don't want to run out!
~Bring singles so you can make change when people buy your books.
~Bring a good pen (and a back-up) for signing those books!
~Take time to chat with the people who've attended a reading. I've noticed that people of all walks of life get a kick of talking to a "real author."
~If you're reading an excerpt, choose and practice it ahead of time.
~Have fun and try not to be nervous!! I mean, you already wrote the book and got it into the world. This part should just be pure enjoyment :)
My thoughts?
~It's always nice to be with other writers and hear about other authors' stories and struggles.
~It's also nice to be comfortable and confident in a setting like that ~ I've spoken in front of lots and lots of groups (New Authors: get yourself out in the public eye whenever you can!)
~Come prepared with enough bookmarks/business cards/promo materials - you don't want to run out!
~Bring singles so you can make change when people buy your books.
~Bring a good pen (and a back-up) for signing those books!
~Take time to chat with the people who've attended a reading. I've noticed that people of all walks of life get a kick of talking to a "real author."
~If you're reading an excerpt, choose and practice it ahead of time.
~Have fun and try not to be nervous!! I mean, you already wrote the book and got it into the world. This part should just be pure enjoyment :)
March 28, 2012
Writers' Wednesday: Two Guest Blogs & One In-Person Appearance
Hey everyone! I'm guest blogging today over at Marketing with Mandy....would love for you to pop in!
And tomorrow I'm blogging at Samhain Publishing's Blog, all about the romance of a warm spring rain. C'mon...you know April showers are right around the corner!
Also, tomorrow I'm sitting on a local authors' panel at the Pine Bush (NY) Library. I'm the only romance writer (6 different authors & 6 different genres), and I just found out today that I'll start the discussion off! I'm looking forward to chatting with other authors and readers. This afternoon I spoke with the woman who's coordinating the panel, and she asked me if I'd seen the local paper because my picture was featured in the article about the panel (I hadn't but asked if she could bring me a copy) So that's kind of cool...
Hope to see you in cyber-world (or maybe the real world, for anyone local??) on one of my stops :)
And tomorrow I'm blogging at Samhain Publishing's Blog, all about the romance of a warm spring rain. C'mon...you know April showers are right around the corner!
Also, tomorrow I'm sitting on a local authors' panel at the Pine Bush (NY) Library. I'm the only romance writer (6 different authors & 6 different genres), and I just found out today that I'll start the discussion off! I'm looking forward to chatting with other authors and readers. This afternoon I spoke with the woman who's coordinating the panel, and she asked me if I'd seen the local paper because my picture was featured in the article about the panel (I hadn't but asked if she could bring me a copy) So that's kind of cool...
Hope to see you in cyber-world (or maybe the real world, for anyone local??) on one of my stops :)
March 26, 2012
Monday Mentionables: Are You Getting My Newsletter?
Just a quick mention today: my e-newsletter will be going out later this evening, so if you havent' signed up to receive it, go ahead and do so (the link is in the right sidebar) - lots of info about some of my upcoming appearances and blogging gigs!
Happy Monday :)
Happy Monday :)
March 23, 2012
Friday Fun Facts: A New Contract!
Well, since I signed the contract yesterday, I can officially announce it here: my full-length contemporary romance novel, Beacon of Love (my "lighthouse story" as I've been calling it) will be published with Lyrical Press in 2013!! This contract was actually the result of an online pitch session last month over at Savvy Authors - so a big thank-you to them, as well as the acquiring editor!
Lyrical is a small press but they've been around for a few years and appear to have solid sales in their romance genres - and so far I'm pleased with the correspondence from the publisher especially regarding contract language and some changes/adjustments that I requested. Covers are pretty, too - check out their website. Of course, I'm always a little nervous signing with a new publisher, but I did some research on them & talked to a couple of their current authors, and bottom line: I think this will be a good place for Beacon of Love.
I just wish I didn't have to wait so long!!
Lyrical is a small press but they've been around for a few years and appear to have solid sales in their romance genres - and so far I'm pleased with the correspondence from the publisher especially regarding contract language and some changes/adjustments that I requested. Covers are pretty, too - check out their website. Of course, I'm always a little nervous signing with a new publisher, but I did some research on them & talked to a couple of their current authors, and bottom line: I think this will be a good place for Beacon of Love.
I just wish I didn't have to wait so long!!
March 21, 2012
Writers' Wednesday: April Showers!!
Heads up everyone! It's almost time for another contest :) I won't start this one up until mid-April, but here's a sneak peek at the details and what you can win:
We all know April showers bring May flowers, but sometimes those rainstorms can bring a little (or a lot!) of romance too. For the next week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day on my Facebook Fan Page(you'll have to "Like" it first, here) from my published novels (and a couple of WIPs too) that features a "shower scene." Vote for your favorite by email, and the winner will be chosen randomly from all emails to receive a super-cute Coach umbrella (for those REAL spring showers) and your choice of any ebook from my backlist. Look for the official start date next month!
And just because you can never have too much romance in the rain, here's a brief "shower scene" that's super-tingly:
We all know April showers bring May flowers, but sometimes those rainstorms can bring a little (or a lot!) of romance too. For the next week, I'll be posting an excerpt each day on my Facebook Fan Page(you'll have to "Like" it first, here) from my published novels (and a couple of WIPs too) that features a "shower scene." Vote for your favorite by email, and the winner will be chosen randomly from all emails to receive a super-cute Coach umbrella (for those REAL spring showers) and your choice of any ebook from my backlist. Look for the official start date next month!
And just because you can never have too much romance in the rain, here's a brief "shower scene" that's super-tingly:
March 19, 2012
Monday Mentionables: Considering Digital-Only Publishers
Did you have a jolly St. Patrick's Day Weekend? I'll admit, I'm not Irish and I'm not one of those people who takes advantage of the holiday to go out and get rip-roaring drunk - though I did take advantage of the weekend without schoolwork to get some writing done. I'm about 18K words through my current novella, Sex on the Beach, with a goal of 30K and to be finished by the end of the month.
I've also been mulling over the pros and cons of submitting to publishers that are "digital only" - meaning no matter how long your book is, they will only format it to be sold in ebook (some publishers still put full-length novels, those over 60K or so, into print). I have mixed feelings about this, to be honest. Certainly, the ebook market is growing hugely, and almost everywhere you go, you see people with e-readers and iPads. Authors make more royalties on ebooks than they do on print books, and the number of brick-and-mortar bookstores seems to be dwindling on a daily basis. My digital sales have been higher than my print sales for every title I have.
At the same time, I know I have some readers who still want to read and buy print books. hey probably won't ever read a title if it's only available as a digital file. So will I lose those readers if I publish with a company who will never put my books into print? And , is that a big enough piece of my audience to affect my decision? It's tough to say....
Any thoughts?
I've also been mulling over the pros and cons of submitting to publishers that are "digital only" - meaning no matter how long your book is, they will only format it to be sold in ebook (some publishers still put full-length novels, those over 60K or so, into print). I have mixed feelings about this, to be honest. Certainly, the ebook market is growing hugely, and almost everywhere you go, you see people with e-readers and iPads. Authors make more royalties on ebooks than they do on print books, and the number of brick-and-mortar bookstores seems to be dwindling on a daily basis. My digital sales have been higher than my print sales for every title I have.
At the same time, I know I have some readers who still want to read and buy print books. hey probably won't ever read a title if it's only available as a digital file. So will I lose those readers if I publish with a company who will never put my books into print? And , is that a big enough piece of my audience to affect my decision? It's tough to say....
Any thoughts?
March 16, 2012
Friday Fun Facts: Auction Goods and Mommy Porn
Hey, everyone! The Brenda Novak Online Auction will start up next month, and both Yours Truly and the Hudson Valley RWA have donated prizes just waiting for your bids! Writers can bid on a 25-page critique by 3 published Hudson Valley RWA members, and readers can bid on an awesome Vera Bradley tote filled with donated books from our members.
Or...you might be interested in snagging yourself my "Summer Fun" tote instead :)
******
In other news, has anyone read the new/next hugely popular erotic romance trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey? Nicknamed by some as "mommy porn" for its appeal to housewives/mothers who are re-discovering their sex lives thanks to its inspiration (hey, I don't judge, I just report), it's a small-press published book by a first-time author that's gone viral in the world of romance (and non-romance) readers. I read the first few pages over at Amazon and will reserve judgement at this point. Will I read the whole thing? Maybe. In truth, I'd rather work on my own writing, though...
Happy Friday!
Or...you might be interested in snagging yourself my "Summer Fun" tote instead :)
******
In other news, has anyone read the new/next hugely popular erotic romance trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey? Nicknamed by some as "mommy porn" for its appeal to housewives/mothers who are re-discovering their sex lives thanks to its inspiration (hey, I don't judge, I just report), it's a small-press published book by a first-time author that's gone viral in the world of romance (and non-romance) readers. I read the first few pages over at Amazon and will reserve judgement at this point. Will I read the whole thing? Maybe. In truth, I'd rather work on my own writing, though...
Happy Friday!
