Lindsay Detwiler's Blog, page 62

Confessions of a Bookaholic: Interview and Giveaway!

Hey everyone!  I’m the Sunday Spotlight author today at Confessions of a Bookaholic blog.  Visit http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.co.uk/ to see my interview AND  you can win a free copy of my novel, Voice of Innocence!

While your there, follow the blog, which is perfect for readers and authors wanting to know about the latest and greatest books.

Marketing Mayhem

My first degree is in Accounting (and yes, I was playing the role of accounting major when, in reality, I couldn’t even handle mental math.  Let’s just say it wasn’t a good fit). Once I decided that teaching was my true passion and moved on, I thought that the proverbial door was forever closing on the bean-counting portion of my life.  How wrong I was.

When the door to my writing opened, I, like many, pictured long days on a laptop with a coffee mug in hand.  I pictured words flowing through my fingers.  A publishing contract down, I then imagined that my only task in life was to edit and sign some books once they started rolling off the shelves. I think many have this image in their heads, too.  After all, isn’t a writer’s job to . . .write?

The short answer is yes. Without effective writing, there wouldn’t be a book to sell.  However, contrary to popular belief, the writing of the book isn’t actually the most tedious, confusing, or difficult part of publishing a book.  In fact, I would argue that a hefty amount of work actually comes after the book is ready to be printed.

Unlike many people believe, books do NOT sell themselves.  I’ve learned over the past few months what it takes to get your name out there as a new author. You can write the absolute best story you can, you can have a book that people will love . . .but how do you get people to buy a book from a person they’ve never heard of?  Hours of work.

Hours spent on social media, hours spent trying to promote your book without seeming too pushy.  Hours searching for reviewers, setting up effective ads, promoting your book to the right people.  Did I mention hours of work?? And nothing is ever guaranteed.

Cue accounting degree.  Now, I’m not saying that I’ve got this whole marketing thing down whatsoever.  But I can say that I now appreciate the business courses I took during my accounting degree.  I am so thankful that I at least took one class in advertising.  It hasn’t made me an expert, but it has given me a sliver of confidence that I can handle the marketing aspect of my book. When you’re just starting out, that sliver can mean everything.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months researching what helps a new author sell books.  In case any of you are also in my same boat or for those of you who are just curious, here are some ideas I’ve picked up along the way.

Vistaprint

Vistaprint has become my best friend.  From professional looking posters to magnets to flyers,

you can affordably advertise for your book.  My husband even has a T-shirt with a code that can

be scanned with a smartphone for my novel (In his words, he says that if all of the ladies are going to be looking at him anyway, he may as well put it to good use . . .kidding of course).

Twitter

I had no idea how twitter worked.  I mean at all.  But with the release of my book, I’ve ventured into the world of tweeting to help get my book out there.  Twitter can reach very different demographics.  Just be sure you’re tweeting about other stuff than just your book.

Facebook

My comfort zone!  Facebook has awesome, affordable ad campaigns you can run to get your page likes up. I have a page for my novel where  I post updates, events, and reminders.  My blog on wordpress also posts to my Facebook, so everything is connected.

Goodreads Giveaways

Since starting a giveaway, the number of people who have added my book to Goodreads has increased.  I’m not saying I have more adds than Nicholas Sparks, but I can say that its helping get my name out there.

Find reviewers; be confident

I’ve been sending query emails to any and everyone who reviews books in my genre and is welcoming to new authors.  From what I’ve read, reviews are everything on amazon, so I’m trying to reach my first milestone, which is twenty reviews on Amazon.

Word of mouth

When given an opportunity, don’t be shy about your book.  I was initially nervous about talking about my book because I worried how people would react.  Now that I’ve had some readers of the book and have higher confidence that people will appreciate me as a writer, I’m not afraid to own this moment and say yes, you should read this book.  If you don’t believe in yourself and in your book, who else will?

There aren’t going to be fireworks going off everyday.

This is probably the hardest lesson I’ve learned.  Getting a book published is a huge milestone in your life.  It feels like everything has changed.  It’s exciting, dramatic, and consuming.  But remember, everyone else’s life hasn’t changed in this way.  Everyone else in your life isn’t spending everyday with your book. Some days, it will seem like you’ve dreamed up this whole book thing because . . .nothing will be happening.  As much as you want fireworks and confetti everyday, as much as you want super exciting things to happen with your book everyday, there will be days where everything is quiet.  But just keep going.  It only takes one person to react to an advertising technique and change everything.   The fireworks will come when you least expect it.

Happy reading! Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

There’s still time to enter to win a copy of Voice of Innocence! Please also add to your shelf!

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Voice of Innocence
by Lindsay Detwiler

Giveaway ends March 20, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Witty, Wacky, and Wilde

“Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” ~Last words of Oscar Wilde

When I was thinking about something to write about for my blog, Oscar Wilde just came to mind.  Perhaps it’s because I used to teach Wilde around this time of year when I taught senior English.  Maybe it’s because my tenth graders have been talking about identity in our literary unit and self-realization.  Either way, looking at Wilde’s final words, you know that this guy is certainly blog worthy.

When we think of the late 1800s, which is Wilde’s era, we think of formalities, tea parties, and top hats.  We think of manners and formalities, fancy dinner parties and ballroom music.  All of this is true . . .except when you’re talking about Oscar Fingal O’ Flahertie Wills Wilde (Even his name says: I’m my own person!).

Amidst all of the black clothing and etiquette, Wilde himself admits that he was quite flamboyant.  Wearing bright colors, a flower in his buttonhole, and even a cape from time to time, Wilde knew how to draw attention.  He was known for being witty and an individual, which is something I love about him.  I love his quote, “Be yourself.  Everyone else is already taken.” He is noted for always standing out in the crowd and for being really humorous in a sea of stoic people.

Wilde certainly was ahead of his times, though, and the people of his era didn’t appreciate him. He actually went to Reading Gaol prison for “immoral behavior,” and his famous works including The Picture of Dorian Gray were used as evidence against him.  It is believed that he had an affair with another man, a well-known Lord of the time.  This would have been a crime in Wilde’s day; he was sentenced and sent to prison, his reputation ruined by the “scandal.”

He tried to make the best of it, writing “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” shortly after his release.  He writes, seemingly in self-reflection:

He walked amongst the Trial Men

In a suit of shabby grey;

A cricket cap was on his head,

And his step seemed light and gay;

But I never saw a man who looked

So wistfully at the day.

I never saw a man who looked

With such a wistful eye

Upon that little tent of blue

Which prisoners call the sky,

And at every drifting cloud that went

With sails of silver by.

I’d like to say that Wilde’s “be yourself” philosophy worked out well for him.  Obviously, it didn’t. After his prison sentence, he was broke and in exile. He never recovered his reputation, and his writing wasn’t really appreciated until long after his death.

Nonetheless, Wilde lived in a very different time than our own. He reminds us that we must strive to be our own true selves and not let others’ judgment get the best of us.

We all face judgment. We are persecuted for our clothes, our values, and our homes. We worry what others will think about us because our house is in a state of disarray or because our hair is graying. Others tell us we’re living wrong or we’re making a mistake with every choice we make.

We can never escape ridicule and others’ opinions about how we should be living our lives. Wilde reminds us, though, that we have to do what makes us happy, even if it means facing persecution.  He shows us through the character of Dorian Gray that ignoring your true self can have detrimental and devastating consequences. We must fulfill our internal desires and goals before we worry about the person we want the world to see.

Perhaps Wilde said it best when he noted, “”Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” Even though it may be hard sometimes, we have to strive to be dreamers, too.  We must follow our own dreams and desires, even if it means the world won’t appreciate our genuineness until long after we’re gone.

~Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Beware the Ides of March

Shakespeare, I loathe thee.

It’s crazy that an English teacher would even write this, I know.  But this is exactly how I felt when I was considering the pursuit of an English/Secondary Education degree. I found that I loved my English classes, I loved writing, and I loved the idea of teaching.  What threatened to stop me before I even started?  My pure disdain for the poetic bard.

In high school, I never liked Shakespeare.  Like any good student, I labored through the cryptic words. . .but I hated every second of it.  Who did this guy think he was, throwing in more “thys” and “thees” and “wherefors” than seemed necessary?

College brought more Shakespeare my way, and I have to admit that I did realize something new on a second read-through of the so-called great writer—he certainly liked his hidden innuendo (How had I missed all of them in high school?).  Nonetheless, my hate for him just continued to grow.

So I was faced with a dilemma.  I wanted to be an English teacher.  I wanted to teach Emerson, Whitman, Atwood, Orwell, and Lee—but I didn’t want to even think about reading more Shakespeare, let alone teaching it.  Romeo and Juliet?  Macbeth? Gag me.

I knew I couldn’t be a Shakespeare-hating English teacher—who ever heard of such a thing?.  But I wanted to teach.  So I did what any self-respecting, literature loving person would do:  I decided to fake it.

I faked my way through Shakespeare during student teaching, smiling and artificially proclaiming Shakespeare as awesome and admirable (Don’t worry, I crossed my fingers for good measure as I divulged my big fat lies).

But over the next few years, something shocking happened.  It didn’t happen all at once; it snuck up on me, curling around my mind and my literary appreciation.

I started to tolerate, even to appreciate Shakespeare.

I didn’t notice it at first.  It started with Othello.  I was teaching it to my ninth graders when I realized Hey, this guy isn’t such a bad writer after all.  Hundreds of years later, the paranoia, jealousy, and betrayal present in Othello is still around.  Maybe Shakespeare was, in fact, a visionary.

More than that, when I started to really delve into Shakespeare’s life, I realized what an amazingly smart and ambitious man he was.  Here was a kid who grew up as the son of a glove maker (and potentially an ale taster), a kid whose family was probably illiterate.  He wasn’t an elite who went to university.  He wasn’t expected to become anyone, really.  Yet, he kept at it and became the most famous, celebrated, and performed playwright in the world.  Rags to riches to the extreme.

Plus, there was the fact that he was a brilliant marketer.  At a time when a large chunk of the population was illiterate, he decided to write plays.  Why?  He knew that if he wrote novels, he would only be able to appeal to a select portion of the population (mostly the wealthy).  By writing plays, he could appeal to all social classes, opening up his target market immensely.  Plus, he was able to write in a way that appealed to all walks of life.  A lord and a beggar could sit and stand (respectively) in the same audience at the Globe, watch the same play, and both be entertained.  Talk about a versatile writer.

I have this idea that in the afterlife, I will have time to meet with all of my favorite writers.  I want to meet with Poe and talk about “The Raven” (Did the guy commit suicide at the end?  Did he just go mad?  I need to know).  I want to chat with Kafka about The Metamorphosis (Was Gregor really a bug?). I want to spew to Emerson about how inspired I was by “Self-Reliance.”  I want to just bask in Orwell’s presence, discussing my favorite classic.

And now, after years of a love-hate relationship, I have finally added Shakespeare to my imaginary list of meetings (What an honor, huh?).  No, he won’t be the first writer I meet with in my span of eternity.  But he just might not be the last anymore.

Are you a Shakespeare fan?  Tell me about your favorite play by the one and only bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Linday Detwiler, Voice of Innocence

Voice of Innocence

Hearts beating

Dreams floating

Two high school kids, Emma and Corbin

first love, real love,

strong, unwavering, and unbreakable . . .

or so they thought.

Cell clanking,

Verdict Slamming,

Two hearts ripped apart by

The conviction

Of an innocent man

Decades pass, and Corbin’s innocence is solidified.

 Lives irrevocably altered and time passed,

 A decision to make:

 should they settle for the separate lives that have become their reality, or can they take the risk that the passion of a first love doesn’t fade with time?

Voice of Innocence, now available at:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/519707

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMX826K

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voice-of-innocence-lindsay-detwiler/1121237080?ean=2940046578041

http://www.lulu.com/shop/lindsay-detwiler/voice-of-innocence/paperback/product-22044598.html

Giveaway!

Want a free copy of Voice of Innocence (paperback)?  Enter my giveaway at goodreads.com using the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh....  The giveaway ends March 20th.  While you’re there, be sure to add Voice of Innocence to your reading list!

Is your reading group looking for a new book?  I’ve posted reading group discussion questions on my blog.  Click on the tab above.

Voice of Innocence is Now Available!

I can still remember the first day I put pen to paper and started jotting down the first lines of Voice of Innocence.  Sitting on my parents’ deck, the ideas for the book just started flowing out of my pen; they didn’t stop for several years.

Now, I’m sitting here on a day I never thought would come:  the release date of Voice of Innocence.

In many ways, today was just an average day.  I made coffee, watched the news, went to school, and even went to grad class.  However, I also know that today is a momentous day, a day that I’ll never forget.  It’s the day one of my wildest dreams came true.

Thanks to Melange Books, LLC, people today have the chance to read the story I started writing one summer day.  People will hopefully fall in love with, root for, and even connect with characters I created.  What an amazing gift I have been given.  No matter what happens, I now have something to leave behind, something to say to the world: “I was here, and I contributed something.”  I think that is such a magical idea.

If you haven’t checked out my book, I hope that you will.  I hope that while you’re reading, you’ll discuss, critique, assess, and evaluate the book.  I hope you’ll start discussions about it, give it honest reviews, and chat with me about your thoughts.

More than that, though, I hope you find something to connect with in the characters who have plagued me, haunted me, and inspired me for all of these years.

E-book:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/519707

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMX826K

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voice-of-innocence-lindsay-detwiler/1121237080?ean=2940046578041

Print:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/lindsay-detwiler/voice-of-innocence/paperback/product-22044598.html

Five Things I Love

Five things I love in February continues below . . . my random obsessions are listed below.  Hopefully they’ll give you some suggestions for some new favorites and help you know me a little bit better.

1. Walking Dead

Two summers ago, I was bored to the extreme.  Nonetheless, I convinced myself that I wasn’t bored enough to watch a show as silly as “The Walking Dead,” no matter how much my husband begged me. Zombies?  A redneck with a bow?  A man named “Rick Grimes”? Pu-leaze.  I wasn’t watching this crap.  But then I did.  I watched episode one, convincing myself I hated it.  The end came along, and suddenly, I had to know what happened to this not-to-bad-looking, bearded guy and his family.  Within a week, I became a binge-watching Walking Dead fan.  I couldn’t stop caring about these people facing impossible situations.  I adored the love triangles and the stunning sense of connection they felt despite the zombie apocalypse.  Now, I’m a Walking Dead addict, just like the rest of you :)

2.Animal Rescues

Since I was born, I’ve been around pets.  I learned to love animals from my mom and dad.  Plus, being a cat lady runs in the family; my Grandma Dorothy was a cat fanatic.  It’s no surprise, then, that I’m already a crazy cat lady in my twenties.  We have four cats, all of which are technically rescued.  Amelia was found under a friend’s car, Arya was at the humane society, and Alice was born to a stray cat my parents took in.  Then there’s big Bob, who came from a local organization called Mending Hearts.  This place is truly my favorite non-profit in the area.  A no-kill shelter, they care for so many animals because they love doing it.  When we adopted Bob from there (who, by the way, is featured in the second novel I’m working on :)), everyone was beyond thrilled to see him get a home.  Mending Hearts is passionate about what they do, and a great non-profit to support if you love animals.

3. H&M

Okay, I’ll confess; I’m super cheap when it comes to buying clothes.  I love a good deal, and I love having a variety in my closet.  Thus, my latest addiction is H&M.  Since we don’t have one nearby, I’m limited to the online variety, but I still get great deals.  Watch for free shipping and you can get some awesome shirts and accessories to spruce up your wardrobe for great prices.  Just beware; the sizing runs a little bit bigger than other brands, which in my book is a plus :)

4. Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue

I bought Bare Minerals’ beauty serum a few months ago and hated it.  The serum seamlessly blends into your skin tone . . .but you pay for it in wasted product.  The bottle constantly oozes, leading to wasted product and a huge mess.  Their new formula, though, the complexion rescue, is a thicker CC cream. I adore it!  My skin was getting really dry from the -90 degree weather (hyperbole for you), but now it’s feeling much better thanks to this product.  It’s a bit pricey at $29 but worth it because it does double duty as a foundation and moisturizer (Plus they are a cruelty-free product, something I’ve committed to in recent years).

5.Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

I’m getting ready to teach this novel in my eleventh grade class, so I’m re-reading it.  I am obsessed with Chris McCandless’s story and his views of life.  Call him an idiot or call him an idealist, you can’t help but be entranced by his story and thoughts.  As an English nerd, I also love that Thoreau’s words permeate McCandless’s journals.

“And now I walk into the wild . . .” Chris McCandless

6. (an extra this week!) Coffee

Okay, I realize this is ridiculous and probably not helpful or unique.  But I can’t help it.  My favorite thing about a two-hour delay?  I get to drink two cups of coffee in the morning while watching The Today’s Show.  My Keurig is my favorite household appliance, and I love coming home, propping up my feet, and just drinking coffee.  Sometimes (I shudder to admit this) I go in Barnes & Noble not for a book like a good English teacher, but just for a cup of Starbucks brew. Coffee and a good book . . .that’s actually what I’m off to enjoy right now (I’m finishing Ghostboy by Pistorius).

Any favorite things you want to share?  Feel free to comment below.

It’s Cold. That is All.

I could try to be poetic about this weather, write some beautiful personification about the whipping wind and raging temperatures. Like Frost, I could paint a vivid image of the snowy weather and try to find some symbolism in the arctic wind.

But I’m too cold to do that. So I’ll just say . . .it’s cold.

Henry isn’t complaining, though.  This week has brought on a flurry (pun intended) of two-hour delays, early dismissals, and even a four hour delay today.  This all equates to extra time on the couch together, which is Henry’s favorite activity (besides eating).

So what have we been up to?

I can’t lie.  Eating popcorn, drinking coffee, and even devouring an entire cake from Valentine’s Day have been activities we’ve been spending our time on.  We’ve also tuned into Netflix more than we should admit, watching morning television, and even napping when the urge invites us.

We’ve also been writing, though, and marketing.  Now that my first novel is finished from a writing perspective, I’ve been able to turn more attention to the second work.  I’ve finished a few chapters that were plaguing me, and now I’m getting ready to do some editing.

Voice of Innocence is released in six days (pre-order now so you can start reading next Thursday!), but that doesn’t mean our work is over. There are social media updates to cover, reviewers to find, and general promotion.  As a new author, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of reading.  I’ve been working these past few weeks to give Emma and Corbin’s story a fair shot, to make sure that someone is convinced to read their story.

There have been exciting tasks, too.  I’ve talked to Barnes and Noble this past week about a book signing.  There will be one happening sometime in late spring, potentially in April.  I’ve also had a college student reach out to me and ask to interview me about the writing process.  This has been a really nice experience.  Although I’ll admit that I’m absolutely not an expert at this whole author thing, it’s nice to think that maybe I have some type of insight that can help others who are sitting where I was a few years back.

So Henry and I trudge on past the winter months (which looking back at what I wrote about our week’s activities, I guess I can’t complain too much :) ).  Summer is around the corner, which means deck-sitting, the dog park, ice cream, and, of course, a stack of good books.

Whether you add Voice of Innocence to your winter reading list to be paired with a cup of coffee or to your summer reading list to be paired with some lemonade and a lounge chair, I hope you’ll check out my book at the following links.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/519707

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMX826K

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/voice-of-innocence-lindsay-detwiler/1121237080?ean=2940046578041