Rita Arens's Blog, page 25

Book Marketing Test: BookGorilla

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be testing some book marketing services for THE OBVIOUS GAME. It came out in February, and I'm reaching the end of the period when I can do Goodsreads giveaways, which I found were great for boosting the number of people who added my book to their "to read" lists, but it's impossible to tell if it had an impact on sales as there is no direct clickthrough information.

I'm going to be pretty transparent about my marketing methods, because it's tough out the...

This Will Cure Your Holiday Stress

Watch my friend and co-worker Momo Fali sing O Holy Night as Celine Dion. Stay with it and wait for the high notes.I dare you to be pissed off or sad after that.

Carry on.

When Tools Fail

It's been a while since I had a hobby that required anything but myself. I've been focusing on my novels for so long that I haven't created anything but words in years. Words don't require tools, not real ones. If I run out of paper, I get some more. It's plentiful and cheap. If I run out of ink, there's always another pen nearby. Pens are like bunnies or subway rats, especially the kind with a company name on them.

The older I get, the more I find myself wanting to master the arts tying me t...

It Begins

A week ago, my fourth-grader asked me about getting an Instagram account. I demanded she produce other fourth-graders who had one so I could ask their mothers about it. That ended the conversation.

Today, school was cancelled due to ice. She mused as I ignored her while working that she wished she could text with her friends.

I told her she's too young then went back to ignoring her while working.

Then I sort of felt bad, so I started to suggest she call them and had to hold my tongue. Of cou...

Somewhere in the Vaseline

When she got on the bus, I could see the angry bright red skin between her nose and upper lip from twenty feet away. As she changed into her leotard and tights for ballet, I realized her lips were so chapped they were hours away from splitting. Over a week of rubbing tissues against her little face over and over had taken its toll.

I smeared a little nasal gel on her nose, and immediately she begain shrieking that it burned. I searched all over the house for the good lip stuff and couldn't fi...

Here's a Joke for You

I'm still emerging from the grip of the worst cold I've had in years. The little angel told me this one this morning.

What starts with a "t" and ends with a "t" and has t in it?

A teapot.

Ba dum, ching!

The Painful Art of Self-Care

Though I had a cold, I was going strong on Monday. I did seven loads of laundry and accomplished a ton on my work to-do list. On Monday night, the little angel ended up in my bed coughing in my ear from 3-6 am. On Tuesday, her cold peaked, and I kept her home from school. On Tuesday night, I finished the second draft of PARKER CLEAVES despite the onset of a sinus headache. On Wednesday, I was sick but not too sick to go for a jog at lunchtime. I thought I might be able to ride out this cold l...

I Am struck By the Mediocrity of My Finest Hour

I looked down at the manuscript on my lap, shuffled among the multiplication flashcards and the book on surviving any disaster. We'd just read about how to defend oneself against lowland gorillas, which I doubt we'll ever see in Missouri.

"Mama, do you ever feel like you should be doing something that you aren't?" she asked.

I laughed. Isn't that the question of the human condition?

"Yeah. I feel like I should finish this novel."

"Mama? I think when this one is done, you should take a break befor...

Kids and Worry Time

My daughter is a worrier. She worries about things she doesn't want to do. She worries about things she does want to do. She worries that if she makes the wrong decision, everything will go awry. I get it. I'm a worrier by nature, too.

A while back I got advice from a professional. She said I should instigate a Worry List and some Worry Time each day. The Worry List is just that --writing the things you're worried about down on paper. My sister writes them down and puts them in a ceramic cupc...

#BodyThanks & Girlfriends With Eating Disorders

This week my friend Pauline Campos approached me about participating in her #BodyThanks Twitter party on Monday night at 8 pm CT and donating a copy of THE OBVIOUS GAME, since Diana struggles mightily with body image and anorexia in my novel. I said yes, and I'm excited for the conversation.

Later this week, someone passed along to me a post a guy wrote about why you should date a girl with eating disorder. Chief among the reasons: Hot and a cheap date because she doesn't eat much.

You know I...