Roxanne D. Howard's Blog, page 18

$10 Amazon and book giveaways for October!

0 min read

Hey Everyone!

With the upcoming publication of my new Costa Mesa Series, I wanted to do another giveaway. This time I have three different prizes; a $10 Amazon e-gift card, and one copy each of Chicks Dig the Accent and Batten Down the Hatches, which will be out on October 25th with Loose Id Publishing. The new giveaway will end on November 2nd. And good news, since I have two more books coming out after Batten Down the Hatches, it’s going to be giveaways galore, all the way up till Christmas!

My Writing Journey: Fledgling Writer to Author

5 min read

For a while now, I’ve had some thoughts on the back burner of doing up a blog on my publishing journey, and to offer some advice to anyone who may need or want it.

Last year, around October I submitted the completed manuscript for At the Heart of the Stone to a few prominent small press publishers, letting each of them know I was submitting simultaneously. I received an offer from one I wasn’t sure about; the publisher wasn’t well known, and the covers were sub par. There was little to no marketing on it. The acceptance time was also scarily fast. While that may seem like a dream come true to new authors who are itching to get their work published, it’s important to exercise caution. Publishers need time to get back to authors, because they have to have several people read the manuscript, and have a meeting to discuss its marketing potential before deciding whether or not to accept the work.

I received two more acceptances, then Loose Id got back to me with an R&R. Originally, the manuscript did have some watered-down love scenes, but it was not erotic in its original form. However, because of their reputation and known outstanding editing, I decided to revise the manuscript, and I spent the next several months working with my amazing editor (whom I’ve now had the pleasure of working on my other 4 books with Loose Id on).

If you’re not sure about a publisher, go on Absolute Write, where there are frank and open discussions from authors who both work for the publisher and have submitted to the publisher. By reading through the threads, you can gauge the overall feel of the publisher, and it will help you know if it’s the right one for you. Don’t take the first offer you get unless you’re 100% sure about it; do research. You worked hard on your book – give it a proper home.

The one thing I learned on my writing journey was perseverance. If you believe in yourself and your creation, don’t let anything stop you. Like everyone, I struggle with self-doubt, constantly. It can be a big hindrance when you work creatively, so the best thing to do is to focus on what you want and what you have to do to achieve it, and most importantly, believe in yourself. You know your worth and what you’re capable of. Don’t let anything stand in the way of your potential.

One thing I’ll say about editing a manuscript before you submit it; you do not need to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to get your manuscript looked at by a professional editor. You can, and there are in fact some amazing editors out there for those who need it. But before you do, try the following:

Self-edit it to the best of your ability (i.e., remove gerunds and downsize your adverbs, remove filter words, etc.).
Find a critique group that you trust, or a small circle of beta readers who are writers/editors themselves. Nine times out of ten, you will get the same exact feedback from two to three beta readers as you would with a professional editor on things that can be improved on in your manuscript, and you don’t have to pay a dime.

That’s not to say editors aren’t wonderful and can’t help you whip a manuscript into shape. I love my editor with all my heart. She’s amazing at what she does, and I trust her judgement more than my own at times when we’re working together. Many editors out there are available to help you; just beware of those who are charging a ridiculous amount of money for their services. The good ones realize how much work authors put into their manuscripts and should be fair in their charges.

A strong piece of advice I dearly wish I’d had before I published my first novel is on marketing.

If you are self-publishing or publishing with a small to medium-sized publisher, you have got to invest in marketing. I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit I naively thought if I wrote an outstanding romance novel, everyone would want to read it. That simply isn’t the case. It’s gotten great reviews, but as a fledgling author, the truth is no one knows who you are, and if you don’t get your name out there (or your pen name) and advertise your work, chances are it won’t sell very much.

So what does investing in marketing mean? It means booking a blog tour, excerpt or blurb tour, and investing in promotional services. There are some really amazing ones like Bewitching Book Tours and Fire and Ice Book Promotions, who will go to bat for you for a very reasonable price, so this can all be done between $50-150 if you’re trying to stay within a budget. It does pay off, and you can usually get at least four reviews out of a blog tour, which help tremendously.

I hope this was useful to someone out there. If you have any questions or any tips to add, please leave them in the comments.

All the best,

Roxanne

The post My Writing Journey: Fledgling Writer to Author appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

Thoughts on September 11th…

There is no content because this is a Copyfight protected article.

The post Thoughts on September 11th… appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

5 Cup (Star) Review for At the Heart of the Stone from Coffee Time Romance!

2 min read

I received a beyond pleasant surprise upon coming home with Mr. Darcy and the kids. When At the Heart of the Stone was released, I sent an ARC copy to Coffee Time Romance. I didn’t know entirely what to do promotional-wise with my first-ever novel, and so much time has elapsed since then and now that I completely forgot about it. But they gave me a 5-Cup review for At the Heart of the Stone, which is a huge honor, and that review tugged at my heartstrings. You can find the review here:

At the Heart of the Stone Coffee Time Romance Review

If you’d like to check out At the Heart of the Stone for yourself, an exclusive excerpt and buy links are available here:

At the Heart of the Stone buy links and excerpt

This book was my first romance novel, and it will always and forever hold a special place in my heart. Lark and Niall took me over, and there was a certain magic that happened between all three of us when I wrote the book. I also should give some praise to my amazing editor, Ann M. Curtis, who not only helped me whip it into shape, but was invested in it and helped me get the manuscript to where it needed to be. Sales-wise, the novel didn’t do as well as I’d hoped initially (and I think that’s because not a lot of people knew who I am), but it is my hope that with other books coming out, that it will be picked up the more people read my work.

The biggest thing for me is that it touched someone; that warms my heart in so many ways. Thank you to everyone who has expressed an interest in my books, new or old. You are all wonderful.

August Amazon $25 e-Gift Card Giveaway!

There is no content because this is a Copyfight protected article.

The post August Amazon $25 e-Gift Card Giveaway! appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

Chicks Dig the Accent Cover Reveal

1 min read

I’m pleased to reveal to you all my pretty purple cover for Chicks Dig the Accent! Cover art by Natasha Snow. This fun, sexy modern-day fairy tale/romantic comedy, loosely based on Cinderella, comes out with Loose Id next Tuesday, August 23rd. There will be an official cover reveal this Friday on Enchanted Book Promotions blog, but due to delays in receiving the cover, I am revealing it now to give you all a sneak peek before it comes out. Enjoy.

Molly Ivers has always known she’d marry a foreign man with a delicious accent. Six months ago, in a night of unbridled passion, Molly gave her virginity to her friend and sexy-as-can-be neighbor, rocker Evan Castle. Unfortunately, thanks to his swarm of constant groupies, things didn’t work out, but they remained friends. Now, after having just broken up with her boring, run-of-the-mill right wing boyfriend, Sean, she’s on the verge of finishing her graduate degree, moving to Paris, and is desperate to shake things up!

She’s had a crush on Nicholas Sullivan, her British professor, for as long as she can remember. So when opportunity comes knocking to spice up her appearance, in the form of a French life coach, she hires Jean Luc Dubois to help her let her hair down and become more Parisian and hip, to reflect the person she is within. Thanks to Jean Luc’s magic, she starts to catch her hunky English professor’s eye, but the more time she spends with Evan, the more she questions if her Prince Charming might just be the one she’s known all along.

The post Chicks Dig the Accent Cover Reveal appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

Blog Tour Schedule for Chicks Dig the Accent

There is no content because this is a Copyfight protected article.

The post Blog Tour Schedule for Chicks Dig the Accent appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

Costa Mesa series has been accepted for publication!

1 min read

Hi Everyone!

I have some amazing news! My three-part Charmed in Costa Mesa series has been accepted for publication with Loose Id! Editing is to begin right away, so with the upcoming release of Chicks Dig the Accent as well as editing, I’m going to be one busy cookie. I will try to blog regularly, but if I don’t, you can also follow my upcoming blog tour and custom guest blogs with Bewitching Book Tours. I’ll be posting my schedule soon.

Charmed in Costa Mesa is a three-part series about Piper Goldhirsch, a sassy tabloid reporter who’s out to expose a whale watching captain on her show, only to realize he’s the same guy she had sexy shenanigans with at a Halloween party. There are three books in the series, Batten Down the Hatches, Toe the Line, and Overboard. They will be coming out in order around Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve! Thank you to everyone who has leant moral support and cheered me on. Seriously. Like every single writer out there, I struggle with self-doubt, and it means the world to have good friends and wonderful readers. To celebrate, here’s some commissioned artwork of Piper and Jack from book 2, Toe the Line, done by Natalie and Bianca Duarte.

You are all stars!

Best,

Roxanne

The post Costa Mesa series has been accepted for publication! appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

The Cover Art of My Dreams

There is no content because this is a Copyfight protected article.

The post The Cover Art of My Dreams appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.

An Obscure but Helpful Tool for Moms Who Write

2 min read

Several weeks ago, I was doing 2nd edits on my laptop for Chicks Dig the Accent while my daughters were in ballet class. Like the Broadway song goes, “It wasn’t paradise, but it was home.” The ballet studio itself is nice and large, but the waiting room for the moms is tiny. I had a nosey parker mom in the seat next to me who kept craning her neck to see what I was writing/working on, to the point she looked like she was about to fall out of her chair.

So, I made a small investment, and it paid off. For those of us who have to write on the go or in public locations for whatever reason, I highly recommend investing in one of these:

It’s a laptop privacy screen for anyone wondering. I had one about ten years ago when I worked in corporate, but I completely forgot about them until the curious lady in the ballet waiting room all but glued her nose to my laptop screen. Since getting one of these bad boys, I’ve had peace of mind that what I’m doing isn’t visible to anyone who isn’t in front of the screen, and confidence that I can continue to work without the paranoia of people reading over my shoulder. As romance authors, and especially for those of us who are moms, it can be difficult to find the time to write. So when you’re on the go, a laptop privacy screen is an invaluable tool, and they work! The only thing people next to me can see is a dark blue screen.

For anyone interested, here is the link to the one I got. They come in different sizes for different laptops, and I highly recommend getting them if you write on the go!

https://www.amazon.com/Diagonally-Mea...

The post An Obscure but Helpful Tool for Moms Who Write appeared first on Roxanne D. Howard, Author.