Amber Polo's Blog, page 9

Walk into a Romance Novel Fantasy World.

Highlights from The Romance Novel Convention,Las Vegas -  August 2013.


Everyone had the chance to rub shoulders with romance authors from every genre (NYT Best-selling to just published) and male cover models to get inspiration for that next book to read or write.
Lectures brought attendees the latest trends in the world of romance literature. Mark Coker founder of Smashwords presented as well as talent from all aspects of indie publishing.
The Costume Ball was glorious.


Jimmy Thomas and Amber Polo



 Almost everyone was outfitted in costume. From kilt to komono, every imaginable genre was represented. A costume rental room was available for last minute transformations into the romantic heroine or hero off your choice. 
   
 V.S. Nelson’s wedding ceremony added to the romance.
   
  Jennifer's heroSome authors hosted parties. I was lucky to win Jennifer Ashley’s grand prize bag filled with tons of books, bangles, and an ARC of “The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie,” due to be published Oct. 1.(I am thoroughly enjoying every page.)
Coming Oct. 1 2013
A room full of swag! Every imaginable giveaway. And the magnificent Raffle Baskets were on display. 
My swag space was stocked with free books and dog biscuits for attendees to take home to those best friends who couldn’t come along.


A Book Fair filled with authors, books and more books...
Morgan Kearns

Rhonda Plumhoff and Morgan Kearns














The formal Awards Ceremony, with true Vegas style included magic and quick change performances. Only one thing that would have made this evening more fun, if I would have have left with the gorgeous trophy for Best Paranormal Novel. Still I was thrilled and honored to see my photo and the “Released” cover on the big screen as a finalist.


Jimmy Thomas’ photographer Bruce Heinsius took head shots. I had a chance for photos by the man who photographed Charlie Sheen, John Voight, and some of Jimmy’s thousands of book cover images. Can’t wait to see the results!


More – the meal package was great and restaurants in the Golden Nugget wonderful. Favorites – ahi tuna at the Chart House and ginger crèam brulee at the Lillie’s Asian Cuisine. Plus a Starbucks and a little chocolate shop.



Grand finale evening featuring the four Mr. Casanova contenders. Shawn, the tall Suitor won! 
I also used the Vegas desert to research sharks for a new book and visited the Shark Tank Tour at the Golden Nugget and the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay.    Writers and Readers, put RNC on your calendar for 2014! More photos on Facebook  

Recovered's Cover Revealed!

"Recovered"
"The Shapeshifters' Library" Book ThreeDue September 7, 2013

A Magical Quest…

I can't believe Book 3 is almost...almost here!  

Recovered is a cross country canine cozy adventure from Ohio to New Mexico, filled with ancient mounds, dog-catchers, rescue groups, and wolfdog issues.

Come along with Bliss, children’s librarian and white greyhound shifter, and reformed werewolf Harry as they search for the most valuable library on the planet, chased by Sybilla and Blaze, werewolves crazed to stop them.
Recovered celebrates my love of travel, books, and dogs ...
and the thrill of searching for treasure.

You don't have to have read the first two to take this trip. But I wouldn't mind if you did. :)
And if you're wondering, the lovely naked heroine cover model is Jenny who lives in Louisiana.
Bliss D. Light was just an ordinary children’s librarian until one day she discovered she could grow a tail.  Now her life is filled with more magic than any of the fairy tales she tells the children who gather at her feet at the Shipsfeather library.  Like many of the other residents of Shipsfeather, Ohio, Bliss is a dog-shifter, and her newly discovered ability to change from human form into that of a sleek white greyhound has left her yearning to know more about her true heritage. The answer to all her questions, she is certain, lies with the dog-shifters’ long lost Library of the Ancients and, undeterred by the fact that thousands before her have searched, she sets out to find it.

Accompanied by her best friend Harry, a disgraced werewolf/dog-shifter mix, and hotly pursued by the evil werewolf team of Sybilla and Blaze, Bliss’s quest takes her across the sacred sites and ancient mounds of the American Southwest. Though kidnapped by dogcatchers, sold into racetrack slavery and forced to fight wolf dogs to survive, Harry and Bliss never lose sight of their goal—or each other. Because the only thing more important than finding the ancient lost treasure might just be preserving what they already have found: an unlikely love that could be the first step toward bringing two ancient enemy races together.
Another wonderful cover!
Gratitude to the lovely Connie Lee Marie Fisher for her talent & love of dogs.

The Mounds Anomaly by Phyliss Gunderson

Isn't it fun when you discover an author who shares your curiosity? I came Across Phyllis Gunderson's The Mounds Anomaly and found a kindred soul. Her interest in the mounds found across the eastern United States mirrors mine and we both included the mysterious mounds in our fiction. In my "Retrieved" (The Shapeshifters' Library book 2) my shifters believe an ancient library is buried beneath a huge Ohio mound and set out to excavate it to find more about their history. In "Recovered" (The Shapeshifters' Library book 3) due out in September, my characters visit several important Midwestern mound sites.Here's a post Phyllis wrote about the mounds. She also found The Mystic Symbol by Henriette Mertz. (Thanks Julie Wallace for sending me a copy!)



Here's Phyllis's story:
I got curious about the American mounds when I learned of farmers in the early 1800s who uncovered thousands of artifacts that shouldn’t have been under their fields: helmets, jars, calendars, and tablets carved in an unknown script.

Scientists pronounced everything, including the farmers, hoaxes and frauds.
After that, if anyone found something strange, they used it as a doorstop and shut up. I searched for additional history and found more than enough to write a mystery novel based on archaeological discoveries in North America. By lucky coincidence, “The Mounds Anomaly” comes out in time to coordinate with the new TV series, “America Unearthed,” which examines evidence of ancient world civilizations in North America. It’s fun stuff—and could change history.


The Mounds Anomaly by Phyllis Gunderson -
An ancient gold coin, a mysterious American Indian burial ground, and a Colorado canyon all have something in common---and brilliant archaeologist Mathilda Howard holds the key to solving the puzzle. Warned to keep quiet or lose her job, Mathilda risks her life to expose the truth that could change the entire history of the world in this fascinating mystery.

Mathilda (Matt) Howard can’t resist a good mystery. So when one falls into her hands, she relentlessly pieces the clues together to figure out the answer. It all starts with a forgotten coin that Matt finds in her old excavating backpack. But when she takes it to a colleague, it’s instantly branded a fake from one of the greatest hoaxes ever to occur in America.

Undeterred by the skepticism, Matt begins to dig for the truth, leading her to ancient ruins in Illinois and Michigan. But just as she makes some headway in her research, she is stopped again and again by those who don’t want the truth out—a truth that could change the entire world’s history.

Full of intrigue and action, The Mounds Anomaly will change the way you think about ancient American history.

PhyllisEthlyn Gunderson has degrees in Communications, ESL, Ancient Religious Texts, and enough credits for a minor in Anthropology. She taught English in India, Thailand, and Cambodia, marveling at the vast history and ruins of those lands. She also traveled to Belize, Egypt, England, Ireland, and China to see evidence of the past. But she is especially intrigued by the prehistoric earthworks of her own country. The Mounds Anomaly, told as a story, reveals the largely unknown civilizations that once flourished and faded in North America. She resides in Provo, Utah, always searching for unsolved mysteries and offbeat archaeology.
Find out more about Phyllis Gunderson at her website.

Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas (August 2013) & the RONE!

I love conferences, conventions, workshops, and expos. I especially appreciate the organization that goes into planning and pulling off an event with so much creativity and attention it looks as if it fell together flawlessly. 

As a librarian I loved library conferences: books, new technology, books, lectures and meeting new and old friends. Did I mention books? As a library consultant I loved setting up booths, standing for 3-5 days (well, not that so much), demoing the new technology, meeting new and old friends and clients, competitors’ parties, entertaining, and swag. Library sway was always great (did you know?).

I also exhibited at law library conferences, whose parties and swag were really over the top. The books - not as much fun.

When I was involved in the world of dogs I loved the organization of dog shows that allowed over a thousand dogs to enter a myriad of classes and on the show day, all show up at the right time and place, judging takes place and like a fantastical elimination contest, and the day ends with one dog judged Best in Show. (It’s not that simple, but it still is amazing.)

Since I started writing, I’ve never attended a big romance writers’ conference. I’d heard about the Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas (August 7-11, 2013) and considered it was close enough for me to drive, but dithered. When Released finalled in the RONE (Reward Of Novel Excellence) contest hosted by  the classy InD'tale Magazine, I was told winners would be announced at the RNC. I checked the RNC website and was impressed with the organization and raw creativity Jimmy Thomas put into this first ever event.



It seems to have all the elements of a romance writers’ conference. Nationally knows speakers, parties for networking, book fair, raffle, prizes, swag bags and swag tables. (The RONE contest itself was masterfully planned and executed and deserves a post to itself.)

But some aspects were not so common. Reasonable prices for the conference and lodging in the convention hotel. A very creative food package. Practical programs for writers and reader. Nationally respected speakers (Bob Mayer, Jennifer Ashley, etc.). A costume ball (with opportunity to rent costumes) A professional photographer for headshots. Romance novelist Virginia Nelson’s wedding (how romantic is that!). And movies for when you’ve talked yourself hoarse.

And oh yes, male cover models will compete for a “Mr. Casanova Competition” (how appropriate – Casanova was a librarian.) Yes Jimmy Thomas, the organizer and host is a cover model, a great businessman, a smart and generous man, and not bad-looking. And he does grace over 5,000 romance novel covers.


Brilliant promo idea - Authors may rent the cover models to have them learn and perform a scene from their book. 

And  - the awards ceremony!!!!!!!


And for you dog lovers: I’d love to interview Mike O’Hearn (7-time Fitness Male Model of the Year and a Mr. Casanova judge) about his rescue dogs. After they were used on a photo shoot, he took them home rather than hove them returned to the pound. Awwwe….

How to Have a Successful Blog Tour - Part 1

 


I've asked Colette, my favorite blog tour operator, from ABG Reads Book Tours to offer authors some tips on book tours. Whether you contract with a tour company or DIY, here's her great suggestions:
Having a successful blog tour is a lot like matchmaking - it takes a lot of misses to get it right, but when the spark happens, magic ignites! Here are some tips to take the mystery out of finding readers for your tour. 

 Timing - The most important part of having a successful blog tour is giving bloggers enough time to put you in their schedule! If you contact bloggers at the last minute, don’t be surprised to get a lot of nos. However, the more time you have to schedule the tour the more bloggers you will be able to find. Most work 2 to 3 months ahead of time, with the bigger blogs sometimes working 4 months ahead for reviews.  Approachability - When contacting bloggers be sure to include their name if it’s on their blogs or the name of their blogs in the email. Be sure to have a synopsis of the book and the cover in the email. First impressions are key: I have found putting a one line description after the initial request to join the blog tour works wonder. You want to capture readers attention from the very beginning. Don’t send out mass emails if you can avoid it. Bloggers can tell that they are mass emails and are less likely to respond to them.  Genre specific blogs - You want build an audience, and to do that the best way is to find blogs that read the genre that you write in. A lot blogs (like mine, ABuckeye Girl Reads) read cross genres, but there are a lot that only read certain genres like Young Adult, Erotica or mysteries. If you find blogs that read your genre, they will have readers that read that genre as well. If you write Urban Fantasy, you don’t want to go to a blog that focuses mainly on Young Adult. Almost all bloggers have a review policy - all you have to do is read it to see what genres they read. Here is mine: http://lovesromances.blogspot.com/p/my-review-policy.htmlHere are some blogger databases to help you find readers:
http://indiebookreviewer.wordpress.com/
http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/
http://hampton-networks.com/
http://yabookblogdirectory.blogspot.com/p/ya-book-blogger-list.html
Originality - Don’t be afraid to be creative!! Instead of doing a typical guest post that just answers one question, think about doing a playlist that goes along with your book or a top ten list that is fun but also tells readers about your book. Think about doing themed guest posts throughout the tour. Take the readers on a tour of the world you created.
Giveaways - A great way to drive traffic to the posts that you do on blogs is by having a giveaway. The giveaway doesn’t have to be about your book. It can be a giveaway that has themes from your book, chocolate, a book bag, bookmarks, a gift card, or a past title. 

Colette’s Bio:  
I have a passion for books in all genres, but have a weakness for romances. I started the blog A Buckeye Girl Reads 3 years ago, and through that blog have worked with many authors. I discovered much to my surprise, that I loved helping them get their book noticed by as many people as possible and started ABG Reads Book Tours.  Hobbies outside of reading are sparse, but include: cooking, baking, traveling and writing.  

Find Colette and her Tours
ABG Reads Book Tours
Twitter| Facebook| A Buckeye Girl Reads
Thanks, Colette, for visiting. Please come back and tell us what to do during the tour.

2013 Library Author Forum Video

To celebrate the 2013 Author's Forum at the Cottonwood Arizona Public Library, the library invited 27 local authors to meet library readers and tell them about their books. Library patrons were thrilled to meet "real" authors and authors had fun meeting a wide variety of local writers.

As a surprise treat, Richard Corey, dog fiction author, interviewed authors for his Art World of Sedona TV series.

This YouTube clip features sci-fi author Val Chanda first and then an interview with me, and my not-so-real dog, talking about The Shapeshifters' Library series.

Take Your Dog to Work

Plan to Celebrate the 15th Annual Take Your Dog to Work Day TYDTWDay  Friday, June 21st Chris Favorite, owner of Favorite Clothing Company in Sedona,brings Jackson to her store filled with designer clothes for women.
A Virginia Commonwealth University study showed employees who brought their dogs to work experienced lower stress levels, reported higher levels of job satisfaction, and had a more positive perception of their employer. 

Dog owners who brought their dogs to work had the lowest stress levels. The most stressed turned to be dog owners that left their pets at home. With non-pet owners scoring in the middle.


Pet owners have been found to have lower blood pressure and fewer stress hormones circulating in their blood.   
  
Nadia Caillou, co-owner of Golden Bone Pet Products   and co-founder of Golden Bone Rescue and Rehab Karen Allen, Ph.D. (State University of New York at Buffalo) discovered the presence of a pet was more effective than a spouse or a friend in easing the effects of stress. 
Allen McConnell Ph.D. Professor of psychology Miami University in Ohio, coauthored a study published in 2011 showing that pets foster self-esteem, calmness, and a soothing feeling of acceptance. (I assume the study only included well behaved pets.)  
Donna, my dental hygienist, brings Cowboy to work on cool days. He stays in her truck, just outside her window, while she works and sometimes sings to her.



Thinking of getting a dog or cat? Check out local humane societies and rescue organizations. 

"Released" Nominated for RONE Award - Best Paranormal Work

I don’t usually troll for votes (makes troll face). Hopefully you've read “Released” and can be convinced to help.
 I am VERY excited to announce that Released (The Shapeshifters’ Library Book 1) is up for a RONE (Reward Of Novel Excellence Award - Paranormal Section). It was selected because it received a 5 star review in 2012. "An enthralling story full of mysteries, magic and shifters."
--InD'Tale MagazineIn “Released.” Amber Polo brings us an enthralling story full of mysteries, magic, and shifters. No stone is left unturned, as all will be revealed on the journey through this mind tingling, heartfelt, and soul warming story! Easy flowing, and well written “Released” has the reader anxiously turning every page in anticipation of the next.  This is such a wonderful read, it will be a great series to follow!Melody Prat InD’Tale Magazine 
InD’tale Magazine is a gorgeous online magazine with amazing reviews and content.
Thanks to them for creating this award!
RONE is broken down into the 3 stages. Stage 1: InDTale Magazine's reviewers pick the best of the books they reviewed in 2012 and nominate them to go on to Stage 2. Stage 2: (Where we are now.) FAN VOTING! The five books with the highest fan votes move to Stage 3.Stage 3: Judging. Professionals within the writing community will read and judge the books. Award ceremony in August in Las Vegas.
With all that said, I am asking for your help! It's not as complicated as it sounds - Really! Go to 2012 RONE Awards Week 4 Download the attachment and fill in Released by Amber Polo under the Best Paranormal Work Save it, then email it to: tjmackay@indtale.com .
I wouldn’t mind if you told everyone you know!
Thank you so much for your support!
AmberPS: Las Vegas in August? Wouldn't miss it.
DEADLINE Friday, May 17th!

If you are already an InD'Tale subscriber, log in and vote. http://indtale.com/rone-awards/2012/week-4 If you’re not a InD'Tale subscriber, you may register. which will allow you all access to our website and InD'Tale magazine,  Then, all you need do is click on your favorites to vote!   PLEASE NOTE: The process is not completed until you click the verification email that will be sent to your inbox!

Jumping Chollas Dog Agility

Jumping Chollas* Dog Agility Club April Show in Cottonwood, AZ A-Frame  - Top of the mountain! Tunnel - Great exercise for dog and trainer

T-Shirt of the Day "Your Dog Doesn't Know Sit"
Dog getting his chicken after a great performance.    

Jumping Chollas Club    More about Dog Agility

The Dog Agility trial was fun to watch, but the owners and dogs seemed to be having more fun than the spectators. 

For the average dog owner seeing dogs of all sizes and breeds off leash knowing which jumps, tunnels, or obstacles to take, in what order, by watching their owners would have seemed amazing. But these ordinary dogs, some rescue dogs, where having a ball.

 Even when a dog didn't perform a perfect run the owner praised their buddy. 

When a dog did exceptionally well, everyone yelled, "Chicken Run!" indicating that that dog would get special treats.

The enthusiasm was infectious. This competition that was about doing well not winning.

*If you don't know what chollas are:


They're pretty, but get too close and you'll be jumping.

Doggy Fashion Show

Golden Bone Pet Products and Golden Bone Rescue & Rehab held a Doggy Fashion Show on April 6thwith pet parents glitzed in finery from Sugar's on Main.







Rescue Therapy Dog has logged 1.800 miles on a motorcycle.
   

Nadia Caillou, Golden Bone co-owner with her rescue Bichon,
Nadia has over 30 years experience helping distressed animals and pet owners, shelters and pounds overcome problem behavior in animals. 
 
The lovey Emma was accompanied by Ronni Ann Hall, aka the Designing Fairy, dog, bird, and tortoise mom, intuitive empath and storyteller/artist. 

 The show ended with cake and a visit from Claymore, the town's newpolice officer in training.