C.A. Salo's Blog, page 27
March 28, 2015
Office Wall Maker Over - Part 2
OK, so the painting has begun
I'm not sure if I should be scared or excited. LOL
I love painting and am so glad my son was helping me. When I paint I seem to make a mess. I must have a damp cloth with me to erase any mistakes. It seems, that, no. I can't stay within the lines...LOL
I did the cutting in and he filled in the middle, with a brush mind you, he didn't want to use the roller
.
So now we sit and wait for it to dry.
*Sigh* really *rolling eyes* this is like watching water boil. ...
Until Next week ...
March 26, 2015
Fun Drink Friday - Boston Cooler
BOSTON RULES!!
ahem, sorry just had to scream that
I saw this and thought, what the perfect Spring sipper.Light and refreshing.
From our friends over at: The Midnight Mixologist
Enjoy responsibly!
C~
Coming in May 2015...The 2 in 1 Other Kin release - Books, 1 & 2Torridbooks.com
March 22, 2015
Office Wall Makeover - Part 1
The wall makeover has begun! And as you can see my little helper is rearing to go :-) He's sitting at my back as I write. Love my little red!!
So this is the wall in my office I've decided to add a little flare and make the office my own. These off white walls do nothing for my artistic or creative side.
The function of the wall when complete is to be my plot board.Where I can write my plot down (to get it out of my head) :-), Characters, Worlds and what ever else my story needs.
My husband is going to be helping me by making me a black white board. That's right, it's a white board but black, I can write on it with neon erasable markers. *Squeal* He liked the idea of a chalk board, but that's not me, I like white boards, and when I found the black white board on Amazon, he looked it up and said ... 'I can make that.' WELL OK :-) go for it hubs :-)
So this is where we are... my son helped with most of the painting :-) great kiddo I have!!
The soothing color I chose is 'Ash Violet' by Sherwin Williams.
... Until next week ... :-)
March 19, 2015
Fun Drink Friday - The Lady Edith
Lady Edith
makes 1 cocktail
1 1/2 ounce ruby red grapefruit juice (fresh-squeezed!)
1/2 ounce sloe gin (see note)
Sweet roseé champagne, chilled, such as Ballatore Spumante RossoAdd the grapefruit juice and sloe gin to a flute. Top with champagne. Stir and serve.Note: Do yourself a favor and get the Plymouth sloe gin. If you can't find the Plymouth sloe gin (or another variety made with real sloes), I would recommend leaving it out altogether.Courtesy of: The KitchnThis drink was inspired by Downtown Abbey and while I have not had a chance to catch the program, this drink looks like a hoot :-)Go read the blog at The Kitchn, it explains more about the drink and its creation.
March 6, 2015
February 28, 2015
Author Swag - The 'Swag' in the bag
Bing's Free to use and share commercially licenseOK, so what Swag goes in the bag...Anything you dang well want is how I see it.
The above picture is from the 2013 Oscars.
Ok, so most of us are not going to give away a bathing suit or velour robe, but as you see in the pic, there's nothing saying you cannot.
For my swag bag, I had very little author 'branding' supplies on hand.I.E. Bookmarks, one of my books, pens with my website engraved on them, ect.
So what did I do ...I went shopping. Now I have a budget I have to stay within, so don't let your swag break you. Just like any budget, STAY within it!!
My Swag included - * A leather bound journal* A Yankee Candle Votive with a cute little votive holder* A Yankee Candle air freshener* Lindt Lindor Chocolates (3 kinds)* Dove Chocolates (3 kinds)* My business card - Autographed, One placed outside the journal held on by the band used to keep it shut and another placed in between one of the pages of the journal. (Just in case the other was misplaced ;-) )
What other authors had in there's:- Bottle of Wine- Their book - Autographed- Chocolate, Mints & other candies- Bookmarks- Mug w/author book cover- Tumbler w/author book cover- Candle- Another author's book from their publishing house in w/theirs- Pens w/author's name- Post cards w/author books, signed, blurbs, ect- Gift card (visa & to a coffee house, Starbucks or Dunkin)
So you see it's what ever you would like to put in the bag that makes it special.
The guest who picked my bag told me the reason she did so, was because the 'journal' caught her attention and it was something she'd like.
Just remember to put some author branding in there as well that points would be readers to you ...Anything with your name and website on it.
So what have I done to make sure I'm not caught off guard again.I've ordered two of my books from my publisher, I've looked around for the best prices on pens, pencils, sticky note pads, ect...anything I can put my name and website on.
I mentioned some sites during my first blog about Author Swag named - Business Cards & Bookmarks.
Here they are again ... Remember some of these sites do more than paper, like pens, mugs, ect...Vistaprint.com
Zazzle.com (They also do book marks.)It took me a bit of searching on zazzle but if you type in...Author business cards, it should bring you to what you're looking for.
Gotprint.net
Plasticprinters.com(They do plastic business cards and they look pretty dang neat too.)
Uprinting.com(They do all paper products including booklets, flyers ect)Printsafari.comNationsphotolab.comOvernightprints.com
Other Swag - Forevergifts.com
Trading Cards
Earthly Charms Design
Totally Chocolate
Personalized Tea Bags
Cafepress
The possibilities are endless. If you have an idea of what you want in your bag = Google it. See if it can be 'personalized'
Wedding sites can be helpful as well. I remembered that when I was looking for items to include in the gift bags I made up for the attendees of my wedding, there were a lot of possibilities out there and some sites have items that 'can' be used for other events than weddings. ;-)
Hope this helped!!
C. A. SaloErotic and Spicy Stories of Romance
The Minotaur’s Mate – Now Available
February 26, 2015
Fun Drink Friday - Blue Sparkle Champagne
Blue Sparkle ChampagneINGREDIENTS1 part DeKuyper® Blue Curacao Liqueur1 part Pinnacle® Orange Vodka3 parts champagneHOW TOPour liqueur and vodka into champagne glass.Top with chilled champagne.
SKILL LEVEL:BeginnerTAGS:DeKuyper® Blue Curacao Liqueur, Pinnacle® Orange Vodka, Champagne, Holiday,Blue
Compliments Of: DeKuyper
February 22, 2015
Author Swag Bags - The Bag
The Bag ...
This was the bag I chose my 'swag' to go in for the writers workshop yesterday.
I chose it because I liked the colors. I liked how the black and gray went with the purple and there were little dots of the lime green, now the sides had the lime green as the back color instead of the purple.And I chose the lime green tissue paper to go with the bag.
There were a lot of great bags there from more ornament to less and a few that had been specially made with the authors name, ect, from paper to fabric.I LOVED them all!!!!
I think when picking a bag you have to go by what you like.I was told once the best way to give a gift is to buy something you'd like to get and then give it away. Do I use this...sometimes. It depends on the person I'm gifting.But, I had no idea who would be receiving my bag, so I went with what caught my eye and what I'd like to receive.
Does it matter where you buy your bag ... I'm not thinking so.I bought mine from K-Mart.Yep, I said it, K-Mart.And you know what ... another author chose the same bag as I (minus the tissue paper).
So I guess I didn't do such a bad job in choosing my bag.Now what swag did I put in it ... well that's for next week
But I will show you an update from last weeks blog about business cards and bookmarks.I didn't have a chance to order bookmarks, so here's My business card...
Front ... I used my most recent cover, and added a short blurb.Also, you'll see my web and blog site .com'salong with a tad bit more info.NOW ... I did leave enough space for me to autograph, which I did before I inserted my 'swag' into the bag.right under the blurb and above my website.I know it doesn't look like much of a space, but there is.I used a fine point permanent marker to sign due to the glossy front.
Back...And here's the back. I had created the Mercenaries of Neris banner when the last book A Warrior's Longing came out. And as you'll also notice, I added some snippets of reviews.Now, having the 'color back' added a few more bucks onto the overall price of the card, and I opted for the step up card stock.I am very happy with the weight and overall appearance of the card.
Where did I order them you ask ... Vista Print.
I played with one on Zazzle and it looked awesome! The price was a bit higher for fewer cards and me being me asked my husband's opinion on both.He liked the one I have now.
Hope this helped and look for next weeks ..."The 'swag' in the bag" blog
Have a great weekend all and for those peeps up in the snowy areas ...stay warm my friends!!
C. A. SaloErotic and Spicy Stories of Romance The Minotaur’s Mate – Now Available
February 19, 2015
Fun Drink Friday - New Orleans Hurricane
New Orleans Hurricane
"This is the Classic N'awlins Hurricane. Drink through a straw from the bottom first. It starts out calm, but it gets stormy towards the end!"
IngredientsOriginal recipe makes 1 servings
1/2 cup ice2 fluid ounces light rum2 fluid ounces passion fruit flavored syrup1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage1 ounce lime juice1 fluid ounce 151 proof rum
PREP2 minsREADY IN2 minsDirectionsIn a shaker, combine ice, light rum, passion fruit syrup, lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage and lime juice. Shake well and pour mixture into a Hurricane or other large specialty glass. Float the 151 proof rum on top of the drink.
Recipe by RenataAllRecipes.com
February 15, 2015
Author Swag - Business Cards & Bookmarks...
Ok, so this will be the first blog of Author Swag...With that said -- OMG!! How hard is it to figure out what to put in a swag bag and what 'not' to put in...good grief Charlie Brown!!I mean seriously!! I've searched until my eyes literally glazed over from looking at the screen on my phone trying to find out what are good ideas and what are not. BUT...BUT...more importantly, WHERE TO FIND THE STUFF!
A lot of authors list what they think people like and don't like--Example:Tossing of: the water bottle, key chain, any paper products, coffee mugs and the list can go on...(I can say that I brought home everyone of these items from a conference - with that...I did drive .. see below)
But other's say, yes, include these items...
What I've found is -- it depends on 'how' people are getting to your event.If they're flying, yes they probably won't take anything that cannot pack down easily or get through security with no problem.
If they're driving, then a lot more may reach their destination with your items.
More importantly ... Try to give items people may want, things that they'll remember you by, make yourself stand out. But don't put yourself in the poor house doing it!
So this blog is going to be about -
Business cards and Bookmarks.
One author suggested when making up your business cards or bookmarks (Two hot items to always have and give away)leave an area for you to sign.So you are in essence giving an autographed item to your 'potential' reader with your book cover on it.I LOVE this idea!!
I will splurge on my business cards and book marks because they are items I will always have around, they'll have my book cover, blurb and contact info -- all at the ready.
Now when putting contact info down ... do not, list your phone number and address or personal email, readers do not need this information.
What they need is a way to find you on the net and your books.... your website... your publisher's website... your Facebook or Twitter link.
Don't over crowd your design. If it's to busy, readers may not want to look at it, and possibly toss the item.
Here are some online printers I found ...
Vistaprint.com
Zazzle.com (They also do book marks.)It took me a bit of searching on zazzle but if you type in..."writer author promotion book blue gradient" ... it should bring them right up, and then of course you can look through the generous selection of options.
Gotprint.net
Plasticprinters.com(They do plastic business cards and they look pretty dang neat too.)
Uprinting.com(They do all paper products including booklets, flyers ect)Printsafari.comNationsphotolab.comOvernightprints.com
Now, you have to go take a look and find out what is right for you, price wise, print wise, ect.
Hope this has helped!! And if anyone has a great place to find these items, please comment for everyone!Thanks!!
C. A. SaloErotic and Spicy Stories of RomanceThe Minotaur’s Mate – Now Available
