Stephen Tremp's Blog, page 38

Kibbles and Pieces

[image error] So I need to use my own pics. (Disneyland 2012)Blurbfest Blog Hop: Unfortunately, I’m postponing the Burbfest Blog Hop due to low turn out. No worries. I’ll pick it up again in a few weeks. I probably could have approached this Blog Hop different, asked for co hosts, and promoted it better. Fortunately, I have lined up some terrific co-hosts who are ready to help next time! We’ll move forward again in September.  Date TBD.
I’m adamant when I say it’s a great idea for authors and bloggers...

What If”Blog Hop "A Little Comic Relief"

[image error] Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by! This week is the "What If” Blog Hop and I opted for Mark Koopman’s A Little Comic Relief.
The objective of this Blog hop is not only simple, it’s a lot of fun! Think of your favorite "well known" fairytale and ask "What If…!" Then, pick one of these four categories: (be sure to mention which category you're joining, during your blog post!)
• Best Plot Twist • Best Love Story • Best Tragedy • Best Comic Relief [image error] The Culprits of this Blogfest
Finally, write...

The Last Weekend Follies (Sob) and Dog Days of Summer Blogfest

Hi everyone, and as always thanks for stopping by! 
I'm having second thoughts of continuing my Weekend Follies as there has been quite a bit of fuss over using pictures from Google Images without permission. Like many, I didn't know this was necessary, and it's too much work finding the source, emailing for permission, and rarely getting a reply.
So I'll be doing a purge of my blog this weekend of previous Weekend Follies. But I will leave you with an endorsement from a major celebrity fo...

Spotlight on Guest Blogger C. Lee McKenzie

[image error] Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by. Today I have the honor of hosting C. Lee McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead. I love Lee’s topic of overcoming, as I love overcomers and the amazing stories they have to tell the world. Take it away Lee:
It’s four-thirty AM. The only light on is my desk light, and the computer’s spreading a soft glow across my office. I have exactly four and a half hours before the rest of the clan start moving around, making breakfast, showering, stirring the air...

What Was Your Childhood Monster Blogfest

[image error] Skeletons were my childhood scary monster. I remember watching Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts and there were scenes with pirate like skeletons made in stop motion, an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. [image error]
The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. This was high tech special effects when I was a kid. [image error]
And skel...

Guest Blogger Jeremy Tremp

[image error] Hello BREAKTHROUGH fans! Glad to be back on Stephen's blog! I think it has been about a year since I was last here, maybe more. I travel through worm holes often so time gets a little confusing… Wait you thought BREAKTHROUGH was fiction? Whoops, guess the cats out of the bag!
What exactly have I been up to? I am glad you asked! I recently moved my operation from Grand Rapids, MI to Phoenix AZ. Back to where I grew up! I needed to warm up my core from the icy tundra of Michigan. Since I made th...

Self-Published Authors on New York Times Best Sellers List

[image error] Hi everyone, Thanks for stopping by!
This weekend I’m contending with a broken hot water pipe between our garage and living room and our washing machine just went kaput. I’ll be plenty busy, so I’ll leave you with this link to an article regarding four self-published authors on the New York Times Best Sellers List. And the number is expected to rise! This should give some hope to us as we see other self-pubbed authors and their success stories becoming more prevalent.
Enjoy and have a great w...

Bits and Pieces

[image error] It’s that time for the Insecure Writers Support Group. What’s my insecurity?
Namely, that I won’t make a difference in someone else’s life. Why go through life and be successful if you don’t share what you know by paying it forward? I’m not in apposition to make that one big move that will transform someone into an overnight success as a super agent for one of the Big Six New York Publishers. [image error]
But I Can Do Small Things. Like helping people write blurbs (check out my previous two posts). Or spo...

Blurb Post Part Deux

[image error] Me and daughter number two Commonly accepted definition:

* Blurb was what other folks said about your book.
However, it is interesting to note the dictionary says a blurb is a promotional statement, brief advertisement, or announcement. So let's not get caught up in symantics and mental gymnastics and restrict ourselves. If no one has written something about your work, put something together yourself, run it up a flag pole, and see if anyone salutes by Tweeting it and posting it to Facebo...

Blurbs: Keep It Simple!

[image error] Most of us do not have a mainstream publisher or an agent. The onus of promotion falls squarely on our shoulders. You should have multiple blurbs that pique potential buyers' interest. 
My Advice: Hit the Easy Button. Don’t fret. Don’t stress. Begin by writing, or copying, one-liners. A great source are reviews of your book from Amazon and Goodreads. Example from reviews for Breakthrough: [image error]
“This novel is a great edge-of-your-seat adventure blending science fiction, action, and thriller ge...