L.M. Preston's Blog, page 19

Indie Author Series: Social Media - What Works

SOCIAL MEDIA ... the rabbit you can never seem to catch. Ever changing, monstrocity of time that lures us all in.

I love social media. You can find me on twitter, facebook and now Instagram. It can make you a star. Hey really, my son is addicted to making Vine videos for twitter and now has over 20K followers?! Way more than I do.

HOW TO GAIN FOLLOWERS

Interaction. My number of followers is a steady build. Truth is, yes it's helped me sell books, but I truly can't pin my finger no the how of it.

But I really pondered the difference between my number of followers (which I've been cultivating for years) and the number of followers my son has (which he's only been cultivating for about 6 months). The difference is - comedy and expression. My son's vines are funny, engaging, over the top, and still an expression of him. He gave his viewers and tweeters something that kept them coming back for more.

THE TIME SUCK

Oh this is the double edge sword to the Social Media inticement of a constant party going on. Problem is, most people always want to be there. And before you know it, you've spent 2 hours a day on twitter alone?! (Some self reflection here).

SECRET WEAPONS

Use the tools that allow you to plan out your tweets and interactions in advance. Also, use tools that allow you to spread the word from your blog post to twitter, facebook, goole + and more.

DON'T ALWAYS FOLLOW THE NEW FAD

Just because someone says this new platform is all the 'rage' doesn't mean it's worth your time pursuing it. Take your time, let that new hot place to party build up, then jump in the pool after you evaluate the following (1) Is my audience there? (2) Are my current friends hanging out there? (3) Will it add value to my current platform

So, HOW DO YOU SEE SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING FOR YOU?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Toni Lombardo talks about her Journey with Big 6

 
The YA Author Club is expanding is author presence and bringing on new talent every single week. This week, we are introducing the newest member of our team, Toni Lombardo. She is not an indie author, and she does not plan to become one. She's working hard at establishing herself within the traditionally published world. We wish her the best of luck in her efforts and thought it might be kind of cool to offer our fans/friends/followers a new voice within the club. 


Instead of posting information about indie publishing, Toni will take a few minutes every few weeks to fill us in on her trials and tribulations as she journeys toward the Big Six.

Also... leave us a comment and let know which Big Six pic you like best #1 (first one) or #2 (second one). The one getting the most votes/comments will be the one we use to introduce Toni's posts from this point forward.

Social Media Sites for Toni:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/write_to_live
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamLifewriter

Without further ado, we are pleased to introduce Toni Lombardo:

Hello there blog readers! Toni here, I am going to talk about myself now.  Hope you don’t mind.

I hope to change the publishing world by introducing them to new styles of writing!  And once you get to know me you know I don’t just dabble in things, I jump in whole heartedly with both feet, and most of the time without a safety net.   I am beginning to blog under the supervision and guidance of Graves (I just love her) .  Please come back bi-weekly to join me on my journey of publishing and writing on my blog series called Toni’s Big Six Journey.  It can be found here: http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com Listening to: Wishing Well by Ben Moody: All for ThisQuote:“Just know, when you truly want success, you’ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.” - Unknown
Spotlight Interview Questions:
1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green (TFIOS) .  It is just perfect.  I cried on every page and went hysterical at Chapter 21.  I re-read the book within two months and re-experienced all that beautiful pain (readers of this book will get it #nerdfighter) .  Also, I bonded with my IBBF (internet best friend forever)  over this book.  We’ve known each other for a little over two months as of 7.12.2013, but it is one of the greatest friendships I have had.  So, beyond being a great book it brought me a great friend.
2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?Oh gosh, this is a biggie.  I don’t really know.  I have my own style, but some of my darker pieces, like “The Tale-Tale Heart” which is a re-doing of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by E.A. Poe for a final English paper, have been associated to Poe.  I’m actually about to start a second mirroring piece of his, that T.R. Graves is up-to-date about.As far as characters…People are going to think TFIOS for some of my characters, because I talk about the book ALL the time and it is a book about kids with cancer.  But my book is about a kid or two with cancer but there is more of a story to it than that, just like Green’s.
As far as my characters relating to other characters…oh I don’t know, never thought about that.  I’ve read books with characters that reminded me of mine, but never really thought about it that way.  I think Devon would like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?“If you don’t know, you do not deserve to know!” –DevonOh my, how can I explain, Devon?  Okay so in this scene Devon just found out something in his family. Sorry for being vague, don’t want to give away plot points. He is really struggling in his life at the moment and this news was just devastating.  Like a lot of teens Devon struggles with the idea of self-harm and when his brother is talking to him he (Devon)  hints to wanting to hurt himself, and when his brother doesn’t get the hint he says the above quote possibly angrily. 
4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?Things that inspire me to write…I don’t know.  Sometimes I just see something, okay I was in a store the other day and saw a beautiful all glass frame, free standing.  I saw it and instantly knew it belonged to a character in one of my W.I.P.s, and when I got home it was already done the character would have it in their house.  So it is just kind of random, if I see something and it attaches to a character, I say it inspired me.
People- My best friend Anne is who I write for along with a few other people.  Anne is my muse and my ‘first reader’.  She keeps me going when I don’t want to write and pushes me to finish projects. So she inspires me as well as Graves, Green, Asher, and others.
Music!!! Ahh, such an inspiration!  Don’t want to say too much here because this topic is going to be a whole blog post for me!
What makes me want to keep writing—my characters.  I get a points where I miss them and I physically feel missing them, I feel pain of sorts.  Sometimes just thinking and plotting and writing notes just does not suffice, so I write to subdue the longing for interacting with them.  And I love writing, so that helps.
5) Describe your typical writing day or week.They are random.  I write whenever and wherever.  At one point I was writing (more than this at home)  every Friday night at the bar in Red Robin, where one of my friends works.  I would buy an unsweetened peach tea with EXTRA regular syrup and she kept me in well supply.   It was a great writing environment and the support was great!
6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?I love, love, love peach tea, but I can’t have too much caffeine otherwise I can’t sleep.  So at one point it was that, but now….yeah, it is still that, I just can’t have it all the time.
7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover) ?Sooooo many things! The book I am working on to get published first is Life’s Not a Fantasy I have a cover idea, but no cover yet!  An excerpt? Sure!  Here is the introduction.  It is written by Devon:
It wasn’t ever supposed to be like this.  Our family was always so torn apart, even before what I’m, about to write.  Dad was out fighting for ‘our safety’ but was never home...he was a ‘lifer’.  Mom chose her favorites and clung tightly to them, and I fell to the bottom of that spectrum.  I was okay with it though.I was always the ‘untypical typical’ teenager, meaning I was or still am the loner.  I’ve done my fair share of stupid things, but more on that later.He, Cameron always held us together.  He was our rock.  He could make or break our family and now his name resonates with pain.How can one name ruin everything?  How can one name bring so much pain?It’s been days, moments, but his name already feels like a curse. Thanks for reading!  Hope this was entertaining.Keep writing,

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

And the Blog Party Goes On! Summer Luv!

The Time For Summer Romancing isn't Over! Thundering Luv is still blazing it's path through the blogsphere!



Release Date: June 1st, 2013Format: Ebook Only Release, but will be part of a print book in 2014 that includes 3 short YA Summer Romances by LM Preston to include (Flutter Of Luv, Thundering Luv, and Double Trouble Luv)
Publisher: Phenomenal One Press

Blurb:Jewel has always been able to get the guy she wanted. The starting jock on the football team, the team captain on the basketball team, and the lead swimmer on the swim team. Problem is, she didn't find them the least bit exciting. Was she cold or a she-wolf for guys? Colin thought so, and he'd do anything to bring her down a peg or two. When these two collide on the sandy beach during their mixed up summer vacation, sparks fly, making this a summer neither will forget.
Smashwords AmazonBarnes and NobleGoodreads:LM Preston,YA SciFi Author
www.lmpreston.com
Blog
Tweet Me
Facebook

BLOG TOUR!!!! Coming your way!!!





July Thundering Luv Tour Schedule

July 1st- Reading to the Stars -Review, Author Interview & Book Soundtrack               Girls *Heart* Books Tours-Spotlight, Schedule              The Next Chapter-Excerpt                             July 2nd- Ever and Ever Sight -Review, Extended Excerpt                 Kindred Dreamheart - Extended Excerpt, Book Soundtrack


July 3rd- Sassy Book Lovers -Review, Spotlight                Reading is my Time Out- Review, Extended Excerpt, Spotlight


July 4th- Bawaka’s Book Fair- Extended Excerpt


July 5th- Lost in a Sea of Words-Author Interview                             

July 6th- Candy Coated Book Blog- Character Interview, Review, Extended Excerpt, Spotlight                Mythical Books - Review


July 7th- Bex ‘n’ Books- Review                A Crazy Vermonter’s Book Reviews-Review

July 8th- Sweet Treat Reading Reviews-Extended Excerpt, Book Soundtrack                Scandalous Book Blog- Review, Author Interview              

July 9th- Stressed Rach-Review, Book Soundtrack                Addicted Reads - Author Interview, Extended Excerpt, Spotlight


July 10th- Reading Renee-Review, Character Interview, Extended Excerpt                  Brianna Lee Book Reviews- extended excerpt                  Kristina’s Books & More-review & excerpt


July 11th- Rose’s Book Corner-Extended Excerpt, Guest Post, Book Soundtrack                  Books, Books, Books-Review                  Tammy’s Tea Time- Review


July 12th- Bookmarks, Spoilers & Happily Ever After-Extended Excerpt & Spotlight               July 13th- Pretty in Pink Books and Reviews-Author Interview, Spotlight

July 14th- A Page Away -Extended Excerpt, Spotlight                 Eclipse Reviews- Author Interview, Character Interview

July 15th-  Recent Reads-Review, Extended Excerpt, Book Soundtrack                   My Family’s Heart Book Reviews-Review, Author Interview, Extended Excerpt

July 16th- The Shadow Realm -Review, Extended Excerpt

July 17th- As You Wish Reviews - Guest Post/Top Ten

July 18th- Delphina Reads Too Much-Excerpt/Spotlight

July 19th- Lindsay and Jane’s Views and Reviews- Review, Extended Excerpt

July 20th- Big Girls *Heart* Books-Review                  Just Me, Myself and I- Review, Top Ten Post                  The Next Chapter-Book Soundtrack

July 21st- Eclipse Reviews-author interview, character interview

July 22nd- My Pathway to Books -Review

July 23rd- Romancebookworm’s Reviews- Excerpt, Spotlight, Review                  JeanzBookReadNReviews- Author Interview, Extended Excerpt, Spotlight, Book Soundtrack

July 24th- Cu’s e-Book Give Aways-Extended Excerpt

July 25th- A Bibliophile’s Thoughts on Books- Extended Excerpt, Spotlight

July 26th- Fated Paranormals-Review & Character Interview                  The Next Chapter-Review

July 27th- The Phantom Paragrapher- Review, Book Soundtrack

July 28th- Book Nerds Across America - Review


July 29th- Indy Book Fairy -Extended Excerpt

               July 30th- Zee Books Blog- Review, Extended Excerpt                  Books and their Worldly Realm- Review, Character Interview, Book Soundtrack

July 31st- The Library at the End of the Universe- Book Soundtrack

August 1st- Manifestations of my Mind -Review, Extended Excerpt, Character InterviewLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Indie Author Series: Distribution List for Books, Blogs, Emails

What are the ways to distribute your Books, Blog Address and hey build your email list?

Well let me count the ways!

Distribute Your BOOKS

By yourself - This has got to be the hardest ways to sell books. But even I do it a little. When I have request for signed books, they come from the bookshelf in my house where I have at least ten books of each that I've written. But there are other authors that house many more printed copies of their books and fulfill orders out of their home or storage areas to mail off to buyers.

Use A distributor - I use Bookmaster, a friend of mine uses IPG and there are tons of other distributors that support small independent publishers and even self-publisher by making their books easily accessible to Bookstores, Libraries, Createspace, Lightening Source and other retail venues. For ebooks, I also use Smashwords, Bookbaby, Amazon, B&N, iTunes and many more.

Share Your Blog Love

Blog Hops and Virtual Events - Participation in a blog hop, a book tour, and most all virtual events gain your blog visibility. Even if you join in Facebook and Twitter Parties, chats, and networking.

Build Your Newsletter

Invitations to Learn More - Burst your newsletter numbers by inviting friends, fans, and those who want to know more about you to sign up for your newsletter. Creating an invitation on Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, You Email Footer, Your Blog, Your Website and anywhere you hang out.

 
To See Others Tips, Click Here for the YA AUTHOR CLUB LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Author Cindy C Bennett drops in with book Geek Girl!

Author Bio  Cindy C Bennett was born and raised in beautiful Salt Lake City, growing up in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains. She and her husband raised two daughters, two sons, and a plethora of pets without wandering far from the fold. They’ve now added two beautiful daughters-in-law to their family. In addition to writing YA fiction, she volunteers her time working with teen girls between the ages of 12-18, all of whom she finds to be beautiful, fascinating creatures that constantly inspire her stories. She developed a love of writing in high-school English, when a teacher introduced her to the joys of escaping reality for ten minutes each day in writing. When she’s not writing, reading or answering emails (notice there is no mention of cleaning, cooking, or anything vaguely domestic) she can often times be found riding her Harley through the beautiful canyons near her home. Learn more at www.cindycbennett.com .Social Media Sites My Blog Facebook TwitterGoodreads
Geek Girl: Jen’s teenage life of rebelling and sneaking out is growing stale. In an effort to combat her boredom, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a nice geek, into a “bad boy.” Unexpectedly, she is pulled into Trevor’s world of sci-fi movies, charity work, and even--ugh!--bowling. Jen discovers that hanging out with Trevor isn't so bad after all. But when Trevor finds out about the wager, all bets are off.Heart on a Chain: 17-year-old Kate has lived her whole life in abject poverty, with an alcoholic father and drug-addicted mother, who severely abuses Kate. At school, her second-hand clothing marks her as a target. Her refusal to stand up for herself makes her the recipient of her classmates taunts and bullying. That is, until Henry returns.Henry Jamison moved away six years earlier, just as he and Kate had begun to develop feelings for one another. He returns to find the bright, funny, outgoing girl he had known now timidly hiding in corners, barely speaking to anyone around her, suspicious of even him.Kate can't figure out what game Henry is playing with her - for surely his attempts at friendship are a game. What else would the gorgeous, popular boy from her past want with her? Immortal Mine: Niahm (pronounced Neeve) Parker is thoroughly content with her life in the small town of Goshen. When Shane Coleman and his nephew Sam move into town, it's the biggest event to happen in as long as anyone can remember. Sam is drawn to Niahm against his will. He'd prefer to not be bound to this angry, stubborn, unlikeable girl. For Immortals, love is not only forbidden, but dangerous for her. Niahm finds herself attracted to the tall, copper-headed boy, who becomes her friend and then her support when tragedy strikes. Soon, she begins to realize that there may be more to Sam than she ever suspected... much more. But what he truly is, she can't begin to imagine.Rapunzel Untangled: Rapunzel is not your average teenager. For one thing, she has a serious illness that keeps her inside the mysterious Gothel Mansion. And for another, her hair is 15 feet long. Not to mention that she’s also the key to ultimately saving the world from certain destruction. But then she meets a boy named Fane, who changes all she has ever known, and she decides to risk everything familiar to find out who she really is. Filled with romance, adventure, and mystery, Rapunzel Untangled is one story you won’t want to put down. Discover the true meaning of love and friendship in this modern twist to the classic fairytale.
Enchanted Fairytales: (Anthology)Enchanted Fairytales is a retelling of five different fairytales from the imagination of Cindy C Bennett.Beautiful Beast: Though she knows it's cruel, Calli agrees to accompany her friends to Monster House where it is rumored the beast howls at the moon each sunset. Alex believes Calli has bribed her way into his home in order to get a look at the beast of Monster House, and is determined to hate her. He isn't prepared as she batters down the hard walls of his soul with her kindness and humor.Red and the Wolf: Three years ago, Rafe Wolfe left their tiny mountain burg of Piera, leaving Ruby Hood behind to mend her shattered heart. Now, Rafe has come home to compete with his brother Lowell for Ruby's heart. But Rafe and Lowell have intimate knowledge of the wolf attacks that threaten their home. Can Ruby live with the same knowledge, or will it forever destroy her?Snow White: Left at the mercy of her stepmother Katarina, Snow White is sent into the forest to be killed. Escaping, she stumbles upon an enchanted village created by Katarina to entrap Prince Philip after he spurned her. Philip believes Snow White is the one spoken of who can break the curse that holds Fableton. Snow's only hope of winning freedom for herself and Fableton is to defeat the evil and powerful Katarina.The Unmasking of Cinderella: Amella Augustus has lived under her stepmother's cruel reign since her father's death. Then she runs into Char - literally. Just when Amella begins to believe she's found her happily ever after, Iona pounces in threatening to take away Amella’s dreams of happiness. Now Amella must take charge of her own destiny, and make a decision that can either give her the peace she’s longed for . . . or return her to the misery she’s lived in for so long.The White Swan: Benno von Rothbart, a powereful sorcerer, is jealous of Odette's love for Victor. Victor and Odette are unaware of Benno's powers and manipulations to come between them and win Odette for himself. When Benno uses his powers to transform Odette into a swan, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom and for Victor in this retelling of the classic Swan Lake fairytale.In the Beginning: (Short Story from It’s a Love Thing) Before coming to Earth Alashon and Vindar vow to find one another. The vow is not made lightly: if they fail, they will spend their eternity’s alone.Drake has lived a hard life. In and out of trouble with the law, sentenced to juvenile corrections and finally released to the custody of his parole officer, the strange, surfer-dude Tom, Drake is forced to move to the tiny beach town of Seaside. There, he meets Megan, Tom’s off-limits daughter. Though he tries to avoid her, it seems she turns up constantly in his life. It isn’t long before he finds himself looking forward to visits from the ultra-optimistic Megan. But does she really care for Drake, or is he just another charity case? And why does she seem so very familiar to him?Reluctance: (Short Story)Twenty-year-old Dahlia hates the life that she is forced to lead. But the time is quickly coming when she must make a decision that will shape the rest of her life. She's set her sights on Jace. He is someone her family will approve of, someone that will finally gain her acceptance among her people. Then Cam comes into her life, making her question what she assumed was her inevitable destiny, giving her hope that she might be able to lead the normal existence that she longs for. But fate has its own plan for Dahlia. Now she has to find courage she didn’t know she possessed to fight for her own future.Watched: (Short Story from Screams in the Night)Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Beasley has it all. She's a top student, head cheerleader, popular, with a great boyfriend. But she also has it. It stands in the corner of her bedroom in the dark of night, watching, waiting. Always waiting. Until it follows her out of her room for the first time ever, bringing her terror to a new level. Soon, Steph is losing sleep, unable to function, stressed about when it will make its move. And when it does, she'll be forced to do anything she must to protect those she loves. Interview: 1) What is your all-time favorite book and why? Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, which is odd since it's completely outside of the genre I write and generally read (YA). It's a historical romance so it's strange that it's my all-time fave, but I love the language used in the writing and descriptions, the flawed hero, the unusual heroine, the intensely romantic love story. 2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why? I don't compare myself to anyone because I feel authors are unique with their own voice, and I don’t think it’s fair to try to say my writing is as good as someone elses. My characters are mostly teens or young adults, living in a contemporary world, so I suppose they'd relate to other characters in the same situation. 3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it? “You, Kate, I fell in love with you! With your strength and courage, with your naiveté and innocence, your unschooled sense of humor. With your loyalty and how willingly you gave your love and trust.” This quote is from Henry to Kate in Heart on a Chain when he’s trying to convince her to take him back. I like it because he’s taking about her qualities without mentioning anything about her physical self. It’s important to me for my characters to fall in love with someone not because of how they look but because of how they are. 4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing? Almost everything in the world can be an inspiration if you just open your mind. Romantic stories, lyrics, movies probably inspire me more than anything, but honestly, just the world in general. My husband and I recently returned from a trip and I have oodles of characters in my head bursting to be released simply from observing others around me. Sometimes something as simple as a thunderstorm inspires me, or the way the sun slants through a tree. 5) Describe your typical writing day or week. I write best in the middle of the night. I begin writing heavily around 10 pm and write usually until around 4 or 5 am. I sleep until noon, then get up, get ready, and work on marketing. Marketing is something I can fairly easily stop in the middle of to take care of family, life, whatever. I hate stopping in the middle of writing, so that's why nighttime writing works best for me - no one to interrupt me. 6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing? Water always to drink, because I don't want to have to get up if I'm thirsty. And usually I have chocolate of some kind nearby. 7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)? I'm nearly finished with a book I'm writing with Jeffery Moore, a YA sci-fi, again outside my usual genre. I don't have a cover yet, nor an official blurb, but it's about a creature who wakes up on earth inside of a human teen with no memory of who she is or where she came from. It's a novel of self-discovery, and finding the person she’s meant to be with. I'm also writing a book (I'm about 1/2 way through) that's a contemporary YA romance with a hero who feels no emotion, and a heroine who has extremely unusual home circumstances (not abuse), making them both a bit broken. (I may have the one book finished before 6/21 so if I do I'll send the info at that time and change this answer) Excerpt: Rapunzel Untangled RG: If I can discover my address, then I'll tell you where to find the correct trellis. There might be more.Fab Fane Flannigan: You genuinely don't know your address? Huh. Weird. Okay. Maybe I can find you by your last name if it's not common.RG: I know the name of my house. Does that help? It's actually my own last name.Fab Fane Flannigan: Your house has a name? Can't be too many of those, so maybe that will help. Especially if it's also your last name and your last name isn't Smith or Lee.Rapunzel took a deep breath, then plunged.RG: My last name is Gothel. I live at Gothel Manor. Do you know where it is?The cursor flashed for so long without response Rapunzel thought he'd signed off. It showed him as still online, though. Maybe he was Googling the information. She smacked her forehead. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that all this time? She probably could have discovered her own address in that same manner and not had to let him know that she didn't know where she lived. She moved her mouse to open a new tab for that very purpose when his message came.Fab Fane Flannigan: Sorry. Just a bit stunned, here. Are you saying you live at GOTHEL MANSION??? The Gothel Mansion? I'm having a hard time believing that. You’ve been playing me this whole time? Is that the reason for all the secrecy? I'm just kind of feeling . . . disbelieving, I guess.Rapunzel stared at his words. Was her home well known? Why did he call it Gothel Mansion instead of Gothel Manor? And why did he think she was kidding about living here?RG: My mother calls it Gothel Manor, so maybe that's different?Fab Fane Flannigan: No, Rapunzel, there's only one that I know of. It has to be the same. Are you telling me the truth here?RG: Yes, of course. She made a decision.RG: Okay, time for me to stop being so "secretive" as you say. But I have good reasons for being so. I have a diseaseShe stopped and deleted the last four words.RG: I can't go outside because if I do I will get very sick. I live in a specific area of the house. It's the southeast corner. I only know that because I have a compass. I don't know my address because I've never had any reason to need to know it. I suppose I could have Googled it, but honestly the thought never crossed my mind. Is it weird that I live here?There was no response again for a few long minutes before he answered.Fab Fane Flannigan: No, not weird, just . . . never mind. So you live in the tower?RG: Uh, the tower? I don't know. Is it a tower?Fab Fane Flannigan: Yes, it is. I know where it is. I'll be there Friday at 8.Rapunzel sensed the difference in his tone. Something wasn't right.Fab Fane Flannigan: Rapunzel, promise me one thing.RG: Okay.Fab Fane Flannigan: Don't Google your house.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Love, Tink - Boxed Set by Elle Strauss

Haven't you ever watched Peter Pan and wanted to know Tinkerbell's story? Well join the adventure of a fun retelling from Tink's point of view and get this 3 box set!

Love, Tink: The Complete Set by Elle Strauss
Publication date: July 10th, 2013
Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis:Originally published as six separate novella episodes, Love, Tink the complete series is all six stories together in one volume.

Tink is hopelessly smitten with Peter, the leader of the Lost Boys who'd mysteriously arrived at Neverland two years ago. Unfortunately, Peter is tired of the adventure and especially tired of dodging Captain Hook who is after his head. He just wants to go back to New York City and live his life as a normal fifteen year old

Tink is the only one who can help Peter return, but it breaks her heart to do it. She just wants to make him happy, so she does the unthinkable and betrays the fairy king. Now her heart is filled with remorse. Should she go after Peter? Should she follow him to his New York?
Goodreads: Add to your To-Be-Read list today!   AUTHOR BIOI write fun, lower YA fiction (time-travel and fantasy). I’m fond of Lindt’s sea salt dark chocolate and hiking in good weather. I’m married with four children and divide my time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. I also write upper YA (historical and science fiction) as Lee Strauss.
Author Links:Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
 
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Pricing How to Decide?

 


I hate thinking about how to price my Ebooks, Print or one day audio books. At least in this I'm not alone. My partner and I research our prices and plan our rolling discounts.

PRINT BOOK

Well the pricing for this has to be competitive. However, it's mainly based on whether we plan to do a small print run with our current distributor (Bookmaster) or if we plan to use a Print-On-Demand printer like (Createspace or LighteningSource). We have to think about our production goals. Usually we do 2 initial print runs with our distributor. But have found that we end up doing more. However, at some point we like to move the books to POD once the series is finished and sometimes earlier if the series depending upon budget and sales.

Also note, print prices can't be changed easily by the publisher. The booksellers can change pricing based on the initial discount they get for the book and their sales. So, if a bookseller gets your printed book that is cost at $9.99 for $5.99 they can sell it for a profit for anywhere between $9.99 and $6.00.

Therefore, number of words + number of pages + comparable title prices + estimated number of print runs + estimated pricing for Print On Demand + bookseller discounts = PRINT PRICING MODEL

EBOOK

Here is where we have the most flexibility. If the initial price isn't working, we can change it. Unfortunately, we can't change it without a fee for those titles that are held by our distributor. Initially, we decided to have several of our ebook titles distributed with our distributor because they didn't charge much to format and distribute our ebooks. Also, using them allow us to gain pre-sale ebook orders.

For ebooks sold through our distributor - we charge $4.99 because we have to give our distributor a small percentage. For ebooks that we distribute ourselves we have a main price point of $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for older titles.

Movement of prices for our ebooks is more active because in order to change prices we don't have to pay large amounts of money to change it.

AUDIO BOOK

This is a frontier not yet traveled but planned for my books. Yet, after our price analysis we are going to use the following to decide on how to price our audio books.

Production Cost + Comparable Title Cost + Distribution = (Tentative price between $7.99-9.99)


SO HOW HAVE YOU PRICED YOUR BOOKS? Or WHAT DEEMS a price you are more likely to pay for a PRINT book, an EBOOK or an AUDIO book?  LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Places Writers and Readers Should Hang Out

WRITERS! COME out to PLAY!!!

This is one of the hardest things there is to do for some authors. We love to create worlds and characters, but actually getting out there to talk about them...uh, well, we are a shy lot.

However, once you start this journey as an author, getting out to NETWORK with other authors is a MUST DO! Why? It builds your team of like minded people. Others who understand this addiction to sit for hours and pound out stories that hey, some may never see. But we do it because we love it.

READINGS
Yeah, I do these. I go to open Mic's for authors. And guess what? You don't have to be a published author for a lot of them. It's fun, gets your heart pumping and allows you to share a taste of your work.

BOOK FESTIVALS
Doing these take a bit more of an aggressive approach. I usually sell a lot of my books at these events. Mostly my Middle Grade series flies this way. It does require me to put myself out there, say hi to passerby's and generally give my elevator 'Pitch' for the book. But I hardly ever return home with book products.

BOOK CLUBS
I'm a reader first - then a writer. So I've joined several book clubs to get an idea of what the reader really wants from me in a book. The great thing about it is, most of the clubs ask me for my book even though I don't outright mention that I'm an author.

WHERE ARE SOME OTHER PLACES YOU RECOMMEND MEETUPS with Authors and Readers?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Author Liz Long drops in!

About the Author:
Liz Long is lucky enough to have a dream career in magazine publishing as an editor and writer, yet still have time to create adventures on the side. If you catch her staring off into space or talking to herself, don’t worry – it’s just her imagination at work.
Liz graduated from Longwood University with a BA in English, though her professors might be disappointed to hear she reads more fantasy fiction than literary novels. She also loves action and thriller genres. This book probably won’t change your life, but she hopes it steals you away from reality for a while. 
Her newest release, Witch Hearts , will be for sale on Amazon on April 30th. Her first book, Gifted, a Donovan Circus Novel , is also available for paperback and Kindle on Amazon.
To learn more about Liz, visit her website: http://lizclong.com
Author Links:Website: http://lizclong.comTwitter: (Handle: @LizCLong) https://twitter.com/#!/LizCLongFacebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/lizclongauthorGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LizLong
WITCH HEARTS  Links:Amazon (ebook): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIKKEV0
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17616067-witch-hearts
GIFTED  Links:Amazon (ebook): http://www.amazon.com/Gifted-Donovan-Circus-Novel-ebook/dp/B007VT34J2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336675611&sr=8-2
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13601567-gifted
GIFTED BACK COVER SYNOPSISEven in a world of freaks, being a Firestarter is considered a dangerous Gift.
Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it’s everything she hoped it could be—new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.
When troupe members begin turning up dead, however, Lucy is suspected of foul play. She must not only prove her innocence but also realize the full extent of her power. To find the real murderer, she must uncover the truth behind her father’s fiery legacy while figuring out whom to trust within her new circle. Little does she know the history of the Donovan Circus and its enemies might actually destroy the entire gifted world.
WITCH HEARTS BACK COVER SYNOPSIS
How does a witch stay safe if a killer can get through her protection spells?
Witches like Ruby and Courtney can take care of themselves. So when Courtney is murdered, Ruby’s world crashes to a halt. The only thing keeping her grounded is the return of Courtney’s brother, Cooper. He seeks revenge, but Ruby wants to help other witches stay alive. To do that, she’ll have to reunite with her old coven’s High Priest, who also happens to be her cheating ex-boyfriend.
If that wasn’t awkward enough, when the killer gets too close, Cooper temporarily moves into Ruby’s place while a police officer tails her every move. Cooper’s presence distracts Ruby as they fight their desire against their need to stay safe. Then Courtney begins to haunt Ruby’s dreams and secrets are spilled, things from Cooper’s past that could get them both killed. The killer continues to stalk Ruby and the more she discovers, the more she fears she won’t be able to keep her heart in her chest.
WITCH HEARTS Special Excerpt
Cooper and Ruby hopped on his bike and drove back to her place. She even managed to peek out from beneath her helmet to see the city whip past her in a blur. When they finally came to a stop, she untangled herself from him – albeit a tad regretful about it – and handed him back the helmet.

“Thanks again for everything tonight. I know it wasn’t the most fun you could have, but I want everyone to be safe,” she said.

“I understand. I’m glad I went, too. I don’t want anyone else in danger. Plus, you’re good company.” He stood up as he said it, hooking the helmets on his bike.

“You don’t have walk me in or anything. I don’t want to keep you any longer than you need.”He snorted. “You’re not keeping me from anything. I want to do it, but especially because I want to make sure you’re safe.”

Ruby bit her bottom lip. Her nerves fluttered a bit at the thought of a possible goodnight kiss. She could hardly believe how immature she sounded in her head.

It’s your best friend’s brother. This is Cooper we’re talking about, a voice in her head screamed at her.

Another voice spoke up. Yeah. It’s Cooper. And your thoughts about him have never been exactly brotherly.

Shaking both voices away, she swiped her key fob by the entrance door and Cooper held it open for her. They took the stairs up to the second floor and walked around the corner to her apartment. Ruby stopped as soon as she saw her door.

“Something’s wrong,” she said.

“What? How can you tell?” He looked up and down the hallway.

“There was a barrier when I left. Remember I checked, put my hand on the door when we left? My spell was in place.”

“There was a soft glow on the door,” he said absentmindedly, as though remembering. His eyes narrowed and Ruby could see his veins throb in his neck as his jaw tightened.

“Only witches would be able to see it, but it’s not there.” Ruby took a few steps forward, placing her hand on the door, which was now simply cool and wooden. She retrieved her key and turned the lock, but Cooper stopped her.

“I’ll go in first.”

He swung the door wide open; he held his hands up in case of a fight or a spell, but silence greeted them. Cooper did a quick sweep of the apartment while Ruby waited in the entryway. He returned with Aziza in one arm and a letter in his hand.

“This was on your coffee table,” he said grimly. “Aziza was hiding behind the couch. She hissed until she realized it was me.”

Ruby took the note from him. As she opened it, Cooper stood beside her to read over her shoulder.

“Not all witches are equal. Some are born with extraordinary gifts; anyone can practice, but few are truly powerful. You are one of the lucky ones, Ruby. I apologize about your friend Courtney. She was powerful, but nowhere near your capabilities. I’m afraid that in order for my powers to thrive, yours must come to an end. I’ll be seeing you very soon. –X”
Q&A:
1) What is your all-time favorite book and why?

I think that would have to be Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. To me, it's the first book in that series that really shows emotional angst for Harry between being a teenager, dating your first crush, and of course, being hunted by Lord Voldemort. We get to see our characters developing into real wizards with the DA (like Neville growing into being a badass), plus the introduction of accepting those deemed a little strange, like Luna Lovegood. We feel our first real loss with a major character as well as the real danger now that dark wizards are out in the open by the end. It's a full scale of emotions and really sort of sets the rest of the stage for the series, IMO.
2) Is there an author you could be compared to or popular fictional characters your book's characters could relate to and why?

Oh gosh, it's probably still a little early in the game for me to presume I can be compared to another author. BookBub compared my Donovan Circus book to the Hunger Games, with a female character destined to discover who she is and stand up for her world. I'm sure my circus folks could hang with any X-Men character, while my characters from WITCH HEARTS would get along well with the Halliwell sisters from Charmed or Sookie Stackhouse and her friends.
3) Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?

One of my favorite lines is one Lucy says in the first chapter when explaining why she’s rejoining the Donovan Circus:
“I wanted to be normal amongst the freaks.”
Family and a sense of belonging are heavy themes in my first book and this line sums Lucy up perfectly. Lucy has never been “normal” anywhere in the human world. She thinks – hopes, really – that she can find her place in the gifted world in the circus she used to know. She’s been a loner her whole life because of her gift and now that there’s an opportunity to be a part of something, she’s happy to include herself in the strange gaggle that is the Donovan gang.
4) What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?

I listen to a lot of soundtracks, especially movie scores, like Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, and anything else that contains some action type of music. Honestly, nothing has been more motivating for me lately than to hear a reader I've never met before tell me how much they loved my work and can't wait for another book to read. It's such an amazing feeling to affect someone's book list and I'm honored to be a part of it. It's a total kick in the butt to know people are eagerly anticipating another title and makes me want to write that much faster.
5) Describe your typical writing day or week.

I work full time, so I write when I can in my spare time. Often my husband will go to the gym for a couple hours after work, so I take advantage and try to crank out a few hundred words. I also give him lots of time to play video games or watch NBA so I can sit on the couch with him and write. And of course, the weekends contain my biggest chunks of writing time, so there's nothing I like better than a rainy Sunday with coffee and my laptop.
6) Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing?

I love Skittles to snack on during the process, though my teeth beg me to stop. I'm also never opposed to a fresh new 20 oz. Diet Coke within reach, but that's only once a week at most. The rest of the time it's H2O!
7) Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?
I am currently working on the second book in the Donovan Circus series. Next up is an NA fantasy novel with a unique twist on Reapers.LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

AFTER EARTH Movie Review

MOVIE BLURB IMDb:
A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after events forced humanity's escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help.

Director:
MY REVIEW :
Sigh. I really had to think about how I wanted to review this. However, it had one main issue getting out of the gate - M.Night Shyamalan. I can honestly say that the only movies of his I liked was Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. After those - I disliked every one of them because they never truly seemed to meet their potential.

Sorry, I digressed. However, I still wanted to see this since Will Smith and his son Jaden was in it. I had hope that he would do it justice and turn my former prejudice about M.Night's work around. Now, overall I enjoyed the movie. The idea was great. His son (Jaden) was a likeable character a boy with a bit of a mind of his own. But there were some minor problems with his son's performance. Pronunciation of his lines. I get that they were trying to have an accent that made them sound otherworldly, but Jaden didn't pull this off too well. There were spots where I didn't know what he said because his 'put on' accent was way over the top. Other than that, he had the action down. The other problem I had with his character was that first he seems to be the 'buck the system' kind of kid - but after a true catastrophe he acts rather timid. However, that is a believable trait in a young boy. Will Smith's character was truly never explained. I really wanted to know him and why he'd felt he needed to leave his family to fight the Alien threat, and what he truly felt for his son. It came out eventually, but they really could've made it more powerful than it was. Now to the overall script (It's one of those moments as a scifi author I cringe - there is no way that the writer of this script was a scifi geek - why couldn't they ask me to write it, lol!). Anyway, there were tons of opportunities to make this way more intense, but that wasn't the case. The pacing of this movie was steady and a few shockers. Overall, me and my family agreed, it was enjoyable. It was not in fact the quality of movie I was used to seeing Will Smith play in. So we gave it a 3.5 out of 5 wilderbeast.
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS