Nicki Elson's Blog, page 41

80s Sighting: No Limit Arcade

Just when I was thinking I ought to do some sort of reminder post about the big Tumble 4 Ya blogfest this Friday, I got hit with another 80s sighting!  This morning the local news featured the No Limit Arcade in Algonquin, IL, featuring 80s arcade games: Pac Man, Frogger, Asteroids, TRON, Space Invaders, Ms. Pac Man, Robotron...and I'm sure I'll suck at them just as much now as I did then.  What's especially cool though is that the teens are digging the retro video games too.  My 14 year old can't wait to go---but he's holding out for verification on Donkey Kong.

Here's a graphic from the No Limit Arcade website to get you into 80s mode while you write up your post telling us all about your 80s Celebrity Crush for the Tumble 4 Ya fest on Friday (sign-up is conveniently below if you still need to do that).  I'm totally pumped, stoked & psyched to see who y'all pick.



Look at all these 80s babes we're going to get to look at!
THIS FRIDAY, Feb. 10

Amazon Tag Party

This weekend, Francine Howarth at Romancing the Blog is hosting an Indie Author Tag Party, i.e. a bunch of us signed up to tag each other's books on Amazon.  A Tag is a key word or words readers associate with a book. The higher the number of readers selecting a specific keyword, the higher that book moves on the list in searches for that keyword.

And tagging is so easy!  Just click on the link each of the authors have provided at their blogs, scroll down to the list of tags and click on all those you think apply to the book (you have to be logged into Amazon to tag).

Below is my link(You can tag even if you're not signed up for the fest *wink* *wink*)

Three Daves
The keywords I most covet are:LoveRomance80s1980scollege lifeChick LitNew Adulthumorcomedy



Here's the link back to the fest so you can continue tagging others
Thanks, Francine!
And in other news, if you have an excess of Middle Grade and Young Adult books about, please follow the link at the top of my sidebar for more information regarding a wonderful MG/YA book donation project being organized by Julie at A Tale of Many Reviews.  Aaand for fun & frivolity check out the Tumble 4 Ya (Who was your 80s Crush) Blogfest to be held next Friday.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Welcome to this month's edition of Insecure Writer's Support Group, brainchild of none other than Alex J. Cavanaugh---who's going to light the Blogosphere on fiyah at the end of the month with his Catch Fire! event to celebrate the upcoming release of his second novel, CassaFire.

Hey, I didn't realize until I started typing this that Alex's event ties in with what I want to talk about today.  See, it's my observation that most of us writer types aren't the greedy sort.  If money was what we were after, we'd spend less time writing and more time doing whatever it is people do to make gobs of cash. So all these efforts to promote our books aren't really about money at all---they're about doing right by our story, doing whatever we can to get it out there so it can reach and entertain the types of readers it's meant to reach and entertain.

That's a powerful incentive, but there's always something promotion-wise we could be doing, and it gets exhausting. Ever since my first novel was released, I've repeatedly told myself (and my kids and husband) "Okay, now I'm done promoting." But then a new idea will hit me, some avenue left unexplored...or simply a hair-brained scheme that strikes me as fun, and I'm at it again.  Is it like that for anyone else?

I also realize, however, that at some point I've got to drop the reins and let my book either take off, tread water, or sink all on it's own.  I can only control so much. With my book's two-year anniversary coming up later this month, and with a brand new manuscript calling for my attention, I honestly feel ready to do that.  But...there's just...one more...thing...

I've not given my Amazon presence much attention, so before I officially put Three Daves on autopilot, I'm going to try to figure out a non-obnoxious way to ask people to post an Amazon review---any advice on that would be much appreciated!  Also, I keep hearing the Amazon Tag thingies are important for "You might also like" recommendations.  In that regard, Francine Howarth at Romancing the Blog has come up with a brilliant idea---a Tag Party!  It's going on this weekend so there's still time to sign up.  It's a great way to help your book & help other authors at the same time.

80s Sighting: a-ha Saves the Day on Chuck Series Finale!

On Chuck vs. the Goodbye:
The set-up:  Under General Beckman's chair is a bomb set to go off as soon as the music stops...and the symphony's about to end.

To the rescue: Jeffster (a rock band comprising Jeff and Lester, two disturbing nerds who work at the Buy More).
 

Of all the day-saving, climax-worthy songs they could've chosen to belt out at this most crucial moment---the final mission by NBC's Team Bartowski after 5 1/2 seasons---Jeffster chose.... 



Rock on, Jeffster. If that got you jonesing for the 80s, might I suggest you take a gander at the Tumble 4 Ya blogfest?  Much thanks to everyone who's already joined!  I canNOT wait to see everyone's choices.

Celery Tree Forum: Short Story Submissions & Freelance

Celery Tree, that cozy on-line bookstore, is wrapping up it's January blog tour and I get to be one of the final stops.  If you haven't heard of Celery Tree yet, I suggest you stop over to check it out. If you have a book out and are interested in adding it to the Celery Tree collection, contact Karen Gowen at karen@celerytree.com. 

The gracious Theresa Milstein and Sheri Larsen both had me as their guest this month---thank you, ladies!---and I promised a follow-up to my post at Sheri's place.  I asked her followers what topics they'd like to see discussed at the Celery Tree forums and there was a lot of interest in information regarding submitting short stories to magazines as well as paid freelance writing opportunities, so I've opened up as a forum topic and provided some links I hope you'll find helpful. It's (not so) cleverly titled:
  
Submitting Fiction to Magazines and Paid Freelance 
You can bop on over to read my post, and if you have something to add to the discussion, log in (registration is open to anyone, don't need to be a Celery Tree author to do this) and tell us what you know. :)

80s Sighting: Strawberry Shortcake

With my children now teenagers, it appears I'm woefully uninformed on what's currently hot in Toddler Pop Culture. So how surprised was I to walk into my niece's third birthday party this weekend and find the place decked out in that sweetie from the 80s---Strawberry Shortcake!

To be honest, I probably would've been oblivious to the fruit-themed confection throughout the 80s too if I hadn't had a younger sister who was way into her.  My only personal memory of the Fraulein of Fraises is a vague recollection of one of my sister's dolls smelling like blueberries.  

Anyhow, she's baaaack---with a few choice updates, like trading in the Laura Ingalls look for a snappy mini-dress, poufy newsboy cap, and sassy mary-janes, and losing the stubby red yarn in favor of lucious pink waves. 


Does the strawberry princess hold a special place in your memories?
Have you spotted her anywhere while you've been out & about lately?What do you think of her makeover?

Meet Jennifer Lane

You know how there are people who, although you've never met them in person, you just know they're not only cool but a really nice person who'd be totally fun to hang out with?  Well, Jennifer Lane, fellow Omnific Publishing author, is one of those people. So I'm thrilled to have her visit today---and I'm even thrilldeder to get to meet her in person in a few months!

I recently read her novel, With Good Behavior, book #1 in the CONduct series, and here's a snippet of my Goodreads review (click to read the whole shebang).



And here's my interview with her, in which you'll notice I focused on questions about my sweet home Chicago:

1. I know you have family in Chicago and have spent a lot of time there, but I also know that you're a pretty frequent traveler and have been to many other fabulous places, so what made you choose Chicago above all those other places as a setting?


After growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, I love Chicago because it has the familiarity of the Midwest but the spiciness of the big city. When I was in a psychology graduate program at Notre Dame, my oldest sister and her husband moved from London to Chicago. I never will forget the thrill of driving into the city for the first time to visit them...the majestic skyscrapers, the shimmer of Lake Michigan, the pulse of the nightlife. My sister now has three boys and it's wonderful to visit my nephews.

Chicago has both beautiful architecture and a gritty underbelly, and I found that dichotomy to be a wonderful backdrop for my series. For a mafia story, the home of Al Capone is a natural choice. And I love to be around water -- Lake Michigan is gorgeous.

2.  Is Chicago the home base for all three books in the CONduct series?
Yes! Chicago architectural cruises play a big role in With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1). For Bad Behavior (#2), Chicago's political corruption a la Rod Blagojevich inspires the plot, ha ha. The mafia element of Chicago and local prisons in Gurnee and Downer's Grove continue to star in On Best Behavior (#3).


3.  When you visit the Windy City, besides your sisters' homes, what are the other "must see" places on your itinerary?  
One sister recently moved to Hilton Head Island, so maybe I'll feature my next novel there! In Chicago I love the restaurant Big Bowl, and the Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao (which inspired a scene in Bad Behavior). Roger Eaton's favorite deep dish pizza at Giordano's is also yummy. My nephews and I usually dive into the swimming pool in my sister's condo building. In the summer, we absolutely hit the Ohio Street Beach, and in the late summer, I like to swim two miles in Lake Michigan. Walking or riding bikes along the lake is fun, as is shoe shopping at Nordstrom's Rack (one of the few stores to carry size 12 for my flipper feet!) Sometimes we visit "the bean" at Millennium Park, and I want to return to the aquarium soon. Chicago is a fun place to meet up with friends like Lorne from England, my editor Jessica Royer Ocken, and my graduate school advisor Anita.
4. In April, I plan to meet up with you and other writer friends while you're in town at the Romantic Times conference.  What I'm wondering is...how much money (and/or tequila) will it take to get you to stand up and belt out Sinatra on an architectural cruise?
Yeah! I can't wait to meet you at our first romance writer conference. Luckily for me, I don't think architectural cruises start running that early? *crosses fingers* I like to belt out songs in the privacy of my car, but my voice is nothing like Grant's! How much tequila would it take for YOU to belt out Sinatra at the hotel bar? ;-D

Uh, maybe about one shot - I'm a cheap date these days. ;)
Thank you for having me to your blog, Nicki! I'm so blessed we met through our publisher.
Aw, see what I mean about her being nice?
Thank YOU for visiting, Jen! 

Writer's Ally

The marvelous SA Larsen is hosting me at her place today to talk a bit more about Celery Tree.

I'm looking for input from writers and readers regarding the Celery Tree forums.  So please do make a quick pit-stop over and let me know what you think.


And if you're interested in something fun & silly to do on February 10th---a pre-VD celebration, if you will---you need scroll no further than the post below. ;)

Who's Feeling Retro & Romantic?

For my very first ever blogfest, I've teamed up w/ fellow 80s girlsSuze from Analog Breakfast& M. Pax from Wistful Nebulae to ask you one simple question: Who was/is your 80s celebrity crush?
Please tell us on February, 10in the Tumble 4 Ya Blogfest! 
(Much thanks to Suze for designing our awesome fest icon)
All you have to do is sign up in the Linky below, and then on Friday, February 10 post a picture, video, or whatever of the celebrity you most tumbled for in the 80s.  We'd also love to know just what it was that made ya tumble 4 them. If you weren't of crushing age during the 80s, no problem---fess up to which 80s star most makes you tumble now.  Basically, we're just looking for a few pre-Valentine's Day laughs. ;)
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(P.S. It's safe to assume we'd love for you to put our Blogfest icon in your sidebar & tell all your friends about it.)

Hey, I'm over at Theresa Milstein's today talking about C...

Hey, I'm over at Theresa Milstein's today talking about Celery Tree, a brand new site for readers and authors.  Please stop by if you have a moment.

Also, thank you to everyone who weighed in on my book titles yesterday.  I think what I get from the feedback is that I need to go back to the drawing board.  The Angel Sin's appears to be the most zippy, but I'm not sure it will catch the right fish, as Suze so eloquently put it.  So, my new carrot to dangle as I chisel away on draft #2 will be to come back to y'all with a morsel of description and a new set of titles. Except I'm going to think of the carrot as celery because carrots are gross.

Aaand, just to give you a reason to look forward to Monday---Suze, M.Pax, and I have decided to break our Blogfest cherries as a threesome and will bring you a flirty, fun & freaking-awesome fest that you are, like, totally going to want to join. ;)