Lacey Dancer's Blog, page 31

A New Look

Due to reader response, the blog has a new look in color and in content.  I have loved your suggestions and comments.  I hope you will like the results so far.  There has been a great deal of interest in the Writer to Writer section which is why I have added the Archive of Tips to the main heading.  It is for those of you who are keeping these hints for referral.  If you miss one, check the archive.

Have been meeting with Wayne Griner about publicity for this new venture he and his staff have created.  I am very excited about the potential for expanding literacy and the appreciation of books in our area.  I working on setting up a series of workshops in the library system.  Although it is primarily a rural area without a dense population, the libraries here are a real center of activity for the community.

I have just joined the Writers Alliance of Gainesville and will be serving as a POD leader for a new POD in my area.  We will having our first meeting tonight from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. I am delighted to be a part of this very diverse group.  The membership is varied and the potential for networking is great.  Can’t wait to get started.

Also, keeping in tune with the signature look of Choices and the blog, I have gotten together with a couple of friends to redesign my facebook page, lacey.dancer.1. It isn’t quite finished yet.  There is still a bug or two.  I hope you have time to stop in and check it out.  I love have new friends.

Weather Challenges Meet the Author Event

Florida weather is very much like a capricious lady, sunny one moment and full of tears the next.  Meet the Author held at the Dixie County Library was an absolutely wonderful setting for the second of three planned events.  The weather had been delightful all morning but for the afternoon, gloom and spitting rain made roads slick and the air chilly.  Cindy and the staff had set up the room for easy traffic flow and added a dessert buffet with great coffee for us and those who braved the downpour and the dark skies.  Most of the thirteen writers arrived and set up.

Although the attendance wasn’t as heavy as Wayne Griner had hoped, those who did come were real book lovers.  Books were signed, flyers and bookmarks given to those who wanted them.  The turnout was small but the sales and the fun were not.  Having dinner at a really picturesque restaurant just down the road was a lovely way to finish a rainy afternoon.  Ribeye steak and salad hit the spot before the forty-two mile drive back home.

Mini Vacation & Research

Sometimes, a writer has to do what a writer has to do.  Cold temperatures, a break between books, an opportunity to research a new idea and personal business makes a great combination and excuse to travel south for the warmth of summer in winter.  Popped down to my old hometown for a warm up and fun.  The beach was wonderful as you can see.  Food was great.  Research sparked all kinds of ideas.  Traveled about 2000 miles in five days and had a great time.  Check out the album for a few more pictures.

Catch up Time

Very busy week with the promotion for Choices, writers meeting and ending my traditional break between finishing one book and starting another.  I thought Taking a Chance was going to be the next work but the Care Giving book is shoving that to the creative back burner.  

I love getting out and meeting people when this part of the writing process takes over but it does mean I have less time to spend in front of the computer.  So it is slow going right now as far as page count is concerned. Cold weather and rain makes moving from place to place even here in Florida a bit of an adventure.  Planning a trip farther south to warm up.

Writers meeting was fun this week.  We started with hot chocolate, coffee and cheesecake.  Three of us read. Shirley had redone her first chapter, giving more punch to her characters.  She had us all laughing until the tears were running and she is writing a murder mystery.  I can’t wait for the next chapter.  A new member brought a great idea in rough draft form.  She really has a way with words.  Watching and helping her to develop her talent is very rewarding.  I picked up where I left off with Care Giving.  The ladies had some great input.

Keep warm wherever you are.  Stay safe.

The Day After

Had a great time at Meet the Authors event yesterday.  Such a wonderful start for this annual event.  Wayne Griner’s brainchild was well attended by visitors and authors, some coming from other parts of Florida and one from as far away as Illinois.  Sold out all the copies of Choices that I took to the event.  Met lots of new fans and had a lot of laughs.  Check out the photo album pages for pictures of the event.  As usual, I forgot to take my camera.  A friend took the pictures of all of us.  Hope you enjoy the laughs

There are two more events planned in this series.  I can’t wait to see what the next two months bring.  The community involvement was wonderful and exciting.  There is so much talent in this area that it inspires all of us.

 

Meet the Author

Thought I would share the publicity for Meet the Author.  This event is the brainchild of  Wayne Griner, the director of the Three Rivers Regional Library.  It is exciting for me to be involved with this kind of project.  Books and reading are very dear to my heart.  I was a reader long before I became a writer.

Happy 2014

A new year brings so many hopes and dreams to life as it stretches before us with all of its possibilities.  With the new book out and the positive responses it is receiving, I can’t help feeling very enthusiastic about the coming months.  As you can see on the calendar of current events, an Author’s Workshop is already scheduled for this month.

Now that I have the book marks in hand, they turned out beautifully, I will be dropping off sample copies at selected locations along with bookmarks for give-outs.

Choices is listed on Goodreads.  There is also a giveaway of 15 copies to individual readers.  The contest ends in the beginning of March.

Also, this year brings the book fairs in New York and Beijing.  So, a busy year is already shaping up.  Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Looking Back

The days after Christmas offer such an opportunity for just sitting and enjoying what the Season has brought.  This year has been such fun and filled with so many new friends and new challenges.  Creating this blog was just of them.

Getting Choices into print was another.  The book is doing very well.  The reviews have been wonderful.  The reception for Many Faces of Love has also been a delightful surprise.  Having been away from writing and publishing for a few years, I hadn’t expected the response that I have been getting.

The ideas are flowing and I am loving every minute.  Taking a Chance is coming along nicely.  The donkey isn’t winning but he hasn’t given up yet.  As for Miranda, the house may be rundown and the farm the same, but the scenery, especially the tall, sexy, deep voiced male who lives just down the road a bit, is eye riveting.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.  2014 is going to be a very good year, thanks to all of you.   I wish you the same joy and surprise that you have given me.

All is Well

For those of you following the blog, you will have noticed that it was down for a few days.  Thankfully, the internal problems that caused the interruption have been resolved, so all is well.

So many things occurred during this time when I couldn’t post.  I hope this entry will cover a number of them.

First, Choices is now available on Amazon both in mass paperback and Kindle.  Have had reviews too.  All are rating it a five so far.  Thanks so much for the support and the response.

Choices is also listed on Goodreads.com and I have included a contest giveaway that will end in March 2014.  I am giving away a book to each of 15 winners with autographing if desired.

Books marks are almost done and as soon as they are I will be posting about that as well.

Finally, I am in the middle of working on a completely new story, one lightly based on my move to North Florida and the change in lifestyle from urban to country.  Mine was so funny and filled with strange encounters I felt it just deserved a book.  The working title is Taking a Chance and that is just what Miranda Major decides to do when she gets in the car one day and just keeps driving.  There is a cantankerous donkey, sexy male, a rundown farm and a zany friend in the mix.

The care giving book is going well too so, as you can see, I am entering the new year with a full plate.

I wish for all of you, a wonderful holiday season and a New Year filled with hope, love and fun.

 

Books on Hand

It is always a thrill to receive that first shipment of new books.  Last night was our regular writers meeting and, just before dusk, the UPS truck rolled in with a box of Choices.  I had a great time opening it and giving each member a copy.  Naturally, I had to sign every one.  We had a mini launch party and discussed what each of us was doing to promote and market our books.  There is so much talent in the group. Everyone brings new ideas to share.

Closed the meeting for the year to allow all of us to take time for family and celebrating the holidays.  Most of us were walking out to our cars.  Sheila had left first and, before anyone else had departed, she came flying back down my drive and zipping back to the group with a mile wide smile.  She had just found out she was going to be a Grandmother for the second time.

What a way to end our club’s year!  Hugs and Congratulations All Around!