Talli Roland's Blog, page 18

A Girl Can Dream

And sometimes, it might come true!

I'm in second draft hell at the moment and somewhat brain dead, but this little snippet (below) from last Sunday's The Mail on Sunday gave me a lovely little boost. Okay, a lovely BIG boost!

I''ve included the whole page because if you're anything like me (better hope not!), you love looking at top ten charts. Hint: look at Ebook Downloads.


Did someone say wine? :)

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

Complicated Creatures: Alex J Cavanaugh

Yes, I'm here on a Tuesday! And all because of Alex Cavanaugh, who is continuing his blog tour for Cassafire, his new novel. Welcome, Alex!  It's early, I need more coffee, so I'll turn you over to him.


Thank you forletting me invade your spot today, Talli! I'm nowhere near as cute as you, buthopefully I can at least amuse…
Women arecomplicated creatures. Admit it! You're complex, multi-faceted, and wrapped inmany layers. (Like parfait, not onions - thank you, Shrek!) You're so observantand you possess this "women's intuition" thing. (Is it like the Sixth Sense? Doyou see dead husbands all the time?) And your emotions range beyond what we caneven imagine. Quite frankly, they are a little frightening.
But hey, I'ma guy! From my perspective, writing about women is a daunting challenge. One Ientered with reservations. But I had no choice. Fans of CassaStar clamored fora female character.
(Insertmoment of panic here.)
So, I heldnothing back. Want a strong female character? Fine! I'll write one so feistythat even Byron may have met his match…
To say Atheeis strong-willed would be an understatement. She is driven, determined, andaccustomed to getting what she wants. A pilot of exceptional quality, she alsopossesses mental abilities that rival Byron's skills. Even worse, Athee isdetermined to figure out what makes the solitary and reclusive Cassan tick.
Obviously,tension ensues!
Will readerslike Athee? I think they'll admire her strengths and determination to succeedin a profession dominated by men. They'll be moved by her motivation andefforts to keep those she loves safe. Readers will enjoy the new relationshipaspect she brings to the story when her world and Byron's collide.
Hopefullythis exercise has given me some insight into the complex female mind.
Now back tofootball and hitting things and other manly stuff. (Does hitting one's Xboxcontroller count?)
 Visitthe author's site and leave a comment during his book tour for a chance to winCassaFire, CassaStar, and a CassaFire tote bag and mug!

CassaFire
by Alex J. Cavanaugh
CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron's days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it's a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren's civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan's technology and strange mental abilities.

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron's unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

You can visit the author's site at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/
Book trailer available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa6VINRGtyE.

Barnes andNoble Amazon Amazon Kindle


Thank you, Alex! I'll be back on Friday. Until then, have a great week. 

Pin It, Baby

It's Monday, and it's sunny and fresh here in London after a dire day yesterday. Hope everyone had a great weekend! Although I know we all need another social media outlet like we need err... um... okay, a hole in the head (my brain isn't processing quickly), I must admit I've become rather enamoured with Pinterest. It's a bit like Tumblr without the words, and I love trawling through all the pretty pictures and putting together my own boards.

Last week, I even created a board for Serenity, the main character in Build A Man, showing her neigbourhood and the places she travels to in the novel. Apart from being fun, it really brought her to life for me.The photo below is of Borough Market (duh!), where she goes with Jeremy -- the man she and half the country are 'building'.


[image error] Source: google.com via Talli on Pinterest
Now don't tell me you're not interested in some pinning action! Get yourself over to Pinterest and get busy. (No, I haven't been paid by Pinterest to post this. Yet. Ha!)

In other non-sponsored news, Rachel Morgan's new novel Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1) is out today! It looks fantastic, so run out and get your copy now. Many congrats to Rachel! Amazon US, Amazon UK,  Smashwords .

Are you on Pinterest? Do you need a hole in the head? 
: 

Novels 'n' Newspapers

Happy Friday! I'm pleased to welcome Stephen Tremp to my blog today, talking about strategies he used to get coverage for his novels in newspapers -- great information!

Take it away, Stephen.

[image error] Thanks Talli for hosting me again! You hosted me on my Breakthroug Blog Tour and here we are again. 


Okay, here we go ...Since Borders Books is no longer with us, I had to make some serious changes as I sold a lot of books through them. I took a serious kick in the ol' knickers with that one.To quote Tom Cruise from Collateral: "Okay, look, here's the deal …. Still breathing? Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, #%^$&**# happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it." 


 So I revisted some of the promo strategies I used in the past and the word "newspapers" jumped out at me.Newspapers? Are they still relevant? Do people still read them? I did a little homework and looked at circulations of newspapers (print and online) in the two areas I've lived; Lansing, Michigan and southern California. Turns out, there is still a lot of opportunity in this department. They're not just for lining my birdcage anymore.



[image error] Martha's Bookstore where I will have a book signing April 14th.I contacted the good people at the Lansing State Journal and sent them a Press Release. The Hook: Local boy does good. They printed it! Glory hallelujah! So I contacted the Detroit News, a much larger circulation. The decision is still pending. But at least they're considering it. Stay tuned! 


Next up: The Orange Coast Register and the Los Angeles Times. These are two papers with very large circulations. The OC Register reaches 1.5 million adults every week.Problem: I don't have any contacts. Steve who??? I can't just send them a Press Release and expect them to print it.Or can I. 


Fortunately, I've been lining up book signings with local Indie bookstores. And they have contacts at these papers. Will the OC Register print a Press Release for me? Maybe. Maybe not. But they will announce the book signing because the Indie bookstores, who have a great working relationship with the paper, have a name for me to contact!


[image error]  So I'll at least get my name in the Events Section. Perhaps an image of my smiling face or book cover. Then I'll have a second book signing announcement. And a third. Now I'm building a relationship. Then perhaps a Press Release will follow. I'm working it. It's all about building relationships and that's what I'm doing. Stay Tuned! 


Finally: don't forget the smaller, local papers. They can be easier to work with and reach a lot of people. And thanks to the Indie bookstores, I now have contact names for local papers that will advertise the book siging events!You can check out the press release from the Lansing State Journal here: SELECT LINK. I hope this helps and perhaps stokes the fires of promotion and marketing for you. 


[image error]
Stephen Tremp: author of the BREAKTHROUGH series, has a B.A. in information systems and an MBA degree in global management. Stephen has a background in information systems, management, and finance and draws from this varied and complex experiential knowledge to write one-of-a-kind thrillers.His novels are enhanced by current events at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and other scientific research facilities around the world. These potential advances have the ability to change the way we perceive our universe and our place in it!You can visit Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs. BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING can be downloaded:Download Breakthrough: Amazon Kindle $1.99Download Opening: Amazon Kindle for $1.99

Have a great weekend, everyone! Oh, before I forget: Fabulosity Reads is doing a giveaway for Build A Man! Head over for your chance to win. 

Good Eats

Like many authors I know, thoughts of food consume almost as much of my head-space as writing (and wine). Many of us are familiar with Goodreads, the reading website that allows us to add new books and to track what we've read.

Well, my friends, I've discovered a market gap:  Goodeats! Bakers could upload photos and blurbs about their fabulous creations, and we could add them to our 'to-eat' pile. I'm salivating thinking about it now.

Imagine this:

For Blueberry Betsy, life was everything she'd dreamed: a warm, gooey topping and a crunchy base. But when Clotted Cream came too close, everything changed. Suddenly, Betsy had to be devoured -- and quickly.


'A tantalisingly sweet creation that I couldn't stop eating. If you like Apple Crumble, then you'll adore this.'

Picture a whole site chock full of wonderful foodie descriptions! Just had a yummy pretzel? Give it a rating and put it on your 'eaten' list. Fancy chicken tonight? Browse the best dishes out there and read the reviews. It would also be a handy-dandy way to keep track of everything you've eaten and to remember all your favourites.

What do you think? Brilliant, eh? Next up: Goodwines.

What would be on your to-eat list?

Monday Mania!

Oh hello, Monday. Good to see you! It's another week, and there's plenty o' fun in blog land! Before I get to that, a massive thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to last Friday's post. Some really interesting thoughts and opinions there.

Let's get started!



Alex J. Cavanaugh's Catch Fire! Blog Party.
His new book CassaFire is coming out tomorrow, and I'm helping spread the word! Alex needs no introduction for many of us, but he's a real stalwart of the blogosphere and incredibly generous. I read and enjoyed CassaStar, and  I can't wait to get my mitts on this one.




Look at this! Isn't it gorgeous? It's the cover for Sangu Mandanna's coming novel, The Lost Girl. Pop over and say hi to Sangu if you get the chance!






And I could be wrong, but I have down on my calendar that Heather McCorkle's Channeler's Choice is out today. Happy happy!

Finally, I've received a wonderful award from Kathy McKendry at Imagine Today: the Dream Launcher Award. I'm supposed to give it to someone who helped set me on the path of my dream. And I'd like to give it to everyone I've met in the wonderful blogosphere, since you've all been so wonderfully supportive. That's not a cop out - I really mean it!

Thank you!

Who's your dream launcher?

Is Self-Publishing the New Slushpile?

Happy weekend, everyone! Okay, almost weekend. I know I could do with one right about now.

Today, I'm pleased to welcome superwoman Kate Allan to my blog (and if you knew everything she does, you'd think she's superwoman, too!). She's got a very important question on which she'd like your feedback, and I'm curious about your take on it.

But before I turn it over to her. . . today and tomorrow, my novel (self-published! not slushy! I hope!) Build A Man is free on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. And even more exciting, I'm over at Piedmont Writer's blog, talking about self-publishing and what I've learned! Drop by to say hi if you get the chance.

Take it away, Kate!



From Snow to Slush...
Actually the weather here in the South Eastof England has been mightily strange over the last few weeks. Two weeks ago wehad minus temperatures and snow, and yesterday we were basking in 18C sunshine.I launched my enovella,  just before thesnow hit secretly hoping to be on topic with the weather. This was my firstventure into self-publishing, a short romantic story called Snowbound on theIsland, and the gamble worked when the snow came 48 hours later.
But I've actually not come here to talkabout snow, but rather slush; that thing called the slushpile, which is whatpeople in the book trade call the mountains of unpublished material thatwriters submit to be considered for publication. I've a commission to blogabout it for a publishing trade magazine and part of the brief is to tackle thequestion, "is self-publishing the new slushpile?"
So I thought I should do a little research,and what better place than Talli Roland's wonderful blog. I'll tell you what Ithink and then I'd love to know what you think.
My initial reaction is no, but then onfurther reflection I found myself thinking, "what does that question actuallymean?" Does it means that ordinary readers will now be the judges of theslushpile? Thus readers, and therefore sales figures will elevate those worthystories to publishers' notice? Will publishers only publish stories that have aproven market?
I don't think any publisher is wishing for afuture when self-publishing decides the slushpile. And the reason for this isthat editors want to be the ones to discover, and bring to market – for thefirst time – super writers and great stories. When a publisher "discovers" aself-published author I think it's the author they are discovering first,rather than the book. They will want new books from that author. Yes,self-publishing will continue to grow. It provides a useful niche for sometypes of material where authors are ahead of publishers on knowing what readersactually want to read. And it also provides a useful way to keep backlist(authors older works) available at little cost. Professional authors willcorrectly treat self-publishing as a business and make sure their material isedited and correctly marketed. At the other end of the scale, there will bewriters who will – just because it's so easy – throw up unfinished and substandard work on Amazon Kindle. Willreaders ignore good stories that are marketed poorly and conversely, befrustrated with poor stories, marketed well?
So what do you think? Is self-publishing thenew slushpile? Have you read many self-published books, and how do they compareto books from publishers? What is the future for self-publishing?
Kate Allan's new novella Snowbound on theIsland is available from Amazon Kindle for 84p.
What a great question; I can't wait to read the answers. Have at it, and have a great weekend, everyone!

What's Your Theme Tune?

While I can't write to music, I do like to have a little theme tune running through my day. What that tune is usually depends on what's happening in my writing world.

First Draft: Rollin' rollin' rollin', keep them doggies rollin' (otherwise known as Rawhide).Yeah baby! Just keep writing, don't stop, move forward. . . oh wait, I'm hungry.

Revisions: What's in your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, ZOMBIE . Do I need to explain this? Perfect head-banging music when I just want to figure out what THE HELL I'VE WRITTEN.

Finished Product: Shake, shake, shake it!  I feel just like the penguins, minus the gyrations. Usually my arse is so sore from sitting for ages that I really do need to shake it! And it jiggles. TMI? Sorry.

Pre-Publication: 19th Nervous Breakdown. Because I have a nervous breakdown just about every day before my book launches!


What's your theme tune today?  Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Kitties With Thumbs

You know how experts say to keep your blog focused and relevant?

Yeah, well, fair warning: this blog post has nothing to do with writing or reading or... anything other than cats with thumbs. I suppose it is slightly connected to my novels, though, since one of them does have a cat. It doesn't have opposable thumbs, though.

Enjoy.



And if you are looking for something a bit more reading related, might I suggest Naina Gupta's fun novel, The Bollywood Break-Up Agency? Very entertaining, and on for a great price on both Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

See, I did manage to get something reading-writing-related in there. Happy Monday!

The Great Word Vom

You know when you read all those posts by wonderful writers saying how they get so involved in their writing, they forget to eat? Or that the afternoon flashed by before they knew it?

That will never be me. I will never get so involved in writing I forget to eat. In fact, sometimes I get up from my laptop to eat even when I'm not hungry . . . just to get away from writing. I clock-watch and word count obsessively, and chances are as soon as I've hit my 3,000 words for the day, I'm away from that computer faster than I pop the cork from my wine.

It's not that I don't enjoy writing novels -- I do. I love shaping characters, plot-lines, and seeing the finished product. But dare I admit that writing the first draft is a bit of a slog? For me, I have to get it all out before I can dive in, kind of like a daily word vomit (sorry!). And once my stomach is empty, I'm hardly going to sit around in the mess of my own making. I exit the scene of the crime.

What about you? Do you word vom, too? Or are you one of the lucky few who can get lost in writing -- or anything else, for that matter?

Have a great vomit free weekend, everyone!

PS - My next novel, Construct A Couple, is now on Goodreads. Yay!
PPS - I'm doing so much word vomming this week, I'm having a few wrist issues, so forgive me if I don't get around to as many blogs as usual.