Cherish D'Angelo's Blog, page 35

Win a Kindle or other prizes during the Ebook Addict Reviews Anniversary Scavenger Hunt

Ready to have some fun? Check out this cool Scavenger Hunt and enter to win some fabulous prizes, including a Kindle ereader.

The rules are easy. From Sept. 19 to Oct. 3, click on each participating authors' URL and search their site for the scavenger hunt image (like the one to the left).

Then send an e-mail with the URL of the page you found the image on to Contests@ebookaddictreviews.com.

Check out the list of authors at: http://www.ebookaddictreviews.com/contests. You should notice a familiar name--mine. :-) Yes, somewhere on my website, you'll find the same logo.

Happy scavenging!
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a Canadian suspense author.
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Guest blog: Author James M Turner talks about his latest book, Beyond the Comfort Zone

Today I'd like to welcome author and screenplay writer James M Turner to talk about his latest book 'Beyond the Comfort Zone'.

Hi Cheryl and thanks for inviting me here to talk about my book.
James, can you explain a little about what your book is about?
Beyond the Comfort Zone is a memoir, eighty percent of which takes place in Asia. Having enjoyed a career as a professional musician for the rich and famous, in 2002 I moved to south east Asia where I eventually became aware of the child trafficking trade. Together with an acquaintance and the help of a US organization we attempt to gain the confidence of the traffickers and bring them to justice – saving the cargo in the process. There is a little bit in there about those wild and crazy days travelling the world as a high paid musician, but this is really just a backstory that makes the subsequent adventure in Asia all the more remarkable.
It's a tale that follows two young men trying to do the right thing and in the process nearly losing themselves as they spiral downwards into a shadowy world where human lives, at least their lives, are worth nothing. There is danger, intrigue, high emotion and a fragile love story woven together in what one reviewer called ' an exceptional journey ...the making of a Hollywood blockbuster, in short a Shantaram for South East Asia.'


What is the essence of this story?
The essence of 'Beyond the Comfort Zone' can probably be summed by this extract from the dust jacket.
" Beyond The Comfort Zone is the remarkable true story of one man's extraordinary journey, from the stages of the world to the jungles of south-east Asia. As one of the UK's premier session musicians James M Turner led a life most only dream about, playing Saxophone with some of the world's best selling artists and travelling the globe performing to legions of adoring fans. So, as he stood on stage at Wembley Stadium, raised his Sax and 70,000 people screamed into the night air, he could have been forgiven for thinking that his life would always be this way. A few short years later however he would find himself deep in The Golden Triangle, fighting for his sanity and survival as he attempts to infiltrate and capture those engaged in the tearful trade of Human Trafficking."
It's very gratifying that reviewers and reader have picked up on the fiction like narrative as although it is a true story it does read like a good novel. Sometimes, real life can be a lot stranger than fiction.
Amazon, both US and UK editions, has BTCZ with only 5 star reviews. That must be very humbling. Why do you think it's done so well with reviewers?
It is very humbling indeed that people would take the time to do that. I also receive a lot of email from overseas. I think the book is resonating with people because, of course, the subject matter tugs the heartstrings. But also this is a very heartfelt account of two young men who almost lose themselves in the chaos of this world they have entered. Entered with the intention of doing the right thing.


Please share some reviews with us.
Music.co.uk"Will grip you from start to finish. If you're looking for a unique read, full of interest, intrigue, danger, and high emotion, then this is the book for you."
All4Women.co.za"His exceptional journey is the making of a Hollywood blockbuster and at times I had to remind myself that it's a true story....[...] ...Turner's dialogue leaps off the page."
A selection from Amazon – 100% 5 Star reviews:
"If you like to read a book that grips you from start to finish buy this book!"
"Beyond The Comfort Zone is among the best, and certainly the most engrossing, non-fiction books I have read in a long time. One of the strongest compliments I can pay is that while being entirely believable and hyperbole-free, it reads like fiction, and tightly written, exciting fiction at that. [...]..a superb read"
"I could have been following characters in a good novel rather than real people. I was gripped to the end and disappointed when it finished. Roll on a sequel!"
"Without wishing to give the story away, I will just say that this is a superbly crafted book and awesome memoir that will take your nerves right to the wire."
Beyond the Comfort Zone on Kindle
More reviews of Beyond the Comfort Zone at Amazon (UK)
About James:
James M Turner is an author, composer, musician and screenwriter. Having had a successful career as a highly paid professional musician, he now works in the film industry. His first T.V. series screenplay, working title 'The Taker' is currently in development and will hopefully move into production later in 2010.
Read more about the author at James M Turner.com.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a Canadian suspense author.
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Guest Blogger: Author Marian Allen shares her thoughts on the long road to publicity

As part of her blog tour for her novel Eel's Reverence, author Marian Allen is visiting "The suspense is killing me" and I know she has some valuable advice to share. Welcome, Marian.

The Long Road To Publicity

I think of EEL'S REVERENCE as my first real novel. I decided to write a novel when I was in junior high--or maybe high school. At any rate, let's just say I wasn't a child prodigy. The world should give me a medal for not saving a copy of that monstrosity.

After that thing, I wrote a gothic romance with a male lead character who didn't have a romance. I've rewritten that book multiple times and now like it very much, and I think (fingers crossed) it's found a publisher.

Meanwhile, after the gothic, I took the time to go to some workshops and I joined a writers group (I still belong to it--the Southern Indiana Writers Group).

In the early 1990s, I wrote three books which I placed with electronic publishers. Back then, "electronic publishing" meant that people ordered the books through the mail and received 5 1/4 floppy disks with the books on them.

My first electronic publisher quit the business. My second one did well for me at first, but sales dwindled. A couple of years ago, I retrieved my rights to the three books and submitted them to Echelon Press, which accepted all three for re-issue.

I'm currently on a blog book tour for EEL'S REVERENCE and previewing FORCE OF HABIT, which is due out in November--and thank you for hosting me!

So what was the difference between my first two publishers and Echelon?

Echelon is a good publisher, but those two were also good publishers. All three houses had/have close working relationships with their authors, all three did/do everything they could/can to make noise for their authors. So what's the difference?

I would like to say that the only difference is that the other two were way ahead of their time. I would like to say that the other two had some flaws that Echelon doesn't have, or that Echelon has some attitude or clout that the other two didn't have.

But here's what I think is really the difference: Echelon has a different author.

Since the time I retrieved my rights, I've done quite a bit of research on the ebook market. I've joined marketing email lists. I've read marketing blogs and books. I've taken a blog book tour class and I've studied other writers' blogs and techniques. I've learned how to build a professional blog and, I hope, use it effectively. I've put up inexpensive or free short stories on Kindle and Smashwords to use as promotional items. I've sold short stories to anthologies and taken those to signings, and have volunteered to sit on panels at conventions and workshops.

I expected my previous publishers to do most of my publicity for me, and thought all I had to do was notify my hometown newspaper and all my friends and relations, "Here I am! Come and buy!" Echelon benefits from my having done a little wising up.

Takeaway advice: If you want a good publisher, don't just be a good writer; be a good author.

CONTEST:

Anyone who leaves a comment at one of my blog tour stops AND mentions EEL'S REVERENCE will be entered. Anyone who buys the book and posts a review anywhere and includes the link to the review as a comment to any of those posts will be entered five times. All entries will be numbered and the winning numbers will be chosen by random number generator. Only one prize per entrant. First winner gets first choice of prize.

Prizes:

Free copy of EEL'S REVERENCE or FORCE OF HABIT, my upcoming sf/farce. (2 separate prizes-1 of each)Free softback copy of SWORD AND SORCERESS XXIII, with my story "Undivided" in it.Free softback copy of DYING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND, with my story "Team Player" in it.Your name in the story I'm going to write to promote FORCE OF HABIT.
EEL'S REVERENCE

When elderly priest of Micah, "Aunt" Libby, goes on a Final Wandering, she's accosted and then befriended by an amphibious mugger. The area known as The Eel is infested with worse than minor criminals--it's under the thumbs of a coalition of greedy, brutal priests. Aunt Libby is a frail barrier to stand between peace and violence, and the worst violence may not come from her enemies...but from her friends.

EEL'S REVERENCE is available from OmniLit and Amazon's Kindle Store.

For as long as Marian Allen can remember, she's loved telling and being told stories. She enjoys connecting and reconnecting with people, meeting new friends and keeping in touch with the friends she already has.

Her writing reflects this love of network. No one exists in total isolation, but in a web of connections to family, friends, colleagues, self at former stages of maturity, perceptions and self-images. Most of her work is fantasy, science fiction and/or mystery, though she writes horror, humor, romance, mainstream or anything else that suits the story and character.

Professionally, she's a member of Southern Indiana Writers, Writing and Promotion (WRaP), and Green River Writers.

Her web site is http://MarianAllen.comCheryl Kaye Tardif is a Canadian suspense author.
http://www.cherylktardif.com