Cherie Noel's Blog, page 13

Fantastic Friday... because Jambrea Jo Jones loves him so!

There he is, in all his angry sexiness. Muah, Jambie. Have a great weekend.

Thursday Think Tank: It's all about Community

Before you start, they comments function isn't working. I'm trying to get  it fixed, but in the mean-time, you can leave comments on FaceBook either at AmyLaneAnonymous or at AmyLane by clicking on those words. :) Sorry about the difficulty!

Good morning my beautiful babies, and welcome to Thurday's Think Tank. For the next little while we are going to concentrate on an issue I've stumbled over and seen other authors freeze, flee, or begin to flail about in confusion when confronted with the boogey-monster of promotion.
In fact, my friend Linda, who is a newly minted Officially Published through a verra important Publishing House Author, expressed bafflement over the whole do I/don't I promotion dealio. Was it, she wondered, the same as when you self-publish? What if anything changes when under the auspices of a publishing house? I could completely understand why, because there seems to be this pervasive myth that each newly published author stumbles over. For some reason, many of us (yes, please do include me here) mistakenly believe that once we get picked up by a reputable publishing house, our days of beating our hearts against the jagged rocks of promotion will become a thing of the past.

Linda, sweets, I am not great at promoting. But I know some folks who are, and who are sweethearts about sharing their knowledge with the new kids on the block. So pull up a seat here in my little cave… no, don’t worry about getting a beverage. We’ll send the cabana boys out for something once the show gets started.



Righty-O then. Without further ado, let me introduce our first “subject matter expert”. You know her I’m sure, and if you don’t then get thee to the nearest bookseller and buy anything with her name on it. There’s not a single bad apple in Amy Lane’s book-barrel, honest.



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The sound of thousands of joyfully screaming minions is heard as Amy creeps quietly into the writingAmy Lane and feline friend.cave, knitting in hand. She flashes a sweet, wicked and somehow shy smile. The cabana boys fight over the honor of getting her beverage, but her loyal and awesome MATE quells them all with a single look. He has brought her favorite things, and a big swatter in case there are any stray cave-spiders that might threaten his smishable Twu-Wuv… Amy settles into her spot, setting aside her kitten and beginning to knit as she speaks.

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Okay-- so Cherie asked me for tips I'd give beginners if they're trying to promo a book, and while I've got a list that I sort of rock out whenever someone asks me, I thought I'd start with the most obvious thing, and the thing that's helped me the absolute most when it comes to promotion:



Be a part of your community.



Now, it's easy in this community-- we tend to write what we read, and the m/m romance community is small enough that most of the writers know their most ardent fans. But even if you're writing m/f or PNR or whatever, be a part of your community. Be a positive part-- if you go on forums, be known as an advocate, not a troll. Be a voice of enthusiasm, or of thoughtfulness, but be a part of your network. I've been
Amy Lane and Ariel Tachna at GayRomLit 2012approached by random writer, asking to post on my blog. Now I have let people post on my blog--but only if they've read it before and know me, and know my family and know what I was going for. I'm not going to let random person intrude on my personal space--this person didn't know me, not even my public persona, so the answer was no. But the person I did allow to guest post (and I messed it up--sorry Daisy!) knew me from Twitter, and was really respectful about the approach. It all comes to being respectful, and being known. If your comments or your support or your enthusiasm or your respect has made you a positive part of your community in the first place, when it's time to ask people for their help getting the word out, they are much more likely to give you a hand aboard the promo train.



That being said, here's a handy list I made for fellow authors on the verge of a first release:
Author Devon Rhodes and  the famous Chris of Stumbling Over Chaos. Yes, yes, Chris is exactly the kind of contact that will be invaluable in promoting, but as Devon knows, the best part is that Chris is wry and witty and just plain fun to spend an evening with... she's got a zillion fascinating stories. If you find yourself next to her at GRL, for goodness sake, just chat. You'll be glad you got to know her.A. Tap any book bloggers you know (remember that community part!) and ask if you can do a guest host

B. If you belong to any FB or forum groups, ask permission and follow user guidelines to post that the book is out.

C. When you do that, there may be some people who offer to review your book. Take them up on it.

D. Post on your own social media sites-- Twitter, FB, etc.

E. Have a blog or a regularly updated website with all of your contact and buy information there for easy use.

F. When the book comes out on amazon.com and GoodReads.com, get yourself an author page. Make sure your Twitter and/or blog and/or website feed are tapped into your author page.

G. Ask your publisher if they have a web page or something-- most of the publishers I know have a publicity
...and always carry your emergency knitting.person who wants to help you, and at least three media outlets through which to do it. Twitter chats, FB chats, blog chats-- all a possibility. Be prepared to be very busy writing things that are not fiction-- guest blog posts, chat posts, little mini press releases-- have them all ready.

H. Be prepared to answer any responses made to Twitter, FB, guest blogs and media posts-- don't just post and run, follow up and chat.
Amy loves Mary Calmes books.

I. Talk to other authors about their books. You don't need to mention your own unless it comes up, but your enthusiasm for their work will come around and translate into enthusiasm for yours.



J. Enjoy. It took me a long time before I realized that promoting my book was actually work. For a while, it just felt like celebrating with my friends.
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Places to find Amy Lane: FaceBookTwitterGreen's HillYarning to WriteGoodreads

Work in Progress Wednesday: Eeeep! I almost forgot!! A Snippet from The Soldier & the Shaman

From the Soldier & the Shaman

Chapter One
The thing was, after the gut-wrenching debacle that was breakfast this morning, and then finding what was left of Jenkins, after—Evans shuddered, blood surging in his veins and that hollow roar in his ears. Images from the morning flashed across his vision. Christie running and running and Jesus-fuck not putting his damn mask on when who the fuck knew what was in the air outside—after all that there was no going back. All Evans wanted was someone to hold him. Christie by preference, because he was there, warm, alive, and so damn sweet he made Evans teeth hurt. He seemed so into it, his body pushing up, stomach taut, thighs flexing, every muscle saying yes, yes, yes right up until the final moment. Maybe his head was full of silence and the smell of burning flesh too. Maybe it didn't matter when the second he pushed away, Christie cut Evans’ heart out and tossed that poor organ into an emotional blender the likes of which Evans hadn't seen in—oh, fuck-ever. Yeah. Christie pushed so hard he fell right the fuck out of their little five-ton bench-seat love nest. Cool fingers of air whispered in, trying to pluck away the thick scent of barbecue a la Jenkins that was just stuck in the hairs of Evans nose or something. Christie made a little sound. He’d said no before, and stop, but while he panted those words his tongue had seemed to dance in Evans mouth and oh Christ, Evans needed more of that slick heat and more of that take me away make it stop make it stop, make it stop. So Christie had to be saying what he thought he should and not what he really meant, right? Except as he stared up from the hard packed sand of the ground next to his five-ton truck, his face stark white, mouth pulled tight at the corners.Then, right when Evans was pretty sure he couldn’t possibly feel a centimeter smaller or else he’d just disappear from this desert island night, fade right out of being, maybe, right fucking then Christie looked down at his open pants, made that same half muffled whining noise, and stuffed his cock into his pants. The light from the street light at the edge of the motorpool fell across his face. Evans had a perfect view of Christie’s rapid flush, his over-bright eyes, and the way his muscles coiled tightly under his fatigues. “Collins, wait a minute. You’re really hammered man… let me help you back to the tent at least, so you don’t get in trouble with the MP’s or run into Sergeant Tarans while you’re all fucked up. The old man’s already pissed enough at you.”
Christie didn't speak though. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted off in the direction of their platoon’s tents. Evans could have caught him, but the look on Christie’s face, like he was some helpless damn victim staring into the bleak eyes of a serial killer. Well, that knocked the wind out of him, and cut his hamstrings for good measure. He was still sitting there two and a half hours later, listening to the empty roar in his head. The MP’s who rousted him out of the truck finally were guys he’d played volleyball with once or twice during downtime. He didn't know if that was why they let him go with a warning, or if maybe his face was still showing the signs of the monster lurking under his skin, but whatever the reason, he was grateful. 

Monday's Ode to Minions, Madness, Mania, and Mmm mmm Marvelous Men

Coffee.
Dark roast with its rich oil shimmering on the surface. Ah yes. My stalled out brain-pan coughs, kicks, rolls over and then limps forward toward the next blissful dose of mmmmmmmmmm coffee-fueled imagination and groovy good times.

Wait a doggone second. What the heck does coffee have to do with all those lovely M-words?
Simple.
I must have coffee to get any of the others presented to you in any other form than that of a howling, gibbering mess.

Right then.

We on the same page now my beautiful babies?

M'kay. On to the topic of Minions!
Minions. We all want one, crave one, nerdgasm over their perfect adorkability, yesh?
What many fail to realize, however, is that not all minions are created equal! No, no, its true! Minion care and feeding is a little understood art with far too few masters, and far too many dabblers... I myself am a mere dabbler. I lucked out in my minion acquisition and got one like that cheerful, productive little fella in the center of the minion mass here. *shudder* I hate to think what might have become of my dear minion if she had not been naturally inclined to general tinkery-dinkery-and what-not. Sheesh. I tossed her a whole website, said, "have at 'er, Minion Dear, and then hied my keister off to hide in the darkest reaches of my writing cave.  It is only by the minion's natural nicee-niceness that I avoided several stiff fines for minion abuse. *sniffling* *sighing, and general feeling heelish*
Minion Dear. You are one in a bazillion. No, really. There may be hordes of minions out there, but there is only one Minion Dear. ********************************************************Oooooh! Moving on to the Mad, Maniacal section of today's post! *cackling and rubbing hands together*Yesh! The Writing Stuff first and formost:I finished the first story in my 1000 Cranes series, and  have subbed it. (cue nervous nail-biting)... Also, the little Drag Queen story I've been working on is done, and off to be reviewed. :) Next up is finishing off The Soldier & the Shaman (sequel to The Soldier & the State Trooper)... shooting to wrap that one up sometime between Wednesday and Friday so I can move on to my next French Quarter Quartet story: Strip, Shift, Tango...
School stuff: er, did my Fafsa and NY State aid forms today. Holy connectivity Batman, it was way easier than I remember it ever being before! Now if I could just get all my transcripts turned in and evaluated so I could be officially matriculated... I can only take three classes at a time right now because of the non-matric status, and I really wanted to take one more class this semester! Sheesh. :(  Boo for the bumps in the road, but HUZZAH(!) for the creative handling of them I'm employing!  
 It's a lot of fun to be in school again. Heh. Even if finishing all the paperwork involved is driving me bonkers. Er, more bonkers. LOL.
Oh. YESH!! Time for the Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmarvelous Mmmmmmmmmmen that I was talking about... Next month the total cutie I met in one of my classes is going to meet with my photographer and I'll have pictures to post of the newest Rescue Twink model. *I am so excited about this I could just pee*
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print today... um, and some that isn't. *giggle*
Later babies!

Minionizing. Ish.

Soo, I missed Minion Monday (we will get used to that) but I had a VERY good reason! Monday was the local school system's Open House day, where kids get classroom assignments and learn bus route numbers & pick-up times and we get to meet teachers and maybe have a little paperwork & fun like that. This is a little more complicated than it sounds because I have 2 kids at one school and one kid at another school on the other end of town (we live not-quite-exactly equidistant from the two). And the other school, the one with just one of my kids, is the middle school, which means not just one but 5 teachers to meet, plus choosing an "extracurricular" -- You know, band, athletics, chorus, whatnot.

Oh, and did I mention, only a couple of hours to get all this done? Right at suppertime, too. AND DH was supposed to be starting his new job.

Note the italics. Yeah. Hopefully he'll be for real starting next Tuesday when they fly him to Indiana for orientation (the actual JOB will be closer to home, thankfully).

So, yeah, Monday was a bit...fun. If by fun you mean crazy-hectic and stressful.

And then Tuesday was the joy of shopping for school supplies. Of course, all the local stores are sold out of half the stuff my kids needed (folders with the little prongs for holding loose-leaf paper? I need five. There was ONE. Also my youngest still needs scissors b/c I refuse to pay $10 for a pair of school scissors.) Luckily all their backpacks and shoes are in good shape. Note to parents: Spring for the expensive backpacks, and buy good quality tennies in the spring. TOTALLY worth the money.

So now, here I am, having done grocery shopping and a last lunch date with the DH b/c once he starts working again, that'll be it for mid-week lunch dates.

And I see my boys running up the driveway, home from their first day as 3rd and 4th graders, so... Happy reading!

Minion Monday

...and I got nothing! Seriously, it's been a long, exhausting few weeks for me, and this weekend was the WORST. I'm too tired to think, but I have so much I need to get done.

On the plus side, the Boss Lady and I are trying to work up some ideas for a couple of giveaways, with one of them possibly including a blog tour. So, watch this spot!

Release date change

Just a quickie drive-by blogging to let y'all know (I'm allowed; I'm Southern) that this lovely specimen here:


...won't be out till the 6th. Which, if you're keeping track like I'm NOT, I swear! is the day before my kids, affectionately known as The Barbarian Horde, return to school. Bless their pointy little heads. Now, it's time for me to either read smut or watch cheesy old musicals. Or possibly both. I can multitask, right? Right. *nods*

BOOOORED on Hump Day

For some reason up until just now, I was thinking today is Thursday.

My boys have a friend over, and DinoBoy (the elder of the two) has an earache -- pretty sure it's Swimmer's Ear -- which is making it extra-fun.

They made me watch an episode of the current revamp of TMNT, which, frankly, is orders of magnitude worse than the original, which I watched as a kid. I should note that I was not actually a fan of the original back then, but my younger brother was, which means I watched it way more than I would have chosen to (which means, I had to watch it EVER AT ALL, and I would have chosen to watch it NEVER AT ALL).

Sooooo... I thought I'd come entertain myself at the Boss Lady's expense (as it were) after having randomly rambled somewhat vaguely rantingly (but not really) over at my own personal blog.

Since it's Hump Day and I'm distracted, I'll share some of what normally entertains me when my kids aren't being irritating...

I have this playlist on my iPod which is, no joke, composed nearly entirely of multiple versions of the same song. Sometimes, it's the album cut plus the acoustic/live version/s. Sometimes it's original artist and whatever covers I didn't totally hate. Sometimes, it's two (or more) different cast recordings of the same soundtrack songs. And I have really random taste in music, so the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack rubs shoulders with Hank Williams and Aretha Franklin and Gaelic Storm and Weird Al Yankovic. I usually leave all my playlists on shuffle, because sometimes it can be weirdly prescient, in the same way that Pandora can.

Here's a song I love: Something Stupid, sung here by father/daughter duo Frank & Nancy Sinatra


And here's another version I love, by the Secret Sisters (who have this very vintage-country sound and look, singing covers of the likes of Hank Williams, Sr, and Patsy Cline & doing it VERY WELL.)


I love the way the voices blend on this song. It's very mellow, but the lyrics are heartbreaking -- the singer is in love with someone who doesn't love back. There's unrequited love, and, frankly, the object of that love seems undeserving -- he might not leave the club with the same person he came with. But I can't help but listen with the unsubstantiated hope that maybe it's a case of In Love With the Oblivious Best Friend, which is one of my favorite romance tropes.

SO, how about you? Favorite tropes? A song you love, for itself, or a mood it evokes? A cover that you really like, as much as or more than the original? Share!

Now Available! Quality Control

Quality Control is now live on Goodreads! Click the title for linky!
Also, Incongruent Angel should be available on Friday, 26 July.
Hope you're all having a great weekend!

BONUS LATE-NIGHT COVER ART

Boss-Lady just emailed me with cover art.

First is Incongruent Angel, book one of the Liquid Sin series:




Next comes Quality Control, written for the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads for their Love Has No Boundaries event:


This is the cover that will appear on AllRomanceebooks as book one in the Accidentally Yours series, and....



This version of the cover is for the Goodreads group. :D

Pretty pretty!

They will get their own posts with release dates, blurbs, links, etc. when those things are available to me!