K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 189

Mystery Times Nine - The Shame of West Landry

Tomorrow marks the release of Mystery Times Nine from Buddhapuss Ink. This year's anthology contains my story, The Shame of West Landry.
 
Like all my contemporary stories, The Shame of West Landry happens in the town of Landry, Georgia. Landry is in the northwest part of the state, a small town where residents struggle to raise their children, and also maintain their history, dating back to before the Civil War. Residents who have read my stories recognize Landry as the place where I live, and it is to a degree, but it also contains elements from every place I've visited or lived.
In this story, Bree Sandowski must use her ability to communicate with ghosts to solve a mystery going back to the summer of 65 – that's 1965. During that particular summer, her great-uncle, Jack, newly returned from duty in Vietnam vanished right after the historic West Landry Grocery Store burned. Rumors abounded from he had done the deed to he'd witnessed the arson and was killed to hide the identity of the criminal. His best buddy, Joe Jackson, also disappeared that hot, sultry night where a far off war claimed American's attention.
 
Now, nearly fifty years later, the Mars Theater blazes on a hot summer day. This is just the latest in a string of arson fires that have ravaged homes and businesses in the least appreciated area of Landry, Georgia. Bree is at a loss to explain why she's never solved the mystery, and now the ghosts she's always depended on for assistance won't speak to her. Then a voice springs from the center of the blaze firefighters work hard to control, a voice from the past she never knew, but one in the crowd does. This ghost demands for those of West Landry to stand up and speak of what they know.
Bree learns Joe Jackson has returned to town, but he's another victim in the growing number of residents murdered by what she suspects isn't one but three arsonists – all from the same family, and trusted by most in Landry!
Solving this mystery nearly kills Bree when she becomes the target. To discover the answer to her mystery, and eight others, order your copy of Mystery Times Nine today at the link below. This would make an excellent Christmas gift for the teen who loves mysteries!Mystery Times Nine

The Next Big Thing

Fellow author Kay LaLone challenged me to the next big thing, where I talk about my current work in progress. That was the easy part, but a nasty cold sidelined me, on top of recovering from a holiday guest I'd looked forward to seeing for most of this year. So, I don't have anyone to refer you to after this, which makes it back to Kay!
Kay, along with the other ten people who are privy to my works in progress, know I always have something simmering from idea to awaiting submission. There are so many ideas, so many stories screaming for release, I just have to write down bits and pieces here and there. But the star this month is one I've labored over many, many times. It's now in the final editing stages, and I hope will find a home soon.
What is your working title of your book?
Take Chances
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The Virginia Tech Shooting – the first one. That's when I started the research.
What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult, contemporary, social issues.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Julie first – I think Aimee Teegarden. There's an intensity to Ms. Teegarden which matches that of Julie: world traveler, able to instantly adjust to changes in her life, longs for normalcy.
Michael – modern day pirate describes Julie's secret crush, Michael. Alex Pettyfer would be the perfect guy to draw Julie's attention away from the ghosts of her past, and firmly ground her in the present.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Lightning never strikes twice – right?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I hope Solstice will take on this project.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Me and first drafts. Take Chances had an even dozen. It took me many tries to hit the right tone for this book. It's serious from the beginning, where the reader is dragged right into Julie's past, and an event she really wants to put behind her.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Just Another Hero by: Sharon M. Draper. Ms. Draper's synopsis is closest to what Julie experiences in Take Chances, but there are very subtle differences.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The research. I was amazed to discover school violence is American born. The date was July 26, 1764. The location was Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The final count of injuries/deaths at the hands of four Lenape warriors was 10 or 11 dead, including the headmaster (reports vary on the number in the school at the time), and two boys scalped who survived. What's even more amazing is how a lot of shootings, from the beginning, are done more by adults than children, but that trend changed in the early 1990s.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
This book is more about Julie's determination to take chances, to escape from under her mother's controlling thumb. She survived school violence while in Germany and is determined never to let it happen again. But it does, and Julie is thrust back in time for the few seconds where she could have escaped. During the ordeal, she learns about courage from unexpected sources, and how the people we depend on the most can fail us when we most need them, or so we think. Back to you, Kay, and we have to do this again with a lot more warning next time!

Review: Ghostly Clues by: Kay LaLone

Sarah Kay Tufts smells lilacs at her grandma's funeral – but no one else does. Then she hears a familiar, beloved voice, and knows her grandma is still with her. This is the second loss twelve-year-old Sarah Kay has suffered, but then clues rise about her father, thought dead for ten years. Can Sarah Kay unwind the clues offered through love from a ghost? Will she discover the reason her father may not be dead, and will she forgive him?  
Kay LaLone weaves a story of love, loss, and turning thirteen in a tale of a young girl coming to grips with what she knows, and what the actual truth is. Ghostly Clues is an easy read, with a believable almost teen struggling to discover the mystery behind her father's loss, while also coping with the death of her beloved grandmother. LaLone leads the reader through the story by using the scent of lilacs as an indicator of Grandma's visits to her grieving granddaughter. Even when Sarah Kay disobeys her mother and searches out her paternal grandparents, the clues never stop coming. The reunion with a father who had to fake his death is sweet, as is the ending. I highly recommend this story for eight to twelve year olds, in addition to their parents.  I have known Kay LaLone for many years. We have been in not one but two critique groups together. She and I have agonized over our work, edited and re-edited, and both of us rejoiced for the other when we received contracts within months of each other. To see one of the books she put up for critique so long ago as a book brings me great joy.

Check out Kay LaLone's fabulous paranormal mystery here: Ghostly CluesCongratulations, Kay. May this be only the first of many books.

Giving Back

When I signed my contract with Solstice Publishing, I made myself a promise – I would donate some of my royalties to a charity. But I had no idea how to do this and get people to purchase my book so I could. Then, Sunday afternoon, my publisher seemed to read my mind. Summer Solstice Publishing Giving Back 
The above link is to a page where you can purchase Softly Say Goodbye, and I'll know exactly how many books have been sold. Then I'll take 10% off the top of my royalties and donate it to the Salvation Army.
 
Why did I choose this noble charity? The reason is perhaps the simplest in the world. They only use 12% of their annual income for management and the general council. The other 88% goes to those they serve.  
I've researched the other organizations, and they keep too much of each dollar for their management. That's not giving back to the community, something I believe in deeply. So, your purchase of Softly Say Goodbye will help these people with their worldwide mission. Thank you for helping me give back for the tremendous luck I had in getting this story sold.

Successful Promotion

I have spent most of the last two and a half weeks promoting Softly Say Goodbye. Have I been successful? Royalties aren't in yet, but I've found another way to gauge success, and I feel I've done a tremendous job getting word of this book out from a fabulous publisher, Solstice Publishing, and an author from a small town in Northwest Georgia.
Just how did I figure out how to promote my book worldwide? Well, the first part of that answer lies in Twitter.
Twitter: You get 140 characters to put your message out, and you have to add hashtags, and other people/groups who are retweeting your work. Now your eyes have just popped wide open, and you're asking just how you get the message out about your book with all that hung on the end. The answer is simple. First, spend some time figuring out just what hashtags are best for your book. After much consideration, I decided on #YA to gather overall interest. #SCBWI was next, because I'm a member, and this organization of children's writers has thousands of members worldwide. At some point, they all see my tweets! Next was #ASMSG, but I was invited to use this hashtag, after retweeting for another author at Solstice who had the same invitation. Again, this group has many members, and they're helping get my message out.
The next way to get others tweeting your work is to assemble tweet teams with your publisher. Authors put three, or more, completed tweets into a database or on a spreadsheet. Everyone tweets for the others, and then you tweet your own stuff. Depending on how many authors are participating in a Tweet Team, you have just touched hundreds or thousands of other people via Twitter.
Finally, don't log off Twitter just yet. You're not finished. Oh no. Go through your most active followers. Look over what they're tweeting. Does some of it interest you, or maybe it's something other authors will appreciate knowing. Retweet these things immediately.
Now, before you say, that is far too much to do. I have my next great project to work on. Well, I can tell you from experience, I spend twenty minutes at the most tweeting daily. That includes the most important part of tweeting. When someone retweets your original tweet, thank them. It shows your appreciation. The person who did you a favor is more willing to continue to do so.
Blogging: I can hear the moans and groans now. Blogging is so last decade. No one blogs anymore.
WRONG!
Blogging for authors is a fabulous way to expand what you're doing on Twitter. Here, you can write to your heart's content. You aren't limited by how many characters go into a blog. Ah, the writerly heart is content. I don't have someone telling me to watch the word/character count.
So what do you blog? Good question. Here are a few ideas.
Your latest project. Talk about your research. Drop tidbits about the story: Introduce your characters, their quirks, their goals, their ambitions. Make your blog followers love them. Invite commentary. You never know – a comment about a character flaw you never noticed might bring more depth to your story.
Invite other authors to visit your blog. Do a blog hop and get out of your safe zone. These two items go hand-in-hand. Bringing other authors to your blog gives your followers to discover new horizons. Going to visit other blogs, getting the word out about your book brings new followers to your blog. Don't hide behind the computer screen – dive into internet land. It's a rather interesting and nifty place for the twenty-first century author.
Blog Tags: Ah, blog tags. Just how do you tag your blog? A few things are very easy. The title of your just released book, any books you're promoting and have been out for a while. Hmmm? What about the theme of your book? Things like teen romance and teen drinking are vital to letting people know about Softly Say Goodbye. They're on every blog tag when I include this book. Also, include your publisher's name, and Amazon/Barnes & Noble, wherever your book is available. Blog tags hit in internet searches, and here's where you have the chance to shine and attract more people to your work.
Facebook: This is the biggest social media group in existence, and it's not going away any time soon. So, if you don't already have an author page there, make one. Make this page separate from your personal page. Then get on there at least once a week, more often if your book has just been released, and talk, talk, talk. Talk about your numbers on Amazon, their Kindle sales position. Let people know others are interested in your book, and they're buying it. Post about your reviews. (make sure you spell the reviewer's name right!) Put up links to your book – as much as five times a day, if that's what it takes to generate interest. Post pictures of you promoting your book at different locations. Then, do yourself a favor, and highlight the important posts, so they're easy to find. How do you highlight a post? Hover over the right hand corner of the post. You'll see the word highlight. Click on it. Your post has now stretched to fill your timeline. And someone will see it immediately when they go to your page.
Now, here's the most important part of using Facebook to promote – go to your personal page, like your author page, and share it. Get the word out to your friends. They'll share, and before you know it, you'll have people liking your page.
Other Social Media:There are many more places where you can promote your work. It just takes a few searches to find smaller social media outlets to do this. I personally use Goodreads and JacketFlap.
Goodreads is pretty well known, but for those of you who don't know about it, it's a place for readers to list and rate the books they've read. So, it's important to get your book on Goodreads.
JacketFlap is a social media group for children's writers. In addition to having reviews of your book there, you can connect with other children's writers. They also have a connection to your blog, so make sure yours shows up there. There is a place to list the children's books you've read and review them. Again, another place to be seen and see what others are doing.
Review the books of other authors: Don't just review the books. Make sure your review stands out. Don't just give your opinion. How to Write a Book Review Read this article on properly writing a book review. Let the author know what you liked/loved and what didn't work for you. A poorly written review not only won't be taken seriously, you might find other authors shying away from reviewing your book.
Get your book reviewed: This may seem like the hardest part of promotion. You need reviews. Mostly, you need good reviews for people to buy your book. As an author, you have probably already connected with other authors all over the world. Ask them to do a review. Search the internet for book review sites, and then submit your book for review. Ideally, this should be done a month or two before the book releases, but don't back off if you didn't get on the bandwagon in time. Submit your book for review anyway. Reviews are a constant way to have your book promoted.
The biggest part to promoting your book is never give up. Promote every day. Take fifteen or twenty minutes every morning to tweet. Write a blog once a week, or once a month if you don't feel as if you have anything to say more often. Get on Facebook, on your author page, and promote, promote, promote!