Sharla Lovelace's Blog, page 19
February 4, 2012
Shameless Saturday!! …featuring…
The first authors up for Shameless Saturday's free promo, are Patti Delagrange, Sharon Owen, and Christy Hayes!
First up…
MOON OVER ALCATRAZ
by Patricia Yager Delagrange
Womens Fiction w/Romantic Elements
THICKER THAN WATER
by Sharon K. Owen
THE SWEETHEART HOAX
by Christy Hayes
Romance
Amazon / B & N / Smashwords / Kobo / Apple
Now, because we all adore FREE, you can be next!!
All you have to do is click that button up there to follow the blog. But is that really a sacrifice? Because by following my blog, you will qualify to SHAMELESSLY PLUG YOUR BOOK.
I am offering anyone with a desire to promote their book here, to do so in the comments below. Brag, brag, brag!!!
But that's not all. You really get a 2-Saturday deal out of it, because I will then contact you during the week for you to send me your cover and links to where it's available, and the following Saturday it will be showcased at the top of the post! Like the ones above!
And you can enter as many titles as you like, or spread them out week to week, whatever you choose. The same title can't be repeated again, though, until after 4 weeks from your original entry, just to be fair.
Sound fun??? I'm excited. So come on. Be shameless. Dance in the rain! Celebrate! Follow my blog and then send me your plugs!!!
Tagged: before and ever since, covers, free, fun stuff, plugging your book, promo, shameless saturday, sharla lovelace, the reason is you
February 3, 2012
Shameless Saturday!! …featuring…
The first authors up for Shameless Saturday's free promo, are Patti Delagrange, Sharon Owen, and Christy Hayes!
First up…
MOON OVER ALCATRAZ
by Patricia Yager Delagrange
Womens Fiction w/Romantic Elements
Sharon Owen
THE SWEETHEART HOAX
by Christy Hayes
Romance
Amazon / B & N / Smashwords / Kobo / Apple
Now, because we all adore FREE, you can be next!!
All you have to do is click that button up there to follow the blog. But is that really a sacrifice? Because by following my blog, you will qualify to SHAMELESSLY PLUG YOUR BOOK.
I am offering anyone with a desire to promote their book here, to do so in the comments below. Brag, brag, brag!!!
But that's not all. You really get a 2-Saturday deal out of it, because I will then contact you during the week for you to send me your cover and links to where it's available, and the following Saturday it will be showcased at the top of the post! Like the ones above!
And you can enter as many titles as you like, or spread them out week to week, whatever you choose. The same title can't be repeated again, though, until after 4 weeks from your original entry, just to be fair.
Sound fun??? I'm excited. So come on. Be shameless. Dance in the rain! Celebrate! Follow my blog and then send me your plugs!!!
Tagged: before and ever since, covers, free, fun stuff, plugging your book, promo, shameless saturday, sharla lovelace, the reason is you
February 1, 2012
Simple is as simple does…
Today it is about the simple things in life. We all get crazy and sometimes lose sight of what's really important or some little slice of life that might bring us the peace we're chasing. I'm talking about the simple things over at Women Unplugged today, and what I did last weekend that's embarrassingly basic and yet was sooooo fabulous! Come pull up a chair and take a breath. Looking forward to it.
Tagged: debut novel, family, romance, sharla lovelace, simple things, taking time, the reason is you, women unplugged, writing
January 28, 2012
Shameless Saturday…it's FREE!!
Now, doesn't that word catch your attention? We all love FREE!!
Okay, there's one tiny cost…you have to click that button up there to follow me. I mean, really? Is it really a cost? Because by following my blog, you will qualify to SHAMELESSLY PLUG YOUR BOOK.
That's right. Shameless Saturday has been revamped. I am offering anyone with a desire to promote their book here, to do so in the comments below. Brag, brag, brag!!!
But that's not all. You really get a 2-Saturday deal out of it, because I will then contact you during the week for you to send me your cover and links to where it's available, and the following Saturday it will be showcased at the top of the post! Like this!
THE REASON IS YOU
by Sharla Lovelace
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million
And you can enter as many titles as you like, or spread them out week to week, whatever you choose. The same title can't be repeated again, though, until after 4 weeks from your original entry, just to be fair.
Sound fun??? I'm excited. So come on. Be shameless. Dance in the rain! Celebrate! Follow my blog and then send me your plugs!!!
Tagged: before and ever since, covers, free, fun stuff, plugging your book, promo, shameless saturday, sharla lovelace, the reason is you
January 26, 2012
Gonna be a crazy ride!!
Having finally finished the manuscript for Book Two…which has been named BEFORE AND EVER SINCE… I've found myself in this weird place. It's like being in line for the roller coaster, looking up at it, and knowing all hell is about to break loose. LOL.
Promo and pimpage for THE REASON IS YOU is about to start. I've already set up some things, but there's a ways to go. I'm now waiting to hear my editor's thoughts on BEFORE to see just how much mangling I'm going to have to hunker down for. I wrote REASON in a year and a half, with no pressure. I wrote BEFORE in four months, under contract deadline. I'm a little nervous.
And then there's the knowledge that I'm no longer writing under contract after these two books. I can take another year or so if I want. Or I can multitask the promo and editing and guest blogging with diving into a new story to prove I can keep this going and make my editor want to sign me up all over again. That's the career I want, so I believe that's the path to take.
I'm a little nervous there, too. The last few days I've been playing with a new story idea in my head, but experience has proven to me that the first ideas are never the finished product. I like it though. I think because it started coming to me instead of me going out looking for it. That's where my jewels tend to work the best, when they come knocking on my door. Like "Emily" in BEFORE. She came to me and told me her name.
When they come already named, instead of me trying to apply the perfect name. I'm not even a huge fan of the name this new chick claims. But no matter what I think of instead, she insists on being…I'm not even gonna say. Because I might be able to talk her out of it still. I'll let you know. 
So tell me how your best ideas come to you? Would love to know…
Tagged: before and ever since, character naming, characters, dreams, editor, new book, new writing, promo, random la-tee-da, revisions, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, writing
January 18, 2012
"Wordisms" at Women Unplugged!
I'm over at Women Unplugged today, with a funny take on how we mangle words. Come tell us your "Wordisms"!!
Tagged: funny, mangling words, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, women unplugged, womens fiction, wordisms
January 12, 2012
When you think of "Texas"…
What do you envision?
I had to laugh today. It wasn't new, I've pretty much heard it my whole life, but when I told someone out of state online that I write stories set in small southern towns, usually Texas…. the response was a familiar one.
"Oh I love Texas stories, love the cowboy flavor."
Ummmmm…no.
I've lived in Texas most of my 44 years (shhhh), and I can honestly say that any "cowboys" I might have seen dressed up on purpose to look that way. My brother sometimes wears boots, but that's because regular shoes tend to hurt him. We don't ride horses, rope cattle (is that what you do with cattle? I don't know) or wear guns. Although with concealed weapon laws, I guess alot of people might, but they have them tucked in their pants like a gangsta, they aren't in holsters hanging on their hip like a Gunsmoke episode. "Helloooo, Miss Kitty…"
I have never owned a horse or know anyone who has. The only ranch I've ever been to was in Colorado (many ranches and cowboys there, by the way) and the only farm I've ever been to was in Iowa.
Not to say they aren't here. I'm sure they have farms and ranches and…cattle… in places in Texas. Just like they do in every other state. I mean, I'm assuming cattle don't stop in their hoofy little tracks at the Mason Dixon line and put up a picket sign.
I will 'fess up to a brief stint in junior high (and I'm aging myself but I already gave that one up, so…) when I wore one of those fancy suede cowboy hats with the feathers hanging off the back… Right after the movie Urban Cowboy came out, for some goofy reason they were all the rage. For about a year. Then FlashDance came out, and we all switched to sparkly headbands and shirts that fell over one shoulder and legwarmers.
But I digress. My point is that I have always found it funny how people outside the state perceive it. But I guess I probably have preconceived notions about other states I've never been to. I always thought of Colorado as perpetually snowy till I lived there for 4 years and was shocked by the constant sunshine and PERFECT weather.
What preconceived notions do you have about places? Have there been any that totally shocked you?
Tagged: cowboys, perception, romance, sharla lovelace, southern towns, texas, the reason is you, womens fiction
January 7, 2012
Blog Tour scheduled for April! Woot!
Yay!! I have a blog tour booked with Goddess Fish Promotions in April. Yeah, I know, it still sounds like light years away, but just so you know it's only 86 days. Yep.
I'll share more about this when the time gets closer, but just wanted to let y'all know. Also got a response back from Joyce Lamb's about a review and Q&A on her USA Today HEA blog, so it's beginning! It's starting to get a little crazy, and a little real, and I think I need some more coffee. LOL!
On the home front, my old lady dog just came in from the rain and jumped in the chair with me. Oh, the joy. She doesn't care what's "beginning". She's just all about the love.
I'm off to get some writing done before this evening's craziness ensues…17 year old's birthday bash…yeah, aren't you envious? O.o
Everyone have a great weekend!
Tagged: April 3, blog, blog tour, ghosts, goddess fish promotions, paranormal, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you
January 1, 2012
Keep it real…
It's 2012. Can you believe it? And no, I don't believe that we're all going to disappear in December just because the Mayans predicted it. My theory is that they had to stop somewhere, and it could have just as easily been 2020 or 2018. So, that being said, I'm counting on a full year of productivity and life and the chaos that is my world.
Last time I posted about goals for the year, but I think that's too big. Back in the RWAWF group I'm in, the PRO liaison is accounting for monthly goals instead. Yanno…baby steps. I think that's so much easier to visualize and reach. We can have a grand plan for the year, but checking in monthly not only is more user friendly, but also keeps us from pushing everything out to the end and having this monstrosity of a goal to reach. Not cool.
I've been voted in my RWAWF chapter as PAN Liaison for the year of 2012. Which at first I admit I thought they were crazy for nominating me. Because I'm a new PAN'er–my book deal just happened in June, my actual release isn't for three months still, I'm still navagating these unfamiliar hallways of being published. I'm still SOOOOO green. But then I started thinking…maybe that can be a new perspective on it. Instead of from the wise experienced published author–which we have as well with our "Wise Woman" Pam Morsi, what about from the newbie who is finding these things out as she goes? There are many of us like that–frantically searching for answers or the magic decoder ring that everyone seems to have but you? Yeah, that's me. Maybe I can shed some light on that perspective? Not a fancy light, with bling around it or anything…just an ordinary flashlight with Energizer Bunny batteries.
Because while there are mountains of info and how-to's on the pre-publication side of the door, it seems like once you make it through that door you are just supposed to know everything. The info gets vague, and it's a little scary! So maybe we can wander around together, because we have goals, too.
So…for January…my main goal is to finish Book Two, which I aim to do by Jan 15. My deadline is Feb 1, so you can see that's not alot of wiggle room. I also need to write a newsletter article for RWAWF, and I start weekly meetings on Jan 9 for a spiritual retreat I'm on team for. I also work full time, so that deadline is really all I can commit to this month, and I will do it.
What are your goals for just this first month of the new year? Keep it real and reachable. Tell me.
Tagged: 2012, book two, deadlines, goals, orly lopez, pam morsi, pan liaison, rwa, rwawf, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, womens fiction
December 29, 2011
A peek at my calendar says….
Have you noticed? 2012 is sneaking up on us, just a couple of days away. So in the spirit of starting anew, I thought I'd share my goals for the new year.
1) Finish Book 2 in first few weeks of January. Really, this isn't a goal so much as a requirement, since it's due just weeks afterward, but still…I like to see it there so I'll feel all good when I check it off.
2) Order promo materials for REASON in first week of January and figure out what I'm doing for local advertising. Tomorrow I'll talk about just how outside my box that is. *shiver*
3) Write 20 guest blog posts for a blog tour I'll be doing (dates to be scheduled).
4) Take a breath on April 2nd, the day before REASON releases, and try not to throw up.
5) Schedule some local book signings and interviews.
5) Give myself two weeks of non-writing time to READ something.
6) Work on another book idea for proposal
7) Go to Charleston in June with my daughter for a week…for a girls' trip just me and her…summer before her senior year.
8) Go to RWA 2012 in Anaheim in July!!! (so excited!)
Soooooo… what are YOUR goals for 2012? Share!!!
Tagged: deadlines, family, new book, real life, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, writing
