Ute Carbone's Blog, page 21

Buy Now And We'll Throw in an Extra Barrel of Monkeys!

I'm putting on my checkered jacket and a brightly colored pair of pants. In my imagination this is what a QVC salesperson wears. I may be way off base. In any case I need to tell you about an offer so good it's going to make your head spin! 
For a limited time, Live Laugh Love will be on sale at Amazon. And by sale, I mean SALE.  
Today only, for twenty four hours, this collection of three romantic comedies, complete with a host of crazy characters, a blown up whale, a bunch of airplane engine parts and a runaway wrecking ball, a collection that normally sells for ten dollars,  is available for the ridiculous price of $1.99. No, don't clear out the earwax, you heard right. ONE DOLLAR and NINETY NINE CENTS. The only thing cheaper is the breakfast burrito at McDonald's. 
Act now! Operators are standing by! Well, no operators, but it's as easy as pushing a button.

The Fine Print- Sale starts at 10 am eastern time August 7 and runs until 6 pm August 8. No additional purchase necessary. Monkeys are not actually included.  Buy Now! Hurry! Offer Ends Soon!

What is it Syndrome

Read More About the Sausage Queen Marketers are always interested in labeling books. And it makes sense, really. If a book is labelled 'romance' a reader knows instantly to expect a story where a romantic relationship is front and center, and where everything ends with happily ever after. The same concept applies to other genres --readers know what to expect from a book labelled science fiction or horror or mystery. 
Sometimes, though, books fall between the cracks and don't fit easily into one genre or another. Such is the case with Confessions of the Sausage Queen and one of the hardest things I've had to do is figure out exactly how to categorize it as a book. 
Is it romantic comedy? Well, it's certainly a comedy, and it has some romance in it,  but the romance isn't the central part of the story. Is it a mystery? There is a kind of mystery wrapped into the story--who is trying to destroy the sausage business and why?-- but, no it doesn't fit the mystery category. . The closest label I've been able to come up with is 'chick lit' because it is light and funny and it is, above all, Mandy's story. Still, I can't say I love the chick lit title--it always reminds me of little bits of gum sold at the check out counter of the local convenience store. 
But, for lack of anything better to call it, chick lit it is. I think--and I know I'm a bit prejudiced because I wrote the book-- it's more than that. A funny quirky romp that made me laugh as  I was writing it. Maybe it's a  slightly romantic funny girl in charge go get the bad guy and save the day book. Yeah, that's it. Isn't there a category for that?

Sit Down and Bleed.

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Ernest Hemingway 

Most days I'd tell you old Ernest was a being a bit dramatic.--though, then again, he was a writer and drama is a big part of what writerss do. But today, just now, I'm ready to agree with him. The funny thing is, the writing itself goes well.  I have several projects on my computer and I switch back and forth between them, a routine that works for me though I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone else. And currently, I've been working on my romantic comedy and I like how it's coming together.
Just. There are so many things in writing beyond my control--how readers will like what I've put to the page, how reviewers will see my work, how many books I'll be able to sell, how many hits a guest blog I post will receive. These factors are no more mine to rule than the weather next Tuesday. I can't make the sun shine. And, some days I feel like I'm doing this writing thing for myself and myself only., like I'm singing to an empty room and the music echoes off the walls, and back to my ears.
No matter, is what I tell myself.  Just keep on writing to the empty room.. If your lucky, someone will hear your words and take them to heart.   

New York, New York

I've just returned to the garret after a trip to New York City.  My husband and I go down each summer to take in sights, watch the Yankees play, eat some exceptional food and see some great theater. 
The trip never disappoints-and this year was no exception. We went to the Bronx Zoo, a place I hadn't visited since I was a child, and got up close and personal with the gorillas and the tigers. We saw Book of Mormon, hottest ticket (still) on Broadway--and the show absolutely lived up to the hype. And we saw Le Miz, an old favorite done again, and it was still as powerful and wonderful as I remembered it. We visited the 9/11 memorial and I was moved to tears--I may write a separate post if I can figure out how to put it into words. 
All of these experiences are sorting themselves and finding a place in my memory. Eventually, they may come up, polished clean by time, and make their way into my writing. I'm currently working on a romantic comedy set in Manhattan, so some of them might show up sooner rather than later. 

Dancing in the White Room is in Print

So many exciting things are going on with my books and writing! And one of them is that Dancing in the White Room is now available as a paperback. To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway on Goodreads.   Enter the contest for a chance to win a copy. Signed, of course. :)  Click to .goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; } Goodreads Book Giveaway Dancing in the White Room by Ute Carbone

Giveaway ends August 22, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win set custom HTML

The Sausage Queen Playlist

Here are a few of the songs I listened to while writing Confessions of the Sausage Queen. Click on the title for the you tube link it you'd like to give a listen.

*Raise your Glass
                         Pink
*Crush on you
                    Bruce Springsteen
*You Wreck Me
                     Tom Petty

*Cherry Cherry
                         Neil Diamond
*Wherever Whenever
                              Shakira
Read more about the Sausage Queen

Votes are Welcome

Read more about The Lilac Hour My publisher at Turquoise Morning Press is doing a reader's choice award for the books and stories they published in 2013. 

If you read and enjoyed The Lilac Hour, my short story collection, I would really appreciate your vote. 

  Here are the details
THE RULES!

The first elimination round occurs from Monday 7/7/14 through 4 pm Thursday, 7/10/2014 EST. Vote for your favorite books of 2013 by using the poll below. You can choose more than one book from either column below, but please choose your favorite.


If you need a reminder about a book, please visit the book's detail page at our bookstore.


On Friday, 7/11/2014, we will post the books that fall in the TOP 20 of all votes collected in the poll, and then voting will resume again through Sunday, 7/13/2014 at noon EST.

Vote Here

Live Laugh Love Tour Schedule

My virtual bags are packed, and I'm ready to go on one humdinger of a tour.  The month long extravaganza features three of my romantic comedies and will be packed with excerpts, interviews, reviews, and a few blog posts. There are also prizes--I'll be giving away a bag filled with all sorts of little surprises and copies of three of my books will also be up for grabs. I hope you'll join me!

                                                       ~ Schedule ~

July 7th – Laurie @ Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews (Tens list)July 8th – Cassandra @ Cassandra M’s Place (Spotlight)July 9th – Darcia @ A Word Please (Interview)July 10th – Katrina @ Trina’s Tantilising Tidbits (Spotlight)July 10th – Amber @ The Wonderings of One Person (Interview)July 11th – Sarit @ Coffee, Books & Art (Guest Post)July 14th – Cinta @ Indie Authors You Want to Read (Spotlight)July 15th – Victoria @ Victoria’s Pages of Romance (Spotlight)July 16th – Cheshire Cat @ The Cheshire Cat’s Looking Glass (Guest Post)July 16th – Vicky @ Deal Sharing Aunt (Interview)July 17th – Susan @ Susan Heim on Writing (Spotlight)July 18th – Sophie @ Book Suburbia (Spotlight)July 21st – Jennifer @ Gimme The Scoop Reviews (Spotlight)July 22nd – Sarka-Jonae @ Between Boyfriends (Guest Post)July 23rd – Julie @ A Little Slice of Romance (Book Reviews)July 24th – Tammy @ Tammy’s Tea Time (Book Reviews)July 25th – Michelle @ Snarky Mom Reads… (Spotlight)July 28th – Holly @ RhythemPoets (Afterglow Book Review)July 29th - Jude @ Platypire Reviews (Searching for Superman Book Review)July 30th – Lisa & Sarah @ Girls with Books (Spotlight)July 31st – D.E. Haggerty @ Readsalot (Book Reviews)August 1st – Jaidis @ Juniper Grove (Interview) On a side note, all three of these comedies are now available in a single book! And, in other news, Confessions of the Sausage Queen arrives Monday!  Read more about Live Laugh Love Read more about Confessions of the Sausage Queen

Maybe I'll bring you back a t-shirt.

I'm going on a blog tour with Juniper Grove and Champagne Books. It's a triple play, three of my romantic comedies will be featured on blog stops along the way, with interviews, some reviews of the books, and a few blog posts by yours truly. I'll be posting a schedule on the news page when it's finalized.

As you can see from the banner, the tour is being called "Live, Laugh, Love, with Ute Carbone.  I was perusing the 'fun stuff' aisles of my local Michael's craft store and I came across a vinyl tote that said "Live, Laugh, Love, on it.  Serendipity in action, isn't it? I bought the bag and am currently foraging through local stores for little surprises to fill it with.. Including, maybe --I'm not sayin' for sure--a t-shirt. The goodie bag will be raffled off as part of the tour. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.  

The High Dive.

In a recent interview, I was asked what I would say to my beginning writer self if I could go back and give her advice. It's an interesting question, isn't it? I mulled it over for a bit. 
The usual advice I mete out --only when asked, of course *grins* -- is to write a lot and read a lot and then write some more. It is sound advice, and I'm certainly not the only one who has offered it. But as I look back, I think my beginner already knew to do those things. We all know practice makes you better at what you do. And most writers I've met are avid readers first.
The other thing, though, the thing we don't talk about as often, is the courage it takes to write. Facing down a blank page can be like standing on the high dive. Maybe it's your first time, or maybe you've taken the dive a thousand times before, but each time there's a thrum in your ear, a roiling in your gut. You know you can do it, or you think you can, and the water is mirror smooth and blue and inviting. But it is a long way down.  And if you've done it before, you know it can go wrong,  and the smooth blue water will feel like concrete as you crash into it. 
My advice is  do it anyway. Close your eyes and jump. Pull out the stops and write with your whole heart, your whole being. All good writing comes from this, the thrilling jump forward, the deep dive, the resurfacing.