Jo Michaels's Blog, page 23

My Utopia Con 2016 Book Haul - On the Air with A Daily Cup of Jo

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm over on Blog Talk Radio with the blurbs of allllll the awesome books I picked up at Utopia this year. I know, it's SO exciting!

If you're ready, here's the link to the show that will go live at noon EST AND a summary of the description:

LINKY TO SHOW
My Utopia con 2016 book haul. Blurbs, authors, and all things bookish. Here are the books I'm talking about today:
Myst by Stacie WilsonStarstruck by Brenda HiattThe Girl in 6E by A. R. TorreDream Girls - Piper by Carrie ThomasInfallible by Bailey QuinnUnwilling by K. D. WoodUnloved by K. D. WoodRevolution Anthology by several authorsBean Counting for Authors - Helping Writers and Creative Business Owners Grasp Accounting and Taxes by Christina MercerHear the Crickets by B. J. SheldonAbby and the Mystic Dancers by L. C. MillerGilt: by Invitation Only by Geneva Lee
You'll hear the blurbs today, and I'll be doing a brief reading from each of these books at a later date on the show.

~~~~

You can also get access to my show via iTunes! Just search for A Daily Cup of Jo in the search function for PodCasts and subscribe. Your app icon looks like this:


I hope you all enjoy the heck out of the show today! Let me know what you think.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

My Utopia 2016 Experience

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna tell you about my Utopia Con 2016 experience (and show you some photos). If you're ready, let's get rolling. This is gonna be long, so I'd appreciate you hanging in here with me. *grin*

As you all may know, I attended Utopia Con June 22-26. This year was so very different for me for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't have a table Thursday. Well, I did, but I gave that day to my bestie, Tia Silverthorne Bach, so neither of us would have to be chained to anything for two days. I had a panel to moderate and a signing in the hallway until lunch the first day, so my books would've just been sitting there. Not good. I also had no desire to hire or request a booksitter. No one sells my books quite like I do.

Just sayin'.

Tia and her daughter came in a few days early, and we went dress shopping for the awards (photos of said dress are to come). When Wednesday arrived, we loaded up with Shantella Huddleston-Benson and hit the road. We arrived in Nashville around 11AM, and there were many squeals and hugs in the lobby.

From the left: Belle Smith, Nanette Bradford, Jamie Anderson, and Suzanna Lynn.

That night, Myra McEntire kicked things off with a keynote speech.
 
Thursday started at 6AM!

Alessandra Torre's keynote kicked off our day, and she was such a good speaker. Very engaging! Plus, I found out she's a fan of one of the same authors I love. Instant sister! haha!

My panel was one of the first and was on blogging. I had a dream team of bloggers in that room, and I chose each one for their specific, different qualities/focuses. Ashley Bodette was there with all her publishing knowledge, Christina Marie brought a Book Tuber focus, Ethan Gregory gave us insight on working with publishers (not to mention the male perspective), Ren Reidy is a reader blogger, and I brought the author blogger side to the conversation. I felt we had all the bases covered. If you click on their names, you'll be taken to their blog or YouTube channel. I strongly suggest you check them out.

And it ended up being standing room only. Seriously. Our panel was packed.

We handed out booklets with blogging tips and room for notes, and we did a little giveaway.

Thursday afternoon, I had dinner with the keynote speakers Alessandra Torre and Alex Flynn. Lucky me, I got to sit at the table with the one and only Geneva Lee! Also at my table was Geneva's sister, Elyse; Liz Long; Tia Bach; and Kelly Oechslin.

We had an amazing dinner, and our table was the loudest, most boisterous one there (imagine that). There was so much laughter happening it made my face hurt.

Of course, I took a pic or two of the food, but I had already started eating it, so I won't share those here. But we DID do a table selfie!

After we ate, I got pics with the keynote speakers (plus Geneva and her beautiful sister) in their dressy outfits. From the left: Alessandra, Alex, Geneva, and Elyse.


I was up late in Casey Bond's room chatting about writing and super secret F5 stuff, but I managed to get in bed early enough that I wasn't dragging the next day.

Friday started at 6AM.

Alex Flynn gave her keynote, and wow was it inspirational!

Then, the exhibitor hall opened, and I was busier than a one-armed paper hanger until 3:30PM. I had to shut my table down early so I could help the other ladies get ready for the 7 party. Let me tell you, that was a BLAST! We had a room FULL of people, and each one of them had a copy of the book (that was the only way to get an entry ticket). Several had read it, but everyone wanted to win one of our "sinful" prize baskets. Here are some photos:


 
Bottom photo, from left (the Ferocious 5): Casey L. Bond, N. L. Greene, Tia Silverthorne Bach, me, and Kelly Risser. Yes, that's a giant 7 balloon. Don't judge us! *grin*

As you can see, we had a BLAST! Near the end, we did a quick Q&A about 7. SO FUN!

Well, the ladies of the F5 weren't done. We had a new project to plan. So, we broke everything down, cleaned up, and headed to mine and Tia's room to do some major brainstorming.

Let me tell you what, the five of us in a room is like magic. Amazing things come out of these meetings, and I'm so grateful to have these four women in my life. You'll see the results starting in March. It's a big project, but we're gonna KILL IT, and you guys are gonna LOVE it!

Anywhooooo, Saturday dawned bright and lovely!

For the first time ever, we had a free day to go explore the city of Nashville. Before we left the hotel, I was sitting outside waiting, and the cutest little girl, named Sophie, came out and asked me to sign her copy of Writing Prompts for Kids. She wants to be a writer when she grows up, and her book had the most amazing character profile written out. Plus, she created an awesome cover! This was by far the BEST moment at Utopia. Smart, well spoken child. We'll be seeing big things from her.


After everyone was ready, we headed over to the place where Antique Archeology was (long line to get in), and did some shopping. I was with Tia, her daughter, Kelly, and M. H. Soars. It was so fun! If you're a fan of American Pickers, you'll appreciate the upcoming photo. We also found a really cool soda jerk. Kelly and I partook, and it was delicious!


Back to the hotel for a 3:30PM interview for Tia with Christina Marie.

I went to my room and starting doing my hair for the awards (I have a lot of hair), and N. L. Greene helped me put it up and make it prettyful.

Cocktail hour began at 5:30, and it was sponsored by Geneva Lee and the launch of her book GILT: By Invitation Only (be sure and grab it; it's FREE right now on Amazon). And here's the pic of the dress I promised you!


Everyone looked so lovely. I got to see my darling Carlyle Labuschagne and the one and only Maria Pease.



Then it was time to be seated for the awards. Yeah, we're goofballs!


While I didn't win any of the awesome 2016 awards that were up for grabs, I was nominated in a number of categories. It was such an honor! Random photos happened in the hallway! This is me with the amazing Tina Donnelly!


After the awards was the dance party. I don't dance in heels, so I ran upstairs to change. Might have wanted to re-think that a little! Amanda asked me to take a photo with her. haha!


Anywho, we were so exhausted, we hit the bed pretty early.

Sunday morning was the open floor keynotes. Before they started, because I knew we had to slink out by 10:30AM, I did speed selfies (I love catching folks looking their natural best). Here are the results:

 
As you can see, it was a blast! If you haven't made it to a Utopia, I urge you to go. There's no place quite like it. 2017 will be in a new venue, will be just two days in length, and has the carnival freak show theme! Check out the available ticket packages here. Sales will be open again VERY soon, so know what you want!

I've spent over a week recuperating. It's really that intense. I also had no voice for three days upon my return home.

Worth every second.

Where's the link to your experience? Drop them in the comments so I can check them out!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next week, WRITE ON!

Jo

Schedule - What to Expect from the Blog and Radio Show

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful 4th yesterday. I know I did! If you were here two weeks ago, you know that I spent last week thinking about what I was going to do with the blog and a re-launch of my radio show, A Daily Cup of Jo. Tomorrow will be my Utopia 2016 recap, but I'll get into the following next week. Well, no more rambling! Here's the new schedule!

Mondays: On the radio! Highlights from the show will be posted here on the blog. Expect a book reading and discussion or review.Tuesdays: New author lessons. You wouldn't believe how many people don't know the basics. Devoting time to teaching all the things I assumed people knew and didn't. You old hats can probably skip these and be okay.Wednesdays: A new release, blitz, or other something like a guest post.Thursdays: On the radio! Highlights posted here. Expect news on new releases (with blurb readings) or stuff happening around the Indie author world.Fridays: Whatever I feel like talking about. Could be a new book from ME, or it could be random discussion. Tips and tricks for established authors will happen now and again, but it's mostly for me and my big mouth. I'll also post any book reviews I may have written on this day if I didn't do them on the air earlier in the week.
So, there you have it! Pretty exciting, eh? Yeah, it's also back to the basics of what I've been doing here since I started. Tips and books. *grin*

What do you think? Sound like we're gonna have some fun?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

New Release - Infallible

Title: Infallible
Author: Bailey Quinn
Genre: Detective/Mystery crime
Release Date: 24th June 2016
Pulbisher: Fire Quill Publishing
ISBN: 9780996974882

BLURB
From the moment Detective Scarlet Anne Martins steps into that prison, her heart begins to take over her head. Unable to deny her feelings for Alaric any longer, her desperation to save him will ultimately be what will kill them both. For a super cop, her judgement in men has truly failed her. And if matters of the heart weren’t distracting enough, she has to survive the next twenty-four hours without killing someone. Finding herself a fugitive in a foreign country, she has to rely on her charming personality, which she has long since learned to turn on when needed. But with her distinctive South African accent, and stunning good looks, she is at risk of being turned in to the authorities at any moment. With nowhere to run, she has no alternative but to face the peril head on, and ensnare the evil that is chasing her down. But with so few resources, the only way to do that is to give them exactly what they want – herself.

AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bailey Quinn is a pen name Carlyle Labuschagne writes her crime fiction under, she is an South African award wining author, with a flair for mixing genres and adding loads of drama to every story she creates. For now she is happy to take over the world and convert non Sci-fi believers. Her goal as an author is to touch people's lives, and help others love their differences and one another by delivering strong messages of faith, love and hope within each world she writes about. "I love to swim, fight for the trees, and am a food lover who is driven by my passion for life. I dream that one day my stories will change the lives of countless teenagers and have them obsess over the world literacy can offer them instead of worrying about fitting in. Never sacrifice who you are, its in the dark times that the light comes to life." Carlyle used writing as a healing tool and that is why she started her very own writers support event - SAIR - "To be a helping hand for those who strive to become full times writers, editors, bloggers, readers and cover artists - its a crazy world out there you dont have to go it alone!"

About Fire Quill Publishing .
Fire Quill Publishing is located in sunny South Africa. We strive to only publish and distribute pre-eminent novels to our audience, and work to offer superb marketing services to our authors. Each division is run by a team of experts in their respective fields in order to make your experience in the publishing industry as fun and exciting as possible, whilst still offering the highest quality and professionalism. Fire Quill Publishing operates internationally, and supports international authors. Take a look at our titles and new titles coming soon , and for those that like to read before novels are released, you can grab some of our titles before publication on Netgalley Our aspiration is to market popular genres such as fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction, in South Africa. However, we are most certainly open to other genres as well. Please visit our Submission Guidelines for detailed instructions on how to submit your manuscript to Fire Quill Publishing.
GIVEAWAY FOR INFALLIBLE!!!!!1 $25 Amazon Gift card 5 Infallible e-copies a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much for participating in Infallible's release Day Blitz.  

Organizing Life

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm just talking. It's probably a topic you're all too familiar with, so I do hope you'll read along. Ready? Let's get going!


So, as you all probably know, I reorganize my everything once a year in January. I look back over the previous year and measure what's working, what isn't, and add new things to my schedule I'd like to try.

This year killed me! I just tried to do too much. I'm not afraid to admit failure. After all, I'm only one person; I can't do everything all the time.

So, what to do about it (because I refuse to take it lying down)?

Drop back and re-group. That's all I can do. I have to nail down a schedule and stick to it like superglue.

Things I want to look at:
My blog--Formulating a plan and a posting scheduleMy book publication schedule--I want to amp this upTakeovers in events--I'm looking to pair this down to one a month (they take a lot of my time and $$)My radio show--Figuring out content that doesn't require me to rely on other people--that KILLED meIBGW--Finding new avenues to promote my amazeballs teamMy downtime--Scheduling in time for me outside workTime, period--finding out where all mine is going, and why I can't seem to get a grip on managing it right nowReviews--I have a ton of books on my list to read still--gotta carve out time for thoseSo, there's my to-do for the week after Utopia this year. I like to set goals. *grin* Like you didn't already know that about me. haha!

Thank goodness I have a planning app! Deadlines are things I need, and clear direction is something I thrive on.

Do any of you have suggestions on how I can tackle all that (like desired content for a bookish radio show)? What about your schedule? Tell me in the comments!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

New Release - On Dry Land

GoodReads Amazon US | Amazon AUOther Books in the Swimming Upstream SeriesPerfection Is Just An Illusion
Goodreads Amazon USAmazon AUNobody’s Obligation  GoodreadsAmazon AUAmazon USRebecca, one of four kids to her parents who are both primary school teachers, was born in Wollongong on the south coast of Australia before moving to the country with her family. After a few years of embracing all that country life had to offer, the family relocated to Port Macquarie with its white sand beaches. After a brief period enjoying the sun and the surf they finally settled in Canberra where Rebecca still lives today. But all through her childhood a notepad and a book where never far away. These days Rebecca is an avid reader, and when she isn’t buried in a book or cheering on her beloved football team she’s spending time with her husband Robert and their overly spoilt dog Levi.

Integrity

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna talk a little about integrity. It's something I'm finding a lot of author service providers (and authors, sadly) don't take seriously enough. Ready? Let's get going!


in·teg·ri·ty/inˈteɡrədē/noun
1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.2. the state of being whole and undivided.
Having integrity as an author service provider means you work with a contract, don't ignore your clients when they try to contact you, and that you're 100% honest when something is going on and you feel you either can't or won't finish a job you said you'd do. It means working with transparency, being open about what's going on in your life that may impact your performance, and not letting folks find things out via third parties.

Having integrity as an author means you show up when you say you will with no one needing to be on your butt about where that "somewhere" is, or what time you said you'd appear, making sure you're aware. Don't cancel on people at the last moment unless it TRULY can't be helped. If you're unsure of a time or place, double check with the event coordinator. People plan around you; don't make them regret it.

Having integrity as an event coordinator means you don't cancel things at the last minute and/or run off with people's money. This is such bad form. Not only will it ruin your career, it'll ruin your life. Having to hide on social media outlets (or, for some here lately, in their hometowns) isn't any way to be. Open honesty is the only way you get through any of these things.

Because of recent things happening in the author world, we're losing trust in people in our community. This needs to stop. Your name is your everything. Hold it to the highest possible standard.

If someone has a bad experience with you, they're gonna tell everyone they meet. Do everything you can to be sure that doesn't happen. You only want the rumor mill filled with positive things.

It's out of control. Let's work together to get it back on track.

Was there ever a time when you had an issue from any of these things? How do you handle your author integrity? Please, no calling anyone out. Be civil. Have integrity here.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Audiobook Announcement

Happy Friday, everyone! I know you've probably all been wondering where the heck I've been, but I had some life to deal with, and it's been pretty rough on my time. Funny, but no one ever expects life to walk out of the shadows and slap the ever-loving crap out of you.

I bow to the Fates. You've put me in check, ladies!

Anywho, speaking of Fates...

I have some super exciting news!

Cherry Hill Publishing (links to their Facebook page) - Publishers who produce great audiobooks - has picked up the rights to two books I'm involved in. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this is, but I sure can show you!

Up first, 7: The Seven Deadly Sins



There's no audio sample for that one yet, but it should be hitting us any day now.

Second, Emancipation (Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story One)



Click HERE to listen to chapter one on the Cherry Hill website (you just click the audio cover on the page). 18+ ONLY.
SQUEEEEEEEE!!

How freaking exciting is that?

So, yeah, bookmark the site, give Cherry Hill Publishing's Facebook page a like, and get ready to get crazy with some audio!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Win Dinner with Authors Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I can't EVEN with this post! Oh my goodness! Can you even believe your luck?

Let me tell you, the dinner you'll get if you win this giveaway is delicious. I got to have dinner with Lauren Miller, Kim Holden, and Denise Grover Swank last year. There are no words to describe how amazing that was. But I DO happen to have pictures (well, of everything but the salad--it was also delicious, and I may have eaten it before I thought to take a photo--sorry)!

Feast your eyes on THESE!


 YUM!!!
However, hearing these amazing women speak was something I'll never forget, and I'm looking forward to sitting in while Alessandra and Alex give their keynotes this year! I've never been disappointed with a Utopia keynote speaker. They all rocked the house.

If you'd like to go beyond dinner and really get to know Alessandra Torre, Alex Flinn, and Geneva Lee, you'll need to be at the conference.

Get tickets HERE. It's not too late!
Anyway! I bet you're dying to get your chance, right? First, I have to give you the one and only rule for winning:

You MUST be in Nashville, TN on June 23, 2016 at around 5PM. Easy peasy!


Ready? Click here to enter!
Good luck to you all! Winners, I'll see you there. *grin*

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Release Day - Donuts in an Empty Field

Happy National Donut Day!
Weren't expecting that, were you? *grins*

I bet you're all super excited to see what I have in store for you today, huh? Isn't that an interesting title? Rachel provided some cool stuff for me to use, so there's a lot of fun happening in this post! Don't forget to check out the end and answer the quick question! Let's get to it.

*＊✿❀NEW RELEASE!❀✿＊*Donuts in an Empty Fieldby Rachel Barnard Young Adult Contemporary Get it now on Amazon Kindle for $0.00

Blurb:
Letting go of anger is life's greatest challenge.

Vanessa Smith hasn't been the same since her father's death. A hero until the end, he died saving a restaurant owner's wife and son from a burning building. Nessa has always blamed the boy, Ben, for her loss, and her thoughts are consumed with ways to make him as miserable as she is.

Nichole Adams knows Nessa can never heal until she learns to let go of her hatred, but bringing back her best friend is proving more difficult than she could've imagined. In a last ditch effort to break Nessa's obsession, Nichole hopes signing up for the local food challenge is just the thing to bust her out of her shell.

A single choice defines the road ahead for Nessa. Doing the right thing isn't easy, but living with the consequences of doing nothing might be worse.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*FOUR QUICK AUTHOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧Favorite activity (other than writing): DancingPet peeves: People who don't use their turn signal when switching lanes, drying off in a humid bathroom, and not being able to reach the fan cordIf you could have picked your own name, what would it be: VanessaCan you fake any accents: Yes, to some degree a British, Indian, Southern, and New York accent✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*10 RANDOM FACTS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
I have driven an Excavator (heavy duty construction equipment).I used to have a cat named Teddy.My resume is in book form.I've done a comedy routine (which you can find on youtube if you look hard enough).I adore costumes.I know the entire Thriller dance.I've donated at least my height in hair.I have a geocache in Sarasota that has more finds than I've personally found as a geocacher.I love hot tubbing at night.When I read out loud I read in voices.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*AUTHOR BIO*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧


✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*STALK LINKS*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
BLOGFACEBOOKGOODREADSAMAZON
Now, for the question of the day! What's your favorite kind of donut? Tell me in the comments!Mine is Raspberry filled! YUM!
Well, that's all for today folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo