D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 56
January 30, 2017
Read an excerpt of Triple Love Score, a #contemporaryromance from @brandigranett #giveaway
[image error]Triple Love Score
by Brandi Megan Granett
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
BLURB:
Miranda Shane lives a quiet life among books and letters as a professor in a small upstate town. When the playing-by-the-rules poet throws out convention and begins to use a Scrabble board instead of paper to write, she sets off a chain of events that rattles her carefully planned world.
Her awakening propels her to take risks and seize chances she previously let slip by, including a game-changing offer from the man she let slip away. But when the revelation of an affair with a graduate student threatens the new life Miranda created, she is forced to decide between love or poetry.
Grab a copy here!
Excerpt
“You sure you don’t want to take a cab?” Scott asked her.
“I’m sure. Then we wouldn’t see the diamonds,” Lynn said.
“Tiffany’s?” Miranda asked. “You’re a little young for that aren’t you? Though you are Bunny’s granddaughter.”
“Not like Grandma Bunny’s diamonds! The diamonds on the sidewalk. Look!”
Sure enough, the concrete in front of them sparkled. Four or five runs of sidewalk shimmered with mica flecks, then it went to plain for a block or two, then more that sparkled.
“I want to know what makes them different,” Miranda said to Scott, pointing at the abrupt change from sparkle to non-sparkle on the sidewalk in front of them.
“But knowing the difference would ruin it,” Scott said.
“You’d rather think it was magic?”
“I like the idea of magic. Don’t you?” he asked.
“I don’t take much stock in that,” Miranda said.
“Daddy, look!” Lynn said.
And there in front of them was a huge elephant balloon with a circus ball balancing on his trunk. The ball wasn’t all the way inflated yet; it wobbled a little and the sides of the elephant shuddered some as the helium pumped in. But an elephant as tall as a house at Central Park was a sight to behold no matter the size or amount of helium left to go. The crowd around them seemed to holding their breath in anticipation as the ball slowly rose.
“See,” Miranda said, “to people watching on television that’s magic. But it’s not magic. It’s a year of planning and then people working all night on the day before a family holiday to pull it off.”
“But it’s magic to her,” Scott said.
Lynn strained at the barricade, craning her neck to see down the street and the rest of the balloons staged there.
“Sure, it’s magic to her. She’s a kid. Kids have to believe in magic. When you really grow up, it’s different.”
“I guess I’m not really grown up then,” Scott said. “And maybe I don’t want to be.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Brandi Megan Granett is an author, online English professor, and private writing mentor. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University, Wales, an MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College, a Masters in Adult Education with an emphasis on Distance Education from Penn State University, and a BA from the University of Florida.
Granett is the author of My Intended (William Morrow, 2000). Her short fiction has appeared in Pebble Lake Review, Folio, Pleiades and other literary magazines, and is collected in the volume Cars and Other Things That Get Around.
In addition, she writes an author interview series for the Huffington Post, and is a member of the Tall Poppy Writers, a community of writing professionals committed to growing relationships, promoting the work of its members, and connecting authors with each other and with readers.
When Granett is not writing or teaching or mothering, she is honing her archery skills. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter and two dogs.
Stalk her here!
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads
GIVEAWAY
Brandi will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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Am I sabotaging myself? #MondayBlogs #AmWriting #Authormarketing
[image error]I had a lightbulb moment the other day. I was having coffee with a new-to-me tennis player and she said something like ‘You approach tennis with such passion and purpose of will’. Of course, I responded with ‘I do that with everything in my life. I’m passionate about everything I do. It’s kind of exhausting.’ She laughed and the conversation moved on, but while I was stuck in traffic driving home (why are there so many cars on the road before 5 p.m.?), I got to thinking about this whole approach to life I have and it made me realize something. I have approached every project, every endeavor in my life with an absolute determination to succeed. Except writing. Oh my god, I thought, am I sabotaging myself? Whoa! I cannot possibly be sabotaging myself. That’s just utter ridiculousness. Isn’t it?
By sabotaging myself I don’t mean writing crappy stories, I do put my best foot forward with writing and developing my craft. No, I’m talking about that part of being a writer that every indie author absolutely abhors – marketing myself. Oh sure, I work on marketing on a nearly daily basis. I’m on social media every damn day and I try to blog three times a week. But wait! That’s only my author platform. Marketing itself? If I’m really honest, I’m not very consistent with that. I’ll have some grand idea about selling more of my books and go absolutely crazy about it. For a few days, maybe a week, if I’m really excited. And then I’ll get back into writing my book and put marketing on the back burner – until the next grand idea hits.
[image error]But being a success as a writer is all about the long game. You might say that getting a college education and law degree is as well. After all, that takes seven years of your life. But you’d be wrong. With an education, you know what you’re up against. It’s going to take around seven years and that’s that. As long as you put in the work, you’ll graduate. Not so with being a successful writer. First of all, the time required is unknown. You may hit the bestseller list with your first book. Or it may be your tenth book. Who knows? And there’s no guarantee that you’ll ever even hit that bestseller list. (I realize I’m using bestseller as the measure of success whereas that’s highly debatable.)
If being a success as a writer is a long game, my stop and go attitude towards marketing is not the way to go. So yeah, I guess you could say that I’m sabotaging myself. Except sabotage is defined as deliberately destroy[ing], damage[ing], or obstruct[ing] (something). It would be easy to take myself off the hook because I didn’t deliberately sabotage myself. Unfortunately, I have the nasty habit of always being honest with myself. And this is one those moments when being honest with myself comes with a whole bunch of pain. I may not be sabotaging myself because I’m not causing destruction or obstruction – those are scary words. But damn it, I am sabotaging myself in the sense that I’m deliberately damaging my success as an author by approaching marketing with a half-ass attitude.
I decided I’d do something about this lackadaisical attitude in 2017. I deliberately (there’s that word again) cut myself off from the world for the first weeks of the year and wrote my butt off in the mornings and worked on marketing in the afternoons. It took two weeks for me to get sick. Two weeks later, I’m back at my computer for the first time. Maybe going 100 miles per hour isn’t the answer to a lackadaisical attitude. Maybe I can’t have it all. Then again, maybe the Dutch winter just caught me by a surprise. Stay tuned …
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January 29, 2017
Release Blitz! The Beauty by @AuthorAshleeT #romanticsuspense #giveaway
Book Title: The Beauty (The Beauty & The Thief Series)
Author: Ashlee Taylor
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 30, 2017
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Art Gallery owner Emmeline Billings vowed to keep her parents legacy alive by helping struggling artists.
Having lived a shell of a life since their passing she finds her true self when other family members show their true colors threatening what she’s built.
What she wasn’t prepared for was the thief in the night.
Sebastian Stuart has lived a life in the shadows. He’s watched Emmeline from those shadows grow into a beautiful woman.
Seeing her living a shell of herself, he’s determined to help her. Sebastian re-enters her life when he can no longer stand by and watch.
He does the only thing he knows how to do – steals her heart.
I stood on the outside of her hotel room door, hoping that she would come after me. I was powerless to let it go any longer but I knew that I didn’t want to take advantage of her in her inebriated state. If she had come to me I would have stayed with her, I would not make the same mistake again. I waited twenty minutes before slipping into my room that happened that was next door to hers. I had gotten lucky with a woman at the desk during check-in, she didn’t ask any questions when I asked for that specific room. I prepared to say anything, even give her money in order to secure my spot close to her.
When I was in the comfort of my room, the silence was beyond deafening. I knew that my decision to leave her was the best, but now I wished that I hadn’t. I lay down on the bed rethinking my decision when I heard the soft noises that sounded like crying whimpers coming from the room next door.
“FUCK. I’m an asshole.”
Going over to the door that connected the two rooms, I opened my partition and began to work on her doorknob. Two clicks later, I was in her room. Emmeline lay curled up in the middle of the bed, she was still wearing the dress she had worn during our impromptu date. Kicking off my shoes, I climbed into bed with her wrapping my arms around her holding her tightly.
I was unsure how long we lay there together before I fell asleep. I just knew that where I was at that minute was where I belonged.
Ashlee Taylor has always loved to read. She was practically born with a book in hand. She even wrote short stories and vignettes for fun at age eleven.
As she grew up reading was put to the side but the book Fifty Shades of Grey brought back the love of the written word. Swallowing every book she could get her hands on while befriending authors. Eventually becoming a beta reader and helping authors work out critical scenes and plot progressions.
Through this process, Ashlee decided to write the stories in her head.
January 26, 2017
Exclusive Sneak Peek at Heating It Up #contemporaryromance from @romanzwrter_grl #giveaway
HEATING IT UP
A new Red Hot Russians novella coming February 27, 2017!
In HEATING IT UP, a heart-warming novel of mistaken identity and forced proximity, widow Nora Bradford and Russian adventurer Alexei Zaikov must work together to save their small Antarctic town from being shut down—but will the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?
Pre-order HEATING IT UP and add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads !
Keep reading to get a sneak peek at HEATING IT UP!
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Title: Heating it Up
Author: Elizabeth Harmon
Author Location: Chicago, IL
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 27, 2017
Publisher: Indie
Series: Red Hot Russians
Word Count: Novella, 30k
Format: Digitial
Digital ISBN: 9781370182220
~ Synopsis ~
Red Hot Russian Alexei is king of the Ice…Antarctic style
Alexei Zaikov loves his life in remote Amity Bay, Antarctica, until a new luxury guesthouse threatens the small town’s future. As head of Amity Bay, he’s driven to save it, but first must discover who is hiding out in the supposedly deserted lodge…and why.
Nora Bradford has lost everything; a promising career and the man she loved. Glacier Ridge Lodge, the architectural masterpiece she designed but was denied credit for, seems like the perfect place to grieve her loss, until a ruggedly handsome Russian arrives on her doorstep, determined to bring her in from the cold.
Desire sparks, leaving them hungry for more. But will the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords | Goodreads
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Spread the news about HEATING IT UP with a GIVEAWAY!
Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card
3 Runner-up Prizes: Digital copies of any one (1) book by Elizabeth Harmon from her backlist
Visit all participating blogs for more chances to WIN!
a small girl, her man and her books
I Love Romance
Sour Puss Reviews
Exclusive sneak peek at HEATING IT UP!
Copyright © 2016 Elizabeth Harmon
“Stop right here,” Nora Bradford raised her voice so the driver could hear her over the engine’s rumble. The giant tractor’s snow treads ground to a halt behind Glacier Ridge Lodge.
Nora peered through the cab’s dirty windows. Her former firm’s chartered yacht was still anchored in the icy water of Amity Bay, Antarctica. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“You sure you don’t want me to drive you down to the boat?” Charlie, the driver, who brought Nora back to Amity Bay from McMurdo Station, leaned over, concern in his voice. “It’s a long walk with all your stuff.”
“No!” Nora whipped around in her cramped seat as much as her bulky red parka allowed, and grabbed her suitcase. Tired as she was, the thing seemed to weigh a ton, but she managed to hoist it into her lap. “It’s two in the morning and everyone’s asleep. I’ll be fine up here, and in the morning, I’ll call down for help if I need it.”
The driver hesitated, and she sensed he didn’t like the idea of dropping her off at an empty building in the dead of night. During the three hour drive, she’d gotten to know him a bit. Charlie seemed like a decent guy.
Unlike some.
“You sure?” Charlie said, frowning. “Don’t forget, Antarctica ain’t exactly San Francisco.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Immediately, she regretted her sarcasm. Taking her problems out on others solved nothing, and this poor guy didn’t deserve to have his head bitten off. The stress of the last few days and the seriousness of what she was about to do were clearly getting to her. Best to get on with it.
You don’t have to do this. There’s still time to change your mind.
The calm voice of her more rational self intruded, just as it had when she’d hatched this plan an hour ago. Once more she shoved it from her thoughts.
“Really, I’ll be fine.” She tipped her chin and blinked quickly to clear the fresh tears. She gave a shaky laugh. “I designed this place. It’s only natural I’d want to spend one last night here. And you need to get back to McMurdo, so you don’t miss your flight home.”
“True,” Charlie agreed. “Hey, you have a good trip back to San Fran.”
Nora sniffed. “Right. And you have a good trip back to the States, too. Cleveland, right?”
“Yep. It’ll be good to get home.”
For Charlie, who had something to go back to, it probably was good. Nora slid down from the cab, dragging her suitcase behind her.
Inside, the lodge was quiet and empty, just as she’d hoped. She bustled through the first floor then up the stairs, making as little noise as possible, alert for anyone who might have slept here after last night’s Dedication Gala. When she safely reached the third floor, she released a sigh. For now, she was alone. But there was no time to waste.
Quickly, she dashed to an out-the-way linen closet—-one that locked– and stashed her belongings on an upper shelf. Then she flew into action, racing though the lodge, gathering up batteries, light bulbs, tissue, soap. Canned food from the pantry. Vegetable seeds for the hydroponic greenhouse. Frozen meat, cheese and wine. Anything she could use during the long, dark Antarctic winter.
In the kitchen, she found trays of party leftovers. Adrenaline had stolen her appetite, but she forced herself to gorge on an impromptu breakfast of imported cheeses and bacon-wrapped shrimp. She carefully rewrapped what was left, as someone from the ship was obviously coming back for it, and retreated upstairs.
Weak sunshine shone down through the third floor skylights, as Nora stood before the closet, and inventoried what she’d hunted, gathered and stored. She’d not wanted to take so much that it would be missed, but what she had looked pitifully meager. Not nearly enough to survive on for six months in the harshest environment on earth. When everyone came back in September to reopen the lodge, they could be in for one hell of a surprise.
Stop it. You put every high-tech fail-safe known to man in this building. You’re linked by satellite to Vancouver, and even to that little research station at the bottom of the hill. What’s the worst that could happen?
That someone would find her before the week was out, put her on the first plane home, and contact her former firm. Herbert would paint her as a crazy ex-employee. Her career in sustainable architecture would be over, and she’d never work again.
The other worst-case scenario? That her fail-safes would fail, and she’d freeze to death. Or run out of food and starve to death. On the bright side, at least she’d be with Blake.
Praise for the Red Hot Russians Series
Pairing Off: A 2016 RITA Award Finalist
Pairing Off: “Very Enjoyable Book by a knowledgeable author about my favorite sport”—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Turning It On: 2015 Favorites—Nelle’s Nightstand
Getting It Back: “Truly Magical”—Top Pick-Harlequin Junkie
Getting It Back: 4 Stars—Romantic Times
Getting It Back: Heats Up the Ice—Library Journal
Other Books in the Red Hot Russians Series
PAIRING OFF (2016 RITA nominated Best First Book!)
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Books | Kobo
TURNING IT ON (Red Hot Russians #2)
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo | iBooks
GETTING IT BACK (Red Hot Russians #3)
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play
Author Bio:
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Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different.
A graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked in advertising, community journalism and as a freelance magazine writer. She feels incredibly blessed to have a career that allows her to spend her days imagining “what if?” and a loving family that keeps her grounded in the real world. Her debut novel, Pairing Off is a 2016 RITA Award Finalist.
An adventurous cook, vintage home enthusiast, occasional actress, and entry-level figure skater, Elizabeth makes her home in the Midwest, where life is good, but the sports teams aren’t. She loves to hang out on her front porch, or at her favorite local establishments, enjoy good food and wine, and talk writing with anyone who will listen.
Follow Elizabeth: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | BookLikes | Google+
January 24, 2017
Grab the #cozymystery The Blessed Event by @Frankie_Bow for just 99⊄
Amazon has priced The Blessed Event by Frankie Bow at just 99⊄ for the month of January!
(Free on Kindle Unlimited)
The Blessed Event (The Professor Molly Mysteries)
Publisher: Hawaiian Heritage Press (June 10, 2016)
Paperback: 344 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1943476251
Kindle ASIN: B01GW5WUAE
Synopsis
“You may wonder what my least-favorite student was doing in my living room. In a twist of fate that might seem hilarious if it happened to someone else, he was now my stepson.”
Professor Molly Barda is looking forward to a quiet summer in Mahina, Hawaii working on her research and adjusting to married life. But when a visit from her new husband’s relatives coincides with a murder, Molly wonders what she’s married into–and realizes she might have a killer under her roof.
About The Author
Like Molly Barda, Frankie Bow teaches at a public university. Unlike her protagonist, she is blessed with delightful students, sane colleagues, a loving family, and a perfectly nice office chair. She believes if life isn’t fair, at least it can be entertaining.
In addition to writing murder mysteries, she publishes in scholarly journals under her real name. Her experience with academic publishing has taught her to take nothing personally.
Author Links
Webpage Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Goodreads
Purchase Links
Amazon
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BOOK BLAST PARTICIPANTS
January 23 – Reading Authors
January 23 – Books,Dreams,Life
January 23 – Bibliophile Reviews
January 24 – The Book’s the Thing
January 24 – Maureen’s Musings
January 24 – Cozy Up With Kathy
January 25 – A Blue Million Books
January 25 – The Ninja Librarian
January 25 – Readsalot
January 25 – Fantastic Feathers
January 26 – Dee-Scoveries
January 26 – Celticlady’s Reviews
January 26 – QUEEN OF ALL SHE READS
January 27 – Rainy Day Reviews
January 27 – Author Annette Drake’s blog
January 28 – Laura’s Interests
January 28 – StoreyBook Reviews
January 28 – Valerie’ Musings
January 29 – Mythical Books
January 30 – Melina’s Book Blog
January 30 – Brooke Blogs
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Just released! 15 Minutes from @LarissaReinhart #mystery #Humor
About the Book
When ex-teen star Maizie Albright returns to her Southern hometown of Black Pine, Georgia, she hoped to rid herself of Hollywood tabloid and reality show hell for a new career as a private investigator. Instead, Hollyweird follows her home. Maizie’s costar crushing, but now for her gumshoe boss. Her stage-monster mother still demands screen time. Her latest rival wants her kicked off the set, preferably back to a California prison.
By entangling herself in a missing person’s case, she must reprise her most famous role. The job will demand a performance of a lifetime. But this time, the stakes are real and may prove deadly.
Participating Blogs
Jersey Girl
Book Reviews
Granny
Loves to Read
Authors and
Readers Book Corner
Books Dreams
Life
The Book Sirens
Book Lover in
Florida
The Book Bag
T’s Stuff
DE Haggerty
Brooke Blogs
Rae Reads
Nerdy Dirty
and Flirty
Adventures in
Writing
Chick Lit Plus
~ About the Author ~
A 2015 Georgia Author of the Year Best Mystery finalist, Larissa writes the Cherry Tucker Mystery and Maizie Albright Star Detective series. The first in the Cherry Tucker series, Portrait of a Dead Guy, is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, 2012 The Emily finalist, and 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. She loves books, food, and travelin any and all combinations.
Her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit, live in Nagoya, Japan, but they still call Georgia home. You can see
them on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode. Visit her website, find her chatting on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads, and sign up for her newsletter at http://smarturl.it/larissanewsletter.
If you enjoy her books, please leave a review. She sends you virtual hugs and undying gratitude for your support!
Social Media Links:
Website ~ Newsletter signup ~ Facebook ~ Friend Me ~ Watch Me ~ Follow Me ~ Pin me ~ Read with me ~ Chat with me
Link to our House Hunters International episode
January 23, 2017
My one piece of wisdom to fellow writers re: beta readers #MondayBlogs #BetaReaders #Amwriting
My guilty pleasure is reading O: The Oprah Magazine. Don’t ask me why. It makes no sense. I find Oprah too much – too spiritual, too mindful, just too… you get the idea. And yet I pick up a copy whenever I’m in an airport (I’m blaring Guns & Roses now to avoid yet another inane announcement) or run across English-language magazines wherever I am in the world.
Another guilty secret? I’m the only person I know who hated Eat, Love, Pray. When I was reading it, I had the strict policy that I would ALWAYS finish my book club’s monthly selection. (Thankfully, I’ve grown up since then.) A friend of mine, who did enjoy Eat, Love, Pray and several other books I could not stand (amazingly we’re still friends), suggested I give Elizabeth Gilbert another try. Her column in O is quite good, she pushed. Okay, okay, I can take a hint.
And so, as I sit in this cramped airplane seat on my way to Istanbul, I must admit she was right. The pain is real.
If you aren’t obsessed with O magazine, this month’s column is about friends who tell the brutal truth and how this led Ms. Gilbert to her four questions for choosing beta readers. The fourth question is as follows: Is this person capable of delivering the truth to me in a sensitive and passionate manner?
Well, shit. I wish I had read this article two years ago when I lost a close friend due to beta-reader-ugliness (it’s an epidemic). My now ex-friend didn’t enjoy my book. Fine. I guess. But the way in which she expressed herself was harsh. I didn’t respond well. Three weeks later I approached her with a heartfelt apology for my gut reaction. Instead of the apology I expected to receive in response (you can apologize for hurting someone’s feelings even if you had no intention to do so), I got radio silence. As did my husband when he tried to mediate. And so a friendship died. I mourned the death and then I moved the hell on.
If I can share one piece of wisdom to my fellow writers, it is this: Ask yourself if a friend can be sensitive and compassionate before asking her to read your work. If in doubt, just don’t do it.
January 19, 2017
An Interview with My Muse #FridayFunDay #amwriting #AuthorInterview
I was working on my interviews for Murder Thriller Week (if you haven’t checked it, do so here) yesterday when my muse poked her head in the room wondering what I was doing. When she found out I was working on interviews, she became livid. Nobody ever interviews me! She shouted and stomped her foot. As writers, we know that whatever our muse wants, our muse gets. So, without further ado, an interview with my muse.
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My muse would like to point out that this is Thalia, the muse of comedy, and she doesn’t look anything like this – at all.
Can you introduce yourself a bit?
Hi! *Waves and giggles* I’m Dena’s muse. It’s a pretty cushy job. All I have to do is think up writing ideas and throw them at her. I can do that shit in my sleep.
When did you first become Dena’s muse?
I was a really young and naïve muse when I was assigned to Dena. I think she was five or something. She was just learning to write but thought she could somehow write stories even though cursive writing was still beyond her skillset. Oh man, the girl would never shut up.
Why did you abandon Dena for two decades?
Did she tell you that? That brat! I totally did not abandon her. Can I help it if she became this overachiever determined to work full-time and finish college before she was even allowed to legally drink? I don’t think she had time to use the bathroom, let alone listen to little ol’ me. And then that whole military thing? A muse and the military? Um no, that’s not a combination anyone wants to see. I spent a lot of time on vacation in those years. Guns are icky.
Why are you fond of giving Dena ideas at 3 a.m. or when she’s busy with something else?
Duh. *Rolls eyes* Because it’s so much fun. OMG! Watching Dena freak out trying to remember an idea when she’s in the car and can’t write it down? Better than Netflix, and I love Netflix. She recently discovered the ability to dictate notes while driving. Talk about ruining a girl’s fun! Good thing the software sucks, and she mostly gets gobbledygook. Hopefully she’ll give up trying soon and I can go back to whispering sweet nothings in her ear while she’s driving. Oooh! When there’s ton of traffic? Even more fun.
When you aren’t sprouting writing ideas what do you do?
Mostly I hang out with the dog. He loves to sleep and chillax – two of my absolute favorite things in the world. He’s a hoot, that dog. Whenever he farts, he wakes up and looks around in surprise wondering what was that noise? Who did that? Every. Single. Time. He’s nearly nine-years-old. It never gets old.
Can you explain why you sometimes give Dena tons of ideas and are MIA at other times?
Besides being tons of fun? Geesh. No reason to get angry. Can’t a muse have some fun? The answer is sooo obvious, if Dena would just pay attention. I am always giving the girl tons of ideas, but she’s not always open to them. Sometimes her life gets busy and she gets stressed (the girl can stress, let me tell you) and then she turns her mind off to me. Nothing I can do if the girl won’t listen. Did I mention how stubborn she is?
Do you know any other muses?
I’m sure there’s a club for muses or some other such nonsense. Not interested. Who wants to hang out with some wisecracker who spends the whole day whispering in your ear? Not me.
Thanks Dena’s muse for taking time to answer our questions this morning.
Sure, no problem. You could have warned me Dena was going to set the alarm for 6:30 a.m. this morning before I agreed to do a morning interview. *Waves good-bye* Anyone seen where the dog’s sleeping? Never mind. I’ll find him.
January 18, 2017
Spotlight on The Stoner Stories by Frank Westworth #crime #thriller #authorspotlight
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Book title: THE STONER STORIES
Series: The JJ Stoner quick thrillers
Author: Frank Westworth
Genre: Crime-thriller
Published: November 2016
Synopsis
THE STONER STORIES anthology collects the first five JJ Stoner quick thrillers and includes an all-new, previously unpublished story, SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP.
This collection reveals the shadowy secrets of covert operative JJ Stoner, who uses sharp blades, blunt instruments and his innate persuasiveness to discreetly resolve tricky situations for the British government.
The six self-contained stories in this collection follow Stoner’s progress, from his final days as a serving soldier to his first private contract, and into the shadow land of the deniable asset.
Only one thing is absolutely inevitable: eventually, everybody dies.
Grab a copy now!
Amazon UK £1.99 ebook ~ Amazon US $1.99 ebook ~ Amazon UK £5.99 paperback ~ Goodreads
Teaser from Fifth Columnist:
‘And there I was, thinking you were just a hired gun.’ She smiled. He did not.
‘You want a gun, ma’am, I’ll bring one. I need to know the situation before selecting the weapon.’ He cracked the smallest of smiles.
‘An RPG is hard to hide in a tux, ma’am. No matter how pleased I may be to see you.’
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Sneak preview from Special Relationship:
‘I’m here for the music. For the festival. And the only baggage I carry is that, which you are welcome to examine as you will. No weapons. None at all.’
His smile was a gentle smile of innocence.
‘You’re a musician as well as a murderer, Mister Stoner. We have no problem with either talent.’ Again she smiled, a radiance matching his own in its insincerity.
‘And we’re both of us – all of us – aware that in the same way you’ll be able to find an instrument should you decide to play something, so you’ll be able to find a weapon should you decide to kill someone.
‘We have no problem with the music. Just the other thing.’
Author bio
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Frank Westworth shares several characteristics with his literary anti-hero, JJ Stoner: they both play mean blues guitar and ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Unlike Stoner, Frank hasn’t deliberately killed anyone.
Stalk the author!
Facebook ~ Amazon author page ~ Goodreads ~ Blog
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January 17, 2017
Why I continue to do blog tours and why you should too #WriterWednesday #AuthorMarketing
The topic of the week is apparently how blog tours are becoming less and less popular. Most of us authors who use blog tours are, unfortunately, already aware of that. There are lots of reasons blog tours are less popular. I’m not going to talk about that. There are about a gazillion blogs that cover that topic. I’m going to discuss the reason I continue to do blog tours.
First of all, I will respectfully disagree with those blogger-writers who argue that blog tours should be done on the off chance that someone influential will see it. I’m not spending a few hundred dollars on a tour on a one in a million chance. I might as well just buy some lottery tickets. Other bloggers argue that blog tours are not to sell books but to get your book and name out there on the off chance that someone will buy the book in the future. What?
I agree, again unfortunately, that blog tours do not sell many books. A year and a half ago, I would see a bit of a spike of sales with a blog tour. Now, I only see a spike on the release day when the pre-release purchases are sent out by Amazon. Despite getting less and less sales from blog tours, I continue to do them. Why, you ask. Let me tell you.
[image error]Social media following. I always do a giveaway with my blog tour. In order to enter the giveaway, readers need to follow my various social media accounts. I already see some of you shaking your head. Those accounts, you lament, are only for entering giveaways. I grant you there are many twitter accounts that are giveaway-only. But that’s not the majority. And I know this because I go through every single person who follows me on Twitter. (Now you also know why I take a writing break during a blog tour.)
[image error]Goodreads to-read. In addition to following my Facebook and Twitter account, there is a giveaway entry for marking my book ‘to-read’ on Goodreads. Who cares about that? I do and you should as well. Having a large number of readers mark your book ‘to-read’ adds legitimacy to your book. I’ve had several acquaintances ask me about my writing and then turn down their noses when I admitted to self-publishing. Until, that is, they checked me out online. With reviews on Amazon and the following of my books on Goodreads, they are forced to admit that I’m actually a ‘serious’ writer. In addition to adding legitimacy to your writing, having a big group of readers mark your book as ‘to-read’ can lead to sales. Let me explain. I admit that I always read the free sample from Amazon before buying an e-book. Sometimes, I’m still not sure after reading the sample. It’s happened way too often that the first 10% of a book is well-written and edited and then the whole thing just falls apart. No thanks. If I’m unsure after the sample, I’ll look at reviews on Goodreads. (I’ve already looked at Amazon reviews before even downloading the sample.) If there are five five-star reviews, I think Wow! Someone has nice friends and relatives. I much prefer to read a book with a whole range of reviews as well as a bunch of people who have marked it to-read.
[image error]Amazon following. You can also add an option to follow you as an author on Amazon as an entry to the giveaway. I love this option! Unlike other social media outlets, Amazon only sends out author updates when you release a new book. Instead of readers feeling spammed with yet another author newsletter or tweet about your book, it’s a one-off e-mail that your new book has arrived on virtual shelves. And that e-mail is from a reliable source. Even if you are an Amazon hater, you have to recognize the legitimacy of an e-mail from the company. And this increases the chance a reader will open the e-mail.
REVIEWS. This is my main reason for continuing blog tours. I have several faithful bloggers who will nearly always review my book as part of a blog tour. Additionally, you can book review only tours. These blog tour companies can reach hundreds of bloggers with a single e-mail. It would take me months (slight exaggeration) to find that many bloggers and write them personal e-mails. Plus, there’s a better chance that a blogger opens an e-mail from a blog tour company with whom they regularly work than one from a writer they don’t know from Adam.
Those are my main reasons for continuing with blog tours. I admit I have scaled down the number of tours I do per book launch. How about other writers? Are you still doing tours?
