Kristin Holt's Blog, page 32

Merry Christmas to my Favorite Author!

 Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukkah!

It’s the gift-giving season. You may have an ever-growing list of people you want to remember this holiday… family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the kids’ teachers, book-club associates, even the mail-man. You might have readers on your gift-giving list, but have you considered adding a favorite author or two?

An Author?

Sure. Why not? I’m not talking about traditional gift-giving. Something neat wrapped up in a pretty package with a bow-ribbon and presented in person. I’m talking about little, simple gifts that show appreciation and “hey, thanks for the hours of reading enjoyment” kind of little things that can go a very long way to adding joy and happiness to an author’s merriment this season.

 

 

A little list of additional ideas:

1.  Send a handwritten note. I received a thank you note from a reader, mailed to the business address I provided as my return address on a package sent– she won a prize at a Facebook event– and it made my whole day! My mailing address is also provided in the footer of every newsletter I send out. I know other authors do the same thing– I’ve seen their mailing addresses and thought about sending them a note of appreciation.

2.  LIKE their Facebook Page (this is different than a profile). A “Page” is their business presence on Facebook. It’s a vote of confidence, shows other browsers your favored author has followers, fans, people who enjoy their books. It just might nudge someone else to give that author’s books a try.

3.  Add her new titles to your Goodreads “To Be Read” list. Why? Because this step also shows others your interests, your likes, and because other readers on Goodreads have stumbled across your profile, they likely were browsing books you’ve read. They’ll see your quiet recommendation for books like those they’ve enjoyed and this can only help your favorite author(s).

4.  Contact your author through their website when you’ve finished reading their book… and let them know you liked it. I’ve heard from many different readers in this way, and it’s always a most pleasant surprise. What a terrific way to start my work day, sitting down to write, knowing someone loves my work!

5.  SHARE their blog posts, FORWARD new book release announcements, LINK to their articles, HELP SPREAD THE NEWS when a book is on sale. These simple, quiet acts of support mean the world to an author, and can make all the difference in assisting readers in finding a new (to them) author they’ll thoroughly enjoy reading.

Up next, how to easily write helpful book reviews. It’s simple… and one of the nicest (most valued) gifts you can give a favorite author.

What would YOU add to this list? How else might you LOVE an Author?

Giving 99-cent Kindle Edition Books– easy!

Give Unlimited Reading

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Holiday Gifts for Readers on your List

This time of year, we’re all busy with holiday gift shopping.

My Christmas list seems to be miles long. One of my best strategies in buying a gift for those closest to me is to identify a category of what that individual likes to do or how I describe them. Tim is a golfer. Natalie is a movie buff. Jane loves to read.

Last post I shared insights and comparisons of subscription services for readers, allowing the recipient to read, read, read, all for one affordable gift price.

Friends and family on your gift list don’t need to own a kindle to enjoy a kindle book. It’s simple to download the free app and read it on their mobile device. See the link available on virtually ALL of my website pages (check the bottom footer) about the kindle reading app. Note: the email Amazon sends to your recipient contains info about how to easily obtain the app.

What about giving ONE book?

Yes. Amazon makes giving eBooks– any specific eBook of your choice– a snap. All you need is the recipient’s email address. You get to choose what day they’ll receive notice (and the book itself), whether on Christmas Eve, the first night of Hanukkah, their birthday, or NOW.

It’s EASY.

How?

1. Find the book on Amazon. Simply type the author or title name in the Amazon search window. In my example, below, I chose my title The Cowboy Steals a Bride. If my teenager told me she wanted to read Winter by Marissa Meyer, I’d do the same thing. Pop the key word and/or author name in the Amazon.com search bar. Click on the magnifying glass symbol on the far right-hand side of the field. Voilà!

[Note: the images are current as of posting date. Occasionally, Amazon switches things up and it’s possible my snipped images will become out of date.]

2.  Once you’re on the item description page…

…note the far right-hand side, (below), where the TOP box contains Print List Price, Kindle Price, whether or not the title is available with kindleunlimited (K.U.) subscription (see previous blog article), and the ability to BUY, Read for Free (with K.U.), and choose which of your devices you want the book sent to. As this example is about purchasing for someone else, skip right past this first box.

…and skip past the second gray box  (offers “send a free sample”, usually the first 10% or so, and to which device)… because we’re looking for the first clickable button (pale gray) immediately beneath, labeled “Give as a Gift”. See it immediately above bottom line “Add to List”? Click on “Give as a Gift”. You are able to buy a kindle edition for someone else even if you’ve already bought yourself a copy.

3.  When on the Complete your gift purchase page (see example, below), you can have Amazon email the gift directly to your recipient (you provide the email address) and the date when you want it sent. Note the ease in ordering in advance of your mother’s birthday or in plenty of time before the holiday. The alternative option (note the blue dot “checking” one of two options, below) is to have Amazon email the gift to you. You can then forward the gift email directly to your recipient with a personal message OR print it out and put it in the receiver’s Christmas stocking or send via the postal service.

Note: You can personalize your message, as emailed to the recipient, directly from Amazon. See the lower half of the image, below. You’re limited to 300 characters, but I’ve had no difficulty making a quick note work. If you’d like, you can preview the email format your gift recipient will see inside their email from Amazon.

… and, on the right-hand side of the image, as offered, above, you’ll find payment information. See the image below. It’s easy to see how the bright blue lines align, top and bottom to illustrate how the two image snips line up. I’ve blacked out payment info and my billing address, but the rest of it is exactly how the field appears.

This is your double-check to ensure you’re purchasing the title you want, at the price you expect, that Amazon will charge the credit card you select (some families or individuals have more than one credit card on file). Billing address is connected only to your credit card… it does NOT need to match the recipient. That’s all happening by email. (I LOVE the ease of digital books!)

4.  Final step: Click the yellow Place your order button. You’ll not only see immediate ‘success’ verification, but if you’ve set it up so Amazon always emails you receipts, you’ll see an email notification.

5.  Another way to tell everything’s in order is by visiting your Account information. You’ll find this button on the top header of an Amazon web page. Note that it’s to the right of the search window (with its magnifying-glass-on-orange-background search button). It looks like this:

6. CLICK Hello, (your name) Your Account. This brings up a whole page of options. Right at the top, you’re looking for Your Orders. It looks like this:

7. See the gold button: Your Orders… click on it, which takes you to a page that looks like this:

… where you need to click on “Digital Orders“… (See the line where “Orders” is currently selected. Skip over Open Orders. See Digital Orders? Click. You’ll be directed to a list of your digital orders. If you’ve just barely bought a gift copy of a kindle book, your order will be right at the top.

Note: I didn’t actually buy a copy of The Cowboy Steals a Bride (to match the images I’ve shown you, above). So I found a recent gift copy for a winner at a Facebook Party who won a kindle copy of Silver Belles and Stetsons.

This listing, within my Amazon Account information, lets me see some really great stuff. I know how much I paid. I can click on “Order Details” (very  far upper right-hand corner of this image, below) and in my account, it links to an invoice if I need to save a digital one or print it. I can also see it was a gift order (so it’s not my personal copy and won’t show up on my kindle)… and who the recipient is (I blacked out the winner’s name for her privacy)… AND, see verification that she claimed her gift copy!

Despite my many pictures and a bit long-winded instructions, giving a kindle copy of any book on Amazon’s site is easy .

I’ve given many, many titles (my own and from other authors) away to friends, family members, winners at Facebook Events, fans, etc. It’s one of the easiest ways I know to buy a simple gift (as little as 99-cents) for a reader.

Two more quick tidbits before you go:

1. Make sure you read the “fine print” on the bottom of the “recipient’s email” and “buy now” page. Two important details are outlined there.

2. One of those details: If the recipient doesn’t want the exact title you bought for them, they may exchange your gift for an equivalent value Amazon.com gift card. Sometimes the title you chose isn’t available in your country (typically does not happen in the United States). One other detail: If YOU have gift card or promotional credit waiting in your account, it automatically applies to your purchase, as does any applicable state and local taxes; some eBooks have sales tax, some do not.

Give Unlimited Reading

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Give Unlimited Reading: How to afford giving the joy of reading

 

A good friend of mine gives her adult children three Christmas gifts annually: something to wear, something they need, and something to read. Note: she has to ask them what book they want. Or provide a generic gift certificate so they can choose it themselves.

Have you priced paperbacks or hardbacks in stores lately? They’re expensive, hence the specialty of receiving a desired title as a present. And physical books take up room. Yes, there are advantages: the pleasure of holding a book of paper, smelling the ink, turning real pages… but they take up space in a likely already crowded home. Oh, wait, I already said that– they take up space. (My #1 challenge.)

What if you could give a more than one book for the reasonable price of $10?

What if the recipient could choose what they want to read, over and over and over?

If the people on your gift list are big readers, a subscription to Kindle Unlimited could give them months of reading enjoyment, for a fraction of the price of buying books individually.

Be advised: the three subscription services I mention herein are not all the same. They are definitely not “one size fits all”.

Tidbits to keep in mind:

1.  Amazon isn’t the only eBook subscription service, but they’re by and far the market leader. I imagine they’ll be around for a good long while (whereas other companies [Oyster and Entitle] have closed their doors within the past year or two).

2.  Not every title is available on every service. Many books are exclusive to Amazon, and therefore won’t be found on Scribd or 24Symbols.

3.  Digital publishing and the world of eBooks change rapidly. It’s possible Google will enter the subscription market (they bought Oyster when it closed).

4.  Most of the books available within Kindle Unlimited (K.U.) are Independently Published. Not all, but most. It depends entirely upon the individual reader whether this is good or bad. If YOU love my books (and many other sweet western historical romances), you’ll find K.U. is a blessing, a tool that allows you (or the gift-receiver) to live within your entertainment budget for books (because most of what you want is included in K.U.). You’ll find new books daily within this genre, proudly produced by Independent Authors (a.k.a. Indie, a.k.a. Self Published) to fill your voracious hunger for more of the same. If Michael Crichton is your favorite author (and all you want to read) you’ll find your K.U. subscription sits unused and is a waste of money. Keep in mind that Indie Authors (and their products) are not created equal.

Benefits:

1.   For kindle owners, it’s a no-brainer. They’re already consuming eBooks regularly.

2.  No kindle required. Amazon provides a free app to allow people to read kindle books on devices they already own: iPhone, tablets, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, Windows (laptop, desktop), etc. I read kindle books with the kindle app on my iPad mini. Works splendidly.

3.  The gift can be a true surprise: if they’re not interested, it can be exchanged for Amazon credit to be used on whatever they need/want, OR may be used to extend an already active Amazon K.U. plan such that your gifted months are seamless with those the recipient pays for.

4.  It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Increments available: 6 months, 12 months, or 24 months. (See pricing, below.)

5.  It’s literally like giving an avid reader hundreds of titles. I’ve just finished polling nearly ten active K.U. subscribers about their experiences, quantity of books read, feelings about their membership and more. Most K.U. fans read a book a day or more. (Granted, some of these are books of novella-length.)

How to Give a Kindle Unlimited Subscription

6 months = $59.94

12 months = $119.88

24 months = $239.76

 

Scribd offers gift subscriptions in increments of 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. The Scribd app works with iPhone and iPad, Android smartphone and tablet, Nook HD or Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, and a 2nd-gen Kindle Fire or later.

How to give the gift of Scribd:

3 months = $25

6 months = $50

12 months = $100

May be delivered to your recipient by email or in paper form (you print it out and deliver yourself).

24Symbols offers subscriptions, including gift subscriptions for 1 month, 3 months, or 12 months. Subscribers can use their membership with all of the same mobile devices as the other companies. I don’t know much about 24 Symbols, having just come across them in the process of researching this article. So as always, do lots of reading yourself and make an informed decision.

How to give a subscription to 24Symbols:

1 month = $12

3 months = $27

12 months = $150

(Two additional companies remain in business for young readers: Reading Rainbow, Epic, and of course, Amazon’s Kindle FreeTime Unlimited.)

Use the link, provided immediately below, and find this segment from image (above) about 1/3 of the way down the webpage.

 [Amazon source from image, immediately above]

Coming in early December: I’ve interviewed a handful of Kindle Unlimited subscribers (predominately Western Historical Romance Readers)… and what they said about K.U. will surprise you.

Are YOU a K.U. subscriber? What thoughts came to your mind as you read this article? Do you have additional thoughts to share? Contrasting opinions? Do you agree? Please respond to this blog article in the field available, below. Thank you!

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Victorian Era Thanksgiving Celebrations

Thanksgiving was well established in the United States by the times most of us think of as “Old West”. Pioneers, gold miners, mail-order brides, settlers, land-rushers, silver miners, railroad workers… everyone would’ve taken the traditions bred into them not only from their countries of origin but from the melting pot of New England– where Thanksgiving feasts had been occurring for 200 years. (See section, below, titled FOR HISTORY BUFFS).

Home to Thanksgiving, lithograph by Currier and Ives (1867). [Image: Public Domain]

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD

Originally a poem (by Lydia Maria Child) published in Flowers for Children, this best-known Thanksgiving song (confused as a Christmas song) is also known as The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day. Though most people today sing “grandmother’s house we go”, the original edition shows Lydia Maria Child wrote “grandfather’s house“. The tune’s writer is unknown.

The original poetry contained twelve stanzas though most of us know only four.

Some speculate the song gravitated toward Christmas because abundant snow (enough for the horses to pull a sleigh through) by late November is rare everywhere but the northern states. Interestingly enough, when this poem was penned, 1844, New England was living through a colder era known as the Little Ice Age. Hence in Ms. Child’s experience, growing up near the north shore of Massachusetts, she would have known ample snow in her childhood pre-Thanksgiving winters.

TRADITIONAL THANKSGIVING FARE

I’m fascinated to learn that the same author of this well-known song (over the river and through the wood…. I dare you not to hum along!) is also credited with an 1829 recipe (or “receipts” as they were called then) book entitled “The American Frugal Housewife“.

The Thanksgiving Dinner, 1870. Source: American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series 1, via wikimedia. [Image: Public Domain]

Historic reenactments, such as Sturbridge Village, rely heavily on Ms. Child’s book for methods and recipes used in hearths and for roasting on a spit. Living Historians demonstrate cooking methods and employees enjoy the hearth-cooked feast (while visitors may purchase standard fare cooked in a modern kitchen and in keeping with health codes). Employees say there’s no comparison (they’re the blessed ones). Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm does something similar each year with a “Hearthside Dinner” near Thanksgiving.

FASCINATING. Why, again, do I live in the Rocky Mountains (where European immigrant history is a very recent 150 years young), cowboys both roamed and roam, and the “Old West” is right outside my window… when history like that is within walking distance of my cousins’ homes? I’m moving back to New England. Someday. Until then, I plan to visit several ghost towns the mining boom of the late 19th century left behind. (Stay tuned.)

FOOTBALL AND THANKSGIVING

The pairing is inseparable today. But what about during the Victorian era?

You may be surprised to learn the earliest high school football rivalries took root in the late 19th century in Massachusetts, stemming from games played on thanksgiving. Professional football took root as a Thanksgiving staple during the sport’s genesis in the 1890’s, and the tradition of Thanksgiving football both at the high school and professional level continues to this day.

Official photograph of the 1890 University of Michigan football team. [Image: Public Domain] Source: Wikimedia Commons

THANKSGIVING ENTERTAINMENT

…besides football. And feasting. Or seconds on pumpkin pie.

According to the vast quantity of surviving images of documentation (advertisements, invitations, tickets) available online, it’s apparent New Englanders had no shortage of entertainment at Thanksgiving time. I imagine celebrations on western homesteads and ranches were simpler, more humble, more focused on family and gratitude and preparation for winter all squared away.

Fiske’s Coronet Band, Promenade Concert and Dance, held Thanksgiving Evening, 1859 in Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass. Courtesy of wikimedia. [Image: Public Domain]

1876 Yankee Thanksgiving, Worcester, Mass. [Image: Public Domain]

FOR HISTORY BUFFS

Throughout the 1600’s and 1700’s, decrees of thanksgiving days for various reasons occurred often. Reasons included the cessation of drought, bountiful harvest, warm weather, military victory– and were days of prayer and focusing gratitude to God. It’s really no surprise that several early colonies within North America would set aside a day of thanksgiving associated with a good harvest or arriving safely on terra firma.

The Continental Congress (1774-1789) issued several ‘national days of prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving’. Early presidents (Washington and Adams) continued this practice under the constitution. After the Revolutionary War, George Washington, as President, on October 3, 1789, proclaimed (and created) the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America. Washington once again declared a day of Thanksgiving in 1795.

Thomas Jefferson skipped over this tradition, but James Madison renewed the concept in 1814, partly due to resolutions of Congress and partly in acknowledgement of the resolution of the War of 1812. Madison twice in 1815 declared national days of Thanksgiving– but neither was in autumn.

By the time of the Louisiana Purchase, western migration, and the discovery of gold in California, small, local governmental proclamations of specific non-Sabbath days of Thanksgiving (typically Thursdays) were commonplace in the young United States.

The tradition of proclamations issued on Thanksgiving Day continued (often by individual states’ governors and seldom coinciding with one another).

President Lincoln proclaimed in 1863 that Thanksgiving would be celebrated nationally, collectively on the last Thursday of November.

Interestingly enough, Washington tried the same thing, but the idea of one national day of celebration apparently didn’t stick the first time around. AND it was thought vulgar (pre great depression era) to advertise for Christmas (shopping season) until Thanksgiving was over, hence the movement by FDR to place Thanksgiving squarely on the fourth Thursday of November, to expand the Christmas retail season and hopefully spur the economy.

Some things have changed. Some haven’t.

 

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Christmas Novellas: 15 Reasons Readers Adore Them!

This time of year, Christmas-themed novellas account for many of the new releases. Sometimes they’re all alone. Sometimes they’re part of an anthology with anywhere from 4 to 20 other titles. They’re obviously popular with readers. But WHY are Christmas Novellas ADORED by readers?

I Suggest 15 Top Reasons Readers Adore Christmas Novellas:

1. Nothing brings holiday cheer like holiday-themed reading. Many readers embrace Christmas books to feed their Christmas spirit.

2. The price is right. Who can turn down a 99-cent read, especially from a favorite author? Christmas novellas are often priced (this time of year) at this sweet price. If they’re $2.99, compared to your high-ticket-price author whose full-length titles are $9.99, it’s a bargain.

3. Let’s make that 99-cents even richer by letting it buy an ENTIRE ANTHOLOGY. This “lost-leader” pricing makes for an almost knee-jerk reaction by purchasers. And many book buyers (like you and me) somehow feel like reading what we’ve already bought.

4. Novellas give us so many time-commitment options: Read one in an evening. Start one during your lunch break and finish it during the train ride home from work..

5.  …Or feast on the entire anthology on a lazy snowy Sunday. There’s nothing quite like the joy of reading an anthology, one book right after another from different authors. Connected by theme (and sometimes era and place), it’s like a buffet of delicacies. With scheduled breaks in between to refill your hot beverage and stretch.

6. Have no time between shopping, parties, gift-wrapping to start a long book? No worries. Plenty of shorter novellas exist. These are often labeled “novelettes” or “short stories” though the page count still makes them technically all the same thing.

7. Christmas Anthologies (novellas) are a great way to discover new authors. I’m a reader, too. I’ve found lots of authors and continued to read their full-length books after one of their Christmas novellas won me over.

8. Christmas romance anthologies often cater to various niches within Romance. If you’re a fan of shifters, Christian romance, billionaires, brothers, cowboys, Regency period, princes, clean romance, etc., you won’t have any trouble finding your favorite this holiday season… or next.

9. Something about Christmas lends itself beautifully to the winning themes (adored by readers) in romance novels. Family. Priorities. Children. Priceless gifts (of love, companionship, forever). Commitment. Faith. Redemption. Forgiveness. Second chances. New love. Traditions.

[Note: books 0.5 and 3 are coming soon! 1, 2, and 4 are available now.]

10. I know readers who enjoy Christmas novellas (or novels) all year ’round. They don’t limit themselves to the holidays. Why? Because the elements they love about Christmas stories are so ingrained, it’s not something they set aside come early January. This probably speaks more to themes.

11. Christmas novels are abundant. If you’re done reading all you’ve previously purchased, there will always be more.

12.  Several readers have told me that reading Christmas novellas reminds them of cherished holiday memories with parents and grandparents. This kind of connection with nearly-forgotten, special times is valuable to them.

13. Christmas novellas can suit a reader’s mood, perfectly. Christmas stories come in all kinds: lonely, joyful, grieving, hopeful, dreading returning home, dreading family party,… whether it matches your own life at the time or you’re simply in the mood for a really good romantic suspense, for example, you’ll find every mood imaginable within the category.

14. The beauty of romances is characters always earn (eventually) their happily-ever-after. We’re guaranteed a happy ending. Sometimes, when life is darn tough, we need a bit of resounding joy. People tend to read more romance when the economy’s in a nosedive, they’re struggling with serious challenges, or lonely. Romance novels nurture hope.

15. Story = conflict (trouble for characters). Christmas is naturally a time of conflict. Expectations from family and friends. Winter (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), and all its man-vs.-nature and interrupted travel. Financial pressures. Office parties and family celebrations and all that jazz. The most rewarding reads have plenty of conflict because conflict = story.

Now it’s your turn.

I’m sincerely interested to know what ideas you can add to this list. Let’s aim for 20– no!– 25. In honor of Christmas on the 25th. Please reply and add your personal reasons (or thoughts on the phenomenon).

[Note: Many of the Christmas novellas listed below are ALSO available as a FREE Read with kindleunlimited subscription. Clicking on the links, below, will allow you to read book descriptions, see if it’s available with kindleunlimited without a commitment to buy.]

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Reflections on an Inaugural Readers Luncheon: Keys to Success

Approximately two weeks ago, The Utah Chapter (Heart of the West™) of Romance Writers of America® held our Inaugural SLC Readers Luncheon. This event will be the first of many (annual) to follow. I had the privilege and pleasure of serving in the capacity as Chairperson for the event. It won’t be long and we’ll have many, many professional photographs from the event to share on social media, the event’s webpage, and on the many participating authors’ webpages. [I’ll update this article with a link to the images once they’re available.]

Robyn Carr, a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author (many times over) and USA Today Bestselling Author visited as Keynote Address Speaker. Readers and authors alike enjoyed Robyn’s good humor, message, and company. What an amazing lady. Our chapter’s own star, RaeAnne Thayne, also a many repeat New York Times Bestselling Author and USA Today Bestselling Author served as Welcome Address Speaker. Her message on being the Heroine of Your Own Life will stay with me for a long while.

Readers Luncheons are not unique to the event held in Salt Lake City 11-7-15. Successful events include but are not limited to: Barbara Vey Readers Appreciation Luncheon (Milwaukee, WI), Southern Magic (Birmingham, AL), Heart of Dixie Annual Readers Luncheon (Hutsville, AL), Love Our Readers Luncheon (Kennesaw, GA), Harlequin Reader Luncheon (Seattle, WA). I’m sure there have been others. I’m pleased to have been the chairperson for the first-ever Salt Lake City Readers Luncheon Event.

Are you wondering: What is a Readers Luncheon? [Bottom line, Readers Luncheons celebrate and honor readers.]

I want to address my Keys for Success to both event organizers and readers/guests. Why? Because we can’t have one without the other. I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy a total of ONE Readers Luncheon in my life, as a hosting author… and it won’t be the last. I also hope to have the experience of attending as a guest, if I have to fly to Georgia to do it. [Note: These Keys are given in no particular order.]

1.  If time allows, research all of the authors who are hosting, so you know who you want to sit with. Read a book or two they’ve written before attending. Bring your paperback copies (if applicable) for the author to autograph.

2.  Plan on spending all day. Who wants to be so rushed you can’t enjoy the Meet and Greet, or have to leave early? Try to reschedule any other commitments for the day.

3.  Large conference rooms (or ballrooms) like this are sometimes too cold or too warm for some. Wearing layers ensures you are comfortable.

4.  Read the event’s website in detail. Often, important wish-I’d-known-that info is included in various places.

5.  If you are unfamiliar with the venue, study mapquest.com or Google maps ahead of time so you’re comfortable with travel time, locations, details (like an island that prevents left-hand turns), and know your driving route. All this will make arrival on the morning of your event ever so much easier and less stressful.

6.  Consider inviting a friend to go with you! Social events are even more fun when you have at least one good friend along.

7.  Make sure your phone is thoroughly charged. You might want to take a picture!

8.  Make your food allergies known, far in advance. Event committees likely ask what your food needs are… if not, make sure you inform them.

9.  “Many Hands Make Light Work.” Sponsors– form a team of volunteers to handle every little detail. Assign a Website Specialist, a Registration Specialist, a Venue/Contract Specialist, an Event Specialist, a Communication Specialist, a Gift Basket/Door Prize Specialist, a Book Store Specialist, Swag Bag Specialist, and a Hospitality Specialist (to ensure your Keynote and Welcome speakers are cared for). This list could go on and on, stretch or contract to meet your individual event’s needs. I made a serious error in judgment and was a One-Woman Show. Highly discouraged.

10.  Invite guests to leave their name tags (plastic sheath with clips) with you afterward for reuse/reduction in waste. Provide a labeled basket for these and make it easy for guests to return them.

. . . and a few extra . . .

11.  Hire a professional photographer to take images of the day’s event. Everything from centerpieces to the meal to authors with their fans. These images will be most helpful for upcoming years’ events, for creating compelling website content, meaningful author newsletters, and invitations to the public to attend.

12.  Word of Mouth is the most effective advertising method. Always has been, always will be. If your registration service has the capacity to offer a discount (or cash rebate to the guest who recommends someone), do it! Find a way to provide a monetary award to those who register in groups of three, four, five or more. Make it beneficial for participating authors to promote the event.

13.  BEGIN planning by securing a Keynote Address and/or Welcome Address Speaker with approximately 11 to 12 months to go before the big date. Influential speakers book at least this far ahead. without nailing down the date your speaker(s) are available, it’s impossible to make arrangements for a venue… and if you wait too long, venues will be reserved, leaving you with very limited or unsatisfactory options.

Did YOU attend the 2015 SLC Readers Luncheon? Please reply to this post and mention your personal experience– what you loved about it or what you wish had been different. Feedback is always welcome.

Are YOU planning a Readers Luncheon event? What key elements do you find essential to pass along to others interested in holding a similar event?

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Blog Tour AND Book Review: Too Old For Christmas by Zina Abbott

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A holiday romance set in 1854 Columbia, California
Too Old for Christmas , by Zina Abbott

 

About the Book:
Irishman Sean Flood survived the potato famine, crossing the Atlantic, the Mexican-American War, and wandering the Western wilderness with his mules and freight wagon. But, due to poor diet and deprivation, his teeth did not fare well. It’s November of 1854 in Columbia, California, Queen of the Southern Mines, a city Sean is helping to rebuild after the disastrous fire the previous summer. Intense stabbing tooth pain drives him to see Doc Massey, the local dentist. He first stops by the mercantile to pick up a bottle of whiskey—for medicinal purposes—and food­­­­ he’ll be able to eat when it’s all over. If only the beautiful but aggravating woman ahead of him who keeps her face half hidden and insists she won’t accept charity would finish up with her purchase so he can get his supplies, his tooth pulled and return home to his mules and half-built cabin….
 
That night, Sean meets the woman’s two sons, Jesse and Benjy McNair, and learns her secret. He decides with only three teeth left in his head, he needs widow Ona McNair’s charity—and he’s willing to pay for it. Sean won’t accept nine year-old Jesse’s declaration his family’s poverty means the boy is too old for Christmas that year. Sean is a full-grown man and he’s not too old for Christmas. He not only plans to come bearing gifts to Christmas Eve dinner with the McNairs, but he knows exactly what gift he wants for himself.
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*Sweet Romance
 

Wagon from Columbia State Park

Excerpt #3:


        A puzzled look crossed Jesse’s face. “What kind of name is Flood? It makes me think of that Bible story.”
       “’Tis a good Irish name. Comes from the old Gaelic tuile, meaning flood in English. But, aye, ‘twas a kindness my ma and da didn’t go naming me Noah. Been hearing enough about my name as ‘tis.”
        Then, hoping to get an honest answer by catching the boy off-guard, Sean quickly asked, “How long’s your da been gone?”
        “Since last spring.”
        “Your da got sick, then, did he?”
       “No. He was mining further up the river during the heavy spring run-off. But, he fell in and drowned. At the wake I overheard some of the men say he’d been drinking and got in a fight and that’s why he fell in, but Ma won’t say.”
        “You have a step-da, then?”
        “No. Men come around, but Ma’s picky, which is fine with me. I don’t like most of the ones who’ve showed up, even when they’ve taken a bath and shaved first.”
        Aye, likely she’d be having no use for an almost toothless Irishman with a bristly beard to hide it and a mouth stinking like a rotten bog more often than not, now would she?
        “What’s she picky about?”
        And why be you wanting to know, boyo?

 

 


Too Old for Christmas is now available on pre-order at Amazon. You may purchase it by clicking HERE . It will be available on Nook soon.

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About the Author:

Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels.

Zina Abbott

The author currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She is a member of Women Writing the West, American Night Writers Association, and Modesto Writers Meet Up. She currently lives with her husband in California near the “Gateway to Yosemite.” She enjoys any kind of history including family history. When she is not piecing together novel plots, she pieces together quilt blocks.

 

 Zina Abbott Links:  Website |  Blog   |  Facebook |  Pinterest   |  Goodreads |  Twitter | Zina Abbott Amazon Author Page | Too Old in Columbia Series on Facebook | Too Old in Columbia Series on Pinterest
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Too Old For Christmas by Zina Abbott

Book Review by Kristin Holt

I preordered a copy of Too Old For Christmas (release date: November 18th). I was more than happy to support my peer and friend Robyn Echols (writing as Zina Abbott) in her blog tour for this new release, and asked if I might have the privilege of an Advance Review Copy (ARC). I’m pleased to have the opportunity to read this charming Christmas tale in advance of release so I might share my unbiased and wholly personal opinion with you.

I write sweet western historical romance. That means I might immediately be a tough sell. Truthfully? I read Zina’s blurb with Sean Flood, nearly toothless, and was taken aback. Why write about a hero with only a few teeth?–is that romantic even though historically accurate?

I am so glad I gave this book an honest try. I adored Sean Flood, right quick. This character fully deserves the title of hero. I’ll explain a little of why, without giving away too much of the story.

Sean’s Irish Catholic heritage comes through in strong internal narrative voice that remains consistent throughout the tale (105 print pages, according to Amazon). He’s a busy miner. He barely has time to have a badly infected tooth pulled, much less notice neighbors in trouble.

But he does notice and continues to notice. His compassion earned my complete respect.

It’s a love story (labeled sweet romance by the author), pure, innocent, and without content selective readers would find objectionable. [Note: “jackass” is used once, in context of an animal.]

The way Sean goes about slowly winning their trust (while respecting their pride) was utterly beautiful. Sean and the boys won my heart. I knew less of Ona McNair–only what Sean saw and heard and sensed, so comprehending her motivations had to wait for Sean.

The Spirit of Christmas is about joyful giving without expectations, the simple satisfaction of making a difference, love, family, hope, and charity (in the purest Christian sense). Too Old For Christmas explores it all.  A heartwarming Christmas story that uplifts and enriches.

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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Fact to Fiction, Guest Post by Paty Jager

I’m always on the lookout for premises for my historical western stories, so when I read the book- Oregon Outlaws by Gary and Gloria Meier, a story in the book caught my attention. First because it happened in the county where I grew up, and second it seemed like the perfect type of miracle story that went with Christmas.

Dave Tucker was a young man who grew up in Wallowa Valley, Oregon and made friends with the wrong people. They talked him into helping them rob the First Bank of Joseph. During the get-a-way several, including Tucker (who lost a thumb and finger) were wounded and captured. Only one man with a money bag got away and was never caught.

Tucker pleaded guilty to bank robbery and was sentenced to seven years in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. He served over four years of his sentence working in the prison shops and mail office. Being a model prisoner he was released and returned to Wallowa Valley to face his family and friends and rebuild his life.

Twenty-seven years after his release from prison Dave Tucker became the vice-president of the very bank he’d robbed.

Christmas Redemption by Paty Jager

This story intrigued me so much, I set up a similar situation in my novella, Christmas Redemption. My hero, Van Donovan was younger, fifteen, and rebelling from a strict father. His job was the lookout for the robbery. Only one man was killed, a bystander, and the outlaws got away with the money leaving Van to go to prison. Which is another plot line in the story.

Shanna Hatfield’s 2nd Annual Cowboys & Christmas Blog Tour

Welcome to the 2nd annual


Cowboys and Christmas
Blog Tour!

Raising funds and awareness for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund

Ring in the Holidays with a Helping Hand

November 1 through Dec. 24, 10 percent of the net proceeds from all Shanna Hatfield book sales will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The JCCF is a non-profit organization that assists rodeo athletes who’ve sustained catastrophic injuries and are unable to work for an extended period. Every book purchased during this promotional period adds to the donation total. Don’t forget to add books to your Christmas lists!

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes character-driven romances with relatable heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

Walking with Ghosts

When I decided to write a Victorian Christmas story, I wanted to use a real town from the 1800s. After doing a little research, I settled on Hardman, Oregon.

Located in Eastern Oregon, about twenty miles from present-day Heppner, Hardman is now a ghost town with around two dozen residents.

From that first story, Hardman has become the setting for the Hardman Holidays series.

The other day, one of my beta readers made a comment that stuck with me. She said it made her sad to think about what the town is like today after she read about what a wonderful little community it used to be.

Although the stories are works of fiction and most of the town exists only in my active imagination, the town did boast a skating rink, four churches, a school, and newspaper office in the 1880s.

Stagecoaches and wagon trains traveling north and south through eastern Oregon and Washington found a convenient stopping point there. It was rumored the railroad would go through Hardman in the late 1880s. When it was routed through Heppner instead, it was a devastating blow to the community, effectively stunting future growth of the town. By the 1920s, trucks replaced horses, mail routes changed and Hardman began its decline. The last business in Hardman closed in 1968.

In the Hardman Holidays stories, we visit the town in the 1890s when things were still thriving.

This hill is where the schoolhouse once stood.

I like to think about what buildings stretched up the slight rise to the school. I picture boardwalks and picket fences and houses with gingerbread trim. The sounds of children laughing as they skip into town after school let’s out for the day fill my ears. The sharp scent of wood smoke from the fires in hearths and kitchen stoves blends with the tantalizing aroma of roasting meat and the yeasty fragrance of baking bread.

The Hardman Bank would have a prominent place in town along with the Bruner’s Mercantile, the newspaper office, and Abby Dodd’s dress shop.

Visit Hardman as I see it in my imagination through the holiday series: The Christmas Bargain, The Christmas Token, The Christmas Calamity, and The Christmas Vow.

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New Releases

To kick off the second annual Cowboys and Christmas Blog Tour and the JCCF campaign, two brand new holiday romances will release Nov. 12!

Capturing Christmas is the third installment in the sweet holiday western Rodeo Romance series.

Life is hectic on a good day for rodeo stock contractor Kash Kressley. Between dodging flying hooves and babying cranky bulls, he barely has time to sleep. The last thing Kash needs is the entanglement of a sweet romance, especially with a woman as full of fire and sass as the redheaded photographer he rescues at a rodeo.

Determined to capture the best images possible, rodeo photographer Celia McGraw is fearless and feisty. Not one to back down from a challenge, her biggest risk isn’t in her work. Danger lurks in the way her heart responds to one incredibly handsome stock contractor. Will Kash and Celia capture the spirit of the season?

Pre-order your copy today! http://amzn.to/1FC8ZQj

Get all three books in the Rodeo Romance series!

The Christmas Vow is the fourth book in the Hardman Holidays sweet Victorian romance series.

Columbia River Pilot Adam Guthry returns to his hometown of Hardman, Oregon, after the sudden death of his best friend. Emotions he can’t contain bubble to the surface the moment he sees the girl who shattered his heart eleven years ago.

Widow Tia Devereux escapes her restrictive life in Portland, returning to the home she knew and adored as a girl in Hardman. She and her four-year-old son, Toby, settle into the small Eastern Oregon community, eager for the holiday season. Unfortunately, the only man she’s ever loved shows up, stirring the embers of a long-dead romance into a blazing flame. When her former father-in-law, a corrupt judge, decides he wants to raise Toby, Adam may be the only hope she has of keeping her son.

You can pre-order your copy today for only $2.99! http://amzn.to/1KQHhvI

Don’t miss out on the Hardman Holidays series!

 

You’re Invited to PARTY!

You’re invited to join in the online Cowboys & Christmas Facebook Party, Thursday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (PST). Drop in anytime during those four hours to enter to win great prizes, chat with guest authors, and more (many of the giveaways will stay open until the following morning)!

Here’s the link to the party:

http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasparty2

The talented guest authors joining in the celebration include:

10 a.m. – Carmen Peone

10:30 – Kayla Dawn Thomas

11 a.m. – Melanie D. Snitker, Author

11:30 – Julie Cerniglia Lence

Noon – Author CJ Samuels

12:30 – Rachel Rossano

1 p.m. – Author Kristin Holt

1:30 – Dani Harper

 

Enter to Win Prizes!

To enter the drawing for an Amazon gift card, Wrangler Tote Bag, Rock & Roll Cowgirl T-shirt, autographed books, chocolates, and more fun goodies, fill out this form. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced Nov. 16. http://tinyurl.com/cowboychristmasprizes2

Where to Find The Books

Start the Rodeo Romance Series with The Christmas Cowboy.

Kindle | Amazon

Travel back to a time of grandeur in the old west

with the Hardman Holidays series.

The Christmas Bargain begins the popular series

and is available free for a very limited time!

Kindle | Amazon

Related Post– Book Review: The Christmas Bargain

About Shanna Hatfield

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with characters that seem incredibly real.

When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please), Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

This USA Today bestselling author is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Romance Writers of America, Sweet Romance Reads, and Pioneer Hearts.

Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter

Make sure you sign up for her newsletter to get the latest on new releases and exclusive giveaways!

Newsletter

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Book Review: The Christmas Bargain by Shanna Hatfield

This autumn, I treated myself to a luxurious read: The Christmas Bargain, by USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield.

Sweet Christmas Kisses 2 [with Shanna’s title The Christmas Crusade] debuted (9-29-15) on the USA Today Bestsellers list. Congratulations, Shanna!

The Christmas Bargain is a full-length Victorian-era Holiday Romance, at just under 300 print pages. Shanna’s choices in storytelling provided adequate time for readers to appreciate the characters and their motivations, and to ally themselves with Philamena (Filly) and fall in love with Luke Granger. Both are most deserving characters and I rooted for their happiness from the outset.

Setting: Hardman, Oregon (Eastern Oregon), winter 1893. Hardman is a real-life location that thrived in the 1880’s and 1890’s, but has now dwindled to a ghost town with few current residents. Please return here tomorrow (11-10-15) when I host Shanna Hatfield and she shares even more about her choice of locations for her Hardman Holidays series.

Christmas themes of giving, gratitude, looking beyond oneself, forgiveness, and family play dominant roles in this heartwarming, sweet romance. I felt the joy of Christmas and found myself happily anticipating the coming holiday season while reading. While Christmas does play a role in the novel, it can and should be enjoyed throughout the year.

As an author of sweet western historical romance, I easily recognize Shanna’s strengths and capacities… and am impressed by her ability to switch point of view (POV) every few paragraphs and do so seamlessly, flawlessly, and hence provide multiple viewpoints within each scene. Most importantly– it works. Until I read The Christmas Bargain, I firmly believed in only one POV per scene, no matter what. Shanna’s polish and strength in writing clear, objective POV switches has caused me to rethink my strong opinion. I enjoyed the multi-layer textures of Shanna’s storytelling so much, I found I couldn’t be troubled with the multiple viewpoints (once I settled into her writing style within the first scene or two). Congratulations, Shanna Hatfield, on a beautifully written novel.

For me (and hundreds of reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads), a 5-star read.

Have you read book(s) by Shanna Hatfield? What did you think?

 

Copyright © 2015 Kristin Holt, LC

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