Loni Townsend's Blog, page 37

How to sign with Authorgraph on your phone

Authorgraph is a fun system that allows authors to digitally sign e-books. The recipient doesn’t need to be signed up for any service to receive it either. Since I struggled to find a way to use it for my first book signing event, I figured I would post something helpful that others may be able to use.

First off, avoid the smartphone app. It’s broken. You can access http://www.authorgraph.com straight from the smartphone browser.

Login to Authorgraph and access the navigation window in the top right corner and select Authorgraph Live!

Then you should see a screen with your books.

Select your book. Then you’ll be prompted to where you want to send it to. Fill in the name and email address in the appropriate fields.

If your phone is like mine, it mega-zoomed in when I focused on those fields, so you might need to pinch the screen to get it back to where you can hit the Authorgraph it! button.

Then you choose to sign it!

That will give you a screen letting you customize your message and send your already-on-file signature.

Hit Send Authorgraph and you’re done!

Now it takes a while for it to process, but the recipient eventually gets an email telling them:

Hi Loni,

Your Authorgraph from Loni Townsend for “Thanmir War (Niniers)” is ready!

View your Authorgraph

Regards,

Evan Jacobs, Founder

Authorgraph

Go ahead and click on the link, and you can see what the recipient receives!

Hopefully you found this helpful. Anyone have any other tips?

The post How to sign with Authorgraph on your phone appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

Don’t Forget the Books

Guess what! I have amazing news. This is happening next week:

I’ve mentioned my business partner before, the high-in-demand Christy Hovey. With her incredible skills, we are pulling off an author signing in a wine bar downtown. And the best part? I get to wear a fancy dress—outside of the house! *cough* Okay, so maybe I don’t live that glamorous of a life.

During all of this exciting fiasco, I’d forgotten one very important detail. For a book signing, you kind of need books. So after discussing which account to order the books from, I hopped on CreateSpace and… estimated delivery March 18th, 2014. The day after the signing.

Well, that sucks.

From there, I scrambled to call some local printers. Nope. No can do on such short notice. Dang it! How many books did I have on hand? If I stole my husband’s copy—3. Not enough (being optimistic there).

I sighed and stared at my computer in despair for a time. Well. There was one other option.

It seems weird to me that Amazon will give me 2 day shipping on an order of 10 books, but the earliest CreateSpace can give me is 1 week, and that’s express. Ah well. The books are set to arrive tomorrow. *crosses fingers*

Learn from my experience. Don’t wait.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the Authorgraph app doesn’t work on my phone. I can’t log in. I had hoped to be able to sign e-book copies of Thanmir War while at the signing, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be a possibility unless I take my laptop.

Anyone use Authorgraph at a signing before? Suggestions?

***Update*** Avoid the smartphone app. You can access http://www.authorgraph.com straight from the smartphone browser. I’ve written a helpful article to cover that.

Does anyone have any good tips I should remember for a book signing?

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Featured Photo Friday

Today’s featured photo picture the only type of cats allowed in my house. My husband, though he loves the little kittens, is terribly allergic to cats and usually ends up struggling to breathe when the furballs are around. Not to say he hasn’t tried. He’s adopted two cats since we’ve been together, and had to pass them along to our friends within a day of getting each.

I collect glass bottles. I have shelves and shelves of them (most liquor and most from my sis-in-law). These cats came bearing wine. Riesling in fact.

Do you collect any crazy things?

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IWSG: Pain in the Pants

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

I am a pantser, though I usually have some idea of where I’m headed with regards to my main character.

Book 1: Discovery

Book 2: Consequences

Book 3: Retaliation

Book 4: Recovery

But when it comes down to the details, I usually discover them in the heat of the scene. Not to say I haven’t tried to plan, but all attempts have ended miserably. I don’t enjoy it, and if I don’t enjoy it, why do it?

Well, I’ve run into a bit of a pickle. There are these little things called antagonists that any good fantasy needs in order to do well. Hmmm. I guess I should’ve gotten a better grasp on them, because frankly, they’re running rampant without any direction and keep compounding the freaking story line. Sheesh! I thought I was the one in control here. This isn’t going according to… oh… I guess I didn’t have a plan, did I? Drats.

Have you ever over-complicated things and then had to find a way out of what seems to be an ever-growing pit?

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Featured Photo Friday

Today’s featured photo has a lot of filters. It’d just rained, so I ran back outside to see what I could find. I came away with a wet chain.

The drama filters are fun, but they add a lot of grain. Use a dark drama filter on a building, and it makes it look haunted. Take our state capitol building, for example:

Doesn’t it look creepy?

Since I’m taking photos with my phone, I don’t feel too bad about using filters. But I am curious if professional photographers consider filters as a form of cheating, or if it’s just a bit of CSS on a page icing on a cake. What do you think?

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Dracian Legacy Blog Tour – Excerpt

I met Priya through a mutual critique partner and discovered she lived in my state, in my own city even! Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet a fellow local author. We touched bases and connected beyond the scope of the computer screen.

She has that infectious excitement about her that bubbles to the surface in every conversation.

Today, I bring you an excerpt from her book: Dracian Legacy.

★☆★☆★

Excerpt: Truth or Dare

This was either humiliating or incomprehensibly humiliating.

I should’ve known better. Sitting in a circle with an assortment of horny teenagers never ended on a positive note.

My instincts, which I’d candidly ignored, had told me that much. Yet here I was, in the middle of a staggered circle, secluded among an eager group of waiting teenagers. I looked around, searching the crowd of bodies swaying to the pounding music.

Everyone was having fun. Except me.

I caught a glimpse of Pey straddling Landon, laughing and whispering in his ear. Her eyes twinkled jovially when she caught me staring. I glared back at her. She winked and looked pointedly at the boy sitting in front of me, his hand on my knee, waiting for me to make my decision.

“This is your lucky day, Pernell.” Dean’s voice purred with mischief.

“Give him a big, wet kiss, tongue and all.”

“Shut up, Hunter!” I growled.

“Rules are rules,” Serena said.

I looked up to see her lips twitching in annoyance. Seriously. I was the one that had to kiss him. She could wait a few seconds for her turn to play.

“It’s fate, babe. Just kiss and get it over with,” Pey called.

Fate, my ass. Easy for her to say. She wasn’t about to kiss the douchebag. I was.

I’d naively thought Truth or Dare would be an easy game, that I had control over my emotions. But Dean had found my weakness. I never backed down from a challenge, and he’d easily provoked me into accepting a dare.

“Afraid you might fall madly, irrevocably in love with me?” Dean smirked. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

I scoffed.

I knew this was just a game to him, the conquest of another girl. But to me, it was a gesture of something intimate, something that expressed your heart’s desires. To say I was pissed would be the understatement of the century. I shot angry daggers at him, wishing one of them would hit him square in the eye, blinding him.

“Don’t make me beg, Pernell.”

I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the frustration and pain from being stood up, or maybe it was the amount of alcohol in my system, but either way, I made up my mind:

There was no way I was going to let this self-loving, arrogant, insignificant ass win.

I licked my lips, shoving my nerves aside.

Dean scooted closer. He must have guessed my choice. He cupped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his with force.

I closed my eyes, feeling his warm lips move against mine–slowly, tenderly–exploring the bottom, then the top. He was gentle, and it left me wanting more.

Warmth seeped through me, all the way to my toes, making me light-headed. I’d never been kissed like this. He tenderly nibbled at my bottom lip, tilting my head in a plea to open for him.

I wanted to push him away, reject his advances. Because, deep down, I knew it wasn’t really Dean’s kiss I wanted. I wanted another blue-eyed boy who’d stomped all over my heart.

Axel stood you up! Dean is here and willing. Live a little. For once.

I scooted closer to him, kneeling between his legs, cupping my hands on either side of his face. He pulled me against him, placing his hands at the hem of my cami as he urged for access. He parted my lips and let out a throaty groan, his grip growing firmer, pulling me onto his lap.

Never in a million years did I think I would kiss him back. But I did. My heart beat faster as I deepened the kiss. He moaned. He was no longer gentle, and I was in control.

It felt dangerous. My insides ignited, leaving my body ablaze. His greediness woke something deep within me. His hands, my hands–they had no boundaries.

He gripped my waist tighter, making me quiver under his possessive touch. His lips curved against mine. I threw my arms around him, my fingers vigorously working through his hair. I tilted my face to give him better access to my mouth.

Nothing was enough. I could feel something inside me wanting to get closer to him. Pulling and tying us together. I didn’t understand. I couldn’t. It didn’t make sense.

He growled, biting and nipping at my lip, and blood rushed to my ears. I heard someone whistle and hoot from far away. I didn’t care. I wanted him. I craved his touch, his kiss. I wanted everything from him, and it scared the hell out of me.

After a few more dazed seconds, I pulled back, confused. Our foreheads touched as we struggled to breathe, my chest flush against his, my eyes still closed. My head swam with incoherent thoughts. I wanted to kiss him again, so I leaned toward him, biting my lip. He met me for a feather-light kiss.

“I missed you,” he whispered against my mouth. My heart skipped a beat. “Tell me you did, too.” His voice was hoarse, deep.

Shocked, I opened my eyes. The whispers around us were growing louder. We’d just provided a full month’s worth of gossip.

★☆★☆★

Priya lives in the beautiful city of Boise, ID as a full-time working mom and part-time YA Novel Author. For the past 7+ years she has worked in multiple fortune 500 companies and has recently found the passion to read and write. The Dracian Legacy is her first YA paranormal romance series. She strongly believes that true love conquers all and that’s a common theme you’ll find within her novels.

You can find her online at: Blog – Facebook – Pinterest – Twitter

★☆★☆★

What did you think? Are you going to go check out Priya’s book?

The post Dracian Legacy Blog Tour – Excerpt appeared first on Squirrel Talk.

Featured Photo Friday

Today’s featured photo is one of my favorites so far.

To me, it’s optimistic and uplifting. What do you think?

I have a tendency to photograph flowers. My husband gave me 10 dozen roses for Valentine’s day, leaving me with a large amount of material to work with. I debated if I wanted to feature all of them as a gallery post, or just upload them to Flickr. I opted to go the Flickr route, but I do have a widget which shows my gallery on my site. You can find it in the navigation bar, or just click here if you’d like.

Are you a flower person?

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Ah, whoops…

The cold medication has fogged my brain. I seem to have forgotten it’s Wednesday and that I was supposed to have something interesting for everyone to read. *blinks groggily at screen*

With the combination of no sleep and a cold that has been plaguing my family for three weeks now, I really don’t have much to say.

So instead, I’m borrowing (stealing?) content from other people!

Aldrea Alien is giving away copies of her book, Dark One’s Mistress, for her birthday!

Vidyasury has a blogfest signup for the A to Z Theme Reveal Blogfest.

Oh yeah, I’m participating in the A to Z Challenge in April. Sign up!

I have won, and am currently reading Tallas by Cathrina Constantine. I also won her Rafflecopter giveaway!

I hope you all have an awesome day! I’m going to back to bed now…

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Featured Photo Friday

Today’s featured photo is in honor of my favorite holiday. Valentine’s Day!

I have a number of romantic photos I considered for today, but this one seemed most appropriate. Though romance is one aspect of love (a big one!), I wanted to have a more universal feel. Love for family. Love for friends. Love for strangers who I may never meet.

So here is my wish for love to you. May you get a warm-fuzzy feeling in your gut sometime today.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Do you have any Valentine’s day plans?

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Let Me See Your Face

Do you know someone who is bad with names but good with faces? Or maybe you’re one of those people?

If the answer is “No” on both accounts, well, let me introduce myself. My name is Loni. I remember faces, not names.

Google is amazing. They have connected so many different services, your profile (and its picture) is available through several venues without any effort on your part. The result is you have a nice little picture when you comment on a Blogger blog.

But what if you’re not commenting on a Blogger blog? What if it’s WordPress? Or Typepad? Depending on the platform and settings, your avatar may vary. It might be a fractal design, or it might be something else.

There is a service called Gravatar that is designed to help out. The Globally Recognized Avatar identifies your email address and populates the generic avatar with your image of choice. Now people like me, who recognize faces and not names, can have that extra little helper to build relationships and connections online. And isn’t that what we all want? To connect?

I hope I see your face around here more often!

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