Authors Around the World K!ndle F!re Bl0g H0p

Hi. I am happy to be hosting the Authors Around the World Kindle Fire Blog Hop with J.L. Campbell. There are so many great authors, books and locations to discover, as well as prizes to be won, so hop around. If you collect all the various locations featured, you can enter them into the rafflecopter for an extra 25 entry points to win your very own Kindle Fire. And there are only 16 blogs, so it shouldn't be too overwhelming. I am also giving away 3 Kings & Queens eBooks and one $10 giftcard to the store of your choice. Enter to win!

For this Hop, I am happy to be highlighting, young adult author, Linda Ullesit. I've been eying her book for a while now because I love horses, and what's not to love about flying horses? That's even better! And I'm not sure what happened to Suzanne. She hasn't been on her blog, FB page or Twitter since the 25th or responded to my emails, so I'm going to post J.L. Campbell's interview too. I hope she's okay and just on vacation or something.

Anyway, without further ado, here's Linda.

What title are you highlighting in this blog hop?

On a Wing and a Dare

Synopsis:

When tradition and parental disapproval threaten the very existence of the flying horses of medieval Wales, three teenage friends must fight to discover a way to save the mystical creatures and break free of their parents’ reins. Sixteen-year-old Emma longs to become the rider of a winged colt born in the barn of her father’s biggest rival. She also dreams of the rival’s sons, not sure which she loves: Evan, the exciting but insensitive one, or Davyd, the dependable one. Risking public humiliation and his family’s disappointment, Davyd must accept his fear of heights and plan an alternate future that does not include becoming a rider. When the horses begin to die, Evan discovers a way to save them, but his position as a junior rider hinders acceptance of his idea. The teenagers must put aside their self-doubts and work together to execute Evan’s plan before all the winged horses in the world are gone forever.

Who are your main characters?
Emma, 16, and brothers Davyd, 16, and Evan, 18

Who is your favorite character and why?
I actually like all three characters for different reasons. My favorite, though, is Davyd. He goes through the most inner turmoil before learning who he is and finding the courage to act on it.

Share one quirky trait in one of your characters.
Davyd has a habit of running his hand through his curly hair when he's worried or stressed out.

What was your biggest challenge writing this book?
The hardest part was keeping track of all the themes and threads I was weaving and making sure that everything came together at the end.

Spill a secret, mystery or hidden thing in your book:
One theme of the book is that you need to balance your dreams, your responsibilities, your outside influences. Flowers symbolize the earth, or the practical. In the beginning of the book, Emma doesn't even notice as she walks over the flowers. Emma is all about the air, her dreams. In the middle, Davyd the practical one teaches Emma the names of some of the flowers. At the end, during a special event, Emma wears a wreath of flowers and can name all of them and appreciate their beauty.

Where do you live?

I live in San Jose, California

What's a cool, unknown spot?

Near my house is a neighborhood shopping center with an independent coffe shop called Evergreen Coffee Company. I can sit on its patio year round and see the center's fountain and palm trees. Behind that are the rolling hills that border San Jose to the east. They are grassy, green in the spring and brown in the summer, and dotted with oak trees. A beautiful spot to visit with friends, read, or write.

Tell us a little about an interesting landmark in your country.
You'll probably have a lot of people from the United States, so I'll focus on the west coast. I live about an hour south of San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge is one of its most amazing landmarks. It's a beautiful suspension bridge, quite an engineering marvel when it opened in 1937. Workers are continually painting the bridge bright orange, officially called International Orange.

What's a little known fact about where you live?

The original location of Evergreen Elementary School, where both my sons went to school and where I taught for ten years, opened in 1860. Walt Whitman taught there for a year while he attended San Jose State University.

Name two famous people who’ve been sighted in your corner of the world.

My son was a lifeguard at Raging Waters a few years ago when actor David Spade visited the park. His bodyguard climbed the steps with him, but only David went down the water slides. We have a country club nearby where some of the players for the Forty Niners live. Ex-Niner Bubba Paris has been active coming to schools for assemblies to raise money for programs.

What is the one thing tourists must do?

Tourists to San Jose should see the Winchester Mystery House, built by Sara Winchester, heir to the rifle fortune. They should also visit Raging Waters.

What's your favorite restaurant and what type of food do they serve?

There's a Pasta Pomodoro located near my house where my husband and I eat almost every Friday night. They serve tasty Italian food.

What are you giving away on your blog?

I'm giving away a button with my flying horse logo.

Who is the author you are highlighting on your blog?
Patricia Lynne

Where can readers connect with you?

I'm on Facebook as Flying Horse Books.

I'm on Twitter and Goodreads and Shelfari.

My book review blog is: http://ulleseit.wordpress.com

My novel site is: http://flyinghorsebooks.wordpress.com

Thanks, Linda.

And here are some words from J.L. Campbell, author of Distraction.

Author:

J.L. Campbell

What title are you highlighting in this blog hop?

Distraction

Synopsis:

Three Jamaican women walk a tightrope of decisions when their lives are derailed by blackmail, deceit and infidelity. JUSTINE CHARLES, sensible and self-contained, battles an addiction which could destroy her marriage, reputation, and relationship with her daughter. DIONNE JONES, an aggressive go-getter, takes risks that cut a trail of devastation through her family and business. KYRA MILLS, struggling single mother, is crippled by debt, bad judgment and destructive choices. Can two of the long-time friends survive startling revelations involving their partners? And will the other push her obsession to the point of danger?

Who is your favorite character and why?

That would be Justine, because she is the most conflicted. She keeps doing the wrong thing, but like many of us, can’t help the road she’s travelling.

What was your biggest challenge writing this book?

At the outset, I didn’t realize how tricky it would be to write a book from the perspective of three women. Personalities, hobbies, likes and dislikes had to be distinct, however, the most demanding part was getting the timelines absolutely correct. I also had to ensure that the story flowed properly since Justine’s plotline goes back and forth in time.

Where do you live? Jamaica

Tell us a little about an interesting landmark in your country.

Redemption Song is located in the Emancipation Park in Kingston. It’s an 11 foot high bronze statue that attracts a lot of attention. It comprises two nude statues (male and female) gazing skyward and is supposed to represent freedom from slavery. There’s a fountain at the base of the statues.

What’s amazing is the magnitude of work that went into creating the statues. A model was created in a month and then five months were spent carving the models from styofoam—69 pieces in all. The pieces were then cast in bronze and rejoined. Though hollow, male and female weigh 2,000 and 1,300 pounds respectively. The artist, Laura Facey, has said she was inspired by words from both Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley.

What’s the most well known city in your country and why?

Montego Bay, because it’s the tourism capital of the island.

What's a little known fact about where you live?

Jamaica has been through many name changes since the time Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the Tainos (Indians). The island was referred to as Jamaica as early as 1511, as well as being called Jamica, Jamaiqua, Jamaiaua, Jamaqua, Jamaicha, Xamaica. The name has also been written as Gemecoe and Gemego, Jamico, Jammaca, Jamajaco and Jamecah.

What are you giving away on your blog?

A ten dollar Amazon gift card for anyone who stops by and comments while the hop is on.

Who is the author you are highlighting on your blog?

Jordyn Meryl

Where can readers connect with you?

Website

J.L. Campbell on Facebook

J.L. Campbell on Twitter

J.L. Campbell on Amazon

Photo source is here http://www.emancipationpark.org.jm

J.L. Campbell is a proud Jamaican and the author of Contraband, Distraction, Dissolution, Don’t Get Mad…Get Even, and Hardware (pen name Jayda McTyson). Campbell is always on the lookout for story making material, loves company and can usually be found lollygagging on her blog at http://thecharacterdepot. blogspot.com

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Author Interview: Apryl Baker of The Promise (The Coven)

Hi. I'm happy to have Apryl Baker on my blog today for an interview. She is the author of The Promise ( The Coven) and a new book, The Awakening. Today we're going to be talking her debut novel, The Promise.

SYNOPSIS

Cassie Jayne Bishop grew up in the sleepy town of New Salem, NC, the only non-believer in the tradition and power of the town Coven. When a stranger comes to New Salem, everything she thought was normal about her life unravels around her. Ethan makes her question everything, even her sister’s death in a car crash years ago. As Cassie discovers the full truth about her heritage, and the clues start to pile up, she becomes determined to find out if the Coven was actually involved in her sister's death. What she uncovers terrifies her.

Her fate lies at the very heart of the secret the Coven protects. It’s the reason she was born. Now, betrayed on every side, can she find a way to survive or will she be the catalyst that triggers a centuries old act of vengeance.

What inspired you to write The Promise, where did the idea come from?

I was driving home from work late one fall afternoon and listening to Theory of A Dead Man’s Not Meant To Be. I passed a little community called New Salem and as the name registered with me, I got this flash of a girl sitting beside a grave. She was all alone and very sad. I kept thinking to myself, why is she there? What is she doing? I couldn’t shake the image so when I got home, I wrote it down on a Post-It Note and stuck it to the wall beside my computer. Over the next few days, I kept getting ideas and before I knew it, I had the rough outline of a story on a wall of pink, orange and yellow stickies. I call it my Post-It Note idea.

Tell me about your main character? What is she like at the core?

Cassie Jayne Bishop is my main character. She grew up in town full of witches as the only non-believer. She is spunky, full of life, and not one of those heroines who sit around and wait to be saved. She saves herself. She is shoe-a-holic and loyal to her very core to the people she loves.

What is the best and worst thing about her?

The best thing about Cassie is her loyalty, her willingness to help her friends and family. The worst thing about her is that she is loyal. So much so that she was blinded by the people who are supposed to love her.

What’s your creative process like? Outliner or pantser? How and why does it work for you?

I get crazy insane ideas and just go from there. I typically don’t outline anything. I have an idea and I go with it for the most part. The Promise was an exception to my non-outlining theory. It was just a bunch of ideas that seemed to form an outline. I firmly believe in just sitting down and start writing. You’d be amazed at what you can do. I have chronic insomnia and I do most of my writing between 3 and 5 am. I do my best writing at that time of night. I’m not really sure why it works for me honestly. I just wake up with some sort of idea and just start writing.

Do you have any go-to releases when you’re suffering from writer’s block or a sticky/muddy plot?

I read. I pick something that is so far off kilter from what I’m writing it’s a complete 360. I get lost in someone else’s hard work for a little while and doing that seems to help more than anything else. I listen to a lot of music too. It always gets me thinking of plot lines.

Where do you prefer to write?

In my bed propped up on my pillows with the laptop in my lap.

Do you like to share your work as your writing it or do you hold it to your chest until it's finished and edited at least once over?

I share. I use an online writing group, The Next Big Writer. I would be nowhere today if not for the people on that site. They took a mediocre idea and whipped into something that I am proud of. Those folks on that site are my best advocates and my worst nightmares sometimes.

What has worked in your marketing plan and what has flopped?

Twitter and Goodreads are HUGE assets to me. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog tour either. They are instrumental in getting word out about your books. Advertising in newspapers flopped. Unless you know someone and they can get you a spotlight, it’s a waste of time and money.

What genres do you enjoy reading?

I read just about anything I can get my hands on, but my favorite genre are the old noir mysteries and paranormal romances. I am a HUGE fan of anything paranormal and straight up horror novels. I couldn’t get by without Stephen King, Jim Butcher, Lynsay Sands, Kim Harrison, and Johanna Lyndsay.

What totally kills a story in your mind as a reader?

Wordiness. I tend to skim if the author lapses into long drawn out nonsense. Stephen King does this sometimes, but I grew up with his books, so I tend to look over it in his case.

What do you like to do for fun or during your spare time?

What spare time? LOL! I typically cook. I love, love, love to cook. The kitchen was the room in our house growing up where everyone congregated and everything that happened, happened while learning to cook with my Mom and my Granny. When I cook, I think of them.

Do you have any idiosyncrasies, super powers or other talents?

I can sniff out a sale if that counts….lol.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Not calling me back if I leave you a message and ask you to call me back. I don’t do it unless it's important as I am NOT a phone person.

Do you geek out or go wild for anything? And if so, what?

Um…I am Treky. I love Star Trek! Yes, I’ve even been to the conventions and worn a costume.

Do you have any guilty pleasures, especially juicy ones that make you bow your head in shame?

Please see above….

Got any other books in the pipeline?

I am working on two more series. The first is Bloodlines and the second is called The Ghost Files. The Awakening, book one of Bloodlines, I just self-published and it is available now, and I think that the first book in The Ghost Files series is one I am going to seek an agent for.

What's your plan for your upcoming titles?

I am currently working on Book 2 of The Coven Series, The Oath. I should have it done and hopefully will start to market it about 3 months before it releases.

Thanks for stopping by, Apryl.

BUY THE PROMISE NOW!

You can connect with her at:

Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog - My Crazy Corner

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

Kindle INDIEpendence Highlight: Pointe of No Return by Amanda Brice

Book title: Pointe of No Return

Author: Amanda Brice

Blurb: Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak’s visions of sugar plums are dashed when she’s assigned to understudy her nemesis, Hadley Taylor, in the Nutcracker. Pretty, popular, and rich, that girl has all the luck. Or so she thought.

When Hadley mysteriously disappears with opening night just around the corner, Dani can’t sit idly by, even if it means losing the part. Now she’s running all over Phoenix in a race against the clock. From reality TV trophy wives to sleazy real estate developers to a possible drug ring, the cast of suspects begins to add up. Will she find Hadley before the curtain rises? Buy it Now!

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I had a little littlebook and purple pen that I carried around with me everywhere the summer I was 7. I was writing an epic about orphans living on the prairie. It took all summer. It was all of about 30 pages. 30 teeny-tiny pages.

Why do you Indie publish?

Despite wonderful editorial feedback when my old agent shopped the first book in my series (Codename: Dancer), nobody knew were to place it. It was too old for middle grade, but a bit on the sweet side for YA. And that was entirely intentional on my part. So I decided to take the plunge and am very glad I did.

What inspired you to write your book?

I danced competitively and on the pre-professional level as a teenager and in college, and always wished there were books about dancers written for teens. (There were tons for little girls.) And I love cozy mysteries, so a series about dance students who solve mysteries seemed like a natural fit.

What are three things you want people to know about you?

1. I'm a total Olympics junkie, and actually worked for the International Olympics Committee during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Best.Summer.Job.Ever.
2. I once swing danced with then-Vice President Al Gore.
3. I come off all organized, but it's a total sham. Don't look in my closets or under my bed at home.

What advice do you have for parents to encourage their kids to read more?

Introduce them to a wide variety of books. If the subject matter interests them, they'll find it fun.

Thanks, Amanda!

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

Black Satin Tour: Guest Post, Review, G!ve@way

Black Satin by Rae Hachton
SupaGurl Tour June 1-30

Hi. I'm happy to have Rae Hachton on my blog for her Black Satin tour with lovely host, Heather at SupaGurl Blog Tours. Be sure to enter the giveaway below, and visit the other stops on the tour. The schedule can be found here.

Black Satin (Pretty in Black #2)
by Rae Hachton
Published May 28, 2012 by Teen Pulse

Synopsis:

What if you weren’t who you thought you were? What if your whole life changed in an instant and you were released to a new identity? What if you were forced to kill the one you love? What if everything you knew wasn’t real, and you awaken to a new world? What if love could take you to unknown places? How beautiful is death really? Marcus Marble has disappeared from Ellie’s life, and she needs answers to questions and he’s the only one who can answer them. How is her sister back from the dead, and why is Ellie still alive?

When Ellie realizes Marcus isn’t coming back, she is forced to move on with her life the best way she can, in hopes of finding the answers herself, but when people at school begin to be viciously murdered, and Giles reveals to her a life changing secret, she decides to investigate the possible truth of it. What she discovers is more than she thought she would. The only time Ellie feels normal is when she’s around Walter, the new guy at school. And normal is how she wants to feel, now that Marcus is gone from her life. But Walter may not be all that he seems, either, and she just might spiral in to an even more dark world, she never thought possible. And when it occurs to her that Marcus has made the decision to pass on through to the afterlife, during the Risorgimento, she races against time to stop him, while knowing she has feelings for Walter, too. Will she make it in time to stop Marcus from passing through, and if she does, what will she tell Walter? Her heart will have to make the final decision. But will the choice be worth dying for?

Rae Hachton’s Top 10 Black Things:

1. Pretty in Black—One of my favorite Raveonettes Albums [Where I obtained the name for my series!]
2. Black Satin—One of my favorite songs by the Raveonettes
3. Jacob Black—Guy who should have been with Bella from Twilight
4. Men in Black—One of my most enjoyed movies as a child
5. Paint it Black—I LOVE this song!
6. Black Ice—The Name of my Car air freshener
7. Black Friday—I LOVE getting deals on my favorite items!
8. Black Ops, anyone?
9. Experiment in Black—Another fabulous Raveonettes song!
10. Black Wave—Did I ever mention how many Raveonettes Songs have the word Black in them??

Bonus: This Lyric from Sleepwalking by The Raveonettes:

"Think you look good today
Pretty in black you got it down
I can't hold my breath so long
When you pass me by without a sound
You got something more to give
To girls who never thought they'd love
Love"

My Review:

I enjoyed both Pretty in Black and Black Satin, but liked this one slightly more, despite the absence of Marcus. It just had more intensity and conflict and the ending is stunning.

I really love the character Marcus and wish he’d had a bigger presence in Black Satin. He’s almost absent in the book. I got really drawn into his POV in the beginning. What I love about this series is it has the familiar and well-worn construct of hunter in love with hunted and visa versa, but it still maintains a freshness because of the world building. The writing is overall very beautiful. And I like that Rae made the creatures in the book her own, adding her own twist to the myth. The addition of Walter in this book was great too. I liked that Ellie had complex feelings for him and it wasn’t so cut and dry.

My only issue is that each book lacks an arch. Although there are confrontations and fights at the end of each, I wouldn’t exactly call them climaxes. There’s no pivotal point that either story was really building towards. I enjoyed the mythology and depth, just wish there had been a tad more structure.

MY RATING

Giveaway:

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About the Author:

Rae Hachton [pronounced H-ton] is the nom de plume of author Desirae Hennington. She is the Indie Author of the Gothic Romance series Pretty in Black. She is twenty-three years old and lives with her Muse and her Ghost. When she is not composing new novels, she is working on her cinematography studies, and devouring YA books. Her favorite band is The Raveonettes, and she is a major fan of Edgar Allan Poe and Ravens and Crows. Although she is writing Gothic Fiction at the moment, her favorite genre of all time is Contemporary YA. Favorite contemporary book: tie between Forever by Judy Blume and the Summer I turned Pretty series by Jenny Han. Favorite author: David Levithan. If Rae Hachton wasn't writing, she'd give it one last shot at being kewl, and probably start a band.

Amazon
B&N
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

Guest Post: How My Publishing Deal Found Me…

Please welcome my guest blogger, K.L. Brady, author of The Bum Magnet. I asked her to share her story, since she has such a cool one.

K. L. Brady is a D.C. native but spent a number of her formative years in the Ohio Valley. She’s an alumnus of the University of the District of Columbia and University of Maryland University College, earning a B.A. in Economics and M.B.A., respectively. She works as an analyst for a major government contracting firm and is an active real estate agent with Exit Realty by day—and writes by night (often into the wee hours of the morning). She lives just outside of D.C. in Cheltenham, Maryland, with her son, William, and two pet Betta fish, Spongebob and Jerry, and lives to eat chocolate, shop, read, and write.

How My Publishing Deal Found Me…

Some say luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I probably wouldn’t consider myself “lucky” any other way.

A few short months ago I was offered a two-book deal with Simon and Schuster on the first novel I ever wrote. Authors go years and years waiting for the fortuitous “break” to happen—sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. So, I’m often asked what was the secret ingredient? Karla, how you did get an editor to notice your novel? The easy answer is, “I dunno!”
The complex answer is I prepared like hell for opportunity, and when it came, I was ready.

For those who may not be aware, I self-published my debut novel, The Bum Magnet officially in October 2009, after fruitlessly trying to find literary representation. By February 2010, an executive editor at a publishing house had expressed interest in my book. A month later, I had an agent, and within another month I had a deal.

So, how did I prepare?

1. I wrote a pretty good book. It’s commercial which, in short, means the editors think it has the potential to sell a lot of copies. In all the letters I received back from editors, rejections or expressing interest, nearly every single one said they are looking for good commercial fiction and asked my agent to send it the moment he got his hands on it.

2. I also workshopped it and had it proofread and edited pretty well. Not perfectly mind you, but pretty well. I quite frankly could not afford to get the line edit from a former editor at a publishing house like I really wanted to do. So, I opted for the cheaper manuscript review in which she read the entire manuscript and gave me tips on plot, structure, pacing, etc. The suggestions she made were VERY minor, she was surprised that it required so little—but this was after it had been workshopped on TheNextBigWriter.com.

3. I designed the book so that it looked professional, that includes ensuring that it had a catchy book cover. Feedback has been about 70-30 in favor of the design. Can’t please everyone…but you can try to please as many as you can.


4. I designed and implemented a comprehensive marketing strategy. The ebook versions on Kindle and Smashwords were as much a part of my marketing strategy as they were a part of my sales strategy. I sold them for 99 cents and got them into A LOT of hands. My Amazon rankings shot up high and remained there for a long time. My priority was getting my work out there, not profit.

I promoted my book like CRAZY. Every single day, I did at least 3 to 5 marketing activities. Posted it anywhere they would allow you to post a book. Promoted everywhere I could, including on the Amazon Discussion Boards which is where I think I had the most success. I also marketed heavily to book clubs.

5. Got it reviewed. I sent it out to book blogs, book clubs, and review sites and requested reviews. Among the most helpful were the book clubs and the Midwest Book Review, at least I believe that’s where I got some attention.

Along came Luck…

Fast forward to sometime in early February 2010. To this day, I don't know how she found me, but the editor from Kensington sent me an email and said that she was interested in talking about my book. Needless to say, I was over the moon. We spoke the next day for about 45 minutes or so.

The details are foggy now. I just thought it was surreal to be talking to her. She has a number of African-American NY Times Bestsellers on her list (Carl Weber, Mary B. Morrison, Mary Monroe). I knew exactly who she was and I knew the publisher well. As a matter of fact, I had sent a partial in mid 2009 but never heard from her. (For those of you not aware, you can query Kensington editors directly. You don't need an agent.)

So, she asked me about how I got into writing, how I went about publishing my book, what kind of marketing plan I’d put together, etc. In one of the funnier moments in the conversation, she asked me if I'd queried any agents or editors. I said, "Well, as a matter of fact I sent my partial to you."

She got quiet and I heard her fish around her desk. She had my query sitting in an envelope right in her overhead. Ha! How's that for coincidence? Of course, she was mortified. I told her not to feel bad. I truly believe that things happen for a reason. There was a reason that she didn't read it back then. So, she suggested she'd be making me an offer. She asked me for a copy of my manuscript and to see my two works in progress. So, I sent them to her.

I was advised to get an agent and sent a note to the editor asking if she minded. She said no. As a matter of fact, she referred an agent to me.
At that point, I knew she was serious.

I queried a few agents, including the one she recommended for me. I went on Publisher's lunch and found agents who worked with author in similar genres. I wanted someone with experience in selling African American (AA) fiction. Within a few days I had a few that were very interested. I ended up picking the agent who represented two female best-selling AA authors who write in different genres than mine. He had great credentials (a former editor for big houses) and he knew how to sell AA fiction. I couldn't go wrong.

He asked me to make a few edits to the manuscript. Admittedly, I was reticent only because my book was already out there. But it came down to the fact that, even though I'd sold a couple thousand copies (ebook and paperback), I hadn't sold enough to the point where changes to the manuscript would impact millions of readers.

So, I got over myself and my few measly sales and I made the changes he suggested. He sent it out wide—meaning submitted to all the major editors at the major publishing houses that he thought would be interested. He submitted it just as he would an unpublished manuscript but in the accompanying letter, we let them know that it had been self published, received great reviews, was building word of mouth, yadda yadda yadda.

So, two weeks go by and the rejections start rolling in. After about 4 or 5 I asked if I should get depressed and he said we had a long way to go. Finally, an editor from S&S said she liked it and was passing it around. The original editor who expressed interest from Kensington was still interested and waiting on her boss to return from vacation. Then another editor from Grand Central (Hachette) expressed interest. After all the offers and counteroffers, we finally accepted the one with Pocket.

That's pretty much the story.

To answer some of the questions I received, no one ever asked about my sales numbers until after the offers were made. I did not query anyone after I published the book. I queried before I published but not after. So, I can't really say whether trying to query an agent or publisher after you've self-published will work for you. I didn't have to query.

How do I think she found me? Well, my book had been reviewed on several sites where her authors book were also reviewed. Mine was one of the few self-published books to get a 5-star rating, "favorite," or "top read" status. My book also stayed in the Top 100 African American fiction list on Amazon. I went through the list at the time, and I was the only book on the list that didn't have a publisher. I'd also been reaching out to book clubs and stuff like that. So, there are a lot of ways she could've found out.

I was also asked why if an author, such as myself, was doing well in distributing my book and getting good reviews, why would I relinquish control and sell my rights to a publisher?

Without a whole lot of work, there is no way I could reach the audience that S&S or another major publisher could reach. It was not about the advance for me. It was about the opportunity this deal offered to build my author brand and I plan to take advantage of every perk the brand and affiliation with a house comes with to market and sell more books. As a new/first-time novelist, I also wanted the chance to work with an editor so that I can improve my craft.

So, the long and short of this story is, I didn’t really find this deal, it found me. Your deal is waiting to find you too, and it all starts with writing a good book. When opportunity knocks, just make sure you’re ready!

Thanks, K.L, for sharing your story and what worked for you. Check out the synopsis and trailer for The Bum Magnet.

SYNOPSIS:

Real estate agent Charisse Tyson seems to have it all-a great job, a dream car, and a McMansion in high-and-mightyville. Everything in her life is just right...except the Mister. While lamenting the break-up with her most recent "the one" during a holiday meltdown, Charisse realizes she has a type when it comes to men—players, players, and more players. A magazine article motivates her to swear off men and examine the complex roots of her romantic fiascos.

Just five simple steps to turn her life to the stuff of legends, right? Life is never that easy... Charisse commences her do-it-yourself therapy project and barely cracks open her emotional toolbox when she encounters the monkey wrenches: an irresistible new beau, two persistent ex-flames, and an FBI agent with life-altering secrets threatening to turn her world upside-down. A tug of war ensues and Charisse is dead center, trying her best to distinguish the Don Juans from the Romeos. As her love life is propelled into unpredictable twists not even she could imagine, will a twenty-seven-year-old secret keep Charisse from finding the right “one”? Laugh loud and often as Charisse discovers whether her choices in men reflect more than a penchant for good looks, great sex, and bad judgment.

TRAILER:



Thanks so much, K.L. Very informative post. I especially enjoyed the marketing aspect, which included things I hadn't thought of.


Swing by K.L. Brady's blog and website if you'd like to connect or learn more about her upcoming novels.

~ CV

Guest Post: Tirzah Goodwin

Back That UP!!!

Please welcome my guest Tirzah Goodwin.

Ah, you write the last sentence of the final paragraph of your 200,000-word epic American Novel and you hit save. You’re exhausted, you’re elated. You’re just a little bit smug. I’m sure you’ve hit Twitter to brag to all your writing frenemies out there in the web world.

Then, the next morning you push your computer’s little ‘Go’ button and the screen remains mysteriously black. Mmm, that doesn’t look good. You check all the cords and it’s plugged in. You hit the button again, several times. Because repeatedly hitting it always works…lol. Still, just a black screen.

Now, your heart is pounding, little droplets of sweat start to stream down the crack of your ass (the sign of real desperation).

You call all your friends, a couple of enemies, and even your sister’s idiot husband who thinks he’s good with computers. Nothing works.

Nearly hysterical by this point, you get in the car in pajamas and flip-flops and drive to the nearest computer fix-it shop. You hold your broken laptop out to the 12-year old with the name tag and blubber, “ahbubhabib broken, boghsdiguy novel”, which he understands as ‘My computer is broken, please retrieve my novel.’

Only three hundred dollars later you know your laptop is dead forever. The boney kid swilling AMP at nine in the morning manages to save a couple of files. You have the draft of six chapters, about twenty-thousand words.

You literally lie down on the sidewalk and wait to die. God is not merciful.

Eventually, the police make you get up. Authority figures rarely understand the pain of losing your writing. And it’s best to go the heck home to start all over on your novel or to throw yourself on the bed and scream. Whatever works for you.

If you’re in an apartment, I suggest you scream with your head buried in your hypo-allergenic pillow. Neighbors don’t understand creative pain either.

Next, you’ll twitter all your friends about your bad luck. Several of them have the nerve to snicker a bit at your expense.

Don’t let this be you!

How can you avoid the humiliation?

First, back up your writing in multiple places. At the very least, set up a free yahoo or g-mail account and email each chapter to yourself. This way it’s waiting in a third party email account that you can access from anywhere.

Second, put it on a flash drive. Then put your flash drive where children can’t flush it down the toilet. Don’t trust the dog around it either. My male dog did something unspeakable to my flash drive that I can’t even repeat here for fear the porn police will arrest me.

Third, put it on an old-fashion disc. There’s a reason we used those things all these years.

Fourth, sign up for a third party writing site that allows you to load your writing but not display it. I use a couple of these sites to ‘store’ my writing for emergencies.

And the last thing to remember is not to dwell on what’s lost. It’s gone. Have a good cry, a beer, or kick a stuffed teddybear but get over it. Either re-write it or write something new.

And back your writing up!

But if you forget and erase something, remember to tell everyone how great it was. After all, they can’t prove otherwise, now can they?

Good Writing!

~ Tirzah

Guest Blogger: K.M. Weiland

Please welcome my guest blogger, K.M. Weiland, on her blog tour as she celebrates the release of her novel, Behold the Dawn.

About the Author: K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of A Man Called Outlaw and the recently released Behold the Dawn.
She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors and AuthorCulture.

Synopsis: Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.

Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn’t even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago.

The sins of a bishop.
The vengeance of a monk.
The secrets of a knight.

Top 10 Lessons From a Completed Novel

Behold the Dawn, my second historical novel (this one set in during
the Third Crusade in the Middle Ages) was released earlier this month. As I catch my breath from all my happy dancing and sighs of relief, I’m able to look back at some of the lessons I’ve learned over the course of two published novels and share them with you:

1. Finishing is the single most important factor in writing anything. If you have any intention of succeeding in this writing game, you have to be prepared to apply plenty of bum glue. A novel that’s never finished will never be read by anyone.

2. Don’t skimp on the planning/researching stages. Recording ideas, charting outlines (however lightweight or in-depth), and researching in the early phases of writing saves so much work in the long run. This is a lesson I learned the hard way.

3. Messy first drafts are okay; that’s what revision is for. Don’t fuss too much over plot holes and sloppy writing in the first draft. You can always go back and fix mistakes later, once you have a completed draft under your belt.

4. The story needs to dictate the word count, not the word count the story. While you’re writing, let the story flow as organically as possible. Most stories have a way of finding their own perfect rhythm and length. You can work on trimming or padding the word count later.

5. Don’t worry if the story becomes something unexpected. Few stories end up looking like we think they will. They all have a way of evolving as we write them—and that’s almost always a good thing.

6. Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings. When it comes time to revise, be merciless. Look extra hard at your favorite scenes, characters, and lines; if any one of them is less than perfect, they’ll have to go, no matter how much you love them.

7. Objective beta readers are vital. Writers will never obtain complete objectivity about their work. It’s important to find two or three trusted, experienced readers who can go over your early drafts and point out your blind spots.

8. Let the novel sit for a while after completion. I find that I can never really see a completed project clearly unless I throw it into the back of the closet and ignore it for at least a couple months. Start work on a new project and forget all about the first one, until you’ve had time to gain some objective distance.

9. Don’t hoard your work. When we pour our heart and soul into a story, it’s often a bit difficult to hand it over to the judgment of strangers. But a book that is never read isn’t much better than a book that is never finished.

10. A completed novel is always a triumph. Every completed novel, no matter its intrinsic value, is a success. It doesn’t have to be published; it doesn’t have to garner a huge advance; it doesn’t have to sell a million copies. The very fact that you had the guts and the skill to finish a book is huge accomplishment in itself. Don’t forget to bask in that for a while, before moving on.

Thanks for the great post, Katie. Good luck on your tour.

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.