Falling on my Face

Good Morning. Happy New Year's Eve. I don't celebrate New Year's. I think in all my years on the party circuit I only went out twice. It's true. And believe it or not, I still have the little black dress that I wore the New Year's Eve Nate kissed me at midnight. (1992) That night would make such a great story. Two people see each other across a crowded room, the grandfather clock chimes midnight, and there was Nate, striding across the room to kiss ME! God I was in love with that man. Our relationship was kind of like a cross between When Harry Met Sally and Caddyshack. Only instead of golf it involved boat racing. He's happily married now with a bunch of kids in Florida, but he'll always be one of those men I hold in my heart forever.

Anyway. Falling on my face. Uh, yeah, I did. Two days after Christmas. I was carrying in the toaster oven and tripped over the dog, BLAM, landed with my top lip on the edge of the toaster oven. Tore the crap out of my lips, bled like a stuck pig for about 6 hours. I had no idea lips could bleed so much. I busted something in my face where my two front teeth are, still feel the tingling and have been praying that I don't lose them. Waiting for them to turn black and blue like the rest of my face.
So, let this be a lesson to all of you going out tonight, be careful where you walk, beware of dogs,  and try not to carry toaster ovens.

On another note, I was almost finished with THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT. Had the final climax written, working on the denoument, and then realized it sounded too much like the plot ending from MASQUERADE. So guess what I did? Stripped it, 8500 words worth, all the way down to Chapter 24. Believe me, it wasn't easy. I want this book finished and out there, I have big things happening in the next few weeks and I don't need this hanging over my head. So that's where I've been, what I've been doing. Still working. Even on Christmas Day.

So, no resolutions for me. Hate them. I mean why try and do something that you know you can't do. I mean, sure I want to lose 40 pounds, but why start a diet on Jan. 1 when I know it's still winter. I'm still in chocolate mode. I'll wait until March when the weather breaks and I can walk everyday.

Okay, so gotta fly, have to finish ENGAGEMENT. Have a great time for those of you who go out. And like I said, beware of toaster ovens.

Season's Greetings

My Next Big Thing

I know, unusual for me to post on a Wednesday, but here I am.
Rick Daley tagged me for this meme (and sent me an email to boot) so I just had to participate.

What is the title of your next book?

THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT.

Where did the idea for the book come from? 

As Monster says when she gets ideas, "From my brain." No, seriously, when I was writing THE LADY'S FATE, I found the Earl of Bailey so intriguing, I just had to write a story about him.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical romance, or Regency romance.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Rosamund Briden

Earl of Bailey

Lady Briden

Lord Briden

Gibbs, the butler

(All photos courtesy of the International Movie Data Base and PBS and A&E Movie website.)


What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Good question. I have no idea. I haven't worked that out yet.

When Lord Bailey decides to act as fake fiance' for a friend, falling in love with her was not part of the plan. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published.

How long did it take you to write the first draft?

I'm not quite done with it yet. About 30K more words to go. I started it back in May, but with moving and fixing up the old house it was a rough summer. I've had more time in the last two weeks and have been banging out amazing word counts (even for me) because I just want to get it done.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hmmm.... I don't really know. I don't think I've read anything like it recently. Then again, I haven't actually had time to read anything in a long time. It's a stand alone novel but within a series. It's considered a sweet romance because there's no sex, but there is lots of yearning. 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

When I met Lord Bailey, I always knew I wanted to use him in his own book. But I had no real story. Then last Christmas I heard from my childhood best friend. I asked after her parents (the Bridens) and they had both passed away. Incredibly sad for me to hear. They were such great people. So I decided to use George and Mildred as the parents of my heroine so they will live on in my memory (and I suppose the annals of history.) This book will be dedicated to them. (And the "real" Lord Bailey. He too is a real person.)

What else about the book might pique the readers' interest?

This is not a fluffy light sweet historical. This particular book deals with some very real present day issues like old age, poverty in the midst of wealth, family dynamics, sexual harassment, and what strengths we use to overcome diversity.



I'm trying to get the e-version out right after Christmas. It will also be in paperback in the spring.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keeping Things in Perspective/Don't Stop Me Now

I've never been one to look at the past. You can't change it, there's no do-over, so learn from the lessons it has brought and keep moving forward. That being said, I heard one of my favorite songs the other day on the radio and because I was in a singing mood, went absolutely crazy in the car -- one of my most favorite and best places to sing! The volume was up so loud, people waiting in line at the red light rolled up their windows. I didn't care.

The song "Don't Stop Me Now" is by Queen (one of the best rock and roll bands to come out of Great Britain) and every time I hear it, it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. Add to that, I read a few posts by the lovely Stina Lindenblatt last week about Writing a Business Plan for 2013.

Now some might say that "We're writers, we don't need no stinking plan -- we're artistes." Yeah, that isn't going to cut it anymore. Even if you're going the traditional route, you still need a plan. How many books you're going to write, how many short stories, if you go the self-pubbing route, there's a whole mess of stuff you need to learn how to do (even if you pay someone to format your books and do your covers you really should at least know the basics of how to do it), traditional route brings queries, synopsis, finding a pub house or an agent.

And let me tell you how much I hate learning new stuff. When I was a chef at The Stone House Club our big days were Easter and Mother's Day. Every year the owner's wife would make the petit chou. (cream puffs)It's not really all that hard, it just takes an inordinate amount of patience if you want the puffs to come out light and fluffy. I mean, who wants a flat, lifeless, cream puff right? I never wanted to learn how to do it because frankly, I just didn't want to. That was Ginny's mien, she loved doing it, and so why should I? Well, one year she was very sick and couldn't do it. Guess who had to take over. I spent 5 days before Easter that year making batches of the stuff, and just couldn't get it right. Over and over, into the mixing bowl, to the oven, dumping batch after batch into the garbage. They just weren't as good as hers. Until, I adjusted my attitude about how much I hated the stupid recipe, relaxed, and gently reminded myself that people were counting on me. The final batch of puffs were fabulous.

You may ask, what the hayzoo do Queen, 2013 writing aspirations, and cream puffs have to do with anything.

And the answer is, it's all in your perspective. I learned a long time ago, that if you don't love something, it won't love you back. That goes for cream puffs, formatting, raking leaves, painting ceilings, or washing the car. You have to give your whole heart to whatever it is or it will end up being flat and lifeless.

Which is why I'm a writer. I LOVE it. There's nothing in the world I have ever wanted to do more and because I've worked damn hard at it, there's a joy in my heart that I've never actually had before. Now some people say I've become self-actualized. (Big fancy psychologist term that just means I've come into my own.) I've become the person I've always wanted to be.

And sure, there's a whole lot of stuff I just hate about writing -- formatting, writer's block, sales slumps, bad reviews --  but that never outweighs why I love it. It's all in my perspective. Sure my writing goals for next year are crazy nuts (2 more contemporary romance novels, 3 more Regency romances, a few novellas, and I have even been thinking about jumping back into the query pool to go looking for an agent). Yes, they're big and lofty, and just trying to wrap my brain around 500,000 perfectly publishable words is a little daunting. But, I can't think of anything I would rather do.

No, my goals might not be met. And I learned that even the best laid plans can go astray. But I also learned that if you love something that much, even when the bumps in the road become mountains, just stay strong and carry on. Even on my worst days when I'm crying into my keyboard, I wouldn't change my life one bit.

It's all in your perspective.

As Freddy Mercury says

Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time. I'm having a ball.

Tell me -- What are some of your goals in 2013? What do you need to keep things in perspective?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM

And the link above is for those of you who can't view this from my blogpost. I'm still technically deficient. Something else I have to learn.And please do watch it at some point. If you aren't singing by the end of the  song, well...I guess my goal to make you super-sonic didn't work.

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Also, after the tragedy of last Friday in Newtown CT, can we all say a prayer for those poor people. A day like that will surely keep things in perspective for me.

A Lesson On The Dreaded November Sales Slump

For those of you with published books, myself included, November was a total disappointment in sales. Now, I've read a few blogs by more enlightened people than myself, and this is the way it goes. People are gearing up for the holidays and the extra money they use to buy books, they're now using for themselves.

We can't fault them for that. I do the same thing.

Come December 26, all will be right in our little worlds again, because of all the gift cards and shiny new e-readers given as gifts. Yay for us.

However, in studying my stats for November, I also remember that Hurricane Sandy hit during the first week in November. In 1991 Hurricane Bob hit Rhode Island and I was homeless for 6 weeks. My beloved beach house where I lived was wrecked beyond comprehension. Rocks filled the driveway, the yard, my 200 gallon propane tank that I used for heating and cooking floated in the estuary behind the house, the National Guard wouldn't let us come down the road to survey the damage, Coastal Resources wanted to condemn the house although it was still standing.

My world was thrown for a giant loop, trying to work, figure out which friend I could bum a couch off to sleep on or a shower, what to do with my dog. I slept in my car for week on the public beach. It was a nightmare to be sure. No, I didn't lose my stuff, I had days to move my things to higher ground, but I did lose my home.

That hurricane was a lesson I've never forgotten. It doesn't matter what you have, the stuff you accumulate through the years. What matters is that you survive the bad things that happen. That you, and your children and your pets are okay. Towels, kitchen gadgets, furniture can be replaced. Human lives cannot.

After surviving a disaster like Hurricane Bob, I know how those people who lived through Hurricane Sandy feel. Shock and awe comes to mind, then the mind-numbing emotional crippling -- What are we going to do now?

So, as we all commiserate our falling sales, can we just remember there are people who have lost so much more than that. Our lives will be on the upswing in just a few more weeks. For those people who have lived through Hurricane Sandy, they will be recovering for months or years to come.

Let's keep November in perspective.

How Wearing Work Boots Can Help Make You a Better Writer

Okay I know, this isn't like a craft book or a writing class or anything like that, but bear with me and I'll try and explain. As you know, I've been working on the old house for the last forever it seems. One thing I learned a long time ago working with my carpenter brother is you need a good pair of work boots. They keep your ankles firm while climbing a ladder, they keep your toes from being broken if you have to kick something, and believe it or not, after they're broken in, they really are comfortable -- something about those big thick soles keep you firmly on the ground. Definitely not like high heels, no chance of breaking your ankle because you fell off them.

Okay, so this is what I basically look like, sans the beard. Oh, and add some thick hiking socks, the kind with the red band around the top. Yup, that's me, mismatched clothes and all, hair a mess, and let's not forget the paint smears on my forearms, hands, and one or two across the legs as well.

So, how does this get-up make me a better writer? Here we go.


1.) After a long day of painting (or lawn mowing, or whatever it is I'm doing) I go home to the Monster. I make her something to eat and then retreat downstairs to my office. Once I'm sitting in my chair, I can't get up. No, seriously. For one, I've been working all day and am just exhausted. Two, the damn boots are so heavy, I just don't want to move. Hence, I'm still sitting in my chair. What can I do -- why write of course.


2.) Now because I look like this I also don't go out much. Oh sure, at Home Depot everyone looks like this, so that's okay, but I never go out in public. (Okay, that's a lie, I go everywhere looking like this, but I keep my sunglasses on so no one will recognize me.) Anyway, because I don't go anywhere, I have nothing else to do but write.

3.) Wearing this get-up makes me look like a man. A big burly man. I suppose if I wanted to really make the look complete I could wear my pearls, but let's not get crazy. Okay, so wearing man clothes, and man boots, I start to channel man thoughts. And as I write romance, I really need to think like a man at least half the time.

4.) Work boots are heavy. No doubt about it. Mine weigh at least almost a 1.5 pounds each foot. Wearing them all day feels like walking through swamp mud. BUT, once you get used to them, as I said, they're comfortable and you don't really feel how much they drag. Wearing work boots all the time you never need to do pilates or aerobics or stair-step ever again. Let me tell you how fab my ass looks. And no more cottage chesse thighs. And if you're not wasting an hour a day at the gym, you have more time to write.

5.) And because I'm a savvy smart shopper, and my feet are size 9 women, which translates to size 7 men, I can buy my boots in the young men's department so they're a lot cheaper. (If I wait until after Christmas/January they also go on wicked sale.) So I'm also saving money because I'm not blowing wads of cash on fancy schmancy girly shoes that I'll only wear once because I fell off the high heels and broke my ankle. Which means I can buy books with the money I save.

So there you have it, my sure fire way of how wearing work boots can help make you a better writer. (And get you a J.Lo rear end as a bonus.)

Tell me -- Do you own a pair of work boots?

Sliding Into Home

Yes, I know it's still November, and I'm  not supposed to be here until next week, but you guys know me by now. I can't stay away. I miss everyone too much.

I'm almost finished with the old house. Yay. It's about damn time too. One "big" and one "small" thing left to tackle and then I'm home free. Or perhaps I should say, free of the home. Gah, this thing is an albatross around my neck. (an expression I don't quite understand, but it's useful here.)

Trying to work on the latest novel. Halfway through, and if you'd like to take a gander at how real life ends up in my books, you can find that here.

Spent almost the whole Thanksgiving Day raking and blowing leaves in my mother's back yard. Kept me busy and burned off all the calories I ate during dinner. So yay.

Gearing up for the Monster's Birthday next Sunday. She'll be 8, thinks she's 19. I cannot believe she's going to be 8. I mean, really, where did the time go? I can't help think what's going to happen in 8 more years when she turns 16 and wants a car for Christmas. This year she's getting a laptop. (My mother bought it for her.) Think she's spoiled? Definitely spoiled. Rotten. I don't even have a laptop.

Spent the weekend on the computer doing stuff (because I overdid it raking on Thursday), got over to Goodreads, LinkedIn, even managed to Tweet on Sunday. It's been too long since I've done any of that so I'm glad I had the chance to finally catch up.

Okay, enough about me. What about you? How are your NaNo numbers? How was your Turkey Day? Did you get your Christmas shopping done?

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

On a day that is known to millions across the United States as one for which we are to give thanks and be grateful for what we have....

I would like to say Thank You to all of you, who have helped me, guided me, shored me up, beta read for me, listened to my blabbering, held my hand when things went awry, praised me, gave me great reviews, bought my books, and have been there for me throughout my publishing journey.

I am so eternally GRATEFUL to ALL of YOU! I could not have done any of this without you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Calgon Take Me Away

For those of you who are old enough to remember what Calgon is, I need some.

I sat down the other day after 72 hours doing what I normally do and said to myself, "Geez, when are you going to catch a break. You've been working non-stop since May."

In writing this post, I had 6 more paragraphs inserted here about what I've done in the last 5 months and deleted it. I figured you didn't want to hear any more about the old house or the other bullshit I've had to deal with lately.

So, all things considered, Halloween, NaNo, the holidays are coming, I've decided to step back for a while.

I'm taking a break. Not only for my mental health, but I have another book to write. I'd like to get it out before Christmas. I also have a book that's been sitting on my shelf in haphazard revisions for almost 2 years. I'd really like to pull that together as well.

So, I'm off. I know, I haven't really been a great blogger lately anyway. I don't comment, I don't make my rounds, I don't know what's going on anymore. But you know, sometimes, these things just can't be helped. I'm a writer, first (well, second if we don't count Mommyhood). So I need to write. And blogging just takes up too much of my time. Especially now with the sun going down earlier. You can't rake leaves in the dark. (And let me just say how much my mother wants her yard done NOW.)

So I'll see you around the 3rd of December.

PS I hope this Hurricane doesn't catch anyone unaware. Stay safe.

Super Quick

As opposed to Quick Quick. I've really only one thing to say today.

If you missed my appearance at the lovely Anne R. Allen's blog over the weekend, you can find it here. I talk a little bit about pen names.

Fast and Furious it goes for this Monday morning. Still painting, my cousin Patty showed up for an unexpected visit, writing like a maniac (22K+ words on the new Regency), and trying to finish up the weed wacking.

I'll talk to you soon.

Quick Quick

Good Morning. Painting is almost done on the old house. Yay! Finally got a decent ladder so I can finish painting the top of the hallway ceiling. I finished with the dining room, kitchen, and downstairs last Wednesday. Only have the two bathrooms, and the floors left to do. THEN we work on the outside. But that should be a breeze. (I say that now knocking on lots of wood. Learned my lesson there.)

Anyway, last Thursday, because I needed a post for my Robynne Rand blog and didn't have one, I decided Wednesday night to get all my short stories together and put them in one volume. (Yeah, I know, how nuts was that after painting all day. I guess I was having a good day, knock on wood.) Well, I put them together, formatted them, and published them.

There are six stories in all, dealing with love. Technically, broken love. I should warn you, these are heavy duty, almost raw if you will, with adult themes and language. Not for the faint of heart.

Three were previously published in the Literary Lab anthologies (of which I am so grateful to Davin, Scott, and Michelle for the opportunity to show my work in short form).

The total of words in this volume is 12,873. Like I said,
A collection of very short stories. Here's the link.

The second quick thing I want to say, is for those of you following the Anne Gallagher Regency Writer blog, is that I've put up a quick scene when Rory meets Rosamund for the first time. You can find that here. I don't know how, but in the last week I've scored over 8500 words on that. I think it's because the story is totally new, I'm still in love with it, and I'm actually following an outline.


If you haven't guessed, yeah, I really take this writing thing seriously. I had a mini revelation of sorts the other day. I LOVE what I do. I LOVE being a writer. I guess I've wanted to be one all my life and now that I am one, I don't think I've ever been happier.

So for all you who love what you do, keep it up. There's nothing better than getting words on paper.

Tell me -- How much do you love being a writer? Is there anything you don't like about it?

Jinxed

Good morning. Today I'd like to discuss something I thought was only an old wives tale, but let me share with you my story and see what you think.

When the Monster was a baby she was sick all the time. From ear infections, to sinus infections, a bout with pneumonia, several with bronchitis, the kid was always running a fever for one reason for another. Now, we lived in Rhode Island at the time and naturally I kept in touch with my extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles and what not. Several times we had to cancel plans to go to a family gathering because Monster was either sick, or I was afraid she would get sick. Everyone was always concerned. Including me.

It seemed to me that whenever she was actually doing well, someone would invariably ask, "How's the Monster doing?" And I would always respond, "She's much better, thank you." And right after I said that, she would get sick again. I swear to God, I felt like I was jinxing myself, and I got so paranoid that whenever anyone would ask how she was, I would reply, "I can't tell you. Everytime I say how she is, she gets sick again, so I'm not going to say." (My family thought I was nuts.) But it worked. (I guess, at least that's how I thought of it. Come to find out, she was allergic to something in milk and once I switched her to organic milk, she was fine. If she gets sick now, I'll know it's really me...)

Anyway, I thought the jinxing was over. Ha!

You all know I've been working on the old house trying to get it ready to sell. It's been tough going because a few weeks ago, I shared with you how I've never felt better. Jinxed again. Since I've said that, I've felt really shitty.

Someone asked me last week how the painting was going. I said, "Really good. Moving right along." And it was, until I fell off the ladder. Not once, but twice.

I released my latest book, A ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION. Now with this book, I didn't really promote it at all. One announcement on my Anne Gallagher blog, one announcement here, one day of sporadic Tweets, that was it. And it was selling really well. (Well, really well for me. I don't expect much with no fanfare, but it was having really good sales. Exceptionally good sales.) Until someone asked me how it was going. I said, "Fantastic!" Okay, jinxed again. That next day sales fell off markedly.

Can I really not talk about good things happening to me? I don't get it. I mean, it's not like I'm bragging or anything like that. I just want to share with my friends that things are going well for a change. But then when  I do, it all falls apart.

Is it just me or does this happen to you? Do you believe in jinxes? And if it is an old wives tale, does someone know how to countermand it? Do I spit while turning in a circle, or throw salt over my cat's left shoulder?

A Romantic Regency Collection

I don't know if you've heard or not, but I published another book last week. A ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION.

 Here's the blurb...

In this Romantic Regency Collection, Anne Gallagher takes the novellas you love and puts them together in one volume. With added content to enhance the stories you already know, she’s also included another short novella LADY CADORET’S LONGING, written exclusively for this collection.

A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN – A bumbling Viscount searches for a wife and a friend convinces him to place an ad in the newspaper to find one. Now with added chapters to include more of Rowena’s story.

LOVE FINDS LORD DAVINGDALE – Lord Davingdale wants nothing to do with women until he meets the enigmatic Miss Ophelia Trent. This short novella was written as the companion piece to A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT. Now for the first time, the two have been combined to give you both points of view in the same story.

ROMANCING LADY RYDER – Lord Greenleigh is not what he appears to be in Society. His other life – as a spy for the Foreign Office. When he meets the lovely Lady Ryder, will she spill all his secrets?

LADY CADORET’S LONGING – Lady Dorcas Cadoret, secretly engaged these five years to her childhood sweetheart, is overwhelmed with grief when Peter is killed in action two weeks before his commission is over. His brother, Daniel, is very kind, and rumors abound there is more to his attention than just being her guardian angel.

            As they share a forbidden kiss, Dorcas thinks it is Peter’s lips upon hers and Daniel is overwrought by feelings he should not be having about his late brother’s fiancée. Can Dorcas find a way to love Daniel for himself or will Peter’s memory haunt Daniel and Dorcas forever?

Here's the link to Amazon.


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In other news, I'm still working on the house. The ceiling downstairs that was supposed to be so easy (just slap up the paint) has had to be stripped of the 'popcorn', then sanded, then primed, and now painted. Add to that nightmare, the heating ducts running across it as well...well, let's just say Anne's not a happy camper.

HOWEVER, I have managed to begin working on two stories. THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT, another Regency (and if you want to read about that title, please take a gander at my Anne Gallagher blog).

AND I also banged out 2700 words on another romantic women's fiction. I don't have a title yet, so I'm calling it "Kate". It's been roaming around in my head for a long time. I had written about 20k on it but it started with Kate attending her mother's funeral. Then I found out, that being at a funeral for an opening was a no-no, so she's not at the funeral anymore. They also say not to start with backstory, but I'm not working for a traditional publisher so I can do whatever I want. We'll see if I change it around once I get more to it. I need more chapters before I can make a decision on where to start.

And that's about it. Other than falling off the ladder a few times, I'm pretty good. I just wish this house would be done. I only have a few hours a day to paint and clean and junk, and no one to help me so it's slow going. I'm really excited about these new stories and can't really do anything about them just quite yet. argh!

So tell me, what are you guys up to? Now it's officially Oct. 1 have we started thinking about Christmas yet, or are we waiting a little while longer?

My One Year Anniversary

Good morning. On September 28 I will have been published for one year. It has been an amazing journey that's for sure. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would work out as well as it has. Never did I think I would learn so much.

This last year has also been filled with personal triumphs as well. My illness took a turn for the better so I've been able to accomplish so much more "outside" in the fresh air. We bought a new house. I got rid of my ex (which had a lot to do with feeling better). My daughter is now in private school.

I have lots to be thankful for. But most of all, I am thankful for you, my wonderful blog friends. Without you, I don't know where I would be now. Your support and encouragement has enabled me to accomplish my dream of being published. Without you, I would probably still be sitting on my first manuscript wondering what I'm doing wrong.

Like I said, I've learned a lot.

Tell me -- What have you learned in the last year?

PS -- Does anyone else hate the new Blogger changes? I can't find anything!!!

Shipwrecks and Boatbuilders

Today is one I have been waiting to share with you all for a long time. Bridget Chicoine is finally published. Yay!

Bridget and I have been "friends" for a couple of years and I had the great joy of meeting her in person this summer. She's beautiful, delightful, and oh-so-very-smart. OH-SO-VERY-SMART. I've also had the honor of being asked to read her book and that, my friends is something you don't want to ever say no to.

UNCHARTED: Story for a Shipwright is out now, published by Rhemalda Publishing. Here's my review.

What would you do if everything you’ve ever known in your life is taken away and the only thing that remains is a fantastical heart-wrenching story to show for it?

UNCHARTED: Story for a Shipwright is one of those books that you will think about for a long time afterward. J.B. Chicoine’s exciting debut novel about a boat builder in Maine who meets an exceptional woman will leave you breathless as you turn the pages.

Chicoine’s writing is superb, with lyrical prose that envelops you like morning fog, silently creeping into your soul and as it lifts, you find yourself engulfed in a love story so simple yet so profound you can’t put it down. The places Chicoine transports the reader – spear fishing on a tropical island, ocean breezes wafting through the warmth of the dazzling summer sun or that same summer sun in a dusty dry Kansas cornfield – across not only continents, but also time as well to an incredible extraordinary story of survivors of a shipwreck. Chicoine certainly outdid herself creating this novel.

The characters are all three-dimensional, each having their own intriguing back-story, which blends seamlessly with Marlena and Sam’s interactions. The dysfunctional family dynamic is written brilliantly – the tension and anxiety carefully balanced with dry humor and underlying respect. There are no cardboard caricatures in this novel.

Part haunting love-story, part historical high seas adventure, this story about an ordinary man who meets a most uncommon woman will stay with you for a long time. If you don’t read anything else this year – read this book.

That is the review I posted on Goodreads and Amazon, but truthfully I just wanted to write --

OMG OMG OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!

Yeah, I'm not kidding, it's that good. And I'm not saying that just because she's a friend of mine. This book HAUNTED me, still does as a matter of fact. Between the story itself, which was phenomenal, and the writing, which was gorgeous, just color me jealous. I wish I had her talent.

Now, because of our friendship, Bridget's graciously offered to answer a few questions for me...

How did you come up with the idea for a story about a shipwreck within a story about a boatbuilder?

Well, I guess it all started way back when I was a little kid—you see, I had a crush on Gilligan. You can read all the sordid details on a blog post I wrote not too long ago. 

 http://jbchicoineliteraryworkinprogress.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-had-crush-on-gilligan.html  

You're an accomplished watercolorist. Are the two (writing and painting) exclusive of each other or are they companion to each other?

Um…I’ve painted scenes and images inspired by my stories—like Marlena, on the cover of Uncharted—and I’ve written stories based upon a few random paintings, but one is not contingent upon the other. It’s just that I need a creative outlet for good mental health, so I’m either painting or writing most of the time. If I can combine the two, I feel doubly productive, which I like.

Is it harder to write or paint?

Writing is definitely harder! Way harder. I can pick an image, begin painting and be done with it in a week’s time. When it’s complete,it’s easy to set it aside and move on, even though I know it’s not perfect. And putting it out there for feedback is easier—that is, it takes little time or commitment for someone to offer their opinion. Writing—especially a novel—requires a huge amount of emotional resources and is a much longer and more involved process. And it’s much different to flash a painting in front of someone and ask, “Whaddaya think?” as opposed to passing a manuscript to a reader, saying, “This is going to suck up the better part of several days and there’s a chance that you make not like it at all and feel quite annoyed with me afterward.” 

What is the most surprising thing you discovered about yourself during the publication process?

 I’ve discovered that I’m a very private person and that the internet is a very precarious place. I mean, I knew that going in, but the lure of easily accessible research was irresistible and made me lower my guard. I kind of laugh about it now, but I had a situation come up that freaked me out a little back when it happened.

You see, in the process of researching a particular sailing vessel, I came across a real live shipwright’s Website. After inquiring about the particular sailboat project that interested me and explaining about my writing, we corresponded several times over the course of a couple months. By then, I had completed my first draft and thought, ‘Gee, wouldn’t it be great to have an actual shipwright for a beta-reader?’ I mean, I hated to think of some poor boat builder reading my novel and hurling it across the room in frustration over some implausible passage.

Alas, I had never asked anyone outside of my family and friends to read my story, and my request seemed rather presumptuous. I imagined this particular shipwright was not unlike my main character Sam—very, very busy. I thought he might be more inclined to oblige me if I showed a little interest in his work and background, justifying all that as further research, and I was genuinely intrigued. Much of what he shared was in fact very interesting and insightful. Unfortunately, by the time I mustered up the courage to ask if he would read my novel, he apparently misinterpreted my interest…

‘Yes!’ he wrote back, he’d ‘love to read it!’ Myheart raced with excitement.

Then I read the next line ….—did he just write what I think he wrote? … Oh nuts!

Just the same, his proposition was rather poetic. Nicely written—a few too many modifiers, but pretty good for a shipwright. Perhaps he was just trying to impress me with some literary ability of his own… but that thing about making love in the oakum and shavings …. Yikes!

It was all very embarrassing. He did not read my novel.

However, I learned a big lesson: Keep my guard up and just be direct. It may feel like shameless self-promotion, but better that than something else.

Well, I'm all for shameless promotion so you can find Bridget in all these places.


Writing blog: http://jbchicoineliteraryworkinprogress.blogspot.com/
Art blog: http://jbchicoine.blogspot.com/
Website: http://jbchicoine.com
Marlena: http://jbchicoine.com/marlena.htm
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Uncharted-J-B-Chicoine/dp/1936850664/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346626387&sr=1-1
Rhemalda: http://shop.rhemalda.com/FIC000000/uncharted.html


Thanks for stopping by. And make sure you put this book in your TBR pile. You won't be disappointed.

Finding Me

As most of you know I moved over the summer. I won't bore you with the details. I've also been painting and repairing the old house (s-l-o-w going), and finding new places for the junk I've collected over the years. In doing that, I've also begun putting stuff in the "holding room" for a yard sale. It seems I have a lot of stuff.

Well, in looking through all my boxes, I found several that contained my old writing. (When I say old, I'm talking like 1975.) Yes, I was writing in 1975. Of course I was a teenager and dinosaurs roamed the earth, but still it's writing even if it is written on papyrus.

And it's bad. All of it is so very very bad. Flimsy plots, atrocious puncutation, illegible script (I wrote longhand for most of it) and just a lack of (I don't even know what word to use here) ...story.

But, there is one thing I learned, or rather RE-learned when I found all that stuff that was astounding to me

I have always wanted to be a writer. Always. And because of that, I have always written. Always.

And now I am a published author. (By my own hand, but still, I'm published.) Funny how your dreams sneak up on you when you're not looking. Although, this dream was 37 years in the making so I'm not sure it snuck up on me. But, it reaffirms my tenacity. And patience that dreams do come true.

Now if I could only get Tom Selleck to fall in love with me....

Tell me -- how long have you been writing?

The Image of a Writer's Life

Good Morning. Sorry I skipped out last week, but I've been super crazy nuts busy getting the old house painted. Still not done, I need more paint, but there's also wood to haul, a shed to clean, a bathroom to gut, and the downstairs I have yet to decide what to do with (graffiti would be an improvement).

All that being said, I wonder how big name authors spend their days -- writing in their air conditioned offices with a plethora of researchers, housekeepers, maids all catering to their every whim. Let's not forget they all have wonderful Scottish nannies to take care of the kids, and their spouses are marvels in the kitchen so they don't have to scrape together another round of mac and cheese and hot dogs.

I know most big name authors have schedules, and probably more than a few of them have maids and/or some kind of outside help, but I keep remembering Danielle Steele's appearance on Merv Griffin (remember him?) way back in the late 70's early 80's. She wore pearls and a long flowing chiffon something, could have been a gown for all I know, she kept playing with the scarf, flipping it between her fingers. She reminded me of Elizabeth Taylor. And then Merv did an expose on her house. California big, with a pool, and a view. Back then, she and Jackie Collins were big name authors. And I guess somehow, that's what stuck in my head. Glamorous, elegant, rich.

This image people have of writers is so not how it really is. Well, at least it's not for me. Like I have all this time to just write every day. Yeah, like that's possible when the kid is sick, the dogs pooped all over the carpet, the cat knocked down five of my african violets off the shelf, and my mother has been bitching the grass needs to be cut. Add the fact we're going back to school in less than a week, I'm dealing with financial bullshit from the ex, and it's raining -- AGAIN.

I know I'm whining. You know I'm whining. I think we're all entitled to it once and awhile.

The reason I bring this up at all is -- I had an outside interview last week. Our new house is in a golf community and they have a monthly newsletter. The woman who writes the letter is a friend of my mother's. Well, when she found out we lived here now, she called me and wanted to know what I was doing. When she met me five years ago, I was a caterer. When I told her I was now a writer she said, "How unusual."

What does that mean exactly?

Are we, as writers, unusual? Are the five million of us currently writing books weird, or kooky, or out of the ordinary? Sure we're introverts, sure we have our little rituals before we tackle those revisions, sure we don't speak to people between the hours of 8-1. Sure we eavesdrop on stranger's conversations, have a penchant for back booths and corner tables in coffee houses, and we might even push the bounds of research occasionally and have the Secret Service show up at our door. But does that really make us unusual?

I explained to Judith I wrote in a niche market, Regency romance, and that I had two novels and several short stories out, and I had also just published my first contemporary romance. She oohed and ahhed in all the right places, and then she asked, "So are you going back to catering anytime soon?"

Why do people automatically assume you won't be able to hack it as a writer? Why do people automatically assume you need to have a "job" because you also write? Back in the day, I was a waitress who wrote. Or a housekeeper who wrote. Or a chef who wrote. Now, I'm a writer. That's it. Just a writer.

The Image of a Writer's Life isn't glamorous. Well, at least not this writer. But I'll take a two hour nap after weed wacking, just so I don't ever have to go back to the "real world" again. I'll put up with disappointing reviews, and writer envy, and not meeting my word count, just so I can stay home. Perhaps agoraphobia is the culprit. Perhaps it's just my way of being the black sheep. Just a little unusual. It doesn't matter. I am who I am, and I'm a writer.

I wonder if Nora Roberts cuts her own grass?

Tell me -- what kind of reaction do you get when you tell people you're a writer?

How Much Are You Worth?

Good Morning.

Today I want to discuss e-book pricing. While I was away, I read some "big name author" opinions on the subject, and I have a few of my own I'd like to share. Not because I'm a "big" author, but I think they're valid points and if you're heading into the e-publishing sphere, you might want to take some of this into consideration.

As a whole, I think it depends on what kind of story you've written. For my short stories, I priced them at .99cents. I thought that was fair. I tried $1.29 for one of them for two weeks and I didn't sell one copy. As soon as I dropped my price back to .99, they sold.

(Now, some authors price their shorts at $1.99, their novellas at $2.99, novels at $6.99. Which might work for them, but it doesn't work for me. These are mostly big name authors who've made their mark in the self-publishing arena and can do whatever they want.)

In my Regency series, my novellas and short stories are .99 cents. My novels, I started off at $2.99, and then I raised the price to $3.49. I'm selling the exact same amount from when they were .50cents cheaper. It's my opinion, if people like what they see in the cover copy and the "inside peek" they'll buy it no matter what the price. Especially if you've found a fan base.

Now, some "insiders" say to price your first book cheaply in the beginning to gain an audience and use it as a "loss leader." (We discussed this last week on the Is Free the New Black post.) If you're writing a series, and don't write short stories, this can work for you. .99 is an enticement to get readers to stick around for the rest of the series especially if the first book is well-written. When the second book comes out, the price you decide upon is up to you.

And here's the crux of it. How much do you think your book is worth? Only you can determine this. I don't know about you, but I've worked long and hard on my books, crafting them, revising, rewriting, editing, formatting, all the stuff we do as writers on our way to publication. How long did it take me to write the book? God only knows. If I broke it down into actual man hours, it seems like a million. Do I really want to charge .99cents for something that took me almost a year to write? I feel I'm worth more than that.

In today's competitive market (strictly e-books here) you want your book read, you want your readers to feel satisfied they didn't waste their hard earned money on something they hated. (Which in that case, they'll ask for a refund.) I could have charged $6.99 for my novels like the big name authors do. But I'm not a big name author. I also want to be competitive. I also want to make some money for all my hard work, which is why I chose to start out at $2.99, the lowest price point to garner 70% royalties.

Now some of my readers in their reviews were disappointed to find that what they bought for .99 wasn't a novel. But they wouldn't pay $2.99 for one. So that either means, they're cheap, used to Free, or on a limited budget. Which in today's economy is fair to say. However, if I put my novels at .99 then that devalues ME as an author. I work hard on my books, have great covers, edit them, re-edit them, and make sure they're free of typo's and all the other junk. I feel I'm distributing a pretty good product.

I'd love to sell my novels for $6.99. Why don't I? Because I'm still new at this. I feel the more I write, the better I get, and possibly someday, after I've sold 50,000 copies, I just might. But for now, raising the price .50 cents is my way of giving myself a raise and telling consumers I value what I do. And so should they.

My books aren't crap. I've put probably a thousand man-hours into research. I've spent years rewriting and revising. I think I know what I'm doing, and with help from my critters and betas, I put out what I think is a damned fine book. Of course, there are better writers than me, I know that. But you know what, I've read some stuff that's come out of New York and I wouldn't waste my hard-earned money on it. You get what you pay for. And I think $2.99 is a pretty fair price. It's less than a cup of coffee sometimes.

So that's that. My thoughts on E-Book Pricing.

Any questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, personal experience you want to share....

CosVogEllGirl Wants to Know -- What Kind of Writer Are You?

We’ve all seen them, all taken them, those quizzes in Cosmo, Vogue, Elle magazines that teach us who we are, but more importantly, who we can be if we change our ways, find our limits, secure our sanity by taking five minutes to choose A – B – C.

Today I’ve put together a little quiz of my own to show you just what kind of writer you are. Answer the 5 questions, and your true writer self will emerge.

1) When meeting your cousin at the airport whom you haven’t seen in ten years, do you….?

A) Know her immediately, give her a big hug, and welcome her with enthusiastic affection.

B) Look around carefully at the other people in baggage claim to make sure she’s your cousin before giving her a stiff hug.

C) Hold a placard up at the terminal exit.

D) Cry when you realize it’s your cousin ELLEN, not EILEEN.

2) Your husband/S.O. offers to go to the grocery store and comes back with nothing you put on the list. Do you….?

A) Say, “That’s okay, honey, I’ve always wanted to learn how to cook Brazilian Thai.”

B) Pull the stuff out of the bags, put it away, and say nothing.

C) Leave the stuff in the bags, and take it all back to the store the next day.

D) Cry when he says, “I couldn’t read your handwriting.”

3) You’ve just finished reading the latest best-seller all your friends have been raving about. It wasn’t all that. Do you….?

A) Find the good scenes and discuss those at your book club.

B) Pass the book along to your cousin, and when she asks, “How was it?” say “Okay.”

C) Go straight to Amazon and write an unfavorable review.

D) Cry because you know your book that’s been in your hard drive for 6 years is soooo much better.

4) At the gas station, fifteen minutes before a huge presentation at work, you accidentally spill gas down your leg and into your brand new $100- high heels. Do you….?

A) Stop off at the mall, grab a pair of new shoes and nylons before heading to the office.

B) Go into the Ladies Room, take off your nylons, wash the shoes, and head to the office.

C) Go to the office smelling like gasoline, there’s no time to do anything about it.

D) Cry. Now you won’t be able to return the shoes.

5) Your mother says she hates your new haircut. Do you….?

A) Say, “Don’t worry, it’ll grow out soon.”

B) Go into the bathroom, wash your hair, and style it the way you normally do.

C) Go back to the salon and have them give you a pixie.

D) Cry because you knew it was drastic and if your mother hates it, then so will everyone else.

If you answered A to most of the questions, you’re a CHEERLEADER –

No one will get you down. Not agents, publishers or your beta/critters. The book you’re writing is fantastic and when it needs work, you do it gladly because you know it’s going to get accepted and will be a best-seller. You’re on every social media site, have zillions of followers, and have done everything you know how to build that platform. Go YOU!

If you answered B to most of the questions, you’re a DOCTOR –

Writing is hard work. You know it and accept it. You’re informed and well read and go about the business of writing your fourth novel knowing some day you will be published. You’ve built a modest following on three social media sites, know what your platform is, and never stray from that. You’re not afraid of rewriting and revising.

If you answered C to most of the questions, you’re an ACUTARY –

You have no need for frills or friends. You only deal in facts. You write doggedly and determinedly, craft books by the bed for light reading. If you can’t get an agent to look at THIS book, you’ll write another. You’ve spent years honing the craft, memorizing genre guidelines, you know who you are and what you want – to be a mid-list author with a guaranteed income. You have a blog with a few followers, and Tweet occasionally. You don’t have time for social media. You’re a writer.

If you answered D to most of the questions, you’re a MESS –

Take some time, do some research on writing and genre, grab some craft books, get on the blogs, become informed. Learn sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, find some beta readers, invest in Kleenex. Getting critiques, losing contests, and finding rejections from agents and publishers in your inbox takes a thick skin. If you can’t handle the pressure, put your pen down and walk away. Not everyone with a great idea for a story can write one.

Thanks for taking the quiz. So tell me, WHAT KIND OF WRITER ARE YOU?

Free is the New Black...Or Is It?

We've all heard the stories of authors putting their books up for free, clocking thousands of downloads, and then once the promo is over, selling thousands of copies. One author I know about bought a new car after her free promotion. Another paid off her mortgage.

Well, guess what, that doesn't happen every day. It depends on the book, the genre, the writer, why you're doing it, as well as the day of the week, and the position of the moon. Yeah, no not really, but luck like that is very rare. Also a back list is worth a thousand downloads.

I'll tell you my story, and you can decide if you want to put your books for free or not.

We all know I write Regency romance. In the beginning I wrote a novel -- THE LADY'S FATE. But I didn't know how to promote it. I decided to write a short story to give away as a loss leader. You know, like the prize in the box of Cracker Jacks. Give something else away for free, to get them to buy what you really want them to buy.

I gave away A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN when I launched LADY'S FATE. This was before the days of Amazon's KDP Select. It was a win-win for me. When I launched THE DUKE'S DIVORCE, I also gave away copies of A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT. Another win.

All my books shot up in the rankings, got me sales, made me delight in my forethought and cunning that I was so smart to do so. I thought I was the golden child of the Regency world.

But all that soon came crashing to a nasty halt. Amazon caught on to the game (If you uploaded to another venue, Smashwords for instance, and offered your book free before they went to Premium status, the spam bots at Amazon couldn't track you.)

Last December they decided to install KDP Select. Which would give you the option to offer your book for free on Amazon for 5 days. It also allowed its Prime members to borrow your book for free, but you would still get paid. Which sounded like a good deal. Everyone was still making money, and you could also use those 5 days for a loss leader promotion. It was only 90 days and if you wanted to re-up or not, that was your decision.

Well, the first month, everyone and their brother tried it. It worked for me too with WINSBARREN. I took it off Smashwords, enrolled it in KDP and although I never put it for free (as I had already done so) I did get a lot of hits off the Prime membership.

But now, we come to the big bad Amazon (in March) changing their algorithms. (Okay does anyone know how to spell that word? Really? I've seen it spelled like 3 different ways.)

For those who don't know what algorithms are, I don't actually know either. But to hazard a guess, it's a scientific analytical spreadsheet that marks (in Amazon's case) how many books are sold by genre, by price, by author, then makes calculations based on how, when, and where they're selling, then takes all that information and plugs it into another spreadsheet and figures out who's going to sell more, who's going to buy more, and who's going to make more money. (Amazon.)

Anyway, once Amazon plugged FREE into their algorithms, authors were shooting up to #1 with a bullet. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was doing it. Authors were getting on lists, authors were selling more books, people were reading more books. Amazon was making more money. (Because that's what Amazon does.)

But then, as with every good thing that's too good to be true, authors began to suffer from lackluster sales after their free promotion. They'd hit #1 or #2 during, but after, nothing. You know why? Because everyone else was giving their books away for free so why should they buy yours. People were grumbling, authors were in uproar, marketing analysts were writing articles in the NYTimes and Huffington Post. Oh my.

So here we are, 8 months after the initiation of the KDP Select program and what's happened is Free is now the norm. Authors who are having lackluster sales decide to offer their book FREE in the KDP Select program after it's been out for awhile. You know what that does. Makes people wait to buy your book. Because they know eventually, it will be free. That's why there are lackluster sales. They're waiting. Everyone loves a bargain.

Free is what you make it. In my opinion, offering a book free at the launch would be the way to go. Making that free list, getting higher in the rankings, garnering some reviews. Then set your price and stick with it. (Which is what I did with REMEMBERING YOU. I'm waiting for the dust to settle and then once I have all my notes in place, I'll tell you what happened with that book. Probably in late August, early September.)

In my opinion, once you publish a book, instead of trying to sell it forever, write the next book. If people buy your first book and like it, they want more. It's called a fan base. (Unless you have a 1000 followers on your blog and Twitter, you don't have a fan base yet.) Perhaps write a short story and offer that as Free, possibly for the launch of the next book instead of the book itself. It couldn't hurt. And besides, how long did it take you to write the 80k words in your novel? How long did it take you to write the 15k words in your short story, or 25k words in your novella? Which would you like to take a loss on?

I think, and again this is only my opinion, now that Amazon has changed its algorithms again (June) free is not what it once was. Sure it might get you to #1 for a few days, but after that, you go back to where you used to be. Rankings don't follow the free promo anymore. So save yourself, and your sanity. Think about your loss leader before you go offering anything for free.

And again, this is only based on my experiences on what I've done. Comments, questions are welcome. No spam please. Next week I'll discuss price points.

Tweeting Isn't Just for the Birds Anymore

Good Morning. Yeah, I'm liking this title phrase. Two weeks in a row.

(And just so you know this is a long post. It is aimed at newbies and not meant to offend those of you who already know how to do all this. It is only my opinion and what I did. You can take from it what you wish. Also if you have some other great tips, ideas, or information, please feel free to write them in the comments.)

Well, as I said, I was going to share the secret of my success in getting to #1 on the Kindle. First, it was only #1 on the Kindle Free list. I made it to #16 in the Advice>Self-Help>Love and Romance category, and #49 in the Genre Fiction> Romance> Contemporary category. (Which blew my mind all kinds of ways. I was even higher in rank than a few best-selling NYT authors for awhile.)

But all that didn't last. As I mentioned before, I didn't have any reviews, so when it came off of *free* status, the book died. My ranking went from #1 to 274 to 20,745, down to 35,337, to 78,229 within a matter of HOURS. Shocking. However, as soon as the lovely Cindy F. (whoever she is, bless you) wrote a review and posted it (the next day) my ranking shot back up to mid 30k where it's been hovering for the last week.

Lesson #1 -- Before you start your book launch always have at least one review waiting in the wings. Preferably a 4 or 5 star. (I started this launch as a FREE promotion, but you don't have to do free, and on Wednesday I'll tell you why.)

Now, some people are not on Twitter. I know I balked at it for YEARS before I finally succumbed to the madness. It took me a while to figure it out, but once I did, it became a lot easier to use. Also, the key to Twitter is not just using it for promotion. You have to play nice, and be respectful to your following. There are a few "rules" you have to learn, how to use a #hashtag properly, how to shorten your links. (I use bit.ly but there are a few others out there.) how to RT (retweet -- which I'm still not sure how to do with edits -- it's a learning curve). But all in all, I would say it's a nice place to hang out and talk to people using 140 characters or less.

Lesson #2 -- Join Twitter. Find your blog friends. Find people you want to be friends with. It's all about following. The more the merrier. Usually, if you follow someone, they'll follow you back. (Just be careful. There're a lot of spam Twits floating around too.)

Once you get the hang of Twitter, (took me about a month, seriously, I'm a slow technological learner) then you need to download Tweetdeck. (Okay, I don't know what these apps are actually called -- Twitter feed in real time with columns so you can see who said what as it appears) There's also Hootsuite and one more that I can't remember the name. I use Tweetdeck because it's simple. Like me. It gives me 3 columns -- one for feed, one for interactions, one for scheduling Tweets. Yeah, because that's what you want to use -- the scheduler.

Lesson #3 -- Download Tweetdeck.

Okay, so now you've joined Twitter, downloaded Tweetdeck, looked it over, played around on both. Here's the fun part. Scheduling your Tweets.

I'm going to use my book REMEMBERING YOU as an example (because why would I use anyone else's?)

As I said before (somewhere) this uploading to *free* was an experiment. Because I published this under Robynne Rand, a lot of people didn't know it was me -- Anne Gallagher. So basically I was a newbie author. I decided to offer it free just to see what would happen with a new cover and new edits. I also decided to promote it on Twitter first before I announced it on my blog -- also to see what would happen.

I basically had 4 lines from my book that I pre-scheduled to show up on my Twitter feed (using Tweetdeck) every hour on the hour. If I had just Tweeted:

Remembering You is out now. Free for two days. Get it while it's hot. amzn.to/MsSULj

What do you think would happen? Nothing. So here are my tag lines and my Tweets.

Optimism was so ugly when it kicked your ass. REMEMBERING YOU #romance #beachread #free amzn.to/MsSULj

Pete will always wonder if I'm sleeping with Tony no matter how much I deny it. REMEMBERING YOU #romance #free amzn.to/MsSULj

Missing her parents was something Genna had done for so long it defined her soul. REMEMBERING YOU #romance #free #beachread amzn.to/MsSULj

Love is a gift from the angels. They smack you upside the head. Pay attention. REMEMBERING YOU #free #romance #beachread amzn.to/MsSULj

Okay, see the use of my taglines, my #hashtags, the word free and my Amazon tag. Everything is there. No one has to click anywhere other than Amazon to see the book. Then it becomes their decision if they want to download it.

Lesson #4 -- Find some good lines from the book and schedule them with the appropriate hastags and shortened link to Amazon.

So, after scheduling my Tweets for 12 hours, (I did this in shifts) I sat back and watched. I have a few friends on Twitter, and they also helped by Re-Tweeting to their followers. THAT my friends is key. Retweets. I didn't ask them to, as a matter of fact, no one in my circle knew what I was doing. They just did. And that helps. It's like the chain game -- if you like something and tell two friends, they'll tell two friends etc. and so on. It's all about word of mouth.

Now because I did my first free day on a Sunday, I knew there would be people out and about on Twitter. And because I scheduled my tweets every hour on the hour round the clock, I also knew I would hit all time zones. And once an hour for a Tweet is plenty. There's one girl I know who's promoting her book every 15 minutes with a barrage of scheduled Tweets. She doesn't interact, only promotes. Let me tell you how annoying that is. In between my scheduled promo tweets, I also Retweeted articles I liked, put up tweets for other books I reviewed, and talked with a few of my friends. Yes, the first day was almost non-stop on the computer. But this is how I wanted to do it.

The first day I gave away 1074 copies.

Lesson #5 -- Schedule Tweets 24 hours. One an hour is fine. But remember to also have fun. Share. Invite. ReTweet. Promote others.

So the next day, Monday, I announced it on my blog. I also did the same 24 hour scheduling, but as the day drew to a close and I knew the free promo would be ending, I wrote a few other Tweets to schedule.

Only a few hours left for #free REMEMBERING YOU #romance #beachread amzn.to/MsSULj

Only an hour left to get REMEMBERING YOU #free #romance #beachread amzn.to/MsSULj

Only a half hour left to Pacific Standard Time REMEMBERING YOU is #free until then. #romance #beachread amzn.to/MsSULj

At the close of the adventure I gave away 1411 books. During the course of those two days I watched my ranking rise to hit #1 and stay there for two whole days. Did it do any good? I don't know. Would I do it again? Probably not. And I'll tell you why -- But I'll save that for Wednesday's post.

So to recap book promotion using Twitter -- Write a good book. Get a good cover. Join Twitter. Download Tweetdeck (or another scheduling app). Find some great taglines. Use your hashtags wisely. Schedule your Tweets one an hour. Have fun. Promote others.

Anything I've missed? Please feel free to let me know in the comments. Any Questions? Please by all means ask. If I can't answer them, I'm sure someone else can.

(And I'm sorry, I didn't give you the links for anything because my computer was acting up at the time of this writing and I was afraid I was going to lose the whole article. You can find them just by Googling.)

I'm at Susan's Today and Quick Notes

Today is a quick one.

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I'm over at Susan Swiderski's today dishing dirt on me, Anne Gallagher, and the other me, Robynne Rand in a surprising interview. Surprising because the questions she asked me were not the typical interview questions. But that's Susan. Always getting to the heart of the matter. You should stop by. And no it's not a plug for anything, but I reveal some interesting answers.

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If you haven't read what happened to Roni Loren (formerly of *Ficiton Groupie*) about her use of pictures from the Web, you should. It's a scary thought. My advice -- be careful out there.

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I've finally gotten a start on LADY CADORET'S LONGING (novella) and if you want to read the first couple of pages, I put them up on my Anne Gallagher blog. I also wrote the next three chapters and let me tell you what, if you don't cry when you read them, well, then you're not human.

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Next Monday, I'll share my secret to success in getting to #1 on the Kindle with REMEMBERING YOU. It's not really a secret, people do it all the time, but I'll tell you how I did it.

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And lastly, I know I promised interviews and fun stuff, but I'm still in the throes of cleaning the old house and haven't gotten into the fast pace of blogging just quite yet. I went over there last Friday and weed-whacked and let me tell you what, I better churn out some more books pretty quick because I'll be damned if I have to do that again. Two hours, used the whole roll of string, and was in bed the whole next day. I'm getting too old for that crap.

Anyway, hope you'll stop by Susan's. Have a great rest of the week.

Reviews -- Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Good Morning. I used to know a man, a college professor, who read book reviews every morning while he drank his coffee. I asked him once if he would ever read all those books. He said, "No, I don't generally read ANY of these books." And I asked, "Then why do you read the reviews?" His answer, "So I'm informed. When I'm out with friends and the discussion of books comes up, which it always invariably does, I can report what I've read and I don't feel stupid."

Once upon a time, in this man's world, that was the sentiment. EVERYONE read book reviews. If you made it to the TIMES, you were golden. Nowadays, even the TIMES won't necessarily warrant a best-seller list.

In today's world, one book review is worth a thousand of your friends talking about your book. In today's world, a good book review and a half dozen sales in one day on Amazon will shoot you up to #10 in a best-seller rank. Sometimes even allow you to get to #1.

However, in today's world, even if you wrote the best book in the whole world, and sold a zillion copies, if you don't have a review on Amazon, you end up languishing in publishing hell. Amazon has changed their algorithms yet again, and for all my ranking of #1 Sunday and Monday with the free promotion of REMEMBERING YOU, because I don't have any reviews, no matter how many copies I sell per day, I have no rank on any list. It's all gone. (As of this posting, I do have one review. And my rank has gone up.)


Before Amazon offered the KDP Select program, people who sold merely 5 copies a day of any book they had could shoot up the best seller lists like nobody's business. I did. I maintained several top ten lists for quite a few weeks, depending on how many copies were sold, and who else had copies sold on the same day.
Heady stuff for a newbie pub like me. Especially with no reviews.

However, with the advent of the KDP Select program all that changed. You could now offer books for free, and in a market filled with authors vying for all the attention they could muster for their books, free became the new black. People were downloading faster than you could say 50 Shades.

But in that gluttony, having a free book out there also brought the attention of those less-than-5 star reviews. Mean reviews, stupid reviews, I-hated-this-book reviews. (Amazon has since changed their view on book reviews and has been taking down the mean spirited ones.)

All that said, this monster called Amazon rules our world, whether we like it or not. It's the biggest and fastest way to get a book out there. More people use Amazon for books (reading or publishing) than any other venue out there.

And in doing so, book reviews are king if you want to get anywhere in publishing. Of course, there's a problem with all 5 star reviews (see Anne R. Allen's post). But one or two 2 stars in a pool of 4 and 5 stars isn't such a bad thing. I should know, I have my fair share across the board.

And I know how exciting and exhilerating it is to offer up your first book into this self-publishing world. Some of you have networks and friends and have all kinds of blogposts and hops and tours lined up. You have no problems getting reviews.

However this lesson is for those of you like me, who don't have that kind of network. Before you upload anything to anywhere, have a couple of reviews in place, ready to go before your launch. I know, I should have, but I didn't. (I tend to go off half-cocked when I'm excited.)

Ask your mother, your friends, your Aunt Alice, the librarian in your hometown. And you know, those people who say those reviews don't count? Well, guess what, they do now. If you want to get anywhere on Amazon, you need a review. And hey, just one counts too. It's all about the rank. No, it's not about sales, it's about your ranking. And one review, even a 3 star will get you ranking on some list.

Tell me -- Do you write reviews of books you like? How about books you don't? Do you write reviews for friends? If not to any of those questions, why not?

Thanks for Making Remembering You #1

Boy Howdy, I'll tell you what, it was so cool to see my book at #1 on Monday. I want to thank each and every one of you who downloaded a copy. I didn't know it was going to happen that way, the Amazon algorhythms are such crazy things, I don't know what I expected but it certainly wasn't #1.


Best Sellers in Love and Romance

Top 100 Free

1.

Remembering You - a novel

Robynne Rand

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I took notes while I was in the throes of this process so I'm hoping to have some hard data on promotion and marketing for you as soon as the dust settles. I think by mid-September I should be able to report on what I found. (God, I feel like some kind of analytic professional or something. Funny, I'm just a writer.)

Anyway, it's great to be back on the blogs. I didn't know I would miss you as much as I did. I always say that though, and I do mean it. When I was moving and packing, I was sweating and swearing, wondering when I would be done with it. I didn't really think I wanted to come back until the summer was over, but now, being in my new office, and being able to sit down in the early mornings and read what you guys have been doing without me (Boy, I'll tell you, that Hookers and Hangers blogfest really threw me for a loop) I knew I needed to get back here.

And you know, for it only having been a month gone, it somehow feels like eons. Truly. You guys have become such a part of my life, a lifeline really to my sanity, I don't know what I'd do without you. You keep me grounded to the part of me that is a writer. I've said it before, it's like being back in college. I could always find interesting people to talk with and discuss aspects of writing that I could never do in my "real" life. So thanks for always being there, and welcoming me back after I've been gone.

I really wish I could have a cocktail party and invite you all over. What a blast that would be.

Anyway, now that I'm back, I'm going to try and keep my act together. I've got some really great interviews lined up and some interesting questions to pose.  Hope you'll come by.