Jamie Ayres' 18 THINGS Blog Tour & Tyrean Martinson's CHAMPION IN THE DARKNESS

First up today, I'm turning things over to the wonderfully effervescent Jamie Ayres and her

18 Things Blog Tour.

Here's the blurb:

Can eighteen things save a life?

Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.

Then, Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible for his death.

When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled "18 Things": eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.

All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.

But there's more to Olga's quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.

There's only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won't just affect her future, but all eternity.

  

Make sure you add 18 Things to your Goodreads TBR list

and check out her buy links below. 

All righty then, take it away, Jamie...

Thanks for hosting us, Nancy!!! 

I decided to spend this fine Monday morning at Jumpin' Java Coffee House, one of Olga's favorite hot spots off Washington Street in her small hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan. I'm sitting at a table by the front window to keep an eye out for her. Ah, here she is, sporting Capri jeans and a red Wonder Woman t-shirt, her red curly hair done in french braid pigtails.

Me: Hey, girl. How are you today?

Olga: I'm happy! Is that for me? 

*points to a coffee mug in front of the empty seat*

Me: Of course! I know better than to approach you with a bunch of deep questions in the morning without giving you coffee first.    

*takes a seat and groans after her first sip*

Olga: Hmm, Chocolate-drizzled Snickers flavored whipped mocha. So . . . deep questions? How deep are we talking about here?    

*Me grinning as I refrain from a That's What She Said joke. Afterall, Olga is only eighteen years old*

Me: Umm, nothing too heavy. Lots of questions about Nate. Speaking of Nate, will he be joining us today?

Olga: He's supposed to stop by after he finishes band practice with the Cantankerous Monkey Squad

Me: Awesome! Oh, I hope he brings his guitar and sings a song for us because that's, you know, kinda sexy    

*fans self*

Olga: Hey, watch it! That's my man you're talking about.

Me: Right, sorry. So tell us a little bit about your story.

Olga: Well, it's very emotional. Growing up, I was always a bit of an outsider but I always had my best friend, Conner, to keep me company. We've known each other since kindergarten. Then, last April, he died in a freak accident and I was there to see it all go down and wasn't able to save him. I was really torn up about it, even downed an entire bottle of pain pills. That's when my parents forced me to see a counselor and that's where I met Nate. Ultimately our story is about love, grief, longing, self-doubt, growth, and the bonds of friendship. It has lots of fun stuff but it's also poignant.

Me: Well, sounds like a beautiful story   *toot, toot;~)*   Now in the novel, 18 Things, your counselor tells you to write a life list of 18 things to do the year you turn 18. Is there anything on the list you wish you could take back?

Olga: Yessss! The roller coaster. Ugh . . . I can't believe that . . . well, I guess I should let the readers find out what happens.

Me: For sure.  *Get ready for shameless plug*  After all, it was released on Amazon last month to best-seller status the first week* Anyway, what was your favorite thing from the list?

Olga: Going on my first date, of course! And speaking of the devil, here he is.   

*At 5-foot-10, Nate enters wearing a blue t-shirt and baggy khaki corduroys, unfortunately covering up most of his lean and muscular body. He has a boyish face dominated by large, ocean blue expressive eyes, and his hair is crammed under a wool cap, a few coffee-colored strands peeking out onto his forehead*

Nate: Hello, ladies. *slides into chair next to Olga and sees her empty cup*  Uh-oh, someone needs more coffee. *pulls out wallet*

Olga: It's okay. I'll get it. I know Jamie is dying to ask you some questions. 

*winks at me and walks over to the counter, the rich stimulating smell of brewing coffee drawing her closer . . .oh, sorry, POV problem for a second--hate those!*

Me: So Nate, when did you know you wanted to be more than just friends with Olga?

Nate: From the first moment I saw her.

Me: You're just trying to score brownie points for when Olga reads this!

Nate: *holds up hands and laughs*  I'm totally not! It's the truth.

Me: Okay, then. Boxers or briefs?

Nate: Boxers for sure.  

*adds suggestive eyebrow-wiggle as Olga walks over with 3 cups of coffee, one for each of us*

Olga: Everything okay here?

Me: Yes, of course. Totally behaving myself. So Nate, what's the best thing about Olga?

Nate: She's hot. *Olga slaps his shoulder* Kidding, well not really but I'd have to say everything. She gets emotional over things but not in a drama queen kind of way. She's super smart and kind of dorky--loves to write poetry and watch Star Wars and she's never without a book. When I first met her last year she was all hunched over, like she was trying to disappear, so beautiful in her vulnerability. I knew right away I wanted to do something to make her feel better.

Me: Aww! That is so sweet. What would be your idea of a perfect date with Olga?

Nate: That's easy. Of course it's anywhere she is, anywhere she'd want to go.

Me: I like a boy who gives a girl what she wants! Olga--what's your idea of a perfect date with Nate?

Olga: Hmm, probably grabbing a cup of coffee right here in the morning, then heading down the street to the beach and reading a good book while we're stretched out on a towel next to each other, Nate strumming his guitar and serenading me. Then catching a movie at the theatre with the Jedi Order later.

Me: Oh, right. The Jedi Order is the reference you guys use for your group of friends in the book. Tell us a little bit about them too because they play a really important part.

Olga: Well, there's Nicole. She's the self-sacrificing best friend. Tammy is really strong. She puts up a front but she cares fiercely for her friends. Sean is a big goofball. Kyle is incredibly loyal. Conner is . . . was . . . bigger than life. He's the one who started calling us the Jedi Order so we continued the tradition in his memory. Nate joined as an honorary member this year. He's really honest and and definitely brings out the hidden risk taker in me.

Me: I'm sure Conner would've loved your list and the way it brought you together this past year as a catharsis to heal and move on while honoring his memory. Will there be a sequel to your story?

Olga: We're just some of the many voices in your head. You tell me.

Me: Oh, right. Yes, yes of course there will be :-) There’s even a sneak preview of the next book, 18 Truths, at the end of 18 Things. Guess I should be putting some words on paper then. I'll leave you two love birds to yourselves. Don't do anything I wouldn't do *wink, wink* And guys, just remember that love brought you together. There’s gonna be lots of things, and people, who try to keep you apart in the near future. It’s up to you to decide if you’re gonna let them. *I get up, coffee in hand, and shuffle toward the door*

Nate: Whoa, whoa . . . you can’t just leave after a comment like that! What’s going on?

*I pause, looking over my shoulder at their expectant faces*

Me: Sorry, I have to go. Just remember that the best time of all is now. Enjoy your journey together. You never know when it will all change, but you’re only 18 Truths away to another life changed.

Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches young adults as a public school teacher by day. She lives in southwest Florida with her husband and two daughters. 18 Things is her debut novel. Visit her website at www.jamieayres.com.

18 Things is available here:

Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Kobo

Add 18 Things to your TBR list!

Goodreads

___________________________________

I'd also like to give a shout out for my author buddy, Tyrean Martinson, and the first release in her brand-spankin' new YA Christian fantasy trilogy, Champion in the Darkness - The Champion Trilogy, now available on Amazon for only $3.99

Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness!

Thank you, ladies!

Make sure you all come back next Monday
for my 200th post!

IWSG: HARD WORK - It's What's for Dinner...and Lunch, and Breakfast, and morning snack and afternoon tea and bedtime bites and noontime nibbles and midnight munchies and...

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, time for

Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group

I hate Seattle in February.  It's the coldest month of the year here, and when everyone else in the US is looking forward to March and springtime weather, we in Seattle know we have at least another four months of cold, rainy, dreary weather.

But February also boasts of the first small glimpse of what's to come. Invariably, there'll always be a day or two where the sun shines in a gloriously clear blue sky, and the temps rise into the upper 50's or higher. When that happens, I jump in my car, put the top down and the tunes on, and cruise around Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington. It's enough to keep me going until the real spring weather comes along.

That's kind of how it is when you're newly published with a small press, and you've been buried in marketing, of which you have no skills whatsoever. I take tiny little baby steps everyday, but it's progress. And my rankings reflect that.  Well, usually, but not always. They're still not great, but they're improving at a consistent rate, so it's heartening.  It’s like that bit of warm sunshine and blue sky in February. 

My point?  Well, we writers love what we do, but let’s face it, with all the rejection, it can be seriously depressing.  It’s a mind-numbingly slow process, and though we do the actual work alone, we cannot “make it” alone.  We need betas and critique partners, agents and publishers, bloggers and book reviewers.  You just can’t do it without them, or at least some of them anyway. 

But I’m here to tell you, it can be done, and I’m one of those exceedingly average people who accomplish some success, but never in spectacular fashion.  I have no visions of superstardom or the financial windfall that comes with that.  I don’t ever expect to make much money on my book, and honestly, that was never the point.  I just wanted to write a really good book readers would enjoy, and I wanted to publish it traditionally.

I didn’t consider all the work I’d have to do on the marketing front, and I will admit, it isn’t easy, but neither was writing the book, or revising, or querying, or editing.  Every step was and still is a challenge, but I learn a little something everyday, and I make a bit more progress everyday, too.  And because I am that Average Annie, I know if I can do it, then so can you. 

No matter where you are in the game—writing, revising, querying, edits, and yes, even marketing—it's all a matter of baby steps, forward momentum, no matter how small, and no matter how much you got pushed back the day before.  If you want it bad enough and you’re willing to learn and take the steps necessary, you will make it.

So don’t give up.  Remember your dream, and... 

Elizabeth Arroyo's THE SECOND SIGN Blog Tour

Before I get started, the winner of a paperback copy of
Social Media Just Writers for Writers is...
Mike Murata at Suburban Fantasy

And now...

Please allow me to introduce you all to my pub-sister Elizabeth Arroyo.

Elizabeth, take it away...

Thanks for hosting me. I'm so excited to talk about THE SECOND SIGN. My debut will be released February 7, 2013 by Sapphire Star Publishing.

The idea for the story came to me in two separate scenes. One involved a demon exploding in my kitchen, the other a girl swimming in a dark lake with a boy in a boat beside her, trying to convince her she was nuts. The demon made it into the story, the other scene didn't, though it sparked an interest in those two characters. And from that, Gabby and Jake were born.

The Main Characters: 
Gabby is a strong willed character. Okay, she's hard-headed. She tends to react without thinking of consequences. She says what's on her mind too freely. And has very little social skills. That may be due to the fact that she's been kept in isolation from what she is, or isn't, in this case. She doesn't know who she is and is searching for something...anything that would clue her in. A typical teenager trying to grow into her own skin, although for Gabby that means something dangerous.

Jake is the opposite. He's an adrenaline junkie who itches to jump out of something high. To almost fly. He has an easy way about him. He's easily liked by everyone. But Jake is quickly drawn into Gabby's world and it's not by accident.

The Setting: There were certain elements I needed in the setting. The story takes place in early summer in a summer retreat town. I wanted something surrounded by woods and a mountain. I also wanted it to be at the edge of the world. Maine came to mind. I've never been to Maine, but I found some awesome pictures of a resort village that had everything I needed.

 For photos click here. 

Plot: Gabby wasn't meant to be born. She was actually stillborn for a few minutes before taking her first breath. She learns that she wasn't meant to live and was saved by her dead-beat dad who happens to be an angel. With no predestined soul the demons mark her, but she has to willingly give up her soul. She doesn't. And so the demons are let loose on the small town, killing her friends and leading her to solve the mystery of the Second Sign.  The story does have elements of horror. 

About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth has worked in the community for the bulk of her professional career. She enjoys quiet moments, action flicks, and dancing with her four-year-old. THE SECOND SIGN is her debut novel. You can find more information about Elizabeth at:

Find Elizabeth here:

Website  Blog   Facebook   Twitter

THE SECOND SIGN
Available February 7, 2013
Sapphire Star Publishing
Dark YA Paranormal Romance

When a demon guardian comes to collect seventeen-year-old Gabby’s soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.

As Gabby and Jake—her almost boyfriend—begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.

Please, Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest, An Interview, A Giveaway, and an Incredible Review

Today, I’m participating in Mark Koopmans, Elise Fallson, C.M. Brown, and Stephen Tremp’s

Please Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest

where Stephen suggests we take a moment and re-introduce ourselves to the world.

In years past, I typically spent the last few minutes before I dropped off to sleep fantasizing about…well, just…stuff, really.  Making up little dramas in my head, motivating a dream, you might say.  But I never imagined myself to be a writer. 

Then an idea wriggled into my brain one day in 2010, inspired by a song, and from that moment on, I was obsessed.  I wrote an outline, a first draft, really, handwritten in a notebook.  Then I typed it out, titled it The Mistaken, got busy revising, did all the things a writer was supposed to do if she wanted to get published, like find critique partners, set up a blog, query widely, and make a book trailer (thanks to Carrie Butler!)

I suffered a lot of rejection, but I never gave up.  I learned instead, from other writers, authors, agents, whoever had a bit of advice.  I read it and I took it.  And then I found a home for my book, at Sapphire Star Publishing.  It’s not exactly what I thought it would be, but I’m making steady progress.  

In the mean time, I’m still working as an interior designer, barely, but I also took a job as a book editor with my publisher.  So, that’s me…

Who are you?  Please, re-introduce yourself!

Also today, I’m over at Maine Words where Marcy Hatch is conducting a little interview.  We’d both love it if you’d drop on by and leave a comment.

Next, in case you missed it, if you're a writer in need of a little social media marketing savvy, scroll down to the post below this or click here for my review on Social Media Just Writers for Writers – The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books by Frances Caballo.  It's chock full of invaluable information on using popular social media platforms as marketing tools and it's tailored especially for writers.

Finally, last Monday, a book blogger posted a review of my book on Goodreads and Amazon, with pictures and everything, at least on Goodreads.  

   

Now, I’ve had my share of good reviews, but this one knocked it out of the park.

I’m thinking she liked it.  Check it out and tell me what you think.  She even made a pretty picture with a quote from my book.  

 Pretty cool, huh?

Review: Social Media Just for Writers by Frances Caballo

It’s hard being a neophyte at anything, especially something tech-based.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a total Luddite—I embrace technology as much as the next guy—but I also struggle with it at times.  Mix that lack of knowledge with my abhorrence for all things related to marketing, and you have an author drowning in dread.

I’ve done many of the things an author is supposed to do to build a platform—I blog, do Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Goodreads—but I’m not always the best at using them.  Then there’s LinkedIn and Google+, which I’m on, but do not use.  There’s also Pinterest, which I haven’t even attempted yet.  It’s all a major time-suck, and they each require a level of expertise to master and make productive.

So while I hardly had the time, when Trish Collins, owner of TLC Book Tours, asked, I jumped at the chance to review Social Media Just Writers for Writers – The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books by Frances Caballo. 

After all the time I spent writing and polishing my novel, then finding a publisher and getting it ready to be released, I wasn’t even remotely prepared for all the hands-on marketing I’d have to do.  And even though I already had a presence in some of the most popular social outlets, I wasn’t entirely sure how to best use them.  But Social Media Just Writers for Writers clarifies much of it, makes it easier to understand and use. 

This book delves straightaway into the monster that is Facebook, how to join, create a profile, start a fan page, and manage security and settings.  Caballo also advises on how to best use it to help sell your book using SEO and effective posts.  While I already had a firm grasp on Facebook, she explains quite a few features I wasn’t even aware of, including the creation of tabs, measuring results, the plethora of third party applications, and the best practices for writers.  There were a few inaccurate numbers in there, though, like the total number of Facebook users.  It’s not 900,000, but more like 1,000,000,000.  That’s billion, not million.

Next, Twitter.  Oy, I hate Twitter.  Seems like so much work to put into something that literally only last a few seconds before it’s buried in an avalanche of new tweets.  Caballo explains, however, exactly why it is the place to be, and goes into detail about all the basics on tweeting and retweeting, following and unfollowing, linking and hashtags, DM and @replies, proper lingo and etiquette. 

She takes you step-by-step on how to setup an account, develop a profile, and show some style.  She dissects everything you need to know about the dashboard and how to navigate it, lists the most popular and helpful hashtags for writers, and provides tips to get started.  After that, it’s all about the apps, the best to use for whatever purpose and how they work, though she didn’t discuss how some are not entirely accurate, like the unfollow apps, ManageFlitter to be precise.

I was a bit overwhelmed by this app portion.  It would have been nice if she had rated these apps in some way, but I did find some awesome new ones to help me pre-schedule, flush out unfollowers, and find old tweets.  Best of all, Caballo provides twelve tips on tweeting with your tweeps, though I must say, I do not agree on her stance of not cross-posting to Twitter and Facebook.  As long as you compose it properly, what’s the big deal?

Then there’s LinkedIn.  I joined this platform years ago, so my profile was tailored primarily for my design business.  I realize I could start a new one just for my publishing and editing career, but in all honesty, I don’t see the point.  It’s too technical and has more of a Job Fair atmosphere to me.  But Caballo fully explains its usefulness, how to setup and use it, useful applications, and a dozen best practices.  Personally, while I do keep my account updated, I really only use it for the groups.

Next comes Google+.  While Caballo gives a bunch of good reasons why to use it—like its connection to the most widely used search engine in the world—I’m with the majority on this one.  It was nice to get an invitation when it was in beta, but it’s too unwieldy of a site.  I have a Google+ account, but most everyone I know has abandoned it.  When I land on someone’s G+ page, I’m not sure how to use it and exit as quickly as I can.  But Caballo explains all the ins and outs and features of G+ that make it worth a look at least, including why it works better than Facebook in some ways.  So if you want to know more, she has a lot to say, but even that confused me, because G+ is just all around confusing and not very user-friendly. 

And then comes Pinterest.  My thought when Pinterest first blew up was, oh God, not another social media platform.  You’d think I, an artist and designer, would embrace it, but I already spend so much time on the others that I didn’t want to get sucked into it.  And I’ve heard it is very addictive.  Great, just what I need.  But, actually, I’m thinking of giving it a try, of using images to tell the story of my book, The Mistaken.  That could be fun and productive.  My publisher swears by it.  So when I’m ready, I know I can refer to Caballo’s instructions on how to setup and use it.  Dry reading about this, however, without any prior knowledge or use of the site, left me a little confused.  She used lingo that meant nothing to me and I was left scratching my head, but I’m sure it would make more sense if you were actually doing it play-by-play. 

Then Caballo dives into blogs, how useful they are, and the best way to utilize them to increase sales.  However, she didn’t go into the different sites where one can setup a blog, only mentioning WordPress a few times as her preference.  I disagree on this somewhat.  If you’re a beginner, Blogger is the perfect site.  It’s where almost all my thousands of blogger friends reside.  It’s easier to use, yet she doesn’t go into it at all.  But there is a lot of good info in there, including prompts, using keyword-rich articles and titles, applications, plug-ins, and resources for photographs to make your posts richer and easier on the eye, and ideas on how to make your blog successful.

Lastly, Caballo discusses the angles of offline promotion, though several of the items listed, like email, websites, author networks and hangouts, are all online.  One platform she didn’t discuss enough was Goodreads, an invaluable tool for any author today.  It’s the best way to directly connect with your readers and potential readers.  It is the platform for readers.  Other than that, Caballo discusses actual shelf space (something that’s not always an option,) bookmarks, fliers, CDs, book fairs and festivals, business cards, ads, press releases, media kits, PR directories, radio and TV, reviewers, and Amazon and Listmania.  A lot of the work I’ve been doing recently is in these areas so I found this section particularly helpful. 

All in all, this book is chock full of info, ideas, and tips on how to connect with readers and help sell your book.  The instructions were typically easy to understand.  Even the most experienced and savvy will find new things to learn and experiment with.  And there are so many resources listed that you are sure to find something to help with whichever social media platform you use.  One thing though, I wish throughout this book that the author would have taken novelists more into consideration when giving tips.  Most were geared toward non-fiction writers.  But still, I can tailor most everything to fit my needs.

So if you’re a writer and as overwhelmed as I am by social media, this book is worth a look and the $16 you have to pay for the paperback.    

On Monday, February 4th, using Random.org, I will award one commenter (of this post) within the continental US with a paperback copy of Social Media Just Writers for Writers.  Any winner outside of this area will receive a PDF.  Make sure your profile includes an email so I can get your mailing address, or include it in your comment. 

You can find Frances Caballo here:

website, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Google+,Twitter, and Pinterest.

If you’re interested in reading other reviews, check out the rest of the TLC tour here:

01/07:  Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire

01/08:  Write Stuff

01/10:  Julie A. Flanders

01/14: Creepy Query Girl

01/15:  Writing Fiction

01/17:  TheWriteGame

01/22:  A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman

01/23:  Stina Lindenblatt

01/28:  Tossing It Out

01/29:  allison writes

01/30:  Mina Burrows

02/04:  My Bookshelf

Cover Reveal: POLAR NIGHT by Julie Flanders

It is my pleasure to present

Polar Night

by
my friend and fellow thriller author

Julie Flanders

coming 02.07.13

from

Ink Smith Publishing

When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Besides being all-around AWESOME, Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. It will be published by Ink Smith Publishing on February 7, 2013. 

Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. 

_____________

On a personal note, I'd like to thank all of you who voted for my book on the various Goodreads lists last week.  Because of your help, THE MISTAKEN climbed higher on all 14 lists, especially
Best Romantic Suspense, Thrillers You Must Read, and Thrillers.

As a result, over 155 readers added
The Mistaken to their TBR lists in the
last day and a half alone,
over 755 total. 

And I haven't even announced my January giveaway yet.
(BTW, it starts next Monday, 01.28.13)

So thank you all!  And please let me know if I can ever return the favor!

Do an Author a Favor...Pretty Please???

You guys know how much I’ve been complaining about the whole marketing thing.  It’s such a pain, so much work, and I’m terrible at it.  Last week, my very good friend, Alex Cavanaugh, went out on a limb and asked his followers to vote for his two books, CassaStar and CassaFire, on the Goodreads’ Best Space Opera List.  I and many others voted, and CassaStar remained at #1 and CassaFire moved to #2. 

I found that very inspiring, and while I don’t have near the following Alex does, it doesn’t take much for a book to move up on a Goodreads list. 

As it happens, though well received and reviewed, my book, The Mistaken, needs some serious help in the sales department, and raising awareness via Goodreads is a good way to do that.  So I’m asking for the same favor. 

The Mistaken has been added to 14 Goodreads lists by readers.  That’s a remarkable feat I can be proud of, but I’d like it to be as high on those lists as possible so it’s more visible, which, hopefully, will help sales. 

So, for you Goodreads members who wouldn’t mind, use this master list link for all 14 Goodreads lists The Mistaken appears on, then click on the lists individually, as many as you want, and wait for The Mistaken to appear, usually at the top of the page.  All you have to do is click on the “vote for this book” button next to my title.  That’s it.  Very quick and easy peasy!

The lists (below) are in order of importance to me, especially the first 10, though all have immense influence. Unfortunately, except for the lists where my book is near the top, as people vote, the book moves up and these individual links will not be accurate for placement, so click on the master link for all 14 lists then click on each individual list to vote.

·        Best Romantic Suspense

·        What To Read Next

·        Kidnapped

·        Psychological Suspense Thriller

·        Psychological Thrillers

·        Thrillers

·        Thrillers You Must Read

·        Best Tortured Heroes in Fiction

·        So you love a Bad Boy or Tortured Hero

·        Can’t Wait Books of 2012

·        Upcoming Books of 2012 & 2013

·        Books That Need To Come Out Sooner

·        Come Out Already!    

Thank you in advance!

You have no idea how much I appreciate your help!

What the World Can Learn From Writers

I’ve hated bickering ever since I was a little kid.  Where most siblings relish the chance to needle and annoy their brothers or sisters, I was always the peacemaker.  I avoided the situations that seemed to cause arguments, like where my brothers and I would sit in the car.  No one wanted the middle seat, but I always offered to take it so we wouldn’t fight. 

As an adult, I can be considerably more confrontational when crossed, and I’m in no way a pushover, but I still try to avoid conflict.  Or rather, I work around it, try to find a peaceful resolution by getting one side to see and understand the other.  That’s just my nature. 

Over the years, I’ve come to believe I might be in the minority.  Everywhere I look, people are badgering and bickering with each other.  It’s typically the source of every news story where someone gets shot or stabbed, and it’s the norm on nearly every reality TV show.  Viewers think it’s boring unless one person is railing at or tormenting another.  We find it amusing for some reason. 

It’s no wonder so many little girls turn mean at the age of five, why some kids are bullied so mercilessly.  For all the complaining we do about the issue, all the time we spend teaching our kids not to pick on others, the example they often see is what we leave running in the background on the TV while they eat dinner, do their homework, or just plain horse around. 

And don’t even get me started on the politicians, those inept, contentious tools who, on camera, say how they’re trying to work together, but, in secret, bully their party colleagues into vowing to never cow to the demands of the other side.  They won’t even entertain the idea of compromise to deal with the issues they were elected and are paid to do.  I’m not surprised though.  They act the way their constituents act.  So perhaps they’re just doing what they’ve been hired to do after all. 

Frankly, I’m sick of it.  I keep remembering poor Rodney King, God rest his soul, saying, “Can’t we all just get along?”  Well, can’t we?  I, for one, think we can.  The world just needs to look to the writing community for a good example.

I’ve worked in various industries, and while I never had any enemies, in the end, it was always about looking out for number one.  You’d think in an industry such as ours, where we, as writers, don’t operate as a team, but rather as individuals, that we’d be more cutthroat, more backstabbing and winner-take-all.  Yet that’s about as far from the truth as you can get. 

Perhaps it’s the ambiguity of the prize, the fact that what we each have to offer differs so much and that makes it seem like we’re not truly competing with each other, but it hardly explains why, as a community, we’re so…friendly and helpful, so cooperative and supportive.  I’ve heard of a few writers who got jealous when someone they knew landed an agent or a book deal, but those are rare. 

I’m not entirely sure why but, I think what we share is something akin to how disaster survivors are seen and treated by those unaffected, kind of a there-but-for-the-grace-of-God mentality.  Or maybe it’s just that we know what it’s like to fail, to be rejected, and our hearts ache.  That would mean we are compassionate, as humans are wont to be.  We see the other side as something more than just competition, more than the enemy, more than the scavenger trying to steal our nuts.  We see them as we see ourselves, and that is what the world needs more of.       

        

  

IWSG: The Courage to Go On

Today is the first Wednesday of the month, time for

Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Being insecure, I’m usually a taker during these little IWSG sessions.  I typically gripe and moan about all the things moving against me, most of which I have no control over.  And while I feel no differently this month than I do most any other, I’m not going to give in to it this time.

As a newish writer, I’ve gone through all the normal ups and downs, the doubts about my talent and skill, my loathing of querying, landing a book deal, its eventual launch, and, most recently, less than stellar sales, plus every blip imaginable in between.  And now, when I should be focusing on what comes next, like my second book, I’m instead obsessed with my lack of serious marketing skills and how I should rectify that. 

It never ends.  The worrying, the doubt, the insecurity…no matter how much success I manage, there’s always the big unknown looming ahead.

So what’s an insecure writer to do?

First off, focus on those small, hard-earned successes and remember where you were just prior and how far you’ve come since starting out, especially how high the odds were that you would even make it this far.

Second, once you’ve identified where and what you lack or what the next problem is, set into motion a plan on how to fix it.  For me, that meant finding a book tour company better suited to my genre.  Even a repped author can’t solely depend on an agent or publisher to know what’s best for you and your book.  It’s true what they, you know, that authors must learn to market themselves and their titles.  That’s a big chore if you know nothing about marketing, because before you even put a plan into motion, you must teach yourself what those components might be. 

That’s most daunting, I think, ‘cause this is serious business we’re talking about, incredible potential you don’t want to slip through your fingers due to ignorance.  It’s all in the baby steps, I say.  Yeah, sure, that tiny step might not work or be in the right direction, but you learn something when you make a mistake.  Even better, you might meet someone who can help you out, point you in the right direction, or give you a referral to another who can. 

So that’s my message.  While I know it would be pointless to say don’t worry, I will say this, don’t let it get it you down.  Don’t let it consume you to the point where you can’t move, can’t take another step for fear of failing.  Just taking the step is a measure of success.  Go ahead, pout, cry, stomp your foot and rave like a lunatic.  Then pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and take another teeny tiny step.

Yes, it takes time and patience, and I mean a lot of patience. And you should measure success in millimeters not miles.  But don’t quit.  You never know when things will turn around, when you’ll meet that one or few people who will make a difference.  You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

And remember...