Book Promotion - Never Give Up

Today is book promotion day and with Survivor coming out in just days I wanted to take a moment and share my debut novel Never Give Up. This book was a major learning experience for me. I have progressed so far since this one was published but I am beyond proud of it because it was my first. It took me over a decade to draft it, another two years to find a publisher and there is no one out there that would say I have mastered the promotion process though I am learning day by day. It is a short one but here is the synopsis and cover of Never Give Up.

Akaylia "Kaylie" Reynolds had it all; a loving fiance, the talent of dance, and her very own solo, opening the summer recital, but everything changed after a night of celebration with Garrett. 

The accident should have been fatal, but miraculously, Kaylie lived. Living with the fact that she might not ever dance again, emotions take her on the ride of a lifetime, with what seems to be a downward spiral. While the police are looking for a culprit, Kaylie is stuck in a hospital bed, wondering what will become of her life or if she will even live.

The More The Merrier

Today as I was looking through some of the social media writing groups I am a member of searching for a topic I noticed that there were several versions of the same thing happening, people banding together for the sake of writing. It is no secret that having a sounding board or friend to ask advice from because brainstorming alone is usually not as productive. Having someone there with different perspectives can be extremely helpful but there is more to the it than just a a friend to ask a quick question.

One of the big posts I saw when I jumped onto the Nanowrimo group page was a sprint thread. For those that don't know a sprint is when writers are struggling for a word count they will post their current word count and set a time limit then, putting themselves under the time crunch pressure, they write as much as possible in that time frame posting the result at the end. The thread is designed to have several other writers join in the sprint with the original writer so that the can be motivated by everyone else writing along with them. Also those of us that enjoy some friendly competition can get inspired to try and beat others.

During November when thousands of writers tackle the writing challenge not only do we take on the sprints for assistance and camaraderie but many take the search for others further going to organized write-ins. We also write in several locations and like coffee shops or libraries just to be around people like ourselves. Having the company around us may seem like a distraction but I have found that for me it keeps me focused. I realized long ago that even though the act of writing is a solitary task the world of writing can be very social.

When preparing to submit a manuscript the team environment is just as important as during the writing process, in fact it can be even more vital. Last week we discussed why editing is needed before sending your story off to agents or publishers. Alongside the editors stand a much less known group though, the beta readers. I briefly touched on them in the last submission post. When going through the editing initial editing process it can be a good idea to reach out to some of the writing buddies you had during Nanowrimo or other writing time to find people you trust to read through your work. They can suggest changes or may see typos and plot wholes you skipped over. They do a much broader job than an editor but can prepare you for what is coming during the process.

Creating a strong team that has mutual respect will ultimately be a large benefit for you. As we learn we can begin to believe we are smarter and more prepared for things than we actually are so it is vital that we are able to stay objective and allow our support system to lift us up but also keep us grounded. It can be a fine line yet with the ones that care about us by our side it is a much easier journey.

Character Profile - Lucasta Syntel

For years I have enjoyed participating in the annual writing challenge called Nanowrimo. The first year I chose to try I completed a novel called Never Give up which became my debut story published last year. The following year I did not participate but then again the next year I wrote Breathe, a romance novel currently in editing. Last year I took on a darker novel called Welcome to Syn and is the story of a woman and her seven daughters living during the era of the Salem Witch Trials. It was the first book that I not only was able to get in touch with a character but the mother Persyphone actually took control and told me her story in a very vivd way.

Each of the daughters have qualities that relate to one of the seven deadly sins and the eldest Lucasta is just begging for me to tackle her story for Nano this year. She has some stiff competition with both a dark thriller that is the first of a two book set as well as a vampire novel and a story about human trafficking all vying for attention in my mind but Lucasta has her charm and has made a strong case. We will see if she wins out but she is a complex girl to be sure and would make an excellent topic.

Lucasta Syntel is eighteen years old and engaged to the son of the head of the town council in Tyler Mass. Tyler is just a few short miles from Salem where Lucasta's grandparents live. Her father was killed tragically on the family farm and his parents who never approved of her mother rejected Lucasta and her sisters from the outset therefore their only interaction is at his funeral at the beginning of Welcome to Syn. She is very much in love with Hunter Williamston though his parents, while feared in the town, are extremely disliked. Lucasta plans to marry Hunter but hopes he will appreciate her more simple tastes instead of dragging her into the entitled world of the wealthy that he has been brought up to expect.

She stands closely by her mother's side as she handles the loss of Michael her husband and the girls' father. She becomes mom part two to her younger sisters helping look after them so that Persyphone can manage the home and farm in order to keep the family together and safe. When another tragedy happens at the farm Lucasta joins her mother in hunting down the culprit that seems bent on destroying their family. When they discover the conspiracy plan that has been set in motion the girls must flee for safety. In her own story Lucasta will lead the charge against those that came together to ruin the Syntels and using the power of her sin Wrath she will bring at least one of the men that hurt her family to justice.

Learning As I Go

Several months ago I came up with the idea that it would be a good idea to promote my newest book coming out in a large scale live event. I was talking to my dear friend and fellow author Kate Marie Robbins about her book Behind Closed Doors and how I wanted to partner with a local charity to raise money and awareness for them as I launched the book. Because she is a master of creating and hosting online events we decided to join together for a domestic violence awareness month event which would begin with the release of the books, both of our individual stories along with an anthology we had both been a part of.

She created a group to help plan the event that I am of course a part of while I went out to get the live event put together. She has been amazing as she gets raffle prizes and giveaways together, organizes people to do takeover time slots and keeping everything updated for those that will be attending virtually which gives me a lot more free time to go out and do all the work required for the live event. I thought I was fully prepared for what would go into planning this but I could not have been more wrong.

I of course knew the beginning of any planning for a charity event was to get the charity organization on board. I met with Shade Tree right away and was thrilled they were interested so I filled out the paperwork to host an event on their behalf. I was approved very quickly and set out to find the proper location. Because I work for a large hotel and casino that has a philanthropy department I contacted them and they seemed happy to help though it took several days to gain approval through numerous department such as sales, catering, compliance and of course the Sands Cares the previously mentioned philanthropy department.

Once I got the approvals needed and a date and time were set I went out to begin working on the guest speakers, raffle prizes and media coverage. Because I am hosting at a word famous location partnered with a well known local charity I believed it would be easy to get the coverage from the press but with just a few weeks left I have gotten about half of the raffle prizes I had been aiming for with the promise of a few more to come but I am still stressing over getting the guest speakers and the media coverage confirmed. Every step has been a learning process but if I ever take on another event of this caliber I will be far better prepared.

Book Profile - Survivor

Saturdays are another day for profiles of books or characters from those books. Today I have been hard at work on the launch event for Survivor so I figured it would be the best one to showcase. So here is the synopsis for my upcoming novella Survivor.

When Jasmine goes to a party with her best friend she has no idea what to expect. She is only a sophomore after all. Shortly after their arrival she catches the eye of the most handsome but she has ever seen. She is overwhelmed by his attention soaking up every moment as the most envied girl there. He is the man of her dreams.

            Or is he truly a nightmare? Jasmine’s best friend sees a dark side to Tyler Winegard and cannot understand why Jasmine is so blind to it. As the relationship deepens Jasmine finds herself having to fight to prove her love to him as he becomes more demanding and controlling with each passing day. Can she bring back the attentive sweet and charming boy she fell for or will he steal everything from her including her sanity and her life?

Short and simple. It is based on a true story, my story of fighting back against domestic violence from someone I thought cared for me. It is very personal and important to me but I am touched by how many people that I have talked to and they have not only wanted to thank me and the other authors for writing about such a painful but increasingly important topic in today's society. It means so much to see how people are responding to us sharing our experiences and to know that our desire to increase awareness is working.

We are proud not only of our survival but that we are making connections we had never anticipated. I hope people will be able to understand how difficult it was and the continuing struggles not only for us but those like us who are in different stages of their journeys. 

Social Media Marketing

Since I ran out of time yesterday I will be putting up both Friday's marketing tips post as well as a second post for Saturday doing another profile for a character or book. This post is about marketing though and while it is a topic I do know somewhat well, I even got my degree in marketing, there is a world out there I still feel like I have yet to properly explore.

I have been on Facebook for over a decade and before that I had a Myspace page. I wasn't very active on Myspace because I came to it quite late and just as the Facebook craze was beginning. Still it has been nearly half my life that I have been a part of the social media world in some capacity or another. One would think that I would have had ample time to browse the various types, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In and so on but I still struggle with the oldest one out there. I only made a dedicated page for my work a year and a half ago. I created my Twitter account the same time and I have never looked at Instagram or Linked In.

I am a novice in every sense of the word so why am I bothering to try and give advice? It is more that I want people to understand that there are those of us out there so that if they are more fluent in the language of social media than perhaps they may be willing to help walk us through things that come second nature to them with the understanding and patience required or for others like myself to know that they are not alone.

Because technology controls the universe in a very real way now and the goal of most marketers is not only to keep and maintain a high level of quality with current repeat customers but to establish new ones as well especially the younger market it is a requirement that we speak their language. We must band together and learn this new technological language that is as foreign to many of us as the classes most of us were forced to take in high school. This is not for a grade however but for the future of our business. Whether you are a contractor, a dentist, an artist or an author like myself, growing our reach and following the newest trends must be on the to do list for each and every one os us.

Learning Curve

How appropriate that today is all about my experiences in the writing world as I am desperately trying to learn the ropes of publishing through Createspace and Mobi and I have already encountered problems I have no idea how to address. I had planned to stay awake and doing everything tonight so that all I had to do was wait for the review to be completed once it was submitted however I am finding that having my editor do the formatting and then being unable to change things if needed. Granted she knows how to do the formatting and I have never attempted it before but being unable to adjust things if needed is making things complicated.

I know that there is still a tremendous stigma in the world for books that are self published. I myself an guilty of seeing some independently published work as somehow less than traditionally published. It is ridiculous of course but the idea is there nonetheless. If the author does the work getting the book edited and formatted correctly, having the story beta read for feedback about any shortcomings that may exist and taking the time to create a cover that is eye catching with an intriguing synopsis then it should not matter who it is that hits publish on the book.

I learned numerous parts of the publishing and promotion world since my debut novel hit the stands last April but it looks like I have significantly further to go. I am right now doing everything in my power to understand the requirements of Createspace as well as figure out why my computer will only let me open a limited number of files when all of them in a specific category should be available for my use. As I push on I am having to ask questions of my friend and editor through the realm of social media as well as wait until morning for my manager and boyfriend to look at the computer to straighten out the problems I am having viewing files I need.

It is important for me to understand how to do this part of the process in case I decide to take on more projects myself but right at the moment as the one o'clock hour dawns in the morning I am struggling to even stay awake let alone make my brain comprehend something so foreign to me. I look forward to a time when I am able to pass on knowledge like that that I am seeking now from others but at this point I will just continue to learn and share as I go so hopefully others with similar concerns will be able to use this blog as a resource.