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Real People vs. Read People

I love my characters, and for the time that I am writing their stories, I am so immersed in their world that these people are more than real.  I have to remind myself not to mention them in non-book conversations, as that kind of talk garners me odd looks.

So after schooling myself to avoid piping up about Tasmyn learning to drive stick shift or Michael getting into his first choice college, it’s quite jarring that once the book is published, others speak to me as though my characters are living, breathing people. It has taken me a little time to adjust and enjoy it. But I absolutely love it when, in the middle of conversation, someone begins talking about Michael as though he’s a mutual acquaintance or asks me questions about Nell, as if I had just come from visiting her.

I’m not sure if all of this is merely gratifying to me as a writer or enabling my own insanity. Either way, it works for me.  Hearing how each character has impacted readers helps me to develop nuances in their personalities and their stories. And. . yes, it does give me a little writers’ high!

 

Balancing Promotion and Writing

I love the world of indie publishing.  The freedom and the community is wonderful.  I wouldn’t do it any other way.

But I think we all need to recognize that finding balance between the business and the art of writing can be a real challenge.

I wrote a book.  (Well, I’ve written a series, but for now, let’s tackle one book.) As a friend recently pointed out to a fellow author, I wrote that book so that other people would read it. To that end, I am responsible for publicizing that book, getting word out about it, encouraging people to pick it up and read it.

So if I said that I am a writer, not a promoter, I would be short-changing my work and possibly negating the reason for writing a book in the first place.

On the other hand, PR is a monster that can swallow huge chunks of time without notice.  When I go on Twitter or Facebook, I run the risk of getting sucked into an endless chain of tweets and posts before I realize that it’s two in the morning and I need to sleep. Factor in real life (like most writers, I have other responsibilities and commitments), and it is a dilemma.

I’m trying to segment my PR work to the evening, when I can sit with my family watching TV or movies and still have the computer on my lap. I’m using every tool I can find to make promotion easier. Other authors have been very kind and gracious in sharing their tricks of the trade, and I am very grateful.

Right now, my writing priority is editing the third book in the series, which is completed but hasn’t been touched since I wrote the last word. Once I have Breathless launched in both ebook and print form, I’m taking a break to edit the third book and finish the fourth.

I’m dying to get back to writing, to just putting words on paper, but right now, I’m focusing on not looking at PR as a necessary evil, but as an opportunity to make lots and lots of new friends!

FEARLESS is Available in Print!

This is really exciting!  FEARLESS went live on Amazon yesterday as a paperback book.  Yes, an honest-to-goodness, you can hold it in your hand book.

You can go to Amazon to order the book, and if you’d like a signed copy, please post on my Facebook page.

Thanks as always for all of your support and encouragement.

Just a little Breathless. . .

Here it is. . .the beautiful cover* for BREATHLESS, the second book in the King series.  I am so excited for you all to read this book. . .it was fun to write, and early reviews have been fabulous!

This is just a little teaser. . .it’s coming soon to Amazon and to independent book sellers.

Tasmyn Vaughn is not having the senior year she expected. Her boyfriend Michael leaves for college, she’s being stalked by a suspicious preacher, pursued by the hot new boy at school and blackmailed by her chemistry teacher–who just might be a witch. Tas needs all of her many talents–and a little help from unexpected sources–just to keep her head above water. . .literally.

 

*Cover design by Elizabeth Sharp (http://sharpcovers.blogspot.com/ )

We need YOU. . .

 

 

 

. . .to help with book promotion!

It is so cool to see friends and family posting about Fearless.  I am grateful for every positive bit of publicity, and word of mouth is a terrific way to promote a book.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’ve had some people ask me what they can do to help with PR. There are a few very simple things that would help publicize the series and get more people reading!

  • Go to the book’s page on Amazon. (Just click that word!) If you’ve read Fearless, leave a review there.  It’s easy to do, and it doesn’t have to be anything long and involved. Just a few quick sentences about how you loved the book.
  • While you’re there on the book’s page (see link above), you’ll see a little button that says “Like”.  Click that button! It means you like the book, and believe it or not, that helps.
  • If you are not already doing this, become a follower of THIS website. How do you do that?  See that sidebar on the right? Right under the Facebook button, you’ll see a little link “Subscribe Via Email”.  Click that link, and whenever I update this page, you’ll get an email letting you know.
  • And speaking of Facebook. . if you’re a Facebook user, and you haven’t “liked” my author page. . please click on the Facebook button on the sidebar and do it!
  • Do you tweet, tweetheart?  Well, then click the link and follow me there.
  • If you are not at all computer-friendly and you prefer your word of mouth support to be REALLY word of mouth, stay tuned.  The print version of Fearless will be out in two weeks, and I will have lots of ideas for you then. Meanwhile, if you know of a terrific independent book store in your area, please let me know! Leave a comment below or email me.

It really DOES take a village to launch a book, and I have a wonderful village.  Thanks for everything you do and are going to do. You all rock!