The Write Way
February 17, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category The Write Way by Maureen Child tagged as Maureen Child, NAL, Silhouette, Silhouette Nocturne, The Write Way
That’s right! To celebrate 60 years of bringing romance to the world, Harlequin/Silhouette is giving away 16 books, FREE.
Just go to this site,http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/ and download them!
I’m pleased and honored to say that one of my books, BABY BONANZA is one of the books offered.
But why is this good for writers? That’s easy. Harlequin/Silhouette publishes 72 books a MONTH. That means even when the economy is rough and other publishing houses are being cautious, Harlequin/Silhouette is always looking for writers!
Why shouldn’t that be YOU??
So go to the site, get some free books and study them. Figure out which line your heart leans toward and then sit down and write. Polish. Perfect. And then submit.
Who knows?? Maybe the next time Harlequin/Silhouette gives away books, yours might be one of them!
Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 romance novels and novellas. At the moment, she’s hard at work on her next Silhouette Desire.
Visit Maureen at http://www.maureenchild.com/ or http://www.maureenchild.blogspot.com/
Her most recent titles are:
BEDEVILED, NAL, January 09
AN OFFICER AND A MILLIONAIRE, Silhouette Desire, Jan 09
VANISHED, Silhouette Nocturne, February 09
Internet Blues
February 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Pets, Romance and Lots of SuspenseAs you can see from my signature info below, I also blog elsewhere–weekly, on KillerHobbies. I posted something about research on the Internet yesterday and got some interesting responses.
I’m fascinated with the Internet–and also frustrated by it. I think it consumes too much of my writing time, since I constantly check e-mails, and instantly check stuff I need to research, rather than waiting till later. I also use it for letting people know about my books, and that, though fun, also uses up time.
I can remember doing research before the Internet was so integral to our daily lives. I read more books, dug more phone numbers from telephone books, and called and talked to more people. Well, heck, that was time consuming, too.
I had problems with my Internet server earlier this week and immediately went into panic mode. Fortunately, it was worked out soon… this time. I certainly sighed in relief when I once again was able to get into my e-mail.
I admit I’m not especially technologically savvy, but I’ve learned to use what I need to. And one thing that¢s now essential in my life, writing and otherwise, is… the Internet!
Linda O. Johnston is the author of 15 romance novels and several novellas, including a current Nocturne Bites, with 2 more Nocturnes upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.
Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com
The Artist’s Way
January 29, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category The Artist Way by Gillian Doyle tagged as Artist's Way, Gillian Doyle
“Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first BE who your really are, then DO what you need to do, in order HAVE what you want.“
– Margaret Young (quoted in THE ARTIST’S WAY)
We’re 29 days into 2009. How’s it going so far? Are you meeting your goal to write more pages? More hours? No? Life still getting in the way? I certainly understand. Jobs, family, friends, pets, laundry… the list of obligations seems endless. Some of us find time to write no matter what. Some even find writing as an escape from the stress of it all. Others say that they can’t NOT write any more than they can’t NOT breathe.
Then there’s the rest of us. We want to write. We talk about it. We have good intentions. But it drops down the to-do list as the day wears on and we wear out.
I don’t believe that there is any one single reason why we stumble in our efforts to write. As Creatives, we have highly active imaginations that are a blessing –great story ideas!– and a curse — filling our mind with self-doubt and What Ifs . . .What if I don’t have any talent? What if I spend all these months on this novel and no one buys it?
Julia Cameron is probably one of the most well-known authors offering a number of books to help artists and writers break through the various blocks that we encounter. Through the years, I have read and/or met so many wonderful and generous like-minded authors who understand our own fickleness and offer advice on their own websites, publications and seminars.
Susan Meier is one such author. She has been an instructor for OCC’s online class and is also our afternoon speaker at our February OCC/RWA meeting. Check out TheMotivatedWriter.com where she is a contributor, and her own blog called “Life Coach” at http://www.susanmeier.com/blog.html.
Doyou know websites or books that you have found helpful? If so, feel free to post them. We all know that writing is ultimately a solitary pursuit. But many of us can use a little nudge of encouragement now and then, a little tidbit of advice to get us back into that abandoned page.
If you live in the Los Angeles area, a new Artist’s Way workshop is starting on February 9th at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in West Hollywood. For details, go to CreativeLife.com.
– Gillian Doyle
http://www.gilliandoyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.gilliandoyle.com/
The Write Way…….
January 23, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category The Write Way by Maureen Child tagged as Maureen Child, The Write Way
the first book in her new Witch Hunter series coming out. And Blood Magic is going to be amazing. It’s a great book with a terrific story and characters. Still, it’s a First Step and that can be terrifying.
The only way to get past the fear is to take the step anyway. So finish the book you’re working on. Send in that proposal. Enter that contest. Every First Step brings you that much closer to the NEXT First Step. And that brings you closer to your goal.
Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author
January 22, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author by Shauna Roberts tagged as Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author, Alyson Noëlby Shauna Roberts
http://ShaunaRoberts.blogspot.com
Today’s Guest: Alyson Noël
Alyson Noël is the best-selling and award-winning author of several books for teens and adults, including the upcoming Immortals series (St. Martin’s Griffin) featuring Evermore (February 2009), Blue Moon (August 2009), and three more titles for 2010. Her books have won the National Reader’s Choice Award, made many top ten lists, and appeared on the “CBS Early Show” Give the Gift of Reading segment. She lives with her husband in Laguna Beach, California.
Alyson, if you could travel back in time to before you were first published, what advice would you give yourself?
I remember the moment I got The Call so clearly, it’s as if it’s frozen in time. I was driving north on the 55 freeway on my way to return a rental car to John Wayne Airport when my agent called with the news. And by the time I got to the Avis drop-off, I was way beyond giddy. I was jumping up and down and mumbling unintelligibly to the poor attendant, who wasn’t quite sure what to make of me.
And while the majority of my excitement was due to the sheer elation of finally hearing the words ‘two-book deal’ after several months of rejection, now, looking back, I can honestly say that the other part was due to the misguided belief that the worst was now over—that from that moment on I could expect nothing but sunny skies and smooth sailing.
And so I remained, stuck in a bewildering state of wonder and bliss (because trust me, ignorance really is bliss!), gaping wide-eyed and slack-jawed at all the publishing minutiae happening around me, until my third book, Laguna Cove, was about to hit the shelves. Then my editor quit, I changed agents, and, thinking it might be nice to meet some fellow writerly types with whom to commiserate, I crawled out of my writing cave and joined some professional writers’organizations—something I should’ve done from day one. I learned so much in my first year alone from both RWA and the various Yahoo groups that I joined that I could hardly believe I’d waited so long.
That was also about the time when I discovered that the Internet is your friend. Just as I was lax in joining the writers’ groups, I didn’t really use the Internet for anything other than browsing Nordstrom.com and occasionally updating my Website. Completely oblivious to the huge community of cyberspace book bloggers, readers, and reviewers that were popping up daily, I hadn’t even considered Facebooking, Myspacing, or Twittering (yes, these are all verbs now! Aren’t they?), until I realized everyone around me was doing these things and figured I should maybe try them out too. And while there’s no getting around the fact that social networking sites are a major time suck, they’ve also resulted in numerous review requests, interview requests, bookstore signings, school visits—you name it! None of which would’ve happened if I hadn’t put myself out there like that.
But while it’s truly tempting to go crazy with the promo, I really believe the key to promotion is to know when to say when. I had no promotional strategy for my first two books other than crossing my fingers and hoping for the best, which, thankfully, worked out okay since they went into additional printings on the very first day. But after seeing all the cool bookmarks and book trailers and bookplates to be had, I decided to get me some of those too. And while it’s doubtful that any of these things helps to sell books, they’re fun to have so I continue to do them. Though I truly believe the most effective way to build your readership and promote your books is to write the next book. And then the one after that. And to keep writing, keep perfecting your craft, keep reaching out to your readers in the ways that you can without letting your promotional efforts get in the way of your writing, because all your fans really want from you is to read your next book!
And even though writing is a business, (which also means rejection isn’t personal), just like any business, it’s important to take some time off to relax, rewind, and to recharge your body and brain, which full confession alert is something I still struggle with, so this definitely falls into the “do as I say not as I” category! It’s tempting to work all the time, wanting to get out as many books as you can, but it’s also just as important to carve out some time for some nonwriting fun, making time to get reacquainted with the world outside of the one you created, because trust me, your family, friends, and characters will thank you!
To learn more about Alyson, please visit her Website at http://alysonnoel.com or her blog at http://www.alysonnoel.com/blog.html. Her new book, Evermore, can be found in bookstores in February or preordered online from Amazon.com.
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