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REBRAND: Website Reveal

May 5, 2019 by Tracy Reed in category Writing

Happy May and Happy Mother’s Day to all who are mothers.

Let’s talk websites.

I mentioned this before how labor intensive and time consuming this rebranding process has been. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’d do it all over again.

When it came to redesigning my website, I knew I wanted it to be reflective of me. My old site was nice, but after having attended RAM {Romance Author Mastermind], I knew I needed to step up my look. I approached this sort of like a giant Pinterest Board. I studied bestselling author sites, sites I liked and sites from some of my also boughts. I made a list of the things I liked from each site and then went to work redesigning my site.

My new site has most of the information on the homepage. Each book has it’s own page as well as a playlist. I always create playlists when I write, but had kept them to myself. Sharing my playlists was something I saw on Laurelin Paige’s site. She shared playlist with some of her books.

I liked the giveaway Carly Phillips used for her new site launch. I enlisted the readers help checking for typos. She also hid a few intentional ones. This was such a great idea. For my site, I’ve set up a game asking the readers to “Find the Hot Guy”. It also includes a bonus entry for noticing the new cover. [I’m keeping A Southern Gentleman’s new cover a secret in this post until I share it with my list.]

I liked the printable book list from Brenda Novak. At RAM we learned about text messaging. I’ve added that feature. It’s an additional monthly expense, but I think it will come in handy with new releases.

This time around, I used free stock images I tweaked in Photoshop to match my color theme. I also added a new logo. I added a direct link to my reader group and cleaned up the store products. Basically, I added all of the information on the homepage keeping in mind, I had to grab the reader’s attention.

I also carried the graphics over to my email template. I wanted to establish my branding with the colors and the graphics.

Resources I used for the new website:

Shopify

I sell print books and reader boxes, so this is an excellent platform for me. It’s also easy to use. They offer 24/7 Customer Service. Another major feature is a POS app for my iPad and phone. I love using this at signings.

Photoshop

I use Photoshop to tweak my images before adding them to my website and the new logo font.

Unsplash Stock Photos

I found a series of images I felt best represented my brand. I could have used my covers, but they wouldn’t have given me the continuity I wanted. And the covers wouldn’t have stood out.

For the “Find the Hot Guy” giveaway, I used Depositphotos, Pexels, and Unsplash. And Google Docs for the form.

Spotify

I used Spotify to host my playlist. This one is a little tricky, because it’s not compatible with all web browsers.

EZ texting.com

I posted a question to one of my online groups about texting apps, and this one got rave reviews. I’m excited to see how this is going to work.

If you’d like to visit the site, click the image below or the link: https://bit.ly/2DOyvV1. I ask that you not share it yet, because I have a giveaway set up for the launch. If you have a problem with the link or have questions, email me [readtracyreed@me.com]

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Teacup Tales

April 15, 2019 by Rebecca Forster in category Writing tagged as Family, inspiration

Over the last many months I have been helping my mother prepare to relocate. We have spent hours choosing the furniture she will take and trying to determine how many dishes, glasses, and cookie sheets she’ll really need.

Dusty and dirty after spending the day cleaning the garage, we found ourselves in the dining room at the end of the day. I looked at the huge breakfront overflowing with crystal, silver, and china. I opened the glass door and took out a piece of bisque colored china.

“Do you want to take it with you?” I asked.

“That’s Limoges,” she said. “One of dad’s patients gave it to him after he delivered her baby.”

“And these?” I held up two tall crystal vases. Certainly one would do in a smaller place.

“Keep them both,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I like them,” she answered.

On we went sorting through soup tureens, more vases, statues of ballerinas, and teacups. It was the teacups that enthralled me and the work slowed as I set them on the dining room table, one after another. Some had fluted edges and others were like little pot-bellied stoves. My favorite cup was sleek and modern with a shallow bowl. It was made of porcelain so white and delicate that I could see through it. The sweep of the golden handle made the cup look like a swan. The cups were miss-matched because that was the style in another elegant era.

My mother and I touched the teacups, nudged their saucers, and ran our fingers over tiny raised paintings of roses and lilies. We looked for the china markings and grouped them: Wedgewood, Meissen, Limoges. There were stories about my grandparents, and of my mother growing up in Germany, and of guests coming for lunch.

When we were done, when she had chosen the teacups to take with her, we went to bed to rest up for the next day’s work. As I drifted off, I realized that in the course of getting ready to close the door on a house we had opened the door to memories that could inspire a hundred novels. I had heard tales of hardship, of gratitude, of uncertainty – even danger – but mostly I had heard tales of graciousness, hard work and above all love.

Someday I will write one of these stories. Until then, I will drink my tea from one of her cups and remind myself that the best stories are those that are rich in flavor and best served with style.

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Writing Magazine Articles: Writing is writing, right?

April 12, 2019 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as publishing, writing, writing milestones

Magazine articles may not be a full novel but I have found the process in writing smaller articles to stretch me in ways I didn’t expect.

The Need to Write Something

As a writer, it’s one thing to write down your thoughts, ideas and inspirations. It’s another to hand it over to someone who is going to take it and print it. Doesn’t matter if it’s a full-length novel or smaller articles.

I’ve always loved writing, and had many experiences in the corporate world creating pieces for our customers to use with their customers. But these were always product related and the specifics were crafted by a team of people.

To have something that I wrote from the beginning to completion on my own, is a completely different experience.

You never know where opportunities are going to come from. Because I need to find a way to generate an income if I want to write full-time, I thought to look into other areas. Last spring I happened upon a booth for a regional magazine and inquired about writing articles for them. She gave me the contact for the editor, I reached out and submitted some writing samples. She offered me a choice of some articles and in the July/August 2018 issue, my first two magazine articles were printed. Little did I realize they would be cover stories!

Magazine cover articles written by Denise M. Colby for Westcoast Magazine July 2018

They even used a few of the pictures I submitted, which made it all very exciting!

Denise M. Colby receiving her white roses for writing magazine articles at the Orange County Council of Romance Writers of America September 2018

And then I received a precious rose!

See, in our Orange County Chapter of RWA, roses are awarded for publishing. Different color roses represent different types of works. Novels are Red, and so on. For articles they are white. I have been watching for YEARS, waiting for the day I would receive a rose, so it was so meaningful to receive roses for these two articles plus one more for the next issue.

Three white roses for three magazine articles - Denise M. Colby

Each time a new issue publishes, I’ve been asked to write for the next issue (picking from a list already decided upon by the editor). It’s been great writing experience writing different types of topics. I feel my writing is growing stronger. I’m gaining experience in working with an editor, meeting deadlines, submitting and the concept of letting go (which we all know is difficult to do).

Three of the articles are part of their digital library on their website.

July/August 2018 – Adventure Awaits on Route 66 and Homeward Bound

Celebrating Milestone Events written by Denise M. Colby for WestCoast Magazine September 2018 — *Celebrating Milestone Event*s by Denise M. Colby, September/October 2018 issue.

Jan/Feb 2019 – Safety Tips for Your Family – Kids and Tech

Vintage 1950s Cocktail Parties

April 3, 2019 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger, Writing tagged as 1950s Research, Janet Elizabeth Lynn, The Skylar Drake Murder Mystery Series, Vintage Cocktail Parties, Will Zeilinger

a woman seated at a home bar with a man pouring a cocktail.

My husband Will Zeilinger and I co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries. A hardboiled detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our next book, GAME TOWN, the fifth of the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, is available now!

Cocktail Parties were all the rage in the 1950s and into the 60s. It was a chance to get dressed up, relax with friends, socialize, impress others and gossip. What would the 1950 have been without Cocktail Parties?

Private cocktail parties were held at people’s homes. They would invite the neighbors, friends, business associates, their boss, or co-workers. There were all kinds of reasons for a get together. We call it networking today, but on a much smaller scale.

For the host, the food and drinks served were very important. The beverages and the canapés complimented each other. The rule of thumb was tart and salty blended best with gin, while heartier foods went with whiskey and beer.

Below are suggestions for the hostess:

Champagne: caviar, chicken l’orange, hearts of palm salad

Highballs: liver paté, stuffed eggs, cheese balls,

Whiskey Cocktail: cheese tarts, curried peanut butter rolls

Gin Cocktail: marinated vegetables, asparagus tips in ham rolls

Beer: stuffed olives, cheese balls, turnovers

Sherry: Apple, raisin and cream cheese balls, bacon balls, chipped beef rolls with mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, peanut rolls, peanut butter rolls, peanut butter tarts, nut and stem ginger tarts, ham tidbits, chicken, lobster or liver paste puffs, turnovers, cheese straws, sausage tidbits and smoked hickory cheese balls.

Whiskey cocktails: guacamole, anchovy fillet tidbits, bacon and curried peanut butter rolls, East Indian beef balls, clam spread tidbit, pizzas–miniature, smoked oysters in blankets, Camembert cheese and ham tarts, chicken livers and bacon, roast beef snacks, kippered herring and bacon rolls and meat balls (beef in blankets).

Gin cocktails: guacamole, anchovy ham rolls, artichoke hearts, asparagus tips in ham rolls, onion and cheese snacks, onion egg snacks, stuffed olives, codfish balls with cheese, sardine onion snacks, sausage in blankets, sardine macaroni snacks, stuffed dill pickles and marinated vegetables.

Beer: Anchovy fillet tidbits, stuffed olives, cheese straws, turnovers, cocktail frankfurters and sauerkraut, garlic popcorn, cheese balls, chipped beef and sardine rolls, kippered herring and bacon rolls, and tongue rolls or pinwheels.”

A full-size bar would offer all cocktails. But smaller bars in individual homes usually had only a sampling to offer. Thus, making tidbits easier to manage.

Of course, a fruit and cheese plate was a good finish for all cocktail parties

book cover of Game Town shows silhouette of man with gun and a woman in a long gown with palm trees in the backrougnd

GAME TOWN, A Skylar Drake Murder Mystery, fifth in the series. Available Now.

Vist Janet on her website or blog

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Kick Off Your Winter Doldrums with a Spring Writing Conference!!!

March 28, 2019 by Alina K. Field in category Quarter Days by Alina K. Field, Writing tagged as California Dreamin' Conference, Craft Workshops, Tessa Dare, Theodora Taylor

Normally I’d devote this Quarter Days column to a topic I’ve uncovered in historical research, but preparations for the California Dreamin’ Conference have consumed my life lately, and I have to share. This is going to be a great conference!

A Chance to Retool and Refresh

From April 5-7, 2019, authors and aspiring authors will gather at the Embassy Suites in Brea, California for workshops on the craft and the business of writing fiction. Plus, we’ll connect up with agents, editors, and industry professionals to help grow our businesses, whether pursuing traditional or indie publishing.

Craft, Craft, and More Craft

And we’re not just covering Romance! Kate Carlisle will teach us how to write a Cozy Mystery, Rebecca Forster will cover Police Procedurals, and Orange County Deputy Coroner Paul Hoag will talk about dissecting a death scene (sorry–couldn’t resist that image). We’ll have workshops on Women’s Fiction, and YA, and Historical Fiction.

Getting Down to Business

Authors pursuing traditional publishing will have a chance to pitch to seven editors and two agents. Those following an Indie track can meet one-on-one with representatives from Ingram Spark, Draft 2 Digital, ACX/Audible and WonderPR. And since everyone, both trad and published, has to market, we’ll find workshops on selling our stories to editors, Hollywood, and most importantly, the readers!

Add-ons

Conference add-ons include a fabulous all day Book Camp on April 5th presented by author and writing teacher, Janice Hardy, offered for $99. Learn how to write that story from start to finish!

Short on cash? You don’t have to attend the full conference to sign up for Book Camp!

For those who do attend the conference, our Editor/Agent critique sessions are full and closed, but we still have spots for a new conference add-on: Special Author Critique Sessions. Spend $10 for an hour of expert advice!

Inspiration, Good Food, and FUN!!!

What’s a conference without keynote speakers, and we have two! Beloved and bestselling author of Regency romance, Tessa Dare, will speak at Saturday night’s dinner. Bestselling Contemporary Romance author Theodora Taylor, known for writing alternative heroes and smart feisty heroines, will speak at Sunday’s luncheon.

And speaking of food–the conference features an opening night reception, soup-and-salad bar lunch on Saturday, and sit-down dinners on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. For those staying on site, Embassy Suites offers a full made-to-order hot breakfast.

After noshing on appetizers at the Friday night reception, attendees can pull out their laptops and tablets and take part in the great Friday Night Write-In. Get those words flowing onto the page in the company of your fellow writing enthusiasts!