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Kitty Bucholtz, May Featured Author

May 14, 2020 by in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , ,

Kitty Bucholtz combined her undergraduate degree in business, her years of experience in accounting and finance, and her graduate degree in creative writing to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher. She writes romantic comedy and superhero urban fantasy, often with an inspirational element woven in. She loves to teach and offer advice to writers through her WRITE NOW! Workshop courses and the WRITE NOW! Workshop Podcast.

http://kittybucholtz.com/

Besides Kitty’s website and WRITE NOW! Workshop Podcast, you will find her here on the 9th of each month writing It’s Worth It.


Books by Kitty Bucholtz

ROMANCING THE PAGES

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ROMANCING THE PAGES
ADVENTURES OF LEWIS AND CLARK BOXED SET

WELCOME TO LOON LAKE

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WELCOME TO LOON LAKE

LOVE AT THE FLUFF AND FOLD

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LOVE AT THE FLUFF AND FOLD

LITTLE MISS LOVESICK

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LITTLE MISS LOVESICK

A VERY MERRY SUPERHERO WEDDING

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A VERY MERRY SUPERHERO WEDDING

UNEXPECTED SUPERHERO

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UNEXPECTED SUPERHERO
MY BULLHEADED SUPERHERO VALENTINE

SUPERHERO IN DISGUISE

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SUPERHERO IN DISGUISE

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In the Judgment Seat

May 13, 2020 by in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group tagged as , ,
picture of dianna sinovic

From a Cabin in the Wood’s is a column featuring authors from the Bethlehem Writers Group. Writing for us this month is Dianna Sinovic.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Dianna Sinovic has also lived in three other quadrants of the U.S. She writes short stories and poetry, and is working on a full-length novel about a young woman in search of her long-lost brother.

In the Judgment Seat

The Bethlehem Writers Group, one of the writers groups I’m in, sponsors an annual short story contest for all non-members, and the members do much of the judging—the first cuts, the semifinalist round, and the finalists. Once the finalists are selected, a guest judge (an author outside the organization) makes the final call on the rankings of first, second, and third.

Each story is judged by three people, using a templated rubric, with the two highest scores determining whether the story makes it to the semifinalist category. Sometimes the same story can accrue widely divergent scores. How could three readers have such different reactions? That difference of opinion explains why sometimes the debates the group has on which stories come out on top are quite heated.

I’m often amazed at the creativity of some of the entrants, but also always disappointed in others. I think—if only the author had done X, Y or Z, the results would have been much more satisfying or made more sense.

It’s also instructive to see how often an entry lacks a story arc. Even if a story is short and basically just one scene, it still needs a beginning, middle and end, with a goal in mind for the main character. Author Juliet Marillier said that stories with no proper ending also don’t make the cut when she judges.

It’s also interesting to see that some authors submit pieces that are mostly likely memoir. This can work if the personal account contains the essence of a good story, with that needed arc and depth of character/emotion, but many often don’t.

How the theme is approached is also eye opening. We choose a new contest theme every other year. This year’s topic was animals; it didn’t matter what kind of animal or how many, but an animal had to play an important part in the story. I read tales that featured insects, cats, horses, dogs, sea animals, and reptiles, some good, some not so good. With research only a browser click away, I was discouraged at how often writers didn’t do their homework when trying to depict animal behavior.

Of course, it’s much easier for me to see the flaws in other people’s works than in mine.

Each year’s judging process serves as a reminder to always ask others to read my work and offer their feedback, to let me know where my stories fall short so I can further revise.


Sweet, Funny, and Strange Anthologies Featuring Stories From The Bethlehem Writers Group’s Short Story Award

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Do or Do Not, There is no Try When it Comes to Building your Brand

May 12, 2020 by in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as , , ,

Since May is all about Star Wars, I thought I’d start with a famous Yoda quote and apply it to a building your brand message:

“Do or Do Not, There is no Try”

Yoda

How does this apply to your author platform?

  • We write or we do not write.
  • We post social media or we do not post social media.
  • We start building a brand or we do not. 

When it comes to building your brand, there’s this fear of getting things wrong.

And sometimes this fear prevents us from doing anything about it.

But that’s exactly what I want to encourage you to do. Do something! Don’t just say you will try. And know, whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect. It’s most important for you to do.

Yes, I know, all the different variables to building your author brand can be stressful. But keep in mind, I’ve seen several small businesses evolve and grow in their online presence. It has opened my eyes to the fact that they did not get to their current place overnight. There’s not a magic switch that turns on everything perfectly. Most sites have evolved over time, trying things that work and don’t work and making adjustments as they work out the kinks.

Our author websites and social media are just like this.

We need to do some things first before we figure out if it works or not. 

That’s what happened with my Marketing for Authors newsletter. I saw a graphic I liked and wanted to make it into the brand for Marketing for Authors. But no matter what I did, it wasn’t working the way I pictured it. And so I put off sending out my newsletter, or doing anything else for that matter. Not very business-minded, was it? So, I too am right in the thick of it, challenging myself with starting over and moving forward.

I’ve since chosen a simple design (thanks Canva!) and color scheme that I can incorporate into my training materials easily. And if I need to change some things as I go, I’m okay with that.

Here’s my new logo.

Building your brand one step at a time blog topic includes Marketing for Authors Logo - Teal, black and white text with a light bulb and MfA over it. By Denise M. Colby

What do you think?

I’m super excited about it. I didn’t overthink it like I usually do, and I can incorporate the colors into my training materials. The only issue is when I print it on my home printer, the color comes out a little more blue than what it looks like on the screen. Since most of my stuff will be digital anyway, I’m moving forward with it. And boy does that feel freeing.

I understand how much establishing brand and building content is complicated and time-consuming. That’s where I want to help you in figuring out what works and to offer encouragement.

As a writer and a small business person, every little action can help propel your brand forward.

For myself, I’ve written my first newsletter and I’m ready to send it out (you can sign up for my free newsletter here). I’m also preparing to teach my first online class and give my first zoom interview. I’m trying not to over think things, but just take baby steps, one step at a time.

I hope to encourage you in the same way.


If interested in learning more about brand and SEO, take a look at some of my past posts:

Why it’s Important to Have a Blog and What to Write About

Why Link Building on Your Website and Blog is Important

Why SEO Should Matter To An Author

Or you can visit my website by clicking on the button below.

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Boldwood Bedtime Stories with Jina Bacarr reading from ‘The Runaway Girl’ A Titanic love story

May 11, 2020 by in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

Since we’re all still at home… why not grab a lovely cup of herb tea and a biscuit and listen to THE RUNAWAY GIRL on Boldwood Bedtime Stories.

Here we meet Ava before she boarded the TITANIC..

I enjoyed bringing these characters in Queenstown Ireland to life… Enjoy!

Boldwood Bedtime Stories: The RUNAWAY GIRL Introduction

 

Boldwood Bedtime Stories: The RUNAWAY GIRL Part 1: Queenstown, Ireland Ava needs a place to stay

 

Boldwood Bedtime Stories: The RUNAWAY GIRL Part 2: Ava ends up in a dosshouse in Queenstown, Ireland

 

Boldwood Bedtime Stories: The RUNAWAY GIRL Part 3 Ava bargains with Florie Sims at the dosshouse

 

Boldwood Bedtime Stories: The RUNAWAY GIRL Part 4 Ava fights back against unruly gent in dosshouse

 

————–

THE RUNAWAY GIRL

Two women hold the keys to his heart. Only one will survive that fateful night…

When Ava O’Reilly is wrongly accused of stealing from her employer, she has no option but to flee Ireland. The law is after her, and she has only one chance at escape – the Titanic.

Aboard the ship of dreams, she runs straight into the arms of Captain ‘Buck’ Blackthorn, a dashing gentleman gambler who promises to be her protector. He is intrigued by her Irish beauty and manages to disguise her as the maid of his good friend, the lovely Countess of Marbury. Little does he realise, that the Countess is also in love with him.

As the fateful night approaches, tragedy strikes further when Ava is separated from Buck, and must make a daring choice that will change her life forever…

A sweeping historical romance set aboard the Titanic, from the author of Her Lost Love (Christmas Once Again).

Praise for Jina Bacarr:

‘A delightful holiday romance that has all the charm of a classic Christmas movie. Christmas Once Again is perfect for anyone who loves a holiday romance brimming with mistletoe, hope, and what ifs.’ Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind

‘A breathtaking holiday romance that is sure to stay with you long after reading’

‘A mesmerizing holiday romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and take you away to another place, another time.’

‘A fabulous book you won’t want to miss’

THE RUNAWAY GIRL e-book, print and audio book:

THE RUNAWAY GIRL
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Apple Books
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Kobo

 

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If You Could Create the Perfect Writers Conference by Kitty Bucholtz

May 9, 2020 by in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing tagged as , ,

Six weeks ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, I was all set to sign a contract with a beautiful hotel here in Malmö, Sweden, and host the first WRITE NOW! Workshop Writers Conference. My, how things change.

While hosting live, in-person events has become questionable on many levels for the rest of this year, more and more people are getting used to meeting online simply because it’s the only way to connect right now. For that reason, I decided not to cancel my conference, but to simply recreate it as an amazing online experience.

But if it’s going to have to change anyway, what else could we do to make the conference even more amazing?! I thought I’d ask you, the writer who normally enjoys going to writers conferences – what would you love to see in an online conference?

There are a few ways we could go. One person suggested that since going to a conference all day for two or three days can be exhausting, maybe we should spread it out to several half-days over a month. Someone else suggested creating a writers summit instead of a conference – a free or low-cost event with lots of great content, but each speaker gets to pitch something that they sell at the end of each session (a course, a book).

I have to admit, for me the conference experience is the joy of seeing old friends and the fun of making new ones, and sharing all of the fun and learning together. If we recreate the conference experience online, we can create little experiences where we get to meet and talk to new people, hang out with old friends, and share our coffee or wine together.

We’ve come up with some super fun ideas to keep it interesting even as we’re apart. For instance, I could have a yoga instructor or physical trainer come on for a couple minutes every few hours to get us up and moving a little, get some more blood and oxygen into our brains.

We could still have a timed writing sprint room in the morning or at night where people could meet and write together. We could have a fireside chat one or two nights with a fun, famous author talking about their writing life and taking questions. We could even have pajama parties! We’d break it up according to genres or topics.

So what do you think? If you’re thinking you might not be flying to a writers conference this year, what’s the best way to recreate that awesome experience online? Share your thoughts and I’ll incorporate what I can into the first ever WRITE NOW! Workshop Writers Conference!

And save the date: October 9-11, 2020!

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