Surprise!
November 10, 2019 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as dreams, fan mail, goals, holiday books, romcom
I’ve wandered down the rows of bookshelves in libraries and bookstores so many times in my life, fantasizing about what it would feel like to see my book on one of those shelves, hold a book with my name on it in my hands, sign books for readers, and maybe, just maybe get fan letters.
Last year my first book was published, and this year it was released in print. I’m still excited to see my name on the front of the book…and inside. And, I’ve signed books. Yes, it’s true! I’ve signed dozens of books this year. But a couple of weeks ago, I got my first fan letter…from an unexpected reader.
#PleaseSayYes is book 1 in the 6 book #HermosaForTheHolidays series. It’s a sweet romcom. I wrote it for adults of all ages…think Hallmark movie. Sweet, light, hopefully a heartwarming read that might even make you laugh. And adults of all ages have read it, young single women, young mothers, a few men, and grandmothers into their 80’s have read this story, but what I didn’t expect was kids reading the book after all it is a romance. I’ve had a review from a 12 year old, and my first fan letter was from a 9 year old girl. She wanted to share the book with her class.
So, of course, I’m sending her 6 books, so she can keep her copy. And what she doesn’t know, is that in the upcoming release of book 2 #SilverBracelets, she is a character in the story. I had so much fun including her, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed receiving her letter.
One more fantasy to fulfill, to see my books in bookstores. I’m feeling pretty good about the dreams I’ve checked off, but I think the one I’ll treasure most is this letter from my young reader.
Getting Organized in 2020 with Kitty Bucholtz
November 9, 2019 by Kitty Bucholtz in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz tagged as Kitty Bucholtz, organization, Planning, time management
I’m a planner and an organizer. I like to know what to expect, how much time it will take, how much it will cost or earn me, and what I’ll need in order to get it done. I’m also big on reminders – remember to water the plants, take my vitamins, leave for the meeting on time.
In the past, I’ve juggled all sorts of ways to keep track of all the aspects of my life, and it usually involved several different methods at once. But last year I heard about author Susan May Warren‘s My Brilliant Writing Planner, so I ordered one. I love this planner! I can put everything from my whole life in one place – writing, appointments, To Do’s (including remembering when to water my plants 😂), tracking money spent and earned in writing, and personal stuff like a place to jot down weekly menus and track my weight and water consumption. Plus the 2020 one has STICKERS!! Need I say more?!
The 2020 planner is $20 off through this weekend as a NaNoWriMo special. If you’re reading this later, check it out anyway. There is so much more to the planner I haven’t mentioned. You may find it’s just about perfect for you.
I interviewed Susie May about planning and organizing for the new year on my podcast a few weeks ago. Look for the October 17, 2019 episode, #159, on your favorite podcast app, or listen to it on my website, or watch the video interview on YouTube. Good luck with your planning! 😀
Featuring Linda O Johnston Author of the Month
November 7, 2019 by A Slice of Orange in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, Harlequin Nocturne, Linda O Johnston, Pet Rescue Mysteries, Pet-Sitter Mysteries, Superstition Mysteries
Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published 52 books so far, including mysteries and romantic novels. More than twenty-five of them are romances for Harlequin, including Harlequin Romantic Suspense and Harlequin Nocturne. Her latest release is Colton 911: Caught in the Crossfire, for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. She has also written several mystery series including the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries and Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink, and the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries and Pet Rescue Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Nearly all Linda’s current stories involve dogs.!
Books by Linda O. Johnston
New Harlequin Romantic Suspense Book! by Linda O. Johnston
November 6, 2019 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Dogs!, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Linda O Johnston, new releases
I’m excited to say that this November is the month for release of my latest Harlequin Romantic Suspense book. I love them all, of course, but this one has a special twist to it.
It’s my first in the long-running Colton series for HRS.
What’s that? Well, the Colton family has been around for many years as part of HRS. It’s large and has branches all over the country, and it seems that many of its members get involved as either heroes or heroines of romantic suspense stories, usually one a month.
My book is Colton 911: Caught in the Crossfire. In it, the hero, Casey Colton, is the family member. He’s also a Deputy Sheriff in Sur County, Arizona, the story’s setting. Casey is told to go help find some cattle rustlers who have stolen some very valuable black angus cows from the town selectman.
And who’s going to help him? The story’s heroine, Melody Hayworth, a ranch hand who works on the ranch from which the cattle were stolen.
You can guess how the two of them have to get along together during many days—and nights—alone on the cattle’s trail. And… well, it is a romance, after all, despite there being suspense in the story. They need to stay careful and professional and… well, help to take care of each other.
I’m also particularly excited this month to be the Author of the Month on A Slice of Orange.
Gee, this November is one fun month!
Linda’s Newest Harlequin Romantic Suspense Novel
First Launch in a Year Results
November 5, 2019 by Tracy Reed in category WritingHappy November.
I apologize in advance for the long post.
Last month I shared about my first release in over a year. I was very nervous. So much so, I thought I’d broken out with a case of hives on release day. Only to discover it was an infection. The medical drama is a couple of posts on its own. Bottom line, I just finished my second round of meds. Thank God, it wasn’t anything serious, but could have been.
So how was my release for A Southern Gentleman Vol 2? AMAZING! Did I hit the numbers I wanted? No. But that was okay, because I got something better. But first let me explain the slight glitch I encountered.
I rarely do pre-order on Amazon. Committing to a date without the option of last minute changes, isn’t something I like. However, I thought I’d try it this time. After all the book had been on pre-order on all of the other platforms, so I thought. Turns out when I loaded the book to Kobo, it was as a pre-order. At least looking at the dashboard, it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure, there was a glitch because every time I made a change, it kept indicating that it was a live book.
Back over at KDP and the pre-order, I loaded a placeholder file…my ARC. However, I wasn’t familiar with the countdown clock. I received an email that said “Thank You for the file” or something to that effect. I misread the email. I thought it was reminding me, when in fact it was telling me the file was set and no changes could be made until after it was live. Insert panicked face here. I freaked out and started praying and searching the blogs for an answer. I found a post in one of my Facebook groups, that mentioned a window to make changes. Apparently, there’s a small window before pre-orders are delivered when you might, be able to go in and make changes before the file is delivered.
I was prepping for release day and this little voice said to check the locked file. I did and it was open. The pre-orders hadn’t been delivered yet. I hurried about and got the correct file loaded. Hallelujah! I also had a problem with how I loaded the file to Apple Books. The opposite was happening at Apple Books. I had put the incorrect date in, which meant the file probably never would have dropped.
On to the results. The Saturday before release[book launch date 10.08.19], my Sweet & Sexy romance was #8 on Amazon.co.uk in African American Fiction. I was over the moon. Then on release day in the US, ASGV2 spent it in the top 100 African American Christian Fiction. Both are very good. What really had me bouncing off the walls, was where A Southern Gentleman Vol 2 was it’s first weekend…#21 in African American Christian Fiction [Kindle Store] and #22 African American Christian Fiction [Books] in the US. YEAH!!! I almost passed out. The book stayed in these spots for a few days.
You may be wondering about the category placement. I did a little research and found some more books similar to mine and noticed they were positioned in that category. I have never wanted my books to be pigeon holed as Christian Fiction or Romance. However, there are enough of those elements to put them in that category. Last week, I moved ASGV1 to that same category and have notice a big shift. I also put another couple books in that category as well. I’m experimenting with category placement, but that’s the subject for a different post.
So what did I do differently this time?
I hired a publicist – It was time to get help. I used Honey Magnolia PR. Tia Kelly is amazing. She helped me formulate a plan that was right for me and this book. We did a Book Blitz, Blog Tour and Social Media Blast. I was very hesitant to do a blog tour, because the first and last couple of times I did, I didn’t get very good results. This time, I saw social media results as well as a bump in my BookBub followers. I also got an amazing review.
ARC Team – This is an area where I am still having a challenge. I get people to signup yet they won’t post reviews. If anyone has tips on how to get your ARC Team to cooperate I’d appreciate it. However, the reviews I have are great, but I really want to get in the double digits.
Facebook Ads – I did three test ads and eventually nailed it down to one. It is so true about FB Ads. For me, as long as I’m running an ad, I see sales. I started the ads late [a few days before release day and as of the post, I’m still running it. From the looks of it, the ad is beginning to pay for itself.
BookBub Ads – I can’t say for sure, but I think these are responsible for my amazing sales with Draft Two Digital.
Newsletter Ad – I’m not quite sure of the results and that’s my fault because I should have done a better job of tracking.
Facebook Party – This was a first for me. I never hosted a FB party. I have a small reader group, but not enough for a party. So I asked a friend A M Roak to help me. She was awesome and connected me with The New Romance Cafe. This was so much fun. I put a call out and Christina Alexander, A M Roak, Saharra Sandhu, Kelly Violet, Cass Ford, Naomi Springthorp, and Dee J Holmes, all jumped in and helped me.
There were a few ads I wanted to run, but I let time get away from me. And I really wanted to give Facebook another shot. I have spent a lot of money on courses and now need to make them work for me.
On to phase two of the release. More Facebook ads and there are a couple of newsletter ads I’d like to try. I also would love to apply for a BookBub on book one in the duet. The other thing I’m going to do is a special giveaway for my list. I did two giveaways at the beginning, one for the Blitz and one for the tour.
So am I excited about this release? Yes. I’m also a little sad, because that means I have to put Jeremiah to the side while I give another book boyfriend my attention. Next up on my computer is Ty from Unexpected Love. I was inspired during a holiday and re-read my book Unexpected Love. When I finished I decided it was time to tell the next part of this story. And to make sure I do, it’s my NANO project. So far I’m behind, but I’m sure I’ll get my writing wings any day. As of writing, I’m 3872 words in. We’ll see what happens.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy NANO to all.
