I’m a Bookaholic
December 20, 2016 by Meriam Wilhelm in category A Bit of Magic by Meriam Wilhelm, Reading tagged as books, magic, Meriam Wilhelm, reading, writing
I am a confessed Bookaholic.
For as long as I can remember I’ve cherished every opportunity to get lost within the pages of a good book. Nothing is sexier to me than the sound of cracking open the spine of a crusty hardback and nothing more enjoyable than being introduced to a character I never knew existed.
I understand that the reason I so love to write is because I am enamored with and made whole through reading. Even if it’s only ten minutes a day spent looking for a clue, discovering a new land or getting lost in the emotions of another, I’ll find the time. I can always count on a book to bring me comfort, challenge my status quo or add magic to an otherwise drab day.
It may sound strange to some, but I enjoy reading two or three books at one time. Never bored, I’m constantly seeking out new words, phrases and ways of illustrating ideas through language. So you can be sure that I was a bit distressed when a friend shared with me that she thought I was being lazy by spending so much time engrossed in a particular story.
I was initially stunned, then a little baffled and then just plain fired up – motivated to take on a new quest.
Reading is not being lazy. What better way is there to develop vocabulary, validate life choices, challenge intellectual abilities, open new worlds, contemplate conflicting ideas or find unique topics to engage others in conversation?
Reading rocks my world and encourages me to pry open doors that have threatened to close due to years of aging. I’ll take an enticing mystery, a melancholy love story or an adventurous travel sequel to any evening mindlessly sitting in front of the television, and I like television!
I hope over the upcoming holidays you find a moment to dream a little, travel through time or expand your world through a good book. And if you happen to stumble upon a friend enamored with the pages of a hardback, paperback or manuscript – take a moment to ask them what they’re reading. You might like what they have to share. But whatever you do, please don’t presume that they’re just being lazy.
About Meriam Wilhelm:
The one thing I know, after all my years as an elementary school principal, is that there is magic everywhere and in everyone. When I retired after 35 years in education, I longed to share all that I had learned and created several parenting books on topics from bullying to homework strategies. While I miss those enchanting moments with children and their parents, I always wanted to let my imagination run wild as I sought out my own magic and wrote about it. In short, I was lured into the world of fiction writing where I soon created my first series, The Witches of New Moon Beach. The first book, Morning Magic is currently FREE on Amazon.
Inspiration isn’t hard to find as I have lived in Redondo Beach, California all my life and New Moon Beach might have more than a passing resemblance to my hometown. Every day I walk on the path that runs along the beach, sometimes with my sisters, but most often with my thoughts as I plot out my next book. I am long married and mom to three great grown kids. When I’m not writing or walking on the beach, you’ll find me sewing, reading or traveling and taking pictures.
Feel free to check out my website: www.meriamwilhelm.com or contact me by email: meriamwilhelm@hotmail.com
Civil War Letters: I’ll be reading letters from Love Me Forever at Lady Jane’s OC Salon by Jina Bacarr
December 11, 2016 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat tagged as books, Civil War, Confessions of a Podcast Goddess, Lady Jaen's OC Salon, letters, love, reading, rebel, Ripped Bodice Bookstore, romance, South, war letters
When was the last time you wrote a letter?
Website: www.jinabacarr.com
Blog: www.jinabacarr.wordpress.com
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Giving InstaFreebie a Try by Kitty Bucholtz
December 9, 2016 by Kitty Bucholtz in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing: It's a Business tagged as It's Worth It, Kitty Bucholtz
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| My new writing desk complete with inspiring view! |
Hello from sunny New Zealand!
Yes, if you haven’t heard, my husband got his dream job and we moved to New Zealand last month! Woohooo!!! The earthquake thing is a little weird, but we have loved pretty much every aspect of our transition.
The people are fabulously friendly and laid back, and the weather is gorgeous. Having lived in Southern California for many of the last fifteen years, I’m excited to have weather! It actually reminds us of Michigan, where we grew up. Don’t like the weather – give it an hour. LOL!
In addition to all the changes in my personal life, I’m trying something new in my marketing as well. My friend Jennifer very kindly invited me to participate in my first InstaFreebie promotion. I know several friends who rave about their InstaFreebie results (especially Tracy Reed), but I haven’t gotten around to looking into it.
Then I got this invitation to join a group of folks who write humorous paranormal or urban fantasy. Our promotion will run starting tomorrow, December 10 through Friday the 16th. I’m posting the link here so you can see it, even though it’s a day early.
If you don’t know anything about InstaFreebie, let me tell you what I know. Readers click over to the book they’re interested in downloading, choose the format (mobi, epub, pdf), and enter their email address. Authors have the option of forcing the reader to signup for their newsletter in order to get the book or allowing that to be optional. Then the reader gets an email with the book file. Easy!
I’m told that the best way to get the most value from your InstaFreebie giveway is to make the newsletter signup mandatory. The friend who invited me got about a thousand newsletter signups from her very first InstaFreebie giveaway a few months ago!
I don’t know what will happen for me, but I’ll let you know next month. Meanwhile, check out all the free books you can get this next week! They look super fun!
Kitty Bucholtz decided to combine 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. Her novels, Little Miss Lovesick, A Very Merry Superhero Wedding, and Unexpected Superhero are currently available on Amazon . The free short story Superhero in Disguise and the new short story Welcome to Loon Lake are available wherever ebooks are sold. You can find out about her courses on self-publishing, marketing, and time management for writers at her website Writer Entrepreneur Guides.
TITLE TWELVE
December 5, 2016 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed tagged as !2 Titles in 12 Months, Edgy Christian Fiction, Tracy Reed
I made it to December…YEAH!!! I have to be honest, there were a few times I didn’t think I was going to make it to the end of this challenge. I’ll do a summary next month because there’s a slim chance I might do a short story before the end of the month.
At the end of last month’s post, I had no clue what Title Twelve would be. Thank God for friends and accountability groups. I really wanted to do a box set, but I was only looking at it from one angle. However, when I was on my marketing call with Elena Dillion, she gave me an idea for a box set. Or as I call it “Title Eleven†or “November’s Releaseâ€. I can’t really call it Title Eleven because I think that honor went to a different title.
Anyway, thanks to that call, I was able to do something I wasn’t planning to do until next year. One of the reasons I was on a writing binge this year, was I wanted to offer box sets in the future. A good idea but I was only looking at it with series and not compatible stories.
In talking with Elena, she showed I could make a box set with two of my novelettes and a short story from the Summer. All three had a first love encounter in common. Thus the title FIRST ENCOUNTERS OF LOVE. [See Images]
This surprise title, also gave me a chance to experiment with 3-D Cover design…a new favorite of mine.
What about December’s Title or Title Twelve? Title Twelve is A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN.
Due to a major computer issue…mine died a few days before A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN was to be released.
I need to take a moment here. Forgive me if I sound a little preachy. God really is amazing. He knew what I was about to encounter…no pun intended. So when Elena suggested the box set, which took all of a few hours, if that, to put together, it was divine intervention. There’s no way I could have gotten A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN out by the end of the month, because on the day I should have been reviewing edits, I was buying a new computer. More like picking up my early Christmas present from my parents.
I got the box set up by using mother’s laptop, my iPad and iPhone. Yes, you really can do amazing things with Apple products. I concentrated on getting the box set up, but not without a few problems. Because of the computer challenge, I didn’t get an newsletter and blog post out until late. And I never got a Facebook ad out. Hey, I was grateful I got the box set up before the end of the month and was able to put up a November release or title.
So, now I’m prepping Title Twelve or December’s Title, which will release ironically on 12.12. I thought that was befitting. If it had occurred to me sooner, I would have released all the books like that. You know, 1.1.16, 2.2.16, 3.3.16, etc… Too late for what I could have done.
Now for a big SIGH!
I’d say I’m going to take a break, but that would be a lie. I have already started on the books on next years’ production schedule. Will it be twelve? I don’t know. This I know for sure, I’m not going to intentionally schedule a Title A Month. Smile.
There I managed to make it brief. YEAH!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
The Latest on the California Dreamin’ Writers Conference
December 2, 2016 by A Slice of Orange in category Writing Conferences tagged as Orange County, Writing conference
At the last OCCRWA meeting, Jann Audiss and I updated everyone on the latest plans for the California Dreamin’ Writers Conference.
Ready for your Headshot?
Even putting aside holiday distractions (who has time to bake cookies?) committee members are working away, ironing out details for the upcoming conference. As we announced, in November, Jann and I met with VJ Dunraven of Period Images and her two top designers, and we’re happy to announce that they’ll be providing custom head shot services on Saturday of the conference. They’ll even bring along makeup and hair experts to give clients the best camera-ready look possible.
Calling all Readers
I also want to mention that reader signups have opened for California Readin’, the Barbara Vey Event for Readers. Do you know an avid romance reader? Invite her to sign up for this event here. Tickets are $5, and each attendee will receive a bag of author sponsored swag and a $5 coupon to spend at the book signing that follows the event. Also, everyone is welcome to participate in the weekly Facebook parties at the California Readin’ Facebook page for a chance to party with authors and score some giveaways.
Saturday Night Parties
Some of our special presenters will be holding special Saturday night events for the lucky winners of our opportunity drawing. Here’s the lineup:
- Deb Dixon will host “Through the Looking Glass”, a frank Q&A with someone who’s been on the front lines an in the trenches over the years
- Sarah MacLean and Tessa Dare will host a tea, and chat about the Regency
- Laura Drake will talk about “Bikers and Cowboys after Dark”
- M.A. Taylor is back with “Cop Tales”
Workshop Lineup
All of this is on top of our lineup of workshops, running from Friday night through Sunday morning. Get a peek at our workshop lineup here.
Questions?
If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Jann Audiss or me, or better yet, submit your questsion to http://caldreaminwriters.com/contact-us/ and a committee member will get back to you.
There’s still time to register before the price goes up on January 15th, so why not put this conference on your holiday wish list!
Wishing all of you a wonderful December and the happiest of holidays!
Alina K. Field
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