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Pump Up Your Book March 2011 Authors on Tour Facebook Party!
Strike up the band and join the chorus…Pump Up Your Book will be hosting the March 2011 Authors on Tour on Friday March 25, 2011 at 9 – 11 p.m. (eastern time – adjust to your time zone). Tell your book friends that not only will this give them an opportunity to chat with their favorite authors there will be a huge giveaway at the end of the chat, too!
Here’s how it will work:
The party will kick off at our Facebook Party Page with a 2 hour chat in which all authors will get a certain time slot to answer questions. All time slots will be listed on the party page so that you’ll know who is going to be up next. After the party, everyone is invited back here to find out who has won our fabulous prizes with directions on how to claim them. Easy peasy!
What you must do before the chat if you’re going to attend:
1. In order to participate in the chat, you must “like” our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/pumpupyourbook.
2. Sign up before the chat so we have time to approve you which will be the second step.
3. Once you’re approved, head on over to the Facebook Party page at http://www.facebook.com/thewriterslife#!/note.php?note_id=10150097454282449 and leave a comment so we know you made it in.
Note: If you wait to sign up too late, you might not get in because once the party starts, it will be nearly impossible to get back into email to see if anyone needs getting in, so do this early please.
What to do when the chat ends:
Once the chat is over, head back over here to find out if you have won a prize. All prizes and winners will be announced in the body of this blog post. If you are a winner, you have 72 hours to contact me at thewriterslife@yahoo.com to claim your prize. If we do not hear from you during that time, we will find another winner.
Rules & Regulations Recap:
- If an author does not show up, prizes will still be awarded.
- If you do not claim your prize within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.
- You must participate in the chat in order to become eligible to win a prize.
- Leaving comments on this page does not make you eligible to win a prize. You must participate in the Facebook chat.
- Pump Up Your Book is not responsible for lost or damaged prizes.
- We will be using Random.org to determine winners and will be posted on this blog after the Facebook chat.
- This contest is in no way affiliated with Facebook and is promoted solely by Pump Up Your Book.
Our March 2011 Authors on Tour who are participating in the chat/giveaway includes:
Caitlin Rother is the author of true crime books Dead Reckoning, Body Parts, Twisted Triangle, and Poisoned Love, and the thriller, Naked Addiction. She is also the co-author of My Life, Deleted and Where Hope Begins, soon to be re-released as Deadly Devotion. She is now working on The Makings of a Monster, the story of the rape and murder of beloved teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois. Rother, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist, worked as an investigative reporter at daily newspapers for nineteen years before deciding to write books full-time. She is the founder of the San Diego Writing Women blog, and her work has been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Daily Beast. She has appeared as a crime expert on E! Entertainment, the Oxygen Network, Investigation Discovery, Greta Van Susteren’s “On the Record,” and America at Night.” She also teaches journalism, narrative non-fiction and creative writing at UCSD Extension in San Diego. She is now working on The Makings of a Monster, the story of how John Gardner grew from a caring troubled boy into an angry man who couldn’t control his compulsions to rape and murder beloved teenagers Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.” You can visit her website at www.caitlinrother.com.
Caitlin will be giving away a paperback copy of her true crime novel, Dead Reckoning!
John Ames has a master’s degree in English from the University of Florida, where he was a Ford Fellow. After graduation, he built a rustic house and lived for several years on the edge of a spiritual community located near Gainesville, Florida. John’s search for enlightenment ended when he decided that he was too far from a movie theater. He moved inside the Gainesville city limits and taught English and film for thirty years at Santa Fe College. He has produced and acted in numerous short films and videos, including the cable TV series the “Tub Interviews,” wherein all the interviewees were required to be in a bathtub. For ten years he reviewed movies for PBS radio station WUFT. He has appeared as a standup comedian and has designed and marketed Florida-themed lamps. He coauthored Second Serve: The Renée Richards Story (Stein and Day, 1983) and its sequel No Way Renée: The Second Half of My Notorious Life (Simon & Schuster, 2007), and Speaking of Florida (University Presses of Florida, 1993). His recent book is a coming-of-age novel titled Adventures in Nowhere. You can visit his website at www.johnamesauthor.com.
John will be giving away a paperback copy of his coming of age novel, Adventures in Nowhere!
Megan van Eyck lives near Seattle, Washington with her husband and children.
Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress is her first memoir.
You can visit Megan’s website at www.widowedmistress.com.
Megan will be giving away a copy of her memoir, Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress!
Allan Leverone is a three-time Derringer Award Finalist whose short fiction has been featured in Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Shroud Magazine, Twisted Dreams, Mysterical-E and many other venues, both print and online.
His debut thriller, titled FINAL VECTOR, is available February 2011 from Medallion Press.
For details, please visit www.allanleverone.com or his blog at www.allanleverone.blogspot.com.
Allan is giving away an e-copy of his thriller, Final Vector, and 6 e-copies of Postcards from the Apocalypse!
Barbara Barnett is Co-Executive Editor of Blogcritics, an Internet magazine of pop culture, politics and more owned by Technorati Media. Always a pop-culture geek, Barbara was raised on a steady diet of TV (and TV dinners), but she always found her way to TV’s antiheroes and misunderstood champions, whether on TV, in the movies or in literature. Barnett’s regular column, “Welcome to the End of the Thought Process: An Introspective Look at House, M.D.” features insightful episode commentaries and interviews with the House cast and creative team. It is the place for intelligent discussion of the hit television series starring Hugh Laurie. Barbara has had an eclectic career. With an undergraduate degree in biology and minors in chemistry and English, she pursued a PhD in Public Policy Analysis after spending a few years working in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Her first professional writing gig was with a food industry trade magazine, and although it wasn’t exactly like writing for The New Yorker, it completely hooked her on the profession of writing. She also writes lots of other things, including technology (from a non-geek perspective), the movies, politics and all things Jewish. Based in the north shore suburbs of Chicago, Barnett is married with two brilliant children and a dog. Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide to House, M.D. is her first (commercial) book. She hopes it’s not her last. Visit Barbara’s website at www.barbarabarnett.com.
Barbara will be giving away a copy her television nonfiction, Chasing Zebras: The Unofficial Guide of House M.D.!
Hayley Rose grew up in the beach side town of Pacific Palisades , California, to a family of visual artists. In the early 1990’s she traveled the U.S. with her band Crush Violet. In 1994, after a family reunion, she was inspired to write a children’s book. Looking for a cute and catchy name for a main character, she kept hearing “first in, first out”. Hence, the name Fifo was born. Hayley’s mother would often ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up, so Hayley decided to start her series of “Fifo” books with that very question. Her first book, Fifo “When I Grow Up” was published in 2002. Her love of travel inspired her second book in the Fifo series, Fifo “50 States”, published in 2010. Along with writing children’s books, Hayley has been working in entertainment business management for the past 15 years, specializing in concert touring. She has worked with many “A list” musicians including Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart and Candlebox just to name a few. Hayley hopes to one day soon release an album of children’s songs. She is a currently member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and resides in Los Angeles, CA. You can visit her website at www.fifothebear.com.
Hayley will be giving away one copy of her children’s book ‘Fifo: 50 States’ and one copy of ‘Fifo: When I Grow Up’!
Kristina McMorris lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons. Her foray into fiction began in the fall of 2006 as a result of interviewing her grandmother for the biographical section of a self-published cookbook intended as a holiday gift for the family. Inspired by her grandparents’ wartime courtship, Kristina penned her first novel, a WWII love story titled Letters from Home. This award-winning debut is scheduled for release in trade paperback from Kensington Books (2-22-11; U.S.) and Avon/HarperCollins (5-5-11; U.K.). The condensed book rights have been sold to Reader’s Digest, and the film rights are represented by the prestigious Creative Artists Agency of Los Angeles. Prior to her literary career, Kristina acted in numerous independent films and major motion pictures. She began hosting an Emmy-award winning television show at age nine, and most recently served as the six-year host of the WB’s weekly program Weddings Portland Style. Adding to her diverse résumé, McMorris is a professional emcee, literary workshop presenter, and former owner of a wedding/event planning business. Her previous writing background includes being a contributing writer for Portland Bride & Groom magazine and ten years of directing public relations for an international conglomerate. A portion of Kristina’s sales proceeds from Letters from Home will benefit United Through Reading®, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories for their children. She is currently working on her next novel. You can visit her website at www.kristinamcmorris.com.
Kristina will be giving away a copy of her women’s fiction, Letters From Home!
F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of nearly thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is Angel Lost. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, including the Internet chapter, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com. You can like Marilyn on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marilyn-Meredith/276444167416.
F.M. will be giving away a copy of her mystery/crime, Angel Lost!
Cynthia Kocialski is the founder of three companies – two fabless semiconductor and one software company. In the past 15 years, she has been involved in dozens of start-ups and has served on various advisory boards. These companies have collectively returned billions of dollars to investors. Cynthia has worked with established companies to bring start-up techniques and technologies to corporations desiring to process improvement and efficiency. Prior to her work in the start-up community, Cynthia has held a wide range of technical, marketing, and management positions at major corporations. At IBM, Cynthia began with financial software to facilitate the tracking of sales and inventory for international operations. She later moved into development and engineering management working of scientific workstations. Finally, Cynthia transitioned into technical marketing and strategic planning role for graphics and digital video components for personal computers. At Matrox, Cynthia was the general manager, overseeing the R&D area of digital video and image processing product lines, Cynthia graduated of the University of Rochester with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and applied statistics. She also has graduate degrees from the University of Virginia in both electrical engineering and systems engineering. She also writes the popular Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog and has written many articles on emerging technologies. Her latest book is Start Up from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs. You can visit her website at www.cynthiakocialski.com.
Cynthia will be giving away 10 paperback copies of her startup business book, Startup from the Ground Up!
Laina Turner-Molaski is a businesswoman, mom, author, Professor, and a major supporter of shopping. She has an undying love for shoes and coffee, which is why she created her main character and alter-ego Presley Thurman. With a lot of letters after her name and a ton of student loan debt, she is always working to pay the bills. While she enjoys her day job, her passion is writing, and she uses a lot of company time writing her fiction or working on her social website for women, Chiczofrenic.com. She is hoping to sell her book before she gets fired from her day job for goofing off. Laina is currently living in Indiana, with her family, and is always writing something, whether it’s blogs, articles, business journals and books or ideas for her next novel. She is continuously doing what she loves which is writing or drinking coffee. You can visit her website at www.lainaturner.com.
Laina will be giving away a paperback copy of her novel, Stilettos & Scoundrels AND a copy of The MS Project: Orange is the New Pink!
Pump Up Your Book will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate!!!!
More prizes to be announced!
If you have any questions, you may leave your question below or email me at thewriterslife@yahoo.com.
See you at the party!!!!
Interview with J.W. Nicklaus, Author of the Short Story Collection, THE LIGHT, THE DARK & EMBER BETWEEN
J.W. Nicklaus resides in a place not entirely fit for human habitation about five months of the year. No pets to speak of, only the apparitions from which all romantics suffer.
An Arizona native, he’s been from one coast to the other, and a few places in between. College brought an AA in Journalism with a minor in Photography, and a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications. His work experience has run the gamut from Creative Director for a small advertising firm in Tucson to a litigation support bureau in Phoenix (and assuredly some awkward stuff in the mix).
Snow has been featured prominently in his stories, perhaps because of the seasonless cli-mate he lives in. Nature was meant to be enjoyed and experienced, not hidden from the senses. So to that end, he hopes someday to live amongst those who are able to live through four true seasons, and not just blast furnace and warm.
He enjoys the occasional Arizona Diamondbacks game with his son, as well as watching him grow up. The experience of being a single dad has taught him far more about himself than he ever thought possible.
Within the expanse of every waking moment, he hopes his guardian angel keeps its arms open wide and heart ever watchful, for there but for one true Hope goes She.
For more about J.W. visit www.avomnia.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, J.W. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
First time having a book published. I’ve had two other poems published in anthologies, but never any of my stories. It is indeed a huge thrill, but an equally large task to promote. I find I’m learning volumes about the industry at large.
The book’s title is The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between. It’s a series of short stories woven into an invisible tapestry of Hope and Love. Yes, I confess to being a hopeful romantic.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
The Light, The Dark, and Ember Between is my first book. I’m very fortunate to have found a publisher who will work with a new author. There’s a staggering amount of work involves, but if ever there was a labor of love this is it.
For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?
There were a few small publishing houses that passed on it, mainly because they felt it didn’t satisfy their market niche. I can understand that—the basic “we like your work but it’s just not what we’re looking for right now.” One of them declared that “nobody reads short stories anymore.” That one response was what propelled me forward, to persevere and keep searching. I may not sell thousands of copies, but I know for certain I’ll find people who love a good short story as much as I do.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
Since I bypassed the traditional slush pile route I didn’t have to encounter all that. That’s not to say I believe my stories will be for everyone, but it’s not everyone I’m shooting for.
There’s a part of me that feels a tinge of guilt for not having put myself through the wringer as many other do. There is certain value in learning from constructive rejections, but the more writers I talk to about it the more I hear that there’s a whole lot of one sentence responses—if they’re lucky to get that. If I believe my stories will entertain, and I’m willing to enter into the fray and acquire the experience of self-promotion, then why not?
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
I wound up contacting a number of small publishers, and a few of them wanted huge sums of money, while others looked like they would print anything at all as long as it contained words. I ended up going with ABP (American Book Publishing) and have been very pleased with their work and involvement thus far. My editor (M.A. Marazzi — thanks MaryAnn!) was wonderful to work with, and the design staff have been responsive and a delight.
Ultimately, it came down to my research and my gut feelings. So far, my gut’s been right.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
I kept my emotions in check for a long time. I didn’t tell anyone around me until I knew with absolute certainty the manuscript had made it to the printer and my copy would be on its way. I suppose I felt that if I talked it up way ahead of time, and something unforeseen happened, I’d internalize it as a massive failure on my part. Now, of course, anyone who knows me knows about the book!
When I received my copy I treated it with delicate respect. I live alone so I was able to open the package and very thoughtfully browse through it, admire the cover and typesetting. I recall a tremendous sense of quiet fulfillment. If I achieve nothing else of this order in my life I feel I have left something good behind in my wake.
What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?
I’m in the midst of that now. I’ve created my own small website (www.avomnia.com), and the book is absolutely part of that, but I’ve also provided other samples of my writing as well. I’ve tried to keep it aesthetically pleasant but small enough to make it easy to load and read. I’ve placed the link to it anywhere I can put it. I’ve also created my own bookmark to use for promotions as well. I know just enough about how to use Photoshop that I was able to design it myself, which saved a lot of time, and certainly some money.
I also blog as time permits (still have to pay the rent, ya know!). My virtual book tour is another way I’m hoping to get my name out there. I’m also looking at doing some events at local independent book stores and am hoping to be able to do podcasts and author interviews. I have a book trailer as well, which actually surpassed my expectations, even though it’s incredibly simple it’s elegant in its simplicity.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
No, I don’t believe so. Any products that I’ve ever had good word-of-mouth advertising about have been as good as the word. Doesn’t matter if it’s restaurants, a television show, or a good book—it’s always better to have strong personal advertising. It’s also the cheapest ;^)
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
I haven’t been published for a second time yet (unless you count the poems published before this book). I find that with every new story I write, or even as I read other people’s blogs or books, I can’t help but notice a different approach to writing. I’m more critical, but also much looser in my approach. If it felt like work I flat out wouldn’t do it, so I make every effort to keep it enjoyable. I think ultimately that’s what will show in the work.
Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?
I’m fortunate in that I have a whole world of resources practically at my fingertips: Bookstores, libraries, the internet. All of them make for a great way to delve in and start piecing things together. So I decided early on to tackle it piecemeal, and not try to eat the elephant in one sitting.
I’ve also had the ‘luxury’ of having a little more time on my side, the wisdom that only maturity can provide. That’s not to say I’m always wise and mature, mind you, but much more so than when I used to sit at my old manual typewriter and bang out stories. I hadn’t any idea back then. Now I have a better grip on things–but there’s still so much more to learn.
As for mistakes, I know for certain I won’t be ordering the fried shrimp at a certain restaurant again. ;^) As for the rest, well, I’m just as susceptible to them as anyone else. I try to learn from them and move on. Not always an easy task.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
Keeping on top of my promotional research and reading up on what other authors are doing. Actually, perhaps more to the point simply keeping up with everything life throws at me, and still placing daily focus on writing and support for my book.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
It definitely would be something creative. I remember in college having the opportunity to work in a studio and learn recording techniques. Hour upon hour went by, and I never so much as thought about the time. I had so much fun doing that. Ultimately that’s what I’d love to find, the kind of career where time gets away from me and I couldn’t care less.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
Being an author has a depth of satisfaction to it that’s hard to paint with mere words. There are few things that imbue that kind of sense of accomplishment. To know that someone, somewhere, enjoyed or was moved by something I wrote is a powerful thing.
I write because I enjoy it, because I have a fondness for language and its ability to affect change. My day job pays the bills and allows me some room to do the things we all enjoy. But writing is a kind of self-imposed therapy, a way to sit and face your demons and embrace your better angels. My day job will never do that.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
The obvious answer is “Ten years older!”. Frankly, I’d like to be doing a lot more writing and having chats like this with a whole lot more folks all over the country. I’d like to have my first full-length novel published in that time as well. A decade seems like a long time, but this first decade in the new millennia is almost over . . . already!
I’d hope to see my son graduate from college and be working wherever he’s most happy.
In ten years, I see myself being able to look back at this year and know that it was just the initial burn to the rocket engine. Perhaps a decade from now I can write and tell you what the view is like after ignition ;^)
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Dream . . . and don’t let the dreams go fallow. Write to meet your passions. Write for you, for that’s what you will be most proud of. Assuredly you can write to meet a demand, or to be more commercially viable, but you will always look back and wonder “What If?”. Write because it’s what your heart tells you to do. Everything else will follow. And don’t consider age any sort of obstacle. Dreams don’t die with age, only people do.
Have Faith in yourself. When you hit those days of Doubt, see Rule number 1.
Accept that you will hear more from nay-sayers and non-believers than you ever dreamt possible. But within any bed of clams eventually a pearl is found. That pearl’s beauty can far outlast all the barrenness around it. There will be people who like, or even love, your writing. Those are the people whose lives you’ve touched. I’d say that’s a pretty dream, wouldn’t you?
Interview with Internet Dating Expert Cherie Burbach
Cherie Burbach used her experience with meeting her husband online to pen At the Coffee Shop, a humorous look at the world of Internet dating. Cherie went on over 60 coffee dates in just six months. She met lots of great people and one of those turned out to be the guy she would marry just one year later.
She is the Dating Feature Writer for Suite101, an online magazine with over 10 million views monthly, and also the author of three poetry books, including A New Dish and The Difference Now. Her latest, Father’s Eyes, has received the 2008 Editor’s Choice Award by Allbooks Review. Cherie blogs at Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Career and Kids, Celebrity Apprentice, Gossip on Sports, and Diabetes Notes.
For poets looking for a review of their book, check out Cherie’s new site Bonjour Poetry Reviews.
Readers have resonated with Cherie’s honest and inspirational “This I Believe” essay, which is the second-most popular out of over 32,000 entries on the NPR website. For more information, please visit Cherie’s website at www.thedifferencenow.com or www.datingdatingall-things-dating.blogspot.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Cherie. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
Thanks for having me! I’m delighted to talk with you and your readers today!
Internet Dating Is Not Like Ordering a Pizza is my fifth book. I wrote another dating-related book entitled At the Coffee Shop a few years ago. I’ve also written three poetry books: A New Dish, The Difference Now, and Father’s Eyes.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
Oh gosh, I had this nasty habit of destroying my work for years and years. I don’t remember the name of my first book, but I know it was a novel and written over 25 years ago.
For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?
For me, publishing my first book was about coming to terms with my past. I grew up with in an abusive household with an alcoholic father, so my self-esteem wasn’t quite up to par! As a way of dealing with the verbal abuse, I wrote poetry. I’d write tons of poetry every night and then rip it up by the next morning.
About ten years ago my father committed suicide and that opened my eyes to how short life really is. I decided that no matter what I would start keeping the things I wrote, whether I published them or not.
I quickly realized that I was a fairly prolific writer. And after a few years I had several hundred poems and dozens of stories. As a kind of “statement” to myself, I decided I’d publish one book. I never even tried to send my work into a mainstream publisher, get an agent, or even look for all the various opportunities that writers have now to publish their work.
I saw an ad for a self-publishing company and went through them to publish my work. To my great surprise, my little poetry book (The Difference Now) sold several hundred copies. More than that, however, I received several notes from people who could relate to some of the things I’d written. That gave me the resolve to keep writing, regardless of the rejections others might throw at you.
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
I chose iUniverse at the time because they were readily available and advertised quite a bit. Since I knew so little about publishing, working with a firm that “did it all” for you was extremely helpful. Also, the cost at the time I did it was extremely low.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
During the month my book came out, I also got married. So it was an all-around very happy time for me. My best friend and Maid of Honor read one of my poems at our reception, and she did it so well it moved everyone to tears. That is one of my fondest memories.
Here’s another: For our honeymoon (which was a couple weeks after the book came out) we went to Paris and London. This was a huge trip for us, because we are very frugal and never have the coin to travel. (In fact, we haven’t been anywhere since! But I digress….)
Anyway, when we were on our honeymoon, we actually brought a couple of copies of The Difference Now with us. I signed one and left it at the Starbucks in Paris, and my husband and I thought that was so funny. (We’re dorks. Can you just see us sitting there giggling at Starbucks?)
We also left a couple in bookstores in London. My husband put one on a bookstore shelf, and took a picture of my book “in bookstores in London.” I also posed for a picture outside of another bookstore, and we laughed that I had just “made my first bookstore appearance.”
Needless to say we were very happy and had a great time.
What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?
I can’t remember a thing I really did to promote the book, sadly enough. I knew very little about book promotion back then.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
Yes. But then it’s always easy to say what you would have done differently, right? Experience is what gives us the education we need to do better.
After my first couple books were published, I was looking for a different way to go about the process. I came across another author, Diana Laurence, who had started her own publishing company and asked her how she did it. She then wrote an ebook about it, and that spurred me on to read more about it. Dan Poynter’s books were also extremely helpful to me. I started my own company, Bonjour Publishing, and have published that way ever since. I
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
My first books were poetry collections, and I gave little thought when I wrote them about how I would later market them. I’ve learned to write my books now as if someone will be reading them. I feel more compelled to satisfy the reader and write accordingly. Of course, I still write the things I want to write about, but with that small distinction I am able to also think about how to promote the book so the readers that would enjoy it most can find out about it.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
One of the things I’m most proud of is a piece of writing that I never received a dime from. That was my “This I Believe” essay (http://tinyurl.com/dlsyor) for NPR. It talks about my childhood and has been very popular on the This I Believe site. I feel that in writing about things like that it can make people who are struggling feel so much less alone.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer so I can imagine doing anything else. But I suppose if I was forced to pick something, it would be a professional organizer!
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
I wouldn’t give up writing for anything.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
As a happy, content woman. Hopefully that will include children as well as more books.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Never let anyone discourage you. There are many writers out there who appeal to different people. There’s room for all of us, and many different options to get published. Educate yourself on the publishing industry and the craft of writing. Write because you love it, and the rest will follow.
Interview with Mystery Suspense Author John Knoerle
John Knoerle’s first novel, Crystal Meth Cowboys, was optioned by Fox for a TV series. His second novel, The Violin Player, won the Mayhaven Award for Fiction. His new novel, A Pure Double Cross, is Book One of the American Spy Trilogy. John lives with his wife in Chicago. You can learn more about John Knoerle at www.bluesteelpress.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, John. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
I currently have three books in print. “Crystal Meth Cowboys,” which was optioned by Fox for a TV series, “The Violin Player,” which won the Mayhaven Award for Fiction, and my new title, “A Pure Double Cross.”
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
“Crystal Meth Cowboys” was published by Blue Steel Press.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
If you believe in yourself you put your head down and just keep going.
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
My style has become more taut and streamlined. People are busy, they don’t have time for flowery descriptions and tangential diversions.
Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?
In retrospect I think that I might have concentrated on a central character, built a series as I am doing now with Hal Schroeder.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
I have always thought I might be a good architect. There is a certain similarity to designing a building and creating a book.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
I think being a good author is so demanding that it requires your full attention.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
If you can’t snag a publisher consider self-publishing. With Print on Demand the prices are reasonable.
Interview with Kim Smith, Author of Avenging Angel: A Shannon Wallace Mystery
Kim Smith was born in Memphis Tennessee, the youngest of four children. After a short stint in a Northwest Mississippi junior college, during the era of John Grisham’s rise as a lawyer, she gave up educational pursuits to marry and begin family life.
She has worked in many fields in her life, from fast food waitress to telephone sales. “I always got the seniors on the phone who were lonely and wanted someone to talk to. My boss couldn’t understand why in the world I spent so much time talking to them and not enough time selling. That was when I realized I love people and care deeply about their lives.”
After the birth of her two children, she gave up working outside the home for the more important domestic duties of wife and mother. When her kids decided they wanted to pursue theater as an extracurricular activity, she gave up her free time to drive them to rehearsals, training classes, and plays. During those years, she found herself bored with nothing to do to while away the hours stuck in a car. She began thinking of stories to entertain herself and pass the time. Before long she started telling her husband about her stories and he assured her she could write a book if she really wanted to. She put the idea away once she landed a job as a network administrator for a small corporation, and together the Smith’s started their own video production company.
Writing was a dream, hidden but not forgotten, and soon Kim began to talk again of trying her hand at it. She played with words, and wrote several poems, one of which was picked up for an anthology
One day in the early nineties her husband came home with a desktop computer and sat her in front of it. “Now you have no more excuses,” he said, and she realized the truth in his words. Procrastination, now no longer an option, she took off on the pursuit of penning her first book. Though that book, a young adult fantasy, was lost due to unforeseen circumstances, she kept going, writing a historical romance, and another YA.
When she decided to try out her hand at mystery writing, she discovered her true love and niche in the writing journey. She has since had four short stories, and her first mystery novel accepted for publication.
Kim is a member of Sisters in Crime, and EPIC. She still lives in the Mid South region of the United States and is currently working on her second book in the mystery series.
You can visit her website at www.mkimsmith.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Kim. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
Avenging Angel, a Shannon Wallace Mystery is my first published book, but not my first book per se. I have written three other books, although I decided to keep working on them rather than seek publication.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
The Realm, my very first book, was never published as it was not publish-worthy. I do not even have a copy of it anymore, and that is probably a good thing as my writing has improved dramatically since then.
For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?
More than ten, maybe less than twenty, and all from agents. When I gave up trying to get an agent, and began submitting to small publishers (who accept submissions direct from the author) I was accepted straight away.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
Initially, the rejections stung a bit. I was not mature enough to know that they were not rejecting my writing, but the book instead. I believe that if I were to seek an agent today, rejections would not bother me at all.
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
Avenging Angel was published by Red Rose Publishing, and I chose them upon a recommendation by someone who works for them. I have never regretted taking their advice.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
I have to tell you, it felt wonderful. I kept going back to the buy page just to look at the way MY work looked to the public. I went out to dinner and celebrated with good food, good friends, and dessert.
What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?
I didn’t wait until my book came out to begin promoting. I think that is something that a lot of folks do that is a bad idea. I set up my website, streamlined my blog, and began joining every social networking sites I could. I belong to 35 yahoo groups, and seventeen other groups like Facebook, Myspace, and Gather.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
Yes, my journey was a little different with this book than most authors have to travel. I actually pulled this book from my very first choice publisher and took it to Red Rose Publishing. I would advise authors to investigate your publisher thoroughly.
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
Yes, I have had the next book in the Shannon Wallace series accepted, titled Buried Angel, as well as a novella, A Will to Love, and a short story, Love Waltzes. I believe that I understand the writing process and the publication phase of the writing process better now and that has “grown” me as an author. I would tell aspiring authors to be sure and remember that there is nothing you write that doesn’t need rewriting.
What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?
I wasn’t really devoted to getting an agent, and so I spent a lot more time researching them and waiting on them to tell me that they didn’t want my book than actually trying to get published. I would not do that again. I believe that your work will find a home if you are devoted to sending it out.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
Avenging Angel made it to the publisher’s number six spot on the bestseller list, and that was a big deal to me. I would love for the cover to win and award, or for it to final in a contest.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
I do have another profession, in fact I have two. I am a network administrator for a small remanufacturing company and I am a professional videographer/ photographer.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
I could never give up writing, no matter what happened. I have tried, and it wouldn’t let me alone. So in answer, I believe that I have accepted that writing is not something that I do, it is instead, a part of who I am.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
Old. Old as dirt, in fact, but wiser, a whole lot wiser. I will have a LOT of work out there for my readers and fans, and I hope in ten years they love me even more.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Keep going. There is nothing stopping you from being published, but you. It’s like I tell some of my brides(as a videographer)- if you can’t wait to find a place to get married, go see a JP. You are still just as married. If you are unsuccessful at finding an agent, or a NY publisher, try a small press, go the ebook route. You are still just as published.
Interview with Marvin D. Wilson, author of Between the Storm and the Rainbow
Marvin D. Wilson is a published author who has been awarded the prestigious AVATAR award for excellence in spiritual books. Wilson has had articles published in several Ezines, and has been interviewed on hundreds of blogs, radio and TV shows, both over the internet and on the airwaves. Marvin is a prolific blogger/essayist. He maintains his internationally acclaimed award-winning blog at Free Spirit, and also his other very popular “Old Hippie” blog. Free Spirit was awarded first place in the 2008 Book Blogger Appreciation Week award contest, in the Christian/Inspirational Fiction category.
Wilson is a family man, married for thirty three years, with three adult children and six grandchildren. He has been around the block of life several times, through the ups and downs, and has survived in good enough spirits to desire to write about life, to write about living life on purpose. Wilson is a self-described “non-religious,
dogma-free, Maverick spiritualist Christian.” He writes books that deliver spiritual and inspirational messages in an engaging, thought provoking, often times humorous, more than often irreverent, sometimes sexy and even ribald way, through the spinning of an entertaining tale.
Marvin D Wilson is an editor with All Things That Matter Press and also does freelance editing.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Marvin. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the titles of your books?
Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure. Well, if three counts as multiple, then I would say I’m a “multi” published author (smile). My published books so far are, I Romanced the Stone (Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie), Owen Fiddler, and the just released Between the Storm and the Rainbow.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
I wrote a book length manuscript nearly a decade ago. It was titled, “My Daughter the Muslim.” I never had it published because, while it did have some good chapters and writing in it, and even though friends and family and even a couple “trusted” critical readers said it was worthy of publication, I just didn’t feel it was good enough to be my first book. With what I’ve learned over the past several years about excellence in the art of professional writing, I may go back one day, dust it off and see if I can’t turn it into a book that has enough literary merit to warrant publication.
For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?
I could write a whole book on this subject. I have written a lengthy article about the arduous road to obtaining that elusive first publication, the different routes available and the pros and cons of each.
My first book, I Romanced the Stone, is a memoir, the story of how I overcame a deadly narcotics addiction that had ruined my life in my mid-fifties, through a profound spiritual experience. Due to its unusual combination of Christian salvation themes and the vivid depictions of scenes in the crime and drug-infested streets of inner city America, it was rejected by all the “traditional” pubs. The Christian pubs considered it too graphic and worldly, and the secular pubs thought it to be too “religious.” Go figure. The book is not religious at all, it is a tell-it-like-it-is truth telling. But anyway, I eventually gave up on getting a contract with the big boys and started submitting the manuscript to smaller, quality POD’s – the ones that only print books that have gone through an evaluation process by their staff and been deemed fit for their standards. I finally got an affordable deal with a fine outfit. This whole process took nearly a year.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
They motivated me. I kept all the rejection letters and emails from pub houses and agents and still have them in a hard copy file cabinet. I used to pull them out occasionally and re-read them just to get fired up and try harder. I would prove them all wrong!
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
I went with Global Authors Publications. My manuscript had been approved by three “selective” POD’s by then, and I felt that the quality of their books, the level of scrutiny they put a new author through, combined with their fees-to-royalties-paid ratio was the best deal on the table for me.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
It was like seeing and holding your first born child. Exquisite joy, I was ecstatic. I took the wife out for dinner to one of those gourmet restaurants that are definitely not in the normal budget.
What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?
I started promoting months before the publication release date. I joined writers and readers Yahoo groups, and other online groups like Goodreads and Shelfari. I networked and interacted with other authors, read and learned everything I could. I prepared media releases. I created a marketing plan. I lined up radio, TV and blog interviews in advance, created a website about the book, started cross-linking and inter-linking it, and marketing it as best I could. Once the book was out I put my marketing plan into full swing. I had personal speaking engagements lined up, a couple local book signings, I did the shows and interviews online and on the airwaves, made online announcements about the book’s release to all my groups, e-blasted the news to all my email contacts, every possible tool at my disposal I used to its fullest capacity.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
Only if I could have gotten a contract with a large mainstream traditional publishing house. And even then maybe not. I’ve heard horror stories about novice authors getting taken on by the bigs. Often they will edit the book (you have to give them this right in many cases before they will agree to “take a chance” on you) to the point where they feel it will sell better to their readers but you scarcely recognize it as your book anymore. You give up a great deal of say in the finished product.
For most aspiring first-time authors, especially if you are an “unknown,” I recommend going with a good quality POD or a small traditional press. The exception would be if you are already a household name, someone who is popular because of some previous notoriety, or perhaps if you have an inside connection – like your relative or friend is a decision maker with a big pub house or literary agency. Aside from those situations and the one-in-a-million perfect Cinderella story opportunity, the POD and the smaller traditional pubs that give greater control to the author are the best choices.
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
Well yes, as I said previously, I have since had two more books published. The second book, Owen Fiddler, was published with Cambridge Books. They are a small traditional pub, one of the new breed of “cross-over” presses that offers contracts for the rights to publish your book, but they also print on demand. I even got a small (okay I admit, it was “tiny”) advance! Woo Hoo! They don’t have the budget to print up tens of thousands of books and then hope that they all sell. This, by the way, is I believe the wave of the future. If you read the news articles in the literary world, even the bigs are moving away from huge advances to the author and the automatic printing of masses of hard copy books. Ebooks and advance orders for print books are part of the new “green” movement. I submitted my manuscript to Cambridge Books under the recommendation of an author friend who had used them before. I was elated when they voted to take my book on. They are very selective. They have to be because again, they are small and have only so many resources of staff and time. And they have to make sure the books they choose will turn out to be profitable for them, since they take on all the costs of production.
My third and latest book, Between the Storm and the Rainbow, was published by another fine quality POD, All Things That Matter Press. Another “cross-over” pub house, they are “traditional” in that they do not charge the authors fees to print the books they choose to publish, but they are very selective. They actually contacted me and requested a submission from me. How cool is that?
Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?
I would have done more homework on which agencies and publishing houses I submit to. I also would have studied how best to write an effective query letter before starting to send them out. Each pub house and literary agency has different preferences with regard to what format they want queries and submissions to come in. They also will let you know on their websites what genres they are looking for and whether or not they are even accepting any new submissions at all – especially from first-time authors. I highly recommend going to http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/ for extremely valuable information when putting your submissions plan together. An informed, skilled and targeted submissions process is the most effective in terms of energy and time spent procuring a contract for your book.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
I always wanted to be an NBA All Star. But as an aging short white guy with no shot left who can’t jump and is getting slower every year, I’ve had to give up on my dream – ha! Seriously, my first love was music. I was a Hippie rock and roll musician back in the late 60’s, and all through the 70’s and wanted to make it as a big name rock star, helping to change the world with original message music. But that career never made the big bucks or the cover of the Rolling Stone, so I went into business. Had to. I had gotten married and had a kid on the way. Everybody has to grow up some time. So I raised a family, and now in my golden years I feel writing is my calling. And it’s starting to work out for me.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
Not anymore, I don’t have the kind of youthful energy required for touring and playing a rigorous schedule of concerts, doing the clubs, all that. I still play my guitar, and I write and record music. Not professionally, but for personal enjoyment. I have a CD produced that I sell, but only on a small scale, it’s mostly for fun and diversion. So while I do not have the best of both worlds, I do derive satisfaction from both of my main loves, music and writing.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
That would be becoming a fairly well known and followed blogger essayist. I started blogging seriously in the summer of 2008. I post every day on Free Spirit and at least twice weekly on Tie Dyed Tirades. I’ve won an international blog popularity contest, a boat load of awards, and have a globally growing following of readers now. Free Spirit is read by people from nearly 70 countries last I checked the stats. Now when I publish a new book I automatically have a readership that likes my writing and it’s much easier to get a new publication paid attention to, talked about, and bought.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
I want to be known as a best-selling novelist and an author who creates positive, peace engendering effects on people, our society and planet through my spiritual/inspirational writing.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Never give up. No matter how many times you feel knocked down, get back up and try harder. Take criticism seriously, look at it with an open mind, and if it has merit, do the work to correct your errors and try again. But don’t let criticism and rejection affect you personally. Like any other art, practice makes perfect. Be a student of your craft. Work at it every day. Study, write, read other authors all the time, study, write, and never give up.
Interview with Brian L. Doe, Author of The Grace Note
Brian L. Doe was born in Ogdensburg, New York, and grew up on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. From a young age, he recognized his passion for the written word and committed himself to the pursuit of writing. He is currently an English teacher in Upstate New York where he lives with his wife and children. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in writing from St. Lawrence University, and a Master’s Degree in secondary education from the State University of New York at Potsdam College.
Mr. Doe is also an amateur violinist who works with John R. Lindsey, concertmaster of the Orchestra of Northern New York, at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. He has been associated with the musical world in a number of capacities for years and has been involved in public performances ranging from concert presentations to musicals.
Brian L. Doe’s first novel, Barley and Gold, was published in 2001 and again in 2008. In addition, he is co-author of the trilogy, Waking God, with Philip Harris. His newest release, The Grace Note, was published in November 2008 by All Things That Matter Press.
More about the author, his writing, and music can be found at his official website, www.inkslingernotes.com.
Welcome to Beyond the Books, Brian. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?
I am a multi-published author. My first book, Barley & Gold was published in 2001 and again in 2008. I am also co-author of the Waking God Trilogy with Philip Harris. My newest book, The Grace Note, was published in November of 2008.
What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?
The title of my very first book was Barley & Gold. I began writing it as a freshman in college while working at the university library. A song on the radio gave me an idea, and I wrote the last chapter first. Over the course of the next ten years, I finally finished the manuscript.
For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?
I was rejected by 38 agencies alone before one agency decided to represent me. With representation, I was then rejected by every major publisher that the work was presented to.
How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?
Although I was continually assured by my agent that the rejections did not mean that my writing was worthless, it still stung me a little each time. I did have the opportunity to read what many of the major publishing houses had to say about my work, and it was not all bad. Perhaps the worse phrase to read or hear again and again when trying to get published is that your book “just isn’t right for us at this time.” I eventually came to realize, however, that my writing was worth reading, and that I’d either be published or I wouldn’t. It’s all about confidence.
When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?
iUniverse first published Barley & Gold, and at the time, it only cost $199.00. They were the first in their field to really market themselves as a POD publisher, and I wasn’t quite sure what it all meant. But I felt so strongly about my story, that I was determined to see it in print. After all, I believe even Laura Ingalls Wilder paid to have her work published in the beginning.
How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
Seeing my writing in print was amazing and made me feel like I’d accomplished something. I didn’t really celebrate the event, though. I was surrounded by people whom I felt didn’t see the value of such a venture, and even then, others grumbled at the fact that I’d paid to have it published.
What was the first thing you did as a promotion when you were published for the first time?
I was interviewed by the local newspaper that ran a story about a local teacher being a published author. It garnered some response, but sales of the book were never high.
If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?
I don’t know if I would have any new options if I had to do it all over again at that time. Now, however, there many options for authors that don’t cost a cent. One of the newest movements in the publishing world is the independent publishing house. Piers Anthony, the New York Times bestselling author, even champions independent publishing houses. They tend to be smaller and more personal. My current publisher, for instance, is an independent, and my contract with them is more like a friendship than a business arrangement. The large publishing houses seem to be on the road to extinction.
Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?
I have been published twice since then, and soon to be three times when the next installment of the Waking God Trilogy comes out in a few weeks. The Grace Note, I believe, shows a tremendous amount of maturity on my part. I was 19 when I started my first book and 36 when I wrote The Grace Note. My writing is cleaner and more direct now.
Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?
I often wonder if I could have done anything differently. Back then, and in many ways now, agent representation and publisher marketing was a laborious and tedious process. The book industry is so overrun with poor writing (a problem agents and publishers themselves have created over the last decade) that moving from manuscript to printed novel involves many months of time and energy. And even if a large publisher picks up your work, it will take another 18 months to get it into print.
What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?
I can Google myself and get pages of results. It’s overwhelming to realize how much of a presence you can make on the Internet just by being involved in the marketing and promotion of your work.
If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?
A professional violinist. I would have started playing much earlier than I did, and I would have wanted to play at Lincoln Center.
Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?
That’s an interesting question, because my new book, The Grace Note, does just that. It is about a professional violinist who, after a tragedy strikes him, becomes disillusioned with his craft. In writing the book, I was able to combine both worlds.
How do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully on the New York Times Bestseller List, or maybe having one of my books played out on the silver screen. I’ll take either.
Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
Don’t give up. Ever. Rejections are only jabs to a writer’s ego, and no indication of whether he can write. The world will decide if you’ve got a story worth telling. And in the end, if your writing is no good, those closest to you will let you know. But we must keep writing; we are the historians of our day.
Beyond the Books 