Cassie Ryan, Tia Dani and I attended the Desert Rose chapter meeting last night. As always, we networked, laughed and drank a sweep away the blues margarita and Caribbean rum (Cassie doesn’t like tequila).
KC Pape and Kathleen Grieves joined our table and we talked about the Desert Dreams conference coming up in April. We are all excited about attending our own local conference.
Then we found out Kathleen is a conference virgin. If you’re a conference virgin it can be very overwhelming. Here are a few pointers before you go:
- Remember if you don’t have a book it’s important to establish your author brand and to connect with readers. This way when you have a book then you have instant readers buying.
- Bring two different business cards – One set that has your phone number for editors and other writers. The other set without your number for readers.
- When you’re given a business card, write on the back of it who and how you know the person giving you the card. This way a month from now you’ll remember the person.
- Go to the bar, even if it’s by yourself. Most networking is done there and you can talk with editors, writers, readers in a relaxed atmosphere.
- Don’t harass the editors and agents. I’ve heard of a story that one woman tried to give her manuscript to an editor under the bathroom stall.
- Book or no book, have an editor or agent appointment. Get your face and your name out there. Even if they rejected you before, ask them what stories they want to see. Do research and make sure you’re pitching to the right editor and agent for your type of work.
- Promotions – Buy something that you can get at least 3 uses. An example is if you bring a tea bag with your label on it. The reader is going to use the bag and throw away the cover. They won’t remember your name later. Believe me it happens all the time. Wasted money.
- Labels – Bring a few sheets of prefilled out labels. Name, phone number and address. You will be using these on give aways (author baskets filled with books and things). This way you’re not getting writers’ cramp writing your name a thousand times.
- Make sure you have a myspace and/or web site before you go. You want to point readers to you so they can follow your work and how to find out when you’re book is ready. You want to build up enough readers for a possible newsletter in the future. Some people bring a address book for collecting names.
- Bring two zip locks. One for the tax receipts and the other for scrap booking items.
- Don’t blog about leaving your house and how long you’ll be gone, etc. Balance the need to give readers information and the security of not having your house robbed while you’re gone…..Be cautious.
- Party, have fun but don’t get obnoxious, stinking fall down, throw up drunk. Remember you’re doing business and you still need to give the right impression. It’s a small community and everyone will either blog about your downfall or remember it forever.
- Don’t talk about others. Think about what you’re saying as it does get around. It’s a SMALL COMMUNITY!!!!
Have fun, sell your books and learn lots!!!!!!!! Isabella
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I’m writing a historical again, and immersing myself in the sights and sounds by watching certain movies while I write, or rather listening. The more times I’ve seen the movie, the better, because then I don’t need to look away from my computer screen. When I wrote Thoroughly Mannerly Millicent, I listened to Sense and Sensibility and Emma, none-stop.
This time it’s Becoming Jane and Pride and Prejudice, both the movie and the BBC television version on the 10th Anniversary Limited Collector’s Edition. It’s my mood music, the way I shut out the world while I write. And I love to think about Jane, what her life was like. She wrote 6 wonderful novels in her short life. She was 41 when she died. And she did them by hand with pen and ink. How labor intensive was that?!.
Her brother was interesting too. He married a much older woman (his cousin), one who could afford to give him the luxuries of life. And since Jane and her sister eventually came to live in a cottage on his estate, I’m glad he had the courage to do so…for Jane’s sake. The first time I watched Becoming Jane, I found it upsetting and now I adore it. If it’s true, I admire her all the more.
Jane Austen was brilliant. Her grasp of her characters and what motivated them…uncanny. Her wit was perfect. I recently re-read Pride and Prejudice and found I often had to read a sentence more than once to get the meaning and it was always worth the effort.
We’re getting a huge snow storm today…maybe as much as eight more inches and there is already about three inches on the ground. The world is white, and the fire is warm. Mr. Bingley has just acquired an estate near the Bennett family. Elizabeth will soon meet Mr. Darcy again…and again…and again.
Brit Blaise
www.britblaise.com
www.myspace.com/britblaise
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Hi everyone! As usual, I’ve double booked myself…lol. Not only is today my day to blog here with my favorite butterscotch martini drinking critique partners 
but I’m also set to guest blog on the Naughty & Spice blog in my Cassie Ryan persona. It’s a fun look at how much plot you like with your sex…or not.
Pop on over, leave me a comment on that blog and you could win a FREE signed copy of Ceremony of Seduction!!
Cassie/Tina
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I had to share my my cover for my new book Sex, Lies and DVDs. I’m really pleased. I have to admit, The Wild Rose Press is getting better and better with their covers.
I believe covers can make or break a book. I always get a bit nervous before I get that first look, because you never know what you’re going to get no matter what suggestions you might give the cover artist. Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better one.
I’ll post more when I find out the release date.
Lynne Logan
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I need to post about my success this month before it’s over and distant memory. I have the number #1 bestseller at Amber Heat this month and more…
Amber Heat
#1 Cave Creek Cowboy Ménage
#7 The Blood Club
Amber Allure
#4 Cave Creek Cowboy Ménage
#6 The Blood Club
And once again, I sold copies of every story, all nineteen, and the two above weren’t released yet. I had my best quarter ever with AQ. I now have twenty-one stories released and two more coming soon…April.
The Cave Creek Cowboy series is seeing a resurgence…I have eight, seven short stories and an anthology of the first five.
And also this month, I won the Reader’s Choice portion of the Brava Anthology Contest for #351 IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. While I wasn’t Kate’s first pick, I didn’t expect to be. My submission was a little depressing when I had two people die within the first 750 words. However, I got to talk to Kate Duffy…no small thing.
The month started off on a sour note when I had to tell my girls I wouldn’t see them soon. And I resigned from the Faery Court since there was so much unpleasantness on the health side in my family. And the ups and downs along that front continue…we’re like a medical soap opera. It was more than likely on one of the bad days that I wrote the submission for Brava.
And last, this time of the year I work in the real world. I’m an enrolled agent, licensed to practice before IRS. To keep my license I need continuing education, so I need to work where it makes it easier to get it. However, what I thought would only be two or three days a week has been significantly more. I don’t know how the BMG’s with fulltime jobs do it. Or the rest of you writers with jobs. It’s not easy and I’m flunking on the writing side. I’m two weeks over a deadline and about to tell my editor I need to step away from my current un-contracted project. It’s like a black cloud over my head which sucks the fun out of writing.
Last…we’re flipping again. We close on Thursday on our second flip in Ohio…fifth piece of real estate we’ve owned here in two years. My son Corey who has joined us from AZ wanted to get in on the fun (barf). This weekend is DEMO and the best part. Where’s my sledge hammer?
Brit
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