An Author's Work Doesn't Finish With THE END.

An author’s work is never done with typing THE END.

I've often thought readers don't realize all the work their favorite authors put into the book that kept you up 'til the wee hours of the morning. You know about this author and their wonderful book, which made you late to work because you overslept, because they have also put in hard work on another aspect of writing—promotion.

Think about how many authors you've discovered over the last year or so. How did you discover them?


Chances are you discovered them through word of mouth.

• 1. You were able to hear about them because of the time and thought publishers put into getting public attention for the book and/or the author.

A friend read a blog and saw and excerpt and recommended the book to you. A librarian or bookstore clerk read a review (ARCs provided by the publisher for review) or something about the series in one of the trade magazines or catalogs. Or you follow blogs. The publishers’ promotion department generally sets these up.

• 2. You heard about the author or the book because the author thought about effective ways to promote themselves and their book.

Authors find that writing a good story is only the beginning of their work as an author. Keeping /renewing contracts depend upon sales. I’m sure authors would love to concentrate on just writing the next book. But they can’t do that. They have to build a readership/buyers for their product.


That’s business 101.

Word of mouth isn’t as easy as it sounds. How do you accomplish that? There is a plethora of ways to do lateral promotion. This takes thought, time, and effort to accomplish.


Analyzing the type of story you’ve written and pick out those elements you can highlight and then look for blogs about those issues or elements. Some authors donate a percentage of the books proceeds to Charities they highlight. Suppose your heroine/hero is a veterinarian involved with rescuing at risk animals—dogs, cats, horses, and whatever. No doubt the author has already looked at organizations involved with animal rescue as a way to highlight their story. Or perhaps H/H is involved with Relay For Life because they lost a parent, sibling, mate, or child. Since you used that as part of setting, why not look at that organization as a way of talking about your book? You highlight the book and the organization.



Susan Gable is an author who writes about persons with disabilities. Her research into making a viable story means looking at support groups and organizations. If these groups know she’s writing novel about a person with a disability word of mouth from that alone is worth the time and effort invested.



Then there are blog tours. This also involves time and effort. Time muse may be screaming at the author to sit their butt into the chair and write the next story. So to appease their muse and publisher it means scheduling their time to accomplish both and work on deadlines.



I set up blog tours and that means I work with authors, agents, and publisher promotion Reps. I know the work that goes into scheduling, blog set up, articles and interviews. I work with authors who go through a grueling couple of months meeting their fans either in person or on blogs.


Blogging takes time and creative energy. Think about seeing one of your favorite authors on a blog tour of say ten blogs. He/she has to come up with ten subjects to blog about that fit the particular blog site. There is only so many ways to talk about a book.

• The purpose of a Blog tour is to build an audience for the author's books. This means interacting with readers. Think of it as a online booksigning or a meet and greet.

So for a Blog Tour to be effective two things need to happen:

• The author has be present the day of their blog.

Granted, they don’t have to live at the blog site but they do need to visit several times during the day. Again, this is like an online greet the readers, so the author needs to be there to interact with their readers and fans. Authors defeat the whole purpose if they merely drop an article in a blog owners lap and move on.

Being a presence is one of my requirements to blog on Over Coffee, as is:

• Announcing their blog dates on their website, blog, or whatever social networks they belong to and provide the link to the blog site so fans can get there.

This takes some time on the author's part. It also takes time on the blog owner's part to announce the author so there are comments. It also means the blog owner needs to monitor the blog that day and if the comments are few, take steps to change that. So it's a partnership between author and blog owner.


It all involves a lot of creativity and just plain hard work.

So the next you pick up a book from your favorite author, consider all the hard work they put into not only telling an entertaining story, but also the work they did so you would know about them and their books.

Next week:


Monday and Wednesday,  Author, Marcia James, will be talking more about how authors can do lateral promotion. She will also be talking about the workshop she will be offering to writers on promotion.

Friday, I will be having Cheryl Brooks, author of the wonderfully hot Cat Star Chronicles and a bit about her book and what she does for fun. There will be two copies of Hero given away to two commentors.

Excerpt links, back cover blurbs on both authors work will be available.

Write What You Know -- Stupid Advice Given to Writers

My guest is award winning Romance author, Susan Gable. I always like it when Susan blogs with me. I learn so much.

Susan is a wonderful storyteller. Her article today explains why I find her books so fascinating and real--aside from captivating writing and wry humor which I love.



Write what you know.



It's one of the most common pieces of advice you hear offered to writers.


And I suppose it works for people like John Grisham, a lawyer writing legal thrillers. Or for Robin Cook, a doctor writing medical thrillers.


But just how, exactly, do we explain Stephen King? Pretty sure he's not writing what he knows—and if he is...well, let's not go there.


How many fabulous books would we have missed out on if the writers held to a strict interpretation of write what you know? Vampires? Don't know any. Do know writers who make a great living writing about them. A school for sorcerers? Never been to one -- doubt J. K. Rowling has, either. It's worked out well for her.


I'm not mechanically inclined—but my first heroine was a mechanic. My artistic talents are limited to drawing stick figures, yet my last hero was a comic book artist. I've never parented a child who's had a heart transplant—my second book featured such a parent and child. I've never parented a child with acute aplastic anemia or had a child through a sperm bank, either. But my new book, The Family Plan, features exactly such a child.


So how do we manage this? Research! And in today's internet age, research has never been easier. You cannot only access all sorts of articles on the subject you need to learn about, but you can connect with real people who know these things.


For my second book, The Mommy Plan, I was in touch with a mom who had a young son who'd had a heart transplant. She was willing to answer all sorts of questions, even the slightly odd ones, like, would you let him get his ear pierced? She was awesome, too, because she understood that her experience was HER experience, and other people's experiences and reactions would be different.


For A Kid to the Rescue, I had local resources that helped me out with the legal aspects of the book. I had a family lawyer who helped me with the custody case, and the man who is now the District Attorney for Erie actually answered my questions about the criminal case in the book.


For The Family Plan, I connected via email with a nurse who works with kids having bone marrow transplants. She was able to answer all my medical questions. I found an amazing document designed for the parents of bone marrow transplant kids that explained everything in great detail, including what these kids could eat or not eat. My critique partner happened to be my source for information about the heroine's suddenly high-risk pregnancy because the situation had happened to her. So I bugged her constantly while writing the book. (See, don't write what you know—write what other people know and bug the heck out of them! Actually, I've found people are very willing to share their experiences. Ask politely. But don't be afraid to ask questions.)


The part where you DO have to write what you know is when it comes down to the emotions. You may not have experienced the exact situation you've put your characters in, but you can IMAGINE what it would be like. You want to make sure you give them their own emotional response, not YOUR emotional response. But it's okay to tap into your own emotions. That's writing what you know.


Readers respect honesty in writing. Venture into the dark places. Thank God I've never known the absolute fear of losing my child—but I can put myself there. I've lost other loved ones, and I can extrapolate that losing a child would be even worse. I had a foster son who left my home, and I cried for two days, heartbroken. I used these things to get into my heroine's head for The Family Plan.


What I don't know and have written through research and instinct: being an architect, being a chef, being involved in a custody case, being involved in a criminal prosecution of a man who murdered my sister, being an art therapist, being a runaway surrogate mother...


What I've written that I do know: Parents should put their children first. Relationships don't always run smoothly. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. We all hunger for love and acceptance of who we are, the way we are. Change is hard, and often painful.


So when someone tells you to write what you know, don't take them literally. Be emotionally honest—and do your homework. But write what moves you. Because that will move your readers, too.

• What have you written that you "don't know?" What have you written that you do know?

•  Do you have questions on how to do research? Can you think of any other advice that’s often given to writers that you disagree with?

The Family Plan Blurb:

4.5 Stars from RT Magazine!

She's stirring up the gene pool!

Dr. Amelia Young has meticulously organized her family plan. Wonderful daughter? Done. Man? Unnecessary. All Amelia has ever needed is carefully selected DNA. So what if the donor turns out to be a ridiculously hot chef with a distracting butt and wicked smile? That only proves she had good taste in genes.

Anonymously donating his DNA at a clinic when he was a student is one thing. A strange woman at his door requesting a second deposit is quite another. But when Finn Hawlins realizes Amelia needs another child to save her first -- his first -- he relents. And when that first kid turns up on his doorstep a few months later, he's in this family deep!

Excerpt 

Buy:  Amazon BooksaMillion Harlequin

~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ 

Susan Gable has sold seven books to Harlequin's Superromance line. Her books have been Rita and Golden Heart Finalists, she's been a Waldenbooks Bestseller, been three times nominated for Romantic Time's Best Superromance of the Year, and she's won numerous other awards, including the National Readers' Choice Award. Her new book, The Family Plan, got 4.5 Stars from RT. It hits shelves on July 13th. 

Visit Susan's website: http://www.susangable.com/
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Why I Came Back To Harlequin

~Sia McKye~

I have to be honest; I stopped reading most Harlequins some years ago. The stories had become trite and tired—outdated if you will. How many stories can you read about Tycoons, Sheiks, Millionaires, Nurses, Females too stupid to live, or surprise babies without getting bored. Where were the sassy, independent women? The hot realistic heroes that made you go, Whoa, yah baby! Realistic stories that fit today’s women? Where were the meaty stories with a sizzle?

Let me give you the reason I returned to reading Harlequin this past eighteen months: authors like Tawny Weber, Samantha Hunter, Alison Kent, Gena Showalter, Susan Gable, Holly Jacobs, Rhonda Nelson, Diana Duncan, and Brenda Joyce. Anyone of these authors, in my opinion, regardless of the particular imprint with Harlequin they write, all tell involving stories, characters that act and react realistically, good storylines, well-paced enjoyable stories. Even those that write for the lighter end have well-thought and entertaining stories. Books that I don’t want to throw across the room and hope they hit the trash can.

Today, I’m talking about two books I’ve recently read that I’ve enjoyed and can recommend reading. An example from two different ends of the spectrum, if you will. Tawny Weber and Brenda Joyce. One is new to me and one is an author I’ve enjoyed reading for some years ( I started with the Bragg Saga and loved the deWarrens).

Tawny writes for Blaze. I enjoy Blaze. They’re fun hot reads. Some are lighter than others, but I’ve really enjoyed Tawny’s. Her latest one was fun, with smart characters, hot without being too blatant (which is why I read very few erotica, but that’s a subject for another blog).

Here’s the blurb for Tawny Weber’s latest book available this month.


Hello, hot blast from the past!

Zoe Gaston needs to unmask a mystery man for work. She also must survive her dreaded high school reunion—and the costume party that opens it. So Zoe, once voted Girl Most Likely to Die a Virgin, comes dressed as a leather-clad dominatrix…whip and all!Her scandalous costume catches a secret lover. He seems so deliciously familiar under his disguise…. He's gotta be her long-ago crush.But Zoe is shocked to discover the sexy body she's been so thoroughly enjoying belongs to Dexter Drake—her oldest friend! And he's hiding something bigger than just his identity….

Dressed to Thrill: The best part of dressing up is taking it off!


Read an excerpt: http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?itemid=20045&cid=416


Now, what captured my interest was the line that said Zoe had been voted the Girl Most Likely To Die A Virgin and then she shows up in a leather-clad dominatrix outfit (funny, my muse wears the same outfit. Wonder if she got hers from Dressed To Thrill Fantasy Shop?) Right away, that whole idea just tickled my funny bone. Now that’s a woman with moxy, lol! My kind of woman. Especially given the last thing Zoe wants to do is go to her High School Reunion.

What intrigued me was she was on a quest to find a mystery man to help her brother—also something I could relate to. Zoe finds that her classmates are still living out their high school glories ten years later and she’s regretting mightily being talked into this adventure. So begins several escapades and a sexy encounter with a hot man in costume that rings all her bells. I won’t spoil it but parts of her story cracked me up and parts made go, ‘Whoa, Yah, you go girl!’ I thoroughly enjoyed Zoe. I have to tell you, I wouldn’t mind going a few rounds with the masked hottie either!


If you haven't checked out Tawny Weber's books, I recommend you search them out. They're well worth it. They can be ordered directly from Harlequin Blaze website: http://www.eharlequin.com/



The second book I enjoyed, is written by Brenda Joyce. She writes a series called The Masters of Time. Definitely a (cue Austin Powers) ‘yah baby’ series. Brenda’s books are paranormal Romance for HQN and about Highland warriors sworn to protect Innocence through the ages... Any who read my blog know I’m a bit partial to Scott warriors, preferably kilted.

The blurb for her latest book, Dark Lover.


Highland Warriors, sworn to protect innocence through the ages...

Ian Maclean’s arrogance hides a terrible secret—for decades he was held prisoner by demons. Not a day goes by that he isn’t tormented by his darkest fears of powerlessness. Now he is about to sell to the highest bidder a page he’s stolen from the Book of Power—if one woman doesn’t stop him.

Every Rose woman has her destiny

Slayer Samantha Rose’s latest mission is to recover the stolen page—and get payback from the only man who’s ever rejected her. What she hasn’t counted on is the raging attraction between them—or her growing realization of what MacLean has survived. As the powers of the evil from his past gather, Sam will do anything to help him—even if it means following him into time and facing his worst nightmares with him...

If you want to read and excerpt: http://mastersoftimebooks.com/excerpts/lover_one.html


I’ve been following the series. It a hot, sensual time travel story about powerful and sexual medieval warrior warriors of old Scotland whose job it is to protect the innocent from demonic forces and evil. These warriors can jump through time to fight their battles and do and in the process meet up with some strong, independent modern women that knock these alpha males for a loop. The warriors are dark with some real emotional hang-ups and have lived hundreds of years battling evil and personal loss. Brenda’s characters are layered and intense, but have a strong sense of honor. Some are at the point of where you aren’t sure they will remain heroes or become the enemy. Enter the smart women that fall for them and the adventures begin.

What I enjoyed about Dark Lover is the combining of disparate characters—at least on the surface. We have Ian MacLean, an intensely private man scarred by unspeakable torture and one who no longer cares about right and wrong, or so he thinks, but is all about looking out for number one. Ian’s strong, definitely alpha male, but he’s also vulnerable. Then you have Samantha Rose, modern day woman and warrior. She’s feisty and smart mouthed and she makes me laugh even in dangerous time. I like her a lot. Sam is a woman sure of her destiny, her strengths, her sexuality and knows how to use it to her advantage. Sam is one of the good ‘guys’. She’s a tough woman and dangerous. She’s also scarred from her past and it because of this she is a slayer. When the two come together it’s sparks and fire all the way. And danger.

Brenda Joyce is a fabulous writer. Her characters complex and three-dimensional and I like that. Her stories have laughter, danger, hot sexual encounters, magic and an engrossing story. Good wins, but not without paying a high cost.

If you haven’t checked out the Masters of Time series, I highly recommend doing so.


Just two reasons why l came back to Harlequin. Do you have any recommendation? Why?