Having Fun With Cheryl Brooks

My guest is para romance author, Cheryl Brooks. I had the opportunity to meet Cheryl at RT, I love her sense of humor and that twinkle in her eye, like she knows a secret.

The secret is, or at least one of them, is her ability to write an enthralling fantasy set in a galaxy far away, peopled by hot Zetithian males and a cast of engrossing characters. I have a tendency to quickly zip through Cheryl's books because they're rather hard to set aside. :-) The heroes are hot and the sex even hotter. 

Another reason for the twinkle in her eye is Cheryl's Erotic Blog, but I warn you now, it's not rated PG-13 by any stretch of the imagination.   

Hi Sia!



Thanks so much for having me here on Over Coffee again. It was wonderful to finally meet you at the RT Booklover’s Convention, too!


For today’s blog, you asked me two very tough questions:

• What do you do for fun aside from writing? Does writing get in the way of this other hobby?

The answer is that I have very little time to do anything fun, though we did have a blast at RT, didn’t we? Working full time as a critical care nurse and trying to keep up with my writing career has me sitting at a desk most of the time—so much, in fact, that my legs have been swollen for the past six months or so. I’ve tried all sorts of things—diuretics, support hose, limiting salt, and giving up tea entirely (which I was told would cause this problem, though I’d never heard of such a thing!), but nothing seemed to help.


Then on the Fourth of July, I took the day off and spent the entire day doing what I wanted to do. I was outside crawling around in the dirt, cleaning the weeds out of my rose beds and harvesting my garlic and then making it into braids—and my legs were still swollen. After grilling steaks out on the deck, to kill some time until it was dark enough for fireworks, I decided to watch a movie. I pulled my VHS tape of Cannery Row (yes, it really is a tape and is every bit of twenty years old) off the shelf and sat down in my recliner to watch it. Lo and behold, after two hours of sitting with my feet up, the swelling was gone. The simplest cure for swollen legs worked, I just hadn’t ever gotten around to trying it! The best part is, I can drink tea again!


Okay, so to recap, for fun, I cook, garden, drink tea, play guitar (which I haven’t touched in months), watch the occasional movie, and have three very large pasture pets that I visit twice a day to feed and clean up after. I have a riding lesson once a week, but my own horses haven’t been ridden in two or three years. Plus, I have two sons and a husband, who, fortunately, look after themselves most of the time and help out with the horses, the laundry, the cleaning, and the mowing. And yes, the writing gets in the way of all of this. In addition to the actual writing, editing, and proofreading, I’ve got a blog (sometimes two or three) going up every day—I even blog when I’m on vacation—plus there are emails to respond to, and promotional periods are very hectic. I’m also a member of the Indiana chapter of RWA, and the monthly meetings are a two hour drive from where I live, but even though it takes up almost an entire day, it’s worth it to be around other writers and learn more about the craft.


I love writing, and at one time, it was my hobby. Nothing can compare with the joy of creating strange new worlds, weird aliens, and, of course, my fabulously sexy Zetithian heroes. So, if I’m too busy to have fun, I guess we can blame it on The Cat Star Chronicles!

• What about you? What gets in the way of your fun?

HERO (available in stores now)
The Cat Star Chronicles #6

He is the sexiest, most irksome man she’s ever encountered...

Micayla is the last Zetithian female left in the universe. She doesn’t know what’s normal for her species, but she knows when she sees Trag that all she wants to do is bite him…

He has searched all over the galaxy for a woman like her…

Trag has sworn he’ll never marry unless he can find a Zetithian female. But now that he’s finally found Micayla, she may be more of a challenge than even he’s able to take on...

Excerpt (Click on the excerpt tab below the book picture)

BUY: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters.Indigo.ca

Two copies will be awarded to to commenters on today's blog. If you're interested in being considered for winning the book, please send me an email siamckye@gmail.com with Hero Drawing in the subject line. I will announce it here and send you an email.

~*~*~*~*~

Cheryl Brooks is an Intensive Care Unit nurse by night and a romance writer by day. Previous books in The Cat Star Chronicles series include Slave, Warrior, Rogue, Outcast and Fugitive. She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband and sons in Indiana. For more information, please visit http://cherylbrooksonline.com/.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEART-SHAPED BOX (Part Two)

Monday, August 2nd, I discussed ways authors are "Thinking Outside of the Heart-shaped Box" by using niche marketing. Today I'll talk about resources for this type of targeted promotion and tips to use your book elements for things like press releases, presentations, and guest-blogging.

Once you have determined what elements you can use from your stories to promote them, where do you go from here?

There are library reference books that offer information (contact name, email, address, phone, whether the group has a member newsletter, etc) for every conceivable type of association and club. And some of these reference books are available online through library Web sites. Here are two good reference books: 

• The Encyclopedia of Associations--Regional, State, & Local Organizations (Gale Research Co., Biennial: v. 1. Great Lakes States, v. 2. Northeastern States, v. 3. Southern & Middle Atlantic States, v. 4. South Central & Great Plains States, and v. 5. Western States.) 
• Associations Unlimited -- electronic resource (Gale Research Inc)

Most of these groups would be happy to hear from an author who has written a book of interest to their members. This does work better, however, for books that have a sensuality level from G-rated to R-rated, since some of these groups might not be willing to promote a "hard R-rated" or X-rated book to their members.

  

You can contact a group by email to ask if you can submit a press release about your book for their newsletter. Or you can join the group's message board or attend one of their local meetings. You can ask the group's contact person if you can send him/her a copy of your book to be reviewed in the group's newsletter or for their blog. You can run a contest just for their members to win a copy of your book or a themed basket. You can get a table at one of their events to hand out your promotional materials or sell your book.

  

If you've gotten to know your local librarians, you can ask which groups use in the library's meeting rooms. Or you can see if the library is planning a display or event with a local group. For example, a local quilting group might offer quilts to the library for a display. And if your book features quilting, you could ask the library to add your book to the display.

  

Or if the library offers classes – say on floral arranging -- and your heroine is a florist, you might ask the library to recommend your fiction book to the students, along with recommended nonfiction books on floral arranging. And if your library makes themed bookmarks for their patrons – which include lists of books on a certain topic or with certain elements (for example, a bookmark of mysteries featuring cats) -- see if your book would fit any of their themes and could be included.  

• Another promotional angle:  

Depending on your book elements, you can tie your book to events or holidays. For example, there's a National Spay or Neuter Your Pet day. I reinforce my dog logo and brand, while supporting this important day, by guest-blogging on that topic on that day. You would not believe all of the interesting, funny, and crazy holidays out there. ;-) A good resource is Chase’s Calendar of Events. 

Another way to Think Outside the Heart-Shaped Box is to consider yourself as not only an expert on romance writing but also fluent on your genre or subgenre – and on elements within your books.

For example: 

• If you write Regency romances, you can give presentations not only about writing romances, but about the Regency period. 
• If you write mysteries featuring a Napa Valley vintner sleuth, you can write articles on wine as well as articles on writing. 
• If your contemporary romances feature matchmaking felines, you can blog on pet issues as well as on writing.

It's a little like having a double major in college. One of the majors will be in fiction writing, while the other(s) will concern elements in your books.

Thinking Outside the Heart-Shaped Box is a matter of opening your mind to the possibilities beyond traditional author promotion. All it takes to do niche marketing is the same imagination you use to write your books. ;-)

• Have any of you used these or similar tactics? What success have you had?

A randomly chosen commenter will win a free e-book, my comic romantic suspense, At Her Command.

Back Cover Blurb

His best laid plans... 

DJ “Rabid Ron” Hart has a grand scheme to win back the woman he loves. It involves an animal adoption fair, a goofy hairless dog named Charlie and an offer she can’t refuse.

Her hidden desires... 

Cara Wilson has fantasies she’s never admitted, and her ex-boyfriend still features in her erotic dreams. If only he didn’t keep his bad-boy urges so tightly leashed. 

Tonight they’ll learn that winning sometimes takes losing control.

 Excerpt  

Workshop Info:

Several times a year, I present a two-week online workshop on author promotion that offers lessons on topics, such as niche marketing, author branding, and co-promotion/cross-promotion.

Next workshop:  August 15 - 28

Guest lectures:  The following PR-savvy authors and publishing insiders: Melissa Alvarez, Dianne Castell, Carol Ann Erhardt, Karen Harper, Susan Gee Heino, Kathy Kulig, Donna MacMeans, Michael Matthew, Janice Maynard, Karen McCullough, Beth Morrow, Patricia Sargeant, Kay Stockham, and DeNita Tuttle.

For more information on this workshop, please visit: http://neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops

Marcia James’ short story, Love Unleashed, was part of All Romance eBooks’ American Heart Association fundraiser in February 2010. Marcia offers her 300-page file of author promotion options free to any writer who requests it. Just email her through the “Contact Me” page on her Web site: http://www.marciajames.net./

THINKING OUTSIDE THE HEART-SHAPED BOX (Part One)

My guest is romance author, Marcia James. She holds an Interdisciplinary Masters degree in Communications and Creative Writing from American University in Washington, D.C. 

Marcia is involved in several charities and participated in a March of Dimes Celebrity downhill ski race in Big Bear, CA (Her team captain was Olympic gold medal pole vaulter, Bob Seagren.) She also spent an evening as the media escort for Tom Selleck during a U.S.O. event. (Held at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, it was a televised, celebrity-filled Bob Hope birthday special.)

By vocation she is a freelance video scriptwriter and advertising copywriter. In addition to developing marketing and promotional materials.

Marcia also offers a two week online workshop on author promotion that offers lessons on topics, such as niche marketing, author branding, and co-promotion/cross-promotion. Marcia's next workshop is August 15 - 28 and will include guest lectures from the following PR-savvy authors and publishing insiders: Melissa Alvarez, Dianne Castell, Carol Ann Erhardt, Karen Harper, Susan Gee Heino, Kathy Kulig, Donna MacMeans, Michael Matthew, Janice Maynard, Karen McCullough, Beth Morrow, Patricia Sargeant, Kay Stockham, and DeNita Tuttle. For more information on this workshop, please visit: http://neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops


It is pleasure to have promotion savvy, Marcia, here Over Coffee to talk a bit about hidden promotion ideas for authors. She will be visiting today and again on Wednesday.


Even a small amount of daily or weekly self-promotion cuts into an author's writing time. That's why you have to decide carefully which PR options are right for you and your books. The romance-reading community is huge and voracious, but finite. If you can spot elements in your books that lend themselves to niche promoting, you can win new readers and help grow the romance market.



This is what I call "Thinking Outside of the Heart-shaped Box". Look at the different elements in the book you're promoting to see which groups might be interested in it. For example, since my books have Chinese Crested hairless dogs in them, I joined an international message board about “crestie dogs” to chat with people who not only are great subject matter experts when I need detailed information on cresties, but are also interested in buying books that feature the breed.


Here are some "niche promotable" book elements:

1. Hero and heroine's vocations – What are your protagonists' professions? If your heroine is special events coordinator, there is a professional association for people in that field. If your hero is a veterinarian, you can look into marketing to the veterinarians’ professional association.

2. Hero and heroine's avocations – What are your protagonists' hobbies? You might have a character who collects vintage cars, and there are many groups of vintage car owners. Your hero or heroine might knit or quilt (okay, your Beta hero might do these things!), and there are knitting and quilting groups online and maybe even in your community.


3. Hero and heroine's sports/physical activities – Do your protagonists play softball or volleyball, fish, jog, hike, canoe, etc? There are groups devoted to all sorts of sports.

4. Hero and heroine's charitable activities – Do your protagonists volunteer for Big Sisters, Special Olympics, homeless shelters, or animal rescue? Is your hero or heroine dealing with a medical challenge, such as cancer, or a physical disability? Charities -- and the people who support them -- love to know when their causes are mentioned in a fiction book.

5. Four-legged characters (not counting shape-shifters!) – There are many, many organizations for those who love animals. And there might be marketing opportunities at a Humane Society fundraiser (you could donate a themed basket with a signed copy of your book) or a pet adoption fair.

6. The timeframe and location of your novel – If you write historical novels, there are groups interested in many historical eras. For example, there are Renaissance Fairs and Civil War reenactments that might offer a chance to promote your work. If you set your books in a certain city, state, or country (and maybe feature events specific to that location), there might be events that offer marketing opportunities, such as a state bicentennial celebration, the Kentucky Derby, a Scottish festival, an art fair, a jazz festival, or a Taste of the Town.

7. Paranormal, science fiction (s/f), or fantasy elements – Quite a few romance authors in these subgenres promote their books at s/f or fantasy cons. There are also groups who are into vampire lore, shape-shifters, and dragons.

8. Elements that would appeal to specific fans – For example, do you have an Elvis impersonator in your book? Is your heroine's younger sister a Jonas Brothers' fan? Does your hero love film noir or NASCAR? There are groups for all of these.

On Wednesday, August 4th, I'll talk about niche marketing resources and other PR tips.

• Until then, I'd love to hear about your book elements and creative ways you can promote with them!

A randomly chosen commenter will win a free e-book, my comic romantic suspense, At Her Command.

Marcia James’ short story, Love Unleashed, was part of All Romance eBooks’ American Heart Association fundraiser in February 2010. Marcia offers her 300-page file of author promotion options free to any writer who requests it. Just email her through the “Contact Me” page on her Web site: http://www.marciajames.net./

Marcia James, when she isn’t penning romantic comedies with elements of mystery and suspense, is a freelance video scriptwriter and advertising copywriter. In addition to developing marketing and promotional materials, she writes romance articles for her local weekly newspaper. After years of dealing with such sexy topics as how to safely install traffic lights, Marcia is enjoying “researching” and plotting steamy love scenes for her romance novels with her husband and hero of many years.

In her spare time, Marcia enjoys volunteering for non-profit organizations. One of the benefits is networking with celebrities. Thanks to her involvement with good causes, Marcia asked the guests at her 1989 wedding to donate to charity vs. buying gifts. Word of the “non-profit wedding reception" reached People Magazine which covered event. (Her wedding was also featured in The Washington Post and Brides Magazine.)