SERIAL GAMES - BLOG HOP

Today, I'm being featured on Front Seat Romance! Stop by and read an excerpt of my debut, Serial Games.

Hope to see everyone there!

REVIEW WEDNESDAY: WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER

Wildflowers from Winter is a story about a young woman, Bethany Quinn, who by life's circumstances, is forced to return to the home she left ten years ago--a home she had hoped to forget based on the unhappy life she had there. The family and personal tragedies she experienced at a young ago have caused her to be very bitter, angry, and in my opinion, just plain rude. It was interesting watching her journey--her interaction with family members, a best friend she left behind, and a farmhand--Evan--who is standing in the way of her leaving town. The novel draws you in immediately and seeing the world through Bethany's eyes is quite depressing. I didn't warm up to her character until the last third of the novel when her attitude began to change from forced unselfishness into actual joyful unselfishness. I liked that the hero didn't try to beg for her favor (be a doormat) or try to convince her to behave otherwise, so the romance between them was very believable. The writing is superb and the book deserves five stars for that alone. A neat aspect was the switch between first and third person throughout the novel. I've never read a story using that technique, and it was wonderfully done. The first person chapters provided great insight into Bethany from her past.

I recommend this read, giving it five stars. I was provided an advanced reader copy for my honest review.

Katie will be at the Lounge for an interview on May 30th so remember to check back then(or before ;-) )!

BLOG HOP!

Remember to stop by Brandi's Penning Praises today where I'm featured! I'm so excited to be on a blog of a fellow author and friend. We'll talk writing, Serial Games, and what subgenre the CBA should considering publishing more.

Hope to see you all there!

MARKETING MONDAY: DOES TWITTER SELL BOOKS?

I've been using Twitter now for about five months. It has been a fun experience getting to know people, connecting with readers and writers. I've even used it to promote my book, which some marketing gurus say is a no-no. Has it helped my book sales?

The writer of this article on The Creative Penn argues that using social media to build a following may not translate into book sales for three reasons: 1. Building a 'tribe' takes time (away from writing and we all know to sell a book you need to write more books) 2. Having a large 'tribe' hasn't proven to increase book sales and 3. Those little-known authors who sell a ton of books don't do heavy social media marketing.

What's my opinion? Only recently has my blog received hits directly from Twitter (very few). I have connected with readers of my book and other authors of indie and ebooks and have even had a few tweeters retweet information about my book. But has it translated into sales? I do know of one reader who told me she was going to buy my book so possibly a handful. (Now the article does suggest ways to use social media to get connected and gain a following.)

So what really works? In the coming weeks, I'm going to examine the advertising techniques I've used over the past couple of months. Book reviews seem to have had positive results for some and I should be having a few out soon.

Are you using Twitter to sell your books? How has it helped?

Tune in tomorrow at Brandi's blog where I'll be visiting and talking about my debut release Serial Games and writing.

SPRING CLEANING

Too early for it? :)

I wanted to check in to see how you are coming along in your new year's resolutions/writing goals. How do I stack up?

Reading: 4 books a month. Total to Date: 10
-I'm so behind. I hope to finish the three I'm reading now before the end of this month but I'll still be 3 books behind my mark. I'll have to step this up by denying myself precious sleep. This may or may not happen...

Writing: Complete 4 novels. Total to Date: 0*
-I'm currently working on 2 WIPs. One is due to the publisher by July 1st and the zombie romance I'm in love with, thanks to The Walking Dead, is about 10k in. Both should be completed by June. I'll keep you posted.

Business: Sell books, get an agent, get another book(s) contract. Today: Just selling.
-My first royalty check should arrive any day now. Come on $10!!! ;-)
-Query, query, query...sub, sub, sub.

Personal Life: Didn't have much of a goal.
-I'm making the effort to connect more with my Christian regional group which is good for fellowship and Bible study. This is always a slow-going process, but I'm making progress...I think.
-Developing a greater level of patience and a deeper trust of God have been the two biggest goals challenges in the last, oh, I'm ashamed to say how many years. Daily do I need to relinquish "control," relax, and believe that God isn't working against my best interests. Oh, how did I even let this mindset develop...
-No dates. I love reading this Christian dating blog for funnies to lift my spirits. I'm sure many of you don't have to worry about being single and over 30, but this blog is a great conversation starter and has a broad reach across the relationship spectrum. Ruth's personal tales of dating woes crack me up. Check it out!



How are you coming along with your goals? Anything hindering your progress? What steps are you taking to be successful in 2012?

Character Interview: US Marshal Brandon Worth

Marshal Worth, welcome to the Lounge?

Thank you for having me.

We talked to your partner, Marshal Erin, but can you tell us about life as a Marshal?

I'm part of a fugitive recovery task force. Our job is to hunt down escaped fugitives and return them to custody. Lots of time on the road, long hours, running...

So, you have to be in great shape, I imagine.

In my line of work, there's no room for slackers.

About the Burrows case; have you ever had to track a serial killer?

No. This was a first for me.

We heard you were working with an FBI profiler. Do you often work with other law enforcement agencies?

Yes. We usually coordinate with local police so we don't step on their toes when we're in their jurisdiction. Also, we typically need their support like we did on the Burrows case.

There was a local event--

A farmer's market, yes.

A farmer's market that happened while you were in town. Does something like that hinder your ability to track?

It definitely can. You would think looking for one person in a small town would be easy, but not when people pour in from all over the state; it complicates issues.

Speaking of possible complications...the FBI profiler you were working with is beautiful. I'm sure in your line of work, it could be difficult to meet people--

(Visibly frustrated) We're not talking about that.

Marshal Erin hinted--

Marshal Erin is a dead man.

Um, well, thank you for visiting the Lounge. I'm sure you have plenty of work to do.

Thank you.


Have a great weekend everyone!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!!

Thanks to those who participated in my blog 'conversation' over the weekend. I will now announce the winner of a free copy of my debut release, Serial Games.

MELANIE

Congratulations!!!! Coming soon to your inbox. :-)

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Today I'm doing a FREE giveaway of my debut release, Serial Games. All I ask is for a comment from today through Sunday. Tell me how you are doing? What are your plans for the weekend? Let's have a conversation. On Monday I'll announce the winner!!

Next Friday, I hope to catch up with US Marshal Brandon Worth. I'd like to ask him how he liked working with the FBI *wink*.

I hope you enjoy the read and if you can, please post a review. :) I've added a 'Reviews' tab at the top of my blog where you can read what others have said about Serial Games.

My parents are in town this week and we've eaten out almost everyday of the week. Today, we'll meet up with my little brother for YET ANOTHER dine out session. Needless to say, my stomach has had it! I'm going to have to go on a liquid fast from Saturday through Monday before I hit that Weight Watchers scale, LOL. Weight Watchers works; TRUST ME.

This weekend, I'll be glued to my computer as I continue working on two WIPs (work in progress). One is book two in the Virginia Justice Series and the other is a zombie romantic suspense (the romance isn't between zombies--just clearing that up).

If you are reading this through Goodreads, you can participate too! Leave a comment there and I'll add you to the pot.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

REVIEW WEDNESDAY: COURTING THE ENEMY

I have to say, I LOVE reading Renee Ryan. Courting the Enemy is her second Love Inspired Historical I've read, set during World War II. I'm fascinated by that period of history and because of the prevalent Nazi threat we knew (or learned of) so well, the story has instant suspense. In this particular story, OSS agent Trent Mueller's mission is to discover the US industrial target of a Nazi attack. In order to do so, he must stay close to a known sympathizer--by courting his recently widowed daughter.

Renee Ryan's male characters are such HUNKS. Kind, sensitive, gentlemanly--and before this sounds too womanly--strong, untouchable so they fall in love hard, intelligent, driven...the list goes on. I want to be the heroine in this book! Her female leads aren't half bad either. They have their own inner strength, and they're not flighty or just plain dumb.

Ms. Ryan keeps the hero and the heroine together often, exploring each others' strengths and vulnerabilities, allowing the characters--and the readers--to know one another. You are drawn in immediately and you are invested in the lives of her characters. I could read romance novels set in this time period all day long. Her story is loosely based on real-life events--and that is an incredible piece of history. I can't wait for her next WWII romance!

COMING THIS WEEK: A BOOK REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! My parents are in town this week. :)

On Wednesday, I'll post a review of Renee Ryan's Courting the Enemy.

On Friday, I'll be doing ANOTHER giveaway of SERIAL GAMES. Stay tuned for details. :)