Heart Pounding Romance

Writing Promotions

Not Another Newsletter

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ReadyYetiWhen you get those requests to join somebody’s newsletter do you ever roll your eyes and sigh, “Not another newsletter”? Yeah…I sometimes react that way too. But not always. Let me explain.

A good newsletter is worth signing up for. I love Jane Friedman’s newsletter. She provides countless articles about the publishing industry. That woman is an encyclopedia of knowledge and she’s willing to share it!

I also love Melissa Foster’s newsletter. Not only is a great romance writer, but she sends me the coolest information that’s not in her books such as family trees so I can keep all of her great characters straight in my mind.

I also love Drew Chial’s newsletter. He’s a wizard when it comes to blogging and social media. His articles offer that rare combination of wit and wisdom all wrapped up in a neat package for fellow authors.

So where am I going with this plea to give newsletters a chance? You guessed it. I’ve got one too. It’s not my way of begging you to buy my books, although I will probably tell you about new releases that are FREE to subscribers only. But more often, it’s my chance to share some of the lesser known pitfalls of working as a writer, such as when you’re on such a roll that you forget to pick up your youngest child from school. Thankfully, she forgave me and the school didn’t call Social Services.

I’ve got some doozies of personal stories to share as well as a few pretty delectable recipes that busy people will love when the kids ask what’s for dinner and you hadn’t considered making anything. Oh wait…that only happens to me. At any rate, sign up here. I’ll never spam you. You can unsubscribe whenever you like. And, you get a FREE EBOOK copy of “Ready for the Yeti” when you sign up.

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Angel Worthy Setting

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My upcoming release “Malibu Angel” has romance, intrigue, and an angel worthy setting of El Matador Beach in Malibu. This scenic beach has been featured in countless movies, TV shows and commercials from “Grease” to “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Letters From Iwo Jima.”

If you’re visiting Southern California this is a must-see beach with its private coves, rock formations that jut out of the sand, and a charming wooden staircase that takes visitors from the parking lot off of Pacific Coast Highway, down to the sand.

staircase El Matador

Located between Leo Carrillo and Point Dume State Beaches, El Matador is actually one of three small beaches that make up the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach. The other beaches in this pristine grouping are El Pescador and La Piedra. For me, however, El Matador is the real gem.

Now available for a special reduced price, I hope you’ll check out “Malibu Angel,” the first book in the Guardian Angel series.

Available on Amazon and Smashwords.

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Celebrate the Success-o-Meter

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Screen shot 2014-11-23 at 7.42.15 PM
I recently listened to another writer lament about what she felt was a sparse number of books she sold in a month’s time. It was interesting because to me, her sales seemed quite good. It made me realize that everyone has a different “success-o-meter.”

The first month that I released a book, I did just that…I released my book. No lead up to it with blog tours, no posting of quotes, no giveaways…just me hitting that “publish” button. Was it any wonder that a day and then a week, and then a month went by and only a handful of close friends knew that I had even written a book. That’s right, a year of hard work and nobody knew about it. Call me naive, but I didn’t know how much pre-marketing was needed.

So let’s fast-forward a year-and-a-half and now analyze my sales after applying knowledge I’ve gained about pre-release marketing. It’s a definite improvement and I feel a measure of success. I get a little thrill every time someone downloads my book or requests it from a contest. Still, when I think back to my colleague, whose sales triple my own, I realize that success is all about perspective.

For me having gone through months with no sales whatsoever, now when I have regular sales I feel a great sense of accomplishment and knowledge gained. I’m satisfied. This doesn’t mean that I don’t strive for more. It doesn’t mean that I don’t dream of “best seller” status as much as the next author, but I do feel that I have achieved a sense of peace and well-being that my colleague can learn from.

To me, if you are a writer and seeing an upward climb in sales, regardless of how small, that is the definition of improvement. Let’s put this into perspective. If you are teaching your child to read, do you celebrate the small victories? Every letter they remember, every time they are able to put three or even four letters together to form a word is success. You don’t expect them to read Proust in second grade and nor should you be upset if your sales aren’t best-seller status.

Remember the reason you became a writer in the first place. Take pleasure in your victories no matter how small. I’ll bet they continue to grow.

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    Your Book Featured on Indie Author News

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    These days, being an author doesn’t mean you’re just a writer. You’re also a marketing specialist, social media strategist, distribution expert…the list goes on. Indie Author News offers writers advertising opportunities that place your book directly in front of consumers.

    The choices include:
    Book Features
    Interviews
    New Book-Releases
    Free Book of the Day
    Indie Book of the Day

    To find out more, follow the link to their online contact form.

    Please note that I am in no way connected with Indie Author News. I just thought it was a neat little tidbit to pass on.

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