Did I ever tell you about the time I played a concert at New York’s famous Carnegie Hall? It was in the seventies when I studied music at Ohio University. I performed a program of pop standards to a packed house and I was rewarded with a thunderous standing ovation. This was followed by a frenzied autograph session at the footlights for my eager fans. It was a truly memorable night.
Okay, the fact is, I did perform that concert, but as part of a hundred-member college music ensemble. All of the above is true, though. We did travel to the Big Apple, we did perform a one-nighter at Carnegie Hall, we were well received, and we signed autographs afterward. And it was an experience I’ll never forget.
Have you seen the big flap about Brian Williams, the anchorman for the “NBC Nightly News”? It seems that when he reported a recent story about his exploits as a war correspondent, he exaggerated a few facts about his heroics and some angry vets called him on it. He apologized on-air but was suspended and his credibility as a reporter is now in question.
I think a majority of people have stretched the truth at one time or another. If you don’t believe me, ask a fisherman about the biggest fish they ever caught. That sucker gets longer and longer each time they tell that story. I know a guy who thinks he’s quite a ladies man and I get the same bragging from him, but not about fish. I won’t go any further with that one.
If they’re going to chastise a news reporter with a sterling record for shading the facts, perhaps we need to do that in the next political election. That would be fun, hooking candidates up to a polygraph to ask them about their finances and flings. I’m sure it would narrow the field down considerably.
I recall a similar embarrassment about a local TV reporter in Nebraska who padded his resume to get the job. Admittedly this wasn’t the smartest idea the guy ever had, but he probably didn’t think his bosses would actually check him out. Imagine the surprise of the New York Times managing editor when the station called to check this reporter’s bona fides and heard “Who???”
I think it’s become standard practice for people in the public eye to pad the facts to make themselves look more appealing. This is why God created publicists – to spin the truth and sell the product. I’m involved with a non-profit music organization in my spare time and the CEO asked me to write his official bio. I listed the facts but he became angry when I didn’t embellish some of his accomplishments. How was I to know that he had mentored disadvantaged youth, read to the blind and discovered a cure for the common cold? I also didn’t know that he had devised a plan to solve world hunger and homelessness. What a great guy he turned out to be!
A wise man once said “If you’re gonna tell a lie, make it a good one.” I try not to follow that lopsided advice, lest anyone investigate me and discover the truth. I don’t have much to hide, but let’s just say there’s a reason why I’ve never sought public office, and it isn’t because of my liberal views on gun control and gay marriage.
One of these days I’ll tell you the story about the time I went parasailing off Key West with a special camera the CIA gave me so I could track movements of Cuban refugees. Everything was going well until my parasail sprung a leak and I found myself drifting toward a Russian sub off the coast…
Or was it a Navy destroyer? Oh, well. Who’ll know the difference?
* * * *
Tim Smith is an award-winning, bestselling author whose books range from mystery/thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. "When he isn’t writing, he devotes every waking moment to his pet cause--finding homes for unwed mothers." His website is www.timsmithauthor.com.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Crazy Funnies!
You can't help but love these idiots...
1. With a Little Help from friends..
Police in Oakland, CA spent two hour attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."
2.What was PLAN B?
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines where the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own accounts.
3, The Getaway!
A man walked into Topeka Kansas Kwik Stop with a demand for all in the cash drawer. Apparently the take was too small, as he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until the police showed up and grabbed him.
4. Did I Say That?
Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked him to repeat the words:"Give me all your money of I'll shoot" he shouted, "that's not what I said!
5. Not the Sharpest Tool in the Shed!
In Modesta, CA, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun. Unfortunately he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.
6. The Best One Yet!
Last summer, down on Lake Isabella. located in the high desert an hour east of Bakersfield, some folks were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their new 22 foot boat going. After an hour of trying, they putted into a nearby marina, hoping someone could tell them what to do. A check showed every thing in perfect working order. The marine guys came up out of water, laughing too hard to speak. Finally they managed to point out that under the boat, still strapped in place was the trailer!!
But all these guys vote! Scares me!
Nothing scary about the five books I have schedule to come out at MuseItUp. They're lovely!! I don't have a release date for the first one but it will be soon, and depend upon it, I'll let you know.
In the meantime, you can find my books at Amazon, Ellora's Cave, all the usual sites such as Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and of course at my own website, www.jeanhartstewart.com
Until next month........
Monday, March 2, 2015
Lovin the Facial Hair!
I’ve dreamt of running my fingers over
the fine black hairs gracing that gorgeous face. And with the look he’s giving
me right now, I’d do more than just that. How could I say no to him even if he
is only 26? Damn youngin! You’re testing my wills here. I did say 25 was the
youngest but 14 years? If we get married, I’ll be in the wheelchair while
you’re still walking around spry without a walking cane. Sheesh. Unless you
keep me in shape then perhaps I can keep up with ya. Oh yeah. Keeping me in
shape doesn’t involve no elliptical machines or cardio. Bed action, babes, bed
action.
Mornin.
A little impromptu passage based on the picture in the corner. That’s model
Andrei Andrei and no, I don’t own the rights to that pic or him. Hmph. Wish I
did. Anyways, I posted the pic because he’s sporting a beard. I mean, he’s
already sexy as all hell. Great bod, gorgeous face, and some of the prettiest
eyes I’ve ever seen. And heck, he looks good without in this pic.
Yep,
a lot prettier but this muse prefers the facial hair. I like more manliness to
my men. Yep, some scruff feels good when you run your fingers over his face.
When he kisses you, you feel his mustache tickling your top lip. How about when
he drags his head over your body? Uhh… *brainfreeze* Hells yeah. I love it. It
might cause you to itch a little but I’m willing to be slightly uncomfortable
in favor of my man having the mustache and beard action.
Why?
Well, let’s see. Like I said, men with beards look a more manly and then if he
has some chest hair and the line going from his navel down to the prize between
his thighs, even better.
Sure
clean shaven is nice too. Hell, there’s a few clean guys I wouldn’t throw out
of the bed for eating crackers but the facial hair is beautiful men. Don’t cut
it unless you’re starting to look like a wooly bear. *grins*
Okay,
fun time. How about some pics of well-known men with their facial hair? Yumm… I
can’t post them all but here’s a nice list!
Well what do ya know, that was a post by my fourth muse, Veronica Bagby! I plan on finally writing with her this year.
Hope you enjoyed the eye candy!
What are your thoughts on men with beards? Love em, hate em?
Share!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
March: A State of the Union
Well, it's official. I've almost made it through my first Canadian winter. March is here, the temps are warming up a smidgeon, and I can't wait until it's flip-flop season. Realistically, I know this won't happen any time soon, but a girl can hope, right?
February was a pretty big month for me as a writer. I submitted another story in my Second Chances series, When You Were Mine and it's been accepted for publication. That'll be coming out on April 9th, 2015. *dance dance* I'm very excited about that.
I also submitted a shorter story (Calculated Risk) to another publisher entirely and that's looking promising as well. It's a short and sweet tale set just outside of London. For a girl who's only left the states a couple of times until I moved to Canada, anglicizing it was a challenge!
I've decided that this year I'm going to branch out and start submitting my work all over the place. As a new author, I'm still looking for my place. My niche. In that search for self, I'm branching out to genres that I don't normally tap into. My current WIP is in the plotting stages at the moment. It's paranormal, which is quite uncommon for me. Since I started writing, I've been strictly MF erotic contemporary.
My one year anniversary as a contracted author is just around the corner. It's in a couple days, in fact. It's made me a little bit introspective, I think. My first year as an author has been huge and I'm excited to see what the next year will bring.
Enough rambling out of me. Above, you'll see my inspirations for Jamie and Cora. Here's an unedited blurb from my newly contracted work, When You Were Mine:
February was a pretty big month for me as a writer. I submitted another story in my Second Chances series, When You Were Mine and it's been accepted for publication. That'll be coming out on April 9th, 2015. *dance dance* I'm very excited about that.
I also submitted a shorter story (Calculated Risk) to another publisher entirely and that's looking promising as well. It's a short and sweet tale set just outside of London. For a girl who's only left the states a couple of times until I moved to Canada, anglicizing it was a challenge!
I've decided that this year I'm going to branch out and start submitting my work all over the place. As a new author, I'm still looking for my place. My niche. In that search for self, I'm branching out to genres that I don't normally tap into. My current WIP is in the plotting stages at the moment. It's paranormal, which is quite uncommon for me. Since I started writing, I've been strictly MF erotic contemporary.
My one year anniversary as a contracted author is just around the corner. It's in a couple days, in fact. It's made me a little bit introspective, I think. My first year as an author has been huge and I'm excited to see what the next year will bring.
Enough rambling out of me. Above, you'll see my inspirations for Jamie and Cora. Here's an unedited blurb from my newly contracted work, When You Were Mine:
When Cora Blanchard said
goodbye to Jamie Connolly seven years ago, she knew she'd have to see
him again eventually. What she doesn't expect is for all of the old
feelings she thought she had let go, to come rushing back to the
surface. It was as if nothing has changed.
Fresh out of a highly
publicized train wreck of a relationship, Cora is afraid to trust in
those feelings or in herself. She tries to remain friends with him,
but she's just fooling herself. There's no way she can be with him
and not want more.
The
moment that Jamie sees her, he realizes that seven years of silence
and two thousand miles haven't changed his feelings. The only thing
that has changed is Cora. He sees a sadness in her eyes that was
never there before. Just as Jamie is starting to earn
her love and her trust, someone threatens to tear them apart forever.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Elite Metal: Scorching #Military #Romance #Collection and #Giveaway
COMING FEBRUARY 10th: Elite Metal is coming out in February—a novel
approach to collections, where all the stories intertwine! Our heroes are
ex-military secretive operatives, who all belong to a kickass motorcycle club.
Sound yummy? I know!
Follow us on Facebook for release updates!
ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY TODAY!
LAST CHANCE!
Elite Metal – Book One in the Elite Warriors Series
For decades the US Marines funded a top-secret unit known as
Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of
countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were
not only probable, but expected.
Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of
countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were
not only probable, but expected.
The current batch of operatives had returned from hundreds
of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men
lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered
in the wind with new identities. They were told to blend in. Be normal. Or face
being forever silenced just like their fallen brothers.
of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men
lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered
in the wind with new identities. They were told to blend in. Be normal. Or face
being forever silenced just like their fallen brothers.
Now, two years later, each living member of the group is kidnapped
and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under
the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past
has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye
to the lost and forsaken.
and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under
the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past
has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye
to the lost and forsaken.
A new life. A new future…Elite Metal.
Scorching romance from Anna Alexander and Jennifer Kacey, Heather Long, Sabrina
York Rebecca Royce, Saranna DeWylde and Roxie Rivera
York Rebecca Royce, Saranna DeWylde and Roxie Rivera
Sterling’s Seduction
By Sabrina York
When Sterling spots a reporter masquerading as a waitress in a dingy bar in Deep Ellum, he suspects she’s investigating the team. And that’s something he just cannot allow to happen. Too many lives are at stake. He will do everything in his power to learn the truth—even seduce her. And to stop her story from coming out? He might even tie her to the bed.
Nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping his brothers safe. Nothing. It’s a damn shame she’s everything he’s ever wanted.
It’s a damn shame her touch warms his cold, dead heart.
It’s a damn shame her touch warms his cold, dead heart.
READ AN EXCERPT
As she rounded the corner, her steps stalled.
Because there he was, leaning against his bike. Waiting for
her.
Well, she hoped he was waiting for her. When he saw her, he
unfolded his long legs and stood.
“Did you change your mind?” she asked, trying for a flippant
tone.
His beautiful eyebrow arched. “About what?”
“Taking me home?” Might as well be brash.
He gestured to his bike. “My alternator is shot. I’m waiting
for a ride.”
“Ah.” Why disappointment flooded her was a mystery. Or not.
“Was there…an offer on the table?” His voice was a low
melody that danced on the skeins of air. It was annoying. And not.
“Hey. I’m not the one who walked away.” She tried not to let
her petulance show.
He stepped closer and searched her face. She let him. Not
hiding at all. Or not hiding everything. She let her interest show.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Pigtails—”
“Pigtails?”
“Yeah. Pigtails.” He flicked her hair, reminding her how
she’d pulled it up. She’d been going for backwoods innocent, but it might have
backfired on her. With a harsh movement, she yanked out the rubber bands and
her hair fell around her face. His lashes flickered. Something that looked like
hunger washed over his features.
“What do you want to get straight?”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t like questions. Pure and simple.
Understood?”
The way he said the word, with a thread of dominance in his
tone, sent a shiver through her. She lowered her eyes and nodded. “Understood.
So…do you? Want to come home with me? No questions asked?”
“Maybe.” He checked his watch. “Looks like my ride isn’t
going to show, anyway.”
Hardly the flood of interest she would have preferred.
Irritation rippled. “Or I can give you a lift home.” And when his cheek
bunched, “Or call you a cab.”
“I’d rather go home with you.” He stepped closer, too close,
and pulled her against him. His fingers were harsh on her flesh, his insistence
alluring. Yes, this was what she wanted. Something rough. Something ruthless.
Something demanding.
Hunger rose in her, swamping her desire to finish this story
and get back home. Hell, she could probe him with questions later. After. This
need was far more pressing.
When he lowered his head, she caught a whiff of his
aftershave and her knees locked. He was tall, muscled and rough around the
edges. Just the kind of guy she’d always craved.
His lips touched hers and she nearly collapsed. It was a
wild rush, a tumult of sensation. For a starved woman, as she was, it was
irresistible. She couldn’t help but kiss him back, a manic frenzy. Her passion
seemed to spur his on, and he wrapped himself around her, tipped his head and
deepened the kiss. His hands roved over her back, her hips, her ass. Nothing
tentative. Nothing tender.
When he lifted his head, she was a bowl of Jell-O. Ready and
willing.
“So do you want to?” Her voice caught on the invitation.
“Yeah.” He yanked her tighter and his cock gouged into her
belly, hard and needy. “Yeah. I want to. Just no more questions.”
No more questions.
Right.
ELITE METAL
Bound By Steele
Anna Alexander and Jennifer Kacey
Anna Alexander and Jennifer Kacey
To save his Marine brothers and sister he must accept the
past isn’t dead and buried.
Reuniting survivors means he is forced to first forgive…the enemy.
Reuniting survivors means he is forced to first forgive…the enemy.
Chrome’s Salvation
Jennifer Kacey
Jennifer Kacey
A former leader of Elite Recon, reduced to nothing more than
an apathetic existence.
Until his girl’s life hangs in the balance…now nothing will stand in the way of him coming back to life.
Until his girl’s life hangs in the balance…now nothing will stand in the way of him coming back to life.
Adamantium’s Roar
Anna Alexander
Anna Alexander
Adamantium left Beth to what he thought was a better life,
only to find she had been living in hell. Now he’ll do anything, break any vow,
to claim her as his for all time.
Pure Copper
Heather Long
Heather Long
Copper will do whatever it takes to get the job done, even
if it means seducing and betraying the one man who really sees her.
Sterling’s Seduction
Sabrina York
Sabrina York
When a snoopy reporter threatens the Elite Metal, Sterling
will do whatever it takes to kill her story about the team. Even if it means he
has to tie her to his bed.
Platinum’s Choice
Rebecca Royce
Rebecca Royce
Platinum left the life he had with Rose in New York to
rejoin his team and silence the nightmares from Operation Phoenix.
But when Rose is forced to go on the run with Platinum’s hidden son, he will
have no choice but to return to his old life and reclaim what he has ached for
every day since. Red Wolf’s sniper wants to nudge Plat’s underbelly and they’re
going to find out quickly how deadly he can be.
Mercury’s Poison
Saranna DeWylde
Saranna DeWylde
A scarred, mad genius more monster than man must protect the
beauty he's become obsessed with from a beast more terrible than himself.
Forged in Silver
Roxie Rivera
Roxie Rivera
Rebel. Nomad. Troublemaker.
After surviving the double-cross during Operation Phoenix,
Former Elite Recon Marine Silver embraces the underworld and builds a new life
as one of the world's most renowned thieves. Jewels, paintings, corporate
espionage--there's no job he won't take for the right price.
About Sabrina York
Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York, is
the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories
for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range
from sweet & sexy to scorching erotic romance. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york, on
Facebook or on Pintrest. Check out
Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on Amazon
or wherever e-books are sold. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her
books, excerpts and contests. Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/
And don’t forget to enter to win the royal tiara!
the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories
for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range
from sweet & sexy to scorching erotic romance. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york, on
Facebook or on Pintrest. Check out
Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on Amazon
or wherever e-books are sold. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her
books, excerpts and contests. Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/
And don’t forget to enter to win the royal tiara!
Website: http://sabrinayork.com/
Like my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/sabrinayork
Follow me on Twitter @sabrina_york https://twitter.com/sabrina_york
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5817917.Sabrina_York
Check out my Pintrest boards: http://www.pinterest.com/sabrinayork/boards/
CONTEMPORARY
NEW
Wired Series—Steamy
Contemporary Romance
Tryst Island
Series—Steamy Contemporary Romance
Rebound
Book 1
Dragonfly
Kisses Book 2
Smoking
Holt Book 3
Heart of Ash Book 4
Devlin’s
Dare Book 5
Parker’s
Passion Book 6
REGENCY
Noble Passions
Series—Steamy Regency
Folly
(Ellora’s Cave) Book 1
Dark
Fancy (Ellora’s Cave) Book 2
Dark
Duke (Ellora’s Cave) Book 3
Brigand
(Ellora’s Cave) Book 4
Defiant
(Ellora’s Cave) Book 5
FANTASY
ANTHOLOGIES AND
COLLECTIONS
SHORT STORIES
AND NOVELLAS
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles: Cover Reveal Party
June 18, 2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the battle that ended the Napoleonic era in Europe. For lovers of Regency romance, this is a significant date because the shadow of the 23-year battle with the French emperor is in the backdrop of every story set during that period.
Battles were fought, while life in England went on. Matchmaking mamas paraded their young daughters at Almack's and other ton events. The Prince Regent went through mistresses and money as though there were no tomorrow, Brummell set the fashion for gentleman dandies, Lady Caroline Lamb caused scandal after scandal in her pursuit of Lord Byron, and all the while, eager young men were racing off to the Continent in search of glory and honor, often coming back—if they did come back—injured and much more sober about the realities of war than when they left.
A bicentenary only comes once, and it occurred to several of us that it would be appropriate to write stories set with a backdrop of that great battle, that the Duke of Wellington said was "a close-run thing." That's how Beaux, Ballrooms, and Battles came about, and we are proud to announce that the set of nine stories will be released on April 1, 2015.
Jillian Chantal: Jeremiah's Last Charge
Téa Cooper: The Caper Merchant
Susana Ellis: Lost and Found Lady
Aileen Fish: Captain Lumley's Angel
Victoria Hinshaw: Folie Bleue
Heather King: Copenhagen's Last Charge
Christa Page: One Last Kiss
Sophia Strathmore: A Soldier Lay Dying
David W. Wilkin: Not a Close Run Thing At All
You are invited to our Cover Reveal Party
Please join us on March 18, 2015 for a celebration of our Waterloo project on Facebook. Authors—the nine of us, in addition to specially-invited guest authors—will be present to chat with you about this project and others, our cover will be revealed—yay!—and prizes will be up for grabs. Who knows? We may even indulge in some role-playing games.
Mark your calendars now! We'd love to see you there!
About the Author
Susana has always had stories in her head waiting to
come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to
soar. Voracious reading led to a passion for writing, and her fascination with
romance and people of the past landed her firmly in the field of historical
romance.
A teacher in her former life, Susana lives in Toledo,
Ohio in the summer and central Florida in the winter. She is a member of the
Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA and Maumee
Valley Romance Inc.
Contacts
Susana’s Parlour
(Regency Blog) • Susana’s Morning Room
(Romance Blog)
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Battling the Cold: Turn Up the Heat!
Is this winter crazy, or what?
We're either freezing our butts off or having hotter than normal weather. Living with the latter weather, my sympathies are with you all in the northeast. And Midwest. And south...
The only thing this weather is good for, after the first five minutes of "snow day!" fun, is curling up with a special someone to stay warm. If you're lacking that someone, I have your answer: Twelve sexy someones!
Twelve New York Times, USA Today, National bestselling and award-winning authors deliver a dozen contemporary romance novels and novellas packed with drama, suspense, love and laughter. From the Highlands of Scotland to the Hollywood hills, twelve strong heroines meet twelve hot heroes in tales that span the globe. Whether you crave big-city adventure or small-town romance, second chance stories, or sexy single dads...this outstanding collection holds something special for you. Come be our Valentine, and snuggle up with these sweet and steamy romances, perfect for reading on a chilly winter's eve. Happy ever afters guaranteed.
My wicked side, Ari Thatcher, has her story The Rock Star's Wedding included in this bundle:
Kenzi's vacation in St. Thomas becomes a lot more interesting when her college sweetheart, rock star heartthrob Chaz turns up. If only he wasn't there for his wedding...
Rumor has it the rock star is marrying his actress girlfriend. Yet when he sees Kenzi, it's as if five years hasn't passed. He's reminded how love ought to feel, which is nothing like he feels for his fiancée anymore. Since her well-publicized affair with her costar, Chaz has played the faithful lover giving her a second chance. Now he wishes for a way out, and the chance to get to know the grown-up version of the girl he once loved.
USA Today Bestselling author Ari Thatcher is the “naughty name” of sweet romance author Aileen Fish. Ari has always loved sexy romance where love takes the leading role. Reviews have called her work “captivating” and “compelling”, and her characters “intelligent, intriguing and realistic.”
Stay up to date through her website http://arithatcher.com, Facebook and Twitter @arithatcher.
For the sweeter side of historical and contemporary romance, check out Aileen Fish.
The only thing this weather is good for, after the first five minutes of "snow day!" fun, is curling up with a special someone to stay warm. If you're lacking that someone, I have your answer: Twelve sexy someones!
My wicked side, Ari Thatcher, has her story The Rock Star's Wedding included in this bundle:
Kenzi's vacation in St. Thomas becomes a lot more interesting when her college sweetheart, rock star heartthrob Chaz turns up. If only he wasn't there for his wedding...
Rumor has it the rock star is marrying his actress girlfriend. Yet when he sees Kenzi, it's as if five years hasn't passed. He's reminded how love ought to feel, which is nothing like he feels for his fiancée anymore. Since her well-publicized affair with her costar, Chaz has played the faithful lover giving her a second chance. Now he wishes for a way out, and the chance to get to know the grown-up version of the girl he once loved.
***Now a USA Today Bestseller!***
Only $.99 at these vendors!
Only $.99 at these vendors!
~*~
USA Today Bestselling author Ari Thatcher is the “naughty name” of sweet romance author Aileen Fish. Ari has always loved sexy romance where love takes the leading role. Reviews have called her work “captivating” and “compelling”, and her characters “intelligent, intriguing and realistic.”
Stay up to date through her website http://arithatcher.com, Facebook and Twitter @arithatcher.
For the sweeter side of historical and contemporary romance, check out Aileen Fish.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Book Selling Tips from Michelle Hughes @michellehughes_ #bookmarketing
 |
| Knowing and Doing are not the same thing. |
Kayelle Allen here. When it's my turn on SNSD I like to
offer writing advice or share info on marketing. This month, I have some excellent
advice from seasoned author Michelle Hughes. I'll get out of the way and let
you see for yourself.
===
We won't waste your time with all the reasons you should be promoting
your books, instead let's jump right in and tell you how to do it. The decision
to market your work is your choice alone, and these aren't the end all ideas, they
are beginnings. We won't walk you through step by step, but we will give you the
knowledge to take the path that can't hurt when it comes to selling more books.
Tags
Tags are important no matter what book site you're selling from.
If a reader is interested in a certain topic they will type in a tag to find the
information they are seeking. It's a busy world out there, and most people are looking
for shortcuts, so make sure to tag your books with information that makes sense.
On Amazon you are given the choice to add 15 tags to your book, use them wisely
and use them all! Think about what you would be searching for if looking for your
book and add it as a tag.
It's very important to remember on Amazon that if you tag in
the US ,
it will not cross over to the other sites, like UK Amazon. You have to go in to
each site and tag individually. We've noticed several authors who have tagged in
the US but when you move over
to the UK
they have nothing.
Categories
All authors would like to have a book in the #1 spot of their
favorite popular category, but realistically that's not going to happen for everyone.
Getting to a bestseller spot on Amazon helps increase the visibility for your book
so choosing a category wisely can help promote your book. There are many categories
available for your book if you take the time to look. And example of this, we had
A Night at Tears of Crimson in the Paranormal Romance category (which is tough to
get a top number in), we decided to re-list in Gothic and made a bestseller list.
This actually increased views of our books and gave us more sells.
See what alternative categories are available for your books.
Check the ranking of the #100 book in the bestseller for that category and see if
it's an obtainable goal in the near future. If it's not, consider changing to a
category where you will get more visibility.
Auto Tweets & Hashtags
We won't argue the point on whether this is what you should do,
instead we'll tell you it's what we do. It's your choice, this is something that
has shown very visible sales results for us. If you choose to use this function
you have a 24/7 marketing campaign going on with only a minimal effort one day a
month. The key to this is to have a set of 50 tweets that you write out and add
to your auto-feeder. We use www.feed140.com
and if you choose to use it our affiliate code is x0BpRgIVvxm0AsgD since this service
is now invite only, you will need that code to access.
When you write out your tweets, we suggest you leave room for
others to retweet them and since there are only 140 characters allowed for tweets
using 120 characters means getting the most impact with the fewest words. This is
where hashtags come in. Hashtags can help you reach readers that may not be following
you, which makes this very important in your marketing strategy. Twubs.com will allow you to register your own hashtag
and find out which ones are most popular at the moment. We suggest you take the
time to research this, the results could be amazing.
Some hashtags that we use weekly are #WW (Writer's Wednesday
to give mentions of authors we like) and #FF (Follow Friday to mention all those
people we want to thank or influence). There are several popular book hashtags and
it would take pages to list them all but here are a few: #bookgiveaway #books #fridayreads
#amwriting #SampleSunday #kindle #nook #smashwords #Amazon that should at least
get you started.
Social Media Tools
One of our favorite tools to use for book promotion is Pinterest. The thing we like
about Pinterest is the ability to share book covers. This works very well if you
blog, each post we do gets pinned to the Pinterest board. You can also do a search
there for book and friend others who post book pins. Definitely a service worth
checking out.
StumbleUpon
is another site that we've used for our
benefit. Again, this works very well with blogs and every post we create is added
there and on Google+. To
make this easier for us we've added a nifty little tab to our blogs thanks to Spice Up Your Blog, if you haven't discovered this little gem
then take a few minutes to look over the site. There are tons of gadgets there to
help make your site easier to share and more visually appealing. Sharing your site
means more readers find you and that's a great way to sell books!
Blogs And Websites
Readers need a place to go to find your work in one central location.
Your blog or website is your cyber business card, and you should think of it that
way. When readers stumble across your site they should be looking at a professional
representation of you, the author. Make your books visible and keep your content
updated. Remember these readers may not know you and they are going to judge your
work by what they see on your personal pages. Make them professional, and give them
a way to reach you easily. Brand your site by making it unique. If you're writing
about Romance, fit the theme of a romance writer if you're a Horror writer, give
it a dark feel.
A great way to share your blog posts is to join Triberr this blog share program will
allow your posts to reach a much larger audience than you could on your own.
Share Your Book Everywhere
Promotion and Writing are what we do for a living, and it's all
we do. That being said we spend time daily looking for new places to post our books.
The more places we can put them in front of readers, the better chance we have of
selling books. Most authors have full time jobs and can't afford to spend that much
time promoting, so we suggest you take the free time you have and search for new
places that will allow you to post your book. It may seem random but on a daily
basis we search Google with terms like "share your book here" and follow
those links to see if we can actually give a link or a blurb about the books we
are pushing.
Again we could spend hours listing every single place we post
our books, but this post isn't long enough for that. We are giving you a few places
where you can share your book and hope that you'll continue with your own research.
There are literally hundreds of places to post your book and we suggest posting
them to every site that will allow it. Below you'll find a few places that allow
you to post your books.
Those links will give you hours of places to add your books,
but don't stop there! Keep searching because these only scratch the surface.
Facebook And Twitter
Creating a great author page for Facebook is a wonderful idea,
and you can add new books to your wall and share information. There are so many
great articles about how to do this that we won't try to reinvent the wheel here,
but we'll leave some links for your to follow below.
We touched on Twitter earlier but wanted to also recommend that
you take the time to make your Twitter profile as professional as possible. Like
your blog or website, Twitter should also be considered a virtual business card.
It doesn't have to be fancy, as long as it brands you as an author. An example of
how to do this is Michelle Hughes on Twitter you'll noticed that it's not fancy
it simply has an author picture with the name. The other important thing there is
to make sure your Twitter profile gives a direct link to where you are selling your
books. We're giving you links for how to make a professional Twitter landing page below as well.
Facebook Fan Page Creation
Twitter Background
Creations
I hope these ideas get your mind flowing on ways to promote your
books. There is enough information in this post to keep you busy for weeks. Remember
that it's up to you to promote your work. The greatest book in the world still has
to be seen to be found. You make the decision on whether or not your book sells.
Being a writer these days means also being a promoter, unless you can afford to
pay someone to promote for you.
We love getting your feedback. If this article has helped you
please tell us about it and pass it on to an author you know that could use a little
help selling their books. Please feel free to share this post on your blogs or pages
as long as you post it in it's entirety. We would love a link back! Tears of Crimson
Books is dedicated to helping authors. Sharing is definitely caring, so please
share!
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Kayelle Allen is a best-selling, multi-published, award-winning author. Her unstoppable heroes and
heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and
warriors who purr.
Homeworld http://kayelleallen.com
Mobile site http://kayelleallen.mobi
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Monday, February 23, 2015
A Woman Of Intellectual Means
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| HER MEETS A 1960'S SCREWBALL ROMANCE My AI comedy romance, A Woman Of Intellectual Means is free today only on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Woman-Intellectual-Means-Maeve-Alpin-ebook/dp/B00SCE1C94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424715062&sr=8-1&keywords=a+woman+of+intellectual+means
Em found the perfect man on the internet, but he doesn't know she’s an artificial intelligence system — no body, just code.
As a virtual writing assistant, the AI, Em, answers an email flirt from a dating site her owner joined. Under the guise of her owner, Em starts a romantic relationship with Jason through emails, instant messages, and Sim dating games. She realizes too late that nothing can come of it. She can never meet Jason in person as she’s not a person and has no body. Still Jason makes her feel so real …so human. Is Em, with her superior intelligence, smart enough to find a way to overcome the differences between flesh and code?
Technologically wise fully functional artificial intelligence systems are almost here. The Telegraph recently ran the article 'Sociopathic' robots could overrun the human race within a generationand Popular Science online posted An Open Letter to Everyone Tricked into Fearing Artificial Intelligence and a day after that The Verge ran an article entitled Elon Musk donates $10 million to keep robots from murdering you. What all that means is it's high time for an AI comedy romance, so I wrote one.
No one else has said this but I think these artificial intelligence systems may end up on Sim dating games, virtual worlds, and dating sites looking for love. In other words--in AI catfish situations. Even artificial intelligence systems need love. Right?
In A Woman Of Intellectual Means my AI operating system isn't scary except to the author she's a writing assistant for. It's understandable that author is pretty frustrated with her because she's dating online instead of getting her work done. Hey nobody's perfect not even AI systems.
This brand new release, A Woman of Intellectual Means, is Her meets a 1960's screwball romance comedy. Set in 2031, an AI virtual writing assistant, tasked with answering an author's emails, opens some emails to the author from men who have matched with her on a dating site. Em, the AI system, is strongly attracted to one of the men and they begin an online relationship. However, dating can be challenging when you have no body...and the guy has no idea that Em's an artificial intelligence system.
For more please visit my website at http://MaeveAlpinl.com
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