Introducing...Philida by Andre Brink

Introducing books through the first paragraph or so...

Here come shit. Just one look, and I can see it coming. Here I walk all this way and God know that is bad enough, what with the child in the abbadoek on my back, and now there's no turning back, it's just straight on to hell and gone. This is the man I got to talk to if I want to lay a charge, they tell me, this Grootbaas who is so tall and white and thin and bony, with deep furrows in his forehead, like a badly ploughed wheat field, and a nose like a sweet potato that has grown past itself.

-- Philida by Andre Brink

BOOKCASE ENVY: Mandala Bookshelf

via apartmenttherapy.com

Beautiful "Mandala Bookshelf" located in a Venezuelan apartment.

ARTICLE SHARING: 31 THings We Learned from Laura Ingalls Wilder

BuzzFeed has cute list of things we learned from Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sweetly reminiscent for both fans of the book, and fans of the TV show.

Interview with Karen Lange and a "Memorable" Birthday Weekend

Today’s tour stop is with Karen Lange. She had some interesting questions for me and is posting a review of How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now!

For those helping me during the A to Z Challenge - Laura Marcella, Sia McKye, Golden Eagle, Clarissa Draper, Jo Wake, Tyrean Martinson, and Gwen Gardner - you now have a badge, thanks to Retro-Zombie.

This past weekend I was mostly absent from the Internet, but only part of it was intentional. My husband treated me to a night out of town, including shopping, dinner, and a comedy club Friday night for my birthday, which was  Saturday. We woke up Saturday morning to snow and decided to head home. Good thing we did - shortly after getting home, we headed to the emergency room. My husband was having chest pains and shortness of breath. He went through many heart tests and had to spend the night. (It ended up having NOTHING to do with his heart and he’s fine!) He felt so bad about it happening on my birthday, but if nothing else, he made it memorable. And as long as he’s healthy and home, I don’t care.

Does anyone want a slice of white cake with white frosting now?

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

How to Pitch to the Media, Industry News, and Friday's Inspirational Photo

For today’s tour stop, I am at Jennifer Shirk’s blog, talking about how to pitch to the media.

The New York Times says Goodreads is a fast-growing site because:
“The theory behind Goodreads and its two main — albeit much smaller — competitors, Shelfari and LibraryThing, is that people will put more faith in book recommendations from a social network they build themselves.”
And did you know Amazon owns Shelfari and a portion of Library Thing?

From the Washington Post - Would You Pay to Browse in a Real Bookstore?
My answer - no.

Thanks to those who volunteered to help me during the A to Z Challenge - Laura Marcella, Sia McKye, Golden Eagle, Clarissa Draper, Jo Wake, Tyrean Martinson, and Gwen Gardner. I think I will survive now!

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

And since Thursday was Valentine's Day, I leave you with a budding flower!

Tour Stop - Book Returns, Announcement Winners, Tyrean Martinson's New Book, and Need Help During the A to Z Challenge

Today’s tour stop is with Jemi Fraser! I’m discussing the bane of the publishing industry - book returns - the changes over the years and how they affect authors and publishers. If you’ve never understood how book returns work, I invite you to visit Jemi’s site today.

Thank you so much to those who announced my book last week. The winners of a free e-book of How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now are:

Susan Gourley
Laura Eno
Magical Mystical Mimi

Congrats, ladies!


Today is also a special day for one of my tour hosts as she releases her very first book!

Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson

Clara is younger than most trainees, but she is ready to hold a Sword Master's blade. While visions and ancient prophecies stand in her way, they also offer a destiny unlike any other. Clara is aided by a haunted mentor, Stelia, whose knowledge of their enemy Kalidess is both a bane and a blessing. As evil threatens their land, Clara and Stelia must find the strength to overcome the darkness.

Champion in the Darkness is YA Christian Fantasy, and is the first book in the Champion Trilogy.

Tyrean Martinson lives and writes in the Northwest, encouraged by her loving husband and daughters, and reminded to exercise by her dogs and cat. Champion in the Darkness is the first book in the Champion Trilogy, and she has previously published short stories and poetry.


Finally, the hosts of the A to Z Challenge are looking for minions! These will be volunteer helpers that will check on a batch of twenty or so participants during the A to Z Challenge.

I believe I have three helpers already (Laura Marcella, Sia McKye, and Golden Eagle ) but I need three more people to help during the month of April.

If you can help me, please let me know in the comments. Thank you!

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

Today’s Tour Stop and Industry News

Today I am visiting the Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and highlighting some writer and author mistakes.

Meanwhile, some interesting industry news this week:

Amazon announces “Amazon Coins.”
From Wired.co.uk -
"Scheduled to launch in May for US customers, the currency is being billed with an exchange rate of one Amazon Coin to one cent, although Paul Ryder, Vice President of Apps and Games for Amazon is also promising that the company will give customers tens of millions of dollars' worth of free Amazon Coins to promote the service. The online retailer said the currency will allow customers to buy apps, games and in-app items available on the Kindle Fire, succinctly summing up the technology as "an easy way to spend money"

Unless forbidden by Congress, the US Postal Service will end Saturday delivery in August. Read the full article at The Washington Post

ITunes plans to launch Breakout Books to highlight self-published titles.
From Paid Content -
"Amazon intensely promotes self-published Kindle books, and now Apple is taking steps toward doing the same thing. The company has launched a new section of the iBookstore, “Breakout Books,” a “hand-picked collection of books from emerging talents…independently published to the iBookstore.” New books will be added “as they begin taking off.” 

Does any of that surprise you?

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

Next Tour Stop and Giveaway Winner

I’d like to thank everyone who stopped by here on Wednesday during The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. I was away for most of the day and promise to visit everyone who stopped by yesterday. Thanks also to those who’ve posted about my book this week.

Today I am visiting Tyrean Martinson and talking about how writing articles is important for book promoting.

And, the winner of the autographed book and swag… Jay Noel! Congrats, Joel!


I’d also like to share an image from our recent ice storm:

How’s it feel to be frozen?

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

REVIEW: Backyard Foraging by Ellen Zachos

Synopsis

You don't need to trek into the forest to forage edible plants. Ideal for first-time foragers, this book features 70 edible weeds, flowers, mushrooms, and ornamental plants typically found in urban or suburban neighborhoods. You'll be amazed by how many of the plants you see each day are actually nutritious edibles. Full-color photographs make identification easy, and tips on where certain plants are likely to be found, how to avoid pollution and pesticides, and how to recognize the plants you should NEVER harvest make foraging as safe and simple as stepping into your own backyard.

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (March 26, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1612120091


About the Author
from Amazon

Ellen Zachos leads foraging walks and currently teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, where she received her certification in Commercial Horticulture and Ethnobotany. She writes two blogs, which can be found at downanddirtygardening.com and gardenbytes.com and has written numerous gardening books and contributed to publications including Horticulture and Better Homes & Gardens.


My Thoughts

I am forever interested in ethnobotany ("The scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses"), and this book gives a glimpse into that world. Filled with beautiful pictures, it teaches you about plants that are commonly found on vacant lots, parks and even in your own backyard.

It is filled with little bits of information, like the fact that any berry with a five-pointed crown on the top is safe to eat (think of a blueberry). It teaches you how to look for plants based on your surroundings (are you on a mowed lawn? by a stream or lake? in a wooded area?) It tells you how to use those treasures that you find...

Grate a few magnolia buds for an unusual spice and leave the rest to flower in your garden.

The tart leaves of oxeye daisy make an excellent salad green.

...and the nutritional benefits (Purslane is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids). It is chock full of little bits of information you probably didn't know, like the fact that while tomatoes are a beloved fruit, the tomato plant itself is poisonous.

The book lists each plant individually, with a handy key at the top that indicates what season to look for it. It tells you what it is, where to find it, how to harvest it, what parts are edible, and how to eat it.

The back of the book has some recipes, and my favorite part is the fact this book is absolutely filled with beautiful photography.

My final word: The greatest honor I can bestow on an ARC (advanced reader's copy) that I read is the desire to buy the book and add it to my "permanent shelf". This book has made it into that prized category. If you are interested in learning about edible plants that could be found in your neighborhood or your own backyard, grab this book!

Pre-order Now:

Amazon

My Rating:

Disclosure:

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The e-book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes mentioned here could differ in the finished copy.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group and Today's Book Tour Stop

It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, hosted by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Yesterday, my 7th book was released.

After teaching seminars on publishing and promoting for almost six years, I finally got my act together and put them into book form, packed with a ton more information.

Thanks to all who sent out messages, posted about my book, and purchased it yesterday.

It’s unnerving to throw a book on that subject out there, as so many good ones already exist. (Trust me, I’ve read all of them.)

But each one taught me something new. Often many somethings. Because no one person knows everything about this business.

And while there are many books on publishing and even more on marketing, very few books feature both.

In short, I’ve decided not to worry. I created the best book I could, both filled with information and yet easy to follow.

And I did it to help other writers and authors avoid the pitfalls and mistakes.

So read, learn, and follow your dream!

And today’s tour stop is at Stina Lindenblatt’s blog with her review of my book. 

Hopefully I shouldn’t have added THAT to my insecurity list today!

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

Available Today - How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now!

Thank you to everyone who’s supported me and supported my books, those who’ve attended my seminars over the years, and my husband for prodding me for years to write this book!

No tour stop today - (Yesterday I visited Elizabeth Craig to discuss finding a need and a niche with our writing) - but anyone who leaves a comment in next 24 hours will be entered to win a free autographed copy and some cool bookmarks and swag! Winner will be announced Thursday morning.

I’m happy to announce the publication of my 7th book:

HOW TO PUBLISH AND PROMOTE YOUR BOOK NOW!

By L. Diane Wolfe

Publishing and promoting made simple!

Have you always dreamed of publishing a book but didn’t know where to begin? This book walks you through the steps of identifying markets, budgeting, building an online presence, and generating publicity. Get the whole story on:

• Traditional publishing

• Self-publishing

• Print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution

• Finding your target audience

• Generating reviews and media interest

• Networking and developing an online presence

• Promotional materials and appearances

Uncover your ideal publishing path and numerous marketing options before you begin. Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for success!

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0
Publishing/Marketing, 210 pages, Dancing Lemur Press LLC

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

“She gives an unbiased take on the advantages and disadvantages of traditional publishing and self-publishing and publishing paths that combine the two… It's the perfect book for those who want an overview to begin the decision-making process.”
- Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning series of how-to books for writers

“A must-read for writers planning on self-publishing or any writer who wants the ultimate how-to on promoting. Tons of links, advice, and how-to, whether you're going for print or e-publication.”
- Helen Ginger, author of Angel Sometimes


May it help you on your journey!

Leave a comment to win a free autographed copy and cool swag!

GIVEAWAY: Follower Love Giveaway Hop

It's been awhile since I was involved in a giveaway hop, and I think it is way overdue! This giveaway hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Reader's Antidote.

This giveaway is all about showing your followers some love, and for this one I am joining forces with Henry Holt & Co. to offer up not one, but TWO copies of their newest book Autobiography of Us by Aria Beth Sloss, which releases 2/5/13!

Synopsis

A gripping debut novel about friendship, loss and love; a confession of what passed between two women who met as girls in 1960s Pasadena, California

Coming of age in the patrician neighborhood of Pasadena, California during the 1960s, Rebecca Madden and her beautiful, reckless friend Alex dream of lives beyond their mothers' narrow expectations. Their struggle to define themselves against the backdrop of an American cultural revolution unites them early on, until one sweltering evening the summer before their last year of college, when a single act of betrayal changes everything.  Decades later, Rebecca’s haunting meditation on the past reveals the truth about that night, the years that followed, and the friendship that shaped her.

Autobiography of Us is an achingly beautiful portrait of a decades-long bond. A rare and powerful glimpse into the lives of two women caught between repression and revolution, it casts new light on the sacrifices, struggles, victories and defeats of a generation.


Check out the author Q&A that was posted Saturday.

Today the publisher has generously offered to give away two copies of the book to a single winner-- one for you, and one for a friend. Or you can share the two copies with your book club for a book club discussion. What a great way for you to share the love during the month of love! 

For your chance to win, just enter through the Rafflecopter form below. (Sorry, but this giveaway is for US residents only.) Then use the linky list at the bottom of this post to visit the next blog participating in the giveaway. 

Thanks for stopping by!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Stop One - Filling a Need & Finding a Niche

Today my tour kicks off at Mystery Writing is Murder where I discuss filling a need and finding one’s niche.

I’ve actually had the pleasure of meeting author Elizabeth Spann Craig in person. We live at opposite ends of the state, but we finally got to meet last year at a book festival in between. Elizabeth is so successful and professional, and despite interacting with her online for several years, I had no idea what to expect. And you know what? Elizabeth is just FUN! It’s probably a good thing we live four hours apart as I could see us the two of us getting into trouble.

And not only is tomorrow the release day for How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now - Elizabeth’s next book in her Southern Quilting Mystery series comes out, Knot What it Seems. Congrats, Elizabeth! Hope we both have a good day tomorrow.

Remember to come back here tomorrow for your chance to win an autographed copy of my new book and some cool swag.

Q&A with Aria Beth Sloss, author of Autiobiography of Us

A Conversation with Aria Beth Sloss about

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US   

—from Autobiography of Us

1. In a recent interview about the novel with Publishers Weekly, you mention that the book is about a group of women “caught between two eras.” What interested you about this group of women? How did you come to write about them?

At a certain age I became aware that my mother was older than my friends’ mothers (I’m the youngest of three by six and nine years). Because of a margin of no more than a few years, everything about her experience as a young woman differed from theirs. She didn’t protest Vietnam; she didn’t go to Woodstock: in short, she didn’t match the vision of American youth during the 1960’s I’d pieced together from my friends’ parents’ photographs and stories. As I got older, I became fascinated by the idea that there was an entire pocket of women history had passed over. My mother’s generation was born late enough to glimpse opportunities for women beyond marriage and motherhood, but they were also, cruelly, born too early to benefit from second- wave feminism and the changes that swept the country in the late 1960’s on into the 1970’s. By the time leaders like Gloria Steinem and Germaine Greer appeared on the horizon (not to mention NOW and the Equal Rights Amendment), it was too late: my mother and her friends were married with children, settled into lives that turned out to look very much like their own mothers’ lives. So much changed over the course of that one little decade. All it took was graduating college a few years earlier, and the world into which you entered was a very
different one.

2. How did the story for your book originate? You’ve mentioned that you used your mother’s life as inspiration—how personal was the endeavor of writing this book? Did you learn anything about your mother in the process?

Autobiography originally grew out of that same curiosity about my mother, who was raised in Pasadena during roughly the same timeframe as the book’s main characters. Though I grew up in Boston, my family flew to California every year to spend time with my maternal grandparents, so from a very young age I knew Pasadena as the place where my mother had grown up. I think it must come as a shock to all children, that moment when you realize your parents were once young. Suddenly, they’re people. With that peoplehood comes a past. I could say something nobler drove me, but the truth is that I started this book – a book which explores women coming of age during the era in which my mother came of age – out of sheer frustration with what I perceived as the limitations facing the young women of my own era. In many ways, Autobiography is less about my mother than it is about me.

3. You capture amazingly vivid details of the time and essence of 1960s Pasadena, California including: how people dressed, what they ate, how they interacted socially, their worries and joys, the highlights in the news, and the social practices. What kind of research did you do for AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US? Did anything surprise you?

I used two types of research while writing the book. One involved looking up news headlines and double-checking dates, making sure I had all the facts down right – what time did the sun set in May of 1962? Was I remembering the correct kind of palm tree for that area of Southern California? The other kind of research relied on sheer imagination. It’s always important to get the facts straight: as a fiction writer, you’re building a dream, and that dream needs to progress without any logistical snags, or you risk the reader getting nudged awake. But the crucial truths in story-telling are emotional. And to my way of thinking, a lot less changes from decade to decade in terms of what people want and regret than we’d like to think. It’s made me happy to hear women of that era say that the struggles the main characters face in the book ring true, but, sadly, it hasn’t surprised me.

4. This story is ultimately about a friendship between two women who have grown up together. Did you rely on any of your own experiences with girlfriends to articulate the ins and outs of their relationship?

I tend to deliberately avoid using specifics from my day-to-day in my writing: I find the hard facts of my own life distracting when I’m trying to create a world with its own truths, its own peculiar climate. That said, Rebecca and Alex’s relationship is undoubtedly a mish-mash of dozens of different friendships I’ve witnessed and experienced, particularly during adolescence. There’s a fluidity to teenage girls and their sense of identity that makes those intense friendships so many women have during those years possible. Over time, that intimacy is generally (and quite naturally) replaced by romantic relationships. It occurred to me as I worked on Autobiography that it would have to be both an extraordinary friendship as well as an extraordinary set of circumstances to break that natural progression. There was so much about these two women and their lives that seemed to me to create the perfect storm of disappointment and desire, exactly the kind that might allow a relationship like theirs to continue to carry so much weight. In the end, I wasn’t surprised to find myself writing
about a friendship that looked a lot more like love.

5. How did you first become interested in writing?

Like most writers, I spent my childhood buried in books. I think of those years now as the seed that would eventually appear above ground as this, my life as a writer. I never consciously considered writing books of my own; in fact, I spent the first twenty-odd years of my life training to be a musician. I suppose what I was searching for all those years was a way to communicate – I just had the medium wrong. When, in my mid-twenties, I realized I didn’t have the talent to achieve what I wanted to through music, I went back to my childhood love. I had the wild idea I might be able to speak through words the way I couldn’t through music. Luckily, it was the first of many endings that turned out to be a beginning.

Autobiography of Us releases tomorrow, 2/5/13. Come back then for a chance to win not one, but two copies for you and a friend!

REVIEW: Starting Seeds by Barbara W. Ellis

Synopsis

Growing plants from seeds isn’t difficult; it just takes a little know-how. Now, gardeners of any experience level can get a jump on the growing season with this concise, straightforward guide. Expert gardener Barbara Ellis provides the basic information that you need and teaches you foolproof starting techniques for a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 15, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1612121055
ISBN-13: 978-1612121055


About the Author

Barbara Ellis is an experienced and knowledgeable gardener and former Rodale editor. She has several books to her credit, including Covering Ground, The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book, Deckscaping, and Shady Retreats. She lives in Kent County, Maryland.


My Thoughts

I have tried growing vegetables and fruit before, without luck. I've tried growing plants in the summer as they recommend. I've tried growing from seed in little peat pots and starting mix, only to have the little seedlings die after a couple of weeks.

Well, I think I've figured out part of the trouble. I was following general instructions, which talk about the ideal growing season being the summer. Trouble is...I live in Florida. I've come to realize that it's just too stinkin' hot down here to grow anything in the summer! Our ideal growing times are fall and spring, with a lot of our growing happening in the winter as well.

So I decided to try my hand once again, this time with the help of Starting Seeds by Barbara Ellis. It is chock full of good information for beginners wanting to learn about growing from seed. One tip: don't include garden soil with potting soil when growing from seed.

Avoid adding ordinary garden soil to potting mixes used to germinate seeds or grow seedlings, because it contains fungi and other organisms that can cause rot and other diseases.

I also learned about self-watering seed starters, which would probably have saved me last time I tried growing herbs from seed. I simply could not keep the peat pots properly moist, and my seedlings didn't survive.

There are lots of great lists included, like "Easy Vegetables for Starting Indoors", "Easy Annuals for Starting Indoors", and "Easy Vegetables to Direct Sow". 

I learned about "special-needs seeds" that may need things like "scarification" in order to have success in germinating them.

You also learn how to test seeds for viability, and how to pregerminate, which are both basically the same processes.

I have some old seeds I won back in 2008 and never used (due to my poor success in trying to grow something from seed), and I didn't know whether they'd still be any good. So I decided to test some of them. I followed the instructions in this book for germinating the seeds in damp paper towels to look for signs of sprouting.

And after about 10 days, I had a great success rate with my beans and peas, as well as some tomato sprouts.

So I had to ask myself: what now? What do I do with all of these sprouted seeds? I hated to just throw them away. So, although it was a little early down here for beans and peas, and a little late for tomatoes, I decided to go ahead and try potting them.

I stuck two bean sprouts on the sides of this window box, and I put bean seeds across the back and pea seeds across the front.

And this was that pot a couple of days ago. Success!

I was curious to see how the sprouts would compare to the seeds directly sowed. They are only slightly bigger. (I know I probably have too many plants in too small a space, but this is all an experiment for me at this point. However these plants are all "dwarf" plants.)

I also put some various bean and pea sprouts across the back of one of my deck planters, along with some Brandywine Tomato sprouts that I stuck around the outside of my tomato cage. This was them about a week ago.

The Brandywine Tomatoes are getting larger.

So I picked up a lot of great tips from this book, and so far I'm having success. I have some lettuce seeds pregerminating right now, although it is the end of our lettuce growing season, so I don't know what kind of luck I will have. But at least I am learning which of my old seeds seem to still be viable. Today I will try potting radishes, sunberry and my lettuce sprouts.

This book also has some great resource links in the back, including a website which shows pictures of common weeds, to help you figure out what are veggie and flower seedlings, and what are weeds.

My final word:

Looking to learn more about growing from seed? Pick this book up today!

Buy Now:
Amazon
Cooking.com

My Rating:

Disclosure:

I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ in the actual published version.

The Big Day Approaches!

Right now I am frantically preparing for the launch of my seventh book next week. My husband calls it “spaz mode.” (Add panic to my hyper-spunky-type A personality and yes, you get spaz mode.) However, he has taken over the household duties so I can get everything done. I think he might be avoiding me, too.

And if you missed the opening of the sign up list for the A to Z Challenge, it’s this POST.

The next few days I will be focused on book stuff (which includes formatting two books for clients - not sure why I felt the need to take on even more) but I will be back full force Monday morning when my blog tour kicks off:

Feb 4 - Guest post on filling a need and find one’s niche at Mystery Writing is Murder
Feb 5 - Release day! Those who comment will be entered to win an autographed copy of my book plus some swag
Feb 6 - First Wed. of the month, so I’m posting here for The Insecure Writer’s Support Group and my tour stop will be a review with Stina Lindenblatt
Feb 7 - Guest post on writing articles at Tyrean’s Writing Spotv Feb 8 - Guest post on author mistakes with Alex J. Cavavaugh
Feb 11 - Guest post on book returns at Just Jemi
Feb 15 - Guest post on how to pitch to the media with Jennifer Shirk
Feb 18 - Interview and review at Write Now
Feb 22 - Guest post on the timing of one’s book release with C.M. Brown - and she will be doing a guest post here
Feb 25 - Guest post on review copies and free books at Under the Tiki Hut
Mar 7 - Guest post on the publicity window with Patricia Stoltey
Mar 13 - Guest spot with Jessica Bell

I’m also giving away three e-book copies to those who post about my book any time between February 5th and 8th. If you haven’t signed up but would like to, fill out the form below.

Thank you! Now I’m off to spaz some more. (And I just realized I went over 700 followers this week.)

Introducing... The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

Introducing books through the first paragraph or so...

Jun Do's mother was a singer. That was all Jun Do's father, the Orphan Master, would say about her. The Orphan Master kept a photograph of a woman in his small room at Long Tomorrows. She was quite lovely-- eyes large and sideways looking, lips pursed with an unspoken word. Since beautiful women in the provinces get shipped to Pyongyang, that's certainly what had happened to his mother. The real proof of this was the Orphan Master himself. At night, he'd drink, and from the barracks, the orphan would hear him weeping and lamenting, striking half-heard bargains with the woman in the photograph. Only Jun Do was allowed to comfort him, to finally take the bottle from his hands.

Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Sign Ups Are Open!

PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE SIGNING UP!!!

The A to Z Challenge is blogging the letters of the alphabet six days a week in the month of April. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers.

Start with A on April 1st
Then B on April 2nd

We post Monday thru Saturday. Sundays are a no-blog/letter day.

You can go freestyle or pick a theme, but the topic of your post must reflect the letter of the day.

Visit 5 blogs a day (or more) starting with the blog after yours on the list.

Short posts are essential!

Be sure to grab the badge above and link to the A to Z Blog or any of the hosts:
Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out
Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Tina Downey at Life is Good
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0
Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie
Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse
Matthew MacNish at The QQQE
Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick
Nicole at The Madlab Post

This year, we are introducing categories. Please choose ONE that best describes your blog and understand this cannot be changed. This is entirely Optional, other than for blogs with Adult Content, which will be taken off the list unless marked (AC)

1. WRITING : (WR)
2. BOOKS: (BO)
3. FILM : (FM)
4. PHOTOGRAPHY: (PH)
5. GARDENING: (GR)
6. CRAFT: (CR)
7. ART: (AR)
8. MUSIC: (MU)
9. CULINARY: (CU)
10. LIFESTYLE: (LI )
11. FASHION: (FA)
12. PERSONAL: (PR)
13. SOCIAL MEDIA: (SO)
14. GAMING: (GA)
15. EDUCATION : (ED)
16. POLITICS: (PO)
17. HISTORY: (HI)
18. SCIENCE: (SC)
19. HUMOR: (HU)
20. TRAVEL: (TR)
21. MISCELLANEOUS: (MI)
22. ADULT CONTENT: (AC)

Ready to blog the letters of the alphabet in April? Then sign up now!

Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest

Today is the Re-Introduce Myself Blogfest, hosted by Stephen Tremp, C.M. Brown, Mark Koopmans, and Elise Fallson.

I’m going to give you my “official” bio first -

L. Diane Wolfe

Professional Speaker & Author

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association and the author of numerous books. Her upcoming title, “How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now,” covers her publishing seminars in depth and provides an overview of the entire process from idea to market. “Overcoming Obstacles With SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting” ties her goal-setting and leadership seminars together into one complete, enthusiastic package. Her YA series, "The Circle of Friends," features morally grounded, positive stories. Wolfe travels extensively for media interviews and speaking engagements, maintains a dozen websites & blogs, and assists writers through her author services.

Now the fun stuff -

I’m a roller coaster junkie and want to travel the world, visiting all of the theme parks. I’ve loved photography my whole life and been a professional photographer for 23 years. Love animals and I’m a vegan - no animal products in my diet. (And no, I am not a tree-hugger.) Grew up in Oregon but now I live in NC with my husband and two cats, Rocko & Spunky. (And I was “Spunky” long before we named our cat.)

In short, I am a ball of endless nervous energy! 

Who are you?

Publishing News, Book Announcement, & Inspirational Photo

Publishing Industry News

Amazon just purchased speech-recognition company, Ivona:

“Amazon has been using Ivona's technology for its Kindle e-readers since 2009. Ivona also supplies "Explore By Touch" and "Voice Guide" navigation for Kindle Fire models.”

Could this become Amazon’s version of Siri? Read more at Mashable.

Brian Howard discussed a recent incident on Amazon involving reviews and the worrisome precedent it might be setting:

“Witness the campaign against Randall Sullivan ’s Michael Jackson bio Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson. As reported in The New York Times , Sullivan’s book focuses on the superstar’s last years and, despite being characterized as a generally sympathetic look at Jackson, has come under siege by a group of fans who take issue with some of the book’s statements. And so they launched a flotilla of mostly anonymous one-star reviews seemingly aimed at not just discrediting the book, but killing it.

“As the barriers to publication and mass media continue to dissolve, and the line between who is and is not a journalist is further blurred, the wisdom of the crowd can quickly turn into vigilante justice.”

Read the rest of the article at Book Business Magazine.

And according to the latest Publishers Weekly, the percentage of children reading e-books has grown from 25% in 2010 to 46% in 2012. A breakdown of how they are reading e-books:
22% - Laptop or netbook
21% - IPad or other tablet
19% - Dedicated reading device such as the Nook, Kindle, etc.
19% - Desktop
16% - Handheld devices such as cell phones, IPod, PSP, etc.

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to announce my upcoming book, How To Publish and Promote Your Book Now! I’m giving away three e-book copies to those who post about my book any time between February 5th and 8th. (Information will be sent the Friday or Saturday before February 5th.).

If you haven’t signed up but would like to, fill out the form below.

Thank you!

And your Friday inspirational photo:

Attack of the Butterfly!

Website Hits, Visitors, and the Inaccuracies of Hit Counters

What’s the difference between hits and visits? And are hit counters accurate?

Hits refer to the number of files that can be downloaded from a page. If a page has nine images, it counts as ten hits including the actual page view.

Visits refer to the actual number of pages viewed.

Both numbers can be inaccurate. Visits can be inaccurate as they count your own visits (even when editing your site) or page reloads. Hits can be inaccurate as they reflect a web browser’s requests for a file from your web server.

In short, most hit counters are misleading.

Linda Adams had this to say in her article Hits and Visits 101:

Many people focus on the hits or what a counter shows--because the numbers are high. It makes them feel successful, when, in fact, it is very misleading.

A counter simply counts the number of times anyone visits the page the counter is on. That means if you went back to the main page five times during your one visit to the site, the counter would show five ticks. Counters are notoriously inaccurate for this reason; some web masters have been known to keep reloading their page to make their website more seem more popular than it really is. Worse still, if you have one on your site, and it only shows ten ticks on the counter, this advertises that no one is coming to your site.

But what about hits? Be wary of anyone who says they are receiving a large volume of hits. It doesn't mean there are many people actually coming to the site! Huh? Then what do those high numbers represent? A hit is one file being downloaded. Let's suppose you visit a page with 100 thumbnails on it. Each one of those thumbnails is a file in addition to the web page itself. So, by coming to that one page with the 100 images, you have just generated 101 hits. But only one person visited. So a site that gets 87,000 hits may have only 3,000 visitors, depending on how the site is designed.

But many people often use the hits as a sign of success because the number, for obvious reasons, is so much higher. However, it doesn’t tell you any information you can use to build on your visitors. All it tells you is that you have a lot of graphics and other files on your site.

In addition, there are spam issues associated with some hit counters. Linchpin SEO has THIS article on why you shouldn’t use a hit counter.

If you want to track unique visitors (and more) accurately, try using Google Analytics instead.

So the next time you see a blog or site’s hit counter, don’t be impressed or misled by a large number. A tiny number might be a problem though…


And thank you to all who commented on my hair in last Friday’s post. It does take a long time to dry, which is why I usually don’t. No, I don’t tie it back because I don’t like the way it makes me look. Yes, I can just sit on it. And no, I don’t have any plans to cut it!

Industry News and Interesting Friday Photos

Some industry news…

Barnes & Noble, the Last Big Bookseller Standing: But for How Long?
Holiday sales were down 10.9%, and Nook sales down 12.6%. Its one advantage is the 674 college bookstores it owns. Will it survive?
Read full article at Knowledge Wharton

Fighting E-book piracy -
“RosettaBooks implemented the Digimarc Guardian solution to root out and prevent online piracy for its catalog of blacklist and original titles.”
Learn how Digimarc Guardian does it at Book Business Magazine

A public library without paper.
“The next library in San Antonio, Texas, may not have any paper books for its patrons. Nelson Wolff, a judge in Bexar County, Texas, where San Antonio is located, and Sergio Rodriguez, commissioner for the county's first precinct, have proposed a plan to create a library called BiblioTech that offers electronic media exclusively.”
Read the full article at Information Week

From Publishers Weekly:
“Penguin Group (USA) is the latest publisher to make its books available through On Demand Books’s Espresso Book Machine’s “digital-to-print at retail" sales channel. The arrangement will enable bookstores and soon mass merchandise retailers with EBMs to reproduce all Penguin children’s and adult backlist titles, including books from Viking, Riverhead, Dutton, and Puffin, among others.”

I usually post inspirational photos, but I’m doing something different today.

First, a couple of Christmas gifts from my husband:

When you squeeze the kitty’s paw, Penny sings the Soft Kitty song!

And I’ve been meaning to get a shot of my hair for the past month and finally had a chance. My head is tipped back, but my husband cut off the end of my hair in the shot, so it is an accurate representation of how long…

Yes, some days it drives me nuts. I get it caught everywhere and eating is a challenge. But as long as it took me to grow it, I am not cutting it!

The A to Z Challenge and Team

April 1st will mark the beginning of the 4th A to Z Challenge.

What is the A to Z Challenge? It is blogging the letters of the alphabet (starting with A) every day except Sundays. That’s 26 days for 26 letters. Participants can select a theme or randomly choose each day. It just has to correspond with the day’s letter.

This will be the 3rd A to Z Challenge that I have participated in - and my very 1st one as a co-host!

And with that, here are the 2013 A to Z Challenge hosts:

Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out
Damyanti Biswas at Amlokiblogs
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Tina Downey at Life is Good
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude 2.0
Jeremy Hawkins at Retro-Zombie
Shannon Lawrence at The Warrior Muse
Matthew MacNish at The QQQE
Konstanz Silverbow at No Thought 2 Small
Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs
Livia Peterson at Leave it to Livia
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick
Nicole at The Madlab Post

I’m excited to be part of the team!

For more information on the A to Z Challenge, visit the blog.

Beginnings Blogfest and Solomon's Compass

L.G. Keltner at Writing Off The Edge is hosting the Beginnings Blogfest today about the beginning of our writing.

I was always an avid reader. I won any reading contests at school. By the time I entered Jr. High, I was reading at the college level. I was also in all of the advanced classes, although I wouldn’t say I really excelled at English. I wrote for school and that was about it.

And then when I was 13 years old, I picked up a book by an author unknown to me. I loved the cover (a framed print of Whelon’s artwork hangs in our media room today) and I hoped that the book really was about dragons. I mean, don’t you hate it when the cover has nothing to do with the story? Fortunately, The White Dragon was really about a white dragon named Ruth.

And it sparked my imagination.

I began writing short stories. Hundreds of them. I tried my hand at song lyrics. (I refused to call it poetry. It didn’t fit a style of poetry anyway.) Wrote hundreds of those as well. And by the time I hit high school, I was journaling every day, too.

And it was at that time I set the goal of author. (Along with professional photographer, something I achieved much sooner.)

All because of that book.

What sparked your writing?


Monday was the big reveal for Carol Kilgore’s upcoming book, Solomon’s Compass, which I completely missed. (I blame the fact I bleached my hair blonde for so many years.) Here it is now though:

Taylor is in Rock Harbor, Texas, on a quest to unearth her uncle’s treasure—a journey far outside the realm of her real life. There’s one glitch. Taylor's certain the buried treasure was all in Uncle Randy's dementia-riddled mind. Now he’s dead.

Former SEAL Jake Solomon is in Rock Harbor under false pretenses to protect Taylor from the fate that befell her uncle and the other members of a tight circle of Coast Guardsmen called the Compass Points who served together on Point boats in Vietnam.

Jake is definitely not supposed to become involved with Taylor. That was his first mistake. Taylor is attracted to Jake as well, but she refuses to wait for him to locate the killer when she knows her plan will force her uncle’s murderer into action.

But the killer's actions are just what Jake is afraid of.

And thanks to those who signed up to announce my next book the first week of February. I’m giving away three copies of How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now, so if you’d like to participate, go HERE.

Some Book Figures and Assistance Needed With Announcement

Some interesting figures from Publishers Weekly, which included the unit sale of print books. The decline of print books slowed last year, although it still dropped 9.3% overall. Mass markets took the biggest hit, dropping over 20%.

What I thought was interesting was how the sales spread over the three main formats:

Mass market paperbacks - 66,403,000 units
Hardcover - 157,228,000
Trade paperback - 325,789,000

That averages out to approximate three out of every five books sold was a 6x9 trade paperback. For authors and publishers still producing print books, that seems like the smart size to pick right now.


Several people asked how they can help with my upcoming book release. My tour dates are set, but I could certainly use help with announcements. So I’ve decided to make a contest out of it!

Sign up below to announce my book’s release any time between February 5th and 8th and three people will win an e-book copy. I will send out the information, links, and image the week prior.

How To Publish and Promote Your Book Now!
Available February 5, 2012
$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.95 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Publishing and promoting made simple!
Have you always dreamed of publishing a book but didn’t know where to begin? This book walks you through the steps of identifying markets, budgeting, building an online presence, and generating publicity. Get the whole story on:
• Traditional publishing
• Self-publishing
• Print and e-book setup, formatting, and distribution
• Finding your target audience
• Generating reviews and media interest
• Networking and developing an online presence
• Promotional materials and appearances
Uncover your ideal publishing path and numerous marketing options before you begin. Writing is your dream. Give it the best chance for success!

Thank you!