7 Great Ways to Market Yourself Online on a Shoestring Budget guest post by Meet Advisors

7 Great Ways To Market Yourself Online On a Shoestring Budget (via Meet Advisors)

There’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur than now. Unless you have a winning lottery ticket, you still won’t have the mega bucks a mega corporation spends for marketing. But what you do have is the Internet, with marketing possibilities…

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Jewelry and books from the heart

Cly's Oceans Apart Clay Creations Necklace 

Fairy Tales and Jewelry is an Esty shop filled with enchanting necklaces, earrings, and more. The beautiful jewels are handcrafted by 82 year old Chuck Young.

Mr. Young has always been a creative. He works with wood designing and building everything from cabinets to delicate scrollwork. He found another love in crafting one of a kind jewelry creations for JLB Creatives Fairy Tales and Jewelry shop.

Mr. Young’s creativity rubbed off on his daughters, Janet Beasley and Dar Bagby both authors and creatives in their own rights. Janet is author of the best selling enchanted fantasy Hidden Earth series and CEO of JLB Creatives Publishing.

Dar, has a musical talent with a degree in music: vocal performance, she is an accomplished operatic soprano. Now she’s closed the curtains and turned her muse to writing. She is also the head of JLB Creatives Publishing’s editing department.

I have to say this is a family full of talent and great heart. They’re wonderful folk who make you feel like you’ve known them half your life just after meeting them.

Mr. Young’s jewelry is special for another reason. His darling wife Marilyn is also has medical needs. The

Cly's Pink Shadows of Desire Clay Creations Earrings 

proceeds of these handcrafted treasures help to meet those needs. The jewelry is an expression of Mr. Young’s creative talent as well as his heart for his lovely wife of 63 years.

I personally have two of Mr. Young’s pieces and love them to bits. They fit my personality perfectly and get tons of compliments whenever I wear them.

The designs are fun and there’s something to go with any outfit for any occasion. Not to mention links to the epic enchanted fantasy Hidden Earth series. So what are you waiting for go shopping already!

You can find Janet's books and other great reads at JLB Creatives.com

Filmbook the ebook’s granddaddy Read an Ebook Week 2014

This week we celebrate the ebook. The last few years have seen a drastic change in the publishing industry thanks to the growing popularity and convenience of this simple invention.

1923 Optigraph 

But ebooks aren’t something new fangled. They’ve been around for a very long time. In 1923 the International Filmbook Corporation patented an early microfilm reader, the Optigraph Reading Machine. Books were photographed onto microfilm and wound into cartridges that were inserted into the machine and the image mirrored and reflected onto the reading glass. Readers moved through the pages turning a crank on the side of the machine. 

In 1936 ‘canned libraries’ were introduced in the form of a microfilm reader called the Teledex. Books and other media were put into cartridges the size of a 12-gauge shotgun shell that was inserted into the machine and the ‘filmbook’ projected onto a screen for reading. The idea of this canned library was to save space for schools and smaller community libraries. 

1936 Teledex

In 1945 scientist Vannevar Bush introduced the world to his idea for condensing entire libraries into one machine called a Memex. In his Atlantic Monthly article, As We May Think, he describes the method in which books and other media are compressed onto microfilm. Bush says, “Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of a mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, “memex” will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.”

 Bush’s idea differed in that individuals, such as authors could write directly into the machine to save their work onto microfilm. (Anyone else getting a Steampunk vibe here?) This device wasn’t very portable, though. The machine and all of the content were constructed into a desk. Instead of the filmbook cartridge, the Memex stored all the volumes in the body of the machine. Like a computer and hard drive today.

 

1945 Bush's Memex machine

As computers developed into more efficient storage devices inventions such as the 1968 DynaBook. The DynaBook looked like a giant Kindle with a grayscale screen and keyboard. Books or documents stored on the 2lb device could be read. Later, Toshiba would use this design to create one of the first laptops.

I’m sure early librarians, authors, and readers went through the same emotions and conflicts over their precious volumes being squished into these shotgun shell cartridges that we have felt in recent years with the explosion of the ebook market.

1968 DynaBook

Filmbooks and ebooks will never be able to fully take the place of a print book. After all the elevator hasn’t taken out the necessity of stairs. Even in Star Trek they still collected and coveted their printed volumes. The ebooks and ereaders are just another way of enjoying the timeless stories we’ve always loved. Aren't you glad you can sit on the beach and relax with your Kindle or Nook instead of pulling out your Optigraph or Telex? 

In celebration of Read an Ebook Week, my books Don’t Touch and Half will be 50% off on Smashwords March 3^rd - 8^th. Just use the code REW50 at checkout to get your discount off my and other fantastic reads this week.

2014 Kindle Paper White

My ebook reading this week will be finishing up the Numbers Game by John Stanley then Dark Murders Collection by Carolyn McCray and Ben Hopkins. So what ebook are you reading? Do you prefer ebook or print book? How do you read your ebooks? 

How does your story grow? Guest Post by J.Drew Brumbaugh

Gladiator's Pen welcomes guest author J. Drew Brumbaugh to the Ludis. He is the author of  the thrillers War Party and Shepherds and here to talk about his writing process. So pour a cuppa and enjoy the post. Don't forget to leave some comment love!

How Does Your Story Grow? 

by J. Drew Brumbaugh

As a guest here, I suppose I should introduce myself.  I am J Drew Brumbaugh.  The J being for James and so most people call me Jim.  I write suspense novels of various types.  I have two novels available in both print and ebook formats, a third one on the way, and a collection of three short stories that is available only as an ebook.  More info is available at my website at www.jdrewbrumbaugh.com.

For me, novels take a long time to write.  I envy those who can sit down and churn out a finished novel almost from the first draft.  I don’t know how they do it.  My novels grow and change as they are written.  I start with a basic plot in mind and at least an idea for a few of the main characters.  But it’s sketchy at best, more like an overriding theme.  Still, I have to start somewhere so I write some and then write some more and somehow the story keeps going, though not necessarily exactly as I’d planned.  Characters try to change things.  They’ll say I’m not that kind of person, I’m smarter than that.  Or I just wouldn’t do that.  And of course I listen because who knows more about a character than the character them self? 

And that isn’t all.  Plot changes and additions crop up at the oddest times and places.  Often as the novel writing proceeds a new idea pops into my head, something I hadn’t thought of before that adds to the story, or complicates things, or changes the level of challenges for the main characters.  Again, the only thing to do is fix it, add it or change it so that the idea is incorporated into the story.

I’m not sure how these things happen.  I wish I could see everything down to the last detail up front and then maybe I could finish a novel in one or two drafts instead of ten.  I am convinced that somewhere in the deep recesses of the unconscious mind, the creative ideas keep percolating even as the book is unfolding.  I’ve started novels without being able to see the ending.  I begin with an idea for the initial challenge, the original conflict that starts the story in motion, but I don’t know how it will be resolved, or whether the main character(s) will even succeed.  I trust that somehow, some way, the conclusion will materialize as I go along.  I don’t know how to tell you what happens along the way it just happens.   

My novel Shepherds is a perfect example.  Over about three years the story grew, had chapters added, new Pacific Ocean, there would be storms.  So, a storm became an important part of the novel.  Then I thought of rustlers, fishermen who would steal the factory tuna since they couldn’t find wild fish.  Another problem found space in the novel.  How about killer whales?  They would eat tuna and dolphins too.  So, killer whales.  Add to that the personal issues that haunt individual characters, like Olga’s angst over possibly meeting her mother, whom she’s never seen having spent her life in an orphanage for mutated “shepherds.” 

conflicts for the characters to deal with, dangers that I hadn’t thought of when I began writing.  The original premise was simple.  As the oceans were depleted of wild fish, the larger seafood companies to avoid bankruptcy would figure out how to “farm” tuna.  I used tuna because they get big and individual fish can be worth a lot of money.  How would they farm these fish?  Floating pens like salmon didn’t seem to be a good approach for tuna who like to swim, all the time.  So, the seafood giants created genetically modified people who could use trained “herd dolphins” to manage the tuna in the open ocean.  This meant that vast tracts of the ocean would be claimed for “ranches” and suddenly there were conflicts between the “shepherds” and independent fisherman who were trying to eek out a living on what wild fish remained.  As the story grew, various conflicts came to mind and were added.  What about a storm?  Certainly in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there would be storms.  So, a storm became an important part of the novel.  Then I thought of rustlers, fishermen who would steal the factory tuna since they couldn’t find wild fish.  Another problem found space in the novel.  How about killer whales?  They would eat tuna and dolphins too.  So, killer whales.  Add to that the personal issues that haunt individual characters, like Olga’s angst over possibly meeting her mother, whom she’s never seen having spent her life in an orphanage for mutated “shepherds.”

And even with all that I realized I needed a nastier antagonist.  Who?  Ah, some of the fishermen work for drug cartels making and shipping drugs.  Some of the shepherds got in their way and were killed.  Enter Toivo, an independent fisherman who has dolphin friends who help him find wild tuna.  He too gets embroiled in a fight for survival with the drug cartel and ends up meeting Olga, a shepherd.  How could a couple of nearly defenseless people defeat such a powerful group of ruthless killers?  I didn’t know.  It seemed hopeless, which is the point of a good suspense novel.  And yet, as I neared the end of the book the answer was there.  Like magic.  Where did it come from?  I don’t know.  Maybe the writer’s muse?  So I write fervently hoping the muse does not desert me.  How about you?

Find J. Drew Brumbaugh's books on Amazon

Like him on Facebook 

Be a book rebel read banned books!

Banning books is not a thing of the past. Every day books are challenged, or removed from libraries or schools. No book is safe from the possibility. At one point the children’s fairytale, Alice in Wonderland was on the banned list.

For a while, my own county libraries banned the 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy from their shelves. Library patrons wouldn’t hear of it, they continued to request, and demand their right to read about Christian and his red room. Now the books are available on library shelves and ereaders.

What would the world be like if readers didn’t rebel and just let someone choose what books were suitable for the public. What if the words of To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, or even Harry Potter had never touched our lives?

If there weren’t book rebels we wouldn’t have seen Vivian Lee as Scarlet O’Hara in her curtain dress. Get to be frightened of  saint bernards named Cujo, or see Leonardo DiCaprio become Gatsby. The stories these memorable characters all came from books that were challenged or banned at some point.

What’s the difference between banned or challenged books? According to the ALA a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of challenged materials from public or school libraries, possibly bookstore shelves.

Books could be challenged for various reasons. The top three are explicit sexual content, offensive language, or ‘unsuited’ to any age group. The last meaning any theme or topic deemed unsuitable for viewing. Books that fell into this category were The Hunger Games, The Catcher in the Rye, and Blood and Chocolate. Thanks to awesome librarians, teachers, students, and concerned citizens most challenges are unsuccessful.

What makes the list from year to year can be surprising. Tomes of every genre and age range can be found there. Chances are you’ve got a few of them on your bookshelf or to be read pile already. You can find out more on ALA or Band Books Week websites. To see this years list go to Books Challenged or Banned  2012-2013.

Don’t let someone tell you your books are ‘unsuited’. Be a book rebel read some banned books this week.

This week I’m reading Blood and Chocolate and my son is reading The Hunger Games We’re book rebels, how about you? What are you reading? Do you have a favorite banned book?

Outlaws, Secrets and Goals Oh my!

Since it’s been a bit since my last update I won’t go over the hits and misses of each week and just tell you what has been going on.

One goal for this quarter was to finish the novel Outlaw Born. Progress so far is good. There was a pause as life frustrations and plot issues arose. There was a bit of backtracking and changing. Ended up painfully deleting a chapter but Ben is back to robbing trains and making life hell for Hammond Rail. Don’t you love a man in a black hat, fast hands, with a six gun strapped at his hip?  

Now goal is getting him finished and pubbed by October. Yeah, I know it’s only two months away and that’s wishing for a lot there but hey I might find a genie in a lamp!

On other goals, school is kicking along. I’m doing well and maintaining my 4.0 (holy cow is that really me? The C girl in high school?) The de-clutterization is going well too. There have been a few boxes filled with things ready to be adopted to new homes. Want some junk?

Now for the secret…  The Author’s Secret. They are a company owned and operated by the fantastic Kayelle Allen. The Author’s Secret provides services to authors such as ebook formatting

a pre-made cover available

and conversion, book covers for both ebook and print, banners, avatars, social media graphics, book trailers, blog headers, Facebook covers and so much more.

I am so blessed to be apart of this awesome growing company as a graphic designer. Soon they will be opening a shop of pre-made book covers of all genres just waiting for your book title to be added. For everything from Cookbooks to Romance to Mystery, to Horror to Westerns and even Steampunk. The Author’s Secret can be your lil secret to a successful book.

Do you have a secret that keeps you on the goal track? Or an author tip to share? 

Those Charming Heroes: Meet Alex Blazen of HALF

Welcome to the Charming Hero Blog Hop sponsored by Whitney Keevers-Eastman. The hop runs from the 3^rd through 4^th  celebrating t hose charming heroes that make our hearts flutter. Each blog on the hop is offering a chance to win books or other great prizes. So be sure to enter the raffelcopter drawing at the bottom of this post. Now Bring on the heroes!

What your hero’s name and where does he come from? 

Alex Blazen from the pages of HALF is from the city of Orlando, Florida.

What’s your charming hero’s profession? 

Alex is the CEO of the family company Blazen Enterprises. The company focuses mostly on research and development.

Now, there’s a lot about our heroes that sets all women in a flutter. What’s your hero’s greatest weapon when it comes to seduction?

His thoughtfulness and attention to the little things. Alex knows it’s all in the details, remembering those small details that seem insignificant to others, like how many sugars she takes in her coffee, makes a gal feel cherished. Not to mention those killer eyes and the way a suit fits his lean muscled form.

If your hero resembled one or more celebrities, who would they be?

That’s an easy one ;o) my muse for Alex was Adrian Paul.

Adrian Paul 

Apart from being incredible charming, how would you describe your hero’s personality?

Alex is intelligent, observant, he has a genuine heart and interest in people.

Does your hero have a favorite saying or motto? 

He doesn’t really have a motto or saying but Alex is always telling the others not to underestimate him. Just because he jockeys a desk all day doesn’t mean he can’t hold his own and stake a few vampires.

Post a scene that captures your hero using his charm to win over both our readers and heroine

Valeska stood within the darkness of the room and felt it breathe. The dark was a living creature part of what she was. Her darkness, her vampire, and she hated it. A bit of dust and the stain was all that was left of her father. Once she had thought killing him would free her to live a normal life, but that was just a pretty lie.

After all this time, she still had to exist in the twilight between two worlds. Trapped. She was lost in the past when she heard footsteps and smelled Alex’s cologne before he reached the room. Good. He’ll see the darkness and run. It would be that easy to stop this before I want any more than I can have.

Alex didn’t run. Instead, he walked over, embracing her and kissing her blood covered mouth. All he cared about was showing her it didn’t matter. That he loved her human or not. Plying her lips with his tongue, he gently pushed into her mouth and met sharp fangs.

She tasted fresh blood and pushed him away roughly. “Alex stop! I haven’t fed enough.”

He gazed at her and the concern she saw there was more than she could bear. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t take an unwilling victim, not even a four legged one.”

He looked beneath the splatters of blood to the pain her eyes held. What horrors she must have endured to survive over six hundred years of life.

She wanted to push him far away. “Don’t you see me? This is Valeska Gorstef. Alex, I can’t change what I am. I can smell the sweet copper scent of blood in your mouth. I can hear your heart pumping more through your veins and I want it. I want to taste you in ways that have nothing to do with passion.”

The video flashed in his mind. “I see the beautiful woman who walked into my office three days ago. I see the dark desire in your eyes. Blood isn’t all you want.”

She shook her head. “Alex, you don’t know what you’re asking.” Valeska felt her control starting to slip.

“No I don’t.” Alex unbuttoned her shirt, peeled the blood soaked fabric from her shoulders. He pulled off his own shirt and tossed it in the pile. She was dizzy from bloodlust and need. Need to give in, need to love him.

She stood stiff as he embraced her and kissing caressing first one lip then the other. He was more careful exploring the warmth of her mouth. He licked her fangs tasting the sweet copper in her mouth.

Weakening with the scent of his body so close, she kissed him back him feeling his warm clean skin. They fell to the floor she rolled over him. “We can’t do this. I have to feed.”

He grabbed her face as he kissed her again. “Then feed.”

HALF

Guarding CEO Alex Blazen during a charity gala was an easy job for Valeska Gorstef...until all hell breaks loose...literally. Forced to face her own darkness, Valeska may lose her only chance to live a human life. Two sides of her soul will be at war. Which HALF will win?

Purchase links :

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/206978

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/HALF-Torn-Soul-ebook/dp/B009KZ3DMS

For more Charming Heroes and Giveaways visit the Charming Heroes Blog Hop page on FB 

Author Chat with Tmonique Stephens

Gladiator's Pen welcomes Tmonique Stephens to the Ludis today. She's here to talk about her upcoming release Eternity by Solmate Publishing. Pour a cuppa and enjoy the chat. 

Tell us a bit about Tmonique Stephens:

n high school, I wrote my first novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where I won an English Department Award for my play Tea with Salt in 1987. I took a break from writing to graduate from college, get married, have a daughter, but I never gave up on my dream.

The first romance I remember reading was a Harlequin about a sheikh and his forbidden love for an American woman way back in middle school. That’s before loves scene were included. I love writing flawed characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. I write complicated stories for complicated people. Hopefully, you will enjoy my efforts. I love paranormal and fantasy romances and will read anything about fairies, demons, or angels. I also enjoy Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

I was born in St. Thomas USVI, but I grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. I love the SyFy and History channels, and Asian cuisine. But my heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean. Have any Caribbean recipes out there? Please share! My mother died before I had a chance to learn her cooking secrets.

Currently, I’m working on an Egyptian God series. Why the Egyptian Gods, you ask? I say, “Why not?” All the other gods have been extensively covered, except the Egyptians. Undiscovered territory has always appealed to me.

Your first novel to be published is about to be released, has your experience with the publishing world been what you expected?

Publishing is not for the faint of heart. It takes discipline, dedication and a thick skin. I didn’t expect it to take five years to get published but I understand the process much better than when I first began my writing journey.

Tell us a bit about Eternity to be released August 15^th 2012

Eternity is a story of reincarnation and redemption. Roman Nicolis, a mercenary falls in love with the Elyssian, the wrong woman. He seduces her, taking her virginity and cursing them both. For two thousand years, Roman wanders the earth searching for the only woman he can love. Time and again, Roman finds her, only to lose her horribly. Now, in present day New York City, they meet again. And this is his last chance to get things right. 

EXCERPT:

“You're asking me to sleep with you?” Roman said.

“I’m offering to share the futon with you,” Stella corrected.

Standing next to the futon, he whispered, “Why?”

She jumped, her hand stretched out in front of her, searching for him. “Damn, how can you move that fast? I didn’t hear you.”

“Answer the question. Why?”

“I … can't let you sleep on the floor.” She scooted over and waited for him.

He should resist. The many reasons why ticked by, but the futon creaked as he lay beside her and stilled. Everything he wanted rested inches away.

“Can you see me?”

“No,” he lied, watching her bite her lip. Slowly, she relaxed, believing the darkness covered her. He sucked in a sharp breath when her hand brushed his bare chest.

“Sorry,” but a smile tweaked her lips.

“No boyfriends,” she told McCabe. It was too ridiculous to be true. But … could she be a virgin?

“Roman,” she breathed his name and lust raced down his spine, igniting every nerve ending and wiping his brain clean of every thought, but one. He caught the belt of her robe and followed it up to the knot. A finger slipped in and loosened it.

“Yes.” His breath fanned her face. She tilted her chin up at the perfect angle for his lips to cover hers.

“I’ve never had a man in my home before.”

His finger stopped. What the hell am I doing? She drugged him with her words, frailty and covered body. He had to get out of her bed, her apartment, maybe the city, let one of his men protect her.

She touched him again, ran her palm over his stubbled jaw, then traced a finger over his eyebrows and down the bridge of his nose. She played with the shell of his ear until his chest rumbled with suppressed laughter. Then her fingers found his lips and the laughter stopped.

Where did the idea for Eternity come from?

About five years ago, I decided I wanted to write a series. I’ve always loved paranormal romances, vampires, werewolves, the fey, shape shifters, novels about other worlds inhabited with different species. Naturally, I gravitated to what I enjoyed reading, but I was tired of the usual books populating the genre. I considered writing about the Greek Gods, but I had recently started reading a popular series about the Greeks and I felt I had no new ideas to offer.

Then I thought of the Egyptian Gods. Ancient Egypt is one of the most well documented cultures. Although the Egyptian Gods have a wealth of history and folklore, there aren’t many fiction books about them. Their story still remains untold.

Eternity is a story of reincarnation and redemption. Roman Nicolis, a mercenary falls in love with the Elyssian, the wrong woman. He seduces her, taking her virginity and cursing them both. For two thousand years, Roman wanders the earth searching for the only woman he can love. Time and again, Roman finds Elyssian, only to lose her horribly. Now, in present day New York City, they meet again. And this is his last chance to get things right.

Silk or Satin Sheets?

Stella, my heroine is a simple woman. She purchases her linen from the local discount store. Silk and satin are completely out of her price range. Roman, my hero, will show her the delights of satin sheets on her naked skin.

Do you have a writing process/ritual, what is it?  

I have a writing schedule that I stick to. I work a regular job so weekdays my writing schedule is three p.m. to eight p.m. and I do most of my editing in my downtime at work.

My ideal time of day for writing would be nine p.m. to two a.m. I find my brain flows better in the evening hours. I save those hours for the weekend.

What do you believe is one of the most important elements of writing in your genre?

Believability. I write paranormal romance. My readers have to believe the world that I’ve created is real. My characters need to live and function in that world; otherwise, my novel will be pitched into a dusty corner, unfinished and unloved.

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

 Growing up in the The Bronx, I like writing about the city and sometimes using New York as a character.

My mother had the biggest influence in my writing career. She wasn’t a reader. She didn’t understand my need to write. Also, she thought I was wasting paper when I wrote. My mother had a ninth grade education and we had little in common, but with all my heart, I know she would’ve been proud of me and my novel.

What is one stereotype about romance writers is absolutely wrong? What one stereotype is dead on?

Romance novels aren’t just about sex. The story centers on two individual uniting against all odds. It is a spiritual, physical and emotional union.

All heroes are over six feet tall, rippling with muscles and rich. That is the one stereotype about romance novels that is true.

 Where can we find Tmonique Stephens?

Website: www.tmoniquestephens.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TmoniqueStephens

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tmoniquebooks

Email: Tmoniquebooks@aol.com

Summer Camps for Writers

Camp NaNoWriMo

June is right around the corner, which means summer, fun and… camp! Campfires with ghost stories, smores, hot dogs on sticks and writing lots and lots of writing.

Camp NaNoWriMo starts on June 1^st.  Just like it’s big brother NaNoWriMo that takes place in November writers gather to make the mad dash of 50,000 words in 30 days.

At Camp NaNo you have a profile, novel page, a place to log your word count as often as you wish to update it. Instead of forums, writers get a cabin with four other campers to chat with and share all the adventures.

This is a great way to give that novel a summer push. If one month of Camp NaNo is this much fun, how about two months?  There is a second session of camp that takes place in August. Writers can chose to do June, August or both. Despite the pressure to make that 17667 daily word count, the atmosphere of camp is more relaxed.

Marketing for Romance Writers Summer Camp

If you’re looking for a little less pressure July 14^th -15^th Marketing for Romance Writers is holding a free summer conference of their own.

A workshop called Opportunity knocks. MFRW’s motto is Seek, teach, learn, share succeed. The conference will cover many aspects of marketing for writers. The group is mostly romance writers but this conference will provide tools and information that all genres can put to use.

Author Dahlia DeWinters will be stopping by the Ludis June 1^st to tell you more about the event and group. So be sure to drop back by.

This summer there are many great opportunities for learning, writing and fun. So grab your backpack and bear repellent and let’s go to camp! 

Like me!

Part of the Blogging from A to Z challenge 2012 for the letter L

Everyone thinks of themselves as likeable chicks and chaps. Facebook as given us a way to express our likes with that cute little thumbs up button. We get posts and emails from friends and colleges asking us to ‘like’ their pages. Does a writer really need a fan page if they already have a personal profile?

I believe fan pages are one of the most essential tools in a marketing toolbox. Especially for writers, they give opportunity to reach more readers than are attached to your friends list. These pages are publicly listed and search friendly than a personal profile where hopefully you’ve locked down every privacy setting known to man. 

Why not just have someone ‘friend’ your regular profile? While someone may enjoy your blog, books, etc. they may not want to be your ‘friend.’  While we want to get personal with our readers there is a line of T.M.I.

For example: At a book signing an author will share information about books, events, and might share that a son or daughter graduated from high school, engagement, or an inspiring personal story. 

The same author entertaining a guest in the home would share more intimate details about themselves. Such as, “Oh Aunt Bertha called. She had that pesky corn removed today.” Or photos of Frisky the cat sleeping in the pillowcase again.

Having a ‘fan page’ or ‘business profile’ lets an author separate that information they don’t want the general public to know. Moreover, allows Freddy and Freda Fan to get the scoop on information relative to their interest.

A writer can get instant review from an excited fan who posts how much they liked a book on the page. Fan interaction is a huge benefit, Freddy will tell Freda, she will tell her friends to like the page and so forth. Spreading an author’s writing virtually world wide. Like having a virtual book signing 24 hours a day.

So yes, make a fan page for your books, blog, cat, or even Aunt Bertha’s corn. If you already have a page how has it been helpful to you?

Oh and by the way…. Please LIKE ME! 

Other pages you may LIKE

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Outlaw's pRose

Crafts from the Moon

Unmitigated Badassary 

A Grand Murder Giveaway and Author Chat with Stacy Verdick Case

The Ludis welcomes author, Stacy Verdick Case to the arena for a chat about her latest release A Grand Murder, and to give away a signed print copy to one lucky reader! To enter just comment below for your name to be placed into the hat. The winner will be chosen  and announced on Saturday, January 21st.
Now it's time to lean back in your chair with a nice hot cuppa and enjoy our chat with Stacy.

Tell us a bit about your book A Grand Murder.

A Grand Murder is the first book to follow Catherine O’Brien a St. Paul, Minnesota homicide detective with a monstrous coffee habit, frequent bad hair days, and in irreverent outlook on life. It’s a fun, fast paced mystery, so if want to read something hardboiled you’ll have to keep looking. 

Did you learn something new about yourself or the writing process while working on A Grand Murder?

Yes, I learned I was homicidal.  Prior to this, I was writing romance. I thought I was a lover not a fighter.

You have both fiction and non-fiction works published. How is writing one different than the other?

Non-fiction is about writing with clarity, and a singular topic in mind. For instance when I write articles on creating a hook at the end of your chapter or scene to keep readers turning pages I don’t go off on a self-editing tangent.

With fiction you get to be a little bit looser with focus. You have your main plot of course which carries through the whole thing but you can also throw in several subplots or vignettes throughout.

The language is different too. Writing non-fiction for me takes on a more formal tone, unless it’s a blog post, where with fiction I get to have a little fun with my word choices.

Non-fiction is faster for me to write, because I don’t have to invent the wheel. It’s all facts. In fiction you have to create time and place, which is a much slower process.

Where did you get the inspiration for A Grand Murder?

I wanted to kill my former boss.  See, I told you that I learned I was homicidal! He absconded with a large sum of my money, and it was the first time I believed that I was actually capable of killing another human being, so I did, on paper. I think that’s healthier than actually killing someone.

I felt a lot better about that instinct after a former detective told me that, for women, the number one reason they commit murder is money. I would have thought love but no. Apparently, steal my man and I’ll bounce back, but steal my money and may God have mercy on your soul.

The whole process was very cathartic for me. I no longer wish to harm that person.

Do you have a daily writing routine or process?

Yes, I write for a half an hour every morning before I leave for work. I also carry my notebook with me everywhere so I can sneak in writing time whenever I have a chance. Doctors who are running late, oil changes, long bank lines, are all a blessing to me. I got a whole chapter written during a really boring meeting once. I probably shouldn’t have said that.

Tell us three little known things about Stacy Verdick Case

1)      I don’t think anyone outside my family knows that I’m extremely sentimental. I have every card my husband’s ever given me.

2)      I cry at the drop of the hat. My family’s nickname for me is the weeping willow.

3)      I’m afraid to fly but I once flew a plane for the experience of it.

If you could spend the day in your book would you? And what would you do?

Yes, I would love to be an observer in my book. Maybe an office worker at the precinct, so I could watch the interactions of Catherine and Louise the two main characters. I think that would be fun.

Do you have a favorite part of A Grand Murder? If so please share it with us and why it’s your favorite.

I love all the interactions between Catherine and her husband Gavin. I think it gives a different perspective on the character and shows her softer side. Of course, there’s also a scene where Louise accidently knocks a man unconscious that I think is funny, and Catherine get’s a lot of mileage out of it in the book.

Most writers are also avid readers, what are you reading now?

I always have one print and one audio going at the same time (my commute would be miserable without audio books). The print book is Web Thinking: Connecting, Not Competing, For Success by Dr. Linda Seger. All of Linda’s books are like gold to me, and I’ve read this one before but it’s worth reading over again. The audio of the moment is The Taker by Alma Katsu.

The age old question…… Coke or Pepsi?

Coke!

Any news to share for upcoming events, new projects, or releases?

Yes, A Grand Murder has an audio book release, which I’m really excited about. My Mom has macular degeneration, so I lobbied hard for an audio book.

What would you like to say to your readers and fellow writers?

To my readers, THANK YOU for choosing A Grand Murder, I feel so blessed that you would take time to read my book. An extra special thank you to those who have reviewed it, clicked a like button, or clicked on a star rating on various sites, doing so has given my little book legs. I am so thankful and humbled.

To my fellow writers I wish I could hug all of you. I know how hard it is to juggle everything in your life. If you are compelled to do this then you must keep writing.

Thank you Stacy for joining us in the Ludis and sharing a bit of your book and life. 

You can find Stacey Verdick Case at www.stacyverdickcase.com and Before the Fall Publishing 

A Grand Murder is available in paperback, audio, and for the Nook at Barnes&Noble 

Don't forget to leave a comment for Stacy or Gladiator's Pen to be entered in the drawing for a chance to win a signed print copy of A Grand Murder.  The winner will be drawn and announced on Saturday January 21st. Good luck and thanks for stopping by. 

5 Ways to Boost Your Word Count Without Cheating

Happy NaNoWriMo Site Launch Day and Fellow Writers Blog Hop! *whew say that 5 times fast :) To celebrate the gear up for November let's talk about 5 ways to boost your word count.... without cheating.

The daily word count needed to reach is 1,667 words. That doesn't seem like an unreasonable amount of words to write in an entire day. (Are they crazy? )  But there are days that life will interfere with our lofty noveling goals. Try one of these when your fingers start to slow.

1. Sprinting

Meet up with other Wrimos i person or online and see who can write the most words in a set amount of time. Most sprints are 10-20 minutes long. This is great for a tweet-up. You'll be amazed at how many words you can get down with a couple hours of sprinting. Not to mention the fun! 

2. Long Lost Friend /Relative

If you feel your scene is dragging or you just can't get those words out. Try having your character run into an old friend or relative while their out and about. Or even a phone call from them. You can add tons of words as they reminisce about old times or that Thanksgiving when Aunt Mable's cat ate the stuffing. Even if it's something you may edit out in the next draft it will breath some new life into your muse and pad that count! 

3. Disaster Strikes

A hurricane heading in, a freak F5 tornado, earthquake, flood, a 3-10 car pile up. Any one of those can add at least a couple of pages worth of wordiness. You have the before, during, and effects after that might even bring out some qualities you didn't know your characters had. 

4. Kill'em

Let's face it. Death is wordy. Not matter how or who gets bumped off you've get at least 4 scenes off a corpse turning up. The death itself, the discovery, the aftermath, and the funeral, lots and lots of words. 

5. Use Your Senses

You have 5 senses taste, touch, scent, sight, sound. Every single environment your characters walk into, or crash into in some cases, holds each of these elements just waiting for you to detail them. A car crash could have the scent of smoke and gasoline in the air. They would see broken glass, dented and crushed cars, hear someone crying for help or a sirens approaching, maybe a car horn. Taste blood from a gash, or if gas is thick in the air it will leave a taste on your tongue. They may feel the ache of injury or the rough edges or the broken plastic of the dash. Talk about filling the pages, just let your nose guide you.... literally. 

Okay there you have it 5 ways to get wordy and pad that word count. Now who's ready for November?  

Author Chat with Mandi Casey

We have another special guest this week. Gladiator's Pen welcomes author Mandi Casey to the Ludus as she tells us a bit about herself and her new book Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick. So kick up your feet and visit a while.

Tell us three little known things about Mandi Casey 

Well, the obvious thing about me is that I love to write. I have 3 amazing dogs that act like naughty toddlers when they don’t get their way. And lastly, I play a lot of Frisbee golf. The courses in Wisconsin are very beautiful and full of wooded areas. I love the sunbeams coming through the tops of the leaf-filled branches.

  

Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick is your latest book. Was there a part of the book you found harder to write than the rest?

Probably the ending was the hardest for me. I didn’t want it to end, I was really enjoying this story.

  

Do you have a writing routine or ritual?

I try to write every day, but that doesn’t always happen. I tend to give myself a word-count goal to meet every week. That doesn’t always happen either, LOL.

  

What is your favorite coffee house drink?

I’d have to say the caramel high rise at Caribou Coffee. It’s Sydney’s favorite also ;)

  

Do you have a favorite scene from Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick you’d like to share?

 I love when Sydney meets Blake, the story’s hero. He’s a pureblood werewolf, the heir to the Midwestern Werewolf Pack, and he instantly thinks Sydney belongs to him as his mate.

  

What inspired you to write about Vampires and Werewolves?

 I’ve been a big fan almost my entire life. The paranormal genre is what I really enjoy reading.

  

 Are you a fan of the classic monsters?

 I am, I do prefer the classic monsters and how there was usually some mysterious, dark romantic element to the stories.

If you could live inside of your book for a day would you, and why?

I’d love to meet my character’s in real life. Sydney and I are a lot alike in our values, so I think we’d get along great. The dark romantic intrigue in the story and the war for power of the city between the vampires and werewolves would be very action packed, and I’d love to be in the thick of things.

 Where can we find you and your books?

I’m on Face Book, I also have a blog at www.whoareyoucallingavampire.blogpot.com. My book will be release in October 2011, and will be available through www.soulmatepublishing.com; www.amazon.com; and www.barnesandnoble.com 

  

Do you have any news or up coming events you would like to share? Or even just a message for your fans.

 I am currently working on the 2^nd novel in the Sydney Sedrick series, this one will be a little hotter, have a bit more edge to it, and you’ll all find out what Sydney finally decides where Blake is concerned.

Thank you so much Mandi for sharing with us We're looking forward to Sydney's adventures. 

Alberta Ross Talks About Not Following Rule One and Giveaway

Gladiator's Pen welcomes guest Alberta Ross to the ludus. Thanks to parents who gave her a love for reading, music, and a curiosity of the world around her she became a world traveler for the first part of her life. For the second stage of her life she found a thirst of knowledge, and  the time has come for Alberta to share all of that though her pen with prose.

Alberta has penned the first two books of The Sefuly Chronicles, Ellen's Tale and The Storyteller's Tale. Today she will be sharing some of the wisdom she has gleamed from her writing experience.



So pour a cuppa and enjoy your reading then be sure to comment for your chance to win one or both books of The Sefuly Chronicles. Details will follow Albert's post.

How I didn’t follow rule one

By Alberta Ross

Rule One

 There is a right way to plan a new world, whether on this planet or another, in this time or some other, making sure there is a logic which works for that world.  If it be magical, fantastical or horrific there must be an underlying logic to be able to suspend our reader’s belief.  Some plan it out for months, with complicated notes and graphs.  Having to plot not only the geography of a place but its history, customs and legends as well is hard work but done well is an amazing achievement.  Everything melds and connects and is satisfactory, no holes, no gaps, seamlessly created the right way.

The Wrong Way!! 

 I will tell you about the world I created and the numerous problems that arose, many self-inflicted.  The Sefuty Chronicles are not set in a fantasy world; there is no magic to contend with, no strange beasts to accommodate.  This world is not set on a strange planet that has evolved its own ways.  My world is Earth projected into the future.  The southern part of this world dried up and burnt, whole starving populations began to move north.

We all know about this world, Earth, so logic must be applied even more ruthlessly.  My lack of forward planning became apparent very quickly in the writing.  It wasn’t so much that I was building a world, I was destroying one.

I took away fossil fuel.  We think we know what that would mean: no petrol, so no cars, no gas/electricity for heating and cooling – very unpleasant.  For a short story I might just have got away with it!

Ellen Tale was, of course, meant to be a short story!

However, when we think it through then we can see that the world loses the ability, overnight, to feed the population, well the Western world anyway. 

No man-made fertilisers, no tractors, lorries, ships or planes, no refrigeration. 

How to sow, tend and harvest crops?  How to process foodstuffs?

What would happen then?

I had caused Earth to suffer catastrophic climate change.  My thinking was that very quickly there would be major wars over dwindling resources.  I made all the defenders of land and water make extensive use of landmines.  I was basing the Great Climate Change Wars of my invented world’s history on the wars I have witnessed in 60+ years and projecting them only a little further into the future.  2060 is not so far away!

So now I have a starving world, wrecked by war, and a decimated population.  Everything, as I said before, is connected.  I removed one aspect of our life, fossil fuel, and added one, climate change; but one thing cannot be changed without a cascading fall of domino-like consequences.

In Ellen’s Tale, Ellen was the link between the City and a village.  As the short story expanded I found I was in trouble again because I did not know what to expect in each place.  Back to drawing board big time.  I had to stop halfway through and have a major rethink.

Because of the back history, these two places had been separated by major warfare and isolated from each other for fifty years.  I then had to consider how each would have changed socially and culturally.  How much of what we know now would change by 2111?  Without the planning at the beginning I had painted myself into various corners which proved difficult to get away from. 

For instance

 A village is imprisoned within a ring of landmines and there is no escape for fifty years.  Food is grown but the harvests are completely reliant on external circumstance such as pests, weather and local expertise.

How would our present day social obligations and rules change? 

How would population numbers be controlled?

How would those who cannot contribute to survival be dealt with?

Without contact with any government (remember those dominos, there is no radio, no computer, no communications) who rules the roost? 

And 

How do those in the cities manage?

 There is no fossil fuel to run the infrastructure.  Warmth, food, security at the moment all rely on fuel, and so the list of cascading dominoes goes on.

Food supplies to large urban areas rely on transport links.

Enormous populations crowded into small areas are a sneeze away from pandemics – our healthcare services rely on fossil fuel.

By the time The Storyteller’s Tale, the sequel, was started I had made my plans, organised my histories, started the different cultures and begun to really think through the consequences of my actions.  I know my world well now but I have had to untangle myself in the process. 

 Moral of this tale?  Think it through in great depth before you start and

 Apply rule 1) at all times!

**
Now for some Giveaway fun!
Here are the details for Alberta's Book Tour Give away
 Every comment to her blog tour gives you one chance to win, so find all her tour stops and make sure you say hello. You can get EXTRA entries by mentioning the tour on Twitter, Facebook or your own blog. Just let Alberta know where you've spread the word

At the end of the tour she'll draw 2 winners for the complete series so far and 3 runners up to pick the book of their choice.

Where can you find Alberta Ross and The Sefuty Chronicles?

http://www.albertaross.co.uk

Alberta’s official website 

http://sefutychronicles-albertaross.blogspot.com

where Alberta blogs about writing and self publishing

http://www.didyoueverkissafrog.typepad.com

blogging about anything she fancies

Alberta can be followed on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/albertaross

A Magical Book Signing at Raintree

Yup that's me... sorry if I cracked your screen : D

This past Saturday, I did a book signing event at Raintree Books. It's a wonderful new/used book store in Eustis, Florida. Being able to sign here was a very special moment for me. Raintree was the first book store I remember going to.

At about  7 or 8 yrs old. I can remember finding out that magic was real. My mom and I walked into the small storefront and looked at all the books in the little nook right where my table sat on Saturday.

Right in the heart of Historic Down Town Eustis, Florida 

There's a long counter that curves around a corner on the other side of the small storefront. You follow that counter around the corner and the magic happens. The small store becomes this huge one.

With rows and rows of books to explore. They have something for every subject you can imagine. The first time I saw it I was sure there was a wizard in there somewhere.

From the outside the shop looks average size, not big at all. Until you walk around that magical corner into pages of wonder.

Raintree's small storefront where the magic begins.....

Not only did I get a day of signing books. the chance to meet readers, and see my books on a store shelf for sale. I was given a chance to relive that special magic again.

And see a few other first time visitors experience it too. It was a magical afternoon at Raintree Books. I can't wait to go back.

Poof you have a book store 3x as big as the front part.
There has to be a wizard in this place somewhere. Maybe some
fairy dust involved? 

Something that makes every writer's heart skip Their books
on a store shelf. Truly awesome sight. :)