August 14th, 2009 — About, Authors, Between the Sheets
If you're a LRP virgin, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. It's free and easy! See you tomorrow! ~Keira.
I have two thoughts on this subject. The first is of course! The second is heck no! In the end I decided to put together some pros and cons discussing the matter. Feel free to jump in with more ideas!
5 Pros for Authors Owning a Blog:
- You are the editor. You can treat it like a newsletter or diary. You get to decide what goes up and what doesn’t. Want to talk about your sex life? Go ahead, but it may be a little TMI (too much information).
- You’re easy to write about. Who knows you better than you? There’s so much you can take from to inspire others with: your writing schedule, writing process, writing life, future books, etc.
- Your fan base gets a regular update on your life. They came to you, they want you, if they wanted someone else they’d go look them up and follow them.
- Everything is somehow about you. Even with guest authors, they’re your friends and acquaintances, mentors, fellow authors, publicist, etc. so while you’re sharing the floor, you’re still in the spotlight.
- Increases Your Book Sales. It’s searchable and drives traffic to your main website and your books and can very easily increase your sales.
5 Cons for Authors Owning a Blog:
- Providing constant content. How do others do it? How do they provide fun quirky content day after day to keep readers interested and coming back? It’s a heck of a lot of work and can be stressful. You could be devoting that time to writing more books or personal time.
- Building a readership for a blog is tough. Why struggle getting noticed when readers and reviewers would gladly share their blog readerships with you? When something comes to you as a great blog idea, ask one of them to host it. Chances are they’ll jump on it (see last point). You’ll get coverage (and pro point five) and they’ll get good free content. It’s a win-win deal.
- Do you really want to get that close to your readers? You love them and hearing from them, but do they really need to know what you’re doing all the time? Where’s the line between the public you and the personal you?
- You’re not internet savvy. The idea of writing a blog gives you chills. You just master Google for research and now it’s time to start a blog? Which platform should you use? Is it easy to use? Does it look professional? You wouldn’t even know where to start!
- It doesn’t sound like fun. You would much rather read other people’s blogs than write one yourself. There’s no shame in that and really there are plenty of ways to get out in front of readers. Channel your time and energy into those and relax.
Middle Ground: if options one or two aren’t for you there’s always co-opting. You can easily share a blog with fellow writers in your genre or under the same publisher. That would cut out the time you’d have to devote to upkeep in both content and promotion. Plus it gives you another way to network and reach readers.
July 14th, 2009 — Beauty and Fashion, Book Intro, Contemporary, D-F, Guest Blogger, Lawyer, United States of America
By Marie Force, guest blogger.
Thanks for having me today and for the lovely review of my second book, Love at First Flight. I’m so glad you enjoyed the flight! I thought it would be fun to give your readers a taste of the book with an excerpt that’s never been made public before now. Enjoy!
As they left Baltimore and all their troubles behind, Juliana began to relax.
“How long will it take to get there?” she asked Michael.
“Six or seven hours, depending on the traffic on the Jersey Turnpike, the Cross Bronx Expressway, and in Connecticut, which is always the worst.”
“Do you usually fly or drive?”
“I fly because I never have much time, but I prefer to drive.”
“If I had this car, I’d prefer to drive, too.”
“Want to?”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He pulled over. “Really.”
Juliana clapped her hands with glee and jumped out of the car to change places with him. Once in the driver’s seat, she put on her seatbelt, shifted the car into first gear, and hit the gas.
“Jesus!” he said, gripping the armrest with alarm.
Juliana smiled at him. “Hold on to your hat, baby.”
“I’ve never gotten to Connecticut this fast—ever,” Michael said just over three hours later. “How about giving me a turn?”
Juliana smiled. “Nope. I’m having too much fun.”
He cringed when she darted between two semis. “You’re stressing me out.”
“Don’t look.”
“The way you’re changing lanes, I’ll puke if I close my eyes.”
“I never knew you were such a wimp.”
“You weren’t calling me a wimp last night.”
Snorting, she glanced over at him. “Just a tad bit full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Watch the road!”
Cruising along the southern coast of Connecticut, Juliana confessed that she hadn’t been to New England before.
“Never?”
“Nope. We didn’t really go anywhere when I was growing up. A daytrip to Ocean City was a big deal.”
He reached for her hand. “You didn’t have an easy go of it as a kid, did you?”
She shrugged. “It was what it was. Most of the time, it was just my parents and me since the next oldest—Vincent—was eight years older than me.”
“And your parents were unhappy together?”
“That’s putting it mildly. They fought like cats and dogs—when my mother wasn’t loaded, that is.”
“Your brothers and sisters weren’t around?”
“Not unless they had to be. They all moved out as soon as they turned eighteen.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Well, by then my father was heavily into his ‘extracurricular activities,’ as my mother called them, and she was hitting the bottle pretty hard. I just felt like I needed to be there with her.”
“So how did you end up moving out?”
She glanced over at him and then back at the road.
“Juliana?”
“Jeremy kind of put his foot down about it. He hates the way my family treats me, so he insisted I move out of my mother’s house and in with him.”
“He insisted?”
“He gave me the push I needed to do something about a bad situation.”
“Like an ultimatum?”
“Of course not.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He didn’t give me an ultimatum, Michael. It wasn’t like that.”
“It’s none of my business,” Michael said, looking out the passenger window.
Juliana tugged on his hand. “Hey. Don’t check out on me. What’re you thinking?”
“I forget sometimes that you’re not really free. Then I’ll remember all of a sudden, and it just kind of hits me right here.” He ran a hand over his gut.
She sighed.
He looked over at her. “What am I going to do if you go back to him?”
“Can we not do this?” she pleaded. “I don’t have to make any decisions today, tomorrow, or even the next day. Can we just be together for now?”
He studied her for a long time before he answered. “I guess we can do that.” Kissing her hand, he added, “For now.”
Have you ever been impossibly torn between two men? If so, how did you decide which one you belonged with? I’ll give one copy of each of my books—Line of Scrimmage and Love at First Flight—to two different people, so leave a comment for a chance to win! Already read Line of Scrimmage? Just let me know.
If you wish to discuss all the rules I broke in Love at First Flight, join me Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. EDT on my blog (http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com) for a Book Club discussion. Warning, there will be spoilers, so make sure you read the book before the party! I’ll be giving away some great prizes to participants.
Once you’ve read the book, come by my website at www.mariesullivanforce.com to find out how to enter the contest for the Love at First Flight Grand Prize gift basket. I’ll accept answers to daily questions about the book through July 15. The winner will be announced during the July 20 Book Club Meeting.
Buy: Love at First Flight
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May 28th, 2009 — Author Interviews, G-I, Love Triangle
Keira: Hi Jennifer! I'm so excited to have you with us today. Loved A Hint of Wicked; what was your inspiration?
Jennifer: My husband came up with the first idea for A Hint of Wicked.
We were on a long drive and stuck in traffic, and we and started tossing around book ideas. He suggested an irate husband walking in on his mourning wife with another man. The core concept has evolved since then, but I took that idea and ran with it!
Keira: Oh yes, two men! Sophie is in for a tough decision. Tell me a little about the men - what are their hero qualities?
Jennifer: Oooh! That’s a great question. You’re right—it’s an incredibly tough—and almost impossible—decision for Sophie.
Tristan is tall, dark, and handsome. He’s loyal to a fault, analytical, and completely devoted to Sophie and the family they’ve built together. He’s gone through years of grief and growth with her, so he understands how her mind works and what makes her tick. He “clicks” with Sophie—spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Garrett is blond, blue-eyed, and powerfully built. He’s intense, emotional, and possesses a deeply ingrained sense of honor. He has suffered tremendously in the past years, and that gives him a very dark edge that comes through in his actions. He and Sophie have loved each other unconditionally since they were children.
Keira: Could she just have both? Would Garrett and Tristan do that for her? No?
Jennifer: Hehe, well, let’s just say that, as an author who feels a strong connection to all three characters, it was a strong temptation to try to push the three of them together like that.
Unfortunately, though, Garrett and Tristan would have none of it!
Keira: In one sentence how would you describe their marriages to her?
Jennifer: Her marriage to Garrett, before he left for war, was the epitome of the blush of first love—romantic, exciting, and full of discovery.
Her marriage to Tristan is a comfortable partnership during the day and fireworks-passionate at night.
Keira: Would you make the same decision Sophie did in A Hint of Wicked?
Jennifer: If I were Sophie, I would! As much as I love both heroes, however, I know they’re destined only for the heroines they end up with in their books. I couldn’t barge in and separate either couple! That would be so wrong!
Keira: What is your favorite type of hero to read/write?
Jennifer: Oh my, that’s tough. I like all kinds of heroes, but I guess my favorites are those who truly love their heroines beyond anything in the world, and will go to hell and back at hundred times to win them. The heroes with that pure, focused, unwavering love for their heroines always give me shivers.
Keira: You said both men are passionate, and we readers love that in our heroes! What makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Jennifer: As a reader, bedroom scenes resonate for me when there is emotion involved, and when the scenes are crucial to the development of the plot of the story and the relationship between the characters. Mix that emotion and character development with big fireworks, and I’m a happy, happy reader!
Keira: What was the hardest part of writing a Hint of Wicked? The easiest?
Jennifer: I think the hardest part was straightening out the legal confusion while keeping my characters morally in the right and their children legitimate. I bought two books on the history of marriage and divorce in the UK, and wow, what a mire of legalities! The legal system in the UK at the time was extremely complicated, and this particular situation had very little precedent. The similar cases I could find were all associated with commoners, but with the aristocracy (especially dukes), things tended to be handled considerably differently. I finally consulted a legal expert who helped me straighten it out a bit. At times in the book, I found the characters beginning to talk in legal circles. In the end, I tried to keep it all as simple and clear as possible so as not to confuse the reader (or myself!).
The easiest part of A Hint of Wicked....hmmm. Well, it was probably finding the motivation to get it done! Not only was it my first contracted novel, it’s a story that’s very close to my heart. I finished it in record time!
Keira: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Jennifer: The second book, A TOUCH OF SCANDAL, will be released in April, 2010.
My website is www.jenniferhaymore.com
Thanks!!
Keira: Thanks so much Jennifer! It's been a real pleasure to talk with you! For more information on Jennifer Haymore and her books visit her website and check out her blog.
Buy: A Hint of Wicked
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May 22nd, 2009 — News, Paranormal
Here's the situation succinctly: Avon stuck its foot in its mouth.
Lynn S.: In our 2002 interview, you felt that the online world didn't have much of an impact on sales. Much has changed in the intervening years, and more and more people - including more women - are online now and use reviews as a helpful guide to the buying process. Has Avon changed its thinking in this area? Avon, also, seems not to include many online reviews in books. Are there any plans to change that policy?
May Chen: In my opinion, the online world still doesn’t have much impact on sales as, anecdotally, I’ve seen books get horrible online reviews but have done well. As far as I know, we still don’t include online reviews on our books, but that can certainly change if we see them start making a difference. Right now, the best endorsements for us still seem to be from NYT bestselling authors and from major traditional print reviewers.
Lucia Macro: Do the consumers recognize the source of the quote? I'm not sure that the vast majority of readers recognize all the online sites. When checking their rankings I'm often surprised at how little traffic they really get. We are all very plugged in, but many casual readers are just picking up a book at their local Walmart and barely have time to watch tv, much less wrestle the computer away from their kids. So an author quote might carry more weight with them.
Read the full original interview here.
This sparked a whole bunch of conversation and dialogue across many romance blog sites:
The whole thing as Jane notes is ironic and is summed up quite nicely by Amy of My Friend Amy in this Twitter message.
Pamela Jafee of Avon responds to the backlash with this comment on Lynn's post. She responds to the accusations in another comment stating that the quotes are direct without editing.
Right below Pamela's comment is one by Katie Mack linking to Jennifer Crusie's thoughts about author quotes on books and if I had any confidence in them before it's completely gone now.
What gets me most is that they assume because bloggers don't have corporate search engine ranks that we don't have power and additionally the assumption that was made about online versus offline. Before I started blogging, I did research online for books that I bought, yes I still made impulse buys, but I often gravitate toward books reviewed around the romance community. I don't really put faith in newspaper ratings for books or movies because oftentimes the reviewer is somebody who clearly doesn't share any similar tastes with me. They give it a 2 I give it a 4, they give it a 4, I'd never pick it up/go watch it even if you paid me.
As for the rankings... Alexa is complete bunk as most bloggers who blog about blogging say and they take it with a pinch of salt. Google Page Rank used to be highly sought after and now it's kind of a "well that's cool, I guess," rank. Alexa confuses me, but I do know a bit about Google PR. It's based on Log Base 10 mathematics. To jump one point you must be ten times more powerful than you were in terms of many things that are hard to quantify like: content relevancy, search relevancy, traffic, bounce rate, internal/external links, backlinks, etc. To jump two numbers you have to be hundred times more powerful; three numbers equals a thousand times more powerful, and so on.
Smart Bitches and Dear Author last I knew were both Google PR 5 (out of 10). Love Romance Passion is a 3 and I'm not quite a year old as a blog.
Think about that... that's a load of people and community sharing to build those numbers. We might not have the numbers of a corporate giant, and we certainly don't have the capital to push a book, but we're innovative and the numbers we do have shows just how big the romance community is online.
Google doesn't think we're bottom of the food chain, Avon shouldn't either.
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