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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Promotion....how you deal with it

So, once upon a time there was a woman that had an idea about a contest. Woohoo, right? Yeah, not so much. My organizing skills..they suck!

I have a new release coming sometime next month. I'm in the midst of revisions as we speak. (OKay, not quite that literally, obviously I'm writing this blog post right now.)  I wanted to find a fun way to get my book noticed, to get the hype up BEFORE the release.  Then I thought, why not have other authors involved and make it a bigger event?

Needless to say, I had to make a decision today to postpone that contest, because I'll admit, I got in way over my head. I had the best of intentions, really. I just wanted to find a good way to make myself known (or at least, my book) I'm a self published author, so I don't have the backing of a publisher. I love, love love the freedom of self publishing, but it certainly has its drawbacks.

So my question: How do YOU do it? It's not as if I can afford an assistant, because I'm not really bringing in that much with my writing as a debut author.  Would that make my life simpler? Maybe. In some ways, anyway. But that's not happening at the moment. I'm knee deep in revisions, at a loss as how to easily and successfully run a contest to get the word out about a new book, and make it fun.

What has worked for you to gain the hype before a release? What's helped you when the book is out that isn't crazy time consuming, or uuber expensive?

And if anyone sees the smoke coming out of my ears with a new idea, before I jump the gun, just slap me and make sure I've got ALL the bases covered so I don't run around freaking out going "How the hell am I going to do this?"

I promise, as long as you don't leave any permanent marks, really, feel free to smack me. :)

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Sneak Peek Sunday- February 17

Hello! This is my first time in participating with Sneak Peek Sunday. I'm all excited but nervous at the same time.

To gear up for the release of Baby Stetson in about a month, I thought I'd share a sneak peek from that story. Now, this is unedited, first draft, but here's a teaser anyway.

Avery and Lucas have been fighting their attraction to the other. Avery has a lot on her plate with life, and Lucas is in town for reasons he can't reveal...but tonight, Lucas is going to give in to his feelings for once....



   I shouldn't have come in. Now it's too late. Now I'm going to-
  Oh hell. Forget throwing caution to the wind. Lucas was already a goner. He wanted Avery as much as she wanted him. He couldn't keep his hands off of her, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
  “I want you too, Avery.” Lucas pressed a kiss to her forehead. She fit so well right there. It had been a long time since he'd held a woman so close to him, let alone one that he cared about more than just lust.
  Avery repositioned herself so she could be face to face with Lucas. Her lips parted, and Lucas took the invitation and took her lips again. To finish what he'd started earlier. His cock strained in his jeans. “The things you do to me, Avery.”
   Wordlessly, she got to her feet and reached for his hand, pulling him up. She lead him upstairs. It was too late to turn back now. Avery took him to her bedroom. When she opened the door, he took in the sights of Avery's room. Beautiful. Elegant. Unique. Just as she was. He didn't know who started it, but the next thing he knew, they lay in a tangled heap on her bed.
   Lucas laid Avery on her back, leaning up over her. Her hair splayed all over the bed behind her, and she looked up at him with those kiss-me lips, her intense eyes, and creamy soft skin begged to be touched.   


There you have it! :)

Check here to see the other participants in this weeks Sneak Peek Sunday. Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday, February 15, 2013

How Well Do you know your Characters?



I hit a milestone yesterday. I finished the first draft of Baby Stetson, a contemporary romance.  The book comes in at just over 96,000 words. As i reflect on my thoughts of the story, and how it differs from how it's written, I wonder, how well do you know your characters? How much do they change and grow from how you originally created them during your writing process?

For instance-

There's a character in Baby Stetson that I hadn't planned on making him a 'good guy'  He's Avery's ex, and you'll meet him in the beginning of the book, but it turns out that I happened to like Jameson, and I didn't want him to be a bad character. He changed my mind. Now, Jameson will get his own story in the next Love and Music In Texas book.  Funny thing with that is, I'd had the heroine's story planned out for that book, although at the time, I didn't plan it to be a series, but now I want that heroine, her name is Melody, to be paired up with Jameson. It's perfect!  You'll even get to catch up with Avery and Lucas, and there will be some big happenings with the band.

I'd say Jameson was my biggest surprise, but he wasn't the only one.  There's a few others that surprised me with they way they turned out, but it worked out for the best.

I've also noticed that my last two heroes, Lucas and Jacob from The Secret Santa Wishing well, are both very jaded. I loved helping them come alive just by finding love.   And yes, fans of Jacob, Cheyenne, Ben and Desi will get to catch up on their lives too, as this summer I'll start writing Robin's story, and will of course include Cheyenne and Jacob's wedding.

Can I just say I love being a writer? Well, I just did say it, lol. But I do! I love creating stories of love and life, and yes, I cry and laugh and get angry right along with my characters. It feels great.

So tell me, how have characters surprised you in your books?  How much do you let them run away from your own idea and make their own?