Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Happy Double Birthday to Me by Alison Henderson

Tomorrow is my birthday, as well as the book birthday for BOILING POINT, book two in my Phoenix, Ltd. female bodyguard series. Although I don't usually do anything special to mark either occasion, this time I plan to cut loose. Six years ago this month, my first book was published, and tomorrow I'll be celebrating the release of my sixth book. (Much more fun than marking the occasion--once again--of being older than dirt.) 

Since I self-publish and control my own schedule, I chose this release date on purpose. OG usually takes me out to dinner for my birthday, and I've never done anything more than sit around anxiously on my book release dates. I'm not sure why that is. For some reason, I seem to be afraid to celebrate, even though each book marks the successful conclusion of a HUGE amount of work. Maybe it's a cultural hangover of being raised not to blow my own horn. (My mother's motto was, "There's always room for improvement.") Maybe I'm secretly afraid I'll jinx things if I make any noise. Whatever the reason, this time I've decided to do things differently.

For the first time, I've decided to spend a little money. Instead of begging my friends for free space on their blogs, I've hired a company called Loving the Book to coordinate a release day Book Blitz with a group of higher profile book bloggers than I could reach on my own. I'm putting UNWRITTEN RULES, the first book in the series, on sale for $.99 for the first three days and paid a couple of sites to promote it in hopes it will spur some sales for BOILING POINT. I've even paid Facebook to boost a few posts about the new book and have been pleased by the number of likes from complete strangers. It's quite possible none of these things will make the slightest difference in sales, but I've only spent a little over $100, and least I tried. Whatever the outcome, tomorrow night I plan to celebrate with OG over Yin Yang Salmon at my favorite restaurant.

BOILING POINT really is a fun book. Here's the blurb:

Zoe Hargrove’s first solo assignment as a bodyguard is off to a rocky start. On the way to her client’s lakeside estate, a pair of kamikaze bikers nearly runs her off the road. Upon arrival, she learns she’s expected to work undercover as a personal chef—a potential disaster since she can barely burn water—while secretly protecting the client’s pregnant wife from a potential assailant. To top things off, her culinary assistant will be the client’s latest invention—a robotic sous chef named GRAMPA.

And if that isn’t enough, the couple’s dangerously handsome chauffeur, who looks more like a prize fighter than a car jockey, glowers at her as if she’s about to steal the silver. Zoe soon suspects he’s hiding secrets of his own, but can she uncover them in time to stop the escaped criminal who threatens them all?

And here's a short excerpt to whet your appetite:

As soon as she transferred her weight, pain shot through her ankle and up her shin. She gasped and grabbed the bannister. Two seconds later, she was back in Nick’s arms.
“Put me down,” she hissed in protest. “It took me by surprise, is all.”
“Shut up,” was his only response.
She told herself she didn’t want to make a scene and risk waking the Prescotts, so she might as well settle back and enjoy the ride. It almost worked.
As he carried her up the grand staircase, visions of Tara flashed through her mind. Although he didn’t take the stairs two at a time like Rhett Butler, all she needed was a lush, red velvet dressing gown to transform into Scarlett O’Hara. Oh, and the anticipation of a night beyond her wildest dreams.
      That was so not happening.

BOILING POINT is available for Kindle and in paperback at: http://amzn.to/2cw9hPX

Wish me luck!
Alison

18 comments:

Diane Burton said...

Happy Birthday a day early. Enjoy. I am so looking forward to reading this book. It has such great potential I'm sure to love it. If you want a little extra support, let me know. Always happy to have a fellow Rose on my blog.

Jannine Gallant said...

Have a great release/birthday tomorrow! Good for you and your promo efforts. You'll have to let us know how your tour goes. Wilde One is on a Goddess Fish tour right now (joint with another author organized by my publisher). The only comments on the stops are by me and the tour organizer, but I've had a handful of new likes on my FB author page (where exactly 7 people see my posts if I include a link...grrr). This is a giveaway tour, and only 174 entries so far after a week and a half(people can enter multiple times), so I have to wonder if I'm selling any extra books because of it. They want us to plug each stop on social media, but the posts are all exactly the same. And my social media followers already know I have a new book out. Isn't the goal to reach new people? Sorry to vent on your post, but promo makes me crazy. I haven't heard of the company you're using. Hopefully they'll do a great job for you. The book is terrific, and I wish you many sales!

remullins said...

Happy Birthday and the book looks great. I will certainly check it out.

Vonnie Davis ~ Romance Author said...

Happy Birthday tomorrow! October is our family birthday month...Calvin, his son Kelly, and 3 of our grandkids.

I wish you lots of luck in your promo! You never know what's going to work, but we have to try something. Otherwise we're in a solitary void holding our book baby. Loved the samples you shared with us.

Alison Henderson said...

Diane, I hope you enjoy the new and improved version of the book, and thanks for the offer to be a guest on your blog. I'll see how the blitz goes and how tired I am of the whole thing. LOL

Alison Henderson said...

Jannine, I don't have big expectations for the Blitz. I just got a list of the 20 blogs where the book will be featured tomorrow. I'll pop in and out, but at least it's only one day. The whole thing cost me $35, plus the cost of giveaway books. We'll see what happens. May I just say, I HATE promo!!!

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Robin!

Alison Henderson said...

Vonnie, I've always thought October was the perfect month for birthdays. We have several in our family, too! You're so right about the promo--you never know what, if anything, is going to work, but you've got to do something.

Andrea Downing said...

Happy Birthday Alison, and good luck with the new book. I'll be interested to learn how the book blitz goes, too.

Rolynn Anderson said...

Sounds like choreography of the best kind, Alison. Why not celebrate big? Your new books sounds like such fun, especially with a robot in the menage. Happy sales to you!

Margo Hoornstra said...

Happy birthday and congratulations on the launch. Love that cover. I've used Goddess Fish before. Very good group. Do let us know re the promo, Alison. Maybe you've found the magic bullet.

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Andi. I'll be sure to share the results, assuming there's anything to report. LOL

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Rolynn. I'm loving the pictures of your trip!

Alison Henderson said...

I'm glad you like the cover, Margo. I hope it will catch readers' eyes, too! I'll report back on my promo results in a month or so.

Leah St. James said...

Congratulations and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Alison! How exciting! You should definitely cut loose. (I know, I'm older than dirt, too.) I hadn't yet read Unwritten Rules so just grabbed a copy on sale...thank you! Can't wait to read it. I'm sure Boiling Point will be next on my list! Wishing you much success!

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Leah. I don't know how much I'll cut loose today. I was too excited (nervous?) to sleep much last night. I hope you enjoy Unwritten Rules!

Brenda Whiteside said...

Late chiming in since I was fishing all day with the hubby. Have a wonderful birthday and release. Need to know how both go for you!

Alicia Dean said...

So sorry I'm late! Happy double birthday. Wow, love the cover and the excerpt. Ha, any time GWTW is mentioned, my ears perk up. :) Wishing you tons of success. Please let us know if it was worth your investment. :)