Oh Jeez - Am I Being Pushy? by Brenda Whiteside

We're talking about fears this month. I'm not afraid of ghosts, and I do believe in them. I don't like spiders and snakes, but I wouldn't classify my squeamishness as actual fear. I've already covered my claustrophobia. But I do have a real fear of being pushy. There are family members who might laugh their heads off because when it comes to family and getting my way around the house, well, I might be a bit pushy.

The kind of pushy I fear is what is sometimes needed to sell your product or yourself. People don't like pushy and I want to be liked. Years ago, I sold cosmetics in combination with doing colors. Getting your colors done was a fad and I was a trained colorist. Using eye color and patterns combined with hair and skin tones, I could tell you whether you were a summer, winter, autumn or spring. Your season designation told you what colors your wardrobe should be. I would then give my customer a makeover with the proper makeup colors. The whole service was free, but I hoped to sell them skincare and makeup. I operated out of a salon for a while and the owner told me I had a marvelous soft sell approach. Ha. I had a soft sell approach because I didn't like to sell - to ask or close the deal. I had the same problem when I operated a craft business with my sister. I was dynamite at creating the home decor but had a terrible time getting it sold. It just feels pushy to close the deal.

Now, I'm a published author and guess what? I have to sell myself, have to encourage readers to buy my books. See, I say encourage because asking just seems pushy. And I want you to like me. Today is the third day of five free days for my newest release. It's taken all my effort to figure out how to spread the word and remain non-pushy. I went hot and heavy the first day with posting and emailing. I suppose I should continue, but when does it cross the line into pushy? It's been the most difficult part of being a published author - selling myself.

Amanda in the Summer is free still today and the link is below. Just a brief mention. Not exactly soft sell but hopefully not pushy. Is it?

http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

A Day To Be Remembered...Again

I have lived in the Boston area for the last twenty-nine years. My husband is from Boston and it’s our home. What a beautiful day Monday was. After an awfully cold and bitter winter, it was great to enjoy a day of sunshine, baseball and the Boston Marathon. Anyone that lives in this area understands the magnitude of the marathon, even if you have never run a race in your life.

My hubbie was off for the day. It was a holiday in Boston- Patriot’s Day. We watched the Red Sox win with a walk-off double against Tampa Bay. I called my mom. Right after I talked with her, she called right back and wanted to know if my kids were okay. Okay? I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about. I turned on the television. The next moment, the whole of the terror reigned down on me. Immediately, my husband was on the phone. Thank goodness everyone in my family was accounted for and was safe. Not all families were so lucky. In a blink of an eye, life changed once again.

For me the memory of September 11^th was vividly relived. My husband lost friends on a one of the flights from Boston. I remember every detail of that day as I’m sure I will Monday. Besides my writing, I work at a major hospital in Boston that received victims of the bombing. When I got to work that night, I had to walk through a barrage of police offices. Quite surreal. It puts life in perspective.  

EMBRACE OF THE ENEMY

Embrace of the Enemy—the second book in my series, Winds of Betrayal, is free today and tomorrow. Amazon offers these free days as a promotion to help with your sales. It’s a great way for readers to get a taste of your writing.

 Honestly, I feel strange running a promotion right after the bombing at the Boston Marathon. When you set your date for the promotion, you also set dates to promote your book. So the promotion is on going. Sometimes you make money from your promotion; other times you don’t. But I made a decision. Not only will I donate any money I make from Embrace of the Enemy but also the other books of the series. Winds of Betrayal is set during the American Revolution. It was inspired by American Patriots. So it’s appropriate.

All sale proceeds from the Winds of Betrayal Series from April 16, 2013- April 21, 2013 will be donated to the American Red Cross to benefit the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. This will include all three books of the series—The Cry For Freedom, Embrace of the Enemy, and Kiss of Deceit.

If the series doesn’t interest you, I encourage you to donate to the American Red Cross. ARC has always been there for us.

WINTER WONDERLAND

Perspective. Life is about perspective. How do we look at the events in our lives? This was my life last week. Nemo slammed hard. We were without electricity for four and a half days. I thought that was bad until someone I know started talking about her experience with Sandy last year. She had me beat—nine and a half days.

AMAZON US  AMAZON UK   BARNES AND NOBLE   KOBO

I write historical romance. I love history. I find it fascinating how people lived in the past. One of the aspects of writing is using one's imagination to conjure up a believable tale of the past. I feel sometimes I'm transported back in time when I'm engrossed in one of my books. I'll give you an example.

Writing Broken Legacy was difficult for me. The Reign of Terror was a real event. So many thousands of innocent people lost their lives facing Madame Guillotine. I literally had to thrust my hero and heroine into the midst of this madness. For a moment in time, I found myself contemplating what it must have been like to face the threat of the guillotine. I have to admit the more I researched the French Revolution the more fascinated I became. Did you know that most victims of the guillotine faced their deaths with a quiet dignity? I think I would have been fighting and screaming going up the steps.

AMAZON US       AMAZON UK

Writing the Winds of Betrayal series, I dove into learning about spy networks during the American Revolution. Again, I was completely mesmerized by the circumstances of the war and the consequences brave men and women faced. Studying history gives one a better perception of the sacrifices made for us to be where we are today.

Moreover, in all my historical books my heroes and heroines accomplish all their feats without benefit of electricity! I have come to the conclusion I would never have survived. I need my electricity. I want my electricity. I confess I am a wimp. I have never been so miserable as I was last weekend. But hubbie, my doggies and I survived.

So am I amazed at the Winter Wonderland surrounding me? Can I for an instant appreciate the beauty of what it looks like when an ice bomb has gone off? I suppose I can if I was in the comfort of a warm house with internet, food, and hot water. Oh, did I tell you that we are expecting another snow storm tonight?

Busy week this week so I hope I don't lose electricity again. First Broken Legacy, Book Two Secret Lives Series was released on Valentine's Day. Don't forget that Seductive Secrets, Book One Secret Lives Series, is a free ebook!

Also this week, the newly published, The Cry For Freedom, Book One Winds of Betrayal, will be free February 20-22! Kindle Freebie! Get your copy and let me know what you think! Coming soon, Embrace of the Enemy, Book Two Winds of Betrayal, will be released. Also, I'm still hosting the book give away celebrating the release of Broken Legacy. Check it out on Colleen Connally's blog!