A Cheerleader in the Midst of Madness by Vonnie Davis

 

I've always had a problem with self-esteem. Sure, I knew I could raise some pretty terrific kids or cook a gourmet meal or ace a test in college, but I didn't think I could ever attain my deepest desire--to become a published author. Enter cheerleaders. Well, one especially. My Calvin--tall, slender, gray kinky hair, a quick smile and a belief I could do anything. Finding love at anytime in one's life is wonderful, but to find it after living alone for twelve years and nearing the end of what society deems "middle age" is an exceptional feat. I am a blessed woman.

 

It was Calvin who insisted I stop dreaming about becoming a writer "one day" and start tapping those computer keys "now." But the house, I lamented. I have housework to do. He accused me of making excuses. After more than forty years of making them, I suppose I'd become an expert at rationalizing why I couldn't write. Calvin was having none of it. This man with a Masters in American Literature took over the dishwasher, the vacuum and the toilet bowl brush. He now holds a graduate degree in Household Husbandry with a minor in Cheerleading.

 

Every afternoon, he makes me a cuppachino, frothing the milk stiff just the way I like it and carefully carries it to me, his tongue tucked between his teeth so he won't spill a drop on his clean floors. And, in return, I give each of my fictional heroes one of the many endearing qualities of my real-life hero. In my heart this bit of Cavin is what helps make them all strong and lovable.

 

So when the call came that THOSE VIOLET EYES finaled in the National Achievement of Romance Fiction Award, guess who leaped with joy? My knobby-kneed cheerleader. Every time he looked at me the rest of the evening, he grinned and said, "No longer will you say you're not good enough. Never again."

 

Who is your cheerleader? Who along your rough and pitted road to publication cheered you on? Who told you you can do this. Who helped you believe that through the madness of life--and there is SO much madness hurled at us--that you can achieve your goals? Who makes you feel you're a better person? This, my ladies, is love...sisterly love, parental love, friendship love and romantic love. What a precious gift.

 

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Vonnie Davis is an author of contemporary, historical, paranomal romance and romantic suspense. Visit her at www.vintagevonnie.blogspot.com or www.vonniedavis.com

 

Three Simple Promotional Goals for 2013 by Vonnie Davis

Some experts say blogging is passé. Gone with the wind. Old hat. I don't know that I agree. Or maybe it’s just that I don't want to think the method I love of connecting with others is going out of style. Especially since I've joined two group blogs this month--Tempting Romance and Chick Swagger. Wouldn’t that be just my luck? It would be like saving to buy a new pair of sexy red stilettos only to find pink flats were all the rage. Nonetheless, I plan on blogging my little heart out for as long as I can. I've met many lovely ladies via blogging, and I cherish them all.

I try to keep up with all the latest media trends. Well, to a degree. I learn a good teaspoonful of knowledge about every social media form. Too bad you  need a strong pint to make it all productive—and I’m talking knowledge here, ladies, not a pint of booze. My problem is I don't utilize things to their full potential. You see, beyond blogging, I dabble.

Take Facebook for example. I dabble at posting when I think of it, not on a regular basis like so many. I try to adhere to posting in thirds. One third of the time I promote other writers or their books. Another third is about me as a person, a grandma, a woman less than over-joyed about turning sixty-five in May. The last third is self-promotion. Sounds easy enough. Right? If only I could schedule it better, rather than doing it in fits and starts. I  have a page for my debut book with a handlflul of followers. I forget to post on it. I also have an author's page and, yeah, I forget about it, too. I invested in sticky "to do list" pads to slap onto my monitor. And I've forgotten where I put them. So all my posts seem to land on my personal Facebook account. Not the best, huh?

Twitter is like a racing, roaring beast to me. It goes too darn fast. Reminds me of a recurring dream where I'm on rollerblades going downhill the wrong way in one-way traffic. I can't seem to slow things down. I've been blessed by many invitations to join tribes on Triberr, so I'm 80% faithful in retweeting to promote other peoples' blogs, but I rarely take the time to go to Twitter to tweat in a personal manner. The whole twitter thing makes my facial tic do bizarre things to my vision. I can't quite grasp Twitter. I mean, who reads tweets? I can't. They fly into the stream too fast. Do I know the nearly thousand people on my stream? No. So why would anything they have to say interst me? I can't see how it all helps. I know. I know. I'm showing my age here. I'll have to learn this beast.

 

So, these three forms of social media--blogging, Facebook and Twitter--are on my "learn to live-by routine" for 2013. I'm going to continue to enjoy my blogging. I'm also going to try to post to my Facebook pages at least twice a day. And, by golly, I'm going to tackle that Twitter Beast. No matter how it makes that tic in my face twitch until my eye waters.

 

What about you? What promotional tools are you planning on using in 2013?

 

Vonnie Davis blogs at http://www.vintagevonnie.blogspot.com. Her website is http://www.vonniedavis.com. Follow her on Facebook at Vonnie Davis, Author or tweet her @VonnieWrites. Maybe the Indianapolis Speedway Twitterverse will allow her addled mind to see it.