Don't Fall For This!

 @GlenysOConnell

Like most writers, I love the writing part. Making up stories – or, as someone once put it, telling lies for fun and profit, is a great way to earn a living. And you’re never short of (imaginary) friends, so you’re never lonely, either.

But, also like so many writers, I’m not so hot on the side of the profession that involves selling. Not that I haven’t done it – as a freelance writer and as a ghostwriter, I made pitches, bid on work, and generally  pimped myself with the best of them. But selling my novels? Oh, dear, I become the original shrinking violet….

So like so many others, I look for quick fixes. Surely someone out there can help me grab the sales that would make me a best seller? After all, I know my books are good. Readers have, bless their hearts,  told me so. The ones that bought them, that is.
But there are so many other books out there - how to reach the right audience and get them to part with their hard earned dollars?

I worked in real estate in Toronto for a while, and I used to comfort wouldbe vendors with the words: “All you need is one person who falls in love with your house. Then it’s sold!”  And that is true.

There’s another saying we had, too, that applied to overpriced, eccentric, or homes that needed that euphemism: “Tender Loving Care”. We would roll our eyes and say: “Well, there’s one born every minute.’ And it was unfair, because some of those ‘fools’ who bought the homes no-one in their right minds would touch went on to renovate and sell on at a tidy profit.

What does this have to do with writing and selling books, you ask? Lots. Because there are many  sharks out there who will promise you the earth, moon, stars and the New York Times bestseller lists, all at a bargain basement price. There’s a reason why many of them do not deliver: simply, they’re promising the impossible. Besides, what would you do if you had the moon and stars???

Every day, it seems. I get Twitter ‘followers” at @GlenysOConnell who promise me tens of thousands of new followers for my account, for a ‘reasonable’ fee. I don’t follow back. Or open my wallet, either.

You see, there’s no point in buying tens of thousands of followers, even if these people could deliver. Am I crazy? Wouldn’t a gazillion followers look better than the 5000 plus I already have?

Well, no. You see, the folks who chose to follow me – and I follow back – are ones who, for the most part, are interested in  my work. They are writers who happily share tweets with me for my work in exchange for comments about theirs. They are people with similar beliefs who share information. And many of them are, bless their little hearts again, readers who like my books. Who probably will buy my books. Oh, how I love them!

But the secret is that they choose to be on my account. One follower, five, ten, or five thousands, are infinitely preferable to tens of thousands who aren’t interested, just got dumped there, aren’t readers, don’t share a philosophy, don’t even know who I am. And don’t want to buy my books. So why would I pay to have them on my list?

There are many companies out there who make similar promises but aren’t scams. Like the sites that offer to publicise your free kindle book. Sure, there’s a chance you might get readers that way. But have you seen how many other free books yours will be competing against for space on their newsletter pages? And then there are the ‘intermediaries’. The other day I got an email from a company that offered to get my book on another company’s site for $60.00. I went straight to the other company’s site and saw that I could list the service I wanted a $25 – 40 .  Not $60.00. Uhmmm.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t fall for those oh so very logical sounding offers that come your way, whether you’re a writer or in some other line of work where you need customers. . Investigate them. Ask other people in your line of work if they’ve tried them, and what happened. Most of all, think about what they’re offering. Is it worth the money? Is it something you could probably do yourself more effectively if you put your mind to it? Does what they’re offering even fulfill your need (like the tens of thousands of disinterested followers mentioned previously).

There will always be legitimate companies selling stuff you might not really need. That’s what sales are all about: “Gee, look at that! I never knew I needed it until they told me so!” And there are lots of scammers out there who talk a good talk and leave you out the price of their ‘miracle’ solution.

Think about what you need, and if what they’re offering is a) plausible and b) and this is a big one – does it fit with what you need, with your philosophy, and with the image you want to project?

As they used to say on NYPD Blue, Be careful out there!

*****My romantic suspense with a touch of the paranormal, Saving Maggie, is now one of ten books in a bundle from Crimson Romance, on sale at the 'steal' of a price - 99c for the bundle! It's titled Running to Love! Click here to take a look, or here for the free first chapter of Saving Maggie!

 

Falling with Grace Under Pressure by Jody Vitek

Please join me in welcoming Jody Vitek as our guest Rose today. Jody will be drawing two lucky readers to receive an eBook of Florida Heat. Thanks, Jody!

I’d like to thank The Roses for letting this water lily pop in for a visit. I’m so excited to announce the release of my third book, Texas Two Step, by Melange Books. Texas Two Step is a follow-up to my debut release Florida Heat. You first met Chad and Chloe in Florida, but now you get to read their story. This is a stand-alone book and has nothing to do with dancing.

My journey to publication for this book wasn’t my usual trek. Generally, I write at my own pace and submit the book to my publisher when it’s finished, but this time I was looking for a little help to pick up my slow writing pace. I wanted another book released by the end of 2015, so I contacted my publisher, Nancy, to see what it would take to light the fire under my butt.

The fire quickly turned into a bonfire and the panic set in.

Nancy had an opening available for a late November 2014 release in their new Satin Romance line. She asked if she should send a contract.

Holy Smokes!

I’d never written under pressure before. Although I had some of the story written, the completed manuscript would need to be turned in by August first to be released at the slated time. Could I finish a manuscript worthy to send to the editor within the next ... how many months? I had four and a half months to finish writing the book.

Contract signed, it was time to look at how I was going to actually finish by the deadline. I took my goal word count of 60,000 and subtracted the number of words I already had written. Then I printed the next four months of our family’s calendar and crossed out days I could not write, including weekends, and counted the number of days, for two out of the four months, I planned on as writing days. I took the word count number I needed to achieve, divided by the number of days devoted to writing and I had to write a minimum of 500 words per writing day. The other two months would be devoted to editing time to polish the manuscript. I could do this! My minimum daily word count was basically two pages.

Although the story had been started and I basically knew how it was going to end, I didn’t have the ‘in-betweens’ planned out. So I brainstormed the remainder of the book and got to work on writing. The story took off and I was exceeding my daily word count by the hundreds. Having rewards, such as delicious chocolates, for meeting daily goals helps. The manuscript was completed, turned into Nancy ahead of schedule and Texas Two Step is scheduled to release on November 6.
To

Bio

Born and raised in Minnesota, Jody has remained close to home living with her husband of twenty plus years, three children and a cat named Holly. Growing up, she enjoyed reading V.C. Andrews’ the Dollanganger series, starting with Flowers in the Attic, S.E. Hinton, and Stephen King to name a few. Today her tastes run across the board in fiction and non-fiction, in all genres.

She has traveled throughout the United States, to the Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. Between watching her son’s soccer games, maintaining one of the many scrapbook albums, gardening and being the COO of the Vitek household, she writes contemporary romances.

Contacts and Links

Website: www.jodyvitek.com

Email: info@jodyvitek.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jody-Vitek-Author/142820225824162

Twitter: @JodyVitek
Buy Links for Florida Heat:
Amazon  Melange Books  Barnes and Noble
Watch for the Florida Heat special from Oct. 25 through Nov. 1 - $3.99 at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords. 

Texas Two Step Blurb

Old family ties broken, childhood pain healed and true love revealed—one step at a time.

One phone call sends Chad Rogers back to the one place he’s been avoiding—home. Being at his mother’s side after she was shot, he faces the younger brother who tormented him during childhood and his ex-lover, Chloe Atwood. The reality of his feelings for her is stronger than ever and he confesses his love to Chloe.

Chloe Atwood is engaged to marry a family childhood friend. Chad Rogers steps back into her world, spinning it off its axis. His presence has her seeing her fiancé in a different light, leaving her to question their future life together. (Check Jody's Web site for where you can get Texas Two Step on November 6)

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A Tale of Two Feet by Betsy Ashton

I admit it. I'm awkward. I'm clumsy. I trip everywhere. Going up stairs. Going down stairs. On the flowers in the carpet. Blame it on my horoscope.

Let's take a quick look at sun signs. My sun sign is Capricorn. That fits. Earth mother. My moon is in Scorpio. Makes me moody. And my rising sign is Pisces. Pisces rules the feet. Not very well, I might add.

I was clumsy from the time I was a child. My mother saved tons of money on dance lessons. Two left feet would have been better than what I had. I didn't excel in anything resulting in balance until I learned to ride a horse. Then, I learned about rhythm, balance and fluid movements. My awkwardness declined as I became a better rider. My travails on horseback are best left for a different post.

I once tripped and launched a tray of cocktails at a table in a swanky yacht club. I was the waitess with the "Oh, Miss" name tag. I'd complained about a rip in the carpet for a few Saturdays. I warned the manager it was a trip waiting to happen. The trip happened. To me. Let's not go into detail but I will admit that the six people at the table were not amused to be wearing a variety of drinks. Not amused at all.

Have you ever been tripped by a wad of gum? I have. I stepped onto a large piece of what felt and looked like bubble gum on a sidewalk in Manhattan. New York, not Kansas. Down I went. I know that gum wad shaped itself into a hand, grabbed my ankle and flung me to the concrete. No one saw the hand, but I know it was there.

I've broken eight of my toes over the course of years. So far, the big toes are still in tact, but the others have suffered from tripping, kicking furniture or being stomped on by my horse.

I broke my right ankle and walked around on it for six weeks before it hurt so much I had to go to the doctor. The lecture he gave me reminded me why orthopedists aren't my favorite doctors. How did I break it, you ask? I fell off a sneaker out walking one morning at dawn. Rolled off a stone and down four inches of pavement to the dirt on the edge of the road. Sigh. I was so embarrassed.

Gradually, I became more sure footed, but only if I paid extra attention to where I put my feet. I still look down rather than out when I walk. I hold onto stair railings going up as well as down, since I'm more likely to trip going up. Don't know why. Just sayin'.

You can understand why I faced this topic of falling with trepidation. Oh hell, with terror. I didn't want to confess how incredibly clumsy I am. So I won't.

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of Mad Max Unintended Consequences available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The second book in the series, Uncharted Territory, will be released in June 2015. She lives for words and writing.

Plugging up the cracks (so nothing falls through)?

As I've mentioned, I'm working on a massive series and I found myself creating characters, then jotting down information about them, only to lose that information.

So I created a wiki to keep track of everything. It sounds really complicated, but it really isn't. As I get closer to publishing, I'll share the Wiki link with you. Suffice it to say, my wiki is my secondary brain when it comes to keeping track of hundreds of characters, many locations, and a plot that spans several years.

I do something similar for every book I write. I keep a little book notebook about the book and I split it into sections: Who, Where, Notes, Timeline, Details. I cut out pictures of houses to use in the book, floor plans, pictures of people, and jot down anything I want to in this book. I have one for every mystery I wrote, and it's come in so handy -- it's a secondary brain for each book where I can turn to find out my details.

Someday I may part with some of those old notebooks, but for now, I still enjoy browsing through them. It's like falling into the past and remembering the angst of writing and the fun I had when the book released.

My wiki is very like that, only it's digital, not paper. And believe me, it's come in handy to make sure nothing falls through the cracks!

J L Wilson
(jayellwilson.com)

Based on a True Crime by K.T. Roberts

Please join me in welcoming K.T. Roberts as our guest blogger today. She giving away two digital copies of her book so please read to the end and leave a comment. Good luck!

First, I’d like to thank you for inviting me to spend the day at The Roses of Prose blog. I’m always flattered when someone invites me to participate and it’s an honor to be here.

So today, I’m going to talk about the release of Deadly Obsessions, the third in my Kensington-Gerard Detective series. This, however, is more of a thriller than a mystery, so if you like the Lizzie Gardner series by Teresa Ragan, you’re going to love this one too.

Deadly Obsessions is based on a true crime that happened here in Arizona in 2009. For those of you who followed this story in the news, it took place in the Hillside Ranch area of Glendale, Arizona when Cynthia Langrall was murdered during her morning jog on December 21, 2009.

My story has some similarities, but I’ve mostly embellished the story to make it my own, hence the thriller aspect.

BASED ON A TRUE CRIME EVENT 

Three bodies and counting . . . a manifesto with a long list of names . . . an abducted child, and the killer is using a familiar MO that was the trademark of a serial killer still at large. Is it possible this so-called copycat spurred the Red Reaper into a jealous rage and he’s doing what he does best . . . killing? Or is this someone who’s having too much fun impersonating him and killing everyone on his list? 

When two unrelated killings take place, it sends the detectives into a tailspin . . . and now it’s a race against the clock before he kills the next person on his list . . . Detective Jesse Kensington!  http://amzn.com/B00KO42MU8

I’m extremely proud of this story. It’s the story that landed me a contract with Montlake Romance two weeks ago. To whet your appetite, I’m including an excerpt.

This excerpt is about Jennifer Smith who has been abducted by a cab driver while on her way to the NYPD to answer questions. The abductor has her chained in the basement. 

She jerked back trying to move away, but the shortened chains held her captive. And then she remembered the cab driver. He was creepy. She knew the minute she’d slid across the backseat, something told her to get out. She’d even glanced back at her aunt, but it was too late. He’d taken off like a shot and her aunt had already entered the hotel. She remembered pulling on the door handle, when the locks clicked into place…and then that smell. What was that horrible smell coming through the heater? That’s when she knew she was being abducted. But why? She’d even banged on the window that separated them but the cabbie paid no attention. He’d just stared at her in the mirror.

The sudden awareness of someone close to her made Jennifer shudder. His foul smelling breath made her gag, and when he starting licking her face, she thought she might throw up. “Get away from me, you pervert,” she screamed, trying to wiggle free from the constraints. “Let me go, dammit!” No answer, just his heavy breathing. And then, the touch of his tongue, sticky and slimy, gliding across her face caused her to shake her head vigorously hoping he’d miss her. But he wasn’t putting up with that. He grabbed her head and held it in place while he continued his deed and forced his tongue into her mouth. She bit down with all her might. He released an angry growl and shoved her against the cinderblock wall. Shooting pains flooded through her shoulder. She refused to cry out in pain but she managed to spit out his disgusting saliva hoping he was close enough that she’d hit him in the process. That angered him even more and the impact from his hard punch to her gut made her scream.

He finally spoke. “You shouldn’t have done that. Now, I have to punish you. She felt the coldness of steel prick her leg as it slid across her thigh. She felt a trickle of liquid slide down the sides of her leg and she knew she’d been cut. She jerked and released a loud scream.

“I love it when they scream,” The roughness of his voice irritated her as much as the blade of that knife. “You can scream all you want. There’s no one here but us.”

“Please mister, please don’t hurt me. I’ll give you anything you want. I’ve got lots of money coming to me.”

“I don’t want your money,” he sneered. “What I want is for you to understand what it’s like to have someone you love hurt you.”

“I never hurt anyone. Why are you doing this to me?”

“You use people, Jennifer. You use everyone in your life until you tire of them, then you toss them aside like that rag doll you had when you were a child. You did that to your mother when she married dear old Harlan.”

“How do you know so much about me?”

“Oh, because I do.”

“Do I know you?” He didn’t answer. “I begged her not to marry him, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Were you paying her bills?”

“No.”

“Oh, that’s right. She was paying yours.” He slid the knife across her other thigh and this time she screamed out.

She wondered how long she’d been there; wondered if the detectives would be able to track her? Find her before this maniac killed her? “Who are you?” she demanded.

He laughed. “You are in no position to demand anything from me or anyone else. And it was you who talked your mother into taking out that insurance policy because you wanted to be sure your meal ticket would always be there. Is that why you killed her?”

“No,” Jennifer said, “I didn’t kill my mother,” she shouted. “I loved my mother. She was wonderful to me.” Anger seeped into her chest and she fired back. “Did you kill my mother?”

He smacked her hard across the face and she began to cry. “That’s it. Cry,” he said. “You’ll get no sympathy from me.” He pulled Jennifer to her feet and removed the heavy chains, his voice suddenly changing from harsh to sympathetic. “Don’t cry,” he said and patted her shoulder as if trying to comfort her.

His sudden kindness confused her into thinking maybe he wasn’t going to hurt her after all. Maybe he just wanted to scare her into being a better person. She would do whatever he asked. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome. Are you hungry?”

She nodded. “I am.”

“Okay. Then open your mouth. I made a chocolate sundae for you and it’s melting.”

“If you’ll free my hands, I could eat it myself.”

“Nice try. I wasn’t around when you were a baby and I want to know what it feels like to feed one.”

Jennifer wasn’t sure she believed him, but he left her no choice. Maybe he thought he’d scared her enough. She opened her mouth and felt him fill it with something from an aerosol can.

“You’re going to love the taste of this whipped cream.”

Whipped cream wouldn’t have been her choice of food being this hungry, but just knowing she was going to have something to eat made her happy and she stopped caring what it was. Having ice cream was a child’s dream, wasn’t it? Jennifer tried to swallow but quickly realized whatever he’d shot into her mouth expanded. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t swallow. She was gasping for air. She started crying again, but quickly realized what little passageway she had left didn’t leave room for doing anything except breathing through her nose, and even that was bordering on impossible. Jennifer drew in a deep intake of air and filled her lungs, but that only made her lightheaded. The fumes from whatever he’d shot into her mouth was making her nauseous and she wondered if she’d choke on her own vomit? He seemed pleased by the noises she was making.

“You are such a fool, Jennifer. This is for your mother.” She jerked wondering how he knew her name—how he knew her mother. “Come with me,” he said pulling on her arm. He was leading her somewhere. When a rush of wind whipped around her she knew they were outside. Jennifer hated being cold, but the circulation of air was helping her breath better. All hope of getting away had now vanished. She tripped and his grip tightened helping her to remain upright. For some reason, the cold snow felt good on her bare feet, and for the first time, being cold no longer mattered. Nothing mattered.

I will be giving away digital copies of Deadly Obsessions to two lucky winners. Winners will be selected at random. All you have to do is comment on this excerpt. Winners to be announced at the end of the day.

Thank you for inviting me. I look forward to your questions.

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