Introducing Author Michael J. Sullivan’s Books

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Michael John Sullivan

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Michael John Sullivan, Author of two books and a novelette, was homeless at the age of 23 after watching his mother — his protector in a dysfunctional family — die from cancer. A year later his father asked him to leave. Riding a New York City subway train at night, his only companion was a green plastic bag of belongings. During these bleak days he began writing his most reflective and emotional childhood and adult memories now featured in two of his novels.
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Necessary Heartbreak

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Necessary Heartbreak

Michael Stewart has lost his faith and is overwhelmed by the demands of raising his precocious fourteen-year-old daughter Elizabeth. When he and Elizabeth find a cellar door in the floor of a church basement, they discover a tunnel that transports them back in time to Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Christ’s life. There they encounter numerous characters including Leah, a grieving widow; a menacing soldier who is determined to take Elizabeth as his own; Judas on the last night of his life; and a close-up of the man, Jesus. Trapped in the past, Michael comes face to face with some of his most limiting beliefs and realizes he must open himself up to the possibility of a deeper faith in people, himself, and love if he is to ever find his way home.

A captivating and spiritual tale, Necessary Heartbreak will leave readers moved and transported.

256 pages, $10.69  Amazon.com/dp/B0033DDIVY

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Everybodys Daughter

 

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Everybody’s Daughter
What if you had a chance to ask a loved one for forgiveness – after they died? What would you say?
Would you give up your own lifetime of happiness for someone else?
Michael Stewart confronts these questions as he travels back in time through a mysterious tunnel in an old church when the Romans ruled with brutal violence and Jesus preached his peaceful message. 

His Teenage daughter Elizabeth soon follows Michael, but is surprised to discover that her father is nowhere to be found. Little does she know that Michael has returned safely to the present, leaving her to battle a vicious Roman soldier.

Separated by centuries, Michael is trapped to fight his own battles in the present day. Elizabeth’s disappearance, and the discovery of her blood in his car ignites a rush of judgment as the FBI focuses on him as a person of interest. Michael’s only hope for saving his daughter rests in the hands of his best friend – a local pastor with secrets of his own – and a mysterious old journal containing tales of miracles within the walls of the old church itself.

Thrilling and suspenseful, Everybody’s Daughter takes readers on a miraculous journey of their own, where salvation can be found in acts of sacrifice and hope remains forever eternal through the passage of a tunnel.

330 pages, $3.47  Amazon.com/dp/B007A2SQ8O

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An Angel Comes Home

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Novelette “AN ANGEL COMES HOME”
Michael John Sullivan: “Over the past decade I’ve been working on a time-travel trilogy, occasionally reflecting back to my childhood and young adult experiences and incorporating it into the plot. While the hardships of spending nights riding a subway train were an emotional and sometimes physical burden for me, there’s been a wonderful conclusion to this period of time.”

“I’ve been able to heal while writing NECESSARY HEARTBREAK and EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER . It’s also given me a chance to reflect upon the story and the characters and what they truly mean to me. I decided to write a prequel to EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER, a novelette. I felt it important that the reader should know who George Farmer was in more detail and to bridge the gap between the two books.”

“There’s a twist, too, in showing the relationship between Pastor Dennis, Michael Stewart, and George Farmer. George was a man of strength, love, faith and hope. Perhaps someday you’ll run into someone like him. Or better yet, you already have.”

99c   Amazon.com/dp/B00B7FIJHI

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Enjoy Sullivan’s books as much as his many readers did:  “I’ve been truly blessed with the opportunity to review all these wonderful novels and if you haven’t read any of them, you are truly in for a treasure. ” and “Eagerly awaiting Sullivan’s next book. ”

Michael J. Sullivan can be reached on https://twitter.com/AuthorMSullivan
or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-J-Sullivan/237943096234593

 

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Amazon acquires Goodreads

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Boon or Bust for Small Publishers?

Just dreaming of a quiet Easter, when one after the other news message comes in:

Marketingpilgrim.com
“Goodreads now has 16 million members and a book rating and reviewing system that can’t be beat. In addition, there are genre specific social groups, groups for writers and hundreds of daily book giveaways. “Over just the past 90 days, members have added more than four books per second to the “want to read” shelves on Goodreads.”
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Amazon explains:
“Amazon and Goodreads share a passion for reinventing reading,” said Russ Grandinetti, Amazon Vice President, Kindle Content. “Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world. In addition, both Amazon and Goodreads have helped thousands of authors reach a wider audience and make a better living at their craft. Together we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike.”
Goodreads says: 
“Our members have been asking us to bring the Goodreads experience to an e-reader for a long time. Now we’re looking forward to bringing Goodreads to the most popular e-reader in the world, Kindle, and further reinventing what reading can be.”

New York Daily News Blog writes:

Amazon now owns both Audiobook retailer Audible and Goodreads, as well as its own robust publishing arm. This should improve the Seattle-based giant’s position against competitors, which lack their own supporting social media networks. Barnes & Noble, in particular, is set for challenging times, with Nook sales are set to suffer even further.

“Out of all the commenting about books, Goodreads was the most powerful ecosystem for recommending what you read next and Amazon was a close second. Now it’s just Amazon… With the collapse of the Nook, [Barnes & Noble have] lost the online game and we just have to count out the final steps,” said Thad MacIlroy, a Vancouver-based publishing consultant, in an interview with Digital Book World.

Salon.com author Andrew Leonard writes:  “A shudder went through the entire world of publishing Thursday afternoon, after Amazon announced the purchase of the social reader site Goodreads. When people who normally eschew Hitler analogies compare an Amazon move to the Nazi invasion of Poland, it’s time to pay attention. Or as author Alex Irvine immediately tweeted,“Next, publishers will be required to dig own graves.  Goodreads, according to Salon’s own publishing maven, Laura Miller, “was the single major readers’ community independent of Amazon.” But maintaining that independence has not been easy.”

And now, they have been acquired by Amazon… More in news:

Exiting news about Goodreads

An emotional day for the co-founders of Goodreads
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Reader Statistics: How to Use them for Your Book’s Success

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Did you know that the main driver of e-book purchases is “referral by a friend”.  Number two was Media (including Social Media) and number three of the answers was Goodreads – the world’s largest reader community – as well as the Goodreads Choice Awards. 
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Equally important for authors should be the follow-up question in this survey: “What do you want to do once you get to the end of a book?”
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83% wanted to see what else the author had written.
75% wanted to find more books similar to what they just read
69% wanted to discuss the book with friends
35% read other people’s reviews
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Why not give readers exactly what they are looking for?
How can you achieve this? Add a highly visible link to your upcoming e-book – and a link to your author page on Amazon, B&N, Kobo or wherever you sell your book, plus one to your website and your Goodreads page at the end of your first e-book!
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Equally important: link to your mailing list.
To be successful, you need to have a list of people who have signed up to hear about your new releases. You will benefit from more initial sales, which will boost your rank and push you higher on new releases lists, plus other genre lists on Amazon and in other retailers ranking.

To make sure, even people who browse only and read the “look inside” feature of the Amazon website, add these links at the beginning of your book as well.

Every time you publish a new e-book, update these front and back pages of your previous books, as well as your Author Central page on Amazon, and make sure that it is updated with every book.
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“What’s Going On With Readers Today?”

It was the title of the poll, which was introduced at the “Tools of Change Conference 2013” in New York last month. Interesting fact in these statistics: readers are about two times more likely to learn about a book on Goodreads, than on Amazon!

As you can see, this is exactly what Goodreads’ site offers to their 15 million book lovers / members:

• browsing all the books of the author they read
• finding similar books to what they liked
• seeing what their friends read
• reading other member’s reviews
• deciding what to read next
• discussing books in their numerous communities

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The best course of action for every author – if not already done – should be:

1. Join Goodreads and invite / add as many friends as possible, which is very easy, just read a former blog post where we described it.
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2. Don’t forget to add the “Top Readers”  and the “Top Reviewers”  on Goodreads to add as friends. Only friends can recommend your book to others, you can’t do it!
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3. Fill your book shelves on Goodreads with lots of books from your friends, read, review and recommend these books to others (and let your friends know about it : ) Most likely they will return the favor.
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4. Learn about and use the many free features on Goodreads, such as “events” for your book signings and KDP free days, join one or more of their book communities in your genre, create Listopia lists,  participate in “creative writing”, just to name a few fun activities on this site.
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5. Make sure that each of your books is listed on Amazon, even upcoming ones are mentioned and that your author page is updated. Don’t forget all these other communities you might have joined, and update the list of your books there, e.g. in Amazon communities.
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6. Add links for your next and all your already published books: on the first and the last page of your e-book, to send readers to your author sales pages of all online retailers your books are listed with, to your website / blog and to your Goodreads author page.
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7. Try to get as many reviews on Goodreads as possible, do frequent giveaways, garnering reviews and recommendations.
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What an easy and totally free way of advertising! Yet, many authors are not using this small trick … Have you prepared your digital books already with links to your other books?

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If you would like to get help in all things publishing, have your book heavily promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites: We offer all this and more for only a “token” of $1 / day for 3 months. Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/seminar

If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 700 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://pinterest.com/111publishing/
http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS    111Publishing @ Google+

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What Should Writers Do: Begging or Selling?

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Dean Wesley Smith

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Dean Wesley Smith wrote a great, although somewhat blunt post:

“If you follow an old model, you send your manuscript to either an editor or an agent: Imagine yourself standing at the door of a restaurant in ragged clothes, hat-in-hand, begging for some food. You have no bargaining power, no position to try to get a decent contract (meal). And if you are with a slush-reading agent, imagine that you now only get a part of what little bit of food they are willing to toss you.

If you follow the new, indie-publishing model: Imagine you own your own business. You have money coming in the door, have customers, and a growing list of products. A representative of a major corporation shows up in your store and asks to buy some of your product for their company. You know what the product is worth and you know you can get decent contract terms. They have come to you, into your business, and it is an even bargaining position for both of you, business to business. They want what you are selling. You can decide if the money and terms are worth for you, selling it.”
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He writes (in a nutshell):
“I have no idea

• why any writer would spend so much time writing a book and then not allow that book to earn for them while it was being looked at by traditional publishers.
• why any writer would send any manuscript into a traditional, old-style slush pile.
• why anyone would even think of sticking with the old model of begging at a publisher’s door with a manuscript in a  slush pile.

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Just as we had to learn how to do cover letters and synopsis of novels that would help our books sell, the writers of today need to learn how to do covers and cover blurbs and tag lines that will help their books sell.”
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Read the whole story, in which he explains where the word “Slush pile” comes from and how publishing / author-publishing evolved in the last 70 years. Very interesting read for authors, new and established:  http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=8787

Dean Wesley Smith is also the Author of The New World of Publishing  A Hard Look at the New World of Indie and Traditional Publishing among dozens of others in a variety of genres.

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Gratitude for 160,000 Readers – and Apology

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Today’s post is a big THANK YOU to all my readers of the last 22 months. 

Thanks for signing up, coming here day for day, and for recommending this blog to your friends and

fellow writers. And thanks for writing comments – of which 99% are praise and encouragement.
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I really enjoy writing these tips for authors and if I would have the time, I would write even more.

Well, time constrains … working on my computer, often for 16 hours a day, including weekends, I still

cannot follow up with everything. I am giving lectures in publishing and book marketing and have to

travel extensively and when I am back in the office, I struggle to make up for the time lost. My clients

who signed up for book marketing need help and advice, new books have to be created, articles to be

written, meetings with our computer whiz, social media tasks to be full-filled… the chores are never

ending. But I am sure, most of you have the same struggles.

Last night I was  shocked when I discovered that I had not yet answered 492 comments during the

last months. It’s not that I haven’t seen them from time to time, but always in a hurry to finish my blog

posts, I thought I will answer them later, and did not realize how many have finally accumulated, who

needs approval or answer. I immediately stopped and started to work on these, but certainly could not

finish them all and will work on more these days.
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Sorry to all of you who did not (yet) get a reply:  I really appreciate your comments a lot!  And I am

extremely thankful for such a loyal following.  Please bear with me :  )  even when I am not answering

immediately.  Please also know that English is not my mother language and I am writing

constantly with a dictionary and a Thesaurus on my screen, which sometimes slows me down a bit.

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Again, thanks for all you comments and your loyalty and I hope, you will get lots of encouragement,

from reading these tips  and implementing it into your publishing and book marketing career.

All the very best and have a great Easter week.

Doris

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3 TOP Reasons to Have Your Book on PINTEREST

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You might be addicted to Pinterest already. And I am the first to confess, it’s fun to browse their site and pin away… After all, it’s the third largest social network in North America. There are lots of reasons, not only female writers should be on Pinterest, just everyone who sells books or other items can benefit tremendously from joining Pinterest. Can it really help you sell more books? And how to sell your book via Pinterest?
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1. By showing your book on Pinterest
It means not only, to pin the cover image, but also illustrations and images representing the content of your book. Let’s assume you wrote a historical novel and the heroine lives in Scotland. It means you can show tons of images regarding to your story. Get them on free photo sites, use links we posted in former blogs. To find them, just type in free images into the search function at https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com

Search on these free photo sites for landscape photos of Scotland, antique furniture, dresses from the period, recipes… the list goes on and on. Possible board topics at Pinterest could also include book quotes, books turned into movies or book inspired art. Create a separate page for each of these topics, and in no time you will have dozens or even hundreds of “pins”, which makes it interesting for your visitors to browse your books’ Pinterest page.
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2. By creating a direct link to your sales page
Pinterest drives more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn, combined. This means if you want people clicking through to the book page on your website or on Amazon, B&N or Kobo, Pinterest may be your best bet. Don’t post only your books. Treat it as a way to share things you love. Visitors to your page will be happy to “meet the author”.

And this is how your visitors can find – and buy your book:
Add a description of your book, the direct link to your sales page and add the price after the description with a $ sign. Example: $2.99. Pinterest will place the price in the upper left corner of the image. Pinterest will automatically link to your site or product when a person clicks on it. For example:  http://pinterest.com/pin/262053272040143005/
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3. By writing about your book & adding your book trailer
Your presence on Pinterest invites your readers into your life and gives them a reason to buy your books. Keep your presence welcoming. Have a dialogue and re-pin some of their images on your site as well. And if you are an established writer with several books, create separate Pinterest accounts and pages for each one of your books.

Writers who already have a personal account on Pinterest will be able to convert it to a business account. The process to open an author / business account with Pinterest is very easy and really fast. Visit their sample sites to learn more. Use Pinterest’s buttons and widgets to make it easier for people to pin items from your site, see what you’re doing on Pinterest, and follow you or your boards.

Unlike Facebook, Pinterest users don’t have to restrict their searches to information pinned on their friends’ walls. Users can choose to search the entire site. So while a user may not be following your profile, they can still look at and click your link even if they don’t re-pin the link, they will find your books’ sales page.

However, not only photos, also videos can be posted, which means you can add your book trailer (video) as well!
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Pinterest is the hottest social media tool right now. How do you make your Pinterest page work for your book business? Have a look at these pins: Maximize Pinterest for your Business!

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/  to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 980 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://www.111publishing.com
http://www.e-Book-PR.com/
http://www.international-ebooks.com/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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“Grace Unexpected”, a Romantic Comedy by Gale Martin

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Today we meet Gale Martin, the author of Grace Unexpected, the dating life of a 30-something: Grace has slogged through crummy jobs and dead-end relationships with men who would rather go bald than say “I do” …    

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How would you describe your book to someone who has not yet read it?
Grace Unexpected is a romantic comedy about a smart, fun-loving professional woman who blunders into an unexpected romantic triangle.

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Grace Unexpected by Gale Martin

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Grace Unexpected has a promotion on Sunday, March 24, and is available at all retailers for only $0.99.  So, readers can take advantage of this amazing offer and download chick-lit at its finest. Wit, drama and surprise fill every page. A 5- star read. 273 pages of fun!

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Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?

Love will find you, if you let it.

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How did you get the idea for the novel?
I don’t travel to the extent that a lot of people do, I suppose, so any trip I take makes a profound impression on me. When I visited Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire in 2005, I couldn’t stop thinking about the place. Everyone’s lives were so neat and ordered and prescribed. The idea of a place for everything (and everyone) and everything in its place is attractive, to a degree, until it becomes stifling.
So, when I learned men and women were expected to live in celibate community in Shaker Village during the 19th and most of the 20th centuries, it profoundly affected me. I am a better person for having found a wonderful, loving man for a life partner. The more I thought about it, the more severe it seemed to restrict an entire culture of women intimacy with the opposite sex while LIVING alongside men. I wrote a short story about Grace visiting Shaker Village that eventually evolved into a novel.

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Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“I absolutely LOVED Gale Martin’s, Grace Unexpected and recommend it to anyone who loves chick lit. Grace Unexpected has it all: sexual frustration, great friendships, witty dialogue, hilarious scenes, and even a shocking twist thrown in that will shock you!  Do yourself a favor and read this great book, you won’t be disappointed!” — Candace Lybarger, Endless Days of Literary Ecstacy

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Are your characters based on real people?
My characters are inspired by real people because real people are hilarious and infuriating and endearing, alternately. In this novel Lacy is is several wretched annual fund directors rolled into one treacherous young woman. True was inspired by a very charismatic 60-something I met when I was 30-something, whose charm and physical appeal left an indelible impression on me.

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What inspired you to start writing?

After being a lifelong reader, I woke up one day in midlife and started writing a novel. It helped me deal with a lot of heart hurts I’d accumulated but hadn’t surfaced since my teenage years, and I found the writing to be actually pretty cathartic. So, I began writing at age 46 and haven’t stopped writing since.

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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?

Here’s an excerpt of a review from Barbara Bamberger Scott that shows she gets me as a storyteller: “Martin has taken a likable smart young woman and dropped her into what seems like an overwhelming series of landslides (relationship woes, job stress, sprained shoulder, car on the blink, enemy of the powerful) and then it seems, she watches with us as her character comes alive and digs herself out. We are all amazed at Grace.”
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If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be? Today on Oprah we’re talking to women who fell in love with much younger men and women who fell for much older men. Can relationships with either (or both) can really work? In Gale Martin’s newest novel, her protagonist Grace Savage becomes involved with one of each–a young stud and a silver fox.

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Gale Martin

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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?

Beginning on p. 171 — “If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know they all ripen the same day. You wait all of June and July for zucchini. August rolls around, and one day—bam! You have more zucchini than you know what to do with. You start handing them out to your neighbors and friends at work because there’s no way any single person can handle all that zucchini. Not even if you’re smart and resourceful and have accumulated dozens of good recipes, not even a person who likes zucchini as much as I do.”

I love that passage because it shows how funny and literary Grace is, relying on an extended metaphor to carry the humor.
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Grace Unexpected can be found at Amazon

Barnes&Noble  and Local Booksellers / Kobo

Grace Unexpected has a promotion on Sunday, March 24, and is available at all retailers for only $0.99.  So, readers can take advantage of this amazing offer and download chick-lit at its finest. Wit, drama and surprise fill every page. A 5-star read. 273 pages of fun!

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Phantasy Baseball: It’s About a Second Chance

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Phantasy Baseball by John A Hoda

The Author John A Hoda:

“When a Little League coach wins a trip to Phantasy Baseball Camp, it sets in motion an unforgettable season with his beloved Philadelphia Phillies.

Joe DiNatale, a thirty-nine-year-old insurance agent from Reading, PA, discovers that he has a magical pitch and through luck and circumstance receives an improbable try-out.

Nobody is prepared to handle the instant rock-star celebrity and this average Joe has to hold on to his home-town values for dear life.

The ride gets bumpy during the All-Star break on and off the field, setting the stage for an unforgettable finish.
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From the simple act of a child and parent playing catch, to the bright lights of a packed big-league stadium, John A. Hoda captures the game and how it can intertwine itself into the fabric of a family and a community.”

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We pick up the story where Joe’s picture-perfect marriage is crumbling, wrecked by his only child’s drug and alcohol abuse. His last days as a little league coach ends with a surprise at the sports banquet. Little does Joe realize the real import of winning the grand prize.

In a world where second chances are few and precious, follow Joe’s remarkable journey for a baseball season like no other. You will want to come along on Joe’s magic carpet ride when you see that it’s more than just what happens on the field.

Phantasy Baseball is available as e-book and soft cover: Amazon.com/dp/B00BBFU0V2
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Phantasy Baseball book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqnmR9YvzCM

John A. Hoda, a Baseball fan from toddler-age on, has good stories and tells them well. He is a former police officer and insurance fraud investigator. He is presently a licensed private investigator and missing heir researcher. He is a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan. A lifetime athlete, he has run marathons, played semi-pro football and adult softball. He has produced, directed, written and acted in amateur theater in New Haven, Ct where he resides with his wife Gloria. John has written articles in PI Magazine and is the creator of the DVD: The Ultimate Guide to Taking Statements. His cases have headlined in The Philadelphia Inquirer and New Haven Register.

Visit John Hoda’s website at phantasybaseballnovel.com

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MUST READ for Authors to Avoid Pitfalls

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Writing is an art. Publishing is a business. If you want to sell your book(s) and not just write for your own fun, better get a thorough understanding of the publishing business and what to look out for when making decisions how to get your book to readers.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch wrote a fantastic blog – a warning to all authors, who are thinking about having a service provider (who call themselves publisher) to handle e-book formatting and posting the e-book to all online retailers – for 10 – 15% of your royalties.

Seems convenient to the author… So convenient that they don’t even bother to read the agreement, which can be VERY COSTLY in the long term.

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The essence of her warning: “If you don’t have the time to self-publish and you don’t have the
money to pay someone up front, then don’t do it. That’s so much better than signing with one of
these scam artists.”

Please, please, people. Be smart. Don’t sign with any company to design your e-books and handle
your social media for a percentage of royalties. And please, please, read all the agreements that concern your books before you sign or click “agree” on anything.

Make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to, and if you don’t understand it, ask an
un-involved third party like a lawyer to help you understand. Don’t call the e-service and ask them to
explain their agreement to you. They’ll tell you not to worry your pretty little head about it. And if you
listen to them, the mistake is yours.”

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Read her blog post and if you have signed up with any of these “service” companies, take out your contract (if you printed it out) or go to their website and read it line for line to learn what you gave con sense to – and self-publish your next book by yourself – real self-publishing by you, the author!  Get more help in reading publishing contracts from us in individual book marketing sessions with you.
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Kristine wrote a lot more articles, each one giving authors insights into the publishing world, along
with lots of warnings:

Trust me – Whenever you hear this – RUN

Royalty Statements

Use common sense

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/  to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 970 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
http://www.111publishing.com
http://www.e-Book-PR.com/
http://www.international-ebooks.com/
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS 111Publishing @ Google+

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Book Launch March 20: Kentucky Rain

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Jan Scarbrough did it again: she wrote a new romance in her Kentucky series, Kentucky Rain

Kate Lawrence is a recently divorced, single mom who is ill-prepared to make it on her own. She moves to her small Kentucky hometown to create a new life for her daughter and herself. Carrying emotional baggage with her, Kate is not sure she is ready for the man she finds living right next door.

A confirmed bachelor, Scott Gray thinks he’s gotten over Kate, but when he finds out who his new tenant is going to be, he’s surprised at the depth of his reaction. Carrying a torch for someone who hasn’t given him a thought in years is ridiculous. There’s no time like the present to move on. But does Scott really want to?
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Reviews for Kentucky Rain
“I am never disappointed by anything written by talented author Jan Scarbrough. Kentucky Rain, her latest ‘reunion’ story, is an emotionally satisfying read that has us rooting for Kate and Scott the whole way. We love them, hate Kate’s ex-husband, and enjoy her supporting cast. Highly recommended for everyone who loves a happily-ever-after ending.” Karen Block

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About Jan Scarbrough

A professional technical writer by day, Jan Scarbrough spends her nights writing romance. She is the author of several dozen books, a member of Novelist, Inc., the Romance Writers of America, and the Kentucky Romance Writers, where she manages their award-winning web site. Jan has written for Kensington and ImaJinn Books, and currently writes for Resplendence Publishing and the Turquoise Morning Press. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, and rides American Saddlebred horses for fun and recreation.
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Jan Scarbrough Romance Author

 

http://www.janscarbrough.com/
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Follow Jan on Twitter @romancerider

See Jan Scarbrough’s Amazon page
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Prices of her Bluegrass series have been reduced in preparation for the 3/20 release of her latest work:
KY Cowboy – $5.50 to $3.99
KY Woman – $5.50 to $2.99
KY Flame – $6.50 to $4.99
KY Bride – $4.00 to $2.99
KY Groom – $5.00 to $3.99
KY Heat – $2.99 to $2.99
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Don’t Let it Happen to You… Literary Agents Scams

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Third in the “Scam Series”: Literary Agents Fee Scams

Don’t let it happen to you…

In Canada, only ten percent of authors / books are agent-ed. Aspiring and established authors  successfully submit the majority (10,000 plus) of the titles published every year directly to editors at publishing houses. US writers have to go through an agent – 80% of all publishing deals are made through an agency. Publishers in the USA don’t want to deal directly with authors.
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As an author trying to find a literary agent you have heard or read from, is not an easy task. And you might find an agency describing itself as “non-fee-charging” but then nevertheless wants money up-front. Most professional agents’ associations adopted policies prohibiting members from charging fees, called “reading fees” or “evaluation fees”.
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A literary agent gets his commission AFTER the book contract with a publisher is signed and the first money flows. If they charge reading or evaluation fees or any of the following fees – author beware:

• marketing fees
• submission fees
• travel fees
• legal fees
• advance fees
• or “per hour” fee

For those writers who might think they need an agent – have a look at the do’s and don’ts of both sides:

Reputable agents will NOT charge you a fee up front to represent your book. They earn their living by selling your book to a publisher and gaining a commission. That commission is a percentage of the proceeds your book earns. For one thing, this gives the agent an incentive to actually market your book around to various publishers likely to buy it for publication. This is another reason why many agents pick submissions carefully. They know what publishers are looking for and they will not accept anything which is not ready for submission or close enough that a few days of editing will make the difference.
Most agents these days charge 15% commission on domestic sales (North America).
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Never under any circumstances should you pay expenses or any fees up front: the agent only receives money by deducting his or her 15% commission from your eventual earnings. An agent telling new writers that she/he was charging 15% commission plus expenses — that’s a rip-off; don’t agree to it. The Association of Authors Representatives (professional organization of literary agents) also forbids the charging of “reading fees.” If an agent asks you to pay a fee for his or her “evaluation” of your manuscript, refuse!
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So, what could you encounter?
Some agencies pressure authors into various additional services and charge fees for websites, sample cover mock-ups or illustrations or social media listings.
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AgentQuery wrote on their website: Industry Red Flags:

Be wary of any literary agent that contacts you out of the blue, especially if you have not queried that specific agent and do not have a public platform or presence. Fiction writers should be particularly cautious unless the agent has a logical reason to contact you, like you’ve recently won a prestigious writing contest, or they’ve seen your blog or read your published stories, etc.

Beware of agents that offer representation for a fixed fee, offer representation only if you pay them money to edit your manuscript, or charge you up-front fees in the range of thousands of dollars to off-set the cost of submitting your manuscript to publishers. These are all warning signs—unethical behavior from an unprofessional scammer. Scammers will tempt you, especially if you are desperate and inundated with rejections. They will tell you how fabulous your manuscript is and you will want to believe them.

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WRITER BEWARE notes:
“Not all agents who charge marketing fees are dishonest. Some are simply inexperienced or inept. But scam or amateur, the bottom line for the writer is the same: a lighter wallet and no book contract.”

Remember, that many of these publishers operate under more than one name and as “in-house” referral services. This means they always find a reason to refer you to another company which they also own.
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Editors Nielsen-Hayden summed it up: “Writing may be an art or a craft (or both), but publishing is a business. It’s best to know the business before diving in.”

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More of our blog posts regarding Literary Agents:
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Visit often and get the latest alerts from WRITER BEWARE:
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/alerts/
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How Agents work and How to work with Agents
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/how-agents-work-how-to-work-with-agents/
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Must-Read Blog to learn more about agents and how to approach them
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents
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What Literary Agents Want to Know From You
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/what-literary-agents-want-to-know-from-you/
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100′s of Links to Publishers and Agents
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/100s-of-links-to-publishers-and-agents/
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Which Literary Agent is Right for You?
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/which-literary-agent-is-right-for-you/
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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous articles of this blog (there are almost 700 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

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Trousers or Pants? Can you Tell the Difference?

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English is English! – No! Not at all!  “England and America are two countries separated by a common language” — said George Bernard Shaw.

Many readers and writers are surprised to learn that there are huge differences in spelling between English-speaking countries. A book, written and published in the UK, needs almost to be “translated” into American English and vice versa.  And I am not even talking about Canada, South Africa, India or Australia… were there are many more differences.
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Generally, it is agreed that no one version is “correct” however, there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. The major differences between American and British English are:

• Vocabulary – differences in nouns and verbs, especially phrasal verb usage
• Spelling – differences are generally found in certain prefix and suffix forms

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Have a look at the many verbs that are differently written in this comparison at www.Spellzone.com:

• … our endings change to or, such as humour (British) into humor (American)
• … our endings change to er, such as theatre into theater, or centre into center
• … ogue endings change to og, such as catalogue into catalog
• L endings do not double in US spellings, such as travelled into traveled……. and the list goes on and on.

Other major differences are:

• Present Perfect
• Past Simple/Past Participles
• Prepositions
• Possession
• The Verb “get”
• Vocabulary

there are also some more subtle differences that might stymie visitors to Britain, especially those who have learnt American English. Linguistics lecturer Dr Lynne Murphy rounds up ten of the subtler US/UK mis-communications.

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Add to this the local usage of words, e.g. Trousers or pants? Juggernaut or 18-wheeler? Lift or elevator?  Tube, underground or subway? Find more eye-opening differences in British / American vocabulary, for example:

autumn – fall
barrister – attorney
bill (restaurant) – check
biscuit – cookie
caravan – trailer
chemist’s shop – drugstore, pharmacy
chips  – fries, French fries
cinema – movies
coffin – casket
pavement – sidewalk
petrol – gas, gasoline
postbox – mailbox
rubbish – garbage, trash
sweets – candy
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So, before you upbraid someone. or point out spelling “errors” have a look if it is not a British, Canadian or other English speaking individual or user of keyboards from these country. A person, for example, writing for newspapers in several countries has to adjust the writing for every article/country. And then there are these not native English speakers…

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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 700 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

Thanks a lot for following:

@111publishing
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http://on.fb.me/TvqDaK
http://bit.ly/VmtVAS     111Publishing @ Google+

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Author Interview with Denise Deegan

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Denise Deegan Book Signing

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Today’s author interview is with Irish author Denise Deegan,  a the bestselling writer of seven contemporary novels, four for adults and three for young adults. She began her writing career with a book of non-fiction. Her books have been published in Ireland, the UK and Commonwealth, USA, Germany, Holland and Korea, for sample: “AND BY THE WAY” a story of a teenager who lost her mother and has no real connection to her rock star-father, became a bestselling Young Adult novel.

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Denise, Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
I like that people take different things from books. Many people have contacted me to say that Alex’s journey in And By The Way has helped them deal with loss.
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What inspired you to start writing?
I was doing a Masters in Public Relations. While conducting the literature review, I realized that a book should have existed that didn’t. I wrote that book. It was a non-fiction book and was published. Then it was like being bitten by a bug. I had to write a novel. I had no peace until I gave up my business to do so.
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How did you get the idea for the novel?
And By The Way is my fifth novel. While brainstorming with an artist friend for a picture book that we thought would be fun to work on together, we came up with the idea of a father who traveled abroad from work, coming home and telling his little girl about the country he’d been to. We both decided that, while educational, it was boring and politically correct.  My friend went to the Ladies.  While she was gone, a voice came into my head. It was a teenage girl who was giving her father a really hard time. Her voice was angry and sarcastic yet vulnerable. It completely gripped me. I grabbed a serviette and began to write.

I had just finished a two-book deal with Penguin. I was free to do whatever I liked. I decided to follow the voice and see where it lead. It emerged that the reason that Alex, the main character, was angry because her mother had died six months previously and her father had not been there for her. I realized later that the story had come from my subconscious. Triggered by the picture book idea, it was telling me that it’s not always good when a parent isn’t around.
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Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
I do not like morals. But I think my writing is influenced – not deliberately – by my past. I was a nurse. One of the things I learned was to grab life while you have it. Though And By The Way deals with big issues, it is an optimistic book. Alex has to learn to trust that good things will happen again. She has to take a leap of faith.
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Are your characters based on real people?
No, apart from Homer, the golden retriever who doesn’t retrieve. That is our dog.

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Who is your favorite character and why?
I actually have three:

The Rock star – Alex calls her dad ‘The Rock star’ because he is not being a father to her. He means well but cannot handle loss. I like the idea that parents are supposed to know best but sometimes flounder themselves.
The Stylist – Marsha works for The Rockstar. She is adorably ditzy and optimistic. She drives Alex mad, until Alex realises that Marsha is optimistic despite tragedy.
Louis – ah, Louis, my all-time fave. I am a sucker for the bad-boy with a heart.
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Two of Denise Deegan’s YA novels

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Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
‘It was such a powerful, emotional, beautiful book, one I loved to pieces and gobbled up as fast as I possibly could. I just can’t wait to read more by Denise Deegan – it was just so freaking amazing!’
Book Addicted Girl
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If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?
Recovering from loss.
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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
I love to hear teenagers ask how I can get teenage characters so right. I love to hear that the characters are real to them. They are real to me, too.

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Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you have learned as a writer from then to now?

• Write from the heart.
• Wait for the characters to come to you. Don’t rush it.

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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?

Favorite: when the characters take over and write the story. For example, the character, Louis, was not meant to have a big part but he muscled his way in. I love when this happens.

Least favourite: depends on the book. It can be very difficult, for example, when you know that something is not working and you are so close to the book that you can’t see the solution. A good editor is invaluable at times like this. I have been very lucky with The Butterfly Novels. I have an amazing editor.

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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?
There is a sailing scene at the beginning of the book that I love where Alex is trying so hard to hate a guy she fancies. I like all the scenes with Louis (of course). I am particularly fond of the scenes between Alex and her dad when he realizes his mistakes and tries to make things right.
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What genre have you not yet written but really want to try?
I am writing historical fiction for the first time and loving it.

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If your book would be made into a movie, who should play the main character?
Saoirse Ronan, but perhaps that it too obvious a choice. I’d like some casting agent to surprise me.

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Denise Deegan

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How did you get published? Please share your personal journey.
Firstly, I gave up working. The book was what I most wanted to do and always ended up as the last thing I got to. I became a very angry person. Giving up a business to write a novel was a huge (and some would say mad) step. From the beginning, I treated my writing as a career. I really focused on the book.

When I did that, it became clear that the book I was writing was nothing special. So I stopped writing it. Then came an idea that had not been written before and that is what I wrote.

I did my homework. Sent off the three chapters etc. I expected rejection so went ahead and started writing a second novel for two reasons. One, so the rejection wouldn’t stop me. Two, so that publishers/agents would see that I had more than one book in me.

An agent came back to me and gave me tips on editing – without commitment. I still cannot believe how naive I was back then. I had not edited the book at all. When I started the process, I really got into it. I put the other book on hold and spent six weeks making the first into a much better book. I sent the revised chapters back to three people who had been encouraging in their rejections. They all wanted the book.
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What general advice do you have for other writers?
Persist. Get better. Persist. Get better. Persist. Get better….
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What do you find is the best part of being an author?
Hearing back from readers who loved the books, who were encouraged by them, changed by them, helped by them or felt newly equipped to help others. It is very special when people thank me for writing a book.

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What is ONE thing that you have done that brought you more readers?
Visited schools and gave readings, perhaps?
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What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you?
What, perhaps, they don’t realize is the extent to which I appreciate them and like to hear from them.

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Where can people learn more about your writing?

www.denisedeegan.com
www.butterflynovels.com
www.goodreads.com/author/show/818841.Denise_Deegan
Amazon.com amzn.to/ZPL0mv
Amazon.co.uk amzn.to/111wlJN

AND BY THE WAY
amazon.com/dp/B009SMWI6K

AND BY THE WAY

Denise Deegan, famous for her Butterfly Novel series has been a nurse, a china restorer, a pharmaceutical sales rep, a public relations consultant, an entrepreneur and a college lecturer. Her short story, Checkout Girl, was inspired by her days carrying out the toughest of all these positions. Denise lives in Dublin with her husband, two teenage kids and their dog, Homer. She can be found at Facebook and Twitter: @denisedeegan

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10 Reasons to Get Help Boosting Your Books Success

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Soaring to New Heights …

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Our blog has had now more than 1.385,000 visitors, over 2.400 subscribers, on three Twitter pages we have more than 30.000 followers, in our Google+ circles are 5,000 people. On Goodreads we have 5,000 friends, not to mention Pinterest, Facebook with two accounts, StumpleUpon, Tumblr, the 111Publishing.com website… and some more …
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Why do we list all this? To show you how much visibility your book(s) can get when we help you to built a community / network platform and a brand for you as an author.  We show your book constantly on all these sites!   More info: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
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10 Reasons – and Some More to Choose our Valuable Book Marketing Help:

• Three hours of one-on-one Book Marketing Online Seminar phone-consultations
• Unlimited book marketing consultations by email for up to three months
• Unlimited social media help by email for up to three months
• Instructions / Checklist / Hundreds of links for you to use for your book promotions
• Free e-book: “Book Marketing on a Shoestring” launch in March 2013
• Support & advertising your book on free days with Amazon KDP to hundred thousands
• Blog posts including cover image/author bio/book description on both, blog and our websites
• NEW: Author interview on our blog website & help to advertise your free days
• NEW: “Book of the Month” recommendation on a major book lover site
• Advertising of your book several times/week for 3 months on all our social media sites
• Plus one surprise gift we will reveal once you sign up!
• MORE FEATURES will be added soon
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Most important: the article and the interview we did with you and all the postings on our Social Media sites stay there FOREVER! This way it will have a long-term effect on your book sales. Compare this with advertisers who might charge you $100/year, just for a small, single pic of your book cover.
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As you can see, our Book Marketing Help is customized for you, the author, and we will individually work with you on your book’s success. It all starts with our purchase of your book and then an evaluation of your book’s sales page, your social media presence and your marketing activities so far. We will explain you the benefits of various steps in building the platform for you as an author and how you can establish a brand without incurring extra cost, such as expensive ads or how to avoid costly POD’s.
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Get Help from Professionals who Have Studied Marketing & E-Publishing for years – and who have more than 30 years experience in book publishing, magazine publishing and now e-publishing.

We do NOT sell publishing / marketing videos, pre-recorded Webinars or DVD’s! We really work one-on-one with you!!! In some cases we worked up to 20 hours per client – it is not only the time we talk with everyone, it is the research in each case and the amount of time we invest in individual programs we create for each of our clients.  We recently did a search of several dozen book publicity sites and their price for similarly individual marketing and comparable work would be around $2,500.

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If you would like to get more support in all things publishing, have your book intensively promoted and learn how to navigate social media sites – or to learn how you can make yourself a name as an author through content writing: We offer all this and more for only $159 for three months! Learn more about this individual book marketing help: http://www.111Publishing.com/Seminars
Or visit http://www.e-book-pr.com/book-promo/  to advertise your new book, specials, your KDP Select Free Days or the new Kindle Countdown Deals.

Please check out all previous posts of this blog (there are more than 970 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.
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How to Use Photos on the Internet

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Antique Rolleiflex Camera

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My largest visitor stream I ever got on any blog was via Google Image Search. People were looking for a certain image on Google and found my website. The photo had the right size, motive and it was named with the right keywords.
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Improve SEO through your photos
There is more to it, than just placing attractive photos on your blog or website. Here are some tips how you can optimize your photos to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and to get more traffic to your website or blog.
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Reduce the file size of your photos
NOT the dimensions of the image, but the pixel size. When you re-size a photo manually in WordPress (for example) you only change the dimensions, and the amount of pixel stays almost the same. A file size of 1.8 MB can be easily reduced to 300 Kb without compromising the quality for the viewer. Adobe Photoshop or Adobe “Lightroom” software can be used to re-size the photo’s pixels – not the dimension! Important: Make a copy of your original photo BEFORE you re-size. Otherwise it would be lost forever and you would keep only the lower pixel version. There is no way back!
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Name your photos
File593730.jpg or DSC_8405037.jpg is not helpful to you and totally meaningless to search engines. Keywords in the photos name should be separated by hyphens, NOT underscores, and shouldn’t be squeezed into a single word, e.g. Antique-Leica-Camera.jpg.
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Always use ALT tags
Wordpress makes it easy for you when adding photos to your text. The fields for Title, Description, ALT and caption are build-in, so you can fill them out easily. Search engines can’t “see” photos, but “read” keywords, that describes your image. Keywords that you use on your web page should work together with the keywords you use for your images.
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Where to find inexpensive photos?
You might be an avid photographer, just like me, taking often several hundred images a month. However, from time to time the need for a certain motive arises, and the question is, where to turn to for inexpensive images for a blog or a web site? A lot of research brought up a handful of online offers that I like to share with you.
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Find websites in these articles that provide good deals on royalty-free photographs or even free ones. If you don’t know the difference between royalty-free and free photos, take the time to read these articles thoroughly.
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Where to find free photos and illustrations?

Part II of Free Image Sources

Part III of Free Image Sources

Part IV Free – Inexpensive Photo Sources

Why Steal When You Can Get it for Free ?

5 Laws Writers Should Know to Avoid Getting Sued

10 Rules of USA Copyright Infringement

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If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to check out all previous posts of this blog (there are almost 800 of them : ) if you haven’t already. Why not sign up to receive them regularly by email? Just click on “Follow” in the upper line on each page – and then on “LIKE” next to it. There is also the “SHARE” button underneath each article where you can submit the article to Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Chime.in, Facebook, Tumblr and StumpleUpon.

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