November 30, 2012

Complimentary eBook from Me

If you have not yet read my eBook Save The Best For Last, you can get it here for free!  Of course, after that you'll want to read the sequel, Something Real...

As always, I wish you good reading!

November 28, 2012

Another item crossed off the To-Do list

Yesterday's project was sprucing up my website (it hadn't yet reflected the release of Something Real).  It didn't take as long as I expected...could it be I'm getting better at this?

Take a look at it and tell me what you think!

November 27, 2012

Anatomy of an eBook:  Something Real

I've been a little busy, hosting 25 family members for the Thanksgiving weekend.  One thing I was determined to do was get Something Real published before anyone arrived, and I did.  I just realized I forgot to mention it on my blog.

Something Real, my 21st original novel, was published on November 15th.  It is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at Smashwords.  I think Sean D. Young of Young Creations did a fabulous job with the cover.  What do you think?

 



Wondering what's up next?  I have ambitious plans for 2013, but I'm not confident enough that I'll be able to accomplish all I hope to, so I'm keeping mum...other than to say that I will definitely be releasing the final book in this series that began with Save The Best For Last (Gen and Dexter's story) and continues with Something Real (which includes both Cesca and Terrence as well as Liv and Brian).  The concluding story, which will be considerably shorter than the 107.7K final word count of its predecessor, wraps up the relationship between the latter couple.  I've already started this and plan to publish before winter's end.

I still have to update my website (did I mention I've been busy?), but I did an entertaining guest blog with author Chicki Brown at her blog, Sister Scribbler.  It will give you an idea of what the story is about, so check it out!  Also, I have been offering Save The Best For Last, published in 2009, for FREE on Smashwords.  If you haven't read this eBook yet, you can get your complimentary copy here.

Finally, I was also interviewed by author Michelle Monkou for her regular column in the online version of USA Today.  You can read the interview here.

Thanks to the regular readers of this blog for coming along on this journey with me as I worked to complete Something Real, from conception and all through the structuring process.  Now that it's over, I wish you good reading!

November 26, 2012

Chewing the fat with...Phyllis Bourne

I have been a fan of Phyllis Bourne since I read her novel Operation Prince Charming, one of the best contemporary romances I’ve ever read. This talented, imaginative writer has a new release out this month, so get comfy and let’s chew the post-Thanksgiving fat with her!

 

Phyllis’s first book, the lovely-titled A Moment on the Lips, was published in 2006. She contributed to the novella The Holiday Inn in 2008, and 2010 brought the publication of the aforementioned Operation Prince Charming, a novel that can only be described as utterly beguiling! Phyllis recently signed with Harlequin’s Kimani line. Her first title for them, Taste For Temptation, was published in mid-October, with the eBook release following on November 1st. Here’s the back cover blurb (gotta love that first sentence; it’s a real attention-getter): 
 
No one dumps Brandi Collins! After being left at the altar, the Nashville high school teacher plans to get back at her ex by undergoing a major transformation. But how is she supposed to shed those extra pounds with that intoxicating aroma wafting into her condo? And the tempting smell of mouthwatering chocolate has nothing on the handsome hunk who's creating the irresistible confections.

Adam Ellison has given up everything for his dream of winning the International Chocolate Pastry Competition. His voluptuous new neighbor knocking on his door at three in the morning is a distraction he doesn't need! Now only one thing will satisfy Adam's craving for Brandi. But what happens when she discovers her struggling pastry chef is really the heir to a multimillion-dollar corporate empire? Will Brandi still be there intoxicating him with her kisses…or will Adam lose his chance for a lifetime of love?”

This book is available wherever Harlequin titles are sold, as well as print and ePub copies for sale at Amazon, BN.com, and eHarlequin.com.

Bettye: Phyllis, welcome to the blog. So glad you stopped by to chew the fat. Tell us what inspired Taste For Temptation. Is it a series or a story without spin-offs for secondary characters?

Phyllis Bourne: The opening scene popped into my head first. From there, I had to figure out the perfect situation and a hunky hero to complicate the life of a chocoholic dieter desperate to lose weight for a special occasion.

Taste for Temptation is book one of a two book series. I keep the sweets theme going in the second book, Sweeter Temptation, which revolves around a candy factory.

Bettye: It’s been much too long between books. Do you plan on publishing on a more frequent basis?

Phyllis Bourne: I’m a super slow writer, who can spend hours making sure a sentence reads just right. However, I’m learning to pick up the pace since signing with Harlequin Kimani. I’m working toward putting out two books a year – instead of a book every two years!

Bettye: Your fans will be happy to hear that, both the old ones and the new. Tell me, will those of us who missed your first book, A Moment on the Lips, get to read it in an eBook reincarnation?

Phyllis Bourne: Definitely! I recently received the rights back to A Moment on the Lips from my former publisher and look forward to putting out an updated e-book version early next year. The story is different from my later works, which are humorous, faster-paced, sexy reads. A Moment on the Lips progresses at an easier pace, like life in the small town it’s set in. It’s not a sexy book, but very sweet and utterly romantic.

Bettye: Sweet and romantic works for me! Okay, now it’s time for the all-intrusive personal question. Your followers know that you’re very much into cosmetics.  Who, in your opinion, makes some of the best products out there for hair and skin?

Phyllis Bourne: While I no longer have the time to devote to a dedicated beauty blog, I still adore all things beauty. And I love recommending products that really work! For hair, I like Kérastase products. It’s a pricey line, but delivers great results both at the salon and at home. I prefer the drugstore brand Aveeno for skin care. I especially like their citrus-scented ‘Smart Essentials’ line.

Bettye: Will check them out! What’s up next for you, Phyllis? Can you give us a little advance info on what your next book will be about, and when it’ll be out?

Phyllis Bourne: My next book, Sweeter Temptation, comes out Fall 2013. I’m still in the midst of the editorial process, but will give you a hint – they’re snowbound!

Bettye: If there’s anything you’d like readers to know, please share. Be sure to give your website and Facebook info!

Phyllis Bourne: I love romance novels and enjoy connecting with fellow readers. I can be found on my website: www.phyllisbourne.com/ , Twitter: @phyllisbourne and Facebook.com/phyllisbournebooks.

As always, great chatting with you, Bettye. Thanks for having me!

Bettye: Thank you, Phyllis! Readers, do yourself a favor and pick up or download Taste For Temptation today!

November 10, 2012

All Listed Out

Lately I've been reading a lot about setting writing and publishing goals for the rapidly approaching new year (yup, it'll be 2013 before you know it).

Goal-setting and progress-checking are important for indie writers/publishers, because we are in charge of our careers.  At some point our past accomplishments have to be checked to determine what is working and what's not, and our future accomplishments checked as well...looking at our output studied to determine whether we need to speed things up (or slow things down), check that idea file and outline which projects are anticipated to be completed and published over the next twelve months, etc.

The problem is, I can't handle another list right now.  My life is full of lists at the present, including:

• A list of just who is attending my family reunion, which my husband and I are hosting over Thanksgiving weekend.
• A list of where those who are planning to stay at the house are going to sleep; who gets a bedroom and who will be staying at Camp Griffin in the basement.
• A list of the menu for Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving breakfast, and Thanksgiving dinner, which I'm preparing.
• A list of "teams" who will work together to prepare one meal each for the rest of the weekend.
• A list of things I need my handyman to either fix or install before everyone gets here.
• My Christmas shopping list.
• My Christmas card list.

I have a feeling I'm going to be working on my plan for 2013 on December 26th...

What about you?  Are you all "listed out" with things that have to be done by year's end?

November 9, 2012

Is this what it takes to sell a CD these days?

I freely admit I made a face when I saw this new Diana Krall CD being advertised on TV.  For those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Krall, she is a respected jazz pianist and vocalist.  On this cover she looks anything but respectable.

There was a time not too long ago--probably less than 15 years--when women dressed up to look like streetwalkers on their CD covers, but then it went away.  I hope this isn't the start of a trend.

Mothers, don't let your daughters grow up to be singers...

October 28, 2012

Chewing the Fat with...Candace Shaw

If you’re an indie author (or a traditional one) preparing to launch your first book and aren’t sure what to do, I recommending following the example of Candace Shaw.  Start with a well-written, focused story (preferably a series, since that’s what most readers go for). Have it proofread and edited, avoid stereotyped romance characters and plotlines wherever possible (the domineering, matchmaking mother of the clan; the pregnancy that results from a single bout of unprotected sex—something that does happen but with unusually high odds of close to 100% in romance novels), and be sure to give readers a good idea of whose book will come next to whet their appetite.  Come up with a catchy title and an attractive cover photo (preferably one that hasn’t already been on the covers of a gazillion eBooks already).  Finally, join a few writer’s groups, participate in the conversation if the group has them, and tell everyone about your book (on the appropriate days, of course).

Candace published her first book, Cooking Up Love, in April 2012, in which she introduces the Arrington family of Memphis.  The Arringtons have five children, three daughters and two sons. Candace released Book #2 in the series, The Game of Seduction, in late August.  She is busy writing the next installment in the series, but took a few minutes to chew the fat with me. 
Without further, ado, here’s Candace!

Bettye:  Candace, welcome to my blog, and congratulations on the success of your Arrington Family Series.  It’s wonderful to see a new author launch his/her career so nicely.  Tell me, what inspired you to write this series and to choose that particular setting of Memphis?  I must say I have fond memories of Memphis…my husband and I took a “blues vacation” for my birthday a few years back, first spending some time in Clarksdale, Mississippi and then Memphis.  The music was marvelous.

Candace Shaw: Thank you so much for having me here today, Bettye. I got the idea to write the series while I was in Memphis visiting my husband’s family as well as attending the Memphis in May Barbecue Festival. I had ideas swirling in my head about a family of doctors. While driving down Shelby Street, the light bulb clicked on in my head that Memphis would be the perfect city for my doctor series. I loved downtown with the trolley, blues clubs and barbecue on Beale Street and the park that overlooks the river. One of my dear friend’s maiden name is Arrington, and I knew I wanted to use it for a family series. My husband was raised in Memphis and gave me insight of the different areas and neighborhoods.

Bettye: Give us a quick rundown of the Arrington siblings from oldest to youngest, their approximate ages, occupations and a little bit about their personalities.

Candace Shaw: Cannon: 37, Pediatrician. Workaholic and very goal-oriented. An intellect. Alpha male and an all-around good person.

Raven: 37, (Cannon’s twin sister) Ob/Gyn. Serious-minded, focused and a logical thinker. A widow.

Sean: 34, Psychiatrist. I don’t really know him, yet but so far he’s arrogant and loves the model-type. Alpha male.

Bria: 30, Allergist and naturopathic doctor. Headstrong and determined. Fun-loving.

Shelbi: 27, Medical resident (eventually becomes an endocrinologist) Sassy, easygoing, goal-oriented.

Bettye: Want to hear something funny?  The book I just started writing features a 37-year-old male pediatrician. Do great minds think alike, or what? (Fortunately, my doc's name isn't Cannon.)

When did the writing bug hit you, Candace? Was Cooking Up Love your first attempt at writing a book? (I know that was two questions, but I’m sneaky sometimes.)

Candace Shaw:  I’d been writing since college but never finished a book. Once the education/test prep grammar books (grades 1^st to 4^th) I wrote for Creative Teaching Press were contracted and published, I decided once again to work on a contemporary romance novel. So in 2006, I started Perfect Candidate for Love, as well as the sequel, and worked on them off and on for about three years, mostly during the summer months when I was off. I did send it to a few publishers but never heard back. I joined Georgia Romance Writers, a chapter of Romance Writers of America in 2009, and I had the book critiqued several times by published authors, including Carmen Green and Carla Fredd, as well as attending conferences and workshops. I found out I wrote the book completely wrong, as far as where I set it, among other things. So I started over again with Cooking Up Love in 2010 and incorporated everything I’d learned. Now I’m going back and rewriting the first book and it will be out in summer 2013. It’s more of a chick lit meets contemporary romance series, sort of like Sex and the City or Single Ladies. Two of the heroines, Megan Chase and Jade Whitmore, were briefly introduced in The Game of Seduction.

Bettye: Speaking of my being sneaky, I always slip in a highly intrusive personal question in these interviews…Now that you’ve been forewarned, here it is: What’s your favorite color?

Candace Shaw: Pink and green.

Bettye: Tell us where your eBooks are sold, and what’s coming next (and an estimate of when we can expect it).

Candace Shaw: My ebooks are sold with Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, All Romance ebooks, iTunes, Sony and eDiesel Bookstore. Cooking Up Love is also in print through Createspace.
 
I’m currently working on a short prequel to the third book in the Arrington Family Series, titled Simply Amazing, which takes place about 12 years before the third book. The prequel is centered around the oldest sibling Cannon and his heroine, Yasmine Dubose. It will be released as a free read (forever) in December 2012. The third book, Only One for Me, will be released more than likely late spring 2013. You’re right about an estimate of when to expect it. I like to take my time when writing a novel. It’s all about quality not quantity for me. It took me a year and few months for me to be satisfied with Cooking Up Love and about the same for The Game of Seduction. I’m aiming for late spring, plus I send it to a professional editor, and that takes time as well. But I have an outline, scenes typed and some still in my head. I plan on officially beginning again once the short story I had no plans of writing is finished.

Bettye: Thanks, Candace!  If there’s anything else you’d like your readers to know, this is the time to fill them in!          

Candace Shaw: Thank you, Bettye. I had fun. I would like to share the blurb for Cooking Up Love.

When Shelbi Arrington accepts a position as a food critic in the hopes of burying her medical career and foregoing her residency, the last thing she’s searching for is love. However, that’s just what the doctor ordered, especially when she lays eyes on the handsome chef, Justin Richardson. While sorting out her secret conflict of continuing her medical career, she falls for his mouth-watering charm, leaving her hungry for anything he has to offer.

Justin is leery of doctors because a doctor’s negligence caused his mother’s death when he was twelve. He has put his focus and energy into his restaurant, which had been a dream he and his mother shared. Justin is immediately smitten by the cute, sassy food critic that has him cooking up different ways to please her appetite. But when things start to heat up, Shelbi learns of a shocking revelation that could extinguish the flame of their relationship. Will Justin be able to forget his pain and commit to the woman who has stolen his heart?

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Thhhhhhhat's all, Folks!