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Category: Beverley Bateman

This week we’re going to find out a little about author Sylvia Hubbard. June’s theme is ‘Heroes’ so Sylvia will be talking about heroes. She’ll also tell us a little about herself and her writing, and answer some fun questions.
Detroit Author & Founder of Motown Writers Network, Sylvia Hubbard has published over 37 books on suspense romance and one book on Internet Marketing for Writers.

As a happily divorced mother of three, Ms. Hubbard has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work. An avid blogger, Ms. Hubbard has had five#1 Best Sellers on Amazon. Her current work is Tanner’s Devil and she has sixbooks coming up in 2017, including four live stories on her website. www.sylviahubbard.com

Beverley: What do you think makes a hero, either in real life or in books?
Sylvia: I would have to say the characteristics of a hero would come from the first hero I ever met… my father. When I was young he was larger than life and magnificent as could be. He broke the mold in my book. Not only did he make me always feel safe and secure, by protecting me and caring for me but also even when I wasn’t watching (or he thought I wasn’t) he still took care of me. He cared, but he was strong and stern. I appreciate him in my life.
Beverley: Who are your favorite heroes, and why?
Sylvia: Now my favorite heroes on screen would be Storm, The Hulk, Thor and of course, Wonder Woman. My literary hero of all times would be the original Alpha male, Mr. Darcy.
Beverley: Tell me about the heroes in your book/s.
Sylvia: The heroes in my book come close to my father and my childhood best friend, which was a guy. My characters are strong men who have tried to accomplish their best in life but somehow have hidden one secret weakness through their character. Whether it’s physical, mentally or spiritually, they try to hide behind this strength to keep safe their weakness. We all do it and realize only love can turn our weakness actually into the one thing that makes us strong – it’s recognizing this my hero goes through.
Beverley: How long have you been writing?
Sylvia: According to my mother, since I was six I used to tell lies to her all the time. After whooping me within an inch of my life, as a further punishment, I had to write the lie down on paper and then come back and retell her the lie so I could be embarrassed. My pain turned into my passion and I stopped lying (which now I have very little friends), but I write down my lies all the time (and get paid for it.) Thanks, Momma. I’ve been independently self-published since 2000 and I’ve written over 40 books of romance-suspense, with so much more to come!
Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?
Sylvia: LIFE! I live in Detroit and nowhere in the world can you get that creative “Motown Essence.” Living here most of my life, if love can be found here through the crime, drama, and hardship, love can be found anywhere.
Beverley: Where do you do most of your writing?
Sylvia: I used to sit in my bed and write. Originally, my bed was an air mattress on a floor in my one bedroom apartment with my three kids. We moved from there and I finally got a bedroom and a day bed which also served as a couch sometime. Soon, I moved up in the world financially through my publishing endeavors and we were able to afford a four bedroom flat. I was able to have a table in the corner of my bedroom. Unfortunately in 2013 that house burned down and we were left homeless. As a single mother with three children, that was really hard, because I was back on the floor again with an even flatter mattress in a rundown home. After a year, I was able to save up and with the Habitat for Humanity program, buy a brand new house with all new furniture. All in all, I have to give the advice: Even when you are going through hardship, trials, and tribulation, never stop writing. As long as you can write, keep going. Now I live in a house where I have a home office complete with the most comfortable chair and even a secondary screen on my computer.
Beverley: Who would you love most to meet ‘in person’ and why?
Sylvia: (Dead) I would have loved to meet and sit with Jane Austen and talk about Mr. Darcy. (Alive) I’ve love to have lunch with Bill Gates, Stephen King, and Beverly Jenkins and talk books, writing and just the publishing business.
Beverley: What are you working on now?
Sylvia: Tanner’s Devil is my book I’m marketing now. Although released in 2015, It’s still pretty popular with the readers. It’s about a woman named Tanner trying to change her circumstance to become a legitimate doctor but her former pimp has designs of getting her back in his arms and on the street for him.

I’m preparing for the release of my book, Beautiful at the beginning of July, where a woman would do anything to be beautiful.
http://www.sylviahubbard.com/beautiful

My writing work in progress would be Black’s Innocence. This is about a woman who prepared for the perfect life, but nothing could plan for him. I wrote the first chapter already to this book in my short story challenge on my blog and named it Innocent Vengeance.
www.sylviahubbard.com/innocentvengeance

Blurb for Tanner’s Devil

“Put your coat on the chair,” a deep voice ordered from behind her as soon as she closed the door to the motel room.
Gasping in fright, she turned and glared up at the man, but found she had to careen her head way up. SEVEN FRICKING FEET?

No, not exactly! He had to be a good six and a half though because her spine was killing her to look up that high. He was big like a linebacker with light skin and a cap on, so she couldn’t determine if he was white with a tan or a black guy that was really light-skinned. He had medium dark pink lips and a slightly pinched nose, but even these features made it difficult to determine his race with that damn black cap on.
He wore a black wife beater and tight blue jeans that definitely showed he didn’t miss one hour of weight training. His biceps looked about as thick as her thigh and Tanner gulped as she wanted to desperately push the chirp button on the phone, which she clutched in her coat pocket.

Play it cool, Dummy! She ordered herself.
Tanner was just five feet three and was usually never attracted to men over six feet, but this big man was… Awesome? Could she really say that?

“Why are you hiding behind the door?” she questioned.
“I told him I wanted a woman who didn’t ask any questions,” the man said sharply, locking the hotel door.

She took off her coat but kept the cell phone and condoms in her hand behind her.
He moved up to her with a suspicious look in his eyes. She couldn’t tell the color of them, because of the cap, but they were well defined.

Tanner became very aware that her neck was starting to hurt from looking up so high and this man’s shoulder width was twice the size of her full frame. Did he eat iron for breakfast? Stepping back, so her neck wouldn’t hurt anymore, she gasped as he stepped to her again increasing his closeness this time and making her very uncomfortable.
So consumed with looking in his face, she flinched nervously as his hands came to her waist. Tanner didn’t move, much less breath as he felt the front, back, and side of her. This was no caress he was frisking her.

“What are you doing?” she asked confused, feeling the strangest tingles move up her legs and an arousing sensation tickle her below her belly.
He had knelt to inspect both thighs and her question made him stop what he was doing, leaving his large hand high on her right thigh in the front and back. “What did I tell you about that talking?”

Tanner bit the sarcastic remark back and just waited while he moved to the other thigh all the way down to her ankle and then stood back up – closer.
This time Tanner didn’t bother to try to look up in his face and she wasn’t about to step back because she had a feeling he wanted to make her feel uncomfortable.

“Take off your clothes.”

Would that mean this cornbread fed giant take off his? And if he did would he look just as magnificent without his clothe

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2rzXTGB
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tanners-devil-sylvia-hubbard/1122692293?ean=2940152367249
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/tanners-devil/id1042443765?mt=11
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/579301

Related websites:
www.SylviaHubbard.com
www.MotownWriters.com
www.HowToEBook.org

Social Media:
www.facebook.com/sylviahubbard
www.twitter.com/sylviahubbard1
www.instagram.com/sylviahubbard1
www.youtube.com/sylviahubbard1
www.periscope.tv/sylviahubbard1
www.snapchat.com/sylviahubbard
www.goodreads.com/sylviahubbard
www.amazon.com/author/sylviahubbard

Don’t forget to check back next week for another author interview and a discussion of marketing.

Today we’re lucky to have Dr. Bob Rich join us.
I’m reposting the article for those of you who might have missed it the first time. Bob writes books that make you think. I find them fascinating and usually not what I was expecting.
Plus, Bob is going to giveaway 3 books to 3 people who comment on this post. A great way to check out a new author if you haven’t read his books.

Welcome Bob, and thanks for your generosity in giving away three books.

Beverley asked me to talk about heroes. Theyare definitely a Good Thing in a story, and so are villains, but neither are necessary. My science fiction novel Sleeper, Awake [ http://bobswriting.com/sleeper.html ] doesn’t have any villains at all. It is full of conflict, and misunderstandings, and strife, but we can see that everyone is well-intentioned from within their own frame of reference. There are two heroes, but you don’t find out who they are until the last few paragraphs (it is cheating to peek ahead).
I didn’t plan it that way — this was what revealed itself to me. Mind you, there are many other hidden heroes. The best one is Sam in Tolkien’s Ring Trilogy. People take Frodo to be the hero. After all, he is the Ring Bearer, and all the baddies attack him, and all the goodies support him, but… but everything he achieves is thanks to Sam. When Frodo collapses, Sam looks after him. When Frodo loses hope, Sam gets him to keep going. Always in the background, always self-effacing, he is the person who makes it all possible.

This also happens in real life. Edmund Hillary is everyone’s hero of Everest, but Tenzing Norgay is at least his equal.

Certainly, most of my favorite books are clearly focused on a hero. This includes The Belgariad by David Eddings. It is all about Garion, a somewhat bumbling boy bred over many generations to be the one who is destined to duel with a god. I have also read every book Dick Francis has written. Each has a hero who appears to be an ordinary man at the beginning of the story, but in reaction to terrible circumstances, he achieves extraordinary things. The underlying message is that we all have heroism within us.

I think that’s what heroes are for.

We can use them for boosting a tiny ego, as in Walter Mitty, who imagined himself in every role he came across as a larger-than-life heroic figure, or, at the other extreme, we can be inspired to change our lives and become better people because we wish to be like that person in the story. In my work as a psychotherapist, I have come across many instances of a fictional person being a positive influence in someone’s life.

Personally, I’ve used a hero in a variation of this. There is a psychological technique I’ve often used with my clients: “Write a film script in which the hero has experienced your life, and lives in your circumstances. Only, have this person behave in the way you wish you could.” We encourage the client to make the film script as concrete, detailed and vivid as possible. Then, of course, we ask the client to step into the role, and ACT it. Well, I don’t write film scripts but novels, so that’s what I did for myself. My novel Ascending Spiral [ http://bobswriting.com/ascending.html ] is the story of Pip, including several of his past lives. Actually, all of Pip’s experiences are from my life. His history and circumstances are mine. I’ve made enough changes to protect the guilty, but otherwise Pip is my doppelganger. Only, he handles everything in the way I wish I had. He is the hero I aspire to be, as a self-therapy. This includes the past lives: an Irish boy in Viking times; an Irish peasant caught up in the rebellion of 1798, and then transported to New South Wales to be a slave; a cultured, sensitive young woman in Victorian times who marries a monster; a person with completely different anatomy and physiology on a faraway planet somewhere; a Space Flower who lives in the space around a star and can move from one star to another; and a Jewish boy born in Hungary while the bombs were falling, who comes to Australia to become a psychologist.

The point of the book is to make a difference in the lives of my readers. As an excellent by-product, it has made a difference in my life.

Beverley has asked me if a story can have more than one hero.

Yes. My novel Hit and Run [ http://bobswriting.com/hitandrun.html ] is only waiting for a cover before being published. Incidentally, while we are waiting, I am happy to send out free advance review copies to anyone who asks. Link is at my website. Of course, the payment is a review. The two major characters in the story are completely different. Sylvia is an 84 year old lady whose body is full of pain, and who has a lot of self-doubt, but she earns everyone’s admiration while doing her best to save a multiple murderer from himself and from a society which has only one reaction to crime: punishment. I wish I could be like Sylvia, and every reader’s response so far has been the same. She is an admirable hero who indeed could influence you to change your life.

The other hero is the multiple murderer, the delinquent from the slums. His abuse started at birth, when his mother named him Chuck (because she’d vomited lots during the pregnancy). It never stopped. He hated the world, hated everyone except his little brother, so at fourteen years of age he set out to kill as many people as possible. He succeeded in murdering seven little children and the crossing supervisor, barely missing old Sylvia. He is a hero for two reasons: while Sylvia is the narrator, Charlie is the focus of the story. And his progress is something people don’t believe possible, but is realistic. I have worked with clients who turned away from crime and violence and became decent people, invariably because they identified with a major figure in their lives. There is research to support the validity of this concept. So, if you get to understand and like Charlie, your attitude to the baddies of your life may change, making you into a better person. I’ve said, that’s a hero’s role.

My just-published story Guardian Angel [ http://bobswriting.com/guradian.html ] has a very different hero. She is an angel, but one who has never been a human, so needs to live a few human lives in order to understand us. This means, she needs to experience suffering and joy, hate and love, all the many facets of being a person on Earth. She chose a life to give her maximum opportunity for learning. Her arrival was in 1850, so she decided to be born into an Aboriginal family in New South Wales, what is now Australia.

All readers but one so far have loved the story. The one exception is a friend who rejects paranormal phenomena like angels and telepathy and stuff. Well, this is to publicly let him know, there is interesting suggestive evidence for the existence of angels — people who no longer need to be born into a body because they have learned the ultimate lesson of unconditional love for all living beings. Many people are sure there are guardian angels, because of personal experiences they can interpret in no other way. For example, I have a friend who was once driving on a narrow, winding road, alone in her car. Without warning, she heard a male voice shout, “Pull over!” In automatic response, she wrenched at the steering wheel — and a speeding car coming the other way rushed through the space she’d just vacated.

OK, what should a hero be like? My best model is the typical Dick Francis character. The hero should be sufficiently like you and me to enable us to make an identification (“Yes, I could be that person”), but through a series of natural-seeming steps, should become larger than life. We as readers should come to deeply care for the hero, compelling us to read on.

Having re-read my little essay, I’ve realized something. If my definition is right, many stories don’t have heroes, but only protagonists: people the story is about. These are the books we read and forget.

Bio
Dr Bob Rich is an Australian storyteller with 16.5 published books, 5 of them award-winners. He has so far retired from 5 different occupations, but is still a writer, editor, environmental campaigner and, above all, professional grandfather. All the kids on this planet qualify as his grandchildren, so if you have a miniperson in your life, Bob sends a hug. Because he cares for kids, everything he does, including his writing, is aimed at saving a future for them, and a future worth surviving in.

BUY LINKS
http://bobswriting.com/ascending.html
https://bobswriting.com/guardian.html
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6989862-sleeper-awake

You can contact Bob at these web sites
Blog https://bobrich18.wordpress.com
Writing site http://bobswriting.com
Psychology site http://anxietyanddepression-help.com
Conservation site http://mudsmith.net

Don’t forget to leave a comment for one of those free books.
And after the weekend check out the permalink at https://beverleybateman.blogspot.com.au/2017/06/heroes-or-protagonists-with-dr-bob-rich.html
It will be up until July 1st when he’ll announce the winners of the books.

This week we’re going to find out a little about author Kelli Wilkes. Kelli will be talking about marketing. She’ll also tell us a little about herself and her writing, and answer some fun questions.
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels.
Her third gay romance, Four Days with Jack, was released in June 2017. Kelli’s trilogy of erotic romance novellas, Midsummer Night’s Delights, Midwinter Night’s Delights, and Ultimate Night’s Delights was published in spring 2017.
Loving a Wild Stranger was published in January 2017. This historical/pioneer romance is set in the wilds of the Michigan Territory and blends tender romance with adventure.
Kelli’s third Medallion Press romance, Lies, Love & Redemption was released in September 2016. This spicy historical western is set on the Nebraska prairie in 1877.
Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative guide filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.
My third gay romance, Four Days with Jack, came out in June. It’s a story about two best friends who have always been attracted to each other and finally make the leap into having a sexual relationship.

Beverley: How important is marketing for an author?
Kelli: Marketing is crucial for any author, but even more so for self-published authors who don’t have the backing of a major publishing house. If nobody knows about your book, they can’t buy it. Therefore, authors have to do everything in their power to get their book noticed by readers and actively market it on websites, social media platforms, and anywhere else they can.
Beverley: What free marketing is available for authors?
Kelli: There’s a lot of free marking available to authors if they know where to look. The first and most obvious is the publisher’s website. If your book is released by a publisher (large or small), you probably will have a dedicated author page, and you may be able to do a short interview for their newsletter or site. Self-published authors can utilize whatever site(s) are selling their books (such as Amazon) and create author pages that showcase your writing and let readers learn more about you.
Social media and book sites are also great places to do self-promotion and market your writing. Authors can join genre-specific book groups on Facebook and Goodreads, and there are hundreds of book and romance-related websites where you can post spotlights, guest blogs, and interviews.
And of course, authors should always keep their own blog and website up-to-date with their latest release information, as well as links to backlist titles, interviews, and other news that will attract readers.
Beverley: What marketing is available for a fee for authors?
Kelli: If authors want to pay for professional marketing services, there are many options available. Some authors hire a publicist or a publicity firm to market their books, while others pay for advertisements in print or online magazines. You can also pay to have your book cover or ad featured on websites, or pay for a blog tour on several different sites. These are just a few of the more common services available.
Beverley: How much should an author spend on advertising and how does an author make that decision?
Kelli: That’s entirely up to the author. If you’re just starting out and self-publishing your first book, you might want to explore the free marketing options first, and then branch out into paying for covers on sites or for a blog tour. Again, it all depends on the author and his or her budget.
Beverley: How have you marketed your books? Have you used someone to do your marketing for you?
Kelli: I market my books in several different ways and usually do it all myself. When a new book comes out, I add all the information about it to my blog, website, social media pages, and other book sites that I’m on. Then I do guest blogs and interviews to share information about the book with readers. I also send out press releases, review requests, and include info about the new release in my newsletter. I’ve paid for book cover ads, featured author days, and blog tours on various sites. This way, I can reach a lot of readers all over the web.
Beverley: What did you find worked best?
Kelli: I find that a little bit of everything works. I’ve gotten good results by posting on social media, doing guest blogs, and blog tours. People like reading interviews and excerpts from books, so I’m always willing to talk about the writing process and how I brought my latest book to life.
Beverley: How did you get your start as a storyteller?
Kelli: I started out writing “10-Minute Romances” for the Sun. They also published science fiction stories, so I wrote those, too. I’ve always been blessed with a lot of ideas, and I just kept writing story after story as they came to me.
I got my start with full-length romances when I entered the Amber Quill Press “Amber Heat” writing contest. I submitted three novellas (A Most Unusual Princess, The Dark Lord, and The Sexy Stranger) and they took all three! Since then, I’ve published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books.
When people ask me how I can switch up genres so easily, I tell them, “I’m a writer, I can write anything.” And I do!
Beverley: How do you begin the process of telling a new story? Where do you start?
Kelli: Each book comes to me in a different form. Sometimes I’ll have an entire story jump into my head, and I’ll know everything about the plot and the characters. (That happened with Dangerous Indenture, A Deceptive Match, A Most Unusual Princess, and The Viking’s Witch.)
Other times, I’ll get bits and pieces of the story and parts of the characters. Once in a while, I’ll have a character come first, and after I get to know and develop the character, I’ll find out the story. Then the other pieces fall into place, like a puzzle. (That happened with Four Days with Jack, Killer in Wolf’s Clothing, and Lies, Love & Redemption.)
Before I start a book, I need to know who the characters are and what’s going to happen to them. After that, I outline the scenes and start writing. As I write, I allow myself some leeway to explore things I hadn’t considered in my outline. I might add entire scenes or write scenes that are later omitted. Writing a new book is always an adventure and I never know where the characters or stories will take me.
Beverley: What kind of research do you do for your books?
Kelli: That depends on what I’m writing. For my historical romances, (such as Lies, Love & Redemption, Loving a Wild Stranger, and The Viking’s Witch) I did a lot of research about different time periods, history, what life was like back then, etc. For my contemporary romances, I might research a fact that a character needs to know that I don’t—but for the most part, they don’t require too much research.
Beverley: After writing so many romances, how do you keep it fresh and spicy in the literary bedroom?
Kelli: I let the characters in each story determine the sexual content. Every story is different, and so are the sexual lives of the hero and heroine. Writing for the different characters and their individual situations helps keep things interesting and fresh.
The type of relationship and the frequency of the love scenes have to fit in with the characters and the heat level of the story. Love scenes should show how the characters relate to each other, how they fall in love, and add something to the overall emotional intensity of the story.
I’m often asked how I “know how much to show” in the love scenes. Sometimes it’s nice to give the characters privacy and imply what goes on (this lets readers use their imaginations); and yet, other times, readers want to see the passionate side of the relationship. I blend a little of each into my books. But no matter what type of love scene I write, I try to keep most of the focus on the characters and what they’re thinking and feeling emotionally—how the experience makes them more connected to their lover—rather than focus on what their bodies are doing.
Beverley: When you finish a book what do you do to let go of your characters and the world of that story?
Kelli: When I send a book off to the publisher, it’s not really “done”—there’s more work ahead. I need to do revisions and review the galley, then market the book when it’s released. But when the submission part is finished, I unwind from writing for a while. I might do no writing at all (except for blogs or promo/marketing) for a week or two and catch up on my reading. (When I’m writing, I don’t read, and when I’m reading, I don’t write.) This helps me leave the characters behind and focus on other things.
After a while I’ll get the urge to write again and start working on something new. Although I love my characters, I know when the story is over that it’s time to leave them behind. (Unless they come back to me later and want me to write a sequel!)
Beverley: In addition to your novels, you’re also a prolific short story writer. What is your key to creating a successful piece of short fiction?
Kelli: The best advice I ever got for writing short stories is: write tight. Take out anything and everything not essential to the story, such as extra words, details, dialogue tags, or whatever. This is especially important when I’m writing horror short stories. Too many words or distractions can break the tension, ruin the suspense, or otherwise distract the reader.
You also need a compelling story that draws readers into the world of the characters and holds them there. Not everyone believes in ghosts, but if you write a ghost story that sucks readers into that world and scares them, you’ve done your job. A “hook” beginning and a great ending are musts in creating a good short story.
Beverley: Tell us about your latest release(s).
Kelli: This spring, I released my Naughty Nobles trilogy of erotic historical/fantasy romances. The series is made up of Midsummer Night’s Delights, Midwinter Night’s Delights, and Ultimate Night’s Delights. Although the books are related, each stands alone as an individual read.
In January, I released Loving a Wild Stranger, a historical/pioneer romance set in the Michigan Territory in the early 1800s. Lies, Love & Redemption, my historical/western, was published last September.
My third gay romance, Four Days with Jack, came out in June. It’s a story about two best friends who have always been attracted to each other and finally make the leap into having a sexual relationship. It’s got a good blend of humor, drama, and plenty of sizzling love scenes that will heat up your summer!
Beverley: What’s next on the horizon for you?
Kelli: Currently, I’m revising a new historical romance novel (as yet untitled) and I’m working on re-editing the last of my romances previously published with Amber Quill Press. After that, I have ideas in the works for a few other romances (a historical, a paranormal, and a gay contemporary).

Blurb for Four Days With Jack
When David invited his best friend on vacation, he never expected them to fall in love…
Spending four days in a tropical paradise with Jack is a dream come true. For years, David has lived a lie and denied his romantic feelings for Jack. Now that they’re together in an isolated Caribbean resort, he finally admits what he really wants—to be Jack’s lover.
Jack has been in love with David for years and is encouraged by his desire to explore a sexual relationship.He’s more than willing to introduce David to the life he has always fantasized about. Their sizzling nighttime encounters confirm David’s long-hidden cravings, but what will happen when they leave the resort?
Will David come out and start a new life with Jack? Or will he go back to his old ways and risk losing the best friend he ever had?

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FTMWHL
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/four-days-with-jack-kelli-a-wilkins/1109557509;jsessionid=1D70C74A962E0DE7D2F5CD770AAE14DD.prodny_store02-atgap01?ean=2940154705599#productInfoTabs
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1243886678
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/four-days-with-jack-1
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/350128475/Four-Days-with-Jack
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/fa9ee1d1-3b1c-4e9c-b8ce-138ac7f472eb
24 Symbols: https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2275200

You can find Kelli at:
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins
Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com
Blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/KWilkinsAuthor/
Medallion Press Author Page: http://medallionpress.com/author/kelli-wilkins/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1123678.Kelli_A_Wilkins

Don’t forget to check back next week for another author interview and more discussion of heroines.

I thought I’d update some of the things I’m up to.

I said I was going to get a new website and a new photo. After much dragging of feet and grimacing, I found a web designer that didn’t break the bank and appears to be good. The site is ready to go live, but I don’t have the photo – yet. I’ll talk about that in a minute.

So the website showcases my books and has a social media page. It imports things from twitter and Facebook. All the pictures are very old – some 4 years old. When I questioned it I learned that I didn’t use Facebook very much (which I knew) and if I didn’t use it I was left with 4 year old pictures and posts. So I guess I need to update my Facebook every little while. I’ll be working on that.
The website is also hooked up to my blog. Hopefully I can figure that out.
I’ll let people know as soon as the website is live, probably later this week. I’d love to hear what you think of it. 

 

 

 

 

 

And the photo –ah yes – I’m living in a small town so I’m trying to find a photographer. Wedding pictures, baby pictures and grad pictures seem to be the focus. Then I realized I needed digital photographer, which made it more challenging. I finally found someone who said they did digital and sent me the measurements (a minimum of 300 dpi) which I sent to the web people and they said it would work. It turns out the photographer is an in-house photographer at Couture Fashion Week in NY, has photographed people like Dr. Phil, William Shatner and Danny Glover. Who knew? She had me change tops three times, took a lot of pictures and was a fun person. Her husband is also a writer, so I don’t think I could have picked anyone better. And you’ll see the new me once I get the photos and make a pick and when the web goes live.

I’ve also done a little advertising for my newest book, By Design –which is the first time I’ve done that. And I’m starting back working on Death Southern style. I’m also blogging on Lois Winston’s site June 28, at http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.ca/. Drop by and say ‘hi’.

I’m getting ready to head off to Orlando, Florida for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) National conference. Anyone else still a member of RWA?

One of the reasons I continue to be an RWA member is because of my online chapter, Kiss of Death. I can’t be a member if I’m not part of RWA. Also, RWA does provide some good workshops for writers and Indie authors at t he National conference. I’ll talk about those later. 

 

Kiss of Death (KOD) has its own event preceding the National conference. This year our speaker is a former member of the elite US Air Force Combat Search and Rescue team and a pararescue jumper, Jarrod Honrada. Other special forces call the pararescue jumper to rescue them. He excels at bringing in the personal and character building side of our heroes and will give us great insight into what makes a Special Forces soldier special. We have him for the morning and it will be a lot of questions and answers. 

 

And in the afternoon the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be sending a forensics analyst and a Special Agent to talk about DNA, Chemistry, Crime Scenes, Digital Evidence, Firearms, Latent prints, Toxology, and Trace Evidence. And we’re also having a certified Ethical Hacker talk to us. You have to admit, it sounds like a fascinating and information packed day.

I’m hoping to take good notes and I’ll try and pass on a little of the information to you next week. I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe some questions about the speakers.

And I’ll be talking more about the RWA workshops later.

A few years ago I attended a workshop at RWA with author, Bob Mayer. One of the things he said was if you’re self-publishing don’t even think about marketing until you have at least three books published, four or five, even better.

I thought this made sense and marketing scared me. (It still does) So I kept writing and publishing books. Life threw a few curves and I didn’t publish the books quite as quickly as I had planned. Last year I planned on marketing but with selling and moving, twice it didn’t get off the ground. This year I’m beginning to market, and researching the best ways to market. 

 

 

 

It occurred to me that maybe I have been marketing. When we finish writing a book and write the blurb – is that marketing? We get a great cover – is 

that marketing? What about choosing the metadata? We join Twitter, 

Facebook, Pinterest and Triberr. We get a blog. We post the book on our blog, or website if we have one. We may send a post to a few loops we’re on that we have a new book, or post it on our facebook page. Are we marketing?

Does marketing have to be active like taking out ads and doing blog tours, etc. or can it be the simple things we do when we self-publish. I didn’t consider what I did, marketing. But I’m rethinking it. What about you, what do you think marketing involves?

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