Visit my Website for a Chance to Win!

The Romance Reviews is  having its SECOND ANNIVERSARY PARTY during the month of March! More exciting games for readers, with all the fun activities repeated, including taking participants to author websites as they answer Q&A provided by authors and visit featured books!

Prizes include gift certificates, book giveaways and lots more! TRR is contributing the grand prize of $100 gift card, as well as other smaller prizes!

DATE: March 1 to 31, 2013

 

Visit www.alisonchambersromance.com on March 14 to answer one of the questions about my new book "Prisoner in his Arms" for a chance to win a free copy!

Join me for Long and Short Reviews Halloween Blogfest!

It's Trick or Treat at LASR!  And YOU get the treats!  From 10/29/12 - 11/2/12 dozens of authors in all genres will be blogging and you can win!

Every post will be offering a goodie... all you have to do is knock on their virtual door and leave a comment. One comment will be chosen at random at every blog to win -- it might be you!

So don your best costume and come party with us at our Halloween Blogfest. I'll be blogging about my favorite fall festivals on November 2 at 2:00 p.m. EST. Here's the link that you can go to then to read it: http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/2012/11/halloween-blogfest-alison-chambers.html.

Let me know what you like best about fall. One lucky commenter will receive an e-copy of my latest romantic suspense thriller "Prisoner in his Arms!"

Don't miss it!

Don't Miss Year End Splash Party!

Coming soon: the Romance Reviews Year End Splash Party, November 15-December 15, 2012.  The Romance Reviews is gearing up once again to make a big splash at its year-end party in November/December! As usual, there will be fun activities geared toward providing readers with tons of information about exciting books available, including my new book "Prisoner in his Arms," just released on Amazon.com. The activities will take participants to author websites as they answer a series of questions and answers. Visit my website www.alisonchambersromance.com to answer one of the questions on November 16 for a chance to win! They can also visit featured books and chat with authors and fellow book lovers at the Romance Reviews chat site! Prizes include gift certificates, book giveaways and lots more! Check it out at http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php!  And don't miss "Prisoner in his Arms." Now available on Amazon!

 

Click Here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00961HXCM

 

 

This is the sequel to "The Secret Sentinel" you've been waiting for!

Lexie O'Shea is kidnapped by masked men who give her ten days to find the mysterious Virgo Stone or her father will be killed along with her fiancee and terrorist attacks will be unleashed upon the Capitol during the Presidential inauguration. A sexy masked bodyguard accompanies her on the hunt. But is he only her jailer or something more? And what strange secret does the Virgo Stone possess? They embark on a dangerous journey following a series of cryptic clues as the clock ticks away to a shattering, heart-pounding conclusion. Visit my website www.alisonchambersromance.com for an exciting excerpt! And join us for the Romance Reviews Year-End Splash party on November 16 for a chance to win a free copy!

 

 

 

 

Prisoner in his Arms Debuts on Amazon

This is the sequel to "The Secret Sentinel" you've been waiting for!

Now on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00961HXCM

Lexie O'Shea is kidnapped by masked men who give her ten days to find the mysterious Virgo Stone or her father will be killed along with her fiancee and terrorist attacks will be unleashed upon the Capitol during the Presidential inauguration. A sexy masked bodyguard accompanies her on the hunt. But is he only her jailer or something more? And what strange secret does the Virgo Stone possess? They embark on a dangerous journey following a series of cryptic clues as the clock ticks away to a shattering, heart-pounding conclusion.

Sizzling Summer Reads Party Coming Soon

Don't miss the Sizzling Summer Reads party going on at The Romance Reviews! I'll be giving away an e-copy of "The Montezuma Secret!" (Five stars on Amazon and Goodreads).

Visit my website:www.alisonchambersromance.com
on day five of the contest to answer one of the questions of the day for a chance to win!

The Sizzling Summer Reads 2012 party begins July 1! Play games, have fun and win prizes! Meet your favorite authors and chat with them! Hundreds of authors are participating.

Enter for a chance to win the grand prize of a $100 gift certificate.  Here's the link for more information: http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php.

See you then!

Sinful Sirens Giveaway Hop!

Hi all and welcome to another stop on the Sinful Sirens Giveaway Hop!  I'm giving away an e-copy of "The Montezuma Secret," where you can meet my sinful siren, fashionista Erica Kingsley, as she battles handsome survivalist, Trey Zacco, in the wilds of Belize.  Five Stars on Amazon and Goodreads!  Here's a synopsis:  Hunky Trey Zacco, gritty survivalist and host of the Miami-based Holiday Channel’s hit "Wildman" series and glitz and glamour girl, Erica Kingsley, host of the channel’s "Lap of Luxury" show, are thrown together in the steamy jungles of Belize as a publicity stunt. Erica’s father, Arthur Kingsley, the owner of the Holiday Channel, has proposed the angle, not only to boost ratings, but also as a way to toughen up his spoiled daughter. And Kingsley wants them to search for Montezuma’s lost gold, presumably moved to Belize from the Guatemalan jungle. Zacco cannot hide his resentment at having to share the spotlight with the flighty fashionista

Erica, and he locks horns with her every step of the way even as both try to ignore the strong physical attraction growing between them. But when Arthur Kingsley’s plane crashes in the jungle, Trey and Erica launch a desperate search to find him. And when, one by one, members of the camera crew are killed and the equipment sabotaged, Trey and Erica find themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle where no rescue crew can reach them.

And speaking of steamy reads, two of my favorites are "Slow Heat in Heaven," one of Sandra Brown's first novels, and "Chill Factor," published more recently.  In "Chill Factor," magazine publisher Lily Martin is thrown together with a man she accidentally hits with her car during a blizzard.  As the pages turn, Lily suspects the man may be a serial killer.  However, there is still a strong attraction between them as her suspicions ebb and flow.  Extremely suspenseful and very HOT.  "Slow Heat in Heaven" revolves around a romance between Schyler Crandall and handsome Cash Boudreaux, a man with a dark past that may threaten Schyler's beloved childhood home, Belle Terre, in Heaven, Louisiana.  The love scenes are some of the most sensual I have ever read.  Be sure to check them out!

Enter for a chance to win an e-copy of "The Montezuma Secret!"  Leave a comment about your steamiest read.  One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win!

Hope you enjoy all the hot stops on the Sinful Sirens blog.  Here's a link to the other stops:
http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/.  Enjoy!

Watch my Book Trailer for "The Montezuma Secret"

Here is my brand new book trailer for "The Montezuma Secret!"

Visit Me on ibookbuzz.com and Read "The Montezuma Secret!"

Thanks to everyone who voted for “The Montezuma Secret” as best romantic suspense for March on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/. I enjoyed ramping up the romantic tension between the two main characters, Erica Kingsley and Trey Zacco, two complete opposites, who find they have only one thing in common—a strong physical attraction to each other. I particularly liked developing the jealousy angle between Erica and Morgana and had the fun of putting hunky Trey in the middle of these two very determined, sexy women! Watch for Trey struggling to control his libido (sometimes unsuccessfully) and laugh at Erica’s exploits in the jungle minus her stiletto heels, trying to survive on smuggled vitamins, hand sanitizer and mini-bottles of Stoli vodka!

Here’s how I came up with the idea for “The Montezuma Secret.” I don’t know if any of you have seen the show ‘Man vs. Wild.’ It’s a show on the Discovery Channel starring Bear Grylls, a former member of the British Special Forces Unit. In the reality show, Bear strands himself in remote locations to demonstrate survival techniques.  I thought what if a survivalist tough guy was stranded in the jungle with a really attractive woman who was his complete opposite, a girly girl glamorous type who hosts a show dealing with all the luxuries in life? I decided the character had to be totally averse to roughing it and a bit spoiled. So that’s how I created Trey Zacco, host of “The Wildman Show” and Erica Kingsley, hostess of “The Lap of Luxury” show, on the fictitious Holiday Channel. Then, to raise the stakes, I thought what if the channel is in financial trouble? To increase ratings, Erica’s father, who owns the channel, suggests a special reality show in which Trey and Erica are thrown together in the jungle and viewers must vote for their favorite (like on American Idol) to determine who they like best. Only one show can survive.

But that wasn’t quite enough. Being a fan of lost treasures, I researched treasures that might be lurking in Central America. I learned Montezuma’s gold has never been found. Legends abound that after Montezuma was killed in the 1500's, the Aztecs took Montezuma's treasure and hid it from the Spaniards. Some believe the treasure was hidden on the outskirts of Mexico City. Other suspected hiding places include Guatemala and even Kanab, Utah! So I decided Trey and Erica would search for Montezuma’s gold to further raise ratings. Since Guatemala was adjacent to Belize, I decided Belize was the perfect setting for “The Montezuma Secret!”

I hope you enjoy Trey and Erica’s story as they struggle to survive and find love, the greatest treasure of all!
Reading Schedule on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/:
March 1-7: Chapters 1-14
March 8-14: Chapters 15-30
March 15-21: Chapters 31-48
March 22-31: Chapters 49-59

Romance Reviews Anniversary Party All This Month

Want to be eligible to win the Grand Prize of $100 Gift Certificate and other major prizes? Here’s how.

The Objective!

Match up all the book covers in the Matching Covers Game.  If you complete it, that’s 1 chance. Play and complete the Matching Covers Game everyday, and that will give you maximum of 31 chances to win any of the major prizes. Each player starts the game with 10 clicks (number of times to open the covers).

Get More Clicks (chances)! Each correct Q&A you answer gives you 2 additional clicks. The more Q&A you answer, the more clicks you have to match all the covers. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Click on the “Reset” button, and the number of clicks you earned will be restored and you can try again to complete a new Matching Covers Game.   http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php.  Don't miss out and watch for my question about "The Montezuma Secret," the ibookbuzz.com book of the month, on March 30 in The Romance Reviews contest!

March Romantic Suspense Book of the Month on ibookbuzz!

I won as the best romantic suspense for "The Montezuma Secret" for March at ibookbuzz.com! Watch for news on the exciting chats, blogs, discussion, excerpts, etc. going on over at www.ibookbuzz.com all month. Thanks to everyone who voted for me! Your support means a lot!

"The Montezuma Secret"

NOW Available on www.amazon.com Click to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JU0IX6 Only $.99 in e-book format for your Kindle, PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, or Android

Also available on Smashwords!
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49140

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

FIVE STARS: "Erica Kingsley, a twenty-nine year old spoiled woman had to be taught a lesson and her CEO father planned with the help of her ex-lover to do just that! Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

Alison Chambers

http://www.alisonchambersromance.com/

Vote for "The Montezuma Secret" on ibookbuzz!

My book "The Montezuma Secret" has been chosen as one of the final FIVE in the Romantic Suspense category, and one will be iBookBuzz's Book of the Month for March.  Please vote for me! Go to www.iBookBuzz.com and click on Vote.


You can vote for me between February 1st and 14th, with the book accumulating the most votes being announced on February 15th.  Amazon links to my book are conveniently located next to the Review boxes.

Please be aware that multiple voting is not allowed and those votes will be deducted at the end.
Check out my reviews:

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

FIVE STARS: Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

Thank you!

Excerpt "The Montezuma Secret"

NOW Available on www.amazon.com

Click to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JU0IX6

Only $.99 in e-book format for your Kindle, PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, or Android.  Also available on Smashwords!

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

A Blurb from “The Montezuma Secret”

Hunky Trey Zacco, gritty survivalist and host of the Miami-based Holiday Channel’s hit "Wildman" series and glitz and glamour girl, Erica Kingsley, host of the channel’s "Lap of Luxury" show, are thrown together in the steamy jungles of Belize as a publicity stunt. Erica’s father, Arthur Kingsley, the owner of the Holiday Channel, has proposed the angle, not only to boost ratings, but also as a way to toughen up his spoiled daughter. And Kingsley wants them to search for Montezuma’s lost gold, presumably moved to Belize from the Guatemalan jungle. Zacco cannot hide his resentment at having to share the spotlight with the flighty fashionista Erica, and he locks horns with her every step of the way even as both try to ignore the strong physical attraction growing between them.

But when Arthur Kingsley’s plane crashes in the jungle on his way to film the opening of the show, Trey and Erica launch a desperate search to find him. And when, one by one, members of the camera crew are killed and the equipment sabotaged, Trey and Erica find themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle with sultry producer Morgana Montez, Trey's ex-lover, where no rescue crew can reach them.

An Excerpt from "The Montezuma Secret"

"Up?" she pointed, unable to believe her ears.

Trey gave her a hard shove.

"Get going!"

"But how?"

"Grab the vines and pull yourself up!" he shouted over the thundering rain.

"You must be joking! It’s got to be one hundred feet high!"

"Good calculation. Now move!"

She stood her ground. "But why?"

"A. There’s no other way. B. I’m ordering you to. And you’ll listen if you ever want to get out of here."

Trey stifled an urge to smack her luscious wet bottom and watched in amusement as she struggled to grab hold of the slick vines, then smirked as she scrambled up a few feet and then landed in the muck with a splat. Her thick mane of black hair, once so splendidly coifed, was heavily matted and caked in mud.

"Again!" he yelled.

Raindrops, big as bullets, pelted her mercilessly. "I can’t do it. It’s impossible."

"Watch the master," he said, stowing the camera in his backpack.

He brushed her aside and grabbed one of the sturdier vines, then pulled himself up arm over arm with the agility of a spider monkey until he reached the top of the cliff where he had a perfect view of the lush jungle canopy and could see for miles.

"Now you know how it’s done. Get your ass up here or I’ll leave you behind."

"You can’t do that. You wouldn’t."

"Pull yourself up, Kingsley. If you have to, use the side of the cliff to push off and boost yourself higher. But watch out for the holes. There may be spiders and bats hiding in those nooks and crannies."

Erica re-tied her sagging ponytail and pinned it to her scalp. Her breath was ragged, her heartbeat erratic.

From above, she heard the sudden monotonous drone of a plane’s engine cutting through the rain splatter, then listened to the sputter as the motor spit and coughed, struggling to stay aloft. Wings slashed through the jungle over her head five hundred feet from her, both turbo props flaming. The plane wobbled and rolled before hitting the ground with an ear-splitting shriek of steel against steel followed by a blinding explosion of light that knocked her off her feet.

A sickening sensation shot through her and she suppressed the urge to vomit. The stench of black smoke as dark as blood filled her nostrils. She knew what had happened. She hoped to God she was wrong, but more than ever she wished with all her heart and soul that she was still safely home in Miami Beach and that she had never come.

From a safe distance, comfortably positioned to witness the entire spectacle, a smiling figure breathed a sigh of relief. It had all gone according to plan. On schedule and on time. They were right where they needed to be. Soon they’d both be dead and no one would be the wiser. Untimely accidents. Marauding terrorists. Ancient Mayan curses. Any excuse would do. Completely believable, considering the dangers of the jungle. They’d just disappear. Perfect. Simply perfect.

The Rhythm of the Word, Part 2

The Rhythm of the Word continues with more sentence selection choices to vary your writing style and engage your reader:

Repetition of a key term. Example: We all inhabit a mysterious world—the inner world, the world of the mind.

A variation: same word repeated in parallel structure. Example: Romeo and Juliet captures a moment of time, a moment of passion, a moment of desperate indulgence.

Emphatic appositive at end, after a colon

Example: Atop the back of the lobster is a collection of trash: tiny starfish, moss, sea conchs, crabs, pieces of kelp.

A variation: appositive (single or pair of series after a dash)

Example: Many traditional philosophies echo the ideas of one man—Plato

Interrupting modifier between subject and verb

Example: A small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, can make millions think.

A full sentence as interrupting modifier

Example: Juliet’s famous question—early in the balcony scene she asks, “Wherefore art thou, Romeo—is often misunderstood; she meant not “where,” but “why.”

Introductory or concluding participles

Example: Overwhelmed by the tear gas, the rioters groped their way toward the fountain to wash their eyes.

A single modifier out of place for emphasis

Example: Frantically, the young mother called for help.

Prepositional phrase before subject and verb

Example: Despite his master’s degree in economics, the only job Chester could get was making change in an Atlantic City casino.

Object or complement before subject and verb

Example: His kind of sarcasm I do not like.

Complete inversion of normal pattern

Example: Down the street and through the mist stumbled the unfamiliar figure.

Paired constructions

Example: The more the Texas Ranger searched through the country, the more elusive the trail of the train robbers became.

A paired construction for contrast only

Example: Genius, not stupidity, has limits.

Dependent clause as subject or object or complement

Example: What man cannot imagine, he cannot create.

Absolute construction anywhere in sentence

Example: His blanket torn and his finger burnt, the small boy cried on his father’s shoulder.

The short, simple sentence for relief or dramatic effect

Example: Days passed.

A short question for dramatic effect

Example: What caused the change?

The deliberate fragment

Example: Fair enough.

Keep all these sentence styles near your computer to help you remember all the different variations.  And pay attention to the rhythm of the sentences, the syllables and the words.  The ear is the best writer.  If you keep your writing lyrical, you're writing will sing!

Weeks to come:  Shameless Promotion

The Rhythm of the Word

Words are like musical notes. They have to form together properly to make a pleasing sound. That’s why they say the ear is the best writer. Sentences have to have a certain rhythm otherwise they sound choppy and discordant. As a piano player, I draw on my musical skills to understand when writing sounds right and when it doesn’t.

Sentences have to flow like music. The number of syllables in the word also makes a difference when determining which one to use. Too many long sentences won’t work and the same is true of too many short sentences. In music, staccato means a note of short duration. Lunga means long and sostenuto means sustained or lengthened. Forte means loud, adagio slow, pianissimo, soft. Andante means moderate, crescendo means growing progressively louder. When a pianist is unskilled, all the notes may be played exactly the same, without emphasis or feeling. He or she hasn’t put his soul into the music. When a virtuoso pianist hits the keys, we can immediately tell the difference. Some parts of the melody are played soft, others strong. It stirs us emotionally. We hear not just the notes, but the emotion behind it. The same is true of writing. The key is variety. And the ultimate key is to know when to differentiate between all the different options and make the words sing—with emotion, intensity and fire. It can make our writing not only readable, but memorable.

There are 20 Patterns for sentence structure. Here are the first 10:* (I’ve copied these and pasted them next to my computer)

1. Compound sentence: semicolon, no conjunction.   Example: Hard work is only one side of the equation; talent is the other.
2. Compound sentence with elliptical construction.   Example: A red light means stop; a green light, go.
3. Compound sentence with explanatory statement.   Example: Remember what the old saying advises: Be careful what you wish for because you may actually get it.
4. A series without a conjunction.   Example: The United States has a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
5. A series with a variation.   Example: Peering down from the hill, Merlin could see the castle swathed in gloom and fear and death.
6. A series of balanced pairs.   Example: Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot and Guinevere were all famous lovers in literature.
7. An introductory series of appositives.   Example: Vanity, greed, corruption—which serves as the novel’s source of conflict?
8. An internal series of appositives or modifiers.   Example: My favorite red wines—Zinfandel, Cabernet, Pinot Noir—blend well in making California rose wines.
9. A variation: a single appositive or a pair.   Example: A sudden explosion—artillery fire—signaled the beginning of a barrage.
10. Dependent clauses in a pair or in a series.   Example: When he smelled the odor of pine, when he heard the chatter of jays, when he saw the startled doe, the hunter knew he had reached the center of the forest.

What writers use words that flow the best, ones that are the most pleasing to the ear? What writers make you say ‘gee, I wish I’d written that,’ or ‘gee, that sounds great!’ My favorite wordsmiths are Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They can create an atmosphere like no other and string sentences together with truly imaginative words that have life and rhythm. Who are your favorite wordsmiths and what special tricks do they use that make you love their writing?•

*From “The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for Success” by Waddell, Esch and Walker
Next week: The Rhythm of the Word, Part 2

What Makes a Successful Blog?

What's the Secret Formula to Success?

1. The day you blog?
(Are weekends the best?)
(Or Mondays when everyone is more active, back at work, etc.)

2. The time?
(Early or late in the day?)

3. Name recognition?
(Does this matter?)

4. Subject matter?
(This has to matter!)

5. What’s the most popular topic?
a. Writing tips?
b. Personal Recollections
c. R-rated book excerpts?
d. Promos?
e. Great photos?
f. Great links?

6. Social Media
a. Facebook
b. Twitter
c. Linked in?
d. Writing Groups
1. Coffee Time Romance
2. All Romance Reviews
3. Wild Rose Press
4. Long and Short Romance Reviews
5. Others?
6. Amazon Author Page
7. Facebook Author Page

7. Long list of followers to establish credibility?

8. Length of Time the Writer has been Blogging?

9. Number of Books the Author has Written/Experience Level?

These are things I’ve wondered about since I first started seriously blogging a year ago. What things contribute to creating a big following? I’ve heard it takes six months to establish that following. Is this true? Does it contribute to sales? Is it better than paid ads? My New Year’s resolution is to grow my blog and its followers. How best to do that? And is it worth it? Am I wasting time with this when I should sooner be working on my novels?

Next week: The Rhythm of the Word

My favorite holiday movie: Hugo and the Creation of a Fantastic Story World

I don’t know how many of you have seen the fantastic new movie “Hugo,” currently out in theatres. But we could learn a lot from the movie in terms of creating a fantastic story world, one that hooks you in and won’t let go.

Without giving away too much, Hugo is a little boy who lives in a giant clock in a railroad station just after World War I. His father dies and he is forced to live with his uncle (a very mean drunkard—shades of Charles Dickens.) When his uncle dies, he lives in fear of the evil train station security guard, who will whisk him off to an orphanage if he learns Hugo has lost all of his relatives. The boy finds a fabulous mechanical man, called an automaton, and tries to get him to work using his father’s special tools. (His father was an expert at fixing things). The automaton does give him a message which leads him to a fascinating old man who works at the train station selling toys, from whom he has originally stolen the mysterious metal figure. This man has a connection to the early days of moviemaking and to his father.

The story is set in a miraculous fantasy world and is shot in the best 3D I’ve ever seen. The pictures literally leap off the page. Can you make your settings and characters do that? Can you create a fantasy world that mesmerizes and amazes? Will your readers get lost in the story because of it?

Whether you’re writing a fantasy or not, you still need to create that kind of world. A special world that your characters inhabit, where evil lurks and love triumphs. One that’s above reality, one that’s special. It’s hard to do, but using our imagination can work wonders. And, of course, like Hugo’s world, there must be hope and there must be a happy ending.

What’s your favorite book or movie whose setting literally swept you away to another world—Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Twilight saga—or? Let me know!

Next week: What makes a successful blog and what’s the best day to blog?

Do Book Trailers Really Help Sell Books?

Last week, I blogged about how to create a book trailer the easy way and I often wonder do these things help sell books? They may be a quick YouTube production or a more detailed and expensively produced one, but does it make a difference? Do they sell your books? I’m more apt to read a blurb than I am to watch a trailer, maybe because they’re still a new promo option to me. And if you go to the Wild Rose Press, Amazon or to Smashwords, potential buyers are more apt to read a description of your book and its reviews rather than watch a trailer, which is often only posted at your website.

It’s funny, we watch movie trailers all the time because it’s such a common thing and usually the main way we hear about new movies. While watching TV, a movie trailer will often pop up or we see them in the theatre (for about fifteen minutes before the actual movie we’ve paid for starts). Sometimes I even get bored with them, like enough already, let’s just start the movie. There aren’t as many for books that I’ve seen, though occasionally I do see a book ad on TV or hear one on the radio (usually for some mega best-selling author like James Patterson).

Like paid advertising, the jury’s still out on the value of book trailers, though they seem to be a necessity these days like everything else in the book marketing world. I still think the best promotional tool is the books themselves, how many you’ve written and the fan base you’ve developed over the years. That’s how I buy books. When I hear a new book is out by an author I’ve enjoyed, I rush to buy it (at a discount, of course).

What do you think?

Next week: My favorite holiday movie: Hugo and the Creation of a Fantastic Story World

How to Make a Cheap Book Trailer Yourself

While on a recent Caribbean cruise, my boyfriend and I shot additional footage of Belize with his video camera as a promotion for my latest book, “The Montezuma Secret,” which is set in Belize. He filmed me explaining the plot of the book, and I began by saying: “Here I am, in beautiful Belize.” He also shot footage of me doing an interview with a local TV reporter and camera crew. It’s set to appear as a book trailer on my website.

So whenever you travel, either cross-country or abroad, take your video camera! It doesn’t have to be expensive to shoot a book trailer promo. You can do it yourself! Use backgrounds that look similar to your book’s setting, even while at home. It doesn’t have to be the real thing. Go to the zoo. Shoot pictures of exotic animals and call it the jungle. Go to a nearby lake, pretend it’s the ocean. Visit a forest or national park. Go to the airport, film planes taking off. Shoot a train or sailboat in miniature. Film the sky, a sunset, a rainstorm, a blizzard. And don’t forget to include a picture of your book’s cover! Movies are all about imagination. You’ve heard the term “movie magic.” That’s what it is! Get friends and family in on the act. And use your own voice to promote the book. Read your blurb. Read an excerpt. Be dramatic. Let the actor or actress in you take over. You’re an artist too, a very special one. An author. So sell it! Post it on YouTube, your website and blog. People love video. A picture speaks a thousand words!

Any video camera will do. And if you don’t have one, buy one! Cheap video flip cameras abound, all for less than $100. Even your phone has a camera option. You don’t have to have a professional videographer and expensive camera crew. So the next time you think, I’d love to do a book trailer, but I just don’t know how, think again. Keep it simple and see what you can come up with! It’s a lot of fun to star in pictures!

What is your experience with making book trailers?

Next week: Do Book Trailers Sell Books?

How to Creatively Promote while on Vacation and During the Holidays

How Just a Little Initiative Can Make Things Happen

Case Study #1: While on a Caribbean cruise two weeks ago, we stopped at Belize, which just happens to be the site of my latest book “The Montezuma Secret.” When we went ashore, we stopped at an art gallery where a TV camera crew was filming award-winning paintings for that evening’s newscast. My boyfriend went up to the reporter and said “She wrote a book about Belize.” The reporter’s interest perked up and he came over and talked to me where I explained about how “The Montezuma Secret” had been set in Belize, was available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com and how it had received Five Star Reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. His interest perked up further. He congratulated me on giving him a new angle for the story and agreed to interview me. We went outside, where there was a lovely backdrop of the river and sailboats behind me and he asked me about how I decided to set the book in Belize. I explained that it was a beautiful exotic place that I always wanted to visit and how I wished I had more time to stay in the country other than the short cruise ship stop. I also explained that “The Montezuma Secret” was about a search for Montezuma’s lost gold which has never been found, although rumors abounded that the gold might have been moved to neighboring Guatemala. I added that I fictionalized moving the gold to Belize because I had wanted to set a story there. The interview was set to air that night on local TV. Moral of the story: You never know when a good promotional opportunity will come along so keep your eyes open, be gutsy and be prepared!

Case Study #2: I live in a small quaint village in Wisconsin, just south of Milwaukee, which celebrates every holiday with verve and panache—thousands of tiny lights, hay rides, craft fairs, horse-drawn sleigh rides at Christmas, you name it, they’ve thought of it. All of these events are very well attended, drawing thousands of people from Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs as well as neighboring Illinois. While visiting the downtown area this past October, I happened to notice a poster on one of the charming little shops promoting someone’s book for the upcoming annual “Hay Days” celebration. I went inside and talked to the clerk, who told me it was her book and said the owner had graciously agreed to let her promote it inside her shop during “Hay Days.” I asked her how I could participate in future events. She told me to contact the village and noted that everyone had been very helpful to local vendors, artists, and authors. I contacted the village via their website, but heard nothing back. (There were several different websites, one for the shops and business, one for the village itself and I wasn’t sure which one was the correct venue.) After two attempts and still hearing nothing back, I contacted the mayor directly. He was kind enough to give me a return phone call and advised me to contact the manager of all the local businesses, which I did. The manager told me to contact one of the shop owners to act as a sponsor for a future event: “Dickens of a Christmas,” “Valentine’s Day,” etc. I am in the process of doing that and hope to be a participant in the next Valentine’s Day event as a great tie-in for a local romance author. Moral of the story: If at first you don’t’ succeed, try, try again!
What’s your favorite promotional story?
Next week: How to Make a Cheap, Quick and Easy Book Trailer

Happy Cyber Monday!

Simple Promo Tips in an Increasingly Complex Electronic World

Many authors (including me) are using independent distribution sites like Amazon and Smashwords to sell their books (either brand new titles, titles that weren’t picked up by traditional publishers or titles that were once published elsewhere but are no longer in print) in order to find a new audience in this wonderful Kindle, KOBO, Nook, and tablet-happy electronic world we now inhabit. It’s tough to be an indie author, but there are ways to make it easier. Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful:
Converting books for Amazon’s Kindle and Smashwords can be a chore, especially for first-timers. Here is a list I’ve found and I refer to it closely when I have to upload a new book. It’s worked wonders and saved me a ton of time. It also helps to have a new computer and a new version of Microsoft Word.

* “Save As” to create Kindle file copy
* Insert cover image on first page
* Remove blank pages
* Remove headers
* Remove footers
* Set margins to 1” all around, remove gutter
* Replace section breaks with page breaks
* Set two carriage returns before each pg break and one after each
* Insert page breaks before each chapter heading, if necessary
* Replace double spaces with single space between sentences
* Standardize body text style
* Turn off auto-hyphenate (Tools > Language > Hyphenation)
* Remove any tab or space bar indents, replace w/ ruler indents as needed
* Set line spacing to 1.5, max 6pt spacing after paragraphs
* Standardize chapter headings
* Standardize section headings
* Remove/replace special characters
* Reformat graphics as needed to 300dpi resolution & optimal size (4×6” or smaller)
* Verify images are “in line” with text
* Insert page breaks before and after full-page images
* Modify copyright page to reflect Kindle edition verbiage
* Add correct ISBN to copyright page
* Insert hyperlinked TOC (From The Indie Author Guide by April Hamilton)

Other great resources: Taleist (www.taleist.com), Kindle Boards Author Tag Exchange and Kindle’s Direct Publishing Newsletter. Also dearauthor.com, where you can list new releases as well as thebookbreeze.com. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers at www.fundsforwriters.com, Sandra Beckwith’s Build Book Buzz, www.buildbookbuzz.com and Dana Lynn Smith’s The Savvy Book Marketer http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com are also wonderful resources.

Books: The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath and Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters

Join the following groups for great writing and promo tips: Authors, Writers, Publishers, Editors and Writing; New Image Writer’s International Network; Reader’s Entertainment; Books and Writers; and Romantic Fiction, all on Linked In.

Post at: Long and Short Romance Reviews, Coffee Time Romance, Love Romance Café, All Romance Reviews (Put their banner on your website and get a free headline ad each month), and Twitter and Facebook, of course.

Happy Cyber Monday and I hope your sales skyrocket!

What’s your favorite free promotional tool?
Next week: How to Creatively Promote while on Vacation and during the Holidays