Randy Rawls: PI series

My guest today is Randy Rawls. Welcome, Randy.    

Good morning, Susan.

We'd be fascinated to know more about you.

I've been writing for quite a while.  I write for my pleasure, an avocation that keeps me young.  And, I must confess, I'm a much more serious Reader than I am a writer.  I love to read and my Kindle goes with me everywhere.   

How many books have you written and in what genre(s)?

I have six books published in my Ace Edwards, Dallas PI series, along with several short stories in anthologies.  The novels are pretty much out of print (I still have hard copies if anybody wants one), but the first two (JAKE'S BURN and JOSEPH'S KIDNAPPING) are available as ebooks published by L&L Dreamspell.  My Ace books are mysteries with chuckles built in.  Thorns on Roses is my first thriller and I will probably write a sequel to it.  I like series and believe the characters in Thorns can carry a series.  Thorns is available from www.lldreamspell.com as well as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other Internet sellers.  I'm also writing a female South Florida PI named Beth Bowman.  I have high hopes for Beth.  I also enjoy writing short stories and have had some published.  They run the gamut from young adult to Christmas stories to mysteries to thrillers to . . .  No romance or sci-fi yet.

What books or authors have influenced you?

Too many to name.  As I said above, I am an avid reader.  I read in almost all genres.  I'm a firm believer in learning from the best and hope I learn from each of the authors I read.  Three books that I read and re-read every couple of years are: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Old Man and the Sea (Earnest Hemingway), and (are you ready?) Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll).  If you haven't read Alice as an adult, you should.  A totally different story from the one you read as a child.  However, don't get the idea I only read old books.  I'm always on the lookout for a new writer as well as waiting for the next release from such as Robert Crais, PJ Parrish, Harlan Coben, Ken Follett, Radine Trees Nehring, Sylvia Dickey Smith, CJ Box, Phillip Margolin, and many, many others.  Like I said, too many to name.

What are your writing goals?

Have fun and entertain as many people as possible.  If I can make a few bucks along the way, that's even better.

Tell us about your latest release.

Thorns on Roses is a thriller featuring Tom Jeffries, an ex-Special Forces NCO, who is now a PI in South Florida.  For good reason, Tom has no faith in the justice system.  When the seventeen-year-old daughter of his best friend is found dead in the trunk of an abandoned car—raped, strangled, and nude—Tom vows to avenge her murder.  As Tom tracks the gang, Thorns on Roses, he discovers more about himself than he ever dreamed existed.

Is it available in print, ebook, and Kindle formats?

Yes.  Thorns on Roses is available as an ebook for all readers and as a print book.  L&L Dreamspell is my publisher and Thorns can be found at their website www.lldreamspell.com  The Kindle version is at Amazon, Nook version at Barnes and Noble, etc.

Were any of your books more challenging to write than the others? If so, why?

Yes, the Beth Bowman mystery that I am currently writing.  I call it Death by Vengeance.  The challenge comes from the crime that Beth is attempting to resolve—the kidnapping of a five-year-old girl.  While the story is absorbing and I love my characters, the aspects of a kidnapped child are difficult for me to handle.  I shall be glad when I have it finished, edited, and sold.

How do you develop characters?

Characters evolve as I write.  For example, the second lead in Thorns on Roses is a female lawyer.  To give Tom some degree of cover for his actions, I decided to have him on retainer with a major law firm in South Florida.  Suddenly, I had the senior partner and his son, a junior partner, assigning Abby Archer, one of their sharp young attorneys, to assist Tom.  Once she entered the picture, she became a driving force and the love interest for Tom, a confirmed bachelor.  When I started Thorns on Roses, I had no idea there would be an Abby.  She just appeared and took on the role.  And don't think she's just a piece of eye-candy.  She can dish it out—as Tom discovers.

How do you choose your setting?

I use settings that I know well.  I hate finding setting flaws in books I read.  My Ace Edwards stories are all set in Texas, five of them in small towns.  I went to those towns, walked the streets, talked with the people, and researched the area, learning as much as I could about them.  Then I wrote the story through the eyes of Ace as a stranger to the town.  It was fun weaving in a bit of the history of the area into each book. 

I now live in South Florida, thus Thorns on Roses and the Beth Bowman series are set here.  The streets are real, the kookiness of the area is real.  I want my settings to ring true to anyone who knows them.

Randy, do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?

Don't I wish.  I start with a crime and it goes from there.  I envy those who can outline a story, then stick to that outline as they write the book.  But my way is more fun.  The story forms in front of my eyes as the book progresses.  A character that I see as major might become minor.  And a character I introduce as a bit player might take over.  In Joseph's Kidnapping, book two in the Ace Edwards series, I introduced a female lawyer and made her as unlikeable as I could.  She was a witch, no doubt about it.  But a funny thing happened as the storyline developed.  I liked her and she liked me.  Thus, by the end of the book I had made her a nice person and a keeper in the series.  She appeared in two more of Ace's adventures, each time on Ace's side.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

The environment of South Florida definitely colors my writing.  We have a saying here: There is no fiction in South Florida.  Anything you write happened yesterday, is happening today, or will happen tomorrow.  And, while I usually say it with a smile, it is true.

Can you tell us about current or future projects?

The immediate future will be filled with promoting Thorns on Roses.  I'll be traveling to writers' conferences, hitting bookstores, and working the Net.  I am very hopeful it will be a winner in the eyes of readers across the country.  Depending on feedback, I may start book two in the series, send Tom and Abby off on another avenger adventure.  Also, I have a Beth Bowman to finish and ebooks to promote.  Oh, I'll also write and sell (I hope) more short stories.  There will be no letup in my writing life.  As long as it remains fun, I'll keep doing it.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

My website is www.RandyRawls.com and, as I say above, my publisher's website is www.lldreamspell.com  I'll try to keep my site up to date, and I know L&L will continue their sterling work.  Also, I love to hear from people.  Ask me anything, I'll try to answer.  And, don't think I'm only looking for praise.  I have thick skin.  Scold me if you think I deserve it.  Contact me at RandyRawls@att.net.  (But, if you insist, I also accept praise. J)

 LOL. Thanks for dropping by, Randy, and continued success!

Heather McAlendin returns

Heather McAlendin is back to discuss her new book, Killer Queen.

Heather, even though I have previously interviewed you, please give new blog visitors a brief bio.

My name is Heather McAlendin and I am originally from Timmins, Ontario and moved to Toronto almost 5 years ago with my family. I started writing poetry and short stories as a child and I was and still am a voracious reader. Over the years I have worked in graphic design and office administration but I always found myself writing in some capacity. It wasn't until a little over 4 years age that I submitted my first manuscript, Wicked Dreams which ended up in the publication of my very first novel! I am very lucky to have had 2 more published novels and a self published novelette since that time. Currently, I am self employed and have dedicated my time, thanks to the support of my family to write and edit full time and make my dreams of becoming a story craftsmen a reality!

What books came along at just the right time to influence your reading/writing?
I can't say it was any one book that has influenced my writing. Although I love to read everything from horror novels to sci fi and fantasy. Right now I work in the supernatural genre but I don't limit myself or my imagination. I will say that certain authors have influenced my work such as Stephen King, Anne Rice, Terry Goodkind, Ben Bova and the like.


Please give us a short synopsis of your new book, Killer Queen.
Killer Queen is a modern vampire thriller brimming with lust, betrayal, greed and vengeance.
Silver Devries is a five hundred year old Vampire Queen who, out of betrayal and vengeance, becomes a Vampire Hunter. She must search for a rogue female vampire who threatens the very existence of the vampire clans. Silver’s greatest allies become those who should fear her the most…mortals. Fear, hope and unexpected love are the ties that bind vampire and human together as they fight to save both of their worlds from imminent destruction.

How has your writing progressed since your first book? Has it changed you? If so, how?
My writing has grown and changed a lot in the last few years. As an independent author, with no agent I have had to learn the publishing industry from the ground up. Lessons have been learned and I am enjoying the process. I think my characters have changed me as they are all a part of who I am as a writer and as person. I am more open to possibilities and feel much more confident in my abilities as a writer.

When do you accomplish your best writing?
I am a morning writer, it's the best time of day for me to get my ideas on paper. Being a mother of a teenage son as well as caring for 2 dogs and a cat, by the evening I am just too tired to think straight.

Is there another book on the horizon?
Most definitely. I am currently finishing the next manuscript in the Killer Queen series. I am also writing 2 other manuscripts that will hopefully take my work in a different direction. One with be a new take on the “Jack the Ripper” story and the other will be an intense murder mystery/thriller.

After hours of intense writing, how do you unwind?
It's important to take a break and unwind and refresh yourself no matter what you do for a living. I go for an hourly walk every day and I also do yoga. I have also been known to take my camera out and just take pictures of flowers etc. Photography is another creative outlet that I enjoy very much.

Where can we purchase these books and get more information about you?

My books are available online via Amazon.com; Eternal Press; Lulu.com and AbeBooks. (search word: mcalendin). All the links are available through my website http://mcalendin.com or readers can contact me directly at heather@mcalendin.com

Heather, thanks for a second interview, and please let me know when the Ripper book is ready so I can interview you again. Best wishes!

Lynette Hall Hampton's Stetson Mold

Lynette Hall Hampton is my special guest today. Welcome, Lynette. Give us a little history about yourself.
I was born into a family of readers and writers. My Dad read western novels by the car load. When he retired from public work he read at least one a day for the rest of his life. My Mother read everything from Shakespeare to Grace Livingston Hill and wrote short stories and poems. She also wrote a column for her local paper. In the third grade I discovered a book called Cowgirl Kate and decided then and there that I’d someday write a book someday. It took many years of writing magazine articles and an occasional short story for me to reach that goal. In 2003 my first mystery novel, Jilted by Death was published. I haven’t stopped writing novels since.

I've read all of you books and enjoyed them very much. Briefly tell us about Stetson Mold.
My latest book, Stetson Mold, came out in January of this year from Wings ePress in e-book and trade paperback. It is a stand alone romantic suspense. It’s setting is an injection molding company which is located in Huntersville, NC – a small town near Charlotte. Stetson Varner dies and leaves his company and all his assets to his niece, Shelly Wakefield. When she takes control of the company, she learns that Stetson Varner didn’t die in an automobile accident as was reported, but he was murdered. In her struggle to learn who killed her uncle, she faces threats, sabotage, a potential strike and the possibility that the handsome molding manager is behind it all before she leans who she can and can not trust in the company.

How do you develop characters? Setting? Plot? And do you have specific techniques you use to stay on track?
My characters and plots have no rhyme or reason about them. It may sound strange, but my characters seem to pop into my head, sometimes uninvited. At first they’re fuzzy and nameless and without much form. To find out who these drop-in guest are I have a series of questions for them. Name? Age? Married? Single? And so on. After I get a fix on them, I start asking such things as: Where are you? What are you up to? Where do you work? Why are you bugging me? When I get the answers here I usually start writing. I don’t worry about a full blown plot, though I often have a vague idea of how things are going to end up and it usually does end this way. It’s the twist and turns in the middle that often surprise me. Though I know a lot of writers plot their entire novel before writing, I can’t seem to do it. Every time I’ve tried, the books have ended up not written or tossed in the trash. I’m not saying that I don’t plot at all, because I do. It’s simply a chapter or so at a time and as I do this I asked myself, “How is this going to lead to the ending I have decided on?” It’s kind of like a thirty-day trip I took across several years ago. I knew I was going to go a northern route through Ohio, Michigan, Montana and Oregon, go down the California coast and come back to NC by way of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. I didn’t plan some of the most fun things – the off shoots of visiting the Grand Canyon, The London Bridge in Colorado or touring the plantation in Louisiana among other things. And though I started out and ended up where I planned, I had a more exciting time doing ii than if I’d know about these things in advance.

Where do you write? What do you have around you?
I’d like to impress everyone and say that I have a beautifully appointed office, but alas that would be fiction. Because my son-in-law had to take a job out of town and he’s away five days a week, I have recently downsized and moved into a small apartment connected to my daughter’s home. I have a large living room and one wall contains bookshelves, a desk with my computer and a television in the corner. My file cabinet is in my walk-in closet and my cat thinks the back of the desk is his private sleeping quarters. (He’s nineteen years old, so who am I to argue with him?) At least it’s private and my two grandchildren are most of the time thoughtful enough to knock before coming into my area. My seven-year old granddaughter sometimes forgets and will come bounding in, grab her mouth saying, “Oh, I forgot,” go running back out and knock. It always makes me smile.

What are your current projects?
I have to laugh when I think of this question. I’m one of those strange writers who works on more than one book at a time. I’m about half through the third in the Rev. Willa Hinshaw series, though it’s giving me more trouble than any other of the series. I have completed three books in the Coverton Mills Romance series and am working on the fourth. A third of the third book in the Ferrington Men series is finished and I’ve recently written a stand alone historical romance which is looking for a home. I’m now writing the second in this genre. I like stretching my mind and attempting different forms of novel writing, but I haven’t had the urge to try my hand at erotica yet. Probably won’t do that one.

Some of this books will be out in the future. The first in the Coverton Mills series, Lady Slippers for my Lady will hopefully be coming out from Wild Rose Press in 2011 under my pen name, Agnes Alexander. Your Place or Mine? is scheduled to be out later this year from WriteWord Books. The mass paperback reprints of Jilted by Death will be out this summer from Harlequin’s World Wide Mysteries. They will publish Echoes of Mercy in 2011. I have offered Wings ePress the first in my Calendar Clan series. So, like all writers, I’m waiting to hear form the others I have out.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
My website, http://www.lynettehallhampton.com/, is in bad need of updating, but my older books are there. Most of my books are available on Amazon and other on line booksellers. Of course they can be ordered from the publishers: PublisherAlabaster.Biz or WingsPress.com. I keep books on hand myself and my email is LynetteHampton82@Yahoo.com.
Thank you for interviewing me, Susan. I enjoyed it.

It was my pleasure, Lynette. Good luck with all those books going at once. I tip my Stetson to you!

Lynette (in the hat) and Susan at

Carolina Conspiracy event

Elizabeth Craig

My guest today is fellow Carolina Conspiracy member, Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Elizabeth writes the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and is writing the upcoming Memphis Barbeque series for Berkley Prime Crime as Riley Adams. Like her characters, her roots are in the South. As the mother of two, Elizabeth writes on the run as she juggles duties as room mom and Brownie leader, referees play dates, drives car pools, and is dragged along as a hostage/chaperone on field trips.
http://elizabethspanncraig.com, http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com, http://mysteryloverskitchen.com

Elizabeth, welcome. When did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?
I’m not one of those people blessed with multiple talents. J I discovered early on that writing was the one thing that I was good at. I started avidly writing stories and poems when I was in 4th grade and never looked back. Mysteries were always my favorite reads growing up—I cut my teeth on Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the Bobbsey Twins, then I moved on to Trixie Belden before finally ending up with Agatha Christie. I must have reread Christie’s books ten times each!

What are your writing goals?
If I’m writing a first draft, I write half a chapter a day—this gets me through a 75,000 word book in about 5 weeks.

Briefly tell us about your latest book. Delicious and Suspicious is the first book in the Memphis Barbeque series and will be released July 6: When a food scout from a cable cooking channel is murdered, it's only natural for restaurant owner Lulu Taylor to take it personally. After all, her barbeque restaurant served the scout's last meal. But danger lurks as Lulu investigates the crime. Will she clear the restaurant's name, or is she next to be skewered?

How do you determine voice in your writing?
My voice is my natural voice—the one I tell stories in for my children at night. It’s very casual—“I want to tell you a story.”

How do you promote yourself online and off?
Since my children are still pretty young, I’m limited to my in-person appearances. I’m going to the Malice Domestic conference in DC April 30—May 2, and I make appearances with the Carolina Conspiracy mystery writers group in North and South Carolina. The bulk of my promoting is done online, though—via guest posts, my blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. Online promotion is a lifesaver!

Where do you write? What do you have around you?
I write anywhere I can! As a stay-at-home mom of busy children, I have to grab my moments when I can find them. You’ll frequently find me squeezing my writing into 5 minute blocks—at the grocery store deli line, waiting for my car to get washed, in the pediatric waiting room, or in the carpool line at the elementary school.

What are your current projects?
I’m handing in the second Memphis Barbeque book to Berkley Prime Crime this week. My deadline for the 3rd is November 1. I’ll also be promoting my first Memphis Barbeque book, Delicious and Suspicious after its release on July 6.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
They can visit me at http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com. I blog daily and use the site as a hub to connect to other blogs I write for. Thanks so much for interviewing me today, Susan!

It has been a pleasure. Hope to see you at a Carolina Conspiracy event soon, Elizabeth.

Interview with Author Steven Clark Bradley

My guest today is Steven Clark Bradley. Steve, it’s nice to have you here. Fill us in on who you are and what you’ve been writing.
My work and life in 34 countries include some of the most dangerous places in the world: the Middle East as a journalist in Pakistan, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and West Africa where I interviewed former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah Palestine, Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, and former Turkish President Turgut Ozel. Additionally, my involvement in American politics, gives me a profound, first-hand knowledge of the political winds of change that constantly sway the American republic to the left and the right. Since I have been able to travel so widely, I write about things I have seen firsthand, which gives me a very vivid ability to tell a story that is both riveting and realistic. As a published author with four fast-action novels already on the market and as an educator, I have developed an active marketing ability as well as an extensive fan-based presence on the Internet.

Yes, you have a huge Internet presence and your background is incredible.
Steven, when did the writing bug bite, and in what genre(s)?
I have always been a storyteller. I was writing my dreams and my ideas when I was as young as ten. I have a need to express the things I believe and want to tell in a manner that uses real-life issues to tell a story that can wake people up. I have always had a fear of one day dying and no one would know I had been here. I realized that the best way to be remembered is to do something memorable. A book, a story, fiction or otherwise leaves eternal footprints in the sands of time and that drove me to write. I think about the homeless and those incarcerated. Many of them will live, die and be used for science and I wanted it to be said I left behind me something to make men and women ponder.

When you started writing, what goals did you want to accomplish? Is there a message you want readers to grasp?
I have always said that my works are like treatises on the life and potential destruction of America. I look at my work perhaps the way Josephus, the great Hebrew historian’s work. Though my work is fiction, the basis of my books is set in stone and is being lived at this very time. I believe we are losing our freedom; freedoms that were never granted by any government, but by God. There are forces at work today that place all of us in the crosshairs of totalitarian treatment. One of the biggest mistakes we are making today in our seeming delight in playing the part of the Ostrich. We have our heads in the sand and think our enemies cannot see our hinder parts. My stories go a long way in showing that going softly and politically with nations like Iran and North Korea, letting the fundamental transformation of America go unwarned will only embolden them and give our enemies the idea that we will not react to their behavior that endangers the peace of the world. Unfortunately, they may be right. I try to show what will happen if left unchecked.

Briefly tell us about your latest book. Series or stand-alone?
My newest work is a series that originated from my first book in the trilogy, Patriot Acts. In this series, I have created a world that is sinister and ruthless where it is nearly impossible to tell your friends from your enemies. Sound familiar to the day in which we live? My newst book, which is just about ready to come out in the e-book edition is a contuinuation to show what lurks below the political world that we all see on the news. It is about a deadly, biologically manufactured virus that threatens the whole world.
In The Second Republic, the President of the United States is confronted with a radical underground secret cabal that has targeted America with a domestic bio-terror attack that dwarfs the assault unleashed on September 11, 2001. Set in 2011, this character-driven 67,000 word suspense/thriller weaves a tale that is as plausible as it is exciting. This second book in a trilogy takes the reader inside the White House where treachery and terrorism boils below its underbelly, and a former Special Ops, now the President of the United States, races to stop a deadly virus, which has killed thousands of innocent Americans, without invoking emergency powers that could destroy American constitutional freedoms.

What’s the hook for that expressed e book?
The hook is how these stories immediately take the reader out of the realm of fiction and directly into the world in which we actually live. I am currently writing Patriot Acts part 3 titled, Executive Order. It takes off right where Part Two finishes. It takes the reader even more deeply into the financial master’s plots to control the money supply and to use their unlimited wealth to control the nation. When the president threatens to reveal their plots, the nation is taken to new depths of woe. All three books are so real and riveting that the hook is a natural captivating effect that captures the reader and instills a real fear of how much it is like the day in which we live. The emergency powers referenced in this novel are real and could be invoked in the event of a massive terrorist attack upon the American homeland. Research sources from the Center for Disease Control, Homeland Security, and the Defense Department validate that the threats described in The Second Republic are ripped from today’s headlines and too frighteningly conceivable for comfort.

How do you develop characters? Setting?
There is nothing greater than writing & creating something from nothing. It's the closest thing to the divine! I have lived in many cultures and it has given me a love for the differences amongst us. I am a student of American culture and write about the changes in our society. God created us with free will. He wants us to obey from our hearts. A Writer is a book's world's creator, and you are your characters' creator as well. Give your characters free will as well. Let them guide you and don't force them to do anything. It's an amazing phenomenon when, as I am fond of saying, the book begins to write itself.

Do you have specific techniques you use to develop the plot and stay on track?
I think actually, I try to stay on track too much. I started Part Three of Patriot Acts and had three chapters written and it felt flat, more like part two. Then I got my literary epiphany and I redid the whole thing and what has happened, because I let the story guide me, is a story that is the most powerful tale I have ever woven, and it serves as an excellent finale to the series and wraps up the loose ends so well. I do not outline my stuff and I start with a quite general theme and main idea. I leave a lot of open ground to plant my seeds of excitement, stress, love, mercy, revenge and plausible scenarios. I find it quite easy to stay on track simply because I am in the world of the story so richly and deeply that my biggest problem is coming out of it after I finish for the day. My wife often tells me, “come home Steven.” And, I know what she means precisely.

How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?
It is true that I have and played a great part in had a very diverse career, politics, journalism and world travel, but I do feel that my upbringing in rural Indiana did have a powerful effect on the views I hold as dear, such as family and faith. All of those activities in my life have given me a real understanding of what is out there and the dangers we face. I write stories that are only scary because they are so very plausible. I can say that the scenario of Patriot Acts and Patriot Acts Two, which is now in publishing, are both very real and related to the things and issues and dangers we now face in a world gone mad and gone weak. That is why I have striven so hard to make what I write so real and something that serves as a warning of the future that we face without realizing that freedom is not free.

What are your current projects?
My newest works are very different from each other. As I mentioned earlier, Part Tree of the Patriot Acts series, Executive Order is going really well, and I am very excited about that book. During the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln wrote, "The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarch, more insolent than autocracy and more selfish than a bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the southern army in front of me and the financial institutions, in the rear. Of the two, the one in the rear is the greatest enemy..... I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country.” It is obvious he was right.
In September of 2008, The Secretary of the treasury and the Federal Reserve Chairman came to President George W. Bush and told him, if he did not release $800 billion dollars to them, that in two hours, five trillion dollars would be siphoned from the American economy and cause the collapse of the US economy and our standard of life forever. They further stated that in twenty-four hours the whole world monetary system would fall, which has been widely called a suicide threat. George Bush capitulated and said yes. Executive Order asks the question, what if the President had said no?

I and my daughter are also writing an older children’s story called, Four Lessons for Willow Morgan. There is nothing more important than imparting strong values into the lives of our children. It is getting tougher and tougher today, with parents giving up more and more of their authority and responsibility to the schools and the government, to be faithful to the call of bringing up our children with examples of mercy, confession, fairness and conviction. Yet, nothing can do more for a child's future than teaching them about honesty, good choices and hard work when they are still young. That is why I have started this little book called Four lessons For Willow Morgan.
This is a story a story about decisions, wise judgment and strong convictions, about that which is right and that which is wrong.
I am writing this a bit differently than I have in the past. This time, I am writing it together with my 9-year-old daughter, Selin Alicia Bradley. She is a bright, sweet and very smart young lady and loves to read. So, this is a two-fold project that gives my little girl lessons in creativity and this story can stimulate lots of children to seek more than their own self-interests, if they venture to read it.
Willow is a little girl who is growing up and who feels urges of rebellion, disobedience and disrespect starting to take hold in her life. Her mother and father recognize it and want to instill some true life lessons in her young heart.

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?
If anyone wants to learn more about my books or about my writing in general:
Stories That Read You:
http://stevenbradley.blogspot.com/2008/12/and-so-it-all-begins-by-steven-clark.html
Underground Controversy:
http://undergroundcontroversy.blogspot.com/
Steven Clark Bradley’s Patriot Acts:
http://stevenclarkbradleyspatriotacts.blogspot.com/
Steven Clark Bradley’s Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Clark-Bradley/e/B002BLJKI4/ref=sr_tc_img_2
Steven Clark Bradley Facebook Profile Page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/StevenClarkBradley?ref=profile
Steven Clark Bradley Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steven-Clark-Bradley/58795732010?ref=ts

Steven Clark Bradley @ Twitter
http://twitter.com/StevenBradley
Steven Clark Bradley’s Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Clark-Bradley/e/B002BLJKI4/ref=sr_tc_img_2
Steven Clark Bradley @ Barnes and Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=Steven+Clark+Bradley
Steven Clark Bradley @ Fictionwise:
http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mwsearch
Steven Clark Bradley @ Mobipocket:
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/searchebooks.asp?Language=EN&searchType=All&lang=EN&searchStr=Steven+Clark+Bradley
I hope readers will take a look at my writing and see the depth and research that I have put into each story. I am sure they will find some stories that read them!

Thanks for the interview, Steven. Continued success!

Luck

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I am posting an excerpt from Just North Of Luck. I hope you enjoy it.


My tummy howled as I grabbed rocks and roots and worked my way to the top. I pulled out binoculars and

crouched to peer under brush and trees, spotting the copper Hummer a little farther away than I anticipated,

but at least it was in sight. Finally.

I eased myself down, working out a plan a few degrees at a time. Once I was near a small patch of

flat ground I spotted it again and ran, tripping a few yards away, right into the anal glands of a skunk.

The damn striped fur bag threw its tail in reverse and soaked me with a pungent discharge. My eyes

stung and my nostrils caved in while my mouth twisted and contorted, followed by the rest of

my body.

I pulled my Ruger to shoot the little shit but couldn*t see well enough to take aim. I couldn*t wipe off since

my clothes were saturated with revolting spew. Fumbling for keys, I unlocked the Hummer and

grabbed the emergency blanket, wiping my eyes and face first. Stink dripped from my hair.

I mopped.

I peeled off all my clothes and wrapped nakedness in the blanket, careful to toss my guns and gear in the

back as far from me as possible, leaving the sturdy camo clothing and blue lace panties beside the road.

Just North of Luck is the second novel in the Logan Hunter Mystery series. Learn more about this book and the others:

http://www.susanwhitfieldonline.com/

And may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Penny Sansevieri: From Book to Bestseller

Penny, back with another great post. Her topic for today:

From Book to Bestseller: what it takes to crack the list (and why you might not want to)


In the past 15 months, we've had 10 books on the bestseller list. When I say "bestseller" I mean major lists: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, et al. Still, even after numerous books and a variety of lists, the "list" itself still confounded me, so I decided to do a little research to find out what it really takes to hit a list.

First off, the term "hit a list" can mean hitting a bestseller list at any point of entry. This can even be the bottom 100. Many books that hit a list are never viewed by consumers, they land there, stay for a week, maybe longer or shorter, and then vanish. The numbers and metric for this can be tricky and in fact, not entirely accurate. If you've ever tried to hit a list and found yourself disgusted with the odds, I hope this article sheds some light on the ins and outs of how the process works. I do recommend though that you do some research on your own, there are some excellent blog posts out there that look at the finite pieces of these lists and how they are constructed.

First off, let's look at the facts. Bestseller lists vary by season, market, and genre. First, let's look at seasons.

Surprisingly enough, how many copies you need to sell of your book will often depend on when you release it. Pre-Christmas releases, for example, require bigger number than a release that happens in May. Why is this? Well, the holiday should speak for itself and the same is true for key Fall months like September. The hotter the month (not in temperature but in publishing releases) the harder it is to get onto a list.

The next piece of this is reporting. Another piece that might surprise you is that not all reporting is accurate. Never mind the fact that reporting can be slow; you could hit 20,000 sales of your book in October but not see this reporting until November for example, but they can also be inaccurate, and there's a whole market share that's never reported on. Technical, scholarly, law-related books can make up over two-thirds of the book market and are never reported on. Christian titles work the same way. You might say, "Well, what about The Shack?" This Christian title hit a list because it was sold en masse in retail outlets and not sequestered to Christian retailers that don't get the benefit of reporting to the lists.

Finally, let's look at list structure. Each list pulls book data differently, meaning that the New York Times does not pull trade book data, whereas the USA Today list does. USA Today also pulls these titles onto a single list, whereas the New York Times divides these lists up by genre.

A friend of mine who spent years in publishing once told me that publishing is all about perception, and this is very true. What she meant by this is that print runs (publishers refer to these as "advance print runs") as well as any and all advance buzz a book is getting will also help it land on a list. Generally a book that is just "born" into the publishing world with no buzz, advanced reviews, etc. won't capture the attention of a big list. The author might hit it well locally, but generally not nationally unless (like in the case of The Shack) there is some online viral buzz that builds. There is also the consideration of sales surge. This surge often happens during a very short period of time and doesn't always have to equate to huge numbers, it's the velocity of the push that matters. An associate of mine in publishing once told me that a book she was working with only sold 4,000 copies before it landed on a major list. The smallness of the number is staggering when you think about it. Keep in mind that this book hit a list during a slow period, too, so that also worked in its favor.

Also, lists aren't always based on sales. The New York Times, for example, is known for a non-sale list, meaning that they circulate to 37 reporting (book) stores to find out whether a book is doing well. If it's being talked about by the stores, it will often make the list.

When you do the research, you realize that there is no way *anyone* can "rig" a list and promise you bestseller status. Well, there is one way: by buying up a lot of copies of a book within a short period of time. There have been companies promising bestseller status that do this, but once their warehouses are uncovered the companies often fold. Also, these books at some point will flood the system yet again, usually as used copies on Amazon, which will compete for sales attention with their newly printed counterparts. Any way you slice it, buying up your own books with the hope of getting on a list should be the last thing on your marketing agenda.

Marketing your book with an eye on the bestseller list is great, but much like waiting for Oprah to call, it's not a preferred way to gain or keep your marketing stride. Instead, focus on things you can actually control that will benefit you. Like, let's say regional promotion or an aggressive Internet campaign. Or how about reading groups both online and off? Slanting your campaign to hit a list isn't a great idea, in fact, it's often the worst thing you can do. Yes, there are books that publishers know will hit a list right out of the gate. These titles are generally celeb or news driven, but for the most part, 99.9% of all bestseller status is unpredictable. Gather your marketing chips and put them on a bet that is more likely to pay off. I know authors we've worked with who get the word from their publisher that their book just hit a list, and they'll often call me elated and excited. Now that's a wonderful surprise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing success." AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, ezines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 15 months their creative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com.

Penny Sansevieri: Promote Yourself Online

I'm so thrilled to have Penny visit my blog again with more advice about promotion. Do yourself a favor and take time to read this article. Then, if you don't have a blog, start one. It's easy.

Simple Ways to Promote Yourself Online


In as much as I’ve taught Internet marketing and publicity classes, the idea of marketing yourself online is still very confusing to a lot of people. Let’s face it; our company has a department dedicated to this. Why? Because stuff changes all the time on the Internet; if we didn’t have a dedicated department researching this and reading all the “geek stuff,” we’d never be able to keep up. But for right now I want to give you the bottom line basics because at the end of the day, we all need to start somewhere and the best place to start is online.

Blogging: If you don’t feel like you can do anything online or you don’t have the time for extensive promotion, the quickest and simplest thing you can do is have a blog. A blog is a great way to keep your site fresh (search engines love sites that are updated often) and a blog is a great way to reach your reader. If you don’t have a blog or haven’t blogged in a while, take heart: start somewhere and plan to blog a minimum of twice weekly. You’ll need at least two posts a week to keep it current. The biggest problem though with new bloggers is deciding what to blog about. Well, here are some ideas:

· Talk about trends in the industry you’re in (this works even if you write fiction, talk about the publishing industry…)

· Review other (similar) books – this is a great way to network with other people in your market

· Blog “in character” – readers love this!

· Develop your next story on your blog: you can ask for reader feedback on story direction, characters, etc.

· Lend your voice to a “hot” industry issue or controversy

· Comment on other blogs or feature them on your blog

· Interview people on your blog

· Talk about the elephant in the room: if there’s a looming issue in your market, why not offer your insight on your blog?

Feedback and blog comments: if you aren’t getting people commenting on your blog, don’t despair, it takes a while to get folks commenting and offering feedback, but the more you can tap into issues your reader cares about, the more comments you’ll see popping up on your blog.

Publishing content: The internet has really opened the door to publishing and pushing a lot of content online. Whether it’s articles, audio, or video, there’s a home for all of it on the ‘Net. Consider doing article syndication as a good place to start pushing content online. Here are some basic guidelines for article syndication:

· You don’t get paid for this syndication. This is always the first question I get when I talk to authors about syndicating their articles, book excerpts, or tip sheets. You post it online for others to use and promote you, what could be better?

· Your articles need to be helpful, not self-promotional. The more helpful they are, the more likely they are to be used. Yes you can mention your book but my recommendation is to keep any and all promotion of it to your byline.

· Article titles are important. Remember that the title of your article must be a description, don’t make people guess what you’ve written about. If you do, you’ll find your pieces aren’t as popular as you’d like them to be.

· Articles should be a minimum of 500 words, max of 2,000. Generally the most popular pieces are around 1,000 words. Don’t forget your byline and web site address. Also, and very important, get those articles edited before they go out on the ‘Net. Once you send them out, you can never get them back.

Participate: when it comes to online promotion, it’s really about participating. Think of the Internet as one big cocktail party. Go strike up a conversation with someone who you’d like to get to know better. Here’s a great way to do that. First, go to Technorati.com and find the top five blogs in your market, then watch them for a week or so and when you’re comfortable with what they’re talking about and the angle of their message, start posting comments and offering your own insight into their postings. Bloggers love comments and by participating you’re doing two things: you’re doing some virtual networking (aka cyber-schmoozing) and you’re promoting yourself via the link back to your site that’s part of your post every time you comment.

Conduct your own blog tour: after you’ve done some virtual networking and gotten to know some folks in your industry you’ll want to contact them to see about guest blogging opportunities. Guest blogging is pretty simple, you post an article on a site (sometimes it’s also a Q&A) and you respond to comments that come in during that day or week that you’re guest blogging. Be ready to host a blog tour of your own and unless the content is really off-topic from your site, I recommend that you consider it.

Blog carnivals: if you haven’t participated in a blog carnival and you’ve been blogging for a while then head on over to http://blogcarnival.com and get started. Honestly, it’s super easy. Just find a category/topic that you can speak to or have blogged on and submit those blogs for consideration. It’s a great way to virtually network and publish more content online.

Help promote the good stuff: do you get Google alerts on yourself? If you don’t, you should and here’s why: how else will you know what people are saying about you online? Google alerts is a simple way to monitor the cyber-chatter and get in touch with folks who review your book or feature you on their site. You can also go to Technorati.com, plug in your name, company name or title of your book and see what you pull up, then you can subscribe to the syndication feed of the search (just hit the RSS button and it’ll automatically subscribe you to that feed). Once you have your feeds all ready to go you’ll want to promote all the good stuff. How can you do that? Well first off offer a cyber thank-you to whoever mentioned you, reviewed your book or featured you on their site. Next, link to their site from your blog and finally, go to a few social bookmarking sites and bookmark these postings for enhanced exposure. Here’s how you do that: go to either Digg.com, Stumbledupon.com, or Delicious.com and create accounts (this takes just a few minutes). Then follow the instructions to bookmark a blog post or page on the site that’s featured you. This will help drive interest (and possibly traffic) to the site (which site owners will love you for) because you’re placing it in a public bookmarking system.

There’s a lot more you can do online, the possibilities are really endless but what I’ve found is that the confused mind doesn’t take action, so the simpler you keep it, the more you’ll do. If only one thing on this list appeals to you, that’s great. Keep in mind, doing one more thing this week than you did last week keeps you moving forward and helps you continue to create marketing momentum for your book!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing success." AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, ezines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 15 months their creative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com.



Copyright ã 2010 Penny C. Sansevieri

Joyce Scarbrough's Symmetry

My guest is Joyce Scarbrough. Joyce, welcome and give us a brief bio.


I write full time and do freelance editing in addition to serving as president of my local writers’ guild and acting as facilitator for the Quill Masters critique group. I have three published novels, TRUE BLUE FOREVER, DIFFERENT ROADS and SYMMETRY. I also have short stories featured in three different upcoming anthologies from L&L Dreamspell. I've lived all my life in southern Alabama, I'm the mother of three gifted children, and I've been married for 27 years to the love of my life--a public school teacher, coach extraordinaire, and total hunk.

Briefly tell us about your latest book.

It's humorous women's fiction, but I like to call it "chick lit for women who own more books than shoes." However, that's not what makes it so different from other books of its kind. Like 8 million people in the U.S. and 40 million worldwide—including actor Colin Farrell—both the heroine of SYMMETRY and its author have trichotillomania (TTM), a compulsive hair-pulling disorder, and neither of us are ashamed to admit it. See, I figured that if I literally had to pull out my hair trying to get attention for my books, I might as well write about it and use it for promotion.

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

There has never been a protagonist in a novel with TTM, and I hope to present both myself and my heroine as positive role models for the millions of people with this common physical disorder, many of whom don't even know that what they do has a name. I decided to put the issue into a novel rather than doing a reference book about it because I hope to raise awareness of TTM in the general public and the woefully uninformed medical community. I'm tired of people with this disorder being told by their doctors that they're crazy or defective when they simply have a nervous system disorder that is no more shameful than ADD/ADHD. In fact, many people with TTM have gotten good results from using the same drugs that treat ADD/ADHD, but a lot of doctors don't want to prescribe them because they don't know enough about TTM.

What’s the hook for the book?

Actually, the hair-pulling aspect is really just a small part of the heroine's personality, and the main plotline is about how she is dealing with a troubled marriage, her ticking biological clock, a domineering mother and an unexpected attraction to a sweet and sexy man from her past. Is it any wonder she pulls out her hair?

How do you determine that all-important first sentence?

Well, it was easy for SYMMETRY. The heroine's husband has just attended a sportswriters' conference in New York City, and when she calls his hotel room in the middle of the night, a woman's sleepy voice answers the phone. Hence the first line: "Jess always woke a second before she could complete the castration. Curses, foiled again." Women always laugh and men always cringe. However, if they keep reading, they find out that everything isn't always as it seems!

How do you develop characters? Setting?

So far, all my books have been set in the South because that's where I live. I'm obsessive about accuracy, so I wouldn't feel comfortable writing about places I've never been to unless I do extensive research on it. Thanks to the Internet, that's quite possible for future books. As for my characters, I do detailed sketches before I begin writing, then they always quickly come to life in my head and begin telling me their stories.

What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

Jess is a study in contrasts. With her friends and colleagues, she's self-assured and intelligent, yet she's insecure about whether or not her husband really loves her, and she lets her mother make her feel inadequate compared to her beautiful, successful sister. She's also in conflict with herself about her inherent loyalty to her husband--whether he deserves it or not--and the surprising attraction she feels for a man from her past that she encounters while separated from her husband. The book's main theme is how she learns to find balance in all aspects of her life and achieve the symmetry she craves so much.

What are your current projects?

I'm working on a coming-of-age novel that has been--I'm honored to say--compared to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by my critique group partners, something akin to food for my writer's soul. I'm also working on a young adult paranormal novel that is best described as BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER meets DEXTER, even though there's nary a vampire in it!

Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

Sample chapters of all my novels and a few older short stories are posted on my pages at Author's Den: http://tinyurl.com/yafjyty. I also have a blog called "Blue Attitude" that I don't update nearly as often as I should, but I'm working on that. The latest post was on Valentine's Day and features some fun scenes about the first kisses shared by the protagonists in my novels. You can find it here: http://joycescarbrough.blogspot.com. I'm also on Facebook as Joyce Sterling Scarbrough and love it when readers send me a friend request.

Joyce, it has been a pleasure. Continued success!

Visitor's Choice Contest Winner!

Penny Sansevieri: Red Hot Internet Publicity

Penny is back to answer more questions about marketing our books online. Here's an in-depth look at how we should be networking:

Social Networking on Blogs




We all know that it’s great to hop on social networks like Facebook, Squidoo and Twitter, right? But have you ever considered that a blog is a social network, too? You bet it is, but I’m talking specifically about the comment section within each blog. We all know that it’s great to pitch bloggers for your book or product, right? But there’s more to it. Really, it’s about online networking or cyber-schmoozing. Before you even target a blog for your pitch, you should get to know them first. Here’s how.

First, you’ll want to get to know the blogs in your market. To do this you’ll want to follow them and communicate with them via the comment section on their blogs. You can find these blogs through blog search engines like Google Blog Search and Technorati.com. Once you find the blogs that are top in your market (I suggest going after the top 5-10 to start with) then you’ll want to see what they post on and comment on their blog posts. What does this do? Well, it’ll help give you a voice on your top blogs and give the bloggers a chance to get to know you. Here are some tips for commenting intelligently on blogs:

· Be interesting and thought-provoking. Save the “wow, great blog” comments for when you are really looking to not impress someone.

· Watch, then comment. I recommend following the blog for a few weeks before jumping in. You want to get a sense of the tone of the blogger and how he or she responds to comments.

· Try commenting on at least five blogs a week, this way you’re not spending all of your free time doing this and still you’re able to get a voice out there in the blog-o-sphere.

· Offer additional insight to the blog post, perhaps you’ve had a different experience than what the blogger cited. If so, politely and intelligently tell them your viewpoint and invite other ideas.

· Be entertaining, engaging, and helpful. Always. Don’t push your book, yes you can mention it - but don’t push it, that’s a big no-no.

· Try to build a rapport with the blogger by being consistent, that’s why you don’t want to follow too many bloggers. You’ll be too fragmented this way.

· Be inspiring, readers love inspiration. Don’t just gush for the sake of gushing.

Commenting on blogs posts is a sort of social networking, even better in fact because blog posts and their associated comments are searchable. Keep in mind that you’ll want to always list your URL when you log in (and most blogs require that you do log in and leave your online “footprint”).

Once you have spent sufficient time online you’ll start to get to know the bloggers that are a significant “voice” in your industry. This type of networking will help when you go back to pitch them your story, book or product. Remember that bloggers, like any other on or offline media, want the scoop. So give them what they want. Here are a few tips for pitching bloggers once you’ve networked with them:

· Know what they like: don’t pitch them a book review if they don’t review books. Just because you have become commenter-extraordinaire doesn’t mean that they’ll bend the rules for you. Well, they might, but better to let them suggest it.

· If the blogger does review books and/or products check out their submission guidelines before sending them a pitch.

· If you’re sending them a story idea be sure and tell them if you’ve pitched this idea to anyone else. If they have an exclusive, tell them and give them a (reasonable) deadline for responding if you’re going to shop this around.

· Present the unexpected: it’s OK to take chances, it really is as long as you stay on topic. Pitch the blogger, you never know what could happen.

· Make it easy: if you’re pitching them a story don’t just pitch them and expect them to do all the work. Make it easy on them by offering to co-interview (when appropriate) or offering them experts you think might work well for the piece.

The key is that as you’re getting known online, the Internet is one big networking party. Just because you can hide behind your monitor doesn’t mean that you’re invisible. Remember that everything is your resume and everything leaves a footprint. The best thing you can do is get out and cyber-schmooze, the worst thing you can do is be unprepared. Do your homework and remember, online networking (when done effectively) can benefit you enormously both in your online footprint as well as the connections you’ll make. Don’t worry about spending hours on this, it’s really about quality not quantity. Get out there and social network on blogs, you’ll be glad you did.

Thank you so much for this information, Penny.

Penny Sansevieri's Advice About On-line Publicity

I am delighted to have Penny Sansevieri as my guest today. I bought her book, Red Hot Internet Publicity, and wrote a review (look in my archived posts). My copy is dog-earred and highlighted so that I can return to its pages to study and put some of her tips to good use. Since I had burning questions, I boldly asked Penny if she would consider answering them on this post so that all of you who read this blog will benefit.

Penny, welcome and please tell us a little about yourself and how you became a top Internet publicist.

WOW, thank you for the compliment! The Internet came to me when I was on a flight from San Diego to New York a number of years back. I realized that we are very fortunate to live in a country where anyone can publish a book. The problem with that is that now a lot of books are clogging the system and causing problems. Why? Review space is shrinking, and books are competing for the same shelf space which isn't getting any bigger, in fact shelf space is shrinking too. So I decided it was time to find a new way to market. Enter the Internet. We explored it for a while - we did a lot in beta. We had always done some marketing online, but not as much as we do now. Our campaigns are really leading edge. We were using Twitter almost three years ago, before anyone knew what it was. It's exciting stuff and it's really leveled the playing field.

What are some good ways to use our blogs for book publicity?
Well, if you're talking about the authors blog, I recommend that they blog - first and foremost and at least twice weekly. Authors should blog on topic, on current events related to their book, or anything that will engage, entertain, or educate their reader.

What should an author's Web site look like? What would you say to those who don't have a Web site to promote their books?
First off, your website is a 24/7 sales tool - every author *must* have a website. Second, what a site looks like isn't as important as what's on it and how well it's converting traffic. A site should be clean and easy to navigate - it should tell the visitor exactly what you're offering and give them a quick and easy way to buy your book. People don't want to guess what your site is about or what you're selling. You have to tell them up front. Be clear and remember you must sell the benefits. No one but mom cares that you wrote a book. Your readers want to know what the book can do for them!

How can I triple my book sales by having an Internet presence?
Well first off, it's about knowing your market/audience. You've got to get out and do some cyber-schmoozing. Here's a great little tip I teach authors to get themselves into the online conversation. The Internet is one big networking event. When you think of online promotion this way, the connections you make start to make more sense. So... the first and best place to look for these pockets of people is on blogs. I recommend finding the top 5-10 blogs in your market and following them. You can identify these top blogs on sites like Google Blog Search or Technorati, follow these bloggers and when you're comfortable, start commenting on their blog posts. This form of dialog is very important. Not only will you get to know the bloggers but you'll also begin networking with them. Then when you want to pitch them your book for review, they already know you! Also, each blog post you create creates an incoming link back to your site because when you blog comment, you have to register.

Let's talk about tags and keywords. There are still many of us who don't really understand how this works. How do we know we're selecting the right ones?
You really have to see what people are searching. Sometimes folks will look at Google Adwords to see what searches are most popular. Go check out your competition and see what types of keywords they have on their site and what they are using in their verbiage. Keywords are a very specialized industry but you can get a good sense by knowing and researching your competition...

I want to set up a virtual blog tour. How do I go about it?
After years of working with authors on Internet tours, talking about blogging, podcasting, social networking, and all other assorted online promotional tools, the basic questions still remain: How the heck do I promote myself on the Internet? Broken down in simple steps, this article is designed to give you a good starting point to kick your Internet promotion into high gear. It’s not difficult but you have to start somewhere. Let’s start with your web site…
Web site: Why would someone visit it? Why would anyone care? Before you start marketing yourself online, ask these basic questions. You can get anyone to a web site once, but getting them back a second, or third time is where authors often lose momentum. Studies have shown that less than 14% of web site visitors will buy the first time they visit. It’s only on the second or third visit that they decide to make a purchase. Anyone can drive traffic to your site, it’s getting them back that counts.

The point of your tour: getting incoming links.  Here’s the thing: anyone can get incoming links. The point is, you want GOOD and quality incoming links from sites that can actually send you traffic and readers that will buy your book. We get numerous calls from authors who have bought into inexpensive programs that do nothing more than driving unqualified, “tire kicking” traffic to their web site. This kind of traffic is not going to do you any good. In fact if you’re not careful, getting a bunch of errant links from sites that Google doesn’t feel are right for your topic or market can get you downgraded online instead of better ranking. So how do you beat this? First, you’ll want to download the Google toolbar. This toolbar comes with a Page Ranking piece (in some cases you may have to download this separately). This Page Rank is important because it’s an indicator of how important Google thinks a particular site is. Ideally sites you target will have a Page Rank of 4 or above. We like to target sites that have a ranking between 4-6.

Penny, this is great. I"ve learned even more and hopefully my cyber buddies have as well.
Bloggers, feel free to leave comments below this post for Penny or me. Ask questions. Penny has agreed to return with more tips to help us all. To learn more about Penny:

Penny C. Sansevieri
Author Marketing Experts, Inc.
Turning Authors into Success Stories
http://www.authormarketingexperts.com/

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