You can still find us at our personal blogs and we hope you’ll [...]]]> We are currently on hiatus.  Life has been crazy for all of us and we’re needed elsewhere for a time.  We hope to return soon, and when we do, we’d like to have a new look, daily articles and maybe even fresh blood!

You can still find us at our personal blogs and we hope you’ll come by and visit us there.  We appreciate all of our wonderful readers and hope you’ll be patient and join us again when we return.

Our blogs:

Jane E. Jones

Jacquie Rogers

Pamela Sweet

I do.  It’s Rowena Cherry’s fault.  And some blame can be placed on Lillian Cauldwell, too.  You’ll see why in a while.

We at Texty Ladies write books, poetry, music.  We sculpt, paint, craft.  TL is a gathering place for people who combine [...]]]> Well, do you?  Podcast, that is.

I do.  It’s Rowena Cherry’s fault.  And some blame can be placed on Lillian Cauldwell, too.  You’ll see why in a while.

We at Texty Ladies write books, poetry, music.  We sculpt, paint, craft.  TL is a gathering place for people who combine art and business.  Ann Charles and I have a whole site dedicated to this exact topic (combining art and business) called 1st Turning Point.

I bring this up because there has to be somewhere to learn exactly how to do all the things we have to do now.  Social networks are both endless and relentless.  The email lists are as plentiful as plankton (I’m subscribed to about 150 lists). We make book videos (who knew we had to be movie-makers to be authors???), create graphics, do our own print advertising, but online ads with review sites.

What a job!!!  And somewhere in all that mess, we have to continue writing books and creating our art, too.

So what promotional activity gives you the most bang for your buck?  I don’t know, but I do know that I can do a podcast and reach five- or ten-thousand listeners in one shot.  No kidding.  How did I get roped into this?  Rowena Cherry.  She insisted I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.  Okay, maybe I did, but after she let me be on her show a few times, I got a little better.

So how do you go about this podcasting gig?

First, you have to find an internet radio station.  There are several.  I’ve had great luck with Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio, owned by Lillian Cauldwell.  She’s very much into supporting charities and doing as much good work as she can do, all the while promoting authors, musicians, and artists.  In fact, she does a better job promoting other authors than herself.  She’s author of several books, her latest being a YA called The Anna Mae Mysteries: The Golden Treasure.

Second, you have to have a direction for your show.  Rowena has a monthly show called Crazy Tuesday.  It’s a two-hour show and she has a topic for each program, and invites guests who can best address that topic.

I followed her model when I started my own show, Meet the Parrots.  It’s a show sponsored by 1st Turning point and we call it Meet the Parrots because our subscribers are called parrots.  We have a whole nautical theme going on which is a lot of fun.  Anyway, I host the show.

Third, guests come in handy.  Invite guests who understand the topic through and through, people who have practical experience or are well-learned.  I had a show about faeries and invited Eilis Flynn and Roberta Gellis.  The two of them are so well-versed on this subject that all I had to do was throw them a bone and they engaged in a fascinating conversation.  Another show was on the use of taglines and how they can be advantageous on advertising.  John Klawitter has been an ad man for years, as well as a producer, director, and screenwriter in Hollywood.  He was wonderful, and you can listen to that show on our site.

Fourth, always prepare for the unexpected–line noise and absent guests are the most common.  Sometimes one guest will inadvertantly insult another guest and you have to cover for that.  Yes, you do have to be quick witted, but planning your questions for each guest,  having their bio, being prepared does hone your wit.

Fifth, relax and have a good time.  This is your chance to converse with people you never thought you’d be able to talk with.  And it’s fun.

One final note.  If no one knows you’re on the air, you won’t get as many listeners–at least, not your target audience.  So publicize, publicize, publicize!  Good luck!

Faery Merry Christmas

Faery Merry Christmas

by Jacquie Rogers
(Kindle only at this time)

Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire.

Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”? Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day she’s eligible to take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away, but Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied . . .

Terra Humanus in 1956: carhops on roller skates, the submarine races, a pink Nash Metropolitan, Lucky Strikes, Little Richard, and the Shoreline Sharks Baseball Club starring ace pitcher Liam Stone.

For the past five years, Liam of the Red Clan has lived in Terra Humanus, pitching for the Shoreline Sharks and obsessed with signing as a major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds. The faery queen sends Cheshya to help him achieve his goal, but in signing with the Reds, will he lose out on his true heart’s desire?

What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas?

“What faery fun! A winsome sprite’s barely still-ticking time clock. Mayhem in the land of Claus. And the man who could wave just the right magic wand obsessed with baseball. A Christmas story to cuddle up with–and keep you really warm.” Stella Cameron, NYT Best-selling Author

Once upon a time, a writer would grab a quill with her ink-stained fingers and proceed to scratch out the latest adventure to thrill her readers.  She lived in her head, maybe acted out a scene or two.  The stacks in the library gaver [...]]]> Authors and Social Networks: A Love/Hate Relationship
by Jacquie Rogers

Once upon a time, a writer would grab a quill with her ink-stained fingers and proceed to scratch out the latest adventure to thrill her readers.  She lived in her head, maybe acted out a scene or two.  The stacks in the library gaver her not only a dose of realism, but even more Bright Ideas to woo her readers into another world.

Intrigue . . . adventure . . . romance . . .

Her hope was to sell the book so the story could reach a wide audience.  All she had to do was get a publisher, and she had it made in the shade.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true because some of the most well-known 19th Century authors promoted themselves relentlessly.  Mark Twain, Charles Dickens.  They didn’t wait around for people to buy their books.  Both of them took the show on the road.

I have to think that if they lived today, they’d be all over Facebook.  Twitter was made for Mark Twain.  Will Rogers, too.  Can you imagine their tweets?  I’d definitely be a follower!

Jane Austen

Jane Austen would probably be playing Fashion Wars on Facebook to get more “friends” to add to her readerbase.  Hemingway would be playing Age of Chivalry for the same reason, and Daniel Defoe might find readers at Pirates: Rule the Caribbean, or maybe Island Paradise.

So if they’re playing games, who the heck is going to write the classics of tomorrow?

I wonder this.  Today’s authors are under terrific pressure to promote, but promote what?  You have to produce some inventory: a book, a CD, a painting–whatever you do, Otherwise, there’s no use promoting yourself.  So time management becomes critical.

But it’s not that simple.  Really, anyone can make a schedule and stick to it, or at least feel guilty about not sticking to it.  The real problem for me is switching from the promotion way of thinking, which is more left-brained for me, to the creative, right-brained storyteller I want to be.

One friend says she turns off her monitor, cleans her desk, and leaves the room for five minutes.  Then when she re-enters her office, she has changed her mindset from promoting to creating.  That sounds good to me–I’ve tried it and it has even worked a few times, but not consistently enough to continue.

Another friend says she just guts through it.  When she’s done with promotion, she’s determined to write 100 words on her manuscript.  Once she’s done that, she gives herself a treat, which is usually some sort of exercise.  Sometimes she walks out to get the mail, or tends a few potted plants, or whatever.  But then she commits to getting write back to her story and writing another 100 words, which usually ends up being about 2,000.  Now I like this whole idea and I’m gonna give it a whirl.

I can write 100 words.  A whole book might be overwhelming, but 100 words is doable.  It’s not even half a page.

So how do you coerce your brain to write instead of doing other distracting things?

Faery Merry Christmas by Jacquie Rogers (Kindle only at this time) Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire. Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”? Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day she’s eligible to take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away, but Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied . . . Terra Humanus in 1956: carhops on roller skates, the submarine races, a pink Nash Metropolitan, Lucky Strikes, Little Richard, and the Shoreline Sharks Baseball Club starring ace pitcher Liam Stone. For the past five years, Liam of the Red Clan has lived in Terra Humanus, pitching for the Shoreline Sharks and obsessed with signing as a major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds. The faery queen sends Cheshya to help him achieve his goal, but in signing with the Reds, will he lose out on his true heart’s desire? What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas? “What faery fun! A winsome sprite’s barely still-ticking time clock. Mayhem in the land of Claus. And the man who could wave just the right magic wand obsessed with baseball. A Christmas story to cuddle up with–and keep you really warm.” Stella Cameron, NYT Best-selling Author

I wanted to let you all know that I’ve been absent lately because once again, my little girl got sick and was admitted to the hospital, on the day after Thanksgiving. We just got home day before yesterday after a second long stay in the ICU.

I’ll [...]]]> Hi everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I wanted to let you all know that I’ve been absent lately because once again, my little girl got sick and was admitted to the hospital, on the day after Thanksgiving. We just got home day before yesterday after a second long stay in the ICU.

I’ll try to be back posting in January, if not before. For December, I’m just going to take it easy and take care of my girl. Hopefully, she won’t be back in the hospital for a long time! It’s so awful for the poor kid. She gets completely traumatized, and so do I! It’s hard to watch your baby go through so much. But she’s doing much better now, thank God.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

Jane E. Jones

What Makes a Compelling Story?

Many say it’s all about character.  Others opine that pacing is what draws us in, that the quicker we want to turn the page, the more compelling a story is.  And then there are those who point out that if [...]]]> by Jacquie Rogers
Copyright © 2009 Jacquie Rogers

What Makes a Compelling Story?

Many say it’s all about character.  Others opine that pacing is what draws us in, that the quicker we want to turn the page, the more compelling a story is.  And then there are those who point out that if the plot doesn’t trigger the reader’s imagination, then the best characterization and pacing in the world can’t save the story.  It’s all about plot.

I have to agree with Robert McKee on this one.  It’s not about any of these things, but rather all of them.

It’s all about story.  The whole story.  But it’s also about how a writer tells that story.

We’re all very different in how we tell a story–our style, sentence structure, word choices, metaphors, and rhythm.  Some are more compelling to us and some are not.  Check your friends’ favorite author lists.  Each friend will have a different list because those authors’ voices–the way they tell their stories–draw their own pool of fans.

Think of your last extended family dinner.  No, not the one where everyone couldn’t get away from the table fast enough to watch the football game.  I’m talking about the ones where extended family members sit around and reminisce about old times.  There’s always one person who can’t seem to get a story straight, stutters a bit, then ends up looking at another family member and saying, “You tell it, Frank.”

How about the ones who go on and on and on, never really getting to the action or the punchline?  Those storytellers put some of us to sleep, but they draw others in. They love the detail, the nuances of family life, the texture of old times.

Then there are those who tell riveting stories, maybe embellished a bit (each time!), but you can hardly wait for these storytellers to get their turn, because they have you at the edge of your seat.  They can make you laugh until your sides hurt, or they can tell creepy stories that scare you half out of your wits, or they draw you into an emotional rollercoaster with an ending that makes you beg them for another story.  Just one more!

This is voice.  It’s how we tell our stories.

One of the hardest things to do is find out how best to tell our stories and not hide our natural voices.  Wouldn’t it be a travesty if Stephen King thought he had to tell his stories the same way Mary Renault did?  Or if Susan Elizabeth Phillips thought she had to write like Dean Koonz? Yes, it would’ve been horrible!  The world would’ve missed some marvelous stories. And you know what, it’s highly likely that neither Stephen King nor Susan Elizabeth Phillips would have ever been offered a publishing contract if they had tried to be someone else.

We’re all different.  That’s one thing I love about the world of writers and books.

So how do you find your voice?  Listen to yourself when you’re gossiping with your friends.  Write that way.  Write as if you’re telling a story after dinner.  Write without thinking about that perfect word.  Let your hair down and go for it!  I guarantee you’ll write some good pieces.

Try it–it’s fun!

Faery Merry Christmas

by Jacquie Rogers
(Kindle only at this time)

Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire.

Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”? Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day she’s eligible to take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away, but Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied . . .

Terra Humanus in 1956: carhops on roller skates, the submarine races, a pink Nash Metropolitan, Lucky Strikes, Little Richard, and the Shoreline Sharks Baseball Club starring ace pitcher Liam Stone.

For the past five years, Liam of the Red Clan has lived in Terra Humanus, pitching for the Shoreline Sharks and obsessed with signing as a major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds. The faery queen sends Cheshya to help him achieve his goal, but in signing with the Reds, will he lose out on his true heart’s desire?

What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas?

“What faery fun! A winsome sprite’s barely still-ticking time clock. Mayhem in the land of Claus. And the man who could wave just the right magic wand obsessed with baseball. A Christmas story to cuddle up with–and keep you really warm.” Stella Cameron, NYT Best-selling Author

The reason this article strikes home is because [...]]]> I usually talk about writing in this column, but since it’s the US Thanksgiving week, and since we’re all in this writing gig together, I asked Rowena Cherry if I could reprint an article she wrote for 1st Turning Point.  She graciously agreed.

The reason this article strikes home is because we’re always talking about self-promotion . . . what can “I” do for “me.”  Rowena’s article tells us how we can support each other.

25 Free Ways to Buzz an Author

by Rowena Cherry
Copyright © 2009 Rowena Cherry

I’d like to share a short list of things that authors and their friends, and especially their readers can do to help each other buzz a book, and keep Romance strong.  All authors for the purpose of this article will be considered female.  (No sexism intended).

#1.  Help the search engines find her. Why? Even if you know where to find your friend, her blog, and her books, “hits” help.  The more visitors the search engine spiders find, the more priority the author’s website gets.  So: Google her.  Ask Jeeves about her.  Dogpile her.  A9 search her.  Use Alexa.  Try a Yahoo search.  Blog search.  Search on Technorati. Even better, set up a Google Alert for her name, also common misspellings of her name, and for her book titles.

#2.  Having “Searched” or been “Alerted,” Visit… her website; blogs;  author pages.  If you may comment, do so.  Everyone who takes the time to blog or post content is grateful when visitors comment.  Human nature leads more people to read a post that has received a lot of comments.

#3  Follow. Favorite. Share. Google’s Blogger, Twitter, Facebook “Pages,” Squidoo lenses, You Tube videos and more allow you to become a follower or a fan. Do so. Connect wherever you can. It’s good for both of you, because follower/fan photos show up.

#4 Click to read (and rate) any reviews she has written, or Lists she has set up.  These days, anyone can make an EssentiaList on Barnes and Noble.com, a Listmania on Amazon.com, a Top Ten list on Chapters.Indigo.ca, also Listopia on GoodReads.com.  If you like her reviews or lists, click Helpful.

#5. If you see a good review of a book you’ve enjoyed-on any bookselling site that allows customers and visitors to comment on reviews– click Helpful if it truly is a helpful review. Votes help both the reviewer and the author.

#6. Tag her books wherever you can. Amazon isn’t the only place (Amazon isn’t even one site… there’s Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, Amazon.de etc etc)  Many book selling sites encourage readers to tag.

What is a tag? It’s a search term that a reader might be using to find a type of book she likes, when she is looking for a new author. Some tags might be “Romance,” “Fantasy,” “Mystery,” “Shapeshifter,” “Georgian Romance,” “Humor” or “Space Opera.”

#7. When you are on an admired author’s Amazon book page, click on links to:

Put it on your wish list, it’s extra, free advertising for the book. Tell a friend. Scroll down the book page to Tag this product.  Or make a search suggestion).

#8. Join in the Customer/Reader discussions on her book page, on forums. Ask a question.  Start a discussion. Hundreds of eyeballs scan the discussions on Barnes and Noble bookclubs. The search engines pick up on the discussions. The longer a discussion keeps going, the better the PR buzz for your friend. This does not just apply to Amazon and B&N. Discussion anywhere is “buzz.”

#9. Review her book… Most people know that a customer can write a review on Amazon.com. There’s a purchase requirement with Amazon (and I think with Barnes and Noble, too). However, many sites don’t require a reader to have bought a book from them in order to post a review: GoodReads.com, Shelfari.com, LibraryThing.com, E-Bay, Powells, FlipKart, We-Read (on Facebook), NexTag etc.

#10. Smak her. Have you ever noticed the “Add This” or “Share” or “Recommend” widgets on online pages and on You Tube? If you think your author friend’s blog, or news about her is interesting, syndicate the news to Digg It, Reddit, Technorati, Stumble Upon, Furl and as many of the other 40 or so sites as you have time and energy for. It’s self promo when she does it. It’s news when someone else does it.

Smak is SmakNews.com. News for women, posted by women.

#11. If the author has a reminder on a public calendar (Amazon has one, other sites have the function, too) for a booksigning near you, click on Remind Me Too.  Booksignings are nerve-racking.  Support is always appreciated, even if you don’t buy a book.

#12. If she lists an “Event,” which one can on Facebook, GoodReads, and too many other places to mention, be sure to RSVP with a kind comment about the book.

#13. Make her a top friend on MySpace, Bebo etc, Give her book cover image as a “gift” on Facebook, with her permission, make her cover into a widget or tile it as a background, or keep it on the top page of your Shelfari/ GoodReads/ MyB&N display of what you are reading.

#14. If you have a MySpace page or Bebo.com, or Twitters, or Clasmates.com, or facebook.com, or theyack.com (and if you don’t, but really want to help, get one… it’s free) invite your author friends to be your friends there.  Write a bulletin about your friend or her book. Add a comment on their profile page’s comments section.  Your comment is their opportunity to say something about their book without the appearance of soliciting. Review their book on your MySpace blog. Or on You Tube!

#15.  If her publisher has a forum, join it and ask her questions.  For instance, Dorchester Publishing (home of Leisure and LoveSpell authors) has  http://forums.dorchesterpub.com/

Again, your comment will be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, and it will give your friend a reason to post something interesting and quotable about her book without seeming to be self-promoting.

#16.  If you have a blog or website, (and you should always secure your own domain name before you become famous yourself) publicize your friend’s upcoming signings/author talks/workshops on your blog.  Mention her website URL.  Link to your author friend’s website or blog on yours. Put her book as a ‘must read’ on your own site, or in your own newsletter. Have a list of links to authors you like, and blogs you enjoy.

#17. If you belong to readers’ group sites, or book chat sites, or special interest sites, post what you are reading.  Plugs never hurt.  These are also picked up on RSS feeds and the search engines.

#18. Join your favorite author’s yahoo group, let her know where you’ve seen her book in stores, or where you’ve seen discussions of her book, or reviews of her book.

#19. Drop in on her online chats to say how you enjoyed her book.  Supportive friends at chats are cool because chats can be chaotic, and typing answers takes time.

#20. Tweet on Twitter about how much you are enjoying the book. Retweet or reply to any comments you see that promote the book.

#21. Offer to take a bunch of her bookmarks to conventions, or conferences, and make sure they are put in goodie bags, or on promo tables.  Or simply visit her table at a convention, and sign up for her newsletter, or pick up her bookmark and tell someone else how good the book is. Offer to slip her bookmarks into your own correspondence when you pay bills, taxes, etc.

#22.  Instead of quoting Goethe in your sig file, try quoting a line from your friend’s blurb in the week of her launch.

#23.  Ask for her book in your local library.  If they don’t have it, maybe they will order a copy.  If the library won’t do that, ask if they would enter the book in their system if the author were to donate a copy to them. Once a book is in one library’s system, it gets into the database for other libraries.

#24. If you see your favorite author’s books in a supermarket or bookstore: face her books (if there is room), turn one so the cover shows. Tell store personnel how much you like that book, or that the author is local. If you don’t see her books, especially when they ought to be there, ask about them.

#25. If you are connected on LinkedIn.com and your author friend is listed as “Author” or “Freelance Writer” or similar, consider “recommending her” on the strength of her writing. Recommendations on LinkedIn are intended to be for professional purposes.

Bonus Tip:

Although I said “Free,” if you are an author buy colleagues’ autographed books from them at booksignings to use in your own giveaways instead of always giving away your own books.

So now, because Rowena is my friend, here’s a blurb for her book.

Knight’s Fork
by Rowena Cherry
ISBN: 0505-52740-5
Dorchester Publishing

The Queen Consort of the Volnoth needs a sperm donor, and only one green-eyed god has the right stuff. Little does she know she has pinned all her hopes on the crown jewels of the fabled Royal Saurian Djinn. Not only is he the son of her greatest enemy, but he has taken a vow of chastity.

The Saurian Knight is caught between a problem father who has all the moral integrity of a Mafia Don, and a married Princess who would stop at nothing to have his seed in her belly. No matter which way he turns, he’s “forked.”

Taking the wrong lover…in the wrong place, at the wrong time…is dangerous. And when the High and Mighty intervene, it can be fatal. Can true love and a pure White Knight’s virtue triumph, when society loves a right royal scandal?

Welcome to Poetry Play Thursday!

Today’s poetry prompt is a photo. I hope it will inspire you to write. If it does, I hope you’ll share you poem, or a link to it, here in our comments. We’d love to read what you’ve written! Have fun!

Train Tracks by Peter Griffin

Wishcasting Wednesday is a weekly exercise in exploring your dreams and  supporting the dreams of others. It is hosted by the beautiful and inspirational Jamie Ridler of Jamie Ridler Studios, who posts a weekly question and explains:

You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the [...]]]>