Blog Tour and Interview with S. M. Boyce

Today, I want to welcome S.M. Boyce. She is touring around the web, via blogs, promoting her newest novel, "Treason" And has granted us an interview, giving us a peek into her creative mind.
Welcome S.M. it is wonderful to have you here. I know you have been busy with this tour, so we will get straight to the questions.

 Many people don’t like the name they were given at birth. Do you like your given name? If not, what would you rather have been named?
   I didn’t like my name when I was a kid, but I’m a fan now. I used to want to go by my middle name (Michelle) so people would call me Mickey. I’m still not even sure why.

Do you write under your given name or a pseudonym?
   Pseudonym—S.M. Boyce.
Is there a routine you go through before you begin writing?
   I usually listen to the song that most reminds me of the book I’m about to write. It’s my meditation of sorts. I get into the book’s voice this way, and it’s a trigger that can fuel me no matter how I’m feeling.
Is there anyone you admire?
   I admire Neil Gaiman for all he’s managed to do in his career and for the way he still engages with fans, even though he’s busy. He’s actually tweeted me before, which I never thought would happen—it’s like the man doesn’t sleep.
What do you like to read?
   Fantasy and paranormal anything, as long as it has strong characters and a solid plot with no logic holes. I need a character’s motivation to be real or I won’t buy into a story.
Do you have a favorite author?
   Neil Gaiman, for his urban fantasy work; J.R.R. Tolkien for inpsirng me with his Lord of the Rings series; and J.K. Rowling for letting me grow up with Harry Potter.
Does it have to be quiet when you write or do you like background noise? TV, music, etc.
   I  like cinematic music, usually, or a fan if I really need to focus.
Beach or mountains?
   Mountains. I burn way too easily to ever enjoy the beach.
What inspires you?
   Everything. There’s so much wonder in the world, I can’t help but be in constant awe. I keep a pinterest board of my favorite swipes (ideas) if you want to have a look.
Favorite snack food?
   Twizzlers. They’re so bad for me…but they taste soooo good.
Doesn’t matter who we are, man, woman, child, all of us get freaked out by something. Spiders, mice, snakes, bugs, geese, etc. What freaks you out?
   Cotton near my nails. I feel like they’re about to fall off whenever it gets close.
What is the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
   Haha! This is an awesome question. Strangest job was right out of high school, working for a jeweler who ran her shop out of her basement. She sent people the wrong orders and got annoyed when they complained. I lasted two days.
I read on another blog, that a writer was working on 10 novels at once. Confusing! Do you work on one or multiple novels at a time?
   I haven’t yet, but I actually am about to get started. The trick with this, I think, is to write one and shift to the other while your editors are going through the first. But 10 novels? That seems a little ridiculous. I don’t know how anyone could manage that many novels and not forget important details/character motivations.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
    Wire wrap pendants. I’ve actually gotten pretty good. It’s such a relaxing hobby (usually) and I love that I can create something when I finish. My recent pendants are actually inspired by the Grimoire Trilogy, so I put them for sale on my site. You’re welcome to take a look because I’d love to hear what you think.
And last question…Do you have anything new coming out that you’d like to share with us?
   Sure thing. Heritage, the last in the Grimoire Trilogy, comes out next Fall. I’m making great progress on it, and that should be right on time. Each year after, I’ll release a novel with the backstory on side characters like Stone, Deidre, and the first Vagabond. Down the line, I even plan to release a print copy of the free online encyclopedia of the world. So follow my blog and stay tuned!
I’m also going to release the first book in a new series next fall, just before Heritage. If you’d like to get updates on this new series, make sure you follow my bookworms-only blog  or sign up for ARCs of all my future works


Author Homepage:

Author Facebook Page

Author Twitter Page

Amazon Link

GoodReads Link

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Our Twitter Profile Bios

Quick everyone Look at your twitter bio and the twitter bio of the tweeter next to you. 3...2...1...GO!
Okay did you check them out? Good. Now have you ever noticed how a lot of our profile bios sound like they should be on a dating website?
Disclaimer: Here are some examples and these are completely fictional and do not pertain to any tweeters that I know of.

I love walking in the rain, reading, dogs, kids, and I'm a writer.

Wonderful dad, writer, runner, and husband with awesome abs, check out my fb pics here.

There are so many different ones. The only thing missing is a physical description. I'm 5'5" weigh above 100, 34 26 36 and well there's just no describing me. What they don't tell you is they're either 72 or married with 6 kids! LOL!

Women who tell you they have been happily married for 10 years and yet have a profile pic of their jaw dropping cleavage that goes from here to there! What do their husbands think? Hmm... Or do they know?

And then there are some of the pictures (personally I have an iris for my profile pic, that's all you get, I'm not photogenic) A tweeter I follow changed their profile pic and I had to send them a DM and ask, "What is that?" Isn't that awful, I know shame on me, but they explained that it was a certain body part...Hmmm...okay and that they were trying to look sexy. Well if I have to ask what it is, it's not sexy! If you want a sexy profile pic, here's what you do. Girls wear your low cut blouse and take a pic of your cleavage, or if you have great legs, put on some stilettos and take a pic of your legs from the knee down, or take a pic of you in a short skirt.
And Guys, us women love to see your pecs and abs or your quirky smile and that raised eyebrow.

If you stop and think about it, Image is everything. It's how you want other people to see you.
I write sexy romance novels and I have a nice flat tummy and thin waist, but I don't post how I look in a bikini (That's reserved for fb :-) No I'm kidding you won't find them there either.)  but that's not how I want people to see me. I want people to see me as a writer of sexy romance books. The purple iris is my logo so when I comment somewhere, people know it's me.
I know, sex sells, but are you going to be doing a book signing in a bikini so people know it's you? Or, Guys are you going to be setting there shirtless showing off your abs while doing a book signing? Or an interview with an agent? Unless you are auditioning for Chippendales then I'd suggest going shirtless for sure!


Oh well just my take on things. Wonder how many twitter followers will unfollow and how many new followers I'll get? Maybe next time we'll talk about, "Do you ever wonder why certain people follow you on twitter?"

"The Good Dr. Grant" Book Trailer

I like to try new things and I have been checking out other's book trailers, so I thought, "Why not!"

 I can do that and...Wa La! Here is my book trailer for 

"The Good Dr. Grant"

I had a lot of fun making this. 

I purchased pictures from

www.dreamstime.com

Which I found after checking out 

http://morguefile.com/

Where you can pick up some great photos for free.

And then I also picked up some photos from

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

And you can buy "The Good Dr. Grant" on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Dr-Grant-ebook/dp/B007UDU92O

  

You can also watch the video on YouTube here http://youtu.be/v9b2TeEIYyY

First, I want to thank Doug Adair for writing the music for me.

You can find more of Doug's music here on Reverbnation

http://www.reverbnation.com/dougadair  

And Stop by his Facebook page here

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-Adair/146415688728319

And I found him on YouTube too! And I really like this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvC_TlMTMDU&feature=relmfu

And then I put a shout out on Facebook once again.

 I still needed a picture to use for, The Good Dr. Grant

And Joshua Merrick, author of "Wrong Way Street" answered my call.

You can find Joshua's website here

https://sites.google.com/site/jmerrickbookscom/

Wow Joshua is everywhere! :-)

GoodReads   http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7421929-joshua-merrick

Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/joshua.merrick.5

Smash words https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JMerrickbooks

Twitter  https://twitter.com/#!/JoshuaMerrick1

You can find "Wrong Way Street"

On Amazon

Paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Way-Street-Joshua-Merrick/dp/143278353X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340464887&sr=8-1&keywords=wrong+way+street

E-Book

http://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Way-Street-ebook/dp/B00881O3VU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340464887&sr=8-2&keywords=wrong+way+street

And Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wrong-way-street-joshua-merrick/1107696198?ean=9781432783532&r=1&

Don't Promote to Promote. Offline Marketing

Good Morning and Happy Friday! I was supposed to post this post on Monday (past) but with it being Memorial day, I decided to do it Tuesday, Then Tuesday came and... Well...You know, so here it is now  Friday. So are you ready to finish up "Don't Promote to Promote?"

The past couple of weeks I have been telling you about how overwhelmed I've been with all the social media and that I need to cut back and find just the right ones that work for me. And many of you have agreed that the internet social media can be quite overwhelming.
Today I want to talk about OFFLINE Marketing.
We all get on twitter, FB, Goodreads, etc. but how do you market your book, your brand, to the people right here in your own city?
I live in a city with approximately 250,000 people and probably could count on my hands, how many know that I've written a book.

I hear a lot of people say, "If you want people to know, have a book signing"
Now that, that right there, is scary to me, because,

What if no one comes to my book signing?

 I owned a gift shop and when I was in school, I was told the key to a successful business is, Location, Location, Location! Well I thought I had the perfect location. On the main drag, a mile up from the freeway and the hospital. Boy was I wrong. I was right smack dab in the middle of a long block. Once the cars took off from the signal light south of me, by the time they reached my shop, they were pushing 40 MPH, staring straight ahead, hoping to catch the green at the signal light half a block north of me. And with city ordinances, stipulations, and all the rules concerning signage, most people didn't even know I existed, so I had to be creative when it came to marketing. 

So here's what I'd like to do

                               Let's put our heads together

 and come up with

 some ideas to market offline, so that when we have that anticipated book signing, we won't be disappointed in the number of people standing in that line waiting for our autograph!

Here are a few of my ideas;

1. Give a copy of your book to your mail man/lady.
2. Give a copy to your favorite teller at your bank.
3. Leave a copy in the waiting room at your doctor or dentist office, or give the copy to the receptionist.

With all of these, write a note inside the book asking people to please share with others.

1. Have business cards made up with a picture of the cover of your book. (I like the magnetic business cards. And I'll tell you why in a minute.)
2. Someone suggested to me Car door magnets with the picture of your book and a link to wherever it is sold or your website/blog link.
3. Make up fliers to hand out. These can be done on your own computer.
4. Send out postcards. 

Where I live, people put advertisements under the wiper of your car while you are parked in the grocery store parking lot, at the bank, post office, etc. Some places don't allow this, so check or look for posted signs prior to doing this. 

You don't have to spend a lot of money to get the word out. I use Vista Print for a lot of my offline marketing products. 

http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/welcome.aspx?xnav=welcomeback&rd=1

With just the cost of shipping and uploading your photo, you can get quality products at a reasonable price.

I buy the business card magnets to place on car doors just above the door handle where people won't miss it. With regular business cards a lot of times they just end up on the ground, more people will keep the magnets and put them on their fridge or their filing cabinet at work. And they are even better if they have a calender printed on them!

Now how about a press release? There are three major newspapers that cover my county, but I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about that small town newspaper just for your local area. Put a copy of your book in an envelope, write up a short bio with links, and send it off. If you were born and raised in this town, your headline could be something like; "Lifelong resident publishes her first book"

And last but not least, donate a copy of your book to the library, school, senior center, etc.

Of course you have to make sure that the book you're donating is appropriate. I mean you don't want to donate your erotica novel to the elementary school library.

Oh wait! One more idea and then I'll shut up. 

A car club friend of mine and a new author, you can find his book here,  http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Relations-ebook/dp/B006ZCBT6G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338567324&sr=1-1

attended a local car show in his area. He took some great photos and wrote a short article about the car show and submitted it to the newspaper and they published it!

So if there is something that is going on in your area, a car show, a flower show, or maybe the yearly fair, and you have a small town newspaper, write a short piece on it and submit it, you never know.

Okay your turn. Do you have any ideas on how you can market offline? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Should vs. Supposed to vs. Need!

Good morning and Happy Monday and Tuesday to everyone!
I, like you, have a lot of things I need to get done and my blog post is first on my list!
So I thought I'd share some of my goals for the week with you today and see if you can relate.
I have a lot of books in my kindle so I really need to get some reading done,
but here are the top four I hope to get read this week.

• "Frozen Past" is the new one out by "Richard C Hale" I read Richard's novel "Near Death" and I like his writing style. You can find "Frozen Past" here, 

http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Past-ebook/dp/B007HETCU6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332169433&sr=1-4

• Next is "The Butterfly and The Bull" by Stuart Haddon and you can find it here

http://www.amazon.com/The-Butterfly-Bull-ebook/dp/B005Z4TWMS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332169600&sr=1-1 

• Then I have "LOL" by Charlie Nitric and you can find it here  

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/141623

• And last but not least is "Eternal Darkness" by Natalie Hancock and you guessed it, find it here!  http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Darkness-Cursed-ebook/dp/B0076U1UT2/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332170180&sr=1-6 

Last week I read  "Indie Authors Make Better Lovers" by Vonda Norwood And it was funny, fun, and a sexy read and you can find it here
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/140487
Okay now for the rest of my to do list!

• Put the finishing touches on "The Good Dr. Grant"
• Format it
• Write the blurb for it
• And get it uploaded to createspace
• Work/decide on the cover for "Chris' Journey Turning Different Corners"
• CLEAN HOUSE!
• Give my poor dog a much needed haircut and bath

Well that's my week. How's yours shaping up?
Oh and I forgot to say, get back on my workout schedule! And I just have to share my horoscope for today. Love it!
Aquarius
March 19, 2012
The completion of a long-term goal might have you feeling enthusiastic, energetic, and happy. You're also likely to be looking to the future, Aquarius, formulating ideas for other projects and discussing them with friends. Group activities could benefit you at this time and put you in touch with new people who could possibly become close to you. In the evening, go to an exciting movie. A thriller would suit you just fine.
As for a movie, Nah, but maybe One of those books I mentioned!

Platforms

My life used to be simple, well not really, but it was organized.
When I had my gift shop, I'd get up at 6 a.m. get on the computer,
check emails and catch up with friends and family on facebook,
 go open up the shop at 9 a.m. come home for lunch at noon and
 check in back in on the computer, back to work and
then check back in after dinner. Simple, right?
Well now that I am at home all the time and writing...
There are blogs to maintain, twitterers to tweet, websites, groups, profiles...
Well you get the idea. With Facebook and all the changes they have been making
I have a hard time trying to keep up with everyone, With family and friends and groups and pages liked and subscribed to, I'm just about at the 5,000 limit. 99 new notification notices every morning.
I do like the changes Twitter has made though, especially making it easy to keep up with
conversations without have to go back through 200 tweets just to find out why someone laughed at whatever you said...
How does everyone keep up with everything going on and not go completely insane! Much less have time to write and clean house? Yep, life was simpler when I ran my own business :-))

How's your platform holding up? Tweet, tweet!

Twitter, Spam, Passwords

This is a subject that many people don't like to take about. It's like telling people you are depressed or have cancer. It's a stigma, something that many people are embarrassed about when it's really not their fault.

And that subject is, Having your accounts "Hacked into"

I like to help people. I share their links, their blogs, tweet about them and retweet. Well the Day before yesterday, I was helping someone get their blog noticed. I shared their blog on my blog, I tweeted about them and then when I went to share on my one FB pages,(After already sharing on my other fb page)  I had a warning notice pop up saying that this was either a spam or that there was something bad with this link. Thanks, now you tell me after I shared it everywhere


Now, I think my twitter account got hacked into. Sorry....

And the thing with getting your twitter account hacked into is then your followers start getting those messages, you know the ones that say, I found a funny picture of you. Or, Someone has said something bad about you on their blog. I've gotten those messages from other followers when their accounts have been hacked into.And because I have not been able to contact them other than a tweet, or twitter message, they have no idea they have been hacked. Then the only thing you can do is unfollow them and then block them from following you.

It is so sad that people do this kind of thing.
But, just to let you know, I have gone in, changed my twitter name and changed my password.
Also, I don't not send twitter messages, never have and never will, I will respond or reply to ones that have been sent to me, but I never initiate one. So that said, if you ever get one of those messages from me, please let me know via facebook or my email kkrafts58@yahoo.com.

The reason I am talking about this, is that I lost 17 followers within a few hours after sharing that one blog, which by the way has now been deleted off of all my pages.

So remember to change your passwords often and watch what you share with others
And now with that said and my mind finally uncluttered, I can get down to the task of writing!


Happy Monday Everyone!

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