Thursday 27 June 2013

I'm over at the Alli blog: How & Why to get Published in Literary Magazines

Self-Publishing Advice.
I'm over at The Alliance of Independent Authors Blog today, with a post entitled, How & Why to get Published in Literary Magazines.

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf

How & Why to Get Published in Literary Magazines

- See more at: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-why-to-get-published-in-literary-magazines/#sthash.7yTbZmPX.dpuf
"Authors often overlook literary magazines, or forget they even exist. But what many fail to realize is, they offer the perfect opportunity for you to get your name and work out there, available to the public. Let’s face it, the more you and your books have the chance to be noticed, the better.

Getting your work published in a literary magazine is a bit like having “proof” that you’re a worthy read. Why? Because it means there are editors out there who loved your work enough for it to represent their publication. A publication that they consider their pride and joy. No literary magazine or journal is going to publish work that isn’t good enough. Their reputation is on the line, and they want to make sure the loyal readers they have gathered over the years, will stick around.

“What readers?” you ask. “Who really reads these things anyway?”

Writers. Lots of writers. And more importantly, ..."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the post. Would love to see you there!

Have a great weekend, folks!
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Wednesday 26 June 2013

The Artist Unleashed: INSPIRATION FROM AN UNLIKELY SOURCE, by James Toner

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

The Artist Unleashed: WHY I USED TO FEEL SORRY FOR TOLSTOY (AND WHY I’M OVER IT NOW), by Debbie Young

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 17 June 2013

So I'm having another baby ...

ADD ME TO GOODREADS!
... a book baby, of course!

(Gotcha! You were thinking, "She has kids?" weren't ya, admit it :-)

I'm really excited to announce that I have another novel coming out November 1st! This baby has been hanging around, whining, for about two years. It's been through the agent hunt rigmarole and experienced a couple of "I'm totally scoring this agent", moments. But, as usual, it comes shooting out the other end of the cybersphere with "They love me, but they don't know how to sell me," written on its forehead.

Story of my life.
But I'm not disappointed. Why?

Because I get to bring this baby into the world myself through Vine Leaves Press! (Which is now an official, legit, small press, btw, run by me and Dawn.)

And I'm super excited about it. I won't say too much about it now, except that I've sent it off for a final proofread with the amazing C.S Lakin, and then I'll be getting an ARC prepared for those interested in reviewing one. (If you're interested in reviewing an ARC, just tell me in a comment in this post and I'll write your name on my list.)

So what is the novel about, you ask?

Why not take a gander at this?



Have a great week everyone! I'm pumped and motivated. Are you pumped and motivated? What's your reason?

Wednesday 12 June 2013

The Artist Unleashed: UNLEASHING MY ARTISTIC SELF, by Catherine Brophy

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 10 June 2013

WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? (My thoughts about the aftermath of John Green's recent speech.)

Since John Green's video speech about self-publishing splashed through cyberland last week there have been a lot of indie authors posting responses to it in defense/retaliation, many of which, to me, seem like various sophisticated wordings of "fuck you".

I'm not targeting anyone in particular. I'm totally generalizing here, based on the irksome feeling that pooled in my gut after reading several post-John-Green-speech-posts.

Okay, fine. I totally understand the inclination to cry "not fair!", and believe me, I'm on your side. It isn't fair. He said a few things that made me cringe. A lot. He also said a few things which were totally true. The problem is that he just doesn't realize that the things he claims authors need to publish a book (editors, designers, etc), aren't actually lacking in the indie author crowd. We don't just slap a book together from first draft and hope for the best. We take all those things very seriously. Perhaps even more so than the traditionally published author, because we actually have to commission these skilled freelancers ourselves and know how much work it involves.

Regardless of the content of John's speech, I'm pretty sure it was more the aggressive nature in which he voiced it that got under our indie author skins.

But the point I'm trying to make today is, there's this saying, guys, that is too often ignored or fobbed off for cliche: two wrongs don't make a right.

Come on, everyone. We don't need to stoop to his level of foul-mouthed aggressiveness to prove a point, do we? Everybody has an opinion about publishing. Everybody thinks their way is the only way.

But we're all still writers, folks. We're all still AUTHORS.
Why can't we just all get along?

The stigma attached to self-published authors may very well be on its way out, but we also know it's not completely disintegrated yet.

The way we publish is not yet embraced by everyone in this industry. And we know that. We've known that all along. We signed up for this challenge. We signed up to be the kind of author that some might think are lazy, rather than hardworking. But does it matter? We know the truth. Deep inside. And the best thing we can do is to keep educating people who have not yet accepted us. Let's keep producing quality work and prove them wrong in an honorable way, instead of lashing out for their ill-informed idea of what self-publishing is.

Sure, we should speak up. We should tell the world that we are just as good as the big guns. But I honestly think, the best way to do that is to do it through our books and our experience as indie authors.

Let people believe whatever they want to believe. Don't worry, we'll fight back. We'll fight back with books that our readers cannot bear to put down at night, and support our opinions on self-publishing with knowledge gleaned from personal experience. Not by putting others down.

What do you think? Is it right to lash out at John for this? His opinions are only coming from a world which he is used to living in. He hasn't experienced our world. He doesn't know. I think we should cut him some slack.
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PS: I have a mini review tour for The Book, through Xpresso Book Tours happening for a week starting from today. There is a rafflecopter going for a signed copy of The Book. Two available internationally. If you're interested, you can enter below. Cheers!

Thursday 6 June 2013

Get Dragonfly Today! Enter to #WIN!

***Release Week Special! Dragonfly is only 99 cents June 6-8!

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"Dragonfly swept me off my feet! Once I started reading this book it kinda sucked me into the story and I had a hard time putting it down." --Stephanie, My Thoughts... reviews

Five Stars! "Angst, longing, jealousy, mystery, secrets, love triangles, sexy scenes! Could you even ask for more? Well you can because it is also very well-written and fast-paced. Great book to dive into poolside, but I will warn you may get so swept up in it you may end up with some sun burn. So I STRONGLY suggest you invest in some sunscreen as well as a copy of Dragonfly." --Nichole, Goodreads reviewer

"I truly enjoyed this one! I thought the characters were intriguing, the mystery and story were interesting and definitely have ME WANTING MORE!!!!!!!" --Mandy, The Romance Bookie

“Gossip Girl meets VC Andrews in this contemporary family saga. Love, lies, and betrayal become the new normal when Anna enters the world of Jack and Lucy Kyser.” –Magan Vernon, international bestselling author of The Only Exception

by Leigh Talbert Moore

Three bad things I learned this year:
-People you trust lie, even parents.
-That hot guy, the one who’s totally into you, he might not be the one.
-Things are not always how they appear.

Three good things I learned this year:
-Best friends are always there for you, even when they’re far away.
-That other hot guy, the one who remembers your birthday, he just might be the one.
-Oh, and things are not always how they appear.

Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy.

Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed Anna outside her comfort zone, and Jack showed her feelings she’d never experienced... Until he mysteriously withdrew.

Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction. But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins’ distant, single father.

A secret that could permanently change all their lives.

Be watching for Undertow, Book 2 in the Dragonfly series, coming July 18!

Falling in Love Changes Everything…

“C’mon,” Julian said, helping me stand. “Let’s blow off this party and catch a movie or go to Scoops. This isn’t our scene.”

I shook my head. “I just really want to go home.” The tears were trying to start again. “Can I just go home now?”

“Sure,” he said, holding my cheek. I took a limping step, and he stopped. “Does it hurt to walk?”

My leg was throbbing. I nodded, looking down, and before I realized what was happening, he was lifting me in his arms.

“Julian, wait,” I held his shoulders. “I’m too heavy!”

“It’s okay,” he said, walking on. I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. I didn’t feel like fighting. Gentle pressure against my temple, and he’d kissed me. “You’ll get over this,” I heard him say under his breath.

Get Dragonfly today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes
____________________________

Leigh Talbert Moore is the author of the popular young adult romantic comedy The Truth About Faking, its companion The Truth About Letting Go, and the mature YA/new adult romantic suspense novel Rouge, a Quarter Finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

She is an award-winning journalist and editor, who has also worked in marketing and public relations for many years. Her writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the southeast and Midwest U.S., and she runs the popular writing-craft blog That’s Write.

A southern ex-pat and beach bum, she currently lives with her husband, two young children, and one grumpy cat in the Midwest.

Connect online:
Read excerpts of her books on Wattpad and Figment!

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Enter to #WIN a Kindle Touch loaded with all FOUR of Leigh's books AND an exclusive eARC of Undertow; A signed, print set of Dragonfly and Undertow, or ebook sets of both!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 5 June 2013

The Artist Unleashed: MISTAKES: NEVER BE WITHOUT THEM, by Mary Maddox

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 3 June 2013

9 Ways NOT to be a Guest on Someone's Blog

1. You email a blog owner asking to guest post without even knowing the blog owner's name.

2. You ask what kind of post the blog owner wants when the guidelines are written on their blog.

3. You forget which date you've been booked in for, and email the blog owner to remind you. Whoops, it was TODAY? Omg ...

4. The blog owner gives you a second chance, slots you into another date, and scurries to find a replacement for your missing post, only to reach the new date and you still have not sent them your post. Instead of apologizing, you totally ignore the blog owner. (It's not just a blog. This is business. This is your career. Keep your reputation intact.)

5. Rely on the blog owner to send you reminders. (It's not their responsibility, it's yours. Write your appearance date down. Get your post to them by the date they specify. I can't stress enough: it's YOUR responsibility.)

6. When the blog owner is kind enough to send you numerous reminders and is courteous and understanding that life can often become overwhelming, you reply to their emails with one sentence. No greeting, no sign off, no thank you. (This is disrespectful.)

7. If a blog owner asks how you are in correspondence, it's nice to ask them how they are too. (Common courtesy, folks.)

8. If a blog owner asks for a guest post, don't just send them your book blurb. (Despite this not being what the blog owner asked for, how exactly is just posting a book blurb [unless it's really freaking awesome and impossible for anyone to ignore] going to get you noticed?)

9. You don't stop by to comment on your guest post. (I think a simple, "Thank you for having me." is good enough. But it's even better if you reply to commenters. Show them that you are real. Human. Interested. This will only make people like you. And that's really what you want, right? Being liked, leads to followers, and maybe leads to readers.)

Overall, behave how you would expect others to treat you. Kindness, common courtesy, and a little organization can go a long way. Blog owners are doing YOU a favour by hosting you, so make it as easy on them as you can.

How do you keep up with your guest appearances?