A Sneak Peek of My Work-in-Progress

Two peeks:

1) the picture above...

2) the quote below...

What if you slept?

And what if in your sleep you dreamed?

And what if in your dream,

you went to heaven and there plucked 

a strange and beautiful flower?

And what if, when you awoke you had the flower in your hand?

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Stay-tuned for more!

photo credit:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georges_Garen_embrasement_tour_Eiffel.jpg

Week-ending: A Commonplace Book

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond by E. E. Cummings

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

source:http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/e__e__cummings/poems/14205

In light of the tragedy today in Aurora, Colorado, I thought we could use a little beauty.

Marketing Tips for the Novice or Non-Miss Bossypants

Week Eight in the Writerly Chronicles from my Orangeberry Book Tour:

Marketing can be intimidating, unless, like Miss Coco, you are a bossy pants and live to tell others what to do or where to go. 

Of course, if like most writers you are an introvert, marketing many not come naturally. However, whether you are a writer with a traditional publisher or self-published, increasingly promoting your book will be your second job.

If like me, you are a novice at book promotion, allow me to share a few helpful tips I’ve picked as I navigate my way through my first book tour and marketing campaign in support of my first novel, MRS. TUESDAY’S DEPARTURE.

1.     Establish dedicated Author Pages on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and/or Twitter. There often seems to be a fine line between what we share with our family and friends and what we want to share with readers. You want to be approachable and friendly, but not so much so that your personality overshadows your books. Unless of course, you write memoirs, in which case share away!

2.     Be consistent. You will probably find that one of these social media platforms is a more natural fit than others. Which is fine, you’ll be rewarded with a greater fan base accordingly. However, no matter which you choose, be consistent. Check in regularly with new information and be interactive! Engage your new friends in conversation.

3.     Emulate your mentors. There are so many wonderful blogs and newsletters available for new authors. Subscribe, read, emulate, and become involved in their communities. You can learn an incredible amount from the experiences of others and try out what feels right for you. A few of my favorite marketing and book review blogs are:

a.     OrangeberryBookTours.com

b.     TheCreativePenn.com

c.     I am a Reader Not a Writer.blogspot.com

d.     TheDiviningWand.com

4.     Give Back! Reach out to other authors and offer to host them on your blog for an interview, or promotional giveaway of their latest book. Leave encouraging comments on their blog so they’ll not feel as if they’re writing into an empty room. Or even better, leave a positive review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com after you’ve read their book. And don’t forget to tweet the link afterwards!

5.     Most of all, be your authentic self.  Promoting yourself and your book may not come naturally, but if you can think of it as a conversation with friends, it may become an enjoyable part of your writer’s life.

One Woman's Walk Through the Bible

I wanted to share today's post from a blog I started in January: One Woman's Walk Through the Bible, where I've been posting my efforts to read through the Bible in a year after Mom gave me a Daily Walk Bible. As I share below, it hasn't always been easy to keep my commitment to read the Bible every day. Yet, when I do, I'm usually rewarded with some special verse that lifts my day.
Today's Reading: Isaiah 13 - 16

It's been so long since I've done my Daily Walk Bible reading (three weeks!)...I've missed the end of Psalms, all of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and today's reading plopped me down in the middle of Isaiah.

Yes, I'll confess that I even considered quitting this year-long reading challenge. But one of the positive aspects of my tenacious personality is that I hate to give up. So today I dove back in with surprising results.

Today's reading was all about the promised destruction of Babylon and Moab...and then amidst all the carnage was this beautiful passage, which spoke to my heart as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, who Isaiah prophesies about many times throughout this book.

My eyes were beginning to glaze over reading about 'sackcloth' and 'the rod that struck you', or the 'root of the snake will spring into a viper'. It seems our modern world is just as full of the same destruction today, so my spirit felt heavy just reading the words.

Then I read this verse:

Isaiah 16:5

In love a throne will be established;

in faithfulness a man will sit on it-

one from the house of David-

one who in judging seeks justice

and speaks the cause of righteousness.

And the words seemed to jump off the page. I knew it must be Jesus they were speaking of...

"In love...
in faithfulness...
who in judging seeks justice...
and speaks the cause of righteousness..."

What wonderful attributes to aspire to in our own lives.

Amen.

Calling All Authors: Join the Orangeberry Summer Splash

NOTE: I'm posting this for my friend Pandora, who is hosting the Orangeberry Summer Splash.....currently she has 70+ authors, so she needs another 30 to reach her target. This is a wonderful opportunity to publicize your books at a reasonable cost. Whether you're an Indie-author or a traditionally published, why not join us for this fun event to get the word out about YOUR book?


Here's the details......if you're interested contact Pandora at: pandorapoikilos@gmail.com

As Orangeberry Book Tours reaches its 100th book tour, I will be organising a special mini book tour marathon, Orangeberry Summer Splash from 1st August to 31st August.

The goal is to get 100 authors and 100 book blogs to participate in this campaign that is set to raise awareness for all participating authors and books.

AUTHORS - This is IMPORTANT.
1. Each author who signs up will receive
- 5 blog stops (may or may not be consecutively) per book
- 1 TwitterView
- 1 Twitter Blast (#OBSummer #Books)
- 12 months FREE advertising at the Orangeberry sidebar worth $19.99 per book
- FREE listing in Books, Blogs & Smiles 3 or 4 worth $10.00 per book
- Loads of social media publicity before, during and after the event for you and your book

2. Blog hosts will choose to feature you in ONE of the following ways
- Guest Post
- Book Feature
- Book Review
- Author Interview

3. Giveaways are not compulsory but if you would like to do this, do let me know. My email is pandorapoikilos@gmail.com

4. Each blog host will receive a $5 gift as a token of appreciation and there will be a Kindle Fire giveaway so there will be a participating fee of $25 per book.

5. The purpose of this marketing campaign is to increase awareness for your book and the number of book sales or book reviews will differ from book to book.

6. This event is open to ALL authors and genres but please indicate the rating for your book accurately.

What are the challenges you face as a writer in your genre?

Week Seven in the Writerly Chronicles from my Orangeberry Book Tour:

If you asked me what type of book I write, I’d tell you that I write mainstream women’s fiction with a Christian perspective. In other words, I write stories that reflect my view of the world. For instance, God is an essential and important part of my life, yet I am constantly questioning His presence in my life and how I should live in relation with Him.

This perspective may become a challenge within traditional Christian fiction, because I question as much as I proselytize. My writing might be too worldly for the some Christian readers. For instance, one reviewer remarked that she found my use of a few swear words in my first novel, Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure, to be offensive. I wrote back and apologized that she was offended. However, given the fact that I was writing a novel set in war-time, I felt the sparing use of those words was within bounds.

On the other hand, I would not be inclined to write an explicit sex scene, even between husband and wife, and then try to publish it as a Christian novel.

In other words, no matter what genre you choose, your readers will have certain expectations of your book. If you want to write for that genre, you need to respect the guidelines while remaining true to your story and your unique voice. If you find that overly confining, then choose another genre.

Which is not to say that you cannot be original or break new ground in an established genre. You can, and it may be your originality might be rewarded with greater sales. However, I also believe it’s important to respect my readers, while I entertain them. I want them to remember my book for the wonderful story that transported them into another world, rather than shocked and dismayed.

What say you? Are there certain expectations that you bring to a book?

Goodreads Giveaway for Chester Blue!

To celebrate the launch of my second book, I'm giving away FIVE beautiful paperback copies of God Loves You. -Chester Blue at Goodreads.com. Just click the link and enter to win!