Writers in the Storm

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June 1, 2015

Summer is Coming -- Let's Pimp and Promote!

Summer

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Summer is coming up fast and here at Writers in the Storm we're marking the occasion with a little "Pimp and Promote." Of course, this always costs us some money, because we have to go out and buy lots of books. But there will be awesome "beach read" sales in next few weeks, so let's go for it!

How does this work?

To quote the genie in Aladdin, “There are a few provisos, a couple of quid-pro-quos…"

  • Pimp out somebody else’s work – this can be a favorite author, blogger, post or book you’ve read, a wonderful teacher or just someone who had profound influence on you as a writer or a person. Please limit your comments to one work.
    OR
  • Promote one of your projects that you’re excited about – a hobby, a blog, a book, or a new direction your writing is taking you. You decide. Just tell us about it in the comments! (Please restrain your enthusiasm to just one of your WIPs.) The rest of us will jump in and “ooooh and ahh” at you, and likely promote your project even further because we’re just so darn excited today.

We'll start things off by doing some P&P with the gals here at WITS...

Fae Rowen has been a world traveler lately, so we'll hear from her in her next post. You can visit her updated website here. She's added a short story about her stint in a convent.

Jenny Hansen has been building a freelance career and doing a metric ton of articles, social media marketing and copywriting. Her site is here. Take a peek, she's looking for feedback.

Laura Drake has a new book coming out next month, Twice in a Blue Moon, available for only $3.99 on Amazon Kindle pre-order. (Wowza!)

Orly Konig-Lopez is the president of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and they're holding an amazing retreat in September. Registration opens today and seats are in demand. Details here.

See? Easy-peasy. Only one of us wrote this, but all of us are represented - that's the spirit of P&P.

Don't be shy -- tell your pals! 

We are open for as many entries as you want, and you're welcome to send anyone who reads great stuff our way. We want to hear about it! Be sure to peruse the comments. You might find a few things you like in the plethora of pimping that’s about to ensue.

Thanks again for making WITS one of the top writer’s blogs! We appreciate you.

~  Jenny, Laura, Orly, and Fae 

76 comments on “Summer is Coming -- Let's Pimp and Promote!”

  1. I'll start with a P&P for myself because I am just so darn excited. I have a new book coming out, Launch date June 19, but you can pre-order on Amazon for just $2.99. Within Her Grasp is the true biography of Mari-Rae Sopper. She spent her entire life pursuing her dream to become a professional gymnast. She hit some bumps along the way. Her bipolar disorder often got in the way, but she never gave up. Finally, it was all within her grasp. The day was September 11, 2001.

  2. I'm in the process of creating a new online Greek publication, called WindyCity Greek. It's Chicago-centric, but anything Greek-related is fair game. This is a new concept for our community: it's not your typical community newspaper. I'm creating this in the spirit of positive collaboration, and celebrating all the wonderful, innovative people and happenings in our community, that sometimes get lost in the muck of "bad" news. All that "bad" news has people feeling less pride in heritage, plus this year's loss of the media in this space (a 110 year-old weekly newspaper -- I was assoc. ed and senior writer for last decade); and a fantastic 14 year-old quarterly magazine (to which I contributed for 13 years) has left people feeling disconnected. I want to bring them together, and foster a renewed sense of pride and enthusiasm, as well as a spirit of working together. This will also run on a new model for this space: we know the subscription model doesn't work, unless you are, say WSJ. I am monetizing the site by things I have learned from authors and speakers: affiliate partnerships, short ebook guides, as well as the typical display ad, classified ad, and directory listings. Everyone I have spoken to about it is very excited. I'm still building the website and I'm already signing up partners and advertisers! People want to be part of this! Now I can share my love of my heritage and culture on a greater scale!

    Thanks for the opportunity to share. All the best to everyone in their endeavors!

    1. Maria, that is AWESOME. We all could use a dose of good news! Best of luck to you in your endeavor! Do you have a link?

    2. Maria, that sounds amazing. Congratulations on your effort. It sounds you know exactly what you're doing. If you need any form of support from a compatriot (based in Greece) let me know.

  3. Hi Gang! Love the P&P idea. I have book in progress about the importance of character. I want to improve society's conscience and this my stab at doing so. You read more abou the book on various posts at Down Home Thoughts. Love to hear your thoughts on character 🙂

  4. Thomas A. Mays (http://improbableauthor.com/) was awesome this weekend on his panels at ConCarolinas. He is almost complete with his next book "Lancers" which is the sequel to "A Sword into Darkness" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3T3Q5G).

    Chris Kennedy's (http://chriskennedypublishing.com) next book "The Search for Gram" will be out on July 11th. It is the four book in the scifi series that started with "Janissaries" (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I59QVL0)

  5. Thanks for the P&P opportunity. I just released my 4th Mapleton Mystery, Deadly Production, which is for sale at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, and iBooks as well as CreateSpace.

    Mapleton Police chief Gordon Hepler thinks his troubles with the small-town politics are behind him. But when a movie-making company sets up shop in Mapleton, it doesn't take long before things go sideways, and Gordon has a dead body to deal with. The mayor says it's not a Mapleton problem, let the movie people deal with it. Will Gordon listen to the mayor, or risk his job to find the truth?

    More at my website http://terryodell.com

      1. It's been taking me longer to narrow down the 'promote someone else's book' part of this day, especially since I belong to a great critique group and an author co-op, and there are so many books to choose from. Maggie Toussaint has a new book out, Bubba Done It, and I love her writing voice. Then there's Karla Brandenburg's new book, Gathering Mist, part 2 of her trilogy -- romance with a touch of paranormal -- and Terry Ambrose's Hawaii set mysteries featuring an older sleuth, and I love the humor in them. And that's only 3. In the interest of one-stop-shopping, how about I send everyone to Booklover's Bench to scout out the offerings of these talented writers. http://bookloversbench.com. Is that okay?

  6. This is very difficult as I have three friends who are releasing or have released a new book. I must go with my first blogger friend ... Christi Corbett with her second book. Along the Way Home was the first of this duo and then came Tainted Dreams. I am so proud to know this wonderful writer and friend. Published by Astraea Press, Christi won the Rone Award for 2014 Best Historical Novel.

    "Go little books, Go!!! My books are list buddies right now! #11 and #12 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers in Frontier and Pioneer Western Fiction."

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204293962051169&set=a.1125894109523.2019735.1292254192&type=1&theater

      1. Vicki Batman … the sequel to Temporarily Unemployed … Temporarily Insane is due out in a few months. See her amazing blog for details. http://vickibatman.blogspot.com/

        Patti Yeager Delagrange has her second book out … Taken Away http://awesomegang.com/taken-away/

        And a dear friend and BETA reader, the incomparable Shelley Freydont a/k/a Shelley Noble. Read a bit if her new beach novel: https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyNobleAuthor

        And thanks, Jenny Hansen. If there was anyone I forgot … forgive me. I only know that my writer friends are kickin’ ass this year and that goes twice for your own Biker Chick 🙂

        1. LOL Florence, a little early on Temporarily Insane. However, I do appreciate you and Patty giving me a shout out.

          Florence has a wonderful blog every Wednesday.

          And congratulations, Patty, on your newest baby.

  7. I would love to pimp a series of books which I think are so overlooked as they are wonderful. The author is Lisa Wright DeGroodt, a friend from way back and the series is called the Quest series, starting with Oracle Quest. The series takes you to an alternate dimension through a gateway of a remarkable tree. Lisa has delivered a wonderful world where Defenders from our world are transported to fight evil in an innocent world known as The Land. It's a mixed fantasy with real world people. I promise you won't be disappointed. Just a great summer read!

  8. I love starting my week with WritersInTheStorm!

    And with today's opportunity to shamelessly pimp and promote a contemporary romance by Stephanie Browning (that would be me, Anne Stephenson, and my co-author Susan Brown), it's even better!

    Business turns personal in Outbid by the Boss when Chas Porter catches Samantha Redfern bidding on an antique candlestick that rightfully belongs to him, he's furious! She should be in New York, not flying solo at an estate auction north of London.

    But this is no ordinary candlestick; it's the perfect mate to the only possession of worth Sam's beloved grandparents took when they fled England. She has no idea it's part of a larger collection Chas will do almost anything to recover. Even if it means luring Miss Redfern to Porter Hall...

    http://www.amazon.com/Outbid-Boss-Stephanie-Browning-ebook/dp/B00LS5PWA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405442535&sr=8-1&keywords=outbid+by+the+Boss

  9. Like Debbie Herbert, my book is out TODAY as well. Taken Away is a contemporary fiction novel and the first and only one I've written in the male pov. It's available in all the regular places but here's the Amazon links:

    AMAZON US Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XAXMN86

    AMAZON US PAPERBACK:  http://www.amazon.com/Taken-Away-Patricia-Yager-Delagrange/dp/1508660433/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433106976&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Taken+away+patricia+yager+delagrange

    1. WOOOOO! How fun, Patricia. Male POV is one of my faves. You and Debbie should find a common hook and do some cross promotion. 🙂

            1. Oh, I can think of a ton of them:

              "Men, mermaids and mayhem - check out these two books about..."
              "Mermaid on the beach and a man in deep..." (Maybe that exact phrasing sends the wrong idea, but it sure is catchy.) LOLOLOL.

              The point is, have fun with it ladies.

  10. I'm going to take a moment to pimp NANCY HERKNESS's upcoming novel, THE CEO BUYS IN, coming out July 21st. It's a fun, sexy, fast-paced romance that's best read under a beach umbrella and with a cold, cold drink. She's a critique partner, so I got an early read . . . love this book! Check it out: http://amzn.to/1eLoKrm

  11. And (if I may humbly add my own upcoming release) the third book in my Stories in Pairs series comes out later this month! The book will contain two short stories about travel woes and the misadventures that happen when we most want everything to go smoothly. For more on Stories in Pairs check out my publishing site, Prairie Sky Publishing: http://prairieskypublishing.com.

    Thanks for the promotion opportunity!

  12. I released a new book a month ago - if you like Grimm, Gathering Mist follows a family with a secret German legacy. Drawn into the danger that threatens Giselle, Scott must choose between his fear of what she is, or standing with her against encroaching evil. Find out more about this and the first book in the trilogy at my website.
    http://karlabrandenburg.com

    I can also point you to Terry Odell's post higher up. Her latest police procedural is excellent reading. Murder comes to Colorado and the small-town police chief has to justify to the mayor why its his responsibility to solve. http://terryodell.com

  13. Love all the comments and book suggestions!

    I'm in the middle of projects so don't have anything new to promote, except to say that "Through the Shimmer of TIme" is being carried by three living history museums in the Midwest, and I'm doing more books signings requested by other people, including a big one at Conner Prairie in a couple of weeks.

    To pimp someone else's book: if you like young YA and horses, try for Rachael Eliker's "Headed for the Win." It's a horse story with an interesting twist and a light romance, by a writer who also a horsewoman. (My pet peeve is horse books that make stupid goofs like calling tack "riding tackle" or saying that someone curried the mane. Um . . . NOT!) Anyway, the book is here at Amazon http://amzn.to/1d9Rl8H and Rachael blogs at The Re-Homesteaders http://therehomesteaders.blogspot.com/

    Happy reading, everyone! I'm off to check out Terry Ambrose's mysteries, Betty Lee Crosby's new book, and the Stories in Pairs, which sound fun!

  14. Pimp: It was so ridiculously late last night when I finally put down the book I'm reading: FINDING PARIS by Joy Preble. This is her first young adult contemporary, and it's a page turner with intriguing characters. Writing YA contemp myself, I'm so excited when I find another title I can tell every YA reader I know to go out and buy! http://www.joypreble.com/findingparis.html

    Promote: I am now represented by Louise Fury, who is fabulous! I'm excited and can't wait to embark on this new partnership with The Bent Agency.

    1. Ooooh, thanks Julie. I'll go check out Joy's book - you always recommend good ones. And I'm still jumping up and down over you signing with Louise. I forsee great things from this partnership!!! *dancing*

  15. Thanks for the invite to P&P! 🙂

    I have 3 books for sale now (which is still *really* weird to think about--LOL!). Each one has fun with mythology in a new way. For example, ever heard of the medieval lore that only a virgin could capture a unicorn?

    In Pure Sacrifice, the chosen virgin holds the key to preventing the extinction of the whole unicorn race...and she's not too keen on staying a virgin with her hunky shapeshifting unicorn guardian hanging around (if you know what I mean 😉 ). And it's on pre-order sale for just $0.99 too. 😀 http://jamigold.com/pure-sacrifice/

    (And you can find out more about my other books at http://jamigold.com/books/ )

  16. Promote: I'm stoked about having the second of my trilogy Foothills Pride stories, Redesigning Max, coming out at the end of July. No preorder yet, but stayed tuned to http://patbooked.blogspot.com where I'll announce the pub date, cover reveal, and pre-order info. Probably add some excerpts as well. The novellas are gay romances for people who've never tried gay romance.

    The first in the series is What's in a Name? by Pat Henshaw (me!). At under 100 pages, it'll give you the setup for the rest of the series. Dumped by his lover on his birthday, Jimmy Patterson, barista and owner of Penny's Coffee Shop, decides to get rip roaring drunk and wants to know the name of the bartender. It's a modern-day riff on Rumplestiltskin without any babies being sacrificed. Or as my snappy promo says: A barista. A bartender. And love. You can buy it at Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/ndw8e3y) and everywhere eBooks are sold. If you've never read a gay romance and are wondering about this new subgenre, this is an easy, fairytale way to slip into it without a lot of angst.

    Pimp: Just read Knight of Ocean Avenue by Tara Lain which I highly recommend. Yes, it's another gay romance, which is the up-and-coming romance subgenre--and not just because I'm writing it! A 35-year-old man realizes he's gay in Knight which is available at Amazon and wherever eBooks are sold.

    Whether you try What's or Knight, I hope you enjoy your foray into the world of gay romance!

  17. I'd like to promote the SFR Brigade as an awesome (FREE) group for writers of science fiction romance. They are having a six week long blog event around FOOD. There are some fun prizes every week of the event: http://sfrcontests.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-sfr-brigade-summer-cafe-space-opera.html (This week is space opera!)

    And I'm so excited to pimp my new release! DEAD SPACES is the third installment in my romantic suspense series set in present day New Orleans. You don't have to have read Relatively Risky and Family Treed to enjoy the book (but yeah, it does up the fun factor. LOL) You can find links to your favorite online vendor here: http://www.paulinebjones.com/BlogWP/tb-books/dead-spaces

  18. Thanks for the P&P opportunity!

    Jennifer L. Oliver writes dark fiction. Her Haedyn Chronicles series is pretty awesome - well-written, and great characters. I started with The Unnamed, a short story prequel, and was hooked. It's currently FREE too. 🙂 http://www.amazon.com/The-Unnamed-Prequel-Haedyn-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B009UIFCJC

    The second in my zombie apocalypse series will be released in about a month. The first, SURVIVAL, is available at Amazon. BUT, for readers of this blog, you can get it at Smashwords for FREE using coupon code: KU86X through June 5th. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/449000

    I hope everyone has a great week!

  19. Thank you for allowing me to promote my book - Tramps Like Us - It is a story of rekindled friendship. I like to write about people with interesting characters and how they meet challenges. The story was inspired by a song. Especially the words:
    I remember the back streets of Naples
    Two children begging in rags
    Both touched with a burning ambition
    To shake off their lowly born tags
    - from Where Do You Go To My Lovely, by Peter Sarstedt

    It is my first book, and I would dearly love feedback
    The book is available on Amazon Kindle Store at the link below.

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SPIZVS0

  20. IS THIS WEIRD OR WHAT?

    In my first book "From Beer to Paternity” I predicted the death of Michael Jackson. The book was released in April 2009 and he died in June 2009. Last year, I wrote a story about the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird. Shortly before the book was released, Hollywood announced a movie deal that was not based on my story (damn). Now some elements of my latest page-turner, “The Hero of Hucklebuck Drive,” are in the public arena.

    The book was released in March of this year, a few days after the dismembered body of a tattooed man was discovered in Northwest Melbourne. My dismembered body with the tattoo was also found in Northwest Melbourne. Today they found a body in a suitcase at Tokyo railway station. My body was found at Melbourne’s Southern Cross railway station.

    If you are wondering what my next premonition is I will tell you. You are so intrigued by the above that you intend to buy the book and you will be amazed at how reasonably priced it is. Don’t be put off by the death and depravity. After all, I am a humorist and there are laughs galore to complement the mystery and intrigue. If you can guess the final outcome you are hotter than a preacher’s knee.

    http://www.authorgburke.authorsxpress.com

  21. If you like poetry, please check out my first collection, "Poems in Water," available on Amazon.com and published by Green Fuse Poetic Arts in Loveland, Colorado.

  22. Oh, almost forgot to chime in! Yesterday was realease day for my friend Barbara Claypole White! Not only that, her WF release, The Perfect Son, is $1.99 on Kindle! If you haven't read her, RUN, people! http://dld.bz/dFhrE

  23. How generous of you to allow us to P&P.

    I look forward to reading some of these titles, especially Jami Gold.

    I've go nothing to promote, as I am unpublished and finishing my pshychological thriller White Sky of Paris. I hope to query by the end of the year. (A painter wins a summer residency which he knows will make him famous, or so he thinks. What he doesn't know is why his friend Evan asks him to deliver half a 500 euro bill to Evan's long distance girlfriend.)

    I'd like to promote the forthcoming book by Lizzie Harwood, of the writers in Paris Authors Group.

    Lizzie has a killer voice, like riding in a cadillac convertable.

    Following is a link to Xamnesia: Everything I Forgot in my Search for an Unreal Life. Releases on June 22.

    http://www.amazon.fr/Xamnesia-Everything-Forgot-Search-English-ebook/dp/B00XND0Z6A/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433241747&sr=8-4&keywords=lizzie+harwood

  24. I love when WITS has pimp and promo day. Such fun. So my Promo is for my good friend Jo-Ann Carson who's just released the third in her Mata Hari Series. You can get the most recent book free this week. Check out her blog for info on all three books. Fun, sexy, suspenseful! https://lovindanger.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/ancient-danger-tour-day-1-thrillersuspense/
    I'll Pimp my third release, SECOND ACT, the first in a series about 4 friends all with Texas connections. Check out it and other books on my web site. http:www//marsharwest.com
    Thanks for having such a great blog, y'all.

  25. Wow. So much grooviness to check out! I'll be back to peruse it all later today.

    I'll promote Dr. Megan Fleming's blog on healthy sexuality. It's chock-ful of sharp insight: ttp://greatlifegreatsex.com/blog-2/

    And I'll pimp my podcast. It's downloadable/streamable on my homepage, iTunes and Stitcher Radio: http://www.augustmclaughlin.com/

  26. Okay, I'll jump on this in a different light. I just got my first rejection today and I'm happy about it! The reason I say that is because the publisher is very small/local to only Montana and he said that the piece was not broad enough for their audiences. The piece was submitted for a contest and I did make it to the top ten! The publisher informed me that for the most part it is well written and offered a few suggestions to make it better for the reader - which I did not expect and sincerely appreciate since this is my first attempt at publishing and am a sponge soaking up good advice on anything remotely related to this venture! So, in the end...my writing may take me in a different direction and it will be even better than before!

  27. Wow! Look at all this Pimpin' and Promotin'! What a generous group! I personally don't have anything at this time to promote, but as I scrolled down the page, I noticed that our dear friend Kathy Owen is missing. That can't be! But our Kathy doesn't like to self-promote. So I'll do it for her.

    Book #1- Dangerous and Unseemly http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Unseemly-Concordia-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00BIOACIC/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433366167&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Kathy+Owen+Cozy+Mysteries

    Book #2 Unseemly Pursuits http://www.amazon.com/Unseemly-Pursuits-Concordia-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00H3JVSYI/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433366167&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=Kathy+Owen+Cozy+Mysteries

    Book #3 Unseemly Ambition http://www.amazon.com/Unseemly-Ambition-Concordia-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00O54MPX2/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433366167&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=Kathy+Owen+Cozy+Mysteries

    Happy Summer Reads! Enjoy! 🙂

  28. YA - Krysten Lindsay Hager
    Romance (Erotic) - Karin Tabke
    Mystery - Violet Ingram

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