Category Archives: Motivation

Tawny Weber (aka Hot Sassy Romance Author) dips a toe in the water!

From Mermaid Susan:  The Mermaids are delighted to welcome author Tawny Weber to talk about her titles A SEAL’s Seduction, and its equally hot companion, A SEAL’s Surrender, both from Harlequin  Blaze.

  • Welcome to the lagoon, Tawny!  Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to embrace the writing life.

Thank you for the lovely welcome! And what a nice lagoon you have here!  Can I get a frothy drink in a coconut shell?  I’m a fan of froth.  🙂

Here ya go!

I love the writing life. But I wasn’t one of those gifted writers born to it, or even one who discovered it in their early years.  Growing up, though, while so many friends worshipped actors or rock stars, my pedestals were all saved for authors.  I love books.  But it wasn’t until my husband asked me what I’d do if I could have any dream career that I even considered writing.  Once he’d prodded me in the right direction, I embraced the idea.  It took me 4 years and 6 books to get a strong enough handle on the craft, my style and find the right story to sell.

  • A SEAL’s Seduction is part of a series.  What is already out and WHAT COMES NEXT?

 A SEAL’s Seduction and A SEAL’s Surrender are a very sexy pair of Uniformly Hot Blaze novels.  A SEAL’s Seduction is Blake’s story – a good boy with a penchant for following the rules.  Until he meets a woman who makes them all worth tossing away.  He’s debuting on bookshelves this month (2/13). His best friend and fellow SEAL, Cade, will be on the shelves next month (3/13).  Unlike Blake, Cade is a lady’s man.  He’s got that slick, sleek appeal that makes women swoon.  Which becomes a problem when one of the swooning women turns out to be his favorite girl next door.

  • One of your recent blog posts discussed the use of theme in your story, and how you consciously used it in planning A SEAL’s Seduction.  Can you explain some of that thought process to our readers?

This was actually a different process for me, as I’m not an analytical reader or writer by nature.  I’m never strategic and don’t tend to see that big picture that theme usually embodies.  But A SEAL’s Seduction was one of those blessing stories.  The kind that just arrive in your head, fully formed with the scenes all crystal clear and the characters alive and dancing.  Because I could see the story so clearly, the contrasts were just as clear to me.  Hot and cold.  By simply keeping that contrast in my mind while I wrote, I was able to mirror a lot of the story elements between the first and second halves of the book.  In the first, she eats chocolate ice cream, in the second, it’s hot chocolate, for instance.  In the opening, Alexia welcome the concept of a hot, exciting relationship. She’s warm and caring, while Blake is hurt and closed off.  That switches in the second half of the story, while the setting changes from sunny San Diego to frozen Alaska.

The theme and contrasts aren’t overt or major forces in the story, but they were fascinating to weave into the elements as a supporting thread.

  • Most of us know nearly nothing about the world of Navy SEALs.  How did you do your research?

My husband is ex-military, so I relied on his expertise and research capabilities a lot.  And I spent a lot of time online staring at hunky pictures of military heroes *g*.  Yes, that is research!!

  • Plotter or pantser?

Plotter!  I need a solid direction when I write.  A map, if you will.  I never know exactly what the scenery or sights will be on the trip, but I have to know the destination, who’s driving the car and where the major stops will be.

And I love plotting boards.  The colored sticky notes appeals to my office-supply addiction *g *

  • Hot writing.  WOW.  Do you have a secret weapon for getting women to fan themselves?  Discuss.

We like looking at hot guys, too!

LOL –well thank you!  I’m glad you found it WOW-worthy.  I wish I did have a secret weapon!  And if I did, I wish I’d always remember to keep it in the same place so I could find it again next time.

But, sadly, no.  I write the love scenes the same as I write the humor and the suspense elements of my stories.  By focusing on the main characters and trying to stay true to their personalities, their issues and their fantasies.  Hopefully, that translates into characters that readers can connect with, ones they empathize with.  If a reader can see and feel the story through the characters’ eyes, then they will see and feel the same things that character is going through.  Which means if the love scene is hot enough to get the character all worked up, then the reader is on board, too.  🙂

At least, that’s the hope.

  • A little about your writing day?  What’s the weirdest thing in your writing space?  The most important to your writing karma?  (thanks to CTRWA’s February newsletter for this idea)

Oh wow, cool question.  I love the idea of writing karma.

So, lets, see. My writing day is really the middle of the night.  I started writing when my youngest was only 2, which meant my days were very busy and night was the only time I had to focus.  Most nights, I start writing around 10pm, after everyone has gone to bed.  I keep going until about 3am, unless I’m against the deadline wall or the story is flowing like crazy.  Those days are usually the ones that my husband finds me at my desk when he leaves for work in the morning *g

The weirdest thing about my writing space.  I’m looking around, but it all looks normal to me LOL.  I guess the weirdest would be that my office opens up from two doors – one has a view of the long hallway and loft area above the living room.  The other is to my bedroom.  And I never shut doors, so there is no such thing as privacy in my writing space.

Like these? Yum.

And oh wow –Writing Karma.  I think the most important thing for me, personally, is to remember that beyond any writing or career goals, it’s all about writing the story for the readers.  To bring them joy, satisfaction, happiness or just a good time for a few hours.  If that intention is in place with every story, then I believe that karma will find a way to return the same joy, satisfaction and happiness in return.

  • What is the best writing advice you ever received?  The worst?

The best writing advice I ever heard was to write what you love to read.  We spend an awful lot of time with a story, we should try to find a way to enjoy every second of it.    The worst, I think, was to accept realistic limits.  While I’m all for keeping it real, I’m not a fan of limits.

  •  Are there any teachers, books or courses that helped you refine your craft?

I love Romance Writers of America.  I’ve taken so many workshops and classes and met so many amazing writers through that organization.   In the beginning of my writing adventures, RWA provided the most instruction opportunities.

  • Do you or did you have a life beyond writing?  Crafts or hobbies?  Do they distract you now or offer a chance to unwind?

What’s this thing of which you speak?  Life?  Beyond writing?  LOL.  Actually, I try to keep life pretty balanced.  I don’t actually do it well, but I try.  My favorite hobby and other life-obsession is scrapbooking.  I do card making, too, but the scrapbooking of memories is my favorite thing.  I like to have a project going while I write, so when I get stuck on a page or scene, I can leave my desk and go play with paper and embellishments.  The act of creating in a different medium, especially such a visual one, always seems to shake loose whatever is stuck.  So after a ten, twenty minutes I’m able to go right back to writing with the scene unstuck and my scrapbook project closer to finished.

  • Last, but not least, please tell us about your path to publication.   Especially for our unpublished readers, how long had you been writing  before The Call, and did you ever wonder how it would take for the editors to wake up and see your brilliant talent? (heh heh heh)
I was always focused on writing for Harlequin, first for Temptation, and then when the line closed shifting my attention to Blaze.  It took me 4 years, 5 manuscripts and 3 Golden Heart finals from starting to write to my first sale.
                                                   
This entry isn’t complete without a sincere note of gratitude to
the Navy SEALs
and all the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Your work keeps us free.  Thank you.
                                                                                                       
         Just one more!  (So much fun!  Thank you Tawny, for stopping by!)
  

Tawny Weber has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze hit the shelves in 2007.  A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook.

Tawny Weber & dogs 2012

Readers can check out Tawny’s books at her website or join her Red Hot Readers Club for goodies like free reads, complete first chapter excerpts, recipes, insider story info and much more.  And for a limited time, she has a few open spots on her Street Team!

A SEAL's Seduction cover

 

 

 

Today? You’re Dead To Me

I don’t know about you, but this is how I try to start my day. At least after the first twelve cups of coffee.

therock

But there are days that pick me up by the red highlights and tosses me around like a mouse being thrashed to death by an alley cat.

And I want to do this to the day:

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Then, someone does something that normally would make me giggle – or at worst roll my eyes – and I overreact like this (sorry Denny):

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As we all know, a good friend will call you on your bullshit. And when she does (thank you Denny) I’m as embarrassed as if I’d just gotten caught doing this:

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But it’s all good, because that helps me get to that place where I can do this:

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OK, I’m not gonna lie. I can do that because of a little help from this:

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and good friends who commiserate with me like this (thanks Robin and Kim):

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Finally, I beat that awful day in a dance off.

an-DancingGuys

Then, I wake up and it’s a new day. Damn it, I will own it. You will too.

ivana-hong-dance-moves-i-am-win2

So, I had a little chat with myself . . .

It’s 2013 and I’ve got so much on my plate as a new author who is still learningfrom the door the ropes and making plenty of mistakes. I delivered two books to my editor in late 2012 that are slated for April and July release and they taught me so much about managing my time and juggling writing new words, editing old words and doing promo on current releases. I met my deadlines and I was happy with my product but I knew that I needed to go into 2013 with a better plan to accomplish my goals or I’d be worse for the wear by summertime.

As the big ball dropped on Times Square I had a few questions for me, myself, and I:

How badly did I want to write?

What would I give up to do it?

How could I use my time more efficiently?

What was I doing to wreck myself and my balance?

My husband, the wonderful Main Man, surprised me with a Christmas present —a brand new office space where I could focus, produce and energize myself. I am lucky enough to have a closet which is 22 feet long by 8 feet wide where I had wedged in a small space to write. The Man and I put our heads together and reorganized the space to allow half of it to serve as my office, painted it and added a desk and bookshelves.

dutchThe resultant space is cozy, inviting and MINE. (except for when The Beast comes for a visit) I can shut the door and go into my own world and focus on my craft. Now, I just needed to shift my attitude.

I will be the first to admit that I am lazy, a slacker and a procrastinator of the first order if I’m allowed to get away with it. I love TV and internet shopping and generally goofing off. The problem is that I’d get to the end of the day and face a blank page and a daily page count. I’d get it done but it was exhausting and even I (who can easily function of 5 hours of sleep per night) was hitting the limit.

So, I sat down with the sole employee of Burning Up the Sheets, LLC (that would be me) and had a stern conversation about how things were going to be in 2013. The first change was to begin getting up at 5 am and writing as many pages of my daily goal before I got the kids up and I headed off to work. I already spend every lunch period writing so I told me (quite sternly) to keep doing that with the goal to have the page count complete by mid-day.  Blog posts would be written on the weekends and social media would be done during my daily work breaks. On a good day, I would have some free time in the evenings to work on future projects, read, or spend time with the Main Man.

So, how is this working?

So far, it’s working out very well. I meet my page count everyday and usually exceed it. I have been able to juggle multiple aspects of writing and editing without burning the midnight oil and I’ve even been able to watch some TV real-time and not on the DVR. Now, I’m going to incorporate a workout schedule and I think I’ll be functioning at my optimal best.

It isn’t perfect and I still find myself hitting the snooze button on occasion but I love how good it feels to ease into my work day with my writing – my passion—given the attention it deserves.

 

What changes have you made in 2013 to meet your writing goals?

 

Happy writing!

Robin Mermaid

Mermaid avatar

 

I Heart Sherrilyn Kenyon & Super Fabulous Dark-Hunter Giveaway!

Happy Friday Fishy Friends!  I’m completely excited about today’s post because I’m giving away one very special Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark-Hunter novels collection set.  *Giveaway info at the end of this post*Mermaid Carlene

But first I’d like to share a fun story with you.  So, I firmly believe that if you love something, you should love it well.  Just always remember that love is respectful.

So, a few years ago, I was still relatively new to the DC area, settling into my home and continuing to quietly work on writing.  I was so new to it back then that I had no idea about writers groups, contests, or conferences.  But I was VERY familiar with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books and had become a huge fan since being given “Seize the Night” at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con.   During a regular check of her upcoming appearances in my area, I saw that she was going to be doing a signing in some place called Leesburg, VA.  I could tell by the event details that this wasn’t just a regular bookstore signing because it talked about a retreat and organization that went by the initials WRW.  Well, I was a little skeptical, so I did some research. I fully intended on figuring out how to get to this signing.

That’s when my silly little brain started doing all this crazy-fantastic spinning.  I discovered several things in rapid succession:

1) WRW stood for Washington Romance Writers and they were a local writing chapter falling under the main organization which was RWA.  WRW was indeed hosting a local retreat in the spring where Sherrilyn Kenyon would be the keynote speaker and there would be a signing for the public in the area around the same time.  They also had a writing contest called the Marlene and the winner would be announced at this retreat where Sherrilyn would be in attendance as a special guest.

2) RWA stood for Romance Writers of America.  They had a wonderful website that taught me all about their Golden Heart writing contest and an annual national conference.  And, Sherrilyn Kenyon just so happened to be slated as their Keynote Speaker that year as well!

3) I had to see Sherrilyn Kenyon.  (Being around her is like chicken soup for the soul and I want lots of that.)

Sherrilyn and Carlene

BOOM, BAM, POW (that’s my brain on Sherrilyn Kenyon)

4) I could join these organizations, both RWA and WRW, submit my little (actually quite huge) love story manuscript I’d been working on to both groups.  I could win the contests, be presented my awards and Sherrilyn Kenyon would be in the room watching my acceptance speeches where I would profess my love for her and then everyone would live happily ever after.  And we might even have slumber parties and talk endlessly about Valerius Magnus and Acheron.

Fishy Kisses

Slightly crazy, I know.  But fun, right?  Long story short, I joined both organizations, entered both contests, didn’t win the awards but came away with a few hearts of gold who give great fishy kisses and had the time of my life listening to Sherrilyn speak.  At the WRW retreat, on May 1, 2011, I won the basket Sherrilyn had donated to the raffle! Inside that basket was the wrapped, five-book set that I’m giving away today.  I’ve never opened it.  It has sat beautifully amongst my Sherrilyn book collection.  I own each of the books individually and have read them several times each.

Sherrilyn Prize

I hope that whoever wins these treasures will read them and fall in love even harder than I did.

I would not be the reader I am nor the writer I’m becoming if it weren’t for Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Thank you—Xoxoxoxo

So friends, I’d be oh so happy to hear your stories of fervent love & admiration…pretty please?

 

*Giveaway details: This giveaway is open until 10:30pm Eastern Time on Sunday, January 27, 2013.  At that time, I will randomly choose one winner from the commenters to this post and announce the winning name in the comments section.  Please be prepared to share your snail mail address with me so I can send this one of a kind gift your way! *

Five book set includes: Night Embrace, Night Pleasures, Night Play, Kiss of the Night, & Dance with the Devil.

Writing Through the Angst

I am the first to admit the winter months (after the holidays) do me in.  DSCF0313

But how can I feel this way when the first week of the new year is like a new start for me?

We all have times, whether it is the first of the calendar year, school year or just sometime we decide on a “fresh start” to things, that things are going to change for the better.  Well, I’ve gone and done it again!

Here it is, half way through the month of a ‘new start’ and I can’t get the motivation I need to do what I know I need to do.  And because of that I tend to go into a slump, emotionally at times (and trust me, the wonderful rainy, dreary weather that I’ve been faced with does not help at all).

Years ago when I was just a pup, I went through the normal pre-teen angst we sometimes face growing up (anyone remember the awkward middle school/jr. high days), family issues that arose at times, etc. During one of my lowest moments I had a wonderful teacher who noticed my troubles and sat down to talk with me. She happened to be my English teacher.  I loved to read and had pretty good grades but she realized that term I was struggling.  I poured out my woes to her.  She gave me a valuable lesson for life right then.  She said keep a journal. It didn’t have to be some pink frilly locked book  but just something that I could write down my emotions, thoughts, worries, whatever happened to be troubling me.  She told me it helps her though the tough moments but also gave her inspiration into how to handle things.

So I took her advice. But the snippets of journaling seemed much too personal to me (I know-weird). I did something a bit different with my woes and joys.  I created imaginary characters to deal with the issues. These characters started telling their own story (though at times it was mine–just through someone else’s eyes). One of these ‘stories’ I entered in a contest my English teacher told us about. She read all of the entries and called me to stay after class.  I thought I was in trouble! Instead, she was amazed with my writing. She loved my characters, the storyline and told me she’d help me polish the grammar mistakes to make it pop. (Sound familiar?) 😉

My story was a ghost story for a Halloween contest through our local newspaper. I took first prize out of a range of 12-17 year olds!  I was so excited! How could something so much fun and so easy for me get first prize?  Next thing I knew, she had me enter other contests. I didn’t always place first but I did have my share of wins and finals-county and state levels included.  I had found my joy! And the best thing…it gave me an outlet (though I didn’t know it at the time–for me it was just fun).

Now, I look back on those beginnings and feel that same angst (a bit different–probably seasonal :P) and I turn to my writing. My characters become my sounding board to bounce emotion off of, they in turn take it and run with it on their own story . Believe it or not, in the moments of danger and disaster ending hooks, there is joy and uplifting moments of excitement. Like a reader, it gives me that adrenaline boost to go further, to explore deeper to feel more–and to create what I hope to be wonderful stories to share with others.

Here is to you ‘angst’–I raise a cup of vanilla bean latte to you (in times of creativity)  🙂  .

Hugs to all!

Thirteen is Always Lucky! (If you want it to be)

I’m going to follow up on my Mer-Sis’s wonderful post on 12-12-12 and go for 12-13-12. *Waving fin madly at Mer-Sis Kim 🙂 *

Yes, the dreaded 13! (At least to some.)

I’ve always tried to be the one who looked at the glass half-full, not half-empty. When my friends would cringe at the thought of Friday the 13th (other than the movies), I would shrug and pet my black cat curled up in my lap.

Well my friends, this is Thursday the 13th–so no fear there at all, unless you don’t like the number 13 in general.  To me the number represented a ‘baker’s dozen’–one more number past twelve, a little extra ‘something’…or just another day.

So unless you have Triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13, treat this day as you would any other.

I intend to embrace this day by doing some of my favorite things:

  • Waking up at 4:13 this morning (yes I did! Freaky or what?)
  • Having a cup or two of my vanilla bean latte 😉 (If I have 13 cups–someone better peel me off of the ceiling)
  • Writing at least 1300 words to my new WIP
  • Hugging my DD’s at least 13 times each (nope–they don’t get annoyed)
  • Going through 13 emails (at least!)
  • Answering 13 emails–depends on who they are from and the topic
  • Having at least 13 Cheerios in my bowl of cereal this morning
  • Texting hubby 13 times–just to be annoying!  (Mwwwahhhhaaahhhhh)
  • Adding an extra cookie to each batch of cookies I bake today (there is that Baker’s Dozen I told you about earlier)
  • Play 13 games of Free Cell on my smart phone while waiting for people today (picking up DD from school, running errands, appointments, etc.)
  • Send out 13 Christmas Cards.
  • Say hello to 13 Mermaids (including me)–Hi My Mermaid sisters!!  🙂
  • And…have 13 things to do on my list today!

What do you plan to do with “13” today?

 

How a Mermaid got Entangled and Lived to Tell the Tale

The Savvy Authors Entangled NaNoWriMo Smackdown is winding down, and I am one of the lucky writers who participated.  I had an entire month to achieve a book, just for the Entangled Line!  How exciting is that?

Entangled Smackdown

I confess, I didn’t take this challenge seriously until I had an email telling me (surprise!) that my badge was waiting to be claimed.  Once I understood, I spend a couple of days being just plain scared.  I even ordered a workbook, Susan Alderson’s The Plot Whisperer Workbook (worth every penny, imho).  I splurged and went to Staples for a new paper notebook.

Then I got to work.  Then a hurricane came and took away my power for four days.  But I kept working, charging up (and showering) at a friend’s house, and working some more.  In fact, I worked even harder.  I was determined not to let a measly power outage stop me from writing!  I also knew a terrible truth:   These days off were my only chance to write full time! I also knew I have a tendency to panic.  Perfection, procrastination, panic, paralysis. 

Yes, spending a month with the NaNo challenge for Entangled was exciting.  Until I realized I have a habit of doing those four P’s mentioned above, and probably wouldn’t make my personal goal.  So I had to start getting a grip on some home truths, and the month wasn’t all about writing 50,000 words any more.

Friends, I did not make 50,000 words.  My personal goal was just to finish the story.  At forty thousand words.  Okay, maybe thirty thousand.

My final tally, as of 10:00 p.m., November 28?  18,260 words.  That’s right.  I didn’t even break 20,000 words. 

And it really sucks that I couldn’t keep up the pace with all those other fabulously prolific writers (Hi, Pin! *waves*).  There.  I feel better just saying it.  I am not prolific.  Still, it’s valuable  to look back at the mistakes I made, celebrate what I did accomplish, and acknowledge the reality of my life and commitments. Admit some truths about myself.  About my writing.  About my own temperament and tolerance for pressure.  And maybe, possibly, someone out there will see some reason in my ramblings about this past month.  Maybe there’s someone just as crazy as I am.

The most important lesson is one I have resisted for years.  But, let it be said, now and forever, once and for all.  It’s hard to say, and I have hated learning this:

I AM NOT A PANTSER.

There.  I’ve said it.  I can’t write by the seat of my pants.  Somehow, I was behind the door when that gift was being handed out. 

I am more intimately acquainted with my writing personality than ever before.   With Act One of my work planned (thank you again, Martha Alderson), I achieved a thousand words a day. Sometimes I made the full 1667 word the Entangled gods were asking for. When I tried to double that output in response to a promise of double points, though, I burned out.

Worse,  not having planned Act Two brought my output to a measly three to five hundred words a day.  Or none.  I needed two weeks to finally see the center of the story.  One evening last week, it finally clicked while I was eating sushi at a new restaurant in town (note to self: sushi is an effective writing tool).  I rushed home and blocked out the action for the rest of the book that evening.

So, now I can tell the truth.  If I have a clear idea of my story and what needs to be written, I can spit out five hundred words a day.  If there’s more time and I’m more motivated, a thousand.  I don’t want to do NaNo again.  I like taking my notebook with me when I go out to dinner with my sweetie, and calling it a “business dinner.”  I like online chat with other authors.  And I really, really like Martha Alderson’s books.

Not a bad set of lessons to learn in a month, huh?

Kieran Kramer Interview

Today we are joined by the fabulous, Kieran Kramer. Kieran is a double RITA finalist and a USA Today Best-selling author of light-hearted Regency Historical Romance for St. Martin’s Press. In addition to writing wonderful, fun, engaging stories with memorable characters, Kieran is a former CIA employee, a journalist and an English teacher who enjoys karaoke and has appeared on multiple game shows.

Kieran is well known for her Impossible Bachelor Series and will be releasing Loving Lady Marcia, the first book in the House of Brady Series on August 28th.

I hope everyone enjoys the video interview. Kieran and I had a blast making it despite a few technical glitches – all my fault, of course. To make it easier to view, I’ve divided it up into 6 to 14 minute segments you can see by following the links. Enjoy!

      

Thank you again for joining us here today, Kieran. You are a joy to be around and I wish you the best of luck with your latest release, Loving Lady Marcia!

Nine Months and Counting…

I’m having a baby!!  Gotcha! 🙂

No, it’s not a boy or a girl…it’s a book.  (Hopefully not a hard-back! Can you imagine that trying to come out of the birth canal?)

Okay, I know pretty cheesy.  But considering the anxiety and excitement my news has brought to me and my family, one would think it was the same thing.  My ghost romance, Wanted: One Ghost was recently picked up by Crescent Moon Press. The conception took nearly eighteen months but now comes the hard part–the birth for all to see.

A few days ago I realized, I’m counting down the days/weeks and months along with my youngest–no, she’s not expecting (thank God) but she’s starting her senior year in high school.  In approximately nine months, both her and I will have a whole new life spread before us.  We are both nervous and excited.

I think I felt the same emotions when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter nearly 21 years ago.  Would everything be okay? Was I going to be a good mother? How in the heck was I going to give birth and survive, even though millions of women have been in the same boat since the beginning of time?

I’m not the first to have my book (baby) published (born) and I won’t be the last.  But the preparations needing to go into a healthy delivery are just as important.

A few weeks ago I asked some of my fellow authors who’ve been there/done that/got the t-shirt what they did to prepare for their exciting day of delivery and received some wonderful insight. One friend sent me out to Christine Nolfi’s blog site:

http://christinenolfibooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/pr-basics-for-debut-novelist.html

Another sent me to Nancy J. Cohen’s post about her Promotion Checklist:

http://nancyjcohen.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/promotional-checklist

And others just sent me their own ideas.  All are great words of wisdom and I equated them to the wonderful women friends who’d been in the same boat I had, while I was pregnant with my first in Hawaii.  We look to others who’ve been there before, we want the good, the bad and the ugly truth so we know what to expect when we are expecting, what to prepare for and what to avoid.

That is what I’ve found so refreshing with all of my great writing groups I belong to–everyone is willing to share experiences and even learn from a newbie who might have a nugget or two to share.  And what’s even better, I haven’t met many of the people I’ve talked to face to face and yet they are willing to share so much.

So with that in mind, I am sharing here too.  I want to pass along the great links above (which I felt were very helpful in giving me a sense of where I needed to be and when) and hope to be able to pass the torch to another writer on the verge of giving birth to their newest creation.

If there are any choice words of wisdom to share with me (from those who’ve been there-or those who might have questions) please let me know.  I would love to hear from you all about experiences and expectations.

Hugs!