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Monday, February 9, 2009

I got top hits on the Polkadotbanner.com







Amazing to read that in the month of January, I got the top number of hits to the website, Polkadotbanner.com.

It took awhile to achieve this, but it has been worth it. I love this site. It's a great place to show off your book and help others promote theirs too. A shared interest to help each other market our product.

So stop by and read my interview. Leave a rating and a comment too. Tell all your friends to stop by and sign up to win books. Better yet, if you are an author or know of someone struggling to promote, tell them about the PDB and sign up for free if they want a trail basis. Its a fun place with good camaraderie and support. They won't regret it. I didn't.

Visit the link listed in the side column.

Friday, February 6, 2009

New book update

Well for many months, I have edited and whittled down the bulk of the manuscript which is the 2nd sequel- or make that, part of the original content from Hostage to Her Heart. I've decided to not put it into any contests, although there are several going on, through the Writer's League and through Amazon (Breakthrough novel), associated with CreateSpace and Penquin publishers. The reason I'm not doing this is because I'm an impatient soul. I don't have the entry fees nor the time to comply to all their rules and regulations. I don't have time to be patient while they decide if my material is "good enough" to pass to the next round. I don't have time simply because this sequel has been sitting on my shelf for far too long, waiting to be sprung out to a few eager readers. Even better, the third installment is halfway edited too and I predict that I can have it out by summer.

So, I am very pleased with the story's progression and the few fans that I do have are biting at the bit for Sequel one and two to make their debut.

The second quandry I had was how to publish it. I had found Createspace a few months ago, but it had a difficult outlet to submit the work into a pdf file and to create a cover. Just recently, they finally converted their software to help the authors upload a microsoft word document and convert it into a pdf file and they also found a way for us to create very basic book covers. I am very pleased with their progression.

So I have the sequel uploaded and a cover ready to go. I was so proud of it, I had to show my youngest daughter- a fan of the first book. She crinkled her nose as she looked at the title I initially gave it "When Fate and Faith Collide" and the newest idea I had, "Totally yours: now, then and forever" She frowned even more. Her boyfriend said the second title reminded him of a porn book title. Not good!

What's wrong with the first title, I dared asked.

She then went into this speech about how most book series try to stay within a certain phrase or theme. Just like Twilight, the sequels were called New Moon, Breaking Dawn, and Eclipse- things related to the night.

Well, I didn't feel I could be as creative as some authors had been with their book series. What's in a title and how far should the wording be alike? So I played around with several phrases, something similar to the first book, Hostage to Her Heart. Finally, after much "heart" discussion about the total theme throughout the
2nd book, and checking it against a google.com search for like titles, we concluded with this one: "Falling for Her Heart"

I must say it does make sense. Jimmy McFadden, an old flame, comes back to life in this book and can't help but fall for Tara all over again, no matter what their history, no matter what comes up to upset their relationship. She feels the same way about him. So in that sense, I'm satisfied with the new book title.

Currently, I'm waiting for submission approval from Createspace. I need to update the title on their system too. After this process, I can order a proof- something concrete to hold in my hands to check it over for the final publishing. I must say that they did make this incredibly easy. Far cheaper than my first experience with Authorhouse. Now my dollars can go towards promoting both books and I can't wait to get started on this. With any luck, book two will bring in more attention. It's solidly written with more romantic elements to it. A real page turner, with all the drama and a cast of characters surely to please. It's my hope that this book will have my fans "Falling For Her Heart" too.