For Authors - Formatting Your Print Books

[I wrote most of this post a few years ago, but since it's been a few years, I decided it's time for an update.]

As part of my quest to help indie authors, I'm often answering questions about formatting books. I also read a lot of books by local authors, who are mainly indies doing or paying for their own book setups. Too often, I can tell they did. That's not an insult. This self-publishing thing isn't easy and advice runs rampant, including advice that isn't always ... let's say: the acceptable way to do things. When I say acceptable, I mean what readers expect, and there are certain things they do expect. Yes, you can go rogue as an indie. I've done plenty of that myself. However, when it comes to formatting your book, you want to be sure it fits readers' expectations so they're focusing on your words, your story, and not the visual mishaps.

This post is aimed at print books, specifically for novels. Non-fic tends to follow a few different rules. Electronic books are completely different things and they must be formatted differently. 

A note: I am not an industry publishing professional. I have, however, been doing everything, to include formatting, for my own books for a lot of years. I learned by studying big-pub prints and doing plenty of research, and sometimes by making mistakes with my own books. All rules can be debated, of course, but I’m a big believer in first knowing the rules before you decide which not to follow. 


Let’s start with the cover. 

1) Please, if you decide to design your own cover, do your research first. Look at books in libraries and bookstores or online (although many ebook covers differ than print covers, so be aware of that). First, do any of them state “by Author Name”? Only a few children’s books do that and it’s to differentiate between the author and the illustrator, since illustrations are as big a part of children’s picture books as the story. Even then, in most cases, the author is simply listed and the illustrator gets an “illustrated by” tag. If you don’t write picture books, do not put “by” in front of your name. 

2) Be careful about throwing a photo on the cover and adding some text. Text font matters. Different fonts tell the readers different things. What would you expect from the following titles?

Play with effects and collages if you'd like, but be sure it doesn’t look like you grabbed a few stock photos and just threw them all together. Too often, I look at a cover and see "Photoshopped" instead of whatever the writer was trying to portray. Some readers won't mind; others will. Sticking a person in front of a scene without making sure the perspective is right and blending it well enough it looks like an actual photo screams amateur. On the other side of the coin, putting the title, an image, and your name all in center-alignment over a plain-colored background screams amateur (or vanity published). If your cover screams amateur, it won’t matter much how professional your writing may be. Look at the big pub books in your genre and try to follow their technique (without copyright violations, of course).

Note: If you want to save yourself a lot of heartache, you're not going to want to put a border around your book. Books are not always printed the same. There's the trim to consider and you can't know how much trimming there will be, exactly, so your border is very likely going to be bigger on one side than another. Just let your image run into the bleed area, keeping important elements far enough inside, and don't drive yourself crazy wondering how it will print.

3) The spine and back are part of the overall look with a print book. Don’t spend all of your focus on the front and then throw the rest together with some text over a plain color background. Make it a full picture, not necessarily one picture wrapping all the way around, but an entire work of art combined carefully to package your precious book. 


Book Size

I was in a minor debate about this one recently. Currently, industry standard for fiction trade paperbacks run 5 x 8 or more technically 5.5 x 8.5 (that can depend on which printing/distributing company you use). You can go with 6 x 9 and I know some authors do this to try to keep page count lower (pages = $), but reader preference tends to be 5 x 8. You can go with a mini size, and I've experimented with short runs on that, to try to simulate commercial pocket books. They're cute and with smaller novels, that can work. Be aware, they will cost more to produce. From what I've seen at signings where I've had my 5 x 8 books displayed next to my mini size books (under my pen name), the smaller ones get less attention. Now, it could be different cover art, but I tend to think they are seen as of less value. Readers do look at norms. They do tend to want what they already expect, so your safe bet is 5 x 8.

Whichever you choose, make your books all the same size (under the same name, that is). Making the longer ones 6 x 9 to cut page numbers down and the shorter ones 5 x 8 to look longer only throws the reader. If some books are longer than others, readers should be able to see that. I've had a lot of browsing buyers flip through my books to see if they've been padded and received figurative thumbs up for their non-padded professional look. Just as readers who buy books in series want every book in the series to look related and relatively the same, those who see you have several books will prefer they all look congruous (should I say: professional).


The inside 

1) Again, look at professionally printed novels. They all include a cover page, a copyright page, sometimes a second cover page with publisher info. Pay attention to whether these things are on the left or right side (odd or even pages) and do it the same. 

2) Most novels do not have or need a table of contents. For ebooks, yes. Not for prints. Take that out unless you have a very long, complex story divided into sections other than only chapters. If you feel it is necessary, look at how it’s done in professionally formatted books. A long row of 

1. chapter 1 
2. chapter 2 
3. chapter 3…

looks unprofessional, especially when it’s left-aligned like the text. 

I am adding a TOC to the revised versions of my Rehearsal books because it is a series/serial of 6 books that run an average of 300K words and spans more than 10 years, with several subplots. I have each one divided into sections with separate headings, and so I'm providing a TOC to help readers navigate, in case they want to refer back to something in previous books. It looks like this:

Note the center alignment (not good for covers, but good for front matter other than the copyright page) and differing font sizes for clarity. In this case, the TOC is adding extra information, not only listing chapters.
3) Your front matter, everything before the first page of chapter one, should not have page numbers. Most novels don’t include the page number on page one of a chapter, either, but that’s at least acceptable. Your front matter doesn’t count as “pages” and should not pretend to count. Page 1 is page one of chapter 1. Sometimes they are given Roman numerals instead to differentiate, but that's unnecessary.

Different software handles this formatting issue differently. I use Word to write and format, which isn’t the easiest program to use for that, so I’ve heard, but I use section breaks to accomplish cutting out the page numbers in the front matter and not having page numbers on the first page of each chapter. It is a learning curve, but there are online tutorials to help you accomplish this. 

4) Use serif fonts, not non-serif fonts. Please use serif fonts for novels. Why? It’s easier on the reader’s eyes and better for flow. What’s the difference? A serif is the little line at the end of a stroke. This blog is typed in a serif font called Georgia. See the little extra marks on the bottom of the letters? That creates flow. This, on the other hand, is Arial, the most common non-serif font. It looks far more staccato (sharp and detached). Cambria is a common printed book text. So is Garamond, and it might be the most used among professional self-publishers. Georgia works, also. You can use Times New Roman, but I would stick with something prettier and less all-purpose for print books. It works well for e-books, though. If you use a non-serif font, use it purposely for effect, but be aware it might be a bit off-putting to your reader. Novels should flow.

Keep your font relatively small, also (unless you are creating a large print edition or a picture book) without making it too small. Print a page and compare it to a professionally formatted novel. Slight differences are fine. Big fonts look unprofessional, as though you're trying to pad the book length to make it look more substantial. Even that little difference in fonts makes a difference in overall reading experience, and print book readers are all about the experience!

5) Do not double space. Double spacing is for submissions and term papers, not for print novels. Use your word processor to add some extra space between your lines. Multiple at 1.1 is a nice professional look and easy on the readers' eyes.  

Also, do not leave extra wide margins, since that gives the same impression. There are plenty of resources online to help determine how big your margins should be. For my 5.5 x 8.5 books, I have the top margin at .6 to allow space for my header that includes the page number, and the rest are at .4 with a .25 gutter with mirror margins so the gutter stays on the correct side. 

6) Paragraphs should not be double spaced, either. Keep it the same as the rest of the text and indent. This is different than for eBooks where it’s common practice to double space between paragraphs. That’s fine, although there is some debate about that practice, as well, and it has flowed over somewhat into print books to leave space between paragraphs rather than indenting, but look at big pub books. How many are doing so? Again, readers expect flowing text, not a bunch of extra space.

7) Do not add two spaces after periods. Just don't. In the "old days" when we were using typewriters, it was necessary. With computer processors, it only adds extra white space and makes you look like you're not up-to-date on technology and formatting rules.

8) Left-align or justify? This can go either way. It’s becoming more acceptable to left-align books. If you do this, you’ll want to use hyphens so you don’t have huge gaps at the ends of lines, but you want to hyphenate sparsely. Your word processor should give you the choice. Most of my books are justified (which could make a good joke), but for my very long Rehearsal books, I decided to left-align instead because I wanted that extra flow. After printing the first one I did myself (book 3, since the 1st two were formatted and printed through a company I’m no longer using), I noticed too many gaps at the end because of no hyphenation. I don’t like every other sentence to hyphenate, so I took them out, but that was too extreme. I’ll be reformatting that book to include adding sparse hyphens. (You live and you learn!)

9) Header info: Your name goes on the top of even pages and your book title goes on the top of odd pages. Page numbers can go on the outside corner of the top or bottom or centered on the bottom. I put it all together on the top with page numbers on the outside corners and my name and book title centered. It takes less playing with the formatting (no bothering with a footer) and keeps all non story text in one place mostly out of the way. Make this text a different font from your story font, generally smaller is better, for better clarity/separation, and be sure your header is large enough this info is not too close to the regular text.)

10) At the end of your book, start with your acknowledgements and then a bibliography if needed (most novels do not need a bibliography). At the very end, add your About The Author info. Use third person, not first, and keep it brief. You can add your whole life story to your website if you wish, but this is not the place for that.  You might want to start each end section (acknowledgements, bibliography, about the author) on an odd page. This is very flexible rule, more like a suggestion, really. Under your Author info, include your website if you have a permanent website link. Do not add links to social media, specific book sites, etc., as these can change, and a few years down the road, your info will be outdated. [If you don't have a website, get one. Honestly. Make it YourName.com, since your author name is your biggest author brand, and gather all of your books under that site. Some authors do make separate sites for separate books/series, but I think that's a huge waste of time/money, unless of course you only plan to put out that one book, then by all means, create a MyBook.com website.]

In the End...
 
This is your book. If you have specific reasons for going against the standard practice, it's your right to do so. Be careful, though. You need to balance artist creativity with reader expectations and know that going too far out of the lines will push some readers away.

I may be forgetting a few things. Do you have any tips or annoyances to share related to formatting? If it’s something of which I’m guilty, I’d rather know than to blindly keep doing it wrong or annoying the reader. I may annoy them now and then with a character’s opinions or actions, but that’s just part of the job. ;-) 

 This blog post is ©LK Hunsaker. Share only by linking to this post. You can copy and share a very brief bit of info from the text if you include the link with it.

Goodreads Giveaway: Moondrops & Thistles

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Moondrops & Thistles

by LK Hunsaker

Giveaway ends July 18, 2011.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

10/10/10 Reviews: #7 - Rainwater

Book Review: Rainwater by Sandra Brown

I grabbed this book as one of many during a $1 clearance sale binge at one of my favorite bookstores. I’d never read Sandra Brown, and I don’t tend to read thrillers/suspense, but the cover and description didn’t look like either. At $1, there was no risk in giving it a try.

The acknowledgments at the beginning of the book note that this one is different than most of Brown’s work. Apparently, that’s true, if she writes thrillers. Rainwater is not a thriller. In fact, it’s very much literary/mainstream fiction.

I was charmed by the old time setting and the ease of the language. The characters are very full and real. Ella, the ‘widowed’ boarding house owner with an autistic son, is immediately likeable and nearly feels like a friend by the time we get to the second chapter.

I did raise my eyebrows a touch at the “Rainwater/autism” bit being a constant reminder of Rain Man. I get the point of it being called that, but I couldn’t shake the similarity. That’s my only criticism of this beautiful novel. It’s political, showing the error of Eisenhower’s cow-purchasing program that was supposed to help farmers not lose their farms in a very real, personal way. It’s optimistic through the days of the depression, which can extend to any time that feels bleak. It shows human error and cruelty, but also human resilience and honor and courage.

This one is highly, highly recommended, even at regular retail price.

Maybe I’ll give one of her “normal” books a try, as well.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Music Review: Unmistakable, Jo Dee Messina

This is the third Jo Dee Messina I’ve bought. Her first was very young-hearted, fun, and kicky. Her second was still on that level but raised a notch to show her growth as an artist. Unmistakable is much like the rest of her work: down to earth, casual, real, lightly emotional, and highlighted by her beautiful voice. “I’m Home” is my favorite of the new tracks, highlighting the comfort of being at home with someone who makes you feel relaxed and peaceful. The acoustic remakes of “Because You Love Me” and “Stand Beside Me” are also very nice.

Oh, I also appreciate that she’s in jeans and a long-sleeved tee on the cover instead of showing as much as she can and dressing like a pretentious Barbie doll. It reflects how unpretentious her music is.
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Movie Review: Casanova (2005)

Who can resist Heath Ledger? It is truly sad that we lost such a talent so early. While catching up on some of his roles I hadn’t yet seen, I threw this one in my queue. A nice choice. Don’t expect to take it seriously. Expect to chuckle at clever lines and grin at his adorable charm even while playing the part of the bad boy with a good heart. Expect wonderful scenery – who can resist Venice? – and period costumes. Expect a touch of “As You Like It” (Shakespeare). And expect a fun evening of quirky entertainment with glimpses of actual social commentary entwined.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Legal Note: No review was requested or compensated.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #6 – A Perfect Place to Pray

Book Review 6: A Perfect Place to Pray by I.L. Goodwin

Mae Spencer is married to a revered homicide detective who has been beating her for years. Finally, an incident with their child convinces Mae to leave and hide from him.

I picked this one up as our library’s book club read a few months back. Goodwin does a nice job with atmosphere and pulling the reader in to the scene. Her characters are well drawn, engaging, and deep enough to need to figure out as you read. It’s a fast-paced novel, marked as romance but more women’s fiction.

Deborah, Mae’s best friend (or so she claims) is the most intriguing character. Mae herself came off to me as too weak: not because she was a victim of abuse but because she never took matters in her own hands. Deborah and Mae’s  husband made her decisions for her. At times, she showed possibilities of growth and taking control, but then it slipped again. I found no real character growth in her. She simply was pushed by others into better circumstances.

While there was plenty to consider within the book and enjoy about it, I felt like it needed more; it needed the heroine to take charge of her own life. Without that, it felt unfinished.

Yes, I’m a stickler about character growth/change. Otherwise, it’s not a full story, it’s only a scene out of a story.  I believe the same is true with real life.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Music Review: Cradlesong by Rob Thomas

I’ve been a Rob Thomas fan since Matchbook 20’s first CD. I love his lyricism, his grit, and the deep meanings behind his songs, along with his gorgeous voice. I love that he writes his own music and that the art concept for the liner was his and that he credited his wife for song inspiration.

I also love the growth I see in each new album. Cradlesong shows a young man growing up, mixing personal issues with world issues, and depicting dark and light intermingled. Thomas is a moody artist, and it shows, but he’s also very deep and that shows, as well.

From:
“Hey yeah/ welcome to the real world/
Nobody told you it was gonna be hard you said/
Hey yeah/ I can’t believe it/ I barely started/
Now I’m falling apart…”

To:
" ‘Cause I didn’t mean to be mean/ when I said/
All the things I said to you/
But maybe the worst is the best I can do/ with you…”

This is personal and musical growth at its finest.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Movie Review: Undiscovered (2005)

Brier is an aspiring model on the move. Luke is an aspiring musician. When Brier decides to pull strings with help of her agent and get Luke’s career moving faster, we watch their parallel rises and the results on their budding relationship.

This indie film is everything a romantic comedy should be: fun, light, charming, with bits of passion and emotional back and forth. No, it’s not a deep-thinking movie. It’s a kick your feet up at the end of a long day and be entertained kind of movie, oh, with some nice music thrown in.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Legal Note: No review was compensated or requested.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #5 – Lake News

Book Review 5: Lake News by Barbara Delinsky

Lily Blake is a nightclub singer and music teacher at a private school. When her friendship with a priest who becomes a Cardinal gets picked up by a shady reporter with a vendetta and reported as an affair, she is suddenly swamped by the press and loses both jobs. She flees from NY to her little hometown of Lake Henry, Vermont. In an ironic twist, her biggest ally comes in the form of John Kipling, a former NY reporter who has his own grudge against the man who slandered Lily.

I picked this one up recently because it seems much like what I write: a cultural story with literary elements and a very strong romantic line. Also, it reflects the same theme as my Off The Moon: media invasion and making up stories to sell papers, turning average people into ‘monsters’ in order to propel themselves, regardless of ethics and truth.

Lake News does have something to say. Along with the media issue, the story line revolves heavily on family relations and how parenting, or lack of, affects children’s lives over the long run. It doesn’t blame parents, however; it shows the vicious cycle of generation upon generation. It makes readers stop and think about how what they say or don’t say makes their children feel, how misunderstandings so easily mess up lives. 

Overall, it was a nice read, although there was too much repetition of thoughts and I couldn’t quite buy the premise. Would the media really stalk and hound some nightclub singer relentlessly for days because of a supposed affair with a Cardinal? Sexual indiscretions these days are pretty well just glossed over. Would that singer, who lives in NYC, after all, and fends for herself on a daily basis, so easily crawl back home and hide instead of just saying, “No, it’s not true. He lied and I’ll sue if he doesn’t retract the story”? Lawsuits come easily these days, as well. Would a nightclub fire their star singer when she’s bringing in more business? I can’t see it. Something didn’t sit well in the scenario Barbara Delinsky creates.

I did enjoy the character of John and would have liked to have been in his POV more often, and less in Lily’s. There are some nice supporting characters -- in particular, Lily’s sister, Poppy. It ends as a romance ends, with everything prettily bow-tied. But I think the strongest upside to the book is the family relationship perspective. I give Delinsky kudos for that.
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Music Review: Messenger, Edwin McCain

I loved the song “I’ll Be” when I first heard it on the radio some years back, but I didn’t think far beyond that. And then the radio station I listened to at the time had him on as a guest. He had nothing with him but his acoustic guitar and sang “I’ll Be” and another song or two, completely acoustic. Wow, his voice grabbed me. Some artists – and everyone knows this is true – need studio help to sound really good. McCain just sounds really good.

Messenger is very acoustic-sounding all the way through. It’s not, other than “I’ll Be” but it has that feel because his voice easily stands out above the music, which is also gorgeous. There’s no covering up or hiding behind production. It’s real. And the songs are as lyrically beautiful and musically.  “Prayer to St. Peter” is a stirring tribute to those who have died in war, again only McCain and his guitar. It doesn’t need anything else. The songs that do have fuller instrumental sound are a nice treat, as well.

Highly recommended.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Movie Review: Lady Jane (1986)

Yes, I only watched this recently. It’s a beautiful film and wonderful story, acted well. There was much to think about as regards religion, politics, treachery, and loyalty. Of course, history has been blatantly disregarded in Lady Jane, which I tend not to like. To me, a historical fiction should at least keep the facts straight when using actual historical characters. Otherwise, create your own characters based on real characters, and make it true fiction.

That said, it was charming, captivating, and thoughtful. Well recommended.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

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Legal Note: No review was requested or compensated.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #4 – Cozumel Karma

Book Review #4: Cozumel Karma by Lainey Bancroft

Maggie O’Shea is stuck. She has a distant, rarely sober mother, and a needy do-nothing sister who both rely on her. And she’s part owner of a small bar that has become her home. When it all makes her too gloomy to be around, her best friend and business partner buys her a ticket for a singles cruise. She balks, but she goes. And then she gets stranded and ‘stuck’ with a gorgeous, rich beach house owner.

I stayed up until one this morning finishing this book. That’s not horribly exceptional for me, but I also read it in three nights. I do think that’s a record.

Note: Cozumel Karma is 18+ only, as it is rather spicy.

I don’t tend to read spicy books. I love romance but I don’t need to read the manual for the physical aspects. I’ve been married for 22 years; I know how it’s done. And I didn’t realize it was so spicy when I jumped at one of the three free copies the author was offering to whoever asked first.

I jumped because I’ve read Lainey Bancroft’s work before. In fact, The Trouble With Tessa was the first book I ever read on my Ereader. It was full of amazing, rich characters and a nice look deeply inside people and society with great introspection and things to take away from the story other than the romance. There were a few issues that showed the editor didn’t quite do her job, but the story and writing style made that pretty easy to overlook.

The same is true of Cozumel Karma. I also don’t often read first person POV novels. They can be hard to pull off well and the POV character often comes out either self-absorbed or too whiny and harder to like that way. Now and then while reading, I did think I would have enjoyed it third-person better, but it didn’t quench my enjoyment.

The beginning of the story made we wonder if this was going to be something I wanted to read or if I should just pass it along. It looked like one of those “meet a hot guy and jump in bed” books that I don’t like. Yes, I’m rather old-fashioned and traditional. However, I’m not narrow minded and I loved her last book. Plus, Maggie is a wonderful character, as is her friend Pat. They hooked me. I had to keep going.

As the story progressed and Maggie changed, so did the way the story was written. It ‘grew’ with her; it opened into a deeper, more insightful story as she allowed herself to start to open. I’m not sure if it was planned that way or if it just happened, but I’m impressed. It’s a great technique. Along with technique and characters, Lainey Bancroft has a unique way of phrasing at certain times that just makes you grin, or even chuckle. I love her quirkiness that shines through. I love the balance of light and balmy mixed with intelligent thought.

Overall, this is a must read for romantics who want to be absorbed in a story and come out with something to show for it. If you don’t like spice, it’s easy enough to skip over those bits and move along (I often did the same *shrug*) although they are done tastefully.

I hear Lainey is working on a women’s fiction novel. I very much look forward to it.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Music Review: Dark Horse, Nickelback (2009)

While we’re on the subject of spicy, this CD is one of my recent obsessions. I suppose it’s funny that I skip spicy scenes in novels and yet love Dark Horse. It’s … plenty spicy. Actually, the first time I listened to it, I laughed through much of the CD. Naughty boys! And yet, somehow it isn’t disgusting as most music I would describe as naughty. No, I would describe those as vulgar. This one is very “out there” but not vulgar. I suppose some would argue.

Maybe it’s the humor of it that saves it for me. It’s obvious (how can a song called “Something In Your Mouth” not be obvious?) but just as Lainey’s scenes, they’re also tasteful, in that the phrasing is clever and played down, no nasty words intrude, and you never get the idea that anyone is being degraded. The whole CD sounds like single boys having fun, but at least in a fairly respectful manner, considering.

I would also label this one as 18+ although Nickelback does have plenty of younger fans and that actually doesn’t bother me, because it doesn’t sound seedy. I let my under 18 kid listen to it: it’s much better than a lot of that stuff he hears on the bus on the way to school! *sigh*

Anyway, for some good rockin’ humorous fun, give this one a try. Unless you’re even more squeamish than I am. ;-)
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Move Review: What the Bleep Do We Know? (2004)

I should hesitate to call this a movie, although there is some story to it in the form of a photographer who was jilted and is trying to find her way back to happy.

I also have to say I only watched the first hour and a half of the 140 minutes. I got interrupted and didn’t go back to finish it, but I got the gist enough by then.

This is an “alternative” science theory put into film. It has some very interesting points to ponder, such as the power of belief and how your thoughts actually create your world more than the other way around. It also has some rather far-fetched ideas that I just can’t buy at all. But, it does make you think, and there’s always benefit in that.

Do I recommend it? Maybe. If you’re looking for something to think about, or if you want to delve into just how the brain works (as far as science even knows). Be aware that it’s largely experts of some sort talking at you about their beliefs as though they are fact. They aren’t, of course; it’s all theory.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

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Legal Note: Cozumel Karma was won in a promotional event, Dark Horse was purchased by the reviewer, What the Bleep Do We Know was rented by the reviewer. No compensation was received and reviews were not requested.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #3 - Ireland

Book Review #3: Ireland by Frank Delaney

Ireland depicts a traveling storyteller and the young man who becomes engrossed in the man and his stories. Along the way, we are treated to Ireland’s history, both fact and legend, and its mystical mythology.

I love historicals in general, but this one is right up at the top of my LOVE-this-book list. Frank Delaney was born in Tipperary, Ireland, and many of his non-fiction books were UK bestsellers. He now lives in the States and Ireland was his first US novel.

This book is not a quick read. In fact, I read it in parts over time, which is quite doable since it is much like a short story series connected by a running plot line. There is so much to absorb, to learn, to revel in while lost in its pages. I ‘met’ St. Patrick and his snakes, Brendan the Navigator, Handel, leprechans, and Sir Walter Scott. I learned that Ireland is the only country whose national symbol is a musical instrument, and read about the separation of the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland, as well as the start of the potato famine and its many fights to deter invasions. The fight between Catholics and Protestants is there, with both sides equally represented. The whole story is a presentation of facts mixed with myth, round and full and surrounded by lush scenery and intriguing Irish citizens the boy meets along his journey.

In the midst of all of this is a story about a young man finding himself within his convoluted family history, and many glorious references to the art of Story.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough, as its message goes well beyond Ireland itself and extends to all of us. I have Delaney’s Tipperary here on my shelf waiting. And I look forward to every minute of it.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Music Review: Public Enemies soundtrack

This was a Christmas gift from my son last year. It’s not the genre of music I would normally buy and so I’ve been surprised at just how much I enjoy it. Like the movie, the music is old-time rough and tumble early twentieth century feel. From Otis Taylor’s “Ten Million Slaves” to Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground” along with Billie Holiday and Elliot Goldenthal’s contributions, the soundtrack tells the story of the times. It is lush and vibrant, deep and rich, echoing both despair and resilience. A worthy listen. I often have it in the background while I write.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Movie Review: Old Dogs (2009)

I knew going in to this movie that it would be fun and easy, a quick entertainment. It was. I enjoy John Travolta and Robin Williams, and Seth Green made a nice third. There are plenty of chuckles and it’s a nice one for the whole family, safe for kids.

That said, I felt like Travolta’s role was pretty much the same character as his Wild Hogs character. It was like they took him from one setting, threw him in another, and said, “Now, repeat that performance with different lines.” Robin Williams was the saving grace of the film. He felt real and it was easy to sympathize with him. The kids did a great job, also, although as often happens in Hollywood now, many of their lines were too advanced for their ages.

Overall, it is a fun watch, nice for kicking back and unwinding when you want escape more than thought.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~

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Legal Note: the above media was either purchased by or for the reviewer, or rented. No compensation was received for the reviews, nor requested.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #2 - Surfacing

Book Review #2: Surfacing by Cate Masters

When AJ Dillon, lead singer of an indie band, gets kicked out of the house, he shuffles off to Florida to stay with his grandfather he hardly knows. The one thing he does know: his grandfather is obsessed with mermaids. While working at a small resort show featuring costumed mermaids, a job his grandfather sets up for him, AJ splashes into Cassiopeia, a real mermaid with attitude.

I don’t read a lot of fantasy but I never say never, so when a fellow author was holding a contest to win her newest, I jumped in and came out with my own copy of Surfacing. To be honest, it was the indie band story line that pulled me in. I’m always on the lookout for a good music novel. This one doesn’t have a big music line, other than that AJ has lost direction with his music and has to find it again, but AJ was nicely written and I enjoyed spending time with him.

What I most enjoyed about the book was the developing relationship between AJ and his grandfather, as well as the way he learns to reconnect with his mother as he learns more about her history and therefore, understands her better. It’s a sweet story about love and forgiveness and learning to look through another’s eyes. The characters are real and memorable. The heroine – this is a romance, after all – is feisty and intelligent and gentle, as she teaches AJ a few things he needed to learn.

I would have, however, enjoyed seeing some of AJ’s story before he moved in with his grandfather. He’s made out to be a troublemaker, enough to get kicked out, and yet he comes off as humble and gentle, maybe a touch cocky but not horribly, and very personable although a bit of a loner. I can’t see that he changes a lot from the beginning of the story to the end, other than accepting his family as they are.

Overall, though, Surfacing is a nice light read with nuances of deeper issues and some fun fantasy. It’s a romance appropriate for young adults and older adults with young hearts.
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Music Review: Keep On Loving You, Reba

I have a couple of Reba’s earlier albums but I’m not a stringent follower. However, when she appeared on Dancing With The Stars last season to sing two songs from her newest album, I started to think I might have to check it out. The title track is hard to resist. When she sang it on the show, a video behind her featured scenes from some big country stars and their long-time spouses. It was a beautiful tribute to marriage and follow through even during times.

Since I bought Keep On Loving You, it’s been played over and over in my house and in my car. Yes, I carry it with me now and then. It’s rather contagious.

Strange, the opening song, is full of resilience and spirit, and those two things shine all the way through the album. There are a few thrown in that are just plain fun, such as I Want A Cowboy (and the way she describes him, who doesn’t?), several that are deeply emotional, one that’s a good warning to young girls, and the last track, I’ll Have What She’s Having, is just absolutely charming and I’ve yet to let it end without rewinding once (at least) to hear it again. If you like country music at all or are willing to give it a try, pick this one up.
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Movie Review: Neverwas (2005)

I’m not sure what made me mark this one to add to my DVD queue, but I’m glad I did. Neverwas is a psychological thriller, not scary but with suspense, about a young psychiatrist (that must have been it) who makes friends with a schizophrenic with ties to the doctor’s family history. The guy is dead-set on getting ‘back’ to a place called Neverwas, a story setting written by the psychiatrist’s father who was eventually locked away in the same hospital.

This one keeps you guessing all the way through. It’s beautifully acted and produced and leaves you thinking. Worth the 108 minutes.
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-- If you’ve read, listened to, or watched any of the above, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Legal Note: Surfacing was won in a contest, Keep On Loving You was purchased by the reviewer, Neverwas was rented by the reviewer. No compensation was received for any review, and none were requested.
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10/10/10 Reviews: #1 – Here Burns My Candle

In honor of it being 10/10/2010, I thought I’d catch up on my reviewing for books I’ve read recently and haven’t talked about yet. To make it more interesting, I’ll add a brief CD review to each post and a brief movie review, all from what I’ve bought or watched this year. They’ll be completely unrelated to the books, or to each other, and in several different genres, so hang on: it’s a potpourri of a plethora of reviewing! Any other blogger want to join in? I’ll add your links to my posts if you’ll let me know!
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Review #1: Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

The setting is Edinburgh 1745, just as the Jacobite Rebellion is taking siege of the city. Lady Elisabeth Kerr is directly in the middle, being a Highlander supportive of Bonny Prince Charlie and yet married to an Edinburgh Lord whose family is loyal to King George. That’s hardly her only swaying rope, as she is wife to Lord Donald Kerr and therefore next in line to become keeper of the family fortune along with him, with a mother-in-law who favors her younger son’s wife and barely speaks to Elisabeth. She loves her husband dearly and yet must deal with rumors of his infidelity. And, she follows the auld ways of Hielanders and puts her faith in the moon, thereby putting herself at risk of being accused of witchcraft when she goes out to honor it and ask for help.

I love historical novels, especially those from American history or from Celtic history. Liz Curtis Higgs was a new author to me when I was drawn to the cover at my local bookstore and picked it up to read the blurb. She is hardly a new author, however, with twenty-seven books (as of this one), a few of which are Scottish historicals.

Here Burns My Candle is a delightful read. It’s packed full of Scottish history, and not only the facts of the events, but small details about how the nobles lived, what they ate and wore, and how they interacted among themselves and their fellow Scots. The detail is weaved in so seamlessly, I at times forgot I wasn’t there in the house or on High Street with them watching their every move. It doesn’t take over so as to tell me, “Look, the author did her research,” as too often happens. It was flowing and graceful. The plot moved along steadily but not too fast, allowing full insight into the characters, much depth, and a pleasant ride.

There were two points that threw me just a bit. I wasn’t always sure the point of view needed to switch as often as it did in the beginning. It dwells on the Dowager Marjory Kerr, Elisabeth’s mother-in-law, heavily at first, and she’s a less interesting character than Elisabeth. There were also scenes from Donald’s perspective that were less enthralling and maybe not entirely necessary. In addition, the character of Rob McPherson was one of the highlights of the novel that continued to build, and then a sudden turn of his character left me thinking, “What? Wait? That’s not right.”

Overall, though, this was a fabulous read, a must for any Scottish historical buff: part literary, part romance, fully fleshed, and I missed it when it ended. I will be picking up more of this author’s Scottish series and possibly her other lines, as well.
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CD Review: Fearless Love, Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge is an auto buy for me. I have enough of her albums to know each one will be a treat even before I open it. Fearless Love is no exception. I’m not a musician, and therefore won’t go into craft detail, but what I love most about her work is the heart and openness of every song. Her music is her. It’s honest and strong and gentle … and fearless.

The title track lets us know right off what the CD is about. It’s personal and yet general at the same time. We can all relate to each song in some manner. They’re passionate, political, angry, accepting, and inspirational. I love her call to look within and start making our own impacts, our own changes in “We Are The Ones” instead of waiting for someone else to do what we think should be done. “Miss California” is a rip-it-wide-open statement protesting intolerance on a personal and societal level. In it, we see not only the issue, but the person behind it, the frustration and fear and hypocrisy. And yet, the CD ends with acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding that we’re all just trying to figure this thing out.

Give it a listen, an open-minded, hear-what-she’s-saying listen. I dare you not to be swept away to her world and come out of it with respect for the artist as not only an artist, but as a struggling, real person. This is rock music at its best.  I can’t wait for her next.
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Movie Review: Inkheart (2008)

I admit it: I rented this one largely because it’s Brendan Fraser. Although many of his early movies are … well, early movies meant for the young crowd who want just a few quick escapist laughs, I find his more current work more fascinating all the time. (I would never have watched the Mummy if he hadn’t starred, but have watched a few times if it comes on.) He’s a captivating actor.

However, as a writer, I couldn’t help being curious about the story line. Twelve year old Meggie has the ability to bring story characters to life. As she does, she pushes her dad (Fraser) right back into a story he’d tried for years to forget, and then she has to rescue him from this world of mixed reality and fiction.

It’s a charming story, fun and thoughtful, with plenty of action and humor. Beware that time passes quickly as you watch and that any of you avid readers (or writers) out there may be drawn to wonder what would happen if your favorite characters came to life.

It’s also a huge boon to the magic of reading, an inspiration to pick up a good book and get lost in it the way these characters get lost in the story. Is it truly just fiction? Or does the fiction shape their reality? Interesting to consider.
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-- If you happen to have read or listened to or watched any of the items I’m reviewing, I’d love to hear your thoughts about them!


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Legal note: Here Burns My Candle & Fearless Love were purchased by the reviewer. Inkheart was rented by the reviewer. No review was solicited and nothing was provided in return.
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Back to life.. Back to Reality..

I know those are song lyrics, but I couldn’t tell you the song or who sang it. Can someone fill in the blanks without looking it up?

School is starting again. We have a couple of weeks or so to go since we start later than most, and later than before. When we moved here at the start of my son’s Freshman year,  he started several days late because we didn’t get here until the end of August and they’d already started. Poor kid had to be a new student and a late new student at the beginning of his HS career. But then, they were out by the end of May, as most are.

The next year, my sister planned her wedding at the beginning of June, in Illinois (my home state). No problem, I said. School ends the end of May.

Ah well, that year they decided to change dates and didn’t start until after Labor Day, which meant they weren’t out until the first week of June, which meant I had to pull him out to miss the last days of his second year of high school. (It’s an all day drive to get there from here, and as one of the matrons of honor, I couldn’t pull in last minute.)

At the time, those events caused me some deal of stress. I’m a rule follower. If school is in session, it means you’re there unless ill enough you can’t stay on your feet (“You’ll feel just as bad at home as you do at school/work.” – a family motto of sorts).  Same with work. I heard a song on the radio this morning about calling in with a fake illness in order to take the day off. I literally cringed. Unless I can’t stay on my feet, I’m where I’m supposed to be, even when it’s just at my desk at home trying to stay upright just to get that chapter finished by my self-imposed deadline.

Okay, maybe that is pushing it too extreme, but in these times when our social services don’t get taken care of because the county’s budget hasn’t been passed yet, and those in charge are still leaving at 1:00 in the afternoon to go play golf or whatever (maybe a slight exaggeration – they might stay until 4, and I mean lots of places are doing the same, not only my own), I miss the days when more people had that “get it done” work ethic.

The other day, I picked up a children’s book. The reason I picked it up is because when I checked out the few I was buying for myself, the clerk asked if I’d like to donate a book to the children’s drive to help them learn to read. I’m a sucker for those and one of the books put up to select from was “The Little Engine That Could” – what better to provide to a child learning (likely behind schedule) something that can be difficult for many of them?

As I left the store, I realized I didn’t have that one on my children’s shelf at home. I have quite a few, mainly from the discount bins (where they were rescued cheaply from a certain fiery death) in preparation for future grandchildren. (Future, as in not expected for some time, with any luck.)  So I went back to buy it. (I’m not much of a shopper until I find a book, music, or office store, so I let myself splurge on those.)

I was asked once, if I could choose one book to have the whole world have to read, what would it be? I think I said “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran (“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of life’s yearning for itself.”)  Maybe I would change my mind now, though. Maybe I would have to answer:

The Little Engine That Could

Yes, it’s an optimist book. Yes, I’ve been called Pollyanna more than once. *shrug* But I’ve also recently been looking through my old high school things and shook my head at how often I used to attempt things I should have known wouldn’t happen. Cheerleading (much too shy), Homecoming court (laughing out loud at that one: too much of a nerdy bookworm), Basketball my senior year though I’d never played before (yeah so as a senior, I barely played JV), Asking a couple of guys to a dance (Ha! again, shy enough I didn’t even speak to them otherwise)…  and the list goes on.

Did it matter whether or not I was there for the first or last days of school or how many sick days I had? I couldn’t even remember those things. I did find a report card showing a D in social studies one term (I HATED memorizing dates!)  and then winding up on the honor roll with a B in the same class later that year.

Most of all, what I got out of looking back was that I kept trying despite the odds. It’s horribly hard for a very shy girl with unknown ADD to accomplish much in school. And yet, I ended up on the Top Ten with a ton of activities under my name in the yearbook.

The Little Engine That Could was always one of my favorites, and I took it to heart.

Those days don’t seem real to me anymore, at least not very. I’ve done things since then I never could have imagined doing. I went from horribly dependent on my family to being completely on my own with my kids much of my life while my military husband was away doing as his country asked. I’m still away, and still doing much on my own as he has the same work ethic I have and is still doing as his employer asks (well past 4pm, btw). For me, this is reality. It’s not good or bad; it just is. I now have the advantage of seeing things from both viewpoints, dependent and independent, and I try to use it all in my work to share, as well as passing as much as I can to my children, and later to my grandchildren.

This year, my son (my baby) is a senior. As he begins this transitional year toward what he will be, I can’t help wonder what he will take with him most. How will he look back and see these days? What will happen to define him? He’s much more social than I was, and yet has taken part in only two school activities, one of which he gave up last year. He’s more of a rebel than I was, and much more confident. I find it amusing that he’s in that “group” I couldn’t begin to understand during my own HS days, and yet, now I do, at least to an extent. I admire them more now than I did then.

All around me, I see adults who I’m sure have remained the people they were in high school, who still view everything from that one perspective, whose kids follow in their own footsteps. I suppose that makes it easier to figure them out and help them along, but I enjoy this widened perspective, even if many days I think Zeller Zone sounds like a good idea.

So what about you? Are you the same person you were in school?

If you could choose one book for everyone to read, what would it be? Maybe I’ll check it out.

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A Basket of Romance

A Basket is up for grabs at the Mercer PA newly renovated library!

Actually, 6 baskets with 6 different themes are up for raffle, donated by library patrons. The one I took in is shown above: a bit of romance by CRR authors.

As a Friend of the Library, I received the call for themed basket donations in the newsletter and decided to go for romance and reading!

I put out the call a few weeks before the basket was due and am so very grateful to the Classic Romance Revival authors who donated books, ebooks, pens, and postcards to represent CRR!

The basket contains:

Print Books by CRR authors:

One Small Victory by Maryann Miller
Samael by Marion DeSisto
Turning To Nature by Marion DeSisto
Protect The Heart by LK Hunsaker
Finishing Touches by LK Hunsaker
Destination Berlin by S. G. Cardin
The Giving Meadow by Stephanie Burkhart
The Duke’s Dilemma by Rachel McNeely 
The Best Selling Toy by Elaine Cantrell
A Knight’s Vow by Lindsay Townsend (donated by LK Hunsaker)
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Deborah McGillivray (donated by LK Hunsaker)

Print Books by non-CRR authors (donated by S. G. Cardin):
Dragon Lair by Sharon K. Penman
Loving A Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Ebooks on CD:

Turtle Soup by Danielle Thorne
Frontier Wife by Margaret Tanner
Holly and the Millionaire by Margaret Tanner
Thin Ice by Liana Laverentz (Liana also donated 2 print books for the library to keep!)
Tarbaby Trouble by Phoebe Matthews
The Cupid Diaries “Moments in Time” – short stories by CRR Authors

Promo Items:

Pens and postcards from Stephanie Burkhart (aka S.G. Cardin)
Postcards from Phoebe Matthews
Pencils and postcards from LK Hunsaker
Flyers from Maryann Miller

Also included:

A CD sampler with the first two chapters of Finishing Touches by LK Hunsaker along with the song included in the novel: Love Is Yours And Mine by Duncan Faure, autographed by Duncan

A large red “Rose Garden” candle custom made for the basket by SchoolCornerCrafts.com

A few Hershey Kisses for flavor ;-)

So if you’re in the Mercer County area and would love a little romance and reading break, grab raffle tickets at the library! And be sure to check out the authors above who so generously donated to help build the library’s fund! (All romances in the basket are on the classic side. Check CRR for details.)

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Marketing: Something’s Working

A friend on a writing list the other day let me know I was the #22 most viewed author on Smashwords.com (Thanks, Celia!)  It took me by complete surprise.

Many authors, and I congratulate them for doing this, will regularly track sales and list numbers in many different places. I don’t. Honestly, I can’t imagine being organized enough to keep up with it. I’m not sure I’d even ever looked at the most viewed author list. *blush*

I wasn’t on the computer that day and so didn’t see it. By the next day, I was kicked off the top 25. Today I decided to go look again, just for kicks. What do you know?? I’m #25 today!

Here it is if you’re interested:
http://www.smashwords.com/100/authors

If you get there today, you’ll see me! Granted, I’m at the bottom of the list, but hey, I’m ON the list out of hundreds of SW authors. [And if you click on my name at the bottom of the list, maybe I can stay there a while!  ;-) If I’m not still there, find me here: LK Hunsaker]

So anyway, of course I started to wonder HOW I got there. That’s the big question. My best guess is that I just sent out my newsletter to a list that grows a bit every time I announce it’s about to come out. I also encourage readers to forward it to friends.

I always suggest to authors that they should have a newsletter. They don’t need to be monthly, since they are a lot of work and we may not have that much to say every month (yes, authors can run out of things to say!). I’ve switched to sending mine quarterly, with an occasional special edition for breaking news or more likely for a free read story. If you don’t want to do one on your own, join up with a friend or two or three who write in your same genre. I figure not only is quarterly enough of my own time, but it’s also enough to ask of readers’ time. People are busy. Don’t deluge them!

What do you put in a newsletter?

News, of course. But also, think about what you would like to hear from your favorite authors and give that to your readers. My favorite author newsletter came from Sue Monk Kidd. She always begins with something somewhat personal: thoughts about things, description of where she is as she writes, inspirations. It allows the reader inside who she is just enough to make a connection. That’s what I try to do. Your books should reflect who you are. If your newsletter does, also, it will be a nice sell for your work. If it is nothing but promotion, it will be easily bypassed.

If you can find a mailing service that provides web hosted links for newsletters you send, it can be helpful, as well. I grab that link after I send one out and post it to my Facebook page. Since I have FB linked to Twitter and Twitter linked to my blog and my website, it also goes out to all of those places with one quick entry. You’ll also find the links to my archived newsletters (the most recent) here in the right-hand column under my newsletter sign up box.

The newest that has a link to a free read story on Smashwords: Jun 2010

We hear often that it’s impossible to tell which marketing attempts work and how well each work, but in the end, something works if you have good stories to tell and know how to tell them to hold your readers. From my recent results, I would say newsletters with links and free things for readers do work.

Do any of you authors have Newsletter tips? Please share!

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Marketing: A bit o’ luck be with you

I’ve come to think much of marketing is nothing but luck … a gamble that may or may not work, but then, you know you won’t win if you don’t play. Odds are something will work if you keep playing and adapting to the game. Right?

As I mentioned yesterday, my early attempts seemed pointless so adaptation became necessary. I wanted to know what worked for others, what prompted readers to spend their hard-earned money on certain books, where my time and hard-earned dollars would be best spent. I’d been on a few Yahoo lists for some of my interests, so I thought it was time to start looking up lists of readers, specifically romance and literary readers. The first I found was Coffee Time Romance and I started slowly, with the one list, to check it out and see what was going on. What do you know? Not only were lots of readers there talking about books and reading, but so were lots of authors sharing their work!

I timidly began sharing bits of promo about my own work and received a nice enough reception that my lists grew. Many authors are on as many as 20 lists and keep up with them regularly. I’m not organized enough for all of that, so I’m still limited to the few I’m on. Still, along with readers, it’s been a great way to meet other writers. I recommend to authors not on lists they may want to find a few.

I did learn some things about marketing from the chats and networking.

~~ Most readers love to get bookmarks from authors! So, I switched from business cards and postcards to bookmarks. I have them for all of my books (except one and there’s a story with that not worth telling) and since I spent money on the things, I started forcing myself to take them into bookstores and asking if I can leave them. Most of the time, I got a very gracious acceptance. A couple of times I didn’t, and I didn’t return to those places.

~~ Hot romance sells better than mild romance. *shrug* There’s not much I can do about this one, since I don’t write hot and don’t have any interest in doing so. It did tell me I shouldn’t be overly worried about my sales being lower than some, since my fellow “not hot” writers all mentioned the same.

~~ The description “mainstream” is being used differently in romance circles than in other literary circles. It’s important to keep up with the terms and ins and outs of your particular genre. Going against that grain is of course your call, but be aware it’s a harder sell.

~~ The term “literary” will chase most romance readers away. Again, not much I can do about that except to call my work something it’s not, and I don’t believe an author should ever be deceitful. If it helps short term, it can be harmful long term, and long term should be the big focus if you plan to stay in the business.

~~ What you say online anywhere, particularly on lists and blogs and social networks, can follow you forever. I found myself turning away from even giving an author’s work a chance when she was rude online, or when she said she “doesn’t read” or so on. Be very careful about your online presence in general. It can be stored forever.

~~ Readers want excerpts. Make them available! I was already doing this at book signings, since after my first one was so slow, I wanted something to give away so they would at least know what I was writing. I also learned from other authors that bookstore signings are usually slow and most often the biggest attention you receive is to be asked where the bathroom is. Don’t let it get to you, and decide if it’s worth your time before you jump in.

~~ If you’re asked to join an author blog, make sure to accept if it fits your books and if it’s at all possible to keep up. Group blogs are a great way to meet a different audience. I’m a member of two group blogs:
Lindsay’s Romantics &
Classic Romance Revival
(In order to be asked, take part in conversations on blogs and lists so the owner will see your marketing potential, your interest in chatting with readers, and the quality of your casual writing.)

As this is again long enough, I’ll leave more for another day. Tomorrow, I’m part of Classic Romance Revival’s Blog Carnival for the Cupid Diaries anthology (cover and link is at the right) and will leave that highlighted for a few days.

If any of you authors dropping by here have other hints that you’ve learned from networking, feel free to add them in the comments!

Oh, and about that Irish luck? I’ve been to Ireland and it’s gorgeous. However, it’s also cold and rainy on a near-constant basis and the land is nearly all rock that took much effort to clear in order to be able to farm. Still, they thrive. How? Because of that effort against the odds. Because they stand out in the cold windy rain and keep fishing as though they don’t notice the weather. Because when they were getting their farms started, they used those big rocks they pulled from the ground, stacked them atop each other at the edges of their property, and let them become what are now: beautiful, strong, stalwart fences defining their land and their country.

It’s like my grandpa once said when someone was wishing for the luck some other guy had: “Tell you what, you go out there and work as hard as he does for as many hours as he does, and you’ll have his good luck, too.” That’s the luck of the Irish.

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THAT bad word: Marketing

This frustrated little guy is how most of us writers feel about marketing. UGH! Just the word “marketing” is likely to lead us to the nearest, hardest wall.

I’ve been trying to learn how to market since 2003. In truth, I mainly ignored that part of the process for some time after my first book came out. A not exaggerated fact about me: I’m social phobic, and have been for many, many years (yes, I am that old). I don’t mean I’m only kind of reserved. I mean according to the DSM-IV (psych manual of disorders), I’m full-blown social phobic. Well, or I was full-blown. Now I’m only half blown. Uh.. or something like that. Either way, I can talk to one person in a casual setting who I am familiar with and still fight shaking hands and voice tremors and heart rate increase. Add several more people in a group who are looking at me and expecting me to speak and all of that increases, along with the warming face and swirling head that feels like my brain’s in a Tilt-A-Whirl underground with water rushing in.

So, when I read the plethora of expert advice on marketing that all led to … UGH! … public speaking, I just figured I would never sell books other than to family and a few close friends because there was NO WAY in the world I was going to voluntarily speak in public.

A..hem…  Well, I have. To an extent, a very small extent. But we’ll get to that later.

Avoiding that humiliation at all costs, I searched for any way other than that to get the word out. I bought John Kremer’s 1001 Ways To Market Your Books and spent a fair amount of time getting ideas and learning the process. Much of it is geared toward non-fiction or authors with an actual publishing house, so it left me with about 5 ways to market my indie mutt genre books. (Okay, that one is an exaggeration. There were more than 5 left that applied. A few more than 5.) Of course, this was way back before being indie started to be cool.

[Read my post about not so cool indie beginnings here at Lindsay’s Romantics.]

What did I do? Here’s a brief list as I can remember. I don’t remember which ideas I found in Kremer’s book and which I adapted, created on my own. Most of this applied to my second book, Rehearsal: A Different Drummer, since from what I read, I’d lost the “new book” window for Finishing Touches.

~~ I bought my own domain name and used my amateur html and web skills to put up my brand: LKHunsaker.com where the thousands of readers I would reach by my marketing efforts would throng to find more info. (uh..)

~~ I ordered business cards with one of my books featured, along with my web address. (That works best if you have the guts to actually give them out.)

~~ I ordered postcards with the same info, then searched online to find dozens of indie booksellers, printed out the info, and sat addressing postcards each night for about a week, bought post card stamps, and mailed them out. (Please don’t imitate this method. It’s a waste of stamps.)

~~ I started up an indie arts site to feature other indies of different sorts and bought pens with the site address to hand out (or conveniently ‘forget’ to take with me when I was out and used one).

None of it seemed to be even making a dent in getting my name out there, despite some gorgeous reviews from the handful of people who did read my books. I added some of those reviews to my “reworked several times” website and begged a few of those readers to please leave reviews on my publisher’s site! Bless their souls, they sure did, too. Some of them did.

Without results, it was time to go back to more research about how to market. If there’s one big thing I’ve accomplished, it’s that I’ve learned a heck of a lot of “how to” although putting it into practice is another story.

As this is getting long and one thing I’ve learned is to keep blog posts fairly short since online reading attention span is fairly short, I’ll continue this tomorrow.

Come back and bring your friends and I’ll get to how I found techniques that are much more productive than those above.

By the way, I now have my blog organized! Entries are linked in categories. Find what you want to read by clicking on one of the top tabs.

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Creative Writer (Liar) Award

Thanks to Lindsay Townsend for this award and game! 

Find her contest using the award at Lindsay’s Romantics.


The Game: Below I’ve listed 7 statements. One is about me. The other 6 are about one of my characters. Anyone who emails loraine @ lkhunsaker.com (no spaces) to say which one is actually me, with a mailing address included and permission to add you to my newsletter (if you’re not there already), will receive a signed print copy of my short story that’s included in the CRR anthology The Cupid Diaries: A Moment in Time (link is on the sidebar).

Anyone who goes farther and tries to match the facts to my characters will go into a drawing for a signed print of my brand new, end of May release, Protect The Heart.

Here goes:

1. I used to teach dance at a little small town studio.

2. I nearly lived next door at a friend’s house.

3. I swam in a very cold loch in Scotland.

4. I have an uncle who is very well known in the music industry.

5. Charcoal is my favorite artistic medium.

6. I moved often as a child.

7. I had main care of two younger children while still in school.

Okay, the game’s on!  I’ll give it until the 31st of May, so answer away!  Comment here to let me know you’re playing, if you’d like, but no answers in the blog!

As the rules state, I’m passing the award on to 7 other bloggers:

Cheryl Pierson
Stephanie Burkhart
TC Conner
Francesca Prescott
David McClain
A.L. Marquardt
Liana Laverentz

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Book Review: Still Alice

Still Alice
Lisa Genova
Pocket Books 2009
www.StillAlice.com

I picked up Still Alice because it was my library's book club selection this month. I'd never heard of Lisa Genova, but by the time I finished the novel, I was glad to know she's working on another.

Alice is a 50 year old psychology professor at Harvard who has co-authored a text book with her husband, a research scientist, and has established an incredible reputation as not only a preferred teacher but also as a world-traveled speaker. As she celebrates her birthday, she is struggling with memory issues and even starting to get lost close to home in an area she's very familiar with. Going privately to a neurologist, she is diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's disease.

Since Alice is the POV character, you have to wonder how Genova will continue to follow her story as Alice lapses further into the disease. I was rather impressed with how well she managed to show the early struggles as well as the progression. All of the characters are well drawn from Alice's POV and we get to know some of them better than others. I found it interesting that the child she says she knows the least is the one we know the most. The other two are mainly background.

Her husband, John, is an interesting character and at times, I wanted to yell at him for being so self-centered, but then looking back at their history, I couldn't help but think Alice partly made him that way with her work obsession. The novel is a nice look at marriage-combined-with-work issues, as well as the dementia issue.

From the beginning, we bond with Alice. Anyone who has ever been so busy finding a set of keys seems an impossible task will relate. This makes us truly sympathetic of her plight and we pull for her to keep going, keep trying. As we do, we learn much about Alzheimers and how it progresses and how they are working to find ways to slow or stop it. There is also information about how to keep the brain healthy in general.

At times, the writing is a bit stiff, especially at the beginning, but Genova is a first time novelist and I believe she may find her stride with the next.
This is a must read for anyone dealing with dementia in a loved one, anyone with dementia in their family history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand this disease. It is truly educational and heartwarming and sad and hopeful all at once.

Note: Genova self-pubbed Still Alice when she couldn't find a publisher for it. She went through iUniverse and also contacted the National Alzheimer's Association for a possible endorsement, got their agreement, won a couple of indie awards, and Pocket Books picked it up. She recommends other authors self-pub instead of letting their manuscripts languish.

This review is from a book I purchased and no compensation has been offered or received.

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A Musical Moment: the 70s

I was a child of the Seventies. Now, when most say that, they mean their late teen and early twenties years were during the Seventies and they were smack in the midst of the hippie revolution. I mean I was a child during the Seventies and my teen years began right at the tail end of that decade. But, I was always kind of old for my age and when I was ten, I fell right into that music-obsessed teen-like musician worship stage. Anyway, it seemed to me that all teens and pre-teens were music obsessed and that all conversation centered around who was hot at the moment and who had the better voice/most skill.

Since those days, I've come to realize that isn't true: not everyone centered their teen worlds on music. Unbelievable, though it may be.

They say scent is the strongest neumonic; nothing brings recall better than a familiar scent. Maybe that's true for most, but for me, nothing will bring back a moment in time more than a song, or a band, or even a musical style. Take the Super Bowl halftime show. I don't watch football, but my son called me out when The Who came on. Suddenly, I was swept back in time to when their songs were on the radio and I was in my parents' home locked away in my bedroom working on something to keep my hands busy just as an excuse to be lost in the music. The Who played a mix of some of their top songs and while some were knocking how "old" they are and how "bad" the sound was, I could only think how cool it was to see them perform and be swept away to the past. And to be fair, they gave a strong performance for a band that came out in the mid Sixties.

It was great to share the experience with my son who is older than I was when The Who was on the radio. He was impressed. For "old guys" they played well and were full of energy, which surprised the sixteen year old with tons of his own. He commented on how good the drummer was and how cool the stage looked. See? This is a kid after my own heart. He gets it. It's not only entertainment; it's an experience. [He also found it cool that their drummer for the show was none other than Zak Starkey, Ringo's kid.]

How can you go through your teen years without falling for a particular band, or a particular musician? Music captures moments of time that can't be captured in any other way, and teens are primed and ready for this musical moment-stealing.

I was swept away by many singers and many bands during those awkward years. Donny and Leif and Andy and David, plus Styx and Journey and Chicago and Air Supply … I could spend as much time with them as I could pull from homework and chores and they were always there waiting. Granted, most of the albums belonged to my big sis since she had babysitting money, but as we shared a room and she was a loving big sis, I got to use her record player and her albums.

I still vividly remember the day she brought home a new album of a band I'd never heard of. I thought they were rather odd-looking, to tell the truth, not as cute as Andy and Donny, but still, there was something fascinating about them I couldn't put my finger on (other than their odd clothing choice). And then she played the album. I was grabbed in a way no other music had ever grabbed me.

I've talked with many adults recently who were big fans of the band, as well, and so often I hear it was their looks that were the big attraction. Hmm.. I'm one of the youngest fans and no, it wasn't their looks for me. Heck, I was ten at the time or right at that. Boys were still only undecipherable creatures and interesting but rather annoying (apologies to my little brother, but he understands). It was the music.

As I grew, I moved into the Eighties with Hall & Oates and Madonna and Michael Jackson and Tears For Fears and Julian Lennon, but that band remained number one on my list. Why? Who Knows? Something about them spoke to me. In fact, it spoke loudly enough, it became a story. What were they really like past the media hoopla? What was it like to tour and live in hotels and buses and be stuck with each other for months at a time? Did they get along behind the scenes? What about girlfriends? How do you have one with that kind of lifestyle?

The questions festered until I had to start answering them. No, I didn't stalk the band. They disappeared and all that was left were those albums and the posters previously smothering our bedroom wall and then tucked safety into folders. I was stuck in a little town in the Midwest going to school and family functions. In my head, though, I was on the road. It moved well past questions about that one band to being about a band in general, and a girl who supported them.

I created my own band to answer those questions. The results were thirty-some years in the making, with tons of research and music-following in general and talking with other fans and reading music biographies, and it became my Rehearsal series. It's not why I started writing. I've been doing that since I knew what writing was. It did spur an obsession for story-telling, for discovering the whys and hows and what ifs, even if the answers are fiction. All fiction has its truths. Reading a novel may mean no more than several hours of escape. Or, it may be a moment in time that causes a lasting effect in some way.

That one moment back in the mid Seventies when I listened to that one album lovingly crafted by artists coming into their own was much more than 30 minutes of escapism. It was pure inspiration. It was lasting joy. It was a trigger. If only one of my books could do the same, that would be a legacy I would be thrilled to have.

If you're wondering, no, I'm not revealing the band name, because that's not the point (and because I called them odd-looking -- apologies to those of you who do know who I mean, but I was only ten-ish and I mostly changed my mind later).

However, for those following the CRR Blog Carnival (and for anyone else who stops by), I do have a musical prize to be drawn from those who leave comments on this post:

A CD full of music from my youth, much of which is mentioned in my Rehearsal series, plus

Rehearsal: A Different Drummer as Ebook on a signed CD. I'll draw the name on Tuesday morning to give those in other time zones plenty of time to get here. Be sure I can contact you or stop back by to see if I need your contact info!

So what about you? Were you a music-obsessed teen? Who did you listen to? If not, what was your teen obsession?

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This is part of the Classic Romance Revival Valentine's Day Blog Carnival. Winners for the grand prize -- a 5-ARC package from Classic Romance Revival authors -- will be drawn from visitors commenting on the most blogs.  To qualify for the grand prize, you need to register for the contest.  Please visit the Classic Romance Revival blog to find details of all the blogs and to register:

http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1671