Lins Own Speculations: WHEN THE COVERS BUILD AND THE BEST NEED TO BE NAME...

Blown away by what Lin said about my book cover designs. My curtsy and gratitude to the talented fellow author, Lin Holmes for her magical choice of words describing all of us graphic designers at MuseItUp Publishing, thank you Lin for the beautiful appraisal.

Lins Own Speculations: WHEN THE COVERS BUILD AND THE BEST NEED TO BE NAME...: Our cover showcase of Muse Publishing"s finest yet again must reappear. Kat and I periodically take a long walk on the wild side looki...

My news at Lindsay Romantics blog...check it out

Come and read my news at Lindsay Romantics blog!!!! link below

http://lindsaysromantics.blogspot.com/

Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magaine - September Issue

Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magazine September issue available for readers, enjoy!

New announcement and change of content, read it under 'about' . Here is the link:

http://www.wix.com/cocktailsmagazine/fictionandgossip#!

Book Review: 'Fatal February' by Barbara Levinson

Stacey Cotrufo Romance Alley Reviewer: I am an avid reader and writer of contemporary romances. I started reading Harlequin romances in the 7th grade and haven't stopped. I enjoy a fast-paced story or one's that focus on family/friendships as the subplot. Some of my favorite authors include Susan Mallery, Nora Roberts, Robyn Carr, Kristan Higgins, Maureen Child, Debbie Macomber...you get the idea.

'Fatal February' by Barbara Levinson

The Review by: Stacey Cotrufo 

I was a little hesitant to sit down and read Barbara Levinson’s “Fatal February”. I am an avid reader of romance novels but what I’ve come to discover is that it is really the contemporary novels that I lean towards.

“Fatal February” was a good read; fast paced with characters that really seemed to leap off of the page. The problem was more with me. This type of story reminds me of when Sandra Brown sort of did a crossover from her usual contemporary romances to a more romantic/suspense and then a full throttle suspense with some romantic elements thrown in. So really, it’s not that the story itself wasn’t enjoyable, it was just that I now know for certain that I am not a murder mystery/legal thriller type of reader.

If you are, then this would be right up your alley. With Miami lawyer Mary Magruder Katz having what seems to be a horrendous run of bad luck but there is so much going on in this story, that you keep turning the pages to see what happens no matter how uncomfortable the situation may be.

Something else about this story that stood out was that it was written mostly in the first person; Mary is telling the story. I don’t know why that stood out so much or why it became a hindrance but it was just another issue for me to get over while reading “Fatal February”.

From the opening page describing the crime to the final one hinting at Mary’s next big case, Author Barbara Levinson keeps you going. Her scenes aren’t overly drawn out – although sometimes I wish they were because I wanted more action! – and she doesn’t leave her readers lingering in a situation for too long.

If you are looking for a witty, fast-paced murder mystery with just a little bit of sexual steaminess, grab yourself a copy of “Fatal February” and prepare yourself for a ride.

Publisher's website: www.oceanviewpub.com

My experience at the ‘Women’s Expo Event’

Nervous, I approached the expo with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. It was a chance to promote not only my work but three other authors beyond cyberspace.


I took my welcome letter with the directions and headed to the ‘Walk -the outlets in Atlantic City’. I easily found the entrance where Cat Country radio station trucks were loading their stuff and their staff helping arrange everyone to their booths. I was impressed with not only the organization, but the helpful attitude of the staff. It certainly allowed everyone to have a day free of the stress and worry of disorganization. One staff member, Kaitlynn Breder the Marketing Consultant at Millennium Radio NJ did a great job helping us. A professional I had the pleasure of meeting her and experiencing the care and consideration she took of all of us.

The three talented authors I had the pleasure meeting for the first time. M. Kate Quinn author of ‘Moonlight & Violet’, and ‘Summer Iris’ published with The Wild Rose Press, M. Flagg author of ‘Retribution’, ‘Consequences’, and ‘His Soul to Keep’ published with The Wild Rose Press, and Ami Feller author of ‘Boardwalk in Disrepair-The Splintering of Miss Patriotic’ published with ComteQ Publishing, arrived later for the event.

The day was beautiful, people mingled and bustled about, waiting to shop or dance the Zomba!

A dance inspired from the Latin dance. The spicy, sultry beat had me dancing about, handing out postcards and gifts.

We met many interesting people that showed interest in our books and handed out a lot of gifts. The day passed with the handing out of promotional goodies, and answering questions. We had readers stopping to inquire about our books and we were more than happy to chat. Few actually asked if our books are on Kindle which tells you more and more readers are into reading on today’s gadgets.

I passed my postcards, lollypops, cards, bookmarks. Also I handed out the gift bags provided by the talented Helen Henderson author of ‘Windmaster’, and ‘Romance of my Dreams II’. "Thanks Helen, I passed some of what you sent me". The bags were filled with goodies from different authors.

I discovered many vendors gave out their products for free. Some were there simply to promote their products by showing and giving free gifts. To these select vendors the selling aspect was not a priority, their intent was to spread the word about their name, their brand so to speak. Some offered a free promotional gift if you friended them on Facebook.

To have a successful event there are a few key things you’ll need:

1. Signage. A BIG banner or board to show who you are. Unfortunately, I was so nervous I forgot mine. Still, I’m happy I didn’t spend the money on a banner with my book cover and a few words about my book.
I know now what I need to place on any banner, or two banners I use. Intrigue is key: draw people’s eye and the body will follow. What you write and show on the board or banner is the most critical aspect, and is intended to catch the interest of a fast passer. Remember they walk fast and some of them will not stop unless something catches their eyes.

2. You need to engage the people who come near your booth. I saw some providing that engaged them on more than just a visual level. I never thought of that, I was concentrating on selling my displayed books, and offering some free stuff. Really, the people who engaged the crowd did a great job even if they didn’t sell anything. They made sure the traffic come to them to win something and got to know their website, or friend them on facebook. That made me think that I should change my strategy next time I go for an event. Time to think out of the box!!!!

3. Be creative with your gifts. Anything big, colorful and useful will attract attention. Nothing pricy, just something that will bring their attention. I attached my lollypops to my bookmarks and postcards. Their eyes hit that lollypop before my postcard, but hey, whatever makes them happy.

4. Don’t sit and wait for readers to come to you. Get on your feet and start talking to them. Ask if they like to read books, or if they would like a gift. Initiate the conversation and titillate their interests. I know some of us are shy, and afraid of being rejected face to face. Well, here’s some news for you - there is no place for that introverted personality here. To sell, or even to get your name out there you have to GET on your feet and work it.

5. Beside the postcards, do brochures. Give them something to read when they get home. Attach some chocolate to it and make it memorable. The brochure should include something other than your book excerpt and your info- write something funny that they will remember you-the author-by it, or something to brighten their day. Write something that will make them say, wow I think I like this author and would like to check her/his books.

6. Finally, enjoy your day and smile at everyone who passes by and wish them a wonderful day.

You never know who you will meet at an event. You may not think about it, but it only takes one person to spread the word to two, and three and soon you don’t know who will hear about you. Most importantly I discovered that I need to be out there spreading awareness about my name, books and business. And yes being an author is a business, and one has to approach it as such.

Don’t be nervous instead start thinking ‘how can I be more creative this time’, how can I get my name and my books in front of the people who will buy them?

I hope my experience gave you some ideas of how to plan your next promo event.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading my article

Suzannah Safi
http://www.suzannahsafi.com/

New release of my Paranormal Romance ' Purity Dwells Within' will be available July 1st, 2011

I'm so excited to announce to my readers the new release of my Paranormal Romance ' Purity Dwells Within' will be available July 1st, 2011. 

Watch the trailer here

Blurb:

Quiet, timid, Hannah Williams has spent most of her life shying away from anything too personal. When her supervisor, Jenny Anderson betrays her to the satanic cult she’s part of, Hannah’s peaceful life is shattered. Trapped by black magic in the body of Jenny, Hannah must race to reverse the spell and reclaim her body.

Kevin Anderson is a man living a nightmare. When his wife returns from assignment at Hartford Mansion, he has no idea just how things are about to change. With the real Jennifer Anderson trapped within a mirror, her hold is broken. Free of her control, Kevin’s first impulse is to run far and fast…but something just doesn’t add up.

Sweet, caring, the woman he calls his wife acts like another – a woman he could love. When Kevin learns the truth of his wife’s deceit, he’s thrown into a world of darkness and murder, of power and control – all the while trying to save Hannah and himself from Jenny’s evilness.

Together, they must vanquish the evil surrounding them and save not only themselves, but the trapped souls locked within the walls of a mansion of death.

Women's Expo - August 6th in Atlantic City

When I learned about the Women's Expo event that will take place at the Atlantic City Outlets in the heart of Atlantic City on Saturday, August 6, as a promoter, I immediately saw an opportunity to promote my books and author name.

The event is for one day and they are having many activities, goodies, food, books, cloths, entertainments, and information that appeal to all types of women. The Entertainment Stage will feature Fashions Shows, The Colgate Country Showdown, magic shows and other live entertainment.

I invited two authors to share a booth with me, and we all are going to showcase/sell our books there. I live in Atlantic City and I know how the Outlets area in the summer will be packed with all kind of tourists. A DJ from Cat Country Radio station also will announce our table and talk briefly about our books and ask tourists to visit our table, which is really exciting.

If any author is interested to book a booth, contact me and I will send you the name and contact info of the organizer.

Hope to see you there. Lots of goodies are prepared for this event. I'm also preparing a special Issue from Cocktails Fiction Magazine to advertise the participants books. The magazine will be one mini disk given out as a gift to whoever visit our table, or buy a book from us.

Issue 6 Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magazine

Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magazine issue 6-adult/erotic theme 18+ only- is ready for you to read, download, and enjoy! visit http://www.wix.com/cocktailsmagazine/fictionandgossip

TERMINAL NEGLECT by Michael Rushnak

Cocktails Fiction & Gossip Magazine issue 4 - adult/erotic theme - 18+

Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magazine issue 4-adult/erotic theme 18+ only- is ready for you to read, download, and enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts, what would you like to read, and your comments. Authors love to hear from you. Hope you all have a wonderful read. Here is the link:

http://www.wix.com/cocktailsmagazine/fictionandgossip

GetToKnowTheBook: Author Lynne Roberts 'Creative License'

I’m always interested in what inspires the idea behind a book, even when I’m the one writing it.

For me, usually there is more than one source of inspiration, but I distinctly remember when CREATIVE LICENSE was born. I was driving in the car, listening to the radio on the way to the grocery store when Katy Perry’s Waking up in Vegas came on the radio. I wasn’t really listening to it, but apparently my brain was in creative mode. I asked myself what it be like to wake up married in Vegas. I started wondering about the kinds of situations that might lead to that event and then promptly shoved the idea away because it was too cliché.

However, like many ideas, this one wouldn’t leave me alone and eventually I asked an editor friend of mine about it. She assured me it was all in the writing and convinced me I could pull it off. So I gave in and started writing what would become CREATIVE LICENSE, but then I was calling THE VEGAS STORY. Kind of ironic now as none of the story takes place in Vegas.

I am by no means a plotter, but I like to know my story has enough meat before I start writing. I always ask myself what’s keeping the two characters apart. It’s a writer’s prerogative, and duty, to torture them before the happily-ever-after. For me to do that, I needed to really nail down the characters.

Caleb’s character was the easiest. He almost arrived full-born on the page. I think I fell in love with him before Lily did.

Lily was a bit more challenging to pin down. I wanted her likeable and quite frankly, at first she wasn’t. It took a few good edits and some brainstorming before I came up with a good balance of privileged female and approachable heroine.

And then there was the setting. I decided to place the story in San Francisco, so I drove up there with my sisters, a notebook and camera.

A writer’s stories are kind of like children. You love them all. But CREATIVE LICENSE holds a special place in my heart. I hope you enjoy it too.


Blurb:

Loose ends have a way of tripping you up…

Years ago, a law school graduation weekend in Vegas had been part of Lily MacPherson’s plan. Waking up next to a naked Adonis with a ring on her finger was not. After a quick annulment, she relegated Caleb Anderson to her late-night fantasies—and very short list of mistakes—until his voice on the other end of the phone asks a favor that could shake the foundations of her neat and tidy future.

Caleb is still haunted by Lily’s horrified expression that morning in Vegas. At least it had made it easy to set her free…except they aren’t. The papers were never filed. And when the nosy patroness who could launch his painting career insists on meeting his “wife”, does he confess, or call Lily? He calls Lily.

When she steps off the plane, Caleb’s determination to play tour guide disappears in the San Francisco fog. Lily thought she could keep up the pretense for one weekend, cut the last tie to her past, and move on. But their chemistry still pops and sizzles, finally exploding into passion at Caleb’s studio.

It’s everything they remember…but so is the yawning chasm of differences that, in the end, could once again drive them apart.

Product Warnings

Contains balmy ocean breezes, coffee as seduction, the creative use of melted chocolate, and naughty shower lovin’ that gives new meanings to the term “shower head”.

Excerpt: Rated PG

The computer screen blurred. Lily blinked to refocus her tired eyes on the deposition and sighed in relief when the phone rang. She loved her job, loved working for a law firm, but staring at a computer screen for hours took its toll.

Blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes, she reached over a stack of law books. “McPherson.” Lily glanced at the clock as her stomach rumbled. She’d worked through lunch again. Damn.

The other end of the line was silent for so long, she thought the caller had changed his or her mind. “Hello?”

“Yes, hi.”

The rich, masculine voice sent chills down her spine and knotted her stomach. Eyes closed, she gripped the phone so hard it hurt. Even after all these years, she knew that voice. “Caleb?”

A low, sexy chuckle rumbled through the line. “You remember me.”

Oh shit, why was he calling her now? Memories of the most erotic night of her life flashed through her mind. Lily opened her eyes, reminding herself the most embarrassing morning of her life had followed. “How did you get this number? Never mind.”

Despite the deep breath, the receiver trembled in her hand. “Can I do something for you?”

An intake of breath and then a pause. “We have a slight problem.”

Lily’s stomach churned acid. None of their problems had been small, not for the twelve hours and twenty-two minutes they’d been married. “Yes?”

Caleb cleared his throat. “It seems the annulment didn’t go through.”

“Oh, shit.” I’m in a bad movie. This has got to be a joke. She leaned against the back of her chair. “What do you mean it didn’t go through?”

“We’re still married, sweetie. The annulment was never processed.”

Married? “Why?” Lily rubbed the ache growing between her eyes. “No. I don’t care. Just get it processed.”

“It’s too late now. We’ve been married too long.”

“We are not married.” Lily tried to swallow past the tide of rising panic.

“The state of Nevada would disagree, sweetheart.”

She could almost see that sexy grin, those sparkling green eyes. She definitely remembered what they did to her. She’d been chocolate under the heat of his sun. “I am not your sweetheart.” She reached for a notepad. Who to call? Certainly no one in the firm. Though they were all professional and talented, people talked. She couldn’t let it get back to her family or… Oh, God. Stewart. “I’ll file for divorce in the morning.”

“Um, about that.”

She didn’t have the patience to wait out the pause. “What?”

“I was wondering if we could delay that a bit.”

A pain in her hand alerted her to the death grip she’d taken on the phone. She was suddenly glad she’d skipped lunch. “Delay? Why?”

“I need a favor.”

“Well you’re out of luck. I’m fresh out of favors.”

“Lily, please listen.”

His voice had lowered to almost pleading. Something in her heart softened. What’s wrong with me? I don’t owe this man anything! He’s a stranger. “You call me out of the blue to tell me we’re still married and now you need a favor?” It came out a little more acerbic than she’d meant.

His chuckle sounded nervous. “I guess that pretty much sums it up. You’re not married or anything, are you?”

Lily closed her eyes. “No. I’m not.”

“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Except to me.”

“Not for long. Thank you for letting me know about the clerical error. I’ll handle it from my end. Good-bye.” Lily set the phone in its cradle. Quite a feat when she wanted to slam it down. She stood and walked toward the window, leaned against the sill and stared out at the tops of the trees and below them to the expanse of grass. Interns didn’t usually merit an office with a window, let alone a window facing the courtyard. It was one of the benefits of almost being engaged to her boss’s son.

Ah, Stewart. He wouldn’t mind that she slept with someone in Vegas, though he’d be a bit irritated she hadn’t been smarter about keeping it quiet. But in his eyes, marrying a divorceé was socially unacceptable. No one could ever find out about what happened in Vegas. It had been a mistake, a horrible mistake.

She closed her eyes and the image of waking next to a naked Adonis filled her mind. His long blond hair had spread over perfectly sculpted shoulders, his head cradled by well-muscled arms. A silk sheet covered his lower back to mid-thigh but had only served to tantalize the imagination of her sleep-fogged brain. For a moment, she’d been tempted to explore the promising hills and valleys of his body and then she’d moved to touch him and seen the gaudy fake diamond ring on her left hand.

She still could only remember flashes of their night together; falling into his arms, the silky warmth of his skin next to hers, his lips. She opened her eyes in an attempt to wash out the images that had tinted her fantasies in the three years since. An ache built in her lower abdomen as she remembered the sound of his voice. She couldn’t recall standing in front of a minister and saying I do, but the documents didn’t lie. “Shit.” Caleb Anderson might be a talented artist and sexy as hell, but he wasn’t in her ten-year plan.

Behind her, the phone rang again and she sighed, turned and picked it up. “Macpherson.”

“Lily, please, listen,” Caleb asked.

“You have three minutes.”

“It’s… Damn it, Lily. It’s a long story.”

“Three minutes,” she repeated. The sound of Caleb’s sigh into her ear sent shivers down her body.

“I need you to…come out here for a few days.”

Her jaw dropped open.

After a long pause, Caleb cleared his throat. “Are you still there?”

“Is this a joke?”

“No. It’s not. If you’ll let—”

“No. Absolutely not. You’re crazy.”

“Please. I know it’s inconvenient—”

“Inconvenient? That’s an understatement. Why would I fly across the country?”

“Because it could make a permanent difference in my career, in my life. Listen, it’s complicated but…” he paused and his voice thickened. “My patroness did a background check, she found out I was married. I panicked. She wants to meet you.” The words came out in a rush.

“I appreciate your position, but…” Lily hesitated. She could vividly remember the passion with which he described his art. It had been one of the many things that had kept her by the bar ordering drink after drink until her memory faded to black.

“I’ll pay for your air fare and—”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what? Lily, I need your help. Please. It’s my one big chance. It would only be for a couple of days.”

A couple of days. That’s what got her into this mess in the first place, but something inside of her softened further. She did have some vacation time coming and she’d heard San Francisco was beautiful in the summer. Holy heaven, I’m considering it.

She had to admit, part of her hesitation was the memory of his skin on hers and the fear she’d tumble back into bed with him in a heartbeat. She’d done it in her fantasies enough times. Would that be so bad?

No, it would be so good. That was the problem. She took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it, Caleb.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up the phone, buried her face in her hands, and then grimaced. “I’ve just had my first argument with my husband.”

Available at Samhain http://store.samhainpublishing.com/creative-license-p-6257.html

Cocktails Fiction & Gossip Magazine issue 3

Cocktails Fiction and Gossip Magazine issue 3 is ready for you to read, download, and enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts, what would you like to read, and your comments. Authors love to hear from you. Hope you all have a wonderful read.  Here is the link:
http://www.wix.com/cocktailsmagazine/fictionandgossip