American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Friday, September 21, 2012—Dallas Texas


Today I met with an agent to give a pitch for my new book. I had 15 minutes to tell him enough about the book so he could see if it is something he could find a publisher for. I had a one-page synopsis to leave with him, but he didn't take it. He did seem interested in the story and asked a few questions. At the end of the time, he gave me a company brochure and asked me to send a proposal by email. He said his readers would check it over, including the first three chapters, and they would let him know if he should read it.

The class with Davis Bunn was informative. It'll be continued tomorrow. He talked about various ways to plot a book. I learned he has completed a new Marc Royce book and I look forward to reading it.

I also attended a session on events. One instructor talked about bookstore signings and the other covered virtual events. I learned a few new techniques to try.

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Thursday, September 20, 2012—Dallas Texas


I implied yesterday that next year I would not go so early. However, I've enjoyed the time to write without interruptions from my regular routine. This morning, for example, I didn't turn on the TV news first thing after making coffee the way I do at home. Instead, I woke up early and went to the computer to write.

I'm editing a new book tentatively called, Love Lives On. The story is about what happens when Karen learns marriage to her college sweetheart isn't enough to give her the happiness she has wanted all her life. God presents her with another opportunity to help someone and she soon learns she is the only one in the world who can help this person. She also learns there are people who hate her or envy her and who are obsessed with harming her.

What does this have to do with the conference? Well I'm preparing to pitch my latest story to two agents and one publisher in meetings Friday and Saturday. I have 15 minutes with each of the two agents and the one publisher's representative. I'll let you know more about these meetings later.

Today I went to the first-time attendees' orientation. Sue Brower of Zondervan talked about meeting with agents and editors to pitch our books. She said to give them our one-page synopsis but don't expect them to read it. Use the fifteen minutes to tell them about your book. It doesn't have to be in the same order of the book. Start with, "this is a book about…" and make eye contact. Your book must be finished. If not, let the agent/editor know up front. If they ask for more, get it to them in two weeks or less.

Next, was the opening session with Brandilyn Collins as emcee. This was fun and uplifting.

The keynote speaker followed. Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, gave an excellent talk about his experience in publishing and now as a writer. He said, "now is the best time ever to be an author." And he gave the following five reasons he feels this is true:

1. It is easier than ever to do the writing.
a. Conferences
b. Writing books
c. Writing courses
d. Writing specific software
e. Research is easier
f. Tweet questions to help with research
g. Support groups
h. Critique partners

2. It is easier than ever to do market research.
a. Platform
b. Blog surveys
c. Vote for favorite covers

3. It is easier than ever to get into print
a. Traditional publishing is no longer the only choice
b. Self-publishing is a viable option
c. Author groups helping each other
d. EBooks

4. It is easier than ever to build a tribe (i.e. a reader base)
a. Direct access to readers
b. Instant feedback
c. Encouragement
d. Chance to improve

5. It is easier than ever to build a business
a. Publishing
b. Speaking
c. Blogs
d. Social Networking

Next was a worship service. We sang praise songs with a praise band and vocalist. The words were projected on the screens and I felt the presence of the Lord.

After dinner I went to the B&H Publisher highlight. They are part of Lifeway and follow the tenets of the Baptist faith. The representative said they are doing more movie novelizations. Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson is an example. Davis Bunn just wrote one for them.

They have identified books to be published up to fall 2013 which means anything submitted now will probably published in 2014 or 2015. Romantic suspense is popular now. Their customers are older women who are using eReaders more now.

Lifeway.com will soon be selling ebooks with links to information built in.

They publish 18-19 books a year and hope to up that to 28 in the next five years. They receive about ten submissions per week from agents. If they get down to selecting between several equal works, they'll look at the writer's platform and see if they blog twice a week and can help market the book.

They like books about 90,000 words long.

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

September 19, 2012—Dallas Texas


When the call went out asking for local ACFW members to come early and help set up for the conference, I volunteered. Although not strictly local, I was able to drive from Georgetown in about three hours and help out. It was 6:00 a.m. when I picked up my Georgetown friend Ann Bell who was riding with me to the conference. I planned to be to the hotel by 9:00 a.m. for me to help stuff bags for attendees. Bing and Google maps, plus the GPS in the car said we'd be there in plenty of time. What the computers didn't foresee was the rush hour traffic and construction. It was 9:20 when we got to the hotel and 9:45 before I got to the room designated for bag-stuffing volunteers.

I love the simple jobs. Having been "in charge" for so many years of my working life, I now enjoy the routine assignments. What we did was grab a bag, then put in a folder, a conference program, an ad for the bookstore, and a name tag holder. The filled bag was then placed in a box. Most of us walked around in a circle doing that while others hauled off the boxes of filled bags. The boss, Cheryl Wyatt, said we were faster than last year. I enjoyed hearing people talk about their books, their agents and their publishers. When I was asked about my books, I showed them my ad on page 48 of the conference program.

Next, I went to the bookstore to help setup. It wasn't nearly as much fun. My job was to inventory books on various tables. With a partner, we counted books and compared the results to an invoice. We then made notes of any discrepancies. Everything seemed confusing to me and I never felt I was doing much good. I left rather than ask again what I could do to help. Those in charge seemed too busy doing and not spending enough time managing, but that opinion is based on a very short time on the job. I have to admit that when I went back to the bookstore after it opened for business, it looked great and appeared to be well organized.

I ate breakfast so late I wasn't hungry when it became time for lunch. I worked in my room until registration began at 4:00 p.m. When I got my bag, I checked to make sure it had everything in it.

I ran into Ann Bell and we had a coke in the bar while we waited for the restaurant to open. The buffet included pork tenderloin, salad, vegetables and several other choices. Everything was great, including the pecan pie and cherry pie I had for desert. After dinner, I watched TV and reviewed the conference schedule.

Based on my experience today, I think next time I won't arrive so early. I got here around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday and the first activity is at 3:00 p.m. Thursday.

Finding Writing Contests

When I was entering manuscript contests, I had many choices of places to enter since I thought my book was a romance and I was a member of Romance Writers of America which has many local chapters hosting contests. I also entered contests in my home state, my city and several others recommended by friends and my writing instructor, Bonnie Hearn Hill.

Do you know where to find contests? If not, you'll find there are many links to contests by doing an Internet search. However, you must be careful with some of these. The true benefits of entering contests is to get feedback that will help improve your writing. Other benefits are to make contact with publishers and agents. Study how the contest can help you. Some of the contests you find on the Internet are more interested in selling you something. There is often a fee for entering a contest to cover costs, but the cost should be minimal.

You'll be more successful going through organizations you know and the ones who are reputable. I mentioned Romance Writers of America. You may want to also look at American Christian Fiction Writers. ACFW has national and chapter contests, too. Not all the chapters shown below have contests, but most offer support for beginning writers. Most require membership in both national and chapter organizations to reap the benefits, however. Check these chapter websites for more information:

ACFW Great Lakes Chapter: http://greatlakeschapter.blogspot.com/

Indiana Chapter of ACFW: http://hoosierink.blogspot.com/

ACFW Ohio: http://www.acfwohio.com/

His Writers: Heavenly Inspired Story Writers: http://www.hiswriters.acfwcolorado.com/

Mile High Scribes: http://www.milehighscribes.acfwcolorado.com/

WWW Worship Write Witness: http://www.worshipwritewitness.acfwcolorado.com/

ACFW Arkansas: http://acfwarkansas.com/

CenTex Chapter: http://www.centexacfw.com/

DFW Ready Writers: http://dfwreadywriters.blogspot.com/

OKC Christian Fiction Writers: http://okcchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

WIN: Writers of Inspirational Novels: http://www.win-acfw.com/Writers_of_Inspirational_Novels/Welcome.html

Writers On the Storm: http://acfwwritersonthestorm.blogspot.com/

ACFW SF Bay Area Chapter: http://sites.google.com/site/acfwsfbaywriters/

CWOW: Christian Writers of the West: http://christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/

Find the right contest for your manuscript and you may find just the help you need to get your book published.

Where Love Once Lived Kindle TOP RATED on Amazon.com

June 21, 2011--The Kindle Edition of  Where Love Once Lived is in the top ten as rated by Amazon customers. Here's the announcement which is posted with the print edition and the Kindle edition:

#7 Top Rated in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Religious Fiction > Romance

This line only pops up for books rated in the top 100. If you click on the word Romance (not here, but on the Amazon page (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1451511817) you'll see the complete list of Top Ranked books in this category. When I first spotted this achievement last week, Where Love Once Lived was in the #8 position.

Is It a Romance Novel?

I know what you're thinking. I've said many times in this blog that the book is not REALLY a romance. The title makes it sound like one and the manuscript won first place in the romance category of a major writing contest. It has male and female protagonists with alternating points of view. It looks and feels like a romance. But romance novel publishers don't like the subplots I've included and I didn't want to delete them. My writing mentor, Bonnie Hearn Hill, has read the book and she calls it a "coming of age" inspirational novel. I like that description even though the main characters are a little older than those of most coming-of-age stories.

The reason I selected the romance category for Amazon was because it is the closest of the choices in under Religious Fiction. See if you agree. Here are the others: Biblical, Historical, Mystery, and Science Fiction & Fantasy. So, where would you put it if not romance?

What Amazon Top Rated Means

Amazon  describes it as "Top Rated by Customers", and the following is taken from Amazon:

Amazon Top Rated products are identified based on factors that have been carefully chosen to help give customers the best shopping experience. Factors considered include Amazon customer review star ratings, the number of customer reviews a product has received, and the timing of those reviews. Reviews that don't meet our Community Guidelines may be excluded from consideration or subject to other corrective action.

So, it has to do with reviews and whether or not customers find the reviews useful. Of course the more stars a reviewer gives, the higher the ranking. There is also something about the timing of the reviews. I suspect this means the reviews aren't all done at once, but have grown naturally over time. I suspect, the ranking for my book just popped up now, because some minimum time period has passed.

How Many Reviews Does It Take to be Ranked?

The #1 ranked book in this category is Redeeming Love: A Novel by Francine Rivers. It has 871 reviews and 5 customer discussions. However, #5 on the list, I Called Him Dancer by my friend G. Edward Snipes, has only 14 reviews. Between Snipes and me is The Negotiator by Dee Henderson with 129 reviews.

Where Love Once Lived has only 11 reviews, with 10 being 5 star. Most of the 93 books that follow have more reviews than my book, some many more. However, my average star rating is higher than most.

Was This Review Helpful to You?

Checking the Yes button where you see Was this review helpful to you? at the end of a review seems to help move a book up in rank.

I've done pretty good at this, and I notice Eddie has also. So perhaps this helps the ranking more than we thought.

Getting Ranked

If you are interested in getting your book ranked in the top 100, the first step is to pick the right category. You are automatically assigned a category. It is posted near the bottom of Amazon's book page. Click on the category to go to a page showing the top 100 books in that category. At the top you will see the categories and your subcategory. Click on the category, in my case Religious Fiction, to see the other subcategories. On the left side of that page you'll find a list of categories and subcategories, and how many books are each. At this time there are only 15 books in the Mystery subcategory of Religious Fiction Kindles. My next book, The Vengeance Squad, will be in the mystery category, and as such, should pretty much stay on the ranked list all the time. That's mainly because some of the top writers do okay in the broader categories and don't bother with subcategories.

Changing Your Book's Category

How do you change your book's category? You have to call Amazon. I know, we're writers not talkers, but just do it. It part of the marketing process. Go to Author Central, select Contact, select My Books, select Phone and click the submit button. Changing categories is more complicated than I think it should be and it sometimes takes multiple calls. But hang in there, be nice, but persistent.

Reviews

Next, if needed, get more positive reviews. Ask your friends and writing buddies. Trade reviews with each other. Send review copies of your book to bloggers. After the review is published, ask people to read it and, if they agree, click the Yes button.

Be aware of Amazon's rules regarding reviews. For details, see: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?ie=UTF8&nodeId=14279631&qid=1306352593&sr=1-1#reviewguidelines.

One way to get reviews is by joining author groups. I belong to ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), John 3:16 Marketing Network and a few others. These groups provide authors helpful information as well as support from other writers. Some members are not writers, but people who love to read and review books.

Good luck. Contact me if you have questions about the process, and let me know how this works for you.

How to Write and Publish a Novel

1. Read the type of novel you want to write. Lots of them.
2. Study genres and subgenres. Which one best suits the story you have in mind?
3. In the selected genre, what are the publisher's length constraints?
4. Make a list of possible publishers. What are they looking for? Do they accept queries from authors, or only agents?
5. Learn the craft. Take classes. Read books on writing. I found some great online classes.
6. Write a synopsis. Include story question, main characters and settings. See sample synopses.
7. Write an outline of scenes. Identify point of view character, scene goal, conflict, and, if it is important, date, time, weather. Estimate 2,000 words per scene.
8. Prepare bios of the main characters. Add other characters as needed.
9. Write the first three chapters. Don't ask me what a chapter is. You'll know it when you see it.
10. Revise the synopsis when needed.
11. Revise the outline when needed.
12. Edit the first three chapters until you are ready to share your writing with others.
13. Join a writers' support group where others will critique your work in return for your comments about their work. There are a lot of ways to do this. Some publishers will get new authors together to help each other. Organizations such as the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) have local chapters or online groups that do this. Romance Writers of America have subchapters. You Write On.com where you are assigned readings randomly. For each story you critique, you get a credit for a critique of your work.
14. Send copies of your work to your friends and ask for honest feedback, but believe in yourself.
15. Find manuscript contests you can enter. This is an excellent way to get useful feedback. The first level of the contests are usually handled by authors. But, if you come in first, second or third, you have an excellent chance of getting your work read by an agent or a publisher's editor.
16. Keep writing. If you are unpublished, agents and publishers don't care too much about how great those first three chapters are. They want to know you can finish the book.
17. Polish, polish, polish. Hire a professional copyeditor if you need to. It cost about $1,200 for each of my books. Unless you are an English major, this could be your largest expense.
18. Write a query letter. These are described in novel writing books and writing classes.
19. Update the list of possible publishers you made when you studied genres.
20. Make a list of possible agents.
21. Don't bother trying for an agent or publisher until the book is complete and has been professionally copyedited.
22. Editors and publishers want exclusive review time and they are sometimes slow, requiring three or more months to respond. Some authors send their queries out simultaneously anyway.
23. If you get an agent, great. Having an agent opens the door to more markets. There are many publishers that will not accept proposals from anyone except agents.
24. If no agent, send queries to publishers. Publisher's websites tell you how. They are slower than agents. Usually, you will need to send a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters. If they like what you've sent, they will ask to see the entire manuscript.
25. Traditional publishing should be your first choice, because the publisher has the ability to market your book in many more places than you can otherwise.
26. If traditional publishing not possible, select a self-publishing company. I used CreateSpace.com for the print edition and the Kindle edition. I used lulu.com for the other eBook editions, including Apple's iPad. Research this.
27. You are the publisher and will need to make decisions about book size, font, cover, ISBN, barcodes, setting a price, etc. It can be learned, but it is not all intuitive. In my town, many of the members of writers league have done this and will be glad to help. It's much easier the second time.
28. CreateSpace and Lulu both use Print on Demand (POD) methods. The cost of the printed version is the same no matter how many copies you buy. Also, they will sell and ship books for you so that you don't have to do that yourself.
29. Bookstores will not stock books unless you allow for refunds. This can be costly, so most self-published books don't appear in bookstores. My book is available on consignment in two local bookstores on consignment.
30. If you self-publish you also have to do all the marketing. However, you would need to get involved in this with a traditional publisher as well. I've found that book signings with or without talks is the best ways to sell books.
31. Maintain a presence on the Internet and the social networks. I write a blog and maintain a website. Also, I work with other authors throughout the country to help advertise each others books.
32. Encourage people to review your book and provide free copies for reviewers. You need to have a strong Amazon.com page since they are the largest online bookstore. My book was a best seller on Amazon.com one day due to my concentrating sales on a particular day.
33. Write another book. 

 
   

Latest Book Review Warms My Heart

Diane Craver, an author of at least ten books, and a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers association, wrote the following review of Where Love Once Lived:

Where Love Once Lived is a story of the worst kind of deception that changes the life path of not only the two main characters, Brian and Karen, but of several other characters. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see how God would work in Brian's life as he tries to erase the heartache he caused Karen in the past. The characters became so real to me that I felt deeply troubled about what had happened to both of them as young lovers.

Having Brian buy and drive the bookmobile was a clever and unique device to use in the book. Brian thinks that the bookmobile and returning to the place where he and Karen were college sweethearts would remind her of former romantic times. Instead she becomes upset with Brian. She can't forget how he had hurt her deeply thirty years ago when he dumped her with no explanation. Frost includes a group of college friends (named the Combine) which works very well in the story. It's interesting how they are all together again, and Karen agrees to go with Brian to see all of them.

The scenes between Brian and his best friend Phil's father, George McCullough, are heartwarming. As Brian struggles with getting his faith and Karen back, he seems to receive the best advice and understanding from the elder McCullough.

I highly recommend Sid Frost's Where Love Once Lived, and I look forward to reading more books by this talented author.

This wonderful review can be found at Amazon.com and other places. Thank you, Diane.

My Mother the Man- Eater by Tracy Krauss

 Here's something I've never done before.

I'm going to recommend you purchase a book I've not read. Not only that, it has a funny name, and I would like you to order it through Amazon.com TODAY!

Why this book?

First of all, I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't have confidence in the author. I plan to buy the book myself and review it at a later date. I met Tracy Krauss through the American Christian Fiction Writers association and I have communicated with her enough to know the book will be something I will enjoy reading. She's calls herself the author of ‘edgy inspirational’ fiction. I've learned to associate edgy with clean, but real world. Here's the blurb:

Loaded with humor, action, intrigue and romance, My Mother the Man-Eater is the exciting story of a woman whose search for meaning in life finds an unexpected outlet. Joleen Allen is on the hunt for a man. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets one, he falls for one of her daughters instead! At forty-four, Joleen has lived a tough life. She became a mother at 16, and her five daughters are now grown. Her ex-husband, Harold, is out of prison and back in the picture, looking for revenge. He'll stop at nothing - even murder - to ruin Joleen's reputation as well as her relationship with their daughters. My Mother the Man-Eater makes for some truly tempting and redemptive reading.

And here is Tracy's brief bio:

Tracy Krauss is a prolific author, playwright, director and artist. Originally from a small prairie town, she now resides in Tumbler Ridge, BC, known for its scenic mountain vistas and many waterfalls. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and currently teaches high school Art, Drama and English.

Why today?

There's two reasons to buy the book today. One is to help Tracy punch sales on a single day to push the book into the bestseller group. But, that doesn't help you.

Besides getting the opportunity to own and read the book, if you buy it today (February 24, 2011) you will receive a number of gifts. All you have to do to be eligible for the gifts is to order the book from Amazon.com using the link on this page and then go to: http://tracykrauss.yolasite.com/book-launch.php. On that page is a place to type in your name, email, and Amazon purchase number.  Then you will be able to select from a list of electronic gifts.

I hope you'll join in the fun today.

DISCLAIMER: This Best Seller book launch has been coordinated with the help of the ‘John 3:16 Marketing Network’ and many other generous supporters. The free gifts are deliverable electronically over the internet or by email by individual authors and supporters. They are not in any way associated with, nor deliverable by, Amazon.com.

INTERVIEW: Shawna K. Williams, Author of Grace-Inspired Fiction

I met Shawna K. Williams through the American Christian Fiction Writers association, where she is an active participant in the online ACFW Book Club. She lives in Arkansas and says this about herself:

I'm a lot of things, so I'll list them according to importance; I'm a Christian, a wife, mother, friend. I'm also a teacher, writer, artist, rancher, and animal lover. These last few kind of jostle for my attention, and what's more important one day, isn't the next. I think that's true with everyone.

She is also involved in a non-profit ministry to help women get out of the sex trafficking industry. It is faith based, and their hope is to bring those they take in to Christ, but they also work to transition these women into a life far away from the industry, where they can get and hold a job, find and keep a home, and repair damaged relationships. She is helping to obtain donations of books and other items to help these women through this transition.

In All Things

What impressed me about Shawna is her writing. Shawna is the author of three books published by Desert Breeze, No Other, In All Things, and Orphaned Hearts, with a fourth book due out this year. I've read the first two and loved them both. Today, I'll be talking to her about In All Things.

Q: From talking to you about your book, No Other, I know you research the time period of your stories in great detail. In preparing for the sequel, In All Things, how did you learn so much about Hollywood stars during that time period? Do you have some inside knowledge of that time and place?

A: The setting and era were probably what seemed most daunting when I started this book. I've always had a fascination with Old Hollywood, and had already read a number of biographies about starlets of the day. I learned quite a bit about the internal struggles going on within the industry from these actresses own run-ins with the powers that be.

Mostly, I just researched the snot out of this thing. The last thing I wanted was to sound like a girl, born in 1970 and living in Arkansas, writing about 1950s Hollywood. It makes me really happy that you wondered if I had an inside source. I was able to find someone who worked as a makeup artist in the industry, and someone who worked as a costumer. Those ladies were helpful for clarifying several finer points. Other than that though, I just read everything I could get my hands on about the industry. I've got quite a collection of books about Hollywood history, agents and managers, on set etiquette, the technical side of movie making, you name it. One of the most fascinating books is called The Star Machine. It's about the factory like process Old Hollywood used to create its stars. Everything was manufactured! I used this as a basis for Meri's journey into stardom.

Any hints for a busy writer?

Q: I see you marketing your other books through various ways and helping other writers so much, it makes me wonder how you find time to write. Any hints for a busy writer?

                                

A: Don't sleep. I'm at home during the day, so that is a benefit for me. I try to use my spare time in the daylight hours to take care of the business angle. It's getting harder, though. I'm kind of struggling with a case of burn out at the moment, but still trying to hang in there.

I write at night after everyone has gone to bed.

Q: I try not to read book reviews for a book I plan to review myself so I haven't read the ones for In All Things. However, I heard you voice concern about your first negative review. Tell us how that made you feel at the time and how you feel now that you've had time to think about it.

A: I knew that sooner or later I'd get one because that's just part of the biz. I had wondered how I would react. In all honesty, I'm okay. Sure, I wish the person would have loved the book. There's a lot packed into it, and my hope has always been that readers will understand my intent and find something of value to take away. It's not an easy read though, and therefore it's not going to appeal to everyone. The reviewer who gave it a negative rating is also an author. From the books she's written, it's clear that she and I have very different preferences and are also writing to different audiences, so it makes sense that this story wouldn't appeal to her.

Q: There's not a nice way to say this, but I noticed your first book, No Other, was cluttered with problems that should have been caught by a good editor while In All Things had none that I noticed. What happened between the first and second book?

A: Ah...yes. When No Other came out Desert Breeze had just turned a year old. They were growing rapidly but the editing staff was still very tiny. Problems were creeping up in a number of books, but it has been addressed. There are now six editors on staff and they're able to take more time with each book. Also, an author approval round has been added. I love the company, and when they realized the quality was suffering they were quick to fix the problem. I do hope to go back and correct some of the typos in No Other at some point.

Oops!

Q: I read where you've signed a contract for a sequel to In All Things. Can you tell us about it? Have you written it already? Will it follow In All Things in time? When will it be available?

A: I signed a contract for The Good Fight, which will release in November 2011. I like to think of it as a spin-off from No Other and In All Things. Both of those books were mainly about Jakob and Meri. The Good Fight will focus on Roger, a character from No Other, who also had a small role in In All Things. The story takes place a few months after In All Things, right after Ralph is sent to prison. Roger is the DA, and he's faced with bringing Meri's dad to justice when he realizes that he's helping Galveston's mob family, the Maceo brothers (real mob family), relocate their gambling establishments to Port Delamar. There's a romance, of course, with Pennye, the sister of the kid Roger just prosecuted for murder. Oops!

So, we a have a new book to look forward to, and it sounds great. Thank you, Shawna, for sharing with us today. For more information about Shawna K Williams and her books, check her blog: http://shawnawilliams-oldsmobile.blogspot.com/.

Where Can You Buy a Book?

Click the Amazon ad for the Kindle edition. Shawna's books are available in all eBook formats. Click Desert Breeze for the others.

Inspirational Ebooks features Where Love Once Lived

Where Love Once Lived is featured on Inspirational Ebooks today, a blog created and written by Shawna K. Williams, author of No Other and the soon to be released sequel, In All Things.

I met Shawna on the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) book club
when we discussed her No Other. See my review here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2010/10/book-review-no-other-by-shawna-k.html

Please read what Shawna has to say about Where Love Once Lived, and leave a comment to show you were there.
Here is the link: http://inspirationalebooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/where-love-once-lived-sid-frost.html

Thank you, Shawna, and thank you dear reader for going to Inspirational Ebooks to read the post.

Virtual Book Tours Plus

I was interviewed on Sunnybank Meanderings by Carol Brown, a fellow American Christian Fiction Writers member who lives in Ohio. See http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/2010/10/please-welcome-new-friend-frost-how.html to read her blog. I think it turned out great. Hopefully, this information about Where Love Once Lived will reach more people because of the interview.

Please go to her blog today, read the article, and add a comment.

This is called a virtual tour and I am planning to do more in the future. Although I met Carol through the ACFW bookclub, I have a list of bloggers who are interested in Christian fiction. I've sent review copies to several of them and will contact others. One turned me down for an interview because her calendar for the year is full. She said for me to check back in December to get scheduled for 2011. That seemed so far away when I first read her email, but now it is just around the corner.

Speaking of schedules, I have a book signing scheduled for December 5 at my church. The plan is to have a book sale day for members and others to buy Christian books for Christmas gifts. In addition to having my book there, I've been asked to be there to sign the books.

And, you most likely know I have a book signing scheduled for January 15, 2011 at BookPeople in Austin. I don't know what to expect there, but before the date of the signing, I'll contact my Austin friends and encourage them to stop by. Some of them probably don't know about the book.

I'm looking for other ways to publicize the book and would appreciate your comments. But, today, please check the interview here: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/2010/10/please-welcome-new-friend-frost-how.html.