Thursday, March 8, 2012

Finding Your Voice with BK Walker (Guest Post)

Win With eBooksBK Walker is one of the authors participating in the Win With eBooks event for March. Several authors have come together to offer a Buy One, Get One Free promotion on their eBooks as well as a chance to win some Amazon.com gift cards. The promotion is running from March 15 - 18 and you can find all the details at winwithebooks.com. Today I would like to welcome BK to Library Girl Reads & Reviews to talk about finding your voice as a writer...

Finding Your Voice – Can You Be The Writer You've Always Wanted to Be?

I’ve worked with many authors and writers over the last couple of years. It amazes me the talent that I constantly come across. I’m not talking just mediocre talent, I’m talking the next Nora Roberts or Nicholas Sparks kind of talent. I’ve helped authors and writers in many different aspects of writing and marketing, including interviews where I ask authors advice, and what they wished they knew before hand.

As many of you know, I interview authors live on Blog Talk Radio at my very own show called BK Media Entertainment. This is where I get down to the nitty gritty of writing and try to get as many answers in as many forms as I can.

One comment I’m always getting told is, “I’ve always wanted to write, I just don’t know where to start.” The advice from the authors I interview that is always said in one way or another, “Just write.” I recently read a book and interviewed the author, Write-A-Thon:Write Your Book in 26 Days (and live to tell about it) by Rochelle Melander. Her advice was simple. “Just show up everyday.”

So you want to be a writer, but can you be the writer you’ve always dreamed to be?

YES YOU CAN.

You have ideas swirling through your mind. Tons of them. You like vampires, or a good murder mystery, you just don’t know how you’re going to get started, let alone find time in between running kids to soccer, going to school plays, cleaning the house, and cooking dinner.

YOU CAN DO IT!

If you’re serious about writing a book, the first place to start is getting your ideas to paper, or into the computer. Jot them down, whatever they are. It doesn’t matter how silly they seem or far fetched they are, just write them down. They are your ideas, nobody ever has to see them. EVER!

Once you have some ideas out there, go read a book. If you want to write about vampires and werewolves, read a paranormal, there are tons of them out there. You could go for Laurel K Hamilton’s Anita Blake Series, LJ Smith’s Vampire Diaries, or even Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight Series. If you want to write a good mystery, read some JD Robb or James Patterson.

After you get a feel for what the genre is about, jot down some more ideas. Now your ideas should start falling into place, and you can actually see your characters and plot developing right before your minds eye.

What’s your next move?

Simple. Start writing your story. Don’t worry about where it’s going, and don’t worry about what people might think, just write. Keep writing everyday. Soon you will see it forming a decent plot, characters are developing even stronger in your mind and maybe even trying to tell their own story.

Carry a journal or small notebook with you at all times. You just never know when another idea for your story will jump out at you. If you can write it down, you won’t forget it.

As you continue to write, the words keep growing and the pages keep getting longer. It feels good doesn’t it? You’re actually reaching one of your dreams.

Next, as you settle into the added routine of writing, decide when you are at your best, and pick that time each day to write. Then, just do it, and keep at it.

Before you know it, your book will be complete and you will be ready for edits and revisions.

Congratulations! You’re now an author!

Connect with BK Walker:

Keara Crosby had the perfect life. Her family was not hurting for anything. When her parents are suddenly killed, Keara must learn to live without them. After mourning their death for two months, Keara starts to live again. She follows her favorite band, hangs with her best friend Jared, and falls for the new kid on the block.

When her favorite band is playing at Night Secrets, a new club downtown, she takes her first outing since her parents death and finds this mysterious boy watching her. Mesmerized by his lapus blue eyes, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Her body responds to him in ways she never thought possible, and she needs to figure out why. What is it about Channing that has her yearning for his touch?

Not only is Keara drawn to Channing, but the owner of Night Secrets seems to be drawn to her. Giving her special treatment, she can't help but wonder what he's hiding, and the sense she's seen him before. When she's attacked in the parking lot, her world turns inside out, literally. Keara will soon learn that secrets of the night, just may be the death of her.

Available at  Amazon.com


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The bright lights of Social Media with Lili Tufel (Guest Post)

Win With eBooksLili Tufel is one of the authors participating in the Win With eBooks event for March. Several authors have come together to offer a Buy One, Get One Free promotion on their eBooks as well as a chance to win some Amazon.com gift cards. The promotion is running from March 15 - 18 and you can find all the details at winwithebooks.com. Today I would like to welcome Lili to Library Girl Reads & Reviews to talk social media...

The bright lights of Social Media

Are you feeling overwhelmed by so many social media sites? Between Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Triberr, Tumblr, Pinterest, and blogging, who has time to write? They have all become one big blur to me.

This past weekend, my family and I attended our local Church Fair. Hubby got our kids a “bracelet” for unlimited rides. I strolled along while they rode each and every ride about ten times. At first, it was very exciting, running back and forth between Pharaoh’s Fury and the Ring of Fire, but eventually the lights and sounds all became one big blur. By Sunday afternoon, hubby said to me, “I’m all fair’d out.” I felt the same way, but the kids who have an endless pit of energy, still wanted more. By Sunday evening, even the most hyper of my children was dragging her feet for one last time on the Banzai ride.

Facebook is definitely like the Ring of Fire. It can quickly suck you into a vortex of political and religious arguments draining your creative energy one log-in at a time. My advice, use Facebook with caution. Take a break from Facebook, for a day or two, and not only will you feel refreshed but everyone who matters will still be there for you when you get back.

Twitter is the Pharaoh’s Fury. You’ll want to ride it endlessly, ignoring the world around you. I’ll admit, twitter can be a lot of fun and it’s an excellent place to interact with readers. Again, take a break once in a while. It’s ok to schedule some of your tweets via Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. You don’t have to answer every tweet in real time. Also, if you join a tribe on Triberr, you can have your blog posts tweeted out via Triberr by those in your tribe. You’ll be killing two birds with one stone. You’ll be scheduling tweets of cool blogs and your posts will be promoted by others.

Tumblr and Pinterest are all about images and pictures. These are the brightest lights at the fair like the Ferris wheel. Although the pretty lights can be mesmerizing, remember to step away from them once in a while. If you can’t do it alone, you may need an intervention.

If you’re all “social media’d” out, join me in letting go and taking a break for a few hours of “unplugged” silence for writing. It’s not the end of the world that my book falls in the Amazon ranks because I wasn’t there to promote, promote, promote… Once I’m refreshed, I’ll emerge with a new book and lots of renewed energy for social media, and my Amazon ranks will benefit more from it.

Lili Tufel is the acclaimed author of best-selling action adventure novel, Sand . Lili comes from a long line of artists and authors including great-great-great-grandfather, Juan Jose Botero, author of the Hispanic literary classic, Lejos del Nido. Lili Tufel lives in Miami, FL with her husband, three children, and their dog, Luna.

#1 Bestseller, SAND: Dallas is a Special Forces Lieutenant who is driven by his promise to protect the Colonel's daughter Abby from an opium drug lord. He is torn between duty and his love for her and when he discovers that the drug lord's charming--murderous son has befriended Abby, there's no limit to how far he is willing to go to protect her. Click here for more info: http://amzn.to/SandLTufel

 
Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Winding Road to Becoming an Author with Larry Peterson (Guest Post)

Win With eBooksLarry Peterson is one of the authors participating in the Win With eBooks event for March. Several authors have come together to offer a Buy One, Get One Free promotion on their eBooks as well as a chance to win some Amazon.com gift cards. The promotion is running from March 15 - 18 and you can find all the details at winwithebooks.com. Today I would like to welcome Larry to Library Girl Reads & Reviews to talk about his path to becoming an author...

First of all, I have always wanted to be a writer but my journey followed a winding sometimes circular road in getting to my destination. I spent 15 years working in the building trades in NYC with the Metal Lathers/Reinforcing Iron Workers until I was forced to leave that business when an insidious little demon known as MS (a handy little acronym for Multiple Sclerosis) attacked my central nervous system causing me to begin stumbling around like a drunk and then leaving me almost unable to walk at all. That was 30 years ago and today, after a lot of prayers, hard work and therapy, I use no walking aids of any kind and get around like most everyone else. My wife, Loretta, my three kids and I moved to Florida (doctor's advice) when this was all going down. I went to college and after I graduated I began doing part-time newspaper commentary for three local publications. I did that for about five years and, as is the way of things, those papers went out of business (I hope it wasn't my fault). That was around 1995 and I did not write much after that as many things were going on in our lives that took precedence over me. No excuses, it is just the way it was and I am glad that I was where I was at that point in time.

Loretta died nine years ago from cancer (melanoma) and I married a widow, Marty, about five years ago. Marty spent almost all of 2011 undergoing chemo treatments for cancer (Lymphoma) and, thank God, she is now in remission. I myself had prostate cancer and, in May, I will be five years out. It seems that cancer is like Al-Qaeda---always sneaking around and attacking people trying to kill them. Fortunately, due to incredible advances, cancers are not nearly as successful as they used to be but there is still a long way to go before, like Al-Qaeda, they are eradicated.

I began to write seriously about four or five years ago and my first book Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes (children's) was released in January 2011. My first novel is The Priest and the Peaches and was officially launched January 1 of this year. So, I am a husband, father, grandfather and officially a "senior citizen." Experiencing the life of a writer is my "permanent senior moment." It's ALL GOOD and I am not turning back.

The Priest and the Peaches Book Summary
Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Larry Peterson's Bio:

Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches, was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.

You can also find Larry Peterson on Facebook and Twitter.


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Monday, March 5, 2012

State of the Blog March 2012: New Baby Edition

If you read my Our New Addition post recently, you know that we have a new baby in the family. This has been a wonderful thing but it also leaves me sleep deprived and with very little reading time. The result is that I'm not sure how many book reviews I'll be posting in the near future. I will continue to have book related content though - mainly author guest posts.

Win With eBooks During March, I will be participating in an event for winwithebooks.com. Several authors have teamed up to do a buy one, get one free promotion from March 15 - 18. Not only do you have the chance to get two great eBooks for the price of one, but you can also enter a contest for Amazon gift cards. I will have author guest posts leading up to the main event and then have the Rafflecopter widget posted on the 15th.

Here is what is up next on my reading list:
All of these books were sent to me for review. I'm slowly making my way through The Way right now when I get a few minutes here and there to read. I have no idea when I'll actually get these finished and reviewed but I wanted to give you an idea of what will be showing up here eventually.


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Friday, March 2, 2012

OTL: Are you earning giftcards with Swagbucks?

Search & Win
Today is another Mega Swagbucks Day! Today and every Friday you can win even more Swagbucks when using the Swagbucks search engine. These Swagbucks can then be redeemed for great prizes including Amazon.com gift cards.

For more about Swagbucks and how I've used the program to pay for Christmas for two years check out my post on How I Earn Swagbucks.

Have fun searching and I'd love to hear if you score a big win!


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.