Author Archives: Lizzie Lamb
Getting Down With the Kids – World Book Day
My mate Adrienne and fellow New Romantic 4 telling the kids how important reading is. . . someone tell Michael Gove.
I’d been thinking about doing something for World Book Day as it drew closer, remembering that last year it came upon me suddenly and being my first World Book Day as an author, I felt obliged to play some small part. I’d planned a busy ‘three centre’ day, which included collecting train tickets from Market Harborough, a business meeting in Birmingham and a nip to Lutterworth for emergency supplies. So having recently published my debut novel, I did no more than throw a few copies in a bag, vaguely hoping an opportunity would present itself.
I quickly realised dragging a bagful of hefty tomes around with me was folly, so made a swift decision to dole them out to the mismatched selection of females I was to encounter that day. This included the woman behind the glass at the station, a marketing director in a smart city hotel, a Waitrose…
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April A to Z Challenge Round-up of Letters A-E
Rosie has put in a lot of effort to set up this blog, so give her your support. I am day 2 – B for Boot Camp Bride. Go Rosy
Welcome to Alex Gutteridge
Firstly, a big thank-you to Lizzie for having me on her lovely blog.I think she would agree with me when I say that, for many people, writing is a vocation. It is chosen for you and not by you. Many months or years can pass without you following that dream and it can be interrupted mid flow by unforeseen circumstances but, in your heart, the desire to write will not let go of you, despite whatever life path you may be led down. Some stories are like that too. They hover at your shoulder, waiting for their moment. They provide valuable lessons in patience and perseverance, amongst many other things.
Last Chance Angel was like that. The beginnings of this story go back to when I was living in Oxford and taking my A’levels. I was on my bicycle and involved in a collision with a car. I had a lucky escape and my good fortune was constantly at the back of my mind over the following years. I had no idea that this would be the catalyst for a story which has now been short-listed for five awards including the Romantic Novelists’ Association Award in the young adult category. In some ways I consider it a miracle that this story was completed at all, just as it was a miracle that day that I was not seriously hurt.
Once I actually put pen to paper, (and I do always begin my first drafts in this way) it took many more years before the book was ready for submission. This book was witness to many ups and downs in my life, both personally and professionally. In the middle of it I stopped writing altogether and wondered at times if I would ever find the strength and resilience to once again take up the reins of my writing life. But, little by little I did and it is thanks to this book. This was a story which would not let go of me and for my own self-respect I knew that I could not let go of it.
I had no idea whether anyone would want to publish it but I promised myself that if no-one did, I would publish it myself. I had formed a bond with Jess, my main character; I wanted her voice to be heard and I wanted my hours of work to see the light. I hoped that a few people at least might enjoy reading it. I was incredibly lucky to find a mainstream publisher and not just any publisher, but the right one for this book. Templar have supported me every step of the way. It has been an amazing experience and I cannot thank them enough.
This book will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s the one that got me back into writing. To any writers out there who are sitting at the page and thinking ‘is this really worth it?’ or those of you who say to themselves and others ‘I’d love to write a book but don’t think I could’ I would say this; it is worth it and yes you can. Do not look back in years to come with regrets; follow your dream; dig deep when times get tough and even if you have to step aside for a while, make yourself a promise not to give up.
You can find out more about my writing life at alex-gutteridge.blogspot.co.uk and follow me on Twitter at alexgutteridge1
What Every Reader Wants
What do readers really want – a reader’s point of view
I am delighted to welcome Sarah Houldcroft to my Blog today. Sarah, a Goodreads Librarian and Virtual Assistant for authors, tells us what she thinks our readers want from us.
‘You are so lucky – I would love to write a book’
How many times you, as authors, have heard that phrase, I wonder. Perhaps you smile and think to yourself: ‘God, if she only knew the hours and hours of stress, torment and sheer hard work I have had to go through…’ But we, as readers, don’t know. We simply cannot comprehend, it is not important to us. All we see is the end result and the author becomes a special gifted individual who can reach down into her soul and haul out people and feelings, emotions, happenings, and create a whole new world for us.
For the booklover, the reading experience begins way before the first word in the book. These days with so many more opportunities to read, the first question may be ‘How am I going to read my next novel?’ Paperback, Kindle, tablet, phone, PC? For me, there is nothing better than holding a printed book in my hand, the feel of it, the smell of it, even. And that wonderful action of turning the page to discover what happens next. However, there are an awful lot of booklovers who now just read books on their Kindle or other e-reader. Makes sense, you don’t have to lug an extra suitcase with you on holiday just to transport the books you want to read over the coming two or three weeks. Easy, a click of a button online and you can start reading, no need to wait for the post to deliver your next read. Personally, I am torn between the two methods. I do have a Kindle which is particularly useful when I am reviewing books for authors abroad as they can just send me a digital file and away I go. But, as I said before, my true love is the printed book, of which I have hundreds and hundreds. I am not alone either, although millions of ebooks are downloaded every year, the printed book is still managing to hold its own. But as readers, we like to be given the choice of how we read our next novel. So the more formats in which you make your book available, the better.
Regardless of the format of our next read, if we don’t know what to read next, or a friend has not recommended an author or book then odds are we will end up on Amazon. And that is when the next phase of the pre-reading experience begins. What to choose? Ok, we may have a particular genre in mind which could narrow it down, but with so many books to choose from these days we will be scrolling down the list at some speed until a book cover catches our eye. Yes, the old saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ doesn’t quite hold true these days. If we don’t like your book cover we will pass over you and keep scrolling and that applies to print books too.
Scott Pack, a former Waterstones buyer sums it up quite nicely here http://completelynovel.com/self-publishing/writers-toolbox-cover-design and offers some useful tips for authors to consider.
Of course, the one really wonderful thing about having a printed book is that we booklovers may be lucky enough to have the book signed by the author. This is so exciting for a reader, particularly if we have actually met the author in person which is an incredible experience in itself. This is something that ebook producers have considered and it is now possible to have an ebook ‘signed’ by the author too using https://www.authorgraph.com/
These days the reading experience doesn’t necessarily have to stop once the book has been read. Traditional publishing tended to keep the author at arm’s length from the reader, unless they were lucky enough to attend a book signing. These days with social media, websites like Goodreads.com and the explosion in self-publishing, authors can be far more accessible and that is what readers like.
What Readers Want to Know
- what inspired you to write your novel?
- how, why and where do you write?
- have experienced first-hand any of the aspects in your books?
- did you base your character on a real person
- if so, was it you?
I think booklovers have always thought these questions, but have not had the opportunity to ask until recently. And now we can, we want more. Yes, we will respect your privacy, but we want you to reveal more than just the contents of your latest novel. The author who embraces this new way of doing things, particularly the self-published author, will always win out over those who prefer to keep their distance. They will turn their readers into raving fans who in turn will review their books and talk about their books and encourage others to read their books.
READERS – do you agree?
**Sarah Houldcroft is proud to be an Author’s Envoy and particularly likes to promote self-published authors. She offers services to authors to help boost their online presence through www.vaforauthors.com and her new website www.authors-uncovered.com which will be a place where authors and readers can connect, read, write and share. She lives in Leicestershire with her teenage son, two bunnies, an aging gerbil and hundreds and hundreds of books!
WELCOME TO . . . CHICK LIT GODDESS AND DEBUT NOVELIST ISABELLA ANDERSON
Isabella, could you tell us a little about yourself and why you created your wonderful blog, Chick Lit Goddess
In 2009, I created Chick Lit Goddess. While I planned to use it as a personal blog, it quickly turned it into more than that. With inspiration of my favorite website, Chick Lit Plus, I started featuring reviews, authors, and their books of the following genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedies, and Women’s Fiction! To this day, I’m overwhelmed by the love and support of my of my Chick Lit Goddess site. When I created the name CLG, I didn’t know at the time that I’d created a brand for my books and myself. My other website www.IsabellaLouiseAnderson.com is under construction and I’m planning to launch it soon!
What is a typical writing day for you:
I really wish I could say that I have a “typical writing day”, but I don’t. Since I’ve been editing for what seems like forever, the last time I really wrote anything was in November, during NaNoWriMo. I missed it so much, so I took full advantage of it. While I wrote my next book in seventeen days, which for now is titled “Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop”, sitting down and actually doing the work was what I needed for me to see how my “typical day” could be if I really focus.
How the writing process works for you. Plotster or panster?
Before I wrote “Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop”, I was a panster who really had no process. I’d simply just sit in my chair and wait for something to come to my mind. Often, it was stressful, but I managed to do it. However, that changed in November when participated in NaNoWriMo. I never outlined anything, nor had I really had an idea of where my story lines were going, but on November 1st, I started outlining and it changed my life as a writer. I bought a lot of lined paper, colourful pens and tabs, and started jotting characters and ideas down. It was an amazing experience, and who knew I could love office products to much?!
Social Networking – a help or a hindrance?
Both! While it can be helpful to gain fans and help promote, social networking is also a huge distraction for a writer.
Some advice for fledgling authors, please:
I used to think that when someone would say to “just write”, they were crazy. It turns out that they weren’t. It’s true…all you have to do is write your first draft.
What are your top five writing tips?
- Use a timer! To cut back on distractions from my phone and computer, I bought a cheap timer at the grocery store and set it in 35-minute increments, dedicating myself to my WIP. I use it so that there’s no Facebook, Twiter, or any type of distraction. I love it!
- Talk about your books! I’m a shy person, so this is hard for me to do, but the more and more you discuss it with someone, the more you feel like a writer/author. Most of the time, you’ll end up getting more ideas, too.
- Take it one day at a time! Accept that there are going to be bad days. Your writing might not be good, but being a writer isn’t easy. Just knowing that tomorrow is another day can help lighten the weight of stress.
- Read! For me, reading a good book by your favorite author can help inspire you. Before you know it, you’ll be saying, “Hey, I can write, too!”
- Do not let your writing consume you! Everyone needs to go out with friends and make new memories. You might tell yourself that you can’t go out and play because you have a book to write, but don’t. Instead, pretend you’re going out to do research for a character or storyline. Oh, and have fun, too! ☺
Who has inspired you the most?
I have so many people who have inspired me, but I’d have to say my parents.
If not a writer – then what?
Geez, this is a tough one. I guess that if I had to pick to be anything other than a writer, I’d be an editor of a magazine.
Blurb and link(s) to your current book
Blurb: Interior designer Carrie Newman’s day starts out perfectly. For their sixth anniversary, her boyfriend, Roger, gives her diamond earrings, but the sparkle is lost later that same day when she catches him in the act with another woman. Heartbroken and in disarray, Carrie chooses to leave the past behind, possibly forever. She lands in ritzy Palm Beach, Florida where a new job and new client leave her wondering if THE RIGHT DESIGN for her life has finally been found.
Some reviews of your work (if you don’t have any, as yet, please tell us what YOU look for in a great book)
I don’t have any reviews yet but the one thing I look for in a great book is the happy ending. While I do care about how the story line gets to the ending, after it’s over, I (the reader) want to know that the characters are happy. Years later, I want to be able to look back and know that the Hero and Heroine are still together, living a wonderful life together.
Links to your blog etc
Website: http://chicklitgoddess.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ila121209
Facebook – Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Isabella-Louise-Anderson-Author/253277964716883
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7382151.Isabella_Louise_Anderson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ILA121209
Twitter – Chick Lit Goddess: https://twitter.com/ChickLitGoddess
Finally – what are you working on ATM?
I’m about to start working on the next draft of “Cards from Khloe’s Flower Shop”. I’m very eager to get back to it.
Author bio:
Isabella grew up with a book in her hand, and to this day nothing has changed. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and has been featured on several blogs. While Isabella doesn’t blog a lot, she focuses her time on featuring other writers, along with writing and editing.
She lives in Dallas with her husband and cat. She enjoys spicy Mexican food and drinking margaritas, and can be found spending time with family and friends, cheering on the Texas Rangers, and reading.
Isabella’s short story, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, was featured in Simon & Fig’s Christmas anthology, Merry & Bright, in November 2013.
The Right Design will be her first novel.
Twitter Tips For The Newbie Writer
Firstly, I’d like to thank Lizzie for asking me to appear on her blog, and her suggestion that I give my ‘five top tips for tweeting’. As Twitter is a huge galaxy containing many, many sub-communities, I’m going to relate my tips mainly to the world of writers and readers, as this is the one in which I am most often found.
There are thousands, and probably millions, of self-published books out there, as many blogs, many of which are tweeted on a daily basis. So how do you make yours stand out and, thus, make people want to click on the link to your book/blog? It’s hard – very hard. As I always say when giving advice, I am no expert, but I have found the majority of my regular readers via Twitter and my blog gets lots of views, so I hope I can help a bit.
Here goes!
1. Your tweet is an advertisement for your book. If it contains punctuation or spelling errors, incorrect spacing in order to get all the words in, text style abbreviations or bad grammar, how can you expect someone to want to read anything else you write? It’s quite a challenge to fit the right wording into those a hundred and forty characters whilst leaving room for the link, but you can play around with it until you get it right. I see the tweet almost as an art form! You can also save your best ones in your ‘favourites’, to use again, but please vary them; even the most perfect tweet loses its impact if you see it every other day for three months.
2. Always, always, think about what would make you click on that link. Just tweeting “Check out my book ‘Another Vampire Novel’” isn’t going to stir up much interest. Try to summarise what the book is actually about, in as punchy a way as possible. Alternatively, you can quote from a particularly original review – emphasis on the ‘original’; please, please, not “I couldn’t put it down” or “it really drew me in/kept me turning the pages”. If someone’s likened your writing style to a well-known author, you can use that; but don’t forget to put quotation marks around any quotes, or it looks as though you’re saying it about yourself. If you have a large number of five star reviews, or the book has been shortlisted for or won an award, that’s a good thing to mention. I don’t think referring to your book as a ‘five star read’ is a very good idea, because virtually all books have at least one five star review. If you’re tweeting about a blog post, it’s much easier to get people to want to look at it – think newspaper headlines! As an example, which one of these two tweets for the same post and would make YOU want to read it?
New blog post: the results of my KDP free promotion (link)
How I got 5 thousand copies of my book downloaded in 3 days! (link)
3. This next tip is about generosity. If all you do is schedule churned out tweets about your own book by one of the various apps available, hardly ever actually appearing ‘live’ on the site, it is likely you will find yourself, within a few months, thinking, so much for that. Didn’t work for me. Twitter is not a free advertising tool, it’s a social networking site. Talk to other people. Take an interest in what they’re writing about. Read their blog posts. Help other people promote whatever they’re doing, too. As with any other community, the more you give out, the more you will enjoy what you’re doing, and make interesting and helpful online friendships – and, with luck, people will want to read what you’re writing about, too.
4. Retweeting is one of the keys to making Twitter ‘work’ for you, but don’t go over the top. I did; I used to do two or three sessions of a hundred retweets per day. No wonder I got unfollowed a lot! Think about it – imagine you’re just using Twitter to be social and read the odd interesting article, and you only choose to follow about two hundred people. If one of those people starts bombarding your feed with endless retweets from people you haven’t chosen to follow, you won’t be pleased, will you? Yes, yes, I know you can still follow someone while choosing not to see all their retweets, but most people don’t know this, alas! Some of those people who unfollowed me might have been potential readers, but I would imagine I put a fair few of them off.
5. My last ‘Twitter Tip’ is a quick list of other things NOT to do!
- Send auto DMs. You know the ones: “Hey, great to meet you! Please like my Facebook page, follow my blog, buy my book, attend my garage sale and come round for tea on Saturday.” Awful.
- Directly flog your wares via tweet, to complete strangers: “Thanks for following! I’ve just published my debut novel – please check it out! (link)” Ditto directly asking strangers for RTs: “Please retweet this video of my precocious kid singing some crap song on youtube”. Both equally awful.
- Retweet people’s random bits of conversation because you can’t be bothered to look for something they might want to be retweeted.
- Expect amazing results by tweeting about something once a week. The average life of a tweet is about 15 minutes, I believe. After that, your message will be lost forever. Of course we all know that we mustn’t keep shoving things in people’s faces, but there is a happy medium to be found.
- Forget to consider your fellow retweeters. If your timeline consists of fifty retweets of others, thirty “Thank you for followings”, etc, a twenty tweet long conversation you could have had with your friend via email or text, all before anyone can some original content to retweet, they’ll probably give up. We’re all busy – before you log off, leave something you’d like retweeting at the top.
- Fail to un-tag people from conversations in which they are not involved. On Fridays my interactions page is jammed up with people I’ve never heard of thanking other people for #FF mentions, because they couldn’t be bothered to erase everyone else’s name from the group.
- Hassle people to follow you back. People can choose to follow, or not, who they want.
- Fail to look at what you’re retweeting. The other day I got about 20 RTs for a promotion that had occurred two weeks before, even though I’d put the date on it. Pointless and irritating!
- Include the phrase ‘buy it at’ in your bio. Yes, of course you must put your links to your books, but the bio should be about YOU, not an invitation to purchase your wares.
Okay, I hope that’s been a help! There are many other posts about self-publishing, Twitter, etc, on my blog on the UK Arts Directory and I also have a personal blog, on which I write about many different topics – relationships, nostalgia, the odd rant, funny bits….
If you would like to look at my books, here is my Amazon.com author page and my Amazon.co.uk author page.
Many thanks to Lizzie, once again!
Irish Twins **
November 4th – IT’S LIZZIE’S PUBLICATION DAY
When I published Tall, Dark and Kilted in October 2012, I had it in mind to publish a second novel within a year. With Boot Camp Bride (published October 2013), I’ve managed just that! I went from a standing start of 13k words in December 2012 to the finished length of 114k words by July 2013. I spent all of August and most of September editing, cutting, proof reading and finding the perfect cover. I’ve loved writing both novels and I am pleased with how Boot Camp Bride has turned out. I hope you will feel the same way should you purchase a paperback or download the kindle version. Here’s to my Irish Twins . . .
Boot Camp Bride – the blurb
Charlee Montague is an up-for-anything rookie reporter desperate for her big break. She dreams of something, anything, which will take her away from the daily grind at celebrity-driven magazine What’cha! When she is sent undercover to a boot camp for brides on the windswept Norfolk marshes, it seems as if all her Christmases have come at once. Posing as a blushing bride-to-be, Charlee is sent to get the skinny on supermodel Anastasia Markova and her oligarch Russian boyfriend. However, every rookie needs a more experienced partner and Charlee is no exception. At her side (posing as her fiancé), is award winning photographer Rafael Ffinch. World-weary Rafa has recently survived a kidnap attempt in Colombia and is no mood to cut inexperienced Charlee any slack. He makes it plain at the outset of their assignment that there is no room for love in his life. Once the investigation is over, their partnership and fake engagement will be terminated.
From the moment she sets foot in the boot camp Charlee senses that there is more to the simple ‘dish-the-dirt-on-the-A-list model’ story she’s been sent to cover. Journalistic antennae twitching, Charlee decides to carry out an investigation of her own. What’s the real reason behind Ffinch’s interest in the boot camp, super model Anastasia and her shady Russian fiancé? How is it connected to Rafa’s kidnap in Colombia?
In setting out to uncover the truth, Charlee uncovers yet more secrets and puts herself in danger. And, as the investigation draws to a close, Charlee is faced with a dilemma – will she be able to keep her promise, hand back the engagement ring and walk away from gorgeous Rafa’s without a backward glance?
*****
Throughout November, I’ll be hosting four book launches with the other three members of the New Romantics 4. If you attend the Festival of Romance at Bedford on November 9th you’ll see me there and at the Gala Dinner – I’ve been shortlisted for The New Talent Award for Boot Camp Bride. Fingers crossed, eh?
As for Irish Twins – it remains to see if they become triplets as I embark on rom com #3 in December 2013. Being as I return to the magical Highlands of Scotland for SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS, maybe I should change the name to this blog post to Celtic Twins !!
Links to Boot Camp Bride:
**The term Irish Twins is used to describe two children born to the same mother in the same calendar year or within twelve months of each other. In modern use, the term is not intended as an insult, but rather a description of siblings born close together . . . just like my two novels, in fact !!
What A Difference A Year Makes
a rookie writer looks back over 12 months
I’m about to publish my second Romantic Comedy: Boot Camp Bride – romance and intrigue on the Norfolk Marshes. The manuscript has been copyedited, is with a formatter, the cover is ready and I’m raring to go. Rather than sit twiddling my thumbs, I thought I’d clear the decks – I’m aiming for a paper free office! – continue publicising Tall, Dark and Kilted and start getting word about Boot Camp Bride. This entailed a clean sweep of my office, resulting in four bin liners filled with scribbled-on draft manuscripts, numerous self-help sheets and posts downloaded off writers’ blogs. And it suddenly hit home just how much work I’d put into launching myself as an indie writer.
This time last year, I’d just sent off my ITIN to the US Inland Revenue so Amazon.com wouldn’t without 30% of my earnings. They did anyway, but that’s another story. I thought a W8-BEN was something to do with: Been there, seen it, got the T-shirt and worn it out. (sorry) I’d also spent over £100 buying ISBN numbers from Nielsen and registering on PUBWEB. I spent hours searching through royalty free photos to find an image of a man in a kilt that wouldn’t put me off my haggis, neeps and tatties. I finally found one it on Dreamstime. I found the photo for my second cover via Google image and then sourced it back to ‘dreamstime’.
I had to set up a PAYPAL account to buy credits on the website and now use it to pay my website designer, proof reader and formatter. (I may have bought one or two non-writing purchases, but let’s not go there!) I didn’t fully appreciate what was involved in formatting a manuscript for kindle and Create Space but managed it anyway, using crib sheets provided by RNA members Freda Lightfoot and Amanda Grange. This time I’m paying someone to copy edit and format my manuscript – nuff said!
I enjoyed designing my front cover and writing the blurb but had to learn all about categories and tags on Amazon and didn’t realise how important they were. I’m better prepared this time, too, regarding having the shipment of my novels but wish that Create Space would print in the UK and save me postage.
On the run up to publication, I organised a tweetathon/giveaway to publicise my book. I replied to so many tweets in a two hour period that I was put in twitter ‘prison’ and had to continue on my ‘event page’ on Facebook. Since then I have become an avid tweeter and re-tweeter, which I think has really helped to sell my novel outside of the UK. I now sell more downloads on amazon.com than any other site. Re-tweeting can be tedious, but through it I have gained many lovely readers who are waiting patiently for number two. I’m fast becoming expert on #hashtags #favourites, tiny/urls and how to use them to my advantage.
I had a profile on Facebook before I became a writer and established quite a community of friends there. Many Facebook friends have downloaded and my books and supported me this year and I can’t thank them enough. Please ‘friend’ me if we aren’t already friends. I now have a Facebook Author page but most of my readers like to ‘friend’ me on my main page as I talk about non-writerly matters there. I now realise the importance of amazon reviews and how they affect the algorithm that determines my place in the rankings.
I now have a website with a blog and have purchased a domain name. I’m on my second website as I wasn’t happy with the first one; however, I need to spend some time launching it this autumn along with Boot Camp Bride (www.lizzielamb.co.uk) I am in the process of having a quarterly newsletter designed, too. I have appeared on many blogs but now need to start repaying the favour. I have also established a presence on GoodReads, after other writer friends advised me to. Jury’s still out on that one!
Along with three other writers, I formed The New Romantics 4 and held book launches in pubs, clubs and hotels. We’re about to start Round Two and hope to hold a launch in London this year.
Finally, last December I offered my book as a free download and although I had a great sales spike afterwards I don’t think I’d do it again. My reason – well, that’s for another blog post. Instead, I keep altering my price as I find if you leave things to simmer, Amazon doesn’t seem promote my novel as much. I have stayed on KDP select as the latest self-publishing seminar I attended said that amazon has 95% of the market, Apple 5% and the other outlets 5%. But I might consider KOBO when the three month deal ends.
That’s my retrospective. Is it getting any easier? Debatable. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted. It seems that as one climbs one peak, there’s another one to be conquered – and another book to be written. And if anyone tells me indie writers have it easy, I might forget I’m a lady.
Lizzie’s Links
Tall Dark and Kilted: http://t.co/jKpB4WMM4F
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Lizzie Lamb - author 