It's a Party and the Gifts Are For You!!!

My post is up today so make sure you read it! Grin. I had a good time writing it. Summer, baby! Click here to get to the post. And click here to check out the rest of the party. Why? Prizes include a $100 GC to Amazon or BN. Now that's cool!

Visiting at Victoria Blisse's Blog!

I'm doing so much and promoting so much today!

First: I'm over at Victoria Blisse's blog as her Friday Friend! Come check out the post. You'll be glad you did.

Second: Want to see come cool costumes, sexy pics, and a great little story? Head over to Megan's blog and Kealie's Tumblr blog.

Third: Still not enough excitement for you? Well, keep reading. All weekend I'm participating in the Blog-a-Thon with the Paranormal Romantics! You could win a Nook!


Fourth: Ya know you're not done yet! Want to win even MORE prizes? Then join The Long and Short of It's Halloween Scavenger Hunt! Lots of cool things up for grabs. Ebooks, t-shirts, print books...you need to check it out.


Fifth: And since that isn't all (sound like a late-night informercial, don't I?)There's gonna be a shindig over at the Menagerie. My dear pals Megan and Kealie are also doing a story (along with Mysti and Jenny Kat) and posting some nummy pics. You need to go over there.

Friday Flirts--A Contest, A Blog Tour, and A Contract! Oh my!

Today is a little different than my normal Friday Flirts. Today I have a whole bunch of announcements. And yes, they are a great deal of fun, so pay attention.

First: Want to win a Nook? You know you do! Well I know where you can go to put your name in the hat for said Nook (one of three!!!).


Click on the banner so you can stop by on Saturday and Sunday. I'll be chatting on the LASR/WC yahoo groups (Saturday night and Sunday afternoon). I can't wait to see you there. We'll talk about books, give stuff away, and just plain have a great time.



Now, you have to figure out what you want to do AFTER the party? I've got that covered, too! I happen to be starting a tour, courtesy of Goddess Fish, for my book My Immortal. It goes from August 30th--RELEASE DAY!!!--until September 10th. I can't wait to see you along the way. Click on the banner so you can see where I'll be and what I'll be chatting about! Click on the cover if you want to buy a copy and see what the story is all about.






I wanted to add this banner because it's beautiful and Goddess Fish did a fabulous job on it. You'll Think of Me comes out November 22nd, and I can't wait!

But I said something about a contract... Silly me, I didn't forget. Just building tension. *Wink*

When I wrote Must Be Doing Something Right, I was asked on more than one occasion to write a story for Arran. Editor loved him. Readers seemed to think he was something else, too. So...I started a story for him. But it wasn't that easy. He was one of my particular characters. I knew he had his secrets; he started to tell me during Must. But writing Tangled Up, I realized he was more than I ever imagined. I wrote his story--Tangled Up--and editor apparently loved it. "It's Arran's story. How could I say no?" (Easily...) But she didn't say no and she loved his story, so I hope you will, too.

Friday Flirts!

I have to start today with a *squee!* I got my release date for You'll Think of Me. Mark your calendar for November 22, 2010. Those of you who helped me work like a dawg on that story know Cade is one of the characters closest to my heart. Bringing him to life on the written page was hard and emotional, but I'm glad I did. I only hope readers see him as I did--a brave, wounded hero in need of his special girl.

Also, I worked again like a dawg to get my edits in for My Immortal. Yuppers, the edits are in and with the editor, so we'll see how many things I missed. Storm is my favorite vamp so far, and yes, I've written some others.



Where am I with the other stories? Spinning my wheels. Yup. I should have them farther along than I do, but gee.... Life gets in the way.

So a bit more promo and then I'm off.

Sunday marks the first day of the 3rd Anniversary of Long and Short of It Romance Reviews. Those of you who know me know they are near and dear to me. And hey, if you play the scavenger hunt, you could win a NOOK! Heck yeah, a nook is a great gizmo to have. I love my ereader. And did I mention, I'm one of the participants? Awww, you guessed it, Bethany... (and if you can name the movie that line comes --adapted a bit--from...)



BANNER TIME!!!

RIGHT WON!!!!!

Yup, you read that right. Right Where I Need to Be was voted book of the week on Long and Short of It Romance Reviews. You can read the review by clicking here.

I'll try not to go all Sally Field as I say thank you to all those who voted for me. I really appreciate the support and hope you like the book!

Vote for Me! (Well, my book at least)

Right Where I Need to Be is up for Book of the Week over at the Long and Short of It Reviews. Want to read the review? Click here.

Want to vote? You know you do. Click here. I hope you vote for me, but hey, there are lots of good books up. Vote for the one you feel has the best review. And if it's mine... I owe you a smooch or a guest starring role in my next novella.

MY FIRST REVIEW FOR RIGHT!!!

How cool is this? I got my very first review for Right Where I Need to Be.

I mean, isn't this an awesome thing for someone to say? Wendi Zwaduk has given us the absolutely classic romance novel in Right Where I Need To Be.

I'm happy. Now, I need your help. On Saturday and Sunday, it's up for the Book of the Week Poll on Long and Short of It Reviews. I'd sure love if you could vote for me. (Am I shameless? Yes I am.)

This was also pretty darned cool. I found my book on Fictionwise and I was given a Great! rating. I'm stoked. I know other books of mine have been treated a tad harsher, but this made my day to see both the review and the rating.

A Thanks, A Join Me, and A WINNER!

What am I doing... blogging, and working out the first draft of a new story... a contemp that's got a country musician in it.... on the iPod: Brilliant Disguise...*sigh* I love the classics...

First of all, thanks to everyone who followed me on my blog tour. It was a great success and I loved every minute. I got the most comments on The Bibliophilic Book Blog, My Reading Addiction, and Helen's Heroes. I want to thank Goddess Fish for doing a fab job setting up and mediating the tour. You ladies rock.

Now on to the WINNER!!!! Now because I tend to comment back to everyone who commented to me... I put all the names --minus mine-- from the three blogs into a hat and the winner is......

Tracey - booklover0226!!!!!

Congrats Tracey!

And last but not least, the join me. I'm chatting over at the Long and Short of It's Yahoo group today. Want to join me? I'd love to have you! Here's the link.

And yesterday I was the featured interview. Want to read it before you chat? Here's the link for that, too

Toodles for now!

So I Was Talking to a Friend...

I have lots of author friends and one complained to me the other day that "Promotion is SOOOOOOOOOOOO expensive."

I agree. If you want to go all-out, you can spend a ton on promotion. I'm sure the high dollar stuff works, too. I mean, if it works for Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele, then it'll work for you--right?

On the flipside, I've seen some truly awful homemade promotional items. Sure, you can make some stuff on your own and do well. I'm not knocking making things on your own because it's cheaper. I'm all for it. But beware. Sometimes (many times) it shows that you made it yourself. Sometimes, if it's not done right, homemade can look a little...er...tacky.

So what's my point? There are some ways out there to get quality promotional tool on the cheap(er). We all want to save some bucks.

I have a suggestion that will not only help get you cost effective and very professional promo, but will help improve your writing.

Become a reviewer for The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews.

Not only do you get to READ ebooks that are out or coming soon, you get to see what's hot, what's being published, and what kinds of things epublishers are looking for. Ask any author and they will tell you tip #1 for becoming a better writer is to READ. There you go. And by writing the review, you'll find you're better at seeing what works in a story, what doesn't work, and what was hot.

Also: when you turn in reviews, you get points. Each review is worth one point or one dollar in advertising with LASR or Goddess Fish Promotions. They've created my banners, my website, my book videos, heck even my cover for my free reads.

And let me tell you, even $10 in promo can really add up. It really doesn't take that long to read and review a story, especially if you like the story. And you don't have to read erotic only. You can read for the non-erotic or even the young adult site, or ALL THREE!

Okay, so now that I've talked your ear off (or made your eyes cross, however you look at it), where can you go to get more information or to sign up?

Here:http://www.longandshortreviews.com/reviewerapp.htm

Parting remarks?

Sign up and review! It's so worth the time. Really.

Want to Earn Your Way to Inexpensive Promo? Review!

FAQ's about reviewing for The Long and the Short of It

Are the reviewers paid?

Not in actual currency--all reviewers are strictly volunteers. BUT: you get to keep all the books you review--both eformat and print (some of which may be autographed). We also have an incentive program that includes gift certificates, free books from our library, free advertising and more.

What type of books does The Long and the Short of It review?

We review short stories and full length novels with strong romantic elements -- both erotic and non-erotic. We do plan on adding other genres in the future.
Do I have to review erotic romance? Can I only review erotic romance?

You're welcome to review whatever you like -- you're the one who chooses what you review! If you only enjoy sci-fi romance, that's what you may select. If you prefer inspirational, then you may review only inspirational. If you only like erotic romance... go for it! We never assign reviews.
What do you expect from your reviews?

Our reviews are positive (no snark allowed), honest (yes, you can mention things you didn't care for as long as the overall review is a good one), casual and conversational. It is also critical and informative. Don't just tell us you liked something, tell us why as specifically as possible.
We don't like to give away too much plot, but you can give a brief summary and then make your points about theme, character, style, etc. Your sample reviews should follow the length, style, tone of the site --- that's why the best thing to do before reviewing is to thoroughly read the reviews and features on our sites.
Our reviews usually run 250-500 words, but can be longer (preferably not too much shorter).
Do you require your reviewers to read a certain number of books per month?

We request you read/review a minimum of 2 books or short stories per month -- though we welcome it if you read more! You may review books from our requests database or books you've purchased or borrowed on your own.
Is there a turnaround time for a review to be written?

We prefer that all reviews are completed within 1 month of requesting the story/book. There are always exceptions, but that is our standard guideline.
Are the reviews edited?

All reviews go through a basic editing process. Our editors will change or correct any poor grammar, sentence structure, etc., while remaining true to the original review's content. If any more in-depth changes are needed, you'll be contacted by an editor requesting said changes.
Are International reviewers welcome?

Provided they are comfortable with writing in English, yes. Of course, only eBooks will be offered for them to review due to postage costs.
I'm sold! How do I apply?

If you are interested in reviewing for us, please send us an email with a sample book review of a title you've recently read and enjoyed. Please feel free to take a look at our reviews to get an idea of what we're looking for in a review.
Click here to read non-erotic reviews for LASR and here for erotic reviews at WC.

Note: All reviews written for The Long and the Short of It are not to be used for/on any other review website.

Giving a Shout Out to My Girl, Megan

My girl Megan has a story for free over at Whipped Cream and I think you oughta check it out. It's a keeper.
Change Me.

I'm a Free Read!

Well, my story is...

You might all remember my kitty shifters and this time I decided to have one bend the rules a little bit. I'd share more, but this is a free and SHORT read, so disclosing too many details would totally blow the story.

What's it called?
Never, Ever Gone

Where can you find it? Here:
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/story.htm

You should be able to click on the link or on the cover. If it doesn't work... well, let me know and tell me what you think of Ryan.

I'm a Free Read at Whipped Cream!

Yup, you read that right. My story Don't Look Away is the free read at Long and Short's Whipped Cream site.

Click on the cover to get to the site.

What's Don't Look Away about? Here's a short, short blurb:

He's an artist. She's his model. The drawing needs finished, but he's stuck in a creative black hole. What's he to do?

I guess you have to read Don't Look Away to find out.

I hope you enjoy. If you do, let me know and pass it on!

Toodles.

My Third Free Read is Up on Whipped Cream!

I got the idea to write the third installment of my short story series for Whipped Cream when I saw pictures from a wedding I went to with my DH. It reminded me how long we've been together and how sometimes being an "old married couple" can be a drag on a relationship. This is Kellen's story and I hope it answers the questions the reader might have had from Saturday Night Special and Best I've Ever Had.

I titled the story Amazed, as a throwback to one of the songs played when we married. Yep, we're old married people.

Here's the cover. I love it.

I hope you enjoy the story. If it's as fun to read as it was to write, then you should love it too.

Toodles!