Nominations are Open for the First Annual OIBF Awards!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I have the most exciting news for you all today. No intro. Get your typing fingers ready, and let's get going!

As you may know, the first annual Ozarks Indie Book Fest is happening October 19-22 in Springfield, MO. If you'd like to pick up tickets or an author table, here's the links you need: OIBF Website  ~  OIBF Tickets

Reader tickets are just TEN DOLLARS per day, and you can choose Friday or Saturday. If you purchase a thirty-five dollar ticket (which includes the awards and such), you'll be automatically entered to win dinner with several best-selling authors and the OIBF 2017 keynote speakers.

That being said, it's time to nominate your favorite authors' books for awards! There's only one caveat to winning: They must be present at the book fest to win.

If you want to nominate, you must be logged in with your email address, and you only get one shot at the form. Once you hit submit, that's all she wrote. You're done. Here are the categories (you get one nomination per category, and it cannot be yourself):

Best Indie Publisher

Best Editor

Best Formatter

Best PA

"Author of the Year (Aug 2016-Aug 2017)"

"Best Debut Author (Aug 2016-Aug 2017)"

Best Anthology

Best Book Cover

Best YA Book

Best NA Book

Best Hero/Shero

Best Villian 

"Best Overall Book Series (Has to be a complete series)" 

Best Fantasy/Paranormal Book 

Best Inspirational Book 

Best Contemporary Book 

Best Romance Book 

Best Mystery/Thriller Book 

Best Horror Book 

Best Dystopian Book 

Best Sci-Fi Book 

Best Children's Book 

Best Historical Book

Here's the link!

NOMINATE!

How awesome is that? Anyone can nominate anyone except themselves. If you have a large or enthusiastic fan base, get on it!

Did you fill it out? Will I see you at the conference?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Chapter.con London - 2 FREE Tickets to Saturday Signing Available

Happy Thursday! As you all may know, I'm headed to London to not only celebrate my fortieth birthday, but also to attend the first annual Chapter.con! Each of the authors have been granted the ability to give away three tickets. Here's your chance to snag one of the other two! Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

There are three things you must do to be eligible:

1. Join the group, Heading to Chapter.con on Facebook
2. Give my Facebook page a like or a follow
3. Enter the Rafflecopter below where it will ask you to do those things listed above hehe

There's a bonus entry option!

Ready? GOGOGO!! Here's the entry form:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope to see you there, even if you don't score a ticket with me!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo 

Chapter.con London 2017 - Information and Ticket Specials

Happy Monday, everyone! I just realized it's only a month before I leave for my awesome trip to London to attend the first annual Chapter.con, and I have nothing ready. Nothing. Zilch. EEP! But it also got me thinking: WHO will I see there? So, today's post is the 411 on the conference. If I'll see you, drop me a comment below and say YES! Ready? Here we go!

 For a full schedule and to buy tickets, click here.

Authors of Horror, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, New Adult, Young Adult, Mid-Grade, Children's, Women's Fiction, Dystopia, General.

AUTHOR, READER & BLOGGER CONFERENCE + PUBLIC SIGNING EVENT
London. Twickenham.
Friday 25th & Saturday 26th August.
Join us in the beautiful surroundings of St. Mary's University and Strawberry Hill house for an intimate 2 day reader, author and blogger conference, including a public Saturday signing event.

ALL WRITERS, AUTHORS, BLOGGERS, PUBLISHERS welcome. It's time to step up to the next level and expand your community.

Whether you are a best-selling established author, an aspiring author, a blogger, a reader, a publisher or a book seller, we would like to invite you to  Chapter.Con; one of the U.K's very first conventions of its kind designed to connect, educate and inspire.

One of the primary beliefs of Chapter.Con is inclusivity; of celebrating diversity and indviduality.

​With a series of panels hosted by some of the world's most experienced and best-selling, trail-blazing authors, two inspirational key note speakers, business consultancy workshops, mindfulness seminars, and branding analysis services,  Chapter.Con is far more than a literary festival; it's home, family and mentorship.

Chapter.Con is a chance to exchange ideas with fellow authors, giving you the time, space and forum to create a vibrant and co-operative community.

Chapter Con is open to Indie published, Hybrid published and traditionally published authors of all ages and stages of their individual journey. It is also open to new and established book bloggers, and readers who want to see behind the scenes of the author world.

For a full schedule and to buy tickets, click here.

Now for the information about the signing day tickets and the deal the conference is giving to those folks who bring teen readers with them!

There are still author tables available! Go to the link above to find out more.

So, will I see you there?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

My 2017 Signings

Happy Monday! Long time no speak, eh? Well, I'm finally managing to get a few things done, and I have some updates and news for you all. Ready? Let's get going!

First and foremost, in just FOUR weeks, I'll be in Virginia again with all the lovely Roanokeians. If you haven't heard about the Roanoke Author Invasion signing, I suggest you get on over to the website and check it out. It's organized by the lovelies Liz C. Long and Laura Howard. Be sure and give them a shout out on social media via those links. *wink* Tell 'em Jo sentcha. Ha!

What I love most about RAI is that it's very reader friendly. Not only are the tickets 100% FREE, but the first 100 folks through the door get special stuff like tote bags. Very classy.

So, if you're within a couple hundred miles and have nothing to do Saturday, April 8, pop on over and say hello to me. If you mention seeing this post, I'll have a special little something for you at my table. *grin*

Get FREE tickets for RAI here

Now, later in 2017, I'll be heading to a couple conferences. The first is Chapter.con, and it's in LONDON! *squeals*

It's hosted by the lovely Katie John, and it's a true conference lasting two full days. Dates are: August 25 and 26, 2017.

I have THREE super special Saturday signing passes to give away, so keep your eyes on the blog. That will happen very soon!

I've never been to London, so I can't say what I love about the city, and since this is the first year of the conference, I can't drop any super amazing tips or anything about it, either. We can figure it out together!

Find more info and get tickets for Chapter.con London here

OZARKS INDIE BOOK FEST!

Yeah, I typed that in all caps. You guys! I'm the Saturday keynote speaker for this event, and I'm thrilled beyond words. Ticket prices range from $10 for readers (one day, all day, entry either Friday OR Saturday) to $100 for a half table for authors all weekend. DATES: October 19-22, 2017.

Your hostess with the mostest for this event is Ms. Jaci Chaney. While there are several folks working to bring you the most awesome experience ever, Jaci was the one who came up with OIBF. We're forever grateful to her!

Not only is it the first conference I'm going to be a keynote speaker at EVER, it's also donating all the proceeds to pet rescue charities. Loving Paws and Companions for Heroes will be splitting the proceeds from both the conference and the anthology OIBF will be releasing later this year. How exciting is that?

I've been to Missouri once, but we were in St. Louis, so naturally, I ended up at the Anheuser-Busch distillery. It's a little foggy after that. *wink*

I'll be giving away a couple of fan passes to that event this year, too! So exciting!

I'm so looking forward to hitting OIBF. If you're in the area and want to come check out the awesome authors that'll be there, you know the drill.

Get your tickets for OIBF here

For the last conference of the year, I'll be up in Michigan for the Great Lakes Book Bash! It's the weekend after OIBF, so I mayyyy be hitting a few bookstores between one and the other. Keep your eyes open for that. DATES: October 27-29, 2017.

GLBB is organized by the always awesome Rachael Brownell.

This event is also FREE for readers, but you MUST pick up a free ticket. As of RIGHT NOW, there are only TWO Friday tickets left. Your free ticket gets you through the door on either Friday or Saturday. If you want more info before you buy, check out this page on the GLBB website. As you can see, prices range from FREE to $20.

I have TWO Rock Star passes to give away to you lucky readers, so be prepared for that! Not sure what I plan to do for you to enter, but I'll think of something amazing.

If you're ready (and I hope you are!), you know what to do!

Get your Great Lakes Book Bash tickets here

Which of these will I see you at this year?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Integrity

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I'm gonna talk a little about integrity. It's something I'm finding a lot of author service providers (and authors, sadly) don't take seriously enough. Ready? Let's get going!

in·teg·ri·ty

/inˈteɡrədē/

noun

1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

2. the state of being whole and undivided.

Having integrity as an author service provider means you work with a contract, don't ignore your clients when they try to contact you, and that you're 100% honest when something is going on and you feel you either can't or won't finish a job you said you'd do. It means working with transparency, being open about what's going on in your life that may impact your performance, and not letting folks find things out via third parties.

Having integrity as an author means you show up when you say you will with no one needing to be on your butt about where that "somewhere" is, or what time you said you'd appear, making sure you're aware. Don't cancel on people at the last moment unless it TRULY can't be helped. If you're unsure of a time or place, double check with the event coordinator. People plan around you; don't make them regret it.

Having integrity as an event coordinator means you don't cancel things at the last minute and/or run off with people's money. This is such bad form. Not only will it ruin your career, it'll ruin your life. Having to hide on social media outlets (or, for some here lately, in their hometowns) isn't any way to be. Open honesty is the only way you get through any of these things.

Because of recent things happening in the author world, we're losing trust in people in our community. This needs to stop. Your name is your everything. Hold it to the highest possible standard.

If someone has a bad experience with you, they're gonna tell everyone they meet. Do everything you can to be sure that doesn't happen. You only want the rumor mill filled with positive things.

It's out of control. Let's work together to get it back on track.

Was there ever a time when you had an issue from any of these things? How do you handle your author integrity? Please, no calling anyone out. Be civil. Have integrity here.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo