Creating Your Own Blog Tour - Step Five - Facebook Party

Happy Tuesday! Yeah, okay, yesterday was Monday, and there are still three days left in the week, but this is the last post in my series, so that's a great reason to smile! Today, I'm going over how to throw a Facebook party that rocks, why you should do one, and how to set one up. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

In this series:
How to Sign up Bloggers
Creating Promotional Materials and HTML
Finding Reviewers
Creating a Thunderclap Campaign
Throwing a Facebook Launch Party

Why should you throw a Facebook Launch party along with your blog tour?

• It gets people engaged with your content (in this case, your book).
• You can help drive traffic to the blogs that hosted you (what's in it for them).
• Interaction with fans and potential fans.
• Getting other authors involved and expanding your circle.
• Creating a ripple effect across Facebook so more people see your stuff.

There are a few things to remember when setting up your Facebook party:

• When asking other authors to join, be sure they write in your genre.
• Book swag is great, books are great, but not everyone wants book swag or books.
• Have a schedule, and be sure and post the link to your party on your blog post for the tour (might even want to send it to the other bloggers).
• Don't just invite anyone and everyone on your friends list. Be specific.
• Be sure and share the event where you shared the ARC invite or where you hang out.

Now that you have a grasp of the rules, let's talk about how to run a Facebook party.

Usually, these things are filled with games like:

• Caption This - You (or one of the authors helping) post a funny picture and ask attendees to give it a caption.
• Scavenger Hunt - Have attendees find information online and post their results.
• Your Facebook Profile Picture to My Book Cover - Everyone who changes their profile picture to your book cover is entered to win something.
• Say Thanks - People go to Facebook pages or blog posts and thank the host for their time or donation.
• Meme Me - Everyone shares their favorite meme.

There are so many possibilities! Have the authors helping you come up with some other ones.

Here's how a Facebook Party usually goes:
Set up an event on Facebook (I'll go into that here in a moment) with a time and date.
Create a graphic (instructions can be found on this post) 851x315 pixels in size for the event image.
Create a list with time slots for authors who may want to help out (don't forget yourself).
Make a poll with the question: Who invited you? And decide on a giveaway (this should be something awesome).
Start your invitations.
Fill your list with authors.
Be sure all runs smoothly day of the event (you really need to be there, keeping an eye on things).
Don't worry, folks understand how it works.

Now, how do you set up an event on Facebook? Let's get into it!

Go to your Facebook home page and click here:

Click Create:

In the dropdown, choose Create Public Event:

Fill out the form and click Create:

You'll have something that looks like this:

Let's upload that header you created! Click here:

Choose Upload Image and get 'er done. You shouldn't be able to drag it at all if you created it at the correct dimensions above, so click Save Changes:

Now, click Ask Question:

Type in your poll question:

Click Add Poll Options:

Be sure "anyone can add options" has a check mark by it:

Add yourself as one of the options:

Click post:

Click on the little arrow on the top right corner:

Select Pin Post:

This will keep the poll question at the top of the event, no matter how many other posts are made. It's labeled Pinned Post:

Remember, if you pin another post, it'll replace the poll! Click on Invite:

Share the event, and then invite your friends!

That's really all there is to it. I hope this series of posts helped you in some way.

Have you ever hosted a Facebook party? What games did you play?

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

Jo

Creating Your Own Blog Tour - Step Four - Thunderclap

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, it's all about Thunderclap campaigns. I know you've all seen them, but do you know what they're for or what they can do for your blog tour? I intend to show you, so grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

In this series:
How to Sign up Bloggers
Creating Promotional Materials and HTML
Finding Reviewers
Creating a Thunderclap Campaign
Throwing a Facebook Launch Party

Thunderclap. What is it?

Well, a Thunderclap campaign is you, asking for people to auto-share your content the day you want it to be blasted to the world. It's usually one or two lines that'll go on people's Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and/or Tumblr blogs. Basically, it's a boom of content on day one of your tour.

You'll want to create this as soon as your bloggers sign up, so you can spend the time getting people to support your campaign. You have a max of 60 days to get your campaign supported and can choose either 100, 250, or 500. This number is important! If you don't meet it, your campaign won't go. But you can exceed whichever number you choose.

It's a great idea to have a master post with all the blog tour stops (and a short line of the content they'll have) listed at the bottom of your own tour post (you did remember that your blog should be counted as one of the many, right?).

That's the link you want to point your Thunderclap campaign to so everyone who makes it to that post can see the others.

But why a Thunderclap campaign?

Because your social media reach grows exponentially. Let's look at some numbers, shall we?
Without Thunderclap:

• 20 bloggers signed up to help with your tour and all of them post on time.
• Each of those bloggers has 250 e-mail followers (5k people).
• 50 of those followers on each blog are the same people (-1k).
• 100 of those followers on each blog don't read the content/posts (-2k).
• Out of the 2k left, we'll say 1k are readers of your genre.
• Those 20 bloggers may post to Facebook and Twitter, and probably have many of the same followers on those platforms, so we'll leave that number off for now to be reserved in our accounting.

Not a bad number, but you can do better.

With Thunderclap:

• 100 people sign up to tweet.
• Each of those accounts have 2k followers (200k people).
• 50 people sign up to post on Facebook.
• Each of those accounts have 200 friends (10k people).
• 20 people sign up to post to Tumblr.
• Each of those accounts have 200 followers (4k people).
• Out of 214k people, there are probably 10k that are unique and readers of your genre (that's less than 5%, and I'm being generous).

Now, if you look at the number of people you can reach with just a blog tour (1k), and the number of people you can reach with a Thunderclap campaign (10k), it's kind of a no-brainer, right? Yeah, you should probably do it.

But how?

Let's get into that now.

First, go to the Thunderclap website:

Click Login/Register:

Connect one of your accounts and give the proper permissions:

You'll see a screen like this:

Click Start a Thunderclap:

You already have your images, but feel free to look at some of the successful campaigns for ideas. Write up a tweet/post, and click Start:

Fill out the form (remember not to shorten your link), and then click create and continue:

On the last page, you're just looking over everything to be sure it's okay. Click submit, and wait. They usually get back to you with approval or denial within 72 hours.

Have you ever used Thunderclap? What were your results?

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

Jo

Creating Your Own Blog Tour - Step Three - Finding Reviewers

Happy Friday! Eek! How much do you love weekends? Today will be awesome. If you believe it, so shall it be. As you can see by the title of this post, today is step three in my post series about creating your own blog tour. Like yesterday, I'll recap the previous days and go update the links in the other posts so you can find your way around the series easily. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

In this series:
How to Sign up Bloggers
Creating Promotional Materials and HTML
Finding Reviewers
Creating a Thunderclap Campaign
Throwing a Facebook Launch Party

As you can see, we're getting into where you can find reviewers for your book! Whether it be for ARCs (Advance Review Copies), or after your book has hit the shelves, you can use these tips to find people to read your stories and write down their thoughts.

First off: Never pay someone for a review. An honest reviewer won't take money anyway (they're in it for the books, baby!), and it comes off as sketchy.

#1: Facebook Groups

There are so many groups of readers on Facebook, it would take you forever to go through them all. So, rather than wade through knee-deep muck, let me show you how to get to your target audience.

• Open Facebook
• Go to the Search Facebook bar on the top of the page
• Type in your genre (the master genre, not a sub) and hit enter (don't choose from the dropdown yet!)
• A page will open that has a list across the top: Top, People, Photos, Pages, Places, More\/
• Click More and choose Groups (here's my search for Fantasy)
• Check out groups with readers of your genre, and join one or two you think are relevant
• Introduce yourself and lead with: I joined this group because I'm looking to give away a book in this genre to (x number) of people who may be willing to write a review.
• Don't spam groups, and don't give up. If you don't get enough requests this round, wait a week or two and try another couple of groups.

#2: Amazon

I know this sounds crazy, but go to your book and check out the also bought scroller. See what people are crossing from your book to another, reading, and writing reviews. Try to stick to books in the same genre. When you contact a reviewer who loved another book from the also bought list, tell them others who read that book they loved are reading yours, and ask them if they'd like a copy for review.

#3: Goodreads

This is what Goodreads was made for! There are so many options to find the right reviewer. You can compare shelves, check out books in similar genres to your own (like on Amazon), and join groups readers have formed that revolve around your genre. There are even groups created specifically for folks who like to review. Score.

#4: Bloggers

Go find blogs that have readers of your genre and that write reviews. Follow them for a while, and get to know what they like and don't like. Once you've found a couple, connect with them via comments or other things before you reach out to ask for a review. Book bloggers will remember you. Trust them to be intelligent, thinking beings who have feelings.

You can also ask friends to share a request for reviewers on their Facebook timeline. I did that, and it worked rather well.

Now, a few things to remember:

• If you want ten reviews, you need to have at least twelve reviewers. Some people will forget, and some will miss their deadline.
• Don't be a nag.
• Remember to thank each and every person who reviews.
• Offer the reviewer something besides money (like swag they can't get any other way or a signed copy of the book once the review goes live). Everyone asks, "What's in it for me?" Make it worth their while in the little ways and you'll get more return on your requests.
• People like to feel special. Don't mass e-mail your ARCs. Send them one at a time, include a little thank you with the book, and mention something about the reviewer like: I was happy when you responded to my Goodreads request. I know this takes more time, but it's worth it. You're building relationships. After all, this isn't the only book you're ever going to write, right?
• Ask your reviewers a good month before you plan to send the book to them, and give them a solid date when they can expect it. Don't miss this deadline.
• Give reviewers a good two to three weeks to read the book before release day, and ask them to post their reviews one day after the book goes up for sale (this is for ranking purposes).
• If one of the people who read your ARC don't like your book, find out why (it will help you improve), and thank them for their time. They may not like this one, but may love another one you write in the future. Don't burn bridges!
• Go to the blog where your review is and SHARE IT! Promote those who promote you.

I hope this helps. If you can think of any more, feel free to leave suggestions (no hyperlinks, please) in the comments below.

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

Jo

Creating Your Own Blog Tour - Step Two - Creating Promotional Materials and HTML

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Woohoo! Tomorrow is Friday! My excitement cannot be contained. If you were with me on Tuesday, you got the first taste of this little series on blog tours. Today is all about the graphics and the HTML, baby! I'll give you a list of posts with links, and we'll move on to the awesome stuff. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

In this series:
How to Sign up Bloggers
Creating Promotional Materials and HTML
Finding Reviewers
Creating a Thunderclap Campaign
Throwing a Facebook Launch Party

I'll update the links on all the posts each day so you can find your way around. Time for the gravy!

First of all, if you don't have a way to create teaser images, you'll need to get one. Many, many people just use a book cover, and that's fine and dandy. But, if you want to look a little snazzier, here are a couple of tools you can use:

FREE
Gimp (there's a learning curve. Tutorials can be found here -- I also suggest downloading directly)
PicMonkey (the ever awesome Sarra Cannon has a tutorial on how to use it here)
Tagxedo - Word Cloud Maker
Canva

PAID
Adobe Photoshop (there's a learning curve here, too)

Gimp is close a close sister to Photoshop, so I'll give you a little walkthrough here in a minute. Right now, you need to go grab a photo to use. Please don't use photographs illegally! There are a couple of great sites with FREE public use images, and a couple that aren't too expensive to purchase digital rights to. Please, don't get you or your bloggers sued. Here's a list:

FREE
Free Use Photos on Flickr
Morguefile
Free for Commercial Use

PAID
Dreamstime
123rf
RedBubble
Bigstock
Dollar Photo Club

Remember, when buying or downloading an image for a teaser, you usually want the smaller version so it's not a webspace/loadtime hog.

Now you may want to get a new font that fits the look and feel of your book, yeah? Here are some free font sites (please look at the licensing on EACH font you plan to use):

Dafont
Fontsquirrel (these are 100% free for commercial use)

Of course, free fonts come with their own issues (like not being very clean), but I'm trying to do this on a budget here. If you think you may want to purchase a font, do a search for buy fonts. You'll be overwhelmed quickly.

Now, let's get into creation! I'm gonna use a teaser I already created, but my screen will look a little different because I'm in Photoshop.

Be sure you've installed any fonts you downloaded before you begin, and your images are somewhere you can locate them quickly.

Open Gimp and choose file--open.

Find your image and open it.

Look for a good place to put the text. I darkened the bottom a little with the burn tool.

Select the type tool and choose your font, then set the color.

Click anywhere on the image (you can drag the type once you add it), and type in your text.

Position the text and add some little colored bits to make some of the words stand out (play with it--don't be skeered)!

Add the book title somewhere!

Save that puppy in a folder titled "blogtour_titleofbook_documents" and name it "titleofbook_tourpackage_teaserimage"

You're ready to rock and roll!

Now, some people will want plain text while others want HTML. This is easy to do! Follow these steps:

• Type out your entire text in a new blog post (leave out links for now).
• Hit Ctrl+a, then Ctrl+c.
• Open a notepad or Word document.
• Hit Ctrl+v.
• Type in your links where they go.
• Save the text document in your tour folder as "titleofbook_tourpackage_plaintext" and close it.
• Add your images (book cover and teaser you just created) and your hyperlinks to your blog post.
• If you're using Blogger, click the HTML button on the top, left-hand side.
• Hit Ctrl+a, then Ctrl+c.
• Open a NEW Word or notepad document.
• Hit Ctrl+v.
• Save it in your tour folder as "titleofbook_tourpackage_HTML" and close it.

You're all done! Now you can send your package to the bloggers, and they can create magic.

How easy was that?

Don't worry, I know it seems like a lot right now, but soon you'll be an old hand at this. Tomorrow I'll go into how to find reviewers for your book.

Was this helpful? What didn't you already know?

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

Jo

Book Review - Honey Queen

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you another book review. This one wasn't on my TBR for the year, but I won a paperback at Utopia and took it on a trip with me. I devoured it. This title will go into the 2015 Time for Books Review Team pool. As of today, there are 373 book reviews posted there. You must check them out. Amazing authors on that list! Anyway, enough of my gabbing! Here's the book up for review today:

Title: Honey Queen
Author: Christina Mercer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Mythological Romance
Length (print): 284 pages
Buy Link: Amazon Paperback $11.99

Blurb:
A Regional SCBWI "Best in Show"

Love is honey sweet, but it comes with a fatal sting . . .
Melaina Maris needs wings to fly the gap between loving Sam and her family's ancient curse that forces carnal love and then kills the male lovers. She won't let the same fate that killed her father befall another. She refuses to allow her goddess-created bloodline to continue. But there's no easy way out, specially after the curse turns her into the Honey Queen--savior to honey bees--intensifying her charms.

To help her fulfill the curse's demands in the least harmful way, her grandmother takes her to mate with terminally ill Boyd. But Boyd's gay. And an expert in mythology. Instead of having sex, Melaina learns how she might summon the goddess who created the first ancestor bee-charmer and cursed her bloodline. Melaina's magic--tears to save honey bees from endangerment--could be enough to persuade the goddess to end the curse. But an unexpected discovery soon changes that hope, spinning Melaina into a swarm of love, friendship and death.

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. Let me tell you, the cover and interior of this book blow me away! What a wonderful job by the designer. Love the branding with the bees. So amazing! I'd like to see the author's name a bit more prominently, but that's just a nitpick of mine :)***

Let's get to the review!

I won a copy of this book in a drawing at Utopia, a conference for women writers. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was, because I'd had my eye on this novel for a long time, but hadn't had an opportunity to add it to my TBR. Well, having a paperback turned out to be the thing that got me reading it (on an airplane, no less). I dove in and devoured this book in a little over twenty four hours. Now that you know how I came about a copy, let's get to my thoughts on what's inside.

From a Reader's Perspective:
What an interesting premise for a novel! I have to say, I've never read anything quite like it. Mythology, sure, but honey bees? I fell in love with the main character right away. Watching her struggle through the curse made me smile because she's funny when she's frustrated. Melaina's grandmother was awesome. I adored the interactions with her and the guys chasing her granddaughter. Quite a spry old lady. Tears of the Honey Queen being the savior of the bees was a great twisty idea.

Romance in this novel was a slow burn that had been building over the years. Take two characters that have known one another since childhood (and seem destined by the gods to be together), and you have a recipe for perfection. However, the romance didn't play front and center, even though it was the reason Melaina wanted to be free of the curse. It was beautifully complex.

Another thing I got into was the description of the cars. You can tell the author likes American classic muscle by the way she describes Melaina's vehicle. Roaring, even. I loved it!

Pacing was awesome, and didn't let up on the action from page one. Like I said above, I read all 200+ pages in just over twenty-four hours. There was never a time I felt like things were dragging.

One detail threw me off, and I mention it because it was questioned, clarified, then stated again several times. Melaina talks about how she's the last in the line of descendants from the goddess Aera. But the last daughter has always been the last in line--the only one left--until she procreates. There's one place where the characters mention how Iliana had two daughters, but then it's clarified when we find out one of those daughters died. So there's always been just one. Gran was the last when she was a teen, Melaina's mother, then Melaina. I just didn't quite understand why this girl was the most important "last" one.

From an Editor's Perspective:
Plot, grammar, and punctuation were all on the up and up. Nicely done!

Rating:
1 Star for making me love the main character and her Grandmother
1 Star for the fresh idea
1 Star for pacing and wonderful humor
.5 Star for the slow romance
-.5 Star for the confusion
1 Star for editing
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars! I round up, so this book gets a 5. Recommended for those who like a good dose of gods and goddesses and a fresh story idea.

What do you think? Have you read it? Plan to?

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

Jo

Creating Your Own Blog Tour - Step One - Signing up Bloggers

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, I'm talking about how to create your own blog tour. This will be a series of posts that will include how to sign up bloggers (today), how to create your promo materials (including HTML posts), how to find reviewers, how to create a Thunderclap campaign, and how to throw a Facebook launch party. If you've ever wanted (or needed) to do some (or all) of the things yourself, strap in, grab a pen and a notebook, and let's get going!

In this series:
How to Sign up Bloggers
Creating Promotional Materials and HTML
Finding Reviewers
Creating a Thunderclap Campaign
Throwing a Facebook Launch Party

If you all remember my post a while back about blog tour companies, you'll know why I'm about to tell you how to set up your own. It takes a lot more work from you to do it yourself, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

To start off, you need to head over to The Paisley Reader and learn how to set up a Google Form. Yes, it's about pre-orders, but it all works the same way, so it's relevant.

Here's something to think about: What kind of blog tour do you want to do? Options include:

• Cover Reveals
• Book Reviews
• Promo Blast
• Release Day Blast
• Author Interviews
• Meet the Character(s)
• Excerpt Blast
• Combo of Above

There are also things you can offer the blog's followers to increase signups. Maybe you'd like to give away a copy of your book or a gift card (or both). Yes, those things matter on two fronts!

One: You offer something to the bloggers for agreeing to handle your content.
Two: You offer value to the readers of the blog(s) for checking out your stuff.

Remember the rule of a great giveaway: What does everyone need or want?

Go with that and your click rate will increase tenfold.

You need to start this process a good two weeks ahead of time unless you want reviews. If you're doing a review tour, you'll want to start a month out.

So, decide if you want to have an enticement, and go create your form now. Once you're done, come back and we'll go into where to post the signup link.

Questions that should be on your form:

• Name
• Blog or other URL where you plan to share
• E-mail address
• Date you can post/share (you usually have dates in mind, checkboxes matter here).
• PLAIN TEXT OR HTML. We'll get into why this matters in the next post. 

Ready? Let's continue.

Places to ask folks to sign up:

• Street Team - If you have a street team (those folks who tirelessly promote your books everywhere), you'll want to start there. After all, they're already fans of your work and have agreed to share.
• Facebook Author Groups - Chances are, you're a member of an author group where writers of your genre go to collaborate. Many authors have a blog, and many of them will be willing to share your content with a copy/paste option.
• Facebook Reader Groups - Again, chances are, you're a member of a reader group where readers of your genre hang out. With an incentive, they'll likely sign up, too!
• Goodreads Groups - Authors or readers, this is a great place to increase signups!

Good rule of thumb: Don't be annoying! Post once and leave it alone.

Plan to take responses for at least a week (include a weekend). Now, in your Drive, you'll have a "responses" document that'll give you the hot info! If you want, print it out once you're done signing people up and have turned the form off.

You're all set! Hold on to that piece of paper or document in Drive so you can follow along with the rest of the series. This is just the beginning, but once you do it a couple of times, you'll be an old hat.

What do you think? Helpful? Anything not in the lineup that you'd like to see added?

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

Jo

Author Souls on Paper

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about something I've noticed more over the last few books I've read and why these things have suddenly come to my attention. I still find it awesome how conferences and interaction with other authors has changed the way I feel when I read now. Anywho, you ready? Grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and let's get going!

I got on an airplane Friday to go to my daughter's bridal shower. While traveling, I always have a paperback handy (it makes flight attendants less nervous than me having my iPad or iPhone out, so I get left alone) so I can read and not get roped into conversations with seatmates.

This trip, I took a book I won at Utopia back in June: Honey Queen by Christina Mercer. I'll have a review later in the week, but I want to talk about many books right now, not just that one.

If you remember my review of Lex Talionis, I talked about the protagonist and how awesome she was. Same with Twisted, Never Forgotten, and the Tala Prophecy series. As different as these books were, I realized something after meeting the authors:

They've put their inner desires, their very souls, on paper for the world to see. I know more about the authors because I've read the words they wrote. Sometimes, it was before I met them in person, and sometimes, it was afterward. But each story held a nugget of what the author believed in, their inner strengths, and their core values.

I wonder if people get that from books they read? 

As I sat and thought about it, I realized I probably know, on a very soulful level, so many authors. I get a wonderful idea of the values they hold, and I can see what they're fighting for with their words. I've also seen authors grow as they write, becoming more like the characters on the page. Through those characters, the authors seem to grow out of their shells and take on some of their characters' traits: strength, outgoing personalities, bravery, and even self-awareness.

Perhaps this is why we feel our books are a lot like our children, and it might explain the reaction we have to negative reviews. Do we feel as though we're being judged because we've poured so much of ourselves into the story?

It's been eye-opening, for sure. It also made me think about my own books. Can people see the me on the inside as they read my stories?

Do you think you know what makes me tick? What story (or stories) of mine were the culprits?

I'm dying of curiosity over here.

Look forward to the review of Honey Queen later in the week. You'll be seeing a lot more book reviews over the next few months as I gear up to clear out and restock my virtual shelves in December. Yeah, baby!

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

Jo

UTOPiAcon 2016 - What the Heck are Revolutions and Revelations?

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today is my very first post as one of the 2016 official Utopia bloggers. We have quite a lineup of rock stars for you this year, so I hope you're ready to get your information buzz on! As many of you may know, the theme for UTOPiAcon 2016 is Fight for Your Write.

Before I get going on revolutions and revelations, and how those pertain to the theme, I'd like to share with you all the ways you can keep up with news about the goings on at UTOPiAcon for 2016. Get your clicking fingers ready, and let's get going!

First and foremost, get your tickets! They're available now here (including one day fan passes).

Subscribe to the blog on the Utopia site:
Utopia blog

Subscribe to the official blogs:
Mine (link is on the right)
Maria Pease
Toni Lesatz
Shana Benedict
Kathryn Grimes
Ashley Bodette
Ren Reidy
Delphina Miyares

Subscribe to the official book tuber's channel:
Christina Marie

Follow Our Magazine on Flipboard:
UTOPiAcon BUZZ

Give my radio show a follow:
A Daily Cup of Jo

Join the Unofficial Facebook Group:
We Are Going to Utopia!

Like the Official Utopia Facebook Page:
UTOPiAcon

Join the event on Facebook:
UTOPiAcon

Follow Utopia on Twitter:
@utopia_con

So, now that you know where you can get your news about the most amazing writer's conference on the planet, let's get into what all this revolution and revelation stuff is about, eh?

Revolution: a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.

Janet has already introduced her own revolution by changing the way Utopia happens. In 2016, there will be games, more workshops, and new age ranges for the con.

Attendees are creating revolutions of their own because of what they felt or learned at the conference. On the Utopia Revolutions portion of A Daily Cup of Jo (every other Thursday), Christina Marie has a chat with attendees creating their own revolutions. How their minds changed because of the conference, and what awesome things they're out there accomplishing now. There have already been two interviews, and you can expect many more! Check out Christina Benjamin here and Kelly Risser here.

See and hear what these women are doing. Revolutions are all about change, and Utopia embraces and incites those changes with warm hugs and author education.

Revelation: a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.

Attendees will say it all the time: I never thought I was anyone, and I never thought I was capable of anything, until I attended Utopia. I had this moment, this spark, this idea, and everything seemed to sort of click into place. I realized: I can do it. I am someone. I'm part of something bigger than myself.

Now, these folks didn't come by this information gradually. No. That would be too un-life-altering to make an impact. They were hit with a sneak attack lightning bolt that shot from the ether and struck their heart, making it swell and grow with ambition and self-assurance.

One Wednesday morning a month, Ren Reidy and I will be talking with someone who had that lightning struck moment. We'll find out what caused it, what it was, and how the author has put it into action. One Wednesday evening a month, Kathryn Grimes will take over and have a talk with an author. You'll be shocked at how many people have had their whole lives changed by Utopia. Allyson Gottlieb joined me last week to talk about how her mindset was altered. Check out the interview here.

Revelations are all about being introduced to new ideas. Whether it's how to do something, when do do something, or just the fact that you can do something, you'll find your spark, your tribe, your herd of unicorns at Utopia.

Come join us and FIGHT FOR YOUR WRITE!

~~~ 

You need to be sure and check out Maria's post for this week to discover what Utopia resolutions are all about. Those are some fun posts!

Did you learn anything from this post? What are you waiting for? Get your tickets already. We'd LOVE to see you there!

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

Jo

Your Opening Scene

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hang in there, Friday is just around the corner. Today, I'm talking about your opening scene. There are certain obligations you, the writer, have in those first few pages, and I'll go over the most imperative four. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

When you're browsing a bookstore, do you just read the blurb on the back of the book, or do you open the cover and read a couple of paragraphs to see if you might like what's inside?

I'm betting you do a little of both. Well, the people who plan to read your novel will likely do the same thing. Why not hook them with a little bit of oomph? There are a couple of things people don't even know they're looking for, but if those things are missing, their reader brains will shut off and your book will be stuck back on the shelf or dropped back on the table.

Some of these, I bet you even do on accident. Besides the tips on using powerful words, from a post I wrote on the first one hundred, you have to set certain things up. If you missed the post before this one, I recommend checking it out, too.

1. You have to hook the reader into the story. This goes back to that post on the first one hundred words. These words should be powerful and resonate deeply in the soul. Perhaps even introduce the central conflict or present a question that will be answered later. Either way, you want them to keep reading.
2. Consistency is the ruler of all else. Your beginning should set the tone and establish rules you'll adhere to later on in the story. Don't have the reader walk into a suspense thriller only to throw them into fairy land a page later (unless it's a fantasy thriller with killer sprites that slash people to death with razor wings). You get the point here. Also, don't use a hook that has nothing to do with the rest of the novel. Readers will feel, rightly so, they've been hoodwinked.
3. Give the central conflict. Your reader wants to know why they should keep reading. If Jane is going to plod through the book with no direction or goal, it probably won't be something many (any?) people would enjoy spending time on. There's room for some action. If you're using a prologue, this is where you can show the blood, guts, and gore (if that's what your book is all about) just before the bad guy escapes and leaves a path of death in his wake. Yes!
4. Hint at the ending. Have you ever been stuck at the end of a story that's flown from your fingers up until that point? It might be time to start reading your manuscript from the beginning. If you've crafted it well, you'll have an idea of where it's going by examining where it began. Readers like that, too! When they have a vague idea of what might happen, they're intrigued enough to buy the book to find out. Think "central conflict" as mentioned above.

Don't backstory dump on your reader! Please. Readers aren't stupid. In fact, many of them are highly educated and well read. They know how to infer things from the text. You don't have to spoonfeed them every single detail. Especially in the first chapter. Trust that your audience is intelligent, and your writing will take on a whole new level of awesome.

Did you know any of these? What's your favorite hundred opening words of all time?

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

Jo

Surprise! A New Collaborative from the Authors of Fractured Glass

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Boy, do I have some news for you. I hope you have your knickers on, because this announcement is a big one. Ready? Grab your cup of Jo and let's get going.

If you remember Fractured Glass, it's one novel with five sections written by five different authors. Yeah, we told a complete story, each of us writing 20k then passing it off to the others for further storytelling.

This title won't be done that way. No, I'm not giving you spoilers and telling you what we're doing. What I can tell you is this:

• Nothing like this has ever been done before. We're flipping things once again.
• We'll all be sticking to one genre (Paranormal Fiction), but we're changing the construct of the story and the definition of collaborative fiction once again.
• Yes, I'm teasing you. I want to know if you're intrigued.
• We met, once again, at Utopia this past June, to hash out this title and nail down the plot and specifics.
• Our character bios are complete.
• There have been many words written already.
• A blurb is coming with the cover reveal in October.

I bet you want to know the working title, huh? Well, here it is:

On Amazon, it'll be titled 7. Is it vague? Yes. This story is meant to keep you guessing until the end. Even we don't know what will happen once our characters come full circle.

What do you think? Have any guesses?

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

Jo

Award-Winning Sin Series is on Sale

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Do I ever have a whopper of a deal for you! Sit back, relax, and get your clicking finger ready, because you're gonna want to check this out.

Through August 15th, author Casey L. Bond has a huge sale going on for her award-winning serial series, Sin.

It took home the prize for best serial series at Utopia 2015!

Now, Sin is completely written, so you don't have to wait for the next installment!

Books 1-5 are just $0.99!

Yes, you read that right. All five parts of Sin are available in a boxed set and on sale right now.

Here's the link on BookBub:

Get the books!

Now, I'll give you a little information about the story!

Title: Sin (parts 1-5)
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 216 pages

Blurb:
My name is Morgan Sinclare. My father is a United States Senator. He’s kept me locked away for most of my life in private all-girl schools, in our home. But I just heard what he has planned for me. He’s sold my hand to the highest bidder. I’m supposed to marry one of his friends, someone twice my age. I’m biding my time, acting like the giddy bride-to-be, like the dutiful daughter.

We are to elope as soon as possible to seal the deal. I acted devastated that I wouldn’t get my dream wedding, so they’re letting me choose the honeymoon location. I’ve always heard that Las Vegas is a magical place. And I think it’s time I disappear....

**Parts 1-5: The Sin Series in its entirety. Adult content and language.**

What are you waiting for? Are you super excited about this sale? Get your read on!

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

Jo

Book Review - From the Wreckage

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I have another book review for you all. This one is from my December blog event TBR, and will go into the 2015 Time for Books Review Team pool of reviews. I'll start off with a little recap of reviews, introduce the book for today, and then get on to the juicy stuff. This was supposed to go up Friday, but I didn't get done, and you all know I don't review what I don't finish. If you happen to be around at 10am EST, jump on over to my live radio show! I have Delphina Henley with me today, and we'll have live callers for the last ten minutes. This is your chance to ask questions. Go here. If you miss it live, it's okay! It'll push to iTunes by 11am. Anywho, grab a cup of coffee and let's get to it, shall we?

Recap:
The Release Club 1 - Misty Provencher - Review HERE
Dry Stories - Kate Baggot - Review HERE
Fragile Creatures - Kristina Circelli - Review HERE
8 Weeks - Bethany Lopez - Review HERE
Moonlight - David Rose - Review HERE
Refuge - Violet Haze - Review HERE
From the Wreckage - Michelle G. Miller - Review below

Currently reading: Bound by Duty - Stormy Smith - Amazon Kindle $2.99

Shadows on Snow (A Flipped Fairy Tale) - Starla Hutchon - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge - Christine Nolfi - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Facade: A Vampire Love Story - R. M. Webb - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Siren - Jennifer Melzer - Amazon Kindle (Pre-order) $3.99 Grab a sample on Drive!
Queen of Someday - Sherry Ficklin - Amazon Kindle $5.99
At One's Beast - Rachel Barnard - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Unseen - Stephanie Erickson - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Heart Thief - S. Lee Benedict - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Kindling Flames-Gathering Tinder - Julie Wetzel - Amazon Kindle FREE
Kinetic: Book One of the Kinetic Trilogy - C. M. Zimmer - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Destiny Finds Her - Miranda Lynn - Amazon Kindle $2.99
To Get Me to You - Kait Nolan - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Lady of Souls - Jenn Gott - Amazon Kindle $4.99
Sticks and Stones - Shawn McGuire - Amazon Kindle $0.99
Good Luck With That Thing You're Doing: One Woman's Adventures in Dating, Plumbing and Other Full Contact Sports - Karen Yankosky - Amazon Kindle $2.99
Desprite Measures-The Caledonian Sprite - Deborah Jay - Amazon Kindle $2.99
The Last Guardian Rises - Rebecca Trogner - Amazon Kindle $0.99 

Information about the book being reviewed today:

Title: From the Wreckage
Author: Michelle G. Miller
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 232 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle FREE  ~  B&N Nook FREE  ~  Smashwords FREE

Blurb:
“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.”

"Minutes - that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”

For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with the new reality of her life, she must find a way to rise From The Wreckage and answer the question - how do you get back to normal, when everything that was normal is gone?

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. By word of mouth, I heard there was an interesting concept and branding on the covers for this series. This one is stunning by itself, but if you look at all three books, you see things taking shape. Brilliantly done. I'd like to see the author's name take up a wee bit more real estate, but I love the look of this series.***

On to the review!

I grabbed a copy of this book when the author pitched it to me on my blog's annual TBR building event. Because it was free, I had to get the whole thing instead of just a sample, but I'm so glad I did. As I was reading to see if I'd like it, I found I was well over the sample size by the time I pulled myself back out. Needless to say, it was added immediately. When I finally made my way back to it, I read it pretty quickly. Anyway, enough about how I snagged a copy; let's get to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I can't even imagine a tornado hitting my town, much less being caught in the middle of one. Jules, the main character, is not only caught, she has to deal with the stress of the ordeal as well as a very serious loss. Because I don't do spoilers, I'll just touch on things I liked about Jules. She's your typical high school cheerleader dating the quarterback. Because I know Texas, I know how they are about their football. Her whole life revolves around the games, players, and other cheerleaders. This book did the environment justice, and Jules was a product of her environment for sure. I admired her for her desire to help the community, and her moments of being jaded after the incident rang true. I've always thought how typical it was of people to pretend they knew someone that was a victim of a disaster just to get on TV, and this is something Jules has to face and come to terms with. I thought Miller did a great job of connecting the reader to real-world scenarios and showing what people really think.

Oh, the emotions dragged out of me by this book! When it starts, Jules is talking to a camera, but you don't find out who it is she's talking to until about the three quarter mark. This is when things click into place. It will make you want to scream. Loss, love, and what can emerge from a disaster (both good and bad) are what you'll find. Very sweet teen romance with no love triangle and a clean read.

There was one scene that didn't ring true for me: Jules is talking about photographs and the hairstyle she has, a side ponytail. These were popular when I was a kid (in the 80s). But the book is set in the first part of the new millennium (I believe it's 2012). That would make these teens way too old (late 30s at least). Then it goes on to say how, during seven minutes in heaven (same approximate time as the hair was in style), a boy uses his cell phone light in order to see in the closet. Well, there were bag phones in the 90s, but everyone didn't have a cell phone that would fit in their pocket. So, even if the main character is late thirties now, the details didn't fit.

One other discrepancy: Katie has a blonde bob blowing in the wind as she leans her head out of the window in one scene, then has a braid that comes loose and is blowing in the wind a few pages later.

These are minor things that didn't take me out of the story, but that I noticed. The emotional roller-coaster ride overshadowed the inconsistencies.

From a Editor's Perspective:
Besides the two things listed above, there weren't many errors. I did find the use of ' where it should be " often, and pronouns were used so loosely I sometimes had to read back to find out who the she, her, his, and him were referring to, but it wasn't plot killing or anything like that.

Rating:
1 Star for showing me what it would be like to face such a wicked disaster
1 Star for giving me a main character I liked
1 Star for the romance
.5 Star for shocking me with the reveal I didn't talk about beyond saying there is one
-.5 Star for inconsistencies
.5 Star for editing
-.5 Star for editing
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars! A sweet, clean beach read that I'd highly recommend.

Have you read it? What did you think? Do you plan to read it?

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

Jo

Roanoke Author Invasion

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I'm going to be talking about an author signing event happening in Roanoke, Virginia, on April 2, 2016. Ready? Grab a cup of Jo and let's get going!

If you missed it, I did a radio interview with one of the wonderful ladies behind RAI, Liz C. Long, that you can catch up on here. It's about forty-five minutes, but we cover a ton of information about the event and surrounding area. Plus, Liz drops some information about next year that hasn't been revealed yet!

So, what is Roanoke Author Invasion?

From the website:

Join 30+ bestselling authors of contemporary and paranormal fiction and more at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke, Virginia, on April 2, 2016 from 12pm-4pm. Enjoy an afternoon of books, giveaways, and more as you get the latest releases from your favorite authors and discover new voices!

It's a mashup of authors and fans from all over who get together and share a love of books.

Here's the official Facebook page:

Roanoke Author Invasion

If you're a book blogger and would like to help promote the event, or if you'd just like to help out, you can volunteer here.

What do you think? Will you be checking it out?

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

Jo

Free Books for You Today

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a short list of free books for you to check out. Who needs a great read? You do! Get your clicking finger ready and let's get going!

Disclaimer: These books are free at time of posting. Please check the price before you one click. Also, I haven't read these titles, so I can't recommend one way or the other. You decide.

Let's GOOOO!

Title: The Dimension Thieves Episode #1
Author: Misty Provencher
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi
Buy Links: Amazon  ~  B&N  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo

Blurb:
Nominated for Serial Series of the Year at UtopYA Conference, 2015.

EPISODE 1 in The Dimension Series. Clean action/adventure read, suitable for ages 13 and up.

The Dimension Series is a series of serial shorts, releasing once a month from January to December 2015. It is a clean, New Adult series also suitable for some Young Adult readers, due to mild language, mild violence. However, readers who do not enjoy exciting cliffhangers, or look forward to the mouth-watering anticipation of month-to-month episodes should be warned...if you lay eyes on this story...THERE IS NO GOING BACK.

Antythera is the new Earth.
Why?
Because that’s what President Baro, ruler of the planet, wants to call it.
And if you don’t agree, the President will have you Droned.

The world has become a much smaller place since the lower and middle classes have been converted to mindless servants.  Free will, granted only to the elite, is in jeopardy of complete extinction.  

But Force Steele, son to one of the President’s highest ranking advisors, can’t live under the thumb of his controlling father, or the President, any longer. Force has dedicated himself to eradicating Droning, but when the President orders the Antidote Gear destroyed—the part of the machine that could free the drones by reversing the program that controls them—all is lost. Lacking necessary materials, there is literally no way in Force’s world to replace the one-of-a-kind gear.

Force’s only choice is to partner with shifty mechanic, Calerbius Brown, and embark on a risky mission that will take Force and his rag-tag crew across the lateral dimensions, where they must often steal materials—even from themselves—in order to fix their own dwindling world.

Title: Haunted
Author: Willow Cross
Genre: Supernatural Ghosts & Hauntings
Buy Links: Amazon

Blurb:
Have you ever heard something go bump in the night and wondered if someone was there? Only to go looking for the cause of the noise and find nothing at all. Or how about unexplainably feeling like you’re being watched when you’re completely alone? Things disappearing for no reason or strange ghostly footsteps in the hall?

This book is a collage of short stories about a few of the otherworldly experiences I’ve had. Although they are not movie worthy, you may find them interesting. All the stories are %100 true. Nothing has been added for dramatic effect.


 
Title: Ta Ta for Now (Stories About Melissa Book 1)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Buy Links: Amazon

Blurb:
Melissa begins her freshman year with one goal in mind, getting Brian Jackson to be her boyfriend. She will soon learn that things don't necessarily turn out the way you plan them, the value of true friendship, and the importance of family.

The Stories about Melissa series is a coming of age series that follows Melissa, her family, and her friends. Similar to Sweet Valley High, each book is novella length. There will be eight books in the series.

Stories about Melissa reading order:

Ta Ta for Now!
xoxoxo
Ciao
TTYL
With Love
Book 6 ~ Coming Soon!

Title: Patriotic Duty (Duty and Desire Book 1)
Author: C. J. Pinard
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Military Romance
Buy Links: Amazon U. S.  ~  Amazon U. K.  ~  iBooks  ~  B&N  ~  Google Play Books

Blurb:
Newly divorced party girl Cara Reid just wants to have fun. Much too young to even be a divorcee, she and her bestie, Miranda, set off to have fun and maybe a few casual hookups and live life. One night at a military bar, Cara meets Riley Forrester, a hot Army soldier who makes her melt with one look of his deep ocean blue eyes. But Riley is only staying the summer in California and then has to go back to Colorado when it's over. Cara tells herself he’s just a summer fling and is determined to enjoy herself and let him go once the summer is over. But when Riley receives orders he wasn’t expecting, she’s forced to make a decision on whether she’s going to be there for him when he gets back, or move on with her life. What she wasn't expecting was to fall so hard for the beautiful soldier boy, and now she's faced with accepting her feelings or letting him go.

Contains adult content. For readers 18 and up.

Patriotic Duty is book 1 in the Duty & Desire series, and while it's recommended to read them in order, it's not necessary. 

Title: The Conduit (The Gryphon Series Book 1)
Author: Stacey Rourke
Genre: Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Buy Links: Amazon

Blurb:
All 18-year-old Celeste Garrett wants is to head off to college and make those fun, yet ill-advised, choices college kids are known for. And maybe to spend some time with the hot cameraman she just met. Instead, because of a pact her ancestors made in the 17th century with a mythical creature, she has to save the world.

While normal kids are slamming energy drinks and cramming for exams, Celeste will get her adrenaline rush fighting a fire breathing dragon. She wants to meet friends in the quad to exchange lecture notes, but first she must exchange blows with a shapeshifting demon on the rooftop. Life isn’t always fair for a superhero, but at least she doesn’t have to do it alone. With her brother and sister as sidekicks, they alternate between saving lives and getting on each others’ nerves. Together the trio encounters unspeakable odds, mystical forces and comes face-to-face with an image that will haunt them forever—their grandmother in a leopard print bikini.

Title: Prophecy: An Isle of Myst Novella
Author: Stacie Wilson
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Buy Links: Amazon

Blurb:
Discovering their young daughter, Brianna, is now at the center of an ancient war between Light and Dark and hunted by the evil Shadow Master, the King and Queen of Myst are forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice to not only save their child but their magical realm.

Prophecy, the first novella in the Isle of Myst series, tells the story of the tragic events that set Brianna’s destiny to try and save two worlds in motion, and forge an unbreakable bond between young hearts.





Did you snag any of them? Which ones?

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

Jo