Monday Feature and Photos From Our Trip to Costa Rica

Hello everyone!  I have finally returned to the blogosphere.  To kick things off this week, I am celebrating four things: 

1. C. Lee McKenzie's release of her new YA novel, Sudden Secrets.  I brought my Kindle with me to Costa Rica expecting to read Sudden Secrets but I have a confession to make... I had no extra time to read!!  But Sudden Secrets is at the top of my list.
2. I polished off two of my children's book manuscripts last week.  I had them on the backburner for quite some time now but I would really like to see them published, asap.  Of course, there will be tons of edits for them to go through.  I am on my 4th picture book as we speak and this idea came to me during my vacation to Costa Rica.  I am still feeling the story out but this is what I love about writing children's books.  I love to see the story and images unfold together as I imagine them inside my meandering head.
3. I had a school author visit on Thursday of last week.  I seriously can't thank the Universe and God enough for providing my soul with these incredible blessings.  I absolutely adore spending time with the children, especially when it comes to presenting and storytelling.  The kids had a blast and I will share a couple of photos below=)  I have another visit in a couple of weeks and I am also teaming up with United Way for the 2nd year in a row to read to low income schools.  I can't wait!
4. I wanted to share some of my photos and adventures from Costa Rica with all of you.  Hopefully, they will inspire you to book your tickets for a future trip there.  If you haven't had a chance to visit, I highly recommend checking it out!

Monday Feature 

Sudden Secrets by C. Lee McKenzie

 

 

 

BLURB

One Secret 

Cleo has struggled to heal after her baby sister’s death, but the flashbacks to the accident won’t go away. With the move, she vows to keep her tragedy a secret and avoid pitying looks. 

One Mystery

Something’s strange about the abandoned house across the street—flashes of light late at night and small flickers of movement that only someone looking for them would see.

Everyone says the house is deserted, but Cleo is sure it isn’t, and she’s sure whoever is inside is watching her. 

Another Secret 

In one night, Belleza’s life changes forever. So famous, her only choice is to hide her secret from the world so she can silence small town bigotry.

Then Cleo happens.

 

AMAZON BUY LINK: http://tinyurl.com/qbeh3fg

 

You can enter to win a copy of Sudden Secrets during C. Lee's 20 book giveaway!!  Just click here: 

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/120893-sudden-secrets

 

 

 

 

 

 

School Author Visit

 

 

 

 

 

Costa Rica Photos

View from our suite

Sun setting over the mountains outside of our hotel

Me kayaking off the beach of the hotel

Monkeys were all over the resort

Our hotel, the RIU Guanacaste

Frogs were also all over the hotel grounds

My friend and I stumbled upon a sea turtle burying her eggs on the beach

The dear and me with another sea turtle

Pablo was such an awesome tour guide that he gave us a private tour of the Rincon Volcano where we zip-lined, bathed in volcanic mud, horseback rode to a gorgeous waterfall, toured hanging bridges in the jungle and swam in natural volcanic hot springs

Rincon Volcano

Hanging bridges... my face did not look like this at the end!!  I was so scared by the time we got to the 15th bridge!

Whitewater rafting with new friends from our hotel along the Tenorio River, class III/IV

We flipped over the first drop, sadly enough!  It was still such a rush!

12 foot drop

I'm cheering because we didn't flip!

We made some more friends at the hotel and hired our tour guide, Pablo, to take us to a surf town, Tamarindo.  We had such a blast!

Making friends with the locals who are some of the nicest people!

The Mariachi band stopped to sing and take a photo with us

Lazy day at the gorgeous pool.  It was so big that you never had a problem getting a chair or swimming with lots of room

Sunset on the very last day of our vacation.  We laid on the beach and I had tears in my eyes, lol

This photo is the inspiration for my 4th children's book which I am going to start writing this week.  I am very excited and will have this photo in the background while working=)

 

 

As sad as I was to leave Costa Rica, at least I had a school author visit to warm my heart back up and I look forward to reconnecting with all of your blogs.  How is your writing going?  Are there any vacations you plan on taking over the next year?  Will you be adding Sudden Secrets to your TBR list?  It's on mine! 

 

 

 

Monday Feature and Goals for 2015

I want to wish you all a Happy New Year!  Whether you are a writer, author, blogger or dedicated reader, I am sending positive vibes your way and hoping this year gives you everything you ask for and more.  From reading around the blogosphere, I have realized many of us have set up some amazing new goals.  Some of my goals for 2015 are as follows:

1. Read more books
2. Send my 2nd picture book off for publication
3. Finish the edits for my WIP and look for representation
4. Finalize a pitch I have been working on for a big time film company (Hey, we can all dream, eh?)
5. Not allow the day job to get in the way of my personal space (I'm such a pushover)
6. Give more reviews to my fellow authors
7. Spend as much quality time with the dear and Luna (my rescue kitty) without having my writing goals suffer
8. Be the best friend, lover, daughter, sister and auntie I possibly can be=)

Monday's Feature

Today, I am featuring 25 Roses by Stephanie Faris.  I will be spreading word about this book because I read one of her other YA novels, 30 Days of No Gossip, and absolutely loved it!  25 Roses is available January 6th but you can pre-order it today!

25 Roses

Stephanie Faris

Blurb:

Mia moves from the shadows to the spotlight when her matchmaking plans go awry in this contemporary M!X novel from the author of 30 Days of No Gossip.

Mia is used to feeling overlooked: her perfect older sister gets all the attention at home, and the popular clique at school are basically experts at ignoring her. So when it’s time for the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, Mia is prepared to feel even worse. Because even though anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out.


Except a twist of fate puts Mia in charge of selling the roses this year—and that means things are going to change. With a little creativity, Mia makes sure the kids who usually leave empty-handed suddenly find themselves the object of someone’s affection. But her scheme starts to unravel when she realizes that being a secret matchmaker isn’t easy—and neither is being in the spotlight. 

Stephanie Faris:

Bio:

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.


Stephanie is the author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses, both with Aladdin M!x. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 

Links:

Buy (Autographed)
Buy (Amazon)
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

 

 

 

I am leaving for Costa Rica in six days!!!  I can't tell you how excited I am because the dear and I have been looking forward to this trip for YEARS.  We have traveled quite a bit together but this is the first time we found an impeccable deal for this gem.  We will be white water rafting, zip-lining through rain forests, visiting volcanoes and stumbling on whichever dive restaurants the locals steer us toward.   

This is where we will be staying.. I am syked!

I will be back toward the end of January after I have wrapped up vacation time, some writing and two school visits for my children's book.  See you all then!

A Christmas Letter to My Mother

Two Christmas’s ago, we almost lost my mother to liver failure.  She endured many battles with her demons for quite some time and sadly, those demons won the final war.  If you saw my mom around this time two years ago, you wouldn’t have even recognized her.  She resembled more of a zombie, often incoherent, mumbling, shaking and at times, bedridden.

On Christmas Day, when I returned home from spending time with her at her house, I knew in my heart she was going to die within the next month.  She had been on the waiting list for a liver transplant for a year and this is the same amount of time the doctor gave her to live unless she received this incredible organ from an organ donor.

On December 26^th, 2012, the very next day after that dismally bleak Christmas, God bestowed His Christmas miracle onto my mother.  She received a phone call from Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey and was given the life-saving transplant she needed in order to continue her legacy here, with us.

Today, I am going to share a letter to my mother as part of my “no materialistic gifts for Christmas” by affording others with honor.  In doing so, we lift people up with our words instead of our wallet.  As writers, words are our strength so we should use them in accordance with the passion of our creativity and hearts.

 

I hope this can inspire you to write a letter to a loved one or friend expressing how much their presence means to you.  Fellow blogger, Joy Ezeka, also contributed to my inspiration with her "A Letter to My Son."

Dear mother,

With the rolling of tides and their eroding memories, yours radiates from my meandering mind.  I tend to stumble around my head from time to time and even though these images are often different, one thing remains the same; you have always lifted me up to the highest of heights toward the brightest of stars.

In doing so, you have managed to make me feel like those stars I have reached for in the sky.  You pushed me to be the best I could be while conquering all of my ventures with love, grace and compassion.  You taught me to admire and show love toward others, no matter the race, color, or creed.  You encouraged me to befriend the underdogs and protect my family and friends.  You have always had my back and never let anyone or anything hurt me by taking away the light you helped generate from within.

I’ve had many ups and downs with father figures, especially when Daddy C passed away.  But one thing has been a constant; you never allowed those ups and downs bring ME DOWN.  Instead, you became both my patron and best friend; the one person I could always count on to be at my graduations, birthdays, and other milestones.  It didn’t matter if neither of my fathers were in the crowd.  As long as I saw your brilliantly beautiful and charismatic face cheering me on, my contentment was more than fulfilled.

Mom, you are one of the kindest and most giving people I have been blessed to have in my life.  And to have you as my mother has been the greatest gift God has given me.  We might not have had a lot of money growing up but you managed to make my life as comfortable and warm as can be.  You worked several jobs to keep our family afloat and I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of your self-sacrifices and dedication.

You have an amazing soul and it emanates through all of the wonderful things you do for our family.  I believe God saved you because he had a different path planned for you other than the one you were previously struggling to find.  You may have made mistakes in the past but you refuse to let them define you and the beautiful person you are today.

I love you mom.  Merry Christmas.

Love,

Gina

 

 

 

 

I hope you all have an amazing holiday filled with joy, laughter, gratitude and love.  Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Last week, I talked about pushing the sales of our books.  Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, LinkedIn, word of mouth, hiring a PR firm, or the countless other ways to generate interest, what has worked the best for me has been word of mouth and the PR firm.  As long as you have a good product represented by some fantastic reviews, word of mouth seems to keep our sales afloat.

 

Today, I am going to dive deeper into Twitter.  I had no idea what Twitter even meant until I attended a publishing seminar led by bestselling author and pitch leaders, David Henry Sterry and Arielle Eckstut.  They are both married, to each other, and taught me more in one seminar than I would have learned on my own researching for months.

I also bought their book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published:  How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It... Successfully.  I like to think of this book as my "publishing bible."  Whether you are going to self-publish or pursue the traditional route, this reference will lead your passion to a better suited destination.  I highly recommend reading it.

 

During the seminar, Twitter was brought up because of its power and substance not only within the world wide web, but also within its ability to connect people with one another.  For example, without Twitter, I would NEVER have met one of my “author besties,” K Sentek.  She is a fellow children’s book author who I decided to follow because at the time, she was following one of my favorite children’s authors, Karma Wilson.  Without Twitter, I would never have met her or some of my other author friends who have bought my book, provided reviews and have showed incredible support.

Twitter also has the potential to help spread word about our books.  But how often do you tweet about your book?  Once a day?  Once every hour?  Once every 30 minutes?

I have yet to sign up for an automated Twitter service which allows me to have more free time for myself instead of going through all of my Twitter notifications, one by one, or copying and pasting my tweets while trying to tweet at least once every hour or so.  I know some authors like the automated services so their tweets go out as they schedule them.  They can also schedule retweets for other authors and writers who retweet for them. 

But do all of these tweets really help the sales of our books?  Yesterday, I had 25 people (mostly authors) retweet a link I shared for my children’s book.  Normally, I average anywhere from 5 to 30 retweets, depending on how often I have retweeted for them.  Even after 25 people retweeted my link and shared it with their followers, not one book!  Not one sale. 

 

 

So what am I doing wrong?  I like to think my phrases engender interest and are enticing to my followers and fellow retweeters' fan base.  I always say something captivating or endearing while trying to reach the types of readers who will purchase books that rhyme and have powerful messages, beautiful illustrations, and memorable storylines. 

One way I have found helpful was to reach out to my target audience.  Since my children’s book centers around outdoor play and imagination, I rummage through Twitter land, trying to stumble upon the hidden treasures who are advocates for nature and the great outdoors.  Although this can be quite time consuming,  it has proved to place my children’s book into the hearts and hands of this group.  Again, finding these people can be a pain, especially since a lot of them hardly check there notifications as much as we do.

I like to believe there are still children and adults who value outdoor play and imagination rather than having their minds constantly stimulated by technology or video games.  My school author visits always provoke an appreciation for imagination and outdoor play which is why I will continue to use word of mouth and recommendations to help my business grow.

 

So what works with Twitter?  What doesn’t?  Have you established new friendships with other authors or writers through Twitter?  How often do you tweet?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Pushing Sales For Our Books

Between all of the hustle and bustle of this time of year, my mind is like sea foam fumbling for the next wave of thoughts to come.  The only time I can concentrate is in the wee hours of the morning when the world is still sleeping and I am at my computer desk typing away.

 

But this season has been terribly difficult for me to juggle all of the tasks bouncing in and out of my head.  My boss has taken three long trips within the last two months, leaving me drowning in overtime.  The waves just keep coming and my arms and legs are growing weary of staying afloat.   

 

With that being said, it is Christmas time, and like many of my fellow authors, we have products to move.  And I don’t mean placing them on the kitchen countertop and then moving them over to the dining room table.  I’m talking about moving them from websites like Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com and placing them into the homes of our consumers.  Or, if you strike gold, physical stores like Barnes and Noble and the thousands of independent bookstores across the country will stock your book resulting in the banking of sales.

Besides Twitter and my school author visits, I have become lazy.  I know!  Shocker.  But please, bare with me.  For the past two years, I have been putting myself out there, traveling to different independent bookstores in hopes they would stock my self-published children’s book.  Three bookstores were successful in purchasing my book and then slowly, I dismissed these ventures.  I’ve also been networking with teachers and principals so I can either set up school author visits or volunteer to work with kids who need guidance with their reading and writing.

This is one of my books signings at The Book Garden.  My children's book is in the background=)

 

Twitter, SheWrites and Google Plus has been a fantastic way to meet new people and establish relationships which I never would have stumbled upon before.  Thanks to social media, I have built a support system which I am grateful for every single day.  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of my author friends outside of social media during book signings and fairs.  We’ve even stayed in touch and do things outside of book stuff.   

So it is extremely important to build a foundation for our work, even if that doesn’t just mean sales. We offer one another advice through our blogs and emails as well as give each other honest reviews for our work.  This is very important, especially within this industry and its boundless sea of heartaches, triumphs, and endless hunger to feed our passion.

 

Now that the relationships are established, how do we make sales?  Our fellow authors and family are usually on the front line to buy our books while showing the support we need to survive in this game.  But do social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google Plus help boost our sales?

 

In my experience, not so much.  The only means of advertising which has worked for me, so far, have been hiring a PR company to generate reviews for my children’s book , working with various parenting blogs who have thousands and thousands of followers, and my age old favorite, word of mouth. 

I was a bit hesitant before I decided to hire a PR company.  I had already spent over 3,000 dollars in publishing, illustration and website fees while managing to dump another 300 bucks into Facebook for advertisements which only gave me two sales.  Yep, I said it, two sales!  So I spent $300 and made enough money to buy two packs of Trident watermelon gum.

 

By the way, I wouldn't recommend advertising on Facebook to ANYONE.  I don't care if you are Oprah and you want to advertise there.  I say this because they were charging my credit card while I wasn't using their services.  We had a dispute which ended up in them refunding the money but trust me, it's not worth it!

So when the PR company was going to charge me another 200 bucks, the sweat started unfolding from my palms and onto the keyboard where I was about to click on the payment button.  Thankfully, I was receiving texts from an author friend of mine who hired the same company and revealed they did a pretty damn good job for her.  She even found a better publishing company from someone who reviewed her book and then referred her to someone in the hierarchy of publishing.

Although I didn’t receive thousands of sales from the PR, I was given honest reviews for my children’s book and referrals to various schools, a radio talk show host and various parenting blogs.  The feedback was TREMENDOUS.  My book was posted on over 40 blogs and I also had three schools reach out to me for author visits. 

Having my book posted on parenting sights which attract a huge amount of parents and teachers is detrimental to the existence of my book in the world wide web.  Without these parenting blogs, no one would know about my children’s book and I would have never received the sales I achieved through their support of my children’s story.

And then there is word of mouth.  This has probably been the bread winner when it has come to selling copies of my children’s book.  From family to friends to teachers to bank tellers to Shoprite cashiers to bookstore owners to people who attend my gym… you name them, I have revealed my work to them.  And by no means do I bombard people with the fact I am an author.  If I tend to see someone more than once and have established a cordial and casual relationship, you are damn skippy I will tell them about my book. 

We have to look at this industry not only as a comfort zone and support system but also as a vitality for selling our books.  If no one knows about them, how will they ever be sold?  And if no one buys them, how will they ever get into the hands, hearts and imaginations of our readers?

 

 

We have to keep pushing and throw ourselves out there.  If we don’t do it, no one else is going to do it for us.

What about you?  What has been the best means of selling you books?  What about the worst?  What do you enjoy most about this industry so far?  If you haven’t written a book, will you be self-publishing or going the traditional route?