Blog Book Tour: Part 1—What It Is

I recently took two blog book tours for my romantic suspense novel Dream or Destiny.  The first tour lasted three weeks and included seventeen stops; the second tour lasted less than a week and included four stops. After the first tour, I wrote a wrap-up report of the tour that I hope will be helpful to other authors in planning their own tours as well as to bloggers hosting blog book tour stops.

I’ve also hosted several authors on blog book tours and plan to do more of this in the future. Blog book tours, also called virtual book tours, are becoming increasingly popular, but I’ve learned that not everyone knows what a blog book tour is.

More than a year ago when I was planning ahead for the release of my novel, I wrote a post about virtual book tours (VBTs). Since then, it seems that blog book tour is becoming the preferred name.

Authors have often gone on book tours, traveling across the country or within a region to visit book stores for readings and booksignings. Book tours don’t always result in a lot of immediate sales for authors, but they do give authors the opportunity to meet booksellers and readers and to build their and their books’ name recognition. Book tours give readers live contact with authors.

Today, book tours are too expensive for all but best-selling authors. Many authors prefer to spend their time and energy writing rather than traveling, yet they still need to promote their books. More and more books are being sold online rather than in local bookstores, and booksignings don’t often draw large crowds (unless the author is already famous).

Blog book tours are taking the place of physical book tours for many authors. There are no travel expenses and no time away from home. Instead of physically visiting bookstores, authors virtually visit blogs to promote their books. Blog book tours don’t always result in a lot of immediate sales, but they give the authors the opportunity to virtually meet readers and bloggers. Tours build name recognition for the authors and their books, and they give readers virtual contact with authors.

A visit to a blog can take many forms, including interviews—written or audio (podcasts), reviews, excerpts, and guest posts. The schedules for my first and second blog book tours show that my tour stops included most of these.

I’ve hosted reviews, an author interview, and a character interview, a fun and different visit. Hosting authors on their blog book tours is new to me, and I’m looking forward to a variety of different visits.

In the next installment, I’ll offer advice for authors, and in the final installment of the series, I’ll make suggestions for bloggers hosting blog book tours.

As a reader, do you enjoy blog book tours? What do you like or not like about blog book tours or individual tour stops that you have read?

Another Chance for Christmas Giving

In case you missed my post on Christmas giving, here’s another chance to drop something into the bright red kettle to support the great work of the Salvation Army.

Some Monument to Last Available

I’ve mentioned before that I am as excited as the author when one of my clients publishes a book. James Doughty and I have been working together on Some Monument to Last for more than two and a half years, and James had been gathering the material and writing for several years before that.

I edited and formatted the book and helped James find the cover artist (Aundrea Hernandez who also did the cover for Dream or Destiny) and a printer. The formatting was a learning experience for me because generally I format simple text only. Some Monument to Last has photos interspersed in the text as well as a section of photos, many of which had to be converted from color to grayscale. I used a different script font for every letter writer—the printer was a little taken aback with the number of fonts in the document until I explained. The poems and quotes had to be formatted a little differently than straight narrative.

I enjoyed the challenge, and James is a delight to work with. He’s not at all like the predatory journalists in Dream or Destiny! When you read the book, you will discover that he takes his responsibilities as a reporter seriously.

Today James is a successful TV journalist, recognized in the San Antonio area as James Munoz. But his achievements haven’t come easily. The back cover blurb on the book says:

When television viewers see James Muñoz on the air, they see a man who has achieved his lifelong dream. They don’t see the lonely, sexually abused child with a father-sized hole in his heart. James grew up missing the father he never knew and spent much of his early adulthood searching for his paternal family.

Today he uses the name Muñoz (his mother’s maiden name) on the air to honor his maternal family and Hispanic heritage and the name Doughty (his surname) in private life to honor his father and his paternal family’s legacy. He shares his story to inspire and encourage others to achieve their dreams regardless of the challenges they face. His grandmother’s poems and his father’s letters that helped fill that empty place in his heart will touch the hearts of readers, and his advice to young people will motivate them to build their own monuments to last.

Some Monument to Last: Memoir of TV Journalist James Muñoz with Family Poems and Letters begins with James’ story. The book also contains poems written by the grandmother he never knew and letters from the father he missed though he’d never met the man. Precious family photos and some of James’ favorite quotes are also part of the book.

The book’s title comes from a short, untitled poem his grandmother wrote:

I can’t erase or blot out the past,
But I can build for the future
Some monument to last.

James has created some monument to last with this book. He hopes to inspire and encourage anyone who is going through rough times, especially minority youth. He serves as an excellent role model, and this book gives him a way to inspire and encourage young people he can’t meet in person.

Some Monument to Last would make an excellent Christmas gift for anyone who is facing challenges in life or anyone who enjoys reading true stories of overcoming challenges. I bought a dozen copies for gifts.

Interview with Micki from A Village Shattered

I’m honored to be hosting a stop on Jean Henry Mead’s blog book tour for A Village Shattered, a senior sleuth mystery. The story is filled with intriguing characters living a retirement village shattered by a series of murders.

One of the secondary characters especially interested me, and I jumped at the chance to interview her. Please welcome retirement village resident and Portugese dairyman’s widow, Michelle Lugundos, known to all as Micki.

Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye. Thank you for agreeing to answer questions about yourself and the murder mystery you found yourself entangled in. I understand your name is Michelle though most people call you Micki. Is Michelle a common Portugese name?

Micki: No, it isn’t. My parents came to this country from the Azore Islands just before I was born, and they wanted to give their first born child an American name. When they learned there were so many other Portuguese families living here in the San Joaquin Valley, they gave my seven younger sisters all latin names.

Lillie: It must be strange to read about yourself. The author, Jean Henry Mead, portrayed you as someone who is witty, perceptive, and distrustful of authority. Did she describe you accurately? If not, how did she get it wrong?

Micki: I don’t think I’m so witty. Sometimes my club members laugh because they think I say strange things, like the time I compared the sheriff’s investigation of the murders to gigging a tadpole instead of a frog. You know, he grabbed the first suspect that walked by instead of waiting for the real killer. I didn’t trust the sheriff at first, but then I learned that his only experience was training police dogs. He was trying his best but it just wasn’t good enough.

Lillie: Tell me about your experiences helping your husband run a dairy farm.

Micki: Oh, my, I had to get up every morning at four o’clock and cook a big breakfast before I helped with the milking. I was glad when we could afford milking machines because I had such calluses on my hands. I also helped him buck 100 pound bales of hay. See, I still have big muscles on my arms. I’ll never forget the night the hay caught on fire and burned for two days. That was the most exciting thing to happen at the dairy, except when a heifer gave birth to a calf.

Lillie: A Village Shattered takes place in a retirement village. Where is the village located? What attracted you to it? What is it like to live there? Did you and your husband retire there together or did you move there after Antonio died?

Micki: I moved to the village after Antonio died. It’s a mile from the city of Modesto in the northern San Joaquin Valley. I had some Portugese friends who lived in the village who talked me into moving here. If I had known that a serial killer was going to start murdering my club members alphabetically, I would not have sold the dairy. I used to love living here and going to Sew and So Club meetings. But now it’s too dangerous to even open my door.

Lillie: You were devoted to your husband but even more to your father. What made these two men so special to you?

Micki: Antonio was my first and only love and he reminded me of my father. They were both good, hardworking men. My mother died when my sister Phillipa was born and Papa raised his eight daughters by himself. He never looked at another woman. Not that we would have accepted a surrogate mother. I took over that job until I married Antonio, then my sisters in turn looked after the younger girls.

Lillie: Did you feel safer after your sisters arrived from Fresno to stay with you? What did you think when the sheriff told them to leave?

Micki: I could not believe how bossy my younger sister Josephina was. She made me crazy. I used to spank her when she was little and maybe she was getting even with me. I was glad when the sheriff told them it was too dangerous for them to stay in the village and they had to go home. Sheriff Grayson gave me another partner after he arrested Nola and put her in jail. She didn’t do the murders but she did set fire to Pat Wilson’s house. The sheriff kept taking my partners away or they got killed, so I did miss my sisters when they left.

Lillie: You are obviously a good cook. Describe some of your specialties, especially linguisa. How did you feel seeing the deputy squirming on the floor in pain after eating one of your brownies?

Micki: Everyone loves my brownies and linguisa, which is Portugese sausage. It’s mighty tasty but my friend Carole said there’s too much fat and calories in the food I cook. She only weighs 97 pounds so she doesn’t know what good food tastes like. I baked a batch of brownies the other night and one of the deputies guarding us ate one and fell on the floor. We thought he was dying. I was afraid that everyone thought I had poisoned him.

Lillie: What do you think of Sheriff’s Grayson’s investigation of the murders?

Micki: I know he tries hard but he doesn’t have enough experience. When he was elected, half his sheriff’s department quit and went home, so he doesn’t have anybody to advise him. I think he wishes he was still training police dogs.

Lillie: I understand that A Village Shattered is the first of the Logan & Cafferty Mystery Series. Do you think Dana Logan and Sarah Cafferty should be the ones getting top billing? Do you think the author will give you a larger role in future books?

Micki: No, the author put Dana and Sarah in a motorhome and took them to Wyoming to investigate the death of Dana’s wealthy sister. I don’t think they’re ever coming back to the San Joaquin Valley, except for maybe for a visit. I will miss them.

Lillie: What else would you like us to know about you or the story?

Micki: I feel like I’m running a boarding house. My friends are dying and just when I get used to a partner living here with me, the sheriff takes her away. He finally gave me a deputy to protect me but he’s having woman problems and can’t stay awake 24 hours a day, so I have to stand guard with Antonio’s hunting rifle so young deputy Dalton can get some sleep. I hope the sheriff finds the killer soon so we can all stop being afraid.

Lillie: Thank you, Micki. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and am sure my readers did also. I’ll miss you in the next book. Please check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions. And bring your author along, too. Readers may have questions for her.

Micki: Thank you, Lillie. You must stop by for some linguisa and brownies. The author is allergic to both of them.

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Comments are open. Say hi to our guests and ask questions for either Jean or Micki.

Calling Middle School and High School Writers

EPIC’s annual New Voices contest is open for submissions until January 16, 2009. Middle and high school students in any school (public, private, or home) in the world are eliglble to enter as long as their entry is in English.

Categories for Middle School and High School include Story (fictional short story). Poetry, and Essay (nonfiction). The New Voices guidelines describe each category.

The prizes includes a grand prize of $100, e-book readers for first place winners in each category, and $50 and $25 gift certificates for e-books for second and third place winners.

Every entrant is a winner, though, because each receives valuable feedback from the judges, who are teachers, librarians, published authors, and editors. The feedback includes positive encouragement and suggestions for improvement.

While every writer, no matter our age or experience, benefits from constructive feedback, young writers in particular need encouragement and advice.  Students get input from their teachers and perhaps their families but seldom have the chance to receive individual and objective commentary from industry professionals.

Students can enter pieces written for school assignments or personal expression as well as those written specifically for the contest. If you know a young student who likes to write and who could benefit from professional evaluation of their writing, encourage them to enter the New Voices 2009 competition.

If you are an educator, consider assigning your students to write stories, poems, or essays they can enter in the contest. If you’re someone who would like to see writing encouraged in the schools, pass the information along to the schools in your area.

The New Voices competition is special to me. Along with a few other EPIC members, I was one of the founders of the contest, and I have participated every year in some capacity, this year as a judge.

I have seen the enthusiasm of young writers who receive a word of encouragement from a writer or an editor. I have seen the excitement of the winners when the receive their awards. I know that I’ll see some of these students when they are adults and successful, published authors.

Visit from a Novel Character

On Thursday, December 11, we’re having an unusual guest here. I invited author Jean Henry Mead to visit to promote her new senior sleuth mystery A Village Shattered. Jean asked if she could send one of her characters in her stead, and it didn’t take long for me to decide to interview retirement village resident and Portugese dairyman’s widow, Michelle Lugundos, known to all as Micki. Be sure to come back Thursday to meet this intriguing character.

Jean told me her characters were more interesting than she is, but I’ve been following her blog book tour and read several fascinating interviews.

She began her career as a photojournalist and had numerous newspaper and magazine credits by the time her first nonfiction book was published in 1981. She has interviewed well-known politicians, famous writers, and notorious bad guys. After publishing several nonfiction books, she realized she had way too much good research to ignore, so she used the material to write her first novel.

The crime-solvers in A Village Shattered are senior citizens.  Jean writes senior sleuth novels to show that seniors can do just about anything a twenty-something character can. And she has created a large and varied cast of characters who live in the retirmenet village. At least they all used to live there—now a murderer is decimating their numbers at a rapid pace.

Micki said she would bring Jean with her on Thursday to answer questions and respond to comments. Come back to meet Micki and Jean and learn more about A Village Shattered.

Christmas Giving

As a writer, I’d love for you to give my novel Dream or Destiny to everyone on your Christmas list who enjoys mystery or romance novels. For other genres, I recommend books by my clients and books by authors who have visted my blog.

You may also want to give a gift that will give the recipient the power to change lives. A gift certificate from Kiva.org provides the funds for the recipient to make a loan to an entrepreneur in the developing world. An entrepreneur in the developed world might need a loan of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to start or expand a business. An entrepreneur in a developing country may need less than a hundred dollars to start or grow a business that will lift them out of poverty. The recipient of your gift certificate can make a life-changing loan to the entrepreneur of their choice, and when that loan is repaid, use the funds to make another loan. The cycle can be repeated endlessly, making your gift of $25 or $100 priceless. I made my first Kiva loan as part of Blog Action Day: Poverty.

Another good idea: Charity Checks. You can order giving certificates that can be used to donate to any IRS-qualified charity in the US, and there are 800,000 qualified charities. You purchase the certificate and get the tax deduction. You give the certificate as a gift, and the recipient then determines what charity to donate to. Unlike donating to a specific charity in someone else’s name, with Charity Checks, you know the recipient will be happy with the charity that receives the gift.

Comment added after reading Karen Swim’s post Santa Cause or the Grinch who Stole your Present?: I would recommend a charitable donation as a gift only to people close to you who you know would be happy with this. We do this in my family, but I would never suggest a business do this for a client nor would I do it to someone with whom I hadn’t discussed the idea in advance. I wasn’t clear enough and hadn’t thought through the implications until Karen brought them to my attention. Now back to the original post …

This is the time of year to give beyond our immediate circle. The Salvation Army’s red kettles are a symbol of the spirit of Christmas giving as well as an important means of raising funds to help those in need. I don’t go out to the malls and stores to shop so I miss the chance to drop something into a bright red kettle manned by a smiling bellringer. This year, I decided to be an online bellringer.

Thanks to Jon Swanson at Levite Chronicles for the inspiration. I didn’t know that I could be a bellringer for my own Online Red Kettle. If you do your Christmas shopping online, you can drop something into an online kettle and help the Salvation Army brighten the lives of those who need help this year.

Christmas celebrates the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave the ultimate gift of His life for our salvation. We can share a little of His love by our own giving to our loved ones and people we don’t know. May you enjoy a blessed season of peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

Blog Book Tour Stop: Second Visit to Father Jerry’s Jottings

Today I’m back at Father Jerry’s Jottings with the conclusion of my two-part series on blogging: Blogging for Beginners. I’m sure most of my readers know everything I’ve covered in this introductory post, and I know you can add some tips I didn’t mention. Stop by Father Jerry’s blog and give your best advice to beginning bloggers.

Interview: Author Janet Kaderli

I’m delighted that my friend Janet Kaderli is visiting here today. Janet and I met at a writers conference more than ten years ago. We got to know each other, first through the local romance writers’ group, then later through an e-mail group of Christian writers of women’s fiction. I was thrilled to play a small role when Janet published her second children’s book, and I’m excited that her romance novel has been published by Avalon Romance.

Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Janet. My readers and I are eager to hear about your new romance novel, Santa’s Angels. Though Santa’s Angels is your first romance, it’s not your first published book. Would you begin by telling us about your other published books?

Janet: Thank you, Lillie, for inviting me to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye.  I’ve had 4 children’s books published. The first was Molasses Cookies in 1998. This story is special because it tells how New Braunfels, Texas was settled by immigrants from Germany. My husband’s family was among the founding families in New Braunfels. In 2005, with more than a little help from Lillie and GASLight Publishing, the sequel to Molasses Cookies, Patchwork Trail was published. This story is more related to my family, who lived in Caldwell County in Texas. In 2001, two books were published by Steck-Vaughn, an educational publishing company.

Lillie: I know you’ve been writing romance for several years. Can you share with us a little about the road you’ve traveled to publication? Is Santa’s Angels the first romance you wrote or do you have other unpublished romances? Did you receive many rejections or was it easy to find a publisher? Where did you get the idea for Santa’s Angels?

Janet: Santa’s Angels is the third romance novel I’ve written. The first two should probably stay in those dusty boxes they’re hidden in! But they were definitely learning experiences I needed.

I got the idea for Santa’s Angels from playing Secret Santa among the faculty and staff at a school where I used to teach. Every year, we’d draw names and give gifts or special treats to the person we’d drawn. We’d try to figure out who our Santa was. One year, the person whose name I drew said she liked to read “hot and steamy” stories. I wrote a short story—Janie’s Hot and Steamy Christmas.

It wasn’t all that hot and steamy, but I liked the idea and played with it a bit, completing the first chapter, which I entered in a contest. It placed in the contest! Later, after pitching the idea to an editor, the manuscript was requested. I didn’t have a manuscript. I had a first chapter. So I added two more and a synopsis. That was rejected. Over the years, I entered other contests, completed the manuscript, and sent it to various editors and agents. Although everyone liked the story, it wasn’t ever right for who I’d sent it to. A friend kept telling me, “Send it to Avalon.” I did . . . and now it’s on bookshelves!

A big help to me while writing the story was that I knew a Santa. My husband’s business partner was our local Santa for many years. He filled me in on the costume, the make-up, and how people focused on the persona more than the person. Even our son never picked up that Santa was his friend from Dad’s office!

Lillie: Some writers plot out their novels in great detail before they start writing, while others write by the seat of their pants. Which approach did you use for Santa’s Angels?

Janet: I find I write by the seat of my pants, but edit using charts and notes so I can consciously include the elements of goal, motivation and conflict, scene and sequel. Santa’s Angels was patchwork. I wrote it in bits and pieces then printed it and literally cut and stapled scenes together in order. Then cut and pasted on the computer. I revised it every time I sent it out for anything.

Lillie: Do your characters ever do anything that surprises you?

Janet: All the time.

Lillie: I’m glad to hear your characters take charge as mine often do. Do you consider yourself a plot-driven writer or a character-driven writer? Was that a conscious choice on your part?

Janet: I’m a character-driven writer. It was an unconscious choice. The more I work on a project, the better I get to know the characters and the story unfolds as they interact.

Lillie: Janet, I know you’re a devout Christian who has chosen to write books that aren’t overtly Christian though they reflect a Christian worldview. Have you ever thought about writing for the Christian market? Why have you chosen to write for the general market?

Janet: In Christian or Inspirational books, growth in faith is included in the character arc with other types of growth. So far, I haven’t written a story including that type of growth in a character. I pitched Santa’s Angels to an editor for the Christian market knowing I’d need to revise the story to suit the needs. That door didn’t open to me. Right now, the door to the general market is open.

Lillie: That reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote, which I’m paraphrasing: What the world needs is not necessarily more Christian books but more books of all kinds written by Christians. I’m sure my readers will want to know more about you and your book. Do you have a blog and/or Web site? Where can readers buy Santa’s Angels?

Janet: My website is www.janetkaderli.com. At the moment, readers can order Santa’s Angels by following the contact information at Avalon Books or order from Amazon.com  or Barnesandnoble.com.

Lillie: What is the best advice you have for aspiring writers?

Janet: This advice is from Kelly L. Going, a children’s writer: Live your life to the fullest.

I agree with this advice. If you’re living a full life, you have a lot to write about. And you have an interesting life. As with all things, let writing be part of your life. What you learn as you go about living can be shared with others through your writing.

Lillie: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Janet: I’ll be doing a booksigning at The Twig Bookshop on Broadway in San Antonio next Tuesday, December 9 at 10:30 AM. Everyone in the San Antonio area is invited.

Lillie: Janet, thank you for visiting. I’m sure I didn’t ask everything my readers want to know so I hope you’ll check in during the day to answer questions.

Janet: Thank you, Lillie. I’ll check back in. I look forward to talking with you!

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Santa’s Angels (Avalon Romance)

Janet has graciously volunteered to answer questions and respond to comments, so please make her feel welcome here and keep her busy answering your questions.

Blog Book Tour at Light Within

When Shirazi invited me to write a guest post about Dream or Destiny at Light Within, I confess I hesitated. Shirazi writes about blogging, business, Pakistan, and blogging in Pakistan. But Shirazi has also written a book and is a big fan of mystery fiction. After several e-mail exchanges, I was convinced that Light Within would be a good blog to add to my book tour.

I hope you enjoy my guest post Writing a Mystery: Dream or Destiny and hope you will give some encouragement to a blogger who is working hard to expand opportunities for writers and bloggers in Pakistan.

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