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Announcing Lucky Days FreePar-Tay

March 14 - 18th

Ìý
Discover over 40 amazing ebooks: Romances, Thrillers, Mysteries, Humor, Fantasies, and more!
All FREE at Amazon.com

Fantastic ebooks, many by award-winning and best-selling authors.



There's a genre for every reader's taste.


Romance from sweet to HOT, suspense, paranormal, humorous, historical...we have an awesome range.
If Mysteries and Thrillers are your thing you can't go wrong. Police action, murderous mayhem, amateur sleuths and more.


You'll also find Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Woman's Fiction.... A fantastic selection!


Got kids? We have books for elementary school age and teens alike.
Don't miss out! Soon these amazing ebooks will be back to their usual prices. Grab them while they're FREE! March 14th-18th.

Who says you can have too much of a good thing. You can never have too many great books. Load up your Kindle and tell your neighbors to do the same.





The FREE Par-Tay is a BLAST!



SomeExamples


of the


Great Books Available
You like Romance? Find them here.


If romance delights you, don't miss Mimi Barbour's "My Cheeky Angel "
ÌýVirna DePaul's "Chosen by Sin."
Rita Herron will make you smile with "Marry Me Maddie." Stephanie Bond's "I think I Love You"
and Denise Domning's "Almost Perfect" are perfect for the addicted romance reader.
Debra Burroughs "Three Days in Seattle"
And Nina Bruhns's "The French Detective's Woman" add a splash of mystery and suspense to their romance.



Excitedby Thrillers? Ecstatic for Mysteries? Scared by Horror? Tweaked by Sci-Fi? You're in the right place!


ÌýRon Kierkegaard's "The God Particle" stretches the boundaries.
ÌýMichael Shean's "Shadow of a Dark Star" will open your eyes to new worlds.
Michael Paneush's "The Stein and Candle Detective Agency"is a fantastical take on mystery.
And fantasy abounds in Jack Albrecht's "Osric's Wand"
And Vicki Keirie's "Worlds Burn Through."

"Liquid Lies" By Lois Lavrisa dives into secrets, lies and murder.
While Shannon Mayer will lead you through ten Horrifying stories in "Ingredients of a Caldron."
Nathan Yocum investigates a post-apocalyptic future in "The Zona"
And Katherine Owen digs deep in a story of love and loss in "Seeing Julia."

Ìý



And don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter. You'll automatically be entered to WIN $100 in Amazon Gift Cards.



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Ìý








Announcing ÌýÌý Lucky DaysÌýÌýÌýÌý FreePar-Tay



Discoverover 40 amazing ebooks: Romances, Thrillers, Mysteries, Humor, Fantasies, andmore!
AllFREE at Amazon.com

Fantastic ebooks, many by award-winning andbest-selling authors.


There's a genre for every reader's taste.


Romance from sweet to HOT, suspense, paranormal, humorous,historical...we have an awesome range.


If Mysteries and Thrillers are your thing you can't go wrong. Policeaction, murderous mayhem, amateur sleuths and more.


You'll also find Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Woman's Fiction.... Afantastic selection!


Got kids? We have books for elementary school age and teens alike.


Don't miss out! Soon these amazing ebooks will be back to their usualprices. Grab them while they're FREE! March 14th-18th.

Who says you can havetoo much of a good thing. You can never have too many great books. Load up yourKindle and tell your neighbors to do the same.





TheFREE Par-Tay is a BLAST!

Ìý

SomeExamples


ofthe


GreatBooks Available






You like Romance? Find them here.






Don't miss Mimi Barbour's or VirnaDePaul's "Chosen by Sin." Rita Herron will make you smile with "Marry Me Maddie." Stephanie Bond's "I think ILove You" and DeniseDomning's "Almost Perfect" areperfect for the addicted romance reader. Debra Burroughs "Three Days in Seattle" andNina Bruhns's "The FrenchDetective's Woman" add a splash of mystery and suspense to theirromance.






Excitedby Thrillers? Ecstatic for Mysteries? Scared by Horror? Tweaked by Sci-Fi?You're in the right place!






Ron Kierkegaard's "The God Particle" stretchesthe boundaries and Michael Shean's "Shadowof a Dark Star" will open your eyes to new worlds. MichaelPaneush's "The Stein and Candle Detective Agency"is a fantastical take on mystery and fantasy abounds in Jack Albrecht's "Osric's Wand" and VickiKeirie's "Worlds Burn Through."


ÌýÌý
"Liquid Lies" ByLois Lavrisa dives into secrets, lies and murder, while Shannon Mayer will leadyou through ten Horrifying stories in "Ingredients of a Caldron." Nathan Yocum investigates apost-apocalyptic future in "TheZona" and KatherineOwen digs deep in a story of love and loss in "Seeing Julia."


And don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter.You'll automatically be entered to WIN $100 in Amazon Gift Cards.




Ìý




Ìý*

*~*~*~*

Just recently, I've been involved in a promotion called FreePar-tay and I've learned some incredibly good 'sh-tuff!' Today, I wanted toshare just one of these amazingly simple points with you.


Did you ever place a lot of importance on the 'BookDescription' on Amazon? I mean that's just where the author slaps the back pageblurb isn't it?


Wrong!


This is the first place the reader will glance to aftershe/he sees (and loves) the great cover, right? If those first few lines don'tcatch their interest, they won't give it any more time. And if they don't readit all, it is prime property wasted.


I know I have a short attention span (no comments please!) whenit comes to wanting to read oodles of yada yada when a few well-written, highdefinition sentences would be sufficient.


Writing these snappy phrases takes practise. So why not usethe ones someone else has written for you in their reviews? If you work at itand use volatile language to catch the eye, I'd be hooked.


If I'm hooked, I might go and check out the first few pages.And then�


Click!
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý




Keep this cover in mind - because starting tomorrowÌý- this Cheeky Angel will be free for 5days!

Announcing Lucky Days Free Par-Tay
Discover over 40 amazing ebooks: Romances, Thrillers,Mysteries, Humor, Fantasies, and more!All FREE at Amazon.com
Fantastic ebooks, many by award-winning andbest-selling authors.
There's a genre for every reader's taste.
Romance from sweet to HOT, suspense,paranormal, humorous, historical...we have an awesome range.
If Mysteries and Thrillers are your thingyou can't go wrong. Police action, murderous mayhem, amateur sleuths and more.
You'll also find Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi,and Woman's Fiction.... A fantastic selection!
Got kids? We have books for elementaryschool age and teens alike.
Don't miss out! Soon these amazing ebookswill be back to their usual prices. Grab them while they're FREE! March14th-18th.
Who says you can have too much of a goodthing. You can never have too many great books. Load up your Kindle and tellyour neighbors to do the same.
TheFREE Par-Tay is a BLAST!
SomeExamples oftheÌýGreat Books Available
Youlike Romance? Find them here. Ìý
Don't miss MimiBarbour's "My Cheeky Angel" or VirnaDePaul's "Chosen by Sin." Rita Herronwill make you smile with "Marry MeMaddie." Stephanie Bond's "I think ILove You" and Denise Domning's "Almost Perfect" are perfect for theaddicted romance reader. Debra Burroughs "ThreeDays in Seattle" and Nina Bruhns's "TheFrench Detective's Woman" add a splash of mystery and suspense to theirromance.
Excitedby Thrillers?Ìý Ecstatic for Mysteries?Scared by Horror? Tweaked by Sci-Fi? You're in the right place!
Ron Kierkegaard's "The God Particle" stretches theboundaries and Michael Shean's "Shadow ofa Dark Star" will open your eyes to new worlds. Michael Paneush's "The Steinand Candle Detective Agency" is a fantastical take on mystery and fantasyabounds in Jack Albrecht's "Osric's Wand" and Vicki Keirie's "Worlds BurnThrough." Ìý
"Liquid Lies" By Lois Lavrisa dives intosecrets, lies and murder, while Shannon Mayer will lead you through tenHorrifying stories in "Ingredients of aCaldron." Nathan Yocum investigates a post-apocalyptic future in "The Zona" and Katherine Owen digsdeep in a story of love and loss in "SeeingJulia." And don't forget to sign up for ourNewsletter. You'll automatically be entered to WIN $100 in Amazon Gift Cards.
Ìý

*~*~*~*

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In today's world ofbrutal competition, it's getting to beÌývery difficult for an author toget the attention of the readers. It's not like the good old days where thewriter produced his best work, then handed off the rest of theresponsibilities to the publisher who put it front of the buyers. Now, anindependent author has to write the darn book, and then wave their arms aroundlike a lunatic yelling...Ìý Hey! Over here - read mine.


Thank goodness forsocial media like Pixels of Ink or the many Kindle and NookÌýnewsletters. It's a platformwhere we can reach out to millions of people and hope to gainÌý their attention—to let the readers know that we've written a book and catch their interest inhopes they might like our story. To do this, many authors have been forced to put lower prices on their work, and in some instances list the books for free.


This doesn't mean thatthe quality is reflected in the (lack of) price. Not at all! There are a lot ofwonderful novels, written by very hard-working individuals who tell a fantasticstory.Ìý But it does mean thatÌýyou will be getting an amazing deal, starting Wednesday, and you shouldbe smiling all the while your fingers are clicking on all those download buttons.


BecauseÌýthat will be yourlucky dayâ€�.!


Free Par-Tay time iscoming soon for "My Cheeky Angel"Ìýplus a lot more wonderful novels.Ìý








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Great news to share...I just found out that "Together for Christmas" my favorite book has finalled in the Gayle Wilson Contest. The winner will be announced on April 1st. I'm estatic and scared silly cause the others in my genre are good authors and have wonderful books. Oh well, may the best man win! ....sigh! What else can one say??












When do you become 'good enough'?


Is finalling in acontest justification for an author that his/her writing has finally become"good enough"?

You bet your sweetpatooti it is!


I've been entered into a lotof contests. Each time I received my submission back with a ranking somewherein the middle area, even the top, ÌýI'dsigh and read over the various judge's comments.

One would say there wasn'tenough emotion—the other—too much. The opening needed work, or there wasn'tenough conflict. Hell, I've been told in every way possible (usually verynicely) that I just wasn't 'good enough'.


With every rejection letter Ireceived from agents and publishers, they would be saying in effect - your workisn't up to par. Their words would be more along the lines that the genreyou've chosen to write in isn't of interest to us at this time. Or…you have toomany characters involved, etc, etc.

I knew in my heart, that ifI'd written a book no one could refuse, they'd have sent me an acceptance andnot a 'no thank you'. And so I kept plugging along. Filing away stories that noon wanted. Starting new ones with the hope that this would be the one.


Don't get me wrong. I do lovethe reviews I get from the readers, and to tell you the truth, they've beenwhat's kept me pounding on the keys every day. As long as someone is enjoyingmy work, loving my characters and willing to buy my books, then I'll keepwriting.


But…all that aside� there'ssomething about being recognized by your peers. It feels great. If "Togetherfor Christmas" doesn't win in the end, fine. Great! I did have a good timepretending, hoping…believing.

And there's always next year.I have a new book being released very soon for the Angels with Attitudes seriescalled "Cheating Angel" and anotheron the way for the Vicarage Bench Series called "Together, Always and Forever". Who's to say what might happen if Isent one of those books for next year's contest?

Ya gotta believe…ÌýÌ�




I've signed onto a promotion that will be taking place from March 14th to the 18th called Lucky Days Free Par-tay! It'll be a blast with lots of prizes and a huge selection of free books. I will be having all the information here for youÌý on the morning of the 14th so please check back andÌýjoin us.


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For this Lunar LoveÌýGiveaway Hop I will be happy to present the lucky winner with a $10 Amazon Gift certificate. All you need to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address. And, I'll be adding your names to my newsletter list, so I hope you won't mind getting a periodic letter from me telling of new releases and special news!




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Great news to share...I just found out that "Together for Christmas" my favorite book has finalled in the Gayle Wilson Contest. The winner will be announced on April 1st. I'm estatic and scared silly cause the others in my genre are good authors and have wonderful books. Oh well, may the best man win!Ìý....sigh! What else can one say?? lol
Ìý










Step 6. Romance sites –About this time I went crazy looking for as many romance sites as I could find.I signed up for Coffee Time Romance, All Romance, Novel Sisterhood, Love Romance Café, Rites ofRomance Reviews, Authors Den, Book Rix, you name it � I'm there. And Idetermined that they all have one thing in common. If you don't interact often,they just won't be of much help � and sadly, so much to do � so little time!

Once my first book Ìý(free today at the Wild Rose Press)Ìýwasto be published, I started to think about advertising and asked for names ofplaces that would best suit my needs as an author who wanted to get out infront of as many people as possible.Ìý Iwas told to try Coffee Time because the people there were very helpful, andwhen you're starting out knowing less than..."ahh nothing", then Ineeded all the help I could get. Heck, I did't even know what WIP or LOL stood for. Now that's green!


Turned out to be goodadvice for me at the time. I learned how to write a blog about my book, send mycover art, and find my way through the mind-boggling realms of a romance site.It forced me to come up with a bio and even made me sit down long enough to letmy husband take my photo, (yuck) one that I've used over and over again and Isuppose should now be updated (probably won't happen!!)

The few dollars Ispent getting educated in this way was well worth it. I don't know about youall, but the finer intricacies of getting around the web scared the poop out ofme, and by working with those lovely ladies, and having their support andguidance, it made the all the difference.
Eventually, I moved onto some of the other sites as mentioned above. And it got easier and easier tofill in their profiles, upload my books, and sign up for interviews, etc.Ìý But I must thank those gals fortaking a newbie under their wing and being so darn nice.Ìý


Some of the sites I listed aboveÌýalsoÌýhave Yahoo loopsÌýwhere authors can join and interact with others in the profession. Over the yars, I've found out more information than I can ever mention on these loops, and if you're an Indie Author, then by all means go and sign on to Indie Romance InkÌýor Indie Book Collective. You won't be sorry.


If any of you readers have other suggestions for someone starting out, or that mightÌýbe helpful for anyÌýauthor or reader, please comment and share. I have to admit, it's been throughÌýinteractingÌýwith friendsÌýthat I've gotten my best information.



My updated cover - see the old one on the sidebar...what do you think?



I've just signed onto a new promotion for My Cheeky Angel with the Indie Book Collective which will be starting around March 12th to the 20th. It'll be a blast, lots of prizes and free books. If you'd like to participate, go to and sign up for their newsletter. Also, I will update you more as the time gets closer.
One of the requirements I need for this promo to be successful is more reviews. I have 10 at the present and I need 20.....so if any of you have a few spare moments to readÌýMy Cheeky Angel and write a review, I'll be happy to send you a complimentary copy. Just e-mail me at [email protected]
** If you'd like to know more about the story, click on the Angels with Attitudes button above andÌý there's be a back-page blurb and an excerpt available.
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Welcome to my blog Toby. I loved your post about insomnia, and must say I have experienced it quite often myself. Mind you, I don't recall having to terrorize one of my poor characters intoÌýmaking them even crazier, but then again, maybe I should. It could add a new element to myÌýone of my angel stories!!

How lucky can you get living in Hawaii!!??
I wanna be you...





Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age 5 and has been published in magazines and won several writing contests. After initially majoring in Journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, "I'm endlessly fascinated with people's stories." She enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, scuba diving, beach walking, gardening and hiking. She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs. Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters–from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.




Last night I had insomnia. This is not allthat unusual; as a 'thinker' I am unduly burdened by brain processing, and I'dbeen knocked out all last week by a cold and resulting cold medicine, and lastnight was the first time I went to bed without chemical help. Even so I did anafternoon workout hoping to be too tired for the ol' sleeplessness to comeback.
Didn't work. At around 2 a.m. I woke up(unable to see clock without my glasses, and putting them on is admitting theinsomnia is really bad, so the time remains a fuzzy red figment in the dark)and was plagued by the sense that the bad guy in my sequel is just not scaryenough.
Creepy, yes. Disturbing. The potential fora great deal of gore is also there, which I've handled with buckets, tarps andscene cutaways (I tend to be of the suggestive rather than explicit school whenit comes to violence) and he's nicely crazed with a well developed pathology.Even so, he's just not 'popping' for me� and if it's not working for me it'sdefinitely not going to be working for readers.
So in my insomniac bed I thought of an oldstandby suspense technique—the ticking clock. I had it in there, but an earlydeath of the victim sort of killed it (ha! Pun!) and so today I did what I haveto do to keep track of time—printed out a calendar of the month, stretched outthe timeline and extended hope for the hopeless. I gave the victim a clearexpiration date that the reader knows and Detective Leilani Texeira doesn't,and had the guy who, in the original, lay in a coma and was peacefullyslaughtered, wake up and demand to know what the hell was going on.
And suddenly, the story's scary. Urgent. Adate at the top of each chapter begins a new day and reminds you the dude inthe cave is going to buy it if Lei doesn't get off her toned ass and out of thepool with the hot developerÌý and trackdown the madman.
Ifeel a heady power� I can manipulate time! I can bring back the dead, andinvent entire bureaucracies! I can just freakin' make stuff up, and when itdoesn't work, I can completely change it!
ÌýIlove being a writer. Even the insomnia—when it amounts to something useful.Unfortunately sometimes I forget the brilliant ideas I have in that effortlessgray between sleeping and awake.
Do you have insomnia? How do you handle it,and what usually brings it on?







Torch Ginger, the sequel toÌýBlood Orchids,Ìýwill be releasedÌýMayÌý2012.

Visit Toby at her Ìýand follow her on andÌý




*~*~*For this Leap into Books Blog Hop I will be happy to present the lucky winner with a $10 Amazon Gift certificate. All you need to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address. And, I'll be adding your names to my newsletter list, so I hope you won't mind getting a periodic letter from me telling of new releases and special news!







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4.Facebook � Does it work? Are there authors who don't have a fan page? Not sure that I get alot of sales through this forum, but I must tell you, it is a great way to keepin touch with others. Just wish I had more time to spend there.p.s. if you want to like me here...please...please do!!


Mytruth about Facebook


Whatcan I say that hasn't already been said about this phenomenon?Ìý It is what it is!Ìý A way to find old friends, a way to stay in touch with new onesand a way to track what your kids are up toâ€�.!?? (wink!) Asfor an author who has several things to do every minute of the day trying toproduce the next bestseller, spending time playing on facebook seems just…wellâ€� naughty.

I'dlove to go there and like and comment on other's posts, get caught up in whatis happening in my friend's lives, but whenever I do so, I know I should bewriting and the guilt builds. So many other things seem to take priority. But maybe I'm the idiot who's passing up the best way to let readers know about my great stories.....what do I know? I must also mention that there are two pages attached to Facebook. The and the . All the action seems to be happening on the regular one, but of course that's whereÌýthe bulk of people have friended me since the beginning.

Everyonce in a while, I do post information. But it's almost always about thejob…about a new blog, or a colleague's book, or my own. Then I feel like a jerkbecause I'm using this media solely for promo stuff and not to be linking upwith friends and touching them.

Iasked my husband (who has never used facebook) about his views.Ìý He had two things to say.Ìý


1.People don't want to be left out.Ìý â€� Howaccurate is that? Personally, I know many friends who can't stand to missanything that might have been written while they were away from the computer.It's a bit sad in a way. Even worse, they worry that they don't have as manyfriends or post as many photos or have as much to say as others.

2. Hethen added that he thought it was an "I" thing. That rang true forme…and maybe it's why I don't tend to get on there as much as I could. Becausewhenever I do, it's all about me - my books and my career. If I can't interactproperly with family and friends, pay attention to their lives, then I feelsort of bad about slapping my advertising in front of them all the time…so Idon't.

Now,having blathered on about my feelings, I must also add a truth here that shouldembarrass me to admit. I've never really understood Facebook and how it trulyworks. I know there are stats a person can follow up on, ways to advertise,groups we can follow, and a whole lot more, but I've never had the time orenergy to try and learn how this all works. In fact, I'd sincerely welcomeanyone who reads this blog to contact me at [email protected]and offer to write a post about Facebook for me to put here on Believe! In thisway I could follow up on my lack of knowledge and so could my followers.




Excerpt:(Chapter Thirteen)
ÌýÌýÌý ÌýTen minutes after Annie arrived at her apartment exhausted, weepy,and cranky, Tyler knocked his unique rap. She rose slowly from her proneposition on the sofa, went to open the door, and leaned on it. ÌýÌýÌýÌý Just looking at him banished her blues.He started talking before she could say a word. "Hi! Long time no see! I gotyour call, but you'd left already when I tried to return it. Baby doll, youlook like someone who's been working way too hard." ÌýÌýÌýÌý Flutters of apprehensive dissolved, andshe smiled thankfully. Her old buddy stood there. "It has gone way past workinghard. We're moving into unmitigated insanity around the office. I've wanted tostop by and visit, but every night as I get home, all I can think of is mybed."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Too tired to date your Latin lover?"ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Latin lover? Oh, you mean Sergio. Ihaven't seen him since the first time we went out, and I won't be seeing himagain. Appears he has the knack of picking out naïve idiots and misusing them.I thought he was special. Funny, my memories of our date are blurred, sortamixed up, but they make me feel so... Oh, I don't know!" She shuddered, amovement both visible and telling. "Goes to show you, my judgment of men isflawed—or should we say nonexistent." She sighed long and deep, then scrunchedher face as she grinned at him. "Oh, well, at least I have you."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Be still my heart!" He clutched hischest and laughed. An uproarious laugh that seemed disproportionate to thehumor of her comment. But then, what the hell did she know about the strangelabyrinth of a man's mind?ÌýÌýÌýÌý She waited for him to stop chortling, andthen she asked, "Did you need me for anything beside entertaining you? 'Causeif not, I'm for a hot bath and my bed."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "I'm sorry you're so tired, sweetheart,but you do have to eat, and I have Lea waiting in my apartment downstairs. I'vepromised her a pizza at Dominic's. She said she's been trying to reach you.Seems she's ready to open up about what's been going on in her life. We can'tlet this opportunity pass."ÌýÌý ÌýÌý"Lea? She phoned earlier when I was in an important meeting.Which reminds me, I've got to tell you about what's been happened lately.Another corporation's been buying up Montaro's shares. Everyone says it's a takeover.We haven't seen the new CEO who owns the big conglomerate, but he's due toarrive any day now. The office is in a huge turmoil. Everyone's panicking abouttheir jobs and their future with the company."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "You'll be okay, Annie. Things have a wayof turning out. This new company will be keeping on the key people for a whileat least, won't they?"ÌýÌýÌýÌý The name Annie sounded foreign afterbeing called only Anna for so long. She liked it. "I guess so. I'm more worriedabout Hugo, my boss. His wife showed up after being missing for four years, andshe stuck around for a week or so and then took off again. He's been frantic,trying to find her. He looks like hell. And now he has this mess at the officeto contend with. The poor man is a basket case."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Speaking of cases, we'd better go andvisit with Lea. Maybe we can find an hour to talk later, and you can tell meall about the craziness in your life then."ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Tyler, I can barely see, I'm soexhausted. I wasn't planning to eat a big meal. Eggs and toast, a bath, andeight full hours of sleep are what I need." She watched his face close down,affability instantly erased. The disappointment—and, yes, disapproval—wasclear. He turned away.ÌýÌýÌýÌý Conflicting thoughts bombarded her. ÌýÌýÌýÌý I need sleep; tomorrow threatens to be abitch of a day.ÌýÌýÌýÌý It's Tyler and Lea. I want to go withthem. Besides, I need to see Lea and make sure she's okay. And my heart needsto be with Tyler.ÌýÌýÌýÌý Don't be an idiotâ€�ÌýÌýÌýÌý Annie stopped listening to the screeching ofher conscience. Anxiety for the troubled teen replaced lethargy. She couldn'tchange it anymore than she could change the happy glow of anticipation thatcame with the thought of spending an evening with her best buddy once again. ÌýÌýÌýÌý "Okay, Ty. Give me five minutes to have aquick shower and throw on some jeans, and I'll join you." She knew her voiceconveyed the enthusiasm she couldn't hide. ÌýÌýÌýÌýHe stopped and took a few seconds before turning back to face her, butwhen he did the friendliness had reappeared. "Take ten. Trust me, Little Bit,any amount of time I have to wait for you is time well spent." His wink madeher laugh, and his petting fingers on her cheek made her heart quicken like anidling motor getting more gas.
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Step #3 - NewsletterSoon after my website was up and running, Iasked my webmistress, who was also a multi-published author, what were hersuggestions for the best promotional tactics. She suggested starting up anewsletter. Her idea was that anyone who signs onto your newsletter isinterested in what's happening to you, and they will stay with you as long asyou don't inundate them with too much 'yada yada' (my words) aboutinconsequential nothings � write when you have news! This has been one of mybest-loved choices. Shamelessly, I started the newsletter using all my personalfriends' names, and then we set it up on my website that anyone who wants to followme can enter their e-mail address. It's lovely to see new people every time Isend out another blurb, which I only do when I actually have something super totell them (new contracts, books being released, etc.)
After three years, I still enjoy writing thenewsletter, but I'm not sure if it's a strong promotional tool. I do have theability to see how many people open them, but I have no idea if they actually readmy news, or if any sales can be directly attributed. I only write thenewsletters periodically during the year, keeping to my promise of sharing thebig news and not just the regular small stuff like a new review, or that Ifinished another chapter in the WIP, etc.
I have about 350 peopleÌýon the list, but since Istarted blogging just recently, I mostly direct everyone to my blog rather thanmy website and so the 'sign-ups' from that avenue have slowed down some. Soon, I will figure outhow to hook the newsletter to my blog and collect the names in both places. Another'to-do' for that infernal everlasting list.
I've been blog-hopping recently which bringsmore traffic to my page, and so I came up with a brilliant plan. I've warned everyone who enters a contest on myblog and leaves their e-mail address that I'll be automatically adding them to mynewsletter. Not only has my list begun to grow again, but hopefully with this practice,I'll find lovely new readers and maybe they'll find an author who writes the kind of booksthey want to read. A win-win situation!






For thisÌýRandon Acts of kindnessÌýBlog Hop I will be happy to present the lucky winner with a $10 Amazon Gift certificate. All you need to do is leave a comment with your e-mail address. And, I'll be adding your names to my newsletter list, so I hope you won't mind getting a periodicÌýnote from me telling of new releases and special news!

Also, anyone who is willing to write a review for My Cheeky Angel needs only to e-mail me at mimibarbour@hotmaildotcom and I will gladly send you a freeÌýpdf copy. There's a promo I'd love to enter, but I need at least 20 reviews before they'll accept me. I only have 9...sigh!!

Latest review for My Cheeky Angel!another 5 starsso cool!!

5.0 out of 5 stars My Cheeky Angel, February 3, 2012 This review is from: My Cheeky Angel (Angels with Attitudes) (Kindle Edition)

I started reading My Cheeky Angel the other day and couldn't stop.
Somewhere around 2:30 to 3:00 in the morning I finished it but it's been
quite awhile since I stayed up because I just had to see what happened
next. I loved Annie and Ty along with their guardian angel, Celi. It was a
nice twist to have an angel with a gravelly voice from smoking in place of
some ethereal being who seems too perfect to have ever been an earth bound
mortal.

Pat Amsden
(I luv Pat!!!)

***

Posted December 3, 2011
Step 5. ÌýTwitter â€� About sixmonths ago, I decided that would be one of the best ways to get news out to the big wide social-mediaworld, and so I worked really hard, gave up hours a day and started trying tobuild my followers. At that time, I had approximately 400 followers, and I amnow over the 2,000 mark. Again, was it worth all the hours I put into it, theeffort it took and the time away from my writing? I did meet wonderful peopleand wouldn't give up knowing these new friends for anything in the world. So,yes it was worth it. And the proof came when just recently "My Cheeky Angel" the book Iself-pubbed and released in September was chosen as one of five best paranormalbooks of the month, and I was able to turn to my friends on twitter where Iknow a great many of my votes came from.~~~

Update…last I looked I had 2,400 followers.

*Okay…I know I cheated going straight to step 5 sinceI hadn't yet done posts on steps 3 & 4 but I will get back to them later.Right now I've just opened my own Tribe on called Blog with Mi! and I justhad to share it with you.



Before I go any further, I guess I should tell youwhat Triberr is all about. It's a blogging support network to help you gettraffic to your blog.
You need more of an explanation? - Okay this is how Isee it.

I used to put out a blog post, and if I was lucky, Imight be able to tweet about it a few times a day. My stats weren't so goodunless I went to all my loops and begged friends to come and visit. As timewent on, more people did start to come around, but the numbers were still prettydismal. It helped to write about topics that would draw people, or invite interestingguests that brought along their own friends, but still the numbers were sortadepressing. And, since my tweets would only get to my own approximate 2,000followers, I didn't really have much of a reach through the twitter world.

But…once I joined Triberr and was invited to join afew tribes, I found that when all my 77 tribal mates tweeted about each new blogI published, my blog link spanned to over 370,000 followers. The tweets werereleased over intervals depending on when my mates got around to sending them,which was good. (On Triberr, everyone has a home page with a stream of theirtribe mate's blogs, and there's buttons by each one to approve sendingwhichever tweets you feel you'd want your followers to see. Totally yourchoice.)

Two things necessary to use this social media site:have a blogsite that's active and have a twitter account with followersâ€�.themore the better. Remember many in the tribes have thousands of followers they'veworked hard to find so it's imperative that you keep working on your own lists.Ìý

Soâ€�.have I tweaked your interest? I hope so. If Ihave, go check out and join. Research the site so you get a feel forwhat it's all about. Watch the how-to videos to get a better idea of what elseis available there. ÌýAnd if you want tojoin with me in my new tribe, send me an e-mail at: [email protected]with your twitter and blogsite addresses Ìýand I'll be glad to issue you an invitation to Blog with Mi!








For this Valentine's Blog Hop I will be happy to present the lucky winner with a $10ÌýAmazon Gift certificate. All you need to do is leave a commentÌýwith your e-mail address. And, I'll beÌýadding your namesÌýto my newsletter list, so I hope you won't mind getting a periodic letter from me telling of new releases and special news!

Latest review for My Cheeky Angel!another 5 starsso cool!!


5.0 out of 5 stars My Cheeky Angel, February 3, 2012 This review is from: My Cheeky Angel (Angels with Attitudes) (Kindle Edition)

I started reading My Cheeky Angel the other day and couldn't stop.
Somewhere around 2:30 to 3:00 in the morning I finished it but it's been
quite awhile since I stayed up because I just had to see what happened
next. I loved Annie and Ty along with their guardian angel, Celi. It was a
nice twist to have an angel with a gravelly voice from smoking in place of
some ethereal being who seems too perfect to have ever been an earth bound
mortal.

Pat Amsden (I luv Pat!!!)

***