BIKINI SEASON by Sheila Roberts: “…writing a book about this subject was like writing about myself.”

When my editor suggested writing a book about women supporting each other through the fat wars, little did she know that she was asking me to write about my life. Only a few months before two good friends and I had joined together and formed what we called a diet triage, e-mailing our weekly goals, walking together, yanking firmly when one of us wandered too close to a candy shop. So writing a book about this subject was like writing about myself. Well, to some extent. I’m not worried about my husband cheating. But a lot of the other adventures in my book – sneaking into the cookies, mixing diet pills and diet pop and winding up at the emergency room strapped to a bunch of equipment – those are mine. I think most of us women have, at one time or other, grappled with that four letter word, diet. I also think the best way to overcome bad eating and exercise habits and forge new ones is with the support of friends. In fact, the best way to do anything is with friends.

And that’s what I enjoyed most about writing this book. Each woman in it has her own battle to fight. Erin needs to lose weight to fit into her wedding gown – not an easy feat with an old childhood crush distracting her. Angela has let herself go and now she’s got to shed those extra pounds before she loses her husband to the office hottie. Megan wants to lose weight but she needs to find her self-esteem. Then there’s Kizzy, who has to lose her bad eating habits if she’s going to keep her health, and whose misguided husband is sabotaging her diet efforts at every turn. Obviously, each woman has a different diet destination, but they make the journey together. No one turns in her ticket and turns back, and that’s because these women have each other. I think it’s the same in real life. We may not have the strength to battle something alone, but with our girlfriends walking alongside us we’ve got power. Chick power. Friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I’m thankful for every one of mine. So, what better thing to celebrate in a book!

Sheila Roberts is the author of BIKINI SEASON. You can visit her website at www.sheilasplace.com.
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THE MANSFIELD LIGHTHOUSE CATS by Charlotte Barnes: “…they’re nice enough to love me despite my craziness.”

“The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats” came to be because I’m a mad scribbler—words, phrases, anything! When I don’t have paper, I’ll sing words in the car! I didn’t sit down to write a poetry collection, but what I wound up with covered everything from stray cats to football to love gone wrong. I scribbled before work, during lunch, after work, and I’m still a scribbler! I’m sure my friends and family sometimes wish to consign me to the imaginary lighthouse where the kitties go to play in the title poem, but they’re nice enough to love me despite my craziness.

Charlotte Barnes is the author of The Mansfield Lighthouse Cats. You can visit her website at www.charlottebarnesonline.com.

HONOR DUE by D.H. Brown: “I have been asked this question many times and I still don’t have a slick answer.”

I have been asked this question many times and I still don’t have a slick answer. It all started to meld about 3 years ago when, with some encouragement from my doctor and therapist, I started writing down the bones of a couple long-held story lines. Much is autobiographical blended with parts of many people who have made an impression on me. I could see in my mind’s eye the main character, the Major, as I’ve known a man or two like him. I spent many a long night working on developing him. More than six months. As well as the book’s other characters. Then one day I decided I’d dangled my feet in the water long enough and it was time to swim. HONOR DUE was essentially finished in 3 months. The locale is real easy to write about. I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest rainforest 26 years ago, and have never looked back. The vast tracks of timberland make me feel as if anyone could hide out here forever. I’d always thought the West End of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula would lend itself to some sort of mystery or thriller, and is a fine piece of real estate for people who want to mind their own business.

Back to the book. I knew I wanted to write something that felt authentic. I wanted the characters to be alive in their environment and to describe the beauty of this wonderful corner of God’s green earth. I hope ‘The Citizen Warrior’ series encompasses this objective. So many books today turn me off with action that can’t possibly happen and with a cast of characters I wouldn’t have to dinner. They’re neurotic, full of angst and can’t seem to tie their own shoes without agonizing over it. They bumble and stumble along until I want to reach into the page and give ‘em a good shake, telling them “to get on with it!” When I read about an assassin, I want to read about a person I can believe will kill you without blinking an eye. Bang! You’re dead! That’s what I did with the Major. I figured that after 35 years in the world’s killing fields and was still alive, his days of making fundamental errors in judgment were over. You cross him, and he won’t be asking you why you did it. After you’re dead, if the why interests him he might look into the matter. Otherwise you just stepped into high doodoo and ain’t getting a second chance.

D.H. Brown is the author of HONOR DUE. You can visit his website at www.dhbrownbooks.com.

D.H.’s virtual book tour is brought to you by the fine folks of Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Jean Lauzier.

CINCO DE MAYO by Don Miles: “It all started with a lovely young señorita from Mexico City.”

“Why is a ‘gringo’ like you writing a book about Mexicans?” This is often the question as I tour around, speaking about my book at libraries, schools and bookstores.

It all started with a lovely young señorita from Mexico City who came up to my table in the cafeteria at college and said, “Hi. I’m one of the foreign students. May I sit here?” We married, raised two children, and travelled all over Mexico for more than forty years. The book is dedicated to her memory.

What finally triggered the book, though, was the day the principal came on the P.A. system where I was teaching – on May fifth – and said, “Boys and girls, this is Mexican Independence Day, just like our Fourth of July.” That’s wrong, because Mexican Independence Day is September 16th, so I went to her office to advise her of that fact. “Well, we’ve always taught it that way, so don’t make trouble!” she said.

I searched bookstores and libraries to find a book that would prove my point. There were 56 children’s books on the market, but the adult books had been out-of-print for more than sixty years. In children’s books, the French army suddenly shows up in Puebla, Mexico looking for a fight. Nobody says how they got there or what they want. They’re just the “bad guys.” The Frenchmen lose the battle, and the Mexicans are very happy. Then you turn the page and it says, “Now, here’s how to make a piñata for your classroom party!”

That’s when I said to myself, Somebody’s got to write this book!” So here it is.

Don Miles is the author of Cinco De Mayo: What is Everybody Celebrating? You can visit his website at www.donmiles.com.

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME by Lisa Daily: “I had just sold a novel, and I had no idea if I knew how to write one.”

I have not one, but two, of the strangest publishing tales in history.

It never happens like this. But it happened to me. Twice.

Which means, it could happen to you.

Here are my stories:

Fifteen Minutes of Shame is my debut novel, but I also wrote a non-fiction dating advice book entitled Stop Getting Dumped!

Bizarre Publishing Experience #1

Stop Getting Dumped!

My husband and I moved to Minneapolis after he finished grad school, and our young son was still miraculously taking three hour naps every day. I decided it would be fun to write a dating advice book in my spare time, and sell it online instead of going the traditional publishing route.

I did the math, and figured I’d make a lot more money if I published the book myself.

I never looked for an agent, I never submitted to a single publisher. I have an advertising background, and I knew art directors, I knew printers, I knew production people. I figured, how hard can it be? Besides, I planned to do all the marketing myself, and after 8 years of serving the advertising needs of corporate America, I thought I might like to call all the shots in my next creative endeavor. For a change.

So, I wrote my little dating book in about six weeks, set a pub date (Valentine’s Day, naturally) bought myself a block of ISBN numbers and found a good short run printer. I hired a book publicist to send out review copies ($5000, resulting in 7, count ‘em, 7 media hits) and built a website.

When Oprah didn’t call immediately, I started to worry. When B&N national decided to pass, I started to freak. I woke up in the middle of the night, terrified that I’d spent $10,000 we didn’t really have. I decided that publicity, lots and lots of publicity, would be my only salvation. So every time I woke up with nightmares of being sucked into a quicksand-fast hole of debt, I cranked out a press release and faxed it to every media outlet I could think of.

I got booked on a local radio station. I got booked on the local TV station. B&Ns all over the country started placing individual orders for my book. My $5000 publicist managed to snag a quickie review in the New York Daily News (thank you, Alev Aktar).

The interview requests started to pick up, and I had the idea to pitch the book to the Ally McBeal show –it seemed like a good fit, one of the characters was always doing weird stuff to try to snag a man. I sent off my pitch and received a lovely form letter back stating that they could not look at my book and pitch unless they came from an agent.

Well, that was inconvenient. I didn’t have an agent. Fortunately, my $5000 publicist had a good friend who was an agent, and she was pretty certain her agent pal would be willing to slap a cover letter on my package for Ally McBeal.

I’d racked up about thirty interviews, the book started taking off, but I was spending a couple of hours a day in my garage. (in Minnesota, in February), packaging up books one and two at a time for individual stores who’d ordered, and re-ordered them.

I was spending most of my writing time billing stores (individually, gawd help me) and shipping out books.

Two days later, as I returned from my freezing cold garage/shipping center, I got a message from the agent on my answering machine. She said she’d read my book, she loved it, and to give her a call if I ever wanted to sell it to a major publisher.

Hmmm. Thrills and glory as a big-time author? Or two hours a day in the garage? Hmmm…what to do, what to do? As soon as my fingers started to thaw, I dialed the phone.

We talked for an hour, and I agreed to sign on with her. I worked on a proposal over the weekend and sent it and my contract off on Monday morning. On Tuesday I got a call from the Sally Jessy Raphael show. They wanted to book me for Thursday.

I called Lorraine, my newly-minted agent, who promptly set up meetings with as many editors as she could squeeze in before my return flight. Two days later, I was in NYC, sitting across from Sally Jessy, one of the nicest interviewers I’ve ever met. I had meetings with three editors, all at big houses, and had offers from all six major houses by the end of the week.

I signed with the brilliant and talented Trena Keating at Plume, who crashed my book (released it as fast as they could print it) and published it for May, just ten weeks after my original self-published version had been released.

Howard Stern booked me for his radio show, and STOP GETTING DUMPED! hit the Amazon.com bestseller list on the very first day it was released.

And Howard Stern, thank you, did not ask me to take off my shirt even once.

Bizarre Publishing Experience #2

So, STOP GETTING DUMPED! sold really well for several years, and I was busy having a child and moving (twice) so I didn’t have much time to think about my next book, but one day my editor and agent (see story #1) said, “Lisa, it’s time to write a new dating book.”

Trena and I agreed to have lunch at Book Expo while I was in NYC to chat about my next project. I told her about my idea for a new dating book, and she nodded and smiled and we talked about how it might work.

But I didn’t actually want to write another dating book just yet, I wanted to write a novel. I just kept talking myself out of telling anyone about it because I’d spent the last four years building this killer platform as the queen of dating and it seemed a waste to throw it all away and start all over again as a first-time novelist.

But she said something that made me pause. She mentioned a proposal for a novel she’d received — she said she’d thought of me when she read it.

Always the picture of coolness and self-restraint, I blurted out my idea for the novel, a book I’d been thinking about for the last four years, just as the meal was ending and the coffee was arriving. It was one of those great moments where you’re both leaning over the table, talking a mile a minute, energy buzzing between you, and she told me, “forget the dating book, you’ve got to write that novel.”

We stayed for another forty-five minutes, talking about the storyline, the characters (and one mutual acquaintance in particular who was the inspiration for the cheating husband) and how it could all work together.

I asked her how much of the book I needed to write in order for her to buy it, and she said, “about half.”

I had written approximately one page. (I was pretty sure the answer wasn’t going to be “one page” but hey, a girl can dream…)

I told her I would be back in New York in September (3 months away) with a proposal and half the book. Then, as soon as I returned home, we set a meeting and I booked a non-refundable plane ticket.

I worked on the proposal like a maniac, wrote all day and read NOVEL WRITING FOR COMPLETE MORONS and THE MARSHALL PLAN in the bathtub at night. A few weeks before my meeting was set, I locked myself in a hotel room for four days and pounded out another six chapters.

The night before my meeting I had ten chapters and a kickass proposal. Not half, but close enough. I flew to New York and met with Trena, who had just been promoted to Editor in Chief at Dutton, and my new editor-to-be Allison Dickens (who actually introduced herself as my new editor, always a good start to a pitch meeting). They loved the proposal, they wanted the book.

My agent and I went out for champagne to celebrate, and she dropped me at my hotel a few hours later.

I felt this amazing mix of happiness and triumph and chaotic energy. Then, I sat down on the bed, and cried my eyes out.

I had just sold a novel, and I had no idea if I knew how to write one.

I worried about that until I got to the end.

***

And that’s how it happened. Even though it never happens that way.

Except sometimes.

Lisa Daily is the author of FIFTEEN MINUTES OF SHAME. You can visit her website at www.lisadaily.com.

LOST SOULS by Lisa Jackson: “…the opportunities seemed boundless.”

Just for the record, I do NOT believe in vampires. I’m not sure about ghosts, but I’m not buying into the whole werewolf, goblin, flesh-eating zombies scary creatures of the night thing.

That said, I find them fascinating creatures. Our culture seems obsessed with everything that touches on paranormal, and, hey, I’m right there. I LOVE a good ghost story or television show or movie. And I love to be scared (why is this?) So back to the vampire thing. I decided to write a book around a vampire cult.

I’d tossed the idea around for years, discussed it with my editor and just had it simmering on the back burner until the timing was right. Which just so happens turned out to be last year when I was thinking about a story for Kristi Bentz, one of my favorite characters. Kristi was first introduced in HOT BLOODED as New Orleans Detective Rick Bentz’s daughter. They had an interesting relationship from the get go and in the ensuing books of the New Orleans series, Kristi grew up. (It was always hard to keep her from stealing the show.)

So, years later, it’s time for her to have a story of her own and I thought, hey, what about that vampire idea? What if Kristi, after Hurricane Katrina, is at a cross-roads in her life? What if she wants to write a true crime novel and her father is absolutely against the idea? What if she, because of an injury in ALL SOULS has some kind of sixth sense and can see people in black and white just before they die? What if she sees her father’s death? What if she runs across a cult who worship vampires? What if coeds are going missing. What if . . . well, you get the picture.

I started putting ideas down and all those thoughts that had been rattling around in my head for years came together. I even had a natural for the hero when I thought back to her first boyfriend and how she’d dumped him. What if that kid had grown into a sexy man who just happens to become one of her professors.

You see, the opportunities seemed boundless. I had so many ideas I had to pare them all down and so, LOST SOULS was created.
You can read more about LOST SOULS or any of my other novels at www.lisajackson.com.

Lisa Jackson is hte author of the romantic suspense thriller novel, LOST SOULS. You can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com.

Lisa’s virtual book tour is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit us at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.

The Story Behind the Book Presents: JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART: LIVING AND WORKING AUTHENTICALLY by Nancy Oelklaus

Journey from Head to Heart:  Living and Working Authentically began as a small book of poetry which I halfheartedly tried to get published about ten years ago and then set aside. I decided the difference I was to make would come through one-on-one coaching with people who wanted to change their lives, not through writing books.

 

After I had been coaching for several years, my daughter-in-law called and asked if she and her friend could study with me to learn my process. Honored, I worked with them over several week-ends for a couple of years. During this time, to assist their learning, I wrote out my process in the form of a series of week-end workshops.

 

But when it came time to work out the business agreement, we couldn’t do it. I wanted to protect my intellectual property, and they didn’t want any constraints on what they did with the work. My daughter-in-law’s friend finally said, “If you would just write a book, then we could do whatever we want.”

 

She was right. So that’s what I did.

 

The writing took a year and a half, working with a literary consultant with years of experience. At one time I actually had two manuscripts, which eventually came together as one. Then my literary consultant morphed into my agent. For about a year she took the proposal to one major publishing house after another, with only rejections to show for her efforts. I knew that something had to change.

 

I also knew that what had to change was me, so at the last minute, I decided to take a break and register for a women’s retreat. My stated heart’s desire during the retreat was to find a publisher for my book. When the workshop leader brought to my attention how weak my voice was when I talked about publication, I realized that my own lameness was my problem. But I still didn’t know what to do about it.

 

Also attending the retreat was the owner of ReaderViews.com, Irene Watson, whom I met through a friend who had gone to the retreat with me. When she heard my plight, Irene offered to review the manuscript. Following the retreat, I sought her advice about changing agents, since my current agent had no results for a year of effort. Instead, Irene contacted a publisher she had worked with, Victor Volkman of Loving Healing Press in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He asked to see the manuscript. By then, thanks to Irene’s good advice, it had undergone a thorough editing. He loved the editing first (less work for him) and the content, as well. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

Each of the phases this book went through was necessary. Looking back, I see it was important for me to keep moving—to be willing to let go of the phase I had completed and open to the next one. This wasn’t always easy, but I see now that the process was perfectly designed for success.

 

Nancy Oelklaus is the author of JOURNEY FROM HEAD TO HEART.  You can visit her website at www.headtoheart.info.

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JOEY GONZALEZ, GREAT AMERICAN by Tony Robles

I had no idea I was going to write a children’s book, much less a children’s book addressing affirmative action. But the story was inside me, waiting for the moment to be born. That time came when I learned about World Ahead, a publishing house with a line of conservative theme children’s books. I was intrigued by the idea of teaching conservative values through children’s literature. I decided to write and submit a story teaching my mother’s lessons of ethnic pride and self reliance.

When I sat down to write, I had only one solid idea and that was Joey’s response to affirmative action. That would be the centerpiece, and I would build the story around it. I figured all I would have to do was lay the groundwork, introduce the backup characters, get Joey to school and set up the confrontation. I had a feeling that Joey would take it from there. That’s exactly what happened. The characters instantly came alive and, from that point, the story wrote itself.

There’s a wonderful part in the story when the character, Sandy talks about her heroes, the Buffalo Soldiers. That was not in the original manuscript. The Buffalo Soldiers came in later when I met with Jim Pryor, the illustrator. Jim has a beautiful painting of a column of Buffalo Soldiers riding two by two up a steep ravine. I really liked the painting and I said I wished I could put it into the book. Jim suggested that I add the Buffalo Soldiers, and he would do the painting. Reading the story now, it seems as though the Buffalo Soldiers had been there from the beginning, as if they had been meant to be there. Maybe that’s true. Maybe Sandy was just waiting for her cue.

The book is beautifully and lovingly illustrated with exquisitely detailed watercolors. Jim Pryor has always painted with oils and acrylics. For this project, he taught himself to paint with watercolors. The quality of the paintings in Joey Gonzalez, Great American show that Jim Pryor is truly a master of his art.

Tony Robles is the author of the children’s book, Joey Gonzalez, Great American.  You can visit his website at www.joeygonzalez.us.

FROM BLANK PAGE TO BOOK SHELVES by Theresa Chaze

From Blank Page to Book Shelves–How to Successfully Create and Market Your Book was written not only to help other writers improve their craft, but also to help them navigate the business end of the industry. The first part of the book gives writing tips about characterization, plots and how to create conflict. The middle helps the authors understand the publishing process. The last has marketing and promotional advice.

My first poem was written to my mother as a Mother’s Day gift. Since then I have been hooked. After high school, I took a year off to write a best selling novel. It was a sci-fi with magical and romantic undertones. However, while writing it I realized how little I knew, which is why I decided to further my education. At Michigan State University, I studied not only fiction, but also script and play writing. Although the formats are all different, they share the same need for strong characters, plots and conflict. Without these three aspects, the author cannot tell a successful story.

The first part of the From Blank Page to Book Shelves describes the basics of story crafting. Every story has a fundamental format. I not only describe the process, but I also give examples. I talk about the traditional conflict themes and give examples; however, I added one theme of my own that goes beyond what the text books teach. I had always thought creating character profiles was something that every writer just normally did; however, after talking to many writers I learned that I was mistaken. It amazed me to learn how little they knew about the people they created. How can you introduce someone to your readers when you don’t know them yourself? When I create a character, I know it from the inside out. It is not enough to know what they look like, you need to know their hopes, dreams and more importantly their fears. Other topics I cover are point of view and creating your own style or voice.

The second part of the book helps authors understand the legalities of the industry. Copyright, whether from the federal government or the Writer’s Guild, establishes ownership of the work. This section also helps the writer define her or his publishing expectations. In addition, with all the unethical publishers cruising to take advantage, this section helps the author to ask the right questions. It is much easier to get into a contract than it is to get out of one.

Marketing, promotions, and getting into bookstores is covered in the final section. Writing is the easy part of the process. Creating interest through marketing and promotions will take up most of the author’s time and energy. I have added chapters on what bookstores look for and how to correctly use search engine keywords. How a book is presented to the reading public will determine how successful it will be.
From Blank Page to Book Shelves–How To Success Create and Publish Your Book is available on my website at www.theresachaze.com for 7.00; if you buy it during the tour, I will also send 345 page listing of over 2000 independent bookstores. It is also part of the Amazon Kindle program.

Theresa Chaze is the author of From Blank Page to Book Shelves.  You can visit her website at www.theresachaze.com.

THE POETRY OF MURDER by Bernadette Steele

The Poetry of Murder was inspired by my current residence; admiration for poets; subjects that intrigue me; and the need to create mechanisms that would naturally generate future story lines.

For the past four years, I have lived at the International House at the University of Chicago. International House is located in Chicago in the south-side community of Hyde Park. International House is a graduate residence for students from around the world and it hosts many cultural and educational events. The gothic architecture of International House and the University of Chicago campus and the cozy atmosphere of Hyde Park with its townhouses, Queen Anne homes, Gothic Revival mansions and tree lined streets made it the natural setting for a murder mystery written with an amateur sleuth. I was attracted to the idea of contrasting the majestic architecture and academic persona of Hyde Park with the bad behavior of the characters who live in this community. During my many walks around Hyde Park, I often wondered what went on behind the limestone walls of the university and the hand carved double doors of the large homes that adorn the community.

I decided to have my amateur sleuth, Geneva Anderson, be a poet because to my knowledge poets are not typically portrayed as being crime-solvers. I admire poets for their ability to turn words into verse that can speak to the soul and comfort the heart.

I have always been fascinated by psychoanalytic therapy and the hidden subcultures in America. In The Poetry of Murder, Geneva attends psychoanalytic therapy sessions. I believe that psychoanalytic therapy can and does help people to confront and resolve issues. We all need someone to talk to and sometimes family, friends, and spiritual leaders are either not available or are just not sufficient.
Psychoanalytic therapists generally spend time listening to patients talk about their lives. The therapy provider looks for patterns or significant events that may play a role in the client’s current difficulties. Psychoanalysts believe that childhood events and unconscious feelings, thoughts, and motivations play a role in mental illness and maladaptive behaviors.

During Geneva’s treatment, her therapist provides an empathetic and nonjudgmental environment where she can feel safe in revealing feelings or actions that have led to stress or tension in her life. In Geneva’s case, simply sharing these burdens with another person has a beneficial influence.

In the novel, I also explore the topic of hidden subcultures in America whose members are from social classes and professions that we would least suspect. There are a countless number of hidden subcultures in America whose members invest a large portion of their time and money into such things as collecting exotic knives, baby dolls, rabbits, go-cart racing, and etc. One of the supporting characters and Geneva’s sidekick, Zain Valdez, is a fencer who becomes involved with the hidden subculture of underground fencing. The idea that there are organized groups of people who meet in secret to carry out activities that don’t fit the norm fascinates me. These subculture groups have their own vocabulary, traditions, and rules that bind them together.

Because The Poetry of Murder is the first book in a series of mysteries, I had to set up certain elements that would facilitate the stories for future books. One of these elements included having her live at International House, a place where people from all around the world come to live and where various cultural and educational programs take place. A second element was to have her be a poet with extensive financial resources. Thus, enabling her to have a reason and a means to encounter a variety of situations in which she would meet people and travel. The third element was to have Geneva participate in psychoanalytical therapy. This story element helps to bring out issues that the character faces and aspects of her personal life.

As the Geneva Anderson mysteries continue, I look forward to seeing Geneva solve more mysteries in Chicago while working with her therapist and navigating her love and writing life.

Bernadette Steele is a native of Chicago, Illinois and is currently a PhD candidate at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She is a technical writer, website designer, speaker and the author of The Poetry of Murder. Visit http://www.bernadettesteele.net  to learn more.