Anonymous Remailer Services and creepy emails

For my email, I use GMAIL and have the notification turned on so I can see who the email is from and the subject. Just a bit ago, I received an email with subject "Books" from Anonymous. I was thinking maybe this person had used my contact form on my website to contact me about ordering some books or something pertaining to my series.

I jumped over and read the email. It was kind of weird. It really is from an anonymous person (due to the services of an anonymous remailer). I have no idea who sent it or why they are targeting me and my books. The email wasn't really bad towards me but towards 4RV in a round about way. I've seen comments on blog postings after I've left a comment that are nonsense type things and haven't really thought much about it. This email is kind of creepy though.

Here is the message from the anonymous person:

Hi Elysabeth,

I wanted to let you know that I've been reading various blogs about your book project. I think you've come up with a wonderful idea for children. I looked at the company's site for more info, but it doesn't look very pleasing. (Did you know they've been red flagged?) I'm glad to hear that you're leaving them because their books look terrible and I don't think you'll get noticed or taken seriously. Hopefully you'll be able to get better looking books with your new publisher and you'll be able to get them into our schools.

Good luck out there.

I tried sending a reply to the emailer and then got another response - basically saying that I couldn't reply to folks using the remailer service but could block them from sending me emails. Here is the reply from my reply email to the anonymous sender:

This message is being sent to you automatically in response to an email
that you sent to .

Most likely, you tried to reply to an email that has been sent through
this service. If you did not send an email to ,
please ignore this message.

The Anonymous Remailer is a free service that
allows individuals including crime victims, domestic violence victims,
persons in recovery, and others, such as those living under oppressive
regimes, to communicate confidentially in a manner that ensures their
privacy under even the most adverse conditions.

To block individuals using this remailer from sending email to your
address in the future, please send a message to
containing the line

destination-block eeldering@gmail.com

anywhere in the body text of the email. You can simply forward this
entire email to using your email
program for your current email address to be permanently blocked
from users of the Anonymous Remailer.

For more information about the Anonymous Remailer Administrator's
strict anti-abuse policy, please send a blank email to


Sincerely,

-- The Anonymous Remailer Administrator

It almost makes me feel like I'm being stalked. I wish I knew who sent it so I could figure out what they meant about 4RV being red flagged. I don't agree with them and perhaps they have another publisher confused with who I was with. Weird. Creepy. Unnerving. (I don't want to go into hiding, no I won't do it - lol)

Winner, again!

Talk about it being a good week all around - I've won a second book - a signed galley of Marshall Karp's Cut, Paste, Kill. From the website, here is the original posting with my response. Don't know why I posted a response but it sounded like fun. I apparently was following M. J. Rose's sites stumbling on this contest. The solutions and ad man's answer can be found here, which I like much better than my puny little answer - but it was a starting point I guess. Of course they are advertising gurus, whereas I am not. I do what I can and have very little budget. Maybe I should see if he would do an advertising campaign for my series - lol.

WEEKLY WRAPUP OF GOOD THINGS:
1) I won a copy of Reading Magic by Mem Fox from the Indie-Debut 2010 site (see my posting on the other blog)
2) I've been sending out an email campaign to homeschool associations/groups and so far have hit 25 of the listed 53 states/territories in a total of 11 emails and some of the email addresses are bouncing back but some are bringing in results
a) I've been asked to advertise on The Link Magazine website but I can't afford advertising right now, so will have to wait for that
b) I've been asked to join the H.E.R.I. convention in Jacksonville, FL in July as a vendor (I had considered this one recently but because of the deadline being a couple of weeks ago and me not having the funds at the time, decided to forego this one this year) but they will take applications through the 1st of July, which helps me since I can probably swing the fees by then
c) I've been asked to consider attending another conference next year (this year's has already happeened) in Illinois as a vendor (this one being a 12+ hour drive, I really need to think about this; perhaps they will have an advertising campaign that I can participate in)
d) From the email campaign, received a response stating that she had passed info to other members in the group and that her daughter loves geography and history and that they would be using my books to study US History in the fall - I told her about the special deal I had going right now, and she placed an order (my first sale for Reservations) this morning - woohoo - go me!!! - (for more information on this, please see my other blog for a "Sweet Deal" - the deal has been extended to June 5, so order your copies in the next two weeks)
3) I won a copy Marshall Karp's book as listed above.

Hopefully the emails will pay off in the long run and Reservations will be in my hands by the 15th of June and Altitude will be available shortly after that. I'll keep you all posted (on the JGDS blog) when books are available. E :) - ((((((doing the happy dance, has won two books and things are looking up for the series))))))

Is Free Profitable by author Dana Donovan

Ten years ago I finished my first book, "Attraction of Blood". Since then I have written another ten books, taking time between each to author the perfect query letter design to hook a literary agent into selling my work. Typically, after a hundred or so rejection letters, I convince myself that maybe this book doesn't have what it takes to go mainstream, and so I endeavor to write a better, more marketable novel that no agent in his right mind can pass up. Such has been the endless cycle of the last decade.

Naturally, amid all the writing and querying, I am also self promoting, self publishing and self marketing. For most of you, this is nothing new. That you are reading this now is likely because you are a member of VBT or some other writers group and by being here, you are presently engaged in this very practices.

So my topic today is more of a question, which I will pose after sharing this observation with you. It is something I have noticed this past year having participated in the monthly rotation of hosting and being hosted on the "Writers on the Move Virtual Book Tour." There seems to be two equally interesting facets to the typical format that participating members employ when featured on the tour.

First is the self promoting format. I love this type. Except for the newest members to the VBT community, I have stopped by all your blogs and met (I think) everyone in the group. The diversity amazes me. The wealth of talent assembled within this micro community inspires and encourages me to plow ahead whenever I feel deflated by the infinite dead ends I hit in my efforts to further a career still in-waiting. So to all of you I say thanks. Your good-fellowship is priceless and heart warming.

The second format that I see employed in these tours is the academic side. Though I love the self promoting facet, I especially appreciate the brass tacks, tactile, take it and run advice that some of you offer when your turn comes up in rotation. I am talking about the helpful hints and pointers offered as a means to further one's career, to move one beyond the rut that we all sometimes find ourselves in. Stephen Tremp does this well, so does Marvin Wilson, the Old Silly. Last week I hosted Mayra Calvani who also shared with us her tips on helping us dig out of our ruts by cultivating the right mood for the type of writing we are trying to express. Karen, Lea, Maggie; you too work the ropes expertly. Truth is that many of you thoughtfully share tips with us of things that have worked for you.

It is in that spirit that I attempt to share with you something that has recently worked for me in gaining exposure as an author, and by extension, sales of my books. My suspicion is that this may not, in fact, be news for some of you, but hopefully it will be for others.

What is this cool marketing tool? Perhaps not so surprisingly, it is the oldest marketing tool in business, used by corporations large and small, by emerging young enterprises, pushcart street vendors and even (though I don't condone it) by illegal drug dealers. I am talking about the Free Sample, the Buy-One-Get-One and the outright Free-No-Questions-Asked promotions.

Like many of you, I am self published and have listed electronic versions of my books on, among other places, Smashwords. I applaud their concept: read half free, buy the rest if you like it. It is not original. I know that. Frankly I have used that same marketing strategy on my on website for years. But I have recently taken that construct to another level. Instead of letting a prospective buyer read only some of the manuscript (book), I let them read all of it. Better still, I let them read a second one as well, absolutely free. The hook is the same. If they like it, they will buy more. What I have found, however, is that if they like an entire book (or two) they are far more likely to buy additional books from you than they are if given only half. Trust me on this. I have really followed this closely.

To be clear, again we are talking about ebooks only now. Naturally, print copies are out of the question. That said, I can tell you that sales of my ebooks on Smashwords have been fair, especially compared to e-versions at Lulu. In the first few months on Smashwords, where nine of my books are listed, I averaged one thousand sample downloads, resulting in six books actually sold. A little over a month ago I made available the first two books of my Detective Marcella Paranormal Mysteries series totally free. This resulted in a virtual flood of ebook downloads (nearly 8000 in six weeks), which translated into one hundred and seventy eight sold copies of my other books!

Of course, this does not work well if you only have one book, but it does if you have two or more, which many of you have. Now I know that no author relishes giving away her hard work for free, but the exposure to a mass audience is something I am willing to compromise on. The sales this month of my ebooks on Smashwords by far eclipses the sale of those same books on Lulu in the past ten years. Does that mean it is right for you? Maybe not, but I thought I would share my thoughts on the matter just the same.

So now my question. What practice do you employ to bolster sales of your books, and how well is it working?

Dana E. Donovan,
author of the Detective Marcella Paranormal Mysteries series
Resurrection, Abandoned, Skinny and more.

Paperbacks
e-books
free downloads>

Meet Author Dana Donovan

Dana will be my guest author on May 6. Check out how he's turned "free promotion" into a profit. Here is a bit about Dana and his books:

Dana Donovan grew up in New England where folklore and superstitions can mold a town’s history as much as its people. Here, in the fictitious town on New Castle, Dana exploits that phenomenon, perpetuating the enigma of small town life and the belief in all that dies is not dead.

Books by this author include: Abandoned, A Talisman’s tale, Resurrection, Skinny, Death & Other Little Inconveniences, The Witch’s Ladder, Eye of the Witch, The Witch’s Key, Bones of a Witch, and soon to be released Witch House. For more about the author, stop by his website.

Blog tour time

Just a reminder that I'm featured on Martha Swirzinski's blog today with an interview by her daughter and a short review of the first two books. Stop by and leave a comment - E :)

Peggy Fieland on National Poetry Month

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
by Peggy Fieland

When was the last time you read a poem? If you're like many of us, it was when your teacher made you do it. If that's so, you're missing one of life's great pleasures. Now a days, it's easier than ever to find poetry. One place to start is the website of the Academy of American Poets. There you can find biographies of American poets, poetry, books for sale, a calendar of events, and much more. You can even search the website for a particular poet or poem.

April is National Poetry month here in the United States and we can all help celebrate it by welcoming poetry into our lives.. First celebrated in 1996, National Poetry Month was conceived by the Academy of American Poets as a way for poets, poetry publishers, booksellers, libraries, and individuals to promote poetry and its place in our lives with poetry readings, workshops, festivals and other events. Some of its goals are :

Showcase American poets, past and present
Promote the pleasures of reading poetry and encourage indivivuals to read more poetry
Find new ways to bring poets and poetry to the attention of the public
Encourage the teaching of poetry in our schools
Promote greater media coverage of poetry
Increase sales of poetry books, and widen their availability
Increase public and private monetary support for poetry and poets

So what can you do? You can buy a poetry book or magazine, or borrow one or two from your library and read them. You can memorize a poem, recite a poem, write a poem, attend a poetry festival or a poetry reading, or contribute to a poetry organization, and lots more. If you're in need of ideas, the Academy of American Poetry has a list of 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month, one for each day of the month of April. Here is the link.

If you haven't read much poetry lately, you might be at a loss of where to start. One way is to check out an anthology of poetry from your local library, or pick one up at your local bookstore. Then read through it, and see which poets you enjoy reading. I usually have a stack of poetry books I'm reading, and have one or more in my briefcase. I find it's a great way to pass the time while waiting for appointments. Reading one poet leads me to another, and on and on. I generally have three or four checked out of my local library. In fact, the libraries around here have a network and a website where it's easy to search for books, request them, and have them delivered to my local library for pickup.

Want to find more poets to read? Here are a few ideas:

Since 1937 the USA has had a consultant (old title) or Poet Laureate who serves for a year (or several years). Here is a timeline, including some information about each of the poets.

You might start by reading about Kay Ryan, the current Poet Laurate.

Here is a link to the website for the Canadian Parlimentary Poet Laureate. The current Canadian Poet Laureate is Pierre DesRuisseaux.

England has had a Poet Laureate for hundreds of years. The current Poet Laureate is Carol Ann Duffy.

Did you have to memorize poetry in school? I did, and I can still recite a lot of it by heart. Consider trying to memorize a few of your favorite poems. Start by reading the poem over several time, then read it out loud. Try reading it several times a day for a week or so and you'll probably find you can recite by heart. Or you can start by copying your favorite poems into a notebook that you can carry around with you and read whenever you like.

Maybe you'll even write a few poems. I still write poems for family holidays and birthdays, whenever someone at my office is leaving, or whatever. It doesn't take much of an excuse to get me to pick up my pen and write a poem.

And here, in case you're interested in reading more about them, is an article about limericks:


Here is a poem I penned (So here, just for grins, is one for y'all):

Amusing Muse

One day while walking the dog
I happened to sit on a log.
I thought of a ditty,
though short, it was witty,
about rainy weather and fog.

I ran home to write my poem down.
When writing I started to frown.
My poem wasn't right.
My verse was quite slight.
I started messing around.

I started by making conversions.
Soon I had several more versions.
I'd nothing to loose,
I didn't choose,
I kept them all just for diversion.

If you're inspired one night,
sit up and turn on the light.
Don't be averse
to writing a verse,
you might be surprised what you'll write.


PEGGY'S BIOGRAPHY: Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Daughter of a painter, she is the mother of three grown sons and an accomplished flute and piccolo player. She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein's ?Farmer in the Sky? for her tenth birthday, now long past. She lives in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and seven dogs. Her poems, articles and stories have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Main Channel Voices, Echolocation, and Twisted Tongue. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the initial version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. You may visit her website.



Peggy on Writing Math Poems:
Writing math poems

My undergrad major was mathematics and my grad degree is in computer science, so in a way I'm a natural to be writing poems about mathematics. However, I started writing poetry as a teenager to express the usual teen angst and went on to write poetry for family holidays and the like and when I started writing poetry for publication it was about family and personal life. I never even considered writing poetry about mathematics.

I did, however, write "Round". Round was sparked by my memory of a discussion in a college physics class about the rate at which a cup of coffee would cool and how the shape of the cup played into it. I didn't love college physics, and this was easily the most memorable thing in the whole course. The other thing was a memory from a math class about the sphere having the least surface area per unit volume of any solid figure.

So I wrote "Round" and sent it off and it was accepted. A friend read it and pronounced the finest math poem she'd ever read.

Huh? This is a math poem? She did manage to convince me, and to consider writing a series of them. When I started on the series, I went looking for books on the history of mathematics, and found mighty slim pickings. One book on the story of counting for kids and one or two fairly serious, heavy tomes for grownups. I did find a few interesting articles online, but not a book of the kind I wanted.

I had initially intended not to submit any of the poems to journals, as I intend to publish them as a collection. I did submit several to Umbrella for the special school subjects fall issue and had two accepted, and submitted five this past October to the winter issue of Cyclamens and Swords (yet to appear), as the theme, ticklish subjects, seemed another good fit. I've subbed a query to one publisher and had them reply asking for some sample poems, which I sent them, and am still waiting to hear back. I'm also working on a MG/YA novel about a girl who wants to go to Music camp, and continuing to write poetry.

There is, however, still that little voice that says I should write that non-fiction math book for kids I couldn't find.

Poetry anyone?

April is National Poetry Month. Follow me in four days for Author and Poet, Peggy Fieland, who will be sharing an article she wrote specifically for this month and one of her poems.

I dare you to write a poem after reading the article - Mrs. E :)



Books, Authors and Info! Join us during April.

A glimpse into my life

For more on what I've gone through over the past year and what's coming up in the future, stop over at Stephen Tremp's blog and leave a comment. I'd like to know what some of you writers go through during a typical day or month or whatever - E :)

From NaNo to published - A Gift From Above -

Heather Paye is my guest today. Let's find out how she went from a 30-day novel challenge to published. (Of note, Heather refers to NaNo as a contest, but it really is a challenge of oneself to prove you can write 50,000 words in 30 days. I've participated in NaNo as a cheerleader for my friends and actually did write a YA novel a couple of Novembers ago, which I'm hoping to edit and publish one of these days, but working on my 50-state stories is my main objective for the time being.)

So Heather, please tell us about your experience with NaNoWriMo that led to you becoming a published author:


When I heard of this contest called "NaNoWriMo" I decided to participate and write a 50,000 word novel in one month's time. After all, how hard could it be? I wrote a novel before, so writing another one wouldn't be too hard. Well, I found out it was no walk in the park, you'd be surprised at how often life hits you, and you spend every waking moment working on producing words that make sense. Anyways, I emerged victorious. At the beginning it was understood there were no prizes, just a little printable certificate and your rough draft for your novel. It turns out that the year that I participated each person who managed to write 50,000 words or more were to receive a free proof copy if they decided to self-publish their book. I had nothing to lose, so I went for it. I had six months to get this all done (there was an expiration date on the free proof copy coupon), so I worked away, and four months later we welcomed "A Gift From Above" to stores, a self-published gem. Today, the first novel that I wrote "The Jewel of Onsolot" is being prepared for publication at a traditional publisher. So you can see, I'm not so one-sided when it comes to publishers. Age has never really been an issue for me when it comes to publishing, as long as you're serious and you maintain a professional tone publishers will - and do - take you seriously.

I think that the publishing process is the same for both traditional and self-publishing, at least up to a certain point in the game anyways. Write the book, edit until your eyes fall out, put them back in, and edit some more. After that, you should search for publishers, either traditional or self-publishers, beware of vanity presses though, not that they're bad, but they require that you pay money (usually thousands) to get your book published. After deciding on a publisher then things take two different points. For traditional publishing, you just read the submission guidelines, gather everything you need, edit EVERYTHING, and then send it in. Traditional publishing takes patience and you should be a team player, even if you're not. For self-publishing, it's not quite so mellow, being the editors, illustrator, layout and design, marketer, it's all very time consuming. Never a dull moment though with so much to do. Either route you choose be sure to have a great marketing plan, in this economy, you'll need it. Get out a calendar and mark on each day what you'll do to promote your book, it does help.

"A Gift From Above" is doing alright swimming in this economy, but it could be doing better. Some months there are plenty of purchases, while others are quieter than empty fields. These days, people just won't buy a book that costs even $5 when they could buy some essential item they need to survive, like a loaf of bread. Unless you're doing really well, and there is a lot of buzz about your book, then your book won't be seeing so much buying action. Marketing is one of the hardest parts of publishing a book, because it is the longest, it is forever on going. I have found that "A Gift From Above" sells MUCH better in the public eye. I haven't found out why this is yet, possibly just because of the convenience of having the book right there and being able to take it home right away rather than waiting for it to ship or download.

For more on Heather and to order her books, you may go to the following:

Heather's blog
Heather's fan site
Heather's Createspace store
Amazon purchase link
Amazon kindle purchase link

From NaNo to published at the age of 15!

Find out how one NaNoer (that's what participants in National Novel Writing Month are called) went from challenging herself to write a story in 30 days to publishing her novel. Visit Monday, March 8, and read Heather Paye's story on becoming a published author at a young age.

Robin Falls Magazine premier is up

EXTRA! EXTRA! COME SEE ALL ABOUT IT!
at Robin Falls Magazine
***********************************
We would like to invite you to visit our new Robin Falls Magazine and tell us what you think. The magazine is a seasonal online display of work by international Writers and Artists. Most are members of FaceBook group Red River Writers.

It is divided into four sections: Red River Writers, Robin Falls Kids, Radio Shows, and the Book & Art Shop. Within the pages of the sections are 5 interactive, recurring posts where you can ask related questions and get answers from experts.

Red River Writers section contains: Articles, Poetry & Lyrics, Short Stories, Writing & Promoting, Book Reviews, Videos, Excerpts from books, and Art Displays.

Robin Falls Kids section contains: Articles, Stories, Poems, Music, Art, Kids Activities, Book Reviews, Writing & Promoting Tips, Coloring Pages, and Book Trailers.

Radio Shows section relates to Red River Writers Live and Robin Falls Kids Blog Talk Radio Shows. There you will find profiles of Shows, Hosts, Guests, and Assistants. The shows motto is “To Entertain and Education.” Currently Robin Falls produces 15 different styled radio shows, representing all genres. There pages will definitely entertain.

Book and Art Shop at Robin Falls Magazine features work of friends of Robin Falls from all genres. Direct links to learn more about each item with ability to purchase are provided.

As if that was not enough, the magazine is stuffed with links and flashing buttons that will lead you directly to one of our more than 500 merchant affiliate stores. Special effort was made to give you an exciting online shopping experience. There is variety galore and discounts to boot.

So, please enter and relax by our beautiful falls while you view the magazine's magnificent scenery at Robin Falls Magazine.

Your FaceBook Friend,
April
April Robins, CEO Robin Falls, LLC

P.S. Help us get the word out by taking one of our Banners at RFM sub guidelines and putting it on your site. Also, e-mail me if you would like to be in a Banner Exchange at aprilrobins@hughes.net.

Reminder of NOVEMBER host time/DECEMBER VBT schedule

November's VBT - Writers on the Move tour is winding down with only a week left. We have six days of blogs to post their guest bloggers. My posting is tomorrow on Linda Asato. Stop by my JGDS blog and find out why spiders live in Linda's mailbox.



As you can see, December is fast approaching and the VBT - Writers on the move will only be doing one posting for the month of December, December 1st, so there will be a lot of blogs to visit on that day. We will be doing some revamping come January and there will be new schedules after the holidays. I think Karen will start 2010 like our anniversary tour was - each person hosting one day in the month. With almost 30 members, we can run the tours all month long. As the schedules are posted, please check each month on my sidebar to see where we will be. I think 2010 will be a very good year for everyone involved in the virtual blog tours.

Here is the December schedule:

Dianne Sagan is hosting Lea Schizas
Karen Cioffi is hosting Heidi Thomas
Kathy Stemke is hosting Martha Swirzinski
Lea Schizas is hosting Brigitte Thompson
Nancy Famolari is hosting Kathy Stemke
Margaret Fieland is hosting Karen Cioffi
Crystalee Calderwood is hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Katie Hines is hosting Stephen Tremp
Helena Harper is hosting Deborah Weed
Liana Metal is hosting Dianne Sagan
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is hosting Debra Eckerling
Gayle Trent is hosting Dana Donovan
Mayra Calvani is hosting Helena Harper
Marvin Wilson is hosting Mayra Calvani
Linda Asato is hosting Marvin Wilson
Stephen Tremp is hosting Gayle Trent
Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Katie Hines
Darcia Helle is hosting Linda Asato
Deborah Weed is hosting Liana Metal
Brigitte Thompson is hosting Nancy Famolari
Martha Swirzinski is hosting Margaret Fieland
Heidi Thomas is hosting Jane Sutton
Jane Sutton is hosting Darcia Helle
Dana Donovan is hosting Crystalee Calderwood
Dallas Woodburn is hosting Linda Suzane
Linda Suzane is hosting Elysabeth Eldering
Debra Eckerling is hosting Dallas Woodburn

Follow the VBT-Writers on the Move tour (x-posted)

Today, I am being hosted by Margaret Fieland. Stop by and leave a comment. Remember if you leave a comment, you are eligible for a prize. There will be a drawing every day this month during the tour since it is our one year anniversary and we want you the readers to benefit. So stop by, leave a comment and maybe tomorrow your name will be drawn for a prize - E :)

First Book - What got you hooked on reading? contest results

And the state receiving 50,000 books is ....... (drumrool please) Hawaii. Kentucky and Oklahoma were fighting it out but in the end, Hawaii and North Carolina stomped all over them. And believe it or not, South Carolina placed in the top 10, ranking at #8. This from down in the lower 25 of the pack, so kudos to all those readers who took the initiative and voted and put Hawaii out in front and brought South Carolina up from being the low man on totem pole. If you want to see all the states' rankings, just click on the title of this posting and you will be taken directly to the results page.

VBT- Writers on the move celebrates one year!

And you readers will be the winners. We are giving away prizes every day of the tour in November for the first twenty three days. Instead of doing our usual 1st and 3rd postings, each person on the schedule will post on a scheduled day (see schedule below). Stop by each stop and leave a comment and you may win a prize (see below about prizes).


VBT - NOVEMBER SCHEDULE:



November 1 - Dianne Sagan hosting Heidi Thomas
November 2 - Harry Gilleland hosting Karen Cioffi
November 3 - Karen Cioffi hosting Martha Swirzinki
November 4 - Kathy Stemke hosting Brigitte Thompson
November 5 - Nancy Famolari hosting Deborah Weed
November 6 - Margaret Fieland hosting Elysabeth Eldering
November 7 - Crystalee Calderwood hosting Harry Gilleland
November 8 - Katie Hines hosting Heather Paye
November 9 - Helena Harper hosting Steve Tremp
November 10 - Liana Metal hosting Crystalee Calderwood
November 11 - Carolyn Howard-Johnson hosting Marvin Wilson
November 12 - Gayle Trent hosting Dianne Sagan
November 13 - Mayra Calvani hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson
November 14 - Marvin Wilson hosting Gayle Trent
November 15 - Linda Asato hosting Mayra Calvani
November 16 - Heather Paye hosting Katie Hines
November 17 - Steve Tremp hosting Helena Harper
Novemver 18 - Elysabeth Eldering hosting Linda Asato
November 19 - Darcia Helle hosting Liana Metal
November 20 - Deborah Weed hosting Nancy Famolari
November 21 - Brigitte Thompson hosting Margaret Fieland
November 22 - Martha Swirzinki hosting Darcia Helle
November 23 - Heidi Thomas hosting Kathy Stemke


Each day there will be prizes offered. All you have to do is leave a comment on the host's site on the day he/she is posting for their guest and you may be a WINNER!

The Winner will have a choice of ONE of 2 or 3 books of our members or other related gifts, OR a one day guest spot on the VBT - Writers on the Move site!

Prizes being given away EVERY Day from November 1st through November 23rd!

OH! Wait a minute! That's not all! We are still having our Mystery Site Giveaway and the SUPER-DUPER PRIZE is a $25 (US) GIFT CARD to either Amazon, Target, or an American Express Gift Card. I'll know for sure by the end of this month.

Winners will be notified the day after each posting. The Mystery Site Winner will be notified Sunday, November 29th.

Come celebrate with us and maybe be the WINNER of a great gift in the process.

VBT - Writers on the Move group - monthly tour schedule

I'm back on the schedule for the virtual book tour group. I will also be doing this month's viewpoint. Posts will go up on the 1st and 3rd. Here is the schedule:

Dianne Sagan hosting Harry Gilleland
Harry Gilleland hosting Marvin Wilson
Karen Cioffi hosting Kathy Stemke
Kathy Stemke hosting Jane Sutton
Nancy Famolari hosting Steve Tremp
Vivian Zabel hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Margaret Fieland hosting Nancy Famolari
Crystalee Calderwood hosting Elysabeth Eldering
Katie Hines hosting Linda Asato
Helena Harper hosting Katie Hines
Liana Metal hosting Margaret Fieland
Carolyn Howard-Johnson hosting Mayra Calvani
Gayle Trent hosting Crystalee Calderwood
Mayra Calvani hosting Dainne Sagan
Marvin Wilson hosting Helena Harper
Linda Asato hosting Gayle Trent
Heather Paye hosting Vivian Zabel
Steve Tremp hosting Heather Paye
Elysabeth Eldering hosting Liana Metal
Jane Sutton hosting Karen Cioffi
Karen Cioffi hosting Darcia Helle
Darcia Helle hosting Jack Edward George

Quite a lineup we have this month. Please be sure to visit our members' sites.

Aside from book promotion, our authors provide useful writing and marketing articles as part of each tour.

We also have the Mystery Site Giveaway: the winner chooses between the Mystery Site Host's book or a guest spot RIGHT HERE! If you're an author, it's a great prize!

Finally, our Viewpoint segment will be hosted by Elysabeth Eldering on Sunday, October 11th. Be sure to stop by and let us know what you're thinking.

Okay, I guess that's about it, except: if you're an author you too can create ongoing visibility and increased readership by joining our merry band of authors.
If you're interested, contact: karenrcfv@yahoo.com

Check out cover for State of Altitude

If you click on the title of this posting, you will be taken to the JGDS blog posting about the cover for State of Altitude. State of Reservations is being illustrated along with another serious project (Aidana's words) and she hopes to have it ready and published by November 1. Fingers crossed. Anyway - pop over and let me know what you think - E :)

Have you voted yet?

Click on the title and go vote. Only ten days left. South Carolina is still way down, not even in the top 25. We don't have much of a chance to pull off getting up to number one but it can't hurt to keep trying. South Carolina is ranking 29th; Kentucky, Hawaii, and Oklahoma are the top three spots and I think North Carolina is in the top ten somewhere; if not there then at least in the top twenty. Do it now. Vote today. Every vote helps. E :)

Thank you Mr. Hughes

I now have a book trailer thanks to the efforts of Mr. Hughes. I really wasn't expecting him to do this so quickly but he took off and worked on it over the weekend. I think it turned out rather well. Please comment on what you think - E :)

First Book - hooked on reading

Well, I just voted for the first time and I must say, South Carolina is ranked 37th. Come on all you readers out there. Vote. Help move your state up. You can vote every day if you want. All you have to do is tell what book hooked you on reading and what state you would like the 50,000 books to go to so you can move your state up in the rankings. Wyoming is way down there, 51st (because they include DC in the lista) and Oklahoma is ranked #1 - so let's move South Carolina up the board. Vote and vote often. Get on board and share your love of reading with the kids. - E :)