Promoting through virtual book tours

As many of you know, I participate in the VBT Writers on the Move virtual tour which is an ongoing, monthly tour where we host a group of authors. We offer an array of articles, book reviews and author interviews. See the schedule on my side bar for who is beig hosted by whom. I will be hosting Mari Taylor on this blog on the 6th, Heather (my illustrator for the remaining JGDS books) will be hosting Nancy Famolari on the 9th. I'll be featured on Robert Medak's blog on the 22nd and Heather will be featured on Carolyn Howard-Johnson's blog on the 8th.

My good friend Donna McDine is in the midst of her virtual book tour for The Golden Pathway, a historical fiction story about the Underground Railroad. I'm not on her schedule to host her but I will be posting a review of the book tomorrow for her. Her tour has been running since the 7th of September and runs through the end of this month. You can find more on her tour schedule by clicking her name above. Donna is also part of the VBT Writers on the Move and these planned stops are part of her full tour. Stop by and see what Donna has to offer many writers.

Another of my friends, Cheryl Malandrinos, author of the Little Shepherd is starting her 75-stop tour tomorrow. For a full schedule, please visit Cheryl's blog. I will be hosting Cheryl on the 29th of this month with a book review. Cheryl is running two contests concurrently for this tour, which offer readers opportunities to win two different prize packages. Both are open to all, even overseas folks. For the details of the contests, please stop by Cheryl's Pump Up Your Book site. She is offering a package worth about $65 for those who comment during the tour and a package worth about $97 for those who have purchased a copy of the book since its release in August and through the end of the tour. For more on the Little Shepherd, you can follow the book on it's own blog.

The last of my friends (that I'm aware of or participating in a tour with) is Lori Calabrese, author of The Bug That Plaqued the Entire Third Grade. Apparently, there are two tours going on for this book, one through the Indie-Debut roup and one that she is doing in November. If you are subscriber to her newsletter, The Book Bugz, and follow her tour and leave comments, letting her know you are a subscriber, you will be eligible for a prize package. The othe part of the tour starts November 3 and I will be hosting Lori here on the 16th with a review of her book. For more information on both tours, please visit Lori's site and find out where she will be heading on this new adventure.

Other than participating in the VBT Writers on the Move tours, I've not planned any more for my series, yet. I'm working on a new aspect for the study guides (not taking them away as they are geared for individual books, but an added bonus for the series) and so I'm not concentrating on promoting my books like I should. I really need to promoting myself as well but just find myself tied up with work and other aspects of writing that I haven't spent as much time promoting (well, okay not true since I've been gone almost every weekend since the middle of August at one event or another - Love to Learn homeschool conference in Charlotte, NC; Mint Hill's Sunday in the Park in Mint Hill, NC (on the outskirts of Charlotte); Springwater festival in Williamston, SC; Celebration of Books in Highlands, NC; Geofest through the SC Geographic Alliance in Columbia, SC; and the SCBWI-Carolinas fall conference in Charlotte, NC). I'm at a loss this month since I only have one festival scheduled and it's local - the Sugarfoot Festival in my town. Next month I'll be at the CBF in Charleston, SC the first weekend of the month and the following weekend at the Savannah Children's Book Festival - I can't wait for this one; been planning and thinking of it all year. I guess I should work on some more virtual tours for my series since I do have more books available. For those of you following my JGDS series, all information on new releases can be found at either the JGDS blog or the JGDS website. Keep checking back for new books and for the info on the added bonus to the study guides for teachers and homeschoolers and co-ops.

For now, find an author, follow a virtual tour and have fun reading some new books.

Please visit me today

I'm being hosted by J. Aday Kennedy today as part of the VBT Writers on the Move blot tour. Please come visit and leave a comment. I will be back this afternoon (at a conference this weekend) and will answer questions and leave comments when I return home - see you all in the postings - E :)

Meet Janet Ann Collins

It is my pleasure to introduce Janet Ann Collins, author of the Peril of the Sinister Scientist.

Let's find out a little more about the person behind the book:




Janet Ann Collins used to write feature articles for a newspaper in the Bay Area, is a columnist for the Antique Auction Explorer and her work has appeared in many other publications.





She is the author of two fiction books for children. The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is about a middle school boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment is stalking him.




Secret Service Saint is a picture book about Nicholas, who discovers the fun of doing secret good deeds and eventually becomes known as Santa Claus.







Signs of Trouble, an early chapter book about kids with learning disabilities who get separated from their class on a field trip, will be released in October 2010.

Collins is a retired teacher, enjoys public speaking and often teaches workshops at conferences. With her husband, she raised three deaf foster sons with special needs in addition to their birth daughter, and has one grandson. They live in the beautiful Sierra foothills of Northern California. To learn more about her please visit her website.


Janet can be found doing reviews on her blog

More information about Janet and her books can be found on her website

Books reviews and interviews for, by, or about people with disabilities are occassionally posted on her other blog.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VBT schedule and who's coming next:
Learn from new and experienced authors. Join Writers on the Move September 2010 Authors' Tour.

Visit Helena Harper with more on Debra Eckerling tomorrow.

Visit my illustrator, Heather Paye, on the 9th for a visit with Diane Sagan, ghostwriter.

Check out Heidi Thomas's blog for more info about Heather on the 16th, and visit with Jessica Aday Kennedy on the 26th of this month to find out more about me.

Meet Janet Ann Collins

Tomorrow, I am hosting Janet Collins, author of the The Peril of the Sinister Scientist, a middle-grader/tweener novel. Stop by and see who is behind this fun sounding book.

Book blurb:

The Peril of the Sinister Scientist by Janet Ann Collins is a tweener, or middle grade, novel about a boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment is stalking him. It is available in local bookstores and on many online sites, including Amazon.





Book information:

Paperback: 98 pages
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (July 31, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935137794
ISBN-13: 978-1935137795
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 ounces



Janet can be found doing reviews on her blog

Janet's website

Books reviews and interviews for, by, or about people with disabilities are occassionally posted on her other blog.

Book review - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely! Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . .

Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischevious satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.


Fablehaven was recommended to me by Mr. Hughes' 6th grade class. I try to read books that are mentioned during class time if I can find it in our local library system (we now have a 10-county lending system across the state so it is easier to find authors and books that are available to folks in the entire state as opposed to just being limited to our 10-library county). When I first started reading Fablehaven, I found the writing to be passive - no dialogue to speak of, no action, no description, I felt compelled to continue reading until the end. The descriptions come but not so mucch as in your face, out there for the world to see kind of descriptions.

The further into the story I got I did almost feel like I was in a fairy tale land and viewing the creatures as best as I could see them (one needs magical milk to see the fairies and other creatures). The adventures one experiences are not fast-paced or constant but are slowly revealed and what seems like a normal excursion turns out to be a life-turning adventure for Kendra.

If you like mythical creatures and mythology, you will enjoy this book. I'm off to get the next in the series and find out more about the mystical preserve Fablehaven.

Book review - The Cutting Edge by Darcia Helle

I finished reading A Cutting Edge last week or the week before and am just now getting to the review.

The Cutting Edge has a double meaning - a hair cutting place and the fact that Skye's shears are razor sharp and could easily cut through skin and veins if she so choose to do so.




Skye Summers is a hairdresser and has been for many years. Over the years, she has grown to dislike her job since she has to put up with the crazy women, and men, who sit in her chair, rambling on and on and driving her insane. She starts fantasizing about killing her clients and how she could get away with it. Enter the "Mass Avenger" unbeknowest to Skye, who happens to be a new client one Wednesday evening (the evening reserved for the men of the town). The Mass Avenger also has a double entendre (the killings are occurring in Massachusetts as the story is set in a small town in Massachusetts and he is avenging all the masses).

As I read further and further, I almost hoped that Skye would eventually knock off one of her clients or her husband's ex-girlfriend who is the mother of his child and uses the child for stupid stuff - trying to cause problems in the marriage (I dealt with a few of the issues similar to what Skye dealt with when my husband and I were first married, whereby his ex-wife would use their daughter who was 5 at the time to call our house and ask for money - stupid stuff). Skye was only a fantasizer but the Mass Avenger was real. Skye becomes the fascination of the Mass Avenger who feels a kinship with her but she doesn't realize this until the end. Skye does quit her job and states that "a serial killer saved my life" when it is all said and done.

As I read through the story and several new male characters were introduced, I kept thinking I knew who the killer was but it turned out I was wrong. For a fun look into a stylist's perspective of the daily doldrums of this type of profession, check out Darcia Helle's The Cutting Edge.

You can find out more about Darcia and her books here. I look forward to seeing more from Darcia.

VBTs are back

Starting Wednesday, September 1, the VBT group will be back in full force -

Well, we're back, and better than ever. We have a couple of new members also. As part of our author group, we try to provide our readers with writing and marketing information as well as updates, information, and reviews on great books.

Each day in September a different author and information will be presented. Just follow the schedule and click on the corresponding day.

So, stay tuned, we start September 1st.

For complete schedule, check out the main VBT blogsite. The schedule and links are also on the sidebar of this blog.

Looking forward to having new folks join us as well as new readers. See you all in the postings - E :)

New glasses and more license plates

If you are following my JGDS blog, you will notice I posted about some different license plates on the way home from an event Sunday afternoon/evening. Today, I had to take the kids to town to get their new glasses and on the way home, they saw Missouri and Louisiana plates - yep - you can tell college students have returned as we are seeing many different states' plates. But it is cool for the kids to be aware of these sometimes.

So if you are on a long trip or even a short trip to town, play a game and make the trip more enjoyable - have fun - E :)

Want to find some new authors?

If you like learning about new and upcoming authors, you may be interested in stopping by and checking out the newly created forum where authors and readers can join in discussions about upcoming books - E :)

"Killer Recipes" now available

Print ISBN 978-1-60318-350-5 Suggested Retail $13.95
Ebook ISBN 978-1-60318-351-2 Suggested Retail $5.99 (my only problem about the cover is that it really should say Susan Whitfield, et al since there are many contributors to the cookbook, but other than that, the cover is killer- pun intended)


My online friend, author of the Logan Hunter mystery series, Susan Whitfield has composed a recipe book. She asked other mystery writers to contribute recipes that would be "killer" for the cookbook. "Killer Recipes" is now available. For more information, you can order directly from the publisher's website, L&L Dreamspell or several other outlets. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society. So pop on over and check out some killer recipes to try out on your unsuspecting victims, um, I mean family - lol. I've contributed a recipe for no-bake fudge which I borrowed from the Boy Scouts. This is really a no-bake, no-cook anything fudge recipe and it is to die for - so delicious - hope you all enjoy.

I will try to get copies later (after my events) to have on hand but right now there is too much else going on with the JGDS series to worry about adding another non-series book to my list. See you all in the postings - Mrs. E :)

Alan Gratz, mentioned again

I know I just posted about Alan Gratz' new book Fantasy Baseball and the "fantasy book team" that Beth Revis has going on her blog, but this is worth mentioning in another way. As members of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators), we have regional groups as well as international groups. The SCBWI-Carolinas' own Alan Gratz recently did a 6-week stint in Japan under their scholar-in-residence program. How cool would that be to have the recognition of your books to be able to spend several weeks in a foreign country? For more information about Mr. Gratz's visit, read Japan's newsletter (they do a bi-annual newsletter; we do a quarterly one) and see how Alan went back to Japan to work with 7th graders writing stories. It seems one of other illustrators for our newsletter (Pen & Palette) was mentioned also - Bonnie Adamson - for all her wonderful contributions to the SCBWI-C newsletter. For comparison, here is the Carolinas' newsletter. I always have to save the files and then open them; seems I can't just open from the website for some odd reason. Hope you all enjoy - E :)

Fantasy Book Team?

As a member of the SCBWI-Carolinas group, I'm still lurking but occasionally will see a post I respond to. We have some pretty cool authors in the group and hopefully I get to meet a good many of them at the conference in September. I already know Carol so that will be one person I know for sure. On our little yahoo forum yesterday, Beth Revis posted her "fantasy book team" from a cover of fellow author Alan Gratz who just shared his Fantasy Baseball cover with the group (click on Alan's name for his fun elevator pitch/blurb about the book). Click on Beth's name and read her "fantasy book team" posting and post your own fantasy book team either in her comments section or on your own blog and post your link in the comments for everyone to read. She will feature the best one on her blog in the near future. I might think about posting a "fantasy book team" here but at the moment I can't even think of any characters I'd want for heros, heroines, villians, let alone a plot and setting - have fun with it - see you all in the postings - E :)

Great Sale going on over at gotprint.com

I just did a reorder of bookmarks since I've a lot of events coming up in the next couple of months (August 14, 22, 28 and September 11, 18 and then a conference on the last weekend of the month) - When I placed my order back in February, I paid $35 for 1000 bookmarks. Today, I placed a re-order for that same 1000 bookmarks and my shipping was almost as much as my order. 1000 bookmarks for only $15.75 --- HELLO!!!! -That's 1.575 cents per bookmark. So I thought maybe it was a fluke or something. I tried the order form of 2500 and dang, for about $10 more bucks, I could have gotten 2500 which is right at 1 cents each - you can't beat that. If you are an author looking for great quality bookmarks and are in need of an inexpensive online site, definitely go here and check them out. I've had so many compliments on my bookmarks - the quality that is - that I wouldn't dare pay bigger bucks. A sale - you've got to order at least a small batch to see. See you in the postings - Mrs. E :)

Modern day pirates; aka smugglers

This is a cross posting from my JGDS blog.

Max Anderson, an acquaintance from several forums, writes books geared for boys. His latest will be available August 1 - check it out.

Lost Island Smugglers is a new action-adventure that kids will love. Find out more here.



Endorsements
"Sam Cooper Adventures are like good, family movies . . . as an ordinary kid finds himself in exciting and extra-ordinary adventures!" Bill Myers - author

"Max Elliot Anderson brings a lifetime of dramatic film and video production to the pages of his action adventures and mysteries." Jerry B. Jenkins, Author

PS. You can also go to the Lost Island Smugglers UPDATE page for more information.


*The above was taken from Max's blog. For more information about Max and his works, follow the links noted above.

MoonZeLent - a new vampire saga

Check out Heather's blog, my new illustrator, and you will find an interesting interview with an upcoming vampire novelist. The cover for this new novel can be found on her website. She is in the process of adding the cover for "Train of Clues" so keep an eye on this young lady as she has some raw talent and is about to embark on an adventure that will hopefully get her known. She is wanting to work with Disney/Pixar studios in the future, so hopefully the work she will be doing on the rest of the JGDS series covers will help her get there. I'm truly pleased with the cover and inside illustrations for "Train of Clues" and can't wait to hold the booklet in my hands.

As new covers in the series are available, you will be able to see them on my other blog and my website.

Good things are happening!

What a whirlwind of a few weeks I've had.

Last Thursday, I attended the Family TOUCH workshop as a vendor. The coordinators of the event are interested in having me come do my workshop "Writing Roads" for the co-op group. Yes, that's the same workshop listed on my website and they are aware of the costs. They will have the families participating contribute to the cost so that I can do the workshop.

My friend, Heidi Ippolito, called me last week and asked if I would be interested in a new venture - a teaching one. Now, I've not taught anything before but I told her to go ahead and give my contact information to the person at the Junior College in town and I would see if I could do it. So today, the young lady calls me (she's the one in charge of setting up instructors for the classes). So, starting Thursday (yes, July 1, this Thursday) I'll be teaching a transcription class at the college - what an exciting new item to add to my resume. (Of course, this is a paid job too, so that makes it doubly exciting).

I've been trying to get in touch with the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies (SCCSS) folks and so today left a message on the president's office phone and her cell phone and she called me back. We were discussing the conference to be held at Myrtle Beach this fall and me being a vendor. I explained a little bit about my books and she asked me to consider doing a presentation for the social studies teachers, the same type of workshop I have geared for kids. So now, I'm thinking with this new teaching job and a little supplement to my income, I can make the trip and do the presentation. I was telling Hailie about it and the first thing she says is that if I go to Myrtle Beach this year, she's going with me. Yay!! Now I know if I go, I'll have help in my booth while I do my presentation, and she will get to spend some time on the beach. She was a bit disappointed to find out that it was in October saying it was too cold in October to go to the beach, but honestly this is South Carolina - hello! - trust me, in October at Myrtle Beach, it will be nice enough for her to be on the beach.

One other place to contact about being a vendor for their 1-day workshop in September and hopefully everything else falls in to place.

And Heather, my new illustrator is working out wonderfully - have the almost final layout for "Train of Clues" and then it's off to the printers, so be on the look out for the story that started the whole series within the next couple of weeks -

See you all in the postings - E :)

VBT virtual tour guest - check it out

I'm the guest of Gary Murning's. This was another fun interview as I got to share a little bit more of myself and actually from a different angle. Check it out and leave a comment - E :)

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)

Making room for your Dreams

Make Room for your Dreams
By Debra L Eckerling

There is no better time than now to pursue your dreams – whether it’s to write a book, start a business, or find love. We all are busy, and frequently relegate our passions to the backburner. Well, if that’s the case, that blog will never get written, that concept will never get marketed, and that room will never get redecorated.

Take time, even if it is just a few minutes each day, to dedicate to you. And remember to think positive … and to have a plan. Pursuing your passion is the best gift you can ever give yourself.

1. Visualize: In order to get what you want, you have to see it. If you have trouble seeing it in your mind, let the Sunday newspaper assist. Do you want to write a New York Times bestseller? Then cut that column out of the paper, and write your name in the top spot. Do you want to write a blockbuster movie? Take out the calendar section and rework the text for the weekend’s big release. Want a new house? Go shopping in the “Homes” section, pick out a house, and put it on the fridge or somewhere where you will see it on a daily basis. If you are going to dream, you may as well dream big. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

2. Eliminate Clutter – both physical and mental: All of the positive energy in the world will not help you if your life is cluttered. Clean a closet, you’ll be surprised how free and motivated you feel. Do you have stressors in your life you feel are beyond your control? Get up 5 minutes early and meditate before you start your day. Then, when you have some down-time, you can put your energy towards something positive. It’s amazing the power a dose of “hope” can have.

3. Make a Plan: Set goals: both personal and professional. Even if it’s to organize your workspace in a month or to write a page a day or a page a week, it doesn’t matter. Make goals that are attainable. Also, do not allow yourself to get sidetracked if circumstances beyond your control prevent you from working several days in a row. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

4. Make Time: The biggest roadblock people face is a lack of time to work on a long-term project. The quick fix is to use the time you have, no matter how short the increment. When you are waiting in line at the grocery or pumping gas, take those few moments to work on your project. If you are writing fiction, do some people-watching, and make physical or mental notes. If you are working on a pitch, you can always practice it in your head for five minutes.

5. Believe in Yourself: There’s a lot to be said about the power of positive attitude. Eliminate negative thoughts and negative people from your life. And, while we’re on the subject, you might want to keep this special project to yourself—at least at first. You can tell one or two people who have your best interests at heart and whom you trust. If you truly believe in yourself and surround yourself with those who believe in you, anything is possible.

Those overnight success stories rarely happen overnight. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare? Slow and steady wins the race. But even better … the shortest distance between you and the realization of your dreams is a straight, consistent line.

Debra Eckerling is a professional writer and the founder and leader of Write On!, a live – and online – writers support group, which focuses on goal-setting, productivity, and networking.

Dream It, Then Do It! Debra recently launched a seminar series with life coach/matchmaker Marla Martenson (author of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker), which offers workshops, tools, and inspiration to put people on the path to their dreams.

For more information, e-mail Debra@WriteOnOnline.com.

Come visit with Debra Eckerling

Debra Eckerling will be my guest Sunday and she has prepared an article on making your dreams come true, which ties in to her goal setting article posted previously. Come visit and see what she has to say on how to make your dreams become a reality. See you all in the postings. E :)