Ignited to Blog

Snow-dusted flowers at our mountain cabin

I have to admit that I'm one of those people who sometimes dashes off the starting line with topnotch intentions and great expectations, and then somehow gets side-tracked completely off the racetrack onto a rabbit trail.

Blogging's like that. I start out well, faithfully posting weekly on my two blogs (besides this one primarily for writers, I keep a personal blog as well: www.DeboraCoty.blogspot.com).

But then I get immersed in a writing project, most recently my book coming out in March, More Beauty, Less Beast. I begin to blog less and less frequently, and the next thing I know, it's been a month or more.

Sigh. Not good, Deb, not good.

So knowing I needed a little cyber shot in the arm, I attended a blogging workshop last night, conducted by Daphne of Torch Designs (www.torchdesigns.com). and was amazed by the following blogging trivia:

• According to Neilsen, 181 million public blogs are currently in existence.
• During the last 24-hours, 88,000 blogs were created.
• Posts perform best on Thursdays and Fridays; worst on Saturdays.
• The best posting times are in the early mornings, between 5-6 pm (just after work hours), and late nights when people are cruising.
• The worst posting time is during 9-5 daytime work hours, when minds are preoccupied.

I don't know about you, but I find these facts fascinating. And motivating! With all those gazillion blogs floating around in computer world, I want mine to be one worth your time. One that stands out. One that you send your friends to.

So I'm planning to make a few changes, research what would best meet your needs as an aspiring writer, consume more roughage, and return to regularity. Well, maybe not the roughage part.

Can you give me a head start, reader friends? What are some of the things you'd like most to see in a writer's blog? More personal stories? Less? How-to's? Tips? Famous author quotes? Article references? What floats your literary boat?





 

It's a Mystery to Me!

I thought I'd share a few tidbits from the Do/Don't list of Mystery Writing I received from Chantelle Aimee Osman at the Florida Writers Conference in October. I've added a bit of commentary as well.

1. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. Jerry Jenkins espouses this rule as well; less is more. It engages more of the reader's gray matter to give them the bare essentials of description and let them envision the character as they like. 

2.Make your sleuth unique and use your own interests. The reader can tell when the author is enthusiastic; if you're writing about your own passions, it's sure to show.  

3. Use a means of murder that makes a statement about the character or villain.

4. Set up false leads and red herrings. This is a good idea for mysteries included in all genres. I threw in several red herrings in my historical novels The Distant Shore and Billowing Sails. It's more fun if you keep 'em guessing. 

5. Give two or three really pertinent clues. They can be something that's missing rather than present. You can even go back after you've finished the book and add them to strategic scenes. Kind of like foreshadowing.

6. Play fair with your readers. Give your reader a fair chance to figure out "whodunit". Don't be so transparent that your readers guess the end before Chapter 2.

7. Use only rational and scientific methods to solve the crime. Don't ignore the laws of physics or logic to solve the crime. Readers will be annoyed.

8. Make sure the reader feels justice was served, whether the good guy wins or loses. The good guy doesn't always have to win; sometimes the point is that he learns something he didn't expect and no longer wants/needs what he originally started out to achieve.

9. Don't make the villain obvious. Remember, they don't think of themselves as villains. Many authors these days show both sides of the coin to give their story more realism; they give the good guy a bad streak and the bad guy at least a few likable traits. Very few people are all good or all bad.

10. Don't give all the backstory at once. Drop is like a trail of breadcrumbs to intrigue the reader. A cardinal rule for all fiction: don't dump your load in the first chapter.

A Slice of Heaven

The brown and tan calf caught my eye. I was driving by a field in early morning, sequestered tightly in my own little world of deadlines, duties and disconnects.

And suddenly there he was. A mere toddler in bovine society, I suspect. I braked to watch him. So full of mischief as he romped and cavorted and nose-butted the larger calves.and nipped at the tails of the mama cows who stomped him away in annoyance.

So full of life. So full of joy. He made me smile.  And a tiny seed of longing was planted in my chest.

And then just down the road, I passed a yard where a little blond girl in a blue dress was chasing a purple butterfly. Her innocent face wreathed in smiles, she leapt and sprang, running and laughing and running some more for the sheer joy of it.

Now that seed of longing in my innards was sprouting into a firm stalk of yearning. Yearning to once again do something for the sheer joy of it. Unhurried. Unstructured. Unrequired. Simply because I wanted to.

Yep, I remember feeling just that way a long, long time ago. How do I get that back? Can I get that back in the midst of my ever busy, urgent paced, production-oriented adult existence?

And then this weekend, at a writer's conference of all places, the opportunity presented itself.

I had just finished presenting "Ten Things Every New Writer Should Know" and was not only exhausted but a bit exasperated. Due to technical difficulties with the hotel meeting room, I'd lost ten minutes from my presentation which was already over-packed with trying to cram 90 minutes of information into a 75-minute workshop. I was still irritated that I'd been forced to omit what I considered the most important page of points and skip to a very rushed ending when the moderator stuck her head in the door to announce a two-minute warning.

I had two hours to kill before my next appointment, so I changed into my walking shoes, jumped in my car and drove to a nearby industrial park (which was abandoned on Saturday) and began pounding my frustration out on the oak-lined streets winding around manicured lawns of tall glass buildings and a lovely pond with its peacock-spray fountain.

After an hour I ran out of gas and sank onto a sun-dappled park bench for just a moment to regroup. With only the sounds of fountain spray, chirping birds, and squirrels scampering up broad oak trees to accompany my solitude, I soon found myself sprawled across the bench on my back. As the shade melted my tense muscles, a cool breeze rustled my sweat-soaked hair, and thin shafts of sunlight peeking through oak leaves warmed my skin, I watched wispy white clouds scuttle overhead. Every now and then a lazy hawk would bank left and glide unfettered through my field of vision.

And there it was.. An unexpected slice of heaven. The quenching answer to my thirst for that long-lost whimsical moment of childhood freedom. 

The thought then hit me: Why can't writers do this in their writing? Evoke that feeling of childhood summertime by their words? Do the fast pace, looming deadlines, and urgency of production in our lives and our careers prohibit finding this elusive feeling? And transferring it to others?

If we could but find this place, this slice of heaven, couldn't we reflect that peace through our words?

What are your thoughts?

Pleasing Words

View from over the Atlantic heading to London

I was recently asked how one begins and nurtures a speaking enterprise, so I thought I'd outline what I think are the essentials.

1. Have something worthwhile to say. As a fledgling author, I received the excellent advice to become an expert on something that people want to know. Something that will uproot them from their easy chairs to come hear about. Something marketable.

So my first series of presentations were "Young Writers Workshops" geared toward middle and high school students. They were associated with my two YA historical novels, The Distant Shore and Billowing Sails. These fun, highly energetic, audience-responsive PowerPoint presentations became quite popular with homeschool groups and both Christian and public English classes. Most of my advertisement was using plain old elbow grease - calling or e-mailing every school I could find with my verbal pitch and persistently following up until I had a date nailed down.

I used this same technique when marketing my "So You Want to be a Writer..." workshop to adults when my book for aspiring writers came out, Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers. I also developed a nice one-page flyer featuring my author letterhead.

At this point, I also had a glossy, 2-sided professional bookmark created to hand out for inexpensive advertisement. It containing my book covers and bio (and website - most important for future contact!). Printrunner was my choice for quality work at a reasonable price. 

When I expanded into women's books such as Mom NEEDS Chocolate and my recently released Too Blessed to be Stressed, I prepared a half-dozen presentations featuring topics from my books that were universally sought after by women, such as dealing with stress, beauty issues, aging, relationships, finding balance, and tuning in to the Holy Spirit's guidance. 

2. Develop a professional brochure. I soon realized that my verbal pitch, flyer, and bookmarks weren't enough if I wanted to expand my speaking audiences. Prospective clients need something impressive in their hands, something to show their employers for approval before booking (especially if an honorarium is involved). So I sprung for a glossy, tri-fold brochure (Printrunner) which I display on my book table at signings and speaking gigs. I also developed an e-version, which proved to be more affordable and effective than snail-mailing brochures to churches and women's organizations all over the country.

3. Give them what they want to hear. Although during the 5 years of my speaking career I've been occasionally asked to speak on a topic off my beaten list (usually to fit into a theme the group has already established), I've almost always been able to tweak one of my existing presentations sufficiently to avoid creating a whole new speech. Unfortunately, not always. My husband still laughs about the time goofy, humor-writer me was asked to speak about "The Evolving World View of Christianity." 

When speaking to groups, humor almost always guarantees you'll be a hit (funerals are obvious exceptions). I've learned that not all humor translates well from the page to the mouth - some things are just funnier on paper and should stay there.

In my genre, audience participation is a must. I sprinkle numerous yes/no/are you with me? questions throughout my speeches and always begin with either a brief funny video or joke pertinent to the topic, and close with a crazy sing-along song. It's imperative that the listeners leave smiling ... and with your book in their hand.

4. Be prepared for smooth back room book sales. Assemble an appealing display of your books on an ample sized table (nothing's worse than having them all scrunched up on a too-tiny table). Arrive early to set up your book table using a nice tablecloth (that you bring) and props that will catch the eye and draw people to your wares.

I take a rolling crate containing an inexpensive (but doesn't look that way), unwrinkleable, white lace tablecloth that can be folded to fit any size table, a clear plastic upright brochure holder containing my brochures, business cards and bookmarks as the centerpiece, an upright flyer listing the book titles and prices, and several creative containers of colorful chocolates and cheerful silk flowers to liven up things a bit.

Create an easy-to-use spread sheet or inventory chart to keep track of book sales. I use one with my titles and prices listed on the left with a space on the right for hash marks to notate each book sold. I've learned the wisdom of requesting a "book table helper" at the time of the event booking who will be responsible for collecting money, giving change, and marking the inventory chart. It's just too hard to do all that, sign books, and chat with your new friends at the same time.


A successful speaking enterprise requires a bit of planning and preparation, but you'll find immense fulfillment in the gratitude you receive from the hearts touched by the Lord through your efforts.
   
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14, NLT

Spreading the Word

Promotion. A HUGE part of whether a book is successful or not. But there are so many options (endless ways you can spend your hard-earned money), what's a poor author to do?

Having tried lots of different things with my ten books, I've come to some conclusions about what does and doesn't work, what's worth the money, and what's not.

The first thing new authors need to realize is that it's going to cost money to promote your book. Oh, yes it is. There's no way around that unless you just hawk it to your relatives and be happy with your 75 total sales.

I recommend setting aside a minimum of $3,000 (hopefully this can come from your advance) as your promo fund. From this stash, I've found the most productive expenditures include good quality bookmarks sporting your cover, website and other titles (I use Printrunner online for beautiful, two-sided, glossy, full-color, relatively inexpensive bookmarks). These end up costing about a dime a piece and are your best way of advertising - hand them out liberally and offer them as "free gifts" at public events. People tend to keep them if they're good quality and will always have a reminder at their fingertips of your website and other books they might like to read. 

A full color brochure is also a must (again, Printrunner) if you're a speaker. I have print and online versions to fill all my advertising needs.

Book trailers are nice but have become somewhat mundane with everybody doing them, so my answer toward uniqueness has been to film a dozen 2-Minute Stress Busters to accompany the release of Too Blessed to be Stressed, which are posted on my website. Frequent reminders are posted on Twitter and Facebook, and go out in my quarterly e-newsletters.

Social media and e-communication are crucial these days. My e-newsletter contact list recently topped 3,000, largely due to a Kindle giveaway sweepstakes and blog tour organized by LitFuse, a publicity company I hired to handle my Too Blessed to be Stressed campaign. They've been outstanding in getting word of my new book out in cyberworld (tons of great reviews have racked up through the blog tour) and over 1,800 registered for the Kindle sweepstakes. It was engineered in a way to harvest all those e-dresses for my contact list. Brilliant!

These efforts have translated into 1,260 new visits to my FaceBook author page, and over 1,400 "likes" just since last month.

And even more exciting, Too Blessed to be Stressed hit #3 on the Amazon Bestseller List in the women/spirituality category. Way cool, don't you think?

A word of caution here: carefully check out the track record of the publicity company you're contemplating. I didn't with my previous book and the company I paid more than twice as much for (compared to LitFuse) did half as much and that not nearly as well. I felt like I had absolutely no control - like a victim instead of a client - and helplessly watched my precious money flush down the toilet.

LitFuse, on the other hand, came highly recommended by a writer buddy and offered a pick-and-choose services list from which I had total control of what my dollars would be used for. I opted for them to create and send out my press release to their extensive list of media contacts (from which numerous interview requests arrived), organize the 80-site blog tour which occurred over a 3-week time span, and advertise and run the Facebook Party.

These proved to be highly productive with minimal effort on my part.

One other promotional comment I just can't pass up: many new authors have idealized the traditional bookstore signing as the epitome of effective promotion. I've got news for you: it just ain't so. After dozens in multiple states over the last 5 years, I've concluded that it's not at all worth my time and energy to do a signing unless I'm in a location where I have a good sized fan base who I feel reasonably sure will turn out. It's totally embarrassing to have 6 people visit your book table, which is entirely possible if you're depending on store traffic alone.

During one signing, the only people who spoke to me were those asking where the restroom was.

At least I knew the right answer. But they looked at me kind of funny when I chased after them waving my book in one hand and a fistful of bookmarks in the other.

Hey, hungry authors do what they have to do.  

How not to lose your head

I could tell Ralph just wasn't getting it.

Ralph - not his real name - had been interviewing me on live Christian radio for the previous 25 minutes about my new book, Too Blessed to be Stressed. Ralph was broadcasting from a station in the northeast and I've got to give him points for taking on the daunting task of a man interviewing a female author about a woman's book.

My publicist had sent him a copy of Too Blessed, but my first clue that he hadn't read my book was when he kept popping out questions like, "But what about men?" or "Don't you think men get stressed too?" when I'd relate some tidbit making a point about women's stress issues.

This was a women's book, for pity's sake. 

Then came the coup de grace.

With five minutes left of the interview, I could practically hear Ralph flipping pages, searching frantically for a final question to end with a bang. With relief in his voice to have finally hit upon a topic with which he felt comfortable, he said, "Oh, look - I see you've written a chapter about Martin Luther. Go ahead now and tell us about 'Luther's Legacy.'"

Gulp.

How on earth was I to tell this guy that Luther was a monkey. No, really. A ringtail capuchin monkey. And the chapter entitled "Luther's Legacy" was about little hairy Luther's human owner's unconditional love for him despite his propensity for creating constant trouble for himself. Not unlike the unconditional love our heavenly father shows toward us.

Oh, man. I shot up a rhino-in-the-road prayer for help. How was I going to get out of this one without a car wreck?

A half-dozen ways to handle the situation flashed through my head during the momentary gap of silence that followed. But as you know, silence on live radio is a BIG problem. So I decided to go with my first impulse to simply laugh about it.

"Ha-ha!" (what I hoped was a pleasant and not desperate laugh.) "Well, Ralph, there were no theses or nails involved with this Luther. He was, in fact, a monkey."

Thankfully, although Ralph was silent at first, he eventually saw the humor in the situation as I imparted some of Luther's crazy exploits and we ended on a light, companionable note.

Vehicle swirved. Wreck avoided. Thanks, Lord.

Media interviews can be hairy, for sure. Although part of the package sent to the newspaper reporter, radio host or TV interviewer contains "suggested questions" that you've compiled (and studied ahead of time and conveniently know the answers to!), it's been my experience that they're rarely ever covered. I don't know if interviewers resist being told what to ask and prefer to wing it, but I can only remember a few times when we actually got past the first suggested question before the interviewer ventured into uncharted territory.

Even when they haven't read the book, which is the majority of the time.

A good interviewer can fake it well, having previously acquainted themselves with the fast-read stuff: the foreword, back cover copy, endorsements and table of contents to get the gist of the material. They might even thumb through a random chapter or two and highlight a few points that struck them.

But they're depending on you, the author, to grab whatever ball they toss out and run with it, adding your own interesting and preferably humorous tidbits and sound bites. And the shorter the interview, the sharper and deeper the sound bites need to be.

That's why, particularly for radio interviews conducted by telephone, most authors surround themselves with cheat sheets from which they can draw clever and pertinent zingers to redirect most any question to. We may not have the answer to the specific question the host asks, but we have a good answer to some question and if we skillfully redirect our answer to our prepared response, the listener is satisfied, the host is happy, and we end up looking like we halfway know what we're talking about.

The key is to compile easily accessible main points from your book and keep referring back to those when off-the-wall questions throw you for a loop.

I finally wised up with Too Blessed to be Stressed (after fumbling inanely through my last 3 books searching for info I couldn't seem to locate during interviews). I tabbed and labeled key points. Now I can flip right to whatever it is I'm looking for, no muss, no fuss. And no embarrassing air silences which I have to end by saying, "Well, golly, I can't seem to find it, but I think I said ..."

So what about you? I'd love to hear your stories. How do you get out of hairy situations without making a monkey out of yourself?




 

Break a leg!

Barbie Turns 50

Someone sent me this cartoon and I almost busted a gut. I hope I'm not breaking some copyright laws by sharing it with you.

Speaking of busting things, a lady walked up to me last week at a writer's meeting and spurted out, "You're Debora Coty.You broke my leg."

"I broke your ... um, excuse me?" I looked down and sure enough there was a walking boot at the end of a long-leg cast sticking out the bottom of her shorts. Gulp. I'd never seen her before in my life.


"Well, you didn't really break my leg, " she clarified, "but I broke my leg because of you."

Now at this point I wasn't sure if I was dealing with a stalker, a lawsuit, a nutcase, or a wacky sense of humor.

"Yep," she continued, "It was your book, actually. Someone gave me a copy of Grit for the Oyster last Tuesday night and Wednesday morning when I woke up, that was all I could think about ... getting downstairs and starting that book I'd heard so much about. So I flew down the stairs and kind of missed the last step."

Wow. Can't say I've ever been accused of bodily injury with words before.

Thankfully, she didn't hold it against me and turned out to be a kindred spirit. A delightfully wacky sense of humor, after all. After the shock wore off, I loved it.

Now when I'm getting ready to go on stage for a speaking gig and someone says, "Break a leg," I can truthfully say, "I already have."