Marilyn Brant's Blog, page 13

Yippee!! Double Dipping is officially out today! For those interested, it's the story of opposites colliding when a dedicated second-grade teacher fights the school's new financial director to reinstate a much-beloved autumn festival. But there are secrets, ambition, attraction and meddling family members complicating matters in this small Midwestern town. Part light mystery, part romantic comedy and entirely packed with delectable sweets, including a step-by-step recipe for making homemade chocolate-cherry ice cream -- hey, I take my book research seriously -- it's available now on Amazon, B&N and Smashwords for just $2.99! (And there's a full Chapter One excerpt here.)



End of commercial -- I do hope that anyone who reads my latest digital romance will enjoy it, though. This story went through a gazillion revisions over the years and was originally critiqued by my wonderful writing friends, Simone Elkeles, Jennifer Stevenson and Sara Daniel (as well as most of the Chicago-North RWA chapter ;), and I am infinitely grateful for their help.



In other news, I just found out that On Any Given Sundae was recommended as a Hot Pick in Self-Publishing in the October issue of Romantic Times BOOKreviews!! Thanks, RT! Looking forward to seeing it in print when my copy of the magazine arrives this week.



Oh! FYI, there is a Goodreads giveaway going on for A Summer in Europe. Ten readers will get an autographed ARC, so please sign up and spread the word.



And, in completely unrelated news, I went to see the film "The Help" this weekend (along with millions of other people), and I thought it was tremendously well done. Who else has read the novel? Anyone else go to the movie? And is it wrong that I now have a serious crush on actor Chris Lowell??! He makes me wish I were 25 and from Atlanta...sigh.



Would love to hear what's going on with all of you! Wishing you a great week.

HAPPY FRIDAY!



Just a heads up that I'm over at Austen Authors today talking about "Austen Character Encounters" (aka, meeting people in real life who resemble in manners or appearance a character that populates one of Jane's novels). I'll confess to having met a modern-day Mr. Collins or two...



Also, there's a Goodreads giveaway for U.S. residents that just began this week. Winners will get one of ten autographed advanced reading copies of A Summer in Europe . If you're interested, you can enter here!



Finally, just because school's starting next week (YAY!!!), it doesn't mean summer's really over. I had the first line from this song running through my head all day yesterday so, perhaps, a little 1984 "Magic" from The Cars is in order:







Ahhh, the Eighties... That's what turns me upside down. I'm in the mood to get just a bit nostalgic this weekend and will probably have a YouTube video marathon tonight. I want to see John Waite sing "Restless Heart" and "Change." I could use a Huey Lewis and the News boost, too. And Journey. And Asia. And REO Speedwagon. And Bon Jovi, of course. (But I listen to them even when I'm not feeling nostalgic. ;) What were some of your favorite '80s tunes? What's a song I should definitely cue up this evening??



Have a great weekend, everyone!

Just got back tonight from an out-of-town family event and now have up my blog post at the Girlfriends Book Club on the subject of "Questioning Our Relevance: Fear, Change & the Digital Revolution" (which does, in fact, involve egg rolls, though only tangentially ;).



FYI: I'm hosting a double book giveaway there for commenters, so please stop by. I'm giving out one PDF copy of On Any Given Sundae and, because they just arrived (!!!!), one bound advanced reading copy of A Summer in Europe. Drawing will be Monday night, August 15th, just before midnight.



Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead!

Happy Friday!

I'm over at Magical Musings today, taking about creating our own celebrations, and I'm giving away some prizes, too, so please stop by!

On a sad note, I was just reminded that it's been two years since we lost Blake Snyder...sigh. His Save the Cat series and story-structure beatsheets have helped me so much over the years -- I'm indebted to him for his insights. Thankfully, his work lives on at his website. And, for anyone interested in writing-craft posts on the subject, I've written two of them: one on Seekerville and the other on Blake's blog.

Wishing you all a fun and relaxing weekend!!

[Book Two in Joan's "Texas One Night Stands" Series]

**Quick Announcement: Congrats to Pamala Knight -- you won the copy of Michelle Diener's In a Treacherous Court! I'll contact you for mailing details.**

I'm delighted to have the kind and talented Joan Reeves here today to celebrate the release of her newest ebook, Romeo and Judy Anne!! Joan is an awe-inspiring wonder in the indie pub world. In just 4 months, she's sold over 91,000 ebooks on Kindle alone, which is nothing short of phenomenal! She also runs a fabulous blog, Sling Words, and offers really helpful advice on navigating self-publishing, along with other fun posts and great reviews.

Welcome, Joan!

Can you tell us about your latest book?
Romeo and Judy Anne was the result of being asked to write a book with an obvious sexual premise by an editor who liked my writing. I don't think along sexual premise lines though, more's the pity. I think along the line of a character having a compelling reason to do something she ordinarily wouldn't do, and if what she does is sexual then the reason is never because she's seeking sexual gratification. So for this romance, the premise became an over-the-hill virgin tries to get a life because she feels life passed her by due to circumstances beyond her control, and she picks a man she thinks she'll never see again to inititate her into that life. Of course, as Burns noted, "The best laid plans of mice and men often gang astray." With my romance novels, that's especially true.

What's one scene from this story you loved writing and why?
My favorite scene to write is one I can't describe because it's a plot spoiler. Actually, I loved writing this book in its entirety. It was just a lot of fun. The "meet cute" between the hero's brother and the heroine's best friend tickled my funny bone because, if the series proves successful, these two will star in another book in this series.

What were the things that led you to indie-pub your recent novels?
To be honest, it's because I became so frustrated with big publishing. I just couldn't seem to hit the agents and editors with the right story. I was told so many times that my writing was wonderful but my stories didn't possess strong marketing hooks. I did a lot of spec writing as was the case with Romeo and Judy Anne. By the time I finished that manuscript and got it to the editor, she'd left! The new editor didn't want it. If you've been in this business for longer than a nano second, then you know that's usually the case. I began to feel like the round peg in a square hold--I just didn't fit.

So when I bought my Kindle last year, I immediately loved the convenience and ease of buying books. So many of my favorite authors had ebook editions available, and I discovered new authors to try because the prices were so low! I started reading more than I had in years, and I loved it. I also started researching the indie book scene and saw that you didn't have to get past editors or agents. You only had to appeal to readers. I always believed in the manuscripts that I wrote, and now I had a way to test my belief. And I had a backlist and a great inventory of romance novels just waiting to find an audience.

What's one piece of writing advice you've found valuable on your writing journey?
Believe in yourself. Some writers find early success. Some, like me, find a bit of success then just can't leap over the rungs of the ladder to the next step. To keep writing when you have no validation that what you are writing will ever be read requires gut-level belief in yourself. Belief that you're a good writer. The reason I said read, not sold, is because writers aren't just looking for a few bucks. Sure, the money is nice, but what we want is an audience for our words. We're looking for readers to appreciate our work. I'm sure some wise pundit first said this, but I don't know who that might have been. "Writing without publishing is like acting without applause." That's why we seek publication.

[Book One in Joan's "Texas One Night Stands" Series]

Do you pay attention to reviews? If so, has there been any particular review that made your heart do a little dance?
I try hard not to read reviews. If you emotionally invest in the good ones, then you also end up emotionally invested in the bad ones too. Some of the bad ones are soul crushers. I don't have that many reviews, and they seem to reflect the opposite ends of the spectrum. Readers either adore my books or hate them. *LOL* The ones who adore send me emails telling me that "this is the best book I've ever read." I'd be lying if I said that didn't put a smile on my face. I get a lot of those kinds of emails since I started putting a reader email address in my books.

Funny, but the people who post reviews online seem to really like to post negative reviews. The discerning people who email me don't usually post reviews, but I always ask them too.

I've been on readers forums where readers say they won't buy a book that has 5 stars because they figure the review was posted by a friend of the author. Well, I write a lot of reviews and give 5 stars when it's warranted so does that mean I've kept someone from buying other writers' books? Also, I've read too many reviews where the person wrote "I hate romance, and this is romance and I only got it because it was free and it sucks." Seriously? Don't get a book just because it's free if you don't like that genre. Authors make their living by writing, and bad ratings affect an authors' income. Please be fair.

When I got my first bad review for an ebook, I was so embarrassed. Every author I know feels this way. One thing you have to learn in this fishbowl of ebook publishing is to expect bad reviews. Learn from them if there's something to be learned then move on down the road. I spent hours reading other reviews posted on the ebook bestselling authors' books. Oh my! That will certainly put things in perspective. There were so many of those "worst book I ever read" and "if I could give less than 1 star I would" and "not worth even the free giveaway." So, I figured I was in good company.

[Author Joan Reeves]

What's next for you? Is there a new book in the pipeline?
I had hoped to be finished this month with Old Enough To Know Better, the first book in my new novella series The Good, The Bad, and The Girly. However, my daughter came home from grad school, and her fiance proposed. She goes back to grad school for the next semester this weekend. I had to drop everything and plan a wedding this week. She and her fiance want to marry next spring break, and that's less than a year away so we had to get busy. So instead of writing about a romance, I'm helping the happy couple with their real one.

Actually, I created a business plan that calls for the publication of 12 ebooks this year. I now have 5 published and am working to make the other 7 happen. Of those 7, some will be books in the series I have out and others will be single title stand-alones. I'm doing something special for the holidays with a Christmas setting for one romance and the release of Stone Angel, a book that can only be described as a romantic thriller with a reincarnation theme.

Oh, I also want to mention Hot Toddy Sizzlers, a companion book to my little brainstorm Summer Sizzlers which my 2 best writing buddies Elaine Raco Chase and Cynthia Wicklund and I produced. Summer Sizzlers is now free on Amazon. It's a book of novel excerpts--15 to be exact. Hot Toddy Sizzlers will be another book of excerpts from different novels we've written as well as hot beverage and snack recipes for the holidays.

It's a good thing I planned to produce so many this year because I have a feeling I won't have much writing time from the holidays through the spring wedding. Wish me luck!

Thank you, Marilyn, for having me.

Joan, it was an absolute pleasure to have you! Thanks so much for visiting and for sharing your wise advice with us, too. Wishing you much success on Romeo and Judy Anne, as well as on all your great stories coming up and your daughter's wedding, too!!

This is a day I have been long awaiting! It's my great pleasure to welcome my friend, RWA-WF pal and Magical Musings sister, Michelle Diener, to Brant Flakes to celebrate the release of her fantastic debut novel, In a Treacherous Court (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, August 2, 2011)!! I was thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to get an early copy in NYC, and I read it madly from start to finish this week. It's richly written, historically fascinating and has characters so compelling it made even my hours of waiting for jury duty service (a long story for another time...) speed by.

Welcome, Michelle! I'm so glad to have you here ;).

Can you tell us the basic premise of your new book?

I'd love to! It is the story of a woman, Susanna Horenbout, an artist from Ghent (which is in modern-day Belgium, although at the time was in what was known as the Low Countries) who is sent by her father, Gerard Horenbout, one of the most highly regarded illuminators and artists of his time, to work at the court of Henry VIII. And while she is on her journey to get there, she sees and hears something that, if correctly interpreted, could ruin the plans of someone plotting against Henry. So I throw her into incredible danger, and lucky for her, the man who's reluctantly agreed to meet her at Dover and escort her back to London because he's there anyway on business for the King, John Parker, is just the sort of ruthless, hard-edged and intelligent courtier you'd want to have around when someone is trying to kill you. The delightful part of this for me is that some of the story is in fact true. [I was really intrigued by this as well!]

What's one scene from this story you loved writing? And what drew you to the historical fiction genre and to writing about this time period??

I love so many scenes in this book, but probably my favorite one is the second to last scene of the book, when Parker has to ask a favor of the King, and he isn't a man given to asking favors. It was great fun to write.

What drew me to this period (aside from excellent books like the Shardlake series) was Susanna herself. I discovered her in a series called the Uppity Woman series by Vicki Leon – it's a YA history series where Leon devotes a single page each to women she finds in history who the historians conveniently never mention but who played a significant role in their time period. Susanna got a page in Uppity Women of the Renaissance. I loved the idea of a woman artist being sent to Henry by her father to work as a professional in a time when women were not considered professionals, and wanted to learn more. I was lucky, in that Susanna's brother and father joined her later in London and her brother became Henry's official court painter. So art historians have some information on the Horenbout family, and I was able to flesh out as much as I could about Susanna from that.

Who was the first person you told when you got The Call announcing you'd sold your first novel?

I called my husband right away, and then, lucky for me, my mother (and her good friend) were staying with us from the UK (I live in Australia) on holiday, so they heard next. I called my CPs third. :)))

What's your Writer Fantasy--i.e., to see your book make into a feature film, to be on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 consecutive weeks, etc.?

I can so see this book as a movie. I even have the soundtrack worked out, with the Coldplay song La Viva Vida being the main theme song. It fits this book so perfectly, I can't hear it without being completely sucked into the world of my story again. [Oh, I LOVE that song! And, yes, I could see it as part of the movie's soundtrack, too.]

What's a personality trait you love about one of the characters in your novel and why?

This is going to sound weird, but I love how ruthless Parker is. He's deadly. He lives in a violent time, and comes from a dog eat dog background. I love how he looks at a situation, makes a judgement about what needs to be done, and if that means committing violence, he does so without hesitation. It is the edge he often has. While others are still working out what is going on, he's already jumped in. He acts.

Did you go on any special trips to research the setting?

Well, my story is set in London in 1525. So unless someone will give me access to a time machine, I have to rely on heavy research of the book and map kind, rather than in the field. But I know London pretty well, I've lived there for more than a year, if you count up all the months I've spent there (not counting the year I spent there when I was born :)) and I've personally been to many of the places described. One thing I'm so sorry about is that Crooked Lane, where Parker lives, no longer exists. It was destroyed to make way for the new London Bridge. Sniff. I'd love to be able to walk that street today.

Are you involved in any online or in-person writing groups or blogs? (I know you are!!) Have your experiences with them added anything especially positive to your writing journey?

Way back in 2005, my two critique partners, Edie Ramer and Liz Kreger (who are STILL my critique partners) and I set up Magical Musings. It has grown in leaps and bounds since them, and we've added some amazing new co-bloggers along the way (xx to Marilyn, who is one of them). We have an amazing daily readership, and a wonderful community which is growing all the time. I love the connections I've made through the blog, some of which have turned into strong friendships over the years. [xx back, Michelle!! I truly love being a part of it.]

What's next for you? Is there a new book in the pipeline?

There is another book. IN A TREACHEROUS COURT is the first book in a series of books, all starring Susanna Horenbout and John Parker. The second book is out in February 2012, so only 6 months after the first book, and it's called KEEPER OF THE KING'S SECRETS. [YAY!!]

As you may have guessed, I am already REALLY looking forward to the next one, Michelle! Thank you so much for being here and for sharing a little more about your wonderful new series. Everybody, do yourselves a favor and grab this novel. For those wandering through
**ETA: Michelle just let me know that her publisher will give away one copy to one commenter living in the U.S., so we'll choose the lucky winner on August 2nd, Michelle's release day!!

I returned from NYC to find page proofs for A Summer in Europe literally waiting for me on my doorstep (!!), so that curtailed my plans to delve into my towering stack of conference novels for a couple of weeks. However, those final edits are safely at Kensington now, and I've been enjoying SEVERAL new novels -- both in print and in ebook form!

Thanks to the lovely Lydia Hirt of Penguin, who gave me a copy of this, I've just begun The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.

The fantabulous Edie Ramer has a brand new sci-fi romance ebook out, Galaxy Girls, which I just downloaded last week and am thoroughly enjoying -- SUCH fun!!!

Our Magical Musings pal, Michelle Diener, has her debut historical fiction novel, In a Treacherous Court, coming out next week, and I'm already midway through this gorgeously written novel. I'm SO glad there will be a Book #2 and a Book #3 in this series... Michelle will be visiting on the 28th to talk about it!

Visiting here on August 2nd is the talented Joan Reeves whose latest ebook romantic comedy, Romeo and Judy Anne, will soon be released. No cover image is available yet, but I can't wait to snap up this book when it's out! (And, for anyone interested in self-publishing, you should read Joan's Sling Words blog.)

I'm also delighted to get to participate in Meredith's Austenesque Extravaganza, which will be coming up August 1st and lasting all month long! I'll be taking part in a Twitter Party on Sunday, August 7th at 3pm Central Time (4pm Eastern), so I'm really looking forward to that.

And, finally, I just got the cover for my second ebook romantic comedy, Double Dipping (yippee!), which will be out at the end of August.

It's the story of opposites colliding when a dedicated second-grade teacher fights the school's new financial director in order to reinstate a much-beloved autumn festival. But secrets, ambition, attraction and meddling family members complicate matters in their small Midwestern town. The book is part light mystery, part romantic comedy and entirely packed with delectable sweets -- including a step-by-step recipe for making homemade chocolate-cherry ice cream! (I'm sure you're all shocked to learn that I have yet another book that revolves around ice cream, eh? :)

Both this novel and On Any Given Sundae were books I had originally written several years ago and had thoroughly edited (this latest story actually went through a number of incarnations and made it as far as the Harlequin/Silhouette acquisitions board), so I've loved getting to revise these romantic tales and bring them to life at last.

It's also been pretty thrilling to see my SUNDAE book reach new readers and even show up on a few Amazon lists. However, between these two romances and my fall women's fiction book, I can tell you that my 2011 publishing plate is now full! I'd always respected authors who managed to release multiple books in one year, but this was my first experience doing it myself and, wow, has it been busy...

Here's wishing you all a relaxing week ahead as we finish out July and head into August! What have you all been reading lately?

Good morning!

I'm at
Here, in the Midwest, we're having a heatwave... If it's in the 90s or higher where you are, STAY COOL!!! (You all know my Rx for everything, right? Eat ice cream. ;)

I can't believe I didn't actually have this date on my calendar, circled in red... Thanks to the lovely Jill Thomas, though, I can say that today is National Ice Cream Day, and I have every intention of celebrating it thoroughly!!

Thankfully, our freezer is already stocked with ice-cream sandwiches and a quart of Chocolate Brownie Chunk, but I feel I shouldn't be neglecting other favorite flavors on this special day...so we're going to have to go shopping and pick up a few more. Maybe a couple of those cute little Ben & Jerry's pints. It's been too long since I've had Phish Food or Chunky Monkey. Or some of Breyer's All-Natural Strawberry. Or Edy's Swiss Chocolate, which is the closest I can get with a national brand to my Madison favorite, Orange Custard Chocolate Chip. (The Edy's is also about 10,000 fewer calories per serving than the custard...) All I know for sure is that I'm not letting this great excuse for taste testing pass me by today.

In On Any Given Sundae news (which is far too easy to segue to given the day ;), I was thrilled to find out that the book hit Amazon's Bestsellers in Humor list for the first time yesterday! It's been hovering around the mid-60s in that Top 100. And in a more specific list -- Humor books that are Fiction, Romantic and Contemporary -- it's holding at #5 on Amazon right now...which is to say, THANK YOU!! It wouldn't be anywhere close without your help, supportiveness and enthusiasm. XOXOX

So, I know we've talked about favorite ice cream flavors before (this is not a topic that ever gets old, IMO), but have you tried any new ones recently? Any favorite ice cream creations you've enjoyed this summer? I remember, when I was a kid, we lived near a Bridgeman's Ice Cream Parlor. My favorite flavor there was their Cinnamon -- yum! But I was never old enough (according to my parents) to order their Lollapalooza Ice Cream Sundae, which had 8 scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, 3 cherries and more. I watched in amazement as my aunt ate the whole thing! Well, almost the whole thing. I was about 7 and she gave me one of the cherries. ;) Anyone ever try something like that?!

...I'm at Magical Musings blogging about one big thing I learned (or, perhaps, relearned) at the RWA Conference. Please visit me there if you have a chance!

Also, in honor of the Independence Day celebrations featured in the story, there's a limited time $0.99 SALE going on right now for On Any Given Sundae on Kindle and Nook!! So, if you haven't downloaded it yet but would like to, you've got a special July deal ;).

And, finally, to combat the heat, here's a recipe for a cool summertime drink that I liked and wanted to share, courtesy of Shine:

MIXED-FRUIT SMOOTHIES

2 bananas, chilled
2/3 cup strawberries or mango slices
1 12-ounce can grape juice or mango, apricot, strawberry, or other fruit nectar, chilled
1 8-ounce carton fat-free yogurt
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
2 tablespoons ground pistachio nuts (optional)

Directions

1.In a blender combine bananas, strawberries or mango slices, grape juice or fruit nectar, yogurt, and, if desired, honey. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into six tall, chilled glasses. If desired, sprinkle with ground pistachio nuts. Makes 6 smoothies.

2.Note: For two-tone smoothies, make mango smoothies and strawberry smoothies. Transfer to separate pitchers or glass measuring cups. Taking a pitcher or cup in each hand, slowly pour both smoothies at the same time into opposite sides of the glass.

What are your favorite, most refreshing summer drinks??