Internatinoal Potluck Blogfest

You're Invited to The International Potluck Blogfest

The International Potluck Blogfest is to celebrate diverse books and is hosted by Lexa Cain, Medeia Sharif, and myself.

The Rules are simple!

1. Post the lovely graphic in the corner.
2. Post a cover to a book you love with a food and/or recipe from the book, a food from the MC's region, or a food you just like! If you have a book, by all means talk about it. If you talk about my book, I will kiss you.
3. Link back to Lexa, Medeia, and me. All three of us.
4. Each book on the graphic and a $10 Amazon gift card will be up for grabs, and there will be lots of ways to enter!!!!!!!!!!!

Romance Roundup

There are two really good books coming out in September. I've read both. Usually, I wait until closer to a release date, but I'm excited about these. 

When insecure eighteen-year-old Kailee Hill gets caught tagging Iraq war refugee, Abrahem Yohanna's garage, she's not expecting him to act as her designated driver, hold her hair back when she pukes, or offer to be a shoulder to cry on. But she's failing chemistry and her life is falling apart, so she uses the number Abe leaves her and finds herself with a new tutor.

The two quickly find themselves falling hard for each other. Kailee attacks a local grunt when he calls Abe a "sand nigger" and fights with her veteran brother to be with him. When she learns Abe hasn't told his family about her, she's heartbroken and the couple risks losing everything they've worked to build. To make matters worse, Kailee's previous acts make her the prime suspect in a serious crime. With Kailee behind bars and doubting his feelings for her, Abe must find a way to rescue the girl he loves and win back her affection . And to do that he’ll have to catch a crook…

Sophomore year in high school comes with its own set of problems. You're no longer a freshmen, but you're still two years away from ruling the school. So, you sit and languish in a kind of purgatory until junior year, when things start to get interesting. 

That is, unless during your sophomore year, you find your boyfriend making out with another girl in front of your locker. Then, interesting takes on a whole new meaning, and that's what happened to seventeen-year-old Meg Flannigan. It's no wonder her self-esteem suffered a major hit. 

Now a senior, Meg catches the eye of not one, but two guys at school (I know, right?). They happen to both be gorgeous, and each vies for her attention in the most flattering of ways. Sounds good, right? Not if one of the guys is her boyfriend, and the other one wants to be. 

Meg doesn’t want to lose Ash. They’ve been together for almost five months, and she’s falling in love with him. But Noah. Ah, Noah. He’s the irresistible guy Meg has been crushing on for two years, and she isn’t ready to send him away either. But stringing both along could have disastrous results, leaving Meg in the cold once again. 

One thing's certain. Meg needs to decide between Ash and Noah soon, or she'll lose her perfect match forever. 

Monday Mishmash

Monday Mishmash is hosted by Kelly Hashway.

1. For the price of a lunch out, you can learn the process I used to query with a 50% full request rate. I still use this method to pitch my agent who only tweaks my pitch to sub, and I use this method for my self pubbed books. Sign up here.
2. International Potluck Blogfest- To celebrate our books, Lexa Cain, Medeia Sharif, and I are co-hosting the International Potluck Blogfest on 8/12/14. Save the date! We want to see you there.
3. Freelance Work- I got my first freelance client last week. I'm writing for a sports ezine which is very different from anything I've done in the past.And if you're looking for an editor I still have some openings. 
4. Rewrites- I've been rewriting Perfect Harmony. I'm hoping to be done by Friday, but for some reason I'm not confident. Still, I'd like to have it to my agent by 8/15/14. So I'm really hoping to push this baby out and send it to my cp.
5. New Blog- I know you people have books to promote. I'm giving away a press release at my new blog and so far have 0 entries. Please stop by. 
6. Finding Hope- Some people have been waiting for this book for a long time. It will be out in September. Special thanks to Ashelyn Drake who both blurbed the book and is the first person to share the cover.
   

Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card

Before we get started, you can sign up to learn the process I used to query with a 50% full request rate and snag an editor and agent here. And I'm giving away a free press release at my new blog.


The companion to A Missing Peace will be released in September. This is Mirriam's brother's story, and you can see the cover and blurb below. My Peace Battalion was tremendously helpful with the release of Peace and I love my street team. But I'm looking to have a street team for all my books, so I'd like to change the name to something that fits for all my books and future books. I'm giving away a $10 gift card to the person who offers the best name for my street team. Keep in mind I write romance with a sweet heat level.

When insecure eighteen-year-old Kailee Hill gets caught tagging Iraq war refugee, Abrahem Yohanna's garage, she's not expecting him to act as her designated driver, hold her hair back when she pukes, or offer to be a shoulder to cry on. But she's failing chemistry and her life is falling apart, so she uses the number Abe leaves her and finds herself with a new tutor.

The two quickly find themselves falling hard for each other. Kailee attacks a local grunt when he calls Abe a "sand nigger" and fights with her veteran brother to be with him. When she learns Abe hasn't told his family about her, she's heartbroken and the couple risks losing everything they've worked to build. To make matters worse, Kailee's previous acts make her the prime suspect in a serious crime. With Kailee behind bars and doubting his feelings for her, Abe must find a way to rescue the girl he loves and win back her affection . And to do that he’ll have to catch a crook…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Novel Engagement Problematic

Before we get started, you can sign up to learn the process I used to query with a 50% full request rate and snag an editor and agent here. And I'm giving away a free press release at my new blog.

A little over a month ago, I did a post on RWA's new mobile app Novel Engagement (NE). I said I was waiting and watching and needed to do research. The truth is NE is still new, so I'm still watching, but at least for now this is not where I recommend you put your marketing dollars. Because, at least, in it's early stages NE has some problems.
You all know Tuesday is Romance Roundup here at Romance World. I collect titles that have either yet to be released or have only very recently released, and I post the most interesting among them. I rely on ARC sites to do this. I like Net Galley. I'm a moderator at IndieArcs.com so I've been using that one too. They have one thing in common: I can find books by category. I downloaded NE and had A LOT of books to sort through--some with scandalous covers and lucked out that my baby wasn't around. So I played with the app looking for ways to sort. I could sort by author. And there was this nifty little feature called "lists," that I just knew was going to help me. The problem is there were no lists. I would have had to create them. So I must sort through books, and I'm not going to do that when I'm not looking for something specific. So as a book blogger, this tool is inconvenient. It does not help me quickly connect with the next big thing which is what I want. As a reader, this is a problem, because with no good way to sort I have to see lots of things I don't want in hopes of finding something I do want.
And being able to search by author? Yeah. That's not helpful if you're the author. Why? Part of giving a book away is about discoverability. Readers don't take chances with an author they don't know. Part of an ARC is not just marketing one book, but marketing your brand, all of your books. If the only way for someone to quickly find your books is by knowing your name, the ARC isn't working. You're reaching already fans. Already fans are awesome. They support us in lots of ways. They should get a free book from time to time. The problem is to move your career along you need to be gaining new fans. And at some point, already fans will buy the book. So you're giving away a book to someone who probably would have bought it, and you're missing new readers too. This is not where you want to put your marketing dollars.

What's your take on novel engagement?

p.s.Karla Soulie won the Amazon Give Away.

Romance Roundup

Here's what I'm looking forward to this week:

Okay, so I haven't read the first in the series yet, but this is my kinda thing!

The happily-ever-after of Holly Goldberg Sloan's acclaimed debut, I'll Be There, is turned on its head in this riveting, emotional sequel about friends, enemies, and how those roles can shift in a matter of moments.
Emily Bell has it all. She's in love with a boy named Sam Border, and his little brother has become part of her family. This summer is destined to be the best time of their lives--until a charismatic new girl in town sets her sights on Sam. Now Emily finds herself questioning the loyalty of the person she thought she could trust most.
But the biggest threat to her happiness is someone she never saw coming. Sam's criminally insane father, whom everyone thought they'd finally left behind, is planning a jailbreak. And he knows exactly where to find Emily and his sons when he escapes...and takes his revenge

Delilah Simms is an attractive high school senior who is being bullied by a cruel group of girls she calls the Imitators. As if the emotional harassment isn’t enough, she is also trying to heal from the sudden, tragic loss of her younger sister, Darcy—whom her mother believes is sending messages from beyond the grave.
On the verge of a breakdown, Delilah meets River Spencer—a handsome young man who she’s instantly attracted to. Although River seems perfect, Delilah can’t ignore the gnawing feeling that River is hiding something and that he may just be the biggest imitator of all.

Jared Strickland has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident.

Meg escapes from her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away from home to spend her summer living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, scrubbing toilets and waiting on guests at a B&B.
Once there, she meets Jared; doing his best to keep anything else in his life from changing.
When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change both of them by the end of the summer.

Which one of these do you like the best? What are you looking forward to this week?

Monday Mishmash

Monday Mishmash is hosted by the always awesome Kelly Hashway. Plus, she's my bff so if you don't know her, stop by her blog.

1. Editing- If you haven't heard yet, I'm freelancing! I can offer low prices plus a quick turn around, and a vast amount of experience and knowledge. And your first chapter is free!
2. The 'Real' Beth Fred- I've started a new blog to talk about my adventures in parenting, real estate and freelance writing. Check it out! Rumor has it there will be a give away Wed.
3. I'm giving away a $10 Amazon gift card here!
4. Finding Hope- Finding Hope the companion to A Missing Peace will be out this fall! I should have a cover soon. Can't wait!
5. Street Team- A Missing Peace had a phenomenal street team. But I'm looking to build a street team for all my books. Any suggestions for a name?
6. Query Class- I'm teaching my last query class for a while next month. Sign up now!

So that's what I have going on! What about you?

$10 Amazon Gift Card Give Away!

I stayed at home with my baby until she was almost two. I was home with my daughter and I wrote several books during that time. Two hit the the inspirational bestseller's list on Amazon and the third was picked up by Harlequin. I knew it would take me a decade to make a living writing, and I was okay with that. Then a change of circumstance forced me to find a day job. But having been out of the workforce for a while, the job I found paid okay but in all other regards was  horrible. It was sucking the life out of me and my family. Then I realized, I'm working on a terminal degree in Creative and Professional Writing. I've hit the bestseller's list twice and queried with a 50% full request rate, snagging an agent and editor. I have skills people can use and working for myself allows me to be home with my daughter and continue my love affair with fiction. To kick this off I'm giving away a one chapter critique to the first two people who comment that they would like one and there is a rafflecopter below for a $10 Amazon Gift Card.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Newbie Vlogger's Tips for Video Blogging From Ashley Maker

Hi and thanks for having me! Beth invited me to talk about vlogging via YouTube, and so I thought I’d tell readers out there about my (somewhat limited) experience so far.

When I first thought about getting into vlogging, I thought it would be easy. They’re short videos, right? How hard can that be? Well, it’s definitely harder than it looks. The videos can be short, but there’s still a lot of time and effort that has to go in to making them as effortless as they appear.

Here are some a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

1.       Find a decent camera. I’ve recorded myself on a phone video camera and a real video camera. In comparison, the phone video camera was very much lacking in light and audio quality.

2.       Download or purchase video editing software, and spend time getting familiar with it. I confess to being in way over my head when it comes to editing software. I usually do the best I can, then call for help from my much more tech-savvy husband. He helps trim my videos down and make them more polished.

3.       Be sure to check out YouTube’s terms of service. Know what you’re getting into. Also learn about monetized videos. If you choose to go that route (to make money off your videos by ads being placed in them), you need to understand what is and isn’t allowed.

4.       Check out and support other vloggers. Like many other social media avenues, there is a fantastic online community of vloggers. Go subscribe, watch, like, and comment on videos. It’s a great way to get to know people, study different vlogging techniques, and get your name out there. You also might make some new friends, and connections are invaluable in any industry.

5.       Find a style you are comfortable with. As a good friend and vlogger told me, this might take a while, and that’s okay. Just getting comfortable talking to a camera can take a while. Try different approaches until you find one that works for you.

I’m still really new to vlogging, but I’ve found making videos both enjoyable and challenging. Utilized correctly and consistently, vlogs can be a powerful marketing tool. Good luck in all your vlogging endeavors!

If anyone would like to come chat with me on social media, you can find me in these places:

YouTube: youtube.com/ashleydmaker

Facebook: facebook.com/authorashley

Twitter: twitter.com/ashleymaker

Author Bio:

Armed with a keyboard, microphone, and an energetic imagination, Ashley Maker is a combination author/songwriter from Oklahoma with a passion for all things creative. UNDER THE TREES, a Young Adult blended historical romance, is her debut novel, releasing from Cliffhanger Press, LLC in the fall of 2014. Songs inspired by the book can be heard from Seeking Never, the recording band she sings in with her guitar-playing husband Corey. A newbie vlogger and former editor, Ashley spends much of her time writing, procrastinating on social media, and waging a revision war against pronouns. The rest of her time is spent doting on her daughter and cuddling with a myriad of family pets, most notably Johnny Cash, cat writing buddy extraordinaire.