GETTING WHAT YOU DESERVE

Today I am just writing; after all the blog is about books, shoes and writing. But just wait until you see the cute little shoes/boots I have gotten for the fall...but that is for next week.

I feel like I need to purge myself. No, not like ridiculous movie where all bets are off and you can do whatever you want for 24 hours!

First the most frustrating thing you can do to me is take everything that I say as an opportunity to say why I am wrong and why you are right. OK, am I not entitled to an OPINION? Am I supposed to continue to agree with everything that everyone ever says? Am I supposed to never change my mind about anything? Geez people!

Secondly, my dreams are live and in living color! I dream big and I think big so it only beckons that I would want big things, right? Well, my dream of being a 'talk show host' has come true. My dream of being an author; yep came true and now my dream of having someone in my life that I can share everything with is, OK, well I'm still working on that but I know now that I am in a position to change that as well.

Third, I want to thank all of you for being on my journey for the past six months. It seems like this life has taken a turn down the path that I was trying to get to years ago but for some reason was not able to get there.

Suddenly, I find myself on the path that I wanted to be on years ago. I now know that the reason I am on the path now is because I was not READY for the journey years ago. I had a lot going on in my life that would not have allowed me to appreciate the path and journey that I am on now.

See sometimes we just have to wait because what is for us will be for us; as long as we wait for it.

So as I right this, I smile and know that what is for me, is for me and that no matter what you may say, I know I am right where I need to be.

Have you started the journey to being the best you possible and if not, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself, why?

I AM EVERYWHERE YOU SHOULD BE

Where are you?

That is what I find myself asking whenever I am at an event and I am the only author there. I have been to wine tasting, grand openings, dinners, networking events and at least 6 out of the last 10 times, I was the ONLY author in attendance.

Why aren't I seeing more authors? You must know that this is the way that you make connections. This is the way that you get new readers, this is the way that you meet some people that can help you along in your journey.

Why aren't I see more authors at event's given BY authors? These are also the events that you need to be at. Supporting another author is also a way to make more connections to readers that might not know the genre that you write or maybe they may be the leader of a book club and want more local authors to come and chat with their members.

Why aren't I see more of you at these types of events? Why aren't I seeing more authors at event's like +MaliceDomesticConference or +LoveIsMurder or +Thrillerfest or +MDC3. These are all conferences or conventions that gather lots of readers and very few authors.

So again, Why aren't I seeing more of you at these events?

LOVE IS MURDER AND I LOVE IT

Two weeks ago I went to Love Is Murder and had the best time ever.

I got to hang out with my great friends, +Hanley Kanar and many others. Love is Murder is the best conference in the Mid-West that you can attend and it is the conference where you make life long friends.

The conference starts on a Friday and runs straight through until Sunday afternoon. We eat, laugh, sit and discuss writing, promotional ideas and best of all we enjoy a few drinks at the bar!

This is why I attend conferences. I meet people! I like to be around other authors and I think I learn more than I would by just sitting home and 'hoping' that someone notices me.

We exchange business cards and we laugh at the, sometimes, share a drink or two or three...OK, four at the most! But most of all we like to sit down with the fans that attend.

I shared my dinner table with the most interesting pair of women who come to LIM every year. They are two retired librarians and they always come to Love is Murder (LIM)

The reason? Because they feel that they can talk and be a part of the literary world without going to far from home. They leave with plenty of new books from the newcomers and they share lots of stories about their days in the library. Those two women are always a pleasure to see.

The other reason is they give out awards, voted on by the fans of the conference. This year, a good friend of mine +Christine Verstraete won the LOVEY for BEST HORROR novel of 2013.

This is her first novel and she won! She was shocked and were we all but why were we. She was up against, +Heather Graham, who is a NY Times Best Selling author! and Christine brought home the LOVEY!

So if you ever get the chance to attend a conference, check out ones close to home first. You will be in for a treat.

If you need a few ideas, here are a few but if you know of any in your area, please feel free to share

Creatures, Crimes and Creativity
Love Is Murder
Malice Domestic
Bouchercon
Thrillerfest

I'VE BEEN CONNED

I've been conned and I can't be more happier.

This week I am getting ready for the +mdc3conference in +HuntValleyInn near Baltimore.

I will get to moderate some panels; something I haven't done before and I am as excited at the +RedskinsZap fans were to see +RGIII in the game last night. (PSA: I'm a +DallasCowboys Chic)

I got my assignment and promptly sent an email to the people that I get to 'chat' with. You see, I got 'conned' about two years ago and I refuse to go back! I attending the +BTO conference on the +EASTERNSHORELIFE in 2010 and was hooked. Meeting other authors and getting to talk 'shop' was priceless to me.

I have become a Con Junkie. (Hello: My name is B. Swangin Webster and I'm addicted to writers conferences. Don't judge me!)

Not to mention that +BrianKeene is now coming to the conference, I'm like a girl in a new store holding it's grand opening and all of the +Stilettos Heels are on sale.

So, I've been "conned" and I am not mad about it, I'm actually happy. This is the only way that I can promote myself, and my writing and have fun doing it.

Have you been 'conned' and if you haven't you need to make plans right now to attend at least one next year. You will be glad that you did.

Q and A with author C.A. Verstraete:

Today I welcome to my blog, a new author hitting the scene with a great YA zombie novel. I read it and it is amazing! I wanted to sit down with her and find out some of things she has learned and some of the things she is doing for her first novel. Make sure you leave her a comment.

Thank you for joining me today and I am going to jump right into it...

 Hi, B...thanks for hosting me as part of my Book Launch Blog Tour for Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie, which just released!

What piece of advice would you give to new authors trying to get their novels published?

Verstraete: Be patient. (What is that?) Be persistent. And don't start sending it out too early. (Yes, I did. See reverse of first answer. ha!)

What is the thing the one thing that you have learned about publishing that you didn't know?

Verstraete: That there really, truly, is such a thing as a marketing/publicity person other than myself, though I've heard they're near as rare as unicorns. J

What made you write about Zombies? And do you think that Zombies are the new 'fad'?

Verstraete: I actually got into zombies with a short story I wrote a year ago (The Killer Valentine Ball) that I called "zombie light." I've always been a Night of the Living Dead fan, but The Walking Dead really hooked me.

Monsters seem to be the bearers of society's ills, and with all that's going on in our society, I think it's a theme that'll continue to be around for a while. People need a "boogeyman" and for now, zombies seem to be it.

Tell us what you like about being an author?

Verstraete: It's a good way to get the words out of my head or I'd be talking to myself. (Not a good thing. ha!) I just enjoy writing - at least when it's going well.

Why did you decide to go with Intrigue Publishing?

Verstraete: I liked the idea of a royalty-paying publisher and I liked Austin Camacho's long experience in publishing.

Your characters are Hispanic? Do you think it is harder to find a market for an ethnic novel than a novel with the characters being African American or White?

Verstraete: I actually don't think of my character, Becca, being any different than anyone else. She is part-Spanish, but that is only part of who she is. I think readers will find that Becca is multi-dimensional, with being a part-zombie and coping with "full" zombies more noticeable than her ethnicity. After all, not everyone has a "twirly" eye and a female, "Wolfman" gait...

This blog is about writing, shoes and books. What are your favorite shoes, your least favorite book, and why?

Verstraete:  Shoes? Well, who doesn't like shoes! I love platforms and wedges, and as someone barely reaching 5-feet-tall, I'm soo glad they're still in fashion. But I may still wear them anyway even if they weren't! And I absolutely adore miniature shoes (and purses!) They're dollhouse-sized, but look like the real thing. (For fun, check these out and tell me you're not in love!)

Books: One immediately comes to mind: Moby Dick. I hated reading (or trying to read) that book in school. Bo-ring! That doesn't mean I didn't like other classics, which I did. To this day, I still like to re-read Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Tell us about what is next for you.

Verstraete:  Next? More zombies, of course. I'm not done. Be sure to enter here to win a great prize

Website: www.cverstraete.com

Blog: GirlZombieAuthors, http://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com

BUY:
Amazon:  *Canada - China - France - Germany - India - Italy - Japan -Spain - US - UK

* Books-A-Million   *Barnes & Noble   *IndieBound   * Powell's

I AM BEING COURTED!

Yes, I'm being courted and my dad would be so happy. It's not that I'm a spinster or anything like that but being courted is something that every man wants for his daughter, right?

Well, my dad might be a litle disappointed to know that I am being courted by two women and a man. Actually, I guess you can say that want me to be a part of their group.

Now before you jump up and down and get yourself into a frenzy. I'm not talking about THAT kind of group; get your minds out of the gutter people. (not that's there's anything wrong with that)

I'm talking about being courted by a literary agency. That's right! Me, little ol me is being courted by one of the biggest agency's for literature and I am all aglow. (that's a word, right)

I was treated to a fancy dinner on Saturday then I got to go to a party where the First Lady was there and took note of my dress! Yes, my dress was a hit with the first lady. And let me just say this, she is really tall. I'm not short by any means, but even with my 6 inch heels on; she still had me by about 2 inches.

And, I got a car...I mean, not like Oprah, but they had a car and that is how we got to the party and I felt like Oprah or at the very least some rich spoiled kid. They laid out all that they 'could do for me' because they say I am "very marketable".

And do you want to know why this happened? It happened because of Thrillerfest! I owe all of this goodness to being at Thrillerfest and standing up and 'buzzing' my book!

I'm sure you are looking up Creatures,Crimes and Creativity right now because there will be agents there. There is still time to sign up!

So I guess you are wondering what my decision is: well I haven't made it yet. I know you are probably shouting, WHY NOT. The simple answer is: I have a lot of things to take into consideration and I don't want to jump into something that will impact the rest of my life. Just like buying a home, you have to KNOW that you want it. Oh trust me, I want it alright but they gave me two weeks to think it over...and that is exactly what I am going to do.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOES.....

I know you didn't think I was done with the shoes, fun and all around good times that I had at +ThrillerFest, now did you?

I learned a lot of things on how to "Buzz My Book" from +MJ Rose and +Meryl Moss

They invited people to stand up and say one line about their novel..."but don't go into plot" MJ Rose warned, "or I will stop you."

After a few people went, I got a nudge from the president of Intrigue Publishing, to Buzz you book....I let one more person go by and when they announced 'we have time for a couple more'..I took the chance.

I sheepishly put my hand up and they picked someone else but then..it happened. MJ Rose called on me...I was up! It was my turn...dear lord, please don't let me become a rambling fool!  


I stood, straightened my shirt, pulled in a quick breath and said, "My name is B. Swangin Webster, but really its Sandra and I write under that name"...and then I felt myself getting ready to slip in the bumbling, rambling stage...I had to think quick or they were going to make me sit down.

I found the courage and said, "I'm working on a novel about twin sisters, who are killing off professional men and it's called The Stiletto Stalker." Whew..it was over, I couldn't sit down fast enough and then it happened.

They both lit up...well at least I think they did, and began to tell me how great that idea was and how I should find shoe stores, small ones at first and set up signings in there...+Zappos.com would be a great place...but not right now...maybe in the future...but according to Meryl..."that's such a great title...and great shoes".

Oh my gosh! She noticed my shoes....and you could peel me from the ceiling...Me and my green shoes were a hit...they gave me the confidence I needed to buzz my book...and I kept that momentum going all weekend. Yes...me and my shoes, made a big splash...

Now...to stop shopping for more shoes and finish #TheStilettoStalker before next year...

#THRILLER13-----ITS OVER

Can I tell you just how much fun I had at ThrillerFest...oh my gosh!

I have always had a great time there and this year was no different. Of course for me, it is always all about the shoes...and let me just tell you...I have to always be on point with my shoes...they are my way of branding myself.

First let's talk about the shoes...oh my...my shoes were a hit...and of course I knew they would be. I should be tooting my own horn, shouldn't I....give me a minute

  
BEEP BEEP BEEP

Now back to the business at hand.

I searched high and low for shoes that would make me the stand out in the crowd and you know, I found them. Imagine my surprise as I was standing in line to get one of the FREE...yes that's right FREE books that they were giving away and a woman walked up to me and said..."you are her...you're the woman on twitter with the shoes" I politely said "yes I am'' and she proceeded to say..."ok, let me see" a little dumbfounded I lifted my pant leg and she squealed...yes, she actually squealed. I am not kidding!

She then said, "I will be right back" and she did, she came right back with four other people who had "to see my shoes"

See this is one thing that I do well...shoes are my life! I know them like...well like the bottoms of my feet.

From the moment ThrillerFest started, everyone who saw me, didn't say hello; they said, "Ok, let me see them"...now if I a comedian, I could make that mean so many different things but I knew they were talking about my shoes...oh and trust me...when you see them...you will be envious ...yes, very envious!

Later this week, I will be talking about some rabbits with a 'bite'...and the woman that tries to tame them...

What plans do you have for this week?

I used to think I was the most organized person, ever! Yep, there was never a time that I wouldn't know what my day, week or month would bring.

Now, I'm not so sure about it. All I know is now I am trying to make it through each day and remind myself to take my medications or put eye drops in my eye.

Instead of planning out my day I know try and enjoy each moment as it comes. I want to remember the day, not the 'things' that I did in the day.



Isaiah



Some days it is hard to remember my name, or to even remember the names of my children and grandchildren. Now with the addition of my newest grandson, I find myself pushing the 'planned' events out of the way, so I can spend time with Isaiah. Babies + the new baby smell= forgotten appointments, talking in a baby voice and hoping that when you burb him, the milk doesn't stain that new dress you put on.

Yes, plans are great for people that don't want to enjoy life to the fullest. For the rest of us, plans are meant to be 'adjusted' when life 'happens'.

So I ask you, what are your plans this week?

Let the fun times begin

Summer vacation....

That can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.

For me, it means, more writing and this year I am looking forward to it much more than usual.

I have been on hiatus lately. I've been doing so many things, for so many people; that I have forgotten to do the one thing that I loved.

Enter..."Shawny". She is the Stiletto Stalker and she tapped me on the shoulder. Well, not really, she kind of kicked me in the head on night and jolted me from my sleep and told me, "you better start writing my story or you will be sorry".

At first I blinked hard and then said, "really because you aren't real and you can't do anything to me." Her response...."watch me"

I tried to go back to sleep and for some reason, I couldn't. I was restless with all of the scenarios playing out in my head and before I knew it, I was up with a notebook in my hand re-writing the first scene of The Stiletto Stalker. I guess she told me, huh?

After a day of writing her, she came back and said..."let the fun times begin...now let's see if you can figure out how I killed him." What...you killed a man? Was my response and she walked off in her stylish shoes and turned to me with a wicked grin and said..."hey, it wouldn't be a murder mystery without a crime, now would it?"

I was shocked, dismayed and confused. I have never written a murder mystery and need a little help. So I guess I need to call up my good friends +Lauren Carr or +Austin Camacho and his problem solver, Hannibal Jones because this looks like it might be a problem only the three of them can help me with.

Let the fun begin....I think.

Hash Tag Thriller13

For the past month I have been tweeting about +Thrillerfest and I have been having a blast.

Well, it all started with the announcement that there would be a contest...now let me stop there because all I read was 'contest'. I have no idea if there is a prize, or recognition of some kind..all I know is that there is a CONTEST and I have to win it...if I don't I will be disappointed.

See for me, its all about the competition and now that the contest has started, I am obsessed with tweeting. I tweet at least 20-25 times a day, and not just about Thrillerfest. I tweet about my blog, I tweet about my job (the other one that requires I spend 8 hours of my day with middle school kids) and I tweet about upcoming events, like Thrillerfest.

Ok, well it seems I tweet about them a lot, but they are planning such great things like panel discussions on "violence in books, when is it to much" or "why did they kill of my favorite character" or "being ready for combat". See I can't listen to people talk about those things unless I go to Thrillerfest and unless I tweet about them, they (the powers that be that are planning Thrillerfest) wouldn't know how excited I am about it.

So, tweeting about Thrillerfest is such a great thing and going to Thrillerfest is right up there with buying a new pair of stilettos, that I have to do it. (side note: Yes, I have stilettos shoes packed and ready to go and I know I will be buying more before July 10th when I head to NYC.

So #Thriller13 and find me on Twitter. I'll be the one with a 'comment' every 30 minutes or so.