WHAT HAVE I DONE NOW?

I talked myself into a book tour. Yes, that's right; I am going on tour with two lovely ladies and we are #BDOT or #BookDivasOnTour.

This brain child came about as yours truly attended one of the divas book launch in September, +KR Raye is a local author who just released "The Colors Trilogy" and while talking about our respective journeys I blurted out. 'We should go on tour. Diva's on Tour could be a hit!" and she co-signed it.

Oops, did I just say that! Did I just commit myself to being on a book tour with so much stuff already going on. Yep! I damn right I did.

If I don't promote myself, who will? Besides I knew it wouldn't be hard because all I have to do is buy some killer shoes, get some books in a suitcase and pack. How hard could that be, right?

Well, when you factor in the commitment's I already have, it is going to be hard but fun! Imagine three women, oh, did I forget to mention that +Dee Lawrence would also be on tour with us. This diva is another hard working sister and with the three of us; this is going to be a great time.

So, you need to get ready. #BookDivasOnTour is hitting local cities in 2014 and we are looking to have some fun with you. Are you ready?

Contact my publicist, Sandra Bowman at: sandra.bowman@intriguepublishing.com to book us in your area.

We hope to see you soon.

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

I know you started singing that Christmas tune as soon as you read the title. Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

It's the time of the year when all good little boys and girls are making their list and checking it twice. It is also the time of the year that retailers are hoping that people will come and spend their hard earned money at their store.

Did you know that it is also the time of the year that small businesses hope to make up profits to keep their stores open for another year?

On the Saturday after thanksgiving, it is 'small business' shopping day. That means that all of us should support the small business. That also means small publishing companies. How many of you would take the chance and shop a small business or small publisher for some great gift ideas?

I did and I found some GREAT bargains! Most small publishers offer their newest releases around this time of year. Think of the authors that you will support by buying from a small publisher. Penguin, Random House, Kensington; they all don't have to worry as much about profits because they will have the loyal fan based. Smaller presses rely on us to support their authors and hope that in the process, you find a new author and become a fan.

If you have small business that you support, why not share their name here. If you are an owner of small publishing company, why not leave a comment so all of my loyal followers can find you and possibly find a new author to support.

Happy Shopping!

THE OLD ADAGE IS TRUE

That adage that I heard growing up; Time is money...boy do I know it!

I don't ever seem to have enough of it. Time or Money. Take for instance this month. Every weekend of this month, I have had time and money issues.

The first weekend was spent in Texas; the next weekend was spent in Vegas and then the following weekend was spent in Philly. During the week before the weekend trips; well that was spent at work. Twelve hours a day on some days and then packing for another trip.

My life began to look like a game show, I'll call it, "What's the Weather Like Where You Are?"  (Hint: pay attention to the $ at the end of each paragraph)

I'll guess...what is 50 degrees for $200. Wrong! Texas was in the low 60's so that cute little spring dress that I had was replaced by a very cute brown pantsuit that I had to BUY once there. Then the time came to unpack, and pack again for Vegas. $$

Oh I'll guess What is 70 degrees for $200. Wrong! Damn it! Vegas was a very balmy 80 degrees.  So those long sleeve shirts that I packed had to be replaced. Off to the store I go to buy short sleeved t-shirts that would be cool enough during the day but keep me warm enough at night. Additional (jacket) purchase $$$

Now for the trip to Philly. I KNOW I will get this right. I will guess What is 60 degrees for $200. Wrong!

OK, so the expletives that came out of my mouth was far to much for this blog.

So there I am, in Philly with a long sleeve shirt and a fleece hoodie.  And that was it! I didn't wear jeans because I thought, hey; these black leggings will keep me warm enough. Wrong. I didn't wear a tank top under my shirt because this long sleeve shirt and hoodie will be enough. Wrong Again! and I didn't wear a top coat because; well let's face it; I was trying to be CUTE and you can't be cute with your outfit that you spent all of that TIME picking out; being covered up with some dumb coat. Lesson... $$$$

So here I am, sitting at my desk looking at all of my receipts of things that had to be bought because of all of the TIME I got the dumb weather wrong.

This weekend will be even busier because I have a formal gala to attend and we won't even talk about the amount of money that is being spent to prepare for this momentous event!

Oh, but let's not forget one thing. I bought back a COLD from Vegas so not only have I spent more money on clothing I am now spending money on cold medications. $$$$$$

Oh yes....Time is money and in my case...money is looking like the lost 'episode' of "Where did it go?"

IN THE BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END...

Today while many of us have Veteran's Day off, I am spending my long weekend in Las Vegas. I couldn't let this moment pass without blogging. Oh, don't worry, these adventures will be a blog post later this month, with pictures. I wanted to talk a little bit about what is going on this month.

November is National Novel Writing Month, better known as Nanowrimo. If you don’t know what this is, it is the month of November dedicated to writers all over the hemisphere.

It challenges them to write a novel in 30 days.  Their website, http://nanowrimo.org gives you plenty of encouragement, tools, forums, blogs and contacts. They even have a place to find other Nano’ers near you to keep you motivated.

I have never participated because I have three books in progress but I do track my progress because I use this month to push me to finish up projects. Most of my projects end in November because I use the same concept.

For thirty days, I plop myself in my small office (pictured to right) and have my glass of wine beside me, my Ipod playing and I type until my hands get tired. Thirty days to finish up my novel is a great incentive. Now, this concept isn't for everyone but isn't the purpose of Nano Wrimo to encourage the author in us to get moving to finish our works in progress.

If you don’t finish your novel by November 30^th,  don’t fret. Go over what you have done. You never know you may be  closer to finish than you think.

There is one rule that all authors should practice:  don’t edit your writing while you are writing.

That is the biggest reason we authors never finish. You need to write and write and write until your words don’t come. Then you begin the process of editing and rewriting. This is when you will find those things that don’t need to be in there but you will also find things that need to be added.

Use this National Novel Writing Month as your tool to finish up your novel.

Are you participating in Nanowrimo? Or are you using this as a tool to move you along in your writing?

JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

Zombie Stomper

Now, you all know that my blog has everything to do with books, shoes and writing. But who would have thought that today, well actually last week, I would find these shoes. If you look very carefully you will see a +zombie face on the side of this shoe. The most shocking thing is...its called the "Zombie Stomper" Stiletto and it can be found at +ShoeDazzle

Yes, Shoe Dazzle has managed to find the one shoe that I would not wear. Not that it isn't cute as all get out, but I'm to damn scared of zombies. I don't want them to close to my feet.  I don't want them to be tempted to eat my toes and than I'd be fair game if I were to topple over and then they could have their way with my brains and do all matters of things to my face and their breath, my god it has to smell horrible!

Sure +Christine Verstraete is an expert in all things zombies but I am not. Her novel; Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie is all the rage this Halloween! It follows Becca as she tried to adjust to her life...well you get the book and read it for yourself.  Now back to the story.  When I happened upon this truck, I sent her the picture because I couldn't believe my eyes. First the truck, now shoes! I think something is happening and they are not letting me in on the secret.

Zombie Response Team Vehicle

See they want to lure me into believing that you can be stylish all while trying to cover your head to prevent the zombies from getting at your brain. Then they tell you to run away, which they wouldn't have to worry about that, and not to worry because zombies only move from side to side which makes it hard for them to keep up. They say move to higher ground because zombies can't climb stairs...Whatever! In the +TheWalkingDeadSeries they seem to do JUST FINE IN FINDING THE HEALTHY PEOPLE.  Ok, sorry for yelling but this is an emergency! These people, or zombies or whomever they are,  want us fashionable women to be lured into a false sense of security by purchasing these +Stilettos Stompers so that we can kill them with our shoes. ARE YOU CRAZY!

Lady Killer Fugg

First, any fashionable woman wouldn't kill zombies in our good shoes. Besides that green stuff will squirt out, yeah; I don't want that on my shoes! I barely want to walk in the rain with my nice shoes on. So instead I recommend these beauties on the right. See they are low enough so that you can keep your balance. Comfortable enough that your feet will stay warm and they even come with a flower to give the illusion that you want the zombies not fear you and then WHAM! 

You get them in the head and watch that green stuff fly, which won't matter in these beauties because these shoes are machine washable. Stomp away in these Lady Killer Fugg from +ShoeDazzle and your home will be safe from zombies. Than you can call the +ZombieResponseTeam to come and clean up the rest of that mess. 

Happy Halloween! 

HOCKEY AND WRITING...VERY INTERESTING

I am still fascinated by Mr. Luke Murphy so I sat down and had a little chat with him.

BSW: Playing hockey is a very grueling sport; when did you know that it was time to hang up your skates?

LM: I grew up loving hockey and that never changed. But my years of “chasing the dream” took their toll. I’ve never been very big, so injuries played a big part in my decision. I had a series of injuries throughout my pro career, everything from broken bones to scratched corneas to herniated discs. I was nearing my 30^th birthday so I knew that my chances of ever making it back to the NHL were slim. Plus my girlfriend wanted to start her own career and a family, so I knew it was time to settle down and get a stable job.

BSW: You did what few authors do. You actually studied how to become a better writer, why? And what did you learn from that?

LM: No matter what I did: I always want to be the best. I’ve always set high goals for myself, and expect nothing but the best from myself. I constantly read; from novels in my favorite genres to books, written by experts in the writing field. My first two purchases were “Stein on Writing”, by successful editor Sol Stein, and “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Browne and Dave King.  My major breakthrough from Stein’s book was to “Show don’t Tell”. I wrote that phrase on a sticky note and put it on my computer monitor. The Self-Editing book helped me learn how to cut the FAT off; eliminating unnecessary details.

BSW: You sent out a lot of query’s to agents. What made you stop and pull back and rework your manuscript?

LM: I was just fed up. After months of rejections, I determined my manuscript just wasn’t good enough. I was persistent, and I knew I had it in me. I just had to stick with it. There were many people along the way, professionals in the industry, who helped me realize at the time that my novel needed work. These people wanted me to succeed, and took the time to not just send a rejection letter, but also tell me what needed to be done.

BSW: Your protagonist is a black man…you are not. Why did you decide to write a black character and not just make him a white male?

LM: I read a lot, especially in the crime-thriller genres, and I decided that there were not a lot of African-American protagonists in novels. When I first started reading adult novels, I was heavy into James Patterson. “Kiss the Girls” was the first adult crime-book I ever read, and I fell in love with the genres. I also loved Patterson’s Alex Cross character, an African-American detective who was widely popular with readers.

BSW: . Have you attended conferences and what is the best advice you can give to someone who has never been to a conference?

LM: In 2007 I attended the “Bloody Words” writing conference in Ottawa, Canada, rubbing elbows with other writers, editors, agents and publishers. I made friends (published and unpublished authors), bombarding them with questions, learning what it took to become successful. My advice, be outgoing and friendly, and never turn down an opportunity to speak with someone or let someone read your work.

BSW:  My blog is about books, shoes and writing. What book are you reading or working on right now? What shoes can’t you live without and give one piece of writing advice.

LM: I’m currently reading Bood Memory by Greg Iles. I’m currently working on my second novel, another crime-thriller, following the career of rookie, female LAPD detective Charlene Taylor. I would love to write another book. Right now, I have a full time job (teaching), a part-time tutoring job, and three small children (all girls, YIKES!!).

I don`t have much time to write, but when I get a chance, I do all I can. It could take some time, but eventually I would love to write a series of novels featuring Calvin Watters. But I will not limit my novels to Calvin Watters, as I would like to write a variety of novels, all in the crime-thriller genres.

As for fashion, I admit I don’t have much (LOL). I leave my clothes up to my wife and I wear what she tells me to wear. As for shoes, since I enjoy working out, I would say my running shoes I couldn't live without. I know, pretty boring.

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT

Have you ever received flowers, for no reason at all? 

Have you ever been sent an email that says, just wanted to make you smile?

Have you ever been told, let's go out to dinner/lunch/breakfast because I want to give you a break?

If you have than you know that those little things mean a lot to women AND men. Let me be clear. Men like to get those little things also.

My "just because"
bouqet

Have you sent your man flowers just because you thought about the way he looked at your last week? If you haven't why not? Men like to receive small tokens of affection from their ladies just as much as we like to receive them.

Think about the time you gave your guy or significant other a massage as he sat down to read the paper or watch television. I can almost guarantee that he was shocked but he enjoyed it also.

Rubbing his feet, giving him a pedicure, giving him a massage or doing something as small as bringing him a glass of water after he has mowed the lawn is almost as good as receiving that huge bouquet of roses on your desk on +valentinesday valentines 

To prove my point, I sent a co-worker a nice gift basket of sausages w/cheeses because he had mentioned that he enjoyed them but only got them as gifts around the holidays. I sent him one with a card that read, "Because you shouldn't have to wait until the holidays" and I didn't sign my name, but he knew it was me because we had shared that conversation only a few days before.

See things like that for a man as well as a woman, means a lot. 

Now, how many of you are going to do something special for that person in your life, just because? My challenge to you is...to do something for someone, something small. 

Remember, it doesn't have to be for your wife, girlfriend, husband, boyfriend, or significant other. It could be for the friend who listens to you when they could be doing something else.