I give you permission to...

"No more running. I give you permission."

Let me tell you those were some of the greatest words I've heard lately. I am so proud to be a martial artist. I worked my fanny off (my 30 year old + fanny) for 8 years. I had my first sports related injury, requiring crutches and an ER visit at 33. I was pretty proud of myself. I went from a white belt, 33 year old mother of 5, to a second degree black belt. I did really good.

At the age of 40 my knees aren't the same. I never had good knees...now I really don't. Jumping in mid air-and let's admit it- with the best job in the world came 20 pounds I shouldn't have gained. But when you're doing what you love, sometimes you sit a lot. Then let's top that off with 5 kids-all martial artist-all competitive hockey players. Again-let's add- this year we have 4 hockey teams (3 kids have practice 4 nights a week, 2 kids have practice 2 times a week.) This means 4 games. One is a travel team and my hubby is doing some game running on Saturdays. With 4 kids there are 5 choirs and 4 instruments being played. Something had to give this year. It was our martial arts.

It took me almost a year to say aloud, we are done. Mind you the martial arts mind set isn't gone. Just the process of the classes and the testing. But on that day, after nearly a year, I was free. There was a burden, not martial arts, but the burden of making excuses for myself. I'd given myself permission to move on.

I am now working with a trainer to get back in shape. She's also a physical therapist. I told her I wanted to get strength in my knees so I could run. She preceded to tell me that running and I don't mix. She gave me permission to not run. Well in my head I was thinking for 8 years I had to run. I had to do this...I had to do that. Not that I had to...that I made myself. All she did was give me permission to change my thinking.

OH WOW! Fresh new start!

I think about all the successes we have as people that we just throw out to the curb and we don't enjoy them because we're not given permission to enjoy them and move on. I was so anxious needing to run that I forgot to enjoy the 8 years of what I had accomplished. (And anyone who knew me 8 years ago will tell you I'm not the person you'd meet today.)

Authors, on the day our books come out we think so hard that someone is going to shoot us down and tear us apart we forget to take that moment to enjoy what happened. We wrote a book. We edited a book. And now that book, which was very private to us, is out there and everyone can enjoy it. Instead we are looking at numbers and hoping one person doesn't hate it. One person will. Know that going in.

Look at our kids. We are so busy raising them and toting them around we sometimes forget to enjoy the moment we are in. In the middle of chaos, if you take a moment, you'll find your kids are really funny--oh and did I mention SMART!!!  Some of the things my kids say to me bowl me over. Wow...I think they'll do okay when I'm gone.

So here I am, a former martial artist turned bestselling romance author and the publisher of many other bestsellers finding joy in not running. I have permission not to run.

So this is for all of you fretting about something. I give you permission to forget about it for a moment. I give you permission to walk away from your computer and go play Xbox with your kids...who cares if you just push buttons. You have my permission to go for a walk to unwind. But, you don't need my permission. You can give it to yourself. So I give you permission to remember that.

Enjoy your life! Be happy!
Bernadette Marie

Release day for 5 Prince Publishing author Lisa J. Hobman

Release Day!

For

Through the Glass

Lisa J Hobman

Available from 5 Prince Publishing www.5princebooks.com  books@5princebooks.com

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Release Date: August 30, 2013

Digital ISBN 13:978-1-939217-52-3 ISBN 10:1-939217-52-0

Print ISBN 13:978-1-939217-51-6 ISBN 10:1-939217-51-2

Purchase link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.html

Through the Glass

It was love at first sight for Jim.  Felicity was his dream girl.  Beautiful, intelligent and talented.  Sadly for Jim he didn’t quite meet with the approval of Felicity’s mother and eventually she succumbed to the pressure of her mother’s expectations.  Jim relocates from London to the Scottish Highlands to try to rebuild his life and mend his broken heart when an unexpected visitor brings painful memories and tragic news.  Jim has to fight with his own desires to make the right decision.  He lost Felicity once.  Can he survive losing her again? 

About Lisa J Hobman

Lisa is a happily married Mum of one with two crazy dogs.  She especially enjoys being creative; has worked as a singer and now runs her own little craft business where she makes hanging signs and decorations for the home. Lisa and her family recently relocated from Yorkshire, England to their beloved Scotland; a place of happy holidays and memories for them. 

Writing has always been something Lisa has enjoyed, although in the past it has centered on poetry and song lyrics.  The story in her debut novel has been building in her mind for a long while but until the relocation, she never had the time to put it down in black and white; working full time as a High School Science Learning Mentor and studying swallowed up any spare time she had.  Making the move north of the border has given Lisa the opportunity to spread her wings and fulfill her dream.  Writing is now a deep passion and she has enjoyed every minute of working towards being published. Novels two and three are works in progress so watch this space!

How to contact Lisa J Hobman

https://www.facebook.com/#!/LisaJHobmanAuthor

http://glipho.com/livingscottishd

http://livingthescottishdream.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/LivingScottishD

EXCERPT :

Chapter 1

February 2009 - The break up

“So, that’s it then, Flick?” Jim raised his arms in exasperation. “You’re leaving? You’ve completely given up?” He was past trying to convince Flick that they could make a go of it; work things out; get through this and come out the other side stronger. The past few months had been one argument after another and Flick had spent less and less time at home.

“It’s for the best, James. And please don’t call me Flick.” She sighed, “It’s not my name. Not anymore. I grew up. It’s good in the adult world you should visit sometime, you might like it.” She snorted derisively.

Jim shook his head; sadness oozing from every pore, “Aye, well you’ll always be Flick to me. And I’ll always be Jim. What’s with all this ‘Felicity and James’ bollocks anyway?” His accent always became stronger when he was angry. This was one of those occasions when the true Scotsman came out fighting. His chest heaved as he tried to calm the storm raging beneath his skin.

He almost didn’t recognise the woman standing before him in their bedroom; her fitted designer clothes complete with pearls and a shoulder length smooth sleek hairstyle. Such a contrast to the girl he fell in love with. Back then it was all flowing blonde waves and long, floating skirts. She was softer then; in every way.

“Well, as I said James, Felicity is my name…Flick was left behind at university. She was doe-eyed, foolish and rash…look, there’s no point us going over old ground,” she pulled the handle up on her wheeled suitcase, “I’ll be staying with Polly and Matt for a while whilst I figure out my next move.”

Matt had once been Jim’s closest friend but that friendship had somehow fizzled as his relationship with Polly had intensified. That saddened Jim.

Felicity went on, “Nilsson-Perkins have offered to help find me a new place near the city centre so I can be closer to the main gallery.” She wandered over to him and placed her hand on his arm. “It’s for the best, James. I think you know that deep down.”

He looked, pleadingly, into her eyes, his chest still rising and falling at a rapid rate. “For whom? For me?. I don’t think so.” His voice cracked as he shook his head; he stared intently and for several moments she seemed caught in his eyes. He thought he saw her shield begin to melt but she shook her head and looked away.

Turning back to him she shrugged her shoulders. “It was inevitable when you think about it. We’re from two different worlds…we want completely different things, James.” Her voice softened as she squeezed his arm. Her blue eyes, however, that were once full of love, were ice cold.

She wheeled her case toward the bedroom door and turned back to face him one last time. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears now and Jim was relieved to see some, albeit small, expression of human emotion from the woman he had witnessed, slowly, becoming some kind of hard, Siberian robot.

“For what’s it’s worth…James…I do love you. You were my first love and so I probably always will. I just feel like…” she paused, clenching her eyes closed as if to find the strength to carry on speaking, a tear escaped. “Like maybe we’re not good for each other. We’ve grown apart. I’m ambitious and you…you want babies and the white picket fence thing…I’m just not ready…I’m not sure I ever will be. In a way I’m doing you a favour.” A sob escaped her throat as she spoke, “This way at least you get to meet someone new and have children anddo all the family things that I’m just not capable of.” She sounded to Jim as though she was trying to convince herself.

Jim’s lower lip began to tremble. “I don’t want anyone else…it’s you. It’s always been you.” He clenched his jaw. “What I don’t get, Felicity, is that you wanted those things too. We were both on the same page. I don’t understand how we changed.”

“We didn’t change. I did. Like I said, I grew up.” She shook her head. “I know that you haven’t changed.” She snorted. “Sorry, Jim but it’s true. In all these years you’ve kept the same hairstyle, the same clothing and the same laid back attitude. You still work in the same second hand book store, you still drive that ancient Land Rover and you still take that bloody dog everywhere you go! You’re not a student anymore, James. Maybe I want more, huh? Maybe I want someone who makes an effort!” Her voice gained an octave as her emotions began to get the better of her.

Jim widened his eyes in horror. “Whoa! Now just hang on there, lassie!” He held up his hands and his stomach knotted at her stabbing words as they sliced at his heart.

He stepped toward her. “You can’t say that I don’t make effort. Just because I’m in no way materialistic doesn’t mean I don’t care. I love you. I always have. You are my world! I don’t need things, Felicity, I need you!” His heart ached as it bombarded theinside of his chest. “I’ve done everything in my power to make you happy. I don’t know what else I could have done. And for the record, I’m not the one who’s given up here!” He raised his voice too, finally giving in to the pent up frustration he’d been harbouring.

“James, we want different things, accept it. Move on…please!” She opened the door and he made a grab for her. She swung around and crashed into his arms. Without thinking he took her face in his hands and kissed her with all the passion he could muster. To his amazement she didn’t slap him; she kissed him back. Dropping her suitcase she seemed overwhelmed by desire, anger, passion, lust, whatever the hell it was; she grabbed at his dark, shaggy hair as he ran his hands through hers; desperate to express his love for her; desperate to make her change her mind.

He moved from her mouth to her neck, his kisses urgent. Her head rolled backward and she moaned, grabbing at his T-shirt and pulling it over his head in one swift aggressive move. Before either could realize what they were doing or how they got there, they staggered backward and tumbled, wrapped around each other, onto the bed; their lips locked as their tongues danced and p

Author Spotlight/Interview with Kate Roth

 My author spotlight today is Kate Roth.

In 2008, Kate Roth decided to get real about her love of writing. She signed up for a course after-hours at the local high school called 'So You Want To Write A Book?'. Indeed, she did! For years Kate had been dreaming up love stories in her head and she'd even managed to write a few of them down but it was that class that gave her the drive to finally do something more with her ideas.

Kate Roth's debut novel, new adult romance The Low Notes, was released by Rebel Ink Press in May of 2012 and landed her on RIP's Best of 2012 (the publisher's best-sellers list). Her second novel, new adult paranormal romance Reckless Radiance, has been contracted for publication by Rebel Ink Press and will be released in September 2013. And she is hard at work on her third novel, Natural Harmony, another musically themed romance!

What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

I love the freedom to create my own universe. I can make a town where two people have no choice but to run into each other. I can make sure a storm is coming right when the hero and heroine have that fight that has them kissing passionately at the end. I love making characters come to life.

I agree, that is a whole lot of fun to do!

What genre(s) do you write?

I write romance but I write in a few different sub-genres such as New Adult, Paranormal and YA. I love love though. I can’t imagine not writing romance.

Me either. Romance is #1 with me too.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

In The Low Notes, Reckless Radiance and even my upcoming novel, Natural Harmony, I think it’s easy to see that I have a thing about not having limitations when it comes to love. You can’t help who you fall for and sometimes you have to let your heart take the lead and leave it up to the universe. I believe in meant-to-be. And I believe in following your heart over following the rules.

Very nicely put.

What other careers have you had?

My full time job is as a hair stylist. I own a private salon studio where I make people pretty. I also do hair product education for other cosmetologists with a company called Neuma.

I am a cosmetologist too and opened my first salon when I was just 20! I still have a salon in my home. Very nice to connect with a fellow stylist who loves to write romance.

How do your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

I think I might have the most supportive group of family and friends ever! When I first starting telling people that I was going to have a novel published I got so much love and encouragement from the people in my life, it was astounding. Then, when they read my debut novel I felt even more love. They supported me no matter what but then knowing they liked my work was ever better (but isn’t it always?).

Please share with us your future projects and upcoming releases.

My upcoming novel, Reckless Radiance, is a paranormal romance and will be released September 17^th! And later this year I will be releasing Natural Harmony, a contemporary romance novel.

Where can readers find you?

www.facebook.com/authorkateroth

www.twitter.com/KateRothWrites

www.katerothwrites.blogspot.com

www.katerothwrites.com

The Low Notes

When a chance meeting between high school teacher Kevin Reed and singer Nina Jordan ignites an instant spark, they must decide if it's more important to follow your heart or follow the rules.

After caring for his dying father, Kevin Reed, returns to his hometown of Wexley Falls, bereaved, unemployed and exhausted at the thought of starting a new life. After a failed blind date, Kevin meets young singer Nina Jordan who takes his breath away with the sound of her voice. The connection is instantaneous and mutual on their first date, but both are crestfallen when they discover days later, to their horror, Nina is Kevin's student at the local high school.

Deciphering between notions of love and lust, fate and coincidence, Kevin and Nina find themselves unable to turn their backs on what they can't deny is a once in a lifetime feeling. Told from both perspectives, The Low Notes explores a love that feels right even though it seems wrong.

Reckless Radiance

After the loss of her childhood love, Valerie Gilmore runs away from the life she's always known to try to start again. Between her job as a diner waitress and her toxic relationship with the first guy to help her forget her past, Valerie feels more alone than ever before until she meets Russell. He's sweet but strange and Valerie can't help but think he's hiding something. He acts as though he knows her and he seems to be looking past her broken heart, straight into her soul.

Russell has pushed aside the ancient laws of his angel brethren to find Valerie and stay as close to her as possible. He’s forced to contemplate sharing the truth about what he is after a deadly turn of events cause Valerie to run away once more. His feelings for her and a promise he made long ago help him to realize he longs to leave his life as an angel behind for a chance at love.

I want to write a book series...the complete list of topics

Join me for my series I want to write a book.

In this series I walk you through the process from finding an idea to what to do once you've become a published author.

Below are the links to each part in the series.  

Enjoy!

Part 1: Writing Prompts

Part 2: Puke it out

Part 3: Edit just once

Part 4: Determine your publishing path

Part 5: Let’s get rejected

Part 6: I got a contract offer

Part 7: I’m published, now what?

Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because she lives it.

When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.

A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too. She believes her journey into the publishing world and onto bestsellers lists is one to be shared and enjoys teaching others how to make their own success happen.

Monday Marketing: Let's Talk Associations: do you need them?

Associations for everything are everywhere. If you're an author you will find a wealth of associations that fit you. Each genre is supported by an organization as well as every publishing method.

What does an association membership get you? This depends on you.

My sister always uses the term: Reason, Season, and Life. Usually she is talking about friendships. But it applies to this too.

REASON: The reason you join associations is to advance your career. As we are specifically talking authors here, the reason would be to get published.

A novice author, when they decide this IS the path they want to travel, will join an association to learn the ropes. This industry is very overwhelming, but if you could meet another person in the same shoes as you, already you're making progress. Networking with other like minded people is a must. An association can offer this.

Most associations are national and have local affiliates. My suggestion is to get involved in a local branch of a bigger association. You will then meet people in your area pursuing the same goals. During these local meetings you will not only network with like-minded people, but classes are held that help you understand the industry you are now working in.

Let's specifically talk writers. During these meetings you will be introduced to how to write a query, how to outline, editing skills, dealing with editors, what you need to know about contracts, how to promote yourself...and on and on. The goal is to get you, the author, from jotting down ideas to holding that book in your hand. This group will be made up of people on each leg of this journey. You'll be able to walk it together and support each other.  When you have that support the mission is easier.

The national associations usually hold multiple conferences or a big convention once a year. I highly recommend attending these. The education is bigger and sometimes better and there are hundreds of people to meet. (Not just authors. Editors, publishers, agents, bloggers, readers...you get the picture.)

SEASON: This refers to the time you will spend in these organizations. Going into it you're thinking, "I'm home!" But the truth is, you might outgrow your association. Specifically, author organizations tend to educate the newer authors. The classes become redundant when you're looking at taking your tenth class on how to pitch to an editor. In time, if everything has worked the way you want it to, you move from being a novice to an expert. Hopefully you have that book in hand, as that was the goal. Now you begin to teach the classes the newer authors need. You've become the expert. But, you can get stuck here and alliances shift. That's when we move into the phase of Life.

LIFE: As a new author I adored the alliances I made with the successful, multi-published authors. I was grateful for their help, their advice, and their willingness to still hang with me--a nobody.  As my own career changed I met them eye to eye on the world of publishing and still I was grateful to have them. But, what happened was they weren't the ones "running" the smaller organizations. They had done their time in the presidential seats and had held all the offices. Now the published authors are being directed by those who are just getting their feet wet. It was hard to sit through a class on "how to write a query" for the tenth time and now it was being taught by someone without a publishing contract. The reason for that is: the published author is now too busy being published to help organize the classes for the newbie.

This isn't in any way a slam to the published and successful. It is reality. But as a published author you might find that the association holds nothing for you at that point and it's time to walk away.

Life can also mean, you're in there for life. I have seen authors get stuck in associations and they never get out and they never meet their goal. They hold every position on the board, more than once. They love to be in the midst of it all. They organize the events, they plan the contests and oversee them, they teach those classes over and over...but they never get published. They write the same book 300 times and submit it to every contest out there, but they never leave the organization. They get stuck there for life.

So you see some pros and cons. You have to decide what is right for you and you have to know when to step up and when to step out. Be mindful that I don't mean any disrespect to the organizations as they are there to better the environment for the author. They are proactive when it comes to legislation and to fighting for rights on many levels. (RWA was right there to help Nora Roberts out when she was plagiarized and was a big component in getting rules established for such things.) These organizations need forward thinkers. The industry is changing fast and they need people to lead them into the future.

What might happen is you'll find yourself shifting organizations due to need. Once I was a great candidate to be an RWA member. I got so much out of that and I loved every moment. But when I became a publisher the game shifted. I'm not an author to them anymore, even though that is my main focus. So I shifted my organizational needs. I now am part of organizations that embrace both sides of my career. Neither is better than the other, just better suited to me.

Aside from the networking (which is key), the educations (which is necessary), you're going to find that you'll receive benefits you can't get on your own. These benefits can range from legal advice to discounts on a rental car. Yes, use all the benefits that come with membership.

Educate yourself on the right association before you shell out your hard earned money.  They can be essential to the success of your career and they can all be beneficial as long as you know what you want out of it.

For a complete list of Monday Marketing topics and links please click here.

Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because she lives it.

When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.

A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too. She believes her journey into the publishing world and onto bestsellers lists is one to be shared and enjoys teaching others how to make their own success happen.

It was the mini-series that sparked my writing bug

If Tomorrow Comes (IMDb)

If Tomorrow Comes,  by Sidney Sheldon, and The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough, were the books that made me put pen to paper and become an author. It was the mini-series that made me want to make it big!

My dream was to always be a movie star. Now, let's be honest, I don't know that actually being a movie star was what I wanted to be, but I wanted to play pretend forever. I got caught up in the movies, because isn't that what you're supposed to do? You're supposed to live vicariously though them. Well, I can tell you for a fact I've never been an international cat burglar and I've never lived on an sheep ranch in Australia. Thanks to Sheldon and McCullough, I was and I did!

I suppose all these years later I could actually quote most of the lines from both of these movies. Even better, I remember how they are written in the books. The words on the pages took me places even watching the physical actions couldn't take me. Mixing the two gave me the most pleasure. (Perhaps Harry Potter and Twilight fans can agree.) It's almost as if you're in on a secret. You know things they don't show you. So, if you're only watching the movie you're missing out on that secret.

Anyway, this is where my dream started. I wanted to be Meggie Cleary and Tracy Whitney. But the chances of that were slim.

The Thorn Birds (IMBd)

I wasn't alone. Let's see there were at least seven of us, if memory serves me right, that had notebooks we'd write letters in during Junior High School. Not letters from each other to each other, oh no. We had characters and those characters could do or be anyone--anything. Yes, my character's name was Jenna de Bricassart. (Real original huh?) But the point is my mind was creating!

Eventually the notebooks became mine and they sit in the basement in a box. Yes...I have them all! But over the next 25 years they would become the building blocks to my first novel. Oh, its had many names. It has even gone into the 200,000 word category. I sent it in for submission when I was sixteen. Yes, those were the first rejection letters I ever got. But it didn't stop me. In 2007 I rewrote that book I'd spent so many years of my life writing. No longer was Jenna deBricassart the main character, but a derivative of her. It didn't come in at that horrible length either. But when it was done, it was done. I set it in a box and walked away. That year I penned 12 more books.

Over the years those 12 books have become reality. The Kellers seem to have hit a cord with people looking for a family in which they can belong.

No, I may never have an international cat burglar in my books or a sheep ranch in Australia, but I will always have those first characters, whom I bonded with in book and on TV, to keep me company. Combined those two mini-series events were over thirteen hours in length. Imagine how many times you have to watch them to know all the lines.

Now...imagine how grateful I am to have watched them. Maybe someday Regan Keller will be the face on the TV screen that gets a girl to read the book and write her own. You just never know where watching TV might land you.

Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie

Randomness! I live my life by it.

You might be surprised to know that as an author, a housekeeper, a mother, or insert any other occupation I currently hold, I use a randomizer to organize my day and my life.

With 5 kids choosing a seating arrangement in the car is a nightmare. One person only got the front seat for a half a mile, while the other sat there for three hours. And the argument ensues. Yes...I have a randomizer app on my phone and a set of seating charts depicting every possible option associated with a number and decided by who gets the front seat on what day. Oh my, when these boys start in you'd think the end of the world had come. No, it all comes down to who has to sit where.

As an author of over a dozen published books, and more on the way, you might figure names are not coming at me as quickly as they might have in the beginning. When you name a character the task is as important as naming your child. But, the Internet can almost save the day always...and yes, there are many name randomizer sites. If you have a name you like it'll pick a surname. Don't know what kind of name you want you can plug in all sorts of wild things and it'll produce you a list. If you've read any of my books, you might have met Sophia Burkhalter...yes...a name randomized character. Not too shabby.

I plug in almost anything into a randomizer. Never diagnosed, but I assume I have a form of adult ADD. Keeping things random helps me with my head when it goes a million different directions. I'll make a housekeeping list...and randomize it.  I'll make a set of menus...and randomize them. What an amazing tool.

So, now to focus on blog topics. There are many a website out there with topics on anything and everything! You might have guessed. I took a list from a website and...do you feel it? I randomized it. Now looking at this list of 176 one word topics I feel free and enthusiastic about figuring out how to tie in my writer site with the word FEET. I guess you'll see how I do as that is the second word on the list.

And I guess I did pretty good with this randomizing. When you figure my list of 176 actually turned into a list of 177, since I just wrote a whole blog post on randomizing!

Have a very random and wonderfully mixed up day!
Bernadette Marie

Monday Marketing Series

I'm very excited to announce my newest blog series, the Monday Marketing Series. This series will run right here every Monday and I will share with you some Marketing insights that might be of use to you.

This specific thread will have a list of the topics and I will update the links as they go live as well, so you'll always have the list handy when you're looking for topics.

I hope you enjoy...Marketing Mondays

MARKETING MONDAY SERIES

Marketing Monday

8/26 Let'sTalk Associations: do you need them?

9/2 Let'sTalk Conventions: how to get the most out of your experience.

        

9/9 Let'sTalk Branding: What is it and how do you get it?

9/16 Let'sTalk Marketing: How do you market you?

        

9/23 Let'sTalk Promotion: Before and after publication

          

9/30 Let'sTalk Interaction: meeting people in the industry

         

10/7 Let'sTalk Swag: What works...what's a waste of your time and money      

10/21 Let's Talk Free Books: Write it to give it away.

         

10/28 Let's Talk Keeping it Fresh: What to do when you've blogged, talked, tweeted, and facebooked everything you know

        

11/4 Let's Talk Promoting Others: Helping other authors find an audience through your blog

         

11/11 Let's Talk About Keeping the Preaching in Church: Remember that your blog IS full of your opinions, but keep your audience in mind

         

11/18 Let'sTalk Making Friends: Other authors aren't competition, they are allies

          mentor, shoulder, ear, friend, promoter.

Is there a topic you'd like to know about, but perhaps it isn't on the list? Send me an email and I'll look into it.  Remember I'm not the only authority on the subject, I just know what has worked for me!

Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011, along with her other series and single title books. The married mother of five sons promises Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it, because she lives it.

When not writing, Bernadette Marie is shuffling her sons to their many events—mostly hockey—and enjoying the beautiful views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains from her front step. She is also an accomplished martial artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do.

A chronic entrepreneur, Bernadette Marie opened her own publishing house in 2011, 5 Prince Publishing, so that she could publish the books she liked to write and help make the dreams of other aspiring authors come true too.

Bernadette Marie began writing at the age of thirteen and submitted her first manuscript at sixteen. Just as any aspiring author has learned, the publishing world is full of rejection. So how does an author find readers and allies before they have a book? Self-promotion! Bernadette Marie shares her experiences in building a name for herself before her first book was ever published.

Back to school is near...sorta

Pencils, notebooks, crayons...all of these things are addictive to me. I won't even begin to tell you how many spiral notebooks I have under my desk. And I certainly won't tell you that I don't use them...they are there for comfort.

Summer is always very anticipated at our house. The first week, we relax. May is always one of our busiest months. I have five kids...five kids in school...five kids in sports...you get the picture. So we rest. Then we start the orchestra camp and band camps. Shortly after those conclude we are madly packing for our yearly vacation to Disneyland. (No complaints there since I'm the birthday girl during the trip!) Then we head back home and hockey camp starts. There is a business trip in there too. And all of the sudden we have to shop for back to school things.

Well, like most parents, I'm ready. Not to send the kids away, but to get back on a normal schedule. I'm lucky. My kids really do like school. They've missed their friends. And face it, hockey season starts tomorrow for one of them, so he's all sorts of happy!

I'm just ready for a regular rise and shine hour. A steady work schedule. Some hockey, of course. Dinner at the kitchen table and bed time at a reasonable time.

So here we go. School starts for three of them on Monday. The other two start on Tuesday. And then the elementary school has assessments by appointment on Thursday and Friday, so no regular school.

I laugh at the thought that we were going to get to a normal schedule. Not too many weeks in and we have a holiday. Perhaps time is just flying by as an adult. You know adults would say that when we were kids and we were waiting and waiting for that one day off. I guess I'm an adult.

Whatever comes about will be fine. I'm learning to go with the flow. Work when I can. Exercise, always, and when I can. I'm glad I get so much time with my kiddos. They are the joy in my life...even if there are Legos under my desk.

Happy Writing and Reading!
Bernadette Marie

Release Day for 5 Prince Publishing author Tonya Lampley

Indiscretion

Tonya Lampley

Available from 5 Prince Publishing www.5princebooks.com  books@5princebooks.com

Genre: Fiction/ African American/ Contemporary Woman

Release Date: August 15, 2013

Digital ISBN 13:978-1-939217-80-6  ISBN 10: 1-939217-80-6

Print ISBN 13:978-1-939217-79-0  ISBN 10: 1-939217-79-2

Purchase link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.html

Indiscretion

One careless night and a man’s life is changed forever.

Damon Harris wants a better life than the one he’s currently living. He has a penchant for trouble and a trail of mistakes behind him, but inside he can feel a greater call urging him on to the man he knows he can become. He marries the ideal woman in hopes it might settle him down. But change is hard. Stuck in a self-created prison where the only warden is himself, he’ll do just about anything to break free.

A few drinks, a beautiful girl…was it worth it?

Tonya Lampley’s first novel was titled A Taste of Love and was a National Indie Excellence Book Awards finalist. She lives in Ohio with her husband and is currently working on her next book. For more information about Tonya, please visit her on the web at www.TonyaLampley.com.

www.TonyaLampley.com

twitter: @TonyaLampley

FB: Tonya Lampley, Author

Blog: TonyaLampley.wordpress.com

Indiscretion Excerpt:

Damon sat in a red-velvet bishop’s chair in one of the back rooms of St. Augustine’s Cathedral in downtown Chicago. The 100 year-old church’s renowned stained glass window, featuring the Messiah in an array of colors, hung high above him and gently filtered the October sunlight. His eyes rested on the tiny dust particles floating in the air, a useless attempt to distract him from his thoughts.

Three rapid knocks on the heavy mahogany door broke through the silence and jarred him from contemplation.

“You ready?” a deep voice asked. Damon recognized the voice of Kurt, who would be his brother-in-law in a matter of minutes. A pretty stand-up guy, in Damon’s opinion. Looked nothing like his sisters, and wasn’t all that close to them, but he had stepped in per Carmen’s request, to fill the role of best man when Damon argued with the original one—his life-long friend Craig. Tempers flared when Craig told Damon he was making the biggest mistake of his life. The conversation ended with Craig refusing to be a part of the wedding. They had since made up, but Craig stood by his original protest. Kurt being in the wedding made Carmen happier, anyway, Damon mused.

Someone knocked again.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” Damon responded. He walked over to the full-length mirror to give himself a once over. The black tuxedo that Carmen picked out hugged the contours of his svelte body. The white shirt gleamed against his smooth ebony skin. He noticed his white bow tie was crooked and slowly straightened it. His palms were moist as he ran them down the silk stripe of his pants trying to remove the uncomfortable feeling.

He rubbed his freshly cut hair, checked his nose and the corners of his mouth. In a few moments, he would enter the sanctuary. He brought Carmen’s image to mind. Good. Sweet. Settled. She possessed an aura of comfort—like baked bread or warm milk. The kind of woman that could hopefully bring him the peace he had been searching for.

Kurt pummeled the door this time. “Everyone is waiting. Carmen’s starting to get nervous. You were supposed to be out here a half hour ago.”

Damon looked down at his shoes, patent leather, polished to a spit shine. Was he doing the right thing? He cared deeply for Carmen, but was it love?

What he wanted was to feel normal, to be satisfied with his life. The ghost of his past emerged again, as it often did, and reminded him that he had made a mess of things—two children by two different women, and a short stint in jail. The reminder rode in on a tide of regret.

He heard someone trying to turn the worn iron doorknob, but he had locked it. It wiggled back and forth desperately and he could hear mumbling on the other side. The rhythm of his breath sped up and a wave of warmth rose up from his feet. He thought of Rachel, the mother of his second son, and the words that spewed from her perfect mouth three years ago when she broke up with him—I can’t be with someone who’s content to do nothing with their life. And when she met Evan Kilgore, M.D. at the hospital where she was taken the night she broke her foot playing softball, she banished Damon to the “friend zone.” He accepted his punishment; anything to still be a part of her life. He never thought she would marry him. He never forgave himself for losing her and wasn’t about to make the same bet and lose twice. He had to marry Carmen. If he didn’t, he might lose her too.

“Go get the key.” He heard Kurt say to someone on the other side of the door, along with another knock.

It was time. Damon stood silent in the room. He expanded his chest and forced air deep into his lungs, but it still felt like he was suffocating. His hands registered a slight tremor and as he straightened his tie a second time, he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. He grabbed the teal handkerchief out of his pocket and blotted it. His legs felt heavy, like someone cemented them to the floor. Why did doing the right thing feel so uncertain? He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. In a few minutes, it would be over. He willed his legs to start moving. Kurt, and Carmen’s sister, Cathy, lunged forward into the room as he opened the door.

The church’s pot-bellied groundskeeper walked up behind them carrying a large metal ring, holding several antique keys. He rubbed his shiny dark beard. “Ev-ry-thin’okay?” he asked with his bushy eyebrows raised.

“We got it, sir. Thanks.” Kurt said to the man who looked around the room, then shrugged before walking away. Kurt turned his attention to Damon. “The wedding planner is going nuts! We thought something had happened to you.”

Cathy huffed, “No we didn’t.” She squinted at Damon. “Why don’t you just admit it and save us all a lot of trouble.”

He looked right through Cathy. “I’m good, man. I just needed a minute, that’s all.” Damon brushed past Cathy, dressed in a silly Cinderella-looking, teal, taffeta dress, and lightly grazed her gloved arm. She gritted her teeth as she placed her hand into the center of his back and shoved him forward. He stumbled three un-willful steps at the forceful blow before he managed to get control of his feet. He closed his eyes and drew in a slow deep breath, taking a moment to gather himself—to deny himself the delightful thought of shoving her back—his mother had raised him better than that. He stretched out his arms and adjusted his shirtsleeves, checking his cuff links. Unfortunately, she was part of the deal.

He continued down the hall and opened the double doors to the sanctuary, where 200 guests sat in pews adorned with teal bows, and music from the harp player greeted him. Damon and Carmen argued for two days over the harp player—a total waste of money in his opinion, as was all of it—the courthouse would have suited him just fine. He walked past the harp player strumming like a fool, down the red aisle runner and took his place at the altar in front of the robed Reverend Mallory and the barrage of burning candles.

“Are you ready, Son?” Reverend Mallory was a large man, his voice even louder. The question he asked reverberated through the church and came to rest in Damon’s ears.

Damon gave a nod. Reverend Mallory opened his Bible and the wedding planner raised her bony arm toward the back of the church, cuing her assistant to start the music. Time seemed to suspend as the remaining eight members of the bridal party entered the sanctuary, waltzing to Carmen’s careful selection of Luther Vandross’s Here and Now, and took their places at the front of the church. Damon was avoiding Cathy’s glare when the collective sound of 200 people standing grabbed his attention. When he looked up, Carmen stood in the doorway, engulfed in a sea of white. Tulle cascaded all around her. She made eye contact with Damon almost immediately and smiled. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he knew her well enough to read the look on her face—that grin and the beam in her eye spoke of her happiness. And when he saw how happy she was, despite everything, he was happy for her. Her hand reached out for his and she took her place beside him.

Reverend Mallory loudly cleared his throat, and began the vows.   Carmen recited hers first. Damon silenced the voice inside his head that hinted at the fact, he might not be sure of this marriage. But there were so many people. So much money spent. Too much to lose not to get married.

“Damon, do you take Carmen to be your lawful wedded wife? Do you promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her for so long as you both shall live?

"I do." Damon adjusted his tie, secretly loosening it. The promises felt really big. He had a long history of preserving his own self-interests. He wanted that to be behind him now. He accepted the ring from Kurt and placed it on Carmen’s finger.

“Do you together promise, in the presence of your friends and family, that you will at all times, and in all circumstances, conduct yourselves toward one another as husband and wife?”

“We do.” He muttered as he searched his heart for certainty. Carmen’s voice broke through his with full conviction.

Reverend Mallory smiled. “You may now kiss your bride.”

Damon lifted Carmen’s veil and looked into her eyes. He needed her. He needed her in order to become the man he wanted to be. She would settle him into a normal life, where he would go to work at his job as a car salesman, come home and eat dinner with her, and go to the grocery store on the weekend. Normal. He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her as a symbol to everyone, and to himself, that this was his new life.

Release Day for THE ELVIS PRESLEY I KNEW by 5 Prince Publishing author Robert C. Cantwell

The Elvis Presley I Knew:

“I would have been duty-bound if I had recognized Elvis’ alleged drug abuse.”

Robert C. Cantwell

Elvis I knew was a superstar, authentic country gentleman and ‘unprejudiced’ that cherished being around those that regarded him as an ordinary person.

It was 1977 when I first learned of the neighborhood legend. Mr. Cantwell, the father of one of my classmates, was friends with Elvis Presley. Who would have thought that in our town of Arvada, Colorado such things could happen? Truth be had, I met the Cantwells within days of Elvis' death--I was 5.

It was my mother who brought this to my attention, or perhaps I heard her tell my father first. When she met Robert Cantwell's wife, they were room mothers for the kindergarten class. The mothers who knew Mrs. Cantwell where asking her how they were coping with Elvis' death. My mother had to wonder, what kinds of fans they must have been. So she asked Mrs. Cantwell why the other mothers were so concerned for the family. That was when she learned that Elvis Presley was a dear friend.

During the school year my mother and Mrs. Cantwell worked on many projects together. One day my mother was at her house making ornaments so Mrs. Cantwell offered to pick me up when she picked up her son and they had me over to play while our mothers worked. She picked me up in a "yellow" car. At the age of 5 I didn't understand the significance that I had been picked up in a car that had been given to the family by Elvis Presley.

As a writer I have a keen ability to remember so many details. It amazes my father! But what I remember about that year was the stories my mother told me about the Cantwells and their uncommon friendship with Elvis Presley. The trips Elvis made to Colorado and Mr. Cantwell to Memphis, the gifts he'd given to them, and she told me about Mr. Cantwell going to Graceland for the funeral. 

I carried these stories with me all my life. We all have those...don't we? The little bit of "I knew someone who..." I could not have been more pleased when Mr. Cantwell's daughter-in-law, whom I've become friends with since our kids now go to school together, contacted me and said, "My father-in-law wrote a book about Elvis. We need to know what to do with it now."

I wanted in on this project so badly. Not to be showy, but because it was a legend I'd grown up knowing. I wanted to know the inside story! (And I quickly found out so many of the others I grew up with wanted to know too.) So I offered my help. It wasn't too long before I decided that 5 Prince Publishing needed to publish the biography, and so...we added the genre.

Robert C. Cantwell and Elvis Presley 1976

The memoir Robert C. Cantwell has put together leaves the reader with a keen sense of who Elvis Presley was. I, and those who edited the book, felt as though we too were friends with Elvis. Mr. Cantwell speaks of his friend Elvis. He shares with the reader that there was more to the man than just his persona--his music--his legacy. In his memoir, Mr. Cantwell does an amazing job of reminding the public, despite the negative press following his death, that under the glitz and glamour there was a good 'ole country boy just looking to be treated like everyone else.

I hope you enjoy The Elvis Presley I Knew by Robert C. Cantwell. I sure know it is a book, and an experience, I will never forget!

Happy Reading!
Bernadette Marie

Available from 5 Prince Publishing www.5princebooks.com  books@5princebooks.com

Genre: Non-Fiction/Biography

Release Date: August 6, 2014

Digital ISBN 13:978-1-939217-71-4 ISBN 10: 1-939217-71-7

Print ISBN 13:978-1-939217-72-1 ISBN 10: 1-939217-72-5

Purchase link : www.5princebooks.com/buy.html

About Robert C Cantwell:

Robert C. Cantwell

Robert C. Cantwell was a Golden Glove competitor, nonetheless afraid to take the police entry exam never dreaming he would accomplish his life goal of being a police officer. He would climb through every rank in the Denver Police Department; become the Director of Prisons for the Colorado Department of Correction; and the Director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

After 48 years he would retire from Law Enforcement.

He personally met a long list of famous people including the King-Elvis Presley. He has told many about the time he was with Elvis and was encouraged to retell his story in a book. This is his first written account of the time he was with Elvis from 1970-1977.

You can reach Robert Cantwell at: Email: RCC6435@msn.com