A Real Writer

Last month, I posted on feeling like a Big Fat Phony, a not uncommon emotion writers/artists face. Our work is such a personal endeavor and when it comes to putting it out there, it can feel like we're sitting under a giant magnifying glass perched to study our enlarging pores and deepening wrinkles.

On May 31, I went to BEA (Book Expo of America) in NYC. It was the first convention I've ever attended and probably wouldn't have gone except my fab publisher, Spencer Hill Press invited me to do an ARC signing of ZODIAC COLLECTOR. (Eeeep!)

When I first arrived, I had to stare like a tourist at the enormity of it all. The Javits Center was HUGE. The number of people milling about in crisscrossing paths was astounding. And I felt like the newest newbie ever. Thankfully, people were really friendly and I was able to find my way to registration and then to Spencer Hill's booth.

It was easy to get caught up in the excitement of meeting the folks at Spencer Hill. They were genuine and fun and engaging. Extend that to the thousands of attendees sharing their love of books and reading. Soon, I found myself unable to stop smiling.

Here's my editor, Jennifer Carson and me. Kell Andrews is in the background. Check out Jennifer's MG, Hapenny Magick. ;)

While I admit I didn't initially feel like I belonged there (I'm a country girl loving the quiet life, LOL!), the crowd and Spencer Hill team made me feel at ease pretty quickly. (I lost count at the number of hugs I received and gave.)

Then it was my turn to sign with another author. (Kell Andrews is a FABulous lady and her middle grade book (coming late June 2014), DEADWOOD, sounds AMAZING!!!) I readied my pens, set out bookmarks and chocolate (a BIG hit, by the way), and reviewed my signature blurb as the line of more than SIXTY convention attendees formed to get a signed copy of MY BOOK. WOW.

ARC of ZODIAC COLLECTOR

Once I started signing, it was pretty easy. Smiling faces, excitement for books, and small chit chat about Renaissance Faires (a prominent setting in ZODIAC), and the universal love of chocolate carried me through the signing with ease.

And you know what thought I had while signing? I'M A REAL WRITER.

Why?

BECAUSE I'M CONNECTING WITH READERS.

And isn't that what it's all about?

Can't wait to do it again!

Kell and me signing at BEA 2014!

* * * * * 

Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. She’s a lucid dreamer, meaning she can direct her dreams while they’re happening. When she’s awake, she pens stories from her dreams and shares them with her readers. Laura has many published titles including the Pride Series (New Pride, Shifting Pride, and Tsavo Pride), the Endure Series (Endure and Evoke), The Zodiac Collector, a novella Sunset Moon in the Lore anthology, and several shorts stories. When she’s not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond--Lucid Dreamer, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.

If you’re interested in reading more about me, or interacting with me on the web check out the following links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DiamondLB

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLauraDiamond

Author Laura Diamond: www.authorlauradiamond.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815639.Laura_Diamond

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Diamond/e/B009Y7L432/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1377733776&sr=8-1

Blog: http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/

Hope to “see” you soon! 

Hosting a Facebook Party as Multiple Pages

Facebook author parties are a huge deal these days - and with good reason. They can be fun for the reader with giveaways, special content, Q&As as well as great promotion for the author. But if you're an author with a pen name and you actually follow Facebook's policies (which I recommend, btw, because FB is not a kind master), FB makes it difficult to host these without giving away your real identity or confusing readers.

Why does this matter? Let's pretend, for a minute, that we wanted to do a YAtopia Facebook party with all our past and present members. Let's also pretend that Sarah Nicolas is a super-secret pen name that I, for whatever reasons, don't want anyone to know about (it's not). I would need to be able to add both the YAtopia Blog page and the Sarah Nicolas page as hosts of the event so they can post and make changes.


To avoid confusion, let's start with two definitions:

Facebook Profile: Sometimes called a "personal profile." This is the one that has "friends" and is the default for when you sign in. A profile is the Facebook home for a real person. This is my Facebook profile. (Fair warning: I don't friend people I haven't met IRL, though I am pretty open so feel free to follow me, but I won't accept your friend request)

Facebook Page: Sometimes called a "fan page." This is the one that has "likes." A profile can own multiple pages and multiple profiles can be admins for a page. According to Facebook, a page is not a person, it is a business, cause, idea, organization, etc. This is my Facebook Page. This is my other Facebook Page.

To put it simply: Samuel Clemens would have a profile while Mark Twain would have a page.

Remember it this way:

Profile = Friends (seven letters in each word)
Page = Like (four letters in each word)

These distinctions are important. This is why I've bolded page and profile in this write-up. Even if it doesn't make sense to you, trust what I've typed.



So here's how to make multiple Facebook pages hosts of a single event. It starts off pretty simply. Yes, it's a long and convoluted process but ... Facebook, am I right?

Warning: This is going to be a very "nuts and bolts" type of post that you may not be interested in right now. But, trust me, you'll thank me some day. :-)

1) Make sure you are using Facebook as one of the pages you would like to host the event. To do this, click on the arrow at the top right of the site and click on the page name.

Note: Ella Vines is a client, not me :-)

2) Create the event.

Go to where you would normally add a new update, and click on "Offer, Event +" then click on "Event."

Add in all the information about the event. If you only want that page as a host, you're done now. But if the event is hosted my multiple authors, here's where it gets tricky.

Note: In this example, I've created an event from my Aria Kane page.

3) You may notice now that you cannot "invite" anybody or add any hosts. Because, if you'll remember, a page is not a person. To do this, you will have to go back to step one and "use Facebook as" your profile.

4) Now find the event. This is easily done by visiting your page (without changing what you're using Facebook as!!). You can find it in the stream or under the "Events" tab.

You'll notice that you can now RSVP and invite people. After you've RSVPd for your profile, the "Edit" button will appear.

Now you'll want to add hosts.

5) You'll notice that you cannot add a page you don't manage as a host. However, you can add a page that you manage as a host, by typing it in the "Hosts" field. You may want to do this if you have a page for your book or a group that's hosting the event. For example, if I were to throw a YAtopia blog party, I would add "Sarah Nicolas" and "YAtopia" as hosts.

In this example, I've added my page for Sarah Nicolas as an additional host.

If you want to add a page that you do not manage as a host (for example: If I wanted to add Kate's page as a host), proceed to the next step.

6) This is where everyone gets frustrated: at the time of this posting, you CAN NOT add a page you don't manage as a host. End of story. There is no way around this. Don't despair, hope is not lost. Here is what you have to do...

First, you must add a profile that manages that page as a host. (I'm picking on Kate because her profile name is the same as the name on her author page so I know I'm not outing anyone. :-) However, this is frequently not the case.)

In the example below, I've added Kate's profile as a host.

7) Kate can now add her Kate Brauning page as a host by following steps 4 and 5. If Kate wrote under the name J.K. Bowling and had a page to represent that pen name, she could also add that page as a host. If she also has a page for her (imaginary) pen name Robert Balbraith, she could add that one too.

I know I'm harping on this, but it needs to be understood: I cannot add Kate's pages as a host. She must do this herself.

8) This step is totally optional and depends on what level of secrecy you keep your pen names at. Now that your page is a host, you can remove your profile as a host by clicking the "x" next to it. This removes your real name from being displayed as a host, but you can still have full edit rights to the event.

So, theoretically, if Kate didn't want anyone to see her name alongside her super-secret JK and Robert pen names, she could delete "Kate Brauning" profile as a host and still have access to the event.

9) On the day of the event, if you want to post as your page, you will need to use Step 1 again to "use Facebook as" your page.


Um, so there's my highly detailed, complicated description of how to do this annoying thing on Facebook. Please share and remember this post in a few months when you find yourself screaming at Facebook (been there) because it won't let you do what you want to do.

Hope it helps.

Advice for New Authors: Your First Event

Are you a new author looking to have a signing to celebrate the release of your awesome, shiny book? Planning an event can be a bit of a headache, but hopefully today's post will lighten some of the load.

As a person who likes to have a plan, the first thing I suggest is to sit down with a friend or two and discuss what you want your event to be like. Do you want it to more of an open house where you can mingle and sign books? Would you prefer to have it be a bit more formal with a Q&A before you sign books? Do you want to have giveaways? Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Leah Clifford hosted a costume tea party for the release of A Touch Morbid, and it was fun, unique, and memorable.

Once you have an idea of how you want your event to go, find an appropriate venue. Definitely try to find a local bookstore who'd be willing and excited to host you. You might be a bit nervous approaching a store, but don't worry too much; most bookstores/booksellers are eager and happy to help out a new author. They might ask to stock your book on consignment, but this is reflective on the economy/market and not on you personally. :-) Make sure to ask how the store will publicize the event so you can plan your own publicity endeavors accordingly. In terms of when to have your event, aim for an evening time in the later part of the week.

Once the venue and date are set, it's time to start promoting the crap out of your signing. Make a Facebook event page and start getting the word out online. Blog, Tweet, Tumble, Pin, etc... Don't be too obnoxious about it, though, haha. Also, ask if the store has event fliers or postcards for you to hand out. If not, look into making some of your own. I took some postcards to my old high school and it really helped. Most stores will run an ad in the local newspaper for events, so you might want to take it a step further and look into getting an interview to go along with a listing for the event. Reach out to your local news stations, too.

The most important thing, however, is to remain calm and have fun during your event. Enjoy every moment of it and then fall into bed afterwards and get a well-deserved night's rest.

Hopefully, this post was helpful and if anyone has any questions about planning an event, let me know! In addition to being an author, I'm also a bookseller, so I've had experience with author events, so I'm happy to help. Just let me know in the comments!

~DJ 

Be proud, write loud.

YAtopia Relaunch: Suzanne and Sharon

Today we're introducing you to new YAtopian Suzanne van Rooyen and reintroducing you to YAtopia old-timer Sharon Johnston.

Suzanne van Rooyen

Suzanne grew up in the concrete jungle of Johannesburg, South Africa. After a brief stint in Australia, she felt most at home in the forests of Finland where the cold, dark winters provide a perfect excuse to stay indoors and write. She is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragon's Teeth (Divertir, 2011), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia Press, 2012) and several short stories published by Storm Moon Press, Niteblade and others. Despite having a Master's in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When she's not doing that, you can find her playing in the snow with her shiba inu or eating peanut butter and watching science fiction movies.

You can find Suzanne on her website, on Twitter @Suzanne_Writer or on Goodreads.

Sharon Johnston

Sharon is a corporate communication manager and a former journalist from Australia who writes in her spare time. Sleeper is Sharon's first novel that she is currently querying. Although she normally writes about the strange and the weird, her first publication is a general fiction short story call "Growth" as part of The Australian Literary Review's anthology The Basics of Life.

Sharon loves YA, science-fiction, speculative fiction, paranormal and anything that comes from the deepest darkest parts of someone's mind. She draws inspiration from local writers who have made it in the tough Australian publishing industry such as Tara Moss, Kerri Arthurs, Karen Brooks and Emily Rodda.

Well-known for her fantastic taste in shoes, Sharon has actually been stalked by women wanting to know where she got her high heels from. She invites you to read her personal blog and she is a Twitter fiend so follow her @S_M_Johnston.


Suzanne, interviewed by Sharon:

Sharon: Dragon's Teeth is Cyberpunk. What makes a novel Cyberpunk?

Suzanne: Excellent question. Cyberpunk as a genre usually denotes a future where there is an emphasis on sophisticated technology, but a breakdown in society. Dragon's Teeth has exactly that! There's an emphasis on technology, specifically on medical procedures that increase longevity, including the use of cybernetic implants. There's also a huge breakdown in society. It's post apocalyptic, but more than that, in the world of Dragon's Teeth there is rampant corruption and an underground criminal network undermining the society that's trying to reclaim its place on a damaged planet.

Sharon: You've got a passion for music and dance. How does that influence your writing?

Suzanne: Music definitely influences my writing. I use music as a soundtrack for all my writing. It helps me capture the right atmosphere and character emotions and can even help with setting. As for dance, I'm not sure that influences my writing as much as music does. It certainly helps character creation though. Many of my works feature muscians and in my WiP one of my secondary characters is a dancer.

Sharon: How has your reading as a teenager influenced your writing for teenagers.

Suzanne: As a teenager I didn't read teen books. I mostly read fantasy by authors like Caiseal Mor, Stephen Lawhead and Juliet Marillier - none of which is YA as we know it. I think that has made me realise that teens don't need to be coddled or written down to. Today's teenagers are quite sophisticated and they expect a lot from YA authors. That definitely puts us writers under pressure, but also raises the bar on quality, which is never a bad thing.

Sharon: What are your top four favourite books and why?

Suzanne: Oh I hate this question! Only four? Lost Souls by Poppy Z Brite because I love her description and the effortless ways she weaves together romance and horror somehow making the horrific aspects of her story rather dreamy - that takes skill! The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, that's an entire graphic novel series so I'm cheating here, but that series blew me away. Gaiman really is a genius and his Sandman creations are phenomenal: fantasy, science-fiction, horror - all rolled up into one with so many layers. Love it! The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater because she writes beautifully and her characters are so real. Stiefvater also manages to keep her book fantastic and yet totally believable, and I'm a sucker for creatures from mythology. The Crow by James O'Barr because this is the story that first got me into darker fantasy. O'Barr wrote the story and illustrated his own graphic novel - that's incredible. I love how visceral and dark but also how totally heartbreakingly poignant this story is. Ah, I could go on and on about all the books I love...


Sharon, interviewed by Suzanne:

Suzanne: Can you tell us a bit about Sleeper?

Sharon: I can, but will I? (Sorry, that's the influence of my English teacher sister coming through). Sleeper is a Speculative Fiction (Science-Fiction/Fantasy mix) about a girl, Mishca, who discovers that her adoption was a front and that's she's actually a sleeper soldier for a private army. Her programming is accidentally triggered by a life saving heart transplant operation. The rest of her "unit" have the same condition, so are deemed as defective and scheduled for termination. So Mishca sets out to save them.

Suzanne: What do you think makes the Australian publishing industry a tough nut to crack?

Sharon: We're such a small market and there's so many books from overseas that a lot of publicity here. Even published Australian authors aren't necessarily finding homes for the new stories. But I think this will change as teenagers are thinking more globally and want to read stories from other countries. Australia is one of those countries that everyone wants to know more about. I had not only one of the most popular Australian manuscript with an earlier version of Sleeper on a YA writing site, Inkpop (which was recently bought out by Figment, but was the site that discovered Leigh Fallon and Wendy Higgins), but one of the most popular stories on the whole site. So that definitely showed me that teens internationally love stories set in Australia. More and more Aussie authors are finding success overseas, especially with the rise of ebooks.

Suzanne: If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would be and why?

Sharon: Wow, this one is tough. A lot of characters I love face so much adversity that I really wouldn't want to walk in their shoes. I love Tonks from Harry Potter. She's a bit bad-ass and a bit goofy and I'd love to change my hair colour whenever I feel like it. She can handle a broom too.

Suzanne: Which 2012 YA book was your favourite and why?

Sharon: A Million Suns was just amazing. I loved Across the Universe so much. It's like a YA 1984. The insights into the flaws of society continue on into the sequel. And the twists! Revis is just a master. I can't stop at one. Pandemonium blew me away. I didn't mind the first one, but the sequel rocked. While it's not my usual YA, From the Ashes was also amazing. It really helped me understand writing from the male POV.

 For more info on the re-launch, including how you can win some incredible prizes, click here!

Olde City, New Blood Spotlight: Sarah M Ross

This is the first in a four-part series featuring authors who will be attending Olde City, New Blood. Check out the bottom of this post for more info on the con and how you can win free registration! Today, we're featuring Sarah M. Ross with a short interview and an excerpt of one of her books, Awaken.

Sarah's Bio

I started my obsession with reading at an early age, getting in trouble for sneaking BabySitter Club and Nancy Drew books into math class in elementary school. I would read any fiction book I could get my hands on. I knew it was an addiction when instead of grounding me from TV or music, my mom would take away my books as punishment (The Horror!). My love of all things paranormal was inspired by my good friend Laurie, who convinced me that books with vampires, witches, and all things shifter were amazing. After a little reluctance, I gave it a shot with the Sookie Stackhouse books, realized she was right, and the rest was history.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from The University of Pittsburgh with my degree in English, and taught 8th graders to love reading as much as I do for several years. I will always be a proud member of the Steelers Nation, but I couldn’t take the cold and moved my frozen tush to Florida where I now live with my family and two cats. You will find me now with my trusty Kindle in hand and toes in the sand! 

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Interview

YAtopia: If you could have any author (dead or alive) as a mentor, who would you choose?

Sarah: If I could have any author as my mentor, I think I would choose JK Rowling. She is the master of young adult paranormal, and she came from nothing to become one of the most successful people on the planet. I’m sure I could learn oodles from her. 

Since I am also an indie author, I’d also have to pick Amanda Hawking. She gave hope to thousands of indie authors that it was possible to be successful without the backing of a major publisher. I would love to sit and talk with her about how she did it and fill notebooks with advice.

YAtopia: How many books did you write (or start writing) before you wrote the first published one?

Sarah: I have been writing forever. As a kid, I’d make up little plays for my sister and I to perform. When I was in college, I wrote the beginnings of my first novel (a mystery about two siblings who are orphaned and end up on the streets. It never got passed the first few chapters). 

After college, I needed a “real job”, so I became a teacher. But the writing bug never left. I would find myself jotting down lines to use in a book rather than grading papers. (seriously, grading papers is no fun at all!) During my second year as a teacher, I began to seriously write. I started a book that I really liked the idea for, but never followed through with finishing. (I hope to go back to it one day). 

It wasn’t until I started reading paranormal books instead of my murder mysteries that the lightbulb clicked and my brain said, “Oh, now this we can write!”

I sat down to start Awaken, and it just flowed out of me. 

YAtopia: Which one of your characters has the most of you in him/her?

Sarah: I would have to say Lucy from Awaken. In fact, my mom and sister say she fits me to a T and that they hear my voice when they read it. I think authors put a little of themselves in every character, so I’d say there’s a piece of me in everyone. 

YAtopia: Name three books you think everyone should read.

Sarah: Oh, this is hard! There are soo many books out there, I don’t know if I can narrow it down to only three. I’ll pick books in my genre to make this a bit easier. (But if anyone wants a bigger list of recommended books, just contact me and ask. I have TONS I could recommend) 

1) Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase. This is book one in a trilogy, and the whole idea captivated me from the start. 

2) Significance by Shelly Crane. This is how a love story is done! 

3) A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter. She layers and weaves plot elements so well, her writing is inspiring!

About Awaken

Lucy Donovan was supposed to have a weekend of fun in the sun, celebrating her upcoming graduation from college. In a split second, everything changed. A drunk driver ended Lucy’s mortal life.

Lucy opens her eyes to a world she never imagined possible and a new destiny: as a Patronus, a guardian of spirits. Adjusting to her new role and abilities while negotiating this confusing realm will test her limits and push her further than she ever dreamed she would go. From wayward spirits who don’t want her help to soul stealing vampires, and even a stuck-up British royal, Lucy must brave them all to save one spirit she can’t bear to lose.

Further complicating her life is an inexplicable yet growing connection she feels to a member of her team, Max, whose mysterious behavior leaves her both confused and intrigued.Waking up dead was just the beginning of her problems. Lucy’s death is about to become the greatest adventure of her life.


Awaken Excerpt

I jogged back from where we came. When I rounded the corner to the entrance of the training complex, I skidded to a stop. Max was leaning against the entrance doors and if I wanted to go inside, I’d have to pass by him. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. I would simply walk by. It wouldn’t be painful at all. I tried to convince myself repeatedly while knowing full well I was failing. I marched toward the doors and avoided eye contact, knowing that one look into his perfect blue eyes would be my undoing. I was almost passed him when he reached out and took my arm. I yelped in surprise and stumbled over my feet, sending my body crashing to the ground. Max was instantly at my side trying to help me up. The feel of his warm skin on mine sent a series of goosebumps down my arms and I cursed my body’s betrayal.

“Are you okay Lucy?” He fretted, concern evident in his voice.

“Fine.” I said tersely. I wanted to go inside where it wouldn’t be so painful, but Max still had a hold of my arm and placed his other around my waist to help me up. I tried to break free of his hold but he didn’t allow it.

“I’m fine, you can let go now.” I tried as an attempt to break the physical contact even as my body screamed for me not to leave his side.

“Actually, I was waiting for you. I wanted to talk to you,” he explained. My eyes betrayed my curiosity and longing, and he smiled. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but haven’t found the right time before now. Can we go somewhere to talk?” he asked politely.I wanted nothing more than to scream yes, but was too fearful of what he had to say. I was convinced he would explain he found another team with someone better than me, and he was leaving forever. Who was I trying to kid? He was way too attractive to like someone as simple and plain as me. His hands were still holding me up and I involuntarily sucked a breath in and greedily swallowed his rich, musky scent–allowing myself to be engulfed in it. It was my undoing. I had no will power to say no as every molecule in my body craved to be near him. I could hear the rational part of my brain begging me to be cautious, but its voice was quiet against the overwhelming roar of satisfaction I received from him touching me.

Amazon * B&N * Smashwords

Con and Contest Info

Don't miss your chance to meet Sarah at the Olde City, New Blood mini-convention in St. Augustine, FL this coming February 8-10th. Need more of an incentive to come chill out with some awesome authors by the beach?? How about if you win free registration?? That's right... this week we're having a blog-hop-style contest and you could win your way in!!

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form, after you answer the blog question in the comments below. All of the featured bloggers for the event will be hosting special guests from Olde City, New Blood this week (September 30th – October 6th) and every post is another chance for you to enter to win. There will be additional chances to enter at some of the featured authors' websites, as well. There will be 3 winners, who will be chosen randomly from all entries, announced on October 7th. (Winners will be responsible for their travel and hotel costs, but their registration fees will be covered by the mini-con!!) For a complete list of blog posts and extra author entries, please see the official contest announcement on the website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Expo America

Hi, all! This is going to be a quick post because I'm in NYC for the Book Expo! Woohoo! It has been a dream of mine to attend this massive event and not only am I going this year, but I get to do so as an author. :-)

Anyway, if any of you are in the city for BEA, I'd love to meet you! I'll be at the Pendrell Publishing booth, # 2054, on Wednesday at 4 PM for a video blog session with Jamie Manning, where we'll be answering questions and talking about BEA, and I'll be there on Thursday at 10 AM for my in-booth signing. Copies of Hunted will be discounted for the event, so yay! :-)

If you have any questions about books, writing, etc, please leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to answer them for the video blog!

Hope to see you all there!

~DJ