The Nine Favorite Book Challenge

I was challenged recently to list my nine favorite books, and it was harder than I thought. I have a list of hundreds. I also have had favorites at different points in my life. Here they are by decade/age.

The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone

This was my favorite book as a toddler. I am first generation Sesame Street, and Grover was always my hero. Now that I think about it, this one was a mystery too.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

I checked this book out of the Woodstock Elementary library every two weeks for months in the second grade.

The Crooked Bannister by Carolyn Keene

In the 5th grade, this was my favorite of all the Nancy Drew books. It had a pun and a plot twist that I loved. My friends and I raced through the collection at the public library. Then we read all of the Hardy Boys and Alfred Hitchcock books.

The Ransom of Red Chief and Other Stories by O. Henry

I was introduced to O. Henry in the sixth grade by Mrs. Todd. I have always loved stories with twists at the end. O. Henry is still one of my favorites.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I read this the first of many times in the eighth grade in Mrs. Buffington’s class. I fell in love with Scout, Atticus, Boo, and all the rest.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I read this the first time in the eleventh grade in Mrs. Bates’ class. Then we watched Robert Redford in that pink suit. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this over the years. (Leonardo DiCaprio is good too, but the Robert Redford version is a classic.) Plus, Billy Idol's "Eyes without a Face" came out that year, and I've always linked that song with the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

We read a lot of good books in high school. I loved the mystery in this classic and the symbolism.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path

I read this in several undergraduate courses, and it resonated with me in my college years. Plath’s tragic ending made it more poignant.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

I read this early in my work career, and many of his points were dead on.

I was very fortunate to have parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians who encouraged reading and suggested great books. What are your favorites?

More Hashtags for Writers

Here are some great hastags for writers. (The hashtag is also known as the octothorp, pound sign, number sign, or tic-tac-toe board for those from other generations.) 

For additional exposure and conversations, make sure to include one or two with your tweets. But don't overdo it.

If you don't see your genre, use Twitter's search feature to find thousands more.

• #AmEditing
• #AmRevising
• #AmWriting
• #ArchiveDay
• #Author
• #Author RT (Author Retweet)
• #Blog
• #BookMarketing
• #BookWorm
• #Books
• #Editing
• #GetPublished
• #GreatReads
• #IndieAuthors
• #IndiePub
• #Mystery
• #Promocave
• #PromoTip
• #Reading
• #ShortStory
• #WeekendBlogHop
• #WeekendCoffeeShare
• #WIP (Work in Progress)
• #WordCount
• #WriteGoal
• #WriteMotivation
• #WritingBlitz
• #WritingPrompt
• #WritingTips
• #WWWBlogs

These hashtags are tied to specific days.

• #Caturday (For Cat Lovers on Saturdays)
• #FlashbackFriday
• #FF (Follow Friday)
• #FollowFriday
• #FridayReads
• #IndieTuesday
• #IndieThursday
• #MondayBlogs
• #StoryFriday
• #SundayBlogShare
• #TeaserTuesday
• #TBT (Throwback Thursday)
• #ThrowbackThursday
• #TipTuesday
• #WW (Writer Wednesday)
• #WriterWednesday

What I Learned from David Casullo about High-Energy Cultures

I read a lot of books on leadership and customer service. David Casullo's Leading the High-Energy Culture is a good reference for new or seasoned managers. But his life lessons also apply to writers. Here's what I learned...

1. "Raise the Bar" should be your rallying cry for yourself and your team.

2. Energize those around you.

3. Communicate clearly and with purpose and passion.

4. Behave consistently with your values and beliefs.

5. Know the lay of the land at your organization and adapt as you need to.

6. A successful leader demonstrates Character, Commitment, Competence, Courage, and Communication.

7. People are fascinated with secrets and mysteries. As a mystery reader and writer, this was my favorite.

8. Focus on face-to-face interactions. Important information should be delivered face-to-face and not through email or texts.

9. Communication is an art and a science.

10. Simple is hard. People don't have time for elaborate explanations. It takes longer to craft your communication for your audience.

11. When people remember your story, they remember the point, and they remember you.

What I Learned from Starbucks and Joseph Michelli

My niece landed a job recently in a Starbucks, and it was interesting to hear about life as a new barista. Coincidentally, I finished Joseph A. Michelli's Leading the Starbucks Way: 5 Principles for Connecting with your Customers, Your Products, and Your People. Check out his website and blog.

1. Love, Humanity, and Humility should be your performance drivers.

2. If you don't have passion for your product or service, why should your customer?

3. Your customer service behaviors should include anticipating, connecting, personalizing, and owning.

4. You need to cherish and challenge your legacy. It's not just today's sale.

Michelli's book focuses on customer service and leadership, but the advice works for writers who are trying to market their work.

It's Talk Like Shakespeare Day!

Happy Talk like Shakespeare Day!

What's on Your Playlist? Murderous Songs for Mystery Writers

I love Train's "50 Ways to Say Goodbye." It's great for mystery writers. It's full of lots of ideas for bumping off characters.

So here's a playlist of other songs with murderous lyrics if you need inspiration for writing your next mystery:

• Dixie Chicks - "Goodbye, Earl"
• Bob Marley - "I Shot the Sheriff"
• Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Foster the People - "Pumped up Kicks"
• R. Dean Taylor - "Indiana Wants Me"
• Johnny Cash - "The Long, Black Veil"
• Kenny Rogers - "Coward of the County"
• Bobby Darrin - "Mack the Knife"
• Georgie Fame "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde"
• Jim Croce - "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"
• The Police - "Murder by Numbers"
• Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
• The Beatles - "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
• Garth Brooks - "Papa Loved Mama"

10 Commandments for Promoting Your Book on Social Media

I am on quite a few social media platforms and follow a lot of writers and writing groups. I have seen a variety of book marketing practices, some effective and others not so much. I love the advice that writers share, but I tend to tune out the book hawkers who constantly beat the "buy my book" drum. Here are my 10 Commandments for book promotion.

1. Thou shalt not annoy your friends and followers with constant "buy my book" posts. Be thoughtful with your promotions.

2. Always honor the 80-20 rule. Look at the content of your posts. Promotions should only be about 20% of your content.

3. If you schedule posts, be mindful to mix things up. You don't want to be the one on the lists that have 40-50 posts for the exact same thing. People tune out or block the noise.

4. Make sure that you share information that is fun and useful. (See #2.) This is the other 80% of your content.

5. Make sure that you always attribute the owner if you share content.

6. Strive to build relationships. Join lists and groups. And participate in the conversations. Share their successes. Don't be a lurker.

7. If you have set up automatic ways to share posts on other social media platforms, mix it up. Nobody wants to see the same post on four different sites.

8. I learned this from Rachel Thompson of Bad Redhead Media. Use social media platforms that appeal to your readers, and not the ones that you prefer. You need to go where your readers are. Know the key demographics of the platforms you use.

• This Pew Research article has basic demographics about social media.
• This Pew Research article breaks down the statistics by platform.

9. You can't effectively promote your work on hundreds of sites unless you have a staff. Pick several that you know work for you and your readers and start there. Watch your analytics and maximize what's working. Stop what doesn't seem to be effective.

10. Balance your time. It's important to have a healthy platform and to promote your work. Just be careful that it doesn't overshadow your writing time.

Happy writing and best wishes for your promoting your book!

More Lethal Ladies...

The Lethal Ladies signed books at Barnes and Noble at Libbie Place yesterday. It was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon. We met some really nice people, and the staff there was so welcoming.

l to r: Maggie King, Vivian Lawry, Rosemary Shomaker, and Heather Weidner