It's Okay to Be Picky - Tips for Authors

I am a picky eater, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. This is about being choosy about your promotions. Writers, your time, money, and sanity are valuable, and it’s okay not to do every conference, book signing, and event that comes your way. It’s hard. You want to be a part of things and to sell books, but life obligations and writing your next book are important, too.

When we started out with the anthologies, we did just about every promotional event that came along. One year, I had something bookish to do every weekend, and a lot of them included travel. There were some weekends where there were multiple events in the same day. I love to meet readers and talk about books, but I have two series now, a day gig, and everything else that life throws at me.

Events

• I try to choose events where my readers are. I did some ComiCons early on. They were so much fun, but the audience wasn’t really for cozy, mystery readers.

• Evaluate the cost (including travel and your time) for events that charge. Sometimes, there is value by gaining newsletter subscribers, networking, or the opportunity to talk to readers. It may not always be book sales.

• Be creative. We’ve had some really good book sales at “non-book” events (e.g. an art festival at a winery, a happy hour at a museum, a table at a beach-themed store, a table outside a card shop ahead of Mother’s Day weekend). Try new things and learn what works for your readership.

• Know where you will be at the event. I sunburn easily, so if it’s outside in the heat, I need shelter or a tent. Will you be expected to bring a tent, chairs, and a table? We did an outside event in January once and almost froze to death. I always have a box of books in the trunk of my car, too. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve sold out or the book order didn’t arrive at the venue on time.

• Be prepared. I pack an event bag with swag, giveaways, a tent card, table cloths, extra pens, tape, painter’s tape, scissors, and seasonal things like sunscreen and sunglasses. I also pack a little cooler with drinks and snacks.

It’ Okay to Say No, But Be Professional

• Sometimes, we take on too much because we don’t want to or can’t say no. Give yourself permission to be choosy and don’t feel guilty about it.

• Be gracious and professional when you decline an invitation. Don’t burn bridges in case you may want to participate at another time.

• If you accept an invitation, try not to back out unless it really is an emergency. Think about the event planner. It is often difficult to get last-minute replacements.

• Be on time and be prepared.

• It’s okay to stand up for yourself and to push back when there are issues. Just be professional. Tirades and outbursts on social media make you feel better for a moment, but they can damage your reputation for a long time. You are your brand.

• Don’t be a diva. A lot of events and conferences are staffed by volunteers. Many bloggers, bookstagrammers, and podcasters don’t get paid for their efforts either. Demanding authors get a negative reputation pretty quickly and word spreads.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jocie McKade

I’d like to welcome author, Jocie McKade to the blog this week for #ThisorThatThursday! Happy Vetrans’ Day!

Words that describe you:

Honest, warped sense of humor, loves her family.

I can sometimes be honest to a fault, but I mean well. I have a super snarky sense of humor that usually explodes at the most inappropriate times. My family is first in my life, always. I am so grateful for a loving family.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t:

Snarky sense of humor, klutz, procrastinator

See above why that sense of humor gets me in trouble. I am a born klutz, I can walk across the living room and trip over the socks I’m wearing! The odd thing is, I used to do gymnastics and rarely ever fell, I mean I was like a cat on the balance beam, yet couldn’t walk across the gym. Go Figure! And I tend to procrastinate with my writing….is that the best word I could use? Or, should I write something else? Or, oh look, the deer I feed is in the back field!

 Favorite foods:

I love to cook, and I love country cooking. A child of Southern parents, that means anything with butter! LOL I do love a baked ham, with mashed potatoes, green beans, and homemade biscuits. Then again, I can go for a good pizza, love lasagna, anything Mexican, and I’ve been trying a lot of Middle Eastern recipes lately. Yup, I love food!

Things that make you want to gag: 

Raw oysters, escargot, and mushrooms.

Favorite music or song:

I love most all types of music, country, rock, jazz, blues, instrumental. When I writing, I tend to go for instrumental, I often listen to Adrian Von Ziegler, a young composer from Europe. He writes the most beautiful Celtic music. I stumbled on his Youtube page quite by accident and I’ve become a fan. I also love Native American music, it soothes my soul, especially flutes.

If I’m working on my Mayson-Dickson series I flip between country music when writing about southern twin Emme Mayson, to more jazz ballads when penning lines about Jackie Dickson, the Boston sister.

Music that drives you crazy:

While I respect the talent it takes to perform opera, listening to it annoys me. Maybe I haven’t found the right opera yet, but it’s a no listen genre for me.

Favorite beverage:

My daily go to is tea. I raise herbs and blend many of my own teas. I tend to experiment with the blends as I write a tea leaf reader mystery series and I need to know how the tea tastes!

On a relaxing evening….I’m a whisky or bourbon girl. Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee whiskey!

Something that gives you a sour face:

Scotch, I have no idea how anyone drinks that libation. Maybe that’s why I tend to make all the bad guys in my books scotch drinkers??? Hmmm.

Favorite smell:

I’m a country girl and live on Dust Bunny Farm, so to me the smell of fresh cut hay is my favorite smell in the world. I can stand in the barn and just close my eyes and take in the scent of fresh hay just laid up in the loft.

Something that makes you hold your nose:

Most perfumes and colognes. I suffer from migraines and whoooo, sometimes those perfumes just set my head off. I’ve found a few that are lovely, but very few.

Something you wish you could do:

I wish I could draw. I’d love to be able to draw book scenes that I see in my head. I also have vivid dreams and I wish I could draw the details my sleepy mind sees.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do:

Nothing. Honestly, there are some things I don’t like to do, but I wouldn’t want to ever ‘un-learn’ anything that I’ve been fortunate enough to learn. I find anything I can learn, any skill I can master, any fact I can study is a wonderful thing — Life is learning.

Things you’d walk a mile for:

One more conversation with my mama to tell her I actually got my book published. I’d walk thru fire for this.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Any room where people put down others. Everyone is important. I have left conversations and friends who gossip or put someone down because of where they were born, their education, or their job.

Things you always put in your books:

Veterans. I’ve written over fifteen books and nearly all of them have a U.S. Veteran in them. I don’t think our service members get the recognition they deserve, particularly those that served during Vietnam. I try to include them in all my books. I only hope my characters make them proud.

Things you never put in your books:

Any harm to a kid. I can have violence in a book, but my soul just won’t let me write anything that would show harm towards children.

Things to say to an author:

Your books made me smile, kept me up all night, made me laugh at inappropriate  moments in the doctors office.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

True story —- “You write ‘that’ stuff? No wonder nobody is in line to buy a book.”

Referring to a cozy mystery…..then she asked where the ladies room was. There is a special moment in fiction for her.

Favorite books (or genre):

I read everything! Hey, I was a librarian for sixteen years, so of course, I had to read many of the books that we ordered. I mean what kind of librarian would I be if I couldn’t recommend good books? LOL I love thrillers. Shhh…..as a kid I wanted to be a secret agent, so thrillers let me indulge my childhood

Books you wouldn’t buy:

Horror….not for me, I’m a coward. I’ve started a couple of horror books through the years, but leaving all the lights on was expensive. Although one of my book series, The Three Baers (a romantic comedy series) was featured as a prop in a horror movie! The movie was actually a fun horror movie, Happy Death Day. It released on my husbands birthday, so guess what movie he got to go to for his birthday?

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

I been blessed with amazing readers. Last year a reader discovered my books and wrote me a heartfelt email of how my books lifted her spirits and gave her sanity throughout the ‘lock-down’. How amazing, and humbling that my words would make someone feel that way!

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I was at one of my first book signings and a very enthusiastic reader came bounding up to my table and said, “I love your books, and I want an Albert!”

 I was completely stumped. I smiled and nodded as she went on and on about ‘Albert.’ I couldn’t for the life of me place ‘Albert’. My daughter showed up about then, saw my completely confused face, leaned down and whispered, “mom, that’s the grizzly bear in one of your Baer books.”

 I had completely forgotten I’d put the little critter in my book, and totally forgotten I’d named him. LOL Bless readers who love your books so much they remember those little details.

About Jocie:

Jocie worked at several jobs before landing her ideal one as a librarian, a perfect segue to becoming an author. 

 With a soft spot for U.S. Veterans, she chaired her local Veteran's Oral History Project, and her work with the program lead to her speaking before the project committee at the U.S. Library of Congress. 

 She has won several awards for her non-fiction writing on a multitude of subjects. 

 Her fiction writing has received the Author / Ambassador at Library Journal Self-e Authors, Winner Queen of the West Reader Favorite Award, Amazon Bestseller - Historical, Double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories.

 The author of sixteen books of cozy mystery and romantic comedy, Jocie can find humor in most anything. She lives on a farm in the Midwest with her family. When not writing, she grows ArnoldSwartzaWeeds in her garden and RVs whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Let’s Be Social:

WEBSITE

www.jociemckade.com

FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/JocieMcKade7/

PINTEREST

http://www.pinterest.com/jociemckade9/

GOODREADS

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomjociemckade

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/jociemckade/?hl=en

BOOKBUB

https://www.bookbub.com/search?search=jocie+mckade

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

https://www.amazon.com/Jocie-McKade/e/B00FQY8WE6

Facebook Takeovers - What are They? What Do I Do?

A Facebook Takeover is when another site (author, book group, etc.) on Facebook lets you control the content for a short period of time to talk about your books and interact with the readers. Usually the administrator of an established group will give you access to the site, so you can post. This allows you to meet an established following, and only members of that group are able to participate in the event. (This means you can’t invite your friends and fans unless they join the group.) Sometimes, takeovers are set up as Facebook Events, and you can usually invite your friends to participate because they are open to anyone who is interested.

Facebook takeovers are promotional tools to help you market your book and meet new readers. I love to interact with people on social media, so I’m excited when I get to introduce my cozies to a new group. Here’s what I’ve learned about takeovers....

• It’s usually a good idea if you’re part of the group or community and that you are familiar with the members and their interests. If you’re not a member, join and visit ahead of your takeover, so they get to know you.

• Follow all the instructions the administrator provides you for posting. Many want you to do a series of give-aways, and they provide guidance about dates, length of the event, prizes, and ways to interact.

• Find give-ways that you can easily mail. Remember, most of these sites have a worldwide audience. If you have restrictions on your contest, you need to specify it up front. (It’s really expensive to mail a book or a mug to another country.)

• Make sure all links work and you have access before your takeover begins.

• Once you agree on a date and time, make sure to create a reminder for yourself, so that you’re not late. Also verify the time zone with the host.

• Check out other takeovers on the site to see what the readers are expecting. Bright, fun graphics and short posts are usually best. I use Canva or BookBrush to create graphics that are sized correctly. I also like to have them branded with my book and website.

• I open a Word document ahead of my event and post a copy of my graphics. and the text that I’m going to use. This allows me to proofread it and make sure it covers everything I want to highlight. Then during the take-over, I just have to copy the block and post the graphic.

• The event is a place for you to introduce yourself and your book. Many authors talk about themes or places in their books and ask questions for the participants to answer in the comments. I make my questions related to an upcoming holiday and my book. (I talk about my sleuth’s job or hobbies and have a contest question about that. There is always a fuzzy sidekick in my book, so I do some kind of question/game with pets. People love to tell you about their pets and show pictures. Clothes, styles, food, and pop culture make great conversation starters.)

• The idea is to have fun and get people to respond to your games or questions. Don’t over-complicate things with too many rules or conditions.

• Some takeovers have multiple authors, and you get usually only one post, but you can add more information and links in the comments. Other events allow multiple posts. Remember, if you do twenty posts, you have to respond to all of them. For a take-over that lasts several hours, I usually do an activity or give-away every 30 minutes.

• This should be a fun time for the participants where they can interact with you. Don’t just post and return only to select a winner. Check in periodically and make sure you react and comment.

• If given a choice, I like to leave the contests open until the next day. This gives people in different time zones a chance to play.

• Let the participants know where they can find you and your books.

• Always thank your hosts and your participants. I usually create a “thank you meme.”

• Check with your host; sometimes they announce the winners. If not, I make a graphic with all the winners. I also post it on my author page and tag the winners.

• Remember that most of these sites or groups are administered by volunteers. Be a gracious guest and not a demanding diva.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Allison Brook

I’d like to welcome my friend and author, Allison Brook, back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: crossword or sudoku puzzle; read or listen to one of the books I'm reading or listening to.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: straightening out the papers on my computer desk.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: my computer, of course; my notebook telling me what day I'm in in my WIP; my rough outline; my list of characters; Google.

Things that distract you from writing: the ping telling me I have a new email; a phone call.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing the first draft

Easiest thing about being a writer: Editing when the book is complete. Sharing a wonderful review on Facebook.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: solar lights for my walkway

The thing you wished you’d never bought. A very large food processor with too many parts

Favorite snacks: nuts, chocolate bark with nuts, mussels, chocolate or pistachio ice cream

Things that make you want to gag: pretzels—too dry; tofu

Something you’re really good at: responding quickly to comments when I do an author takeover

Something you’re really bad at: settling down each day to write

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: a ballerina or an author

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: write so many books

Something you wish you could do: ride a horse

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: promote each book that comes out. Of course I want to support my book and of course I'm glad I've learned how to do it. I only wish I didn't have to do this part of being an author.

Last best thing you ate: a great lobster roll.

Last thing you regret eating: a shrimp sandwich that was a big disappointment

Things to say to an author: I love your series. When is the next book coming out?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I have great idea for a book. Just don't have the time to write it.

Favorite places you’ve been: South of France, Machu Picchu, many villages and towns in England

Places you never want to go to again: Caribbean cruise

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): some of my fellow writer friends who live far from me

People you’d cancel dinner on: some political figures I'm not fond of.

Most embarrassing moment: falling asleep and not participating in a friend's Facebook party. But I managed to get in a few minutes at the end.

Proudest moment: becoming a grandma—not that I had anything to do with it.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I have a great idea for a book. Would you like to write it?

The most exciting thing about your writing life: a book being nominated for an Agatha; book being featured in Woman's World.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: I wish I could have avoided dealing with certain small presses.

About Allison:

I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher.

Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.

​A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: (15) Marilyn Levinson | Facebook

Twitter: (4) Marilyn Levinson (@MarilynLevinson) / Twitter

BookBub: Marilyn Levinson Books - BookBub

Amazon: Amazon.com : marilyn levinson

My Playlist for VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS

Music is a huge part of my life and my writing life. I have lots of playlists for my research, writing, and editing time. Music is always on in some form or fashion at our house.

In VINTAGE TRAILERS AND BLACKMAILERS, Jules Keene runs a glamping (glamorous camping) resort nestled in the beautiful, Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. Fern Valley is a few miles west of Charlottesville. Her parents bought the traditional campground back in the 1970s before she was born, and after her divorce from the Idiot, she returned home and helped her dad update the campground and restore vintage trailers. Jules saved a bunch of classics from the scrapheap and preserved their history and created some upscale places for her guests to visit. She used her background in interior design to theme and decorate each one.

Here’s the playlist I created for the first book in the Jules Keene Glamping Mystery series. The songs reflect Jules’s character and life in the mountains of Virginia.

Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes”

Alabama’s “Mountain Music”

Alabama’s “Pass it on Down”

Alan Jackson’s “Drive”

Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me”

Bruce Hornsby’s “Mandolin Rain”

Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”

Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown”

Charley Pride’s “Mountain of Love”

Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey”

Darius Rucker’s “Southern State of Mind”

Eric Church’s “Springsteen”

Gloria Gaylor’s “I Will Survive”

Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High”

Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”

Jason Aldean’s “Tattoos on This Town”

Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n Roll”

John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

Keith Urban’s “Jeans on”

Mark Wills’ “Nineteen Something”

Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song”

Rascal Flatt’s “Fast Cars and Freedom”

Robbin Thompson’s “Candy Apple Red”

TLC’s “Waterfalls”

Toby Keith’s “Whisky Girl”

Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway”

Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally”

#ThisorThatThursday Interview with Nellie H. Steele

I’d like to welcome author Nellie H. Steele to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: Animals, hot tea, the rocky coast of Maine.

Things you need to throw out: I keep holding on to a large telescope I bought years ago in an open box sale with the romantic notion that I’d spend lots of evenings stargazing. It sits in a corner (of a room without a window, ironically). I can’t bring myself to get rid of it, though. It would be a great donation item!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Water, laptop, an idea!

Things that hamper your writing: Facebook. I leave my browser open while writing so I can use the online thesaurus. Without fail, though, once I leave my writing session to search for another word, I’ll take a spin through Facebook or Instagram to procrastinate.

Things you love about writing: Creating stories, worlds and characters. I love bringing characters to life and watching them navigate the world I’ve created for them. My stories are very much character-driven. I don’t pre-plan many plot points because without fail they will fall by the wayside once the characters come to life. In fact, I had a character that I planned to kill off very early on in Book 1 of the series, but that didn’t happen. He clung to life, made it through the entire book and will move on to book 2.

Things you hate about writing: Gosh, I’m not sure I can pinpoint anything I hate. Perhaps the marketing side of the writing game! Or maybe the editing!

Words that describe you: Independent, creative, eccentric.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Stubborn!

Something you like to do: I’d love to spent an entire summer seaside!

Something you wish you’d never done: I wish I’d never put off writing my first book.

Things you always put in your books: Humor. Regardless of the genre, I try to include a little humor to entertain and lighten any heavier themes.

Things you never put in your books: Bedroom scenes! Like Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote, “I don’t write bedroom scenes!”

Things to say to an author: If you enjoyed their book, tell them! On down days, it really helps a writer continue writing if they know someone out there loves their work!

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: If I wrote that book, the character would have…

Favorite places you’ve been: Maine, I love the state, especially the coastline. Hunter’s Beach is my favorite spot on earth!

Places you never want to go to again: I wouldn’t say “never ever” but I’m over traveling south for vacations. I often find it far too hot to enjoy!

Favorite books (or genre): Mysteries, any kind, all kind!

Books you wouldn’t buy: I’m not a huge fan of “drama” or “slice of life” type books (basically stories without intrigue).

Things that make you happy: My pets! I have a rescue home with 14 pets and I love all of their unique personalities.

Things that drive you crazy: When technology misbehaves (and it inevitably happens when you’re trying to get something done fast!).

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I’ve gotten a lot of nice feedback from readers. One of the most memorable was when someone told me they wished they could be friends with my characters because they liked them so much!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: I had a reader internet-stalk me to insist there was a typo on page 2 of my book (no such typo existed).

About Nellie:

Nellie H. Steele lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with her family and her many fur-babies. Nellie is an Indies Today award finalist for Best Book of the Year 2020 with Cleopatra’s Tomb. When she isn't writing, she enjoys teaching Statistics at a local university or watching her dogs and cats play in the yard.

Nellie is the author of the Cate Kensie Mystery Series, a cozy mystery series following the adventures of Dr. Catherine Kensie, a history professor turned Scottish Countess, and her beloved dog, Riley, as they navigate their new lives in their quirky Scottish highlands castle, solving mysteries along the way! She is the creator of the Shadow Slayers series, a suspenseful series with a supernatural twist! Follow the Shadow Slayers through time as they fight to banish darkness from the world. Nellie also writes an adventure series, Maggie Edwards Adventures. Follow Maggie Edwards as she travels the world solving mysteries and finding unique treasures! Jump into Nellie's newest series, Duchess of Blackmoore Mysteries, a historical mystery set in the Scottish Highlands! Follow Lenora and her unique ability to communicate with the dead as she uses her skill to solve mysteries.

Check out all Nellie offers at http://www.anovelideapublishing.com/novels, sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news about book releases or like us on facebook (facebook.com/anovelideapublishing or facebook.com/nelliehsteele) to keep up with us!

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: http://www.anovelideapublishing.com

Blog: http://www.nelliesbooknook.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliehsteele  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nelliehsteele/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NellieHSteele1 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19769743.Nellie_H_Steele

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nellie-h-steele

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Nellie-H.-Steele/e/B07Z9PD3YN 

Remembering All the Administrative Tasks - Tips for Authors

Writing is a business, and with that comes a lot of administrative tasks that you need to keep up with, along with your writing, revising, and book marketing work. Make sure that you take care of the tasks before they get out of control.

Mileage and Receipts - After an event, I record the mileage, tolls, and expenses in my yearly spreadsheet. I do it as part of my unpacking routine. If I purchase something, I print the receipt and file it. By doing these as they happen, I don’t have to spend time at the end of the year trying to remember what I did and how much I spent. And I don’t have to scramble to find receipts.

Sales Tax - My state requires that I collect and file sales tax on all book sales that I do. During an event where I’m selling books, I keep a list of what books sell and the cost. I record all sales in my spreadsheet, so I have the information when I file my quarterly sales tax.

Filing - Filing is not my favorite thing to do, but I’ve learned over the years to keep up with it (or it’s a mess at tax time).

Contacts - When I get a new contact, I added it to my electronic contact’s database with a description of who/what it is. It takes some time, but it helps me remember later. If it is a service or a person for book marketing, I also keep a spreadsheet with a lot of metadata (like name, business name, specialty, who recommended them, etc.), so I can find the information later (in case I forget the person’s name). Make sure that you back up your favorites and contacts in case your computer or phone is lost or damaged.

Minimize the Clutter - I acquire hundreds of postcards, bookmarks, flyers, and business cards throughout the year. I put all of the contact information in my electronic contacts database or my spreadsheet, and then I recycle the business cards and flyers. If it’s an event that I attended, then I keep the souvenir for my scrapbook. I donate a lot of books to the Friends of the Library, and I’ve started putting bookmarks that I don’t use in a plastic baggie to go with the donation. You can also slide them in the book for the next reader.

Organizing Your Photos - I download my photos to my computer after an event. I file them by event with enough information that I can find them again, especially if it something that I want to use for book marketing. I go through my pictures and delete the ones I don’t want to keep. Cloud or hard drive storage can add up with thousands of pictures after time. At the end of the year, I move all of the previous year’s photos to an external hard drive.

If I do the admin-y tasks throughout the year, then it’s not such a big hassle at tax time. Best wishes for your writing and book marketing!

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Lois Winston

I’d like to welcome author Lois Winston back to the blog. Congratulations on your latest!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: See a Broadway show. Unfortunately, since I recently moved nearly 1,000 miles from Manhattan. I’m going to have to find a new favorite thing to do the next time I have some free time.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to-do list: Housecleaning. Why is it that someone always spills something right after you’ve washed the kitchen floor?

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Coffee, coffee, and more coffee!

Things that distract you from writing: Emails, texts, and my husband. (Yeah, I know I should ignore them. Easier said than done. Especially the husband!)

Favorite snacks: Chocolate, pretzels, and ice cream. Not necessarily together but often all together.

Things that make you want to gag: Peanut butter.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: An astronaut.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Write novels.

Something you wish you could do: Sing. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to hear me try.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Anything I can’t do well. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I learn to do something new.

Things to say to an author: I love all your books! When is the next one coming out?

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Oh, anyone can write those books. When are you going to write a real book?

Favorite places you’ve been: Manhattan, Italy, and Disneyworld (yeah, I’m a really just a kid at heart)

Places you never want to go to again: Anywhere with 100+ degrees heat and 100% humidity. (Disneyworld is far better in the winter, spring, and fall than in the summer!)

Best thing you’ve ever done: Learned to stand up for myself.

Biggest mistake: Allowing myself to be roped into living with my in-laws for six years.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Backpacked across Europe with a friend when we were in college.

Something you chickened out from doing: All rollercoasters or other thrill rides. (Yeah, I know I said I had wanted to be an astronaut, but that was before I ever rode a rollercoaster!)

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I once had a reader tell me my books had helped her get through a really difficult time because they’d made her laugh when all she had wanted to do was cry.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: A reader once gave me a 1-star review because my book was nothing like what Lee Child writes. Huh? I write humorous cozy mysteries. It’s no secret. All you have to do is look at the cover or read the back cover copy. Lee writes thrillers. Why would she expect my books to be anything like his?

Stitch, Bake, Die!

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 10

With massive debt, a communist mother-in-law, a Shakespeare-quoting parrot, and a photojournalist boyfriend who may or may not be a spy, crafts editor Anastasia Pollack already juggles too much in her life. So she’s not thrilled when her magazine volunteers her to present workshops and judge a needlework contest at the inaugural conference of the New Jersey chapter of the Stitch and Bake Society, a national organization of retired professional women. At least her best friend and cooking editor Cloris McWerther has also been roped into similar duties for the culinary side of the 3-day event taking place on the grounds of the exclusive Beckwith Chateau Country Club.

The sweet little old ladies Anastasia is expecting to meet are definitely old, and some of them are little, but all are anything but sweet. She’s stepped into a vipers’ den that starts with bribery and ends with murder. When an ice storm forces Anastasia and Cloris to spend the night at the Chateau, Anastasia discovers evidence of insurance scams, medical fraud, an opioid ring, long-buried family secrets, and a bevy of suspects.

Can she piece together the various clues before she becomes the killer’s next target?

Crafting tips included.

 Buy Links

Paperback https://amzn.to/2YiodcR

Kindle https://amzn.to/3ylMivw

Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/stitch-bake-die/id1582066729

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stitch-bake-die

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stitch-bake-die-lois-winston/1140036766;jsessionid=25A7F9659AD9C525D5EAB0BECCEA6D09.prodny_store02-atgap06?ean=2940162610267

About Lois:

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

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