The Giving Season

We are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and I’m still wondering where June and July went. It’s been crazy busy here, but I’m trying to enjoy the holiday season. I took a minute to reflect on gifts as I was standing in the check-out line at Target (No, I don’t do self-check-out. I get the worst customer service.) I was thinking about the things I’d given over the years.

When my nieces were little, (much to the dismay of my BIL), I gave the girls a karaoke machine. I was the aunt who didn’t give practical gifts. I bought the flashy splashy outfits and shoes that mom wouldn’t normally buy. I also gave them a photo book each year. (Thank you, SnapFish. I no longer have to pull out the scrapbooking supplies.) When I moved out after college, I didn’t have that many pictures from my childhood, so I made the decision to give them a photo book with their yearly highlights. They’re all grown up now, and I got to make a wedding book this year.

Now that all the nieces and nephews (and their spouses) are awesome adult human beings, I struggle with what to get them. I don’t get to shop in the hot pink toy aisle or chase after Ninja Turtle or Power Rangers action figures anymore. I’ve kinda turned into the giftcard-giving aunt. This year, I did find something fun, and I hope they like it. Funko Pop (I am such a fan of their pop culture figurines.) had an offer to create your own one-of-a-kind character. Here are the ones that I had made for Stan and me. His holds a camera and a pickleball paddle. I have a bottle of poison and the skull of my enemy. (You can see why we’re such a match.)

My parents, grandparents, and extended family always made the holidays special and magical. I love the LiteBright, the Easy Bake Oven, my sparkly blue bike with the streamers, the bright orange ride-on Corvette, all the Barbie gear, and my first brand new car. Stan and I got a puppy once for Valentine’s Day.

The gifts are awesome, but the time with family and friends is the best. I hope you and yours take the time to share each other’s company and to make some new memories this season.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Kalee Boisvert

I’d like to welcome Kalee Boisvert to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

A few of your favorite things: My kids, Starbucks, McDonald’s or just French fries in general, books, watching Real Housewives, and yummy smelling candles.

Things you need to throw out: Items that have accumulated in the dreaded “junk drawer,” also probably some expired food in the cupboards and fridge.

Things you need for your writing sessions: My chai tea latte with coconut milk, a creativity meditation, and my bed (where I do my writing).

Things that hamper your writing: Having my phone nearby, having my email open on my computer, and sleep deprivation (I have two little ones).

Hardest thing about being a writer: Sitting down and just getting started.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing down the random ideas as they come to you (making sense of how they will fit into what you are writing is the hard part).

Words that describe you: Empathetic, Introvert, Kind, Funny, Disciplined, and Driven

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

Favorite music or song: Empowering female artists – Taylor Swift and Beyonce, and “Under the Sea” sung by Sebastian the Crab in the Little Mermaid.

Music that drives you crazy: Country

Last best thing you ate: Sushi from a new spot.

Last thing you regret eating: Pizza (probably because I ate a slice too many)

The last thing you ordered online: Baby diapers and wipes (love that Amazon)

The last thing you regret buying: Another black hoodie (I probably should have opted for another color.)

Favorite places you’ve been: Tokyo, Paris, London, Disneyland

Places you never want to go to again: Disneyworld (sorry but Disneyland is definitely better)

Favorite books (or genre): Thrillers, and romance. And for Non-fiction – spiritual, business, and personal growth.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Cookbooks (I have accepted my inability to cook).

Best thing you’ve ever done: Become a mom

Biggest mistake: Dating before doing inner work on myself

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That my book felt like they were having an uplifting conversation with a friend.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That there were too many dating references in my money book (I’m single so what can I say!)

About Kalee:

Kalee Boisvert has been in the financial industry for over 15 years, but her love of money started very young. Growing up in a single parent household, she watched her mom struggle with finances and wished there was something she could do to help. She also realized that she needed to find her own way to save and earn if she wasn’t going to allow her circumstances to define her. And so, her own journey into financial literacy and wealth management began.

To further her efforts supporting financial literacy, Kalee had two books released in 2023 – a children’s picture book called MoneyWise Mabel’s Bursting Bank, and a non-fiction book called Make Money Your Thing! Which aims to build confidence and empower people in their financial lives.

Let’s Be Social:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boisvertkalee

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaleeboisvert

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

Book Make Money Your Thing! https://www.amazon.ca/Make-Money-Your-Thing-Design/dp/1738670287

What To Do With My Website...

Many authors only update or overhaul their websites when they have a new book release, and this isn’t always frequent enough to keep readers coming back. Here some ideas for ways to generate visits to your site.

Blogs are good ways to have fresh content on your site and to encourage repeat visitors. I do guest author interviews on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and I post my new content each Friday. The guest interviews are a win-win for the author and me. They get the exposure to my readers, and they share my site with their fans.

Try to think of topics that appeal to your readers. Most of my Friday posts relate to writing or books. Do you have hobbies or job skills that your readers are interested in? Most blogs will let you embed videos for more interaction. The video content can be reused on Instagram or TikTok.

Add the links to your blog posts on your social media sites to drive traffic to your site. Twitter/X and Instagram are hashtag friendly, and this lets you highlight topics that appeal to a variety of readers. If your blog posts appeal to professionals, don’t forget to the share the links on LinkedIn.

I send out a quarterly newsletter with contests and updates. Inside, I also feature six or eight of the recent author interviews. This lets me recycle some content, and it provides more coverage for my guest authors.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to spot check your webpages to ensure everything is current and working correctly. Here’s a quick check list of areas that may need updating:

• Make sure your latest author photo is posted.

• If you list events, verify that they are up to date.

• Ensure that all your latest books appear on your site. If you have book club questions, make sure you have a set for each book.

• Check all of your links to make sure they are working.

• Review your biography and press kit.

Websites take some time to maintain, but it a valuable and the central part of your author platform.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Freddy Cruz

I’m excited to welcome back author and podcaster, Freddy Cruz, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday.

Things you never want to run out of: Coffee, toilet paper

Things you wish you’d never bought: Dessert after a big dinner (makes my clothes shrink)

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing

Things you need for your writing sessions: Sanity

Things that hamper your writing: Lack of sanity

Something you’re really good at: Negative self-talk

Something you’re really bad at: Positive self-talk

Favorite smell: Lavender

Something that makes you hold your nose: Fish

The last thing you ordered online: Handheld camcorder

The last thing you regret buying: Candy

Things you’d walk a mile for: Coffee

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

Things to say to an author: Anything beginning with the words “you should have”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: See answer above and realize it’s THE AUTHOR’S STORY. Not yours.

Favorite places you’ve been: Santa Rosa Beach

Places you never want to go to again: New Orleans

Favorite books (or genre): Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, You by Caroline Kepnes, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Chuck Palahniuk, Alex Hormozi

People you’d cancel dinner on: American commies

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Helped a client with producing thirty-one straight podcast episodes for breast cancer awareness month.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: A shelved novel I thought would be the most amazing thing I ever wrote.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: My wife’s obsession with Hallmark Christmas movies and General Hospital made it into Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: AC’s story arc from They Canceled the DJ and/or Lex’s story arc from Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas

About Freddy:

Freddy Cruz is a podcast host, author, and founder of Speke Podcasting, a podcast agency in the Greater Houston area. In his spare time, you can find him nose deep in a book, snuggling with his dog Sparrow, or jogging on the trail (trying hard to not sound like a horror movie villain).

Let’s Be Social:

FB/IG: @thefreddycruz

#WriterWednesday Interview with Indy Perro

I’d like to welcome Indy Perro to the blog today for #WriterWednesday.

Things you never want to run out of: I couldn’t live without culture, specifically music, books, and movies.

Things you wish you’d never bought: I wish I’d never bought into the illusion of prestige.

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a good attitude and music that fits the vibe of my writing.

Things that hamper your writing: Generally, though not always, I struggle to bring my personal linguistic rhythms when I’m distracted by music with powerful, emotive lyrics.

Hardest thing about being a writer: I struggle to make small talk. Cocktail party conversation isn’t in my job description.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I can avoid cocktail parties. I’m the face behind the book, which is one rung lower than being a face made for radio.

Words that describe you: I’ve been described as indescribable.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Some find me ambiguously eclectic.

Favorite foods: I eat lasagna like Garfield, the cat and the president.

Things that make you want to gag: Coconut is a hell of a thing to do to chocolate.

Favorite beverage: Coffee.

Something that gives you a sour face: Herbal tea. I want my tea to taste like coffee.

Favorite smell: I love the smell of my dog after a bath.

Something that makes you hold your nose: There’s a reason I gave my dog a bath.

Last best thing you ate: I recently enjoyed a lime fruit bar. Sorry, that was my last one.

Last thing you regret eating: I’m not sure what you’d call it, and perhaps it shouldn’t have been that color, texture, or consistency.

Things you’d walk a mile for: I’d walk several miles to see a great concert or museum.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: People who need to give their opinions on that which they know nothing. You know who you are…

Things you always put in your books: Jokes, music, and realism. A book without humor is like a day without sunshine.

Things you never put in your books: Tropes, banalities, and cliches.

Favorite places you’ve been: New Orleans, the greatest city in the U.S.

Places you never want to go to again: Some jails are nicer than others.

Best thing you’ve ever done: My marriage has been my greatest accomplishment.

Biggest mistake: Any decision I ever made based on money turned out to be a mistake, some bigger than others.

About Indy:

Indy Perro is a novelist and recovering academic. When he's not at his desk, he loves to hike, run, and read the masters: Michael Connelly, Raymond Chandler, Dennis Lehane, Elmore Leonard, and James Sallis. Central City is his debut thriller and the first book in the hard-boiled Kulpa and Bayonne series. The second, Journeyman, is also out now. Book 3 will be published in the Spring of 2024.  

 Explore Central City! Meet the characters, examine the history, and visit the neighborhoods at centralcitybooks.com.  

 Register for Indy’s newsletter for exclusive discounts, content, news, and more at Indyperro.com.  

 Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.indyperro.com

Books: https://www.centralcitybooks.com

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Don't Be That Author!

I will always remember the story the HR Director at my first job told me about why people should always be professional. One day, he came back from lunch, and a young woman cut him off and slid into his parking space. Then to add insult to injury, she flipped him off when he honked his horn. The pair would meet again inside the building, and I would have loved to have seen her face when she discovered that he was conducting her job interview.

We all know the divas, the complainers, the control freaks, and the hangers-on. They are in every group. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from so many different people that they treasure authors who are easy to get along with.

Here are some things to remember, so you don’t turn into that author.

• Always be professional. People talk, and you don’t want to get a reputation for all the wrong reasons.

• Pick your battles and stand up for yourself, but do it in a way that doesn’t burn bridges. I always ask myself how big a deal something is. Sometimes, things are nonnegotiable, and other times, they really don’t matter. I try to save my energy for the important things.

• Make sure you read your contracts and know all of your deadlines and obligations. Figure out the best way for you to manage your calendar and your time. You don’t want to be the unreliable one.

• If you volunteer for something, do your best to meet the commitment. Put the date/time/location on your calendar as soon as it is confirmed.

• Learn how to say no. It’s hard. You want to be included and don’t want to disappoint people, but you can’t do everything.

• Make sure you’re a contributor. We all know the lurker who reaps all the benefits, but never puts in any effort or takes on any of the work.

• If you find out you can’t make a deadline for some reason, reach out and communicate as early as possible. Sometimes, you can reschedule.

• Remember that the administrators of many Facebook groups, book reviewers, bloggers, and bookstagrammers are usually volunteers, and this isn’t their day job. You may need to extend some grace if your email isn’t answered as quickly as you would like.

#ThisorThatThursday with Author Ruth Hartman

I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Ruth Hartman, to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday, the Christmas edition!

A few of your favorite traditions: Getting together with family for dinner.

Something holiday-related that you’ll never do again: Put up a Christmas tree. With three energetic cats who play and eat the ornaments and climb and knock over the tree, it’s not worth it!

Favorite holiday song: Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Holiday song that always gets stuck in your head for the wrong reason: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. I mean come on - it’s mean!

Favorite holiday treat: Anything and everything chocolate

A holiday treat that makes you gag: Fruitcake – ick!

Favorite holiday show or movie: The Grinch (original cartoon version) I love the dog, Max 😊

A holiday show or movie that you’ve seen too much: Home Alone. I like it, but some of those painful looking stunts look all too real.

Favorite holiday smell: When my mom used to cook ham or chicken for our Christmas Eve meal.

Something that makes you hold your nose: Beets – they’re horrid!

Best holiday memory: When I was eighteen, I received my engagement ring on Christmas Eve

Something you’d rather forget: I volunteered to work on Christmas Eve Day (I was a dental hygienist) and the kids were already hyper and overloaded on Christmas cheer and sugar.

Funniest holiday story: When I was dating my husband, he bought me a sweater for a gift. It was a size 18 and I wore a 10. He thought you were supposed to buy the size according to your age, and I was 18.

Something embarrassing that happened during the holiday season: A guy I dated in high school had invited me to a party at his house right before Christmas. Soon after I got there, a klutzy guy tripped and spilled his drink all over the front of my pants. They were so wet I couldn’t keep wearing them. My date gave me a pair of his jeans to wear. He was six inches taller, weighed thirty pounds more than I did, and he didn’t have a belt small enough for me to keep the jeans up, so I had to hold them tight at my waist the whole rest of the evening. Oh, and my underwear was damp from the spilled drink. But no way was I asking to borrow some underwear!

Best holiday gift you gave to someone: In high school, a friend and I gave each other the exact same stuffed bear as a gift.

A gift that needs regifting: Small gadgets that never work right or have no real purpose except to help fill out someone’s Christmas stocking and you end up tossing them out by New Year.

A tradition you share with others: My cats really did love when we used to have a tree.

A tradition that can be retired: Definitely still the tree!

Favorite place you spent the holidays: As long as I’m with my husband, Garry, I’m good!

The worst place to spend the holidays: When I was little, my sister’s boyfriend broke his leg, so we had to visit him out of town in the hospital over Christmas vacation.

About Ruth:

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.

 Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

 Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at http://Ruthjhartman.com.

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=ruth%20j.%20hartman%2C%20author

https://www.ruthjhartman.com/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ruth-j-hartman

#WriterWednesday Interview with Ann Charles

I’d like to welcome Ann Charles back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite thing that you always make time for: My family. They make my heart happy.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid: Bookkeeping—ugh! Every month it takes hours to gather everything the tax man might want to see.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Something to drink—coffee, tea, water, or a frozen Coke.

Things that distract you from writing: My cats, especially when they demand attention and walk on my keyboard.

The thing you like most about being a writer: Making readers smile, laugh, even cringe—basically, just giving them an escape from everyday life when they need it.

The thing you like least about being a writer: The doubt demons that creep in when you’re struggling with the unfolding story.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: Our house. We didn’t visit it until after we had the keys in hand because we lived about 1200 miles away and our kids were in the thick of school when we had to make the purchase. So, we looked at pictures online and relied on our real estate agent and a persnickety home inspector. Almost ten years later, we still love it here.

The thing you wished you’d never bought: A pair of pants from a scam sight where they used other company’s photos to sell knockoff clothing. The pant are all cockeyed, but I have kept them for years because they cost me $40 and I’m going to figure out something to do with them eventually. Maybe I’ll make a scarecrow with them.

Something you’re really good at: Finding lost items in our house for my family.

Something you never learned how to do: Hotwire a car. It seems like a skill that could be useful in an emergency.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Camel jockey

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Write books

Things you always put in your books: Humor and a little romance

Things you never put in your books: Love triangles and politics

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Have children. There is so much responsibility and so many worries that come with them. (But they are worth every gray hair!)

Something you chickened out from doing: Jumping out of an airplane. Nope nope nope. Unless not jumping means dying, then maybe I might be open to being pushed out of the plane.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That I’m their all-time favorite author. That’s a huge honor!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Twice my books have been compared to Coca-Cola, and both with a negative intention. I love Coca-Cola, so the insults backfired.

The best job you ever had: Writing stories for a living.

The worst job you ever had: Cleaning the Women’s restroom at a large fast-food restaurant on the Ohio Turnpike during the busiest travel day of the year—Thanksgiving. The things I saw … yuck!

About Ann:

Ann Charles is a USA Today Best-Selling author who writes spicy, award-winning mysteries full of mayhem, adventure, comedy, and suspense. She writes the Deadwood Mystery Series, Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series, Dig Site Mystery Series, Deadwood Undertaker Series (with her husband, Sam Lucky), and AC Silly Circus Mystery Series. Her Deadwood Mystery Series has won multiple national awards, including the Daphne du Maurier for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Ann has a B.A. in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington and is a member of Sisters in Crime and Western Writers of America. She is currently toiling away on her next book, wishing she was on a Mexican beach with an ice-cold Corona in one hand and a book in the other. When she is not dabbling in fiction, she is arm wrestling with her two kids, attempting to seduce her husband, and arguing with her sassy cats. 

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