To celebrate The Lake House arriving in stores my publisher, Gallery/ Simon & Schuster, will be giving away copies next week to She Writes members. So check in next Wednesday for more details.

Last Thursday I did my first reading of, The Lake House, at a…

Every day brings more excitement as my publication date comes closer. The invitations for my launch party arrived today. Postcards created by Gallery Books are being shipped with the orders from my online bridal business www.elegantbridaldesigns.com.…

The doorbell rang just as I was sitting down to write this blog. I went downstairs and found a large box from Gallery Books on my doorstep. I ran to my neighbor’s house with the heavy item, because this moment couldn’t be done alone, and opened up the large container. A rush of emotion filled me - seven years of…

Thank you, She Writes, for giving me this opportunity to share my experience as a debut novelist nearing her publication date. I’m hoping by sharing my story, my weaknesses and strengths, that I can help other authors in the same situation. Writing can be lonely. Coming to publication, even though I have a…

I went from being a writer obsessed about getting an agent to being a writer obsessed about whether or not my agent would sell my book. Turns out, though, once the book is sold, that’s when the real obsession begins. Who knew that after all of the editing is done and the book goes into production, there could still be so much to fixate on, especially in the few weeks leading up to the publication date?…

I have written one book: THE AFFLICTED GIRLS A Novel of Salem, published at the end of 2009, but a process begun in 1993 when I first picked the 1692 Salem witch hunt as the subject for a screenplay.

My research in those hard-to-imagine pre-internet days consisted of reading every book on Salem available in the Los Angeles Public Library; although some were too old and decrepit to be forwarded to my branch. I also searched through two university reference libraries. Of course,…

The Cover of My Debut Novel, Semi-Charmed Life (Just Published on July 3rd!)

If you’ve ever written a personal essay or memoir or even retold an elaborate story that relies on memory to a rapt group at a…

I just finished the edits for my first novel, The Pyramid Waltz, which is coming out September 18th, 2012 from Bold Strokes Books!

I've spent so long on the write, submit, rejection train that finally being on the publishing track feels unbelievably good. It's stressful, sure. I knew all about that w/s/r train. I was comfortable…

My interview with novelist Glynn Young, author of Dancing Priest, appears at The High Calling today.

http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2011/12/interview-with-novelist-glynn-young.html

Direct: …

What do you think?  The Write Companion would love to know.

Meet The Reaper

I always said I would die in snow. God, I hated that stuff. Pounds and pounds of icy-cold crap that…

When readers and historians go back in time to discover the monumental secrets that were stored inside the greatest hiding places of all time, they will be amazed to learn that the most ‘treasured secrets’ were stored in the depths of a library.

For a very long time, libraries have been at the center of some of the most unexplainable ‘finds’ ever uncovered. Discoveries made…

In June, Wendy Call’s narrative nonfiction book No Word for Welcome was published by University of Nebraska Press and in April, Midge Raymond’s award-winning short story collection…

If you don't have someone else managing your publicity, its up to you to get out there - make it happen!!!

Of course, local bookstores should be your starting point.  Visit them in person, act professional, and be prepared.  Take your book and collateral materials to provide to the manager or person in charge of events.  Collateral materials can include:

     Business Cards

     Postcards (see my earlier post about swag and bling for your book)

     Short…

Most of us know what basic information we should have on our author or book website, but there are some other items that can be helpful - for journalists, reviewers, organizations, readers and others.

~Contact information for:

  1) yourself - some way to get ahold of you, email is probably best

  2) your literary agent

  3) your publisher, especially an email address

  4) your publicist (for media requests only); definitely email address

 …

I am very excited to have as our guest blogger today, C.K. Volnek!  Her book GHOST DOG OF ROANOKE ISLAND is coming out at the end of September by MuseItUp Publishing!  Congrats!

She is sharing some terrific insights she got exclusively from Literary Agent Mike Larsen on promoting yourself and your work!!  Take it away…

Frank was born in Rochester New York.  In 1968 he entered the US Army and served a tour in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot.  He received a BA with honors in English from the University of North…

Did you update your Facebook status? Did you comb your hair this morning? Did you check your teeth after you ate that salad?