I thought I was a writer not a marketing guru

How many of you were surprised to find that a modern writer must be their own marketing guru? I bet you didn't get into writing because you loved the idea of marketing yourself and your book! This was an unwelcome lesson for me and I am very thankful that my computer savvy husband is taking on this role with me. Publishing has changed so much since the advent of the internet and publishers now expect you to do your own marketing and if you are going to self publish, well, who else is going to do it for you? This can be terrifying. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pintrest. Authors can no longer ignore the world of social media if they want to succeed. If you have buried your head in the sand to avoid this brave new world, now is the time to poke your head out. If you are young, then it is all second nature to you but for those of us who remember when all phones were attached to walls it can be intimidating and overwhelming. But take heart. If you have teenagers let this be an opportunity to let them teach you something. I designated my teenage son my 'meme' manager. He showed me how to find a meme app and how to use it. It was a moment of bonding for us, a temporary reversal of roles. Who knew that my decision to become a writer would involve my whole family and bring us closer together?

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Trying a New Genre

Though I write Regency Romance (and children's historical fiction), my very favorite genre to read is the "Whodunnit", the classic murder mysteries of Agatha Christie fame. It was her books, in fact, that made me into a reader as a child. These mild mysteries, that have had a following since Ms. Christie's days, seem to have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity of late under the genre name of Cozy Mysteries. The thought came to me a few months ago, "Since you like them so much you should try writing one!" So I am. I have created a dynamic duo, to borrow a phrase, who snoop out clues and help the local Bobbies. They are rich, beautiful and from the upper classes - because for some reason that's often how we like our heroines to be. This book will not reflect the politically correct culture of our day, but will try to capture the essence of life in the 1920's, while solving a crime. I think it will be a lot of fun!

Bookclubs

I'm back from traveling to Europe and about to leave town again so I thought it was time to add a post to my blog. Since the release of my book I have been invited to share my thoughts at three book clubs with another planned for after Christmas and it is so much fun! I am loving the interaction with people who have read my book. We have had some great discussions about prejudices, adoption, nasty relatives and the writing process. In life, when we step out of our comfort zone and try new things it can go one of two ways; success or failure. But for me there has been additional path: it has been an unexpected delight to experience positive, unintended consequences such as meeting my readers. Little did I think when I was tapping away on my computer two years ago that the publication of my book would lead me to meet so many new friends. Comforts zones are safe places, which is why we like them, and not every new venture will end in success or great unintended consequences, but s...

Thesaurus, I love thee!

The first draft of my work in progress is done and now I am onto the deep edit. I got what I wanted to say down and now I need to pretty it up, so to speak. This part of my writing process is grueling. This is when I get down in the dirt and wrestle with the words. This is when I exploit my thesaurus app. I use it so much I feel like I should contribute to their site! I circle all the times I use the same word in a chapter and then make lists of synonyms to see which word works better with which phrase. It is not a task for the faint-hearted. There are times when I find a word so perfectly suited for the sentence that I want to throw my fist in the air. There are other times when the perfect word is just out of reach. Imagining doing this without a thesaurus makes my brain hurt so this is a heartfelt tribute to the genius who decided that a book of synonyms was just what the world needed. Thank you!

Julie Regency Romance

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