Thursday Talent: Souls Entwined by Anne B. Cole

Today's Thursday Talent is a little different. Instead of revealing a new book cover, or celebrating a new release, I'll be interviewing a fellow writer. This week, my friend Anne B. Cole is joining me again to chat about her experience breaking into the publishing world. 

Meet Anne. That's her below. She's a fellow Soulmate Publishing author, a preschool teacher, and she's pretty darn awesome! 

EJ:  Hi Anne, I'm so glad you could be here with me today. The last time we chatted, you're book, Souls Entwined, was just hitting Amazon. Here's what I want to know today. What was it like when you finally received an offer on your book? Who did you tell first?

AC:  It was July 29, 2013, and I was in the family room opening up my email on my laptop. I noted an email from Soul Mate Publishing and expected a rejection letter. When I realized it was an offer, I simply said, "Oh, my God!"

Two of my kids were in the same room. Like typical teens, they ignored me. On my second or third, "Oh, my God!" they asked me what was wrong. I didn't respond because I was trying to read more. After "No freaking way!", "Holy Crap!", and a few other responses, my husband came downstairs from his office (he works at home) and my third teenager took the laptop from me to see what was going on. My husband wanted to know who died. 

My oldest daughter explained to him that my book was going to be published and that she was going to star in the future movie. (She is jumping to conclusions here.) It took over a week for it to sink in that I had an offer, and to this day, my daughter claims she is going to be "Gretta". She just cannot decide who she wants "Sam" to be.


EJ:  I love that your oldest daughter wants to be in the future movie adaptation. Sounds like your family is very supportive. 

Ready for question number two? Every author I've met is an avid reader. Which authors do you enjoy reading?

AC: Ooo...that is easy, but could take up an entire page because I love to read and there are so many great authors out there! Here's my condensed list:

John Grisham
Rick Riordan
Dana Stabenow
Colleen Hoover
Kristin Hannah
Dan Brown

I also enjoy reading from these new authors:

Deborah Kreiser
Peter Darley
Anna Bloom

EJ: I've read Dan Brown and John Grisham, but I don't think I've read any of the other authors. Guess I better go check them out! 

Thanks Anne for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me today. 

ANNE B. COLE

Souls Entwined is Anne B. Cole’s debut release, combining sweet romantic suspense, time travel, and paranormal elements in a New Adult novel attractive to a wide range of readers.

In addition to writing, Anne teaches preschool and is raising three very active teenagers with her husband of twenty-two years. Her love for making fresh baked goodies, running, hiking, historical fiction, and her three pet cats continue to be her inspiration while she pens the sequel to Souls Entwined.

(See? I told you she was awesome!)

Book Blurb

When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives---or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.

To Connect With Anne
To follow Anne’s publishing journey and connect with her, check out her blog site and find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Blog      *       Twitter       *      Facebook

To purchase Souls Entwined, click here: http://amzn.com/B00K0W80JQ 

Romance Weekly: #LoveWriteChat

It's my favorite time of the week! Time for the Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat, where our merry band of Romance writers tell you all their writing craft secrets! If you found me by way of Gemma Brocato, welcome! This week's questions come from  Jo Richardson. 


How often do you write?
I write as often as I can. At any given time, I may have 2-3 different projects in varying states of disarray to draft or revise, plus blog posts to work on. During the summer, when I'm off from work, I try to spend at least a couple hours writing each day. Some days, I hole up in my bedroom and work all day while my two kids fend for themselves. Other days, I wind up playing referee, chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, or photographer. You know . . . begin a wife and a mom. 

During the school year, my "butt in the chair, fingers on the keyboard" writing time is seriously limited. Being a teacher often means that my day job takes over my entire life. I steal what time I can to write, usually nights and weekends, but it's definitely not easy.


Do you think it’s important to your craft to write as much as you can, and as often as you can?
Absolutely. You have to write or you're not a writer. There's just no way around it. BUT I don't think writing as much as possible, or even writing every single day, is enough to turn someone into a great writer. Writing involves so much more than that. You have to hone your inner editor, too. 

I saw this quote and picture recently on FB and it perfectly sums up my philosophy as a 5th grade teacher. 

William Faulkner by Vladymyr Lukash. C.C. by 3.0

When we read in my classroom, we are constantly analyzing how the author did what they did. How did they begin their story? How did they end each scene? How did they indicate a passing of time? You get the point. We analyze and discuss our findings, label each method, and then practice it for ourselves. After that, we critique, reflect, and revise. Then it begins all over again. 

Even when I'm not writing per se, I'm still involved in some part of the writing process, whether it's plotting, reading a mentor text, giving a critique, revising a piece, or teaching my class about writing.   


What is your opinion on the saying “if you don’t write every day, you’re not a writer"?
For some of us, it's just not possible. My job and my family need my time, too.That doesn't make me less of a writer. It makes me human. It just means I have to be smarter with the time that I do have. I need to learn to turn off the internet so I don't hear the siren's call of FB and Twitter. I need to set my DVR to record my favorite shows. When I need a break from writing, that's when I can binge on all my TV shows and get caught up! 


Can't wait until next week's chat? Then check out of Romance Writer's Weekly Facebook page.     Our authors are ready to chat with you right now and will give you the inside scoop on their latest contest wins, upcoming books, and sales. Oh, and before you go, be a doll and enter our Romance Weekly Giveaway. 

Now, if y'all don't mind, I left my muse tied to a chair where I intend to keep her for the next few hours while I write. Next up on the love chat tour . . . Carrie Elks, author of Halfway Hidden and Fix You.

Romance Weekly - #lovewritechat

Welcome back for another fun edition of Romance Weekly! If you've visiting by way of author Kim Handysides, thanks for popping in. I hope you'll enjoy this stop on the tour. For those who don't know how this works, each Tuesday I'll answer three questions about my writing life. At the end of my post, I'll add a link to the next author on the tour. Follow the links to meet lots of new authors. You've finished the tour when you wind up back on my website. If you like to tweet, you can use the hashtag: #lovewritechat.

This week's questions come from author Shannon Kennedy. You can check out her books for young adults at: www.shannonkennedybooks.com or her mainstream cowboy romance books at: www.josiemalone.com.

Photo courtesy of Natural Kid Pix

How do you find the appropriate setting for the story or does it find you?
Good question. I'm not really sure. Redemption For Liars is set in a small town similar to the one I grew up in, or the one where my father grew up. Assassin, P.I. is set in a larger city filled with corruption, ala 1940's Chicago style. The settings just seemed to fit for the stories I was trying to tell. Since I've lived in the same city my entire life - in a whopping total of 4 houses - developing a strong setting can be difficult for me. You would think, based on how obsessed I am with taking photos of gorgeous landscapes, I would use my own photos for inspiration, but I haven't yet. I'd love to travel more, to experience new locales, so I have a richer base of knowledge to draw upon for future stories.

What is your support system for your writing, family, friends, other writers?
In the beginning, my mom was my biggest supporter. She endured hours on end of brainstorming
sessions, slashed away at my typos with her handy red pen, and encouraged me to keep going despite all those pesky rejection notices. Now that mom is gone, my family and co-workers have picked up where she left off, acting as my sounding boards, whether they want to or not.

Along the way to publication, I've met several fabulous writers who've been kind enough to lend their support and expertise. Among them are Dianne Gardner, Rebekah R. Ganiere, and my teacher-writer peeps from the Inland Area Writing Projects: Sharon, David, and Cindy.

More recently, I've joined Rom-Critters, an online critique group for romance writers, and Romance Writer's Weekly, a co-op of writers working together to build up their online reputations and inspire each other to greatness.  I also have a wonderful support system built in with my Soul Mate Publishing authors. My Soul Matey's graciously share advice and help each other with promotion.

P.S. I love you all! 

What is the worst writing advice you ever received and how did you deal with it?

I don't think I've ever received any bad writing advice, however I've been told:

"Your storyline sounds just like this movie I watched last night."

It drives me CRAZY! (You know I'm talking about you, sis. Love ya anyways.)

I try to smile, thank the person, and then go right back to writing. Even if my storyline is slightly reminiscent of a movie or book, I'm confident that my stories are strong enough to stand on their own. After all, it's about the unique spin you put on the tried-and-true. Just look at all the famous Romeo & Juliet remakes. Grease and West Side Story both tell the same basic storyline, yet they were very successful in their own right. I try to remind myself that my story is unique, despite a few general similarities.

Well, that's it for this week's installment of Romance Weekly. Let me direction your attention to the ever lovely, Sarah Hegger. http://sarahhegger.wordpress.com. Sarah writes both medieval romance and contemporary romance. Her debut novel hits Amazon this May. Enjoy the rest of your tour!

Romance Weekly

Love romance? Me, too. I love experiencing romance, reading about someone else's romance, and, most importantly, I adore writing about hot, steamy romances. Each week, I'll be bringing you the Romance Weekly chat, where romance writers answer all sorts of questions. At the end of my post, I'll link to the next author on the list, who will answer the questions and link to the next writer, and so on. You'll know you've finished the blog tour when you wind up right back here on my blog.

So let's dig in. This week's questions come from author Nina Mason. When you're done with the blog tour, be sure to hit Amazon and pick up Nina's debut novel, The Queen of Swords: A Paranormal Tale of Undying Love.

How does your writing impact your inner life?
Writing has always been a creative outlet for me to explore and deal with my feelings and overactive imagination. As a child, making up my own stories and songs was a good way to overcome my fears. As an adult, I get to enjoy falling in love over and over again each time I start a new story. When I write, I sprinkle bits of myself in each character and storyline. For example, Maya, from Redemption For Liars, is a roller skating waitress because I used to competitively roller skate. Jack's mom, from Assassin P.I., has suffered a stroke, just like my father. Through these characters, I can deal with complex emotions. Think of it as my version of free counseling.

How do you hope your books affect your readers?
Honestly, I just want to entertain people. When you turn that last page and put down my book, I hope you've enjoyed spending time in the towns I've created, with the crazy people who've occupied my mind for so long. I want people to be surprised at each plot twist, laugh out loud at the inappropriate things my characters tend to blurt out, and root for the happy ending that is just out of reach.

Has anyone ever told you your book changed their life? If so, how?
Haha. No. Nor should it. But when my mother died last year, I found out that my poem, Walk Amongst Angels, is our local funeral home's second most popular poem. On a whim, I'd given permission to add my poem to their selection nearly twenty years ago. Periodically, someone will return from a funeral, memorial booklet in hand, and ask if the poem inscribed there is mine. I love knowing that a poem I wrote when I was eighteen has the power to give someone comfort in their time of grief. According to my students, I'm popular with dead people.

Next up on this week's blog tour, Nina Mason. Click on over to her website and show her some love!   Don't forget to pick up her new release, The Queen of Swords: A Paranormal Tale of Undying Love.

See y'all next week! 

Seeking Street Team . . . Have Swag

You know all that cool swag (promotional items) you get when you go to a conference? Pens, bookmarks, postcards, post-it notes, candy? Yeah. That stuff. Apparently I need some.

I have to admit. I'm a conference junkie. I love being surrounded by like-minded people, whether teachers or writers. And when shoving my way through the hordes of overstimulated people to visit vendor or author booths, swag (at least for me) has become somewhat of a consolation prize for managing to not get trampled in the mayhem. Yay me!

It doesn't matter that I don't really need yet another pen, or that I'll never plant that packet of flower seeds. I can't resist picking up the promotional items just lying around waiting to go home with me. But does it work? Does it entice me to visit that website and make a purchase from that author or vendor?

In truth? Sometimes it does. Figuring out the right items to create and spend money on is the tough part.

So how is a new writer supposed to get her name out there to bolster sales and garner positive reviews?

One simple way is to create a street team who will act as marketing cheerleaders for an author. They blog, tweet, pass out promo items, write reviews, and share Facebook posts about the author and her books. In exchange, the author might treat her faithful street team members to extra cool swag items or sneak peeks of her upcoming book and the opportunity to read it before it hits stores. Sounds cool, right?

I gotta say, I find it really hard to market myself. The last thing I want to do is spam my friends and family with constant reminders to buy my book and write a review. Chances are, they've already bought the book within the first week it came out. Starting a street team might be a better way to go. I'm sure I have a few friends or fans who would be more than willing to spread the word for me. It would let me get back to writing while still promoting my books.

So how about it. Anyone feeling brave enough to join my street team? I could definitely use your advice on promotional items and marketing, and I promise to make it worth your time and effort. Come on! You know you want to.

Oh, The Little Things

What makes me a happy writer? Other than when a writing session goes well and actually results in a few thousand new words being added to my word count, I mean.

When I open my door and discover a small package on my stoop. You know, the best gifts really do come in small packages. My new business cards came in! Never mind the fact that exactly half of the 100 cards I ordered were flawed in a multitude of ways. The half that were right are gorgeous and I love them. 

Can't wait to start passing them out at the next conference I go to! Does a teaching conference count? Oh, who cares! 

Update #1 - The company reprinted the cards for free (as they should) and they are gorgeous! 

Update #2 - Networking at a conference is a total blast! People love the cards. Let's hope that translates to sales in November. #keepingmyfingerscrossed