2012 Resolutions...I made those?

Every year we make our resolutions for the New Year. All gung ho and excited because we're determind more than ever to achieve them. But do we ever? I have my list ready to go, but first I want to take a look back at my 2012 resolutions and see how well those turned out.

1) Start a new WIP Yes I did! I started two actually. A collab with Cassie and another one that has been driving me crazy.
 2) Get an agent (2012 is my year. I can feel it.) Holy crap I did it!
3) Read a classic every two months (Yes I went there) Ha! I started with a Tale of Two Cities and never finished it....
4) Head back to the gym Can you believe I actually did? But stopped going at the end of October. Guess what's going on my 2013 list.
5) Stop eating cookies and start eating real meals Winner. Until this month when I started baking.
6) Go through my clothes and get rid of some (I still have jeans I wear from 7th grade. I'm 27) YES! Two huge bags. Um...Except the bags never left my closet. Baby steps.
7) Read at least one book a week This was going well until I got a job.
8) Write 1,000 words a day Again, going well till I got a job.
9) Find a job I love I don't hate my job so I think this is also a win.
10) Get off the couch and use the desk I had to have I wound up buying a new desk that I do use :)
11) Spend more time with my Grandma This makes me sad that I actually made it a resolution and even sadder that I didn't spend as much time with her as I should've. However, when I wasn't working I did take her out and hang out with her. She even told me to quit my job so we can go out to breakfast. lol
12) Finish the Hunger Games trilogy Um...
13) Make time to see my friends I'm awful
14) Mountain bike more (After a bad fall last summer I've been avoiding it. My BF has been trying his hardest to get me back on my bike and I think it's time I hit the trails again) I got back on my bike this summer!!! :) and I can't wait for the warm weather so I can hit more trails.
15) Learn to drive stick Ha!Now that's funny.

What about you guys? Did you stick with any of your resolutions?

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Goodnight.

A Saturday Quote!

Marketing Wednesday

Last week I discussed cupcakes and marketing. If you missed that post you can read it here. In that post I talked about how placing your book cover on a cupcake or a cake and having it photographed and passed around the internet was a great way to get your book noticed. But the key to those cupcakes. The cover. Your cover. It's not only the key to those cupcakes but the key to your entire marketing plan.

How many times have you gone in the bookstore with no book in mind and grabbed the first one that caught your eye? For me it happens all the time. I've even been known to buy a book just because I love the cover.

The cover of your book will be what's out there. It will be the thing that draws your reader in. It will also be the one thing other than your name that is on all your swag, if you decide to go that route. It will be on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N and just about every other online book site. Beyond that it will be on your website and blogs.

Your cover needs to be visually appealing as well as something that will connect to your reader. If you're writing a YA contemporary romance don't have a fairy on the cover, it will confuse your reader. Also if you have any say in your cover, be creative. Try to do something that will stand out from all the ball gowns. Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Some of my favorite covers:

 Perfect Chemistry is a YA romance novel. Does anything about this cover say otherwise?









This book was more than a romance novel, it was about a girl putting her life back together and I think the cover does an amazing job of showing this.

I love the font, make it purple and place it on a dark background, I'm sold. My eyes went right to it.


What about you? Have you bought a book only because of the cover? Do you think a book cover is the most important marketing tool when it comes to your book?

FFF Day

I'm over at Falling For Fiction today doing a Query Critique. Stop by and help me out.

Cupcakes and Marketing

I'm going to skip ahead today just because I really want to discuss cupcakes. You're probably wondering what the heck cupcakes have to do with marketing. And I can tell you. A lot. I think you all know about my love of Pinterest and I don't need to go into that again. So I was on Pinterest and came across these cupcakes.

How amazing are they? I mean, I want them. I don't think I could eat them because they are just so darn pretty, but I want to hold them and show them off to everyone who will look. All the covers are well known books but imagine these cupcakes had the cover of your book on them. This is where marketing comes into play.

Close your eyes, not literally because then you can't read this, but you know what I mean. Visualize for a second. You got an agent, you have an editor, your book has been published and you are at your very first book signing. You want it to be special. Something that will make you stand out from all the other writers out there. The options are endless and I will discuss in future posts. But say you decide on cupcakes or a cake. And they look like the ones above but with your cover on them.

You're signing and handing out cupcakes and having a grand old time. A reader takes a picture of the cupcake and posts it on instagram or twitpic. That picture is then shared amongst their friends and their friends friends. The picture winds up on Pinterest and is being repinned all over the world. Your book cover has now traveled from your book signing around the globe. And all you did was make a cupcake.

You need to be creative. And in today's world with the rise of image oriented sites pictures are becoming vital in promotion. You want to grab a persons interest and the easiest way is through their eyes. It's instant.

A picture won't tell them about you or your book, but the next time they see your book in a store they will pick it up and read it because they will remember the cover. It's a way to reach people who don't read book blogs or other book review sites.

Thoughts? Have you ever seen a picture that sparked your interest in a book?

A New Week

Happy Monday, everyone. I'm over at Falling For Fiction today. Come stop by.

My break is officially over and I'll be back on Wednesday with my Wednesday marketing posts.

(I don't think I posted this here. I know I posted it on my Facebook page. Either way it cracks me up every time.)

A Saturday Quote

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Taking A Break This Week

But I'll be back next week :) 

Saturday Quote

I want to take a quick second to say congrats to all of you who completed Nano. *throws confetti*  I didn't this year, but that's okay. I was able to jump back into a story I have put off for so long. And in time I know I will get it done. Hope my quotes and pictures helped you at one point in time.

So how'd you do?

Also over at Falling For Fiction we had a CP/Beta Mixer and I'm sure you can still take advantage of it. After you have your manuscript polished and ready to go my agent Brittany Booker and her partner, Jordy Albert are now open for submissions. You can check out their guidelines here: http://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/

Nano Day 30

Nano Day 29

And be sure to hop over to Falling For Fiction today for the CP/Beta Mixer.

Nano Day 28

Nano Day 27

Nano Day 26

Nano Day 25

A Saturday Nano Day 24 Quote

Nano Day 23

Nano Day 22 Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Nano Day 21

Nano Day 20

I haven't.

We Interupt Nano Day 19 for....

It's a Cover Blitz and Blog Giveaway!!!

OCEAN KILLS, the first book of the Ocean Breeze Series by Jade Hart, will be released in early December 2012. In order to celebrate, free copies of Ocean Kills are available to be won, either by simply liking Jade Hart on Facebook, or finding the words "Ocean Breeze" in either the current book you're reading, a TV show, or on any item such as air-freshener, shampoo, or body-wash! When you start looking, those words are everywhere!

For example, this was found a few days ago:

A bottle of body-wash

Without further ado, here is what OCEAN KILLS, a sexy New Adult Urban Fantasy, is all about:

Around the world, murderers and rapists pick off the innocent. Killing loved ones, separating families, and ruining lives.

As an eight-year-old girl, Ocean witnessed her family’s massacre and something altered inside her. Twisting her genetic code… unlocking an ability to teleport.

Ocean Breeze was never destined to be normal, especially being named after air-freshener. She’s a shadow, a ghost—a dark saviour of the innocent. Armed with a switchblade in her bra, and a box-cutter in her pocket, she hunts the filth of the world.  

Callan Bliss is a Sydney Police Officer whose skill set is far above a normal cop. All his fellow officers see is a hard-worker who loves to catch perpetrators and surf, but that’s because they don’t know his past. When Callan arrests a suspicious looking prostitute, coming face to face with a self-confessed vigilante, his secrets aren’t that easy to keep silent anymore.

Ocean hates the police with a passion, and has no intention of being held captive by a cop, even if he is sexy as hell. Teleporting from under his nose, Ocean hunts her next target—a man responsible for the largest sex ring in South Africa—and he’s about to die. But she doesn’t count on Callan giving chase, nor the body-quaking lust which consumes them. However, Ocean's dark hobbies take precedence over what her heart wants—her thirst for murdering is killing her too, and not even Callan can save her.

You can TBR on GoodReads HERE

;

There are 10 free copies to be given away... so get searching :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nano Day 18

A Saturday Day 17 Nano Quote

How is everyone doing with Nano? I'm failing miserably. I'm hoping with the extra time off for Thanksgiving I'll be able to get to 50,000. The question isn't whether I can do it, I know I can. The question is will I? Only time will tell and the clock is ticking.

Today's quote:

Nano Day 16

Nano Day 14 & 15

Time to take a break and look at some cuteness overload! 

Enjoy! 

Nano Day 13

Nano Day 12

Nano Day 11

A Saturday Day 10 Nano Quote

Nano Day 9

Nano Day 8

Nano Day 7

Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way. 
~ Ray Bradbury

Nano Day 6

Nano Day 5

Nano Day 4

A Saturday Nano Day 3 Quote

You don’t write because you want to say something: You write because you’ve got something to say.
— F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nano Day 2

Nano Day 1

Boo!!!

A little late, but I'm still without power. At my parent's house showering and charging everything up before it's back to the dark.

Hope to be up and running real soon! And I also hope your Halloween is more eventful than mine. Would love to hear about it in the comments!!!