Summer Reads

Please welcome our guest blogger today, Sheryl Browne, who is visiting us through Goddess Fish Promotions. Now residing in Worcestershire, Sheryl Browne grew up in Birmingham, UK, where she studied Art & Design. She wears many hats: a partner in her own business, a mother, and a foster parent to disabled dogs. Creative in spirit, Sheryl has always had a passion for writing. A member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, she has previously been published in the US and writes Romantic Comedy because, as she puts it, "life is just too short to be miserable."

Sheryl's debut novel, RECIPES FOR DISASTER - combining deliciously different and fun recipes with sexilicious romantic comedy, is garnering some fabulous reviews! Sheryl has also been offered a further three-book contract under the Safkhet Publishing Soul imprint. SOMEBODY TO LOVE, a romantic comedy centring around a single policeman father’s search for love, launches 1 July. The book, which also features an autistic little boy and his Autism Assistance Dog, has already been endorsed by Danemere Dog Rescue Centre and is currently being reviewed by Our Dog Publications with a view to future advertising. WARRANT FOR LOVE, bringing together three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly, is released 1 August.

Sheryl will award a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.

Please follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-blurb-blitz-summer-reads-from.html

SOMEBODY TO LOVE

After a turbulent marriage to a man who walked off hand-in-offshoot with something resembling a twig, divorced mum, Donna O'Conner, doubts happy endings exist. She'd quite like to find herself an Adonis with… pecs …and things. Alas, that's not likely, when her only interest outside of work is hopping her three-legged dog in the park, carrying a poop-scoop. In any case, Donna isn't sure she'd know what to do with an Adonis if she fell on one. When PC Mark Evans comes along, gloriously gift-wrapped in blue, however, she can't help wishing she did.

Mark, a single father, is desperate for love. He doesn't hold out much hope, though, that there is a woman out there with a heart big enough to love him and his autistic son. Enter big-hearted Donna, plus three-legged dog. And now Mark has a dilemma. Pretending not to mind her house-bunny chewing his bootlaces, he's smitten with Donna on sight. Should he tell her his situation up-front? Announcing he has a child with autism spectrum disorder on a first date tends to ensure there isn't a second. Or should he skirt around the subject, which amounts to a lie? When one lie leads to another, can he ever win Donna's trust back? Admit that he didn't trust Donna enough to let her into his life?

Somebody to Love has been made with love... love of animals. Sheryl Browne has done excellent research on assistance dogs for the handicapped, specifically their use with autistic individuals. With a focus on romance with police officers, appealing to all readers who love our boys in blue, the author's "teasing but not telling" style makes this read appropriate for anyone, including young adults and older teens.

EXCERPT FROM SOMEBODY TO LOVE:

A Lost Little Boy…

The bell tinkled overhead. The soft murmur of voices slowed and, somehow, Mark could sense his son’s nearness. He glanced at the shopkeeper. ‘There wouldn’t be a young boy?’

‘We wondered whose he was.’ She nodded, indicating a room beyond the shop-fronting area they were in. An Aladdin’s cave, stuffed full of toys and magical to a child’s eyes. ‘We were just about to call the police.’

‘Mine. My son,’ said Mark, his throat tight as he watched Karl wander through from the back room, his clear blue eyes wide with wonder, before they alighted on Mark. Then, they grew disconcerted, as if Karl knew he was in trouble, and Mark couldn’t bear that. He knew he should talk to him. Try to instil in him through firm repetition, that he should not do this sort of stuff. Instead, he walked over to Karl and bent down to hug him so tight, he could feel his son’s heartbeat next to his own.

‘Hiya, mate. Did you get your model car?’ he asked throatily, knowing Karl wouldn’t, couldn’t hug him back. Trying hard not to mind, Mark stood to ruffle Karl’s hair. His fringe was tickling his eyelashes again, he noticed.

Time for a trim, he guessed, recalling how, with his long dark eyelashes, Karl had often been mistaken for a girl as a baby. How his wife had joked he’d grow up to be a heartbreaker. Mark’s heart seemed to have broken, that was for sure.

Karl shook his head. ‘No,’ he said, in that gruff, grainy voice that drew people’s stares. Mark didn’t care. At least Karl was speaking. He was two when he’d stopped, and Mark’s life changed forever.

WARRANT FOR LOVE:

Leanne Curtis has shared more than her heart and her home with her womanising man. She's shared her pin number. The scales are peeled painfully from her eyes when she spots female footprints on the inside windscreen of his car. Devastated, Leanne storms off into the night. He wasn't going to pay her back when he sold his flat, his bolthole, his shag-pad, probably, the absolute…! Shivering on a street corner, Leanne comes up with a survival plan. She's no choice. If she's to keep her son in PS3s, Leanne needs a lodger.

Brought up in care, Police Constable Paul Davis doesn't communicate well. On duty, he's gloomily contemplating his impending divorce. His wife sleeping with his sergeant is not helping his morose mood. His sergeant has a history, and Paul needs to find somewhere decent to live in order to gain custody of his son, fast. And to keep his job. Wrongfully arresting Leanne Curtis for soliciting, he muses, whilst avoiding five-star-freezer looks from her friends, might not be the best way to do it.

Could fate have brought them together, though? Leanne needs a respectable lodger. Paul needs a home. One thing leads to another, and Paul can't quite believe his luck. When a blackmail plot ~ cooked up by Leanne's friends ~ threatens their budding relationship, however, is Paul compelled to uphold the law? Or will he risk everything to make sure Leanne's abusive ex gets his comeuppance?

Warrant for Love is not your typical rom-com where only one gal gets the guy — Sheryl Browne brings together three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly. With a focus on romance with police officers, Warrant for Love appeals to all readers who love our boys in blue. Complex yet everyday relationship problems makes this read appropriate for young adults and older teens.

EXCERPT FROM WARRANT FOR LOVE

'Dad!’ James exclaimed, hurtling out the front door.

‘Hi, small-fry.’ Paul ruffled his hair. ‘How’s things?’

‘Cool.’ James grinned. ‘I got one,’ he said excitedly. ‘A Play Station Three.’

Paul forced a smile. ‘Yeah, that is pretty cool. Mum get it for your birthday, did she?’

‘No.’ James skirted around Paul to the car. ‘Uncle Dave.’

Figures, thought Paul. Motive: one-upmanship. Cummings wouldn’t give a damn about what James wanted otherwise.

‘Wasn’t that nice of him,’ he said, with bitter-edged sarcasm as Kate appeared with James’ overnight bag. ‘Guess that means I’ll have to think of something else to get him for Christmas.’

‘Paul…’ Kate began. ‘We didn’t know you were going to get him…’

‘Forget it.’ Paul shrugged. Every time he tried to put hostilities on hold… ‘Have to see if we can’t get you some games for it, won’t we?’ he called to James over his shoulder.

‘Cool. Dead or Alive. Ben’s got it. It’s ace.’

‘Great. How much?’ Paul nodded his thanks to Kate as she handed him the rucksack.

‘Forty pounds,’ said James, scrambling into the passenger seat. ‘Is that okay?’

‘Yes. No probs,’ Paul said, wondering how he was ever going to pay solicitors fees and maintenance, as well as providing a decent home for James along with the things he should as a father.

‘We can get it,’ Kate offered. ‘Dave said…’

‘No thanks. Got it covered.’ American Express, Paul thought grimly as he turned to the car. That’ll do nicely.

‘Oh, and we’ll need a second control,’ announced James.

‘Why’s that?’ Paul asked, checking his seat belt.

‘So two people can play, of course,’ James explained, wearing his parents-are-past-it face. ‘It’s no fun playing on your own.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Paul smiled, checked his mirror, and pulled out.

‘Can we have popcorn this time?’ James asked whilst Paul mentally tried to make his bank balance add up.

‘Not as well as McDonald’s, James. You’ll be sick.’

‘But Mum said.’ James flopped his head back on the seat, popcorn deprivation overriding Play Station euphoria.

‘I don’t care what Mum said, James.’

‘There’s no point going to the pictures if I can’t have popcorn.’

‘You don’t want to see Turtles in 3D, then?’

James shrugged and turned to stare out of the window.

‘Look, James. No popcorn. But, what say we stop off on the way to the pictures? See if we can’t get Dead or Alive tonight?’ Paul tried to redeem himself in his son’s eyes, whilst wondering whether PC World would hire him part-time in exchange for the computer game.

He shouldn’t give in so easily but he had to get something for James’ birthday, closely followed by an alternative to the Play Station for Christmas. The second choice on James’ Dear Santa list was a computer. At this rate, he’d have to resort to touting for business on street corners.

His mind drifted to Leanne, his mouth curving into a smile as he recalled her quip about ten punters all in one night. He laughed out loud. Still couldn’t shake the image of her making eyes at passing traffic, wearing his police sweater and a sarong.

‘What’s funny?’ James asked.

‘Nothing.’ Paul straightened his face as he pulled up at the station. ‘Forgot my wallet,’ he said, trying hard to consign Leanne to history.

CONNECT WITH SHERYL BROWNE 

Safkhet Publishing http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/books/soul/9781908208118/Somebody_to_Love.html

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Somebody-Love-Sheryl-Browne/dp/1908208112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340202812&sr=1-1&keywords=somebody+to+love+sheryl+browne

Author Facebook     

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheryl-Browne-Author-Page/245372252189480

Romantic Novelists’ Association

http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/about/author/sheryl_browne

A loveahappyending featured Author http://loveahappyending.com/sheryl-browne/  

Twitter: @sherylbrowne

Website: www.sherylbrowne.com

Selling Your Books at a Booth - Part 2

Belea T. Keeney is a native Floridian writer whose short stories have appeared in such varied venues as WordKnot, Sniplits, Boundoff, Florida Horror: Dark Tales from the Sunshine State, and Lycanthrope: The Beast Within. She has received two Artist Enhancement Grants from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and works as an editor for Torquere Press, Samhain Publishing, and select private clients. Time away from the keyboard is spent in the riding ring trying to pick up the correct diagonal at the trot, collecting caladiums, and pondering the beauty of tigers. Visit her website at http://www.beleatkeeney.com/ or contact her at belea@beleatkeeney.com.

Selling Your Books at a Booth
Part II: Working the Booth

by Belea T. Keeney

As part of your marketing plan for your book(s), you may have the chance to do some hands-on selling at a festival or event with a booth vendor slot. In the last issue, we discussed how to locate appropriate festivals, make contact, and arrange to set up a book booth. Now that you've done that, what next?

Having sold books at dozens of events over the past decade, I've developed a recipe for success and working a booth to your advantage. With some basic ingredients and a generous dash of high spirits, try mixing up these tactics at your next event and see your sales go up.

1: Make eye contact and break the ice.

Your first goal is to simply get people to stop walking and look at your booth and your books. A simple "good morning or hello, how are you?" is one way to start. If you're at festival of some sort, ask how they're enjoying it. Say it with a smile and try to be genuine. Vary your greeting -- you'll get sick of saying the same thing all day long, so try variations. When you do get someone to stop, ask an open-ended question that can't be answered with a "yes" or "no". "What do you like to read?" is much better than "Do you like to read?"

If this is hard for you (and for some writers, it really IS hard), work yourself up to it by greeting every tenth person, then every fifth, then every other one. Most folks at events travel in pairs or groups so you'll have wider coverage by letting your gaze encompass everyone. You'll be able to tell the serious reader by how quickly they come up to the table, whether they grab any books right away, what sort of questions they ask, and how much they talk back and forth with you.

Some folks will ignore you and just keep walking. Don't take it personally; besides, you'll probably never see any of these folks ever again!

2: Try to stand up most of the time you're "onstage."

Standing and moving shows a bit of interest and energy. Of course, if you have to sit, work on projecting your voice (events are often noisy) and good spirits in your greetings. Smile, be enthusiastic, engage the people across the table from you.

3: Steer them toward your books!

Once you have a sense of what your prospect enjoys reading, you can steer them toward your books, remind them that friends and family may enjoy your book(s), or steer them to your fellow author(s) at the booth.

Get a book into their hands! Hand them one. (Most people will take something handed to them.) Give them a sentence-or-two synopsis--"this is about a dressage rider who falls in love with a cowboy"--then watch their eyes. Once you see them start to skim the back cover copy or interior blurb, shut up! Don't distract them from focusing on the book.

4: And, since you're probably standing, don't loom!

It's natural to lean forward and want to flip pages for people but try not to invade their personal space bubble. Even though you'll probably have a table between you, make the conscious effort to step or lean back as visitors are reading so they don't feel crowded and pressured.

If they're really interested they'll start flipping through the pages. When they look up, they may ask how much the book is. (Even if you have signs up on the table with prices, most people ignore them.) Tell them the price, (and it's always a sale price for whatever event you're at), let them know about any discounts you can offer (three for $40, no sales tax, etc.), and smile. And ask, "May I inscribe that for you?" Always double-check how to spell the name and sign away.

5: If they don't want to buy right now, that's fine.

You can still make a good impression and make a connection. Give them a business card, a chapbook, a brochure, a postcard, whatever you've brought with you to give away. It should have your name, website, book title(s), and e-mail on it so you can be contacted. Shake their hand if that feels appropriate, tell them how they can order your book online or through a bookseller, and send them on their way with a warm feeling about you and your books.

6: If you're sharing a booth with other authors, mention their books.

Maybe you've written a historical romance and your fellow author has a science fiction story. Cross-sell each other's work if the person you're talking to doesn't seem enthused about your title. And as a reminder, if your fellow author is talking with someone, don't interrupt and try to pitch your own book. Let your fellow writer hand off folks to you. Of course, if either of you make a sale; it's a nice touch to slip a postcard or bookmark from the other author into the book you've sold.

7: Make friends with the vendors next to you.

Especially if you're working an event alone, having someone keep an eye on your booth while you take a bathroom break is a big help. Offer to bring them drinks if you're making a food run. Plus, just having someone to socialize with during the inevitable lulls is pleasant. At the end of the day, get some of their business cards and pass on their info to others. They may do the same for you. If you find yourself attending events over time, you may see many of the same faces year after year. Get to be buddies with your fellow vendors!

8: Eat away from the booth or at least out of sight.

At the bare minimum, move your chair to the rear of the booth and take small bites so you can swallow quickly and respond to someone stopping by. People will feel awkward about interrupting your meal, so try to keep the food out of sight (behind a chair or something), and be ready to greet the public when needed. Remember, you've only got the booth space for X number of hours so make good use of the time you have access to the public walking by.

9: Make notes about who buys the book.

What are the demographics? Jot down gender and age range, whether they've got kids, what their interests are. If you've inscribed books to folks, keep track of their names so you can thank them on your blog/website/social page later on. The point is to educate yourself about your market and your audience, give you ideas on other ways to reach that market, and to make that personal connection that helps you win readers and fans.

10: Try to enjoy yourself!

Make up stories about people walking by, eavesdrop on conversations, make quick notes for story ideas, snatches of dialogue, etc. You've paid good money to be in attendance; you may as well have a productive time while you're selling books.

By using these tips, working a booth can be a much more profitable and enjoyable experience for you. Done well, working a booth will earn you book sales, new readers, and good word-of-mouth. Combine your enthusiasm and sales tactics with some energy and gumption, garnish with sincerity and enthusiasm, and you'll have a recipe for success at events!

More Information:

Selling Your Books at a Booth, Part I: Ten Tips for Success, by Belea T. Keeney

http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/booth1.shtml

Copyright © 2010 Belea T. Keeney

Selling Your Books at a Booth - Part 1

Please welcome our guest today, Belea T. Keeney. She is a native Floridian writer whose short stories have appeared in such varied venues as WordKnot, Sniplits, Boundoff, Florida Horror: Dark Tales from the Sunshine State, and Lycanthrope: The Beast Within. She has received two Artist Enhancement Grants from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and works as an editor for Torquere Press, Samhain Publishing, and select private clients. Time away from the keyboard is spent in the riding ring trying to pick up the correct diagonal at the trot, collecting caladiums, and pondering the beauty of tigers. Visit her website at http://www.beleatkeeney.com/ or contact her at belea@beleatkeeney.com. And please come by and visit her at Book 'Em North Carolina on February 23, 2013 in Lumberton!

Selling Your Books at a Booth
Part I: Ten Tips for Success

by Belea T. Keeney

Selling books directly to readers via an event booth is a very personal, hands-on approach to marketing your titles. It can give you instant feedback on what readers are looking for, like, and buy. It can earn you some cash sales. And it lets potential readers meet and feel invested in you as a person as well as an author. After several years of selling books at a variety of events, I've developed some tips for making booth sales work for you:

1 - Evaluate your genre and market, then decide which events will be right for you and your book. For example, if you write Westerns, consider rodeos, Western horse shows, cattle drives, and cowboy reunions. If you've written a historical, think about Civil War festivals and re-enactments, meetings of the local historical society, and the like. If you written a nonfiction title, find out where people interested in your topic gather. A book about beekeeping could be sold at a beekeepers conference, gardening festivals, and home shows. In short, think outside the narrow box of I-must-sell-my-book-at-a-book-festival. That's not necessarily true.

Also, at a book festival you're competing with dozens of other authors. Sure, the attendees are readers, but do they necessarily read about your book topic? Consider the novelty factor when selling at niche market events. A book about cats may do better at a cat show than at a book festival. A romance about a dressage rider and thoroughbred racing owner may do better at a dressage show. Sometimes a narrowed, rifle approach to your audience works better than a general, shotgun method of targeting buyers.

2 - Start off with local and regional events. Most small towns and counties have a summer or fall festival of some sort. Read your local newspaper and get a feel for what types of events are coming up. Is the town's gardening club having its semi-annual sale? That may be a good place to sell your women's fiction title with a garden enthusiast as the main character. Does your county have a festival to commemorate the area's indigenous cooter turtle? Then a booth with your book about regional wildlife might fit in quite well.

If your book has a local slant, you might want to try a test-run at a local flea market. Booth rentals are usually very inexpensive, as low as $5 a day, and this will give you a feel for your local market's response to the book.

Web resources for finding festivals abound. Start with a general web search, and if that doesn't bring up something of interest, try http://www.festivals.com. This is a commercial resource that lists an amazing array of local, regional, state and national festivals of all types: literary, music, art & crafts, livestock, historical, and you can search by zip code, state, region, or interest. Or, if you'd rather focus on a book festival, start with the Library of Congress list of book fairs and other literary events, at http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bookfair.html.

3 - Start small and local to test the market and get a sense of cost vs. return. A local festival will have less expensive booth rental fees than a huge, national event. It will be easier for you to travel to, you may have local fans who will come out to support you, and it might be possible to get media coverage if you send out a press release with enough advance notice. Small, local festivals may have more of a hometown and easy-going vibe, while a huge, commercial festival will have a lot of hustle-and-bustle. Consider trying one or two local events as a test run before you commit to something that requires a lot of expense, long travel, or a bigger commitment than you can make. For example, many large festivals are Friday through Sunday, and some don't allow vendors to break down a booth early. Large events can charge from $200 to over $5000 for a booth, and that's not the best place to experiment. Start small, learn, and grow if results warrant expansion.

4 - Consider teaming up with another writer to share the expense and the work. The logistics of unpacking, setting up, running a booth all day, then re-packing can be daunting. Sharing the work is both fun and productive. For a local fest, almost any other local writer might be interested. For a larger, more genre-specific festival, try asking a writer with similar interests. For example, if you've decided to try working a flower show because your book is about a florist who solves mysteries, another writer with publications about flowers (even nonfiction) could help. Having someone to spell you while you eat lunch, hit the restroom, or just take a stroll around the event is a physical and mental relief. And it's fun to chat with another writer as the day progresses. You can help cross-sell your books, and hand out promotional items to customer who do buy from one of you.

5 - Register online or by mail.

Read any forms carefully, provide any needed information (many festivals wants an exact description of what you'll be selling), request tents, tables and chairs if needed, figure your vendor fee and make payment. Keep the confirmation email or receipt; you'll be taking it with you to the festival to set up.

6 - If you have multiple titles, plan which ones you want to take, and place orders with your publisher as needed.

Allow shipping time. If you're self-published then you know your discount. If you're traditionally published, most contracts call for the author to be able to buy copies for resale at a discount, typically 40% off the cover price. You may be able to purchase other titles as well with that discount. If you're going to a cat show and your publisher also publishes a series about a mystery-solving cat, it might be good business to take a few copies of another author's work. You can still promote your own work and make a few sales to enhance your cash flow at the same time.

7 - The week before the event, confirm your vendor status by contacting the festival organizers, write up your packing list, and recruit a helper. Items you'll want to take include: tables and chairs (if you're not renting them from the festival), a tablecloth, posters of your book cover, a banner with your name and book cover, promotional items such as bookmarks, postcards, pens, key chains, etc., business cards, brochures or chapbooks with a free except from your book, a change fund for cash sales, a nice pen to sign autographs with, and, of course, your books. Items that I've found make the day feel more comfortable include: a cooler with food and drinks, toilet paper and moist towelettes (many festivals are outdoors and have only portable toilets), a pillow for your back, insect repellent, a hat, and sunscreen.

8 - The day before the event, pack up your items using your list. A rolling suitcase or dolly can help with moving heavy books. Box up the other items and label them for easy unpacking. Unpack in set-up order: table, tablecloth, banner, books, then the rest. If you're not familiar with the locale, print off a map, and get exact directions on where to unload. Decide when you need to leave, set your alarm, and get a good night's sleep!

9 - At most events, a vendor unloading area is set up. This is where having a helper is important because you'll need to transport your items to the designated booth area, unpack them, then go park your vehicle. Even if you have to hire a local high-school or college student for an hour, doing this with an assistant is much easier than trying to do set-up by yourself. If you're sharing the booth with other authors, you can spell one another, and take turns lugging items back and forth.

10 - How many books can you sell? Zero to thirty has been my experience based on going to smallish festivals with attendance of less than 10,000. Of course, the larger the event and the more people attending, the more chances you have to make a sale. If you have multiple titles available, bring all of them. (A display with lots of colorful book covers can often garner attention in a way a single title can't.) If you only have one book, consider using your author discount to buy a few other titles from your publisher in the same genre. That way folks who don't want your cozy mystery about a quilter can still buy a romance about a quilter, and you'll still make some profit. If you're self-published, this is where teaming up with another author can benefit both of you. Be optimistic and take as many copies as you can comfortably haul, especially for a one-day event. You'll only have that one chance to make the sale so don't miss out by running out of books.

The reality is it's difficult to sell enough books to make a profit, especially if you're working a booth alone. But by selling books directly as a vendor at festivals, you'll have the chance to meet new readers, promote yourself to potential readers, make some cash sales, and have a lot of fun. Festivals are usually busy, noisy, high-energy, entertaining events so pick one in your area and give it a try! Part II will focus on working the booth once you're there.

If you have success stories of your own about selling at a festival or event, I'd love to hear them! Feel free to contact me.

More Information:

Selling Your Books at a Booth, Part II: Working the Booth, by Belea T. Keeney

http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/booth2.shtml

Copyright © 2010 Belea T. Keeney

Choosing a Specific Genre

Our guest today is Michael A. Rothman, courtesy of Goddess Fish. He's a self-described Army brat and the first person in his family to be born in the United States. This heavily influenced his youth by instilling a love of reading and a burning curiosity about the world and all of the things within it. As an adult, his love of travel allowed him to explore many unimaginable locations. He participated in many adventures and documented them in what will be a series of books.

Some might put these books in the Fantasy genre, and he never had issues with this label. After all, the adventures were, without any doubt in his mind, fantastic. He simply quibbles with the label of “Fiction” that some might put on these tales. These tales should be viewed as historical records, more along the lines of a documentary.

He says he's learned one thing over the years. Magic is real. Keep exploring, and you too will find your magic.


Why I Chose to Write and Why I Chose This Specific Genre

The only things that stand in their way are the assassins hired to destroy them and the Demon Lord’s minion who holds a personal grudge and intends to witness the young boys’ deaths.

It seems like I always had bouncing around an idea about writing an Epic Fantasy tale for my boys when they were old enough to appreciate it. In my mind, I'd always liked the "Fish out of water" type of story, similar to Alice in Wonderland - but I wanted a modern and more realistic setting that illustrated what it would be like to have an entire family suddenly find themselves in a new world, and try to make it as "realistic" as possible regarding their reactions, how they adapted, and eventually triumphed in a world that was "out to get them".

However when I think about my earliest reading, one book probably influenced me more than any others.

The one classic that stands head and shoulders above them all was J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. 

The Hobbit – my first Fantasy book, and by far the one that set me on the road I’ve walked in this genre.  It established a variety of archetypes that I believe many authors since have followed whether purposefully or accidentally.  The concepts and behaviors introduced with the character races as stereotypes are certainly things that have influenced my view on writing. For instance a reader might find my elves somewhat stoic and serious and the dwarves a touch boisterous and hard-working. As it was the first book in the genre I read, it was the measuring stick by which all future books were compared against.

I think the thing that draws me to Fantasy is that the genre doesn’t really limit what you can do as long as you make it believable. Your setting could be on the Jelly world of Blignartz where everyone is made of Peanut Butter.  (Okay, maybe that one is a bit odd – but illustrates my point.)  Or your setting could draw from the now classic archetypes set by Tolkien and have some elves, dwarves, etc all thrown into an otherwise pastoral world called Trimoria.

It then is up to the author to add his or her own storyline and break any perceived rules if it seems right.

About the Book

The TOOLS OF PROPHECY is the second volume in an epic saga which describes a prophecy that has placed the Riverton brothers in the lead roles of a struggle to save their world from being overrun by unspeakable horrors. This destiny requires that they face off with the demons that nearly destroyed their world over five centuries ago.

In the first book, the population of wizards had been practically eradicated by the former tyrant. The Rivertons are now charged with creating an Academy of Magic, recruiting qualified students, and furthering their own training with secrets that have long been held by the reclusive elves.

Despite their youth, a mysterious spirit has engaged them in an epic struggle to gain mastery of their newfound skills, help raise and train two armies, and stay alive long enough for their final showdown with destiny.

EXCERPT ONE:  from the Prologue - we are introduced to a very temperamental Demon Lord

In this region of the Abyss, the temperatures always bordered on freezing. Even so, the air was thick with wet mist. Malphas stared up at his master, who sat high atop his throne of blackest stone. Singeing waves of heat seemed to emanate from the Demon Lord’s skin. The repentant demon would call out to him, but he did not wish to provoke more of his master’s ire. For the time, Lord Sammael simply stared into the distance, refusing to acknowledge his general’s presence.

Finally, after what seemed like a long wait, Sammael directed his attention to Malphas. “I have learned that a new wizard has entered Trimoria,” he said without speaking. His voice, inky and coarse, erupted as if from within Malphas’s head. “You will find out how such a thing was possible.”

Malphas strode to the throne and knelt at his lord’s feet. The black scales of his knees rasped against the stone floor. At twenty feet tall, the general usually towered over his minions, but kneeling before the immense black throne made him feel utterly insignificant. Where he would normally cause all who looked upon him to cower, General Malphas found himself cowering at the feet of his master.

“But, my lord,” Malphas said in his gravelly voice, “how can that be? I thought you arranged for the purging of those who followed Seder.”

The temperature in the cold, dank chamber climbed rapidly as the Demon Lord’s rage bubbled to the surface. Lesser demons in the vicinity burst into flame, disappearing into greasy puffs of acrid smoke.

“Don’t ever mention my brother’s name again,” Sammael commanded. “I will not hear it spoken by the likes of you.”

How to Contact the Author

Michael’s Website:  http://michaelarothman.com/

Michael on Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5778499.Michael_A_Rothman

Follow Michael on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/MichaelARothman

Michael on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MichaelARothman

Michael will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Please follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.

Making the Most of a Writer's Conference

There are three times in which an author can make the most of a Writers Conference or Author Event.

I've teamed with one of this country's best book promoters, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, who will be participating in next year's Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference & Book Fair, to bring you a list of ways you can capitalize on your participation now, during the conference, and after the conference.

Carolyn will be coming all the way from California to participate in Book 'Em so we hope you'll stop by her table and say "hello" and welcome her to North Carolina!

BEFORE

If you'll click here, it will take you to Carolyn's blog, which was named one of Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites. This article is the first of three; this explains how to get the most media attention and advantages out of an author event even before the day it takes place.

DURING

The ways in which you can make the most out of your participation in an authors event continues here, with what you can do during the day of the event to make it highly successful for you.

AFTER

Some people think when an event ends, so does their possibility of making it a success. But don't make the mistake of overlooking the important things you can do after the event! Follow this link to Carolyn's website to see what you can do after the event to ensure that you've made the most of it.

These articles were written by p.m.terrell, one of the co-founders of The Book 'Em Foundation (along with Waynesboro, Virginia Police Officer Mark Kearney) and the co-chair of Book 'Em North Carolina (along with Katie Huneycutt).

Our events are held on the last Saturday of each February in beautiful, sunny Lumberton, North Carolina. Check out www.bookemnc.org for all the details! Our Writers Conference & Book Fair raises money to increase literacy within our communities and reduce crime because when you buy a book, you stop a crook!