Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! So I’m going to share my own love story with you in honor of Valentine’s Day this year. This story was originally posted at Eleusinian Mysteries of Reading (as part of an awesome month-long Valentine’s Day event with lots of love stories and giveaways up for grabs – so you should definitely go check it out), but I figured I’d repost it here today as a special treat.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT – A TRUE STORY
As an author who writes in the YA paranormal romance genre, I receive a lot of comments and feedback about the infamous “insta-love.” You know, that it doesn’t really happen that way in real life or people come together far too quickly in books for it to be believable. However, I must beg to differ because I fell in love at first sight.
The future love of my life and I had never met before. We didn’t go to high school together or sit in the same Biology class. We weren’t even from the same country! The night I met the ONE was like any other frosty evening in early February 1999, several days shy of Valentine’s Day. As was my Friday night routine, I was getting ready to go out on the town with my best friend. We weren’t at all in the mood, given that we were leaving to go to the Caribbean on vacation at 5am the next day, but we were young and not about to waste a perfectly good Friday night staying in. Plus, we’d been invited to a birthday party at a trendy lounge on the lower East Side of NYC.
A couple hours later and ensconced in the lounge, there was some commotion at the door where five tall and very handsome boys were trying to sweet-talk their way in to the private party (the owner’s birthday). They did so easily, and undoubtedly because of their looks and hot Australian accents … the hostess simply had no chance. Later on in the evening, over a pool table and some witty banter, I noticed one of the Aussie boys staring at me. He was tall and blond and so not my type, but I still said to him, “If you’re going to stare like that, you may as well come over and introduce yourself.” Yes, that’s how I rolled back then. With a raised eyebrow and a smile, he walked over and did as asked.
At first, I thought I’d been wrong and he was really interested in my best friend, so I walked away to chat with another friend. But eventually, he found me, and then we started talking. Our time together was incredibly short and before I knew it, we were outside, exchanging emails and phone numbers and saying goodbye. It was so bittersweet. I’d just met this amazing guy, and he lived a gazillion miles away in London. And I was leaving to get on a plane in an hour. Could the fates be more cruel?
But then it happened—the magic that makes the impossible, possible.
I leaned up to kiss him goodbye on the cheek, and he turned his head at the last moment, meeting me on the lips. Hello, exploding stars, sun, moon and everything else in the sky! You know in old movies where the girl’s leg raises backward with a magical kiss? I kid you not that the very same thing happened to me. And if I didn’t admit it right then that I was falling for him, I certainly did when I got home and the phone rang—it was he, calling to make sure I’d gotten home okay. He’d walked two blocks from his hostel to use a pay phone at five o’clock in the morning to call me. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
Even though he lived in London and I lived in New York, we weren’t ready to let each other go just yet … all it took was that one single kiss to seal our fates. Over the next few months, we spoke every day and our long-distance relationship blossomed. He visited, I visited, and eight months later, we got engaged and he moved to NY. One year later, we were married, and this year, we will celebrate our twelfth year of marriage! My husband often tells me that he knew from that very first night that I was the one for him.
Hope you enjoyed my story, and for all you naysayers on falling in love at first sight, it can and does happen. I’m living proof. Open your heart and see what happens. Life is full of surprises … wonderful ones. You just need to be receptive to them. So rock on, insta-lovers, and Happy Valentine’s Day 2012!
AH: What results do you consider particularly successful from a publicity campaign? Or a better yet, what kind of results are reasonable to expect?
JS: This may come as a surprise to first time authors…
By the numbers:
- Less than 10% of all books published have ever sold 1,000 copies
- There are more than 800,000 titles published each year in the US alone
- 2,500 books in some genres such as poetry and short-story are considered successful
- 3,500 copies of hardcover will often assure that the book is considered viable to go to soft cover
- 5,000 copies and you may well get a second book deal from your publisher
- 7,500 copies and you most likely will get a second book deal and your publisher has broken even or made money on your book – assuming that you are a typical first-time author with very little publicity or marketing support from your publisher
The success depends upon the author’s goals. There are lots of ways to look at benchmarks, but some ways to consider if it’s been a successful campaign include:
- How many books have been sold (obviously – but the most successful books, of course, take off and sell for years and years)?
- Are reviews positive (a publicist can’t control whether they are positive or not, but of course that’s what you want)?
- How much time on tv or radio or space in publications did you get and would it cost to have paid for through advertising?
- How many hits are you getting to your website after making appearances?
- Are you getting additional invitations and follow-up communication after making appearances, etc.?
- In the case of some authors, they are wanting the book to build a platform for their message – so their considerations may be, are they getting contracts for paid speaking gigs, etc.
What author doesn’t check their Amazon ratings? No one knows exactly how they are calculated, but that’s a bellwether for whether or not your book is getting traction based on whether your “ranking” is going up or down.
AH: Wow, those are some very interesting numbers! Even though they are constantly shifting, it’s important to have that reality check. I think those benchmarks are pretty spot on as well. Thank you for sharing those with us. So tell me, Julie, who are some of the authors you’ve represented?
JS: We love all of the authors we’ve represented! Obviously we’ve represented the Fabulous Ms. A – you! In the YA genre, we’re representing currently:
- Emily Beaver Slipping Reality (2011 – novel written by a 14-year-old)
- Margie Gelbwasser Pieces of Us (Spring 2012)
- Shannon Greenland The Summer My Life Began (Spring, 2012)
- Karyn Henley Eye of the Sword (Spring, 2012)
- Cheryl Rainfield Scars and Hunted (December, 2011)
- J.R. Wagner Exiled (Spring, 2012)
For a complete list of our authors in all genres with photos of their jacket covers and links to their websites, please visit: http://www.jkscommunications.com/clients/
AH: Great list! So let’s talk finances. If I’m on a tight budget, can I still work with you?
JS: Yes, usually. We try to work with authors to get them what they need to hit their goals within their budgets. Publicity isn’t cheap, though, because it’s very time-consuming. Our firm tries to give back to the literary community and be a good citizen. That includes JKSCommunications doing two complete pro-bono publicity campaigns each year. The two for 2012 have already been selected and are currently underway.
We also believe in being supportive of emerging writers. I spend time talking to authors individually about what they can do to help themselves if they don’t have a budget. I’ve done on-line interviews about this. And I speak throughout the country throughout the year on this topic at various book festivals and industry events.
We work with authors in almost every state in the US and in the past year have represented authors in four foreign countries.
My advice to new authors: take a portion of your advance and put it aside to cover publicity, hiring a firm, travel expenses, some printing costs and possibly some advertising or marketing, and promotional items for contests, etc. You are investing in your future. If you want to have a career as an author, your first book’s sales has a lot to do with getting a second and third-book deal.
AH: When we spoke in person, I immediately knew that you were “the one.” We had that spark, and everyone knows that any PR is based on igniting fire about something. Besides going with my gut, I also know that checking references, evaluating niche expertise, and getting word-of-mouth referrals are key. Are there any other last pieces of advice for authors out there looking for fabulous book publicists?
JS: As usual, Amalie, you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head. As soon as I spoke with you I knew that I really, really wanted to work with you – after I read your manuscript, I knew that we had to work with you. There was that spark! I encourage everybody to take his/her time to find the right fit based on all of your advice above!
Thank you so much for this opportunity to stop by and chat! I hope that everyone who reads your blog has read Bloodspell and follows you on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Not just because you’re hysterically entertaining and funny, but because you have a keen sense of promoting your novel while being an engaged and valuable part of the literary community and everyone can learn from watching and following you.
Julie, thank you so much for your time, and for your insightful and detailed answers. I’m sure that aspiring writers and published authors alike will find this information incredibly useful, especially when thinking about book promotion. Thanks also for making me feel like a million bucks when this interview was about you. The hallmark of a truly talented publicist–always looking out for the client. Love that! On a personal note, I’d like to add that my experience with JKS is still ongoing. Although I am no longer technically a client, the entire team supports me as if I still am (retweeting my tweets, answering my questions, fielding fan requests), and to me, that says a lot about the kind of firm they are. To them, you’re not just a client … you’re a whole lot more.
For more information on JKS Communications, please visit their website by clicking the link or emailing them at info@jkscommunications.com. You can also find additional information on Publisher’s Marketplace.
AH: I’m a debut teen fantasy author with a small press, and found that having an outside book publicist really got my title out there. What kind of authors use your services, or better yet, should use your services?
JS: You are an example of the perfect client: you’re smart, savvy and everybody who meets you loves you. Most authors who are looking for a book publicist and are going to be successful are those who are friendly, nice, out-going, or at least not painfully shy.
Amalie, you were brilliant in thinking through who and what your contacts were and using them to the full extent and sharing them with our team. You truly were willing to be a part of a team for this book – and it made a big difference! You were on a number of television and radio programs. We got terrific feedback on you from producers. Having a YA fantasy novel does not seem like a naturally newsworthy story – but we have producers around the country that trust when we say “you’re gonna love her – and your audience is going to want her to keep talking” – and you came through every time!
Authors who want to have a presence on-line, entre to bookstores and media should use a book publicity firm. But realize that it’s not done in a vacuum. Our most successful clients are those who are willing to do whatever it takes to talk up their book. We can create opportunities, but the author is a vital part of promotion.
AH: Thank you for your kind words, Julie! I loved that JKS allowed me to have a say in what I wanted as part of my campaign, although I did have a healthy respect for your expertise on what was best for my strategic publicity campaign. I’m a firm believer in letting the experts do what they do best, and not micromanaging. Do you take your author’s ideas on board? How much involvement do you expect from your authors to maximize the partnership?
JS: Again, Amalie, you have been a dream! I work with clients up front from the proposal stage through the signed agreement in building an action plan that fits their goals, life-style, how much they can travel, how comfortable they are with doing book club appearances or writing guest columns, etc. The author goes in knowing that the action plan they signed off on becomes the road map for the campaign. If something is working especially well, we’ll add more of that. If something isn’t working well, we’ll be flexible to try something else. But, in general, the author and I have spent enough time talking about goals and comfort levels, that a campaign has been designed specifically for that author.
No two of our campaigns are exactly a like, because no two of our authors are. However, there are firms that have a la carte menus for authors to pick and choose which pieces of a campaign they want to try and then it’s pieced together that way. That’s not our style, but it’s a style that works for lots of firms and lots of authors.
The cost of a publicity campaign comes down to the amount of time that experts need to spend to attain the goals in the action plan. If an author can allow the publicists to do their jobs, that have already been agreed to, then the author will get much more for his/her money because that time can be spent being productive rather than spent on the phone with the author discussing details.
By far our most successful campaigns are done with those authors who are interested, involved but do not try to micromanage. That’s why you hire a publicity firm – so that you don’t have to worry about the details. Our firm has something called Publicity Updates, a continually updated document that shows the client where the campaign is on all fronts at any given time. Our documents are sent once a month to a client and the client can always request to see them in-between.
Clients who micromanage publicity consistently have a less successful campaign. Your job is to be at the top of your game publicly – nice, likeable and charming when scheduled for events and media. Leave the details and stuff you don’t want to mess with to us. This is your time to shine!
AH: In terms of the campaign itself, how do you determine the balance between online and traditional media? Is this influenced by the type of book? For example, I’m Young Adult Fantasy and a large majority of young readers are online so a considerable portion of my campaign was blog focused.
JS: Since 2008 more than ½ of the book reviewers for newspapers and magazines have lost their jobs. More than 70% of adults get their recommendations for books from on-line sources as opposed to traditional media. For kids, as you note, the percentage is even higher. You want your positive reviews to live longer than a day or a month. When you get on-line reviews, those reviews are there for good, in most cases. On-line reviewers have gotten significantly more sophisticated in the past two years in cross-promoting the titles they review so that their review is easily seen on their blog, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, etc.
We believe in a balanced campaign that includes various components including on-line reviews and interviews and traditional media. When we represent a book that is non-fiction and specifically written for a targeted demographic, such as those dealing with cancer or other diet, then there is very targeted traditional media that has a high interest in covering that topic by an author with credibility (publicists help articulate what your unique credibility is).
Amalie, you had fabulous traditional media. Seventeen chose to feature your book. You had terrific connections; an excellently written novel with a compelling storyline; limitless energy and graciousness to everyone you met. It all came together for some fantastic media coverage.
A publicist can pitch a book to the media, creating the hook. But in the end, it truly comes down to the book itself. It’s sometimes a mystery to those who are very influential in the literary world why one book takes off and another flounders. I was in a book club for years with about 10 women who influenced which books got published and on the shelves in bookstores. One entire book club meeting was devoted to the capriciousness of what makes a best-seller. I believe that the more things you try and the more opportunities that there are for readers to learn about your book, the better shot you have of getting a good launch.
A book publicity firm launches the book. Gets the book out to be discussed by the people who care. But, it’s word of mouth that makes a book “take off.” That’s when a publicity campaign has been truly successful, if people are talking about that book. Not whether you’ve been on a particular show, but if readers are talking about your book. It takes a strong publicity action plan and a story that ignites the passion of readers.
AH: How far in advance of publication do you recommend starting PR efforts, and when is the best time to start working with a book publicist?
JS: Please start interviewing publicity firms as soon as you’ve signed a deal with a publishing house. Publicity firms are going to want to know what your pub date is and when galleys or ARCs will be available. In our case, we ask for a copy of the manuscript as soon as it’s had the major edit. The reason is because I read it to see if I think we’re a good fit for the project and we can be enthusiastic about your book.
Most likely, you’ll start talking with the firm you choose about six months out from the pub date to keep them up to date on new developments. You will begin working with them four or five months before the pub date and a little while before the ARCs or galleys become available.
It’s really important for long-lead publications that someone, your in-house publicist or your outside publicist, is on top of communicating with them no less than four months before publication.
A majority of the work is done before the book is launched. In your case, Amalie, the appetite for your book was almost insatiable before the ARCs even arrived. We were getting many requests from reviewers months before your launch date. And you were still a media darling months after Bloodspell was released. You had several printings of the book within months of the release date and lots of activity, so your campaign remained very active for months after the book releases.
First-time authors may not know that there is a six to eight week “life-span” for a title on bookshelves at bookstores. By that point the book needs to be “paying the rent” for the highly sought after “real estate” on that bookshelf or it gets returned to the publisher and on-line sales are the only option. So, do everything humanly possible to get your book attention in that first six-week period.
Never feel like you’re starting too early in securing a publicity firm.
Solid book promotion is critical to the success of any author’s publishing journey, and this is especially true for debut authors. As a newbie author, you need to build your brand, grow exposure, and most of all, sell books. After all, you’re basically an unknown, and unless you’re a superstar author with your own dedicated in-house publicity team, you’re probably going to need some help getting your name out there. This is where a Literary Publicist comes in.
I’d like to introduce the wonderful Julie Schoerke, the founder of JKS Communications, who has graciously agreed to share her thoughts on the ins and outs of literary publicity. With over 30 years of combined Public Relations experience, the JKS team provides winning literary publicity campaigns for its clients. As part of my campaign, Julie and her team secured television (CBS, LMC-TV) and radio coverage (B96 FM, 99.5 WYCD), traditional print coverage (The Journal News, Westchester Magazine), broad online coverage (Seventeen, Portland Book Review, and numerous book blogs) as well as scheduled tons of in-person appearances at bookstores, conventions (BEA, RT Booklovers), and educational institutions (Poudre High School, CSU, LIC YMCA) during a 10-city national book tour for my novel, Bloodspell.
INTERVIEW WITH JULIE SCHOERKE – PART 1
AH: I’ve had the honor of working with you and your team at JKS Communications for the past year (February 2011) in support of my book, Bloodspell. For many, launching a book can be a daunting experience, and in my case, I knew that with a small publisher, hiring the right publicist would be key in my success. Luckily, I budgeted book publicity into my expenses, and I was also lucky to have found your company via word of mouth. Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions that a prospective author may have when seeking a book publicist. So first things first, what exactly does a book publicist do and why should I hire one? Can’t I do publicity on my own?
JS: Amalie, I’d have to say that the honor has been all ours! You are a dream client for reasons that I’ll discuss. A book publicist says and does the things for you that would be awkward for you to do for yourself in promoting your book. Having a publicity firm behind you gives a kind of legitimacy to your book because it demonstrates that there are people in the industry that endorse you and believe in your book.
Bookstores owners consistently tell us that they are pitched about 20 books a day, mainly by self-published authors walking in off the street. The authors take the bookseller’s time without making an appointment first. The bookstore buyer often has questions that an author can’t answer about industry standard practices such as return policies and discounts from the publisher. A publicist can easily anticipate and quickly answer the questions. That way the author can spend his or her energy on going in for an appointment, being friendly, calm and gracious. It’s a more sophisticated and preferred way to work with the people who have the ability to hand-sell your book in their store for a very long time.
A literary publicist also will create the components of an electronic press kit that you need in order to have the media consider your book for a review or feature, or an interview with you. Also, publicists have contacts. It’s important to choose a reputable publicist who is honest not only with you, but also with the media and community. That way you have instant credibility when a call is made on your behalf.
Although there is plenty more I could say on the subject, I’ll leave it at this – we can say things about you that you can’t, or shouldn’t, say about yourself and your book. I have yet to meet any author that doesn’t love the book they’ve written – it’s a given. But, in our firm, we read the books and can enthusiastically and honestly give feedback during the pitch that “I stayed up all night” or “I didn’t see the end coming!” or “I’ve read a bunch of books in the genre, but this stands out because of xyz” – again, third party credibility.
AH: That makes a lot of sense. I mean, you don’t want to go tooting your own horn, per se. Now my publisher has a small publicity department that handled my ARCs and marketing launch, but I still elected to go with an outside publicity firm. How do your efforts complement the publicity efforts of the publishing houses? How does that work?
JS: We are very fortunate to have good working relationships with in-house publicists with big publishing houses and mid-size publishing houses. We are the preferred publicity firm for several small publishers.
Your outside publicist should have a good working relationship with your inside team. Ask them how they work with their publishing house counter-parts and which publishers they’ve worked with. It should absolutely be complementary. If you are with a publisher that has a publicist on staff, understand upfront that that person is probably overworked, has many titles (s)he is responsible for launching. You may have a press release created along with 100 or 200 advance reader copies (ARCs) sent out to various media. The publicist may have time to follow-up on three to five of those ARCs. Two weeks after your book is launched, unless you are a well-known author, the publicist is on to the next project. They have to be to keep up with their workload.
Your outside publicity firm can work with your in-house team to follow-up on the additional ARC mailings, making calls to the media. They may have access to ARCs to send and follow-up for your regional and on-line media as well. They often can schedule your book tour, media appearances and virtual book tour, if your in-house publicist isn’t able to spend that much time.
We also are advocates for our authors with the in-house team. If you’re a debut novelist and haven’t been through this before, your outside publicist can talk with your publisher about getting a few more things for you. You’ve proven your commitment to your book by paying for a publicist to support the publisher’s investment in you, investing in travel or other expenses such as a book trailer, Facebook ads and spending your time promoting your book as much as possible. Often the publishing company will be especially amenable to do some additional things that are presented in a phone conference that can legitimately support your efforts on your own.
AH: So in general, what should I look for in a publicity firm? Does size matter?
JS: If you’re doing your job and your publicity firm is doing their job, then you are all going to “live together” for a number of months. Choose a publicity firm that feels comfortable to you. Interview several. Let your instincts guide you. No two authors are the same and no two publicity firms are the same.
You should find a publicity firm that takes a special interest in your project, understands your goals and embraces them. Look on their website and see if you like the kind of projects they work on – if they mainly represent cookbooks and you have a middle-grade book for boys, it’s probably not a good fit. Check out the testimonials or try to find out on-line what others are saying about the firm. Google the titles that they represent. If you aren’t finding much on-line then perhaps that firm doesn’t have the carry-through you are looking for. Today, titles represented by book publicity firms better be easily found on-line.
Our publicists that pitch the media are former journalists. Our publicists who schedule tours have an artist management background. Check out who is going to be representing you. You may decide you want to go with a small firm with one or two publicists who do everything, or a larger firm with a team of people who focus on particular aspects of your campaign. Again, it’s your personal preference and there is no right or wrong way to do it.
Thanks to my fabulous publicists at JKS Communications, particularly the incomparable Marissa DeCuir, I was interviewed on CBS News Channel 5 by news anchor, Kristen Skovira! Check out these terrific photos of the interview. I will update this post at a later date with a copy of the interview once I have it.
According to researchers, the concept of the New Year’s Resolution began during pre-Christian times by the Babylonians and the Romans. January takes its name from Janus, the two-faced god of gateways and new beginnings, who is said to look back onto past years and into the future at the same time, and many Romans used this date to seek forgiveness for past transgressions and a clean slate for the new year. Initially, resolutions were made simply out of a moral attitude to be good to others. With the advent of Christianity, resolutions took on a more religious flavor. Today, it can be based on a combination of anything – moral, religious, health, happiness, contribution, success, you name it.
That said, there’s a reason this post only got written today. The truth is I haven’t really thought through my resolutions for the year, even though there’s a truck-load of stuff that I want to accomplish. I’m hoping for a great 2012. But then again, who isn’t? I guess the true task is to narrow all those things down into reachable and measurable goals. There won’t be any actual consequences if I don’t complete my resolutions – I just don’t operate like that (extra pressure anyone?), but there will probably be a cost to me if I don’t complete them so I’m incented to achieve them.
So far, the year has started off with a bang. I signed with a fabulous new agent, my second novel GODDESS is out on submission to publishers, and I’m already working on a new Work In Progress. I want to keep that momentum going. But while that makes me ecstatic, true happiness doesn’t stem solely from professional success. For me, it includes many other things like family, health and relationships. I want to be well-rounded and fulfilled in all areas of my life.
I’m a fan of New Year’s resolutions because I use them to look back on things during the last year of my life and figure out what I want to change/accomplish/enhance in the coming year. Life is about growing and evolving into a better person, and these resolutions may help me to get there. At the end of the day, my resolutions are really just guidelines on how I can make my life better or how to achieve more quality of life, whether that’s professionally or personally. Either way, they are over-arching positive changes that I’d like to accomplish. Keep in mind that some of these may have been resolutions from previous years, so they’re more of an ongoing reminder.
Here are my top 7 New Year’s Resolutions for 2012.
1) Spend more quality time with family and friends.
2) Focus on my writing career: publish a second book, write a new book, and continue to promote Bloodspell.
3) Get healthy: better diet and exercise.
4) Learn more about social networking, and connect with more like-minded people all over the world.
5) Help and mentor others.
6) Manage stress.
7) Be thankful for the opportunities that come my way, and work on sharing my gratitude to those who make my success possible.
That’s the tip of the iceberg, but these are the top seven. What are your resolutions for 2012?
As part of my ongoing “Awesome Indies” series, I’m writing a post about the fabulous independent bookstore, The Tattered Cover, one of three stores located in the Denver metro area, where I just did a mini book-signing. Founded in 1971, The Tattered Cover recently celebrated its fortieth year as an independent bookstore!
The location I visited was on Colfax Avenue (2526 East Colfax Avenue at Elizabeth Street), and boasted two expansive floors of book heaven. With its comfy armchairs, antique furniture, and reading nooks spread throughout (see inset photo), The Tattered Cover is a bookstore that you can get blissfully lost in for a few hours or an entire day. If you get hungry, there’s even a convenient cafe located on the main floor. There are two other locations in the Lower Downtown area (1628 16th Street at Wynkoop in Denver) and in Highlands Ranch (9315 Dorchester Street).
The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, and willing to provide book recommendations to young readers, older readers, and anyone in between. While signing books earlier this week, I heard one of the staff members discussing books with a middle grade reader, and even walked her to the upper floor to find a specific book that they had discussed. It was heartwarming to see that kind of interaction, especially during one of the busiest seasons of the year. It’s obvious that these guys care about books, and they care about readers.
According to its website, The Tattered Cover has over 150,000 titles in inventory, which means something for everyone. The Children’s Area is located on the lower floor, with a cozy area for kids full of books, puzzles and games. I first met Judy Bulow, who manages the Children’s area, during my last visit to Colorado back in October. She was kind enough to order my books and arrange for the Bloodspell signing on December 20th.
I signed books on a lovely antique table in a wide-open signing area. Considering that The Tattered Cover has hosted authors like my idol, J.K. Rowling, as well as others like President Obama, Stephenie Meyer, Kurt Vonnegut, the Clintons, and many many more, I was following in the signing footsteps of some very illustrious company. It was incredibly cool and only a little mind-blowing!
If you’re in the Denver area and love books, stop by The Tattered Cover. Have a coffee, check out the great selection of books, and pick up your own signed copy of Bloodspell! Don’t blame me if you happen to lose a few hours in there. Just enjoy it!
Well hello there friends! It’s December, and with it comes deliciously crisp cold weather and the beginning of a wonderful holiday season. This is probably my most favorite time of year! So to celebrate, I will be doing a Holiday Giveaway!
As most of you know, I grew up in Trinidad & Tobago where we celebrated Christmas, only it was never a white Christmas, just a green one. Still, despite the lack of snow, it was definitely one of the most festive times of the year! Parties, food, family, singing and dancing in true Caribbean style with brilliant color and bold flavor. We ate traditional ethnic holiday foods like pastelles (meat or veggie-filled corn cakes cooked in banana leaves) or black cake (a rich pudding-like cake with plums and raisins soaked in rum, derived from English plum pudding). We drank signature drinks like punch-a-creme (a creamy egg, milk and rum drink) and sorrel wine (a tart drink made from the red sepals of the Roselle or sorrel plant). We listened to parang (music brought to Trinidad by Venezuelan migrants with guitar and chac-chac instruments). Parang comes from the Spanish word parranda which means merrymaking. As you can imagine, each culture had its own contribution whether it was through food or music or dance, which made it an incredibly unique holiday celebration. In my experience, there’s nothing like a Trini Christmas anywhere else in the world!
All you have to do to enter my Happy Holiday Giveaway is to share one of your own favorite holiday memories or say what you like best about the holiday season. This giveaway will end on December 16, 2011.
PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE: One personalized signed copy of BLOODSPELL by moi with bookmark and triquetra charm, plus one signed copy of HAVEN by Kristi Cook (one of the few remaining FIRST EDITION hardcovers) with topsecret MIRAGE (the terrific HAVEN sequel) SWAG, plus a $10 iTunes/iBooks gift card!
SECOND PRIZE: One signed copy of CARRIER OF THE MARK by Leigh Fallon (how gorgeous is this cover) with bookmark, plus awesome SIRENZ (by Natalie Zaman and Charlotte Bennardo) SWAG — the most fabulously cool bookmarks with feathers, business card from Hades himself, and chocolate in the form of red stilettos!
RULES
- You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
- Contest/Giveaway is open internationally (*Please note that gift card denomination will be in $US dollars).
- Winners will be randomly selected using random.org, and will be notified via email.
- Winners have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.
- I reserve the right to extend/end/change this contest without any advanced notification, or to disqualify any entrant as I see fit.
- I am not responsible for any lost or damaged prizes sent via the postal service. No replacement will be provided.
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TO ENTER (please complete ALL four):
1) Leave a comment below on your favorite part of the holiday season as well as your name & email address so you can be contacted if you win (or if you prefer, you can provide your email address via the contact form on this site)
*No worries if you already do the last three (thank you!!) or don’t have a Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads account, just say so, and then share this giveaway for extra entries.
Share this giveaway on Twitter (hashtag #AmalieHolidayGiveaway), Facebook, or your blog for one extra entry each. You will get credit for sharing this giveaway once daily, so if you share once a day for the next 7 days, you get 7 extra entries! The more you share, the greater your chances of winning. Just be sure to use the hashtag or let me know in the comments.
GOOD LUCK!
*Please leave links because I will check. No shenanigans please!
The Bloodspell book signing event in Chicago with B96‘s Showbiz Shelly was terrific! Thank you to everyone who attended, and for your great questions. Check out some of the photos below as well as the awesomesauce interview with Showbiz Shelly.
And now for the Showbiz Shelly interview! Yes, I know I totally speak with my hands … at the rate those things are moving, I could probably get off the ground. I inherited that from my lovely mother. We’re very passionate people, what can I say. Enjoy the interview!
For those interested, the woman I mention in the interview who made the custom glass pendants for me is the owner of Tea Party Pendants. She did a fabulous professional job.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! So I’m going to share my own love story with you in honor of Valentine’s Day this year. This story was originally posted at Eleusinian Mysteries of Reading (as part of an awesome month-long Valentine’s Day event with lots of love stories and giveaways up for grabs – so you should definitely go check it out), but I figured I’d repost it here today as a special treat.
I leaned up to kiss him goodbye on the cheek, and he turned his head at the last moment, meeting me on the lips. Hello, exploding stars, sun, moon and everything else in the sky! You know in old movies where the girl’s leg raises backward with a magical kiss? I kid you not that the very same thing happened to me. And if I didn’t admit it right then that I was falling for him, I certainly did when I got home and the phone rang—it was he, calling to make sure I’d gotten home okay. He’d walked two blocks from his hostel to use a pay phone at five o’clock in the morning to call me. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
