August 10th

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! Sorry there was no blog yesterday, but I am happy to report, my computer is working this morning, so the coffee did not cause any permanent damage. PHEW!! I will be researching different back-up options tomorrow – cloud, drop box, whatever. I‘m clueless, but I’ll figure it out. There has got to be something out there that’s idiot proof (aka: Me), I just need to do a little research.

Author's Row in front of
Canterbury Tales Forever

What a GLORIOUS day we had yesterday for the book signing at Peddler’s Village, although the tops of my feet got a tiny bit sunburned – I’ll have to put a little extra sun screen on them today. The Peach Festival drew a good sized crowd, which was a beautiful thing. Traffic through “Author’s Row”, as we dubbed it, was pretty constant the whole time we were there.

Sam & Monty

My old buddy, Samuel Knight, was there again yesterday. Remember, he’s the author of Monty, that wonderful Christmas book about a basset hound and the little girl who loved him that I keep raving about? Sam did amazing as usual. I think he sold five books to everyone Karen and I sold. He such a bundle of energy and good will, you can’t help but smile while you’re around him.

Karen is Karen Hluchan, a spirit medium and author of "How Have You Loved?" - an amazing book about getting the most out of your life while you are here, mediumship, and recognizing the signs from your love ones who have passed. We hit it off instantly. What a sweet and funny lady. She had a constant crowd around her table as well, partly because she was having a drawing for a free thirty minute reading, but mostly because she is such an engaging person. I lost track of how many hugs she gave out yesterday.

Karen Hluchan

Knowing both Karen and Sam are going to be there again today, I’m really looking forward to going – more so than usual. I love doing these book signings at Canterbury Tales Forever, but when I know I’m going to be there with other authors I work well with and are a joy to be around, it makes for an exciting day.

It so nice because we don’t compete with each other for sales, we actually guide folks to each other’s tables. If one of us has to step away for a moment, the others jump in and pitch each other’s books for them. It works the same way when I do these signings with Keith and Linda. It does fluster some authors at first though when they don’t expect to actually get support from the rest of us instead of us trying to steal their sale.

It’s sad everyone doesn’t realize that a) there are plenty of customers to go around because; b) everyone doesn’t have the same reading preferences; and c) if they (the customers) see us all getting along and supporting each other, it creates a nicer environment, they feel less pressured, and they are more likely to engage in conversation and ultimately purchase a book. Think about it, would you walk over to a bunch of crazy authors yelling “buy my book “no, buy my book it’s better” or would you avert your eyes, quickly walk past, and act like you didn’t hear them? As far as I’m concerned, it’s a no brainer, and not even from the sales point, from the common courtesy point.

Come and visit us. It will be a
fund day for the whole family.

Well, all three of us are going to be there again today from 11:00 – 3:00, so if you happen to be in the area, please stop by. By the way, if you already have copies of my books, and you want to have them signed, please bring them with you, and I will be happy to sign them.

Okay, I have a few things I need to get done before I have to get ready to go, so I should get a move on. I hope you have a blessed day, and happy writing!

August 7th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! Plagued with fog brain this morning, so I surfed the net until I woke up a bit.

A friend posted this picture which made me laugh. We have three strictly indoor cats. (One lives in my room, but that's another story.) Mikey and Sebastian have run of the house, and Sebastian (Bashy) is a talker. On RARE occasions, Mikey sneaks out of the house, and Bashy has this special meow for when that happens, so I know I have to go outside to hunt. He also has a different meow to tell me when the water dispenser needs to be refilled, when he wants to go visit Sunny (the kitty in my room), and even one where I swear he's complaining about something the dog did (evidence left behind gives me a clue). So yeah, quite often you'll find me having complete back and forth conversations with Bashy. LOL

Then I traveled over to Twitter, a platform I am seriously lacking skills in. Author Terry Tyler posted basically a PSA yesterday on her blog. She warned other authors about being contacted by an author asking to post a five star review on Amazon – sight unseen. The person wanted to combat some one star reviews she had received. Not only was this bold because Terry did not know this person from Eve, it was a totally unethical request.

Terry told her to have a nice life. I made a reply to Terry’s post, and she commented back. We volleyed several times this morning. Because of that conversation, I am now following Terry on Twitter, and when I have time, I’ll go check out her other sites and probably her books as well.

Hmmm, I’m thinking this is exactly how social media is supposed to work. I didn’t know of Terry before yesterday, but because someone I was following was following her, I saw the post when the person I was following commented on Terry’s post. (Good grief, that sentence even confused me, but I think you’re smart enough to follow it.)

So there are initial signs of improvement based on Nick’s suggestions. The day after I made those tweaks to my tags, my rank made a significant jump – to the tune of 150K. Obviously two days does not hail success, but I’m being cautiously optimistic.

Are any of you thinking of coming out for Peach Festival in Peddler’s Village this weekend? If it is anything like the Apple and Scarecrow Festivals, it should be a great time. One added bonus is it is also sidewalk sale clearance time, so you’ll be able to get some really good deals. I’ll be there from 10 – 3 on Saturday, and 11 – 3 on Sunday, so if you’re in the area, please stop by and say “Hi”.

I had a nice surprise when I opened my email this morning. Not one, but two of my books were included on the Amazon pre-weekend shout out to romance readers. I’m in some pretty good company, so hopefully a few folks will pick my books.

Okay, I have to get to work early today, so I need to go get ready. I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

You receive a text from an unknown caller…

“Your package arrived.”

“That’s nice. Who is this?”

“Thunder1301. Please proceed to the designated pickup area.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“All the information was in the packet sent last week. Time is of the essence.”

“I did not receive a packet, and I did not order anything. What is this all about?”

“You will receive further instructions once you pick up the package.”

“Look. I don’t know who you are, what you are talking about, or where you want me to go.”

“Cameo911?”

“Who?”

“Nevermind.”

“Who is this?”… “What package?”… Crap! Can they trace me through my phone? Should I call the police? The FBI? What the hell is going on?

Your Next Challenge is:

Your boss surprises you with three PAID days off. How do you spend it?

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

July 21st

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning! First, Happy Birthday to one of my best friends, Fran! I hope you have a day as wonderful as you are, LUV YA! Yup, two of my closest friends’ birthdays are a day apart, it happens again in November with Barb and Nadia, and then in January, Sharon and Kelly share a day. That’s almost as bad as all the birthdays on holidays in my family.

Again I survived yesterday’s book signing without melting or passing out. It was actually a much better day…weather wise. History did not repeat itself, book sales were dismal, but I got a chance to be outside, in the fresh air, and to talk with living, breathing people, not just the characters in my head.

I’ll be going back to Canterbury Tales for Peach Festival, August 9^th & 10^th. There are going to be other authors there as well, and I think that will help. When there is only one author sitting outside, I don’t think folks realize what’s going on, and they pass right by without even a glance. I smile and say hello to everyone who passes by, but unless they pause, I don’t do a pitch. I do lure some in with candy, or if they have their fur-baby with them, a dog biscuit. Then when they stop, I tell them about my books.

I have noticed it works like a snowball effect; one person stops, and then another person overhears what I’m saying and stops, and then others stop to see what the crowd around my table is all about. The trick is to get that first person to stop. One thing that really cracked me up was how many people asked, after they heard me say it was a book signing, if they were my books. Really? I was so tempted to reply, “No, I’m signing for John Grisham. Here’s your sign.”

I am a little annoyed, well actually a whole lot more than a little. I worked all weekend long. My husband busted his butt doing yard work all weekend long. My daughters sat on their butts most of the weekend. Do you think they would have found the time to empty the dishwashers or change their cats’ litter box like they were supposed to?

Sandy Hook

I am not a happy camper this morning. Even though Dani did nothing all weekend, she’s still getting rewarded. We had planned a beach day, for today, several days ago. I felt bad. The kid has had the most boring summer on record, and I wanted to give her a treat. But let me tell you, if her friend Bri hadn’t been invited, I would have cancelled this trip. Bri didn’t do anything wrong, so I couldn’t punish her.

I’m in the last ten days of NaNoWriMo. Officially I have 6,753 words to go, but unofficially I have 21,753, so I’m stressing just a bit. I’m going back and forth over bringing my computer with me today. Last time I tried (again because NaNo was going on), the results weren’t so good. It was almost impossible to see the screen at the beach. This time however, I have a real umbrella, not one that’s been jimmy-rigged, so I may have better results. Why not give it a try? It’s not like my daughter is going to be hanging with me, right?

We’re supposed to be leaving in forty-five minutes, and I have nothing ready yet, so I should go. We’ll do the writing challenge tomorrow. I hope you have a marvelous day, and happy writing!