August '09 Issue: The Wings of Self-Promotion 2
August 2009 
 WOW! Women On Writing
 Issue #32: The Wings of Self-Promotion 2

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Greetings!

Back in the good old days of publishing, authors wrote books and publishers published and promoted them for the author. They still do, of course, but the industry has changed with the growth of online media and the current economic climate. Many publishers have begun to cut costs, and one of the first things to go is an author's marketing budget. This means authors and authors-in-waiting are expected to do the lion's share of their book promotion. We may not like it, but it's a fact. Many of us love crafting a story, but few love tooting our own horn. So how can we promote ourselves effectively while staying true to our writer-selves and our budget?

We titled this issue "The Wings of Self-Promotion 2" as a follow up to our May '07 issue. (In case you missed it, be sure to check it out. Highlights include: interviews with Deborah LeBlanc, Kathleen Gage, and Kristen King; articles on Marketing Madness by author Kathryn Jordan, How To Network for Inspiration by freelancer Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, WOWing Your Audiences by communications instructor Suzanne Carbonaro, and How To Build Your Own Writers Website by copywriter Tina Marie Frawley.)

A lot has changed since that issue--so much so that we knew we had to re-explore the theme. But one thing hasn't changed: our attitude toward self-promotion. The name [The Wings of Self-Promotion] lends itself to a positive outlook when it comes to marketing yourself. It's about embracing and empowering your self worth. If you're anything like me, I'd rather be tooting someone else's horn than my own--I tend to be a bit modest. Authors experience this problem in different ways as well. Some may not like public speaking, others have trouble approaching people, and some are afraid of rejection--which comes with the territory of writing, but face-to-face is decidedly worse! We know we need to do it, both before we're published and after, but which methods are most effective and where do we start?

The experts in this issue will teach you how to spread your wings and fly! Yes, you can build your own self-promotional wings.

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A big, warm, Thank You goes out to our freelancers & staff:

We welcome back freelancer Cathy C. Hall and thank her for her excellent interview with marketing expert Shelli Johannes-Wells. If you don't know the difference between an author brand and a book brand, or are looking for ways to effectively "get your brand on," then this interview is for you. Cathy also shares a screenshot of her website and Shelli critiques it!

We welcome freelancer Kathi K. Browne to the WOW! family and delight in her article on mastering Twitter! If you haven't started using Twitter yet, or want to become more advanced with the Twitter platform and tools, Kathi's article will guide you each step of the way--from creating an account and beginning to tweet to using hashtags, group chats, and plug-ins to become a graduate level tweeter!

A big thank you goes to WOW! team member Jodi Webb for her insightful interview with media relations expert Penny Sansevieri of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. This 20 Questions column is fantastic! Learn proven methods for marketing yourself online--whether it be a blog tour, website, email subscriber list, or through social networking.

Another great way to find out which methods work or don't is by example. We welcome freelancer Christine Verstraete to the WOW! family and thank her for getting the skinny on promotional gimmicks. In her article Real Stories of Authors on a Budget: Promotional Gimmicks, eight authors share their true stories of how they used various creative promotional methods to market their books--from dressing up in costume to touring zoos! Find out what worked, what didn't, and how to promote on a budget. We'd also like to thank the following authors for sharing their stories: Betty Webb, Elaine Viets, Nancy Martin, Sheila Connolly, Luisa Buehler, Sunny Frazier, Karen Hall, and Carl Brookins of The Minnesota Crime Wave.

Another effective way to promote yourself is through teaching. We welcome freelancer Lisa Tiffin to the WOW! family and thank her for showing us the ABCs of using teaching to promote ourselves, increase sales, make connections with potential clients, and establish professional credibility.

The issue wouldn't be complete without an author or two promoting their books and themselves.

We thank WOW! columnist Chynna Laird for her lively interview with Sandi Ault, author of the WILD series. We first interviewed Sandi in January '07 about her first book, Wild Indigo. Now, two years later and with two more novels under her belt (Wild Inferno, and her latest, Wild Sorrow) as well as a ton of literary awards, Sandi is back to talk about author promotion and many causes close to her heart, including the protection of wild wolves.

We also thank WOW! team member Anne Greenawalt for her interview with Lilian Pizzichini, author of The Blue Hour: A Life of Jean Rhys. Novelist Jean Rhys, who is said to be one of the greatest female writers of all time, is best known for her 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea. In this interview, Lilian talks about what inspired her to write Rhys's biography and how that experience prompted her to give back to the community by working as a writer-in-residence in several prisons.

Promoting yourself takes courage. In this month's Inspiration column, contributing editor Margo L. Dill interviews Cindy Ballman, a courageous mother of two, about overcoming her grief and tragedy with love, faith and honor. Last year, Cindy's husband, Police Officer Tom Ballman, was shot and killed during a mass shooting at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri. Since then, Cindy has found the incredible strength to press on and live the life that Tom would have wanted for their children. She even started a foundation that helps provide financial and emotional support to survivors of all police officers, fire fighters, and paramedics, whose lives are lost in the line of duty within the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Cindy also shares her advice for other women who may be suffering a great loss. This interview will tug on your heartstrings and inspire you to live your life fully, for some things are greater than us.

We'd also like to thank literary agent Wendy Sherman for judging the Spring 2009 Flash Fiction Contest. Thank you, Wendy, for your expedience and expert attention to detail. Congratulations goes to all those that had the courage to enter the contest as well.

I'd also like to thank contributing editors Margo L. Dill and Joanne Stacey for making the issue sparkle! You now have your bios added to the editor's desk--congratulations!

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Last month to enter!

Summer 2009 Flash Fiction Contest

DEADLINE: August 31, 2009 Midnight, Pacific Time.

GUEST JUDGE: Literary Agent, Melissa Jeglinski

About Melissa: Melissa Jeglinski joined The Knight Agency in September of 2008 as Associate Agent/Submissions Coordinator. A graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in English with a concentration in writing, Melissa began her career as an editorial assistant at Harlequin Enterprises.

During her 17-year tenure, she discovered more than a dozen authors who have become National bestsellers and ascended to senior editor of the Silhouette Desire line, one of the company's most prestigious and successful series. An undeniable asset to the TKA team, she utilizes her extensive editorial experience, combined with distinctive tastes and a top-notch romantic pedigree, to foster TKA's client roster to national prominence. Melissa is a member of RWA and AAR.

Find out more about the Knight Agency by visiting: http://www.knightagency.net

PROMPT: Open Prompt

WORD COUNT: 750 Max; 250 Min

LIMIT: 300 Entries

Don't wait until the last minute! Enter Today. Visit our Contest Page and download our terms & conditions ebook. Good luck!

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Call for Submissions

WOW! is seeking submissions for their upcoming themes:

All Web Writing:

  • Advanced blogging
  • SEO/Keyword writing
  • Best online markets/job boards
  • Working for shared revenue sites
  • Earning passive income
  • Using social media sites for revenue, networking, and marketing
  • How to start an ezine
  • Maintaining a successful listserv
  • Mobile technology
  • Converting a static website to a content managed site or Web 2.0
  • How-tos for video, webinars
  • Setting up and using skype for media
  • Must-have gadgets, media, and technology for web content
  • Success stories from authors who started writing/blogging online and landed a book contract
  • How to create and successfully sell a website
We are also looking for photo essays and video on a variety of subjects: workspaces, tours of author's homes, how-tos, speakers on craft of writing subjects, author interviews, event coverage, balancing work/writing with family, etc. If you have an idea for a photo essay (300-500 words), or a video, please query us with examples of photo essays/video work you've previously completed.

Please review our submission guidelines on our Contact Page (scroll to the bottom) for pay rates and how to submit. We look forward to hearing from you!

To find out about first calls from WOW! please subscribe to our Premium-Green Writer's Markets. We share detailed descriptions of specific articles we need right now. Land one gig and it more than pays for a year's subscription! We currently have over 21 issues--ebooks filled with over 100 pages of markets--available for immediate download with the purchase of your subscription. Join the community that gives back! And write-on!

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On to the issue, enjoy!

 Spring 2009 Flash Fiction Contest Winners Announced!
 Drum Roll....

Spring '09 Flash Fiction Contest Winners Congratulations goes out to everyone who entered the Spring 2009 Flash Fiction Contest. All your entries were incredible this round, and our esteemed guest judge, literary agent Wendy Sherman, did not have an easy job! But with her expertise, she dutifully picked the winners, and we thank Wendy!

This season, the stories were phenomenal! All the winning stories you see on the contest page, including the Honorable Mentions, scored a "15," which is the highest possible score they can have. With so many 15s, it was hard to narrow down the entries to the Top 10. All the stories were superlative in subject, content, and style--it really came down to technical aspects and the guest judge's personal choice of which ones made it into the Top 10. Every story is a winner in its own right and has the potential to win a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Place. They were that good.

I know you've all been waiting patiently, so here's the results!

-- 1st Place Winner: Teresa Davis

-- 2nd Place Winner: Laurel Robertson

-- 3rd Place Winner: Elizabeth Barton

Runners Up (in no particular order):

-- Diane Hoover
-- Amy Perry
-- Michelle Dwyer
-- Ann Imig
-- Doris E. Wright
-- Madeline Mora-Summonte
-- Nicole Waskie

Read the Top 10 winners' stories in our contest feature!

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

-- Shelley Jewell
-- Jessica Titterington
-- Sandra Jackson-Opoku
-- Jayeeta Kundu
-- Carol Bryant
-- Corey Ann Haydu
-- Claudia Mundell
-- Cathy Keller Brown
-- Sheila Fox
-- Andrew Rittenhouse
-- Kym Wilson
-- Elisabeth Stewart
-- Crystal Posey
-- Melissa McNallan
-- Tavi Black

Congrats ladies (and gent)! And congrats to everyone who hit the send button--we know it's not easy, but each season provides a rebirth of opportunity!

So, go on already! Read the entries!


MORE >> 


 Getting Your Brand On! An Interview with Shelli Johannes-Wells
 By Cathy C. Hall

Shelli Johannes-Wells What is branding? What's the difference between an author brand and a book brand? What's a "shadow brand?"

When it comes to getting your book published, it pays to know your way around promotion. The savvy writer posts regularly on her blog, keeps her website current, and gets in plenty of social networking. And if she's really savvy, she incorporates branding into every aspect of promotion. Cathy C. Hall interviews marketing expert Shelli Johannes-Wells about how to brand yourself as a writer and author. Cathy even uses her own website as a guinea pig!


MORE>> 


 Time to Twitter: Using Social Media to Further Your Career
 By Kathi K. Browne

Kathi K. Browne How can Twitter help us as writers? With Twitter, we can create a buzz about our work before it's released. We can build an image that attracts a larger audience. We can also use Twitter to test-drive ideas and measure how well they are accepted. We can even use Twitter to network with other writers, publishers, and editors and get our name and work out there. Kathi K. Browne shares tips and tools, which include using hashtags, groups, and chats, so you can master Twitter! (Be sure to check out the list of resources at the end of the article and bookmark the page.)

MORE>> 


 A WILD Adventure: An Interview with Sandi Ault
 By Chynna Laird

Sandi Ault with her wolf Tiwa (Photo by Tracy A. Kerns 2009) WOW! Women On Writing interviews Sandi Ault on the topics writers are most interested in, such as editing, self-promotion, and belief in our writing abilities. But columnist Chynna Laird also got Sandi to open up about causes close to her heart, including the protection of wild wolves. And, of course, Sandi chatted about the WILD mystery book series, including the newest release, WILD SORROW--a touching and heart-wrenching story filled with the usual action, suspense and adventure of Jamaica WILD. This is a fantastic interview--not to miss!

MORE>> 


 Meet Lilian Pizzichini, Author of The Blue Hour: A Life of Jean Rhys
 By Anne Greenawalt

Lilian Pizzichini Lilian Pizzichini gives readers an insightful look at the life and writing of novelist Jean Rhys, who is said to be one of the greatest female writers of all time. In The Blue Hour: A Portrait of Jean Rhys, Lilian takes you on a journey from the Caribbean to London and beyond, through Rhys' often tumultuous relationships, Rhys' psychological struggles, and the failures and triumphs of Rhys' writing. Anne Greenawalt interviews Lilian about what inspired her to write a book about Jean Rhys and how that experience prompted her to give back to the community by working as a writer-in-residence at several different prisons.

MORE>> 


 20 Questions: Penny Sansevieri, Marketing Guru
 Interview by Jodi Webb

Penny Sansevieri Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. In this interview conducted by Jodi Webb, Penny shares her tips on author promotion, blog tours, social networking, writing media releases, and creating a successful author website! This is a super interview, full of take-away tips. Not to miss!

MORE>> 


 Real Stories of Authors On a Budget: Promotional Gimmicks
 By Christine Verstraete

Christine Verstraete With dwindling promotional dollars--and nonexistent budgets for small press writers or those whose names aren't Roberts or Evanovich--what's a "poor" author to do? In one word--anything! Today's author has to be almost a Jill-of-all-trades, reinventing herself as blogger, public speaker, publicist, lecturer, reading specialist, and more. Then there are the more, er, "creative" approaches. Christine Verstraete interviews eight authors on their creative promotional gimmicks to find out what worked for them, and what didn't. Be sure to read their informative, and sometimes embarrassing, stories!

MORE>> 


 How To Promote Yourself Through Teaching
 By Lisa Tiffin

Lisa Tiffin Teaching is a great way to promote yourself in your community and beyond. Teaching sets you up as an instant expert and gives you access to people you might not otherwise meet. This means you have great networking opportunities and a lot of free (and even paid!) exposure and promotion for you. As a trained teacher, Lisa Tiffin provides you with the ABCs of promoting yourself through teaching: Accessing your know how, Beating the bushes for opportunities, and Committing to the client.

MORE>> 


 Inspiration: Overcoming Grief with Faith, Love, and Honor
 An Interview with Cindy Ballman

The Ballman family Cindy Ballman's life changed drastically when her husband, Police Officer Tom Ballman, was shot and killed during a mass shooting at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri. Cindy Ballman is left with her two small children, Josh, who is now 7, and Rachel, who is now 4 ½; but she has not let this incident break her loving spirit or faith. Columnist Margo L. Dill chats with Cindy about dealing with grief in this inspirational interview.

MORE>> 


 Article: 7 Ways to Jump on Breaking News and Get You (and Your Book) into the Conversation
 From Penny Sansevieri's Author Marketing Expert newsletter

Author Marketing Experts Is it just me or does it seem like there's more breaking news than ever? In recent weeks we've seen numerous stories with everything ranging from Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passing away to Sarah Palin's surprising resignation. What happens if there's breaking news that you can comment on? Do you just sit by and hope someone will call you? No way! You take action. So how do you do that? Well, first off, it's important to get into the conversation. Especially if it's on your topic or within your area of expertise. If you can lend insight to a subject that's being covered on television or hotly debated on your favorite cable talk show, then it might be worth getting yourself out there. Here are a few tips to hook your story on the latest breaking news topic.

1) Blog on it: if you have a blog that has any kind of a readership, and even if you don't: be sure to blog on it. A blog is a great place to share your opinion on the subject and even (when appropriate) offer a solution.

2) Bookmark your blog post. You can do this through sites like DIGG, Delicious, StumbleUpon, and Indian Pad. Bookmarking is a way of adding links to your blog post and sharing it with the world. It's a simple process of getting to these sites, creating an account and listing your blog post. All in all, it takes about 10 minutes per post to set this up. Well worth it as it will help to drive traffic and interest to your message.

2) Syndicate an article: after you've done the blog post, write an article (perhaps with a slightly different take or stance) and syndicate it through sites like goarticles.com or ezinearticles.com. If the topic has legs, it's likely the media will be talking about it for weeks so having some content out there could be helpful to your message and a way to get their attention.

3) Contact your local media: one of the best ways to get local media interested in you is to offer them a local angle on a national story. So let's say we're addressing the deaths of two major pop icons, and you have written a book on historic figures. Would either of these two people be considered "historic" per se? Well, that's debatable and perhaps a good subject for a segment. When does someone or something become historic, and how do locals feel about this? There's your local angle.

4) Contact national media: If you have a subject that's drawing national attention and your message is significant or different enough to pitch to a national show, then get out there and start pitching. Remember: with so many shows on the air all competing for audience attention they're all looking for a new and different angle. The only thing they can say is no, and if you're right for the topic and you've pitched effectively, you're likely to get a yes.

5) Make sure you're getting HARO: HARO is a newsletter that arrives as often as three times a day and it's packed with media leads. If there's a hot story there will be a media person on HARO looking for someone to comment on it. 6) Get Google Alerts: make sure you *always* have your keywords in Google Alerts so you can be aware of who's saying what about your topic. Also, during non-breaking news times this is a good way to get to know media that covers your story and start networking with them, so that when a breaking story hits, they already know you.

7) Twitter on it: While it's hard sometimes to separate conversations on Twitter, there's a great system to separate out topics by using a hashtag (#) - it's as simple as finding the big story and creating a hashtag for it, so for Farrah Fawcett it might have been #farrah. Start a hashtag which helps to identify your story, or search the hashtags on Twitter to find out what hashtag your topic is being categorized under, then start twittering on it. Direct folks to your blog, to other sites covering this, direct them to anything that will tie into this topic. The media is on Twitter and they just might find you!

Breaking news doesn't have to leave you, your story or your book in the dust. So often authors tell me they see "experts" on TV and they feel they can do better. Well, now's your chance. The next time a breaking news topic hits the airwaves, jump on it. You just never know what could happen.


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Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com


Visit Author Marketing Experts>> 


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Earn the money you deserve, and get a real support team who will help you grow your freelance career.

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VISIT OUR MARKETS PAGE >> 


 WOW! Women On Writing Workshops & Classes
 invest in yourself, write now

WOW! Classes Whether you are looking to boost your income or work on your craft, we know that education is an important part of a writer's career. That's why WOW! handpicks qualified instructors and targeted classes that women writers will benefit from. The instructors are women we've worked with on a professional level, and these ladies offer high quality courses on various topics.

How the courses work: All of the courses operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. The flexibility of the platform allows students to complete assignments on their own time and work at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. It's a wonderful experience and an excellent way to further develop your skills, or to try your hand at something completely new!


Featured e-Courses (By Date):


PUBLISH THAT BOOK: HOW TO WRITE A NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL THAT SELLS by Andrea Campbell

START DATE: September 7, 2009

DURATION: 8 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Let me show you through my intense, 8-week-long workshop how to get a nonfiction book proposal ready for publishers. This is your opportunity to gain a serious business advantage over other writers who will try to wing it. And even if your first book doesn't sell, you will have the skills and the template to apply to other ideas and other projects. You may even come up with more ideas for more books as you work through this course.

And my workshop is different. I keep the classes small so you receive a lot of individual attention; class size is limited to 10 students. In addition, you will have e-mail feedback on all assignments. Another thing I do in my workshops is to have weekly chat sessions. Yes, every Thursday night, we will meet online to ask questions, discuss the lesson plans, and talk about additional information or details that you might have missed. Chats are an important tool for learning (and camaraderie) and why shouldn't we work together to leverage our knowledge? And to make it worth your while, you will also receive additional materials to help illustrate important points from the lesson plans or that you can use to aid you in staying abreast of what is happening in the publishing industry.

This course is for intermediate level students. Try to clear your plate of other things that may distract you and be prepared to work hard. If you want results, you will get them but this class involves work and preparation week after week. In this class, you can expect to learn:

  • If your idea is a good one
  • The essential ingredients of a book proposal
  • What the format and overall look of the actual proposal should be
  • How to write your proposal letters and the best markets for your book
  • Why you must exploit your "intellectual capital"
  • The nuts and bolts of the nonfiction book publishing industry


By the end of class, students will have a marketable, nonfiction book proposal package ready to send out to agents, including a query letter, along with the confidence to market his/her product.

Note: One of her students recently got a "very good deal," and, according to Publisher's Lunch, a $100,000-plus book contract.

COST: $379, which includes access to a private Yahoo! Group, a weekly 1 hour chat, a weekly critique and assessments/corrections done by the instructor. Limit: 10 students. Early registration is recommended.

Visit the Classroom Page for Full Details>>

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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CRAFT OF SCREENWRITING by Christina Hamlett

START DATE: Start now! One-on-One Instruction.

DURATION: 6 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This 6-week class provides an overview of the techniques and formatting requirements to develop an original screenplay. The lectures and assignments cover character development, dialogue, genre, structure, pacing, budget, and marketability. All materials submitted are critiqued by a professional screenplay consultant and learners are free to ask as many questions as they'd like about how to turn a story idea into a commercial, pitch-ready script.

COST: $150, which includes one-on-one support and critiques through email. With the exception of two assignments that need to be sent via U.S. mail, all content and critiques are exchanged by email.

Visit the Classroom Page for Full Details>>

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CREATING A CHARACTER SKETCH by Janie Sullivan

START DATE: Start now! Upon registration, log in to the private blog group and get started on your charted course of learning.

DURATION: 3 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Developing a character sketch for each character in the story is essential to the success of the story. The writer needs to know who the characters are, what they are thinking, and why they do the things they do in order to make them believable to the reader. This course will teach writers how to develop their characters so their readers will identify with them--whether or not they like them.

COST: $125, which includes access to a private blog group, email support and feedback from your instructor and peers.

Visit the Classroom Page for Full Details>>

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I hope you are as excited about our classes as we are. WOW! Women On Writing ensures that our instructors will work with you one-on-one. In most cases you will receive emailed course materials and assignments, or for those with groups, you will be able to download course materials. Your instructor will give you assignments and personal feedback, and guide you through a charted course of learning. Our instructors are wonderful ladies who go above and beyond to help you achieve your writing goals.


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 WOW! BLOG: THE MUFFIN
 Find out the latest from the Bakers of WOW!

The Muffin Have you checked out what we've been baking for you on the daily Muffin? We've stirred together some traditional ingredients with new ones to deliver more interviews, enlightenment, thought provoking ideas, and inspirational messages to help you through those gray writing days.

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Never Stale! Here's the Latest:

Tuesdays are contest interview days!

If you are interested in writing for our contests, check out the interviews with previous Top 10 winners to find out how they crafted their stories.

Winter '09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Cindy Haynes
Interview by Marcia Peterson

Winter '09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Dianna Graveman
Interview by Margo L. Dill

Winter '09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Tricia Bowering
Interview by LuAnn Schindler

Winter '09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Sarah Hina
Interview by Anne Greenawalt

Winter '09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Katie Noah Gibson
Interview by Jill Earl

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Blog Posts of Interest:

Chynna Laird, author of I'm Not Weird, I Have SPD, launches her tour!
Interview by Jodi Webb

Come join us for the first day of Chynna's tour! Jodi Webb interviews Chynna about her book I'm Not Weird, I Have SPD and gets the scoop on writing for children. Chynna talks about self-publishing/POD publishing vs. traditional publishing, as well as what SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) is, and her mission to spread awareness to children and parents alike. It's a rare opportunity to learn about a seldom discussed topic! 11 comments!

Sue Silverman, author of Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir, launches her tour at The Muffin!
Interview by Jodi Webb

Come join us for the first day of Sue's tour! Jodi Webb interviews Sue about her book, her passion for memoir writing, writing about real people in our lives, the difference between a memoir/autobiography, and much more. It's a really inspiring interview. Plus, check out Sue's book trailer! 38 comments! There are a couple more stops to go on this tour, check it out!Check the dates and join in.

The Art of Letter Writing
By Carrie Hulce

Carrie attempts to start a movement to bring back the dying art of letter writing. Each day, she will attempt to write at least one letter to someone she knows. Take a look at her first letter, and you may want to join in the experiment!

Surrounded by paper...and computer keyboards
By Elizabeth Humphrey

We've all been there, looking for the magic bullet of writing. With the right pen and notebook, surely we'll have a best-selling novel!

The Power of Focusing on One Thing
By Alison Diefenderfer

Overwhelmed? Think of the shorter task at hand, the one you have picked to get you one step closer. One step closer to done, one step closer to accomplishment, one step closer to satisfaction.

Staying True to Your Characters
By Margo L. Dill

You'll feel it in your gut when your characters aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing--just like you feel it in your gut when you, yourself, are not acting like you should be. Sometimes you have to get your characters back in line!

Are You Doing Your Homework?
By Jill Earl

A writer isn't doing "busy work" once they pick up the pen or start typing on the keyboard. If they're serious, they're working at their craft and building their career.

Do You Suffer from "Expert-phobia?"
By Chynna Laird

Never let self-doubt stop you from doing what you love and are good at. The only person who can stop you from reaching for your dreams is you. And that would be a huge waste, wouldn't it?

What Makes a Great Beach Book?
By LuAnn Schindler

What's your summer beach book and where's your summer reading spot? LuAnn offers a few famous reading lists, and asks for yours.

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Want to contribute to The Muffin?

Friday's are "Speak Out!" days. We allow posts from contributors for promotion. If you'd like to submit a post, please make sure that it's about women and writing.

Your post can be about: writing inspiration, balancing family life/parenting with writing, craft of writing fiction/nonfiction, how-tos, tips for author promotion/marketing/social media, book reviews, writing prompts, special opportunities (paying markets for writers), publishing industry news/gossip, and anything you think our readers will love.

Please make sure that there is take-away value to our readers. No press releases please. We're more interested in hearing from our core audience--personal essays and humorous anecdotes are encouraged as well, as long as they provide something useful to our audience--including a good laugh! ;)

How To Submit: Submit your 250 - 500 word post in the body of your email to our blog editor Marcia Peterson: marcia@wow-womenonwriting.com. Upon acceptance, we will ask for your bio, links, bio photo, and any other pics to illustrate the article. We look forward to hearing from you!

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 Announcements from WOW! Alumni Members
 News & Success Stories

WOW Announcements





Let's kick off the news:

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From Patricia Fry:

WOW! Alumni Member, Patricia Fry, is offering a FREE Article-Writing Course Orientation.

Taught by 35-year veteran writer and author, Patricia Fry. Learn how to establish an article-writing career. Promote your nonfiction book through magazine articles. First lesson of this 6-week online article-writing course FREE. For more information: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm.

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From CJ Mouser:

Previous WOW! contest winner CJ Mouser has a new book out. Salvation Home, released this month by Roseheart Publishing in Chiefland, follows the trials and travails of the Eddy family as they put down roots in a land they regard as strange and fascinating, and that is literally "crawling with alligators, snakes, and wild hogs."

The historical novel, which is set in Hardee County, takes an unadorned look at life on the Peace River before modern conveniences--the pitfalls and dangers--and a wistful look back at the joys of country living and the appreciation of simple pleasures and honest, hard work.

Find out more about CJ by visiting her website: http://www.cjmouser.com/

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Would you like to send a letter to the WOW Editors? We will answer your questions, post your success stories, kudos, comments, suggestions, or anything else you have on your mind. Email us at: mailbox@wow-womenonwriting.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

 


In Closing:

We hope that this issue inspires you to get out there and start promoting yourself! Whether you have a book out or not, it's important to start now. Think of how much fun you'll have in the process and how many connections you will make along the way. As always, we're here to support all your writing endeavors. Write on!

Warmest,