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08/26/2013 12:37

It’s National Dog Day! 

Here are my two "little" girls, Lucy and Goldie, a 90-pound Boxer and a 110-pound Golden Retriever.  I like big dogs...and I cannot lie.

Get out there and celebrate National Dog Day with your best friend.  It’s hot outside, so for the love of dog, PLEASE make sure to provide proper shelter and lots of water for your four-legged fur-babies.

 

Read more about National Dog Day at https://www.nationaldogday.com/about.htm.

 

 

08/26/2013 11:58

 

I would like to say a huge

 

THANK YOU!!!!!

 

to my publicist, and friend, Sarka-Jonae of SJ Publicity

 

Sarka has worked tirelessly to get my book out in front of the public, and as a result, IT’S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH became a bestselling book this past week.  She has used her connections to get me featured on prominent book blogs, newspapers, and book enthusiast websites.  She has also called up her army of Twitter and Facebook followers to create even more buzz for me.  None of this would have been possible without her!  She even stayed up late with me (chatting over Facebook), waiting for my Amazon rank to update!  Now that's dedication!

 

 

 

 

08/26/2013 09:52

My fellow Chick Lit Goddess member, Louise Wise is having a $0.99 sale on her book.  Check it out!

 

As of NOW until the end of September "A Proper Charlie" by Louise Wise is on offer for under a dollar.

 

All Charlie Wallis wants is to be loved. Brought up in a children’s home she yearns for love and to be loved back but she seems to attract bad men. The first was someone who dumped her after she slept with him, the second is a womanising cheat and the third appears to be a murderer. Can’t have everything your own way, I guess.

 

"A Proper Charlie" less than half price on ALL eReaders!

Kobo     Nook     Kindle     Apple


 

Charlie Wallis has everything a girl could wish for. A loving boyfriend, a nice flat and a fantastic job as a journalist for London Core. Trouble is, Charlie's boyfriend isn’t at all ‘loving’, her job title really reads 'office assistant' and her flat, at the top of a high-rise, isn't that nice either.

Her new boss, Ben, is a huge bear of a man. A gentle giant, with chocolate brown eyes that hold a secret.

While London Core investigates the disappearances of local prostitutes, Charlie wants in on the action, deciding that dressing as a hooker and walking the streets is good research.

Bumping into Ben was the last thing she expected.

 

Media links:

Blog: https://www.louisewise.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/louise_wise

FB: https://www.facebook.com/WiseWordsBookBlogger

Pintererst: https://pinterest.com/BookJunkies/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B003FW6RKM

 

 

08/26/2013 09:39

Please visit my friends at the Masquerade Crew and play the Mystery...

 
 
 
Discover 8 mystery books by playing a scavenger hunt, which is sponsored by the Masquerade Crew.
 
After you answer questions about the 8 books, lots of entry options open up to you, such as following the authors on Twitter and so forth.
 
Blogging about the hunt will earn you ten chances in the hunt. See this post for instructions about how to blog for this hunt.
 
You can earn five chances in the scavenger hunt by participating in the last two rounds of the Mystery Cover Wars. The final round starts on August 28, so don't miss your chance.
 
The hunt is sponsored by the following books. The covers link to Amazon.com.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Play the Hunt!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
08/23/2013 12:25

 

Thanks to Indie Author Land for interviewing me!  You can read the interview on their website here.  Follow them on Facebook as well.  They do a lot for the indie writing community!

 

 

08/22/2013 21:54

On the final day of my Blog Tour, I'm going all the way to Greece to visit Angel Sefer at her blog!  Angel interviewed me and then tweeted her little heart out to help me stay on the bestseller list.  Then I'm back to the US to visit Carolyn Ridder Aspenson at her blog on Goodreads, where Carolyn nicely suggested (read:  insisted) her blog followers get a copy of my book.  And my last stop--Lilian Roberts' blog, where Lilian gave me a great shout-out!

Thank you, ladies!

 

 

08/22/2013 12:06

 

I want to send out a BIG THANKS to my friends over at The Masquerade Crew for being so gracious in hosting me not once, but THREE TIMES in August to promote IT'S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH!  They let me write guest blog posts, did a book spotlight, and rallied their army of Twitter followers to tweet links to my posts.  I have had an amazing month, and I owe a big shout-out to The Masquerade Crew for their help in getting my name out into the world!

 

Read all three of my "In the Spotlight" features on The Masquerade Crew's blog:

Blog post--"Top 5 Favorite Fictional Detectives"

Blog post--"How to Keep the 'Mystery' in Your Plot"

IT'S JUST A LITTLE CRUSH Book spotlight

 

 

08/21/2013 21:27

 

Today the blog tour made stops at author Jami Deise's blog, My Year on Vacation and discussed "How to Successfully Mix Genres", using the new movie We're the Millers as a great example of genre mixing.  I then went to visit author Dianne Berry, a fellow member of the Midwest Writers Guild, at her blog, Rantings from River Bay, for a book spotlight.

Thanks, Jami and Dianne, for hosting me!

 

 

08/20/2013 22:37

 

Special thanks to author Laura Chapman from Change the Word blog

for doing a blog swap with me today!

And a big thank you to my friend Abbey for hosting me on her

Sojo Gazette blog!

I had another great day of blog touring!

 

 

08/20/2013 08:48

Today on my blog tour, I’m doing a “BLOG SWAP” with Laura Chapman, which means she’ll be posting HERE, on my blog, and I’ll be posting THERE (https://change-the-word.blogspot.com/), on her blog.  Laura is an author and the co-host of Chick Lit Chat, the popular virtual discussion that meets Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on Twitter. Participate in the fun using #ChickLitChat or by joining the Facebook group. She is also a board member of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy & Research Association. 

 

Laura and I each came up with five questions for each other, and then answered them ourselves, too.  I had a blast meeting Laura, and I hope you have fun reading her post today.  She is a funny lady!  

 

 

On Writing:
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, how do you get over it?

While I don't typically have long-term writing block, every day I fight a battle against the desire not to write. Sometimes, I give in and spend my designated writing time having a Game of Thrones marathon or crocheting while listening to an audio book. But on the days when a break isn't in store (and I highly encourage taking one if your body tells you to) I shake up my writing routine to inspire word count.

 

I often have great results when I ditch the laptop, grab a pen and notebook and go to a coffee shop, park, or even a bar to do some writing. This has a few benefits. First, I find a blank page inspiring and a blank screen intimidating. This means I’m more comfortable diving in and putting my thoughts down on the page. Second, starting a chapter or scene by longhand means I'll have to type it eventually. When that time comes, I find myself doing quick self-edits and expanding what was once a simple scene into something even greater. Third, it gets me away from the computer and out in public, which hopefully keeps me from becoming a hermit with strained eyes.

What's one thing you have to have (i.e. music, socks, juice, silence, etc.) when you sit down to write?
I find silence distracting (weird, I know), so having music or some other background noise helps. When it comes to music, I make a playlist for each of my stories before I begin writing. As it develops and takes shape I add songs to the list and my story gets its own soundtrack.

 

If I need to get lost in a scene, I'll select one song from the playlist and put it on repeat. This prevents me from being distracted by the song and instead helps me focus on the writing. It also serves as a way to set the scene. I learned this tip from an interview with Michael Schur, who sometimes uses this when writing NBC's "Parks and Recreation." I tried it once and have been hooked ever since.

 

(I'm actually listening to "Beautiful Disaster" by Jon McLaughlin while I answer these interview questions.)

Do you let the book stew – leave it for a month and then come back to it to edit?
I'm definitely into book stew. Not only do I stop and let a story stew after I write my first draft, but I frequently take week- or month-long breaks during that initial draft. I don't recommend this long of breaks by any means (and am trying to break myself of this habit). If I let it stew too long those breaks sometimes become permanent, and I need to knock that off. But, looking on a story with fresh eyes often enables me to see what is working, what isn’t, and I’m better able to determine how to fix the problems.

What's the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
I once attended a writing conference where Stephanie Bond, a romance novelist and author of the Body Movers series, was the main speaker. She said she didn't believe in writer's block, because her mortgage broker doesn't let her use that for an excuse. If you want to be a working writer who earns a living from your work, you have to treat it as a job and work it every day. It’s challenging, but I keep those words in mind on the days not writing a scene, updating my blog or ignoring my social media becomes tempting.

On favorite reads:
You're stranded on a desert island and can't take an e-reader. What three books do you take with you?

  • Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. This was one of the first romance novels I read back in middle school, and something about this story -- maybe having a strong woman character not afraid to prove herself, a strong but sensitive type leading man, and plenty of hearthrobbin' moments -- makes me re-read it almost every year. And on a desert island, Laura is going to need something to keep her strength up.
  • I'd try to sneak my Jane Austen anthology as one book, but if I had to pick one (size limitations?) I'd grab Pride and Prejudice. It's a classic for a reason. 
  • These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read it when I was 9, and have re-read it countless times. As a little girl I considered this the most romantic book ever. To this day I still consider Almanzo Wilder a literary stud. As I've grown into being a young woman, I found myself appreciating Laura's own struggles becoming an adult and having to work through tough situations and finding joys in the little things. That's a great lesson I'll need to remember if I'm stuck on an island.


What literary character from would you like to have as your best friend?

Hands down Tom from Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding. He reminds me of one of my best friends, and a girl can never have too many people reminding her that she's fabulous while also calling her out on her B.S. when she needs it.


What literary character do you find most crushable?
As I mentioned, I'm a sucker for Almanzo Wilder, but since he's based on a real person... I'm going with Capt. Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion. I know, I know. Mr. Darcy is a total babe, and I definitely wouldn't kick that proud gentleman out of bed for eating crackers. But my goodness I adore Capt. W.

 

You've read the letter he wrote to his long-pining lady love, right? With gems like "You pierce my soul. I'm half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I'm too late." And "I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant." Dude, I'm practically swooning here as I write this. Plus, the guy has a uniform. That automatically makes him and his broodiness extra sexy. I'm also a big fan of a guy who waits around even after you ditched him years earlier. I dig this guy so much, my second novel (tentatively due out in mid-2014) is inspired by the novel.

On our characters:
Who is your least favorite character in your book? What makes him/her unappealing to you?

In my debut novel, Hard Hats and Doormats (due out later this year), that character is Dale, the main character's douchey boss. The man is lazy, clueless, and a waste of space as far as I'm concerned. For anyone who has had the pleasure of working for a troublesome boss, I hope you’ll be able to relate to this man’s ridiculousness.

 

What would your main character think about you if you met in real life? Would he or she want to hang out with you?

Lexi Burke and I would find we have more in common than either of us would care to admit. Both of us have a history of traveling to industrial sites working for companies that confuse us. Both of us are left a little disenchanted by our respective career field right out of college, and we could commiserate.

 

We'd probably get in trouble together, because I'm persuasive and she's easily persuaded. After a night of a few too many drinks and karaoke we'd either be best friends and duet partners or frenemies. (Though, both of us would be too nice to admit our disdain to the other person.)

What sort of Starbucks coffee would your characters order? 

Lexi isn't a coffee drinker. She's more of a pop girl for her caffeine fix and only takes coffee when she’s left with no other choice after a sleepless night of working late. But if she was stopping at a Starbucks between making site visits, she'd grab a citrus-flavored smoothie. She might even be able to pretend it was one of her beloved margaritas.

 

Thank you for swapping blogs with me, today! This has been a lot of fun – both to answer this collection of questions and getting to know you better.

 

 

About Laura

Laura Chapman is a blogger and soon-to-be published author of women’s fiction. A 2008 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Laura studied journalism, English and history. She spent four years in corporate journalism, traveling the country as a writer/photographer, and currently works in marketing and communications. Born and raised in Nebraska – in a city, not on a farm – she is a devoted football fan, lover of British period drama and frequent bar attendee. Her debut novel, Hard Hats and Doormats, and a holiday novelette will be released later this year. 

 

 

Contact Laura

Website (https://www.laurachapmanbooks.com/)

Blog (https://change-the-word.blogspot.com/)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/laurachapmanbooks)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/lmchap)

 

 

 

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