Hobbies: Dancing, making her own clothes and hemp bracelets, hookah
Background: Stacey grew up down the street from Val, and they’ve been best friends all their lives. As young teenagers they were each other’s “firsts,” with Stacey helping Val understand her strange ability while they explored each other’s sexuality. Eventually they reverted back to being just friends. When Val decided to start Valentine Investigations, Stacey joined her as a co-partner, pounding the pavement and interviewing people for cases.
Beneath the Surface: Stacey still holds a bit of a torch for Val, her first “love,” though she knows that ship has sailed and Val prefers men anyway. She’s a carefree spirit, not big into commitment, and has a lot of girlfriends she “spends time with”…who don’t necessarily know about each other.
Hobbies: Video games, hanging out with friends, fishing with his dad, singing in the shower
Background: Robby enjoyed a typical upper-middle-class, white-picket-fence life with his father, Dean Price, mother, and sister Josephine. Though his mom died of cancer while he was in law school, Robby leaned on his many close friends for support and graduated at the top of his class. He took a job working for his dad’s firm, Bombay and Price Law Offices, where he was eventually put on the defense counsel as a junior lawyer for Maxwell Carressa after Lester Carressa’s mysterious death. Robby met Val three years prior during an office party at a downtown bar. They’ve been engaged for about a year.
Beneath the Surface: Robby is a genuinely happy-go-lucky guy. He likes his job, but the idea of working with his father in a family business is also equally appealing, not because he’s desperate to please but because he honestly enjoys spending time with his dad. He wants a family of his own, and loves Val enough to wait for her to set a date for their wedding, though for some reason she always puts it off.
Background: After his mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, Max grew up under the brutal thumb of his terrible father, Lester Carressa. He took solace in books, which nurtured his genius-level intelligence but still left him feeling alone all his life. As a young man, he worked for his father’s company and grew it into a billion-dollar global powerhouse. Though the Carressa Industries board of directors recognized him as a financial prodigy critical to the company’s success, his sometimes-odd behavior made them wary of accepting his leadership after Lester’s mysterious death.
Beneath the Surface: Max’s tumultuous childhood makes him wary of trusting people or opening up to anyone, lest they see how damaged he actually is on the inside. As a result, he’s become a master at controlling himself so people only see the version of himself that he wants them to see – charming, calm, and collected. However, whenever his cool exterior cracks, the results are explosive.
Background: Val has lived in Seattle her entire life, raised primarily by her dad after her mother took off for Canada, then parts unknown, to protest the Gulf War. She enlisted in the Army after high school, where she served as one of the first female squad leaders. Her sister’s tragic suicide when they were both in high school motivated Val to start Valentine Investigations after she separated from the military.
Beneath the Surface: Val is tough but also vulnerable, someone who’s come to uneasy terms with her strange ability through a mixture of steeliness and sass. She has an almost pathological need to bring bad guys to justice, no matter how much she may suffer in the process. She’s crushed when she fails, can be prone to self-destructive behavior as a result.
I decided it might be fun to make a book trailer. All the trailers I looked up as research seemed fairly lame and generic, involving pictures of hot guys, hot chicks, and sometimes flowers fading in and out (not that pics of hot guys are bad…they just don’t inspire me to buy a book, cuz let’s face it—sweaty washboard abs on the covers of romance novels are a dime a dozen). Instrumental music plays as cursive words float across the screen to the effect of, “He/she’s been burned by love. Will he/she ever love again?” etc. (Spoiler – yes, they will love again)
I…probably can’t do any better, but since my back-up life plan is to become a film director if this author thing doesn’t work out, I thought it’d be fun to try. I’ve got a video camera (even my phone would work), a computer, and working knowledge of story arcs. All I need now is video editing software, like Adobe Premier, and some friends willing to act for a free lunch, and I’m golden!
I had this idea to try something different with my book video. Instead of playing up the “what” of the book, I’ll try emphasizing how my book fits into a reader’s identity – the “why.” Per Simon Sinek, this is a winning strategy. Of course, I need to keep it short and as inexpensive as possible, ideally costing zero dollars.
After thinking about it for a while, I came up with my first commercial. I storyboarded it and everything! Check it out:
It’s practically Monet. …Don’t judge me.
It probably won’t end up exactly like this, but something close to this. On a related note, I’m trying to teach myself how to draw, so when I do this in the future it won’t be terrible stick figures:
I’m very proud of my animal drawings, including this bull. It might be my greatest life accomplishment, as you can tell from the look on my face.
Here’s my foolproof plan:
1. Get an idea for a book trailer (check)
2. Sketch out this idea via a storyboard (check)
3. Practice using Adobe Premier by recording footage of some random stuff and editing it
4. After achieving decent proficiency with Adobe Premier, enlist friends to be in my video
5. Record my video
6. Splice it into the trailer
7. Release trailer on YouTube
8. Get a billion hits, become viral sensation
It’s just that easy. I may try my hand at creating other videos of increasing complexity, possibly fake commercials, and working my way up to a short movie. In fact, I’ve already got an idea for a movie…but I’ll save that for another post.
I shall keep you all abreast of my progress, loyal fans!!!
“See? Give it up, ladies, and get back into the kitchen after you soothe that crying baby!” – The Patriarchy
I was reading an article recently about how Millennials apparently long for more traditional gender roles than their predecessors, based on studies and whatnot. The author speculated as to why this could be; perhaps young men are now beginning to fear women taking their jobs, and are resentful of having to compete with their female counterparts in a shrinking job market. Or, perhaps it’s a backlash to the new-wave feminism of the 90’s (whatever that is).
However, instead of ending on a relatively objective note, the author takes a hard-right into sexism when she notes, “Maybe women have finally realized they can’t have it all, and the newest generation is becoming content to accept that men and women have different aptitudes for different things. Maybe there is hope for the Millennials after all.”
Yes, Millennials must be learning to accept the fact that a woman deserves to be paid less than a man for doing the same job because…of ovaries and vaginas, I guess. Why can’t us old new-wave feminist bitches just accept our naturally inferior status already? Must be too much estrogen.
Putting aside the fact that you should never accept being told you are equal while being treated as less than equal because of some innate trait attributed to your gender/race/religion/etc., who is honestly lamenting the fact they can’t have it all? What does “having it all” even mean? Is it success in your work and personal life? And why is this something women must struggle with, but not men?
If we’re going to honestly unpack it, the gist is that women who work outside the home are also supposed to want to do all the usual traditional lady chores as well, like cooking and cleaning and laundry – and they should feel bad if they can’t do it all anymore because they’re working. Of course, nobody really wants to do these things, but since they usually fall on women to accomplish then we should feel obligated to do them, I guess.
Or maybe it’s just the kid-specific stuff, like chaperoning playdates and gazing lovingly at your beautiful child as he frolics in the dirt and whatnot, which women are supposed to feel bad for not doing.
But men have been working outside the home for all of human existence, and they don’t cry about not “having it all.”
Basically, much like women are slut-shamed for daring to have sex just for fun, this whole “having it all” concept is a passive-aggressive way to shame women for daring to work outside the home and be happy with their decision.
“Oh, you’re a bank exec. Sounds high-powered – good for you! Must be long hours, though. Don’t you feel bad about not being able to spend more time with your kids? Well don’t you? It’s so hard to have it all, right?”
“Having it all” is code for “being a good mother while holding down sometimes-demanding outside employment,” and it’s something we can’t have.
Except I know a lot of women with full-time jobs and a family, who are somehow happy with their lives and manage to raise well-adjusted children – myself included (fingers crossed my kids stay well-adjusted; they seem fine for now, anyway).
So screw “having it all.” If you’re happy with your life, then you already have it.
That is one serious Alpha male. Nice lion you’ve got there. She’s probably going to bite your face off, FYI.
I get the appeal of alpha males. Alpha males are strong, assertive, in control, dominant…slap a sexy body on it, and he’s howl-worthy. Part of being a writer (a good writer, anyway) is being able to put yourself in other people’s shoes, and imagine what something might be like from somebody else’s point of view. So I definitely understand the appeal. Myself, though…personally I can’t stand them.
Whether they’re real or fictional, Alpha males always rub me the wrong way. Whenever I read a romance and the dude starts going Alpha – which is like 85% of all romances – I immediately begin to dislike him, and usually stop reading. This is why, I have to admit, I start but don’t finish a lot of romance novels. I’m a bad romance novelist that way. It’s hard to read up on everything in your genre when you’re constantly yelling “Fuck you!” at the pages. My desire to kick the dude in the nuts becomes overwhelming. The problem, I realize, is me.
I’m a real-life Alpha female. And Alphas don’t mix.
And also – sometimes a harsh bitch.
What are my Alpha female bona fides? Well, the word Commander is literally in my day-job title. I suck at most sports – except the ones where you beat people up. I’m really good at those. I’m the primary breadwinner of the family. I’m usually the de facto leader of things in general.
But here’s the thing – Alphas are often abrasive, arrogant, self-centered, bossy, unyielding, bombastic, and harsh. I’ve been all these things at some point (even right now as I’m writing this post!), though I try to temper them for the sake of navigating polite society. And let’s face it – it’s more acceptable for men to display these traits. Sexism and all that.
When you put two of these kinds of people together…Fireworks happen, and not the good kind.
I had a Taekwondo instructor once who was definitely an Alpha male – think a Korean Bruce Lee with an even darker edge – and I eventually had to stop going to the classes he taught because we clashed too often. It wasn’t sexual tension, just pure animosity.
So reading about other Alpha males always raises my hackles. As I’m trying to identify with the heroine, and the hero is doing his Alpha thing while she supposedly brings him to his figurative knees such that he changes his ways just for her, I can’t help but desperately wish she would bitch-slap that asshole. Let him work through his own fucking issues by himself. Oh, he “takes what he wants,” and that’s you? Fuck that. Fuck that hard. NOBODY should take you. And if he tries, hate him forever. If he can’t love you on your terms, then screw him. Choose you, Anastasia!
Do these things actually sell books? I suspect not, but since I aspire to be a big Hollywood film director if this writing stuff doesn’t work out–gotta be realistic, after all–I thought I’d try my hand at it. After sampling a bunch, I realized they all suffer from the same problem of just showing people the book rather than convincing them why they need this book in their lives. As Simon Sinek says, you have to start with why, then work your way out to the actual thing you’re offering.
I want to convince my readers they’re the kinds of people who read my book–mainly, kick-ass women. How will I do this? By showing other kick-ass women reading my book.
Will it work? …I dunno. But it’ll be fun to try. Anticipate a kick-ass book trailer for the Valentine Shepherd series in May 2017!
First awesome goodie: Sign up for my newsletter, and receive a FREE e-copy of VENGEANCE! To claim your free copy, just e-mail me at shanafigueroaauthor@gmail.com and request your sweet bounty!
Second awesome goodie: Write an honest review of one of the books in the Valentine Shepherd Series, e-mail me (shanafigueroaauthor@gmail.com) a link to the review, and receive an e-copy of the NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES for free!
I’ve got two careers now – I’m an active duty military officer, and I’m also an author.
I really enjoy writing, and do it at every opportunity: during lunch, after work, while waiting for things, while standing in line for some amusement park ride, etc. In fact, I have to force myself to NOT do it and sometimes focus in things like my husband and children, and reading, and sometimes watching TV. After having little sales success with a PR firm I hired to help me market my last book, RETRIBUTION, I decided to take matters into my own hands and begin an aggressive marketing push on my own.
Of course, I have no idea how to do this. I’d really rather be writing. But I sucked it up and put together a little checklist – because that’s what we do in the military – of marketing steps based on some notes I took at a writing conference last year and tips I gleaned off the Internet. I looked at this checklist, then I opened my work-in-progress manuscript and said hello to the characters waiting impatiently for me to continue my story, then I gritted my teeth and closed my manuscript, mentally kicked myself in the ass, and got to work doing something I really didn’t want to do.
Because nobody likes marketing. Except maybe the people who make a living off it, whatever. No author likes marketing. But after working my day job, I drag myself back to my little dorm room on the camp I’m currently in, and use the remaining couple hours of the day to plink away at my list. Here’s a link to my current draft of the list, which is a work in progress, for anyone who’s interested:
Schedule daily Facebook posts once a week
Write a blog every two weeks (STRETCH: once a week)
Spend 10 minutes each day liking/responding to other author’s Facebook posts
Compile a list of authors for blurbs/reviews
Send author requests for blurbs/reviews
Offer to send authors all three books
Send ARCs to those who respond; follow up with those who don’t respond
Have some suggested blurbs ready to make it super-easy for authors short on time
Compile list of romance book review blogs, ask them for reviewso
Update website to focus on my story, not my books
Focus on what makes me unique/newsworthy/worth following, and what I can do for my readers
Books should be secondary focus (even though primary goal is to sell books)
Find out what a pre-sales list is, try to make one myself
Pre-sales list is a list of places that will pre-sell your book, like Amazon and Google
Already have pre-sales going on via my publisher, so don’t need this
Create a sell sheet
Used to convince bookstores to sell your books
Not necessary for me
Create an online media kit
A PDF file or webpage (most ppl prefer PDF, cuz it’s easier to copy from) that bloggers or other media people can use to quickly write a story or review about your book
Keep it simple; ppl want to easily skim it and find the info they need
Include in the kit:
A press release, usually the one you write for the book’s launch.
Author bio, including previous publications and qualifications to write the book. Include author’s platform information. (keep it very short)
Author photo, and it’s smart to include high-resolution files for print and low-resolution for online use.
Book photo, with the same resolutions as the author photo.
The purpose of a press release is to paint a picture of a kind of story the journalist might want to write. Use an arresting headline. Then start with the biggest news and work down to the least important detail. A press release has more formal language than a blog post because you are cramming facts in and must keep it short. Keep it to one page but use a decent sized font.
Think like a reporter. Don’t just describe the book; talk about your own story and how it’s unique, why people should care, and make that the focus of the press release
Use the headline in the subject line of the email. Put the text in the body of the email so the journalist doesn’t have to open any other document. Paid/free press release services basically spam thousands of journalists with no targeting, so it’s better to target specifically.
Pitch your story (not your book) to the press
You should already have an idea of the target market for your book, your ideal reader. What else do they do apart from reading your book and where do they hang out? Look for publications that target this market, then drill down to the specific journalists who write about specific aspects around the topic. For the maximum chance of success, target them specifically.
Best time to reach a newspaper journalist is 1000-1200 (stories are usually due at 1400 local time)
First ask if you can pitch them a story (briefly describe in one or two sentences); if they say yes, then send them your press release and media kit
(?) HelpAReporter.com is brilliant though, so definitely subscribe. Sourcebottle.com.au is a similar service to match journalists with experts. Having a platform is also fantastic as people find you through the internet.
Make sure you have a Google Alert for your name and book title and any key-phrases, since sometimes you won’t be notified if media is actually published.
Create some memes (put name & website on them)
(maybe) Create a book trailer
Come up with special promotion offers ~1 month before book release
And there you go. It’s just that easy. I’m being facetious.
What I really want is not an avalanche of book sales (though I’m not gonna lie, that would be nice), but a readership base I can share my stories with. But in order to make that happen, I need to make people aware of my books first, and that’s the point of marketing. So here’s hoping it’s worth the effort!
