IWSG - June 2019

Click here to find out more and to see a list of other IWSG blogs.

Cohosts for this month are are Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte

Optional Question this month:

Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

That's a tough one since I read and wish to write in many genres. I enjoy any story that has characters I can love and root for, so that's important to me. If I don't care about or like the characters, I'll stop reading.

What about you?

Monday Meandering - January 26th

First Meander - Marketing

I don't usually track sales on Amazon. That's not what I got into writing for. However, sometimes we need to know what's working (or not) with our marketing.

Friday started a three-day "free" marketing blitz for the Just An Old Fashioned Love Story anthology. Click here to see my post about it. We paid for some marketing that spread throughout the weekend. We topped at #2 for anthologies (#1 was an erotic series). Our highest level (that I saw) was #61 for the Kindle's Top 100 Free. I'm not sure how that equates to overall downloads. Our member over that hasn't reported.

It was an interesting experiment, and we're starting to get some reviews in.Which, of course, is kind of the point of giving the book away, that and exposure.

Second Meander - Genre

It can be your friend or your worst enemy.

I've mentioned before about struggling staying in one genre. Yes, I write romance, but I almost always like my romance served with a nice side of ... something. It's that "something" that keeps sending me into different genres. For example:

• A Change of Plans, Safe Harbors #1 is an adventure romance, though it has elements that place it in women's fiction.
• Hope's Watch, Safe Harbors #1.5 is romance but also deals with women's fiction elements.
• Torn Canvas, Safe Harbors #2 is general fiction with a strong romantic element.
• A Season of Change, Safe Harbors #2.5 is romance but there are some suspense elements.

With Swing Vote, Safe Harbors #3, I've been under the impression that it was a thriller--because it has thrillerish elements. But the more I've been researching, the more I've concluded that I can't/shouldn't write and market it as thriller.

So I did even more research. I've concluded that SV is going to be romantic suspense. And I'm good with that. I have the skeleton of the story down (that's my first draft), but I needed to KNOW for sure what approach to take before I proceeded any deeper into the edits.

Third Meander - Size

The awesome Canda Mortensen post on her blog here about the length of various categories of literature. Since I have various lengths (Hope's Watch and A Season of Change are both novelettes and Second Chances 101 is a novella), I thought I share. I found it interesting.

Did you have a good weekend? Do anything fun?

Monday Meandering - January 19th

First Meander

We had SO much fun at Disneyland last week. The weather was wonderful. Since Christmas is over, can we have April now? But I'm exhausted. I'm glad today's a holiday for me.

My daughter, oldest granddaughter, and me. Oh, and Minnie.

Second Meander

A couple of items about Torn Canvas, Safe Harbors #2.

First item--new cover.

It's important to pay attention. I've noticed a few comments that the old cover for TC made it seem like a steamy story. Expectation is huge when you're trying to decide on a book to buy. It made me wonder if perhaps my target audience--people looking for a clean read--might not be picking it up because of the cover.

I posed the question in two "clean read" groups and a third one with a broader readership. The overwhelming response was that the old cover with a guy wearing an open shirt implied steam. And the vast majority said they would not pick up the book because of the cover--though my discussion about the book made it sound like something they'd like to read.

So, I went to work with my cover designer and this is the new cover. I've also tweaked the cover copy to give less emphasis on the romance since it's not really a romance. It's really a tale of redemption.


Modern-day pirates took more than Jori Virtanen’s friends; they stole his face. Not only does the twenty-four-year-old former model have to confront months of reconstructive surgery, he discovers his previous life was as superficial as his looks. Up-and-coming talk show host Olivia Howard wants an interview. She, like the rest of the press, expects a hero, but Jori knows the truth. His beauty masks a beast. 

In seclusion and evading the press, Jori struggles to make a new life as an artist. But he can’t hide from himself; more than his face is damaged. How can Jori possibly make amends for all that he’s broken? When Olivia finally tracks him down, he must decide if he can trust her. Could this unlikely woman be a key to freeing his heart and healing the beast?

Second item about Torn Canvas.

The audiobook is in production! I've approved the first two chapters and am loving how the narrator is doing. *sigh*


Third Meander

A Season of Change, Safe Harbors 2.5. is getting close to its release date. It's time to share the gorgeous cover and a bit about the story.

It’s a time of change for Jori Virtanen. The former playboy model is about to be married. He juggles wedding arrangements, a bachelor party, and plans for keeping the ceremony secret from the press. 

But Jori has another problem. He has to figure out how to tell one of his best friends, Marc North, that his girlfriend may not be what she appears.

Monday Meandering - January 12th

First Meander ...

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Anaheim early in the morning. Behind me two of my sweet grandkids sleep in one bed, and hubby is in the other. In the adjoining room, my daughter and her hubby and two other kids sleep.

Heading to California Adventure today. I'm only sad that Soarin' Over California is closed for renovations. It's my favorite ride in that entire park.

The weather back home is cold and yucky. The weather here is about 40 degrees higher. Nice.

Second Meander ... 

I'm working through the final edits for A Season of Change. The cover is nearly finalized and gorgeous, and the wonderful narrator who's doing the audiobook for Torn Canvas has agreed to do the audiobook for A Season of Change too. All I need is to write the cover copy. Dang but I hate writing that stuff. Why is it harder to write a couple hundred words than it is to write a full novel?

Once I'm done with that, I can get back to editing Swing Vote.

Third Meander ...

Genres can be a pain. Really.

Plus, writing retreats can be very informational, sometimes not in way we expect them to be. Last September, I was talking with some other attendees at the iWriteNetwork retreat about Torn Canvas. I realized then I'd been thinking the whole time it was an adventure romance, like A Change of Plans. Nope. Even though TC is a parallel novel with ACoP, it's underlying question isn't "will the love interests get together."

How could all of us--me, my beta readers, my editor, and my cover designer--miss this?

That got me to thinking about the other books in the Safe Harbors series. Seems Swing Vote could be more a romantic political thriller (though I'm choking a little at "thriller"). And the untitled Kate's story will be romantic suspense.

*blinks*

Looks like almost every book/novelette in the Safe Harbors series is a different genre. Leave it up to me--lover of reading all kinds of genres--to manage to do that without meaning to.

Tonight, I'm looking to have tired feet and lots more fun memories with half my grandkids. What are your plans?