Compare and Contrast Blog Tours

I am delighted to announce that I shall be hosting guest blogs on September 29th, and another on October 9th

On Sept 29th, this blog welcomes Michelle Picard, author of Surviving Eden, who is participating in a professional blog tour organized and run by my talented friends at Goddessfish.com (with whom I do quite a lot of business, and whom I heartily recommend).

Michelle Picard's tour began on September 20th, and runs through to October 15th, and you haven't missed out if you don't start at the beginning. There is no requirement that anyone has to be the first to post a comment. Conversations usually continue for the duration of the tour.

Something to know about professionally run (and DIY) tours is that the more that followers comment, the better their chances of winning whatever prize(s) are being offered. 

Michelle Picard's  tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2010/08/virtual-book-tour-surviving-eden.html.  

A disclaimer: with Goddessfish run tours, the tour host with the most comments will win as well.

The October visit is part of a DIY (nothing at all wrong with that) tour by Cherish D'Angelo to promote Lancelot's Lady. This tour begins on September 27th, and runs to October 10th.

While I may not post actively (because I believe that readers and unmotivated followers ought to have the best chances of winning whatever prizes are on offer), you can be sure that I will be following both authors' tours, comparing and contrasting, and learning.

I think you should, too.

Opportunities to observe, in real time, in the field how two different authors go about their blog tours, what kind of reaction and support they get... well, to quote another popular advert... are priceless!

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This space was previously occupied by a really fun link:

http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html


Peter's Evil Overlord List: Too clever not to share, IMHO

Peter's Evil Overlord List

The Two “Secrets” of Being a Productive Writer (Guest Blog by Kelly A Harmon)

The Two “Secrets” of Being a Productive Writer

Kelly A. Harmon







Writers write. And no matter how much they produce: a hundred words a day, a thousand words a day, a novel in six weeks...nine times out of ten, if asked, they’ll tell you they wish they were more productive.

The fact is, we could all write more. But between email, the phone, and popping out to the Internet for a bit of research, all that productivity starts to wane. We try to multi-task, but concentrating on more than one thing at a time weakens our ability to do any one of them well.

No lie. Scientists have proven that multi-tasking is a fallacy.

I’m not talking about the trick of putting in a load of laundry and writing while it washes: that’s simply ordering your tasks in a manner which allows you to accomplish more. The fact is: first your put the laundry into the washer first, and then your write. You’re not really doing more than one thing at a time.

Consider a writer who sits down to write with a cup of tea at hand. He types a few words, maybe a few sentences, and then stops to take a drink. Did you hear the key word? He stopped. As soon as he reached for the cup, he was no longer writing.

Imagine how much time he loses when he answers a ringing phone or reads an email.

So the first “secret” of being a more productive writer is to just write. Focus on putting words on the page and ignore everything else until the writing is done (or you’ve reached your time limit, or your word goal, etc.). Just concentrate on one single task.

When you’re finished with that task, start the next. Finish it, then start the next. It’s called serial mono-tasking.

The second “secret” to being more productive is to keep more than one writing project in the hopper at a time. When you’re done with working on the novel, turn to a non-fiction article you’ve been wanting to write. When you tire of that, move on to the novella you’ve been toying with. Don’t just close up shop for the day when you’ve finished the task at hand. Keep moving. Always strive to do a bit more than is necessary. Push yourself to accomplish more.

As Johann Sebastian Bach said, “I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.”

So, in truth there are no secrets to being more productive: focus and hard work, which have been around forever, are the key.

A tale of murder, betrayal and comeuppance.

King Theodicar needed an heir. When his wife, Queen Piacenza, became pregnant, he’d hoped for a boy. His wife, along with her nurse, Salvagia, knew it wouldn’t be so: with each cast of the runes, Salvagia’s trusted divination tools yielded the same message: “A girl child must rule or the kingdom will fall to ruin.” The women were convinced that the child would be a girl.

When the queen finally gives birth, the nurse and the king are equally surprised. The king is faced with a terrible choice, and his decision will determine the fate of his kingdom. Will he choose wisely, or will he doom Borgund to ruin?


Excerpt One:

Theodicar looked down at the mewling infant in his arms, and felt the anger rise up. Even in death his wife defied him, the nurse ensuring her success. Women did not rule. He would not allow it. They had created a male child, and that child would take the throne upon his death.

“You can save the boy,” he said to Salvagia.

She slitted her eyes at him, her stare mutinous. Her words were loud and hard in the wake of Pia’s death. “I have the power to save one at the expense of the other, Sire. The girl is stronger. And eldest. She was born to rule.”

Theodicar watched the girl curl up in his arms, her birth fluids staining a brown patch on the dyed-yellow wool of his tunic. She burrowed into the crook of his elbow, trying to achieve the comfort of the womb.

“I will not hear those words again,” he said. “That absurd idea died with my wife. My son will rule.” He reached for the boy, thrusting the girl child back into the nurse’s hands. “There’s no need for a daughter. And no need for anyone to know of her.”

“So be it,” Salvagia said, wrapping the weary girl in a square of wool, covering her face. She reached for her basket.

“Kill her now,” said Theodicar.

Salvagia looked stricken.

“Sire, if we kill her now, she will be of no use to her brother. Once dead, the blood won’t flow, and we need her blood to strengthen his.

“Then drain her now,” he snapped. “I will not have her crying out when we call the witnesses back to cut the boy’s cord.”



I encourage you to follow Kelly A. Harmon's tour and comment; the more that readers comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2010/03/virtual-book-tour-blood-soup.html

Interested in hosting Kelly on your blog?
Email goddessfish@gmail.com 

How to Write a Convincing God By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender

"Not All Gods Are Created Equal, But They Could Be." Sandy Lender's hook grabbed me, but I'm already an admirer of Sandy for many reasons, not least because of her fabulous blog, her way with dragons, her private love of turtles, and her familiarity with very large weapons.

Please don't be shy to ask Sandy about anything!

By the way, when C.L. Talmadge was my guest, I personally gave away a printed copy of Mating Nethttp://search.barnesandnoble.com/Mating-Net/Rowena-Beaumont-Cherry/e/9780976539711 to one commenter of my choosing. It would hardly be hospitable not to do the same (or similarly) for Sandy's visitors.

I'll give one commenter chosen by me one autographed print copy of Insufficient Mating Material. (Please vote for its cover, title, blurb at http://tinyurl.com/Award-5-Stars Further, anyone voting for Insufficient Mating Material and leaving a comment mentioning "the convincing god blog" will be entered in a draw to win a $10 gift certificate.)




Not all gods are created equal, but they could be.

You know, I really am a nice little Southern Baptist gal. I just happen to think a polytheistic society where gods flit about having sordid (or quality and loving) affairs with their minions is fun to write. So when Rowena offered the topic of “How to Write a Convincing God” to me during my current online book tour, how could I refuse? This is right up my dragon-infested alley.

A convincing god should have a variety of traits: compassion when it’s needed; pity when it’s needed; love for his worshipers; strength; understanding; a forgiving nature; broad shoulders; great mojo…

One specific trait I think makes a god convincing in a fantasy or sci-fi novel is the unwavering ability to bow to a goddess when she walks in the room. I’ll just assume anyone reading this blog is familiar with Maya Angelou’s poem Phenomenal Woman. That’s the concept. Think about it: If a goddess is around, and she has spoken her mind, the god in the great golden hall (or standing on the edge of a cliff or on the wrong side of the door to a ship’s airlock) needs to grasp the concept.

Bowing is good for most men, wouldn’t you say?

“Some days, you just want the dragon to win.”





Choices Meant For Kings
Chariss is in danger. Her geasa is hampered by the effects of a friend’s marriage. The dashing Nigel Taiman hides something from her, yet demands she stay at his family’s estate where he and her wizard guardian intend to keep her safe. But the sorcerer Lord Drake and Julette The Betrayer know she’s there, and their monstrous army marches that way.

When prophecies stack up to threaten an arrogant deity, Chariss must choose between the dragon that courts her and the ostracized kings of the Southlands for help. Evil stalks her at every turn and madness creeps over the goddess who guides her. Can an orphan-turned-Protector resist the dark side of her heritage? Or will she sacrifice all to keep her god-charge safe?


Excerpt

A Tense Little Excerpt From Choices Meant for Kings
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
http://www.authorsandylender.com
You won’t find this excerpt anywhere except Sandy’s current online book tour…

As the soldier stepped toward him, Nigel reached out his arm and caught him by the neck. He slammed the captain against the far wall. He pinned him there with his body, leaning against the man as if he could crush the wind from him with his presence.

He brought his face close to the soldier’s ear and spoke lowly, fiercely, so that no one could have overheard him. The menace and intent behind the words was as surprising to the captain as the words themselves.

“I asked you to accompany [Chariss] on this journey tomorrow because I have faith in your sword, and until this moment I trusted you to keep your distance from her. Now, I find her down here at your side with a look upon your face that suggests more than you realize. So help me, Naegling, the only thing that stays my hand is how displeased she would be if she learned that I sliced you open.”

“The look you see is merely my concern for her honor. Nothing more.”

“I’m not a fool. And I’ll use every last piece of Arcana’s treasury to pay the prophets to justify my reasons for marrying that woman, so you can unconcern yourself with her honor.”

Hrazon stepped off the staircase then and saw Nigel pressed against his guard.

“I still believe you’re one of the best soldiers Arcana’s ever seen,” Nigel continued, “and I want you at her side for this journey, but, so help me, Naegling, she comes back alive and well and not confused in the least about her affections for me, or I will string you up from a tree in the orchard and attach your intestines to your horse’s saddle before I send it—”

Hrazon cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Is there an issue here I should address?”



Find out how (and where) to follow Sandy on her current blog tour, and perhaps you may win a prize...

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2009/08/virtual-book-tour-choices-meant-for.html