For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.
Welcome to My Author Blog
Time for our monthly support group! *pulls up a chair and nods to group leader Alex*
What’s on tap for today’s group? I want to discuss book VISUALS.
Have you made a book trailer for your novel? Looked for images of models representing your characters?
I’ve spent hours on both tasks this week. My aunt Nancy, who works as a video producer, is helping my publisher and me with a book trailer for On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3), before its release in September. My task is to write a script and find images.
Nancy and I agreed on the opening line for the trailer:
But the rest takes diligent work to make it shiny and fresh!
Then, I needed to find images to represent my hawt romantic heroes for my publisher’s “Men of Omnific Smackdown” at the end of September. It was HARD WORK perusing thousands of images of scrumptious gents to find just the right ones, I tell you. Whew.
I think I found the right guys though. It helps when my pub sister Carol Oates manipulates the images to make them just right!
I’m taking advantage of 7 day trials at a stock photo and video site.
Have YOU made visual representations of your characters and stories? Any tips you’d like to share?
Welcome to guest author Zhuang Ping, who will share the benefits of reading books.
Want to reap those benefits instantly? Enter author Justine Dell’s loaded Kindle Fire giveaway.
Take it away, Zhuang:
Being able to read is one of the most wonderful feelings. In the 21st century, the ability to read is not only a privilege but a right. Literacy and intelligence go hand in hand.
The more you read,the more knowledge you gain. Want to know what life was like for a young Geisha in WWII Japan? Read the fantastic book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
Do you know that the more you read, the better you write? And that big readers express themselves better? Therefore, it’s wise to encourage your child to read from an early age. Children who start to read earlier become more proficient at writing and speaking.
Reading is exercise for your brain! Reading forces you to focus while challenging your brain to process information. Several parts of the brain activate when we read, stimulating brain cells and forming new neuronal connections.
Both your short term and long term memory improve with reading. Your brain processes the information you read and stores it for reference when you turn the page. You will remember people, places, scenes and events, forming a visual of what you’re reading. You later access this stored information.
Do you ever wonder “What the heck just happened?” when reading? In addition to all the above benefits, reading forces you to analyze and comprehend material. People who read become adept at drumming up ideas, sifting through chaos, and solving problems.
Most of us can’t focus for long. SQUIRREL! We may fail to complete a task because we get bored or restless. Reading helps both adult and children to focus for more than just a few minutes. The more we read, the more our ability to focus improves. We may become so disciplined that we can focus for hours at a time.
Have you heard of blue light? It’s what TV emits. It also suppresses melatonin, a hormone our body produces to help us fall asleep. For this reason, experts recommend avoiding TV before bedtime. What should you do instead? READ. Many people can’t fall asleep without a book. Reading can relax you, from Mom or Dad reading bedtime stories when you were young, to devouring your favorite book before bed as an adult.
No one can argue that in addition to knowledge and all the other benefits, a good book brings us entertainment. We may read to study or catch up on current affairs, but most of all we read for entertainment, evidenced by the fact that fiction sells more than non-fiction. A good novel makes us laugh and/or cry with the characters.
My favorite places to buy books are Amazon.com, Bookbyte or Bookbaby. There are many more reputable stores to choose from which offer great deals on purchases and shipping. To find the best stores and deals, go to promocode4share.com.
Thank you, Zhuang! Because of all these benefits of reading, I feel sad for friends who don’t read much.
But for those of you who LOVE reading like I do, my pub sister Justine Dell is giving away a Kindle Fire loaded with books! I’ve read her debut novel, Recaptured Dreams (review HERE) and can’t wait to check out her additional books: All-American Girl and soon-to-be-released Until Next Time.
To enter the Kindle Fire giveaway, complete the Rafflecopter form:
Thanks to Mary from Book Hounds for hosting the Summer Giveaway Hop.
Is July really over? *cries* We’ll have to make ourselves feel better by giving away stuff.
I’m stoked for the third and final novel in my adult romantic suspense series to launch September 24, 2013: On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3). It feels wonderful to finish writing a series!
To celebrate, I’m giving away an ebook of the first novel in the series:
–>
I’ve joined beaucoup bloggers and authors for the Sizzling Summer Giveaway, featuring two KINDLE FIRES loaded with books!
The lovely ladies at YA Bound host this massive giveaway event.
Streamline, my swimming romance, will be one of many New Adult books up for grabs:
And three blogs will feature Streamline guest posts:
|
|
You can enter the giveaway at any participating blog by completing this Rafflecopter form. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Welcome to my stop on the NAmazing Adventure, a blog hop featuring over 60 New Adult authors, and prize packs that include ARCs, signed books, gift cards, swag, and more! If you’re not sure what the NAmazing Adventure is, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules on the NA Alley website. Now let’s get this journey on the road!
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder.
Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.
Got that jotted down in your quest scroll?
Great, because you’ll need it for the quiz at the end of this quest. And remember, you must complete ALL SIX quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.
But wait! You have a chance right here and now to win Streamline. (This is my giveaway in addition to the NA Alley prize pack you can win by answering quiz questions). To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form:
Thanks for stopping by. Ready to move on?
Click HERE (Lisa Sanchez’s blog) to go to the next stop on your adventure!
Check out Lady Amber Reviews to learn more about this generous blogger.
I love to read and write books that make me FEEL. Spunky, smart women, and tortured, sensuous men who get themselves into all sort of trouble. I write romantic suspense for young adults, new adults, and adults:
I’m giving away one of my ebooks–you choose–and 5 bookmarks. Just complete the Rafflecopter form.
a Rafflecopter giveawayWant to find an awesome read? Hop on over to visit these authors!
Whoops! I traveled to Hilton Head Island today for a long weekend vacation with my family, so I hope it’s not too late to tell you about an opportunity to win book two of The Conduct Series: Bad Behavior.