Archive for the ‘Self Publishing and Marketing’ Category

Lorrie Struiff

Gypsy Crystal

Genre: Paranormal/Thriller/Romance
Publisher: Eternal Press
Copyright: March 2010

Bio

Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, right outside of Pittsburgh. She has founded and led writer and critique workshops in her area. An avid reader all her life, she has studied the art of writing by reading great how-to books, keeping butt in chair, and practice, practice, practice.

She has two daughters who have left the nest, but not her heart. When she’s not at her computer, you can find her strolling along the riverfront or having lunch with local authors.

Lorrie writes short stories in many genres and has been published in various magazines. Her first long piece is “Gypsy Crystal,” and she promises it won’t be her last.

Synopsis: Will gypsy lore and mysticism help Rita catch the serial killer terrorizing her town?

Rita Muldova is a homicide detective in Keyport, PA. A serial killer is on the loose in her town and targeting prostitutes. But Rita has an edge. She wears a mystical crystal amulet that has been handed down through her Roma maternal bloodline that allows her to see, in the dead victim’s eyes, the last face they had seen.

But now, the crystal has quit working. Is the magic gone?

Rita confronts her mother, Anna, a crystal ball gazer and great seer, for answers. Anna and Uncle Dragus leave Rita more unsettled than before.

Matt Boulet, a special FBI agent has been following the killer’s trail from New Orleans. He has a personal score to settle and holds back secrets from Rita and the task force.

There is a magnetic pull between Rita and Matt, an attraction they can’t deny. And too many secrets are kept by both, plus Rita’s family.

When all the secrets are finally revealed, Rita swims through a whirlpool of shock, horror and confusion. Her renewed determination to put an end to the killing spree spells danger ahead for all involved.

Click on the author’s name to visit her website.  Click on the book title to purchase.

I am very excited to be a host for B.J. Walker’s Books Virtual Book Tours.  I will be taking a tour myself in June. This is the first stop we have had on this site.  Melody and I are looking forward to your comments.

The Forest Portal by Melody  H. Dempsey

About Me

I was born in Chelsea Massachuttets on the Military base. I guess you could say I was a Military brat.  We moved around for about four years after I was born, then we settled down in the small town of  Lynchburg Va, my father’s childhood home. I was raised in Lynchburg until I was 18 years old. I then moved to Roanoke to be with my fiance” who is now my husband of 31 years. I have two grown daughters.

About My book

The Forest Portal tells the story of three teens as they embark on n amazing journey through time. Thrilled about the last day of school, Cameron Maine, his younger sister Collette, along with their friend Taden, decide to go to the beach for an afternoon of fun and relaxation, but Cameron has other plans he has not revealed to the other two. He tells them he wants help collecting seaweed, shells, and other seashore items. Taden questions his friend’s request, but reluctantly decides to lend a hand.

Cameron has plans to develop a sealant that turns old wood new again. Taden, feeling doubtful about the plausibility of Cameron new project soon discovers, along with Cameron and Collette that the sealant actually turns out to be a paint that has the ability to turn wood bight, rainbow colors. Excited, the three decide to paint some trees in a heavily wooded area behind Cameron and Collette’s house. The three soon discover, to there amazement that the two freshly painted trees has the ability to transport them into another time, another place. The trio find themselves probing even more into a dimension so bizarre, deeper into the realm of an unknown world that they discovered, sending them on a journey that makes a summer they will never forget!  Purchase at http://www.Amazon.com

Review

The Forest Portal by Melody Dempsey was a great read! The title is perfect for the plot within the pages.Cameron Maine is about to graduate high school. On the last day of school when the bell rings, Cam and his sister Colle…tte and friend Taden head to the beach for some last day of school fun. Cam being the inventor type, decides he is going to gather some seaweed and shells to try and concoct a serum to turn old wood to look brand new.Much to his dismay, what Cam actually invents is a glowing rainbow paint. Disappointed with failure, Cam, Collette, and Taden take the paint to the woods, intending to make the trees more colorful.When painting the trees in the woods, he finds it doesn’t glow like it did back at his house. As Taden steps between two trees that were standing close together and both wearing Cam’s paint, the kids are stunned as the glowing neon colors surround Taden and he disappears.After a few seconds of Cam and Collette standing in awe, the colors reappear and Taden is back. They discuss what happened and realize Cam didn’t invent a serum to restore old wood, but a serum that created a time portal.Follow Cam, Collette, and Taden on their adventures through time travel. Where they go into a time of the past, meet ancestors all the while trying to maintain their secret.Will they change the future by altering past events? Find out in The Forest Portal.

Dempsey did a fantastic job of keeping the intrigue alive. this story has a great plot with some unusual twists. I can’t wait to see what the next adventure will be. I give it ****1/2 (4.5) Stars, BK Walker, reviewer for BK Walker Books, Author of “Near Suicide” and “Dares And Dreams”. http://bkwalkerbooks.weebly.com
Click on Melody’s Banner to learn more about her book.

My web master. Janis Friesler, is creating a new site designed for promoting books. I know! I Know!, you are thinking there are tons of sites like this, why another one? Many of you have taken advantage of the three pages we have on this site to promote your books. Janis is an experienced web designer with a master’s degree in Computer Science. She has been studying every aspect of book promotion and knows what works.

The new site will have the many more pages to show off your books. There will be comprehensive services like word press web design with search engine optimization and statistics ncluded , virtual book tours, video book trailers with uploading to 50 or so video sites, comprehensive reviews, book cover contests, video contests, author interviews, author internet radio shows. press releases, banners, ads, badges for fans to put on their web sites, self publishing advice, social network book promotion, and many more. There will be free and paid services. All paid services will include free distribution. This will all be designed to give you time to do what you do best, WRITE!

In fact, to include you from the start, we are having a “Name the Site Contest.” we will give the winner a $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon. So all you creative people out there, think of a clever name for the new website. Submit your entry to trish@trishsilver.com. We will announce the winner on June 1, 2010.

I am proud to announce that my friend,Pamela Schaefer, has her own Internet video show.  Pam is a modern woman who has faced many life challenges that the mature woman can all relate to and come out on TOP! Pamela is a Cancer Survivor, Stylist, Mom and Grandmother! Each week, Pamela will bring you through an hour of mature topics including growing older gracefully, health challenges older women face, dating tips after divorce and much, much more! Please watch the replay of her  debut show.   Her guest is a mature 67 year old single man discussing the benefits and joys of dating/marrying a mature woman.  Her show is every Wednesday at the Real Mom site. The time is 4:30, pacific standard time.  http://www.therealmomtv.com/real-life-real-women The first show had an audience of over 1000.

Trish Silver
author of When I Remember Love
http://trishsilver.com

Nick Stewart will create a back link to your site at no cost.  He will also suggest your website to Stumble Upon.   Stumble Upon is a great site. When you go there, you sign up for an account.  Then you download their toolbar.  As you surf the web if you stumble upon a website that you like, you can suggest it to Stumble Upon right from the tool bar.  Once a week or so, Stumble Upon will send you a list of sites that they think youwill like because of the sites you suggested to them.  Nick will let you give him three sites to suggest.  The back link and the stumble are both fantastic ways to optimize your web site.   All Nick is asking is that you create a back link to his site and stumble his site.  His url is http://nickstraffictricks.com/   His site gives a wealth of free tips to bring more traffic to your website.  It is a wonderful tool for book promotion.  If you want to learn more about Nick, click on this link: Promote Your Book.  If you are interested in having me stumble your site and have the other new authors back link to you and stumble your site, and you will do the same for them.  Send me an email at trish@trishsilver.com.  Janis is going to set up a page like Tag My Book on Amazon where you can back link and stumble each others sites.
I have already heard from some of the featured authors on my site.  As soon as we have enough to participate, Janis will set up the page.

Trish Silver, author of When I Remember Love
available at http://trishsilver.com and Amazon.com

The Spotlight on New Authors for January have been selected:

John Cole : While America Sleeps:  An FBI Whistleblower’s Story. A former
FBI agent high up in the hierarchy blows the whistle and lets us in on what has really
been going on.

Keith David Henry: A Trilogy:  Architects of the Aquarian Age

Don’t Read This Book If You’re Right
The Invisible World and Other Obvious Things
Terra:  The Search for the Divine Feminine
These are books that show us a different way to  think.

Michelel Montgomery: River of Tears, A woman’s struggle as she searches for her missing husband leads to shocking revelations about him, his family, and the crime of adult kidnapping.

Steven Nedelton: Crossroads, a thrilling, paranormal spy novel.  Prepare for a late night,
you won’t be able to put it down.

Sharon Cupp Pennington: Mangroves and Monsters,  a romantic mystery.

The  Promote Your Book page has been updated as it will be every month. There are authors with excellent tips as well as 13 links to use to market your books.  If you know any other authors or blogs to help us or marketing links, please email them to me at trish@trishsilver.com.  Finally anyone who was not selected for the January spotlight will be honored on the New Authors Links page.  December spotlighted authors will also be honored on this page.

When I Remember Love received two new professional reviews.
You can read the reviews on my site under Book Reviews or go
right to the sources, Manic Readers and Romance Junkies.  Here is a taste:

Trish Silver provides a wonderful take on what life for a contestant
on a reality television show is like after the last performance. She gives a
remarkable view of the world beyond and how a star is born. The original
music that was made for the novel only adds to the magical ambiance that
Ms. Silver so marvelously crafts. This is a story for anyone who has ever
been in love or ever dreamed of finding the special person meant for them.

If any of you have exciting news like this, please comment here and let us all know.

I am so excited that I am going to toot my own horn.  I was selected as a featured author
on http://www.romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/ My book was reviewed.
I received a 5  blue ribbon review which is the best that they award. They also interviewed me.

I am also excited because my book video won first prize on http://yougottareadvideos.blogspot.com
for October and is featured on http://www.authorsden.com. My book is featured there also.
Please go to that site and review my book. I have more than 20 excellent reviews
on Amazon. I am very grateful to those who reviewed When I Remember Love so favorably.  I  also need
reviews on the Authorsden, http://www.shewrites.com, and http://www.goodreads.com
These are great sites for authors which is also why I had to tell you all they did for me.

Also new authors, please submit your books for consideration for the January spotlight.
You are guaranteed a spot on my New Authors Links page whether or not you are chosen for
the Spotlight on New Authors page.  Find out the details at http://www.whenirememberlove.com/new-authors.html.
If you know any other good sites for authors or any authors who are helpful to new authors, please write a
comment to this blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe  holiday season.

Trish

My desire to help new authors has become a reality with my first monthly
spotlight series on five writers who have great potential.  I hope you will visit the
Spotlight on New Authors Page on my web site and meet them and their books.
I am proud to announce the selections for December:

Marti Rulli,  Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour: an investigation of
Natalie Woods death.

Chuck Weinblatt,  Jacob’s Courage: a love story set in the time of the Holocaust.

Julie Achterhoff,  Quantum Earth: a paranormal look into the environmental disasters we are all facing.

Gunter Swoboda, Mountains of the Sea: an adventure in the South Seas set in the late 1700’s.

Lisa Lipkind Leibow,  Double Out and Back: an important novel about women who ride the emotional  roller coaster  of infertility treatments.

Please visit the  Spotlight on New Authors page.  Visit their websites and blogs.  I hope you will find a book or two to buy and enjoy.

Thanks to everyone who voted for the book trailer  for my novel, When I Remember Love.  We won first place in the You Gotta  Read Videos contest.  Click the link to see our book trailer featured on the site.  I couldn’t have done it without your support.

Thanks to Mick Moore for the great job he did on the video.   Thanks to my publicist, Janis Friesler who found the contest and encouraged me to enter it.  Thanks to my song writing team, Alan DiCenzo and Judy Simpson for the beautiful background music.  Thank you,  Dick Wells for singing the song with your beautiful voice.

I have been under the weather for the past few days.  When this passes, I have a lot of blogs to write so stay tuned.

Trish