Author, Wife, Busy Mom, A Woman after God's Heart.

Tag: Books

Don’t Miss These Book Marketing Tips for Authors

Today, I’d like to share a post for all authors desiring to share their work to the world. This includes those writers who are new, experienced, and hobbyists.

Brian Feinblum has over 30 years of book marketing experience, and having helped thousands of authors, one earns an appearance on the YouTube channel of The Toronto Business Journal!

Kick back and get 60 minutes of book marketing advice and strategies, book publicity tips, and insider insights into book publishing from someone who has helped several mega best-selling, celebrity authors –and many first-time, self-published, unknown authors.

Wait no further, click here for the informative interview.

For more info on Brian, his blogs, or how to get in touch with him, click here to go to the BookMarketingBuzzBlog page.

 

The Drink or the Pen?

Are you a writer because you drink? Or, are you a drinker because you write? Do these two sentences say the same thing, or are they different? Hmmm…  Now that is the question.

I found this book at my local library and perused the contents. It is very interesting and has great drink recipes from famous authors, poets, and playwrights on what they drank while perfecting their profession.  Check it out…

I consider myself a decent cook, but I can’t bake for nothing. My chocolate chip cookies come out like communion wafers, my muffins come out like ballooned portabella mushrooms, and any boxed cake I try to bake, turns out like runny glue, if of course there is such a thing as runny glue.

But, experimenting with alcohol recipes, well, now were talking. No, I’m not an alcoholic, but being Italian, I grew up drinking wine during meal time. And, I often helped my dad and uncle make homemade wine every October. It was hard work pressing the grapes into juice in our “spotless” garage. Spotless you ask? Of course! You can’t make wine in a dirty and cluttered garage. We had to wash the cement floor with soap and water prior to setting up our tools and machine to squeeze the grapes. There’s no fooling around in our house when it came to winemaking.

Our family wine-making days are over, my father is too old. I do miss the good ol’ days that’s for sure. But now, there are so many different ways of making wine. I’ve included a few links below if you’re curious.

How to Make Homemade Wine: 13 Steps (with Pictures) – wikiHow

Winemaking – Wikipedia

Homemade Italian Wine – How to make wine at home from grapes without yeast and sugar – Bing video

Homemade Italian Wine – YouTube

As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have matured. I still love wine for dinner, but I also enjoy whiskeys and bourbons.

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.

So, what’s the difference between the two? Find out for yourself:

Bourbon vs. Whiskey: What’s the Difference? | Taste of Home

What’s the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey? | Southern Living

The difference between rye, bourbon, and scotch – Bing video

Is there a correlation between libations and writing? In my humble opinion, no.  It seems that writers have been associated with drinking alcohol for centuries. In fact, Ernest Hemingway said it best…

I don’t need alcohol to write. In fact, I prefer water. There are days or nights while editing that I might have a cocktail to help ease the tension of correcting my writing. I’ve only been in a euphoric zone of writing on a few occasions, and that’s hard to do. What is “euphoric zone”? It’s my made up term for when you have those crazy, haunting ideas swelling your brain, and then you’re trying to write those thoughts down as fast as you can without losing it. It’s a glorious feeling when it has happened; I’m so immersed into what I’m writing that I can’t stop. Its’ heart beating and exhilarating—that’s Euphoric Zone.

My advice to you for when ideas hit so strong, is to park your butt in a seat and write, type, or dictate. Otherwise, the ideas will disappear.

As for making drinks, I’ve seem to have perfected the “Art of Making Limoncello”. At least that’s what my family and friends tell me. It’s an Italian liquor made from lemon zest; a drink served before or after a meal to aid in digestion. I’ve been making it for years and even documented the process. Click below for my three-part Limoncello-making series.

Part 1: A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Part 2: The Mid-Process Peek. A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Part 3: Reaping What You Sow. A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Here are a few other links to making Limoncello:

What Is Limoncello and How Is It Made?  | MyRecipes

What Is Limoncello & How To Drink Italian Limoncello (bespokeunit.com)

So, I may not have the gift of baking, but I can surely make you a drink.

 

Until next time friends, cheers! Be responsible.

 

The Story Behind the Story…Behind the Story: Publishing My First Middle-Grade Fairy Tale

authorinterview

What constitutes a successful book launch?

How does one write a compelling story that readers will fall in love and read over and over again?

What type of discipline is involved in writing a book of any length?

Why did you write what you wrote in the first place?

How long does it take to write a book?

There are so many questions to how a book is written, drafted, produced, and published. But, one needs to go back to the root of why a writer writes in the first place.

Today marks the launch of my very first middle-grade fairy tale: Petrella, the Gillian Princess. A story about a courageous young princess who defies rank and authority to follow her heart. Click here for full synopsis.

This short story was written in the fall of 2012 with the intention of it being part of an anthology. It never made the cut. Placed in a drawer, it sat patiently, waiting. I didn’t find it until the fall of 2014 while rummaging through old paperwork. After rereading it several times to myself and then to my daughters, I decided to bring the magic and imagination of Petrella, the Gillian Princess back to life. I spent the better part of 2015 and 2016 enhancing and streamlining the story, which I now have 47 versions of the tale.

NOTE: So, to answer the question on how long does it take to write a book? Well, as long as it takes to make it right in the writer’s mind.

Recently, I sat down with Michelle Rene Goodhew from Mundus Media Ink. We worked together on creating the paperback and ebook format for the book.

Click here for the interview.

Until next time…

Be well. Be safe. Be happy.

 

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