Guest Feature: Stand out in the crowd with Book Trailers by Amanda Robins

You have spent hours pouring your energy into writing your master piece aka your book. Even more time and money was spent formatting, editing, proof reading and all those other little bits and pieces that needed to be done to get your book ready for the world to read.
Now you are ready to release your book into the market place but there is one problem. So are 1,000s of other authors on the exact same day as you. That’s right no matter what day you choose to publish your book there will be 1,000s of fellow authors doing the same thing resulting in over 15 million books just THIS YEAR!
Don’t be disheartened. There are ways very clever authors just like you use to stand out above the rest. One of these powerful ways is by creating a book trailer to give readers a sneak peek into your book.
Just take a look at the author and eBook groups on Facebook where people post their books to gain exposure. Each post has the book cover, blurb and a link to Amazon.com. They all look the same. Now imagine how your book can stand out in the crowd with a book trailer.
As people scroll down the page they see your video and within less than a minute they have experienced your book the way you envisioned it.
Let’s not forget about the power of YouTube with 163 million unique visitors each day. Imagine the potential of getting in front of just 1% of all these visitors not to mention Google loves YouTube videos (they do own the site after all) and next thing you know you are at the top of Google search results as well.
A book trailer is also a fantastic tool for your Amazon Author Central page.
It is the little things that you do that will increase your book sales and your author success.
Book Trailers are an amazing tool that even the great Stephen King uses to promote his books.
These are just a handful of ways Book Trailers can be used to increase your book’s success. It is now time for you to become a smart book marketer and use your own book trailer to promote your master piece.
If you are ready to get your very own book trailers simply visit http://www.MesmerizingBookTrailers.com for a very special offer.


Author Bio
Amanda Robins is the author of the International Best Selling Book “How To Turn On A Tired Housewife”. Amanda credits her book trailer to the quick success the book has had. She is now on a mission to help fellow authors create mesmerizing book trailers to boost them to the top of their field. For more information about Amanda and her book please visit http://www.TiredHousewife.com

Guest Photographer Francois Venter: Lesotho - The People

 

Lesotho is a land of contrasts in many forms. On the one side you have the farmlands where a man only wants to provide for his family and on the other side you have this vast wonder of technology. The Katse dam.

Most of the land in rural Lesotho is probably being utilised by sustenance farmers. Having said that you only really realise what that means when you start moving around the countryside. Most people are regarded as doing well when they have gumboots, a balaclava, a blanket, a donkey and a dog. If you have a horse and a few cattle, then you are wealthy. It was very interesting that there were no cats around. It is also clear that the dogs are just as “poor” as their owners. Most of them have shaggy coats, grave signs of inbreeding is visible, and in general they are totally under fed.

The contrasts in Lesotho are evident everywhere. These contrasts are sad, beautiful and inspiring - all at the same time.

Blog Tour: Collateral Damage by Frederick Lee Brooke

About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of Collateral Damage! Here's what you need to do...

1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
2. Leave a comment on my blog

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Collateral Damage tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: When Annie Ogden’s ex-boyfriend Michael Garcia reappears, she has to confront a lie dating back to her time in Iraq. Will she go back to hot, passionate Michael, who has developed a disturbing interest in meth, or stick with her pudgy PI partner and fiancé, Salvatore? The calculus changes when Michael is arrested for murder. When Salvatore refuses to help investigate, Annie is forced to try to find the killer herself. Meanwhile her sister’s creepy husband, Todd, is making more of an ass of himself than usual. Annie's problems with three obsessive men suddenly pale in significance when she realizes the killer has set his sights on her. Having changed his mind about helping her, Salvatore finds himself in a desperate race against time, the only man capable of finding the killer before it’s too late. Get Collateral Damage through Amazon.


About the author: Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series - Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order.
Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works! Connect with Fred on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.

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Guest Post: A Writer's Heart by author CJ Peterson

I found the definition of author to be: ‘the maker of anything; creator; originator’. When an author writes a book, they write from the heart. They write what is inside of them. They write from what they know, or what they imagine. They put their heart and soul into every word they pen to paper.

I became a writer almost as form of therapy or escape from the reality that was my life at the time. There are many aspects of my own life within the pages of my books. The abuse, the violence, even the neglect and internal struggles were a daily fight between me and God. God walked with me through it all and loved me even when I fought with Him. At one point I even gave up writing. I had fought for so long, I was ready to give up the fight. Since then, however, God brought a man into my life that drastically changed the downward spiral I was headed in. My husband showed me the love I never had known before then. He treats me like a princess and never ceases to amaze me with his tender heart. He showed me what love is and what a healthy love looks like.

Growing up in a military family, my life was beyond structured. We moved so many times that I had no idea what it was like to have a ‘best friend’. People shifted in and out of my life with each move. After a while, I wouldn’t bother to even memorize our address or phone number. ‘Nomadic’ became a way of life.

Additionally, I have had a variety of vocations over the years. One of these included a catastrophe adjuster, which seemed almost made for me. In that job, I would bounce from state to state following the storms. I would also have a chance to help people in need. Someone once asked me how I could do that job. They said it would break their heart. While it did break my heart, I knew I was on the front-line helping people get back on their feet from the disaster that encompassed their lives. In another job, I was a on a volunteer fire department as an EMT. Once again, I was able to help people who needed it the most at their most vulnerable time of their life. There are still visions today that I cannot get out of my head. Another field I was in was a counselor. Being able to help people who were under extreme duress walk through the complications that plagued their lives was tremendously rewarding, but it was also draining.

When I met my husband and read some of the books to him, he encouraged me to print them. He said with everything I have gone through, and everything God walked with me through it would be a shame to keep them to myself. As I read them to him, I even saw them make a change in him. With him being a 24 ½ year Navy Veteran, there was so much he saw that it still plagues him even today. With three tours in Iraq as a Medic with the Marines, it left him with scars that he still struggles with.

I prayed about it and decided if the words in my books can even help one person, printing them will be worth it. When my first book STRENGTH FROM WITHIN released in NOV2012, I had such positive feedback that it has encouraged me to continue. The next book, which was just released in 01AUG2013, is the first of a trilogy, and this set is very close to my heart. When I wrote this trilogy, I was going through one of the toughest struggles in my life to date. The words in those books gave me hope and strength to continue on and to keep fighting. It is my prayer they will help others. THE CALL TO DUTY is now in paperback and in ebook form. A portion of the proceeds to this trilogy are going to a non-profit organization I have been personally involved with, that sends packages overseas to our soldiers, making sure they know they are not forgotten. You can find out more about Airborne Angel Cadets of Texas online at: http://www.airborneangelcadets.com/

Connect with CJ Peterson:

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I look forward to hearing from those who read my books, and I pray they will find encouragement and strength from the words within their pages.

Courageous. Brave. Fearless. Valiant. These synonyms are often used to describe firefighters/paramedics, police officers, and military personnel. They face danger and lay their lives on the line when they leave for work. What are their struggles? Could that hinder their job proficiency? Who is taking care of those who are taking care of the citizens of this country?
Casey Carter is a 'newbie' to the firefighting family of Engine Company 15. Not only does she have to prove herself as a probationary firefighter, but she also has to battle misconceptions of females within her newly chosen profession. As situations begin to arise, can she count on the firefighter brotherhood to have her back? Will she be able to pass the tests placed before her, or are there aspects that she was not even aware existed?

Often in life there are two realms in play. There is the physical realm - what is right before you; the other is the spiritual realm - what is unseen. Each can directly affect you, whether you believe they exist or not. Can Casey keep them in balance when she is not exactly sure what she is fighting? Can a group of men help her see what cannot be readily seen, hear what cannot be readily heard, and be able to overcome what she never knew existed? Will they be able to show Casey her true Call To Duty?

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EBIEIE6

Guest Posts in September

September announces spring in my part of the world. While we are still caught in a cold spell, here are some articles that will warm up the insides almost as well as a good cup of coffee.

It is my pleasure to feature guest posts by authors, aspiring authors and photographers on my blog this month.
The first photographer is Francois Venter - and you can check out his first post on Lesotho here.

2 September : A Writer's Heart by CJ Peterson
7 September: Lesotho (part 2) by Francois Venter
9 September: Post by Amanda Robins
12 September: The Writing Life or Lack Thereof by Vanessa Wright
17 September: Writing vs Real Life by Rob McShane

There are still two spots open for a post on the life of a writer (19 and 23 September) . If these dates call to you, why don't you let me know by leaving a comment here, send me a message on Facebook, or a tweet on Twitter (no DMs please)

Are you photographer? There are two spots left for you too! (21 and 28 September). Tell us a story about a place you have been, or a particularly difficult scene that you have wanted to capture. Three to four pics with a bio should form part of your article.

Please bookmark this page or follow then you can see what authors are typically up to when they are writing, and the places photographers visit for that next perfect picture.

Guest Post: Lesotho - Expect the Unexpected!

It is my pleasure to host the first guest post by my husband, Francois Venter, who is a passionate photographer. You can see more of his photographs here. Enjoy!

In 2012 a group of us undertook a trip by road to Lesotho. We were going to stay at the Katse Village. Katze village is approximately 110km from the Caledonspoort border post outside Fouriesburg in the eastern Free State.

We should probably have realised during the trip to Fouriesburg that the trip will not be what we expected. At Frankfort we saw the temperature drop to -7°C. And when we entered Clarens we saw our first real snow. The freshly ploughed fields were covered in snow. Even the golden gate national park mountains showed mountains covered in snow. It was roughly at this time that we did start to worry about the road ahead.

But wait more was to come. Nothing prepared us for the snow and ice that we would be driving on for the next 6 hours. As we drove along it just became worse and worse, testing a number of photographers who tried a 4x4 trip for the first time. There is however one point that nobody could argue with, and that was the beauty of the surroundings. In the short periods of time when you were not trying to keep the car on the road, you could admire the beauty around you.

From deep soft snow that is untouched to grass that peaked through the snow. Photographically you asked yourself a number of time where you should start. There was so many beautiful scenes. Travelling on through the mountains, ice and snow, you eventually reach Katse dam. When you see the dam for the first time, you think: We are there !!! Well you are so wrong. At that stage you are at least 40km away from your overnight village, such is the vastness of Katse dam.

Katse dam is 42km in length and 135m deep in places. It easily measures 500 to 800m wide in most places. Around every corner there is a new view of the dam. It is here where you start to realise that this country is presenting a face that you did not expect. It is barren, it is harsh but its natural resources are well utilised. These resources have be gathered and provide a number of excellent opportunities to its people. 

We later learned how poor the rural people were. However, many of the poor households in rural areas had electricity, stone built toilets and access to water for their farming activities.

Blog Tour: My Mr Manny by Jennifer Garcia

Summary:

Mia Balducci misses her childhood days and yearns for the big, Italian family that she left behind in small town Massachusetts. At the tender age of sixteen, Mia moves with her bachelor father to Los Angeles, but no matter how many years pass, it never becomes home to her. The years spent living with her father aren’t easy, especially since she can’t stop thinking about what she once had. Her enrollment in the University of Southern California promises to bring exciting changes to her life, but Mia winds up with big problems instead. When she runs into an old friend from her old hometown of Winthrop, she gets swept up in nostalgia, and she soon loses herself in a quickly-progressing romance. When the fantasy falls apart, she is left to raise her precious little girl, Lucia, on her own. The demands of Mia’s work schedule and Lucia’s needs increase, and their lives become increasingly hectic. It is soon clear to Mia that she needs help. Luckily, her life-saving cousin saves the day and brings the mother and daughter a male nanny – their new “manny.”
After losing his high-pressure job on Wall Street, Dominic Roberts wants to follow his dreams to have a family. He’s already one fiancée down, and there are no likely prospects for another. In order to find the family he so desperately wants, he finds himself getting into the manny business. Since he is fully qualified to provide child care and is eager to leave New York City behind, his sister-in-law is able to land him a job in California working for his first client – the beautiful and intriguing Mia Balducci.
Will Lucia like the new man in her mother's life? Will Mia? And will this new trio discover the happily ever after they all so desperately seek?

Buy Link for My Mr. Manny on Amazon

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Author Bio:

Jennifer Garcia’s (aka Forbes Arnone) love of travel began when she went to the West Coast to visit her father at the age of three. Her home until she was sixteen was a small coastal town near Boston. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.

Her lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Even though she is older, and life never seems to settle, she’s finding her way while attending college full-time in pursuit of a B.A. in English Literature. She also runs a business, and is still caring for her family. Believing she can do it all, with the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of the night while balancing the rest of her life during the day. Her hard work paid off, as her first novel, My Mr. Manny, will be published August 2013.

Find Jennifer on:

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Amazon - Forbes Arnone