Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Guest Post - Bri Clark's Road to Publication

Please welcome author Bri Clark to One Book Shy as she tours the blogosphere with her new book:



Glazier 

 My Road to Publication 
by Bri Clark

I did the whole query letter; find an agent, got 150 rejection letters thing. Two times, I had a partial ms request both times they said it was a great premise but needed more work. And guess what they were spot on. I did that for about a year. Worked on my magna opus Glazier a total of three years before it was contracted with Astraea Press and released July of 2011.

However, Glazier was not my first published work, Familial Witch was and Caffe’ Seduzione shortly after. These are two novellas that I have contracted novel length sequels for now. Eternal Witch and Mafia Seduzione.

The thing about my road to publication was I did what everyone else was doing. I followed the blogs, wrote, rewrote query letters, had a very neat excel spreadsheet of the agents I sent to. Oh yeah I’m anal organized. I even had columns for the dates when they received the query and how long it took them to respond. Then thought when I wanted to scream and yell Nay!! after yet another form rejection I could post that it took them 6 weeks and one day not the 4 they claimed. Not exactly professional…and it wasn’t working for me at all either.

Why… you ask cause it wasn’t my way…the Bri way…the Belle way. I’ve lived my whole life making my own path then sashaying down it in a pair of wedge heels.

I’m known as the Belle of Boise because I’m a sassy southern belle living in Boise ID. My whole life I’ve always achieved what I sought. So I took all the knowledge I gained over three years and on a spur of the moment whim went to the Idaho Book Extravaganza, took some workshops, met and made good friends/ mentors in Aaron Patterson, Vincent Zandri and Maryanna Young.

I told them that in the next year I’d attend IBE as a published author. Guess what--I am. By then I should have 4-5 books released. The Indie publisher route with Stone House Ink and Astraea Press is where I have found my path now. Working with these houses has been some of the best experiences in my life. Stone House Ink suits me well in that they do it their own way…forging their own path in publishing. Astraea Press provides the support system and guidance I need in the form of a large group of other female authors…and Phil. Sorry Phil you know I love you.

Would I work with an agent? Totally. Would I go the traditional route? Absolutely. Would I leave my publishers in the dust my wedges drum up? Heck no!

If there is one thing I am it’s I’m loyal to a fault, like a tick on a coon dogs back my Paw Paw always says.


Bri Clark is a real example of redemption and renewal.  Growing up penniless in the South, Bri learned street smarts while caring for her brother in a broken home.  She watched her mother work several jobs to care for their small family.  Once her brother could fend for himself, Bri moved on to a series of bad choices including leaving school and living on her own.   Rebelliousness was a strong understatement to describe those formative years.  As a teenager, her wakeup call came from a fight with brass knuckles and a judge that gave her a choice of shaping up or spending time in jail.  She took that opportunity and found a way to moved up from the streets.  She ended up co-owning an extremely successful construction business.  She lived the high life until the real estate crash when she lost everything.  She moved west and found herself living with her husband and 4 kids in a 900 square foot apartment.  She now fills her time, writing, blogging, leading a group of frugal shoppers and sharing her southern culture.  Her unique background gives her writing a raw sensibility.  She understands what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles.   She often tells friends, “I can do poor.  I’m good at poor. It’s prosperity that I’m not used to.”  Bri and her husband Chris live in Boise.  Bri is known as the Belle of Boise for her true southern accent, bold demeanor and hospitable nature.

Bri boasts several positions in the publishing industry. An author, professional reviewer, blogger, and author platform consultant she enjoys all aspects of her career from the creation of story to the branding and marketing needed to make her books successful.

Her latest book is Glazier, a romantic fantasy adventure novel with espionage, genetic powers, underground bases and a ginger beauty with memory issues that take you on a ride that begins in Vermont and comes to a head in Egypt.

Visit her at Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/Bri_Clark or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/TBriClark.
You can find out more about Bri at http://briclarkthebelleofboise.blogspot.com/.  


Glazier is available now:  Amazon (hardcopy & ebook)Barnes & Noble (ebook)




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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Review + Giveaway - The Traitor's Wife by Kathleen Kent


AUTHOR:    Kathleen Kent
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 296 pages
PUBLISHED:   Little, Brown and Company, 2010
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:  In the harsh wilderness of colonial Massachusetts, Martha Allen works as a servant in her cousin's household, taking charge and locking wills with everyone. Thomas Carrier labors for the family and is known both for his immense strength and size and mysterious past. The two begin a courtship that suits their independent natures, with Thomas slowly revealing the story of his part in the English Civil War. But in the rugged new world they inhabit, danger is ever present, whether it be from the assassins sent from London to kill the executioner of Charles I or the wolves-in many forms-who hunt for blood. A love story and a tale of courage, The Wolves of Andover The Traitor's Wife confirms Kathleen Kent's ability to craft powerful stories of family from colonial history.
 

MY TAKE:  One of the things other than the subject matter that drew me to this book is the fact that the author is actually a descendant of Martha Carrier.  It always fascinates me when a family member is able to write a story about someone in their lineage ~ especially when that ancestor's tale is as volatile as this one.


This book started out with the title of "The Wolves of Andover" and has been changed to it's current "The Traitor's Wife".  I think this was a smart move as the first title was a bit misleading since the wolves have just a bit part in the tale.  Of course the new title pretty much gives a bit of the story away, but history buffs will know how the story goes anyway. 


The Traitor's Wife is actually a prequel to Ms. Kent's blockbuster The Heretic's Daughter.  Both are quite enjoyable as stand alone reads so there is really no need to have read the first book before this one.  I think I'd actually prefer starting with The Traitor's Wife as it tells us how Martha and Thomas came to be.  Since Heretic is told from their daughter Sarah's point of view, it works well in either order.


Kathleen Kent has a lovely way with words.  She makes the reader feel right at home in 17th century England as well as Salem, Massachusetts.  Her characters and dialogue reflect the time period and various locations well.  Her writing shows the extensive research that she undertook.  I would imagine the fact that this is a fictional account of her real-life ancestors makes this attention to detail even more crucial.


Fans of historical fiction as well as those who enjoy learning about the Salem witch trials should read this story.  The familial tie of the author just adds to the interest of the book.


Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Available TODAY at: 


The publisher has generously offered up to three readers of One Book Shy their very own copy of The Traitor's Wife.  As usual, it's easy to enter:

  • Must be US or Canadian resident 13 years of age or older
  • NO PO Boxes
  • Fill out the FORM below
  • Drawing will end at midnight PST October 3, 2011
  • Winners are chosen using Random.org
  • Winners will have 72 hours to respond to win notification
  • Prize will be shipped directly from the publisher.




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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Review - Creatively Ever After by Alicia Arnold


AUTHOR:    Alicia Arnold
INFO:    Paperback, Non-Fiction, 156 pages
PUBLISHED:   The Cadence Group, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:  
 Around the world corporate executives have identified creativity as a key component to success. Creativity breeds innovation. Innovation gets results. There is a call for creativity in the workplace; however, there are few solutions for building deliberate creativity skills. That is, until now. Learn how to consistently bring new thinking to your organization’s toughest challenges by using the proven Creative Problem Solving (CPS) process.


Discover simple ways to: 
  • Create new futures
  • Develop breakthrough, creative solutions
  • Unlock your personal creativity
  • Generate more ideas, and better ideas, in a shorter amount of time
  • Solve the right organizational problems efficiently and effectively
  • Build creative leadership skills
MY TAKE:    Alicia Arnold has found a unique way to share the top-notch technique of using creativity to move forward.  By marrying Creative Problem Solving (CPS) with the tried and true nursery rhyme of "Jack and Jill", she has improvised a tool to help those of us who are stuck in a rut get out.


Her own creativity has come out in full force in this short (156 pages) book that packs quite a punch.  She gives us Jack and Jill's plight as a vehicle to show us how the CPS process can be applied to just about any situation.  As we work alongside Jack and Jill through the steps of identifying, gathering, clarifying, generating, developing and planning; we are creating our own process to solve our own problems.  The illustrations are cute and help convey the light tone the author uses to convey some important messages.


As I was reading this book I was continually finding ways to that I might implement these steps into my own issues.  There were many times when I stopped reading in order to write some notes to myself.  Ms. Arnold was successful in jump starting my own creativity regarding a couple of things I'm dealing with at the moment.  I was impressed that while this book was targeted for a business environment/atmosphere; I could see many instances to implement the process in our everyday dealings.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:


Copies are available now at:  
AmazonThe Book DepositoryBarnes & Noble


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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Guest Post + Giveaway - Roy Peter Clark

I am pleased to welcome Roy Peter Clark to One Book Shy.  He is currently on tour with his new book Help! for Writers. You can read my review and thoughts here.




Roy is joining us to share his thoughts on the things writers have to deal with and overcome in the modern world.  

The most difficult challenges writers face today

1. More than ever, writers have to be versatile, able to write long or short, fast or slow, reports or stories, independently or with others, online and on paper, in multiple genres and platforms for a wide variety of audiences.

2.  Writers must seize control of their careers.  In a bad economy, with newspapers and magazines shrinking in staff size and resources, the writer must always be planning for the next move. The key is to keep learning: reading, writing, talking about the craft.

3.  The panhandler says “Can you spare some change?”  I want to say, “Can you spare me the change?”  Change is no longer something that happens, that injects itself into normal patterns of life and work.  Change has become the normal pattern.  With change, especially technological change, comes gain and loss.  Writers must ask:  “What new opportunities can I embrace?” But also, “How can I compensate for what’s been lost.”

4. Back in the day, our job was just to write.  If the writing was good, it could attract an audience.  If not, we deserved to be ignored.  Now there is a new paradigm.  The writer must be willing to promote the work and to develop that work into a brand.  Stephen King is many things, one of them is a brand. With so many choices on the Internet, readers do turn to reliable names, sources, and brands.

5. The institutions that used to support writers are shaky. Newspapers and magazines are in decline, as are publishing companies, which seem more risk averse than ever. Old economic models seem beyond repair.  The good news is that with new technologies, old borders and barriers have crumbled.  At very little cost, the writer can publish his or her own work through websites, blogs, social media, and on-demand publishing.

6. While some of these new realities may seem dispiriting, more comforting is the news that good stories have not become obsolete, that curiosity and critical thinking remain in demand, that those of us who live inside the language have special creative powers that attracts others to us, including potential employers.  Keep the faith.  Hold the torch up high. Get your hands moving on that keyboard.    

Thank you Roy, I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and answer my question.




Roy Peter Clark, a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is Vice President and Senior Scholar of the world-renowned Poynter Institute. The author or editor of 14 professional books, he is founding director of the National Writer's Workshops, regional conferences that attract 5,000 writers annually. His 50 tools, published in abbreviated form on the Poynter Website (www.poynter.org), have already gained foothold worldwide.

You can find out more about Roy and Help! for Writers  at TwitterFacebookGoodreads and at Poynter.  



Now for those of you sharp-eyed readers who noticed the word GIVEAWAY and the little GIVEAWAY logo above...we're having a GIVEAWAY!   Thanks to the author and Anna at Little, Brown and Company we have a copy of Roy's book for one you lucky ducks..

  • Must be US or Canadian resident, at least 13 years old
  • No PO Boxes
  • Leave a comment WITH your email address on this post
  • Drawing ends midnight PST September 30th, 2011
  • Winner will have 72 hours to respond to winning notice
If you don't want to wait for your own copy:  


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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Review - Help! for Writers by Roy Peter Clark


AUTHOR:    Roy Peter Clark
INFO:    Paperback,Non-Fiction, 276 pages
PUBLISHED:   Little, Brown, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:  
 The craft of writing offers countless potential problems: The story is too long; the story's too short; revising presents a huge hurdle; writer's block is rearing its ugly head. 


In HELP! FOR WRITERS, Roy Peter Clark presents an "owner's manual" for writers, outlining the seven steps of the writing process, and addressing the 210 most urgent problems that writers face. In his trademark engaging and entertaining style, Clark offers ten short solutions to each problem. Out of ideas? Read posters, billboards, and graffiti. Can't bear to edit yourself? Watch the deleted scenes feature of a DVD, and ask yourself why those scenes were left on the cutting-room floor. HELP! FOR WRITERS offers 210 strategies to guide writers to success.

MY TAKE:    I have always tinkered with my writing and seem to gravitate to books and classes that aid me in that pursuit.  Back in October of 2010 I had the privilege of reviewing Mr. Clark's book The Glamour of Grammar.  His newest offering is another book that will be residing next to that one on my bookshelf for years to come.


Roy Peter Clark's writing style is very easy for the reader to comprehend as well as enjoy.  As in the previous book, he breaks the material down into bite-size chunks that the would-be writer ~ or experienced author, can easily digest.  His manner and delivery are both entertaining and educational.  I found myself laughing at some points and taking copious notes at others. His comments and observations sparked several ideas that I had to jot down immediately. The book is presented in logical order taking you through seven simple steps of the writing journey. The author wraps it up with a list of 25 of his favorite writing books.  I found this to be yet another helpful resource from him.


In the post I wrote about my meeting with Diana Gabaldon, I noted that she told all of us that we don't have to write in a straight line from A-Z or start to finish.  You can write chapter 12 before you write chapter 3.  Go ahead and create the ending before the beginning...  Roy Peter Clark has reinforced that permission and "ah-ha" moment with this book.  In the section on "Getting Your Act Together", he shares several techniques to keep your written inventory organized.  With wall boards, index cards and many, many more tricks of the trade, Mr. Clark helps the writer keep it all straight. 


The book's opening line instructs the reader to consider Help! for Writers an owner's manual for their writing process.  I think this is a very apt statement as I have already found myself referring back to the book more than once as I work on a project.  I have a feeling that this will quickly become one of my "go-to" references when I come across a roadblock or just need a refresher.


I definitely recommend this book to writers, would-be writers and students.  It will become a staple on many home library reference shelves.  

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:


Treat yourself to a copy:  AmazonThe Book DepositoryBarnes & Noble


Join me a bit later as I welcome Roy Peter Clark to One Book Shy to share his thoughts on challenges facing today's writers.  Plus there just might be a GIVEAWAY........

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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Review - Garden of Secrets by Barbara Freethy


TITLE: Garden of Secrets
   

AUTHOR:    Barbara Freethy
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 368 pages
PUBLISHED:   Pocket Star Books, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review

FROM GOODREADS:  Dr. Charlotte Adams is torn between two men. Rev. Andrew Schilling is her past, a high-school romance that went drastically wrong. But he's back in town now and part of her present — along with newly-divorced Police Chief Joe Silviera, whom she's been powerfully attracted to for months. The question is, which man is her future — and Charlotte has to face and accept her past before she can build a life with Joe.


MY TAKE:    In January, I discovered Barbara Freethy and her Angel's Bay series when I read and enjoyed my review of At Hidden Falls.  I was drawn into the characters and the town immediately and wanted more.


Garden of Secrets is the fifth and final installment in Ms. Freethy's series set in the fictional town of Angel's Bay on the Central California coast.  As with the other books in the series, this one can be read alone.  I'm a sucker for stories in a series so I suggest reading all of them simply for the whole experience and enjoyment.


The people that populate this little town as well as the angels that are responsible for the name are what make this such a heart-warming and fun series.  The author has filled her tale(s) with characters that tug at your heart and make you wish you lived there with them. I had already decided that I really liked Charlotte from the last book.  She has a big heart and tries to help everyone else out while ignoring her own pain and past.  Her biggest problem is trying to decide which of the gorgeous men who are pursuing her is the one she should take a chance on.  I have to admit that I was rooting for Joe even back in the first book when he was still with Rachel.  Charlotte's first love Andrew just never did it for me.  I disliked him from the moment he showed up.  I had a hard time with Charlotte forgiving him so easily and spending so much time with him.  


The mystery and murder storyline was well done.  The author kept me guessing until right near the end.  I liked it when so many of the threads started to come together and several of the stories/issues were resolved.


I recommend this book as an enjoyable read with just the right touches of romance, intrigue and magic to appeal to everyone.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:


Pre-order your copy now:  AmazonThe Book DepositoryBarnes & Noble

    

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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.