A Special Excerpt For You.
For that romantic heart of yours, I’m bringing you a special excerpt from my new release PROTECTOR, and one I’ve never brought out before.
It’s all about the first kiss. These are a tender and exciting moment in a romance novel, whether they range from sweet to off-the-charts hot. Two weeks ago the Young Adult Bookworm Blogger reviewed Protector and gave the first kiss between my young heroine and hero a “Swoon Award.” In light of that honor, how could I not share this young couple’s very first delicious kiss with you on this most special of days.
Here it is…
“So, now what do we do?” I snuggled, discovering my need of him intensifying just as his obviously was. I watched the play of sunlight dancing through the window, crossing his face and highlighting his strong jaw and his mouth.
“Someone harmed you. Zac, Viv and Belle are just three members of the team I keep quite close to me. No one else will ever get through all of us to you again. But there will be rules. To ensure your safety I want you to–”
“Hold on.” I cut off his words by pressing a finger to his lips. Ooo, so soft. And what was with my fascination with his mouth?
His brows drew down, his forehead furrowing deeply. “Are you still not feeling well?”
“Oh, I’m more than well.” Then I slowly grinned and leaned in. “It seems I want more than your protection. I want you to kiss me.” That was the complete and honest truth.
That comment stopped him dead cold.
Then he inhaled, slowly, the sound so sweet as his breath stuttered a little. “Kiss you?” he murmured, his eyes now turning a melting hue of delicious brown.
“If you want?” I somehow managed to shrug my shoulders like it didn’t matter.
“I want to.” Then he closed that last little gap and there was nothing but his warm lips against mine. Every sound around me vanished as my world centered and became only him.
He had come to me at the first sign I was in trouble–no man had done that in my life.
My soul lifted and my heart soared.
Desire flared, and he pushed me against the soft comforter. He surrounded me, my mind captivated as we shared breath and a moment like no other.
My first kiss.
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I hope you enjoyed, and if you want to pick up your copy of Protector for a special read, or to give as a gift, the links are just below. 🙂
PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
What Makes A Great Query Letter?
I’ll never forget my first attempt at writing a query letter. I even showed it to a writer friend, who had just scored an agent, and I couldn’t wait to hear her opinion. Only it didn’t quite go as I’d hoped, the tale more or less like this.
“Joanne, what on earth are you thinking?” She waved the four crisp pages of my query letter in front of me.
“Um… That I’ve written a fabulous query letter. Why?”
“It’s too long. Way too long.”
Okay, I could deal with that. I could shorten it. “What length should it be?”
She leaned it. “I have a book on how to write query letters, and I’ll give it to you. Your query letter is your sales pitch to the screener of the slush pile. That means, it’s one page in length.”
“One page?” She had to be kidding, only I saw by the frankness of her expression she wasn’t. “But I’ll only get three paragraphs in.”
“Exactly. Imagine you’re in an elevator, and you hand your query letter to the editor who happens to be going up one floor. That’s about the length of time you have to engage their attention and tempt them into reading your synopsis next.”
“Seriously?” So unfair. “So they might not even read my synopsis if I can’t capture their interest with the query letter?”
“Yes, my friend.” She handed me back my wad of papers. “Welcome to the wonderful world of trying to find an agent or a publisher.”
So, I set to work and read the book she gave me from cover to cover. First, I was in shock that writers actually sell books on how to write query letters, but it’s totally true. And second, the next time I presented my friend with my new query letter, she sighed with delight. It was perfect, and her happiness had me delirious.
So, what makes a great query letter? Let me detail what I’ve learnt.
- Keep it to one page. 🙂 (Yep, that’s me being ever so helpful.)
- Ensure you address your query letter personally to the agent or editor listed on the submissions page. A must.
- Then your first paragraph goes something like this:
I am seeking representation for my “Genre_of_your_Novel and Book_Title,” complete at “Word_Count.” I am enclosing a synopsis and a sample chapter as per your submission guidelines. (In one or two brief sentences list your credentials, but make sure you touch only on the most impressive.) (In one or two brief sentences describe your desire to write so that the agent/editor understands this is your passion, and refer to any published works if you have them.)
NOTE: The line of what you’re enclosing needs to reflect what the agent’s or publisher’s submission guidelines request.
- Next, you detail your blurb or pitch of the book, so keep it short. For this, just imagine you’re standing in a book shop and you’re checking out the books on the shelves. You see one you might like, and you flip it over and read the back cover. As you read this, you’re going to either find it engaging, or not. It’s the back cover which will decide whether or not you buy the book. Now, this is your pitch for your query letter, and this blurb needs to entice the agent or editor into looking at your synopsis next.
- Lastly, thank them for their generous time in a nice single sentence.
- Also ensure you include your name, address, phone number, and email address on the letter.
That’s it. Nothing else, unless they specifically ask for it within their submission guidelines. The query letter is often referred to as the bait, and your synopsis the hook. Then the sample of your manuscript needs to reel them right in. I love that analogy, and it’s so very true. If you’re after some more tips on how to write a synopsis next, you’ll find that on a post I did right HERE.
Okay, it’s time to announce the winner of my blog hop’s draw. For those who left a comment WITH THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS, I used random.org to draw a name for a chance to win an ebook copy of PROTECTOR. That winner is:
** Meghan Stith **
Congratulations, Meghan. I have your email, so I’ll be making contact with you today to send you your prize. Of course the Grand Prize winners will be posted later today on Carrie Ann Ryan’s Blog Hop Page HERE, and they’ll be notified via email of their win.
Don’t forget, if you want to leave a comment, you know I love them. Perhaps you have another tip to add in writing a great query letter? Let me know, and thanks for dropping by to see me this week. If you want to pick up your copy of Protector, the links are just below. 🙂
PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
Prizes and Heartbreaker Blog Hop is Here
HEARTBREAKERS. Yeah, we romance writers love these bad boys. There’s nothing quite like taming the wild one, and we grin just thinking about how we’re going to turn him into a heartthrob and the man our heroine needs him to be.
I’d love to hear if you have a heartthrob in your life? Or are you still looking for him? Perhaps you’re a romance writer and you dream of turning your heartbreaker into the best hero ever? Hey, and maybe you’re even one of these heartthrobs? because guys, I haven’t forgotten about you.
Flex those muscles, and if you leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS you can go into the draw for a chance to win an ebook copy of PROTECTOR. The winner will be announced on 12th February 2013, and I’ll contact you by email to organise your prize.
But that’s not all… Your comment also drops you into the grand prize draw of the hop (prizes are featured below–and they are amazzzing), so make sure you don’t miss out. It just takes one comment on this post WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS to get you into BOTH DRAWS. 🙂
PROTECTOR
To love and protect…across worlds.
Eighteen-year-old Faith Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a Halfling–thanks to her warrior father she’s never met–does her own skill of forethought develop.
Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a Halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate–an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up.
With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?
BUY THE BOOK: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Lyrical Press / iTunes / Kobo
NOW WHAT ARE THOSE PRIZES?
We have THREE grand prizes. Almost 300 authors are sharing Heartbreaker themed blogs, and you as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter almost 300 times!
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (International)
2nd Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card (International)
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! (US Only) And here’s the cool pic of the actual swag.
Keep hopping–You can find the complete list of participating authors right HERE.
Also, and only if you wish to, please consider “liking” my Facebook author page. For your convenience the link is just over on the right-hand sidebar. 🙂
If you’d like to add Protector to your TBR list, here’s the link for Goodreads. Or it’s on the sidebar as well.
And for those keen on checking out Protector’s trailer on YouTube, it’s–> here.
Thank you so much for dropping by, and I wish you and yours a wonderful week.
Shh, It’s The Secret That Isn’t A Secret
Puppies, they are too darn cute. 🙂
Hey, everyone. Last week I was asked by a friend and a fellow author a question which surprised me. But what shocked me more, was a best-selling author got in touch with me and asked me the same direct question only a few days later. Then would you believe, two more followed in quick succession.
I’m not kidding you. In a matter of seven days four authors had asked me the same identical question. Well, I scratched my head, because it was as if I had a secret they wanted to know. So here we go, here’s their question.
Joanne, how on earth have you managed to gain 85,000 followers on twitter?
Okay, so my number of followers is up there, but it was still a question which surprised me, because there’s no secret to how I did it at all. For us authors, twitter is one of our social media platforms. It’s where we can reach out and let people know what we’re doing, what we’re blogging about, and so much more.
Before I answer the question though, here’s what happened to me a couple of days ago, because twitter can be a magical place, and surprises jump out around every corner.
So there I was, about to hop onto twitter when my puppy started barking like crazy in the laundry room which is right next door to my office. Off I went to check on him, only to discover him tearing into a beach towel lying on the floor. Yes, you heard me right, he was tearing into a defenceless beach towel. I’d like to point out the beach towel, to my knowledge, did not begin the fight. 🙂 It was just sitting there, doing nothing but being a beach towel. Now, after I rescued the towel, I tweeted about it, and a really cool lady who has a bulldog said that was nothing. Her dog goes all crazy just barking at the wind. Well, I’m glad my puppy doesn’t do that, but it’s amazing what can start a conversation, and where it can lead. We swapped photos of our adorable dogs, and then she visited my facebook page and tweeted that she gave me a “like.” How cool! Love that! And Daveda, if you’re reading this, thank you very much. Every “like” an author gets makes us smile, and this one I’ll never forget just how it came about.
Okay, so next I got a tweet from an actor in the UK who had a Kiwi flatmate. He’d seen my name mentioned on the “who to follow twitter list” (which I’ll explain later in the post), and checked out my bio picture with the fabulous New Zealand beach on it. He tweeted it was cool and showed it to his flatmate. His flatmate joined the tweet stream and told me he was all teary-eyed at seeing the picture since he missed home. He said it was freezing cold in England and he’d never experienced such a thing. My fellow Kiwi asked me to tell him about the weather, and his actor friend tweeted an urgent, “NO, PLEASE DON’T, I’m already trying to console him about living half a world away.” I laughed, and then squinted as I peered out the window and into the dazzling sunshine. Yeah, NZ is in the middle of its summer and it’s a gorgeously warm 90 degrees. And would you believe, for the first time ever, I was stuck for words.
After meeting the UK actor and Kiwi, I put out a tweet asking if anyone lived close to where my sponsor child was. I’ve been worried for a couple of weeks since my sponsor child’s village was recently flooded. Thankfully a lovely lady from the Philippines responded. Ahh, the beauty of twitter! She lives in the city of Manila, about two hours’ drive away and she happily updated me on the area I asked about. Later that day she got in touch with me again, and gave me a wonderful surprise. She told me she was a book reviewer and after tweeting with me, looked for my ebook on Amazon and bought it. Woo-hoo. Now for any author, that’s pretty cool.
Wow, what a day. My dog got to go for an unexpected trip to the beach because I began to actually wonder if he was barking at the beach towel for a reason. I made a fellow Kiwi cry (sorry mate,) discovered my sponsor child’s village is all good and thriving again, and met a major reviewer which still has me smiling.
Ahh, but after all that, let’s get back to the main question of this post.
How did I manage to gain 85,000 followers? It was simple ->I FOLLOW THEM BACK. Yes, I do! (Now, not everyone will want this many followers, but for me it just happened.) So, if this is something that appeals to you, I began by using www.justunfollow.com. They have a free option where you can follow/unfollow 50 people per day, or for a small fee, you can pay the $4.99 per annum and follow/unfollow 1000 per day. I’m sure there are many other websites which have similar features, because with twitter itself you can’t actually see at a glance who follows you in return. With websites like the one I’ve mentioned, you can. And that’s the way to grow your numbers.
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN SOME STATS, HERE THEY ARE:
In the beginning I gained around 300 per week until I hit 5000 followers. Between 5,000 and 15,000 followers, I gained around 1,000 per week. Between 15,000 and 40,000, I gained around 2,000 per week. And now I’m gaining 3,000 new followers each week and all because I follow back.
So, how do these numbers steadily grow? As I alluded to before, my name pops up more regularly on those “who to follow” twitter lists which are located on our main twitter page. When I follow back it shows I share the same interests as many other followers. Isn’t that cool! Twitter now tells people to follow me, and more often than I can just about keep up with. Thank you twitter. I’m feeling the twitter-love.
Now, for the secret that isn’t a secret, that’s how I gained 85,000 followers in less than a year. It’s also how I make sure I connect with other readers and writers, and you got it, dog owners, actors and their wonderful Kiwi flatmates, and let’s not forget reviewers. Yep, because you never know just who you’re going to “meet with one tweet.”
You know I love hearing from you, so drop me a comment and share. Perhaps you’ve had a fabulous experience which led to something amazing on twitter? Or, and let’s not forget there are the odd bad cookies out there on twitter too. All up I’ve had to “blacklist” seven out of that 85,000 for inappropriate comments. But the good thing is it’s in our hands, and we can make sure our experience remains enjoyable and clean.
So, roll on tomorrow. I’m certainly looking forward to the new connections I’ll make.
Right, now it’s time to announce the winner of the offer I made last week. For those who left a comment asking for a critique, they had their name put into a draw. What could they win? Yours truly will be their second set of eyes to go over the FIRST FOUR PAGES (or 1500 words thereabouts) of their novel. So, for this fabulous critique, the winner chosen by random.org is:
*** R L Sharpe ***
Hey, congratulations, Rochelle. Please email me the first four pages of your novel as a word document attachment so I can insert “review bubbles” for personalized editing advice. My email address is located under the “Contact tab” on my website, or of course it’s joannewadsworth007@gmail.com
I’ll be making this offer again in the near future. I’m all for writers supporting writers, and you guys rock with the way you support me on my website.
Have a wonderful week. Catch ya all later.
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.