A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

This week CFBA is touring this great first novel about passion and love at every stage of life.

About the book:
She's found the love of her life. Unfortunately, he loves her sister ...As World War I rages across the Atlantic in 1916, a smaller war is brewing in Boston. Faith O’Connor finds herself drawn to an Irish rogue who is anything but right for her. Collin McGuire is brash, cocky, and from the wrong side of the tracks, not to mention forbidden by her father. And then there’s the small matter that he is secretly courting her younger sister. But when Collin’s affections suddenly shift her way, it threatens to tear Faith's proper Boston family apart.

Refusing to settle for anything less than a romantic relationship that pleases God, Faith O'Connor steels her heart against her desire for the roguish Collin McGuire. Collin is trying to win her sister Charity's hand, and Faith isn't sure she can handle the jealousy she feels. Full of passion, romance, rivalry, and betrayal, A Passion Most Pure is Book 1 of the Daughters of Boston series.


About the author:
Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts.

She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. A Passion Most Pure is her first novel.

Visit Julie's website here

Buy the book here



Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Character Arc...Karen Ball

I asked some of my writer friends this question:

So, tell me. How did you change and grow during 2007? What was your character arch?

This is what my dear friend, Karen Ball, had to say:

As for my character arc/arch, it's incomplete. Which means I must be in a series, because there are still so many issues to be resolved and questions to be answers. I've gone through physical and emotional trials, and been slammed onto my face in the dust. A number of times. Until all I can do is cover my head and seek God's mercy, relying on HIS strength because mine isn't there any longer.

What has happened, though, is that I've found calm and peace in the midst of the turmoil. Once I let go of wanting things to change, of begging God to "fix" things, I discovered the beauty of acceptance. Accepting limitations in myself and others. Accepting that life isn't going to go the way I want it to. Accepting that that's okay, because it IS going the way God wants it to. He's in control, not me. So I don't need to worry. All I need to do is hold fast to Him.

So I'm not as freaked out as I was at the beginning of this year's story. I'm learning to just rest in Him, even when the waves are turbulent and sky high. I'm not all the way into peace yet, but I've found the edges of it.

Karen ~~
Karen's latest full-length novel, What Lies Within, released November, 2007. She writes from her home in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Don, and their two "kids": Bo, a mischievous Siberian husky, and Dakota, an Aussie-Terrier mix that should have been named Psycho.

Next to working with words, Karen's greatest joys are laughing, sports, nature, wildlife, and finding wonder in everyday life. For more information go to Karen's website


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Beth stopped lurking...

and WON one of my books! Yoo-hoo...leave me a comment Beth and let me know which one of my books you'd like!


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Writing in a castle?

Angela Hunt will be teaching at a Writer's Workshop at Glen Eyrie!

This April, I'm joining some of my best teaching pals--Nancy Rue, Kathryn Mackel, and Alton Gansky-- at the beautiful Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs. We'll be spending a few days teaching, so whether you're interested in novels, nonfiction, public speaking, or screenwriting, we'll do our best to make you a better writer. The conference will be very interactive, with time for you to write and then have your work evaluated. The dates are April 27-30, and we'd LOVE to have you join us! You've never been to a conference like this one. Relaxed, fun, and entertaining . . . and in a CASTLE! (You could walk around in that fireplace!) Click here to register!


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Fallen by Matthew Raley

This week's Christian Fiction Blog Alliance book is this first novel by Raley. It is a short, quick, thought-provoking read. If any of you have read it...I'd love to hear your thoughts.

About the book:
Jim was at work when his eyes drifted to the coffee shop visible from his office window. An attractive woman driving a Mercedes pulled up to the curb . . . and Jim’s married pastor emerged from the car. When Jim delves deeper into his pastor’s world, will he be able to handle what he discovers? Is he right to suspect that Dave is having an affair? In the behind-the-scenes church battle that ensues, Jim is torn between duty to his church and a desire to show grace. A ripped-from-the-headlines drama of suspense that keeps you engaged to the last page. Fallen is the story about Jim’s relationship with Dave—how Jim tries to do the right thing to keep Dave accountable, but finds the situation getting worse and worse. It’s also about Jim’s other relationships. Just as he discovers hypocrisy in Dave, Jim discovers his own sins against his wife and daughter.

About the author:
Matthew Raley is senior pastor of the Orland Evangelical Free Church in northern California, where he lives with his wife and two young children. For fun, he enjoys playing chamber music with friends, giving occasional solo recitals, and playing first violin in the North State Symphony. This is his first book. For more info on Matthew or his book, check out his website here.

Buy the book here


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Back then...

Some times in writing, my first attempt is to take the easy way out. I was trying to do this with the book I'm currently writing, Blue Like Playdoh. This book shares much of my life journey, and I tried to tell it in sweet, devotional thoughts. My editor didn't go for that. He wanted me to journey back. To revisit my questions and my fears. To be THERE, without the benefit of 20/20 vision.

It was crazy. I took myself back to the days when I had three little kids and no writing credentials. I didn't spend much time with God, and I had no idea of where my life would be headed. There were more questions than answers, more worries than fulfilled dreams.

"There" (about fifteen years back) has been hanging around with me, and in my Bible Study I came across a great quote by Beth Moore, "Sometimes we don't know why we're on a certain road with God until miles have made their way to the soles of our feet." Beth More, Stepping Up Workbook, p. 13.

Where is God taking you today? What road are you on? Eighteen years from now you might have a clue, but for now you too may have more questions than answers, more worries than fulfilled dreams. But keep walking God's way. Keep moving your feet forward. Take one more step closer to Him today. There's a purpose to the road, and a Savior who's walking with you.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Character Arc...Marlo Schalesky

I asked some of my writer friends this question:

So, tell me. How did you change and grow during 2007? What was your character arch?

This is what my dear friend, Marlo Schalesky, had to say:

Hmmm, my character arch for 2007. This was a big year for me. I started the year just coming off an awful miscarriage and ready to begin another round of infertility treatments. I thought that God would have another baby for us, and no way would put us through the nightmare of another miscarriage. I was wrong. God asked me to face the one thing I begged Him not to make me go through … not just once more, but three more times. Three miscarriages in a row, to end our hopes for having another baby. And through it, God taught me to accept both the wonderful and the difficult from His hand. He taught me to trust Him despite the darkness. He taught me to walk forward, through His will, and hang on in faith through times that don’t make sense. And so I come to the end of this year weary but grateful for the love of God in Christ. I come, with my hand firmly planted in His, moving ahead into the next stage of life. I come knowing that God knows what He’s doing in my life, and I can trust Him. He leads, I follow. I accept His will and catch my breath at His wonder . . . even when life doesn’t turn out the way I’d hoped and planned.

Marlo
http://www.marloschalesky.com/
http://www.marloschalesky.blogspot.com/

Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of six books, including her upcoming novel BEYOND THE NIGHT, which will release in May of 2007. BEYOND THE NIGHT is the first of Marlo’s “Love Stories With a Twist” – poignant love stories with I-never-saw-it-coming ending twist. Her novel released in 2007 was VEIL OF FIRE, a historical mystery which explored the great Minnesota firestorm of 1894 and the figure who appeared in the hills afterward. Marlo has also had over 600 articles published in various magazines, had her work included in compilations such as Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, and is a regular columnist for Power for Living. Marlo recently earned her Masters degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently working on three contemporary novels for Multnomah-Waterbrook Publishers, a division of Random House. She lives in Salinas , California with her husband and four daughters.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends

Time Management 101 RECAP!

A quick recap for the New Year!

In the month of November I ran a Time Management series on my blog. If you like to see how I "juggle it all"--writing, homeschooling, deadlines, housework, being wife, mom, teacher, friend, sister, and all the rest--follow the links below. A few of my friends shared how they manage their time too.


Time Management November

Get A Puppy

Time Management with Rene Gutteridge

How I Do it All

Friends and Family

Time Management with Rachel Olson of Proverbs 31 Ministries

Deadlines

The Schedule

Marketing and Speaking

Life

What works for you?

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Filling in the spaces

I asked Ring Lardner the other day how he writes his short stories, and he said he wrote a few widely separated words or phrases on a piece of paper and then went back and filled in the spaces.

~~Harold Ross

Christian Writer's Market Guide

The essential reference tool for the Christian writer, Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide is now in its 23rd annual edition!

Check out the section on Blogging on page 69...the
CFBA is listed!

Writers’ Conference listings, Book Publishers, Magazine Publishers, and a Bookstore filled with the resources you need to be successful in this business. Get a Book Contract or Manuscript Evaluation, and check out the Writer’s Resource links. This book has all you need to connect to all these valuable helps for the beginning, intermediate, or professional writer.

To keep you up to date with the latest marketing news, visit Sally Stuart’s new marketing blog, Christian Writers’ Marketplace, at http://www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com/.

A new, updated version of the Christian Writers’ Market Guide is available about January 15 each year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sally Stuart has been writing for the last 40+ years, and has been putting out the annual "Christian Writers' Market Guide" for the last 23 years. Her other writing includes several Christian education resources books, a children's picture book, a basic writing text, writing resources, and a western novel--plus hundreds of articles and marketing columns. She writes marketing columns for the "Christian Communicator," "Advanced Christian Writer," and the Oregon Christian Writers' Newsletter.

She speaks and teaches at Christian Writers' Conferences nationwide. Sally is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 8. She and her husband, Norm, spend their free time vacationing on the Oregon coast.

Buy the book here

Do you want to write an attention-grabbing nonfiction proposal?

Nonfiction Book Proposals that Grab an Editor or an Agent by the throat (in a good way)! Have you been languishing in the frustrating land of nonfiction proposals? Don’t know where to go next?

First things first: You need to know a few things before you start.

Know your passion. I’ve alluded to this earlier. A good book proposal emerges from a passionate idea. Examine yourself. Think about the topics you get passionate about when you talk to folks. Talk to others who know you well. Share your book idea and see if they catch your passion for it. It’s a huge undertaking to write a proposal, so be sure you have the passion to carry an entire book.

Know your book. What genre is your book? Where it would be shelved in a bookstore? How well do you know what the book will be about? Do you have access to good research, great interviews? How unique is your book? Will a pub board find it unique?

Know your immediate audience. The first audience of your proposal is actually the agent or publisher you’re querying. Find out everything you can about the agent or publisher. Do they specialize in the genre you’re writing? Do they take new authors? How many? Have you attended a writer’s conference and spoken directly to the editor or agent? What kinds of books are they looking for? Purchasing a market guide is a great first step. Analyzing books already represented or published is another great step. (If an agent already represents three mom authors, chances are he/she won’t want to take on another mom author.)

Know the bookselling industry. Do you know what is selling in the industry? What has oversold? What trends are up and coming? Go to bookstores and walk the aisles, sign up for newsletters and updates from the publishing industry, go to conferences, talk to booksellers. It’s absolutely imperative that you know what you’re getting into before you embark on this journey.

Know yourself. Writing a proposal is the first step in a very long journey. Do you have what it takes to count the cost of bringing a book to fruition? Can you take constructive criticism? Do you have the time it takes to not only write the book, but to edit it in a timely manner and promote it when it releases? Do you have a critique group to support and help you through the process? Author Jan Winebrenner says publishing a book “is like giving birth to an elephant—only more painful.” Are you ready for that?

In this fifty-page tutorial, Mary walks you through two proposals and empowers you to write one that sells. Terry Glaspey, Director of Acquisitions and Development for Harvest House Publishers says this about Mary’s proposals: “Mary knows how to write a proposal that gets an editor’s attention: well-organized, persuasive, and with the information I need to make a decision.” Interested? Cost is $10 bucks. You can purchase the download here: http://www.maryedemuth.com/store.php

Mary E. DeMuth helps people to turn their trials into triumphs. An expert in Pioneer Parenting, Mary enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow. Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005). Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, including Watching the Tree Limbs (nominated for a Christy Award) and Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, 2006). A pioneer parent herself, Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, where they planted a church. You can find her on the web here:

http://www.marydemuth.com/
http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.pioneerparenting.blogspot.com/


Mary has graciously allowed me to give away a copy! Leave a comment on this post and I'll select a winner on Monday.

Ha, ha...

Sometimes the simplest advice is the best...

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

~~Author Unknown

A Place for Writers Seeking Publication

This was sent to me from Mary DeMuth

Who: For anyone on the journey toward publication who needs some direction, practical tips, and wisdom from professionals who have been there.

What: An online place full of practical, hands-on tips for writers seeking publication.

Where:The blog is called "So You Want To Be Published"

When: Anytime your fancy strikes you.

Why: To bypass years of trying to figure out the bookselling industry, the writing world, or the tangled web of getting published. Get wise advice in one easy place.

How: Nonfiction and fiction author Mary DeMuth (author of five books with four on the way) remembers what it's like to be wide-eyed and naïve about publishing. She's passionate about helping new writers, but since her writing and speaking schedule is filling up, she's decided to funnel her help into a user-friendly blog.

This week's entries include:
~A listing of upcoming writers conferences with links.
~How to Get Published in 2008
~Mary's letter to new writers, complete with links to other helpful books and sites
~A helpful formula for writing: Grace + Grit
~A 27-point checklist to see if you're ready to look for an agent
~10 Common Writing Mistakes
~2 Ways to jumpstart your writing
~Other features include:
~A listing of helpful websites
~A listing of excellent writing books
~Links to writing magazines
~A poll asking "What scares you the most about publishing?"

And now, an offer:

I'm going to be giving away three of my nonfiction proposal tutorials ($10 value) to folks who comment on the first post on the blog: 2 Ways to Jumpstart Your Writing.

Here's a blurb about it:

Nonfiction Book Proposals that Grab an Editor or an Agent by the throat (in a good way) Have you been languishing in the frustrating land of nonfiction proposals? Don't know where to go next? In this fifty-page tutorial, Mary walks you through two proposals and empowers you to write one that sells.

Hear what industry professionals have to say about this product:

"Mary knows how to write a proposal that gets an editor's attention: well-organized, persuasive, and with the information I need to make a decision."

Terry Glaspey, Director of Acquisitions and Development, Harvest House Publishers

"As a literary agent, I see a lot of proposals. Mary's are top-notch-comprehensive, thoughtful, well-written, and professional. I'm proud to send them to the best publishers in the business."

Beth Jusino, Literary Agent, Alive Communications

"Mary's proposals include the straightforward facts that publishers need with a personable style that publishers want. Great research, great voice, great proposal. Mary does an excellent job selling herself without seeming to sell herself."

Andy Meisenheimer, Acquisitions Editor, Zondervan

"I first met Mary DeMuth when she was a student in one of my sessions at a writers' conference. She stood head and shoulders above the others at the conference because of one particular skill: Mary had an amazing ability to create strong, complete, and eye-catching proposals. Listen to what she has to say-she is as good as anyone in the business at crafting book proposals."

Chip MacGregory, Literary Agent, MacGregor Literary

"Mary's book proposals reflect her intelligence, wit, and charm, as well as her high level of craftsmanship as a writer. And just as important, her concepts are fresh. She has no interest in covering the same ground that has been plowed already by other authors. That's important to a book editor who is glassy-eyed from reading stacks of proposals."

Ron Lee, Senior Editor, WaterBrook Press

Office must haves...

My name is Tricia and I confess ... I have office envy. I've been talking my some of my novelist friends lately and they have pretty nice offices ... A comfy chair? A lamp? A mini fridge??? Sweet!

I share my 12 x 12 office with four other people. We have five computer stations, and all MY mess. As the bill payer, calendar scheduler, mail sorter, homeschool teacher, and (yes) writer, I usually have a few piles. (Currently, I have two on the floor and one of the desk.)

Now that I just finished another novel, I can sort, organize, and whip the office back into shape. In fact, it's safe to say my family can tell how close I am to deadline from the size of the piles ... 0-2 feet and counting. :-)

What are my office must-haves? I LOVE my color laser printer, my docking station for my notebook computer, my two large filing cabinets, and my various sorters and stackers filled with research, notes, contracts, and paper products. I also have a view of the Rocky Mountains (3 miles away as the crow flies) that's to die for.

The thing is that many people think they need a private office to write. They don't. They think they need to be totally organized before they start page one. Not true. Because the truth is that the BEST office must-have is a person who has a prayer on his/her lips and who plunks their butt in the chair and sets a goal ... even a small one. You'd be surprised how many of my books were written in 30-minute increments!

Go ahead. Try it!

Want to Vote?

Here is a message from Chris Well from CCM...

Hey, ChristianMusicPlanet.com just launched its first "CMP FanAwards," which includes four BOOK categories -- FICTION* author/book,and NON-FICTION author/book ...

Please tell your readers to click on over and vote for you!

Deadline: January 31

Go here to vote: http://tinyurl.com/2sa9e4:

(Please don't mock us for naming the category "Fiction Book/Novel" ...in another survey, we asked CCM readers for favorite "novel" and alarge number of respondents did not understand we meant a book thatwas made up.)-

Chris
Chris Well
http://www.studiowell.com/

Jane Orcutt

Just in case you haven't seen this yet...

My web designer and friend, Kelli Standish, and her marvelous staff have put together a video trailer to promote Jane Orcutt's last book, All the Tea in China. It's fabulously done. Check it out at Jane site: janeorcuttbooks.com. (Just a reminder that Jane died of cancer earlier this year, before her book released.)
http://www.janeorcuttbooks.com/html/videoplayer.html

Learn more about Jane and her book here: http://www.janeorcuttbooks.com/

Confirmations...

I love getting fun confirmations that God is at work. A few weeks ago, I taught at "Writing Club." I teach writing to homeschoolers once a month and they LOVE it. They were saying they wish I did it every week! (One kid said every day. :-) Some of those kids have been meeting monthly with me for almost four years! It's so awesome to see their writing progress!

Then there was a phone message from a local friend. She sent a few of my books to her unchurched sister. Well, the sister didn't know what to think of 10 Minutes to Showtime when she got it last year. And then this year they read A Valley of Betrayal in her book club. Well, I guess now she is so excited about my books that she gave 10 Minutes to Showtime to ALL her friends for Christmas. VERY cool.

It just reminds me that God is working even where I can't see it!

What sort of confirmations have you been getting?

Character Arc...Robin Lee Hatcher

I asked some of my writer friends this question:

So, tell me. How did you change and grow during 2007? What was your character arch?

This is what my dear friend, Robin Lee Hatcher, had to say:

A few years back, I began asking the Lord in December for a word for the coming year. For 2007, He gave me two: Peace and Simplicity. After going through a long period of grief and loss in 2006, I was ready for both. I found myself paring down my life to the essentials, letting go of things that I might not have thought possible. In the spring, God told me to sell my house and downsize to something smaller and easier to care for. I gave away and gave away and gave away, determined to own the things God gave me and not to be owned by them. At year end, I would say that I am more at peace with my life and with the world around me. However, I don't believe I'm done with the simplifying process yet. That is still a work in progress.

Robin Lee Hatcher
http://www.robinleehatcher.com/
Robin is the author of more than 50 novels, Robin Lee Hatcher's awards include the Christy for Excellence in Christian Fiction and the RITA for Best Inspirational Romance. She makes her home outside of Boise. You can visit Robin at www.robinleehatcher.com

From the inside out...

Yesterday, I finished my novel Sweet September (Guideposts). It is an amazing story about acceptance. And about coming to terms with the course God has designed for you. It's also a story about realizing that sometimes we need to stop looking at the destination (of striving to get "someplace") and instead discover joy in the journey. It's realizing that the hardest times are those that transform us and bring us closer to the ones we love and the One we love. (And isn't that the same lesson we often learned by the time the credits rolled on shows like The Brady Bunch and Leave it to Beaver?)

I don't know why I strive to do, do, do as if doing makes God happy. I don't know why most of the time I'm so focused on the destination (a finished book, a cleaned house) that I miss zeroing in on the moments.

Today I was reading the Sermon on the Mount, and I was surprised to (re)discover that there is only one "do": "God blesses those who work for peace" (vs. 9) The rest of them are "who are" phrases:

God blesses those ...
who realize their need for Him
who mourn
who are gently and lowly
who are hungry and thirsty for justice
who are merciful
whose hearts are pure
who are persecuted because they live for God
(Matthew 5:3-10 NLT)

All these things can be summed up by the words of one of David's prayers: "Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart that I may honor you" (Psalm 86:11 NLT).

To be all the Creator desires us to be--to become a son or daughter who brings Him pleasure--we need to be two things: teachable and repentant. Only if we seek God's teaching, will we BECOME who He desires. And only when we repent will our hearts be PURE once again--a clean slate for Him to work with.

Of course to "be" these things there is one thing we must DO. We must realize we (as the favorite song says) are weak, but He is strong. We seek Him, knowing His teachings will transform us and His cleaning will change us--from the inside out.

Marketing Novels

I write both fiction and non-fiction, and I've become very creative in finding ways to promotion fiction, here are a few:

1. Book launch-I rented a local art museum, in coordination with our local Christian bookstore, and I invited friends, churches, reading groups, etc. I had appetizers, a reading, and a signing. Over 220 people showed up, and the event was picked up by the local media.

2. Blog Tours and Reaching out to MOPS groups - With every fiction book, I sponsor a blog tour. I ask my publishing house to provide books and I send them bloggers who are willing to to have me visit their blog on a certain date. I provide information about me, my books, and ask the blogger to provide a review. (Remember, each blog as their own circle of influence.) I
also send books to MOPS groups as give-aways. I ask the publicity director of these groups to review the novel in their newsletter.

3. Poster publicity-Via my online newsletter, I offered posters for first 50 people who contacted me, if they promised to hang the posters in a public place. Then, if the reader sent me a photo of themselves with the poster, I sent two free books. I got lots of great response from bookstores and church bookstores/libraries.

4. Radio Interviews-I provide interview questions for my publishing house's publicity department to send out to the media. During my interviews, I tell some of the story of the novel (a hook), but I also focus on the men and women I've interviewed and the true stories that inspire my novels. Here are some examples:

Tell me about "Dawn of a Thousand Nights":

You say the novel is inspired by true events. How did you find this story?

What message would you like your readers to gain from your novels?

You also interviewed numerous WWII veterans for this novel. Can you tell me
about this experience?

5. Librarians Convention-In the past few years, my publisher arranged for me to sign books at two librarian conventions. Librarians have a budget, books to buy, and historical fiction is big. They loved meeting me and learning about my books. I loved them!

6. Website- I have had video trailers created for my novels, and I write discussion questions for reading groups. These are available on my website. I post excerpts from my novels, photos of the men I've interviewed, etc. I also have a separate website for some of the true stories behind my novels (www.triciagoyer.com/fiction). I also blog daily, and I often talk about my
fiction.

7. Sending gifts - I've sent gift boxes for my novels to reading groups. I've mailed point-of-purchase counter mats (that highlight my novels) to Christian bookstores. Everyone loves a gift!

8. Speaking -I speak at women's retreats, book clubs, writers' conferences, etc. Once they know me and hear about my novels, they love picking them up.

As you can tell, promoting for me has been thinking outside the box. It's connecting with people in ways that interest them and talking in "story" whether it's the story of me as a writer or researcher--or the sharing the stories of those I interviewed. My goal is to get my novels noticed. Then hopefully purchased. Then read ... and loved. Then readers will come back for more.