Showing posts with label Sonja Foust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonja Foust. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

"Cat in the Mist" Release Day!

Cat in the MistToday is the big day! "Cat in the Mist" is finally here! I'm so excited, I just can't tell you. "Cat in the Mist" was years in the making, and not just because the production cycle was long, either. This was one of the first few stories I'd started, but it didn't really click until years later when I added the paranormal element. If you love a good mystery with a sexy alpha hero, I think you'll really enjoy "Cat in the Mist."

What makes "Cat in the Mist" so special to me is that it's set in my old hometown (although things have been slightly fictionalized). I still miss Redlands, California sometimes, but we writers are lucky in that we get to go wherever we want whenever we want, just by taking our characters there. I've been back to Redlands, out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a visit to a ginormous log home mansion, I've lived in a close-knit community in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, and I've chased down a killer in the Bahamas. It can be exciting and scary, and most of the time it's just plain fun.

I hope you'll come with me to Redlands, California to take in the charm of a historic railroad town and to solve the mystery of an old man's murder. I promise you'll meet some very interesting people... and some very interesting... uh... pseudo-people.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Rock the Vote!



Yep, it's me, pimpin my book for the ECataromance awards. You can vote for "Love In Shadow" in the categories of favorite ebook romance, best fantasy/sci-fi/futuristic ebook romance, or best first ebook romance (or all three). If you liked "Love In Shadow," please consider voting! Thanks!

Sonja

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Reviews and Google

I love Google Alerts. I just found a new review for "Love In Shadow" in my inbox this morning from Romance Reviews Today:

"With well-defined characters and setting, this short read encompasses the feeling of a much longer story and makes an excellent fantasy romance."

They gave it their highest rating of 5! Yay! Check it out!

Wondering how to set up your own Google Alerts? Check out this article at Promo-Ho.com!

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Ad Banners For The Hoi Polloi

Some days, I just don't want to mess with Photoshop. But what's an author to do if (a) she's too lazy to use Photoshop; or (b) she's too poor to procure Photoshop and/or doesn't have a programmer husband to procure Photoshop for her?

Design awesome banner  ads like this one FREE at AdDesigner.com

That's right. She cheats. She uses a web-based banner designer like this one. Of course, then she has to put up with the FREE AD mess in the corner, but it's a small price to pay, especially compared to the arm and leg you'll have to give up in order to buy Photoshop.

Have any other web-based ad banner creators you like? Any other freebie/cheapie ways to make 'em? Let me know in the comments and I'll add your ideas on Promo-Ho.com.

Sonja Foust
Author of LOVE IN SHADOW (The Wild Rose Press)

Monday, April 23, 2007

Loopy for Loops

I know some of you are looking for some places to pop in now and then and promote. Here's a list of Yahoo! Groups where you can promote your books, and the promo rules that go with those groups.

AORAAG (Authors of Romance and All Genres) - Promotions will be done on Wednesday only... One [self promotion] is allowed per member... One [publisher promotion] is allowed per publisher, any member of a publisher may post this promotion... The announcement of being awarded a contract or receiving a great review may be posted at anytime. (full rules)

Brenda Williamson Romance Party - PROMOS allowed, but please DON'T POST THEM EVERYDAY and ESPECIALLY, DON'T POST THEM ON SCHEDULED AUTHOR DAYS! Why? Authors and readers alike find it inconsiderate.

Coffee Time Romance - Please feel free to promo yourself on every Monday ONLY.

eBookLove - Authors are requested to provide one free romance ebook giveaway per blatant promo posted to this list... Author Days are a chance for authors to talk about their work for a whole day on the list. Just look at the calendar on the eBookLove yahoo website and find an empty day that works for you. Then contact us to request your preferred day at ebooklove-owner @ yahoogroups .com (delete spaces). One of the list moderators will get in touch with you to work out the details and set up the calendar entry.

Fallen Angel Review Chatters - Please respect the forum and do not post promos during scheduled author/publisher days.

Joyfully Reviewed - Tuesday is promo day!

Love Romances eBook Cafe - Promo day is Mondays only... This means 1 promo per author/publisher. When posting promotions, please start the subject line with "PROMO." This way our members who do not wish to read them all can skip them.

Novelspotters - For the loop rules, click NovelSpotPromoGuide.txt.

Romance Bistro - Contest Mondays: Have a contest you want to share? Today’s the day! Tell us all Tuesdays: This is our Author Promo Day. Tell us all about your new or upcoming releases, excerpts, or special events!

The Wild Rose Press author loop - This is a Wild Rose Press reader group for the promotion of The Wild Rose Press and its authors only. Please do not post promotions or excerpts from other publishers.

Sonja Foust
Author of Love In Shadow

Please visit Promo-Ho.com for more eBook promotion ideas!

Friday, April 06, 2007

Promo Opportunity!

To join the Ho-Dom and have your name and link listed, email me at sonja@promo-ho.com with your name and your link address. I'd love to have a reciprocal link, but hey, it's totally up to you.

Just a few widdle ickle rules: 1. You need to be pursuing eBook publication or have an eBook out; 2. One link per pseudonym.
Thanks!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Quick Tip: Press Kits Online

Don't forget to make your press kit available online! The press doesn't want to search through endless cutesy pages of stuff to find what they need. Everything in your press kit should be available on one page in your "press room," ready to print or download.

Also, I've heard from a marketing presenter, the press room page of your website will consistently be the most trafficked part of your site. I'll keep an eye on my sitemeter and see if that turns out to be true, but it makes sense. I always click on the link for the press, just because it makes me feel special. (Take that, press. I can see everything you can see.)

Take a look at my press room, for example.

Sonja Foust
Author of LOVE IN SHADOW (The Wild Rose Press)

Monday, February 19, 2007

Tips for New Writers

Hi! My name is Sonja Foust and I'm a new author at the Wild Rose Press. I'm excited to be a part of such a smart and sassy crowd. I wanted to make an appearance on the blog as soon as I heard one existed. (I know, I'm such a pop culture hoochie, but I absolutely love blogs.) But I wanted to make sure I had something to offer first. So here you go, and I hope you find it helps you out!

I know a lot of the readers of this blog are also writers, so I've put together a list of tips for new writers (romance or otherwise) that I've learned from personal experience. Enjoy!

1. Write what you love. Don't write for the market. Don't target. I know some people say it's a good idea, but I can't work like that. Especially on your first book, write about what you love. It will be better that way, I promise.

2. If you don't know what you love, take some time to figure it out. If you get part-way into a book and don't love it, it's ok to stop and start again. Sometimes it takes a few false starts.

3. Write an entire book before you start pitching around to editors and agents.

4. Make a schedule with deadlines and keep working on a project always. Don't wait around for people to get back to you. Push ahead.

5. Get a website! Believe it or not, agents and editors actually do look at them. I've heard of cases where an editor/agent rejected a manuscript that a writer sent in, but then asked to see a different one that was listed on the writer's website. That's why I keep a list of completed and in progress books as well as a list of "proposals," which are really just blurbs of ideas for books I haven't had time to write yet, but will eventually. Usually only published authors get to work from proposals (the lucky dogs), but it can't hurt to have a few floating around, just in case.

6. Have a Bad Day project. I'm moody, I admit. This is the reason I keep a Bad Day manuscript around to work on when I'm just not in a Happily Ever After mood. I may never finish it, and even if I do, I'm willing to bet no one will publish it (at least not any romance line), but at least I'm working, even when I can't squeeze out any rainbows. And who knows? Maybe when it's done, I will have written the next Catcher in the Rye. Mother would be so proud.

What are your tips and tricks from personal experience? Please leave a comment if you've got a tip, and stop by my blog sometime! I love visitors!

--
Sonja Foust
http://www.sonjafoust.com

LOVE IN SHADOW: coming soon from The Wild Rose Press