Saturday's sweet surprise

I am an author and I have to keep reminding myself of that. No, seriously. Yes, I love to write. I'm a writer. It's because of the words and the images you can draw on a page.

Then I receive an email from a reader who expresses her joy in my story and my heart does this little leap, bounce and quick spin before thudding back into place. Yippee! This is when I know I am an author.

Earlier in the week, I received a message about a great book review from Intense Whisper (Robin K) on my first novel, IT HAPPENS IN THREES, which I shared in a previous blog post.

On Saturday, I not only received an email from a reader, but a reader who is also an author. Joyce Sterling Scarbrough, sent out an amazing review of the very same novel that Robin just reviewed.

I just have to say I was floored to read her review and honored she took the time to share her words, not just with me but with my publisher's loop and on Amazon. It's an amazing, squishy feeling that makes your tummy quiver inside like a bowl of jelly when another author heartily endorses not only your story, but you as a writer.

I emailed Joyce Saturday morning and asked her if she would mind if I shared her review and posted about it on the blog and here is her response. "Post it anywhere you want to, Denise. I will be proud to have my name associated with such a great book and great writer!"

So, without further lip-smacking by me, take a look and see what Joyce had to say about IT HAPPENS IN THREES. Tell me if this wouldn't make you feel like there was more than one Santa Claus.

"This book is like an action flick, erotic love story, romantic comedy and crime drama all rolled into one! I love it when it's obvious that the author knows what she's talking about, and that's definitely true in this case. The technical and procedural details are spot-on and startlingly realistic, and the sex scenes are white hot! Throw in vivid descriptions of to-die-for locations and some of the snappiest dialogue around, and it makes for one enjoyable read. Looking forward to more!"

Can you believe all that?! Joyce must be a writer.

Wait! I'm not done yet. Add to that Gina Leuci's (author of A Lesson in Love) comment to Joyce's review.

"Joyce

Your review of Denise's book is spot on. Eloquently said."

Here is the thing you need to know about Gina. She is one of the few people who read and critiqued pieces of the manuscript before it was published.

Check out Joyce and Gina's books and tell them I sent you and while you visit their blogs, tell them I said, "Thanks."

Picture this . . .

Picture me, yes me, the funny redheaded blonde who loves to write and can barely squeeze it in unless. . .wait for it. . .she goes to her local watering hole, Margaritas, with her laptop and no WIFI, has a couple of "girlie" beers as a friend refers to them, and writes her fanny off. Okay, I wish it was that easy to make a fanny disappear.

Wait! That's not it. I get home, decide to log onto the computer and the first thing I see is a Facebook posting of a review by Robin K of my first novel, It Happens in Threes. And WOW! Now picture said redheaded blonde doing a dance around her house with every dang window open for the world to see.

Yes, all my neighbors, that's a dancing girl in that fishbowl of a house.

The truly funny part is that I had literally just hung up the phone with my longtime friend who has been the inspiration behind my stories and the person who Connect the Dots is dedicated to. Talk about timing!

Could there be a better compliment than this? "I do not know if a book could be written more perfectly for an easy escape of reality. Denise writes so eloquently. Her characters flow across the pages, enriched by well written landscapes and interplay. I loved being able to experience the paradise of Florida and Hawaii through the heroines eyes. The setting so entrancing I could taste the salt of the ocean and feel the warmth of the sun. I actually approached my husband about vacationing where we could scuba dive."

Robin ends the review with this. "This book is vacation anyone can afford!"

Okay, yes, I love knowing someone has enjoyed my stories. What can I say? I'm an author. OH! I can say that.

Thank you Robin for the wonderful review and I hope the winner of the bookgiveaway loves it just as much.

See Robin's full review and enter to win a copy of IT HAPPENS IN THREES at http://intensewhisper.blogspot.com/

Please drop by Robin's blog and leave her a comment.

Book Hooks

I think we'll spend the next couple of days discussing hooks for your books.

BOOK HOOKS

Let’s say you have to go on a business trip or you’re going to visit your family and you need a good book to bury your face in while your brothers and sisters argue over who gets the house when your parents are dead. By the way, your parents are sitting right there, alive and well.

Okay, yes, this has happened to me, although I only have sisters.

Now that you know this situation is inevitable, you need to get a good book to read. With so many books available, how will you choose the book you want to take with you?

Standing at the newspaper stand in the airport, you have five minutes to get a book. Staring at the wall of books, shuffling your feet back and forth, you pull one out. What do you look at to decide if that is the book you want to take on that 3-hour flight to tune out the screaming kids all going to Disney?

Come on, we have all been on that plane ride.

Some people judge a book by its cover, some will read the blurb on the back, and yet others will read the first page. Remember you only have five minutes to make a decision because they have just announced that your flight is boarding.

Whether the reader is a man or woman off the street, an editor, or an agent, five minutes is the rule of thumb to capture a reader and get them to want to read more and buy your book.

This is what you, the writer, need to keep in mind when you are writing the very first page of your book. No matter what you write, you have only five minutes to hook your reader. Therefore, your hook needs to be on that first page, in the first paragraph, even better the first sentence of your story.

Here is your first exercise for Book Hooks.

Exercise: Post a first sentence of a book you have written or one from your WIP, or even just do a free write. Feel free to post several examples.

My examples:

A warning whisper in the back of her mind didn’t stop Ruby from pushing open her fiancé’s bedroom door. - from It Happens in Threes

Tiny hairs danced on the back of Charley’s neck. - from Connect the Dots

When she discovered her date wore pink women's underwear with frills, Jane did not stick around to find out what else he may or may not have. - from my Pink Undie story free write

She had turned the place upside down, inside out, and could not find it. - free write


Have fun and look forward to seeing what you write!

Book Covey Trailer Awards

Good evening!

I just got home and saw this in my email. My book trailer for It Happens In Threes is up for a covey. Take a look, vote, and leave a comment if you wish.

http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogspot.com/2009/04/entry-14-it-happens-in-threes.html

Jeannie Ruesch did the work on the video. Checkout her site at www.willdesignforchocolate.com

Judge my book by its cover

Had to put this out here because of an interesting thing that happened to me. So let's do a quick blog about book covers.

Do you judge a book by its cover? Do you judge how good it is by the cover? Do you judge what genre type of book it is by its cover?

The reason I ask this, is because of an invitation I was extended and then was later rescinded all based on the cover of my book. First, for those of you who are asking yourselves, "What does the cover look like?" Check out the left column of my blog or go to www.deniserobbins.com and voila, there it is.

Now that you have seen it. What do you think? Is it offensive? Does it make you think it is a "smut" book? Is it any worse than what you see on television or in-person at the beach?

Personally, I love it. It leaves everything to the imagination and lets you know that the story has swimming and diving and sharks in it. At no time do you see the woman's face because I don't want you to know what she looks like. I want you to use your imagination. Honestly, the only thing I want you to know is that she likes pink. . .see her fins. :-)

Now that I have asked my questions, let me tell you what happened. Yesterday afternoon I was asked if I wanted to be on a community TV show and talk about my book. WAHOO! Yeah!
So I emailed the woman who contacted me the information she requested, one of which she wanted to see the book cover. Well, about 15 minutes later I received the following message back.

I am so sorry Denise, but I am not going to be able to have you as the guest. My viewers will have a heart attack. I could get away with it if the cover was not so sexual because the story sounds fabulous. I have a lot of viewers that are of the older generation and they let me know what they like and dislike. Please do not feel bad but perhaps when you next book comes out let me check out the cover and that might work. We always show the book on the air as you are talking about it.

Notice that her take was that my cover was "sexual." For the record, I am a pretty easy going person and thought her email was hysterical. It was the first negative comment I have received about the cover. Most people think it is eye-catching and gorgeous. Me included! Yes, the book is a romantic-suspense, therefore it does contain love scenes, but so do books by Jonathan Kellerman, David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, etc.

Here's a question. Do you think if David Baldacci had that same cover on his book that anyone would have thought it was "sexual?"

So, do you judge a book by its cover? Should you?

Share your thoughts.

Authors Promoting Authors

Tina-Sue from Author Promoting Authors blog just posted information about It Happens in Threes. Stop by and leave a comment. http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2009/04/it-happens-in-threes-denise-robbins.html

Made in NH Expo Special

If you can't make the Made in NH Expo, I posted on my website http://www.deniserobbins.com the opportunity to order a signed copy of IT HAPPENS IN THREES from me between March 27 and March 29 and automatically be entered in a drawing to win a FREE copy of KILLER BUNNY HILL when released in July.

Reviews of It Happens in Threes

The following are review links on my computer-thriller/romantic-suspense It Happens In Threes. Check them out and leave a comment on their pages.

http://reviewsbychristy.blogspot.com/2009/02/it-happens-in-threes.html
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Ithappensinthrees.html
http://bookbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-happens-in-threes-review.html

Review from Coffee Time Romance

My day just got better. A lot better!

IT HAPPENS IN THREES just received a review from Coffee Time Romance. I posted the review to the right. . . see their image.

Or, click here. http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Ithappensinthrees.html

What's on a book cover?

Now we all know that in spite of what we say, "don't judge a book by its cover", that we all do. Speaking of which, let me tell you a little story.

I had this call with a man for a radio interview.
Anyway, the guy is a marketing guy and when we chatted about the cover of my book, he stopped me and said, “Wait. You have a woman’s butt on the cover of a book?”
Of course, I answered, “Well, it’s not her naked butt. She’s wearing a bikini.”
He went off. He thought it was terrific! He said, “I could make you famous on that idea alone.”
HA!HA!
So then I said, “The second book will probably be similar only she’ll probably be in a tight-fitting snow suit.”
He laughed and said, “OH MY GOSH! A series of butts on book covers. That’s genius.”

I have to say, I never realized there are no “tushes” on book covers. But (no pun intended) it sounds like it was a winner of an idea.

Book Exposure and Free Book

Only two days left to leave a comment at Jessica's blog and possibly win a free copy of my book IT HAPPENS IN THREES.

Check out her blog at http://bookexposure.blogspot.com/

Good luck!

You know you're a writer when. . .

It's not the day you decide to write a story. It's not the day you finish your first or even third manuscript. You're not a writer when a publisher accepts your manuscript. You're not even a writer when the book hits the stand and you can hold it in your hand.

Although all of those events make you feel good, make you believe in your skill or talent, make you feel like you accomplished something major in your life. And you have! But none of those things make you a writer.

It's the culmination of all of those that lead up to the one event that marks you as a writer. For me, that was yesterday. For me, that was having two women I barely know who purchased my book come up to me at different times and tell me that they love my book.

One woman came up to me yesterday at breakfast and with a smile on her face and cheer in her voice exclaimed that not only did she read my book, but she loved it. You should have seen and heard the surprise in her voice. She proceeded to exclaim that she had never read a romance before, but was thrilled that she had read my romantic suspense because she liked the mystery. Not fond of a lot of swearing, she was happy to see that there was a minimum in the story. She also loved the fact that she could tell when it came to the computer stuff, I knew what I was talking about and that I described it so she could understand. She loved that she got to use her own imagination to get a feel for the characters and they weren't spelled out in every detail. She cannot wait for the second book. :-)

Yesterday afternoon when I met my friend Nora for critique, another woman who had my book approached me in the ladies room. (Yes, us women do those things.) Anyway, drying her hands, she told me with a great deal of excitement she had read the first 135 pages of my book the previous evening and didn't want to put it down because it was so good. She said it was even funny and went on to tell me the funny part she liked with Jake and Ruby in the bathroom. She could not wait to read more.

All the 5-star reviews could not do for me what those two ladies did. Those two ladies not only made my day, but let me know I had achieved something I didn't even realize I hadn't until yesterday. When I started writing It Happens In Threes, I knew I wanted to be a writer. Yesterday. . .I became a writer!

Thank you.

Chocolate and Book Happenings

First, let's start with IT HAPPENS IN THREES. This week it is featured on Jessica James Bookexposure Blog. http://bookexposure.blogspot.com/

Next, I will be at the Made in NH Expo (March 27 - 29) doing double duty, signing IT HAPPENS IN THREES and selling Sweets by Denise chocolate! Check out my chocolate site to get an idea of what I'll be selling. www.sweetsbydenise.com

Anyone who buys a copy of the book at the Made NH Expo will get a FREE chocolate lollipop!

Who could ask for anything better than a great book and delicious chocolate.

Book Exposure

Remember last week I told you about a blog called Bookexposure and the author Jessica James who was a newspaper editor? She also writes historical fiction. Truly a woman of many talents.

After she helped me with my press release for IT HAPPENS IN THREES, she has given me many more tips on how to expose my book for others to know it exists.

The other day, she sent me an email to let me know that she was going to feature my book on her blog. If you haven't checked out her blog before then, please check it out from. . .

03/09/2009 - 03/14/2009: IT HAPPENS IN THREES will be featured on Bookexposure, http://bookexposure.blogspot.com/.

ebook

IT HAPPENS IN THREES is no available in ebook at Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook82242.htm?cache



It is also available for Kindle from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/It-Happens-in-Threes/dp/B001SK4JLM/ref=ed_oe_k

First Booksigning

Saturday was my first booksigning at Big Easy Bagel in Manchester.


How did it go?

It went great! Some of the writers I know showed up to support me and many local patrons. One gentleman came by to get two books. Apparently, he had been waiting for two weeks for the event to get them.

I had the books and chocolate and everyone who bought a book took either a chocolate heart or a chocolate book away with them as well as a signed copy of the book itself.

Laurie (the owner of Big Easy Bagel) gave me a table in a corner where I set up my book for display on a stand that my neighbor gave. I also managed to get internet access so I could show my new book trailer to everyone as well.

Overall, it was fun and I am very much looking forward to this coming Thursday for the next one. For those of you that are in the area...it's going to be at Margaritas in Salem, NH. Hope to see you there!!

Book Trailer

Good morning! I've got cool news. . .Jeannie finished the book trailer for IT HAPPENS IN THREES and it is awesome!!

Check it out at http://www.deniserobbins.com/trailers.html

or on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBTLTtJY9V0

Send me a note and let me know what you think.

IT HAPPENS IN THREES IS ON B&N

Look!

IT HAPPENS IN THREES is listed on Barnes & Noble. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9781603180863

Keeping checking to order it.

What to do with my new book cover?

Well, I can tell you what I did last night. I printed out several copies of the cover and took it with me to my salon appointment. Of course all the ladies know my first book is coming out so they were ecstatic.

Such a tremendous feeling to know that something you've worked years on achieving is just around the corner!

Beyond that, I now have to create a "Press Kit". No clue what that is other than one of the things will be a Press Release and somehow my new book cover plays a part in this.

Plus, someone suggested that I get bookmarks made with the book cover art on it and the ISBN and my website listed, not to mention my next novel.

Woohoo! Let's get this show on the road.

If anyone has other marketing suggestions for use of the book cover art please let me know.

BOOK COVER!!

Look everyone. . .to the left of this post. . .and you will see. . .my book cover for my very first romantic suspense!!!!!

Okay, can you tell I am just a little excited?! Duh! I am doing the happy dance.

IT HAPPENS IN THREES will be available in about 2. . count them. . .2 weeks!!!