Book Signing Events Are Like Selfies

by Francesca Quarto

          When my first book was published by Tell-Tale Publishing, I was thrilled, excited and amazed at what I knew was an important creative accomplishment. After I enjoyed an ego boost and mental happy dance, reality set in like slowly hardening concrete around my success.  Now, I had to do the unthinkable; I had to self-promote!

          My books (I now have the second published in my “Witch of Appalachia” series) needed exposure to readers of Urban Fantasy and potential converts to my genre.

          I’ve noticed while slogging through the posts from friends, family and complete strangers on my FaceBook page, an excessive number of what’s called in the new lexicon, “Selfies”.  These might be described as spontaneous self-portraits, except that most seem as staged as a walk down a runway at a Hollywood Premier.

          While I loathe, detest and generally just dislike, any form of self-promotion, after my books were published things changed.  I had to bite that narcissistic bullet and get out there to get known!

          The first thing I did was contact a local community TV station.  Getting the host of a popular talk show to invite me to speak about my first book also opened the door to bringing up the fact that it is part of a series I was writing. 

          Next, I called a newspaper publisher in the area and got a telephone interview with a reporter.  The hook: local writer makes debut as Urban Fantasy Author for Tell-Tale Publishing served the purposes of introducing me to the community and giving a grateful nod to my publisher.

          I was lucky to land my first Book Signing gig at a Barnes & Nobles under specific terms, but they have since stopped entering into such unique arrangements.  However, if you don’t approach book sellers, you will never have opportunities no matter how limited!

          I have signed up for several holiday events this season and been fortunate enough to have several more occasions for book signings and sales on my calendar.  Some charge fees for booth or table space; some are freely given due to friendships or personal connections.  I use it ALL now, to promote my work.

          The Internet has become the invisible highway, allowing us to traverse every speck of our planet.  Almost as importantly, Social Media has created a new language that we, as creatures of the written word, must learn and apply to our craft. 

Getting ourselves recognized among the millions of “Selfies” is the challenge of the ages for the new or emerging author.  Putting the effort into self-promotion takes a dedication to squelching any tendency toward humility about yourself or your work.  After all, you are your own best friend, or your own worse critic!  You choose; then go ahead and snap that picture! 

    Halloween Blog Hop! Samhain, The Witch's New Year

The Celts believed the year was divided UNIQUELY into two parts, the lighter half in the summer and the darker half in the winter. Samhain, the Witch's New Year, or Halloween as it is now called, was the division between these halves. The Celts believed that the veil between our world and the other world was thinnest at this time. Oíche Shamhna (October 31) is Halloween and Lá na Marbh (November 1) is the Day of the Dead, or All Saints Day, when those who have passed away are remembered. Celts wore costumes to confuse the MAGIC spirits now roaming our world and to avoid capture.

Samhain is also seen as a time for  commemoration of the dead. Since they are responsible for existence, they are owed respect.  In the early middle ages, Irish Christians devised the feasts of All Souls and All Saints out of pity for those in Purgatory and respect for those in Heaven.  Since the night of Hallowe'en is outside time, we are visited by the spirits of those in Purgatory, and can see the future. Hallowe'en is the most ancient and essential Irish festival.  It is to the vulgar commodification of All Souls that we must attribute all this ballyhoo about monsters and ghouls. "Trick or Treat" is a transformation of the fortune-telling that traditionally attended Hallowe'en games. "Trick-or-Treat is also a bastardization of an old tradition of people leaving offerings to the dead out on their front porches on Samhain night. The belief being that if they left a food offering to the spirits, those spirits would leave them alone and cause no harm.

"Soul cake, soul cake

Please good woman a soul cake

One for Peter, two for Paul

Three for Him who saved us all

Soul cake, soul cake

Please good woman a soul cake"

Is a medieval version of “Trick or “Treat”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

           

Benjamin Dempsey was born in Tasmania and grew up in the city of Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia. There his parents ran a small white goods store. After graduating high school he studied computer science at TAFE for a year before moving to Newcastle to attend University. He studied a bachelor of arts majoring in Creative Writing, while also taking classes on Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Film Studies and Literature. When an opportunity to move to Sydney opened up, he took it with little hesitation and enrolled at the University of Sydney to continue his studies. However, financial reasons forced him to leave university before he could graduate. This did not deter him from finishing his first book, Draconian Symphony.

  

Benjamin is a ravenous consumer and creator of media, with a passion for speculative fiction. He primarily deals with themes of the occult, transhumanism, and mythology. Most days he runs on extra strength Ceylon tea, and he shares in the Australian appetite for alcohol. In his spare time, he also enjoys video games and the occasional rave.

Today Benjamin Dempsey is visiting us all the way from Sydney, Australia. He meets some interesting characters in the land from down under. Today he has brought one of them with him and would like to introduce him to us. Who do you have with you today, Benjamin? 

I brought the main character from my debut novel, Draconian Symphony.

That's great. We can't wait to meet him, but first why don't you tell us a little about your novel?

In Draconian Symphony, the Earth has been stagnating for a thousand years after the apocalypse failed to happen, and even the forces of Hell are losing their passion. Draco is a self-trained mage good for little else than starting fires and staying alive. After fending off an attack by the predatory demon Lascivus, he extracts from her a single debt, which he demands she repays by helping him track down his mother, a psychotic, abusive mage, so he can kill her. While he succeeds, it comes at a cost, and it is only thanks to the intervention of Lascivus that he avoids spending eternity trapped in a strange, featureless plane. He and the living-sword Drakkengard find themselves embroiled deeper and deeper in the Devil’s machinations. Gods, ambitious madmen, and beings from other worlds are all vying to take advantage of an unfulfilled prophecy and to end the millennia of stagnation at any cost.

That is why I have brought Draco to meet you today.

Well, we are very happy to meet you, sir.

      So let’s start with the basics. Can you tell me your name?

Draco. Someone started calling me this and I suppose it suits me fine. Maybe I did?

Where are you from?

I recall little of my earlier years, but by the time I was lucid I was living in London, so that is as good an answer as any.

 What’s the most flattering thing anyone has ever said about you?

Lascivus has called me delicious, delectable and even succulent but I’m not sure that counts as flattery when she sincerely wants to suck out my life-force.

Describe your ideal mate. OR What’s your idea of a good lover?

Love and romance I try to keep as far away as possible. I’m sure they’re a sensational experience but I wouldn’t trust myself to succeed atone. I suppose someone indestructible would be pleasant.

What is the pet name for the love of your life?

I don’t know about love of my life, but I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Drakkengard. I don’t think I’ve ever given her a pet name though. I wonder if she’d like one.

 What is your biggest fear?

To lose control and be trapped in a prison of my own impulses. Getting caged up in general is a close second.  

 Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done? (and Why haven’t you done it?)

I’ve always had a fondness for collecting things. Managing a library or a museum might be nice, but I wouldn’t know where to begin.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone? Why?

The less said the better. I’ve done a lot of terrible things. I may have done them out of feral desperation, but that’s a poor excuse.

Here is the can of whip cream I promised you. What are you planning on doing with it?

It’s going straight on some hot apple Danish that Drakkengard cooked up. My appetite can be quite ravenous.

If you had complete and total control over Lascivus, what would you have her do?

Stop ordering me around, stop looking at me as if I am a banquet on legs, and actually tell me the story behind what Albania has to do with how she always wears heels.

You seem a little tense. Is something bothering you?

I’ve done yet another terrible thing, and now I am the lapdog of a hungry demoness who’s

exploiting my labor and trying to con me into selling my soul to Hell. Suffice to say, there’s lot on my plate.

Thank you for being here today, Draco. And thank you for bringing him with you,

 Benjamin. Before you go, can you answer a question for your fans?

Sure. What would you like to know?

Where can we find out more about your life? To keep up with the ongoing catastrophe I’m making of my life, peel your eyes for

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBenjaminDempsey
https://twitter.com/dempsey_bt and

http://benjamindempsey.com/

                                         for all the latest updates.

Sam Waas, in Figaro (wearing the vest and laced shirt)

Sam Waas

Sam Waas is a Renaissance man. From science to opera, he's done it all, proving both sides of his mind function simultaneously. He has been a writer throughout his adult life. He began by editing an under-ground newsletter while in college at the University of Kansas, and has freelanced ever since. He’s written book reviews for major dailies, strung for newspapers with sports car racing coverage, and has written articles for gun magazines and local newspapers, varied pieces for slick monthlies, and short stories, screenplays and essays. He’s also written numerous book reviews for the online mystery website Over My Dead Body.

Recently, Sam’s concentrating on his Mitch King private detective novels, based in Houston and the surrounding Gulf Coast region. There are three novels thus far: Blood Spiral,Blood Storm and Blood Vengeance, and he’s now writing his fourth Mitch King novel.

Today Sam has agreed to introduce us to his main protagonist.

And here he is now:

Ok, let’s start with the basics. Can you tell me your name? (and rank if appropriate)

Mitch King, short for Mitchell. I’m a licensed private investigator for the great state of Texas.

Where are you from originally?

I was born here in Houston and except for college at the University of Texas in Austin, I’ve lived here always.

What’s the most flattering thing anyone has ever said about you?

My lady friend Alice said I’m the smartest private detective she’s ever met. Of course, she’s only met one private eye ever, me.

Describe your ideal mate. OR what’s your idea of a good lover?

Someone who can take the BS I immerse myself in and help me deal with it.

What is the pet name for the love of your life?

The Kiwi Surgeon from Hell. And no, don’t ask.

What is your biggest fear?

That people will find out that I’m not as smart or as special as I think I am.

Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done? (and Why haven’t you done it?)

I’d promised my father I’d go to law school like he and my grandfather did, join the firm. Now that he’s gone, my promise is not only unfulfilled but empty.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone? Why?

Lied to my best friends Joe Duggan and David Meierhoff. Not a wise thing to do, as they’re both homicide cops. I lied to cover up my wrong-headed romantic fixation on a client and it ended badly. They’ve forgiven me but now I need to forgive myself, which is infinitely more difficult.

Here is the can of whip cream I promised you. What are you planning on doing with it?

Ha! I’ll stick it in the fridge until my wonderful lady comes over! What we then do with it is strictly a private eye’s concern.

If you had complete and total control over (me/character name), what would you have (me/character name) do?

Turn back the clock and reverse my terrible mistakes. But this cannot be done. Time’s inevitable arrow always moves forward, as physicist Stephen Hawking reminds us. And so does Thomas Wolfe, when he told us that you can’t go home again. And both are right.

You seem a little tense. Is something bothering you? (Great place to describe conflict in your book.)

I keep replaying the past and trying to forget it at the same time. This doesn’t work. But I’m duty bound to try to succeed. That I owe to those whom I’ve wronged. Maybe I can eventually set things straight.

Where can we find out more about your life? (website, social media links)

There’s a rumor going around that my personal reflections and experiences have found their way into three novels, cleverly disguised as fiction. About this tall tale (or should I say Tell-Tale?) I cannot comment further.

It's finally here, the month of amour. Hearts, roses, chocolates, and romance! If you love romance--and who doesn't--you'll love what TT Publishing has in store for you. In both adult and young adult fiction, we are dishing up some sizzling romance to please the pallet of the most discriminating connoisseur of love. Coming soon are: Powers of the Heart by Victoria Craven, Wolf Master of Iron Mountain by Francesca Quarto, and Abandoned by Ellen Fritz.

Historical Paranormal Romance

Kiera is a strong-willed woman with a warrior's heart. She is as good a fighter as any man. Fighting isn't her only skill. Her healing power keep her and her two companions on the run from her uncle, Murdock. With her power, he believes he can gain immortality.

Her secret was hidden until she found a man fighting for his life.

Erik let few people into his personal life. He preferred to communicate with animals and could understand their thoughts and feelings as well as his own. The walls of his isolation were strong until me met the woman warrior who saved his life. But loving someone was dangerous and he feared she would eventually betray him. Betrayal was something he was familiar with, and he had no intention of letting her get too close.

New Adult Paranormal

Young Cathleen O'Brien comes from a poor Irish immigrant family, but she was enriched from her earliest childhood by a father who gave her the perfect treasure: magic. Cathleen is part of a clan of Celtic Mages with Magical roots going back to the Dark Times.

After she purchases a radio station in a remote mountain town, she'll need her magic just to survive.

Iron Mountain was a booming coal mining town in the late 1800s, but there is a sinister cloud hanging over this beautiful mountain setting. Old news clipping tell of town folk hunted down and murdered and visitors disappearing off the trails, never to be seen again.

When Cathleen investigates these legends, she discovers the town sheriff, Jason, is as interesting as the town's past. With his help, she struggles to uncover the secrets behind the shadow of violence that hangs over the town. But the closer they get to the truth, the more she wonders if her trust and attraction for Jason are a mistake.

Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Holly learns that her Uncle Steve, who her drunken parents refuse to believe molested her, is moving into her brother's old room. She decides she must move. 

So she gets a job at Rule the Night and feels she has finally found a place where she fits in. The cute guy from school, Parker,  becomes more than just a fellow employee. But then she notices some strange behavior at the nightclub. Despite Parker's distracting presence, she realizes something is wrong.

Too late she realizes the secret is a nest of vampires. She is attacked and must be turned in order to save her life. She awakens with an acute thirst and an entirely new existence. That existence still includes her love for Parker, but with each kiss her desire for her all too human sweetheart is tempered with her thirst.

Where can their relationship go from there?