4RV Reading, Writing, & Art News

Book Marketing Strategy: Joint Ventures

2012-03-04T06:25:00.011-06:00

By Karen Cioffi

There is a song, The Power of One, which conveys what one individual can accomplish and/or change. But, how much more effective is the power of two, or five, or ten, or 100, or more?

In a technical light, a joint venture (JV) is a partnership between two or more entities for a specific project and for a specified amount of time.

Quoting from Entrepreneurs.about.com, “According to the Commonwealth Alliance Program (CAP), businesses anticipate strategic alliances accounted for 25% of all revenues in 2005, a total of 40 trillion dollars.” So, it’s easy to see this strategy packs a wallop.

This is the concept behind joint ventures for book promotion, and they are very effective.

The idea is to hook up with other authors/writers and participate in JVs. What this means is an author has a new book coming out and wants to reach more than her individual mailing list and social networks, she joins forces with writer friends or acquaintances to promote the book for a ONE DAY Promotional Power-packed Special.

Suppose it’s your new book; you contact one to several authors who might be willing to put your prewritten promo on their sites and social networks, and (THIS IS THE VERY IMPORTANT PART) are willing to provide a freebie or a significant discount on a product or service to any one who purchases your book on that day.

According to book marketing specialists, Brain Judd and Daniel Hall, this has the potential to put your book on Amazon’s TOP HUNDRED list in one or more categories – just for one day’s promo.

Even participating in JVs has promotional benefits. I recently participated in a JV initiated by an author for her new book. For my participation I offered a FREE bonus gift, How to Create an Ebook.

I posted her promo content, along with my own, because I like to show my readers the marketing value in particular posts such as these. I then promoted the post to my social networks.

For a little effort and time, you can increase your visibility and possibly your subscriber list.

To have your participation be more effective, be sure to provide your links and offer your own products within your free offering. And, to create added value, you can allow the freebie to be shared, or portions of it reprinted with your tag/bio.

Another scenario for book promotion JVs, in fact a more popular one, is to be approached by publicists. This has happened to me several times and I usually participate for the visibility factor. The publicist will put out a wide reaching call for participants for his client. Obviously, the more on board the greater the promotional reach and punch. But, even on a small scale, this marketing strategy is a gem.

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Learn about writing and marketing with Karen Cioffi at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. Sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World, and get TWO free site-related e-books for subscribing, and ONE more just for stopping by. For professional and affordable writing services check out http://dkvwriting4u.com

What I've learned from television

2012-03-02T00:54:00.000-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

     I watch many police, detective, and crime shows on television, often hoping to learn something I can use in my writing. Of course much of what I learn is what not to use, but all is part of learning.

     From CIS (all versions), NCIS, Law and Order, The Mentalist, Castle, and other various show, I've learned that most law enforcement people and criminologists are manipulative, lying, promiscuous, immoral, corrupt, and over-all dysfunctional. I wonder how any crimes can be solved when the people supposedly solving the crimes use their time to commit their own crimes or to try unwind their own twisted lives.

     Ahh, you ask for examples. In at least three shows (CSI Miami, NCIS, and NCIS LA), the protagonists take the law into their own hands and murder some bad guys, in other countries of course. They might have some twinges of trouble as results, but nothing drastic happens to them because of their actions.

   I'll admit NCIS is one of my favorite shows, but really. In real life, Tony would be up on charges of harassment and dismissed faster than I could spell harassment. He has become a caricature rather than a crime fighter. Enough is enough and really too much. If I had a protagonist in one of my novels like Tony, I would definitely not sell any copies. I'm a fan of Jethro Gibbs, usually, but, much as I would understand a character wanting to kill the murderer of my family, the writers really must be careful not to write when under the influence of whatever.

   From CSI Miami, I've learned to use appropriate body actions. People do not normally look off somewhere else when talking to a person, as the main character does on this show. As a result, I try to make the actions of my characters believable and appropriate.

   On all these shows, characters must play musical beds, apparently. What such behavior has to do with solving crimes, I have no idea. In this world of dissolving marriages, split families, people having trouble bonding with others, why do we need to see the lack of personal control extolled constantly on television? I could see an occasional incidence popping up, especially on the part of antagonists or red-herring characters, but according to television, all the protagonists, the heroes, are flawed to such a great extent that I don't know how they find the time or energy to do their jobs.

     No, characters shouldn't be "perfect," because no one is perfect, but few successful, productive people are so imperfect, so flawed, so unappetizing. Therefore, I've learned from television shows to work extra hard to make my characters believable.

     The same idea applies to plots: Plots should be believable enough that a reader can suspend belief enough to accept them. Television plots often are so unbelievable that anyone of a sound mind can't stretch his imagination that far.

      Yes, I have learned much from TV shows. Mainly I've learned what to avoid, but I still enjoy, for the most part, the shows and do pick up some helpful ideas.

4RV Bookstore
4RV Publishing

Active vs. Passive Voice by Katie Hines

2012-02-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

What Makes A Sentence?

Basic, traditional sentence structure follows what is known as the SVO pattern. “S” refers to a subject, or something performing an action; “V” refers to a verb, which is the action; and, “O” refers to the object, or something receiving the action. Please note that not all sentences have an “object.”

What is the Passive Voice?

Passive voice is the opposite of active voice, and results from the overuse of the “be” verbs: am, is, was, were, be, being and been.

The passive voice is often found in sentences that begin with “there is,” “there are,” “it is” and “they are.”

Examples of passive voice:

There were a great number of dead birds on the ground.

There were many cows behind the fence.

There are four to eight members in each of our critique groups.

What is the Active Voice?

The active voice uses strong action verbs, such as toss, run, jump, fly, etc.

Using the active voice allows the reader to visualize what the writer is describing or saying.

The following are examples of the active voice. Note how the above sentences are changed from passive to active voice:

Dead birds littered the ground.

Cows stood behind the fence.

Our critique groups host four to eight members.

When to Use the Passive Voice

Although the use of the passive voice is often linked to weak sentences, there is a place where the use of it shines.

The passive voice is used very effectively in scientific or technical writing, where it emphasizes the process or principle being described, instead of the person performing the action.

For example, use of the passive voice is effective in the following sentence:

Open drawer two in the printer to add standard-sized paper.

However, in most fiction, the use of the passive voice slows down writing and makes it wordy.

Nancy Lamb, children’s author of The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, says on p. 205 of that same book:

“The difference between adequate prose and good prose is the difference between the passive and active voice. Make certain that active verbs drive your prose.”

Be especially careful not to mix active and passive voice in the same sentence!

When to Use the Active Voice

Use of the active voice brings an event into immediacy for the reader, into the present, and makes them connect more strongly with what’s being written.

For those who are grammatically challenged, think of “active” in connection with the active voice, for the active voice brings the action from the past (from having already happened) into the present.

The active voice “does it now.”

Using the active voice, with its attending action verbs, eliminates wordiness and makes what is written more interesting to read.

Promotion: Book Trailer for Wolf

2012-02-28T19:43:00.001-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

     Another book coming out in March is Wolf, written by Harry (Brian) Porter and illustrated by Theresa Stites. Aidana WillowRaven created a book trailer for the short YA novella, which has beautiful black and while illustrations.

     Watch for book to be available on the 4RV Bookstore, as well as in bookstores and online stores.

     Now let's enjoy the trailer.

4RV Publishing

Writing Tip - Dialogue can be fun

2012-02-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

by Stephanie Burkhart

Writing dialogue can be fun, but a challenge. Dialogue must do several things well to be effective so I thought I'd share some tips and ideas on writing dialogue.

#1 – Dialogue should sound authentic, but not reflect real life too closely.

In real life people greet each other with:

"Hello, Bob."
"Hi, Sue. How are you doing?"
"I'm okay. You?"
"I have a little headache."

Dull and boring, huh? Try to strip as much of these exchanges that you can from your dialogue. Get to the heart of the matter by passing over pleasantries. Rule of thumb: Stay away from pointless chit chat.

#2 – Dialogue should move the plot forward, but not be an info dump.

When you use dialogue, reveal a little about your character, but don't go into a monologue that reads like an info dump.

"Lord Varga does not like garlic," said Lazlo.
Amelia arched an eyebrow. "I didn't know. Why?"
"It makes him sick."
"How interesting. Garlic is known for it's healing properties."
Lazlo pursed his lips.

#3 – Avoid dialect in dialogue.

Why? Quite honestly, most authors can't do it well and readers who don't "get it" might find it a bit stilted.

#6 – You are what you speak.

The words characters say reveal who they are so make them shine. Are they educated? Young? Friendly? What do they value?

"Old lady Jenning's pig ran away again."
"Did you find him?"
"Sure did – down by the river."
"Did you return the pig?"
"Sure did. She said she appreciated my honesty."

#7 – Dialogue shows suspense

The lack of dialogue or reluctance to talk may heighten the suspense.

"Do you know what she wanted?"
"Yeah."
"What?"
"What was what?"

All these are tools you can use to help develop your story. A note about dialogue tags:
You should only use "he said" or "she replied" when you need to identify the speaker. Other "tags" you can use, I refer to as action tags. For example:

Amelia arched an eyebrow. "I didn't know. Why?"
"I didn't know. Why?" she asked.

The action tag puts you more in the moment.

Have a great week all!
My upcoming book, "First Flag of New Hampshire" will be out with 4RV Publishing shortly. It's a young adult book. BLURB: Can Alyssa and Miguel find the First Flag of New Hampshire before time runs out on their project?

Promotion: PostCard Trailer for Life on Hold

2012-02-24T00:35:00.001-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

Since Life on Hold is not an illustrated book, Aidana WillowRaven created a Post Card Trailer to promote the book. The young adult book is written by Beverly Stowe McClure. Life on Hold will be released about the middle of March. Watch for it, since it will be available through the 4RV Bookstore as well as any brick and mortar or online bookstore.

4RV Publishing

Promotion: Book Trailer for Porcupine Seeds

2012-02-21T16:13:00.002-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

One of 4RV's new picture books, written by new author to 4RV Viji K. Chary and illustrated by Bridget McKenna, is Porcupine Seeds. Aidana WillowRaven created a book trailer to go with the book.

Porcupine Seeds will be available in the 4RV Bookstore in two weeks, after it's released.

4RV Publishing

Plan a Book Tour: Be a Gracious Guest and Effective Promoter

2012-02-19T06:19:00.012-06:00

Plan a Book Tour: Be a Gracious Guest and Effective Promoter
By Karen Cioffi

You researched and planned a unique and engaging book tour. Your hosts are booked, the schedules are prepared, and you chose on-the-mark prizes to give to random winners who will take the time to comment on the tour stops.

But, whether you created and are managing your own book tour, or you’ve hired a publicist or book touring service, there are a few additional touring tips you should consider in order to be a gracious guest and effective promoter:

•    Have all your promotional material readily available, including pictures of you and your book cover, reviews, a synopsis, and excerpts. The same goes for any articles you’re providing. Make your guest spot as easy for the host as possible; this means emailing your host any content agreed upon in a timely manner. Give your host plenty of time to prepare his/her post for you. Many bloggers like to pre-post their posts; having the content early will be helpful.

•    Be sure to make note of each site you will be on and the date you’ll be featured. I have a daily calendar book that I enter all important information into. I also got a monthly desk calendar that I leaned against the wall next to my computer – the bigger the better. But, you can use any form of calendar or schedule, as long as it will work for you.

•    Prepare and publish a press release that lists all the information for your tour. You will need to post your tour schedule on your sites, and ask your hosts if they would post it on their sites also. I took advantage of Donna McDine’s Author PR Services (http://authorprservices.com). Donna did a great job; the release was professional and effective. I highly recommend her services.

•    Promote each tour stop on your social networks.

•    It’d also be a good idea to send a reminder to each host a couple of days before his/her day. It may happen that one or two hosts will forget and that reminder will be very helpful in keeping your tour on track.

•    The day of each guest spot, be sure to visit the site throughout the day to answer any questions from visitors who take the time to comment, and thank them for stopping by. It’s important to also thank each of your hosts in the comments area. You should also send each host a thank you email, after the spot.

•    In addition to thanking each host (during and after the tour), let them know that you would be happy to reciprocate.

•    Finally, go back to each tour stop daily to see if there are any additional comments. If there are, respond to them and add the visitors’ names to the list you should be using for the contest.

Note: Anticipate things coming up and the tour possibly going off track here and there. While each of your hosts has every intention of following through, sometimes things happen. Just go with the flow, shrug or laugh it off.

Winding it Up

After your tour, send an email to the prize winners to let them know they won and include which prize they won. You should also create a post naming the winners. Finally, be sure to follow through and send the winners their prizes.

For a week-by-week, step-by-step, comprehensive article about a book tour, you can check out Mayra Calvani’s article: “Demystifying Virtual Book Tours” (http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com/2008/04/demystifying-virtual-book-tours-by.html).

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Learn about writing and marketing with Karen Cioffi at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. Sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World, and get TWO free site-related e-books for subscribing, and ONE more just for stopping by.

What Is a First page?

2012-02-16T13:18:00.003-06:00

by Joan Y. Edwards

The first page is not to be mixed up with the Title Page, Copyright page, or Dedication page.
What is a first page?

: Magnet

A first page is the magnet that brings a reader in.
It's the hook that brings your reader into your story and keeps him there.
It's the grabber that yanks him with words and emotion so strong that he can't set himself free, until the problem is solved at the end of the book.
It's the trap that holds readers inside the pages of the book.
It's the enticement to stay a little longer in this make-believe world
It sells the rest of your manuscript

At the most, depending upon the genre, a first page double-spaced could be 250 words.
What does the First Page Do?
What makes a great first page? It tells who, what, when, where, and why should I care? Hmm. You say. That sounds like the same thing that should be in a pitch. Yes. You're right. I venture to say that each page in a book should contain something about leading up to the solution of the problem or the making it worse.
A first page hints of the dilemma facing the main character.
Tells the inner and outer conflict of the main character.
Tells the setting.
Tells the time. When you read it, you know by the first page whether it is 100 years ago or sometime in the same century as you.
Why should the reader care? It pulls you in with emotions that a reader can identify with.
Just for comparison and enlightenment: Let's look at the first pages of three of your favorite top-selling books in the genre you have chosen to write in.
You get your books in front of you or go to the Amazon link to its first page.
What must a first page have? A main character, setting, time, goal, and obstacle/opposing force/villain.
Wait. That's not all. On this first page you must also give emotional pull on the reader that shows him why he should care.
Look at 3 first pages. Have the books open to the first page or click on Amazon where they show you the first page of this best-selling book.
Print out the first page of the manuscript you're ready to send off to a critique group, editor, or agent.
Look at the first page of the story in Chapter One. Look for the things a first page has:

: Hook

Main character

Setting

Time

Goal

Obstacle

Emotional pull (Why Should I Care? Universal Emotion)

Chances are they've given you hints of the major problem in the story. What's at stake for the main character? Life? Death? Success? Fame? Fortune?
Does your first page have Pizzazz? Raise curiosity in the reader?
Can your readers relate to the main character? Feel for him? Cheer for him? Be scared with him? Cry with him?

: Heart

If your manuscript lacks this emotional tug at the heartstrings of your reader, add it. When an agent or editor can't get your character out of their heads is when you have them, hook, line, and sinker!
Good luck with your publishing dreams. Keep unwavering faith in you and your stories.

Break Out the Pearl -- guest article

2012-02-14T00:00:00.005-06:00

by Suzanne Cordatos

Somebodyhad to sort through Grandma’s boxes. She was still kicking—in fact, had playeda rippling “Happy Birthday” to herself on the piano the evening before at her 100^thcelebration. Women born in Iowa at the turn of the century have as muchspunk for life as the chickens she once chased in the yard for dinner. But Grandma’snursing home room didn’t have much space, and boxes were taking over dad’sgarage.

Anymoment not writing (or thinking about writing) is a moment wasted. My twinsister shares this passion, and we balked at the task. Mounds of hand-crocheteddoilies in the puke-orange color Grandma favored were no heirloom. These thingshad already been picked over; no muses here. Travel memorabilia filled the lastbox: A small velvet bag filled with fool’s gold. Puzzle books for boring hours.A jar labeled with Japanese characters. Hmm . . . inside, an odd-shaped thingfloated in a dark liquid. An oyster shell. Could there be a pearl inside? Itwould probably stink, but we cracked it open. A pearl, perfect in every waynestled inside.

Forseveral decades after its purchase, Grandma never enjoyed her pearl. Did sheforget she had it? As writers, we sift through reams of ideas, mostly junk. Whatcovers up the pearls in our writing? Brilliant brainstorms get layered withdetritus of new projects and mundane chores. What nuggets can we glean frompanning the stream, perhaps from a new spot? A different point of view oradding sensory details might be all that is needed to refresh a scene.

Ahundred years at the computer might not do as much for your writing as visitingthe setting of your story, joining your kids on a naturehike, or tasting ordinary food outdoors. Life experiences connect the dots sometimesmore completely than Grandma’s puzzle book. In the thick of life—when the good,bad and ugly cram together—we could given the lens through which we find a shelland see a pearl.
Suzanne Cordatos

What is a cover's sole purpose?

2012-02-12T01:52:00.000-06:00

by Aidana WillowRaven

I've noticed a disturbing trend among thumbnails and cover shots of more and more book covers seen on sites like amazon, or author websites and blogs. Ambivalence.

Due to some very successful books bearing abstract cover designs and minimalistic visuals or symbols, some authors and publishers think they can stick almost any abstract visual on a cover and think it's going to attract an audience.

A book cover has one job and one job only. Yet, that job is worth 70% of a book's marketability and sales strength so it's a HUGE job. It must attract readers.

For a book cover of any genre, there has to be a hint as to what the genre is or people won't bother to even read what it's about. This seems somewhat basic, I know, but you have about a full second, maybe less, to catch a reader of your genre's attention. Your cover has to tell them your book is their genre almost instantly. See the cover I did for One More Mystery, by Vivian Zabel? It's very minimalistic, but you know right away, between the title and the cover art, that this would interest a crime/suspense/mystery reader. If your more into high fantasy, you know right away this book isn't it.

But you say you have a blog to build readership or a killer blurb that will draw them in convince them to spend their money? Well, guess what, no one will bother to read your blurb or your blog if you don't first get their attention. That is the job of your cover.

Now you ask, "But what about those best selling crime and horror novels that have abstract covers?" Duh, those books/authors already have a following and fan base. Stephen King could spit on a napkin, sign it, slap on his next book, and it would sell ... because he's Stephen King. 90% of all authors are not, nor will they ever be.

Try to remember that your cover may not need to be what most would consider a full illustration, but if you want abstract, make sure it relates in a way that doesn't require reading the book before anybody knows even what the genre is.

All covers need to be simple enough to help a reader decide what the book is about and complex enough to gain that reader's attention. Too much (another topic I should address in a post) is as bad as a cover that doesn't relate to the book.

It's important for authors, designers, and publishers to know that a cover will attract or detract from a book, and a book is judged by its cover. Ambivalence will not attract that 70% of all book buyers.

Aidana WillowRaven

Art Director & VP of Operation

4RV Publishing

Pony Strings & Critter Things book trailer

2012-02-10T00:36:00.001-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

     One of the newest 4RV releases, Pony Strings & Critter Things, will be out in two weeks. The author, Rena Jones, prepared a trailer, a fun and interesting one, using illustrations by Ginger Nielson.

     The book can be pre-ordered from the 4RV Bookstore, and will continue to be available there as well as from other book stores.

   Let's enjoy the trailer:

4RV Publishing

How Fibromyalgia Helps My Writing

2012-02-08T01:00:00.001-06:00

by Laurie Boris

About twenty years ago, with both forearms strapped into splints due to constant pain when I worked on the computer, I shuffled into a rheumatologist’s office. He diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I was writing my first novel at the time, and I feared that the pain would make it my last.

Because doctors don’t know much about this disease—many won’t acknowledge it’s a disease and some don’t believe it exists at all—we “fibromites” have learned that the best treatment often lies in managing our own health and lifestyle. By taking a few simple steps, and a lot of trial and error, I’ve learned to minimize and even avoid flares altogether. However, I didn’t anticipate that these same steps could allow my writing not just to continue, but to flourish. Here’s what I’ve learned to do, for my health and for my writing. It even works if you don’t have fibromyalgia. (Note: As always, your actual experience and mileage may vary.)

• I get regular, appropriate exercise. I need to move and stretch my major muscle groups every day. Not only does this keep me healthy and reduce my pain, it allows me to spend more time at the keyboard, day after day, year after year, novel after novel. I also need regular writing exercise to keep my “chops” up. Not just sitting down when I feel inspired, but meeting inspiration halfway by being at the computer to receive it.

• I take advantage of stress. We all have stress. I can allow it to be my enemy, robbing me of energy and causing illness, or it can be my friend. I’ve learned to manage the “bad” stress. But the motivating, “good” stress of a (reasonable) deadline or a public event is a way I use stress to my advantage.

• I have learned to play to my strengths. To each day, we bring a set of bell curves: our natural biorhythms. By paying attention, I’ve learned that my mental acuity and creative energy start high in the morning, peak again just after lunch, and taper off at night. Physical flexibility starts low in the morning and increases by evening. Understanding this, I can choose when I’m best suited for particular activities. Eight a.m. yoga class? Uh, I don’t think so. Morning writing? I’m there, with my coffee and a smile. Knowing the flow of these rhythms, I don’t normally sit down at nine p.m. to start editing. I know I won’t be applying my best self to the work.

• I try to cultivate a flexible attitude. Sometimes despite doing everything right, flares happen. I may back off on other responsibilities, but very little keeps me from writing. I’ve just learned other ways to do it. Voice activated software programs are wonderful if it hurts you to type, and they can be trained to respond with decent accuracy. Setting up my writing space to fit my ergonomic needs initially cost a bit, but it was worth every penny to prevent injuries from poor posture and repetitive stress.

• I ask for help. Although I wear many hats and do a lot of things, I’m not Wonder Woman. It’s hard to admit that to myself at times. But I have learned that if I try to tackle it all, I’ll pay later with pain and fatigue. Learning to delegate tasks or ask for help around the house has made it easier to ask for that second set of eyes on my manuscript, a review, or a friend to help spread the word.

So…how are you turning your writing lemons into lemonade?

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Laurie Boris is the author of The Joke's on Me, from 4RV Publishing. She also blogs about writing, books, and the language of popular culture at http://laurieboris.com.

Plan a Book Tour: Attract Followers

2012-02-05T06:04:00.005-06:00

Plan a Book Tour: Attract Followers
By Karen Cioffi

Your book will be released soon and you decided to have a virtual booktour, and you decided to do it yourself. You did some research and took the necessary steps to garner hosts for the tour stops. And, each host knows what will be presented on his site: an interview, or a review, or an informational article.

You also created a Word doc or spreadsheet with the schedule and details.

Now you want to take it up a notch to ensure readers will be motivated to follow your booktour, actually comment, and hopefully buy your book.

Offer Book Tour Prizes

While there are some readers who are interested in learning about new books, for the majority of readers you will want to offer an ‘ethical bribe’ to follow along on your booktour.

An ‘ethical bribe’ is a freebie, gift, or prize that you will offer to entice readers to follow along, and just as important, to comment, and most important, to buy your book.

There are a number of prizes you can use: books (not the one you are promoting though, the chance of winning a book will discourage readers from buying the book), gift cards (to Amazon, Target, etc), informational e-books, or items related to your story. If your book is about a child wanting to learn how to fly, you might have a toy plane or puzzle as a prize.

For my middle-grade virtual booktour I choose two $10 Amazon gift cards – they can be purchased and emailed directly to the winners. I also offered three copies of a 100+ page ‘writing for children’ e-book, and four copies of another e-book. So, you can see the gift can be of value, but doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.

It’s also advisable to make your prizes enticing to the market and reader you’re aiming at. If you’re promoting a children’s book, your marketing efforts should be aimed at parents, grandparents, teachers, school librarians, etc. So, offering gifts that kids will appreciate or are helpful to the potential purchaser in some way will be beneficial.

Just remember that for merchandise (physical gifts) you will need to mail them to the winners. This will be an added expense. Gift cards on the other hand can be purchased and emailed directly to the winners. So, take this into consideration when deciding on the prizes.

Spread the Word About Your Book Tour Prizes

Be sure to add information about the prizes in your promotional content, your tour schedule, and in your press release. Explain that the winners will be chosen randomly and will be emailed within a week or two after the tour ends.

Usually, the prizes are given randomly at the end of the tour to those who comment on the tour stops. Create a Word doc or spreadsheet to keep track of their names and the stop they commented on. This will help you later when you have to pick the winners and contact them.

You can also choose to have prizes awarded at certain intervals throughout the tour, or even on a daily basis. It’s your tour, your rules.

Make Your Book Tour Unique

Author Kathy Stemke planned an amazing booktour. She promoted her newly released children’s picture book, Sh Sh Sh Let the Baby Sleep in June of 2011 and added interesting and fun contests with ‘add your input’ questions that amused and engaged the visitor/reader.

This marketing strategy was successful in bringing traffic to the tour stops and having a good number of comments, not only on the tour stop sites, but on the social media and group sites she promoted them to.

So, check out other tours, read articles about virtual booktours . . . do your research. Be sure to think it through and plan it out carefully, so you too can have a unique and engaging tour.

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Learn about writing and marketing with Karen Cioffi at http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. Sign up for her free newsletter, A Writer’s World, and get TWO free site-related e-books for subscribing, and ONE more just for stopping by.

Book trailer for A New Friend for Dilly

2012-02-03T00:19:00.010-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

When A New Friend for Dilly became an illustration orphan, Ginger Nielson stepped in and finished the project. Author Rena Jones took promotion illustrations and the cover and created a new book trailer.

Let's watch the new book trailer. The picture book itself is available on the 4RV Bookstore at a reduced rate.

4RV Bookstore remodeling finished and sale prices still in effect

4RV Publishing

Three ways to promote your book for free

2012-02-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

by Robert Medak

1. Create a Web site for the book before you begin writing your book to build interest in both the book and the author.

There are many free sites where you can build the Web site for your book and to draw people in to learn about what you are writing and build their interest.

By having a Web site, you also have to keep the viewers of the Web site up to date on your progress which will force you to complete the book, because they will demand it.

2. Create a Blog for your book and how it is progressing.

Comment back on any posts to build a more personal relationship with the visitors to your Blog. When you interact with possible readers on a personal level they are more likely to read your book, and if they like what they read, they are more inclined to tell their friends and family about it.

3. Create a video trailer on YouTube for your book.

You can create an account on YouTube for free and upload your trailer there.

If you don’t know how, there are site where you can bid the job out on bidding sites like oDesk, Guru, and others for little money. You might even know someone that can create the trailer for you and even upload it for you.

These are only three ways to promote your book for free. Do you have accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, or other social sites? Use them to talk about your book there as well to mention your Blog or Web site.

Robert Medak
Freelance Writer/Editor

New releases coming soon

2012-01-30T04:15:00.002-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

Coming from 4RV Publishing in March are Pony Strings & Critter Things, Life on Hold, and Wolf, which have covers already prepared, plus First Flag of New Hampshire, Rhino Crashes & Critter Classes, Porcupine's Seeds, and Boo's Bad Day -- covers coming soon.

Pony Strings & Critter Things is the third book in the critter series by Rena Jones. The first two in the series were illustrated by Nikki (Shoemaker) Boetger, while this book is illustrated by Ginger Nielson. Answers for the names of another 21 critter groups are found within its pages.

Life on Hold by Beverly Stowe McClure (cover art by Aidana WillowRaven) is a young adult novel about the confusion in the mind an heart of a young sixteen-year-old. Myra Gibson's life is alie. For sixteen years her parents have kept their secret, but the adoptionpaper she discovers while cleaning the summerhouse tells the truth.

Wolf by Harry (Brian) Porter, a young adult book, is illustrated by Theresa Stites. Living the goodlife in their cabin close to the forest, Warren and Emma are disturbed to findtheir livestock disappearing in the night. Tracks in the snow lead them tobelieve their chickens may have fallen victim to a marauding wolf, and Warren sets out to trackdown the uninvited predator. What he discovers, as the snow begins to fall andhe draws ever closer to his prey, will surprise and delight the reader as thetruth about the wolf in the night reveals itself, changing Warren’s life forever.

Rhino Crashes & Critter Classes is the fourth in the critter series by Rena Jones, and the second one illustrated by Ginger Nielson.

First Flag of New Hampshire by Stephanie Burkhart and illustrated with black and white images by Ginger Nielson is the first in a trilogy of young adult books about New England.

Porcupine's Seeds is the first picture book by Viji Chary through 4RV Publishing and the second to be illustrated by Bridget McKenna. Porcupine begins to believe he will never be able to grown flowers.

Boo's Bad Day, picture book written by Penny Ehrenkranz and illustrated by Theresa Stites, follows one day in a small kitten's life.

Please check the 4RV Bookstore for the final releases of each.

4RV Publishing

Make a protagonist live

2012-01-28T00:56:00.001-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

Every plot needs a protagonist, a hero or heroine, maybe one of each. How do we make them real, not caricatures?

All stories and novels, even many poems, have a hero or heroine. More and more heroines fill the bookshelves, too. What characteristics do we want in our protagonist? For what do we search when we read, use when we write? Let’s examine creating a hero (I’ll just use the term hero for the rest of the editorial, but everything applies to a heroine, too).

A hero needs to be believable.

"Okay, fine," someone says. "How does a writer make a hero believable?"

One way is to pay attention to the small stuff, the details. That doesn’t mean as writers we have to include everything possible in the story or novel, but we should have the hero so developed, in our minds, that he or she lives.

Natashya Wilson, www.aresix.blogspot.com, as well as numerous composition books and my notes from writing classes, workshops, and clinics include the following information when examining the components of a hero:

1. The hero should be appealing and should inspire.

Reading about him/her should give readers a feelings that they, the readers, too can achieve their goals. The hero should help readers to find courage and the will to continue. Any hero needs to be strong and intelligent, as well as be human with flaws that readers can understand, but with the ability needed to succeed.

No matter what, the reader must be able to relate to the hero on some level.

2. The writer needs to develop the hero completely.

I noted earlier that the heroes should be developed in our minds until they are real. We should have a background, childhood, friends, family, home, and likes and dislikes all in our mental files. We need to note his motivations, phobias, the people he respects. Not all the information will go into our stories or novels, but the details are there, making our hero real. If we made our heroes live for us, they are more likely to live for readers.

3. Every hero needs a special skill or quality.

We should ask ourselves what gives him an advantage over the bad guy or guys, and why he doesn’t give up? Then we use those answers to enhance our hero.

4. The characters around the hero need to be interesting and fully developed, too.

Those around our hero should be worthy of him. The love interest and the villains should have depth, be realistic and believable. The hero should have a reason to love the other person; the heroine should be in love with someone worth loving. The villain should test the merit of the hero.

5. The plot should grab the reader’s attention and challenge the hero.

Readers have to care what happens and want to continue reading.

6. Make sure the hero has an emotional stake in the outcome.

Another way to help the reader care is to create an emotional stake for the hero. He shouldn’t want to “win” just because it’s his job or is the “right” thing to do.

7. Add a touch of romance.

A bit of romance enlivens the plot and makes the hero more human. The romance should not be the main focus or just thrown it, but it should be a natural part of the story.

Many of today's stories and novels throw in romance and/or sex scenes without ryhyme or reason (used a cliché, I know). Anything inserted in a story, including romance, needs to add to the plot, move the story on, and/or enhance our interest in the hero or another character.

8. Write for your audience.

Who do you want to read and enjoy the story or novel? The plot and characters should appeal to those people.

9. Make dialogue believable.

Nothing ruins a hero, or a story, for a reader faster than stilted or contrived dialogue. Practice what you write. Speak it aloud. Try it out. Is there unnecessary profanity? Do characters “talk” so that readers understand as well as other characters? Listen to people talk, and then clarify for readers.

The tips above will help make our protagonists live in our writings.

4RV Publishing
4RV Bookstore Remodeling complete and sale is still in effect.

Promotion: Carla's Cloud Catastrophe review

2012-01-27T11:30:00.002-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

     The following was posted in The Midwest Book Review for January, in The Picture Book Shelf section.

Carla's Cloud Catastrophe
Beth Bence Reinke, author
Ginger Nielson, illustrator
4 RV Publishing
P.O. Box 6482, Edmond, OK 73083
9780982834602, $13.99 http://4rvpublishingllc.com
"Carla's Cloud Catastrophe" is a tall tale about a birthday-party-crashing cloud catastrophe thatchallenges Carla (whose birthday party it is) to come up with an extreme solution to save the day(and her birthday party! The whimsical colored illustrations show puffs and piles of excessclouds everywhere except up in the sky where they belong. Kids age 4-8 will enjoy theridiculousness of the cloud catastrophe and get caught up in the need for a quick solution to savethe birthday cake (and party). "Carla's Cloud Catastrophe" has lots of lovely descriptive prose aswell as animated, dreamy illustrations, making it fun and memorable to kids everywhere.

     Carla's Cloud Catastrophe is found in the 4RV Publishing Bookstore and is on sale.

4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Critique Group by Katie Hines

2012-01-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

Some writers will say they don't use a critique group; others wouldn't consider their manuscript polished without the input from one. There are both online critique groups and face-to-face groups. Whether you use a critique group or not is up to you, but there are ways to get the most out of your critique group.

First, a critique group should be comprised of fellow writers who share common goals, and it works best if they're writing in the same genre. For example, if you write children's picture books, and another person writes memoirs, it fits best if you join a group that writes picture books and let the other find a memoir group. Look at it this way: if you have a forest green couch, and your partner buys a bright orange floral couch, there won't be a good fit in the living room!

Second, a critique group should be comprised of a small group of people, usually no more than five or six, who are committed to each other and helping each other polish their manuscript. Most online groups work that one writer submits a piece to the rest of the group and expects a critique back by the end of the week. Face-to-face groups can work the same way as well, with the piece to be critiqued sent via email a week prior to the next group meeting. Obviously, in either of these situations, it wouldn't work well to have more than five or six people because of the long time between critiques.

Third, when you join a critique group, you have the right to expect honesty in the critique from your fellow group members. Honesty, however, does not equal brutality. Just as there is always writing in the submission that needs addressing, there are good points in that person's writing as well. The good critiquer will point out not only errors, but also the places where the writer did a great job. Brutal honesty has no place in a critique, as it can damage and discourage fellow writers.

Fourth, as a group grows and changes together, relationships develop between the writers, and these relationships can foster a sense of comradeship and security. I have been in groups where the writers have bared their souls to each other in their writing, and did so knowing they wouldn't be slammed. The development of these relationships can extend beyond the critique group, and are an important part of networking with others.

Critique groups can help polish a manuscript and further the career of any writer, often times resulting in relationships that will carry through the rest of the writers lives. Whether or not you join such a group is your decision, but membership in a good critique can be a writer's best friend.

Self Editing Tip - Understanding "Beats"

2012-01-22T16:59:00.004-06:00

The Fresh Beat Band

By: Stephanie Burkhart
It's been said writing for publication can be defined as "10% writing and 90% editing." Writing is easy, but self-editing is a challenge all by itself. Today, I thought I'd talk about "beats," what they are and when to use them effectively as you go back through editing your story.

A beat is that tidbit of action laced through a scene. Beats are usually used with dialogue. Examples of Beats: heads nodding, worrying or nipping at the lower lip, gazing out the window and fisting the hands. Those are examples of external beats. A short interior monologue would be an example of an internal beat. Using a beat allows for a couple of things:

#1 varies the pace of the dialogue
#2 ties the dialogue to the setting and characters
#3 allows for small bits of imagery - keep in mind: Use only small bits. Too much description can be condescending to the reader.
#4 beats anchor your story to reality

How many beats do you need? That depends on the ebb and flow your dialogue. If you're writing a high tension scene it's best to use a minimum amount of beats. If you're in a less tense scene, you might want more beats.
Remember: use "fresh" beats. No two people walk across a room the same way. People watch. You get some good ideas from that. Pay attention to beats that you read. You can learn a lot from reading.

I've also noticed that when writing a young children's story, that you still have to mind your "beats." You don't need a "he said," "she replied" after every bit of dialogue. (As I've seen in some stories) I've noticed my 5 year old's rhythm is thrown off if he has to read a lot of "he said," "she replied."

Reference: Self-Editing for Fiction Writer by Renni Brown and Dave King, Harper Resource, 2nd Edition, 2004, 279 pages.

How to Improve Mysteries

2012-01-20T00:16:00.000-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

          I take and read several writing magazines: The Writer, WRITERS' Journal, and Writer's Digest. All of them give me ideas and advice that helps me be a better writer. As I read some of the current issues, I realized that some of the articles included suggestions that definitely apply to writing mysteries, thrillers, crime, and/or suspense novels and/or stories.

          In my reading, and from my experiences over the years, I found some writing tips that definitely apply to writing mysteries and sub-genres.

          Some of the suggestions apply to any writing; some perhaps more to the mystery genres. However, all are usable to us. At the end of this article, I'll give the sources for the information I'm using, besides my own expertise. I highly recommend that everyone read all the articles.

          Create believable and distinctive characters. Have you ever read more than one book where at least one character could be dropped into more than one story, even if the names aren't the same, and no one could notice? I mean other than in a series or a sequel that contains the same characters.

          Ways to make characters believable and distinctive are several, but a few include 1) to have characters not be predictable, 2) to make them three-dimensional rather than stereotypical or all good or all bad, 3) to "show" their personalities and characters rather than "tell" the reader what kind of person they are. An antagonist shouldn't be a "flat" all bad, evil person. A protagonist shouldn't be all good without any faults or short comings.

        Include the four elements. Every well-written novel or story needs to have 1) a strong hook at the beginning to grab the readers attention and keep it.

          2) Conflict is necessary to have a plot, a story. Of course without conflict, we would have only a narrative, and we wouldn't have anything to interest a reader.

          Conflict leads to a 3) struggle, according to Diane E. Robertson, both internal and external. The ups and downs of the struggle make the plot move forward to the 4) resolution, the end of the story. Authors need to be sure that that end is not a false finish. The end must make sense and satisfy the reader. A surprise ending should still be credible.

          Make sure the plot is plausible to the reader. Often, coincidences are thrown in to surprise a reader, but if credibility is stretched too far, the reader won't accept it. Hallie Ephron states, "... never, ever, ever make a coincident integral to the solution."

          Don't conceal clues from the reader. The reader should know all the clues as soon as the mystery solver or detective does.

         I gave a few of the many tips found in three articles and a bit of my own knowledge mixed in.

***
Sources, besides the information I've accumulated over the years:

The Writer, Hallie Ephron,October 2008 page 26-29; Paola Carso, December 2008 page 28-29.
WRITERS' Journal, Diane E. Robertson, January/February 2009 page 46-47.

4RV Publishing website
4RV Publishing Bookstore

On a Whimsical Wednesday, Enjoy Being Surrounded by Nature

2012-01-17T23:04:00.002-06:00

Just because we didn't "black-out" our site today doesn't mean we like bad new laws. Check out End Piracy, Not Liberty - Google to learn more about what SOPA and PIPA could do to sites like the 4RV Newsletter.

"On a Whimsical Wednesday Enjoy Being Surrounded by Nature" by Joan Y. Edwards

Sometimes you need a little connection with nature to get your sails going and the ideas flowing. I want to share with you things I've witnessed with nature that were truly amazing.

In the 1990's when my daughter, Lorrie and I were at the Grand Canyon, it started lightning and thundering in the distance. It was a beautiful light show with flashes of lightning and thunder sounding deep like the bass drums in a symphony. I wanted to get it on tape, so Lorrie used the camcorder and I used the still camera, and we took pictures. The next day a park ranger told us that lightning strikes about 300 people every year. Lorrie and I looked at each other and said, "Now he tells us." We were lucky we were safe.

When I went to visit the Grand Canyon about ten years later with my husband, Carl, we saw a coyote. He had traffic stopped and people were taking pictures. I love coyotes. I didn't get to take a picture on the way in. I said, "Wow! I hope that coyote is still there when we leave. Sure enough that coyote was still there. After I took a picture of him, he walked away in the trees nearby. I think the coyote knew that I wanted a picture of him. How cool of him to wait for me!

One December day in 2007, a lady named Pat came to help me take care of my Mother. She looked out the kitchen window and said, "Do you always have deer in your backyard?"

I said with wide eyes, "No. I've never seen deer in our backyard."

She said, "There are nine of them out there now."

By the time I got my camera they had all gone out of view. I said, "Oh man. Deer, please come back. I want to take your picture." At a count of twenty in my mind, low and behold all nine of the deer leaped back into my vision so I could take a picture. There were six does and three fawns. Then they pranced out of my view across our neighbor's lawn. I never saw them in our backyard again.

Look all around you, nature awaits you. Capture its moments in your mind, or on film and use it to create interesting highlights for your books. Draw a sketch of what happened. Describe it so that others can share in your joy and excitement. Describe it so well that others can see a picture in their minds.

On a Whimsical Wednesday or any other day of the week, I encourage you to take at least 15 minutes to notice nature that surrounds you either at home, at work, or in your vacation spot. Enjoy being in tune with nature.

Good luck with your writing. Please leave a comment and share a nature encounter of yours.

May your writing bring you much joy, health, and wealth.
Joan Y. Edwards

A glimpse of Edmond Author Book Fair

2012-01-17T00:02:00.039-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

January 14, 2012, Edmond Historical Society and Museum held its annual author book festival. Four members of 4RV Publishing and Pen and Keyboard Writers (affiliate of OWFI) participated: Vehoae (Shirl Yancey), author of Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia; Horton Deakins author of Time Pullers; Jacque Graham, editor and contributor in Walking the Earth: Life's Perspectives in Poetry; and me -- author, editor, publisher, and whatever jobs are left.

I took photos of our tables and activities, and some came out.

Vehoae at her table

Jacque at our shared table


Vivian visits with a customer

Horton visits with a customer


Vehoae and Liz Codding


Jacque visits with a writer

Vivian makes change for a customer

Vehoae and Jacque visit

Sometimes book festivals and fairs result mainly in networking, getting our names and faces better known. Sometimes books are sold.

One important point when attending a festival or fair or book signing: Please do not block the author's table/booth and/or monopolize him/her. For example, one person who was not interested in purchasing anything blocked our table wanting to talk about publishing, his writing, his background, his interests. Several times, I had to talk "over" him to reach people who were interested in the books on the table. Yes, I'm the head of a publishing company, but at a book festival or signing, I'm interested in selling books, not recruiting authors. Other authors are also interested in selling their books. Visiting when others are not around is fine. Exchanging a few friendly words is great. However we, even if great fans, need to move out of the way of others. I also had to learn that lesson.

I recommend writers and readers take advantage of book festivals and fairs, as attendees. Published authors should participate.

4RV Publishing
4RV Bookstore Yes, Christmas sale prices are still in effect.

Plan a Virtual Book Tour: The First Steps

2012-01-15T00:30:00.024-06:00

by Karen Coiffi

You’ve taken the initial steps to begin your book marketing journey. The first rung on your marketing ladder is to create a quality product, in the case of an author, that would be a book. You need to create an engaging story, be part of a critique group, make sure the manuscript gets edited/proofread, and have a knock-out cover.

Creating the book might be considered Research and Development under the Marketing umbrella, and the foundation of a marketing strategy.

The second step or rung on the marketing ladder is the actual book promotion: creating a platform and brand for you and your book. This is accomplished through visibility which includes: creating a website, adding content to your blog on a regular basis, doing article marketing on a regular basis, and garnering guest blog spots on quality sites, among other strategies.

Once all the above is underway and your book is going to be available for sale, even if it’s for presale, now is the time to go on a virtual book tour.

Plan a Book Tour
A virtual book tour can be an effective promotional strategy, and you can initiate one on your own, or pay a publicist or book promotion marketer (tour service) to do it for you. Obviously, depending on your financial situation, you will need to decide which will work for you.

The advantages of hiring either a publicist or tour service is their wider audience reach. If the service is a quality one, it will have quality sites for featuring you and your book. When choosing a publicist or tour service find out exactly what you’ll be getting for your money. You might also ask around for recommendations.

I know of three reputable book tour promotion services:

The World of Ink Author/Book Tours
Pump Up Your Book Online Book Publicity
Author Marketing Experts

You can check them out or do a search for “book promotion,” or “virtual book tour.”

On the other hand, if you’re intent on initiating and managing your own tour you will need to post messages in all your social networks asking for bloggers to participate. If you are active in your groups, and have been paying-it-forward, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Try to aim for bloggers who have followers in your target market. While most writers belong to writing groups, try to expand your reach to groups and bloggers who actually have readers who will be interested in your book.

For example if your book is targeted at the middle grade crowd or children who read chapter books, you might look for bloggers who are involved in parenting groups, grandparent groups, teacher groups, etc.

You should begin this process at least a month or two (two is better) before you want to launch your book tour. It may take a while to get all the hosts on board, decide who will feature what, have reviews prepared, answer interview questions, prepare a press release, and so on. Give yourself enough time so you’re not rushing.

Once the Book Tour Hosts are Booked

For the tour of my children’s middle-grade fantasy book Walking Through Walls, as each blogger accepted my request for hosts, I created a list of their names, the dates I’d be on their sites, and what would be presented on each host’s site: a book review, an interview, an article (with the title), or a combination.

A note here: Offer a variety of content during your book tour. While your initial thought might be to promote, promote, promote, readers will quickly get tired of reading review after review, or umpteen interviews. Offer writing and marketing articles in addition to the reviews and interviews, and alternate their postings. Try to keep the tour fresh.

For the interviews and articles, you can add your promo at the end of the content. You might include a brief review, synopsis, even a favorable email a reviewer sent you (just be sure you get the person’s permission first).

~~~~~~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, and freelance writer. For more on writing and marketing visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her FREE newsletter, A Writer’s World. You’ll get TWO free e-books on writing and marketing in the process.

4RV Places in Preditors & Editors Readers Poll

2012-01-13T00:53:00.022-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

The final tallies in the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll show that two 4RV books took first place in their divisions, that three books and a book cover placed in the top ten, as did an author and artist. The company placed in the top ten publishers, too.

*drum roll* And the winners are ---

Children's Book: 1st place Walking Through Walls by Karen Coiffi, illustrator Aidana WillowRaven

Other Novel: 1st place Sparrow Alone on the Housetop by Jean James and Mary James

Those placing in the top 10 are --

Romance Novel: 3rd place The Joke's on Me by Laurie Boris

Science Fiction: 5th place Time Pullers by Horton Deakins

Children's Book: 7th place Gunther the Underwater Elephant written, illustrated by Ginger Nielson

Other Novel: 8th place Aldric & Anneliese by Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.

Book Cover Art: 5th place Strangers in the Stable by Jim Laughter, cover by Aidana WillowRaven

Author: 3rd place Vivian Zabel

Artist: 5th place Aidana WillowRaven

Publisher: 6th place 4RV Publishing

Usually the site has images that can be copied and used: one for first place and one for the top 10 places. This year, apparently they didn't.

Congratulations to all 4RV placers and especially to our first place winners: Karen for her book and Jean and Mary for theirs.

4RV Publishing
4RV Bookstore We're keeping the sale prices for a while longer.

Want to be a better writer? Read more!

2012-01-11T01:30:00.005-06:00

by Laurie Boris

Happy news! According to the National Endowment for the Arts, daily reading, once on the decline, is rising again. Here are some good reasons you, as a writer, owe it to your career and to the next generation to keep making daily reading a habit.

1. Reading keeps you abreast of the current market. Some writers disagree about this, but reading current books in my genres gives me a broad idea of what’s out there and helps me position my novels in the marketplace.

2. Reading teaches you good writing techniques. Just like playing tennis with a better player helps you improve your game, reading great books urges you to raise the bar on your own writing. My favorite example is Zombie, a novella by Joyce Carol Oates. Somehow she made me empathize with a serial killer. I went from being awed by that on the first reading to drilling down to exactly how she did it, and the specific techniques she assigned to the protagonist in character development. Remember, it’s okay to borrow a technique (as long as you use it in your own voice) but NOT to plagiarize!

3. Reading increases your vocabulary. I love books that send me to the dictionary. I once told this to novelist/short story writer T.C. Boyle, when I met him at one of his events. He smiled at me, and then signed my copy of his book in Latin.

4. Reading helps you explore other genres. Some days I get a bee in my bonnet to try historical fiction. Reading them gives me an idea of how it’s done and the challenges I will face.

5. Reading makes the world smaller. Books take us through the looking glass, to faraway lands, and across the universe. In doing so, we learn about other countries, religions, and cultures. We understand each other better. And how can that be anything but good for you as a writer and as a citizen of the world?

6. Reading keeps your imagination sharp. For over ten years, I judged a literary contest for a local school district. I noticed an interesting trend. For a while, the level of imagination exhibited in the children’s stories declined. Then Harry Potter came along, and as if someone waved a magic wand, the stories flourished with creativity. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

7. Reading makes you more attractive. And why not? Reading makes you smarter, and according to some studies, intelligence is an attractive quality when choosing a mate.

8. Reading supports fellow authors. In this tough business of publishing, don’t we want to support each other?

Why do you read? If you had three minutes with a person who doesn’t care for reading, what would you say to try to change his or her mind?

-----

Laurie Boris is the author of The Joke's on Me, from 4RV Publishing. She also blogs about writing, books, and the language of popular culture at http://laurieboris.com.

Wayne Harris-Wyrick's "Why Am I Me?" in OKC newspaper

2012-01-09T10:29:00.000-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

In today's Oklahoman, the main paper in the Oklahoma City area, is a short review of "Why Am I Me?" by 4RV author and editor Wayne Harris-Wyrick. I've copied and pasted the article below. Congratulations, Wayne.

YOUR LIFE

Family, friends stand out

Charlotte Lankard CLankard@ opubco.com

  Being an only child, I never had a brother or sister looking out for me and cheering me on, so I particularly like it when readers give me a glimpse of what that is like
.
  A few weeks ago I wrote about three Oklahomans who authored books published in Oklahoma and sold at one of our Oklahoma independent bookstores. The next day I received an email from Randy Wyrick of Leander, Texas, who asked me why I didn’t mention his brother’s book. So I went right out and bought a copy.

  His brother is Wayne Harris-Wyrick, director of the Kirkpatrick Planetarium and author of a children’s book, “Why Am I Me?”   Dedicated to his son Ethan, Harris-Wyrick’s book explains the importance of things like dogs and cats, mountains and water, sunrises and sunsets, butterflies and flowers, rabbits and even skunks. About trees he writes, “Trees make fruit to eat and oxygen to breathe, give shade on a hot summer day and a place to climb and study the world from up high, with the birds.” Then he answers the child’s question, “What is special about me?” It is a good book for any adult to share with a child.   Since Harris-Wyrick, who writes a column for The Oklahoman, is an Oklahoman and easy to find at the planetarium, have him sign a book for that special child in your life.

  And to purchase the book, try another one of Oklahoma’s independent bookstores — Best of Books in Edmond’s Kickingbird Square. Julie Hovis will take good care of you.

  While I don’t have a brother like Randy Wyrick, I do have great friends, and because of this column I have met people all across the state. One of those folks is Jacquelyn Duncan, a retired Custer County associate district judge.

   Jackie has invited me to her part of the state and we have visited here when she is in town.   After reading the column I wrote about my friend Arlene Johnson and her love of animals, I received the following email from Jackie and her own animal companions:   “Booray the Bichon Frise dog, Sookie the Maltese mix dog, Diva the calico cat and Red Beard the tiger stripe cat all join me in wishing you a 2012 filled with love, peace, health and happiness.”

  I wish the same for each of you.

  Charlotte Lankard is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice. Contact her at clankard@opubco.com .

4RV Publishing
4RV Bookstore -- Christmas sale prices still in effect.

Does an illustrator need an illustrated logo?

2012-01-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

by Aidana WillowRaven

Today's topic is inspired by a conversation I had on Twitter. A fellow illustrator asked, "My new website is almost done but I'm stuck for a logo. Does an illustrator need a logo/icon? If so should it be illustrated? Thoughts plz."

My response, "Yes, an illustrator should have an illustrated logo identity, just like a designer should have a cool design for theirs."

I further commented, thanks to XLT (eXtra Long Tweet), "Also note, when you do decide which way to go, make sure it suits our own personal style. Don't just go with the norm. For example, when I was working on mine, every artist I knew had a cutesy caricature of themselves bent over at a drawing table. I knew this would not work for me. One, I don't do caricature. Two, I'm not silly, funny, or goofy, like many of my art friends, so it simply would not portray me or any aspect of my personality or how I look at my work. I thought about it, stared at my wall, then saw what I needed. On my wall was my sun hat, hanging just above the shelf that holds recycled tin cans holding a multitude of colored pencils and brushes. Suddenly, my logo was created. I just had to sketch it. took me a whole five minutes to do, including clean-up in PS. I have gotten more jobs because of this logo than I can count. Good luck! :D"

According to Wikipedia, a logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of the organization (a logotype or wordmark).

In the days of hot metal typesetting, a logotype was a uniquely set and arranged typeface or colophon. At the level of mass communication and in common usage a company's logo is today often synonymous with its trademark or brand.

Your logo should define who you are and what you do, no matter what industry you are in. It is your first communication with clients and should be something you are comfortable with to continue using for a long, long time. After ll, you have a brand to build and plan to be in business a long, long time.

Don't rush it. Google/Bing "important logo tips," think about how you want to be seen, and have some fun. I mean, you ARE an artist. Stressing over a visual interpretation of yourself and your business is silly. :D

Aidana WillowRaven

Art Director & VP of Operation

4RV Publishing

Meet best - selling author CJ Lyons

2012-01-06T00:44:00.001-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

          I first met CJ Lyons on two Yahoo email lists: Crime Writers and Sisters in Crime. Soon after I discovered that she would be one of the speakers/ workshop presenters at the OWFI (Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc.) writing conference May 1-2, 2008.

          Not only did I attend CJ's sessions and have her autograph my copy of her debut medical thriller LIFELINES, but she also joined me at my writing group's table at both banquets.

      Now, join me on a warm imaginary evening on a deck under a star-spangled night. CJ agreed to an interview, and I wish to make it appear we visited in person again.

Vivian: Thank you for allowing me to interview you, CJ. I enjoyed our time together at the OWFI conference. Please share with us: How did/does your history and home background affect your writing?

CJ: My mom was a voracious reader, so I grew up surrounded by books. I began reading at a very early age and skipped the whole "see Dick run" stage, going right to books like Agatha Christie.

          And fairy tales—lots of fairy tales. But not the sanitized Disney version, my mom had lots of the "real" ones—Perraults, Grimm Brothers, etc. I think they helped me to learn the value of a good story, how the hero's journey works on a subliminal level, and also that no happy ending comes without paying a price.

Vivian: Tell us something about your background that has made you a better, or more caring, writer.

CJ: Being a pediatrician definitely has given me insight into how real heroes are born. Watching children and their families respond to tragedy and triumph has both inspired and humbled me.

          Since I spent a lot of my career working in urban trauma centers and as a victim's advocate, I also witnessed occasions of true evil—and saw how insidious it is, how easily it can hide in plain sight. And I saw how so many of us live our lives in a gray area between good and evil.

          That's the reality of our world. In my fictional world, I try to address this cosmic ambiguity, with many of my characters doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons—or all the wrong things for all the right reasons. I love stories of redemption, of triumph over one's own self.

Vivian: Please fill us in on your hobbies, interests, or activities you participate in during your leisure time. *laugh* If you have any.

CJ: Great question — strange to say, but I used to have a lot more free time when I was practicing medicine! Now that I write full time, it seems that almost everything is tied to the writing. Either getting the current book done, researching the next, or marketing the one hitting the stores now.

          But that's all good!. When you do something you love, it doesn't seem like work. And I've been able to expand my writing career to include a busy teaching schedule. Now I get to combine my love of travel with trips to give master classes, workshops and keynotes. This way I'm always meeting new people who share my love of storytelling!

Vivian: Authors are often asked when they started writing or what triggered their interest in writing, but I would like to know what keeps you writing.

CJ: I've been telling stories all my life—took me a looooong time to figure out the difference between fiction and reality when I was a kid. This led to many hours in time out—which led to more stories fermenting in my imagination…..a vicious cycle.

          I honestly don't think I could stop writing if I tried. It's an addiction for me. There are so many stories to tell and so little time.

Vivian: You have so many projects going all the time: working on books, traveling, etc.; how do you manage?

CJ: I'm a lousy housekeeper. Seriously, you should see my place—my Christmas gift to myself was investing in a Dirt Dog robot vacuum cleaner so at least the floors would get done. Now, if I could just teach it to dust and do the laundry….

Vivian: Ahh, I knew we had lots in common.
          How do you manage to come up with the ideas for your medical thrillers?

CJ: Most of my ideas come from things that frustrate me and that I want to change. Topics that I feel passionate about.

          LIFELINES was inspired by a photo I once saw. In it, there was an old man wearing a VFW uniform with a lot of medals and decorations. He was holding a sign that read: Freedom includes the right to hate.

          I was caught by the ambiguity—here was a man who had shed blood to protect me and my country, who had earned my respect, yet he was espousing an idea that I despised. That it was okay to "hate" someone because we live in a free society.

          Then I read about the ACLU defending the KKK's right to protest during a rally. And I knew that I would use all of these conflicting ideas in a book someday. That book became LIFELINES.

          My second book, WARNING SIGNS, was inspired by my days as a medical student as well as a lot of recent high profile medical stories including the melamine contamination. I kept wondering, how does anyone know if what they eat or drink, the air they breathe, the medicine they're prescribed, if any of it really is safe?

          While writing it I was very cognizant of the fact that this is an uncomfortable subject for many. But I also wanted to be as honest as possible, to illuminate the courage I've seen in victims—and how an assault changes their lives. I can only hope that I did their stories justice.

Vivian: Do you have a particular writing process or technique that you use, if so, what?

CJ: Nope. After seventeen years of medicine, following a strict schedule, I totally wing-it now. I have my deadlines and they keep me in check, but I don't write every day or have a set word count or the like. I also don't write in chronological order—which drives my friends who outline and plot crazy.

          My only rule is: No rules, just write!

Vivian: How do you feel when you complete a book?

CJ: When I finish the rough draft, first there's this sigh of relief, wow, I did get it done.

          Immediately followed by a thrill of elation—Wow! I got it done!

          Two seconds later that's followed by: Wow! I have a ton of work to do—this thing stinks!

          But, when I finish the final draft (revisions from my editor, page proofs, etc) and it's gone to press and I can't do anything more with it, then I just kind of let it go….like releasing a baby bird and seeing if it will fly.

          The readers will decide its fate—all I can do is get to work on the next book and try my best to make it better.

Vivian: What are your writing achievements and goals?

CJ: Achievements? I won a few contests before I was published: LIFELINES has been graced with many wonderful reviews, including a Top Pick from Romantic Times, and good reviews in Publishers Weekly, Newsday, the Baltimore Sun, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among others.

          But I consider my greatest achievement to be the fact that I had the courage to take the leap of faith to write full time. So far I'm supporting myself on my writing and hopefully will continue to do so!

          As for goals—while hitting a list would be nice, writers really don't have a lot of control over that. My main goal is to continue to tell stories that readers love and to inspire, entertain, and empower. If I do that well enough, readers will spread the word and more readers will come…..

Vivian: How do any writing groups benefit you and your writing? Also, we might tie some information about your presentations at conferences with this.

CJ: As much as we love the idea of the lone poet scribbling in his garret, writing today is anything but an individual effort. Yes, it's your idea and your vision, how you make it come to life is unique.

          But once you entertain the idea of publishing you're entering a whole new world—a very strange one, I may add, one that it is best not to navigate alone.

          That's where the help of fellow writers is invaluable—the writers' groups I'm involved with have offered me invaluable support, motivation, inspiration, knowledge, and guidance. They include the Motivated Writers' Life, Sisters in Crime, PASIC (the published author chapter of RWA), and International Thriller Writers, among others.

I try to give back by offering my own knowledge and support—I have given keynote speeches and taught workshops for groups such as the Colorado Fiction Writers, Oklahoma Writers Federation, the University of South Carolina at Beaufort, RWA National, MWA's Sleuthfest, Lowcountry RWA's Master Class, Left Coast Crime, and PennWriters, among others.

Vivian: What advice would you have for a new author?

CJ: Follow the immortal words of Tim Allen (or Winston Churchill—always get the two confused, lol!): Never surrender, never give up.

          I'm convinced that the three key ingredients to becoming a successful author are Vision (know what you write), Passion (know why you write), and Commitment (know who you're writing it for). If you have these three, you can make magic happen!

          But always remember, you make your own road to travel—it's no good looking over your shoulder at how someone else is doing it.

          And of course: don't forget to have fun along the way!

          Thank you, CJ, for visiting with us.

About CJ:
          As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels.

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore

Who reads your manuscript?

2012-01-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

Do you edit and read your own work?

The problem with trying to edit your own work is, that you know what you meant to say, but is it what you said? Did you get your point across effectively to the reader?

As the writer, you may be too close to the writing to be totally objective.

Having someone you trust to tell you what you need to hear from the readers POV and not what you want to hear is the key to work that may be what the reader will get.

Unless you are writing for yourself and have no desire being published than don’t worry about editing or having a trusted source tell you what you need to hear to have the reader get what you are trying to say.

If your desire is to be published and have the public read your book, than a writing buddy, or some other trusted source to tell you with honesty what works and what doesn’t in your manuscript will make your writing better and the story more readable.

My wife is my reader and tells me what she sees that doesn’t work, or isn’t clear to her. If I haven’t made myself clear to my life partner, how clear can I be to a reader that doesn’t know me that I plan on entertaining, inspiring, or trying to change their life while they are reading what I wrote?

As an avid reader for more years than I care to admit, I find books with typos, wrong word choice, lack of consistency in terms, and other blatant errors as a reader is a turn off. I only read these books for review and not for pleasure. Reading for pleasure should be enjoyable and not a chore as some authors.

Authors should submit their best work while always striving to make their latest piece better than the preceding one.

The opinions expressed are those of freelance writer, Robert Medak.

Robert Medak

Writer, Blogger, Editor, Marketer, Poet, Proofreader, Researcher, and Reviewer.

Robert J Medak Writing & More

http://stormywriter.com

4RV nominations for Preditors & Editors Readers Poll

2012-01-03T15:45:00.001-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

The following, with links, are the nominations for the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll from 4RV Publishing. I've tried to scan all the categories to find 4RV nominates. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I'd been nominated in the Author division.

Author - Vivian Zabel http://critters.org/predpoll/author.shtml

Romantic novel - The Joke's on Me by Laurie Boris

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelr.shtml

Print Book and e Publishing ( yes, both) - 4RV Publishing
  http://www.critters.org/predpoll/ebookpublisher.shtml

Science Fiction - Time Pullers by Horton Deakins
  http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelsf.shtml

Children's - Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi illustrated by Aidana WillowRaven
                        Gunther the Underwater Elephant by Ginger Nielson
http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelchildrens.shtml

   Other Novels - Sparrow Alone on the Housetop by Jean James and Mary James
                              Aldric & Annaliese by Harry Gilleland

http://critters.org/predpoll/novel.shtml

   Book/ebook cover artwork - Strangers in the Stable by Aidana WillowRaven
   http://critters.org/predpoll/bookart.shtml

   Artist - Aidana WillowRaven

http://critters.org/predpoll/artist.shtml

We would appreciate any and all votes. The polls close January 9. Also, votes only count one per category (if you vote again, previous votes are deleted), and voters need to finish the process for votes to count.

Writing Books for Children: From Contract to Sales to a Writing Career

2012-01-01T04:42:00.001-06:00

You’ve chosen to write books for children, and you’ve done it by the book: you did your homework and learned the craft of writing; you created a polished manuscript; and you submitted it to publishers.

And, knowing it’s not necessarily the best writer who gets published, but the one who perseveres, you were steadfast and didn’t let initial rejections deter you.

Now, it’s finally happened - all your hard work paid off. A publisher accepted your book, and you’re on your way.

But, this is far from the end of your writing journey . . . this is just the beginning.

After your book is accepted for publication, there are three steps you will go through . . . if you intend to make writing books for children a career:

1. Writing Books for Children: The Book Contract

You may want to sign that publishing contract as soon as you can, but be sure to read the contract carefully; if you don’t understand something, ask for an explanation.

Once you’re sure you understand everything in the contract and agree with it, sign away.

After you sign a contract, you’ll be ‘put in queue,’ and at some point begin editing with the publisher’s editor. This will most likely involve more revisions.

From start to actual release, the publishing process can take one to two years.

2. Writing Books for Children: Book Promotion

A few months prior to your book’s release, you should begin promotion to help with book sales.

As soon as you have a book contract, you should begin creating an author website and platform - you will need to create visibility for you and your book.

You need to become a ‘blip’ on the internet radar. To create and maintain this ‘blip,’ you’ll need to post content to your site on a regular basis and use a number of other strategies to extend your promotional reach.

After your book’s release, you will want to take part in virtual book tours, do blogtalk radio guest spots, school visits, and all the other standard book promotion strategies. You can take this on yourself, or you can hire a book promotion service or publicist.

There’s much involved in book promotion, so if you can afford it, make use of professionals. Just be sure to ask around for recommendations; you want to use a service or individual who knows what she’s doing and who gives you value for your money.

Book promotion generates book sales.

You can check out these articles for book promotion tips:

Book Promotion: The Foundation

Book Promotion: Creating an Informational Funnel

Book Promotion: 20 Strategies that will Broaden Your Reach – Part 1

3. Writing Books for Children: A Writing Career

Now, you’ve got your book, and you’re promoting it like crazy (this is an ongoing process). The next step is to repeat the process, over and over and over. You don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, so hopefully you’ve been writing other stories. If not, get started now. On average, an author writes a book every one to two years.

Along with keeping your writing books for children momentum up, having published books opens other writing opportunities, such as speaking engagements, conducting workshops, teleseminars, webinars, and coaching. There are a number of marketers who say your ‘book’ is your business card or calling card; it conveys what you’re capable of and establishes you as an expert in your field or niche. Take advantage of these additional avenues of visibility and income.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, and editor. To learn more about writing and marketing visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. While there, sign up for A Writer's World newsletter; you'll get two free site-related e-books in the process.

Marketing Thoughts - by Stephanie Burkhart

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

I was working on my blog post for 4RV when I saw Katie Raines had a great post on social networking and marketing strategies, so I decided to revamp mine and talk a little about everything today.

MARKETING ON AMAZON

When you're first starting out, it can be uncomfortable reaching out to others – especially readers. One place where you have to be careful is the Amazon forums.

I've discovered the Amazon forums are where readers hang out, but if you don't carefully follow the rules you may sabotage your attempts to successfully market your product.

THE RULES: If you're an author, Amazon has created "Meet Our Authors" just for you. Keep your promotion about your book in this forum.

However, to be effective, you have to be social and branch out – explore other threads. They have threads for Kindles, children's writing, romance – find threads that interest you. Engage in conversations. TIP: Lurk before your post and get the "feel" for the thread and don't self-promote your book outside of the "Meet our Authors" forum or the Amazon "mean" peeps will call you out.

ANOTHER TIP: Marketing and networking can be time consuming. Be mindful of how much time you have to spend on this. I try to allot about 30-45 minutes for this.

If you stick to the above guidance, you'll gradually earn readers and before you know it, you'll see an increase in sales. Amazon readers want to read and are always looking for a good recommendation. If you can build up a solid reputation, the readers will come, but it requires patience, time, and respect for Amazon's rules.

Patience may be the crux of the marketing stragedy. In today's world, we expect results instantly and when we don't get instant results we get disappointed. If you venture out on the Amazon forums remember patience is the key to becoming successful.

TEAMWORK

I love Crystalee Calderwood's "Angeline Jellybean." Why? Because it’s a story that easily relates to young children. The 3-year-olds in my Little Church preschool class light up and love to say "Blah" right along with Angeline. When I read the book to my son's kindergarten class, they got the giggles watching the jellybeans dance in Angeline's tummy. Both classes want encores.

I love sharing books from the 4RV catalog with children and other adults I meet. The books always get a warm reception. As an author, for me, it's important to support my fellow authors. Publishing and marketing takes a team.

Who's on the team? You, the author, your editor, your illustrator, and other authors who will help cross market your book. Build the bonds of teamwork by reaching out to other authors. "Like" their Amazon pages, Facebook pages, follow them on Twitter, buy one of their books, read it, and support. You'll find most are receptive and will do the same for you.

RESOLUTIONS

It's that time of the year when we look back at 2011, evaluate our ups and downs, and look forward to 2012. Some of us make resolutions, some of us prefer goals. My big resolution/goal for the upcoming year is weight loss. My #2 is to grow as a writer and a marketer. My #3 is to conquer the Amazon forums. Wish me luck.

Do you have any tips about how to be successful on Amazon? Do you want to make a comment or have a question about social networking? Do you want to share your resolutions or goals your have for 2012?

Bio: Stephanie Burkhart was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire. She spent 11 years in the military and now calls Castaic, CA her home. She works for LAPD as a 911 Dispatcher. Her book, "The Giving Meadow" was published with 4RV Publishing.

"Inspiration flows from the exchange of ideas."
Happy New Year to All!
Smiles
Steph

Book Review -- Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia by vehoae

2011-12-29T00:50:00.002-06:00

William Young gave me permission to re-post the following review of Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia, which was posted on OKNews.

Okie Bookshelf: Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia

Posted by Young Bill Young

on December 22, 2011M at 4:53 pm

The great astrophysicist Stephen Hawking warns us that contact with alien life may not be in our best interest. After all, human history shows all too well how indigenous peoples suffer at the hands of a more technologically-advanced society.
The laws of space and time suggest that such visitations are probably not in our future. Still, if we were to awake one morning to find mother ships overhead, I suspect that a nervous Earth might hear our visitors say something like the following. (Note: just replace “Indians” with “Earthlings”):

“The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed.”
—[Secton 14, Article 3, Northwest Ordinance of U.S. Congress, July 13, 1787
This quote introduces Chapter 5—“What’s mine is mine. What’s yours is mine!”—of Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia by vehoae. In the author’s first book, she illustrates, through exhaustive research, how the perspectives and motivations of the European invaders and their progeny influenced the rhetoric, politics, and decision-making of the day regarding the continent’s Indian Nations.

Beyond the dishonest diplomacy practiced with the tribes, we are treated to the views and arguments of political and religious leaders as they sought a solution to the Indian problem. Such quotes and primary document details trace the discussions of extermination, assimilation and segregation of the tribes from early European settlement to the days of the Indian Boarding Schools.

It’s an uncomfortable history, of course. Reading about the worse angels of our nature (if I may twist the resurrected Lincoln quote) should make us feel uncomfortable. Seeing an unflattering side of American statesmen like Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson strikes at our patriotic heart.

We know this truth about our past, but some Americans would just like us to forget about it. But vehoae says, “No, look. This is what we did. Here is the proof.” Her appendix, exhibits, bibliography and end note citations take up a third of the book. (I wasn’t kidding about exhaustive research.)
While at the University of Oklahoma in the late 70s, I was lucky enough to have a class with Dr. Jerry Steffen, who warned us about condemning past generations. The future will laugh at us, and condemn us, too, he said. He reminded us to always consider past history in light of the times. This did not mean we should not pass judgements on cruelties of the past. It meant that by understanding the period of history, we could understand why such cruelties happened.

There is no advantage to ignoring our history, but there is much to gain by confronting painful truths. For what better way will we truly find the better angels of our nature?
———————————-
Visit vehoae’s website to find out more about the author, her interests and her work.
Read an interview with the author, where she discusses her book and the writers that inspired her. Plus, she provides a host of research tips for non-fiction writers!

4RV Publishing website

Social Networking by Katie Hines

2011-12-28T11:00:00.001-06:00

I'm still adjusting to the idea that social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, are important to me and my book, and thus, worthy of my time. Why are they, and how many should you establish a presence on?

I think exposure is the key: the more our name is in the great "out there" the more people are going to be interested in what you're doing, in what I'm doing. I'm tweeting on Twitter, and it feels so strange, because I'm not engaged in personal conversations with people. I do, however, realize that the more people that I follow (within reason), the more people will see about me and my work. The concept of tweeting 3 times a day or so takes some getting used to.

Facebook is fun, but it takes time. I have to admit this is the most fun social networking site that I'm on. I've met people I thought long gone from my life, and I'm trying to follow conversations and comment on people's walls that I think fall within the demographics of those I am wanting to reach with both my name and the name of my book.

I also belong to JacketFlap, and haven't really gotten the hang of that, either. I guess I need to make a more concerted effort to get there and "do something." Not sure what that is, yet.

In case you've never heard of JacketFlap (I hadn't heard of it until a couple of weeks ago, either), it is simply one in a list of sites I haven't heard of before. If you're into social networking--and we as authors should be--then you may want to consider some further social networking sites: Nothing Binding, Shoutlife, Live Journal, Authors Den, LinkedIn, Scribd and Axis Avenue. I have only made brief visits to these sites, so be sure and follow up on your own. Ning groups are also a great way to garner some exposure. These sites are not all social networking sites in the way Facebook or Twitter is, but are sites to be aware of where you can gain exposure and network.

Why are these sites important? Because, the more social networking groups we are a part of, the more varied of an audience we will have for our name/book. Do what I'm doing. Take the time to learn and participate. I am, and I firmly believe you will be glad you did.

Sparkle Your Words

2011-12-26T00:52:00.002-06:00

by Wayne Harris-Wyrick - guest contributor

Sometime you may find yourself plodding along on that novelor article and realize that it lacks sparkle. What can you do to add zing to your words? Try switching genres.

Prose writing, particularly certain types of articles, isoften dry and pedantic by nature. Or soit often seems. Even the most detailedaccount of how to tune up your car need not overflow with boringdescriptions. Yet readers have anexpectation when they open the book or particular magazine and start to readyour words.

Try this exercise: write thefirst chapter of the book or major premise of your article as a poem. Breathe new vibrancy into your work. As Richard Pettinger wrote “A good poemshould be able to lift the reader out of the ordinary and give glimpses of amore illumining reality, engage the heart of the reader, or offer hope fromseemingly painful experience.” Engageyour reader’s heart, regardless of what you write. Try it as a rhymed poem or an ancient Greekepic poem. Or perhaps an ElizabethBarrett Browning love poem. “How can Ifly faster than light? Let me count theways.”

Is your exposition flat? Are you telling instead of showing? Try writing the entire piece as a screenplay, allowing only dialogue andlimited descriptions of the characters’ actions. Describe your character’s physical appearanceas if he or she shared a first-time intimacy with a blind person. How would the blind lover later describe yourcharacter to their best friend the next morning? She never saw him, so the description would haveto include only what she could glean: the sound of his voice, the feel of hisskin, or the taste of his lips. She mightrelay how he smelled or the texture of his clothes. Remember: this blind person isn’t giving afashion report; she is describing a budding love relationship.

Write your science fiction or horror novel as a children’spicture book. I know, it’s totallyinappropriate for young kids, but that’s not the point. How few words can you use to create yourscene? And imagine the illustrationsthat would go with it. Better still,draw them! Anything you can do toincrease your immersion in your own story will make your words more enjoyableto your readers.

Write your YA urban fantasy as a newspaper report. A newspaper article must have who, what, whenand where in the first two paragraphs. Andnewspaper editors cut from the bottom up when the article is too long to fitaround the ads. That’s why it sometimesseems as if a newspaper story was cut off in the middle. Write it out, then remove a paragraph or twoand see if it still makes sense. Youcertainly don’t want your novel to read like it’s right out of the newspaper,but by going to the extreme of dry writing you may be able to drain it all outof your manuscript.

Whatever you write, use to all the instruments of in thewriter’s toolbox. If you aren’t familiarwith all the tools, learn them. Yourreaders will thank you for your hard work.

Merry Christmas & Seasons' Greetings

2011-12-23T00:30:00.005-06:00

From the staff, authors, illustrators, editors, and proof readers

Add Emotions to Your Story

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

"Add Emotions to Your Story" by Joan Y. Edwards

Add emotions to your story. There has to be an emotional pull to get your reader to stay for the whole book. The reader has to relate to the characters in your story. If the reader doesn't feel a reason to be curious about what happens to your main character he closes your book. He has to care about what happens to him so much that he can't put the book down. He has to feel this burning desire to find out what happens to him. If the manuscript you've written isn't the best seller you had in mind, perhaps emotion is missing from it. Revamp your manuscript and let the emotions come to the surface.

Think about how you would feel if you were actually the main character in your story. What would you be afraid of? What would make you sad? What would make you so angry you'd lose your temper? What would disappoint you? What would make you so happy that you'd dance around your house seven times? Put these emotions into your story. It'll come alive. The emotions give your reader a reason to like the character and care what happens. It pulls your reader into your story at the beginning and he'll stay with you to find out what happens along the way. He'll turn the pages and anxiously anticipate what happens at the very end.

Writers know in their heads what the characters are feeling. The problem comes in describing it in the story so that readers know without a doubt what's going on and can relate to them. You want them to have compassion for them. Be angry with them. Cheer them on through their next problem until they reach their goal. The reader wants to hear more and more about that character in the story, as if he was a real person.

Donald Maass in a workshop at the Pike's Peak Writer's Conference in 2010 said you must have tension in your story. The dialogue and the descriptions have to show both sides of the picture. Your story must show how the character is pulled in two directions. First, believe they can get the job or goal. Second, believe there is no way they can get the job or reach the goal. The main character mayt have doubts because of the way he fouled it up last time.

Inside our heads every day, we have at least 50,000 thoughts. We have these opposite points of view that creates tension in our lives. So do the characters in your story. Show they're human. Share their thoughts. Their thoughts depict their emotions. Give your character one big strength and one big weakness, or give them one small strength and show its growth through your story. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. Our humanity is what we have in common with other people. Readers are hungry to interact with the characters in your story. So fill your story with tension and emotion.

Writing as an Editor or Proof Reader

2011-12-18T00:04:00.048-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

When editors or proof readers write an evaluation or suggestions for revisions in paragraph form, they are putting their writing "out there" to be observed and critiqued by others.

What do I mean, you ask? Let me give an example. Let's say I've acted as an acquisition editor and have prepared an evaluation. If I write something like the next paragraph, what kind of impression am I going to leave on my supervisor, the author, or anyone else who reads what I wrote:

I did like Running Backward trhough the Streets, but I found lots of misunderstood parts. When characters talk, each one should have its own para. The time line should be consistent and plot should make sense.

How could I make that a better paragraph? Let's see.

I enjoyed reading Running Backward through the Streets, but some sections confused me. The wording and sentence structure caused misunderstanding. (give example of a confusing section and suggestion for revision) When different characters speak, paragraphs change. For example when John talks and perhaps a bit of action, one paragraph is required. Then when Mary speaks, a new paragraph begins. The time line and plot are not consistent, understandable, or in cohesive order.

The acquisition editor who writes a sloppy evaluation causes the author to wonder if he or she wants to do business with a publisher who has staff members who cannot write coherently.

A lead editor or proof reader who writes suggestions in paragraph format should also be as careful about his/her writing, making sure it is clear with extremely few, preferably no mechanical or grammatical problems.

Remember, we're putting our own writing on display when we write as an editor or proof reader. We don't want readers making snide remarks such as, "This person calls himself an editor? Ha! I can write as good as he can."

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore

Promotion: Tumbleweed Christmas

2011-12-17T18:04:00.000-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

One of the Christmas releases from 4RV Publishing is Tumbleweed Christmas by Beverly Stowe McClure and illustrated by Bridget McKenna. The following is a trailer of the book:

The book can be purchased from the 4RV Bookstore.

Join in the Conversation!

2011-12-16T22:49:00.000-06:00

a guest post by Holly Jahangiri

Join in the Conversation!

You’ve spent time building your blog. You’ve written killer content, found or created an attractive template to show it off, baked cookies, sent out engraved invitations, and…what? Now you wait?

If only that were enough! Here are a few tips for bringing readers to your blog:

Research other blogs – not only blogs in your niche, but blogs run by your readers.

Every time you visit a blog, do as many of the following as you can spare the time for:

Leave a meaningful comment. Never just say “great post” or “interesting” unless you want to be mistaken for a spammer. Refer to the blogger by name. Mention something specific you liked or didn’t like about the post. Share a story of your own. This is a great way to leave “breadcrumbs” back to your own blog, especially if you’re lucky enough to be commenting on a blog with CommentLuv+ or CommentLuv Premium. (If you buy CommentLuv Premium, you will always get a choice of 10 posts from your own blog to choose from when leaving comments on others’ blogs.)
Share the posts you find interesting. If there are share buttons, use them – Facebook “Like” or share; Twitter; Google +1; LinkedIN, and StumbleUpon.
On Twitter, be sure to share useful information. Try a tweet that starts out, “Did you know… “ and follow it with a grammar tip or publishing statistic. Every fifth tweet or so, plug your book or your latest post. Use Tweetdeck (it’s free!) to manage multiple Twitter accounts (perhaps your characters, like @Trockle, have their own?) and schedule Tweets to space them out throughout the day.

Part Calling Card, Part Writing Sample

Remember that every comment and link you leave on others’ posts is your “calling card.” As a writer or other book publishing professional, you want to make a good impression – and comments are forever. So before you Submit, be sure to proofread your comment. It doesn’t have to be perfect every time, but you ought to make an effort. Try not to criticize others’ spelling, grammar, or punctuation though. About 80% of the time, the more critical the blogger the better the odds of his own comments containing grievous errors!

Backlinks Beget Backlinks

When crafting your posts, reward great content and interesting or helpful bloggers by adding links to their posts. Make sure your “anchor text” (the text that a reader clicks to get to the other blog) is meaningful and also something people are likely to be searching for online, and make sure that it opens in a new tab or window so that readers of your blog won’t get whisked away, never to return. A good backlink might look something like this:

For a great bedtime story to help kids get over their fear of monsters under the bed…

To code that, you’d type the following:

For a great <a alt="Trockle is a great bedtime story to help kids get over their fear of monsters under the bed." href="http://jahangiri.us/kids" target="new">bedtime story</a> to help kids get over their fear of monsters under the bed…

The alt tag is used to help visually impair readers understand more about the link. A good screen reader program will read that to them. Search engines look for that information, too. Just make sure that when you put keywords in alt tags, they’re helpful to both people and search engines!

The target tag ensures that the reader won't be yanked off your page to go read the other blogs you've recommended in your post. They'll be able to refer to both - side by side, if they want to!

Just remember - it's not enough to build it and hope for readers to come. You have to show them the way and make them feel welcome.

Even Seasoned Authors need to do this

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

As an avid read and reviewer of numerous books, it pains me as both when I see inconsistencies and incongruity in stories.

For newer authors, all facts, timelines, as well as double-checking any real places should be for accuracy. Nothing will turn off a reader faster than reading about a character in the 1960s watching a program that wasn’t on-air until the 1970s.

If your story takes place in a town somewhere such as San Diego, CA as a television show did and someone that knows the town where they live, like San Pedro, CA close to three-hundred miles apart, and recognize buildings in San Pedro, you have a problem with reality and believability for your setting.

As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Never trust spellcheckers and grammar checkers, spellcheckers only tell whether or not a word is spelled correctly, not if it’s the correct word in your manuscript. The same goes for grammar checkers, they do not deal well with creativity in writing.

“You don’t write because you want to say something; you write because you have something to say.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald. Be sure that you have what you want to say organized.

Real writing is rewriting and editing. Always have a second pair of eyes read your work, someone who will tell you the truth, not what they think you want to hear.

A critique, especially for the newer writer is less than no critique if there is no constructive feedback.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer/Editor/Reviewer/Marketer

Robert J Medak Writing & More

http://stormywriter.com/

Five Ways to Avoid Boring Writing

2011-12-13T00:58:00.001-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

          At times, readers feel as if writers are using a completely different language, or at least a completely boring one. I tried to read three different books last week, two of which were mysteries or sub-mystery genre. I couldn't force myself to plow through the words between the covers.

          I'm a avid reader. When I can't find anything else, I may read the back of cereal boxes. But these books defied my attempts to force myself to read them. So, I decided to analyze the problem or problems as to why the reading was labored and uninteresting.

          Using three books (but not identifying them to protect the poor authors) as examples, I can give several reasons that books can be unreadable, things that an author needs to avoid. However, this time I'll discuss five.

1.Too many subplots can become confusing. Confusing, and thus losing, readers isn't a good thing. That doesn't mean that having subplots is a bad thing, just that too many spoil the book. Too many subplots makes the overall plot too complex.

2. Making "make-believe" world unbelievable. Readers can suspend belief IF authors develop a world in writing that a reader can accept, can suspend belief enough to accept. However, a reader must be able to say, "Oh, yes, I can see how that might happen if such a world or circumstances did exist." Therefore, as Laura Whitcomb states (Writer's Digest, March/April 2009), "Readers need to buy into the reality put forward by what they're reading." An author cannot go too far with a plot point or not far enough as the reading audience is being prepared. The plot cannot become too far fetched, or readers will not be able to suspend belief enough to accept it.

3. Dialogue can't be just talking heads. Action needs to be involved as well as conversation, and conversation with action should move the plot along and reveal character.

4. An unsatisfactory conclusion should be avoided. A twist or surprising ending that has a good foundation laid in the story can be creative. An ending that does not "fit" is bad.

5. Forced emotion can destroy believability. Most people do not sit mulling over their inner most thoughts and emotions in the midst of action. Yet, I'm discovering many novels that have a character do just that. Not only does such needless and in depth thinking tell and not show, but it becomes monotonous.

          There, five ways that cause books to become targets for the waste basket, when avoided, can improve a story. Of course more ways exist, but those can be covered another time.

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore

Writing Books for Children: Submissions

2011-12-11T04:32:00.013-06:00

The foundation of writing for children, or any genre for that matter, is to learn the craft of writing. In regard to being a children’s author you will need to learn the specific rules and tricks to create appropriate stories with age-appropriate words and storylines.

Once you have taken the time to hone your craft and have critiqued, revised, and edited your manuscript to a polished state, it’s on to the next phases of the traditional writing books for children path: submissions, promotion, and a writing career. This article discusses submissions.

Writing Books for Children: Submissions

Before you think about submitting your work anywhere, be sure you’ve completed the necessary steps to learn the craft of writing. You’re manuscript needs to be as polished as you can possibly get it.

Submissions can fall into two categories: those to publishers and those to agents. In regard to submitting to agents, in a webinar presented by Writer’s Digest, agent Mary Kole advised to “research agents.” This means to find out what type of agent they are in regard to the genre they work with and the agent platform they provide: do they coddle their authors, do they crack the whip, are they aggressive, passive, involved, or complacent. Know what you’re getting into before querying an agent, and especially before signing a contract.

Here are two sites you can visit to learn about agents:

http://agentquery.com
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

The same advice works for submitting to publishers also; research publishers before submitting to them. Know which genres of children’s books they handle and the type of storylines they’re looking for.

Whether submitting to a publisher or an agent, always follow the guidelines and always personalize the query. There may be times the guidelines do not provide the name of the editor to send the query to, but if you can find that information, use it.

According to Mary Kole, it’s also important to know how to pitch your story. This entails finding the story’s hook. Agents and publishers also want to know what the book’s selling points will be and what successful books it’s similar to. In addition, they will expect to be told what your marketing strategy will be. It’s a good idea to create an online presence and platform before you begin submissions; let the agents and publishers know you will actively market your book.

Along with the story’s hook, you need to convey: who your main character is and what he/she is about; the action that drives the story; the main character’s obstacle, and if the main character doesn’t overcome the obstacle, what’s at stake.

Ms. Kole recommends reading “the back of published books” to see how they briefly and effectively convey the essence of the story. This will give you an idea of how to create your own synopsis.

When querying, keep your pitch short and professional, and keep your bio brief and relevant. You will need to grab the editor or agent and make them want to read your manuscript.

Here are four tools you can use to help find a publisher or agent:

•    Writers Market: Where and How to Sell What You Write
•    Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market: Over 700 listings for book publisher’s, magazines, agents, art reps, and more
•    Guide to Literary Agents: Where and How to Find the Right Agents to Represent Your Work
•    WritersMarket.com: Online resource to help you sell what you write

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, and editor. To learn more about writing and marketing visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. While there, sign up for A Writer's World newsletter; you'll get two free site-related e-books in the process.

Remembering the late Tony Hillerman

2011-12-09T00:05:00.010-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

Tony Hillerman, one of my favorite authors, and I met about five years before he laid his typewriter/ computer aside for a heavenly one. Anthony Grove Hillerman, born and raised in Oklahoma, was born May 27, 1925 and died October 26, 2008. He has been gone for over three years, but his words live on. I'm going to share an tribute I wrote about Tony, who said he was prude and signed one of his books to me, "From one prude to another."

I've been fortune enough to meet several of my mystery/suspense/thriller writing heroes --

I heard that. So you don't think we old fogies should have or do have heroes, huh? Well, young whipper snapper let me tell you a thing or three: Just because we have lived long enough to be considered experts or leaders or even folks who have outlived everyone else, we still have people we admire and dream of being when we grow up.

I attended the Red Dirt Book Festival in 2003, the first one held. The featured speaker was Tony Hillerman. I not only attended all of his sessions, I was able to visit with him outside of the structured events. What a delightful man. His mysteries fascinated me because he wove the suspense into his knowledge of the Navajo culture. He autographed two of his books, but the autograph in his autobiography was personal and touching. I'll miss Tony Hillerman; Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee can be found again in the books that Tony left behind.

One thing he shared with us that weekend years ago, some people around him in the publishingbusiness considered him a prude because he didn’t include sexual scenes. Oneperson told him the closest he came to sexual tension was to have a man andwoman shake hands.

Many people have written about Tony over the years, andsince his death, but one article that best explains his books is an article bythe author himself: “Behind the Books” by Tony Hillerman. I advise anyone and everyone to read thatessay.

Yes, years have passed since Tony Hillerman left us, but a part of him will always remain.

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore

Promotion: Review of A Distant Summer -- The Midwest Book Review

2011-12-07T00:13:00.000-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

          A Distant Summer by Mike McNair is reviewed in the October issue of The Midwest Book Review.

A Distant Summer
Mike McNair
4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482, Edmond OK 73083
9780982588680, $17.99

Mike McNair introduces this coming of age story, A Distant Summer, with the memories of Mike Long, a physics professor, who has returned to his home town to attend The Commander's funeral.

"He looked about. At least some things in the little southern Indiana town that straddled the Gibson-Vanderburgh county line had stayed the same. Oak was narrow, like most Potter streets, in sharp contrast to the familiar Madison, Wisconsin multilane thoroughfares."

Players in this memory included Jim, the owner of Squall Baby, a barn pigeon, Mike's grandfather, Heidi, Mike's secret love interest (as far back as first grade) and various other relatives and townspeople, both good and bad.

As the story unfolds, Mike visits some of his old haunts that bring back memories of his fifth grade year and the following summer. During this time frame, Jim and Mike accept a new member of the secret agents, come up with a few new types of "secret missions" involving Squall Baby, save a mother and son from an abusive husband and the boys are kidnapped. The story of these and other escapades are the core of the adventures the three boys and the pigeon go through.

You must read this book to fill in the missing pieces and find out what happens. It will surprise, sadden and delight you.

The author is a retired English teacher and counselor who now spends his time writing. He writes a biweekly humor column for the Midwest News, an online newspaper that serves southwest Wisconsin and northwest Iowa. He also writes an e-publication called the Hooticat Newsletter that he sends out to annoy relatives. He has two grown children and lives in Richland Center, Wisconsin with his wife, Nancy.

Katherine Boyer
Reviewer

          A Distant Summer is available during the holiday sale on the 4RV Bookstore.

4RV Publishing website

Writing Books for Children: The Traditional Publishing Path

2011-12-05T04:10:00.002-06:00

Children’s books usually fall into one of three categories: picture books, middle grade, and young adult. To become published in any of these genres, you need to take the necessary steps to achieve success whether aiming at traditional publishing or self-publishing.

In regard to traditional publishing, there are four steps needed to become a traditionally published author; the first step is writing.

Actually writing, and all that it entails, is the basis of becoming a published author or writer, whether writing books, articles, becoming a ghostwriter, or copywriter. Within this first writing step, there are four subcategories.

Writing for Children: Four Traditional Publishing Steps

1. Writing and Reading

The first step for a successful writing career is to write. But, simply writing isn’t enough, the new writer will need to learn the craft of writing, along with the particular tricks of writing for children. Writing for children is more complicated than other forms of writing. The reason is because you’re dealing with children.

Rules, such as age-appropriate words, age-appropriate topics, age-appropriate comprehension, storylines and formatting are all features that need to be tackled when writing for children.

Within the first step rung, aside from reading books and magazines on the craft of writing, you will need to read, read, and read in the genre you want to write. Pay special attention to recently published books and their publishers. What works in these books? What type of style is the author using? What topics/storylines are publisher’s publishing?

Dissect these books, and you might even write or type them word-for-word to get a feel for writing that works. This is a trick that writers new to copywriting use – you can trick your brain into knowing the right way to write for a particular genre or field. Well, not so much trick your brain as teach it by copying effective writing. Just remember, this is for the learning process only – you cannot use someone else’s work, that’s plagiarism.

2. Writing for Children and Critiques

The next step, number two, is to become part of a critique group and have your work critiqued.

Critiquing is a two-way street; you will critique the work of other members of the critique group and they will critique yours. But, there are advantages to critiquing other writers’ works – you begin to see errors quickly and notice what’s being done right. This all helps you hone your craft.

3. Writing for Children: Revisions and Edits

Step three on the writing rung is to revise your manuscript based on your own input and that of your critique group. This process should go on until the manuscript is as good as you can get it. It’s recommended to put the story away for a couple of weeks and then revisit it. You’ll see a number of areas that may need tweaking and revising that you hadn’t noticed before.

Then it's on to self-editing and proofreading. The article links below have a number of self-editing steps you can use to help in the process:

Ten Tips Checklist for Self-Editing Part 1
http://tinyurl.com/4pfsnpx

Final stages of Self-Editing Part 1
http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2010/04/final-stages-of-self-editing-part-1.html

4. Writing for Children: Take it to a Professional

It would also be advisable to budget for a professional editing of your manuscript before you begin submissions. No matter how careful you and your critique partners are, a working editor will pick up things you missed. If your budget just doesn’t have enough for a professional edit, read everything you can on self-editing; the article links above have some helpful tips. Then, apply what you learn to your manuscript.

Once you have a polished manuscript, the next three steps in a writing career are: submissions, a contract and sales, and a writing career.

It’s important to mention that the above four steps should be taken whether you are going the traditional publishing route or you’re going to self-publish. Just because you may be by-passing the publisher’s gatekeepers, who protect the integrity and quality of the work they accept, your manuscript should be the best possible, a quality product.

Self-publishing is not an excuse to cut corners, rush a book, or create a substandard product. Remember that your book is a reflection of you and your writing ability.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, and editor. To learn more about writing and marketing visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com. While there, sign up for A Writer's World newsletter; you'll get two free site-related e-books in the process.

Promotion - Author Jim Laughter's TV interview

2011-12-01T12:59:00.002-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

         Jim Laughter appeared on Channel 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma Thursday morning, December 1. Below is the interview.

          He did a very good job, and the books discussed include Strangers in the Stable from 4RV and another of his books recently released from another source. However, Jim had a problem with Aidana WillowRaven's name, which gives me the opportunity to help everyone understand how to pronounce her name: Uh donna and WillowRaven all one word. Hope that helps.

          Now, let's watch Jim's interview (which comes after the advertisement):

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore - sale still in effect. Orders made after December 5 aren't guaranteed for delivery before Christmas.

Never Trust Your Spell-Checker

2011-12-01T01:30:00.002-06:00

by Laurie Boris

It’s all Maria Mariana’s fault. She was one in a group of six linguists from Georgetown University who, back in the 70s, first developed an automated way to check spelling and grammar on word processing programs for IBM. Perhaps she meant well. Thought it would be a good thing to create this seductive monster that can batch-attack the often time-consuming and ponderous human task of checking one’s work for errors.

Backfire, Maria. Semi-total epic FAIL! Spell-check has made us lazy. It has lulled us into a false sense of security with its offers to change your grammar or correct that questionable word. We all have stories of spell-checking failure, some with embarrassing and humorous results. Here are a few more reasons you should never trust that pathetic plug-in with your important work.

1. Spell-checkers are notoriously obtuse.

Consider the following passage: “My physical therapist worked out a weight-bearing routine for me that stimulates my osteoblasts, which are the cells that build new bone.” The spelling and grammar checker in my version of Microsoft Word wants to replace “stimulate” for “stimulates.” It believes that the subject that is being stimulated is plural…actually, I have no idea what it believes. It’s just wrong.

2. Spell-checkers can’t parse your intentions.

Example dialogue: “Pete’s working again.” Spell-check suggestions for this alleged error in “subject-verb agreement” include “Pete’s is working” or “Pete’s was working.” The writer’s intention was to state that Pete is once again gainfully employed. But good old SC doesn’t know this, and assumes that something of Pete’s is now or formerly was functional.

3. Spell-checkers can’t find missing words.

“Ted raced the sink” has a rather different meaning than “Ted raced to the sink.” In a long document like a novel manuscript, particularly one you’ve been poring over draft after draft, your brain will supply the missing word. So, you may miss it in the proofreading and lead your readers to believe Ted has been imbibing and sincerely believes he and the sink are in competition.

4. Spell-checkers can auto-correct you into situations in which you do not want to be auto-corrected.

A former colleague, who normally relied upon his assistant to correct and send out his correspondence, decided to give her a break and take care of some of his own. In an e-mail that went out to the entire sales staff, he intended to ask for their opinions on a new sales program. He ended with, “I look forward to seeing your evaluation.” Only, because of his less-than-stellar keyboarding skills, his spell-check program decided he meant to type “ejaculation.” Yeah. It went out that way.

4. Spell-checkers won’t tell you if your formatting is inconsistent.

This is one reason why you should never abandon something as format-dependent as your press kit, resume, or book proposal solely to the eye-chips of your computer program. It won’t tell you that you’ve ended some bullet-text items with periods and left them off others. It won’t tell you a heading is in the wrong font or tabbed in too far. It’s CRUCIAL to swing these details by human eyeballs.

5. Spell-checkers don’t measure up to humans…at least not yet.

Flawed as we are, we’re still better than a machine at certain tasks, like knowing what we meant to say. Don’t have time to proofread or can’t tell if your participles are dangling or your infinitives are split? Hire a human.

Laurie Boris is the author of The Joke's on Me, from 4RV Publishing. She also blogs about writing, books, and the language of popular culture at http://laurieboris.com.

Lights, Camera, Action! by Katie Hines

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

When I considered what to write today, I realized I was still hung up on what I wrote last time: the need to write, period. It seems like a worthy goal, and I think, a goal all of the time because so many of us lead very busy lives.

Lights, camera, action, aka ready, set, go, needs to be our focus as writers. Too often, we writers can get bogged down in the details of marketing and promotion, and fail to connect to our muse.

Heck, let's face it. For many of us, it seems the muse has flown the coop, and by the time we realize the door was open, our muse seems long gone. However (don't you love that word?), there is hope. Yes, pay attention to marketing and promotion, but also balance that left brain work with right brain creativity.

Sit at your computer, turn the lights on, move your web cam so you can't cheat, and take the time to reconnect.

How do we recapture our muse? I think it's different for everyone, but what it boils down to is that we have to take action--be ready to write. What we write may first come out as crap, but then we find ourselves connecting to our muse, and find the creativity once again.

Ready: turn your light on above your computer. Set: Move the webcam so it doesn't distract you. Go: Take action! Be proactive, connect with that muse and begin to write once again!

Christmas season starts

2011-11-29T12:13:00.001-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

'Tis the season for giving, receiving, sharing, decorations, lights, and Christmas music. Yes, I know some people believe it's the season for shopping, scrambling, frenzy, and madness. However, perhaps we should relax a bit and really examine the Christmas season.

First of all, what does this season really mean? It represents the birthday of Jesus Christ; notice I said represents, not is. More than that, the season represents the characteristics of Christ: love, sharing, giving, fellowship, kindness, and celebration.

We need to show love not only to those who are lovable; that's easy. We also need to love those who may not be so lovable. Perhaps someone has hurt us. Yes, I've had many painful encounters with other people, a few recently, but I MUST forgive and have no harsh feeling for those people. No, they won't care, but I will benefit, and doing so is right.

We can share without bankrupting ourselves in money, time, or energy. Our town has the Hope Center, where those less fortunate can receive help. I give donations of can goods, toys, and nearly-new clothes, since I don't have the funds to give money or new clothing. I remember a time when our family received formally-owned clothes and were thrilled.

Giving doesn't have to cost a fortune, either. Maxing credit cards to give elaborate gifts can be a nasty gift to give one's self. People who really "like" us accept what we can give and understand what we can't. Some families draw names so that one person doesn't have to buy gifts for everyone else. Some families give gifts to people who have little rather than give expensive gifts to each other. Others give the children in the family gifts and maybe small tokens to the adults. There are so many ways to "give" and not add to the madness of the world around. Gifts can be of time, services, or other non-buyable types.

Fellowship is a large part of Christmas, being with friends and family. Someday, for Christmas, all my family will be together. Another kind of fellowship is to remember those who has lost a loved one or loved ones at Christmas. A card, a note, a phone call can help, not only for the first Christmas after a loss, but also afterwards.

A little touch of kindness goes a long way. During our rough time (some day it will end), people offered to help. Even though few actually did, just knowing people cared enough to want to help helped. Having a person open a door when one has his or her arms full is an inexpensive kindness. Kindness does not have to cost one penny.

Celebration can range from enjoying Christmas music (one of my favorite parts of Christmas) and Christmas lights (even if we can't put up lights of our own, we can enjoy those other people do) and carolers and Avent services and family/friend get-togethers. We can celebrate in our hearts, knowing that the season of peace can be filled with celebrations that don't include wildness and excess.

I celebrate having a husband who loves me, warts and all. I celebrate having a family filled with children and children-by-marriage, grandchildren and grandchildren-by-marriage, and great-grandchildren. I celebrate having friends. I celebrate having wonderful authors, illustrators, editors, proof readers, and other staff, current and past.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

4RV Publishing website
4RV Bookstore -- remember 4RV has an ongoing book sale. Prices will remain cut until Dec. 20, but orders made after Dec. 5 can't be guaranteed to be delivered before Christmas.

Small Business Saturday -- 4RV

2011-11-26T09:03:00.001-06:00

Today is Small Business Saturday and an opportunity to help small businesses stay in business. Just one purchase can make a difference. Imagine what would happen to 4RV Publishing, for example, if everyone would order one book. Yes, a big difference indeed, one purchase at a time.

Please spread the word about sales offered today by small businesses, also by 4RV Publishing. All sale prices for books include shipping in the United States. Anyone wishing to order from outside the U.S. can inquire by email, and information will be sent.

One suggestion, though, if ordering books from 4RV, try to order no later than December 5 to guarantee delivery before Christmas.

Please join us today to help keep small businesses going. Remember, just one purchase can make a difference.

4RV Publishing website

4RV Bookstore

'Tis the season of Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T00:27:00.000-06:00

by Vivian Zabel

This week brings a day of thanksgiving. I know I have much of which to be thankful, but I need to remember to give thanks every day, not just one day a year.

          I'm thankful for my husband of nearly fifty years. We met November 7, 1961 and were married February 18, 1962. I don't really remember being without him by my side. No, our road has not be smooth. We had struggles and difficulties, some major, but we survived. We both want to be in God's will and to be what He would have us be.

          I'm thankful for my children: Rene, the musician from the time she was four years old; Bob, the warrior with a tender and loving heart; Randy, the peacemaker and baby of the family with more maturity than he should have had; Regina, the angel in heaven. I love my children more than they probably know.

          I'm thankful for my grandchildren: Rene's children - Macayla, Keri, Faris, Meena, and Aiden; Bob's and Brenda's girls - Liz and Jenny; Randy's and Janelle's boys - Ryan, Colby, and Shane. Each one has a special spot in my heart.

          I'm thankful for my great grandchildren: Macayla's and David's children - Kurtis, Ethan, and Haylee; Keri's and Jarrod's girls - Katie and Emma. They are such blessings.

          I'm thankful for friends, some who have been part of my life for many years. I can't begin to list them all, but I want to give special thanks for those who have been in my life the longest: Jean Bray (since we were in third grade), Joyce Childers (over 40 years), Carolyn Leonard (since her son was a senior in high school), Jacque Graham (for over 30 years), Larry Boyd (since high school), Phyllis Cote (since high school), Sherrill Chandler Henderson (since we were 12 and 13), and Margaret and Terry Rohlmier (we met in college). Others from the past have been found and some lost. Also more recent friends have brightened my life.

          I'm thankful for all the 4RV authors, illustrators, and staff members. All are blessings, even those who have been a challenge. The company couldn't exist without Aidana WillowRaven, Ginger Nielson, Harry Gilleland, Mandy Hedrick, all the editors, all the authors, and all the illustrators, past and present. I wish I could name all, but I don't want this post to be so long. However all can be found on the 4RV website and bookstore. Thank you, everyone.

          I pray each and every person who has been a part of my life and who is still a part of my life will have a wonderful Thanksgiving. God bless you all.

by Vivian Zabel

Why not have fun selling your books ~

2011-11-22T05:08:00.006-06:00

by Ginger Nielson

Wow! Your book has just been published. The journey you took to get from blank page to that precious book you hold in your hand was well worth the struggle, the set backs, the interruptions, and the critiques along the way. Now you have copies to sell. You also have to sell yourself to the public.

It is time to get your book and your vision out there. Some bookstores will be happy to oblige you. After all they will make money if you sell your books through them. But some bookstores are either not so willing or unable to host newcomers to the marketplace.

That leaves another solution. Selling your books elsewhere. Some venues may be well suited to a book sale with the proper amount of publicity. Libraries may have book signing events for local authors. If you are in the children's book market you might be able to convince the Children's librarian to allow you an event with some games, crafts, or giveaways for the children.

A bit of planning ahead is needed. You have to let people know you are going to be out there.

Before you commit to an alternative venue for selling and signing your books, consider sending out an email to all your contacts letting them know where and when you will be presenting your work.

This is a great time for you. It is something to shout about and let your friends know the good news.

Publish the news on your blog, on any social media connection you have, and ask friends to do the same.

Many schools have book nights where more than one author will be present signing copies of their books.

Some farmer's markets and Sunday afternoon antique and flea markets will also rent a table to anyone willing to pay the price, sit in the sun or rain for about 4 hours, and take their chances with the rest of the crowd.

Some retail stores with particular lines of clothing or toys might also welcome a book signing if you have what they think might appeal to their customers. Your presence may also be giving the retailer a boost.

The alternative venues are often a great source of public exposure and sales can result in some of the most unexpected ways. But, there is work to be done if you want to succeed in an unusual venue.

The plus side here is that you putting your name and face out there for the public.
You want them to remember you, your book, and your vision. You need to make sure that is the end result even if you don't sell many books. It is wise to take advantage of any reasonalble offer if you are seeking exposure.

Be sure to have a poster, or announcement in plain site well before the event. Even the local newspaper may be willing to give you a bit of press space.

Make sure any display of you and your books and any art associated with it looks great!

People walk through many venues quickly and you want to stand out. If you are limited to a small table bring an inexpensive carpet to lay down in front of your space. The more colorful the better. You can find such things at outlets, dollar stores, or Job Lot stores. How about decorating your space with a plant or two?

Maybe your book is a period piece. Why not wear a costume.

Maybe your book is a brightly colored children's picture book. Why not have some illustrations on display.

Are there bookmarks, sell sheets, take home flyers available? Why not make some of have some made.

Are you selling prints of any of the illustrations or posters suitable for framing? Or, do you have some already framed prints ready to sell?

Are there small take away items that children might love to have that are associated with your book?

Consider a guest book or sign up sheet that will allow customers to leave a name or email, or home address for info about your upcoming work, and appearances.

Have some of your best reviews on display either in the sell sheet, or as larger printed pieces accompanied by a cover shot or an illustration from inside your book.

Here is one more little item that may have escaped some in the past.... Sign your work so that people can actually read your name. A squiggle is fine, but people who want a signed copy of a book want to show of your name as well. Yes, your name is on the cover, but that signature inside the book is precious to the new owner.

Consider the forms of payment for your work.
Try to take as many forms of payment as possible. You can certainly take cash, but consider check and also credit card. You can get a device called a "SQUARE" that attaches to your iPad or cell phone and becomes a card swiper. The details on using one can be found at: The Square Card Reader

All good wishes to you for your first, and for all those book signings to follow.

Come on over *:)

Promotion: Review of Sparrow Alone on the Housetop -- The Midwest Book Review

2011-11-19T00:59:00.000-06:00

posted by Vivian Zabel

The Midwest Book Review's October issue includes a review of Sparrow Alone on the Housetop by mother and daughter writing team: Jean James and Mary James.

Sparrow Alone on the Housetop
Jean James and Mary James
4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482, Edmond, OK 73083
9780982659489, $19.95

"She ran toward the cavorting plane, positive something terrible would happen in the next few seconds, but it still took her totally by surprise when it did. She plunged into the large hole of Ruben's stump. Her foot went down deep beside the taproot, and her chin hit hard on the ground. A ton of loose dirt slid into the hole along with her, filling her shirt and shorts and even her mouth. When she tried to climb out, her left foot wedged under the root, and she couldn't make any progress except to bring more dirt into the hole. She wiped the dirt from her eyes in time to ascertain the plane had landed safely after all, and she was the only casualty.

"A-Are you okay?" the pilot shouted and ran toward her. She suffered the most humiliating moment of her life when he stepped halfway into the hole to render aid.

"I'm fine. I can get out.""

So goes the ignominious introduction of Anne Sumner to Jim Orr. Their relationship will take them back and forth between the United States and Mexico on a mission to solve the mystery of strange illnesses in the small towns where Anne has been working as a missionary. Jim is a pilot for her father's company. He transports the payroll for the large company and does some crop dusting for them.

Several of the villagers who work in the fields start becoming ill with a mysterious flu-like disease. When Anne is struck down by this same disease and is rushed to a hospital in Houston, the questions begin. Why won't the doctor give her any information about what might be wrong with her? Why did her father put her to work in her old job in public relations? Why did only she and a couple of others get sick in their little village, but many in a neighboring village were struck down? The answers to these and other questions lead her to the horrible truth. She begins to unravel the mystery through talking with many of the villagers who had become ill and by getting a second opinion about her own illness. What she uncovers is the inner machinations of her father and her sister to cover up the true reason for the mysterious illness, as well as other questionable events. She does not know who she can trust - her new friend, Jim, her cold sister, Angeline, her brother Fred - but she certainly cannot trust her father.

Anne's faith is tested, even as Jim's grows. With his help, she begins to regain her conviction and trust in the right people. Together they untangle the web of deceit that has overtaken the whole Sumner Company and the small towns in Mexico.

This book, written by the mother and daughter team of Jean James and Mary James, tells an exciting story about death, intrigue and romance that the reader will enjoy. The very interesting final confrontation between Anne and her father leaves the reader wondering.

Jean James was active in many outdoor pursuits before becoming a full-time writer. She collected live mammals and reptiles for international distribution, collected live venomous snakes for antivenom production, and worked on sundry wilderness construction projects. She's married to WW2 veteran, William James, and they have six children.

Mary James has spent half her life writing and the other half making music. From age five she has written songs and performed as a touring singer/musician. Today, she spends most of her time on the road but is always anxious to come home to her photographer husband and troublemaking horse.

Katherine Boyer
Reviewer

Sparrow Alone on the Housetop is found on 4RV Bookstore, and all books are on sale.

4RV Publishing website

Promoting Your Book with QR Codes

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

by Holly Jahangiri

I’ll bet it never occurred to you, while writing your book, that writing would be the easiest part of becoming a published author. I still remember the “deer in the headlights” look on my face when Vivian Zabel said something to me on the phone about attending a book festival and arranging for book signings. “WHA—? Oh, no, no, no… I WROTE the book. You have to promote it!!”

I still remember Vivian’s laughter on the other end of the line. After my blind panic subsided, it did start to sink in – it even made sense. What’s a good book promotion without the active involvement of the author? When’s the last time you went to a book signing and thanked the publisher for their autograph?

Book Promotion: 20 Strategies That Will Broaden Your Reach is a great list of things you can do right now to promote your book. As an introverted technical writer who writes children’s picture books by night and still wakes in a cold sweat from nightmares involving kindergarteners and flying globs of Jell-O, rotten fruit, and spoiled milk, virtual book tours are one of my favorite methods of book promotion. I also like new, cutting edge, or creative ideas.

What Are Those Squiggly Things?

One such idea involves the use of QR codes – a form of two-dimensional barcode that can be easily scanned and translated by any number of free smartphone apps. A lot of people ask me, “What are those squiggly things?” My dad would call them “curiosity generators.” The cool thing about QR codes is that, although they’ve been around for quite a while, they’re just now gaining traction as a marketing tool, and they’re actually useful because they are so easy to use and so accessible thanks to the popularity and widespread use of smartphones. Look closely, and you will see QR codes on billboards, shop windows, buildings, magazines, coupons, ads, business cards, postcards, web sites, and more. If you have a smartphone, odds are you’ve seen them as a way to quickly download apps from a catalogue or web site. Odds are, they pique your curiosity and you want to scan them – to discover the “secret message.”

Here are a few examples (if you have a smartphone, go ahead and scan them!):

Adding a QR code to your business card lets you embed your contact information in a standard format, or allows you to create a “landing page” with dynamic content that can be updated as needed. When resizing the QR code or changing colors, or when placing text or other images near the QR code, be sure to scale the graphic, preserving the original aspect ratio. Always double- and triple-check to be sure it still scans, if you make any changes to it at all. The “quiet space” around the QR code (more commonly known as “white space” to us writers) matters, and some codes have a higher amount of “forgiveness” built in (higher error checking). A higher amount of error checking results in a more complex code that allows for up to about 30% of the pixels to be replaced or altered artistically. This often comes at the cost of scanning speed, and people may give up trying if they think the code doesn’t work, so sometimes, simple is best.

You can use a QR code to make it easy for people on the go to sign up for your newsletter, or bookmark your blog. QR codes can be printed or placed on your blog. This example goes to a signup form for a mailing list I created for a blogging contest. You can use a QR code to link to your book trailer on YouTube (keep in mind that Android-based smartphones may only be able to play video hosted on YouTube).

It is easy to create your own QR codes, at no cost, online – just search for “free online QR code generator.” One of my favorites is Qurify.com. If you prefer artistic QR codes that you can integrate with your brand image, you may want to hire a designer. The following promotional codes were created using Qurify.com and Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3:

Now Create Your Own – It’s Easy!

Using your favorite web browser, visit http://qurify.com.
In the blue box, enter your text. You have 255 characters to play with – that’s 115 characters more than a Tweet on Twitter! You can use a URL shortener, too, to buy more space for your message.
Click the Qurify! button. Your QR code appears to the right.
Click the link to Download (PNG file) | Download (JPG file) - choose your favorite format, or download both.

You can use the black and white QR code as is, or add it to your promotional materials using your favorite illustration program.

This should be enough to get you started! Any questions? Fresh ideas for using QR codes? Share them in the comments, below.

Holly Jahangiri is a technical communicator, social media analyticator, children's book author with 4RV Publishing (Trockle, and A Puppy, Not a Guppy), blogger, happy wife and mom living in Houston, Texas. She would really appreciate it if you would read her post, Good Goals Gone Bad on TheNextGoal.com.

Vary Your Sentences: Start with a Different Part of Speech

2011-11-16T08:38:00.011-06:00

"Vary Your Sentences: Start with a Different Part of Speech" by Joan Y. Edwards

In the book Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon, she gives you many ways to vary your sentences and improve your manuscript. One new way intrigued me. It was a new perspective on varying sentences for me. I've written about varying sentences by making them as long as ten words or shorter than 40 words. Make some sentences simple, some compound, others complex. Elizabeth Lyon says you can vary sentences by starting sentences with a different part of speech. Certainly you might not want to do this for every paragraph or use all ten of them on every page. But if you find yourself in a rut of the same kind of sentences in a paragraph, using her idea will help you change the pattern and add emphasis to the sentences instead of letting them disappear into a sing-song rhythm.

You say, "Explain it more. I don't understand what you mean."

Okay. Let me see if I can make it easier to understand.

Take the longest paragraph from the first ten pages of your manuscript.

Here's one I made up for this blog post:

Steve left the bar at 2:00 a.m. He locked the doors and turned on the security. He wondered if that guy was really going to come back and get the girl at the bar. That creep wasn't going to get her if he had anything to do with it. Where was Sarah anyhow? He'd seen her leave an hour ago with a friend. He looked to the right passed the cars parked near the dumpster. He saw sparkly material on the ground. He ran to check it out. He couldn't believe what he saw.

I'm sure you'll agree that this paragraph needs help with varying the sentences. Out of 10 sentences, seven of them begin with the word "he." That is boredom at its height. Help! My paragraph needs help.

To improve the sentences using this method, you have to know the different parts of speech and how to use them properly.

What are the parts of speech? Here are parts of speech, definitions, and an example of a sentence beginning with it. The University of Ottawa, Canada has a site with many parts of speech with definitions and samples: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/partsp.html.

1. Interjection is a word or a short phrase usually followed by an exclamation point that can stand alone. Use sparingly. The English Club.com has examples: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/interjections.htm. Use sparingly in manuscripts.

Oh my! He lost his wallet.

Yikes! The roof is leaking.

2. Preposition is a connecting word that shows the relationship of a noun or a noun substitute to some other word in the sentence, including time, location, manner, means, quantity, purpose, and state of condition. (Unbelievable information about prepositions at this link from Hunter College Reading/Writing Center http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/on-line/prep-def.html) And even more about prepositions at About.com http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/prepositerm.htm

On Wednesday, the bird in the tree sang a song for the children at the playground after lunch.

From the auditorium, we could hear the band rehearsing.

3. Conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases, clauses and sentences. There are three types of conjunctions: and, but, or, yet, so, for, nor. Coordinating conjunctions work in pairs: both...and; either...or; neither...nor. Subordinate conjunctions: before, while, since, because, and until.

Jane went to the store. However, she did not make a purchase.

Neither Tom nor Jack drove the truck.

Before Jake blew out the candles, he took a deep breath.

4. Verb is an action word, state of being, or a helping or linking word. The English Club has a list of 600 regular verbs: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/regular-verbs-list.htm and also Moms Who Think.com has lists and explanations of the uses of different kind of verbs: http://www.momswhothink.com/reading/list-of-verbs.html

Run to the corner and back.

Curl your hair with the new rollers.

5. Adverb is a word that describes or limits a verb. Most of the time, it's good to use a better more specific verb than to use an adverb of manner ending with "ly." MomsWhoThink.com has a list of common adverbs: adverbs that indicate place, purpose, frequency, time: http://www.momswhothink.com/reading/list-of-adverbs.html

Yesterday he raced his car.

Somewhere lurked the cat.

6. Gerund is a noun using the ing form of a verb. Owl at Perdue University has good examples of gerunds at work in sentences: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/01/

Running is his favorite stress reliever.

Sewing keeps her busy.

7. Noun is the name of a person, place, or thing.

Men, women, and children filled the mall.

Newspapers featured a stories and pictures about the new invention.

8. Pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence.

Uncle Jim backed the trailer into a parking space. He was sure the space was big enough.

9. Adjective is a word that describes and often precedes a noun. Keep and Share.com has a great list of adjectives that describe appearance, condition, shape, size, sound, time, taste, touch, quantity, and feelings: http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/12894/adjective-list

Red shoes tapped the rhythm.

Three uniforms hung in the lockers.

10. Limiting Adjectives Articles A, an, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Writing Center has great examples and explanations of the uses of the artilces, a, an, and the: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/esl.html

A dog barked.

An apple dropped from the tree.

The mailman delivered the package on time.

Okay. Now you're very familiar with the parts of speech mentioned above. You are ready to do one or more of the following exercises to help you see what pattern of sentences you use most often and decide if you want to use a different part of speech for the first word of your sentences to improve your writing.

Exercise 1: Print out a page of your manuscript - preferably a whole page. Underline or highlight the first word in each sentence, then put a tally mark in the appropriate column in the chart below.

Exercise 2: Rewrite that page with the purpose of varying the sentences. If you used only two ways to begin your sentences, use three more ways to vary your sentences on that page. You want the writing to flow smoothly. Sometimes you want to repeat a pattern.

Exercise 3: Copy the first page of your favorite book. Underline or highlight the first word in each sentence, then put a tally mark in the appropriate column. Does your favorite author vary the part of speech for the beginning of her sentences?

Exercise 4: When you critique another writer's work, you might think that sentence variation would improve the writing. If so, make a chart like this for them and mark the beginnings of their sentences on a random page or give them a link to this blog post. Put a tally mark beside each part of speech when a sentence starts with it.

Part of Speech Variation of First Words in Sentences on a Manuscript Page

Interjection
Preposition
Conjunction
Verb
Adverb
Gerund
Noun
Pronoun
Adjective
Article

I hope this helps you understand the work of the parts of speech, and how to use them to vary the structure of your sentences in your manuscripts. Only use this if you agree with 100 per cent that it will help you.

Please leave a comment.
1. How many ways did you begin your sentences on the page you selected?
2. Do you think rewriting your page using a different part of speech for the first word in your sentences helped improve your story? If so, why? If not, why not?
3. How many parts of speech seems natural to use on a page?

Thank you for reading my blog post.

Do something fun for you today!

Joan's Elder Care Guide 4RV Publishing: Release June 2015