BEA & Book Blogger Convention

Book Expo America kicks off this week, followed by the Book Blogger Convention. I'm attending with no agenda other than to meet people and soak up marketing ideas for when The Bird House comes out in February. The Liars Club has some mischief planned as well--more on that later. In the meantime, check out our Liars posts on "The Best Writing Advice Anyone Has Ever Given Me" here. I'm posting again tomorrow morning.

More Tips for New Authors

The Liars Club blog series continues with "One Tip for A New Author."
My post it up today at the Liars Club site.

Tips for Energizing your Book Club

I've visited close to 200 book clubs to promote Standing Still. They're all populated with interesting, lively women who I'd love to know better -- but every once in a while, one stands out. Last night, I traveled to a charming B&B in New Hope, PA to meet with a book group from Bethlehem on their annual retreat. Yep, a book club with an annual retreat. You gotta love that! Here's how it works -- They contribute a small amount of money at every meeting to help fund an annual getaway in late Spring. They all bring food for the weekend, and everyone drives and brings their bikes. Then they choose a local author to visit by talking to the knowledgable, local independent bookstore owner (Farley's). Like many clubs, they have a name-- but they also have a great looking logo, and t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats sporting it. They keep a journal and ratings on every book they've read -- which is something lots of clubs do, either by hand or online. But they take it a step further -- creating homemade laminated bookmarks that list a years worth of books and authors. So when their friends ask for book recos, they simply give them a bookmark. Genius!

Does your club do something unusual? I'd love to hear about it!

New blog series

The Liars Club is featuring a blog series by our authors, answering the question "What I Wish I'd Known . . ." before I got published. Check it out here.

Giveaways and Book Signing in Collegeville, PA this weekend

The Liar’s Club is hosting a party called “Liars Tell the Truth about the Trappe Book Center,” which will be held at the store, located on 130 W. Main Street in Collegeville, PA on Saturday, April 17th from 1-3 p.m. This event, which is free and open to the public, features free goodies, eight authors, and chances to win prizes that include book bags and signed books. There will even be a story time for kids.

Love those book bloggers . . .

Missy's Book Blog is a great way to follow the literary scene -- oh, and did I mention that she just reviewed my book and loved it? Read on.

Now here's some inspiration, y'all

It's darned hard to find the time/peace/quiet to write novels.
Imagine writing one while you're homeless.
My fellow Liars Club member Solomon Jones did just that.
Listen here if you're interested.