Fathers Day and review trolls

cj Sez: Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, and adoptive fathers.  

From the Lyrical Pens Archives:

A fellow writer was grieving and questioning what to do about a one-star review on Amazon that complained about something that wasn’t in her novel. Obviously, the reviewer hadn’t even read the book.

   One- and two-star reviews can be devastating, both for future sales and on the author. Wherever there’s an opportunity to post a review, there will be trolls ready and waiting with low ratings—whether they’re warranted or not. I’ve seen reviews by people who purchased an item on Amazon then rated the product one star because they thought delivery took too long. Had nothing to do with the quality of the product.

   So where am I going with all this? It’s to reinforce why comments and reviews need to be put in perspective. Don’t let the naysayers persuade you that your work isn’t good. Hiding within the electronic wafers of the Internet are nameless, faceless, and wretched on-line trolls. (Whew! I feel better now.)

   We can’t realistically expect all reviews to be five-stars (okay, we do, but that’s beside the point). I admit to having desperate pangs when someone dings a story. Yes, it skews the “average,” but then I re-read the good reviews that I do have (some posted, some not) and calm down a bit. I remind myself that I cannot please every reader out there. There will always be someone who dislikes some characterization, challenges some datum, or is offended by a piece of history. Always. Duh. That’s the reason there are a gazillion different stories in multiple genres for the gazillion different readers.

   If you receive a poor review from an on-line troll, consider the source, and please do not respond to the reviewer. That could dig a deeper, darker hole than you want to dive into. For a review like the one mentioned in my first paragraph, perhaps a conversation with Amazon (if that’s where it is made) might get the unjustified/ unfair review removed. Might.

   In the meantime, if you’re like me, you’ll console yourself with a treat, and a hot fudge cream puff works for me.

   Speaking of reviews . . . have you taken the time to give an on-line review for the latest book you read? You might be able to refute some troll.

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Passing along info…

***Call for #submissions!***
Bienvenue Press is pleased to announce a Christmas-themed anthology for charity benefiting the Acadiana Writing Project.
What are we looking for? Romance stories featuring a character who works in the educational system.     https://bit.ly/2Yn0iGX

***

   The following is, or should be, a keeper for your personal “The Craft of Writing” library:  https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/06/power-of-pronouns-part-1

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same, (Sending up prayers for your health and safety.)

cj

   My love story, “Love is Immortal” is one of the short stories in Bienvenue to the Chateau Rouge anthology. 

   I also have a short, short story in the bonus Lagniappe, which is a free download.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another awesome hit from Jolie St Amant

"If you like vampires and spirits, things that vanish into thin air, or even if you don't you will love this book. I have read all her Chateau Rouge book and never get let down."

   The anthology is available through these fine sites: https://books2read.com/u/bpOMw9?fbclid=IwAR3R2NTI8nH5U8JhXwJynbxkbYQhlK4H-sbTFU5YRhGDB2CocTPkdf8TSEE

   TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from my favorite indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop 

➜ Follow me . . .

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Have you ever heard a story that changed your life?

cj Sez:  Lyrical Pens is happy to host author Barbara Hinske who is sharing what inspired her to write her latest novel, GUIDING EMILY, slated for launch on June 12.

   When Barbara offered Lyrical Pens the choice of three pre-launch posts, I wanted to use all three. Today is part one: Her inspiration behind this awesome book.  Take it away, Barbara.

My inspiration behind Guiding Emily

“Have you ever heard a story that changed your life?

   Within thirty minutes of stepping through the Foundation for Blind Children’s doorway, my life found its new purpose and mission.

   I’ve lived down the street from The Foundation for Blind Children for decades. I’d never been inside. The Foundation’s Development Director, Steve Pawlowski, encouraged my husband and I to come for a tour with such enthusiasm and pride that we felt we couldn’t decline.

   The Foundation provides education, tools, and services for “children” from birth through one hundred and four. From observing teachers working one-on-one with students with multiple disabilities, to seeing the six-year-old child from Canada running and hugging staff even though his parents had been told by their Canadian doctor he would never walk or talk, to photos displayed on the wall of the group of blind teens and young adults who had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, I was moved beyond measure.

   Choking back tears, I asked Steve how I could help. What did the Foundation need? His answer was simple and straightforward: (1) funding, and (2) to raise awareness of problems that visually impaired people face within the sighted community.

   I’m an author and knew that a novel could address both of these issues. The story line of my new series was born in that moment.

   Guiding Emily is the first book in a series and is a love story between Garth, a guide dog, and Emily Main, his handler who loses her eyesight on her honeymoon. It’s the heartwarming/ heartbreaking/poignant tale of their journey together.

   Half the profits from Guiding Emily will be donated to The Foundation for Blind Children. For the price of a book, every reader receives a novel that will provide a welcome respite from daily life and supports a remarkable organization that believes vision loss is a diagnosis, NOT a disability. What could be better than that?

Join the movement to improve lives: learn more about Guiding Emily ”

Barbara Hinske is an attorney who recently left the practice of law to pursue her career as a full-time novelist. She is the author of the best-selling Rosemont series and the murder mysteries in her ‘Who’s There?!’ collection. Her novella, The Christmas Club, was made into a 2019 Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.

The book is available for pre-order by clicking...  BUY NOW

   

cj Sez: Be sure to stop by Lyrical Pens on Wednesday, June 10, for Part 2 of Barbara’s journey: White Cane Training. 

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Call for submission

Bienvenue Press put out a call for submissions for their 2020 charity anthology. The deadline is August 1, 2020.

“Bienvenue Press is pleased to announce a Christmas-themed anthology for charity benefiting the Acadiana Writing Project. What are we looking for? Romance stories featuring a character who works in the educational system. These stories can be any genre of romance (contemporary, historical, paranormal, etc.). However, there needs to be a HEA. The anthology will be published in December 2020.”

   For details, please visit their website: https://bit.ly/2Yn0iGX

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cj Sez: That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

(Sending up prayers for your health and safety.)

My love story, “Love is Immortal” is one of the short stories in the paranormal anthology BIENVENUE TO THE CHATEAU ROUGE. Here’s one of the 5-star reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Linked Stories

“I received an ARC and enjoyed all the stories. While linked through the setting and characters, each of the selections has a delightfully different approach to the experience of Chateau Rouge. Creative and never boring, the linked characters were all appealing, and the New Orleans mood was spot on.”

   The anthology is available through these fine sites: https://books2read.com/u/bpOMw9?fbclid=IwAR3R2NTI8nH5U8JhXwJynbxkbYQhlK4H-sbTFU5YRhGDB2CocTPkdf8TSEE

   TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from my favorite indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop 

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

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A call for short story submissions, Derringer Awards

cj Sez: From Bienvenue Press, a call for romance short story submissions (word count 5,000 to 10,000 words) with a deadline of August 1, 2020:

   “Bienvenue Press is pleased to announce a Christmas-themed anthology for charity benefiting the Acadiana Writing Project. What are we looking for? Romance stories featuring a character who works in the educational system. bit.ly/2Yn0iGX #MSWL #Submissions #amwriting ”

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Derringer Awards!

    On May 1, the Short Story Mystery Fiction Society announced the winners of the 2020 Derringer Awards ...

FLASH (ranges up to 1,000 words)

    Josh Pachter, The Two-Body Problem, Mystery Weekly Magazine: October 2019. 

SHORT (ranges from 1,0001 to 4,000 words)

    John Floyd, On the Road with Mary Jo, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: Jan/February 2019

LONG (ranges from 4,001 to 8,000 words)

    Sandra Murphy, Lucy’s Tree, The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods, Editor Michael Bracken: October 2019

NOVELETTE (ranges from 8,001 to 20,000 words)

    Brendan Dubois, with His Sister’s Secrets, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine: July/ August 2019

The Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement is annually awarded to an outstanding living writer of short mysteries, selected by a five-member panel of the SMFS President, Vice President, and Awards Coordinator, and two regular members. 

This year's recipient: Josh Pachter

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Pre-launch sale! My paranormal, short story, “Love is Immortal,” is included in BIENVENUE TO THE CHATEAU ROUGE, an anthology scheduled for release May 12.  Pre-order now at 99 cents!  

Available at these fine sites: https://books2read.com/u/bpOMw9?fbclid=IwAR3R2NTI8nH5U8JhXwJynbxkbYQhlK4H-sbTFU5YRhGDB2CocTPkdf8TSEE

Here’s a bonus…free for the downloading.

   The authors of BIENVENUE to the CHATEAU ROUGE, have joined together to give you a little something extra. "Lagniappe" is a collection of novellas and short stories that offers a sneak peek at the writers who have stories included in the anthology release.

   Read the teasers and download Lagniappe here   https://bit.ly/2WNYDtu     

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   If you rearrange the letters in CORONA, it spells RACOON! (Confiscated from "Trevor" on Facebook)

   Sending up prayers for healthy and happy days in your future.

 That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

   Autographed print copies of my novels CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR are available at The Haunted Book Shop. Anthologies in which I have stories are also available there.

   You can place an order for any book by any author with them. They’ll be happy to ship it to you or as a gift to someone you love.

   And here's a tip to help you out: next Sunday is Mother’s Day in the U.S. and a book would be the perfect gift. It’s always the right size; it’s non-fat, non-carb, and gluten- and sugar-free; plus it doesn't need watering yet doesn’t turn brown and wilt in a couple of days. And it's reusable!

   TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop 

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

➜         on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

Doesn't have to cost a dime to encourage an author

cj Sez: Over the past week, I decided it was crunch time…I absolutely had to quit procrastinating and finish, this week, a short story with a June 30 submission deadline.  

  I need to finish the story early, like “now,” so I'll have time to do the necessary edits. Anyway, all of that was to explain why this post is going to be a short reissue of one previously posted in 2017. By the way, the call for submissions is still open, so if you're of a mind to ....

   What follows is a stream of consciousness blog about how to show your support for writers (at a little or no cost), whether you’re a writer or a reader.

If you’re a writer and have your own blog, invite guest bloggers. Lyrical Pens does do that, though we haven’t been graced with a guest for a few weeks. (Read the invitation in the Lyrical Pens banner above.) When you have a guest scheduled on your blog, send out “Coming Attractions” promotions on other social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, et al. Be sure to give your guest blogger space to say something about their books.

Read and be willing to give the author’s work a fair review. Be kind but be honest.

If you know an author who just wants to just sit and talk, grab a chair and listen. Writing is a lonely occupation, and most other people don't understand.

Encourage each other. Writing is not a competition; everyone can be successful.

And here’s a little marketing tip: If you’re a yet-to-be-published writer and don’t have a business card, get one. Hand it out to agents, workshop instructors, fellow writers, wherever you have an opportunity to network. Get your name out there as early as possible (blogs and Facebook, too) so they can watch for your new release. Some variation of the one that follows is my suggestion:

Name  Jane Doe, Author

Writer of XXX (literary fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, YA, romance, whatever)

eMail address

website address

Now, if you’re a reader (and since writers are also readers, I guess this applies to everyone) . . .

Like and comment on authors' posts on their Facebook pages. Facebook's algorithms only show posts that FB thinks other members would like to see. That means the more likes and comments a post gets, the more people will see it. 

Go to book signings, even if you can’t afford to buy the book at that time. Your attendance is ever so encouraging. I’ve been to book signings where the author and I were the only two people there. On the other hand, I was one of several authors at a local indie book store signing and because fans and friends showed up, the afternoon sped by and was fun—even though I didn’t sell a book.

   If you’ve got some good ideas on how best to encourage authors to keep writing, let me know. I’ll pass along the information and credit you as the source.

***

   That’s it for this post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Stop by my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj and order a book to read or get in touch with The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop to order an autographed copy of DEADLY STAR, CHOOSING CARTER, and THE POSSE. Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

If you send me a note with a request before you order, I’ll even run down to the shop and personalize your choice.

Drop me a note to sign up for my quarterly newsletter: cjpetterson@gmail.com 

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