Posts Tagged With: blog

Happy Birthday to ME

On my birthday, I like to give YOU a present! Hop on over to Amazon and pick up The Disenchanted Pet for FREE! Once you’re done reading it (and reviewing, hint, hint), go back to Amazon on February 28th and get Don’t Judge a Book By its Magic for 99 cents on Kindle Countdown Deal.

TDP cover new bDJABBIM Cover New

Also, starting today, you can hear all the shocking truths about my life on my new blog, Honest After Forty. At the official cusp of middle age, I have decided to grant myself the gift of frankness in rebellion of all the stupid conventions that prevent us from truly connecting with one another. I will write on this blog to tell you honestly about myself, you, our life, and our culture. Sometimes it will be funny, and sometimes it will embarrass you. It might make you angry. But it’s the truth. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Categories: About me | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Happy Birthday to Me! Coming soon!

Djabbim cover 4TDP cover new b

My birthday is coming up and I love to give YOU things on my birthday. This year, I will give away The Disenchanted Pet FREE on Kindle for my birthday, February 9th! In addition, I will start a Kindle Countdown deal on Don’t Judge a Book By Its Magic, starting at 99 cents! This will have to be delayed until February 23rd, but it will last for a week.

Last, but certainly not least, I will launch my new blog blog with pure blogginess, Honest After Forty. Yes, I am turning forty this year and I will be totally honest about that, and lots more. I hope with this new blog to leave you uncomfortably amused, anxiously inspired, and awkwardly touched.

Woot!

Kate

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Author Blog-in: Home to Stay by June McCullough

This week I am participating in Kate Policani’s Author Blog-In. Over the next week I will publish different posts about other author’s novels. If you are looking for your next read, or perhaps a gift for someone, make sure you visit this site throughout the week to see if something catches your interest. Something like

Home to Stay

With the weather getting colder and the busy season about to descend upon us, don’t forget to put an evening aside just for you. Get yourself a cup of hot chocolate, or a glass of wine and escape with this contemporary romance that will take you to a ranch just outside Calgary, Canada.

Synopsis

Although she has never stopped referring to Aces Corral as her home, it has been two years since Diana Crawford has stepped foot on the ranch. Her decision to return home was made just as abruptly as her decision to leave, but as Diana’s car pulls into the long driveway, she knows it is time once again to build the family ranch into a successful business. Little does she know that waiting for her return is a man determined to change everything.

Coming home is emotional for Diana. She is thrilled to reunite with her elderly next-door neighbours, Len and Dot Mackenzie, who are the closest thing to family she has left. But when she meets their nephew for the first time, his captivating eyes and quiet strength hypnotize her. There is no mistaking the attraction, and it is not long before Barry Daniels lassoes her heart. As Diana works on reconciling her past, she knows she has a lot to learn about running a business and when Diana finds evidence of a betrayal that could destroy everything she has worked for; she is desperate to find a way to expose the scheme.

In this contemporary cowboy romance, a woman on the fringes of finding her own inner strength must expose a web of deceit before she loses everything she has ever loved.

Excerpt

“I better go. Think about what I said. There’s something between us and I don’t think we should deny it. I’m willing to take a chance and I want to know if you are, too, but I don’t want you to answer right now.”

He walked over to the door, opened it, and turned back to face her. “It would be sad if we never took a chance and ended up missing out on one of the best things to happen to either of us. You can let me know tomorrow at the barbeque.”

With that, he shut the door and was gone. Diana stood at the counter for a long time after. The feelings he stirred in her both excited her and scared her. Her mind was swimming as she slid her back down the cupboard, until she was sitting on the kitchen floor.

What am I going to do? Should I back off and play it safe, so I won’t be sorry? Or will I be sorry if I play it safe?

Reader’s Comments
You feel like you are right in the tale with the way she describes the characters and their way of life. S.O.
You need to do a sequel to this. C.M.
A “feel good” book that we could use more of! M.H.

Grab a Copy Now!

Categories: Author Blog-in | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Writing Effective Posts

I’ve been learning a few things to include in posts that have really helped make my posts more interesting and get more views. They’re pretty easy to do and help turn an interesting post into a big success!

  1. Include pictures! I’ve been using http://www.sxc.hu/ to find photos. I grab the url directly from the page to cut down on storage for my blog. Be sure that the pictures you use are licensed or else you might have problems. Stock.Xchng has several types of photos, and some require that you notify or ask permission from the artist for any public work.
  2. Add links. Chances are that someone else has written a post about your subject or something like it. Adding links to their post (especially if you quote them) brings them in on the topic and increases your post’s visibility. Everybody likes to be quoted or have their work highlighted! Here are some other posts about better blogging: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/07/10/nine-signs-of-an-effective-blog-post/ , http://marketing.about.com/od/marketingmethods/tp/blogmarketing.htm
  3. Ask questions. Don’t you want to hear what your readers have to say about what you wrote? If your work is all info with no questions, they might not. To encourage replies and dialogue, ask some questions.
  4. Speak your own words. If you read your blog post out loud, do you sound like yourself or do you sound like a weirdo? Share your personality, not your writing proficiency. We visited your post to hear what you have to say. If we wanted cold, lifeless instructions we’d go to the airport.

I  know I missed some! What makes your blog posts sparkle? What about your posts reflects who you are?

Categories: Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Author Blog-in: Switcheroo!

This is new to all of us, and we’re figuring out how it works! Please pardon the switcheroo. Today is now my day for the Author Blog-in so the others can have time to catch up.

I’ll take this opportunity to invite you all to join in! This Blog-in is kinda short this time, which I’ll chalk up to August activities and my own laid-back approach. September 14-25 will be the next Blog-in, and we already have a sign-up! Lets fill up all the slots and maximize our collaborative audience. If you were shy about joining until now, don’t be! Shoot me an email and lets get groovy!

If you have blogged-in before, don’t worry! You’re still welcome to join in with a different book. Short stories and freebies are also welcome.

Categories: Author Blog-in | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A New Look for a New Book!

I did it before and I’ll do it again! I re-dressed my website in preparation for my upcoming release. What do you think?

On that note, I’ve also been experimenting with the embellishment idea some more:

This is the Think Tank’s current favorite. All of the permutations are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katepolicani/sets/72157630844844184/

 

Categories: My Books | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winner of the Book Giveaway!

Congratulations, John Betcher! You’ve won the book giveaway!

Categories: Awards | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Thank You!

Thank You!

Thank you for joining me in my Virtual Launch Party! Special thanks to all the awesome folks who participated! Remember to visit their sites and comment to win books.

This is the last official post of the party. Please participate up until 12:00am to win prizes. I’ll post the results tomorrow, so cross your fingers!

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party Host Blog: Rosa Sophia

Host Blog: Rosa Sophia

Thank you, Rosa Sophia, for sharing my book on your blog! Here is where you can see Rosa Sophia’s post: http://rosasophia.com/2012/03/17/the-lustre-by-kate-policani/

Keep an eye out for her upcoming review!

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party Guest Artist: Erik Sederstrom

Guest Artist: Erik Sederstrom

Erik Sederstrom teamed up with his wife, Heidi Barnett to create the cover for The Disenchanted Pet!

I met Erik and Heidi when I was looking on our church website for an artist for my first book cover. Seattle is a fabulous place to find artists and our church is a very art-friendly community. I had a lot of fun exchanging ideas about the cover art and seeing what they would visualize. Both artists were very patient with all my little details about the perfect image. Erik came over with the final piece and we worked for quite a while photographing it from different angles to get just the right shot.

His website is still under construction.

Here are some of his other fabulous pieces!

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party Host Blog: Avery’s Book Nook

Host Blog: Avery’s Book Nook

Thank you Avery, for your post! I’m so glad you joined my party! See Avery’s post here:

http://averysbooknook.blogspot.com/2012/03/lustre-launch-party.html

Categories: Blog Tours | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party Guest Artist: Heidi Barnett

Guest Artist: Heidi Barnett

Heidi Barnett teamed up with her husband, Erik Sederstrom to create the beautiful cover for The Disenchanted Pet!

For Heidi, art not isn’t just a job or an outlet but a way of life. Color is very important to her and how colors help the viewer feel moods and emotions. The colors often relay a story behind each piece of art.

Heidi is a reissuance artist, having the ability to work in a verity of mediums from oil paints to jewelry designing.Her passion is for painting and she loves to paint murals. She lives in Everett, Washington and loves her job teaching  art to children and elderly, opening their eyes to new and exciting ways of thinking creatively as well as artistically.She is an expert at breaking art down into a level in which all can be satisfied with the creation they have made.

Heidi on “How I came to find myself as an artist”:
“I grew up in Southern California surrounded by art, my Mother being an artist herself. Art has always been a way of life for me and what we do. Christmas time was always exciting because it meant new art supplies. Around the age of fourteen I started getting serious about painting, learning the techniques and how to use color, shapes, and perspective. I have study art in collage as well as Art History. I found that I truly learned the most studying under artist I admire watching their techniques and making them my own.  I also enjoy working with my husband who is an artist himself. I find we benefit each other well in the areas of art I am weak he seem to make up and vise versa. So we are able to encourage and teach each one another.  We have worked on pieces together and apart. We over all help develop and encourage each other to grow in our own unique styles.”

See her page with more of her artwork here: http://heidibarnett.artweb.com/

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party: Post Breakdown

Post Breakdown

(This is what happened so far!)

Freebies, Giveaways and Coupons:

https://www.createspace.com/3806356  for the slate colored cover QPNR7TJ2  $5.00 off!

https://www.createspace.com/3811292 for the black and white cover VK84CASF $5.00 off!

https://www.createspace.com/3811460 for the red cover 3U5B5THD $5.00 off!

The Disenchanted Pet free ebook–enter code : LA26E at this address: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93067

How to Win Free Books

Guest Blog Posts and Reviews:

http://christianfantasyforwomen.com/2012/03/16/fantastic-fantasy-review-of-the-lustre-by-kate-policani

http://cynnerjane.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-lustre-virtual-launch-party/

http://kateschannel.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/book-it-party-room-kate-policanis-the-lustre/

http://kathleenfberg.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/12686610-the-lustre

http://kathleenfberg.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/13198452-the-lustre-is-available-for-purchase-

http://pagesunforgotten.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/kate-policanis-the-lustre/

http://quillwielder.com/2012/03/15/book-review-the-lustre/

Guests:

A Hole in the Pavement by Tahlia Newland

Christopher Barker: Photographer and Musician

Kathleen Firstenberg: Editor

Megan Michaelis: Photographer

The Queen and the Handyman by Maria Tatham

 

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The Lustre Virtual Launch Party Favor: Discount Coupon for Print Books

The Lustre Party Favor Coupon!

This is for all you traditionalists who love the feeling of a book in your hand. I can’t give you the paperbacks for free, because they aren’t free to make. But I can give you discount coupons!

Buy them here:

https://www.createspace.com/3806356  for the slate colored cover QPNR7TJ2  $5.00 off!

https://www.createspace.com/3811292 for the black and white cover VK84CASF $5.00 off!

https://www.createspace.com/3811460 for the red cover 3U5B5THD $5.00 off!

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Lustre Virtual Launch Party: Free Ebook!

Free Ebook!


To celebrate the launch of my new book, I’m going to give you a free ecopy of my first book! Yes, you could end up with two free ebooks today!

Here is the coupon! It expires on the 18th, so use it soon!

Enter code : LA26E at this address: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93067

Categories: Book Launch | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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