Book Blog Tour #1 - Aurora Lightbourne

Hello, my name is Aurora Lightbourne, I am a Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer.

I am so excited to be starting out my Virtual Book Tour on AZ Publishing Services!

A little about me:

Currently I am working on the Space Trippers series.
I know, it's Sci-Fi and many people seem afraid of Sci-Fi books. But trust me, it is more of an adventure story with humor. In fact, most of my readers are not Sci-Fi fans. 

 

The story basically centers around 5 characters from different backgrounds that are thrown together when an unfinished ship is stolen and ends up far from home in uncharted space, after a hidden weapon activates. If you want to know more about the books and me, follow my book tour! For a schedule and story summary check out my website: http://alightbourne.netau.net/

A little sample: Lola giggled girlishly, her green eyes twinkling with delight. She was still very young and naive and loved to be admired.

"Was it you that pressed the medical call button?" Lola asked him with a cute, tempting smile and flirtatious flutter of lashes.

"No, that was me." Valesque interrupted, quickly tiring of the nauseous scene. I have an electrical charge I need to get rid of. He just has a little scratch on his hand."

Lola breathed, wide eyed at the thought as she turned her attention from the Lieutenant to the medical task at hand. "And how did you get this electrical charge?" Lola asked professionally, as she suddenly turned from young flirtatious girl to serious medical worker.

"She was hit by a taser." Sanic replied before Valesque.

"A taser?" Tim asked, confused as he remembered the bright jolt he had seen from Valesque earlier.

"Set to kill." Sanic added eagerly.

"Kill? How could she have possibly survived an electrical shock of that magnitude?" Tim returned unbelievingly.

"She's a Virrilian." Sanic replied simply and almost proudly. "They had to use the top setting to knock her out. She was out for three days!"

Tim looked to Lola for help. "He is kidding right?" he asked her.

Lola just shrugged. "I haven't gotten up to the 'V's' yet in the intergalactic encyclopedia. But it is possible."

Tim glanced from Lola to Valesque, who's naturally pale complexion looked deathly white beside Lola's healthy pink tone. "You do look awfully pale." Tim observed in concern.

Valesque sighed irritably as she got up on an exam table to prepare for her treatment. "I am a Virrilian." she said, suppressing the urge to call him an idiot. "I'm always this pale."

You can read the first half of 'Space Trippers Book 1: Trippin' ' FREE with the sample link at ebook retailers like Barnes & Noble. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Space-Trippers-Book-1/Aurora-Lightbourne/e/2940000789650/?itm=3&USRI=space+trippers

Space Trippers is also available as a paperback containing the first 2 books through any bookstore like Barnes and Noble, Amazon or your local indies. http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=a.+lightbourne+space+trippers

Book 3 will be coming to all bookstores in paperback later this year.

Book 1-3 are also out on kindle and soon to be available through iPad and the Sony store.

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=a.lightbourne+space+trippers&x=0&y=0

During my Virtual Book Tour I will be discussing how I get my inspiration, when I first started writing, how I got published, my characters and story, what other books I am working on and more.

If you have any questions for me be sure to post them in the discussions at each stop. I would be happy to answer them. Remember if you leave a post, you get entered to win a free paperback copy of one of my Space Trippers Books and a handmade, beaded, character bookthong! 

 

Two winners will be chosen during the course of the tour!

Be sure to follow me! Let's have fun!

AUTHOR SUPPORTING AUTHOR BLOG TOURS

Author list this blog is Hosting between April 1st - July 9th:

April 1 - Aurora Lightbourne 

NEW ADD ON INTERVIEW -- April 7th - Marian L. Thomas

April 12 - Margaret West 

April 16 - Jo Davis author of Domestics

April 26 - James C.Wallace II 

April 30 - Fiona Ingram 

May 17 - Joe Schwartz 

May 27 - Sindee Lynn author of Prince's Donor

June 4 - David Fingerman 

June 8 - Denise Verrico 

June 14th - Cate Masters

June 15th - Ya Ya 

June 24 - Louise Wise 

July 9 - Baby Ross 

The author may be giving away gifts for supporting this blog tour, so it pays to read and send in comments and other questions for them. Readers and tourists will have all day and night to comment and the author will answer back.

Have fun everyone. 

On Marketing That Book - Big Question

Gina Alzate is a new small publisher who is attached to me through LinkedIn, a business networking on-line site. There were some questions brought up that I find are similar questions by many new to this publishing business and thought others could benefit from this information exchange. If anyone else has further questions, I welcome them here.

On 02/11/10 9:26 PM, Gina Alzate wrote:
--------------------
Hello Patti,
Nice to meet your acquaintance. You must love to read! So do I, and now I am more into writing books. I just finished editing my first one, Living Our Soul Map: Unleashing the Warrior Goddess Within. Now it is in publishing stage. What a process!

On 02/24/10 8:40 PM, Patti Hultstrand wrote:
--------------------
Thanks Gina for the invite and congrats on the book. I know what you mean. I do the same for other authors. Am on my 19th book production now. Every author is excited while waiting for that book to be done printing. Pretty cool to be the one to help them.

So, what is your "Living Our Soul Map" about? I am into unleashing warrior goddesses.

On 03/18/10 7:12 AM, Gina Alzate wrote:
--------------------
Hi Patti
Your 19th book? How cool! I'm on my first, and learning the ropes as I go. Living Our Soul Map is an anthology of 12 women's stories of how they found themselves in their darkest moments and brought themselves out, plus how these women came into my life as part of my soul map.

How do you market your books? The ones I plan to publish are mostly my work, either written alone or with contributions from others. I'm curious if you ever had any books that found their way to the movies or television.

On 03/19 - Patti Hultstrand wrote:
--------------------
Am working on number 20 thru 27 right now. Four of these are either my books or I have a short segment of my writing. I help others get their books into print and into the market.

Curiously, I too had a near death experience which pushed me to finish my first book and led me to become the publisher for others. Everything happens for a reason, which is also one of the themes for that first book of mine, "Time Conquers All". My heroine is a strong warrior princess who finds her love is from centuries in the future.

On marketing -- Big question.
I market every way I can. While I thought it would be a plus to have books in multiple genres and book types, I've found it hard to market every book evenly. Example - I have a growing number of Urban Fiction (African-American is variation) which is totally different than the Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention goers I hang out with. While we have been offered sales at Walmart for the Urban Fiction, it just doesn't pay a small publisher such as myself to go to bed with Walmart because of the steep discounts they expect and their payment structure.

I always say, "Everywhere I go, all my authors and their books go." To me, it's not so much how much you market the books, but the frequency and locations you have the books for sale. The more on-line bookstores, conventions, book signings, seminars, speaking engagements my authors have or the growing family of small publishers can participate in, the more often our books will get into the public view.

Now days, Amazon is saturated with too many books and the big bookstores are reducing their book inventory and lean too heavily on the BIG publishers to pay for their shelf and floor space. So, don't rely on the BIG bookstores to feed your authors. You must find other avenues for sales.

So, in regards to the problem I had marketing the Urban Fiction, I have listened to my authors and have found them alternatives to sell their books. Instead of selling at Walmart, I am making deals to get into the prison systems, which is the biggest purchasers of Urban Fiction books. And you never stop at just one source to sell at any one place. I have new deals in several places to reach the prison system readers.

My advice for any author or book publisher would be to always be open and be on the lookout for opportunities. Sounds simple but too often we think you must throw money at an opportunity to make it happen. It's easier if you have money to use for marketing, but in this economy, nobody can afford to spend frivolously.

Az Publishing has a growing number of books because we have a growing number of small publishing imprints who rely on my publishing house. Az Publishing Services, LLC not only gives them great book printing prices, but I work with them on the book production process, giving them the support and education they need to print professional looking books.

On your question about whether our books have found their way to television or movies.
Michael D'Ambrosio, author of "Night Creeps" and the "Fractured Time" series, and others not published through us, is also a screenplay writer. He has just been signed with an agent to handle his screenplay for "Night Creeps". Michael is also working with us on several other screenplay projects for upcoming books we are publishing within this year. So, while we don't have anything on television or at the movies, the operative word here is, "YET!"

Hope I answered your questions Gina. I'm sure I spurred other questions for you too.

Patti Hultstrand
Publisher/CEO/Author
Az Publishing Services, LLC

New contempory Horror Book

A haunting. A disappearance. A scandal. An obsession. Welcome to Lafington where the ghost of yesterday's sin hides in the long memory and deep shadow of the Ole Lamplighter. The Lamplighter Collection consists of seven horror and suspense short stories set in the small, Midwest town of Lafington. The stories explore what happens in a small town when the lights go off and the mocking moon grins down on the world below. Some are haunted by obsession, others drown in scandal. But all of their darkest desires are eclipsed by a presence much older and profound. Here, the local legends are more than mere ghost stories. In Lafington, those stories are truth.

NEW BOOK - NEW AUTHOR
Todd VanHooser has two other books in the genre of Fantasy Adventure. He is now signed with us here at Az Publishing Services, LLC and comes aboard with his first contemporary horror. This small book is packed with enough scare tactics to make you want to read it in the daylight. But, the night always follows the day, so there is nowhere to hide.

Personal Endorsement -
I love Todd's style of writing and I know he takes great strides in his writing to not only create a great story, but to write it very well. I met Todd at a local Fantasy/Sci-Fi fan convention (WesterCon) in Tempe, Arizona last July 2009. I picked up his 682 page "The Barren Twelve" fantasy book, scanning it for style and readability, as I always do when encountering a new author's work. Was very pleased to see a well designed and well written book. Todd is a rare breed of well versed author, creative writing teacher, and he is a fine looking man to top off the entire package. This combination is every publisher's dream. He has high expectations of himself and those he works with, which is why, I think, it took him so long to come aboard the Az Publishing family of small publishers.

Todd and his new book, "The Lamplighter Collection" is welcomed home at Az Publishing Services, LLC. We wish him many years of success and hope to assist him in publishing many more stories in the future.

More articles about Todd VanHooser :
http://www.westvalleyview.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=31984&SectionID=12&SubSectionID=&S=1
From Examiner.com - October 2009
http://bit.ly/bMJl74

Free Changing Face of Publishing Seminar

Every family could use extra money in this tight economy. Your second job could be writing that book you've been thinking about. Don't know where to go to get the correct information you need in this fast changing face of publishing.

If you live in Arizona, you could participate in a free publishing seminar. The next one is MARCH 27, 2010 from 12 - 4pm at St. Stephen's Renewal Center centrally located on 56th St. in Phoenix.

http://www.azpublishingservices.com/SeminarSignUp.php

It's easy to sign up and you could be publishing in no time.

Even an experienced author may not know about all the changes that are taking place in the publishing industry right now. We go over the eBook market as well as print publishing. Don't know where to go to get the correct information you need in this fast changing face of publishing.
About the seminar location: http://ping.fm/tpMFp

Az Publishing Services' Books for the Week

Az Publishing Services, LLC works on 4 books on average per week - March 8th -14th, 2010 

- FRACTURED TIME by Michael D'Ambrosio - Az Publishing Services
The first in series of the same title - We are redesigning a new cover for this book to give it a new look.

- MAYBE GOD HAS A BETTER IDEA by Robb -Be Uplifted Press
Spiritual non-fiction. The proof is done and final touches being put in place for this book this week.
A 100 book order going out by early next week.

- NIGHT CREEPS by Michael D'Ambrosio -
Some touch ups for Michael and his new adult horror book. Shipping a small run for an upcoming convention he has in New York. 


The last 2 weeks we were working on more than 4 books, so this week is a light week for book production. I diverted my attention to paperwork for taxes and finding other sales avenues. We are also working on 3 more potential authors to sign in the upcoming weeks.



If you want to be on next week's list, then you owe it to yourself to talk to me now.
phultstrand@cox.net


Patti Hultstrand
Publisher/CEO

Professional Review on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Conquers-All/product-reviews/1936037041/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Great review for Time Conquers All

Time Conquers All
P.J. Hultstrand
ISBN: 9781936037049
Az Publishing Services
Reviewed By Chelsea Perry

Official Apex Reviews Rating:
When Princess Tamea begins having recurring dreams of a mysterious
young man fighting in a futuristic war far ahead of her time, she starts to believe
that she’s losing grip on her sanity. When those dreams are eventually followed,
though, by a vision of the same man dying in her arms in another time and place,
it begins to dawn on her that something in her life is about to change. The only
question that remains: is she his savior - or is he a portentous link to her
unforeseen future...?

An imaginative fantastical romance, Time Conquers All takes the reader
on a vivid journey to the nether regions of time and place. In innovative fashion,
author P.J. Hultstrand has crafted a moving tale that doubles as both epic saga and
trans-dimensional romance, successfully coaxing the reader to suspend disbelief
long enough to become completely immersed in the lush literary world of her
creation. Furthermore, in both Tamea and Parker, her beloved, Hultstrand has
created sympathetic characters that readers will find it difficult not to love - not to
mention root for as they struggle to overcome a series of increasingly cumbersome
challenges to the consummation of their love.

A moving love story for the ages, Time Conquers All is sure to strike a
strong chord with die-hard fans of classic romance.