Raven’s Quest (Book II
in Raven Grace Series)
By Toni LoTempio
In this short novella, Shapeshifter Raven Grace and her
psychic lover, Finn McPhee, are back, traveling to parallel time in search of a
demonic killer.
GUEST POST:
Media Presence – a necessary evil.
by Toni LoTempio
In today’s ever changing world of publishing, one thing has
become clearly evident – media presence is more important than ever. Someone
once said to me, “How does someone know to buy your book out of all the
thousands in a Barnes and Noble?”
Well…they don’t. The
only way they can zero in on your book is by some sort of prior knowledge. And this is where social media plays a bigger
role than ever.
It’s been said that word of mouth sells books – and this is
so very true. In the old days, it used
to be the “water cooler” effect – people standing around the company water
cooler, talking about the latest book, tv show or movie to catch their fancy.
In today’s day and age, the “water cooler” has been replaced by the PC, the
laptop, the tablet – and ‘word of mouth’ comes more from blogging and the
Internet than human interaction.
For a new writer starting out, it’s important to build
what’s called a “platform” or a “brand” – a means by which a reader can specifically
pick out you, the author. What better
way to build such a fanbase than by blogging!
Blogging regularly increases your visibility, makes you accessible, and
is a handy PR tool.
My blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com is run under the premise of my fat and sassy
tuxedo cat, ROCCO, being the premier blogger.
ROCCO conducts interviews with authors, hosts giveaways, often expounds
on various subjects in independent blogs, and does fundraising! (for Nathan
Fillion’s charity…KIDS NEED TO READ).
Along the sidebar and top of the blog are banners and links to my books,
and also some fun things, like ROCCO’s Café Press Store, popular blogs, links
to other blogs, etc. Your blog should
not be an advertisement of your skills (although tooting your own horn once in
awhile does not hurt) but should rather be an extension of yourself, your
personality, a way for the reader to get to know you and to perhaps think,
“say, this is cool. Maybe I’d like to try one of her books.”
Facebook and Twitter are also useful PR tools. Establishing a platform and building a good
fanbase is critical on the road to becoming a successful author, whether it be
the self-publishing or the traditional route.
While it’s true social media can be a bit intimidating at first, once
you get the hang of it, it’s fun!
Remember: They can’t
read your work if they don’t know who you are – so tell them!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
“In 1995, I joined the staff of SUSABELLA PASSENGERS AND
FRIENDS, where I have been a staff reporter for over 10 years, winning their
Margaret Sutton Award for Distinguished Writing in 1998. I joined the staff of
NIGHT OWL REVIEWS IN January 2011 as the suspense reviewer/columnist. My
column, DARK STREETS, is featured on a monthly basis.
In 2007, Whiskey Creek Press published BOUND BY BLOOD, a
tale of possession, and EBONY, which deals with zombies and the dark side of
man. EBONY was #2 on the Fictionwise bestseller list for e-books for the month
of July 2007, beating out Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story. In 2010 I self
published NO REST FOR THE WICCA, which made Amazon’s list of top one hundred in
Occult in March 2011, (and has been there for 33 weeks!) and my short story,
THE SACRIFICE, appears in the e-published anthology KISS ME KILL ME, and
another, a follow up story to NO REST FOR THE WICCA, appears in the anthology
EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED. Proceeds of
sales of EWWBW benefit Nathan Fillion’s charity, KIDS NEED TO READ!
Currently single, I work full time and live in Clifton,
NJ, with my muses: Rocco, Maxx, Gata and Trixie. Rocco is also known as Rocco
the Sci-Fi Blogging Cat and has appeared on the Sci-Fi Saturday Night website
and radio show, and also on the Kids Need To Read website where he holds the
distinction of being the first (and possibly only!) blogging cat to support this
charity.”
EXCERPT:
The woman staggered into the center of the floor, weaving
like a drunk. She looked to be in her early thirties, her full red lips
matching the nearly non-existent dress she wore of the same color. “Death to
all” she rasped, staggering forward. Her hand shot upward, and the large
butcher knife there gleamed with fresh, red blood.
Raven pushed forward, her eyes darting around the large
room, desperately seeking Finn. She caught sight of him. He’d been pushed back
against a marble pillar, and was slowly inching forward.
His voice, inside her head: Got your weapon?
She nodded grimly, even as her fingers reached inside the
useless purse slung carelessly across one slim, bare shoulder. She pulled out
her weapon, cocked the safety, and plowed forward.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hedy do the same.
And then the air was rent with another, commanding voice,
a feminine one.
“Drop it. Drop the knife now.”
The knife wavered wildly in the air as the woman took a
step backward, her eyes glazed over and glassy. The speaker moved into the
center of the room, and both Raven and Hedy stopped in their tracks, taking in
the tableaux before them. The woman who stood calmly training her stunner on
the knife-wielder, was thirty if she was a day and looked to be in perfect
shape, if the curves beneath the form-fitting white Dior number she wore gave any
indication. Her black silk fall of hair, parted in the middle, framed a face
Raven knew George would describe as “million-dollar”, but there was a steely
set to her jaw, a coldness in the thin set of her lips, that kept her from
being beautiful. Still in all – she was a package no man would kick out of bed,
of that Raven was certain.
The newcomer moved with the speed of a striking cobra,
gripping the knife hand and twisting it backward. “I said drop it.”
Fingers went limp, and there was a sharp clink! as knife
met floor. The woman whipped one hand out, and the next second shiny handcuffs
had been slapped on the offender.
“I need help here,” the brunette snapped. “She needs a
doctor, she’s obviously drugged. Someone get a medic – what are you all waiting
for?”
On the podium, Sully cleared his throat. “You’d all best
listen to her, and get used to it. I realize this isn’t exactly the best
introduction, but…” His arm swept out, indicating the woman. “My
successor…Captain Darla Barnes.”
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting Toni :)
Thanks for having the HUMAN on your blog!
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