• December 14, 2011
  • Featured, Staff Articles
  • Comments Off on How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

How OK! Magazine Taught Me a Thing or Two About Book Promotion

How OK! Magazine Taught Me A Thing Or Two About Book Promotion Let’s say I’m the editor of a weekly supermarket tabloid that focuses on celebrities. I’m writing an article on a certain celebrity couple’s relationship that’s been all over the news lately and I need quotes from a relationship expert. And…I’m on a deadline. The few relationship experts I have in my Rolodex are either out of town, won’t answer their phone or are tired of being harassed by weekly supermarket tabloid editors. Whatever the reason, I’m sweating, hyperventilating and don’t have a moment to spare. Then, a light bulb goes off. This isn’t old journalism, I scream!
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  • December 14, 2011
  • Author Interviews, Featured
  • Comments Off on Radio Interview with Laura McHale Holland – Author of Reversible Skirt

Radio Interview with Laura McHale Holland – Author of Reversible Skirt

Click on Play to play the radio interview! [haiku url=”http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Laura_Holland.mp3″ title=”Interview with Author Laura McHale Holland”] About Laura McHale Holland Laura McHale Holland’s memoir, Reversible Skirt won a silver medal in the 2011 Readers Favorite book awards. Her stories and articles have appeared in such publications as Every Day Fiction Three, Wisdom Has a Voice, the Vintage Voices anthologies, NorthBay biz magazine, the Noe Valley Voice and the original San Francisco Examiner. A member of both Redwood Writers and the Storytelling Association of California, Laura has been a featured teller at the Lake Tahoe Storytelling Festival. To keep up with her, please visit http://lauramchaleholland.com. About Reversible Skirt When the
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New Book for Review: Thriller ‘Daddy’s Home’ by A.K. Alexander

A.K. Alexander will be touring March 19 – May 11 2012 with her thriller, Daddy’s Home! A KILLER STALKS HIS PREY… A calculating and deadly killer is in search for what he terms as his perfect family. Preying upon single mothers and their innocent children, the police have dubbed him “The Family Man.” HE WATCHES THEM…HE TAKES THEM… He plays out his role as the perfect father. When things don’t go so perfect in his insane fantasy world, the family man kills. HOLLY JENNINGS IS ON THE CASE… Crime Scene Investigator Holly Jennings of the San Diego Police Department is determined to track him down and see that justice
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Pump Up Chats with Jeanne Bannon – Author of YA ‘Invisible’

As a special part of Jeanne’s tour, Invisible is available for $0.99 at Amazon.com and Smashwords from December 5th to 16th! Jeanne Bannon has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. She began her career as a freelance journalist, then worked as an in-house editor for LexisNexis Canada and currently works as a freelance editor and writer. Jeanne’s had several short stories published and won first place in the Writes of Caledon Short Story Contest. Invisible, Jeanne’s debut novel, is about a teenage girl who isn’t happy with herself and wishes she could disappear. And one day she does. Invisible is available on Amazon, Smashwords, and the
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  • December 12, 2011
  • Authors on Tour, Featured
  • Comments Off on The Secret of the Sacred Scarab Virtual Book Publicity Tour January/February 2012

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab Virtual Book Publicity Tour January/February 2012

Join Fiona Ingram, author of the middle grade adventure novel, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab: Book 1 in the Chronicles of the Stone series (iUniverse), as she virtually tours the blogosphere January 3 – February 29 2012 on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! About Fiona Ingram Although Fiona Ingram has been a journalist for the last fifteen years, writing a children’s book—The Secret of the Sacred Scarab—was an unexpected step, inspired by a recent trip to Egypt. The tale of the sacred scarab began life as a little anecdotal tale for her 2 nephews (then 10 and 12), who had accompanied her on
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Guest Blogger: Bestsellers Are Not Born. They’re Made! by Terri Giuliano Long

Bestsellers Are Not Born. They’re Made! Terri Giuliano Long When I published my debut novel, In Leah’s Wake, in October 2010, I had no clue as to what I was doing. Stupidly, too embarrassed to self-promote, I posted the book on Amazon. That was it. I mean really it – not even my parents knew I’d published the book! I sold two books in October, four in November, and thirty-four in December. For a month or so after the holidays, as people bought books for their new Kindles, I sold a few copies a day. By March, with sales lagging, and I realized that, if I didn’t do something,
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Pump Up Chats with Karen Pokras Toz

Karen Pokras Toz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance. She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen has spent the last several years working as a tax accountant, writing in numbers. She recently discovered a passion for writing with words. In June 2011 Karen published her first novel for children, Nate Rocks the World. Karen is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), Association of Independent Authors (AIA), and the Independent
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Pump Up Your Book Chats with Historical Fiction Author Carole Eglash-Kosoff

Carole Eglash-Kosoff lives and writes in Valley Village, California. She graduated from UCLA and spent her career in business, teaching, and traveling. She has visited more than seventy countries. An avid student of history, she researched the decades preceding and following the Civil War for nearly three years, including time in Louisiana, the setting for Winds of Change and her earlier novel, When Stars Align. It is a story of bi-racial love. It is a story of war, reconstruction, and racism, but primarily, it is a story of hope. This is her third book. In 2006, following the death of her husband, she volunteered to teach in South Africa.
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Pump Up Chats with S.B. Lerner

S.B. Lerner has worked as an attorney in Manhattan, and in the evenings she wrote and published short stories. They are now available as a collection, called In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories. After getting married and becoming a mom, she was struck with the importance of knowing family history, so she researched and wrote the story of her father’s life. It was through learning about his early interest in a Zionist youth group in Poland that she became interested in the subject of her first novel, A Suitable Husband, which is set in prewar Poland. When not writing, teaching an ESOL class, doing ‘mom’ things or
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Pump Up Chats with Hank Quense

Award-winning author Hank Quense lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife Pat.  They have two daughters and five grandchildren.  He writes humorous fantasy and scifi stories.  On occasion, he also writes an article on fiction writing or book marketing but says that writing nonfiction is like work while writing fiction is fun.  He refuses to write serious genre fiction saying there is enough of that on the front page of any daily newspaper and on the evening TV news. Visit Hank online at http://Strangeworldsonline.com  and http://hankquense.com. You can find his blog at http://hankquense.com/blog Thank you for this interview, Hank.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did
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New Book for Review: Act of Grace by Karen Simpson

Karen Simpson will be touring in February with her contemporary speculative fiction novel Act of Grace. Why would Grace Johnson, an African American high school senior, take a bullet to save the life of a Ku Klux Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore? The question hovers unanswered over Grace’s hometown of Vigilant, Michigan. Few people, black or white, understand her sacrifice, especially since rumor has it years ago a member of Gilmore’s family murdered several African Americans including Grace’s father. Grace doesn’t want to talk about it, but the decision to speak is not hers to make. Ancestor spirits emerge to insist, in ways Grace cannot ignore, that she bear witness
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New Book For Review: The Canker Death by James R. Bottino

James R. Bottino will be touring February 6 – March 30th 2012 with his fantasy/sci-fi novel The Canker Death. When the reclusive, cynical systems administrator, Petor Fidelistro, discovers that one of his own servers has been cracked late one night, he makes it his personal business to track down the perpetrator. What his search uncovers thrusts him, unaware, into a mad shifting between worlds, time and alien minds. Fighting to keep his grip on reality, and forcing him to cope with his past, Petor finds himself uncontrollably transitioning between sentient minds that range from semi-conscious to dominant, from beings whose bodies and identities he can control, to those who
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K.S. Krueger Being Interviewed at Stories From Unknown Authors Tomorrow!

K.S. Krueger, author of the middle grade fantasy series, Traegonia, will be interviewed on December 8th at Stories from Unknown Authors with Renee Hand. Number to call in is: (619) 566-0945. The show begins at 8 PM Eastern. Although her background has been in business, K.S. Krueger has always loved to write. She has written poetry and several children’s stories originally for her eldest daughter. Kim enjoys the idea of seeing the world through the eyes of her imagination and finds herself submerged in the worlds she creates. Imagination has never been in short supply ever since she was a child. Because her series rides a fine line between fantasy and
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Unbridled Grace Virtual Book Publicity Tour February 2012

Join Dr. Michael J. Norman, author of the Christian/inspirational non-fiction book, Unbridled Grace (Dog Ear Publishing, LLC), as he virtually tours the blogosphere February 6th – 29th on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book! About Dr. Michael J. Norman Dr. Michael J. Norman has owned a family health center offering chiropractic care and wellness programs since 1992.  Since 2003, he has served as a staff doctor at a non-profit center offering health care and life services to the indigent and un-insured of his community.  In addition to his practice, Dr. Norman enjoys writing, speaking, mission outreach and completing graduate studies in Theology. He lives with his family near
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Pump Up Chats with Dianne Hartsock

Dianne lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which she says is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage. Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/ FB: http://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock Thank you for this interview, Dianne.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece? A: I’ve always been
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New Book for Review: Historical Fiction ‘Pictures of the Past’ by Deby Eisenberg

Deby Eisenberg will be touring February 6-29 2012 with her historical fiction novel, Pictures of the Past! First-time novelist Deby Eisenberg hits the ground running with PICTURES OF THE PAST, an epic family and historical saga, sweeping through Chicago, Paris and Berlin, reliving events from pre-World War II Europe, but beginning in contemporary times.  An Impressionist painting, hanging for decades in the Art Institute of Chicago and donated by the charismatic philanthropist Taylor Woodmere, is challenged by an elderly woman as a Nazi theft. Mary Lignor of Book Pleasures says, “This novel is one of the most intriguing and beautiful books that I have ever read.  The ending of
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Pump Up Chats with John Rosenman

John Rosenman recently retired as an English professor at Norfolk State University where he designed and taught a course in how to write Science fiction and Fantasy. He is a former Chairman of the Board of the Horror Writers Association and has published approximately 350 stories in places such as Weird Tales, Whitley Strieber’s Aliens, Fangoria, Galaxy, The Age of Wonders, and the Hot Blood anthology series. John has published twenty books, including SF action/romantic adventure novels such as Beyond Those Distant Stars and Speaker of the Shakk (Mundania Press), A Senseless Act of Beauty (Crossroad Press), and Alien Dreams (Drollerie Press and Crossroad Press). Shorter books include A
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New Book for Review in Feb 2012: Christian/Inspirational Non-fiction: Unbridled Grace by Dr. Michael Norman

Dr. Michael Norman is touring in February 2012 with, Unbridled Grace. Answering a two-line classified ad in the newspaper had life-changing consequences for a trustingly naive doctor fresh out of school, just starting his career and life as a new father. In a nightmarish true story that could occur to any of us, he innocently takes a part-time chiropractic job from employers who were later found to be a Russian-organized crime ring involved in money laundering, insurance fraud and other crimes. Despite his cooperation in a federal government investigation, the author soon finds himself surrounded by deception on all sides. As his cooperation is turned cruelly against him, Michael endures
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Talking Virtual Book Tours with Chuck Waldron

U.S. born, Canadian novelist Chuck Waldron is currently working on his fourth novel, a thriller about an investigative blogger who uncovers more than he ever imagines…and has no idea what to do with his discovery. His first novel, Tears in the Dust, is a mystery set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in 1937. When Alestair Ferguson volunteers to fight in the International Brigade he doesn’t realize the true price he will have to pay. Chuck’s second novel, Remington and the Mysterious Fedora, is a quirky fantasy, a story about what happens when a young man sits at the keyboard of a manual typewriter and puts on
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Pump Up Chats with Contemporary Romance Author Barbara Weitz

Barbara Weitz lives in a quiet suburb of Chicago with her husband and a mischievous German shepherd, thankful her three grown sons are grown and off making mayhem elsewhere. A career executive secretary for most of her life, she has also held a variety of mundane and unusual employment opportunities, during her sons growing years. This, coupled with a passion for animals and music, has helped shape the fictional characters she creates. She invites you to visit her website at: http://barbaraweitz.com Thank you for this interview, Barbara.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?
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First Chapters: Death On a High Floor by Chuck Rosenberg

Pump Up Your Book is proud to bring you the first chapters of fantastic books from magnificently talented authors.  Not only does this give you a chance to see the author’s writing style, but it also helps in your book buying decisions.  Today’s first chapter is from Chuck Rosenberg’s legal thriller, Death on a High Floor. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Death On a High Floor By Chuck Rosenberg Sliding Hill Press (August 12, 2011) Legal Thriller 453 pages Chapter One © Copyright Charles Rosenberg 2011 All Rights Reserved
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  • December 2, 2011
  • Featured, First Chapters
  • Comments Off on First Chapters: Remington & The Mysterious Fedora by Chuck Waldron

First Chapters: Remington & The Mysterious Fedora by Chuck Waldron

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Remington & The Mysterious Fedora By Chuck Waldron WriteByMe Books (April 6, 2011) Fantasy 256 pages Chapter One Walking through a door one afternoon was a life-changing event for Josh. Earlier that morning, he had made a grand announcement.  Grandiose might have better described it. “I’m going to write a novel, and what’s more I’m going to write it in a month.” When his friends stopped laughing he said, “I’m not kidding.  I saw it on the internet, a challenge to write a 50,000-word
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How To Create a Facebook Welcome Page by John Ames

We have a great guest post for you today! John Ames, author of Adventures in Nowhere, is here to help us with creating our own personal Facebook Welcome Page. You can visit his website at www.johnamesauthor.com. How to Create a Facebook Welcome Page by John Ames These days, authors have to do a great deal of promotion for themselves, which usually involves creating a fan page for yourself, your book, or a product connected to your book. Creating the page itself is not very hard. Facebook gives good instructions on fan page creation: http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=12809&ref_query=create+fanpage#!/pages/create.php Once the page is up, the next move is to make it as attractive as
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New Book for Review: Memoir ‘Memories of Mom’ by Alexia E. Fraser

Alexia E. Fraser will be touring January 3 – 16 with her memoir, Memories of Mom! Memories of Mom (M.O.M.) is a poignant story about an extraordinary mother, written by a daughter who loved and cared for her during her last lap of life.  This story is written from the heart, and will inspire love and affection in millions of daughters and sons who will someday be caring for their elderly parents or loved ones.  It is about undying love, unyielding sacrifices and compassionate role reversal.  The circle of life. You can visit her blog at www.alexiafraser.blogspot.com. If you would like to review Memories of Mom, please fill out
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First Chapters: Red Hot Sky by Gordon Gumpertz

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Red Hot Sky By Gordon Gumpertz CreateSpace (October 12, 2011) Action/Adventure Fiction Chapter 1 Ben Mason pulled on a ski jacket and watch cap and walked out of his Arlington apartment into the bitterest ice storm he could remember. Head down, he forged his way to his aging Chevy Blazer. He set the defrost on max and inched through the whiteout, finally reaching the lab in Falls Church at 7:35 p.m. His lab partner, Shorty, six-foot-five Bertrand Short, stared at rows of rolling numbers
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First Chapters: In Leah’s Wake by Terri Giuliano Long

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In Leah’s Wake By Terri Giuliano Long CreateSpace/Inspired Quill (September 27, 2011) Women’s Fiction Chapter 1 September Zoe and Will Tyler sat at the dining room table, playing poker. The table, a nineteenth-century, hand-carved mahogany, faced the bay window overlooking their sprawling front yard. Husband and wife sat facing one another, a bowl of Tostitos and a half-empty bottle of port positioned between them. Their favorite Van Morrison disc—Tupelo Honey—spun on the player in the family room, the music drifting out of speakers built
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First Chapters: Inside the Spaghetti Bowl by Frank Zaccari

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Inside the Spaghetti Bowl By Frank Zaccari CreateSpace (September 27, 2011) Family/Relationships Chapter 1 The squeaky clean smell of antiseptic starched the air. The sounds of people speaking in urgent but hushed tones could be heard in the overcrowded room where my mother Carmela (Carm Zaccari) laid in her hospital bed surrounded by my father, three brothers, two sisters, all of my nieces and nephews and my Aunt Mary (Mom’s sister).  My brother Frank nudges his teenage daughter Sara and quietly says, “Look around
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First Chapters: Outlawed Love by J.M. Krumbine

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Outlawed Love By J.M. Krumbine One Stray Word (August 2 2010) Romantic Suspense Chapter 1 Now Kaitlyn Sharpe was falling. She dropped through the air like a lead weight. Her mother would have a field day with that. The airplane above her was slowly shrinking in the distance as it remained at its cruising altitude of 45,000 feet. The wind stung her eyes and her vision blurred as they began to water. The sound of air rushing past her was deafening. She tumbled through
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New Book for Review: Literary Fiction ‘Questions in the Silence’ by Karen Glick

Karen Glick will be touring January 3 – 27 with her literary fiction novel, Questions in the Silence! Ari Rothman, born with psychic abilities, has a lifelong fascination with spiritual issues.  Childhood visions and intuitions combine to make her a bit of an outsider in her peer group and she turns to religion to create meaning in her life. Ari’s childhood experiences and her strong desire to help others make her a natural psychotherapist.  However, the conflict between her intuitive abilities and a more rational approach to the human psyche intensifies when her first long-term client ends his sessions unexpectedly. You can visit her website at www.bellalunavoicecompany.com. If you
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New Book for Review: Thriller Suspense ‘Shadow Cay’ by Leona Bodie

Leona Bodie will be touring January 3 – 27 2012 with her thriller/suspense novel, Shadow Cay! Madeleine Nesbitt lives a privileged, sheltered life on a pristine tropical island paradise until the young girl is hauled off the deck of a capsizing ferry. Sixty-two passengers drown, trapped under the hull. Madeleine survives but her innocence dies that day. Despite the odds, she’s resilient enough to put her life together.  However, nine years later she realizes too late that catastrophe is only the beginning of the dangers that lurk ahead when another maritime disaster hits closer to home. Someone wants to make sure the Nesbitt family never makes it out of
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