"Writing Back Cover Blurbs That Sell"

September 8-19, 2008
MASTER CLASS:
"Writing Back Cover Blurbs That Sell"
by Theresa MeyersRegistration
$50 at www.WriterUniv.com/

Prerequisite: Must have a complete manuscript

Research has shown that after looking at the cover, the next thing potential readers look at is the back of your book. Lose them on the back cover, and you could lose a possible sale! But how do you craft a selling back cover blurb, and what elements matter most?

In this course you’ll find out:
* The elements of a selling back cover blurb
* How to structure three different types of back cover blurbs
* Buzz words that get people to buy
* Common mistakes authors make
* How to craft a blurb that’ll help you sell more

By day Theresa Meyers is president of Blue Moon Communications, a top public relations agency best know for securing placement for two of the seven picks of the Kelly Ripa Book Club. But by night she writes fiction. A member of RWA since 1993, she’s been a finalist in the American Title contest and is currently at work on her next novel. You can find her blogging online at www.bluemooncommunications.com and www.theresameyers.com.

One Minute of Magical Romance

I’ve just posted the book video for DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT! Take a peek at it on my website: http://www.KathryneKennedy.com or http://www.vimeo.com/1492348

With the release of DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT just around the corner, I’m doing interviews and mini-contests. I have an interview up already at: http://www.emilybryan.com/Em%20recommends.htm
Emily Bryan is a fellow Dorchester author who writes fabulous Victorian historicals. We are also running a joint contest! Here are the details:

Answer these two questions:

1. What is the release date of Emily Bryan's new book PLEASURING THE PIRATE? Hint: Click on her book cover here: http://www.emilybryan.com/index.htm
2. What is the name of Sterling's brother in DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT? Hint: Read the excerpt here: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/DoubleEnchantmentExcerpt.html

Email your answers to: kathryne_kennedy@yahoo.com with K&E Contest in the subject line. A winner will be randomly chosen from those entries with correct answers. Contest ends on 9-1-08. Entering the contest automatically signs you up for both Kathryne's & Emily's newsletter. Void where prohibited by law. You must be 18 years or older to enter. No prize substitution permitted. This contest is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

And mark your calendars for August 22nd for my interview here at Much Cheaper Than Therapy. Stop by and leave a comment, and you’ll be entered to win an autographed copy of DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT.

I have another interview scheduled with www.realmsonourbookshelves.com
for mid-August, and those lovely ladies are giving away a garnet bracelet to celebrate! I’ll be announcing it on my blog http://kathrynekennedy.com/blog.html when it’s posted.

And remember, my website contest for the garnet necklace will end August 26th, so if you’ve posted my blurb anywhere, email me to let me know.

And just in case I haven’t included enough links ;}, here’s a few more for some lovely reviews that DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT was given recently:

Double Enchantment is the second in Kathryne Kennedy's Relics of Merlin series. This tale is equally as engaging and refreshing as the first. Jasmina and her eccentric family make for such fun reading that you will keep turning the pages to see what will happen next. Sterling is an excellent hero, dashing strong and protective of Jasmina. He also allows her the time to work through the feelings raised by her twin. Double Enchantment and the Relics of Merlin series are sure to make it to our keeper shelves, catapulting Kathryne Kennedy to our must buy list. http://singletitles.com/?p=469

Double Enchantment is a wonderfully fun romance where magic is a part of everyday life in the Regency era. The triangle between Sterling, Jasmina, and her clone is crafted in a pleasing way with each woman being well suited for him in a different manner. Kathryne Kennedy's 'Relics of Merlin' world is an enjoyable place to spend some quality time. Just keep an eye out for gnomes. http://www.paranormalromance.org/reviews/review.php?id=28850

The second Relics of Merlin alternate history saga (see ENCHANTING THE LADY) is a fabulous romantic Victorian fantasy with a clever twist in which the love triangle is complicated by his falling in love with the shadow twin and then the original twin. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Jasmina casts her spell and never slows down as she and Sterling seek her doppelganger, his sister, the relic and lucidity to their convoluted DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT relationship. http://genregoroundreviews.blogspot.com/2008/08/double-enchantment-kathryne-kennedy.html

My Best Wishes,
Kathryne
The RELICS OF MERLIN series
http://www.KathryneKennedy.com

The Neurotic Writer and Code Breaking

Welcome to another episode of THE NEUROTIC WRITER.
_________________________________________________________________

Therapist: “How was your week?”

Suzie Writer: “Busy, busy. I’ve been working on developing my brand”

Therapist: “Your what?”


Suzie Writer: “My brand. It’s what singles you out from other writers. What makes you different. Dan Brown inspired me. He wrote The Da Vinci Code. That’s his brand. Breaking codes.”

Therapist: “I thought you wrote romantic suspense novels.”

Suzie Writer: “I do, but I can put codes into my novels and my contests. You know how you can play the Beetles’ White Album backwards, it says, ‘Paul is dead?’ I’m going to write a whole novel frontward and backward. Readers will get two books in one. But first, I put a code into my contest blurb for my website. I have it with me.” She removes a folded piece of paper from her purse.

Therapist: “Explain this code. I’m not following you.”

Suzie Writer: “When I advertise my contests on my website, I’m going to include a clue to the identity of the real killers in my books. In this code, if you pay attention to every third word you’ll know the killer’s name. Listen.” She holds up the paper and reads, “Come to my contest. No butler allowed. You did enter. Leave it now.”

Therapist: “I see. The Butler Did It. But do you think anyone will understand the original message you post?”

Suzie Writer: “My readers won’t care if it’s confusing because it’s a code. Get it?” She smiles smugly. “It took me three months to come up with that one. Now I just have to work on writing the book so you can read it forward for one story and backward for another.”

Therapist: “Three months huh? How long do you think it will take you to write the whole book frontward and backward?”

Suzie Writer: Frowns, then bites lip. “Thirty years.”

Interview with Natale Stenzel

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Natale Stenzel. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

Did you say chocolate? And plentiful? Sounds like my kind of place.

(We aim to please. KW)

I understand you have a new release out called The Druid Made Me Do It. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Actually, The Druid Made Me Do It is the second book in a series of funny paranormal romances. The first book, Pandora’s Box, was released in February, and Druid basically takes up where Pandora ends, with a new romantic couple and conflict but some of the same cast and mythologies.

Here’s the back cover copy:

IT'S ALL FUN & GAMES

Dark, powerful, sexy Kane. He has many names, but in truth he is Robin Goodfellow, the one-time favored son of Oberon, King of Faerie. For centuries, he's worked his magic, seducing and pleasuring women as befits his puca nature. But Kane made one big mistake -- punishing his brother for a crime he did not commit.

UNTIL SOMEBODY LOSES A GUY

Oh yeah, he also left Dr. Janelle Corrington after the most amazing night of her life. Their lovemaking was brief, intense . . . and a one-night stand. While she'd established what she thought was a soul connection that could occur only once in any lifetime, he was simply having sex. Why else would he have disappeared without a word? That's why the Druid Council's punishment for Kane's other crime is so delicious: for him to be Janelle's ward, to make amends to all he harmed, to take responsibility for his actions. Finally, Kane would have to take things seriously. And only true love would be rewarded.

The Druid Made Me Do It is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

I’m normally terrible at titles and rarely get to keep them, but this one was mine. As for its origins . . . deep in the dark and weirdo recesses of my subconscious. In other words, I have no idea, which really stinks because I could use another good title or two right about now. Figures, huh? I do love to play with words and irony, though. Writerly toys, I guess you’d say.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I’ve been obsessed with paranormal romance for several years now – dark, light, funny, tragic, suspenseful, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, faeries, witches, gods, you name it. I’ve always been curious about the unexplainable and fascinated by mythology. I was only too excited to see the genre explode like it has. Why funny paranormal? I think funny is just a natural fit for me, always has been. My first four published books were romantic comedies and, while I enjoyed writing them, I really loved challenging myself by adding the paranormal element to the mix. It just expanded the realm of story possibility such that my only limits are defined by my ability to coax the reader to believe the unbelievable. Challenging, exciting, intriguing, satisfying.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

As I mentioned, The Druid Made Me Do It is the logical sequel to Pandora’s Box, so I guess I should go back to the origin for the series itself. I’d like to say I was overseas on a wild and wicked adventure and am simply relaying things to you in an autobiographical manner, but in reality, I was just surfing the Internet. Given that I’m drawn to stories of the wild and weird and wonderful, even while skimming the news, I found this piece about the Circle of Avebury. It’s a stone circle, much like the better known Stonehenge, but bigger, older and less preserved or researched. One thing historians do know -- which completely fascinated me -- was that many of the stones had been deliberately shattered into smaller pieces, which were then used in local construction. Just think about that for a moment. Imagine having a piece of Stonehenge cemented into the foundation of your home. The possibilities . . . how could I resist?

The rest of the story sort of fell into place based on my own interests. I loved Shakespeare and was especially fond of the incorrigible Puck character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Puck happens to be the bard’s vision of a shape-shifting character from mythology called a puca (which can be spelled a gazillion different ways). Lucky for me, the details of this myth are a bit sketchy so I brazenly created some on my own and twisted existing ones for my own purposes. Arrogant, huh? But lots of fun.

What are your favorite paranormal research books or sites, and why?

I do a lot of surfing and skimming, but I seem to come back to a few: Encyclopedia Mythica (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/), Mythography (http://www.loggia.com/myth/myth.html), Edith Wharton’s Mythology and several others. I like to cross-reference everything so I can get different perspectives and slant them toward my own purposes, though.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Other than the hero and heroine, you mean? Honestly – and I swear this isn’t a PC answer – I love all of them for different reasons. Obviously, I’m completely in love with my main characters or I could never have made the romance work. They’re both complex people with senses of humor and noble streaks (whether they admit it or not). I also love High Druid Phil for many reasons that become even clearer in my March 2009 release, which I just finished writing. He’s quirky, smart, unexpected. Oh, and the faeries. Titania’s so wonderfully bad; Oberon manages to be arrogant, vain and still loveable; oh, and Breena. I adore Breena. Kane’s faerie sister is so utterly full of mischief and unexpected wisdom. She loves nothing better than to disarm, unless it’s to help those she loves in spite of herself. I guess I didn’t leave anyone out? It was just so hard to choose . . .

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research and/or world affect your character development?

Oh, I wish I could do that. Do you know how much simpler my life would be if I could sit down and actually plan my characters? No, I have to go into the story and meet them as they already are, gradually get to know them as you might a real person. Any attempt to mold them into what works best for me fails every time. It’s so frustrating. Writing a story, for me, is like walking into a movie where I can see and feel and think, with and as, these characters, but I swear they simply are who they are and open up to me only when they feel like it. Once I know them a little, though, I can sometimes sit down and interview them at the keyboard. That helps. If they’re willing.

How do you go about building your world if you use one? Do you use maps, charts or drawings?

Once again, you mistake me for somebody organized and logical. A plotter. Unfortunately for me, I’m really a pantser who’s been dragged kicking and screaming into a world that requires plotting in order to sell. Anything I note down is after I’ve written about it, and only as a reminder in case I need the details later. The world, much like the characters, already exists. I just have to be patient and see the details as they are, not as I would like them to be. It’s insane and frustrating.

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Too many to name. I’m a lifelong fan of romance, from the time I was checking out every Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney I could find in the library as an early teen. From there, I discovered (usually via my mother’s ‘secret’ bookshelf) romance favorites like Julie Garwood and Kathleen Woodiwiss (I now have all of her books in paperback and hardcover). I have nearly every book Nora Roberts has written. I love Jayne Ann Krentz (in all of her personae), Christine Feehan, MaryJanice Davidson, Lori Foster, Jennifer Crusie, Sherrilyn Kennyon, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, Nina Bangs . . . somebody stop me.

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

I’ll admit promotion is not my favorite aspect of this industry. I tend to focus most of my efforts online, in the various social networking and library cataloguing sites. I do guest blogs like this one and my group blog (Deadline Hellions), myspace (come friend me, please! www.myspace.com/NataleStenzel), a newsletter (you can subscribe via my website at http://www.natalestenzel.com/). I also really love doing stock signings. It’s mostly stress free and casual – a lot of the benefits of booksignings but without the social challenges introverts have a hard time facing. Booksellers are fabulous and love having authors come sign stock, at least in my experience.

What do we have to look forward to next?

As I mentioned earlier, The Druid Made Me Do It is the second book in a series of funny paranormal romances. Pandora’s Box, released in February, was the first. The third book, called Between a Rock and a Heart Place, is scheduled for release in March 2009.

Thanks, Natale!

To celebrate the release of The Druid Made Me Do It, Natale is offering a free copy of Pandora’s Box, the first book in her series of funny paranormal romances, to one lucky commenter on today's blog. (Please make sure we have a way to contact you if you win) She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Natale Stenzel endured your average childhood with two brothers to annoy and parents to baffle. She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning bachelor's degrees in English literature and magazine journalism. At this logical point in time, she decided that being a reporter or technical writer did not appeal to her in the least. But she tried.

She moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, did some business and technical-type writing, married her adorable engineering geek, then quit the tech writing job to churn out babies. At home full time and uncomfortable in June Cleaver mode, she tried her hand at book-length fiction.
She spent several years shooting in the dark, writing her heart out only to face rejection after rejection. Then, after a move to lovely central Virginia, she sold her first book in July 2002 at a Romance Writers of America conference in Denver, Colorado (Forget Prince Charming, Harlequin Flipside, November 2003). In total, she published four romantic comedies with Harlequin Flipside.

Her fifth book, Pandora’s Box (released in February 2008) is the first in a series of funny paranormal romances to be published by Dorchester for its Love Spell line. So far, she’s written and sold two sequels: The Druid Made Me Do It (just released this month) and Between a Rock and a Heart Place (due out in March 2009).

Check out author’s website at http://www.natalestenzel.com/ .

Buy:

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Druid-Made-Me-Do-It/Natale-Stenzel/e/9780505527776/?itm=1

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Druid-Made-Spell-Paranormal-Romance/dp/0505527774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217884362&sr=1-1

Borders:http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0505527774

Books-a-Million:http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780505527776?id=4055438439775

TAMING THE BOOK PROMOTION MONSTER

TAMING THE BOOK PROMOTION MONSTER
Saturday September 6, 2008

Whether you are unpublished, self-published, published with a small press, or with a large publisher, most of the promotion work nowadays falls to the author. Mistakes in that field can be costly. Selecting the smartest ways to promote may seem like an overwhelming task. But worry no more. Learn a hundred easy ways to insure maximum exposure for little or no money. Most opportunities for promotion and publicity are free. Do you know how to get into radio? Television? Newspapers? What constitutes an effective website? What goes into a press kit? How to make the most of what you already have? and grow a reader’s base, even before your book is published?
Come and find out how easy it can be.
Small group allows personal attention for each participant.
For more information: http://www.vijayaschartz.com/seminar.html

or click Write Path Seminar : http://www.vijayaschartz.com

$70 including breakfast and lunch. Early bird registration before August 10 : $60.00
Worth every penny. Credit cards accepted through Paypal.

Interview with Susan Meier

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Susan Meier. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! is actually the fifth book in an author generated continuity series. I was lucky to work with Shirley Jump, Melissa James, Myrna MacKenzie, Linda Goodnight and Melissa McClone on this one! At the time we began creating the series, we were former Silhouette Romance authors who had decided to see what we could come up with to entertain ourselves and also to showcase that we were fairly gifted girls! With so many great minds at work, LOL, we ended up with a great series idea and the editors loved it!
The series tells the stories of the romances of six women who work in a wedding planning business, Wedding Belles…owned by a wise “older” Southern woman Belle.

Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! tells the story of the group’s accountant, Audra. The year before Audra had been left at the altar by a playboy, so when a slip-up in the records occurs, and they can’t afford to create the wedding they had promised their assistant, Audra makes a special “deal” with multi-millionaire playboy Dominic Minelli. He’ll pay for their assistant’s wedding, if she’ll work at nights for him, caring for his baby until he can hire a nanny.

She’s absolutely positive his playboy status will be enough for her to resist him, but she soon discovers there’s more to the man than that choreographed exterior.

It’s a rich, detailed story that’s sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, about two people who are afraid to trust, finally finding the real person of their dreams, but painfully aware that sometimes the best of intentions can lead to read pain.

Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

I didn’t. LOL. My editor did. My title was Suddenly a Daddy, but in retrospect my title (though good…LOL) didn’t fit the book as well as Suzy’s does!

What made you decide to write in this genre?

This genre chose me. My first two books were an Intrigue and a Desire and though I was right on the money with those two stories, the editors told me that my next effort, STAND-IN MOM was a traditional romance and the Silhouette Romance line actually fit my voice better. So we put STAND-IN MOM in Silhouette Romance and from that point forward Traditional Romance became my book of choice.

My voice fits, my stories fit…I feel as if I found my place. LOL

Are you a plotter or a pantser and how did it affect the writing of this book?

For years I studied every book and went to very workshop on plotting and honest to goodness tried to become a plotter…because plotters always know what they are doing and I love the feeling of knowing what I’m doing.

But this year I gave up and admitted I’m a pantser. LOL. Not that I don’t use all the great stuff I learned in the plotting workshops … I do! I even teach a lot of great plotting tricks in the workshops I give online and for RWA chapter conferences. Because you don’t have to be a plotter to use the tricks of the trade. Pantsers can use them too!

I’m actually doing a workshop CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED for the OCC chapter in September. There are a lot of FANTASTIC plotting tips in there. Tips you can use if you’re a plotter or a pantser!

But it seems that no matter how hard I try to pin down a story before I begin writing a book, once the characters get moving they start changing the script! And the outline.

So, I pants…but with a bit of control. I only let myself go 50 pages into the book, before I go back to the beginning and make sure everything fits and works…then write I another fifty pages…and go back to the beginning to make sure everything fits…then another fifty…You get the picture!
(I sure do. Maybe there's a name just for us. KW)

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book? What are your favorite research books or sites?

I did minimal research. Most of it on Boston. In my past life, I worked with accountants and lawyers and also worked for numerous “companies” in my illustrious career as a Kelly Girl (thinly disguised writing research…learning as much as I could about as much as I could…LOL).
But when I hit a problem in a story, I’m afraid I have to admit that I don’t run to books as much as I do the internet. You can search for something like “best real estate in Boston” and in seconds discover the best place to “set” a wedding planners business! The Internet is my research venue of choice!

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

As I mentioned before, this book as part of a continuity series created by six former Silhouette Romance authors. Shirley Jump, Melissa James, Myrna MacKenzie, Linda Goodnight and Melissa McClone.

We simply fell in love with the idea of putting so much “wedding” stuff into six stories. When I was writing my book, even though my heroine is the group’s accountant, I loved writing the opening scene which takes place in the Wedding Belle’s offices, where there’s always a bride trying on a flowing gown and bridesmaids being fitted in colorful dresses, and the scent of wedding cake and flowers!

Now, wouldn’t that be a dream job!

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

I loved Audra because she was a contradiction, but also because she didn’t know what she really wanted from life. And isn’t that true of all of us?

I identified with her, but also I believe most readers will too. Her journey of self-discovery gives us all hope that someday our lives will make sense.

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research affect your character development?

I typically come up with a very troubled character first…either the hero or the heroine.
Normally, that inspiration comes from something I see in real life…a husband who loses his wife, a woman who gets pregnant and her boyfriend dumps her, a very smart character who doesn’t have any common sense…And then I create the worst possible partner…a character totally opposite (J) of the person they should ever marry…and make the two incredibly sexually attracted and stuck in a bad situation that forces them to deal with each other long enough to fall in love.

I don’t create sheets…Though I do write out a lot of each characters’ “history” because I believe we find the best quirks and conflicts in our characters’ pasts. So when I start writing page 1, I have a lot of fodder for scenes and for the characters to rub each other the wrong way!

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Authors who inspired me? In the beginning of my career Nora Roberts inspired me greatly. After I got over my amazement at her accomplishments, I realized that if she could do what she did…I could at least write a book or two a year.

But later on others inspired me. I’m in awe of the wonderful category writers who can take complex issues and tell them in the succinct, yet poetic way, necessary for a focused romance.
I think category romance gets a bum deal these days. Everybody’s interested in single title. Few would-be authors even read category…Yet, we tell emotionally intense stories in a very short amount of pages. If an author truly wants to learn how to be succinct and poetic…category should be what he or she is reading.

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

I advertise locally. There are only a few hundred thousand people in my county, yet if I get the word out on time lots and lots of them dive for my books. I think I appeal to the people I live with because I’m one of them. I’m writing for myself when I write, so it only stands to reason that the people I share a county with would also share my reading tastes. LOL

So my best advice to the published authors reading this is…Don’t forget the readers in your own back yard!

What do we have to look forward next?

I have an utterly adorable Christmas Book coming out in December. Her Baby's First Christmas. It’s a heartbreaker, but it’s also so funny that readers will probably find themselves simultaneously laughing and crying.

I don’t often say one of my books is better than another because I typically love all my books equally and I don’t want to slight any of them by bragging on another, but Her Baby's First Christmas is the kind of story that will get readers in the mood for a really great Christmas…Because all Christmases are supposed to be great.

In the same way, Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! will get readers in the mood to celebrate a wedding – or maybe just appreciate their own good marriage! Glimpses of wedding cake and bridal gowns throughout the book will remind readers of their own weddings, or their kids’ weddings or their sisters’ weddings…

Sigh. Doesn’t remembering your favorite wedding make you feel wonderful? LOL

Thanks, Susan!

To celebrate her book release, Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed! Susan is offering a free copy of Her Pregnancy Surprise to one lucky commenter on today's blog. (please make sure we have a way to contact you if you win) She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Bio.

Susan Meier is the author of over 30 books for Harlequin and Silhouette and one of Guideposts' Grace Chapel Inn series books, The Kindness of Strangers. Her books have been finalists for Reviewers Choice Awards, National Reader's Choice Awards and Cataromance.com Reviewer's Choice Awards.

Her 2007 release, Her Pregnancy Surprise, made both Walden’s Bestseller List for Series Romance and Bookscan. The Millionaire’s Nanny and Her Baby’s First Christmas are her 2008 releases.

Susan loves to teach as much as she loves to write and is a popular speaker at RWA conferences. Can This Manuscript Be Saved? and Plot Points, Taking the Train to Somewhere! are her most requested workshops. Her article, “How To Write a Category Romance” appeared in 2003 Writer’s Digest Novel and Short Story Markets. Susan has also given workshops on earthlycharms.com and her articles regularly appear in RWA chapter newsletters.

One of eleven children, Susan was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and continues to live there with her husband, three children and two very personable cats. Susan is an avid, but terrible golfer, and a woman who desperately wants to lean to cook without having to involve the fire department. Her 2008 goals include getting involved with blogging -- she but hopes no one is holding his or her breath waiting for that, losing fifteen pounds -- don't hold your breath on that one either -- and figuring out the financing for an oceanfront condo in Virginia Beach. She swears she will wear Number 30 sunblock and never subject anyone to the sight of her in a bikini! (Unless asked -- and paid…handsomely.)

Upcoming online workshops include CAN THIS MANUSCRIPT BE SAVED for the Orange County California RWA chapter.

I’ll be presenting a 2-hour craft workshops…LET CONFLICT TELL YOUR STORY FOR YOU…at the New Jersey RWA chapter conference in October. Check their newsletter for details!

Check out author’s website at susanmeier.com. Buy amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Millionaire+Dad%2C+Nanny+Needed%21

"Tips From Madison Avenue: The Selling Synopsis"

Online class: August 6-31, 2008
"Tips From Madison Avenue: The Selling Synopsis"
by Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Registration $30 at www.WriterUniv.com/

No wonder so many great novelists have a tough time writing a synopsis — the two jobs require completely different skills! Advertising copywriters have discovered a variety of techniques that make people want to buy a specific product, whether it’s a bike or a burger or a book. So this hands-on workshop teaches those same techniques, including:
* Finding your unique selling points
* Headlines (or openings) that grab a buyer
* Identifying your target market
* When details matter, and when they don’t
* Brainstorming a creative plot strategy
* Highlights that sell your product
* Changing format, emphasis or both

An advertising copywriter for 25 years, Laurie Schnebly Campbell was amazed when she realized her day job made it easier to "sell" editors on her books. So far she’s sold six to Silhouette, including one that beat out Nora Roberts for Best Special Edition of the Year, and loves sharing marketing techniques with people who DON’T work on Madison Avenue.