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Centre Stage ~

 
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DEAD RIGHT, the third book in my Stillwater, Mississippi trilogy just came out.

Twenty years ago Madeline Barker’s father disappeared. Despite what everyone else thinks, Madeline’s convinced her stepfamily had nothing to do with it. But the recent discovery of his car finally proves he didn’t just drive away. Worse, the police find something in the trunk that says there’s more to this case than murder....

DEAD SILENCE is Book #1; DEAD GIVEAWAY is Book #2.

Beyond my romantic suspense titles, I write for Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin's longest, most mainstream category line. I just had a Superromance out in June called COULDA BEEN A COWBOY that, like DEAD RIGHT, hit the Waldenbooks Bestseller list.

 
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KF

BN

Like most everyone else, I struggle. LOL But I think it's all about achieving a balance. I can't get too consumed with my work, or too consumed with my fundraising, or even too consumed with my family without something else I really care about beginning to suffer. I'm basically a goal-oriented person, so I set daily and weekly goals and strive to achieve them. Some of these goals include spending plenty of time with my kids and husband. I have to budget that in these days. LOL But I'm excited about the way my career is developing, I'm thrilled to see my auction grow bigger each year (so far we've raised nearly $250,000!). And I couldn't be more proud of my kids and hubby.

I'm basically no different than any other working mom--I work extra hard and have learned to multi-task. :-)

 
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KF

BN

October 12 - Irene Spencer, a woman who escaped a life of polygamy and has since written a book about it will join us. SHATTERED DREAMS: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife  just came out and is #10 on the NYTimes Bestseller list. 

October 26 - Author Cyndi Myers will be joining us to chat on "New Markets for Authors (foreign and otherwise)."

November 9th - Author and writer's coach Julie Belmont will chat on "Live the Life You Love:  Seizing Your Success."

November 23 - Authors Dianna Love Snell and Mary Buckham will chat on "Plotting Using the Mythic Structure."

 
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KF

BN

- DEAD ON:  Writing a Page-Turning Romantic Suspense Novel

Thrills and chills mixed with passion and enduring love--it’s a winning combination, something that’s wildly successful when done right. But it’s not so easy to create. Romantic suspense requires two plots so tightly woven together that one can’t exist without the other. It has different demands on conflict, characterization, timing, pacing, tone and even research. What are those differences, and how can a writer aspiring to publish in this sub-genre set her work apart?

 

Using my own advice and advice from some of the biggest writers in the genre, I'll be going through all the elements that make for a “killer” novel. I'll also be discussing connected books and the pros and cons of writing a romantic suspense series. 

- NETWORKING:  Sowing the Seeds of Success

While writing is an art, publishing is a business. To a lot of writers, that’s bad news. They don’t want to deal with the left side of their brain. They want to meander through the worlds they create, send their words in to be published, get a print run in the millions, bask in glorious reviews, hit the New York Times Bestseller list and get a seven figure advance on their next book. But between good writing and seeing one’s name on the bestseller lists, there’s a lot of work to be done. And that work has as much to do with marketing as it does with writing. Unfortunately, this is why some really good writers fall into obscurity while others, sometimes less talented, become household names.

 

What makes the difference? People. A writer can have the most brilliantly written novel in the world, but without people, it will sit under her bed and gather dust. In order to be a success in today’s tough market an author must know how to deal with people in the business world. She must be effective at garnering positive attention, exciting the publishing world about her and her work, and keeping that attention after her first sale. This is where networking can make a huge impact. It can give new writers a “leg up” or help established authors reach the next peak in their career. And it’s not as hard as most introverts think!

 

In this workshop, designed for a writer at any stage of her career, I focus on the other side of a writer’s life and give simple sales and marketing techniques an author can use to increase her chances of success beyond creating a saleable novel.

- MARKETING TOOLBOX:  Who and What You Need to Build Your Career

In today’s tough market, savvy promotion is often a key ingredient to an author’s success, but few authors are familiar with all the tools available to them. They spend a fortune on paid advertising, or giving away gimmicky items, most of which have little impact, when their time might have been better spent networking with industry professionals and/or garnering free publicity, which is generally more effective.

Targeted to a writer any stage of her career, in this workshop I cover branding and the methods an author can use to brand herself. I give information on how to write a press release that will interest local media, how to generate free publicity beyond a good press release, and how to maximize exposure on the Internet through a good website, video trailers, blogs, group websites and creating a “community.” In addition, I'll give tips on how to use viral marketing and other ideas to boost sales, and will discuss the value of publicists and when and where they might be most effective. 

 
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KF

BN

You bet! These books will be titled TRUST ME, STOP ME and WATCH ME and, as you mentioned, they'll be released from MIRA Books next summer in June, July and August.

Set in Sacramento, California, this series (I'm actually hoping it's going to be more than just three books) involves three women who met at a victim’s support group. Although they experienced different kinds of trauma, they easily identified with each other and developed a deep and abiding friendship. But even after several years they’re struggling to get beyond the incidents that sent them in search of a support group in the first place. So they decide to fight back, to try to heal by helping others who might be suffering as they’ve suffered.

They do this by starting The Last Stand, a non-profit organization where victims can turn when the police can't offer relief. These women raise money for counseling and relocation. They help battered men/women go into hiding. They pay for investigators to assist with the prosecution of certain cases. They provide body guards for those who feel threatened. They even do a little investigating themselves and, as the first story opens, Skye Kellerman finds out that the man who broke into her house and tried to rape her at knife point is getting out of prison early. She knows that Dr. Oliver Burke hasn’t forgotten that her testimony cost him his reputation and his freedom and is sure he'll be back for revenge.

 
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Visit Brenda at her website www.BrendaNovak.com or at  www.FogCityDivas.com or come join us in Calgary, Alberta, in November.  For more information about coming to Calgary, visit the Calgary Association of RWA at www.calgaryrwa.com 

 

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Last website updates ~~~ October 2007

Home | About Kellie | Books | Enlightenment | Workshops | Just for Fun | Site Map