Author Speaking Engagement and a New Project

It's been a little while since I posted, but I haven't been resting on my laurels. I have new books in the works, edits on other books and some news! But first, I wanted to post about my first author speaking engagement. When I was asked to speak at a local women's club about being an author, I wasn't sure what to talk about.

Most readers don't want to hear about the nitty-gritty of publishing, but I wanted my talk to be informational and interesting.

Here's the basic outline I used:
1. Thank the hostess! A speaking engagement is a great opportunity to reach out and talk to readers and gain a few new readers.
2. Brief description of who I am. The mini-bio
3. How I got started writing and the road to publication
4. My favorite authors
5. The hardest part of writing for me
6. Writing groups and critique partners
7. Why I write for Harlequin
8. Where I get my ideas
9. What I write - what genre, how graphic, etc.
10. How I do research
11. How I write : where, when, how often
12. A little bit about each of my books
13. General Q&A

I bought along some copies of my books and offered them for sale. I sold every single one I'd brought.

The way I handle the sales was to:
1. Buy copies ahead of time (hard to gauge how many. I didn't want to be stuck with 2 dozen more copies of my books)
2. Offer them for the price I paid (the cover price is $5.50, but I sold them for $5.00 so I didn't have to deal with change)

The women were welcoming and kind and despite being nervous about speaking in public, I had a great time! The questions asked were informed and since I love talking about books, writing and publishing, it was very cool.

Now for the news I mentioned.

I've been asked to be part of a Harlequin Romantic Suspense continuity to be published at the end of 2014. The books will be a spin-off of the 2013 continuity The Coltons of Wyoming.

I don't know which authors I will be working with, but my fabulous editor will be editing the books, so that part should work awesomely. I'll be getting more information in the coming days about the specifics, but I can't wait to get started!

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