Writers: Beware of Scammy Vanity Presses....a great article I'm reblogging

When I was first starting out, publishing was such a palpable dream, some nights I could barely breathe or sleep with the power of the desire.  But, I never succumbed and paid a vanity press.  You shouldn't either.

Following is an excellent article I am reblogging from David Gaughran.  Please read the whole thing.  It echoes my personal motto:  Write, publish, and be informed!

The Author Exploitation Business

Posted on May 4, 2013by davidgaughran

Writing is a glamorous occupation – at least from the outside. Popular depictions of our profession tend to leave out all the other stuff that comes with the territory: carpal tunnel syndrome, liver failure, penury, and madness.

Okay, okay, I jest. I love being a writer. Sharing stories with the world and getting paid for it is bloody brilliant. It’s a dream job, and like any profession with a horde of neophytes seeking to break in, there are plenty of sharks waiting to chew them to bits.

Publishing is a screwed up business. The often labyrinthine path to success makes it much easier for those with nefarious intentions to scam the unsuspecting. But it doesn’t help that so many organizations who claim to help writers, to respect them, to assist them along the path to publication are actually screwing them over.

Before the digital revolution made self-publishing viable on a wide scale, the dividing lines were easier to spot. Traditional publishers paid you if they wanted to buy the rights to your novel. Self-publishers were people who filled their garages with books and tried to hawk them at events. And vanity presses were the scammers, luring the unsuspecting with false promises and roundly condemned by self-publishers and traditional publishers alike.

Today it’s very different. The scammy vanity presses are owned by traditional publishers who are marketing them as the “easy” way to self-publish – when it’s nothing more than a horrifically expensive and terribly ineffective way to publish your work, guaranteed to kill your book’s chance of success stone dead, while emptying your bank account in the process.

Some of you might think: hey, it’s just business. Caveat emptor and all that. And don’t these people know how to use Google?

That’s easy to say from our position of experience. Do you remember how naive you were at the start? Do you remember just how badly you wanted to get published? Do you remember the crushing grind of the query-go-round?

I’m not surprised people get scammed. When you want something so badly, and you can’t seem to make progress towards that goal – no matter how hard you work – you start to go crazy. You get desperate.

And it’s much harder to tell the scammers from the legitimate organizations when they are owned by the same people.

Take Penguin-owned Author Solutions, one of the worst vanity presses out there. Here’s how they hoodwink inexperienced writers into using their horribly expensive service.

If you Google a term like “find a publisher” the results are littered with sites like FindYourPublisher.com (which I’m not going to link to because that will help their SEO, but you can cut-and-paste that address).

The website purports to be an independent resource, helping to pair you with the most suitable publishing company. Or as they put it:

dedicated to helping both first-time and experienced authors identify the most suitable indie book publishing company for their book. With the information you provide about your book and goals, FYP makes a recommendation as to which indie book publisher has the best publishing package to help you reach your publishing objectives.

Below this message is an online questionnaire asking you about your book. When you have completed that and handed over your phone number, the site makes a recommendation based on your answers.

Except the only companies recommended are Trafford, AuthorHouse, Xlibris, and iUniverse – all of which are scammy vanity presses, all owned by Author Solutions. And, fitting with the rest of the pattern, FindYourPublisher.com is just one of many (many!) such sites owned and operated by Author Solutions, purporting to make independent recommendations, but only recommending Author Solutions companies.

I have sympathy for those hoodwinked by awful companies like Author Solutions. The dividing lines aren’t as obvious as they were. And inexperienced writers naively assume that a company like Penguin has their best interests at heart. Maybe it’s the cuddly logo.

Newsflash: Penguin doesn’t care about writers

When Penguin bought the world’s biggest vanity press for $116m last July, many people in the publishing business gave them a pass. They claimed that Penguin would clean up the cesspool. But instead Author Solutions CEO Kevin Weiss was given a seat on the Penguin board.

A seat on the board!

Emily Suess wrote an excellent guest post here back in February, detailing how the slick Author Solutions scam hadn’t changed one bit since the Penguin takeover.

It’s now almost a year since Penguin bought the company (instead of buying, say, Goodreads, but I digress). It should be clear to everyone now that Penguin has no intention of changing Author Solutions’ scammy approach. In fact, Penguin just announced plans to take the scam global.

Penguin has been looking under the Author Solutions hood for 10 months now. Its conclusion was this: we can make this bigger. We can take this scam on the road and start exploiting writers all over the planet.

And Penguin is still getting a pass for this crap.

The Penguin Omerta

The Publishers Weekly piece on Penguin’s aggressive expansion plans for Author Solutionsmakes no mention of the company being a universally reviled vanity press that has cheated 150,000 writers out of their savings.

This is something I’ve been noticing for a while, and Publishers Weekly isn’t alone. The pieces in The Bookseller, GalleyCat, and Digital Book World also make no mention of the widespread criticism that Author Solutions has attracted, nor do they mention that the company is currently the subject of a class action suit for their deceptive practices.

More disturbingly, my comment pointing this out appears to have been scrubbed from The Bookseller, is stuck in the moderation queue on Digital Book World’s piece (despiteexplicitly stating that they had posted it).

The reaction at the London Book Fair was similar. No-one from traditional publishing wanted to talk about Penguin’s ownership of Author Solutions. No-one wants to talk about how a supposedly legitimate publisher now owns the most successful author scamming organization on the planet.

These guys are probably taking their cue from the New York Times, who won’t mention anything remotely critical about Author Solutions, but are happy to spend lots of time showing them in a positive light (like here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here).

Writer Beware

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has done sterling work over the years warning writers away from people like Author Solutions both on their own site, and through their industry watchdog Writer Beware.

However, I would love to see them go one step further.

Remember those awful Random House digital-first imprints? Public pressure forced Random House to change the horribly one-sided terms it was offering writers. That result was achieved after Writer Beware blogged about it, SFWA president John Scalzi followed up, and SFWA itself threatened to de-list Random House as a qualifying market.

What Author Solutions is doing to writers is far, far worse.

Isn’t it time to do something about this? Isn’t it time to threaten to de-list Penguin as a qualifying market if they don’t clean up Author Solutions?

Hands Up If You Don’t Own A Vanity Press

There’s only one problem with this approach. Where do you stop? Because you would have to threaten to do the same with all these guys too:

1. Simon & Schuster hired Author Solutions to run their own scammy vanity press – Archway Publishing. If that wasn’t enough, they then offered a bounty to bloggers to lie about the company.

2. Harper Collins-owned Thomas Nelson have their own crappy vanity operation called West Bow Press – also “powered” by Author Solutions.

3. Harlequin, never afraid to turn down a penny, jumped in the game a few years ago. Author Solutions provided the white-label vanity operation for them.

4. Showing that it’s not just the larger publishers, Hay House contracted Author Solutions to set up Balboa Press – another scammy, crappy, overpriced vanity press.

If it was down to me, I would threaten to de-list all these guys until they cleaned house, but Penguin would be a good start, given they (a) it all comes back to Author Solutions, (b) Penguin owns Author Solutions, (c) Penguin has shown no interest in addressing concerns, and (d) Penguin is planning a massive expansion of the Author Solutions scam.

Writers Digest & Lulu

I’m sure Digital Book World’s reluctance to mention the problems with Author Solutions has nothing to do with the fact that they are owned by F+W Media, which also owns yet another crappy vanity press – Abbot Press (which has some of the worst prices out there).

In a refreshing change of pace, this crappy vanity press is not actually powered by Author Solutions. Abbot Press is a division of Writers Digest. Yes, that Writers Digest.

If that catches you by surprise, I’m sorry to say that Writers Digest went over to the dark side a few years back, and now spam their subscribers with crap like this.

I’m sure Author Solutions was disappointed to miss out on that deal but at least they can console themselves with the new partnership they struck with  Lulu last month to provide premium (i.e. overpriced and ineffective) marketing services to Lulu customers.

That’s right. Lulu made a deal with the devil.

How Can We Fight Back?

Penguin think they can continue to ride out the storm, ignoring the criticism and collecting their ill-gotten gains, but if we make enough noise, they will have to respond. That starts with sharing this post, or, even better, blogging about it yourself.

But it also means reaching out to inexperienced writers and trying to steer them away from these crooks. We need to get the message out that self-publishing is not the impossible task it’s painted as. Sarah Woodbury has a helpful post on the basics here, and I have another here. Feel free to point newbies to them, or write your own.

Each time you see an article talking about Author Solutions and not mentioning all the issues, comment underneath and call them on it. Even if the media don’t change their one-eyed approach, readers will see the comments.

If you’re a member of a writers organization like SFWA, RWA, or MWA, ask what they are doing about Penguin. Ask them why they haven’t threatened to de-list Penguin. And keep pressing them! The SFWA (and the RWA) were really strong in response to Random House. We need the same from them again.

150,000 writers have been screwed over already. I think that’s enough. Don’t you?

CORRECTION: Abbott Press (the Writers Digest vanity press) shares the same address as Author Solutions so I think it’s safe to assume it’s being run by them. The packages are all quite similar, as is the marketing. Indeed, Emily Suess names Abbot Press as beingpowered by Author Solutions (scroll down to bottom). More profit for Penguin! Hooray!

How NOT to Start Your Story

This was just too good not to share.  I stalk Chuck Sambuchino's blog, Writer Unboxed, with the religious fervor of a cult follower and today's blog was awesome. So often, I am asked how does one hook an agent?  Of course, there is no one answer to that question, but Chuck wants to remind us all that there are several (or several DOZEN) no-nos when beginning your mega opus.  I am sharing the highlights from his post from here. Please go to his blog, join and follow like me.  I learn something new, literally, with every post.  Here is today's literary life lesson:

Agents speak out about things that they do NOT like in the beginning of a novel, and what might turn them off immediately.  These agents are from the A-list, people.  Pay attention.

FALSE BEGINNINGS

“I don’t like it when the main character dies at the end of Chapter 1. Why did I just spend all this time with this character? I feel cheated.”
- Cricket Freeman, The August Agency

“I dislike opening scenes that you think are real, then the protagonist wakes up. It makes me feel cheated.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

IN SCIENCE FICTION

“A sci-fi novel that spends the first two pages describing the strange landscape.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

PROLOGUES

“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary

“Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written.”
- Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

“Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION

“Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with an opening chapter is when an author features too much exposition – when they go beyond what is necessary for simply ‘setting the scene.’ I want to feel as if I’m in the hands of a master storyteller, and starting a story with long, flowery, overly-descriptive sentences (kind of like this one) makes the writer seem amateurish and the story contrived. Of course, an equally jarring beginning can be nearly as off-putting, and I hesitate to read on if I’m feeling disoriented by the fifth page. I enjoy when writers can find a good balance between exposition and mystery. Too much accounting always ruins the mystery of a novel, and the unknown is what propels us to read further.”
- Peter Miller, PMA Literary and Film Management

“The [adjective] [adjective] sun rose in the [adjective] [adjective] sky, shedding its [adjective] light across the [adjective] [adjective] [adjective] land.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

“I dislike endless ‘laundry list’ character descriptions. For example: ‘She had eyes the color of a summer sky and long blonde hair that fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her petite nose was the perfect size for her heart-shaped face. Her azure dress—with the empire waist and long, tight sleeves—sported tiny pearl buttons down the bodice. Ivory lace peeked out of the hem in front, blah, blah.’ Who cares! Work it into the story.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

STARTING TOO SLOW

“Characters that are moving around doing little things, but essentially nothing. Washing dishes & thinking, staring out the window & thinking, tying shoes, thinking.”
- Dan Lazar, Writers House

“I don’t really like ‘first day of school’ beginnings, ‘from the beginning of time,’ or ‘once upon a time.’ Specifically, I dislike a Chapter 1 in which nothing happens.”
- Jessica Regel, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

IN CRIME FICTION

“Someone squinting into the sunlight with a hangover in a crime novel. Good grief — been done a million times.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

IN FANTASY

“Cliché openings in fantasy can include an opening scene set in a battle (and my peeve is that I don’t know any of the characters yet so why should I care about this battle) or with a pastoral scene where the protagonist is gathering herbs (I didn’t realize how common this is).”
- Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary

VOICE

“I know this may sound obvious, but too much ‘telling’ vs. ‘showing’ in the first chapter is a definite warning sign for me. The first chapter should present a compelling scene, not a road map for the rest of the book. The goal is to make the reader curious about your characters, fill their heads with questions that must be answered, not fill them in on exactly where, when, who and how.”
- Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency

“I hate reading purple prose – describing something so beautifully that has nothing to do with the actual story.”
- Cherry Weiner, Cherry Weiner Literary

“A cheesy hook drives me nuts. They say ‘Open with a hook!’ to grab the reader. That’s true, but there’s a fine line between an intriguing hook and one that’s just silly. An example of a silly hook would be opening with a line of overtly sexual dialogue.”
- Daniel Lazar, Writers House

“I don’t like an opening line that’s ‘My name is…,’ introducing the narrator to the reader so blatantly. There are far better ways in Chapter 1 to establish an instant connection between narrator and reader.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary

“Sometimes a reasonably good writer will create an interesting character and describe him in a compelling way, but then he’ll turn out to be some unimportant bit player.”
- Ellen Pepus, Signature Literary Agency

IN ROMANCE

“In romance, I can’t stand this scenario: A woman is awakened to find a strange man in her bedroom—and then automatically finds him attractive. I’m sorry, but if I awoke to a strange man in my bedroom, I’d be reaching for a weapon—not admiring the view.”
- Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

IN A CHRISTIAN NOVEL

“A rape scene in a Christian novel in the first chapter.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

CHARACTERS AND BACKSTORY

“I don’t like descriptions of the characters where writers make them too perfect. Heroines (and heroes) who are described physically as being virtually unflawed come across as unrelatable and boring. No ‘flowing, wind-swept golden locks’; no ‘eyes as blue as the sky’; no ‘willowy, perfect figures.’ ”
- Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency

“Many writers express the character’s backstory before they get to the plot. Good writers will go back and cut that stuff out and get right to the plot. The character’s backstory stays with them—it’s in their DNA.”
- Adam Chromy, Movable Type Management

“I’m turned off when a writer feels the need to fill in all the backstory before starting the story; a story that opens on the protagonist’s mental reflection of their situation is a red flag.”
- Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management

“One of the biggest problems is the ‘information dump’ in the first few pages, where the author is trying to tell us everything we supposedly need to know to understand the story. Getting to know characters in a story is like getting to know people in real life. You find out their personality and details of their life over time.”
- Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary

Davee Jones, author of Finding Love Under a Rock Spills It for the Bloggy

As I have told you all before, my new association with Sweet Cravings Publishing has exposed me to so many new friends, and wonderful authors. Davee Jones is one of them.  She is also the first author I have met or featured who collaborates with her teen aged daughter.  Which I think is the coolest thing!

So, I am proud to introduce you to my new friend and fellow author, Davee Jones.  Let's see what she has in her locker! (sorry.  totally could not resist!)

What is the first book that you published? 

My first book published was, ironically, not the first book I wrote. On Ellicott Street – a feisty, loving, cougar romance novella- holds the honor of being my first published book. I wrote it during the World Series match up between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants. During the games, writing was the perfect avenue to release my nerves.  Finless, released second, was the result of years of blood, sweat, and tears. It’s a dark dance balancing between love, desire, and anger. 

What is your latest? My latest release is my YA debut entitled Finding Love Under a Rock, written under my pseudonym, Allee Mae. However, my most recent adult release is Lovedust and Trailblazers, an erotic, ranch themed novel.

Who do you write for? I have the privilege to write for Secret Cravings and Sweet Cravings Publishing. This professional small house has the most efficient, supportive administrative staff and creative team I’ve ever been associated with. 

Who is your ideal reader? My ideal reader allows me to take them to the edge of sanity, push limits, and support a sometimes simple protagonist just trying to get by in life. I have the same type characters in my explicit writing as well as my sweet or YA books-they just don’t use the “F” word or engage in overt sexuality. It doesn’t always take erotic descriptors of body parts/functions to get a point across. But, I will bring out the sexy when a mature story requires it. (wink)

FINDING LOVE UNDER A ROCK - The Critter Getter Series

Blurb:

Kalista Bristow and Leandra Lehigh moved to Oklahoma not just to attend nursing school, but, to find some adventure. When Leandra reads about the sport of “noodling”, she is literally “hooked’, and reserves top-notch guides, Caleb Chandler and Owen Guthrie, to give them a true southern experience.

Wading through the murky river, Kalista finds herself drawn to the handsome Caleb and his red-dirt good looks. He manages a few shy glances in her direction, intrigued by her tenacity. Could this cute city girl bring him out of his awkward insecurity when it comes to dating? However, thoughts of blossoming love move to the wayside as the girls find more than they bargained for under the surface of that shadowy river. They must rely on Caleb and Owen to keep them safe, all the while beginning to believe the mysterious legends the guys have been telling them are probably all true.

Excerpt:

Kalista’s stomach churned nervously as her eyes darted around. Sunlight danced off the ripples in the water that their movements created. Is that us making those waves, or something just below the surface? “Crap, should I watch where I step?”

“That’s sort of a problem. You can’t watch anywhere you move. So, you just better hope you make the right step.” Caleb said solemnly.

“How far out do we have to go? The water is getting colder the further out we get. Besides, how can we get to the bank to get out if we do get into trouble?” Panic teemed in Kalista’s voice. “I don’t like water I can’t see into.”

“Hey, roomie, calm down. Good grief, we haven’t even started yet.” Leandra finally sounded exasperated with Kalista’s irrational fear. “Would you just enjoy yourself and get over being a baby already? Not everything has to be a swimming pool with pristine water to be safe.”

“Girls, girls, focus. You are both right in your own way. This is more than a simple excursion—it’s time we start paying attention to our surroundings.”

“Okay, so, we need to be one with the fish?” Leandra asked seriously as she peered down toward the water.

Kalista rolled her eyes. “Sheesh Lea, as if you could see anything through this brown tinged river water.” She looked more closely, realizing how intent Leandra appeared. “You really are getting in tune with your aquatic side, aren’t you?”

“We paid for this expedition so you’re darn right I’m getting in touch with my inner Ictalurus punctatus.”

Owen furrowed his brow toward Leandra. “What the heck is an ictaluruhhh…icta…icta-walruses or whatever you just said?”

“Owen, let me apologize for Leandra, leave it to the bookworm to use the scientific name for a channel catfish.” Kalista replied with amusement in her tone.

“You knew what I meant when I said it. What’s that say about you?” Leandra shot back triumphantly.

Caleb interjected into the banter. “Girls, we are actually not looking for Ictalurus punctatus. We are searching for Pylodictis olivari, a flathead catfish.”

Author Bio: 

For my sweet side as Allee Mae- with my 13 y/o daughter, we combine to create fictional worlds with something for everyone. Whether exploring urban legends, the eerie paranormal, first loves, sweet romance, scary dreams, we take you away from the everyday.

I have more adult content available as: Davee Jones began a career in the counseling field with her M.Ed. She then diversified and began work for the federal government. The dryness of the day to day assignments fostered the desire for her to do something more creative. Because writing was always a passion, she used every opportunity to journal and create fictional worlds with her words. She began writing short fiction and books, inspired by the events around her.
Now avidly writing, in the little spare time she has, she has several other books in progress. She has books that draw from eroticism, romance, suspense, drama, and sometimes comedy. A few of her books garner only one flame, but, others will secure all five flames in the heat index.
She lives with her husband and children, who inspire her every day to live life to the fullest, with no regrets. She thanks her mother and grandmother for such strong, independent, loving examples of the kind of woman she wants to be. Her favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Purchase links for sensual reads:

1. http://www.amazon.com/Lovedust-and-Trailblazers-ebook/dp/B00ADVR4XW/ref=la_B0076AYW10_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1365601257&sr=1-1 Lovedust and Trailblazers available eBook and paperback

2. http://www.amazon.com/Finless-ebook/dp/B007SNTKMQ/ref=la_B0076AYW10_1_2_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1365601257&sr=1-2 Finless available eBook and paperback

3. http://www.amazon.com/On-Ellicott-Street-ebook/dp/B00768TDH0 On Ellicott Street eBook

My blogs: http://www.finless.blogspot.com/  and http://alleemaeauthor.wordpress.com/

My twitter: @finlessbook https://twitter.com/finlessbook and @alleemaeauthor https://twitter.com/AlleeMaeAuthor

My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/finless.book and http://www.facebook.com/alleemae.author

My websites: http://www.amazon.com/Davee-Jones/e/B0076AYW10 and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/davee-jones and http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=products_all&filter_author=100

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5781523.Davee_Jones and  http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18078385-allee-mae

My Video Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/user/finlessbook/videos

Finding Love Under a Rock- Released TODAY! Wednesday, April 17

http://store.sweetcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=157&zenid=d7ec1352d3d21827eb7ad0dd929566ae

YA/Paranormal

Sherry Gloag from The Heart of Romance is on the Bloggy!

Before I was a published author for Secret Cravings Publishing, I was a newbie with Musa Publishing and even before that, I was a greenie with Astraea Press.  I read Amanda Hocking's blog and learned she credited her popularity with bloggers.  So I sought them out when I had my first release, Spellbound.  One of the ones who welcomed me with open arms was Sherry Gloag.  Little did I know we would both be published authors with the same Houses!

So, today I am so happy to showcase my longtime (in Facebook years, anyway) friend, Sherry Gloag.  Her blog, The Heart of Romance, has been a must-stop for all my releases and it should be for yours.  Learn a little more about her recent release from Sweet Cravings Publishing, No Job for a Woman.

No Job For a Woman ....by Author Sherry Gloag

Blurb:

Deborah Stavely is determined to overcome the increasing harassment from her neighbour without

calling on her brother for help. So she is not pleased when Freddie intervenes and involves his friend, Julian Fanshaw.

Circumstances demand Julian and Deborah learn to work together and Julian dares to dream that he might gain the love of the only person he’s ever given his heart to.

But will Deborah live long enough to discover that by releasing everything she values, she will gain everything her heart desires?

Julian Fanshaw answers a call for help from his life-long friend Lord Worth to help keep his friend’s widowed sister, Deborah, safe from her increasingly vindictive neighbours. It doesn’t take long to realise him or Freddie long to realise the Grangers aren’t using her as a long-promised act of revenge against them; but are playing a deeper and far more sinister game of their own.

Excerpt:

Julian Fanshaw ignored the other letters in front of him when he recognized one from his long-time friend Freddie Dalrymple, now Lord Worth. He broke the seal and scanned the single sheet with growing concern.

Julian, my friend, I am writing to implore you to put aside whatever plans you have in hand and to set out immediately to stay with us for an indeterminate period of time.

Thoroughly alarmed, Julian flipped the page in his hand to discover it had been dispatched more than a week ago.

If I bring to mind a certain student up at Oxford with us, and reveal that he and his wife are, and have been, my sister’s neighbors for several years, it will give you but an inkling of the root of my concern.

It has come to my attention, due to the arrival of his brother upon the scene, and recent events concerning my sister, Deborah, I am persuaded you need not only to know what is happening here, but be on hand to assist in circumventing any consequences of actions taken against her.

I have taken the liberty of gathering some friends together for a couple of shooting parties, thereby creating a reason for your presence.

Since his return from the Peninsular, Julian kept promising himself a trip to Worth’s Norfolk estate. Unfortunately in the last eighteen months, time and circumstances had worked against him.

Casting the letter aside, Julian strode to the door and called for his butler.

“I am leaving immediately for Norfolk. Please see that my bags are packed and have my horse ready within the hour.”

“You do not intend to use your chaise, sir?”

“No. I’ll ride, with a stop to visit Mr. Sewel. Arrange for Becket and French to follow me in the chaise with everything I’ll need for a month.”

Not by so much as a flick of an eyelid did Thomas reveal he recognized the name of his master’s man of business.

“Very good, sir.”

BIO

Multi-published author, Sherry Gloag is a transplanted Scot now living in the beautiful coastal countryside of Norfolk, England.  She considers the surrounding countryside as extension of her own garden, to which she escapes when she needs "thinking time" and solitude to work out the plots for her next novel.  While out walking she enjoys talking to her characters, as long as there are no other walkers close by.

Apart from writing, Sherry enjoys gardening, walking, reading and cheerfully admits her books tend to take over most of the shelf and floor space in her workroom-cum-office.  She also finds crystal craft work therapeutic.

As always, indie authors love to hear from fans, friends, and followers.  Give her a shout!

My Website: http://www.sherrygloag.com

My Blog: http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/SherryGloagAuthor  

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SherryGloag

Amazon author page: http://tinyurl.com/buj6zj8

What Makes a Hero a Hero?

I have been fortunate enough to be partnered with a new publishing company for my latest release, THE DEADLIES, and my new association with them, Sweet Cravings Publishing, AKA Secret Cravings Publishing, has brought in a world of new authors to meet, read, and enjoy.  Today on the bloggy, I am featuring one such author and new friend, Tamara Hoffa.

An editor at SCP, Tamara is a mom, wife, hairstylist and a reviewer at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews.  And now she is a new author as well.  I am happy to introduce you to Tam and her new book, ROPING LOVE, with her idea of a hero.  Thanks for being here, Tam!


What Makes a Hero a Hero?....by author Tamara Hoff

It seems that there are certain professions that dominate the romance genre as heroes: Military men, Police Officers, Firefighters, Cowboys. Does being in one of these professions make a man a hero?
To a certain extent I think it does. It’s not the profession itself that makes these men heroes. It the type of man who chooses to become one of the few and the proud that makes him a hero!
Men who put their lives on the line for the safety and freedom of others. Men of honor and pride. Men who put aside thought of their own health and safety for the good of their country or community.

I love this type of hero. And I must admit, that thus far all of MY book hero’s fall into this category. Jameson Hunter, From Heart of a Soldier is an Army CPO. Chance Ryan, from my upcoming release Roping Love is a cowboy. And the heroes of both my WIP’s A Special Kind of Love and Windy City Dragons are both firefighters.

But, to me, the most important aspects of being a hero are on the inside. I want a hero who is compassionate. Who loves his partner with everything in his heart. I want him to show me that he is willing to do anything for his heroine, even if that means giving her up.



Blurb:

Ten Years ago love slipped through Chance’s lasso. This time “He was going after her and she didn’t stand a chance, just like a calf in a chute, he was going to rope her with his love and ride back into her life.”
Carrie Stewart is a dedicated horsewoman. She runs a successful breeding and training program. She is a good friend, a good sister and a favorite aunt, but she has been burned by love. Carrie has never gotten over her first love, Chance Ryan. After ten years of absence Chance shows back up in her life. Should she risk her heart again, with the man who left it broken at her feet in the past? Chance has some serious work ahead of him to win back the one woman he could never forget.

Excerpt from Roping Love

Chance felt like he’d been thrown from a bucking bronco. Ten years. He hadn’t seen her in ten years. And it was just like before. God, she was even more beautiful than she had been at eighteen. Time had matured her body, her curves a little fuller than they had been. Her hair was short now, almost boyish in length, but curling softly around her face it looked feminine and flirty. It was a deeper shade of blonde now too, a golden honey color that looked stunning against her sun-bronzed skin. What the hell was she doing here? And who the hell was the kid with her? Chance was busy doing mental math, the kid looked nine or ten. Carrie had called him several times in the months after he left. He’d never returned her calls. Could she have been trying to tell him she was pregnant? No it couldn’t be, she would have told him. Wouldn’t she have?
“I’d say small world, but since it really is a small world and we haven’t run into each other in ten years…”
Carrie arched one eyebrow, he always loved when she did that, it looked so haughty and hot.
“What brings you here?” Chance asked
“Same as you I guess, looking for some brood mares.”
“Actually, we’re selling this mare.” Nodding at the other, nearly forgotten man in the stall. “This is my brother, Chase.”
“Nice to meet you,” Carrie said, looking down at Tyler, “Well, we need to get to the Coliseum, Tyler wants to see the cutting.” Keeping her arm around his shoulders they turned to leave.
“We should talk,” Chance said
Carrie looked over her shoulder and stared him straight in the eye. “I think the time for talking is long past.”
The phrase she was so mad she could chew nails and spit screws ran though his mind at her look. Damn. He had really fucked things up between them. Why hadn’t he taken her calls again?
Oh, yeah, to give her a chance at a good life.


Chance had a very difficult decision to make. He was only twenty years old and Carrie was only eighteen. His father had passed away and he was left to take over as head of his family, running a failing ranch and raising his two younger brothers.

Should he have given Carrie the option to join him in his struggles? Maybe. But, he chose to let he go in the hopes she would find a happier life with someone else. Even though it broke his heart.
That is true love!

A hero can have any job, from dishwasher or ditch digger, to Millionaire entrepreneur or software geek. As long as he has those intrinsic qualities that make him special. My own personal hero has held many jobs. He owned a swimming pool maintenance company (yes I got the pool man!). He installed satellite television systems and now he works at a financial lending institute. But he is a true hero. We have been married over thirty years, and he has stuck with me through thick and thin (and believe me, there’s been a lot of thin). He supported me through many difficult undertakings.

We raised three children, one of whom is a special needs child. And he has been my biggest supporter in my fledgling writing career. He is a big man, with a big heart and a great sense of humor. I think there a little piece of him in all my heroes.

So tell me, what makes a man a hero to you? Who is the hero in your life?


Thanks so much for having me here today Samantha!

Thanks for being here, Tam.  And if you enjoyed this post as much as me, let her know.  All indie authors love to hear from their readers.  Get connected!


                                                BIO:

Tamara Hoffa lives in central Tennessee, with her husband of 30 years, her three grown children, two grandchildren, 5 dogs and 1 cat. Tamara started reading when she was four years old and has rarely been seen without a book at hand since. At home you will usually find her in “nana’s chair” with her kindle, her laptop or one of her precious, precocious grandson’s in her lap. Tamara is a reviewer, a professional reader and can now add author to her repertoire. Tamara is proof positive that it’s never too late to reach for your dreams.



Contact Links:
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Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6537898.
Tamara_Hoffa Blog: http://sslyblog.wordpress.com/

Cover Reveal: THE DEADLIES

A week from today, my new publisher, Secret Cravings Publishing, will be releasing my next novel, The Deadlies.  Here is the blurb:

When Calliope Flood catches the unwanted attention of prettiest and most privileged girls at her new school, she learns they are possessed of more than just good ole’ Southern charm; they are also possessed by the demons of the Seven Deadly Sins. 

Whether she likes it or not, the Ravens want the pretty new girl to become one of their members.  Their club is so secret, only a select few know their truth.  As a budding journalist, Callie is more interested in investigating them than joining them.  When people begin to disappear, she soon discovers the Ravens aren’t just interested in her for her looks; slowly, she learns she’s a legacy.  Calliope enlists her eccentric Aunt, her new friends, and a quietly disarming Southern boy to form their own group, The Virtues, to free the girls, and the town, from the demons that have taken over their lives.

And now, my new cover:

Releasing April 2, 2013, from Secret Cravings Publishing.  http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/

  

Who Is On Your Personal Board of Directors?

I was lucky to be invited to a charity function a couple of weeks back in Beverly Hills.  It was everything the mere location might suggest to you, with perfectly put-together people, tons of beautiful things I can ill afford but drooled over just the same (serpent gold ring, I am talking to you!), and the prerequisite luxury vehicles crowding the valet area as my underwhelming family minivan was brought around.  But, there was one shining exception: the guest speaker.

I did not expect to be as moved as I was.  Charities are amazing, awesome things and it's easy to be swept up in the humanitarianism of it, yet, somehow miss the grand message.  Thank goodness I didn't.  The speaker brought the room to life with two simple messages about life and living it.  The first is this:  You are enough.

The stark simplicity of this stunned me.  She told the room that we did not need to gain weight or lose weight or change our hair color or get a better job or different job or any of those things because whatever we were, right at that moment, was enough. It was an illuminating moment.  I thought about all the books I had written and where I thought I wanted to be versus where I actually am, and I decided, right then and there, I was satisfied.  Writing and being published was enough.  Sharing my work the way I do, it's enough.  The thought washed over me like calm, warm water and I knew she was right.  I am enough.

Her second message was even more profound to me.  She asked us to think of our lives as businesses.  With departments.  Like the Billing and Accounting Department, the Fashion and Style Department, the Family and Kids Department, the Important Decisions Department.  And she asked us to envision the people in our lives that are important to us, the ones that help us make the critical changes our lives need or that convince us the perfection of staying right where we are.  She asked us to think about our own Board of Directors.  So I did.  I realized everyone has a purpose, a position, even a "title".  Even some of the sincerely killer people I have met on Facebook.

So, I challenge you to do the same thing.  We are all in this writing process together.  Are you writing to some goal and dissatisfied with where you are because you aren't there yet?  Or is what you have done, right now, today, enough?  And how about your personal Board of Directors.  Can you name them?  Do you know their titles?  Do they know how important they are to you?  Today might be a great day to tell them.  Better yet, put them in the acknowledgements section of your next book.  I know I will.  And it is.....enough.