I would like to remind fellow authors and followers to please use ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ as a promotional platform.
To new readers, followers and friends of ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’:
• Do you plan to organize a Blog Tour?
• Would you like to introduce your new book?
• Do you feel like introducing yourself to my nearly 1,000 followers?
• Do you have an idea for a blog post and no blog yet?
Then use ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest.’ On the right side, below the ‘WordPress’ follow-symbol, there is the promotion contact form, looking like this:
Check it out and contact me, I’ll be delighted to work with you on your plans, your guest post, your blog tour or send you the sheet with the interview questions!
Let’s get a little more writer’s color into this blog!
During the past years of activity on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest,’ and the inquiries to publish posts and interviews for different Blog Tours I promised myself once I find the time I would do research on ‘Blog Tours.’ What is this? And why is it so important to writers? Who does organize them and if I have to do that myself, how to do it best?
What is a Blog Tour?
Alessandra Wike writes on “PR by the book”: The age of the internet gives authors the opportunity to connect with thousands of people. Taking advantage of these seemingly endless possibilities, blog tours provide great publicity for a new book without the hassle (or expense!) of travel. Instead of an author traveling from bookstore to bookstore and city to city, an author’s book can travel virtually from blog to blog and garner hundreds, if not thousands, of views in a short amount of time.
A blog tour is very much like a traditional book tour, where the author would go from town to town to sign their books and meet new readers; except this time, you go from blog to blog. There are countless fiction and non-fiction blogs that have emerged in the past few years, all written by passionate readers who want to share their love of books with other readers. They post book reviews, launch announcements, and interviews with their favorite authors. To continue reading the article on Reedsy, click here.
“Bookmaster” for example gives us a hint on what it means to work on a Blog Tour by writing:
A blog book tour can be set up by a publicist, but if an author has self-published and doesn’t have a publicist, they can do the leg work themselves. The key is to find blogs that are relevant to the topic of the book that are interested in participating in the blog book tour. For example, cooking blogs would be the target if you wrote a cookbook and relationship blogs would be the target if you wrote a book that provided love advice. Depending on the topic of the book there could be an unlimited number of blogs, or there might only be a handful if the topic is extremely niche. Each book tour should include a manageable amount of blogs, as the tour requires a significant amount of time from the author. Even though it’s not an in person tour, there is still plenty of work that needs to be done. (The article can be found here)
Now: what interested me most is: How do I really organize a Blog Tour? Of course, there are several hints, tips, and tricks from different writers; the basic work seems more or less the same – several have apparently had super-success while others complained that their echo was insufficient.
One article that impressed me was an article, published by Penguin Random House.
For example, does the post answer important questions like:
• What are the benefits of putting your book on a blog tour?
• What types of books work best for blog tours?
• How can an author ensure his or her blog tour is a success?
• How can an author work with his or her publicist to set up an effective blog tour?
or
• What are some best practices when preparing for a blog tour?
By researching further into the topic, I found another impressive and informative post on Joel Friedlander’s Book Designer’s Blog. He published a guest post, 7 Top eBook Blog Tour Sites, written by Greg Strandberg.
Greg informs about seven eBook Tour Sites, gives prices, information and his opinion to them. I think it’s worth checking them out. He as well links their names to their websites. (For copyright reasons I cannot do this below.)
1. YA Bound Book Tours
2. Xpresso Book Tours
3. Enchanted Book Promotions
4. Bewitching Book Tours
5. Goddess Fish Promotions
6. Sage’s Blog Tours
7. Rockstar Book Tours
If you like to read his opinion about these Sites, please check them out on his article by clicking here.
Finally, after hours and hours of research, I found an excellent post, provided by Mixtus Media on
They not only provide us with an 11-step-guide on how to organize a Blog Tour, they as well provide us with a free Blog Tour Worksheet.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL READER
STEP 2: RESEARCH
STEP 3: CREATE A LIST
STEP 4: DETERMINE YOUR RESOURCES
STEP 5: FIGURE OUT YOUR TIMEFRAME
STEP 6: CONTACT BLOGGERS
STEP 7: Stay ORGANIZED
STEP 8: CONSIDER GIVEAWAYS
STEP 9: ANNOUNCE THE TOUR
STEP 10: FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE DELIVERY
STEP 11: FOLLOW UP
Each step is carefully described. To download the Worksheet, which I did, you are first subscribing to their newsletter. But I doubt that’s a problem. They do have more interesting information on their blog. (I didn’t have problems to download their worksheet, just in case your virus program is sensitive. Mine is, and it has carefully scanned the file and found nothing.)
After all the information I had found on Blog Tours I would love to hear from experienced writers how they had found it to organize their blog tours. Is it easy, is it hard? Do you mind providing us with some extra tips, tricks, and hints?
You were a guest on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ before, where we learned about writing in your life and your projects.
Let’s see what you can tell us today:
1. Are you still writing in the same genre as you did before, and if not, why did you switch – or would you ever think to change genres?
This question is so interesting because I’ve been thinking a lot about genre. I find as an Indie Publisher one of the challenges is having to sort of “categorize” yourself. While I’m still writing Historical Fiction, I am starting to understand I am more so into Literary Fiction specifically. I say that because I am only interested in a certain kind of Historical Fiction. I love history across the board even though I didn’t like it in school, but when it comes to reading history in a fictional form, my real interest is in the so-called Black experience mostly. For this, I think I’ll start to use Literary Fiction more if I had to “categorize” my work. I don’t like being boxed in though so I’ll definitely change genres depending on what story I write.
2. Please, tell us a little about your writing process.
I don’t have much of a process. Every book I write is different and takes me on a different journey. The best answer I can give is that as I am writing the first draft and the story is flowing, sometimes I come upon a scene that requires me to stop and research. Now I know what they say when writing the first draft just write. Well, I can’t. At least not when I need information to finish a scene. Usually, I do my research separate from writing but when it comes to the creation of a scene that requires me to know more to write about it, I have to stop. Even if it’s just the first draft because I know how that scene looks in my head and what is required for it to be put down on the page. And I can always go back and perfect it later (during revisions) but before I can move on, I’ve got to be able to at least finish that scene.
For example: In Revelation, Book Two of The Nora White Story, there are new characters being introduced and one such character is named Red, Nora’s love interest. I was reading Malcolm X autobiography as I was writing book two so that’s where the inspiration for his name and some of his characteristics comes from. Long story short, Red is a numbers runner. A numbers runner is someone who collects policy slips and pays winners in a form of lottery called policy banking or as it was referred to by blacks in Harlem, the numbers game.
As newcomers to Harlem, Southern blacks like many northern-born African Americans, encountered racial and job discrimination and were unable to secure industrial jobs. Most labored in unskilled jobs and received less pay than their white counterparts. Under these socioeconomic conditions, African Americans developed diverse and creative responses to employment discrimination and economic disparity like rent parties and policy banking, a form of gambling that you would recognize today as the lottery. Playing the lottery is legal today, although illegal when poor black people were doing it.
3. What is important to know for young, new authors and writers?
Young and new authors and writers should pay attention to themselves. What I mean is, understand the power of your individuality, what sets you apart and how to infuse this self-identity into your writing. Inspiration is cool, motivation is exciting and publishing books is OK but without a knowledge of self, discipline, and endurance you won’t get very far. People will always tell you how it should be done and it is wise to listen to advice for sure. It is also wise to stay true to yourself, your personal mission as well as your contribution to the world. Only being who you are makes you different and set apart to everyone else and that’s what really makes your work what it is. If you really think about it, every book is essentially the same. It is the author/writer that makes it different.
4. Your experience in the writing world, do you think it has already taken you where you wanted to go?
No. In fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever get to where I want to go but I do know that I’ll be guided to where I need to be if that makes sense. I don’t like the idea of having “made it” or having obtained success because it means you must stop at some point and I do not intend to stop if it is Yah’s will. For me, life is about stepping stones and milestones. At some point, I’ll reach a milestone or accomplish a certain goal that I have wanted to achieve but I do not intend on stopping if it is in my power.
5. In your opinion, are you a writer or an author – and what is the difference for you?
I am both because in my opinion there is no difference. While an author would technically be published, I believe the journey is all encompassing. If I believe I’m a published author then I am even before I publish a book. Being a writer is just that, you write. Whether it means you publish books, write blog posts or research papers, you’re a writer. Being a writer can encompass many things and does not have to be restricted to writers of books. Maybe you publish articles. That makes you an author and a writer just the same.
6. Please, tell us about your projects again. Was there progress since the last interview or are there even completely new projects?
Yes, ma’am. I am working on quite a few projects, not all of which I will list here because we’ll be here all day.
Briefly, I am releasing a novel very soon which I am most excited about. Renaissance Book One in The Nora White Story. We follow Nora White as she attempts to follow her dreams of being a writer during The Harlem Renaissance Movement and the realities she is facing as she struggles to understand more about the difference between the Jim Crow South and the not-so-different North. We also follow her parents, Gideon and Molly White in their struggle to overcome their own pain in their search for their daughter who has left home without a word.
As I am preparing to release this book I am also revising Revelation which is Book Two in the series with hopes of getting it out by the close of the year.
Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!
When seventeen-year-old Nora White successfully graduates High School in 1922 Mississippi and is College bound, everyone is overjoyed and excited. Everyone except Nora. She dreams of Harlem, Cotton Clubs, Fancy Dresses, and Langston Hughes. For years, she’s sat under Mr. Oak, the big oak tree on the plush green grass of her families five acres, and daydreamed of The Black Mecca.
The ambitious, young Nora is fascinated by the prospect of being a famous writer in The Harlem Renaissance and decides she doesn’t want to go to College. Despite her parent’s staunch protest, Nora finds herself in Jacobsville, New York, a small town forty-five minutes outside of Harlem.
Shocked by their daughter’s disappearance, Gideon and Molly White are plagued with visions of the deadly south, like the brutal lynching of Gideon’s sister years ago. As the couple embark on a frightening and gut wrenching search for Nora, they are each stalked by their own traumatic past. Meanwhile, Nora learns that the North is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Can Gideon and Molly overcome their disturbing past in time to find their daughter before it’s too late?
“The author really did her research, touching on the feud between Zora and Langston over a play written by both, but only Zora was given credit. The way she wove Nora into the middle of the feud was genius. It was reminiscent of Forrest Gump a bit.(That, in my world is a HUGE compliment – I love Forrest Gump)”
– Lisa W. Tetting
“When I finished reading Renaissance: The Nora White Story I actually shouted. I loved, loved this book. From beginning to end. The characters are still alive inside my mind. The setting as well. I could smell the hot soup the girls had or the rain on the hot earth. The dialogue is superb; I can still hear the soft southern accent in my mind.”
– Adele Marie Park
“The author did a fabulous job of inserting the fictional Nora White into the historical time period. The story flips between Nora’s family back home and her experiences in New York. It was a great storytelling technique because the reader was able to grasp the stark differences in life between the two geographical locations while realizing the specter of racism existed everywhere. I also liked the fact that the characters spoke with the typical speech patterns of the time. From a historical perspective, it was like experiencing time travel to another era.”
– Colleen Chesebro
“First of all, let me say that I’m loving your book so far. The voice (yours/Nora’s), imagery, dialogue, and overall literary style remind me of Toni Morrison’s and Zora Neale Hurston’s. Damn, girl! You’re giving me goals!”
Mary Anne Edwards is the author of The Charlie McClung Mysteries, Brilliant Disguise, A Good Girl, Criminal Kind, and Sins of My Youth. These are traditional murder mysteries with a touch of romance. There are six more books planned for this series. But her imagination tends to run wild, so you never know when it may end. Mary Anne was born in Mercedes, Texas. She now lives in Georgia with her husband of 35+ years and her Tuxedo cat, Gertrude. She and her husband dream of retiring in … Well, they haven’t decided yet. For years, she only dabbled in writing, but with the encouragement of her husband, she left the accounting world to write full-time. Mary Anne is an advocate for the developmentally challenged and sits on the advisory board of Rockdale Cares, Inc. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime – Atlanta Chapter. Mary Anne can thankfully say that she is a breast cancer survivor. When Mary Anne is not writing, she loves to read, and watch all kinds of mysteries
I am very proud to introduce you to August McLaughlin today. For those who don’t know August McLaughlin yet, please read her bio. She’s an extraordinary personality and I’m honored and grateful to know her.
Bio
August McLaughlin is an award-winning, nationally recognized health and sexuality writer, radio personality and host and creator of Girl Boner®. Her work appears in DAMEMagazine, the Huffington Post, The Good Men Project and more. Kirkus Reviews called her first novel, In Her Shadow, “an engaging story with an inventive structure and an intriguing focus on body-image issues.” Her latest book, Embraceable: Empowering Facts and True Stories About Women’s Sexuality (available December, 2015/January, 2016 on Amazon and iTunes), is a celebration of women’s sensuality. Each week on Girl Boner® Radio, she interviews relationship experts, celebs and more, exploring women’s lives and sexuality “like no one else.” Known for melding personal passion, artistry and activism, August uses her skills as a public speaker and journalist to inspire other women to embrace their bodies and selves, making way for fuller, more authentic lives.
For the planned interview I was able to choose the questions I’d like to ask. And I picked a few sexual myths circling. Would you help me finding the answers?
First-time sexual intercourse for a woman ALWAYS hurts. I personally have never met a woman who actually enjoyed her first time without pain. How is reality?
There’s a common belief that the “first time” is extremely pleasurable or extremely painful for women—across the board. In reality, it usually falls somewhere in between. Unfortunately, so many of us have little clue as to how it all actually works (beyond the very basics), so some awkwardness is normal—as is some pain, especially if you aren’t well lubricated first. Emotional shame can also make physical intimacy painful, and does, for many women.
It is heard that the males’ semen tastes different, depending on what the man eats or drinks. Is this really true?
It sure is! Foods and drinks can absolutely affect semen flavor—though most of the research is anecdotal. Fruits, vegetables and juices are believed to improve semen taste (and taste and scent of all genders), whereas a meat-rich diet and cigarettes have the opposite effect. Apparently vegetarians taste and smell better than meat eaters.
It is generally said, men have wet dreams, is it true that women are excluded from fun like this?
Not at all! Girls and women experience wet dreams, too. (I wish we’d learned that in sex ed!) Ever since I wrote about what I call “sleep-gasms” on my blog and covered them on my show, I hear routinely from women who experience wet dreams. Whether we have them or not, it’s perfectly normal.
Is watching porn truly a mainly male form of entertainment? Not one woman I know enjoys watching porn (or at least says so). What does reality tell us?
I know women who enjoy porn, and women who don’t. Women are just as “visual” as men (that we aren’t is another common myth), but watching mainstream porn is more likely to trigger a sense of shame in women for all sorts of reasons—cultural ideals being one of them.
Most mainstream porn is also geared toward a straight male audience, which makes it less appealing to many gals. Some features violence toward women, which is, in my opinion, an atrocity. (I’m not talking about kink/BDSM, but abuse; there’s a huge difference.)
Recent studies show that more and more women are enjoying porn, and that many women prefer lesbian porn. I think that’s because it’s less degrading and more focused on women’s pleasure. I really appreciate the feminist porn genre, which celebrates all shapes, sizes, ages and genders. It’s a relatively small, but mighty, genre I hope keeps growing!
I also love Cindy Gallop’s work, with Make Love, Not Porn. She educates folks on the differences between porn and real sex—understanding the differences is so important.
Is the clitoris really the center of female sexual pleasure?
The clitoris has this reputation for good reason. It has some 7,000+ nerve endings—which is more than any other body part. Many women reach climax through clitoral stimulation, but we’re all different. We should all seek and explore our own bodies and what feels good.
Is it true that a woman’s vagina and/or its associated parts can alter by having regular sexual intercourse with an exceptionally large penis?
Large penises can cause tearing and discomfort, but it’s usually not permanent. Lots of lubrication, foreplay and other types of sexual expression, such as oral, can help minimize these issues. Kait Scalisi, MPH wrote a great blog post on this topic: Is His Penis Too Big? Here Are Seven Ways to Deal With It.
It is said that older people don’t have sex anymore. Some even say a woman after completing menopause does not get aroused anymore. Can this be true?
Hormonal shifts associated with menopause can cause decline in libido and related symptoms, such as vaginal dryness—but they’re all manageable. Recent studies show that women who value sex into their “golden years” can have increasingly pleasurable sexual experiences. I think some of this has to do with stronger confidence, experience and emotional growth. If a woman notices dramatic changes in her sex drive or sexual health, she should talk to a professional, such as a physician or sex therapist.
We know, there’s one pill to increase a man’s erectile function. But that’s’ not the only pill on the market. Can a pill or exercise really enlarge a man’s penis?
There’s no pill known to increase a man’s penis size. Lifestyle steps can help ensure normal circulation and arousal, however, which are super important for sexual function. Regular exercise, an overall healthy diet, getting enough sleep, managing stress and not smoking can all help tremendously. I explored this article for DUREX®: The Truth About Penis Size.
To learn more about women’s sexuality, buy August’s new book!
Embraceable: Empowering Facts and True Stories About Women’s Sexuality
A provocative blend of memoir, anthology and inspiration, Embraceable is a celebration of women’s sexual empowerment. Learn how August McLaughlin, creator and host of Girl Boner®, found her way out of the sexual repression to which too many girls and women are prone. She then weaves research and inspiring facts around stories contributed by women who’ve cultivated sexual empowerment in their own lives—on topics ranging from asexuality, kink and burlesque dancing to religion, “slut”-shaming and surviving sexual assault. Learn what girls do (and don’t) learn in sex ed, the truth behind widespread damaging messages, the role body image plays in embracing our sexual selves and more.
Here are the purchase links for Embraceable. The paperback will be added to Amazon within shortest time.
