Author: Patty Perrin

D.L. Finn’s #newrelease A VOICE IN THE SILENCE

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Do you love animals? D.L. Finn’s new release has some exceptional animals you’ll fall in love with! Add some paranormal, a sprinkling of scifi, and a compelling mystery, and …. See for yourself!

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao, amici! Today I’m happy to invite friend, fellow author, and Story Empire colleague D.L. Finn back to my blog. I trust most of you are familiar with her and her work. For those of you who aren’t, you’ll find her down-to-earth nature and whimsical imagination impossible to resist. Today, she’s here to discuss her latest release, A Voice in the Silence. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome.

Thank you for having me on your amazing blog, Staci, to share the release of “A Voice in the Silence.”

A Voice in the Silence Unusual stray animals... Her husband's best friend... A set of footprints in the snow... Can Drea and her loved ones survive the danger that surrounds them? When nothing is what it seems... except survival. D.L. Finn's new cozy paranormal release.

A dog, cat, and rat are characters in A Voice in the Silence and are based on my pets. Our family has been blessed with many amazing dogs. Our first pup Butch, a collie-mix, went everywhere with us and loved to play hide and seek with my husband. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Cher…

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MKTG #15 – Paid Book Blog Tours

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Authors, do you need more exposure for your books? Jan Sikes explores this method, but also gives us links to more of her informative marketing posts. This is a MUST READ!

Author Jan Sikes's avatarStory Empire

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again. My last marketing post about doing book blog tours raised a universal question. Since we tend to pretty much follow the same bloggers, how do we widen our circle and gain new readers?

Courtesy Pixabay

In response to the question, the most effective answer seemed to be paid blog tours. Let me make a disclaimer here. I have not actually tried any of the tours I’m going to share with you today. But that’s not to say with the next release I won’t try some of them. I do think it’s a great way to find new readers and new followers.

I gathered this list of services from other authors whom I know and trust their experience and opinions.

Each promotion has specific guidelines so just check them out thoroughly before you choose one.

Goddess Fish Promotions has successfully coordinated more than 3600 tours in…

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A Cheat Sheet on Body Language for Writers

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How many ways can you describe a character’s emotions? John Howell shares a handy cheat sheet for writers in this informative post. I know I’ll be using it! Thanks, John!

John W. Howell's avatarStory Empire

Pixabay image

Hi SEers. John with you today.

As a wrap-up to the subject of gestures (or beats) to convey non-verbal communication, I found a great cheat sheet for writers on body language. The cheat sheet is below the text and was developed by ArchetypeWriting.com.

The cheat sheet can be used in developing characterizations beyond having to explain just how your character is feeling. I hope you find this cheat sheet useful and perhaps dig deeper into the subject of body language.

Image

I became more confident in using beats to convey my character’s emotions in looking into this subject. However, I got a comment from a beta reader on my next book that maybe I went a little too overboard on the beats. There is always a warning on using any of the writing tools. The writer should use moderation with all of them.

How about you? Let us hear…

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WRITING AND THE COMMA

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I don’t know about you, but I often misplace commas when I write. My friend and fellow author Denise has some great advice about how to figure it out. Did I need a comma in that sentence? Hmmm.

D.L. Finn, Author's avatarStory Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about one of the grammatical things that give me trouble, commas!

Definition of comma
noun
the sign (,), a mark of punctuation used for indicating a division in a sentence, as in setting off a word, phrase, or clause, especially when such a division is accompanied by a slight pause or is to be noted in order to give order to the sequential elements of the sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list, to mark off thousands in numerals, to separate types or levels of information in bibliographic and other data, and, in Europe, as a decimal point…
—Dictionary.com

The comma has many uses, which added to my confusion. A teacher once told my English class, way back in the 1970s, to put the comma in the sentence where you naturally pause when speaking. That never worked for me. I…

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In Honor of #RRBC’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, Meet Author, Robbie Cheadle and all her #books! #RAOK @RRBC_Org @BakeandWrite @RobertaEaton17

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In honor of RRBC’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, Nonnie Jules shines a light on Robbie Cheadle, an amazing author and great person! And for your reading pleasure, a snippet from Robbie’s entry in RRBC’s latest anthology…

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I’m sure Robbie Cheadle has been at my place before, but today, I’d like to shine a light on her and her written works, in honor of RRBC’S RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY!

Friends, meet my dear friend, Robbie…

Robbie Cheadle

Robbie is such a generous, loving and caring person, there was no way I was going to let this day go by, without sharing her (again) with all of you!

Robbie has so many books, that I can’t list them all here for you, but click…

HERE to visit her Amazon Author Central Page!

HERE to visit her RRBC Author Page

Robbie recently submitted a piece for our MEMORIES OF MOM Rave Soup For The Writer’s Soul Anthology, 2022 at RRBC, and here is just a snippet of her piece called THE NEW BABY…

When I was a little girl of nearly four years old, my sister, Catherine, was born. She…

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STORY SETTINGS AND POETRY

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What do story settings and poetry have in common? When they’re done right, the reader becomes immersed and the story and poetry come to life. My friend and wonderful author, D.L. Finn, has some great advice on how to draw readers in.

D.L. Finn, Author's avatarStory Empire

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about story settings and poetry.

Have you ever read a book and come to a passage where the description is so beautiful you had to stop and reflect on it? I have many times. These are words so skillfully written that I can see the sun setting or the grime on the dirty city streets through the character’s eyes. It has brought me into that moment.

A poem can also create a beautiful setting through creative images and carefully chosen words.

In fact, when I see a wonderful setting in a story, I think how poetic.

I’ve found that writing poetry, and the settings in my stories have a lot in common. Both are trying to see a place in someone else’s eyes. They use vivid imagery, emotions, and creative words to capture the reader’s imagination.

A setting in a book is trying to…

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MKTG #14 – Book Blog Tours

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I’ve always approached marketing with fear and trepidation, and the idea of doing a blog tour gets me hyperventilating. Besides being an outstanding author, Jan Sikes is a master at doing blog tours! She makes it fun, and in this article, she shows how it’s done. As a bonus, she added links to her other marketing articles, all of which I plan to visit! Thanks for this, Jan!

Author Jan Sikes's avatarStory Empire

Hello, SE’ers! It’s Jan again here to talk about another marketing tool. And it’s one I think most all of you are very familiar with.

Image courtesy Pixabay

First the question.

Are blog tours worth the effort?

I think the answer to that question will be as varied as the people answering, so I will throw out my answer.

With several successful blog tours under my belt, I say a resounding YES!

I’ve learned some things along the way that help make the tour more interesting for the readers, and more manageable for the author. Those tips are what I will share with you today.

  • Content – We’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it, Content is King. If every stop on your book blog tour is the same, it’s boring with a capital B! So each post needs to be unique, entertaining, and engaging.
  • Variety of Hosts – This…

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Celebrating Women of Excellence #IntlWomensHistoryMonth, Day 7 @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC

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Nonnie Jules closes out Women’s History Month by honoring one of my favorite authors and a great supporter of others, Linnea Tanner. I enjoyed her interview, and know you will too.

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Women of Excellence banner

Today I’m celebrating…

AUTHOR, LINNEA TANNER

NJ:  Hi, Linnea!  Thanks for joining me today!  First, a few questions to warm the atmosphere and for us to learn some things we probably don’t know about you.  I’m short on time and I’m sure you are, too, so let’s make this a quick one.  First question… when is your birthday?

Linnea:  February 14

NJ:  If you have siblings, which child are you (first, second, third, etc.)?

Linnea:  4th

NJ:  When did you begin writing?

Linnea:  2010

NJ:  Why did you begin writing?

Linnea:  Since childhood, I’ve had characters live in my head, in part to help me through my own challenges in life. When I semi-retired, I wrote my first novel in three months to tell their stories, but soon discovered that I needed to learn the craftsmanship of writing to make my stories resonate.

NJ:  Please put these…

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Celebrating Women of Excellence #IntlWomensHistoryMonth, Day 6 @HealthMN1 @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC

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Nonnie Jules has recognized a Woman of Excellence whom I greatly admire! Harriet Hodgson has poured her heart into her family, first raising twin grandchildren and then caring for her beloved husband, all while being actively involved in bettering her community and writing excellent books. Harriet, you so deserve this!

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Women of Excellence banner

Today I’m celebrating…

AUTHOR, HARRIET HODGSON

NJ:  Hi, Harriet!  Thanks for joining me today!  First, a few questions to warm the atmosphere and for us to learn some things we probably don’t know about you.  I’m short on time and I’m sure you are, too, so let’s make this a quick one.  First question… when is your birthday?

Harriet:  September 27th

NJ:  If you have siblings, which child are you (first, second, third, etc.)?

Harriet:  Second

NJ:  When did you begin writing?

Harriet:  8 years old

NJ:  Why did you begin writing?

Harriet:  Seemed like a good thing to do

NJ:  Please put these in order of importance to you: Faith, Family, Friends, Loyalty, Honesty

Harriet:  1. Family 2. Faith 3. Honesty 4. Loyalty

NJ:  What is the one thing people who really know you might say about you to a stranger?

Harriet:  Talented

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Celebrating Women of Excellence #IntlWomensHistoryMonth, Day 5 @YvetteMCalleiro @NonnieJules @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RRBC

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What a joy to share in celebrating my friend Yvette Calleiro as a Woman of Excellence today. I’m not lying when I say, as a friend of her mother’s, I knew her before she was born, and it’s a privilege to be her friend today. Thank you Nonnie, for honoring such an excellent woman!

RaveReviewsbyNJ's avatarWatch Nonnie Write!

Women of Excellence banner

Today I’m celebrating…

AUTHOR, YVETTE M. CALLEIRO

NJ:  Hi, Yvette!  Thanks for joining me today!  First, a few questions to warm the atmosphere and for us to learn some things we probably don’t know about you.  I’m short on time and I’m sure you are, too, so let’s make this a quick one.  First question… when is your birthday?

Yvette:  March 7.

NJ:  If you have siblings, which child are you (first, second, third, etc.)?

Yvette:  I’m first for my parents but third for my dad (he has two children from a previous marriage).

NJ:  When did you begin writing?

Yvette:  I started writing stories and poems at 12 years old. I began writing with the intent to publish in 2010, I believe.

NJ:  Why did you begin writing?

Yvette:  As a tween, I began writing to express my thoughts and emotions. My middle school Language…

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