Publisher's Corner: LISA DAWN || Marketing Guru for the Wild Rose Press!

Hi Lisa! Thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for me!

Lisa, if I'm correct, you're The Wild Rose Press's Marketing Guru. (Is Marketing Guru your official title?)

I answer to many titles, lol, but marketing director is my main job at the Wild Rose Press. Although the title encompasses much more including review coordinator, and social media coordinator. I’m also author liaison. If you have a question or need something, my email can get you an answer or get you to the person who can get you an answer.

Please tell us about your background.

I don’t have a special background in marketing, but in my work history I have edited newsletters, managed book stores, run a salon, and had my own businesses.

How did you come to work for TWRP?

I met Rhonda online. The Wild Rose Press hadn’t officially opened their doors. As a writer, I was interested in the “Garden.” I submitted a story, contracted it (it was my first contracted book), and within a few weeks, had found that I had skills the company needed. The last seven years have been ideal.

What's Rhonda Penders like in real life? Is she scary? Intimidating? Does she sparkle in sunlight?

She definitely sparkles. She’s got a head for business but her heart is with authors. If you have a question, expect an honest answer. She believes in open communication and she does all she can to make the Garden (which is what we call the Wild Rose Press) a positive, professional place for authors.

What's your favorite part of your job?

I love working with authors. I love that I work from home. I commute about 30 feet from the coffeepot to my office. I wear slippers to work. (I have a slipper fetish J the bigger and fluffier the better).

What's the least favorite aspect of your job?

That changes from week to week. Right now, it’s Yahoo Groups. We are working on a new tool to be able to make it easier to coordinate promotional efforts with authors.

Do you have any minions?

No! And it’s probably a good thing. I’d scare them away. I’m happiest when I’m busy.

What are the most annoying things authors do to make your life harder?

I have a hard time answering this question. I know what it’s like for authors. Questions need to be answered. I suppose I just would ask authors to be patient. I always have a full inbox and sometimes emails can’t be answered the same day, but I try.

What's your advice to (aspiring, new & established) authors regarding the best way to create a successful marketing platform?

Do what you enjoy. Marketing your books and your brand takes time. So choosing venues you enjoy is going to make it a more appealing. If you hate to blog, don’t start a blog, rather guest blog now and again on other active blogs. Then the commitment is manageable. If you love Facebook, then make pages for your books. Do what you like. Also, give your readers more than heavy “buy my book” promotions. Share little facts about you, your writing life, and your inspirations. Readers want to know you as well as what you write.

Have you ever tried your hand at writing a romance novel?

Yes, I’m an active writer as well. I have books in the main side of the garden, but primarily I write erotic romance and my books can be found on the Wilder Side of the Garden in Scarlet Rose.

What types of books do you read for fun?

It changes. Right now, I like spicy historical romances.

Quick Quiz:

• What color are your favorite pajamas?  Teal (and they are a soft flannel)
• Favorite fruit?  Mixed berries. I eat them in a smoothie with protein powder and almond milk every day after I work out.

• Do you believe in magic?  I believe we make our own magic. I have two boys and just celebrated 20 years of marriage. I have a great job, love to write and work in my vegetable garden. There has to be magic in that.
•  Margaritas or martinis?  Coffee- black, herbal and chai tea or water. Those are the only things I drink. No soda, alcohol or other beverages.

Thanks again!

Thank you so much for having me.

Caris Roane's EMBRACE THE MAGIC

EMBRACE THE DARK

The Blood Rose Series Book 1

Enter a world of blood-starved mastyr vampires and the rare women who can satisfy their deepest needs…

How can he resist his blood rose…

Gerrod, mastyr vampire of the Merhaine Realm, never thought to have his blood-needs satisfied by a mere human. But Abigail is no ordinary woman. She stuns him with her telepathy as well as the richness of her blood. However, her human DNA makes her an unacceptable mate. Yet how can Gerrod turn her away when she alone has satisfied his blood-starvation for the first time in a hundred-and-fifty-years?

Will she fall to temptation and give herself to a vampire…

When the dreaded enemy of all realm-folk, the Invictus, attacks at a fae wedding, Abigail’s simple human life gets turned upside down. She doesn’t know if she has the courage to pursue a path that means giving herself body and soul to a mastyr vampire. Will she return to her normal existence in Flagstaff, Arizona? Or will she embrace the dark…

Available in Both Digital and Print at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Dark-Blood-Series-Volume/dp/1477582916/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1338505985&sr=1-1

EMBRACE THE MAGIC

The Blood Rose Series Book 2

Release Date August 31, 2013

When a blood rose enters Mastyr Ethan’s world, will he succumb to his deepest needs or lose her forever to an enemy intent on possessing her at all costs?

He desperately needs his blood rose…

Ethan, mastyr vampire of the Bergisson Realm, never thought to find his blood rose, the one woman who could ease the blood-starvation he’s endured for decades. But Samantha carries a surprising level of power as her newly discovered fae heritage emerges and she connects with his personal realm frequency, a vibration that ignites his passion.  His commitment to ruling Bergisson, however, has priority, even over his driving need to be with Samantha.  As desire rises, and Ethan finds himself drawn into the web of his driving, relentless need for her, will he be able to embrace his blood rose or will his guilt over past events prevent him from living life to the fullest?

How can she give up the life she planned…?

Samantha can’t believe she’s a blood rose, a woman who can meet the needs of a starved mastyr vampire.  Her plans never included the world of the Nine Realms in which mastyr vampires rule millions of realm-folk, but learning that she’s half-fae has changed everything.  As Ethan’s blood-needs become a life-or-death struggle, and cast her into a war against the dreaded Invictus, how can she choose to embrace her new fae powers and change her life so completely?  Will she take on the role forever as Ethan’s blood rose?  Or will her desire to follow her life’s ambitions force her to choose against love, passion, and unbelievable fae power?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Magic-Blood-Rose-ebook/dp/B00EX5ULN4

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/embrace-the-magic-caris-roane/1116810337?ean=2940148804468

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/embrace-the-magic/U95cASEH_E-U1QbQU6m1hA

Excerpt from EMBRACE THE MAGIC:

Chapter One

Mastyr Vampire Ethan stared down into Sweet Gorge where two of his Guardsmen hauled up a body on a sling carried between them. They flew side by side, matching their movements by long practice. The night air, though usually fresh in early April, carried a rancid edge, something he’d connected with this area for a long time.

But he’d lost another of his Guard here at Sweet Gorge, killed sometime this past week, but located by a search patrol just a half hour ago. And this was the fourth murder in a month.

Something was on the wind.

“Invictus?” Finn scratched behind his right ear. He was Ethan’s second-in-command, his long red hair a beacon in any situation.

Using both hands, Ethan shoved his own unruly hair away from his face. Sweat dripped from his forehead. The temp wasn’t too warm in Bergisson Realm this time of year, but when his blood-starvation reached difficult levels, he’d often perspire like he’d been battling for hours. “What the hell was Paul doing patrolling in this area?”

Ethan didn’t know Paul well, but he felt responsible for him, as he did for all his Guard. He’d built his force to three hundred strong, but Paul, as a new recruit, wasn’t well-known to many of the Guardsmen.

“He didn’t have orders to go out here, not with three other Guardsmen dead in the past few months along the eastern border.” Ethan let his gaze move from one end of the gorge to the other, then along the monolith to the east. A familiar heavy guilt clawed at his chest. This part of his realm was off-limits having been the place of a massacre forty years earlier.

 “Maybe his body was dumped.”

Ethan’s frown tightened his forehead. “Most likely.”

There was a connection between Sweet Gorge and the Invictus. He just didn’t know what it was.

Sweet Gorge used to be a place of great beauty and had once been a modest resort, a place his family had been to a lot in its prime. Fae leadership had also met here often.

Now his mother, father and sister were gone, lost in the attack, along with many loved ones, over two hundred realm killed all at one time.

Afterward, the stream had dried up, the source cursed by a powerful fae of unknown ancestry. No one had seen the fae female or the deed, only that the stream was blocked and no amount of power had ever released it. A wall of crystals resided there and none of the fae he knew would go near it.

Besides, there was always the stench to warn realm-folk away, of something not right, very ancient, and deadly.

He glanced over the wooded ridgeline along the north ridge. A breeze picked up sending sharp pine scents through the air.

But something else struck his nostrils, the scent of dark fae magic, as though it waited there. His muscles flexed involuntarily along the insides of his arms. Yet in all these decades not a single fae of power, in any of the Nine Realms, had been able to figure out where all that power was coming from, not even Vojalie, the most powerful fae he knew.

About the Author

BIO:  Caris Roane has published nine paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works.  In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance.  As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also self-publishes the continuing stories for her Guardians of Ascension series as well as stories set in other worlds. 

Author Links:

Website: http://www.carisroane.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caris-Roane/150858114985050?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/carisroane

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3500801.Caris_Roane

TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Caris is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:

Grand Prize:  $10 e-Gift card to Amazon, signed copy of ASCENSION, an e-copy of EMBRACE THE MAGIC, a small tote, Caris Roane sticky notes, note-cards, notepad, versatile calendar, and romance trading cards!!!  International winner receives gift card compensation!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Perfect Hero Is Equal to the Sum of His Parts || MacKenzie Crowne's A SONG FOR SOPHIE

Ask an author, what is the number one question you’re asked, and I’ll bet 99% of them will say, where do you get your ideas? I’ll also bet most of them would answer, everywhere! That’s how it works for me, too. Living life provides all kinds of fodder for potential stories. Like the night a few years back when I was invited to attend my first country music concert. Those four hours were the catalyst for my latest release, A Song for Sophie. Likewise, my heroes come from external forces. I mold my characters using bits and pieces of the men I come across as I wander through life. Characters like Beaumont Walker, the hero of A Song for Sophie, a part of the Honky Tonk Hearts series from The Wild Rose Press.

Before I went to that concert, I never listened to country music because, if I did, I’d inevitably end up crying. What fun is that? But hey, I’m always game for a night out with my girls, so when a friend called to say she had tickets, off I went with her and two other friends. Two of the group have always had a thing for country boys. Tight wrangler jeans. ‘Nuff said. The remaining friend and I enjoy a sexy guy in a pair of jeans too, but we are more what you’d call, uh… urban chicks. 

We had a blast, sipping marguerites, ogling tight buns and tapping our toes to the raucous tunes of Toby Keith. After that, I became a country music fan and every time I’d hear the deep rumble of a country crooner, a mysterious character in a black Stetson would nudge my imagination until finally Beaumont Walker came through loud and clear. In my mind, he’s a combination of all my favorite male country singers.

Josh Turner

First and foremost is Beau’s voice, as deep and pure as a finely tuned cello. Think Josh Turner. If you’ve never heard Josh sing. Stop what you’re doing and go have a listen. I’m telling you, that man’s voice speaks directly to a woman’s libido. *fanning myself just thinking about it*

 

Clint Black

Next comes the face. I’ve always been partial to black haired men. Clint Black may have a few years on him now, but he still makes my mouth water.

Toby Keith

The body is a must, and a man’s arms are my Achilles heel. Give me a peek at bulging set of biceps—like Toby Keith’s—and I. Am. Toast! 

Trace Adkins

And of course, who can resist a fine male behind in those tight Wrangler jeans? Not me! Trace Adkin’s back side is a sight to see. Oh, and just for fun, here’s another. 

Don’t know his name, or if he can sing, but…who cares? 

As you can see, my heroes come in separate parts which, when put all together, create the perfect man. So, what about you? If you could build the perfect hero, where, or from whom, would you get his parts?  

Blurb:

Jobless, practically homeless, and tired of being manless, Sophie Taylor jumps at the chance to be Beaumont Walker's personal assistant. Six weeks on the road with country music's bad boy--and, more importantly, his all-male crew--is the perfect opportunity to change her life.

Beau Walker doesn't need any more distractions. Sophie, with her butt-ugly suits and balls-to-the-wall attitude, shouldn't be one, but she proves to be distracting and more--even, surprisingly, a friend. So when he discovers her plan to snag a man from his worldly wise crew, he's determined to protect her from herself.

When Sophie realizes Beau is behind her failure to attract even one member of his crew, the last place she expects to find herself is in his bed. But will one night of passion convince her she's woman enough for him? Or will it destroy their friendship and his budding belief in true love?

Excerpt:

“Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing? I assume we’re paying you. Go earn your paycheck.”

“Oh, you’re paying me.” She allowed the secret smile to curl her lips in an actual one. “And I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“What’s that? Boring me to death?”

She dropped her oversized purse to the floor and took the chair next to him. It was a very comfortable recliner, and large enough that her arm didn’t reach the handle to lift the footrest. Feeling around blindly, she sat forward, and hanging half way over the arm, grasped the control. A quick tug and the footrest snapped up, and the back of the chair fell into the recline position, making her squeak.

Beau shook his head.

She tugged at the hem of her skirt to make sure it didn’t ride up, squirming until she’d settled herself. With her ankles crossed, she plopped her hands and forearms on the cushioned arms of the chair and looked at him.

“I’m keeping you busy.”

“Huh?”

“I’m keeping you busy. You asked what I was supposed to be doing. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“Well, quit it. You’re pissing me off.”

“Oh, yeah,” she drawled, “like that’s hard to do.”

“Have I fired you yet today?”

“No.”

“You’re fired.”

He really was funny when he was trying to look menacing. She laughed and held his glare. “Geez, you’re cranky.”

A SONG FOR SOPHIE is available for purchase at Amazon Kindle.


MacKenzie Crowne is offering a copy of That Dating Thing or The Billionaire's Con to one randomly drawn commenter! Winner's choice.

Author Bio:

My name is Mackenzie Crowne. I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother. My husband and I were blessed with two rambunctious little boys who we managed to raise into wonderful men without any disfiguring mishaps. Dirt bikes and ESPN are the order around our house, and life at the ‘Testosterone Ranch’ more closely resembles one of today’s wacky reality shows, than yesterday’s Leave It To Beaver. 

I’m one of eight kids, raised just north of Boston. My childhood was a free-for-all full of hordes of family and friends and I’m happy to report, that continues to be true today. I moved to Phoenix as an adult because living in the southwest feeds my soul.

My love of books, specifically the romance genre, has been a lifelong affair, both as a reader and a writer. A bout with breast cancer sharpened my resolve to see my stories shared with others. As of today, I am a five-year survivor, living my dream.

Mac’s Links:

Amazon Author Page

mackenziecrowne.com

FaceBook Author Page

Twitter @maccrowne

Goodreads