What can I do for you?

Hello, my Friday blog followers. I’ve had quite a week touring on blogs and talking about my new release, Heaven is for Heroes. Humungous thanks to Kristan Higgins and the Jaunty Quills as well as Jo Ramsey who hosted me earlier this week. I’ve had some very positive feedback about the book and am heaving a sigh of relief. I still have my work cut out for me but the early reviews and sales numbers are good, thanks to all you wonderful friends and readers.

So I’ve been thinking about what I can do for you. Other than getting that next book out there, I was wondering, what could I add to my website that would be entertaining and fun for you--the folks that this is really all about. I’ve started by updating the look of my blog. Do you like it?

I want my website to reflect the kind of books I write, so when I redesigned it last month, my goal was to make it more user friendly and give it a little YA curb appeal. I hope you noticed. I’ve added playlists with links to YouTube for songs that reminded me of my main characters, Jordie, Alex, and Levi. I see the theme song for the book being “Just a Kiss” by Lady Antebellum. Every time I hear that song, I think of the scene where Alex and Jordie kiss after their first real date to a drive-in movie. Or the scene where they are stranded on a beach overnight and each of them is fighting the temptation to take their relationship to the next level.
I’ve also added an excerpt from the book and I’ll be adding both a playlist and an excerpt from ON THIN ICE over the next few weeks. For Halloween, I’ll be participating in a blog hop with several other authors where we’ll be giving away treats to readers who want to follow along and take advantage of free e-books, tee shirts, book marks, or other surprises. Check back the third week of October when I’ll add a link to my homepage to direct you on how to participate.

That’s it so far. I’m open to suggestions about what you would like to see added to my website. Do I need more pictures of hunky guys I might cast in a Heaven is for Heroes movie? This pic of Alex Pettygrew reminds me of Levi. And wouldn't Hayden Christensen make a dreamy Alex Cooper?

Maybe I should put up free chapters of my books, links to other YA sites, or a section for short stories and poetry…or not.

So you tell me…what do you like to see on a website?

What the heck is a Blog Tour?

As a soon to be published author (8 days and counting), I've been wading through the mire and muck of marketing and promoting. I've researched, talked with industry professionals and read everything I can about all the avenues to "selling" a book. The common thread I keep coming across is "exposure".

Being a little resistant to the idea of "exposing" myself, I'm leary about how to go about this. I am on Twitter, Facebook (yes, you can go ahead and "like" me now under my PJ Sharon Author Fan page, and I'm blogging. This brings me to my topic for today. When I announce to my friends and family that I will be doing a "blog tour", I get a funny look and a "huh"?

So let me explain. Over the next few weeks, I'll be a guest on several blogs. As of now, they are fellow writer's blogs. I do plan to search out blogs that will lead me to my target audience, who are teens and young adults, but for now, my focus is on getting the word out that I am publishing my debut contemporary YA romance, Heaven is for Heroes, on September 24th, a book I think will appeal to adult readers as well. I know you are all probably tired of my shameless self-promotion, but on the outside chance that someone new is reading my blog, I'm obligated to inform them of this wonderful news.

So a blog tour is essentially the e-published author's schedule of appearances--taking over the traditional book signing tour. Thanks to the internet, we now have the ability to reach countless readers and focused groups rather than hanging out at the mall where maybe twenty people will stop by to peruse your wares (which I'll also be doing in October).

My upcoming blog appearances are scheduled as follows:

Tues. Sept. 20th, I'll be on Jennifer Fusco's MOD (Market or Die) site talking about my marketing and promotions experience since deciding to indie-publish.

Fri. September 23rd, I'm doing an author interview at Jo Ramseys site followed by an interview with my main character, Jordie Dunn, on Tuesday, Sept. 27th--also with Jo. I'm especially excited about that, since it takes the focus off me and you get to meet one of the coolest seventeen year-olds around.

Kourtney Heintz has offered to re-run a guest post I did a few weeks ago. I'll be talking about my writer's journey on her blog on Sunday, Sept. 25th.

And last but not least, NYT and USA Today best selling author, Kristan Higgins of the Jaunty Quills, has been kind enough to allow me to drop by on Thurs.Sept. 29th. This post is all about the book. What inspired the story, why I wrote it, and why readers will hopefully love it as much as I do.

I hope you'll stop by and visit, leave a comment, take your chances to win a free e-book copy of Heaven is for Heroes, and enjoy the ride along with me. I'm sure I''l be planning more appearances, but this is a great start and I'm so thankful for the opportunities that these great ladies have provided. I couldn't do this without them-or you. See you there!

Any ideas for future blog tour locations? I'm looking for YA sites. Thanks!

Welcome To My World

Hey Everyone,

I'm glad to have my blogger site back on line and my new website up and running. I've learned so much in the process of creating my own website, linking all of my social sites (I'm still not set up correctly with Facebook, so don't friend/like me yet--I'll let you know:), and uploading my book for final print so I can have it available by the September 24th release date. So here I am with twelve days to go, and I feel like Chicken Little, a grand adventure looming ahead.That's actually my dog, Zak, who takes his watchdog duties very seriously.

I look forward to spending time with you here on Friday's when I'll blog on a topic related either to my books, the writing world, or other adventures I encounter along the way. I'll also continue to blog as Tuesday's Child on the Scribes blog, discussing all things writerly with my sister scribes. The site (click on the link at the upper right hand corner just above my Home Page Link) has become my second home and has a growing collection of short stories and great posts from the scribes as well as many noted authors and industry professionals. Pop on over for a visit to learn more.

Watch for updates on the Calendar page of my site; pics, slide shows, and videos on theAdventures and Photos page, and go to Extras, to get a sneak peek at excerpts of my books, playlists of songs I think fit my books or characters, and to follow contests and giveaways as they come along. As a newbie in the indie-publishing world,I hope you'll be patient with me as I figure out how this crazy business works. I'll try to share important industry information and you can count on honest and straightforward posts from me about my observations and lessons learned on the journey.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and I hope I can entertain and inform you with my weekly blog updates. Stay tuned!

Peace,
PJ