Showing posts with label Cat and the Dreamer. Show all posts

Meet My Publisher, Buy Her Book

Me and Karen @
The Novel Writing Experience
Years ago, when I was first on the hunt for an agent, an editor...hell, anyone in the publishing world that would give me or my manuscript a second thought...I ran across Karen's profile. 

I hadn't really considered small pub, but as I read an interview with Karen, she said she liked beer and NASCAR.
I was intrigued, so, I sent her my manuscript. She sent me a contract and my dream became reality.
She's patient. She's understanding. She listens. Karen understands writers, because she is a writer herself and she knows how our books become our babies and how we sometimes need a hand to hold or a foot in the bum to keep ourselves working.
She's a special lady and I wanted you all to meet her, so I invited her over for an interview!

 World Castle and becoming a publisher was a dream you risked your 401k on making happen, any regrets?

No, not at all. I felt driven to start the publishing company and have worked very hard to make it a success. I always say if you don’t chase your dreams you’ll never catch them. I’m a firm believer in that.

What do you see for the future of World Castle?
The company as a whole is doing very well. I see us growing and sticking around for a very long time. Look out world, here we come! LOL

What are you looking for in a WC writer besides gorgeous, amazingly talented writers like myself?

LOL Elizabeth! I’m looking for those talented individuals that can spin a tale and are personable enough to sell themselves to the marketplace. We do what we can to market authors, but they have to be willing to take the extra steps and the initiative to promote themselves as well.

Writer and publisher. How do you find the time and balance?

Unfortunately I don’t. LOL Many times my writing falls by the wayside. I’m so busy doing for others that I have a hard time finding time to write for myself. I’ve recently set a goal for myself to set aside an hour or two a day to focus on me. I’ll let you know how that works out.

Wearing both hats, is that an advantage or disadvantage?

Both. LOL I have the final say, but at times I have to take the flack.

Authors sometimes have a tendency to think of me as the untouchable ogre, for lack of a better term coming to mind. LOL They’re sometimes afraid to talk to me. Although I don’t have time to talk much I’m not unapproachable.

As for my own work, sometimes it is a disadvantage. I feel that someone might not tell me what they really think of my work. In this respect, I’m an author too, and I am not above making mistakes. I’ve had to point this out to my editors before. LOL

Overall, I love what I do and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Now...let's hear a little about the latest book, which I assure you is a hot, hot, sizzling hot read!

Click here to buy!
World Castle Website
Amanda Archer is on the fast track to success. At twenty-five she has just about everything she’s ever wanted. She has complete control of her life…until she meets Marco.
Marco De Lucia is a very influential man. Handsome, rich, and very powerful. Marco has a secret that few know about and live to tell it. He’s a wolf.
From the moment Marco steps into Amanda’s life everything spins out of her control. Marco tells her about fate, destiny and her obligations. She was born to be his...
Marco has waited three hundred years to finally find Amanda and fulfill their destiny. He knows who she is...he just has to convince her of that.
There are others that aren’t too excited that Marco’s found his mate. Others that will stop at nothing to make sure the prophecy isn’t fulfilled...
  

                                                    ***********
I love a good book.
I love a good sale.
Make it a good book on sale? 
Well, just call me a happy girl!


Get Cat and the Dreamer for .99!

Annalisa Crawford's story of troubled teens goes well beyond the typical tale of teen angst. It's a story that takes the reader on a twisted tale that blends reality and imagination as the reader gets to look inside young Julia's mind.

This story reminds me of The Bell Jar. It's smart fiction that will leave an impact on your soul. 

Virgin No More: IWSG Post


Find out more HERE!
I joined the blogosphere under personal duress. A self-imposed, be professional, and get your butt out there if you ever want to sell books event.

I did not want to blog.

I just wanted to write books.

My gut told me there were very few short cuts to the top, and my freaking muse kept hiding the get lucky map.

So, with the help of my then fourteen-year-old son, Cole, we created my bloggy spot.

I hit publish on my maiden post, From Boas to Reality,  on March 12, 2011.

My misgivings about "going public" only got worse when Cole came home from school and told me a friend asked him, "Who cares what a lady on 6th Street has to say?"

I asked Cole if he thought I should take it down. He said, "I think you should quit worrying about what jerks think."

But still. The insecurity. The beast that dwells deep in our soul and asks us over and over, "Who do you think you are? Trying to chase a dream...scrub the toilet...save this for the smart people with connections to New York. You're just a lady on 6th Street in a tiny hillbilly town."

I'd even pray that God would give me another dream. Maybe a desire to quilt...or run marathons.

Stories still came to me. Characters kept whispering in my ear. The only outlet was to keep writing.

Then one afternoon, author, Anita Baker (AG Howard) sent me a Blog on Fire award and an email telling me she enjoyed my work. She was my first non-family/writer friend follower.

Then I got a follow by Ashley Nixon. I knew nothing of blog courtesy and protocol, but instinct told me to follow the pretty face back to her blog and follow her and start reading her posts. Next thing I knew, I was getting advice from Cassie Mae and hanging with sweethearts like Leigh Covington and Angie Cothran. I bought Cat and the Dreamer by Annalisa Crawford after reading one of her guest posts. Finished the story in a day and then stalked her blog until she became my friend.

While traversing this new network, one could not escape the shadow of Alex Cavanaugh and the IWSG. I wasn't going to join, because honestly, what did I know? But then Alex would stop by my blog and eventually I thought, what the heck...everyone else is doing it.

So, July 5, 2012, I posted my IWSG Virgin post.

And now, almost three years from my first blog post...I get it.

I understand that the blogosphere is way more than a platform builder: it's a sanity saver, a network builder, and a knowledge base. The crazy part wasn't starting the blog. The crazy part was NOT starting sooner.
Happy almost three year blogoversary to me. If you'd told me on March 12, 2011 that I would be co-hosting the IWSG today...I'd have told you to keep dreaming Alice, Wonderland is just around the corner.

But I am. That crazy Alex put his trust in me, so here I am...along with some amazing friends/writers:
Tina Downey, Elsie, and Julie Flanders. 

Baby steps. And friends to lean on. That's how we get from point A to point Z...speaking of which: 
Are you signed up? 

And Check this out!


                                                                     Jay's book is on sale
                                                                       for just .99 cents!
                                                                       Get Yours Here!!
                                                                     


"Cat and the Dreamer"

CAT AND THE DREAMER TOUR STOP!!!
"Cat and the Dreamer" is one of my favorite books. It's the sort of story I will gladly read again. It's the sort of book that if Annalisa Crawford was a really horrid person, I'd still have to say, "Yeah, she's a baby kicking bimbo, but she still wrote a pretty good book."

 Fortunately...Annalisa is as nice as she is talented, so when THIS book is available in print, I will happily buy a copy. I already have the spot picked...right between, "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath (suicidal, lovable teens) and "Jonathon Livingston Seagull"  by Richard Bach (they're both novellas). 

 What you sort books by alphabet? How odd...

 While I try to figure you out, let's turn this white space over to Annalisa!!!

It's been a year since my novella Cat and The Dreamer was published! There have been lots of changes in my own life in that time, and I started to wonder what else had changed...

Thank you Elizabeth for inviting me over today!

My pleasure chick!!! :)

Today's topic: Manchester City winning the Premiership!

 I know that won't mean much to a lot of you. Firstly, you have to understand I'm talking about the English football premier league (soccer), and I'm not talking about the red half of the city... pah! So I'll try to put this is terms that you'll understand even if you don't care about the specifics.

Before I was born Manchester City were a big football club, a fantastic club - they won trophies and everything. Then I was born and at the same time they seemed to fall away from the top clubs, bouncing up and down the leagues, but never being much of a threat either in the English leagues or in Europe.

In 2008 the club was bought by a company from Abu Dhabi, and became the richest club in the world. I don't like to boast about this too much - even after everything that's happened in the last year, I think there's far too much money in football. However, the money brought players, the players won the FA Cup in 2011, and they looked like they were heading towards winning the Premier League in 2012... And then they didn't... And then they did again... And then they had a really bad spell... Then they picked up.

The nearest rivals in the league - the only team who could beat us in the last few matches - was also the geographically closest, Manchester United... pah! (Sorry, it's an involuntary response.) They've called City 'the noisy neighbours' for ever - getting in the way, but never really amounting to anything. Hahaha... ahem!

Through sheer fluke/bad luck it came down to the last game of the season. We had to win our game; it would have been helpful if they lost or drew theirs.

We were losing, they were winning. Argh, no... then we came back level, in injury time, United won, we scored another slightly beyond when the whistle should have blown for full-time (commonly known in England as Fergie time). And...

WE WON! WE WON THE GAME AND WE WON THE LEAGUE AFTER 44 YEARS!

Of course, there was a lot more to it than that, it was the most rollercoaster 90 minutes I've ever spent in a pub. In fact, we ended up in two pubs - the first showed the first half of City's game, then switched to the Utd game. We jumped in the car, kids in tow (it was an afternoon game), and found another pub, and luckily everyone was backing City. When the final whistle went cheers rang out, I think I cried. In fact, there's a bit of a tear in my eye now.

We're not doing so well at the moment, Utd ahead of us, again... But at the moment, I don't care - I saw City win when I never imagined I ever would! This clip is the last five minutes of both games, in split screen - if you're eagle-eyed you'll notice how the emotions switch between the left and right screens! Best day ever!


About Cat and The Dreamer
As a teenager, Julia survived a suicide pact, while her best friend Rachel died. Julia’s only escape from her guilt, and her mother’s over-protection, is her imagination. When Adam arrives in the office, Julia’s world takes a startling turn as she realises reality can be much more fun than fantasy. Finally she has someone who can help her make the most of her life. But can she allow herself to be truly happy?

Cat and The Dreamer is available on Kindle UK, Kindle US, Kobo, Nook, iTunes/iBooks, and via Vagabondage Press.

Annalisa Crawford lives and writes in Cornwall with a good supply of beaches and moorland to keep her inspired. She finds endless possibilities in the relationships between people. Several new projects are on the cards for 2013.
Find her on her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Hops, Tags, and More!



Love this hop! Leave it to the creative minds of Alex Cavanaugh and Ciara Knight to come up with such a marvelous idea.

Just like those wonderful sleeper films that don't get the attention of the blockbusters, many books are waiting on to be read lists and deserve some love.

I've read several books this year...and here are my favorites...in a nice mannerly alphabetic list. :)


Amazon Link


Jesse Andersen's book has the coolest cover of the year. I think it's totally awesome. And the story was a great read too. Jesse took a tough issue (teen pregnancy and abortion) and emerged with a wonderful, thoughtful story.








Amazon Link 









I just started reading this book, and even though I am only a third of the way in, I have to add it to the list. Medeia Sharif has that "voice" we hear so much about. Add in her touch of humor and I am excited to keep reading.






Amazon Link


Being a huge fan of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar", I fell in love with this book. Annalisa Crawford doesn't just let the reader peak into the head of a troubled teen, she sucks you in. I read this novella in a day and will definitely visit this story again.



Amazon Link




Jay Mims created a charming soft shoe detective who drops one liners like a millionaire drops dimes. This book was fun from beginning to end.


Amazon Link



I love a good romance...and Kyra Lennon delivers. I love her style, love her humor, love her characters...even the rotten, but redeemable Radleigh.






Amazon Link



This was a sweet read with a nice twist at the end. Jolene Perry is a master of the teen love tale, but so far, this one is my favorite.










Linda Sands wove a masterful, mutli-generational tale with characters so out of the ordinary they felt like people I knew. Linda is a smart, talented writer and her stories show it.







*Yes, I violated the rules by not picking one book. Sue me...I've got a few pennies left. :)



Now for some bloggie awards!

Thanks to Rachel Shieffelbein




Thanks to Tammy Theriault











And since this is already a long post, I've combined the questions choosing this and that from each list to make a list of lucky 7.

1. Favorite Movie? "Gone with the Wind"
2. Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate~ dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mixed, poured, or added in...love it in any form
3. Favorite Holiday? Christmas!! Love it...even when it starts in October.
4. When do I crave sweets the most? morning, noon, and sometimes even at night
5. Favorite Author? John Steinbeck
6. Favorite Pet? I love animals. I have dogs, frogs, hamsters, and a cat. Animals are awesome, even if they are a lot of work. But since I'm NOT running for political office...I will answer the question with a direct response: of all the wonderful critters in the world...dogs are tops. 
7. Favorite subject in school and why? History. I'd rather visit a museum over Disney World any day. 
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