So, I had a new release…

That’s it to the left.

And here’s where you can buy it…

Amazon Everywhere Else

And… I suck at marketing.

But I love the book. And the two people I’ve heard from who bought and read it said they loved it, too. Everywhere else there’s been crickets. That’s cool, though.

I watch a lot of Gary Vee and one of the things he said recently was… Okay, well, he said a lot of things recently that I’ve taken to heart. I need these little nuggets to remind me where my focus needs to be rather than where it would normally be which is not constructive or creative.

Some of what he’s said that stuck with me…

Insecurity fucks you up. Yep. 1000%. It has fucked me more times than i care to admit and it didn’t even use lube. It’s been painful as hell my whole life.

Fall in love with what you want to say. And also, Fall in love with No. These are two things that tie into insecurity for me. No is a personal rejection even though it’s not in most cases. And loving what I want to say… I can do that so long as I don’t look at what others are doing or saying and I keep my eyes on my own page. It’s harder to do than you think.

Focus more on what you’re saying, more than judging what you’re creating. Well, fuuuuuuuck. But it’s such a true statement. I will judge and judge and judge what I’m working on and ultimately decide it’s not good enough, it’s not as good as this author or that author or those authors over there. Again, if I just keep my eyes on my own work, and get lose in it, I won’t have time to judge myself or compare myself with what someone else is doing.

It all comes down to insecurities. Not being confident. Being scared. Being uncertain. Caring more about what others think or say than what I’m doing, than what I’m trying to say.

And if you’re wondering what this has to do with marketing, well, it has a lot and practically everything to do with marketing. If I don’t market, then more people can’t read what I write, and more people can’t hate it (in my head everyone always hates what I write, whether I love it or not). But is that fair? To me? To readers? Nope. It’s not. It’s not fair at all. So, I need to change it.

In this, I do watch what others are doing. How they’re marketing their books, how they’re getting the word out and I’m just… Paralyzed with fear that I’ll do it wrong, that I won’t deliver, that I will be laughed at, that… You name it, I’ve thought about it happening… Except, success.

All of this, ladies and gentlemen, is insecurity at it’s finest. Fear at it’s finest.

Gary would say, so what if people laugh at your efforts, at least you’re doing something and not just waiting for everyone to happen upon your book.

But what does that mean? What kind of marketing should I do? Ads? Blogs? Blog tours? Bookstagrammers? Email list? Paid promo through marketing sites? Facebook group? Or should I just go on video? Should I just post pics of my book cover? Should I fill up my feed with nothing but my book? I don’t know. Should I do a little of it all? Or do I wait until I have X number of dollars to put into it?

I was writing in my journal today about this, that I’d like a step-by-step guide of do this, then this, then this, and then this. I’d like a blueprint, or one of those diagrams… Did you write a book? Yes or no. And if yes, then do this. And if no, go write one. You know the one’s I’m talking about?

Unless I do something, I won’t know what might work or what might not. Unless I do something, anything, no one will have the chance to know if they like or hate what I write.

I don’t have a lot of author friends. I can’t just turn to a group of writers and ask for help, for shout-outs. Once upon a time, yes. Now, no. It’s up to me to figure it out and fear and insecurity jack me up every damn time. Analysis paralysis. What if…

I suck at marketing. I suck at knowing what I should or shouldn’t do. I don’t suck at writing. I’m pretty fucking good at that, but in this game, that’s not enough.

So, I better figure it out, huh?

 

Lissa

5 Things You Need to Know About Mac: A Simple Need Story

The fourth and what was supposed to be the last of the Simple Need books is out on Amazon and ready for your greedy eyes. I hope you’ll love him. He’s hot. He’s sexy. He’s ooey gooey sweet on the inside.

But, there are some things about the book that you need to know …

First New Book … Mac is the first new book written in the Simple Need world in about 8 years. My writing has changed a lot since 2009-2010. I have a change a lot since then. I had started the book back when Jaz’s book came out with Ellora’s Cave, but things had begun to go downhill with them and I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep going with the series with them. Needless to say, once I got all the books back from them after they closed up, I began planning to write Mac and Jackie’s story. While I tried to capture the same tone, I have to acknowledge that it isn’t because I’m not the same writer I was then.

Trevor and Trae … I introduce 2 new characters in the book. Mandi’s brothers, Trevor and Trae. They own a vintage car restoration shop and are mentioned for the first time in Jaz’s book. There’s a possibility they’ll get their own stories, too.

Short … The book is short. Yes, I know. I didn’t intend for it to be as short as it is, but that’s how it turned out. The writing is tighter. There’s not a lot of extraneous information. It tells the story I had planned way back when I started it and it fits the baseline length of the other books in the series.

The Treehouse … I had been looking on Pinterest and all these treehouses showed up in my feed. I couldn’t get them out of my head and well, Mac said he wanted one. He wanted to be different. He wanted to show a different side of himself to Jackie than the one she normally saw.

Jackie and Jaz ... Their friendship is deep and everlasting. They will not allow their friendship to change because they’re in love with others. Jackie has a past and she has protective instincts. Not for herself. She doesn’t care how others see her, but she’s protective over those she loves.

Time Didn’t Jump … The series was started back, as I said in 2009-2010. It’s been almost 10 years. However, I didn’t jump time in Mac. I didn’t jump the years. I didn’t mention time in the book, but I didn’t jump it. It’s still within the same time frame as the other books.

Those are just a few small facts about Mac and Jackie’s story to help you along. To answer some of your questions. Now, maybe answer one of mine …

Simple Need weddings … Would you be interested? Leave a comment below.

~lissa

New Release in Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Kindle World

Witchin’ Spice


READ AN EXCERPT

I can do this. I really can. I can learn to bake a cake. Filled with positive thoughts and repeated affirmations I was pretty sure I didn’t believe, I looked into the bathroom mirror and frowned at my reflection. “What?” I demanded. “Do you doubt me? Well, join the damn club.”

I was a witch or a magician or a strange, freaky person who could flick her fingers and wink her right eye and smiles would appear on nearby faces and hearts would flutter and people would fall in love.

I could also wink my left eye and twitched my nose in exactly the right way, and the opposite would happen. Tears would fall and hearts would break and sadness would filter through those around me.

Needless to say, these had been interesting discoveries when I turned eighteen and realized my boyfriend was secretly in love with my best friend. I’d flicked my fingertips at something she’d said and turned to him with a wink and poof, they were making googly eyes at one another. I was seemingly forgotten.

I didn’t have many friends to begin with and well, after that, I could count how many I had left on two fingers.

Fast forward six years and I was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on with me. I couldn’t hold a job. I had friends one day and none the next. Life was more than a little on the topsy-turvy side and I was ready to check myself into a hospital until an 80’s reject dropped onto my third-hand couch in a plume of purple smoke to inform me I needed to learn some control around humans or I would find myself in magical jail. I was kinda torn between advising that she seek professional help and believing her story about me being a witch.

Until then, I’d had no idea there were others. I hadn’t known there were rules, either. Like, real ones, not guidelines, not memos, but hard and fast rules.

“Who are you?” I’d asked.

She’d smiled and to this day, I’d swear my whole apartment lit up brighter than Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas. “I’m Baba Yaga.”

“Baba Yawho?”

My lack of knowledge didn’t faze her. “I’m the head witch. Now, what is your decision? I have a breakdance class in thirty and if I’m late, Fabio will come looking for me and believe me, you don’t want that to happen.”

“Breakdance? People still do that?” But given her choice of clothing and whipped up hair that could poke someone’s eye out if they stood too close, I realized my question was moot. However, I hadn’t answered her quickly enough and she’d dropped me off here in Blue Balls Falls, Virginia.

It was a pretty little town deep in the mountains. She assured me more than once that it couldn’t be found on a map and therefore, no humans were in dangers of knowingly or unknowingly being magically manipulated.

It was then I started not liking her, head witch or not.

Two weeks later and staring myself down in the mirror, I was no closer to controlling my magic. Mainly because I had no idea how I was supposed to go about it. I was no closer to learning how to bake, either and what bakery owner doesn’t know how to bake?

“But at least we haven’t blown up the kitchen this week,” I reminded my reflection. “That’s something, right?” I nodded to myself as though it was something to strive for and be proud of, and left the room.

I was staying at the Blue Balls Falls Inn. I had asked about apartments or houses to rent, but the owner, Bethilda, had never once answered me.

And I have to tell you, when I walked in that first day, Bethilda knew my name, had a room ready for me, and was oh so happy to finally meet and that I was welcome to stay just as long as I wanted. The stairs creaked as I took them slow and steady. There was no elevator, only staircases that rose up and up and up, far beyond where I could see. Luckily, I was on the second floor.

“Good morning, my dear.”

I smiled. “Good morning, Bethilda.”

Aside from being the proprietress of the hotel, she was also the town’s oldest resident at two hundred forty-six. She honestly didn’t look a day over forty. Okay, maybe forty-five, but that might be stretching it. There were no wrinkles on her skin and only a few gray hairs that I could see in her long espresso colored curly mane.

That she dressed as a woman from the 1800’s was beside the point.

“How did you sleep? Good, yes?” she asked eagerly.

To be truthful, I had slept well, far better than I’d expected given that I was in a strange magical town, possessed of magic that I had been living with for six years but still hadn’t a clue where it had come from, and I was currently the defacto owner of a bakery and I didn’t know the first thing about baking or business ownership. Was it different in the magical world? Did I need to get permits? Was there a baker in town who’d be happy to do the actual baking? “Yes, I slept great,” I responded. She rewarded me with a brilliant laugh that tinkled in the air like little tiny bells.

“That’s just wonderful. Come. I have breakfast all ready for you.”

“You do?” I should be getting used to it by now. She’d been feeding me like clockwork since the day I arrived.

“I do.” She ushered me into a large, crowded room, much larger than the dimensions of the house should physically allow and seated me at a small two person table near a front facing window.

Voices from all directions distracted me for a few minutes as they did every day. I couldn’t help wondering if they were all like me? Magical? If so, what could they do and why were they here? Were they being punished like I was?

“Oh, no, dear. You’re not being punished,” Bethilda said with tenderness.

“How did you…?” She smiled and set a plate down in front of me loaded with French toast and perfectly cooked bacon. ”And how did you know this is what I wanted?” I stared at her with narrowed eyes. “You can read minds, can’t you?”

She gave me an impish smile, lifting and lowering one shoulder in a half shrug. “I can.”

“Why didn’t you say so before?”

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you, being that you’re not quite sure of yourself and your abilities, yet.”

She was pretty awesome, I had to admit. She’d tried to show me that I could use a little magic to make a bed or to move clothes from drawers and closets to the bed and back again. She’d tried to help me write simple spells for small things. It was like Magic 101, except I was failing every subject.

Clothes ended up on the floor.

The cold water turned on instead of the hot.

The bed flipped itself over, and the sheets flung themselves out the window.

And my spells? Oh yes, those were special. I’d blown up Bethilda’s kitchen at least twice and I’d melted four pounds of butter all over the floor, causing serious injury to two of her cooks.

I appreciated everything she tried teaching me, but I honestly didn’t think this magic thing was for me.

“Yes, it is. Don’t be so hard on yourself, dear. You’re coming along just fine.”

“I did come up with a new spell last night before I went to sleep, so maybe…” I offered hopefully.

“A new spell? Well, look at you. See?”

Her words were supportive and encouraging, but her eyes darted around before focusing on me again. She didn’t believe I could do it, either.

“Oh yes, I do. I’m just not sure my kitchen can survive you.”

Available as an ebook:

Amazon Kindle

Welcome to Witchin’ Spice Bakery or what’s left of it… My name is Broo. Yes, Broo. Just Broo. And I’m new here. Like, you know, NEW! So, we’re going to be learning this witch-y stuff together. And I hope you’re taking notes because I may need to sneak a peek at them later.

See, I didn’t know I had these color changing magical powers that would make a box of crayons jealous and put me at the top of the therapist’s schedule. That is if I needed a therapist. Which I don’t. Maybe.

And… I didn’t know that being dropped in Blue Balls Falls, Virginia would alert the Wicked Shitz and prompt an unwanted and nasty family reunion with my messed up in the head Papa Warlock.

But of course, it couldn’t just be a quick visit and don’t use your magic around humans again thing. Nope. Because there’s also a cursed frog in need of a kiss, a group I call the Prayer Chain because they travel in a pack and stick together no matter what, and a wand that needs a bit of love and understanding.

The blowing up of Witchin’ Spice Bakery, though? Yeah, let’s not talk about that one, okay?

Author’s Note: This is an original story set lightly inside Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Kindle World.


For More Information On Robyn Peterman’s Magic and Mayhem Kindle World, Click HERE
For More Information on Kindle Worlds, Click HERE

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Wild Ever After Release!

Buy Now!

It’s pretty, ain’t it!?! *squee*

Wild Ever After is hot, short, a bit emotional. It’s a forty-something married couple who’ve been apart for a while and a decision had to be made whether to go forward or…not.

Senator Harry Walker vowed to never subject himself, his children, or his wife to the very public scandals that had plagued his family name since before he was born.

But one night…

One wild night of fantasy and the carefully constructed lines between his public and private lives blurred.

Their names littered the papers. He sent his wife to her hometown of Baltimore and out of the spotlight. And his political career lay in shambles.

That was one year ago. On her birthday.

She wouldn’t come home. She wouldn’t even speak to him and Harry Walker has had enough. It’s time to put their lives back together and his beloved… back on her knees.

It’s my contribution to Mari Carr’s Wild Irish Kindle World. This is the first launch day for it, but man, y’all, she’s got more people lined up for a launch in October this year and is planning a whopper of a launch for March next year!

Releasing today with me are the following incredible, amazing, OMG I can’t believe I’m part of this with them, authors:

Erin Nicholas: Wild Enough

Elle Boon: Wild and Dirty

Rhian Cahill: Wild Rush

Lexxie Couper: Outback Wild

Desiree Holt: One Wild Ride

Heather Hiestand: Wild Image

Melanie Shawn: Falling For Wild

Bianca D’Arc: Wild Irish Rose

Won’t you please check them ALL out and if your finger gets a little itchy… It just means you need to 1-Click!

~lissa

 

It’s The Final…Book. Or… Not…

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I have a new release today. it’s the 4th and final book in my Black & White Series in Eliza Gayle’s Southern Shifters Kindle World.

Writing in someone else’s world, one that they lovingly and painstakingly created was a challenge, one I didn’t think I’d create anything but one story around. But here we are and there are 4.

The characters I created… Bex and Gus, Michael and Maxine, Marcel and Mari, Leah and Blake, even Gus’s parents, Beck, the Mayor, and the newest character, Roan… these are my characters and I will be taking them outside the Southern Shifters Kindle World and into my own world that will at some point intersect with my dormant Denali Heat series that will get new life breathed into it.

Luke Blackwood is not a character I created. He is one of Eliza’s characters and I cannot take him out of the Kindle World. He must stay there. Others will write about him in their own way and it’s possible I’ll return to write a tale about him myself. But it won’t be anytime soon.

This series was a labor of love and learning and frustration and headaches and fear.

I also know that there will be some who will hate the way it ended. Others will understand and look forward to the next series. But I had to stay true to what Bex and Gus were telling me over these last months. And when all was said and done, I did what they, the characters dictated to me.

I have always been a character driven author and am proud to remain so. I have nothing but love for this book and this series.

I appreciate each and every reader who read it from start to finish and who loved it more with each book and always, always asked for more. Thank you. So very much.

Blurb:

Tracking Luke Blackwood, wolf shifter and all around pain in the ass, hadn’t been the toughest part of Gus’s current situation. No… Lying to his mate had been.

While Bex was home overseeing the renovations on her house, Gus and Luke were working to gather information on their enemies. But in their absence, danger has closed in on Bex and the ragtag band of werewolves and werebears left behind to watch out for her.

When the threat causes her to lose everything she owns, lines in the sand blur and choices have to be made. The safety of not only their immediate friends and family, but that of all the shifters in and around the Dragon and Deal’s Gap depends on it.

Author’s Note: This fast paced story is the final installment of my Black & White series within Eliza Gayle’s Southern Shifters Kindle World.

Author’s Additional Note: This cannot be read as a standalone. If you try, you will be very confused. Please start with book one, Ink To Bear.

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