Liebster Award

Oh, no! Not another meme! Recently, Olene Quinn nominated me for The Liebster Award. In case you're wondering what Liebster means -- I know I was -- it's a German word meaning sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

Gee, after hearing all that, how can I not play along as a nominee for this award which is meant to promote bloggers. If you're listed as one of my 11 bloggers that I nominate, please pass it on if you have time.

Readers, hope you discover a new blog to love from those I nominate.

Rules

Sigh. There are always rules, aren't there?

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer. (I'm doing no-brainer questions for my nominees.)
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them. (I'll email, Tweet, or Comment on your blog -- whichever I have time for.)
5. No tag backs!
6. Post an image of the award on your blog. There are many versions available. (Just copy the image above or plug Liebster Award image into a search engine of your choice to choose another.)

That's it. If you want to play along, just post your answers, your nominees, etc. on your own blog.

11 Facts About Me

1. I'm petite.
2. I love lemon meringue pie.
3. My husband is my soul mate.
4. I've been in a haunted house -- totally true.
5. My daughter and I have what the family laughingly calls a "brain link." I have had experiences when I literally heard her scream for me (heard it in my head -- crazy huh?) and I did rush to the rescue which was a good thing.
6. My mother and my maternal grandmother had some kind of, I hesitate to say psychic ability, but that's the only way it can be described. I have had dreams about things that actually happened. So much so that if I warn the kids about something, they listen up.
7. I love just about any kind of music.
8. I am intensely loyal.
9. I hate injustice of any kind.
10. I owned my own airplane once.
11. My grandfather lived to be 100.

11 Questions from Olene Quinn

1. Cats or dogs?
Dogs

2. If you could have one person’s fashion sense, who’s would it be?
Coco Chanel

3. Do you like to cook?
Yes

4. Coffee or tea?
Coffee but also tea

5. PC or Mac?
PC but want a Mac

6. What or whom makes you feel the most peaceful?
Being on top of all situations, caught up, not overwhelmed by a huge To Do list

7. Do you keep a garden?
I always want to but never have the time

8. What is your favorite movie?
Impossible to answer. I'm a movie freak

9. What is the worst book or movie you’ve seen or read lately?
Worst movie -- In Bruges, compelling but like watching a train wreck

10. Do you have a goal for 2013? If yes, what is it?
Yes, be happy and healthy

11. Are you spontaneous or methodical?
By nature spontaneous, but I try to curb that with heavy doses of methodical

My 11 Nominees

1. Suzan Harden -- http://wildwickedwacky.blogspot.com/

2. Randall R. Peterson -- http://randallrpeterson.blogspot.com/

3. Donna Fasano-- http://donnafasano.blogspot.com/

4. Donna Maloy -- http://tangledwords.com/

5. Anne Marie Novark -- http://justwritewithannemarienovark.blogspot.com/

6. Bella Street -- http://bellastreetwrites.blogspot.com/

7. Mona Risk -- http://monarisk.blogspot.com/

8. Caroline Clemmons -- http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

9. Wendy Tokunaga -- http://blog.wendytokunaga.com/

10. Milly Taiden -- http://millytaiden.com/blog/

11. Cathy Perkins -- http://cperkinswrites.com/

11 No-Brainer Questions For My Nominees

1. Last book you read?
2. Last movie you saw?
3. Movie you want to see?
4. Favorite article of clothing?
5. Did you read comic books as a kid?
6. Wine or beer?
7. Favorite music?
8. Favorite childhood toy?
9. Favorite teacher in school and why?
10. What do you eat usually for breakfast? 
11. If you could have 1 wish granted, what would it be?

Takeaway Truth

Memes are fun! Happy Friday!

Author Donna Fasano Talks Sweet Romance

This morning we're having coffee with Donna Fasano who writes heartwarming romance.

Donna, author of The Merry-Go-Round, is well known for her sweet romances that have been print published, ebook published, and are now available as audio books.

Here's Donna Fasano to tackle The Dirty Dozen!

1. Do you read ebooks? If so, what device do you use?
Kindle, iPad, and my iPhone....I most often use my Kindle Fire.

2. Do you listen to audio books? If so, what device do you use?
I've just recently become a member of Audible. I hope to start listening to audio books on my iPhone, but I don't know if I can. At the moment, I've downloaded books to my laptop. I obviously need to do more research.

(Note from Joan: To read on your iPhone, simply download the free app from Audible. Your entire library will be available to you.)

3. When did you enter the indie publishing arena, and how has it affected your career?
Wow! I never expected to become an Indie Author. About four years ago, I took a sabbatical from my 20-year traditional-publishing career in order to take care of my terminally ill father. A couple of colleagues told me about their adventures in indie publishing, and I decided to give it a shot. I haven't looked back. I'm learning something new every single day. This career-change has ignited a flame of excitement and ambition I've never experienced before.

4. What's the best thing about being an indie author?
More control, and more money. Did I say more control? I love being able to write whatever it is I want to write.

5. What's the worst thing about being an indie author?
No boss looking over my shoulder which makes it too easy to side-step my self-made deadlines. However, I will say that I work much harder now than I ever did as a traditionally published author. I recently read a funny quote: "An entrepreneur is someone who works 80 hours a week in order to avoid working 40 hours a week." That describes me perfectly.

6. What would you like to tell readers if you could appear in front of all of them?
I'd like to ask readers to let go of their preconceived notions regarding independent publishing. Not so long ago, self-publishing was a dirty word in the publishing industry. That is swiftly changing. There are lots of good books out there that have been written by excellent authors who are finding new and innovative ways to get their work into the hands of readers.

I'm an independent author not because I can't find a traditional publishing house -- I've been there, done that. I am an Indie Author because that's the career path I choose for myself, because I want to have control over the stories I write, because I feel I deserve the lion's share of the royalties from the books I write rather than the smattering I used to earn.

Don't get me wrong. I was happy writing for that New York City publisher. I can call myself a bestselling, award-winning author whose books have sold over 3 1/2 million copies worldwide because of that New York City publisher. But technology has changed the world, and I intend to move with the times and take advantage of those changes. I hope readers will try to understand and maybe even embrace my adventurous spirit.

7. Of all the books you've written and published, what is your favorite book? Why?
Although I love all my books and I'm proud of each and every one, I think I'd have to say that my favorite is The Merry-Go-Round.

I'm so happy that an audio book edition of The Merry-Go-Round is now available too. The book's protagonist, Lauren, is a professional woman who -- in doing what she thinks is best for herself and her future -- makes a terrible mistake. We see her working through the awful result and, ultimately, coming out on the other side, stronger, smarter, happier, and a much more compassionate person. The characters in all my books develop and grow over the course of their stories, but I think Lauren is the character who changes the most.

8. If you were a casting director and that book was being produced as a movie, who would you cast in the major roles?
I could easily see Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck in the lead roles. Hey! This could be their first movie together. For the secondary characters, I'd choose Robert De Niro for the grumpy Lew, and Diane Keaton (or Goldie Hawn) for the vivacious Norma Jean. Seeing that book made into a movie would be the ultimate FUN (for me, at least).

9. Now that you are having audio books produced from all your titles, what do you think is the most difficult aspect of the audio book experience?
Choosing the perfect narrator. The voice over actor has to be talented AND he/she has to be able to interpret the story the way I heard it play out in my head when I wrote it. No easy feat.

10. How did you go about choosing your narrator?
I asked for advice from seasoned authors (such as yourself, Joan). And I listened to many (read: MANY) audio book samples.

11. What are you currently working on?
I'm finishing up a romance novel with the working title Hindsight. It's about a couple who were torn apart as teens due to the racist views of others. The story opens with the child of that teen tryst, now a teenager himself, finding himself in trouble with the law. The young man's parents are forced to come together again to see what can be done about their son's delinquent behavior. Attraction instantly stirs their desire for each other, but the labyrinth of bitterness and blame over the past presents a huge challenge that threatens to overwhelm these once passionate lovers.

12. Where online can readers find you?
Oh, I'm all over!
Blog: http://www.DonnaFasano.com
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/DonnaFaz

Takeaway Truth

For heartwarming romance full of home truths, try a book by Donna Fasano.

Banned? Need To Know News

I've been hearing a lot of people grumble about being banned by Facebook, Twitter, or some of the other social networks.

Whether you're just an ordinary person who loves social networking or a writer or other business person with a following to nurture, getting banned will not make you happy.

Most of these people say they don't know why they were banned. I suspect I know the reason for a few of them, but I thought I'd send you to Make Use Of, one of my favorite websites, for the skinny on why social networks may ban a user.

The report covers the most popular sites: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Takeaway Truth

If your social networks are vital to you or your career, don't make these mistakes or you may find yourself banned.

Promotion Opportunity at Free Book Dude

Have you heard about Free Book Dude?

I had a nice email from Bradi who helps run this website which she says is "dedicated to helping authors, especially indie authors, find readers and reach new audiences."

How It Works

They do this by posting free Amazon Kindle books every hour -- fiction and non-fiction. They do not expect the authors participating in free promotions to be bestselling authors and/or have a bunch of 5-star reviews.

They offer at least 48 authors the chance to be seen by thousands of possible new readers every day. To that end, they have expanded FreeBookDude. They've added monthly contests to help authors get their books into the hands of new readers and book reviews and daily guest posts from authors across all genres. They plan to begin scheduling blog and book tours for authors at a low cost.

They're in the process of signing up authors for their new authors helping authors blog network. If you're interested, fill out the Free Book Dude Tour Host Form on the website.

What's In It For You

Helping authors who wouldn’t normally be able to reach new readers due to financial, personal or any other reason. Oh, and that "warm, fuzzy feeling you will get...."

They will hold drawings for hosts from time to time and "will be promoting our tours and authors tirelessly," according to Bradi, which should bring "increased traffic to your site, free ebooks for you and new and fresh content for your readers."

Takeaway Truth

To see if this promotional opportunity is for you, drop byFree Book Dude and check it out.

No Time To Read? Listen To A Good Book!

Last week I discovered something interesting. BBC Audiobooks America, a well-known publisher of audio books, is now AudioGO.

AudioGO is not only a leading publisher of audiobooks in the U.S. and Canada, but also the exclusive North American distributor for BBC Audiobooks, one of the most respected and prolific publishers of unabridged audiobooks and radio dramatizations in the world today.

Since my romantic comedy novels began to be produced as audiobooks, which thrilled me to pieces, I really became interested in the audiobook scene. Of course, I'd listened to audio books for years, and, in the past, I've even interviewed some of the more popular audiobook narrators.

If you haven't discovered the convenience of audiobooks, let me give you a really good reason why you should add audiobooks to your library.

Why Audiobooks?

Reading the popular nonfiction and fiction books out there reflects well on you in social and business circles.

Let's imagine you're at the company Christmas party, and your boss says, "Tell me, Smith. What did you think about that Brian Tracy book, Eat That Frog?"

If you read the book, you're safe. If you didn't, you've lost a chance to impress the boss. So what do you do? Stumble over an explanation of how you didn't have time to read that popular self-help book – probably because you spend 18 hours a day trying to impress your slave-driver boss with your hard work.

If you listened to audiobooks, you could have heard the entire book on your commutes to and from work, whether that's driving through rush hour traffic or taking mass transit.

Indeed, lack of time is one reason so many readers have turned to audiobooks to keep up with the nonfiction and fiction being published today.

Social Stress

What if you're meeting the parents of your significant other for the first time? Now there's a situation fraught with stress. What do you say to these strangers whom you desperately want to impress? Perhaps the mother is an Agatha Christie fan, particularly the Hercule Poirot mysteries – but you're not. You were probably told this in advance. If you were smart, you'd have read one of the books.

However, for many people, reading a book that isn't their taste is arduous. It's so much easier to listen to the book especially when a full-cast dramatization of a book breathes life into the material. I've often described the audiobook editions of my novels as listening to a great romantic comedy movie. That's what really good voice actors do for a book – even for a book you feel forced to read, as in the "meet the parents" scene above.

Cultural Past

You see, it wasn't so long ago that people were judged by the books they read. Once it was common to peruse a host's bookshelf to see what they bought – and to see if it was worn from reading. Educated people, business people, and the "in crowd" were readers. Books were discussed at formal dinners and cocktail parties as well as at casual "meet and greet" events.

That's why you still see books and authors featured on late night talk shows and early morning news shows. In fact, due to the popularity of ebooks, reading is cited more now as a pastime than in the past. People read in bits and pieces of time using their cell phones, ebook readers, or tablets.

For those who can't even find the odd minutes in a day to do this, there are audiobooks.

Rising Popularity

Once just for the blind, audiobooks became available to the general public in the 1970's, first in libraries. Shortly thereafter, you could find them in bookstores. By the turn of the century, they took up quite a bit of real estate in the big box stores. Now, in this era of digital downloads, the audio book industry is booming.

At audiobook sellers, like AudioGO, you can get an audiobook on CD and MP3CD, or you can download online with options as to what to do with the download.

Takeaway Truth

In today's world, there's really no excuse for not keeping up with the books everyone talks about when audio books make it so easy.

Review: Killing Floor & Die Trying by Lee Child

My husband and I are slowly working our way through the audiobook editions of the Jack Reacher novels.

Killing Floor, Book 1 of the series, was the first audiobook of a Jack Reacher novel that my darling hubs and I bought. We'd read several of the Lee Child novels so we figured the audiobook would be good entertainment.

If you like your entertainment suspenseful, taut, gritty, and with a strong mystery too, this book is definitely for you.

Dick Hill did an amazing job as narrator. He brought this book to life and made it feel as if we were listening to an action movie with all the elements guys love: blazing guns, strong hero, evil bad guys, and a high body count!

(Ah, the things I do for my hubby -- like listening to Stephen Hunter and Lee Child novels. *g*)

Wrong Place; Wrong Time; Right Hero

Die Trying, the second book of the series, finds Reacher in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he nearly loses his life because of it.

Wrong place and wrong time, yes, but Reacher is definitely the right man for the situation in which he finds himself embroiled.

Die Trying is narrated by Jonathan McClain, who does several of the Reacher novels, and this book is a thrill ride. Just when you think there's no possible way the situation can get any worse, it does.

Just when you think there's no way out, Jack Reacher creates one.

Lee Child does a masterful job in creating a taut, suspenseful, ripped-from-the-headlines story, and McClain does an equally masterful job of narration.

All in all, this audiobook is excellent. It will keep you on the edge of the seat, and you won't be able to stop listening!

Takeaway Truth

Seriously, if you're looking for hero material, check out Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels. You won't be disappointed.

Review: His Wife For A While by Donna Fasano

His Wife for a While by Donna Fasano is a heartwarming Sweet Romance.

Donna is great at creating characters that seem real -- with the mixture of strengths and weaknesses that real people have. Best of all, she's at the top of the game in writing a sweet romance filled with emotion and characters who end up yearning for each other -- like Chelsea and Ben in this story. For comic relief, there's Ben's Aunt May.

(If you're interested in the audio book, Narrator Mary Lynn Bowen is skillful and brings this romance to life. She's superb in voicing the different characters, but in Chelsea's voice, she really shines.)

His Wife For A While has depth. You'll root for Chelsea. She learns, with the help of others, to overcome the tragedy of her own past, and that is what really helps her to embrace her future. She earns her happy ending.

Takeaway Truth

Not only did I read the ebook, I bought the audio book too! Lovely romance with excellent narration!