Six Train’s a USA Best Book Awards Finalist!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Kourtney

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Drumroll please….

Last Thursday I got an email and found out that The Six Train to Wisconsin is a 2013 USA Best Book Awards Finalist in the cross-genre fiction category!

I was so happy, I danced around my desk and kissed Emerson. He tolerated it.

Then I fired off a bunch of emails to get the image above and send it to my cover designer to add to the book cover. I drafted a press release and sent it to several local papers. And I let everyone on FB know about it.

This means that the USA Book News website will keep Six Train visible on their website for 10 more months! That’s incredible visibility for an indie author.

And I owe a big big thank you to Carrie Rubin. Her novel, The Seneca Scourge, was an 2012 USA Best Book Awards Winner for the fiction ebook category and she inspired me to enter Six Train in this contest.

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Now onto some sales stats. All sales numbers are in for October. I sold 80 copies of Six Train. Woohoo.

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I’m scheduled to do a book club chat via Skype on Tuesday night at 11:45 pm for another LA book club. I’m so excited because the hostess is cooking Austrian food and it sounds like an epically awesome night.

I’m also judging declamations at Chase Collegiate on Friday morning.

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I’ve been working on the outline for Six Train’s sequel. Researching stuff and touching base with experts who can help me.

I got to chat with the awesome Terry Brennan about Brennan’s Green Brier in Butternut. So so great that he could find time to share an insider’s perspective. And he totally sparked my imagination for that scene. Thanks Terry!

 

 

 

Posted in Award, Promotion, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 60 Comments

8 Ways to Support Author Buddies on a Budget

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Kourtney

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Today, I thought I’d touch on all the ways you can support an author buddy without breaking the bank.

As an author, my income is in the 4 digits.So buying paperbacks is a luxury.

But I want to support my friends that are traditionally published and indie published.

What’s a girl to do?

1) If you can’t afford the Kindle version, go to your local library and request that they carry the book as a paperback or ebook.

It may result in a book sale for your author friend and now you can read a free copy of the book.

2) Offer to put out bookmarks in your area for the author.

Most authors are using their own dollars for promotion. They can’t be everywhere. They will gratefully send you swag and bookmarks to put out at libraries and stores in your area.

3) If you read the book, please write a brief review and post it to Amazon and Goodreads.

The more reviews on Amazon, the more Amazon promotes the book for the author. Authors need at least 30-50 reviews to get that attention from Amazon. Amazon then promotes the book to targeted readers. Libraries and readers look to Goodreads reviews when making purchasing decisions too.

4) Tell people about the book on Facebook, Twitter, and in person. Word of Mouth is gold!

Readers are influenced by their friends. If you like a book, please sing its praises in person and on social media. 

5) If an author comes to your area, make an effort to attend their event.

Authors travel on their own dime. If they are traveling to your area and invite you to an event, do your best to attend. It helps to have a friendly face in the audience. 

6) If you have a book club or know a book club, suggest that they read the book.

Authors love book clubs and many will happily attend in person or Skype video chat with a book club. 

7) If you have an Amazon credit card, use your points to splurge on a paperback.

Books are my one indulgence.  I use my Amazon points from buying gas and food to get books by my favorite authors for free. 

8) If you have a blog, offer them a spot for their blog tour.

Blog tours are tough to put together. Offering your space is a godsend to an author. 

Posted in Promotion, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 74 Comments

Top Five Promotional Tips from MARCON

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Kourtney
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Photo courtesy of Jennifer Fusco

In October, Rhonda and I headed out to White Plains for MARCON 2013–a one day extravaganza dedicated to marketing and promotion for authors. Worth every second and every cent spent.

I walked away with a week’s worth of work to do.

Thanks Jen, Sara, and Melanie!

1) Public speaking is all about engaging your audience. Make eye contact and complete a thought before your gaze shifts.  Don’t read from paper and don’t dance around.  

Courtesy of Sara Humphrey’s brilliant workshop–she revolutionized public speaking and appearances for me and gave me the courage to speak without notes.

2) Know your target audience and build your marketing plan around them.

Courtesy of Jennifer Fusco–she taught me how to craft  a brand statement and a marketing plan.

3) Make sure your blog tour is a balance of writer blogs, reader blogs, book review blogs, and any niche area of interest that fits your book. You want to get in front of as many potential readers as you can.

Courtesy of Melanie Meadors–she knows how to plan a blog tour to end all blog tours.

4) Metadata matters. Make sure the keywords for your website tie in to your book and you.

Jennifer Fusco is an expert at leveraging every form of media out there.

5) Marketing is about building relationships with your readers. Invest in them and they will invest in you.

Jennifer Fusco’s no-nonsense approach to marketing has shaped my indie career.

Posted in Conferences, Promotion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Author Talk for Career Day at Chase Collegiate

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Kourtney
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Photo by Mat Calabro
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseAlumni

On November 1st, I went back to my old high school, Chase Collegiate for Career Day. First time back on campus in 18 years. Yes, I graduated at 9. Amazing right? 😉

Many thanks to Mat Calabro, the Director of Alumni Relations, for everything he did to make that day a success!

The Chase Collegiate Alumni Association put together a top-notch day, pulling from a variety of backgrounds. Michele is a physician’s assistant, Karen is a lawyer, Bob’s a politician, Jim’s a finance guy, Ian is tech-brilliant, and I’m author-gal.

We met at the Alumni House on the corner of campus. In a corner I never ever ventured to in my days at the school.

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Photo by Mat Calabro
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseAlumni

The campus has changed so much over the years. Bigger buildings, better technology. Larger classes.

All good stuff.

But that meant we had to get up in front of 160 students and 20 teachers and introduce ourselves.

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Photo by Mat Calabro
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseAlumni

The largest group I’ve ever spoken in front of to date. Luckily, my oldest friend, Ant,  has a sister at Chase. She was in the front row and gave me a wave. Thanks Lexie!

I brought my notes, but I didn’t look at them once. Yay!

Afterwards, Mat whisked us over to the upper school building for our breakout sessions. On route, I saw Mr. Colligan, my American History teacher and gave him a quick hug.

Each of the alumni taught 3 back-to-back sessions on our career path.

My classroom had a smartboard (first time using one, but hopefully not the last).

Christian volunteered his laptop so my Powerpoint could get up and running. Thanks Christian!

My first session was packed. Mr. Schwoerke stayed to give moral support. It was so so great to have him there. He was my favorite math teacher.

The students asked insightful and smart questions and kept me on my toes for our 15 minute Q&A. It was fun to share my experiences and see how interested they were in writing and publishing.

I gave out some freebies–bookmarks, business cards, Hugh Bob and The Hustle stickers. Pens for asking questions and one swag bag per session to the student with the birthday nearest to mine–yes, authors can be that self-absorbed.

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Photo by Mat Calabro
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseAlumni

The second session went faster and by the time I finished the third session, I was so enjoying the Q&A that I wanted to go a few more rounds.

Mat came and gathered all the alumni for lunch. I ran into Mr. Behan in the hall. He was my Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus teacher–which were some of my favorite subjects. I was a total nerd back then. Karen and I got to walk to lunch with him. So great to catch up!

I had lunch with him and Dr. Bingham, the Latin professor.

The dining hall has changed a bit–no more student servers and a giant salad bar. But the same sturdy round wooden tables and chairs remain.

After the students left, I got to hang out with Karen,  Ian, and Mat. It was nice to get to know them.

I’m always in my Kour cave writing or promoting lately so it’s rare to just sit and chat with people.

It was an amazing day and I am really grateful that I could be a part of it. Many thanks to Mat and Chase Collegiate for inviting me!

Posted in author appearance, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

An Evening of Wine and Words in Manhattan: My Final Book Tour Stop

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Kourtney

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On October 23rd from 6-8pm at Salon 2b, my photography from Six Train was on exhibit and available for purchase!

I sold 8 of the 9 framed photographs and sold 2 of the 4 sets of 4x6s. It was an incredibly successful first showing!

We also sold 17 books! Which meant we were able to make a nice donation to the Dynamite Youth Center and October was a very profitable month for me. So double Yay!

But most importantly, I got to see all my favorite NY people again. Former bosses, co-workers, and friends came out to support me. I also made new friends with Salon 2b’s delightful guests.

It was a most magical night and the perfect ending to my book tour.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

My amazing Andersen/Protiviti mentor Micah, boss Carol, and colleague John. I’ve known them all since 2000.

And to have them show up for my event–it made my night. 🙂

They are the reason I had such a successful career in the city. They taught me everything I know about time management and project management.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

We had about 30 people there. Which allowed me a few minutes to chat with each guest. Perfect gathering.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

It was so so good to see my last boss Stephen and my coworker Zach. We had some great times together. Having them show up to support me was beyond awesome.

The other gentleman, Tim, became a friend by the end of the night and purchased one of my photos for him and his lovely significant other, Elizabeth.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

Me doing my author talk and reading.  I kept it to 10 minutes. Which seemed the perfect length for a party setting.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

That’s my oldest friend Ant, my agent Lyndsay, and my MWA Symposium buddy Jackie. What amazed me was how everyone flowed through the party and no one was left out. What a terrific group of people!

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Sade, my cousin’s coworker came down to join us.

The gentleman in the suit is my old RBC coworker Nouhoum who drove in from Stamford to the Bronx and then took a train into Manhattan. Just to be there for me.

Wow. And after a full day’s work too. That’s above and beyond.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

My cousin Amanda, Aunt Cindi, cousin Gene, and second cousin  Vicki all came out too.

My cousins both live in the city and despite their crazy schedules made sure they were there.

Gene took an earlier flight in from Chicago to be there.

Amanda tracked down the Butternut wine and made sure it was delivered for the event. It was a delicious Chardonnay and made the night!

My aunt and second cousin took time off from work and came in from CT. My aunt also framed each photo for me!

That’s mad family love.

Mom and Dad were there too. They arranged our caravan from CT. But Mom was the official photographer so you won’t see her in a photo.

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

Carina and my dad catching up. We’ve been trying to get her out to CT to visit. Hope Dad talked her into it!

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Photo by Sandra Tansley

These are two of my college friends! Carina and I studied abroad in Beijing and have been friends since 1998!

She put me up in her family’s apartment when I first moved to the city in 2000. She bought one of my photographs too!

Brett and I were classmates at Georgetown and sat beside each other at graduation. He helped me get my first job in the city and we’ve had some crazy adventures in the city.

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Many thank yous to Zhauna, Daniel, Jenna of Salon 2b for making this evening possible!

Zhauna handled all the transactions so I could talk and sign books. She made my night ten times easier. She opened her home to everyone for the event!

Daniel hung each photo perfectly so they were all even and at the perfect level for the eye. He made sure the night ran smoothly and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Jenna prepped the glasses and the food and helped make the night a huge success!

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I owe a 1000 thank yous to each and every person who showed up to share in Six Train’s and my night! You made it unforgettable. Thank you!

Posted in author appearance, Promotion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 46 Comments

Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Kourtney

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Hope you have a ghoulishly grand day!

My mom and I drew faces on our pumpkin. Guess who drew the scary and who drew the sweet face…

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And a very Happy Halloween Birthday shout out to my cousin Gene! 🙂

Posted in Personal, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

Toronto in Pictures

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Kourtney

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The view from my friend Lily’s living room–that’s Lake Ontario.

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Hockey Hall of Fame on Front Street. On route to TD Bank to get Canadian Dollars.

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The tastiest and most expensive cheeseburger at Bottom Line. Every topping was extra but they didn’t mention that until the bill came.

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Hart House was the most beautiful building on the University of Toronto campus. Made me wish I was going for a PhD just so I could hang out there.

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Dinner at a great Japanese place off Yonge Street with my old RBC buddies.

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CN tower and RBC building on Front St enroute to subway.

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Toronto’s subway–pretty easy to navigate. If I’d had a map.  This was the afternoon I subwayed all over the city. I walked into two museums and walked right out because they were filled with screaming kids and/or crowded and hot. I won’t spend $25 to be miserable.

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Hart House was majestic. Made me long for my Georgetown days.

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Lake Ontario is stunning in the afternoon.

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Boardwalk by Lake Ontario was well blinding at 5 pm.

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Ginormous reuben sandwich and poutine.

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Forever Bicycles exhibit

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Photo by Lily Hum

Dimsum Shrimp shumai

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Photo by Lily Hum

Dimsum steamed pork buns

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Yonge Street at night

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

The time keeper: Book Review

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Kourtney

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If you only have time to read one more book in 2013, READ THIS BOOK!

Beautifully written. Poignant. Life changing.

One of my favorite lines from the book is “A heart weighs more when it splits in two; it crashes in the chest like a broken plane.”

This is the story of the first person, Dor, who attempted to measure time.  And the punishment he must endure for his actions.

The ramifications of his actions trickling through humanity. And he must reach out to two people who cry out for more time and less time.

The author captures the angst of a teen and the fear of an elderly man so perfectly that the characters live and breathe on the page. As a reader, I identified with all three of the protagonists.

It is a brilliantly executed fable that sucks the reader in from the first line and keeps them immersed in the story until the very end.

It was one of the most meaningful books I’ve read and one I think I’ll reread in years to come when I need perspective on time and what truly matters in life.

 

Posted in Book Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

I <3 Hart House+ EPIC Ebook Finalist + Final Book Tour Event

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Kourtney

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I am so excited to announce that The Six Train to Wisconsin is a finalist for EPIC’s Ebook Awards 2014 in the paranormal category! The winner will be announced in March. So I get to savor being a finalist for 5 months. 🙂

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The Hart House event on October 10th was a wonderful night!

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Photo by Lily Hum

Stephanie Kang spent months working with me to make it all come together. She was there every step of the way down to helping me lay out the display table and figure out the format for the night.

10,000 thank yous to Steph for making it such a magical literary evening.

We had about 25 people in the audience. This was one of the best coordinated and organized events of my entire book tour because of Steph and the amazing people at Hart House.

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My amazing former coworkers (Igleka, Lily, Max, & Johnny SOX) and good friends came out to support me. They sat in the front row and eased my nerves as I spoke without consulting my notes.

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Photo by Ashton Price

My blog buddy Catherine Forsley and her musical partner Ashton Price came and sat in the front row too!

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Photo by Lily Hum

I loved the atmosphere and setting of Hart House. They set me up in their library. Beautiful wood work and gorgeous stone fireplace.

It was my first time speaking off the cuff. I was pretty nervous. Either my hands were flying around or gripping themselves. But I realized the audience is more engaged when I’m engaging with them and not a piece of paper.

Everyone enjoyed my reading so much so that they asked for an encore. The Q&A was a lively back and forth. Lots of fantastic questions. It was awesome to have such an attentive audience. Torontonians are the best.

The signing went well too. I sold 10 books. Woohoo.

I also made several new friends and I hope to hear from my U of T friends soon!

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My final book tour event is this Wednesday, October 23rd from 6-8 pm at Salon 2b in Manhattan. If you’re in the city, please drop by.

Wine, cheese, and fruit will be served along with a short reading from the novel and a Q&A about the story.

For the first time ever, my photography from the book will be for sale. A portion of the profits from this evening’s book and photo sales will be donated to benefit the Dynamite Youth Center.

This is the last stop on the Six Train book tour, ending where it all began.

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The final sales numbers are in for September, I sold 63 books.

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I am behind in my blog reading, I will be catching up soon. My apologies–I was traveling Oct 9-13 and then I got a bad chest cold Oct 14-19.  I needed to rest up for my next event so some things fell behind. I promise to catch up very soon!

Posted in author appearance, Award, Contest, Promotion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 38 Comments

Fall with Grandma H

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Kourtney

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It has been far too long since the last Grandma H post. So I bring you the highlights of this fall with Grandma H…

Grandma H and I snuck in a Wednesday outing in September. I asked her to stop at my bank to make a quick deposit.

She pulls up to the drive-through window. As the teller is processing my transaction, Grandma H tells me, “I gotta go cash a check. I’m broken.”

“Really? And you think cashing a check will fix you?” I ask. “Maybe we need to see a doctor if you’re broken.”

She giggles, “I mean I’m broke.”

The teller is trying so hard not to laugh but a smile breaks out across his face.

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We go to the library to pick up the new biography that Grandma H is dying to read on Ava Gardner.

She asks the librarian, “Who put the book on hold for me? She was so nice.”

The librarian says, “There’s no name on the hold card. Was it the blonde who works at the circulation desk?”

Grandma H replies, “No, it’s someone sorta important.” She turns to me, “Kour, she was at the podium with you.”

She means the night I had my library talk in June. My mind blanks and then I say, “Suzanne.”

The librarian says, “She’s right there.”

Suzanne waves and says,  “Hi! We got James Stewart’s biography.”

Grandma H says, “Not interested.”

Suzanne says, “Really? He’s very popular. Most people liked him.”

Grandma H says, “He’s not sexy.”

The entire library burst out laughing.

Grandma H and I leave and she asks, “Why did they laugh? Did I say something wrong?”

I say, “You implied that your reading was based on sexiness. That’s kinda funny for someone your age.”

“Oh, no,” she says, “I just meant he wasn’t sexy so I didn’t find him interesting.”

I laugh.

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We’re on the front porch talking about a day trip somewhere. My uncle says. “I’m getting a hotel room for the night.”

Grandma H says, “Well you’ll be there alone…with a prostitute.”

The whole family erupts in giggles.

She adds to me, “Can you picture it?”

“I don’t want to,” I say.

My uncle asks, “What did you she say?”

Grandma H responds, “I don’t boil my cabbage twice,” and refuses to repeat herself.

****

Grandma H was talking about how my uncle keeps the yard looking great and says, “You should have him down, cutting your bush.”

I nearly died.

Posted in Personal, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 45 Comments