My first genuinely heartfelt one star review! I have finally arrived as an author!

I have been told this day would come and until then, you're not a real author. So I guess I am now official...and real...if this is what it takes. I don't fault the reviewer for expressing her opinion about my book, First Love, strong as it was. However, I do find it unfortunate that she admitted she did not finish the story, or she might have felt differently at the end. But that aside, this is my "sex scene" that she referred to. Yes, I did tell it her was implied, because in my opinion it was. To me a sex scene describes sex. This doesn't describe sex. Do you agree or disagree? I won't freak out if you have a different opinion, so go ahead and express yourself. :)

Boundaries forgotten, they found comfort in each other's arms, and by the time they finished he was completely exhausted. While their bodies were satiated, the ache that had propelled him toward physical intimacy remained. Only now, there was an added layer of guilt.

Now on to the review. I am withholding the reviewer's name and the site I found it on in order to keep it somewhat anonymous as I know some people will strongly disagree and want to defend my book. Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl. Anyhoo, here it is...

"If you are looking for a clean Christian romance, this is not the book for you. This is EDGY inspirational fiction. I was concerned about accepting this when I realized it was written by an author who writes "edgy inspirational fiction", but was assured there were no sex scenes, mostly implied mess ups and remembering what had happened in the past. That is not what I read.

I think this story line could have been done very tastefully and without crossing the line. Unfortunately, it was not. I stopped reading when it got too graphic for me to be comfortable. There was no character development that I saw, not even a real relationship between the main characters outside of their past sexual relationship and them remembering what they had done and realizing they still wanted to do it. Even that would have been fine if it hadn't been described in about every other paragraph.

I don't understand how an author who is trying to show that it is wrong to be intimate before marriage is willing to describe that intimacy in such detail. Yuck. I cannot recommend this book to anyone."

So there you have it. My first blistering review. For those who are curious I will say this...one of the key elements of the story was that their prior relationship was based on physical intimacy and they didn't know each other very well as people, just from their sexual relationship. So my characterization showed that as she so clearly stated. But it was intentional on my part. I thought the back cover description made it clear that this book wasn't a sweet romance. I'm not sure what else I can do to make things clearer. I am pretty sure she will not read any more of my books. That's okay with me.

A place to win free books for bloggers. Pass it on!

February 1^st Tyndale will be introducing a newly designed, more user friendly, and information packed site. As a blogger and social media user here are some exciting features that can benefit you:

Links to all of Tyndale’s social media sites.

A list of all Tyndale authors and their blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts, etc.

A place where you can share stories about Tyndale products that have had an effect on your life.

Under product details you can post reviews with a link to your own blog so others can see the exciting other books you’ve been reviewing.

To celebrate the launch of this new site, Tyndale is giving away four books a day in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Bibles, and Kids.

All you have to do is visit the site to sign up. If you don’t win one day, keep coming back to sign up!

Feel free to pass this information along to your friends, family, blog readers, Facebook friends, or Twitter followers. Don’t feel obligated to pass this information along, but please visit www.tyndale.com starting on February 1^st for a chance to win!

New announcement from Desert Breeze, my publisher

Desert Breeze Publishing BOOK CLUB!

We are proud to introduce the newest way to enjoy all your favorite authors and genres!

The DESERT BREEZE PUBLISHING EXCLUSIVE BOOK CLUB!

Every book you buy brings you closer to a free read!

Guidelines of the Club -- It's so easy!

First, make sure you are a registered customer at the Desert Breeze Publishing website.

Sign up for the Club by emailing DBPBookClub@DesertBreezePublishing.com
· Please provide your name and your customer number.
· If you're already a registered customer, no need to register again.


Purchase a total of 10 books.

Within 30 days of your 10th purchase, you will receive a personalized promotion code for your 11th book. There is no time limit on the promotional code.

Membership in the BOOK CLUB is absolutely FREE. No sign up fee, no registration fee.

There is no time limit in which you need to purchase your ten books. And after you make your 10 purchases -- and receive your 11th free book -- you can start all over again!

Already a purchasing customer at Desert Breeze Publishing? Sign up for the BOOK CLUB between now and December 1, 2009 and all your past purchases will be credited toward your 10 books! You could already be well on your way to a free book.

Want to know how many books you've purchased? Email CustomerService@DesertBreezePublishing.com, and we'll give you a status.

Limitations:

Only purchases made at the Desert Breeze Publishing website are eligible for inclusion in the BOOK CLUB. Purchases through Third Party vendors are not eligible.
Any refunds that may need to be processed will reduce your total purchases.
Books won through author or publisher promotional contests are not eligible for inclusion in the BOOK CLUB.

'Free' purchases, either via gift certificates or prizes etc, are not eligible for inclusion in the BOOK CLUB.

Your 11th free book does not count toward your next 10 books.

Only customers that have registered at Desert Breeze Publishing, and have requested to be signed up for the BOOK CLUB will have their purchases counted toward a free book. Retroactive purchases will only be counted for those customers who sign up with the club prior to December 1, 2009.

Description of Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton

You asked for details beyond the cool cover. Here you go!

About the book:

AVAILABLE AUGUST 1, 2009

Upon her fiancé's death, Laney became a recluse who only left her home for emergencies. She managed to survive - barely - on food delivery service and her work-at-home job. When she tries to move on from her grief, the commemorative meal she orders is ruined. However, it leads to an unlikely friendship with an attractive man, Bojan, who speaks little English. As he befriends Laney he continually says the wrong things, but he doesn't give up trying to win her trust.

Meanwhile, she has this strange feeling of being watched and wonders if she's losing her mind. Complicating things further, every time she leaves her house something bad happens, confirming that she is safer at home. Can Bojan convince Laney she'll be safe with him, or will his presence put her in further danger? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves before it's too late?

My thoughts:

This story is rated warm/sweet, which means it's a cross between these two categories...

Sweet - Novels with a 'Sweet' rating will have nothing more physical than some shared kisses. They may hold hands, embrace, enjoy limited displays of affection, but it goes no further. If there is physical intimacy, it is only implied.

Warm - Novels with a 'Warm' rating take things a little further. Kisses may be more heated, embraces may be more intense. Physical intimacy may or may not occur, but it 'goes to the door' and stops. No details.

(Okay, I couldn't resist. This is MICHELLE here, people. If you don't like my style, don't read the book. If you do enjoy tense romance, then definitely check it out. And please post a review, too. When a publisher allows a yummy romance I'm SO there! It's edgy in that regard but no "sinning" takes place. Just my trademark sizzle. If you like that you will enjoy this story. It's loaded with humor and romantic tension. And yeah, there is a creepy bad guy.)

This is an e-book, which means that for 5.99 you can own it. Eventually it will be a hard cover copy (in a year or so) but why wait when you can read it now? Laptops and PCs work just as well as Kindles, Sony Readers and iPhones.

My friend Melanie Dobson is giving away her latest release!

I just received this letter from Melanie today and I wanted to share it with you (with permission).

Melanie writes:

A few months ago, I traveled to a quaint little town in Indiana to research my first historical novel titled Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana—part of the Love Finds You series (novels set in small towns across the country). The book officially released June 1st, and it’s my first book to be carried in stores like Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club (yay!) as well as in bookstores and grocery stores across the country.

The story is about a Quaker woman in Liberty who runs an Underground Railroad station for runaway slaves and a young newspaper editor who fights for these same runaways with his pen. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed researching the real-life stories of people who helped runaways in the 1850s, and while I was in Liberty, I was able to crawl around in a few of these old homes to experience (on a very small scale) what it might have felt like to be hidden away in a cramped space while a slave hunter was pounding on the walls, intent on finding you and returning you to slavery.

These were courageous men and women who fled to freedom, and those who helped them demonstrated an amazing courage as well—risking steep fines, imprisonment, and sometimes their own lives to love their neighbors.

If you’d like to see pictures from my trip or get any more info about the Liberty book, you can find it at my website (http://www.melaniedobson.com/). Also, if you’d like to win a free copy of the novel, you can register by leaving a comment on my blog during the next two weeks (that link is also on my website). I will be giving away five copies on June 24th.

Thank you again for all of your encouragement and support!

Blessings,

Melanie

P.S. Please feel free to forward this info to anyone potentially interested in the book giveaway.

How Far Is Too Far?

In Christian fiction, sex and cursing—no. But graphic violence is fine.

by Jana Riess -- Publishers Weekly, 8/28/2006

To read the rest of this article simply click on the title of this column (above). I have to say I agree that the hypocrisy from CBA readers is killing me... not literally.

There is one week left for this special promotion from Harvest House!

AmishReader.com Launches Spring Giveaway
By Elizabeth Colclough

Eugene, Oregon— June 2, 2009—AmishReader.com is having its first-ever Spring Book Giveaway, giving readers the chance to win one of 12 autographed copies of its latest titles. Readers can enter on the AmishReader homepage at (www.AmishReader.com).

The giveaway, which officially began May 12, ends on June 12, 2009. No purchase is necessary to enter, and winners will be selected at random.


Readers can enter for the chance to win one of four following titles:

Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark— A high-tech thriller that takes readers on a twisting journey from the simple world of the Amish to the complex realm of DNA research.

Rachel’s Secret by BJ Hoff (Book One, The Riverhaven Years Trilogy) ― An Amish-themed historical drama/romance set against the backdrop of the Underground Railroad.

Rebecca’s Promise by Jerry Eicher (Book One, The Adams County Trilogy) ―The sweet story of a young woman torn between the man she loves and a promise made long ago.

A Widow’s Hope by Mary Ellis ― (Book One, The Miller Family Series) ― A heartwarming tale of a young widow who finds both trouble and the possibility of love when she moves with her sheep herd from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

AmishReader.com is an interactive site where readers of Amish fiction can discover new Amish-themed titles, connect with the authors of their favorite novels, and learn more about the Amish.

Create an outstanding newsletter by Penny C. Sansevieri

Reprint permission can be found at the end of the article.

What does it take to create an outstanding newsletter everyone will want to read? Here are a few simple steps you might want to consider:

1) Know your audience: this is first because it's most important. Know who you're writing for and who will be reading this. Make sure the information is relevant to them.

2) Go low on promotion: when it comes to promotional copy in a newsletter, I recommend the 95/5% rule: 95% helpful information and 5% sales copy. Trust me on this. I can't tell you how many newsletters I delete that are overly self-promotional. If the newsletter/email campaign is good, it will sell you. Trust me on this one.

3) Content, content, content: make sure the content is good and you've addressed the WIIFM factor (what's in it for me). If you don't ask this, your reader most certainly will. Over deliver on your content, you'll be glad you did.

4) Collaborate: if you're doing a newsletter and you don't think you have the bandwidth to write a whole newsletter yourself then collaborate with a few people who are in your industry but not direct competitors. Our newsletter does this, it's a collaboration of voices and, consequently, it is varied and rich in content.

5) Frequency: watch this one very closely. The general rule of thumb is that the more often you send out your newsletter the shorter it should be. So, if your newsletter goes out weekly, think of offering just a quick tip. If it goes out monthly then it can be longer. The same holds true for general email campaigns.

6) Give your newsletter a "voice". What I mean by this is give your newsletter a personality. You don't want a stale, monotone, unfriendly marketing piece that doesn't speak to your reader, do you? Show your personality, let it shine through. I like to think that our newsletter has a lot of our voice in it. In order to create "voice" you might want to follow some of the same rules that you do when blogging: don't hesitate to share an opinion, viewpoint, stance, advice, whatever. Speak to your reader, not at them.

7) Don't just sit there and read, do something! Make sure that you have a strong call to action in your newsletter, if you have several calls to action even better. Get your reader to do something, engage them in what you're writing, send them to helpful links, offer them bonuses, specials, exclusives. Remember, if they took the time to open and read your newsletter they should get something besides great content. Great links to helpful sites, maybe even a free download, all these things are enticing and will keep your reader coming back for more!

8) Don't sell 'em fluff. Ok, I know I said seven tips but I couldn't help but add a bonus one (see what you get for reading all the way through this article? That's what I mean by over-delivering). Readers want the information and they want it fast, don't use a lot of fluff words or extra (and sometimes useless) content just to puff up your newsletter and make it seem bigger than it is. Give readers the information they want in clear, concise language and then send them on their way.

When it comes to the timing of your newsletter that depends on you and your audience. Our newsletter goes out once every two weeks. We find that to be a good balance: not too much, not too little. But each audience is different so experiment with yours and see what gets readers to open your email.

And finally, get your newsletter edited. This is a big one. Don't put some disclaimer in it saying "it's not edited" because all that says is: you're not professional. I've seen this done and to me, it deters from the message. Also, don't hand email your list unless it's small (less than 100 people) Why? Because your cable or DSL provider might decide that you're spamming people and will cut you off. People who do this will tell you that if you keep it to less than 50 email addresses per message you're fine but I've found that even 20 names in an address line can set some service providers on alert. Trust me it's not worth the hassle.

Effective email campaigns can really help promote your book and your brand. When done right, they can become a critical and very effective piece of your marketing plan. We've had our newsletter for over seven years, in that time we've never placed a single ad for the company or my books, not anywhere. Why? Because I have never believed in ads. Frankly (and with all due respect to advertisement budgets everywhere), ad placement is easy and doesn't always bear the kind of return you want, especially in today's market where consumers are blocking out advertisement. What we're talking about here takes time and effort but if done right, the pay-offs can be enormous.

WHO ARE WE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from.
To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Reprint permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph:Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

More great advice from the author marketing experts.

Three Quick Ways to Get More Sales on Your Web Site
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) People like what other people like: we often forget this but reviews do sell books. Make sure and list reviews, blurbs, and/or testimonials on your site and in your store.

2) How tough is it to get to your shopping cart? Now, more than ever, you want to make the experience of getting to your shopping cart quick and easy. Add a buy-now button to your home page if you don't already have one. Don't hide your stuff, especially now.

3) People are really bargain hunting these days so give them a reason to shop on your site: offer specials, incentives, added value. This is especially good if you're trying to lure folks from buying on Amazon and giving Jeff Bezos a big cut of your sales.

WHO ARE WE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from.

To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Reprint permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~

You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph:Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

At Home With Books: Blogger Followers Problem

I'm linking to this post that explains why the amount of followers is down on everyone's blog. Mine only dropped a few people but for others it was more than that. Here you go...

At Home With Books: Blogger Followers Problem: "Blogger Followers Problem"

For all of you who use blogger, you may have noticed that you have lost some followers in recent days. I thought maybe my reviews were getting too dry or something, but evidently it was just technical problem.

Here is the explanation that I am borrowing from Jennifer at Rundpinne (who borrowed it from someone else):

'If you use Blogger as your platform, I'm sure you've noticed that your follower count is down. Apparently Blogger has changed everybody's followers to 'anonymous' and anonymous followers don't show. If everyone can do these simple steps, we can all get our followers back:

Go to dashboard, you'll see 'Blogs I'm Following'

Scroll down to the bottom of that list and click on manage.
Then you'll see that all the drop down menus have been changed to anonymous. You just need to change them back to public.
Hopefully we can get the word out, so everyone can take these steps. I hope this doesn't happen again!'
I checked and my settings were already set to 'public,' but you may want to check yours just to be sure. Thankfully two of my followers have already reappeared. I'm looking forward to seeing the other fourteen who disappeared come back soon!"

Site for listing book signing schedule and tours.

Check out this great new site for scheduling book tours and letting people know about events.

http://booktour.com/author/michelle_sutton

Isn't it awesome!