Meet Some #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial): Toni Lesatz

Please welcome Toni Lesatz, an author and a blogger at My Book Addiction, to the blog today. *applause*

--Shushing the audience—

It was such a treat to meet you and hang out at UtopYA. You’re one cool chick! I love this picture of you, Ginny Gallager (Gin's Book Notes), Jo Michaels, and me in the lobby.

Photo by Victoria Faye

Toni: Thank you, Tia. It was awesome meeting you as well. That's one of my favorite pictures. I miss you girls!

I have to take a second and congratulate you on winning both Best Blog of the Year (My Book Addiction) and Blogger of the Year at the 2014 UtopYA awards. What did this mean to you?

Toni: Thank you so much. I never in a million years expected to win. I am still trying to find the words to adequately express my feelings about it. Three months later and I still get teary-eyed every time I think about that night, or glance over at the awards on my bookshelf. I'm so blessed to have such an amazing literary family in my corner!

You looked amazing that night, and you were glowing with appreciation. It's so obvious how much you were enjoying every second of the conference. You shared your thoughts about the UtopYA experience here. In a few short words, what would you like to tell people who have not attended and are on the fence?

Toni: Thank you, Tia! I have to admit, I felt a little princess-like standing up there. It was like being in a Disney Princess movie. Do you Want to Build a Snowman? NO! I don't mean Frozen!

To answer your question, I was that person on the fence. Even with my event tickets, my hotel room, and my plane ticket paid for, I was beyond nervous. I considered backing out until about a week before I was scheduled to leave. I'm so glad I didn't sprout feathers and start clucking, though, because UtopYA was an experience I will never forget. It is a MUST ATTEND event! You may arrive alone, like I did, or with only a handful of friends, but I promise you'll leave with a family of hundreds. Going to UtopYA provided the kick in the pants I needed to get my rear in gear!

Preach it, sister! This was my first UtopYA and I felt terrified going in. Now, I can't wait for 2015! Plus, I'll get to hang out with you again. Okay, back to the interview... You love zombie books. What draws you to this genre?

Toni: I’m not an adrenaline junkie. I don’t want to jump out of a plane or leap off the side of anything with a bungee cord attached to any part of my body. Heck, I don’t even like roller coasters. But the rush that the zombie genre provides is comparable to what I imagine an adrenaline junkie gains from those types of activities. Imagining the zombie apocalypse really happening scares the bejeezus out of me... but I like it. I know I'm twisted. It's okay. 

I noticed on your blog (in your review policy section) you don’t review Erotica. What if a really good zombie erotica book came out? (See, I'm twisted, too!)

Toni: Ha! I would still have to decline. It’s just not my thing. Reading a story that focuses primarily on sex just doesn't interest me. I prefer the slow simmer of a sweet romance.

I'm so with you on that. I miss the days of the big movie kiss followed by a fade-out. Back to being serious, I know you completed June’s Camp NanoWriMo. Congrats! Would you mind sharing with us some details about what you are writing?

Toni: Thank you! This the first time I’ve hit my goal in NaNoWriMo. I haven’t written a synopsis for the book yet, but here is the gist of it.

It’s a young adult dark fantasy about a teenage necromancer. With the help of her dead mother and a new friend, Elodie begins to unlock secrets from her past. When she learns about a coven of witches that destroyed her family and still has plans to come after her power, she has no choice but to fight… and she’s bringing an army with her.

UPDATE... Since my original response to these questions, BIG THINGS have happened for me! I wrote and submitted two short stories to publishers this month, which were both picked up for anthologies. I'm going to be published soon!

My first submission is a story titled Ashes to Ashes and will be featured in the Happy Little Horrors: Freak Show anthology published by MD 20/20 (Monica Lewis Happy and David Reuben). It's available for pre-order on Amazon here and will officially release on October 4. There will be a Facebook Release Day Party with prizes and the whole shebang. You're all invited!

My second story is titled Dead World, which will be featured in the After Tomorrow anthology published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. The release day for that is December 10. The cover reveal isn't until late October, but here is a banner specifically designed for Dead World.

In addition to the dark fantasy novel mentioned above, I'm also writing both short stories into full-length novels, if not a series for each.

Congrats! I can't wait to read all of them. One last question... what common elements do you find in 5-star reads?

A book has to blow my mind to get a 5-star rating from me. In order to do that it needs to have remarkable characters, flawless pacing, and vivid imagery. Most importantly, the story has to make me FEEL. Whether it’s through fear, love, anxiety… whatever... it has to leave me curled up in a corner with a huge book hangover.

Want to have some book fun with Toni? Join her for her zOctober 2014 event next month (in just a few short days).  Check it out on My Book Addiction or the Facebook event page. 

Oh, and one more amazing picture to share...

Michele G. Miller, Toni, Sarah Ashley Jones, & Tess Watson at UtopYA

Quick Questions…

Favorite Punctuation Mark: A period, because there’s no question about where it goes in the sentence.  ;)

Ocean or Mountains? Mountains

Favorite Alcoholic Beverage: Margarita on the rocks with salt

Favorite Dessert: Crème Brulee

Shower or bath? Shower

Sweet or Sour? Sweet

Your period answer is the best response EVER! 

Please share your social media links with my readers:

My Book Addiction

Facebook Author Page
Amazon Author Page

Facebook
Twitter

Pinterest

Google +

YouTube

Instagram

Goodreads 

Bloglovin 

LinkedIn

Tumblr

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today (and at UtopYA). I am so looking forward to seeing you again next year in Nashville!

Toni: I can’t wait to see you again, Tia! It was so much fun hanging out with you. Let's time travel to June 2015, shall we?

Toni Lesatz is a wife, mother, author, blogger, gamer, and lover of the culinary arts. Her short stories, Ashes to Ashes and Dead World, are both being published in fall 2014. She is currently writing her debut dark fantasy novel, which she hopes to have in reader's hands by spring 2015.

Toni's book blog, My Book Addiction, won the UtopYA Blog of the Year award in 2014. She enjoys promoting fellow authors and because of this passion she has recently taken on the role of Editorial Director for the Book Hub division of Indie-Visible: Literary Justice For All. If she's not curled up with a book and a cup of coffee, you'll find her playing with her kids, baking cupcakes, or killing zombies.

Please come back for more #UtopYA2014 Lovelies (Unofficial), and check out the announcement post to see the schedule.

How to Make Your Blog a Success: Part Two

Welcome to part two of Dana Newbrough's three part series on creating a successful blog. Dana is my baby sister and Web/Blogmaster. Part One can be found here.

Enjoy!

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What do I mean by effective?  Well, that depends on your goals.  In my opinion to truly make your blog a “SUCCESS” you must do the following…

http://wigflip.com

S :  Searches: Put your website in multiple search engines, forums, google reader, etc. People can get there without needing to type in your exact address (more on this to come).

U:  “Unknown” viewers: Get traffic from people outside your “circle” of family, friends and neighbors and out to anyone on the Web.

C:  Consistency: WRITE REGULARLY! You should post at least 2-3 times a week. If you are not actively posting, people will not actively view your site–it's that simple!

C:  Clear Communication:  If you want people to know where to order your book, how to contact you, etc. then you must make that information clear and easy to find. This also goes back to “searches” and putting your RSS feed everywhere! A neat website that is easy to maneuver is the most accessible to everyone.

E:  Enjoyable: Fun and interesting to read and interactive! This begins with the design of your blog/website all the way to the headlines of each post. Don’t bore your readers! Let your voice shine and give it a true personality!

S:  Synced in:  Hook up with Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and Follow by Email–as many ways as possible to share your posts/products quickly and to keep luring people back to the site!

S:  Social: Allow readers to chat, comment, and be involved.

*****

Please check back next Monday, October 24 for Part Three: What Makes an Attractive Blog. Until then, we wish you Blog S.U.C.C.E.S.S.!

What points would you add for blog success?

Choosing Topics for a Random Blog: Guest Post

Please welcome Lisa Pollard from Insignificant at Best, a wonderful blog full of random topics and interesting takes. Lisa and I met through the Ultimate Blog Challenge and quickly became friends. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Lisa's blog became "a favorite thanks to the way she weaves together randomness with beautiful threads of humor, honesty, and wit."

Enjoy her post!

*****

Choosing Topics for a Random Blog

I have to tell you that I was thrilled and honored when Tia asked me to write a guest post for her blog!  I’ve been a fan of the Depression Cookies blog for a while now and just recently bought the book (which I can’t wait to read!!!).  So getting to guest post for Depression Cookies is a real treat (no pun intended…lol)!

When I asked her what she’d like me to write about, one of her suggestions was “How do you choose your topics, since you post about different things and don't, in general, have a theme?”.  To be honest, when I decided to start blogging, I realized there was no way I could write a “niche” blog.  I love to talk and share my opinions on all kinds of things, so I knew “niche” blogging wasn’t for me.  Like I say in the About Me section of my site “I’m not one to stick to a single subject, my mind doesn’t work that way, so neither does my blog”.

I actually started blogging back in 2009, but it didn’t quite take.  I could never think of anything to write and when I did, half the time it was some type of self-discovery crap nobody would want to read. Not even me.

Needless to say my blogging was “sporadic” at best.  Looking back now, I realize it was because I was in a pretty deep depression.  2009 was by far the worst year of my life, and I wasn’t ready to share all of my darkest thoughts with the world.

Then April of this year I sat down and wrote a post called Anyone Still Out There?!? and that was it.  I was off and running and I haven’t looked back since.  I honestly don’t know what changed, other than the fact that I’m in a much better place in my life, but I’m glad it did.  I’ve met a lot of really amazing people through blogging, like Tia, and I’ve found it to be insanely therapeutic! 

Okay, wow, I’ve gone incredibly off course here.  Back to the topic at hand.

I’d like to say I have this genius way of coming up with blog post ideas, but I don’t.  I share what makes me laugh, I share the things I love (music, products, websites, etc.), or I just plain talk about whatever is on my mind that day.

However, if you’re looking for an easy way to come up with post topics, a way that requires little thought on your part, do a Google search for Blog Challenges.  This was one of the very first things I did, and it worked out really well for me.  I found a 30 Day Blog Challenge, which allowed me to share with my readers a lot about myself.  I gained a lot of followers during that time and people seemed to really like it.

One other trick I have up my sleeve is a list of topics I want to write about.  I have a blog post draft where I write down all the things that come to me and seem like good post topics. Sometimes they don’t pan out, but for the most part the list hasn’t failed me.  Plus, if I’m ever at a loss, I have a “go to” list of ideas.  I’m constantly on the lookout for ideas to add to this list, too. Recently, I was in the car and realized how annoying the electronic signs on the freeway were and it turned into a guest post for another blog.  I currently have a post about my annoying co-worker waiting in the wings.  She’s… interesting, to say the least.  LOL Just be aware of your surroundings and constantly on the lookout for things you want to share with your readers.

I’ve also gotten ideas from reading other people’s blogs (e.g., my Bad Poetry Day post I wrote thanks to Tia).  Surprisingly once the blogging bug bit me, it really hasn’t been a problem.  Though I’ve only been actively blogging for about 5 months now, so check back with me next year. ;)

Any questions?  Please ask away in the comments below!  Any suggestions on how to come up with topics that you’d like to share?  Please share in the comments below!

Riding the Muse Wave: ROW 80 Check In

It's the mid-week A Round of Words in 80 Days check in and I'm cruising along. I know there are worse problems to have, but I'm overwhelmed by too many ideas. Sometimes, I struggle to come up with blog post and story ideas. Not this week... ideas are coming at me left and right.

Again, not complaining. I feel like I'm on a vacation, floating on my surfboard on a gorgeous day, and staring down multiple perfect waves. Which one to take? I don't want to deliberate too long or I might miss the perfect one. But is there such a thing as a perfect one?

Now you've seen the inner workings of my overstimulated brain. Oops. I should remain more mysterious.

At the end of the day, I appreciate the blessing of choices and overflowing ideas.

Progress this week:

Depression Cookies Blog
Results: Blogging daily.
Reaction: Yeah!

Mom in Love with Fiction
Results: One post so far this week, but working on a review and another post.
Reaction: Chugging right along.

Writing
Results: I wrote 2,000 words since Sunday.
Reaction: Should be fist-pumping right now, and I would be, except... not one of these words was on the Depression Cookies follow-up or my YA novel. A new idea hit me and I ran with it, afraid to lose a single word. I honor the muse, but need her to focus!

Miscellaneous
Results: Journal writing needs some focus, especially with my girls. Hectic schedules don't help. Haven't started either writing book, but will soon.
Reaction: It'll happen!

Hope everyone is burning up the goals this week.

Are you ever faced with too many ideas? What do you do?

How to Set Up a Blog: Guest Blog by Dana Silverthorne Newbrough

This blog is truly a family affair. Today I'm featuring Part One of a guest post series from my Web/Blogmaster and baby sister, Dana Silverthorne Newbrough. She has graciously taken on the challenge of turning our ideas into this blog. Enjoy!

*****

A couple of years ago my sister approached me about this book her and my mother were writing – the book you now know as Depression Cookies. She was struggling with how to get her book and her writing in general noticed and how to “plug into” the web world. I had fallen in love with blogs and was using them as a medium to not only share baby pictures and videos, but to also create Recipe Swaps amongst fellow at-home mothers.  

Three Sisters (Dana's in the middle)

My experience was new and far from professional, but I was absorbed in learning how to infiltrate this beast known as the Internet. So, my sister somehow convinced me to help her on this journey of social networking, which has been a lot of fun, at times overwhelming, and more often a HUGE learning curve! You must know how much I love my sister, because only true love and an insatiable curiosity would make anyone take such a job pro bono, especially with a little one and now #2 on the way! ;)

I have to admit I had NO IDEA what I was saying yes to! My sister and mother dove right into their “vision” for the web and blog headfirst. My sister spent hours researching what she wanted and still constantly sends “proposals” on new ideas, forums, contests, feeds, and integrating other social networks. I spent hours reading and learning html codes and how to manipulate them, reading articles, looking through templates, and learning how to design banners/buttons.  What I thought would be a simple project, put it all together and then BAM you're done, was not the case. 

What I did learn was that building attractive and effective sites take a lot of work, but the key is in setting them up right! 

*****

Don't miss the next two parts to this series.

Part Two: What Makes an Effective and Successful Blog will be featured on Monday, October 17.

Part Three: What Makes an Attractive Blog will be featured on Monday, October 24.

Please tune in!

If you are a blogger, what has been the most challenging part of blogging? If you are a reader, what draws you into a blog or turns you off?

Blog Musings: Where Do We Go from Here?

Thanks to the Ultimate Blog Challenge and A Round of Words in 80 Days, it's time to evaluate my writing, blogging and reading goals. Although my writing and reading journeys started years ago, my blogging adventure is fairly new.

Today, I'm defining my goals for blogging, writing and reading through year-end.

*raises wine glass* A toast to inspiration. May these goals inspire a creative focus that carries me through 2012 and beyond. To my fellow writers, bloggers and readers, I hope stopping by here encourages you to follow your heart's desire. *downs wine for bravery*

Depression Cookies blog

In addition to posting about my love of books and adventures in writing, I want to challenge myself and give readers (and fellow bloggers and writers) a glimpse into my inner thoughts. It scares me to open up more, and I refuse to let fear rule! I would, however, appreciate someone telling me if my inner musings start to create widespread fear and concern. I teeter on the edge of insanity, but tend to fall back to the sane side most days.

This blog and our novel began as a mother-daughter journey, and I want to continue to highlight posts showing this important aspect of my life.

Goals for the rest of 2011
• Blog daily through October
• Cut myself some slack during the busy months of November and December and average posting four times per week
• Focus on writing, but also incorporate personal musings
• Have a stockpile of posts for “those days”
• Learn more about HTML code and focus on improving the look and function of this blog
• Hit the big 10,000 visitors and celebrate 200 posts

Mom in Love with Fiction blog

It's time to show this blog the love it deserves. My initial goal was to review a book a week, but my time management skills are lacking these days. I'm finding it very difficult to keep up with writing, volunteering, kids' activities, etc. and keep up with my reading. I truly believe avid reading makes a good writer, so reading is a priority.

Before embarking on the writing journey, I always read at night. It was my way to wind down after a long day with small children. Now that they are all in school, I should have all day to read, right? It's amazing, I'm so much busier now! Granted, I write and edit during the day and am now finding freelance work to supplement my novel writing passion. Once 2:30 hits, it's run, run, run.

Goals for the rest of 2011
• Incorporate Should be Reading prompts to ensure three times a week posts
• Read 3-4 books per month and review
• Focus on independently published books, but still read and review what strikes my fancy

Writing

Mom and I have a unique writing schedule. She writes a chapter and sends it to me for my character's response. I tried writing ahead during the last round with mixed results. I was cruising for awhile on word count, but had a lot of reworking to do once Mom's chapters came in.

One thing I discovered about my writing style during the last round of ROW80: the more I write, the better the ideas flow. Thanks to several suggestions from fellow participants, I have decided to work on my YA novel when not working on the sequel.

Goals for the rest of 2011
• Write 500 words per day on my YA novel idea and thirty minutes daily on background work such as character outlines, story outlines, research, etc.
• Write a new chapter for our sequel within two days of receiving Mom’s chapter

Miscellaneous Goals

• Support my fellow bloggers by reading and commenting on a minimum of 10-15 posts per week, more if time allows
• Read two books on the craft of writing: Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer
• Finish my Freelance Writing course and look for another writing course to jumpstart 2012 (would love recommendations)
• Free write in a journal 15 minutes, 3-4 times per week (will involve my children in this goal for fun)

I'm exhausted, but inspired. I may have to pour myself another glass of wine. Wait, it is just after noon. And, confession time... I downed hot tea earlier in place of wine because I'm freezing thanks to the first signs of fall.

Best wishes to my fellow UBC and ROW80 friends with all their year-end goals.

How important are goal-setting and planning in your day to day achievements?

Slacking Leads Me to Multiple Thanks

I am honored to accept the Liebster Award. Time and I have been in a bit of a tussle lately, and I was losing. Emails went unnoticed, laundry undone, toilets uncleaned. This week is the week I rein it all in (or as much as I can). I have three wonderful bloggers to thank for this award.

I discovered through an online English-German dictionary that liebster means dearest (or darling). What a beautiful concept to pass on an award to dear blogger friends. Sweet! This award is intended to show love to fellow bloggers with under 200 followers.

Rule-follower that I am, let's start there:

THE RULES:

1. Show your appre­ci­a­tion to the blog­gers who gave you the award by link­ing back to them.
2. Reveal your five picks and let them know by leav­ing a com­ment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the cama­raderie of the most sup­port­ive peo­ple on the internet—other writ­ers.
5. And best of all—have blog­gity fun and spread the love.

My thanks:

* Christine Calvin at Inspired Life: I met Christine through Blogathon in May. I connected with her right away, and visit her blog several times a week, if not more. She has a unique perspective, and I love hearing about her two beautiful daughters. Take a moment for inspiration, drop by her blog. Thanks, Christine!

* Annette Mackey at Perspectives... : I met Annette through the Reader's Favorite Awards. We connected in the nominee round. She's been a huge supporter, and we've become Twitter-friends. Please check out her blog and her novel, Class Collision: Fall From Grace, a gold award winner in the Young Adult, Coming of Age fiction category. Thanks, Annette!

* Elizabeth Mitchell at Leavekeeping: One of my fellow A Round of Words in 80 Days participants and now a fellow Campaigner. She has an amazing can-do attitude and always gets me pumped up to do the same. "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down" will forever make me think of her. Please stop by and show some love. Thanks, Elizabeth!

Now, for the fun part. I get to pass the award onto Five bloggers. These are blogs I'm new to, but excited about.

1. Imagination to Publication: Jessica Therrien is a fellow-campaigner, and she jumped in with both feet. She organized two ice breaker activities, so we could start getting to know each other. So much fun. She exudes enthusiasm.

2. Bethany Lopez: Bethany is also a fellow-campaigner. I was drawn to her blog the minute I saw her smiling picture. Plus, she likes the Outer Banks, one of my favorite destinations.  

3. Ramblin' with AM: I met Alana during May's Blogathon. She features Civil War and wildflower posts, but is open to other subject matter. Recently, she's blogged about the flooding and Irene-backlash in upstate New York. I always appreciate her take on beauty.

4. Callie Leuck's Writing Blog: She endeared me with her story about how a bad book made her realize she could write. She comes across as knowledgeable and fun, a great combination.

5. Zook Book Nook: She had me at the title. I love it. She shows motherhood, but not always in its glory. I appreciate her candor. Plus the site is just so darn pretty!

Please visit and comment on these lovely blogs. They won't be under 200 followers for long!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Our blog has been awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you so much, Alberta Ross. I met Alberta through ROW80 and appreciate all her support and encouragement.

Long post, short... the rules of the award are to thank the person who gave it to you (check), write seven things about yourself (ugh!), and pass the award to seven blogs (yeah!).

I'd much rather describe one of my characters in detail than myself. I'm not all that interesting! It's almost 11pm, so I'm going to write the first seven things that pop in my head.

* I am not a morning person.
* I hate coffee, the smell of it makes me nauseous. Diet Coke is my version of a morning fix.
* I would live in yoga pants if I didn't occasionally have to be presentable.
* I played competitve league tennis in Colorado, and am looking for a Maryland team.
* I will put chocolate chips in almost anything. This morning I had a bowl of Fruity Pebbles with, yes I admit it, mini chocolate chips.
* When I write dialogue, I speak it as I'm typing to catch flaws. And I read aloud to edit. I'm alone a lot of the day, in my writing bubble. Probably a good thing with all my babbling.
* I'm scared of the dark.

Now the fun part, passing on the award. I'm so fortunate to have met some many wonderful bloggers in a very short period of time. I wanted to give this award to creative and inspiring blogs written by writers who reach out and support other bloggers and writers.

And the Kreativ Blogger Award goes to...

* Novel Publicity Blog
* Julie Glover's Blog
* Tiffany A. White's Ooo Factor
* Staring Out the Window
* Insignificant At Best
* Annette Mackey's Blog
* Loves to Read, Wants to Write

Please take a minute to check them out.