Author-Reader Events #OpenBook Blog Hop

I had no idea what to expect when I signed up with my first in-person sales event. It was the ComicCon of 2016, the first one to be held in Cheyenne, and no one knew what to expect. Luckily, my cover artist is an experienced con-goer, and she gave me lots of tips. (Waves. Hi, K.M.!)

And I'll admit I overdid it. A banner, business cards, and postcards, as well as a game with prizes. Everyone was a winner. (At least they got a piece of candy!) Did it help me sell books? Hard to say. I broke even on the booth, and had publicity materials for the next couple of years.


But I did sell books. In my mind, enough to make me feel successful. Enough to make me decide to to more book sales.

How did I do it? I used the game to get people to come to my table. If the kids came and played, the parents tagged along and that gave me the opportunity to talk to them. Some of them picked up my books and took a look at them. A few of those bought one or more of the books. But I think the biggest selling factor was the smile I had plastered on my face, and the fact that I wasn't afraid to talk to the strangers wandering the sales floor.

What would I have done different? I didn't ask folks to sign up for my newsletter (non-existent at that time!) Now, I take along a notebook and ask if they wouldn't mind getting my occasional newsletter.

Now, there aren't many (or none at all!) literary conferences locally,  so I looked other places for opportunities A smaller con in a nearby town. A Christmas craft sale. A steampunk-themed fund raiser. A book signing at a local bookstore.

You'll notice that none of those is an author-reader event in it's purest form. I haven't done one of those-yet. I've signed up to participate in Wild Deadwood Reads in June.

There's a part of me that wonders if I know what I've gotten myself into. It's not like I have a huge fan base that will rush to Deadwood to meet me in person. I have nightmares about sitting all alone at my table, watching authors sell book after book while I sell nothing.

I'm prepping myself to believe that the event is really about getting to know other authors and exchanging ideas and having a lot of fun doing it. But I'll pack up my books, my banners, my business card and postcards, and plaster on my best smile, because deep in my heart, I know I'm going to try to meet new readers.

By the way, I'll have a new book to introduce! Wolves' Gambit should be available by then. So if you are in the Deadwood, SD area June 9th. come buy and say hi and pick up a signed copy.

Now,I'm off to see if I can find out if I'm missing anything from the other authors.

Feb. 26, 2018 – Do you attend Author/Reader Events? What do you offer on your tables and how do you interact with readers?

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Waterloo & Kryssie Fortune & a new release

Please welcome Kryssie Fortune and her new release, Wickedly Used, to my blog.

A Tale of Two Soldiers ~Waterloo #history #amreading #Regency #Romance

“I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me.” -The Duke of Wellington 

Wellington may have been talking about his army, but some of his officers and Allies at Waterloo were eccentric too. 

Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton.

{PD-1923}} – published anywhere before 1923 and public domain in the U.S.

According to Wellington he was "a rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived."
Hardly a recommendation, although Wellington added that he found him capable. Picton’s cruelty when Governor of Trinidad saw him put on trial for torture. Although convicted, the conviction was later overturned. 
He fought in the Peninsula War then became a member of parliament. When war broke out again, he headed for Waterloo. He arrived, but his luggage didn’t. He rode into battle in a top hat. 
That must have made people look twice. It probably marked him as a target, too. 
Welsh folklore says that his top hat was shot off by a cannonball moments before his death. 
Sadly, he was the most senior officer killed in the conflict. Although, some historians think he was so hated by his own troops that one of them shot him.  

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher

– {{PD-1923}} – published anywhere before 1923 and public domain in the US

"Forwards!" he was quoted as saying. "I hear you say it's impossible, but it has to be done! I have given my promise to Wellington, and you surely don't want me to break it? Push yourselves, my children, and we'll have victory!"

Ever used the phrase, “I’ll be a monkey’s uncle”. My guess is it wouldn’t translate well into another language. The same applies to Blucher. Once, when he rallied his men he told them he was pregnant with a baby elephant. I really hope this was a saying, not insanity or schnapps talking.  

Injured at the start of the allied campaign, he lay beneath a dead horse. And was repeatedly ridden over by French cavalry. Only the fact that a great coat concealed his uniform stopped the French from killing him. 

Once he rejoined his troops, he bathed in a liniment of rhubarb and garlic, fortified himself with schnapps, and led his army to the battle. He was 74 at the time. By late afternoon, their intervention helped the Allies win a great victory. 

Why my interest in Waterloo?

Because Stormy Night Publishing have just released my dark Regency Romance, Wickedly Used. 

Buy links

Amazon USA Amazon UK Amazon Canada Amazon Australia

Blurb

While he is no stranger to pleasurable company from ladies of the night, Major Richard Rothbury of the royal dragoons is not the kind of man who will stand idly by as a woman is taken against her will, and when he witnesses a disreputable cad attempting to force himself on a girl in a back alley, he does not hesitate to intervene.

But after the grateful young woman offers herself to Rothbury, he is shocked to discover that not only was she no harlot, she was a maiden and he has deflowered her. Furious at the girl’s scandalous behavior and her carelessness with her own safety, Rothbury chastises her soundly.

Though she is due to inherit one of the largest fortunes in England, the fact that she cannot touch the money until she marries or turns thirty has kept Elizabeth completely at the mercy of her cruel uncle, and for years she has been treated as if she were a servant. Her encounter with Lord Rothbury is by far the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her, but while he shows great concern for her safety, he refuses to believe that she is anything more than a serving girl.

Despite having made it clear that he doesn’t consider a match between them to be possible, when Elizabeth disobeys him Rothbury proves more than ready to strip her bare, punish her harshly, and then enjoy her beautiful body in the most shameful of ways. But can she dare to hope that he will one day make her his wife, or is she destined to spend her life being wickedly used?

Publisher’s Note: Wickedly Used: A Dark Regency Romance includes spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.