July 2021 Newsletter Reprint
Hellooooooo and welcome to my Safari Jeep!
I am delighted to have you hop on aboard for a little meander in my Untamed, Unexpected, Unforgettable world.
Can you believe August is upon us? As my mother would say … “Where HAS the year gone?”
I’ll have so much to share in this newsletter I’ll jump right in …
UNTAMED!
Untamed? Oh, yeah, baby … (or maybe should I say, “Oh, yeah, bairn!”)
My friend and brilliant author, Brenna Ash has a new novel that’s just made its swashbuckling debut. A Pirate’s Treasure, Book 1 in the thrilling new Scottish Rogues of the High Seas series is NOW AVAILABLE.
Brenna wastes no time developing her characters into people we love and care about. We readers are as invested in their conflicts as hungry pirates polishing off dishes of haggis. Look forward to a brilliantly written tale with sexy protagonists and a satisfying (sigh) happily ever after!
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Check out this picture-perfect account of one of the greatest Zulus who ever lived and the feisty woman who gave him both life and arranged for his death. A fascinating and beautifully illustrated piece of art and history by Jason Porath, a former animator for DreamWorks.
UNEXPECTED!
Who knew you could find an auction to bid on with thousands of dollars’ worth of goodies that may well sell for pennies on the dollar?
I belong to THE best non-profit writer’s group in the history of the world. If it wasn’t for Florida STAR Fiction Writers (called STAR), I would never have had the courage to write one book, let alone two.
And we STARs are hosting a silent auction LOADED with goodies. Whether you’re a writer or a would-be poet/fiction/non-fiction writer/hobbyist or a professional writer … or a READER … you’ll find something to tickle your fancy. We have on offer: tickets for the Brevard Zoo, Bok Gardens, Clearwater Aquarium, a Create-Your-Own-Art-Night for two, signed books from authors you love, gorgeous fine art to show off, and so much more!
And for my writer friends? Critiques of your work by renown authors are on offer, along with a Narelle Todd marketing course, entrance to the BEST writers conference in the country, page and chapter reads by top agents, all the help you need with blurbs, and literally a literary buffet to help you on your writing journey. Many of the writer-centric prizes will be yours to enjoy, no matter where in the world you happen to be.
The auction will be held on 1st August through 31st August. Funds go to helping our own non-profit, STAR raise funds to advance the professional interests of career-focused fiction writers AND we’re donating 10% to Rolling Readers of Brevard – a non profit whose goal is to nurture young minds and turn them into life-long readers.
Go to https://32auctions.com/
It’s no secret I’m as excited as a kid in a candy store with all these delectable delights to choose from. Can’t WAIT to see what you win!
To all my writer and aspiring-writer friends – hear ye, hear ye! Novelist, poet or self-help guru? Have I got a secret to share!
It’s true that writing is how we writers get our high. But the scary part is….what the heck do we do after “The End?”
In our world, where literally millions of books are our direct competition, our biggest challenge is becoming known, finding our readers, or at very least, making it easy for our readers to find us.
I confess I floundered.
More than that, I was a gyrating, gasping, flapping, flailing fish outside of the safe, wet pool of my mirage. On the unfamiliar, barren earth—a desert spanning as far as the eye could see in all directions—I lay, gasping for breath in an unfriendly environment. Hell, I’d even begged the sharp hook that’d been in my mouth for a while, to stay there—it was the only familiar thing I had left—but that, too, was ripped away.
And then, by some divine miracle (not kidding here!) along came Narelle Todd. A sheik on a camel with a barrel of water?
Not quite, but my salvation all the same.
I enrolled in Narelle’s “Get My Book Out There” class. My expectations were high because she’d worked with author S.E. Smith for a decade ,helping Susan’s prolific work find homes in the hands of readers—all 70+ novels in multiple languages—and securing New York Times and 19-time USA Today Bestseller accolades.
S.E. Smith writes fantastic books. She brings action, adventure, and suspense-filled romance stories to transport readers out of this world. Sexy, funny, action-packed—Science fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, and Contemporary stories with a twist!
Yes, my books are very different from Susan’s, and so are my readers. But the principle of distinguishing myself, is just the same.
So, I thought, Narelle might know the answer.
She did.
Narelle patiently, unpretentiously, and generously shared her great knowledge over weeks. She coaxed and sustained me, gave me oxygen and vigor and coaxed me from a floundering, flapping fish-out-of-water, to a well-equipped fisherman, brave enough to believe I could catch something worthy of eating.
Narelle replaced my fear with the courage to try. She gave me the tools with which to chip away at the millions of books blocking my readers’ path to finding me. She gave me the confidence to try and try and try again. She gave me proof that to trust the process, is to succeed.
I’m sure I will falter often along the way, but let me tell you, I am only here, on this forum, because Narelle made me believe you’d like me to be. And if you don’t feel that way, although that makes me sad, I believe my avatar, my true readers, will have fun with me, and I with them.
If you have written anything, Narelle will help you get it out into the world with not only, “This is what you must do,” but, “Here’s how you do it.” And she doesn’t even leave it there. She adds quietly, “And here’s how to do it well.”
So, go forth, all my fellow floundering fishies, and have no fear! You’ll adjust to Narelle’s terra firma, and in no time, you’ll be a fisherman, like me.
And together we’ll travel along the edge of the ocean, with fishing rods we know how to use, poised and ready to catch some wonderful readers.
Your Signature Get My Book Out There Blueprint
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UNFORGETTABLE!
I was blown away when I looked beyond Amazon’s star ratings and peeped, without any expectations, at how Zebra was doing on Goodreads. Boy! Was I thrilled! I found double-figure reviews for Zebra there … and more on BookBub!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all my wonderful readers who took the time to show their love. I can’t begin to explain how you lifted my heart AND you gave my Muse back her spunk! Whew, I thought her mojo was depleted, but YOU restored her spirit, and she’s whispering in my ear again…Naughty little sprite that she is!
You, my friend, for taking the time to leave a review, get to wear the UNFORGETTABLE ribbon this month!
Until Next We Meet…
And so, my friend, I hope this finds you feeling well, staying cool and looking forward.
May your world be filled with abundance.
‘Til next time,
Jill