Hey everybody! Today really is a happy Tuesday as I am very happy to introduce, author, mom and creator of ‘PROMO DAY,’ Jo Linsdell.

V.R.L: Thanks for being a part of our Featured Writer Series, Jo! You, like our previous guest Cheryl Malandrinos, are a super busy lady! First off, tell us how you got started writing?

Jo: Thanks for having me. I’ve always liked writing. Even when I was very young I would enjoy creative writing exercises in English lessons at school. When I became a teenager I started writing poetry as a way to vent my thoughts and clear my ideas. It was very therapeutic. However, my writing career started after I moved to Rome, Italy.
I did a job where I was writing articles about the dental industry and then later wrote research articles with the Department of Neurology at the Umberto I hospital here in Rome. During this time, the feeling of wanting to write about topics that interested me and to create my own pieces grew. I submitted my first article to ‘The Florentine’, an English language newspaper in Florence in June 2005 and they printed it straight away. Despite having been a writer for some time, this was when I realised I was one.

You are the author of two non-fiction books, “Italian for Tourists” and “A Guide to Weddings in Italy.” You also run two very successful blogs, and just launched another one, 1st Time Mums. Can you tell us a little about your various projects?

Jo: I came to Italy in 2001 with the intention of staying just 3 days in Rome. I’m still here. Needless to say I fell in love with the city. At the beginning I didn’t speak a word of Italian and although there were lots of phrasebooks on the market, most contained too much information and got confusing or contained information that wasn’t of any use.
After I’d been here a few years and had become bilingual, I decided to write Italian for tourists. The idea being to create a phrasebook that was easy to use and covered only the words and phrases needed by tourists. Since then I’ve written an updated version in pocket format.
A guide to weddings in Italy came about when I got married in 2006. Italy is not the easiest of places as far as documents go. Processes tend to be slow and things can be very confusing. A book like this would have been of great help to me back then and so I figured would also be appreciated by others planning on tying the knot here.

My first blog http://astheromansdo.blogspot.com covers anything and everything related to Italy. http://writersandauthors.blogspot.com is a site for people in the writing industry where I post interviews with other members of the industry, book reviews, features about useful websites, events and contests.
http://1sttimemums.blogspot.com is my new blog that I launched in March this year. The idea is to create a community for 1st Time Mums whilst offering information and advice. My son was born in December 2007 and I often get asked for advice from pregnant friends or other mums. The website has it’s own fan page on facebook and welcomes guest posts from other mums. 1st Time Mums often have questions they’re afraid to ask because they think they’ll sound stupid or are too embarrassed to talk about. This blog will try to answer all of them.

Being a writer and a mother, your obviously very busy. What is a typical day like for you?
With an energetic two year old, I don’t really have a typical day. What I manage to get done will depend on him as he is my first priority. Luckily I’m a good multi-tasker and quite well organised. I normally try to get house work, shopping and other chores done in the morning. Weather allowing a trip to the park after lunch is always good as my son gets to play with the other kids and helps to tire him out a bit. He’s then calmer in the afternoon and will happily draw, play with playdoh or watch a cartoon, giving me an hour or so to get some work done.
I try to break down my to do list into bite sized tasks. This makes it easier to tick things off my list but also means I can easily take breaks between each task to play with my son. I deal with bigger tasks when my husband is home so he can take care of the little one and allow me to concentrate on what needs doing.

You are the organizer and founder of PROMO DAY, which is coming up in May. Please tell us about that.

PROMO DAY is an annual online event for people in the writing industry that takes place at http://jolinsdell.tripod.com/promoday. This year it will be on Saturday 15th May. It’s free to attend and open to all. No registration necessary. Just turn up on the day and join in the fun.
I’ve got some fantastic workshops lined up for this years event. All times listed are in Central European Time.

Sandy Lender- Virtual Tours- 4pm-5pm
Reno Lovison- Video trailers- 5pm-6pm
Carolyn Howard Johnson- Queries- 7pm-8pm
Lillian Cauldwell- Interviews and internet radio- 8pm-9pm
Joyce Anthony- Blogging- 10pm-11pm
Janet Elaine Smith- Turning work into fun (marketing) – Time to be confirmed
Karina Fabian- Making promotional materials- Time to be confirmed
I’ll also be presenting a workshop about social media.

There will be forums on the site where writers can promote their work and post their links. There will also be sections of publishing companies, services for writers e.g. virtual assistants, illustrators, editors etc, job listings, for posting writing samples and more.
I’m very happy that this years event is sponsored by ‘Pump up your book’. I hope that thousands will take advantage of this opportunity to promote, network and learn.

Where can we read more about you and your work?

My main website is http://jolinsdell.tripod.com here you can find more information about me and links to my various projects.
My books are available at www.lulu.com and www.amazon.com
I’m on various social media sites, including to name a few; twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, myspace and ning under ‘Jo Linsdell’. Please feel free to add me.

Hey everybody! Happy Tuesday. I said in an earlier post how Tuesday kind of stunk. Luckily now, we have a way to make it better. For our third installment of our Featured Writer Series, I’d like to introduce you to Susan Mordigal.

VRL: Hi Susan, thanks for your time! Tell us a little about your writing.

I am still a ‘student’ of picture books, meaning I’m still studying the ins and outs and the craft of writing a book for this very young audience.  I have however written many short stories for young people and articles about pets, pet therapy and medical issues.

VRL: Are you currently involved in a writing project?

Yes, I am working on writing and illustrating a picture book about our rescue dog –  his story of how he came to us.  We are a certified pet therapy team and I also plan to write and illustrate a picture book about our adventures in this rewarding cause.

VRL: How do you combat times when you’re uninspired?

Luckily this has never been a problem for me, for writing or illustrating. I literally see inspiration everywhere. I seem to have the opposite problem –too many ideas!  I have a sort of ADD I guess.  I’ll get a great idea, work with it, then I’ll get another one, start it up, then something else inspiring will come along, etc. etc.  It’s sort of like people who have endless craft projects or home improvements in the works.  I try very hard to stay focused, but sometimes it’s a challenge, my biggest enemy is not enough time!

VRL: What interests you about this specific genre?

I have a passion for helping others and for animals in need.  I found pet therapy to be the perfect mix of these two, everyone wins!  In the future, I also plan on broadening my subject matter to wildlife, and children and their loved ones coping with illnesses.

VRL: When can we expect to see your book?

My deadline has to be flexible because of the circumstances in my life right now, but I’m hoping to have a book ‘dummy’ completely ready to send to publishers no later than two years from now.  I am also keeping the door open for self-publishing.

VRL: Where can reader sample some of your writing?

On my blog there are several articles under the category ‘articles’.

VRL: Do you blog about your book?

I blog about the fact that the book is in the works, but do not share any specific passages or illustrations from the book.  I try hard to showcase good artwork and interesting topics on my blog – people seem to like it and I’ve made some wonderful friends!

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for another edition of our Featured Writer Series. Today I’m excited to bring you a true renaissance woman, Cheryl Malandrinos.

V.R.L: Thanks for being a part of our Featured Writer Series, Cheryl! First off, tell us a little bit about how you started your writing career.

CCM: Thanks Vanessa. It’s great to spend time with you and your readers. I’ve been an avid reader since preschool and began writing in my teens. Of course, back then I was using an electric typewriter with an “i” key that stuck. (Doesn’t that make me sound like a dinosaur?) I had always wanted to pursue a career in writing, but it wasn’t until I became a stay-at-home mom in 2003 that I could do much about it. I began blogging, getting involved in writing groups, and networking. In 2006 I began writing articles for Writer2Writer on the subjects of time management and organization. In 2008, I presented a workshop on these topics at the Muse Online Writers Conference. I am also a founding member of Musing Our Children, and last year took over as editor in chief of their quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens. My first children’s book will be released by Guardian Angel Publishing this fall.

You are involved in quite a few things. You do a lot of online book promotions, you’re a copy editor, create video trailers, and much more. How do you manage to do all of these things and still find time for your own writing?

Now, why didn’t someone tell me I am supposed to manage my time? LOL! Seriously, time management and organization have always come easy to me. I took for granted that it was this way for everyone until I was asked to start writing articles on these topics. Making time for my writing is a challenge. Working as a virtual book tour coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion is a full-time job. Luckily, I love it, because it requires me to be online almost all day long. I go to my office right after the girls get on the bus at 8AM. Then except to eat or do housework, I am there until 3PM when the girls come home from school. The rest of the afternoon is spent with the girls. I go back to my office after they are in bed for the night and try to use that time to write. It doesn’t always work, but I make decent progress. Some weeks are more productive than others. The reason many people struggle with time management is that they don’t know where their time is going. I began tracking my time, which allowed me to cut out areas where I wasted it—surfing the Net, overcommitting to projects I didn’t have time for, and just plain old focusing on things other than my writing. I religiously write a weekly to-do list to keep me focused.

I understand that you are sponsoring “Promo Day” this year. Tell us a little about that.

Officially, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is sponsoring PROMO DAY. Jo Linsdell, a wonderful and talented lady I met through the Muse Online Writers Conference, puts on this event each year. PROMO DAY 2010 will take place on Saturday, May 15th. In Jo’s words, PROMO DAY is “an all day, online, international event for people in the writing industry packed full of tips and advice along with a variety of opportunities for writers, publishers, editors, etc. to promote their work and services. Readers are also welcome to drop in and get to know the authors better.” This is the first time that Pump Up Your Book Promotion is sponsoring PROMO DAY, but I doubt it will be the last.

You have a children’s book coming out and are currently working on a middle grade novel. Can you tell us a little about those?

Now you’re in dangerous territory because a writer likes nothing more than to talk about her work. [snicker, snicker]

My first children’s picture book will be released by Guardian Angel Publishing in the fall. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love Christmas; so it will be no surprise that my first book centers around this holiday.

Little Shepherd Boy tells the story of Obed, a young shepherd in the fields outside of Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth. After the angel’s visit, Obed is hesitant to follow the others to see the newborn King because he doesn’t want anything to happen to his flock. His father finally convinces him to go, but Obed spends the whole time worried about his sheep. When Obed returns, however, he discovers all his sheep safe and sound and not even the fire has dwindled in their absence. Obed believes it is a night of miracles.

My current work in progress is a middle grade novel about a young orphan girl named Amelia who is sent to live with her spinster aunt in a fictional New England town. Aunt Martha is a very unhappy person. Amelia is determined to figure out why her aunt is so miserable and fix it. Amelia’s best friend is Ralph, the stable hand at Havenwood, Aunt Martha’s estate. Ralph is opposed to Amelia poking her nose into her aunt’s business. In addition, Amelia wants to teach Ralph to read, but he refuses, even though Amelia is sure he wants to learn.

Where can we read more about you and your work?

Thanks for asking. I’m in the process of having a new website designed, but for now, readers can find me at http://ccmalandrinos.tripod.com/ I have a few blogs that I update on a regular basis:

The Book Connection

Book Tours and More

The Children’s and Teen’s Book Connection

I can also be found at Facebook and Twitter if anyone looks up ccmalandrinos.

Thanks for giving me the chance to talk about myself and my work.

Welcome to the very first post, in what promises to be an exciting series. Today, our featured writer is Garry Graves, author of “Character Happens – The Five Most Important-But Fleeting Virtues.” Please feel free to leave any questions for Garry in the comments section and if you bribe him with doughnuts, he’ll probably even answer them.

VRL: Garry, thanks for your time. Let’s talk a little bit about your book. How did you come up with the idea for your book, “Character Happens?”

G.G:…I mention this on my site and in my blog—I’ve spent over thirty years as a business owner, sales broker and small business consultant, consequently, I’m met all kinds and types of ‘characters,’ so to speak. As surely we all have. Pointedly, many individuals disgust me with how they make decisions and conduct their business and personal lives. Most make decisions based purely on ‘self-interest,’ and not a better decision considering what’s good for all. And, from my 30 years of observations, the makeup of people spread across; gender, age, religious sect, degree of religiosity and ethnicity. So no one group was more or less ‘virtuous’ in their decision making. One day my lovely wife, after hearing another horrific tale about an encounter I had with someone, said, ‘good character seems more sporadic today.’ I decided it would be a good book topic and the rest is history.

VRL: You are self-publishing your book. Tell me how you came to this decision and what are the pros and cons?

G.G:…I came to the decision after a couple years of writing agent-specific query letters with no positive response. Additionally, my inquiries direct with publishers came back with a variety of reasons why they were not interested. All the while I’m reading how the publishing industry is more closed to new writers than the National Football League is to the new players. That’s pretty damn closed believe me. Unless, you’re a celebrity of sorts, or another Stephen King, then chances of being ‘discovered’ by an agent or a publisher is monumental. Finding an interested agent or publisher is like playing the lotto. I don’t play either.

Further…we have all read books from big publishing houses that amount to crap, no two ways about it. This crap can be edited in an extraordinary fashion, (which is the slam about self-published books, typically coming from agented-authors and big publishers), fact remains it’s still crap. Not fit for human consumption. Yet here it is! So the old mantra of ‘if it’s self-pubbed, it’s not good,’ …is just that, ‘old.’ Self publishing is changing the industry and big publishers are worried. Writers can do much of this on their own (or hire it done) and that upsets big publishers to no end.

What are the pro’s and con’s you ask…the pros as I see it are: more control over the process like when the book comes out, no changing of passages or cover design, and finally—making more profit by avoiding the agent and publisher commission fees. The cons might be: editing—the better you’re editing (like hiring a professional), the better the book’s presentation. Marketing has to done by you…but then again publishers today leave much of that to you anyway, unless you’re the King. That’s the difference as I see it.

Vanessa, don’t forget to mention to your readers about the ‘ebook’ phenomena. It’s relatively new but writers cannot afford to not produce their books this new way. It’s another income stream and its beginning to grow with the new devices like the Kindle, the Nook and now the iPad.

VRL: Where can reader sample some of your writing?

G.G:…My books website has a page whereby a reader can sign in and choose from several snippets I’ve posted. The link is:

http://characterhappens.com/Snippetspage.html

Also, please inform your readers of my new ‘book trailer’ just produced by Jeannie Ruesch who conducts a book-trailer workshop. She did my trailer and it looks great. Here’s a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYfx69-SJm4

The music is most inspiring…Jeannie did a beautiful job.

Thanks Vanessa for asking me to visit with you today. If any of your readers have questions, please have them comment at the end of this post—that way all readers can view.

Something interesting for Friday…  Have kids? Live far away from the grandparents? They can still participate in the time honored tradition of the bedtime story. As somebody who does frequent webcam visits with loved ones far away, I thought this was pretty cool.

Click here for the Galleycat article and video.

Also…don’t forget! Next Tuesday kicks off our Featured Writer/Author Series! It’s shaping up to be very exciting!

Please mark your calendars! Next week, on Tuesday March 2nd, I’ll be kicking off a weekly series featuring various writers and authors. So far we have a great line-up! I’m hoping to introduce you to some exciting new voices in the writing and publishing world.

Next week, I will be featuring Garry Graves, author of “Character Happens -    The Five Most Important-But Fleeting Virtues.” Garry will answer some questions about his upcoming book as well as writing in general, and he’ll be happy to take any questions that you may have.

So be sure and stop by next Tuesday. This will be a great opportunity to meet new, or new to you writers and authors.