Friday, July 25, 2008

Traci, Linnea, Dara and Catherine in Orlando!

Hi all!! Anybody in the Orlando area??? Come and visit us at the Millenia Mall -4200 Conroy Road, Orlando 32839. Easy to find - right off I-4. Store phone: (407) 345-2282.
I will have chocolate, in addition to books! These ladies are incredible authors and I'm thrilled to be signing my first book with them - come check us out, in between 1 and 3!

Hope to see you there!

Traci

Monday, July 21, 2008

kiss me, slap me - the world of publishing

My friend Rhonda calls the ups and downs of publishing "Kiss me, slap me" - which is true. I am not normally one to go for violent relationships, and yet here I am, stuck in an abusive one!
And there is no way I'm walking away.
Insights thanks to copious amounts of white zinfandel, and sort of meditating (zoning while watching Raymond reruns) have led me to believe that I am, on a very passive-aggressive level, no quitter.
Which basically means that even though my career path looks like a derailed roller coaster, I'm in til the end of the ride.
I've always written. I had a plan. After winning a People's Choice Award in 1996 (count em - twelve - TWELVE - years ago) I knew that writing would be so overwhelming that I wouldn't be able to put my all into raising my kids. Writing went on the back burner, and I took classes and wrote short stories, but basically put kids and family first.
Until 2001, when my kids could feed themselves without burning the house down, and my fab hubby told me "it was time" - stop whining about writing, and to get to it. He threatened me with duct tape.
So, blah blah blah, I wrote, and wrote, and scored well in the Golden Heart - 2 out of 3 scores, anyway. The third score knocked me out of the running. Whatever. I found a critique group, became active in my local RWA chapter (FRW rocks!) and blazed my way through conference after conference and agent and editor appointments galore.
I sold one book in 2005, sold more in 2006, only to close a line in 2006 and have all of my books returned to me. I've had two bad agents, one book with an editor I love for a year, and a great support group.
In between closing other lines, I've sold six books in the past year - one ebook YA - one print historical romance that is ON the shelves!! I threw myself into advertising and marketing and got a job to pay for it all - cause writing doesn't. Not yet. I set up booksignings, did panels and promoted the hell out of myself.
I got Books A Million to let me sign - and the day before all of my friends and family were coming to support me at my local Jupiter Chasewood Plaza location - the lovely Linda calls to say that my books are MIA.
It's a glitch, she tells me, which means ***T Happens.
Yes, I have books on the shelves - just not at Books A Million, lol. We are going to reschedule, but in the meantime, I have to call all my friends, family and places I'd advertised to tell them "Don't Come".
More than one person commented on the fact that my writing career seemed to have more than the average bumps in the road.
And did I cry? No. Did I want to curl into a ball and pout? No.
My answer is that for all the really crappy lows - and there have been many - I will get some terrific highs. I don't know if that is why I stick around. Maybe I just don't know better? I have a feeling that it's because being a writer is who I am. Telling stories is what I do. And even though I cannot stand roller coasters, I'm trying to enjoy the ride.

Monday, July 7, 2008

No time to stop!















These past few weeks have been insane, but since I'm fond of mild craziness, I'm adapting. I went to my first official in a book store booksigning with some terrific writers. We did a romance panel at Books and Books, which is a FABULOUS independent book store in Miami.



I have pictures of us all - here is the entire panel. Cynthia Thomason, Linda Conrad, me, Lyn Armstrong and Patrice Wilton. The next picture is of me and Patrice - who also signed her first book, Replacing Barney! We've been CP's for (gulp) over four years. Seeing Love's Magic behind the counter was impossibly cool


The people there were so helpful and it was a kick to sign books. We talked about romance, and how romance as a genre has evolved. Kristen Wallace was there, and Joanne Straatsma, but none of it could have come together without Isabel Barney!

We Florida Romance Writers are tackling the Erotica Museam in Miami next - come visit us, and hear our panel discuss S E X (what else would we talk about at an erotica museum??) lol

Event: FLORIDA ROMANCE WRITERS AT WORLD EROTIC ART MUSEUM in SOUTH BEACH -Museum Tour, Panel Discussion, Book signing: Authors Lyn Armstrong, Linda Conrad, Traci E Hall, Allison Chase/Lisa Manuel, Zelda Benjamin, Jianne Carlo and Mary Ricksen will be discussing sensuality in romance novels.Date: July 12, 2008 - 11 AM Location: 1205 Washington Ave - Miami Beach, FL 33139

Come visit us! We are a lot of fun - and I'll post more pictures - there should be some great ones!















Tuesday, June 24, 2008

crap...I keep forgetting to breathe

So. I knew on some level that my life was going to go from zero to sixty in a nano second, but quite honestly, I haven't even had time to realize that June is almost over. I've spent over a year waiting for JUNE to come and now - woooooooosh. Here comes July. Which is even more jam-packed with fun. Fun, with a sort of tongue in cheek eye-roll thing.
I've finished the non-fiction I was working on with Rhon, and I've just finished writing my workshop course for San Fran and the Beau Monde, and now I'm starting a research book on Nefertiti - because my next project is due by July 15th.

I'm working 20 hours a week at Starbucks and it's actually been good for me because I don't have time to think about me, my books, my career, my need for a runaway bestseller so that I can be rich, when I'm ringing up customers or making cappucinos. It's me and the milk steamer, baby, and that's it. I think writers (me, me, me!) can be very introverted, so getting out into the world is painful but important.

Yesterday I got my first peek at the cover for Beauty's Curse - and I swear to God I almost cried like a girl. It's beautiful...and it's mine. I am almost done with Pump Up Your Book Promotion. Dorothy is a brave and busy soul for taking this biz on, but she was wonderful to work with and I'll definitely sign on for another round, probably in December when Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways is out in print.

Thanks for checking in!!!

Traci

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I have a booksigning date at BAM !

After many grumbled complaints, I have a real, honest to goodness signing date at my local Books A Million - yeah (imagine me doing cartwheels - without breaking my neck but really fast) and I'm so excited! After the 2-4 signing, we will go to McArthy's in Tequesta for more fun and merriment!! How can you go wrong with Irish Brogue Karioke? I can't do any accents, not even after a few coffee and bailey's, but I try Everyone is welcome to join us - I'll do more advertising closer to the day.

Pump Up Your Book Promotion has me as their Author of the Day (awwww) and I would love it very much if you (or anybody you can scare up) would come and visit me at http://pumpupyourbookpromotion.ning.com/group/authorday/forum/topic/show?id=2101272%3ATopic%3A1282
and ask me a question or two...otherwise I will be left twiddling my thumbs, and I don't have time to unknot them.

On another networking front, I am now an official member of the Jupiter Tequesta Women's club, and I've been invited to do a signing in Orlando in September!!!
And my Starbucks boss is rooting for me to be able to have my books in the store...we shall see anyway, everything is hectic and crazy and wonderful!

Come visit me...and there's a chance you can win a free book!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Pump up your book - day 4!

Welcome to Day Four of Pump Up Your Book Promotion’s June Authors on Tour! Follow along as these talented authors travel the blogosphere all month long to talk about their books, their lives and their future projects. Leave a comment at their blog stops and you could win a FREE virtual book tour if you’re a published author with a recent release or a $25 Amazon gift certificate if you are not published. So, pick your favorites, follow their tours, and make sure you leave them a note to tell them you stopped by!Steven Baldwin and Karen Holgate, authors of the non-fiction current events book, From Crayons to Condoms: The Ugly Truth About America’s Public Schools, will be stopping off at The Writer’s Life! In Steven and Karen’s book, you’ll experience today’s public schools as never before, through the voices of parents, students and dedicated teachers left stranded in the system, the same voices that school administrators are determined to stifle.
Peter Bowerman, author of the book on self-publishing, The Well Fed Self Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living, will be stopping off at Amateur de Livre! Fun, irreverent, exhaustively detailed, double-award-winning, step-by-step, real-world blueprint for profitable self-publishing, and building a full-time income stream from one book.
James Burns, author of the financial how to book, The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth will be stopping off at Beyond the Books The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth is a virtual survivor’s manual for the investor informing them of what they face in the future that is new and unpredictable and how much investing is costing them with traditional investment vehicles. Forward-thinking financial planners will avail themselves of the technical information outlined in The 3 Secret Pillars of Wealth, while the average investor will have a roadmap that guides them to financial success.
Mayra Calvani, author of the children’s book, Crash!, will be stopping off at Beverly McClure! The Writing Jungle Marcelo is thrilled when he gets a gold retriever puppy for his birthday, but now he faces one of the toughest jobs of his life, not only because owning a pet is a huge responsibility, but because he has to find the perfect name for it - and that’s hard!
Edythe Denkin, PhD., author of the self-help/relationship book, Relationship Magic, will be stopping off at Virtual Book Tour de Net! Relationships bring out unconscious behavior learned in childhood. Prince James and Princess Cinda take you into their lives and show you how you, too, can develop lasting love. Edythe’s book helps couples realize that long-term marital bliss does not “just happen” and that “happily ever after” is possible when couples learn to treat each other with respect, honor, and trust.
Traci E. Hall, author of the paranormal romance novel, Love’s Magic, will be stopping off at Paperback Writer! Celestia Montehue has inherited special healing powers from the maternal line of her family. It comes with a glitch. The year is 1192, witch hunting abounds in England and she can only marry for love or risk losing her gifts. Nicholas Le Blanc is a soul-sick Crusader who escapes from his captivity in Tripoli. He wants redemption and forgiveness from God for losing the sacred relic of Saint James the Apostle. And the other matter of murder, as well. Forced to marry and move to Falcon Keep, which is haunted by Nicholas’ mother, they must learn to love one another before their family’s curses doom them for eternity.
Linda Merlino, author of the literary fiction novel, Belly of the Whale, will be stopping off at The Story Behind the Book! Hudson Catalina has given up. Having lost both breasts to cancer, she is emotionally and physically exhausted, no longer willing to endure the nausea and crushing weakness that chemotherapy causes, until the wrecked-by-life young Buddy Baker arrives, bend on murder. A touching story of despair, abuse, murder and survival takes you on a journey through the darkest places of the human mind and spirit, and in the end, leads you back out of “the belly of the whale,” enriched by the experience.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller, author of the woman’s fiction novel, Mrs. Lieutenant, will be stopping off at Bookfoolery! In the spring of 1970 - right after the Kent State National Guard shootings and President Nixon’s two-month incursion into Cambodia - four newly married young women come together at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, when their husbands go on active duty as officers in the U.S. Army. Discover what happens as these women overcome their prejudices, reveal their darkest secrets, and are initiated into their new lives as army officers’ wives during the turbulent Vietnam War period.
Grace Reddick, author of the children’s book, Ashley’s Unforgettable Summer, will be stopping off at The Friendly Book Nook. Ashley was beginning to question herself. Had she made the right decision by bringing this chimpanzee home? Tina seemed to be three steps ahead of Ashley and her best friend Rylee. Tina was obviously out of control. Just how far would she go? Only time would tell.
LaConnie Taylor-Jones, author of the contemporary romance novel, When a Man Loves a Woman, will be stopping off at Amateur de Livre! What do you do when you are in love with someone who won’t give you the time of day? How do you convince her that she is really meant to spend the rest of her life with you when she avoids you at all costs? These are the questions that Alcee Jules (A.J.) Baptiste must answer. He knows that he wants to spend his life with Victoria Bennett, but she wants nothing to do with love and even less to do with him. It is going to take all the scheming this man can do just to keep her in the state when she threatens to move to Atlanta, Georgia.
Victoria Wells, author of the multicultural romance novel, A Special Summer will be stopping off at Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion! In love with the man of her dreams, Summer Jackson is living her life in sheer bliss…so she thought. Devastation rocks her world when handsome Nick Stiles walks out on her, leaving her to pick up the shattered pieces. Out of the blue, Nick resurfaces with intentions of reclaiming Summer as his woman. That is..until he is confronted with a betrayal that is so insurmountable he finds himself in a blind rage, hell-bent on revenge.
Karen White, author of the southern fiction novel, The Memory of Water, will be stopping off at Book Excerpts from Bestselling Authors! Set in the South Carolina low country, estranged sisters Diana and Marnie Maitland reunite to help heal Diana’s emotionally disturbed son and reveal the secrets surrounding the sailing accident ten years earlier that took their mother’s life.
Debbie Williamson, author of the self-help book, Stand, will be stopping off at The Book Connection! One courageous woman shatters the chains of abuse that bound her family for generations and dares to brave the crippling memories of sexual abuse; shatter the illusions of denial; reveal her family’s bitter legacy of violence; reach for healing and wholeness, and take her place on a path to forgiveness and peace.
Candis C. Coffee author of the literary fiction novel, Mariposa, will be stopping at The Dark Phantom! A spiritual, intellectual, brave young woman creates the life of her dreams, only to be deeply disappointed by its inability to sustain her. The theme is that of a spiritual quest - a young woman’s desire to feel the magic she believes exists in connections to nature, to people. Along the way, the story illuminates the perils of prejudice as well as the intimate, yet treacherous bond that exists between Angelo and Mexican people who live side by side near the border.
PUMP UP YOUR BOOK PROMOTION VIRTUAL BOOK TOURS
"We take books to the virtual level!"
www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com

Monday, June 2, 2008

My book is Really Truly Here!!! Love's Magic

Hey! Okay – wanna see me panic and run around in circles? Well – forget it, lol. I am going to go and pour a glass (a large glass, lol) of white zinfandel and then try and catch up with my life.
I’m supposed to be blogging on all of the nuances of being newly published. I wasn’t prepared for the OMG factor of Aunt K emailing me to tell me that Spokane only had one copy of Love’s Magic at the biggest Barnes and Noble in the valley, and that someone already bought it. Cool, that someone already bought it (mom???) and cool – agh – that my book is really and truly out in the world – but Not Cool that there was only one copy to begin with…so my Aunt K gathered her posse together and they are schooling the Spokane bookstores on the fact that I was raised in Spokane, making me a local author – and they would need to stock more than five copies

Thank Aunt K!!

And if you have the chance to pop on over to www.medallionpress.com you can find my audio blog interview, where I stutter a lot and sound like the only words I know are amazing and incredible and I think. I think excuse me while I get more wine…


Traci

ps - I am scheduled for blog interviews all over this month, so this site will be busy! today you can see me over at the book connection!! please leave posts and you have a chance to win a free book and some other fun stuff!!!