Rave Reviews Book Club Author Spotlight Blog Tour – Angelia Vernon Menchan

April 8, 2014April 5, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

The Rave Reviews Book Club of which I am a member does a great job of spotlighting authors throughout the year. Today’s author is Angelia Vernon Menchan who is a publishing author with 26 paperback books and countless eBook titles to her credit. She also publishes the work of several other authors and mentors by writing and publishing. She also publishes a blog titled: Angelia’s Ramblings which you can visit HERE. Today Angelia would like to share some information on Author Branding

Branding Oneself

Angelia Vernon Menchan

I created a brand once I became an author quite by chance. I was encouraged to start a blog and within a very short period of time I became known as a positive speaker and motivator.

How did that brand tie in to my work?

I always have a theme of overcoming or using mentors in anything I write. I write fiction, non-fiction, women’s fiction and YA fiction, as such it was easy to promote my books with who I had become known as.

Making sure your brand isn’t tarnished.

This is tricky because we all have a tendency to vent, particularly via social media. Be very careful about that because if you are writing books about faith, positivity, or anything that is positive, if your persona is negative, no one will believe you thus tarnishing your image and your ability to sell your books.

Choose other ways to enhance your brand beyond selling books.

I have become known as a motivational speaker and that was born of my books and making myself available to those who have read my books and the themes within. Once a person feels they know you and what your work is about it opens up other venues.

Narrow your social network groups to your brand.

What I am saying here is that none of us can maintain fifty groups if we are working and writing and if your books are inspirational it doesn’t make sense to market a group that is focused on erotica, for instance. If that is a reading interest then only enter that group as a reader. Use groups dedicated to your brand and your type of product otherwise you won’t find your target audience.

You can visit Angelia at her Blog or on Amazon and you can visit Rave Reviews Book Club right HERE and think about joining. You could be in the Author’s Spotlight as well.

Angelia Vernon Menchan

http://acvermen.blogspot.com

Amazon Books

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=menchan&sprefix=menchan%2Caps%2C180

Friday is the best Day for a Haiku and a Margarita

April 4, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 31 Comments

Been a long week for me. How about you. Well one of the nice things about a fairly tough week when Friday finally comes, it is cause for celebration. Of course, most of us have to define tough within the same context as our overall life profile. For some, tough may be defined as not being able to find a parking place in front of our favorite lunch spot and actually having to pay for valet. For others it may be going without several meals for several days. It is kind of strange how our lives take on a standard of normal. I guess we have Maslow and the hierarchy of needs to thank for that. Once basic needs are met the human condition dictates that we try to move up the hierarchy until we achieve what we consider to be the top. Of course, if we somehow find ourselves where basic needs are not being met, we go right back to the basics. Enough of the social theory for now. You came for the Haiku and here it is.

Life is hard for some,

For others it is so easy. . .

Until things go wrong.

The Tophat Raven Art and Literary Magazine – Issue Two Now Available

April 2, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 13 Comments

If you have not had a look at The Tophat Raven Art and Literary Magazine yet, I would suggest you go HERE and check it out. The magazine is on-line and is chock full of poetry, art, stories and photos. It is really something to occupy many moments of pleasurable reading. Oh yes, I should mention one of my stories titled The Card is included and starting on page 20. I was so delighted when informed my story submission was selected and I’m sure you will be delighted in reading issue two as well.

It’s No Joke – Memoirs of a Dilettante Volume One is NOW AVAILABLE

April 1, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

Here is all the info you need to buy Helena Hann-Basquiat’s book (released today) and also a fun sounding contest.

Book Review: A Pleasantly Different Kind of Thriller

March 30, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

Really well done and thoughtful review of My GRL by Marie Ann Bailey.

Marie at 1 Write Way

John W. Howell’s new novel, My GRL, is a pleasantly different kind of thriller. The hero, John D. Cannon, lacks a few of the standard hero qualities that you might expect in a thriller novel. He doesn’t seek out danger. In fact, at one point, danger has to literally run him off the road and onto the beach to get his attention. Cannon is somewhat naive as well, especially when it comes to women. He takes them at face value, trusting them in spite of all the red flags they wave in his face. [Ahem, Mr. Cannon, when a woman tells you she had great fun infiltrating another company while pretending to be someone else, in effect, SPYING, you might want to put your trust in her on hold for a bit.] Cannon is also one of the most polite, respectful, and well-adjusted heroes I’ve ever met, and he’s…

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Come to Letum Wood… Brand new release by Katie Cross

March 29, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 4 Comments

Here is a cleaver announcement of Katie Cross’ new release Miss Mabel’s School for Girls by Olivia Stocum author of Moon Stone. While you are at it you could pick up both (the books that is) All the info you need is in the post.

Olivia Stocum Romance Fiction

The absolutely awesome Katie cross has released her first novel, a YA fantasy, Miss Mabel’s School for Girls.

<BEEP> THIS HAS BEEN A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. IF THIS HAD BEEN AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD TO HEAD DIRECTLY TO AMAZON TO BUY MISS MABEL’S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS>

Oh, go over there and buy it anyway!

It’s not like it’s the Zombie Apocalypse and you don’t have time to read because your too busy trying to stay alive. (or dead as the case may be)

Here’s what it looks like. So, you don’t mistake it for something else. (You know, something not nearly as cool that might disappoint you, then causing you to write your first ever one star review, that then has the author calling the police and having a restraining order put out against you. I mean, you wouldn’t want THAT, now would you?)

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Friday, Friday, Friday Woo Woo slap – Ahem Haiku Time.

March 28, 2014March 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

Making it to the end of the workweek doesn’t necessarily mean we can totally forget our jobs over the weekend. Imagine if you will (Rod Serling visual here) the prospect of having to re-learn everything you knew last Friday when you return to work on Monday. Also think of the pain of learning how some of your job sucks all over again as well. This week’s Haiku looks at the idea of completely forgetting ones work over the weekend.

Out of bed Monday,

Can’t remember what I do . . .

Hope I’m a doctor.

Have a great weekend

Look Out it is Wednesday – Story Day

March 26, 2014March 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 14 Comments

Wednesday is as Wednesday Does which is basically the job to provide hope the week will eventually reach Friday. Once Wednesday is over, it is just one wake-up till Friday which we all believe we can endure. After all, what is one twenty-four hour day between the workweek and our precious weekend? Wednesday is also story day here on Fiction Favorites. Today’s story explores the concept of show time which is something we all have some concern about during the week if we plan on attending an event on the weekend. I hope you enjoy it.

“What time did you say the show starts?”

“Not sure I said, but it is eight o’clock.”

“Oh good. That gives us some time to grab a bite to eat before.”

“Well I’m not sure you should eat before.”

“Not eat before? Are you kidding? Eight o’clock is way past my dinner time.”

“Yeah I understand, but sometimes you should try to break out of your routine and do something different.”

“What do you mean routine?”

“Well you insist on eating dinner at six-thirty. I would think just this once you could wait a little longer since the show is part of the dinner hour.”

“Are you saying they will be serving dinner at the show?”

“Well not exactly serving dinner, but some dinner might be available.”

“What are you saying then?”

“Well we will be going out into the coliseum right?”

“Yeah I understand that.”

“Who else do you think will be going out into the coliseum?”

“I don’t really know.”

“You don’t? I am really surprised. Have you never been to the coliseum before?”

“No this is my first time.”

“Well you will enjoy it then. They send a bunch of humans out onto the coliseum floor with us.”

“What do they do that for?”

“Ah you are going to like this part. We get to eat them.”

“Really. Now I’m interested. You mean we just help ourselves?”

“Sometimes they have guys with swords, so the meal is a little harder to come by. Other times the people have no weapons and it is a cake walk.”

“I see now why you said not to worry about dinner. Count me into the out of routine category. What is the name of the show anyway?”

“Romans versus the Lions or is it Lions versus the Romans? I’m not sure. It’s something like that.”

Let’s make a deal — Yesterday Road is on sale!

March 25, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 1 Comment

Here is a deal on a great book

WHAT THE HELL

I thought I’d tip off readers of the blog to a promotion that I’m running through April 7. Officially it starts on 4/1, with a listing on Ereader News Today and a few other daily lists, but I wanted all y’all to have a crack at it sooner than later — if you haven’t already bought the book, that is.

Grab it at Amazon here.

The other retail outlets are listed here, but I’m not sure when the price cut will appear at each of them. Amazon is already live.

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Heaven Help Us it is Really Friday

March 21, 2014March 15, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Thanks be to our lucky stars; we made it. Only eight more hours before we can break the binds that tie us to our money machine and run headlong into the ethereal bliss that is the weekend. We can be free, to be, who we want to be. (Whoa wait a minute. This is getting out of hand and sounds like a Coke or US Army commercial)

It is always good to hit the last day of the week and know we have fought the good fight and have given it our best shot. We need to take a minute and reward ourselves if for nothing else than actually making it through the week.

Here is the Haiku celebrating our fortitude during the work week.

All week we stood tall,

Crouching in the perfect spot . . .

To avoid arrows.

Have a great weekend