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 cj Sez: Everyone from Mobile, Alabama, has a Mardi Gras story, reads the Amazon blurb for the Mobile Writers Guild anthology MARDI GRAS PIECES.

“Thanks for getting us thrown out of New Orleans.” Joy’s eyes flamed at her brother Ed as he drove through the now-quiet streets of the French Quarter.

  So begins “The Lost Cause Minstrels,” the first story in the anthology and part of the legacy of wonderful writing by inspired writer and lovely friend, Fran Driscoll.

  Readers, the Minstrels must have behaved pretty badly to get thrown out of the South’s partying-est party city, and you’ll soon have a chance to find out the reason for their embarrassing ouster...for free.

  On Saturday, Feb 5, around 5 p.m. on my Facebook author page ( https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor ), I’ll give away a Kindle copy of MARDI GRAS PIECES to some lucky visitor to Lyrical Pens.

  For a chance to win, read, and experience a little bit of Mobile’s Mardi Gras tradition, tell me if you’ve ever eaten a Moonpie or if you even know what one is. A simple “yes” or “no” will get it done. 

  If you shouldn’t happen to win the free copy, you can still buy it here:  https://amzn.to/3IuTYkM  on sale for $1.99 at the time of this post.

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Photo credit: Jeff D. Johnston

  LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER: Cajun-French for “Let the good times roll.” 

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  Etcetera and P.S.A.

  Writers: If the idea of       attending the Writers Police   Academy sounds appealing   (this year’s guest of honor is   international bestselling author Robert Dugoni), click here for a preview of the sessions: https://leelofland.com/a-preview-of-the-exciting-2022-writers-police-academy-classes/ 

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

It's Mardi Gras season in Mobile

cj Sez: You think Mardi Gras is a one-day affair? Like Paczki Day* in Hamtramck, Michigan? Think again, Grasshopper. Mardi Gras may be a one-day affair in some places, but in Mobile, Alabama, it’s a season.

  And for your reading and writing pleasure, here is some info …

  The Mardi Gras season officially started on January 6, the assigned date the three wise men were thought to have visited the baby Jesus—otherwise known as “Three Kings Day” or “Epiphany.”

  In 2022 in the Mobile area, the first parades start on January 29 when the Krewe De La Dauphine rolls the first Mardi Gras parade through the streets of Dauphin Island. The Dauphin Island People’s Parade follows on February 5, and the 2022 Mardi Gras season is off and running. Parades in the city of Mobile, the birthplace of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S., begin on February 11, and they don’t stop until March 1, the day of Mardi Gras, aka known as Fat Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday.

  For weeks, the streets of Mobile will be filled with the sights and sounds of live marching bands, brilliantly colored floats, and crowds of parade goers. More than 40 parades are scheduled to roll in downtown Mobile and elsewhere in the Gulf Coast area.

Now for some Mardi Gras definitions:

ASH WEDNESDAY: The end of Mobile’s Mardi Gras season. All the excitement and celebrations of Mardi Gras season come to a screeching halt at 12:00 a.m. on Ash Wednesday

CARNIVAL: The term carnival has been loosely translated as “farewell to meat,” the temporary period before the Lenten period when devout Catholics forego eating meat.

KING CAKE: King cake is made of a rising dough, braided into a circle with cinnamon and sugar, topped with fondant icing, and sprinkled with purple, green and gold sugar.

 There is also a teeny, tiny, plastic baby hidden inside the cake to represent the baby Jesus on the Epiphany … Three Kings’ Day, hence the name, King Cake. The person who gets the slice with the baby is known as the king and is supposed to bring a king cake to the next Mardi Gras event.

KREWE: A Mardi Gras organization. Krewe members wear masks when they ride on the floats (colorfully decorated trailers, pulled by trucks) and heave throws into the crowds.  They also fund and create the parades. 

LUNDI GRAS: The French term for “Fat Monday” —the day before Mardi Gras.

MARDI GRAS: The French term for “Fat Tuesday,”—the calendar day of Mardi Gras.

MARDI GRAS BALL: Krewes hold formal balls after their parades. At the balls, the krewe introduces the organization’s honored members, a royal court that includes queens and kings.

THROWS: The goodies that krewes throw from floats into the crowds lining the street during the parades. Toys are popular throws (note the beads decorating grandson's tux),

but bright, shiny bead necklaces and moonpies are the most popular throws. MoonPies are graham-cracker-type rounds filled with various flavors of marshmallow, covered in chocolate, and are celebrated items in Mobile … Mobile even celebrates the arrival of the New Year with a Moonpie Drop.

And…

LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER: Cajun-French for “Let the good times roll” (and they do!)

( * http://www.lyricalpens.com/2020/02/its-mardi-gras-season-in-mobileand-in.html )

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Etcetera and P.S.A.

This post from author/editor Judy Penz Sheluk crossed my Facebook page recently, and I think it’s an important educational/informational piece for all you writers out there.  http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/2022/01/22/lets-talk-about-writing-using-lyrics/

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Mobile Writers Guild anthology: 

Mardi Gras Pieces 

ebook on sale at the time of this post for $1.99

Buy Now here: 

https://amzn.to/3IuTYkM

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

Blog tours and public speaking

 cj Sez: One way to start blog marketing is to go on a blog tour as the guest of as many bloggers as are willing to host you. You write a post or answer some questions, plug your book, respond to readers, and you’re off to the next blog site. 

  It takes a bit of time to set up a schedule and some internet contacts to get a blog tour going, but reclusive authors usually like this kind of marketing. The neat thing is, with the right internet contact, you can reach an international audience.

  After virtual exposures, come personal appearancesAuthors need to connect with their readers. Actually, they must connect with their readers. That means authors do book signings and book readings at libraries and bookstores. For some authors there may be media—TV/press/radio—interviews. All of those tasks require (gasp) public speaking.

  Even if a personal media interview is out of the picture, be sure to issue a press release when the book is launched. It might just get published in your local paper.

  For me, and some other authors I know, the prospect of public speaking is a bit scary. A writer’s normal milieu as we create our stories is solitude in front of a computer or with pen pressed to paper. Writers are watchers . . . we observe the behaviors of other people and take copious notes for future story/character ideas. Being the watch-ee (in front of an audience) takes us completely out of our comfort zones.

  That’s where a formulaic but flexible “stump speech”* can offer a degree of confidence.

 Write the outline for a stump speech. Start with an anecdote, add a brief bio—mine included why I use a pen name and how I chose it. Follow up with something about where the idea for the story came from, the research involved, the characters, and then read a couple of short excerpts.

I print out the speech in large, bold, double-spaced type, and I practice it, a lot. That helps me with timing the length of my presentation and makes me familiar with the flow so I can wing some of it and actually make occasional eye contact with someone. The more often I speak, the easier it becomes.  (Yeah, right.)

 Other than participating in panels at conferences or speaking at a local writers’ organization, I’ve never had to speak at an out-of-town gathering. If that ever happens, I’ve read that it’s a good idea stop by the venue and get familiar with the layout. Another trick for newbie speakers is to attend someone else’s presentation if possible…that takes a lot of the mystery out of the event.

Caveat for public speaking: It’s important to really know your work, because the audience Q&A will bring some surprising questions—always.

  A few years ago, TV investigative reporter and fellow Sisters-in-Crime/Guppy author Hank Phillippi Ryan (USAToday bestselling author of 13 thrillers) came up with seven quick steps for dealing with the scary thought of having to speak in public (and she’s so good at it, public speaking seems second nature to her):

1.      Research your audience

2.      Plan

3.      Practice

4.      Know your stuff!

5.      DON’T worry.

6.      Get big.

7.      Love it and embrace it. 

Now if only I could get steps 5-7 down pat.  

* “Stump” is another word for “campaign” —like politicians do when they’re trolling for votes; authors are trolling for sales.

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  Re that other important marketing consideration, to newsletter or not to newsletter? I tried that once. It was like pulling hens’ teeth to get regular subscribers (or subscribers who weren’t authors trying to help me out). Will I try to start another one? I’m still thinking.

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Etcetera and P.S.A.

  A follow-up on my post about setting do-able goals (from a Jane Friedman blog) . . . https://www.janefriedman.com/getting-things-done-in-your-writing/

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 YES YOU CAN honor Betty White's 100th birthday ON JANUARY 17. Your local rescue group, ASPCA, or my favorite: GOOD FORTUNE FARM REFUGE.

http://goodfortunefarmrefuge.org/ways-to-donate/

  Every dollar goes a long way for homeless animals. Food, de-wormer, a warm blanket, a vet visit. Easy-Peasy to help those who help the helpless, and you can do it from the comfort of your home.

  Think about it and mark the date on your calendar, please?

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

 

Marketing, let me count the ways

cj Sez: Re that marketing budget I said I needed to create for 2022? Last week I used $10 of January’s budget. I have to admit, I haven’t yet decided on an upper limit for the year. I’ll most likely let my results determine what the limit is. Kind of fun to test the unknown waters of advertising to announce my name/book titles and then wait and see if anyone noticed. I’ve used Facebook in the past but not Amazon. Any suggestions?

Source: HotSpot

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  A primary part of my marketing plan is this blog. I use Blogger which is free, but I have to include the annual fees for GoDaddy hosting and the domain names.

  Lyrical Pens launched on June 22, 2009, when I clicked “publish” on my first post. You can click on the date to read it. Joyce Scarbrough (https://www.joycescarbrough.com/ ), a prolific author and confederate in the Mobile Writers’ Guild, was my first (and only) commenter. (Thanks, Joyce, although it seems to have started a one-of trend…sigh.)

  

  The blog started as a marketing tool for three writing/critique-group buddies (Mahala Church, Tracy Hurley, and me) who wanted to “get our names out there” to tempt fans to follow the famous authors we envisioned.

  Mahala and Tracy had just co-founded the Mobile Writers’ Guild, and I had joined them as a charter member and Secretary…or maybe that was Secretary/Treasurer (faulty memory). Go-getter Tracy worked through the technical part of building the website, and it hasn’t changed all that much since it began. Sadly, Tracy died in 2010, and Mahala and I carried on. Today, Lyrical Pens is still a viable marketing tool, but where once there were three authors, there is now one—Mahala retired from the site in 2016.

I offer up two small pieces of advice if you’re thinking about blogging:

  First piece comes with a caveat: “To thine own self be true.” That is to say, identify your goal for the blog and write your posts with that in mind. Do you want to share tidbits of personal data to grow your relationship with fans and readers? Do you want to share professional writing stuff for fellow authors? Maybe it’s a combination of both, which is where Lyrical Pens sits, although it does lean more toward the professional writing information.

  Second, a blog is a great way to build an author brand if you link your posts to your author Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, et al. Be sure to embed buy links and book trailers. Did you notice I wrote “author Facebook page?” I have two FB pages, one for personal and one for author stuff. Your personal social media followers aren’t there to read your sales pitches; they want to share a conversation with you. Keep the advertising low-key on your personal sites. A new book notice or reminder is fine, but heavy slugs of “Buy My Book” advertising in every post might drive away some of your new Friends.

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  Another important marketing consideration: Newsletter or not to newsletter? That is the question. I’m still thinking.

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Etcetera and P.S.A.

  Excellent blog for anyone looking to write a publishable novel… https://www.janefriedman.com/to-the-people-who-want-me-to-read-their-writing/

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  YOU TOO CAN honor Betty White's 100th birthday ON JANUARY 17. DONATE TO GOOD FORTUNE FARM REFUGE.

http://goodfortunefarmrefuge.org/ways-to-donate/

  Every dollar goes a long way for homeless animals. Food, dewormer, a warm blanket, a vet visit. Easy-Peasy to help those who help the helpless, and you can do it from the comfort of your home.

  Think about it and put the date on your calendar, please?

§§

  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has signed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my author-graphed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Onward! Looking hopefully forward to a Far-Better year

cj Sez: I did not make a New Year’s resolution. To me, the word insinuates a passive ending, something resolved. My career in a corporate environment taught me to use the word “goal,” a word that infers action, a constant striving to reach it or be defeated. I will change direction and adjust my expectations if necessary, but I will not be defeated.

 

   As it was for 2021, my one goal this year is to not quit writing for public consumption because the thought seriously (seriously) crossed my mind. I struggled for weeks before I made the decision to re-up my memberships for 2022 in the Mobile Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime and their on-line Guppy chapter. Memberships in other organizations were renewed in the middle of 2021, so I have yet to reconsider those for 2022-2023.  

    I love words. Even more so than the plot of a story, the syntax and cadence of a well-crafted sentence, paragraph, chapter, story invites me to read those lines over and over.  But my personal writing enthusiasm wanes and ennui waxes when I contemplate finding a critique group/partner and having to go through the tedious processes of self-publishing and marketing of novels. Marketing dollars, of course, are the main deterrent for me. I think I earned less than $20 in royalties last year.

 “Goals are dreams we convert to plans 

and take action to fulfill.” Zig  Ziglar

    

   For 2022, I must make a monthly budget/plan for marketing.

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 2021 publishing recap:

   I took a flyer with an interactive gaming publisher, Crazy Maple Studios, and submitted my stand-alone thriller/suspense novels for their new app. My intent was to get more exposure of my author name and works. I think it worked.

   I submitted two short stories that were accepted:

      “Ida, Fate, and Mister Leon” was published in the Mobile Writer’s Guild STORMY PIECES anthology.  

Buy Stormy Now   Free on Kindle Unlimited and $1.99 for ebook at the time of this post.

      “The Firebug” short story accepted for THE BIG FANG publication by a west Michigan humane society is now scheduled to be launched sometime in 2022.

   I submitted a short story for a proposed 2022 Mobile Writers Guild anthology but am still awaiting a yea or nay acceptance notice.

   I began work on a flash memoir piece in response to a call-for-submissions. 

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Etcetera

    When I first saw Mr. Scrappy Rooster on Facebook, I wasn't sure if he was the winner or the loser. Then I thought, he's not only upright, he’s strutting, He’s definitely the winner.

   I said last January that I was thinking about making him my mascot for 2021 and should have, because I look a lot like him as I skid into 2022.

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   I want to end this first Lyrical Pens post of 2022 with one of Billy Graham’s prayers for a new beginning for all of us in another uncertain year…

“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future. We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year. In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.” —Billy Graham

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

P.S.  The Haunted Bookshop has author-graphed copies of my stories in stock. TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from a favorite, indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

 

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6