Fifty Ways to Show Readers Some Love (Part 1)

My favorite part of writing (by far) is getting to know my readers.  But how can I show them how important they are to me?  That was a question I asked my Facebook community, and (with a little help from my friends) I came up with more than 50 ways!   This is the first of three blog posts that highlight ways writers can show their readers some love.  Enjoy, share, and add to the list in the commetns.  I hope it sparks some creative ideas!

Day 1: Thank them!  This one seems like a no brainer, but we often forget.  Mom always said, when  someone does something nice for you, say thank you!  From writing reviews, to retweeting our tweets, to sending us e-mails.  The varieties of kindnesses bestowed upon us by readers are impressive.  And I’m always surprised by how delighted readers are to hear from me.  So, my author friends:  Have you thanked your readers lately?

Day 2: Send them an Authorgraph! Many readers love autographs, but they can’t necessarily meet their favorite authors in person.  How about an Authorgraph!  This fun app allows authors to send autographs to fans whether they read the old fashioned paper way or on their favorite electronic screen.  Better yet, it’s free to both parties!

Day 3: Wish them a happy birthday on Facebook! Maybe it’s just me, but I love it when people contact me to wish me a happy birthday.  And Facebook makes it so easy!  Sign up to get an e-mail stating which of your friends has a birthday each day. Before you know it, you’ll have a daily e-mail reminder.  Your quick Happy-B-day might make one of your reader’s day!

Day 4: Create a fan page for your books:  I have both a personal page on Facebook and an author page.  I prefer my personal page, because “friending” my readers lets me learn more about them and their lives.  But there’s an entirely different page readers might enjoy:  A Fan page for their favorite series!  I haven’t done this yet, but it seems like a fab way to connect readers with their favorite series.  This page by fellow Inker Sheila Boneham is a great example.

Day 5: Share information about other books they might like.  Chances are you also read the genre in which you write, and you may know great authors that your readers haven’t heard of—yet. If you love a book or an author, why not post about them on your author page or fan groups? You’ll help a fellow author and your readers at the same time!

Day 6: Chat them up at conferences. As authors, it’s really easy to hang out with your clan when you travel to a conference.  How about hanging out with readers?  Invite your readers to have a drink, a coffee, or even just take a few minutes to introduce yourself.  Some of my favorite people are readers I’ve meet at conferences!

Day 7:  Friend them! Author pages are great—I have one myself.  But personal walls are more, well, personal. When readers become friends, instead of just fans, the dialogue changes.  It’s less about promoting your work and more about building connection.  Once you’re a rock star, you’ll reach the 5000 limit for your friends, but until then, why not reach out to your readers, or accept their requests when they reach out to you? If you want to friend me, I'm at this link.

Day 8:  Share more with them than “buy my book!” Believe me, I know that finding readers is hard, and that most of us well outspend what we make on our books trying to market them.   But who wants to have a friend who only reaches out when they need  something?  What information would interest your readers?  Think of how you can serve them, and then when you do post an occasional “buy my book,” they might be more interested in supporting you.

Day 9: Post a video of you reading from your newest work!  OK—I’m going to admit—this is not one I’m likely to do, because I HATE to see myself on video.  But how about creating a quick and easy youtube video of you reading a scene from your work?  Readers who can never see you do a reading in person may love the opportunity to do so in video.  Plus, it can double for one of your blog entries!  Everyone wins!

Day 10: “Like” the reviews they write for you on Goodreads or mark them as helpful on Amazon.  Most readers don’t have a review blog, and even posting a review on Amazon or Goodreads is adding one more to-do item to their busy schedule.  A simple click lets them know that you noticed, and that you appreciated it! 

Day 11: Speak at their book clubs.  You may not be able to be there in person, by Skype is a wonderful thing!  You’ll get to see the happy face of your reader and meet a few more at the same time.  I’ve only done this a handful of times myself, but it’s been a blast!

Day 12:  Send them an autographed bookmark!  Not every reader can get your autograph in person, and Authorgraph (see day 2) isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.  But many readers love autographed bookmarks.  For the price of a postage stamp and a minute of your time, you can make a reader’s day.

Day 13:  Host a discussion of one of your books on Facebook! On Day 11 I suggested speaking at your readers’ book clubs. What if they don’t belong to one?  Why not create a discussion event of your own? An hour-long Facebook event at which readers  are invited to discuss your book, learn more about its background, and ask you questions about you, your work, your writing process—maybe even the meaning of life!  Sounds like fun to me!  This is definitely on my to-do list for the future.

Day 14:  Write a short story involving your series’ characters.  This one isn’t accessible to all writers, depending on contract stipulations you may have with your publisher. But if you’re free to write about your characters, why not write a short story for readers to help tide them over between books?  Your readers might really love it!

Day 15:  Write about them in a blog article!  Got some favorite fans that have supported you?  Give them their own 5 minutes of fame.  Picture them or write about them in a blog article.  (With permission, of course.) My fabulous street team sent me some great photos before my last launch, as well as distributing bookmarks and sharing my news. A thank you blog article about them was the least I could do!

Day 16: Pose for a photo! I’m photo-phobic, unless I’m posing with friends.  And every reader is a friend!  Cuddle up close with your fans and smile pretty. If you want a photo with me, a hug is the price of admission! (Consider yourself forewarned!)

Day 17:  Have a birthday group!  Author Kathi Daley has a special birthdaygroup set up for her readers in which they receive something special on their birthdays.  How cool is that?  What a great way for readers to feel (and be) acknowledged!

Day 18:  Be real. We all want to show our best face in public, but no one has a perfect life all of the time.  Share your struggles as well as well as your successes. By sharing your own humanness, you might make your readers feel less alone in theirs.

Day 19:  Make them feel (en)titled!  Believe me, we writers aren’t the only ones who are creative.  Show your readers that you value their opinion by asking them to help choose your next book title.  Even though I say this helps show you love them (and it does) it helps us even more.  Who knows what titles will reach out and grab readers better than the readers themselves! 

Day 20: Comment on their posts.  I post on Facebook pretty regularly, but I hold no illusions that people want to talk only about me.  Connect with your readers by sharing in their joys and sorrows.  It takes a second (at most) to like another post and a few more seconds to hit a reply.  (Readers, please know that with my lovely (and growing) collection of friends, I don’t see much more than 1% of my friends’ posts. So if you wonder why I don’t comment on something, I likely didn’t see it.)  If you want to see something, be sure to tag me.  Then it will go to my e-mail inbox!

That’s the first 20 in at least 50 ideas.  More to come next month.  How about you?  Authors, how do you show your readers some love?  And readers, what other ideas do you have?

Tracy

          

Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction was nominated for the Agatha award for Best First Novel. The second book in her series, A Killer Retreat, was released January, 2015 by Midnight Ink.

Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. 

Visit her at TracyWeberAuthor.com, friend her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tracywe, or e-mail her at Tracy@WholeLifeYoga.com.

Dying and Whining ...

By Tj O'Connor, author of Dying to Know, Dying for the Past, and the upcoming, Dying to Tell

 

And once again, the calendar tells me I’m late …

These days, consulting eight or ten hours a day and writing all my waking hours is starting to take its toll. This morning, I was up late and assailed by my two Labs, two visiting canines—including a 165-pound Mastiff, and several of the neighborhood dogs and goats because I was not at my post in the kitchen feeding them timely. Oh, for the life of one of them!

Life as an author can sometimes be lonely and boring—sitting alone in your little office or writing nook and banging away on the keyboard. Sometimes, it’s about travelling to far places to entertain and enthrall audiences—read that, beg and plead to buy your books. And sometimes, it’s sitting at your keyboard, staring at the screen, wondering, “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

And the answer is simply, “Exactly what you wanted—so stop whining.”

Today is one of those days where I’m overwhelmed. Work is building momentum onto my real-life, travelling is now every other weekend, and money pours from my fingertips to market my books and cajole and hunt down readers. It’s a poor-me day. I realized just an hour ago that I was late posting this blog. So, now, I sit here trying to make sense out of something worth talking about. It’s raining—and as they say in that new commercial, “Of course it’s raining.” I’m not feeling well. Another airplane awaits. Another hotel room beckons. Damn. Damn. Damn.

I need a day off. I need two or three or ten.

Stop! Stop! Stop! Isn’t this what I asked for? Isn’t this exactly where I planned to be? Let me take stock of the past few weeks and where I’m heading in the next few weeks. Certainly there is a positive message here … right?

Right. My whining is over. Coffee is kicking in. Fingers are moving again. Oh, if the damn rain would just turn into sunshine and daisies. Okay, maybe not daisies, but you get the picture. I need umph.

So, let me take stock.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Millbrook Book Festival in Upstate New York. Millbrook is a delightful town that reminds me of my youth—as it should since I grew up just thirty minutes from there. Its streets and buildings stepped out of the 19^th century and its people are friendly and endearing. Of course, not many of them showed to the festival, but eh, these things happen. Last year’s festival had standing room only. This year, not so much. But those folks who did attend were great and I actually had a chance to talk to them a little longer, tell a few stories, swoon a little more. And, as always, Sam—the festival chieftain—and her army of festival volunteers were wonderful hosts and I look forward to returning next year.

Two things made my weekend worth the eleven-hour round trip. First, I met an extraordinary young author—Jesse Saperstein. Jesse has written about life with Asperger’s called “Getting a Life With Asperger’s.” He’s amazing and was a delightful companion under our tent. Jesse also has accomplished what I dreamed of when I was his age—he backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail. No, you read that right ... the entire trail. Jesse is one of those people you meet and walk away wondering why you cannot be more positive and focused and uplifting. And, sitting here, at this moment, I feel a little stupid having complained this morning. His achievements and life-perspective are remarkable. I cannot wait to see him next year and find out what new milestone he has set for the rest of us. Look at Jesse’s world at www.jesseasaperstein.com (note, the link is temporarily down, but it should be working soon.)

The second event worth my trip was my reunion with two new-old pals I met last year at the festival—Jim Holmgren and Louis Romano. Jim is an author and of all things, a clock aficionado. He skipped selling books this year and volunteered again at the festival. He’s a wonderful guy and will be joining me for dinner in Winchester in a week or so when he is enroute to a Clock conference (yes, there is such a thing) in Tennessee. Jim’s one of those guys who is warm and engaging and makes you feel important. Yet under his veneer is a ticking master author of Swiss proportions (sorry, couldn’t help myself). Lou is an author and a businessman who is knocking the world down with his books—Intercession, So You Think I’m Dead, and Besa. He writes about the Albania mob and true crime and is hoping to turn Besa into a movie soon. These two characters and I raised hell, told lies and one or two true stories, and entertained an audience during a panel discussion on our books. We shared the panel with another great author, Chris Orcutt, who dazzled the audience with quotes from Hemmingway, Aristotle, and Raymond Chandler—but I have to say, Lou and I clowned around as much as we talked serious biz. Oops, maybe we’ll focus a little more next year. I’m looking forward to it.

As I look at my calendar and think about how Jesse views all things as an opportunity, I see many of those now myself. There’s a fun book club in Erie, PA, in a week; Thriller Fest in Manhattan in July with my agent, the lovely and amazing Kimberley Cameron; a charity conference in Williamsburg, VA—Scares that Care—in July; Comic-Con in Dover, DE, in August; and The Suffolk Virginia Mystery Authors Festival (I cannot wait for this one!) in August. I’m speaking and paneling at the Mechanicsburg, PA’s Murder As You Like It mystery festival in September, and on and on into the fall. Damn … what am I complaining about? What would I be doing if not for these events to beg, er, seek an audience?

Well, truth be told, I’d be working on my new thriller and mystery. But, I can do that in hotel rooms and all my free time (wink wink). So why complain? Isn’t this exactly what I wanted?

Yep. So I’ll sit back and shut up now. I’ve whined and yawned and written this missive to get back on track. The extraordinary people I’ve met and those I will soon meet are the reason I love this writing-gig. No, really, I love this. It’s tiring and often stressful and expensive. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. One day, soon I hope, I’ll have enough fans to make each trip a little easier. If I don’t, I’ll just have to work harder and write better and whine less.

Honest, I will. You can trust me. I murder people and create anarchy for a living. It’s what I do.

Tj O’CONNOR IS THE GOLD MEDAL WINNER OF THE 2015 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS BOOK AWARDS FOR MYSTERIES. He is the author of Dying to Know and Dying for the Past, available in bookstores and e-books from Midnight Ink. His third paranormal mystery, DYING TO TELL, will be released January 2016. He is currently working on a traditional mystery and a new thriller. Tj is an international security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among others. He was raised in New York's Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and Lab companions in Virginia where they raised five children. Dying to Know is also a Foreword Review’s 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award finalist.

Learn about Tj’s world at:

Web Site:  www.tjoconnor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tjoconnor.author
Blog: http://tjoconnorbooks.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7148441.T_J_O_Connor

 

Meeting a Deadline

--by Linda O. Johnston

I did it!

Today was my deadline for the manuscript for my second Barkery & Biscuits Mystery for Midnight Ink, and I emailed it late yesterday.

Why am I excited about that?  I usually meet deadlines with no problem.  Or at least with little difficulty.  But this time I wound up having some family travel commitments that arose rather late within the writing process and I wasn't certain I'd make it.

But I did tell my wonderful Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff about my potential issue when I saw her at Malice Domestic, and she gave me some leeway, which I really appreciate.  Then I found I was able to meet the deadline anyway.   Mostly.  The Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries contain recipes, and although I received some dog treat recipes from some delightful online friends thanks to a request I posted, I want to try them out before including them.  I'll try to do that this week.

I recognize that deadlines are important in the publishing process, in order to make sure a book is published on schedule.  I fortunately have learned to write fairly quickly over the years so I can generally estimate a deadline that will work for me.

But life does happen.

Anyway, I'm not mentioning my working title for this book #2 in the series since it may change.  The first one, BITE THE BISCUIT, was a May release, and as far as I know book #2 will be published next May.  In between, the second Superstition Mystery, KNOCK ON WOOD, will be published in October.  Its predecessor, Superstition Mystery #1, LOST UNDER A LADDER, was published last October.  Do you see a trend here?  I do.  And by the way, I'm also writing two romance series at the same time...

Yes, deadlines can be challenging for me.  But they can be challenging for everyone, no matter what it is you're doing in your life. 

So what's your next deadline?  I guess I'd better check what mine is and get to work

Seven Tips for a Successful Cover Reveal Contest

 

A cover reveal is supposedly the perfect opportunity to build excitement about your newest novel, but how do you get anyone other than your mother to care?  My past cover reveals (all two of them) got lots of likes and more than a few comments, but they felt anticlimactic to me.  I love my covers.  I want my readers to be as excited about them as I am.  But how?

On the flight  home from Malice, the answer came to me.  Host a cover reveal contest!

Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it.  In case any of you want to try one too, here are my key learnings:
 

Seven tips for a successful cover reveal contest:

Follow the rules.  My favorite social media marketing tool is Facebook, but Facebook is persnickety about contests.  There are rules, rules and more rules.  Follow them and all is golden.  Don’t?  You might get yourself banned to Facebook purgatory.  A place where your Facebook privileges are suspended or even revoked completely. Facebook rules, including those pertaining to contests, are at this page.

Have a single web page that summarizes the contest.  I write for multiple blogs, but I posted the first day of the contest on my personal blog.  This included the disclaimers and instructions for all days of the week-long contest.  That way even as the contest continued to plug along, I had a single place I could refer people. Even though I thought I was clear in every post, I had multiple entries that I needed to correct each day.

Make it a week-long event

In my case, there were 5 key elements in the cover I wanted to highlight, so I spread the contest out over 5 days, with a unique prize each day. The grand prize round two was days later.  Even my husband, who had seen the cover multiple times, started to wonder what the next “reveal” would be.  And the participants created stories about how the 5 elements might fit together—some of them surprisingly close to the truth!

Have a grand finale

The final reveal, of course is the grand finale, but shouldn’t there be a grand prize to go along with it?  In my case, I honored my fellow Agatha nominees for Best First Novel by giving a set of autographed copies of all 5 of the nominated books. 

Ask for a little help from your friends

In this case, my friends are my street team.  I had a special contest for a signed ARC of my book to street team members who shared the post.  That got me reach to readers I’d never otherwise find.

Be involved

I’ll admit, this contest took a lot more time than I thought it would.  Posting the contest was only the start.  I also had to check in on the posts several times a day, note who had shared each post and how many times, and reply to the relevant comments.  I also had to re-direct people who accidentally posted their answers on the wrong page.  I firmly believe that time spent interacting with my readers (and future readers) is time well spent.  I don’t recommend doing this, however, if you’re up against a deadline.  Make sure you leave plenty of time for contest administration.

Advertise!

What good is a contest if no one enters?  I advertised in several ways, all low cost and low time:

·        Posts on my personal and author Facebook pages.  I started a week before the contest, and posted daily throughout it.

·        Cheap Facebook post promotions.  I was hesitant to do this, in case my contest violated any of the oh-so-grumpily-enforced Facebook rules, but I put on my big girl pants and did it anyway. I paid between $2 and $5 a day to boost the day’s post.  Honestly, except for the final day, my organic  reach far exceeded my paid reach.

·        Posts in relevant Facebook groups.  I belong to 5 cozy mystery groups, and I posted to every one of them.  If you’re going to do that, be sure to follow the group rules.

·        Dedicated blog posts.  I dedicated the contest-week posts on Killer Hobbies and my Whole Life Yoga blog to the contest.

·         An author newsletter article with a link to the contest.

If I’d had more time and energy I would also have posted on Twitter and advertised in Goodreads groups.  Alas, that will have to wait for next year’s contest.

The results? 

Considering my author page only had less than 600 fans and I’m a newer author, I was pleased with the interaction.

·        Each day of the contest, my author page post was seen by 900 – 1200 people, 90% of that reach was organic.

·       The final reveal post has been seen by over 2300 people.  Four times the number of fans of the page it is posted on.  Considering I didn’t promote that post and Facebook’s organic reach is usually about 5%, that is notable.

·        Each day’s contest had 60 – 90 entries.

·        The final contest (which required following the contest for 5 days and e-mailing me personally) had 54 entries.

·        The “likes” on my Facebook author page grew by 70.  (Not a lot, but since I wasn’t targeting that, I thought over 10% growth in a week was interesting.)

·        Many of the contestants contacted me personally to say how much fun they’d had and to thank me for the contest.

Will I do it again?  You bet!  The fun I had alone was worth the costs of the prizes! Next year I plan to make it  even more exciting.

How about you?  Have you ever run a cover reveal contest?  If so, how did it go?  What ideas would you add to my list above?  And even more importantly, what do you think of my new cover?

Tracy

          

Tracy Weber is the author of the award-winning Downward Dog Mysteries series featuring yoga teacher Kate Davidson and her feisty German shepherd, Bella. Tracy loves sharing her passion for yoga and animals in any form possible. Her first book, Murder Strikes a Pose won the Maxwell Award for Fiction was nominated for the Agatha award for Best First Novel. The second book in her series, A Killer Retreat, was released January, 2015 by Midnight Ink.

Tracy and her husband live in Seattle with their challenging yet amazing German shepherd Tasha. When she’s not writing, Tracy spends her time teaching yoga, walking Tasha, and sipping Blackthorn cider at her favorite ale house. 

Visit her at TracyWeberAuthor.com, friend her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tracywe, or e-mail her at Tracy@WholeLifeYoga.com.

MAY RELEASES!

Take a look at these FANTASTIC spring reads!



Bite the Biscuit
By: Linda O. Johnston 
A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery #1

"Kicking off a cozy new series, prolific Johnston blends mystery and romantic intrigue."—KIRKUS REVIEWS

Come to Harm
A Novel
By: Catriona McPherson 
 "[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."
—KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)






 







Murder with a Twist
By: Tracy Kiely 
A Nic & Nigel Mystery #1
"Witty, droll, and hilariously spot on."—Hank Phillipi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, 
Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author

The Final Reveille
By: Amanda Flower 
A Living History Museum Mystery #1
“History and Civil War buffs will enjoy the historical details woven through the mystery, and Kelsey and the secondary characters are well drawn and sympathetic. This one will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary cozies with a history frame.”—BOOKLIST

Ch-ch-ch Changes

by Shannon Baker

Chaos. *cue Maxwell Smart music* The next two weeks, more like three, will be so far from routine it’ll be like 21 days of Mondays. We’re getting an 8 week old puppy and moving to Tucson from Nebraska. Stopping long enough to inhale—something like 24 hours—then bopping up to Flagstaff so we can clean up a rental house to sell it. Then I fly out of Flagstaff up to Denver to do a presentation at the University of Colorado (I KNOW!!) drive my car to Tucson and we’re starting the good life.

The great news is that this marks the end of gainful employment for our household. Long days of leisure await us as we lounge by the pool, sipping mai tais and strumming on ukuleles. Ask any retired person and they’ll tell you all about their endless free time.

Right now, I’m dreaming of those big moving vans with strapping men who come and load boxes and furniture. You hand them your new address and a check and like magic, it all appears in your new home and you never had to get out of your negligee and kitten-heeled slippers. That’s not the way we do it. We have a pickup and a trailer and my whining, complaining, ever more feebleness dragging, hauling, and sometimes crying.

In the middle of all this, I’m struggling to tame my current manuscript and expecting my first editorial letter from a new editor on the novel I turned in a couple of months ago.

I’m packing boxes, stopping to read a chapter in one of four puppy books, driving toward completing draft 2 –which is the one where I take all the mess from a blind gallop to the finish line in the first draft and pat it into a real story with all those things like character motivation and rising tension, and where I throw out all the really great scenes that don’t add to the story but were probably some unconscious emotional therapy and are rich in subtlety and moral philosophy and read like poetry or the work of a literary master. (I can say that because no one will ever read them and you’ll have to take my word for their beauty.) Let’s see, where was I before I took that punctuational detour?

You might get an idea of my monkey brain. As my husband so eloquently puts it, I’m like a fart in a skillet. Forget about bitchy resting face, my current look, as I’m shoving my happy lamp into a box (why would I need a happy lamp in Tucson but now I’m to the point where everything goes into a box because it’s easier than the cull) is more like a prune swallowing battery acid because I’m working out the book while applying strapping tape.

Deep breath. It will all get done. It always does.

The good news is that when we get down to Tucson and settle ourselves, we’re opening up our doors. We’ll be offering writers retreats. This five bedroom house sits on the edge of the desert with nothing but sage and cactus for miles out our back door. Sunsets are staged every evening over Kitt Peak with perfect viewing from our back deck and are paired perfectly with a glass of wine or cocktail of your choice. It’s quiet and sunny, with a pool and spa surrounded by a tall and very private fence. You and your writers group or buddy or solo can come down and immerse yourself in your words. In Tucson. Where mid-winter temps require a light jacket.

I promise by then, I’ll be exuding nothing but serene, creative, happy vibes—you know, like usual for me.

Contact me if getting away from snow and cold and going deep into your writing sounds good. Summers are pretty great on the desert, too. The nights cool off and, did I mention the pool? Come on, you know you want to!   

  

Dying For The Malice In All Of Us

by Tj O'Connor Author of Dying to Know and Dying for the Past

Third time’s a charm …

Three years ago, I attended my first writer’s conference—Malice Domestic—and spent the entire three days scratching my head and trying to figure out where I belonged in this new world of cozy-mystery authors. When I came home, I said, “Nowhere.”

Of course I felt out of place. My debut novel, Dying to Know, was not yet out. I knew no one, and while I’ve never been one to stay shyly secluded somewhere, I still felt the odd-man-out. Perhaps it was that I didn’t consider myself a cozy writer. Perhaps it was that I was one of very few guys who had written a cozy (I did by accident), or perhaps it was simply that being surrounded by so many talented authors—most of which were ladies—was intimidating. I hadn’t been a rookie at anything for a couple decades and being one then scared the holy crap out of me. I’d say holy shit, but as a cozy writer, you sort of keep the colorful language to yourself … oops.

What a silly man I am.

This year, I was no longer a complete rookie. Book II, Dying for the Past, was out and I’d spent a good many weekends touring around talking about my book, signing, and begging for as many listeners as I could get. Malice this year wasn’t any different in that regard—I’m still begging for fans—but I began to feel a little at home with this crowd of amazing authors and fans. 

And damn, a few fans actually came up to me and asked, “Are you Tj O’Connor? I loved your book … would you sign …” Holy crap on a peanut butter sandwich. They loved Dying to Know and Dying for the Past. And, yes, you heard it right. I actually have a few fans! And, no, they’re not family, I didn’t pay them, and no one put them up to a joke. Fans. Real, breathing, reading fans. Who would think?

Malice was a terrific three days on the heels of an extraordinary guest speaking gig in Upstate New Jersey at the Children’s Special Hospital Charity, where I had the extraordinary pleasure of dining with my dear friends, Tom and Gale Sloan, and American Hero—Jerry Parr—the man who saved Ronald Reagan’s life—and his hugely successful and graceful wife, Carolyn, who is a retired Federal Judge (more on this one in another blog later). I sold a bunch of books, met some great people, and helped a little with the coffers of a great charity.

How on earth do you follow that one up?

Good books. Good friends. Good times.

During the weekend at Malice Domestic, I spent most of my time meeting new friends and fans (lord that sounds funny to say out loud … fans…) and swapping stories with fellow authors about how we’re muddling through this wacky business. I had the greatest time chatting and having a few drinks with my editor—the grande dame of Midnight Ink (my publisher)—Terri Bischoff, whom has single-handedly made life as a new-guy so much more bearable this past year that I don’t think she knows it.

But there were other highlights, too, that have pulled me into this family of cozy-writers.

First, there was the Midnight Ink dessert bash Friday night to celebrate 10 Years in the biz. We had amazing sweets, met some fantastic fans (there it is again … fans…), and had fun giving away a stack of books and signing for those lucky enough to get to the table first. But, being the loyal mystery readers they are, after I ran out of free books to sign, several bought them and had me sign on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you to all of you who made my day!

 

Second, there was the awards banquet for some good pals who were up for prestigious awards. It was bittersweet on a couple where friend vs. friend meant one would win and one would lose. Dinner was ehhh, but dessert —oh, la, la—(and I rarely indulge, although you wouldn’t believe that to look at me these days!) Speeches are speeches, but the event was grand. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting with my good friends—old and new—at Tracy Weber’s table. We were all rooting for her to win best first novel for Murder Strikes a Pose. Alas, it was not to be, but it’s pretty clear she’ll be heading to the podium soon.

Perhaps the best event at Malice for me was the honor of being on a panel with three brilliant and charming authors during the Sunday morning Malice schedule. Our panel was Magical Mystery Tour—Paranormal Mysteries. As Tonya Kappes—a bestselling author—said, “it was a hoot!” I was thrilled to be there among fellow authors Leigh Kelner/Perry, Tonya, and the extraordinary Charlaine Harris of True Blood fame. Our moderator was Judy Hogan, a delightful author who kept the whip cracking and the questions flying for us. While I was the low guy on the totem pole with so little experience and no notable success yet, these lovely ladies treated me like I was one of them—err, a good author, not a lady. That would have been weird, right? But, yes, what a hoot.

I was exhausted by the end of my book signing Sunday and ready to call it a weekend. How to end three days on an even higher note? Not possible. Not possible at all … but wait … maybe …

An email awaited me during the event that was the cherry on top of my third Malice. My incomparable publicist, Maryglenn McCombs, sent me this notice:

Independent Publisher Book Awards (Ippy) – Mystery/Cozy/Noir—Gold Medal—Dying to Know by Tj O’Connor.

No, you didn’t misread this. Yep, it’s real. Who would have thunk it? Not me. But Maryglenn did!

Wow. Holy crap. What a week—dinner with an American hero; meeting real fans; time with my pals and colleagues; on a panel with Tonya, Leigh, and Charlaine; and now an Ippy. What next, the Nobel? Ah, no. Just kidding.

So, book fans and wannabe authors, here’s the message. Don’t quit. Write. Write some more. Keep writing. If you have the dream, you’ll never wake up if you keep writing. I’ve been so privileged these past two years to have met some of my heroes, heard from others who shouldn’t even know my name (yes, Mr. James Grady, I’m referring to you again), and had the honor of being among some great authors and some talented, aspiring ones. You can too. Just don’t stop.

All things are possible and while I’ve had a few pretty tough weeks of late, this past one wasn’t among them. I may never become famous. I may never make the bestseller list or be able to quit my real job and write for a living (not unless my wife will agree to live in someone’s basement). And I may never make it to the level of James Grady or Stephen Frey. But I do get to hang with some of the best and most gracious people I’ve ever met.

For now, that’s pretty damn good.

Tj O’CONNOR IS THE GOLD MEDAL WINNER OF THE 2015 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS BOOK AWARDS FOR MYSTERIES. He is the author of Dying to Know and Dying for the Past, available in bookstores and e-books from Midnight Ink. His third paranormal mystery, DYING TO TELL, will be released January 2016. He is currently working on a traditional mystery and a new thriller. Tj is an international security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism, investigations, and threat analysis—life experiences that drive his novels. With his former life as a government agent and years as a consultant, he has lived and worked around the world in places like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and throughout the Americas—among others. He was raised in New York's Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and Lab companions in Virginia where they raised five children. Dying to Know is also a Foreword Review’s 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award finalist.

Learn about Tj’s world at:

Web Site:  www.tjoconnor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tjoconnor.author
Blog: http://tjoconnorbooks.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7148441.T_J_O_Connor