Monthly Archives: May 2012
Diary of a blog tour: it’s a wrap
And so it ends. It was a long month – one that also went faster than I expected.
I crammed my share of activities in, aside from the tour: working on book 2 (and what was I thinking?), free promos, and guest interviews, oh my. 
So, what do I think, now that it’s done?
- I would do a blog tour again, in a heartbeat – but not for a solid month. I would spread it out a bit, give myself some breathing room.
- I met some wonderful people, and made connections that will continue beyond the tour.
- My book got in front of people who wouldn’t have seen it otherwise – and I consider that a big win.
- I received some lovely reviews, loads of feedback, and had a blast reading the comments at each stop.
- I enjoyed the interaction – a surprise, given I tend to be more of an introvert.
As a bonus, all of the creative juice helped push my writing, and book 2 is on the downhill side of finished.
I want to give a huge thank you to Roxanne at Bewitching Book Tours, who set up the entire tour, and did a stellar job of matching me with some incredible, generous bloggers.
And another big thank you to those bloggers, who welcomed me, made me feel at home, graciously shared their followers. It is an experience I will always treasure.
If you missed any of the stops, don’t worry – the links will stay up on the blog tour page, then become a permanent “where to find me in cyberspace” page.
Thank you all who followed me around, left comments, and expressed your opinion on the blog posts. The time and effort is most appreciated.
And so ends the blog tour.
Until next time – read on.
cheers,
~Cate
Free book promo, a lovely review, and . . . my head is spinning
Good morning! What a month it’s been – and today is a highlight for me. I get to hang out with some of my favorite authors over at the Beach Book Blast. Free and 99 cent books for every taste! And, if all the great books weren’t enough, you can enter to win a Kindle Fire.
Plus, I have a really lovely review over on Books, Books and More Books, right here, and a guest post over at The Faery Romantic Librarian.
Is it any wonder my head is spinning?
See you all there – and read on!
cheers,
~Cate
Interview with Stacey Joy Netzel
I’d like you all to welcome fellow author Stacey Joy Netzel. I met her when I became part of the WG2E Street Team, a fabulous group of writers who support each other, cheer each other on, and just hang out together. I had Stacey here before, when I reviewed her wonderful book, Lost in Italy. You can read that review here. She is one of the talented authors participating in the Beach Book Blast, May 23-25. You can find out more here.
Now, on to the interview!
1. How did you get started in writing, and how long have you been writing?
I started in high school as an extension of my love of reading. Life interfered when I graduated in 1990, and I quit writing until 1996. It took me 8 years to finish my first book (which is still unpublished and rightfully so), and I seriously began to pursue a writing career in 2004 when I joined Romance Writers of America. I published in 2007 with The Wild Rose Press.
2. I’m right there with you on never publishing the first novel. What genre do you enjoy reading? Do you stick with what you write, or play the field?
For the longest time I’ll admit I was a bit of a snob and only read romance. Since becoming published, and more recently moving to indie-publishing, I’ve branched out and enjoyed YA, thriller, and Sci-fi as well as romance (in which I enjoy all the sub-genres; historical, contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, ect.).
3. It’s so easy to get sucked in, isn’t it? What do you find most challenging in the writing process?
Most challenging for me is getting the plot just right along the way while weaving in the character’s internal conflict. Gotta be careful not to write myself into a corner.
4. I agree – there’s nothing worse, and it’s tough to write yourself back out. What do you enjoy most about the process?
Going back a month, 6 months, or even years later and still loving my characters and the story. That’s a thrill! That, and typing The End. When I first started with RWA, I heard it’s amateurish to have that at the end of the book, so I sometimes type the words, and then delete them when I’m editing later.
5. Love that! I may have to try it. Okay – what do you have in store for readers next?
I just released my contemporary romance MORE THAN A KISS, and I’m currently getting started on the sequel to LOST IN ITALY, tentatively titled RUN TO ROME. I hope to release it by Christmas, but I’m about 2 months late on my start, so *fingers crossed*. For fans of the Welcome to Redemption Series, Donna Marie Rogers and I are each working on a new story, so keep an eye out for them as well.
Thank you, Stacey! I really enjoyed having you here today. And I will be looking for that Lost in Italy sequel.
Here’s a bit more info on Stacey:
Stacey Joy Netzel fell in love with books at a young age, so for her the graduation to writing them was natural. An avid reader and fan of movies with a happily ever after, she lives in her native Wisconsin with her husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. She works part-time as a travel agent, and in her limited free time enjoys gardening, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North) at their cabin on the lake.
Her romantic suspense titles include Lost In Italy (2012 RS finalist WisRWA’s Write Touch Readers’ Award), and her Colorado Trust Series, Trust in the Lawe, Shattered Trust, and Shadowed Trust. Contemporary titles include More Than a Kiss, Ditched Again, Welcome to Redemption Series (books 2,4,6), Chasin’ Mason, Dragonfly Dreams, If Tombstones Could Talk, and her Christmas anthology, Mistletoe Rules, which took 1st place in WisRWA’s 2010 Write Touch Readers’ Award.
And here’s where to find her:
Be sure to check out Lost in Italy, which will be free during the Beach Book Blast!
Until next time – read on.
cheers,
~Cate
Diary of a blog tour: day 16 – thoughts, sales, and another giveaway!
Ah, yes, a little more than halfway through my blog tour. And it has been exhilarating, exhausting, and more fun than I expected.
The giveaways have been coming fast and furious – but it was luck of the draw. Like a treasure hunt, you never know what’s going to pop up next. I have had such lovely feedback in the comments, garnered a couple new reviews, and am steadily selling, more every day. I have also met some fabulous people, made connections I didn’t expect, and will take away both new friends and a real respect for people who blog on a regular basis. It’s tough!
Okay – on to today’s giveaway. Over at Curling up by the Fire, there is a post on some of the mythology in Rest For The Wicked. I pulled from a number of sources, and one of my beta readers suggested a reference guide in the book, which was fun and intriguing to write. This is a taste of what you’ll find.
So go on over, leave a comment, and you will be entered to win one of the crystals I mention in the post. You have until the end of the day on Thursday.
Until next time – read on.
cheers,
~Cate
And we have another giveaway!
Happy Monday, all. Yep, it’s another giveaway day – and this time, there’s something special: a beautiful amethyst pendant, which ties into my post about flawed heriones, and why I love them. My heroine, Claire, wears an amethyst, so I am gifting one to one lucky person who leaves a comment on today’s post. Just head over to Fictional Candy and leave your own comment to win.
See you there!
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
Diary of a blog tour: day 10 – Giveaway part 2!
Happy Thursday, all! Yep – another giveaway day. Like I said, you never know when they are going to pop up.
Come and join me over at Ravencroft’s Romance Realm, where I have a guest post on one of my favorite places – New Age shops. Leave a comment, and you have a chance to win a lovely amethyst crystal.
Then hop over to Flutey Words, where Aubrie has a lovely promo for me. Another fun, busy day! Thanks for coming along and sharing the ride.
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
Diary of a blog tour: day 9 – Giveaway Day!
Yep, today is one of the giveaways – but you have to head over to Kay Dee Royal’s blog and leave a comment to be eligible. After you read the wonderful interview she has posted. 
Then head on over to Doctor’s Notes, where Shieka has given a lovely review of Rest For The Wicked. It made me teary – in a good way. A big thank you to both bloggers for so graciously hosting me. One of my best days, so far!
Until next time – read on.
~Cate
Diary of a blog tour: week 1 round up
It’s been a whirlwind first week. My paperback went live (!), I had a couple interviews on some great blogs in addition to my guest blog spots, only one MIA blogger, and an uptick in sales. All around, a good week.
I’m looking forward to week 2 – there will be at least one giveaway *hint hint* and a couple of reviews. Gulp.
Plus, there’s still time to enter my contest – it ends with the blog tour. You can find out more here.
Have a great week, everyone!
cheers,
~Cate
Diary of a blog tour: day 3
I just have one thing to say – I am so glad I wrote my guest posts early. Instead of frantically writing all month, I can simply go and hang out at the sites each day.
Speaking of that – I am over at Mama Knows Books today, with a fun post about research. Go on over and take a look.
Until next time – read on.
cheers,
~Cate
