tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87033476778876611992024-03-14T04:19:16.953-04:00Angela CampbellAngela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-41095096810370172072019-09-19T02:03:00.001-04:002019-09-19T02:04:54.472-04:00I'm not dead yet — promiseIt has been a long time since I updated this, so <i>wow</i> if you’re still hanging around. Actually, who are you and why are you hanging around? Should I be worried? Weirdo. Just kidding. I do appreciate it, and I do occasionally continue to receive emails from new readers who have just discovered my books. That is very humbling. Thank you if you've actually taken the time to write me. So, to answer a question I always receive when the aforementioned emails arrive in my inbox: no, I am not dead (although let's all admit it would be pretty amazing if this was posted by me and I <i>was</i> dead), and yes, I am still writing, although not in the capacity you might be hoping for.<br />
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OK, let’s backtrack for a second, and feel free to skip ahead three paragraphs if you only want to know about my writing projects in the works. I forgive you for not being overly interested in my personal problems and excuses.<br />
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I had hoped 2019 would be a better year for me, and in some ways it has been – I got new day job with higher pay and way less stress, y’all! — and in other ways it hasn’t been. Since I started that new day job, I have been dealing with some pain-in-the-hiney health issues. I might be fired soon because of how many sick days I have been using up. For about the last three or four months, I have been having pain on the right side of my neck. It feels kind of lumpy and blah. When it flares up, I sometimes run a fever and have nausea, too. I think the first time I mentioned it to a doctor, I got a “oh, it’s nothing” response, was put on antibiotics for sinus infection, and got better for about two weeks before it flared back up again. I mentioned it to another doctor, who declared my thyroid was visible and that he felt a knot where it was. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure the thyroid is on the front of your neck. My pain/problems are on the right side, but I’ve been told that’s my lymph nodes, which are probably tender because there’s something going on with my thyroid. Flash forward through a few more doctor visits, an ultrasound on my thyroid, an ER visit, etc. The ultrasound confirmed I had an abnormally enlarged thyroid, and my labwork shows ridiculously high thyroid antibodies. Cancer? That was my first thought, but there were no nodules present, so no doctor I've seen thinks a biopsy is necessary.<br />
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My typical day now goes something like this: Wake up at 5 a.m. with night sweats, a fever, nausea, and pains in my neck. I take over-the-counter meds to alleviate those symptoms, and on the best days, manage to get to work about 30 minutes late. On a bad day, the symptoms linger or get worse, and I am a couple of hours late or have to call in sick. Whether I am at work or not, I then experience extreme fatigue, weakness, and headaches for the rest of the day, oftentimes dozing off at work, almost dozing off driving home, and collapsing into an exhausted pile of limbs as soon as I get inside my house. My symptoms have not improved despite being on thyroid medicine, and I decided, you know what? There is something seriously wrong with me, and I don’t think my thyroid is the cause. The last specialist I saw agreed with me. "Congratulations," he said, with a huge smile on his handsome face. "You have Hashimoto's disease. It's a very common autoimmune disorder related to your thyroid. There's no cure but we can treat it. That's beside the point. Your thyroid isn't causing all of these symptoms." His diagnosis? Acid reflux, even after he examined me and declared I had zero visible symptoms of acid reflux disease. "I think you have <i>silent</i> acid reflux disease," he amended. Um, what? That's a thing? I reckon so. He put me on meds for it, and guess what? Still over here being sick every day. Not getting much better. I literally have to force myself out of bed most days, and if I accomplish anything, it's out of sheer determination.<br />
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I will admit. I decided to include these details in this blog in the desperate hope some poor soul (preferably with a doctor's degree) will read it and tell me what's wrong with me — and how to fix it. Straight up being serious here. I've done a lot of research on Hashimoto's and am trying to adjust my diet to see if that helps at all. Wish me luck. Me + diets have always equaled <i class="gr-progress">bawahahahaha</i>.<br />
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Back to my writing.<br />
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I have been taking screenwriting classes and have written a TV pilot based on ... well, I can't tell you yet. It's legit being shopped around! But I will say this — it's not related to my books. But if you love cats, I think you will like it. That's assuming anything happens with it, and with my luck, I'm not holding my breath.<br />
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As far as my books are concerned, why, <span class="">yes</span>, I <i>am</i> still writing another book in my psychic detectives series. I wrote a standalone, completely new story not related to that series AT ALL that I have decided makes a lousy book — but I might write a movie out of it and see what happens. Or I might send it to a publisher. I'm still trying to decide. But overall, I am not getting much writing done because I am too exhausted to write whenever I have any free time.<br />
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So there it is. My update. Thanks again for hanging in there. I hope to have more news soon.</div>
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Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-12018314968383125832018-09-10T18:04:00.001-04:002018-09-10T18:40:32.135-04:00Welcome to my mid-life crisis: Meet Chassis and PJ<br />
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You know how life takes you down paths you didn’t expect or even want to be taken down, and then boom, suddenly you find yourself hiding in the woods in the middle of the night with bugs flying around your face while you wait for a skittish cat to eat the sardines you've laid as bait in a cat trap?<br />
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No? Just me? (sighs)<br />
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So, here’s the thing. This year hasn’t been good for me. The past two, maybe three years, haven’t been good for me. I’ve overshared enough about them that this should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever read my blog. The bright spot — thank you publishing gods and Harper Collins and whoever kindly bought it— was seeing my book hit the USA Today best-sellers list last year a couple of years after it was originally published. <br />
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I also recently moved out of my childhood home (after my dad’s death) and into a new house, which I bought and everything, you know, to prove that I actually know how to adult. It’s a really cool townhouse that will probably look awesome if I ever manage to get unpacked. Ignore the fact I’ve lived there going on three months and have only unpacked two boxes. I know. Shut up. I’m working on it.<br />
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The point is, it’s really weird to find yourself at the lower end of 40 an orphan. I know there are people who are orphans much younger than that, and God bless them, because it’s unsettling and disorienting and awful. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 12, and while that was tough (to put it mildly), I’ve never experienced this feeling of …. I-don't-belong-anywhere … until now. <br />
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I’ve been trying to find my purpose in life again, which sounds like I’m suicidal or something, and I’m not, so please don’t report me. But after taking care of my dad for so long during his illness, I really don’t know what to do with myself. When I had no time between work and running him to doctors and fetching medicine and all of that, I would say, “I know someday soon I’ll have more time to write again and do fun stuff like travel and play with my cat.” Now that time has come, and I tend to find myself sitting alone in a recliner, shoving chips into my mouth while I binge watch Netflix in any free time I have. I should point out that since I bought my house, I’m working two jobs – a full-time one and a part-time work-from-home thing to pay the bills. See? I'm not a total lazy bum. Basically, I never sleep anymore. It's a problem, I admit.<br />
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Somehow — and I’m still trying to figure out how this happened — I also became a fully involved member of a cat rescue group in my area. I’ve volunteered and donated money and food at my local shelter in the past, done transporting, but never truly committed to one rescue group. I love dogs and cats, but where I live, the need to help cats is far greater than the doggies, so that’s how I lean. <br />
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Anywho. This chapter of my life all started with my best friend and soul sister, who called me because she saw a bunch of cats sitting in a restaurant parking lot. She has never owned a cat in her life. She is a bonafide dog person, but when she sees an animal in need, any animal, that animal will be saved or else. That was October, I think. Flash forward to today. We’ve trapped, spayed or neutered, and maintain around 20 cats at this cat colony. I didn’t even know cat colonies were a thing until then. Let me clarify that cat colonies aren’t small villages where cats dress in colonial attire, sing songs around campfires at night, and sell their wares at a tiny little bizarre in the woods. I know. I was disappointed to find this out too.<br />
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Cat colonies are clusters of homeless cats who tend to live and gather around sources of food — usually at the back of restaurants and businesses. Because they are not vetted or spayed or neutered, they multiply. Kittens pop up, and they usually get sick, infected, or killed before they have a chance to see their first month. This is why spay and neuter is so important. Please spay and neuter your pets!<br />
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My bestie contacted a local group because one of the cats she trapped was the friendliest thing. We deduced pretty quickly it had been someone’s pet, but since it wasn’t microchipped, it was probably abandoned or dumped there because of all the other cats. That seems to happen a lot too. Next thing we knew, we were a part of that rescue group. I was recently put on the board of directors, and I still don’t know how that happened. Wait, what? True story. <br />
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Welcome to my life. </div>
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Also, meet my foster kitties, Chassis (pronounced Chassy) and PJ. We found these guys very late one night in the parking lot of a Taco Bell and T-Mobile. They were little bitty things, hissing and spitting and crying up a storm. Chassis almost met his untimely death inside the engine of an SUV (hence, the name Chassis, which is the part of the car he kept hiding on). PJ was crying nearby — stuck up inside that T-Mobile sign. We thought <i>she</i> was a <i>he</i> because ginger females are so rare, so we named her Papa Jr. after one of our colony cats we thought might be “his” dad. Surprise. She was a girl! So, we shortened it to PJ. She’s our little tomboy, so it fits.<br />
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They have been bouncing back and forth between my new place and my bestie’s for two or three months? My senior kitty Dusti is on chemo, and three vets discouraged me from letting her be around these kittens. But after about a month of living in a dog crate in my friend's bathtub, they had to come back to my house for various reasons, and now they are living in my master bathroom again. I was very nervous about this because Dusti is my child and takes priority, but so far, so good.<br />
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Well, except Dusti is not amused. <br />
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Although Dusti’s vets have recommended against it, I’m considering keeping these two furballs. I have no idea how I’ll convince Dusti to cooperate, but maybe. I’ve grown quite attached to these kittens, and even though we’ve been advertising them for adoption, no one has wanted to give them a home yet. They are so bonded, I would hate for someone to break them up. Chassis is bigger, but skittish. He hides behind PJ, who is his little protector. She’s not afraid of anything. I’m also certain her life goal is to be the star of a Cirque De Soleil show. You should see her jump! I’ll post videos. Wait until you see her in action! <br />
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OK, so I'm probably keeping them. I don't know how I'd give them up at this point. #FosterFailure<br />
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Anyway. My medication for a mid-life crisis seems to be cats. Heaven help me.<br />
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The good news? I think the version of Connor's story I'm writing now is the best one yet. It's flowing, feels right, and I think it's the one, y'all. Don't be surprised if two kittens named Chassis and PJ show up in it either. </div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-48787444520520016282018-02-14T01:37:00.003-05:002018-02-14T01:37:44.247-05:00Getting back to normal — and writing, of courseThe past few weeks have been somewhat surreal for me. As I've mentioned before, my father has been suffering with interstitial lung disease and heart disease for a few years. He went into hospice care before Christmas, and last week, his suffering finally ended when he joined my mom in heaven. As anyone who has helped their aging parents through an illness understands, I have been dealing with a mixture of sadness, grief, and relief ever since. I suppose, in a way, I've already been grieving for him for the past year, starting the first of the many times the doctors told us there was no way he would survive the week, but he did and then improved. That was my dad — tough as nails, and a real fighter. He wasn't big on giving up easily, and I think he liked proving people wrong, too. I learned a lot from my father, and I'll miss him terribly. But I am comforted knowing he and my mom are catching up on all of our shenanigans now. God bless their souls.<div>
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Let me get real and overshare for a minute because I'm a writer and that's what I do. Because my luck has a weird and somewhat sadistic sense of humor, the day before my father passed away, I saw a doctor for a very painful knot on the back of my leg. The morning my father died, I was being scheduled for "urgent" surgery to remove said place on the back of my leg. I put it off because of the funeral, and a couple of days later, I was face down on the operating table having my leg operated on. Right now, I have an open hole the size of a baseball where they cleaned out a serious infection. Actually I might be exaggerating on the size because I can't see the thing, but I've seen pictures and, <i>whoa mama</i>, it looks huge...and gross, but don't worry. I won't share photos even though I have some. You're welcome. Anyway. I'm supposed to be on bedrest because the culture showed I had a pretty serious MRSA staph infection going on, probably picked up during one of my many visits to the nursing home where my dad spent his final days. Plus, the wound is open and has to be packed every day by my best friend who finds things like open wounds interesting — <i>weirdo</i> — and did I mention my immunity is compromised, probably because I did that thing a lot of adult children do when they're helping care for their sick parents and let myself get run down, but whatever. I've been a mostly good girl and stayed in bed the past few days, resting, even though I might have snuck out once or twice to see a movie because cabin fever is a real thing. I'm not used to having free time on my hands, so I'm going a bit bonkers, if you want to know the truth. Even Dusti, my beloved furball, is freaked out because I'm here all of the time. I'm not kidding. She stares at me like I'm an alien.</div>
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The good news is that I've been writing a lot these last few weeks, including when I was keeping vigil at my dad's bedside near the end. I feel very rusty, and unsure of myself, but I'm writing and fully expect to have something finished soon. At least, I hope so. Plus, I'm on some good painkillers right now, so the words are just flying onto the page! </div>
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Without my father to care for, I suspect I will have more time to devote to writing overall, so even when I do return to work full-time in a couple of weeks, I will have plenty of time in the evenings to write. For those of you who have written asking when more books will be out, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me even the tiniest encouragement. I appreciate your patience, and I hope to have book news sooner rather than later. I know I've said that before, but now that things are getting back to normal for me, I think you can trust me this time.</div>
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I hope.</div>
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Bless you all for hanging in there with me. Seriously. </div>
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Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-25095935275252301902017-08-13T17:03:00.003-04:002017-08-13T17:03:43.549-04:00USA Today Bestseller's List: Thank you!First of all, major apologies for not posting any updates in a loooooong time. I believe 2017 saw 2016 as a challenge, and it gladly accepted the challenge to try to be THE WORST YEAR EVER, at least for a lot of people, including myself. Someone needs to face-punch and gut-kick 2017 for being such an over achiever. Anyone have Jean Claude Van Damme's number?<br />
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I'll get real for a moment. I almost lost my father a few times starting in November 2016. He spent nearly three months in and out of the hospital, and I know on at least three occasions, the doctors told us to start preparing ourselves and that we needed to call in hospice. My dad is a tough one though, and he's still here. He has interstitial lung disease, including pulmonary fibrosis, so his prognosis isn't good, but he's still here. At the same time I have been dealing with caring for an aging parent, my day job decided to toss dodge balls at me because, why not? First, there were layoffs that hit my department. I got a pseudo-promotion, which basically meant I was put in charge without extra money or an official title and with less staff, so I have had that extra pressure. Then, my beloved furball Dusti got very ill. She went from being a spoiled fat 16-pound kitty to a barely 7-pound kitty who wouldn't eat and vomited every time she did try to eat. We've been trying desperately to get her healthy again. I have vet bills coming out my ears, and after three different vet consults, the determination is that she has either GI lymphoma (cancer) or irritable bowel disease. I can't afford the biopsy and don't want to put her through the trauma of one anyway, so we're treating it as IBD hoping she will improve. She has good days and bad days, but if she begins to show signs she's suffering, I will have no choice but to let her go. I haven't even had to make the decision yet, and I've been an emotional basketcase about it off and on for weeks.<br />
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So, that has been my year in a nutshell. Occasionally, I will get a message from a reader asking, "When is your next book coming out?" I want to be honest and say my writing has taken a back seat given everything else I've been dealing with. Surprisingly, I am still writing though.<br />
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And then <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/06/21/on-the-scent/2444877/isbn/9780007543052/">this happened</a>.<br />
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It's been a few years since ON THE SCENT was released, so I never expected it to end up on USA Today's Best-Selling Books list, but on Aug. 10, 2017, it did — thanks to a boost in promotion from my awesome publisher, Harper Impulse/Harper Collins.<br />
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All I can say is, thank you! To everyone who has purchased the book, a huge heartfelt thank you. And to everyone who has read and reviewed the book, I can't express my gratitude enough. To my amazing editor, Charlotte Ledger, a sincere and ginormous thank you. And to my wonderful critique partners, <a href="http://www.pamelahearon.com/">Pamela Hearon</a>, <a href="http://www.abbynilesauthor.com/?zx=d1c4fdb8c0e5f603">Abby Niles</a>, and <a href="http://cynthiadalba.com/">Cynthia D'Alba</a> — I owe you all kidneys, but since there's three of you, I might be in trouble. Will you accept having pets named after you instead? Just asking.<br />
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I've had an influx of messages the past week asking about a fourth book in my psychic detective series. Yes, yes, yes, I still plan and hope to publish Connor's story. However, I started a new story — completely unrelated to this series —as a way to get me past the wall I hit with Connor's story. I hoped by starting something new and walking away for a while, it would help me return to Connor's book with a fresh perspective. I am enjoying writing the new book — it has been good therapy for my bruised soul — and all I'm willing to say about it at this point is that it is a rom-com, it features a furry cast of supporting characters, and it's set at an animal shelter. I can't seem to get away from writing about cats and dogs.<br />
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This post turned out to be a lot longer than I planned. After all, I should be writing about sexy men wooing awesome women with the help of four-legged critters.<br />
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Thanks again, and please hang in there with me. I'm dodging these rocks life keeps throwing at me with pen in hand, so to speak. Hopefully the next news I publish will be an announcement about a publication date for one or both of my next books!<br />
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<br />Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-60952317521912638142016-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:002016-12-10T09:00:04.964-05:002016, Go Away, I Don't Like You<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know about you, but 2016 can’t go away fast enough
for me. I won’t speak to world events, but I swear this year has been out to
get me on a <i>personal</i> level. As in 2016 is that bear from "The Revenant" and I'm Leonardo DiCaprio.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I don’t normally talk too much about personal stuff because
privacy is a thing for me, but at this point, I need all of the prayers, good
thoughts, and positive vibes I can solicit, so (deep breath) here goes. This is a rundown of
how my year has gone:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>January:</i> Was working a double position at the day job
because, well, I don’t know why, but it wasn’t fun juggling both positions for
three months. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>February: </i>Got unwillingly dragged into some unpleasant
drama at the day job. Can’t go into details, but nope, it wasn’t fun either, and it went on for months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>March:</i> Some unknown person cleaned out my bank account using
check fraud. So not fun. So, so NOT fun. Plus, I caught a stomach virus that knocked
me flat for three days and caused me to miss an important project that
made the situation at work from February that much worse. Yes, work has been a major challenge for me this year, but all of the things I've mentioned so far are trivial in comparison to what came next.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>June:</i> My father’s health began to worsen, and he
finally got a diagnosis of asthma, emphysema, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis on
top of his AFIB. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive lung disease with no cure
and a short life expectancy. There’s scarring on the lungs that cause them to
harden, essentially suffocating anyone who has it. I lost an uncle to the
disease, and my aunt currently has it. We knew what it meant. This was a very
disheartening time for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>July:</i> July 4th weekend to be exact. I came down with some
sinus crud and a terrible sore throat that lasted for weeks and weeks until…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>August:</i> I’d seen four (I think) doctors at this point, and I
was finally told I had an abscess on my left tonsil and was referred to a
specialist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>September:</i> Surgery! To remove those dastardly tonsils and
cure my illness/plague that would not go away. Plus, it was a double whammy
with sinus surgery at the SAME TIME. Let’s not even mention the bills I’m still
trying to climb out from beneath for the whole thing. Aye!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>October: </i>Absolute misery from my surgery recovery, slowly improving until mid October, when I returned to work, and then, layoffs! My boss was laid off, and it
seems only one person in the entire building seemed to know how to do the majority of his job
other than him. That’s right. It was me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>November: </i>Day job chaos continued. Lots of stressful
changes there. Then, my father became suddenly, severely ill. We live in an area affected
heavily by the <a href="http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/11/07/fire-breaks-out-lake-lure/93416386/">smoke from the wildfires</a>, which they believe triggered his respiratory
distress. I rushed him to urgent care on a Saturday afternoon, where his
diagnosis was pneumonia. He was in the hospital for approximately four days. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He was released the night before Thanksgiving and put on
home oxygen full-time, but I suspected he’d been released too soon. I took the
following week off work to make sure he was OK. He wasn’t. He got progressively
worse. I took him to his family doctor twice, extremely alarmed because my
father couldn’t breathe from simple tasks, such as standing up, let alone
taking a few steps or moving. It was such a dramatic change from only 2 weeks before. We were told it was the pulmonary fibrosis
progressing. It would get worse. He was put on home health care, which meant
frequent visits by a nurse and therapist to check in on him. By last Friday, my father was miserable. I was staying up
all night with him every night. Neither of us were sleeping. My three brothers were all
pitching in and helping, and I was still exhausted, emotionally and physically.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Which brings me to <i>December</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Last Friday, my father was in such terrible shape and having
such difficulty breathing, he was beginning to lose his will to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the home health care nurse came, he
asked to be put into a facility. She contacted his pulmonologist who instructed
us to get him to the emergency room for an evaluation. We did, and the four
hours I spent sitting with my father on a gurney in the hallway of a crowded ER
will always rank as some of the most disheartening of my life. Test after test showed he had pneumonia. His pulmonologist arrived and reassured me she thought he
could bounce back from it. Then, he began experiencing heart failure as we sat there. I swear,
the man can’t catch a break. He was stabilized and was in the hospital for
a week. The pneumonia was stubborn, and his body is weak. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As of yesterday, my father is now in a rehab facility for an indefinite time.
My time lately has been split between work, rushing to the hospital/now rehab facility to
sit with him, being a referee between my brothers, and trying to find time to
sleep. And cuddles with my cat, who is terribly confused about everything
that’s been happening. Our hope is that my dad will improve and be able to come
home again, and soon, but we’re aware he might remain there or in a facility like
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know. Too much information. But I’ve been such a terrible
author, critique partner, and friend to so many this year I felt an explanation was
warranted.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Plus, did I mention I really could use some good vibes sent my way? Please don’t
feel sorry for me, there are many people dealing with much worse, but do please pray for me (and my family). Call me a sap,
but I believe in miracles and good will and prayer and Santa Claus and the Loch Ness Monster.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By the way, yes, I’m still writing/editing new stuff, just very, very slowly. I
hope to have my next book shipped off to the editor soon, but I’ve stopped
putting a deadline on it. That only seems to goad the universe into thinking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bwahahaha! Let’s see how she writes with
THIS on her plate. Bwahahaha!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m determined, however, that 2017 is going to be a better
year. And that I WILL finish another story. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A girl can dream, right? </div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-88309573682009029042016-09-29T17:03:00.000-04:002016-10-10T21:27:13.204-04:00My Adult Tonsillectomy: Holy hell, that hurt (and still does)One week ago I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and septum (sinus) surgery all in one go. Because, apparently, I'm an overachiever in all things, thank you very much. Surprisingly, I've had quite a few people I don't know direct message me and ask me to share my experiences because they are considering, dreading, or anticipating the same type of surgery. For the record, I am 41, only 6 years older than <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIsvHWUB59t/">Krysten Ritter</a> who plays Jessica Jones on "Jessica Jones" and who, coincidentally, also had a tonsillectomy a few weeks before I had mine. Sorry, if I was going to be throwing my age around I had to also throw in a fun fact to soften the blow.<br />
<br />
So, here's a rundown of how it's been for me:<br />
<br />
<h3>
The backstory</h3>
I have always had bad allergies and have always had sinus problems, but until a few years ago, I'd never had strep throat before. This year, I've been sick since around July 4 with some sinus crud/sore throat combo. I'd feel better and, boom, sick again, and worse than before, especially in my throat. I saw the doctor a handful of times, was on about six or seven rounds of antibiotics. My sore throat never really went away, and it got so bad I ended up in urgent care one weekend, where I was tested for mono and strep and had negative results for both. The doc said he was surprised I was negative on mono because I had so much puss in the back of my throat. He put me on a new antibiotic and told me I was probably contagious, and I was out of work for a week.<br />
<br />
I didn't get much better, so I was back at my family doctor the next week. He said my left tonsil looked swollen and possibly abscessed and that could only be drained by an ENT. I had to wait 2 weeks for an appointment because they were working me in. In the meantime, my throat pain was beyond horrible, and I developed a cough and fever that made things even more fun. I finally saw the ENT, who put a scope through my nose to look at my throat. His first words were, "Do you know you have a sinus infection?" Heh. Then he declared my left tonsil was majorly infected and that I'm in a 2% category of people who have unusually large tonsils and adenoids, and the best thing overall was for me to take them out. Since he was doing that, he wanted to see if my sinuses needed fixing too, so I had a CT scan and planned for surgery on Sept. 21. All I heard back from the doctor's nurse from my sinus scan was that, yes, I definitely needed sinus surgery because I had significant sinus disease, too. I had no idea what that meant though.<br />
<br />
I'll be honest. I'd never had surgery before in my life (wisdom teeth not included), so I was a bit terrified at the idea, and once I started reading about how god-awful adult tonsillectomies were, I almost chickened out and canceled my surgery. I continued to be sick, so my hopes of magically improving without surgery began to disappear. In fact, in the two weeks leading up to my surgery, the lymph nodes on the left side of my neck were so inflamed and swollen, I feared my tonsillitis had developed into lymphoma or something.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UlZkYnAZ2Ac/V-2KnAlfwRI/AAAAAAAAC6E/gWLNIg0m4ewJsk5yAwzghpIH75ZHuHNmACK4B/s1600/sick.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UlZkYnAZ2Ac/V-2KnAlfwRI/AAAAAAAAC6E/gWLNIg0m4ewJsk5yAwzghpIH75ZHuHNmACK4B/s320/sick.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<h3>
Day One</h3>
I had my surgery at an outpatient surgery center outside of a hospital. It was a small facility and therefore cheaper for me and my insurance. As long as I wasn't getting a Walmart-type surgery, I was fine with that. I giggled a little when they said I was in line behind "the babies" and told to be there at 10:30 a.m. I arrived, and they took me back to pre-op, where they took my vitals, had me change into a very fetching gown, and hooked me up to an IV. Then my dad and best friend were allowed to come sit with me until the doctor took me to surgery. An anesthesiologist and nurse came to ask me questions, and the anesthesiologist told me he wasn't going to lie — I was going to be in a world of hurt when I woke up, but he'd give me as much pain medicine as I wanted as long as I could take a few deep breaths for him to prove I could breathe OK. That scared the bejesus out of me, but I didn't think I could get away without looking like a fool at that point. They didn't give me any drugs or anything until about 15 minutes before the doctor came to take me back to surgery, and I don't know what it was, but it was trippy and I felt like I was floating all around my little room. Good stuff.<br />
<br />
Then they rolled me back into the operating room, where the anesthesiologist had me breathe into a face-mask until I went bye-bye. Next thing I know, the anesthesiologist was loudly yelling "Angela? Angela? Angela?" over and over and I wanted to punch him in the face because I was sleeping so nicely and he wouldn't stop yelling my name. I opened my eyes, and he demanded that I take some deep breaths before they slid me onto a gurney. I remember the anesthesiologist saying, "I hate it when they do sinus and tonsillectomies at the same time. It makes it much harder for everyone." Um, OK, Mr. Ray of Sunshine. Whatever. I was alive, and that was all I cared about. I didn't feel the pain until they slid me into the recovery area and the nurse asked me how I was feeling, I swallowed, and holy freaking $%@!, I wanted to die. I told her I was in a lot of pain, she said they had me on a lot of pain meds and couldn't give me any more, and then she went to get my dad and best friend. Instead of my friend, my brother showed up instead, and he's not a brother I like or get along with so for a minute I thought I must have died and gone to hell, but thank God, he finally left and she came back.<br />
<br />
I was told my surgery would last about an hour. Instead, it took two hours because I was so messed up all up in there. My friend relayed later that the doctor had told them I did well, but he had to do a LOT of major surgery on me. Both of my tonsils were abscessed and filled with puss — not just the left one — and that on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the largest, my tonsils were a 5. He said my throat pain would have never improved without surgery, so it was good I'd made the decision to do it. He also had to do a lot of major work to my sinuses, too. Most of my sinuses were blocked, so he had to clean out my sinuses, open up those blockages, and he made some passages bigger or something? I don't know. Something about my septum. Whatever. There was this alien feeling of having straws glued to the inside of my nostrils. I actually couldn't feel my face at all, and asked the recovery nurse if he'd done sinus surgery because the only pain I felt was in my throat. She said the benefit of doing both at once was that the pain of my throat overrode the pain of the sinus surgery. Apparently sinus surgery is not fun in and of itself. The tonsillectomy was so bad, I probably wouldn't notice it as much though. She gave me a blood-red popsicle shaped like Michael Myer's knife so I silently named it Michael, and Michael helped numb some of the pain (shhhh, I'm still on drugs, so just go with my weird whimsy).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bxCGUuXiphM/V-2A9G9HUcI/AAAAAAAAC5s/-h5pX25o6lQ0-qiGheSEwcPIJsWGxLn7gCK4B/s1600/IMG_7342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bxCGUuXiphM/V-2A9G9HUcI/AAAAAAAAC5s/-h5pX25o6lQ0-qiGheSEwcPIJsWGxLn7gCK4B/s320/IMG_7342.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giving a thumbs-up sign in recovery,<br />
with Michael, my first popsicle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was in recovery maybe 40 minutes before they let me go home. I don't know. I was pretty out of it, between the pain meds and the pain. Speaking of pain medicines, I was given 50 mg Demerol for severe pain and 7.5 mg of hydrocdon-acetamin for lesser pain along with Zofran for nausea. I was told to start taking the Demerol as soon as I got home and to take a Zofran as well, so I did. Also, I needed to keep my throat as moist as possible, so I needed to constantly sip on water, which hurt like hell, if I'm honest. The Demerol and Zofran are pills. Oddly, it was easy to swallow them at first, but I do advise having a pill crusher handy in case you need to crush them up and take them with water. It seems to be different for everyone.<br />
<br />
That first day I remember thinking the pain was bad but that I had expected much worse, and on pain meds, it compared to the worst of the throat pain I had already experienced while sick so I thought I could handle it. And that's the truth. Unfortunately, the night following my surgery, I started vomiting. I know, TMI, but you need to know it's a possibility. The first few times, it just sort of happened and it didn't make the pain any worse or better. It was just ewww. My best friend stayed over to help me (thank God for her, too) and we deduced that an hour and 15 minutes after I took each dose of Demerol and Zofran, I got sick. So she called the doctor in the middle of the night, and he told me to switch to the hydrocdon-acetamin, which was a liquid, and gave me Phenergan instead. I took the hydrocodon, but then I had a reaction to that as well. Not vomiting, but my face became red and flushed and it didn't touch the pain at all, or if it did, OMG, I can't even imagine what the pain would have been without it. I ended up not taking a Phenergan because it makes you sleep, and I didn't know how I'd handle keeping my throat moist. So early the next morning, we called my doctor again, and the nurse called me in Acetamin-COD, which is a liquid. It doesn't help with pain as much as Demerol, but it helped some and without any nasty side effects. I basically bunkered down and braced for the pain. Oh, and because I had sinus surgery, too, I was told I would need to remain sitting up for at least five days. My brothers had moved one of my dad's recliners into my bedroom to be my new "bed" for a while. My father has a heart and lung condition, so I live with him, but I haven't been much use to him lately — and now I've stolen one of his recliners. Poor guy.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Days 2-4</h3>
<div>
These days were pretty rough. The pain is constant, but made much worse when you swallow, especially water, ice, or any liquid. I was taking 5 ml of Acetamin-COD every two hours. The throat pain was so bad, I didn't sleep much at all the first two days. My friend stayed over to make sure I took my medicine on schedule and that I sipped water every 15 minutes or so. Setting an alarm in your phone helps. It gets to be annoying after a point, but it helps. Also, after the first 24 hours, I really started to feel pain in my face, too. Plus, I was bleeding around the splints in my nose. Those splints were supposed to help me breathe through my nose so I didn't have to breathe as much through my mouth, but they kept getting so clogged with blood and scabs, I simply couldn't breathe through my nose. And those splints are damned uncomfortable once you start to feel them. Using a cold moist towel across the bridge of your nose helps. My cat did head-butt me in the nose one time — not hard — but sweet mercy, I thought I was going to die from the pain. So if you have an affectionate cat, for the love of god, don't let him near your face if you have the sinus work done, too. Anyway. The few times I dozed off during this period, I woke myself up doing a gurgling-trying-to-breathe thing that made me feel claustrophobic. The worst pain in the world is dozing off, sleeping 30 minutes without taking a sip of water or sucking on ice, and then waking up. Your throat is dry and OMG does it hurt. Dozing off and going past your scheduled pain medicine time is also the worst kind of pain you will experience. So, keep your throat moist and stay on top of your pain meds. Ice packs on you neck are also a blessing from God. You'll be uncomfortable and miserable, but it's nothing you can't handle. Everyone and their brother will want to bring you something to try to eat because they're worried about you. I tried applesauce. It made me cry. I tried yogurt. It made me cry. I tried a watery smoothie. I wanted to die. Through trial and error, I discovered I can handle sipping on chicken broth at a lukewarm temperature, and Frostys from Wendy's are God's little angels sent down from heaven to help tonsillectomy patients survive. I am convinced of that. So my diet has been chicken broth, popsicles, and Frostys. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Days 5-8</h3>
<div>
I managed to find the strength to take a shower before my doctor's appointment, which was heaven since I hate not showering every day. I had to go in to have my nose splints removed the Monday after my surgery. When he removed them, it was so painful I immediately felt nauseous but did not lose my lunch, which would have only been water anyway, but still. It was this very painful feeling followed by immediate relief, but I still wanted to cry. He cleaned out all of the dried blood and scabs, too, which was a huge relief and helped me feel better. He said I could expect 10 more days of misery and then I'd start to feel better because my tonsils were still healing. He kept insisting he knew how bad I felt, it was normal, but he didn't want to change my pain medicine because there's too much risk of overdosing and pain meds can stop your breathing. Instead, he told me to up my dosage to 10 ml of the acetamin-COD every four hours and to take two Tylenol every two hours. I switched to this as soon as I got home, and the pain did begin to improve some. I went from dozing here and there to sleeping for about 2-3 hours at a time. The problem is the same though. When I wake up, I'm in intense pain because my throat is dry, and it takes extra effort to get it feeling moist again. I go back and forth between a floaty-zombie-like feeling and utter drowsiness throughout the day. I guess it's the pain meds. I also feel incredibly weak, but I did eat my first cup of chicken noodle soup and got down some mashed potatoes last night, so things are starting to look up. However, I have to keep my sinuses moist with nose spray at all times, too, and have been experiencing drainage of mucus-y blood clots into my throat, which is quite nasty and unpleasant, believe me. I'm still experiencing face pain, which I'm not sure is normal or not at this stage. I also have difficulty blowing my nose at all. The doctor encouraged me to gently blow my nose if needed, but I feel congested and can't manage to blow anything at all. I'm sure this means there's a problem somewhere, but I don't know. I'm just basically dealing with it until I can't anymore.</div>
<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Dusti watching Netflix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Day 9</h3>
<div>
Last night I slept in two 4-hour increments, and I still feel exhausted. I feel worse today than I did yesterday, actually and I'm not sure why. I know I tried talking some yesterday, and maybe that was a mistake. Up until now I haven't spoken much after my surgery because it hurts so damn much to try. I know the scabs in my throat should be coming out any day now, and I hope that when they do, I don't gag on them and the pain doesn't get worse. I've read some people who say it improves immensely and some who say it gets worse after the scabs falls off. I'll let you know when I get to that point.<br />
<br />
<i>Edited 10-10-2016:</i><br />
<h3>
Days 10-19</h3>
</div>
<div>
In regards to my tonsillectomy, I've slowly improved and can now eat pretty much any food I want. I started eating regular food again last week, around Day 13. I started with pasta and mashed potatoes and moved through other soft foods slowly. If I never see applesauce, yogurt, or chicken broth again, it will be too soon. However, I can't taste anything, so I'm afraid my taste buds were damaged in the surgery. I've read on other blogs that the tools they use to hold your tongue during surgery can cause this, and that many people experience a return in taste after about 2-3 months. I hope that's the case for me. Well, I hope I can taste sooner than that, but I hope it returns.<br />
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<br />
While my throat is significantly better, my sinuses are not. Three days ago I awoke in the worst pain of my life. I pretty much cried, there was so much pain and pressure in my face. Then I was hit with nausea. I've also been running a low-grade fever. After a handful of calls to the doctor, in which I was told everything I described was normal recovery, I finally went back and was told I had an infection. My sinuses were too severely swollen for him to insert the thingamajig that looks around in there, but he judged by my symptoms and the fact that my lymph nodes on my neck are again swollen and tender that I have an infection. I was told the excruciating pain was likely from the swelling, and that the nausea could be from my dissolvable packing draining from my sinuses and upsetting my stomach. I was also told that I had major surgery and that it will take time to feel better. It could take up to three months to feel like human again. Three months!?! Right now my sinus surgery recovery is my obstacle, and it is kicking my tail. My throat is also slightly swollen and I sound like a chain smoker sometimes when I talk, but overall, it is much, much better.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
So, my summation is that an adult tonsillectomy is no walk in the park, but the fear and anticipation of it is much worse than the actual thing itself. There is pain, but if your doctor has determined you need the surgery to end your throat pain, you are probably already in tremendous pain and the pain after surgery won't be anything you're not used to, as long as you stay on top of your medicine. Use the time to watch Netflix or read. My cat and I've caught up on "The Flash," "Doctor Who," "Penny Dreadful" and about a dozen weird movies already. I've also read a handful of books.<br />
<br />
I am hopeful this experience is almost behind me. I'm tired of being sick, but I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. *fingers crossed*<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qAvUwfM2MZc/V_w_6ipSLbI/AAAAAAAAC6k/tbAiRTmY4KwylcbraGWvXf1P_s21cD6wwCK4B/s1600/doctor-who-quotesmatt-smithfunny.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qAvUwfM2MZc/V_w_6ipSLbI/AAAAAAAAC6k/tbAiRTmY4KwylcbraGWvXf1P_s21cD6wwCK4B/s320/doctor-who-quotesmatt-smithfunny.gif" width="320" /></a> </div>
<br />Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-61292701015402563252016-06-13T08:00:00.000-04:002016-06-13T08:00:02.971-04:00Is Connor still getting a book? Yes!Each time a reader emails me now, it's to ask if Connor will be getting a book in my psychic detectives series. The simple answer: Yes! The complicated answer: Um, yes, eventually.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWGlgMP6cdE/V1nxHeCm7iI/AAAAAAAAC1w/tlXMnX-BDAs0Re1RyegstiEw09ReekYAACK4B/s1600/13485914.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWGlgMP6cdE/V1nxHeCm7iI/AAAAAAAAC1w/tlXMnX-BDAs0Re1RyegstiEw09ReekYAACK4B/s320/13485914.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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I am thrilled people are still discovering my series, and I am very grateful to Harper Impulse for publishing it and continuing to promote it (I mean, I assume, based on my royalty checks...maybe?). I truly had no idea so many people would latch onto Connor as a character, if I’m being honest. Almost every reader email I’ve gotten since “Something Wicked” published has mentioned him. Truthfully, I think that response has made me feel pressure to guarantee that his story is as awesome as he obviously is. I’ve never had that kind of pressure before, to be honest, so I haven’t handled it well.<br />
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That said, I wanted to give folks an update where his story stands since it has been so long since “Spirited Away” published and I saw a review a while back in which the person commenting said something to the effect of, “I really hope the author hasn’t died or just decided to stop writing because I hate discovering a new series I love only to have it stop abruptly because the author died.”<br />
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First of all, thank you for the compliment — I think — and second, nope, I’m not dead.<br />
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bookgirlac/media/tumblr_mowxe989yb1s4yfn5o1_500.gif.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tumblr_mowxe989yb1s4yfn5o1_500.gif" border="0" height="171" src="https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/bookgirlac/tumblr_mowxe989yb1s4yfn5o1_500.gif" width="200" /></a><br />
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Obviously I owe those of you who care enough to visit my website an update, so here’s the true reason Connor’s book hasn’t published yet. I’ll be honest. I finished a draft of his story, but I wasn’t happy with it. I couldn’t put my finger on why though, so I stepped away for a while to give me some distance from it. As happens, life gets in the way of good intentions. I won’t over share, but family obligations, day job woes, and other chaos have made it more of a challenge for me to devote as much time to writing as I’d like. I have also written some other projects which aren't ready to be published yet, but I am still writing! Yay me. And on occasion, I’ve opened Connor’s story, made a few tweaks, but still haven’t been happy with it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDV7bc9Fp5g/V1nqnpKdlrI/AAAAAAAAC1A/TwmxkTrY-HYJWsQkHkQPHDPjaG7VnyegACK4B/s1600/Ethan.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDV7bc9Fp5g/V1nqnpKdlrI/AAAAAAAAC1A/TwmxkTrY-HYJWsQkHkQPHDPjaG7VnyegACK4B/s320/Ethan.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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A week or so ago, I was about as exhausted as I’ve ever been, trying to drift off to sleep, when I had an epiphany about Connor's story. Actually, my mind was flooded with new ideas. I think I have finally pinpointed why I didn’t connect with his story the way I wanted. <br />
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Now, I’m working on another rewrite that I hope will address my concerns and be ready to submit to my editor soon. And I want to open up an opportunity to one or two of my readers to beta read this story when I have a close-to-final draft. If you would be interested in beta reading Connor's book before I send it to my editor, please email me at angelamcampbell@aol.com and let me know. I will likely take the first two people who respond up on their offer for feedback.</div>
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I really appreciate those of you who check in with me every now and then to ask about Connor’s book, and I’m very grateful to all of you who have any of the books in this series and have been kind enough to leave a review or email me feedback. Mwah! </div>
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Don't worry, and get ready. Connor is still headed for a bookstore near you ... eventually.</div>
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<a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/user/bookgirlac/media/tumblr_mco79rZD6b1rhavh5o1_250.gif.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tumblr_mco79rZD6b1rhavh5o1_250.gif" border="0" src="https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/bookgirlac/tumblr_mco79rZD6b1rhavh5o1_250.gif" /></a>Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-88427635863985968702016-03-25T03:22:00.001-04:002016-05-09T18:57:04.468-04:00Review: 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'I really didn't want to be one of those people who seemed to hate "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" before I saw it, so I tried — I really, <i>really</i> tried — to keep an open mind going into it. When I saw some reviews on twitter after its premiere from DC fans who called it "amazing," I admit it. I became hopeful. There was a part of me that actually believed it could be true.<br />
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Oh, disappointment is a horrible beast.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9updFAf8fA/VvTmAIjmCbI/AAAAAAAACv4/yVMQiHDfoEM_VJqEOyIxsCDx7_8oli0fw/s1600/67421ca0edff295e6f37b39b444f7e5b74e6939d.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9updFAf8fA/VvTmAIjmCbI/AAAAAAAACv4/yVMQiHDfoEM_VJqEOyIxsCDx7_8oli0fw/s320/67421ca0edff295e6f37b39b444f7e5b74e6939d.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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I won't get into too many spoilers, so I'll try to be as general as possible in my assessment. Also, I might give spoilers. I might not, but you've been warned.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fafafa;">Oh, before I start, "Walking Dead" fans like me will get excited and weirded out for a minute because Bruce Wayne's parents are played by the actors who play Maggie and Negan. I mean, how cool and weird is that?!? Maggie and Negan!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fafafa;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fafafa;">Anyway.</span><br />
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First of all, I still want to punch Zach Snyder in the face. His version of Superman is so much less than what the character deserves, and it's glaringly obvious in this movie. In "Batman v Superman," Clark/Supes is very sloppy and feels like an empty shell of this iconic character. I realize in this story that he's very young at being Superman and therefore prone to making mistakes, but honestly guys, I don't get the feeling he's trying very hard to improve. He spends way too much time focused on saving Lois, which I kind of love because I'm a big Lois-Clark shipper, but no, because it's kind of taken to the extreme here in a way that makes both of them come across as dumber than bricks. Plus, it's been 18 months since the events of "Man of Steel." I would expect a lot more remorse from Clark considering the amount of destruction and loss of life from his battle with Zod. There are a few glimpses of it here and there, but it's brushed off far too easily. He is still very brooding and kind of mopey, but I think it's mainly because mostly everyone in this movie hates him. Yep, a good part of the world hates Superman. WHAT?!?<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcIq-0j_Cug/VvTmEbRlyiI/AAAAAAAACwA/MVdOu5nvXD88f4HEu6ptzyGKELAVv9x5Q/s1600/Batman-V-Superman-Dawn-of-Justice-Teaser-Trailer-Superman-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lcIq-0j_Cug/VvTmEbRlyiI/AAAAAAAACwA/MVdOu5nvXD88f4HEu6ptzyGKELAVv9x5Q/s320/Batman-V-Superman-Dawn-of-Justice-Teaser-Trailer-Superman-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Batman, of course, seems to hate him most of all because of what went down in Metropolis in "Man of Steel." That's the basic setup of this movie, which shows, by the way, a lot of favoritism for the Dark Knight. This is basically a Batman movie with Superman and some other Justice League cameos thrown in because.<br />
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I am predisposed to dislike any movie with Superman as a main character that then proceeds to torture, dehumanize, and degrade him for about 75% of the story. My heart hurt, y'all. It seriously did, and I teared up more than once because the hatred shown toward Superman is so tangible. My guy goes through a lot in this movie. There are some light scenes between him and Lois that gave me hope, but blip, and they're gone and both he and I were depressed again.<br />
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Lois Lane also suffers at Snyder's hands this time around. She did a lot of dumb things that are not very Lois Lane-like.<br />
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Snyder, I want to punch you in the face so bad right now.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hb-lStHp3k0/VvTmlmD2JOI/AAAAAAAACwQ/CWEPrzo9RU0_wQP6_F2nAJFy5ltDFsjbA/s1600/tumblr_lkn7lnF4Rz1qi7ymho1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hb-lStHp3k0/VvTmlmD2JOI/AAAAAAAACwQ/CWEPrzo9RU0_wQP6_F2nAJFy5ltDFsjbA/s320/tumblr_lkn7lnF4Rz1qi7ymho1_500.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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Wonder Woman is, hands down, the best part of this movie. Gal Gadot did a great job bringing her to the big screen, and Snyder — amazingly — did not screw her up. Granted, she's only briefly in the movie and that's mostly as Diana Prince, but who cares? She's awesome. I did like the way they introduced the other Justice League characters, although my friend who is not a big DC fan like me had no idea that it was The Flash in a certain dream sequence with Bruce. I also went, "Wait. Is that The Flash? Or Zoom? Who is that?" while it was happening. I also had no idea what he was saying, mostly. Yeah, I don't think any of it had anything to do with the plot. *sighs*<br />
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By the way, there are a lot of dream sequences in this movie, and basically none of them make sense.<br />
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I am on the fence about Lex Luther as played by Jesse Eisenberg. He is immensely unlikable. He gives rambling speeches that are abstract and disjointed, but I guess it's supposed to show how crazy he is. I don't even know. This is the most despicable version of Lex Luther I've ever seen anyway, so I guess he did a good job. What he does to Martha Kent is...I can't even. Actually, what he does to Holly Hunter's character is gross and...I can't even.<br />
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I'm curious if fans of Batman end up loving this movie because I can see why they would. My theater was full of DC fanboys when I saw it. I know because I overheard some of their conversations beforehand. None of them had very high expectations. Afterward, I overheard one say, "Well, that was about what I expected." Another loved it and was raving about it. Mostly, they were, "Meh. It was OK." I won't begin to guess whether you will like it, and it's OK if you do. I've seen some arguments by both haters and lovers, so yes, some people loved this movie. There was no standing ovation in my screening. No one clapped, ever. There was simply silence, followed by a few sighs.<br />
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I will give props to the fight between Batman and Superman when it happens. I thought it was well done, mostly.<br />
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OK. So here are some really big spoilers for this movie. If you're a comic book fan, you probably already know some of this because of Doomsday being in the movie, plus the Internet, but whatever.<br />
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Ready? If not, skip ahead to the end of spoiler note now.<br />
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OK.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWzrnmExrRE/VvTmOq6edRI/AAAAAAAACwI/fIZ4iVyODkEqxJprS2DQNtiY7gqB2gfIw/s1600/tumblr_mosn3qSiX11swjg2mo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWzrnmExrRE/VvTmOq6edRI/AAAAAAAACwI/fIZ4iVyODkEqxJprS2DQNtiY7gqB2gfIw/s320/tumblr_mosn3qSiX11swjg2mo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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Snyder tosses in the Death of Superman plot. The movie ends after a double funeral for Clark and Superman. SNYDER KILLED SUPERMAN. Yes, I know he's not really dead, I read the comics, but to sit through 2 and 1/2 hours of Superman being tortured only to watch him die was almost more than I could take. It's also very hard to watch in live action as opposed to seeing on a comic book page. It really affected me. I was seriously, seriously depressed leaving this movie.<br />
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This movie is so dark. I would not take kids to see it, especially younger than 13. Why? It is hopeless and depressing, that's why. This is absolutely an adult movie in that regard.<br />
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Also, there are a ton of hints about Darkseid being the villain coming up for the Justice League movie. Lex's crazy speech about the dark coming confirms it, and I did notice that the box that creates Cyborg appears to be the Darkseid technology from the comics, although I don't know much about Cyborg and I don't think that's his real origin story, but OK. And the last shot of the movie is dirt lifting away from Clark's coffin, which I suppose is a shout-out to Darkseid, although I'll be honest and admit I didn't understand that at all. Was that because of Darkseid?<br />
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***END OF MAJOR SPOILERS***<br />
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Also, if you do go see this movie, don't sit through the entire credits because there isn't a teaser to the Justice League movie after them. Trust me. I checked.<br />
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Don't worry. I still love you, Henry Cavill, and thank you for that all-too-brief shot of your naked chest in that one scene. Seriously. I needed it.<br />
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That's it. That's enough.<br />
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Now I'll go weep silently in the corner so my cat can judge me.Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-84362154105082745722016-03-23T13:43:00.002-04:002016-03-23T13:48:01.217-04:00Book progress and my ramblings on 'Batman v. Superman'Welp, here it is March 2016. Yes, I’m still alive and kicking! <br />
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First, I want to thank all of the amazing folks who have discovered my books in recent months. I continue to get emails asking when my next book is coming out, so I want to let you all know that I am working on it. To say 2015 was a rough year for me personally is an understatement, and 2016 has been no less challenging. That said, I am now working hard to finish Connor’s story in my psychic detectives series and get it shipped off to my lovely editor. I know I’ve said that before, but I am determined to get his story right, and that means I have had to do some massive rewrites because I wasn’t happy with the first draft I churned out. Don’t worry. I think his story will be better for it! Fingers crossed.<br />
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Now, I hope you’ll indulge me for the rest of this post, which will focus on my favorite guy in blue tights — Superman. I’ve declared my love for the superhero before and you can go back and <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2013/04/happy-birthday-superman-from-little.html">read that here</a> if you want. I also reviewed “Man of Steel” which still continues to get hits (why? I have no idea) so <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-man-of-steel.html">you can read that, too</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PnIVgSwmJ5Q/VvLVcMsb3II/AAAAAAAACvo/J4uTUF1Z8W0sa6mA0VAQj1hByGFkTKreg/s1600/Batman-v-Superman-poster-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PnIVgSwmJ5Q/VvLVcMsb3II/AAAAAAAACvo/J4uTUF1Z8W0sa6mA0VAQj1hByGFkTKreg/s320/Batman-v-Superman-poster-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Obviously, I’m going to write about “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” too, and I thought it would be interesting to share my expectations before I see the movie. I’ll be posting a review, too, probably Friday morning so check back here for my spoiler-free reaction. <br />
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So, let’s talk about Superman and why I’m both excited to see “Batman v. Superman” and why I’m dreading it almost as much as that time my editor forced me to write a review of “Fifty Shades of Grey” the movie.<br />
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Here’s why in five words. The movie’s director, Zach Snyder. I was never much of a fan before “Man of Steel,” and I now dislike him immensely, mainly because anytime someone calls him out for ruining Superman’s character in “Man of Steel,” his argument is that he gets Superman better than the fans do. I mean, really?!? Really, Zach Snyder?!? <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pPIMzM2NmYM/VvLSRZE2UzI/AAAAAAAACt0/flVfSzLvcO43JxKEA6lQjueMJPZ5RTgwA/s1600/b2aa0968496ed029f8422834f0ed0c4b.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pPIMzM2NmYM/VvLSRZE2UzI/AAAAAAAACt0/flVfSzLvcO43JxKEA6lQjueMJPZ5RTgwA/s320/b2aa0968496ed029f8422834f0ed0c4b.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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I'll break this down for you, Mr. Snyder.<br />
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Problem No. 1: My beef with “Batman v. Superman” is this in a nutshell. It is supposed to be the sequel to “Man of Steel,” meaning it is supposed to be about Superman, period. And what does Snyder do? He tosses Batman in there. I’m willing to bet without having seen “Batman v. Superman” that it consists of 75% Batman and 25% Superman. I’m sorry, but I just do not like Batman’s dark and dreary gloominess. I simply don’t. I liked The Lego Movie Batman though.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpYtQidWWj4/VvLSs3Q-ynI/AAAAAAAACt8/qZUE-DPLb9EAM-Ke6STAkEQdpce3JT9Lw/s1600/tumblr_n1n49pur3P1rhub7to4_250.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tpYtQidWWj4/VvLSs3Q-ynI/AAAAAAAACt8/qZUE-DPLb9EAM-Ke6STAkEQdpce3JT9Lw/s400/tumblr_n1n49pur3P1rhub7to4_250.gif" /></a><br />
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Problem No. 2: The problems I had with “Man of Steel” are likely to be amplified in “Batman v. Superman.” For example, Superman — and yes, I know, there are so many different lines of Superman in the comics that sometimes even in the comics this doesn’t apply, but — he’s good, optimistic, brings hope to people, and cracks jokes every now and then. Those are kind of his underlying traits. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzaFIXLbF4s/VvLS5J837MI/AAAAAAAACuI/txVLOuUeaD4E8xL7Ro2xaYXq1NNjgKrhQ/s1600/ak5GwSd.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TzaFIXLbF4s/VvLS5J837MI/AAAAAAAACuI/txVLOuUeaD4E8xL7Ro2xaYXq1NNjgKrhQ/s320/ak5GwSd.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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Now, I love Henry Cavill to the moon and back, and I blame his version of Supes on Snyder, not him. But, for the love of all that is holy, Superman in “Man of Steel” was mopey, destroyed an entire city and then some, spent most of the movie brooding, and rarely cracked a smile. People feared him. They didn’t look to him in hope. I mean, he was gorgeous, but come on. The publicity photos from “Batman v. Superman” show this. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tI5NbTEkyeg/VvLS8qWPNaI/AAAAAAAACuQ/MOY21QqJLfcB9Jg7Cr3890FMF6e8Zn7Qg/s1600/200_s.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tI5NbTEkyeg/VvLS8qWPNaI/AAAAAAAACuQ/MOY21QqJLfcB9Jg7Cr3890FMF6e8Zn7Qg/s320/200_s.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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NO! For the love of kittens, Zach Snyder, NOOOOOOOOO!! That is not who Superman really is! Based on the trailer for this movie, he looks like he’s angry and more brooding this time around. What?!? I know Henry is capable of humor and smiling and looking like a fun guy because THIS:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-M1fvF33-0/VvLTAqCss0I/AAAAAAAACuY/dtseJxrB39wTzCBZ5eBp62pgL3ekQ4peQ/s1600/hc15.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-M1fvF33-0/VvLTAqCss0I/AAAAAAAACuY/dtseJxrB39wTzCBZ5eBp62pgL3ekQ4peQ/s320/hc15.gif" width="291" /></a><br />
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That’s what we need to see more of. Instead of Superman glowering at Batman and Batman glowering back, I’d much rather pay to see this:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdFZAvN0bes/VvLTJZuyDII/AAAAAAAACuo/YEd7ORyiSFgCnbcTDpA6DbJIM1hQbjEKA/s1600/the-man-of-steel-star-just-revealed-a-fascinating-batman-vs-superman-dawn-of-justice-spoi-332066.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdFZAvN0bes/VvLTJZuyDII/AAAAAAAACuo/YEd7ORyiSFgCnbcTDpA6DbJIM1hQbjEKA/s320/the-man-of-steel-star-just-revealed-a-fascinating-batman-vs-superman-dawn-of-justice-spoi-332066.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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I mean, “Superman Returns” had its problems, but it was a much more enjoyable movie than “Man of Steel” and at least Brandon Routh had personality and seemed to be having fun with the role. <br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3agxiHIbnJQ/VvLTMrA3NTI/AAAAAAAACuw/Yz2-qu9EapkK8BpjIOnewvP9oIKJjYthQ/s1600/tumblr_m1b45j3HKn1qd88tjo1_r1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3agxiHIbnJQ/VvLTMrA3NTI/AAAAAAAACuw/Yz2-qu9EapkK8BpjIOnewvP9oIKJjYthQ/s320/tumblr_m1b45j3HKn1qd88tjo1_r1_500.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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Problem No. 3: Wonder Woman. I have been waiting a lifetime to see Wonder Woman on the big screen. I’m actually excited to see what Gal Gadot does here, and I am so rooting for you to pull it off, girl. I really am. However, with Zach Snyder in charge, I imagine she will be dark and brooding and gloomy too. No. Just no. Plus, I am still disgusted she got thrown in like an after thought and will likely (I’m guessing here) only be in the movie for about five minutes. She deserves so much better than that. However, I’m excited a "Wonder Woman" stand alone film is coming and that IT IS NOT directed by Snyder. I'm excited that young girls and boys will have a new Wonder Woman to look up to — I simply hope she’s a worthy representation. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-esDHiLnZUyk/VvLTkXIwegI/AAAAAAAACvE/flkHyx-7qdsXA4tr_rGhZGNSSwcEwGdZQ/s1600/giphy-2.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-esDHiLnZUyk/VvLTkXIwegI/AAAAAAAACvE/flkHyx-7qdsXA4tr_rGhZGNSSwcEwGdZQ/s320/giphy-2.gif" width="320" /></a><br />
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Problem No. 4: This movie looks like a mess simply from the trailer. If a better director had spent time developing Superman’s character, I might be OK with an action-packed beat-down between Superman and Batman. I’m wagering Superman and Clark get very little time to develop here. I mean, what’s going on? At least three or four plotlines, from what I can tell. I can't even.<br />
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I could go on and on, but I won’t. You get a slow hand clap if you’ve read this far.<br />
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So I’m expecting this to be my reaction when I leave the theater tomorrow night.<br />
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If a miracle happens and I actually leave like this instead, I’ll definitely let you know. </div>
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In the meantime, I leave you with a production I am certain will be much more enjoyable to watch than the actual "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."<br />
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Because OHMYGOODNESSKITTENS!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c2cxjWwu664" width="500"></iframe>Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-34094303899091417122015-11-23T16:33:00.000-05:002015-11-23T16:33:16.537-05:00Read my new novella for only 99 cents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm pleased to be a part of a boxed set that features some incredible authors in the paranormal and fantasy genres. HERE BE MAGIC features 8 magical tales from authors such as Rebecca York, Cindy Spencer Pape, and Veronica Scott.<br />
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My story in the set is a brand new novella titled GORGEOUS NIGHTMARE.<br />
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This story is not a part of my psychic detectives series, but it was written this year and inspired by my love of psychic-related mysteries. Here's a short synopsis:<br /><br />Dakota McBride is doing everything she can to fit into her new life in Asheville while guarding secrets that could get her killed. An unexpected run-in with Tyler Jackson—her older brother’s best friend and her long-time fantasy—puts everything in jeopardy. Dakota is a woman being hunted by a deadly serial killer, and Tyler seems hell-bent on protecting her, same as he always has. Through dreams, he’s foreseen her impending death. What neither Tyler nor the killer understand is that Dakota doesn't need a protector. Heaven help anyone who threatens her now…<br /><br />GORGEOUS NIGHTMARE is now available as part of the HERE BE MAGIC boxed set for only 99 cents! I'm fortunate to be included with seven other great authors, all of whom I admire. Grab this deal! You won't be sorry.<br /><br />Buy the "Here Be Magic" boxed set now at<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0181KAEZG?keywords=here%20be%20magic&qid=1447820536&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2">AMAZON</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-be-magic-box-set-linda-mooney/1122954516?ean=2940152251470">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/here-be-magic-box-set">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herebemagicboxset-1928284-166.html">ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1059443930">iTunes</a><br /><br />Learn more about the boxed set <a href="http://lindamooney.com/HereBeMagic.htm">HERE</a>.Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-74894810416778968962015-10-28T14:55:00.004-04:002015-10-28T14:57:15.412-04:00Long time no write<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For anyone who might have wondered what happened to me, well, I'm still kicking around. It turns out 2015 has not been the best year for me, writing-wise, because of numerous personal reasons I won't get into here.</div>
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The good news is that I am writing again and working furiously to finish the fourth book in my Psychic Detectives series. Fingers crossed, that manuscript will be winging its way to my editor's inbox soon. It has been an interesting journey with many rewrites, so I hope Connor's story entertains you once it makes its way into the world.</div>
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I've also written a novella that, fingers crossed, will be released in November. It's not related to my Psychic Detectives series, but it follows the same theme. It features a hunky psychic working to solve a serial killing mystery. It's a little darker than anything I've written before, but I'm proud of it because it helped me get past a bad case of writer's block. It also might feature a cat because every story needs an animal in it, don't ya think? More on that novella coming soon.</div>
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In the meantime, Halloween is right around the corner. Ah, candy corn, pumpkins, and spooky and not-so-spooky costumes. It's probably my favorite time of year, or a close second, so I'm excited. Grab a book or scary movie, relax, and have a safe and happy Halloween! </div>
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<br />Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-63654063147845626592015-07-07T00:00:00.000-04:002015-07-07T02:15:33.573-04:00Written Fireside: Can't You See? Part 3 by Angela Campbell<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: purple;">Noah Hale is an author suffering from PTSD related insomnia, needing peace and sleep. All he wants is to be left alone. A certain little dog has other ideas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Amanda Bell, a teacher, is grieving the loss of her sister, Rachel. Caring for her sister’s dog is comforting until a new neighbor moves in the other half of her duplex. Suddenly, the dog starts escaping her yard, running to </span><span style="font-size: medium;">the</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://writtenfireside.blogspot.com/2015/06/written-fireside-cant-you-see-part-1.html" style="text-decoration: none;">Part 1</a> by <a href="http://loriconnelly.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html" style="text-decoration: none;">Lori Connelly</a> </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;">Author of</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00G1TOJSS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00G1TOJSS&linkCode=am2&tag=loriconn-20&linkId=2S6FEQZP6ANVMUO6" style="color: #25ff25; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00G1TOJSS&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=loriconn-20" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=loriconn-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00G1TOJSS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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Part 3 by Angela Campbell:</div>
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Hours later, Amanda had managed to clean the kitchen, the bathroom, and the living room, but she still couldn’t get the vision of haunted green eyes out of her head. Cleaning was always her go-to distraction when she needed to distance herself from bad memories or unwanted thoughts, but nope. Didn’t work this time.<br />
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The pain she’d seen glimmering beneath Noah Hale’s delicious green gaze had been easy to recognize because she’d seen it in her own eyes when looking in the mirror these past few weeks. Perhaps he’d lost someone, too.<br />
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A low whine caught her attention, and she turned around to see the small brown and white dog lying in the doorway, watching her. Wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her wrist, Amanda shook her head and pointed the mop handle at Gertie.<br />
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“This is your fault. It’s your fault I can’t stop thinking about him.”<br />
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The dog’s eyebrows shifted anxiously as Gertie sighed and lowered her chin to her paws. Guilt tightened Amanda’s chest, and she sank to her haunches to pet the pup’s furry little head. Lord, Rachel had loved this dog, but Amanda had never had much time to spare for a pet. This was the first summer since she’d started teaching that she hadn’t traveled somewhere. Italy had been on the agenda this year — her once-in-a-lifetime vacation. She’d spent years saving to tour the streets long ago roamed by the likes of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley. But one month before Amanda's plane was scheduled to take flight, that heartbreaking phone call had shattered everything. A massive pileup on the highway. Her little sister hadn't survived the impact.<br />
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The hot burn of tears threatened to spill again, but Amanda sniffled and pushed them back.<br />
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After helping her mother with Rachel’s burial expenses, there simply hadn’t been enough money left in the bank to go anywhere, and besides, she had a dog now. A dog she didn’t know how to properly care for, considering it had only been a week since Gertie had gotten into some raw yeast dough, which had led to days of explosive flatulence and projectile diarrhea. The veterinarian had given Amanda a chastising look before lecturing her on all of the foods that were bad for dogs. It had made her feel inept, had caused her to burst into tears right then and there, and made her question whether keeping Gertie had been the right decision.<br />
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“You deserve better, Gertie.”<br />
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Gertie whined and then licked Amanda’s hand as if to say “It’s OK. I don’t blame you. You can’t help being stupid.”<br />
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Amanda sighed. “I’m a mess. Let’s take a shower and go to bed — what do you say, girl?”<br />
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<i>Woof! </i>Gertie’s butt began to wiggle as she jumped to her feet and pranced around the hallway, knowing a treat was in her near future. <br />
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Amanda set the wet mop outside to air dry and then leashed Gertie for a short walk.<br />
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After a quick shower and changing into a pair of tap pants and a tank top for bed, Amanda brushed out her hair, wondering what Mr. Tall Dark and Sexy next door was doing right now. No doubt a man like him was enjoying a fun night on the town with someone as equally attractive. Meanwhile, here she was, getting ready for bed before ten o’clock with only a dog to keep her company.<br />
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“I lead such an exciting life, Gertie.”<br />
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<i>Woof! Woof! </i>Gertie tapped out her frustration at being made to wait for her treat, alternately watching Amanda prepare for bed and then running back and forth to the kitchen where her doggie biscuit awaited their new nightly ritual. <br />
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Smiling, Amanda followed the precocious animal into the kitchen, gave Gertie her treat, and then remembered to bring the mop back inside since rain was in the forecast. <i>Click</i>. Standing on the outside back patio, Amanda turned and saw Gertie pressed up against the bottom glass of the patio door — inside the house.<br />
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The dog had closed the door behind her! <i>Oh, no. Please tell me I didn’t have the door set to automatically lock.</i><br />
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She gripped the doorknob and tried to turn it. Oh, yeah. It was locked.<br />
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“Gertie!” <br />
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Standing against the door, the dog wiggled its butt and grinned a tongue-lolling grin at her through the door.<br />
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***<br />
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Leaning back in his desk chair, Noah lifted his arms above his head and cracked his knuckles. Fifteen pages. Not bad considering the trouble he’d had getting started a few hours ago. It was damn hard to write when every scene in his skull tonight wanted to involve a certain gorgeous blue-eyed schoolteacher as the main character. <br />
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Snapping his laptop shut, Noah stretched his legs and smirked a little. Come to think of it, he’d actually been more productive tonight than he’d been in weeks. Maybe his new neighbor wasn’t so bad after all, not if she turned out to be some kind of muse. <br />
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Wiping a hand down his face, Noah pushed to his feet. What was he thinking? The woman hadn’t exactly been friendly earlier, and he’d picked up on that spark of — what? — disapproval when she’d looked him over. He hadn’t exactly been courteous either, so he supposed he didn’t blame her all that much.<br />
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Noah moved to the fridge and peered inside, grimacing at the lack of beer in stock. The sudden <i>tap tap tap</i> at his front door drew his attention to the clock. Not yet ten, but still, pretty late to be having visitors.<br />
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Frowning, he stomped to the door and glanced out the peephole. Not believing his eyes, he jerked the door open.<br />
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“Um, hi.” His alluring new neighbor stood on his front step dressed in, hell, hardly anything at all. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I got locked out of my house. I was wondering if I could borrow your phone?”<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #073763; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Find Part 4 by <a href="http://jolliffe01.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Jane Hunt</a> on July 14!</span></div>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=loriconn-20&l=am2&o=1&a=B00R5JNXBW" height="1" style="border: none !important; color: white; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px !important; text-align: center;" width="1" /> Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-24960044359006217432015-04-28T03:00:00.000-04:002015-04-28T03:41:40.057-04:00Harper Impulse Fortnight: Feeling the love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In case you aren't aware, several book bloggers are celebrating all of the wonderful books being published by the Harper Impulse line — which publishes some of the best romantic fiction I've read in years. You can follow along on social media with the hashtag #HIFortnight to see all of the author interviews, Q&As, and reviews being featured through May 10. </div>
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I'm incredibly fortunate to be published by Harper Impulse because there are some amazing authors over there. I know because I've read more than a few of the titles. In a perfect world, I'd have time and be independently wealthy enough to read all the titles. All of them! Because they are just that good. So, to join in #HIFortnight, I culled my Goodreads profile for some of the reviews I've done for Harper Impulse books and have compiled them here for easy access. Sure, I've gotten to know some of these tremendously talented folks, but my reviews are completely honest. I can't wait to read some of the other Harper Impulse titles still waiting for me on my Kindle, but until then, here are some for you to consider:<br />
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<b>The Keepers: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keepers-Prequel-HarperImpulse-Paranormal-Romance-ebook/dp/B00ES2NPAS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430170799&sr=8-1&keywords=the+keepers%3A+sienna">Sienna</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Keepers-HarperImpulse-Paranormal-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CYBIXES/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PEDGJQ323B434SJR0A2">Archer</a></b><br />
I absolutely love this series by Rae Rivers. As a fan of all things paranormal, I’m glad to see a series based on witches with a fresh, new take. Sienna is a witch, and she has three gorgeous brothers as her keepers, or protectors. These two books reveal a passionate love between Sienna and Archer, one of her Keepers, and the rough times they must weather to be together. I’ve been anxious to read “The Keepers: Declan” but haven’t managed to find time yet. I need to rectify that soon!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Songbird-Soldier-HarperImpulse-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B00DKEE48C/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170842&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Songbird+and+the+Soldier">The Songbird and the Soldier</a> by Wendy Lou Jones</b><br />
It’s hard to reveal why I enjoyed this book without giving away spoilers, so I’ll simply say this book is hauntingly beautiful, in the way it stays with you long after you close the book. It does feature a triangle of sorts, although I was rooting for Andy from the beginning. Ultimately, the heroine must choose between two soldiers, and her journey is incredibly emotional — you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll love this book.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Wrapped-You-HarperImpulse-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00H4JWOTA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170859&sr=1-1&keywords=All+Wrapped+Up+in+You">All Wrapped Up in You</a> by Sun Chara</b><br />
This was a short novella that’s Christmas-themed, although I read it in August. In this one, the hero and heroine are married but going through a rough patch after Ellie leaves Peter because she doesn’t feel fulfilled in their marriage. There’s angst and passion, which always makes for a good read. Plus, I love a good story where the hero/heroine get a second chance at love.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twitter-Girl-HarperImpulse-Nic-Tatano-ebook/dp/B00ME1OWK2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170877&sr=1-1&keywords=Twitter+Girl">Twitter Girl</a> by Nic Tatano</b><br />
As a journalist, I am pretty wary of reading books that feature journalists as characters because they are usually misrepresented, with authors constraining those characters to most people's stereotypes of journalists. Thankfully, that isn't the case here. The "Twitter Girl" is Cassidy, a TV reporter who is fired for snarking in public that a tornado improved a certain state's landscape. She's hired because of her following on social media to work for a politician, and while I mistakenly assumed the hero of this book was going to be the politician, I was pleasantly surprised by who the hero turned out to be. Mr. Tatano's writing style is easy and fast-paced and kept me smiling as the story unfolded. He also portrays a realistic journalist, with all her quirks, and Cassidy reminded me of some of my colleagues. Many of her tweets were hilarious, and I was truly sad when this book ended. It was a quick read, fun, and entertaining.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Happens-When-They-Manhattan-ebook/dp/B00KKC43BA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170896&sr=1-1&keywords=What+Happens+To+Men+When+They+Move+To+Manhattan%3F">What Happens To Men When They Move To Manhattan? </a>By Jill Knapp</b><br />
I really enjoyed this book, which is weird because I am among the rare minority who never liked the “Sex in the City” TV series and this book had the same kind of vibe. Here, there are lots of young adults trying to establish themselves and connect with one another in the bustling metropolis of Manhattan, but the main character is Amalia, who is, thank God, very grounded compared to a lot of her friends. But Amalia isn’t without her faults, which also makes her very relatable as a character. I didn’t spend my young adulthood in NYC, but who didn’t make mistakes or endure heartbreak when they were in their early 20s? A lot of the dialogue was witty and fun, allowing for a quick read. I assume there will be more books in the series, and I look forward to reading more from this author.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Girl-Italy-HarperImpulse-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00JO2Y7YK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170917&sr=1-1&keywords=An+American+Girl+in+Italy">An American Girl in Italy</a> by Aubrie Dionne</b><br />
First of all, I read this book in one sitting, which should signify how much it captured my attention. The romance was a little slow to build, but honestly, I liked that Carly and Michelangelo had a rough meeting and a lot of "cute" moments before emotions got involved. As Carly noted early on, most romcom movies start out that way, which shows how clever and self aware the author was in her setup. I really liked Carly--her insights into being a career-minded member of an orchestra were often humorous and always interesting. Michelangelo was an honorable and worthy hero, which I found refreshing. Overall, this was simply a fast-paced enjoyable read.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Thornton-Hall-Marie-Hulsman-ebook/dp/B00GQV147A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170936&sr=1-1&keywords=Christmas+at+Thornton+Hall">Christmas at Thornton Hall</a> by Lynn Marie Hulsman</b><br />
I read this book in July, so it doesn't have to be Christmas for readers to enjoy it. What great read! Juliet is a fun and feisty heroine — I giggled when she thought about rolling the potatoes she'd just purchased at a market in the dirt to appease her employer who preferred fresh and organic — and her journey is one a lot of people can relate to, despite the high drama around her. The author has a real talent for creating likable characters, even if you aren't sure you're supposed to like them, and the romance builds and has a good, rewarding end. If you love contemporary romances, romantic comedies or Christmas stories, give this book a try.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Santa-Wore-Leathers-HarperImpulse-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B00GFD6X34/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170951&sr=1-1&keywords=Santa+Wore+Leathers">Santa Wore Leathers</a> by Vonnie Davis</b><br />
This was a fun book to read at Christmas! I admit it — the dog on the cover had me reading it before all the other seasonal titles on my Kindle! Einstein was a great doggy character.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Vegas-HarperImpulse-Contemporary-Romance-ebook/dp/B00CCUCDB0/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430170969&sr=1-5&keywords=Waking+Up+in+Vegas">Waking Up in Vegas</a> by Romy Sommer</b><br />
This book features one of my favorite tropes — a h/h waking up married without any memory of how it happened. Plus, it features a lovable, zany heroine named Phoenix (I love that name) who needs some convincing by Max, her new hubby, not to run. Max, it turns out, believes in love at first sight, or at least, his family does. And Max is a great hero. This book was simply a lot of fun to read.</div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-79559596895281894542015-04-27T02:10:00.001-04:002015-04-27T02:10:56.533-04:00If I can do it, so can you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals. LOVE them. Cats, dogs, rabbits, horses, wolves, bears, elephants, snakes...well, maybe not so much on the snakes, but you get the idea.<br />
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For the past year or so, I've gotten involved in animal transporting, which means I pick up some at-risk animals from my local kill shelter and drive them to an animal rescue group, where volunteers foster and then help find homes for these lucky cats and dogs who were only within hours of death. This past weekend, I drove six cats from my local shelter to a rescuer in North Carolina — and I made a video explaining what transporting is and why it's so important. Make no mistake here. I'm not the heroine of this story; that credit belongs to the folks who arrange to pull the animals and then take them in until the fur babies find a new home. I'm simply giving these critters a lift, and anyone can do that. Unfortunately, it was far too dark to film on my phone any footage of the actual handing over of these kitties, plus I'm not gonna lie. I was too exhausted to film anything at that point. But the video below should give you an idea of what the entire process is like. I hope after watching it, you'll consider donating money or time to YOUR local animal shelter. Or, maybe you have a few hours to become an animal transporter, too. It's totally worth the cost of gas to give a few animals a second chance at life. Trust me.<br />
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In the meantime, please do me a favor and spay or neuter your pets. It really does save lives.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t7B39bNvHNI" width="560"></iframe>Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-43510532002434159682015-04-05T06:00:00.000-04:002015-04-05T06:00:03.798-04:00Grab some great fantasy YA books from Story Bundle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A while back, I had my friend and fellow author Nic Tatano here on the blog — or rather, his character Cassidy Shea aka "Twitter Girl" <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/09/fun-friday-q-with-cassidy-shea-aka.html">stopped by to chat with me</a>. Nic is a great writer who not only has one cool fantasy book just released, but another one coming up soon.<br />
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Even better, one of his books is part of a young adult fantasy bundle right now. <a href="http://thechannelingauthor.blogspot.com/2015/03/story-bundle-worlds-coolest-shopping.html">Check out his blog</a> for more details on Story Bundle and how you can name your price for the books AND enter to win a Kindle or a $100 gift card.<br />
<br />Here's a bit taken from his blog about the story bundle in which "Destiny's Hourglass" can be purchased:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
The young adult bundle is called "Crossing Worlds" and every book features a young protagonist dealing with amazing challenges in magical worlds. In my case, "Destiny's Hourglass" is the story of a teenage boy who can change the future with his mind. Yeah, I know the current trend is to write kick-ass girls, but I thought the guys deserved equal time. And, ya know, that Harry Potter kid seemed to develop a decent following.</blockquote>
Take a closer look at the <a href="http://storybundle.com/ya">Story Bundle here.</a><br />
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And if you love fantasy YA, check out Nic's exciting Jillian Spectre series:<br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/odgs9ry" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/odgs9ry</a></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/pkbv8l2" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/pkbv8l2</a></b>Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-71035899268537441722015-03-29T06:00:00.000-04:002015-03-29T06:00:00.327-04:00Still here, but, you know, busy...Every now and then someone will email me or contact me through my website with kind words about one of my books. I was fortunate enough to receive one over the weekend — thank you Lisa P. — asking about the status of more books in my psychic detectives series. So, I thought I'd post a very brief update here for any of you who might be wondering. I've noticed a slight bump in sales for each of the books in that series, so thank you, thank you, thank you! And welcome to any new readers who've come here searching for information.<br />
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Yes, I'm still writing, and the book I'm currently concentrating on finishing is Connor's book in that series. I'm over halfway finished with it, and yes, I know, I'd hoped to be finished with it by now. For those of you interested (seriously, thank you for being interested!) please accept my apology for not writing faster. It truly has been a challenging year so far, and at the moment, the day job is demanding more of my time than usual.<br />
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This is pretty much my constant look these days (well, except I'm not near as sexy as Jensen Ackles, dang it)...<br />
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So yeah. That's it in a nutshell.<br />
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I really do appreciate all the new readers, and I'm definitely still writing. My fingers and my cat's paws are crossed I'll soon have more time to wrap up this book. Thanks for your patience!<br />
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In the meantime, here's something to make you smile!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vnVuqfXohxc" width="560"></iframe>Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-20073496996059230212015-03-06T03:00:00.000-05:002015-03-06T03:00:07.047-05:00Fun Friday: New releases from Lorraine Wilson!It's been a while since I invited anyone to visit for my Fun Friday post. Since author Lorraine Wilson is celebrating not one but <i>two</i> new releases, including a freebie <i>yesterday</i> (Congrats, Lorraine!), I wanted to give her a chance to tell you all about it and her series, which I've read two books of and is a really fun read. Without further ado, here's Lorraine:<div>
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<br />You know how it is, you wait ages for a new Chalet Girl release and then two come along at once ;-)<br /><br />I wrote ‘Chalet Girl Plays Cupid’ specifically as a freebie giveaway. I wanted something fun to give to my readers as a thank you for all their support. The dedication reads ''For my lovely readers - thank you so much for your support, your friendship...oh, and for buying my books! Without you I'd be nothing x.’<br /><br />The one part of being published that took me by surprise was how rewarding it would be to connect with readers - online via Facebook and Twitter and by email. When you’re having a bad day a reader telling you how much they’re looking forward to reading your next book can be just the spur you need to keep you writing. There is nothing more satisfying than someone enjoying a story I’ve created.<br /><br />Hope you enjoy the freebie. Chalet Girl Plays Cupid is <b>FREE</b> everywhere. Get your copy here- <a href="http://hyperurl.co/3opy8z">hyperurl.co/3opy8z</a><br /><br />If that wets your appetite there is another Chalet Girl release this month - 'Rebellion of a Chalet Girl’, publication date <a href="about:blank">26th March 2015</a>, get your copy here- <a href="http://hyperurl.co/gz7je4">hyperurl.co/gz7je4</a></div>
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<br /><br />To celebrate having two releases this month I’m running a special competition. Enter for a chance to win a Lorraine Wilson Design Shoulder Bag made with novelty magazine cover fabric, a Chalet Girl book bag complete with signed copies of all 4 Chalet Girl Paperbacks!<br /><br />Enter here - <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6aa9629d12/">http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6aa9629d12/</a> <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>Chalet Girl Plays Cupid</i> </b></blockquote>
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A match made on the slopes… </blockquote>
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After a messy break up that’s left her homeless, jobless and single, temporary chalet girl Emily needs a fresh start! So when best friend Holly asks her to help out before the start of the winter season at the exclusive Chalet Repos in Verbier, Emily jumps at the chance. What broken heart can’t be fixed by après ski cocktails?<br /> <br />Verbier seems like the perfect escape, until Emily meets super-sexy and darkly brooding winter athlete Jake. She’s meant to be avoiding men at all costs, but the spark between her and Jake is sizzling! As she finds herself increasingly left alone with Jake, Emily begins to wonder if Cupid has paid a visit to Chalet Repos…!</blockquote>
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<b><i>Rebellion of a Chalet Girl</i> </b></blockquote>
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Always the Chalet Girl… </blockquote>
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Year round chalet girl Tash doesn’t do attachments—she’s learned the hard way that relationships of any kind never last. But when self-made millionaire and hit TV star Nathaniel Campbell arrives to spend a month at Chalet Repos, she’s tempted to reconsider her no-strings rule…<br /> <br />Tash and Nate may be from different sides of the tracks, but the connection between them is undeniable! And Tash soon realises that one hot night with Nate will never be enough. But can Nate ever think of Tash as more than a fling, especially once the truth about her past comes out? </blockquote>
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The Chalet Girls are back! Set in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier, winter playground of the rich and famous, ‘Rebellion of a Chalet Girl’ is the latest addition to the fabulous ‘Chalet Girl’ series.</blockquote>
<br /><i><b>Find out more about the Chalet Girl Series:</b></i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/authors/lorraine-wilson">www.harperimpulseromance.com/authors/lorraine-wilson</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter">www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter</a> <br /></div>
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Many thanks to Lorraine for stopping by today. You can learn more about Lorraine here: <a href="http://welcome.lorraine-wilson.com/home.html">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LorraineWilsonWriter">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Romanceminx">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://minxesofromance.blogspot.co.uk/">Blog</a>.</div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-52402432581124737612015-02-23T12:57:00.000-05:002015-02-23T12:57:58.682-05:00Marketing Mondays: Cooperative promotions with other authors<div>
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My friend and fellow author Cindy Spencer Pape has published more than 50 books and has been around the promotional block once or twice. I asked her to share her thoughts on book marketing in today's Book Marketing Monday post. Take it away, Cindy!</div>
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<i>Cooperative promotions with other authors — yes, they work!</i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.cindyspencerpape.com/">by Cindy Spencer Pape</a></i></div>
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Promotion is the bane of most writers. On the one hand, many of us are thin-skinned and insecure about our work, but on the other, we have to be out there, telling the world how fabulous our latest book is. It’s tough, sometimes mind-bogglingly so. <br />
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After over 50 published titles, I’ve found that most promotions work…sometimes. I haven’t yet found that magic promotional bullet to catapult me into best-sellerdom. Some people read ads, some people don’t. Some follow Twitter, others don’t. If you can get help from your publisher, those promos probably work better than almost anything else I’ve tried, but most publishers have lots of authors and limited resources. You’ll get promoted if you’re already a best-seller, but it’s hard to stand out in the crowd otherwise.<br />
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Next to that, the best luck I’ve had is cooperative promotions with other authors. When readers see an author they like recommend another author’s book, they’re inclined to believe it. Promoting your friends on Facebook or Twitter isn’t seen as self-serving the way promoting yourself can be. Also, being cooperative gets you the reputation as being a “nice person” which doesn’t hurt either.<br />
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Blog-swapping (thank you to Angie for having me here today!) is one cooperative form of promotion that a lot of authors use. I’ll admit, after several years of intense blogging, I’m kind of burned out and only blog occasionally now. Special projects like this one, though, keep me out there in the blogosphere, without having to try to fill my own blog every day. Group blogs, where you only have to post once a month or so are another way of authors helping authors—and also a great way to make friends. The same goes for reader-author Yahoo Groups or Facebook Groups.<br />
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Generally speaking, if you’re kind to your fellow authors, they’ll be kind to you. And that’s probably better promotion than money can buy.<br />
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Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. Award-winning author of 19 novels and more than 30 shorter works, Cindy lives in southeast Michigan with her husband, two sons, granddaughter, and a houseful of pets. When not hard at work writing she can be found dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book.<br />
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Website: <a href="http://www.cindyspencerpape.com/">http://www.cindyspencerpape.com</a> (<a href="http://bit.ly/ybxKjP">http://bit.ly/ybxKjP</a> )<br />
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Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/CindySPape">http://twitter.com/CindySPape</a> <br />
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Facebook: <a href="http://on.fb.me/gjbLLC">http://on.fb.me/gjbLLC</a><br />
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Check out Cindy’s latest paranormal romance, Sea Change available now from Ellora’s Cave. <a href="http://www.ellorascave.com/sea-change.html">http://www.ellorascave.com/sea-change.html</a> <br />
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<i>Previous Marketing Monday posts:</i><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/02/marketing-mondays-roundup-of-helpful.html">Marketing Mondays: Some helpful videos</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/02/marketing-mondays-using-wattpad-to-sell.html">Marketing Mondays: Using Wattpad to sell books!</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/02/marketing-monday-tips-for-making-most.html">Marketing Monday: Making the most of Twitter and Facebook</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-wordswag-fun-way-to.html">Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-creating-short-links.html">Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-some-tips-on-gifting.html">Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers</a></div>
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">What new authors need to know, but no one usually tells them</a></div>
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<br />Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-42024872208807329092015-02-16T04:46:00.007-05:002015-02-16T04:47:23.947-05:00Marketing Mondays: A roundup of helpful videosI'll be honest that I didn't have time to prepare much of a post today, so I compiled a list of helpful videos that have some great information in them for authors looking to sell their books to readers. Got a video you think has valuable information? Leave the link in the comments!<br />
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<b>Blog tours</b> can help you get your new release to readers. Here are some tips on starting a blog tour.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gd67HrNgZ8U" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>Here are some general tips</b> that can help you make the most out of your overall plan.<br />
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<b>Pinterest —</b> is it worth using it to get your book exposure? And how do you use it to your advantage? This video has some great information.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9hkXDwXQp9Q" width="560"></iframe>
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<b>Goodreads </b>— love it or hate it, it's a huge community of book lovers. Here's an overview of Goodreads, some etiquette tips for authors on Goodreads, and how authors can use it to market their books.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PXZ1JHQjPLM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<i>Previous Marketing Monday posts:</i><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/02/marketing-mondays-using-wattpad-to-sell.html">Marketing Mondays: Using Wattpad to sell books!</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/02/marketing-monday-tips-for-making-most.html">Marketing Monday: Making the most of Twitter and Facebook</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-wordswag-fun-way-to.html">Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-creating-short-links.html">Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-some-tips-on-gifting.html">Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers</a></div>
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">What new authors need to know, but no one usually tells them</a></div>
</div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-39473860229364693922015-02-07T02:00:00.000-05:002015-02-09T16:42:14.136-05:00Fifty Shades of — oh boy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been a busy, busy, <i>buuuuusy</i> couple of months for me, and I brilliantly decided I would add to my busy-ness by blogging about some of the things that have been making me busy. Because, you know, I can’t afford therapy and blogging is free.<br />
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Shut up.<br />
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Anyway. I have to blur the line between personal and professional here for a moment to explain one of the things making me busy, because it involves the day job. I don’t really try to hide the fact I’m a journalist by day and romance writer by night. I work for a small magazine, which means in addition to reporting, I also handle social media, shoot video, take pictures, do graphic design, and so on. Small publication staffs are full of jack-of-all-trades like that. One of the things I enjoy doing are movie reviews. Movie geek, right here (points at self). Generally, my movie reviews are geared toward families because that’s our magazine's market. It’s fun. I enjoy it.<br />
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To make a long story short, I recently got assigned to cover all things “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the movie. The person who assigned it to me was very enthusiastic about it. He was hinging it on that degrading "mommy porn" label these books got slapped with whenever. My review is supposed to be "for moms" because, you know, men couldn't possibly want to see this movie AT ALL. I was told to contact the studio for production notes, for trailers, to stalk the cast, whatever. <br />
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“Cover all the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' things. Cover them all!” — That’s the gist of it.<br />
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I did contact my "friends" at the studios, the ones who handle all the marketing and often let me see movies for free before the public gets to see them and who invite me to press junkets. Predictably, I never got a response. No doubt those folks have been inundated with requests from media for this movie since January rolled around and it started blowing up.<br />
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I was busy, so eh, I just let it slide. Moved onto other things, such as preparing for the Oscars. As you may recall, I am partially insane and attempt to see all of the Oscar nominations every year. Yep. All of them. I'll be live-tweeting the Oscars this year again from our sister newspaper's account, so I have gotta squeeze in those movies when I can. This has also contributed to my busy-ness, as has reading books for a contest I agreed to judge, and you know, other life stuff.<br />
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So back to Fifty Shades.<br />
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I won’t go into specifics, but it was also suggested that I write my review from the perspective of someone “who writes books like that.” Wouldn’t that just be fun and different?<br />
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Oh boy.<br />
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Let me preface this by saying I have nothing against the Fifty Shades of books. Yes, I read them. I don’t think my books remotely fall into the same genre. Maybe I’m wrong or self-delusional. I don't know. I do know I don't write erotica. I generally don't read it either, so I can't even judge the genre based on these books. I'm smart enough to know that.<br />
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For what it’s worth, I liked the "Fifty Shades of Grey" books more than I <i>didn’t</i> like them. I had a tough time with the first book. Not gonna lie. Too much of it seemed almost plagiarized from “Twilight” – too many descriptions and passages almost word-for-word — and I seriously wanted to take a red pen and do some tightening on the prose. And the sex! Come on, after a point I was bored with so much sex that I just flipped past it. But as a reader, the book overall reminded me of the Harlequins I used to read in college, with the alpha male and the strong-willed heroine who turns him into a better man in the end. Say what you will, but EL James has talent at building chemistry between her hero/heroine. My friend loved the books and so I kept on reading. I read all three books and liked the next two vastly more than I liked the first for whatever reason.<br />
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I’m fortunate that I’ve never been in an abusive relationship, so I wasn’t overly sensitive to those domestic and sexual violence triggers, although I certainly can't say they're not valid. Christian Grey can be a seriously controlling bastard. Then there's the "It's pornography! You're going to hell if you read/see this" argument. And the "You're not a feminist" if you support it arguments. And "how can you support books that started as fan fiction and still call yourself a writer" argument. What can I say? I suppose all the arguments are valid to a degree. It’s all about perspective, and my perspective is obviously different from a lot of people who read these books and outright hated them for (fill in the blank with a reason). I just didn't take the books seriously enough to see those things, I guess. I looked at them as a mostly enjoyable way to kill several hours. I also realize I just put a target on my back for saying all of that. Let me go grab my imaginary bullet-proof vest real quick.<br />
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OK, I'm back, and now that I'm protected, I'll be even more honest. I’ve been getting excited to see this movie with every trailer I sneak a peak at. Maybe it’s the movie geek in me, but I love seeing movies that are adapted from books, although I have never seen one that was better than the book, except maybe "Gone Girl," because I loathed that book but actually liked the movie. So like "Gone Girl," I think “Fifty Shades of Grey” might be the exception to that rule for me because I think a movie, by nature, will force them to tighten the story and eliminate all the cringe-worthy parts. And that’s why I’m getting excited to see it, although it will be hella awkward seeing it with my co-worker/good friend on opening night in a packed theater and then writing about it afterward.</div>
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Truth is, while I’m getting excited to see the movie, I’m also getting cold feet about writing a review for it, although I’m pretty sure I’m nailed into that at this point. <br />
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The book — and the movie, as it turns out — are very polarizing. No matter how I write my review, it will get comments. I will get emails from very angry people in my community blasting me for supporting the opposite of their viewpoint. There will be letters to the editor blasting me for writing it, period. I’m no green reporter. I’m an experienced journalist. I’m used to these things, have developed a thick skin about it, but for some reason, this one makes me nervous, guys. Because I am a romance writer AND a journalist, and ultimately, this review could affect my role as both. <br />
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So yeah, I’m nervous, but you know what? I’m not judging this movie until I see it. That’s kind of my cardinal rule about all the things. And when I sit down and write my review, you can trust it will be my honest opinion, good or bad, and it will be about the movie — not the book. It also won't be from the perspective of a romance novelist because, one, I wasn't comfortable with that and, two, neither was "the big boss" apparently. Whew!<br />
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And also, with people being beheaded, children starving on other continents, people suffering from diseases we haven't yet cured, and real violence happening every second against men, women and children <i>somewhere</i>, I'm not going to get too worked up over these books or this movie.<br />
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Know what I mean?<br />
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What about you? Are you planning to see the movie? Absolutely not? Tell me. I want to know! Are you a "Fifty Shades" hater or lover or eh, who cares?</div>
Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-63808584179863416672015-02-02T01:00:00.000-05:002015-02-09T03:46:57.906-05:00Marketing Monday: Tips for making the most of Twitter and Facebook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had a request for this topic, so today I thought I’d share some tips and tricks I’ve learned about using Twitter and Facebook for marketing on the off chance you don’t know about them. As always, this comes from my experience, so if you know better tips and tricks, please be a lovely human being and leave them in the comments. Thank you.<br />
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I'm talking specifically about advertising on Twitter and Facebook, not simply using them in general. That's a whole other topic entirely. In my opinion, advertising your book on Facebook and Twitter is probably the most inexpensive form of advertising you’ll find because both allow you to set specific parameters, including how much you spend, who sees your ad and exactly what your ad says. It is also fairly easy to set up, and I’ve seen some results from both. Then again, I have only ever used either to promote a special sale or discount. People like sales, so it's a great opportunity to test these as advertising methods.<br />
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To start, of course, you must have accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Let’s begin with some Twitter tips.<br />
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<b>TWITTER</b><br />
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Before you set up your Twitter ad, I’d recommend testing a tweet by simply tweeting it out. For example, here’s one I have pinned to the top of my Twitter profile because it had decent reach when I first sent it out.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">How do I know it had decent reach? Because I watched my Twitter analytics. Twitter analytics is a free tool and provided by twitter and you can see how effective your tweets are by looking at them. Simply make sure you’re logged into your twitter account and go to </span><a href="https://analytics.twitter.com/" style="text-align: start;">https://analytics.twitter.com</a><span style="text-align: start;">. </span></div>
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Some things I’ve noticed by browsing my Twitter analytics: The tweets I send out on Mondays get the most impressions. Luck? My fairy godmother? I have no idea why, but there it is. I'd see what days have the most reach on your previous tweets and schedule your ad for those days of the week. Most social media training states the most active users are on Twitter Mondays between 10 a.m.- noon ET, but this allows you to see if that's true in your case. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.<br />
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When setting up Twitter ads, make note of whether your test tweet has gotten much reach. If not, reword it and tweet a different one until you find one that seems to be effective. If you have a sale, use the hashtag #sale or #discount. A good rule of thumb on Twitter is to NEVER use more than three hashtags in one tweet though, but if you have a keyword you can hashtag, then by all means, give it a try.<br />
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Once you have a solid tweet, go to <a href="https://ads.twitter.com/">https://ads.twitter.com/</a> to set up your Twitter ads. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf5ayykUhLc/VM21qVVI_2I/AAAAAAAACa4/Y6RFbH3IDec/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-31%2Bat%2B11.28.59%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf5ayykUhLc/VM21qVVI_2I/AAAAAAAACa4/Y6RFbH3IDec/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-31%2Bat%2B11.28.59%2BPM.png" height="225" width="320" /></a>In the right corner, you’ll see Create New Campaign. Click on that button. You’ll see from the drop-down that there are various types of ads you can run. Do you want to gain more followers? Maybe, but I’d rather sell books, so I choose “Website Click or Conversions.”<br />
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You’ll be prompted to name your campaign and how long you want it to run. Then you can compose an entirely new tweet or select tweets that have already run. <br />
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I chose tweets that have already run and that I’ve seen through analytics are effective. Then you select Targeting. I chose United States and United Kingdom, but you can select or add any country you wish.<br />
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You can also add keywords to search, etc, based on any keywords that describe your book. What I personally have found effective is also targeting users of other Twitter handles — mainly celebrities with tons and tons of followers. So I select to target followers of Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Ellen Degeneres, Oprah Winfrey and others. Why? Why include all those celebrities who have probably nothing to do with your book? I'm sure you're thinking, <i>That’s ridiculous, Angie, are you crazy? </i><br />
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Yes, yes, I am, but trust me. This works. Or at least, it has for me so far. The simple explanation is that these celebrities have millions of followers — at least a few of them like to read, right?<br />
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You also will be prompted and need to set up your budget. When I run a Twitter ad, I only spend between $5 and $10 and only run it for a few days at most. A good daily budget to use seems to be $2.50. It’s entirely up to you though. On the days the ad is running, I use NovelRank to see if I’m selling any books on Amazon since that’s the link I’m directing people to, but you know, it’s NovelRank, so don’t expect accurate sales figures from NovelRank. But NovelRank can at least let you know if you’ve sold any, so I do recommend it as an estimate. I have the NovelRank app on my iPhone and check it <strike>obsessively EVERY DAY,</strike> you know, maybe once a week. There’s also a website —<a href="http://www.novelrank.com./"> http://www.novelrank.com.</a><br />
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<b>FACEBOOK</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ptsTuw7fzM/VM21p_QhFtI/AAAAAAAACao/27Ag6hPhtN0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-31%2Bat%2B10.25.48%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2ptsTuw7fzM/VM21p_QhFtI/AAAAAAAACao/27Ag6hPhtN0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-31%2Bat%2B10.25.48%2BPM.png" /></a>Setting up Facebook ads is very similar. Underneath your profile page, you'll see a link to "Ads Manager." Click there to begin setting up a Facebook ad.<br />
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Then you want to select Create an Ad. You'll be guided through the steps, starting with the goal of your ad, which again for me is directing people to my book link on Amazon or another retailer. So I select to direct people to a specific URL and then paste in that URL in the field it gives.<br />
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Again, you will want to target the people you want to buy your books by choosing the countries you're targeting, putting in some keywords to target people who might actually buy your books. For example, in the keyword search field, I enter Kindle, romance novels, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and pets — because each of these apply to my books, so people on Facebook who like any of these things might conceivably like my book, too.<br />
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Once you have your image selected and your budget indicated, you can start running your ad.<br />
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Speaking of images, Facebook will reject your ad if the image you associate with it has too much text on it. So while a horizontal image is ideal, you can use your book cover alone or create a small horizontal graphic that features your book cover — but without much text. Basically, just make it appealing and use a photo you own the rights to and not a picture of Henry Cavill because you want click bait. That's just wrong, and could get you sued.<br />
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Another option is dark posting on Facebook.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PEDxWG3r6o/VM21rFMTwoI/AAAAAAAACbY/lDJMffH_HOE/s1600/power-editor-facebook.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5PEDxWG3r6o/VM21rFMTwoI/AAAAAAAACbY/lDJMffH_HOE/s1600/power-editor-facebook.png" height="320" width="228" /></a><br />
Mwahahaha! Sounds ominous, right? Dark posting on Facebook means publishing a post that does not appear on your page’s timeline. Instead, these posts are targeted to a select audience of your choosing.<br />
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First of all, you have to be using the browser Google Chrome for it to work. If you are, go to Ads Manager and click Power Editor in the left column.<br />
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From here, you’ll want to click Download to Power Editor at the top of the page to download the accounts you want to manage.<br />
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Strata Blue has put together a list of very detailed instructions on what to do next so I'll point you to <a href="http://stratablue.com/creating-facebook-dark-posts/">follow their instructions</a> to try this out.<br />
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FACEBOOK INSIGHTS<br />
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I know. I know I've loaded you with a TON of information already, but I do want to stress the importance of Facebook insights if you're operating from a page and not a profile. Personally, I tend to neglect my page in favor of my profile, but you can schedule posts to run on a page and you can't on a profile (to my knowledge) so that's one thing in a page's favor.<br />
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You have to switch to your page to access Insights. Once there, simply click the Insights tab at the top of the page. You can see where most of your visitors are coming from, etc. What I find most important are the days and times my audience can best be reached. You know, since Facebook makes it so darn hard to reach people these days. These stats can help you schedule posts at the best times to get the best reach.<br />
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For example:<br />
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From this chart, I see most of my visitors visit my page on Monday around 2 p.m. ET. So if I really want to be smart and reach more people, that's when I would schedule an important post.<br />
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Again, I know it's lots of information, but hopefully some of it is at least helpful.<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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<i>Previous Marketing Monday posts:</i></div>
<br />
<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-wordswag-fun-way-to.html">Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-creating-short-links.html">Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff</a><br /><br /><a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-some-tips-on-gifting.html">Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers</a></div>
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">What new authors need to know, but no one usually tells them</a></div>
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Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-47013630522521665282015-01-26T02:08:00.002-05:002015-01-26T02:13:00.530-05:00Marketing Monday: WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I totally missed getting up a post last week because of illness (darn you, flu-whatever-virus-sickened-me!) Because I'm still somewhat under the weather, I reached out to some friends and said, "Hey peeps, can you help a girl out and share some of your awesome book marketing tips?" </div>
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More than one answered my call, and today's post comes from the very talented <b>Jeffe Kennedy</b>, an award-winning author whose works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/books/?series=covenant-of-thorns">A Covenant of Thorns</a>; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/books/?series=facets-of-passion">Facets of Passion</a>, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/books/?series=master-of-the-opera-e-serial">Master of the Opera</a>, which released beginning January 2, 2014. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/category/books/?series=twelve-kingdom">The Twelve Kingdoms</a>, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/the-mark-of-the-tala/">The Mark of the Tala</a>, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the <a href="http://www.rtbookreviews.com/award/2014/rt-book-year">RT Book of the Year</a> while the sequel, <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/tears-of-the-rose/">The Tears of the Rose</a>, has been nominated for <a href="http://www.rtbookreviews.com/award/2014/fantasy-romance">best fantasy romance of the year</a>. </div>
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I shared all of that to let you know Jeffe knows her stuff, and we're very fortunate to have her here today! Take it away, Jeffe...</div>
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<b>WordSwag – a Fun Way to Promote Your Book!</b></div>
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<i>by Jeffe Kennedy</i></div>
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For my recent book release, <a href="http://www.jeffekennedy.com/under-his-touch/">Under His Touch</a>, a contemporary erotic romance, I started using the WordSwag app to market the book. My lovely friend, the fabulous <a href="http://meganmulry.com/">Megan Mulry</a>, turned me onto using it.<br />
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You can see in this image, WordSwag is combining a quote from the book with an image. I use the app on my iPad mini (I think it cost $2.99). This is very handy because I can open the Word document of my book in DropBox, search for and copy a quote, then paste it directly into WordSwag. I’ve found it’s better to remove any special characters, because they tend to muck things up. Also, there’s a toggle for “Auto Line Breaks.” Counterintuitively (to me, at least), it works much better if that’s on. <br />
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For the image, you can take one yourself, right with the device camera, which is nice because you know you’re good on rights for it. They also have standard templates that are fair use built right in. If you use the search bar, it accesses FAR more images than show in the auto library. You can also access your camera roll from there. <br />
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While you can modify the text style on the screen where you “Double Tap to Add Text,” I prefer to do it on the page that shows both the text and image together. There are tons of styles and it’s pretty fun to try a bunch and see what works best for that particular quote and image. Setting up something for book promo – fun??? EXACTLY!<br />
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Then you can go right from there and share on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest or via text and email. <br />
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It’s a fun, eye-catching alternative to the “Buy My Book” thing we all face. It’s interesting to experiment with what quotes work best, too, for capturing attention. They have to be ones that work well out of context and create interest in knowing more. I’m still working on that part. <br />
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If anyone has suggestions or thoughts on that, let us know!<br />
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<i>Previous Marketing Monday posts:</i></div>
<br /><a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-creating-short-links.html">Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff</a></div>
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<br /><a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-some-tips-on-gifting.html">Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers</a><br /><br /><a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">What new authors need to know, but no one usually tells them</a></div>
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Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-66630463403107324122015-01-12T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-12T03:33:46.961-05:00Marketing Monday: Creating short links and other Twitter stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's so much to discuss when it comes to book marketing that it's actually hard to pick a subject to cover each week. I mean, holy molasses, does it ever stop? Nope. Anyway. I was running out of time to get this post up, so I decided to pick a fairly basic task, something every author really needs to know how to do, and a reasonably simple thing you need to promote your books on social media. I'm talking about creating short links telling people where to purchase your books. For example, here's a sample tweet I recently put up on my Twitter account.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OfeUy3p10ew/VLNzvUm6-kI/AAAAAAAACXo/3YNKEXkt2Io/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-12%2Bat%2B2.11.38%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OfeUy3p10ew/VLNzvUm6-kI/AAAAAAAACXo/3YNKEXkt2Io/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-12%2Bat%2B2.11.38%2BAM.png" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
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You'll notice (hopefully) the blue-highlighted link at the end that starts with smarturl.it. That is a short link to the real URL link <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spirited-Away-Book-Angela-Campbell-ebook/dp/B00ME1M9AW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407149121&sr=1-1&keywords=spirited+away+angela&tag=smarturl-20.">http://www.amazon.com/Spirited-Away-Book-Angela-Campbell-ebook/dp/B00ME1M9AW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407149121&sr=1-1&keywords=spirited+away+angela&tag=smarturl-20.</a> Long, right? On social media with character limitations, that can be a problem. Actually, twitter will automatically shorten your link for you, but I prefer to do it on my own. Why? Because I'm a control freak? Well, yeah, I am, kind of, but that's not why. There are pros to using a service such as smart url. I'll explain more below.<br />
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Now, there are a variety of services that allow you to create your own links. Which one you use is entirely up to you, and you might want to try each one to find the one you like most. I tend to use either smarturl.it and bitly.com. Here are what seem to be the three most common services used by authors:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.bitly.com/">www.bitly.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/">tinyurl.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://manage.smarturl.it/">manage.smarturl.it</a></li>
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To create a short URL, highlight and copy the URL of your book link — be it from your website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or whatever — and then go to any of these websites. You'll see a field where you can paste your original link. Click on create a short link, and boom. There's your short URL. Pretty intuitive and simple.</div>
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Now, I prefer Smarturl because it allows you to input various links into the same short URL, creating a universal link. Universal link? Huh? What the what? For example, when Gerard Depardieu in France clicks on the link, he will go to Amazon France while if Benedict Cumberbatch, in the UK, clicks on the same url, he will be taken to your book's page at Amazon UK. This is a feature neither bitly nor tinyurl offer, to my knowledge. Yes, it means some extra work, but in the end, it's worth it because it allows you to reach readers in different countries. You're making it easier for them to buy your book, because if Benedict Cumberbatch in the UK clicks on your link to Amazon US, he can't buy the book and would have to go to the Amazon UK site and search for it, and we both know Benedict Cumberbatch has better things to do with his time, right? Also, if Benedict Cumberbatch clicks on your link, massive high five, because that's just cool. Anyway.<br />
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I recommend registering for a free account with <a href="http://manage.smarturl.it/">manage.smarturl.it </a>before you start, so that all of your links will be saved and accessible for later use or adjustment. SmartUrl also keeps track of how many times your short link is clicked on, which can be helpful. Actually, bitty will also show you the number of clicks, and tiny url might, too — I'm not sure on that one. Point is, create an account to see analytics.</div>
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Once you have your account created, click on CREATE smartURL. You'll see a field for "default URL" link, which is where you should put your primary link. For me, since I'm in the United States, my primary link would default to Amazon US's link for my book. The primary link is entirely your decision. </div>
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Next, you'll see a field for "Country Destinations." This is where extra work is required. If your book is listed on Amazon UK, but you're in the US, you'll have to go to the Amazon UK website, copy and paste the link for your book, and then paste it into this field, along with the name of the country. Amazon has websites specific to many countries — <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=amb_link_3387682_6?location=http://www.amazon.ca/&token=AD297DDA0F9D6C887976CD08894B02DB57139A39&source=standards&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0KK0K6H20ATJWVDGGZT9&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1321736082&pf_rd_i=487250">Amazon.ca</a> is Amazon Canada, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=amb_link_3387682_12?location=http://www.amazon.fr/&token=EE1EA6AB57493F5C3DA46E2CE0BE07638B8F6F3F&source=standards&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0KK0K6H20ATJWVDGGZT9&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1321736082&pf_rd_i=487250">Amazon.fr</a> is Amazon France, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=amb_link_3387682_15?location=http://www.amazon.de/&token=EBC7637E551C69E801C6B030EF8B5ED613A56E92&source=standards&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0KK0K6H20ATJWVDGGZT9&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1321736082&pf_rd_i=487250">Amazon.de</a> is Amazon Germany, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=amb_link_3387682_24?location=http://www.amazon.es/&token=0F2C5755FA012A4FE7BB12703202BBAD28BA2DF6&source=standards&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0KK0K6H20ATJWVDGGZT9&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1321736082&pf_rd_i=487250">Amazon.es</a> is Amazon Spain, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=amb_link_3387682_27?location=http://www.amazon.co.uk/&token=EDA85A835C0C35E68FBAFD33CEB75576E7B44F1F&source=standards&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0KK0K6H20ATJWVDGGZT9&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1321736082&pf_rd_i=487250">Amazon.co.uk</a> is Amazon UK, and Amazon.com is Amazon US. I recommend visiting each, and if your book is available for purchase on any of them, adding it to your Smarturl for that book. A complete list of all of the Amazon websites can be found here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=487250">http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=487250</a>.</div>
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Remember how I mentioned analytics earlier?<br />
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It's a good idea to review your tweet analytics whenever you get a chance. It can help determine if your tweets are worded in a way that is driving people to learn more about your books. With that in mind, I recommend anyone using Twitter take advantage of Twitter analytics, too. Simply go to<a href="https://analytics.twitter.com/"> https://analytics.twitter.com</a>. It's free! You can see how many people have clicked on your links, etc.<br />
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I hope you find this information helpful. Still have questions? Recommendations on other shortening services? Let me know in the comments.</div>
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As always, thanks for reading.</div>
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PREVIOUS POSTS:</div>
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2015/01/marketing-monday-some-tips-on-gifting.html">Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers</a><br />
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<a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">What new authors need to know, but no one usually tells them</a><br />
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Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-15093708503795275012015-01-05T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-05T03:51:32.366-05:00Marketing Monday: Some tips on gifting books to readers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Monday! I know. No such thing.<br />
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Still, as I said in my last post, I've decided to dedicate this day on my blog to sharing some marketing tips for authors selling books. Some I've learned, usually the hard way, or I'll invite my friends to share tricks they've learned. In case you missed it, my blog post titled <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">"What new authors need to know but no one ever tells them" </a>is one of the most popular posts I've ever written. I figure this either means lots of aspiring and new authors found the information really helpful or those pesky Internet bots really like that title. Either way, eh, why not? Please do keep in mind that the following tips are based on my own experiences and always subject to change over time.<br />
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For my inaugural post, I thought I'd share some tips on getting your books to readers. You've written a book. High-five yourself! But how do you get it into the hand of readers? Word-of-mouth is a powerful way to sell books, so you might want to gift copies of your books to readers in advance of or soon after its release to spur hype. Lots of authors will gift copies to readers via contests. Awesome, right? But, uh, how do they do it, you might be wondering. Obviously, if you have a paperback, you can simply pop it into the post and off it goes, but ebooks are a whole other ballgame.<br />
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If you're being published by someone other than yourself, it's a good idea to check your contract to see if your publisher has placed any limitations on the number of ebooks you can legally gift to others. Not all publishers include a limit, but many do.<br />
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And, here's some technical mumbo jumbo to consider. There are a number of ways to gift copies of your ebooks to readers, but you should really think twice before simply emailing a copy to anyone. Unfortunately book piracy is a thing, and it's a bad, bad thing for your sales. Don't be surprised if you email a copy of your ebook to someone and then find it on Pirate Bay a month later. <b>DRM</b> (Digital Rights Management) is encoded on most ebooks by publishers and book retailers to make it difficult to share ebooks with others. But unfortunately, even ebooks purchased from sites such as Amazon can be redistributed by people who figure out how to break the DRM coding on it. And if you receive an advance ebook copy from your editor or publisher prior to its release, it's probably not encoded with a DRM yet.<br />
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First, you'll need final, approved copies of your ebooks to send. Generally, your editor or publisher will send these to you months before your publication date so that you can contact potential reviewers and, yes, give away to readers through contests. There are generally three formats you can or will receive: <b>PDF, epub, and Mobi</b>. It's important to note that not all ereaders can read the same format. If you're gifting a copy of your ebook to a reader, be sure to ask which type of device they have. That will determine your next step. Kindles accept only Mobi and PDF files. Nooks and Kobos accept only epub and PDF files.<br />
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You have options when it comes to gifting ebooks to readers:<br />
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<li>Purchase the ebook from a retailer such as Amazon and have it delivered directly to your recipient. </li>
<li>Email the ebook to your recipient.</li>
<li>Send the ebook directly to the recipient's device yourself.</li>
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There are pros and cons to each.<br />
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Purchasing the ebook from a retailer is an easy option, as it guarantees the ebook will be delivered with DRM coding and decreases the risk of piracy. However, it obviously costs you money, and Amazon, in particular, might prevent the recipient from posting a rating or review of the book because it will associate your account with the gifted ebook and assume the recipient is a biased friend. One possible workaround is to gift the ebook from an Amazon account NOT associated with your Amazon Author profile (which <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">you really should have</a>). But you'll still be out of pocket for the cost of the book.<br />
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Emailing the book to your recipient is easy, but you run a serious risk of piracy. Enough said.<br />
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Sending the ebook directly to the recipient's device is also easy, costs you nothing out of pocket, and decreases the risk of piracy (although a really tech-savvy person would still be able to pirate it, you're making it harder for them).<br />
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So I recommend the third choice, and here's how to do it.<br />
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For a Kindle, you'll have to ask the recipient for their Kindle email address. They can find this by logging into their Amazon account and selecting “Manage Your Content and Devices.” Click on “Settings” and scroll down to find their Kindle’s email address.<br />
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You'll need a copy of your book in Mobi format. Your publisher should be able to send it to you in that format, but if they don't, I recommend you download a free program called <a href="http://calibre-ebook.com/">Caibre</a>. It will convert epubs into Mobi or PDF files. You can also send directly from Calibre, or you can open your email, insert the recipient's Kindle address into the send to field, attach your Mobi file, and hit send. And you're done.<br />
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So what if your recipient has a Nook or Kobo?<br />
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Unfortunately, neither of those seem to yet have a "send to" feature like the Kindle, but there are workarounds if your recipient is willing. For example, Nook owners can install the Kindle app on their device. Simply follow the directions above once they've installed the app.<br />
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Kobo owners can acquire the epub files using the app <a href="http://www.grabmybooks.com/">Grab My Books</a>.<br />
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<br />
<br />
I know. You're probably thinking this sounds really complicated and way too hard and why can't you just write books and leave this stuff to the Promo Fairies. I hate to break it to you, but YOU are the Promo Fairies.<br />
<br />
Trust me. It's easier than it sounds, and once you do it a couple of times, it'll be a piece of cake.<br />
<br />
So there's a lot of information. Questions? Need clarification? Hit me up in the comments below.Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8703347677887661199.post-65246865915646757112014-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:002014-12-30T02:36:21.864-05:00Setting goals for the new yearFirst of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is entering the new year with many blessings.<br />
<br />
I wanted to do a post before the end of the year thanking everyone who has purchased a copy of any of my books. I do donate part of my author royalties to my local animal shelter, and I wanted to give an update on that, since I know I've been amiss in doing so and some of you might be wondering if I've kept true to my promise. I don't have an exact figure because I suck at accounting and bookkeeping and all the financial things, but after attempting to come up with a figure this past weekend, I estimate I have donated approximately $800 to Greenville County Animal Care so far. That includes all of the pet food, pet supplies and other donations including money I've used to sponsor animals on the euthanasia list. A huge thank you also to my couponing, sales savvy best friend who helped me gather twice the donations I would have done otherwise, and for being my delivery person in getting them to the shelter more often than not. And, from the bottom of my heart, thank YOU for taking a chance on my books. I know there are a lot of great reads to choose from, but I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to use what I love to give back to a cause I believe in. I like to think that together we've saved a few lives this year. Let's help save some more in 2015, okay?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
*High fives!!* </div>
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<br />
<br />
Looking ahead ...<br />
<br />
I really try not to do resolutions because I think they're a bunch of rubbish, but since I've been struggling to stay motivated lately, I thought, "Eh. Why not?" But rather than making resolutions I know myself well enough to know I'll never keep — lose weight (bahahahaha), get in shape (BAHAHAHAHA), etc. — I'm keeping these resolutions strictly geared to my writing. And I'm only making two of them, so that should be easy to keep, right? Gulp.<br />
<br />
<b>No. 1 – Marketing Mondays for Writers</b><br />
<br />
I suck at book promotion. Really, I do. But so do most writers, I think. So I thought I'd start a feature here on my blog where, each Monday, I share some promotion tips I've learned that kind of, sort of do work for me, and I might invite some of my more successful author friends to share advice, too. Why? Because I've lost track of how many times on forums, in writer's groups, and in chats I've seen new writers (and even experienced ones) ask for help because they are completely clueless about selling their books. And I'm all about paying it forward and even though I suspect I know as much about book marketing as my cat Dusti, maybe I know more than that poor lady bawling over her keyboard in Fill in the Generic Location because she doesn't even know where to start. And the fact that my post for new writers is one of the <a href="http://angiecampbell.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-new-authors-need-to-know-but-no.html">highest-trafficked posts</a> on my blog EVER, I think there's a need for it. We'll see.<br />
<br />
<b>No. 2 – Finish Connor's book</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This one is to keep me in gear, guys. I'm still working on the fourth book in my psychic detectives series, but I'm also working on another project now that could be brilliant or a complete disaster. My lovely editor had asked me a while back to consider writing a novella from the points of view of Abbott and Costello and Charlie. I made no promises, but the idea intrigued me enough that I've decided to give it a try and see what happens. Fingers crossed.<br />
<br />
That's it! Pretty simple, huh?<br />
<br />
Again, I want to thank anyone who has taken the time to read this, buy any of my books, or write a review for any of my stories. I hope each and every one of you has a great New Year's Eve!<br />
<br />
Mwah!<br />
<br />Angela Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07867561735139834900noreply@blogger.com0