Guest Blogging at Long and Short Reviews

I'm guest blogging on Nov. 1st at Long and Short Reviews. http://www.longandshortreviews.com/category/guest-blogs/  There have been a lot of bloggers during the past four days with each post having its own time slot.

I will appear at 10 A.M. Eastern time.  Here's the link to my post but it won't work until that time:  http://wp.me/p2ZcT9-6fY

Leave a comment tomorrow on that post, and I'll toss you in the pot for a prize--a mask and beads just in time for Mardi Gras! Believe me, Mardi Gras can be just as spooky as Halloween.

Do you have Halloween parties? Dress up in creepy costumes? Have you ever attended Mardi Gras? Share something spooky with us.

Bayou Writers Group presents 2013 Bridge To Publication

Next month--Saturday, November 9, 2013--is our Bayou Writers' Group annual conference called Bridge To Publication. It's a small, cheap conference but we always have quality speakers.  Just look at this line-up.

 

DiAnn Mills - Keynote Speaker: award-winning writer of Christian fiction and writing coach to authors in any genre. First published in 1998, she currently has more than fifty books in print, which combined have sold more than a million and a half copies.  http://www.diannmills.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Jessica Kirland - Agent with Blythe Daniel Agency: She is acquiring and representing adult fiction, young adult fiction, and some non-fiction. She will be taking pitches. http://www.theblythedanielagency.com/jessica-kirckland-joins-as-marketing-literary-agent/

 

Jill Marr - Agent with Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency: Jill is interested in commercial fiction, with an emphasis on mysteries, thrillers and horror, women's commercial fiction and historical fiction. She is also looking for nonfiction by authors who are getting their work published regularly in magazines and who have a realistic sense of the market and their audience. Jill is looking for nonfiction projects in the areas of self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, memoir (she especially loves travel and foodie memoirs), health & nutrition, pop culture, humor and music. She will be taking pitches. http://www.dijkstraagency.com/meet-the-agents.html



Stella Riley - Aquisitions Editor for Soul Mate Publishing - She will be taking pitches. http://www.bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2013/07/more-conference-news.html

 

 

 

 

 

Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit - Screenwriters. For more information: http://www.bayouwritersgroup.blogspot.com/2013/07/2013-conference-update.html

 

If you want to drive to Lake Charles, LA for this one-day event we'd love to have you. Go to our blog where you can download the registration form.  Did I say cheap? Just look at these prices!

 

FEES:

_________ $35 for BWG Members (Must be received by Nov. 1)
_________ $40 for Non-Members (Must be received by Nov. 1)
_________$50 At the Door on Nov. 9
_________$25 Students— with ID

The Last Daughter - FREE

Just a short quick post to let you all know The Last Daughter, my romantic suspense, is FREE today through Friday. I hope you'll all download it whether you read it or not. Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/kzmoxzz

 

If you do read it, please leave an honest review on
Amazon. Flattery will get ME nowhere.

 

Thanks gang!

Blog Talk Radio anyone?

 Today is IWSG day--the first Wednesday of each month. IWSG stands for Insecure Writers Support Group and was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can follow other IWSG members here  and on twitter using the hashtag #IWSG.

Our purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Join us!

The past few weeks have been a whirl wind of activity. Standing face to face and eye to eye and toe to toe with promotion and social media has been a real learning experience. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not good at it. The experts tell us to establish relationships on Facebook and Twitter. To say witty things that get attention and make people laugh. Things that make people want to respond. That's hard. I'm okay with people I know--I can be funny. With friends, my jokes come across as just that--jokes--not rude or hateful sarcasm. How do you distinguish between sounding funny on social media and sounding mean? That has to be an art.

Yesterday I did an interview on Blog Talk Radio promoting my short story, If You Believe, which will release by Helping Hands Press tomorrow, I think. It was one of the scariest things I've ever done. I felt as if I was using words for the very first time. I can't imagine how I sounded--wait! I CAN imagine! I'm a Texan who has lived in Louisiana for the past 30 years. You probably know how I sound now too.  Remind me not to do radio interviews again--and tack TV onto that too. I don't think fast enough for either. I'm not a 'small-talk' person. In fact, I'm incredibly shy. I think it would have been better if I'd been able to look into the face of my interviewer. A friendly face is encouraging. Right?

Anyway... that's where I am. Learning how to promote and talk about my books and stories and ... I don't like it very much.

If you want to hear my blog talk interview, you can go to the link below. My mind went blank a time or two. I'm sure you'll be able to tell. Thank goodness my host was good at covering my silence.

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatisscoop/2013/09/30/jessica-ferguson-author-of-if-you-believe

 

Oh.. but I love Pinterest. Check out my boards. http://www.pinterest.com/jessyferguson/boards/

 

Have you ever been on the radio? Any tips? Share some of your social media secrets.

I. Need. Help.