Remembering Book Tours

Even though I love the age of eBooks I still enjoy the smell and feel of a new book in my hands.When my first three novels in the Soul Series came out in print, I along with many other authors went on tour. I miss those days. Nothing beats the smell of fresh coffee and new books!

Readings and tours were essential component of promoting books.

 I loved sharing my work. However, I never got over blushing when I read the sexy stuff aloud.

Big events at places such as Barnes and Nobel and literacy festivals

encouraged authors of various genre to meet and inspire not only fans but also each other.

  

I did a solo tour visiting many towns of my home state, Michigan.
Coffee shops, book stores, libraries, museums!

I was in Bambi's Coffee Shop when the statistics came out announcing that women who read romance books have sex 70% more often than those who don't. 

I sold most of my copies that day to men who purchased them for their wives.

Visiting small town book shops and spending time with the owners 

made me appreciate all the work booksellers do for authors. 

Release Day in the library.

Always give your local library lots of love.

Fans and new writers enjoy discussing writing techniques.

Sometimes an author has to make special appearances at toga parties held in cultural centered cities.

The highlight of my tour was when my mentor, Doug Allyn showed up. 

AWESOME!!! He gave me a signed copy of The Burning of Rachel Hayes. 

As I’m writing this, one big question looms: are readings and tours worth it? That is, do people buy books and connect with the author actually happen? Yes, people buy books. On my tour, I believe I sold books to people who normally wouldn’t have bought the book. Does it make up for the expenses? No way. But it is sooooo worth meeting all the wonderful people. Something many don't mention is how while on tour, authors will find inspiration for their own work as well as inspire new writers. This to me is worth more than the dollars collected from a sale.

Special thanks to my first editor and BFF since 1968.

Tricia edited all my works in high school and college. She also co-wrote a story with me during a visit to London waaaaaay back in the '80's. 

Do you enjoy interacting with favorite writers?

Fun Friday with author Gina Wynn

·      Gina Wynn joins us today to give us a little insight into her new book, 

Her Undercover Christmas.

Blurb:

Christmas is approaching and Phil is a girl out to get what she wants—the life of her choosing. She wants it all: a good looking man, his money, and the respect he commands. She just needs to throw her lot in with her criminal cousins for one day. Long enough to pull off a theft and come to the attention of the man she desires. But the job goes wrong.

Bastian is a man on the run—from a lifestyle he never chose and can’t seem to escape. One last favor before he disappears for good, and then he can start afresh somewhere new. But the favor balloons into more than he anticipated, and suddenly there are two of them on the run, and two of them snowed in and hiding out in his one last safe place.

Can a woman who thinks she knows where she belongs help a man who has never really belonged anywhere?

        Gina, thanks for stopping by today and congrats on your latest release. We've love to hear... what was the inspiration behind Her Under Cover Christmas? 

Over the past few years, I’ve started a tradition for myself of reading Christmas stories in December. I like to finish my final one on Christmas Eve night, so December is a bit of a reading frenzy if I find a lot of holiday themed books. I particularly love Christmas chick lit/romance/WF by British authors because I love reading about Christmas in England.

Bastian and Phil have a very unconventional Christmas. For a start, they’re accidentally hiding out together, and I’ve given them a lot of snow. I love the magic of Christmas, I love the idea of snow covered fields, and I love fires to keep characters warm. Christmas trees also feature as Phil shares my love of Christmas. She has very fond memories of childhood Christmases, and Bastian tries to recreate some of what she loves for her. He doesn’t quite get it right but points for trying.

·         You sound like a person who gets excited about Christmas.

I love Christmas. :-) When I was younger, I loved it for the obvious reasons—no school, overdosing on TV and, obviously, PRESENTS! Now, though, I love the time I get to spend with my family, and I love making the time of year really special for my children because I want them to remember their Christmases as I do—safe, magical times.

So, I rearrange the furniture, decorate the house and try to fill it with those wonderful smells of Christmas, and I spend time watching Christmas movies with them. I am a sucker for a Christmas movie, and a good Christmas book. At the beginning of December, I bring out all of the picture books with a Christmas theme that we’ve managed to collect over the years, and it’s fun to see the children rediscover them. For me, I have started a tradition of spending my December reading Winter/Christmas themed books. I try to finish the last one on Christmas Eve to be ready for the big day itself.

I eagerly anticipate snow all through December, but it’s only fun if we’re able to stay home and watch it from inside or go into the garden to play in it. All three of my babies were born with snow outside—although all in different months of the year. My third was possibly the most awkward because we had to make the trip to the hospital on a day when my other children were sent home from school and people were trying not to travel. Still, at least she maintained the snow births.

There aren’t any snow birth babies in Her Undercover Christmas, but there is plenty of snow, and there is a real Christmas tree. I’m a little ashamed to admit I’ve lost the real tree over the past few years, and opted instead for an artificial one as the children like to put it up early in December. Maybe I just need a Bastian.

Visit Gina at:

Website URL: http://www.ginawriteswords.com

Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/ginawriteswords

Twitter handle: @Gina_Wynn

Pinterest Page: http://www.pinterest.com/ginawriteswords

Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/ginawriteswords

About Gina:

From a magical land of castles and kings (Okay, it’s England), Gina doesn’t feel as old as she looks, owns three children (aged 2, 5 and 7) who can’t be tamed, and writes in spare – usually stolen – time. She sometimes bakes—not always with quite the desired results, and has found the only solution to keeping the characters in her head quiet is to placate them with lots of other lovely books and worlds. As well as Her Undercover Christmas, Gina has written two other books. Her Dollmaker’s Desire is also published by Decadent Publishing, and What You Wish For is published by Three Worlds Press.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Undercover-Christmas-Gina-Wynn-ebook/dp/B0189S86UA/

http://www.amazon.com/Her-Undercover-Christmas-Gina-Wynn-ebook/dp/B0189S86UA/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-undercover-christmas-gina-wynn/1122995895?ean=2940157810504

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/her-undercover-christmas/id1060713093?mt=11

http://www.bookstrand.com/her-undercover-christmas

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/594487

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herundercoverchristmas-1933598-149.html

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/her-undercover-christmas

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/pubs_product_book_info/decadent-publishing-c-93/her-undercover-christmas-p-14364#.VlDG-4QyDdl