Today I welcome Jessica Jefferson, author of TAMING Miss Tisdale, a historical romance available soon from Soul Mate Publishing.
BUT...before we get to TAMING Miss Tisdale, first lets find out some interesting facts about Jessica and her career as an Author.
Your up, Jessica!
10 things I did not know about being an author . . . but
sure do now!
10. Auto-correct isn’t a cure all. I know the difference between peer and pier,
but auto-correct often doesn’t. Lesson
learned.
9. Your editor isn’t there to catch your spelling mistakes. I thought once I finished my manuscript that
I could pass it off to the publisher and they’d catch all those silly typos and
grammatical errors. Nope. When your manuscript gets passed along, you
should make sure it’s polished and as perfect as you can get it.
8. Landing your big break doesn’t necessarily mean you can
quit your day job. Publication takes a
while, and even having an Amazon best-seller doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be
raking in the big bucks right away. The
day you receive your contract probably isn’t the best time to put in your two
week notice.
7. Publication takes a while. Contract today, shelf tomorrow? Nope.
Publication is a process consisting of several moving parts. There’s the editing process, the cover,
etc. It didn’t take you a week to write
the book, so don’t expect it to be published in a week either.
6. Not everyone will love your book. And those people will
write reviews. You may have poured your
blood, sweat, and tears into your novel-but that doesn’t mean it will appeal to
everyone. Some people will love it, others won’t. You can’t expect everyone to be a raving fan. Negative reviews are just a part of an
author’s reality. Don’t try and demand
that every negative review be removed- Amazon can’t do that. But, you can take them for what they’re worth
and move on. Sometimes you’ll find a
good suggestion within a negative review, other times you won’t. You can’t spend time dwelling on it.
5. It isn’t all about the writing. There are some necessary evils to being a
successful author-and social media is one of them. You don’t have to have your finger in every
social media pie, but you should at least dabble in one or two. I can’t just lock myself in my room all day
and write-I do eventually have to update my Facebook status. Besides, it’s a great way to connect to
readers.
4. I should have paid better attention in Marketing 101. Don’t be that author who takes 1000 bookmarks
to an E-book convention. Marketing is
another one of those necessary evils.
Your publisher may take the reins on some things, but you’ll still have
to be an active participant in the way you market both yourself and your
work. I used to think “branding” was
something only done to cattle – boy, was I wrong. From swag to Street Teams – a general
knowledge of marketing is a must.
3. Writing that next book is important…but so is selling
your first. See points four and
three. In order to become a successful
author and turn writing into a career, not only must you write, but you must
sell. Pay attention to what works and
what doesn’t work when selling your book.
You could leave it all up to fate, but I’ve learned a firm marketing
strategy and general knowledge of the industry goes a great deal further.
2. Get a good critique partner. You know those people that love everything
you write? They think you’re the next
Nora Roberts and have never said a negative word about you? They’re not good critique partners. Your mom can’t be your critique partner. You want someone objective and honest who
will give you actual feedback that you can use in becoming a better writer and
improving your work.
1. Write - write well, write often. You can’t publish what you don’t write. There are so many other things writers have
to do nowadays, it’s easy to lose focus on what’s truly important-the actual
writing. And like with any good
musician, or a marathon runner – writing takes practice. Work on perfecting your craft, and most of
all – start working on that next book!
Thanks for sharing Jessica! Those are some great tips for the inspiring-to-be, up & coming or veteran author.
Now on to the juicy romance stuff!
****GIVEAWAY ALERT****
Jessica will be awarding a $50 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter.
********
TAMING Miss Tisdale
By Jessica Jefferson
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Marcus Winston, the Duke of Grayson, has a lackluster reputation. The last in a dying line, he’s endured a protected life—rank with privilege, encumbered by isolation. After a brief encounter with rebellion, he learns the devastating consequences of his carelessness and willingly accepts living life from inside his gilded cage.
However, a chance meeting with the brazen Miss Tisdale gives Marc the opportunity to reinvent himself into the man he’s always dreamed of being. When his deception comes to light, and ghosts from both their pasts threaten to unravel the intimacy they’ve come to cherish, will either of them set their fears aside long enough to embrace love? Or will Miss Tisdale’s stubbornness divide them?
Excerpt
Marc watched the faint outline come across the dense morning fog, becoming more discernible as it approached. The tall, thin figure was riding along at a perilous speed, given the morning’s lack of visibility. He thought perhaps it was some gangly young man misguided in the fog. It wouldn’t be the first time someone accidentally stumbled upon the vast property that made up his family’s immodest estate.
Then the fog parted in an almost biblical manner, revealing his gross inaccuracy.
Were those ... breasts?
Marc closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Typically, women didn’t ride alone at such an hour and they certainly didn’t wander unexpectedly across his property. It’d been quite a while, his last birthday to be exact, since his last intimate encounter with a woman—a gift, compliments of St. Regis—so there was always the possibility that perhaps his half-drunk, sex-starved mind had conjured up the sensual image.
He shook his head, opened his eyes, and looked back again toward the horizon.
Yes, those were most certainly breasts.
And she was most definitely not a young man. The woman’s riding habit pulled taut against her body as she raced toward him. Her hair was blowing behind her—various hues of auburn and gold, like wild flames curling about in the wind. Then a decidedly feminine voice burst through the morning’s silence, interrupting his self-doubt.
“Oh, thank goodness I found you!”
This was no mirage. She was indeed very real.
And very loud.
Buy Links
Amazon.com ~ http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Miss-Tisdale-Jessica-Jefferson-ebook/dp/B00K5Y8W7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401316541&sr=1-1
Amazon.com ~ http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Miss-Tisdale-Jessica-Jefferson-ebook/dp/B00K5Y8W7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401316541&sr=1-1
Author Bio
Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it—almost Chicago. She is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy. She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read more of her random romance musings.
Where can you find Jessica???
Website ~ http://www.JessicaJefferson.com
Facebook Page ~ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Jefferson/545243542195152
Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/authorJessicaJ/
Follow the Tour!!!
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
ENTER HERE!!!
Thanks so much for sharing TAMING Miss Tisdale with us today Jessica, and the best of luck on your tour.
Cheers,
Nancy
