Not A New Years Post.

I am planning a to do a post about my goals for 2014 starting tomorrow, but I've decided to get everything together today. During this process I've realized that WOW! I need to step everything up. Not just my promoting, (which needs to be amplified by huge amounts) but my writing and just getting my name out there more.

I think I'm going to break my goals down in a seven day posts, because seriously it may take that long to organize my thoughts. Actually in typing that it may make more sense if I don't limit myself to just seven days.

Stay tuned to see where my wayward thoughts might take me.

Contest Over/ Book Live

 

Okay the contest has ended and Martinis, Manicures & Mud Pies is live. Yay!

 

 I want to thank everyone who stopped by and said hi during the event. For those who entered the new release contest WINNERS are:

 

Jackie F.

kim s.

Kathy G.

Tanya S.

Pam L.

CC B.

Dorene S.

Miriam W.

 M.

 

Congrats ladies. I'll be emailing you shortly!

Who's Ready To Win?

Since I'm about to release Martini's, Manicures & Mud Pies books 3 in my Heiresses In Aprons Series I decided to do a few things to celebrate.

First I made Book 1, Shit Kickers & Stilettos free at ARe, Kobo, and ibook store. Hopefully Amazon will catch on before too long.








These prizes have candy, goodie bag, martini mix,
and a martini glass ornament.

Second I'm going to give stuff away. YAY!!! You'll notice the prizes are all themed to go along with my title. And each prize pack will come with the Martinis, Manicures & Mud Pie e-book.



Mini stocking filled with Lindt truffles,
Martini mix in small glass boot, and ornament.



Martini glasses,  Martini mix in large glass boot, truffles,
instant snow, and candy cash



Mini Stocking filled with Lindt truffles
Martini mixes, Martini glass ornament
and candy cash.













Wine bottle holder, wine glass, instant snow, Lindt truffles,
and Santa hat glass charms

The rules are simple.

If you like my Facebook author page you get 1 entry.
If you follow me on twitter you get 1 entry.
If you tweet about the entry you get 1 entry

 Prize pack are limited to US residents only, but international winning entries will receive the ebook in the format of their choice.

Up Coming Cover Changes

Okie Dokie I've decided to change up my covers for the Heiresses In Aprons Series.

Why? Well A few reasons. Starting with the fact that though I've gotten some good reviews the series hasn’t gotten the type of attention I was hoping for. It has been pointed out to me that the covers could use a little more umph!

Also since book 3 will be released in December I wanted to do something special. There’s more to it though. I have a contest in the works.

Once I have everything ready I’m going to go for a big push. Hope everyone is willing to help and maybe win.

Tomorrow gearing up for a few contest and might be posting some pics of the goodies, maybe even a new cover or two.

Happenings

Going to be doing some contest for my new release that I'll hopefully have ready for mid-December. Also working a few other things. Really want to bump up my activity here, on FB, on Twitter, and on my website.

I have an ideas for a great new hot, sexy, funny, suspenseful contemporary romance series (full length). And one for a foodie style novella series. So watch for new crazy stuff coming SOON!

Today's Find

I hit the jackpot! Since I have big feet (size eleven and a bit wide) and bad heels finding shoes is a hassle for me. My doctor has instructed me to stick with cross trainers, which is why you'll rarely ever find me in high heels. So today I went out with the hubster to find us each a pair of new sneakers. Low and behold I came across two pairs that I liked and that fit!! I have no idea of the odds of that happening, but I'll say I'm of an age and it has never happened before. While I was still debating on which pair to buy hubby was holding the boxes. I turned around and he was gone. I found him standing by the door with a bag. He bought them both. That's love! Seriously. He didn't make me choose or even ask me to.

How I Spent My Monday Off

 So yesterday my hubby and I spent the day driving up to Vermont. Why? Well to visit Ben and Jerry's. To be honest I slept most of the way up there, but every so often I'd wake up and enjoy the view. We took the factory tour, which was really cool because one of the machines was malfunctioning and we got to see them fix it.

 At the end you get to taste the flavor of the day. We were extra lucky and got to taste a new flavor that isn't even out yet. It's Salted Caramel Brownie. Not being a big fan of caramel I tried it then gave the rest to hubby who really liked it.

I also taste the Late Night Snack, made in honor of Jimmy Fallon. It has potato chips in it. Then we grabbed and ice cream, I got the Coconut Seven Layer Bar and hubs got a chocolate peanut flavor, headed to the flavor graveyard.


It was cool to see all the headstones with epitaphs. They had the dates, and descriptions of flavors. As an author I love  exploring new places that I can possibly use in future books. This time I saw this saying and thought it was a great motto to have. 

New Job, New Car, and New Hair.

Okay so there have been a lot of changes around here starting with me going back to work full-time. for the first 5 weeks I was in training from Noon to 8:30pm, which SUCKED! Now I'm doing 4pm to 12:30 am. It's better, but I miss writing full-time. Considering going to 3rd shift at some point later on down the line. So between that and writing I'm going to be super busy. 

Then my car started having some issues, so hubby and I started talking about getting something a little newer.

<--- ---="" car.="" his="" my="" nbsp="" old=""> This is what the hubby wanted. It's a 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye in Citrus Peel. He really, really wanted it. The only problem was my 2 boys are both over six feet tall and I couldn't see squeezing them into the back seat.





So what did we get. A 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan.

 It has lots of room and the back window even go down. So it feels more like an SUV, but there's a lot more storage space. Which is great since I'll have lots of stuff to take with me to Savannah in August for Authors After Dark.

 

 

 

If new job, new car, and getting ready for AAD wasn't enough on my plate I decided it was time for another change. Keep in mind I am like the least photogenic person I know, but here's my hair before.

 This now. Much shorter and colorful. I'm not fully sold on the blond. I think when I go back in four weeks there's going to be another change.

Friday is going to bring around another batch of changes that I've been working on. I'm really excited about them. Wish me luck.

Been A While

Well it's been a while since I posted anything here and that is going to change. In the past few months I have had some big changes. New releases, Upcoming releases, Going back to a full time job, and just trying to get things in order to make all the changes transition as smooth as possible. It wasn't easy, but I think I'm almost there.

I wasn't happy about going back to work full-time, but it's with a good place I've worked at before. My training schedule was a very awkward time frame for me, but starting Tuesday I'll have hours that are a much better fit.  YAY!! And who knows maybe I'll jump on the overnight shift in a few months. I loved working that schedule before, but I was younger then.

I did managed to finish Silver Spoons, Sugar, and Slow Hot Kisses book 2 in the Heiresses In Aprons series. Hopefully I'll have this out within a few weeks (and maybe a little surprise to go along with it).

Speaking of surprises, Surprised By Love book 2 in my Blackridges Series came out last week. It's doing well, and has even hit #3 on BookStrand's Mainstream Best Seller List. Thanks to everyone who has already picked it up.

So now I'm going to focus the last 3 things on my list. the first 2 are connected. I'm working on revamping this blog and my website.

For now I'm planning to post here at least once a week. Not sure when or about what so you'll just have to pop in and check.

The 3rd item is getting ready for AAD in Savannah in August. Anybody else going? I truly can't wait for this. I already got the time off approved and have been working on my raffle baskets. As soon as they're finished I'll post some pictures.

 Bye for now,
  Rita

Good, Bad, and Really Boring!

Good is knowing that despite a few rough spots Shit Kickers & Stilettoes is out, and soon to be available in print. Anyone who says self-pub or Indie publishing is easy LIES! I've always respected my publishers, but that respect has only grown with me taking on this challenge. When I was recently asked why I did it, a question I was fully expecting, I had to laugh.

I released Shit Kickers & Stilettoes on my own for two reasons and they're linked. First was I wanted complete control of the Heiresses In Apron Series. Second, and this may not make sense to anyone else sine I suck at promotion, I'm hoping that being in charge from the get go will force me to push me into doing more than I have in the past.

Bad is dealing with all the technical, and formatting stuff that came with doing this myself. What the hell was I thinking. Also how much I suck at promoting is becoming evident to those around me, though I think they're laughing when I'm not looking.

It can be Really Boring clicking on buttons  to check sales stats. Granted everytime I see the number change I get a little excited, but I know I should be focused on writing. Or worse the dreaded promoting. So on that front I'm going to start planning a couple of contest and hopefully getting a few people to review all my books not just Shit Kickers & Stilettos. If anyone who reads this wants to review one of my boks on Amazon or BN let me know. 

Start Of Something New

OMG! I've dipped my toes into the Indie author pool. I know the only way I see any results is to dunk myself and get acclimated, but I'm nervous. I've got books out there and people read them not as many as I'd like, but that's the point of this right? NO? Then why am I doing this? I have a bunch of reasons and over the next month or so I'll try to explain them all. Right now I just want to tell everyone about my new release.

Shit Kickers & Stilettos is the 1st book in a 4 book series Heiresses In Aprons.

Blurb:

Rosie’s uncle Teddy may not have been able to be around all the time, but he was always there when Rosie needed a dose of reality. Unlike her parents he believed that she needed to keep her feet on the ground even though she spent most of her time running charity and social events mingling with people who had their heads stuck in the clouds. When he dies she’s lost. Her friends try to be there for her, but her uncle does the unbelievable and leaves her part of his business. The other half he leaves to his sexy right hand man. He requests that the two of them move into his house for six months and find a way to make things work together, but since all she can do is stare at his ass and find ways to push his buttons Rosie’s not sure if this is going to work out.

Dade Sebastian would do his best to honor his boss’s last wish, but just looking at his niece he knew it was going to be as simple as it sounded like it would be. Then the lawyer throws him a curve ball by announcing he’s not just going to help Rosie learn to run the business. Instead he’s is named as co-owner with the company being split equally between the two of them. Together they’re supposed to make things work, but that’s hard to do when all he wants is for her to stay in the kitchen, or better yet in his bed.

Right now it's available at

BN Amazon Smashwords

What do I write and who with.

I've had 2 reader emails this week that asked why I don't write for someone like Harlequin? Well the answer is simple and complicated at the same time.

 
This isn't the first time this has come up. The two books in question are usually The Millionaire's Fake Fiancée  and Tempted By The Tycoon.

The simple answer is because I chose other venues. Was this a good choice? I think it was I've learned a lot about the publishing business since The Millionaire's Fake Fiancée came out in 2009. I'm still learning.

The complicated answer comes in a few parts.

Part 1: Publishers have to decide what's right for their lines. You may not have the voice or style of writing that they are looking for. If something's not good for them that doesn't mean you just give up. What I mean is just because you write the same types of stories they publish that doesn't mean they are your only option for publishing. You can try somewhere else.

Which brings me to
Part 2: Publishers decide what to do with your book once they accept it. They choose the category and how to market your books. I write contemporary romance, but that term seems pretty broad at times. One of my publishers had decided that a few of my stories were Romantic Comedies, another decided they were Erotic Romances. Why?




Jump to 

Part 3: I'm what I like to think of as an author walking a line (or bouncing on a trampoline). My erotic romances The Brazen Sister Series or What Are Friends For Series have fallen into that category, but I'm the first to admit they just barely made it. In my opinion Tempted By The Tycoon and Love Me Or Lose Me are more traditional romances and stay on the other side of the line in Mainstream romance, since they are written in the same voice and heat level. How do publishers decide where a book should go?

Heat level or intesity of the sex scenes is a major factor. Also (this is something that I didn't catch right away) swearing, foul language, using descriptive words for body parts can push you in a certain direction with some publishers.
 
My books range from steamy to sizzling(though hubby would like me to try my hand at something really raunchy)
I would like my books to all be considered fun hot contemporary romances. Why can't that be a category at the online book vendors?

Okay so since I've figured out a few things doing this post I'm off to get some work done.
 

 

Rita Sawyer

Giving You It All

Romance Passion Laughter

http://www.RitaSawyer.com

 

Progress Makes Me Happy

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything, which means I haven't been pushing myself to get on here like I said I would. I'm making a schedule so I can be more prepared to just hop pn and bore you all with my thoughts. (That was a joke. I hope everyone's laughing with me, not at me!)

Now in my own defense I have been working damn hard. I finished 2 projects.

Blackridges 2 is done and submitted to editor at Pink Petal Books. Just waiting to hear back on it. If you haven't checked out Book 1 Love Me Or Lose Me you should.


Now I'm working on the last 2 books in the What Are Friends For Series with Siren Publishing. The good thing about waiting to write these last 2 books is Sadie and Jillian have had plenty of time to grow and find trouble I hadn't even thought about when I planned the series.

I do need to squeeze in some promo time for mainstream contemporary romance Tempted By The Tycoon with Siren Publishing. And work on the project I hope to announce within the next few weeks (if all goes well).

I'm Not Obsessed!

Really I'm not. I just have things I like.


 One thing I don't think I could live without. BOOKS! Print or ebook I love them. Okay when some people see my bookselves they might think I'm obessive. (yes I have more than 1. Try 3 here in MA and 1 massive one at our house in Maine.) Today I picked up these 3. I torture myself by only reading 1 chapter for every 2 I write.




Tuesday in my house is movie day. Whether we go to the theater, choose something on TV, or pick up a new DVD we try to watch something together. Today was the hubby's choice. He took me and the kiddo to see the movie Promised Land. Matt Damon and Frances McDormand were good. It started of good, but slowed toward the end. Still a good movie.

Hubby's Chicken Salad grinder

Chazz's Pastrami with mustard cheese
and onions.

After the movie we went to my first choice in restaruants. Steve's Pizza in West Boylston Mass. This is the place to go for lunch or dinner. For taste, price, and huge meals this is it. I have two 6' 2" sons and I've only seen them finish their meals two or three times the portions are that big.

 

  

This is my spaghetti and meatballs with the loaf of garlic bread. Trust me the picture from my phone doesn't do it justice. The meatballs are the size of softballs. I have failed to finish even half of this, but I keep trying. My hubby has come closer. Basically you  can order anything and come out full and have something for later. Or do what we do, SHARE. I split a spaghetti and meatball with my niece and neither of us finished our half.




So in all today I got three of my favorite things and I managed to hobble around pretty damn good. The back is feeling better. Still sore, but managable.

Aches and Pains

The new year is starting of quite the way I wanted. I tweaked my back and instead of taking it easy I pushed it and now am paying the price. Today I'm down for the count. Hubby has me in the recliner with heating pad. What sucks is niece and nephew missed bowling today.

I should get a lot of words written today since I can't do much else. So today I'm aiming for a lofty goal of 5 thousand words.

2013 A Positive Start

Well as the day is officially over I wanted to stop in and say a few things I meant to say earlier.

First I wanted to wish everyone a  Happy New Year.

Second a quick rundown of last year.
 I attended AAD in New Orleans and RomFest in Tennessee. Both events were utterly fabulous. Sadly I released the last in the Brazen Sister Series. (Turns out there may be a spin off and revisists to come from this series.) I had a few other releases too.
Tempted By The Tycoon was the latest. You can check out my booklist to see what the others were.

Third and lastly plans for 2013:
I've broken this into 3 catagories.

Work wise:
I'm going to release a new series I hope everyone will love.
I hope to have book 5 & 6 of the What Are Friends For Series with Siren Publishing.
There's more Blackridge's to come from Pink Petal Books.
I"m going to be at AAD in Savannah.
                                     Promotion, I need to work on getting the word about my release out there more.

On the personal side:
I want to get my blood sugars under control again.
Going to make an effort eat healthier.
I'm going to just enjoy things more.

As for this blog:
I'm going to try and post almost daily. About what? I have no frigging idea. So beware it could be about you. Just kidding, well for some people maybe not!