Finding the right vampire

I love vampires and wanted to have one in one of my books, but the only vampires I seem to see in fiction are the Dracula/European type vampires. I think Ann Rice traced her vampires back to ancient Egypt, which I thought was an intriguing idea. So I wanted to do something different and create a fictional vampire different from other vampire stories. Vampire lore has been around for centuries and every culture has a vampire-like creature so I had many to choose from.

After doing some research, I decided to go with a vampire known in ancient Greece. My story is set in sixth century Scotland and I decided to have my heroine cursed by the Levite priests (during the time of Saul) for worshipping the Great Goddess and forced to live for an eternity as a Lamia, half-woman, half-serpent. According to legend, the Lamia were named after Libyan Queen Lamia and were exclusively female vampires. They were also known to have the power to shapeshift into beautiful young maidens to attract and seduce young men. Lamia are also associated with Lilith, the first wife of Adam. I felt this type of vampire worked for my story and created conflict between my hero and heroine because he is Christian and she follows the Old Religion of the Great Goddess.

My vampire character's hunger is satisfied by sexual pleasure and blood, something I call the 'bloodlust.' She also has black, bat-like wings, which she can open or hide with a simple spell. The name I gave her reflects her transformation into a blood drinker. While reading The White Goddess, I came across Cardea, a Roman form of The White Goddess. She was a witch who snatched children and sucked their blood. This Cardea sounded evil so I transformed her into a lustful creature instead of one who enjoyed destroying children. I didn't want my heroine to be perceived as evil. Plus, being cursed, she could not control her need for blood, but she still possessed some human emotions. Mainly, I fell in love with the exotic name and wanted her to have a Greek/Roman sounding name. Since she was cursed to be a vampire, she cannot make other vampires and fire is her greatest enemy because the Levite priests worshipped fire.
Below is an excerpt from Cat's Curse.

Excerpt:
AD 564, Alba

The hunt called to her, singing in her veins. Moonbeams cleaved through the frozen night, striking the earth between outstretched branches like gleaming metal blades. Cold air cut into her bones with sharp, icy talons, reminding her she had once been mortal. Venturing further into the thick forest of tall pine, oak, beech, birch and rowan, Cardea's booted feet crunched on the frost-encrusted earth, her senses searching out the sweet scent of blood.

A sharp sound roared on the black wings of night. Something stirred in the forest, waking slumbering birds in a nearby wide-branched tree. Wings fluttered far above her head, breaking the silence of the night followed by a man's deep voice echoing in the night, sounding like a thread of angry curses.

A pleased smile formed on Cardea’s lips. The strong scent of blood stirred her senses--warm blood…and human. Like an experienced predator, she adjusted her step, moving on silent feet through carpets of fern toward the scent of fresh blood, eager to sate her thirst. She moved like a shadow, darting in and out of the lofty trees.

Another sound stirred the hushed, sleeping wood. Something moved toward her through the forest at a fast pace, crunching leaves and twigs beneath pounding feet. Cardea stopped in her tracks, her body shimmering into the shadows.

The baying of hounds tore through the night.

She froze. Fear struck her like a resounding hammer blow. Could they be demon hunters coming for me? Demon hunters used hounds because animals could sense her even when she became one with the shadows. In her haste to hunt the human, she failed to notice the scent of hounds. Before she could react, two hounds the size of calves had her pinned to the ground, stunned. They licked her face, showering her face with drool.

A man’s deep voice shouted out a command for the dogs to back off. Cardea sputtered, struggling to get the slavering beasts off her.

“Fian, Donnan!” The two hounds backed off, obeying their master’s stern command.

Cardea pushed on her arms to sit up and faced the sharp edge of a sword blade, the sight of which made her draw in a sharp breath and remain still. The splash of pale moonlight revealed a man with long black hair standing over her, his great height matching a towering oak, his arms thick and muscled as oak branches.

“I would not move if I were ye, lass.” The man’s thick brogue washed over her, sweet and honey-like.

Kelley
'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'
http://www.kelleyheckart.com/
http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3
http://twitter.com/CelticChick
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kelleyheckarts_enchantedgrove/
My book page at Awe-Struck
http://www.king-cart.com/Awe-Struck/category=Kelley+Heckart/exact_match=exact

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The Call and then some!!!!!

My agent Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency rocks!!!!

The series I thought would sell--one that an editor loved and wanted--ended up not going through at the last minute because a book with a similar element tanked two years ago. So here I was at my lowest low.....and then a different editor at the same house said she loved my writing and what else did I have. So my agent gave her a 60 page partial of another series I have, and within 48 hours ...

I got a 3 book deal for the first 3 books in the series!!!!

So now I am once again on cloud nine! And even better, my agent has some awesome connections in hollywood. I have already had a conference call with a hollywood actor turned director (Doug McKeon who was the kid in On Golden Pond and was in a bunch of other movies and TV shows, then turned to directing 10 years ago) loves the story and wants it to be his next big project in the fall. He said it was high concept, had tremendous potential, and he thought I had a fantastic voice with a real knack for comedy (his words not mine, but I'm still eating them up;)) so once I finish the manuscript, I send it to him and his people adapt it to a screenplay for a feature film and then attach talent to it, then pitch it to their contacts in hollywood, increasing the chances of it actually getting made into a movie by a ton. Even if it never gets made into a movie, he at least brainstormed books two and three with me which is awesome since I didn't have a clue what those would be about. LOL!

So here's the deal. I have a 3 book deal with Sourcebooks Jabberwocky YA line and Rebecca Frazer is my editor (she was formerly with S&S, Random House, and Harper teen). The books are slated to come out in the Fall of 2010.

The series name will change but for now it's called the Hard Wired Series. It's about a teenage girl who is obsessed with technology and has the latest and greatest cell phone that can do anything. But on her way home from her friend's house, she sees this strange glowing object in the woods that is not "of this world" and of course touches it, only to get zapped and knocked out cold. When she wakes up, she can't find her cell anywhere. She soon discovers she has turned into a walking breathing piece of technology with internet capabilities. She has a GPS in her brain, camera in her eyes, and cell phone in her palm, giving new meaning to the words "talk to the hand". Somehow she's tapped into a 911 line, and every time the cute boy she's been crushing on since forever makes her hormones rise too high, she blocks a call and her GPS rerouts her, sending her to the rescue whether she likes it or not. Techno Girl is born and a team of scientists are hot on her heels as she strives to keep her hormones under control and her identity a secret while she desperately tries to find a way to reverse her uniqueness.

Anyway, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. And I get my first sale ribbon at nationals and I'm already approved for my PAN membership. Yay! I'm still in shock it actually happened but thrilled beyone belief!

Just had to share :-)

-- Kari Lee Townsend
Action * Adventure * Romance * Laughter
Fun & Exciting Stories For Any Age!
http://www.karileetownsend.com

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Winner of Stop and Smell the Roses event at Author's Studio!

Thank you everyone for coming by and leaving your comments. And thanks to all for the well wishes on my latest release. I really appreciate everything you all had to say. It was very fascinating to read about everyone's favorite time period.

The lucky winner of a $5 gift certificate to Wild Rose Press is.....drum roll please!

Sheila Deeth!

Congratulations Sheila! Please send me your email address and I'll send you your certificate.

Once again, thanks to all for stopping by. I hope you come back to visit us here at Author's Studio again!
Shannon

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Stop and Smell The Roses Blog Event

Welcome everyone to the Author's Studio! Today I'm joining up with my fellow Wild Rose Press authors to invite readers and authors alike to our STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES blog event. And what does that mean for you? For one day only, multiple lucky visitors will have the chance to win - quite possibly - multiple prizes! Keep reading to learn more!

For now, let me indulge to you a bit about my debut story with The Wild Rose Press - Lover's Bargain. This is a historical romance and is due to be released in e-format on October 21, 2009. Here's a bit about the story:

Desperate to be free of her wretched life, Mattie Evans trusts her dishonest father and embarks on a journey to Texas to live with an aunt she never knew she had. When she finds herself sold into a mail-order-bride service, her hope quickly fades.

Rancher Cole Hartley wants no part of long-term commitment. But what's wrong with a little satisfaction in the arms of a beautiful woman? Especially when she needs his help to escape a hopeless situation. Cole proposes a bargain to Mattie. He'll pay her release fee and send her wherever she wants to go the following day. The catch? She spends one night as his wife -- in his bed.

As feelings long buried surface, can Mattie and Cole open their eyes to the promise of a future together?

I've always been a fan of historical romance. I love the escape away from reality, the opportunity to travel to unknown lands and different time periods. History was always a favorite subject of mine in school so historicals easily tied into my hobbies of enjoyment.

Feel free to stop over to my website (http://www.shannonrobinson.com) to learn about the other stories I have to share!

So, to win the prize I offer up today, leave a comment on my blog and tell me what your favorite period in time is - whether it's today, the wild west, medieval, etc. - and why it's your favorite and one lucky person will win a $5 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press online store! I will do a random draw for the winner from the list of comments and announce the winner on Tuesday 6/30, here at Author's Studio.

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses at these other Wild Rose Press author sites for more chances to win great items!

http://amberleighwi lliams.blogspot. com

http://authorsstudi o.blogspot. com

http://bettyhanawa. blogspot. com

http://christinecle metson.blogspot. com

http://findagreatro mance.blogspot. com

http://www.freewebs .com/lesmora/ apps/blog/

http://freewebs. com/teriwilson/ apps/blog/

http://grgiall. blogspot. com

http://hywelalyn. blogspot. com

http://jennfrancesc a.blogspot. com

http://joycemoore. blogspot. com

http://lianalaveren tz.blogspot. com

http://LindaHopeLee .blogspot. com

http://lje1. wordpress. com

http://noveltrails. blogspot. com

http://plotsandthou ghts.blogspot. com

http://tanyahanson. blogspot. com

http://tinagayle. blogspot. com

http://traveltheage s.blogspot. com

http://willtravelfo rromance. blogspot. com

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Opening Your Book With a Bang~ Guest Blogger, Liana Laverentz

Today I want to talk about beginnings. Opening lines. And since only I know what the meaning is behind my opening lines, I’m going to have to use the opening lines from my own books to explain.

When you’re writing a book, you want to draw the reader in immediately. You can’t take a whole bunch of pages to get to where your story really begins, because in doing so, you run the very real risk of losing your reader, or losing a sale. You know who I’m talking about. Those readers who stand in the book aisle and pick up books and start reading the first page, then either put the book in their cart or back on the shelf. I figure you have about 30 seconds tops to capture their attention, a page or two at most.

So your opening has to be a grabber. One that gets the reader wondering what is going on here immediately. In a mystery or suspense, we say, start with a body on the floor.

So here goes:

In Thin Ice, my original opening line was: If there was such a place as hockey player hell, Eric Cameron was in it.

Unfortunately, that was in the prologue, and the prologue got cut during edits. But the rest of the paragraph went on to explain how his team was losing, time was running out, and it was up to him to pull off a win. His reputation was on the line, his having been named Captain of the team earlier that day by the owner with a public challenge to turn the team around.

Unfortunately, the other team knew this and were gunning for him. He knew it, they knew it, and in short order, the fight was on.

Instead, I opened with: It was no way to spend a birthday, drinking alone in some hole in the wall dive, but it beat sitting at home alone, staring at the contents of his rented apartment.

Not quite as engaging, but it still draws you in. Why is this guy sitting alone in a bar on his birthday with no one to go home to? No home to go to, really, if the stuff in his apartment is rented.

Obviously he lost the game he was supposed to win, and was on everyone’s s*** list from the owner to his teammates to the fans.

Why? How did this come about? I’m hoping the reader will want to know and read on.

In Jake’s Return, the opening line is: Rebecca Reed would never forget the sound of Jacob Donovan walking back into her life.

Sort of sums the book up, doesn’t it? You have the heroine on the first page, reacting to---what’s the book about???—Jake’s return.

Return to where? Why did he walk away? Why did he come back? What happened between them? How will his return affect Rebecca?

I’m hoping the reader wants to know.

Next, Ashton’s Secret: It was a hell of a homecoming.

Okay, so that alone won’t do it. I could have done better. I’ll add the next line and see if that helps:

It was a hell of a homecoming. No sooner had he rented the slip at the Ashton Marina than people had gathered on the doc. People he’d known most of his life, people whose expressions ranged from surprise to wariness to outright hostility.

Now we know that somebody has just come home and it’s not going well. Why? Why did they leave?

Why is it not going well? What happened to make the people of Ashton hate/mistrust/dislike this man so? And why would he come back if he knew they would feel that way?

Justice is a Lady: “What do you mean, the gun isn’t there?”

This is from my current WIP. Samantha Dallas is an assistant district attorney, on her way into the courtroom for a trial against a gang member, and she’s just found out, in the corridor outside the courtroom, that a key piece of evidence has gone missing from the evidence property room. Suddenly she’s looking at a case that’s going down the tubes.

First, the gun gets your attention. Then the fact that it is missing. Missing guns make everybody nervous. Where is this gun, who is missing it, why do they need it, and why are they so upset that it is gone? (as indicated by the italics on the word “mean.”)

I’m hoping the reader will want to find out.

Personally, my favorite way to open a book is with a line of dialogue. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work in all cases. You have to go with what fits the story. A lot of people like to open up their stories with describing the scenery, or the weather. This only works if you use the setting or the weather as a character in your story. In Eileen Dreyer’s Sinners and Saints, the weather is as much a character in the story as the characters themselves.

The story is set in New Orleans as a hurricane looms on the horizon, and she describes its imminent arrival as if it were an ominous character coming to town. Here is the opening to chapter one:

Omens come in all sizes. Hair standing up at the back of the neck. Crows on a telephone wire. Shapes in a cloud or a chill in the wind.

In, say a story that takes place in a haunted house, or haunted village, or a different planet, you would want to set the scene right from the beginning.

But in a contemporary or even historical work of fiction, unless the weather or setting is to be used as a character element in the story, I’d highly recommend a snappy line of dialogue, a short one-liner that grabs the reader’s attention and implies something big is about to happen, or something philosophical (profound or whimsical, depending on the mood of the story) from the main character’s point of view.

Here’s one I just made up:

If she’d known this was to be her last day in Jamaica, she might have chosen to call her mother before she disappeared.

Who is she? Why is she in Jamaica? Why does she disappear? How does she disappear? What will her mother think when she doesn’t hear from her daughter?

Try it. Just play around with opening lines. You never know. You might even come up with an idea for a book. :)

The last person small town bad boy Jacob Donovan expects to find when he returns home in disgrace after serving time is Rebecca Reed, head librarian. Rebecca had always had much bigger ambitions. Jake hadn’t wanted to stand in her way, so after one night of passion with his former best friend, he’d hit the open road.

Rebecca refuses to believe Jake is guilty of murder. The boy who’d been her friend and protector when they were town outcasts together could never have killed a woman. Not to mention the tender, loving man who’d given her their daughter, Katie.

But who is Jake now? That’s what everyone wants to know, including the town council chairman, who is determined to send Jake back to prison, by any means available.

Jake’s been running from love for all of his life. Will he find the courage to defeat his demons and stay this time?

**********

Liana Laverentz is the author of three contemporary romances with The Wild Rose Press, Thin Ice, Jake’s Return, and Ashton’s Secret, a murder mystery romance, which will be released on June 26. Thin Ice is a 2007 New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award winner, a 2008 EPPIE winner for best contemporary romance, and was a nominee for Best Romance of 2007 at Long and Short Reviews. Jake’s Return is a 2008 Golden Leaf award winner. For more information, go to www.lianalaverentz.com

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Do The Reasearch-- Guest Blogger ~ L.M. Gonzalez

A best-selling author once said if you’re a writer you can write about anything. Sometimes, you just have to do the research.

Do The Research

My first story, TOO LATE FOR ROMANCE? was about growing roses. I don’t have a green thumb to save my life. I can kill an ivy if you give me enough time. An ivy is the most resilient of plants. It takes a lot to kill one, but I’ve managed to do it. So, when I thought about writing about a woman who wants to grow roses, I had to Do The Research. Where to start? The internet is a font of endless information. However, not only do you have to make sure the sites are legitimate, it can take some time to find the information.

I started with http://www.hgtv.com and searched for “growing roses” among the many decorating, landscaping and renovating ideas the site has to offer and found this – Tips on caring for roses: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/caring-for-roses/. Just what a novice rose gardener needs.

I also lucked out (was blessed with) a friend who has worked with and among flowers for decades. She’s going to kill me for saying that. I interviewed her. She does have a website, too, my friend, Martha Curcio - http://www.saflowersbymartha.com/.

My second story, A LOVE FOR ETERNITY, coming September, 2009, is a time travel. This story was inspired by an aunt of mine. Her younger brother, my Tio Juan, told a story about his sister who’d fallen in love with a man their mother disliked. She sneaked off to spend time with him anyway. She didn’t marry him; she married a man their mother approved of. The jilted boyfriend went to the wedding reception and got jailed for it. I wondered, as all writers do, what if? What if she’d defied her mother and married the man she truly loved. Well, who am I to say my aunt didn’t marry the man she truly loved. But – what if?

My heroine travels from 2007 to 1955. Now, I won’t say how old I am, but in 1955 I was not born yet. So, again, I had to Do The Research. What did people eat in 1955? What did they drive? What did they wear? How did they talk? I ventured into the public library. Now, I know you may wonder why I’d go to the library and check out Books when the internet is right at my fingertips. Sometimes, I like to do things the old-fashioned way. Is it old-fashioned to go to the library? I hope not. I found several books on the 1950’s: THE 1950’s by Stuart A. Kallen; WE REMEMBER THE FABULOUS ‘50’s edited by Lee Aschoff; AMERICA IN THE 1950’s by Edmund Lindop; and CHILDREN’S HISTORY OF THE 20^th CENTURY published by DK publishing. During my lunch hour, I devoured these books and learned enough to be able to write a story which would bring 1955 alive for my readers.

Another source for this story was my dad. He’s told me countless tales of growing up during the Depression of the 1930’s, his going into the Army in the 1940’s and marrying my mother in 1955. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles – anyone willing to talk to you about their lives in whatever decade you’re interested in is priceless. They lived through that time, which will help to make your story be much more authentic.

I did go to the Internet to find the perfect car for my hero – a 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. I discovered to my dismay that in 1950 this car didn’t exist. There was a 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air, but it was a hardtop, not a convertible. So, my hero got a green 1950 Chevrolet convertible, of which he was very proud. This site helped me to see the error of my ways – http://www.50classicchevy.com/1950-chevrolet-styleline-deluxe-convertible.html

Doing The Research is very important to authenticating your story. Nothing takes the reader out of story as something that doesn’t quite ring right. And you don’t want that. So, Do The Research. Do some web surfing. Interview people who know. Go to the library. Talk to your relatives. Believe me, you’ll get a richer story this way.

Author bio:

L. M. Gonzalez lives in South Texas with her two sons. She obtained a degree in Business Administration because her dad advised her to "get a trade". However, in 1976 she wrote her first story and has continued writing stories since then. In 2001 she joined Romance Writers of America and her local chapter, San Antonio Romance Authors. This was the year that she decided to pursue publication of her stories. L. M. loves to write stories about Latinas, their lives and their loves, as well as about motherhood and single parenting.

Her upcoming story, A LOVE FOR ETERNITY, will be released in digital format in September, 2009.

Her debut book, TOO LATE FOR ROMANCE? is available through The Wild Rose Press – http://www.thewildrosepress.com or http://www.amazon.com or http://www.bn.com

Learn more about L. M. Gonzalez at her website: http://www.freewebs.com/lesmora and at http://www.myspace.com/lesmora.

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Secondary Characters - To Shine or Not To Shine

Rather it be in the form of a movie or in the pages of a book, the viewer / reader is looking for the ultimate escape. For a brief period of time, they become the hero or heroine of that particular story. But in order for a story to exceed a person's expectations, become unforgettable, and truly shine...

It must have extraordinary secondary characters.

Today I want to discuss with you those secondary characters. Every story has them. Whether they are the villain, the single mother's kids, the hero's doctor who tells him he only has six months to live, they play a role in the story. And when a character is involved in the story, you want that character to "add" to the story.

Have you ever felt that the clique of girls in the YA novel have the same personalities as every other YA novel you've read? Have you ever indulged in a suspense only to discover the killer is the same stereotypical psycho that you've read about multiple times before? Do the kids of your single heroine act as whiny and annoying as many others? How many secondary characters actually stick in your mind?

There are a few for me. Let's explore:

For every romantic out there, I am sure you recognize the characters in this scene. No? Well, after I tell you who they are and what movie this scene is from, you'd better hit your nearest Movie Gallery or jump onto Netflix immediately!
The two women in this picture are Holly (played by Hilary Swank) and Patricia (played by Kathy Bates) in the truly amazing, heart-wrenching movie: P.S. I Love You.

***Sigh*** Yes, let's all do it together. ***Sigh***

As if the letters from Gerry weren't enough, Holly has an overbearing, "this is the real world" mother. Who also makes a perfect secondary character.
Patricia has led a hard life - being abandoned by her husband, having to raise two daughters on her own, plus run a business, that is enough to make any woman cynical. But what makes her character stand out on its own within the plot, is the connection of loss between the two women. Granted, Holly lost Gerry to death - not by his choice - and Patricia lost her husband because he choose to leave. But in the end, they both lost and this circumstance draws out their similarities and realization that they need one another.
If Holly would have had a mother with a perfect relationship, husband involved, and no troubles whatsoever - the connection to further the plot points would never have existed. Patricia embodies the notion of Holly's loss, constantly reminding her that Gerry is dead and to stop pining for him, his letters are unhealthy, etc....until the end, when they come together and she delivers the last letter...

Another excellent secondary character is Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series.
I can imagine that anyone - ANYONE - who has read the books or seen the movies would recognize the name of this character. And why is that? Why would this girl be a worldwide known character? Why would she stand out almost as much - if not as equal - as Harry Potter?
Because she has a shining personality, tremendous talent and is a huge asset to the main character, Harry. Hermione is the secondary character but with a story all her own. She helps the scenes of each book shine with energy, humor, and a down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is attitude.
A secondary character who excels beyond their title is special. They are special to your protagonist and effect your protagonist in astounding ways.

So, who in your story has special connections to your H/H? How can you deliver to your readers a truly unique secondary character?

Some things to think about:
1) Look at the character through the eyes of your protagonist. List how they are alike - list how they are different.
2) What makes your protagonist want to be around this character? What is it about this character that attracts your protagonist? And what quality does this character have that your protagonist will never understand?
3) Develop the defining moment between the two characters. Write down the scene details, dialogue, etc. What detail will your protagonist remember most? What detail will he/she want to forget?
4) At the end of your story, how has this secondary character helped to change your protagonist? What have they helped the protagonist to learn?

A secondary character who has no impact on the arc of change in your protagonist is a stagnant character - they are forgettable. Create a character who directly influences your protagonist and readers / viewers will remember their name.

***For more tips / details on developing characters, read The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass.

The Authors here at Author's Studio would love to hear who your most memorable secondary characters are and why. Please share!
Thanks for joining us!

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Media Releases: An Invitation, Not a Guarantee!

Today at Author's Studio we welcome Journo’s Diary author Chris Thomas from Western Australia as he explains the ins and outs of media releases, clarifying what to expect and how to maximise chances of coverage. Media releases are an invitation to do a story, not a guarantee…

Media Releases: An Invitation, Not a Guarantee!

There’s a common misconception about media releases that should be clarified: they are simply an invitation for a journalist to do a story; NOT a guarantee.

No journalist, whether they work for a magazine, newspaper, radio station or television network, is under any obligation to follow up a release or run the material in its entirety.

Media releases are simply a device to inform media outlets about a particular topic or viewpoint and they will use as much or as little as they want, depending on how newsworthy they consider it to be.

There is often a mistaken assumption that journalists only get their stories from media releases – and this isn’t the case at all. Releases are simply a way of putting something under their noses and saying “Did you know about this?”

Now imagine how many people are trying to get journalists to take notice of their information… newsrooms are inundated with hundreds of media releases each day.

This is where a well-crafted release can stand out from the crowd – and, if written
to standard journalistic style, it will maximise the chance of publication. That means writing dates the same way the newspaper does, removing redundant zeroes from times (such as 7.00pm) and a whole range of other small style issues.

When a paper has hole to fill at the last minute, either because a story has been pulled or an advert has been dropped, it’s more likely to use a release that doesn’t need a major re-working before deadline.

Similarly many small operations have a lack of resources (due to time and/or staff restraints) and if they’re given a ready-made story with a photo, there’s a greater chance it will get a run.

It’s important to realise a journalist may have absolutely no previous knowledge about the subject (and the same applies to their readers, listeners and viewers), so the release needs to provide a reasonable level of understanding and explanation where appropriate.

It should also be noted that journalists don’t like to be contacted after a release has been sent – if they are, there’s a good chance it will then end up at the bottom of the pile.

This is backed up by The Australian Public Relations Manual (p.130) which indicates: “Don’t call editors/journalists to ask if they have received your release and if they are planning to use it.”

If journalists are interested, they will either use the release or they won’t – simple as that. If they require more information, they will get in touch. By calling them, you’re implying they don’t know what’s newsworthy while also eating into their deadline time.

Put another way: if a newsroom gets 100 media releases a day, that’s another 100 phone calls they have to field.
Consideration also needs to be given to what journalists want, such as a relevant local angle, and the competition that exists between media outlets. For example, the usual standing policy is that The Sunday Times will not cover a story already done by The West Australian, unless they can find a different slant.

Meeting the various deadlines of each media organisation is crucial, too. The biggest complaint is they didn’t receive something in time, keeping in mind that some magazines have three-month advance deadlines while others only have a month, fortnight or week lead-in time.

There are many reasons why a media release may not get picked up… lack of space, not newsworthy enough, too many other major news items that day or week. Or it’s simply not relevant to the publication or program.

On a final note, media releases are often to as “press releases” – this implies they are for print media only whereas the phrase “media release” encompasses both print and electronic media. It’s a small but subtle difference that invites all outlets to follow up the story.

Born in Perth, Western Australia, Chris Thomas is a writer, actor, journalist and broadcaster who has developed diverse experience in these areas over several years.

He has many eclectic acting credits to his name and broad journalistic experience, working for mainstream newspapers, independent publications and freelancing for numerous titles, as well as extensive work in media relations and flexing his dulcet tones as a radio announcer.

Chris Thomas is also the author of the novel Journo's Diary, the Doctor Who short story One Step Forward, Two Steps Back and the plays Which One?, Reality Matters, Appetite for Destruction, The Bonza Land of Oz, King Bling and SMS Mess.

You can catch an expert from Journo's Diary here!
(Bio courtesy of author website)

Thanks so much, Chris from stopping by as our guest today and sharing this valuable information with our fellow writers! If you have any question for Chris please ask. I am sure he will be in and out during the day to answer them for you.

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Motivating Literacy - Guest Amber Leigh Williams

Motivating Literacy: The Romance Genre and the Cause of Literacy

In the world today, leading countries are so obsessed with mastering the latest technological advances that we tend to overlook something even more fundamental: literacy. Or should I say illiteracy? According to PROLiteracy Worldwide, in 2005 an estimated 30 million American adults had below average literacy skills. While many of these people proved to be high school dropouts, many more had high school diplomas. Even more alarming is last year’s statistic that two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults are women.

At the age of eight, my family moved to the Gulf Coast. I took a test to gauge my placement among the students in my new school. I passed every level—all except for reading skills. I was placed in a low-level reading course with a handful of other students. This separation from other classmates—many of whom had advanced to the Accelerated Reading course already—created an insecurity that culminated from the days I struggled to learn to read. To this day, I vividly recall throwing a book across the room because no matter how many times I read the same story, my parents still had to sound out the word where.

This insecurity followed me through middle school and though I desperately tried to overcome it, it lurked in my high school classrooms as well. It hindered test scores, especially when taking the state examinations and ACT which I needed to more than pass to get into my targeted university. (I got in but just barely. My reading score was higher than my science and math scores but nowhere near my high marks in English and history.) Even in college, I couldn’t shake the fear that everyone was reading faster than me during those long study periods. And I liked reading. I’d already fallen in love with Nora Roberts novels and read Vogue and Newsweek cover-to-cover religiously. Even more puzzling, I have no learning disabilities…other than an undiagnosed incomprehension of mathematical figures, which thousands of writers share.

What saved me from giving up completely on reading? My love of the romance genre. I gobbled Nora’s latest releases and backlist week by week. Probably because I read these novels at my leisure and enjoyed them thoroughly, not once was I met with the frustration that walked hand-in-hand with reading for me until that point. It was romance that motivated me to write, that encouraged my love of English, language arts, and even literature. In fact, my college major was English/Language Arts.

The impact of romance on the literacy movement can not only be seen in my life, but in these statistics as well. According to Romance Writers of America, 64.6 million Americans read at least one romance novel in the past year. And with the current economic climate, more and more people are reaching for those Harlequin titles and their happily-ever-afters. On top of that, check out these numbers:

42% of romance readers have a bachelor's degree or higher

27% have college degrees

15% have post-graduate work or degrees

7% have associate degrees

17% have attended a trade school or have some college

23% have high school diplomas

Impressive, huh? The Today Show did a special segment on last year’s RWA National Conference in San Francisco and noted that romance fans are “voracious readers” who buy an average of six books a month. Already RWA is preparing for its next National Conference in July and more than 400 authors have already committed to the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing in which all proceeds are donated to literacy charities. As stated in the May 2009 Romance Writers Report, “Since this partnership began, RWA and its authors have raised more than half a million dollars to fight illiteracy.”

Wow. Now that’s impressive!

So when you pick up that next Harlequin or Avon or Nora Roberts title, maybe you’ll recall that by supporting the romance genre and buying those six books a month, you’re supporting the all-too-important cause of literacy. Trust me, it’s a nice silver lining when ruing over your latest auto/impulse-buy and breaking this month’s budget ;)

Happy reading!

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Amber Leigh Williams has spent half her life on the Eastern Shore of the Mobile Bay and has been dedicated to writing romance since 2005. Her debut novel was published with Red Rose Publishing in 2008, followed by a romantic suspense with The Wild Rose Press later that year and several other publishing contracts. Her books have earned an “Outstanding Read” from Simply Romance (Fox & Hound), Five Books from LASR (Fox & Hound and Blackest Heart), and Five Hearts from The Romance Studio (Blackest Heart) among others. She writes multiple sub-genres and lives with her husband and three labs a few miles from the white sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

For more information, visit www.amberleighwilliams.com

A SUMMER’S HOPE

Briar has spent half her life upholding the family business. As another summer rolls around, it looks like her luck is running dry and she’s dangerously close to losing the only thing that matters, Hanna’s Inn, her late mother’s bed and breakfast. Amidst deep financial difficulty, a shaky relationship with her estranged father, and a non-existent social life, hope is all she has left.

Enter Cole, a new guest at Hanna’s. Fresh from the turmoil of a bitter divorce and haunted by his mistakes, he’s desperate for escape. In a matter of weeks he captures the lonely innkeeper’s heart and together they discover a passion as hot as the southern sun and as unstoppable as the bay tide.

Do they dare trust this wellspring of hope they’ve found in each other’s arms?

LOOK FOR IT ON MAY 27!

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