Pinterest for Writers Tutorial - Part 3: Enhance Your Novel Release Party Using Pinterest

Welcome to the Fire Star Press blog for the third Pinterest Tutorial for Writers - Part 3: Enhance Your Novel Release Party Using Pinterest

If you missed the first two Pinterest tutorials for writers, you may find them by clicking on the following name of the tutorial which will link you to the original post:

1.  Part 1: Set Up Your Accounts, Boards and Start Pinning (Prairie Rose Publications blog)

2.  Part 2: ManageYour Writer’s Boards and Pins (Prairie Rose Publications blog)

Many writers have conducted successful release parties over the years and have a system that works for them. Facebook has proven very effective as a venue for conducting an online release party. Also, blog posts offering descriptions, excerpts, buy links and prizes such as a free copy of the book are another option. I will discuss that more on the last tutorial. Among the options available, whether you are using Facebook, a blog or another form of online promotional communication, is that you can use Pinterest images and links to enhance your book release party. For this tutorial, I am focusing on the release parties often held on Facebook

The value of Pinterest is in the visual appeal or clarification that comes with viewing an image. Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Let those pictures help you sell your written words

I assure you that I am not the one who came up with the idea of creating boards for each novel, and using the pins on a novel board in a release party. I am taking what I've learned from others, adding a few organizational tips of my own and passing it along.

I became sold on this idea after attending a few book release parties on Facebook that I felt were effective because they shared images that related to their books. For example, while reading a particular novel, from the description of one of the dresses, I thought I could visualize that dress in my mind. It didn’t stick in my memory. I later saw the Pinterest pin of the dress on which this description was based. It made the dress more memorable. The author also shared the image of this dress as part of her release party. It sparked interest in the book and the character who wore the gown. I don’t remember all the clothing described in all the many novels I have read recently. But, I remember that dress, the novel it came from and the name of the author because I SAW THE PICTURE OF THE DRESS.

The number of images from Pinterest you use depends on how long your release party...or your portion of a joint promotional event...will last. It also depends on your individual style. It is better to have more images prepared to share than what you think you will want or need. On the day of the release party, you can always pick and choose based on the interest and the flow of attendee comments.

Figure 1

Assuming you are writing fiction, here are some aspects or elements of your novel to keep in mind as you first gather pins on Pinterest and then choose which ones to share with your potential readers at your release party. Select the ones you think will spark the most interest:

1. Setting - 

Do you have a picture of the locality in which your story takes place? The countryside? A town? A building? A room? Add a Pinterest image along with a brief description. (See Figure 1) You can use the description you added to your pin at the time you pinned it on your public board. Or, you can compose a brief description for your release party and, if you choose, add it to your pin later. As with all your images from Pinterest, you may want to also include a link to your Pinterest novel board so your release party attendees can easily find your pins.

Figure 2

2. Characters - Did you use an image of a person you found on Pinterest on which you based the description of one of your characters? Share it at your release party. If not, how about an item of clothing or a clothing accessory for one of your characters? Share the image along with a brief comment about how or why it relates to your book.(See Figure 2)

 

Figure 3

3.  Plot - 

Do you have any Pinterest pins that describe some aspect of the plot or storyline? How about an unfamiliar vehicle, piece of equipment or plant--anything that is involved in moving the story forward? Share the picture, especially if it is unusual, hard to describe or unique in some way. Include a description of how it relates to the storyline of your novel. (See Figure 3)

 Have you written a blog post or other internet article with pictures and research information that support your novel? You can put the link for the article directly into your comments box. Or, after you have pinned that article to Pinterest (directions on how to do that will be included in the next tutorial), you can show the Pinterest pin of the image that corresponds to that blog post along with the link to your Pinterest site. That way, your party attendees know they can always go to your Pinterest novel board to find that blog post. (See Figure 4)

Figure 4

There is also a concept well-known among sales people often expressed as W.I.I.F.M.? That acronym stands for “What’s In It For Me?” Some release party attendees just like to chat, but others hope to get something out of taking the time and making the effort to attend your book release party. Some hope to win a free copy of the featured book or another prize you may offer. Not everyone can win those prizes. However, you can satisfy the WIIFM? desire for everyone who attends by offering something that all attendees may use if they so choose.

To satisfy WIIFM?, some writers add links to special music or a You-Tube video for entertainment. Other writers share recipes either by posting a link to a favorite recipe on an internet site or by copying and pasting one of their own recipes into a comment box.

Another option is to share one of the recipes you have pinned to your novel board on Pinterest, especially if it relates to your book.

Along with the image, you can add the link to your board so party attendees can easily find the pin for the recipe. From there they can click through to the source with the complete recipe. If they choose to not print out or save the recipe to their computer at the time of the party, they know they can always go to your Pinterest board and find it. (See Figure 5)

Figure 5

Figure 6

 


Same thing with how-to tutorials. Do you possibly have seamstresses, quilters or craftsmen among your party attendees? Offer them a picture of a pin with a DIY (do it yourself) project which has a link to the online location where they can find directions for that project. This is especially effective if the project relates to your novel, such as this tote bag that Jennie in Family Secrets used to carry her digital recorder and questions for an oral interview with her Grandpa Mike. (See Figure 6)

 

 

With a little advance planning, you can keep everything organized and accessible the day of your release party.

Figure 7

 1. Set up a folder for your images and script for the release party. I put my release party folder, clearly labeled, on my computer desktop so it was easy to find. (See Figure 7) Once the party was over, I moved it to my My Documents folder. 

Figure 8

2.  Select the Pinterest images you want to use for your release party and put a copy of them in your release party folder. You can also add digital images from your own collection and add them to your Pinterest board after the release party.

Decide on the order in which you want to present them at your party. As part of the image name, put a number in the front so that they are organized in presentation order in your folder. (See Figure 8)

3.  Open a Word document and create a script. Set up your script however it makes sense and is comfortable for you. I set my margins to narrow and made three columns to a page.

For each image you use, type a number on the word document. From your release party folder, insert the thumbnail of the numbered picture that corresponds with the typed number on the script. Next, type a short description for that image. You can use part or all of the description you already added to the pin when you placed it on your Pinterest novel board. Or, you can write up a description and add it to your pin after the party.(See Figure 9)

On the day of the release party, you can add an image to a Facebook comment box and then, from your script, copy and paste the description that goes with it. If you decide on the day of the party to reword your comment, no problem. The script merely gives you something with which to work.

Once you have completed your script, save the Word document to the release party folder so everything stays together.

 

Figure 9

4.  The day of the release party, Have three things open on your computer before the event starts:

     a.  Facebook - Go to the page on which the event will be held

     b.  The release party folder with the images

     c.  The script on the Word document .

Along with participating in the discussion, responding to questions or “liking” comments, you can keep your release party moving by pulling Pinterest images from your release party folder and descriptions from your script. Based on the flow of response from attendees, use as many or as few images and descriptions as you feel will enhance your event.

In the end, leave a link to the Pinterest board you created for your novel on your release party site, either in a post pinned to the top or in a comment box. Invite your party attendees to follow not only the board for the novel you are promoting, but all of your writing boards. The more your readers see as well as read about your books, the greater the chance they will become enthused about what you have to offer and be motivated to buy your books.

The Fire Star Press imprint of Prairie Rose Publications was created as a publishing company devoted to publishing contemporary, futuristic, paranormal and fantasy works of all lengths. For those who are not familiar with what has already been published by Fire Star Press, we are featuring the eight works currently available in a little post-release presentation. You can click on each title to be directed to the Fire Star Press website for a complete description, an excerpt and purchase links.

THE WISHING TREE by Cheryl Pierson

Will a special tree–a wishing tree–contain enough magic to fulfill all their Christmas desires?

FAMILY SECRETS by Zina Abbott

From Vietnam to Afghanistan, how many secrets can one family keep?

WHITE CHRISTMAS by Cheryl Pierson

A firefighter--an ER nurse--and holiday sparks!

THE DARKER SIDEOF GOODNESS by Cheryl Pierson

A generous demon gets the surprise of his “life” when the human he tries to help on Halloween shows him the meaning of The Darker Side of Goodness.

A HEART FOR A HEART by Cheryl Pierson

Home safe from Iraq only to face a war for his heart.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER by Cheryl Pierson

A gypsy fortune teller predicts a new love with a big surprise for Fireman Gage Ross and Cindy Taylor, two people who have both sworn to remain single ALWAYS AND FOREVER.

SWEET DANGER by Cheryl Pierson

Love and Bullets at First Sight.

CAST AWAY HEART by Sarah J. McNeal

An abandoned piano, rejected. Love and hope....

If you have not already done so, please sign up to follow the Fire Star Press blog in order to be notified of new releases and receive blog posts written by the Fire Star Press publishers and guest authors.

As stated in the beginning, this is number three of four tutorials on how to use Pinterest to help you as a writer. For the last tutorial, we will see you back on the Prairie Rose Publications blog. 

Those tutorials that are past are linked below. Here is the schedule:

1.  Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - Prairie Rose Publications blog

     Part 1: Set Up Your Accounts, Boards and Start Pinning

2.  Monday, October 20, 2014 - Prairie Rose Publications blog

     Part 2: ManageYour Writer’s Boards and Pins

3.  Friday, November 7, 2014 - Fire Star Press blog

     Part 3: Enhance Your Novel Release Party Using Pinterest

4.  Monday, November 17, 2014 - Prairie Rose Publications blog

     Part 4: Add Pinterest to Your Blog and Website

 

Robyn Echols writes using the pen name, Zina Abbott. Her novel, FAMILY SECRETS, has been published by Fire Star Press and is now available. Her short historical western romance, A CHRISTMAS PROMISE, was recently published by Prairie Rose Publications.

Pinterest board for FAMILY SECRETS by Zina Abbott

Pinterest board for A CHRISTMAS PROMISE by Zina Abbott

FSP - New Release - THE WISHING TREE by Cheryl Pierson - Giveaway!

Please be sure to leave a comment along with your contact information to be entered in the drawing for a digital copy of Cheryl Pierson's THE WISHING TREE.

BLURB

Pete Cochran, a war veteran with both visible and invisible scars, is mostly a loner. Then a special woman with a young son walks into his life as he works at his father's Christmas tree lot–a woman with problems he can't ignore.

Maria Sanchez and her son Miguel eke out an existence on her part-time earnings, but share an abundance of love, except when terrorized by her drug addict relative. When she meets Pete, she sees him not as a frightening man, but a wounded hero returned from war. Her son seems immediately drawn to the unusual Christmas tree vendor.

Will a special tree–a wishing tree–contain enough magic to fulfill all their Christmas desires?

EXCERPT

     Her eyes met his and she smiled. It was a smile he'd not been expecting; a genuine greeting so sincere he wondered if he may have known her from the past. She seemed familiar to him, somehow.      But if he'd known her, he never would've forgotten. She was too beautiful–inside and out–for him to have misplaced that memory. Even with two years in Iraq and the war wounds that separated his normal life before and what passed for normal now.

     He smiled back, reflexively, without conscious thought or effort, and her grin widened. A few feet away from him, she stopped and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

     Pete's smile faded. He'd been just about to speak when she'd stopped in her tracks like that.

     "That's one of the most beautiful scents on this earth," she said, looking straight into his one good eye. "I've always loved the smell of Christmas."

     There was no rejection in her face–she looked at him the way people used to–before the war. When he'd had both eyes, and no eye patch.

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NEW RELEASE! FAMILY SECRETS by ZINA ABBOTT--GIVEAWAY!

Jennie Graves Howell has a secret, including being thought of as a loyal wife to her husband serving in Afghanistan, a husband who has demanded a divorce.

Jennie’s family do not want her to delve into the past. Grandpa Mike refuses to talk about his experiences in the Vietnam War and the aftermath. He wants the biggest mistake he ever made to remain hidden in the past, including family members Jennie never heard about until hints of their existence begin to seep through the cracks of secrecy.

Her new friends at the Golden Oaks Family Ties club are willing to teach Jennie the skills she needs to unlock her family’s secrets, but is she willing and emotionally strong enough to learn what her family has kept hidden?


Zina Abbott has a brand new novel out today! FAMILY SECRETS is the story of a young woman's discovery of how she fits into her family when she joins a genealogy club. As Jennie finds out, there are some secrets to be revealed when delving into family relationships! Please be sure to leave a comment along with your contact information to be entered in the drawing for a digital copy of Zina Abbott's story, FAMILY SECRETS!

EXCERPT FROM FAMILY SECRETS:

Jennie smiled, and hoped her face did not reveal the sadness inside. She wished her warrior husband was favorably impressed by her.

Then Jennie snapped her focus back to Quinn. She realized that he had shared something with her that was not common knowledge.

“So, Quinn Armitage Jacobson is your full legal name, huh? I fig-ured the “A” stood for Andrew or Allen or something like that. But Armitage! That is such an interesting middle name.”

“Interesting, huh?” he grimaced. “You are too kind.”

“But Quinn, that is a great name. I mean, Quinn is a pretty neat name in and of itself, but Armitage? How distinguished!”

“I’m happy you think so. The whole time I was growing up, if I ever told someone my middle name, they found some way to ridicule me.”

“Oh, that sounds like something little kids would do. They poke fun at anything out of the ordinary.”

“It’s supposed to be some family name,” he shrugged. “I don’t remember the details.”

“Would you try to find out? I’ll bet there is a great story behind it.”

The corner of Quinn’s mouth turned up in a half-smile.

“So, is that my assignment, Jennie? Do you need birth dates and places, too? You already have the nicknames.”

“That’s up to you,” Jennie laughed, suddenly embarrassed. “For now, I just think it would be interesting to know the history behind your middle name.”

Then Jennie asked herself, since when? Would Jennie have given the history behind someone’s name a second thought before her conversation with Mrs. Moore?

“And here with all your talk about getting to know historical people, I thought you might be interested in me, personally,” Quinn said with mock disappointment as he slapped his open palm on his chest.

“First of all, you are not a historical person—not yet, anyway. Second, you don’t need an old married lady like me to be interested in you other than as a friend. Aren’t all the other girls around here interested in you?”

“Yeah, right!”

“Well, maybe more would be if you did not throw around those big words all the time. Me, I figure it’s a test.”

“Maybe it is a test. Maybe not too many people pass the test.”

Jennie finished gathering up her backpack and slung it across her shoulder. “Maybe you should stop trying to test people and just be yourself. Try to get to know people and let them get to know you.”

“The test is more fun. Besides, I figure one thing at a time. Like you, I’m coming back to get my education. I’m not here to meet people, especially women. Maybe that’s why I like you so much. You are a woman and taken. You are safe. It leaves me free to concentrate on my priorities so I don’t get off-track like I did in my earlier days. I like being able to be just friends with you.”

Jennie felt her throat constrict. She’d been taken, all right, by her husband. At one time she would have liked the thought that she was considered “safe.” But, looking at Quinn bending his head to look in her eyes, she was not so sure now.

“I need to go, Quinn. Mom is expecting me for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow in class.”

Jennie waved good-by as she walked away. She turned back for one last look to see how he had taken her final salvo. Quinn was still standing where she left him, watching her with his crooked little smile.

BUY IT HERE!
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secrets-Zina-Abbott-ebook/dp/B00OVDPGDS/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414376238&sr=1-6&keywords=Family+Secrets

Writing About Combat Veterans - Part 2: Traumatic Brain Injury

 Most people are familiar with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) being one of the psychological injuries that may be suffered by combat veterans. However, along with PTSD, another combat-related trauma that is considered one of the "signature" injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is TBI (traumatic brain injury).

Just what is TBI and how can you as an author portray in your work a character acquiring and suffering from such a condition?

To do so, it is important to know what TBIs are, how warriors receive this type of injury, and what symptoms are manifested. Here are a few quick details about TBIs:

1.  Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led to increased awareness of TBI among the troops.

2.  Modern protective gear has protected soldiers and advances in battlefield medicine have increased survival rates for many injuries caused by IEDs (improvised explosive devices), RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and other weaponry. In spite of that, some of these warriors have experienced serious brain injuries which have resulted in long-term impairment of how they function physically, cognitively and behaviorally. 

3.  This type of injury has often been referred to as “having your bell rung” or “seeing stars.”

4.  A TBI is caused by the high pressure blast waves from explosions. They rattle the brain inside the skull. Helmets cannot protect from this kind of injury.

5.  There is a distinction between a mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury) also known as a concussion, which cannot be diagnosed by medical tests, and those TBIs that are moderate to severe, which can show up on brains scans. About 20 percent of soldiers from these wars have experienced at least one TBI, but 99 percent are concussions that are considered mild. 

6.  Diagnosis is based on the severity at the time of the injury, not according to the nature or duration of the symptoms afterwards.

7.  Mild TBIs do not require evacuation from the combat area.

8.  Symptoms of TBIs can be confused with those of PTSD. They are both considered “silent” wounds. They are not readily apparent by looking at the injured person.

9.  When a soldier experiences a moderate to severe TBI, s/he is almost always evacuated by air transport away from the battlefield and sent to Germany or the USA for evaluation and treatment.

10.  Some cases of TBI are severely debilitating and require long-term treatment.

11.  A concussion (mild TBI) is defined as a blow or jolt to the head. It briefly causes a person to lose consciousness, even if only for seconds. It causes a temporary gap in memory and leaves the person confused and disoriented. It can cause headaches, irritability, anger, dizziness, balance problems, fatigue, sleep disturbance, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, apathy, cognitive problems which include difficulty concentrating, problems making decisions or difficulty remembering things. Concussion sufferers often experience a low tolerance for lights and noise.

12.  These problems usually clear up shortly after the injury. In some cases, they may last for a longer period of time. In a few cases, symptoms such as headache, insomnia, memory problems, attention, and cognitive issues become chronic.

13.  The treatment for concussion is rest and avoidance of alcohol and drugs until the symptoms go away, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

14.  When symptoms continue for some time after a battle-related concussion, it is difficult to separate the cause of the symptoms from other types of injuries or physiological effects of working in a combat situation.

15.  Concussion is not the same as PTSD even though many of the symptoms are the same. Concussion is a physical injury to the brain. PTSD is a set of reactions or symptoms after trauma that may or may not have a physical origin.

16.  A warrior who has suffered a concussion may be at greater risk for PTSD.

17.  As with most injuries of this nature, many active-duty soldiers and combat veterans who suffer from the effects of a TBI do not like to talk about what they are experiencing.

18.  Symptoms of moderate or severe TBI include persistent headache, repeated nausea and vomiting, convulsions or seizures, inability to awaken from sleep, stupor, coma, vegetative state (similar to coma, but the person continues to have a sleep-wake cycle and periods of alertness) and persistent vegetative state (lasts more than a month). Recovery is possible in many cases, but generally is a long and slow process.

In my novel, Family Secrets, Jennie's estranged husband, Gerald begins to act in ways that are not like him. She tries to puzzle out how much of his strange behavior is due to their crumbling relationship and how much may be do to what he is experiencing in Afghanistan. She has no idea what he might be suffering from until later in the book she is asked,

   "Mrs. Howell, do you know if your husband has ever had his bell rung?"
   "Excuse me?" Jennie asked, bewildered.
    "Has he ever suffered a concussion from being too close to an IED explosion?"
   "No," Jennie shook her head. "I mean, I don't know. He's never said anything."

Even though Jennie is married to a soldier deployed to Afghanistan, and the novel includes scenes from the year Jennie's Grandpa Mike fought in the Vietnam War, Family Secrets is not a war story.

Family Secrets is not a traditional Thanksgiving Day story, although Thanksgiving plays a big role in this novel. Not only do we learn of Mike's Thanksgiving experience in Vietnam, but he shares the reason it is important to him to celebrate this particular holiday each year surrounded by his family.

Family Secrets is about three generations of a family, their secrets, how they resolve their individual challenges and draw closer together.

Family Secrets by Zina Abbott is scheduled to be published by Fire Star Press in the last week of October. Plan to get your copy and gain another perspective on why Thanksgiving Day can be a special day for more reasons than remembering the Pilgrims.

 

Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott.

Fire Star Press New Release -- White Christmas By Cheryl Pierson -- Giveaway!

Cheryl is giving away a free ebook of her short story White Christmas, so be sure to comment and leave your information so she can contact you.

BLURB
Since her divorce, busy ER nurse Carlie Thomas has been only too happy to spend Christmas on duty. This year, however, she’s decided to take a much-needed break. What she gets instead is an unexpected houseguest, courtesy of her Uncle Rick.

Derek Pierce, a fireman with no family, needs some special care after being injured in a fire. As Christmas approaches, Carlie discovers that she has more in common with Derek than being alone. But Derek’s wounds are more than just skin deep. Will they spend the holidays haunted by the ghosts of the past, or could this Christmas spark a new, beautiful friendship…or even something more?

EXCERPT

The box was being so damn stubborn. Lights, it said on the side. Couldn't have a tree with no lights. And this year, Carlie was going to have a tree. It seemed like every year getting the decorations down got worse, and there was nothing she could do to make Christmas any easier. The box was just symbolic of how bad everything had gotten over the last three years since Dan left her.

Carlie blew a strand of hair out of her face and balanced on the pull-down ladder. This shouldn't be so hard. She really didn't have that many Christmas decorations. Every time she put things away after Christmas, she got rid of something. Lights that had worn out, or ratty garland...something always went in the trashcan or the donation box. Usually, both. And she hadn't bought any new decorations during the last four years.

She'd known her marriage was headed due south then. A year later, she was divorced. Being alone every year didn't get any easier than dragging all this damn Christmas stuff out of the attic. Sometimes, she thought maybe she was getting rid of Christmas, little by little. It would take a miracle to make her care—really care—if Christmas even came next year. But this year, for the first time in the memorable past, she had the week off.

She pulled hard, and the bulky box freed up quickly, nearly sending her sprawling backward off the ladder. She caught herself just in time, adrenaline pumping through her. She backed down the ladder, the box in her arms.

Just as Carlie managed to set it inside the laundry room, the phone rang.

"Oh, huh-uh. I am not going back to work." She'd put in for a week's vacation over a year ago. She hadn't had Christmas off for the last four years. Working as an ER nurse in one of Oklahoma City's major hospitals had not afforded her much opportunity for any time off at all over the last eight years—especially not during the holidays.

She reached for the phone and checked the caller ID, a smile replacing the earlier scowl as she pushed the 'talk' button. "Hello, Uncle Rick. How's my favorite uncle?"

"I hope that's true."

Carlie could hear the smile in his voice. "You know it is."

"I've got a favor to ask, honey."

"Anything." The hesitation in his tone made her curious.

"Well...don't promise it before you know what I'm going to ask." He drew a breath, then said, "Remember a couple of days ago, when two of my men were brought in there at Mercy for smoke inhalation?"

"Yes. That fire over on Shartel—"

"That's right. Kevin de la Rosa and Derek Pierce."

Carlie had been on duty that night. The two firefighters' equipment malfunctioned and they barely made it back outside the burning home before they collapsed. Carlie had taken a keen interest in them, since they'd been under her uncle's command. He'd been sick with worry.

"Kevin's back home with his wife and kids."

"Great!"

"But Derek—" He broke off, and Carlie knew he was unsure as to how to proceed.

She smiled. "I know he was supposed to be released today or tomorrow. He was a little more severely affected." I know because I checked up on him.

"Yeah, they're gonna release him this afternoon. But he needs someone with him. I mean, he has to do the breathing treatments every four hours— I know he won't do that on his own."

"Typical man," Carlie teased.

Rick laughed, then sobered. "There's more to it than that, though, honey. A year ago, he lost his brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces to a Christmas fire. It's coming up on the first anniversary of their deaths, and he's alone. He's recovering from the smoke inhalation, and by the way, you were right. He did have a couple of busted ribs. I know your team was the first to see them when they were brought in."

Carlie's mind went back to the night when Derek Pierce and the other firefighter, de la Rosa, had been brought in. Derek had been in worse shape than his buddy. His dark hair was matted with sweat and grit from battling the flames. Soot and grime smudged his face, layering on his olive skin across his cheekbones. He had been handsome, even in that condition. She remembered the tingle that ran through her when his eyes cracked open and met hers.

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