25 Crazy Days
So I approved the final galley of my new book, the Co-Parent Project, and received the cover art. I knew I’d have my release date soon. From past experience, I figured I’d have at least a couple months to prepare a good promotion plan. I had time to tidy up the loose ends of work in progress, personal and professional. Then, I woke up to an email from the publisher. My release date was only twenty-five days away. Everything in my life spun into chaos. Let me tell you what was already going on.
My dog, Archie, had just had surgery to remove three teeth, close a whole in his sinus cavity, and remove a cyst from his eyelid. He was on two prescriptions, twice a day, plus eye ointment, and barely getting down any food. He was in pain and annoyed by the cone. He wanted to be held constantly. My heart was with him.
I only had three chapters left to write on the first draft of a new story. I figured I had plenty of down time to help out a few friends by reading ARCs for reviews--six of them to be exact.
I know this all sounds do-able, but I’m not finished.
My lawn and garden supplies had taken over my husband’s garage and half the laundry room. After endless complaints and a little discussion, I purchased a new shed that had to be built by hubby and myself the next weekend. Why the next weekend, you ask?
The week after the shed I had to strip all the carpet, padding, tack strips, and remaining lumps and bumps off the floors in the living room and master bedroom. It had to be down to the clean, even concrete. Why? Because, the new flooring had been delivered. Yes, hubby and I would be hard at work laying hundreds of feet of new wood laminate during his vacation days.
There’s another problem. Hubby was taking vacation time. That meant cooking actual meals, looking halfway presentable, answering all his questions, and keeping him entertained when not crawling around tapping floor planks together—which, by-the-way, were being stored in my office.
So, what have I accomplished as far as promo for the new release? It was too late to hire a promo company for a blog tour. I contacted all my friends to host me on their blogs. I contacted the people I was reading, and had recently read ARCs for to return the favor. And, I sent tons of emails to professional reviewers. All accomplished while eating meals at my desk. I don’t have bling purchased, contests planned, or events scheduled yet, but I do have awesome friends like Jennifer to get me started.
The Co-Parent Project
Tag line:
Parenting style won't matter if they don't all survive.
Blurb:
Luca Wolff and Joy Sullivan are competing for guardianship of their estranged, teenage nephew, Eric, after his parents are killed in a plane crash. Evidence shows the crash wasn't an accident. Neither was a recent explosion that destroyed Luca's house. When a fire is intentionally set in Joy's home, suspicion points to Eric--and that's not the end of their trouble. Eric has been in his share of mischief, but now he has a chance to clean up his reputation. That's hard to do when the only people who believe in you are the ones you're accused of targeting. Just as Luca and Joy give in to romance, new information comes to light that could tear them apart along with Eric's dream for a happy family. The three have to set aside their grief, personal issues, and disagreements to figure out who is out to kill them…and why.
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Excerpt:
As soon as he walked through the door the smell of chemicals nearly drove him back outside. The odor was so strong it made his eyes water. He couldn’t take it anymore. “How can you live with the constant stench in this house?” “I’m sorry. Mrs. Erving needed a perm today.” Joy walked in through the kitchen door carrying a squeeze bottle of mustard. “I was just making lunch. Would you like a ham and cheese sandwich?” “No thanks,” he snarled. “All I’d be able to taste is that nasty smell.” “How can you taste a smell?” “You’d know if your olfactory receptors weren’t burned away. That stuff has got to cause brain damage.” “Do you plan to claim it as a way to get Eric away from me? I wouldn’t put anything past a Wolff.”
Author Bio:
From childhood I've moved from place to place, from Indiana to Florida, stopping in several places in between. I also moved from job to job; as a waitress, soldier, retail manager, dental assistant, etc… The one thing I never had to leave behind was my imagination. Storytelling has always been my favorite way to pass time. I've often been told I should write a book. Finally, I did. It was so much fun: I felt I must write more, so I have. I've been a student of Long Ridge Writers Group and once won a short story contest with Harlequin. I currently live in North Florida with my husband, whom I torture with crazy story lines and half written manuscripts.
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