It Pays to Answer Your Phone.

I got some good news this week, and the moral of the story is this: sometimes it does pay to answer those random phone calls.

 

If you’re like me, you never answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. I’ve gotten too many telemarketers and scammers, so I’m always cautious about answering my phone with a number I don’t recognize. I also have phone security apps that weed out a lot of the spam calls.

 

So, on Sunday, when my phone rang from a number in Atlanta, and I knew I didn’t recognize it, I let it go to voicemail. And forgot about it, especially when my phone didn’t alert me to a voicemail. Later in the day, I was scrolling on my phone and noticed an alert on my voicemail screener. Usually, those calls are spam, but if I get an alert, I check it. 

 

The cool thing about that app is it transcribes the voice mail so I can get a hint at least about the type of voicemail it is. This time, the app couldn’t transcribe the message. I was positive that meant it was a scam. But I listened to it anyway.

 

Good thing I did, because it was from the contest chair for the Maggie Awards, a contest run by the Georgia Romance Writers. Although it only asked me to call them back, I knew it would be good news of some sort, since you never get calls that you LOST a contest.

 

I called back immediately, left a voicemail, and unblocked the strange Atlanta number that I’d blocked before. Oops. She called me right back and let me know I’m a finalist in the contest for my book Unlock My Heart. Winners will be announced at their conference in October. 

My Book Is Coming Out!

 Leave it to me to have a new book coming out a few days before we leave on vacation. Actually, if you think about it, the timing shouldn’t be a surprise. I’ve had books release the day after my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, and right around the time of the Passover seder, which I host. So a few days prior to vacation should be neither a surprise nor a big deal.

 

Except that it is. I have a new book coming out! That event is always exciting, whether or not it’s my first. I just looked, and it’s actually my fourteenth! Wow. 

 

Releasing a book is a lot of work. It involves much more than just writing it. After the entire process of writing, editing, cover design, formatting, etc. is complete, comes the marketing. And that starts prior to the launch date. 

 

From the moment I received my release date—March 2—I’ve been working on my marketing plan. I contacted other authors to see if I could be a guest on their blogs. Being a guest blogger gives me the chance to talk about something related to my book, or introduce myself, to their audience. It means a lot of content writing, since I don’t want to say the same thing on everyone’s blogs.

 

I revealed my cover on my Instagram account—and on other Instagrammers' accounts who were kind enough to share. Some of those Instagrammers even created cool graphics about my book, which was awesome!

 

Thank you to Mommy's Book Escape!

I contacted people to read the book in advance and provide me with reviews on release day. I also provided my books to review sites, in the hopes that they’ll write a positive review and people will buy it. Hopefully, they did and will remember to post it on Wednesday or soon after.

 

My website has been, and will be, updated to include the new book and buy links. Same with my Facebook page, my Facebook reader’s group, my Twitter, and all my other social media accounts. I’ve stretched my graphics ability about as far as I can, creating them to announce my cover, the preorder links, and soon, the release of the book. 

 

I mailed postcards announcing my upcoming book to almost everyone for whom I have a mailing address—sorry/not sorry for the junk mail. 

 

I even put the previous book on sale for 99 cents to encourage readers and hopefully gain follow through. And of course, I've kept my newsletter mailing list up to date with my latest news.

 

All of those things take time. It’s part of the whole “being an author” thing, and it’s fun but exhausting. And scary. Because the part I love about being an author is creating the story. The part I love less is trying to convince people to buy my book or get it from their library. But it’s a necessary part of the process, so I do it. 

 

Now, all that’s left is for me to finish up a few blog posts, and then sit and wait and hope all of you buy my book. 

 

I hope you will. And if you do buy it and read it, I hope you’ll post a review to Goodreads, Amazon, or social media. Or tell your friends about it. That’s the best way for you to help me. Thank you!

Cover Reveal

 Guess what? I can finally show you the cover for my upcoming book!

Isn't it pretty? I love it, and I love how The Wild Rose Press cover artist created something that goes well with A Reckless Heart, Book 1.

Here's the blurb: 

Abby Marlow, computer security expert, lands a job at the best IT security firm in the country. Her sole focus is financial independence so she never has to rely on others again, especially a man. But why does her boss make her wires short circuit?

 

Ted Endicott, CEO and founder of the IT security firm, is hard of hearing. Although an expert in his field, he’s still uncomfortable admitting his difficulty hearing to his clients or employees. So why is he willing to accept Abby’s help?

 

As Ted and Abby work together, barriers fall away, and soon the lines blur between colleagues and lovers. But a security glitch in a client's system indicates one of his employees is the hacker, and all signs point to Abby. Can they get past the suspicion and find a future together? 

And, if you want to preorder, here's a link that will take to you some of the retailers (more will be added between now and release day): 

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3yK1De

Philanthropy Day

Today is Philanthropy Day, so it seems only fitting to mention my new series, The Scarred Hearts. The heroes of the four-book series are tops in their field and have more money than they know what to do with. So they form a partnership and find worthy causes to donate their money to.

In A Reckless Heart, Simon and his buddies donate to the town, purchasing land that condo developers want. Instead, with the donated money, the town is able to buy the land and build a park, including a therapy garden, which is near and dear to Simon's heart.

In Unlock My Heart (releasing March 2, 2022), Ted and his friends donate money to an inner city boys and girls club to fund their coding for kids program. This cause is special to the heroine's heart, since she learned to code in a similar type of place and it gave her a future. 

What types of causes are important to you? Please consider making a donation to them. And, if the above information interested you, click here for more information: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/awrecklessheart.html

 

 

Release Date!

I have a release date for my next book! On March 2, 2022, Unlock My Heart will make its way into the world, and I couldn’t be happier.

This book is the second in my Scarred Hearts series. The first, A Reckless Heart, released this past March.

 

Why did it take so long? Well, a number of reasons. My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, had a lot of books to release for the holidays, so they understandably took precedence. I had things going on that made my editing process take a little longer, too. But, it’s coming!

 

Unlock My Heart will follow Ted Endicott, the second of the four CAST members. He’s a tech whiz, a CEO, and hard of hearing. Abby Marlow is also a tech whiz (equal opportunity author here!), a woman with a past, and someone who wants to make it on her own. Their chemistry is explosive, but their path to romance is rocky, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

 

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