Nancy's Notes From Florida

Indie Author Day 2023
November 5, 2023

I was thrilled to be invited as keynote speaker and panelist at the Ponte Vedra Beach Library’s celebration of Indie Author Day.

   

While in St. Augustine the day before, my husband and I lunched at AlA Ale Works at the end of King St. facing the bay.

     

Across the wide grassy square outside was The Treasury on the Plaza, where our daughter got married five years ago. We found a cute mini donut place down the street from this location. Then we strolled down Saint George St. to window shop. The weather was windy and drizzly so we headed to our hotel to huddle in for the night.

   

 

The next morning, we drove north along Rt. A1A toward Ponte Vedra Beach. This was a half hour trip along a two-lane road with occasional glimpses of the rough surf to our right. I had been craving a view of the ocean and wished we could have lingered but we didn’t have time.

The library staff were very welcoming. The room was crowded as I gave my speech talking about my career struggles and how to conquer the doubt demons that plague all authors.

A panel followed where we answered questions about self-publishing. My fellow panelists, Melody Pendlebury and Ken Overman, write in entirely different genres, so it was interesting to hear their responses. Vic DeGenti, an eminent member of Florida Writers Association, moderated.

   

We sat at tables next to sell and sign our books, while the Friends of the Library supplied sandwiches for lunch.

The rest of the day included a book fair with other indie authors. As I did not partake in this, we ducked out to head home. I was glad to meet the friendly library staff and so many inquisitive writers. I hope they gained what they’d come to learn.

GIVEAWAY

Enter to win two free books at Booklovers Bench in our monthly giveaway: https://bookloversbench.com/contests/win-two-free-books-nov-2023/


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A Spooky Halloween Read
October 31, 2023

Happy Halloween! If you’re looking for a spooky read, check out my Halloween novella titled Haunted Hair Nights. This book won Third Place in the IDA Contest in the Suspense Short category. The story falls between Peril by Ponytail and Facials Can Be Fatal in my Bad Hair Day mystery series.

Haunted Hair Nights

Digital ISBN: 978-0-9970038-3-3
Print ISBN: 978-0-9970038-4-0
Cover Design by Boulevard Photografica
Interior Design by www.formatting4U.com

When history teacher Bill Ripari offers his property for a Halloween school haunted house project, hairstylist Marla Vail volunteers to help put the scare factor into the place. She joins her stepdaughter along with other students, parents, and teachers to transform the wooded estate into a creepy attraction. She’s busy creating decorations when a splash of red on the estate grounds catches her eye. Upon a closer look, she realizes the dark stain isn’t fake blood meant to be part of the scene. The trail leads to the history teacher’s dead body.

Worried about the kids, Marla puts on her sleuthing hat to investigate. She discovers that every one of the volunteers present that night had a possible motive. Between slacker students, helicopter parents, unexpected heirs, and a stonewalling school administration, Marla has her hands full in solving the murder and keeping her stepdaughter safe. Can she sift through the suspects and unmask the killer before Halloween fright night turns into reality?

“Halloween, mystery, dead body, oh my! This novella, although short, was filled with lots of twists and turns, interesting complex characters and a great storyline!” Charlene’s Reviews

“This standalone novella will keep you flipping pages wondering who done it until the end. For those of us who don’t want bad dreams for Halloween, this entry into the Bad Hair Day series is an excellent alternative.” Reader by Night

“This is a good cozy mystery that can be enjoyed by young adults on up. It was a pleasure to read this story.” Readers’ Favorite

“I love this series so much. It’s especially nice to read how Marla is progressing with her new family. A haunted mansion is the perfect setting for a Halloween read.” Socrates Book Reviews

Click Here to Get Your Copy Now

Happy Halloween! 


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Florida WritersCon 2023 – Day Three
October 30, 2023

This continues my recap of the Florida Writers Association Conference with a report on Day Three. We started the morning with a continental breakfast followed by two workshop sessions. The first one I attended was on creating emotional impact in your writing.

We were told to think about characters in a book that we’d follow anywhere. What was their appeal? Now think about your own protagonist. What obstacles do they face? What are their weaknesses? What would help them or hurt them? And what do they need to complete their journey? Do the same for your villain. Also, what universal truths do you want to resonate in your story? These become the themes in your novel. Tap into the strong emotions you’ve experienced in your life when writing your book.

The second workshop was a panel on AI (Artificial Intelligence), a popular topic at this conference. Many issues were raised, such as putting clauses in our book contracts against having our work used in AI training. Generative AI can be useful for tasks as a collaborative assistant. AI detection tools are in the works. For cover artists, AI can be helpful for research but not for creativity. AI generated art cannot be copyrighted because there’s no human element involved. And yet … AI generated art is winning against traditional art in competitions that are judged objectively. Is it not a creative act between the machine and the prompt engineer? You can have both, and that’s how the creative world might survive. For a writer, AI can be another tool in our arsenal for book marketing and generating story ideas.

The potential threat to humanity posed by the rise of AI was discussed. One fear is humans using AI for their own profit more so than AI itself taking over humanity. Manufactured myths are a danger, i.e. false news and social media manipulation. Artificial evolution means AI is changing fast.

How to get around AI in the classroom where it might be used by students to write papers would be to ask for opinion pieces.

Another issue … How will AI keep learning once it consumes all the data it’s fed? It may spit back generated (i.e. made-up) data or inaccurate information.

This is all food for thought. Personally, I’ve found ChatGPT to be helpful for certain tasks in book marketing and in generating specific storylines. You have to design a detailed prompt to get the desired response.

Disclaimer: These summaries are my interpretation of what I heard. Any errors are mine alone. 

Join me at my next appearance on Nov. 4, 2023, 10:30 am EDT, Indie Author Day, Ponte Vedra Beach Library, 101 Library Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082. I’m proud to be a panelist and keynote speaker at this event. Free registration: https://sjcpls.org/event/indie-author-showcase/

Oct. 1 – 31, Kobo Paranormal Romance BOGO
Paranormal Sci/Fi Romance Sale at Kobo Oct. 1-31 – Buy One Get One Free! My book, Circle of Light, is included. If you don’t own a Kobo e-reader, you can download the free app. Start reading now: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/circle-of-light-9

Oct. 16 – Nov. 1, BookSweeps Paranormal, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Romance Giveaway
Enter to win 45 exciting Paranormal, Scifi & Fantasy Romances from a great collection of authors AND a brand new eReader! My book, Warrior Prince, is included. Enter Here: https://bit.ly/paranormal-romance-oct23

 


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Florida WritersCon 2023 – Day Two
October 28, 2023

This continues my recap of the Florida Writers Association Conference with a report on Day Two. After a buffet breakfast on Saturday, bestselling author Lisa Black gave her keynote address. Then we dispersed to various workshops.

 

 

 

As a faculty member, I had a booksigning slot that morning. This meant I couldn’t attend the morning breakout session. I hung around until lunch, which was a buffet barbecue meal. Awards were presented to members of the youth group in attendance.

 

Since I’d had computer issues the day before, I sat in the workshop before mine that afternoon to get my program up and running. I’d updated Office 365 that morning at home and hooked into the hotel’s WiFi. Whatever I did had worked, because this time I was able to bring up my file. I spoke on Book Marketing on a Budget to a rapt audience.

That evening’s social mixer came next, followed by the Royal Palm Literary Awards banquet, which I’d won previously for Writing a Cozy Mystery. The dinner was very good and the service by the hotel was excellent. Congrats to all the award winners! This is a great contest for writers to enter because you get feedback on your work. First picture below shows me with my critique partners, Janice Hardy and Ann Meier.

 

 

 

And so ended a full day on a high note.

Join me at my next appearance on Nov. 4, 2023, 10:30 am EDT, Indie Author Day, Ponte Vedra Beach Library, 101 Library Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082. I’m proud to be a panelist and keynote speaker at this event. Free registration: https://sjcpls.org/event/indie-author-showcase/

Oct. 1 – 31, Kobo Paranormal Romance BOGO
Paranormal Sci/Fi Romance Sale at Kobo Oct. 1-31 – Buy One Get One Free! My book, Circle of Light, is included. If you don’t own a Kobo e-reader, you can download the free app. Start reading now: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/circle-of-light-9

Oct. 16 – Nov. 1, BookSweeps Paranormal, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Romance Giveaway
Enter to win 45 exciting Paranormal, Scifi & Fantasy Romances from a great collection of authors AND a brand new eReader! My book, Warrior Prince, is included. Enter Here: https://bit.ly/paranormal-romance-oct23


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Florida WritersCon 2023 – Day One
October 26, 2023

I had a great time at the Florida Writers Association Conference this past weekend. Giving presentations, meeting new/old friends, attending workshops, and eating too much … it all made for a productive and meaningful event.

On Friday, I attended a talk on newsletters. I’ve already heard that drip campaigns can be effective, and I have been following what other authors do in this regard. This speaker gave some useful tips on content regarding these automated email sequences. Aside from a welcome letter, these included product launches, behind-the-scenes peeks, post-purchase follow up, bonus content, and sales discounts. Pop up newsletter signups are effective, too.

Segmented lists bring higher open rates and lower unsubs. And don’t forget to add at the end, Please Forward to a Friend. My takeaway? I need to work on a newsletter drip campaign and bolster my landing page. As for a popup sign-in form, I find these annoying and prefer where I have mine in the sidebar. What do you think?

I also gave a presentation on Self-Publishing Made Simple. This was a step-by-step guide on how to get started for original works or for reissued backlist titles. I posted some of this info in earlier blogs. The only snafu was that my computer wouldn’t open my PowerPoint file, and I had to borrow a laptop from the tech guy.

Disclaimer: These summaries are my interpretation of what I heard. Any errors are mine alone.

That night was a social mixer where I got to hang out with friends and meet new people. Networking is the best part of any writers conference.

 

 

Join me at my next appearance on Nov. 4, 2023, 10:30 am EDT, Indie Author Day, Ponte Vedra Beach Library, 101 Library Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082. I’m proud to be a panelist and keynote speaker at this event. Free registration: https://sjcpls.org/event/indie-author-showcase/

Oct. 1 – 31, Kobo Paranormal Romance BOGO
Paranormal Sci/Fi Romance Sale at Kobo Oct. 1-31 – Buy One Get One Free! My book, Circle of Light, is included. If you don’t own a Kobo e-reader, you can download the free app. Start reading now: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/circle-of-light-9

Oct. 16 – Nov. 1, BookSweeps Paranormal, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Romance Giveaway
Enter to win 45 exciting Paranormal, Scifi & Fantasy Romances from a great collection of authors AND a brand new eReader! My book, Warrior Prince, is included. Enter Here: https://bit.ly/paranormal-romance-oct23

 


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