Squeeze Pages and Newsletters

Here's a new term I learned this morning, courtesy of David Gaughran's newsletter. Gaughran is a marketing guru for the self-published; if you don't already read him, check him out online. His "squeeze page" is a box on the right side of his home page, in which he offers a free copy of his book "Following" in exchange for signing up for his newsletter. That's pretty much the definition of the term-- it's a page in which you offer something of value to the reader in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. Here, Gaughran is offering a free copy of his e-book Following in exchange for your email address.

Your newsletter is your most valuable asset as a writer-- it's a way for you to get in direct contact with your readers. It's advertising on a shoestring-- if you have a small list (under 1,000), you can get a company like MailChimp or MailerLite to host you for free. Then all you have to do is periodically write some engaging content-- but remember, it can't always be about sales. Let your readers get to know you as a person.

Then you can begin to develop a personal relationship with your readers. Whether you send one out monthly or semi-annually, It's a way to remind your readers that you exist, to share your triumphs (new book, new contract, new story published) and turn your fans into superfans (another Gaughran book.)

I joined a massive 180-author promo in January. I wrote a new story on the theme “Winter Wonderland,” and we leveraged our joint promotional efforts to give away nearly 100,000 gay romance e-books to readers. By offering a free copy of an otherwise unavailable e-novella, Winter Term, I added nearly 5,000 dedicated readers of the genre to my mailing list, and the unsubscribe rate was fairly low – less than ten percent so far.

Right now, this story is unavailable. Soon I will make it a giveaway to join my newsletter. (Note to self: work on that!) I have three separate newsletters-- one for gay romance, one for gay mystery, and one for fans of my golden retriever mysteries. Eventually I will have a separate giveaway for each list.

The 5,000 new signups gave me a dedicated launch pad for my February 1 release, The Gentleman and the Spy. That audience is not the only reason why I sold 200 e-books during the first two weeks of release (I did some minor other promo, including a paid newsletter listing, a newsletter swap, and visits to two other authors’ Facebook groups.) When you consider that according to Scribe Media, “Research suggests that the “average” self-published, digital-only book sells about 250 copies in its lifetime,” I’m doing pretty well so far. And I look at the “long tail” – sales over time.

My first self-published book, In Dog We Trust, came out in 2010, as the Kindle was gaining traction, and so far has sold a little over 21,000 copies on Amazon alone—add another roughly 10-15% for other sites like Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, and so on.

So I’d say that my gentlemen have gotten off to a good start, helped by my mailing list. I have been working, on and off, since December on my newsletter “onboarding” process—soliciting new readers, then welcoming them with a series of emails giving additional freebies and encouraging them to stay on the list, but that process is nowhere near finished—and now that I know the term “squeeze page” I’m going to keep that in mind as I polish the process.

 My favorite books of the year 2020

One good thing about this year-- lots of time to read! Here are my top mysteries, in the order I read them. Not always the BEST I read, but ones that were intriguing and well-written, with interesting settings. 

Best Mystery

Blue on Blue, Dal Maclean  Great MM police procedural

The Last Hunt, Deon  Meyer  Great police book in South Africa

Trace Elements, Donna  Leon  Love to be with Guido Brunetti again

Murder at the Mena House, Erica Ruth Neubauer  Clever Christie-like mystery set in 1026 Cairo

Bones in the River, Zoe Sharp   Great police mystery.

Next to Last Stand, Craig Johnson  Slow to start but ultimately satisfying

Quiche of Death, Mary Lee Ashford  Cute cozy with recipes in Iowa

Vera Kelly is Not a Mystery, Rosalie Knecht  Loved this lesbian mystery set in the 1960s

Left-Handed Booksellers, Garth Nix  Fun mashup of fantasy and mystery

The Sugared Game, KJ Charles  Loved this second pulp fiction story

The Sailor Who Washed Ashore #1 Frank W.  Butterfield  First in a series of very enjoyable gay mysteries set in 1947 Daytona   

 Best Non-Mystery    

The House in the Cerulean Sea TJ Klune  Fantasy that made me weep

Sharks in the Time of Saviors Kawai Strong Washburn  Excellent sense of place in Hawaii

The Confectioners Guild Claire Luana  Loved this YA fantasy mystery

Kings County David Goodwillie  Loved it. Like a Tom Wolfe set in Brooklyn

Slippery Creatures KJ Charles  Loved it. 1920s mystery with intriguing pair.

Two Rogues Make a Right Cat Sebastian  Lovely historical MM

The Calculating Stars Mary  Kowal  Excellent speculative fiction about alternative route to space

Cemetery Boys Aiden Thomas  Loved this YA with Latinx magic

Troubles in Paradise Elin Hildebrand  Loved this third in the series

The Sand Sea Michael  McClellan  Grand scope fantasy with historical twist

The Watermight Thief Jordan Rivet  Great worldbuilding and protagonist in this first in a series

Edward Albee and His Wolfhounds

Excerpts from Paws and Reflect

Here is another excerpt from this wonderful anthology, this one from award-winning playwright Edward Albee.

I BECAME INTERESTED in Irish Wolfhounds because a friend had one. He was a painter. He had invited me over to look at his canvases, and this dog came up and leaned against me. I sat down to look at a painting, and he sat down and looked with me. We moved out to his studio to look at another painting, and this big dog sat down next to me again.

We went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and he stuck to my side. He had this big head, and wherever I sat, he put his head on my knee and looked up at me with his big, dark eyes. We became very good friends. He was the dog that introduced me to Irish Wolfhounds. They are the loveliest of creatures. I decided I had to have one. That was in 1969.

I’d always been a dog lover. Whenever I visit someone who owns a dog, pretty soon the animal of the house has drifted over to sit near me. People are always telling me, “This animal doesn’t like anybody—I don’t know why he’s so taken with you.” Animals and I just seem to get along.

I’ve had as many as three Irish Wolfhounds at a time. The Wolfhound breed is very special to me, but I like all dogs. At one time I had three Irish Wolfhounds, one Lhasa Apso, and one cat.

Irish Wolfhounds were originally bred to hunt wolves. We don’t have a lot of wolves in Montauk, so they’re not going after their natural prey. But their hunting nature is always with them. They are indefatigable. They can run forever.

Back when the Romans first came to Ireland, they took some of the early Irish Wolfhounds back to Rome with them and paraded them around. I wanted to parade mine around in New York. I got big leather collars for them. 

We would go to Central Park and walk to a huge hill. The dogs and I would stand at the top. The hill sloped down before us for about 300 yards. If they saw a squirrel at the bottom of the hill, they would race down it, knocking over people and bicyclists on their way. They just had to chase the squirrel. It was inconvenient for the people, but the dogs loved it.

I’ve gotten each dog from a different breeder. I make my choice on the personality of the puppy: Accessibility—a dog that’s not frightened of people. Alert. Sensitive. My Wolfhounds, in particular, have always been thoughtful, generous and intelligent—qualities that really mark the breed.

When I pick a dog, I want one that is both fully an animal, with animal instincts and one that relates to other animals, and one that is fond of being around people. I find that Wolfhounds satisfy both requirements.

Want to read more? Paws and Reflect is available from Amazon or other e-retailers.

Little Caesar

Another Excerpt from Paws and Reflect

CAESAR WAS DEAD. The little emperor who’d stolen all our hearts was gone after eighteen years, and we were left with silence and memories. He wasn’t my first dog, but he was the most memorable dog I’ve ever had the pleasure to call my friend.

His imperial name came from my little brother’s overactive imagination. But it fit Caesar’s regal personality, which was clear even in the squirming puppy that he was when he entered our lives.

I was fourteen, my sister and brother even younger, and we’d wanted nothing so much as we wanted a dog. A neighbor’s beautiful terrier, Sheba, was about to give birth. She had mated with a regal-looking, all-white Fox Terrier. My sister, brother, and I anxiously awaited the results of the match. 

When it happened, I remember my brother running home with the news that Sheba had produced a litter and that we were to choose one.

We trooped over to the house to take a look at the litter and make a choice. The squirming mass of puppy flesh was too indistinct for me to choose, and neither could my sister or brother. So Mom picked one of the puppies. We were to wait for him to be weaned and then could take him home. The waiting wouldn’t be easy, even if we could visit him each day.

A few days later, however, disaster struck—Sheba was killed by a car and the puppies had to be hand fed.

Mom picked him up, a shivering little squealing bundle who barely knew what was going on. He fit in the palm of her hand, tiny, vulnerable, and pitiful. I took one look at him and wondered how we’d keep him alive. But Mom knew more about puppies than I’d imagined. She promptly found a tiny bottle and fed him some kind of milk mixture whenever he wanted.

On the day he came home with us, my brother immediately named him Caesar. I looked at the tiny wriggling pink-and-white pup and laughed, thinking that such a big name would weigh down so small a dog. Watching him move and yawn, blink his eyes and fidget—the sight tugged at my heart and I knew that no matter what his name, I was bound to this little dog.

That was the beginning. The days turned into weeks, and he gained weight and strength and was soon standing on his own and demanding something more than milk. Next came the training—a gentle boot camp. 

Joe's website

Caesar was a quick learner and took his place among the family members in a short time. I remember staring at him and wondering how that little lump of flesh had become the handsome dog surveying his territory with an imperial air. He was like his father: shapely, sturdy, and smart. 

Unlike his father, Caesar’s white coat was marked with one black furry patch circling his right eye. But rather than appear foolish, Caesar managed to look dashing, black patch and all.

Small and quick, Caesar quickly became the neighborhood favorite. And he lapped it up. He loved the attention but also knew that he had responsibilities and took them seriously. He shook the windows with his barks and with his paws as he pounced on the storm door to frighten passersby. No one escaped his attention, especially not strange dogs, whether or not they had a human companion.

Enjoyed this excerpt? You can order Paws and Reflect from Amazon or other e-retailers.

The Girls by Victor Banis

Another Excerpt from Paws and Reflect

I'm continuing my posts of excerpts from this great collection of essays about men and their relationships with their dogs with this bit from "The Girls" by Victor Banis.

Victor was a terrific guy, a gentleman and a pioneer of gay literature who wrote prolifically for the pulp paperback world beginning in the 1960s, under many pen names. This excerpt gives you an idea of how wonderful his prose is, and his attention to detail.

She was a year old when a boyfriend—mine, not hers—arrived one day carrying in his arms a peculiar-looking little animal that purported to be a German Shepherd with the ears of a jackrabbit. 

Her name, he informed me, was Prima, and she had been terribly abused in her previous home. I pointed out that I had neither the desire nor the room for a second pet, and reminded him that my landlord had not been happy about the first one, but he asked plaintively if I would just keep her for a day or so while he found a home for her. I made the mistake of saying yes.

In all fairness, he did warn me that she was not yet housebroken. By the next morning, however, Jennie had seen to that, and they were going outside together. That struck me as even more mysterious, since it was not the sort of oddity you would expect to have happen twice. Still, I had no reason to complain.

Since we lived in the city, I tried training the newcomer to a leash, thinking that Jennie’s instant understanding of that necessity was certainly not likely to repeat itself, as the toilet training had. But Prima was such a frightened little thing that, no sooner had you put any kind of collar around her neck than she fell to the floor in a quivering, peeing mass and could not be induced to regain her feet until the collar was removed and she had been reassured that no physical violence was intended.

It was Jenny once again who took charge. To my astonishment, by the next day she had taught Prima to heel at the snap of my fingers, and from then on I could walk down a busy sidewalk in, say, West Hollywood, with both girls safely and politely at perfect heel.

How had Jenny done that? What secret language had passed between them? I only knew that whatever I wanted her to do Jenny divined, and whatever Jenny did Prima did as well. So I could come out of the kitchen into the den, where the rug had just been shampooed, and walk around the bare-floor perimeter to cross the room, and Jenny would follow after me, and Prima after her, and not a paw upon the damp rug. I could entertain less–dog enthusiastic guests in the living room and, though the girls had the run of the house, they would sit politely in the doorway while I sipped cocktails with the guests. I have had two legged friends whose manners weren’t so good.

The story of Victor's life in the pulps

They could be parted from me only by trickery. If, of necessity, I left them home without me, they would sit at the upstairs window and cry in great mournful howls until I returned, to be greeted with wagging tails and scathing looks.

The girls shared my life for fifteen happy and loving years. About halfway through that span, we moved to a cabin in the mountains. They loved it: the great outdoors, exploring together, creeks to splash in, all sorts of scents to investigate. In the summer we took long treks in the woods; in the winter, they liked me to throw snowballs for them to catch. They got friendly with the squirrels, who lost their fear of the girls and would leap over Prima when she slept in the doorway to come inside and beg for a snack.

Victor Banis passed away but his work lives on.

You can buy Paws and Reflect from Amazon or other retailers.

Doomed for a Dog

Excerpts from Paws and Reflect

To celebrate the new cover for the classic essay collection Sharon Sakson and I published, Paws & Reflect, I'm publishing some excerpts from the essays. This one comes from Donald Hardy's very funny essay, "Puppy Whipped."

The last few weeks of my Cocker Spaniel Casey’s life, I took her for “walks” under the vet’s instructions not to let her walk.

The doctor on the case (who was fabulous) was upbeat but slightly evasive about the prognosis. Diagnosis, too, was slightly uncertain, but she did give Casey treatment: a steroid to encourage the marrow of her aging bones to crank out red blood cells; puppy Pepto to calm the stomach so she could take the steroid; antibiotics; and soft food, special stuff that looked, the doctor said, like paté. “She loves it,” she said. “She has been chowing down all day. Only feed her this. And no exercise. Out the door to pee, right back in, and rest.”

Permanently. She was supposed to do nothing but eat expensive pâté and sleep. It’s a dog’s life, indeed.” But Dr. Fab,” I said. “I live on a boat, about 200 yards worth of dock from the shore. We have to walk that far for her to get to where she can pee.”

“No, ” replied the doc.”That’s too far. You carry her.” Silence.

“Well, OK, ” I said. I let Casey do her business when I got her home, then carried her down the dock. This wasn’t too bad, as she only weighed thirty-five pounds, but I had a strong sense that it would get old fast. I eyed up the dock carts. I’d nearly killed myself the year before when carrying my other dog, Bear, up to the shore for a vet visit. Bear weighed in at eighty pounds.

“Hmmm,” I thought.”Maybe I’ll get a nice big one that’ll fit both dogs, and then neither will have to walk . . . assuming they’ll let me push ’em. If they don’t, that’s a wasted 250 bucks. I’ll wait.”

As I was coming back from walking Bear that evening, Patty and Dennis, my neighbors in the marina, asked what was wrong with Casey. I explained, and they offered a little dock cart they didn’t need. About twenty minutes later, Dennis knocked on my deck and said, “Here it is! You’ll have to hose it down, but it should work for her.”

I climbed up on deck and thanked him, and then looked at the dock cart.

Don's Novel

It was small. It was red. It was cute.

I was doomed.

Eleven o’clock rolled around, and it was time for Casey’s late night—well, I suppose one ought not to call it a walk—“outing.” I took some puppy blankets up and lined the bottom of the cart, then carried Casey up on deck, deposited her in her little cart, and started down the dock.

So. There I was. A forty-seven-year-old, six-foot-two, 200-pound man, pulling a small, fluffy golden dog down the dock in a cute, little red wagon.

Find Donald Hardy online here.

Buy your copy of Paws and Reflect at Amazon or other retailers.

Other Elements of Author Branding

Moving Beyond the Tagline

I’ve been focusing so far in this series about taglines, because they’re an important part of developing your brand. But there are other elements of your brand as well.

Titles

Stuck for a title for your book? Try out Reedsy’s Title Generator. You’ll notice that many of the titles they generate are short and sweet. My MFA thesis advisor, the very talented James W. Hall, told us that thrillers should have two-word titles, for a couple of reasons. 

First, it’s harder to convey the essence of a book in a one-word title. Unfulfilled? Might be a great word to describe the plot or your protagonist’s key motivator. That title could be a romance, a mystery, science fiction.

Unfulfilled Desire, though, is sure to be a romance, while Unfulfilled Revenge sounds more like a thriller, and Unfulfilled Exploration might be science fiction or adventure.

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Most of the books in my Mahu series have two-word titles. The next five books used Mahu first, followed by a qualifier. The word “mahu” is a word from the Hawaiian language which means gay or two-spirit, and for a long time it was a nasty epithet like faggot or queer.

Since then, it has been reclaimed, and I’m proud to use it as a synonym for gay. In the following books I wanted to explore more sides of my hero’s character. Mahu Surfer takes him to the North Shore of O’ahu, where he returns to his surfing roots while investigating a case.

Mahu Blood is probably one of my best titles because of the dual meaning. It’s a murder investigation so of course there’s blood. But this book is also about Hawaiian heritage, and what Kimo his inherited from his Hawaiian ancestors.

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Key Words in Titles

I also use a key word to link the five books in my Love on series, which begins with Love on Site, which has a construction background. The curlicue neon font says this is contemporary romance, as does the shirtless cover model. I like the angularity of the crane in the background and overall the whole layout of the cover, which was done by an artist for Loose Id, who first published that series. 

The inspiration for the title came not only from the years I spent building shopping centers, but from Beatrice’s speech in Much Ado About Nothing. “Benedick, love on! I shall requite thee!” I wanted to convey the sense of joy from that scene in the Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson movie.

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I use longer titles for my adventure and thriller books. The Angus Green FBI series, for example, begins with The Next One Will Kill You, while the first book in the Have Body, Will Guard series is Three Wrong Turns in the Desert.

Colors

The books generally use darker colors in the background, to convey once again that these are mysteries, rather than comic romps.

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Check out some of these covers and see what they tell you about the story you could expect to read. Notice in particular the two very different books with the same title: Silversword by Phyllis A. Whitney and Silver Sword by Charles Knief. You only have to look at the cover design to know what you’re getting.

Font

Your choice of font, both on your book covers, your website, and the text you apply to images, says something about your brand.

When I got the rights to the Mahu series back and relaunched them, I commissioned new covers. The designer used the same font on each book, a simple sans-serif one that is intended to convey that these are serious books.

In each case, the first word sits on top of the second, almost touching. That parallel structure tells the reader these are part of the same series.

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Brand is more than a word

Creating a statement that represents your author brand

Looking back at my first post about branding, I identified the brand for my golden retriever mysteries as “dogs.”

That doesn’t seem enough.

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For my golden retriever mysteries, I often use the tagline “Do you think a dog can solve a mystery? Rochester can!”

But that’s a tagline for that series, not a statement of my author brand.

When I promote the series on dog-friendly sites, I often use the statement, “Do you like dogs and mysteries? If you do, I hope you’ll check out my golden retriever mystery series. Ten books and the dog never gets hurt!”

That’s getting closer. The idea behind that second statement came from a reader, who emailed me to say one thing she loved about my series was that she never had to worry about Rochester getting harmed.

That’s a big thing for readers who love animals—they’re willing to see adults and children killed and maimed, but don’t touch the pets! So I try to emphasize that.

But back to brand. Dogs appear in most of my mystery and adventure books. Rochester is first, of course; he’s the co-star in his series, a lively golden retriever with a nose for crime.

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There’s Roby in the Mahu series, a golden retriever. Roby alerted his family that their house was on fire, allowing them all to escape. 

But they couldn’t take the dog with them to their new temporary housing, so Kimo’s fire investigator partner Mike takes the dog in. 

He’s just a pet, though he serves a valid role in the series. He is the first addition to their household, showing them both that they can love, and eventually opening their hearts to a foster son.

Then there’s Hayam, the lion-faced dog who appears in the first pages of Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, the first of my Have Body, Will Guard series. I don’t know where he came from—he just showed up. 

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Aidan Greene has been kicked to the curb by his long-time partner and fled halfway across the world to Tunis. Hayam showed up, I think, to tell Aidan that he wasn’t really alone in the world.

Hayam is an independent dog, as I imagined he would be, living on the streets of a third-world country. When Aidan returns to Tunis with his new love, Liam, Hayam is waiting for him once again, and Liam christens the dog with her name, which he says means deliriously in love in Arabic.

So these three dogs all serve important purposes in their novels. How can I knit those ideas into a canine-centric brand?

Crime-solving canines only applies to Rochester, not to Hayam or Roby. But that might be a nice line to put onto my golden retriever mysteries website. I like the alliteration, because I think that makes the tagline more memorable.

Crime and courtship with canine companions makes every book sound like romance. And honestly, romance is the one genre where I generally don’t have canine characters.

I’m thinking of Canine companions join the fun in adventure and mystery fiction. What do you think? Any other ideas?

Guest Blog from Marjetta Geerling/Mara Wells

Branding: to Pen Name or not to Pen Name?

Marjetta Geerling is a teaching colleague of mine at Broward College, and when I heard that she had written a romantic comedy set in Miami and featuring dogs, I was all in. I've asked her to give some of the background as to why she chose a different pen name for her debut romantic comedy, when she's already published a YA novel under her real name.

The book, the first in the Fur Haven Dog Park series, is under the name Mara Wells. 



Here's what Marjetta has to say about author branding.

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When I decided to jump genres and enter the world of romantic comedy, I had to decide whether to use my legal name, which I’d used to publish in children’s literature, or a pen name. Ultimately, my agent’s advice struck a chord with me: a romance novel doesn’t belong on the same web page as a kids’ book. She talked to me about the advantages of having what she called a “clean brand,” and in the year and a half since I made the decision to use a pen name, I’ve come to see the wisdom in her advice.

A clean brand means that when readers see an author’s name, they know exactly what they are getting. When readers are confident in the brand, they are more likely to pre-order, and pre-orders are good for authors for all kinds of reasons—book buzz, print runs, and the all-important first week of sales numbers. Pre-orders count as sales on the day the book is released so contribute to the perception of how the book is received in the market. In other words, preorders help the book stand out in a crowded marketplace.

You are probably already thinking of beloved authors who genre hop. Mixed-brand authors do well, too, of course, especially if they have a big name. For me, though, starting out in a new genre with no platform to speak of, I decided that a clean brand was the way to go. The next step: What exactly should that brand be?

My agent and editor had lots of opinions, and after many discussions it boiled down to three key words: romance, dogs, and humor. Unlike my actual life which is complicated by, well, life, my brand identity gets to focus on the things that make me happy: talking about dogs, reading romance novels, and wryly observing the world around me. It’s me, boiled down. And I’m loving the experience.

In many ways, branding has simplified promotion for me. When I’m putting together a gift basket, shopping for conference swag to give-away, or deciding what to post on social media, I have my brand key words to help guide and focus my decisions. I was worried that branding would make me less of who I am, but instead, it’s helped me express myself more clearly and concisely than I otherwise might’ve done. The result? I’m creating relationships with readers based on our shared passions, and that feels real and meaningful to me in a delightful way.

Here's the delightful blurb for Cold Nose, Warm Heart:

A poodle, a black lab and a Chihuahua walk into a dog park...

All Caleb Donovan has to do to redeem his family name is take a rundown Miami Beach apartment building and turn it into luxury condos. Easy, right?

Unfortunately, that would also turn the local dog park into a parking lot and the neighbors aren't having it. Caleb is faced with outright revolt, led by smart, beautiful building manager Riley Carson and her poodle, LouLou.

For Caleb, this project should have been a slam dunk. But even more challenging than the neighborhood resistance is the mutual attraction between him and Riley. It would be so much easier just to stay enemies.

Can Riley and her canine sidekick convince Caleb that what's best for business isn't always best for the heart?

I'm looking forward to reading this book and I hope you all are too!

What's Your Personal Brand?

What do the logos you wear say about you? 

Recently I blogged about author brands. We all have our personal "brand identity" as well. What does that say about you?

I’m not a big fan of wearing company logos on my clothes. I feel like if you want me to advertise your brand for you, you ought to pay me.

My students feel differently. As I walk across the campus I’m assaulted by logos from PINK, Aeropostale, and Hollister, among others.

From my studies in marketing and advertising, I assume it’s because they want to feel associated with the brand and what it stands for.

Sometimes, though, I’m baffled. I have an elderly neighbor who walks religiously up and down our street, and I often run into him when I’m out walking the dogs. One of his T-shirts has a huge K-Mart logo on it.

Really? That’s the brand you want to be associated with?

Then there was the guy I observed while I was waiting for my husband’s cataract follow up appointment. He wore a Versace polo shirt with a bright green underlying the company’s traditional baroque twists and turns of gold. He had a round-faced watch in a matching green, the same color as his webbed belt and the socks sticking out of his white Versace sneakers. He had a hard face, one that had seen trouble and was completely at odds with the bright colors of his outfit. The only thing that wasn’t Versace were his white shorts, with the RL Polo logo perched on his fine ass.

I figured out that he was there with his father, for an eye appointment. He didn’t necessarily look gay, from his face to his short hair to his generally straight presentation. But really, would a straight man coordinate his outfit so carefully, down to matching the face of his watch and his socks?

I’m not saying my clothes are totally brandless. I am an outlet and Marshall’s shopper and if I find a polo shirt that fits well and is a bargain, I won’t care if it has a little polo pony on the breast, or the Margaritaville logo. My jeans come from LL Bean, and my shoes are usually Crocs. My T-shirts are usually dog-related gifts or souvenirs of places I’ve visited, and even the one Armani Exchange T-shirt in my closet was a freebie given out when a new store opened on South Beach.

So I guess you could construct a fictional character based on your observation of me. How about you? Do you wear brands or observe people who do? If you’re a writer, do you use brands to identify your characters?

What's Your Author Brand?

Creating an author identity that readers recognize. 

One of the buzzwords in the author business is “brand.” You should have an identity that lets readers know what to expect from your books. You carry out that brand identity in a bunch of different ways.

1. Establish who you are and what you and your books represent.

2. Use social media, book covers and graphics to reinforce that brand.

I have a problem, because I write different kinds of books, so it’s difficult to put together one brand that encompasses both my cozy golden retriever mysteries (straight hero, no sex or violence on the page) and my gay mystery and romance novels (gay protagonists, with occasional vivid sex scenes that reinforce the plots).

My advice to new writers? Establish different pen names for each genre, and that way you can develop your brand more easily.

But I’m stuck. So what can I do?

First, I’ve divided my mailing list into two groups. When I write to the list that is interested in my golden mysteries, I focus on DOGS as my brand. I include photos of my own goldens, cute dog memes and so on.

When I write to my gay mystery and romance newsletter group, I focus on the tagline “Gay men in love and danger.” This encompasses my Have Body, Will Guard series, where bodyguards Aidan and Liam travel the world rescuing gay men from danger (as they did in a recent outing to Chechnya).

It also allows me to promote my Mahu series, about an openly gay Honolulu homicide detective, and my Angus Green series, about a young gay FBI agent in Miami finding his way.

I mix my posts to social media. I figure that most people don't even see them, so if a dog fan sees me posting something about Mayor Pete's presidential campaign, he or she will simply move on.

On my author page, I stick to making posts about writing. These copy over automatically to my personal page, so people see them no matter which page they follow. I'll say things about the technical aspects of writing-- looking for repeated words, for example. Also about my progress with what I'm working on, for fans who are eager for the next release in a series.

/>It's a more difficult balancing act because I'm working with two brands simultaneously. Any other authors in this situation? What do you do? And fans, do you care if you see something about the author's "other" brand?

Did you know that I have a new Have Body Will Guard book out? When Aidan Greene's ex calls after ten years with a peremptory demand for bodyguard services, Aidan's tempted to say no, even though he hears real despair in Blake's voice.

After a reminder that the two of them are in their forties, and that personal protection is a young man's game, Aidan and his husband Liam have stepped back, marrying and taking a staycation at their home outside Nice. But Liam misses the adventure, and Aidan is curious about his ex and the man Blake has married, Latin diplomat Ricardo Levy.

Ricardo is recovering from a psychotic break, and sees danger all around him, but he's determined to attend a conference in the Bahamas where he will reveal information that may have profound international ramifications.

Quickly, Aidan and Liam are at a luxury resort on Paradise Island, watching for danger and wondering if the threats are all in Ricardo's head-or if they are very real.

Do we ever lose the bonds that connect us to past loves? Aidan and Blake will come to a reckoning about the events that began the Have Body, Will Guard series-and learn something about the madness of love along the way.

You can order from Amazon or the e-retailer of your choice.

Sometimes Ideas Come From the Most Unlikely of Places By Lois Winston

Every author will tell you that at some point in her writing life—and often countless times—she’s been asked where she gets the ideas for her stories. I’m a news junkie. I read two daily newspapers and watch both the local and national news each night, as well as various other daily and weekly news shows, including the ones hosted by comedians. Various plots and subplots in my books, as well many of the characters, are based on actual events and real people (with only the names changed to protect the innocent—or not so innocent.)

However, I don’t limit my reading and watching to the daily news. I also read op-ed columns, human-interest stories, and even advertisements for idea fodder. When I see something that intrigues me, I save it in my “Ideas” file.

For example, many years ago when I was still writing romance and chick lit, I’d forgotten to bring a book with me to a doctor’s appointment. The few magazines on the coffee table were several years old and totally not of interest to me. Out of desperation I began flipping through the pages of Road & Track. I am so not a Road & Track sort of girl, so you can imagine how desperate I must have been! Toward the back of the magazine, I came across an ad that touted an aftershave guaranteed to increase sexual attractiveness ten-fold. You better believe I ripped out that ad and filed it away in my “Ideas”. It eventually appeared in one of my early books.

Even the most unlikely reading material can stimulate a writer’s muse. While standing in line at the dry cleaner, I started reading the ads pinned to a bulletin board hanging on the wall. Most were for house painters and cleaning services, private tutors, and yard sales. But one ad stood out, intriguing me.

Someone was looking to sell a never-used, king-sized Ethan Allen bedroom set. The first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series was published in 2011, and I’ve been concentrating on writing mystery ever since. Back when I wrote romance, I would have conjured up quite different scenarios from the devious thoughts that now played around in my head.

Was the bedroom furniture up for sale because a wedding hadn’t taken place? Why had the wedding been canceled? Had either the bride or groom died?

Or was one of them murdered?

And if so, is one suspected of killing the other? By the time I inched my way to the front of the line, I’d generated a dozen likely plot scenarios, which I furiously jotted down as soon as I returned to my car. I haven’t used any of them yet, but they’re filed away in my binder. You’ll probably find one of those ideas fleshed out in one of Anastasia’s future adventures.

Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

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Bio:

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Website:

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Kimo's Playlist Part 1

Kimo listens to a lot of Hawaiian music, and I often run across readers who aren’t aware of how wonderful this genre is. So here, for your musical enjoyment, is a first installment of some of Kimo’s (and my) favorite songs and artists.

Fiji are one of my favorite artists in the Jawaiian genre – a Jamaican reggae mix with Hawaiian artists and themes.One of Kimo's favorite songs is "Stone Cold in Love With You." It was hard to find an image of the artists, because the search term "Fiji" brings up so many options, so here's the cover of one of their albums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC5LQYXKfiQ

Israel Kamakawiwo’ole: Over the Rainbow. You’ve probably heard this mashup on the radio, or in the episode of ER where Dr. Mark Greene dies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I>/td>

Jake Shimabukuro is a master of the ukulele, and his work is beautiful and soothing. Here’s a clip of him playing his version of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” And a personal note: His mother, Betty Shimabukuro, used to review books for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, and long ago she reviewed Mahu for them./td>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gaWuadgL3g>

Keola Beamer: Wooden Boat. One of my very favorite infectious songs, which I’ve references several times in books. Sorry I can’t find a performance video of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCZ8ds_9eEY

Keali’i Reichel: Here performing “Every Road Leads Back to You” with Sistah Robi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0_uLxKmhc8

An Ear for Language

People often assume that I live in Hawai’i, because I incorporate so many cultural references, particularly bits of Hawaiian pidgin. While I wish (so much!) that I lived in the Aloha State, I have to get by with research.

One element of my research that I rarely hear other authors mention is audio and video. The last couple of times I was in Hawai’i, I made sure to listen to the radio, to hear commentators and traffic reports with the unique local accent. Now that I am home, I follow Hawaiian 105 KINE on Facebook whenever I want to hear someone speak, and to hear the musical artists they bring into their studio.

I usually avoid using macrons over letters in my published works, because English speakers have a different interpretation of those diacritical marks. We’ve been trained that ā in a dictionary definition means a long a, as in Abe. In Hawaiian, though, it means you put more emphasis on that vowel than you ordinarily might.

I remember being stunned the first time I heard an announcer mention a traffic pile up in Mānoa, near the University of Hawai’i campus. Mānoa is pronounced MAAH-no-ah, as best as I can represent, where an English-speaker might think from the macron it’s pronounced MAY-no-ah.

While I’ve read blogs and definitions of the macron, there’s no substitute for hearing the way a local pronounces such words. Now, thanks to the Internet, Facebook and YouTube, I can hear those pronunciations whenever I want.

I have learned about Ka Lahui Hawaii, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, from them (which also features in Mahu Blood.)

They are also filming the protests at Mauna Kea by Pu'uhonua o Pu'uhuluhulu Maunakea to protect sacred land there. I have heard wonderful chants and watched beautiful hula dances there, by both men and women. It’s a very moving spectacle, and one that may inspire a future book!

Deadly Labors

My characters talk to me. When I’m writing, it’s almost like I am taking dictation from somewhere in the depths of my brain, where my characters live. This has a great advantage when it comes to writing, of course. But the protagonist of my mystery series set in Honolulu, openly gay homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka, is notoriously finicky about when he’s ready to speak up.

Mahu, the first book in the series, was accepted for publication by Harrington Park Press, a small imprint from a larger textbook publisher, back in 2003. I was so excited, and so was Kimo. But I wasn’t willing to commit to a second book in the series until I knew if the first would succeed.

Kimo was dragged out of the closet in Mahu, and I knew he would have to take a lot of small steps before he fully accepted himself. So I wrote short stories that moved his life forward, inch by inch. Then the company that owned HPP was sold and the imprint shuttered. I had already written the second and third books in the series, though, and this was long before the advent of self-publishing.

I was extremely fortunate to move Kimo to Alyson Books, which published the first four books in the series before they, too, shut down as a result of a corporate merger. Then Laura Baumbach, owner of MLR Press, agreed to take on the whole series, reprinting the first three and then publishing five more titles.

I had other irons in the fire by then, other standalone books published, and other series in the works. Kimo had stopped speaking to me, and I thought we were done.

I was on the train heading to the big mystery conference, Bouchercon, in St. Louis in the fall of 2011, when Kimo’s boyfriend, fire investigator Mike Riccardi, dragged me into the middle of a conversation he and Kimo were having. As excited as I was to hear them again, I wanted them to shut up until I could get off the train, check into the hotel, and start transcribing their voices!

I wrote four more books on the tide of that inspiration, and then, with Ghost Ship, Kimo was settled with Mike, their foster son and the two kids they shared with a lesbian couple. Since the arc of the series had been how Kimo’s life unfolds after he comes out, I didn't think he had more to say.

Wrong, as usual. I read an article online about a program to teach the hula to to inmates at San Quentin, as part of a native American heritage program. This time, it wasn’t Kimo so much as his mother who began to speak. The son of her friend had gone through that program in prison, returned to the islands and turned his life around. Then he was arrested for a murder Kimo’s mom was sure he couldn’t have committed.

Who among us can resist an entreaty from a mom who has been nothing but supportive throughout her son’s checkered life? Kimo couldn’t, and neither could I. Thus begins Deadly Labors, the 12th book (and 10th novel) in the series. I hope fans will be excited to catch up with Kimo and his ohana (the Hawaiian word for extended family) and that new readers will be intrigued to learn about the dark shadows behind the Aloha State’s sunny façade.

I thought this would be a good chance to take back ownership of the series and relaunch it with new, modern covers. I love the fresh look the series has, and hope you will, too.