SPA Girls Podcast – EP180 – Book Descriptions with Brian Meeks
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Ever wondered if your book description could be better?
Ever thought it should sell more books?
Then this is the episode for you.
Brian Meeks, description-writer extraordinaire, talks with us about how to write a kick-ass description that will sell more books, and help amp up your advertising sales.
Turns out, it’s all about copywriting.
And writing the best hooks you possibly can.
Lucky for us, Brian takes us through every aspect of writing hooks to help you write your next description.
In fact, we get him to do it on the fly, by giving him a description to fix, on air, as we listen.
Thanks to Cheryl and her newly released book, Doughnuts and Disaster, Book Four in the Maple Lane Cozy Mystery series. Cher was brave enough to give Brian her description for him to have a go at re-writing – and believe me, he didn’t pull any punches!!
This is raw, honest, and exciting copywriting at its best, and you can listen in as the master creates a new blurb in less than 30 minutes!
Here’s the original description for you to read as he re-writes it:
Maddie’s best friend is in danger!
A killer on the loose makes hairdresser, Angel, lose her appetite and because we’re talking a batch of her favourite jelly doughnuts this means the gloves are off for Maddie and her friends.
Wanting to make amends in theory sounds like a positive thing, but when someone who is part of Angel’s past arrives in town, that’s why things begin a slippery slope into disaster.
An ugly murder has Maddie, the Sheriff, Big Red – her faithful Maine Coon cat – and the Girlz back in action as they try to protect Angel from a mystery stranger.
Or is it someone she knows?
There are clues a-plenty and maybe a few red herrings in the fourth book in the Maple Lane Mysteries.
The new version written by Brian Meeks LIVE on the show:
The threat was real.
Her best friend could die.
Can Maddie save her in time?
The call surprised her. Maddie had been baking jelly donuts
for her best friend’s salon for years. Now, the order has been cancelled. What
does this mean? Is it the first sign of the apocalypse? Her friend adores the
donuts and now Maddie must get to the bottom of this mystery.
What is going on?
Angel loves her days in the salon and her clients enjoy
sweet treats she orders from her best friend, Maddie, but there’s just one
problem, the stress of a killer in town has taken her appetite.
And this isn’t the only thing worrying her.
Why would Angel’s ex-husband be back in town?
Maddie’s boyfriend, the sheriff, hasn’t been able to crack the string of murders. She may need to give him a gentle hand with this one.
You’ll love the clues a plenty in this cozy mystery, because everyone enjoys figuring out the riddles.
Get it now.
Click this link to check out Brian’s book on writing descriptions.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP154 – The Power Of Four
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This week we talk about the power of four, or how working and interacting with other authors can amp up your author career.
Using our experiences in the SPA, we talk about how having other writers to talk to, offer support, give advice and ideas, and walk the same path gives you a huge boost.
We’ve all said that none of us would be as far along in our careers if we didn’t have the other SPA Girls. And we don’t think we’re unique. There are thousands of other groups of writers who are helping and supporting each other.
How can you do this too? Our best advice is to find events and conferences for writers near where you are and meet other authors in person. With this in mind, we also did an impromptu Top Ten Networking Tips for Introverted Writers, with heaps of suggestions for how you can meet and talk to other authors.
1 Go to a conference/ a talk / a meeting.
2 Practice asking interesting questions before you go. Most people love to talk about themselves and if not, ask them about what they’re writing / their processes / what they read.
3 Find your person if you can and be sure to make it an equal partnership.
4 Makes the goals small. What do you want to achieve in a group? Feedback, friendship/support?
5 Be brave – take the first step to approach a person or a group of people. Someone has to.
6 Remember that everyone around you is probably just as nervous and awkward as you are. Be kind and believe that you’re in the right place.
7 Good things take time, especially friendships. Give people a chance and they’ll return the favor.
8 Be a good community member before you try to sell a book, or ask for favors. Don’t be a ‘that person’ who takes and not gives.
9 Brainstorming with others can help you in so many ways. Be gentle but as honest as you can be. Respect other people’s right to do it ‘wrong’.
10 Think about how you can offer support to others, offer to volunteer at the conference. This will allow you to talk to so many people. Scary, maybe, but a great way to jump in feet first.
All we’re saying is give it a try. We did.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP149 – Killer Interview with Damon Suede and Geoff Symon
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This week Wendy and Cher sit down in a fairly noisy cafe with Indie author Damon Suede and his partner, Geoff Symon. The f-bomb went off fairly early in the piece, so if you’re offended by swear words… you should still listen because all the rest of the words out of their mouths were gold… 🙂
Damon published his first novel, Hot Head, in 2011, which has since been named one of ‘Top 100 Romance Novels of All Time’ on Goodreads. He’s currently on the board of directors for Romance Writers of America and is well known for the way he unbundles characters when writing his books.
His partner Geoff Symon is a US Federal agent and has now written three non-fiction books all about how to write forensics for fiction authors. He’s full of fantastic information about crime scenes, and because he’s lived with a writer all these years, he can translate it in a way that makes sense for authors.
Between the two of them, they kept Wendy and Cher on their toes, talking at double speed, and giving off gems of information like they were sand at the beach. From characterization to stepping up in the author community, to the best way to write crime scenes – this interview has it all.
Another must-listen episode from the 2018 RWNZ conference…
Show Links:
Damon’s website: www.DamonSuede.com
Geoff’s website: www.GeoffSymon.com
SPA Girls Podcast – EP134 – Interview with Kevin Tumlinson of Draft2Digital
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(technical note: we apologize for the audio pause in the first minute of the podcast, the gremlins (hobbits?) hit momentarily).
We’re delighted to welcome Kevin Tumlinson, bestselling thriller author, and Director of Marketing for Draft2Digital into the SPA today!
Kevin talks us through using Draft2Digital to format and publish your books on line, the best practices for keywords and a host of other tips for indie authors. For many of us living outside the US, Draft2Digital is the way to access online retailers who don’t allow us to upload directly, and all the SPA Girls are D2D fans. As a company D2D are continually innovating and bringing out new tools for authors (listen out for Cher’s suggestion mid-podcast!). Another great benefit is that authors can access D2D’s formatting tools free, without needing to use them for any other services.
We also discuss audio books produced through Findaway Voices and their partner Draft2Digital. Wendy’s first audio book A Promise Of Home was made (painlessly) through Findaway.
Kevin is also a podcaster, with his popular writer’s podcast Wordslinger. Do check it out!
Thanks for listening, and happy writing!
About Kevin
Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling thriller author, with books available in hundreds of countries worldwide. With a long-standing career in film, television, radio, and podcasting, Kevin is a seasoned world traveler, and has produced documentary programming and films ranging from historic aviation to military history. His debut thriller novel, The Coelho Medallion, was a 2016 Shelf Notable Indie award winner.
Kevin’s popular show, the Wordslinger Podcast, is downloaded each week by thousands of listeners, eager to learn from guests that include New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors, Fortune 500 professionals, and industry leaders and entrepreneurs of all types. He is known as the Voice of Indie Publishing—a title he’s proud to hold—and he has helped thousands of will-be and new authors build and grow their self-publishing careers.
Kevin’s love for history, archeology, and science has been a tremendous source a material for his writing, feeding his fiction and giving him just the excuse he needs to read the next article, biography, or research paper. He lives in Texas, but works in random coffee shops, cafés, and hotel lobbies around the world.
SPA Girls Podcast – EP125 – SAS Special Interview with Michelle Spiva
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It’s ALL about your readers!
This week we have another special episode from the 2018 Smarter Artist Summit, where Trudi Jaye sat down with the first male Deputy SPA Girl, Michael Anderle, and marketing guru and storyteller, the delightful Michelle Spiva.
Michelle tells us how to amp up your connection with your readers via your characters, so that you’re writing stories they can’t put down – not even to go to the bathroom… She covers everything from using narrative arc, pacing, and other storytelling techniques, to understanding how to choose the right emotional tone for your characters and the story, in order to capture and keep your readers.
Michelle is a very smart author who manages to balance both the analytical and creative sides to her personality, and she’s able to use it in her writing career to great effect. She looks at storytelling in a different way to many people, and it’s fascinating to hear her talk about the techniques she uses, and understand how we could be using them for ourselves.
Another don’t-miss episode of the SPA Girls Podcast!
Find Michelle on: Twitter
Find Michael at: Kurtherian Books
SPA Girls Podcast – EP118 – How to Write a Successful Small Town Setting
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Small town settings are a common backdrop in romance. Writers love them because they give us a landscape that we can go back to again and again, with familiar secondary characters that our readers will recognise and become attached to. Readers love them because once they’ve found a town with a cool cafe, a watering hole where all the locals hang out, and characters they can fall in love with – well, why would they want to leave?
Wendy and Cheryl both have successful series featuring a small town setting, so this week they both talk about how to create fictional small towns that your readers will love, with tips and tricks that will take your town from ordinary to exceptional. They tell us how they put together the small towns in their contemporary series’, why they did it a certain way, including best practices on how to create a memorable small town. It’s a fascinating insight into the creative process, and well worth a listen… 🙂
