Guest Post by Jenni: Partying with Local Authors

Jenni is a Utah book blogger who blogs at Jenni Elyse.  As you'll see, she's very active in the Utah Books community.  Follow her on Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram. Without further ado, here's Jenni:

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I’m so excited to guest post on the Utah Books blog for Utah Book Month today. I love the literary community we have here. It’s so awesome and so much fun! I’m especially excited to talk about my adventures with Utah authors, some of my favorite people. Imagine a time when Twilight was just getting popular—just before Eclipse and the first movie came out. I read Twilight and fell in love with reading, but I also fell in love with this series. I joined the Twilight Lexicon and met some amazing people, many who live in Utah like I do. After we corresponded via the interwebs for several months and realized no one was a serial killer, we decided to get together for dinner to meet each other in person. That was nearly seven years ago. Since that time, these amazing ladies have been some of my very best friends. We no longer obsess over Twilight, but we still obsess over books. We especially love to Support Local Talented Authors, hence our group name—SLTA.

We’ve had the opportunity to meet and party with many local authors and celebrate their awesome books! The first author we ever hosted was Ally Condie, about a year before Matched came out. We celebrated her book Freshman for President. Because of this party, we established a relationship with her and were able to celebrate Matched, Crossed, and Reached when they all came out too.

Since that first party with Ally, we’ve had the opportunity to party with Sydney Salter, Bree Despain, Shannon Hale, Brodi Ashton, Julianne Donaldson, Sara B. Larson, and Amy Harmon. 

At each of our parties, we make usually have book-themed decorations, serve book-themed dinner and desserts, play book-themed games, and do a Q&A with the author. We make it point to make that author feel special and like they’re the most awesome person in the world for that night. Afterward, the author will usually sign our books and then we present the author with a gift bag. 

Each time we’ve partied with these authors, I’ve been amazed at how down-to-earth they are. I’ve loved getting to know them and learning fun facts about them and their stories. It gives me a much more personal connection to them and their books.

Guest Post from Kami's Library Thoughts: Favorite Utah Bloggers

Today we welcome Kami from Kami's Library Thoughts. She's been part of the Utah book blogger community for going on three years now. She's brought a ton of enthusiasm to our group and we are so excited that she is guest posting today. Take it away Kami!

Utah has a wonderful group of bloggers! We each come from different walks of life, and it is fun to get to know each other through the internet, and it is even more fun to see each other at author events. 

Today I'd like to highlight some of my favorite Utah blogs and bloggers! These are in no particular order.

Jenni Elyse

is one of the first bloggers I met, and she is a super fun person!

Her blog is neat and organized. It is visually awesome for those of us who are a bit OCD.

I love her little animated self!

Jenni's book reviews are honest and real. She has a way of getting her emotions and feelings in her reviews. I wish I could express myself as well as she does.

Blog - Twitter - Goodreads

It's All About Books

Blog is a must visit for bloggers!

Suey hosts some big events like Bloggiesta and Utah Book Month!

Not only is Suey's blog all about books, it encompasses all aspects of her life. She frequently posts about her love for music, her family, and movies.

Suey does a lot for Utah bloggers, and she's been at it for a long time!

I like to call her our blogger mom.

Blog - Twitter - Goodreads

The Bluestocking Society

Jessica is a very intelligent and informed person. She is amazing!

Jessica also helps host Utah Book Month.

Jessica has a way of describing things. Sometimes I have a hard time trying to say why something is good or bad, but Jessica is awesome at this.

Jessica's blog is super clean. It is very easy to navigate and read.

Blog - Twitter - Goodreads

Go check out these blogs! You won't regret it!

Guest Post by Melissa: Utah Books for All Seasons

Melissa is a Utah book blogger who blogs at Bookmark Dragon.  As you'll see, she's a newbie to the state but has already acclimated. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere. Without further ado, here's Melissa:

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I am so delighted to be participating in Utah Book Month this year!  All hail the Beehive State.

Before I say another word, I have a confession: I am not originally from Utah.  I've lived in four different states and in two different countries, but only arrived in Utah two years ago.  Since then, I've worked hard to make Utah home.  Happily, Utah has welcomed me with open arms, and I am happy to be here.

One thing I have come to appreciate about my new home in Salt Lake City is the seasons!  I grew up in California, which was wonderful in many ways, but when you're breaking out winter coats once the temperature drops to a frigid sixty degrees (not an exaggeration) you just don't know much about weather.  In Utah, the leaves on the trees actually change colors in the fall!  It snows real live snowflakes in the winter!  Scarves and hats are more than fashion statements!  You appreciate summer so much more since it only lasts a few months!  

So, with that in mind, I have book recommendations by season for you!  All these books are written by Utah authors as well.  Feel the state patriotism.

Spring

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

This exciting, adventurous, and enigmatic story will make you want to break out your running shoes and hit the pavement after your winter hibernation.

Summer

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Grab this book and find a hammock, and I promise you will have one of the most delightful afternoons of your life.

Fall

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Sometimes all you need in life is a thick, epic fantasy novel and some pumpkin pie to wash it down.  This book will make you believe in magic, a perfect state of mind for the holiday season.

Winter

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Although Austenland may be more popular, Midnight in Austenland is just as blithe and bonny, but a tad more cryptic than its more famous counterpart.  The mystery and the suspense makes this just the right book to cuddle up to under a blanket while you wait for the snow to melt.

Thanks again to UtahBooks for hosting me!  

Introducing Utah Author T.L. Coulter!

Today we welcome T.L. Coulter to the blog! She is a fairly new Utah blogger and would like to introduce herself:

After seven years of living in Belgium and Germany, our family decided it was time to move back to the United States. In October 2013, we settled in a quaint little mountain town close to a nice ski resort. Since then, I became an avid runner and was even training for my first half-marathon when my knee popped taking me out of the game. Now, four weeks out of surgery, I am ready to get back out there. However, my doctor and therapist forbids it. So what do I do while I wait for my knee to heal? I write the third and final book in The Arcadian Series titled The Warrior.

While a child growing up in Southeastern Oklahoma, I dreamed of writing and publishing a book someday. I always thought I would write romance novels. However, once I read The Twilight Series, Divergent and The Hunger Games, I knew I wanted to write Young Adult novels.

While living in Wiesbaden Germany, the idea for The Arcadian Series was born. In December 2013 after our move to Utah, I found myself putting my notes into a book. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. The first book The Key, was published in March 2014. The second book The Oracle soon followed in June 2014. Now, as I sit here trying to wrap up and say goodbye to my first series, I find it hard to let go. My goal is to have The Warrior released September 2014.

If you like Wizards, romance, battles and other realms, then this series is for you. I do hope you will check it out. You can find the first two books on Amazon. I would love to hear from you.

You can contact me at:

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Blog

Email: t.l.coulter1@gmail.com

Guest Post by Cindy C Bennett: Our Amazing Utah Author Community

Today we'd like to welcome Utah author Cindy C Bennett to the blog! She is the author of several books, most of them contemporary YA and the mother of four children. You can learn more about her on her blog. Or you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. 

Our Amazing Utah Author Community

by Cindy C Bennett

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a writer. Fear held me back when it shouldn’t have. I also think I had this idea that writers were these sort of mythological creatures who were uber-classy, didn’t change diapers, had housemaids, and every day looked like they did in their professional author photos. When I finally had the courage to give my writing a shot at publication, it wasn’t long until my eyes were opened. Authors are people just like me! I was very surprised to find they’re just normal people who looked little like their photos (we all use the best of the best and if a little touch-up happens, well, we just pretend we know nothing about it). They are moms and dads, husbands and wives, daughters or sons. Most authors have a “day job” other than writing and not only do they change diapers and clean their own toilets, they also have to dress themselves—on days they deign to get dressed and not spend the day in pajamas or sweats, writing.

My biggest shock was the sheer number of authors who live right here in Utah. You mean they don’t all live in New York, London, San Francisco, or Paris? Or somewhere exotic? Sure, some of them do. But in Utah, and even within a few miles of where I live, are a lot of authors, and a massive amount of talent. I can’t believe the brilliant writers who live close, who make the bestseller’s lists not only in New York but even on Amazon amongst the millions of books there.

I find myself grateful to be counted among the elite but numerous Utah authors, many of whom I now call friends. Book signings that I didn’t know happened here are nearly a weekly event for readers who wish to meet their favorite writer. And the support system among writers is like nothing I’ve ever known.

So, if you live in Utah, next time you’re at the grocery store, you might be walking right past an author that you admire—and they might even be buying diapers.

Utah Author Guest Post: Cindy Bennett

Cindy C. Bennett is the author or co-author of a number of books.  She self-published her first novel, Geek Girl, and then sold it to Utah publishing house Cedar Fort.  As Cindy says on her About page, she writes contemporary YA, though she has "a few books which dip a tiny toe into the paranormal." You can find her on her blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.  She even has a sometimes-Podcast with her son called Geek Revolution Radio.

And now, here's Cindy:
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From nearly every window in my house, I can look out and see the Wasatch Mountains, the portion of the greater Rocky Mountain range that line the east side of the Salt Lake valley. Even still, after living here my whole life, and looking out these same windows for the past ten years, I never tire of the sight. Not to say that I never take the sight for granted, because I admit that sometimes I do, and then I’ll look up and see them and it will strike me anew how very lucky I am to live in the shadows of such a glorious bit of nature.

The hidden treasure that isn’t as obvious as the imposing mountain range is the vast amount of talented writers and the large number of amazing, supportive bloggers who live here. Even having lived here my entire life and having long held the dream of becoming an author, I had no idea they existed. I naïvely thought that if you wanted to be a successful writer you needed to live somewhere like New York or Los Angeles, or even Key West in a house full of six-toed cats.

It was an eye-opening experience to find, when I finally dared to put my words out for the world to see, that I was surrounded by creativity and support like I didn’t dare dream. At every event or book signing I discovered more of the talent that abounds in our humble little state. I’ve developed relationships with bloggers who are relatively anonymous in their location, only to find out later that they also are fellow Utahns.

So while I may enjoy visiting New York or LA or Hemingway’s home, I’ll always return to my roots in Utah, happy to be the girl who gets to look out her window and see the Rocky Mountains, and who gets to live side-by-side with the talented, kind, helpful and supportive Utah authors and bloggers. What a lucky, blessed girl I am!

Utah Books Guest Post: F.W. Adams

What If?

The first question you may be asking is what could this guy write that hasn't already been written, that you haven't already read or perhaps already thought?

The answer may likely be nothing. Whoa, end of post, right?  No, not quite yet.  True, you may not read anything new in the next few words, sentences and paragraphs, however, you just may be reminded of something that you have previously read, something that inspired you and then perhaps the details of day-to-day living simply pushed to to the back of your mind--until now, that is.

So, I'd like to share two things that inspired me, two things that made me stop and think and got me putting pen to paper, so to speak.  The first is that writing is work. Yep, work.  I remember reading an essay in one of L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future series to this effect, wherein the author basically noted that writing is work and that it takes time, effort, energy and then more time, effort and energy.  Being an author is a job and a good idea may be had by most anyone, but it is only a start and creating characters with which we want to identify, creating believable worlds and then crafting an engaging story takes, well work.  That has been with me since I read it and I only wish I could recall the author to give him or her the credit due that great essay.

Second, and I believe it was from another essay in that same series, though perhaps a different book, wherein the author noted that asking the question of "What if..." is often the start of a wonderful literary journey.  I know for me that it has been.  Had I not read that essay and had that question not been at the forefront of my mind, then I would have simply passed by that storm drain in the middle of the street without a second thought.  Instead, it caught my attention, I asked "What if..." and now I'm writing a Young Adult Sci-Fi series all based on that "What if..." question.

And yes, it is work!

So, ask the question, "What if..." and then go ahead and put in the effort and then write something!


About the author: F.W. is working on a three part science fiction series for young adults, titled "The Storm Drain Chronicles." His first published work, "The Unfortunate Tale of Little Mary Jenkins" can be found in digital format for all platforms on Amazon or Smashwords.  To learn more about what may be lurking in your storm drain, visit him here on his official website and, of course, feel free to like and follow on Facebook,

Utah Author Guest Post: Rebecca Jamison

Rebecca H. Jamison is a full-time mom with a passion for writing novels, running and dancing. She is the author of Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale and Emma: A Latter-day Tale. You can learn more about her at rebeccahjamison.com.

Check Out Utah Libraries

Guest Post by Rebecca H. Jamison

I’ve visited libraries all over the country. Don’t ask me why. When I visit a town, I visit the library. I’ve been to libraries in the East, the Mid-West, and the South-West. And I always come away with gratitude for my own library. Utah libraries are spectacular! They have the latest releases in books, movies, and magazines. They’re well staffed. And they’re fun places to be.

A visit to Salt Lake City is not complete until you visit the Salt Lake City Library. It’s exciting just to walk through the building with its glass walls and artistic displays. Don’t get me started on the selection of books. They may not have every book in the world, but they come close. My kids love going there because of their fun reading rooms for children.



Recently, I walked the halls of the old Brigham Young Academy Building, which is now the Provo City Library. Though it was a Friday Evening, the place was packed. It’s a small library compared to mine; however, the selection was up to date, and the children’s section was enormous.

I’m lucky enough to live within the boundaries of the Salt Lake County Library System. My card allows me to go to any of the nineteen libraries throughout Salt Lake County. If my home library doesn’t have the book, magazine, or movie I want, I simply place it on hold. The item usually arrives at my home library within a week. The library system also provides a summer reading program, as well as many online resources.

As I think about how I became an author, I have to admit that it probably would not have happened without my library. To be able to write well, you have to read well. While I wrote my first published novel, I sought inspiration from the shelves of my library. Reading great books helped me get through my many writer’s blocks. When I didn't have time to sit down and read, I listened to audio books as I worked around the house. The library even helped me after I finished writing. It offered me a variety of books about how to publish.

Do you have a favorite library? How has it helped you?

Utah Author Guest Post: Carol Nicholas

Carol Nicholas is the author of The Sixth Power, a YA fantasy novel about a girl with special powers.  Carol blogs regularly at http://carolnicolas.wordpress.com/.  Check out this list of her favorite books, which is kept updated on her blog.  You can also find Carol on Twitter and on Facebook.

Now, here's Carol:

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ABOUT BLOGGING

When I finally finished my last edit of The Sixth Power in January, I emailed the book to my husband (who was going to handle the whole process of self-publishing), treated myself to Godiva chocolate, and thought I was done.  Little did I know that I was just beginning a whole new adventure.  “You have to write a blog,” he told me.  So I began to learn about blogging. 

One of the first things I learned is that there are hundreds of blogs out there where people read books and review them.  Wow!  What an amazing concept!  I loved going to all the different websites and reading the book reviews.  It was better than a library, better than a candy store, better than a back rub...  I was like a kid with a carte blanche credit card in a toy store.  My Nook suddenly had a hundred titles downloaded onto it.  I gorged on books.  I read and read and read until one day I came up for air and realized that I hadn’t painted a picture or played guitar or gardened or written a story for a while.  It was time to step back from the books, get back into life, and get going on my own blog.  (Since the garden was under three feet of snow, I could excuse myself on that one.)   

Then I discovered that authors have websites.  (Yes, I know, you’re asking if I’ve been living in the Dark Ages all my life.  I’m quite sheepish to admit this.)  One of the first things I did was look up Robin McKinley.  I have been a fan ever since I read The Blue Sword in 1982.  I love her books!  I had so much fun going through her website, reading her blog entries, finding out what she has published and what’s coming in the near future.  She even has an ongoing story called Kes.  She writes and posts a chapter a week, and I am in agony every week to find out what happens.  For a person who likes to read a book from start to finish in one sitting, this is the ultimate torture.  I really enjoyed perusing the websites of my favorite authors, both old and new.  But now I had to join the blogging community.

My son set up my website and coached me through the steps of how to use it.  Then I sat down and stared at the blank screen.  What on earth was I going to write?  Who would read it?  Would anyone read it?  With great trepidation I sent my first blog out into the ether.   I fully expected my high school English teacher to write back and highlight all my grammatical errors.  “Carol, you should have paid more attention during English.  Instead of writing those stories in the back of your notebook, you should have been diagramming sentences.”  It didn’t happen.  Whew.

In the past six months, I have learned a great deal about blogging.  It has been an interesting experiment.  Some days it is very hard to find a subject to write about.  My sister calls me.   “I like the stories about things that really happened,” she says. “Be real.  Don’t write about things you don’t care about.”  I tell her I’ll work on it.  I sit and stare at the screen some more.  Other days, I think of ten different things I could comment on.  I always agonize over my blog before I click on the publish button (see English teacher phobia above).  Some days no one comments, and I wonder if there is any point in writing them.  And then there are the days when one of my neighbors says, “Hey, I read your blog.  I really enjoyed it.”  That gives me the courage to keep on sending these vignettes out there and hoping they will be read and enjoyed by someone.

Utah Author Guest Post: Christina Dymock

Christina Dymock is the author of a cookbook for kids called Young Chefs.  She developed the methodology and recipes behind Young Chefs in her own test kitchen - on her four children.  She runs a blog about teaching kids to cook at http://teachingyoungchefs.blogspot.com/.  She also blogs about her writing adventures at http://myamateuradventures.blogspot.com/.  

And now, Christina Dymock:
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Utah Writers Need To Forget About Balance

From the moment you wake up in the morning to the second your head hits the pillow at night, there are hundreds of demands on your time. Family, friends, church service, writing, editing, marketing, volunteer work, cleaning, team commitments, laundry, work, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, updating social media, blogging, and cooking are just a few of the items on a writer’s everyday to-do list. It’s no wonder we wish for more hours in the day.

Since we can’t slow down the sun, we agree to settle for balance. Being able to accomplish enough of the items on our list that we feel accomplished instead of strained. Perhaps you’ve attended a writer’s conference or read a blog and wonder how other people seem to handle all these demands with confidence and class. We mistakenly believe that balance exists when in fact, it is a myth created by watching other people look like they can do it all.

Myth: A made up story that describes a natural phenomenon.

In this case, the natural phenomenon is another writer’s ability to do everything and do it well without stress. You too can have that appearance. It’s an appearance and not an actual ability because no one goes through life without stress. It just doesn’t happen. Here are three ideas to help you drop the need for balance, feel more satisfied with what you do each day, and therefore have a higher level of success as a writer.

1.     Stop Comparing

My biggest beef with comparisons is that we are never fair to ourselves when we pull out the measuring stick. We automatically compare someone’s best to our worst. That’s messed up.

For example, let’s say you join a critique group to improve your writing. After everyone exchanges chapters you start to feel bad. Sally can describe a scene so well you feel like you are there. Trevor wrote dialogue that has you cracking up. And, you care about Becca’s characters with every molecule in your body. You wonder if you’ll ever be as good as the rest of the writing world. When we compare our shortcoming with one glimpse of someone else’s supposedly perfect abilities, we will always come up short.

Instead of comparing your faults to another writer’s strengths, make a list of your good qualities. Take some time to celebrate those abilities that come naturally or that you’ve developed through hard work. Then list your weaknesses. Read and research authors who are good at things you are not,  Instead of using their work to put yourself or your writing down, use it to improve your writing. Draw upon their strengths until they become your own.

2.     Set Your Priorities

One of the reasons we feel dissonance at the end of a day is that we look at the things on our list and realize important tasks are left undone. “Where did the day go?” we wonder. Then we think back and realize that hour spent browsing Pinterest cut into our editing time.

When you get up in the morning, and after you’ve eaten your Wheaties, make a list of things you need to do that day and things you’d like to do that day. Then rank them by priority. Reading with your five year old may be high on the list while folding the laundry could go down a few notches. Work through the list in order of importance and you’ll find that your dissonance disappears.

You can also take a few minutes and look at the big picture. I have a dear friend who is a gifted writer. She is continually working on her manuscripts and always looking for ways to improve her craft. However, she has made a commitment to be 100%  mom while her kids are living at home. For her, writing is manageable right now, but publishing is not. She is well aware that she can have it all, she just doesn’t have to have it all right now.  I’m sure that when her youngest moves out, she’ll have half a dozen ready-to-publish manuscripts on her hard drive and take the book world by storm.

3.     Accept Your Best

Have you ever met a writer who thought their book was done? It doesn’t happen. They may have thought their book was ready to submit to agents and editors, but they are never done. The reason behind this inability to really finish a book is that we are never really finished learning.

On one hand, this is a good thing. When a writer is constantly working to improve, they learn new skills. These skills (hopefully) make each new book better than the last. 

On the other hand, constantly reminding yourself of what you do wrong can be detrimental to your development. Learning to accept that your current efforts are good enough can be difficult. However, there is no more freeing thought than, “I did my best.” Once you can recognize your best efforts and allow yourself to feel satisfaction, your confidence in your abilities will grow. That confidence will transfer into your writing and into your pitches.

When it comes down to it, a balanced life is impractical. There is no way you can give equal time to writing, your family, and your extracurricular activities. You have to make choices. Some things are going to be more important or demand more of your time. Those who appear to have it all together are flexible enough to give the proper amount of attention to those items on their to-do list that will bring them the most fulfillment and let go of the rest.

Utah Author Guest Post: Mark Hansen

Mark Hansen is a local author and blogger. He has published two cookbooks on Dutch oven cooking with Cedar Fort (a Utah publishing house): Black Pot for Beginners and Best of the Black Pot, with two more forthcoming. Mark's interests are diverse and range from, of course, Dutch oven cooking to music and LDS culture. You can find him on his blogs and on Twitter.

Now, without further ado, I give you Mark's guest post.
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Reasons Why Publishers Like Bloggers

I first started blogging in 2005, because I’d heard about it, and it sounded fun.  I created a space, chose a topic (a religious pop culture blog) and started writing.  I must have really enjoyed it, because, before long, I had added another blog about Internet marketing (my day job), and another about my musical hobby.  I really liked the concept of being able to spout off my opinion and watch the traffic tracker draw mountains and valleys on the charts.  Occasionally, I’d hit a nerve and get a wave of comments.  

In 2007, I started what is now my primary blog, http://marksblackpot.com, and in so doing, became not just a blogger, but a food blogger.  I had recently discovered a blossoming interest in cooking on my back porch using a Dutch oven and charcoal briquettes.  I soon established a pattern of cooking my family’s Sunday dinner, and then blogging about it.  I would usually post up the recipe and the story by Monday or Tuesday of that week.  It wasn’t long before the black pot’s traffic overtook all of my older, more established blogs, and it kept growing, steadily, slowly.

I remember seeing the movie “Julie and Julia”, about a lady who cooks her way through Julia Child’s classic cookbook, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, while blogging about it.  I really enjoyed the movie, despite it being an obvious chick flick, because I could relate to cooking and blogging about it.

Of course, as a result of her blog, she gets a call from a publisher, and gets offered a book deal.

“Wow.  Wouldn’t that be cool!” I thought.  I also knew that probably doesn’t happen in real life.

Until in May of 2012, I arrived at my tiny little cube at work and opened up my emails, and there was one from Cedar Fort (http://cedarfort.com), a Utah-based publisher.  They had seen my blog and wanted to talk to me about writing a Dutch oven cookbook.  I don’t think my feet touched the ground the entire day.  They looked over my proposals and ended up offering me a 4-book contract, and it’s been a wonderful ride with them ever since.

Since then, I’ve come to realize that there are some real benefits, from a publisher’s perspective, to signing bloggers.  Here are just a few of them.

Bloggers write.  A lot.  

Successful bloggers write and post in their blogs on a regular consistent basis.  Some post daily.  I post a Dutch oven recipe about once a week.  This means that bloggers are accustomed to writing regularly, and they are able to focus on that task.  That also means that if a blogger has been around for a long time, they have a lot of on-topic content already in place.  In my case, that meant tried and tested recipes.  Hundreds of ‘em.

Bloggers are usually good writers.

This is not always the case, but you have to agree that if someone is writing daily, or even weekly, they’re bound to keep getting better.  Practice makes perfect, and all that.  At the very least, as a publisher, there’s a body of work they can review to get an idea of the quality the author can create.

Bloggers are often good at what they write about.

When I started blogging, I was not an expert at Dutch oven cooking.  I still don’t pretend to be the best.  But as I cooked and blogged and blogged and cooked, I got better.  And, I brought my readers along for the journey.  They learned right beside me.

Bloggers often already have readers.

This is a big, big, point for a publisher.  A successful blogger has a built-in audience following along.  It’s a pretty easy step, then, to promoting the new books to that pre-made audience.  Publishers like that!  It makes their job much easier.

Now, it’s true that every blogger and every publisher is different.  All I’m saying is that blogging is a great way to get things started, and to keep things moving once they are started.  Hey!  It worked for me and Julie, right?