Guest Posts: Are they valuable?

September 20, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Guest blogging can be a great way to expand your online network, meet new friends, and share your work with others, but it’s hard work if you want to do it right. I believe anyone who offers me a spot on their blog deserves my full attention, meaning they get a unique blog, my comments during the day to interact with their readers, and shares on my social network, both for my guest post and for other guest posts they host.

Below is an awesome group of sites where I’ll be guest blogging. I’d like to grow this list and am looking for people to host me on their blog.

If you’re interested, please contact me via my contact information page. I’d love to hear from you and be part of your network.

What I offer:

A unique blog for every site that I am a guest on
My best effort at driving traffic to the blog via my social network
Interaction with the readers of the blogs I guest post on

What I hope to get:

New readers
Exposure for my work
New connections with others online
Writing about a topic I love

Here is my current guest blogging schedule:

2015

September 25th Interview with Awethors

October 2, Mysteristas

October 6, Donna Galanti

October 18, Debra Purdy Kong

October 20, Luke Murphy

October 22, Catherine Astolfo

October 25, Chris The Story Reading Ape – This is BLAZE release day.

October 29, Melodie Campbell

November 2, Judith Barrow

December 18, Judy Penz Sheluk

2016

January 19, James M. Jackson

If you haven’t read DESCENT yet, now is your chance before BLAZE comes out. Find it at: myBook.to/Descent, and of course, BLAZE is available for pre-order in eBook format. Trade paperback is coming soon.

Thanks for reading…

BLAZE Available for Pre-order (Stone Mountain Mystery #2)

September 16, 2015September 15, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Working with a modern publisher such as Imajin Books has advantages.

I counted on the Imajin Books website, and the company currently has 26 authors including me. This means each author gets individual attention and a fast track to publication.

So let me define fast. DESCENT was released July 25th, 2015.

BLAZE is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released October 25th, 2015.

Does this mean I wrote two books in one year?

No. I wrote four novels during the five years I lived on a sailboat. I’m currently working on the 5th. I think I needed to write four books to learn how to write a book. When I finished the fourth, I went back to the beginning of the series and rewrote all four novels. Only then, did I feel ready to submit to the first two.

It takes time to create fiction, but now that The Stone Mountain Mystery series is underway, I’m glad to be with Imajin Books and get the novels published quickly and professionally.

Forest fires are a hot topic this year in North America, and I’ve brought it close to home for Kalin Thompson…

Instead of exchanging vows, Kalin Thompson spends her wedding day running from a forest fire near Stone Mountain Resort, and the pregnant friend trapped with her has just gone into labor. Meanwhile, Kalin’s fiancé, Ben Timlin, hangs from the rafters of a burning building, fighting for his life. Can the situation get any hotter?

When the fire is declared as arson, finding the firebug responsible becomes Kalin’s personal mission. In the course of her investigation as Director of Security, she discovers that some people will go to extreme measures to keep her from exposing their secrets.

If you haven’t read DESCENT yet, now is your chance before BLAZE comes out. Find it at: myBook.to/Descent

And if you have read DESCENT, I’d be very excited if you pre-ordered BLAZE.

Thanks for reading…

Announcing BLAZE: A Stone Mountain Mystery #2

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

New Release: October 25th, 2015 by Imajin Books.

QUESTION: What’s more exciting than announcing the release of your first book?

ANSWER: Announcing the release of your second book.

I wrote DESCENT and BLAZE while I was sailing in the Bahamas, and my lovely publisher (Imajin Books) decided to release both novels this year. These are the first two novels in the Stone Mountain Mystery series…with more to come of course.

BLAZE: shortlisted for the 2014 Crime Writers’ Association

Debut Dagger.

Early Praise for BLAZE

“Filled with entertaining characters and as fast-paced as the conflagration that gives Blaze its title.” —Joan Barfoot, Scotia Giller Prize and Trillium Book Award shortlisted author

“Evil in a beautiful landscape—Blaze is an inferno of action and tension. ‪Its sizzling plot will keep you guessing until the end.” —Phyllis Smallman, award-winning author of the Sherri Travis murder mysteries

“Kristina Stanley’s latest novel, Blaze, is a fast-paced, hang-on-to-your-seat kind of mystery that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning.” —R. J. Harlick, author of the Meg Harris Mysteries

“Gripping action scenes and an engaging heroine make BLAZE a terrific read. Great insight into the risks and dangers of outdoor life by an author who’s been there. The forest fire fighting scenes are especially vivid. Don’t miss this!” —M. H. Callway, Arthur Ellis Finalist, Best First Novel

“Stanley captures the unrelenting brutality of a fire’s ruthless nature. The action and suspense doesn’t end with the blaze.” −Billy Stewart, Professional Firefighter.

If you haven’t read DESCENT yet, now is your chance before BLAZE comes out. Find it at: myBook.to/Descent

Thanks for reading…

#1 Question to Ask Yourself After A First Draft

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

You’ve completed a first draft, you look at the mound of papers on your desk, and wonder what next.

How do you look at your draft with new eyes. There is a lot of advice about putting your novel in a drawer for a few weeks before looking at it again, sending it to others for a beta read, reading it aloud etc.

But what if you want to do something more practical and immediate?

For each scene ask yourself: WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS SCENE?

Try not to answer in a generic way.

An easy answer is: Moves the story forward.

To me, that’s too general. How does the scene move the story forward? Be as specific as you can.

Ask yourself: Does the scene

have an important revelation, clue or red herring?
develop a character? To me this means, does the reader learn something new about a character that is important to a story?
introduce a new character?
show character motivation?
give the reader a break after a high action scene?
give the reader action after a break scene (sometimes called a sequel scene)?
foreshadow, give backstory or contain an important flashback?
develop setting that is important to the story and not just setting for the sake of describing something?
close off loose ends?
solve the crime?

If you can’t articulate the point of a scene, think about removing the scene.

If the point of the scene is weak, see if you can take what is important in a scene and move it to another scene. Then delete the weak scene.

I use a spreadsheet to keep track of each scene. One column is dedicated to the point of the scene. If a cell remains empty when I’ve reviewed the entire novel then the scene must go.

Please share any tips you can add in the comments below.

I used this technique while writing DESCENT, BLAZE and AVALANCHE.

Thanks for reading…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

Facebook Launch Party: Practice Makes Perfect

September 10, 2015September 9, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

To continue with tips on hosting a FaceBook Launch party, I thought I’d let you know about two parties that are happening this weekend.

Two authors will be hosting their first launch party, and this is a great opportunity not only to support other authors but to see a launch party in action. Both releases are published by Imajin Books.

To entice you to stop by, I’ll be giving away one eBook copy (kindle format) of DESCENT during each party. There are other authors donating books too, but you’ll have to check out the parties to find out who.

First up is author Debra Purdy Kong. Click on her banner below and you’ll be taken to the sign-up page for her event. It’s on Saturday September 12th from 5 to 7 PM EST.

DEAD MAN FLOATING Description:

One wrong decision…

Security guard Evan Dunstan didn’t expect to find a body floating in a campus stream. An empty vodka bottle nearby suggests that the highly despised George Krenn, head of the plumbing department, had drunkenly fallen in. Refusing to let the death of a vile man ruin his romantic plans, Evan decides to leave the body for the next shift to find.

One friend in trouble…

When it’s discovered that Krenn was murdered, Evan has a lot of explaining to do. So does his friend Sully, Krenn’s least favourite student. Evan uses his hacking skills and campus knowledge to keep them both out of jail, but the investigation forces him to question Sully’s innocence.

One mystery to solve…

Uncovering the truth proves to be more than challenging. It may cost Evan his job, his friendship, and his woman. Will Evan find the killer, or will the killer find him first?

Second up is Kathleen Duhamal with DEEP BLUE. Click on the book cover below to be taken to the sign up page for her launch party. It’s on Sunday September 13th. 7 to 10 PM EST.

DEEP BLUE Description:

Love is the most addicting drug of all…

“Barely-not-starving” Denver artist and cancer survivor Claire Martin has almost given up finding an older man with a youthful spirit when she meets charismatic New York soul singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue. She soon learns that hero worship can be dangerous, especially when the object of her desire comes with a disturbing past.

Robert is smart and sexy with a self-deprecating sense of humor, but he’s also a man who has suffered from panic attacks, drug abuse, a well-publicized stint in rehab and the death of his wife, screenwriter Elaine Jordan. When his demons resurface on tour, jeopardizing his voice and the band’s future, Claire must decide if she’s willing to take the biggest risk of her life—betting her future on a troubled man.

Thanks for reading..

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

IDEAS: Where do they come from? How do you keep them?

September 2, 2015September 1, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

Thank you, Melodie, for hosting me on your blog. And Melodie is…

The Toronto Sun called Melodie Campbell Canada’s “Queen of Comedy.” Library Digest compared her to Janet Evanovich. No surprise, then, that Melodie Campbell got her start writing comedy.

Melodie has won ten awards for fiction, including the Derringer and the Arthur Ellis. In 1999, she opened the Canadian Humour Conference. She has over 200 publications including 100 comedy credits, and 40 short stories. Her tenth novel, a mob caper entitled The Goddaughter Caper (Orca Books) will be published in 2016.

Originally posted on Melodie Campbell (The home of Bad Girl Comedy)…

***

I’m very pleased to welcome friend and colleague Kristina Stanley here, a crime writer who has been nominated for prestigious crime awards before even having a book published. Well, that is definitely a secret to getting a publisher, folks, and now come the books. Over to you now, Kristina!

Late one night in Unteruhldingen, Germany I was reading MOONLIGHT BECOMES YOU by Mary Higgins Clark. The opening—a woman trapped in a grave. Darkness and silence surround her, and she doesn’t know where she is. I can still see her fingers clawing at the edges of the coffin.

… View Remaining Blog at: Melodie Campbell

Thanks for reading…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

Golfing and Skiing Together

August 30, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

The award winning Greywolf Golf Course is a supporter of local artists, whether they happen to be a talented golfer or not. In my case, not so talented…Or maybe no golfing talent at all. But that didn’t stop the director of golf from enthusiastically agreeing to host my work.

The pro shop is now carrying DESCENT. I get a space right up front with the Greywolf logo and the books are already selling.

The local support just keeps on growing!

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

Thanks for reading…

The Dark Side of Alpine Skiing: Guest Post by Mystery Author Kristina Stanley

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Thanks to Donna for hosting me on her blog.

Donna Galanti writes suspense, young adult, and middle grade fiction and is represented by Bill Contardi of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc. She is an International Thriller Writers Debut Author of the paranormal suspense novel A Human Element, book one in The Element Trilogy, and book two, A Hidden Element, by Imajin Books. Books one and two of her middle grade series, Joshua and the Lightning Road, debut in 2015 by Month9Books.

Originally posted on Donna Galanti’s The Element Trilogy.

***

The Dark Side of Alpine Skiing
by Kristina Stanley

Death on the slopes can happen at any moment and still, speed is everything to an alpine racer. Olympic skiers attack a run at speeds in excess of 80 mph. The characters in DESCENT demand speed, and this demand causes injury and death.

Racers have specialized technicians who follow them on the World Cup circuit, striving to give each skier an advantage, to squeeze out that extra bit of speed from the equipment. The technicians file and wax multiple skis for each skier, always busy trying to give their athlete an edge over others. Resorts inject a run to turn the slope into a skating rink. Everyone wants to cross the finish line first. But at what cost?

… View Remaining Blog at: The Element Trilogy

Thanks for reading…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

How to get FREE Advertising for your Novel

August 20, 2015August 19, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Besides the obvious guest blogging, tweeting, Facebook etc. there are ways to get exposure for your novel without having to spend cash. We all know it’s hard to make money in this business – okay not all of us – but maybe the newbies, so here is a list of places and methods that worked for me.

Try online magazines that cover your genre. The following showcased DESCENT in the mystery genre.

The Readers Gazette

OMNIMYSTERY News

Crime Fiction Lover THE SITE FOR DIE HARD CRIME & THRILLER FANS

If you belong to a writing organization such as Crime Writers of Canada, ask for placement on their advertising. This type of organization exists to help you.

Share your screen shots from Amazon or other sites. Let the big companies do the work for you. For example on July 26, 2015 DESCENT made #8 and one behind Lee Child in Amazon’s hot new releases in Mystery. Use these moments to be excited about your novel.

Share your success with your friends and thank them for buying your novel. The post below was shared throughout Facebook helping me with visibility in a crowded marketplace. Friends are amazing people who love to help you. Just let them know you need their support to spread the word.

Another author told me, “If you’re not excited about your book release, why would anyone else be?” So don’t be shy about sharing your news. We all want to hear about it and be happy for you.

Please let me know in the comments below if you have other ideas for free advertising. There have to other places…

If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent

Thanks for reading…

How to Get Support From Your Local Community

August 16, 2015August 16, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 30 Comments

As an artist, getting support from your local community is easy. Just ask.

I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to ask people for favours, but here’s what I discovered. My community loves to help locals. Last Friday, my local newspaper, The Columbia Valley Pioneer, published an article about me.

I’d sent them an email, explaining who I am (a local author), what my credentials are and that DESCENT had just been published. They responded within the hour saying they’d love to interview me. I’d procrastinated for days before I sent the email, and now Kristina at Library I wish I hadn’t hesitated.