Author Doug Dillon Promotional Guest Post

Author Doug Dillon Promotional Guest Post

Prizes: Beautiful Chinese Puzzle Balls

To promote Sliding Beneath the Surface
  

sliding beneath the surface

Book I of The St. Augustine Trilogy
Young adult, paranormal and historical

What’s Going on Here?

Very simple. I’m giving away two, handcrafted Chinese puzzle balls in a contest. One is valued at $60 and the value of the other is $160. The second ball is double the size of the first one. Each has a teak stand and has its own wooden Chinese box for safe keeping. These exquisite oriental art pieces are up for grabs to readers who will purchase my book and publish their review on Amazon.com. Or the winners can select an Amazon Gift Card of equal value.

Why Chinese puzzle balls?

Ah, that’s because the puzzle ball is the forefront object on my book cover. In the book, and throughout The St. Augustine Trilogy, it serves as a symbolic reference to the paranormal world and the very nature of reality. “Worlds-within-worlds.”

What are puzzle balls?

Sometimes called mystery balls, they are handcrafted objects often made of wood, jade, mammoth ivory or Mandarin Ivory. Mandarin ivory is a blend of natural materials and is the material used for the balls in my contest.

An ancient art form, these objects have intricate carvings on the outside and multiple, moveable layers on the inside—balls within balls. Those inner shells usually number between 2 and 18 but can go as high as 42. As with the ones available in my contest, the outside carving often consists of intertwined, painted dragons.

About the Contest
Options, options, options! Here’s the (basic) deal:

1)      Buying an eBook on Amazon.com or through Book Depository and writing a review on Amazon.com gives you a chance to win your choice of a 6-layer puzzle ball with teak display stand sent to you by me in a classy wooden Chinese box — a market value of $60 ~or~ an Amazon Gift Card - valued at $60.  The posting on Amazon.com (U.S.) or on Book Depository is required to be eligible but posting elsewhere also would be greatly appreciated.

2)      Buying a print book and writing a review on Amazon.com gives you one chance to win your choice of a 12-layer puzzle ball with a teak display stand, also in its own box—a market value of $160 ~or~ an Amazon Gift Card - valued at $160. Yes, that’s double the size of the first one.  Again the posting on Amazon.com (U.S.) or on Book Depository is required to be eligible but posting elsewhere also would again be appreciated.

3)      BONUS – you can also enter both of the contests listed above by purchasing both an eBook and a Paperback copy of my book, given your one Amazon.com published review would account for both mandatory review entries. Who knows you may get lucky and win both contests, allowing you to give one to a friend.

4)      AND - you may enter each contest daily if you would like to increase your chances of winning. Each purchase gets you another chance and your one (1) published review will account for all purchases made throughout the contest.

5)      IF by some chance you have already published your review of my book on Amazon.com, you can still participate but to be eligible you must purchase a book for each new entry with a unique order number to confirm your purchase.

6)      End  Goal of the Contest: 150 reviews on Amazon.com

7)      Projected contest dates are December 12 through February 6. All reviews must be posted on Amazon.com by the end date.

8)      Participants must live in one of these countires to be eligible: US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Germany, France, Netherlands, South Africa, Poland, Israel, Spain, Italy.

9)      Entering the contest – enter here!

10)  Any questions? Contact my wonderful assistant, Julia Hendrix via email – dougdillonassistant@gmail.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Want to Know More About Puzzle Balls?

Check out this article

  http://gbtimes.com/culture/arts/chinese-puzzle-balls-dazzling-example-superior-craftsmanship



Want to View a Puzzle Ball in More Depth?

Click here for a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kb02c_Oa4E



Want to see a Puzzle Ball Being Made?

Click here  for videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHYMy9it0OQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG63ZO11bfU

Out Of Reach Blog Tour

Welcome to best book's stop on this amazing tour hosted by JeanBookNerd
Today we have a review, excerpt and a giveaway :)
please feel free to leave a coment, thats is always nice to see :)

Carrie Arcos lives in Los Angeles with her family. She writes young adult literature and is an adjunct professor. You can find more about her at carriearcos.com

Links
Website http://carriearcos.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carriearcosauthor
Twitter  https://twitter.com/carriearcos
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752060.Carrie_Arcos

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.

Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home

EXCERPT

“In the kitchen I poured myself a glass of water and my hands shook. Some of the water spilled down my shirt as I took a drink. I was scared, more scared than I had been about anything before. But I was angry, too. It was the anger that stopped me from telling my parents. I left Micah outside, twitching and high, because I was pissed that he had left me, that he had decided to go somewhere I knew I could never follow.”

MY REVIEW

First off, thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book despite it being pretty heavy on the content, about drugs and missing people.  I really felt a connection to the main character Rachel, she goes looking for her brother micah who has gone missing and has a drug addiction.  She gets the help from tyler, who is micah’s best friend.

Along the way you find out more about Rachel and micah and even tyler. The writing style of this book was really easy to read, read it in one sitting. It made me feel so many emotions, and I even had tears a few times.  Now I cant say anything about the ending without giving it away, but I really do hope that its not a standalone and that there will be a 2^nd book.  For me it really wasn’t long enough and didn’t really answer all the questions Rachel set out to answer, so I do hope the author will write a sequel.

Definitely give this book a go if you like different books and aren’t worried about reading books with hard to read topics

4stars

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out this link for the other stops http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2012/11/out-of-reach-blog-tour-schedule.html


BOOK LINKS


  

    

Achieve Success from Your Creative Talents Ron Gavalik

Achieve Success from Your Creative Talents

Ron Gavalik

Throughout civilized human history, creative minds of every type were comforted by the knowledge that if a publisher, producer, or gallery accepted their work, they’d receive financial support in the form of advanced payments and promotional initiatives. In essence, after years of struggle, rejection, and torment, the creator was chosen by an elite group of tycoons to be idolized above others. In return, he or she wasn’t asked to perform any kind of true marketing efforts, aside from public appearances.

In today’s business world, that’s rarely the case.

The influx of creative small businesses and indie creators has diluted the arts and entertainment markets. That shift in business has forced creative talents to perform their own marketing initiatives to achieve success. Some creative professionals believe this to be an unfair burden. Others herald it as an opportunity to have more control. No matter how you view the circumstances, it’s a reality that must be understood.

It’s astonishing how many talented writers, artists, and performers pour passion and professionalism into their creative endeavors, but then practice marketing initiatives like an amateur. It’s the equivalent of buying a $500 pool stick, but never practicing the game. When it comes time to prove your skills, that shiny pool stick is only as effective as the player who wields it. In other words, it’s simply not enough to have a fantastic creative product. You must know how to market that product to mass audiences to win the game.

That’s why our team developed Financial Success for Creative Professionals. The plan is the first proven set of marketing procedures, guaranteed to achieve long-term success for writers, artists, musicians, and performers of all stripes.

To ensure creative success in today’s market, there are a number of steps that must be completed. Let’s briefly explore each of them.

Understand the truth about marketing artistic creations. So many people believe marketing is subjective, much like abstract painting or poetry. It isn’t. Marketing is really about the science of consumer psychology. You must reach the correct audiences to maximize exposure of your work, draw in potential fans, and then drive revenue. When you truly understand the fundamental theory about generating mass awareness of your creative experiences and know how to shape the perception of your work, it’s hundreds of times easier to get noticed and achieve success.

Most marketing professionals hold advanced degrees. The FSCP marketing plan contains the same resources marketing pros use for success, but developed specifically for creative professionals.

Build your marketing structure. Before an artistic talent can sell work to a base of potential consumers, you must first build your marketing structure. That includes a comprehensive website (not just a simple blog), a strong social media presence, and a uniquely branded market position. You must also use mass communications vehicles (email newsletters, for example) to build relationships with your future fans. No one, and I mean no one will buy a book, portrait, MP3, or any kind of creation without having achieved emotional investment in the creator and your products. The FSCP marketing plan provides you the ability to build your uniquely branded market position, set pricing, and then shows you how to interact with hundreds of thousands of consumers to maximize sales and raise the quality of life for your fans.

Take advantage of media marketing opportunities. The meat of any marketing initiative must include interacting with potential fans. This is referred to as shaking hands and relationship building. Much in the same way a car salesperson walks up to a consumer and extends a hand, the FSCP marketing plan shows you how to use the power of the web to connect with hundreds of thousands of consumers through social media, the news media, and personal print media. Using these techniques provides consumers an easy path to personally identify with your artistic creations and then become emotionally invested. This is sometimes referred to as the “warm fuzzies.”

Once the warm fuzzies are achieved, your potential fans are empowered with the knowledge that purchasing your work will benefit them in some way. Remember, your creative efforts are meant to enhance the lives of others. When a potential fan personally identifies with your creation and they’re given a clear path to enjoy the experience, it’s like taking candy from a baby.

Diversify your income from multiple venues. Success is never achieved by selling one product in one location. That’s one of the biggest mistakes made by indie authors, artists, and performers. Your creations must sell in multiple locations to reach the maximum number of targeted consumers that identify with your style. It’s also paramount that each creator offers several products and accessory items for sale, such as t-shirts or bookmarks.

For example: an indie author with a book released must ensure it’s selling in each possible retail location. Sure, Amazon may have 60% or more of the book buying public, but that doesn’t mean you ignore the other 40% that shops on lesser-known retailers. Furthermore, offering accessories increases revenue and provides depth that large publishers always provide for intellectual property and indies usually lack.

Those are the basic high-level steps that every creative talent must follow to achieve true financial success in each respective field. As stated earlier, the FSCP marketing plan is guaranteed to deliver that success to each creator and it’s why our team is so proud to have published it for your use.

It’s my hope that you’re taking your creative career seriously. It’s not always easy to rise above the chaos, but if you follow the proven plan, it’s an amazing experience to watch consumers around the world swoon over your creations that raise their quality of life. That’s a true gift and your legacy. Be proud of it.

As the tagline goes, “If you pour your passions into each project or performance, you must propel your career to the next level, realize your full potential and achieve financial success.”

Together, we’ll make it happen!

Good hunting.

Ron Gavalik’s Bio:

Ron Gavalik is the author of Financial Success for Creative Professionals and has over 20 years of celebrated experience in corporate and creative marketing. This former Director of Communications has assisted private, nonprofit, and artistic organizations achieve success through grassroots experience marketing initiatives. Gavalik is currently the Publisher for Grit City Publications and creator of the innovative Emotobooks fiction medium. He holds a B.S. in Marketing Communications from Point Park University and an M.A. in Writing from Seton Hill University. His work in the arts has shaped success for countless creative professionals who seek financial independence.

Contact Info:

Website: http://creativesuccess.net

Facebook: http://facebook.com/GritCityPublications

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonGavalik

Scent Of Magic by Maria V Snyder, review by alice

Scent of Magic by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OH HELL WHAT A ENDING!!!! i really want the 3rd book now. snyder is a master at cliffhangers. i kept turning the page and going back to see if there was anymore to the book LOL.

i loved this book even more than the first one. you get to see avry grow even more. and i loved reading more about kerrick

definitly pick up this series if you want to read an amazing fantasy book.
the way its written never ceases to amaze me. i felt like i was there, living the world, feeling the pain and the happiness. right up until that ending when i felt the breath leave me and my heart stop. WHY OH WHY did you have to end it like that!!!!

cant wait to see what happens in the 3rd book :)

View all my reviews