The Author as a Small Business Person

Saturday is Small Business Saturday in the U.S.  As an author, I am considered a small business.  Yes, writing is the creative process.  Branding and publishing is the business end.  Let me try my hand.

Friends of Scrapbook, Etc. is a trilogy about a small town craft store, Scrapbook, Etc. and the people that frequent the shop. Below is preview about each of the three books.

A New Season:  

Karla and Karen opened their craft shop, Scrapbook, Etc., to give Millwood an artistic outlet. When Wendy's son disappears on the way to summer camp, she and motorcycle cop, Jerrod Hill, search the Tennessee mountains for the teen. Their best clue comes from child who claims to have seen a UFO.

Red, White, & True:

Sammy thought surviving the battlefields of Afghanistan would be his greatest challenge, but returning home provided new struggles. He is disabled, struggles with PTSD, and must convince Karla he isn't the same man she promised to marry, that she will be better off without him.

An Unexpected Gift:

Kimberly knew things would get rough when she saw the blue sign on her pregnancy test. She and Jack had been so careful—most of the time. When he learns the news, Jack acted distant. She might be forced to face parenthood alone.

When Grams offers to help, Kimberly soon becomes more concerned about her grandmother's eccentricities than her own college studies. Grams collects stray dogs and talks about seeing an angel. Perhaps she is losing her senses. Kimberly doesn't realize a quirky old woman can teach her about love and parenthood.

For further information you can visit my web site:  http://chanceencounterstlm.wixsite.com/toni-lamparter-mabry

BOOK LAUNCH

You are invited to a book launch for my trilogy, Friends of Scrapbook, Etc.; 1) A New Season, 2) Red, White  & And True, 3) An Unexpected Gift. The trilogy tells the stories of a group of friends who work at or visit the craft store, Scrapbook, Ect.

The book launch will be Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10:30 till 11:30 a.m. at the public library in Millington, TN. There will be a meet & and greet. Refreshments will be served.

Everyone is invited.

ANNOUNCEMENT

The last of my trilogy was published as an eBook about 6 months ago. My publisher recently contacted me with the news that my books are now available in paperback. They can be ordered through Amazon.

Friends of Scrapbook, Etc. is a trilogy that centers around craft shop called Scrapbook, Etc. The shop is in a small town outside of Memphis, TN.

For the next few posts I am going to leave blurbs about each book.

The first book,  A New Season:

School teacher, Wendy Sims', peaceful life with her son is interrupted by a troublesome dream and feeling of foreboding. She senses major changes are coming. To add to her anxiety, motorcycle officer, Jerrod Hill, appears at every turn. The last thing she wants in her life is another man who lives—or dies—taking risks. 

Her worst fears come true when Wendy's son disappears on the way to summer camp. Now she might have to trust Jerrod to help find her missing boy. How can they manage when the only clue comes from an eccentric child who claims he's seen a U.F.O.?

Follow the link (cut and paste) to the Amazon site to see the trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=toni+lamparter+mabry&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Atoni+lamparter+mabry

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! MY TRILOGY IS NOW IN PAPERBACK!!!

I have a wonderful announcement. My trilogy, Friends of Scrapbook, Etc., is now available through Amazon.com. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=toni+lamparter+mabry&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atoni+lamparter+mabry

If you have read the eBook versions, please post a review. The trilogy might make a good Christmas gift for your bookworm friends. Shop now, before the rush.

THEN COMES THE CRASH!

So here it is.  The book is finally available for downloading.  What is that like?

Relief is the first thing I feel.  This has been a long, long road.  My first draft was written in 2006. I received a multitude of rejection letters, trying to find the right publisher.  With each rejection came a new rewrite.  The story grew more and more interesting.    I can't recall how many times I wanted to give up, yet here I am.

Next there is a sense of satisfaction. People will meet my characters and live their lives for awhile. For a writer, it doesn't get better than that.

I must admit that there was a sense of pride.  I pull up my name on Amazon and there I am. Then there will be interviews, meet & greets, and public speaking engagements.  This book is my baby and I am a proud momma.

THEN COMES THE CRASH!

Right about the time I get to feeling really good about myself, I call a family member.

"Hey, guess what," I say. "The local news paper is running a story about me and the book release."

"Really," the person says. "I guess you're lucky that it's a slow news week."

And that, my friends, sums it all up.

PRESS RELEASE: A NEW SEASON

Toni Lamparter Mabry
Contact:  Chanceencounterstlm@yahoo.com
Notation: Book Event


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Shelby Co., TN –  Desert Breeze Publishers is proud to offer the first book in the Friends of Scrapbook, Etc., series from Toni Lamparter Mabry. A New Season, will be available for download at http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/lamparter-mabry-toni/.

A New Season is an inspirational romance, focusing on the theme of second chances.

A series of reoccurring dreams, a mysterious motorcycle cop, and a child who insists that he has seen a U.F.O.; how would these help Wendy find her missing son?

Toni Lamparter Mabry is available for interviews, book talks, meet and greets.

 

FINAL READ

I finished my final read and will be sending my manuscript off by the end of the weekend.  It is a little like watching my baby go off to summer camp.  I knew it is a good thing to send him away, I was just a little frightened to see him go.  Still it is an exciting time.

This has been a humbling experience.  I thought I knew a lot about writing.  I do know a lot about creating a story, it is putting it in the right form that I had to learn, and I have.  I have learned about head hopping.  I don't do that anymore.  I learned about editing programs and learned--the hard way--to ALWAYS keep a back up.  Editors don't like exclamation marks, so much.  You think I would have learned that from the Seinfeld episode on that very topic.

Ah, it has been an adventure.  It will continue to be an adventure. Now, for the promotion end--and editing book #2.

BACK AMONG THE LIVING

Several months have passed since my last post.  I have spent every spare moment working on the edits for A New Season . It is a difficult thing to have your work gone over, line by line, and have someone question what you have written, how you have written it, and even question your use of punctuation marks. You suck it up because that is what the craft is all about. You know that you and the editor are working for the same purpose, creating the best manuscript possible.

This was a grueling activity. I worked during the day, came home to schedule a new job for the next day, and then worked on my edits. Not much time for a social life.

I learned a lot and my editor was patient with me. What I have learned will help me as I work on my second novel for the Friends of Scrapbook Etc. series.

I might take a weekend to just relax first.

A NEW SEASON--UPDATES

I know it has been a long time since I have posted here.  Sorry, again.  I am listed to work at 13 different school and the holidays kept me busy, but that is not what kept me from posting here.  It was all about the edits for A New Season.  Desert Breeze assigned me a very careful editor. 

The process of editing is painful.  It shakes the writer to the core.  The writer has created a world and the editor says, "Here is how we can make it more real."

Honestly, I didn't want to change a thing.  It was my baby.  Honestly, the process of editing the book makes it much better.

A New Season should be available in February.  I will give you more details very soon.