I hope you had a productive week! Mine was a bit over-the-top, actually.
We wrapped up Phase 1 of my website remodel.
My web doctor got the basic framework in place then transferred the site to a new server. I asked her to keep things simple so I can do updates myself. The best news is: she fixed my blog! I can upload photos again, which is a BIG deal for me. I love being able to share photos of what’s happening in Debland. 😉
We took a stroll along the Merced River Canyon on Sunday. Lots of icy water in the river and wild flowers galore.
Remember last week, when I shared the information about the blurb-writing webinar? Well, thanks to that class and some great feedback, I managed to tweak the blurb for THAT COWBOY’S FOREVER FAMILY and upload to all vendors for sale.
Here’s the final version and my new cover. What do you think?
Life can change in an instant. The same amount of time it takes for a bullet to kill. Ranch foreman Tom Butler loved his ex-wife enough to let her go when ambition lured her to L.A., but he never stopped loving their two daughters. His rustic lifestyle in the Central Valley added light years to the distance between them until the day tragedy struck. Tom may not be the dad his daughters know, but he’ll do anything for his family—even ask for help from a beautiful stranger. Victims advocate Abby Davis’s life needs a major overhaul–just not the kind her newly single boss has in mind. On the verge of quitting, she meets Angela and Heather Butler–and their father. She can’t turn her back on two brokenhearted children and their beleaguered father, but can she do her job without losing her heart in the process? That Cowboy’s Forever Family is Book 6 in the West Coast Happily-Ever-After series. If you’re a fan of deeply emotional stories that make you smile through your tears, then you can’t miss Debra Salonen’s cowboy dad, his brave little girls and the woman they were meant to love. Buy That Cowboy’s Forever Family to escape into a warm, happy place where love thrives.
(THAT COWBOY’S FOREVER FAMILY is available on preorder: BUY /releasing wide April 3).
And here is the BEFORE and AFTER version of my blurb for Forever and Ever, By George. I think this cover is one of my favorites!
Even the dog knows the importance of happily-ever-after. Click on cover to start reading Chapter 1.
(FOREVER AND EVER, BY GEORGE – Book 7 – West Coast Happily-Ever-After is available on preorder: Buy , releasing wide May 1.)
This weekend we’re celebrating my son’s birthday and hosting a “Meet and Greet” for a friend who is running for County Supervisor of our District. That sounds like more socialization than I normally see in a month. Wish me luck!
I hate to write book descriptions–or, blurbs as most writers call them, which we all know are key to selling a book.
Blurbing (not a verb, but it is in my mind) should be an Olympic event. Think about it. You take several long, meaningful, and carefully thought out paragraphs that describe the story you just spent weeks or months, maybe years, writing then you mince said paragraphs into bite-size fragments designed to tantalize, tease, tell the reader just enough about the book to make her slap down her hard-earned money to buy it.
I’m terrible at it. Really bad. So, I signed up for a BestPageForward Webinar on the subject. (I’ll share the replay link below in case you’re interested.) I learned a lot. I learned that this process is really hard, completely subjective and brutally tough on the ego. You have two choices: develop a split personality or hire it done.
Since all my “pin-money,” as my late mother-in-law would say, is earmarked for my website remodel, I’m going with split-personality. Writer-girl is hiding under the covers while blurb-girl gets out her erase key and thesaurus.
Here’s my BEFORE and AFTER. I consider both works-in-progress and will take any/all suggestions gratefully.
Here’s the link if you want to learn more from Bryan Cohen and Abigail Dunard. * Want to see how Abigail Dunard and I write book descriptions? Click here to watch the webinar replay! *
Have a great weekend!
Deb
PS: We’re transitioning to a server and this just got moved. After comments, here’s my final (for now) blurb.
Life can change in an instant. The same amount of time it takes for a bullet to kill.
Ranch foreman Tom Butler loved his ex-wife enough to let her go when ambition lured her to L.A., but he never stopped loving their two daughters. His rustic lifestyle in the Central Valley added light years to the distance between them until the day tragedy struck. Tom may not be the dad his daughters know, but he’ll do anything for his family—even ask for help from a beautiful stranger.
Victims advocate Abby Davis’s life needs a major overhaul–just not the kind her newly single boss has in mind. On the verge of quitting, she meets Angela and Heather Butler–and their father. She can’t turn her back on two brokenhearted children and their beleaguered father, but can she do her job without losing her heart in the process?
That Cowboy’s Forever Family is Book 6 in the West Coast Happily-Ever-After series. If you’re a fan of deeply emotional stories that make you smile through your tears, then you can’t miss Debra Salonen’s cowboy dad, his brave little girls and the woman they were meant to love.
Buy That Cowboy’s Forever Family to escape into a warm, happy place where love thrives.
The usual catch-with life stuff made more complicated by a stomach bug. I’d be tempted to blame Montezuma’s revenge, but the babies had it, too. (Heard it’s a popular bug at school right now. Sigh.)
I’m finally feeling human today, so I went out to play before a big storm brings us more rain! Unusual for March, but we will take every inch of rain and snow (in the mountains) we can get.
Grrr. I still can’t upload photos. This is getting old, WordPress!
