Vocal Expressions

Like many authors, I’ve had to cancel a few in person appearances and other author events since the pandemic. Bummer. But I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Georgia Harris, a friend of Emma Lou Black (the founder of the Heritage Book Club in Lexington, Kentucky) asking whether I would be available to meet virtually and discuss my first romantic suspense novel, Gotta Let It Go with her book club – The Ladies Who Love Literature.  Without hesitation, I jumped at the opportunity to connect with these avid readers via Zoom.  After we locked in the date (October 10, 2020 at 4 p.m.) I began communicating with Gayle Lloyd, a founder of the book club. She prepared a flyer (see below) with details of who they are, the types of books they like to read, and their logo designed by Belinda Stallings-Fields (another founding member) denoting the “chic, sophisticated persona of this group of enthusiastic readers." This was awesome! Needless to say, I was super excit...

A friend of mine thought of me when she read the book’s description (protagonist who works outside of the law in the vein of Scandal and Revenge to right various wrongs). But the title was what really intrigued me to read it. Anyway, the gritty social-issue threw me for a loop and brought to mind the movie Precious depicting physical and emotional abuse by the hands of those who should care about you.  Diving into the book: the setting is LA and rotates around actors, directors, blackmail, folks using sex as favors, “Me too” movement, etc. I liked the voice of the protagonist (Estlyn Collins/Dillion Hayes) but I found it very unrealistic that at 25 years old she would have the wealth of experience as a lawyer to wheel and deal like she did throughout the novel. The other characters were colorful enough (foster care brother Rory, good friend Dean, lover Cal/Linus) and via their POVs and flashbacks gave readers insights into who Estlyn is and why she acts the way she does. Overal...

I completed a phone consultation this past week with an author who wants his children’s book to be accepted into major school systems throughout the U.S. His book is written in verse (which is becoming more popular), the main characters in the book are minority children and he is an educator who teaches 3 rd grade students. With these three great elements tied to his book product, he is almost ready to begin a PR campaign. But the one thing he’s missing is a professional website.   My potential client asked why does he need a website if he has a great social media presence. I responded with parents and school systems have a choice from the over 20,000 children books published every year (according to the American Library Association). This means the competition is stiff and it is tough to stand out in this crowded market. So, if a potential buyer from this group hears about his work, they will want to know more information about him and his book product and won’t want to dig t...

Every author wants their 15 minutes of fame via traditional media which is typically two minutes on television, a short print article or 15-20 minutes on radio. However, the traditional media route is highly competitive, are usually more amenable to traditionally published authors and are better accessed via a publicist. Nevertheless, indie authors should not despair. Why? Because as many authors already know, there is a whole world of online media that may not have the large audiences attributed to traditional media, but they are very effective in growing your public profile and book sales.  These online media include blogs, video podcasts, audio podcasts, IG videos, etc. and are much easier to access. Even more important, they provide a great way to share your interviews via links that can be posted on your social media channels and on your website. In addition, they provide invaluable practice should the big opportunities come along in the future.  If authors are not ab...

Bio: Yanatha Desouvre is a modern-day renaissance man. He is a full-time faculty member who teaches Entrepreneurship at Miami Dade College, best-selling Amazon.com author, educator, public speaker and filmmaker. Desouvre’s books include the #1 bestselling children’s book - Big Sister, Little Sister , now available in French. He is also the author of the 2016 novella, To Whom Much is Given , the first of the Goodman Chronicles series.  His latest novella, Revelations: Roads to Redemption (Goodman Chronicles Book 2) pays homage to Wyclef Jean’s discography. It has also been partially adapted as the highly anticipated film, The Sweetest Girl: A Forbidden Love Story . Desouvre has been featured in various print publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, Miami Herald, Miami New Times, Haitian Times, Sentinel HT, HuffPost and Black Enterprise, and on television outlets that include South Florida PBS, NBC and ABC.   Deliah Lawrence: Describe yo...

There are eight things authors need to do to ensure that their book cover is the most effective it can be. That does not mean that all book covers follow the rules and are not effective, these are simply guidelines to maximize the effectiveness of your cover.  Why is this important?   All of my author client’s book covers have been used in PR campaigns when I’ve secured them media interviews – whether it’s television, online media, print ads, event pages. Their covers have represented them well. Some of the cover designs were created by my graphic design team, others have utilized a designer of their own.  For authors who have not yet designed their book covers, I advise them to research traditionally published authors in their genres to ensure they are following the book trends. Big publishing companies have the dollars to do the research, so pay attention to what they do. Also check out chapter 3 in my PR guide for self-published authors to learn more about book c...

Hello everybody! October is National Book Month.  During this month, the focus is on the importance of reading, writing and literature. However, if one writes a book and no one knows about it then their book would get lost in the shuffle.   It’s with this mind that I decided to host PR Guru Cherrie Woods, Founder of Eclectic PR for four Thursdays of this month. She will share tips and tools on how to promote your book, how to prepare for author interviews and so much more. In this segment, Cherrie will share 6 Tips to Help Make Your Book PR Ready ! Let’s meet Cherrie! Bio: Known as the PR guru for indie authors, Cherrie Woods is a 16-year plus public relations (PR) veteran/author who has worked in arts and culture and government for most of her PR career. Woods presents PR workshops at libraries, festivals, writing centers and conferences throughout the country and is also an award-winning poet. She is the author of Where Do I Start?10 PR Questions and Answers to Guide Self-P...

Author’s Bio: Quintin Peterson is a retired D.C. police officer who served the public for some three decades. He is also an artist and critically acclaimed crime fiction writer who has authored four DC-based crime novels – SIN ( S pecial I nvestigations N etwork), The Wages of SIN , Guarding Shakespeare , and The Voynich Gambit . He has also contributed to the British horror fiction magazine SANITARIUM , the noir fiction magazine Heater (formerly known as eNoir ), issues of the Bold Venture Press pulp magazine, Awesome Tales , and nine anthologies, including D.C. Noir , edited by George Pelecanos. He is a member of Mystery Writers of America as well as the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA), and has received PSWA writings awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2019. He retired from the Metropolitan Police Department in April 2017 and then worked as a Special Police Officer employed by the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Department of Safety and Security from Dec...