How Many Events Can I Fit Into One Month? #amwriting

Answer: A LOT!  October is over, and I am exhausted...but in a good way.  The month of Halloween is really big for me, since all three of my novels have a paranormal element.  Two are spooky ghost stories mixed with romance, and my young adult novel has supernatural secrets entwined with forbidden love.  Not only did I brainstorm some promotions of my own, but I also received some amazing requests that I certainly would never refuse.  All this combined to make a very busy month!

With the wonderful host
of Off the Shelf

First off, I was invited to be interviewed on the television program Off the Shelf, which airs on community access channels throughout Massachusetts.  Although I had to take off work and drive two hours, I of course jumped at the chance.  This was my third time on television, and while it's stressful having a conversation in front of the camera, it really does get easier every time.  We filmed this show on October 3rd, but it won't air for a few more weeks.

Lunch was delicious!

On Oct. 7th, I was the guest speaker at a member luncheon at The Hyannis Yacht Club.  I planned out a 25-minute presentation, which of course I had to memorize.  I spent time every night practicing, and it went really well.  I was thrilled that some of the guests read my books in advance after they signed up to attend.

The it was on to SpookLit night, a special "spooky literature" event organized by another local author.  Seven Cape Cod authors of both nonfiction and fiction books dealing with supernatural elements participated in readings.  We were each allowed 11 minutes to speak a little bit about our book and read from a scary passage.  I put together a new, brief presentation and read from GULL HARBOR, since this ghost story/romance is set on the Cape.  We had a huge crowd and almost everyone dressed up in costume, so it was a lot of fun.

Two days later I was at the historic Hyannis Library on Main Street, giving a presentation on writing romance and changes in the publishing industry.  One couple who had attended SpookLit came to hear a little bit more about my books, which truly made my night.  Everyone there had really great questions, and it was a lively discussion.

Banner for our Facebook Event

Online, I organized a Romance & Ghosts giveaway with the help of fellow authors Kelly Moran, Joya Fields, and Denise Moncrief.  We each donated copies of romances we've written that also involve ghost stories.  This Facebook event went on for two weeks, with a final drawing on Halloween.  In addition, I participated in the Snarkology Halloween Blog Hop, and completed an author interview for a college student majoring in Creative Writing.  I ran a 99 cent sale on my new YA DIVINE FALL as well as a Goodreads giveaway for a signed print copy.

Finally, I published extra blog posts on paranormal topics (as opposed to my usual four posts per month), including one on the premier of the scary movie Annabelle, one on the Origin of Superstitions, one on the creepy show Ghost Within My Child, and one for the Halloween Blog Hop on Graveyards.


Whew!  It was a lot of stress and preparation, but reading and writing are my passions, and I love to let readers know about my books.  Of course, my head was spinning toward the end of the month (not like the Exorcist girl, don't worry), when I realized on the day before Halloween I didn't even have a pumpkin, much less supplies and costumes for everyone!  Something had to give, right?  I ran out and found pumpkins at bargain basement prices (one advantage of waiting till the last minute), and my younger son reminded me we had a costume from last year that had arrived after Halloween (I must have been busy last October too, lol)--so he'll wear that.  I even found the box I'd packed it away in!

My older son informed me he'd like to have his birthday (16 - gulp!) sleepover on Halloween as well, so that took some scrambling to organize.  All in all, while October is one of my favorite months, I'm ready to welcome November!

My 2nd TV Interview - #amwriting #romance

Last year, I filmed my very first television interview--I was invited to discuss SILVER LAKE on Books and the World, a local cable program.  The first link takes you to the post with the actual interview, but this one explains how nervous I was!  So why, one might ask, did I ask to go through it again?



Because I'm passionate about my books, and I constantly push myself beyond my comfort zone in order to connect with readers.  As an avid reader myself, I know I'm always looking for recommendations.  When I find a book I can't put down, I'm truly transported...it's my absolute favorite form of entertainment.  My hope is that my books provide that type of enjoyment for fans of romance, suspense, and the paranormal. 

So...I finally sent the email to the producers of the show, telling them about my latest release, GULL HARBOR.  I was invited to return for another interview, and we filmed on June 13 (Friday the 13th, but that's okay, I'm a big fan of the number 13).  This time, I found I was much more relaxed as I waited in the conference room.  I was introduced to my interviewer, an amazing WWII veteran who said he enjoyed my paranormal romance immensely.  That set me at ease, until he further stated that we would not discuss any questions in advance.  We'd just have a conversation, in front of the cameras.

*Gulp* 

I'm a plotter.  I like to be prepared.  My nerves fired back up into overdrive.  But it was fine, and I found myself actually forgetting about the camera this time, and just focusing on answering the questions and discussing my passion.

So, here's the interview, should anyone care to watch.  And here's part 2, because for some reason Youtube won't load the whole half hour program.  Finally, here's the way putting myself out there led to even more exposure:

The producers informed me that although the show only airs in certain towns, the episode would be available on a statewide access website.  Any town could pick it up, if requested to do so.

Again, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone.  I emailed the cable stations in both my hometown and my husband's hometown.  And guess what happened?  One of those stations invited me to come in for THEIR author interview program, which airs in 44 towns with a potential reach of one million viewers!  The authors who've appeared on the program include some very big names.  Since DIVINE FALL releases this summer, we'll be focusing on my new YA paranormal romance.

Of course, I'm over the moon to have this opportunity.  Once again, I'll have to push my anxiety aside for the sake of my passion.  And while being interviewed in front of a camera is not yet something I feel completely comfortable doing, I've got to admit, each time gets a little easier.  Here's hoping I don't make up any words this time!

Television, Talks, and Teaching - #amwriting - Kathryn Knight

Lately I’ve been coming way out of my comfort zone, all for the love of my books.  Self-promotion is hard—very hard—and I’m always looking for new ways to connect with readers.  After all, no one can consider reading a book if they’ve never heard of it!  So I continue to try to take new steps to push my career to the next level.

Last month, before my annual trip to the Delaware beaches, I contacted an independent bookstore located near the boardwalk and requested a book signing event.  Although this was my “vacation”, I figured a few hours devoted to meeting new readers would be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  And wow, am I glad I took the chance!  Not only did the bookstore agree to host me, the employees did a phenomenal job promoting my event.  I came into town to see my books displayed in the front window on a shelf with bestselling titles like Gone Girl and Cuckoo’s Calling!  Prominent signage along the sidewalk attracted shoppers.  And of course I did my part, sending out press releases to all the local papers and radio stations.

 

GULL HARBOR & SILVER LAKE
had nice real estate!

 

The lighting is bright on set!

In April of 2013, I did my first television interview for a local cable show on books and authors.  The interviewer and I discussed my first novel, SILVER LAKE, and although I was quite nervous, I thought it was a fantastic opportunity.  So, I placed a call a few months ago, asking if I might be invited back to discuss my second novel, GULL HARBOR.  I did that interview on Friday, and although I have not seen it yet (it should air in two weeks), I do know I was a lot less nervous this time around.

 

 

My day job involves teaching fitness classes, and I have many loyal women who come to my classes and enjoy my books as well.  A few of them have gone the extra mile to help me with promotion.  As a recent example, one gym member contacted the manager of a local Cape Cod club she belongs to—and now, I will be giving a presentation at a luncheon in the fall.  I also connect with library support groups, which often hold author lunches to raise funds and serve as social functions.

Finally, I recently contacted the local community college, which is always open to suggestions for continuing education classes for adults.  I sent in my resume and a course proposal on writing fiction and getting published, complete with a syllabus—and I’ve been asked to teach the class!  I’m very excited to share the knowledge I’ve gained over the years…I worked so hard for that initial publishing contract, and along the way I rewrote, revised, got rejected, tried again…and eventually it paid off.  I’ve now branched out to writing in the Young Adult genre as well, which has its own set of challenges.  Many people dream of writing a novel; I hope to help people take that first step, and perhaps face the tasks involved armed with some advanced understanding of what to expect.    

Amidst all this, I am of course devoting time to my first priority, taking care of my family.  Then there’s gearing up for the release of DIVINE FALL, plus trying to squeeze in more work on my 4^th manuscript.  Coffee, anyone?

 

What would I do without you?

 

 

My TV interview - Kathryn Knight

In April, I blogged about my TV debut on a local cable channel.  I was interviewed by the host of Books and The World during the same whirlwind week Gull Harbor was hitting #1 in the free Kindle rankings.  After the interview, I was a bit shaky (truthfully I was shaky before and during, as well!) and I could barely remember if I'd strung two words together correctly.  But I had to wait to find out, since a) the interview had to go through editing before it was ready to air and b) I don't have access at home to this channel.

After an agonizing 5 weeks, I found the DVD copy in my mailbox at 11:00 at night when I went out to grab something from my car.  I was leaving for a long-anticipated girls' weekend vacation in the morning, so I said to myself, "I shouldn't watch it now.  What if I did terribly?"  I decided to go upstairs to bed and get some sleep, then instead I promptly inserted the DVD into my computer and poured a glass of wine.

I thought I did pretty well, for a first-timer!  However, that knowledge did not let me finally trudge upstairs to finish packing and get a restful sleep.  I had to watch it once more.  And then question whether I really did okay, or whether I was fooling myself.  Should I wake my husband and make him watch?  Since it was now midnight, I decided he would not be a willing critic.  Adrenaline poured through my veins, and even that glass of pinot grigio did nothing to calm me down after that.  I lay in bed staring at the ceiling most of the night, finally drifting off for a solid half hour before my alarm went off at the crack of dawn for me to catch my train to girls' weekend.

Much more relaxed after a mini-vacation with the high school friends who helped inspire Silver Lake, I settled down to figure out youtube.  I was worried, but since my first book came out, I've mastered blogging, twitter, a Facebook page, Pinterest, and Goodreads, so I told myself I could handle this.  And it really was not hard to upload the DVD, although it broke it up at the end--I believe the interview ran slightly over the 30 minutes allotted free on youtube.

So, if anyone wants to take a peek, or is looking for a reason to put an unpleasant task aside for 30 minutes, here it is:  Books and The World interview

and here's Part 2 (last few minutes), you know, if you've got to see how it ends ;)

My TV Debut - Kathryn Knight

Last week was a pleasant (and sometimes stressful) whirlwind for me.  On Tuesday, my second novel Gull Harbor began its 5 Free Days as part of the Kindle Select Program.  The promotion before and during those days was intense (more on that in the future), and the excitement as I watched my title climb to #1 in Fantasy Romance (#4 in Paranormal) was surreal.

In the midst of this, I drove to another town on Friday for my first television interview.  I've done 2 radio interviews so far, and those were nerve-wracking enough.  This was a whole different experience.  Once I saw the set, with the lights and cameras, panic started to set in.  I kept reminding myself that as an aerobic instructor, I get up in front of a crowd of people every day.  But then the self-doubt would chime in, reminding me that I (usually) always know what I'm going to do during a class.  I had no idea what might come my way during an interview.



My first glimpse of the set



I did get a chance to discuss a few things beforehand with the interviewer, Madeline.  She was extremely well-prepared: she'd read my novel Silver Lake twice, printed out my editorial reviews, and visited my blog and Facebook page.  But of course we did not go over all the topics we would discuss during the 30 minute show, and Madeline stressed that she wanted it to be more conversational than just direct Q&A.  Once we were had our mics on and did a sound check, they did the count down and we were on the air.

The hardest part was the beginning: sitting quietly, looking at Madeline, while the intoductory music played.  I was told to look at Madeline during the interview, but the part of me trained to make eye contact with an audience took over a few times and looked toward the camera.  Unfortunately there were 2 cameras, so most of the time I suddenly saw myself on the viewing screen, looking at the wrong one! 

As a former librarian, Madeline had great questions for me.  There were none of the tired "who would play Rain and Jason in a movie?" inquiries.  And that's a good thing, because my characters are so well-defined in my imagination, I truly have trouble associating them with actors.  (But I did try on my Pinterest story board for Silver Lake if anyone is interested!)

The discussion covered things like the funny, sarcastic dialog between the reunited friends--I explained that I was lucky enough to have a similar group of friends from high school with whom I still maintain a close connection.  Madeline asked about Brandy's past and the events leading to her disappearance, and I got to discuss her character's backstory.  The aspects of the haunting came up as well, and my research into the paranormal. 

We talked straight for over 30 minutes, with no breaks.  Most of the time I answered the questions well (I think!), although I did invent a new word at one point ("fictitional" - that wonderful hybrid of fictional and fictitious).  A cup of water sat on the table, taunting me, but I was sure any attempt to take a sip would result in either a) shaky hands spilling it all over myself or b) some sort of awkward reach-and-sip that might go viral, similar to Senator Rubio's "Waterbottlegate" lunge.

I haven't seen the show yet - before it airs, it will go through editing.  And because the show is on a local access cable channel in another area, I won't even see it in my town.  But I'll be receiving a DVD in the mail, and then I'll have to decide if I'm brave enough to put it on youtube.  Assuming I can figure out how to do that, of course.

Now that I think of it, maybe I should have lunged for the water.  There are probably worse things than having a video go viral, and they say any publicity is good publicity.  Maybe "fictitional" will be enough!

Madeline and me, and some very bright lights