RRBC Writers' Conference and Book Expo

The Rave Reviews Book Club is getting ready to host an online conference, December 1-3.  It's a chance to make connections with your fellow indie authors and service providers as well as to attend insightful educational programming.

I've helped create two of the educational sessionss: "Intro to Canva" and "Anatomy of a Book Cover."  For "Intro to Canva," I've created a video tutorial on using Canva to create social media graphics.  "Anatomy of a Book Cover" is a presentation I've been working with author/designer Jan Hawke.  They are both super informative, full of good advice and examples, and will get your creative juices flowing.
 
Other planned sessions include

• Building Your Author Platform
• Why Your Brand is Important and Why Protecting It Is Even More Important
• Why You Should Never Refuse LIVE Media Interviews
• Blogging for Success
• Literary Lingo 101
• Marketing 101
• Indie vs Traditional: Which One Wins?
• Social Media Dos & Don'ts
• Editors: Sniffing Out The Right One
• Formatting Made Easy
• Your Best Self Promotion Tool...
• Writing In The Senior Season
• Writing the Perfect Book Review
• Book Blurbs Do's & Don'ts

You will also find Author Booths and Vendor Booths.  You can discover great new books to read, and you can look for the publishing professionals you need to complete your current work in progress or to help you market your catalog of published work.

Even if you are not a member of Rave Reviews Book Club, this event is worth checking out.  You can register for sessions here.  If you want to have an author booth, you must first join the club here. The registration deadline for the conference is November 23, so don't dawdle.

Hope to see you at the RRBC Writers' Conference and Book Expo!

Girl Power Day 7

For a Monday pick-me-up, Good as Hell by Lizzo.

Girl Power Day 6

For today, a blast from the past: Just a Girl by No Doubt.

Girl Power Day 5

In the fighting spirit of Saturday night, So What by Pink.  Warning for language.

Girl Power Day 4

In honor of the Right Wing Conspiracy and the fact that they never manage to knock Hillary down, today we have Avril Lavigne's cover of Bad Reputation.

RRBC Spotlight Author Robert Kimbrell

Today, it is my pleasure to welcome horror author Robert Kimbrell. 

He's a super supportive fellow member of the Rave Reviews Book Club.  His protagonist, Annie, is a vampire vigilante who eases her moral qualms by feeding only on those who deserve to die, saying, "Is it still morally wrong to kill? I know it is. But choosing my prey by the fruit they bear is the only way I can justify the way I must now live."  Check out the excerpt below, and find out more on his great website.

Excerpt from VigilanteAnnie Scarlotte, Book 2

“Annie?”

“Hi!” I am truly excited to connect with her, but surely my enthusiasm doesn't come across as authentic. It isn't. Too many things weighing on me to be overly social.

“I cannot believe you finally called.” Elisa then becomes serious. “Annie, are you in trouble?”

“No, why?”

“Have you seen what's happening in the news? Girl, that woman looks exactly like you. I thought you lost your mind or something and that's why you never got back to me.”

“Oh, I know, she looks just like me. Weird.”

She laughs. “Well, I didn't see you going to a party like that either. I'm glad you called, but I'm at work, how about we do lunch tomorrow? We can catch up.”

“Where and when?”

“How about Capital Grille on Pennsylvania Ave, eleven-thirty?”

“See you then.” I know what I did. I made plans after Marcus gave me explicit instructions to stay in.

***

The moment, while I sit huddled on my bed looking out my bedroom window, is reminiscent of my first feeding. Distant lights flicker, and stars, countless in the black sky, play the game in which they nearly disappear when you look directly at them. Interrupting the scene is a pair of headlights, bouncing their way up the lane. My phone buzzes.

“Yes, Master Marcus?”

“Passive-aggressive?” An easy guess, and correct.

“A tad, Master. That you coming up my lane?”

“It is.”

“With pizza?”

“With sex.”

“Sex is good.”

Book Blurb:

Because Annie has no recollection of her birth parents, her life is full of unknowns. Still, she seems relatively content with her simple existence in Washington, DC. Marcus, her new Italian boyfriend, adds much desired spice to her life despite secrecy about his position at SecureVest. But when Annie becomes mysteriously ill, it is the catalyst for a life far from simple.

Seemingly by luck, Annie discovers that she is maturing into a dhampir (a vampire/human hybrid), and to survive she must feed on fresh human blood. With Marcus fully aware of Annie's predicament, they concoct a scheme: find the evil living among us and act where justice does not.

Vigilante Annie is born.

Amazon Link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A7BHIU6

Author Bio:

An only child, (in the seventies, mind you), little Robert could be seen running in the backyard playing superhero, with a bed sheet serving as his cape. He also spent many hours drawing or writing in his mid-sized Ohio town. Having also battled depression earlier in life, Robert now sees how his low points have brought him to a more creative, stronger sense of being. Now he is where he wants to be, and is telling the stories he is meant to tell. His other interests include reading, motorcycle touring, fitness and classic movies.

Twitter:  @VAAuthor

Website:  www.VigilanteAnnie.com

RRBC Spotlight Author Robert Kimbrell

Today, it is my pleasure to welcome horror author Robert Kimbrell. 

He's a super supportive fellow member of the Rave Reviews Book Club.  His protagonist, Annie, is a vampire vigilante who eases her moral qualms by feeding only on those who deserve to die, saying, "Is it still morally wrong to kill? I know it is. But choosing my prey by the fruit they bear is the only way I can justify the way I must now live."  Check out the excerpt below, and find out more on his great website.

Excerpt from VigilanteAnnie Scarlotte, Book 2

“Annie?”

“Hi!” I am truly excited to connect with her, but surely my enthusiasm doesn't come across as authentic. It isn't. Too many things weighing on me to be overly social.

“I cannot believe you finally called.” Elisa then becomes serious. “Annie, are you in trouble?”

“No, why?”

“Have you seen what's happening in the news? Girl, that woman looks exactly like you. I thought you lost your mind or something and that's why you never got back to me.”

“Oh, I know, she looks just like me. Weird.”

She laughs. “Well, I didn't see you going to a party like that either. I'm glad you called, but I'm at work, how about we do lunch tomorrow? We can catch up.”

“Where and when?”

“How about Capital Grille on Pennsylvania Ave, eleven-thirty?”

“See you then.” I know what I did. I made plans after Marcus gave me explicit instructions to stay in.

***

The moment, while I sit huddled on my bed looking out my bedroom window, is reminiscent of my first feeding. Distant lights flicker, and stars, countless in the black sky, play the game in which they nearly disappear when you look directly at them. Interrupting the scene is a pair of headlights, bouncing their way up the lane. My phone buzzes.

“Yes, Master Marcus?”

“Passive-aggressive?” An easy guess, and correct.

“A tad, Master. That you coming up my lane?”

“It is.”

“With pizza?”

“With sex.”

“Sex is good.”

Book Blurb:

Because Annie has no recollection of her birth parents, her life is full of unknowns. Still, she seems relatively content with her simple existence in Washington, DC. Marcus, her new Italian boyfriend, adds much desired spice to her life despite secrecy about his position at SecureVest. But when Annie becomes mysteriously ill, it is the catalyst for a life far from simple.

Seemingly by luck, Annie discovers that she is maturing into a dhampir (a vampire/human hybrid), and to survive she must feed on fresh human blood. With Marcus fully aware of Annie's predicament, they concoct a scheme: find the evil living among us and act where justice does not.

Vigilante Annie is born.

Amazon Link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A7BHIU6

Author Bio:

An only child, (in the seventies, mind you), little Robert could be seen running in the backyard playing superhero, with a bed sheet serving as his cape. He also spent many hours drawing or writing in his mid-sized Ohio town. Having also battled depression earlier in life, Robert now sees how his low points have brought him to a more creative, stronger sense of being. Now he is where he wants to be, and is telling the stories he is meant to tell. His other interests include reading, motorcycle touring, fitness and classic movies.

Twitter:  @VAAuthor

Website:  www.VigilanteAnnie.com