The day has finally arrived.

You’ve been invited or have signed up to attend a book signing as an author! You smile bigger, walk easier, and can’t wait for the event.

But wait…other than bringing your books, what else can you expect?

Here’s some tips and tricks to ensure a great signing:

• Bring Swag. This can include pens, buttons, postcards, bookmarks, any type of book related stuff. 
• Postcard Recommendation: GotPrint or VistaPrint. You can put the cover of the book on 1 side, the blurb and a place to sign on the other. 
• Bring Candy! It helps you appear more approachable and everyone loves candy!
• Bring a gift/giveaway that you can hold a raffle for at the signing. Get readers to enter their name/email on a piece of paper (this helps build your email list too!) and then the winner will get notified by email. Try and make the gift/prize relate to your book.
• Dress and act professional. Some signings go better than others, but always be professional and don’t complain.
• If the book signing is scheduled for longer than 2 hours, plan ahead and bring protein-rich snacks in a bag. I’ve attended 8 hour signings before and without granola bars, yogurt, water, etc., my equilibrium would have been shot. Prepare and you’ll be good.
• Do yourself a favor and buy one of those mini-suitcases with wheels from Wal-Mart or Target. You can fit about 30-35 books in the main and side pockets, and it’s easy to bring your books to another room in a hotel or a bookstore. 

How to write and publish a book often seems like an overwhelming task, particularly if you’ve never written a book before. Or maybe you’re just finishing your first novel and have no idea how to publish the book on Amazon or what options to take.  

This feeling is similar to walking down a railroad track. You can see a little ways ahead, but you don’t necessarily know what’s around the next corner. 

Some writers plot more than I do, but whether you make charts ahead of time and organize your book, or simply start writing and clean it up later, there are the main essentials every writer needs to know in order for readers to connect with a book. 

Click here to get the 3 things you need to know before starting Page 1. 

One of my friends had a great way of viewing the gigantic, ever-scary task of sitting down to write 300+ pages.

Draft #1: It’s like walking through a tall corn maze. The large, leafy plants are several feet higher than your head. You don’t know where to turn or how to even get to the end of the maze.

Draft #2: It’s like sitting on a big rock. You can see some things with much more clarity, but you still can’t see everything yet.

Draft #3: It’s like being in a tall tree, getting a bird’s eye view. This is where you can gain the most perspective, but you have to push through the procrastination and difficulty to get to that final point.

More info on time management, productivity apps, and more coming soon! 

Meanwhile, send me the 3 things every writer needs to know.

Grits Recipes from the chilly South!

In the USA, the Southern states are known for their breakfasts. Eggs, bacon, grits, sausage. With a glass of orange juice and of course, the human staple: COFFEE!

But we’re also known for having grits for breakfast. Now, for those of you who don’t know what grits are, they are made from corn and have a similar texture/taste to polenta.

In fact, for my readers in the UK, I have given them the “grits vs polenta” comparison so they basically know what I’m talking about when I refer to grits recipes.

Many people try plain grits once and hate them for the rest of their life, but grits don’t have to be boring!

You can do anything with them, as corn is versatile. You can make corn grits, cheesy grits casserole, even a Cajun Shrimp and Grits casserole. 

Back in 2013 when I released Book #1 of The Southern Ghosts Series, No Grits No Glory, I did 30 days of grits recipes on my blog as a lead-in to the release date. 

Today I’m here to tell you that I’ve combined all those recipes into an easy PDF cookbook and it’s FREE for you. Click below to get your 30 days of grits recipes!

Click here for your FREE set of Grits Recipes!

As we enter into this holiday season in the USA, I just wanted to reiterate a big thank you to all my readers who have meant so much to me. Y’all have embraced my books (Especially the Southern Ghosts Series) and I appreciate every one of you.

So many of my friends are going through both happy and sad times. Someone has a breakthrough, another loses a friend. Someone gets sick, another does well. Such is the circle of life, I suppose, but it does make us think and focus on what’s important.

Hug your family and friends. Be thankful this holiday season for the good things in your life. Strive to make those things you don’t like into better situations in 2017. Keep hoping. Keep reading. Keep dreaming.

Hello everyone!

Have you read my book NO GRITS NO GLORY? Here is your chance to read it and books by 34 other authors too! 

Enter to win the contest here. The contest ends Halloween night (cue eerie music and then celebrate music if you win!)