May 22, 2013

Winners of Facebook Party & Chat

 Did you miss the Facebook Party & Chat? No worries! You can watch all the fun here. There were lots of surprises--like a cameo appearance by my husband, a virtual tour of my office, and more! So be sure to stop by.

If you did participate and wonder if you won a gift card, you can visit this link for a comprehensive list of winners.

Last, congratulations to Yvonne Hooker of Kalamazoo, MI. She is the winner of our iPad Mini! Woot!

Thanks again to everyone for coming to the party. I had such a great time! And if you didn't get your questions answered, feel free to leave me one here, or email me, or post your question on Facebook.

See you then! 

posted by Deeanne on 05/22/2013 - 0 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

May 18, 2013

Facebook Party and iPad Giveaway!

The publisher is giving away a free iPad Mini at my Facebook Party on Wednesday, May 22 8:00 pm Eastern Time You have to enter to win IN ADVANCE! That means you need to  click below and enter the contest by midnight, Tuesday Then join us on Facebook this Wednesday where we will announce the winner of the iPad mini!     Btw, if you leave a comment during the party, you will be eligible for additional prizes including books and gift certificates. Just sayin'!  Can't wait!  See you Wednesday!

posted by Deeanne on 05/18/2013 - 4 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 30, 2013

It Happened at the Fair hits the shelves TODAY!

It Happened at the Fair is finally here! Thank you so much for participating in our four week countdown. I’m already hard at work on next year’s book, but I couldn’t let this day pass without doing some type of celebration. I thought the perfect thing would be to give one of you a set of magnets featuring painted reproductions of scenes from the World’s Fair and scenes from It Happened at the Fair along with a personalized, autographed book plate.   If you’d like to throw your name in the hat, simply give It Happened at the Fair a rating and/or a review on your favorite online site by Saturday, May 11th, then post the link on my contest page.   Click HERE to go to the Contest*   KANSAS CITY, HERE I COME!   For any of my Circle of Friends who are in the Kansas City area—I’ll be signing books:  1)  TODAY! (Tuesday, April 30) @ Dog-Eared 1/2 Price Books.   2) SATURDAY, May 4th, at RT’s 2013 Giant Book Fair. I’d absolutely love to see you there. Click here for all the info.   Thanks again for being in my Circle of Friends!                                                                          * Contest ends at midnight, Central Time, May 11, 2013. No purchase necessary. Click here for OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. Contest is open to persons that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA to receive the magnets as a prize. If the winner's mailing address is outside the continental USA, the prize is an autographed bookplate.

posted by Deeanne on 04/30/2013 - 0 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 23, 2013

Final Giveaway before Release Date!

This is our *final giveaway* as we count down SEVEN MORE DAYS to next week's release of It Happened at the Fair on Tuesday, April 30th! This time, we will be giving away an autographed hardback of the actual novel. Congratulations to all our previous winners (one of whom we just contacted and are waiting to hear back from), and good luck to everyone else! For this last contest, I thought you'd enjoy taking a virtual walk through the 1893 Chicago World's Fair where It Happened at the Fair takes place. I've put a map up on Facebook along with three questions. The answers to the questions are imbedded in the map.    Click HERE to go to the Contest The contest ends at midnight, Central Time, April 29, 2013.    Good luck and thanks so much for being a part of my Circle of Friends!                                                                          No purchase necessary. Click here for OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. Contest is open to persons that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA to receive the book as a prize. If the winner's mailing address is outside the continental USA, an unautographed eBook or print-on-demand book will be substituted as the prize.

posted by Deeanne on 04/23/2013 - 1 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 08, 2013

Who Should Be My Inspiration for Hunter Scott?

I just finished researching next year's book. Yes, I know. I'm slow. That's why you only see one book per year from me.  But you can help me out!

posted by Deeanne on 04/08/2013 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 05, 2013

Can I Borrow Your Hands?

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I guess since Tempest in the White City was just a short story and only 99-cents, it didn’t even occur to me that it would get a cover. But, of course, it did. I thought you might like a behind-the-scenes look at how it came about—along with an opportunity to win an Advanced Readers Copy of It Happened at the Fair.
 
The below mock-up (a very rough draft) of Tempest arrived in my inbox in November to see if I liked the direction the art department was going with the cover.
 
I loved how they used an interior shot of the Woman’s Building from the Chicago World’s Fair, but I worried that it looked too much like a train station at first glance.
 
I also thought it was brilliant to use a doctor’s bag in order to give an immediate visual clue that the main character is a female doctor. Still, the bag didn’t scream “doctor” and I was afraid it might be mistaken for a traveling bag.
 
Last, I wasn’t crazy about her dress. I’m all about pretty dresses—whether they’re in my closet or on my heroine. So naturally, I wanted my book cover to have one, too.
 
You’re beginning to get an idea, I’m sure, of why they only send me a very, very rough draft. That way, I can freely give my input without worrying about how much time they might have invested in the making of the cover. This mock-up was literally thrown together for the purpose of generating dialog and ideas.
 
Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I attached three different mock-ups of my own when I sent my thoughts to them. Clearly, my mock ups aren’t intended to be used. They’re just a springboard for our discussions.
 
This is a copy of the email I replied with:
 

"WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: The man is all wrong. He's small and he's in a kilt, but his expression is perfect. I don't like this background. It looks too much like a state capitol building. And then people who don't know what the "White City" is will misinterpret. So I think my background is all wrong. 
 
WHAT I DO LIKE ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: I like that it incorporates all the elements: 1) White City  2) Proud, distrustful guy  3) Beautiful woman in a beautiful dress who is a doctor.
 
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: I tried a stethoscope around the girl's neck, but it got lost amidst her dress and the background. So I found a doctor's bag with a stethoscope wrapped around it. That would avert any confusion there--but we'd need to change the bottom of the stethoscope to a more antique type and it should be black instead of red.
 

 
I love this girl's expression. It conveys lots of fun. But it makes it look like she’s chasing the guy, which doesn't happen at all in the story. Plus her dress is completely inappropriate. The concept I was shooting for here was humor or fun. 
 

 
I like this background of the Woman's Building A LOT. And I think the woman is pretty and her dress is yummy. She really pops. The problem is, it doesn't tell us anything about the story."
 
 
Now this is where it gets fascinating. The art department takes all my ideas along with suggestions from their team and they come back with this:
 

 
As you can see, Bruce (Art Director) used the background photo of the Woman’s Building which I provided (my favorite) along with the woman in the gorgeous dress. Love that.
 
As for the doctor’s bag, they added a medical symbol. So clever and so much less complicated than a stethoscope.
 
Her hands look weird since she isn’t actually holding the bag—they just Photoshopped that in. But I knew they’d fix that once the mock-up was given a green light from all the decision makers.
 
Last, they incorporated the same color scheme, fonts and swirls that are used on It Happened at the Fair (my full-length Chicago World’s Fair book).
 
I don’t know about you, but I loved it. I gave it a thumbs up along with one minor request: “Can we make her bust line just a little more inspiring? Right now, it looks like a lot of lace and ruffles without much substance.”
 
Now, they knuckle down to fine tune the final product. First order of business: Fix her hands.
 
In order to do this, Bruce buzzes Jessica (an editor at my publishing house) and asks if he can borrow her hands. Since Bruce is the Art Director, this request isn’t out of the norm for him. She knew exactly what he was asking. So, she walks down the hall and does a photo shoot with Bruce right there in his office. You’ll note he had Jessica tilt her hands in several different ways.
 

 
And this is the photo that they actually used:
 

 
Next, Bruce superimposes Jessica’s hands onto the cover, “plumps up” the cover model’s bust line, finalizes the colors, shadows, and highlights, then sends the final cover to me—which is the one you see posted on all the online retailer sites that carry Tempest.
 

 
So, what do you think? Do you like how it turned out? What surprised you most about the process?

Leave a comment here on my blog for a chance to win a FREE, AUTOGRAPHED Advanced Readers Copy of It Happened at the Fair. To qualify, your comment must be posted by midnight CDT on Sunday, April 7, 2013.

** No purchase necessary. Click here for the OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. 

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to residents of the United States that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA.
 

posted by Deeanne on 04/05/2013 - 43 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

March 19, 2013

Tempest in the White City is available TODAY!

Big news! My new eShort, Tempest in the White City, is NOW AVAILABLE for only 99¢!

Tempest in the White City

This brand new short story will plop you right into the 1893 Chicago World's Fair as well as give you a sneak peek at the two main characters in next year's (2014) book.

Hunter Scott is one of the elite. A guard of the World's Columbian Exposition specifically chosen for his height, physique, character and ability to serve and protect.

Overcome by debilitating abdominal pain, he stumbles to an infirmary only to discover the doctor is female. Female.

But even worse, she has the nerve to diagnose him, the toughest man west of anyplace east, with constipation -- an unspeakable ailment in mixed company. 

The two of them face off in this short story and my 2014 release will tell their full story. Go to your online retailer or click one of the buttons below for information on how to instantly download a copy to your eReader or computer.
 

        

POST A REVIEW and be entered to WIN an ADVANCE COPY of
It Happened at the Fair

Write a review of Tempest in the White City at your favorite online retailer (feel free to click on any of the buttons above), then post a link to your review in the comments below by midnight CDT March 25, 2013 and we will enter you in a drawing to win an ADVANCE COPY of It Happened at the Fair. **

The winner will get to read my new book before it even hits the bookstores!

Good Luck!

** No purchase necessary. Click here for the OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to residents of the United States that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA.
 

posted by Deeanne on 03/19/2013 - 15 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 29, 2011

I've Discovered Pinterest

 I've discovered a new website: Pinterest. Love, love, love it. If you're not a member, email me and I'll send you an invite. In the meantime, I'm going to post a few things here that I want to upload to my Pinterest account. Today, I found this lovely idea for table decorations at Bridal Banter. Using Anthropologie mugs and simple flowers, you can create a message for your guests.

 If you use this idea, be sure to come to my facebook page and post a picture! I'd love to see it.

And what about you? Do you have any good table decorating ideas?

posted by Deeanne on 12/29/2011 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

January 16, 2011

I'm Doing a New Thing

I love hearing from you--whether it's an email, comments here on the blog, in the Chat Room, or on Facebook. And the thing you tell me most is ... you want more books. :)  So, this year I've decided to rearrange my schedule a bit so I can maximize my writing time.

Part of that rearranging is trying to consolidate the places I go online. I know you visit my blog often because I have a behind-the-scenes tabulator that shows me the great number of you who stop by on a daily and weekly basis. But more and more I find myself zipping over to Facebook. I guess I go there because it's so quick and I hear back from you--which I love.

I guess what I'm leading up to is, I'm going to quit blogging every Monday. I'm not saying I won't ever post something. I'm sure I will. It just won't be on a regular basis.

In order to keep from having to check back to see if I've written anything, you can click on the orange RSS Feed at the bottom of this post. That way, it will send you a little alert if I post something. Also, you can sign up for my eNewsletter. I only use it for very special announcements, so you won't be inundated with emails. That's another way to keep up.

Of course, we have the Chat Room. The girls visit over there all the time and I stop by every couple of weeks--sometimes more, sometimes less. But something is always going on.

Now, if you are a Facebook user, I am on FB every single day--even if I don't post something. So, that's the best place to find me.

In the meanwhile, feel free to leave a comment here. I receive an alert every time someone writes a comment. So, I'll be sure to read yours.

Thanks for being so flexible!  

Hugs,

posted by Deeanne on 01/16/2011 - 7 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED