Be My Guest- Guest Blog Participation

 

Hello! Thanks for your interest in guest blogging at www.earthwalker.tk. I love hosting other authors who have something to share.

Here is some information you’ll need:

At the bottom, there is a form for you to fill out so I know who you are and why you want to be here.

Please fill it out, then rename the MS Word file your name (example: JULIEACHTERHOFF.doc).  That will help me keep things organized.

Please return all of this ASAP, and at least two weeks ahead of the date you’d like to appear on my blog.

PLEASE

1.   Follow the directions.  I am not going to go looking around the www for your information.  With writing deadlines and the insanity that is my life, I just don’t have the time.

2.   Give me the URL for any photos you’d like included.  I don’t have the space on my server to host large images. Instructions can be found below on how to find an image URL.

3.   Offer swag if you can.  Just a free copy or download of one of your books is great.  (Unpublished authors are not expected to offer swag.)

4.   Copy, fill out this form completely and return it to me as an MS Word attachment to erthwkr@gmail.com at least two weeks ahead of the date you would like to appear.

Date you would like to appear (if no date is specified, I will assign one to you):

Name/Pen Name:

Contact Email (not to be given out, just for me):

Website:

Blog:

Twitter:

Facebook:

Book You are Promoting:

Buy Link (either to your author site or online places like Amazon):

URL for cover: (right click on the pic, then go to properties. It will have a URL, copy and paste that here)

You have the choice of writing an article, a character interview, or excerpt.

Articles and Interviews MUST be new.  I will not repost something that has already been posted on another author’s website.  For the article, gear it toward readers, not other authors.

The interview can be yours or a character of yours.  For your interview questions, scroll down.  You are responsible for interviewing your own characters.  See an example done by Melissa Schroeder here: http://www.melissaschroeder.net/2010/03/12/character-interview-wade-and-marc/

What do you plan to do (article, interview, excerpt)-

Cut and paste it here (Be sure to proofread it.  I am a writer, not an editor):

What are you offering for swag (giveaway):

Would you rather have people comment or answer a certain question to get their name in the hat for the prize?:

When you are done filling this out, send it to me at erthwkr@gmail.com.

I’ll confirm receipt when I get it, so if you don’t hear from me within 72 hours, please contact me.

You are more than welcome and encouraged to show up on your guest blog/interview day to chat with readers.

I will give them until 8 a.m. Pacific on the following day to post for a chance to win.

I will draw a name, announce it on the blog, then send the contact info to you.

It is your responsibility to contact the reader and get the prize to them.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask,

–  Julie

Special thanks to the lovely and talented Melissa Schroeder

for showing me just how to do guest blogs properly.

Author Interviews

If you’re an author and would like to be interviewed by me on this blog, please fill out the questions below and return them to me via email at:

erthwkr@gmail.com
Author interviews and/or guest blogs will be posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays at http://earthwalker.tk but I will work with you to schedule another day if you need it.

Please send your answers or guest blog to me no later than two weeks prior to the date you require so I have time to post it.  I will not post interviews/guest blogs on the same day you send them.  In case you’re wondering why, read this: http://lisapietsch.com/2010/05/26/dont-be-a-guest-blogging-diva/

If you’re promoting a specific book, please include the blurb, short excerpt, cover, and purchase link for the book in your interview (all in one document, please).

Author interview questions:

1) What genre do you write and why?

2) If  romance, what subgenres do you write in? Why?

3) Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

4) What would you like readers to take away from your stories?

5) What inspires your stories?

6) Will you be attending any book or writing conferences this year? If yes, which

ones? Where and when?

7) Do you have any book signings or author appearances coming soon? If yes, where and when?

8)What is your writing schedule like?

9) Do you have any other passions besides writing? If yes, what are they? Why?

10) What is your best memory?

11) What is your favorite comfort food?

12) What relaxes you?

13) What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

14) What decade has been your favorite? Why?

15) What is your favorite way to promote your work?

16) Where is your favorite place to write? Why?

17) What is your favorite fairy tale? Why?

18) What was your favorite vacation?

19) If you had another career, what was it?

20) If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?

21) If you could have one wish, what would it be?

22) If you could describe yourself in only one word, what would it be?

23) Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them.

24) What is the one thing you most want to do that you haven’t yet?

25) When the zombies take over, what will you do?

26) Vampire or werewolf?  Why?

27) Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

28) Please give us your urls and your publisher’s url.

29) Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers? Please do so here.

Thank you.
If there are any questions you don’t wish to answer, please ignore them.

I look forward to working with you.

-Julie

Personality & Punctuation by Jen Knox, Author of Musical Chairs

I tend toward overuse of the ellipsis when I chat on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  It’s almost to say, “I would go on, but I wouldn’t want to bother you.”  Now, this is fine when it comes to Twitter, seeing as how there is a strict word count limitation, but what about in general?  What impression is my use of the … really making?  Is it a passive punctuation mark?

Only a book addict and writer would think of such things, eh?  Well, thinking I am, and I’ve set out to assign what I’ve determined the personality characteristic to various punctuation marks.  (See below.)

?
ASTUTE One of my favorites.  This is the philosopher’s dream, the essayist’s humility, the short story writer‘s nemesis, the poet’s luxury.  The question mark is not adaptable; it must be used with care.
!
STRONG MINDED Anyone who says they don’t like seeing exclamation points, or that they are a sign of laziness needs to read Nabokov’s “Signs and Symbols“.  Exclamation points are fiery and strong.
:
LOGICAL The sign of lists and emphasis.  This sign would best be described as focused, the clarifying element in many a sentence.
;
MISUNDERSTOOD Ah, the semicolon.  Here, I must digress.  Kurt Vonnegut is famous for saying the following: “Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.”

Great quote, but total bullshit.  The semicolon is beautiful, the epitome of a soft pause that gives cadence to an otherwise abrupt shift in ongoing thought.  The semicolon is romantic and, if not overused, is what I would consider the most romantic of punctuation.
–
BORING The en dash is rather boring.  The quiet kid at the party, who is only there because s/he’s related to someone or is rich/famous/attractive, but is hopelessly ordinary on a personal level.  It’s only use is connecting others: numbers, dates or references.
—
OUTRAGEOUS The em dash is the quiet kid’s cousin.  The one that’s throwing the party.  Usually drunk and reckless, this is a punctuation mark that is often over-used by those who are over-confident.  Nonetheless, if used properly, it’s magical and intoxicating to readers.  The em dash is what makes a 200 word sentence possible.
( )
SECRETIVE Should probably be used more often.
[ ]
ANXIOUS When I see these, I think math.  So, I will not go on.  Brackets = Anxiety.
. . .
PASSIVE  It says, “please forgive me, I will not go on…”
,
FAMOUS The comma needs no introduction.  She’s famous, notorious, loved, misunderstood, passed around, worried over, and she breaks many an editor’s heart.

.

The period means nothing, or near nothing, to me. It is merely a way to make my rambling self seem more deliberate.

So there you have it.  Punctuation, as this writer sees it.  I can’t help but to wonder how this perception changes from writer to writer?  Please, feel free to challenge me or give opinions of your own.  I’m genuinely curious.