(revised) confirmed blog tour dates for FAKING IT, as of June 1

Here are the confirmed blog tour dates for FAKING IT. I'm still waiting to hear on a few, and following up on others today.

June 8: Mystic-Lit at http://mystic-lit.blogspot.com/
June 9: Vicki Nadal at http://vicarella.blogspot.com/
June 10: Anthony Policastro at http://aspnovelist.blogspot.com/
June 11: Henry Hutton at http://www.publishandsell.com/
June 12: Alice Osborn at http://wildwomenswriting.blogspot.com/
June 13: Wendy Burt (Ask Wendy) at http://askwendy.wordpress.com/
June 15: Susan Miller-Cochran at http:
//mediatedlife.edublogs.org/
June 16: saraphim at http://sarahfim.livejournal.com/
June 17: Gina Elizabeth's Journal at http://ginaelizabethsjournal.blogspot.com/
June 22: Mit Moi at http://mitmoi.blogspot.com/
June 23: Barbara Quinby at http://www.weaveandsewdust.typepad.com/
June 24: Mary Jo Campell (Writers Inspired) at http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

The generosity of other writers never ceases to touch me deeply and inspire me to pay that generosity forward. I am blessed to be part of a community of writers who are so willing to help other writers in any way they can.

See you all on the tour! I can't wait!

school's out, blog tour, and Kairos Calling gets a new name: a preview of June

My week back on my old stomping grounds in southeastern Massachusetts was rewarding in more ways than I can describe. On top of selling and signing at least a dozen books at the *Temper* launch party and other gatherings during the week, I am pleased to announce that *Faking It* is now available at Baker Books in North Dartmouth, MA, one of my many favorite places to go. In addition, the Claire T. Carney Library at UMass-Dartmouth also has a copy of *Faking It* available for loan, and soon the Campus Bookstore will stock copies for sale as well.

While on my trip, I was also surprised to discover that Faking It also has a listing on Amazon.com! I've been promising myself forever to get it on Amazon, but I had no idea it was already there! The site needs some work to be more visually appealing, so it's high on my To-Do list.

In other developments, I'm finally ready to embark on my own blog tour. This is something I've been wanting to do for months, and I've been waiting for the semester to end and to return from my homecoming trip since I knew such a tour was going to take a bit of planning. Stacey Cochran's tour, however, has proven to be quite an inspiration as well as an example Like a true fan, I've been following him from appearance to appearance, and each one offers a new tidbit! So far, I've secured five blog appearances for the month of June. I'd like to fill up the rest of the month, so if you have a blog (or know someone who does) and are willing to host me, please let me know. Likewise, if you'd like to guest blog here, please let me know that as well!

Finally, as you know, I've been threatening for awhile to give Kairos Calling a new name. I may wait until the blog tour is finished so as not to confuse people, but I've decided to go with "I'll Have What She's Having": The Official Elisa Lorello Blog.

I came up with the name yesterday morning, not long after asking my Facebook readers to please think of a new name. This one got the most thumbs up. I love it because I think its connotation can extend in multiple directions (the obvious *When Harry Met Hally* homage; the invitation to spread the word about my books and me; the fun and funny that I so try to incorporate in my own writing and blog; etc.)

Let me know what you think!

And please, do continue to follow Stacey Cochran. For all he does for writers and the writing community, he deserves all our support.

Oh, one more thing. I'm now on Twitter. There's a link below for you to follow me.
Cheers, folks.

guest blogger: Stacey Cochran, author of *Claws*

Thanks so much, Elisa, for the opportunity to guest blog at your place about my new novel CLAWS. Not only are you a tremendously talented writer, but you are tremendously generous and kind as well. Thank you.

So what is CLAWS?

CLAWS is a thriller set in Arizona with a wildlife biologist as the protagonist. Dr. Angie Rippard is drawn into a police investigation when two teens are found dead early one morning on a golf course. She suspects they were killed by a large mountain lion.

If you’re a fan of romance, CLAWS has that too. There are a couple of steamy scenes in the early part of the novel, and ultimately a major part of the story involves Rippard’s romantic triangle between her boyfriend and one of her top grad students. Put these folks in the middle of Arizona’s two-million-acre Tonto National Forest and throw in an endangered mountain lion, and you’ve got a pretty good sense of what my novel is.

I’m currently in the midst of a 45-day blog tour. For those who’ve never heard of such a thing, a blog tour is essentially a planned online tour where a writer visits blogs (just as I’m doing right now) in some sort of official capacity to help promote his/her novel.

In contrast to an actual roadtrip book tour, I can confidently say this is less expensive and less time consuming. And I’m currently writing this up looking rather un-showered and sucking down some freshly-brewed coffee at my writing desk at home.

Now I have no idea whether this will result in a single book sold, but a big part of the marketing strategy for writers like myself and Elisa is to gain exposure any way you can. And hope that your books find a receptive audience.

So what is the topic for today’s guest blog post? I would like to hear y’all discuss the most memorable marketing campaigns of your life.

Immediately, I’m thinking of the “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” campaign of the early 80s. That jingle has stayed with me for nearly three decades now. That’s effective marketing. Also, the Budweiser Frogs from the mid-90s (whatever happened to those guys any ways?). In terms of book marketing, I’ve never seen anything like Harry Potter and Rowling’s books have definitely changed the world.

I remember being in an airport and seeing a bookstore that had a Potter display with rip-off calendar dates counting down to the launch of one of the books. It occurred to me that there were thousands of similar displays all around the world, and everyone seemed united in their anticipation of the release of the book. Phenomenal.

So how you? What are a couple of the most memorable marketing campaigns from any business that comes to mind? What really sticks with you? Which ad campaigns worked?

*Temper* flares...

The first thing to hit me was the smell of the auditorium lobby.

I wish I could describe this smell, but I can't. It's dank, the result of concrete walls and stone floors. It stores all the dampness of rainy days and warm nights, I suppose. My good friend Crystal and I were walking to the bookstore to get some change to have on hand in case anyone needed it when we sold books. We cut through the Campus Center by way of the auditorium lobby, and as I walked through, my backpack in tow, I can't even tell you the flashback I experienced. Both as student and teacher.

The Temper launch party consisted of hugs and smiling faces, as well as my following on the heels of the next generation of writers, each of whom read their published poems or prose. I couldn't believe how young the grad students were, especially. But when I was introduced, and I stood before the small gathering, I experienced not a flashback, but something more powerful and moving. I was more than an alumna. I was someone who was so deeply connected to this campus, now claustrophobic with ugly new dormitories and eyesore buildings, someone who had an opportunity to give something back to this campus -- not another eyesore building or a monetary donation, but just words. My words.

I don't think I ever realized how deeply connected my novel was to this place. Not in terms of storyline and character or anything like that, but in terms of craft. Much of my writing took place in Mirasol's Cafe, for instance, or while walking around Ring Road as I thought about Andi and Devin and their arrangement. It took place in my Fairhaven apartment, and I talked it out w/ my friends and colleagues. Andi's knowledge of rhetoric was the result of my enthusiasm as I finished my graduate studies.

Perhaps I should have listed UMass-Dartmouth in my acknowledgements of Faking It. But being a special guest, being the old generation passing on the torch, was a gratitude that couldn't be put into words.

Oh, and I sold and signed quite a few books, too.
This has been a true homecoming. And I can't wait to see how it weaves its way into my next book. Because I'm sure it will.

Coming in the next post: guest blogger Stacey Cochran will discuss his new novel Claws as well as seek your feedback on book marketing as the future of publishing continues to evolve.

homecoming

I'm leaving for the northeast tomorrow. On Tuesday, May 12th, at 5PM, I'll be appearing at the Browsing Area of the UMass-Dartmouth Library for the Temper Launch Party as a special guest reader.

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this trip.

For one thing, I haven't been home (my MA home, that is) in two years. The visit is long overdue. For another thing, I'll be visiting not only as me, but as Elisa Lorello, published author. And I get to do this at my alma mata. UMass-Dartmouth may not have the recognition of Harvard or Northweastern or even UMass-Amherst, but it's the place where I re-invented myself. It's the place where I loved and lost and loved again. It's the place where I became a writer. Namely, the writer I am today. I don't think anything can make me more proud than to show up and say, "Look at what I created. I made this, and it's largely because of you."

Don't even get me started on returning to Mirasol's cafe. You can be damn sure I'm bringing my laptop...

Homecoming is sweet. It's special. It's a point in the road where you can stop and see how far you've come and how far you've yet to travel. Summer vacation has just begun, as has my work as not only a fiction writer, but marketer, promotor, salesperson, and so on. The number of hats a self-published author wears can be daunting. But in light of homecoming, it's also a thing of wonder and possibility. I like hats.

I'll see you soon, and be sure to follow up on the trip with a post or two here.
Oh, and head's up: the blog's getting a new name when I get back!