Q&A with LAURIE LONDON

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers. To celebrate, we have a special guest today--my sister, Laurie London, whose debut book just released with HQN.

Q--Thanks for being here today, Laurie. Would you please share a short bio about yourself?

A--Thanks for having me, Becky!

I graduated with a business degree and worked as a tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company before I quit to stay home with my children. BONDED BY BLOOD, book one in the Sweetblood Novel series by HQN Books, just came out and the second book, EMBRACED BY BLOOD, comes out in late June.

Q--Do you consider yourself a shy and/or introverted person?

A--Sometimes. How’s that? LOL Being extroverted does require you to be “on” and sometimes I find that hard to do. But not always. ;-)

Q--In what ways has being shy or introverted hindered your writing career?

A--I’m not sure it has actually hurt my writing career. I’m able to flip a switch and become extroverted if I need to be. But unlike a total extrovert, at some point, being around a lot of people can be mentally draining to me.

Q--In what ways has being shy or introverted helped your writing career?

A--I’m perhaps more sensitive and in-tune to emotions than what I would be if I gathered all my energy externally as an extrovert does. I internalize a lot of things and analyze why a person acts one way as opposed to another. Hopefully, this makes the emotional beats in my stories deeper and more realistic.

Q--What’s the hardest part of this business for you?

A--It has nothing about being introverted or extroverted. The hardest part for me is translating the thoughts in my head into a Word document. LOL. Self-doubt is rampant.

Does this sound stupid? Would he really say this? Is this scene boring? Is the story predictable? I want to show X happening, but I’m not sure exactly how to do it.

Q--Tell me about a time that you had to step outside your comfort zone either in your writing career or in your personal life?

A--Maybe because I got used to functioning on the edge of my comfort zone at an early age, I don’t dread it like some people do. When you show horses, you learn to overcome your nerves, or at least you’re able to project a sense of calm. If you don’t, your horse will detect your nervousness and think they have a reason to freak out as well. I’ve also done a fair amount of public speaking. Although it’s not easy, it’s not an entirely paralyzing thought either. As long as I’m prepared and feel I have something worthwhile to share, I can speak to large groups of people.

Q--What’s one tip you could share with shy and introverted people that’s helped you (whether you’re shy/introverted or not)?

A--In social settings, because I love meeting new people, I often play a game to find something I have in common with someone else. It’s especially fun meeting someone who, at first blush, may appear to have nothing in common with me. I get a lot of satisfaction finding something that both of us find mutually interesting.

In fact, I have a funny story that I think illustrates this well.

At a large Christmas party I attended a few years ago, I knew only the hosts, so I decided to play that game. I struck up a conversation with a guy in the kitchen and found out he was in a band. Well, I like indie music, so I asked him all sorts of questions and listened to what he had to say. He told me about his band, some of their recent gigs, what they were recording now, how he got started after having worked in a professional career, etc. We also shared some of the same tastes in music. When it came time to leave, he looked me straight in the eye, and with all honesty, he said that I was the most interesting person he’d met in a long time. I just shook his hand and smiled.

Turns out the guy never even asked me my name and didn’t know a thing about me. It’s because I showed an interest in him and listened that he felt that way. LOL

If you get people to talk about themselves, they’ll think you’re the most interesting person in the world. And it totally takes the pressure off. All you need to do is listen.

Q--Where can my readers find you on the web?

A--People can check out my website at www.LaurieLondonBooks.com.
I can also be found on Facebook www.facebook.com/laurielondonauthor and Twitter www.twitter.com/LaurieBLondon

Laurie has offered to give away a signed copy of her debut book, Bonded by Blood, to one lucky commenter. Here's a blurb:

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, two vampire coalitions battle for supremacy—Guardian enforcers who safeguard humanity and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors.

Movie location scout Mackenzie Foster-Shaw has always known that she’s cursed to die young. No one can protect her from the evil that has stalked her family for generations—vampires who crave her rare blood type. Until one afternoon in a wooded cemetery, she encounters an impossibly sexy stranger, a man she must trust with her life.

For Dominic, a man haunted by loss, Mackenzie satisfies a primal hunger that torments him—and the bond they share goes beyond heat, beyond love. She alone can supply the strength he needs to claim his revenge. But in doing so, he could destroy her…

Cover Debut!

Dear readers,

Once Written, Twice Shy normally has a policy about not doing straight promo here, but I'm going to make an exception today--because my sister's cover is out!

Laurie London is my sister, and Bonded By Blood, A Sweetblood Novel, releases in February with HQN. I'm so darn proud of her that I just had to show you her cover.

Laurie wanted to share a cute story about the cover shoot.

Here's Laurie: The art director knew I preferred not to see a discernable face and didn't want fangs. When they showed up for the photo shoot, the photographer had brought a pair of plastic fangs just for kicks and grins. It turns out the pictures they took with the model looking straight into the camera with those fangs on were the shots they liked most. What do authors know? We know words. The art director and photographer know images.

Rebecca here again: What do you think? Isn't the cover hot?

Laurie London is the author of the Sweetblood series, dark, sexy vampire romance from HQN. The first book, BONDED BY BLOOD, is available February 2011. Book two, EMBRACED BY BLOOD, comes out July 2011. A graduate of Western Washington University and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children. You can find out more about Laurie and her writing at her website.

Productive Social Networking for Writers

Please help me welcome my sister and fellow romance author Laurie London. A graduate of Western Washington University with a BA in BusinessAdministration and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie now writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children. Her debut novel, Bonded By Blood, A Sweetblood Novel, releases February 2011 by HQN. Embraced By Blood, the second book in the series, releases July 2011. When not writing, she can be found running, reading, or riding and showing her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show – that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again. You can learn more about Laurie at her website, on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's Laurie:
Thanks so much, Becky, for inviting me to talk about Social Networking. One of my favorite topics!

Social networking is THE perfect way for shy writers to network. Where else can you meet new and interesting people, reconnect with friends and acquaintances, come across as fun and engaging (hopefully), and edit yourself before you say something you’d regret—all while wearing those PJs and fuzzy slippers you have on right now?

Why should you care about social networking? After all, it’s writing the best book you can possibly write that really matters, right?

Well, you know what? I totally agree. Before I sold, I did not have a website, blog, author Twitter account, or author Facebook page. For the exact reason I rarely play video games any longer, I knew that I’d get sucked into the world of social networking, and I wanted my writing to come first. With a finite amount of creative energy inside me each day, I didn’t want to spend it all on social networking, when what I really wanted to do was write a book.

This isn’t to say I didn’t do any social networking prior to selling. I did have a Facebook page and Twitter account under my real name, but I tried to limit my time so that I could write every day. When I sold, I felt comfortable with these methods of communication and was able to jump right in with my author name.

In this interview on Murderati, Neil Nyren, Editor in Chief at Penguin Putnam, says word of mouth is an essential ingredient in selling books and the author plays an important role in this process. He goes on to say, “As a writer, you are the CEO of your own business. You should make it a point to learn that business and to do whatever is necessary to make that business succeed.” But then he adds you need to write a good book which is tough to do if you’re spending all your time on promotion.
So what’s a writer to do when you want to do both?

Seven Ways to Make Social Networking More Productive and Spend Less Time Doing It
1. Don’t waste your time posting something boring. I know this sounds blunt and mean, but social networking is all about making connections and providing good content. Unless you’re someone famous, no one, except maybe your mom, wants to read on Twitter that you’re having your second cup of coffee ten minutes after you posted that you were having your first. If you really want to tell people, then try to make it interesting. If not, stay offline and write instead.

2. Know who your readers/followers/friends are and provide content for them. Becky does a great job at this. I doubt she’d let me blog about my horse or my bathroom leak. You don’t come here to read about that. When I find an interesting article online, one that I think my followers or friends would enjoy, I twitter the link or post it to FB. Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?” and post accordingly. That’s not to say I don’t tweet about my horse or my bathroom leak, but I try not to do it too much.

3. Observe those who do social networking well and copy them. (Conversely, when someone says something that makes you cringe, make a mental note not to ever do that either.) One thing that totally impresses me is when people who have a lot of followers take the time to comment on something others have said. It makes me feel special when that happens, so I try to do the same for others. If someone retweets something I’ve said or comments on my FB page or blog, I always acknowledge it. If someone thinks you care about them, they’ll keep coming back. Conversation matters.

4. Pay attention to what makes you click one person’s link or comment on their status, and try to do the same. On Twitter, don’t just say “Interesting blog” and post the link. As a follower, I want to know if it’s worth my time to click. My opinion on what’s interesting may be different than yours. For instance, if I tweet about guest blogging here today, I might say, “Social networking for shy writers” or “7 ways writers can make social networking more productive” and give the link. It makes it easy for people to see if they’d be interested or not. Sure, I might also post, “I need your help. I’m hearing crickets on this blog. Please come visit me.” But what I won’t do is link only the URL, thinking someone will click through just because. Conan O’Brien has Just Because status. I don’t.

5. On Twitter, take advantage of hashtag topics to connect with like-minded people and see real-time publishing information. One of my favorite people on Twitter, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@Inkyelbows), has a great list of hashtag topics for writers on her blog. (http://tinyurl.com/lzp9w8) In fact, check out her blog for loads of other Twitter tips. I’ve learned a lot from her (see items 3 and 4 above). If you’re posting something that pertains to a particular topic, use the appropriate hashtag. That way even people who don’t follow you will see your tweet. I’ve met the nicest people this way. Also, many agents post what kinds of manuscripts they’re currently looking for under #pubtips.

6. Build your followers/friends list with people who have similar interests. Don’t just limit yourself to other writers. I like wine, horses, and cooking, so I’ve sought out other people on Twitter and FB who like the same things. As far as I can tell, people who like wine, horses, and cooking also read books. ;-) Take the time to read their blog if a post sounds interesting and comment if you have time. Don’t forget to track back so you can tell if they replied. I love it when people comment back on a blog post or comment I’ve made.

7. If you link your Twitter and FB updates, don’t link every tweet. Facebook isn’t as real-time as Twitter and it will just look strange to your FB friends when you use twitter-speak.

Since seven is a nice number, I’ll stop there. Do you have any tips you’d like to share about social networking for writers?