Thursday, December 12, 2013

Meet Author Hannah Lokos



Hannah Lokos is a fellow author at Champagne Books Group.

Hannah Lokos is a sleep-deprived college student. She’s a biology major by day and an author at night, writing usually between the hours of 1 and 4 a.m.  She’s wanted to be a published author ever since she was five years old. Now, fifteen years later, she finally is! Her first novel to be published, Labyrinth of Lies, was released this December 2, 2013 by Champagne Book Group. Fun facts about Hannah? She has climbed Mt. Whitney, been stung by a jellyfish, and yes, unfortunately, she’s even eaten a cricket. (It was dead, so no worries!) She likes anything artsy, enjoys challenges, and absolutely loves cats.


Book Blurb:

"Something foul is afoot in Ancient Greece. Athens is bruised from a previous war with Crete. Worse still, King Minos annually demands fourteen Athenian youths to be fed to the Cretan Minotaur, which is locked inside a maze. Theseus has grown up amidst this tangle of pain. When his own beloved, Zosemine, is taken to be fed to the Minotaur, Theseus finds himself at the heart of a web of conflicting motives, with the sense that even those closest to him cannot be trusted. Questions abound. Why is his father so ashamed? What is King Minos hiding? Is the Minotaur even real? And if not, what truly lies at the heart of the labyrinth? Little does Theseus know that all the various plots, motives, and secrets all weave around one terrible truth. Theseus must navigate the labyrinth and see past the masks, to slay the Minotaur.”

Excerpt:

Pallas raised his eyebrows. “You are brave, indeed, if you seek to kill the Minotaur. I dearly hope you succeed, for blessed is the one who will rid us of that beast. But the world is a fearsome place, Theseus. It is filled with twisted hearts and hopes and dreams. You think to enter the Minotaur’s maze once you arrive in Crete, but here you are wrong, Theseus. You have already entered the labyrinth—you were born into it, and in it, you can trust no one.


Links:

Buy Links:



Social Media:

Email: hannahlokos.writer@gmail.com





Sunday, December 8, 2013

Meet Author Hannah Lokos



Hannah Lokos is a fellow author at Champagne Books Group.

Hannah Lokos is a sleep-deprived college student. She’s a biology major by day and an author at night, writing usually between the hours of 1 and 4 a.m.  She’s wanted to be a published author ever since she was five years old. Now, fifteen years later, she finally is! Her first novel to be published, Labyrinth of Lies, was released this December 2, 2013 by Champagne Book Group. Fun facts about Hannah? She has climbed Mt. Whitney, been stung by a jellyfish, and yes, unfortunately, she’s even eaten a cricket. (It was dead, so no worries!) She likes anything artsy, enjoys challenges, and absolutely loves cats.


Book Blurb:

"Something foul is afoot in Ancient Greece. Athens is bruised from a previous war with Crete. Worse still, King Minos annually demands fourteen Athenian youths to be fed to the Cretan Minotaur, which is locked inside a maze. Theseus has grown up amidst this tangle of pain. When his own beloved, Zosemine, is taken to be fed to the Minotaur, Theseus finds himself at the heart of a web of conflicting motives, with the sense that even those closest to him cannot be trusted. Questions abound. Why is his father so ashamed? What is King Minos hiding? Is the Minotaur even real? And if not, what truly lies at the heart of the labyrinth? Little does Theseus know that all the various plots, motives, and secrets all weave around one terrible truth. Theseus must navigate the labyrinth and see past the masks, to slay the Minotaur.”

Excerpt:

Pallas raised his eyebrows. “You are brave, indeed, if you seek to kill the Minotaur. I dearly hope you succeed, for blessed is the one who will rid us of that beast. But the world is a fearsome place, Theseus. It is filled with twisted hearts and hopes and dreams. You think to enter the Minotaur’s maze once you arrive in Crete, but here you are wrong, Theseus. You have already entered the labyrinth—you were born into it, and in it, you can trust no one.


Links:

Buy Links:



Social Media:

Email: hannahlokos.writer@gmail.com





Tuesday, November 26, 2013

A Small Story For Page 3 by Jack Germond


With deep regret I announce that Jack Germond, author of A Small Story For Page 3 passed away the day his book was released, but his wife, Alice Travis Germond has bravely taken A Small Story for Page 3 on a virtual book tour.
  
Jack Germond (January 30, 1928 – August 14, 2013) was a retired newspaper man, columnist and TV pundit. But like a Thoroughbred racehorse, a reporter never actually retires—he just writes about other things. The author brings his vast knowledge and understanding of the press and the business of getting the information to public to bear in his breakout novel, A Small Story for Page 3. Mr. Germond was nationally known as a bemused liberal and was a regular on The McLaughlin Group as well as appearing on other public affairs TV programs — CNN, Meet The Press and The Today Show among others. He covered ten presidential elections, and with Jules Witcover wrote a book covering each presidential election from 1980 to 1992. Timothy Crouse made Germond a prominent figure in “Boys on the Bus” his acclaimed book on the 1972 presidential election. Mr. Germond has previously published two non-fiction books, his memoir “Fat Man in A Middle Seat” (Random House 2002) and “Fat Man Fed Up” (Random House 2005) a scride on the decline of politics in the United States. Along with Jules Witcover he wrote a syndicated column that ran in 140 papers five days a week from 1977 to 2001.  2000. 
Chris Farley once spoofed Germond on Saturday Night Live. Germond was known for his no nonsense approach to reporting and his love of good food, good liquor and good friends. He instituted The Germond Rule which two generations of political reporters have adhered to. The rule simply stated that when a group of reporters dined together the tab would be split evenly, no matter who ate or drank more. This caused his many friends to eat and drink defensively when covering stories and enjoying good company.

Jack Germond was one of a kind and he will be missed. MuseItUp Publishing is proud to publish his first and only fiction novel.


Mr. Germond built a solid reputation for his aggressive pursuit of news, his skill as a storyteller, the high-level sources he cultivated in Washington and state capitals over 50 years and a vivid understanding of how the U.S. political system functioned for better and, often, for worse.
While reveling in the persona of an ink-stained wretch — down to the poker playing and whiskey drinking — Mr. Germond was among the first of his breed to make the transition to television. He cut an unlikely TV figure, with a pugnacious manner, bald head and generous stomach, but his knowledge was unquestioned.

 Photo Credit: Ann Hawthorne
A Small Story for Page 3
Harry Fletcher can’t for the life of him figure out what exactly the ‘nugget’ of information his colleague, Eddie Concannon, uncovered prior to his death is. Picking his way along the threads of information, Harry soon finds himself at odds with government officials and his own newspaper seems to be involved in the collusion.  Join Harry as he deciphers the clues and enjoy a journey into the world of investigative reporting set against a colorful back drop of characters and locations.







Short Excerpt from A Small Story for Page 3
"Oddly enough, ladies and gentlemen of the TV audience," Harry announced in his persona as Larry Largelungs of Action Central News, "the condemned man was smiling and singing as he approached the gallows."
The mood changed when he arrived at Wear's office to find the executive editor and the managing editor waiting and somberly reading printouts of the story.
"This thing has to be settled today," Wear said. "It's gone on long enough, it's tied us in knots, and we need to find a solution."
"I thought we had one," Harry said. "The story shows he has been sailing under false colors as a corruption fighter by trying to protect one of the targets of the investigation with whom he had a connection, perhaps lucrative, not previously disclosed."
"We're not the ones who have to be convinced," Mike reminded him.
When they walked into Marcotte's office, it was obvious he was not prepared to be persuaded. The publisher remained behind his huge mahogany desk and with a brusque gesture he seated the others at the small conference table.
"I've read the story you people seem to think should run on Page One as soon as possible," he said, "I think it’s still libelous horseshit, and I intend to spike it, this time for good. You still have no hard evidence that Tyler Bannister resisted Phase Two because of some personal concern. But Tyler denies it flat-out and there's no quote from him to corroborate it."
Harry was trying to contain his fury. "The only quote from him in reply was “go fuck yourself.” Do you want to use that?"
"Don't be flippant, Fletcher, this is a serious question."
"We all understand that, Dave," Wear said, stepping in quickly. "If you want a clearer denial in more decorous terms, we can do that."
"A denial isn't going to change the fact that we are doing serious damage to Tyler Bannister's reputation and potentially his political career," Marcotte said, his voice rising. "I don't intend to be a party to that."
"That was never our intention," Wear said. "We've gone where the story has taken us. The truth is that this episode raises serious questions about Bannister's candidacy."
"It shows him interceding in behalf of a friend and former business associate in an official investigation," Harry said with some heat. "That's a part of the truth about him that we know but our readers do not."
"Don't give me that truth and readers crap, Fletcher," the publisher said. "I remember you calling him a trimmer way back there. You had it in for him from the start. So did Concannon."
"This story quotes Tom Lawton saying Bannister called him with a warning about being on Carvaggio's list of targets and it quotes Rudy Myers as confirming that Bannister ordered Lawton's name stricken from that list once he agreed to retire from the bench."
"I know what the story says but, as I told you earlier, Fletcher," Marcotte said, "it is the publisher, not the reporter, who decides what appears in the News and I have made the decision on this one." After an interminable twenty seconds of silence, he continued, "I think we're through here, gentlemen. Thanks for coming in." When the elevator dropped them at the third floor, Wear beckoned them into his office and closed the door on Meg. "I don't know what we do now," he said.
"What you and Mike do," Harry said, "is keep faith with the good people here who depend on you to let them put out a good newspaper and hope for change. What I do, is clean a few things out of my desk and walk out of the building. I don't have any choice now."
"What are you going to do about the story," Mike asked.
"I haven't thought it through, Mike, but I'm not going to give it to the Trib or some television station. I don't know if the story is mine to use elsewhere or what. It would take a lot of time and effort for anyone else to duplicate it."
Wear had a different concern. "What are you going to say when the word gets out that you've left the building?" he asked.
"I could just tell the truth—that I have left the News after almost thirty years because of a decision by the publisher to spike a story I wrote. Period." He laughed. "I'll leave it to Amy Whiting to fill in the blanks."
At Wear's office door, he turned to his two old friends. "Look, this isn't the end of the world. Let's all have dinner later in the week, some place public for all to see. Meanwhile, I'll keep you posted."

A Small Story for Page 3 (ebook ISBN 978-1-77127-385-5  Print ISBN  978-1-77127-437-1) is available from MuseItUp Publishing or ask for it wherever good books are sold. For a review copy please contact the publisher at MuseItUp Publishing.


Reviews for A Small  Story for Page 3

Amazon.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking Political Investigating By A Winner August 16, 2013
A SMALL STORY FOR PAGE 3 by Jack W. Germond

I never expected my first review for author Jack W. Germond to be my last, but I guess if it has to be the last, it might as well be a top notch book to review...and that's the case here.

Inside a major D.C. Newspaper hub where the busy world of digging out political intrigue is daily fair that makes the headlines and sells the papers, Jack W. Germond has created a tense, boiler pot of a story. He shows one and all the glamour we all think the media news possesses is actually coated beneath many layers of tarnish, some obvious, some concealed, some seedy, and some spreading like a dry rot through the majestic limbs of our stately cherry trees.

No one alive today can look at the day-to-day business that transpires within the Beltway and not know lies, deceit, and subterfuge play huge parts in creating the ever shifting sands creating the foundation of politics. Jack Germond's ace reporter, Harry Fletcher knows this seedy world very well, and plays it with the panache of a man who's been at it for a long time.

Upon the death of his colleague and friend, Harry is given what those in the business call a "nugget"...a story not fully developed, and told to flesh it out...find the meat...get the story...if it really exists, but keep it close to his chest.

Treacherous waters. Harry must swim upstream against the odds, but when he does, who will he uncover are the real sharks waiting to tear him fin from fin?

This is a gripping story I read from beginning to end in one sitting. Mr. Germond's story telling skills captivated and had me cheering Harry Fletcher on as he came up against obstacle after obstacle and obstacle while ferreting out the truth. Read more ›
Comment | 


4.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's Story About News Reporting August 20, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase
Ace political reporter Harry Fletcher has problems: a politician threatening him, a young reporter gunning for his job, a wife having an affair and a publisher who doesn't want to print his latest story. This first novel by veteran newsman Jack Germond gives an insider's look at the job of journalism as Fletcher interviews sources who wish to remain anonymous, tracks down promising leads, rallies his editors' support and finally, confronts his boss. You'll never read a newspaper again without thinking of this "small story" and the ethical dilemma it describes.
5.0 out of 5 stars Turn to Page 3 September 15, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have some newspaper background and the book is written by a former newsman.

The book reveals how newspaper ownership and management can censor and color the news, as it now does.

A bit of sex spices up the story.

Jack Germond is an excellent writer with a lifetime of experience.



5.0 out of 5 stars What is it like to be a political reporter? September 12, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase
I love to read about politics. My favorite political reading is a book looking back on events and giving the big-picture story and, usually, details that didn't make the daily newspapers. My favorite such books were written by Jack Germond and his partner Jules Witcover, especially "Mad As Hell," about the 1992 presidential election. Jack was also a well-known talking head (The McLaughlin Group); Jack was the one that wasn't full of himself.

I had the great pleasure of meeting and getting to know Jack and having dinner with him and his wife Alice over Thanksgiving weekend for most of the past ten years or so. I was in heaven sitting at the table with Jack and hearing his political stories. This novel (his first) was published the day he died. Not surprising, it's about political reporters. It provides a window into their lives and the issues they live with - what is fair to report? how does one build a story? how does a reporter persuade people to help him get to the truth? I suspect it also gives a good glimpse into Jack's own personal life. It provides an object lesson in the ethics of journalism. I highly recommend it to those who care about political reporting and/or want a good read.
Comment | 

Meet Alice Travis Germond


Alice Germond is the Secretary Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee. She was elected Secretary unopposed three times from 2002 to January 2013. Alice also served on the Executive Committee, the Rules and By-Laws Committee and as Secretary for the Democratic National Convention where she called the role of states that determines the Party's nominee. Alice has participated in every Convention since 1974 when the Party wrote its National Charter.  Alice currently is an elected At-Large member of the DNC and serves on the Resolutions Committee.
Active in the Democratic Party for over 45 years, she has held leadership positions in local, state and national campaigns including Political Director for Clinton/Gore in CA, Deputy National Political Director for Michael Dukakis, and Super Delegate Director for Gary Hart. In 1988 Alice moved to Washington DC, and became Director of Political Operations for Ron Brown's successful election as Chair of the DNC. She was named his Senior Advisor, coordinating DNC Party Programs and was his liaison to the 1992 Convention. From 1993—1996 she was Director of the DNC's Government and Party Affairs Departments.
A strong advocate for issues and party values, Alice led the historic effort to put Geraldine Ferraro on the Democratic Ticket while Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus Democratic Task Force. During her tenure as Executive Vice President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, Fortune Magazine ranked NARAL as the most effective women's organization in the nation. Alice also worked for the AFL-CIO's Women's Division and for SEIU. One of Alice's earliest experiences was participating in Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" March on the National Mall.
Alice has broad experience as a speaker and working with the press. Her op-eds have been published by major newspapers and on the internet, and in 1995 CBS hired Alice for their special Convention Coverage Unit. She has spoken at Party Events in 50+ States and for the campaigns, organizations and issues with which she is identified. Her international work includes lectures at Tsinghua University in Beijing, leader of two delegations to Taiwan, presentations in Madrid, London, Barcelona, Toronto, the Virgin Islands and several NDI exchanges including one for the European Parliament.
In 2013 President Barack Obama appointed Alice to the prestigious Commission on White House Fellows where she currently serves. Prior commissions include the CA Council on Criminal Justice (Gov. E G Brown, Jr.) and the LA Olympics Government Affairs Committee. 
Alice earned her BA from Bennington College, VT in 1965 where she received a non-resident term scholarship and was Chair of the school legislature.  Her MS Degree in Public Administration/Recreation was awarded in 1977 from CA State Un. LA with a 4.0 average.
Now living on a bend of the Shenandoah River in West Virginia, Alice grows vegetables and fruits, goes running with her dog Freddy, and watches the bald eagles who have returned to the region. Coffee on the deck, warm conversation with many friends and visits from six grandchildren are a constant pleasure. 
 


Buy Links for A Small Story for Page 3  Jack W. Germond


Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

 



Friday, November 22, 2013

A Warm Welcome to Author Tara Fox Hall



Thank you so much, Sarcastic Ramblings and Writing, for having me here today! J




The Game of Reviews
“When you play a game of thrones you win or you die.” 
 
George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Where to promote, which book to spotlight, prize or no prize, blogging versus reviews, how much to budget for ads, which promo items to buy or not buy…if you’re an author who does any self-promotion, this litany is very familiar to you. What to do about it is the problem, in that the answer of which are the best means of promotion is constantly changing. Everyone agrees that getting your name out in various avenues is necessary to sell books. But when your budget is limited, you have to choose what to spend your money on very carefully. So where do reviews fit into this plan of attack?
Reviews are important…and yet also not important. They are a gamble in the best of circumstances, but also necessary for a writer’s success, at least when first starting their career. Here’s my two foremost cents on how much importance to give them...and how to win the review game.
1.      A great deal of review quantity relevance is based on genre and price. Reviews matter only marginally if the genre has a lot of demand and not much supply
My transgender novella Grow a Pair routinely appears as my publisher’s TOP book on PinInterest. I’m not even on there, don’t have any idea what PinInterest is about, and no one has EVER even contacted me about this novella…which has one official review and one from a reader. Yet my publisher is so excited by reader interest that I wrote and published a sequel and another is in the works.

2.      Sex sells, period. I also write erotica. My current work has only two reviews, one from a review spot and one from a friend. No one has ever contacted me about this book, either, except the one place that reviewed it, yet sales are good.

However, if you are a new author in most markets other than the two above, you’ll need as many reviews of your first books as you can get JUST to let readers know you’re worth trying AND to get your name on a lot of internet sites, PARTICULARY if you are writing a series. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

3.      Be advised that the more reviews you get for a work, the more bad reviews you’ll get, also. For books that have a glut of supply—like paranormal fantasy and romance—reviews are necessary for a new author. No one wants to waste hard-earned money on something that they won’t like, especially when they can’t return it for a refund. To get around this, a lot of authors in the last few years did free giveaways, hoping for every dozen copies downloaded someone would actually read the book and review it. The books were free, so the idea was that people who didn’t like the work wouldn’t feel they didn’t get their money’s worth (i.e., and leave a bad review). Unfortunately, this is not the way it works. I’ve had more than one bad review from a free download—and even free paperback books won in contests I paid for.

4.      Reviews are not equal to sales. People might find fault with a book, and say it was not that good. Do not think that means that they will not buy your next book, particularly if it’s a trilogy or series. I always feel more comfortable picking up a series book I thought was okay versus a single title that could be great, because I already know the characters in the series title. Additionally, most of my sales, including the Promise Me Series books, seem to come from people happy to buy the books and not review them. They want to know when a new one comes out and not have any other communication with me. They don’t care about contests, promo items, or any of that. I have to admit…I’m just like them. I never put up a review for any book in my life before I became an indie author, no matter how much I liked it. I simply put a marker on the calendar when the next book in a beloved series was out, or kept a list to check the bookstore on my monthly visit.

5.      To buy or not to buy? Reviews of today can be purchased from many sources: large companies like Reader’s Favorite or individual bloggers as part of a book tour. There are also many sources of free reviews out there. Most of these are all unbiased, in that you are not paying for a good review, just a fair one. The reason people pay for reviews is that most free review sites don’t guarantee they will review your book…and you’re usually in for a long wait even if they do, because there are so many new books all the time. But do make sure to thank anyone who gives you a good review, paid or unpaid.

6.      Trading reviews – a potential minefield. Many authors agree to review each other’s books in an effort to get more reviews. That is great…if you both love each other’s work. Be warned that if you don’t, you’ll have to explain to the author why you can’t rate their book as stellar (and possibly lower your own review score if they take offense and give you a revenge review or delete the one they did for you), or lose your integrity and submit a false good review.

7.      Remember that a two star review does not count as much as a five star one. I was feeling down about a few recent bad reviews, and told a friend, who is also a fan. She told me that she never even looks at the bad reviews for a product, only the good ones. ANY book on any review site usually has at least a few bad reviews; bestsellers have tons. People don’t really care if a few others didn’t like something; they care what the majority had to say about the work.
Summary:  Write the best book you can, then spend a day asking for reviews from places and people who are predisposed to love your work. Then concentrate on your next book. Thank people who give you good reviews…and ignore the bad ones. Above all…be nice!

Back List of Promise Me Series titles:

Surrender to Me (PM novella + excerpt from Immortal Confessions)
Promise Me (Promise Me Series #1)
Broken Promise (Promise Me Series #2
Taken in the Night (Promise Me Series #3
Taken for His Own (Promise Me Series #4)
Promise Me Anthology #1

Immortal Confessions (Promise Me Series #5 – prequel #0.5) Blurb: At the turn of the 19th century, former aristocrat turned lowly vampire Devlin Dalcon gets by on his supernatural charms until he meets bride-to-be Annabelle. Smitten by Anna’s forthrightness, intellect, and bravery, Devlin risks his life to spirit her away to Fontainebleau, France. There Devlin begins his ascent to power in a desperate bid for wealth and social standing for himself and Anna. Forging alliances with other supernatural leaders, he usurps the vampire Lord of Fontainebleau, amassing many enemies during his brief reign. Within a few years, he and Anna are again forced to flee for their lives to America. Living in hiding, Devlin is determined to amend his ways. But when tragedy strikes, Devlin’s dark side, never fully extinguished, emerges
rampant, securing him the bloody throne of America even as his malevolence and loneliness consumes him.

Excerpt: Now we were getting somewhere. “Explain this, as I’ll need to know. What are the rules in this city, besides no killing?”
            “Not many. Don’t kill humans, unless they attack you, and even then, make it look an accidental murder by stealing from them. Don’t trouble the richer citizens at all, not for any reason. Don’t bother the other supernatural citizens—”
            “Who?”
            “The sorcerers and witches, the goblins and the faeries,” he said, bored. “There is also a family of werevultures that inhabit this town, near the edge. Them, too.”
            Werevultures? Was he kidding? “So there are no werewolves?”
            “As a rule, not here in the cities, though there are sometimes one or two that pass through,” he said with something like relief. “I’ve heard they stick to the countryside. Most weres do, as it’s easier to blend in there.”
            Weres, he called them. Hmm. “What are they like?”
            “The ones I’ve talked to say they miss the forest, or the water, or their caves—”
            “Caves?”
            “Werebats, mostly. They are the most prevalent werecreature around these parts. There is a large colony near the river.”
            “Are they off limits?”
            Quentin took a deep breath. “I’m glad you brought this up. Technically, no, they aren’t. They have an agreement with Guy, the City’s Lord, to stay out of the city, and he leaves them alone. But some stupid vampire hunter attacked them last week, killing a bunch of their women and children when he mistook them for vampires. It happens often, I’m afraid. The other werebats killed him, but they’re raging now. They are killing any vampire they can, primarily ones they find alone, in retaliation.” He looked over at me. “It’s them I need you to guard me against.”
            “Won’t that die down quickly, though? Surely the bats can be made to see it was not our fault?”
            “Guy is not diplomatic,” Quentin said with a sigh. “Things are going to get worse before they get better. Besides, at heart, he’s a coward. He knows that there are more of them than there are of us, enough so it’s close to three to one in their favor. Because of those odds, he will not make them stop. This has happened before, Devlin. The attacks will continue until the bats feel they’ve taken enough blood back.”
            I thought about that. There was a huge opportunity here for not just the means to support Anna and myself, but to gain real power. Still, I needed to understand much about this world and this city before I’d be ready to proclaim myself king of it.

Buy Links:

Author links:


Facebook Page: