Doreen McGettigan

I LOVE introducing you to fabulous authors and great books. Elaine and I met in Nashville and again in Las Vegas where we were both presenters at the BAM Conference.

She is so talented, lovely and hysterically funny! 

Melody is an amusing ten-year-old girl with Down syndrome who loves to daydream beneath a catalpa tree in the backyard. She narrates her story and explains, “I can do almost everything other children can do, and I’m happy.”

Melody soars over the playground to amaze her friends and confront a group of bullies. Melody’s energetic talent in storytelling empowers her to educate others about Down syndrome while sharing her tall tales and strong hugs. Caroline Zina’s pencil illustrations are beautifully textured and shaded, with a magical quality that deftly matches the text.

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As of August 1st I’ve wanted to wear white every day, visit local parks, the beach and the hot dog and hamburger cravings are crazy. I’m such a summer person and I won’t give it up easily but I’m also a planner and it’s time to fill my fall book shelf. Normally I’m a scaredy cat but my #FallReading has to be scary or at least mysterious.

The first book in my #FallReading to be read pile is The Brown House. For me the title screams fall and scary and it’s based on a real house!

Christy Sloat  is a California girl that resides in New Jersey with her husband, two young daughters and her Chihuahua, Sophie. She has embraced the love of reading and writing since her youth and was inspired by her grandmother’s loving support. Christy loves adventurous journeys with her friends and can be known to get lost inside a bookstore. She is the bestselling author of thirteen novels including, The Librarian, The Visitors Series, The Past Lives Series and the award-winning Slumber Duology.

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WritingWednesday

Wednesday is the day I share what I have learned on my journey to publication, marketing and publishing again. If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. If you have any tips please share them with us…

PR Part 3 Writing TV and RadioPitches

To read part 1 and part 2:

Part 2- PR Writing Press Releases –https://doreenmcgettigan.com/?p=5566

Part 1- PR for books/authors –https://doreenmcgettigan.com/?p=5554

Like I said in part 1 and part 2, if you can hire a PR professional they are well worth the investment. If the funds are not in your budget it is possible to write your own media pitches. I will confess, writing media pitches ranks right up there with writing the query and the synopsis but the process does make us better writers.

If you have been following along you are aware that as an author your goal is to write and sell books but when pitching the media you will need to switch gears and pitch your expertise and an idea that will be of interest to the entire viewing/listening audience. You are all about you and selling your book but the media is all about their target audience. The host will mention your book and if you were an interesting guest the audience will be interested in looking up your book. Commercials are for selling products.

Before you write your pitch you will want to research the show or shows you intend to pitch. Is the audience the right one for your message? Pitching a show that would have no interest is your message is a waste of time.

There is no doubt that the media landscape is changing as quickly and as drastically as the publishing industry. Staff is limited and producers are under a lot of pressure to fill airtime with guests that will be of interest to their audiences. The opportunity is there for you if you can develop the skill of pitching.

Once you have crafted your elevator speech and have figured out what your specific area of expertise is writing your pitch letter will be easier.

TV/Radio Pitch Writing Tips:

Do not pitch on social media. Social media is a great place to connect with producers, not a good place to pitch them. Send an e-mail. On most station websites you can find the information you need to submit a pitch. It isn’t always easy to find but it is there.

Start with local programs to gain confidence and experience.

Your pitch should be custom targeted to each producer. Get to know the shows you are pitching. Watch and listen, often.

Come up with a great headline, no more than 8 words.

Next is the tagline. It should be 2 or 3 sentences. Think hook and elevator pitch. Chances are if you don’t hook them here they won’t read any further.

Next you want to answer these questions. Why you are the best person to speak on this topic, why your subject will interest their audience and why their audience needs the information you have and why they need it now.

You want to be as clear and concise as possible. Don’t add fluff.

Next you want to suggest a segment.TV producers will need to be able to visualize what you are pitching and radio producers will need to visualize what the segment will sound like. Describe the segments to them.

Create a media kit. I will write about media kits in Part 4.

Have you written a pitch letter? Do you have any tips to add?

Happy writing,

Doreen

A few years ago I read Paulette Mahurin’s first novel The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap. I loved the book and looked forward to her next. His Name Was Ben was worth the wait.

Paulette has offered a kindle version of His Name Is Ben for a lucky commenter.

Hearing the words “it’s cancer,” threw Sara Phillips’ life into chaos, until an unexpected turn of events and a chance encounter with a stranger changed everything—his name was Ben. Based on real events, Ben and Sara discover that when all else fails, healing can come in the most unexpected ways. Chilling and heart wrenching, His Name Was Ben is a triumph over the devastating circumstances and fear experienced when faced with a terminal illness. In this narrative, the power of love conquers shadows and transforms the very nature and meaning of what it is to be fully alive. From the award winning, best-selling author of, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, comes a story filled with soul and passion that will leave the reader thinking about it for days after the last page is closed.

Meet Paulette Mahurin:

Paulette lives with her husband Terry and three dogs, Max, Bella, and Lady Luck in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science.

While in college, she won awards and was published for her short-story writing. One of these stories, Something Wonderful, was based on the couple presented in His Name Was Ben, which she expanded into this fictionalized novel in 2014. Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction of the year 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine.

Semi-retired, she continues to work part-time as a Nurse Practitioner in Ventura County. When she’s not writing, she does pro-bono consultation work with women with cancer, works in the Westminister Free Clinic as a volunteer provider, volunteers as a mediator in the Ventura County Courthouse for small claims cases, and involves herself, along with her husband, in dog rescue.

Profits from her books go to help rescue dogs.

The Interview:

Thank you, Doreen, for having me over to your great site, for reading and reviewing my book. I’m grateful for your help.

Where did you grow up?

West Los Angeles, near UCLA. A lot of the scenes in my book, His Name Was Ben, take place in areas where I grew up in West, Los Angeles.

Did you grow up in a reading or a writing home?

No, my parents both worked and I took to writing on my own. It just happened at a young age, that I started writing in a gifted diary and found a great enjoyment for writing. That love has never left me.

The main characters in, His name was Ben are both cancer patients. Are they based on real life people or more of an accumulation of people you may have known or come across in your work?

The real Ben and Sara were a couple who I met and worked with while in college. Some of the story line about their pasts has been altered/fictionalized to protect their anonymity. They inspired me to write a short story about them while in college which won a national award and was published. After my first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, I expanded Ben & Sara’s story into a full length novel.

What publishing route did you choose and why?

With this book, I self-published through createspace. I worked with the editor from my first book, who had many years professional experience working at Simon & Schuster. I also worked with an excellent design person and a handful of experienced authors/readers. When promoting my first book, I connected with a lot of self-published indie authors. Many have well written compelling stories, some were best sellers. This motivated me to attempt doing my second book this way and with my profits going to help rescue dogs it worked out to be more beneficial.

What are you writing now?

I’m writing a story that centers on the unjust imprisonment of Captain Alfred Dreyfus to Devil’s Island in 1895 and Emile Zola’s attempt to publish a letter in the Paris press to free him. It is known as one of France’s largest anti-Semitism scandal. I just finished reading the transcripts from the libel trial that Zola went through as a result of his heroic challenge. It’s a fascinating true story but I’m writing it from a historical fiction perspective. I’m up to chapter twenty on the first draft.

You volunteer as a court moderator- my imagination wants to believe you are taking notes and we may read about them one day.

I’m seeing a lot of very interesting things and mediating some even more fascinating things being in the courtroom setting. Unfortunately, I can’t keep the notes or talk about anything that goes on in the mediation as it’s all confidential. That’s the beauty of mediation, you get to have your say and come to your own mutual agreement of how you want your court case to be ruled and with that signed agreement as a defendant nothing goes on your record against you, credit report, etc. The benefit for the plaintiff is you don’t have to have the burden to prove your case to the Judge.

What is the last book you read?

“Tempesta’s Dream” by Vincent B. LoCoco is a wonderful love story that centers around operas and the love of opera. I was hooked on it right away, had trouble putting it down, and didn’t want it to end; it was that good.

My Review of His Name Was Ben:

Author: Paulette Mahurin

My apprehension of reading a cancer related story dissolved quickly as I fell in love with the characters Paulette crafted with such depth.

I want to call the book a bittersweet love story, a love that developed between two people that happened to have cancer, after they met by chance in an oncologist’s waiting room.  This is more a story about life and living than it is about illness and dying. It is a life story.

This story left me surprisingly uplifted and reminded me that love will find us when and where we least expect it and that there are absolutely no coincidences in this world.

I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good love or life story.

LINKS

FOR HIS NAME WAS BEN:

BEN AMAZON:     http://www.amazon.com/His-Name-was-Paulette-Mahurin/dp/0692264698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411266674&sr=8-1&keywords=His+name+was+ben+by+paulette+mahurin

BEN AMAZON UK:     http://www.amazon.co.uk/His-Name-was-Paulette-Mahurin/dp/0692264698/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1411271225&sr=8-2&keywords=paulette+mahurin

BEN GOODREADS:     https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23255291-his-name-was-ben

BEN SHELFARI: http://www.shelfari.com/books/38013543/His-Name-was-Ben

BEN FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/His-Name-Was-Ben/277140049142291

AUTHOR’S BLOGSITE:

http://thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com/

AUTHOR’S TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/MahurinPaulette

PRESS ARTICLE ON PAULETTE MAHURIN DONATING PROFITS TO DOGS:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/sep/08/ojai-authors-historical-novel-teaches-tolerance/

PROFITS FOR HIS NAME WAS BEN GOING TO CANINE ADOPTION RESCUE LEAGUE: http://carldogs.org/purchase-name-ben/

I recently read Gold Diggers and Dead Beat Dads. I am excited that the author, Valerie Rind agreed to answer a few questions and I applaud her for writing an intelligent, important and due to the serious subject a surprisingly witty book.

My Review: Smart, well written and eye opening…

The author had me at the title, Gold Diggers and Dead Beat Dad$. The book is a compilation of some extremely painful, personal stories of financial exploitation and ruin committed by those the victims most loved and trusted.

We are taught at a very young age that it’s not polite to ask someone about their financial status including how much they make, how much they save or their credit rating. The author shines a bright light on the financial wreckage that can happen if we don’t shake off the controversy and start asking personal financial questions before we say I-Do.

Valerie Rind writes from her heart as she shares her own devastating story of lending her deceptive husband money for a start-up business and discovering a financially devastating secret he kept from her for many years.

Along with the heartbreaking stories and valuable lessons learned by others the author offers common-sense tips on avoiding and overcoming financial ruin. It is written well and left me feeling like I was not alone after being devastated financially by loved ones, myself.

An important book for anyone considering marriage, caring for an elderly loved- one or blending a family.

Author bio:

During a hiatus from my career as a corporate attorney, I worked for a local housing authority, where I created its pilot personal finance program for 300 low-income individuals.

For fun, I served as one of the founding volunteer moderators for the my FICO community forum.

My resume is a checkerboard with gigs like sailing on Caribbean yachts, running the office of a TV and film casting company, and negotiating megabucks contracts for a Fortune 200 technology company.

Irrelevant credentials: BA in Russian Language & Literature from Duke University. LLB and Masters of Law degrees from the University of Sydney. Yes, in Australia. I currently live in the Washington, DC area.

Interview:

What 3 questions about finances would you suggest to ask before considering a serious relationship with someone?

In Gold Diggers and Deadbeat Dads, I list more than 50 questions, so it’s hard to narrow it down to three!

A key topic is how your potential mate handles debt.  Ask: Do you have any credit card or student loan debt? How much? What are the interest rates? Do you pay in full or only the minimum amount due? Do you ever pay late? Exceed the credit limit? Is it time to get a card with better terms? What’s your plan to eliminate your debt? (You should be worried if your sweetheart has no plan).

How can someone considering a midlife marriage that involves blending a family protect their own personal finances and their children’s inheritance?

Opinions vary on whether couples should have entirely separate or combined bank and investment accounts. It’s such an individual matter, and the best solution is often somewhere in the middle.

It’s critical to get your will or trust updated, along with the beneficiaries for your 401(k) accounts, IRAs, and life insurance policies. One couple delayed taking care of business, and the second wife was left with almost nothing when her husband died. Blended families are a challenge if people have different ideas about “entitlement” to inheritances.

Can you share your path to publication, any difficulties along the way, and why you chose the path you chose?

I tried the “traditional” route first. Agents were interested but none seemed like a good match. I was frustrated and put the manuscript on the virtual shelf for five years. Periodically it annoyed me that I hadn’t finished the project.  One day I read about self-publishing. Wow, all I have to do is push a button! If I had known how much time, effort, and money it would take to self-publish … but it’s definitely been worthwhile and a lot of fun.

What are three red flags one should watch for concerning a mate’s finances that might suggest we are being lied to or scammed?

Your partner is evasive about certain bills, bank statements, or other mail. When you ask questions about money matters, you get dodgy answers.

Her phone rings often with urgent, private calls or texts from people you don’t know.

He is often inexplicably late, absent, or unavailable.

Do you listen to music or work in silence while writing?

I definitely need music to stay “in the zone.” I love an obscure Internet radio station called XPoNential Radio that plays “an eclectic blend of blues, rock, world, folk, and alternative country.”  Sometimes I get temporarily distracted when I stop to download a song that’s playing!

Are you planning another book?

Yes. People are already sharing their stories with me for the sequel. I’m interviewing leading authorities on subjects such as child support enforcement.  There weren’t enough stories to fill a whole chapter on family businesses gone wrong, so I’m seeking more anecdotes on that topic.

Connect with Valerie here:

Blog:ValerieRind.com

Twitter: @ValerieRind

Facebook: Valerie Rind

Google Plus: +ValerieRind

Various purchase links:

Available on Amazon in paperback:

http://amzn.to/1qJMGuK

Amazon

Gold Diggers and Deadbeat Dads

Gold Diggers and Deadbeat Dads: True Stories of Friends, Family, and Financial Ruin

The first Wednesday of every month I participate in The Insecure Writer’s Support Group. #IWSG. This is one AMAZING group of talented writers. Some of them are beginners and some are professional authors. One of the many things we all have in common is our moments of extreme insecurity about our craft. Another is our gratitude and strong -pay it forward attitudes when our confidence is soaring.

To find out more about the IWSG or to join us, visit:

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

Every Wednesday I also share some of the things I have found that worked and some that didn’t work so well along my journey to publication, marketing and publishing again. Being insecure at times is one thing I had to and still deal with in my writing. Learning to listen to other writers, taking their advice and learning to write through those insecurities is a must.

It is hard enough for us writers to believe in ourselves so when someone close to us questions our choice and doesn’t support our decision to write, it stings.

We need to first consider the possibility that they may be genuinely concerned for us or they may lack understanding of what all is ‘involved’ in writing when we choose it as a career.

Once we have done our best to explain to them what we do and what they can do to support us and it doesn’t work out that way we have to realize that no matter how hard we try, everyone will not love our choice or our work.

When I asked a friend to come to one of my book signings and she asked me when I was going to come see her at work that got me thinking. I didn’t know exactly what she did at work. It had also been ages since I stopped by the dealership where my husband works, just to say hi. I never stopped by to see my daughter at the nursing home where she works to bring her chocolate or wine nor have I ever gone to the lumber yard where my other daughter works to buy lumber and have her sign it for me.

Well that revelation hit like lightening. Writing is my job.  It is emotional and I am passionate but at the end of the day I cannot expect a daughter that lives for romance novels to gush over my nonfiction.

I needed to pay more attention to the careers of my loved ones and my friends and be more supportive of their passions if I expected the same of them.

I realized that when I need support for my writing, feedback or have exciting news to share the best place for me is a group of my peers.  Writers groups, critique groups, Facebook writer’s groups and especially The Insecure Writers Support Group are full of other writers that get what I do and feel what I feel.  There is always someone there with a hug, creative advice or a hand- up.

Hot Penz7/ Writing Group

I am blessed because my family does support me and my choice to write. My girls are happy to help me choose an outfit for a book event but they do not want to go to work with me. For that I need my tribe and my tribe needs me.

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, “Heard” items, and other small gems and put them together in a Friday Fragments post. Then leave a link to your Friday Fragments here:

Half-Past Kissin’ Time

My husband told me yesterday to stop thinking about summer being over and to concentrate on enjoying each day of September. He is so right. The days are still sunny and warm, without being oppressive and the nights are comfortably cool. Then he asked me to go on a couple of beach dates. Just another of the million reasons I love that man.

I have some exciting things to look forward to this fall. Not only will I be teaching again but I have been working with a committee since last spring to put together a workshop series sponsored by the Press Club of Pa. They will be held the fourth Saturday of every month (except December.) They will be on social media, branding, style (for men and women), networking, understanding the news, how to get attention from the media for your product, business, store, event, non-profit, blog or book, writing and publishing, pitching your business and more. We have been so lucky to have top experts in these fields offer to join us. We even have a few celebrity guests. I will be writing more about these classes next week!

http://www.thepressclubpa.org

Our Florida adventure has come and gone but I have no doubt we all created memories that will last forever. My husband and I took five of our grandchildren to Daytona Beach to visit my mother and John’s sister. We were worried that at least the driving part would be a nightmare but I have to tell you the kids were so good and we had SO much fun. Kudos to John for renting the top of the line Town & Country minivan equipped with DVD players and satellite radio and kudos to me for creating maps and putting them on corkboard for each child with colored stick pins. One color for cities we stopped in and another color for cities we passed through. They really got into it and now they know how to read a map. We had a great time with family and friends, went Go Karting, to batting cages, the beach, to Zoomair Daytona a zipline adventure and more…

During our vacation my laptop kind of crashed and even though there was a TV by the pool the kids always wanted to listen to music so I was forced to detox from my news addiction. After reading this post on Boomeon written by Cathy Chester, taking an occasional news break is going to become a habit for me:

http://www.boomeon.com/posts/taking-a-short-break-from-the-news

Have a safe and fun Labor Day,

Doreen

                                       My Writing Process…

Thank you to Kim Tackett for inviting me to share my writing process. It has been so interesting to read the process of some of my favorite writers. You can read Kim’s writing process here:

http://www.fiftyfiftyvision.com

Why do I write what I write?  

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For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a complete list of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

 Today’s letter is the letter L

Learning Disorders

Learning Disorders refer to one  or more psychological processes that help one understand, listen, think, hear, speak, read,  write, spell and to do math. Learning Disorders are relatively common and affects four to six percent of the public school population.

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For the month of April I am participating in the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge. The Challenge was started by author/blogger, Arlee Byrd. http://tossingitout.blogspot.com

  Each day of the month (except Sundays) we will post something based on that days correlating letter. Some of us chose a theme and others are winging it. My theme is the A-to-Z’s of Mental Health, Raising Awareness. It is a topic that is very close to my heart. I hope you find the posts interesting and you will comment and share the posts everywhere. To see a complete list of the participants or for more information-click on the badge over there to the right>

Today’s letter is D

DEPRESSION

Every single one of us at some time in our life will experience some form of depression. For most of us it isn’t serious. The sad, discouraged or blue feelings will pass after a few days. For some people those feelings linger for weeks, even months.  If you have been feeling sad for longer than two weeks you need to see a doctor.

• 1 in 10 U.S. Adults has some form of depression
• 3.4% of those have major depression
• For people between the ages of 10-24 suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death

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