First Word

Social media has exploded over the last 10 years. When I'm out speaking to groups or individuals, and I hear they are not using social media to its fullest or not at all,  I am always surprised. First, it's FREE. Why you would not use a valuable marketing tool that costs you nothing but time is a shocker. The benefits are numerous and if you focus on building up your connections and/or "followers," you will have direct outreach to potentially thousands of readers or viewers. Here is why I think social media is important: You reach your connections directly through the news feeds (on Facebook) and Tweets on Twitter. You can customize or tailor your message. You can create "buzz" around your company, product or service. You also can reach into your "friends'" social media connections. It is FREE and only costs you time.  I hear common complaints that social media is a "time-suck vortex," meaning people end up spending too mu...

I am constantly telling writers one key phrase: Nothing sells a book better than the author . So when author Scott D. Roberts, whose forthcoming book Vengeance is Now, suggested we do a sea-level dog and pony show to promote his book, I considered it for all of five minutes and said yes. Why did I say yes? Because of the following points (an authors take note): Before we arrive at each new destination, we will be able to promote the book to the regional media that will be far more inclined to cover a book written by an author who is in town. This direct outreach will give the book more exposure in local media that would have otherwise ignored the author and book, because it lacked a local angle.  We will be able to stop at regional writer's groups to give talks; we will be able to stop at book clubs and promote the book to their members; we will be able to stop at local book stores to promote and leave samples to prompt purchase from our national distributor Baker and Taylor....

I was inspired this morning by a Facebook friend to write about essential oils. I do essential oil treatments known as Raindrop Therapy twice monthly at Tre Bella Spa in Auburn and work with Cheryl Mullick. What I want people to know is not only do I no longer get colds or flus, but also I have rheumatoid arthritis and I no longer take any kind of anti-inflammatory drugs or traditional RA treatments such as Enbrel or methatrexate. The Young Living essential oils (100% purified plant extract) contain properties that when put on the neck, spine and feet seep into your system and not only reduce inflammation, but also boost your immune system. I have asthma, too, so every time I would get any kind of cough, I would spend weeks hacking and unable to breathe well. I would cough so bad at times that I would actually throw up. It was awful. To make matters worse, I got sick like this at least five times a year. I began doing Rain Drop Therapy about four years ago -- and we had no idea what ...

I don't know why but lately I have been charmed by memories of my childhood. If you're Gen X then you probably share some of my fantastic memories of my days gone by. Plus, I am taking tomorrow off, so this is really my "Freaky" Friday :) blogging session. So, let's walk down memory lane, shall we? Dittos -- Pants Ladies, remember these pants? We ALL had to have the saddle-back stitched butt LOL. Oh no! You absolutely could NOT have the knock-offs. It had to be real Dittos and the saddle-back butt was the no. #1 version every girl and her friend Friday had to have in her wardrobe. And we had every color under the rainbow, and for pants, these suckers were expensive. So, in my house where we grew up with a modest income, it was a begging session to get Mom to buy a pair. All the girls compared colors, and we all just wore them to death.  Jolly Rancher Candies How many of you out there remember those "sticks" that came in such delightful flavor...

And in a big country, dreams stay with you, Like a lover's voice, fires the mountainside.. Stay alive.. ~ Big Country That is my weird, little non-sequent as I was about to write the blog. I thought about Big Country and those lyrics from the oh-so-fun synthetic, big haired ´80s. Another quirky ´80s remembrance is Danse Parc ... anyone remember that one from West Sacramento? They used to play these eclectic artists such as Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy and my all-time favorite: Kiss Me. Kiss me with your mouth. Your love is better than wine. But wine is all I have. Will your love ever be mine? I just love the thought, "Your love is better than wine." Wine always strikes me as decadent, and I think of the deep purple of a rich Cabernet. So, I'm completely on a "wild" ride that ultimately is meant to lead you toward some thoughts on social media and not waxing nostalgic about the bygone ´80s where I had as many big sweaters as I did big hairdos....

My company 3L Publishing is often confused with vanity press aka as self-publishing. I thought I would take a moment to clarify the difference for those authors who seek help to get published. First, let's start with defining what is a "hybrid" publisher. Hybrid Publisher -- a new term that was coined to define the difference between a traditional publisher, self-publisher and hybrid publisher. A hybrid publisher combines the best of traditional publishing with self-publishing. The main difference between a hybrid and traditional publisher is that the author pays to have his or her manuscript published in exchange for extremely high royalty rates that range from 35 to 75 percent (traditional publishers typically pay 10-12 percent). A hybrid publisher vets each manuscript and decides based upon quality of writing and the marketplace demands who to publish. A hybrid publisher offers all of the same benefits as a traditional publisher, including distribution and fulfillm...

I am amazed at how many people confuse my weekly newsletter First Word with my First Word blog. So, I thought I should give you a clear-cut definition of the two marketing pieces. First, though, I should tell you that THIS is my blog. This Web page is my blog. My newsletter you can sign up for by going to www.3LPublishing.com and signing up by clicking on the newsletter button on the homepage. So what is the difference between the two? Blog -- a blog is a Web-based kind of "diary" if you will where you talk about things related to your business or life. It is always best to choose a topic or theme so your readers come to understand and know what to expect when they read it. I try to take a humorous or irreverent approach to both my blog and newsletter, and I discuss subjects, from publishing to writing, and from public relations to marketing, and from personal to self-help subjects. Once every now and then, you will find something completely random and unrelated just to ...

It's cupcake Friday LOL ... I've decided to redefine Friday from "thank God it's Friday" to "Cupcake Friday" ... yes, more random thoughts for yours truly. Sometimes I have to get somewhat random to keep the content flowing. If you must know the truth, I loved the "look" of the pink cupcake. The frosting was light and tasted like whipped cream. Speaking of "whipped cream" you ought to check out the scene in the forthcoming 3L Publishing book Vengeance is Now by Scott D. Roberts where our "man-whore" and private detective brings out the bottle on his girlfriend Nicole and does some fun stuff with it (and that's the whole "teaser" for now ;) ... well, here is my thought about whipped cream in the bedroom: Yes, I'm adventurous and know how to have plenty of fun; but I'm a little bit of a neatness freak and, well, whipped cream sounds fun and tantalizing, but in reality I bet it's sticky and mess...

It's Valentine's Day ... love day! In honor of all great lovers, I thought I would pick my favorite lovers in literature and/or film and television to tell you why they are fabulous -- or more like they have that all-elusive "chemistry," which my boyfriend and I have actually tried to put definition on. We finally concluded "chemistry" is simply something magical and undefinable that exists between two people and not just between the sheets. So, let's begin with my all-time favorite vampire and the fairy. Eric and Sookie (True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse Series) The two blonds -- you can't beat that they look great together. Eric as portrayed by the Swedish sexiest man alive Alexander Skarsgard is tall, blue-eyed, sex-on-a-stick and just delicious to gaze upon. Sookie is pretty and feisty (although this season Anna Panquin's pregnancy seemed to dampen her down a bit). In Season 4 we got to watch our lovers go for it all full blast complete...

Sitting here thinking, "What am I going to blog about this morning?" Hmm ... not sure what to talk about. I try to keep my morning routine and blog each day about the same time of day. I get asked all of the time how I can be such a workhorse? The key, in my opinion, is routine. I have set amounts of time in which I have specific activities. I typically blog and handle social media in the mornings when I feel fresh and ready to dump my thoughts onto the page. (You see the strategy to get moving is to just start typing and see where your fingers go all on their own.) I have friends who are self-professed "fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants" workers. They live in the moment. And, in part, there is something to be said about "flying high," but in order to get a lot done in an orderly fashion, you've "got to pin those pants to a clothes line" LOL. I think spontaneity in my personal life is fun and a little insane at times; but when it comes to runnin...

I had such a busy day, I didn't get to blog. I want to talk about the importance of having a positive attitude to succeed. I had a really tough 2013 and my personal life eclipsed business. I fortunately have a terrific and supportive team I could lean on to get me through. I have been very blessed to have met my boyfriend Kirk Donnelly who is warm, supportive, gentle, kind and super positive. He constantly reminds me to stay positive and I will attract positive things. I knew the months of December and January would be tough sales months. Unlike in 2012 when I was prepared and had a financial buffer, this year and the fallout from my personal problems left me scurrying to stay afloat. But amidst my financial pressures to keep 3L Publishing alive and kicking, Kirk repeatedly reminded me to keep my nose toward the positive grindstone and not get caught up in the "fear factor". The book The Secret teaches us that when the bills pile, ignore them and keep your attention on m...

This morning I got an email from a Linked-In contact who is a photographer. He noticed my profile and congratulated me on having one of the more interesting profile pictures. If you think my profile pictures are fun and playful for absolutely not reason other than to post nice pictures, you would be wrong. My image is my brand. I am very strategic in how I have built my image to be fun and playful and certainly not boring. Notice in my blog picture above I am wearing red, which matches my company colors -- red, black and white. You realize that act was not random. I wanted the image to go well with the banner and the colors. I take factors like color into consideration when I build brand images not only for my company, but also for my clients. We take a holistic view on our author's products, and brand plays an important role. We've been working on the brand and image for the forthcoming 3L Publishing book Vengeance is Now by Scott D. Roberts . It is not by accident that Ro...

I wasn't inspired yesterday so I didn't blog. OMG! How is that possible? Well, I had some other things on my mind and two major projects to edit. So, you know ... life! Today, though, is blog day Friday. I am going to make a social commentary this morning versus actually teach my spectator friends anything relevant or important ... or heck! Maybe what I'm going to laugh about might actually be a learning point ... who knows. Here we go ... today's self-described "learning point" has to do with social media and the obvious. The obvious being that my profile shows that I'm in a "relationship" and the less obvious being men who overlook my relationship status and essentially go for it anyway. If you're a guy who doesn't wish to be shot down, perhaps you ought to observe not only the relationship status, BUT also the fact that I gush publicly about my boyfriend, too. Yes, if you really look beyond the superficial (my profile picture) and m...

When you work from your domicile, it's awesome. No commute. No lost time on the road. Not need to to dress up except for meetings. The downside, your work is right there 24 x 7. I always find it super challenging to pull away from my computer when it's so "near and dear" LOL. And just like anything else, work-life balance whether you work at home is super important. Balancing out your professional life with your personal time takes skills, especially if you're the CEO of 3L Publishing where many authors demand after-hour attention. But like anything else, you can make life the perfect balance between the two areas. Here are my tips. Boundaries -- you have to establish work hours. I know it defies logic when you can flex your time. If you don't instate boundaries, and more specifically work hours, you will be at your desk round the clock. So designate your work hours. You can, of course, flex them, too; but like any good business, use specific work times an...

* Valentine's Publishing Special* We love authors! To show our love, 3L Publishing is running a *Valentine's We Heart Authors Publishing Special*!! Sign up to use our publishing services in the month of February and we will include 5 FREE Hours of Editing* ( A $475 Value ) on your project. We're showing you the LOVE. If you have an editing project, please contact  us to take advantage of this special offer. We HEART You! *Must purchase at least 15 hours of editing services to receive the 5 FREE  hours. For more information, send an email to info@3LPublishing.com or call 916-300-8012. 

I haven't done a movie review in a while, but I went to see Movie 43 yesterday, and I was inspired to write one. I am not kidding. I laughed so hard during this movie that twice my stomach hurt from the pain. This absolutely bawdy, profane and hilarious film offers a series of absolutely side-splitting vignettes that will just leave you cracking up. I will cover my absolutely favorites. The first has the incredibly funny request from girlfriend (Anna Faris) who asks her shell-shocked boyfriend if he will do the most unspeakable act on her. "Will you poo on me?" Mind you ... not shit, but 'poo' on her. Of course, the minute our beleaguered boyfriend says the phrase "shit on," well, that sends Faris' character off running. Follow this little sideshow with the iBabe that ultimately comes up with the tagline: Don't fuck it . And finally, we have the cartoon kitty Beizil who is a male kitty with a penchant for his male owner (a GAY male kitty) who ...

One of the things I adore about the forthcoming 3L Publishing book Vengeance is Now by Scott D. Roberts is the humor. Scott and I are very good friends, and he makes me laugh all of the time. He has a brilliant sense of humor and an incredible wit, and it shines through in the work. Here are some of what I consider to be the funny and priceless moments from the book that officially releases into the bookstores in May 2013. It will be available for advanced pre-sales on the 3L Publishing website at www.3LPublishing.com. “And that tofu shit you eat,” said Ramon, “looks like cum Jell-O, bro.” “No one asked you to eat it,” answered Steve after taking a crisp bite from his apple. “And you’ll change your mind when you go for angioplasty before you’re 35.” “Fuck that shit, bro,” joked Ramon. “I’m a machine.” “Shut up, Tate,” she said. “You worked homicide for Chris ‘sakes.”  “Twenty-year-old women don’t say ‘Chris ‘sakes’,” teased Tate. “You sound like a grandma...