I finally wrote the last chapter of the first draft of my second Karnie Cleaver mystery. Whew! A mouthful. Now, I can send it to my critique partners and wait to see how much work it still needs. But for now, it’s DONE! Happy dance! Sing praises to the heavens. Drink a glass of wine!
Tomorrow, not today, I’ll start trying to think of ways to promote it. I’ve slacked off on that for my last two books. I was buried in family stuff and couldn’t get the motivation. But this time, I’d like to give the poor book a little bit of a push. I hope.
The Story Empire blog did a great series by Jan Sikes on marketing, and it reminded me of some of the things I’ve done in the past. Here’s a link to one of her posts: https://storyempirecom.wordpress.com/2022/05/04/mktg-14-book-blog-tours/.
Anyway, Karnie’s story is finished, and now I can start working on plot points for another Jazzi and Ansel novel. If I can keep to my plan, (which doesn’t always happen), I’d like to write a Jazzi mystery, then a Nick and Laurel, then a Jazzi, then a Karnie, then a Jazzi, and another Nick and Laurel, and on and on. But things don’t always go according to plan.
This Karnie got a little more dramatic than I’d intended, but plot points don’t always clue me into the TONE of a book, just the events. I know WHAT will happen but not always how the characters will react to the events. Sounds odd, doesn’t it? But it’s true. Even though I put my characters through their paces, they do what they want about it. And they often surprise me. That’s part of the fun of writing.
Hopefully, soon, I can polish the book and publish it. And maybe even market it. Wish me luck!
OR
Do you have a preference? Or do they all suck?
Happy summer solstice! And happy writing!
Judi Lynn 
I like the first two the best
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Thanks, Beth!
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Congrats on finishing the draft! That’s always a huge relief and cause to celebrate. I’m partial to the third cover with the top one next. I love the name Cleaver and the association with a butcher shop.
I need to go back and reread all of Jan’s marketing posts. My goal is to publish a book of short stories in the fall.
Speaking of promotion, I don’t know what you have in mind, but if you decide on a blog tour, my site is open.
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Thanks for the vote! Jan’s posts were really good. She did all the heavy lifting and tested each type of promotion out. And when you finish your short stories, let me know if you’d like to be a guest on my blog. I’d be happy to toot the horn about your collection.
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Thank you, Judi! A appreciate the offer. I’ll be in touch. I was hoping for September, but it will likely be October for the release date.
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Whatever works for you.
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Huge congrats on finishing the last chapter, Judi! Woohoo! Jan’s Story Empire posts were so useful.
My blog is always open to you for any promo you’d like. Wishing you much success with this latest! Hugs 💕🙂
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Thanks, Harmony! I appreciate the offer.
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Congratulation on finishing, and I do wish you all the luck. You can always visit my place when you’re ready. I kind of like the last cover, but don’t think it will work. At thumbnail size on Amazon people might think it’s a how-to book. The other two look great.
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Thanks, Craig! When I’m ready, I’m going to hit you up on your offer. I appreciate it.
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Writing “the end” is always a joy, even though there’s a lot more work to do. But celebrate that win. Congratulations! (And when you’re ready to tour, I’m happy to host… if I’m not on hiatus.)
I like the third cover best. The pops of color against the black appeal to me. I don’t think you need the parenthetical word, though. A lot of cozies use puns in their titles. You don’t have to explain them; readers will get it. And it might give you more room to play with font size, letter kerning and leading, etc. so you can really make the title stand out. That said, the first two covers are clean in their simplicity. You probably can’t go wrong with any of the three.
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Thanks, Staci. And you’re right. I’ll drop the parenthesis. Thanks, too, for the offer to host me. I appreciate it.
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Congratulations, Judi. I wish you all the best as you get ready for the launch and the marketing. 💗
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Congratulations on writing “The End,” Judi! That’s such a good feeling! And I am thrilled that you’ve found my book marketing series helpful. I wish you much success! Thank you for sharing the link to the Story Empire post!
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Congratulations, Judi Best Wishes on your new one. Thanks for the feature on Jan and Story Empire.
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Congrats on your upcoming release, Judi! what a fun title and I’m more drawn to the colors in the third one but like the first one too. I agree with Staci about not needing the word in the parentheses, it is a fun play on the word. I’m going to try one of Jan’s suggestions this week, it was a great series and a lot of useful information.
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Thanks, Denise! And good luck with whatever you’re about to try.
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Congratulations on the upcoming release, Judi. Wishing you nothing but the best success.
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Thank you, Beem!
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hmm, well also agreed with dropping the parenthesis. also like the third but not all the verbiage in the butchery block.
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Thanks for the feedback. This is getting tricky:)
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