Last April, my longstanding publisher Midnight Ink decided to discontinue the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. So I am now self-publishing the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. I had self-published other books years ago, so this is will be fine…eventually…although there have been many changes since I founded "Spot On Publishing."I had already mastered the mechanism for putting short stories up on Amazon. They've made it very, very easy, … [Read more...] about Where Are the Paper Versions of the Kiki Books?
Midnight Ink
Bouchercon by the Bay
I'll be appearing at the Midnight Ink Booth from 12:30 to 1:30 on Saturday, and in the craft rooms with my friend Angela Daniels from Fiskars at 11:30 and 4:30. On Friday night, I'll be doing a signing at the crop at Scrapbook Territories in Berkeley, CA.If you've never been to a large conference before, or even if you have, these are great tips from Sunny Frazier.**Wear comfortable shoes, clothes that travel, and layer clothes.Be ready to … [Read more...] about Bouchercon by the Bay
Back from GASC and ALA
Wow, what a fun-filled, exciting weekend I had!It started with a class on journaling at ScrapbooksPlus! in Chantilly on Wednesday night. (Yeah, I know that's not the weekend, but my weekends start early.) We had so much fun that Debbie Chabot has invited me back to teach journaling again. We've also scheduled a second dinner mystery theatre event for Saturday, September 11. So stay tuned for all the details because if you're in driving distance … [Read more...] about Back from GASC and ALA
Book Excerpt from PHOTO, SNAP, SHOT
Book Excerpt from Photo, Snap, Shot:A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft MysteryBy Joanna Campbell SlanPhoto, Snap, Shot is now available for pre-ordering at Amazon.com Release date is May 2010, so why not order it now and surprise yourself? It's the 3rd book in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series. Paper, Scissors, Death is the 1st and Cut, Crop & Die is the 2nd.Chapter 1"Anya is all right now," said my daughter's advisor, "but you need to come … [Read more...] about Book Excerpt from PHOTO, SNAP, SHOT
Do You Judge a Book by Its Cover?
I sure do.When my acquiring editor Barbara Moore asked me for cover input, I said, "Please tell the artist to go look around in Archivers. I know there's one close to your office. He'll get a strong sense of what's au courant in scrapbooking. I'd really like my book to be a true reflection of the craft. It's very artsy these days."I guess Kevin Brown did exactly that because the cover on Paper, Scissors, Death is sublime. Honestly, Kevin could … [Read more...] about Do You Judge a Book by Its Cover?
Building a Platform
"I've been frantically researching what it means to build an author's platform, what appears to be the key factor in breaking into the market these days...I'm starting to think publicly about my writing instead of privately."That's from an email I recently received.What is a platform?It's the audience an author can bring to his or her work.Now, some folks might argue with me about that definition--in fact, one woman did at Love Is Murder last … [Read more...] about Building a Platform
