A Peek Behind The Scenes #6 The Release!

Erica Here:

We're just about a week away from the big reveal! Who will win the LOADED KINDLE FIRE?  You'll have to come back to find out, and you know it won't be you if you don't enter! What are you waiting for???? (Scroll down and enter!)

For this week, however, I'd like to give you another Peek Behind The Scenes, this time talking about the book release. The book released six weeks ago, and began shipping to those who had pre-ordered it even before that, but for the authors, the release is a long process! There's a lot of thought and work that go into a book release, and the seven authors of this collection put in the sweat equity for sure.

Months ago, there was the cover art to finalize. 

Often, the author has little or no control over the cover art for a book, but this time, Barbour was generous and let us have a say.

The first cover art came back and it was...fine.

It had pretty font, and a cowboy hat, and it looked western. However, we were a bit concerned, because it looked similar to a couple of other novella collections that Barbour had published recently, and the last thing we wanted was for someone to pass over this book thinking they had already purchased it because it looked too similar to one they already had.

Case in point. :) This fabulous collection released a few months before the 7 Brides Collection.

So, we asked if we could have a re-do, and after some give and take, we arrived at the beautiful cover we have now!

Once cover art was finalized, we could begin telling folks about the collection. And we could start brainstorming ways we would promote the collection, both together and individually.

We came up with a few things:

Bookmarks. 

Every reader loves bookmarks, and they are a great way to spread the word about a new release.

Signed book plates:

It's hard to get a collection signed by all the authors, so we thought we'd sign book plates that we could send to readers to put in their books. :)

Goodreads Giveaway:

This one was Keli Gwyn's baby. She generously gave away 7 copies of the book on Goodreads.

The Group Blog:

We have loved having an online home to talk about our stories and connect with readers, and it's nice to have a place to send folks who ask about the book.

A Facebook Launch Party:

Again, Keli Gwyn had the lion's share of the responsibility on this one. In addition to hosting her part of the soiree, she also ran all the behind-the-scenes work, posting pictures, keeping things moving smoothly. This was one of the liveliest Facebook parties I've ever attended, with more than 1000 comments by the time it was all said and done. We had games and character sketches and prizes and laughter and cyber-goodies. It was an old fashioned hoe-down in a new-fangled delivery system.

The Rafflecopter to give away a Kindle Fire loaded with our books.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(You have entered, haven't you?)

Review Copies

This is my post office...that I have visited many times lately...mailing out books to my review team, The Vetsch Posse. They are the best! And I know the other authors in the collection have sent out review copies as well. We have been thrilled with the reviews that are rolling in on amazon, Goodreads, Christianbook.com and other places. Thank you! We LOVE reviewers!


In addition to these efforts, we've each guest blogged, done giveaways, and posted on social media.

It's been a lot of work, but we've enjoyed it! Mostly because we get to connect with readers like you!

So, for today, tell me, how did you hear about the 7 Brides for 7 Texans collection?

My Texas Heritage & A Texas-themed Giveaway

Keli Gwyn here to talk about my ties to Texas.

Wow! Can you believe all the great posts published and prizes given away on the blog so far? What fun! Don’t miss my giveaway, which you’ll find at the bottom of the post.

I was honored when Erica asked if I’d like to write a story for the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. You might think I accepted right away, but I didn’t.

Although I loved the setup for the stories, with GW Hart’s edict—marry or you’ll lose your inheritance—it was the setting itself that stopped me. All my stories before this one had taken place here in California’s Gold Country, where I live.

Erica overcame my hesitation when she suggested creating a Hart brother hero who had spent time in California. When I heard that, ideas began dancing in my head, and I said yes.

Another reason I warmed to the idea of writing a Texas-set story is that I have ties to Texas. My mother grew up in a small town in West Texas. When my husband and I were dating, one of the surprising discoveries we made was that his father grew up in that very same town! We have ancestors buried in the same cemetery.

Writing “A Love Returned,” the story of the middle Hart brother, Houston, gave me the opportunity to stretch myself as a writer. Despite my Texas heritage, my personal experience is limited, having only visited the Lone Star State three times.

One of those trips took place when I was five, so that doesn’t really count. Another trip was for a writer’s conference where I never left the hotel complex at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The third trip was short. We only visited the town where our parents had lived. Clearly, I need to know more about the area around our fictional Hartville before I could write the story.

I’m grateful for Google. I was able to learn a lot using their search feature, but I wanted to talk with people who’d lived in the area where the Hart family ranch is situated. Thankfully, I have a fellow author friend who spent several years there. Plus, one of my husband’s cousin grew up nearby. They were able to give me a well-rounded picture, complete with the sights, sounds and smells.

Writing a story set in Texas gave me a way to honor my Texas heritage. I also got to talk about things that would never show up in my California-set stories, such as armadillos, which was fun. I’m thankful for being one of the authors in the collection with the privilege of bringing one of the Hart brothers and his sweetheart to life.

Questions for You

Do you live in Texas or have any ties to the Lone Star State?

If you’ve visited Texas, what sights were you able to see?

If you haven’t been to Texas, what sights would you most like to see?

The E-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g Giveaway

If you like the giveaways, you’re going to be excited about those I have planned this week. It starts with a fun prize package today that includes three items. Each day’s prize package gets BIGGER and better, ending with SEVEN items on Friday. You won’t want to miss a single post this week—or your chance to win.

 Today’s prize is three tasty Texas treats. The winner will receive a Texas Millionaire, a Texas Longhorn and a pecan praline. Talk about a tasty trio. Yum!

To enter the giveaway each day, all you have to do is leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above by midnight EST. I’ll choose the winner using random.org and will announce the winner’s name in the following day’s post, so be sure to check back to find out who won. (I’ll ask Erica to include Friday’s winner in her Saturday post.)

We’re saving our biggest and best prize for the final post in three weeks, when Erica will announce the winner of our Kindle Fire giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire loaded with other books written by the authors of the Seven Brides for Seven Texans Romance Collection. You can enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already done so.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Novella Newby

Yeehaw! We've sure been having fun celebrating the release of Seven Brides for Seven Texans, and I want to thank all of you for sharing in our excitement. For me as an author, writing with these six women has been a true joy, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to join them.

As a reminder, each of us seven authors will be taking turns sharing on this blog. We are appearing in the order of our stories. Since my story "The Heart of Texas" is second in the book, I get to follow the terrific Gabrielle Meyer. You can go back and read her posts if you missed them, and Erica's yesterday about the story behind the story.

Week One: Nov. 28-Dec. 2 ~ Gabrielle Meyer
Week Two:  Dec. 5-9 ~ Lorna Seilstad
Week Three:  Dec. 12-16 ~ Amanda Barratt
Week Four:  Dec. 12-23 ~Keli Gwyn
Week Five:  Dec. 26-30 ~ Susan Page Davis
Week Six:  Jan. 2-6 ~ Vickie McDonough
Week Seven:  Jan. 9-13 ~ Erica Vetsch

To many of you, I'm sure my name seemed like a new one. I've written six books for Revell (the Lake Manawa Summers series and the Gregory Sisters series) , but this is my first novella. Yep, you read that right. I'm a novella newby. When Erica asked me to join the group, I must admit a little jolt of fear shot through me. You see, my novels were each around 90,000 words. Could I write a story in only 25,000 words?

Then, I remembered that I hadn't always written book-length stories. When my creative writing juices first began flowing, I started out writing Sue Thomas, F.B.I. fan fiction. Did you ever see that show? Fan fiction, in case you aren't familiar with the term, is fiction written by a fan of a particular television series, movie, etc. The writer uses character from the series and creates original stories around them. 

I wrote stories at Romancefanfiction.net. It's gone now. Blew up one sad day in a great cyber cloud, but it was a wonderful place to hone writing skills and get encouragement from other writers. My first story there was only 9,000 words. Now that's short!

It was through writing fan fiction that I discovered I liked writing things with an element of humor in them. We had contests at the Romancefanfiction site, and I decided to try my hand at the humor category. One day, my husband asked what I was doing and I told him. He said, "Why? You're not funny."

"Well," I said, "I'm funnier on paper." 

Seven books later, he claims he didn't say that.

But I know better. 

Wives never forget.

So, after I talked to Erica, I recalled my fan fiction beginnings and remembered I'd written a lot of 25,000 word stories then. Surely, I could do it again. Right? 

I'm glad I tried something new when I started writing fan fiction. I'm glad I tried something new when I started writing humor into my stories, and I'm glad I tried something new when Erica asked me to join this wonderful novella collection. Who knew? I could still tell a story in 25,000 words.

It turns out that my fan fiction was great preparation for this collection in another way. Seven Brides for Seven Texans is like a season of favorite television show with an ensemble cast. Different characters may star in each episode, but you don't have to say good bye completely to anyone.

Now, pull up a chair and let's sit for a spell and chat! I have some warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks just perfect for sipping on a cold day. Tell me, what new things have you tried lately? What's your favorite television series with an ensemble cast? What do you enjoy about books in a series?

And if you have any questions for me, please ask away. I'm an open book. (Author pun intended.)

~~~***~~~***~~~***~~~

Lorna Seilstad

Lorna Seilstad brings history back to life using a generous dash of humor. She is the author of the Lake Manawa Summers Series and the Gregory Sisters Series and is a Carol historical romance finalist. She and her husband are almost empty-nesters and call Iowa home. 

.

Find her on Facebook

Find her on her website.

Remember to sign up on Rafflecopter below for a chance to win the LOADED Kindle Fire. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Release Day!

The day has finally arrived! Seven Brides for Seven Texans has officially released. We've been working on this collection for over a year, so this day is especially sweet for the seven authors who created Hartville and all those handsome Hart men.

To celebrate, we have put together an awesome grand prize.

We're giving away a loaded Kindle Fire!

And we've included fourteen of our previously published books.

A Family Arrangement by Gabrielle Meyer

A Mother in the Making by Gabrielle Meyer

Family of Her Dreams by Keli Gwyn

A Home of Her Own by Keli Gwyn

Make Believe Beau by Keli Gwyn

The Reliable Cowboy by Susan Page Davis

Heart of a Cowboy Collection from Susan Page Davis

The Bull Rider's Bride by Vickie McDonough

As Love Blooms by Lorna Seilstad

When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad

While Love Stirs by Lorna Seilstad

A Bride's Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas by Erica Vetsch

The Cactus Creek Challenge by Erica Vetsch

The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection from Amanda Barratt

As well as a copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win and be sure to stop by our Facebook Party today to join in the celebration. We're playing games, giving away lots of fun prizes, and answering all your questions! Don't forget to stop by Goodreads, too! Seven copies of the collection are up for grabs.

Each day this week, I'm giving away one copy of Seven Brides for Seven Texans here on the blog to one person who comments. Be sure to leave us a comment for a chance to win today's copy! The winner from yesterday's blog post is Melanie Backus! Melanie, please provide your email in the comments and I'll contact you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway