| Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author

September 1, 2009

Goody Time!

I’m off to Dragon*Con on Thursday! Dragon*Con is an immense pop culture convention which focuses on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the United States. I’ll be a Dragon*Con virgin, but will be with friends who will hopefully help me survive.

I also hope to be bringing you daily updates of what’s happening, since I hear this is an amazing convention!

In preparation, I’ve been putting together a number of goodies which are beneficial to have for conferences or conventions.

Many of the promotional materials that are going out are directed at the science fiction and fantasy crowd at Dragon*Con because of SINS OF THE FLESH is really a hybrid of romance, science fiction and suspense. Some have called SINS OF THE FLESH a science thriller, others paranormal romantic suspense. But regardless of what you call SINS, it clearly falls within the science fiction/fantasy realm thanks to the genetic engineering aspect in the book which leads to the romantic suspense.

Because of that, the bookmarks and postcards for Dragon*Con stress all those elements of the novel. If you’re in need of either bookmarks or postcards, there are a couple of good places that I’ve used and have been happy with — overnightprints.com and nextdayflyers.com.

If money is tight, there is Vistaprint where you can layout some smaller sized bookmarks using their postcard template. Use the free postcard option and you can make 200 bookmarks for the cost of the shipping. Take the postcards to a local printer and they can cut them down for you if you don’t want to do it yourself, but for greater volumes, try the other two companies. The stock is of heavier quality and glossy on both sides.

**Note on Vistaprint – make sure you know what you are signing up for when you click on any third party specials or to get any rewards. Some of them do involve fees.

What else will I be taking? Some t-shirts of course. Those are always popular. For low volume color t-shirts, again try Vistaprint when they are running a 50% special. For THE CALLING t-shirts, I used Creative Solutions, a local NJ company that did a beautiful job with them, especially since I got several hundred at a shot.

Buttons, buttons, buttons. People love to collect buttons. Purebuttons.com did the trick for me!

Pens. What kind of writer doesn’t like pens? National Pen and 4Imprint (who did a marvelous job on the lunch bags) are ones to check out.

Cover Flats are always a good thing to have. Fans love to have autographed cover flats in their collections. Your publisher should be able to provide you with a supply of these when it is closer to the release date of your novel.

For reader/writer based conferences — if you can get ARCs to distribute that’s a good thing. Be sure to ask those that get ARCs to offer reviews on the various online bookstores. If you can’t get ARCs, prepare excerpts for people to take home and read.

Finally – there will be professionals at these conferences, in particular, press people. Make sure to prepare a press kit to be placed in the press area and also have one or two with you at your booth/signing area to distribute. Also make sure to have a good supply of business cards. Vistaprint is a great source for inexpensive business cards.

I hope today’s Tuesday Tip will be of assistance when prepping goodies for your own conferences. Also, although I’ve used the above-mentioned companies and have had positive results, it’s possible that your experience might be different. So please do not hold that against me and be sure to check out any and all companies before entering into any legally binding contract or offer.

August 31, 2009October 30, 2018

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale

asj The other day a friends was blogging about who they might cast to play the hero/heroine in their lastest novel. So, I thought I’d give it a shot and started thinking about who might fit the bill.

Today’s Guilty Pleasures Monday are those two actors who I can envision playing Mick and Caterina from SINS OF THE FLESH — Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Kate Beckinsale (always a favorite and a repeat Guilty Pleasure).

Antonio first became well-known thanks to a series of Calvin Klein ads and is currently starring in a reality TV show – My Antonion. You can click here to find out more about the show and watch the first episode.

Kate Beckinsale has starred in a number of movies, including my personal favorites like UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD:EVOLUTION and THE AVIATOR. Kate’s latest movie WHITEOUT, where she plays a U.S. Marshall assigned to Antartica, premieres on September 11. Here is a sneak peek at the trailer for that sub-zero crime thriller!

August 28, 2009

Fun Friday – New York City Sites

I know I’ve been sharing some Behind the Scenes shots for SINS OF THE FLESH and thought I’d share with you some sites from one of my favorite cities and the home of THE CALLING Vampire novels – New York City, or more appropriately, the borough of Manhattan.

As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time there thanks to my day job, but I also take some time to play there when I can and just walk around and enjoy the many different neighborhoods and New York City oddities.

One of my favorite places to go for some calm in the middle of a busy work day are the Tudor City Greens. When the weather is nice, my sis and I will often grab our lunches and head off for a picnic at the Greens which are right near my office building. Here’s a shot of one of the Greens in Tudor City.

There’s another interesting fact about Tudor City. If you take the footbridge up from 42nd Street and stand smack in the middle, you will have a one of a kind site, namely, you will be able to look from one side of Manhattan to the other!

Here’s a shot looking westward on 42nd Street. In the far distance you can see the Palisades of New Jersey.

Here’s a shot looking eastward on 42nd Street. Fairly close is the East River and beyond that Queens and Long Island.

If you’re ever in Manhattan, take a moment to enjoy this unusual spot. If you’ve watched the latest Bourne movie, it may even look familiar since there were a few scenes shot in the Tudor City area.

Have a great weekend!

August 25, 2009

Time Management Redux

We’ve talked about Time Management before (click here) since so many people wonder how it’s possible that I write as much as I do and still have a full time job. I should also add that family is important and I spend as much time with them as I can and I also volunteer at my writing group, the Liberty States Fiction Writers.

I discussed in that earlier blog how to make time to write, but also how you should plan to take time off. It’s that concept that I want to further discuss in today’s Tuesday Tip, namely having free time.

I don’t have much “free time” but it’s there in my schedule. I always give myself evenings off for various reasons. The first is that you do need time to recharge and relax. We all face tiring and stressful days, so having an hour or two to read a book, watch tv or just sit and chat is absolutely necessary to allow your mind to settle down. Especially for writers. It’s in that down time that our minds will rest and get ready for tackling the next page or chapter.

There’s also something else that’s really important about “free time”. When an emergency arises, like an unexpected deadline, having allowed yourself that “free time” gives you the necessary hours to deal with something unexpected.

For me, a change in deadline or new request can be handled in those few evening hours without the craziness of wondering, “OH MY GOD! HOW WILL I EVER FINISH THIS!” I don’t normally have those moments because I haven’t scheduled every second of every day.

So, plan for the downtime. If there’s nothing due, savor it and let your mind relax in order to destress and face the challenges of the next day. If something comes up, you won’t freak about not being able to find the time to do it.

I hope you found today’s Tuesday Tip useful!

August 24, 2009

Guilty Pleasures Monday – Chris O’Donnell

My first recollection of today’s Guilty Pleasure – Chris O’Donnell – was his role as Robin aka Nightwing in the original Batman franchise. I thought he was a cutie back then and have been waiting for him to come back. Add the fact that I love NCIS and the pilot that ran for the spinoff looked great, I’m eagerly awaiting the premiere of the NCI: Los Angeles spin-off.

You can read more about the spin-off and see some video clips (CBS doesn’t allow you to embed them!) by visiting the official NCIS:Los Angeles web page here or cutting and pasting this link in your browser: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/

Are you looking forward to this spin-off of a spin-off? (The original NCIS was a spin-off from JAG)

August 21, 2009May 9, 2017

Fun Friday – The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Many thanks to Melissa from the Dangerous Women Writing group for sharing this hilarious take on cats and dogs. If you want to join a fun loop, check us out! You can spend time with all the Dangerous Women Writing – Nina Bruhns, Anna DeStefano, Donna Grant, Michele Hauf, Jennifer Haymore/Dawn Halliday, Rita Herron, Caridad Pineiro, Debra Webb, and Lisa Renee Jones/Faith Winter!

You can join us by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

So now for the truth about cats and dogs! Here are sample entries from cat and dog diaries.

Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary……

Excerpts from a Cat’s Daily Diary…

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow — but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now…………….

August 20, 2009August 20, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday – The Signs are all around us . . .

The signs are all around us.

Only 75 days until the end . . .
Hurry before it’s too late . . .
Act now, before it’s over . . .

Okay! I get it! It’s hard enough dealing with the end of summer without everyone beating me over the head with information about sales and all the back-to-school supplies that I’ll need to buy.

Summer is probably one of my favorite seasons. Fall is next followed by Spring. Unfortunately, if you live in the Northeast you know that we’ve barely had a summer this year.

June was a washout and July wasn’t much better. August has been sweltering and so my one hope is that we’ll be lucky and have an Indian summer.

Is that PC anymore? Indian summer? According to Wikipedia, “Indian summer is a name given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. Usually occurring after the first frost, Indian summer can be in September, October, or November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April, or early May in the Southern hemisphere.”

As for whether it’s PC or not, according to Wikipedia, the name might mean “false summer” since settlers considered the Native Americans to be deceitful. Really? I’m therefore banning that phrase – Indian Summmer – from my vocabulary!

But I still can wish for a late summer, with nice sunny skies and temperate weather to replace the wet dreary summer we had. Maybe then I’ll get to stick my toes in the sand a little longer and take some more energizing walks down the Shore before the weather gets too cold. Hang out on the balcony and write like a demon in those very creative morning hours.

How was your summer? Are you getting your kids ready for school? Dreaming about some nicer weather before winter settles in?

P.S. – I’ll be picking the winner of yesterday’s guest blog contest over the weekend and will announce the winner on Monday. Many thanks to all of you who visited with my friend Amanda McIntyre and took the time to leave a comment!