I’ve launched my new website, and so my blog has moved!  Please update your bookmark to the following:

http://susanhatler.com/category/susans-blog

Thanks for reading and hope you hear from you!

I’m in Cincinnati, Ohio this weekend, attending Lori Foster’s 6th Annual Readers and Authors Get Together.  I’ve met some great people, enjoyed a Q & A session with fabulous agents Jenn Schober and Laura Bradford, and have even managed to squeeze in some writing time.

Hope you’re having a great weekend, too!

I’m having lots of fun redoing my website.  It should be ready soon (crossing my fingers!).  Hope you’re all having a great week.

      ***Poppy & Susan during a break at Alex Sokoloff’s workshop ***

Went to the BDRWA Retreat last weekend, which was put together by their fabulous president, Virna De Paul.  Not only was the workshop by Alex Sokoloff amazing, but it was awesome to spend time with such a wonderful group of writers.

Now, I’m applying what I learned to my wip.  Fun! 

I’m also working on revamping my website….enjoy the pink while you can, it’ll look very different in the near future.

I caught up with the owner of Books on the House, Misa Ramirez, and asked her a few questions about this amazing site:

Do you really give away FREE books on this website?
 
YES!  Books are given away every single week to random winners.  You have to enter to win by clicking on the ENTER TO WIN button, but that’s all there is to it!  We’ve had amazing authors during our first month (NY Times Bestsellers Allison Brennan and Sarah Addison Allen, Susan McBride, Jane Kurtz, Alexandra Bullen, Suzanne Crowley, Debbie Dadey, Nina Bruhns, and Joyce Stengel to name a few) and even more fabulous writers in the line up (like NY Times Bestseller Brenda Novak, MJ Rose, Jane Yolen, Laurie Notaro, Ursula Vernon, and more!!).  Authors are always looking for new ways to market their books, to reach a new audience, and to gain exposure.  Readers love to discover new books, and that chance to get one for free is pretty cool! So that’s what we’re all about… building a community of readers under one roof.

Any plans to interview Stephenie Meyer?

Ha!  I’d love to, but she hasn’t answered my emails yet.  You never know, though!

What made you create this website?  Did you do it all on your own?

As an author, I know first hand how hard it is to gain any type of widespread exposure for my books.  Especially exposure that’s affordable. And as a reader, I know how difficult it can be to find really great books.  I also know there are a ton of great books out there that I simply don’t know about.  Those facts were the catalyst behind Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens.  It’s an opportunity to showcase authors and their books to potential readerships they might not otherwise reach.  And it’s a way for readers to learn about books they might not otherwise have discovered.
 
I created the website with the help of my fabulous web designer, Judy Taylor of JT Dataworks.  It was whirlwind, but I’ve realized that’s how I do things.  I’m like a tornado, then I rest!

What makes Books on the House unique?
 
There are a few things that really set Books on the House apart.  First are the Skype Interviews.  It’s optional for authors to do this, but they’re fun, and it’s a way for readers to connect with you, the writer, as a person.  
 
I’ve also just partnered with Pump Up Your Book Promotion and Nia Promotions, two virtual book tour companies, and am also working on collaboration with Author Buzz.  Offering discounts to authors who are referred to me by these partners is one thing I’m doing to really make Books on the House a powerhouse of promotion.

I also have the Kids/Teens sister site.  Teen and YA fiction is pretty well represented online, but I’ve found it’s tough to find children’s books showcased.  This sister site has been REALLY popular amongst the mommy crowd, which is awesome, and also for teachers wanting to get books for their classrooms!

Anything to add?
 
It’s so great to share my passion for books, and from the phenomenal launch of Books on the House, I’m not alone in my enthusiasm for the written word!
 
Stop on by and ENTER TO WIN the week’s featured books on both sites!
 
Thanks for showcasing Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens, Susan! 

Great to have you, Misa.  Best of luck with Books on the House!

My mother-in-law came to visit and asked to borrow a paperback for the flight home.  I DIDN’T HAVE ONE!!  How can a writer not have an extra paperback lying around, you ask?  I blame the Clear Your Clutter book I read awhile back.  Since then, I give things away to the local thrift store on a daily basis–including books!

Thank goodness I can always buy MORE books.  I just placed an order for Hasta La Vista, Lola by Misa Ramirez (just came out!!), Un-Veiled by Eileen Rendahl, and Love in Translation by Wendy Tokunaga.

Can’t wait til they arrive!  Let me know if you’ve read any good books lately since my TBR pile needs to replenish.

Last weekend I flew to California for the Sacramento Valley Rose’s Writing Retreat in Monterey. It was The Bomb.

It started out with my fabulous crit partner, Virna De Paul, picking me up from the bay area and driving us down to the coast. That’s us in the pic above, across from our frequently visited Chocolate Shoppe in Pacific Grove.

We found an awesome Coffee House a couple blocks from the beach and the Chocolate Shoppe — how perfect is that? I worked on revising Peek-A-Boo Brain (formerly known as Mind Reader) and I edited well more than half of my ms - yay!

Virna busted out almost all of her wip, and the weekend was nearly perfection…just missing our other crit partner, Misa Ramirez, who was there in spirit–and on the phone line since we kept calling her all weekend.

Great friends, awesome location, and lots of writing. This Retreat was The Bomb and I wish we could do it every month. Hope your weekend was as wonderful, too!

This weekend, I went to a little independent bookstore in Whitefish called Bookworks. I adore browsing books–shocking, I know–and I was perusing the bookshelves and saw a familiar title, Unlacing Lilly.

How did I know this title? It wasn’t the one of the genres I usually read (chick lit or young adult). Then, I saw the author’s name . . . Gail Ranstrom! Gail’s a writer friend of mine who I met through my local Montana chapter of RWA.

There was Gail’s book, Unlacing Lilly, right there on the shelf. I snatched the last copy, raced to the register, and bought it. It has a gorgeous cover and I’m excited to read it!

The Angels over at Chasing Heroes (yes, I’m one of them) have started an online book club and the first babble is this week! We’ll read one book a month and discuss it on the last Friday of the month. We’d love to have you join in the babble -or- feel free to lurk and see what is said about the book.

How to participate? Join Chasing Hereos over at BookBlogs. This month we are reading Wake by Lisa McMann. Hope to see you there on Friday!

Also, did you hear the news that Twilight has been released onto DVD? I saw it three times in the theatre, but I think I’m still gonna have to buy a copy.

I’m stoked! My amazon order just arrived.

Tucked in that brown box were:

1. Hold Back the Dark by Eileen Carr (for the suspense);
2. A Little Ray of Sunshine by Lani Diane Rich (for the humor); and
3. Wake by Lisa McMann (required reading for the Book Babble Book Club on
Chasing Heroes)

If you’ve been following my Susan’s Reading you know that I’ve been in a reading slump. Time to get back in gear. I have new books and am ready to roll.

Have you read any of these? Thoughts on them? What are you reading right now?