Wednesday, June 8, 2011

What are they saying about me?

When it comes to marketing, it's always more powerful to have someone else sing your praises than to stand on a soapbox and do it yourself.

I won't go so far as to suggest I'm deserving of praise (though I'm totally worthy of the singing).

There have been some very nice people saying some very nice things about Making Waves lately, so today I'm going to step back and let them do that.

Sydnee Thompson got her hands on an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Making Waves and posted a lovely review of it. Allie Sanders also reviewed the book after winning a copy on this blog, and her kind words made me feel all glowy and tingly.

Over at poptimal.com, Making Waves was included on a lovely list of "must grab summer reads." I'm a little disappointed no one has shown up to grab me yet, but I'm leaving my front door open and feeling hopeful it'll happen soon.

And in case you really need to hear me talk about me, I'm being interviewed today over at The Divining Wand. Before you ask, yes – I really can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue.

It feels a little funny to have my book out there in the world right now, and to have someone besides me talking about it. I'm not sure I'll get used to that anytime soon, but for today, it's nice to shut the @#$% up and let other people talk about me.

Wait, what did you just say?

15 comments :

Dr. Cheryl Carvajal said...

It's especially true for us writers. So often we work in a sort of vacuum, judging our own words only for ourselves. Sending off the rough draft to somebody else is a hard step, for suddenly the words have to communicate to someone besides ourselves--and what if the don't? What if the concept or individual scenes only work because we know what we intended? To have something work for OTHERS--to have them get the emotion and the humor and have our intent work and be funny and entertaining--well, that's fantastic.

Enjoy this for all it's worth. So glad your book is affecting readers this way! Can't wait until I get my hands on a copy!

Sarah W said...

Hurrah!

The roller coaster has finally made it to the top and is just peeking over the pinnacle . . .

What a rush!

Linda G. said...

Fun interview at The Diving Wand!

Also, I demand video proof of the cherry stem thing. Not that I don't believe you. I just think it would make a hilarious video. ;)

Danica Avet said...

I hate talking about myself in terms of deeds. Embarrassing moments? I'll talk your ear off. So when it comes to marketing, I post a little here, a little there, and leave it at that. I always feel like that annoying telemarketer who won't take no for an answer and you end up hanging up on them because they won't leave you alone. Promoting myself and my books feels like that, so I try not to do it too much.

Good reviews are like a warm blanket on a cold day. They make you feel all warm and toasty :D

Anne Gallagher said...

I can tie a knot in a cherry stem with my teeth too.

Congrats on all the buzz surrounding Making Waves. Can't wait to pick it up myself.

Matthew MacNish said...

I've never considered you a look at me kind of person - or at least when you do it's usually self deprecating, and hilarious. It is fun to get the praise of others, though. I'll go take a look at these posts ...

Anonymous said...

Awesome. Enjoy the journey!

Jessica Lemmon said...

Congrats! I just caught "WAVE" *snort!* that this book was out! I've been off the grid lately. Can't wait to read it!

Danielle Spears said...

We're so lucky we get to see the success happen for you! Thanks for sharing!

Trisha Leigh said...

You are deserving of praise, lovely. Also, I'm giving away my ARC on my site today...semi-naughty contest included. :)

TAWNA FENSKE said...

Shakespeare, it is a really weird sensation to suddenly have strangers talking about me or my books. Definitely not something I'm used to!

Sarah, sometimes I do kinda feel like I'm trying not to barf...

Linda G, you know, I actually haven't done the cherry stem thing for years. I should probably start practicing.

Danica, I figure the good reviews are giving me some good, fatty padding for when the bad ones roll in (and I'm sure there will be bad ones...there always are, right?)

Anne, it's a skill worth putting on the resume for sure!

Matthew, LOL! It's not so much "look at me!" as it is "this is a really horrific week with divorce drama and I'm barely holding it together, so rather than trying to write new and creative posts, I'm pointing you to other places where I seem to be all over the interwebs at the moment." But that's too long and whiny to put in a blog post, so instead I'll pretend it's part of some savvy marketing plan.

lynnrush, thank you!

Jessica, technically, it's not "out" just yet. Only the advance reading copies are making the rounds, but the actual book is still almost two months away.

Danielle, aw, thanks!

Trisha, yay! I'll have to go over and check it out. Thanks for the heads-up!

Thanks for reading, guys!

Tawna

Judy,Judy,Judy. said...

I'm currently the mirror in Daniel Craig's gym. I guess I could let you take over for a day.

Candyland said...

I can't wait to read this, Tawna! And you're right...it's MUCH better to have others praise you. BTW, when placing chicken into the crock pot yesterday, I noticed the hole on top that says" INSERT PROBE and immediately thought of you.

You're welcome.

Mark Simpson said...

I was just daydreaming (shocker) about how much fun it would be to write a review of one's own book.

It might start something like, "Mark Simpson's awesome new novel, 'Awesomeness--the Mark Simpson Story' was truly, truly awesome."

The possibilities are endless.

Lynnanne said...

I'm thinking the cherry-knot-tying thing should appear in one of your upcoming books. :) I always figure people are gonna talk, so might as well give them something to talk about! :)
Congrats!!!!!!