Category Archives: Book Marketing

Blog Tour Visit #4: Flip Flops & FABS

One of the most appealing blog sites I’ve seen is one created by Kathy Holmes, www.FlipFlopsAndFabs.blogspot.com. Maybe it’s the big hat. Or perhaps it’s the big blue umbrella facing the ocean. I wanted to go there, and knew right away Kathy would be a kindred spirit.

Sure enough, we’re both California Babes, though Kathy now calls Las Vegas home. (You can take the woman out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the woman.) We share a big love for many regions of California, and take with us wherever we go a sense of what I call the “edge-thinking” that makes us independent and creative.… Read more

Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Books, Books for Baby Boomers, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, history, inspiring through fiction novels, Intuition, Life in Baby Boomer years for Women, life's purpose, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, new methods of marketing books, Nurturing the soul, Of Baby Boomer Women, of lives through books, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, Science, self-growth, Small Town Fiction, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, synchronicity, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, When Hummers Dream by Mara Purl, When Hummers Dream e-book, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women authors, Women's Fiction, womens literature, Writing, writing romance novels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Hummer Hovers Near Your E-Reader

Hummingbirds are pure magic. Part helicopter, part jewel, they fly across thousands of miles from their winter homes to become an integral part of our summer. Their trilling songs and aerial ballets are a spice as sweet as the nectar they sip.

As far as I’m concerned, E-Readers are pure magic too. Now, instead of attempting to lug four books per flight, I carry one slim volume which inexplicably contains scores of titles, with no meaningful limit to how many volumes I can download.

Magic converges with magic for me today, as my first E-Book flies off the pages. When Hummers Dream is a short story that immediately precedes book one of my novel series, What the Heart Knows.Read more

Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Bellekeep Books, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Book covers by artist Mary Helsaple, book covers painted by artists, Books, Business, Cambria, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, current events, E-Books, e-books by Mara Purl, Escapism through romance novels, Fictitious town of Milford-Haven, flow of life, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, new methods of marketing books, Novel series, Novels for Romance Junkies, Of Baby Boomer Women, of lives through books, Painting, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, self-growth, Small Presses, Small Town Fiction, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Travel, Uncategorized, Using watercolor images for book covers, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, What the Heart Knows, When Hummers Dream by Mara Purl, When Hummers Dream e-book, Women and Romance Novels, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog Tour Visit #3: Romance Junkies

What fun to be featured today as a guest of Www.RomanceJunkies.com. Though they chose a tongue-in-cheek name, their elegant site reveals a multitude of cross-connected authors and readers actively engaged in every aspect of Romance Fiction.

Founded in 2003 by Kat Brown, the site now has 60 reviewers, scores of author links, ten categories, and 2,500 loyal followers who communicate with one another on a regular basis through forums, and 1 million hits per month.

A key part of the site is the Romance Junkies Blog, where I’m the featured guest today, www.RomanceJunkies.com/RJBlog/?p=1150, as are my new books When Hummers Dream (free e-book this month) and What the Heart Knows (hardcover next month).… Read more

Posted in Author Mara Purl on Blog Tour, Bellekeep Books by Mara Purl, Blog tour of author Mara Purl, Blog Tours, Books, Business, Creativity, Current Event, current events, e-books by Mara Purl, Escapism through romance novels, flow of life, head and heart connection, Heart, history, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl, Mara Purl Romance novels, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, new methods of marketing books, Novels for Romance Junkies, Nurturing the soul, of lives through books, plot and structure, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Romance novel readers, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels by Mara Purl, Romance Novels for romance junkies, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, self-growth, Small Presses, Small Town Fiction, Transformation, transformation through AHA moments, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, women and romance novels, Women and Romance Novels, Women's Fiction, Writing, writing romance novels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog Tour Visit #2: National Association of Baby Boomer Women

Today I have the distinct honor of being the featured guest at the National Association of Baby Boomer Women—www.NABBW.com. Director Anne Holmes (“Boomer in Chief”, as she’s titled) asked me a series of intriguing questions as the second stop on my national blog tour. You can find it by clicking the pink “BLOG” button in the upper right, or by clicking on this link. http://www.nabbw.com/blog/2011/08/mara-purl-launches-virtual-book-tour/. I’ll also be featured in Anne’s monthly newsletter at www.BoomerWomensWorld.com.

So what’s a Boomer woman? A woman born between 1946 and 1964. Why is this group of people so interesting? First of all, because we number 35 million.… Read more

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Launching the Blog Tour Boat

For authors, a book tour comes with the territory when a new book is released. Authors often fly from city to city in an exhausting tour-de-force, appearing on local talk shows, speaking to reporters, signing their new book at bookstores, and maybe visiting a few book clubs along the way. Traditional tours like this aren’t done as often as they used to be, what with budget constraints and new methods of marketing. Still—unless we’re also speakers—we authors don’t get out much! So we won’t be denied our fun. I’m looking forward to the wonderful in-person tour stops I’ll be doing next fall.… Read more

Posted in Acting, Authors on Talk Shows, Bellekeep Books, Blog Tours, Books, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Creativity, Current Event, history, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Mara Purl using new marketing methods for Books, Marketing, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, new methods of marketing books, News reporting, Publishing, relationships, Romantic fiction, screenwriting and acting, Small Presses, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Virtual Book Tours, Virtual Book Tours, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Iconic Feminine and Masculine

As an author and storyteller, I like to think in archetypes. And nowhere are visual icons more evident than in New York City. I’ve come to think of these two most iconic of all buildings—the Empire State and the Chrysler—as the god and goddess of the architectural landscape. 

This past week in the City everything did seem larger than life. Nothing is more full of dreams writ large than the Jacob Javits Center during Book Expo America. Posters are ten times their normal size, hung in the hangar-like structure as though being pulled by planes swooping low enough to be read.… Read more

Posted in Book Expo America, Books, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Current Event, current events, Heart, inspiring through fiction novels, Journaling, Left and right side thinking, Mara Purl, Men's fiction, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, New York City and Manhattan, of lives through books, Personal Essays, Publishing, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, self-growth, Transformation, Travel, Uncategorized, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Manhattan Anticipation

New York City has become an icon in our culture, and around the globe. It sometimes seems to loom so large in our minds that the real thing couldn’t possibly measure up. 

But the moment your plane angles in for a landing and you glimpse the island of Manhattan, you realize you were wrong, New York will always exceed your expectations. 

This was my city for the first few years after college. Ten minutes after receiving my diploma, the truck carrying my few worldly possessions headed south from Bennington to The City. I couldn’t imagine moving anywhere else. 

I bought used furniture and wheeled it up Third Avenue on a dolly.… Read more

Posted in Acting, Book Expo America, Books, careers, Collaboration with other writers, Connecting through books, Current Event, Journalism, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, New York City and Manhattan, Personal Essays, Publishing, screenwriting and acting, The Financial Times of London, Travel, Uncategorized, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eggs in One Basket

 There’s only one day of the year when we’re allowed to put all our eggs in one basket: Easter. For those of us who indulge in Easter Egg Hunts, or perhaps plan them for younger members of the community, the object of the game is to race around the garden finding as many colorful eggs as possible and collect them in a festive basket. 

The rest of the year, we’re admonished not to follow the practice of placing all our eggs—a metaphor for hopes, plans, or expectations—in one basket—a metaphor for person, object, or project. 

There was a time I probably took that advice too much to heart.… Read more

Posted in Acting, Audio Drama, Books, careers, Colorado, Creativity, flow of life, Heart, Innovative marketing, Innovative marketing, inspiring through fiction novels, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Intuition, Journalism, Logical Thinking, Mara Purl, Marketing, Metaphors, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, mission and core purpose in life, musician-singer-songwriter, Nurturing the soul, Power of the universe, power of the universe, power of the universe, Publishing, Re-Build your Life, relationships, Rolling Stone, Romantic fiction, romantic novel storylines, Science, screenwriting and acting, self-growth, Skill sets, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, Transformation, voice performance, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment