As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the
Stay Tuned eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.
What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low
price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes, including lots of
Amazon gift cards (up to $100 in amount) and 5 autographed copies of the
book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday, December
2nd, so you don’t miss out.
To Win the Prizes:
1. Purchase your copy of
Stay Tuned for just 99 cents on
Amazon or
Barnes & Noble (You’ll need it for the big contest on Friday)
2. Fill-out
the form on Novel Publicity to enter for the prizes
3. Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book or a $50 gift card!
…And I can win too!
Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there
are plenty of prizes for us too. The blogger who receives the most
votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win a $100 gift card as well. So
when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest entry
form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in
the poll.
The Featured Events include:
Monday, Radio Interview with Novel Publicity! We’re kicking-off on
the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog.
We interviewed Lauren on our radio show Sunday night and have embedded
the full podcast and blogged about its highlights. Give it a listen and
then leave a comment on the blog post. This is a great chance to get to
know more about this fun and bubbly author. One commenter will win an
autographed copy of
Stay Tuned. Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!
Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest! A
tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you
$50. Send the following tweet across the twittersphere, and you just may
win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed copy of
Stay Tuned is also up for grabs. The winners will be announced Wednesday morning.
Here’s the tweet:
Take a break from the holiday frenzy, and read Stay Tuned. It’s fast,
fun, and reduced to just 99 cents! http://ow.ly/7zA1e #whirlwind
Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest! Yup, there’s yet
another awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this
time it just takes a single click! Visit Google+ and
share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the
Stay Tuned book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of
Stay Tuned is also up for grabs. Two chances to win with just one click! How about that?
Thursday, Facebook sharing contest! Stop by
Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share their latest post (you’ll see the
Stay Tuned
book cover included with it). It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday
morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An autographed copy of
Stay Tuned is also up for grabs.
Friday, special contest on the author’s site! Are
you ready for some more fun? Take a picture of yourself with your copy
of Stay Tuned either in paperback or on an eReading device, tag
Lauren Clark’s Facebook page,
and you can enter to win one of three Amazon gift cards! A $100 prize
will go to the most creative photo, $50 to the best BFF photo, and $50
to the photo with the most people in it. An autographed copy of
Stay Tuned
is also up for grabs. If you need help learning how to tag a photo, you
can visit Lauren’s Facebook page for detailed instructions.
Remember, it’s all about the books!
About Stay Tuned: What happens when a #1 news team becomes the top story instead of
reporting it? For TV producer Melissa Moore, crisis management comes
with the job. From employee disputes to her high-maintenance boss,
there’s not much she hasn’t seen or can’t handle. But no one—including
Melissa—expects a fistfight during the ten o’clock news. When
sexy-but-crazy Alyssa Andrews lands a punch on her co-anchor’s face,
Melissa jumps on set to help. She’s determined that WSGA’s reputation
won’t be destroyed on her watch. Both anchors are fired and Melissa
agrees to fill in—but not before polishing her look from haircut to
heels. While the new Melissa wows WSGA viewers, her personal life starts
fraying at the edges. Melissa’s husband is away more than he’s home,
leaving cryptic Post-it notes in his wake. Her mother’s antics spiral
out of control at the nursing home and a stalker decides Melissa is her
next target. What happens next? Stay Tuned to find out…
Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About the Author: Lauren Clark has been a voracious
reader since the age of four and would rather be stranded at the library
than on a desert island. In her former life, she worked as an anchor
and producer for CBS affiliates in Upstate New York and Alabama. Lauren
adores her family, yoga, her new Electra bike, and flavored coffee. She
lives near the Florida Gulf Coast.
Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
Let’s get to know Lauren better through a rousing Q&A…
Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes. For as long as I can remember. Of course, my
parents always remind that I also wanted to be an Indian princess named
Tiger Lily, but that dream was more short-lived. On a serious note, I do
have fond memories of spending my summer days toting stacks of books
back and forth from my house to our town’s library. It always seemed
like a magical place, with endless stories to get lost in.
You worked as both an anchor and producer after graduate school. How did that influence the writing of Stay Tuned?
So much! It was an accident, really, getting into
broadcast journalism. I always thought of myself as a behind the scenes
kind of girl, but after my first day on the job, I loved it and stuck
with it for the next 6 years. Working in television is never boring.
There’s always a story, always the next show. The camaraderie in the
newsroom is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. It’s like living in
a big, loud, mostly happy, very dysfunctional family every day.
What gave you the idea for Stay Tuned?
True story: A few months before I took my first
television job as a part-time health reporter, the two main anchors at
one of the local television stations (who were romantically involved)
got into a fistfight. They were outside the building, in the station
parking lot. Shortly thereafter, they were both fired. In the months
that followed, the two of them bantered back and forth in newspaper
editorials, threatened lawsuits, and fueled all sorts of crazy
retaliation stories. I never forgot about that incident and always
thought about what might happen if such a fistfight happened on air,
during a newscast. What would happen? How would it be handled? Who would
fix this kind of mess?
What did you learn from being on air?
It’s very humbling, really. As a producer,
especially, you are in charge of what’s being put out there—the news
stories people watch and talk about each day. It’s a big responsibility
to get it right. Not just sometimes, but all of the time. There were
many sobering days—car accidents, house fires, school shootings—and
those stories should be told with sensitivity and care. It’s someone’s
son or daughter or parent. Everyone matters.
What was your most memorable experience as an anchor or reporter?
I was on set during 9-11. I remember sitting there with our
weatherman and waiting to be cued to go back on air after the
commercial. CBS cut in and showed footage from a plane crashing into the
Twin Towers. It was surreal and awful. We were all in shock. It didn’t
seem possible. All I wanted to do was go home and hug my son.
Was it a difficult decision to leave television?
Yes and no. I loved so many parts of broadcasting. I
was able to meet fascinating people – Vice Presidential Candidate
Geraldine Ferraro, then-New York Attorney General Eliott Spitzer among
many others. I adored the people I worked with, especially the folks
behind the scenes. I was also fortunate enough to win several AP awards
for anchoring and reporting.
On the flip side, I worked crazy hours (2 am – 10 am) and, as is
typical in the industry, I received very little vacation time. I
anchored every holiday (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, you name it) and
wasn’t able to spend much time with my young son. After more than six
years, I “retired” from TV news. It was then that I really started to
get serious about writing fiction.
How long did it take to write Stay Tuned?
About five years, all said and done. I wrote several
other novels before that—and those manuscripts will never see the light
of day! When I began
Stay Tuned, I had just given birth to my
second son, so my writing time was very limited. After putting it away
for several years, I picked it back up about 12 months ago, brushed it
off, and had an editor-friend look it over. We made some changes,
tweaked the story, and fine-tuned the plot. A few months back, I was
offered a contract with a small publishing company. Another friend
introduced me to the talented and fabulous Emlyn Chand at Novel
Publicity, who helped guide me through the entire publishing process.
It’s been a wonderful journey!
What’s next? A sequel or a stand-alone novel?
Dancing Naked in Dixie is next (stand alone title) and I’m so excited to share that it’s been selected as a finalist for the 2011 Chick Lit Writers “
Get Your Stiletto in the Door” Contest (Winner will be announced December 20, 2011).
Dancing Naked follows the story of a talented but scattered
travel magazine writer who returns from overseas only to find out she’s
on the verge of getting fired. To save her job, she reluctantly accepts
an assignment in the Deep South. She’ll be writing an article about
Eufaula, Alabama’s annual Pilgrimage event, which is a long-standing
spring tour of antebellum mansions (the location is featured in the
Reese Witherspoon’s movie,
Sweet Home Alabama). Upon arriving
in Eufaula, Julia falls in love with the area, its cast of charming
characters, and her handsome tour guide. When she discovers that a
developer has big plans to buy up many of the historic homes and turn
the area into a tourist site, it’s up to Julia to save the day.
What is your writing schedule like?
With two growing, active boys and a busy husband,
finding time to write is like looking for a missing Lego piece in a
houseful of toys (Moms should appreciate that!) I often get up very
early and write while everyone else is asleep or go to the lovely campus
of our local university and shut myself in a study room. I love it
there because I have to shut off my phone and I don’t have the password
for an internet connection! No distractions! Of course, I do frequent
two or three local coffee shops and draw inspiration from my daily dose
of caffeine and good friends!
Who are your favorite writers? Favorite books?
Gosh, there are so many! My all-time favorites
include Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella, Jodi Picoult, Alice Hoffman,
Jennifer Weiner, Chris Bohjalian, John Grisham, Amanda Eyre Ward, and
Lisa See. I also love Lisa Scottoline, Janet Evanovich, and James
Patterson. Favorite books include: Sue Monk Kidd’s
The Secret Life of Bees, Jodi Picoult’s
My Sister’s Keeper, and
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (this is a children’s book that I’ve read over and over to my two boys).
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read. A lot. Write. A lot. Revise. A lot. I’m not joking.
Anyone can write. Writing well is different. It takes focus and
tenacity and determination. I’ve heard Stephen King quoted as saying,
“The first million words are practice. Malcolm Gladwell, in
Outliers,
says, “It takes 10,000 hours of purposeful practice to become expert at
anything.” Just to be clear, at 4 hours a day (28 hours a week), that’s
7 years. I’m not quoting the experts to scare anyone or be a harbinger
of doom. It’s the truth.
Pick up a copy of Stephen King’s
On Writing. It’s brilliant
and so true and funny in so many sections. If you’re serious about
becoming an author, learn as much as you can. Read blogs and books about
the craft, network with other writers, or go to a writer’s conference.
Above all, write!
Sometimes
the decorating during the holidays gets so overwhelming, it becomes
more daunting than it does desirable. You must keep in mind that for
most people the memories made by Christmas past is the sweet memories
that it conjures up time with family, friends, surrounded with textural
delights all in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. So keep that
in mind when you are breaking out the decorations that you are simply
setting the backdrop for memories for family and friends, not trying to
get an award for the best tabletop design in the country nor the most
amazing tree in the land. Most of our deepest desires for the Christmas
Season are to make
a lovely, festive memorable day for our nearest and dearest.
