#BookMarketingChat Open with the #CardsOfPassion writers and Dr J!

Space Summary

The Twitter Space #BookMarketingChat Open with the #CardsOfPassion writers and Dr J! hosted by BadRedheadMedia. Dive into the dynamic world of book marketing with insights from esteemed writers and Dr. J in the #BookMarketingChat space. Discover the significance of networking, social media utilization, personal branding, and audience engagement in successful book promotion. Explore strategies like email marketing, blogging, and events to enhance author visibility and connect with readers authentically. Learn the importance of storytelling, consistency, and maintaining a robust online presence for effective marketing campaigns. Stay informed on the latest trends and techniques shaping the marketing landscape for authors.

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Space Statistics

For more stats visit the full Live report

Total Listeners: 11

Questions

Q: How important is networking for successful book marketing?
A: Networking is crucial for expanding connections, collaborations, and reaching wider audiences.

Q: What role does social media play in book promotion strategies?
A: Social media platforms serve as powerful tools for engaging readers, building communities, and promoting books.

Q: How can authors effectively build and leverage their personal brand?
A: Developing a strong personal brand helps authors stand out, build credibility, and attract a loyal readership.

Q: Why is audience engagement through book clubs and online communities essential?
A: Connecting with readers through book clubs and communities fosters relationships, feedback, and word-of-mouth promotion.

Q: What are the benefits of utilizing email marketing in book promotion?
A: Email marketing allows authors to directly engage with subscribers, promote new releases, and drive book sales.

Q: How can authors benefit from guest posting and blogging in their marketing strategy?
A: Guest posting and blogging on relevant platforms help authors increase visibility, establish authority, and attract new readers.

Q: Why are book signings, events, and partnerships important for book exposure?
A: Participating in book signings, events, and forming partnerships creates opportunities for exposure, networking, and reaching wider audiences.

Q: How does storytelling contribute to effective book marketing?
A: Storytelling and personal narratives create emotional connections, resonate with readers, and enhance the overall reader experience.

Q: Why is consistency crucial in book marketing efforts?
A: Consistent marketing efforts help maintain reader interest, build brand recognition, and establish a reliable author presence in the market.

Q: What are the key elements of a strong online presence for authors?
A: A strong online presence includes a professional website, active social media profiles, engaging content, and regular interactions with the audience.

Highlights

Time: 00:15:20
The Power of Networking in Book Marketing Exploring how networking expands opportunities and collaborations in the literary world.

Time: 00:25:45
Social Media Strategies for Authors Insights on leveraging social platforms to connect with readers and promote books effectively.

Time: 00:35:10
Building a Personal Brand as an Author Tips on developing a unique personal brand to differentiate and attract a loyal readership.

Time: 00:45:30
Engaging with Book Clubs and Readers Discussing the benefits of engaging with book clubs and communities for author-reader interactions.

Time: 00:55:15
Utilizing Email Marketing for Book Promotion Strategies for utilizing email campaigns to engage subscribers and drive book sales.

Time: 01:05:40
Blogging and Guest Posting for Author Visibility Exploring how guest posting and blogging enhance author visibility and authority in the industry.

Time: 01:15:25
Maximizing Book Signings and Events Tips on leveraging book signings, events, and partnerships for increasing book exposure.

Time: 01:25:50
The Importance of Consistency in Marketing Highlighting the significance of consistency in maintaining audience interest and brand visibility.

Time: 01:35:55
Crafting Compelling Narratives in Book Marketing Importance of storytelling and personal narratives in creating meaningful connections with readers.

Time: 01:45:10
Establishing a Strong Online Presence Key elements of building and maintaining a strong online presence for authors in the digital age.

Key Takeaways

Collaboration and networking are vital for book marketing success.
Utilize social media platforms effectively to reach a larger audience.
Building a personal brand can significantly impact book marketing efforts.
Engagement in book clubs and literary communities fosters reader connections.
Harness the power of email marketing for book promotion.
Utilize blogs and guest posting to enhance author visibility.
Leverage book signings, events, and partnerships for book exposure.
Ensuring a strong online presence is crucial for modern book marketing strategies.
Engage in storytelling and personal narratives to connect with readers on a deeper level.
Consistency in marketing efforts is key to maintaining audience interest.

Behind the Mic

Introduction to the Book Marketing Chat

Our channel, it's. Hey, folks, we're just getting started with this month's book marketing chat. Welcome. I'm your host, bad redhead media. You may also know me as Rachel in the OC. That is my personal author account. Bad Redhead media is really all about everything having to do with book marketing, social media writing, author platform, all that great stuff. So I wanted to say hello to my wonderful co host, doctor A. How are you, my friend? Good, I'm good. How are you? I'm good. Better today. Yesterday I was. It's weird. Sometimes I play plan so well for these chats, and then things just go out to the wind out the window. Like, you know, one of my panelists yesterday couldn't make it, so I called in somebody else and she made it, and it ended up being fantastic.

Unexpected Changes and Exciting Plans

And then today's I completely spaced that I offered to have Doctor J here because I've been crazy busy. And she was like, wait, are you having an open chat or are we the guests? And I was like, oh, yeah, that's right. Okay. Yeah. Whoops. Whoops. But I'm really glad to have here. She's the one who really got me started in spaces and is working on a wonderful series of books that I was invited to write for, but I ended up just not being able to because of my business just going crazy. So I just don't have time for the writing. But I'm excited you're here. I see you, Doctor J. I'm going to add you. I'll let you co host if you feel like it.

Welcoming Guests and Acknowledgments

And I see TK is here. I see Michael. Thank you for coming. John, Diane. Welcome, everybody. I'm so glad you're here. Hey, Doctor J, how are you, my dear? You're muted. I don't know if that helps. Let's see. She wasn't totally on stage yet, I don't think. Okay. All right. There you are. You're muted. Yes, well, it took me a minute. You sent me co host and I was trying to do co host. It wouldn't let me do anything until I got co hosted. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, sorry. We never ended up. No worries. Hello, my friends. Hello. I'm so glad that you're here. How are you doing down there? And I. Hurricane alley.

Avoiding Difficult Topics

Well, we're putting that on hold for right now. We're not going to talk about Hurricane alley because I would like to not cry right now. So let's just keep it focused on other things. Okay, honey, we will do that. I'm so glad you're here. And I was just saying I was real organized yesterday for my book or, sorry, sex abuse chat. Had my guests all lined up. I had a panel, and then one of the gals couldn't make it and I had to, like, reshuffle everything. And then this space. Thank God you reminded me because I was just at it down as an open q and a. And I apologize for that. I'm so grateful that you were able to make it and be here with us today.

Sharing Experiences and Backgrounds

Well, as always, being with you is a fun part of my life. I feel the same way. Thank you so much. So for anybody who is unfamiliar, I do book marketing chat once a month now. I was doing it every week, but it just. I just don't have the time anymore. So we're doing it once a month on the first Wednesday of every month at 02:00 Pacific. So that's 05:00 for you folks back east. Or if you're somewhere else in the world, sometimes the later time is better for people. So I, you know, we're kind of playing with the times, but I'm really grateful that you're here. We'll be talking today with Doctor J and hopefully Misha and some of the other writers who are part of this entire series that I was going to be part of and had to back out of.

Introductions to the Cards of Passion Series

But we still love each other, so it's called the cards of Passion series. Do you want to go ahead, Doctor J, and give us a little background about how this came to be? Sure. Well, you know me. I seem to have my fingers in every kind of pie that exists all at the same time. And my world seemed to blend together in a lot of different ways. And I was in the process of finishing a sexuality journal for women, and my co author had a life emergency and was unable to move forward. And so I go up to the mountains of North Carolina to figure out how am I going to finish this piece of work that we had created together.

Creating a Unique Concept

And in doing that, I made a set of cards, and that set of cards exist in real life, and it helped me to finish the journal. And then the following May, I was having a wonderful writing retreat, and I did one of those what if questions. What if a writer had this deck and they picked a card from the deck and they decided to write a romance story about that? What would that be like? And so nine stories later, we know what that's like. And it's been an absolute delight to go through the process to be creative with other people. To see, you know, where they go, where their characters go with these stories. But that's how it started.

Tagline and Synopsis

It's such a wonderful backstory. So I wanted to read on your website, which we're sharing the cards of passion series. Life can change with the draw of a card, which is a great tagline. When. This is your book, I believe. Right. When sex educator Liv Thornton, is that your. Yes, I'm the origin story for the whole series. Okay. So it's just two paragraphs. I want to read it to folks so they know what we're talking about here. So it says, when sex educator Liv Thornton created a transformative card deck of affirmations to help women embrace their sexuality and integrate that part of themselves into all that, she had never expected her.

Character Interactions and Storytelling

Sorry. In all that they are, she never expected her cards to find their way into so many women's stories. Like the jeans in the Sisterhood of the traveling pants, these cards insert themselves into the lives of a modern day throuple playing with boundaries. A bold heroine in the Regency era, a warrior elf and his sinful liaison in a fantastical world, a befuddled small town witch trying to keep her secret, a contemporary bookstore owner rewriting her self image, and a cardomancer who can taste desires. And more readers can cross genres in time by reading these standalone stories in this series in any order, and watch for cameo appearances of select characters between the stories.

The Fun of Collaboration

So tell us what that's been like, having the characters move in and out of the different stories. And just so everyone knows, each story is written by a different author. Go ahead. Yes. And that part's fun. And I think when I look at the historical fiction, Sri Savati, she wrote her story. She and I talked at the very beginning. And since she was historical fiction and she wanted to, in the world of history, were trying to figure out a way to make this fit, and we decided that what if. Here we go again. What if her character was the story in history that had a story told? And then in my story, a descendant of hers is part of our story.

Body Image and Personal Struggles

Why are you wearing white pants? They make your ass look fat. It'd be great if your boobs were bigger. You should get a boob job. Who would want you? Just look at yourself as Molly wrestles with her thoughts. Josh, her gorgeous, green eyed hunk of a neighbor, stumbles into her yard as she's gardening. He's an injured former police officer getting on with his life. After months of recovery. Molly keeps him at arm's length, but dreams of him at night. He offers her friendship, or more, if she's willing. Can Molly let go of her past, find a way to stifle the voice in her head, and let this man into her life and her bed? Wild within is a steamy, male female, small town romance in which a woman learns to accept herself, love her body, and open herself to possibilities.

Personal Reflections on Survivor's Narrative

I so love that. I can't even tell you, because one of the things that I talk about over on my personal account, which personal writing account, which is Rachel in the OC, excuse me, is being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. And so I don't think I've ever met a survivor who doesn't have that kind of self talk. And I love that you're bringing that. It's so realistic. And I love that you're bringing that into a fictional story that embraces that so much of being a woman. You know, one of the things that I like about what Henrietta pulled together, if you think about the card set that I gave everybody, it has nine different topics of sexuality. And my whole point is still doing that sex education work and helping people to normalize those components within themselves so that they can reach the levels of pleasure that they'd like to have.

Creative Collaboration and Excitement

And to see the writers here take a card and say, I'm going to theme this forward. This is what I'm going to do. And then to watch it come together in this whole direction, it's just exciting and thrilling. Oh, that's so great. I'm so excited. So let me ask you, before we go to the next person, Henrietta, what was your favorite part of this whole process? Honestly, I. Surprisingly to myself, I have never. I've written a lot, but I've never published anything. Oh, wow. So this is your first book. This is my first book. Wait. All right. There you go. How fun is that? I was a little. I felt a little intimidated by the sex scenes that I put in there.

Writing Journey and Overcoming Intimidation

But as I started, as I sat down to write, I thought, you know, just. Just let it flow and pretend you're talking to one of your kids or a really close friend that you feel comfortable talking to and just put it on the page. And the feedback I got from my editor, from Doctor J, and from my beta reader was very positive. I got some great clues about what to go back and do rewrites on. But it just. It was not the intimidation or scary thing I thought it might be. I love that. I love that because one of the things, as adults, right, is, you know, the highest form of learning is teaching, but one step down from that is doing. And so you did it. You did the thing, which is wonderful.

Collaborative Experiences

You know, one of the. One of the things, too, Rachel, is that I look at how I've met all of these different authors. Some of them have been authors that I've worked with on other projects or, like, Henrietta's talking about. She was in a course that I taught with the cards and that sort of thing. But Lenora is someone who I've worked with since the beginning of my writing career, actually met in person in New York City. And so that's pretty exciting. But I want to see if I can get Caitlin in here, because Caitlin and I met where I'm doing editing work for her, and then she turned around and got to do editing work for me.

Introduction and Excitement for New Authors

And she is just one of the coolest people that is so helpful and gets where I'm going with different kinds of things. So she did the book. Let me see what number she was. She was book seven. The Cardinal Mansus curse. So, hey, Caitlin, if you've never done this before, you just hit that button and you're on. Yes. Okay, great. I'm also completely new to Twitter, so I thought everything is very alien to me. But I'm so glad to be here. We're glad you're here, Caitlin. Thank you for joining us. Yeah, thank you. This is Rachel. I'm the host. Doctor A is my co-host.

Discussion of Series and Background

She's sharing a lot of things up in what we call the nest or the jumbotron. And then, of course, you know Doctor J. And we're just going through all the books and asking if you'd like to give us some background about it and even maybe read your summary. Okay. That would be great. Yeah. Well, first I want to say I've worked with a lot of the other authors in the series and did some editing on some of them, too. And it's just a really cool series. Overall, I think it's extremely sex positive, which is really exciting to see.

Themes of Pleasure and Personal Journey

Like to see writing that's also. I mean, it's hot and it's sexy, and it's also teaching what good sex can be like in real life. And it's just a very exciting project overall. So thanks, Doctor J, for heading it up. Yeah, that's. It's been very cool. Let's see. So I should read my summary or should I talk about what my. Just either one. Whatever comes naturally to you. I mean, give us, I guess, give us a little background and then how you decided on a cartomancer. And can you tell us what that is? I don't even know.

Creative Process and Character Exploration

Yeah, absolutely. Well, so, yeah, I worked with Doctor J, like she was saying, she was my editor for some short stories, some short erotica that I was working on, and we've got to reverse that position, which is fun. And she invited me to be part of this series, which was really exciting because I mostly published short things but not long works, and I had no idea what I wanted to write about. But what I love to write for myself is queer norm things like heteronormative is the world we live in. We assume that everything, we just. The default is like, people are straight until it's that kind of thing.

Creating Queer Worlds with Magic

And I like to write queer norm things because that's the kind of world I want to live in, where all the characters, it's either unremarkable, the characters are queer, or it's expected, like people assume other people are queer. And so when Doctor J invited me to do this, there is a card in there which I love about sexuality, but I deliberately didn't choose it because I want that to be in my own writing, to be unremarkable. So I picked pleasure because I think I have personal hangups around, you know, feeling like I deserve pleasure and I know other people do as well. So I wrote a very queer norm story where everybody's queer and seeking to feel pleasure and feel like they deserve it.

Fantasy Elements in Narrative

And I also write fantasy. So I picked a cartomancer because she uses a deck, but it's not really a tarot deck, so it's a. She's not a tarot reader as much as just someone who reads many different types of cards, like business cards. The universe just gives her all these types of cards, like metro tickets, business cards, tarot cards. Oh, interesting kinds of things. Yeah. I love. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. I love that you brought in the fantasy elements because, I mean, everyone went in such completely different directions, which is what makes this whole series so fantastic.

A World of Acceptance and Magic

But I love that you basically created that world that you want to live in and that's beautiful. Yeah. Thank you. I also want to live in a fantasy world with magic. So all around, just I made everybody queer and I made a lot of magic happen, and it was very fun. And go ahead and read your summary for us. Yeah, I have to find it really quick. Okay, let me. I was going to say take a minute to do that because I did want to let everyone know.

Summary of the Story

Take a picture that you are here and just send it to me or reply on the thread and we'll be giving out. I'm going to mute you. Caitlin, just. Okay. Yeah. Sorry. Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to cut you off. If you want to get a free book from Doctor Jenna, I'm not sure how you want to do this, Doctor J. I mean, I don't want everybody to feel like they have to give a free book. It would be an ebook gifted to you. So take a picture, send it to us, and we'll figure that out on the back end. But somebody will win a free book. Let's put it that way.

Summary Reading and Plot Overview

Caitlin, go ahead. You just have to unmute your mic. Yeah, I would love to give someone a free book. If they win it, you'll have to walk me through it. But I. Yeah, I'm just new to everything so fully. Okay, great. Are you ready to read your summary? Yes, I did find it. Thank you for muting me when I was probably very loudly touched. Okay. Not my first time. Go ahead. All right, my summary is this. A psychic card reader, a guilt-ridden thief, a magical mystery to unravel.

Thematic Elements and Character Dynamics

Armed with a chaotic deck of cards and the psychic ability to taste people's desires. Cardamancer Meridian Fletcher tells Fortune's from a small Seattle shop. This funds her one escape, a remote cabin safe from the overwhelming flavors of other people's wishes. But when thieves ransack her cabin and steal her cards, her happy place in the woods is suddenly at risk and her livelihood, too. One of those thieves is Wren Piper, a striking lumber snack of a woman whose guilt drives her to confess. Wren wants to make amends, but Meridian wants nothing to do with her, except she can't let go of the mysterious flavor she senses from Wren.

Intriguing Plot Developments

Molasses. It's a desire she's never encountered before. That damn molasses must mean something. And Meridian draws cards for Wren to discover what. But the reading reveals more than either woman expects, and they cut it short. Doing so saddles them with a curse, and now they're stuck together until they break it. Yet the more Meridian learns about Wren's desires and her own desire for Wren, the less she minds being stuck with her. The card of answers curse is a steamy enemies to lover's romantic, in which two women succumb to desire, explore sexual bondage, and unravel a magical mystery.

Excitement for Creativity

Spicy, but I love it. Yeah. Don't you love the creativity that you've heard in the stories so far? That's what I love about collaborating with other authors. They can just go in places that you're like, that is so cool. Like, it would not have even. I mean, I've always believed there's a supernatural component to the world, and maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I don't know that I ever thought, oh, I could put that into a story.

Representation of Interests and Hobbies

Like, I'm a complete and total time travel geek. If you have written time travel, send me your book, and I will read it and review it for you. But, you know, those are the things that I've always loved, so it wasn't something that I said, you know, because I started writing my story, I will still, at some point, get it done, but had to put the business at the forefront. But I had a ball writing it. It was so much fun to just let my mind go wherever it wanted to.

Supportive Community Dynamics

So I love that we can do this as fiction writers, and you've presented it so beautifully here. You know, the other thing that I'm excited about for Caitlin and for Henrietta is that both of them are debut authors, and that's for me to be able to help people, you know, launch that first thing, you know, get the process going, see what it's all about that you're going to be doing from here forward. That part's exciting for me.

Gratitude for Opportunities

It's really beautiful. Go ahead, Caitlin. Just thank you so much for the opportunity. I mean, it's really exciting for me as well, to kind of flex that muscle about writing longer works, I think. And I love that you gave us so much freedom and that we could choose the genre, and the only, you know, we had to have those threads of the cards, but we could choose how we did it. That was really cool. So.

Interconnected Stories

Well, let me ask you, Rachel asked me this a minute ago. Tell me, is there a place, a person, a direction from any of my books, anybody else's books that crosses into your story? Oh, like Easter eggs and that kind of thing? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, your main character, it was really cool, because since I worked on your book a little with you, then I knew it really well. And so I could bring in your main character, Olivia Thornton, and she did an event in my book, which she's kind of like a mentor figure for a moment for my character.

Plot Integration and Character Development

And so we run across her and Olivia drops the truth bomb on Meridian, basically. And then Meridian has to deal with that in the process of trying to break the curse. And it was very fun to bring in the characters together and have them interact. Oh, that is cool. That's very cool. I had a question come in and either Doctor J or Henrietta or Caitlin, you can feel free to respond. Do you plan to take these characters or these stories any further into perhaps a full novel or some other kind of series?

Future Projects and Series

I guess. Well, I'll start. I can tell you where my people are going. I have another series called Destination Bordello. And it is a story where a woman finds out that she inherits a location that she's going to be putting her massage therapy in, but she finds out that her ancestor was the madam of this location and she needs to make some fast money. So she creates a destination event so people could call up like you're going to call up, you know, the Ritz Carlton and say, you know, I'd like to have a room for the night, and you tell them what it is you want your fantasy to be and they have people that are going to get the clothes right for you and get the setting and all of that.

Connecting Characters and Storylines

So I'm going to have Liv and Adrienne go and be one of the story components in Destination Bordello. Oh, that's fantastic. Now, do you plan on it being a standalone store like novel or perhaps another whole. You're doing another whole series called Destination Bordello? It's a whole series. All of any of my people that I've written about can be a single book in the series of destinations. And that's where my network across stories can be connected, you know, so.

Creative Exploration and Network Expansion

Yeah, yeah. There's so much creativity there. Well, let me do a quick little room reset. You're here with me, Rachel and the OC, also known as Bad Redhead Media. My business is helping authors with book marketing, anything, author platforms, social media, newsletters, blogging, SEO, all that stuff. And I love that we're having this almost like a unplanned panel of writers here today to talk about this cards of passion series that came out of Doctor J's brain and has now grown tentacles.

Acknowledgment of Collaborative Efforts

And I love it. It's wonderful. I would want to give a shout out to Doctor A, my assistant. She's always my wonderful co-host and is sharing all the great stuff up in the nest. And if you have, if you'd like to win a free ebook copy of any of these books. So far we've got Doctor J and Katelyn for sure offering theirs. Just send me a screenshot. You can either dm it to me or put it here on the thread, which is down on the bottom right.

Engagement and Participation Opportunities

There's a little speech bubble that people call the chubble. If you click on it, you'll still be in the space. I know everyone thinks if they click on it, they'll leave the space. But you don't. Unless it glitches, and I have nothing to do with that. But, yeah, send me a picture and then we'll pick some winners to send these books out to. One question just came in, Doctor J. I guess for you. Is this it? Are all the books out, or will there be more coming?

Future Book Releases and Holiday Promotions

And do you plan any kind of holiday promo? There will be two more books in the series. There will be a total of nine. I haven't even thought about holiday. We'll talk, we'll talk. But I want to hear what Henrietta has to say and what Caitlin has to say to answer the question of what their plan is. And then I want to get into talking to Lenora. Yes. Oh, wait, I see. Henrietta's. Yeah, go ahead, Henrietta.

Community Engagement and Navigating New Terrain

Okay, first I'll get in on that free digital copy to whoever wins. That's fine. I have no idea what to do, but somebody can guide me. I'll send an email to Doctor. A. Doctor J. And then she can let you guys know it's not hard. Thanks. So one of the first people that read my book got hold of me and said, you have to write more and you have to make them longer.

Character Expansion and Additional Stories

So I had already kind of had ideas swirling in my head. So what I want to do is this town of hope, other characters that appear in the book or are mentioned in the book, I'm going to develop some stories around them. Molly has four sisters.

Discussion on Characters and Story Format

Josh has four sisters, I think, not even remembering how many I gave him and a few of the other characters that she interacted with. So, yes, there will be something. Wonderful, and that's great. I think that the whole goal, Doctor J. Was not to write full novels, but to do smaller novelettes or novellas. Is that correct? You know, it's funny where Caitlin talked about my flexibility. I was kind of like, right until your story's finished. So some people have it as a novella, some people have it as a novelette. It just depends on where they went with their story. Yeah, absolutely. That's wonderful.

Caitlin's Character Development

Is Caitlin still here? Yes. You want to go ahead and talk about your thoughts on your characters and maybe enlarging them into something longer. Yeah, I left the ending of my book a little open ended for a possible part. Book two or novella two, because I have another character. So Meridian and Wren are the love interests and I have another character, Riley, who right at the very end, we realize they have some secrets as well. And so there could be a throuple situation in book two, which I'm excited about. That's wonderful. Yeah.

Shout Out to Sree's Book

But I was also thinking, so Sree Savita, who wrote the book that comes after me, she couldn't be here today because she's teaching, but she is definitely already starting to write more in the series for her. So I did want to give a shout out to her book because she wrote a regency romance for the series and I think Doctor J and Sree talked about how the timeline on that worked. So I wanted to ask Doctor J to talk about that with the regency. Yeah, I think I talked about that before you came in because I was talking about the connection of how we would do historical fiction and that hers would be a precursor connected to, you know, my folks being a descendant and that sort of thing. But, yeah, I talked about that before you had come in.

Continued Collaboration

So glad you shouted that out, because that's what we're doing. We're still continuing our collaboration, we're still talking about how to connect all this and how to share it with the world, and that's what this is all about. Yeah. Excellent. Yeah. Well, if anybody here likes Regency romance, you should definitely look into Sree's book as part of the series because that will have sequels for sure in the universe that she's writing in. And it's also just like everybody's as very excellent. Doctor Jay, do you want to read a little bit about Sri's book, the deed with the Duke?

Summary of 'The Deed with the Duke'

The deed with the Duke. Well, the deed with the Duke. She has the deed. I don't even know how to pronounce all the names here. Kamela Parikh is a fallen woman trying to start over. When she wins the deed to a cottage in a card game. She believes her luck has finally changed. A charming coastal village seems like the perfect place to begin again, far from London and her romantic regrets. That is, until the stern Duke of Wednesbury arrives to claim the deed and the cottage as his. He has the title. Roz Ponchal, the new Duke of Wednesbury, is searching for the missing deed to his late father's beloved cottage and he travels to the countryside to investigate. But once there, he learns the home is not vacant, and a beguiling woman claims it's her property.

The Conflict with the Duke

Now, when her deed proves genuine, Roz prepares to leave. But then fate collapses. The stable roof duty to his father's memory, and certainly not a pair of alluring amber eyes compels him to help. Together, can they have it all? Camilla cautiously accepts the duke's assistance. But between a bold badger, a moonlit waltz, and a dangerous late night wager, it's impossible to keep her distance from the devastatingly handsome duke. When they surrender to temptation, she can no longer ignore their differences in station or the mistakes of their past. But her treacherous heart already wishes for a future that's sure out of reach. The deed with the duke is a steamy lust at first sight.

Exploration of Themes in the Story

Regency romance with a grumpy indian hero, a sunshine indian heroine, and adorable animal antics. I read it. Actually, I downloaded all of them. So reading this weekend. Thank you for sharing that. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, let's hop on over to Leonora. Go for it. Hi, everyone. I'm so giddy because I had to run out of my office so that I could talk. So I'm very happy to be here. Yay. Where to start? Where to start? Well, it's not my first rodeo with Doctor J. We've done this. We've done this before.

Luxex Toy Company Concept

And as soon as she asked me about this, I was just so honored that I was like, okay, kind of like the Titanic. Jump. I'll jump. I was just like that. I love that. I guess I'll actually start with my summary, since I'm not sure exactly what to say, so I did look for it in advance. Okay. The irony was that luck worked for a Luxex toy company, but had never used a sex toy herself. Even more ironic was that the luxury sex toys she got while on a work trip failed the first time she used it. Luckily for her, a location of the overseas sex shop opened up not far from her apartment, and Crimson had a satisfaction guaranteed my title policy by any means they needed to explore with their customers.

Character Dynamics in Lux's Life

The client always comes first. Lux left the store satisfied, but realized that the mechanics of pleasure were less nuanced than the mechanics of intimacy that she craved with her new boyfriend, Tate. He wanted to know all of her fantasies and dreams, which was nothing toyed with. For Lux, the game of love is nothing to be toyed with. Lux will learn by herself and with Tate. So, I mean, when people read especially stories that are erotic, they're always like, you know, they give you, like, a little wink or a little nod. I remember one time I was going to an erotica writing conference and a lady asked me what I wrote.

Writing Experiences and Challenges

And I said, what I wrote. And she looked at me like, if I had, like, you know, something to be confiscated. She's like, do you have it on you? And I was like, well, yes, I have writing on me. Like, what kind of thing are you saying? But I do think that because I've been writing it for such a long time, there is kind of like, I guess, not mechanical, but there is definitely a part of it that's not, as, you know, more, I guess, more. I don't know how to just define. There is a way of looking at it. It's definitely more, I guess the word is mechanical in a sense.

Lux's Journey Through Romance

Like if you're working in a second shop, for example, there'd be a way, right? Guess, like, if you're working in an ice cream shop, at a certain point, ice cream is no longer that appealing to you, right. And I feel that's what Lux is going through while the story is going on. Everything is very, like, precise for her. You know, she feels kind of like, why is he asking her these questions? And I didn't really delve into her previous relationships as much. But that wasn't something that she had an experience. So throughout the course of this book, she has such sensual experiences.

Inspiration Behind the Story

And it was pretty much inspired by my card, which was this just. I'm not going to say what it said, but it just had, like, this wonderful woman that was kind of turned away. And she had, like, a mist of something that looked crimson to me. So that's a big theme in my story. And it just looked like she was exploring something almost mysteriously with herself. But then, because I am a hopeless romantic, there has been romance in it, too. So that's how my story came together. Sorry. That was what? That's wonderful. I'm so excited to read it.

Leonora's Experience of Collaboration

Go ahead, Doctor J. I was going. To say, Lenora, you've got to tell everybody about when we met. I'm not far from there right now either. Ironically enough, we met and we have such a great time at one of my favorite bars. Still one of my favorite bars to go to. And I. You know, it's amazing to me that as a writer, things that happen to me don't become stories because we literally plotted an entire story for the course of the night with your husband. And needless to say that Doctor Jaisha is such an enchanting person. And it was wonderful to work again with Misha as well, and also to work with everybody else.

The Joy of Collaboration

Henrietta and Caitlin. Caitlin edited my story, and I'm looking at it, and I'm really delighted because I really love the way that it's going so far. Far. So it's just been, because my story's coming out. Hasn't come out yet. So it's coming out shortly. So they're just doing, like, the last dotting of the I's and crossing of the t's. But, yeah, it's just been such a great experience, and I'm excited to read everyone's book because I also featured everyone on my blog, so I know a little behind the scenes for everybody.

Exploration of Themes in Other Authors' Works

Henrietta's book looks like something that I just typically, my typical jam, and I was obsessed with the cardo manster whole premise because I love cards. I love that whole thing. So it just was just really exciting to be very tantalizing. The thing I'm trying to figure out now is what questions I'm going to ask myself when I do a, yeah, cards of passion profile for me, because I'm not really in love with being in the spotlight, and I don't really know how to figure out what I want to do. So I'll probably just try to step outside of myself to figure that out.

Reflection on Collaboration Experience

But it was really awesome hearing everyone else's backstories and how they got together with Doctor J and how they were included. So it's just really nice to be part of the entire thing. One week, we were having a zoom because we would have a monthly zoom, and someone said that not every single author collab is as great as ours is. And I happen to know that to be very true. But this. oh, you cut out.

Connection Among Authors

Oh, now you're muted. Let's see if we can unmute you. No, it won't let me. Leonore, you're unmuted. Unfortunately. I don't know what happened. I hope you didn't get cut off. Doctor J, did you want to say anything? Yeah, I want to jump in there. Oh, Leonore's back. Okay, where did I mute at? I'm not sure I know where you muted. You muted at. This was a great collaboration, and not all of them are that way.

The Importance of Creative Collaboration

Yes, but every time I work with you, it has been so. Yeah, that's for sure. I have to share. I forget who shared this, and I'm paraphrasing, but it was something like when. When I die, I want to invite all the people I ever did group projects with to my funeral so they can let me down. One more time. Oh, whoa. Is. Yeah. And I have kids in college doing group projects, and it's like, oh, my gosh, no freaking way.

Honoring Women's Collaborations

But I have to say, I was honored to be offered to be part of this again. I had to let myself down, really, more than anything else. But I'm still working on the story, doctor J, so at least there's that. That's perfect. That's perfect. Well, I see that another one of our writers has popped in. Danica Bloom has arrived. Okay, I'll send a invitation to speak. Danica, if you're listening, you just have to look at your phone and click on. Accept the invitation to speak.

Welcoming Danica Bloom

I didn't realize that was Danica. Yay. Wonderful. Yeah. Yes, yes. And I tell you know, I love your. Your symmetry there about the negative part about doing group work, but, you know, collaboration with creativity for people having their own project. And that's what was really cool about this, is that everybody's story is whatever they wanted their story to be.

Synergy in Creative Processes

An element that I provided is only an inspiration or a starting point or something for them to use that great imagination and move it forward. But when we all got together and talked about it's that energy, the synergy that comes forward. And I think that's something that I enjoy helping to create, especially for new authors, so they can see they don't have to be alone in this process. And, Rachel, things like you do with book marketing and how do you do this aspect or that aspect? Those things are important.

Supportive Network of Authors

And when I look at Lenora doing all the blog posts that she's done for all of the authors, you know, what are the different things that we've done to help and support each other, whether it's been not on this social media location, but on another social media location where we've all been, you know, sharing information over there and doing different things like that. So it's been that learning part altogether. So that part's been pretty cool, too.

Welcoming Danica to the Discussion

Okay, I see Danica's on the speaker panel. I am. Hello, hello. Welcome, Danica. Hello. I am delighted. Thank you so much, Rachel, for hosting this as an. Honestly, as a way to honor Doctor J and her exceptional, I don't know, vision. Vision for bringing together authors and. All.

Connection Through Stories

The exciting different stories that connect to this wonderful deck of cards. Thank you. And we're so thrilled you could make it. We were asked, I don't know if you were here from the beginning, but we asked if people could give us a little bit of background, how you came to write your story, and if you're going to carry the story further, and if you'd like to go ahead and read your summary.

Technical Challenges in Sharing Stories

Oh, goodness. I can't go ahead and read my summary because I'm not that technically adept. Okay, I read it for you, but you go first. I just say, doctor. Jenna. Doctor J really challenges me to step outside of my comfort zone. You know, being on a space like this is a challenge.

The Genesis of Danica's Story

So what my story is about, let's see the questions you asked. I typically write rom.com, and for this story, I found that when I started. When I started playing with the cards to get into inspiration for the story, it was kind of a witchy romance that wanted to be told. And so that is the direction that my story took with the cards.

Themes of Connection and Diversity

The cards have, I don't know if it's a magical power, but they certainly have power to connect to this couple that never would have allowed themselves to come together. So that was kind of the what got this story rolling for me. And. I definitely want to take it forward. I have loved, this is the first magical realism that I've ever written.

Creating Inclusive Narratives

And I'm really loving having created this world, this small town where diversity is really kind of at the heart of the community and which is hidden at the moment, but they will be coming out by the end of the story. That sounds wonderful. And I'm so excited that you brought in so many different elements. There's fantasy and there's, you know, diversity, which is just so incredibly important.

Acknowledging the Project's Importance

And also, I want to just throw my hat to Doctor J as well for putting together such a wonderful project for women writers. But the readers can be anybody. They can be male. They can be. It doesn't have to only be, you know, women readers. And so I really want to compliment you on that, bringing together such a wonderful group of diverse and talented writers together in this project.

Danica's Commitment to Collaboration

Oh, you are too kind. But I want Danica to address how she decided to write with us. Yeah. Well, and you can't say I got my whip out and beat you. Well, I was going to say, well, that. Is that a threat or is that a promise? I honestly. What it.

Motivation for Involvement

What a question to ask. The reason I agreed to do this is because I absolutely adore all of the work that Doctor J does, and any opportunity to do something with her is something I'm not going to pass up because I've. I've done now I am one of those authors. This was the fifth collection that I've been in either anthology or collection so I am one of those authors who has had experiences that have not gone so well.

Positive Collaboration Experiences

Without any word of hesitation, lie exaggeration. This was by far the most pleasurable, the most well organized, and it's just a delight. And I wanted to meet all the people that are part of Doctor J's sphere. And that has also just been such a treat and a delight. Oh, I think we should just all have the web connections, you know?

Building Connections in the Writing Community

Who do you know? Let's all get together and continue to have these big parties of conversations about writing and all that. But wait, we can do that? You have a community for that. What's it called? You're hilarious. It's called author ever after. And it's for early career romance authors pre-published and those who are just getting started.

Origin of the Collaboration

So. And that's how Doctor J and I originally met, was because we both had communities for writers. And we had one meeting, and honestly, it was like I'd met my soul sister in meeting Doctor J spirits. It was definitely.

Connection Among Writers

We couldn't stop talking. But that's how I feel about all of these writers. There's been a true connection. Different places, different, you know, scenarios. But that's what it is. It's like finding that genuine, authentic thread that connects you to these people. And that's truly what makes it a fabulous event to pull this together.

Reading the Summary

If it's okay, can I go ahead and read your summary? Danica, please. Thank you. So, book six, bewitched and beloved. My heart's been hijacked by a hex. Now I need a countercurse for Cupid's arrow. You would think having a new neighbor who blasts classic rock on Sunday mornings would be just a minor inconvenience. Not exactly ideal. Especially when the man seems hell bent on making his presence known, throwing my peaceful, magical life into chaos.

Chaos and Renovation

And top it off, this man, Max, master computer. Sorry, master carpenter by day, infuriating charmer by accident, which I love, decides to throw his hat in the ring to help renovate the local theater, the very project I'm leading. He's a fresh face everyone seems to adore. And now, because he came to my rescue and local gossip saw us, our little village is buzzing with matchmaking schemes that would be enough to make any witch want to cast a vanishing spell on herself.

Max Weaving Into Life

But worse, Max, with his devil may care smiles and infuriatingly strong, warm hands, doesn't just want to collaborate professionally. He's weaving his way into every part of my life, challenging my resolve. And God has helped me, slowly making me forget why I wanted to hex him in the first place and why we can never be a couple. Okay, I'm reading that for sure. Love it, love it.

Character Naming

One of the questions that came up, and maybe you all can just speak to this. How did you come up with the names of your characters? All right, since I'm here, mine, of course, Samantha is. Was named by her witch mother after Samantha, the teenage witch. Or if you're as old as I am, you know, Samantha from Bewitched, because that was on tv when I was a youth. And Max is actually also named for.

Creative Process of Naming

Well, he has. I loved. I love to play with names, so his name is Maximilian, but there's a story to the spelling of his name and how that all came about, because I love to play with names. So that's my story. Fun. How about. Let's go to you, doctor J. Liv and Adrian. Well, it's funny, I think some. Sometimes it may being out in the world, and somebody will cross my path, and I hear what their name is, and then I look how they're moving, you know, how they, you know, present themselves and that sort of thing.

Character Representation

Olivia fit because Liv, as a shortcut name for her, she's trying to put her whole life back together and live as a theme. And so I thought, wow, this is perfect for her. And Adrian just felt like one of those snooty. I had it given to me. I'm going to be this landscape photographer and leave my brothers to run the brewery. You know, it just. It just kind of fit for him, and it came out of nowhere. I love that.

Inspiration Behind Names

So I saw Lux. Well, since the story, I was focused a lot on luxury, and then I happen to run into the name Lux, and I'm, like, rolling it around in my head, and then I'm walking down the street and literally see the word Lux, and I'm like, okay, that's her name. That's a good idea. The universe is speaking. So love that. And Kate's name. I like giving men names that are. There's so many names that are so generic, unfortunately, because you've heard them.

Unique Character Names

And I just kind of like the idea of Tate, to me, just seems like someone that would be crisp and sharp and handsome. Interesting. And so, yeah, wrote him. You wrote him into being. I love that. And handsome, of course, you know, to me, is in the eye of the beholder. Yeah. So, yeah, I agree.

Struggles with Character Naming

So thank you for sharing that. Let's go to Caitlin. How did you decide on your name? Yeah, well, I'm terrible at names. I always get very stuck on them. And so I basically gave a couple of character profiles to my partner, Hazel, and I said, I've got a grumpy but sort of feminine character, and then I've got a butch ish, very sunshiny character. Can you give me some names? And she came up with Meridian and wren for me, and I went with it.

Delight in Names

And now I love those names. And they were always named that. I just didn't know it yet, so that was great for me. I love the name Meridian Fletcher. That is, like, brilliant. So kudos to your partner. Kudos to Hazel. Yay. I will let her know. I really do. I struggled with what to name my characters because I wanted them to have. I think a lot of us, if you're writing something, you know, erotica or spicy, you want to have some cool names.

Popular Names in Writing

But then you find that these names are so overused. Like, I love the name Jade. Do you know how many characters are named Jade in erotica stories? So I was like, okay, not going to go there. So that's for me. I think that's a good idea to give it to Hazel and say, hey, what are your thoughts? Clearly they're very talented with this. So, yes, Hazel is an absolute genius with naming.

Character Contrasts

And the great thing about wren, too, as a name, like the bird, is that wren as a character, is very tall. And the bird, a wren, like the bird, is very small. So there's a little joke in there for the book, too. I think Henrietta wanted to say something, too.

Naming Process Experience

Oh, I guess I'm. Am I on? You're on. Oh, okay. Sorry. Sorry. My son walked in and I had to go deal with that. No worries. I don't know where Molly's name came from. It just was, when I sat down to write, it was just. That was the name. And then Josh, it just seemed like a strong, kind person name. I don't know why.

Personal Connections to Names

Molly's kids, I actually named. I have a cousin who had four children. Two of them have passed. So I named Molly's children for those two children who passed. And then the other names, it was just kind of like, actually, some of the names changed as I was writing and I had to go back through, like, Zach's name. I don't remember what I had him at first, but I had to go back through and change it, do a, find and replace and change his name all the way through the story.

Pop Culture References

Wow. Yeah. You know, as I was sitting here, this is just a weird. Is anybody here a friends fan? Did anybody watch friends? And you're familiar with it? Okay, so Rachel dated this guy when she was at Bloomingdale's. And his name was Joshua. Joshua. Right. In real life, his name was Tate. So there's got to be a universal collection connection there somewhere.

Character Name Connections

But that's what came to mind when I saw Tate and Josh. I'm like, wait, no way. Didn't Jennifer Aniston date Tate Donovan at some point? Yes, they were together. But then, you know, she dumped him for Brad Pitt. So, you know, the suffering. Suffering. Yes. Yes. Well, thank you for sharing that.

Promoting the Event

So we're almost at the top of the hour. I just wanted to let anybody know here, if you're listening, send me a screenshot and we'll enter you in to win a free copy of one of these wonderful cards of passion books. Where's the best place to find the books? Doctor J. And how do we find out more about each authorization? Doctor J, are you there?

Accessing Book Information

Yes, I'm there. Talking away without pressing the right button. You know how that goes. I know. So up in the nest, you have put in a tweet that I have that says what happens when a transformative card deck of affirmations. That tweet has the location for all of the books. So if somebody just clicked on that, they'd be able to get to all of them.

Easy Access to Books

And I looked up, I went to Amazon. I'm going to take a screenshot to share with you guys how to gift a book. It's pretty easy, but I just looked up cards of passion and it came right up. Oh, perfect. That's good to know. I did want to take just 2 seconds because I thought Misha was going to make it here after work, but she didn't.

Incidental Book Promotions

So there were three books that we didn't talk about. One is by Gabby Black. It's called Passion's angel, and it's about a throuple, and it's a BDsm themed book. And Misha's book, stumbling towards serenity, is. I love her tagline. A toxic, overwhelmed city girl plus a charmingly annoying retreat member equals a whirlwind of self discoveries leading to healing and an unexpected desire for something more.

Creative Collaborations

And I have to say, what's really cool about her book is that she was with me in real time. Misha and Allie and I were doing a writer's retreat, and she was in the middle of writing her trilogy, and she wanted to do a sideline story about this character Kato. And all of this came together at the same time.

Supportive Writing Community

And she said, I can write this story for cards of passion. And she went through and picked the fantasy card for that. So it was pretty cool to actually be with people in the process of creating this and then to be with people collaboratively doing different things, whether it's been editing with Caitlin or answering questions for blog posts with Lenora or saying, Henrietta, here's how you do this instagram thing, blah, blah.

Discussion on Writer's Life

So we've had a good time supporting each other all the way around, and Danica and I meet regularly and give each other a hard time. So, you know, all of this is about what it is to be in the life of a writer and how wonderful it is when an idea connects to everyone and these great creative stories are born and nobody dropped out beside the me.

Final Remarks on Cover Design

Is that correct? That's correct. No, I know. It'll happen. It'll happen. But I wanted to say, for the covers, they're just gorgeous. The color contrast is beautiful. They're all very rich colors that draw the eye in. And as a book marketer, kudos. You know, if they had been Tanya or brown or gray, which really doesn't lend itself to romance anyway, nobody would be interested.

Designing Book Covers

But I also love that they're not, you know, there's not Fabio on the COVID of each one of them, you know. You know, what was interesting is that the book designer, who's one of y'all help me out. Cause I can't remember her name. But she was very clear that because we crossed genres, that were gonna have to do something to unify.

Elements in Cover Design

So she asked us to pick a flower, pick an object, pick a setting, and pick a color. And since I went first, as you know, purple is my color. Hydrangeas have a component in the story. It's set in the mountains, and the cards were created. So you see how that ties to what my story is.

Collaboration in Design

And every single author gave the book cover designer the information that they wanted. And, you know, theme things that are the same are the cards of passion icon on the front of the book, and our name font and the story font. So it was a cool process. Misha said she's been here the whole time.

Final Acknowledgments

I think maybe we just can't see her. She might be on desktop or something, but. Oh, wow. Yeah, I was going to say I don't see her. I. I don't either. I give her the. I give you the mic, but I don't see hers. Do you want to go ahead and read a little bit about. About Misha's card as mises book?

Closing the Event

Oh, you did do a little bit. Okay. I just don't want to take away. Sorry. Getting more information from my son. He used to leave me alone when I'm doing these. Right. He's 19. He can be honest. So, anyway, the thing about all of them is, take a look. We've shared everything in the space up at the top.

Encouragement to Explore

You can click on any of those links or go through doctor J's feed. They're also on Instagram, and I'm seeing them on Facebook. And I just think it would be a wonderful way for folks who may. If you're a writer and you're not sure if you have any interest in writing erotica, romance, anything having to do with relationships, I truly believe that these type, this type of writing can really open up your mind and expand what you even thought was within the realm of possibilities for you to write about.

Promotional Opportunities

So I hope people do take advantage. Send me a screenshot. We'll be sending out some free books. Any final words? Doctor J, please take the stage. Thank you, Rachel. And I want to thank Danica, Henrietta, Lenora, Caitlin, Misha. You know, all of these authors have been an absolute delight to work with, and I'm so happy that they are a part of my writing life.

Acknowledgment of Authors

So thank you all for that. And Rachel, as always, I just love that you and I go so far back now. It gets more every day that passes. We get older and older in what we're doing, and you support me 1000%. And I absolutely love it. Always, always.

Future Gatherings

Well, I'd love to have you all back. Maybe as we go a little bit further into the next series or just, you know, everybody come back and talk about what you're working on now. So we'll connect and I'll send Doctor J the instructions how to gift an ebook. The only caveat is if you're in the US, you have to send somebody a gift.

Geographical Limitations

In the US. If you're in Canada, you can send them in Canada, but it won't cross lines, which is really stupid to me, and I don't understand that. But that's Amazon's rules. So there you go. Thank you, everybody, for being here. I'm so excited for this series and to get read up on all of them.

Encouragement for Reviews

And again, do writers you love a favor and write reviews for us. We need to get that on there on Amazon or Goodreads or bookbub or where, or like Leonora, she had them on her blog. It's such a wonderful way to spread the word about great books without spending any money on it. Just being generous and kind.

Conclusion of the Event

And that's really what this whole series has been about. And I wanted to thank you for being here today, everybody. You did. You could have been anywhere and you chose to hang out with us. So I appreciate that and make sure that you get your screenshot in. I'm going to end this space, but I'll leave it up so people can take a screenshot and send it over to me.

Wrap-Up and Gratitude

Thank you so much. Thanks, Doctor J and Leon. Thank you, everyone. Caitlin, thank you. Misha, where we are. Bye, everybody.