Does it Need a Trailer Hitch?

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A Trailer & More

Recently, Iā€™ve been working on some marketing items including a book trailer for Elevator Ride from my Valkyrie Brothers series. Creating a book trailer is a challenge! Itā€™s like condensing the soul of an entire book into just a minute or less of video magic. The first hurdle? Finding the perfect way to visually represent the story, oh, and also do it in a way that I can either afford or can do myself.

We Have the Technology

Then thereā€™s the creative juggling act. Music, voiceovers, text, and pacing all need to work together harmoniously. Too dramatic? It feels cheesy. Too subtle? It risks being forgettable. Finding that balance is like trying to walk a tightrope in gale-force winds. And donā€™t forget the tech side! Editing software, sourcing content, and tweaking everything to perfection can be daunting. And while I have picked up some skills editing videos, they aren’t necessarily skills I wanted to have! But I do like having the ability to put some basic things together.

What’s New

This time I worked with a new voice over talent who was looking to see if voice over was really something she could or wanted to do.Ā  It was fun to work with someone new and help them explore their talents.Ā  I liked what we accomplished and I hope she ends up pursuing vocal work.Ā  Here is the result of our collaboration.

Are Trailers Worth It?

In our social media driven world, having video as part of the marketing package is increasingly important.Ā  People and search engines react positively to video.Ā  It can’t be the only thing in the marketing arsenal but it does mean that more marketing avenues are open to me. So while it might be hard work, it does have a positive impact.

And hereā€™s the silver lining: when it all comes together, thereā€™s a magical sense of accomplishment. A great book trailer isnā€™t just an advertisement; itā€™s an invitation to readers to dive into a world they didnā€™t know they needed.

Want to see some of my other book trailers?Ā  Check out my book trailer page: bethanymaines.com/book-trailers/

About the Valkyrie Brothers Series

The Valkyrie Brothers trilogy is a laugh-packed series of connected romantic mysteries starring the Valkyrie Brothers–Rowan, Forest, and Ash–as they struggle to find love AND stay alive in Seattle.Ā  LEARN MORE: https://amzn.to/3XEL9id

 

 

What to Giveaway

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Is it good to giveaway a book?

Well, as a recipient of the occasional free book, I will confirm that yes, I think itā€™s great when authors giveaway books.Ā  However, many authors feel extremely leery of giving away free books. There have been many instances of winners selling books or copying content, so that fear is not unfounded.

Goodreads Giveaway for Elevator RidePhilosophy

However, my philosophy is that while I canā€™t control the actions of others, I can be a generous person. In other words, haters gonna hate and book pirates are going to book pirate, but I can still put out the kind of energy that I would like to see in the world. Besides, if the four dollars you get from selling an advance print copy of my book is what helps you make it through the day, then take the four bucks.Ā  Piracy of ebooks bugs me far more and is an extensive topic that I wonā€™t get into, but in general once I hand you a print copy, you are free to read it, sell it, or pop it in a little free library.Ā  Just donā€™t tell me about it.Ā  Unless you loved it.Ā  Then absolutely tell me all about it.Ā  I want to hear every word.

Do you want free books?

Then sign up forĀ Goodreads,Ā Booksweeps, orĀ LibraryThing.Ā  Goodreads is now owned by Amazon, so if youā€™re trying to boycott or you hate them for their myriad of union busting, author scamming ways (completely understandable), then try Booksweeps or LibraryThing. All three platforms consistently gives away free books in all genres and the odds are far better than the lottery. Booksweeps works directly with authors and is a great place to find your next indie read (theyā€™re my favorite).Ā  Library Thing is a bit clunky, but still fun and Goodreads is also strangely clunky, but somehow has all the snarky vibes of high school and a NYT review.

Todayā€™s Giveaway

Today Iā€™m sharing my giveaway of the print copies of my forthcoming novel Elevator Ride.Ā  This one available through Goodreads.Ā  The giveaway runs through 3/16.Ā  Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Enter the giveaway!

ENTER HERE:Ā https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/406074-elevator-ride

About the book:

Vivian Kaye has been tasked with serving a cease-and-desist letter to Rowan Valkyrieā€”the most hated tenant in Seattleā€™s Hoskins buildingā€”but when she ambushes the seasoned security professional in the elevator, she ignites a powder keg of tempers and attraction.Ā PREORDER NOW

Awards!

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Awards Season is Here!

No, it’s not time for the Oscar’s or anything normal people care about.Ā  I’m talking about the extremely niche category of mystery short story awards.Ā  The Short Fiction Mystery Society, a volunteer-lead group of short fiction writers annually hosts the Derringer Awards.Ā  Any member is welcome to submit a short story that has been published in the previous year in four categories.Ā  The stories are judged by volunteers from the society membership and ranked on a standardized score card.

The Rage Cage

While novels are my primary format for writing, periodically I do try to stretch my skills and do some short story writing. The format is different and it makes it much easier to try out some different genres. This year I only submitted one of my short stories – The Rage Cage.Ā  It’s a brisk little story about re-evaluating life, questioning self-narratives, Chuck Norris, and of course… revenge.Ā  It’s also about the manager of a Rage Cage, a business that allows you to suit up and go smash whatever you want. Mostly it was a chance to try out the Rural Noir genre and write a story about telling yourself the right kind of personal narrative.Ā  The year that I helped judge I was impressed by both the quality and the variety of stories and I know that the story I submitted is up against some tough competition. However, judging for the Derringer’s runs from February through March, so I know I’ve got until April to find out if my story picks up a nod.

Anthology Awards

However, in a break from previous tradition, this year the SFMS is trying a new award for anthologies and Larceny & Last Chances, the anthology containing The Rage Cage has been listed as a finalist.Ā  With 56 anthologies nominated, getting to the finalist stage is pretty impressive, and I’m extremely happy for all of the authors and our editor, Judy Penz Sheluk. Final awards for the anthologies will also be in announced in April, so send some thoughts and prayers our way. In the meantime, if you’re interested in checking out some award-worthy short stories check out Larceny & Last Chances!

Larceny & Last Chances: https://amzn.to/3xUNg7Z

Sometimes itā€™s about doing the right thing. Sometimes itā€™s about getting even. Sometimes itā€™s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, itā€™s your last, best, chance.Ā 

New Year, New Plan

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New Year, New Plan

There’s a lot of “New year, new plan!” going around in January.Ā  And to be fair I’ve been working on the plan since last year, but this month it’s time to get some of the details worked out.Ā  I know a lot of writers like to wing their social media calendar and a few who like to plan to the last detail.Ā  I’m somewhere in the middle. Social media works best when it’s responsive and done live. However, my life works best when it’s scheduled and I don’t have to think about it.Ā  And marketing generally works best when it’s coordinated and scheduled in advance, so working out a calendar of what happens when becomes more crucial.

What is the New Plan?

Coming out in 2025 is the complete Valkyrie Brothers Trilogy.Ā  This Seattle rom-com mystery series specializes in happily ever afters, witty dialogue, and bad guys who get punched in the face.Ā  And also, somehow meeting your true love in an elevator.Ā  Elevator Rideā€”Book 1 of the Valkyrie Brothers Trilogyā€”is an age-gap romance with a sexy ex-Marine and a feisty paralegal who may have gotten herself chin deep in trouble.Ā  Between Floorsā€”book 2–is an action-packed, grumpy-sunshine romance with a wealthy single dad who gets stuck in an elevator with the hippy nanny candidate he just rejected.Ā  And Emergency Exitā€”book 3ā€”is a fake engagement romance with a savvy tech investor and a quirky emergency management specialist who has a very good reason to hate jumbotrons.Ā  Laugh along with the Valkyrie Brothers as they fend off the bad guys and find love.

And while the Valkyrie Brothers are making their debut, Iā€™ll be working on more paranormal romances! Some of you who follow me on social media may have heard me mention this fabulous idea I had about a giant demon exploding through the floor of a charity gala.Ā  (Trust me, itā€™s going to be great!)

So, the plan is to market, advertise, and shove the Valkyrie Brothers at everyone, while I type my little fingers off on next years paranormal romances.Ā  I’m also excited to see the Stiletto Gang’s new feature “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Books” come to life as we take one day a month to feature a new book from one of our Gang members. And I’m hoping to be accepted into a few anthologies with some romance and crime short stories.

That Sounds Like A Lot.

It does, doesn’t it?Ā  But, I’m hoping that by scheduling in advance and scheduling some down time in advance as well, that it won’t be overwhelming.Ā  We’ll see what I say in June. Possibly by then I will be chucking everything out the window and heading for the beach. Wish me luck for this new year.Ā  I’m sure I can use it!

***

Learn more about the Valkyrie Brothers

Elevator Ride, the Valkyrie Brothers Book 1, a new release for March 2025ELEVATOR RIDE

Twenty-six floors. Two professionals. Sometimes love only needs one Elevator Rideā€¦

Vivian Kaye has been tasked with serving a cease-and-desist letter to Rowan Valkyrieā€”the most hated tenant in Seattleā€™s Hoskins buildingā€”but when she ambushes the seasoned security professional in the elevator, she ignites a powder keg of tempers and attraction.

Pre-Order on Amazon: CLICK HERE

Read more: bethanymaines.com/valkyrie-brothers/

 

Luckless Love

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3-D rendering of the print edition, Luckless Love, a sweet romanceLuckless Love Releases November 18!

Next week will see the release of Luckless Love, a contemporary ā€œenemies to loversā€ romance with a hint of ā€œmistaken identityā€ set in Eastern Washington with a ā€œhappily ever afterā€ ending.Ā  This standalone novel was fun to write, but more fun to research. The story revolves around a winery and itā€™s head enologist (thatā€™s wine maker for us less fancy people) who falls for a new-to-town photographer.Ā  To be fair, Juel Lugo, my co-author did the most research, I just tasted the wine.Ā  And I was very much OK with that division of labor.

Did I Learn Anything?

Yes, I did! Dom Perignon is not just the name of expensive champagne. He was a real person who helped in the invention of champagne.Ā  The people of Champagne wanted to make it more bubbly and Monsieur Perignon figured it out. This fact is of zero relevance to the plot of Luckless Love, but I still enjoyed learning it. Each section of Luckless Love does come with a wine recommendation and I hope that readers enjoy trying new wine as much as my co-author and I did.

So What is the Book About?

Photographer, Simone Laurent is homeless, loveless, and luckless when her motorhome conks out on the last leg of a year-long road trip. Arriving at Ryanā€™s Garage in the small town of Luckless Washington, Simone meets Jordan Ryan, the grumpy wine-maker from the Amante Winery, and mistakes him for a mechanic. But while sparks and tempers flare, normally sunshiney Simone is still unable to pay for repairs to her motorhome. Simone sets out to get a job, vowing to dismiss all thoughts of the sweaty ā€œmechanicā€ from her mind. But thatā€™s hard to do when Jordan turns out to be her new boss. But while Jordan and Simone are determined to focus strictly on the big wine event coming to town, their friends, family, and Cupid have other plans. With the crush coming from more than grapes, this hapless duo will need all the help they can get to make sure they end up in Luckless Love.

Luckless Love is a wholesome standalone rom-com, full of quirky characters, laughs, true love, and a guaranteed happily ever after.Ā  The print edition is now available! Follow the links below to get your copy!

AMAZON: https://amzn.to/4dfmAO6

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216958888-luckless-love

 

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someoneā€™s hind end.Ā She participates in many activities including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news.Ā She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay).Ā You can also catch up with her onĀ Twitter,Ā Facebook,Ā Instagram, andĀ BookBub.

Can I be a Co-Writer

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A Co-Writer Spills the Beans

image of Luckless Love, from co-writing team Bethany Maines & Juel Lugo, on a e-readerIn my upcoming release, Luckless Love, my heroine is returning from a year long road trip and searching for someplace to belong.Ā  Wanting to belong to a community is a universal theme that I think appeals to readers, but when I started to write the book, I didnā€™t immediately leap to that theme.Ā  I had to explain my reasoning for using it to my co-writerā€”Juel Lugo.

Luckless Love started out during COVID when Juel who is my business partner in real life and I took a script writing seminar on how to write a Hallmark movie.Ā  We both felt that we could write one, and with too much time on our hands and since we were in each otherā€™s COVID pods, we gathered around a computer and took notes on how to write a Hallmark movie.

What Are Your Co-Writer Goals?

Juel is not particularly interested in being an author.Ā  She doesnā€™t want to do the work of putting words on a page, but she is endlessly interested in stories and structure.Ā  As a life-long reader, and marketing expert, she knows that stories are what move the human psyche.Ā  So our deal was that she would do the bulk lifting on inventing the plot. I would walk her through how to outline and then I would do the actual writing.Ā  But that meant that we had endless discussions on our characters, their motivations and how to get them to fulfill their plot obligations.

I donā€™t know how other co-authors work together, but with over ten years of experience in working with each other, we managed to make it through the outline with very little disagreement.Ā  Having both taken the seminar we both could recognize when we were deviating from the Hallmark pattern.Ā  And then we could also agree when we were fine with leaving that path.Ā  Hallmark has a lot of constraints about how serious or realistic things can be (donā€™t mention divorce or cancer!), which is understandable for their brand, but for writing a novel it can feel like the characters are lacking in depth.

Did We Make it the End?

So did we make it through the writing process with our friendship and partnership intact?Ā  Absolutely. It was a fantastically distracting project during a time when we very much needed one.Ā  It was also fun to take on a challenge that neither of us had done before.Ā  The script version achieved a PNWA Literary Contest Finalist ranking and we are quite proud of our little romance novel.Ā  Weā€™re looking forward to itā€™s upcoming release on November 18.Ā  Check out the links below if youā€™re also interested in a sweet romance, all about wine, second chances and finding some place to call home.

AMAZON: https://amzn.to/4dfmAO6

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216958888-luckless-love

 

Creativity

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Is it Creativity or Goddess?

As someone who works in a creative field professionally, Iā€™m endlessly interested in how creativity functions. Where does anyone get their inspiration?Ā  Heck, where do I get my inspiration? The Greek idea of a museā€”a goddess who comes by to inspire an artistā€”makes sense to me because sometimes ideas do feel external to myself.

Well, how did you come up with that?

Well, first I was doing the laundry while listening to Pandora (canā€™t get away from those Greek myths today, can I?) and the song used the phrase ā€œbad for businessā€ which reminded me of Risky Business, which made me think of Tom Cruise, and then I started to wonder why so many people were confused by the original Mission Impossible plot.Ā  Thirty minutes later, I was jotting down an idea about what would happen if a demon burst through the floor of a non-profit fundraiser.Ā  Basically, I came up with the idea by having a lived experience and feeding it all into the hopper of my brain and letting everything pinball around like one of those kidā€™s mower toys with the balls that go pop-pop-pop.

So You Live With that Brain All the Time?

I do!Ā  And I like it!Ā  I worry about people who canā€™t connect completely random dots.Ā  Donā€™t they get bored just going from A to B to C?Ā  Itā€™s so much better to go A to Q to C to R.Ā  But thatā€™s not to say that creativity is just something that happens.Ā  There are ways to lure the muse into the house and trap her in a box.

To be clear, Iā€™m referring to a computer where my muse has full reign to create whatever she wants. We are not shoving women in boxes over here. (I never saw Boxing Helena, but I have been troubled by it since I read the back of the box in a Blockbuster in the 90s.Ā  Who greenlit that?!Ā  Donā€™t Google it.Ā  Youā€™re happier not knowing.)

The trick is to gather both the correct input (Read books! Watch movies! Experience the creativity of others!), and make sure I have the space and time to create. But probably my number one trick is to look for a problem to solve.

What problem?

I love James Bond, but when I wrote my first novel, there werenā€™t a lot of female spies in the marketplace.Ā  So I solved that problem.Ā  I wrote Bulletproof Mascara about a girl who starts by selling make-up and ends up saving the world. Check out my my full catalog to see what other problems I’ve solved.

BethanyMaines.com/catalog

A Little Larceny…

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Is it Larceny or Just Larcenous?

Short stories are their own art form and while I enjoy writing them, I will frequently wait for inspiration to strike rather than trying to force one into existence. And this year, I’ve only had one short idea that I wanted to work onā€”The Rage Cage.Ā  However, once I do have a story, I really like to give it a chance to exist out in the world. Submitting a story is usually a long wait for a stack of rejections which may or may not be kind.Ā  And usually I take a spreadsheet approachā€”pick my targets, check my deadlines, read all the lists, and be strategic about my submissions.Ā  But this time I had barely finished The Rage Cage when I saw the deadline for this Larceny & Last Chances Anthology was quickly approaching. The fourth anthology from Superior Shores Press has a theme could not have been more perfect for my story. But even more desirable, the promised wait time between submission and rejection was only a few weeks. I leaped into action to get the story proof read and formatted per the instructions and turned it in. And then I had to wait…Ā  Fortunately, The Rage Cage was accepted and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

Larceny & Last Chances features twenty-two stories that must include, yes, you guessed it, theft and a final chance at something.Ā  In The Rage Cage my heroine Amber has a dog, a Dutch oven, and finally a plan.Ā  Amber’s life has been complicated by poor choices, but when she realizes that she’s not entirely to blame for everything that’s gone wrong, she decides to pick herself up and steal her last chance at happiness and maybe sobriety.

The Superior Shores Anthologies have been nominated for multiple awards and I’m excited to have been included.Ā  You can find all of the anthologies — The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreak & Half-Truths, Moonlight & Misadventures, and now Larceny & Last Chances –– at all book retailers.Ā  (But here is a quick link to Amazon: https://amzn.to/3UmMrvV )

Larceny & Last Chances Anthology coverLarceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense

Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk

Sometimes itā€™s about doing the right thing. Sometimes itā€™s about getting even. Sometimes itā€™s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, itā€™s your last, best, hope.

Featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

Release Date: June 18, 2024

Buy Link: www.books2read.com/larceny

Sasqwatch!

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The Sasqwatch Film Festival

Last year, I connected with a Canadian film director who was looking for a fast, funny, crime-centered short script. Of which I had… zero.Ā  But what I did have was a stack of short stories.Ā  So I transferred one of my short stories to script format.Ā  He loved it, optioned it (that’s put it on hold in movie terms) and then produced it. It was a fantastic collaborative process and I loved seeing what he did with the script.Ā  Once the short film was complete, it was submitted to a variety of film festivals (including Sasqwatch Film Festival).Ā  Unfortunately, I wasn’t near to any of the festivals that accepted the film.Ā  And I wanted to see MY movie on the big screen.

But finally…

Then it got accepted into the Sasqwatch Film Festival in Vancouver BC.Ā  Which is well within driving distance for me in Washington State. So we farmed out the kiddo to my brother and invaded Canada!Ā  And then, after four hours sitting down in the car, we sat down in a darkened theater and watched Suzy Makes Cupcakes and a slate of other shorts.

So, it’s about cupcakes?

No. It’s about crime. And cupcakes.Ā  But mostly it’s about a woman who got married young to an abusive jerkwad who works for a crime syndicate.Ā  Suzy wants out of the life and away from her husband, but how to do that? Well… you come up with a plan, you make some cupcakes and then you see where the day takes you.Ā  But you do it all in twelve minutes or less because this is a short film after all. The short story version of the story made it’s debut at Noir at the Bar in Seattle and you can hear me read it in the recording from KUOW.

Was Sasqwatch everything you hoped?

Yes, actually it was. While it was a bit weird to hear people saying words that I made up, it was so fantastic to see it on the big screen. The director Jayson Theirren also flew into town and we got to meet in person for the first time.Ā  Afterwards, we all got drinks and talked movies, movies, movies.Ā  Then my partner and I went out for dinner, ate too much, and had a lovely evening out in Vancouver sans child. So basically, it was all that I hoped for and more.