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Monday, March 28, 2016

Reasons to do an #Anthology and a crazy #Giveaway

This past week went much better than the one before. But as I start my new job, things are about to get super busy again. Bring it!

I hope you had a pleasant Easter. Look what I'm sharing from my basket!

So why do an anthology? Here are just a few reasons:
  • Flex your creative muscles
  • Try a new genre
  • Gives you a break from editing or drafting
  • Write a short story that's been nagging you to be written
  • Take a favorite minor character on a tangent into his own story
  • Looks great on the resume
  • Might break your writer's block
  • Validation
  • Many authors = more exposure!
I'm so psyched to be a part of this project! It's very exciting to be working with many of my blogging buddies! Next month I will give you all a glimpse of the wide range of stories by these wonderful, talented writers as we inch our way to the release (May 31). So happy Randi Lee organized this!


You can keep up with the latest developments on Facebook here.


And in other news...

Good luck if you're getting ready for the A to Z challenge! I can't believe it starts Friday!

Make sure to visit the Really Real Housewives for some quick A to Z Around the House tips!
So here's the crazy giveaway - In my self-publishing adventure saga, I did a promotional giveaway on Amazon. I offered 2 Jolissa ebooks. Being a naive noob, I made the odds be 2 random people out of 100 entrants (surely it would take days to reach 100 entrants, right?) Well, the contest was OVER IN 4 HOURS!! That's CrAZy! The best part was I added the caveat that they needed to watch the 1st chapter of Jolissa on Youtube - I went from 50 views to almost 200! SA-WEET! Not to mention, one of my obscure amazon rankings went way up! I will definitely do this again but up my odds for winning to 5 out of 1000. Lesson learned and a pretty cool, inexpensive marketing tool!!

Lastly, since I didn't do a big release party, I'm also going to host a GIVEAWAY for JOLISSA - An Anti-Princess Story here on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Monday, y'all!
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25 comments:

  1. Alex J. CavanaughMarch 28, 2016 at 7:38 AM

    That's awesome you hit a hundred so fast.
    Writing for that anthology was fun.

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  2. Madeline Mora-SummonteMarch 28, 2016 at 8:18 AM

    Well done, Tara!

    My work was in a few anthologies, and I enjoyed being a part of them.

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  3. M.J. FifieldMarch 28, 2016 at 8:28 AM

    How awesome is it that your contest was over in four hours!! Nice!

    I'm looking forward to reading Jolissa this week!

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  4. Christine RainsMarch 28, 2016 at 8:51 AM

    Awesome! Have a great week at the new job. :) And I'm excited about the anthology too. Those are the reasons I write short stories for them.

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  5. Fida IslaihMarch 28, 2016 at 9:14 AM

    I'm loving the reasons you gave for trying out writing an anthology. Thank you!

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  6. Susan Gourley/KelleyMarch 28, 2016 at 11:44 AM

    I'm looking forward to the anthology. Have it marked in my handy-dandy planner. Cool how well the contest went.

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  7. cleemckenzieMarch 28, 2016 at 1:19 PM

    Anthologies can be great fun. Congrats on being in this one.

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  8. Yvonne VentrescaMarch 28, 2016 at 4:59 PM

    I've done an anthology, too, and enjoyed it for the reasons you said. It's nice to have a feeling of accomplishment with a short story -- it takes so much longer with a novel!

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  9. Juneta keyMarch 28, 2016 at 5:16 PM

    You made it sound fun. I like your reasons. Hope you're enjoying your new job.
    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  10. L. Diane WolfeMarch 28, 2016 at 5:21 PM

    More exposure is a really good reason to do an anthology.

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  11. Yolanda RenéeMarch 28, 2016 at 10:20 PM

    Great idea!
    I'm doing the same for Murder & Obsession!
    Much success with your book and your new job!

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  12. SEO Expert PakistanMarch 29, 2016 at 1:30 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  13. randi leeMarch 29, 2016 at 5:42 AM

    Thanks for the plug, Tara :D You rock!!! I love your reasons for writing for an anthology, too. Expanding a character's world is definitely one of my favorites, and something some of my anthology team did. It's a great way to flex the creative muscles and to get your name out there in a different and exciting way!

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  14. Rachna ChhabriaMarch 29, 2016 at 5:50 AM

    Congratulations Tara. I have done a few anthologies and enjoyed them.

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  15. Yakamo3x3March 30, 2016 at 1:45 AM

    Cool! Congrats on the increase in everything, the Youtube views, contest reaching 100 so quickly, adn most of all of being self-published. That's a side-dream I've had for oh my whole life. lol Thanks for the chance.

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  16. Loni TownsendMarch 30, 2016 at 10:49 AM

    I'm looking forward to the giveaway. And that is pretty freaking cool about Jolissa really taking off. How exciting!

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  17. Elizabeth SeckmanMarch 30, 2016 at 11:49 AM

    I had never really written a short story before, so that was definitely a new experience for me. I'm so glad I did it.

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  18. Misha GerrickMarch 30, 2016 at 4:58 PM

    Great reasons to take part in anthologies. I try and submit to at least one a year, just to give my creative muscles a different kind of exercise from novel writing. :-)

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  19. A Beer for the ShowerMarch 31, 2016 at 10:36 PM

    Wow, that's the best possible "backfire" you could have in a giveaway. Cheers to that! And that's a killer list of names in that anthology. We're both looking forward to checking it out/feeling great shame that we didn't participate in it.

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  20. Michelle WallaceApril 1, 2016 at 7:20 AM

    The anthology has a line up of amazing writers. I'm honored to be in such great company...

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  21. Julie WaldronApril 1, 2016 at 10:48 AM

    Great job! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  22. Cathrina ConstantineApril 3, 2016 at 12:29 AM

    I had fun with my story in the anthology. I tried something new, and I like short stories. You see progress a lot quicker!!!

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  23. RenaApril 3, 2016 at 10:33 AM

    Oh that is a pretty awesome give away! I'll have to think about that for the future! Good luck with Jolissa!

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  24. Julie WaldronApril 15, 2016 at 4:18 PM

    It sounds like a great book.

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  25. Julie WaldronApril 20, 2016 at 9:05 AM

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

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Thanks for stopping by!