Rachael Stapleton's Blog

For writers, authors or people who just want to write. Every Friday I'm going to give one piece of writing advice. These are things I wish I'd known when I started out.

So, what's the topic today you ask?

Writing to Market.

This is a great idea but sometimes it makes you fee dead inside. #realtalk. Why? Because we're forcing a genre that we don't fit. So, here's my advice. Find a genre you are interested in.

Study the tropes, themes, and similarities. Once you’ve picked your sub-genre, buy the top ten books and read them. Yes, this is why it's important to like the genre. You need to enjoy reading it. Now, look at the story threads that run through all the books searching for tropes and themes that are the same.You’re looking for the commonalities, not the exceptions.

Write them down.
Want more tips? Check out my website WWW.RACHAELSTAPLETON.COM & if you need coaching or more on-one-on guidance. I've got you, my friend! 



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Time to summarize my life like the back of one of my book jackets—of course my life is slightly lackluster when being compared to one of my characters. Only slightly though, after all it's hard to compete with an adventurous private investigator who travels the world breaking up esoteric mayhem.

Then there’s the fact that I find it challenging to summarize my career path—perhaps because I've never done just one thing. I’m a Published Author, Freelance Writer, and Digital Media Specialist—but that’s just the jumping off point. I’m also a Mom, Wife, Blogger, Book Reviewer, Lover of Century Homes and a Health & Fitness Nut.

In the past I earned my living as an intellectually curious marketing professional who helped small to medium sized businesses understand and navigate the digital space by creating and executing marketing plans. Sometimes this was as simple as a Search Engine Marketing Campaign, other times it meant Website Consultation, Design, Content Development, Web Presence, Brand Development, Social Media Consulting, and Copy Writing.

In addition to helping others build their brand, I am continually evolving my personal brand. I have a blog, a website and a social media presence to assist me in my goal of becoming best-selling author. I am also actively engaged in becoming a healthy role model possible for my children. I follow a structured healthy eating plan and I train and compete in fitness shows.

So what am I doing now? Living the dream, my friend. I've found a career that merges my love for creative writing, social media and health & fitness. 
Do you dream of being of an author? Do you feel overwhelmed or lost when it comes to marketing and social media?
If I've piqued your interest or if you think I’m the right coach for you, I invite you to contact me. All things are possible if you just have the tools and coaching to show you how.

Yes, Please! How do I reach you?

The clock ticks down. I search the sites. Try somewhere new, I tell myself. And still my search results keep coming back to the same place.







The Riviera Maya in Mexico. What is it about this place? It just calls to me. I’ve tried to find other resorts like it but it’s never the same. To explain it. I guess it feels like the best of both worlds, I’m at a resort and yet I’m in the middle of some sort of jungle.









I grew up in the 80’s. Indiana Jones, Congo, Medicine Man, to me the idea of the jungle is home. Despite being a small town white girl who outside of vacation has never stepped foot in one. I mean let’s face it, I’m almost forty with two kids, the idea of sleeping on an air mattress in a tent anymore seems like the ninth circle of hell. But still I love to hear the birds and watch the monkeys scurry beneath my balcony. They really do here. They’re everywhere. Nature is everywhere and that’s just not something you get at every resort.




Are you looking to do more traveling? Having the time and the freedom to travel to beautiful countries and adventure into the unknown is amazing but you need an organized and profitable business in order to support it. And writing is a business… let me tell you.

I’ve talked to so many authors who just want more time and freedom to travel and write and that’s why exactly why I can help. All things are possible if you just have the tools and coaching to show you how. So click the link get all of the details and I’ll see you guys on the beach.

Sign me up!  
Ps. Looking for a new kindle. Check out this deal! 

I'm a WRITER! 
I'm a writer FIRST AND FOREMOST! One who has learned to navigate the ins and outs of publishing and marketing while maintaining a healthy balanced lifestyle. 


I write books, market and collaborate, raise a family and compete in fitness competitions. Oh, did I mention I've learned to love every minute of this crazy journey. 




If you need help learning how to do the same thing, reach out and I'll coach you.
wwww.RACHAELSTAPLETON.COM

Our flight leaves tonight and we land tomorrow morning. I'm going to try to go live on Facebook at different times over the next two weeks to give you all a taste of the more scenic places so be sure to hop on if you see me so I'm not talking to myself. I do enough of that as it is. :P



Our first night is being spent in a castle in Montrose on the east coast and we've rented a car so we're going to hit up Doune Castle in Stirling which was used as Castle Leoch, the MacKenzie Castle and I believe also Monty Python and Game of Thrones.


Then onto Drummond Castle Gardens near Crieff. The gardens are supposed to be absolutely spectacular and were used as the location for "The Gardens of Versailles" in Outlander. 

After that we'll stop in Perth and then onto Falkland which was used as the filming location for Inverness in Outlander. We'll most likely have lunch here and check out the village square.See you soon!Rae

Calling all Audiobook Lovers! COOKIES, CORPSES AND THE DEADLY HAUNT is now available in audiobook!  To kick off THIS NEW audiobook release, I’m giving away 40 FREE copies U.S only this round ($20 value each).How do you enter? 1. Join my mailing list2. Follow my author page on FacebookOnce you're done. Message MY AUTHOR PAGE so I can send you the code.Stay tuned for more book news. Cheers!Rae

Calling all Audiobook Lovers! GYPSIES, TRAPS & MISSING THIEVES is now available in audiobook! To kick off my FIRST EVER audiobook release, I’m giving away 20 FREE copies U.S only this round ($20 value each).How do you enter? Pick one or all three.1. Follow me on BookBub.2. Join my mailing list3. Follow my author page on FacebookOnce you're done. Message me your email so I can send you the code. Already on my newsletter, Facebook & BookBub? No worries.If you’re already a super fan. Just share, and/or tag a friend on this FB Post. Once you're done. Message or comment with your email so I can send you the code.Stay tuned for more book news. Did someone say new release this weekend?Cheers!Rae

Grab Rachael Stapleton's Latest ���Paranormal Cozy, MAKE-BELIEVES & LOST MEMORIES for just $2.99 Today or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. ���
Feisty Fortune Teller Extraordinaire Nana Vianu says the answer is in the cards. How right she is!Nana���s granddaughter, Mallory Vianu, is busy hosting a blogging conference at Caravan Manor when she hears back from a local historian who���s translated the fifty-five-year-old diary Mallory found in the manor���s attic; the translation uncovers information about a set of original tarot cards Mallory���s great-grandmother, a Roma witch-wife, used to divine the future. Unfortunately, unlike her powerful relative, Mallory doesn���t see what���s coming next. With two lethal murders connected to the manor, the Vianu girls must put their paranormal skills to the test. While hosting breakout sessions and parties for writers, digital creatives, and influencers, they mus take clues from a ghost and search for their greatest treasure yet. But the closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to a killer, someone who looks a lot more like one of them than they realized.
���BOOK One: GYPSIES, TRAPS & THIEVES is also just $2.99 Today or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. ���
#KindleUnlimited #CozyMystery #ParanormalCozy #Treasure #Roma #Gypsy #Influencer #digitalcreative 
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Believes-Memories-Bohemian-Murder-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07BMK2QTD/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Grab Rachael Stapleton's Latest ​Paranormal Cozy, MAKE-BELIEVES & LOST MEMORIES for just $2.99 Today or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. ​
Feisty Fortune Teller Extraordinaire Nana Vianu says the answer is in the cards. How right she is!Nana’s granddaughter, Mallory Vianu, is busy hosting a blogging conference at Caravan Manor when she hears back from a local historian who’s translated the fifty-five-year-old diary Mallory found in the manor’s attic; the translation uncovers information about a set of original tarot cards Mallory’s great-grandmother, a Roma witch-wife, used to divine the future. Unfortunately, unlike her powerful relative, Mallory doesn’t see what’s coming next. With two lethal murders connected to the manor, the Vianu girls must put their paranormal skills to the test. While hosting breakout sessions and parties for writers, digital creatives, and influencers, they mus take clues from a ghost and search for their greatest treasure yet. But the closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to a killer, someone who looks a lot more like one of them than they realized.
​BOOK One: GYPSIES, TRAPS & THIEVES is also just $2.99 Today or FREE in Kindle Unlimited. ​
#KindleUnlimited #CozyMystery #ParanormalCozy #Treasure #Roma #Gypsy #Influencer #digitalcreative 
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Believes-Memories-Bohemian-Murder-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07BMK2QTD/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Confessions of a Red Herring (A Red Herring Mystery) by Dana Dratch
About the Book
Confessions of a Red Herring (A Red Herring Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Kensington (May 29, 2018) Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages ISBN-13: 978-1496716569 Digital ASIN: B075C8FDT5

As a reporter, she���s used to covering the news. Now she���s the headline.Alex Vlodnachek has been a reporter for 12 years, a P.R. rep for three months, and a murder suspect for all of 24 hours. When her agency's double-dealing CEO is stabbed, scheming co-workers cast the new redhead as a compelling red herring. The story is media catnip���especially her salacious nickname: Vlod the Impaler.Even Alex has to admit she looks guilty.Out of a job and under suspicion, Alex is running low on cash, when she���s visited by a second disaster: her family. Soon her tiny bungalow is bursting with her nearest and not-so-dearest. To keep herself out of jail���and save what���s left of her sanity���Alex returns to her reporting roots. She goes undercover to reclaim her life, break the story, and unmask a murderer. Pretty much in that order.What she doesn���t know: The killer also has a to-do list. And Alex is on it.

Review
Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch is the first book in the new cozy A Red Herring Mystery series where ex-reporter Alex Vlodnachek gets framed for murder when the CEO turns up dead. All eyes land on Alex as the one who's done the deed which I didn't find was really explained up front. This gets her fired from her job (unfairly in my opinion) and so out of a job and under suspicion, Alex is running low on cash, when she���s visited by a second disaster: her family. Soon her tiny bungalow is bursting with her nearest and not-so-dearest. To keep herself out of jail���and save what���s left of her sanity���Alex returns to her reporting roots. She goes undercover to reclaim her life (cleaning toilets, no less), breaks the story, and unmasks the murderer. So what did I think? Excellent question. When I started the book, I though it suffered Fred Flintstone syndrome which basically means everything was going wrong for this poor girl and it was frustrating me beyond belief. It definitely sagged in the middle too but if you hang in there, the book redeems itself with the help of the main character's brother (Nick), friend (Trip), and grandmother (Baba). You can���t beat a spunky old lady with frying pans. I'm looking for the next book in the series.

About the AuthorDana Dratch is a former newspaper reporter and current personal finance writer. When she's not finishing Seeing Red���the next Alex Vlodnachek mystery���you'll spot her byline on a host of top news sites. You can learn more about her mysteries at ConfessionsofaRedHerring.com.Purchase Links Amazon B&N Kobo Google Play BookBub a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 28 ��� Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, GUEST POST
  May 29 ��� The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
  May 29 ��� Rosepoint Publishing ��� REVIEW
  May 30 ��� The Ninja Librarian - REVIEW, GUEST POST
  May 30 ��� A Holland Reads ��� REVIEW
  May 31 ��� Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog - CHARACTER INTERVIEW
  May 31 ��� Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book ��� REVIEW
  June 1 ��� Cozy Up With Kathy - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
  June 1 ��� Teresa Trent Author Blog ��� SPOTLIGHT
  June 2 ��� MJB Reviewers - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
  June 2 ��� The Montana Bookaholic - CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 3 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews ��� REVIEW
  June 3 - Babs Book Bistro ��� REVIEW 
June 4 ��� Bibliophile Reviews ��� REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
  June 4 ��� Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews ��� REVIEW
  June 5 ��� The Self-Rescue Princess ��� CHARACTER INTERVIEW
  June 5 ��� My Reading Journeys - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
  June 6 ��� Island Confidential ��� SPOTLIGHT
  June 6 ��� Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
  June 7 ��� Book Club Librarian ��� REVIEW
  June 7 ��� Mysteries with Character ��� REVIEW
  June 8 ��� A Blue Million Books ��� GUEST POST
June 8 ��� StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW
  June 9 ��� Brooke Blogs - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
  June 9 ��� Reading Is My SuperPower ��� REVIEW
  June 10 ��� The Mysterious Inkspot ��� REVIEW
  June 10 ��� Laura's Interests ��� CHARACTER GUEST POST   


 

#blogger, #blogtour, #bookblog, #bookblogger, #bookbond, #BookConnector, #bookgiveaway, #netgalley #cozy #mystery @KensingtonBooks #DanaDratch