The Enlightenment by Victoria Raikel

“This is a story that everyone should read. It tells of how only nine days and one person can change your world into a better place. And, I ask you, if one person can make such a dramatic change for the better, can you imagine what ten, one hundred, or one thousand people could do?”

Enter the magical world of Azar—a lush and fantastical landscape filled with all sorts of magical creatures and sights beyond your wildest imagination.  For centuries, Azar has been getting visitors from other planets and their latest is an Earthling. The Enlightenment (June 2024, ISBN: 979-8324902551) by Victoria Raikel is a new middle grade novel that follows Tom, a lawyer from California, who is suddenly dropped into the middle of Azar and all its curiosities. 

Luckily for him, Azar’s welcome crew knows just how to show visitors all of the delights their land has to offer! Together, Emilie the beautiful super-strong fairy, Dracodian the fastest dragon in Azar, and Nala the magical winged white tiger help Tom adjust to Azar for his 9-day visit. Young readers will join Tom as he’s mystified by his tour of Azar. He meets adorable characters with big personalities like Bakari The Emperor Cat, The Mermaids of Meridien, the mystical Unicorns and the joyous Wuzzlies that will hop, jump and sing their way into your hearts.

Tom also begins to notice that Azar is very different from Earth. While Azar’s skies are blue and the ocean waters pristine, Earth suffers from things like pollution, poaching, and global warming. Tom feels the way many of us do about the environment; he wants to help but isn’t sure where to start on such a big problem. With the help of Azar’s “Three Golden Rules” and a little Azarian magic, Tom learns how much a difference he can make.

Within the folds of this narrative lies a timeless lesson – the magic we seek is often found within our own hearts. With imaginative characters and gorgeous illustrations, The Enlightenment teaches readers about one of the toughest problems the Earth is facing and how they, too, can play their part in creating a future where our planet finds harmony once more.

The Enlightenment
By Victoria Raikel
Publication Date: June 2024
ISBN: 979-8324902551
Original Trade Paperback | Hardcover | eBook
Price: $18.99 | Pages: 208

Blue Wild Indigo by James Jennings

A love triangle, the consequences of war, and a social time bomb in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision declaring segregation in schools unconstitutional. These are the foundational conflicts that make Blue Wild Indigo (ISBN: 979-8-9907945-0-4; November 15, 2024, $16.99, Original Trade Paperback) by James Jennings an epic novel, spanning two tumultuous decades in rural Oklahoma. Jennings expertly crafts tense scenes that threaten to boil over if not for the thin layer of restraint his characters are able to maintain. All the while the author poses a fundamental question:  How far will one man go for justice?

As early as his teen years Harry True knew that Bliss was the girl he was meant to marry.  When the draft board called in 1942, Harry left for Europe with a promise from his love that gave him the strength to survive when he was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Harry was finally able to return to Oklahoma, a bruised but not yet broken man. However, he was dismayed and angered to find out that his best friend and blood brother had taken Harry’s intended bride as his own.  

Harry and Bliss were destined to be together, and they were unable to fight their connection once he returned.  They often escaped to a secret trysting place only a couple of people knew existed.  When Woody Coats, a young Black man from their town, was blamed for the rape of a Mexican girl, Harry and Bliss were the only two people who could prove his innocence. They saw him miles away from the scene of the crime while they were in the midst of their affair. As the real perpetrators managed to throw the blame on Woody, Bliss and Harry were devastated by their choices—destroy their lives and those of the people they loved or allow citizen justice to mete out a vicious punishment to an innocent man.

James Jennings has deep roots in Oklahoma and uses his extensive knowledge of horsemanship and ranching to bring the dry and rocky terrain, hot sun, dusty air, and tremendous colors of the prairie to life. His ability to capture both setting and character so well gives Blue Wild Indigo a richness that, according to award-winning author Charles Salzberg, “is steeped in the tradition of Southern and Southwestern writers like Larry McMurtry and Harper Lee.”  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Jennings is a writer and trial lawyer. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. He is a fifth-generation Oklahoman and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. His ancestors traveled west on the Trail of Tears to what is now known as the Sooner State. He is descended from tribal chiefs, warriors, ranchers, horse breeders, scholars, lawyers, judges, and men of the cloth.  Blue Wild Indigo is his third novel.

Blue Wild Indigo
A novel by James Jennings
Plum Bay Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-9907945-0-4
Original Trade Paperback
Price: $17.99 | Pages: 367

Fighting For Your Marriage by Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, Galena K. Rhoades, & Janice R. Levine

“It’s rare that a scientifically verified program is actually so successful.  This book is a must read for anyone interested in helping or understanding relationships.”

John Gottman, author of Fight Right

“Make it safe to connect. Decide don’t slide. Do your part.” These are the three keys the authors of Fighting for Your Marriage: Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Building a Lasting Love (Jossey-Bass; September 11, 2024, 978-1-3942202-9-8; Trade Paperback) have used to help millions of people live better and happier lives with their partners.   

Since 2020 there have been many changes in how we live.  One of the most fundamental differences is how both online dating and job mobility have provided opportunities to meet and fall in love with partners who come from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and more.  This has added new dynamics to solving conflicts, and it is common for partners to fight about issues without coming to comfortable resolutions they can work on together.  Fighting For Your Marriage contains research-based strategies and tools for averting heated, destructive arguments while increasing mutual understanding and closeness,

Some of the new challenges Fighting for Your Marriage can help couples navigate are:

  • Strongly divided political views: Political differences between partners can cause tension and distance. It doesn’t have to be that way. 
  • Major differences in cultural backgrounds: Partners may have different holiday, food and meal customs that create stress at family gatherings and burden their relationship.
  • Power and love imbalances and asymmetrical relationships: When one person is more invested in the relationship than the other, a relationship faces many threats – that can be overcome.
  • Social media and digital habits: Couples learn to deal with conflicts over how much time is spent on social media or what is shared. 
  • How to keep love, fun, friendship and sex alive at any age or stage in a relationship: In a world rife with international crises and economic stress, relationships suffer from the loss of renewal that comes from positive times together. 

Fighting For Your Marriage is full of examples of couples and conflicts as well as thoughtful questions for discussion and resources at the end of each chapter.  The book makes it possible for people to learn how to approach their partners and make positive changes without having to contemplate the last resort options of separation and divorce.

Fighting for Your Marriage
Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Building a Lasting Love
By Howard J. Markman, Scott M. Stanley, Galena K. Rhoades, and Janice R. Levine
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (a division of Wiley)
Publication Date: September 11, 2024
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-3942202-9-8
Original Trade
Price: $25
352 pp

Publishing Basics Indies Should Know

Today there are millions of books published every year.  Everyone has access to the tools to publish.  However, if you don’t know how to use them properly, you could lose money and time.  For the next few weeks we will provide information on publishing basics and other tricks of the trade you need to know.

Choosing a Publishing Method

Writers have many choices when it comes to selecting a publishing method.  They can:

  1. Query agents to get presented to traditional publishers
  2. Submit directly to indie presses that accept unsolicited submissions
  3. Partner with a hybrid publisher that will handle all of the details, but writers help pay the costs of production
  4. Self-publish through Amazon, Book Baby, Ingram Spark, or Lulu
  5. Self-publish using their own editing/design team and upload the title to selling platforms on their own

Publishing Basics

No matter how you choose to publish, you will save time and money by remembering a few publishing basics.

Editing:

There are three major types of editing, Developmental, Copyediting/Line editing, and Proofreading.

  • Developmental is what helps put the book together into a cohesive narrative with a rich plot and characters.
  • Generally, copyediting is for making sure the narrative is consistent, gramatically correct, and that there are no glaring mistakes. It’s jarring to read a book with a protagonist named David, and then later he is referred to as Daniel, oops.  It happens.
  • Proofreading is for catching those typos, commas, double words, missed words, and other smaller details.

Cost: $30 – $75/hr, depending on the type of editing.  You will find editors earning much more, but your can find legitimate help at more reasonable price points.

Design:

Jackets are designed with a front cover first and then a full spread to wrap around the pages.  Interiors are also designed and digitally typeset.  If you have a table of contents, your interior designer will help paginate correctly.  Some people try to use AI tools to generate jackets.  There are also tools on Ingram Spark and Kindle Direct Publishing that can help you DIY.

Cost: Jackets $750 and up; Interior $1,000 and up depending on the length of the book and how complex the interior is.  If you do your own research you may find less expensive designers for different genres.  Then there is Fiverr, but that’s a mixed bag.

Copyright page: 

Please go to the bookstore or your shelves, and look at the interiors of other books published by traditional companies.  Copy their format so your page looks professional.  Sign up for an identifier with the Library of Congress (LOC) so a librarian will know how to shelve the book.

Cost: Free.  You do not have to pay for an LOC number and researching format will only cost you time.

Other publishing basics include getting ISBNs and bar codes for printed books.  Everything you need to know about these things you can find at Bowker.

Compare your book to the ones that catch your eye in a bookstore, so you know your book presents a professional package.  All titles require publishing basics and if writers decide to skip them, book buyers will know.

For more information on How to Publish check out our blog page and search “publishing” and “self-publishing”

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain

Maximizing Your Reach: Boosting Posts on Instagram & Facebook

If you are looking for ways to increase your reach on social media, boosting posts on Facebook and Instagram can be the easiest way to start out. Knowing how to effectively use these features can help you connect with a larger audience. 

Boosting posts is a paid promotional option available on both Facebook and Instagram. It allows you to increase the visibility of your post beyond the typical organic reach. This ensures it will reach a larger and more targeted audience than just those that follow you. Boosting is a simpler process than running a traditional ad campaign on social media and can be done directly from the post itself. As long as you have a professional Instagram account or a Facebook page you can get started with boosting.

Choosing the Right Post to Boost

Before learning how to boost, you need to understand which kinds of posts are most beneficial to boost. Here are some options:

  • High Engagement: Boost a post that already has high engagement through likes, comments, and shares. These posts will likely perform even better when promoted.
  • Valuable Content: Choose a post that offers value to your audience. This can look like promotions, announcements, or even just engaging content or information of value to a specific audience.
  • Clear Call-to-Action: A post with a clear call to action, such as “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up,” can lead to more meaningful content interactions that will help you achieve multiple goals

Setting Your Preferences

Once you choose which post you are going to boost, click the “Boost Post” button below the posted image. First you’ll need to choose your objective from the boost. Essentially, what do you want people to do when they see your ad? Prompt them to your profile if you are looking for more brand awareness or followers. Choose website visits if you are looking to drive more traffic to your website and have the audience learn more about your business. Choose other goals like engagement, messages, or calls if you are looking to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Some of these goals are available on Instagram, while some are only available on Facebook. On Facebook, you can also choose to add a button to the post that will supplement your goal by directing users to another page.

Next you’ll need to define your target audience. This will ensure your post reaches the right users. You can use an automatic audience  curated via the suggested algorithm, but we suggest you create your own based on specific preferences for this post. Think about your target audience and choose various locations, interests, and age ranges that you think apply. It will let you know the estimated audience size and if you need to add more or less information to the set.

Lastly, you’ll need to decide on a budget. The more you spend the more reach your post will supposedly get, but that doesn’t mean you need to go above your budget. We typically recommend starting out by boosting $5-$10 per day for about a week and see where it gets you. 

Monitor & Adjust

Once your post is boosted, keep an eye on its performance and adjust your next post accordingly. Track your engagement and insights to assess how well your post is resonating with the audience and how well you met your original post objective. Based on this data, adjust your content, objective, targeting, or budget for your next post to improve results. Boosting posts is all about experimentation and discovering what works best for your brand and your audience. 

Check out these blogs to get started on your social media marketing strategy and making effective content.

Creating Your Social Media Plan – (clairemckinneypr.com)

Elevating Your Social Media Graphics: Using Canva Like a Pro – Claire McKinney Public Relations, LLC (clairemckinneypr.com)