It is my pleasure to welcome Susanne Leist on my blog today.

BLOG POST:

MY ADVICE FOR NEW AUTHORS

The best advice to a new author is to have everything in place before your book is published. Blogs and online accounts must be opened and ready for business. The book’s publication shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone but an anticipated event. I learned the painful way from experience. 

Outskirts Press, a self-publishing company, sent an email stating my book was published on Amazon and Barnes & Noble with no prior warning. I hurried to check my Amazon page. The Dead Game sat on a blank page with no book or author description, the same for B & N. I raced against the clock to write a summary and author bio. It was months before I was able to sit back and take a breath. After that earth-shattering day in September, I decided never to leave myself unprepared.

My learning process evolves daily; there’s no rest for the weary author. My earliest posts appeared on Twitter, Facebook, and Google. Since then, I’ve added sites to my repertoire, including Pinterest, Instagram, and author groups. The author sites I’ve found most useful are Rave Reviews Book Club, All Author, and Authors Den. I opened blogs on Tumblr, BlogSpot, and WordPress blogs. In the beginning, I wrote poetry for my blogs and tweets as a way to market my books. Over time, poetry has evolved from a mere tool to one of my favorite passions.

A website is another essential marketing tool for authors. It should serve as the central hub for an author’s books. Mine hasn’t achieved its goal yet since I chose WIX, which is hard to use. It’s crucial to pick a user-friendly website. Newsletters are also essential to an author’s survival as a way to keep in touch with readers. 

The most useful advice I can offer an author is to do your research and be prepared. You must keep writing and never doubt yourself.

AUTHOR BIO:

@SusanneLeist
#RRBC#RRBCSA

I have always loved to read. Agatha Christie, Alistair Maclean, Robert Ludlum, and other authors filled my young imagination with intrigue and mystery. When I wasn’t reading late into the night, the TV shows such as Murder She Wrote and Columbo, entertained me with murder and suspense tales.

Over the years, my taste in TV expanded to include such shows as Supernatural and The Originals. I searched for paranormal, murder mysteries, but found few at the library or bookstore. So, I wrote one.

The Dead Game, Book One of The Dead Game series, brings fantasy and surrealism to the classic murder mystery with dead bodies, suspects, and clues. It offers vampires, vampire derivatives, and a touch of romance to spice the motley mix.

The story continues in Book Two, Prey for The Dead, as The Dead vampires use an exclusive club in Disney World to infiltrate the rich and famous. As The Dead grow in power, not even the bright sunshine of Florida can weaken them. Linda and her friends join forces with human vampires–known as hybrids–to defeat the evil threatening to control Oasis. A masquerade ball and a romp through the tunnels beneath the town lead to a showdown in southern Florida’s swamps.

The Dead At Heart is Shana’s love story. Will her love for William strengthen, or will Sam lead her on a different path? At Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, Shana and her fearless friends fight for Oasis and their lives.

A career in writing has been a giant leap for me. Accustomed to the number-crunching field of budgeting and the hectic commodity markets, I left my first career and M.B.A. in Finance behind to pursue my dream. I do not regret my foray into literature for one moment. Fellow authors helped me make my way through the competitive field. I write every day and even tried my hand at poetry. If someone tells you it’s too late in life to try something different, they are wrong. It is never too late to follow your heart.

BOOK ON TOUR:

THE DEAD AT HEART 

William’s bite bonded Shana to him, but he didn’t ask her to mate with him for life. She isn’t ready for a lifetime commitment. Now, William excludes her from his vampire meetings. Shana understands he’s an original vampire with immense powers. For them to be a couple, he has to treat as an equal partner. If William doesn’t respect her, then what are their chances of finding happiness?

Shana speaks to Linda, her best friend, of her fears.

“Paradise is an illusion.” Shana’s face grows heated as her frustration mounts. “Oasis is a haven for vampires. I’m tired of their battles. The Watchers get rid of an evil group of vamps, and another group arrives and attacks. It’s a vicious cycle. Vampires are trouble.”

“We will have a happy ending.” Linda lifts her head. “Don’t lose faith. The Watchers will protect us, and Gregg has an elite force of original vampires.” She touches Shana’s arm. “William loves you; he won’t let something happen to you.”

“The vampires keep secrets from us.” Shana swallows the lump in her throat. “I don’t want to live with vamps anymore, and I need time to decide on my relationship with William. One minute, I’m suffocating, and then the next, I’m lost without him.”

As a new enemy descends on Oasis, Florida, Shana turns to Sheriff Sam, who broke her heart. Can she trust the human-vampire?

This begins Shana’s journey to fight vampires and werewolves with Sam at her side.

An explosion at Chateau Frontenac in Quebec doesn’t stop Shana and her friends from saving their town, and maybe even the world.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter handle:  @SusanneLeist

Facebook URL:  https://www.facebook.com/susanne.leist.98

Website address:  https://www.susanneleist.com/

Thank you for supporting RRBC’s “SPOTLIGHT” Author!  If you’d like to follow along with each stop of this tour, please check out our “SPOTLIGHT” Author forum on the RRBC site.