Welcome Guest Author -- Cherish D'Angelo

Note: Today we welcome guest author, Cherish D'Angelo, who will be telling us about her new "Cherish the Romance" Virtual Book Tour, which launches the romantic suspense book, Lancelot's Lady.


1. Cherish, you’re a big believer in VBTs (Virtual Book Tours). Tell us what they are and why they work for you.

A virtual book tour (also known as a virtual blog tour, online book tour, online blog tour, VBT and more) is just like a physical book tour, only instead of me traveling across country visiting bookstores and libraries, I travel the internet and make guest appearances on blogs or websites. Online tours are successful because an author can reach larger numbers of readers more easily, without leaving the comfort of home.

VBTs work for me because they're affordable and time efficient. I'm not spending hours traveling across city or beyond. I don't have to spend gas money, or money on flights and hotels. Instead, I find great blogs to visit, ones I know readers will enjoy checking out. If readers leave comments or questions, I can chat with them just as though I'm in a bookstore with them. Sure it's not a face-to-face meeting, but I've gotten to know some great people via the internet.

Best of all, everyone wins. Readers get more information than they would if they met me in a bookstore. My hosts get a bit more traffic and new visitors. And hopefully I'll sell some books in the process so I can keep doing what I love.

2. You’re entering a new genre—Romantic Suspense—with Lancelot’s Lady. Why did you decide to shift gears? How hard was it? Why the pen name?

I decided to switch genres when I heard about a contest that Textnovel.com was sponsoring. They had partnered with Dorchester Publishing to host the "Next Best Celler" romance writing contest. I'd been interested in Dorchester for a while and I thought maybe this would be my way "in". So I entered the contest.

I tossed around the idea of starting a new romance novel, but was drawn to an old manuscript I'd hidden away on my computer for 7 years. It was titled Reflections. I hated that title and immediately thought of "Lancelot's Lady". I re-read the first few chapters and recalled all the major plot points, but I knew I'd be starting from scratch. Every few days I submitted 500 words more of the story to Textnovel. I didn't win, but Lancelot's Lady did place in the semi-finals.

Very soon into it, I realized that there was going to be some major twists and one of them included adding a blackmailing, sadistic private investigator who sets his sights on Rhianna. That's when I knew for sure it would change from a contemporary romance to a romantic suspense. Since I'm used to writing suspense (and YA) under my other pen name (Cheryl Kaye Tardif), this segue came naturally.

I changed my name to Cherish D'Angelo for two main reasons. I was switching genres and that meant a slightly different target audience. And since I have teens reading my other novels, I wanted to separate the more adult writing of Cherish D'Angelo.

3. Your new book is debuting in ebook format only. What does that mean? Why did you decide to do an ebook? Who is your publisher? If it is self-published, please tell us about some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into a self-publicized ebook.

Yes, Lancelot's Lady is debuting only in ebook format. For now. Readers will be able to read it on their PC, laptop, and select ereaders and smartphones. My agent is also pitching it to publishers for a possible print deal. When Lancelot's Lady placed in the semi-finals of the "Next Best Celler" contest, I realized that I had something solid. I spent many months tweaking the story, had it critiqued and edited by others and then made the decision to release it myself as an ebook.

The publisher is Imajin Books, my own imprint. I actually licensed the artwork and designed the cover myself and am very happy with it. I had to format the interior pages specifically to the guidelines of each publisher (Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords) and upload all files. This takes some knowledge, but I've been formatting my books for years.

Publishing your own ebook really isn't very difficult, once you know what you're doing. I recommend all authors with backlists or older titles they haven't sold look into this; they can make money from those works rather than keep them in a drawer or computer file.

4. Whale Song has 61 reviews on Amazon. Did you do anything to encourage your readers to share their opinions in a review format?

There are some reviewers whose opinions I respect, so to get my novel in front of them is one of my goals. I always send out ARCs of print books and ebooks. More recently, I experimented with a new contest in which I asked readers to submit reviews of any of my books they'd read. HONEST reviews! I didn't care if they were 1 star or 5 star. I learn something from every review. Only a few people participated in this contest.

Some people submitted reviews on their own, without me suggesting it or having any contact with them prior to their review. Sometimes a fan will email me and tell me how much they enjoyed Whale Song, and I'll then ask them to consider posting a short review. I truly value every review I've received.

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Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers.


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You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her "Cherish the Romance" Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

If you have a question for Cherish, please leave a comment.

PRIZE DRAWS and FREE EBOOK

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

CONTEST WINNER

The winner of the "name the raven" Contest last Monday was Bookwoman. Please email me at joannaslan@aol.com with a mailing address so I can get your prize in the mail to you.