M. A. Clarke Scott Local Author Book Signing – North Shore Writers’ Festival 2018

North Shore Writers Festival 2018 banner

North Shore Writers’ Festival Book Fair

M. A. Clarke Scott author bookshelf titles women's fiction

I’ll be at the book fair as part of the 2018 North Shore Writers’ Festival hosted by the West Vancouver Memorial Library this year, all day on April 21st from 11-4. Come down and say hello, chat about books, and if you like, buy an autographed copy of one of my books. I’m sure you’ll see many other favourite local authors there with me. I’ll be there Friday as well, partaking in keynote addresses and author panel discussions like the book nerd that I am.

For more info about the festival, schedule and events, go to their website.

authors M. A. Clarke Scott with Jackie Bateman, Donna Barker and Lawrence Verigin at Chapters Indigo Granville and Broadway in Vancouver

Chapters Indigo Signing Update

On March 10th, along with my fellow North Shore authors Jackie Bateman, Donna Barker and Lawrence Verigin, we had a lovely afternoon signing books and chatting with shoppers. Here’s a photo of us by the front door at Granville and Broadway in Vancouver.

If you’d like to check out their books, click the links to Amazon to read more:

Jackie Bateman Nondescript Rambunctious

Donna Barker Mother Teresa’s Advice for Jilted Lovers

Lawrence Verigin Seed of Control: Generations to Execute

NVCL/NSWA Writing with Writers Workshop – North Vancouver City Library, February 7, 2018

NVCL/NSWA Writing with Writers Workshop –

North Vancouver City Library, February 7, 2018 7:00 – 8:30pm

 

I’ll be teaching a writing workshop on Romance writing to the public in February, jointly sponsored by the North Shore City Library and the North Shore Writers’ Association. Perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day. Here’s the promotional blurb:

Romance Writing: The Power of that Dynamic Allure

Presented by Mary Ann Clarke Scott

 

Have you ever wondered how romance fiction differs from other genres? Or what’s going on in a romance novel besides kissing? Have you ever wondered if you could be the next Nora Roberts? Then this workshop is for you.

 

Chatelaine Grand Prize winner and NSWA member, Mary Ann Clarke Scott, will guide us through the writer’s contract with the reader. We’ll examine the roles of the Heroine and Hero in this character dominant genre, and look at the internal emotional character arcs.

 

Bring pen and paper, or laptop, and be prepared to join in, as Mary Ann Clarke Scott, challenges, educates, and inspires the amorous spirit in all of us.

 


 

Come out for an evening of hands-on writing instruction and learn some key facts about writing romance and women’s fiction. “Friends of the Library” serve wine, and it’s a great opportunity to meet me in person, and to buy print copies of my books. I’ll even sign yours if you do!

 

 

 

Nominate Disruption by Design on Kindle Scout

Nominate Disruption by Design on Kindle Scout

Kindle Scout Campaign

My forthcoming new novel, Disruption by Design has been up on Kindle Scout since November 10th. To date, I’ve had 1336 page views, though Amazon doesn’t report how many nominations the book has. It did manage to hit the Hot and Trending list for seven hours in its first couple of days live. I’m hoping it makes it back there near the end of its month on December 10th.

Disruption by Design is Book 2 in the Having it All series, about professional 30-something women in Vancouver struggling to balance the challenge and fulfillment of their career with their search for love, family and home. It follows Bruce and Alexa, the best friends of Simon and Kate from Reconcilable Differences. – p.s. Eventually most of the key characters in Reconcilable Differences will get their own story (yes, I already know what happens, more or less!)

 

Cover of Disruption by Design by M A Clarke Scott author

What is the price of sacrifice, when love is the prize?

Alexa is a gifted architect. She grew up watching her mother pay a heavy price for love, at the loss of her freedom, her creativity and her identity – a price Alexa swore she would never pay. She spent her youth helping her working mom take care of their home, her sick father and her six younger siblings. Now nothing will stand in the way of her success.

Bruce has success in spades. He lives a life of leisure after selling his software company for millions. But money can’t buy the thing he desires most, and was deprived of as a child when his mother left him and his three older brothers in the care if his bullying dad- the love and nurturing of a woman, a comfortable home and a family of his own.

 

 

Although behind the scenes analysis of Kindle Scout results in few conclusions (see my 2016 Kindle Scout campaign analysis here), it’s generally held to be important to Amazon that a healthy percentage of your page views and nominations come in from external links. This round, I’m not doing so well, with only sixty out of those 1336 that could be attributable to my own marketing efforts, a mere four percent. You can help bump up this percentage!

Click here to check it out and if you like it, please Nominate it. And then share the link with other avid readers, too.

My impression is that, like every other tool and strategy available to independent authors, Kindle Scout has changed very rapidly in the last couple of years. Not one thing in this industry sits static very long, which is why authors and publishers need to continue to be light-of-foot and constantly monitoring and learning. Although not universally true, it seems to me more experienced, not-first-time authors are using Kindle Scout as a launching platform, in order to get more visibility for books they plan to release themselves in the near future. As I am.

It’s not that Amazon doesn’t still pick up the occasional book out of the enourmous public slush pile that Kindle Scout nominees represent. (For those not familiar, a “slush pile” is that huge pile of mostly unsolicited manuscripts most traditional publishers and agents have to dig and weed through to find that one jewel of a book that excites them enough to represent it.) But those odds never were very good. Whether traditional or new-age, it’s pretty hard to predict what next book which capture the public’s imagination.

Rejection Letter Peanuts cartoon

 

Click here to check it out and if you like it, please Nominate it. And then share the link with other avid readers, too.

Thank you!

 

 

Other places you can follow me

Booksprout LogoBy the way, I’ve discovered a fantastic new book platform. It’s another great way for readers and authors to find each other. It helps authors get Advance Reader Copies out to hungry readers in exchange for reviews. You can now hear about my new releases and deals in the Booksprout app.

Follow me in the Booksprout app!

Just download it, search for “M A Clarke Scott” and click follow! (Hint: In addition to my planned new release, I have another special offer coming up soon. See if you can find it!) Get the free Booksprout app →

Don’t forget Instagram

When not diligently editing the manuscript for Disruption by Design, I mostly hang out on Instagram these days if I’m spending time on social media. I guess I just like the visuals there, and the quick text-like bites of commentary, as well as the generally positive environment (unlike some platforms these days.) If you want to see all the photos I’ve posted (yes, there are some of my cats and what I’ve been cooking or eating) including travel and events and books, follow me here!

The Art of Enchantment: FREE Sept 1-3 on Amazon

The Art of Enchantment: FREE Sept 1-3 on Amazon

The Art of Enchantment book cover
Below see my latest Book Bubble on Bublish to read another tempting sample from this Chatelaine Grand Prize winning, Reader’s Favorite Five Star, Romantic Women’s Fiction novel. Or click the link above to see my author profile and read all my book bubbles. Then browse other authors and read theirs too!

 

Author Book Signing at Indigo Marine Drive – Today!

Poster regarding North Shore Authors signing books at Chapters Indigo Marine Drive in North Vancouver, BC, Canada, Including M A Clarke Scott, Alexander Boldizar, Lawrence Verigin, Jackie Bateman, 1pm . PST, prize draw free books & gift card

Meet North Shore Authors Today!

Four award-winning North Shore authors, including  Jackie Bateman, Lawrence Verigin and Alexander and myself, will be at Chapters Indigo on Marine Drive in North Vancouver today, Saturday, June 10th from 1pm to 5pm.

On the North Shore, or just looking for something to do with friends or family this weekend? Drop in and meet the authors. Better yet, if you’re an avid reader or already a fan, this is a great opportunity to buy books. Get them signed by the authors, and enter a draw! Support your local talent.

Lawrence Verigin, author of Dark Seed, winner of the 2014 Chanticleer CLUE Thriller Award, the 2015 Eric Hoffer Award, and more, as well as the sequel Seeds of Control, 2016 Chanticleer CLUE Thriller Award for Eco/Natural Resources.

Jackie Bateman, National Book Winner in Canada for first book Nondescript Rambuncious, and it’s sequel Savour, shortlisted for the 2015 Relit Awards,

Alexander Boldizar, author of The Ugly, 2015 Chanticleer BEST BOOK Award, the SOMERSET Prize for Literary Fiction, 2016 Indie Lit finalist in both Literary and Humour, NGIBA winner (and more).

M A Clarke Scott (that’s me!), author of The Art of Enchantment, Grand Prize winner of the Chanticleer CHATELAINE Prize for Romance and Women’s Fiction, and Reconcilable Differences, Book 1 in the Having it All series.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to chat with local authors one-on-one, ask them questions about their books. What inspires them? What are they working on right now? And what does that bizarre, drawn out metaphor really mean?! Or just share the love.

Visitors can pick up a “Reading Passport” when they arrive. Make sure you stop to meet all four authors. Get them to autograph your passport, then enter to win one book from each author plus a $40 Indigo gift card.

See you there!

Short Listed for the Chatelaine Book Award

Chatelaine Book Awards for Romantic Fiction 2016 Finalist

CAC 17 logo Chanticleer Authors Conference Bellingham WA

I’m excited to announce that two (2!) of my manuscripts are finalist for the 2016 Chatelaine Book Award for Romantic Fiction. Check the full list of finalists here. Congratulations to all the finalists, for both the Chatelaine, and the other writing prizes sponsored by Chanticleer Book Reviews.

This is the same prize that my unpublished manuscript, A Dissimulation of Doves won First in Category in 2014. That book, and its Chanticleer review, have not yet been released, as I’m mulling over some important revisions before I let it go out into the world. 🙂

I skipped a year, and then sent in two books last fall. The first is my published novel, Reconcilable Differences, which I later entered in a separate contest, the Somerset Award for Literary/Contemporary, since that’s where the subcategory for Women’ Fiction now lives. Since the book rides the line between Romance and WF, we’ll see how that goes.

New Book Release Scheduled for Spring

In the Chatelaine Book Award contest, Reconcilable Differences competes against thirty-four other manuscripts or books, including my own unpublished manuscript, The Art of Enchantment. The Art of Enchantment is scheduled for release in March of this year, just in time for the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Award Banquet. Hopefully I’ll have reason to celebrate, but given my experience in 2015, it’s an amazing, rich conference and I’ll be enjoying myself mingling with hundreds of other fascinating authors.

 

Friends toasting with champagne glasses

 

Books on the Bay Book Festival and Author Signing

If you’re attending the conference or live in the Bellingham, WA area, you’ll be one of the first able to pick up a print copy of the book at the Books by the Bay book festival.

It’s also my plan to release Book 2 in the Having it All series, Coming About, released in time for the Chanticleer conference. Very soon I’ll have cover reveals for both new books so stay tuned, or sign up for my email list so you’ll be the first to be notified of this and other news and events, including the contest results.

Conference Workshop

Also at the conference at the end of March, I’ll be presenting a workshop or two. The one I know about for sure is called The Belly of the Whale: Understanding the Heroine’s Journey.

Here’s how the conference is described: “Come and enjoy 3 days of instruction on how to improve your marketing skills and sell more books, located at the beautiful Hotel Bellwether, at Squalicum Harbor on beautiful Bellingham Bay, in Bellingham, Washington conveniently located between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.”

To register for the conference, click here.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Leave a comment below to tell me if you’ll be attending the conference so we can connect in Bellingham.