REGINA'S UNIVERSE
"Where the universe of writing and reading comes alive!"
Editor: Regina Paul
August 2006
Issue#9
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CONTENTS
o This Newsletter was Brought to You By the Following People and
Organizations
o Editor's News
o Article: 7 Steps to Creating a Working Writer's Schedule That You
Can Live With
o Article: Five Things You MUST Do In Order To Sell Your Books by
Sheri McConnell
o Rating System for Book Reviews by Regina Paul
o Book Review: Megan's Mark by Lora Leigh
o Book Review: Writing-World's Guide to… Paying Markets for Fiction
and Poetry by Lillian Brummet
o Thank you to New Subscribers
o Advertisements
o Copyright Info
o Your Subscription Info

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o This Newsletter was Brought to you By the Following People and
Organizations
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Associated Content: http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html?
refer=10892

Author Valerie CJ McGee: http://www.valeriecjmcgee.bravehost.com

Author Patricia Richardson:
http://www.leapoffaithpublishing.bravehost.com

Author Karen Magill: http://www.karenmagill.com

E-zine Articles: http://www.ezinearticles.com

Artist Jerri Council, Infinite Spectrum:
http://www.infinitespectrum.bravehost.com

Coffee Time Romance Reviews:
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Reviewers/Regina.html
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o Editor's News
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Hi Everyone,

I apologize for the lateness of this issue, I have had some personal
issues which prevented me from getting it out sooner. I greatly
appreciate everyone's patience. :-)

That being said, Chapter Three of Soul Memories has been posted to
the Files section of our newsletter. I'd love to know your thoughts.
On the same note, I have changed the posting schedule for Soul
Memories to monthly from weekly since that seems to fit in better
with my writing schedule. That's not to say that I won't
occasionally post an extra chapter, but for now monthly works best.

One piece of good news is that my Café Press stores are up and
running now! You can go and view the items for sale with my cover
art here www.cafepress.com/reginapaul
I'm very excited about this store, and all the artwork looks really
cool on the items, so please do go and check it out, and let me know
what you think. I always appreciate feedback as you know.

An additional piece of news which I am proud to share with you all
is that I have been asked to be a Junior Editor at Coffee Time
Romance. I'm really excited about this opportunity because I will
not only be reviewing books myself but getting some more solid
editing experience! Which as a writer, you know I can use. LOL

Also as mentioned previously, I have completed the cover for
Destiny's Choices. If you haven't had a chance to see it, take a
look at our group page and you'll see the cover featured there.

I now have a profile at My Space! So, if you too are on My Space
please do send me a friend request so I can add you. Also check out
the new exerpt of GETTING OUT ALIVE on my blog there. Here's my
profile page www.myspace.com/reginapaul

I'm going to be beginning a couple of new things that I think you
will all find fun. Angel Whitedove has decided that rather than try
and figure out the things which you might find interesting about her
life and her intergalactic trip, that instead she'll give you an
opportunity to ask questions of her. So, here's your chance to ask
Angel Whitedove, the heroine of GETTING OUT ALIVE anything! If you
haven't read the book yet, there is an exerpt on my official website
www.reginapaul.com , as well as an additional exerpt in my blog on
My Space, and of course you can read previous blog entries at
www.angelwhitedoveonalienabductions.blogspot.com Send your questions
for Angel to me at tiwatz@yahoo.com with Ask Angel in the subject
line. The answers to questions chosen at random periodically will be
posted on Angel's blog, and if your question is chosen there is a
prize which will be determined at a later date. There is no
deadline, this will be an ongoing thing, and another way to win cool
prizes!

In addition, I will also be giving you the opportunity to ask
questions of me as well. Here's your chance to ask me anything! You
can ask questions about becoming an author, marketing your book,
writing a book, POD Publishing, my future or present books, creating
book covers or anything else you can think of. Like the Ask Angel
promo, I will randomly pick a question periodically and answer that
question in my blog or use it as a discussion opener for one of my
online chats. If your question is chosen, you will of course win a
prize! (That's the really cool part! LOL) So, send me your questions
via my e-mail tiwatz@yahoo.com with Ask Regina in the subject line
so I know. It's that simple! (Like Ask Angel this is an ongoing
opportunity!)

My newest contest is for a GETTING OUT ALIVE tote bag. All you have
to do is send me an e-mail at tiwatz@yahoo.com with the word "tote
bag" in the subject line. The contest ends on August 31, 2006.

My current Special is for a signed bookmark or postcard (your
choice) when you purchase a copy of GETTING OUT ALIVE. Get the
details here: http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com/Specials.html

There are new posts at Angel's blog, be sure and check them out
here:www.angelwhitedoveonalienabductions.blogspot.com
My personal blog has a new posts as well:
http://www.reginapaul.bravejournal.com/profile.php
Have a wonderful August!
Regina Paul
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o 7 Steps to Creating a Working Writer's Schedule You Can Live With
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Creating a working schedule when you're a freelance writer can be a
difficult task. When you work from home contrary to what many people
think it is often not easier but more difficult as there are more
distractions. For example, maybe you have children underfoot, or
your house is dirty and the temptation to clean first and write
later hits you, or friends and family are calling you because after
all you can make your own schedule so why don't you go out to lunch
or shopping with them, you can write later, right? Unlike working a
regular 9 to 5 job where you have a set schedule for what hours you
are expected to be productive, when you work from home this is not
the case, the only one you are responsible to is yourself.

So, how do you create a working writer's schedule and stick to it?
There are a number of tricks and tips you can use to help yourself
in this respect. After all if you don't write, you don't get paid,
and if you don't get paid, neither do the bills.

1. Decide how many hours you want to work each day which will
provide enough income to take care of your necessities and leave you
with a little extra for fun. Then pick the hours during the day when
you are going to write, and stick to that time period.

2. Turn off your phone! I can't stress this enough, many a
writer finds him/herself answering phone calls from relatives or
friends who don't take their career choice of writer seriously, and
then find themselves on the phone listening to gossip, requests to
go shopping, or the latest emotional crisis with the boyfriend.
Avoid this all together by turning off your phone during working
hours. Let the voicemail or answering machine take the calls, you
can always check them later when you take a break.

3. What if you have kids at home? Well, that can be tricky
because kids are important and they have a right to our undivided
attention and love. What I usually suggest is having special toys or
a TV with DVD/VCR for them to watch videos (have them be videos
maybe they don't get to watch normally so it's different than other
times) or play in your home office or very close by. Make it a
special time where they get to do something they really like while
you are writing, this helps them to feel included in what you are
doing.

4. Tell your friends and relatives what your working schedule
is and ask them not to call or come over during those hours unless
it's an emergency (make sure you clarify what an emergency is,
otherwise the next emotional crisis with the boyfriend will be used
as an excuse). After all it's not like they would show up at your
place of employment unexpectedly if you had a regular job.

5. Create your own contract. Add the hours you are going to
work and any other stipulations such as how many pages or articles
you are going to write per day for example. Make sure you have a
place to sign your name and date it, then print it out and hang it
somewhere in your office where you can easily see it. This is your
contract with yourself since you are your own employer.

6. Commit to your schedule, this is very important. Don't allow
yourself to be distracted by dusty shelves, books that need to be
reorganized or dirty dishes. Your writing must come first with the
exception of an emergency or your children needing you of course.
There are some distractions that you cannot ignore, but as much as
possible stick to your schedule.

7. Make a list of daily goals. I make my list the night before
based on what I got done during the day. I use a student's planner
which has several lines for each day and a full monthly calendar as
well. I write in my goals the day before and then cross them off as
I finish them each day. If I don't finish a goal I move it to the
next day until it is completed. This also makes it easier for me to
keep track of deadlines for previously contracted work.

All of these tips will help you to create a working writer's
schedule that you can live with. You will see your productivity go
up, as well as, your income. It's worthwhile to create a schedule
you can live with because you are more likely to stick to it, than
the usual hit or miss method which is what many of us use when we
are starting out. The old excuses of "I'm just not inspired right
now, so I'll wait," or "I have writer's block, I can't possibly
stick to a schedule now, I'll create one later" will hold no sway
over you because just like in the real world when you have to
produce, you will train your brain that you are on a regular
schedule and must produce as well.

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o Five Things You MUST Do In Order To Sell Your Books by Sheri
McConnell
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Five Things You MUST Do In Order To Sell Your Books
By Sheri McConnell

Want to sell more books? Learn from an expert the five things you
must do in order to achieve your goals.

1. You Must Find YOUR Market

Hopefully before you even wrote your book, you sat down and mapped
out who your potential customers were. If you didn't, don't waste
any more of your time selling books to people who don't want them.
Knowing your audience before you write your book creates focus.
Figure out who is most likely to read your book. If cat lovers are
your market, don't bother wasting your time with all animal lovers.
Spend your marketing efforts and budget on cat lovers. Can't find
the cat lovers? See below...

2. You Must Create a Community

If you are having a hard time finding your market, find them by
creating a community for them. The Internet allows you to create a
place where all cat lovers can talk to each other, have live chats
with you (the author) and ask their questions, get mailings about
your events, find other resources for cat lovers, post their cat's
picture in your forum... you can see that there is no end to what
you can do with the Internet. You can use click-and-point services
to create your own website like I did for the NAWW (National
Association of Women Writers) or you can hire someone to do this for
you. We feature writers every week in our newsletter who have built
wonderfully large communities from scratch in a very short time
(less than a year) using the Internet. Check out NAWW Member, Dotsie
Bregel's site at http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com.

3. You Must Create a Database

To sell books, you must have a mechanism in place to store all your
potential customers' contact information. Intimidated by the thought
of creating a database? Please don't be, just go to your nearest
office store and you can purchase a database program for less than
$50. Some website providers even have this function built straight
into their website. Keeping track of your customers' basic
information is crucial to the success of your long and short-term
sales. At the very least, you must capture (enter) their name,
address, and e-mail. You will use this database to quickly and
efficiently communicate with your customers through future e-
mailings and direct mailings. Add customers to your database by
networking (and speaking!) at conferences by simply saying, "I have
this free (report, booklet, etc.--something you created that is what
every cat lover would want to read) and I would love to send it to
you with my free weekly newsletter." Just grab their card and put a
little check by their e-mail so that you know you got their
permission. Another faster and easier way to build your database is
by doing it online. Have a sign-up box right on your website for new
potential customers. Doesn't matter how you do it, just do it!

4. You Must Have a Call to Action

Busy people need a reason to act now. Whatever your form of
communication is with your customer, it must have a call to action
somewhere in it if you want them to stop what they are doing and
make your book a priority. Include wording that says 'act now'
because if you don't you will miss this opportunity. The best calls
to action include date expirations, liquidation sales, early-bird
sales, etc. Simple technique, very powerful!

5. You Must Have Fun

You must have fun creating your community, networking with future
customers, and thinking of creative/seasonal calls to action. When
you have fun doing what you love, people want to do business with
you. Hopefully the book that you wrote came from your passion about
the subject. Now that you are selling your book, you get to live
the "sharing of your passion" on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly
basis. It is up to you--the more you live it, the more books you
will sell!

Sheri McConnell is the President of the National Association of
Women Writers (http://www.NAWW.org). She helps women writers and
entrepreneurs discover, create, and profit from their intellectual
knowledge! Free reports for writers available with subscription to
NAWW Weekly. Sheri lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband Seth
and their four children. Contact her at naww@onebox.com or her toll
free number at 866-821-5829.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheri_McConnell

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o Rating System for Book Reviews by Regina Paul
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5 Worlds=One of the best books I've ever read, a wonderful read!
4 Worlds=An excellent read, a keeper.
3 Worlds=A good book.
2 Worlds=This book has problems.
1 World =This is a terrible book, and I would not recommend it for
any reason.
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o FEATURED BOOK REVIEW: Megan's Mark by Lora Leigh
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MEGAN'S MARK
LORA LEIGH
May 2006
ISBN#: 0-425-20964-4
The Berkley Publishing Group: Berkley Sensation
Paperback
Paranormal Romance
295 Pages
$6.99
Rating: 5 Worlds

Megan Fields is a police officer who can't work in the real world.
Sequestered away in New Mexico and working for the small police
force run by the Sheriff who happens to be her cousin, she rarely
sees any action. That is until the bodies of a couple are found in
her patrol area. The reason Megan can't work in the real world is
she is an empath without shields. Unable to block the emotions of
others, and therefore unable to work very effectively in her chosen
career, the discovery of the dead couple throws her into a tailspin,
especially when it seems they were left there for her. When she
meets Braden for the first time, she discovers that his own shields
extend to her, and that his shields prevent her from feeling his
emotions. For the first time in life she can be around someone for
an extended period of time without going on overload. Too bad he's
too arrogant for her tastes, or so she thinks.

Braden Arness is a "breed," a genetically created human who just
happens to have lion DNA as well. His kind were created in secret
labs to be disposable soldiers, and were not treated as human beings
by the scientists who created them, rather they were considered to
be animals. Now that the secret is out and most of his kind have
been freed from the labs, he works for The Bureau of Breed Affairs.
The couple who were murdered were breeds, and Braden comes to
Megan's town to find out why, and to protect Megan. His being
attracted to her doesn't hurt his feelings either.

When Braden saves Megan from a murder attempt by rogue breeds in the
canyon where the bodies are found, she has no idea if he is friend
or foe and so fights him. Even after she finds out who he is, she's
not all that sure he isn't just a little to cock sure for her.
However, it isn't long before sparks fly, and Braden's unusual
genetic traits assert themselves and claim that Megan is his mate.
Despite the hormones affecting both of them, Megan fights the
physical attraction she has towards Braden as she is not really sure
what is happening. The couple find they must work together if they
are to get the answers they each seek, and soon, because while they
may be falling in love with each other, someone out there wants
Megan's life snuffed out. In a race against time they must discover
what it is that Megan knows without realizing it before it's too
late, or they both may die!

This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read!
Gritty and full of action, I could not put it down until I had read
the very last word. I found the idea of secret labs, and genetically
altered hidden breeds to be believable. Ms. Leigh's description of
Megan's empathetic gift was on the ball and well researched, as well
as, well described. The author clearly did her research on lions and
their behavior traits as well, and how she applied that to the breed
Braden was well thought out and fun to read. The relationship
between Megan and Braden is hot in the extreme, but very sensual and
loving at the same time. The world building is creative and real. I
would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys erotic
paranormal romance, although it is not for anyone under the age of
18! This book sizzles!

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o FEATURED BOOK REVIEW: Writing-World's Guide to… Paying Markets
for Fiction and Poetry by Lillian Brummet
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Writing-World's Guide to… Paying Markets for Fiction and Poetry –
Book Review
By Lillian Brummet

Writing-World.com's Guide to Paying Markets for Fiction and Poetry
by Moira Allen, is more than just a book of data for writer's
submissions. The author includes only paying markets of periodicals
(E-zines, magazines and a few newspapers). The author created a
highly valuable section entitled "About this Guide", that explains
what each section of details listed under the publications means.
She even goes as far as describing the various rights that are often
required by periodicals. I learned within the first 17 pages that I
had been addressing envelopes incorrectly for international shipping
by placing the country in mostly small caps beside the state or
province. And what a surprise that was for me - I had no idea there
was a protocol for shipping out-of-country! This important chapter
also discusses common issues and problems with email and online
submissions. Moira's discussion on literary magazines was also very
informative and interesting.

Listing markets for short stories, poetry, fiction, fantasy, horror,
Christian, adult and many other genres from romance to mystery –
this book is sure to help authors market their books and freelance
writers sell their articles. Author Moira Allen, goes a step farther
and sub-groups markets into smaller categories, such as
Children/Christian and Flash Fiction, to make the selection easier
for writers.

Reference books like these tend to be dry and boring to read, but
Moira's book is written personably – which is difficult to do when
listing data. Each listing has numerous helpful tips and information
including what kind of material the publication accepts submission
for, what the publication's pay rate starts at, what rights are
requested and contact information (including emails and website
URLs).

This book has definitely found a spot on my writer's reference shelf
in my office!

Publisher: Writing-World.com

Available at: http://www.writing-world.com/bookstore/index.shtml

~ Book Reviewer: Lillian Brummet - Co-author of the book Trash Talk,
a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the
environment – Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of
poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lillian_Brummet

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Do you have a review you'd like to submit for the next issue? Send
it to me at tiwatz@yahoo.com two weeks before the next monthly issue
is out, to be included. Or
maybe you've written a book you'd like me to review. (I love
reviewing books which are POD, self-published or from small
printers, and e-book publishers. Which is not to say I won't review
a big time author, I just want to help new and beginning authors to
get the word out!) If so, please contact me via e-mail and we'll set
it up. If you are a new author this is a great way to get some
exposure!
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o Thank you to Subscribers
==========================================================
Thank you so much for subscribing to Regina's Universe! That means a
lot to me, and for those of you who signed up recently, I hope you
enjoyed your free e-books. Please pass this newsletter to your
friends, the only thing I ask is that you pass it along in its
entirety.
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o Advertisement
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Ancient traditions, love, secrets, and betrayal-DESTINY'S CHOICES
DESTINY'S CHOICES by Regina Paul is a fast paced romantic suspense!
The author creates a tale of young love lost and found again,
traditions older than time, and the true test of keeping a family
secret at a high cost with great ease.

Secrets are something Tiana Slickpoo knows all about for she is the
holder of a great secret, one she is unable to share with any save a
few within her tribe. When sacred tribal objects, and artwork begin
disappearing from the tribal museum, and Tiana's gallery, she thinks
she knows what the thieves might be looking for. The "indian
grapevine" soon brings her word that James Waters is home and going
to be investigating the thefts. James is the one person in the
universe she does not want to see. Still bitter over their break up
six years before, she wants nothing to do with him. However, the
tribe, and the Spirits have other ideas.

See http://www.reginanpaul.bravehost.com/DC.html to find out how to
get your copy!
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o Advertisement
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Forbidden love, danger, and an eons old conspiracy-GETTING OUT ALIVE

GETTING OUT ALIVE by Regina Paul is a fast paced, fly-by-the-seat-of-
your-pants science fiction romance. The author weaves a tale of
other worlds, theories about the alien abduction phenomena, the
consequences of bigotry, and the beauty of love that overcomes all
obstacles with great success.

Secrets...everyone has them, but Angel Whitedove alien abductee and
researcher is about to discover one she hadn't bargained for
involving her missing father, and the special work she does.

Darek of Laren has one mission: retrieve the outlaw Laaen and return
him to his home planet for trial. Only he doesn't find Laaen as
expected, but Laaen's daughter Angel, and an ancient evil the people
of Laren thought had long since gone extinct.

Forbidden love, danger, and an eons old conspiracy follow these two
as they race to save themselves, humanity, and their worlds!

http://www.lulu.com/reginapaul to order! Or if you would like to
save money, go to http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com/GOA.html and
purchase the e-book for $4.00 directly from the author, that's
$1.00 off of the publisher's price!
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Check out Karen's Korner a wonderful newsletter chock full of news
about her novels, and the writer's life by fellow author Karen
Magill! You can join by going to Karen's website
http://www.karenmagill.com and signing up to be on her mailing list.
It's that easy!
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o Copyright Information
==========================================================
Copyright 2006 by Regina Paul, All Rights Reserved.
Visit us online at:
http://www.reginapaul.bravehost.com/ReginasUniverse.html
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o Subscription Info
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