I signed my third book contract!

Yesterday, I signed a contract with Keith Publications.  I am super excited to work on publishing another story.  It's going to be interesting editing two manuscripts at the same time.  This is going to be some ride.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy your time with family and friends.  I wish you safe travels whereever you go.

Exciting Happenings!

So, I've been busy working on improving the teen romance.  It's funny how a writer continues to create even during the editing phase.  I am totally enjoying the process.

Last Monday, I received super news.  I got a contract for yet another manuscript.  The happiness I experienced trumped the previous rejections for this manuscript.  Sneak peek: It's a story involving a female billiards shark.

This is my third contract and the biggest lesson I've learned on the business side of creativity is an author must read every word whether or not a lawyer reads it.  Sometimes they miss errors too.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I am foremost grateful to God for good health and the family and friends who surround me.  Next, I'm thankful for a job as many are struggling this holiday season.  Lastly, I appreciate the gift of writing and the enjoyment it brings to others.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Book signing in Philly!

So, off to North Philadelphia I drove for my first book signing event in PA at Black and Nobel.  I enjoyed meeting and speaking with many who walked into the store.  So far, my novel has gotten a warm reception by the owner of the bookstore and others who've seen my novel elsewhere.  I'm excited to see how A Beautiful Girl takes off there.

I really enjoyed my conversations with the owner's little girl who rode her new scooter in the store.  What fun!

What's next?

Don't miss my book signing this Saturday, October 27th, from 12:00pm to 3pm at Black and Nobel Bookstore, 1409 W. Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19140.  I am so looking forward to it.  Tell everyone you know.

I also got word last week from the editor of one of my publishers that she's ready to edit my teen romance manuscript.  I can hardly wait...any longer.  I'm excited to work on fixing it up so everyone can read it.

Life as an author continues to be busy with vendor fairs this month, including one this past weekend, preparing for a local writer's group, and talking to people about A Beautiful Girl.  Take a peek at the first chapter on my blog site to see why readers can't put it down once they begin.

Also, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, or iBooks.  Amazon has a "Like" button too, and the ability to tag my novel with applicable phrases.

Thanks so much for your support.

Collingswood Book Festival 2012...Whew!

I still have trouble processing how tiring putting up a tent, setting up the table, talking, smiling, handing out bookmarks, more smiling, accepting rejection, more talking, selling, smiling, selling, sitting, breaking down everything...can be.  Whew!  I could have used some more commas and still would not achieve how busy the day was.  The people kept on coming.  Some ignored me.  Most smiled back.  A few stopped to chat.  I even met a few authors and learned a few things about marketing.  All in all, a great day!  I am amazed at those who do these events every week.

Now that the Collingswood Book Festival is over, I look ahead to meeting someone about recording A Beautiful Girl.  I will keep you posted.

What's a Writer to do?

So about a year ago, I finished two manuscripts and began the long trek toward two publishers accepting them.  No contract yet, but I did get some interest with one of the stories and possible acceptance upon fixing a few issues.  So I have spent the last couple months using constructive feedback to update, add, fix, rearrange, and delete in order to achieve the chance of publishing my second novel.

Some have asked me about the teen romance novel in contract for a while now.  I'm learning that 'patience' is a necessary skill in this business.  So, I wait patiently for the day editing can begin.  Stay tuned.

I'm also working on improving my NanoWriMo novel, but that could take a while.

So the journey continues as I spend time with the many characters I created.

I keep on keeping on.

Where did the summer go?

It's been quite a while since I've written anything here.  I've been busy creating, updating, correcting, selling, talking, and learning.  I hung out at a Youth Advocate Program Youth Explosion on Saturday, September 8th and had a blast listening to live music and viewing creative dancing.  It was great seeing some familiar faces.
Yesterday, I discovered someone in Australia bought a couple copies of A Beautiful Girl from iBooks. How exciting to have fans from the great continent down under!  That's four countries and counting.
So now, I return to what I've been doing for the past few weeks.  Hopefully, I won't stay away as long.
In the meantime, tell your friends that A Beautiful Girl is available in all reader formats.  See the links on the left.

Where can you find "A Beautiful Girl" online?

You can now find A Beautiful Girl for the Nook at Barnes&Noble.com, for the Kindle at Amazon.com, for a variety of formats at Smashwords.com, and of course as paperback or PDF at cassandraulrich.com.  You can even use your iBooks app to order a copy.

Happy Reading!

July Starts Out Hot!

So, the weather is not the only thing that has been steaming for the last few days.  I've been busy reformatting my manuscript, A Beautiful Girl, so that all the other ebook readers, in addition to Kindle ones, would have the opportunity to purchase this story in their applicable formats.  After reading the Smashwords Style Guide, featured as one of my links, I attacked the file with reckless abandon.  A perfectly formatted book has resulted and will hopefully make it's way to online bookstores like Barnes and Noble and iBooks.  I've also created author pages on both Amazon and Smashwords.  Of course, paperback is still available at my website.  So now that my blogsite is current, I need to work on my website.  So much to do.

Nevertheless, I had a blast at the open mic in Pemberton with Sherrie Smith.  So much talent in South Jersey: musicians, poets, and more.

My, what a busy June this has been!

With Arts Sanctuary in Philadelphia on June 2nd, and 2nd Saturday in Collingswood on June 9th, the month had an adventurous beginning with high winds, a broken tent, and a talkative book selling buddy.

cassandraulrich.com went live earlier this month and saw its first sale yesterday, June 27th.  I attended Open Mic in Willingboro at the Rec Center on June 15th and then returned to participate in a book event the next day.  It's always a fun time sharing space with other writers and poets (despite a wheel flying off my hand cart).  As if that wasn't enough, I attended Poetry in the Park at the Hopkins House on the shores of the Cooper River twice.  That's definitely an event worth attending to hear the featured poet and many others.

On Monday, June 25th, I visited the KRA in Camden to speak about what it's like being an author to students working toward their GED and employment.  Tonight, I attended a writer's group at the Grooveground in Collingswood.

And there's still more to come in a month that's not quite over.  On June 30th, Sherrie Smith is sponsoring a Spoken Word event at 7pm at the Dominique Johnson Recreation Center, 101 Scrapetown Road, Pemberton, NJ.  The cost is minimal, less than $5 a person, to support the youth.

That's all for now...I think.

My Blog's Gone International!

Recently, I discovered that Google Blogger tracks sources of hits on my site.  I was amazed to see countries such as Thailand, Brazil, and South Korea listed.

In addition to that, I found out that 2 copies of my novel were purchased from Amazon's Kindle store by people who do not live in the United States.  The race is on to see whether America can keep up.

In Attendance at Camden Mayor's Youth Council Administrative Meeting

So after finding a parking space fairly close to City Hall in Camden, I made my way up the steps to the checkpoint.  It has been a long time since I'd entered a government building and so had forgetten the need to shed the items that would cause that wonderful metal and electronic detector beep.

Once through, I walked up the steps and headed to a meeting I will not soon forget.  Many people had already seated themselves around a long retangular table, all there to talk about how to create a better Camden City for the current and future residents and visitors.  I enjoyed an appearance by Mayor Redd and witnessed an appreciative ceremony for Sensei Anthony Lingo who runs the meeting. 

When my turn came to speak about my novel, A Beautiful Girl, I shared how it has positively affected the young people who've read Sara's story.  What I didn't expect was the standing ovation I received before taking my leave and heading back to work.  Such an honor from people who spend their days working hard to make this community a safer place to be.

Cool visitors!

The Google Blogger now has statistics, so I just learned that I've had 2 visitors from a much colder part of the planet.  Hello to fans from Kazakhstan and Russia.

How cool is that!

Circle of Women Writers

I had the greatest time on Sunday meeting with other women who write just about anything: poetry, fiction, non-fiction, novels, and words that help.  We exchanged information on sites that help us become better writers and shared our experiences.  It felt great hanging out with others who walk around with pen and paper...just in case.

It's a whole new world - being a writer - and I'm enjoying every minute.

Finally on Amazon

A Beautiful Girl is now on sale on Amazon.  This great story can be purchased for download to any reader that can read Kindle format.  If you have already purchased the paperback or PDF, please go to Amazon and leave a comment.

Thanks.

It's great to be an author!

So March and come and gone in a rush.  Tax season is over and spring weather is in full swing.  I'm busy setting up a domain name and hope to have a website up soon.  In the meantime, I have signed up to do a few events.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak to members of the Youth Advocate Program in Camden County, NJ.  All the girls present had been given copies of A Beautiful Girl to read in advance.  The response was tremendous.  They loved the story, the characters, and the way the main character discovered her inner beauty in the midst of an abusive environment.  Some of these girls could even relate to Sara and were grateful for the happiness they felt after reading the book.

These statements filled my heart and brought me close to tears.  I'm so glad that my novel can help heal the hurt so many experience today.

I look forward to working with the volunteers of this program in the future.

What a warm March!

I am amazed but not unhappy that March is on the warm side. After all, summer is my favorite season. In fact, all this neat weather has led to many scenes in my head finding their way to paper.

In the midst of all this inspiration, I got to thinking about the business side of publishing. Now, raising kids may test a parent's patience at times, but after interacting with the world of submitting and waiting followed by calling/emailing and more waiting, I must admit that publishing is a competent rival on its best day. A patient person would find herself pushed beyond that limit.

So, what to do. Take a deep breath (to clear my head), pray (for guidance, wisdom and more patience), and keep on truckin' in this great weather while it lasts.

Write...Read...Inspire.

I landed a blog interview...

Visit http://kimberlydana.blogspot.com/ to read the interview.

So cool.

Words Brought To Life

I just returned from a great evening spent with other writers, poets and authors, and artists who took the written word and gave it life through speech, drawings, and personal expression. What a great way to share a space with others who came together to ensure that a historical site, The Underground Railroad in Burlington City, New Jersey, would remain for future generations to learn about and enjoy. Thanks, Ken, for allowing us to share our talents in your restaurant, Legends.

Where has the time gone?

It's February already...amazing!

On Wednesday, in the midst of an already busy and stressful schedule, a friend of mine asked if I would perform a reading of my novel, A Beautiful Girl, at his restaurant for a Black History Month event. Crazy as this may sound, I had forgetten we just slipped into Black History Month. Where indeed had the time gone? Of course, I said "yes" after I searched my brain for anything that might already be in my planner.

So, today, I am heading to Legends in Burlington City, New Jersey for a reading slot at 5:30pm. I'm so looking forward to it.

Oh, by the way, it is a benefit event for an Underground Railroad site in Burlington, New Jersey. How cool is that?

NoteWorthy

My novel A Beautiful Girl has been accused of being "too good to put down" once an avid reader has read a few words. Having not finished a novel by the time her plane landed, a woman had become disappointed the flight hadn't been a bit longer (Out the door went the desire to get out of a small space to stretch one's legs). A Beautiul Girl has also been blamed for lack of sleep and dark circles under heavy eyelids. Even techies has had decent words to say.

All I can say is "WOW". A Beautiful Girl is guitly as charged.

Buy a copy today! -> http://a.co/0sgSLYM

Disclaimer: You may want to leave enough time to get a good night's sleep. This one is a page turner.

Happy New Year! C'mon 2012!

So, the holiday season is just about over for most of us (unless you celebrate 3 King's Day like me and my Hispanic friends). What a year this can be with a book already published and another in contract. I just resubmitted 2 novels I submitted last year and received rejections or no response.

Basically, I'm trying to get organized so I can handle this journey a little better. I still need to call high schools, visit libraries and set up more radio interviews. Oh, and I plan on transferring more scenes from my head to paper or an electonic document.

Balance - that's what I hope to achieve in this increasingly busy lifestyle of authorship.

Have a great one!