Marketing goals can be considered a marketing plan, and it will have a number of steps or objectives that must be set in motion and accomplished.

Whether you’re trying to sell a product or services, five of the bare basic marketing strategies are:

1. Create a presence and platform
Creating an online presence and platform can be initiated by creating a website or blog. First though, you’ll need to be sure of your niche because the site name and content should reflect your area of expertise is.Remember, plan first. Choose a site name that will grow with you. Using an author as an example, if you choose a site name, Picture Books with [Your Name], you’ve limited yourself. What if your next book is for young adults?

Some authors create sites with the name of their book. This is a good strategy for pure focus on that one book, but again, what happens when more books become available. Will you create a site for each of your books.

While you can do this, you will be stretching yourself thin and diluting your main focus: you as the author of multiple books.

Leave room to grow; it’s always advisable to use your name as the site’s name.

In addition, with today’s gone-in-a-second attention span, it’s a good idea to keep your site simple. Sites that take a few seconds or more to load may cause you to lose potential buyers.

2. Increase visibility
Writing content for your readers/visitors is the way to increase visibility. The word is: Content is King. Provide interesting, informative, and/or entertaining content that will prompt the reader to come back.Also, be sure your content is pertinent to your site, and keep your site and content focused on your platform.

To draw traffic to your site, promote your posts by using social media. You can also do article marketing which will increase your visibility reach.

3. Draw traffic to your site
Another strategy is to offer your readers free gifts, such as an e-book relevant to your niche. This will help to increase your usefulness to the reader.This is considered organic marketing; it funnels traffic back to your site with valuable content and free offers.

4. Have effective call-to-actions
Your site must have call-to-action keywords that will motivate readers to visit and click on your links.

Keywords to use include:

• Get your Free gift now for subscribing
• Subscribe to our Newsletter
• Free e-book to offer on your own site
• Buy Now
• Sign up
• Don’t hesitate, take advantage of our expert services
• Be sure to bookmark this site

5. Develop a relationship with your reader
You get the idea, motivate the reader to want what you’re offering and give him/her a CLEAR and VISIBLE call-to-action. Make it as simple as possible for the visitor to buy what you’re offering.

It’s been noted that only 1% of first time visitors will buy a product. Usually, only after developing a relationship through your newsletter, information, and offers will your potential customer or client click on the BUY NOW button.

While it will take some time and effort to implement and maintain these strategies, it will be worth it in the long run. Think of it as a long-term investment.

Happy marketing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Karen Cioffi is an author and ghostwriter. Her new MG/YA fantasy book, Walking Through Walls, is based on an ancient Chinese tale.

WHERE’S KAREN…4RV PUBLISHING | WRITING AND MARKETING | AUTHOR WEBSITE | WALKING THROUGH WALLS | DKV WRITING 4 U | LINKEDIN | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Longing to be rich and powerful, twelve-year-old Wang studies the legend of the mystical Eternals. Certain they are real, he journeys to their temple and begins an apprenticeship with the Eternal Master. There he enters a world of magic where not everything is as it seems, and where he learns the magic formula to ‘walking through walls.’

• Illustrator: Aidana Willow Raven
• Genre: MG/Tween/YA
• Publisher: 4RV Publishing
• Publication Date: July 2011
• ISBN: 978-0-9826594-7-2
• Pages: 61

BUY THE BOOK… Amazon | Barnes & Noble | 4RVPublishing

(New York, New York) – The ability to slip into different eras and cultures through reading is the most glorious way to enjoy literature. Travel along through cyberspace to learn more about this 16th century ancient Chinese based tale, Walking Through Walls by Karen Cioffi.

To celebrate this unique ancient Chinese tale’s book release, we welcome your visit and encourage you to follow along through the below tour. Leave a comment with your email address and automatically be entered at a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift certificate, Writing for Children One Step at a Time e-Book, or Writing, Publishing, and Marketing – You Can Do It e-Book.

• July 1 – Kelly McClymer – Book Review
• July 2 – Renee Hand – Book Review
• July 5 – Deb Hockenberry – Book Review and Interview
• July 7 – Kathy Stemke – Book Review
• July 8 – Donna McDine – “An Effective Book Marketing Strategy: Joint Ventures”
• July 9 – Dianne Sagan – “Writing for Children: Finding Age Appropriate Words”
• July 11 – Stephen Tremp – “Rewriting a Folktale”
• July 13 – Heidi Thomas – “Book Promotion: The Foundation”
• July 15 – Nancy Famolari’s Place – Book Review
• July 18 – Kristin Johnson – “Is Your Character One, Two, or Three Dimensional?”
• July 19 – Elysabeth Eldering – Book Review
• July 21 – Susanne Drazic – Book Review
• July 23 – Margaret Fieland – “Writing Focus, Determination, Perseverance, and Positive Thinking”
• July 25 – Maggie Ball – “Successful Writing Strategy: Know Your Intent”
• July 27 – Susanne Drazic – “Storytelling – Keep Your Reader Engaged”
• July 28 – The Book Faery Reviews - Author Guest Post and Book Review
• July 30 – Beverly McClure – “Writing for Free – A Means to an End: Visibility”

Perfect You by Holly Skelton (Children’s Fiction) Future Review & Author Guest Post @my children’s book blog BookSnatchers. - In this letter from God, children will discover He has blessed them with gifts and talents that make them unique and able to serve the world in a very special way! Could the gift of bravery make you a police officer or firefighter, or could your compassion help you to be a great doctor or teacher? The possibilities are endless!

Perfect You is a story for parents to share with their children to encourage them to discover their talents so that they can live a life of purpose and happiness. – FROM THE BOOK BACK

Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice (Adult Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - Anne Rice demonstrates her power to enthrall the reader as she makes real for us the exalted and fearful life of an extraordinary society–the eighteenth-century world of the castrati, the male sopranos whose glorious voices, unmatched by any singers since their time, brought them the adulation of the royal courts and grand opera houses of Europe. This is a novel that charms, shocks, and moves us by its portrayal of passionate and fascinating lives, by its re-creation of a strange and exotic moment in history–and by the ways in which it considers, and adds resonance to, our deepest images of the masculine and the feminine. It is a mesmerizing feat of storytelling. – FROM B&N (I am an affiliate.)

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (Fantasy Fiction) Latest used book purchase for my personal shelves. - High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book… The Book of Lost Things.

An imaginative tribute to the journey we must all make through the loss of innocence into adulthood, John Connolly’s latest novel is a book for every adult who can recall the moment when childhood began to fade, and for every adult about to face that moment. The Book of Lost Things is a story of hope for all who have lost, and for all who have yet to lose. It is an exhilarating tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter (Thriller Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - “They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”

Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living “loose ends.” And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia…where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.

The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob. KGB spies. Presidential assasination. A doomed Hollywood legend. Deathbed confessions. Corrosive power. Shattered families. Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess. The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue (Fantasy Fiction) Latest hardback book purchase for my personal shelves. - Inspired by the WB Yeats poem that tempts a child from home to the waters and the wild, The Stolen Child is a modern fairy tale narrated by the child Henry Day and his double.On a summer night, Henry Day runs away from home and hides in a hollow tree. There he is taken by the changelings—an unaging tribe of wild children who live in darkness and in secret. They spirit him away, name him Aniday, and make him one of their own. Stuck forever as a child, Aniday grows in spirit, struggling to remember the life and family he left behind. He also seeks to understand and fit in this shadow land, as modern life encroaches upon both myth and nature.In his place, the changelings leave a double, a boy who steals Henry’s life in the world. This new Henry Day must adjust to a modern culture while hiding his true identity from the Day family. But he can’t hide his extraordinary talent for the piano (a skill the true Henry never displayed), and his dazzling performances prompt his father to suspect that the son he has raised is an imposter. As he ages the new Henry Day becomes haunted by vague but persistent memories of life in another time and place, of a German piano teacher and his prodigy. Of a time when he, too, had been a stolen child. Both Henry and Aniday obsessively search for who they once were before they changed places in the world.The Stolen Child is a classic tale of leaving childhood and the search for identity. With just the right mix of fantasy and realism, Keith Donohue has created a bedtime story for adults and a literary fable of remarkable depth and strange delights.

The Countess by Rebecca Johns (historical fiction) – In 1611, Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime—the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress. Her opponents painted her as a bloodthirsty škrata—a witch—a portrayal that would expand to grotesque proportions through the centuries.

In this riveting dramatization of Erzsébet Báthory’s life, the countess tells her story in her own words, writing to her only son—a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall. Countess Báthory describes her upbringing in one of the most powerful noble houses in Hungary, recounting in loving detail her devotion to her parents and siblings as well as the heartbreak of losing her father at a young age. She soon discovers the price of being a woman in sixteenth-century Hungary as her mother arranges her marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy, a union made with the cold calculation of a financial transaction. Young Erzsébet knows she has no choice but to accept this marriage even as she laments its loveless nature and ultimately turns to the illicit affections of another man.

Seemingly resigned to a marriage of convenience and a life of surreptitious pleasure, the countess surprises even herself as she ignites a marital spark with Ferenc through the most unromantic of acts: the violent punishment of an insolent female servant. The event shows Ferenc that his wife is no trophy but a strong, determined woman more than capable of managing their vast estates during Ferenc’s extensive military campaigns against the Turks. Her naked assertion of power accomplishes what her famed beauty could not: capturing the love of her husband.

The countess embraces this new role of loving wife and mother, doing everything she can to expand her husband’s power and secure her family’s future. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Báthory’s demand for virtue, obedience, and, above all, respect from her servants takes a sinister turn. What emerges is not only a disturbing, unflinching portrait of the deeds that gave Báthory the moniker “Blood Countess,” but an intimate look at the woman who became a monster. – FROM B&N

Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers by Lee Edward Fodi (youth fantasy fiction) – For over a thousand years, the Box of Whispers has guarded the most precious treasure in the Land of Een. But when the Box is suddenly stolen, young Kendra Kandlestar finds herself swept away on a magical adventure where doors speak in riddles, plants spit poisonous venom, and strange creatures lurk in every shadow. With only a handful of enchanted carrot seeds to help her, will Kendra be able to face these dangers and find the fabled chest? There’s only one way to find out: peer inside The Box of Whispers, and enter a world of magic, monsters and mystery…Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers is a perfect book for lovers of fantasy, aged 8 and up. The book features over 100 black and white illustrations by the author. – FROM AMAZON

Beach Lane by Sheryl Woods (contemporary fiction) – In the close-knit community of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, Susie O’Brien and Mack Franklin’s “not dating” claim befuddles everyone, especially since the two spend every spare minute together. Susie’s thrilled when their friendship finally heats up. Then, just when happily-ever-after seems within reach, Mack loses the job he loves and Susie faces a devastating diagnosis.

But O’Briens always unite in a crisis. Even her cousin Jess, Susie’s rival for most of their lives, becomes her staunchest supporter—especially when Mack’s former lover comes to town. The stakes are higher than ever before, but Susie’s definitely up to the challenge…as long as Mack’s right there by her side. – FROM AMAZON

They say, you can tell a lot about someone by what they read. Perhaps that is so. I thought I’d share with you what’s on my shelves. You tell me if you can figure out who I am by my books. For I think if you pay close attention or look closely, you’ll be able to decipher the clues to who I am.

Each week I’m going to go through the shelves in my bedroom and tell you the name of three books. (Because we ALL know, I’m a freak about numbers and especially the number THREE. (In fact I want a book about 3s!) The books living on these shelves are either my favorites (in my preferred hardback version), books I wish to read sooner than later, and the books I’m scheduled to review. One day I may go over the giant bookcase in the other room, but for now we’ll start with the characters who watch me while I sleep (what else would I be doing?!).

Without further ado…the first 3 books on my shelves:
(top to bottom, left to right, and yes they are in alphabetical order by AUTHOR)

Number ONE - The Outlander by Gil Adamson – Want to read.

Set in 1903, Adamson’s compelling debut tells the wintry tale of 19-year-old Mary Boulton ([w]idowed by her own hand) and her frantic odyssey across Idaho and Montana. The details of Boulton’s sad past—an unhappy marriage, a dead child, crippling depression—slowly emerge as she reluctantly ventures into the mountains, struggling to put distance between herself and her two vicious brothers-in-law, who track her like prey in retaliation for her killing of their kin. Boulton’s journey and ultimate liberation—made all the more captivating by the delirium that runs in the recesses of her mind—speaks to the resilience of the female spirit in the early part of the last century. Lean prose, full-bodied characterization, memorable settings and scenes of hardship all lift this book above the pack.

Number TWO – Aesop’s Fables Illustrations by Ernest Griset – LOVE this version. Beautiful hardback with foil letter printing on the jacket cover.

Number THREE - The River Wife by Jonis Agee – Want to read.

When the earthquake brings Annie Lark’s Missouri house down on top of her, she finds herself pinned under the massive roof beam, facing certain death. Rescued by French fur trapper Jacques Ducharme, Annie learns to love the strong, brooding man and resolves to live out her days as his “River Wife.”

More than a century later, in 1930, Hedie Rails comes to Jacques’ Landing to marry Clement Ducharme, a direct descendant of the fur trapper and river pirate, and the young couple begin their life together in the very house Jacques built for Annie so long ago. When, night after late night, mysterious phone calls take Clement from their home, a pregnant Hedie finds comfort in Annie’s leather-bound journals. But as she reads of the sinister dealings and horrendous misunderstandings that spelled out tragedy for the rescued bride, Hedie fears that her own life is paralleling Annie’s, and that history is repeating itself with Jacques’ kin.

Among the family’s papers, Hedie encounters three other strong-willed women who helped shape Jacques Ducharme’s life–Omah, the freed slave who took her…

Now…What’s On Your Shelves?

The Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill Adventure Series is about animal detectives, which is for readers in 2nd and 3rd grade and up. In this series children will learn about animal tracks, as well as rocks and minerals. My new release is book 2 in the Joe-Joe Nut Series called Mineral Mischief. I add in quite a bit of interesting and factual information that will educate and entertain the reader. It also can be used to supplement the topic of rocks and minerals in a classroom. Each book has tons of information about the topic and about the suspects. All books are written in a fun and educational way. In Mineral Mischief, each suspect collects a specific rock or mineral. As the detectives question each suspect the reader will learn about each suspect’s collection. The suspect will also reveal some unique information about a specific rock or mineral in their collection. At the end of the book I’ve included the rock cycle, terminology, a ‘Did You Know’ section, as well as various experiments that the reader can try out. This book can also be used to satisfy some of the National Standards Requirements for Science.

Here is a small blurb of the story:
Joe-Joe and Biscuit found themselves in a dark and dreary cave, and in front ofthem, sitting on an ornately carved stone pedestal, was Maple’s mineral. To reach out and take it would be so easy. It glistened like stars in a midnight sky, attractingtheir attention, luring them. There had to be a catch somewhere. Something wasn’tright. Joe-Joe and Biscuit stood beside the pedestal, analyzing it. There was acircle in the center of the pedestal, and the mineral was placed in the center of thatcircle. A TRAP! Thought Joe-Joe as he glanced at his partner, who was wearing arusset-colored fedora, which matched his own—they definitely looked sharp. Joe-Joe glanced behind Biscuit, where he noticed a deep gap in the wall. The opening was barred like a cage. Barely any light shined through to reveal what was inside. Joe-Joe had an inkling that, if he removed the mineral, the cage door would open, unleashing a horrific Greek beast that would assuredly eat them both for dinner. Joe-Joe began thinking like an adventurer. He was suddenly consumed with the identity of Indiana Jones.

Tomorrow (Wed, 6/15) you can read the review by my kids at BookSnatchers.

BUY THE BOOK… AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Renee Hand writes because it is a passion in her heart. She is a homeschool parent and likes to create books that educate and inspire the children of today. She was born in Michigan and still lives there with her husband and two children. She has a degree in Zoology with a minor in Chemistry. Renee is an award-winning author, receiving awards such as a Best Book Award, a National Literary Award and a Preferred Choice award for her children’s series and adult books. She has just recently won a Seal of Excellence award in Storytelling for her Joe-Joe Nut and Biscuit Bill Series. She has been writing for over twenty-five years and has nine books published. When she is not spending time with her family or participating in author events, she is coaching and playing tennis, as well as doing research for her books and many other things that keep her busy. Not quite sure what a cryptogramis and want to learn more? Visit the author’s website at www.reneeahand.com to learn about cryptogramsand how to solve the ones that are in the books. She also blogs at http://thecryptocapersseries.blogspot.com/.

“It’s the 24^th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences, or A.I.s, have finally invented the perfect society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full-sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

The Lens and the Looker is about three spoiled teens from the 24^th century who are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy and abandoned. Now they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die.”

As to where the ideas for these flights of imagination came from, I’ve had to give it a lot of thought. It’s like my mother always said about me, “He’s got a good memory, but sometimes he forgets.” Then again, I guess I can be forgiven, for several reasons.

One is that – I’m really old! It’s taken me to the age of 60 to have this first book published, but I wrote down the first ideas for History Camps away back in 1989. I mean, I have a hard time remembering what happened yesterday. But, seriously, an idea is usually the culmination of many experiences in a person’s life, some going back to childhood. Having to think about where this History Camp idea came from is actually a fascinating exercise in navel gazing. So, let’s take a look at all the pieces of lint stuck in my “innie” and see what we’ve got.

Let’s start by me remembering where my love of dystopian literature came from. In high school, back in the 1960s, there were certain books we all had to read. I’m sure they’re still on most school’s curriculum. There was George Orwell’s 1984, John Wyndam’s The Crysalids, Aldous Huxley’s, and my favorite, the one that made me want to be a writer, William Golding, The Lord of the Flies.

That was over forty years ago. Whew!

Then I went through my Star Trek stage, where it was implied that, by the 24^th century, the world would be a place of peace. There would also be no hunger, disease and every individual could improve themselves to their greatest potential, if they chose to.

I believe another important influence that fed the History Camp idea was my deep involvement, as an adult, with the Green political party all across North America. On the intellectual side, I studied deep ecology, world population, political movements and many other themes. On the practical side, with my business background, I started a company that catered to Green Party candidates and provided them with election supplies easily. In Canada, my work put Green Party election signs in every political riding across the country. This helped the Greens go from getting just over 50,000 votes, country wide in 1997, to over 1,000,000 votes in 2008. In the USA, I have the infamous distinction of having sold 3,200 Ralph Nader election signs into Florida in 2000, which probably gave Mr. Nader and extra 25,000 votes. This was enough to give the political right the opportunity, some say, to steal the election. That was a lesson to me (and it shows in my writing) that one person really can make a difference, but sometimes it turns around and kicks who’s ever around in the butt!

And then there’s one last thing, a last piece of the puzzle, a phrase that floated around in my mush melon for years. It’s a quote by Edmund Burke that goes; “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.”

So, just before I starting the first History Camp scribbles, I vaguely remember thinking, “What if there was a benevolent world body whose job it was to teach the next generation what our ancestors went through for thousands of years? How could they impart that knowledge? In what form would these lessons take place? I waited for my brain to answer. Nothing! Nada. There was silence from within. But I’ve always found the best way to come up with a solution to a problem is to tell my brain what I wanted it to accomplish and then get on with other things. The solution would be worked on by all the gremlins rummaging around in my subconscious.

It was a warm summer’s day in my hometown of Kingston, Ontario. I was taking some out-of-town visitors to the premier local tourist attractions, Old Fort Henry. It’s a huge, limestone fort built on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Cataraqui Rivers, built some forty years after the war of 1812, to discourage the Americans from invading British North America again. I was walking around, watching all the summer students in their 19^th century costumes. They were talking to the visitors about how things were away back when.

And then it struck me. That creative bump, no a bang. It was that brain rush that all writer’s wait for, like a drug addict getting their hit. My subconscious had put it all together and it came to me with clarity. Instead of a “touristy historical theme park”, where people played at being someone from the past, how about if, in the future, society would built whole cities, identical to those from different eras, and young people would go there, not for a fun outing, but to live there to gain a true appreciation of the benefits of modernity? I liked it. But then I thought, books have to be an exciting story, with conflict. In a perfected world, can there be conflict? I smiled as that answer came to me immediately. My subconscious had done a good job. What was the inspiration that came to me, you ask? Sorry. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…“I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The LENS and the LOOKER, and all my History Camp stories, are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” – -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

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Book #1 of the Verona Trilogy

Adventure, Time Travel, a Love Story!

Young Adult, Post-Dystopian Fiction

It’s the 24th century and humans, with the help of artificial intelligences (A.I.s), have finally created the perfect post-dystopian society. To make equally perfect citizens for this world, the elders have created History Camps, full sized recreations of cities from Earth’s distant pasts. Here teens live the way their ancestors did, doing the same dirty jobs and experiencing the same degradations. History Camps teach youths not to repeat the mistakes that almost caused the planet to die. But not everything goes to plan.

In this first of a trilogy, we meet three spoiled teens in the year 2347. Hansum almost 17, is good looking and athletic. Shamira, 15, is sassy, independent and an artistic genius. Lincoln, 14, is the smart-aleck. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find his insecurities.

These three “hard cases” refuse the valuable lessons History Camps teach. But when they are kidnapped and taken back in time to 1347 Verona, Italy, they only have two choices; adapt to the harsh medieval ways or die. The dangers are many, their enemies are powerful, and safety is a long way away. It’s hardly the ideal environment to fall in love – but that’s exactly what happens. In an attempt to survive, the trio risks introducing technology from the future. It could save them – or it could change history.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Fiction Std (March 16, 2011)

And if that means I don’t write ‘real books’, then I think I’ll just continue to write ‘unreal’ ones.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Christine Norris is the author of several works for children and adults, including the Library of Athena series and the Zandria duology. When she’s not out saving the world one story at a time, she is disguised as a mild mannered substitute teacher, mother, and wife. She cares for her family of one husband-creature, a son-animal, and two felines who function as Guardian of the Bathtub and Official Lap Warmer, respectively. She has also done several English adaptations of novels translated from other languages. She reached a new level of insanity by attending Southen Connecticut State University Graduate School’s Information and Library Science program, so that someday she, too, can be a real Librarian. She currently resides somewhere in southern New Jersey.