What if You Gave a Party and No One Came

                                                                                                        Zelda Benjamin

Explain the location
Online parties such as fb parties and events are a great way to bring together people with similar interests. It's important to explain that it's a come as you are party and no one has to leave the comfort of their home or their computer screen. So many of my co-workers  apologized the next day for not being able to attend because they were unsure of the location. It's a hard concept for some people to grasp. However, once you get the concept you'll become a real party girl.

Set a time limit
My party ran from 7PM to 10PM EST. The time is set when you create your event. Don't forget the different time zones.




Make it fun
My first party was to launch, Chocolate Couture. To engage my guests I asked them to bring their favorite chocolate recipe. I started the event with a recipe mentioned in the story. It didn't take long for everyone to add a link or picture of their signature or heirloom  chocolate recipe.

Party favors
Everyone loves a prize. Announce at the start of your party what you're going to give away and how often. Make sure the details are clear- US only or International. Remember people will come from all over. At my last event, I had a guest from the Netherlands. 
For the first hour, I gave away a DD gift card so a lucky winner could enjoy their favorite beverage with one of the recipes. The second hour, I offered a recipe box with all the recipes mentioned in my Love by Chocolate series. I announced the winners at the end of each hour. 



Invite people you know will come
My critique partners as usual came through for me. They not only came with chocolate recipes, they came bearing gifts. Each of them offered a copy of their books to randomly selected guest who posted on the event.

Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you peace, love and chocolate.
Zelda

Loving the Story.. With Your Eyes or Your Ears?

Lately, my life has been amazingly busy, and that has drastically cut down on my “reading for enjoyment” time.  My TBR pile had been hovering in skyscraper proportions.
Sometimes it takes desperation for me to make changes in my life.  Feeling withdrawal from the joy of reading good stories, I finally investigated the world of audio books.  What a thrill!  Maybe this is not new news to you, but it was a new discovery for me.  While I love the feel of a book (or my Kindle) in my hands, audio books has become a great alternative in those busy days.

                                                           

I can listen to a story while on the stationary bike at the gym. I can enjoy a chapter while sorting the bottomless basket of granddaughters’ socks, or folding towels, or scrubbing pots.  The time flies by while sitting in the car pickup line at school.  In truth, I love the feel of a book (or my Kindle) in my hands. But when time is an issue, it is a great multi tasking solution to these mundane tasks, and I love it.

But I am discovering two things. First of all, many of my favorite authors do not yet have books available in an audio format. I hope that changes.  I am also exploring issuing some of my own stories as audio books. 

Secondly, I’m finding that the narrator/ reader of a book is key to my enjoyment.  Some are male, some are female, some young, some old.  It’s hard for me to decipher what exactly makes the book work. What do you think?  I’d love to hear your opinion of audio books.  Do you prefer a male or female voice? Or multi voices? In a series, is it important that the voice be the same in all of the books?  Do you have a favorite reader?  Does this format work better for you in some genres vs. others? 

Audio books? What do you think?       

Christine Bush is the award winning author of many books and novellas of sweet romance and light mystery. She also writes Middle Grade Fiction. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a local college.  She lives with her family and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers and aspiring writers.

Her latest book “Cindy’s Prince” can be found at 

 http://www.amazon.com/Cindys-Prince-Christine-Bush-ebook/dp/B00IFSRVJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393781746&sr=1-1&keywords=christine+bush+cindy%27s+prince

www.ChristineBush.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent