Penny Lockwood
Boo’s Bad Day
Hi Penny, it’s great to have you back with us today. You were a
guest in Dec. 9, 2011 http://juliedobbins.blogspot.com/2011/12/visit-with-penny-ehrenkranz.html
when you were promoting Lady in Waiting and Mirror, Mirror.
I'm surprised it has been so long! We're long overdue for a visit.
Julie, thanks for hosting me. At the end of the tour, I will pick out one
commenter’s name and send an autographed copy of Boo’s Bad Day to a United States address only. If the name I pick is someone who lives
outside the U.S., I will send a PDF copy of the book. So remember, readers, be sure to leave
contact information when you comment!
If your readers missed yesterday’s post, they can
catch up at http://dawnprochovnic.blogspot.com. Today’s visit is the last in a month-long tour for
Boo. It’s been quite the adventure.
Let’s start with a brief overview of your new book, Boo’s Bad
Day:
By Penny Lockwood
Picture book for children aged 18 months to 6 years
Published by 4RV Publishing
ISBN# 13: 978-0-9852661-5-8
$8.99
includes s/h
Look inside at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Boos-Bad-Day-Penny-Lockwood/dp/0985266155/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Tagline:
Boo sneaks out of the house and
discovers that freedom by himself can be scary.
Blurb:
Boo is a
very bored kitten. When Timmy and his mom return home, Boo sneaks out of the
house. Boo is frightened by the noises
of the big world outside of the safety of his warm home. When Timmy coaxes Boo back into the house,
Boo realizes some places are safe and some are not.
This is the last stop on your blog tour – how does it feel?
I’ve had a wonderful time this past month. I’ve “met” several new people who have
stopped and taken the time to comment.
It’s been very encouraging for me to have so many people praising Boo’s Bad Day both with positive reviews
and comments. It’s not quite as exhausting as doing a live book tour, but it
has required time each day to visit the blogs who have been kind enough to host
me. I’ll miss the tour, but I’m also glad it’s coming to an end.
How many stops did you have? I’ve followed several of
them and it looks great!
Thanks. I’ve appreciated all the different approaches bloggers
have taken. It hasn’t seemed like the
same questions over and over, but I’ve had a chance to share lots of different
aspects of Boo’s Bad Day. We started
the tour on April 22, so there’s been a total of 33 blog stops.
When you were promoting Lady in Waiting and Mirror,
Mirror, you collected about 100 comments from all of the blog stops. How
have the comments been this time?
I’m composing my answers to your questions before the blog tour
has completed, but with several more stops to go, I’ve already had over 70
comments, so I guess there will be close to 100 again.
Are blog tours your favorite way to promote your books?
Definitely. I certainly
do Twitter announcements as well as promoting on Facebook and LinkedIn. However, I think the best way to actually
reach new readers is through a blog tour.
I’ve been fortunate to be hosted by bloggers around the world. I love getting comments from people living in
places I may never be able to visit.
I live in a small rural community, and although we had an
independent bookstore for a long time, it recently closed. The same is true, surprisingly, for the used
bookstores. We had two very good ones. One has already closed and the other is up
for sale. Both the owners of the two
used bookstores were quite supportive of local authors and would sell books on
consignment as well as host book signings.
I do have a school visit and a summer library visit planned,
both of which should be fun.
Boo's Bad Day is published through 4RV Publishing -
Vivian Zabel, one of the owners, seems like a great lady! What can you tell us
about working with this publisher?
You’re right. Vivian is a great person to work with. She’s very knowledgeable about the English
language, and the books she chooses to publish are exceptional. (I know…modest,
right?) She has an excellent acquisitions staff that only seeks out the best of
what’s submitted. As a small publisher,
she has to be sure what she publishes will be successful.
I was quite pleased when she took me on as a writer. Not only is 4RV the publisher for Boo’s Bad Day, but I have contracts for
two middle grade novels, Ghost for Rent and
Ghost for Lunch, which will be
packaged together, and another picture book Many
Colored Coats.
Have you ever considered publishing on your own? There
seems to be a lot of controversy about self- publishing, so what are your
thoughts on the subject?
I have not seriously considered publishing my fiction on my
own. I did look into possibly putting
together an eBook of writing tips, but I didn’t get very far with that
project. I like working with a
traditional publisher, even if it’s a small publisher. When you’re on your own, you have to do a lot
more work without the support of a publishing house to help you out. Granted these days, authors do most of the
promotional work themselves, but at least working with a publishing house, we
have access to ongoing support and help with promotion.
That said, I do think there is a place for self-publishing. It
no longer seems to have the stigma it had when people first started to do
it. There are a lot of quality
self-published books out there. There are also a lot of self-published books
which should have never seen the light of day… If an author has a niche book, or
a non-traditional topic, though, I think there is a better chance for success
by self-publishing.
When submitting to publishers, there is always the risk of
rejection. Have you had to deal with a few manuscript rejections?
Of course, hasn’t everyone.
I wish I’d known that when I first wanted to be a writer, oh so many
years ago… Now, I realize that even the
best of authors get rejected; even the big name authors were rejected at some
point in their lives. The trick is to not give up. I’ve found it often comes down to being in
the right place, at the right time, with the right story. Make sure it’s the
best it can be. Tweak it if you get a
promising rejection that offers constructive criticism. If you believe in your
story, keep sending it out. With luck, it just may find a home.
Sometimes publishers want to make changes to the manuscript.
What has been your experience regarding changes?
I’ve only had one major rewrite of a story. The publisher liked the premise, but he
wanted to see it from a different angle.
I completely rewrote the story, and it was accepted. Other times,
changes have been necessary because of grammatical errors or content
problems. I’ve learned to trust my
editors. Even though I’m an editor
myself, it’s amazing what my brain will interpret from what my eye actually
sees. Editors are wonderful people!
What are your plans for the rest of 2013?
I’m actually slowing down a bit as I have a new granddaughter
coming in July. I already watch my
almost two-year-old grandson a couple of days a week, and I hope to spend more
time with my grandchildren. I am primary
caregiver for my 97-year-old mom, so that takes a lot of my time. I’m working on a NA(new adult)/Adult fantasy,
and I also have a sequel to the Ghost
stories, which I’ve been working on for a while now.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Thank you all for following along on this blog tour. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ll be checking all the blog stops to be
sure I have everyone’s name. Then into
the hat those names will go. I’ll have
my grandson pull out a name, and I’ll be in touch to send off a signed copy of Boo’s Bad Day.
Thanks for being our guest! I always enjoy visiting with you, so be sure to keep me in mind for your next project and... enjoy your grandchildren!
Penny
Lockwood has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, a chapbook, and her
stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for both adults and
children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children’s
publications, and non‑fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing,
parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications. She edits for MuseItUp Publishing. Visit her web site at http:// pennylockwoodehrenkranz.yolasite.com.
Her writing blog is located at http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/.
She
has recently released Boo’s Bad Day
with 4RV Publishing and has three other children’s books under contract with
them: Ghost for Rent, Ghost for Lunch, and Many Colored Coats. She has three
romances published by MuseItUp Publishing: Love
Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror,
Mirror. Her short story collection, A Past and A Future, is available
through Sam’s Dot Publishing and Smashwords.
4 Comments on A Visit With: Penny Lockwood and Boo's Bad Day, last added: 5/28/2013
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Hi Julie, thanks for hosting me on this last day of Boo's Bad Day blog tour. You asked questions no one else asked and the perfect ones for the last day!
Thanks, Penny! It's always a pleasure to have you here. The tour looks like it has been a real treat! :)
Great interview ladies! Julie, you did ask some wonderful questions. I really enjoyed the interview. Penny, best wishes with the sales of all of your books. I've enjoyed hosting both of you ladies on my blog in the past and I hope to host you both again sometime in the future.
Congratulations to Susan York Meyers! She's the winner of an autographed copy of Boo's Bad Day.