Some of the least expensive promo can be bookmarks and cover flats. It’s easy to print them, fairly easy to design them to look sharp and pleasing to the eye, and easy to have them in sufficient quantity to drop in every Welcome bag at a given con.

Things I’ve observed:

• My first year at RT, when faced with having to pack all of my loot to get it home, the first things I trashed were paper bookmarks and cover flats. They were in every bag, every goodie sack and on every table. Right into the trash can they went.
• My first year at AAD, I witnessed entire table fulls and box loads of similar paper bookmarks and cover flats go into the trash. Readers didn’t take them and took them out of their Welcome bags to lighten the load as they packed their loot to go home.

So one might think bookmarks and cover flats aren’t good promotional material. Well, I’d disagree there too.

When does a reader keep that bookmark or want that cover flat?

• Cover flats are a great way to have a autographed keepsake from your favorite author. I’ve had a lot of readers ask for them at con.
• Bookmarks are a handy way to look up an author you intend to check out later. I’ve had a lot of newly met readers take my bookmark and tuck it into a safe place in their bag or purse so they could find it easily to look up my books when they got home.

It’s about how you, as an author, use your bookmarks and cover flats. Given anonymously in a big bag full of other paper promo, it’s likely to get trashed. But if you’re talking with someone and have made a connection, they’re likely to tuck your bookmark or cover flat away someplace safe as a way to remember to look you up again later.

They are a great value and strong promotional aid when used at the right time.

And for my readers, ask me for them any time.

Michael had me kick off every morning with at least 30 minutes of cardio. It wasn’t too hard for me to adjust my schedule to accommodate this, and I work out before breakfast. I immediately noticed I was more awake throughout the day and hungrier. At the same time, the first couple of days left me exhausted. It’s a big change to double your cardio each day, but I’m making it happen: two 30 min cardio sessions per day.

Results? I’ve lost 2 pounds (or approx 1% body fat).

Michael also stressed the importance of strength training. Fun facts:

Lean muscle is much more compact than fat. Appearance is significantly slimmer.

More lean muscle increases your metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even at rest throughout the day.

More lean muscle mass protects you from injuries.

Personally, I enjoy strength training in addition to cardio training. I prefer free weights, but then I’m fairly familiar with a lot of the common free weight exercises. Less experienced people might feel more comfortable with the machines.  Plus, I do go back to the machines every once in a while because they really do feel different from free weights and change is good to keep confusing the body. Some interesting strength training options I plan to explore in the future are tension bands (much easier for travel and hotel room workouts – I do some already but want to learn more) and kettle bells.

Plenty of workouts can be found with an easy search online at sites like Shape.com or similar sites, or you can consult a trainer like Michael.  Personally, I love P90X. Those workouts still have what it takes to completely devastate my muscles. LOL.

Personal Trainer and Ifbb Pro Michael Stuart, photo by Luis Rafael

And here’s Michael’s tip for the week:

 Michael: “ABS TIP….If you want abs then you need to realize doing unlimited amounts of crunches or any other ab exercise will not make your abs show, you must first shed the FAT that is around them! Abs are made in the kitchen therefor if your not eating correctly then your abs will not show, and remember women who constantly use the weighted ab machines, stick with more functional core exercises instead of that machine, you will burn more fat and build a stronger core while maintaining a flatter stomach and less blocky stomach.”

Interested in training with Michael Stuart?

Find him on Facebook  or Twitter (@MaxfitTraining1) and tell him I sent you, he’ll hook you up with a great training package.

I’ve teamed up with a personal trainer to kick my butt into gear and get into shape. I need to be able to keep up with my kick @$$ characters like Kat and a few new ones I hope you’ll meet in upcoming releases.

Besides, I’ll be honest here, with the new day job and traveling every week to various cities, I’ve put on a lot of extra weight. It may seem glamorous and exciting to travel all over the place, but the reality of eating airport fast food and take out, room service and restaurant dishes all the time means a crazy overload of calories.

I needed someone to help me learn to make better choices and design a workout routine that works in any hotel, flexible enough to adjust to what equipment might or more likely might NOT be available to me.

Plus, I needed someone with the balls to yell at me if I conveniently forgot to eat healthy. Temptation clouds logic, and I definitely had a couple of desserts in there thinking, “Oh, it’s been a few days since I had something. I’ve been good enough it won’t hurt.”

Yah. I look like that cream puff I ate two weeks ago.

So, I’m entering into a 12 week mission to get healthy again. The first couple of days have been hard, but I’m trying to meet the challenges with good humor.  Here’s one that stands out in my mind:

• PJ has cocker spaniel syndrome. Drinking about a gallon of water a day meant I hit the ladies’ room a heck of a lot more often than I was used to.  <- O.o

But seriously, water does do a body good. Here’s some fun facts about water:

Aids in the digestion and absorption of food.

Needed to regulate body temperature and blood circulation.

Transports needed oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Necessary for the kidneys to remove toxins from the blood stream and carry those toxins out of the body.

Here’s my commitment to you and to my trainer, Michael. I’ll post here once a week and share my adventures in getting in shape on the fly (sometimes literally). There’ll be fitness and health tidbits as I learn them and I’ll try to include a bit of perspective from Michael as he has to deal with me.

Personal Trainer and Ifbb Pro Michael Stuart, photo by Luis Rafael

In fact, let’s get the first in today:

 Michael: “The first few days have been a bit tough considering her travel/work schedule. The fact that she does not have access to a kitchen to cook the food herself makes the dieting really hard, we’re just going to push through and work with what we can and get results either way.”

I’m not one for resolutions or announcing my goals. If there’s one thing I learned about 2011, it’s that Life challenges you and you have to be flexible enough to roll with the punches. At the end of the year, rather than look back at my New Year’s resolutions or goals to see the things I couldn’t keep to for whatever reason, I’d rather look at what I did accomplish for the year and stand proud.

facta non verba 

Deeds, not words.

You’ll be able to see what I DO and what I accomplish.

Well, there’ll be words, the ones in my manuscripts as I dive into writing for the year. I’ve got some great upcoming projects, including some saucy stuff!

Interested in training with Michael Stuart?

Find him on Facebook  or Twitter (@MaxfitTraining1) and tell him I sent you, he’ll hook you up with a great training package.

I’m working on Fighting Kat, the next book in the Triton Experiment series, and I promise you it is action packed and sexy all rolled into one. Kaitlyn and Rygard are back, my friends.

And because this IS the Shameless Giveaway Hop, I’m going to add to the fun part of this year by giving away a Hunting Kat mug and black panther beanie baby plus a signed cover flat for Hunting Kat.

Enter the giveaway using Rafflecopter. It’s super easy. Just hit the green “Do It” buttons, follow the prompts, and hit the green enter buttons when you’re done. This hop runs from 1/20/12 to 1/27/12.(Open to International)

Hunting Kat (Book 1 of the Triton Experiment series)

As a mercenary, Kat Darah doesn’t have to pass for a normal human. On the edge of the solar system, she’s just another biped. Most of the time.

Nearing the end of his military tour, Lt. Christopher Rygard debates the idea of hanging up his uniform for good. Looking for answers at the bottom of a glass of scotch, he meets Kat.

One shared night of mutual desire seems harmless. But when their tryst is interrupted by attackers hunting Rygard, Kat must reveal her other form, the predator beneath the human façade.Together they embark on a dangerous mission—a race against time to meet the enemy’s demands, while trying to deny the passion between them. Rygard is faced with a terrible choice in the face of duty: Report the existence of a human turned shape-shifter. Or forget he ever met her.

You can purchase Hunting Kat in eBook format at the following locations:

Carina Press

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

You can purchase Hunting Kat in Audio book format at the following location:

Audible.com

Shout out to Jen at Red Hot Books, Brie at Romance Around the Corner & Michelle at Michelle’s Book Blog for hosting the blog hop and thank you for stopping by and don’t forget to continue on the hop for other great giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An idea I was tossing around was the use of QR codes.

In the course of my research, I came across this article:

QR codes on campus: why don’t they work?

Some key highlights from the article here:

• Many students may own a smartphone, but not all know what a QR code is, or willing to download the software necessary to scan.
• Lighting conditions: Depending on what kind of camera phone you have, the quality of light may not be good enough to scan properly.
• Time intensive: A common complaint is that it takes too much effort to scan QR codes. Taking out a phone, unlocking, going to an application, then scanning — often resulting in a URL that could have been typed in directly with less effort.
• Underwhelming results: QR codes often result in a single line of text or a web link, which don’t appeal in relation to the effort required to scan.
• Mobile device features: Few mobile devices can be considered QR friendly. If mobile devices included an automatic scanning system within their camera components, then as less effort would be required, scanning frequency may increase.

Note: the article is about college students, but heck, the average college student is probably more tech savy than the average person. So if a college student doesn’t know, I’m wondering how many people on average do know? I use QR codes, but my day job has me in a corporate environment where they’re used all the time.

Does this mean I won’t use QR codes? Not necessarilly. It means if I want to have this option available, I need to address certain considerations.

When would it be super easy option for people who are tech-savvy and are looking for a chance to use this technology?

What would make it worth it to them to scan the QR code immediately rather than nab easily available swag and simply walk away intending to look it up later?

What exactly am I going to generate the QR code for? Link to my website? (It’d be faster just to type it in on a smart phone browser) Buy links to my books? (Maybe) What else?

How can I be sure malware doesn’t end up attached? It’s a danger and many tech savvy users prefer not to use QR codes simply because they can’t verify that the QR code leads to a verified URL and not anyplace with associated malware.

I very well might incorporate QR codes into my promotional kit, but I’m going to think hard about the best way to make them successful.

However, it’s not so straightforward as writing a book with an MMA hero, or heroine. I don’t write contemporary romance. Not that I won’t, but a plot hasn’t ever taken root for me in that subgenre.  I write science fiction and paranormal romance, steampunk and urban fantasy. Those are the stories that take form in my head and those are the ones that stay with me through the months it takes to write them. The characters wouldn’t just be MMA fighters. They’d be something else, a step outside the normal parameters.

That doesn’t mean those MMA elements aren’t there.

In Heart’s Sentinel, Mackenzie goes to River Gap pride and to an MMA school to enroll. Her purpose was to learn self-defense, win back some of the personal confidence she’d lost after having been brutally attacked, and also gain control of the new physical abilities she has as a result of being Changed into a shapeshifter. It’s an MMA school and there’s some touches of actual lessons. The MMA definitely comes out in the later fight scenes.

So did I write an MMA novel? No. Is there MMA in the book? Most definitely.

In Hunting Kat, Kaitlyn is a merc. She’s a fighter. Trust me, when she has a fight scene, there’s all sorts of mixed martial arts techniques incorporated. In the sequel, Fighting Kat, Kaitlyn will be doing a lot more fighting. In fact, she will step into a cage for at least one scene. MMA will provide a strong influence on those scenes.

But some friends and acquaintances still say, “Write an MMA novel and I’ll read that.”

Here’s my thought. My stories are what they are because I love what I write. If they’re not you’re genre, that’s okay with me. If you decide to give my stories a try and enjoy the elements I’ve incorporated, I’d be incredibly happy you liked my story! If you decide not to read my stories because they aren’t specifically on the topic of interest to you, that’s okay too.

I’m still going to write my stories because someone out there loves a sci-fi romance with mixed martial arts elements or mmorpg influence. And I’m sure there’s a writer out there who writes contemporary about MMA fighters. In fact, I ‘ve got a couple of those on my Kindle app.

Let’s see, this year saw the release of these three titles:

Spaz’s Review at Wicked Little Pixie Book Pusher Has’ Review The Romanceaholic’s Review Nicole’s Review at Romance Book’s Forum Jessica’s Review at Novel Reaction Red Hot Books Review	Hunting KatAs a mercenary, Kat Darah doesn’t have to pass for a normal human. On the edge of the solar system, she’s just another biped. Most of the time. Nearing the end of his military tour, Lt. Christopher Rygard debates the idea of hanging up his uniform for good. Looking for answers at the bottom of a glass of scotch, he meets Kat. One shared night of mutual desire seems harmless. But when their tryst is interrupted by attackers hunting Rygard, Kat must reveal her other form, the predator beneath the human façade.Together they embark on a dangerous mission—a race against time to meet the enemy’s demands, while trying to deny the passion between them. Rygard is faced with a terrible choice in the face of duty: Report the existence of a human turned shape-shifter. Or forget he ever met her. Status: Released July 4th from Carina Press You can purchase Hunting Kat in eBook format at the following locations: Carina Press Amazon.com You can purchase Hunting Kat in Audio book format at the following location: Audible.com Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.
Queentutt’s Review	Drowning Tides (included in the Love’s Immortal Pantheon Vol. 5 anthology)Lora loved being a mermaid, reveled in the freedom of the sea. But an ancient danger approaches and her friend, Katherine, needs to live up to her potential or countless lives will end. In an effort to coax Katherine ashore to spend time immersed in the emotions humans generate so easily, Lora steals the breath of life from unwary divers. For every human life, she has three days and three nights to fill her lungs with air and walk among them. Seeking the perfect bait for Katherine, Lora goes ashore … but finds love instead. Status: release to Print in Winter 2011 from Tease Publishing LLC You can purchase Drowning Tides individually in eBook format here: All Romance eBooks Amazon.com You can purchase the Anthology in Print format here: [link coming soon]
Science Fiction
	Remember My Name(Gimme Shelter anthology)Snippet chosen by the editor: Damn Recon Marines. If they’d stuck to the original route, they never would’ve been cut off from the transport ship in the first place. The tiny alley didn’t present enough escape routes and I’d have my hands full providing the support they needed to make it the rest of the way to the waterfront. Status: Published as companion to the Shelter in Place RPG

Met many readers at various conventions and played Spot the PJ all over the internetz. Won NaNoWriMo 2011. Had a whole heck of a lot of life challenges ranging from getting laid off to losing my house, dealing with various natural disasters and finding a new place to live. Whew.

I also accepted representation with  Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Agency. *squee!*

I’m planning to work hard in 2012 to make the positives outweight the negatives. It’s my hope you’ll see a bunch of new titles in 2012, including the next books in the Triton Experiment series and the Terra’s Guardians series. Stay tuned and I hope you’re having a happy set of holidays.

I’m celebrating with the Romance Author Hotspot for the week with a fun interview and feature of my sci-fi romance novella, Hunting Kat.

I hope you’ll stop by and visit the different party rooms at the RAH Holiday Bash. There’ll be features by various authors and publishers, awesome prizes and great company. We’ll also be popping in at various times during the week to answer questions and chat.

You can visit us all at the main party room here:

http://romanceauthorhotspot.com/?page_id=1261

And I’ll also have an exclusive page featuring my fun giveaway, a Hunting Kat coffee mug and a black panther beanie baby.

Visit it here:

http://romanceauthorhotspot.com/?p=1335

Feel free to take a break from the holiday insanity and hop on line with us. I can’t promise it’ll be any less insane but it’ll be fun.

The Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop is now Ended.

Congrats to Jay on winning my giveaway package!

Thank you for stopping by and Happy Holidays!

***

The holiday season is filled with so many things.

There’s hustle and bustle, the warmth of friends and family, and celebrations and traditions everywhere. Time flies in a blur of lights and music.

And my favorite moments? They’re the ones stolen beneath the mistletoe.

A kiss, intense and savored, unhurried and enjoyed, the kind to steal your breath away.

Sigh…

*melts*

Ahem. Sorry about that.

Moving on…

I’m offering a a box of goodies as my giveaway. To win, please leave a comment and share with us your favorite moments of the season.

Also, visit the Contests page to enter to win the Grand Prize!

And the box? As much fun as it would be to have the winner surprised when they open it, I figure it’d be more fun to share with you all what you’re entering to win.

Included in this giveaway is a Terra’s Guardians tshirt, assorted signed cover flats for my books, a PJ Schnyder tote bag, pen and notepad as well as various books by awesome authors such as Dakota Cassidy, D Renee Bagby, Nalini Singh and more. Plus some fun swag I nabbed in my con travels this past convention season. This giveaway is open to international entrants.

Happy Holidays, all, and good luck with the many other giveaways from the other participants on the blog hop!