Miranda Parker Author Tea Independence Day Weekend

Cost: Free

Miranda Parker, SOMEONE BAD and SOMETHING BLUE. 2 p.m. July 7. "Meet the Author", signing and tea. Free. Main Branch located at 300 Woodrow Wilson Dr, Valdosta, GA 31602. Contact: Harriet Messcher. 229-333-0086. http://www.sgrl.org/

In the bestselling tradition of Janet Evanovich, Miranda Parker's debut novel, A Good Excuse To Be Bad, brilliantly blended mystery and humor, and introduced a beautiful, brainy, and tough-as-nails, single mom and bail recovery agent turned sleuth. In Parker’s second novel, SOMEONE BAD and SOMETHING BLUE Angel Crawford has a lot on her plate—but between crime-solving and kindergarten carpool, it’s all in a day’s work…

Miranda Parker, a native of Valdosta, Georgia is the author of the Angel Crawford Series. This journalist, and book awards judge has written over fifty magazine features since graduating from Agnes Scott College and Valdosta High School. She began writing fiction in 2005 after taking a writing workshop taught by Chuck Palanuik(Fight Club.) Now Parker writes suspense novels for Kensington Publishing Corp. She has appeared at the 2012 SC Book Festival, The 2011 National Book Club Convention, and the 2011 Decatur Book Festival. Visit her at www.mirandaparker.com

Author event includes: food, refreshments, writing workshop and giveaways.

For more information, contact Eric Mathis at South Georgia Regional Library. (229) 333-0086

Thriller Thursday: What to Expect your 1st Year as a Published Author

by Miranda Parker

This month marks my first full year as a published author. My debut novel A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD released this time last year, the sequel SOMEONE BAD and SOMETHING BLUE releases in two weeks, and book three sits on my editor’s desk being edited as I write this post to you. In honor of my small anniversary I wanted to share some helpful truths about this first year to you.

Click here to read more.

Free Writing workshop with Kensington Books Miranda Parker

Here's your chance to sit down with me and let me help you write your book. It's free to you, because Atlanta Fulton County Library is bringing me in. So check out the details and register. I will bring enough packets for those who register. Thanks!

 

 

DATE: Monday, June 18, 2012, 6:00 PM-7:30 pm

WHERE: Adamsville-Collier Heights Branch Library Meeting Room, 3424 Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Atlanta, GA 30331

COST: Free & Open to the Public

Suggested Audiences: College, Adult, Elders

CONTACT: comments@co.fulton.ga.us
PHONE: 404-699-4206

DETAILS: Renowned author Miranda Parker will be conducting a writer's workshop at the Adamsville-Collier Heights Library.

TOOLS TO BRING: Notebook, Paper, Manuscript

Best­selling Author Reshonda Tate Billings­ley states that “Angel is a good girl in a fast paced, kick butt, bad boy chase, sexy thrill-ride.” Miranda Parker is the author of the Angel Craw­ford Bounty Hunter Series (A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD and SOMEONE BAD and SOMETHING BLUE). She has been fea­tured in the Atlanta Jour­nal Con­sti­tu­tion, RT Book Reviews Mag­a­zine and Pub­lish­ers Weekly. She has also made fea­tured author appear­ances for the 2012 SC Book Festival in Columbia, South Carolina, the 2012 Chick Lit Festival in Decatur, Georgia, 2011 (NBCC) National Book Club Con­ven­tion, Black Pearl Magazine’s Choco­late Social, The Decatur Book Fes­ti­val, and the 2011 Atlanta Press Club Holiday Author Party. She is also the Social Media/Marketing Head for the ITW Debut Authors Pro­gram and a con­tribut­ing edi­tor to THE BIG THRILL Magazine.  Visit her at www.mirandaparker.com or on FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/mirandaparkerbooks

Miranda Parker Moderates May 23 #LitChat Literary Mysteries

Literary mysteries take readers beyond the who-did-it and into the psychological playground of murder and mayhem. This Wednesday in #litchat we’ll discuss how literary mysteries differ from mainstream or genre mysteries and why they are often misunderstood. Join me on Twitter at 4PM ET. I will be the guest moderator for this session. Woohoo!  Don’t forget use the hashtag #litchat http://litchat.net/

 

CHICK LIT AUTHOR BLOG HOP 2012

The 2012  Chick Lit Author Blog Hop

In honor of International Chick Lit Month I’m celebrating with 34 fabulous authors for the Chick Lit Author Blog Hop. Not only are we celebrating, but we’re giving away ebook goodies and a $150 Sephora Gift Card for those of you who play along.  So Welcome to my spot on the hop and let’s get started...

The post below contains a “secret” italicized word (*not a book title). Find it, then collect a secret word from each of the other fabulous Chick Lit Blog Hops, and you can qualify for the Sephora Gift Card.

Click here to participate

Last Chance to Win A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD

Now that I’m gearing up for the release of SOMEONE BAD AND SOMETHING BLUE I’m giving you one more freebie-tunity to get Book 1, A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD for free.

 

We’re celebrating my friend Tyora Moody debut novel release  of WHEN RAIN FALLS this month with special goody bag giveaway and a chance to win A GOOD EXCUSE TO BE BAD. Click this link to learn about this new giveaway.

Thriller subgenres: is it SciFi, or SciThri?

Come meet me and the Georgia Peach Authors (Marissa Monteilh, Jeanne Holloway, Gail McFarland, Electa Rome Parks, and Dwan Abrams) along with ten other Atlanta prolific authors this Saturday, November 19, 2011 for Authors on the Square.

Where: Central Library Auditorium, 1 Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, GA

When: 12-5 PM  (I will be on a Writing Discussion Panel at 3PM ET.)

The Event: Join us for a celebration of local authors, books, and reading as we recognize National Novel Writing Month. The featured authors are Gregory A. Freeman, The Last Mission of the Wham Bam Boys: Courage, Tragedy and Justice in World War II; Jennie Helderman, As the SycamoreGrows; and Rene Silvin, Noblesse Oblige In addition, at the Meet & Greet tables talk one on one with local authors such as Dr. Tiffany Brown, Dwan Abrams, Joe Wilson, Marissa Monteilh, Electa Rome Parks, Miranda Parker, and many more. Free and open to the public.

This is a great event to get autographed books for Christmas gifts.

Visit this link to learn more http://www.georgialibraries.org/events/calendar/authors-square-atlanta

 

CREATING A WORTHY ANTAGONIST

"Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph." Roger Ebert

Welcome to Thriller Thursday!

This week we have a treat for you. Jodie Renner shares advice that is paramount to writing a great thriller. The Villain. As the Roger Ebert quote states above, having a worthy antagonist does more than just give your hero someone to defeat. The villain gives your reader a reason to join your hero’s journey, to connect emotionally with the hero, and to understand what’s at stake, if the hero does not succeed.

The villain deserves a great deal of attention from the writer. Wouldn’t you agree? Renner shares terrific villain character development tips and also opens up this week’s discussion. How evil should a modern villain be?

Click here to join the discussion:http://thethrillbegins.blogspot.com/2011/11/creating-worthy-antagonist.html

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• Creating a Worthy Antagonist (thethrillbegins.blogspot.com)

Where do you get your stories?

Where do you get your story ideas? Where do you get your story ideas? Are you a ripped from the headlines type? Do your story ideas actually start with character? Do they reflect your life/interests? Are they more intuitive? AND, how do you know when they’re good? Join us at the Big Thrill for this week's Roundtable Discussion this week and share. I’ll ne sharing how A Good Excuse to Be Bad came to be. http://www.thebigthrill.org/2011/10/coming-october-10-16-where-do-you-get-your-story-ideas/

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Kensington Books Author Miranda Parker at Decatur Book Festival

The Decatur Book Festival Is The Largest Independent Book Festival in the Nation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical is an annual, free book festival that takes place over Labor Day weekend in Decatur, Georgia at several venues located in and around the downtown Decatur Square. Conceived in 2005 and launched in 2006, the festival brings more than 300 authors to Decatur for the holiday weekend. The authors give readings, talks, and panel discussions. The event is free and open to the public.
Miranda Parker will discuss how the city of Decatur became a main character in her Angel Crawford Series. She will also reads and sign her novel A Good Excuse to Be Bad, which has just been selected as a top pick by the Atlanta Press Club.
http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2011/authors/detail.php?id=253

A Special Thank You to My Friends, The Miranda Parker Collective

Happy Tuesday! I want to thank all my friends who purchased my first novel, A Good Excuse to Be Bad last month. I'm really honored, especially when there are so many books out by BIG authors and back to school shopping, high gas prices, & other things to do with $14. I hope you enjoyed the book. Please let me know.

Save the Date: LitChat Alter Egos & Miranda Parker This Friday

 

Samuel Clemons had Mark Twain. Charles Dodson had Lewis Carroll. The Bronte sisters had the Bells. Pseudonymns. For reasons public and private, long-speculated and tossed glibly in gossip, these and thousands of other authors through the years chose to publish their writing under different names. The reasons they chose pen names are many, varied from author to author and era to era. This week in #litchat we’ll discuss authors writing under pseudonyms.

On Friday, Litchat will chat with me about my choice to use a pen name and if the alter ego is a good excuse to be bad. Click here to get the deets on the chat, so you can join us.

Christian Fiction: My Writing Journey

‎"...my boss assigned me to interview a new pastor in town. He was a local loadie, bad boy turned good, who now had returned to his hometown to fulfill God’s vision for his people and make a better name for himself ... I was intrigued until my boss told me my subject’s name. You guessed it: my old crush who dropped me like a hot potato because I was too holy-fide to be a high school hoochie."http://bit.ly/dd2xea

A Good Excuse to hang with Miranda Parker this Independence Day

 

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

Today is also the launch of my online blog tour for Miranda Parker’s A Good Excuse to Be Bad! To keep you in the holiday spirit, I began the tour with my favorite National Anthem tributes at The Master’s Artist Blog.

Then hop over to Rhonda McKnight’s Urban Christian Fiction Today as I share  something interesting about some of the difficult scenes I had to write.

At All the Buzz Reviews I share some of the jobs I had before I became Miranda Parker. You would be surprised at what popular things I was a part of. I still pinch myself.

The Big Thrill Newsletter spotlights me as a debut author here. Some of my author friends share nice things about A Good Excuse to Be Bad.

And then I share my writing journey on Christian Fiction Online Magazine. Click here or click the pic.

 

After you’ve checked in, you can chat with me live on www.Facebook.com/mirandaparkerbooks or at www.mirandaparker.com

Keep checking this week to chat with me. I have some Goodies to sprinkle on some of the participants. Thank you so much in sharing this journey with me. Click the link below to see this summer’s online tour schedule. If you would like to be a part of it, visit me at www.mirandaparker.com.

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/2011/04/a-good-excuse-to-be-bad-blog-tour-july-4-8-2011/

I will also be chatting with you on GoodReads all summer about A Good Excuse to Be Bad one chapter at a time. You’re invited to join us! Click here.

And don’t forget my A Good Excuse to Drive Fast Miranda Parker 2011 Road Tour. This weekend we were in Valdosta, Georgia. We sold all the books in town and some. This weekend we will be in Atlanta for my Book Release Party hosted by Barnes & Noble. Free and open to the public. Food. Summer Refreshments. Book Fun and Me. Click the pic or link to join us. If you would like me to come to your town message me.

*The pic of Clothespin Betsy Ross is adorable. Click the link to purchase your own.

A Good Excuse To Be Bad Book Trailer

 

In four days my novel A Good Excuse To Be Bad releases. I’m excited. Check out the trailer for a teaser of the series.

New Devils and The Next Level

 

New Devils and The Next Level

“Show us the father and we will be satisfied.”John 14:8-14

As I grow closer to my novel’s book release, I stumble over more stumbling blocks, hit road blocks,detours, disappointments and, yet through it all, discover new great things about God. These things give me solace, because when you’re this close to experiencing a personal dream come true life gets pretty weird.

Continue reading "New Devils and The Next Level" »

A Sweet Incentive & Book Hug

This month is a busy one for me, because A Good Excuse to Be Bad releases. I had this great idea to pos every day leading up to the book launch. But then I thought to myself, would it be too much? Would you be sick of my by the time the book releases? Because who can take that much self promotion.

So I decided to do something else. I wanted to countdown my book release thanking the people who helped me get published. Therefore, for the next fifteen days I will be breaking down my acknowledgments page with you.

I think this is much better than me talking about myself. Most importantly, I think it’s important to know what goes on behind the scenes for a published author. What does it really take to create one of these books.

Tomorrow we will begin and I hope you join me. To make this journey a sweet incentive, I will be giving away a box of one of my chocolate guilty pleasures to the best lurker of my email.

You don’t have to miss a beat by subscribing to my blog or subscribing to my Facebook Fan Page. Click the blue to get connected.

Thanks so much for being a part of this journey with me.

 Miranda P

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10 Things to Do the Month Before Your Book Releases

  My novel, A Good Excuse to Be Bad has its national release June 28, 2011. When I noticed how I close I was to the book launch date I realized that although I have had the busiest, most trying, family in crisis year than I’ve ever had still needed to apply the action items I often encourage my clients and my Dee Goody Mail members. So as a reminder to myself and to up my accountability, I am sharing my checklist here.

1. Relax. (you don’t have to do anything us, but enjoy it all. so chill)
2. To enjoy this time throw a party.
3. Now promote that party in every free outlet you can find.
4. Get some door prizes for the party.
5. Promote the biggest door prize on your site and every where you can near the venue two weeks before the event.
6. Book a second event, because this party will be so cool. Your buddies will not want it to end, so have another place for them to meetup and provide an invite at this party.
7. Invite people who matter to you and gift them for being such a great help.
8. Prepare what you will read. Practice it.
9. Pay for an ad in your local paper or local email blast.
10. Prep the venue staff for your party. Early visit. Take your book. See who will be working for you. Give them a phone script in case someone calls wondering are you actually there.

Bonus. Have Fun. If no one else have fun, you better! LOL

One more thing. Today is the last day to enter to win a free autographed copy of A Good Excuse to Be Bad. Click the Good Reads pic or the link above to enter.

Dee Stewart is an inspirational book reviewer for Romantic Times Magazine,  contributing writer to Hope for Women Magazine, staff columnist for Christian Fiction Online Magazine, owner of Christian Fiction Blog and DeeGospel PR, an entertainment PR boutique. She is alsoMiranda Parker, novelist for Kensington Publishers Dafina Books. Her debut novel “A Good Excuse to be Bad” releases July 2011

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A Good Excuse to Be Bad GoodReads Giveaway

 

Enter to win an advance copy of Miranda Parker’s A Good Excuse To Be Bad via GoodReads First Reads.

Giveaway dates: May 14-Jun 14, 2011

5 copies available, 121 people have already entered

Countries available: US

terms & conditions

• If more people are interested in a book than there are copies available, we will pick the winners at our discretion. The factors that go into our algorithm are: randomness, site activity, genre of books on your shelves, current phase of the moon, and more.
• No purchase necessary. Only one entry is allowed per household. You must be 13 or older and a legal resident of one of the countries this giveaway is listed for.
• The publisher or author, not Goodreads, is responsible for shipment of books to winners. To list a book, the publisher or author has already agreed never to send you anything except the book in question.
• You are not required to review the book if you win a copy. However, we encourage you do to so, as it's the reason the publishers are giving us free books in the first place. People who review the books are also more likely to win more advance copies in the future.
• By accepting an advance copy and posting a review, you grant Goodreads and the publisher an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully paid, worldwide license to use, copy, perform, display, and distribute your review.
• In compliance with FTC guidelines, please disclose in your review that you received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Click here and enter to win

To learn more about Miranda Parker on Good Reads or www.mirandaparker.com

Sneak Peak and Excerpt of A Good Excuse to Be Bad

Thursday I finally turned in Someone Bad and Something Blue to my editor. I took Friday off to relax my brain and read. I hope you all will help me write Book 3 (will begin plotting next week.) However, this morning I learned that you could read a sneak peak of A Good Excuse to Be Bad. It releases next month, so I’m pinching myself every day. Would love for you to check out and tell me how you feel. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Excuse-Be-Bad/dp/0758259506

Also, mirandaparker.com is a community site. I built it so that you could register share your stories, books, book clubs, whatever with me and others who like the stories I write and the things I like. So register, tell yourself something about me and let’s have a good excuse to get to know each other!!

Still waiting on some cupcake ideas for my A Good Excuse to Be Bad Cupcake. My book release party is in July, so put your thinking caps on.

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• When Your Fictional World Takes Shape (aratus.typepad.com)