**** STAR REVIEW for Undercover Reunion
TITLE: Undercover Reunion
AUTHOR: Raven West
13 ISBN: 978-1-467-99574-0
10 ISBN: 1-467-99574-6
KINDLE: B006P5L5F8
4 STARS!
Melanie “Mel” Tyler and Kathleen “Katie” Conner have been best friends since kindergarten. As teenagers, their favorite television show was The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The girls even had a hidden room where they kept files on various schoolmates. But after graduating from high school, everyone in the graduating class went their own way. Mel’s voice landed her a variety of voice-over jobs and she now lives in a Santa Monica Condominium. Katie wed and her husband, James O’Brien, eventually became a Minnesota State Senator.
Today, Mel and Katie find it difficult to believe that they are about to attend Abbeyville High School’s thirtieth reunion. Seeing most of their former classmates should be fun, but there are a few that the ladies hoped would not attend. Unfortunately, the three worst do make an appearance. Charles Haussman and Eric Kramer were bullies back in school and they have not forgotten how the ladies once bested them (thanks to their U.N.C.L.E. addiction.) Then there is Wyatt Gaynes, the jock that Melanie had a crush on – along with many other female students. The deceitful creep had used Mel, just as he did everyone else.
Mel and Katie are soon recruited by U.N.C.L.E., which turns out is a real spy organization, to help thwart a former schoolmate’s plan for worldwide domination.
**** FOUR STARS! I have never seen an episode of the old television show The Man From UNCLE, but after reading this book I plan to search various streaming internet sites in hopes of viewing a few. You do not have to be a fan of the old show in order to fully enjoy this tale. (I guess it does not hurt that I used to watch other spy series, such as Get Smart.) I found this story to be extremely fun to read! Those who have read this author’s previous novel, Red Wine for Breakfast, may even notice the subtle nod to the “socks test”. (I could not help but chuckle when a pair of socks was mentioned in a single, short line.) If you are looking for a story to enjoy during vacation or to make a rainy afternoon fly by, this is it. I have no doubt that I will not soon forget this fun spy thriller. ****
– HUNTRESS REVIEWS – Reviewed by Detra Fitch
The Ojai WordFest – A Successful Book Signing Event
In spite of it being a very unusual cloudy and chilly Sunday afternoon in Ojai, the 2nd Annual WordFest was an extraordinary success! Probably due to the weather, the attendance was rather low for an event of this type, but I met some very interesting authors including one who was more than a little familiar with the area of Upstate New York which is the location of my novel First Class Male.
There were the usual wanderers who were only walking through the park on the way to the tennis courts, but when I noticed one showing even a little bit of interest in my table, I shouted “Read a book with living, breathing human beings!”
That usually got a laugh.
As expected, I did hear a few “what’s the book about” to which I handed them the back cover and told them the 10-second rule, which also got a laugh.
I also asked those who appeared to be of my age if they were fans of the TV show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”. (For some reason everyone remembered Illya Kuryakin but not Napoleon Solo) That was followed by my very quick “elevator pitch” about the plot of Undercover Reunion.
At the end of the day, I signed and sold FOUR books!
I also gave a coupon for a free ebook of my other titles and promoted the Bourbon for Brunch Interactive Novel Project which led to my being approached by the owner of a local bookstore who me to host a book signing event at his store, at no cost to me! Not one person asked me who my publisher was, they were just interested in what the stories were about and if they were available in Kindle. (Of course they were!)
All of which reminded me just how much I loved these events!
Here are a few pointers for a successful book event:
1) Even if you have a chair, don’t sit down. You want to look potential customers in the eye when you’re talking to them
2) You don’t need to spend a great deal of money for your display, but do buy a few book stands and acrylic paper holders especially if the event is outside.
3) Offer a book fair discount or some special deal if they buy your book.
4) Don’t waste money printing bookmarks or other handouts. These won’t help sell your books and most will be tossed. Business cards with your email and website are all you really need.
5) Have a sign-up sheet for your “newsletter”. Even if you don’t have any news at the moment, and email list is always good to have.
6) Ask them to go on-line and write a review when they’re finished with the book. Most people will say they would be happy to, some won’t, but if you don’t ask, no one will.
7) ALWAYS THANK THE PERSON WHO BUYS YOUR BOOK!
And, no matter what… HAVE FUN!!!
Author Raven West 
Answering the “Are You Self-Published?” Question
Raven West ♦ April 6, 2013 ♦ Leave a comment
It happened again.
Just after posting my last blog on the topic of being labeled a “self-published” author, I was once again asked that very same question last night when I showed a co-worker a copy of the just released 2013 Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN) catalog of books which featured my latest novel Undercover Reunion. I very excited to have my novel included in this very prestigious publication, but when I showed it to my co-worker, he glanced at the page where my book was listed and without even bothering to read the blurb, asked, “Are you self-published?”
Now, those of us in the industry who have been reading about all the wonderful advantages of self-publishing wouldn’t necessary take this as anything more than a casual inquiry. An innocent question which would have normally solicited an innocent, and honest response.
If that were the case, I would have told him that publishing with Createspace, wasn’t really “self-publishing” because there was no cost to me and I maintained full rights and complete control over the publication. I would have told him the royalties were much higher than having to pay an agent a percent of my income at the very low percentage that traditional publisher were offering. I would have listed all the many reasons why I chose to use Amazon’s publishing division for this novel and cite each and every point made on other writer’s blogs to validate my decision.
But this guy was not in the industry. What he was asking, in a somewhat condescending tone, was whether or not my book was good enough to have passed the “test” of agents, editors and finally some “magic authority” who deemed it worthy enough to pay me some pittance of an advance to publish my book. What his question really meant in regards to my book being listed in the catalog was, as my father (may he rest in peace ) would have said, A glick hot dich getrofen. Which roughly translated, means “a piece of luck happened to you” or in the vernacular, sarcastic and highly insulting; big deal.
What I should have replied to his question was, “Does it matter?” What I actually said was “No, I didn’t self-publish. You can buy it on Amazon in print or Kindle.”In reality it wasn’t a total lie. Unlike many self-published authors who pay a subsidiary, such as iUniverse, LuLu, Fastpencil and the like, to “publish” their manuscript, Createspace charges absolutely nothing. I never have, nor will I even pay anyone to publish my work. So in effect, I didn’t exactly lie, I just didn’t tell him the entire truth. Either way, that little bit of truth seemed to satisfy his need to find my book worthy of his interest. He read the blub, paid no attention to the name of the publisher listed as Createspace, said it sounded like a good story and promised he’d go on-line later and download the ebook. We’’ll see.
Which leads me to my next thought.
Next weekend I’ll be participating in the Ojai, California WordFest “A Celebration of Words” bookfair. I’ll have a table where I’ll be selling and signing all four of my published books; Red Wine for Breakfast, First Class Male, Undercover Reunion and Journey to Dimension Nine – Collection of Erotica Short Stories.
I’m also going to display a poster which will state the following:
FAQ
Q. Are you self-published?
A. Why does it matter? Buy my books
Q. Who is your publisher?
A. Why does it matter? Buy my books
Q. What is your book about?
A. Read the back cover. Buy my books
Agent/Publishing Advice – $1.00 per minute. (will have a “tip” jar for this)
For more on my philosophy on bookfairs (and also the back story as to how Raven West came to be) read my article “On the Road to Riches – You Are What you Drive”
Will let you know how it goes!
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