Seekers brought home plenty of goodies from the RWA conference, including plenty of ...
tchotchkes.
Tchotchke are small toys, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, lagniappes, trinkets, or kitsch.The word may also refer to swag, in the sense of the logo pens, key fobs, and other promotional freebies dispensed at trade shows, conventions, and similar large events. -Wikipedia.
(Mug from Cafe Press)
(Mug from Cafe Press)
We Have Winners
Contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules in the right lower column of Seekerville. All prizes are mailed within 6-8 weeks of winner announcements. But if we goof up, holler.Thanks for your patience as we get our prizes mailed out. Things have been busy around here but we hope to get all caught now that the RWA dust has settled.
We welcomed multi-published author Trish Perry to talk about Humor. Winner of her release, Unforgettable (Summerside Press/Guideposts) is Patty Wysong.
Thursday Love Inspired author Audra Harders shared In-y or Out-y? Winner of Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy, is Whitney.
Saturday we brought you The Best of Seekerville from the Archives and First Five Pages Critique, including, The Writer's Guide To Insomnia by Tina Radcliffe. Winner of the First Five Pages Critique is Stephanie Karfelt.
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday: Inspirational Golden Heart winner Ruth Kaufman will be our guest in Seekerville. Stop by for a chance to touch her Golden Heart necklace and to win a copy of Janet Dean’s Wanted: A Family.
Tuesday: Heartsong Presents and Abingdon Press author Myra Langley Johnson stops by to chat with you about your home office.
Wednesday:Award-winning Revel author Julie Lessman extols on how She’s Got Rhythm…But Not in Her Feet!. Join our Jules for a day of romance, fun, passion (of course!) and an exciting blog giveaway!
Thursday: Thursday Ruth Logan Herne comes sailing in with summertime eats, good news about her new three-book contract and does a Mini-Humor-Camp to help those who don’t think they’re funny with her version of “Laughter Through Tears is My Favorite Emotion!” This is an interactive teaching blog, so bring your mug and an excerpt we can “doll-up” at the corner garage. Ruthy’s got a sack of goodies from BEA and the Seeker Vault for one lucky commenter.
Friday: Seekerville welcomes debut Harlequin Medical Romance author Wendy Marcus. Wendy will be discussing faith and medicine and she'll be giving away a copy of her release, When One Night Isn't Enough, (adult content). Additionally, Seekerville is giving away a $10.00 Amazon gift card prize. We are excited to be part of Wendy's debut launch!!
Saturday: We wrap up the week with a delightful visit by a Seekerville fave, Winnie Griggs! Winnie will share on “All Characters Aren’t Created Equal." Stop by and leave a comment to be entered in giveaway of Winnie’s July release Second Chance Family and to get to know this delightful Love Inspired author.
And remember The First Five Pages critique drawing is also Saturday. Post at any time this week that you want to be entered or leave a comment on our Facebook page. Please note that the weekly critique drawing began October 1, 2010 and ends October 1st, 2011
Seeker Sightings
Are you following Pam Hillman's Blog Tour Kindle Contest for Stealing Jake?
Pam is currently guest blogging at Lena Nelson Dooley's blog, A Christian Writer's World, where you can win a copy of Stealing Jake.
She'll be guest blogging at Casey Herringshaw's Blog , July 14, 2011
And Friday, July 15th, you can find her at Divine Detour.
You can download your own copy of Stealing Jake (Tyndale) here.
Check out this great review on Philosophy of Romance.
Love by the Book, the last in the Ladies of Summerhill series, will be released July 12th. You can order your copy here.
Cara Lynn James will be a guest on Rose McCauley's blog Friday, July 15th. Stop by for a chance to win a copy of Love by the Book hot off the presses.
Love on a Dime, the first book in the Ladies of Summerhill series, is #19 on the July CBA fiction Bestseller's List.
Tina Radcliffe's January release, The Rancher's Reunion is a selection for the November ACFW Book Club along with three other great books. Today is the last day to vote for The Rancher's Reunion.
Thank you to all of you who have. Here's the link to how to join the ACFW Book Club. You do not have to be a member of ACFW to join.
Ruth Logan Herne's Winter's End receives the Hold Medallion Award of Merit.
Julie Lessman has a new post up at Journal Jots!
And we have a few links to some final RWA photos that include Seeker Sightings:
Random News
We'd like your input. What are your favorite and/or more useful tchotchkes? Which are auto grabs for you? And which do you find,well...less enticing? Leave a comment for a chance to win a few RWA tchotchkes. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.
Contact Seekerville through our new web email if you are a winner and if needed, provide your snail mail address. Please note our giveaway rules in the right lower column of Seekerville. All prizes are mailed within 6-8 weeks of winner announcements. But if we goof up, holler.Thanks for your patience as we get our prizes mailed out. Things have been busy around here but we hope to get all caught now that the RWA dust has settled.
We welcomed multi-published author Trish Perry to talk about Humor. Winner of her release, Unforgettable (Summerside Press/Guideposts) is Patty Wysong.
Thursday Love Inspired author Audra Harders shared In-y or Out-y? Winner of Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy, is Whitney.
Saturday we brought you The Best of Seekerville from the Archives and First Five Pages Critique, including, The Writer's Guide To Insomnia by Tina Radcliffe. Winner of the First Five Pages Critique is Stephanie Karfelt.
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday: Inspirational Golden Heart winner Ruth Kaufman will be our guest in Seekerville. Stop by for a chance to touch her Golden Heart necklace and to win a copy of Janet Dean’s Wanted: A Family.
Tuesday: Heartsong Presents and Abingdon Press author Myra Langley Johnson stops by to chat with you about your home office.
Wednesday:Award-winning Revel author Julie Lessman extols on how She’s Got Rhythm…But Not in Her Feet!. Join our Jules for a day of romance, fun, passion (of course!) and an exciting blog giveaway!
Thursday: Thursday Ruth Logan Herne comes sailing in with summertime eats, good news about her new three-book contract and does a Mini-Humor-Camp to help those who don’t think they’re funny with her version of “Laughter Through Tears is My Favorite Emotion!” This is an interactive teaching blog, so bring your mug and an excerpt we can “doll-up” at the corner garage. Ruthy’s got a sack of goodies from BEA and the Seeker Vault for one lucky commenter.
Friday: Seekerville welcomes debut Harlequin Medical Romance author Wendy Marcus. Wendy will be discussing faith and medicine and she'll be giving away a copy of her release, When One Night Isn't Enough, (adult content). Additionally, Seekerville is giving away a $10.00 Amazon gift card prize. We are excited to be part of Wendy's debut launch!!
Saturday: We wrap up the week with a delightful visit by a Seekerville fave, Winnie Griggs! Winnie will share on “All Characters Aren’t Created Equal." Stop by and leave a comment to be entered in giveaway of Winnie’s July release Second Chance Family and to get to know this delightful Love Inspired author.
And remember The First Five Pages critique drawing is also Saturday. Post at any time this week that you want to be entered or leave a comment on our Facebook page. Please note that the weekly critique drawing began October 1, 2010 and ends October 1st, 2011
Seeker Sightings
Are you following Pam Hillman's Blog Tour Kindle Contest for Stealing Jake?
Pam is currently guest blogging at Lena Nelson Dooley's blog, A Christian Writer's World, where you can win a copy of Stealing Jake.
She'll be guest blogging at Casey Herringshaw's Blog , July 14, 2011
And Friday, July 15th, you can find her at Divine Detour.
You can download your own copy of Stealing Jake (Tyndale) here.
Check out this great review on Philosophy of Romance.
Love by the Book, the last in the Ladies of Summerhill series, will be released July 12th. You can order your copy here.
Cara Lynn James will be a guest on Rose McCauley's blog Friday, July 15th. Stop by for a chance to win a copy of Love by the Book hot off the presses.
Love on a Dime, the first book in the Ladies of Summerhill series, is #19 on the July CBA fiction Bestseller's List.
Tina Radcliffe's January release, The Rancher's Reunion is a selection for the November ACFW Book Club along with three other great books. Today is the last day to vote for The Rancher's Reunion.
Thank you to all of you who have. Here's the link to how to join the ACFW Book Club. You do not have to be a member of ACFW to join.
Ruth Logan Herne's Winter's End receives the Hold Medallion Award of Merit.
Julie Lessman has a new post up at Journal Jots!
And we have a few links to some final RWA photos that include Seeker Sightings:
Random News
- 7 Stupid Mistakes Most People Make When Trying to Follow Their Passion (Dumb Little Man)
- Show Me The Money (updated 6/11)
- How To Track Kindle eBook Prices (GalleyCat)
- Romance in the Big Apple (Harlequin Blog)
We'd like your input. What are your favorite and/or more useful tchotchkes? Which are auto grabs for you? And which do you find,well...less enticing? Leave a comment for a chance to win a few RWA tchotchkes. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.
Pens. Pens. Pens. I am an always- trying-to-reform pen stealer so when I am actually given them, well, I am really happy.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering what everyone thought of the trading cards that seem to be everywhere? I figure those are for folks who have given up paper for an ereader. The cards are so cute.
I am a big magnet fan too.
Swag I don't like? Can't think of any. Maybe that is because I am swayed by the fact it is all FREE!
Peace, Julie
I love notepads. Sticky Notes!!!! Those things cost a FORTUNE. I'm too cheap to buy them myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sticky note AND pen person. You can never ever have enough of either.
ReplyDeleteI also like chocolate. So a goody with chocolate and a sticky note or pen is a total winner.
This year there were also lots of buttons and I have them all. Love them though no clue why.
Another good one is nail files.
We had a tchotchke party in February... Or March.
ReplyDeleteEveryone brings six useless things and you take turns circling the table and picking one out.
It was hysterical, and some of it was really good stuff, like things the girls got doubles of at showers and didn't want to re-gift, and...
a bottle of Italian Seasoning from the cupboard of a gal who doesn't cook.
Hysterical! This is a great way to get rid of stuff, no money involved, and have fun with friends. Loved it! Definitely going in a book!
Hey, Dunkin's on me today to celebrate the opening of one in my town. THIS IS MOMENTOUS.
I'm not kidding. This is huge stuff. Dunkin'. Here. About 7 minutes away.
I'm so happy.
Congrats Winners!
ReplyDeleteGo Ruthy!!! Woohhooo!
Jules, your Journal Jots is awesome. Thanks for a sneak peek into Steven's story :-)
Tina, wonderful WE as usual. As you know, I"m a stick notes person ;-)
YES!! Thank you. *happy sigh* Unforgettable has been on my must read list for months. =]
ReplyDeleteI like the pens best, but sticky notes would be a close runner up. ;-)
I love pens and magnets. Things that I don't find as enticing are pins.
ReplyDeletei agree with Julie on the pens, but wonder if that doesn't get expensive.
ReplyDeleteAs for other tchotchkes, it's anything that I won't be embarassed about if my wife sees it.
Up for next week's critique.
tchotchkes. Hmmmm...you may be able to spell it, but how to you pronounce it??????
ReplyDeleteMy favourite are book bags. If you go to library conferences or publisher's events or buy-ins you get some really cool totes. My favourite is a ginormous one I got from Kids Can Press. It's really colourful -- blues and yellows and has Scaredy Squirrel and Stanley images and bookcovers on it.
My least useful tchotchke was a little squeagy for a computer monitor. It was supposed to remove dust but left a trail of fuzz from its lintremover instead.
Ditch the keychains and pens because I'm swimming in pens. But give me big, sturdy bookmarks with something important on them that I want to keep, like the writer's Scriptures on our Seeker bookmarks ... or the top ten grammar mistakes or something that I can really use.
ReplyDeleteOh, and like Mary -- STICKIES!!!! I hoard them because they ARE so expensive and the cheap Walmart ones I buy don't cut it.
But my VERY favorite tchotchke of all time was a sticky-note pad that had Scriptures on them. I liked to use them to write notes when I send out books. AWESOME freebie!!!
Great WE, guys!!
Pepper, thanks for the call out on Journal Jots -- you're a sweetie.
Hugs,
Julie
Guess WHAT!?!?!?!?! Barbara Vey put my book trailer up on her blog, the Publisher's Weekly Romance readers' blog, Beyond Her Book!!! Yay, Barbara! I love you!!!
ReplyDeleteMorning Seekers,
ReplyDeleteI love anything free, but I'm with Jules. I love pens but I have way too many and don't really read the names anymore.
Bookmarks are overdone also.
I get the most out things I can use, like my favorite. Cathy McDavid gives out plastic hearts that are letter openers. I LOVE THOSE. Many in our local RWA group do the nail files also. So practical and you do read the name on them because you have to look at it to file your nails.
I like the chocolate also, but the name gets tossed so does it really work?
I think free books are great also because it gets your name out there. If readers love your book, they are going to look for more.
I love tshirts, ink pens, and books by new authors.
ReplyDeletecsdsksds[at]gmail[com]
Hi Tina:
ReplyDeleteGreat lineup for next week!
I’m surprised to see a Medical Romance author, Wendy Marcus. She is so nice, I think everyone will just love her.
Have you had a Medical author at Seekerville before? I don’t remember it.
Then it’s great to see Winnie Griggs coming back. (BTW: you have her link wrong, it’s: http://www.winniegriggs.com/ ). I always learn so much about writing when I read her books. She is a master.
What I like as a premium is a little monthly calendar about 2”x3” that you can stick near the phone or your computer. I need one now. I also like those rubbery things you use to open jars. I like premiums people will use and have around them for at least a year.
Another great WE!
Thanks.
Vince
I love Harlequin Medicals, and yes, we had Laura Iding here. Another great author.
ReplyDeleteLaura Iding Visits Seekerville
YES! Wendy is a sweetheart. Looking forward to her visit!
Fixed that Winnie link --Thanks Vince. Darn it. I did it twice even and tested it.
ReplyDeleteTina, did I mess up that link???
ReplyDeleteSorry, dude.
Love Winnie. AND CAN'T WAIT TO MEET WENDY!!!!!
I love medical romance. I love medical shows. I loved Marcus Whelby, MD...
Oh my stars.
And Dr. Kildare. (I'm old)
And St. Elsewhere (loved it and remember how NAUGHTY Mark Harmon was on that show, pre-Gibbs????)
So medical romance is huge for me. Can't wait to delve a little bit more into that.
Hey, how's the Dunkin' stuff goin'? Loving it? Try the caramel/mocha iced coffee.
SUHWEEEET!
No, Ruthy, I think it was a Blogger issue. I test them all and sometimes..well Blogger is just misbehaving.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Vince, my husband LOVES those calendars you are talking about. Must be a guy thing! : )
ReplyDeleteI like pens, nail files and key rings.
I LIKE CHOCOLATE.
ReplyDeleteOh....
ReplyDeleteAND JETER!!!!! ;)
Thanks for posting the link to the Dumb Little Man article. I'm going through a real crisis of faith about my writing right now, and it was just what I needed. Thanks for helping God give me yet another kick in the pants. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I love the pens as well! What writer isn't constantly in need of pens?! And - BONUS! - the guys in my office won't steal them off my desk when they say "Romance Writer" or something flowery about Love And Romance on them! :-) I'll also welcome anything with chocolate attached...
Glad you found inspiration in that post, EC. I was reading a few of his articles. He's good. Thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI really studied all those things in the goody room, trying to figure out what is going to catch someone's eye. What will they keep. What will make them buy a book.
ReplyDeleteIt gets a little confusing. Right now I'm thinking of printing up the first chapter of my August release and simply stapling it together to give away.
What do you think?
Would people grab it? Would they read it?
I've got some book covers I could staple around it, make it official, well official-ish.
Did you know you can download the first chapter of nearly every one of my books on Kindle, and that includes Kindle for PC, so you don't need a Kindle to get that.
ReplyDeleteDo people realize that? How about a note printed on the back of a postcard for Out of Control telling people how to get chapter one for free on their Kindle/Nook etc.?
I love pens, bookmarks, notepads and especially chocolate. I already have lots of magnets. I'm trying to keep my refrigerator cleaned off (hard to do with a 4 yr. old grandson living here). I put all my/our stuff on the side. Don't need more magnets, although I really can't resist funny ones.
ReplyDeleteTina, thanks for your links to blogs etc. I love them! I can't figure out how you come across them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Tina. Love the pics from the RWA conference! Also, the tchotchkes. Swag? I didn't know that word. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteLike Mary and Tina, I love sticky notes!!! They make me smile and feel happy! :)
Yes, Mary, print off your first chapter...or, at least, an excerpt. Slap your cover on the front and folks will pick them up, for sure.
ReplyDeleteJenny Grizzle...AKA Jennifer St. Giles always does a great giveaway excerpt. I believe she has them made at Office Depot.
Vince, I like calendars too. Terri Brisbin has a great one I try to get at RWA each year. Last year, I didn't get to the goody room in time and all of them were gone.
ReplyDeleteBut at RWA in NYC, I picked up her calendar for 2012! YAY!!! I keep it on my desk as a handy reference.
Kav,
ReplyDeleteTchotchkes...pronounced Chot (like choc in chocolate but with a "T") Skis. Chot Skis.
:)
Mary, the problem is the airline suitcase regulations. So as much as we want to there is no longer the freebee mania there used to be at conference. I used to take an entire empty suitcase for this. At RWA I took four books home and the staff at my hotel got the rest.
ReplyDeleteI know you can mail at the business office, but there is not enough time in the day at conference for such organization in my life.
So to answer your questions, no printing your first chapter no a great idea to me. Give me chocolate and a sticky note pad.
Or I like downloading the first chapter idea. Write that on your giveaway notepads.
See I totally disagree with Debby on the first chapter thing.
ReplyDeleteSwag is what they call the giveaways at the Oscars. They make you pay taxes on that stuff. Thousands of dollars worth of swag.
The problem with magnets..if you get them near your flash drives they will erase everything on your flash drive.
ReplyDeleteCara, see yesterday's post on insomnia. That's how I find all the links. LOL
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Tina, do you have to put so many GREAT links in the WE????
ReplyDeleteIt has taken me 2 hours just to get through all of them and to the Comments section!
And did y'all see that review from Vince????
Oh.My.Stars!
I'm just all atwitter with excitement!
Hey, Ruthy, next time we have a useless things party, you're bringing donuts to swap, right?
ReplyDeleteFRESH ones!
Luggage tags. I love my ACFW one.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Winners!
ReplyDeleteMugs are nice, but can get expensive :)
ooh, Pam, yes! Luggage tags - you can use them for so many things.
ReplyDeleteAnd key chains, but unique ones. I have one that I got from the car dealer when we bought a new car 18 years ago. Love that key chain...the car is long gone. It's the kind with a spring-type u-shape that clips onto a circle.
Sticky notes, of course. Can never have too many of those.
And Mary's first chapter idea is great. Once you read the first chapter, how can you not finish the book?