Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Book In A Week Online Writing Class Starts Feb. 1, 2016

Note: This is the only time in 2016 I expect to be offering the full 6 week class.

It’s the new year—are you ready to dive back into writing? Have you gotten stuck on the project you’re working on? Are you looking for a way to make writing easier and more intuitive for you? This class can help!

I believe Book in a Week—the way I teach it—is one of the best gifts I believe any author can give himself or herself. It's a chance to write better, faster and have more fun doing so. It's also a new way to look at the process of creating a book and discovering what process would be ideal for YOU.

Dates: January 31, 2016 to March 11, 2016
Cost: $95 ($50 if you've taken the class before) One time 10% discount if you bought my April Kihlstrom’s Book In A Week Workbook.

Deadline to sign up: January 29, 2016 (though I do sometimes allow people to sign up right up to the start of class IF there is room in the class)
Lessons: Everything is handled by email so you can do the lessons at YOUR convenience
Class size is limited.

Payment for the class may be made by check or by PayPal. To sign up send an email to aprilkihlstrom@yahoo.com with BIAW class in the header and in the body of the email please put: your name and whether you prefer to pay by check or PayPal. Also, please let me know if you have taken the class before and whether you have bought a copy of the workbook and are asking for the one time only discount on the class fee. (One of these days I will get a Paypal button set up on this page--if I can figure out how to set up the 4 different options--1st time, 1st time with discount, repeat, repeat with discount--that is!)

Note: If you do not get a response back from me, please try emailing me at april.kihlstrom@gmail.com. Unfortunately email does sometimes simply disappear into cyberspace.

Class Description: This class will take you through every step of the writing process—from beginning to brainstorm all the way through sending material out to be published. And it will help you discover who YOU are as a writer. You can participate as much or as little as you like in email discussions.

Weeks 1-3: This is when you do the prep work with lessons that are designed to get you thinking in new ways about your project. Among other things, I'll cover characters and book structure, imagery and use of names, POV and how to make sentence and paragraph structure work for you. If you choose, you can post answers and get help brainstorming ideas for your book but NO ONE is required to do so!

Weeks 4 and 5: Intensive Writing Weeks (February 20, 2016 through March 6, 2016 ) This is your chance to write better and faster than you ever have before, to discover what YOUR natural first draft will look like and ways to fit writing into your life that you may never have thought of before.

Week 6: Here's your chance to look at the experience of weeks 4 and 5 and use it to create a writing method that works for YOU and is tailored to your most natural writing style. We'll also look at how to revise your work in the fastest, most effective way possible and I'll be sharing some of my thoughts on query letters, synopses, etc.

Does BIAW work? Well, a number of people who have taken this class are now published or under contract and/or been finalists in or won contests with material they worked on during my classes.  One author had her book optioned for a movie!

Bio: April Kihlstrom is an award winning author of 32 published romance novels. She offers coaching to fellow writers as well as classes and workshops on writing and has spoken at many conferences including: the Romance Writers of America national conference (romance) and the East of Eden conference (non-romance).

Testimonials from students who have taken the Book in a Week class:

“April's course always makes me take a good hard look at my characters, their motivations and what it will take to tell their story. Even better is the feedback she gives to responses.  She really makes me think!”--Anne McAllister

“I had been stuck for 18 months on my book, writing next to nothing after the loss of a family member. I was desperate to get it going but couldn't seem to muster the enthusiasm. Your class was just the ticket.”--Robin Heart Shepperd

 “Through the series of questions that April asks she makes each author delve deeply into their character and story line. April's questions make you think about how your character's history, social standing, occupation, family position, and more impacts how they handle the various situations we authors toss them into. At the end of April's class you have a deep understanding of your characters that writing the story will be a breeze. “--Ruth A Casie

“I so enjoyed every minute of April's class. First, she hands out the BEST lessons, they make you think and show you just how much insight April brings to her class, on writing, on writers, and on LIFE! Then she carefully answers all the questions online or privately and we all learned from everyone else too!  This class is really a fantastic jump starter for any book, idea, premise you might be struggling with.  I was unable to write but two days of the writing weeks and still got in over 10,000 words because the class allowed me to get to some truths in my work.  Hat's off to April for providing the inspiration and know how, and finally for her innate quality as a human study. If you are a writer - this is the class YOU need!”--Cheryl Rae


“I first tried "Book in a Week" when I wanted to start a new novel but was having trouble gathering ideas.  The process really jump-started my brain and my creativity and pretty soon the ideas were flowing!  Although I didn't finish the book that week, I wrote more than I thought possible and went on to finish the book more quickly than I ever had in the past.  That book was not only published, but nominated for a National Readers' Choice Award! Since then I have taken the class several times and it has always gotten me started with plenty of plot and character ideas; and has helped me to get my novels well underway!”--Roni Denholtz

Monday, January 04, 2016

Romance Reader Social February 13, 2016

Again this year at the Pflugerville Public Library there will be a Romance Reader Social. I love these events because I and my fellow romance authors get to meet readers.

As always, there will be crafts and refreshments and prizes! It's February 13, 2016 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Pflugerville Public Library which is at:

1008 W. Pfluger Street 
Pflugerville, TX 78660



I hope to see you there!



Monday, December 07, 2015

Special Pre-Order A CHOICE OF COUSINS

I hope everyone is having a lovely December. I hope that whatever holiday you celebrate brings you joy and laughter and love.

My biggest news is that I will soon be a grandmother, and as you can imagine, that has taken up just a wee bit of my attention these past few months!

Still, I have managed to recreate my very first Regency--A CHOICE OF COUSINS. As a holiday season present, I've decided to put it on sale for $1.99 in pre-order. Once it goes on sale, December 15, 2015, I will be raising the price. But I wanted to be sure that you, my readers, got a chance to pre-order it now, if you'd like to do so.

When I first sold this manuscript to Signet, in 1981, I was on the phone with the editor while I was in labor with my daughter, with contractions coming 5 minutes apart. Yes, the daughter who is about to have a baby girl, herself. That's how much I cared about this book.

I hope, as I always do, that you will love the story and characters as much as I do. See below for details on how and where you can pre-order the e-book.

For those of you who prefer print, I haven't forgotten you! It will also shortly be available from a variety of online sites in print and you can order it now on Amazon. I'll put the link for the paperback with the others below.

Wishing you all the best--now and always!


The Earl of Danver is a confirmed bachelor. Miss Sara Farthingham is a young woman who sees herself as all but on the shelf. Both have cousins prone to stirring up mischief and scandal. As they try their best to rescue their cousins from the cofornsequences of their misguided actions, the earl and the lady discover something they never thought would happen to them—love.

This is a Traditional Regency Romance and was originally published by Signet in 1982 and revised 2015.

The e-book is available until December 15, 2015 for pre-order at $1.99 for


Kindle     Kobo    iBooks

Also available in paperback on Amazon for $9.99.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

FREE--Taste of Traditional Regency Sampler

I've talked before about the Bluestocking League, as we call ourselves. Now we've put out a sampler of excerpts from the books of 5 of our members:

Regina Scott 

April Kihlstrom 

Gail Eastwood 

Camille Elliot 

Vanessa Riley

We've dubbed our sampler A Taste of Traditional Regency Romances: Extended Excerpts of Regency Novels and it's free!

We hope you will enjoy the excerpts and maybe discover you'd like to read the full books. Maybe you will find an author you haven't read before whose work you realize you'd love.


You can find the excerpt for:   

iBooks    Kindle    Nook    Kobo    Smashwords

Sunday, October 04, 2015

FREE for October

FREE EBOOK FOR OCTOBER

Because it's both Literacy and Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October, I'm making the e-book version of Sophy Goes To Doggy Camp free wherever I can--for the month of October only.

Most of my published books have been romance novels but a few years I got so frustrated trying to find books for my (now 38 yr old) son (who has Down Syndrome) to read that I decided to start creating books for him based on how I KNOW he processes pictures, language and emotions. Sophy Goes To Doggy Camp is the 2nd in the series of Sophy Books I am creating. In this book, Sophy has to go to doggy camp (respite care) when her mom goes on a trip.

As with all the Sophy books,  SGTDC is designed to appeal to all young children and anyone who loves dogs as well as to be accessible to special needs individuals like my son.



free versions for October:

Kindle version
Kobo
Google Play
iBooks

99 cents for October

Nook

Paperback version  $ 10.99


Monday, September 21, 2015

Brainstorming Class

Normally, at this time of year, I would offer my 6 week Book In A Week class. Instead, I'm going to offer a two week brainstorming class.

Details:

Class: Brainstorming (From the Inside Out)
Dates: October 4, 2015 to October 16, 2015
Cost: $40
Deadline to sign up: October 2, 2015 (though I may allow last minute additions if there is space in the class)
How it all works: All lessons, answers, etc. are sent via email so class members may read and respond at their convenience.
Class size is limited!

Are you ready to start a new project or stuck on a current one? Would you love to have help brainstorming? Would you love to think about things in a new way, with questions you may not have heard before?

This class is designed to help you get a jump start on things. It's designed to use the fluid way our brains naturally work. We may write linearly but our brains tend to brainstorm nonlinearly. Writing is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle but first we have to create the jigsaw puzzle pieces--and this class is designed to help you do just that! The focus is on how you can create a book that satisfies both your creative soul and will also delight agents, editors and readers.

If interested, email me at: aprilkihlstrom@yahoo.com with the title of this class in the header and let me know whether you prefer to pay via check or Paypal. If you email me and do not get a response within 24 hours, please, please, please email me again because sometimes things do disappear into cyberspace.


Sunday, September 20, 2015

His Lordship Takes A Tumble

When I wrote the Langford series (The Reckless Barrister, The Wily Wastrel and The Sentimental Soldier), I told the stories of the 3 younger brothers in the Langford family but I always wanted to also tell the story of the oldest brother and his wife: Athenia and Lord Darton. Now I have the chance to do so in His Lordship Takes A Tumble--a traditional (sweet) Regency.

Kindle    Nook    iBooks    Kobo  Print


George, Lord Darton needs a bride of utter propriety. Athenia needs a husband because of her own folly. Circumstances throw them together and need drives this marriage of convenience. And yet, when it’s least expected, the two discover love isn’t so impossible, after all—and Lord Darton’s brothers discover how badly they’ve misjudged their eldest brother and his wife, all these years.

One could say it's propriety meets utter folly. Here is a taste of HLTT:

. . . Athenia looked at each of them in turn. “What I say must never leave this room. No one outside this group must ever know the truth. Everyone else must continue to believe George and I are the prim and priggish couple we are accounted to be. Do I have your word?”
Only when each of the brothers and their wives had given it did she go on. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she said, “Your brother, Lord Darton, believed the only way to retrieve the family reputation was to marry a young lady of unexceptionable background, breeding and behavior. It was the only way he could think to guarantee that as you grew older, each of you would be accepted and have a future among the ton. It’s why he has always been so strict about your behavior. He worried that otherwise you might be tarred with the same brush as your parents. The only solution, he felt, was to marry and marry well and marry as quickly as he could.”
She paused. Yes, they began to look properly chastened as her words sank in. With a tiny spark of satisfaction, she went on, her voice softening as she did so. 
“As you know, he meant to marry Lord Carrington’s daughter. Indeed, I think he was more than half in love with her. It was only when he asked for her hand in marriage that he found out how bad things really were. I do believe the harshness of that refusal sent him into a kind of shock. The rest of what followed was a result of my folly. Yes, folly. I know you find that difficult to believe, but it is precisely because I was so foolish, and because of what it cost both of us, that I understand why your brother has been so adamant, over the years, about how we must behave and the risk to all of you if he could not curb your follies! Looking back, I still cannot believe how foolish and naive I was and even a lifetime will not suffice for me to repay your brother’s kindness in rescuing me.”  
She paused, took a deep breath and said, “This is how it all began.” . . .