Pump Up Your Book Chats with Meg Lacey

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

ABOUT MEG LACEY

Meg wrote her first novel in the sixth grade, her own version of a classic historical romance. However, her writing career didn’t last. Over the years, she’s been an actress, director, producer, creative director, copywriter, creative dramatics teacher, mime, mom, college instructor, and a school bus driver. She’s formed, and worked as a Vice President and as CEO of, two creative marketing and media companies in the Midwest. She’s worked in all media, from network cable programming and corporate initiatives; to games and interactive websites. Through it all, she has always returned to writing.

She has written for Silhouette and Harlequin, and you can find her titles available in digital format at any online bookstore.

Her new paranormal romance series, Tales of the Sparrow, will be published by Imajinn Books, with the first book, The Sparrow and the Hawk, available September 30, 2012.

Her new contemporary romance: Million Dollar Mistake, is available October 23, 2012. It’s the first book in the Million Dollar Men series.

Visit Meg Lacey: at www.meglacey.com

Email Meg at: meg@meglacey.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/meglaceybooks

The Interview

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

I wrote “Million Dollar Mistake” because I had an interesting character to start with.

I had written a book for Harlequin called “Million Dollar Stud” (I know the title makes me cringe, but it is a romance that takes place on a horsefarm and includes a million dollar stake race, in addition to a really hot horse trainer.)

In that book I had a family member, Nicholas Demetrious, that I found fascinating and I decided to write his story. Then I got the idea of having this man fall in love with a tabloid bad girl, Raven Rutledge who was constantly getting herself into trouble. Nicholas had known her as a child and was always getting her out. This time when her trouble was making big trouble for a business deal he was involved in.

Then my imagination took over and the next thing I knew I was sitting down at a computer.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

When you get your first flush of an idea and characters you want to know, the world is rosy. You sit down and your fingers fly over the keys. I generally start with an idea of a scene, a situation, a character, a location. I also know where I want to end up. This might be an entire scene or an emotional feeling that completes the characters journey. BUT, there is that darn middle of the book. This is the point where you often get bogged down, or I do. Even though I plot out key points throughout the book, you still have to get there in a way that makes sense for your characters and your story. In my case, I hit a yellow light until I figure it out. Generally though it is a case of ‘just slogging away’ until you get your momentum back.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

“Million Dollar Mistake” taught me that anyone can change if you have the desire to do so. I had a lot of fun writing this book.
Life is a time of continual learning, so embrace it. Learn to accept yourself for who you are, but never close your mind to possibilities. Also, be able to ask for help when you need it. That’s hard for independent women to do, but it is a lesson we all must learn.

This book is about personal growth, and discovering that a person can change course in life if they want to do so.

When the book starts Raven Rutledge is the ultimate tabloid bad girl. Nicholas Demetrious is the very distant family connection who has always been the one designated to get her out of trouble, while trying to avoid falling into trouble with her. After all, a bad girl is just as appealing as a bad boy when she looks and acts like Raven. She’s impulsive, wild to a fault, and secretly hoping someone will stop her before she destroys herself. Nicholas on the other hand is forced to rescue her because she is messing up a very lucrative business deal that his family is counting on him bringing to fruition. I agree that it’s not the most noble reason for him to be involved. But, when you consider he’s always been half-way in love with Raven, it is understandable.

Anyway, the two of them spar, fight and use witty humor to get through the situation. AND, this book actually offers two romantic stories in one. Did I mention there is another man and woman involved when they are all snowed in by a blizzard in the Adirondacks? If not, well I hope you will all want to find out more about it by yourselves.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I started writing seriously in book length fiction in 1990. I sent to Harlequin in London and they asked me to revise it. I did and they rejected it, but I’d gotten the bug.

I never really thought about being an author, although I’ve always written. My goal, education and training was focused on acting and directing. It wasn’t until my husband and I left a major metropolitan areas that I changed my direction, focusing on producing and writing for television, video, and interactive websites, and on children’s literature.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

For writers: . I believe in the 3D method.
Determination-want it badly and work your tail off to get it.
Discipline-learn all you can and get it done in a timely fashion.
Dump-dump your butt in a chair and stay there until you’ve finished what you need to accomplish for the day.

For Readers: Step out of your comfort zone. Try something new, try an author you’ve never read before, try a genre you’ve never read, stay open to new ideas and new presentations. Most of all when you like something spread the word.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live in Ohio. My husband and I have three daughters who are all married and causing chaos in someone else’s life now. After years of having dogs and cats, and one psychotic love bird who kept having false pregnancies, I now have only one little cat named, Piglet. He was a rescue, my daughters are always rescuing something and pawning pets off on us. I am now writing full time so after years of starting and owning businesses, it is a thrill to be able to look out a window in the middle of the day and know I can reorder my priorities if I need to do so.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I have an office in my home that I use, but I also tend to write everywhere. I like to change my environment so I don’t get bored or restless. I might sit in the living room in a comfy chair, or prop myself up on my bed. I often write at the library when I am having trouble with the book. That way I can’t get up and leave to do something else. I also write in coffee shops such as Panera Bread. I once wrote a book at the zoo while my children were taking zoo classes in the summer.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I change my environment. I go for a hike or a walk in the woods. Or I travel. It can be a little day trip that takes me out of my usual environment. I go to a movie or I read a book.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

The first thing I did was redesign my website and a new facebook page. Then I started looking at other ways to get my name out. I had electronic ads created and researched the best sites to reach my target audience. Then I started making online contacts. You can see the result at www.meglacey.com and www.facebook.com/meglaceybooks

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I am familiar with social networks, and am getting more familiar every day. My daughters also keep their eyes and fingers on the social media pulse and send me info of places to go and things to check out. I don’t participate as actively as I’d like because you can get sucked into this great online vacuum and not write. My main priority is writing as I have three books under contract with deadlines at the moment.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

The change and speed of change has been astronomical. Authors and Publishers used to rely on print mediums, newspapers, magazines, and in rare cases television. Today we have the online social media world. It makes it so much easier to reach people with a grassroots promotion approach. Network, network, network is the name of the game today.
And, write a quality book that people want to read. That is always the key.

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

Putting my “bum” in a chair and getting it done. Each story is different and has it’s own energy. Then invariably I get stuck on a story when the characters take over and you have no idea what happens next. At the same time that is the most thrilling part of writing for me.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

It’s everything… the initial idea, the research and brainstorming to flesh it out. Then writing the story, and finally seeing it complete and hearing a comment form a reader who tells you they loved it.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

The opportunity for writers is enormous because of the advent of epublishing. So many excellent writers are able to tell the stories that they want to tell. Stories that don’t fit with a traditional publisher. There are new opportunities available every day.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, (name of author). Do you have any final words?

I am holding a giveaway to celebrate Million Dollar Mistake with terrific prizes including, books, products from “For Every Home,” and “Jamberry Nails.” I hope all of your readers will register on my website or facebook page.
www.meglacey.com
www.facebook.com/meglaceybooks

ABOUT MILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE

In addition to overseeing the financial affairs of the wealthy Kristoff family, Nicholas Demetrious specializes in hauling its rambunctious members out of trouble. Especially his distant cousin, Raven Rutledge.

The tabloids love her bad-girl antics, sexy pout, and body made for sin. Nicholas would love to spank the bejesus out of her, but this time the situation is too serious to entertain such a fantasy. A lucrative business deal with the Exeters is in jeopardy, and Jackson Exeter Sr.’s ultimatum is clear: Remove this man-eater from my country house, or the deal is off.

Raven is in way over her head. She accepted the invitation to the Exeters’ Adirondack house party as a refreshing change from her jet-setting lifestyle—until she learns the guest list includes his entire family. His ex-girlfriend. And the junior Exeter’s intention to propose.

If ever she needed suave, sophisticated Nicholas’s persuasive powers, it’s now. Then he’s there with a plan to get her out of this tangle: sweep her off her feet. But their pretend passion turns all too real. And what started out as a weekend of fun threatens to shatter into betrayal and heartbreak.

Award-Winning Book Publicity Company Since 2007

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR, BLOG TOUR & BOOK PUBLICITY ENDORSEMENTS: NICE THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PUMP UP YOUR BOOK

NEW! "Thank you Dorothy for a lovely tour! Thanks so much for the graphics and wonderful trailer!!"Avery Sterling, PRECIOUS BURDENS

"I just wanted to thank you for everything. You ARE the queen. Your are so personable and professional. Your graphics soared beyond. They are beautiful. It was a pleasure to work with you."Jude Hopkins, BABE IN THE WOODS

"THANK YOU for all of these graphics!!! That was a valuable added perk of working with you on the VBT! Thank you for all the work you put into those, and into the organization and follow-ups on the tour itself. It's been a pleasure working with you, Dorothy!"Allyson Rice, The Key to Circus-Mom Highway

"Oh, awesome!! Thank you so much! You ran such a lovely tour. Those images are great, I look forward to using them and will miss seeing the regular postings on Twitter ;-).
I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

"Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you again for the amazing blog tour and to tell you that we will be adding the tour to Mark's author website in the next few days. We will of course be recommending your company to other authors we know. And when Mark's next book is out, we will use your services again." Kirsten Grenside on behalf of Mark Grenside, FALL OUT

"Thank you for all the great, creative, work you have done on behalf of my book. You are
a special lady, as a kind hearted woman and a professional."
Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

"Everyone did an excellent job. The blog pages were beautiful, and the trailer was so clever and funny. Thanks for sending these lovely "souvenirs" from my tour. I will be able to use all of these posts on Twitter. I enjoyed this so much and look forward to my next tour!"
Irene Woodbury, HONEYMOON ROULETTE

" I am delighted with the results of my recent tour with Pump Up Your Book. Dorothy is meticulous and professional, presents beautifully laid out pages, maintains constant contact with the client, and gives more than expected value for money. In a nutshell: you get what you pay for and more on top! I will certainly be using Dorothy’s services for my other Regency romance books.”
Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

"Thank you so much for The Shadow of Atlantis tour. I've really enjoyed all the posts and seeing my book being promoted. I will definitely come back to you with another of my titles!"
Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

"Thank you so much for the great job on the book tour! Pump Up Your Book was a driving force in the launch of THE PILATE SCROLL!"
M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

"Thank you ever so much - it was a fun tour. I will continue singing your praises to my fellow authors. And grateful for the images, I will put them to continued use."
Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

"I appreciate you and your hard work. Thank you for creating these awesome images for my book and allowing me to use them. I am very thankful to have them!"
Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

"Thank you for an Amazing Virtual Book Tour for Son of a Soldier! I really appreciate all the work you put into it!"
Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

"Thanks so much for getting ANNA INCOGNITO out there and reviewed and shared with so many people. It was great to see it on so many twitter feeds!"
Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

"Thank you so much for such a fantastic tour! You did an amazing job getting it together so quickly, and I couldn’t have been happier!"
Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

"Thank you so much Dorothy! I appreciate your hard work. Love the graphics!"
Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

"This has been one of the best things I’ve done as an author. Not only am I getting the word out about my books but I’m learning about my own work and my readers along the way. I love it!"
Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

"Today my blog tour ended, with another great review which made me end the tour with a big smile! What a fun way to end this incredible 4-week tour. I will surely miss it. I want to thank you for arranging it so well and for being there for me whenever I needed. Thank you!!!"

Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

"Just wanted to thank you for the book tour. :) You did a great job. :)"
Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful virtual tour in August for Brimstone and Water. I was very happy with the amount of attention given to the book and to me. I am mentioning it to friends on line that haven't gone to the site yet to be sure and take a look. Thanks for all your work."
Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

"Thank you for running my book promotion for BlackJack. I am so pleased with the reviews that came in and appreciated all you did. My sales have improved from being around 800,000 down to the 200,000 on Amazon and hopefully dropping still. I will definitely be contacting you for a promotion again."
Christine Donovan, BLACKJACK

"You’ve been a joy to work with, and I’d do another tour with you in a heartbeat. Overall, it was an excellent experience and a good value. I’ll be sure to look you up when it’s time to release my next book."
Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

"Thank you for a great blog tour for my “Depression and Your Child.”
I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"Your hard work and professionalism hasn't gone unnoticed. When I release my next novel(s), I will definitely use your service. I have already recommended you to several authors."
Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

"Thanks for a very good experience with Pump Up Your Book. Fighter Pilot's Daughter has sold out of the first printing (still available as POD on Rowman & Littlefield's site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). My editor at R & L says there's a very good chance the book will come out in paperback in the summer. He asked me "Did you hire a publicist or something?" I told him about you, and he was impressed."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"You are amazing Dorothy and I love what you do to get the spirit of our books out to the world. Thank you!"
Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

"I can't believe the response this book is getting! I am so very thrilled that she liked it!!! You are THE BEST, Dorothy, for hooking up this amazing tour with all these stunning reviews! This was the book I was going to keep under my bed forever and ever and now WOW. I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream come true!"
Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

"Just wanted to say I'm appreciating your tweets so much. This is really helping my book sales, and I'm telling writer friends about you."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"Thank you SO much!!!! I had a blast on the tour and appreciate all the time the bloggers and reviewers spent promoting Ash to Steele:)"
Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

"When it comes to looking for a virtual book tour coordinator, Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Tours is simply the best. I have tried several virtual book tour coordinators and have even set up a book tour on my own, but none of them were as successful as my tours with Pump Up Your Book Tour, which has the combination of expertise and experience needed to get the author the results they need. On this latest tour, TWELVE TO MURDER made it up to number three on Amazon! Thank you, Dorothy!"
Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

"Thank you again for all of your help and support for my recent book tour. You were so supportive and responsive, and I enjoyed working with you. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed it, especially when my book hit the top 100 in the two subcategories! That was awesome! Thanks for "pumping up my book!""
Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

"Thank you for another amazing tour, Dorothy!! I loved the sites I had an opportunity to visit and the people I met along the way. I even made a few new friends and found wonderful supporters that I'll never forget - I promise! The exposure you gave my book was absolutely unbelievable, and I can't think of a better way to welcome and expose an author's new creation to the literary world. Happy New Year to all your readers and may your success continue to grow. "
Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"I just wanted to let you know how wonderful I felt my book blast went for Be Careful What You Wish For in the month of August. So many emails and contacts that I would never have gotten. The publicity was just phenomenal!"
--R.K. Avery, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

"Just wanted to touch base with you and extend a huge thank you for the wonderful and successful book blast you arranged for Love Vindicated for me. I was very happy with your services and will be passing your name and brand along to some writer friends with a stellar recommendation. Again thanks and I look forward to working with you again in the future."
--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

"Thank you so much for all your hard work in putting together the virtual book tour for The Sixth Power. I appreciate it so much."
--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

"Thank you SO MUCH for such a great blog tour!"
--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

"Wow - you are absolutely fantastic. Can't believe how lucky I was to find you :)"
--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
-- Lou Aronica, STORY PLANT

"Blog tours have been the most effective promotion I’ve done. Dorothy Thompson and her company Pump Up Your Book are the greatest. I’ve spent money with other promotion companies that advertised packages then didn’t deliver the service they advertised, inflated their audience and reach and point blank falsely represented themselves. Dorothy has been a Godsend, and by far, her services are the best promotional endeavors I’ve invested in thus far."
-- Alicia Singleton, DARK SIDE OF VALOR

"I didn't realize that there is a place on amazon that you can see your stats for foreign sales; mine are really good and I believe it is your tweeting service. I think I might have found the key to successful self-publishing when I found Pump Up Your Books."
-- Suzanne Jenkins, PAM OF BABYLON SERIES

"Dorothy Thompson helped promote my book, Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey. Taking part in it was so much easier (and less expensive) than the travel schedule I was hving to keep doing on my own. She set up everything, coached me through my part, and I found my book and I promoted it all over the Internet. It definitely increased my book sales."
-- Malana Ashlie, GRINGOS IN PARADISE

"Dorothy was not only a lot of fun to work with but she helped me get the word out about my book. I would recommend her to both debut and experienced authors."
---Deborah Woehr, PROSPERITY: A GHOST STORY

“Dorothy is a firecracker promoter. She is skilled at finding the most visible placements in promoting your book with unmatched enthusiasm.She is creatively talented and a wonderful person to have on your team.”
--Kathy Holmes Eckardt, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

“I invested in a three month virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Books promotions for my noir thriller, Moonlight Falls. Not only did the marketing campaign work wonders for spreading the word about the new novel, in the very last month, on the very last day of the tour, Moonlight Falls became an Amazon Kindle bestseller!”
–Vincent Zandri, MOONLIGHT FALLS and THE REMAINS

“I’m so pleased every day when I look at Google Alerts and see our titles all around the blogosphere, so thanks for that!”
–-World Ahead Media

“This has been a wonderful experience. Dorothy Thompson and her whole team are very committed to each author, take each author’s tour very seriously, and work towards maximum exposure in the right places. This is the best book promotion expenditure I’ve made in terms of return on investment. I highly recommend Pump Up Your Book Promotion.”
--Phyllis Zimbler Miller, MRS: LIEUTENANT

"I used Pump Up Your Book promotions a few months ago for my novel, Nephilim. My publisher is a great person, but when it comes to promotions, she encourages authors to do that on their own. Enter Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Book. I had 8 reviews of the book and was featured as a guest author every day of the week at various websites during the month that I used her company. Amazing! She secured everything for me which was really nice and I didn't have to do anything but write a few blogs or answer interview questions. I would use Pump Up Your Book again in a heart beat!"
--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

Visit here to find out what others have to say!

Follow Us!

Click on image to see who’s touring in November!

Book Mockup Graphics for $49!

Click on image to find out more!

PUYB Book Trailer of the Week

The Death of the Kremlin Czar by Jorg H. Trauboth

Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach