♥ Forever Book Lover ♥ : Book Tour~ Guest Post and Giveaway ~ WHATEVER IT TAKES by Dixie Lee Brown

Welcome to my post on Whatever it Takes by Dixie Lee Brown. There is a Tour Wide Giveaway, so follow the entire tour and leave a comment for your chance to win at each of the tour stops
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Whatever it Takes

Trust No One # 4

By: Dixie Lee Brown

Releasing August 12^th, 2014

Avon: Impulse

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Assassin Alex Morgan will do anything to save an innocent life - especially if it means rescuing a child from a hell like the one she endured.

But going undercover as husband and wife, with none other than the disarmingly sexy Detective Nate Sanders, may be a little more togetherness than she can handle. She’s used to working alone, and no man is going to change that - not even a man who makes her heart pound and her defenses crumble with just a touch

Nate has dodged more than a few bullets over the years, but fighting his attraction for Alex may be the bullet that does him in. Still, Nate’s determined to help her find the missing kid. There’s no doubt in his mind that they’re walking straight into danger, but Nate’s willing to face anything if it means protecting Alex. She might have been on her own once, but Nate has one more mission: to stay by her side - forever.

Want to be an Author? — 5 Things I Wish I’d Known…

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be here today and share a little teaser for my new book, WHATEVER IT TAKES, 4th in the Trust No One series.

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in grade school, an ambition I set aside for many years. For those who don’t already know, writing is a huge undertaking and an emotional roller coaster ride. It’s a journey best not embarked upon until you know what you’re getting into. Here are 5 things I wish I’d known:

v They didn’t teach us about punctuation and grammar in school for nothing, and those spelling bees weren’t only for fun. That’s right. Authors are expected to write grammatically correct, punctuate in all the right places, and, at least, know how to run Spell Check in Word. It’s been a few years since I was in school, so much of this information had to be relearned. Sadly, I still struggle with those darn commas!

v Writing is hard work! It consumes me 24 hours a day for months while I’m writing that story, but even then I’m not finished. Now begins the editing process which takes me through the manuscript once, twice, ten times (if you’re obsessive like me) just to get it in good enough shape to hand off to a critique partner for his/her comments. When I get that final draft in hand—the one that is as good as I can possibly make it—I’m ready to decide which publishing route to take.

v At this point, I can choose to find an agent, submit to publishers on my own, or self-publish. I always knew I wanted to follow the more traditional method, so I submitted to agents. Here’s what I learned. Some agents care about people, even new authors—some don’t. At final count, about 100 rejection notices came in. Most were form letters; two or three were personal e-mails or letters; one lady called to tell me I’d never make it as a writer. But I only needed one acceptance letter. Thank you, Dawn Dowdle!

v Writing is only half the job…and it’s the easy half! Once the book is written and published, it has to sell before I make a dime. Whether or not the publisher helps with the marketing of the book,they will expect me to do my part. This means creating and maintaining a professional looking webpage, having a Facebook presence, learning the strange world that is Twitter, Pinterest, and any of the social media that will help to spread the news about my book. It means throwing virtual release parties, having book signings wherever and whenever I can, as well as including some amount for marketing in my budget. Be forewarned—this is a time consuming chore!

v Reviews are essential to getting that book noticed and read. Every author hopes for good ones. When the first book in this series came out, I waited excitedly for those first reviews to roll in. It was a foregone conclusion that even if not everyone loved my novel, aka my baby, my constant companion for the better part of a year, they would at least recognize the time, effort and love that had gone into its creation. Well…not so much! Most of the reviews were wonderful, but much like the one acceptance letter from the agent that made the rest of my year, one not-so-good review felt like the end of the world. Had I known how those first reviews would affect me, I probably still wouldn’t have been prepared, but now, with some perspective and growth as an author, I’ve learned to read reviews differently—to ferret out the constructive criticism, understand the reviewer’s frustration, and toughen up.

There are many more things to learn, and I’m still working on most of them. I’m pretty sure it’s an on-going process. As soon as I think I’ve learned it all, something new comes along. The important thing is to be open to new ideas and keep learning.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll enjoy the book!

DIXIE LEE BROWN lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by what she believes is the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who make sure she never takes herself too seriously. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, movies, and trips to the beach.

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