Bobbie Jean Books

P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization which promotes educational opportunities for women and during the last decade, provided $100 million in educational funding for deserving women.
I am proud to say I belong to one such chapter (DW Wisconsin).
Recently, my first book, No Longer Afraid, was mentioned in the March/April P.E.O. Record. It warmed my heart and gave me the incentive to move forward with book two. Thank you.

This is probably hard to believe, but I have been a member of the same book club for almost 30 years. We started when some of our children were still in diapers, and now we’re enjoying spending time with our grandchildren. Where has the time gone?
The reason I mention the “Bookmarkers” is due to the fact that they are the most supportive, wonderful group of women I have ever known. They are proving their support once again by having an author’s event for me at the end of the month. They have all read my new novel, “With Her Head Held High” and are ready to tell me what they think. Since it isn’t published yet, they’ve read the manuscript or the pdf.file. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. Book club members all over Western Wisconsin have taken my first book to heart, and I want to make sure my next novel is something they’ll also enjoy. I’ll make sure to let you know the verdict on book two.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my friends will enjoy reading more about Claire Holmes. She was hardly a beloved character in “No Longer Afraid”, but everyone will be madly in love with her after they finish reading her side of the story in book two of the “Home to Lake Louise” saga. I promise!

I recently learned about a website that allows an author to upload chapters or completed books so that people can read them for free. Some might think that it doesn’t sound like a smart thing to do, but after a book has been out for awhile, it’s another way to find readers. In addition, readers are linked to authors’ websites and book reviewers take a look at their work and let them know what they should consider changing to maximize publishing potential.
No Longer Afraid will make an appearance shortly, and I hope that I get some good reviews. If I do, I’ll post them on my website. Book two will not be uploaded unless I find that it’s a way to get reviews before I publish it. Take a look at FanFiction.Net and see it there is something there you would like to read.

Tonight I will drive to Baldwin, Wisconsin, to teach a class on the art and science of writing a novel. This is the third semester the class has been offered, and I look forward to it each and every time.
This time is different, however, because I have finished my second book, and I’m a little more savvy about the world of publishing. I have more information to offer my students concerning the use of the internet for marketing purposes, the recent major changes in self-publishing, and everything else I have learned about the writing process itself. I just hope I can inspire my students to move forward with their writing projects. They won’t reap the rewards unless they get up the nerve to try.

If you publish independently, your work is cut out for you. You are going to be just plain invisible unless you understand that it’s all about networking.

This past July, an independent bookstore opened in Hudson, Wisconsin, so I put my marketing hat on and headed that way. I met Brian Roegge, gave him a copy of No Longer Afraid, and asked if he’d sell it in his store. He told me that he or his wife would have to read it first since I published it myself.

A couple of weeks later, I got an email from his wife, Sue. She thanked me for dropping off my book, she thought it was a wonderful story, and she offered to sell it in her store.
Needless to say, I was thrilled.

A couple of months later, Sue called to say that Urban Olive and Vine, a lovely restaurant owned by Kay Timm in historic downtown Hudson would be offering afternoon teas on Sundays in cooperation with Sue’s Chapter2Books. Sue would come up with the authors or presentations of interest to women. Kay would offer high tea (tea with sandwiches and dessert) or a la carte menu items to the women coming in for the presentations. A partnership was born.

Sue asked me if I would like to set a date to speak at one of the Sunday afternoon teas, and I didn’t turn her down. The date was set for December 4, 2011 from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. After I got off the phone, I began to worry. Why? Because I wondered if anyone would show up to hear about a book that’s been around for a year and a half, a book that all the book clubs have already read and so forth. I didn’t want Sue to order books she couldn’t sell, and I also didn’t want Kay to lose any money on the deal either.

It was then that I decided this would be the perfect time to start marketing Book Two. I just finished the second book in my series Home to Lake Louise with the working title of No Fault of Our Own. I’m going to spend some time looking for a publisher so it won’t be available for awhile, but I sure would enjoy talking about this project and reading some excerpts to anyone who is interested in finding out why Maggie’s mother, Claire, abandoned her daughters forty years earlier.

The Art and Science of Creating a Novel

BALDWIN-WOODVILLE COMMUNITY EDUCATION

This class will offer one author’s unique approach to creating compelling fiction. She will share what motivated her to write, how she struggled with the writing process, and how, through trial and error, she completed her project. In the second session, the author will present what she learned on the road to independent publishing. The final session will give students a chance to explore their own writing with guidance from Roberta and others in the class. This class offers an intimate and safe atmosphere for aspiring authors to explore their own distinct writer’s journey.

Last year, Roberta Fiet Kuhn (pseudonym Bobbie Jean) independently published a book that has become wildly popular regionally—and the word keeps spreading! Her book is titled No Longer Afraid (Home to Lake Louise) and is available locally at gift shops, independent bookstores, through Wisconsin and Minnesota Libraries, and at Lulu.com as well as through all online bookstores. Visit her website at bobbiejeansbooks.com to learn more about her projects.

Instructor: Roberta Kuhn Date/Time: Thursdays 6:30-8:00 p.m.
September 29—The Writing Process
October 6—Independent Publishing
October 13—Writer’s Workshop
Fee: $20
Location: BWHS Room 121 Register by: September 22

Roberta Kuhn taught Adult Basic Education classes for CVTC for thirty years, where she helped hundreds of stu¬dents learn how to write essays, reports, and research papers. Since retiring from that profession, she has been busy with her own creative writing projects.

I haven’t blogged in awhile…summer is busy with outdoor activities and grandkids, so writing of any kind takes a backseat. Unless I have some exciting news to share, that is.

The good news is that Hudson, WI, has a new bookstore. Many of us have sorely missed being able to run into a local bookstore for books or gifts for the readers in our lives. Western Wisconsin has great libraries, but sometimes we want to buy a book to cherish forever, and we don’t want to drive twenty-five miles out of our way to do it. Now you don’t have to!

Check out Chapter2books at 422 2nd Street, Hudson, WI. One of the friendly owners, Sue or Brian Roegge, will be happy to show you around their quaint little shop. You’ll just love the treasures you’ll find there including NO LONGER AFRAID. Yea!

Go to www.chapter2books.com to find the hours they’re open.
Happy shopping!

My sweet little book has taken me on local adventures of all kinds including library dedications, women’s expos, and wonderful book club gatherings. The adventure continues and you can now find the paperback online at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Amazon as well as Lulu.com. The ebook is now available for downloading to the Kindle, the Nook, and all of the other ebook readers.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my adventures and have been encouraged to cross the river…the St. Croix, that is. So I’m planning a visit to “Saturday Morning” on Kare 11 and will let you know the date. In addition, No Longer Afraid will now be available in the twin cities libraries. Please let all of your friends in on the news so they’ll be ready for Book Two, the irrepressible Claire Holmes, and the heartbreaking news that will forever change her life.

Saturday
MAY 14, 2011
10 AM to 4 PM

WOMEN’S EXPO
Mystical Gardens
(formerly the Anderson Plant Farm)
W5415 890th Avenue
Baldwin, Wisconsin

The event will raise funds for the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties and St. John’s Social Concern’s Fund. I have been invited to showcase my novel, NO LONGER AFRAID, along with 20 other venders and musicians, as well as panel members and speakers discussing women’s issues. See the River Falls Journal, May 5th edition, or go to www.mysticalrosegardens.com for more information.

Thursday
MAY 26, 2011
1:00 PM

HAMMOND BOOK CLUB MEETING
at the
RIVER FALLS GOLF COURSE
River Falls, Wisconsin

I have been extended an invitation from the ladies of the Hammond Book Club to discuss my first novel, NO LONGER AFRAID, with them. They are an enthusiastic bunch of women and decided to open it to the public, renting space, and advertising all over the place. Please come and join us. Have your questions ready for me! Oh, by the way, there will be coffee and wonderful desserts waiting for you if you manage to sit through the whole thing! See you there.