So much to do, so little time.

When plotting your BEA week schedule, what’s your strategy?

Divide and conquer is usually a handy method. Yes, it’s totally necessary to in four or more places at once during BEA. In fact, it’s really the only way to get to panels, media meetings and author/publisher sit-downs, and not miss a beat.

We’d love to hear about your BEA plans: What are your Monday musts and can’t miss panels and events? With our BEA Day-by-Day series, we’ll share some of the items we’re most anticipating from the educational track, starting with…

DAY ONE: MONDAY, JUNE 4

9:30 AM: Advanced Facebook Marketing: Increase your social influence, attract readers & sell books. Highly recommended if you want to learn about the many ways authors can benefit from Facebook. In addition to traditional publicity tactics, we’re working with clients on specialized social marketing campaigns more and more. We’ve seen the power of Facebook and we’re believers.

1:00 PM: Tweet this — Not that!  The time has come to take Twitter to the next level. We’re totally interested in finding out how to optimize our Twitter account, and yours too!

2:00 PM: Optimize your marketing strategy with everyday SEO for agents, booksellers and publishers.  Coaching our authors in their blog routine is a vital part of what we do. Even more important is helping them do so in a way that brings in traffic and increases a title’s awareness. Aren’t you excited?

3:00 PM: Pin it on Pinterest: Driving traffic to your brand. We get questions about Pinterest all the time, especially from novelists and foodies, so we’re glad to see this on the schedule. We’ll report back with more creative ways to curate boards that promote your brand and book.

4:15 PM: Editors’ Buzz. Next to happy hour, this is quite possibly our favorite hour of BEA: it’s where we first heard of The Art of Fielding, The Night Circus and The Underside of Joy. Sitting in on this panel is a special treat as you’ll hear straight from editors’ mouths what is sure to be buzzing this Fall.

5:00 PM: Happy Hour with our Fave Bloggers: Want to come? Leave your email address in the comment section, or contact us directly for details!

Parents, you’ve been there. From epic melt-downs in the most public of places, to your sweet little preschooler loudly asking you why the lady in line ahead of you is “so fat”. These are cringe-worthy mom moments and yes, they are an unavoidable part of parenting! So, as us moms get pampered with gifts and quality family time on Sunday, let’s not forget to celebrate these moments that make you want to bury your head and pretend those kids belong to someone else.  Hey, if you can’t look back and laugh…..

Still on the blog tour for The Mommy Diaries, author Dallas Louis was brave enough to re-live her own moments and share them with us. Here are my favorites. Cringe!:

- A couple of years ago, Silly Bandz were all the rage. My children were not immune to this phenomenon, but my husband and I did limit the number of Bandz the kids could wear at one time, especially on certain occasions–church, for instance. One Sunday, we were sitting in the second pew, directly behind the preaching pastor. My oldest son, evidently bored, took off one of his Silly Bandz and began playing with it, quickly losing control. We found out that they shoot almost as far as real rubber bands when the escaped Silly Band zinged the pastor in the ear, making him jump, which made us jump, and set off an erie wave-like epidemic through the entire Sanctuary.

- Not to be outdone by his brother, my other son (on a different week, thankfully) realized that the new lighting in our Sanctuary cast a brilliant light on the back of the pastor’s white robe when we stood up for prayer. He soon figured out how many different shadow puppets he could create on the back of our Senior Pastor. The people behind us were laughing so hard, the praying pastor had to stop and collect himself before continuing. I now have to sit my little puppet master on the outside of the pew.

- A few years ago on a cross-country drive to California to visit my parents, the kids and I stopped for the night at a hotel in New Mexico. It had been a long day and I was in the bathroom getting my oldest ready for his shower. When I walked out, I noticed that the hotel room was filled with smoke! The two little ones, while left unattended for all of a minute and a half, had managed to set the air conditioner on fire! They pushed all of the buttons on the A/C and heater causing the machine to over-heat. The hotel had to be evacuated.

- Since we are talking about fires, may as well mention this one, too. While attending an academic competition we were all waiting for the next round to begin. Schools from all over our district descend upon one school to compete at various levels of math, science, music and art. The students and their families that are in between events usually wait in the cafeteria. That’s where we were…until the fire alarm was pulled. Brilliant. Five hundred people evacuated the area, while I rained questions down such as, “What were you thinking?!” and “Why in the world….” I was met with, “I just wanted to see what it would do.”

- Vivid dreams and sleep walking happen frequently in my house, and this has not been a big deal until one of my boys began to sleep walk in the middle of the night on his way to the bathroom. It took me several weeks (apparently super-sleuth is not on my resume) to pin-point the exact source of the unmistakable aroma of stale urine permeating my entire house. My son, during his nighttime wanderings, consistently mistook his closet for the restroom, dousing the floor and the wall. Fantastic. We had to replace the carpet and repaint. 

- We all know that siblings don’t always get along. Once, during the final moments of a photo shoot for our family, our oldest son who was three at the time gave his little sister a really good shove right between the shoulder blades. She was completely unprepared for this surprise attack and landed face down, letting out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the entire building. Both of her eyes immediately started to turn black and blue. My husband and I were in complete shock. When asked why he had done this, my son said, “Well, I was trying to kill her.” Terrific.

- When my brother-in-law got married, he and his bride-to-be sweetly asked if our kids could be in their black-tie wedding. Thankfully the kids did great during the ceremony – it was the reception that did us in. There was a small crowd gathered at the foot of a beautiful curved staircase, so I wandered over to check things out. Just as I reached the edge of the crowd, the photographer turned around with a huge smile and said, “I got it that time!” Everyone was giggling. What were they giggling at? A miniature vision in white, laying in a laughing, crumpled heap on the floor. My daughter, the sweetest flower girl ever had done an impressive swan dive from the fifth step up. Everyone turned to look at me. I hitched up my floor-length gown, stepped over my laughing child, said, “Someone should go find her father” and walked away.

- The Top Dog of Cringe-Worthy Mom Moments is as follows: several years ago we took the kids to Disney World and stood in line forever to see the Disney princesses. Our youngest son was two at the time – a round, little, blonde, blue-eyed sweet angel (or so he appeared). He did well with two out of the three princesses, but it was that third one that got us. Cinderella happened to be the final princess of our royal encounter, and also my two-year-old’s favorite. When she bent down to hug him, he ran forward to grab her. In short, there was a massive collision that ended with Cinderella on her back, my child wrapped around her neck, her dress up almost over her head, and her princess secret-service detail screaming into their head-sets, “PRINCESS DOWN! WE HAVE A PRINCESS DOWN!” My husband and I just stood there. There was nothing we could do. No one could untangle our little one from her, so they picked them both up at once. That quickly ended our session with the princesses.

So readers….fess up. What are yours? I’ve got one I’m willing to share – but not until you go first.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sheer panic, for starters.

After having three children within 26 months (none are twins), Dallas Louis’ life has been a non-stop circus. From nearly getting kicked out of Disney World after her youngest tackled Cinderella, to being on a first name basis with her family orthopedic surgeon, Louis’ children and home life are a constant source of material – enough to fill her new book, The Mommy Diaries: How I’m Surviving Parenting without Killing Anyone (May 13, 2012).

The Mommy Diaries chronicles the family life of an everyday mom trying to navigate the waters of parenting. Louis walks readers through her most embarrassing moments and some of her more bizarre emergency room trips. She also sheds light on the husband/wife dynamic and the twists and turns a marriage takes when kids (and household projects) enter the mix.

With chapters such as “You Shoved WHAT up Your Nose?” and “Why Some Animals Eat Their Young”, Louis shares her parenting lessons with a generous dose of humor. Through it all, she also shares her source of strength and the means by which she not only perseveres through her day, but also finds the joy amidst the chaos: God.

“Parenthood is an intense roller coaster filled with constant chaos, the pitter-patter of adorable, yet never-ceasing little feet, broken dishes, and emotional ups and downs – from the kids and the parents! And all this in addition to the regular duties, chores, and responsibilities of a normal American household,” says Louis. “Sometimes laughter is needed to survive the more challenging days!”

You can connect with Dallas on Twitter and Facebook.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Dallas is on a blog tour for the book, so visit this partial list of participating blogs throughout the week for reviews and giveaways.

Bond with Karla

Savvy Spending

Barbara’s Beat

Sweet Life by Nicole

Ann Again….and Again

Dad of Divas

Annie’s Home

Outnumbered 3 to 1

MNMSpecial

Bless Their Hearts Mom

inRandom

Me, Myself & Baby I

Peek a Baby

A Day in Motherhood

AND MORE!

We’d like to extend a big THANKS to these bloggers for partnering with us to promote The Mommy Diaries!

This is a journey of self-discovery.

Mary Johnson had the opportunity to take the easy (at least, easier) way many times throughout her life. A striking theme in this memoir is her way of choosing honor above all else, even though it made life unbearable at times. And her definition of honor is shaped by something completely different from what you might expect: Not the strict religious boundaries she lived and breathed in for 20-some years, but rather that quiet warm sense she had of an ever-present companion in her heart.

At 17, Mary spots Mother Teresa on the cover of TIME and feels a fire ignite inside of her, a knowing that this was the vocation for her: to join a convent headed by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and carry out her desires to help the unwanted. For being unwanted, says Mother Teresa, is the truest form of poverty.

Life in the convent is even more complicated than ever imagined: ruled by ‘Rules’ and political agendas, depressing conditions and jaw-dropping daily schedules. Mary is caught off-guard time and time again when she violates the mercurial, unspoken laws of being a ‘good’ Sister, and receives fiery tongue lashings from her superiors that leave both her and the earth scorched.

Here is where her own definition of honor impresses me time and time again: she has the rare ability to still see her God in each and every person, even though they hurt her and humiliate her. They (her religious community) see everything in black and white, perfect and not perfect, and she sees the wonderful kaleidoscope of human nature.

While a bit long, this memoir reads lightly even when dealing with heavy matter, such as Mother Teresa’s surprising demeanor and even more surprising actions and reactions to certain matters. Johnson, in that gentle contemplative way of hers, examines every corner of thought in theology, concluding instead that it’s biology she desires, and not heaven but earth.

My new friend, Kasey Pfaff of Penguin Books, sent me an ARC (advanced readers copy) of Meredith Goldstein’s romantic comedy novel, The Singles, which debuts TODAY, 4/24! Goldstein (@MeredithGoldste) pens the Love Letters column in The Boston Globe, so you can imagine that she has been privy to a host of hilarious and off-beat stories from weddings over the years.

Goldstein takes a scene that all of us have encountered– a wedding of a late-20/ early 30-something, where there are still some single invitees and cajoles us with entertaining stories of these singles throughout the wedding weekend. I believe if you’re in this age range, you can definitely relate to the stories that develop in this novel.

I truly enjoyed Goldstein’s writing and was literally laughing out loud (or LOL) in some parts. Oh, and one of the singles lives in our very own Austin! Add to that the fact that these nuptials take place in Chesapeake Bay and I’ve always wanted to attend a high-brow wedding in the Northeast (I’m thinking Martha’s Vineyard, maybe) and this book had me at hello.

If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of The Singles, what do you think of it so far?

Halflings author Heather Burch stopped by Fox 30 Jacksonville this morning to chat about Zondervan’s Warmer Days, Darker Nights Book Tour.

If you live in the Jacksonville, Florida, area don’t miss your chance to meet these three fascinating YA authors tomorrow, Saturday, April 21st: Heather Burch, Bill Myers, author of “The Forbidden Doors” series and Jill Williamson, author of Replication. There will be giveaways, book signings, and a chance to win a Nook!

Warmer Days, Darker Nights – Jacksonville edition:

• Saturday, April 21, 11am – 1pm at Barnes and Noble St. John’s Town Center, 10280 Midtown Parkway
• Saturday, April 21, 3pm – 5pm at Lifeway Christian Store Oakleaf Town Center, 9515 Crosshill Blvd

Hope to see you in Jax!

Next stop…Nashville!

My session, “Book Publicity in the Digital Age,” was on the first day so I was only at the conference for two out of the five days, but I was able to get a real glimpse into this very interesting world of romance novels. I admit, I love a good romance novel (not the salacious bodice-ripping kind, but the story with a sweet romantic love story)! Let me tell you, romance novels are alive and well in this tumultuous book publishing age.

Upon check in, each attendee was allowed to enter the “Goodie Bag Room” where tables were lined  with stacks of romance novels: along the outside of the room you could choose 10 and among the tables in the interior, you could take an unlimited amount of books. Ladies were walking out with as many books as their arms could handle! In this room, you found all types of romance novels: from Christian fiction, to YA, all the way to erotica.

My session was standing room only and I truly enjoyed this crowd of ladies. You have to be a bit laid back and fun to “do” this conference because everywhere you turn, there are book covers of steamy scenes and the conference throws rockin’ parties each night.

(By the way, in my session I referenced a recent article from IBPA’s “The Independent” newsletter about romance novels, saying that the reason romance novels do as well as ebooks is because people who wouldn’t go into a bookstore and ask about a romance novel and walk out with it, can simply jump on their computer and purchase one without anyone knowing.)

But back to my original point—this genre is definitely alive and well! Case in point: I was sitting at a table on Day Two going over some notes, and a mother & daughter sat down with me and started asking me questions. Regina S. (the 30-something daughter) had convinced her mom, Yvonne, to attend the conference last year and they are hooked. These are readers, mind you, not authors. The ladies told me that last year, they shipped eight boxes of books home from the conference totaling 169 books! These are both books they got for free and some they purchased.

I asked: Why would you purchase books here when you get them for free everywhere you look?

Regina said: Because there are authors here that I follow and they have new books coming out and I just have to purchase them at the book fair.

Regina then told me that she brought back 17 books this year that she shipped home last year, just to get the authors to sign them this year at the conference! Now, that’s a dedicated fan. Yvonne told me that Regina increased her home owner’s insurance just to protect her ever-growing library of books in her home. Regina then told me she estimates her YA collection at valuing approximately $14,000. So who says readers aren’t buying physical copies of books?

But, yes, I do have to admit that I did my own unscientific study on the airplane and saw that five people around me were reading on the plane: three on eReaders and two reading physical copies; and they spanned all ages, young adult to senior.

The trip was inspiring on many levels. Publicist Tolly Moseley and I had a multitude of Chicago media meetings, met with two potential clients & one client, and I was able to participate in the RT conference.

And, yes, we finally got our Chicago deep-dish pizza on the way to the airport to return home. We had our priorities in check. Thank you, Windy City!

Submitted by Arnie Yew, co-founder of The Readerie

Since the old rules of publishing are being rewritten anyway, why not do some rewriting of our own?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from talking and working with authors and publishers, it’s tough out there and it isn’t getting any easier. Sounds like the perfect time for coming up with fresh solutions.

Readerie re-looks at something readers have always done with a good book – pass it along. To us, it’s more than just sharing. It’s distribution with zero costs, discoverability by word of mouth and one hell of an opportunity to create an alternate source of revenue through ebook rentals.

Imagine, ten readers renting your book and enjoying it so much they browbeat ten friends each into reading the book. If those ten friends rent it, it’s been distributed for free. Now imagine being able to get paid every time your book is passed along. All of a sudden, each reader is an active participant that generates revenue.

At the end of the day, we’re doing it for selfish reasons. We’d love nothing better than to see authors and publishers benefit from the Readerie. Then we’d be in reader heaven.

Questions? Contact Arnie at arnie@readerie.com.

You can also learn more about what Arnie’s team is up to here.

Authors Bill Myers, Heather Burch and Jill Williamson just came through Austin last month and are continuing on to Atlanta, Jacksonville, FL and Nashville.

Events in each city include book readings, signings, in-store giveaways, Q&A’s with the authors and a Nook or Kindle giveaway!

Here’s a list of the venues holding events – Please join us!:

Atlanta: Friday, April 13^th, 6:00–8:00pm at The Lamb’s Well Bookstore in Warner Robins and Saturday, April 14^th, 1:00–3:00pm at Lifeway Christian Store in Buford.

Jacksonville: Saturday, April 21^st, 11:00am–1:00pm at Barnes & Noble St. John’s Town Center and 3:00–5:00pm at Jacksonville West LifeWay Christian Store in Oakleaf Town Center.

Nashville: Friday, April 27^th, 6:00pm–8:00pm at Barnes & Noble Cool Springs in Brentwood, Saturday, April 28^th, 12:00pm–2:00pm at LifeWay Christian Store Marketplace Center in Murfreesboro and 6:00pm–8:00pm at Parnassus Books.

And here’s another quick look at the 3 writers:

Heather Burch will sign Halflings, Book One in The Halflings trilogy. Halflings is currently under consideration by Hollywood producers for film adaptation. Targeted by an evil madman intent on harming her at any cost, 17-year-old Nikki is placed under the vigilant protection of three secretive young men who call themselves “halflings.” Misfits, Mace, Raven, and Vine fight to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret – they aren’t quite human and they’ve got wings. Burch resides in Southern Florida. Take a look at the book trailer!

Bill Myers, bestselling author and co-creator of the McGee and Me! series will sign copies from the Forbidden Doors series. Some doors are better left welded shut. Ouija boards, the occult, shamans, UFOs, witchcraft– just kids stuff, right? Myers’ forth volume in the Forbidden Doors series finds young students Becka and Scott battling forces of darkness the deeper they delve into an invisible world all-too-real that will stop at nothing to destroy life, sanity and human souls. Myers weaves deeply rich characters and plots filled with supernatural suspense and incredible tales that provoke readers to question their own reality. Myers, a bestselling author (over 8 million books sold) and award-winning filmmaker, hails from the mountains of Washington state. More at: www.billmyers.com

Jill Williamson is the author of Replication: The Jason Experiment, the first book in the Jason Farms series. The captivating tale of a young girl, Martyr must to come to terms with her parents’ divorce – and what her scientist father is hiding below a remote barn– multiple clones named Jason. Her first novel By Darkness Hid won a Christy Award in 2010. She lives in Oregon. Take a look at book trailer one and two!

According to media pro Ellie Scarborough, your online video (like a book trailer, video demo, electronic press kit, or other promotional clip you post on your website) should be no longer than 2:30.

We are super happy to Ellie address the question – it’s one we’re asked all the time. Watch and learn.

Ellie is a former NBC broadcast journalist and founder of Media Bombshell (as well as the delightful owner of Pink Kisses). Media Bombshell is a boutique-consulting agency that helps small business owners create thriving communities of loyal customers by leveraging the power of purposeful messaging and powerful soundbites.

Thanks for the tip, Ellie!

Follow her on Twitter: @mediabombshell.