Oh, no! How to recover your hijacked email account.

Oh, no! 

On January 17^th, I dragged myself from my nice warm bed, tottered into the kitchen in search of that necessary cup of coffee, and as is my habit, turned on my computer to review my emails.

These days, I have a fairly busy inbox. Not only is my novel, This Bird Flew Away scheduled for release on the 27^th which requires a fair bit of correspondence, I’m doing my own promotion, and that’s become very demanding. I also have a family and friends who keep in touch. I edit for new writers and there’s lots of back and forth there.

Did I mention I’m not a morning person? Getting into gear is a long slow process

.

But this morning, I awoke with a shock.

User name and/or password incorrect.

Now what? My still foggy brain stalled for a moment, trying to comprehend. 

I tried again.

Same result. I hadn’t made an input error. 

Like tens of thousands of other unsuspecting people of that morning alone, my email account had been hijacked. But I didn’t know it – yet.

No, it wasn’t for another hour and a half that fact became evident. Not until after I’d gone through the lengthy process of regaining access to the account. Not easy.

Google states they take your privacy and security very seriously, and to prove it, they’ve instituted a sort of merry-go-round guaranteed to have you gnashing your teeth.

Necessary, I suppose, but still annoying, like so many of those other things done for our own good.

For step by step instructions on how to recover from such a paralyzing blow, go to the full article published on hubpages:  Oh, no! How to recover your hijacked email account.

 
What they did 
     

Perhaps you, like me, are now asking yourself but why, why would they do this. What a good question.


The answer became apparent as soon as I got access to my emails (see full article,) around three and a half hours into my day. Every single contact in my file received the following message:

"I know this might be a surprise to you but I am sorry I didn't inform you about my traveling to Scotland for a Seminar.

I need a favor from you as I've misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money,and other valuable things were kept and

I will like you to assist me with an urgent loan of $2,500 U.S Dollars to sort-out my hotel bills and get myself back home.

I will appreciate whatever you can afford to help me with and I promise to pay you back as soon as I return home.

love
lynda
--
Lynda M Martin
author of This Bird Flew Away"

Now, I still don't get this. There are no instructions to send money, no emergency contact number or address, no way for anyone to do anything except send an email back. Which many of you did (thanks.)

Any possible benefit would only accrue if they managed to keep control of my email account long enough to enter into correspondence with someone, without me finding out about it. If there's a moral here it's check your email account regularly. Move with all speed if something is wrong.

But the very sloppiness of the whole think reeks of amateurism. It smacks of someone making mischief just for the twisted pleasure of creating trouble in a stranger's life.

After all, if I was going to Scotland (my birth place and where I have relatives I can turn to if desperate) trust me, I'd probably write about it and you'd all know. And wouldn't I be unlikely to leave a few days before my book is released? Nor am I the kind of person who'd ask relative strangers to send me money -- in case the situation every comes up again.

But to those of you who did react with best wishes, regrets you weren't able to help, who tried every avenue to contact me, even as to setting up a thread on Hubpages, thank you. It's nice to know so many cared.

 

The consequences

This has been a grave injury to my business, to my reputation and my pride.

Every contact got this message, including agents who had rejected me, publishers I'd been in correspondence with, and even a Senator and his wife who I'd met at a Christmas party. The Senator was very involved in combating child abuse and had sent me contacts in the government to help with my research. Ye Gods, even the government got a copy of this!

It took me two days to contact everyone. I first, sent out a blanket email to all addresses explaining the situation:

"Any email from me requesting a loan is spam and a fraud. I am not in Scotland. I am not broke. I am fine, safe and sound at home where I've been all the time. Lynda"

But we all know what happens to blanket emails. They go to Spam. So I've literally had to write to hundreds of people individually and tell them the whole saga.

Worst of all, all my emails dated before January 17 are now lost irrevocably. 

There are people who wrote to me wanting editing, people I was editing, people who wrote to me for help in dealing with sexual abuse issues, people who wrote wanting interviews or to highlight my book and the list goes on and on. 

All I can say is here's the situation. If you have anything outstanding with me, please contact me.               

I hope none of you ever go through this, but if it does happen, I'm happy to share with you all I've learned.

Sincerely yours, 

Lynda

For step by step instructions on how to recover from such a paralyzing blow, go to the full article published on hubpages:  Oh, no! How to recover your hijacked email account.

The Penurious Promoter #3 -- How to prepare for an audio-media interview

The Penurious Promoter #3 -- How to prepare for an audio-media interview

My problem and some good advice

So much to think about is a little overwhelming. But, it is basic common sense. Be prepared – check. Know your subject – check. Have a couple of little sound bites – check. Be conversational, animated and at ease – problem!

I’m not a great speaker. My forte is the written word where I have time to think, collect my thoughts and seek out the best words. When reduced to verbal communication only, my IQ drops to half it’s normal score. Nope – not a great orator. This self-knowledge makes me nervous.

I have spoken in public on many occasions, though and to a large live audience. How did I do it? I prepared my words ahead of time, practiced my delivery many times over, walked to the podium with an affected air of confidence, stood on quivering knees and went into autopilot. Seriously. I did not imagine the audience naked (God forbid!) or stare at the tops of their heads, or any of those other things speakers are often told to do. I didn’t see them. I didn’t see anything. The words flowed out of their own accord while I was in a fugue state. Possibly not the best solution and probably why I long ago decided my career in the public eye was limited. To say the least.

I suffer from extreme stage-fright.

So, having shared this serious personal limitation with a few friends, I’ve been given the following advice: If possible, have a trusted friend sit in the same room while I am interviewing by telephone. Pretend I am talking only to that friend and forget about the audience entirely. I am having a simple conversation.

Good advice. (And thanks, Dallas.)

End result?

So, now knowing so much about my neurotic fear of public speaking, you may be curious as to whether or not I can overcome my handicap and do a decent interview.

Will she? Won’t she? 

If you want to tune in and see if I fly or flop, here’s the place and time:

Jo-Anne Vandermuellen,

Blog Talk Radio, Authors Articulating with Jo-Anne Vandermuellen, January 17 at 7 PM, PST (10PM EST) .

Hope some of you can join us.

Of course, I’ll be busy pretending you’re not there.

Sincerely yours,

Lynda

For the body of this article and the tips on preparing for an interview, go to The Penurious Promoter #3 – How to Prepare for an Audio-Media Interview.

The Penurious Promoter #2 -- What other authors are doing to market their books

The Penurious Promoter #2 -- What other authors are doing to market their books

Welcome

Welcome to the second article in the Penurious Promoter series. There's a lot of information here in this fairly lengthy article. I've spent considerable time chatting with other authors and asking for their input into the whole promotion and marketing issue. This article sets out what authors are currently doing to promote their work. It will be followed by a series of 'how-to' hubs, giving a step-by-step map as to how to go about it -- or at least how I and other authors have gone about it.
Promotion requires creativity. I'd love to hear your ideas in the comment section. Lynda

Selling books proves to be a real tough job

“I am published with two novels and hoping for my third this year. Selling books proves to be a real tough job. Definitely tougher than creating them. I still don't see an effective and inexpensive way of promoting a book...”

This is the quandary faced by most authors these days, whether self-publishing, publishing through a small press, or through the traditional big-houses. Let’s face it, unless you’re a big-name, sure-thing the money allotted to your promotional campaign will be limited. Or nil.

We need to invest in our own work

 

‘Writers write, not sell’ insist those still living in yesteryear. If only that were true! Another old-fashioned idea: "writers get paid; they do not pay."


Ha!

Did you think that advance (if you got one) was intended for you to take a cruise? No! If you’re smart, you’ll invest that money in your own book. If you didn’t get one, and you probably didn’t if you’re with a small press, certainly not if you’re self-publishing, and you’re on a limited budget (penurious) then this series is for you.

No, we need to invest in our own work, if not money (cause we have none) effort. What are other authors doing to promote their work, and is it working for them?

I began by asking authors to comment on their book promotion experiences and plans for the future.

For the rest of the article, click HERE.

I hope this is of help. It certainly is for me, if for no other reason than forcing me to get my ideas together.


Sincerely Yours,

Lynda

My editor (bless her heart,) I owe her so much

My last post linked to an article on Hubpages (my favorite place on the internet) where I shared my ascent up the very steep learning curve of writing press releases. As I'm publishing with an independent publisher, much of the promotional work is up to me -- not that they don't do their part, they do, but still... And as I'm fairly impoverished at this time (or any other) I've taken the DIY route to book promotions. All of this led to my sharing of this great learning experience in what I hope will be a series of articles I've dubbed the Penurious Promoter.

Now that you're up to date, (in case you didn't read the last one) let's get on with the new post.

Always willing to help me, my editor, Kathryn Lynn Davis used her magic red pen on the result I so proudly displayed to my readers, improving it greatly. Therefore, I am compelled by some ego-driven demon to share the new one with you, as well.

Kathryn Lynn Davis

But first, let me tell you a bit about Kathryn.

When I first sat down to write This Bird Flew Away, I hadn't written much beyond professional reports for my business in years. And I was an auditor, accountant and business consultant so you can imagine the dry stuff I churned out. I was more than rusty. I was seized-up. Yet, the story had to come out. It had lived in my brain and heart for so many years it threatened to choke me. But, sitting at my keyboard, struggling, I had to admit I'd lost the style and technique once so dear to me. Like all neglected children, it had run away from home, looking for the attention and love it required.

Use it or lose it is the applicable cliche.

Some scenes poured out well. In fact, some parts were bloody brilliant. (If I do say so myself.) But others...let's just say they were less so. My poor novel was ragged, inconsistent and seemed nothing more than a few bright spots linked together by dreck. I didn't know what to do to fix it.

Only by happenstance did I find Kathryn, and we started out as two strangers, she the paid professional and me the wannabe in labor, trying to give birth at an age where such endeavors should be long past. At first, she only looked at the first ten pages but managed to cram so much information, so much direction, such good advice, and somehow balanced criticism with enough praise, I didn't give up. She was kind and generous.

Those ten (free) pages gave me enough pointers to pull a reasonable rough draft together. Well, now I know better; one doesn't pay an editor to work on a rough draft, but at the time, I thought it the only way. I suppose she must have seen enough good in my efforts to make it worthwhile, because she went well beyond the requirements of any editor. I know this now. I didn't then.

She sent me back passages for rewrite, and suggested whole new scenes to write that pulled it all together. She found holes in my story, parts that didn't work, passages that needed a new direction, and praised those areas that did work to the skies. We were perhaps a month into working before she actually did any editing. She was my coach and my mentor first.

As if that wasn't enough, upon my receipt of the edited manuscript, and payment of her more than reasonable fee, we continued with rewrites, back and forth by email, long after the edit was done, and all from her great generosity.

Kathryn poured encouragement into me, made me believe that what I'd written had merit, insisted it should see the light of day. She even helped me write queries, and used her own contacts to help me.

Then, when a publisher was interested in This Bird Flew Away, and after all my revising and tweaking I knew it had to be edited again, she offered to do the work, even though I couldn't afford to pay for it at the time. "The important thing," she wrote to me, "is to get it ready for publication. Pay me later."

It is only now, when I hear from other authors and their trials with independent editors, that I realize what a gem of a woman Kathryn is, and how lucky I was to tumble into her care. For that's the only way to describe what she did for me. If This Bird Flew Away is a work of any worth, much, perhaps most of the credit belongs to Kathryn Lynn Davis.

She is an established author herself, with eight published novels and a New York Times bestseller, a talented and gifted individual. And here she is editing my press release. Still helping me. Still feeding me encouragement. Still praising my work. 

What a blessing. Thank you Kathryn.

Anyway, back to the original subject. Yes, I'm going to show you the edited press release, and if any of you have read the first,(thank you)  you'll notice the tremendous difference here in the second.

Amazing what a good editor can do for you.

Sincerely yours,

Lynda


The Press Release

For immediate release

Two Thirds of Sexual Abuse Victims Receive No Assistance, Says Author

North Port, Fl (12/30/2010)  -- In the late ‘60s, the product a troubled youth and a dysfunctional family, Lynda Martin found herself on her own at the age of fifteen, two thousand miles from her home. She knows firsthand the dangers facing girls on the streets and the predators that prey on them. She was one of the lucky ones.

She survived.

So does the heroine of her upcoming book, This Bird Flew Away (scheduled for release January 27, 2011). 

Martin, author and veteran child protection worker, says official statistics for childhood sex abuse drastically understate the problem leaving an estimated two-thirds of all victims with no access to professional assistance or support. Healing from such trauma is difficult without counseling and guidance. “Too many past victims live in pain and anger, unable to put the past behind them.”

In the late nineties, Martin attended an international conference on child protection and learned professionals estimate less than thirty percent of child sex abuse is reported. World-wide, they suggested, seven out of ten girls and four out of ten boys are victims of childhood sexual assault. “That number has haunted me ever since. I wanted to find a way to reach out to the seventy percent of all women who are living with those memories.”

So she decided to write a fictional account of one girl’s twenty-year journey from neglect and abuse to success and happiness, a tale based on some of the many real-life stories she encountered in her thirty years of work with child abuse victims. Her goal was to craft a story that would appeal to women and mature girls, one in which the traditional process of healing is mapped out but embedded in an entertaining and exciting tale.

The result is her novel, This Bird Flew Away. 

This Bird Flew Away (ISBN 9781935605928) will be available January 27, 2011  from the publisher, Black Rose Writing http://www.blackrosewriting.com/, or at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and from the This Bird Flew Away website. Visit the website at http://www.ThisBirdFlewAway.com for more information.

The Penurious Promoter’s Guide to Book Publicity #1 -- How to write a press release

The Penurious Promoter’s Guide to Book Publicity #1 -- How to write a press release

By lmmartin

Penurious -- pen-u-ri-ous -- (adjective) stinginess, unwilling to part with money, miserly. Root: penury (noun) lack of money, poverty, want.

Welcome to Penurious Promotions and the first in a series of articles for the do-it-yourself book promoter with a...  "restricted" budget. Today, we’re looking at everything you need to know but haven’t yet asked about press releases.

Why? Because I need to write one, and I don’t know how, so guess what: we’re in this together. As I research and learn, so will my readers. What fun!

But before we get started, a few thoughts:

I should perhaps share another bit of advice with you, dear readers, before we go any further. Like many another solvency-challenged promoter, I’ve happily accepted the well-intended (I’m sure) and sincere-at-the-time offers of help from friends and colleagues. In return, I’ve received what I’ve paid for – nothing. When someone has made an offer of assistance, you can hardly nag or demand action. I mean, they volunteered… 

As is the story with my press releases. An offer of assistance came in September. This is late December, my book is scheduled for release in thirty days and I have no press releases.

So here’s the very first rule for the Penurious Book Promoter: If you can’t afford to hire someone to do it, learn how to do it yourself. Do not depend on friends, family or other volunteers. You'll be glad you did. Think of all those great learning experiences.

Now that’s out of the way, here we are, hand-in-hand and on our way to learn everything there is to know about press releases, and we’ll write one as we go.

Ready?

Why do we need to write press releases?

You’d think that formal press releases would be a thing of the past in this day and age, what with the internet reigning supreme for information seeking, gathering and dissemination.  But no, definitely not. In fact, the press release has grown up into the information age, and e-releases are written in the same way.  For all that we dream up hundreds of creative ways to get media attention, the truth is 99% of all such exposure begins with a well written press release.

Now, it is a well-accepted truth there is no such thing as bad publicity, but it is equally true there is much ineffective publicity. And we don’t want to be ineffective.

What makes a good press release?                       

In my many hours of research, one message came through loud and clear: a press release must be a news story, not an advertisement...

For the rest of the article, use the link in the title or

right here. Don't miss the fun. Come see what we end up with for a press release.

Sincerely yours,

Lynda

Book Reviews -- How different it is when it's your book under review!

I love to read reviews, whether for films, books or restaurants. I'm one of those who may base a choice on such information, although I'm the first to admit I don't always agree with the critics. There's this contrary side to me more likely to see a film the critics pan, or love a book they hated. 

Even when there's no question of a purchase, when the subject matter is something of no interest, the review is still one of my favorite forms of entertainment. 

But with the release date for This Bird Flew Away drawing ever closer, I awaited the first review of the work with more than a little trepidation. Suddenly, my words which at one time seemed so heart-felt, so true after months and months of laborious and sometimes painful work, not to mention the input from my wonderful editor, Kathryn Lynn Davis -- well, suddenly I was sure they were trite, dull, feeble and unworthy. 

Do you know that feeling? Isn't judgment an absolutely soul-destroying feeling?

Mr. Brian Knight of Premium Promotional Services was the first to provide a review. When I saw his name and the subject: Book Review in the in-box of my email, my heart started tripping along at two/four time, and a cold stone settled in the pit of my stomach. I could barely stand to click the thing open.

Every snide and sarcastic remark by a reviewer that had once elicited a superior giggle, a facetious nod of agreement or that sense of Schadenfreude we all enjoy so much, though  never admit, leaped into my mind. This time it was my book under the magnifying glass.  My book! Two years of my life.

I opened it, quickly scanned his words and sucked in a deep breath, feeling and sounding much like Sally Fields at the Oscars: "He liked it! He liked it!"

To those of you used to this, I'm sure I come across like some needy child hearing her first ever words of praise. Okay -- I am some needy child and these are my first ever public words of praise. This is my debut novel. Bear with me, and let me dance for joy. I promise; I'll grow up one day soon.

 Title: This Bird Flew Away

Author: Lynda M. Martin

ISBN: 9781935605928

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 406

Reviewed By: Brian Knight

Official Premium Promotional Services Rating:    *****          

What do you do when innocence dies?

Bria is a typical little girl by all outward appearances but inside lurks dark secrets and problems  only adults should have to face. She is smart but confused with the world around her. To top it off, she has no one to talk to about these problems. That is, until, Jack finds her in the basement of the family home during a funeral. Jack is Bria’s best friend and the one person she will talk to. Unbeknownst to them both, that friendship will be tested and strengthened, and eventually will save a life. 

Bria doesn’t have a real home. After years of being shuffled between Aunts and across the border, the only family she can count on is her Aunt Mary and Jack. She takes it upon herself to protect her younger sister but, as fate would have it, she is forced into a difficult decision in her efforts to find them both a safe home. Her impossible situation turns into a nightmare as she is soon abducted and trafficked. The unspeakable acts she endures and witnesses leave her a shell of the girl she once was.

After a daring escape, Bria now faces the most difficult obstacle of all – finding her place in society again. Along her harrowing path, she confronts her inner enemies and discovers new life when it seemed her life was over. Can she truly recover? Will she learn what love really is? Will she allow herself to be more than the ‘nobody, nobody wants’?

From the first word, Lynda Martin’s passion for crafting a gripping story combined with her career of helping missing and exploited children takes center stage. Instantly, you are immersed in Bria’s journey as she struggles to navigate a cruel world. With each passing page, it is virtually impossible not to care for Bria and the others like her in “This Bird Flew Away.” You will find yourself wanting to hug, talk and listen to Bria as the connection is made on multiple levels. 

“This Bird Flew Away” is a story of betrayal, abuse, hope, love and strength.

The emotions experienced as the story unfolds carry it from page to page. Sadness, anger, grief, hopelessness, joy, love, hope and peace are all present and combine to deliver a surreal experience; one that will haunt and demand that you ponder  the reality that the story depicts. This book is a must have for those seeking an emotionally charged story of survival.

Author Lynda Martin’s debut novel, is sure to take the world by storm. I see a bright future for this up and coming author.  

 

(He liked it! He liked it!)       

Sincerely yours,

Lynda

Santa Claus Inc -- an outsource story

Here is my Christmas Card to all my readers, friends, family -- everyone.

I hope you enjoy it.

Santa Claus Inc -- an outsource story

And for those who don't wish to click and link, here's my wishes for the all the best this holiday season, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate this day and peace, joy and love to those who follow other beliefs.

Yours sincerely,

Lynda