Author Memories Guidelines

Purpose: Author Memories is targeted to Readers of  Fiction
 

Author Memories is not your usual blog because
 it's not about you or your book*,
but to give readers a glimpse into your past,
as well as a different view of you. 
Your post here should be looked at as a
complement to all those other blogposts about you and your book.
(*Exceptions are given if something in your history contributed to you
becoming a writer, writing a certain novel, or in a certain genre.)


Author Memories in this case is not a literal translation
and by that I mean it's not an actual memory.
It's a broad term to describe your background.

Your post should be:
- something, someone, someplace in your past

- show and tell us how it used to be:
- What your parents and forefathers saw and did
- where they travelled and why
- what they read and if you have their book(s)
- where they came from  (help for this is farther down)
- who they loved ,whether it was a person or an animal
Your post should NOT be:
- generalizations or opinions
- politics, preaching, religious differences, or activism/causes
- a testimonial
- negativity or memories that place others in a negative light
- a fabrication
I do not promote:
- non-fiction, erotica, horror, or any work that makes me uncomfortable (although I may list mainstream books in my Winner's Choice Giveaways if I rec'd them at a conference or from another author.)

- self-published, regardless of the reason (I use the ACFW  Recognized Publishers list)
Mainstream authors will be considered depending on author and content.

If you'd like to post on Author Memories, the following requirements are what I need to sucessfully promote you, and hints to help you with your post.
Authors should acknowledge their guests at least twice during their featured week.

Length: 500-1000 words (very flexible)

Title: Something interesting to draw the readers to your post

Topic: Something about your history… possibilities are:
- a legend about someone in your family or house
- an article handed down through the generations
- a toy or article from your childhood
- it must be true 
- Do not include any information about your book in your post. If your book came about from an event in your past, keep that separate and we'll work it in below your post, not as part of it. (Exceptions as noted above.)


Photos:
- photo(s) to support your story or a similar photo to give an idea
- your photo
- your book cover

Bio: a short bio geared toward READERS (photo and bio appear side-by-side so if you have a horizontal photo, I’ll want to crop it.)

Book Info:
- Trailer – YouTube URL
- Excerpt – link  
- info on other books in series ie Titles, release dates (not book covers)

Online Presence:
- website
- personal or group blogs
- yahoo groups, etc
- anywhere the reader can find and/or interact with you

TimeFrame:
- ASAP send your topic and giveaway (if you’re doing a giveaway) so I can promo on the blog’s sidebar.
- 1 week prior to start date – everything else (post, photos, trailers, etc)

Giveaway: 
- Your featured release will bring in more comments/readers.
- In lieu of a book, a giveaway may be for a Gift Card (Amazon, B&N, etc) or a promo item (mug, tote bag), or other new item.
- Unless you say otherwise, I’ll make a list of all valid comment entrants and use www.random.org to pick the winner on the day after your end date. I’ll post the winner’s name in a comment on your post and then I’ll send you the name and email address of the winner.

Hints for Ideas and Research

If you need an idea for your post, make a list of things your grandparents  talk(ed) about and then do some research. After all, we're all writers and researching your family history is fodder for your own future stories if not for this blog.

Another suggestion is to look through old photo albums and ask questions about anyone you don't know.  Sometimes, just talking about someone will spark memories and mementos will be
brought out to prove certain facts. That's what we're looking for.

Exceptions will be made to those authors who don’t know - or don’t wish to - reveal their past history.

Once you have a name, genealogy sites like ancestry.com* are wonderful venues to find out your family history. A simple search can lead to information about an ancestor's trade, number of
children who died, ship's passenger lists, and even photos of the ship they were on when they crossed the Atlantic, etc. *If  you aren't a member and need more information, let me know. 

Sometimes, just posting a photo of an object and giving the circumstances around it is enough to invite discussion even if you have no idea what the object is or its purpose. The same goes for out-of-the ordinary photos.

Interested?

If you would like to be featured on this
Author Memories blog,
please email me through
the Contact page.

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