Category: Book Promotion

An Emotional Trigger: Do You Have Any Idea!
Book Promotion · My Thoughts · Spirituality

An Emotional Trigger: Do You Have Any Idea!

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
Emotional redhead - emotional trigger

As an incest/rape survivor, the results of this last election have devastated me. After the unforgettable loss in 2016, this tragic loss has triggered me again emotionally with profound consequences.

NOTICE:

If you’re a Trump supporter, you probably don’t want to read any further and you may want to unsubscribe from my blog posts. The world has changed!

An Emotional Trigger Definition

“. . . a trigger is an instance when you become physically and/or emotionally reactive to something that relates to the trauma you have experienced. These symptoms and feelings are part of your brain’s natural response to unsafe experiences from the past.”

Common Symptoms: Triggers

2016 – An Emotional Trigger Big Time!

In 2016 thinking Hillary Clinton would win, I sat in shock when her defeat was announced. I sat up until after 2:00 AM before she conceded. Lin went to bed earlier but came down stairs and asked who won, honestly thinking she had won.

When I announced who won, it shocked him even though he supported the other candidate. He said I looked like someone had beat me up. And that’s how I felt.

Why did I respond so deeply? He’s a perpetrator, plain and simple. On October 7, 2016, just a month before the election, this was revealed:

“In a video from 2005 published by The Washington Post on Friday, Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump can be heard making lewd comments about women to then-Access Hollywood host Billy Bush.”

https://www.etonline.com/news/199902_donald_trump_and_billy_bush_discuss_nancy_o_dell_2005_recording

He became an emotional trigger for me with this disclosure, but I really felt this horrible information would crater his chance of being elected. It didn’t. My reaction continued through his four year presidency.

2020 – I Wasn’t Prepared for the Emotional Trigger

Thankfully, Joe Biden defeated him! I sighed with relief, but then sat glued to the TV screen on January 6, 2021 when he led a violate insurrection of our capitol. Again, I dealt with an emotional trigger with him and had to listen to him whine about his lost election which he never accepted. He just kept emotions stirred up for years!

2024 – A Deep Emotional Trigger

So, here we are! For many years of my life, I wondered what was wrong with me. I made three bad choices of husbands. During my active drinking days, I never understood my promiscuous behavior because I wasn’t raised that way.

In 1988, recovery saved my life. Since then, I have done a massive amount of therapy and recover for the incest and rape I experienced at the hand of two family members as a young girl. In 1993, I went to sexual trauma treatment in Los Lunas, New Mexico. I had focused on one perpetrator when I went into CoDA (Codependence Anonymous) treatment in 1988. In Los Lunas, I focused on the second one. Now I understand my behavior and know my limits and emotional triggers.

So, the Republican candidates for president and vice president emotionally trigger me deeply with their misogynist comments and posturing. Couple that with the horrendous attacks on women’s rights, and it’s too much.

Therefore, that’s why I can’t stay here!

I’ll end with a haiku I wrote this last week. The first two lines came from my sand play therapy many years.

I’m Marilyn Monroe.

I’m a Samurai warrior.

Don’t f**k with me now!

Finally,

I had to be vulnerable today because one of my great-nieces shared deeply her concerns on social media last week, and I told her I was sharing my story in my blog post. My power today as a woman is my story and telling it. One of my perpetrators tried to silence me many years ago—no more!

If you relate to my story at all, let me know. If you need help, get in touch with the resources listed below or email me at larada@icloud.com and we can talk.

RESOURCES FOR SEXUAL TRAUMA

EXCITING NEWS:

I’m so excited and relieved. I wanted to release this book in August but the dog attack delayed it! Just this week, I released my ninth book, Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry.  It’s available as a paperback or an e-book on Amazon.

LOTS AND LOTS OF SALES COMING YOUR WAY, SO BE SURE AND OPEN ANY EMAILS FROM ME!

A Lead Magnet—What’s That? And Why Is It Important?
Book Promotion · My Thoughts · poetry · Writing

A Lead Magnet—What’s That? And Why Is It Important?

Larada Horner-MillerLeave a comment
Marketing strategies - lead magnet

A lead magnet in the book marketing industry plays a key role, but what is it? And why is it important? I’m creating one for my four-book poetry series.

Lead Magnet Explained

“For authors marketing their books, giveaways (which we shall refer to as ‘lead magnets,’ for reasons that will become clear) work on multiple levels. They will:

  • Make readers more aware of your work and your ‘brand’;
  • Operate on the psychological principle of reciprocity — people innately wish to “pay you back” when you give them something for free; and
  • Give you access to their contact details.”

https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/how-to-create-an-irresistible-lead-magnet-to-market-your-book

Lead Magnet for My New Poetry Series

As I have listened to my book coach, Derek Doepker, and book coaching group, I realized I needed a lead magnet for my new poetry series. In the book industry, the lead magnet is usually is an e-book.

At first, I was going to make Book #1 of this series (the one I’m about ready to release) the lead magnet and have it FREE to entice poetry readers to join my email list. But another poet in our book coaching group gave me an idea—she created a chapbook as her lead magnet.

So what’s a Chapbook?

A chapbook is “a small book containing ballads, poems, tales, or tracts.”

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chapbook

A chapbook’s size varies, but usually isn’t more than forty pages.

“From where would this chapbook come?” I wondered one day as this idea took root and sprouted. I have enough poetry I’ve written and more for the three other books in this series. Could I grab some from those three books not finalized yet? I needed a theme—something to organize this chapbook around!

Then it hit me! As an English teacher, I taught a poetry unit each year and wanted to grow as writer/teacher. So in 2002 & 2003, I attended poetry classes put on by Continuing Education, affiliated with University of New Mexico. These classes stretched me as a teacher/writer and ultimately as a poet later.

What a great theme! The teacher becomes the student! So, I sat in those six weeks classes and at time wondered—what was I doing! I had never been a poet who wrote rhyming poetry or formatted poetry. These classes focused on formats and forms. I had embraced Free Verse as my poetry of choice for writing. In this class, I felt challenged, stretched and wondered about my creations. The teacher encouraged me; my fellow students did, too, so it was an affirming experience. That’s why I wanted to feature them in this chapbook.

Help Me Select My Chapbook Title

Because you support my writing, I want you to have a part of the selection process for the title to my chapbook. Remember, it’s a short chapbook featuring poetry I wrote for two poetry classes I took.

Here’s the title possibilities:

  1. Two Poetry Classes, One Lesson: A Teacher’s Poetic Enlightenment
  2. Two Poetry Classes, One Insight: A Teacher’s Journey to Poetic Enlightenment
  3. Chalk Dust and Stanzas: Lessons from Both Sides of the Desk
  4. Chalk Dust and Stanzas: Lesson from the Other Side of the Desk

Help me decide! I like all of these choices. Make a comment in the Comments section and identify which title you like the best by the number.

Finally,

this chapbook will be the lead magnet for my four-book poetry series and will be permanently FREE on Amazon as an e-book. I will let you know when it’s available—probably next week or so!

Historical Fiction & Family Saga Book Giveaway!

This giveaway expires October 9, so jump on it today!

https://booksweeps.com/giveaway/historical-fiction-family-sagas-giveaway

Podcasts & My Interviews

Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

This Tumbleweed Landed audiobook cover

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Let Me Tell You a Story audiobook cover

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir audiobook cover

SWAG Strategies for Book Promotions
Book Promotion · Books · Marshall Flippo · My Thoughts

SWAG Strategies for Book Promotions

Larada Horner-Miller1 Comment
Money & books

I’m sure you’ve heard the term SWAG and loosely know what it means—cool stuff given away for free to promote something. People love free stuff, and it’s a great way to advertise your books and reward your current readers or future readers. So, SWAG works well with book promotions, but it must relate to your book somehow: the cover, characters in the book or the setting.

Here’s where the term SWAG originated:

The freebie swag, sometimes also spelled schwag, dates back to the 1960s and was used to describe promotional items. 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-does-swag-mean

When I first started my book business in 2014, I started with bookmarks for SWAG.

Bookmarks

A key SWAG item for authors is a bookmark, so I have created bookmarks for each book and given them away for free anywhere I can. I also include all of my bookmarks in any book order. I order them from overnightprints.com and have been happy with everyone. Most are two-sided which you pay extra for, but the newest one is only one-sided.

In 2020, I released the biography of the most famous square dance caller in the world, Marshall Flippo. I created a book pre-order system and had a monthly drawing for SWAG—items I purchased with his picture on them. Now that sounds expensive, but it wasn’t.

Inexpensive SWAG Sources:

I used two online photo companies:

I have bought from each of these fantastic companies regularly for several years, so the SWAG for Flippo’s book promotions cost me nothing but the shipping. Weekly I get advertisement from them, and often they offered several items for free—my cost, the shipping. So, I waited until one company offered the suitable items for free and ordered them. I stockpiled several for the Zoom Launch Party and gave them as door prizes.

Look at a sampling of some I bought:

SWAG Samples
Samples

I also made book bags, spiral notebooks, and coffee mugs. The most popular were the deck of cards and the coasters. In reality, the choices are limitless. If you do not receive emails from these companies, sign up for one or the other (or both if you create photo gifts). You’ll probably need to buy something to receive the emails with the free promotions.

Ultimately, the recipient of the SWAG connects it to your book and might encourage a sale or two. That’s its main purpose: advertisement for your book.

What do you do for SWAG? Share your ideas in the Comment section below.

Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com