Books And Pals Review

Take Me, I'm Yours was reviewed at BigAl's Books and Pals. Here's a snippet of this wonderful 4-star review:

"Ms. Fasano has a talent for telling stories, and I swear she uses magic."

Wow! You can call me a happy writer! 

Back in the spring, I participated in an author interview at Books and Pals. Click here to read the interview. 

This is a great site to follow if you're a reader or an author. I highly recommend the site!

Fill The Shelves (dot) Org

A new school year has begun...and some libraries are in need of books. If you can help, please do! This brand new site hooks up schools in need with potential donors. I think it's a fabulous idea! Donors buy the books from Amazon, and the books are shipped directly to the schools. It's easy, and just think of all the children whose lives will be enriched. I'm going to donate, and I hope you do too!

Fill The Shelves 

 

Uploading Books to iTunes using iTunes Producer

My first experience of using iTunes Producer wasn't just awful, it was gawd-awful. I was scared half to death to begin with, and what should have been a simple and easy process turned into a nightmare. I'm sure my lack of techie-ness (is that a word?) had a lot to do with my problems. But I learned a lot by plowing through the process, and all the other books I uploaded to the iTunes iBook Store went very smoothly. Because I'm sure I'm not the only tech-novice out there, I thought I would post the steps I used in an attempt to turn your nightmare into a sweet dream.  

I am going to assume a few things here. Firstly, that you own a Mac computer (you need to use one in order to access iTunes Producer). Secondly, that you have applied to iTunes for an account via iTune Connect Online Application. Thirdly, that you have purchased an ISBN from Bowker (this company sells ISBNs to US-based publishers…if you are uploading and selling your books, you're considered a publisher). All of these things are necessary in order to upload and sell your iBooks in the iTunes Store. Oh, and once you open an account to iTunes Connect, you'll have to sign in and download iTunes Producer.

Also before you begin uploading, make sure you have everything you’ll need at hand. I store everything on the desktop, then I can drag it to where I need it: ePub file, Cover, Blurb, ISBN.

1. Open iTunes Producer

2.  Select ‘New Book’ - click ‘next’

3.  Info Page: Fill in all pertinent information, add blurb, don’t be afraid to leave some spaces blank. Double check that you've filled in all info, then click ‘next’.

4.  Categories Page: Click the ‘add categories’ button. BISAC will show up in the box...use that (there are a couple of other choices, but BISAC is what I used). Use the pull down arrow in the bottom box to choose the category. Click ‘add category’ again and repeat. Add whichever categories fit you book. Make sure your ‘primary category’ check mark is next to the primary category. I added 3 categories to each of my books. Click ‘next’.

5.  Author Page: this one is easy. :)  Click ‘add author’, choose ‘author’ in the ‘role’ box, type in your name. If your book has more than one author or an illustrator or an editor who needs recognition, add them on this page. Click 'next'.

6.  Target Audience Page: Click ‘add criteria’. For most fiction authors: use the pull down arrow in the first box and choose ‘Apple’, use the pull down arrow in the next box and choose ‘General’. If you're uploading a text book or some other type of book, choose the appropriate target audience from the available choices. Click 'next'.

7.  Related Products Page: Use this page only if you have ‘related products’ (example: paperback copy version of the same book).

8.  Rights and Pricing Page: This section will take a little doing, but you only have to do it once. I had 2 computers going to do this...my Mac (working on iTunes Producer) and my Dell (working with a money conversion site). I'm sure you could do this with just your Mac…just have iTunes Producer open and a money conversion site on the web using your browser. In iTunes Producer, click ‘add territory’ and then choose a country. Then move down to Publication Type and use the pull down menu to choose 'New Release'. Move down to 'Sales Start Date' and type in the current date. I skipped the next box. In the 'Physical List Price' box, add the price (this is where you’ll need to convert the chosen country’s money to USD using a conversion website). Check ‘cleared for sale’...check the DRM free box if you want to offer your books DRM free. When you finish one country, click ‘add territory’ again and start all over...do this for all 32 available countries. When you’re finished, click ‘make default’ and you won’t have to do this again. Click ‘next’.

9.  Books Page: This is where you drag your ePub file into the box marked ‘Publication’. The first time I uploaded, I thought I needed to have preview, so I made an ePub file of the first chapter of the book and dragged it into the box marked ‘Publication Preview’, but I left this box blank with the remaining books. Click ‘cover art’.

10.  Cover Art Page: Drag your cover into the box. Easy! Click ‘screenshots’.

11.   Screenshots Page: I ignored the Screenshots page. I think this is where you can allow potential readers the chance to actually see some of the images inside your book. Click 'next'.

12.   Now you’re on the Delivery Page. If you are missing any information, you’ll see red x’s and messages regarding what you've missed. Read over the error messages and go back to add/fix the errors. If you see no red x’s, your book should automatically begin to upload to the iTunes iBook Store. You will hear a wonderful trilling sound and a big green check when your book has successfully uploaded. And it will be available for sale almost instantly.

Congratulations! You’ve published your first book to the iTunes Store!

Kayaking In Ocean City

Today I kayaked from point A to the small islands in the bay marked 1, 2, and 3. The weather was absolutely perfect!

Thank Goodness It's...

Here's wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Joan Reeves AKA SlingWords Features...Me!

The lovely Joan Reeves is featuring Take Me, I'm Yours on

 her popular blog, SlingWords.

Please pop over there and read how I came up with the idea for the book!

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

This soup is tasty, nutritious, and filling! I make it all throughout the fall and winter. The thyme and sage fill the house with a delicious, mouth-watering aroma. Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

1 lb. stew meat

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, sliced thin

32 oz container of beef broth

3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch squares

1 16 oz bag frozen stew vegetables (see note below)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh tomatoes, diced)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cube Knorr Vegetable Bouillon

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

water to cover all ingredients

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and brown the stew meat on all sides, about 5 minutes stirring often. (As you can see, I swapped out leftover steak for the stew meat.) Remove meat from pot and reserve. Do not clean the brown bits from the bottom of the pot…that's flavor in there! Add the chopped onions and celery to the oil and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Pour the beef broth into the pot and bring to a simmer. Scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pot. Yum! Add the meat back into the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 45 minutes or until the meat is very tender. You may need to add water, if the stock evaporates. Add the potatoes and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Then add all the other ingredients: the frozen vegetables, the diced tomatoes, bouillon cube, garlic, bay leaves, and spices. Cover ingredients with just enough water that the vegetables are submerged. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, adjust spices, and serve with hot biscuits or crusty bread.

Note: If you can't find stew vegetables in your grocer's frozen food section, use mixed vegetables. Or you can use 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, 1 cup frozen green beans.