Patricia Stoltey

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Colorado Author — Beth Groundwater

June 1, 2009 By: Patricia


I’ll put the full disclosure information right up front. I know Beth Groundwater very well and consider her a good friend. In 2007, we were two of the mystery authors on the Mystery Through the Ages panels (with Mike Befeler, Linda Berry, and Robert Spiller), and also enjoyed presentations and signings with thriller author Bonnie Ramthun and Five Star historical romance authors Joanne Sundell, Janet Lane, and Leslee Breene. You’ll hear more about these and other Colorado authors over the next few months.

The launch party for Beth’s second Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery, To Hell in a Handbasket, was held yesterday in Colorado Springs. Although the first book was set in Colorado Springs, book two takes place in Breckenridge, Colorado, when Claire and her family head to the mountains for a ski vacation. But all goes to hell in a handbasket when her daughter’s boyfriend’s sister is killed on the slope.

I’ll buy my signed copy next weekend when Beth passes through Northern Colorado, but I can already tell you the first book in the series, A Real Basket Case, was an entertaining mystery with excellent plot twists. The second promises to be the same. Kirkus Reviews (April 1, 2009) said, “Groundwater’s second leaves the bunny slope behind, offering some genuine black-diamond thrills.”

Beth has been a powerhouse in networking and marketing, pursuing creative and energetic ways to promote her books. I asked Beth for a few comments regarding her efforts, and this is what she said:

“First, promotion takes a lot of time & planning! I set aside April – June to work full-time on promoting TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET, and I’m working at least 40 hours a week doing just that, with no time for writing fiction. I wrote all the blog articles for my tour (& a New Books essay for the June Mystery Scene) in April (if I hadn’t, I would have lost my mind in May!) & booked most of my June northwest tour dates in April. This month (May) is the blog tour, contacting media along my tour route & sending out ARCs, and booking Colorado signings in June & July. Next month (June) I’m on the road. Then I’m taking a breather in July & August.

And you never know what magic will happen down the road from your promotion efforts. I’ve gotten radio interviews from Facebook connections, blog site visit requests from Goodreads friends, book club invitations from library visits, you name it. It all feeds on itself.”

I caught a few of the blogs along the way as Beth did her virtual tour. My favorite was on The Lady Killers blog on May 4th: a reporter, Ina Bigjam, interviewed Beth’s protagonist, Claire, about the death of the young woman on the slopes. To find links to the rest of the blog tour, visit Beth’s website.

And for some great photos of Beth’s most recent activities, including pictures from Mayhem in the Midlands, a mystery convention held in Omaha in May, take a look at Beth’s blog. Here’s hoping she brings back another back of photos from her upcoming real life tour.

More from my site

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  • Colorado Author — Will Hobbs
  • Baby, It’s Cold Outside…Baby, It’s Cold Outside…
  • The Box of ARCS for Dead Wrong (a little BSP) and some other info tooThe Box of ARCS for Dead Wrong (a little BSP) and some other info too

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Comments

  1. N A Sharpe says

    June 2, 2009 at 3:13 am

    Wow – there is so much preparation involved in a blog tour, not to mention all the other leg work for ongoing marketing. Exhausting! I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Beth’s new book and I definitely want to check it out. Best of luck to her with this latest release.

    Nancy, from Just a Thought…

  2. Beth Groundwater says

    June 1, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    Thanks for blogging about me, my networking, and my new release, Pat. I posted a note about your blog on my blog (talk about circular references!). I’m looking forward to seeing you on Saturday.
    – Beth

  3. K. A. Laity says

    June 1, 2009 at 9:52 am

    Sounds like fun! This kind of friendly networking is the best.

  4. Helen Ginger says

    June 1, 2009 at 7:22 am

    You really have to admire Beth for all that’s she’s doing. It’s a lot of work. Work that most of us don’t see – and intimidates us when we do!

    Ditto what Elizabeth said — Congrats on your success. You deserve it, Beth.

    Helen
    Straight From Hel

  5. Karen Walker says

    June 1, 2009 at 7:21 am

    Thanks for sharing this information, and congratulations to Beth.
    Karen
    http://www.karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com

  6. Elizabeth Spann Craig says

    June 1, 2009 at 7:03 am

    Wow, what an incredible amount of work a blog tour is! But it certainly sounds like it’s working out well for Beth. Congratulations on your success!

    Elizabeth
    Mystery Writing is Murder

Meet Patricia

I read, I write, I blog, and sometimes I do the laundry and cook. My 2014 novel, Dead Wrong, was a finalist in the thriller category of the 2015 Colorado Book Awards. Wishing Caswell Dead (Five Star/Cengage, December 20, 2017) is a historical mystery set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. The novel was a finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards for General Fiction. My most recent release, In Defense of Delia (Five Star/Cengage, November 2022), is available in hardcover and will soon be available in ebook and trade paperback. Read More…

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