Librarians Can Be an Author's Friend ~ Win a Copy of One for the Road by Mary Ellis

Authors are often eager to learn which marketing and publicity ideas work for other writers and which do not. I, too, am curious about the very same thing. We blog and post interviews on various websites. We email newsletters to established fans and mail postcards to announce upcoming books. We Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Pinterest and wonder if it does any good. Speaking engagements at local libraries were something I tried after my first release of Amish fiction. I often spoke on taking steps to simplify life or ways my life changed after getting to know those God-fearing Christians. For the first time I felt connected to readers, up-close and personal. I listened to feedback and answered questions about upcoming books in a series. Wait a minute, you might be thinking. Authors want to interact with people who go out and buy books. I’m here to say libraries buy books too—plenty of them. Many readers who find your books in the stacks—or even on the twenty-five-cent clearance table—will buy in the future if they like your style. Readers need to watch their finances, just like everyone else. But I have made fans-for-life from those who originally found me at the library, then purchased my next book as a keeper. Plus librarians are some of the nicest people on earth. They love to read and love authors who spend time talking to readers. They will usually allow you to sell and sign books afterward. Over the years, I’ve discovered libraries aren’t just great places to read, research, and hide from the world. The librarians inside can become a writer’s best friend.

Mary Ellis is a former schoolteacher turned USA Today bestselling author who’s written twenty-six novels including Amish fiction, historical romance, and suspense. Her latest series is the Bourbon Tour Mysteries from Severn House. Book two, One Hundred Proof Murder released in August.

Here’s a bit about the story: Travel writer Jill Curtis is in Louisville, Kentucky, on the next stop of her bourbon tour assignment, and is keen to explore the major distilleries with her videographer, Michael Erickson – especially since her new beau, Lieutenant Nick Harris, lives in the city. But the night before Jill’s first tour at Parker’s Distillery, she is shocked to learn that the master distiller, William Scott, has died suddenly. The local coroner says he suffered a heart attack, but William's daughter, Alexis suspects foul play. Is there more to William’s death than meets the eye? Jill is soon drawn into a deadly blend of rivalry, jealously, and cold-blooded murder as she attempts to uncover the truth behind William's unexpected demise.

Ask for One Hundred Proof Murder at your local library and tell us what you love about your library. You will be entered in a drawing to win a print copy of One for the Road, book one of the series. You must leave your email address and U.S. readers only.