Thinking Outside the Box

Sometimes, life throws unexpected things at you. Maybe your car breaks down on the way to work. Or maybe your state goes into lock down in response to a pandemic. Whatever the cause, your carefully laid plans are no longer usable. What are you going to do?

It’s time to think outside the box. Every author anxiously awaits Release Day. For months, they’ve poured everything they’ve got into creating a book. Now, it’s time for the world to read it. What better way to get the word out than to throw a party? Book signings and launch parties are a tangible way to connect with readers.

I had amazing parties for my first and second books. There were decorations, food, and prizes to enjoy while I spoke with each person and signed books. It was a lot of prep work, but it was a lot of fun too.

Book three, Relentless Love, releases on June 2nd. My office is full of decorations for the party. The perfect spot was reserved months ago. The plan for food and prizes is detailed on my whiteboard. I even designed the postcard invitations people seem to appreciate in addition to online invites. Everything was falling into place perfectly, until Covid-19 came on the scene and ruined everything.

I’ve waited patiently to find out if there was a possibility of continuing with my party plans. I’ve reached the point in the process that waiting is no longer an option. I had to figure out plan B. There had to be a plan B. And I had to resort to out of the box thinking to come up with it.

Since we can’t meet in person, I needed a new type of venue. Enter Facebook Live. I already have an event page set up. I’ll announce the changes on there and post party related things up until the week before Release Day. I’ll encourage people to invite their friends. The more interaction the better.

Beginning on May 26th, I’ll post a daily fun challenge. Attendees will complete the challenge for a chance to win the daily prize. The day Relentless Love releases, there will be a three part challenge. Completing that challenge and at least four daily challenges will earn entries into the grand prize drawing. Attendees will have three days to earn their entries. On June 6th, the virtual release party will happen on Facebook Live. I’ll do a reading, Q & A, and announce all the prize winners.

The Relentless Love Book Launch Party may not look anything like my original plans, but I’m okay with that. I don’t know what kind of response this virtual party will receive. I’m okay with that too. What I do know is that even though we authors literally write the story, sometimes the results are out of our control. The unexpected can push us to think outside the box, and doing so will make us better writers in the end.

I hope you’ll join me on the Relentless Love Book Launch Party event page on Facebook. Take part in the challenges and maybe even win some prizes. You can find my author page by searching @AuthorHeatherGreer . Like or follow my page and then join the event. I look forward to celebrating with you!