Welcome to the new home of Author & Professional Speaker, L. Diane Wolfe (AKA "Spunk on a Stick") and The Circle of Friends!

The Circle of Friends series follows a group of young adults as they face different challenges and learn to overcome. The emotionally gripping stories focus on love, friendships and the pursuit of dreams. Aimed at adults/young adults, these books defy the growing trend of salacious titles, especially for teenagers. Positive and uplifting, this series will leave readers determined to overcome their obstacles and achieve their goals.

This blog is now the home of the original The Circle of Friends website.


Monday, December 19, 2011

Industry News About EBooks and Christmas Giveaway Winners

CBS News posted an article - Will Publishers Kill Amazon’s Golden Goose?

Big publishers are starting to push the price of their ebooks up again. Since ereaders such as the Kindle require an investment to begin with, this could hurt sale. Who will get hurt more - publishers, Amazon, or both?

The New York Times featured an article - Pulp Fiction: The Kindle Debate

It’s in response to an earlier article concerning the dissatisfaction of Kindle Fire owners. It does end with a note that Amazon does have the advantage, even though the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet is better and the Apple Ipad years ahead of either device.

Anyone care to share your thoughts?

And the winners of the Christmas Giveaway-

One print copy-  
A Southpaw’s POV - Holly
Cruising Altitude - DL
Ciara Knight

One ebook copy -
Sia McKye
Visiting Reality - Linda
Nancy Williams

Congrats, everyone! Send me an email and let me know what book you want.(The Circle of Friends Books I-V or Overcoming Obstacles.)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Christmas Giveaway Special!


As a thank you to all of my blogger friends and faithful fans, I have a special giveaway for you.

There are two parts to the giveaway:

1 - Comment to win a free book -
Must be a follower & comment - 2 points
Tweet this giveaway #SpunkyChristmas - 5 points
Post giveaway with button in sidebar of blog - 5 points
Post giveaway on Facebook - 5 points
Blog post about giveaway - 10 points

Three physical books and three ebooks will be given out to six random winners - the more points, the more times you are entered! Book is winner’s choice.

Contest runs until December 16, 2011 - winners announced on December 19, 2011

2 - Purchase a book to receive free book -

Buy any book from the list below and receive free books!

Purchase a print copy and receive ONE free, autographed copy of your choice.
Purchase an ebook copy and receive TWO free ebooks of your choice.

Books must be purchased between December 1 -16, 2011. Send copy of receipt from any retailer to wolferock@earthlink.net and let me know which book(s) you want. Don’t forget a snail mail address for print books!

Qualifying books:

Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! The Keys to Leadership & Goal-Setting
Non-fiction - self-help/inspiration
Print ISBN 978-0-9816210-2-9  $13.95
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-2-1  $1.99

The Circle of Friends series -Fiction - YA:
Book I…Lori
Print ISBN 978-0-9816210-0-5  $20.95
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9816210-8-1  $1.99

Book II…Sarah
ISBN 978-0-9816210-1-2  $20.95
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9816210-9-8  $2.99

Book III…James
Print ISBN 978-0-9816210-3-6  $19.95
Ebook ISBN 978-09827139-0-7  $2.99

Book IV…Mike
Print ISBN 978-0-9816210-4-3  $19.95
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-1-4  $2.99

Book V…Heather
Print ISBN 978-0-9816210-5-0  $19.95
Ebook ISBN978-0-9816210-7-4  $2.99

Books available retail and online and in all ebook formats.
For a full description to all books, click the tab above marked ‘Books’ or visit Spunk on a Stick’s Tips.


You have until December 16 - now go!

And Merry Christmas! (Doesn't Spunky look festive and happy?)


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Holidays Coming & Special Feature

The latest newsletter went out last week and below are some of the highlights. My newsletter goes out four times a year and the most recent is archived here. Thanks and enjoy!

* NEWS & UPDATES * 

Greeting friends & fans!

The holidays are now only two months away!

The joy of reading is the greatest gift you can ever give.

When selecting Christmas presents this year, be sure books are among your purchases.

Print books are still available in bookstores and online. If you are a fan of the physical book, your purchase sends a message that you don’t want to see this form of media vanish.

Many people now own eReaders. A gift card from iTunes, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble would make a eReader owner very happy! EBooks tend to be 50-75% cheaper than their print counterparts, so that’s twice the reading.

And like any good author, my books are available in all formats!

Enjoy your holidays. Thanks again for all your support and remember to dream BIG!

L. Diane Wolfe
“Spunk On A Stick”
The Circle of Friends
Spunk on a Stick


* SPECIAL FEATURE *

Double feature for you today!

Two of my fellow Dancing Lemur Press LLC authors have books coming out in the next few months.



Charlette Denise Sutton
was one of the co-authors for my Overcoming Obstacles with SPUNK! book. She’s a talented writer, poet, and songwriter. Her book, Seizing Opportunities to Propel You Forward, debuts in eBook form on November 5, 2011. You can visit Denise’s site at My Words and Me
 





Alex J. Cavanaugh’s next book, CassaFire, comes out February 28, 2012. A truly incredible book trailer is now available at You Tube and featured below. You can visit Alex at his BLOG.


Both are amazing authors and I hope you have the opportunity to check out their books!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The End of the First Draft


This week I finally finished the first draft of my next book. A month behind schedule, but it is done!

This weekend I begin the task of entering it into the computer and doing the first round of edits. (I hand-write all of my work.) Usually I start this process after writing a few chapters, but this time I didn’t. So, I am in new territory.

Since this is a non-fiction how-to book, I have a lot of references to include. Most I already have saved in several files, but some will require me to jump online or check book listings to complete. So the first round edit will be very time consuming.

I’d hoped to be further along in the process, but I’ve been pulled in many directions this year. Here’s a short list of what else I do besides write:

Speaking engagements - which includes sending out flyers, making calls, developing new seminars, research, announcements, and lots of travel.

Social networking and website maintenance.

Book ‘Em NC committee member duties - author school visits and school writing contest.

Publishing consultation and ebook formatting.

Run and maintain another business that requires travel.

Obligations to three different clubs and organizations.

Obligations to church and our local photo club.

Family obligations which include husband (very important), two needy cats, and phone calls and trips to Oregon for my mother, who is in assisted living now.

(They say diversity is good - you shouldn’t rely on just one income source - but some days I wonder.)

I think once this next book is done, I need a vacation!


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Some outstanding opportunities for writers and authors:

Book Blog Tours is an online class, run by Dani Greer. I took the class 2 and 1/2 years ago, and it really taught me a lot about blogging, Twitter, and preparing for a book tour. If you have a book release coming soon or want to hone your blogging skills, she is hosting a new class next month. Visit Book Blog Tours for details.


The Muse Online Writers Conference is this October 3-9. The largest and longest running online conference of its kind, it features week-long forum discussions, chat room discussions, and pitch sessions with publishers. Run by award-winning author and editor, Lea Schizas, this conference features many authors, editors, and publishers sharing their advice on how to succeed as a writer and author. Sign up today at The Muse Online Writers Conference


Book ‘Em NC is February 25, 2012. The Book ‘Em Foundation’s slogan is “Buy a Book - Stop a Crook” and the proceeds go to fight illiteracy. Of all the book festivals I’ve attended over the years, Book ‘Em is by far my favorite, and I’m thrilled one will finally be held in my home state. Over sixty authors are scheduled to appear so far, including headliners and NY Times bestsellers Carla Neggers and Michael Palmer. Registration is open until October. Visit the Book ‘Em NC website for details. If you’re a reader and live in either NC or SC, put the date on your calendar, because there are talks and panel discussions all day. You can also follow the Book Em NC Blog for more tips on preparing for the conference. Author p.m.terrell has done SO much work to promote this event and it’s gonna be huge!


Friday, July 22, 2011

When Speaking is a Joy

I had just one seminar this month, and it was a total joy!

Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC is always a great place to visit. Returning to do Part II of my Publishing & Promoting seminar to a room full of eager writers was wonderful. There were a few new faces and many returning from the first seminar last month. Makes me feel good to know I didn't scare everyone away!

This session was a total joy because...

At least four of the attendees drove down from Jacksonville to see me and plan to attend my seminars in Jacksonville this fall. That really touched me.

Most of the attendees were familiar with the Internet - blogs, social sites, etc. That is so refreshing! Often half the group isn't even online. (I know - the horror!)


The group was so responsive and eager. I fed off their energy.


So many came up and talked to me during the breaks. Sometimes people are afraid to do that. I'm only 5'3" - I doubt I intimidate anyone!


This seminar is my favorite!

I always enjoy speaking to others, but some days, it's total bliss!

Do you have moments of joy like this doing what you do?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Extra Time to Write

I was supposed to teach a seminar on goal-setting today, but it was cancelled. Summer speaking engagements are hit & miss. People are on vacation and traveling. In my neck of the woods, no one wants to go out in the heat. I know I don't! Next week's seminar will make up for it, because every summer I go down to Wilmington, there are more and more people attending.

What this WILL give me is more time to write! Sorry, it's not another book in The Circle of Friends series, but a non-fiction book about publishing & promoting. (It ties in with two of my seminars.) I've been writing at a pace of two chapters a day, but today I'm aiming for four!

Where are you at in your writing?

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Book Industry is Shifting...

Noticed something interesting this week!

In going over the details of my royalties, I noticed a change.

EBook sales had almost tripled.

Library sales of print books had increased.

Retail sales of print books had dropped.

EBook sales are on the rise - that's a given. But this also says something about our economy. More people are choosing EBooks (when they are cheaper) or going to their library (free books) rather than buy print books. Or maybe with fewer stores, they have no choice.

Curious if any of my readers or followers are seeing such a trend, too?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Flexibility!

Flexibility really pays off sometimes!

Due to miscommunication, I just found out I have a seminar scheduled for next Thursday. Surprise! The director apologized - he thought he'd confirmed it with me. I usually send out announcements a month in advance and promote my seminars, but there's no time to do that now.

No big deal. I still had that day open. It's all good. I haven't had a set schedule for my life for years, so nothing to disrupt. Makes life interesting that way.

Would something like this cause any of you to panic?

And for those of you participating in the A-Z Challenge, I am posting promo tips the month of April on my blog, Spunk on a Stick’s Tips.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

End of the Bookstore - and Author Signings?

Everyone has heard of Borders filing for bankruptcy and closing stores. (For a full listing of stores closing, go HERE ) And that Barnes and Noble is on the market for sale.

But bookstores have been on the decline for several years now. In less than ten years, Waldenbooks went from 700 to barely 100 stores. B. Dalton is gone now. Over half of the independent stores have closed. And it's not just eBooks killing the stores, it's the availability and price of physical books online. It's also the economy.

I don't believe all of the stores will vanish. Those that specialize or diversify will survive, such as an independent store that also offers gifts and coffee. Powell's, which specializes in used books, will survive.

But I also see the days of author appearances and signings dwindling. Fewer bookstores means fewer opportunities. (Although there's always libraries and book festivals.) My favorite was always Waldenbooks, as they usually boasted awesome, book-loving employees and busy stores. But those will soon be gone.

And in seven years of doing signings, I've watched a decline in interest. When I began, there were less than 200,00 books published that year. 2010 saw a million books published. Authors are plentiful and meeting one is no longer a rare occurance. It's lost its appeal.

Where do you see the bookstores and author appearances headed?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Birthday Post

Yes, it’s my birthday today. I missed being a Valentine’s baby by 26 & 1/2 hours. I’d tell you what year I’m celebrating, but you wouldn’t believe me. Let’s just say I remember men walking on the moon for the very first time…

It’s a really busy week, too. Three speaking engagements, five clients, Valentine’s Day, and my birthday right in the middle. Guess every birthday can’t fall on a Saturday, right?

My mother’s birthday is in a couple weeks and I decided to make her a picture book with old photos. Since there’s nothing quite like embarrassing myself on my own birthday, thought I’d share a few of the photos I scanned. Hold all laughter and chortling until the end…

This is my father and I at the Oregon Coast. We're bundled, so probably summer. LOL

My mom and I at Yellowstone National Park.

I went to see the Mercury Cougar, and while you couldn't touch the big cat, I got to pet her cub.

Graduation day with my buddies Violet and Marlene!

Halloween with my best friend, Dale. No idea what I was supposed to be...

Okay now you may giggle and snort!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentine's Day

I'm a sucker for this day. The love, the romance... There's several Valentine's Day scenes in my series, too, since they all revolve around a love story.

The gifts of chocolate and cards and stuffed critters are nice, but why not give your loved one a book instead? Doesn't have to be a romantic book. I'm sure your man would appreciate something less mushy! Reading is greatest gift - show your love with a book.

And for those who are a part of The Crusade, my blog is Spunk On A Stick’s Tips - come find me there!

Thanks and everyone stay warm. I always recommend snuggling.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Book Trailers and Upcoming

I hosted a book trailer contest on my blog and winners were announced this week - to view them, go HERE. In addition to other prizes, winners received a book donation in their name of my series to the library of their choice.


Third place winner, Mary Montague Sikes, selected West Point High School in High Point, VA.


First place winner, Alex J Cavanaugh, selected the Fayetteville Public Library in Fayetteville, NC.


Second place winner, Bill Walker, declined to donate books to his local library.


The trailer contest was fun and it highlighted some great trailers and books!


Next week my quarterly newsletter goes out! If you'd like to to receive the newsletter, sign up at the bottom of the left sidebar. The newsletter will also be posted here. This month, I am featuring a wonderful new author and friend, Terry Lynn Johnson!


Dream big!