Categories
Books Social anxiety

The Sad Tale of the Facebook Live Video

As you may have seen from the edit of my precious post, Facebook lost the live video I made yesterday.

But today I made another video (not live) which appears below. Make sure you have tissues ready…

 

Categories
Books Social anxiety

Searching for a Venue

I’m looking for a venue in the UK to give a talk.

I also talk about turning social anxiety from a noose into a friend and business partner.

It’s all in this post.

SA: From Noose to Friend and Business Partner

Categories
Books Social anxiety

Ebook or Hard Copy: A New Take

I’ve read many discussions about the differences between ebooks and paperbacks and reasons for buying one or the other. Paperbacks might be gentler on the eyes. They’re easy to flip through and many readers simply prefer the feel of a “real book.” But ebooks take up no weight or space in your suitcase or handbag. They’re also cheaper. And the arguments go on.

I don’t remember reading about the extra advantages of buying the paperback version of a non-fiction book. I don’t mean any non-fiction book. A memoir, for instance, reads like a work of fiction. It’s a story that you generally read from beginning to end. A non-fiction book that wants to teach or guide you in some way is usually organised into sections and sub-sections. You can read it from beginning to end, but you can equally pick out the parts that interest you. Or you might do both: read through once and later return to remind yourself of a specific section. It’s easier to do that with the hard copy.

Because you can flick through the paperback, you can get a better idea of the way the book is organised. Sections that are specially formatted in a different way from the rest stand out more. Overall, I think the hard copy of such a book gives you a better reading experience.

CoverWhen, for example, I bought J.T.Mallory’s book, Building an Author Platform (for beginners), I knew I wanted to be able to flip backwards and forwards in it. I needed to be able to find the relevant information for whatever I was trying to do at any particular moment. So I bought the paperback and I’m glad I did. It wouldn’t have been so easy to jump around in the ebook.

 

My new book, Social Anxiety Revealed, now available for pre-order until the launch on Tuesday, is similarly organised in sections. And that’s why I think you’ll get more satisfaction from the paperback. But that’s just my opinion. Your opinion is the one that counts.

Categories
Books Social anxiety

Blog Tour, Stage 2

The lovely Sue Barnard has posted the next installment of my blog tour. Sue has been such a support over the years. A wonderful editor, too.

Website

Date

Title

Val Penny

2 August, 2017

Book Review: The Mill River Recluse

Sue Barnard

10 August, 2017

How I Discovered What I Had

 

The post is mostly about another friend – Gill Downs. Without her, none of what followed would have been possible.

Social Anxiety Revealed is released on Tuesday August 22, 2017.

CoverWeNeedToTalkAboutSocialAnxiety

Categories
Books Social anxiety

Blog Tour and Video

As launch day for Social Anxiety Revealed draws close, activity surrounding the book is increasing.

My other half and I made this video:

And the blog tour has begun. So far there is only one post, but that is about to change!

Website

Date

Title

Val Penny

2 August, 2017

Book Review: The Mill River Recluse

 

 

Cover
Released on August 22
Categories
Books Social anxiety

Slogan Competition – The Winner

CoverMany thanks to all those who offered suggestions for a slogan to accompany the launch of my new book: Social Anxiety Revealed.

I decided I wasn’t the best person to judge this contest. I think when you don’t live in a country where English is spoken, sometimes words don’t ring in quite the same way, and slogans are all about that tinkling in the ears.

So I chose a judge – Jean Davison. Jean probably caught social anxiety herself as a teenager, although she wasn’t diagnosed with it (unsurprisingly, as social anxiety wasn’t known in those days). Instead, she was diagnosed with something she didn’t have, as told in her memoir, The Dark Threads. Thank you, Jean.

The winner of the competition is Catherine Kullmann with the slogan:

We need to talk about Social Anxiety

Jean felt (and I agree) that this slogan gets the message across most clearly.

Congratulations, Catherine! I’ll be catapulting a signed copy of Neither Here Nor There over to you as soon as I know where to direct it.

 

Categories
Books Social anxiety

An Open Invitation

Many thanks to all those who entered my slogan competition. The result will be announced shortly.

Cover

In the meantime, you’re invited to the online launch party for Social Anxiety Revealed on Facebook on August 22. All are welcome and you don’t have to bring anything – not even social anxiety!

There will be songs, videos, interesting information, competitions and guest appearances.

See you there in 37 days!

Categories
Social anxiety

Slogan Competition

PrizeForSlogan

I need a slogan.

Update for clarification. The slogan is supposed to say: you need to know about social anxiety.

I tried using a free slogan maker. It asked for a word and I gave it social-anxiety. It came back with slogans – lots of them. Slogans like these:

  • Get more from life with social-anxiety.
  • Make someone happy with social-anxiety.
  • Social-anxiety – empowering people.
  • Social-anxiety makes dreams come true.
  • Social-anxiety, try it you’ll like it!

I thought about these. For a second or two. Then I decided…

The Competition

I still need a slogan. Something that says that social anxiety is the next big thing. That everyone needs to know about social anxiety. That you should be on the social anxiety bandwagon, because you don’t want to get left behind. That soon only ignorant people won’t know what social anxiety is. That sort of thing.

That’s the competition. The person who thinks up the best slogan will win a signed copy of my romance with a difference, Neither Here Nor There. If the winner has read that book, I’ll think of a different prize.

How to Enter

Where should you send your competition entries? Write them here in the comments or send them privately, if you prefer, using the Contact me button at the top. I’ll announce the winner here, unless they don’t want to be announced, and will use the winning slogan for marketing my forthcoming book: Social Anxiety Revealed.

Cover

Categories
Social anxiety

Cover Reveal

I’m delighted to be able to reveal the cover of my non-fiction book, Social Anxiety Revealed, which is to be published by Crooked Cat Books on August 22.

Here’s the cover:

Cover

I’m very excited that this is going to happen, and in only 48 days!

In the meantime, if you want to read more about social anxiety, please visit my other (new) blog, which is here.

What’s in the book?

  • A detailed, organised description of social anxiety and everything connected with it.
  • Quotations from many different people who have experienced social anxiety, showing the wide variety within it.
  • Humour – yes, even that.
  • Much more.
Categories
Social anxiety The writing process

The Power of Fearlessness

This post is inspired by this one, called: Top 5 Beliefs of Fearless Writers: How Would Your Writing Change If You Were Fearless?

This is how I need to think about my writing, especially with regard to the non-fiction book that’s going to be published soon: Social Anxiety Revealed.

BELIEF 1: ‘I know that the right people will embrace my work at the right time.’

Not everyone will agree with everything I say. That’s not a problem.

BELIEF 2: ‘It is OK for people to see the true me; the essence that helps others connect to my message, my story, my characters.’

You’re going to see a lot of me in this book. I’ll live with that.

BELIEF 3: ‘I love and accept all aspects of myself.’

Yep.

BELIEF 4: ‘I choose to be the best possible version of me in all that I do and know that I have something of value to share.’

Readers will gain from reading the book. That’s why I wrote it.

BELIEF 5: ‘Success is who I am.’

This book will go far.

~~~

Thank you, Trina J. Stacey. I should live my life by those beliefs, but that’s harder to accomplish.

Do you live by those beliefs, or at least write by them?

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