by Shari Randall
Bloggers, do you ever wonder who reads your blogs? And more than that, do you wonder if your blogs make a difference? Sure, you can check your stats. Readers may share a comment. But sometimes I wonder, as the song goes, is there anybody out there?
Bloggers, do you ever wonder who reads your blogs? And more than that, do you wonder if your blogs make a difference? Sure, you can check your stats. Readers may share a comment. But sometimes I wonder, as the song goes, is there anybody out there?
Yes, there is!
Last week I received a heartwarming email from
Diana Belchase. Diana is an award-winning romance writer - currently nominated
for another RWA Golden Heart Award - who has done a fascinating series of
author interviews on YouTube. I interviewed her on Writers Who Kill last year.
This is what Diana wrote to me and all I can say is, what a difference a year
makes.
As Diana wrote:
Wow!
Diana went from a
one-woman YouTube show to leader of a fourteen-person team producing
BookSmart, a television show that focuses on authors, readers, and the world of
fiction. BookSmart will be available in the Washington, DC Metro area and online.
Her station is in negotiations to expand BookSmart's reach into markets across
the US and Canada.
There are three
best parts to Diana's news.
One, there will be
a show focusing on, as Diana says "everything fiction readers crave":
author interviews and book news in every genre from romance and thrillers, to nonfiction and graphic novels.
BookSmart will cover everything that connects books and readers. Diana’s latest
interviews featured Jude Deveraux, Steve Berry, Jayne Ann Krentz, Sabrina
Jeffries, Brad Meltzer, Heather Graham, Jon Land, Charlaine Harris, and so many
others, including the last video interview with the late Jo Beverley. You can see her interview with Harlan Coben here.
The third? I'm
thrilled that Writers Who Kill was the Schwab's soda fountain where Diana was
discovered. Milkshakes for everyone!
Did you ever get
surprising news about a blog you wrote?
Here's Diana's Bio: Diana Belchase grew up dreaming of castles, damsels in distress, and the gallant princes who rescued them -- except sometimes it was the damsels who did the rescuing. ;-) She loves action, women who take charge, and the men who tame them. In her spare time, Diana blogs about her life in Washington, D.C. and interviews authors for her TV show, BookSmart. She lives in farm-country, just over the D.C. border, with her own perfect prince of a husband, where her nearest neighbors are cows, a flock of lambs, and wild roosters that nest in the trees. She has recently become fluent in the local dialect of moo.
Last year Diana was a triple nominee for the Daphne du Maurier award. The first book in her Born to Spy series, The Spy in the Mirror, won the Golden Heart in 2011. Escape from the Harem, a sequel to The Spy in the Mirror, is a finalist for this year’s Golden Heart award. Here’s a taste:
Sent on a cruise ship as bait for a ring of kidnappers, Trina Bianchi has been guaranteed the trackers in her clothing, and the team of operatives following her, will keep her safe. When the mission goes haywire, she ends up abducted for real – imprisoned in a Sultan’s harem along with seven other American women. Armed with nothing more deadly than a steak knife, Trina must rescue her fellow captives. But when she makes the ultimate sacrifice, only her boyfriend, billionaire Preston Grahame, can save her and help her bring a terrorist to his knees.
Please join her at:
This is such an exciting post! Congratulations Diana.
ReplyDeleteI've had some amazing retweets of blogs and some fun discussions with other authors, but nothing like this has ever happened. Well done and well deserved.
You just never know. I’ve had people tell me years after a blog that they had found something particularly interesting, or useful. Who knew until they told me in person? And I admit to reading and appreciating more blogs than I comment on.
ReplyDelete~ Jim
What an incredible experience--and I am glad to know that blogs can make a difference. Congratulations, Diana. I haven't seen your show, but I will look it up on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this update, Shari! I'm thrilled to be here again and grateful for you being the catalyst for all this. You're a doll!
ReplyDeleteE.B. Davis, we're on hiatus right now putting together a new lineup. But if you follow BookSmartTV.com, you'll see our TV schedule and, once we're free of contractual limitations with the studio, our shows will also be posted there, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteKait, I once had someone in India really like my tag line, but almost nothing else on Twitter. This was such a shock! Thanks for being here.
ReplyDeleteJim, you're right. Sometimes it is about putting down all your info, or dealing with comment mechanisms that seem to want your life's blood and take too long, or having nothing new to add. It is hard to comment, but I really appreciate that you did so here. Aside from this my best experience was when someone came up to me and said they were my fan. It was a heady experience I'll never forget.
ReplyDeleteJust so happy to play a part is this exciting development, Diana! It is amazing how far the Internet can carry our words, isn't it? How fun that you have a fan in India. A reader in Denmark once asked to repost one of my blogs. That still makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteYou never know. After one blog, I found I had readers as far away as Japan.
ReplyDeleteWaving at Diana, a fellow sister. So happy about your show. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDiana/Shari -- It goes to show you that we never know where a little path will lead. Congratulations, Diana. I'm looking forward to following your program.
ReplyDeleteSo cool, Shari!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story - congratulations Diana! And thanks Shari for posting the update!
ReplyDeleteShari, this is wonderful, both for you and Diana. Congratulations and continuing good wishes!
ReplyDeletevery exciting! keep us posted on WWK
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story!
ReplyDeleteTo quote Seneca, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
The opportunity arose, and you were prepared to move forward with it.
Love this story, Diana! So excited for you. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the good wishes everyone!
ReplyDeleteThrilled at your astonishing professional growth, Diana, and there's nothing but blue skies (and soda fountain shakes) up ahead. Best of luck!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYou have such a fabulous story, Diana. And one day you're going to be giving it to the RWA lunch crowd. :)
I am so happy for your GH final this year and can't wait to cheer you on in San Diego!
Great story! Congratulations, Diana and Shari! I'm looking forward to BookSmartTV.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here Sarah, Sharon, and Maryann. I'll keep you posted about the show.
ReplyDeleteDiana, you are a modern Renaissance woman! I love your author interviews and I can't wait to read all your award winning stories :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, Krista, what a compliment! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete