Meet Laurie Buchanan, Author of the Sean McPherson series

This entry is part 9 of 11 in the series Meet the Author

This is the first in my 2021 series of author interviews. Laurie and I have been connected on social media for some time. She’s a great example of what an author can do on social media!Laurie Buchanan

Tell us a little bit about your books.

My project manager at my publishing house describes the Sean McPherson series like this:
Imagine—Chief Inspector Gamache meets The Last Mrs. Parrish.
Kirkus Reviews said: “Buchanan’s narrative is well-paced, flying right along. . . . the author has delivered an exciting beginning to an intriguing series.”

Why did you write your books?

My first two books (Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth, and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace) are nonfiction and a direct result of two decades in private practice as a holistic health practitioner and transformational life coach.
My next book—Indelible: A Sean McPherson Novel, Book One—is a work of fiction in the suspense/thriller genre. It’s the first book in a series that takes place in the Pacific Northwest. It hits the shelves on April 6, 2021. Book two in the series, Iconoclast, is slated for publication in spring 2022.
The Sean McPherson series came about because I heard another speaker at a writing conference tell the audience that once you publish a book in a certain genre, you’re locked in. That’s simply not true!

How did you publish your book? Traditional publisher, hybrid publisher, self-published?

My first two books are published by a hybrid publisher, She Writes Press. The Sean McPherson novels are published by SparkPress, an imprint of She Writes Press.

How did things change for you as an author in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

Before 2020, I traveled regularly to speak and teach at writing conferences. When the pandemic struck, travel came to a screeching halt, and Zoom (a web conferencing platform) has become part of my regular routine.

What is your favorite book marketing tip?

Because I love photography, my social media platform of choice is Instagram. It’s linked to my Facebook author page. Combined, they make a dynamic duo for sharing news about my books.

What are your goals for 2021?

My primary goal for 2021 is to get Iconoclast (book two in the Sean McPherson series) into my copy editor’s hands and then to my publisher. Once that’s done, I’ll dive headfirst into book three in the series.

Where can readers find your book?Indelible

My books are available wherever books are sold. Here is ONE convenient link that will take you to purchase links for Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, IndieBound, BookShop, Rediscovered Books, Books-A-Million, Google Play, Apple Books, and BookBub: https://www.lauriebuchanan.com/indelible

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

You are cordially invited to my website, lauriebuchanan.com. If you’d like to stay in the loop regarding book launches, please subscribe to my quarterly newsletter.
I can also be found on:

Bio

Author of the Sean McPherson Novels (#seanmcphersonnovels). Imagine—Chief Inspector Gamache meets The Last Mrs. Parrish. Red licorice aficionado. Traveler. Photographer because sometimes, the best word choice is a picture.

Leveraging Your Email List for Your Book Launch

Book launch emailYour email subscribers are on your list because they want to hear from you and are eagerly anticipating your book release. They will be happy to share news of your book with their audience as well. They just need to know how to do that and you can provide all the information they need to easily share your book release announcement.

About a month before your book is released, let your email list know when the book will be released and ask them to share the announcement with their network. Write up copy about the book that your audience can share on their social media platforms. Include sample tweets and Facebook messages they can share. What other ways can you leverage your email list to support your book launch?

Here’s a great example. Author of The Business of Being, Laurie Buchanan, PhD, just sent out an email to her list about her book release early next month. She includes several things her audience can do to help support her book launch – all of which I strongly recommend my clients include in an email they send to their list about a month before their book release. I asked Laurie if I could share her email here and with her permission, it’s reprinted here. See my notes that follow. … more … “Leveraging Your Email List for Your Book Launch”