A shout out to all diehard Rhode Islanders who will partake in Rhode Island’s 41st Annual Penguin Plunge on January 1, 2017, 12 noon at Roger Wheeler State Beach in Narragansett for the worthy cause of Special Olympics, RI.

All that thrashing in the brine will create a flash-in-the-pan splash preserved on all the local news channels.

An Indie author, I’ve taken a few too many foolhardy plunges into the brine for the worthy cause of marketing and promoting my recent release in the genre of Contemporary Women’s Fiction: AN ENLIGHTENING QUICHE (Paperback – August 22, 2016; Kindle Edition – September 20, 2016).

Shared in a previous blog—my one-month Book Blast with “Pump Up Your Book” from November 7 – 30 was a bust, my being the only elephant loitering in the blog rooms! I also threw away more money I’ve yet to earn from book sales on paid promotional venues such as eBookSoda, People Reads, and The Fussy Librarian, though I’m inclined to stick with the latter in the upcoming year.

Rather than plunge headfirst into shark-infested waters, I intend to plane in 2017. For starters, I have three upcoming author interviews and three promissory book reviews—Long and Short Reviews; LILbooKlovers; The Empty Pages. I am also waiting in the wings for reviews from those still reading my novel, thus far having accrued two 4-Star and thirteen 5-Star reviews at Amazon.

I’ll be planing and soaring with high hopes at each local library book signing event I’m hosting throughout the months of January and February in the New Year. I’ll be sure to encourage attendees to consider inviting me to any future speaking engagements.

While I still can’t predict the potential for success from any marketing strategy I’m willing to try, nothing beats word of mouth in creating a ripple effect which is longer lasting and more profound than a momentary splash!