Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Dear Penelope



Every week, I get a bizarre mix of totally random questions thrown at me via email, Twitter, Facebook, neighbors, etc. So, I thought I would put together a totally random bunch of Dear Penelope questions and answers. Have at it!

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Dear Penelope,
Where did you get your dachshund? How big is she? Can she fit on a plane?

Dear Doxie Lover,
We got Lucy from a breeder in Maine, she is about 9.5 pounds, which makes her a true mini (must be under 10 pounds). Yes, I can squeeze her cute little body into a Sherpa bag for travel, and pop her under the seat in front of me. Totally love the Sherpa bags...here is the linkie!


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Dear Penelope,
Why don't you use your real name to publish?

Dear Curious,
Thanks to my Filipino hubby, I have a last name that is long, melodious, difficult to spell, difficult to pronounce, and hard to remember. Thus, Penny Watson (who sort of sounds like a British bad girl) was born.


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Dear Penelope,
What do you think about this book cover?


Dear OH MY GOD!................
*Penny blushes*
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Dear Penelope,
How do I add my own book onto my Goodreads author page the right way?

Dear Author,
Great question! Unfortunately, Goodreads does not offer a good way to do this for authors at the moment. It looks bad to add your own book with a rating and/or review. Just add a new bookshelf titled WROTE IT. Then click on that when you add your book. Do NOT rate it or review it. Just leave it with "0" stars. That's fine. 


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Dear Penelope,
What's your best gardening tip?

Dear Mrs. Green Thumbs,
Most important color for the garden is.....*drum roll*.....WHITE! Yes, white. It makes all the other colors pop. Don't skimp on white. A big bunch of marguerite daisies is an awesome addition to any garden.


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Dear Penelope,
I was wondering if you would review my book which is published on Amazon. I don't think I have included any of your "dislikes"....I had to google POV, didn't know that one.

Dear Published Author,
*brushes away tears of sadness* POV is point of view, and it's probably a good idea to figure out what that means PRIOR to publishing. Sigh.


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Dear Penelope,
Why don't you follow me back on Twitter?

Dear Tweeter,
Did you say hi? Introduce yourself? Or are you just tweet-stalking me, a stranger in the night? Say hello and I'll follow back. Unless you are super naughty, offensive, or naked.

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Dear Penelope,
I clicked on a link and found your blog. It was totally delightful perusing your place. 


Dear Nikki,
I love the word "perusing." Thank you very much!


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Dear Penelope,
Have you seen this?




Dear Bobbi Baby,
Schwing! 
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Dear Penelope,
Is it okay to rate/review my friend's book?

Dear Bud,
This is a GREAT question. My short answer....if you sincerely, genuinely loved your pal's book, it's okay to give her a good rating. Don't lie. Longer answer....If you ONLY review your friends' books, and no one else, you look like a shill. If you have a "reciprocal" thing going with other indie authors---you give me 5 stars, and I'll give you 5 stars---then, no, that's not okay. Be honest and fair, don't try to manipulate "the system" (Amazon, Goodreads, etc).


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Those are just a smattering of the sorts of questions I get every day from various friends, strangers and probably long-lost relatives. Hope all of you are having a random and entertaining day.

All my best,
Penelope