Reviews

by Bethany Maines

Ahhhhhh... The soothing feeling of not being in a mad marketing scramble.  

Being in a post-book release time frame is both relaxing and a little bit of a let-down.  The majority of sales happen around the book release week and after that, there’s just general marketing and gulp, waiting for reviews to come in. Reviews, believe it or not, are quite hard to come by.  In a world where literally every service seems to ask for you to thumbs up, rate, review, rave about, the good old fashioned recommendation of a book has become both more important and yet, even harder to get.

Readers get intimidated by the process – do I need to write a book report? Ahhhhhh!!!!  The answer to that one is no.  Short reviews are frequently the best.  For example, here’s the latest review for The Second Shot…

“A drunken mistake in college cost U.S. Marshal Maxwell Ames the love of Dominique Deveraux and six years later, he’s determined to fix the slip-up. But there’s just one tiny problem. When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Bethany Maines is magnificent and amazing writer. I cannot wait to read more of her books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book. Can't wait for the next book.”

Now obviously any review that calls me an amazing writer is going to be tops with me, but beyond that, the reviewer did the one thing that is required in a review – said what she liked. Then she gave it a rating and moved on with life. No synopsis, spoilers, no over thinking or hard work.  Read the book, reacted, bam, done.

Then readers think – does it really matter if I leave a review?  Short answer, yes, it really, really does.  Even on older books?  YES!!  There are some marketing options that I can only get if I have enough reviews or a high enough rating.  Your kind words really matter.  And of course, saying I’m an awesome writer is the kind of thing that keeps me going when some meanie leaves me a two star review. (It happens to everyone, we are breathing, we are breathing, and letting it go…)

So to anyone who has left a book review, even if it wasn’t for one of my books, I say thank you.  And if you’d like to give a writer a gift… may I suggest leaving a review on Amazon, BookBub, or Goodreads.

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous short stories. When she's not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Turkeys everywhere

by AB Plum aka Barbara Plum

The political junkie in me really, really, really wants to write a blog this month with a political slant.

The common sense adult in me demands I holster my trigger finger. Three repetitions of the adverb in the first sentence wakens my Inner Editor screaming one question.

Why?

What insight do you, she screeches, bring to the on-going political debacle?

Ooops, my editor's less-than-neutral noun reflects the political slant's inherent volatility.

My Inner Editor returns to reason.

Thanksgiving approacheth. Why stir up gastric acids even before the turkey and dressing, the green bean casserole, corn pudding. two kinds of cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole (with gooey marshmallow topping), whipped potatoes, baked Brussel sprouts, creamed onions, pumpkin, Bourbon pecan, chocolate, apple, cranberry-pear, coconut custard, and lemon meringue pies are served?

Why not write about the First Thanksgiving?  Inner Editor suggests.

Something with a light-hearted touch?

All right, I like humor. Stuffing my darker side down into my mental vault, I return to the keyboard.

What's the difference between Election day and Thanksgiving day?

On Thanksgiving, you get a turkey for the day. On Election day, you get a turkey for four years.

OMG, my Inner Editor groans. You're the turkey. Get your head on straight. Thanksgiving doesn't have an audience for anything that smacks of politics.

So, I forget the humorous twist. The posturing Washington turkeys aren't funny. They're ridiculous.

Consider a historical perspective, advises my Inner Editor, sharpening her red pencil. Be sure to include a hook or your reader will stop reading after the first line.

Exactly why I want to lead with: something hooky.

Unfortunately, most of the Thanksgiving hooks are really myths. Deconstructing those myths leaves the early founders (Separatists—not Pilgrims—debunking one of many myths) tarnished. 

Reframing those stories—learned in kindergarten and earlier when we dressed kids in paper bags with a feather duster tails—probably borders on political incorrectness.

Okay, so go with a few historical facts (i.e., not fake news).

Whew. We do have a couple of facts:

• ·        In 1863 Abraham Lincoln declared the 4^th Tuesday in November officially as Thanksgiving. (By proclamation vs executive order).
• ·        FDR, in 1939, capitulated to changing the date to the 3^rd Thursday in November. (To increase shopping days until Christmas. Whether sound economics or flack from various groups forced a date of the 4^th Thursday in November, we may never know).
• ·        Mashed potatoes didn't show up on the first menu around 1621. Fact, potatoes weren't a staple of New England at that time. Ditto for sweet potatoes—a Southern staple.
• ·        Venison rather than turkey provided the protein.
• ·        The Separatists (known much later as Pilgrims) didn’t sport buckles on their shoes.  Or on their hats. Buckles became fashion accessories decades after the original "pilgrims" left England. In the New World, they were too poor for such frippery. Since they provided their own medical care, public assistance was a moot point.

·        AOBTW, the indigenous inhabitants of the new world most likely celebrated "the first Thanksgiving" long before the pilgrims immigrated. (I said in the beginning I wanted to write with a political slant).

My Inner Editor isn't happy, but it is her right to pursue happiness elsewhere. And for all my border-line bah-humbug 'tude, I am thankful to live in this contradictory place where none of us is above the law.

****

In Silicon Valley. AB Plum reads too much political stuff and switches to writing mysteries to "find justice". She writes romantic comedy because love transforms us.

If I knew then...

Someone recently asked me the one thing I wish I’d known before being published.

I thought back to 2014, the year I first signed a contract. I was beyond excited, so full of happiness my feet didn’t touch the ground for days.

I signed my name to contracts with blissful abandon.

I don’t mean to suggest I signed without reading the contract, but I was so new to publishing, I didn’t understand the myriad ramifications of my name on that signature line.

Here I am five years older, five years wiser.

I wish I’d known I’d be running a small business. My products are books. And, if I want readers to find my books, I must market them. Like most new authors, I believed my publisher should take that role (my husband still believes publishers should do that).

My first mystery, The Deep End, released in 2015.

That first release, I waited for a confetti cannon. Instead of confetti, the universe responded with a pffft. Still, my publisher was pleased and told me, “Keep writing.” The second release was worse than the first. A bigger pffft, less confetti, fewer sales. My publisher told me, “Second books seldom do as well as debuts.”

That would have been great information to have as I managed my expectations.

The releases have steadily improved since that second book. I have a theory about that.

Traditional publishing companies push their latest books—thrillers for the holidays, beach books for summer, romances for Valentine’s Day.

I push The Deep End. I believe that once readers meet Ellison Russell, revisit (or visit) the 1970s, and fall in love with her extended family, they’ll keep reading.

Recently the Country Club Murders (The Deep End is the first book in the series) surpassed 100,000 books sold.

I love spending my days spinning stories. I like editing. I love engaging with readers. All things I expected when I took the first steps down this path. Knowing more about Facebook ads and AMS than most marketing executives? Let’s call that a bonus. Or a curse. Tomato-tomahto.

Five years from now, I may be writing another I-wish-I-knew-then-what-I-know-now blog. Lord only knows what mistakes I’ll make, but at least I’ll make them doing something I love.

Anastasia Pollack visits The Stiletto Gang (or is it Lois Winston?)

I'm delighted to introduce you to my friend, Anastasia Pollack, and her creator, Lois Winston. With the holidays coming, I can't wait to read Lois' 8th book starring Anastasia - Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide and I bet you'll feel the same once you get to know her.

What is your full name?
Anastasia Pollack

What is your Profession?
I’m the crafts editor for American Woman, a monthly women’s magazine sold at supermarket checkout counters.

How did you come to wind up as the protagonist of a cozy mystery series?
I was a typical middle-class suburban working mom when author Lois Winston hijacked my life. Now I’m a penniless widow who’s constantly dealing with murder and mayhem. Why would she do that to me?

I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that, but how did she do it?
Lois had my husband permanently cash in his chips in Las Vegas. I thought he was at a sales meeting in Harrisburg, PA. Turns out that was the tip of Karl’s iceberg of lies. After his death, I learned of his well-hidden gambling addiction. He’d not only blown through our savings, he’d maxed out our credit cards, taken out a second mortgage on the house, borrowed against his life insurance, and entered into a one-sided relationship with a bookie.

But wait! There’s more.

Karl also stuck me with his curmudgeon of a mother, a diehard communist, as a permanent houseguest. Lucille now shares a bedroom with my self-proclaimed Russian princess mother whenever she’s between husbands. You can imagine the fireworks that occur from that! I also have my two teenage sons, Mama’s cat, Lucille’s dog, and a Shakespeare-quoting parrot all crammed into my tiny suburban rancher.

But wait! There’s still more.
.
Lois decided there wasn’t enough conflict and stress in my life. So she started dropping dead bodies

at my feet.

Why do you think that your life has ended up being in a book?
I don’t know, but I definitely lost the heroine lottery. Lois used to write romances. Why couldn’t she

have chosen me for a heroine in one of those novels? Eight books and three novellas into the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, and I’m still looking for my happily-ever-after.

Has she done anything nice for you?
Well, she did allow hunky photojournalist Zack Barnes to rent the apartment over my garage when

she could have rented to a couple of rowdy college kids. So I have to thank her for that since my relationship with Zack has progressed into much more than that of landlady and tenant. But being Lois, she couldn’t leave well enough alone. I seriously suspect the photography gig is cover for his real job—that of a government operative. He, of course, denies it, but how often do spies admit they’re spies?

Who should play you in the movie or TV show based on your books?
Tina Fey, hands down. In their starred review of Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in the series, Publishers Weekly said I was “as droll as Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon.” So I think it would be only fair for Tina to portray me. And I hope the movie would lead to a franchise or the TV show would go into syndication for years after a successful run. I could use the money to help dig myself out of the financial mess Lois created for me.

Is there any aspect of your author’s writing style you like?
I do like that she’s given me a sense of humor, which helps me survive everything she throws at me—at least so far. I suppose I should be thankful she didn’t decide to write a series of noir mysteries.
What makes you stand out from any other amateur sleuths in your genre?

For one thing, I’m a reluctant amateur sleuth. Most cozy mysteries feature busybody sleuths. Me? I hate that people are calling me Westfield’s very own Jessica Fletcher. I didn’t ask for any of this. Also, most cozies are set in small New England, Midwest, or Southern towns. I’m a Jersey girl who lives in a Manhattan commuter town.

Thanks for sitting down with us today, Anastasia.

Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 8

Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend and possible spy Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.

In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?

Buy Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VG2QZXV/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=Handmade+Ho-Ho+Homicide&qid=1563673299&s=gateway&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=loiswins-20&linkId=cbd92af3c45b1134cb5408cc8450e3b4&language=en_US
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/handmade-ho-ho-homicide
Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handmade-ho-ho-homicide-lois-winston/1132607263?ean=2940163093748
iTunes https://books.apple.com/us/book/handmade-ho-ho-homicide/id1473711082

USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance,

romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

Website: www.loiswinston.com
Newsletter sign-up: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z1z1u5
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog: www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/anasleuth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/722763.Lois_Winston
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lois-winston

Decluttering - The Time Has Come

by Sparke Abbey

This past year we’ve learned a thing or two about decluttering and downsizing. In this era of minimalism, we don’t need as much “stuff” as we might have once believed. And just as we didn’t want to inherit a menagerie of ceramic owls or metal butterflies from our mothers, our children weren’t interested in our amazing book collections, stylish size-seven shoes, or cabbage soup tureen. 

Three garage sales, and more trips than you can count on one hand to local donation centers, we not only decluttered our own homes, we downsized Abbey’s parents’. The process took time, was hard work, yet highly rewarding. And in a crazy way, reminded us of editing or “decluttering” our stories.





Like the rest of America, you’ve certainly heard about Marie Kondo’s “Tidying Up method.” 

1. Commit yourself to tidying up.
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
3. Finish discarding first. Before getting rid of items, sincerely thank each item for serving its purpose.
4. Tidy by category, not location.
5. Follow the right order.
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.

Six easy steps, right? Heck, the first two don’t even require physical action. But here’s the reality—the process is never that simple. While the KonMari lifestyle doesn’t “spark joy” for everyone, there are some principals that can be applied to storytelling. So we thought we’d put our spin on Marie’s six steps and create the Sparkle Abbey writing decluttering method.

1. Commit yourself to unclutter your story. You have to be ruthless. Don’t be afraid to put your writing under a microscope and edit. 
2. Keep in mind the story you wanted to tell. This will serve as your compass as you unclutter your story. Everything must enhance the story or bring it “joy.” If not, it has to go.
3. Declutter by category.
1. Plot – Does your story structure make sense? Are there plot holes? Do your scenes unfold in a way that escalates conflict? Are all the plotlines resolved at the end of the story? 
2. Subplots – Do your subplots enhance the plot and relate to the overall story goal? Are there too many subplots?
3. Characters  – Do your characters serve a purpose? Do they have goals, motivation? Do they bring conflict? Are there too many characters? Are the characters unique?
4. Clarity and Concise – How’s the pacing? Are you showing or telling the story? Is there too much or too little description? Is there too much or too little dialogue? 
4.  Does your story spark joy? – You’ve carefully decluttered your masterpiece. Does it still bring you joy? It should. Remember step number two. Be careful that you don’t edit the life out of your story.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it’s a good start to tidy up your story. Whether you’re tidying up your home or your writing, the process requires you to make a judgment on what is important and what’s just “stuff” taking up space.

Have you jumped on the “tidying up” wagon? We’d love to hear any tips you have for organizing your home or your story! 

Sparkle Abbey is actually two people, Mary Lee Woods aka Mary Lee Ashford and Anita Carter, who write the national best-selling Pampered Pets cozy mystery series. They are friends as well as neighbors so they often get together and plot ways to commit murder. (But don't tell the neighbors.) 

They love to hear from readers and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, their favorite social media sites.Their most recent book is The Dogfather, the tenth book in the Pampered Pets series.

Also, if you want to make sure you get updates, sign up for their newsletter via the SparkleAbbey.com website.

Clicking Our Heels - Promotional Tools - What's Best?

Promotional Tools – What’s Best?

What is the best promotional tool for branding? Selling books? Getting readers? Here are some of the opinions of different Stiletto Gang members.

Shari Randall - This is the eternal question! I think that when these three aspects work together - writing a great book that gets proper branding and support and connects with readers - that's the magic. But how to do that? I'm still working on it. As a writer, the only thing I can do is try to write the best book I can.

Dru Ann Love - I remember authors better once I’ve met them face to face. So branding yourself whether on social media or with tangible items is key for exposure. But you have to be consistent. Don’t show me a *fake* you on social media and when a face-to-face encounters happen, you’re not real.

Judy Penz Sheluk - Despite all the recent negativity, I still find Facebook to be a good tool. And you have to have matching bookmarks for your books. I also love going to book club meetings, either in person or by an online meeting.

Kay Kendall - Authors can communicate easily with potential readers by using the online tools available today. I believe a writer should pick the one (or two) that she understands and enjoys and then develop a presence on it. Even if someone is published by one of the big book companies, one still has to do one's own publicity. Speaking at nearby bookstores and libraries is useful too, although few today can afford to do the old-fashioned book tours of old. Social media covers for that. Using it is a must.

J.M. Phillippe - I think I am still trying to figure this one out :-P Sadly, it's not just "write a book!"

Bethany Maines - I think one of the most powerful tools are reader reviews help because they add legitimacy as well as exposing the book/author to a wider audience. Book bloggers can also be useful for reviews and audience. In terms of branding myself as an author... Of course, since my day job is graphic design, I care about this. My graphics and promo materials all have a consistent graphic look and quality, which I think is important.  But I would say that the author in me who likes to write ALL THE GENRES (ok, maybe not all) rebels against being type cast and overly branded. 

Lynn McPherson - This is a tough question! I'll be looking to see what my fellow Stiletto Gang members have to say about this because it's something I could use some help with :)

Linda Rodriguez - I'm not really concerned with branding. That may be because I write in several different genres. As far as the best tool for selling books goes, tell me what it is and I'll grab it. Word-of-mouth will do it, and we all do all kinds of things to try to build that word-of-mouth, but I'm not sure anyone knows how to actually do it. I think I will settle on simply writing the very best books I know how to write and then trying to get the word out in any way I can that I have these books out there.

T.K. Thorne -  am all over the genre map in what I write, so I love brave readers who are willing to try wherever I go

A.B. Plum – I like my monthly newsletter to get and maintain connection with readers.

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) - Wow, I hope someone knows the answer to this question, because I sure don't! I'm never sure what works and what doesn't. However, I can say that the promotional tool I like the best is meeting readers. Whether in person at a book signing or conference, or online through a chat or other social media, the opportunity to meet readers and talk about books is always simply the best!

Debra H. Goldstein – My social media choice depends on the work I’m trying to promote and the age of the audience I’m trying to reach, but my best promotional tool if word of mouth after meeting readers.

Do You NaNoWriMo?

By Judy Penz Sheluk

For those of you unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It began in 1999 as a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November.

This year, I'm committed to working on the final book in my Glass Dolphin Mystery series and this is just the push I need to get serious! I know exactly where I want to leave Arabella Carpenter, Emily Garland, and Levon Larroquette in their lives.

All that said, I am most definitely a pantser (meaning I have no idea how I'm going to get Arabella, Emily, and Levon to THE END) and I almost never write 1,666 words a day (the required amount to reach 50,000 words). Add to the mix that I have multiple events happening in November—including
leading a NaNoWriMo session at the Angus Public Library on Saturday, November 16 from 2 to 4 p.m.— and you might ask why I've decided to sign up. 

The answer is that even if I don't meet the 50k word count, I'll be further ahead with book 3 Glass Dolphin series than I would be if I just kept saying, "tomorrow, next week, next month."

If you have a novel burning in your brain, consider signing up for this year's challenge. It's free and it's not too late! https://www.nanowrimo.org

You can Follow my progress here. 

Find Books 1 and 2 in my Glass Dolphin Mystery series in e-book, audiobook, or trade paperback at your favorite bookseller, including Amazon. 

That Old Black Dog of Fear

by Linda Rodriguez

People are afraid of many things. The saddest is the fear of black cats and dogs. Because of this fear, more black cats and dogs are euthanized by kill shelters than other colors. People are afraid to adopt them because they’re black, and these shelters, which usually have to euthanize because they’re public shelters and have to keep taking in all surrendered/lost pets brought to them, must kill them when they’ve been there too long and space gets short. Because of this problem, many of these shelters periodically offer “sales” on black cats and dogs—half-off adoption fees, very low adoption fees, even sometimes no adoption fees.

The prejudice against black cats and dogs goes back a long way to old superstitions about them being the devil’s animals and being bad luck. I could trace these legends back to their beginnings in the battle between religions where the animals were simply used as props and propaganda weapons by the warring sides, but I’m not going to burden my blog with that today. It’s a shame that companion animals have to be dragged into our human quarrels in this way.

The only thing sadder than a rejected black pet is an older cat or dog who’s also black. No one wants these. You combine the prejudice against older animals with the prejudice against black animals and come up with a stone wall these cats and dogs can’t get over, no matter how sweet, cute, bright, well-behaved, and gentle they are. If you talk to anyone in the rescue business or look on any of their websites, you’ll quickly find that this is a sad, basic truth in the world of those who care for and try to find permanent homes for older, black pets.

The silliest part of it, to me, is that the pet doesn’t even have to be all black, certainly not if it’s a dog. Check out your local humane shelter’s “black dog sale,” and you’ll find that dogs that are only part black are included in the sale because they’re included in people’s prejudices against black animals. My own last rescue dog was a Plott hound with the typical brindle brown coat, but because he had a black saddle on his back, he was deemed a black dog and unadoptable.

Rescue and shelter animals have enough prejudice against them. Every year, approximately 3-4 million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters. These are animals people gave up and threw out, or the offspring of such animals. It’s getting worse because many families have lost homes and been forced to move to apartments that refuse animals, causing them to surrender family pets if they can’t find friends to take them. Yet still, people pay big bucks to buy dogs and cats from breeders—and oddly enough, many of those wanted, purchased purebred dogs and cats (but more often dogs) find their ways into shelters around the country. I’ve been taking in shelter dogs all my adult life, and I’ve noticed a big change there. It used to be rare to find a purebred animal at a shelter. Now, they’ve all got some, and often quite a number of them.

I can’t stress enough how important I feel it is to give homes to shelter/rescue cats and dogs, if you can and if you are looking for a pet. They make grateful, loyal, and affectionate pets, and you’re quite literally saving a life when you do. And while you’re looking for a good pet at your local shelter, please, please don’t bypass the older, black animals in your search. Older, black cats and dogs are at the highest risk of being euthanized because no one wants them. Take one home and bask in its love and affection. You’ll be glad you did as the years in company with your faithful pet slip past.

Linda Rodriguez's 11th book, Fishy Business: The Fifth Guppy Anthology (edited), was recently published. Dark Sister: Poems is her 10^th book and was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award. Plotting the Character-Driven Novel, based on her popular workshop, and The World Is One Place: Native American Poets Visit the Middle East, an anthology she co-edited, were published in 2017.  Every Family Doubt, her fourth mystery featuring Cherokee detective, Skeet Bannion, and Revising the Character-Driven Novel will be published in 2020. Her three earlier Skeet novels—Every Hidden Fear, Every Broken Trust, Every Last Secret—and earlier books of poetry—Skin Hunger and Heart's Migration—have received critical recognition and awards, such as St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Best First Novel, International Latino Book Award, Latina Book Club Best Book of 2014, Midwest Voices & Visions, Elvira Cordero Cisneros Award, Thorpe Menn Award, and Ragdale and Macondo fellowships. Her short story, “The Good Neighbor,” published in Kansas City Noir, has been optioned for film.

Rodriguez is past chair of the AWP Indigenous Writer’s Caucus, past president of Border Crimes chapter of Sisters in Crime, founding board member of Latino Writers Collective and The Writers Place, and a member of International Thriller Writers, Native Writers Circle of the Americas, Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, and Kansas City Cherokee Community. Learn more about her at http://lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com