We like to buy from friends. We like to have the inside track.

At last count, I have liked over 1,500 pages on my personal Facebook account and follow nearly two thousand Twitter accounts. That’s way, way too many. So many things intrigue me, and I like to show my support, but when I turn on the Social Media spigot, it blasts me like an open fire hydrant. We’re constantly bombarded with marketing messages. It’s hard to stand out from the noise.

A fair number of the pages I’ve liked/followed have been suggested to me by friends. I follow many of your company pages, for instance. Whether I’m in the market for a dynamic real estate professional, interior decorator, remodeler, lifestyle coach, counselor, T’ai Chi practitioner, chiropractor, pediatrician, family photographer, marketing consultant, music blogger, volleyball expert, or personal trainer, in the grand Chicago tradition, “I gotta guy.” When I need a bra, a handbag, jewelry, accessories, t-shirts, art work, a car wash, Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, or beer—I know where to go. I could go on and on. (I didn’t even scratch the surface of the musicians and bands).

While marketing Release, I have employed all the usual tactics, but I’ve also done something somewhat unique in the world of self-publishing. I solicited two companies to fashion products inspired by those described in the novel. Here’s the first:

Let me introduce you to Esscentual Alchemy.

When I approached owner Amanda Feeley and asked her to consider my novel, with the intention that she ultimately craft a fragrance inspired by the one described in the book, she barely hesitated. She’s a creative—a “yes and” person, but even she wondered a bit as to whether this was anything more than an interesting exercise. As we talked, we realized that, by promoting one another to our respective fan bases, we would each gain exposure to new customers, and that synergies were possible.

Because she enjoyed the book, she is is the midst of creating a pair of fragrances that complement two key passages of the novel. She started by creating the base fragrance, God’s Gift. The association that Mandelyn has with the fragrance evolves over the course of the story, so the fragrance names, God’s Gift: Seduction and God’s Gift: Redemption, are apropos. Without giving too much away, God’s Gift: Seduction will carry notes of chocolate, hazelnut, and bourbon. God’s Gift: Redemption will carry notes of juniper and cedar, among others.

COMING SOON: Look for promotional opportunities to purchase samples of these fragrances as a complement to your experience reading Release!

Read Part 2: