When Pieces Don't Fit by Betsy Ashton

Back when I was beginning as a writer, I piled up tomes in cyber dust. I have probably six complete novels that have yet to see the light of day. Rightfully, in the format they were in when they went into "storage." Perhaps I'll find something in the stories that is worthy of updating and turning into a novel. Perhaps not, but it was all part of my tuition of learning my craft.

When I finally settled on one story, I knew, just knew, how it would go. I wanted to write about the dissolution of a marriage where both the husband and wife tell the story in first person. I picked a voice for the man:  crisp, short sentences or fragments thereof, limited showing of emotion until the turning point. I loved that brisk male voice.

For the wife, I wanted her to descend into drugs and madness. Long winding sentences tumbling back on each other. Wallowing in grief. Writing from the POV of a mad woman was a challenge and oh so liberating, because I could engage in purple prose under the guise of drugs.

The voices were distinct. No one had difficulty reading the beta copy and determining who was speaking. Trouble was, these were the wrong voices to tell the story. One of my beta readers pointed out that the story would be stronger with a single narrator. Problem was, I couldn't see either Mr. Brisk or Mrs. Rambling Rose carrying the story line.

Another beta reader suggested I sleep on it. I did. And about three in the morning, I sat bolt upright in bed with a voice yelling at me: "It's my story, dammit. Tell it my way." Well, yes ma'am.

That was the voice of a minor character. The mother of the wife, the mother-in-law. Really? This character? No way. But the more I thought about the change, the more I thought, way. Maybe she could carry the narration. I still wanted first person, because I wanted the narrower focus, the ability to delve deeply into emotions.

I played with a couple of chapters. The pieces fit. The story flowed. 90,000 words had to be rewritten in a completely different form. Writing became fun. Watching the new main character shape herself was thrilling. The more I got out of her way, the faster and better the narrative developed.

And thus, Mad Max was born. She was never meant to be a major character. The book was going to be a stand-alone until I changed the POV. Then, I could see a series. Three books later, she's as comfortable as a pair of bunny slippers and an old bathrobe. And yet, I never know what she's going to do next. She could do anything.

I'm broadening her reach. My publisher has a May Mystery Month sale on for ebooks. $.99 each for the three Mad Max books. Join me. Tell me if you like her. Tell me if you don't. What do you have to lose?

Unintended Consequences: https://amzn.to/2HHwttJ

Uncharted Territory: http://amzn.to/20EQMap

Unsafe Haven: http://amzn.to/2suJRKA

Book Sales...a Good Idea or Not? by Jannine Gallant

I just got my statement and check from Kensington for my 4th Quarter 2016 sales. As of the end of 2016, I had five titles available through Kensington's Lyrical Press. This was also the first quarter in a while I didn't have a BookBub ad, so all sales were pretty much organic without that giant boost. And, I had two new releases, one the very end of September (so it didn't get any representation in the 3rd Quarter) and one the end of October. After some intense scrutiny and number crunching, I thought I'd share my insights on sale books with all of you.

First of all, for those of you who are curious about the benefits of BookBub, here are some figures for a book that released over a year ago. Every Step She Takes released in July of 2015. in July of 2016, it was featured on BookBub for .99 cents. I actually made it into the top 100 overall on Amazon for one day during that period. Total sales of this book for the 3rd Quarter were 3,541 copies. By contrast, total sales for this book the 4th Quarter were 468. I think the value of BookBub speaks for itself. I don't know of any other site that can produce those types of numbers.

So, in the 4th Quarter, my pub put several of my books on sale, trying to stir up interest. The thing with sale books is you don't make a whole lot off of them because Amazon gives the publisher 35% of the total for a .99 cent book vs. 70% for a book priced at $2.99 or higher. The author share of a .99 cent book with a publisher taking their standard 60% is about .14 cents. My ex-agent gets her 15%, so I make .12 cents. Those who are self published would make .34 cents. On a $2.99 book, I make .71 cents, so 6 times as much on a non-sale book. You might ask yourself why anyone would ever sell their book for .99 cents at those prices. Good question. Answer to follow so keep reading!

Remember those two brand new releases in my Born to Be Wilde series? In 2016, neither of them were on sale, and both sold for 3.99. The results were pretty pathetic... 270 sales for Wilde One, and 222 sales for Wilde Side. During this same time, my oldest book with Kensington, Every Move She Makes was on sale for over a month. The result...it sold 662 copies. This book released in March of 2015 and has been on a ton of sales including BookBub, yet it still outsold the brand new releases by 300%! As for actual profits, royalties for every one of my five books were within a $30 differential despite a huge swing in total sales. But, those sale books have an intrinsic value as a promotional device. I estimate that at least 1 in every 3 people who buy the sale book will pay full price for the other books in the series. Those would have been lost sales without the .99 cent book.

You're probably sick of the math lesson by now, but my conclusion is sale price books do help boost your overall sales, both in numbers and $$. So, even if you think you're making pennies off each one (which you are), in the long run, it pays off.

I hope you found all this helpful if you're considering putting your own books on sale. As for my books, right now all three Wilde books are on sale. WILDE ONE and WILDE THING are 99 cents, and WILDE SIDE is $1.99. The sale on Wilde One is supposed to end today, so grab it while you can. I'll be very interested to see what these sales do for my 1st Quarter 2017 figures. I'll report back in a few months! Just click on the titles to go to the Amazon buy links. Happy reading!

KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE: Book Awards by Andrea Downing

When I decided to put my multi-award winning novella, Dearest Darling, on sale, it struck me that one way to garner interest is to mention the awards it has won.  Ah, but would it?  This opened a whole can of worms in my mind:  what, exactly, are the benefits of  book awards?  There are few authors around who don’t bother to go after at least one, yet the actual value of saying ‘Award-winning Author’ in—not a sea -- a veritable tidal wave of award-winning authors is questionable.

In the August RWR, Neal Thompson, director of Author and Publishing Relations at Amazon is quoted in an article titled ‘Making Amazon Work for You’ as saying, “The number one thing authors should concentrate on is writing the best book possible.”  Nowhere in this article does he even mention awards.  Now, you may say that having an award  says  you’ve written the best book possible, but that’s not why authors go after awards.  One author wrote to me, “I worked with a marketing company for a time, buying their services at a Brenda Novak auction.  They told me a vital step was to submit my books to places where I could ‘win’ awards…and to highlight those awards in my publicity.” Another  author with whom I spoke said she went after awards because of  “prestige of contest, opportunities offered, and/or contacts or for personal reasons.”  Yet another author told me, “As a reader, I notice awards books have won…..I'll take a second look at a book from an unknown author that's won awards because I feel someone must have found merit in the book…it depends on who sponsored the contest.” A fourth said,  “As an unknown getting an award seemed to be one way I could possibly garner some attention for my work.” And that seemed to be the prevalent view:  if you are unknown, saying your book won an award is one way of drawing attention to it.

While most authors feel it validates their writing, the possibility that awards actually help sales seems to be a very grey area.  The authors I contacted didn’t feel it was a huge boost.  One wrote, “I have my doubts if (awards) help sales. However, it does seem to help you get on paid promotion places. LOL”  Another person told me, “…people are more likely to take a chance on an ‘award-winning’ author.” But does “more likely” increase sales?  Yet another said she wasn’t sure, while others agreed with Thompson that it was writing the best book possible that eventually gained sales. 

So what does generate sales, assuming you have written that ‘best book.’? “THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS I HAVE!”  “…Contest wins do NOT, IMHO, help as much as a bunch of good reviews….word of mouth.”  “Marketing, promotion, repetition of book title and/or author name. And writing quality stories that a majority of readers like and recommend to others. There is nothing like word of mouth kudos to move books.”  That seemed to be the consensus of opinion—it all came down to writing the best possible book and getting reviews or word of mouth.  Is there a feel-good factor to winning an award?  Yes, of course; it validates what the author has just spent several months doing. But do you sleep better at night having won?  No, not really. And if it came down to winning an award or being on a best-seller list, what do you think the answer was?

So, here I am with my multi-award winning book, Dearest Darling, on sale through Sept. 9 for 99c.  It has won a lovely marble plaque for Best Novella from The Golden Quill, a handsome token from the Maple Leaf Awards for Favorite Hero, along with Honorable Mention as Favorite Heroine, Favorite Short Story and Favorite Novel; and  placed Third in Historical Short at the International Digital Awards. It was also a 5* Reader’s Choice.  But did I write the best book possible?

You tell me.

Coffee Time Romance is currently featuring a contest with 3 winners in which Dearest Darling is part of 2 of the prizes.  head to  http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/ContestPage.html#.V8hEgCMrKRs  to take part.

The story:  Stuck in a life of servitude to her penny-pinching brother, Emily Darling longs for a more exciting existence. When a packet with travel tickets, meant for one Ethel Darton, accidentally lands on her doormat, Emily sees a chance for escape. Having turned down the dreary suitors that have come her way, is it possible a new existence also offers a different kind of man?

Daniel Saunders has carved out a life for himself in Wyoming—a life missing one thing: a wife. Having scrimped and saved to bring his mail-order bride from New York, he is outraged to find in her stead a runaway fraud. Even worse, the impostor is the sister of his old enemy.

But people are not always as they seem, and sometimes the heart knows more than the head.

And an excerpt: 

Emily liked the sound of his voice, low but not husky, a slight twang he had cultivated, but not pretentiously so. When he spoke, she envisaged melting caramel, something delicious, the way it could be so appealing as she stirred, with a shine and slow drip from the spoon, before it gradually solidified. Soothing. A liquid velvet.

But he hadn’t spoken today. Not since first thing when he’d told her to get ready. Not through breakfast, or as he helped clear dishes, or gave her a hand up into the wagon.

“You haven’t seen her. You didn’t see her picture, did you?” The questions came sudden, yet without malice.

Emily straightened, alert. “No. No, I didn’t.” Would I understand better? Is that what he meant?

“I keep it with me.” Daniel began to fish in his pocket. “Would you like to see it?”

“No. No, you keep it, please. It won’t change anything.” Emily panicked. She would be beautiful, the other, that would be the answer. So stunningly beautiful that just her photograph had enthralled him, mesmerized him into loving her. Emily couldn’t bear to look, didn’t want to know the answer. Didn’t wish to torture herself further. “And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for reading the letters.” A rush of words, they flowed out of her. “I should never have done that. It’s not like me. But you...well, you understand it seems—”

“You’re probably wondering what I see in her. Or what she sees in me. As for that, what she sees in me, I have no idea. Maybe, like you, she wishes to get away.”

Emily studied his profile, the planes and contours of his face, the eyes set straight ahead, the slouch hat low on his brow. He gave nothing away, was a man in control of his emotions, thinking, maybe still wondering how he had won that woman. Or maybe set on keeping the answer to himself.

Overhead, clouds scudded, scoured the sky, leached the blue, threatened.

“Did you ever ask her? Why you?”

“I did. She never answered. I’m thinking what she sees in me is husband material. I guess. She tells me about her day, the people she knows, what she does. As you read.”

“She just seems so...so outgoing, so...so very social to ever want this life. I found it difficult to believe.” She jutted her chin out, then turned to him, waiting.

He gave the reins a sharp shake. “I don’t know. I never asked if she knew what she was getting into. I described it. I assumed if she wanted to stop the correspondence there, she would have. I was pretty damn amazed and happy she’d wanted to come, written back even though I described the cabin to her, the isolation.” His gaze slid toward her.

“And you think she’ll make you a perfect wife, do you? Be happy living here? Cook your meals, mend your clothes, keep your cabin, have your babies?” Exasperated, she tried to make him think, think of what he was letting himself in for, how long a marriage like that could go on, how it could end up being even lonelier than he was now. Emily would seem to him to be trying to win him over rather than making him see the truth, but push him she must, save him, stop him. She knew those sorts of women, the debutantes, the socialites. Not a one would last out here, not for a single day.

His head snapped around to stare at her. “She’s been writing. She hasn’t stopped.”

Available at:  Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Darling-Letters-Andrea-Downing-ebook/dp/B00NGWT816

The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5842

Ibooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/andrea-downing/id547850055?mt=11

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23348501-dearest-darling

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dearest-darling-andrea-downing/1120514529?ean=2940150718128

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/dearest-darling

A Long Time Coming by Jannine Gallant

I want to share my news here, where I feel the love and support of my fellow authors who are on the same journey. So, something good happened, something I've waited for and dreamed about since I put pen to paper (literally) the summer I graduated from high school and decided I wanted to write romance books when I grew up. Thirty-six years later, I finally got the call I had stopped believing would ever come. Apparently, I'm a slow maturer! Now mind you, I've been published for six years. I was thrilled when that first digital contract was offered, and the first box of print on demand books was delivered to my door. Nothing is quite as wonderful for an author as the emotional connection to holding a book with your name on the cover. But I never lost the desire to see my books on a shelf in an actual bookstore.

I think we've all been there.

I've felt the frustration, convinced it was all about luck. Thinking that no matter how hard I worked or how good my books were, having my babies brush shoulders with Nora's on a shelf in an actual store wasn't ever going to happen. Turns out, it isn't a total crap-shoot, after all. Apparently we can make our own luck. I hope my story will inspire every author out there who is tempted to give up on their dream.

I've written and published or contracted a total of 18 books over the last six years. I've gone from small publisher to self publishing to a search for an agent to the digital imprint of a large publisher. I think I can say with confidence that my writing has continued to improve. I've worked hard and put out two or more titles per year. I kept producing, even when sales were awful and I felt like a complete failure. Still, I had confidence in my work and kept at it. And little by little the sales improved, and my publisher took notice and began promoting my books. Their efforts grew my audience. As my latest series, Born To Be Wilde, gets ready to launch into cyberspace at the end of this month, my editor told me my pub wanted to consider something new from me. I came up with the premise and blurbs for a three book romantic suspense series, per their request, then wrote a synopsis and the first three chapters of the first book. Then I waited...and waited...and waited.

The phone call finally came. But it wasn't from Marci, my editor at Lyrical, the digital imprint of Kensington. It was from Martin, who is much higher up the food chain. And he made the offer I'd hoped for but never really believed I'd get. He told me my books had attracted notice, that my readership was growing, and that the team at Kensington felt I was ready for print. Would I be interested in a 3 book contract with their new Lyrical mass market paperback line, which would launch in 2018?

Uh, hell yeah I'd be interested! So, in March and July and December of 2018, I'll have books with my name on them on shelves in actual brick and mortar stores. Okay, maybe I won't rub shoulders with Nora since she's an R and I'm a G, but I think I can live with that!

The moral of this admittedly long post is...Don't give up! Keep writing and improving your craft. Keep putting out those books until you grow a following. It took me 36 years and 18 books, but it happened. Perseverance won! Now all I have to do is write these next three books to the best of my ability and promote the ones I have coming out, and hope all the planets line up in the galaxy in 2018 and those babies sell!

If I can do it, you can do it, too!

So, while we're waiting for 2018 to roll around or even for Wilde One to launch at the end of the month, marketing is pushing my old series. Every Move She Makes is on sale for 99 cents for the entire month of September, and Every Step She Takes is selling for 99 cents for two more days. Get them while they're hot at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple iBooks! Visit my website for info on all my books, and happy reading!

Back to School Shopping ~ Ugh! ~ by Jannine Gallant

I survived. Barely. You moms know what I'm talking about. The annual Back-To-School shopping trip with your kids. The one where you're so sick of shopping by the end of the day you don't even look at the prices anymore and just say, "Get it and let's go!" so you can get the heck out of the mall! Apparently this August pilgrimage doesn't end when they graduate from high school. Oh, no, it actually gets worse. Because now you get to shop for stuff for the new apartment your college age child is moving into after the dorm, you know, the one that comes unfurnished!

In addition to buying household products and small appliances to compliment all my old pots and pans and the newly shipped loft bed, we were on a mission to outfit the oldest for the triathlon team she's joining--new running shoes, bike gear (don't get me started on the price of a road bike) etc. etc. And the youngest was pointing out in every store we entered that, in addition to school clothes, she has no shorts since she grew out of all hers and gave them to her older sister.

But could I just sit on a bench and patiently wait while this frenzy of shopping played out. Uh, no. Because over time, my girls have learned I apparently know them better than they know themselves and have an eye for fashion. The stuff they choose goes unworn in their closets. The clothes I buy as gifts become favorites. No, I'm not a fashion plate (I wear nothing but jeans and sweats...much to their chagrin) but I'm a pro at picking clothes they actually like and will wear. So, while they lounge in the dressing room, I run back and forth bringing them my top picks to try on.

Yeah, I should have had a career as a personal shopper.

But, I survived the ten hour ordeal and returned to tell the tale. Lighter of pocket (thought to be fair they did buy some of the stuff with their own hard earned cash) and with happy daughters. So, do you love shopping, or (like me) would you rather pour honey over your entire body and lay on an ant hill? Let's hear your back-to-school shopping horror stories...

And while you're in a shopping frame of mind, EVERY STEP SHE TAKES is on sale through the end of this month for only 99 cents. Get your copy now at the usual spots: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks. Or visit my website for more info on all my books. Happy shopping!

Storytelling - A Family Affair? by Alison Henderson

I'm not one of those writers who always knew she wanted to write. I didn't keep a journal, write fan fiction stories about my favorite singers or movie stars, or scribble wild flights of fantasy when I was growing up. I always hated creative writing assignments in school, because I never thought my ideas were any good. I had no clue how other people managed to come up with such imaginative stories. I assumed I didn't have it in me. Or did I?

When I was lying awake in the wee, small hours this morning--as I so often do--a memory popped into my mind for no reason I can think of. It was the memory my father sitting on the side of my bed when I was four or five, telling me and my younger sister bedtime stories. I don't remember the story lines, but I'll never forget desperately wanting to know what happened next.

My father was a Harvard-trained lawyer and not someone you would expect to have a particularly vivid imagination, but he made up stories that held us rapt. Actually, it was one long story, told episodically, like the 1930's radio serials he had grown up with. The heroine was Iva Marie, a plucky young lady of uncertain age but old enough to have adventures of her own with her maid/sidekick, Nettie Jane. The two girls were accompanied (and chauffeured) on their escapades through New York City by Tony the Taxicab Driver. As I recall, their adventures included all manner of "baddies", and at one point Tony had to drive the cab, with the girls inside, into the Hudson River to escape. With that kind of influence at an early age, I guess I shouldn't be surprised I ended up as a writer.

Fast forward thirty years to my own days as a young parent. When my daughter was born, I quit my job and stayed home with her for eight years. For the first three years, I was her primary playmate, and I loved it. I didn't create fantastic bedtime stories like my dad, but we did act out elaborate situations with her collection of Cabbage Patch dolls. While she was in charge of the stories, my job was to invent and maintain a different voice for each one. It was more of a challenge than you might think. 

Somehow, subconsciously, the time I spent with these two natural storytellers must have spurred me to try my hand at writing fiction. In my mid-thirties, as soon as my daughter started preschool, I began my first book. And although that was many years and seven books ago, some things haven't changed. I still want to know what happens next.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

P.S. - as a retreat from the mid-summer heat or an antidote to political hoopla, my short story collection Small Town Christmas Tales is on sale for $0.99 all month!

Free vs 99 Cents ~ What works best to sell books? by Jannine Gallant

I've seen a lot of controversy lately between various writing groups about the benefit of free books and 99 cent sales as a promotional tool. There seem to be three camps:

1) Giving away books devalues our work and should never be done. Many of these authors also frown on 99 cent sales.

2) Offering a book for free is a tool that can be used to introduce new readers to our writing and increase sales of our other books. These folks are usually divided into the perma-free and short term free categories.

3) Free no longer works because the market is glutted with free books. 99 cent sales are more effective.

So, here's my take on the subject. First of all, for me, writing is a business. My goal is to sell books, and noble ideals have nothing to do with it. Sure, I'm all about turning out the best product possible, but when it comes to promotion, I care about what actually works. So, camp #1, while I completely agree with the premise that our writing is valuable and should be rewarded as such, I'm not a big fan of putting conviction before sales. And since this is a free market society, and there are plenty of authors out there willing to give away their books, chances are moral conviction isn't going to lead to sales.

Now, the logic behind camp #2 is sound. I was all for giving away a book for free for a limited period to generate interest, but this was way back in the spring and summer of 2013. This strategy actually worked very well three years ago. But there were key elements to its success. First off, the free book had to be part of a series. The second and third books in the same series far outperformed my other back list books in residual sales. Also, interestingly enough, once the free week ended, the first book also sold very well for the same period of time as the others--usually about a month before they all started to fall off the radar. So, while I gave away over 20,000 downloads during the two week-long free periods, I sold around 900 books as a result. However, as 2013 drew to a close, these free weeks stopped performing. I had fewer free downloads and was lucky to net 100 sales as a result. It was all downhill after that. So, being a reasonably intelligent businesswoman, I quit offering my books for free since I've never been one to beat a dead horse! (Sorry about the cliche.)

Which leads to camp #3. This is the one I'm currently in, although I could change strategies if I see a benefit in the future. There are so many free books out there that people download them by the thousands and never read the vast majority. Having your book sit unread on someone's kindle isn't going to help you increase sales of your other books. Ergo, no benefit to you, the author! However, for thrifty people who troll the free and discounted books, I firmly believe if they even pay as little as 99 cents, they're far more likely to read the book simply because they paid for it. I know I would be... So, I think 99 cent sales for a book in a series will indeed net sales for your other books at full price if your sale book is strong enough to make the reader want to pick up the next one in the series. When it comes right down to it, no amount of promo will work if you don't have a great product.

However, there's a catch to this strategy. And it's a big one. Your 99 cent book has to get noticed, and that's damn hard in the current market glutted with free and discounted books. When left to my own devices, I see a little movement simply from posting about the sale on Facebook and Twitter, but we're talking a sale or two a day. The only thing that has actual worked for me to get big numbers (we're talking top #100 overall on Amazon numbers) is BookBub. I swear it's like magic, but it costs a LOT of money, and getting a deal with them is no easy task. I've been lucky in that my publisher has set up ads with them and paid for it. And why not, since when they do, I generate far more dollars in sales for them over the next month or two than the ad costs. Also, my overall sales have been on a steady rise as a result. Not spectacular, mind you, but better than they used to be. Part of that is due to having a pretty extensive back list at this point. Last month, my publisher got one of my books featured on Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals. For one day only, my book was 99 cents, and I topped out on their rankings at about #140 overall. Even though the book went right back to $3.99 the next day, residual sales for the whole series lasted a couple of weeks. So, Kindle Daily Deals is another promo option that actually works, but I have no idea how you get listed on your own or what it costs. It might be worth some research to find out, though.

So, let's hear your thoughts on Free vs. 99 cents? What camp are you in?

And as a side note, EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES, my first book in the Who's Watching Now series is currently 99 cents and will be all month. I have a BookBub deal scheduled for June 20th, so it will be interesting to see what transpires... Buy it HERE, or check out my other books on my WEBSITE.

A 99 Cent Book, And Anti-Hero to Boot by Margo Hoornstra

You’ve seen this book here before, but bear with me because  …..  SATURDAY IN SERENDIPITY is on sale at Amazon for 99 cents. These stories of love rediscovered—Three Strikes Thursday; Two On Tuesday; and One Fateful Friday—take place around the week end of a twenty year high school reunion in Serendipity, Vermont.

Among the six heroes and heroines, the most memorable character for me to write was Aaron Goodwin, the anti-hero who wreaked havoc in Two On Tuesday.

I’ll let him tell you more about it.

Where are you from, Aaron?

Born and raised in Serendipity, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. Lived there all of my life.

When the idea of a twenty-year high school reunion came up, you made a point to invite Blane Weston back home to attend. Why her?

Yeah, she is one hot babe. She’s a Serendipity High School graduate, you know. At any rate, reuniting with her was my primary goal when I talked the lady into coming home for a visit. Heh, heh, yes sir, I had big plans for me and that cutie the reunion week-end. Aside from the looks, turned out she had brains as well. Made a name for herself in the construction industry. Owns her own company somewhere around Denver. Imagine that. A woman being a success in a man’s world. Who’d a thought? Anyway, having dabbled some in real estate myself, I figured me and Blane could, you know, establish a relationship at the reunion. And, if some lucrative property deals resulted as well, so be it. If you get my drift.

So what happened?

Good question. I guess the day before she was supposed to leave for our reunion, she met this guy at one of her job sites. Some hotshot investment guru who wanted to talk business. She said she knew all about him, said he was too much into hostile takeovers for her tastes and turned him down flat. So what does he do? Follows her here to Serendipity, crashes our reunion. For what? Thinking he could change her mind?

How did the plans you had work out for you?

Not worth a crap. Every time I managed to get her alone, this Durand character showed up to, well, show me up.

 

What did you think the first time you saw Blane and Matt together?

 

Geez. He was one arrogant SOB, stepping into my territory. I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow proceeded to monopolize my date’s time the entire week-end. He didn’t graduate with us. In my opinion, he had no business being at our reunion. Look, here’s the deal. A reunion, by definition, is a reuniting. The coming together of a group which has been separated for a length of time. Yeah. I looked it up in the dictionary.

I’m almost afraid to ask this but….what was your second thought?

It’s going to be one heck of a long week-end.

Did you think it was love at first sight for them?

Who cares? But, I gotta say, judging by her reaction to the guy, at least what I saw, she was more than professionally involved. Listen. Around me she’s a no nonsense, all business, stand up kind of woman. Around him, she was all hot flashes and hormones. He followed her to Serendipity, you know.

So you’ve said. Why do you think this Matt Durand succeeded where you failed?

Danged if I know. I mean, I was all about showing Blane a good time—let her in on what she missed out on in high school—namely me.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

I don’t take advice, I’m an advice giver. I went to the Serendipity Inn for the Sunday brunch as was on the reunion itinerary. Thinking Blane might want to apologize for dumping me the night before. I was even sort of encouraged when she came flying out of the place like it was on fire. Then Durand came flying out right behind her, begging her to let him explain. You’d never catch me doing something like that over some woman.

Obviously not. Which is probably why heroes, not anti-heroes prevail.

My days to blog here are the 11^th and 23^rd. For more about me and my stories, please visit my WEBSITE

What I Like About Kindle Unlimited by Alison Henderson

If you self-publish, or even if you don't, you've probably heard the moaning and wailing that Amazon's subscription service Kindle Unlimited is killing book sales. Readers pay $9.99 a month and can "borrow" up to 10 books at a time. Books are only eligible for KU if they are Amazon-exclusive through the KDP program--indie published or through one of Amazon's own imprints. At the moment, that constitutes around one million titles. 

Obviously, this program is directed at regular readers. It wouldn't make much sense to pay the fee unless you read at least two books every month. The more you read, the better the deal. And you have to be prepared for the fact that none of the traditionally published bestsellers will be available.

I have one book in the program, my romantic suspense Unwritten Rules. Because this book has been out for two years, it would be unfair--and undoubtedly inaccurate--to attribute slow sales to the introduction of Kindle Unlimited. The program has, however, injected a new element of fun into the experience of being an indie author. I can now connect with my readers in a direct, real-time way.

I've never been much of a techie, but with Kindle Unlimited I've gleefully surrendered to the seduction of real-time data. In July, Amazon started calculating KU borrows in a different way. They assign a number of pages to each book based on adjusted length--the Kindle Edition Normalized Pages. Unwritten Rules has 501 KENP. The sales dashboard shows the number of KENP read each day, so I can see if someone is actually reading my book, right then and there, and it adjusts periodically during the day. I feel like I'm reading along with them!

For example, today, someone(s) has read 145 pages. That may change by tonight. Yesterday, the total was 351 pages. I can see when a reader begins the book, when they really get caught up in the story or have more time to read, and when they finish. If I had bigger numbers, this wouldn't be possible, but for now, it's a lot of fun. Last month, I had a 448-page day, then a couple of quiet days, then a 498-page day. This likely represented two readers who finished the book around the same time. I checked my book page on Amazon a couple of days later and found a new five star review. Now that's instant feedback!

For Labor Day weekend and in honor of Unwritten Rules' second book birthday, I'm running my first sale. The book will be priced at $.99 from now through Monday night. If you haven't read it, here's your chance to pick it up at a bargain price! And I'd be thrilled if you'd help me spread the word. I don't expect this sale to have any effect on my KU numbers, but I'm looking forward to watching them on Small Town Christmas Tales when it releases October first.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

Pinch me, I must be dreaming...by Donna Michaels

It’s been a remarkable year, so far, and it’s only half over. When I sit and think about all that has taken place the past few months, I can’t help but wonder if I am dreaming.

I barely recovered from hitting the NY Times and USA Today Bestsellers list back in January, (Who am I kidding? That still hasn’t sunk in. It’s just too surreal), then Kathryn Falk personally contacts me to invite me to RT last month—I just…wow. And I got to go up on stage at the welcome party in front of the whole 2k plus contingent with my 11 wonderful cowboy author cohorts to announce the new 12-Alarm Cowboy boxed set spearheaded by Kathryn. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, I got to meet my idol, Jill Shalvis several times, again…just…wow. AmazonEncore Publishing bought one of my books and actually gave me an advance. I’d never received one before. You can bet I copied the check and framed that sucker!!

Next month, I’m receiving 2 awards for HER UNIFORM COWBOY at the Author/Reader CON in New Orleans. (Still in shock, maybe pinch me again…) AND two weeks ago, I learned I have another cowboy up for a possible award this September. HER FOREVER COWBOY just finaled in InD’tale Magazine’s 2015 R.O.N.E Awards for Best Contemporary Cops, Jocks and Cowboys!  

 

Please don’t think I’m writing this post to boast. Absolutely not. I’m writing it to THANK all of those responsible. Don’t think for one second I assume all of that wonderful stuff happened because of me. Nope. It all happened because I have the most amazing, terrific, loyal readers, and the best, fabulous author friends in the world! Thank you all from the bottom of my fluttering heart! <3

The book I have with AmazonEncore is on sale right now for $1.99!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UK7IBEK/ 

That new 12-Alarm Cowboy boxed set I mentioned is up for Pre-Order and only .99cents! Now’s a great time to get 12 hot, cowboy firefighters before the price goes up when it releases on August 4th. My contribution HER VOLUNTEER COWBOY is the 6 ^th book in my Harland County Series, and I won’t be releasing it as a single until September. This is a good way to get your copy, along with 11other smokin’ hot cowboys, and all for only .99cents!

Amazon

US – http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysUS

UK – http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysUK

AU – http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysAU

CA – http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysCA 

Barnes & Noble (Nook)

http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysNook 

Kobo

http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysKobo 

iBooks

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/12-alarm-cowboys/id993683709?mt=11  

And I just had a New Release three weeks ago. HER HEALING COWBOY, Book 5 in my Harland County Series is now available in eBook and Print, and has garnered 16 Five Star reviews and 3 Four Stars. A big thank you to all who took the time to leave such wonderful reviews. <3

Holly’s stay in Harland County Texas is limited. She’s only there to help run her uncle’s ice cream business while he recuperates from an operation. Her home is in Colorado. Her life is in Denver. Her dream job is in Denver but won’t be if she doesn’t get back before her leave of absence runs out. Everybody knows this, but apparently her heart and body didn’t get the memo because they spark to life whenever her uncle’s smoking, hot doctor is around. But she’s been burned by one before and is definitely not interested. Much.

Doctor Jace Turner has one goal: Join Doctors Without Borders. Ever since his father was in a car accident and became HIV Positive from a blood transfusion, Jace set his sights on the organization and plans to join, once his contract is up with the Texas National Guard. The last thing he needs is the crazy attraction he feels toward the beauty from Colorado.

The cowboy isn’t looking for a relationship. She isn’t staying. Perfect set up for a fling. What harm could there be?

US:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XWFRCX8

UK:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XWFRCX8 

 As always, thanks for reading,

~Donna

Spring in the Woods by Jannine Gallant

My favorite part of the day is walking in the woods with Ginger. Right now, the wildflowers are beginning to bloom. After a winter of no snow in Tahoe, they're out early and probably won't last long, but I'm enjoying them while they're here. I hope you will, too!

This purple ground cover is super pretty, and grows like crazy. I'd love to transfer it to my yard, but I'm not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination!

More snow plants than I've ever seen before this year. Not sure why since we didn't have much snow. This one's a king-daddy, though it's hard to tell how big it is from the picture.

The lupine are just beginning to bloom.

Someone told me these bushes are service berries. They flower in white masses. Super pretty!

I'm not sure what these are. They look like big daisies. But I thought this was a neat photo.

Okay, not a flower. This little guy visited me at the boat ramp the other morning when I was working. Couldn't resist sharing him!

Ginger trying to cross the creek without getting her paws wet at the end of our walk. She fell in. Really funny, but I missed the shot!

This is the final week Every Move She Makes will be on sale for 99 cents. A lot of the action happens in the woods around Lake Tahoe. My characters also enjoy this wild scenery. You can purchase your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

I also updated my website. Tell me what you think!

Does Your Book Write Itself? by Jannine Gallant

From the title of my post, I bet you thought I was going to talk about perseverance and keeping your butt in your chair and your fingers on the keyboard... All very true and something we need to hear now and then, but not today's topic.

I'm afraid I'm becoming more and more of a panster. My outlines (now only written in my head) are getting thinner and thinner. Scary. Very scary. I like knowing where I'm headed. I've always liked having an outline to refer to when my fingers hover over the keyboard, not sure what to type next. But after writing over a dozen books, I have the basic format nailed and no longer want to waste what little spare time I have on outlines. So, I'm winging it.

Here's an example of my current (in my head until now) WIP outline:

Part One: Rafting trip where characters are introduced and suspicious incidents start happening. Three suspects are given opportunity. Hero and heroine form a bond but both know a serious relationship isn't in the works due to their differences.

Part Two: Hero and heroine go their separate ways. Heroine pulls back, and hero throws up his hands in disgust at her unwillingness to try.

Part Three: H & H are forced back together on their way to an engagement party of mutual friends/family. Plane crashes as a result of the bad guy up to no good again. (Main suspect is eliminated.) The attraction as they battle through the wilderness is back in full force.

Part Four: At the party, the bad guy is finally revealed after the heroine is put in danger. Wrap up the romance.

Uh, even I will admit this is pretty sketchy. Especially the ending that is still extremely hazy in my cluttered little brain. So, part one is written and didn't turn out half bad, if I do say so myself! On to part two, except as I started writing the scene where the H & H go their separate ways, the hero invited himself home with the heroine. Not just to her apartment in Washington DC, to her parents' home in Vermont! WTH! That wasn't supposed to happen! Except I couldn't stop my fingers from tapping out this new twist. Uh, let's hope they know where this is going since I don't have a clue. My characters are now in charge, writing their own story.

Does this happen to you? Do your characters stage a rebellion and take over your story, dragging you along for the ride? Have I lost my mind because I'm allowing this uprising to take place? Hey, at least now I'm excited to write the story since I'm dying to see what happens next. So, one positive note to being a panster is it keeps you motivated to write...even if it is morbid curiosity driving you!

And now for a bit of promo... EVERY MOVE SHE MAKES is on sale this month for only 99 CENTS. Grab a copy and read it while it's such a bargain. I estimate you'll have time to push it to the top of your TBR pile and finished reading it just in time to pick up the second book in the series, out the beginning of July. I bet you didn't know this was your new reading plan for this spring, but since it seems like such a good one, I encourage you to be a panster and go for it! LOL

Buy it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or iTunes.

Find out more about my books on my Website.