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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A quick THANK YOU!


Thank you to everyone who has purchased my first mystery, Not a Whisper.  Sales are going well. So far I'm at 97 books sold - think I can make 100 before the end of the month? The book is also available on Smashwords for those who have a Nook or other e-reader.

The reviews so far at Amazon have been good so I guess folks are enjoying reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Right now word of mouth is the best promotion, so if you have read the book, I hope you will tell your friends (and feel free to blog about it, too). Thanks!

Oh, I hope to have the book available in print by the end of March for those who would prefer a paperback copy.

Remember, you don't need a Kindle to read the Kindle version. Amazon has readers for computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. HERE. You can also download the free Klondike Kompanion and learn a little more about the main characters.

Friday, February 22, 2013

NaNoWriMo's Facebook Writing Prompt

I noticed a post from NaNoWriMo in my Facebook feed. Today's writing prompt: take the first line of the Facebook status directly below this one, and use it as the opening to a super short story here in our comments. (Minor changes in the name of privacy permitted.)


Here is my flash story that I wrote off the cuff, without editing. Enjoy! [Thanks to my friend, Betty, who's status, shown in bold, was used.]
"Saw a few flakes just a bit ago. Snowflakes, that is." I can't remember the last time I saw some, well, other than on TV or a movie. I take a sip of tea and warm my hands as my mind floats back to around age five.

"Daddy, look at the snow. Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Yes, baby. Just beautiful. Give me a kiss before I go to work."

I set the cup down before my tears turn the tea salty. That was the last time I saw my father alive. My brother and I moved with our mom to our grandparents in Arizona. Seeing snow falling here in Tucson gave me a sense of comfort; almost like my dad was saying hello.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

My first mystery is LIVE on Amazon!


The good news is that my first mystery novel, Not a Whisper, is finally live on Amazon. Remember, you don't need a Kindle to read it. Amazon has readers for computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. HERE. You can also download the free Klondike Kompanion and learn a little more about the main characters. If you've been following me for a while, you might remember that this was my Camp NaNoWriMo novel from this past August.

Soon I'll be starting book two in the series, Barely a Spark, due out this year. Please pass the word and for those of you that buy the book, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.




When Cherie Marshall catches her fiancé and best friend in a compromising position, she cancels her upcoming wedding and jumps at the chance to escape to quiet Klondike, Pennsylvania to care for her elderly aunt. She thought her biggest issue would be adapting to life in the middle of a National Forest, so very different from her upbringing in the deserts of Arizona.

But that was before she met State Trooper Fire Marshall Jamison "Jazz" Maddox at the scene of a mysterious fire. As they both become acquainted with the close-knit Klondike residents, things get complicated as Cherie and Jazz find themselves in the middle of a local crime wave where arson, kidnapping, embezzlement and a decades old murder are just the tip of the iceberg.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Two great Indie Authors: Randy Morris & Stephen Arseneault


Randy Morris has created an interesting new series. The first in the Jehovah and Hades series is Jacob and Hyde.

Jake was just a normal kid who enjoyed hearing his mother's bedtime stories. The stories became shockingly real when he discovered that he was a descendant of Dr. Jekyll and that he had his own Mr. Hyde living inside him. Driven by a desire to do good, he attempts to hunt down and kill the remaining Hyde monsters. Can he finish off the onslaught of Hyde monsters and keep the girl he loves safe from their retaliation?

Check out all three books in the Jekyll and Hyde series by Randy Morris.

All three have been reduced to $.99 and the three book collection is at $2.99:

Jacob and Hyde
Jehovah and Hades
Jehovah and Hades: Federal Case
Jehovah and Hades 1-3



Stephen Arsenault is the author of the Sci-Fi Action Adventure series, SODIUM. This is the first thriller in the SODIUM series. Follow along as the unwitting group determine their own fate.

Before an invasion it is wise to gather intel on your foe. Harbinger begins the tale of the fight to save Earth as told from the perspective of an unlikely hero...

In 1957, a group of wilderness adventurers are confronted with the unexpected. They are forced to defend themselves against an unworldly enemy. Will man's first encounter with aliens force them to run or will they stand and fight?

Also available from this author:
"SODIUM:2 Apocalypse" - the aliens return in modern day and attack
"SODIUM:3 Fusion" - the aliens return with an even larger force
"SODIUM:4 Gravity a" - (the first adventure) a new world explored
"SODIUM:4 Gravity b" - (the second adventure) the battle for Earth moves into high gear
"SODIUM:4 Gravity c" - (the third adventure) Man faces a weapon more powerful than he could imagine, a new alien race emerges
"SODIUM:5 Assault a" It's time to take the fight to their world!
"SODIUM:5 Assault b" A world is destroyed and a massive fleet attacks!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

#IWSG: Writing Funks and Moving Enough


Sorry for being MIA since the cruise, it's been a struggle. First it was due to the chest cold I brought back with me. Week one - lost. Then I got preoccupied with our upcoming month long vacation in Ecuador - more weeks gone. I'm trying to get back on track, honest, I am. Writing has been way too sporadic and I have much to write!

I hope to finish the final edit of "Not a Whisper" this week and get it uploaded to Amazon. I hate missing deadlines, even if they were artificially created by me. First I missed Dec 31st, then Jan 31st. Keep your fingers crossed that I can make this one.

I have taken some time just for me, going for some motorcycle rides for one thing. I also need to start moving more, physically. I'm sitting too much and getting stiff and inflexible. It's been years since I did yoga and even then I only did very basic moves. Time to get the mat out and stretch these tight muscles, tendons and ligaments. I was actually pretty good on the cruise, using both the recumbent bike and the elliptical.

How do you fight falling into a writing funk? What helps you get out of it and back being productive? Do you sit too much or are you good about getting off your butt and moving enough?

Sigh.....

Monday, February 4, 2013

I'm published in an Anthology of Flash Fiction!

I wrote a lot of flash fiction last year for various sites. One of those was an entry in the weekly flash fiction contest at my #1 Indie Author site, IndiesUnlimited.com. Many of you voted for my entry and I won. Indies Unlimited has now published all the stories in a compilation at Amazon. I hope you'll check it out...there's something for everyone. Oh, and it's only .99! You can't go wrong...

Indies Unlimited: 2012 Flash Fiction Anthology
The Indies Unlimited 2012 Flash Fiction Anthology features a year’s worth of winning entries from the IndiesUnlimited.com weekly flash fiction challenge. It contains 56 stories by 38 different authors from around the world, with full color pictures by award-winning photographer K. S. Brooks and thought-provoking prompts by five-star author Stephen Hise.

From the comic misadventures of a caveman named Og to a deranged zombie picnic, there are a myriad of genres and stories to appeal to every taste.

Authors with stories in the anthology include: David Antrobus, Gabrielle Baer, Brian Beam, Robert K. Blechman, Laurie Boris, William C. Busch, Sandra Campbell, Lynne Cantwell, Kent Chapman, Ed Drury, E.J. Fechenda, Terveen Gill, Yvonne Hertzberger, Jacqueline Hopkins, Chris James, Jerriann Law, Bob Lock, Pam Logan, Monica Baguchinsky Lunn, JD Mader, Brianna Lee McKenzie, Teirrah McNair, Donna B. McNicol, Rich Meyer, SP Mount, J. L. Murray, Stephanie Myers, Angela Rigley, Betsy Riley, Marc Emile Samuel, Irina Serban, Shiri Sondheimer, Dianna Stover, Krista Tibbs, Dick C. Waters, Sally Whitney, Renee Pierce Williams, and Carol Wyer.

$50/$30 off Kindle Fire Coupon Code

Here’s a new Kindle Fire coupon for some great discounts -
  1. Kindle Fire Coupon is FIRELOVE. You have to enter it at checkout. The final page, where you have to press ‘Confirm’ to send order, has a spot on the right to enter this Kindle Fire Coupon.
  2. $30 off on the $299 Kindle Fire HD 16 GB  That makes its price $269.
  3. $50 off on the $499 Kindle Fire HD LTE  That makes its price $449.
  4. Coupon can only be used once per customer.
  5. Valid only in the US.
  6. Valid only till February 8th.

Terms and Conditions
• The promotion is valid for a limited time only. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel it at any time.
• If you do not purchase the qualifying item when the promotion is in effect, the promotional code will not apply.
• The promotion is limited to one per customer.
• U.S. customers only
• The promotion applies only to Kindle Fire HD 8.9” and Kindle Fire HD 8.9” 4G LTE Wireless devices sold and shipped by Amazon Digital Services. It does not apply to the same products sold by other sellers.
• If you return items purchased using a promotion code, we will subtract the value of the promotion code from your return credit.
• Promotion codes may not be combined with other offers.
• Does not apply to orders placed with 1-Click.
• Offer good while supplies last.
• Void where prohibited.
• If you violate any of the Terms and Conditions, the promotion will be invalid, and the promotional code discount will not apply.

Enjoy - I love my Kindle Fire HD.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Scott Langrel and Michael Meyer are today's featured indie authors

Here are two more great indie authors to enjoy.

Michael Meyer is the author of Covert Dreams. This Internationally acclaimed suspense thriller has been compared to Robert Ludlum's Bourne series, and the writing style has been compared to that of Dean Koontz.
Imagine waking up remembering intimate details about a country in which you have never traveled and fluently speaking a language that you have never spoken. B.J. is living the ideal life. He has a great wife, a wonderful job. And yet he is experiencing life-like vivid dreams of Munich, a city he has never visited.

Stan Halsey is a professor in Saudi Arabia, who sends for his wife to join him. She arrives, and, in the blink of an eye, she vanishes, leaving no trace of ever being alive in either the United States or in Saudi Arabia.




Here's a little information about the other author of the day, Scott Langrel:

I was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, a town nestled in the mountains of Appalachia. My favorite TV shows as a kid were "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and "Night Gallery" with Rod Serling. I was also drawn to books with larger-than-life heroes such as Doc Savage and Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane. I prefer horror and thrillers where there is a real, supernatural villain as opposed to psychological horror, and I try to incorporate such characters into my stories.

PriorEarth Book One (The PriorEarth Series)
Part one of a serialized novel. 13,000 words.

What if everything you thought you knew about your home, your friends, your family--even yourself--was a lie?

A storm of change is coming to the planet Earth, and no one will escape it. Many will perish, unable to accept the total reshaping of reality as we know it. In the aftermath that follows, a handful of ragtag heroes must adapt to this strange, new world and begin a quest to save the Earth's remaining inhabitants from total annihilation.

Combining elements of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, PriorEarth takes the reader on a roller coaster ride through a world that is alien yet familiar at the same time.