Books for Mystery Writers

Since I started writing in 2012, I have amassed quite a collection of books to help me both improve my craft and keep my stories accurate. We all use Google, of course, but not all the information available online is accurate (imagine that!). These books have been written by experts from all fields including law enforcement and law as well as, of course, writers.

IWSG for October 2017: Book Releases

Once again, it's the first Wednesday in the month and time for a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. It never fails to amaze me how quickly the month passes by. Faster every month, it seems.

So this month, I'm stressed about book releases. Did I do enough pre-release marketing? Am I doing enough on release day? Will I do enough post-release?

Book Launches

Marketing is the part of publishing a book that I dread. I use Facebook. I use Twitter. I use this and two other blogs. But it never seems to be enough anymore. Each release gets a little worse and I wonder why I am still writing? People tell me they love my books, but my sales sure don't reflect it.

• My one romance novel, Home Again, sold 100 books in the first five months. Not bad.
• The first book in my Klondike Mystery series, Not a Whisper, sold 321 books in the first five months. Happy camper!
• The second book in my Klondike Mystery series, Barely a Spark, sold 130 books in the first five months. Sigh....

So how are sales this year? Here are my YTD sales so far:

• Home Again 18
• Not a Whisper 22
• Barely a Spark 16

Sigh...of course, Kindle Unlimited is a factor but even the sales there don't make much of a splash.

Book three in my Klondike Mystery series, Almost a Touch, was put on pre-order September 23rd. Five days in, I had 10 pre-sales. Just prior to going live, it had made it all the way to 22 pre-sales.

Book one, Not a Whisper, was free from 9/28 through 9/30 with almost 4100 downloads. Will that translate into sales of Barely a Spark and Almost a Touch? Only time will tell. 

I've got a contest going and so far have four - FOUR - entries over the last two days. I even listed it with half a dozen contest/sweepstakes sites.

Yes...it's discouraging. At this point, I plan to write the third in my Lei Crime Kindle World Trilogy, Paradise Drift. I have no further writing plans after that...at least in the near future. So this will be my final IWSG post. It's been a fun ride!

Books by Indies - Great Summer Reads

Looking for something to read this summer? I have an amazing group of author friends with an even more amazing array of books. One of these friends spent quite some time assembling a list of books ranging from romance to mystery to sci-fi and even dystopian and fantasy books.

From short story anthologies to full length novels, there's bound to be something in the list that interests you. I hope you will stop by to check out her comprehensive list (and yes, I'm included).

SUMMER INDIE READS
blog post by C.A. Newsome

#IWSG April 2017: Compromise

I almost missed this months Insecure Writer's Support Group post. I know, I almost missed it last month, too. This time, it's not due to cruising. Instead, it's due to my participation in the April A to Z Blog Challenge.

I pre-wrote and scheduled all my posts, thinking I would be ahead of the game. Well, in that aspect, I am. But I am still spending 2-3 hrs a day replying to comments on my posts as well as commenting on the posts of other participants. LOL!

Last month I told you I hoped to finally finish the first draft of the third book in my Klondike Mystery series, Almost a Touch. Well - I DID! And then I immediately set it aside.

During the cruise I did start work on my next novella in my Lei Crime Kindle World series, Paradise Dead (Paradise Down was the first). It was fun to be able to chat with the real life characters on the cruise ship (the band members) and pass along little tidbits and get their reactions.

But I had hoped to finish the first draft and that didn't happen. Then we arrived back in FL and had four days to get a new storage shed installed on our RV lot and pack up to head to our house in TN. Well, hubby got sick, then I got sick...then April happened.

So my word for the month's IWSG is "Compromise", because that's what I'm doing.

#IWSG for Feb 2017: Social Media - Is it worth it?

I haven't been doing many IWSG posts recently, too much personal life. Same with my newsletter and blog posts. Very sporadic. Twitter? I can't remember the last time I visited. Facebook? Well, I do auto post a quote of the day every day.

My stats are abysmal but in talking to other indie authors, it seems as though I'm not alone. The market is flooded, book sales are lower than they have been in years, the bullying continues in many online places...so what to do?

Do I ramp up my online presence or do I follow the advice I read recently? The blog post, 17 Changes Indie Authors Can Expect in 2017, opened my eyes a big. It sounds like I'm not the only one reconsidering my social media relationships.

I didn't do much active marketing in 2016 and my sales reflected that. I did a price drop on the first in my series in November/December timeframe and bought a few inexpensive ads. It made a big difference. I think I am better served by doing that 2-3 times a year and worrying less about social media. I also need to develop a plan to grow my email list, that means more newsletter interaction from me.

What are your plans for social media this year? Will you become more or less active? Or will you stay at the same level?

Today is the day!

I'm the Featured Author Today!

Okay, so it ended up being yesterday, but I hope you will still read it. Then comment so you can be entered for the prizes listed!

Want to learn more about me and my novella Paradise Down, part of the Lei Crime Mysteries? Check out my interview at http://tobyneal.net/2016/06/30/leicrimekw-author-interview-d-b-mcnicol/.

Still a chance to WIN!

Did you miss our big Facebook online giveaway?

NO problem.

There are still prizes to be won. Five more days from TODAY, so click and enter!

CLICK to ENTER

In addition, on June 30th, Lei Crime Series author Toby Neal will be hosting Lei Crime Kindle World authors on her blog. There will be interviews (yes, I'm on - July 4th) and more prizes, so stop on by.

Here is a list of the participating authors - all have written at least one Lei Crime Series Kindle World book.

6/30: Toby Neal
7/1: Lynda Filler
7/2: Amy Allen Hallmark
7/3: Fiona Manning
7/4: Donna Blanchard McNicol
7/5: Noelle Pierce
7/6: Patricia Sands
7/7: David Schoonover
7/8: Carol Shenold
7/9: Amy Shojai
7/10: Helen Yee, Julie Gilbert, Scott Bury, AJ Llewellyn
7/11: Shawn McGuire, Terry Ambrose

I hope to see you there, posting your questions and comments. Since I will be traveling, I may not be able to reply right away, but I will reply as soon as I possibly can!

Facebook Online Party - June 27th #LeiCrimeKW

FACEBOOK PARTY ONLINE! 
Monday, June 27 at 6 PM - 8 PM

Join Toby Neal, author of the original Lei Crime Series, and more than a dozen Lei Crime Series Kindle Worlds authors (Yup, I'll be there!) for a fun gathering with tons of giveaways to celebrate the launch of a host of new Lei Crime novellas June 30!

Meet the new authors, participate in hilarity, snag some cool swag, and be entered for a multi-gift grand prize! Oh, and tell/invite all your friends.

Come join us, just click HERE. Oh, and if we aren't Facebook friends - feel free to send me a friend request, just let me know you are a FAN of my books.

The Setting Thesaurus Books Are Here: Help Becca And Angela Celebrate!

If you have ever looked at my resource page, you will see three books by Becca & Angela:

  

Well, now they are coming out with two new books. Here is some information on THE SETTINGS - Urban and Rural. I know I'll be getting them as soon as they are available!

As we storytellers sit before the keyboard to craft our magic, we're usually laser-focused on the two titans of fiction: plot and character. Yet, there's a third element that impacts almost every aspect of the tale, one we really need to home in on as well: the setting.

The setting is so much more than a painted backdrop, more than a stage for our characters to tromp across during the scene. Used to its full advantage, the setting can characterize the story's cast, supply mood, steer the plot, provide challenges and conflict, trigger emotions, help us deliver those necessary snippets of backstory...and that's just scratching the surface. So the question is this: how do we unleash the full power of the setting within our stories?

Well, there's some good news on that front. Two new books have released this week that may change the description game for writers. The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to City Spaces and The Rural Setting Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Personal and Natural Spaces look at the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds a character might experience within 225 different contemporary settings. And this is only the start of what these books offer writers.

 In fact, swing by and check out this hidden entry from the Rural Setting Thesaurus: Ancient Ruins.

And there's one more thing you might want to know more about....


Becca and Angela, authors of The Emotion Thesaurus, are celebrating their double release with a fun event going on from June 13-20th called ROCK THE VAULT.

At the heart of the Writers Helping Writers site is a tremendous vault, and these two ladies have been hoarding prizes of epic writerly proportions.

A safe full of prizes, ripe for the taking...if the writing community can work together to unlock it, of course.

Ready to do your part? Stop by Writers Helping Writers to find out more!

Housekeeping Hints

I ran across a good blog recently, useful enough that I wanted to share it. The title is "3 Things To Do Now To Start 2016 Off Right".

I already do the first one by keeping all my writing on Dropbox (syncs everything between my MacBook and iPad, and will sync updates from the Chromebook app, Writebox, when I have Internet access); by using an external hard drive for automatic backups using TimeMachine (Mac); by using Carbonite for offsite backups.

I really need to work on the second item. I have so many copies of my first two Klondike mystery books - thinking about getting a new edit done and only keeping that version.

Number three is a no brainer for me...not a clutter person. LOL!

What are your writing tips to help productivity in 2016?

Starting a local writing group

Here it is, almost three months of 2015 gone and I haven't done much blogging here other than my regularly scheduled posts. Wow! So sorry, not sure what happened but time sure got away from me.

My biggest accomplishment has been starting a local support group for writers. There has been one or two active groups but they were strictly critique groups. I attended a couple of meetings before deciding that wasn't what I was looking for.

I chose a meeting place, picked a regular schedule (1st and 3rd Wed of every month) and posted a notice in two of the local email newsletters as well as several local Facebook groups. I got a surprising number of responses. We currently have over 30 newsletter subscribers and close to 2/3 of that number have been to one of the first two meetings.

We have quite a diverse group of members, several from scientific backgrounds, PhD's, memoir writers, mystery, science fiction and children's books are all represented as well as other more spiritual areas.

We now have a website and a Facebook group and so far everyone seems positive. We open with brief introductions, move to either a speaker on a specific topic or open Q&A. Then we move to a writing hour (or more if no speaker or short Q&A).

I have heard from one member who was thrilled that her writer's block was gone, she hadn't written since the untimely death of her grandson last July. Another almost finished up a column he needed to get written. I managed almost 2000 words on my middle school short story that has been languishing.

All in all, the experience has been quite positive.

Oh, and I will try to post more often...honest!

My name is Donna and I'm an Introvert

Even though authors need to be "ON" a lot of the time, I've found that many of us are actually introverts. We need our alone time to recoup from dealing with too many people around us.

It sounds strange, I can write in a busy cafe/restaurant, but after any gathering of more then 6-8 people at a time, I need my downtime. I call it people overload.

Growing up I was painfully shy and I didn't grow out of that until my early 30's. Then a corporate career taught me how to smile and mingle, although I still hate small talk and don't think I'm very good at it. Although I admit, living in Ecuador helps - perfect conversation starter.

A writing friend recently posted a funny t-shirt on Facebook and when I went to the company's website, I found several more. Know anyone who might enjoy these? The first one is the one I want!! PS. They have the sayings on tote bags, pillows and more, not just shirts.

Buy It

Buy It

Of course ALL writers should have this one!

Buy It

New books and Free books!

It's time for me to pimp some friends' books, so here goes!

NEW RELEASE:

Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Apple

FREE BOOKS (limited time):

Amazon

Amazon

Be sure to tell your family and friends - you can even share my blog! ;)

#IWSG for October: Writing Woes, Too Many Stories

Another month has passed and it's time for a new IWSG post. Once again so much has happened that it's all a blur, most of it personal stuff, not much writing related at all. (But I did LOVE and LEARN a lot at The Writers' Police Academy - can't wait to do it next year!)

Busy, busy, busy so the theme for this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group is WRITING WOES, TOO MANY STORIES.

I love to write but lately I find it hard to carve out dedicated time. Too much life going on while we are in the US. Seeing family and friends, catching up on movies we can't see in Ecuador, sorting through things in order to simplify life when we are living in the RV for 2-3 months, shopping for things to take back to Ecuador...I could go on and on.

But worse than that is knowing I need to work on book three in my Klondike Mystery series and SUDDENLY having a new series pop into my head. Oh no! I can't go there...but now I have a kick-ass heroine ready to have me write her story! I have her name, some of her back story and character quirks.

STOP! I can't think about her. I have too many things on my To Do list, like updating Home Again and Barely a Spark with the proof edits that came back recently. Like finishing a short story for submission to an anthology to benefit an author friend fighting cancer. Like BOOK THREE of the Klondike Mysteries!!

What do you do when you are already fighting the time battle, have your To Do list defined and a NEW CHARACTER starts bugging you to tell their story? :(

Post-mortem on The Writers' Police Academy #WPA2014

When I last left off....

I left after lunch on Wednesday, headed to Greensboro, NC for the WPA (Writers' Police Academy) conference. I stopped in Newport, TN at the Best Western for a good night's sleep. I had another four or so hours to drive, the weather was good and I got to the Greensboro Airport Marriott around 1PM.

Registration was at 3PM and I started to meet other writers, some there for their first time like me. The rest of the day went quickly after our orientation and I tried to get to be early due to getting up at 6AM for the bus at 7:30 to Guilford Community College in Jamestown, NC.

The next 2 1/2 days FLEW by....

First morning reenactment: Drunk driver slams into yard sale




We learned "exotic" meant "BIZARRE" as we heard about serial killers, vampires, werewolves and strange suicides.


So much for us writers to get wrong...


Author John Gilstrap wants us to write it right...or else!


Lisa Gardner gave a great presentation on writing thrillers but none of the photos I took were any good, but she did sit on the ground beside me at the Saturday morning demo - breaching buildings with explosives.





You can see some of the force of the explosion in this photo from writing friend, Brenda Novak. My photo is a blurry shot of the top of the door.


Chief Scott Silverii introduced us to Special Ops like SWAT, K9, Dive Rescue, Mounted Police, etc.


We also learned about the mannerisms of cops or Coptics, as the Chief labeled them.


Then we learned about evidence collection, processing and preservation.


And then we moved into the more gory details.


Robin Burcell showed us how accurate witness drawings could be and we learned the drawings are used for suspect elimination in witness drawings and victim identification in forensic drawings.


My last session was with a Nurse Medical Examiner - WOW!


But it wasn't all work, there was plenty of play. We bought tickets to try to win drawings of baskets full of books and other donations. We bid in the silent auctions, we chatted with other authors, we ate, we listened to presentations by Alafair Burke and Michael Connelly. We learned and laughed and learned some more!














Lee was everywhere - especially when there was an opportunity to get some good video (something we weren't allowed to do...LOL!)


All too soon it was time to go home - new friends hugs, cards exchanged, mind whirling with ideas for stories. It's now a week later and I'm ready to go again!! So many sessions that I didn't get to attend...have to get them next year. ;)

PS. Want to see more photos? Check out my SmugMug album.