NEW RELEASE: Book #3 in the John Lee Quarrels Series by Nick Russell

Many of my readers are also followers of Nick Russell, a good friend and a great author. He started with his Big Lake series and in the last year he started a new series and book three is now available. The John Lee Quarrels books - a grittier series that will keep you wanting more. I hope you'll give it a try!

As sultry as a Florida back road in August, as mysterious as the South's live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, and as deadly as a copperhead strike, the second book in New York Times bestselling author Nick Russell's new John Lee Quarrels series is sure to hook you from the first page and keep you reading late into the night!

   

*May contain strong language and adult situations some readers might be uncomfortable with.*

Klondike Mysteries - Now in Paperback!

All three of my Klondike Mystery "whodunit" novels are now available from Amazon.

• Not a Whisper   [book 1]
• Barely a Spark  [book 2]
• Almost a Touch [book 3]

BUT, if you would like a signed copy, you need to order the books direct from my website. You can even ask for a personal inscription! Please note, Almost a Touch will be mailed after November 1st.

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!

WEP Oct 2017: DARK PLACES

Physical or psychological.
It’s Halloween.
This has any number of possibilities!
Let your imagination run riot!

This little piece of flash fiction was featured as part of the May 2012 National Flash Flood. It's darker than my normal writing and I thought this month's WEP challenge was a good time to share it again. Below is my entry consisting of a mere 388 words, NCCO (no critique, comment only please).

The Taxi Ride

"I hate night shift, gives me heebie-jeebies," I whispered, looking in the rearview mirror at my latest passenger. "So where can I take you tonight?"

"The Pit," a voice rumbled from the back.

"The Pit, huh. I hear stuff about that place."

He grunted.

"All kinds of weird things. People go in and freaks come out."

"Don't believe what you hear, believe what you see."

"Well, I'd rather not see those kinda things." I sought his face but it was obscured by his hood.

The Pit was an old mansion about 10 miles outside the city. For the last dozen years, it had become a gathering spot for the fringes of society. Kids conforming in their nonconformity for the most part but it was the elders who gave me the creeps; tonight's passenger was one.

I slowed as I approached the gate. "Um, I usually stop at the gate." My voice betrayed me and I shook with fear.

"Drive!" 

I hesitated, "Okay. But I'm stopping on the other side of the gate."

"Keep driving." 

A shiver ran up my spine and ended with a tingling at the base of my skull as I passed through the gate, "It's a higher fare..."

"Just drive," he boomed.

"Yeah, okay." The mansion hovered in the mist that suddenly appeared. Lit only by candlelight strange shadows danced on the walls inside. I shuddered, whispering, "Could this place get any creepier?" 

He paid his fare, slid out of the cab and glided towards the house. 

"Thanks. Have a good evening," I shouted as I spun the taxi around and raced toward the gate. Strange laughter erupted behind me and I looked in the rear view mirror. 

Slamming the brakes, I screamed. 

The face in the mirror wasn't mine and it wasn't human.

His words echoed back, "Believe what you see."

"Almost a Touch" New Release Giveaway

I've decided to celebrate the launch of my latest book, Almost a Touch (book #3 in the Klondike Mystery series), with a giveaway. It's easy to participate. Just buy the book, either now, as a pre-order, or after October 1st when it goes live.

How do you enter? Just email me your proof of purchase (the purchase email from Amazon or a screenshot of the Thank You page from Amazon). You'll get one entry per book purchase.

Kindle Unlimited Subscriber? You can still participate by sharing the book announcement on your Facebook page, Twitter Account or Blog. Just send me an email with links to your posts and you'll get one entry per share!

When does the contest end? Entries emailed by midnight (ET) on October 5th will be entered into a random drawing to choose the winners. Entries received after that date will not be accepted.

What can you win? Here are the prizes:

• Amazon Gift Card for $10 
• Author Classic Tote Bag, signed if desired {14" x 14" x 3"}
• Signed paperback copy of Not a Whisper, book #1 in the Klondike Mystery series.
• Signed paperback copy of Barely a Spark, book #2 in the Klondike Mystery series.

BONUS Entries: Once the book goes live on 10/1, you can enter reviews. If you get a chance to read it and write a short review, send me the link for an extra bonus chance to win!

How do I find the link to my Facebook post or the link to my Twitter tweet? From your computer, find the post in question. Hover the mouse over the date/time stamp. Right-click and choose "Copy Link Address". Paste the link into your email and send it to me.

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I hope you'll join in the fun and who knows, you just might be a winner!
Be sure to share this blog post with your friends, too.

Don't forget to download the first book in the series,
"Not a Whisper" - free through 9/30!

Giveaways

"Not a Whisper" - Klondike Mysteries, Book 1 (FREE)

No Kindle e-reader? Download a free reader app for your smartphone, tablet or computer!

"Almost a Touch" PRE-ORDER now!

Now Available for PRE-ORDER: Click Here

"Home Again" - a sweet romance (ON SALE)

Blog Awards & and a Thank You

When I started this blog in 2012, things were hot and new in the Indie world and authors were connecting via both Twitter and their blogs. Blogger provided easy ways to follow blogs and events like the April A-Z Blog Challenge brought even more followers.

I was fortunate to have a lot of readers, albeit mostly other authors, but an active group. I received several different blog awards and have them posted on my Awards page.

In 2013, I think, I decided to move my blog to one based on WordPress and hosted on my own domain. What a disaster! Way too many updates to keep up with, I kept losing my customizations, and hackings were rampant. But the worst thing was losing most of my followers.

I eventually moved back to Blogger.com and chalked it up to a bad decision - at least for me. But I have never recouped my reader following and have often considered dropping this blog completely.

And yet, I still plug away at it.

Why am I telling you this? Well, it appears bloggers are reactivating some of the old blog awards and I've found myself the recipient, again, of the Leibster Award, thanks to Emily in Ecuador (please be sure to check out her great blog, My Life in Ecuador).

Liebster Award
"Liebster" is a German word meaning beloved or dearest. It is an online recognition in form of virtual award which started in 2011 passed on by bloggers to fellow bloggers for enjoying and valuing their work. The idea is to recognize the effort and give credit.

The Liebster Award is interesting in that anyone nominated for it receives it by writing an acceptance post. The rules for accepting the award are straightforward:

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Answer the 11 questions you were asked.
• Nominate 11 people and ask them 11 questions.
• Notify each of the nominees on their blog.

Through the years, the logo has changed as well as the suggested requirements to participate. Here is the LINK to my old acceptance, with its requirements and here is the new logo...

...and here are the new requirements.

Nominees, should you choose to accept your award, here are your questions:

1. What prompted you to begin blogging?
2. Which language would you like to learn?
3. What was your favorite experience in the past six months?
4. What one location in the world you would like to visit? Why?
5. Do you have pets? If yes, please introduce them.
6. What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
7. What is your biggest struggle while writing?
8. Who would you like to receive a week of training/mentorship from?
9. What is the first thing you drink in the morning?
10. How many books do you read per month?
11. What was your favorite time of year when you were growing up? 

Because I've been given this award no less than four times, I'm going to pass on answering the questions, but I will nominate several other blogs.

1. Denise Covey
   
2. Yolanda Renee
3. Donna/Dolorah
4. Louise Barbour/Fundy Blue
5. Talon Windwalker/1Dad1Kid
6. Olga Godim
7. D.A. Cairns
8. Joan/SharkBytes
9. Tamara Gerber
10. Doug Bittinger
11. Sue Ann Jaffarian

So again, thank you Emily, now I'm off to notify my nominees!

#IWSG for September 2017: Writing Surprises

Once again, it's the first Wednesday in the month and time for a post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. I rarely remember to check for the question prompt, but this time I did! So.....

This month the prompt question is....

Have you ever surprised yourself with your writing?

This is an easy one...I always assumed I'd be an outliner. After all, I came from an accounting and computer background. I love organization! I envisioned myself compiling a detailed outline, scene by scene, plus full character profile sheets for all the people in my book. I tried that...I still have the trilogy outlined, waiting to be written.

But I made the mistake of writing a book by pantsing. I loved it and it worked for me. I have now written three Klondike mysteries, two Lei Crime Kindle World novellas, and one romance novel - all written by the seat of my pants.

The upside is I love writing this way. I love discovering characters as they pop into the story, I love finding romance where I hadn't expected any, and I especially love letting the characters evolve and tell their own stories - not mine.

The downside is remembering to record the timeline as I write it - otherwise, you can end up with some strange happenings. Yup, been there, done that, rewrote it to fit. Same for recording details about the characters as I write them. I've ended with two names for the same character (thank you beta readers), not remembering what color hair/eyes, etc. a character has or what vehicle they are driving.

But in the end...it's all worth it!