The Smashwords Sale Goes Live

From today through March 8 Only. 

130,000 Books for your edification, delight, amusement and enjoyment!

 

Among those 130,000, I have five books for free (see below) and all my other books 50% off (save two at $0.99). So, find something you like and read. Since the orange felon and his faux co-prez have fired NWS and NOAA workers who provide our weather forecasts, there'll be no way to know if March is out like a lion or a lamb til too late, so get your hunker down and relax material early.

The five books available for free begin my two series, the Rebecca Jamse Thrillers (Contemporary political thrillers), and Dragons Run My Life (an epic fantasy series where stories build on one another). Click the images to visit the Smashwords page where you can apply the appropriate code and get the book free. The link will open in a new window.

Note, use the links below rather than the ones in the sidebar; the sale is only at Smashwords.

I have sixteen other books, six Rebecca Jamse Thrillers, and ten Dragons Run My Life stories. Two novella length stories remain at $0.99, while the other fourteen are 50% off during the sale. The linked pages contain further links to those books, so feel free.

Rebecca Jamse Thrillers Free

 

 

Dragons Run My Life Epic Fantasy Books Free

Enjoy! Read! More to come.

Comments welcome, as always. 

How to Reconcile? Also a Reminder

 How do I reconcile two pieces of writing advice which seem to me contradictory, while at the same time, I’m certain they are both correct and useful?

What are you talking about? I hear. All writing advice is contradictory.

True, but it doesn’t always show-up simultaneously, and more important, they don’t normally both have advice that seems to be correct!

Today, I read a post by Nathan Bransford, “Stamp out vague catchalls in your writing”, where Mr. Bransford pleads for specificity in our writing. He writes, “It’s so important to precisely articulate what you mean when you write, possibly to the point of feeling like you’re being pedantic. Err on the side of clarity.”

To be fair, his main point is that we should eliminate (if possible) “vague catchall[s] like 'this,' 'it,' or 'that' where it’s unclear what’s being referred to”. (Emphasis mine.)

The other post, by Alex Limberg of Ride the Pen, writing about… wait for it… "How to Create Drama and Plot Without a Single Facebook Entry (Shakespeare’s Macbeth)". Wait, what?

Everything can be answered by Macbeth; it’s kinda like the Bible in that regard.

Specifically, in this post, and in what seems like opposition to Mr. Bransford’s post imploring details and specificity, Mr. Limberg uses Macbeth to argue that our plots will be stronger, and more importantly, will have an easier job keeping readers engaged (and this is something we all dearly wish for, is it not?) because by not revealing things, being less specific, allows questions to form, not in our minds but in the readers', and if the question is sufficiently interesting, the reader will be motivated not to pitch their book, or Kindle or Nook or laptop against the wall protesting terminal boredom but rather, continue reading.

Clarity and suspense. Both are useful things to recall. One might say crucial to the author looking to find an audience. Still, they do seem at first blush to be in opposition.

No, each applies to its own circumstance, and both are indeed important.

I invite you to read both of the posts and see for yourself the points being made, and not only the points but examples to illustrate the positions.

Remember, Smashwords’ 16th Annual Read an Ebook Week Super Sale kicks off March 2nd and runs through the end of day March 8th. Along with 130,000 other books, all my books are available at  50% off, except for Series Starters in both of my series which are free.

Thanks for reading. Comments welcome.

And Now It's Over

Big thanks to everyone who downloaded one of my books during the sale at Smashwords last week.

Some 230 books out the door!

Hopefully everyone enjoys what they got, even if it was someone else's work. Reviews are welcome!

Leave a comment if you wish.

A Couple Things for a Monday

 First, Happy Read an Ebook Week! 

To help you find a book to celebrate, you can find my entire collection FREE at @Smashwords from March 3-9. Find my books and many more at https://smashwords.com/shelves/promos #ebookweek24 #Smashwords Both series starters and anything in between, though series enders have not yet been published. Sorry, not sorry!

Second, Today, at Amazon and wide,

We Are Not That Girl is available.

Buy it at Amazon    Books2Read (epub3)     Paperback (Amazon)

As mentioned above, at Smashwords, it’s free until March 9 in their Read an Ebook promotion, so go and check it out.

Next, the ninth book of Dragons Run My Life, Ruling, will go up for preorder by Friday the 9th and will release on Monday March 18th, as promised earlier. Links for that will be available by Friday.

The last of the books I have ready, One Pole At A Time, will be available for preorder by March 22, and then released on April first.

Speaking of being ready, two Rebecca Jamse Thrillers books, Hacked! and The Girl In The Bag, will follow One Pole in April. Hacked! on April 15 (at least it’s not Tax Day here in Massachusetts), and then one week later for the Girl In The Bag.

I’m reading with dismay and uncomfortable voyeuristic interest about the conflict in Israel, and I’ve about decided before I can release Girl In The Bag, I’ll have to rewrite the couple of scenes set in June, 2024 which take place in Tel Aviv and traveling to Syria via Lebanon. Fortunately, Beckie and Ian are on relatively good terms with the IDF.

I’ve been using both ProWritingAid and AutoCrit to prepare manuscripts for release. Next week, I’ll share some thoughts about both of them, reflecting the way I use them. I hope it will have some utility to you, but, maybe, maybe not. Or as they used to say, YMMV.

Comments welcome.

Coming up: Happy Read an Ebook Week! And More.

 

Happy Read an Ebook Week! Don’t miss the massive celebratory sale going on next week @Smashwords! There are deep discounts on thousands of books, but only between March 4 and March 9. Check it out at Smashwords Promo! #ebookweek24 #Smashwords
 

So, obviously Smashwords, the book distributer, is running a sale from March 4 through the 9th. Authors or publishers choose what discount (ranging from 25% off to free) will apply to their books. I signed up to allow all my books to be free, and I’m waiting to see if that works. More next week. Whether or not, go and see what you might like!

As expected, We Are Not That Girl came together pretty quickly, and it’s available for preorder now, with the release on March 4, as I said in an earlier post.

Preorder at Amazon        Books2Read        in Paperback (Amazon)

Today, the plan is to release the last two Dragons Run My Life books at two week intervals, so Ruling on March 18th and then One Pole At A Time on April Fool’s Day. While the two following those have been written, I fear they’ll need more work before showing their public appearances. Also, I need to make some decisions affecting the future.

The thrillers, Rebecca Jamse’s stories, have two more mostly written. Some may recall my earlier comment about the conflict between Israel and Hamas interfering with the story in The Girl in the Bag; it is no less true now. Hazards of writing in a largely true-to-life setting into the future. Oh, well.

Part of the issue with the novella that precedes The Girl in the Bag is that it needs substantial rewriting, and that’s something that I’ve never been able to do. Once I’ve written something, it’s gone. So if I can’t overcome that, I’ll have to provide the backstory for the several characters some other way. My problem, not yours, unless you’re anxious to read about Síne, Larysa and Tarquin.

Comments and questions welcome, as always!

 

Connections is Live

Connections is live in ebook format at most of your favorite outlets. The CreateSpace proof copy has been ordered; the POD version should be available next week, if I didn’t make any errors in that version.

I used Draft2Digital for distribution to Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Scribd, Page Foundry and Tolino. I uploaded to Amazon and Apple directly. Smashwords wasn’t cooperative Saturday night, so there will be a delay with them. Given the ease of working with D2D, so far, I can recommend them.

If you don’t see your favorite bookseller in the list, please let me know.

Minor Edits

While my beta readers read Connections, I made some minor changes to Freedom Does Matter, the most important of which was inserting Tommi Salama’s second map of the Nest.

As I write this, the Kindle version is live, as are the various Smashwords offerings. I’ll finish Barnes and Noble, and Kobo later today. The POD paperback version is completing the review process at CreateSpace and should be live by tomorrow.

If any of you bought a copy and would like the updated version, either leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll send you an updated version in your choice of formats.

Giveaway Running Now, and Best Wishes

On Goodreads, I've offered ten paperback copies of Freedom Does Matter. You still have ten days to sign up, until January 10. If you'd like a chance, at this writing about 1 in twenty, to get this book, click here for more info and to enter.

Of course, the odds of obtaining a copy in ebook format is 1 in 1 if you click the Buy Now link on Amazon or Smashwords. Or B&N, or Kobo, or Apple iBooks (search for "Freedom Does Matter"). For the paperback,  check CreateSpace. The Amazon link above can lead you there, too.

I wish for everyone the best in the New Year; that everything that you work for comes to pass.

Comments welcome.

Working with Smashwords

Probably most writers know this, but in case there are others, learning their way...

When I published Freedom Does Matter in September, I only uploaded an epub. I hadn't read the (not so) fine print... and didn't until last week. The fine print that says if you upload your own epub, that's all that will be available.

Specifically, no samples would be available.

There have been page views of the Freedom Does Matter page, but (obviously), no sample downloads. And no purchases, either, which makes sense; my two friends use Kindles! I hasten to add that the sample is available at Amazon, and sales have been... slow, so perhaps the story isn't as engaging as I hoped. However, Amazon doesn't provide any data on page views (I know; I asked and was politely told they'd consider giving that info up in future.) or on numbers of samples downloaded (if any), so it's hard to judge if potential customers are not visiting, are turned off by the cover image, or are turned off by the sample... Or just think the price is wrong.

In any event, this post is about Smashwords. I created a .doc file and put it through the process, keeping the epub that I uploaded, but generating all the other formats. That was yesterday, and today, according to SW statistics, the only apparent visitor downloaded the sample. So, maybe...

No matter, the upshot is, even if you want control over the look of the epub distributed by Smashwords -- sold by them, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and the host of other retailers you might opt in for -- do the work to create a MeatGrinder ready Word file, and upload it as well.

At least, the sample will then be available.

Comments welcome, unless it's just to say "read the rules!"

I Pulled the Trigger Today.

No, this isn’t a gun control rant.

Freedom Does Matter should be live at Amazon, Smashwords and Kobo as you read this. I have the paper version in process at CreateSpace, but due to proofing and shipping, that will be longer.

Now, on to complete the third Mercenaries book, Background Check, which I’m thinking of renaming Love, Consequences, Love, or Unintended Consequences, or something I’ve not yet considered.

Finally, to prepare for NaNoWriMo, I’ve been researching the story after BC; named Coda. I feel pretty confident in that name sticking, and hope to get more than half of it done in November.

Update October 5: Added the link for Kobo. I expect the paperback version to be available next month, due to my schedule.

New Pricing, in Anticipation

I'm planning to publish Freedom Does Matter by February 20, so I've dropped the price of Mercenaries: A Love Story to $2.99.

The new price is active at Amazon (click the cover in the sidebar), Smashwords and Kobo. Through Smashwords, it's available at Barnes and Noble, and iTunes. A warning: B&N hasn't caught up to the price reduction as of January 22, '13.

I dropped the price of Book One, also. It's only available at Amazon (sidebar). If you purchase it and email me, I'll get you a discounted price on the whole book so you won't get stiffed on it if (as I hope!) you want to read it all.

I'm planning to have the third Beckie and Ian story, Background Check (unless I change the name) out before NaNo. We'll see how that goes. NaNo will be for the fourth and perhaps last volume in that series.

Comments welcome.

Back Again, With Questions

Last night, about 8:30, we arrived back home - whew! - after 4400 miles and 21 days, one graduation from US Army basic training, one wedding, visits with brother and aunt, not to mention Gramma's azaleas (not going to mention...).

I published Mercenaries: A Love Story on March 21. So far, it's sold two copies to people who are not family or friends - or if they are, they haven't admitted it. I hope that's not the case! It's in the Select program, but no borrows, so far.

This leads to a question: on Amazon, is there a way to see what the book's page views are? On Smashwords, the samples downloaded stat hinted at that, but I haven't found that for Amazon yet. If there are no page views, that would lead me in the direction of trying to increase visibility, but if there are page views that don't get converted, that implies that either the cover or the blurb aren't doing their job. Or at $4.99, the price is too high. Different things to fix. If there are page views, reviews might help, but there aren't any of those as yet.

With 35K words (about a third) of one WIP being looked at by a beta reader, and 130K words of a second WIP going out to a second reader, I have a minute or two to think on these things. If only I knew what to work on... If any readers feel they could provide an opinion on either the cover (visible to the right) or the description (below), please feel free. I won't hold anything you offer against you. Of course, you could say, work on everything... but I'd like to focus.

Description
Mercenaries: A Love Story

Beckie Sverdupe, typical high-school student and accomplished equestrienne, has a best friend, a younger brother, and no plans beyond homework and the upcoming pep rally.

Then, she is kidnapped to be buried alive. Her strength and resourcefulness during that ordeal causes the enigmatic young mercenary, Ian Jamse, to ask for her help in rescuing another abducted girl. During spring break, she and her best friend play exotic dancer in London and, within a day, find themselves being massaged in a Italian villa! The sex-trader is thwarted this time, but he continues to ply his evil trade in San Diego by hijacking a middle-school school bus.

Beckie chooses to put herself back on the stage, within the slaver’s grasp, to free the California girls. Jamse sees financial gain. The two of them chase the fiend from London to Arizona to Thailand, where Beckie learns what she really wants from life.

This is Mercenaries: A Love Story complete. All four stories are here in one volume.
Bonus! An excerpt from Freedom No Matter, the next book in this series.
Mercenaries: A Love Story is recommended for 16+ for language and mature situations

The book is just over 153K words and it's not available in paper. Does anyone think having a 500 page book available would add to its success?

Price Drop

For anyone who thought I priced Mercenaries: A Love Story Book One too high, I've dropped it back to  $0.99.

It will be interesting to see what difference it makes, if any. At Smashwords, they track the number of sample downloads in addition to the number of sales, and while there have been several samples downloaded there, none have converted to sales. Oh, well. My experience is likely to have a slower start than Derek Canyon, for example.

The image to the right will take you directly to Amazon. If you prefer a non-Kindle version, the Smashwords page is here. Read the blurb and the reviews. If it looks interesting to you, try it out. You can comment here, too.

Thanks for reading!

This One Is Complete

I published Book One of Mercenaries: A Love Story this week on Amazon and Smashwords!

It has been an interesting journey, and I have had a lot of help along the way in getting to a product that tells the story I conceived in a way that I hope readers can connect with. I anticipate that readers will follow Beckie's story through the two volume Mercenaries: A Love Story, and the sequel, Freedom No Matter. Book Two of Mercenaries is due before the end of this year, and Freedom, next year.

The description:

A teenager saving hundreds, maybe thousands of kids from slavery? Beckie Sverdupe never thought about it. But it’s the role she took in this two book series. In book one, she and her brother Mike are kidnapped by Ian Jamse, a mercenary (who doesn’t follow quite all the rules), and his team. Successful extrication allows them a year and a half respite, after which Jamse remembers her as he deals with another girl's abduction.

This second abduction brings Jamse to hire Beckie, along with her best friend Melissa (amorously engaged with Mike), for a brief run as exotic dancers. Beckie finds Jamse's confidence in her appealing, as she does his appearance and demeanor. It’s quite a school vacation for two girls from Minnesota, but they don’t get to sight-see much either in London or Rome.

Once the kidnapped girl is successfully returned (along with Beckie and Melissa), Jamse meets Werner, who is responsible, and learns that he is in the business of buying, or stealing, both girls and boys and selling them into slavery in households, brothels, anywhere money can flow from. Beckie and Jamse learn of a third abduction in Southern California, this one: a dozen middle-school girls. While Jamse is motivated by the billions of euros in Werner’s vaults, Beckie finds her drive in freeing trapped girls and stopping Werner from continuing his activities.

Book One is recommended for 14+ with some adult language and situations.