Friday, November 14, 2014

Blog Hop!

To win an e-copy of all of the books in the Beyond series, please follow my blog. Be sure and leave your contact information in the comments below so I can contact you!

A 2014 I Heart Indies Finalist

Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent: When Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan England, where she meets gypsies, a demon dog and a kindred spirit in Emory Ravenswood. Can Petra and Emory have a future while trapped in the past? Or is anything possible Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent? (Beyond, book 1)


Beyond the Sleepy Hollow: With a collection of the writings of Washington Irving in her hand and a prayer that the nine-pin playing ghosts that gave carried away Rip Van Winkle will give her drink of their ale, Petra Baron heads into another time defying adventure Beyond the Hollow. This is the second book in the Beyond series, where Petra is reminded that love is always timeless.


Beyond the Pale: After their encounter with the Headless Horseman in the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, Petra Baron and her immortal boyfriend, Emory Ravenswood, find themselves thrust into the bustle of modern-day New York City, where the dangers are both living and dead. (Book 3 of the Beyond series)

Also, soon I'll be publishing my novel, The Highwayman Incident, the first in my Witching Well series. I'm looking for reviewers. If you would like the book in exchange for an honest review, please let me know in the comments. You can read the first three chapters here.
First three chapters, Witching Well

AND if you're in the Orange County or L.A. area, you might enjoy this:
chixLIT is proud to be a community partner of the Chance Theater for its holiday production of SHE LOVES ME, running Nov. 28-Dec. 28 at the theater in Anaheim.

As a gift to our supporters, you can save $15 per ticket to any show (subject to availability) by using the code CHIXLIT116 when you call (714-777-3033) or order online (www.chancetheater.com).

The show, a Tony-winning musical version of "The Shop Around the Corner" (and "You've Got Mail")is family-friendly and suitable for all ages. There are matinee and evening performances. Tickets also make nice gifts!

If you have a blog or social media account, please feel free to share this code with anyone and everyone! It will show support for chixLIT and for the theater's plans for a young playwrights' festival.
http://chancetheater.com/



When you're done reading, please go and see what all my blogger friends have to offer.




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Thursday, November 13, 2014

5 Things I’ve Learned About Self Publishing


Three years ago, I published my novel, Stealing Mercy. Since then, I’ve learned a few things.
1.       To be a writer, you need to be okay with long stretches of solitude. You need to not only be okay with it—you have to need it.
2.       To be a book seller, you have to be okay with interacting with people. Lots of people. Sound contradictory? It is. If you want to write books and sell them, you have to wear two types of hats—a black, fade into obscurity sort of thing that no one will pay attention to so you can take notes on everyone around you and a flamboyant, look at me and buy my book sort of thing that will most likely embarrass your mom.

3.       But as a book seller and book writer you need people to not only buy your books, you need people to help you sell your books. You need a tribe, or two, or three. I personally belong to a writers’ group, and a critique group (they’re different). I’m part of a group blog called the Authors of Main Street and these women are my friends, even though I wouldn’t recognize them if I saw them on the street. I’ve glommed together with other authors for anthologies—this has been invaluable. I would guess that most of my readers have found me through anthologies. I regularly haunt the Kindleboards, Writer Café, and I’ve learned a ton from them. The writers on the boards have often buoyed my flagging spirits.13 PARANORMAL CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET AUTUMN'S KISS
4.       It’s easy—too easy-- to find anything on the internet. To prove my point I typed in goats in snow and this is what I found. But because it’s so easy to find free and nearly free books, finding an author you love out of the millions out there, is hard. That’s why authors need to hang together—we’re easier to find that way!goats in snow
5.       You also need a support team. You need beta readers, an editor, book cover designer, and maybe most importantly, someone to hold your hand when you get a nasty review.
Although it’s been three years now, I feel as if I’m still learning. The game keeps changing. I used to think that to sell books I needed to have a book make an Amazon bestseller list. Once that happened, the book would continually sell itself. I don’t think that’s true anymore. The lists help, but they aren’t the ultimate answer. I think it’s possible that too many people have learned how to skew the system and algorithms. Do I think this unethical? I wouldn’t do it, even though it’s probably not any more right or wrong than publishers purchasing a spot in a Barnes and Noble window. So why wouldn’t I do it? Because scamming the system won’t have a long term effect. It’s like taking a diet pill. Drugs might help you shed some weight, but unless you create a healthy lifestyle you can maintain—day by day, spoonful by spoonful—the weight will haunt you. Same thing with selling books. You can scam the system and put out a shoddy book, but readers won’t flock to your next release. They may buy from you once, but not twice.
But if you consistently put out great books, readers will find you and haunt you.

A few nights ago, I asked my husband what’s my number? He didn’t know what I meant. When will I think I’ve made it? When can I feel like I can hire someone to do all the things I don’t want to do so I can just write? He reminded me that a number or a bank statement shouldn’t be my goal. A great book should be my goal. 
Numbers are tangible and attainable, but everyone defines a great book differently. And that’s okay. In fact, that’s the way it should be. And if one of my books touches someone, makes them think, or even provides a few hours of escape from a pressing problem, then as a writer I’ve made my goal. It’s not about numbers. It’s about people. Even when I’m wearing the black, fade into obscurity sort of thing that no one will pay attention to.
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Monday, November 10, 2014

It's Christmas on Main Street Again!

Available Now!
Last year the Authors of Main Street released Christmas on Main Street—11 holiday stories for only .99 cents. It was a soaring success, flying to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. Tuesday, November 11, the boxed set will once again hit the airwaves, but this time we’ve added a story from our own bestselling author, Joan Reeves.
buy now

My book, A Light in the Christmas Cafe, is number 7. It was the fifth book I published, but it was my first completed novel, so of course, it holds a tender place in my heart. But that is true of all my books, and like all of my books, it’s completely family friendly. It’s a great gift for anyone ages 8-102! If you buy my book and write a review, please let me know so I can thank you with a 100% off coupon for any of my other books.

 Our decorating book is a gift from the Authors of Main Street to our readers, and is free with each purchase of our Christmas on Main Street boxed set. Here we have gathered our favorite holiday crafts and traditions to share with you and your family.
Holiday Craft Book



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Monday, November 3, 2014

What Can You Learn From Your Drive?


The other day I noticed something. The difference in my driving and my husband’s driving totally reflects our personality differences.
My husband’s driving has radically improved in our umpteen years of marriage. In the beginning, it seemed he went from one speeding ticket to a car wreck about as regularly as I went to the grocery store. It’s now been years since he’s had a ticket or an accident, although I still often offer prayers for safety when he drives. Here’s the difference between us. When he drives, his head is constantly in the game. He drives like he’s playing Tetris—speeding to fill all the empty spaces on the road. (I wonder how his driving would differ if we didn’t have to navigate Orange County’s heavy traffic? What if we lived somewhere with empty roads? I wonder how that would be?)

On the other hand, I drive mostly on auto-pilot. My head is RARELY in the game. I’m usually thinking about something else…something fictional if I’m alone. If I have a passenger, then I’m more focused on the conversation than the ride. I’m pretty much obtuse to the other cars on the road or what’s going on around me. This is why I’ve sat at an airport terminal, deep in a telephone conversation and almost missed a plane. Or how I once finished a writing stint at a library and stood up to notice (just then) a person not five feet away from me must have had a heart attack because he was surrounded by EMTs, and a crowd of people.
I’m not saying one way of driving, or navigating through life, is better or worse than another. I’m just pointing out the difference, and maybe thinking about how great it is that I have someone whose head is always in the game, because mine is usually not.
And so I ask—what does your driving say about you?
I read this great article—you can read it here. But if you don’t want to read all of it, here are some things that made me stop and think.
The way we do anything is the way we do everything.
The truth is we aren’t split. We’re whole. We can’t drop the ball in one area of life and expect our other areas to function smoothly.
The habits we practice in one area of life, become our lives.
The five people we hang out with most in life, the way we operate on a daily basis, is our life.
When we make tiny changes in one area of life, we affect other areas like the wings of a butterfly starting a tsunami on the other side of the world.
When we finally realize that the way we do anything is the way we do everything, we have the power to change every aspect of our lives.

So—what do you want to change?


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Saturday, November 1, 2014

20 Books by 20 Authors. 99 cents each

Below are the books I’ll be buying November 1st. This list has books of all sizes including popular genres like romance, mystery, fantasy, suspense, paranormal, and historical. Wow. Not only will I be buying these books for my own reading pleasure, but at this price, I can gift several to my reading friends.
Yes, you got it. This diverse list includes books I know will score me points with friends who have birthdays in November or family members who will love reading the book over the long Thanksgiving weekend, for friends who are traveling in November and need a good book to read on the plane, and friends who will be cheered knowing I was thinking of them.  At 99 cents, each of these books will cost far less than a greeting card and a stamp, will arrive faster, and the joy of reading the book will last far longer.
The Amazon links are included below. Hope this gives you and your loved ones a happy Saturday and a fun start to November. Enjoy!





Kristy TateStuck With Youhttp://amzn.com/B00KQ9JT5C
Jacqueline DiamondCalling All Glass Slippershttp://amzn.com/B00N97L532
Michelle KnowldenJack Fell Downhttp://amzn.com/B00LYNHVTU
Susan R. HughesHeart’s Desirehttp://amzn.com/B00KTT0SUO
Louella NelsonEmerald Fortunehttp://amzn.com/B008S4PH1W
Shauna RobertsClaimed by the Enemyhttp://amzn.com/B00LNE709G
Kathy BennettA Deadly Denialhttp://amzn.com/B00MAGGHKY
Kitty BucholtzUnexpected Superherohttp://amzn.com/B00D4FOLHQ
Michael H. PayneNeighborshttp://amzn.com/B00O4CRCOC
Angie RayGhost of My Dreamshttp://amzn.com/B00JJGB8CA
Laura TaylorLove at the Beach (3 books)http://amzn.com/B00OJ47DOY
Debra SalonenJudy Uncensoredhttp://amzn.com/B00NJCK5EC
Linda Carroll-BraddThe Ring That Bindshttp://amzn.com/B00AM0OQSK
GVR CorcilloShe Likes It Toughhttp://amzn.com/B00NNXWFAE
Chris Marie GreenShadows Till Sunrisehttp://amzn.com/B00NHYS8WS
Barbara McMahonThe Bachelor’s Baby Promisehttp://amzn.com/B006Q64YYK
Donna FasanoThe Single Daddy Club: Derrickhttp://amzn.com/B00AN7524Y
Adrianne LeeYou Don’t Know Jackhttp://tinyurl.com/l7awb7g
Jan HudsonBig and Brighthttp://amzn.com/B00AB4FW30
Kathleen CreightonDemon Loverhttp://tinyurl.com/puk7opn
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