Sunday, January 24, 2016

Kindle Sale and Interviews

Big news for this week is that Max's Wild Night is on sale for 99 cents on kindle until Jan. 27th. He earned a BookBub ad for today (which is hard to get and very exciting).



It was the only middle-grade book promo for today as well, which is outstanding. You never want to be offering up a 99 cent deal and then have another free deal on the same day. Sales are ticking up so far. Maybe he can earn best-seller status. He has to get past some big sellers so fingers crossed.

A couple of interviews ran recently. Dots Words and Whispers reviewed Why Kimba Saved The World and posted a nice interview.

I also did a really fun interview with author H. L. Burke that she calls "Random Questions" and is exactly that. It ended up involving discussions of killing off Stephen King characters with "death by house cat" and owning dragons. We both love cats and dragons, but Heidi writes more about dragons and I write more about cats -- for now. I just finished reading the first book in her The Dragon and the Scholar series, Dragon's Curse. It looks like it is on sale for 99 cents right now, so you should grab a copy. Highly recommend.

Last week didn't go exactly as planned. I was looking forward to meeting with the Fayetteville OLLI birthday group for a brief lunch talk on Thursday, but sleet and freezing rain left me stuck at home. Very disappointing. I'm hoping we can reschedule in the spring.

This week is quiet, so I'm wrapping up formatting on Slinky Steps Out. We need to pick a chapter icon, and all of the photos need to be changed to black and white for the paperback version. There's more proofreading once that is done, then it's time to move into cover design. Yay!

It already checks out in CreateSpace's formatting tools!

Many self-publishing authors work on their kindle version first, but I pay someone to format that based on my paperback. It costs to make changes, so I always want to make sure everything is perfect before I send it in. I also sell way more paperbacks than kindles, so I want that ready to go for spring events as soon as possible.

Coming up, I'll be attending the local monthly Cocktails for a Cause event that benefits the Eureka Springs Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 4th, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. There will be lots of self-published and independent authors with their books available. Come on by the Basin Park Hotel Lucky 7 lounge and check it out. I'll also be at the Kimberling Library Author Event again this year on Feb. 6th.

Lots going on in February, so let's hope the weather swings toward spring quickly like it normally does in this neck of the woods.

If you are snowed in on the east coast, I hope you stay warm and have lots of good reading at hand. You should grab a copy of Max's Wild Night to keep you company!



Monday, January 11, 2016

Brrr...

Winter has certainly come to Arkansas with a mighty force. We rarely see temperatures get this far below freezing, and I hope it doesn't keep up for long.

Fortunately, my work doesn't require me to go out in the cold much. As long as the internet and power keep working, I'm in business. Editing projects with Pen-L keep me busy, and I'm working on final edits on my own middle-grade book, The Brave, Frail, and Delicate Princess. I need to get that one tucked in and submissions sent out before Slinky Steps Out comes back from the editor and is ready for formatting. Then it will be full speed ahead on Slinky to get it ready to publish before my spring events.

"Publish my book, already!"

On January 21st, I will be speaking about "Running With Inspiration" to the birthday luncheon group of OLLI in Fayetteville. This is a new group for me, but I have it on good authority that they are all wonderful and will be nice. Writers usually are!

On February 6th, I'll be participating in the Kimberling Library Author Event for the second time. It's not a big turnout, but those who come are very supportive and grateful we are there. Besides, all my author friends in the area will be there. It's like a big party with books!

And on February 20th, I'll be attending the Houston Authors Bash at the Harmony Science Academy in Katy, Texas. Normally, that would be a bit far for me to go for an event, but my mom and other family are still in the area. It's a chance to visit and sell some books along the way.


I'm sure I'll be blogging about these events as I go. And updates on Slinky Steps Out will be coming in the weeks ahead. Almost time to design the cover. That's when it gets real.

I should also give a shout-out to a wonderful book series I just started. After I read (and loved) Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon, I decided to check out her dragon series as well. Not disappointed, and you can get a copy for only 99 cents right now.


Try to stay warm, friends. Build a fire and enjoy a good book. Around here, at least, winter only lasts a few weeks.