The Valentine's Day Curse is Free

Just a quick post to let you know that my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse will be free on Amazon in all its stores from 2/11 through 2/15.

"When Lisa’s Valentine’s Day ritual is interrupted by a phone call, she is surprised it’s from someone she hadn’t heard from in many years. What could her ex, Joey, possibly want from her on what could have been their 25th wedding anniversary?

The Valentine’s Day Curse is a short story about stirred memories of unrequited love. For some people Valentine’s Day is not always a bed of roses."

I hope you enjoy this tale with a twist and that all your Valentine's Days are better than Joey's!

Just click on your country below for a direct link. Thanks for your support, and any reviews and/or recommendations to friends are always greatly appreciated!

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon DE
Amazon FR
Amazon ES
Amazon IT
Amazon NL
Amazon JP
Amazon BR
Amazon CA
Amazon MX
Amazon AU
Amazon IN

Read an eBook Week!

 

I'm happy to be participating in Smashword's Read an e-Book Week promotion. If you click on my Smashwords Profile you will get a link to both of my eBooks.  The Valentine's Day Curse is Free, no coupon necessary, and Fractured Facade is 50% off from March 2-8th...at checkout use the code REW50.

 

Although the Valentine's Day Curse remains free everywhere, unfortunately I cannot create a 50% off coupon for Fractured Facade on Amazon and retailers other than Smashwords for the week, but you can download it to your Kindle or other reading device via Smashwords!

 

Happy Reading!

 

"A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people." - Will Rogers

 

Finally Free for the Nook!

Well, well, well, lookie at that...Barnes & Noble finally made The Valentine's Day Curse free!

This is the first time I can actually offer Nook readers something for nothing. I certainly hope they take advantage of it.

So now the last hold-out is Amazon. Unless people, ahem, you dear readers, report to Amazon that the book is free on B&N, iTunes & Kobo they will continue to price it at 99 cents.

I really would like to have this short story be free everywhere without having to become exclusive to Amazon so will give it 90 days. After that period if the download numbers do not reflect well on all sites besides Amazon, I may have no other choice but to indenture myself again.

I would love to give it a trial run without the exclusivity, so if you can help me out here I'd be most grateful! Thanks!!!

Read an eBook Week

In celebration of Read an eBook Week I am offering for FREE during the Month of March -- on Smashwords, Kobo, and iTunes -- The Valentine's Day Curse. You might see it listed as "theatre" in the iTunes store...it's not, but for some reason Apple cannot/will not change it. Feel free to check out the correct listing and reviews on Amazon.

Since Barnes & Noble have yet to make it free, and I'm beginning to believe they never will, be advised that Nook readers can download it from Smashwords for free. I also understand the only way Amazon will price match the free price is if they are "notified" by folks other than the author that the book is free on iTunes and Kobo. Smashwords doesn't register a blip to them! So, if anyone would like to "narc" me out to Amazon, that would be cool!

Also, for just this Read an eBook Week, I will be offering Fractured Facade at 25% off on Smashwords. Simply enter the code REW25 at checkout. At least there are some reviews there, and for more in-depth info and reviews of both books, feel free to visit my website.

As always...thanks for all your support!

Tired of the Brown Bar

Just because I'm tired of looking at the brown bar of shame, The Valentine's Day Curse is going to be free on Amazon today. You know what, I don't even care how many people download it, as long as there's at least one of you. Hate that freaking bar...

eBook Card Follow Up

The other day a guest post of mine entitled, "May I Have Your Card?" ran on Indies Unlimited. If you're a writer, and not familiar with Indies Unlimited, you need to be. It's a great site.

Anyway, the piece I wrote was about my use of an eBook business card for marketing and promotion...cheap and effective, not me, the card. I'm not the first person to use these cards and after speaking with some other writers I wanted to follow up with some more good ideas.

For instance, say like most authors, you have more than one book you want to promote. Rather than making individual cards for each book, I suggested the front of the card have a "bookshelf" with the titles on it and on the inside a link to the author's webpage and/or Amazon page, etc. Easy peasy.

Another author had a great idea -- "I have a suggestion about those cards. I did this too, plus I added a QR code on it. I put it on brochures/flyers too. People love the idea of putting their smart phones to work. That way a person is directed exactly where you want them and it's less you have to put on the card." I really need to upgrade from a flip-phone!

Someone else commented how he was on the check-out line and the cashier remarked how she couldn't wait to get home and just read a book. He wished he had brought cards with him as that was the perfect opportunity to suggest she check out his.

The other day as I was waiting to testify for someone, I was stuck in a conference room for two hours with a woman who was going to testify for the opposing side. We struck up a conversation and hit it off. By the end of the two hours she had my card in her hand and that evening I do believe she was the person who downloaded a copy of Fractured Facade. Thank you!

No matter how you design and use the cards the most important lesson is to always have one with you...hey, you never know where that sale will come from.

Amazon's Free Casino

During my two day freebie book promotion, when I was watching the number of Fractured Facade downloads skyrocket, I felt like I was in a casino, finally winning at the slots.



Unfortunately, the downloads were free, so whenever the jackpot hit, it was like winning plastic chips. Three weeks ago, I thought getting my book into the hands of thousands of people was just fantastic. Now, I realize a lot of those people shouldn't have my book in their hands. They're not the people I wrote it for.

Although the quick downloading brought me high rankings, I'd rather it have stayed lower if it meant my reader was choosier. Just because something is free, it's not always for me. Before I download anything I check out the description, reviews and sample. The sample is what tells me if I want to invest my time or not. Reviews are great, but I trust my own eyes to know what I'm looking for more than someone else's opinion.

But in Amazon's Free Casino, it's a crapshoot. Sometimes you'll touch a reader in a special way, and other times, a reader may not want to touch your book with a ten foot pole. Out of 10,000 people, some will have different ummmm "taste" than I have. Some may even find my writing "distasteful." Hopefully, many more will find it authentic and necessary. For those that have a problem with characters using words that "offend them" I'd like them to know it's called dialogue. And sometimes, it's colorful. And frankly to me, it's not profane, but to others, it's enough to stop reading and write a one-star review -- the only review they ever wrote -- just focused on what they deem to be a book "so filled with profanity" they couldn't finish it. I think that's a ridiculous statement.

Yeah, there's some cuss words. That's how we talk in Brooklyn. "Pissed off," "shit," "hell," "bitch" and wait for it..."fucking bitch" are spoken by a woman, yes, a woman, a woman grappling with turbulent times. In order not to "offend" any righteous reader, I want them to know what they're getting into before reading my book. In the sample there are "cuss words." On Shelfari, I even quoted Marie: "I didn't know you needed a stage name to pick up dog shit." This way if someone had a problem with "shit" they'd move on to the next free book. I know I most likely wouldn't download an Amish romance or Christian fiction book as it's not my preference. My in-your-face writing may not be yours. So, if words easily offend you, please do not read my book. Just like in real life, people either love me or hate me, so why should my writing be any different.

On the other hand, if you are one of the 10,000 people who actually read and liked Fractured Facade, please consider leaving your review, or letting me know so I could hound you to leave a review. Since the freebie, I've had some five, four and one-star reviews on Amazon. And five and four star ones on Goodreads. At first I was pissed at the one-star reviews, but after I checked out what, if any, other books they did like, I knew they were not my target audience. I thought their opinions would make my sales suffer, but other than bringing down my rating, it hasn't hurt. Other authors have said you're not a "real author" until you get a one-star review. I say bullshit. The check from Smashwords I received holds more weight as to my "real author" status.

Recently I read a book review from a friend who absolutely hated a memoir she tried to read. After reading her review and checking out the others on Amazon, I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, this sounds like a book I might like," so I requested it from my library. I know her tastes are different than mine, so I'll be curious to see what I think of the book. Her review didn't stop me from getting it...in fact, had she not reviewed it, I would never have known about the book.

By far the best thing that's happened with my freebie is that people I had never known before have reached out to me, and some of them have even become Facebook friends. And you know what? We seem to have much in common. Those are the type of people I want reading my book...the ones that get it. Still, I'm starting to think that maybe giving away free books to the masses is not the be-all, end-all after all...

48 Hours Later

When I woke up this cold, dreary Monday morning I turned on the computer and found something that immediately warmed my soul. It was an email informing me someone had left a comment on my last post. It was from a 68-year-old woman, originally from Brooklyn who now lived in Florida. Although the comment did not show up on my post, grrrr! Blogger! I want to share it with you here, and I hope she doesn't mind...

"Well I just finished your book, as my late Italian Brooklyn Taxis Cab driver father would have said you have Moxie! I grow up in Brooklyn too, love Brennan and Carr's, your story had me rooting for you. Your dad and mom are touching Jersus shoulder, and saying "look at our Daughter, fight for us!"
You have shown your children that it is possible to fight evil and win. I am 68 years old and live near Orlando, it the Evil one sent you mail from here, I would gladly track her down send her you love. Only kidding. God bless you and your beautiful family."

At first I smiled, then I called my daughter over and as I read it to her, I choked up. That one little email validated for me that giving away thousands of copies of Fractured Facade was worth it. A complete stranger "got it" and she took the time to tell me. I reached someone and that's what any writer really wants to do.

I decided to check my Amazon stats just for kicks. I was happy to see that overnight, people had actually purchased and even borrowed the book. I checked the rankings and beheld this sight...

Yes, that's #78 in Paid Family Saga! Even though it's not burning up the charts, I'm still thrilled to have cracked the top 100. Frankly, I didn't think that would happen as my sales were almost non-existent immediately following the promotion. I figured there's no way anyone could "find" me. I think I may be getting noticed by the "also bought" icons that pop up on Amazon's page when you buy a book. My author friends told me to be patient, and suggested I lower the price. I do not want to "rock-bottom" my book. I put years into it and feel $4.99 is still a good deal. Heck, Snooki gets $11.99 for her eBook, and she "wrote" that in a couple of months. I believe after people read the sample they'll know whether or not they feel it's "worth" the money. If they do, great, if not, no harm, no foul.

Based on the number of times it's being shelved on Safari, as well as the recent paid sales, I think people are beginning to read it, before it gets buried and forgotten on their Kindle. And after they finish, hopefully they'll like it enough to not only recommend it to a friend, but also take the time to write a review on Amazon. Time will tell...

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Wonderful/Miserable Success

I'm happy/sad to report that the 2 free KDP Select days for Fractured Facade was a wonderful/miserable success! Huh? How could it be both you ask?

Almost 10,000 people downloaded Fractured Facade for free...yes, you read that right, 10,000! At one point it was #1 on Suspense, #1 on Family Saga and #19 in Amazon's Top 100.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't exciting watching the ticker flick into the hundreds per minute, catapulting me to the head of the charts. Of course, it was the head of the free charts.

When I woke up this morning I checked to see if I had experienced what many authors have after giving their book away for free...sales! Yes, yes, I did. One! That's right you read that right, one sale. I checked my rankings and sure enough back down, down, down. Not quite in the netherlands where I began, but still low enough that I'm not on any potential customer's screens. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

On the positive side, for the last two days I stopped crying. Those that know me, know Max, my dog, died last Saturday. The grief had consumed me and having this distraction was what I needed. I am also humbled by how many friends, as well as people I hardly know, rallied around me to support this promotion. I thank you all!

On Fractured Facade's page I received 64 likes and folks have placed it on their shelves in Shelfari. I heard from strangers telling me they look forward to reading it and expressing how they knew someone that sounded like they were in a similar situation regarding a golddigging abuser as the "character" in my book. I believe in my heart that people that "needed" to get this book, have. And that's why I wrote this book. So if I can help even one person, this promotion was a wonderful success.

My biggest fear is that a lot of folks won't even read it. Too many people just download free books and forget about them. My hope is that even if 10% read it, they will like it, rank it, write a review, and finally recommend it to someone. Hey, my family likes to eat too.

I've always been a gambler. I bet on the longshots. I only play the progressive slots. I wait until the lottery hits over $100 million before I part with a buck. For the most part I can say, I always lose. And that's okay. I only bet with what I know I can lose. It's the excitement of the potential win that keeps me going. And one day, I know I will hit. Today's just not that day.

Fractured Facade Freebie

One thing I've learned is to never say never. When I first read about Amazon's KDP Select Program I said I'd never put my novel, Fractured Facade in it. Since it had to be exclusive for 90 days, I didn't want to alienate any potential Nook readers. Well, after much consideration, noticing Nook sales have dried up after all my friends and family had purchased the book, as well as seeing the success of the KDP Select Program for my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse, I have taken never out of the equation.

So, today, Friday, April 20th and tomorrow, Saturday, April 21st I am finally able to offer Fractured Facade for free everywhere Amazon carries it. Click here for the US link. Click here for the UK link.

"Marie's peaceful life in Virginia is shattered the moment she receives word from her brother: “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.” Rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death only to discover disturbing occurrences and encounter acts of betrayal.

After her questions are amplified and suspicions confirmed surrounding her father’s ex-girlfriend, Marie becomes frustrated by how oblivious so many had been, and continue to be, to the wily con-artist.

Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.

Written as memoir, “Fractured Facade” is a cautionary tale for anyone concerned about a parent after the loss of their spouse. The survivor, often thrust into an unfamiliar world, finds it quite different from the dating scene of their youth; one where some create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.

“Fractured Facade” is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta."

I hope that after reading the description and reviews many of you will download it. But then, what I hope even more, is that you'll read it! Many people have said it's a quick read, so I would hate to see it fall into the netherlands of your Kindle or Ipad or whatever, forgotten. To me that's the worst part of giving away books...too many folks just "forget" about them.

My last hope is that after you read it, you rate it, review it, and most importantly, recommend it. We writers are a needy bunch. Thanks for all your support!

My Third KDP Select Experiment

It's funny how jaded a writer can become after hitting a number one slot on Amazon. If I hadn't arrived at the top spot during my March promotion of The Valentine's Day Curse, I probably would have been ecstatic that I hit number five in short stories this past Saturday. This shows six, but I did make it to five before I went to bed.



And although I was happy about that, I never made it into the top 100 of all Kindle books like I had back in March. Actually, I was in the top ten then. Rising to the 500's from the 200,000's shouldn't be scoffed at, however by not arriving into the magical 100, and top ten spots, means you face the prospect of plunging right back where you started from once the promotion is over. I haven't yet, but it's only a matter of time. Your book is no longer on every one's screen and has little chance of shifting into the best selling paid column.

Frankly, I had my doubts that Saturday was a good day to hold my last freebie promotion. I figured with Passover and Easter there would probably be a lot less people on the computer. Heck, I didn't even want to be on the computer, but I really had no choice because promotion is one of those necessary evils when you're running a freebie. I was bummed as well since I knew I couldn't submit to ENT because I already had run there within 30 days. I gave POI my info, but they didn't choose my book to run. Clearly, getting on one of those two sites is the best/only? way to get your book downloaded thousands of times.

Even though my intuition told me not to, I decided I give it a go after one of the author Facebook groups I am part of suggested authors giving away freebies this past weekend pool together to promote each other. I'm not going to get into the details, or finger-pointing, but will say it was a dismal disappointment, epic fail! By the time I realized I had made a boo-boo by jumping aboard, it was way too late, at least for me, to change my free date. I had already notified certain sites, people, groups, of the date and even if there was no guarantee that they would "highlight" my book, the last thing I'd want to do is piss off people when they find out my book wasn't free when I said it would be. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. It was a valuable lesson learned.

Luckily, there are many other authors, groups, friends, and even strangers out there who want to help others achieve success, and they stepped up to the plate for me. In the end, I had over 400 downloads (last time was in the thousands, due I'm sure to being on ENT) yet only 3 sales afterwards, a far, far cry from last time.

At least more folks have placed it on Shelfari and in their to-be-read shelf in Goodreads. Now, for the best part...someone actually bought Fractured Facade. My hope is that they read The Valentine's Day Curse and said, "This story rocked...I wonder if this author wrote anything else?" and then discovered that I had, and bought the novel. I don't know. Maybe I'll find out via a review some time. And although the hope is that other readers will feel the same way, I have to wait until they actually read the short story. As I've stated numerous times, the problem with downloading a free book is that it could quickly get buried by other free books. I think people read books they pay for first and eventually, maybe, get around to the free ones. Heck, I'm the same way. And although I loved a book I also have a hard time writing a review. So I'm just as guilty as many of the folks I hound to write one for my books!

So now that I'm approaching the end of the KDP Select in a couple of weeks I have to decide if I want to keep The Valentine's Day Curse exclusive in Amazon or not. So far, I am leaning to yes. Believe it or not I have gotten some borrows, which pay me 6 times the royalty I would receive on the 99 cent book. And people have been leaving really nice reviews too.

So now it's time for Fractured Facade to get some exposure. I haven't decided the freebie dates yet, but do know I will run at least two days in a row and make sure I give enough time for ENT and POI submissions. And, this time, I won't allow my decisions to be swayed, or put my trust in anyone else's hands, except my own.

A big thank you to all of you who continue to support this crazy journey of mine! Once I get this last promotion out of the way, I can finally get back to what I prefer doing...writing.

Freebies For Your Easter Kindle

So what does The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story have to do with Easter? Absolutely nothing!!! However, I am offering it free today so you can put it in your Easter Kindle.

Here's the latest 5-star review on Amazon -- "This is a great short story, a tale with a twist. The author has a strong voice and smooth style. I look forward to future works from her. Great story for Valentine's Day...great story for ANY DAY! Recommended read...Enjoy"

I hope you do enjoy it enough that maybe you'll leave a review and then check out my novel, "Fractured Facade", which by the way, not only has some great reviews, but is also enrolled in the KDP Select Program so Prime Members can borrow it for free. What? You don't have a Kindle? You don't need one...check out these free apps!

And after you finish downloading my books why don't you check out these other freebies...There's got to be something to your liking!

Valerie Douglas -Dirty Politics - Song of the Fairy Queen - and Nike's Wings Thurs 5th - Sat 7th

Stephen H. King - Cataclysm: Return of the Gods - Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7. Blog: http://theotherstephenkingonwriting.blogspot.com

Candy Ann Little - The Unwilling Bride - April 7th

Kelly Rimmer - Suspending Reality - Thursday 5th - Sunday 8th

Sarah Barnard - Earthlink: Impact (UK) http://www.amazon.com/Earthlink-Impact-ebook/dp/B006YR4BIK/ (US) Free from Friday 6th April through Monday 9th April. Blog: http://sarahbarnard.co.uk

Have a great weekend!

My 2nd KDP Select Experience

On Saturday evening, right before I climbed into bed, I witnessed a beautiful picture on the internet...




Yes, that's my short story, The Valentine's Day Curse, in the # 1 position on Amazon's Free Best Selling Short Stories chart, directly across from a book I've read and enjoyed very much, "A Visit from the Goon Squad," which, by the way, is not a short story. 'The Valentine's Day Curse" also was # 9 in Contemporary Fiction and #125 in the Kindle Store. Of course, it wasn't really a best "seller" as it was free, but let's not quibble about money.

The important thing is that my short story, between both promotions, is now on over 2,600 Kindles, iPads, Smartphones, computers, etc. in the U.S., England, Germany and yes, even France! How cool is that? I have to admit it was hard to pull myself away from the screen Saturday knowing the promotion was still going on for two more hours. And I was glad my daughter came home in time to capture that screen shot because when I awoke Sunday morning the bubble was burst. Back to the netherlands.

Well, that's not exactly accurate. Before the promotion I was in the 400,000 rankings. I found I actually had some paid sales afterwards, and one return. I hope the reader returned it because they thought it was still free, and not because they read it & didn't want to pay the 99 cents, or worse, hated it. So early Sunday morning the book's ranking was in the 70,000's. Okay, so it's pretty down there, but not as bad as 400,000! The hope now is that people will actually read it, and some must have because I did garner additional "likes." Hopefully they will review it and then seek out something else I wrote, which would be the novel that practically killed me, Fractured Facade, and then buy that.

Besides lucking out by being one of the books included in Ereader News Today's picks, I also received help from folks on Twitter and Facebook via retweets and reposts on their Facebook walls. A big thank you goes to everyone, especially the total strangers who opened their walls and hearts to my wee little story.

As Sunday went on I enjoyed the beautiful day, glad to be away from the computer screen, promoting is hard work! And after my walk along the Roanoke River I checked my stats again and was surprised, and thrilled, to find that The Valentine's Day Curse was actually selling! At 5:00 pm the book had moved to the left side of the screen into the # 7 position on Amazon's Paid Best Seller's Kindle list, and #12 on the Fiction Book list!




Yes, paid sales!

Now, what about the week long Read an eBook Smashwords promotion for Fractured Facade? One word...Blech! That my friends, I would consider a bust, except I did get one sample download which resulted in one paid sale. So, I am happy that my novel is in one new reader's hands. However, with the results of both promotions I am now convinced that I need to pull my novel from everywhere else and enroll it exclusively at Amazon. I know I said I wanted it available to the most people, and based on actual experiences, I think that would probably be if I put it into Amazon's KDP Select program. Gotta go where the action is.

One quick check this Monday morning before I post this shows The Valentine's Day Curse is still selling, but has moved down to the #12 paid position. I'll take it!

The most important lesson learned is that I need to get back to writing. You want to sell books? Write them...

Free, Free, Free eBook!

To cap-off the Read an eBook Week promotion -- For 24 hours, one day only, that's today, Saturday, March 10th, The Valentine's Day Curse -- A short story is FREE, FREE, FREE on Amazon!

Remember, you do not need to own a Kindle to read this eBook!

And, today is also the last day that Fractured Facade is going for half-off at Smashwords. Read the sample, and if you like to buy it enter REW50 at check out.



Spread the word and happy reading!

Read an eBook Week

I've decided to take part in Smashword's Read an eBook week promotion by offering Fractured Facade discounted at 50% off the $4.99 regular price, so if you download it from Smashwords, the book will cost you $2.50. The promotion kicks off today and will be running through March 12th. When you get to the check-out put this coupon code in REW50.

Here's the book's description:

The peaceful life in Southwest Virginia Marie had taken for granted is shattered the moment she receives a phone call from her brother, “I just got a call from a detective. Daddy’s dead.”

After rushing to her family home in Brooklyn, New York, Marie seeks answers to her father’s mysterious death. Instead, disturbing occurrences and acts of betrayal magnify her questions.

Marie is not surprised her unheeded suspicions regarding her father’s ex-girlfriend were valid, but she is astonished how oblivious so many people had been, and continue to be, to the wily ways of the con artist.

Inheriting her father’s scheming ex-girlfriend becomes a journey Marie never imagined she’d be forced to travel.

Written as memoir, “Fractured Facade” is a cautionary tale for anyone who is concerned about a parent after that parent loses their spouse. The survivor is often thrust into the “single world,” an unfamiliar world, quite different from the dating scene of their youth, and one where some people create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can sometimes cause an otherwise intelligent person to behave foolishly.

“Fractured Facade” is the tale of a father’s death, a daughter’s life, and a sociopath’s vendetta.

Meanwhile, if there are any Nook readers who prefer to download their books from Barnes & Noble, their site is still showing the discounted price of $3.99 instead of the usual $4.99. I don't know how long that price will remain as it should have already changed. Until it does, Amazon is also selling it at $3.99 because they price-match! Anyway, I hope Nook owners realize that you can download your book directly from Smashwords as well as B&N (cheaper at Smashwords!). And Kindle owners can also download directly from Smashwords, so if you had any desire or intention to read Fractured Facade, take advantage this week!

Another eBook you can read is the short story, The Valentine's Day Curse. It's 99 cents and still exclusive to Amazon. I hope folks realize you do not need to own a Kindle to read eBooks bought from Amazon. Click here for the link to all the free apps you can download to read Kindle eBooks on your iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac computers as well as other devices.

Depending upon the outcome of this Smashwords promotion I may keep it exclusive to Amazon. I haven't had much action at Smashwords, Barnes & Noble or Apple since the beginning of the year, so am beginning to question if perhaps the KDP Select program would be worth checking out for Fractured Facade. In fact, I've already pulled Fractured Facade from Kobo since they take so long to remove it when requested, and/or change the price. Not only haven't I seen one sale from there, but they have the book in the wrong category and still haven't changed the description.

If you're like most people you probably have hundreds if not thousands of eBooks that you downloaded free languishing on your eReader. Please don't forget about them and do the author a favor when you finish...write a review. Happy reading!

Kudos to Daytime Blue Ridge

That's me in the middle with my beautiful daughter sitting next to me on the set of Daytime Blue Ridge. A friend of mine said I looked bored, but nervous is probably more the case. And, had I realized the producer was taking a wide shot of all of the guests, instead of one at a time, I probably would have at least attempted a smile!

Daytime Blue Ridge is a local news and entertainment show which runs on WSLS, the NBC affiliate in Roanoke, at noon. Yesterday was my first live television appearance being interviewed for my books. I have to say all the folks at DBR were great. They made me feel very comfortable. Natalie Faunce was a great interviewer and even prettier in person. And Jeff Haniwiech, who filled in for Mike Wilson, has a fun personality. No wonder my daughter wants to work there after graduation.

Those of you who are either friends or fans of my Facebook Author Page probably have already seen this interview, but for those who haven't here it is...



Four minutes goes very fast and I tried to get in as much as the time would allow, without speaking as fast as I normally do. I have to give props to Daytime Blue Ridge for being so supportive of the Roanoke community. They recognize there's talent in these dar hills and have graciously given us a place to introduce viewers to our various endeavors.

One of the main obstacles an independent author faces is that too many media outlets refuse to give credence to our work. Although I have received support and interviews in local publications, efforts to get my books reviewed have been thwarted. Our local newspaper, The Roanoke Times, refuses to not only review any self-published author, but also accept reviews from others for self-published books. As I have been a paid columnist, as well as a free contributor to a blog, the irony is not lost on me.

I think the local newspapers are making a huge mistake by following in the footsteps of the New York Times and other publications who shut out reviews of independent author books. More and more people are turning to eReaders and discovering authors they never would have if they just read who's on the best-selling list. Snooki was on the NYT bestselling list. Need I say more?

As local newspapers are losing more and more readers, it's my belief they need to focus more on the talents in the community, and not just by listing where and when a specific person is having a reading, etc. Tell them about the book. Let the readers tell us about a book they read. Get everyone involved. Frankly, I don't see the difference between a local author who publishes via a University Press and/or a small publishing company who sells a handful of "real" books, versus a self-published independent author who may even sell more books on-line than either of those. It's the story that matters, not the ISBN number, or if a book is in a brick and mortar store. The times, they are a changing, and newspapers need to change with them. My advice to them...Take a page from Daytime Blue Ridge...Stop following and start leading!

The Valentine's Day Curse - FREE!

Ok kiddies, today February 13th through February 15th "The Valentine's Day Curse--A short story" is FREE FREE FREE!

Get thee to your Kindle, computer, Smartphone, Ipad, Iphone and save yourself a whopping 99cents by downloading it here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074B2DAS



I hope if you like it you will consider leaving a review, and/or a like on Amazon, and maybe even consider buying my other book, "Fractured Facade," which I have discounted to $3.99.

Feel free to spread the word about this freebie, and if you're looking for a warm, fuzzy Valentine's Day story, be forewarned, this short story isn't it! That is a noose on the groom's neck, heehee!

Author Page

I've come to the conclusion that writing my stories is less "work" than promoting them. Luckily I come from a marketing/promotion background BC (before children) so I have some sort of clue as to the best way to do it, however, it is still time consuming. Frankly, I can't wait to get back to reading some of the many books I have on my Kindle, that aren't mine!

When you release something new, updates to websites, pages, bios, etc. become imperative. Since I just released The Valentine's Day Curse I've been busy will all that "fun stuff" while still promoting Fractured Facade. My website is still a work in progress so bear with me.

I decided it would be wise to create an author page on Facebook rather than have individual pages for all my books. I learned that lesson from having more than one blog at one time. I found I was pulling myself in too many directions and not being productive. I figure I could use the author page to make announcements, run specials, share events, and hopefully dialogue with my readers and friends.

If you care to, I would greatly appreciate you liking my author page by clicking here.



If you do, you can read the first post and see how to save 99 cents!

While the rest of you are watching the SuperBowl I will be composing a press release, compiling a contact list, and coming up with topics to speak about on my upcoming appearance on the Daytime BlueRidge Show. Anyone know how to lose 20 pounds in two weeks??? Apparently WSLS does not have a magic camera...

NYC...Live in Roanoke! Videos

I'm thrilled to finally be able to show you some of the performances from the NYC...Live in Roanoke! event. Gotta say, they're exactly as I remembered from that night. I loved each band's unique take on the songs they performed. Thank you again for being part of Fractured Facade's book event...I wanted something different and entertaining, and all you guys delivered!

One more thanks to River Laker for organizing, and the library, for hosting such a unique event. And a big thanks to Ron Bergeron from Star City Fame for not only doing such an excellent job taping the bands, but for posting them as well on his You Tube Channel.

A big raspberry to the local journalists for missing a great show, especially the weekly newspaper that took money for an advertisement for the event, yet didn't think it was "worthy" enough to check out. Oh well, I guess their reporters had to rest up to cover the Live Nativity, or some other yawn story, because ten bands playing in a Roanoke library must happen every December, and is not quite as interesting as reporting on a line of cars staring at an angel on the side of a building. What can I say? It's Roanoke!

I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I have and by all means the next time you see these bands performing locally go check them out. Support our local musicians, writers, and artists, will ya!

Local Spotlight Q&A

Thanks to Dana Bailey and The Roanoke Times for the Local Spotlight Q&A on the Back Cover Blog!

I caught up with Elena DeRosa, local writer and blog reader, last week. She has been a joy to email back and forth with. Thank you Elena for taking the time to answer these questions.

Look for a guest post from Elena on the new South County Library later this week.

Q&A

Tell me about your book and what inspired it.

"Fractured Facade is my debut novel. It’s not the first book I wanted to write, but the one I had to write. My father’s mysterious death and the subsequent events inspired me to write a cautionary tale.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who has found themselves in a child/parent role reversal with a parent who has lost their spouse. The surviving spouse is often thrust into this new “single world,” an unfamiliar world where some people create facades to mask their true intentions. Sadly, loneliness can make an otherwise intelligent person do stupid things.

My hope is to prevent people from making some of the same mistakes as the “characters” in my book have."

Read the rest of the interview here!