Posts Tagged ‘advice’

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

What’s a guy gotta do in order to get his AARP card?    I was all jazzed because I turned 50 this week and was looking forward to getting my card in the mail.  Everyone knows the joke,  you turn 50 and AARP sends you a welcome packet.   WTF  AARP??    Where’s my Card??  I’ve been checking the mailbox EVERY DAY !!!!!!

aarp

So I called them……here is conversation  (pls note that I do occasionally write fiction)

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Repost —   …..  A salute to Brenna Aubrey for her success and willingness to share so much information….

Bravo………<<<<< standing ovation  >>>>>       find out more about her and her work at  http://brennaaubrey.net

January 12, 2014 – 97 Comments

THE FIRST MONTH OF PUBLICATION: A RECKONING

In the interest of “paying it forward” to all the honest and open independent authors who have gone on before me, I feel this post is an obligation, on my part. Had they not blazed the trail, returned and reported that everything is fine on the other side, I could never have made the decision to turn down a New York book deal to become an indie author. I’ve therefore decided recount the so-called “indie-coaster” ride that was my first month as a self-published author.

AT ANY PRICE released officially on December 9, 2013. My first month as a published author has been full of ups and downs—mostly ups! The book has been very well received. By the one-month anniversary of publication, the book had 100 reviews on Amazon, 66 of which were 5 star reviews.

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You’ll see writers talking about how much they value their “early” readers (aka beta readers)  for their feedback on story ideas, pacing, plot points, characterization, etc.   That holds doubly true for me as I struggle to put together a story that  keeps the reader’s attention.   My mother is one of my biggest supporters in all things writing, so she is always willing to read a rough draft and provide comments.

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      The Classic -Fake Orgasm- scene from “When Harry Met Sally”

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I’m very happy to announce the contest winner is Babs from the lovely Babs Book Bistro.   She was randomly drawn as the winner

of my contest.     Prize   $100  gift card.      Congrats Babs  

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BabsBookBistro/187967501251632

 

Here’s a little more on the upcoming release  (hopefully available in Sept.)      

As with the previous book, I will have a “Pre-Launch” to kick things off and I’ll be signing all the

softcover sales that are purchased before the title goes live on Amazon.        Hi5          

 

….  Here’s the setup           (Tentative Title  –   “When His Dreams Take Flight” ) 

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This is the first blog post that I’ve brought up the topic of a new release,  so my fingers are trembling ever so slightly as I contemplate releasing the new novel out into the world.    In anticipation of the new book,  I’m in the process of building a mailing list to keep folks informed about the upcoming new work and other tidbits of wisdom (should I have any)  that I can pass along.

Because of this, I’m having a Giveaway! To enter see below.

The new novel’s early title (subj. to change)  is   “When His Dreams Take Flight”  and  here’s the setup –    dreams of flying-revised60pct

    Have you ever dreamed you were flying?  If so, you probably know how    spectacular it is.  Nick Townsend had these types of dreams regularly and he USE to enjoy them.
 
In late 2012, he’s been suspended from his job as a high school principal. 
His stress knocks him off the wagon and his alcohol addiction gets the better of him.
He wakes up the next morning remembering that his flying dream took him over the site of an elementary school shooting IN PROGRESS.   When he watches the details of THAT school shooting play out on the news the very next day, he realizes he’s been given special insight.  The next time he drinks, it happens again, and he heads off to Arkansas stop the shooters.  
 
But can a thirty-something, small town NC high school principal stop these tragedies?
 
Should he risk his life when he’s about to marry the sexiest teacher in town who’s also having his baby? 
 
Can he win his battle against tequila?  
 
And what might happen if he drinks again only to wake up to the realization
that HIS school is the next to be attacked?

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This newsletter will be, at most,  a monthly publication.  I will populate it with helpful info and promise NEVER to bombard you with advertisements or other annoying bits of data.

To be entered into the contest,  please click to find the Rafflecopter form below.

Enter Here!

Winners will be drawn via random selection courtesy of Rafflecopter.

You can only enter once.  Draw ends July 31st. Winner will be announced on Aug 1st.    So HURRY !!!!!

Collateral Damage Blog Tour – Fredrick Brooke – Chapter 22

Friend and fellow author, Fredrick Brooke, has just released his latest book, Collateral Damage. As part of this launch, he is sharing the first twenty-six chapters, and today I am posting chapter twenty-two. He is also conducting a contest as part of this blog tour, the conditions are below. Hope you enjoy this excerpt, and if you haven’t had the chance to read the previous chapters, a list is also included.

Win a $25 Amazon gift card AND a signed paperback edition of any book by Frederick Lee Brooke!
To win, all you have to do is visit every blog on the 26-day Collateral Damage Excerpt Tour and leave a comment showing that you read the excerpt. That’s it! See the blog list and join the tour …
Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series, which includes Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order.  Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works!
COLLATERAL DAMAGE excerpt tour – 
Monday, June 24        Shannon Mayer           Ch. 1
Tuesday, June 25        Scott Bury                   Ch. 2
Wednesday, June 26   Raine Thomas              Ch. 3
Thursday, June 27       Emily Walker               Ch. 4
Friday, June 28           Simon Jenner               Ch. 5
Saturday, June 29       Amberr Meadows       Ch. 6
Sunday, June 30          Anne Chaconas          Ch. 7
Monday, July 1           BestsellingReads         Ch. 8
Tuesday, July 2           Tyler-Rose Neath        Ch. 9
Wednesday, July 3      Naomi Leadbeater      Ch. 10
Thursday, July 4          Mohana Rajakumar     Ch. 11
Friday, July 5              Helen Hanson             Ch. 12
Saturday, July 6          Marilou George           Ch. 13
Sunday, July 7            J.C. Martin                  Ch. 14
Monday, July 8           Corinne O’Flynn         Ch. 15
Tuesday, July 9           Tawdra Kandle           Ch. 16
Wednesday, July 10    Martha Bourke           Ch. 17
Thursday, July 11        Connie M. Chyle        Ch. 18  TBA
Friday, July 12            Cyndi                         Ch. 19
Saturday, July 13        Kenneth Hoss             Ch. 20
Sunday, July 14          Andrea Kurian            Ch. 21
Monday, July 15         Andy Holloman          Ch. 22            You Are Here
Tuesday, July 16         Marilyn Diekman        Ch. 23
Wednesday, July 17    Christine Nolfi            Ch. 24
Thursday, July 18        Jennifer Chase           Ch. 25
Friday, July 19            Patricia Sands            Ch. 26
And now what you’ve all been waiting for, the excerpt:

…  This year, I was quite fortunate to become involved with an uber cool, supportive, and extremely entertaining group of folks at BestSellingReads.com

Over the course of just  few months,  they have developed a place that supports writers and readers of all different types of fiction and non-fiction…..

Below are the folks in charge.       Check out the site and check out the books.             BestSellingReads.com

…..

BestSellingReads features talented authors who value teamwork and possess a proven track record of producing quality fiction. Books written by our members top bestseller lists, win awards and garner high reviews across social media platforms. We remain on the lookout for the best and brightest authors in New Fiction.

Please check our website often for giveaways and promotions listed on the site’s main page and each member’s Author Page. Our blog features a wide variety of essays to interest readers of any fiction genre.

Reviewers, Book Clubs, Readers: We welcome your interest. If you would like to connect with one of our members, please use the contact form.

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As writers, we often get questions on where our story ideas come from. 

They come from a story in the news, something read, an observation from the world, or discussion with friends. Something out there tugs at the corner of the mind: What if? What would happen if? What if that was merged with, Why did that …?

Today, we’re going to explore where six of the Best Selling Reads authors got their ideas for a completed work or a work in progress.

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Guest Post by my Friend and brilliant writer – Carolyn Arnold

What is a Pen Gun? by @Carolyn_Arnold #AODTour

AOD Blog Tour Logo with Book (1)

Pen guns, a type of zip gun, have been utilized in many movies.  It brings with it the intrigue of spies and espionage.  You might remember the one used in US Marshals on the plane?

pen gun

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