M. P. McDonald

Waiting...waiting...waiting

2012-01-31T15:33:00.000-06:00

Okay, so the waiting has been all of three minutes. What am I waiting for? Well, that shriek of joy you probably just heard was from me as I finished up my manuscript for Deeds of Mercy, and polished it up to the best of my ability before I sent it to my betas. Now, I wait.

However, unlike other times I've finished a book and I sat back and relaxed, I'm diving right into the next project. What is the next project? Thanks for asking. That would be my poor neglected romantic suspense. It's already half-way done, so I would be crazy to just let it languish. I love writing Mark Taylor books, but I think the break will do me some good.

Getting back to the beta stuff, what's cool is I have two women and two men doing the betas. I love that I'll get both a male and female perspective, especially as 90% of the novel is from a male pov, so I'm really thrilled to have a couple of guys putting in their two cents.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

My Goals for 2012

2012-01-20T09:53:00.002-06:00

I started thinking about what I want to accomplish this year. After reading J.A. Konrath's blog and about how he's earning a fine living with his books, I realized I need to get my butt in gear and write a lot more. I am woefully thin in the shelf space department. Just two books. So, with this in mind, I've come up with some goals for 2012.

1. Finish Deeds of Mercy--I am SO close, I know I'll finish this one very soon. Possibly in the next week or so.

2. Finish a romantic suspense I started 2 years ago! I keep putting it on hold to write more Mark Taylor books, but no matter what happens with DOM, I need to finish this unrelated book. My reasoning is that most series dwindle in sales the farther they go. The first book is almost always the best seller, but not every single person who buys it will go on to buy the second book, and even fewer will buy the third. However, those that do are my most loyal readers and if they want more books about Mark Taylor, I'll do my best to keep writing them, no matter how few people there are still buying them. Thing is, I still want to expand my reader base. I know that there are readers out there who might buy a romantic suspense, but shy away from typical thrillers because most thrillers are less about the characters and more about the plot, and romance readers love great characters and interaction. I think if I can get them to read a romantic suspense (that strays more into the No Good Deed type of characterization than typical romance books), I might get some of them to try the series. Even if they don't, the book allows me to go in a direction I don't feel comfortable taking the Mark Taylor series.

3. Write a fourth Mark Taylor book--See? I'm not going to abandon the series, but I haven't decided whether to do one that follows Deeds of Mercy, or a pre-quel to the series so we can see Mark before he's had all of this heaped on him. Maybe I'll do both books, but not sure I can do both in one year.

4. If all of the above works out, I'd love to go part-time at my day job. Right now, I'm between a rock and a hard place. I work full-time and have a family, so that leaves me less time to write, and when I do have time, I'm often exhausted from work. (Every week, I do 2 days with back to back 12 hour shifts--I'm useless those evenings.). I'm not quite at that place where my writing income is steady enough to take the plunge of cutting back my hours. The main thing is insurance. My cost for that will double when I go part-time, otherwise I'd go part-time right now. I won't complain too much though because I feel very fortunate that in my profession, I can still get insurance while working part-time, and that I can also pick up extra hours pretty much whenever I'd need them if the book sales are slumping. (the catch is the hours might be night shift, and I'm not too eager to work that.)

A camera store I spotted in Chicago a few years ago. I immediately knew it was where Mark worked in No Good Deed. Just thought I'd share even though this has nothing to do with my blog post!

A Major Award

2012-01-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

Last week, Red Adept Indie Review blog handed out awards to the favorite books by each of the reviewers in various categories. I secretly hoped, and thought maybe there was a chance, but then I remembered that it's been a year since No Good Deed was reviewed (my post about it) on the site. Since then, I've seen so many wonderful books reviewed, and many also received 5-Stars. I thought for sure NGD would be long forgotten. In fact, on Thursday last week, I knew that the Thriller/Suspense category hadn't been announced yet, and knew it must be one of the last categories that would be announced on Friday. I forgot about it when I woke up and was half-way to the gym--and btw, I practically had to use a GPS system to find the way, it's been so long--when my husband called me to tell me that Cutting Edge Indies had posted a congrats about No Good Deed on Facebook.

I almost turned around to go home to look for myself, but I decided I could check at the gym because they had been advertising their newly installed public wi-fi, and I had my Kindle Fire. Except, when I got there, the wi-fi was being 'enhanced', but wasn't functioning at that moment. Uuuggghhh! Yes, I cut my much needed workout short just so I could race home to see for myself--but I still did 20 minutes of elliptical and 20 minutes of shooting baskets, along with a little bit of weights. (pathetic, I know.)

So, long story short, here it is at Red Adept Reviews: 2011 Red Adept Review Indie Awards: Thriller/Suspense

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

2011-12-24T12:26:00.006-06:00

Tentative cover. Thoughts?

is in sight--and it's not a freight train coming from the other direction. At least, I hope not. Deeds of Mercy: Book Three of the Mark Taylor Series is almost done. I've sent out the first 2/3s to betas already and so far, the feedback has been very good. If No Good Deed was your favorite of the two books so far, then you'll be happy to know that Deeds of Mercy is more like that book than March Into Hell. I did try to capture one aspect of that book though. I didn't really tell the betas what I was going for, but here's a comment from one of them:

"In DOM you have recaptured a lot of the injustice of NGD but you have added to it the loneliness and frustration of MIH."

Don't worry though, I promise it's not unrelenting misery for Mark, but there's enough if you like that aspect. I also brought back some characters from No Good Deed that I think readers will like.

You might be wondering where I came up with the title. I actually wanted The Quality of Mercy, from a quote in The Merchants of Venice, but it's already fairly popular. As I read through the whole excerpt though, I realized that the end of the scene ends with Deeds of Mercy. Here's a dissection of the scene according to some internet sites--yeah, I'm not literary enough to figure it out on my own, but once it's explained, the light bulb went off in my head.

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. 'T is mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway, It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God's, When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy.

Here's the explanation:

Portia replies that compulsion is precisely contrary to the spirit of mercy, which is not "strain'd" (forced). Only because mercy is voluntary—because it mitigates the compulsions of the literal law—is it true mercy.

It's the true mercy--the rendering of the deeds of mercy--that I'm trying to capture in Deeds of Mercy and I was thrilled to see that phrase.

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll have the book uploaded in a month or so. In the meantime, if you are interested, I've added a few short excerpts from the book. I chose these to give the flavor of the book, but to not give away too much of the plot. I don't know how they'll come across out of context, so I'd love to hear what others think.

From chapter one here's one I'm not going to explain. *grin* :

As Mark coughed and sputtered, it crossed his mind that he needed new friends since at least two of them were familiar with the finer points of water-boarding.

The next one involves Dan. He's Jessie's partner in the CPD and he made appearances in both the previous books in the series:

Mark shoved out of the chair, arms spread. "Damn it! What do you want me to do? Manufacture evidence?" He gestured toward his computer. “Create some images with my graphics program? Or should I just say I planted the bomb so that somebody will go investigate?" He turned away in disgust and vented his anger by slamming shut an open drawer of the filing cabinet.

"Did you?"

Mark glared over his shoulder. "Get the hell out."

Dan stood and shrugged. "Look at it from my angle. I can't go to the transit authority with some half-assed claim that a guy dreamed a train would blow up this afternoon. Naturally they're going to want details. What train? What time? How do you know? How credible is the informant? And to tell the truth, Mark, your history is going to come back to bite you in the ass when someone looks it up."

"Yeah. I get it. I have no credibility. Sorry I wasted your time." The apology tasted bitter on his tongue.

And finally, here's one from Jim's point of view. I'm half-tempted to give Jim his own series. What do you think? Anyway, he's a main character in this book too.

What he was doing could cost him his career or worse, and his common sense screamed at Jim to take Mark into official custody. All his life, he’d done things by the book and for the most part, that strategy worked for him. This one time, he closed his ears to the pleading of his common sense and listened to his gut. The damn book didn’t have a chapter that dealt with guys who could see the future. Jim supposed one day he’d be an expert and could write that chapter, but until then, he was forced to improvise.

Very Early Results from KDP Select

2011-12-13T08:23:00.001-06:00

Just a quick post with an update on how it's going so far. My book, No Good Deed, was free on Friday, along with over 600 new freebies. Yeah, you read that right. It was kind of crazy! I was happy that even though this was the third time NGD has been free, it made it to #60 in the Kindle Free store and had about 3,000 downloads.

For the first few days, I didn't have many Prime Lending borrows, but that is picking up. I have about 20 total now. You'd think that would cannibalize my sales, but I've seen the opposite happen--at least so far.

Initially, No Good Deed went back to paid status early Saturday morning at the 'matched' price of 99 cents, because I had it listed as 99 cents at B&N. Obviously, it was no longer listed there, so late Saturday evening, after about 70+ sales at 99 cents, it went back to $2.99, and sales literally came to a screeching halt. I was bummed, but understood. However, Sunday, I sold a few, plus a few of March Into Hell. Yesterday, the same. It was actually the best Monday of sales in a few months, but still nothing spectacular. I think I sold 20 No Good Deed and 8 March Into Hell. I was happy even though my ranking of NGD went from the 2,000s to the 3,000s.

Strangely, today I woke up to over 30 overnight sales of No Good Deed. I have no clue why. It used to be, in the early days, that a site like Pixel of Ink or Ereader News Today, would feature a random book, but even then, it was never in the middle of the night, and those days are gone.

Could my increased sales be connected to KDP Select somehow? I have no idea. It could be a fluke or maybe the book had a mention somewhere that I didn't find on a Google search. Your guess is as good as mine.

*Update* 12/14

Since I went to bed Monday night, I have sold 100 No Good Deed and it has been borrowed another 29 times (to make 39 borrows for that book total). Ranking has gone from the low 3000s, to a low of 757 this morning. It's up to 806 as I type this.

I'm pretty sure KDP Select is the reason for the jump because in the UK, I've not had the same surge. It was free there as well, and I had 73 free downloads, but since it went back to paid, only 11, and none yesterday. The UK doesn't have the Prime Lending Library yet, that I know of, or if they do, not many people must use it. No borrows there yet.

KDP Select

2011-12-09T07:00:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning I woke up fifteen minutes before my alarm was set to go off at 5a.m. Needless to say, I was blurry-eyed and foggy-brained, but I picked up my android phone, like I do every morning, and checked my KDP page. Even in my half-asleep state, and minus contact lenses, I noticed the new link called KDP Select at the top of the KDP page. I'd heard rumors, so I wasn't shocked. Instead, I was thrilled. Still, I read the whole contract and the FAQ twice before I even put my feet to the cold, wooden floor.

For me, it was a no-brainer. All my other sales at B&N, Apple, Sony, Smaswords and Kobo, combined, are less than 1% of my total sales. I jumped at the chance. The contract is only for 90 days, so it's not like I'm locked in for the copyright of my books or anything. It's 90 freaking days. You can only grow one third of a baby in that time, or shiver through one third of a winter in Wisconsin. It takes my toenail polish longer than that to grow out...okay, sorry for that detail, but I think you get my drift.

Will it work for me? I don't know. I hope so, but if nothing else, it has enabled me to schedule some free days. Before, I had to jump through hoops--backwards while juggling three bowling balls-- to get my book to go free. This is so much easier. If I did it right, my first free day should be, wait for it--no on second thought, no need to wait, No Good Deed should be free RIGHT NOW! Just for today though. I wanted to see how it would go, so I only used one of my five free days for that book.

Theme for the Day: Validation

2011-12-07T12:00:00.001-06:00

I'd forgotten how reading a bunch of blogs could inspire me to write my own blog post. So many interesting topics out there! I know when my comments start getting long-winded on someone else's blog, that I need to edit that comment and then make a blog post about the topic myself, so today, I'm going to blog about validation. I saw the topic twice today--once on a Kindleboards thread and once on another blog. I've addressed the topic before, but it can never be stressed enough that validation, at the end of the day, should come from readers. They are the ultimate stamp of approval.

There are different routes to attracting those readers. Some authors go the traditional route, some the indie route, and some do both. I'm not here to debate the merits of any of them, just to point out that authors looking to get an agent or publisher might be so focused on receiving validation from a single agent, that they might lose sight of the fact that one agent, in and of themselves, isn't really capable of validating your writing. Agents are looking for manuscripts that they feel publishers want, and if your werewolf/deer hybrid paranormal space opera isn't on that years list of 'hot' topics, your chances of landing that agent plummets to almost zero--even if your writing is spectacular. That's when they send those rejections saying that as much as they loved the manuscript, the book isn't right for them. (Mind you, I never received such a nice rejection, but I've heard of others receiving them.). So, does that mean your writing sucks? What about if the next agent turns around and accepts the same manuscript? The manuscript hasn't changed, so what has? Maybe that second agent just got word that MegaPublisher is looking for a werewolf/deer hybrid paranormal space opera. Score! It has less to do with your writing at that point, sad as that may seem, and more to do with being in the right place at the right time with the right book.

But let's say no publisher is looking for your kind of book, and you self-publish. You're feeling all depressed because an agent didn't touch you with the magic validation wand and proclaim you an "Author". Still, you smile and pretend it's just fine, but inside, you're feeling like a fake and failure. Every time you tell anyone you're an author, if you even get up the nerve to say it, you feel like a complete fraud. You stick with it though, and suddenly, your book is selling by the thousands! Same book, nothing's changed except some readers liked your book and via word of mouth, blogs, and review sites, spread the word that Herds of Space Wolves is an awesome read. Suddenly, it occurs to you that the readers didn't care how that book reached them, only that it did, and they loved it!

Now, you proudly tell anyone who will listen, and even those you have to run down in the mall and grab by the sleeve, that you are an Author.

Authors who go the traditional route might feel validated that an agent accepted them, but I have a feeling that they'll agree that the real satisfaction is in receiving the emails and reviews from readers.

Different routes, but same outcome. Just write a good book, and you'll get all the validation you need.

Coolness

2011-12-01T17:51:00.000-06:00

I had a huge thrill last week when a Canadian friend spotted my book on the Kindle Fire shelf of the reviewer for the Globe and Mail. (Sixth slide) How awesome is that? He was posting his review of the Kindle Fire, along with five other reviewers from various media sources (Wired, NY Times, etc) It is right above The Hobbit, and a shared screen space with James Clavell's King Rat, which now that I think about it, that makes sense as there is a bit of similarity to my book, No Good Deed in that the main characters are prisoners and are interrogated.

I haven't read King Rat in years, but from what I recall, it is about a POW in a Japanese POW camp during WWII. It was a very short book, especially when you consider Clavell's usual monster sized novels, and I almost didn't read it because it was so short.At the time I read King Rat, I was into reading epic sized books. Shogun, Roots, Aztec, etc, so that one was barely a few hours worth of reading, but even all these years later, I still remember that the book was pretty brutal. I've never re-read it for that reason. Maybe I should.

So, anyway, that was my thrill for the month of November.

Is This the Golden Era of Writing?

2011-11-27T11:01:00.000-06:00

Who hasn't heard the saying that just because anyone can publish doesn't mean everyone should publish? That's like saying just because anyone can have a blog doesn't mean everyone should have a blog. What's the worry? That readers won't find what they want to read because of all the clutter? I don't buy it. I find the blogs I want to read the same way readers find the books they want to read, by word of mouth. Whether a book is independently published or traditionally published shouldn't matter because readers will still read what they want. A good book is a good book, period.

I've read some blogs where a tradition author will put down self-published books not even realizing they are doing so. Their intentions might have been innocent, but the result was the same. A bunch of unpublished writers will comment about all the garbage being put out by Indies and swear they would never self-publish as though it was a fate worse than death. I have to chuckle at those posts because I was one of those people a few years ago. Oh, I don't think I ever posted my opinion, but I do know I thought that anyone who self-published was a loser. Yikes! Thankfully, I discovered some radical blogs like the one by J.A. Konrath, at just the right time. His ideas made me re-think my position on self-publishing and I am so glad I did. I love the freedom of doing it all myself. Other indies have felt the same way. Let's face it, the system as it currently is set up allows for only a tiny fraction of books to actually go on to be published. If your book isn't geared to the right market at the right time, you can forget about any of the legacy publishers showing interest. They don't have the time or interest in nurturing writing careers of rookie authors.

The thing is, this is the time that could become the golden era of writing. You may not think it now, but why wouldn't it be? Never before have so many writers been allowed to let their voices be heard. There *will* be diamonds in the piles of dreck. (those piles of dreck are made up of both legacy and Indie published books, btw). Indie published books will more and more often hit the best-seller lists, and the line between legacy published and self-published will blur as some writers choose to go both routes. It's already happening for a minority of authors. It's a win for readers and for authors. The only ones who really should fear it are the big publishing houses, but there is still time for them to make adjustments so that they don't lose their best and most promising authors.

Thirty years from now, I think people will look back and pinpoint this as the time when they first had so many choices. Some will even remember being children and receiving their first e-reader, and how it changed their lives. Am I being overly dramatic? I don't think so. How many people say that going to a library as a child changed their lives and made them love books? Exactly. And think of it, now that library is right in their pockets.

My Kindle Fire

2011-11-19T16:04:00.002-06:00

Just what the world needs--another review of the Kindle Fire, right? I thought it did, so here's mine. On the very first day the Fire was announced, I ordered 2 of them. One for me, and one for my husband. I intended them to be Christmas presents, and I was worried if I didn't order that day, I might not get them in time for the holiday. No worries. They came a day earlier than expected, and in fact, a third Fire that I ordered just this past Sunday arrived just a day after my original order.

I've been asking myself why I need a Kindle Fire. I have a perfectly good Kindle 3 or as it's now called, Kindle Keyboard 3G. (KK) I have a beautiful laptop that is lightweight and easy to take out of the house and I have an android phone I use more to play Angry Birds than I do for calling people. (Sorry, Mom!).

I have no excuses other to say I just wanted one. It's a new toy!

After 3 days, I'm really, really loving it. I found some game apps I like, and yesterday, Amazon's free app was a Paint/Sketch type app that is seriously cool.

Things I like:

The screen with its bookshelf is gorgeous. It's easy to navigate, and so far, every app, webpage, music, book and streaming video has worked wonderfully. It does more than my phone in that regard and is more portable than my laptop. Netflix worked great. Youtube works better than it does on my laptop.

Durability. I didn't test this myself, but lucky for us, this guy bought an extra to test the toughness. See for yourself--but be warned! There is graphic Kindle Fire abuse in the video! It's not for the fainthearted. Blogkindle's Scatch and Drop Test Before seeing this, I was very worried about dropping the Fire. I don't have a cover yet, and my hands are just a little too small to hold it one-handed comfortably (I'm only 5' 2", so most people won't have this issue), but now I'm a bit more relaxed that if I drop it accidentally, it should survive with no problem. It was only the 6ft flat drop that broke the LED (not the glass though) and since I'd have to jump to get my arms close to that height, I have a feeling that won't be a problem. (Finally an advantage to being short!) I do keep it in a Borsa Bella Kindle bag inside my Borsa Bella Hobo bag to prevent scratches to the screen, but it appears I could get away with not using the bag, but it's so cute, and matches the Hobo Bag, so I'll keep using it. (Hehe, just a little plug for my favorite Kindle bag designer)

Price: It's only $199. In this economy, that's a bargain. An iPad and the variety of iPad clones, all cost in the same range as the iPad at about $450 and up. That is an expensive toy! Let's put it this way, I've bought three Kindle Fires for only a little more than one iPad.

WiFi: I have had no issues so far, but have read that it could be a problem. I'm tempted to have my dh open his early to see if his works as flawlessly as mine. I justified opening my Fire early because my birthday is next week, so instead of a Christmas present, it is now an early B-day gift. *beams* Too bad dh's bday was in September. bwhahaha!

Amazon: One of the best features is that my books and music have been on Amazon for over a year. I've also been acquiring Amazon apps since June when I got my android phone. Many of them work for the Fire as well.

Dislikes: As I mentioned, my hands are small, so it's hard for me to hold. However, that is almost a plus because now I know for sure that an iPad or larger tablet, would be too big for me. I expect a cover will help because it will give me something to hang on to. I might have to wait for Christmas for a good cover, but I have my eye on the red RooCase Kindle Fire cover, just in case someone in my family is reading this. Remember, the red, not the pink. ;-)

The carousel: It's beautiful, but it shows every book you've ever downloaded. Yes, even those freebies that you wouldn't normally buy. Ahem. Amazon needs to fix this because it seems to be an issue with lots of users. It doesn't show just books, but also websites that you've visited.

Wifi only: For me, this isn't a problem. I knew when I bought it that it was wi-fi only. I have my e-ink Kindle if I need a book right *now* and most places I go where I would be using my Kindle Fire have wi-fi already. Home, work and even the gym--not that I've been there in awhile, but the mailer they sent me tells me it's a perk of being a member. Maybe I can use that as an incentive to get back into the habit of working out. Or not.

Overall, I have given this 4 out of 5 stars. There is room for improvement, but I found no major flaws.

Holding Out for a Hero

2011-11-15T11:30:00.001-06:00

Some people are drawn to the villain in books, television and movies. I can understand that attraction because the villains have this dark side that can be explored. What made them bad? Did something happen to them as a child? Can they be redeemed? I think the last part is key, especially for women readers/viewers. Bad boys are exciting! They're the guys your parents never want you to come home with, so there's that element of defying a parent's wishes, which, let's face it, as a young person trying to get out from under their influence, can be a heady thing. However, most women don't want to marry the bad guy. No, they are pretty confident they can turn them into good guys, but still keep that hint of 'badness' that makes them so exciting. For men, the villain is the dark part of themselves they don't dare show to the world, but they can experience what it is like by reading and watching, all the while staying safe and comfortable.

This is all theory on my part, by the way. I have no data to back it up, and as someone who has always gone for the good guy as far back as I can remember, my theory might be totally groundless, but there has to be a good reason for normal people to like the bad guy. For me, it's all about the good guy. Others might see them as boring. Ho-hum. Good guy saves the world. Again. And gets the girl. Again. Borrrrrrrrrrrinnng! But what if the good guy is fighting his urge to be bad? What if he hates the person he has to save, and thinks about letting them get their just reward? Can't that be just or even more compelling than the bad boy? After all, the bad boy can do whatever he wants. He's bad and everyone knows it. It doesn't take much character or struggle to give in to his dark side, so for me, there's no tension there. It's too easy to go to the dark side.

I feel it takes a lot more courage and soul-searching for the hero to do something which puts his own life in danger. Does any fireman really want to rush into a burning building? Does any sane person? Not hardly, but the alternative, to let someone else die, is something heroes can't live with, not if they have a chance of saving the person and coming out alive. That's why I always go for the heroes. They choose the harder, more dangerous path and battle through all obstacles. No matter the sacrifice and struggle, they soldier on and reach their goals. So, yeah. I think they deserve to get the girl in the end.

Amazon Chart Rush: String Bridge, by Jessica Bell

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

If you are
not familiar with String Bridge,
check out the book trailer:

Rave Reviews for String Bridge:

“Jessica Bell’s STRING BRIDGE strummed the fret of my
veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page, yet with echoes still reverberating. A rhythmic debut with metrical tones of heavied dark, fleeting prisms of light, and finally, a burst of joy—just as with any good song, my hopeful heartbeat kept tempo with Bell’s narrative.” ~ Kathryn Magendie, author of Sweetie and Publishing Editor of Rose & Thorn Journal

“Poet and musician Jessica Bell's debut novel String Bridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout, seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world begins to unravel … String Bridge is a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor,and just a
hint of magic.” ~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion
Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

“Jessica Bell is a brilliant writer of great skill and depth. She doesn't pull back from the difficult scenes, from conflict, pain, intensity. She puts it all out there, no holds barred, no holding back. She knows how to craft a scene, how to develop character, how to create suspense. This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel.I look forward to reading her next novel, and next and next.” ~ Karen Jones Gowen, author of Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds and House of Diamonds

Connect with Jessica:

String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell

Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/

Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell

Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com

Please TWEET and/or FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!

Ereaders: They're Not Just for Techies Anymore

2011-10-07T12:29:00.001-05:00

When I started this blog 18 months ago, ereaders were still a bit of a novelty. Kindle had been out a year or so, and Barnes&Noble had just come out with the Nook a few months prior. Prices were in the $250 range, making an ereader a luxury item, and something a majority of people couldn't justify paying when they could go to a local bookstore and get a paperback without any need for a device to read it on. Now, bookstores are becoming scarce, partly because of ereaders, but also for other reasons.

Boy oh boy, have things changed in the last year and a half! Prices have come way, way down, making them affordable for many more people in today's economy. In addition, ereaders have become faster and now include touch screens, making them 'cool' enough that even casual readers might covet one. Ereaders come in many sizes and most offer a wireless connection to purchase books. Amazon still has two models with free 3G in addition to Wireless. I have a 3G Keyboard Kindle, also known as 3G K3, and I can't tell you how convenient it is to be able to order a book pretty much from anywhere. Last summer, I was sitting on the beach reading a sample from a book. I liked it, and at the end of the sample was the buy button. I was able to click it and continue reading in less than a minute. However, 3g isn't mandatory and as long as you have a bunch of books downloaded from the archive before you leave your Wi-fi connection, you'll be just fine.

B&N came out with a SimpleTouch e-ink Nook last summer, and I've heard really good things about it (wi-fi only). Not to be outdone, Amazon followed suit with a Kindle Touch, available as a wi-fi and as 3G/wi-fi, and dropped the price so that the Wi-fi only option is just $99. If that's not inexpensive enough, they also have a stripped down Kindle, non-touch, but with Wi-fi, for just $79. For a pure ereader, this deal can't be beat anywhere. It's the perfect option for kids/teens--and from my own experience with my daughter, the Kindle has spurred her into a love of reading. She might have developed the love anyway, but having the books available instantly when she finished the prior book in a series, kept her from setting the book down and rushing off to watch TV or something. With the next book right there, she would just continue reading.

Last, but definitely not least, we come to the hybrid tablet/ereaders. Barnes&Noble came out with NookColor last Christmas. I actually bought one for my husband for Christmas, but he's not much of a reader and wanted it for magazines. We found out, at the time, the magazines he wanted weren't available, so we took it back. I have to admit I was very sorry to see it go. I secretly wanted to use it myself!

This year, Amazon came out with their version, called Kindle Fire. It is available for pre-order right now, and at just $199, it is going to sell like crazy. don't need one, but that didn't stop me from pre-ordering one for my own Christmas present along with one for my husband. Like NookColor, the screen is not e-ink, it is backlit, but also like NookColor, it is optimized for reading comfort, unlike most tablets. Also, it streams movies and tv shows via wi-fi, and Amazon Prime customers get unlimited streaming at no extra charge. Right there, Amazon is capturing a new audience, some of whom will buy books just because it's so easy.

There are rumors of a NookColor2 coming out before Christmas. I wonder what kind of innovations the have thought of for that one? Whatever they are, I'm sure it'll be good for all consumers because the competition drives the innovations.

While I've focused on Amazon and Barnes&Noble, there are other players in the game too. Sony has some excellent ereaders, and I've read good things about one called iRiver.

Then, of course, there are apps available so you can read your Amazon or B&N books on other devices like phones and iPads--but those aren't true ereaders, so I'm not really including them here. (okay, well, I just did, but I won't be comparing them!)

So, whether you are a fan of the Nook, Kindle or iRiver, it really doesn't matter because we all win with the brisk competition between companies.

Person of Interest=Interesting Show

2011-09-24T09:26:00.000-05:00

CBS aired the premiere episode of Person of Interest on Thursday evening. I've been looking for a new show ever since Friday Night Lights aired its last episode. I think Person of Interest might fill the void nicely--although I'm also looking forward to Terra Nova

What I loved, LOVED about POI is the reluctant hero theme. It is one that I've explored in all my writing, along with the element of paranormal, or sci-fi twist of knowing the future. It's like someone took a peek inside my mind and created a show just for me. The only way it would be better is if Kyle Chandler starred in it, but Jim Caviezel is certainly easy on the eyes as well. No complaints in that department!

I also loved the action sequences. Writing scenes like that is my biggest challenge, so perhaps watching how they are played out on POI will help with that aspect of my writing. Finch will add that aspect of friendship, I hope. I love a good buddy show.

So, we have the reluctant hero theme covered, as well as the paranormal element, lots of action and what else? Oh yeah. I'm betting there's a dark, shadowy government agency in the background that will come into play. The agency that owns The Machine. I can't wait to see that story arc develop.

Rooting for the Underdog

2011-09-20T12:21:00.003-05:00

Who doesn't love an underdog? Okay, well some people might not, but this blog post isn't for them, it's for those of you who gets a thrill when they see an underdog come out on top. When we hear or read about a David & Goliath story, most of us can easily identify with David. We feel little and powerless, so when a David rises up and conquers Goliath, we feel that WE have won.

That's how I felt this past Sunday when my favorite show of all time, Friday Night Lights, finally...FINALLY, scored a couple of major Emmy awards. This is the little show that could. It just kept plugging along through a bad initial marketing campaign that targeted mostly teens because the story revolves around a town obsessed with its local high school football team. However, the show was much more than that, much deeper, and as season one played out, it became apparent how fantastic the show was, but very few people were watching. It was up against Goliath, literally. American Idol and then Dancing with the Stars were the shows it played opposite that first season. By some miracle, it was renewed.

The next season got off to a rocky start because the network wanted something more dramatic, so the writers thought a murder would do the trick. Fans hated it because it was so out of keeping with the show's history of showing the importance of the little moments in life. It didn't need a murder. The murder plot line was quickly wrapped up with no one but the 'murderers' and one other minor character being aware, which also didn't make sense in small town Texas, but fans were willing to ignore that as long as the murder went away. It was finding its legs again, when the writer's strike hit and shortened the second season. Again, this little show that could, didn't die. It found a home on DirecTV in a deal with NBC to share the costs.

It has thrived, creatively, in the last three years as it brought in new talent to replace the characters who graduated. The writing on the show was always amazing, taking routes that most other shows never did. For instance, in a scene where a character's father has died in Iraq, and the young man is overwhelmed. The Coach, who had acted fatherly towards this character, doesn't give the fatherly speech to the boy, like most shows would do. The kid just lost his dad, and it would have been inappropriate for him to take up that role right then, but other shows would have done it. They'd have given him a big long speech to calm the young man down. FNL instead, just had Coach catch up to him and they stood awkwardly for a few moments, and the coach just said he'd walk the boy home. The scene was beautiful in its understatedness. (not sure that's a word, but it works, so I'm using it.)

Through it all, Connie Britton (Tami Taylor, aka Mrs. Coach) and Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor) masterfully anchored the show as the adults who helped all the young people find their way through, basically, the usual road blocks teens face in blue collar Middle America--drugs, violence, pregnancies, abortions, absent parents, racism, child abuse, etc.

Connie Britton was as deserving as Kyle Chandler, but the Emmy's didn't want us to get greedy, I guess. They gave FNL an Emmy for best writing in a dramatic series, and Kyle Chandler, best actor in a drama. He should have received one in 2007 after the first season, but wasn't even nominated. Nobody was. I think the show received an Emmy for best casting, but...does that even make sense to get an Emmy for best casting, but then to have none of the cast members even receive a nomination? He continued to amaze in subsequent seasons, and I thought for sure he'd get one after seeing the first episode in season 4. He at least was nominated, but didn't win.

When nominations were announced this year, it was a pleasant surprise that the show itself was also nominated, along with Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton for lead actor/actress respectively, and Jason Katims for writing the series finale.

Most fans at this point, thought it was a nice gesture from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Mad Men (Goliath) was nominated in all the major categories and I know I felt they would sweep. I watched the show in August (yes, all if it, every season, every episode.) and it IS a good show. I wasn't even sure I'd begrudge them an Emmy, but it doesn't have the heart of FNL In the end, Mad Men received their Emmy for best dramatic series, but not before Friday Night Lights, that little David of a show, got in a few good licks.

Congrats to Friday Night Lights and everyone associated with it. Clear eyes, full hearts...

Amazon Prime...Books?

2011-09-15T12:27:00.000-05:00

This week, everyone has been buzzing with the news that Amazon is possibly going to do a fee for unlimited ebooks, similar to what Netflix does for movies and television shows. I haven't heard many authors weigh in on the idea and I'm a bit confused about that. Am I one of the few concerned about this possibility?

Publishers will demand at least a flat fee for their books, especially since there is already a business model for that in the form of studios licensing their titles to Netflix. I can see HarperCollins or Random House getting X amount of money for X amount of titles. They would then keep their percentage and divy up the rest between the authors perhaps yearly, based on a per download rate--which wouldn't be known until the whole year had passed.

Would Amazon do the same for indie authors? Or would they make us opt in like we currently must opt in for lending books if we want the 70% royalty. I can't see the point of opting in to that since it would basically mean just giving the books away. Who is going to buy the book if they can get all the books they want for free for one yearly price?

I just can't see a happy outcome from this, unless Amazon puts a lump sum away and divides it among indie authors also based on the number of downloads. Also, I can see authors opting in for one of their books, but accepting just a 35% royalty on subsequent books, but making them more expensive so they can make up the losses. So, if you loved the first book in the series, that you read for free via Amazon's PrimeBooks (my name for it, I have no idea what the real name will be but Netflix isn't appropriate since books aren't flicks.), be prepared to pay more for the next in the series.

Maybe I'm completely wrong about it and this will be wonderful for indie authors. I've been wrong before (shhh...don't tell my husband!) like when my book first went free. I was very nervous about it. I guess we'll all find out soon enough.

Rambling About Writing

2011-09-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

I've been working on book three in the Mark Taylor Series and while I have a plot outlined, I was struggling. You see, plot is the hardest part for me. Not the actual planning of it, but the execution and trying to make it interesting and to keep it moving forward. I imagine lots of writers have this problem. I would sit down to write for an hour or so, and be lucky to squeeze out 400 words.

This week, I had a breakthrough. I don't really know what it was, just that I came to some scenes that are the kinds I love to write--where the character is feeling lost and alone and about to lose everything. It also explains why some readers don't click with my books. While mine do fall into the thriller/suspense genre, they probably have more inner angst than typical thrillers, which appeal to readers who love non-stop action and peril for the protagonist. I enjoy those books too, but also love ones that slow down to explore how the character is feeling about all the turmoil that surrounds him.

For instance, to evoke the sense of hopelessness, I slowed down No Good Deed on purpose. I wanted a sense of the time Mark had spent in prison to come across and for readers to despair along with him. I think I was attempting capture the emotions I felt when I was researching and reading the memos from prison officials, which included some notes from a chaplain who visited the prisoner they were discussing. The chaplain relayed how depressed the prisoner felt, along with the inability of the prisoner to judge the passage of time any longer.

While I'm on the subject of No Good Deed, I'd like to comment on the political aspect of the book. I am not voicing an opinion on whether the real enemy combatants deserved that punishment or not, although some readers have attached a political motive to No Good Deed, I can assure people that the book is not a statement or opinion about government policy, just how I imagined it would be like for a human being to undergo that kind of treatment, and how those feelings would be even more enhanced if my character was completely innocent.

In Deeds of Mercy, I have some chapters from a 'bad guy's" pov. I am trying really hard to not portray him as evil, but to imagine what he feels, politically or personally, and not pass my own judgement on his motives. If I did, I think it could come across as a caricature. I'm sure he doesn't consider himself evil, and has hopes and dreams just like anyone.

No Agent? No Publisher? No Problem.

2011-08-20T11:49:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged a help wanted ad for an agent. Nothing came of it, and guess what? I'm fine with that. The more I learn about traditional publishing, the more I realize I'm better off as an indie. Why? Well, I read on The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing that the average advance for new author, or even a mid-list author is just $5,000. The agent takes their 15%, and the payment isn't even paid in one lump sum, but instead is split into 3 or more payments.

I found out even more about the business end from this site, written by a NY Times Bestselling author, Jeaniene Frost, Publishing Money Myths . If I remember correctly, I read that blog a year or so ago and I kept the information in the back of my mind. When Joe Konrath started blogging about how he had self-published, it all kind of came together and made sense to me.

Ms. Frost talks about advances, royalty rates, and reserves. For instance, using her example, a 8% royalty on a mass market paperback that sells for $6.99 would net the author $0.55/copy. They would need to sell 9,000 to pay out the advance. If they don't sell that many, the advance is all they will ever receive for that book. If they do sell more, that's great, but there's a huge time lag (at least to me) between publishing date and the time an author would get a check since the publishers only pay twice a year. Yeah, you read that right. 2x year! Yikes! Then the first payment will probably be eaten up paying back your advance, and held as a reserve against returns.

Compare that to the monthly payments from Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or Barnes&Noble's Pubit, who both pay every 30 days, with the payment direct deposited in the author's account. I think this alone is the #1 advantage and I don't think I could get used to a 2x/year payment schedule. They way it is now, I can budget a few months in advance since there is only a sixty day lag for payment. (Paid monthly, but first payment is 30 days after the end of the month you first upload, so I'll be getting payment next week for books sold in June.) Plus, I don't have to pay an agent anything. ;-)

There's also the fact that indie authors get real-time numbers on their sales. It's kind of a joke that we're all addicted to checking our numbers. I love being able to tell right away what kind of marketing is working.

Both of my books have earned way more than the typical advance, so I'm already ahead of the game in that area. It took time for them to take off, and I'm not sure that time would have been granted if they had gone the traditional route.

People say, "But traditionally published books are better because they've been edited and have professional covers."

Guess what? Indie books can have those things too! I just found a wonderful editor for my third book and the cost wasn't exorbitant. I'm hoping that maybe my friend, the awesome YA author, Imogen Rose, will help me with the cover for the third, (she did the cover for NGD, and added the new font to MIH), but she's a very busy lady these days, so if she can't, I'm prepared to pay a cover artist. All I have to do is ask around on Kindleboards in the Writer's Cafe, and I'm sure I'll get plenty of recommendations. Prices vary, but I'm putting aside some money from sales of NGD & MIH to pay for this, and every time I go to Kindleboards, I see the work these cover artists have done. Gone are the days of the crappy self-published covers.

So, tell me, what can traditional publishing do for me that I can't do for myself or pay someone else a one time fee to do? Marketing? Not usually. Oh sure, there would be an initial push, but publishers always have another book coming down the pipeline, so in a few weeks, my book would be forgotten, and I'd have to market it myself--just like I'm doing now, but I'd have less control since I wouldn't be able to run sales.

I've already built a decent sized and very supportive reader base on my own, so that's not a reason to choose traditional over Indie. Vetting? Thousands of actual readers have done that already.

So, for me, I think I'm done looking for a literary agent or traditional publishers. They've decided over the last 18 months that they didn't want my books, but it took me this long to realize I don't want them either. My one exception would be Amazon Encore or one of Amazon's new imprints. I've heard good things about them; that they have a different model, and it sounds like it could be the best of both worlds.

No Good Deed and Enemy Combatant Research

2011-08-13T11:24:00.000-05:00

No Good Deed has been out for over a year now and in that time, it has received almost 100 reviews on Amazon, and in addition, I've received quite a few emails from readers. What I've noticed is that the interrogation scenes seem to really stick with the readers. Many admit that the scenes were uncomfortable to read, but that only made them root for Mark even more. (paraphrasing from various reviews). Others felt that the scenes went on far too long and consumed most of the book or that they were over the top and that I had a political agenda. A couple of reviewers even wondered if this was a real story, just with the names changed and the paranormal element added.

I will admit here that the scenes in the prison were my favorite to write. I loved getting into the characters head and seeing it through his eyes. Did I take it too far? I don't know. See, the thing is, there have been only three American enemy combatants. (The detainees at Guantanamo are not Americans.) The three were held either at Naval Consildated Brig, in Charleston, SC or at United States Navy Brig in Norfolk, Va In my research, I found that the two U.S. based brigs were supposed to use the same rules for the enemy combatants as Guantanamo (info). Here is an excerpt from the linked article:

As was recently revealed through the disclosure of military documents following a Freedom of Information request (PDF), al-Marri, along with two American citizens also held as “enemy combatants” — Yaser Hamdi and Jose Padilla — was subjected to the same “Standard Operating Procedure” that was applied to prisoners at Guantánamo during its most brutal phase, from mid-2002 to mid-2004. This involved the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques,” including prolonged isolation, painful stress positions, exposure to extreme temperature, sleep deprivation, extreme sensory deprivation, and threats of violence and death.

Here's a bit more:

Although the treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo was disturbingly harsh, it can be argued — with some confidence, I believe — that the treatment of al-Marri, Hamdi and Padilla was worse than that endured by the majority of the Guantánamo prisoners, as all three suffered in total isolation.

Those three enemy combatants became my template for Mark's experiences. Obviously, it's not like I could interview the subjects so I had to go by what I suspected and use artistic license. One reason I added the paranormal element of the camera is so that readers would understand that my book is complete fiction. Another reason was because I wanted readers to have no doubt that Mark was innocent. In the real world, nobody comes with a guarantee of innocence. Wouldn't it be great if we all did? However, that assurance I gave readers might have made the government look even more sinister. In the book, they don't have the same luxury of knowing that Mark is innocent.

Some reviewers accused me of being a left-leaning liberal with an agenda. That accusation couldn't be further from the truth. Sorry liberals, but I'm a registered Republican. ;-P (or I was before I moved. I still need to register to vote in my new town--I've been here a year, so you can see how political I am by my rush to register.) When I began my research, I was in the camp that enemy combatants--especially American ones--got what they deserved. They were traitors in my book. Honestly, they are still traitors. My conclusion after researching was that I wasn't comfortable with their lack of a formal charges and a trial. Even mass murderers receive that. I mean, how can a combatant defend themselves if there are no charges? No trial? It didn't make sense, and I would have thought the government would want to have a trial and prove the charges true so they could hold these guys up as examples. Instead, the men were hidden away for years with no charges and extremely limited access to counsel.

When I created the character of Jim Sheridan, he started out as the villain, but I think most people felt he wasn't a bad guy by the end of the book. He also came about because in the research, I didn't find any evil interrogators or prison security. In fact, what stood out to me was the concern by some prison officials. I don't know who they were as the memos have names redacted, but there was definite concern for the prisoners well-being and mental states. Jim Sheridan became the character who represented the govenment side. He wasn't all good, but he certainly wasn't all bad either. Being just one man, he couldn't be part of every agency who had contact with Mark, so even though I made him a CIA officer, in my mind, his character encompassed all the alphabet agencies. I was especially excited to find out that the CIA and FBI actually have had members of the opposite agency head offices for the other. It was part of some strategy to get them to work better together. So the fact that Jim starts as CIA, but ends up working for the FBI office in Chicago is not a mistake. I did that intentionally.
Interrogation Log of a Gitmo detainee
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3208
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Counter_Resistance_Strategy_Meeting_Minutes,_2002_Oct_2 This one is scary for it's casual discussion of what constitutes torture.
92 pages of memos about a specific prisoner Yes, I read all 92 pages--twice.

The Query Letter is Dead; Is This the Future Way of Finding an Agent?

2011-08-05T17:14:00.002-05:00

Help Wanted: Successful Indie Author seeking progressive literary agent who is open to new ideas and up-to-date on the latest trends in publishing to assist author in reaching full commercial potential.

M.P. McDonald is the author of The Mark Taylor Series with total sales of over 30,000 books and a growing reader base that includes another 54,000 downloads. The author's first book reached #15 in the Amazon store in June, and ranked in the Top 100 for three weeks straight.

Interested candidates please send inquiries to mmcdonald64@gmail.com

Embrace the Well-Written One Star review

2011-07-26T11:40:00.004-05:00

As of this blog posting, No Good Deed has 94 total reviews. Fifty-nine are 5-star reviews while only one is a 1-star. This post isn't about the 59. I love them. I have nothing but good thoughts about the reviewers who left them, but that would make for a boring blog post. Instead, I'll focus on the one-star. Why? Because I recently read a blog by Mike Mullin where he talks about how his experience with his first 1-star review and it got me to thinking. I went back to No Good Deed and read the one I had and I realized that the review was thoughtful and well-written. Initially, I'll admit that I was stunned and angry, but things were going so well with my book at the time it was written, that I soon forgot about it. While I didn't agree with the review, I could see where the reader was coming from. The book is depressing at times.

This book started out interesting and went downhill from there. Perhaps in the last third of the story I would have found something redeeming in it, but I'll never know...I gave up on it shortly after Mark makes it home from his protracted detention with the CIA.

First, I give credit where credit is due. The author is good with pen and paper. His prose flowed and he's well practiced at clicking two words together to make a thought. For that, I give him kudos.

First of all, I purposely use my initials to be gender neutral. This person assumed I'm a man, and that made me wonder if the review would have been different if the reader knew that a woman had written it? Just food for thought.

The story, however, is one mad depression from start to finish (or at least to as far as I got). The cynical tone in the title says it all. And the story elaborates. We find that intelligent, and well-meant officials of the CIA can take the word of a man who is hell-bent on confusing that fine Intelligence Organization with a red herring, and turn the life of an innocent, nay not just innocent, but fine and upstanding member of the American Continuum into utter chaos, even though all they have is that one confession made under torture. Perhaps there have been real honest mistakes made like poor Mark Taylor, but I found myself saying, "no, this makes no sense." I could see them taking in an innocent Middle eastern American and treating him this way (because they are at heart racist bigots), but not someone who looks like an altar boy from Northern Scotland, ready to take vows.

I could understand this arguement and it was my biggest challenge in writing the book. I guess for him, I didn't make it believable enough, but I also was a little thrilled because a different reviewer had complained that I hadn't described the main character enough, but this guy apparently had a perfect image in his head of Mark Taylor. I'd always pictured Mark as more Irish than Northern Scottish, but close enough. ;-)

As far as I was concerned, the premise was flawed from the beginning. I kept expecting the "thriller" portion to cut in when Mark Taylor breaks out, finds the culprit who framed him and then sets the world right, but that never happens. Even after he is released, life goes downhill rapidly for him. I suppose there is some redeeming moment in the book when he shakes of the shackles of oppression and decides that he is going to fight for justice and the rights of his fellow humanity, but I never saw it coming and I never will. I gave up reading it.

Here's the frustrating part. I really wanted to find the reviewer, shake him until his teeth rattled, and say, "You stopped reading too soon!". Ahem. Good thing I have this blog so I can vent my anger more appropriately, right? *grin*. Besides, telling him that would be presumptious of me. He probably thinks he didn't stop soon enough! While I'm kidding about the shaking part, it is frustrating to me because if the reader hadn't given up, I think he'd have been pleasantly surprised at the political aspects and the outcome of the book. But, what can I say? Readers give up. It happens. I know I've done the same plenty of times. For instance, I hated Gone With the Wind. I know. Admitting that is practically blasphemy, but it's true. I skipped ahead, read the last page--which I never do normally--and then tossed it aside.

My reason for embracing this review is because although I disagree with parts of it, the reader obviously gave it a lot of thought. It is mind boggling for me to think that something I'd written caused this kind of passionate response. Anytime you can evoke passion with your writing, and making people think, then that's a good thing.

The rest of the review can be found here: The One-Star Review

A Deleted Scene from No Good Deed

2011-07-25T09:57:00.002-05:00

I was looking through my files and came across this deleted scene from No Good Deed. I've always loved seeing deleted scenes at the end of DVDs so I thought it might be fun to put this one in. I deleted it due to feedback from a few agents that basically hinted that the scene slowed the opening down or wasn't serious enough. I agreed it probably slowed it down so I cut this whole part, and decided to move up Mark's arrest to the end of chapter one. I think it originally occurred around chapter 3 or maybe the end of chapter two. You might see some phrases or wording in this scene that you recognize from the actual book. What can I say? I hate to waste a good line or description. ;-)

For those who've read NGD, keep in mind that the scenario is completely different. If you remember the end of the opening scene and what happens to Mark, consider this an alternate history. If what happens doesn't occur right then, but instead, we can see what might have happened if Mark had gone home after dealing with the baby.

I was using this scene to introduce Mark and Jessie as a couple, and ended up having to do it much differently. For those who haven't read NGD, don't worry--no spoilers here.

* * *

Out of cash, Mark trudged the three miles home. The scent of sour milk wafted up from his jacket, and he wrinkled his nose. The adrenaline had worn off and his thigh throbbed. A small price to pay. He’d done it. He’d erased another photo. That was all that mattered.

Mark shivered and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, ducking his head against a blast of wind. He kicked a stone, enjoying the way it clattered and bounced on the pavement. When he caught up to it, he sent it ricocheting down the sidewalk again and smiled. He was in the mood to celebrate. Maybe he’d give Jessie a call and see if she wanted to go out. He got another whiff of the puke and gagged. First, he needed a shower.

Leaves whirled and spun down the sidewalk as he drew a deep breath of the frosty air, content that tonight he’d have a dreamless sleep. Earlier, he’d taken random photos around town, and none of them had developed into future photos. He’d have a rare day off tomorrow. A day of freedom.

An hour later, Mark rubbed a towel through his hair, then draped it around his neck. The shower erased the stench, but he hadn’t been able to reach Jessie so the second part of his plan was doomed.

He yanked the towel from around his neck and tossed it in the general vicinity of the hamper. It's not like he could expect her to sit around waiting for him to call with last minute plans. He realized that, but disappointment still tasted bitter. A smart, sexy woman like Jessie sure as hell didn't need to wait around for a guy like him. A guy who let a camera and dreams rule his life. What would she think of him if she knew about the camera? Or even worse, the dreams? Would she believe him? Or think him a few frames short of a roll?

Grabbing jeans and a t-shirt out of the dresser, he pulled them on, and padded to the bed. With a sigh, he sank onto the edge and grabbed the camera off the bottom shelf of the nightstand. It had crossed his mind dozens of times to give up the damn thing. Just chuck it into the back of the closet and forget about it. Nothing about its metal and glass gave any clues to it's magic. It was just a simple camera.

He set it back on the shelf and absently rubbed his left thigh, massaging the new bruise and the old scar through his jeans. The cold seeped through the brick walls and settled into his muscles. The shower had helped, but the leg still felt stiff.

Why hadn't the camera hadn't seen fit to warn him of his own peril last summer? Would it have made a difference? Would he have taken the risk of saving an undercover officer if his own image had appeared beside that of the slain cop? He liked to think he would, but, grimacing as he flexed his leg, he wasn't a hundred percent certain. In the two years since he'd begun getting the photos followed by the dreams, he never had to face his own mortality in black and white. With luck, he never would.

The door buzzer echoed in the loft, and Mark glanced at the clock, puzzled. He wasn't expecting anyone. He rubbed his wet hair and ambled out to the living room. Pressing the talk button on the intercom by the door, he said, "Yeah?"

"Hi, it's Jessie. Can I come up for a minute?"

He grinned."Sure." After buzzing her in building, he rushed to collect an empty pizza box off the coffee table and the pop bottle beside it, taking them both into the kitchen to toss in the trash.

Their last date went great. A terrific dinner followed by a stroll along Michigan Avenue. Holiday lights set a festive mood and he even welcomed the chill in the air giving him a reason to put his arm around her and pull her close.

They had stopped on the bridge that spanned the Chicago River and watched the water dance and sparkle while snow scented the air. After telling a funny story about a recent attempt to take a portrait of a rambunctious toddler, she’d laughed, her eyes shining. He had to kiss her.

So tough as a Chicago detective, it came as a welcome surprise to see another side of her. A softer side. He deposited the pizza box and the bottle in the trash just as she knocked on the door.

"Hey. Come on in." Mark closed the door. "Let me take your coat."

"Sure." Jessie slipped it off, and he hung it on his coat tree.

He motioned towards the sofa. "Have a seat." He smiled as she perched on the edge of the couch. "What's up?"

"Sorry I didn't call first. I thought it was better to come in person." Jessie tucked her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath.

Mark's smile faded. Had she decided she didn't want to see him anymore?

Her dark eyes held a serious look as she gazed at him for a moment, as if unsure how to proceed. "Remember how I told you about all the extra work we've all been assigned the last few months?"

"Sure. Everyone's hunting for terrorists. Sleeper cells...isn't that what the news called them?" He'd been riveted to the television for days after the tragedy, but his thoughts had been focused on the victims and their families. All those needless deaths.

She rubbed her hands on her thighs and gave him a tight smile. "Yes, but that's not the whole story. The FBI sent us a list of names shortly after 9/11. They want our cooperation in making connections to see if any had involvement in the terrorist acts."

Mark skin prickled. Jessie radiated tension. The air crackled with it.

She took a deep breath and continued, "Well, we’ve been working our way down the list. We got to T’s today.”

He waited, his stomach twisting.

Jessie hesitated, her eyes searching his. “I shouldn’t tell you this; it could get me fired, but I thought you should know. Your name is on it."

Mark jolted as if someone had stuck him with a cattle prod. His name? Why? He hadn't had any run-ins with the Chicago police since he was shot. That was old news by now, but it was all he could think of that would account for his name appearing on the list.

“I don’t know any specifics and I really couldn’t say even if I did.” She bit her lip. “I was kind of hoping you’d give me a clue as to why the Feds would be interested in you.”

He raked a hand through his hair. The FBI? Damn. The one time he'd had contact with them, he had initiated it and they hadn't listened. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s about when I got shot?” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't that. No. It was those damn phone calls.

She shook her head. “No, that was handled entirely by Chicago P.D. We didn’t need to involve any Feds in it.”

“Maybe it’s a mistake. Or another Mark Taylor. I can’t be the only one in Chicago.” He was grasping at straws and he hated the fear in his voice. Could she hear it?

“I thought that too, but when my partner entered the social security number, it matched yours.”

He squirmed under her scrutiny.

“Mark, the files the FBI requested have all been of suspected terrorists. They want to find any sleeper cells or anyone who might have played a role in 9/11.” Her voice lost its professional tone and shook when she continued, “Why would your name be associated with possible terrorists?”

It felt as if a twelve-pound bowling ball had slid down his throat and landed with a crash in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure which was worse, the accusation or the desperation in Jessie's voice. They had only been dating a month, but they had known each other for a few years. How could she harbor any suspicions of that magnitude?

Mark shook his head and shoved to his feet. He strode to the window, paused, then turned back to Jessie. How could he explain it? The pre-photos didn't happen on command. Some days, he got nothing, other days, three or four pictures and dreams. Even if she did believe him--then what? What if the authorities confiscated the camera? They’d tear it apart to analyze it. Meanwhile, how many people would never have a chance to be saved?

Their eyes held as he stood frozen with indecision. He couldn't stand to see the doubt in hers, and turned towards the window. Slumping, he leaned his forehead against the cold glass.

To the northeast, the lights from the Magnificent Mile lit up the December sky. The John Hancock Building towered above, the twin antennas stabbing into the black velvet darkness.

Leather creaked followed by the sound of her footsteps as she crossed the hardwood floor bordering the living room. "Talk to me." She leaned back against the window frame facing him. "What's going on, Mark?"

"Nothing's going on." Mark exhaled, his breath fogging the glass. "I made some calls the morning of the attacks. I'd had a dream and it was so vivid...I just thought I should let someone know." It was the truth even if it wasn't complete. "It was stupid."

Her brow furrowed. "You dreamed of it before it happened?" Skepticism laced her voice.

Mark shrugged and focused on a few pedestrians hurrying through the blustery evening on the sidewalk three floors below. "I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, but I felt compelled to report it. Lot of good it did." He couldn't keep the bitterness from tainting the comment.

There was a pause, and then, "Even if you did dream it, how could you have thought that the authorities would act upon your dream? There's no evidence."

He nodded. "Yeah." His voice was thick and he swallowed hard. He knew that she didn't exactly believe his story, but he could see her relief that he had an explanation.

Jessie stepped closer and rested a hand against his jaw. "Look, let's just forget I ever saw your name on the list, okay? I'm sure it'll all be straightened out." She smiled and said teasingly, "I mean, look at you. You're the epitome of the All-American boy-- grown up, of course."

Mark let out a shaky laugh and rubbed his jaw against her palm. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

She rose up on her tip-toes and pulled him down, her lips brushing his. "Oh, it's a compliment."

"I'll take it."He ran his hands up into her hair, cupped her head and deepened the kiss.

The Un-Super Heroes

2011-06-30T15:30:00.001-05:00

I've always been fascinated by heroes. Not super heroes like Superman, Batman or Spiderman, although they have their appeal, but the regular guy hero. I remember watching the news of Reagan's attempted assassination and what stood out to me was the bravery of Tim McCarthy, the Secret Service agent who put himself between Hinckley and President Reagan. That is my definition of a hero. Sure, he received plenty of training so that in a situation like that, his training would kick in and he'd react that way, but that takes nothing away from his actions. Incredible.

Then there are heroes who found themselves in sudden situations nobody could prepare for, but somehow found the courage to do incredible things. One that stands out in my mind is Wesley Autrey. You might remember him as the New York man who jumped onto the subway tracks after another man stumbled off the platform just as a train was pulling in. Mr. Autrey leaped to his aid and pressed the man into a slight depression, covering him with his own body while the train screeched to a stop, but not until five cars had passed within inches of his head. Man. If he hadn't acted, would someone else have stepped up? Can you imagine what would have have happened to the other man? He'd just had a seizure prior to falling onto the tracks, so he was dazed. What if he would have tried to get up as the train approached? It makes me shudder just thinking of it. Thank god Wesley Autrey was there. Who else would voluntarily jump in front of a train to save a stranger?

You might be thinking you could never do that, but I bet each and every one of you has a moment or two of heroism inside of you. I have my doubts about my own courage in that situation but we are all faced with situations that may not threaten us physically, but still require heroic effort. For instance, I bet some of you work two jobs in order to put food on the table, or have been laid off or have a spouse laid off and suddenly, there's no money. Am I right? Parents will do what they have to do to feed their children, because if they don't, what would happen?

"How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him--he has known a fear beyond every other."
- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 19

One of my favorite books is The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck and the above is my very favorite quote from it. How many of us had to read the book in highschool and hated it? Okay, I admit, I liked it in highschool, but possibly because my teacher had us watch the movie too. However, I've re-read it several times since then and I always notice something new, and the last time, it was was all the quiet heroes portrayed in the book. They are a family just doing the best they can in a terrible situation. There's Tom Joad, a flawed hero. He'd just out of prison on parole for manslaughter, but he's still a good guy. Here's my favorite quote from the book. Tom has to leave his family in order to save them. This is the scene where he says goodbye:

"I'll be all around in the dark. I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look, wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build, I'll be there, too." Tom Joad~ The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck.

Wow. I still get chills reading it even now. His mother, Ma Joad, was no less courageous. In fact, she's the steel backbone of the family. Here's her closing quote from the book:

"I ain't never gonna be scared no more. I was, though. For a while it looked as though we was beat. Good and beat. Looked like we didn't have nobody in the whole wide world but enemies. Like nobody was friendly no more. Made me feel kinda bad and scared too, like we was lost and nobody cared.... Rich fellas come up and they die, and their kids ain't no good and they die out, but we keep on coming. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out, they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, cos we're the people." Ma Joad The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

The people I've mentioned, both real and fictional, are the folks I consider heroes. I want to root for them and feel their joys and sorrows along with them. When they're safe, I breathe a sigh of relief. When they're in danger, I hold my breath. When they're sad, I cry, when they're joyful, I smile.

Getting Down to Business

2011-06-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have to admit with all the excitement, it's been hard to focus on writing. It seems like a no brainer to write as quickly as I can to get the third book in the series finished and I really have no excuse. Yes, my day job has been busy, and this is our first summer in our new town, which is cute and small, with a lake right down the street and a river on the other side of the house, about 200 ft away. I bought my fishing license and haven't even had a chance to go fishing due to family/friend get togethers on the weekends. (Memorial Day, graduations, Father's Day, etc), but work is letting up, and I have a week off in a about 12 days--but who's counting?

I need to get my butt into gear and start writing more often. It's a matter of habit, I think, just like exercise--it's easier to keep the habit up than to stop and try to get it going again. That's something else I need to do! When I was writing my best, I was also going to the gym regularly. I have to get back to that.

In fact, I am going to the gym after work tomorrow! There. I committed. I'll pack my gym bag and put it in the car tonight so I have no excuse. Then I can write on Thursday, not feel guilty, and go for a bike ride after writing. Friday I can go to the gym early, then write.

How do you get into writing mode? Any tricks or tips? Or is just a matter of planting your bottom on a chair and start writing?

Trying a New Barnes and Noble Strategy

2011-06-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

My books are doing very well on Amazon, but I'm still mystified as to how to market my books on Barnes & Noble. My ratio of sales for B&N to Amazon is literally 1:900. That's a HUGE difference!

I had bought an ad on a Nook board, which didn't help at all. I also had my books featured on The Frugal Ereader, Cheap Ereads, Bargain Ebooks, etc and all of those sites have done well for them through Amazon, but have done little for my B&N sales. After my book was made free on Amazon, I did have a small spike in sales at B&N as the book was suddenly visible on tons of websites and blogs as a freebie. I guess people must have been curious to see if it was also free at B&N (it wasn't) but saw it was only 99 cents and bought it anyway, but we're only talking maybe a dozen sales.

So, now I'm trying something different. I've made No Good Deed free at Smashwords. I'd done it before, but only for a few days, and I'd opted out of B&N distribution because I've been using Pubit. There is no way to make a Pubit book free, so as soon as the Smashwords version shows up at B&N, I'm going to unpublish through Pubit. I did like their easy uploading process on Pubit, but my one sale per day average (and that's of my 99 cent book) just doesn't cut it.

It's Not a Million, but...

2011-06-21T11:28:00.000-05:00

Today I'm breaking out the confetti and Snoopy dance jpegs because I sold my 15,000th copy of No Good Deed so far this month in the US. I have about 850 in the UK for the month, and together with my prior sales, that puts me about 20,000 sales of No Good Deed since it's debut. (Plus, 45,000 free downloads.)

In addition, I've sold over 200 copies of my duobook that has both books in one volume. I never know how to count that, but I guess I should tally one for each book, right? In that case, March Into Hell has passed the 3700 mark this month in sales too. It's been such a fun month! True, it's not a million books, but I never thought 20,000 was possible...and wait a second! If I include the sales of March Into Hell since it's debut, I''m over the 25,000 mark for total sales! Just 975,000 more to go! Woo-hoo! *grin*. Hey, it could happen!

Best thing is, I've received more email from readers than ever before--most of it even positive! ;-) So, readers, keep the emails coming!

The Good Luck Factor

2011-06-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

When I uploaded No Good Deed a little over a year ago, I was so excited. I knew it would take a little while to build an audience, but I was still incredibly naive. I thought a month or two and I'd be a bestseller. (I can hear you laughing.) Unfortunately, I had no idea what it took to be a bestseller and no scope of the amount of competition. I mean, my book was just one of over 700,000 ebooks in the Kindle store at that time. Why did I think mine would stand out? Sure, I liked my story, but doesn't every author? In a way, it was a good thing I was so unaware because it would have been very daunting to me if I'd known that at least half the success equation is luck.

Yes, I know the old adage that we make our own luck, and I agree with that for the most part, but you can't discount the fact that my book was made free when other eligible books that are probably better than mine, are still languishing waiting for their big break.

If your book is one of those, don't get too down because there are ways to improve your luck. Have you taken a good hard look at your cover? I had to change mine three times before I found one that seems to click with readers.

How's your formatting and errors in your book? I have had nightmares with mine, and only just got it 99% clean in March. Part of my problem was I didn't get a Kindle until November, and I did a stupid thing with 'Find & Replace' in August when I was correcting something else. My boneheaded move resulted in a bunch of spaces between words and sentences getting deleted. I'm sure most of you won't have that particular problem to deal with, luckily. (<--see, there's luck at work!) FYI, the formatting that is working for me now is saving as webpage 'filtered', then running it through Calibre. I can thank Beth Orsoff for sharing her knowledge on formatting.

Which brings me to another bit of advice. Build a network of author and reader friends online. It takes time and is another reason it's hard to become successful instantly as an indie author. I am so thankful for the help and encouragement I've received from my network. When I see someone has tweeted about their book, I re-tweet. If I see someone's book has a paid ad or is mentioned somewhere, I share it on Facebook. I sometimes think I'm not doing much because what are the chances that one of my friends or followers will buy the book I'm sharing? But then I remember that it's all about building brand recognition, and every new person I can expose to a friend's book is another person who knows about it. It all adds up.

Reader friends are the best. They don't have to help, but do it out of the goodness of their hearts. I've had several who have been so generous with their time. They've read advance copies and told me what they liked and didn't like, they've given opinions on covers, scoured royalty free photo sites looking for pics they think might work, and spreading the word to their friends about my books.

I think I'm rambling and off subject now, so I'll close now and just wish everyone the best of luck with their books.

Indie Book Review: Taking Love in Stride, by Donna Fasano

2011-06-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

Taking Love in Stride

by Donna Fasano

I just finished reading this book, which I purchased from Amazon for my Kindle. Andrea is a track coach at high school. She's dedicated to her runners so right there, the author has me. I am a huge fan of Friday Night Lights, so I couldn't help but compare Andrea to Coach Taylor. Like him, she's not just their coach, but their mentor, and if something is going on in their personal lives that affects their running, she's ready to help and give advice. It gives the character a depth that goes beyond the ordinary romance book heroine.

The father of one of her runners, Ian, is a very successful businessman. As a single parent, he's doing the best he can and in his eyes, being a good provider is what a father does. He wants to give his daughter, Denise, everything, but what he doesn't realize is that what she really wants and needs is his time. He's a flawed character, but very likable because it's always apparent that he loves his daughter.

When Andrea confronts him with her concerns about his daughter, sparks fly! That's just how it should be in a romance book and Ms. Fasano accomplishes that quite well, as the chemistry between the characters is always just sizzling under the surface ready to react.

Denise is the catalyst that brings them together, but what I like is that she's not one of those bratty teens who then resents any attention their parent has in the opposite sex. She's not perfect and there are other conflicts, but the way they are worked out is a nice subplot.

The writing is tight. Formatting was great on my Kindle and on my Android phone app, and I saw not a single typo (and that makes me just a little bit jealous! ;-))

All in all, this is a great light romance with believable characters who come to life on the page. A perfect summer read so take this one to the beach with you! Five stars.

A Four Hour Number Crunch

2011-06-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Sales have continued pretty steady with No Good Deed, although they did slow somewhat, hence dropping the Amazon ranking from 15 all the way down to 28 when I woke up this morning. What has shocked me about this whole crazy experience is the sheer number of book sales it takes to reach the top 20, at least for this week. I think if I had known before, I might have just packed it in and gone home months ago. lol. I would have thought, 'No way will I ever be able to sell that many in one day!'

Since I've been pretty open about the highs and the lows of this indie publishing adventure, I will share some totals, although I feel kind of weird about doing it. However, I know when I was starting out last year, I was devouring all kinds of blogs that shared numbers. It was how I kept motivated, so here's hoping this will motivate another indie author to keep trying.

Friday, the first day No Good Deed went back on sale after being free for a week, with over 45,000 downloads in that time, I sold 1500 books. Things kept rolling along like that over the weekend when I sold about 1900 on Saturday and about the same on Sunday.

Last night, just for fun, I wanted to see how it broke down by numbers for a few hours so I kept an hourly tally for four consecutive hours. Here they are:

6pm         5890 Total books sold June 3-6 by 6pm
7pm         5923
8pm         6010
9pm        6063
10pm      6131
__________________
241 books over 4 hours

More good news is that the second book is picking up even more steam and I'm selling about 131 of those every day, and my duo book, that has both books in one volume has even sold 54 this month. I make a tiny bit more while still being able to give a discount to readers, so it's a win/win with that book.

Even after selling over 1100 books yesterday, No Good Deed dropped steadily last evening. I'm a little sad but it was fun while it lasted, and finally, I got a good night's sleep last night! All the excitement of the last few days had made it almost impossible for me to sleep more than a few hours at a time. I just hope sales don't plummet to pre-freebie numbers--that would truly make me sad!

Sample Sunday: Rogue Agent::A Thriller (Jaclyn Johnson codename Snapshot series)

2011-06-05T10:42:00.006-05:00

Doing something different this Sunday. I've sampled my own books to death, so I thought I'd instead do a Guest Sample Sunday. Today's guest author is Sean Sweeney. He's a prolific writer, so I encourage everyone to check out his other books as well as this one.

His book is Rogue Agent: A Thriller (Jaclyn Johnson codename Snapshot series)

When the 2012 Summer Olympics opened in London, security was at a fever pitch. They said it was going to be the safest Olympic Games yet.

They were wrong.

Heightened security did not stop a terrorist attack on the final group stage match of the Olympic soccer tournament between the United States and the host Great Britain, played at the fabled Wembley Stadium, the home of British football. And when an agent of al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack, it sent both the United States and the United Kingdom into a heightened state of alert.

There is only one problem for the terrorist: Outbound Eurostar service to Paris and flights out of Heathrow have been shut down – but flights into London continue to come in.

At the request of the President of the United States, the CIA calls upon the one agent – Jaclyn Johnson, a.k.a. Snapshot – he can trust to seek out the killers of many American citizens and bring them to justice.

But what occurs in London during Snapshot’s mission leads to political maneuvering – and Jaclyn going against everything she knows.

Chapter 1

Wembley, London, England

30 July, 2012 — 19.30 GMT/2:30 p.m. ET

Hand in hand, father and son rode the escalator from the platform all the way up to the gate of the Wembley Park Tube station. The sun licked their faces, much as it had before they melded with the crowd and surged underground at Bond Street. Sweat covered their brows before they stepped back outside.

The father was in his mid 30s, with black hair on the road to receding. His rather long, hawkish nose was prominent on his face, one that would have made the late Robert Helpmann jealous: It was so much like the one Helpmann’s most famous character, the Childcatcher, used to sniff out children in the old Disney movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He wore a faded red Liverpool F.C. jersey with Fowler 9 printed on the back. He had pulled it on so much on the weekends and for midweek matches that he feared he would tear it on accident if the Reds came close to winning their 19th First Division title or their sixth European Cup.

Of course, like a true Liverpool supporter, he did not like to walk alone and never did when it came to football: His 8-year-old son, who loved Liverpool just as much as he did, was with him, the little boy’s left hand firmly clenching his father’s right. The son had looked forward to this Olympic football tournament match between their home country, the United States, and the Great Britain team, which, while it carried the moniker of the Home Nations, primarily consisted of Under-21s from England. His father told him that his hero, Steven Gerrard, would not play in the match. There was some disappointment to be sure, but the boy, holding onto his father’s hand for dear life, shed his anger as soon as the glass northern side of Wembley Stadium came into view.

The boy was not old enough to realize that the stadium he looked at was not the original Wembley; that stadium came down some four years before he was born. But to him, this was a fabulous place to watch a match; it was so much better than Gillette Stadium back home in Massachusetts. Even though it was his first time in England, he had watched several matches online, and he was excited at the prospect of reaching out and touching the famous pitch. As it so happened, he wore a small, youth-sized England jersey his father bought him. It was unadorned with name or number, even though the father knew the son would not be happy unless Gerrard 4 was on the back.

“But daddy,” the boy said when he opened the dirty parcel, “I wanted a Captain Fantastic shirt. That way, when he sees me, he can smile.”

“I know, I know, but I have to tell you something: You’re supposed to root for the badge,” the father said with a smile of his own, pointing to the Three Lions crest that would cover his son’s heart, “not the player wearing the badge. I think I’ve told you that before, especially after your uncle’s obsession with Brett Favre.”

The boy sighed in their living room and begrudgingly put the shirt on. Now, some five months later, with the greenery of Wembley Park sprawling to either side of him and the Home of Football approaching dead center, that conversation was dead within his past, the memory forgotten.

The son was wide-eyed, and to the father, who looked down every so often at his offspring, his son’s happiness was truly all that mattered. He would give his life in exchange for his son’s, and he sacrificed countless times to make sure that his son, while not spoiled, had anything his heart desired. Seeing his son’s expression caused his heart to leap taller than the arch that soared high above Wembley. He had to admit it to himself, albeit quietly: He was looking forward to this match just as much as his son.

Even though it was warm, northwest London was somewhat free of the smog that usually covered the city. Father and son could take a deep breath without choking on bad air, even though they slowly walked with the sweat-stained crowd toward the pedestrian walkway. The father had made this walk before, when his New England Patriots demolished the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here in 2009. That was nearly three years ago, and he had flown to England on business; that same day, Liverpool played Manchester United at Anfield, and the Reds beat the Red Devils, 2-0, in a match that he had to watch at a nearby pub instead of on The Kop. The photos and the souvenirs he brought home to his son, coupled with his son’s excitement, confirmed to him that he wanted to bring him over for the Summer Olympics.

They continued walking along the brick-lined Wembley Way.

“Daddy, I see the arch!” the boy exclaimed, pointing at the 133-meter tall structure the way all boys do when excited. His eyes were brighter than his father had ever seen them. “Can we climb it, daddy? Can we, can we, can we?”

The father chuckled, and so did the two small boys walking nearby with their own father. Their father shushed them and apologized.

“No, Tommy, we won’t be able to climb it. It’s not like the Arch in St. Louis. This arch is like one big Erector set, and I don’t think the security team would like it if they found us hanging onto it.”

The boy gave an “aww, shucks” in return, which reminded the father of the jersey incident. The father simply shook his head, smiling all the same.

“Let’s get into the stadium and find our seats, okay?”

“Okay daddy.”

Mere seconds after passing Currys, father and son walked up the walkway and came to the statue of Sir Bobby Moore, the defender who led England to its only World Cup win in 1966. The father made sure he got a picture of his son next to the statue, the souvenir of all souvenirs.

At the gate, both of them went through security, each given a cursory pat down and waved over with one of those electro-magnetic wands they had at Logan Airport before they hopped on the Emirates Airlines jet to Heathrow a few days before. The father wasn’t concerned for himself, since he wasn’t carrying a gun and had no reason to be detained. He was more concerned for his son, who had never gone through a pat down before.

He looked to his right and saw the security guard give his son a grape flavored lollipop after the wand passed over him.

“Daddy, why were they doing that with the stick?”

“It’s security, Tommy. This is a big event. They don’t want people coming in with stuff to hurt people, so they make sure that anyone who tries can’t get inside. They had guns, and there are police officers nearby. Remember that the police are here to help people.”

“Except when they give you a speeding ticket.”

“You still haven’t told your mother, right?”

“No daddy, I want a PlayStation 4. I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

The father grinned, for some reason proud of the boy’s deception.

I trained him well, he thought.

They bought two sodas and hot dogs at a concession stand — the son poured mustard all over the hot dog and nearly on his jersey, but the father caught him before he stained the lilywhite shirt — and then entered the stadium proper. The green pitch of Wembley, re-laid for what seemed like the one hundredth time after the FA Cup Final two months ago, met their eyes. Red seats unfurled like the Red Sox’ 2004 World Championship banner and spread into every nook and cranny of the stadium’s lower bowl. Aisles of golden tipped concrete broke the monotony. Other supporters were sitting, while over in the corner, a chorus of God Save The Queen broke out among those who stood.

While the father grinned, the son was just as wide-eyed as he had been a few minutes ago.

“Wow! It’s so green!” he said.

“Yes it is. Just wait until I take you to Fenway in a few weeks. That will be a lot of green; green all over the place.”

“That is a lot of green. Wait,” the son replied after a moment. “We’re going to Fenway?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you?” the father said with a touch of fatherly sarcasm. “It’s Part 2 of your ninth birthday present. This is Part 1.”

The grin on the son’s face was brighter than the day. He launched himself into his father’s waist.

“I love you, daddy!”

The father simply wrapped his arms around his son, who would turn 9 in two weeks’ time. He took a deep breath. He knew these moments would grow few and far between as he got older.

“I love you too, Tommy. Let’s go over here; we’ll get to see the players come out for warm-ups soon.”

Eager to watch the players come out onto the pitch, Tommy and his father walked over to the area behind the dugouts and waited. Security did not step in and intercede, which surprised the father — all he had heard about coming into this Olympics was how they would be safer and more security-conscious. It had been sixteen years since Atlanta and the bombing of the Centennial Olympic Park, and there were no incidents in Sydney, Athens or Beijing, nor in Nagano, Salt Lake City, Turin or Vancouver. It may have been a fool’s hope that terrorists would spare London 2012, especially in this post-9/11 world, but organizers and the International Olympic Committee were taking no chances. Security was to be top-notch.

The father noticed that truly was not the case.

Once the game began, they took their seats behind the United States dugout, despite wearing jerseys of England and rooting for the young Great Britain stars they watched every Saturday and Sunday on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus and ESPN2. The United States Under-23 team, many said, were lucky to qualify for these Olympics, despite the rather easy qualifying schedule of CONCACAF. Great Britain, however, were not the favorites of the tournament despite being the host nation: That fell to Italy, which was currently playing its final group stage match against Argentina at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Even though the players on the pitch were different, many were calling this match a rematch of the USA-England World Cup match from 2010, where the Three Lions drew the Yanks, 1-1, during their opening match in South Africa. Now, without the big stars of the English Premier League in the match, there was a level of anticipation on the other side of the Atlantic that the Americans could quite possibly upset the Britons. It led ESPN to break out and dust off the “Over There” commercials it had played during World Cup qualifying in 2009. Speculation on who would score first was heavy in Las Vegas. NBC, the American television rights holder of the Summer Olympics since 1988, showed the match live.

As it turned out, Great Britain scored first as young Donnie Rhodes, an Everton F.C. first teamer, scored on a blistering shot from distance in the right channel, easily beating the American keeper after 25 minutes.

A cacophony of verse rose from the English supporters’ section:

He wears a Lion on his chest, Donnie, Donnie

We know he is the fucking best, Donnie, Donnie

He punched his bird, he burned his house

But we don’t care, he fucking scouse

Donnie Rho-odes, Great Britain’s Number 9

The father grinned as the faithful began jumping up and down, reminiscent of the Kop when the Liverpool supporters once serenaded Fernando Torres. The entire southern side of the stadium swayed while chants of “Nah nah, nah nah, nah-nah-nah-nah, nah-nah” echoed off Wembley’s roof.

The Americans’ resolve was great, though, and without prompting, they brought the match to level terms as Steve Membrino, a virtual unknown from Wake Forest, used his pace off the center kick and blazed and spun through the Brits’ defense like Diego Maradona had in Mexico City 26 years earlier.

Tommy leaped to his feet, jumped on the seat cushion and applauded Membrino as his right-footed strike beat the English keeper on the right-hand side. He wanted to tear his shirt off and swing it over his head like Membrino did at the near corner flag along with a little two-step dance to match. The American supporters chanted the intro to Chelsea Dagger while the referee brandished a yellow card Membrino’s way.

The noise inside Wembley was deafening, and although Tommy and his father were rooting for Great Britain at the beginning, the intensity shown by the American youngsters caused them and many of the others in attendance to rise to their feet and applaud the underdogs.

That’s what the Olympics was about to them. The possibility of a huge upset was in the making — a tie would have sent the Americans through to the knockout stages and left the Great Britain team watching at home, scratching their heads — and they all felt an excitement not seen at Wembley since Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League following the 2009-10 season.

“Wow daddy, this is fantastic!” he said. “I really hope we win.”

“A draw is as good as a win right now. Do you see what happens when you play attacking football? The hockey team did that in 1980, and look what happened? They beat the Soviets and they ended up winning the gold medal. That could happen if we end up beating or drawing with the Brits today.”

The wonder in the son’s eyes showed as the father explained the Miracle on Ice. This match, a Miracle on Grass, still had a long way to go, though.

And as they said on television, anything could happen in football.

Something would happen.

It just wouldn’t be what anyone expected.

PINCH ME--I Must Be Dreaming!

2011-06-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Other than the days around the births of my children and my wedding day, this has been the BEST week ever for me. If you've read my previous posts, you know that Amazon made my book free on 5/26. It remained free until early this a.m. I thought that would be the end of it. After all, I haven't done anything differently than I've done before. I've done a few tweets, been posting on the Amazon FB Kindle page (although trying not to add promo links except when someone was specifically looking for free books). In fact, I haven't had much time to post on the Amazon Kindle forum or Kindleboards.

Instead of it being the end, my sales of No Good Deed have taken off today. It became #1 on the Amazon Mover & Shaker's list, and just a few minutes ago, it broke the top 100 Bestseller list in the Kindle store. It's number 88! If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up!

The books aren't the only good thing going on this last week. We hosted a fun barbeque at our house on Sunday, went to a small parade on Monday for Memorial Day, then later, I took my daughter to the beach for the first time this summer. Last August, we moved to a house just four blocks from a nice lake and the beach is right at the end of our street. I've been waiting months for warm weather so we could go. My daughter went away to her school's three day Outdoor Education camp this week and had a terrific time. She's been telling me all about it today. She's very animated, so it I love watching her talk.

Oh, and I got a new car. Okay, it's not *new* new, but it's new to me. :-) A 2002 Chevy Blazer. I know it's not good on gas, but after last winter's blizzard and snowstorms, I wanted something to get me through them in the early mornings on my way to work. My work never closes for the weather, so I have to be there regardless.

So, that's pretty much it. These things just don't normally happen to me and so this feels totally surreal.

The Incredible Journey--6 days, 40,0000 Downloads

2011-05-31T17:13:00.000-05:00

On June 5th, it'll be one year since I uploaded No Good Deed. When I uploaded, I never imagined that a year later, over 40,000 people would have it on their Kindles or that I'd have a second book out in the series. I would have laughed if someone told me my book would be #1 in political thrillers and #2 in Mystery and Thrillers in the Kindle Free store.

As you can see, I am still reeling from last week's surprise by Amazon when they made No Good Deed free. By some miracle, it has remained in the top 6 in the Free Kindle store since about Friday, May 27th. After spending a few days at #5, it dropped to #6. I wasn't heart-broken as I was still so elated it was in the top 10 to begin with. So, when it went back to #5, I was shocked! It did the same thing today, with the drop and then the rebound. My U.K. numbers haven't been quite so good as I made it to #4 at some point, but I'm now down to #8.

The biggest thing I've noticed is the HUGE increase in sales of March Into Hell. I never dreamed I'd sell a hundred a day, let alone have that happen three days in a row.

I've bought ads in some wonderful blogs and have been very happy with the nice boost it gives, but the momentum lasts for just a day or so, then it's back to the same. To have very good sales for the four days I've had is just mind boggling to me. I know compared to some success stories, mine isn't so big, but it's ginormous to me.

Sample Sunday! From No Good Deed

2011-05-29T08:23:00.001-05:00

No Good Deed is currently FREE at Amazon. Here is the book description:
Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all.

For Sample Sunday, I chose a scene that involves two of the main characters, Mark and Jessie, having a reunion of sorts.

*******************

Mark paused outside O’Leary’s as a wave of nausea hit him. It was just Jessie. He squared his shoulders and entered the dim interior. At least he’d picked a location where he felt comfortable. He and Bud had taken to watching ball games and shooting pool here a couple of times a week. Blinking as his eyes adjusted, it was a moment before he spotted Jessie sitting at a table towards the back. She hadn’t seen him yet, and he took the opportunity to drink in the sight of her.

She wore her hair pulled back and twisted into some kind of clip that allowed a few strands to trail down and brush her shoulders. It was sophisticated, yet soft and inviting. At that moment, she turned and spotted him. Their eyes locked. His heart thundered like the hooves of a racehorse in the homestretch, and he couldn’t move until a waitress crossed between them, breaking the connection.

“Hey.” It was all he could manage as he slipped onto the bench opposite her.

“Hi, Mark.” She handed him a menu. “I waited to order. I didn’t know if you wanted to eat or just have a drink.”

“Are you hungry?” Nerves had stolen his appetite, but he figured he should eat anyway. He studied the menu.

“I don’t know if I’m hungry. I think I’m too keyed up to eat.” She chuckled and he looked up from the menu in surprise.

“What’s got you all nervous?” He could think of lots of possibilities and none were good. Was she going to tell him that she was married? Had a steady boyfriend? Thought he was guilty?

She spun a coaster in circles with her index finger and watched it as though fascinated. “I don’t know.” She shrugged and flashed an embarrassed smile at him. “I guess I don’t know what to say to you.”

Mark understood what she meant, but understanding didn’t make it easier to respond. He crossed his arms on top of the table and leaned forward, and looked at the television screen over the bar. Should he ask her how she’d been the last year and a half?

The silence between them stretched. Finally, afraid she’d leave, he cleared his throat. “Listen, I…I’ve never been good at small talk, and I’m out of practice. What do you say we just order a pizza? We can talk about that.”

Biting her lip, she nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

They decided on sausage and mushrooms and a pitcher of beer. Mark poured for both of them when the beer arrived. “I didn’t know you liked mushrooms.”

She sipped hers, and a tiny bit of foam clung to her upper lip. When her tongue darted out to catch it, he shifted in his seat and tried to keep from staring and hoping for a repeat performance.

“Yeah, I’m not picky. Mushrooms are good. I draw the line at green peppers though.”

Feeling safe with the topic, Mark smiled. “Really? What do you have against peppers?” He took a sip of his beer. He’d never been a big drinker, but he’d missed having one now and again. Mostly, he’d missed the social aspect, being with friends and relaxing.

Jessie made a face and shuddered. “Ugh. I can’t even stand the smell. It makes me want to puke.” She grinned at him. “Consider yourself warned.”

“Noted. I’ll be sure never to eat green peppers before kissing-” He broke off when her eyes widened and met his. Heat flooded his face. “I’m sorry. I guess I was back in the past.” He couldn’t look at her as he lifted his beer and gulped.

She turned in her seat. “I wonder when that pizza will get here? I’m starved.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The TV screen was a blur as he stared at it. He hated this. He hated the awkwardness and the stilted conversation. He hated making her feel uncomfortable. Deciding he’d rather just rip off the bandage rather than tease it off bit by bit, Mark took a deep breath and plunged into the topic that was foremost in his mind. “I completely understand if you’ve moved on in your life, so you can tell me. I just have to know.” He searched her face, unable to read what she was thinking.

She played with an earring, her eyes averted. He took her silence for an affirmative and tried to quell the pain that swept from his chest through his body down to the bones in his hands. He couldn’t blame her.

“I just want you to know that I never had any involvement with terrorists.” Sitting back, he blew out a deep breath. There - it was out. A burden lifted. He rubbed his hands together, studying his fingers because he couldn’t look at her. “All this time, it killed me that you might think that I had something to do with it. I...I just wanted you to know. And for what it’s worth, the government finally figured it out too.”

The waitress arrived bearing the pizza. She chirped on about how hot it was, to be careful, and if there was anything more they needed to let her know. Mark might have thanked her, but he couldn’t have sworn to it. All he wanted to do was escape.

Jessie sat with her hands clasped around her glass, her eyes on the pizza, but she made no move to take a slice. “I never really thought you had anything to do with it, Mark.” She tilted her head, running the fingers of one hand through her hair and gave him a tight smile.

“You…you didn’t?” He wanted to believe her so badly, but he recalled when he’d seen her in the cell. Fear and doubt had been written all over her face. He’d never forget that. “What about in the cell? You said I should tell them what I know even after I said I didn’t know anything.”

She shook her head. “I was confused. What was I supposed to think? You’d been taken away, had already been gone weeks. The newspapers were calling you a terrorist-”

Mark sat back hard. “It was in the papers?” So, everyone in country probably thought he was a terrorist. He rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

“Yeah, I guess I did. My dad mentioned something, but I didn’t think much about it at the time.” There had been too many other revelations that night at his parents’ kitchen table.

“I hated myself for believing the papers. Then a CIA agent came and questioned me after you had been gone awhile. I don’t think I gave him the answers that he was looking for, but he made me think. I asked myself how could you possibly be guilty?” Her eyes never left his face and he held her gaze like a falling man clutched a lifeline. She tilted her head and twisted the earring again. “I remembered the pictures you’d shown me from your Afghanistan trip. Nobody who cared that much could hurt someone.”

Mark’s throat convulsed and he swallowed to ease the tightness.

“So, I tried to find out where you were, but I couldn’t. It was like you fell off the face of the earth. Even the newspapers didn’t cover it after awhile. Your release didn’t get even a small mention that I could see.” Her bitter tone at the last bit surprised him.

He wiped his hands on his thighs. Another thought hit him. The pictures. “Is that where the pictures came from? The newspapers?”

She gave a little shake of her head, her eyebrows knit in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder, he leaned towards her. “Gary-my manager at the camera shop-told me that you had pictures of me in, um...” He shrugged, embarrassed. “Well, he said bondage, but I’m guessing they’re from when I was in the brig.”

Mark hadn’t seen the pictures, but he could imagine them. He tried to stop his leg from jumping, but it rattled the table. Sitting back, he swiped the back of his arm across his forehead. How the hell could he be sweating when it was like a damn freezer in here?

Jessie’s eyes hardened along with her tone. “Yeah. I do have pictures. It’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, but Gary wasn’t supposed to say anything.” She finished off her beer and poured more.

His body tensed as he waited for her to continue. Even his leg stilled.

“I’m the only one with those pictures. They weren’t in the papers.”

He closed his eyes, relief washing over him, but then he thought of another question. “But if they weren’t in the papers…?”

“I happened to go by your old building on the day you were evicted.” She picked at the edge of the pizza, eyes downcast.

He tried to ignore his embarrassment, and encouraged her. “And…?”

“There were boxes of your belongings out on the front lawn. I took what I could, mostly photography equipment. I saved it for you at my apartment.”

Mark straightened in surprise. “You have some of my stuff?” That was the best news he’d had since getting out.

She nodded, and then shrugged. “I wish I could have saved more, but I fit as much as I could in my car, took it home, and when I came back, there wasn’t anything left.”

Mark smiled. “No, that’s fine. Anything is better than nothing, which is what I thought I had.” He started to grab a slice of pizza, then stopped. “But that doesn’t explain the pictures.”

“In one of the boxes was an old camera. I think it must have been overlooked or something. One day, I needed a camera to take pictures of my niece at a dance recital and I couldn’t find mine. Yours was sitting right there, and I was in a hurry.” She blushed. “I didn’t think you’d mind, so I borrowed it.”

He eased back against the seat, holding his breath.

“The pictures were fine, except for the last few. Those ones showed you chained.” Her eyes flicked to his before sliding away.

Still Chugging Along

2011-05-28T14:23:00.002-05:00

My previous blog post was about how Amazon made my book free. Here's the update.

It wasn't until late evening of the 26th that I began to see an increase in sales of my second book, March Into Hell--which is the second in the series. It had been ranked at a sad 50,000 in the paid Kindle store. It is now around 1100. I've sold about 152. For me, that's the most sales of a $2.99 book that I've ever had in a 48 hour period.

If you're like me, you'd be thinking, "But you're still giving your book away and how will it help much in the long run?"

I'd be wondering the same thing if it was only a few thousand downloads. I'd be even be worried, but in two days, it's been downloaded over 23,000 times! Previously, in nearly a year, I'd had about 4000 sales of the book. Not bad, but not great. Now I suddenly have a potentially much larger reader base. Since I'm currently working on my third book in the series, this could be a very good thing. :-)

Wow! A Wild Ride on the Freebie Train!

2011-05-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Amazon made my book, No Good Deed free. (If you haven't snagged it yet, feel free to grab it now! ;-)) Funny thing is, I'd seen a bunch of Indies getting their books made free when they had a free promo elsewhere and Amazon's spiders found it and I was hesisitant to try it myself. My thinking was, how many of those people would have bought the book and now won't? A few weeks back, I'd re-uploaded my book to Smashwords hoping that their automatic table of contents wouldn't miss several of my chapters as it had before. I made the price free, and uploaded the manuscript. It didn't pass the formatting test for the premium catalog, so I fixed it up and re-uploaded a few days later. At that time, I saw I'd only have about 6 downloads of it while it was free. Since it hadn't made the premium catalog, I didn't think the price would be sent out to the other book stores in the catalog and just changed the price to 99 cents, like it was at Amazon.

I was wrong. Apparently for at least a few days, it was free at Sony's Ebookstore. Amazon found it there and matched the price very early on 5/26. I woke up yesterday and checked my sales. It was only four of NGD at 5am, from the night before. I was actually happy with that because my sales have been tanking lately. I'd only sold 241 of the book so far this month in the US Amazon and a paltry 17 in the UK. An hour later at work, I checked the sales again. And blinked. Whaaaaa??? My sales had jumped by about 75! That has never happened in an hour. I went to my page and saw the zero for the price. I didn't know whether to be angry or happy, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.

You know what? Even though I don't make a red cent on any of those downloads, it was worth it. I had such a BLAST watching the numbers climb higher and higher. It was incredible! By the time I went to bed, No Good Deed had been downloaded over 9000 times and had reached #6 in the Free Kindle Store. Take that, Jane Austen! Heh. ;-) This morning, it was #5 in both the UK and US Free Kindle Store and I've had another 3000 downloads since I went to bed. Btw, I had the strangest dreams! I dreamt that Barnes&Noble made it free too. Maybe I should check?

A side effect I didn't expect, at least not until people had time to read No Good Deed, was the increase of sales of March Into Hell. I sold about 21 of them yesterday. That's about 18 more than normal. This morning I woke up to 40 more sales of the book! That totally shocked me.

I know this will be short-lived as even now, there are some big name freebies for today which I have no doubt will kick my book's butt down the rankings, but it has been an amazing and wild ride so far.

Out of Reach

2011-05-23T20:20:00.001-05:00

Someone on the new Meet the Authors forum issued a flash fiction challenge. It has to be under 500 words, not part of a story you've already written, and has to have candy in it somewhere. I haven't had a writing challenge like that lately. I forgot how much I missed them. This was my offering to the challenge:

Out of Reach

The scent hit him first. Sweet and rich, it triggered memories of cold December afternoons when he was a child and he'd come in from sledding to the irresistible aroma of hot chocolate and marshmallows. His mother would ruffle his hair and comment on cheeks pink from the wind. David crossed the street, averting his eyes from the stares of the well-dressed commuters. He tugged the ill-fitting jacket closed, trying in vain to cover the dirty oxford beneath. Once crisp and white, too many nights spent in a back alley picking through garbage for a scrap of stale bread or over-ripe fruit had taken a toll on his shirt. He knew he should head in the other direction, down into the subways, but for just a few moments, he wanted to fill his nose with the smell of chocolate instead of the stench of urine. The morning sun reflected off the picture window, but the candy-colored lettering on the glass stood out, beckoning him closer.

A woman exited the shop, allowing a mixture of chocolate, spun sugar and faint fruity scents to escape from the confines of the building. David stopped beside the window and closed his eyes, nostrils flaring. His mouth watered as he touched the window with the edge of his hand and peered inside. Heaven. This is what heaven would look like. He was sure of it. A candy counter ran the length of the quaint store. Panes of glass separated the rows of chocolates in little brown paper cups from the sections filled with rainbow-hued piles of soft, chewy candies.

Nose pressed to the glass, he imagined what he would buy if he had the money. Chocolate drenched almonds? Luscious dipped strawberries? Tangy citrus chews? David licked his lips. Maybe some of each? He smiled.

The door burst open, startling him from his fantasies.

"You! Get away from the window! Look at what you did!" The stout shopkeeper scowled at David and pointed to the grimy fingerprints he'd left on the glass.

David pulled the cuff of his shirt over the heel of his hand and tried to erase the marks, but the man shooed him away like he was a pesky fly. With a last lingering glance and inhaling through his nose as though if he took a big enough breath he'd be hold off the inevitable stink of the subway. Exhaling, shoulders hunched, David shuffled towards the steps, descending into the reeking bowels of the city.

* * * *

The Amazon Kindle Forum Shake-up

2011-05-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a crazy week! Last Friday, with one day's notice, Amazon decided to start enforcing their no self-promotion policy. They have now relagated all author promo to a forum called "Meet the Authors". I'm not going to discuss the fairness or lack of it here. It's done, and there is no going back.

You are probably expecting a rant about the situation, and if I'd written this post a few days ago, I might have obliged, but despite the challenges, the new forum is starting to get legs and may have a chance of becoming something more than a bunch of billboards for indie authors.

A big challenge is that Amazon is dumping tons of threads into the forum. For example, if there was a thread started two years ago asking for authors to recommend their new thriller, that thread was tossed into the new forum even if the thread hadn't been active for months. However, new discussion threads are popping up and they have been very active.

What I am asking is that readers give us a chance to sort out everything. Someone has started master threads with urls to individual author threads and genre threads. I've been trying to start threads to include readers, for instance, The Shameless Reader's thread has been active all week. Someone else started one asking if readers are there, and many have posted that they are.

In one way, it might be good as at least some of the readers from various genre forums, who might not have visited the Kindle forum, have been stopping by. Hopefully, some will stick around.

I would love for blog readers to share the link to the forum. I have a feeling Amazon intended for it to become a quagmire of shameless promotion, so how cool would it be to show them that we can have intelligent discussion?

The Joy of Writing

2011-05-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

Last night my 10 year old daughter, Maggie, said to me, "Mom, you should write a book about some kids who are lost in Alaska and are found by wolves."

She was so excited about the idea, I finally broke in and told her that I can't write somebody else's story, that it was her story, and she should write it.

A picture of a wolf that Maggie did in MS Paint.

Her homework was all done, so I let her use her computer and she proceeded to dive into writing the story. I would say for at least an hour and a half, her little fingers flew over the keyboard--she's a fast typist when she has something to say. I didn't do a word count, but about an hour into her writing, she stopped to read me what she had so far. It took at least ten minutes of constant reading before she finished. Then she wrote some more. I would bet she got at least 2000 words written.

Some of her expressions she used surprised me, like she told of one wolf with piercing red eyes. Piercing! I love that she used that word. There were other parts that made me smile as well.

What I want to get back is that total concentration as the story unfolds in my head. Maggie had that last night. She was just a writer with a story burning inside of her that had to get out. I want to write like a child.

Sample Sunday--5/15

2011-05-15T11:51:00.000-05:00

This is another short scene from No Good Deed. Mark and Jessie.

“Done with that?” When Jessie nodded, Mark added her plate to the armful of dirty dishes, and carried them to the sink. The dark room was finished, and he’d returned his keys to Bud, who had acted sorry to see him go. Mark had promised to call to go out for a beer now and then and he meant it. He’d learned his lesson about losing touch with friends. As he rinsed the plates, he looked over his shoulder. “I got a couple of photography jobs.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” She beamed at him over the rim of her coffee cup.

He shrugged, but couldn’t quite smother the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. “They don’t pay much, but it’s a start. Gary suggested me when a woman came into the shop and mentioned looking for a photographer for a small wedding. “

“It’s a great start. Soon, you’ll be back to how you were before.”

Mark wrung out the sponge, giving it a harder than needed twist. “Yeah. Maybe.” Bending his head, he scrubbed the baking sheet. When would every mention of the past stop hurting?

A minute or so later, Jessie’s hand reached into the sink and caught his. “Mark. Stop. You’re going to ruin the finish on that.”

He blinked. “Sorry. There was some chicken stuck to it.”

She took the sponge out of his hand. “I’m sorry I said anything about the past, but we can’t keep tiptoeing around it.”

“Who asked you to?” Mark snatched the sponge and began wiping the counters. He heard her sigh, but ignored it. “You can talk all you want about the past. Hell, I can talk about it if you want.”

“Right.”

He glanced up at her skeptical tone. She leaned against the counter, arms crossed and eyebrow quirked. He flung the sponge into the sink. “What do you want to know?”

“What were the other inmates like?”

“I have no idea. I never saw any others.”

Surprise showed on her face and she dropped the tough stance. “Ever?”

“Nope. It was just me and the guards.” He grabbed the roll of paper towels, tore off a few and turned to dry the counters. “They weren’t too chatty.” His attempt at humor died as the remembered loneliness swept over him. “I saw a doctor occasionally, and a few times, a chaplain came by. He was nice.” Ducking his head, he used his thumbnail to scrape a drop of barbecue sauce off the counter. “And Jim and Bill, of course. Saw them more than I wanted to.” Lost in memories, he stopped scraping and stared at the slate gray stone beneath his hand.

“Mark, you don’t have to say any more. I’m sorry.” She’d lost the skeptical note.

He snapped back to the present and shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.” Wadding up the paper towels, he sought a change of subject, throwing out the first thing he could think of. “Getting back to photography, I was thinking of using my camera again. Just a few times.”

Jessie stopped in the act of filling the soap dispenser in the dishwasher and straightened, box still poised. “Your special camera? Seriously?”

Mark nodded, not sure when he had made the decision to use the camera again, but the feeling had been building ever since he’d held it, and now that he’d said it out-loud, a surge of excitement shot through him. “Not every day. I have to work, but I have a few days off a week. If something comes up, maybe I can make a difference.”

Is it working?

2011-05-10T16:12:00.000-05:00

I kept my promise to relax yesterday. I went for a long bike ride--well at 45 minutes, it was long for me--and spent an hour digging up dandelions in my flower beds. After that, I was too tired to care about book sales.

Heh. Yeah. Right. Of course I checked, but not quite as frequently. Possibly every few hours instead of every thirty minutes. I was online posting some chatty stuff on FB, and Twitter and did lots of editing of some previous chapters of my #1 WIP. Later in the evening, after chatting it up with Jessica Tate, I we did one of our patented one hour writing challenges. I was on a roll! Too bad I had to work today, or I could have stayed up and written some more.

In fact, I was so carefree yesterday, I completely forgot I had a meeting at work at 5pm. I remembered it when I was lying in bed at 10pm. Oops! I hope I gained a little favor because I typed up the minutes this morning. That should count for something, right?

Oh, and in regards to the effectiveness of my new found relaxed approach, I woke up to five sales overnight. That hasn't happened recently except for the few days when I had the ad that ran. I even waited until I got to work to check! Normally, that was the first thing I'd do in the morning.

So, what do you think? Could my new approach be working? ;-)

Don't Worry, Be Happy

2011-05-09T11:59:00.000-05:00

Remember that song by Bobby McFerrin from the late 80's? It's my mantra now. I have found that by keeping busy, I can let go of the worry about sales. If my books sell, they sell. If not, I'm just going to keep plugging along and not worry.

That's not to say I'm giving up. Far from it. I'm just going to stick with a more relaxed approach. I'm having fun chatting on the Amazon Kindle FB page, discovering (getting addicted?) to Twitter, and trying to think of things to blog about.

Of course, the main thing is I'm still writing. I will be finishing up my romantic suspense novel, and then diving back into the third book of the Mark Taylor series. I'm eager to try another genre and see what kind of response I can get there. What I need to do is focus on writing more often. I've had a sinus infection and a bad cough for the last three weeks that triggered headaches, making it hard to concentrate. It is finally clearing up and I plan to do as much writing as I can. If only I could figure out a way to write while at work. I have down time, but I get called away unexpectedly, interrupting the muse, but I may just have to deal with that. There's no reason I can't get a page or two written while eating lunch.

What strategies to you use to stay focused on writing? If you have book or more published, how do you let go the urge to check your sales every hour?

Mother's Day Sample Sunday

2011-05-08T08:30:00.001-05:00

In honor of Mother's Day, I've selected a short scene between Mark Taylor and his mother from No Good Deed. Enjoy!

The wooden stairs creaked, the third one loudest of all, and Mark remembered that particular step giving him away once when he was seventeen and trying to sneak out of the house to go to a party. Amusement lifted the corners of his mouth as he turned to the right, his hand spinning around the wooden knob at top of the banister. The action came naturally, from a childhood spent racing up the steps, and careening down the hall. The knob had been the only thing that had prevented him from catapulting out the window at the top of the steps.

His old room still looked like he had left for college the week before. On the wall was a poster of Walter Payton, and opposite that, one of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. The double-bed looked huge and the blue down comforter puffed when he sank down into its softness. It was all he could do to keep from falling back and sleeping right then, but he wanted to shower first.

He rubbed his eyes and wandered over to the oak dresser. Some of his clothes were still here. He tended to leave his dirty clothes unless he needed them. It had made traveling from Chicago easier if he didn't need to pack every time.

In the top drawer, he found some boxers and a tee shirt. Perfect. He shut the drawer and the jolt knocked over a couple of photographs on top of the dresser. Mark lifted one. His senior prom. He was decked out in a white tux with a pastel pink cumberbund that matched Becky Harris's chiffon dress. They both grinned into the camera. His arms circled Becky, resting on top of her hands at her waist. Her blond hair, so curled and sprayed that it looked like it would crack if touched, came to just below his chin. She had been tiny, even in heels, and Mark remembered feeling so big and invincible holding her. He ran a hand through his short hair. In the photo, it had been longer and feathered. Mark chuckled at how much time he had wasted every morning making sure it looked good.

A soft knock sounded and Mark turned to the door. "Come in."

His mom entered carrying a couple of bath towels and held up a new toothbrush. "I found this in the downstairs medicine cabinet. It was a free sample. There's toothpaste, shampoo, and some disposable razors in this bathroom. If you need--"

"Thanks, Mom. I got it." Mark smiled and cut her off. There was an awkwardness between them that had never been there before. He cleared his throat. "I was just looking at my prom picture. What a goof I was." The comment was meant to be funny, but his voice cracked. Mark averted his eyes from hers.

She crossed to the dresser and held the picture. "I remember taking this picture. You looked so handsome all dressed up." A smile softened her features as she traced a finger over Mark's outline in the photo. "I was a nervous wreck all that night. I was sure you were going to get drunk and crash the car on the way home."

This was news to him.Vaguely, he recalled that a boy had been killed in a car accident after a prom night party a few years before his own prom, but like most kids, Mark had never considered it could happen to him. "Why did you let me go?"

"It was your prom. What else could I do?" She shrugged. "Besides, I worried every time you walked out that door, but, you always came home okay." His mom set the picture down and faced him. "Until today."

Mark swallowed down the lump that threatened to choke him and picked at a snag on the towel, working the thread until it stuck out another inch. He tore his gaze from the towel and tried smile. "I'm fine." He tossed the towels on the bed.

She shook her head and stepped close, wrapping her arms around him. "No, Mark. You're not." Her hands ran up and down his back. "But you will be."

He nodded into her neck, not trusting his voice. After a moment, he stepped back. "Well, I probably should get that shower before I stink up the room."

She didn't smile at his attempt at humor, but nodded. "Good night, hon."

Time for a marketing overhaul

2011-05-07T14:51:00.001-05:00

After having a fantastic March, sales have slowed. A lot. I've heard many authors had an April slowdown, but I have no idea to what degree. I know mine was bad. Like, did they remove the one-click button from my book pages, bad.

I had a brief surge last weekend when I had an ad run on Ereader News Today. That lasted three days, and now I'm back to being slower than ever. I've wracked my brain trying to think of why. Someone came up with an idea that Amazon has changed whatever algorithms they used to cycle in books for the 'Customers who bought' carousel. It sounds as plausible as any other explanation. This also allowed some newer books to move up faster. I guess some people had great months, so it wasn't bad for everyone.

When I get get my books in front of readers, I get sales. I have good covers, some really nice reviews, and I think my description is working. I haven't heard otherwise except from Red Adept, who thought my original one gave too much away. I then removed the second paragraph of the description to correct that possibility.

I need to figure out some creative marketing. That shouldn't be hard, right? After all, I'm a creative person. Heh. Yeah. Right. See, the only problem is, I have never been a good salesperson at any point in my life except possibly when I was about eight. Back in the days when nobody worried about sending kids door to door to sell candy for school, my older brother convinced me and one of my other brothers to sell Tootsie Rolls for him. We were little and cute then, so we had tons of sales! I don't think that angle will work anymore.

It's a constantly changing market out there and what worked last year, last month or even last week, doesn't always work now. I don't have loads of money to put into official ads, although I have done several and plan several more. Those only work for a few days. What I want is something that will sustain sales. I'm open to ideas if anyone has some.

I've read about blog tours, but I have no clue how those work. Anybody know? Meanwhile, I'm definitely going to be stepping up my blogging and tweeting, as well as writing as much as I can on my WIP.

Friday Night Lights S05E03.wmv

2011-05-05T07:58:00.001-05:00

I've had several hits on my blog for people looking for the quote from Friday Night Lights and Coach Taylor's talk to Vince about character. To make it easy, here's the clip. Enjoy!

Sample Sunday! From No Good Deed Chapter 14

2011-05-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

I have a Twofer. That's 2 books in one volume that I'm experimenting with. I have it listed at $3.79 on Amazon, and $3.99 on Barnes&Noble. (a little more on B&N because of the lower royalty rate--sorry! It was the only way I could do it and save readers money, but still break even) I bundled both books into one. Here is the cover. I've had moderate success, which is fine. This is just an option for readers. Both books are still available seperately. I have a sample from No Good Deed this week. Next week, I'll do March Into Hell.

An excerpt from the middle of the book. Things are not going well for Mark. He could be losing it.

* * *

Mark paced his cell. It had been weeks since the last interrogation and he hadn't heard anything about what he had written. This whole time, from the beginning of this nightmare, despite the accusations and the interrogations, hope had burned in him. He'd tried to quash it--had tried to go numb, but it flickered anyway. Then the dreams came again, and as terrifying as they'd been, they gave him a reason to hope, a way to prove his innocence.

Now, even after his predictions came true, nothing had changed. He'd seen the envelope in Jim's hand before they took him to the infirmary, he was sure he remembered that. Had they thrown it away? Had he gone through hell for nothing?

Hope. He hated hope. It was insane to cling to it. He was insane. This whole goddamn place was insane.

He balled his fists, his body tensing as rage raced through every cell of his being. The bastards! The confines of the cell, with no way to vent the anger, served as a pressure cooker. He yanked the thin pad off his bed, slamming it against the wall. Why didn't they let him go?

The dark bubble over the camera up in the corner caught his eye. There they were. Watching him. They were always watching him. The lights shone all the damn time. Everything he did was caught on tape. He couldn't even take a piss without an audience. Shame combined with the anger, and Mark's gaze dropped to the half-eaten bowl of grits on his tray. Grabbing it, he whipped handfuls of the congealed substance at the bubble. Let them just try to see through that mess.

When the grits were gone, he gave a hard flick of his wrist, sending the bowl bouncing against the wall. His chest heaved while he watched it spin and wobble in a circle before coming to rest in the corner. The sticky grits plopped from the bubble onto the floor. Damn it. Even the grits wouldn't cooperate. Mark stared at the splotches of food on the floor and burst out laughing. What an idiot he was for thinking anything would make a difference. A stupid, naive idiot. They had probably snickered over the note in the envelope.

He staggered back, bumping into the wall, and slid down to a sitting position. Hysterical, mirthless laughter bubbled up in his throat, choking him before it dissolved into a sob. Pain squeezed his chest. Why had he allowed himself to feel anything? Hope hurt.

"Shit!" He crossed his arms over his knees and buried his face, wrapping his hands over the back of his head.

* * *

The mattress was gone, taken as punishment. Even his blanket was confiscated. The temperature in the cell dropped precipitously. It had to be deliberate.

To keep warm, he did jumping jacks, push-ups, and any other exercise that he could do in a nine by six cell. That worked, until he tired. His muscles quivered as he paced to and fro. Less than four steps from end to end, and he'd about face and repeat the march. For hours, he continued, his pace slowing until he was stumbling and lurching across the cell. They would turn the heat on soon. They wouldn't let him freeze to death.

He hadn't seen anyone in days. Maybe they had gone off and left him. But someone delivered the meals. They still came at regular intervals. Not the usual fare. Instead, he received cold meals ready-to-eat. He ate them, if only to keep from getting a feeding tube, but the cold sapped his energy, and he got up only to use the toilet or push the meals out. After awhile, he didn't need to get up as often. His fingers were clumsy and stiff, and the meals too hard to open. He gave up, and sent them back out untouched. Nobody seemed to care.

Mark curled on the metal shelf and shivered. His teeth chattered until he was sure a few had chipped. He clenched jaw to stop the chattering. How many meals had come since the cold hit? Six? Eight? He lost count. He slept in short spurts, getting up to move around, but finally, he sank onto the floor, with a sigh. He had to rest.

Arms pulled into his shirt, he hunched over his drawn up knees. At least one more meal arrived, but he was so stiff, he couldn't get up to retrieve it. He moved onto his side, the cement no colder than the metal shelf. Why bother trying to move? His eyes grew heavy. How cold did someone have to get before they died? Would they let him get to that point?

After awhile, the cold didn't bother him so much. He must be getting used to it. Growing up in Wisconsin, and then living in Chicago, he was accustomed to cold weather.

Once, he'd gone hunting with his dad when he was a kid, and had broken through some ice, falling into a shallow pond. He recalled pushing against the ice, breaking it with his hands as he waded out, but remembered his father's warnings to keep moving until they got back to the campsite. There, he'd been stripped of his wet clothes, and wrapped in warm blankets. His dad wouldn't let him sleep for awhile. The next day, he'd asked why, and was told if he'd fallen asleep when he was that cold, he might not have woken up.

Mark pushed an arm out of his sleeve and bent it under his head for a pillow. He closed his eyes. Falling asleep now might be the answer to his problems. Just shut his eyes and never open them again. He'd be done with interrogations, done with the shame and fear. He'd be free.

* * *

Jim sighed as he read through the memos from the head of security. Taylor had gone crazy with some food and as punishment, they had removed his mattress. It was also noted that he was no longer getting grits. One side of his mouth quirked in a smile. He couldn't blame Taylor. Even after living in the South for a number of years, he had never acquired a taste for the dish.

He glanced up as the subject of his thoughts was led into the room. Taylor kept his head down as he shuffled to stand beside the chair. There he waited, never raising his eyes.

Jim motioned to the guards. "He can sit." With that, the guard secured Taylor's shackles to the bolt in the floor.

Bill took the first turn. He circled to the front of the table. "Hello, Mark. How are you feeling today?"

"Good, sir." His head rose, but he simply stared at a spot ahead of him on the floor.

"Glad to hear it. You had a rough time of it lately." Bill paused and sent Jim a glance. They'd discussed their strategy. Bill would sympathize with Mark's plight and show concern about all the guy had been through, the water-boarding, extreme isolation, and temperature control. They hoped sympathy would cause him to break down.

Taylor didn't respond.

Bill leaned into Taylor's line of sight, forcing the man to see him. "You're not going to answer me?" His tone was light, as though joking.

"You didn't ask a question, sir." Taylor sounded as flat as his expression. There was nothing there.

Bill chuckled. "You're right. I didn't." He half sat on the table, his pose relaxed. Jim marveled at the tone of concern in Bill managed with his next question. "How are you holding up, Mark?"

Taylor remained silent for so long that Jim was sure he wouldn't reply, but finally, he shrugged. "Okay. I guess. Sir."

"That's good. Anything I can do for you? Do you need anything? Cards? Books?" Taylor's request for books had been sent through the channels several times, but still hadn't been cleared.

"No, sir."

Bill spread his hands, and shrugged at Jim with a 'what do I do now' look.

Jim decided to take his turn early. He stood, letting his chair scrape the floor with a harsh screech. Taylor didn't flinch. It was time to get tough. Obviously, being nice was getting them nowhere. He reached into a folder and removed a pile of photos. Moving around the front of the table, he shoved a picture under Taylor's nose.

"Recognize these?"

Taylor's head moved a fraction as Jim flipped through the photos, allowing Taylor to see all of them. "Yes, sir."

So that's how it was going to be. Every response would have to be pulled out of the guy. "Care to enlighten us?" Jim was well aware of what the photos were, but wanted to hear Taylor confirm it.

Taylor replied in a monotone, "They're photos I developed from my camera on September 10th, 2001."

Jim paced across Taylor's line of vision, but if the man noticed, he gave no indication. His gaze still appeared to be fixed at a spot on the floor.

"Do you know where we found these?" Not letting him reply, knowing it would be either a yes or a no, Jim moved to the point. "These were in a box in your home." Jim circled around the table to retrieve a stack of photos out of a file. Returning to the front of the table, he thumbed through the stack. "They were mixed in with these other pictures."

He leaned against the table and crossed his ankles. With a shake of his head, he studied the photos. "You know, Taylor, for a guy who's supposed to be a professional photographer, these photos are crap."

He held one up, biting back his annoyance when Taylor only flicked a glance at them. "Look at this. Why did you take a picture of a car parked on the side of the street? Or one of man eating a hamburger?" Jim sorted through the pictures. "Or how about this one. It's my favorite. It's the front door of an apartment."

He remained silent, so Jim stepped closer and kicked the leg of the guy's chair.

Taylor started, his eyes widening briefly. Jim bent, bringing his face within inches of other man's. "Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

After the initial surprise, Taylor sighed and lifted his gaze. It rested in the vicinity of Jim's face, but didn't quite meet his eyes."Yes, sir."

There was no spark. Just weariness and resignation.

"Well, now that you're awake, shall we get on with this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Explain why you kept all these photos. They weren't in your studio, they were in a box under your bed." Jim found the one of a baby wrapped in a towel. "Except for this one. This one was found on your person at the time of your arrest. Care to explain to explain it? Is this a relative?"

"No, sir. Not a relative. Just a baby."

"Why does a single guy keep pictures of an unrelated baby in his pocket?"

The insinuation hadn't been lost on Taylor and for one brief second, his eyes flashed anger. "That's the last picture I changed." He drew in a deep breath, as though the effort to speak taxed him. “That's the end result.” His brow furrowed in confusion and he seemed to lose his train of thought. After a pause, he clarified, “She drowned in the first picture.”

The statement caught Jim by surprise. Taylor sounded matter of fact.

"So, after you...saved her, you took her picture as a memento?" It was hard to maintain the insinuation in his voice.

"No. I puked. Then I was...arrested." His head lolled back for a moment, as if he didn't have the energy to hold it up. After a pause, he straightened, but it seemed to require incredible effort. "The photos change. If I succeed."

"Okay. I think I get it. You go on your little missions and keep the happy pictures as mementos. So, why did you keep the pictures of the attacks?"

He focused on Jim, his eyes dull and filled with defeat. "As a reminder that I can't fix everything." Taylor swallowed, his throat bobbing as his gaze slid away.

Character is in the trying

2011-04-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

I have a new favorite quote. Part of it is over there on the right. The whole thing goes something like this: "I never said you had to be better than everyone else. I said you gotta try. That's what character is. It's in the trying."

I love the quote because so often I'll look at how other authors are faring and they are doing so much better than me. I'm very happy for them--seriously, I am. I get a thrill knowing someone who has succeeded in this business, but I beat myself up because I'm not doing as well. It's almost like because they have succeeded, I know it's possible and get impatient because my success isn't on the same timeline as theirs. I feel like I'm trying so hard, and it doesn't help, then I think I should just chuck the whole writing thing.

Then along comes a quote like that, and I know that I can't. Every bit of trying will make success that much sweeter and I'll be better for it.

heaven | collab with fran

2011-04-29T12:01:00.000-05:00

Y=Y I love Friday Night Lights. (yes, I cheated)

I love how Matt and Julie's relationship has followed in the footsteps of Eric and Tami's. (Julie is their daughter.)

Sample Sunday! From No Good Deed--Ch. 25

2011-04-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

This is a sample from near the end, so be warned! I tried to choose an excerpt without too many spoilers.

Mark jogged the four blocks to the pub and stopped at the entrance to catch his breath. His shirt clung to him and he cursed Gary for being late and forcing him to run. He already felt his stomach knotting at the prospect of seeing Jim. Last thing he wanted to do was look as nervous as he felt, and having sweat dripping didn’t make for a calm appearance.
     The interior was dim after the bright sunshine, and he paused to scan the room. Tugging his shirt away from his chest, he was grateful for the blast of air conditioning from the vent above the entrance. Sheridan and Jessie at a table in the corner. Damn. He’d hoped to get here first and get the upper hand, have some control. Jim sat with his back to the corner and had a view of the whole room. Their eyes met and Mark had to fight the impulse to flee. The door opened behind him as a group of women entered. The flash of sunlight reminded him that he wasn’t trapped anymore. He could leave whenever he wanted. That thought propelled him forward.
     Jim gave a short nod, but Mark ignored it as he wound his way past other tables and customers. He couldn’t help noticing that Jessie didn’t look at all uncomfortable with the guy. She even smiled at something he said. A trace of a smile lurked around Jim’s mouth. Were they talking about him? Jessie turned and the smile slipped from her face when she saw him. Her brows knit as she glanced at the bag in his hand.
     He was about to tell her what it contained when Jim jumped to his feet and shot around the table. “Hold on. What’s in the bag, Taylor?”
     Mark halted. As much as he wanted to push past Jim without answering, he couldn’t. A year of conditioning to obey the man’s orders had left their mark. He dropped his gaze. “It’s just a camera.” It took everything in him, but he raised his head and said, “The one I told you about. Over and over.”
     Jim’s eyes narrowed and he held out his hand. Mark gripped the rolled top of the bag tighter for a second, the muscles in his arm rigid. The tension grew with Jim’s eyes never leaving Mark’s, his hand still waiting expectantly. Finally, Mark shoved the bag at Jim, but couldn’t keep from balling his hands into fists as rage boiled inside of him.
     Jessie stood and took Mark’s elbow with on hand, the other going to his back. The reassurance she offered with her touch and smile helped. “Come on and have a seat. We ordered a pizza already.”
     Mark acquiesced, but looked at her blankly, his mind still on the camera in the bag. Pizza? Did she think that they were actually going to sit and eat like they were old friends? He pulled his arm from her grasp and ground out, “I’m not hungry.”
     It had been his plan to simply divulge the pictures, relate the details that he recalled from his dream, and get the hell out of there. Socializing hadn’t played a part in it. The crinkle of the bag drew his attention back to Jim. The man had returned to his seat and without asking, opened the bag and withdrew the contents.
     Jim gave the camera a cursory look, but when he shuffled through the photos, his mouth set in a hard line, the only sign that the pictures registered. He went through them twice before he glared at Mark and slapped the prints down on the table. “What did you do this time?”
     The accusation in the words hit Mark like a punch and his jaw clenched so hard he thought he’d crack a molar. The bastard!

L=Legitimate

2011-04-16T12:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry all you A-Z bloggers. I've gotten behind and I don't even know if today is L, but I'm going to post it anyway.

As an indie, or self-pubbed author, whatever you want to call it, am I legitimate? Can I call myself a 'real' author since I didn't use the traditional gatekeepers? I think so.

I just read J.A. Konrath's blog post from yesterday, and as often happpens after I read one of his posts, I feel like I want to cheer. This month, sales have been way down. I don't know why, and many others have said the same thing, so I'm just going to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm. Because of lower sales, I've been feeling down and wondering if I'm doing the right thing, but reading Konrath's blog reminded me of why I self-published my books.

I just tallied up my 1st quarter numbers. I've sold 1780 copies of No Good Deed in that time. Some were at the original price of $2.99, but most were at the 99 cent sale price which ends in a few weeks.

For March Into Hell, which as a sequel is harder to market, but also tends to sell itself if the readers liked the first book, sold 500 copies. I didn't publish it until Jan 30th, so those were all sold in about 60 days. I have spent zero amount of money on marketing for MIH. Zero. It has always been priced at $2.99. This is all gravy as I never found an agent for No Good Deed, and so there was really no way I could even query March Into Hell, let alone sell it to a publisher.

Am I legit? I think I am. I've sold just about 2300 books in three months. Sure, the numbers aren't huge but they are there and will hopefully continue to increase as I put more books out.

J=Just

2011-04-12T08:50:00.001-05:00

Though he really wanted to just sit and relax, he got to his feet and marched on.

I wrote the above sentence a moment ago to highlight something. My crutch words. Those are words that are useless and filler and I use way too much! A few of mine are 'just', 'really,' and 'though'.

Several years ago, my beta reader pointed out my embarrassing love for the word 'though'. I am so grateful to her for that! I had never noticed how certain words tend to creep into my writing over and over. Unfortunately, like weeds, I pull one and another takes its place, so I have to be ever vigilant that I don't fall in love with any one word.

So, what are your crutch words? Don't be shy! Share! :-)

Sample Sunday! From No Good Deed

2011-04-10T13:19:00.000-05:00

Mark downed the milk and sent the tray out. It had been a late one today and he had already completed his workout. He sat on the floor, legs crossed. If nobody came to take him away for questioning, he spent the time between breakfast and the next meal doing imaginary photo shoots. Today, his model was a top cover girl. Her picture graced the pages of swimsuit issues, high fashion magazines and she had her own line of clothing. Every detail of the photo-shoot played in his head. The lighting, the camera angles, and the location. Sometimes, he even allowed some bad frames to tarnish the proof-sheet. On a good day, those mistakes made him smile.

He had just tested the light meter in the imaginary shoot, when the tinny voice came over the speaker commanding him to put his hands through the slot. The photo-shoot dissolved in his mind, and his heart thumped against his ribs. Even with all of his exercises and stretches, the positions caused him agony. It just took longer for the pain to hit.

There was a tiny part of him that welcomed the excursions. As horrible as they were, at least he had someone to talk to. Pain was the price he paid for company. Pain he could deal with because it wasn’t permanent. There was an end to it, and then it was gone with nothing to show for it. No scars or disabilities. It could be worse. He could be in a pit with rats and fed maggot infested rice. Compared to that, this was nothing. Mark took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. He winced as the left one grated in its socket. Maybe just a little bit of disability.

Five minutes later, he stood in the familiar room. The three usual spectators sat at their table, quietly chatting as he entered. He listened as hard as he could. Sometimes, he caught bits of sports scores or traffic reports. As mundane as it was, he relished every scrap of it. He felt less isolated when he knew the Knicks beat the Lakers or that there was a ten car pile up on the freeway. There was still a world going on outside his walls and he clung to that fact like a tick to a dog.

Jim strode into the room and Bill tagged along behind him blowing on a cup of coffee. Mark’s mouth watered at the scent. They ignored him while Jim sorted through some papers and Bill told an off-color joke to the other three. Mark filed the joke away for later, when he could smile in private.

Finally selecting a sheet of paper, Jim closed the file. It was Mark’s. He knew it. Every time he was brought here, it was a little thicker.

Jim approached him, his face grim and not in sync with his greeting. “Good afternoon.”

Mark filed that information away too. So, it wasn’t even morning although he had eaten breakfast less than an hour ago. He would try to go to sleep earlier today and see if he could get his nights and days back on track.

“Good afternoon.” He didn’t mean to emphasize the afternoon part, but Jim caught it, and gave him a sharp look. Mark knew somehow he had blundered.

“I have some questions to ask you, but you probably already knew that.”

“Yes, sir.” There, he had spoken. It felt good, even if it was to Jim.

“You’re looking rather smug today.” Jim quirked his mouth, as though trying to figure out what Mark was up to. “What’s going on?”

Mark raised his chin a notch. He would never admit coming here was better than sitting in his cell waiting for the walls to close in on him. “Nothing, sir.” His stomach churned. It was their mission to make his life a complete hell. It wasn’t enough that they stole every last shred of pleasure from his life, now even a pleasant thought was forbidden.

“We’ll see if you’re feeling so pleased with yourself after today.”

Mark swallowed and dropped his gaze to the floor. Maybe the cell was better.

Jim paced, his measured steps in cadence with his words. “Okay, first, I’ll give you the opportunity, as always, to be forthcoming and admit to your crimes. Give us the information we’ve been asking of you.” He stopped directly in front of Mark. “We can end this session on a good note for once. How about it?”

Mark lifted his gaze, not fooled by the hopeful look in the other man’s eyes. The men at the table behind Jim sat straight, more alert than he had ever seen them. One drummed his fingers. Mark’s stomach went from churning to a whirling mass of acid.

“I...I don’t have anything to confess.” He almost wished he did. He would do nearly anything for all of this to be over. More than once, he’d considered making up a confession. If only he had details. Plausible details. But he didn’t.

Jim sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this.” Regret flashed over his face and it looked genuine. Then he nodded to the guards stationed behind Mark.

They unlocked his ankle shackles from the floor and grabbed each arm, dragging him to a corner and ordered him lie down on a hard board. His arms were stretched over his head and secured so tightly, his own arms restrained his head from moving. The chains on his ankles tightened, and he heard the clink as the guard clipped his feet to something. His heart skipped a beat when the foot of the board was raised. Blood rushed to his head, and he tried to control his trembling. What were they going to do to him?

There was a shuffling and the scrape of chairs on the floor. Jim stood to the right of Mark’s head. He couldn’t turn his head far enough to see, but it sounded like the men in the room had come closer. The door to the room opened, sending a slight breeze over him and he shivered.

Jim stepped away from Mark, his footsteps headed towards the door. “Thanks for joining us, Dr. Solomon. We’re almost ready to begin, so please, just have a seat.”

A doctor? What the hell did they need a doctor for? Mark pulled against the restraints as his stomach twisted into a tight knot of fear.

“I can’t say I’m glad to be here, but it’s good to see you again, Jim.” Out of the corner of his eye, Mark caught a glimpse of a white coat and heard a rustle. The doctor was going to just sit and watch while they did whatever the hell it was they planned to do?

The guard spoke to Jim and pulled Mark’s attention away from the doctor. “Sir? How do you want me to do this?”

The uncertainty in the man’s voice terrified him. Was there a hint of reluctance too? The man had never been reluctant to restrain him before. What was different this time?

Jim returned to the spot near Mark’s head. “Use the cloth. Put it over his nose and mouth. That usually works best.”

Did they plan on smothering him? His breath rasped out in ragged pants as he tugged again on the chains. “I don’t have anything to confess. Please.”

He met the guard’s eyes, but whatever reluctance had flashed earlier, was gone, and the guard let his gaze slide away from Mark’s. The other man’s expression a blank mask, he draped a cloth across the lower part of Mark’s face. It felt too light to smother him. The guard disappeared from his vision, but Mark’s fear escalated when water splashed nearby. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as a chill swept through him.

The guard returned with a large pitcher in his hand. It was like the one Mark’s mother used to mix Kool-Aid when he was a child. The guard looked up as though waiting for a signal from someone. Mark riveted his eyes on the man’s face and held his breath waiting for...what? If only the guard would look at him again. His eyes would show if it was going to be bad. If he knew for sure, he could brace himself. Mark froze when the guard took a deep breath and nodded to someone out of Mark’s field of vision. The signal had been given

C=Character

2011-04-04T10:38:00.000-05:00

What do you look for in a character? How do you create one? That is a question I've asked myself a lot. I've only created a dozen or so. Mark Taylor for me, was an easy one. He's the every man hero--yes, a cliche, but in writing the story, and seeing it from his pov, some of the reactions are different than what I would have thought. I hope that makes him unique.

Characters are surprising that way. I think a little bit of people we know, see, or read about, leak in sub-consciously. A little sarcasm, a dash of doubt, sprinkle in some anger, but balance it with a dose of humor. That's a recipe that works for me. Varying the amounts of the ingredients and adding others (like fear, self-loathing, courage, wit, etc) makes for different characters.

Don't be afraid to chat with your characters and get their history, but what really works for me is jumping into the character's head and looking around. What do I see? What am I feeling?

B is for Book Review

2011-04-02T07:54:00.054-06:00

Through Smoke

I received an advanced reader copy of this book, actually as it was being written. I have to say, I loved watching the plot develop and the characters grow complex and fully fleshed out with each new chapter. There is plenty of action, from raging fires to encounters with a violent bookie, but it never overshadows the characters, especially Michael, the main character.

Michael is just trying to be the best firefighter he can, whilfe fighting a constant urge for the bottle. He's succeeding and finds, Eva, a woman he thinks he might love, but then his brother, Casey, shows up on his doorstep and drags Michael into his seedy dealings with a bookie.

The emotion between Michael and Eva feels totally real, and the scenes between Michael and Casey are full of anger but there's always that pull of family and blood connecting them.

All in all, it's an excellent read.

A is for Android

2011-04-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

I don't need anything Android, but I still want. I have a nice little netbook, my Kindle and I don't need a tablet or smartphone at all. I had a Blackberry, but it died on me. The only thing I used the internet for was to check my book sales. I found out that my Kindle is much faster at it than the Blackberry was. I guess because I have the KDP page bookmarked and there aren't a lot of graphics to load. As long as I have a good AT&T signal (which was the case with the Blackberry too) I'm good. Even better when I'm in a place with wireless.

I don't think I could type on a tablet, but the coolness factor still gets me. What can I do with one I can't do with my netbook? Not much. It's slightly more portable, but since I'm constantly typing on my netbook, how would that help me? I'd probably be wishing I had my netbook. I'd like an iPad too, but today's letter was A, so I had to go with Android. ;-)

I did see one tablet in the works that is like a much bigger Android phone with the slide out keyboard. I think I might have to save up for that one. Best of both worlds. Teaser pics of Asus EEE Pad

If you have an android anything, or a tablet of any kind, I'd love to hear the pros and cons

Positively Indie

2011-03-30T07:58:00.002-06:00

If you're looking for negativity, you're not going to find it here. If you move on down your blogroll, you'll probably find it somewhere else, possibly under 'indie author rants' blah, blah, blah.

Okay, so those of you still here, thanks for sticking around! As most of you know who follow my blog, I'm an Indie author--and yes, that's the term I use because it's easier to write than self-published hack--and proud of it. There are a few out there who give us a bad name, but I want to post about the authors and supporters who are doing amazing things and sharing their talents and knowledge with the rest of us ~~self-pubbed hacks~~ Indie authors.

There are so many, I'm afraid I won't be able to fit them all into one blog post, but here is just the tip of the ice berg:

Imogen Rose-not only is she a fantastic author with a cult like following, she is wonderful at making covers. I know of several she's made or had a hand in designing including my latest and greatest covers of No Good Deed and March Into Hell.

Al Kunz--aka Big Al from BigAl's Books and Pals. Before there was the whole Howett fiasco, there was Al offering to beta read for many of us. Hey! I just thought of something! Al's name is in the acknowledgements of March Into Hell! Woot! ;-) Anyway, he is also the virtual bartender of the Al's Place thread on the Amazon Kindle board. It's like a virtual Cheers, where everyone is welcome and everyone knows your name. It's a refuge for us Indie authors when things can get uncomfortable on the rest of the board.

Allie Brumley and Vickie Boehnlein: More beta readers who are so supportive of indie authors. As pure readers, they give us a chance for feedback on how they liked a book. So often, we hear about the nuts and bolts of writing, how we need to tighten up sentences, cut scenes, etc, from other writers--all important stuff, but I also want to know how readers like the story as a whole.

Anne Marie Monzelun--She is the champion of indie writers everywhere! It's always comforting to know that AM has our backs.

As Indie authors ourselves, we often read each others books, and I can't tell you the number of times I've posted somewhere like the Amazon Facebook page about one of my books, and another author has shown support. LC Evans, Markee Anderson, Donna Fasano, Michael Crane, Sean Sweeney, Beth Orsoff, Sharon Baum, and the list goes on and on.

What's remarkable is that we could all look at each other as competitors and do our best to blast the others out of the water, but I've never encountered that from another indie author. Ever. We see each other on various forums and boards, and it's like we all 'know' each other. We might be friends with some and just wave in passing to others, but there's always that respect that the other author is trying their best the same as we are. It's like, when one of us succeeds, it sends out positive vibes that have a ripple effect.

Daily Cheap Reads

2011-03-29T07:17:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Pixel of Ink had No Good Deed on their page, and today, Daily Cheap Reads is trying to knock POI out of my top BFF spot. Will they succeed? Time will tell! ;-)

March Into Hell on Daily Cheap Reads

Seriously, I love all those sites. Without them to bring readers and indie authors together as a middle man, so to speak, I don't know where Indie authors would be. So, a big thank you to all of those who put in all the time and effort.

Sample Sunday! From No Good Deed

2011-03-27T09:23:00.002-06:00

Set-up: Mark is in the base hospital after passing out in his cell.

* * *

“Open your eyes!”

A hand shook his shoulder and Mark blinked awake with a start. He squinted at a greenish curtain dangling from the ceiling. Where the hell was he? The room wasn’t the same as the interrogation room and he was in a bed. A real bed. With a real pillow. He smoothed his hand against the mattress, and sheets. Scratchy ones, but they felt heavenly to him. Blankets covered him up to his chest. He wanted to close his eyes and burrow into them, but the hand shook him again.

The voice came again, “Oh no you don’t. No going back to sleep.” While still commanding, it wasn’t threatening.

“What?” Mark tried again when his first attempt came out as a croak, and he sought out the speaker. Jim.

Mark jerked and tried to scoot to the far side of the bed. A clip on his finger fell to the floor and he nearly tore his hand off when the handcuff attached to the bed pulled him up short. What did Jim want? He blinked, and rubbed his eyes against the top of his shoulder as a wave of dizziness swept him. A loud beeping began, adding to the confusion.

“Christ! Lie down before you pass out again.” Jim put a hand on Mark’s arm, urging him back against the bed. “Stick your finger out. You knocked this thing off.”

Mark complied, but never took his eyes off the other man as Jim put the clip back on Mark’s finger. At least the annoying beeping stopped. He licked his lips; they felt dry and cracked.

Jim looked over to a guard by the door. “Free one of his hands, would you?” When the guard had done so and moved back to his post, Jim picked up a pitcher on the rolling table and poured some water into a cup.

Eyes wide, Mark watched, an alarm from some monitor barely audible over the sound of his heart beating in his ears.

“Here.” Jim thrust the cup at him.

Mark recoiled, batting it away. It sailed into the curtain, splashing water across the bed and onto the floor.

Jim looked from the cup, still rolling on the floor, to Mark. “What the hell did you do that for?”

Mark didn’t cower, but he couldn’t look Jim in the eye. He took a deep breath and forced an answer. Remaining silent would only make it worse. “I’m not thirsty, sir.” It was a lie, but the truth, that shoving a container of water in his face sent his pulse racing, was too embarrassing to admit.

“Bullshit.” Jim glared at him and then said, “And I suppose you aren’t hungry either.”

“No, sir.” That was true. He couldn’t recall the last time he had eaten, but he was beyond hunger.

“Well, you’re going to buy yourself a feeding tube. We aren’t in the practice of starving inmates to death.”

“No, sir. Drowning is quicker.” Mark flinched at the dark look on Jim’s face. What made him say that out loud? Fear pounded through his veins, only one beat ahead of the hate and shame.

The man stepped closer, face stiff with anger. “They’ll be in shortly to insert the tube. I heard it’s not pleasant.” Jim turned to leave, motioning to a guard on the other side of the curtain to come sit in the room with Mark.

The thought of a feeding tube scared the hell out of him. He couldn’t handle that someone would be shoving food into his stomach. It was just one more thing beyond his control. “Wait...sir.”

Jim held the curtain with one hand and turned back. “Did you decide you were hungry after all?”

Mark nodded. “Yes, sir.” He went limp against the pillow. They had won again. He expected Jim to leave then, and was surprised when the man came back and stood beside the bed. He studied him until Mark began to squirm.

“The doc here says you’ve lost twenty pounds since you came here. How is that possible? We’re very careful about supplying enough calories.”

Mark shrugged.

“Did you go on a hunger strike?” Jim’s voice was quiet. Almost like he cared.

“No, sir. My stomach just couldn’t handle food after...after the last time you questioned me.” Mark stared at the foot of the bed. Chains snaked out from under the covers, attaching to steel loops on the foot board. He moved his leg, feeling the scrape of the shackle against his ankle.” After awhile, I wasn’t hungry any more. There didn’t seem much point in eating.”

Jim tilted his head, his tone sarcastic, “No point in eating?”

Anger shot through Mark. It felt good after days of feeling nothing but fear. “Yeah. No point. You guys are going to kill me anyway. What do you care? Am I taking the fun out of it if I kill myself?”

“If you would just come clean—”

“I didn’t doanything!” Mark glared at Jim, his rage bolstering his courage. “I’d rather die than confess to something I didn’t do.”

Jim turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Jim brushed past a guard at the door. “Have them get him a tray of something decent to eat if the doctor okays it.”

“Yes, sir.”

I’d rather die. Taylor’s answer rang in Jim’s ears. Maybe the guy didn’t start out trying to kill himself, but he sure as hell didn’t seem to care if he ended up dead. Jim made the long trek from the naval hospital to the brig across the base. He could have driven, but it was just close enough to make him feel guilty for not walking. He hated laziness in others, and held himself to a higher standard.

How could Taylor have not eaten for a week and nobody had told him? Jim swore under his breath and wished he hadn’t traveled to Washington, but it wasn’t his choice. At least he’d been able to see his son, so it was worth it except in the two days he’d been back, nobody had mentioned Taylor’s food strike. If the guy died in custody, the press would have a field day. Already, there had been a few articles from the left calling for Taylor’s release, but so far, there hadn’t been much public outcry. Jim intended to keep it that way—even if it came down to force feeding.

Jim strode past his own office and went straight to Bill’s. He entered without bothering to knock.

Bill looked up from his computer. “How is he?” Before Jim could answer, Bill went back to typing.

“He’ll live...for now, even if he doesn’t want to.” Jim paced the confines of the office. “He thinks we’re going to kill him, so he figures he might as well control how he dies.”

The typing stopped and Bill swiveled his chair to face Jim. “He said that?”

Jim shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Basically. He’s given up.”
“I thought we were getting close to cracking him.”

Jim sank onto a chair. “Oh, he’s cracking all right. Just not like we had hoped.”
Bill grunted and leaned back into his chair. “Is he salvageable?”

He knew what Bill meant. Had Taylor been so broken that he was useless as a source of information? Taylor’s burst of anger at the end convinced Jim the man wasn’t quite there yet. “Did you ever think maybe this guy is innocent?”

“Nope.” Bill flipped through his desk drawer and pulled out a pack of gum, popping a stick in his mouth before holding the pack out to Jim, who waved him off. “The guy was fingered by a confirmed member of al-Qaeda. He went to Afghanistan--we have proof of that. We also have the tapes of the calls he made just a few hours before the attacks took place. How else would he have known about the attacks?” Bill shook his head, his jaw working the gum like he had something personal against it.

Jim looked out the window, a few cherry trees bloomed, their color brilliant against the blue sky. Bill had a point. Taylor had to be guilty. He took a deep breath and brought both hands down on the arms of the chair, levering himself up. “Yeah. I guess so.” He began to leave, but turned back, adding. “I just hope we get some good information before he goes completely over the edge. He’s teetering.”

“So, we give him a little break. Question him a few times without any physical persuasion.” Bill grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Then, when he’s relaxed, bring him in again and twist the thumb screws.”

“I think you enjoy the interrogations just a bit too much. You scare me, you know that?” Jim was only half-kidding.

“Hey, these guys are getting what they deserve. Every time I see pictures of that mass of rubble in New York, I get pissed and you should too.” He shoved another stick of gum in, his usually pleasant expression darkened with anger.

“I know. I get angry too, believe me, I just want to make sure I’m getting angry at the right people. That’s all.”

“Don’t worry. You are.”

Jim nodded and left. He wished he was as confident of Taylor’s guilt. It would make his job a whole lot easier.

March Into Hell for Sample Sunday

2011-03-19T18:47:00.002-06:00

this scene is about half-way through the book, after something devestating has happened to Mark. He is recovering and talks with a psychiatrist he met earlier in the book.

March Into Hell

Mark sat in the chair and turned the television off. The last thing he wanted to see was more coverage of what had happened to him. When he had woken up this morning, the local news had been filming from right outside the hospital, and Mark had been amazed at all the people gathered out there. He hadn’t had a chance to watch any coverage before, and it hadn’t occurred to him that he was the main topic in the news.

There was so much else on his mind that the events prior to the assault seemed distant. Apparently, what had happened to him had fired up the public’s interest. He took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with already.

There was a light knock on his door and Mark looked over to see Scott Palmer standing in the threshold. Warring emotions battled in his mind. Dread that he would have to talk—yet again—about what had happened. Already, he could feel his heart speed up. A glimmer of hope tried to balance the dread. Hope that this man would be able to help him sort out all his turbulent feelings so that they would finally quiet down and he would feel like himself again. He hated the way he felt right now. It was like riding a never-ending roller coaster.

“Mark?” Scott stepped into the room and approached him. “I’m Dr. Scott Palmer. We met last week, remember?” There was an awkward moment when Scott stuck out his hand and Mark reached to shake it, then remembered the bandages around his palm. He hesitated and Scott cleared his throat and let his own hand drop to his side. “Ah, sorry about that. I guess it’s not a good idea to shake hands just yet.”
Mark nodded and tried to smooth over the moment. “Of course I remember you. How is little Thomas?” It surprised Mark that Scott didn’t have a pad of paper or anything.

Scott smiled. “Thomas is great. Keeping us busy and on our toes as usual. Every night, we say a prayer thanking God for sending you to catch him.” He sat on the edge of the bed, facing Mark and held his hands loosely clasped in front of him.
Swallowing, Mark looked away. Did God have something to do with sending him to save Thomas? He had asked himself similar questions ever since he'd realized the camera delivered photos of things that hadn't yet happened. How did it work and why did it allow him to save some people but not others? Mark felt resentment well up. Why wasn’t he able to save himself? If God had given him the camera and inspired the dreams, why would he would put Mark through all that? Was it a punishment? Had he done something wrong?

“Are you okay, Mark?”

“Yeah…sorry about that. I kind of zoned out there,” Mark mumbled, feeling his face flame. “I was just thinking about some things. I’m glad I was there too. I got lucky and was just in the right place at the right time for once.” He scratched the back of his head and tried to smile. It felt stiff and phony but he attempted to keep it pasted on even as Scott gave him a skeptical look.

“Right time, right place?” Scott stood and ambled to the window.

Mark watched him glance down towards the front of the building. The psychiatrist was quiet for a moment, but his expression was alert and Mark could see him watching the media down below. Finally, he nodded towards the crowd and not taking his eyes from them said, “You know that you’ve been big news this last week.”

Mark took that as a statement and not a question so he kept silent and wondered where Scott was going with this.

“I’ve heard dozens of stories where you’ve been in the right place at the right time.” Scott finally turned from the window and leaned a hip on the ledge. He gave Mark a grin, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “You must have impeccable timing, Mark Taylor.”

Mark had to laugh at that comment, he couldn't help it. “Yeah. I guess I do…sometimes.” He sobered at the last word.

“Sometimes?”

Mark picked at a bit of bandage adhesive on the back of his left hand and gave a half shrug. “I’m not always where I need to be at the time I need to be there. Or I am, but something changes and I…I fail at what I was there to do.” He knew what he said wouldn’t make much sense but couldn’t think how to explain it without telling about the camera.

“How did you feel when you failed?” Scott regarded him, his brown eyes reminding Mark of a serious, adult version of little Thomas’s.

A spark of anger ignited in him. He leaned forward and said, “How did I feel? How do you think I’d feel after allowing people to die? I felt like--” Biting back a curse, he sat back hard and avoided Scott’s gaze by focusing on the trees outside his window. Tiny green buds dotted the branches.

“Allowing? That’s kind of an odd choice of words.”

Mark heard a rustle of clothing then the tap of footsteps and he glanced at the psychiatrist. Scott was pulling a chair from the other side of the room towards the windows and Mark winced when one of the legs scraped the floor with a harsh sound. Scott didn’t set it directly in front of Mark; instead he angled it facing the windows.

“I hope you don’t mind if I sit?”

Motioning towards the chair, Mark nodded. “Be my guest.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Mark. Did you intend for anyone to die? Did you stand by and do nothing?”

Mark’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not. I couldn’t stand by and watch someone die and not try to help. But I should have tried harder. Maybe what happened to me was…” He scrubbed a hand down his face and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting his hand drop. “…was payback. For not doing what I was supposed to do.” He slumped in the chair. It was all becoming clear to him now. Not only had he failed at making some saves over the years, but he had let the secret of the camera out when he'd been interrogated.

“What were you were supposed to do? Why do you think it was up to you to do anything?”

Mark sighed. “Because it’s what I do.” He had turned his face so that his mouth was half- covered by his hand and the statement came out muffled. “I have to change things.”

“I don’t follow you, Mark.” Scott’s voice held a questioning note and when Mark glanced at him, he saw the doctor’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Dropping his hand, Mark straightened in the chair. What the hell...he might as well tell Scott about the camera. What more could it do to punish him? And he was just so tired of pretending. “You’re here officially, right?” Mark swallowed hard and continued, “I mean, as my psychiatrist…not just dropping in to say hello or anything...”

Scott held his gaze, steady and unwavering. “Yes, Mark, that’s correct.”

“Well, you probably already suspect that I’m crazy, so what I’m about to tell you will just confirm it.” Mark laughed, the sound sharp and bitter.

"Ruffian Renegade", a romantic suspense for SampleSunday

2011-03-19T17:53:00.002-06:00

This is from a romantic suspense WIP. I've put it on hold for now to write the third book in the Mark Taylor series.

This is from the first meeting of the hero and heroine.

"You're the best paramedic I know." He gave her one of his trademark grins and she rolled her eyes.
    Billy reached out and tousled her hair in the way he'd done since he was a kid. He knew she hated when he did that.It annoyed her because it called attention to her unruly curls that she fought to keep under control, but it was also his way of reminding her that they were siblings.
    She swatted his hand. "Knock it off. Besides, I'm the only paramedic you know."
    His grin only widened. "I'll be back in a jiff, Molls. I swear it." The screen door slammed as he left.
    Molly shook her head and went to bathroom medicine cabinet. Peroxide, bandages, and tape joined the paper towels and clean rags on the kitchen table. She'd grabbed an old bath towel as an afterthought and tossed it on the floor just in front of Sam's foot. His color didn't look so good and she wondered just how badly he was hurt. Billy had made it sound like the guy just had a few scratches.
    "I'm sorry to cause you trouble, ma'am."
    Molly tore off strips of tape, leaving them hanging on the edge of the table so they'd be easy to reach when she needed them. His deep voice had a hint of a drawl. "I'll be honest, I'm not thrilled about my brother dropping you off here. I'll do what I can, but I'm not a doctor, just a paramedic."
    "I appreciate it."
    She moved to the sink and filled a bowl with warm water and returned, setting it beside his chair. The back of his leather jacket had a gash angling from just below the shoulder blade area, ending at the right shoulder. Great. He could have a spinal injury and here she was treating him with tape and paper towels at her kitchen table. "You should go to a hospital. You know that, don't you?"
    Sam lifted his head, his eyes hard. "That's not an option."
He moved as if to stand, and she sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Sit."
He gasped, grimacing, and she snatched her hand away. "Sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."
    He nodded, his face pale against his dark hair. "It's okay."
    "Listen, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's take a look and see what we're dealing with, okay? If it's beyond my scope, I'll let you know."
    His eyes met hers. Not quite green, but not quite hazel, they wavered for a moment, and then he let out a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay."
    "First, I'm Molly-- Billy's sister."
        "Billy?" His brow knit in confusion.
    "You probably know him as Flea." She shook her head and couldn't hold back the sarcasm. "His buddies in that motorcycle," she made air quotes with her fingers, " 'club', gave him that stupid nickname."
    "Ah. Yeah. I figured it wasn't his given name."
    Molly chuckled. "No, his mother was smarter than that. Not much, but a little." She retrieved other items she'd need out of cupboards. A Dutch oven to act as a bucket when she cleaned his leg, and a pitcher she usually used for making lemonade.
    "I take it you don't share a mom?"
    "No. He's my half-brother. He said your name is Sam. You got a last name, Sam?"
    He averted his face. "I do."
    She waited, but when he wasn't forthcoming, she shrugged.     "Whatever. Let's get this over with. You need you to take off your jacket."
    He unzipped it, then had trouble getting it off. She took hold of the right cuff and he pulled his arm, as she eased it over his shoulder and slid it down his arm. She stilled at the sight of the gun. "I don't allow weapons in my home."
    She expected defiance, but Sam merely unbuckled the holster and set it on the table. "I don't much like them either. You can hang onto it if you want."
    Molly stared at the weapon, then put it on top of her refrigerator for the time being.
    "Before we go any further, do you have any more surprises in store for me?"
    Wearily, he shook his head. "No, ma'am."
    He didn't sound like a biker and she cocked her head, studying him. So, he was a polite one. If it was one thing she'd learned over the years, it was bikers came from all walks of life. She even knew a few doctors who put on the leather and tried to be tough on the weekend. Thinking of leather, she glanced at the jacket still in her hand. The lining was saturated with blood. No wonder he looked so shocky. She tossed the it in a corner. "I think that's beyond repair."
    He didn't appear too upset about the loss, and that made her wonder. Most motorcycle guys she knew would rather give up an arm than their jacket. "Before I start working, I want you to drink something. You need fluids." She raised an eyebrow at him as she moved to the refrigerator. "Non-alcoholic fluids," she clarified.
    She had milk, water, juice and a couple of diet sodas. The juice would have to do. As she reached for it, she noticed the bottle of children's electrolyte solution in the back. She'd bought it when Kelsie had been sick with a stomach bug the month before. Perfect.
    She poured some in a large glass and handed it to him, hiding a smile when he gagged on the first swallow.
    "What is this shit?" He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and glared at her.
    So much for Mr. Politeness. "It's what you get when you're dehydrated and need fluid replacement. It's not like I have an IV handy. Quit acting like a baby and drink it."
    "I'm not dehydrated. I've been drinking all afternoon."
    She thought she'd detected the faint odor of whiskey on his breath, but Billy's had been a lot stronger. "That's why you're dehydrated. That and blood loss."
    She dug in her junk drawer for an old pair of bandage scissors, ignoring his muttering about how she was trying to poison him. "I need to cut your t-shirt off, unless you're able to get it off yourself."
    He glanced at his blood-soaked shirt and shook his head. "It's not like I can ever wear this again. Go for it."
    Molly made quick work of the shirt and tried to hide her dismay at the deep gouge across his back. A bullet had definitely made the furrow.     "I can clean this up and throw some butterfly tape on it, but I still think you need to see a doctor, get some x-rays, antibiotics and stitches."
    She cleaned the wound, dabbing at the edges with the clean rags.
    He sucked a breath between his teeth as she worked, but otherwise kept silent. Working quickly, she smeared anti-biotic ointment along the wound, laid clean wet gauze over it and secured it with tightly crossed strips of tape. Over that, she laid a large dry dressing, taping that loosely over the other.
    She tore his jeans up the seam to his knee to get a better look at his leg injury. It went through the muscle of his calf, leaving an exit wound on the inside of his leg, through the thickest part of the muscle. Concerned about damaged nerves and broken bones, she removed his boot and sock, and assessed the limb. There was no deformity, and he was able to wiggle his toes when asked. After running her hands down the sides of his leg to his ankle, she noted a good pedal pulse, and was relieved. Lastly, she had him rotate his foot.
    His hands tightened on the seat of the chair.
    "Are you okay?"
    He nodded, but when she released his foot, he heaved a sigh and perspiration dotted his face.
    "Sorry. I just want to make sure you have full range of motion."
    "Yeah. I know." He cleared his throat. "I'm good."
    Blood loss was moderate compared to his back. That was a relief. Fluids would help, but they wouldn't replace a transfusion if he'd been hemorrhaging. She set the boot aside for the moment, but hoped it would be salvageable. Her closet was full of shoes, but she doubted any were his size or style. A snicker bubbled out at the image of this rough and tumble biker in a pair of her strappy sandals.
    His eyebrow arched in question, but he didn't comment.
Unable to get a good angle to work on the leg, Molly dragged another chair out and helped him rest his leg on it. She poured a pitcher clean tap water over the wound, irrigating it until the water cascading onto the Dutch oven on the floor beneath had only a faint pink tinge. The edges of the wounds were clean, not ragged, so she just added the ointment and a loose dressing. "When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?"
    "Last summer." He held up his hand, palm out, and she noted a faint white scar. "I cut myself." His quick answer satisfied her that he was telling the truth. Most people had no idea.
    "Good." Pointing to his glass of electrolyte solution, she said, "Drink up. Billy should be back soon."
    He grimaced but took another sip. When he tried to hold back another gag, she took pity on him, took the glass and dumped the solution in the sink. Moving to the fridge, she pulled out the orange juice and refilled his glass with it. It occurred to her that she hadn't offered anything for pain. All she had was ibuprofen, but it would take the edge off at least. She found the bottle on the counter where she'd left it after taking a few this afternoon and shook out three, handing them to him with the juice. "Here."
    "Thanks." His mouth quirked with the ghost of smile. He downed the pills and he must have been thirsty despite his earlier claims of not being dehydrated because he tipped the glass draining it.Afterward, he rested his head against the seat back and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he appeared to be dozing.
    Deciding sleep was the best thing for him at the moment, she didn't disturb him and set about cleaning the mess in her kitchen. She disposed of the bloody rags, dumped the Dutch oven and used the towel to mop up any splatters on the floor.
    The last thing she did was rinse the boot and tried to soak up as much water as she could. She hoped it wouldn't shrink, but if she hadn't rinsed it, it would have shrunk anyway from the wet blood.
    Holding the boot in her hand, she thought for a minute. If she put something in it to mimic a foot, it might not shrink too badly. Five minutes later, she found an unopened bag of brown sugar and smiled. Afterwrapping it in another layer of plastic wrap in case the bag broke, she crammed it in the boot, molding the sugar into the approximate shape of a foot.
    She glanced at the clock when she finished. Billy should have been back by now. Damn him. It was already two in the morning. In less than five hours, she'd have to wake Kelsie, get her off to school, and after that, run a bunch of errands.
    Exhausted, she sank onto a chair and scrubbed her hands through her hair. Sam still slept, but he'd be stiff if he stayed like that much longer. The medic in her took over, wondering if there was something more she should do. He probably should be on antibiotics, but if he refused to go to the hospital, there wasn't much she could do.
    She rested her head on her crossed her arms on the table. Where the hell was Billy? The last thing she wanted was to wait for her brother to come and retrieve his friend. She turned her head against her arm and tried to stifle a yawn. She lost the battle and when she next opened her eyes, she found Sam watching her.
    He blinked, and she envied his thick eyelashes. "I can wait for your brother on the front porch. I don't want to put you through any more trouble than I already have."
    Molly flushed. It wasn't his fault her brother never kept his word. "No, that's okay." She straightened, wincing at the kink in her back. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Billy isn't coming back. At least, not tonight."
    "Well, I'll head out on my own then. I think Tuck gave me back my keys." He patted his front pockets, then fished into the right one, pulling out a key ring. He sat forward and eased his leg off the chair, giving a small groan when his bare foot hit the floor. He glanced at the spot she had first tossed his boot, then turned to her with a questioning look.
    "Oh yeah. I had to clean it. It's going to take awhile to dry."
    "How am I going to ride my bike without a boot?" He waved a hand at his foot.
    She almost laughed at his befuddled expression. "I guess you can't. I put it out on the front steps where the sun will hit it first thing. Should dry in no time tomorrow."
    He stood and hobbled to the hallway.
    Molly followed behind him, puzzled. "Where are you going?"
    Sam turned. "Out to the porch. I'll have to put the boot on or it'll never fit me again."
    She rolled her eyes. "You can't sleep on my couch with a wet boot on your foot. I won't allow it."
    His eyebrows rose. "You'll let me sleep on your couch?" The hope in his eyes transformed his face, lending him a boyish charm.
    "What else can I do? I have to get to bed, and you're stuck here."
    He watched her for a few seconds, undefinable emotions flitting through his eyes, then he nodded and said, "Thank you." The boyishness had been replaced by weariness.
    She made up a bed on the sofa while he cleaned up in the bathroom. Who was this guy?

My Price Reduction of No Good Deed Blog post

2011-03-16T11:29:00.001-06:00

7 p.m. on 2/16

95 in U.S. Amazon
5 in UK
9 on B&N

What's all that? Those are my sales numbers for No Good Deed for the month of Feb up until the price change took effect. I've set this blog post to post exactly one month from now.

First 24 hours

62 NGD (58 us amzn, 2 uk, 2 pubit)
6 MIH (us amazon)

Total for Feb:
449 of NGD at 99 cents on Amazon
17 @ 99 cents on B&N

So a total of 456 at 99 cents in the first 11 days for an average of 42/day. That is equal to selling 7/day at $2.99 That is about the same as I was averaging in January, so I'm happy with the start.

Total for MIH:

191 on Amazon US
5 on Amazon UK
22 on B&N (slightly skewed because some friends and family bought it this month)
219 total rounded off to 8/day.

Update 3/10:
As of noon on 3/10, for the month of March, No Good Deed has sold 425 books on Amazon, (both US and UK counted), 20 on B&N and 1 on Smashwords-Where I forgot to change the price, but now I'm holding off because it takes forever for affiliates to implement the change, and I only sell a handful on any of them.

March Into Hell has continued to sell steadily. I have 75 sales on Amazon, and 5 on Barnes and Noble this month already. I have done next to no promo, just a once a week post on the Amazon Kindle FB page and an occasional Tweet. Despite that, it's selling about 8.5/day. (it's still early today, and I've sold three so far, but I hope there will be more as the day wears on.) That's more than I ever sold of No Good Deed, on average, when it was $2.99, so I'm going to have to say that my strategy of marketing No Good Deed and letting that sell March Into Hell, seems to be working so far.

What's really great is I received an email today from a reader who said: " Thanks for showing that you don’t have to pay $9.99+ to get a FANTASTIC book." That made my day. :-)

3/14@1920

578 NGD on US Amazon
35 NGD on UK Amazon
16 on B&N (all at 99 cents.)

Unfortunately, B&N sales of NGD at 99 cents were almost the same for the first two weeks of March as they were for the first two weeks of Feb when NGD was $2.99. 13 vs. 16. At only 40 cents royalty at 99 cents, it didn't make sense to keep it at the lower price. I just put it back to $2.99 at B&N. Just a note to all of you considering using Pubit. Unlike Amazon, B&N does not put Pubit books in the 'Customers who bought this" carousel. So, unless Barnes and Noble decides to feature your book in one of ther mass emails, it is super difficult to get your book noticed there.

On Amazon, No Good Deed has made it onto many carousels, and some of them in the very first three book option shown. I know that is how I get some passive sales, and I just can't get that on B&N.

106 MIH on US Amazon
4 MIH on UK Amazon
6 B&N

3/16 at 1200

633 on Amazon US
36 on Amazon UK
16 on B&N (sold 0 at $2.99 since price change 40 hours ago)

So, as of right now, at 1211, I'm averaging 42/day,( including today in the average). Since I expect to sell a few more before the end of the day, the average may end up closer to 43 or 44. Also, sales have increased later in the week every week.

MIH:
114 US Amazon
4 UK Amazon
6 B&N

Still averaging 8/day including today in the average. I may sell a few more before the day ends.

So, my final take is the sale was a success. Earnings will be at least the same, and hopefully, once the copies of No Good Deed that are now sitting in TBR piles have been read, sales of March Into Hell will steadily increase.

Marketing your Ebook

2011-03-15T08:34:00.000-06:00

vA few weeks ago, I posted about some wonderful sites that listed my book/books. I have a few more to share with you all.

Four Stars and Up Like the name says, books listed on this site must have at least a four star average with a minimum of 10 reviews. I'm proud to say that No Good Deed is listed here today.

Autumn Blues Reviews This site reviews products, but occasionally mentions ebook deals. Recently, it listed many 99 cent books. No Good Deed was listed last week, but I'm not sure how it was found by the blogger. I'm guessing just from an Amazon search of 99 cent books.

Simon Royle Simon Royle is an indie author also, but he does author interviews and occasional reviews. I know I get a lot of hits on my blog from his blog. :-)

Free Library for Kindle Lists free and bargain books for Kindle. Changes daily.

I'm thinking of collecting all my recent links and posting them on a seperate permanent page on this blog so that people may find them more easily.

Check back tomorrow. I have a post scheduled that details my sales data in the first month that I have had No Good Deed at 99 cents. Not only am I tracking the sales of that book, but how it affects the sales of March Into Hell.

It's ' "Read an E-Book Week"!

2011-03-08T08:24:00.000-06:00

I just found this out a few days ago, and it did't occur to me until just this moment that I should probably blog something about it. E-books are here, folks. A year or so ago, they were still somewhat of a novelty. The Kindle application for PC had just been added to Amazon ebook pages, making ebooks accessible for the vast majority of readers who didn't own a Kindle. By summer's end, the application was available for just about any kind of device you could thing of. iPad, iTouch, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android in addition to a PC.

Nook had just come out a few months prior, but had been backordered, so purchasers were slowly getting their Nooks. Later, they too came out with applications for devices.

By July 2010, the price of ereaders dropped. Something was up. That something was the third generation Kindle, which went on sale at the end of August, if I remember correctly. By Christmas, Kindles, Nooks, NookColor and iPads were the hot Christmas gifts.I read a statistic that in the U.K, one out of six adults received an e-reader for a gift. I haven't seen stats for the US, but I imagine it's very close. I know several who received them. Last year at this time, I knew one person with an ereader. My sister, who has a Nook. She now has a NookColor, and gave her original Nook to her daughter. Today, I can name at least ten people I know in real life who own ereaders--and I don't even know very many people.

There is still resistance to ebooks though. People like the feel of paper books. I get that, but when I have my Kindle in it's lighted cover, it feels like I'm holding a paper book. As far as the smell, well, I can't relate to that part. I guess people like the smell of the ink and chemicals on the paper, but the only time I notice a smell from paper books is when they've been sitting in a box too long getting musty. Then it makes me sneeze and I have to throw the book away.

For me, the convenience of being able to buy a book and have it instantly available is like a freaking miracle. I never get over it. I now live about 40 minutes from the nearest bookstore, so having the easy access to ebooks has been amazing.

I'll leave you with some links to places you can find inexpensive books to celebrate the week and you can also go down one blog post and find some listed there as well.

Cookie's Bookclub

The TopShelf

Books on the Knob

Pixel of Ink--my new BFF.

2011-03-04T11:04:00.001-06:00

Why do I love Pixel of Ink? Because they are awesome! Yesterday I had my best sales day ever. I was at work, super crazy busy and didn't really have much time to do any kind of marketing. I had sold maybe 6-7 copies of No Good Deed earlier in the day, and then nothing for several hours. When I finally had a minute at lunch to check my sales again, I had a mysterious surge in sales. I couldn't figure it out, but one of my friends mentioned my book being on Pixel of Ink. Mystery solved!

Pixel of Ink spotlights bargain ebooks from Amazon, but it does much more than that. I first discovered it last fall when I noticed some very nice earbuds highlighted as a great deal. I needed some new ones, and while I didn't get that pair right then, I 'liked' their Facebook page so I could see more fantastic deals.

I'm not sure why my book was picked, but I'm so glad it was. Sometimes, as an indie author, you just get lucky. Another site I'd like to thank is ireaderreview. Last week, No Good Deed was mentioned there and I had my second best day ever. (it was first until PoI knocked them out of first yesterday.)

My point of this blog post is to thank the folks at places like Pixel of Ink, Ireaderreview, The Frugal E-reader, and DailyCheapReads. These sites make it possible for indie authors to get a little exposure and without them, it would be so much harder to get our books in front of readers. I know they must put a ton of work into finding books, copying links and pictures, etc. Just getting links for this post was kind of a pain, so I know it's not a lot of fun to put it together. The sites are great for readers because they get good bargain ebooks, indie authors get some exposure, and I hope the sites get lots of traffic to make it worth their while.

Found an awesome new Ebook blog

2011-02-28T09:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was contacted by Tracy at Get More Ebooks about featuring my books on her site. I was thrilled at the opportunity! She features low and moderately priced ebooks, so if you're looking for a good read, head over and see what she has up.

Meantime, I have been really busy with my books. I'm trying a new strategy. I have new covers for both books as a way to tie them together. Imogen Rose, author of the Portal chronicles and a brand new book that looks great, Faustine, used some of her multi-talents to design the spanking brand new cover on No Good Deed, and to modify the fonts on March Into Hell so that they look coordinated. I am beyond happy at how they look!

As you can see, I ditched everything about the old cover. I have been thinking the guy in the cell looked too dumpy, and the colors, while standing out, were kind of garish. I LOVE this cover. The yellow sky looks ominuous, and the skyline is Chicago, the setting of much of the book. The colors from this cover tie into the colors of March Into Hell.

One more thing. I have reduced the price of No Good Deed to 99 cents. I did it once before in November, and had good sales, but got a little panicky when sales dropped off a bit before Christmas, and put it back to $2.99. With two books now, I'm a little less worried about the sales drop off of one, and like the fact that the more readers I get for No Good Deed, if they like it, will come back for March Into Hell.

Happy Friday!

2011-02-25T10:59:00.000-06:00

I'd say TGIF except for me, this is more like a Sunday, since it's my weekend to work and my next day off after today isn't until Tuesday, but I still like Fridays before I work. My daughter doesn't have much homework on the weekends, so that right there is a big relief. Dh is home, so more things get done around the house--except for the bathrooms. Why is it that I am always the one cleaning the toilets?
At work, it's more relaxed and I only work 8 hours on weekends, rarely 12 hours. I hate Mondays though. Everyone who held off all weekend trying to make it in to see their doc on Monday, decide to show up in the ER when they can't get appointments or they are now too sick to wait any longer. Or, they want a day off of work. ;-)

Anyway, I'm going to try to get some writing done this weekend. I have a solid start to the third book in my series going. I'm only a few thousands words in, but that outline is going to help me so much this time around. I won't go strictly by it, and use it more as a guideline. I love when I'm writing and a new idea hits as I'm writing, so I always explore those new ideas and see where they'll take the story.

Not exciting, but that's my plan for the weekend. How about you? Anything cool, new or fantastic going on this weekend?

A review of March Into Hell

2011-02-14T09:13:00.000-06:00

I found my book reviewed on BigAl's Books and Pals today.

In a few minutes, I plan on doing a little writing to see if I can get something going for the third book. I'm really not feeling the writing bug today, but I have time so I guess I should try.

Sample Sunday--March Into Hell

2011-02-13T09:40:00.001-06:00

From March Into Hell, the second book in the Mark Taylor Series.

"Who are you calling?" Jessie craned her neck to see what Mark was looking at, her eyebrows knit in confusion.
Mark glanced at Jessie and pointed at the phone numbers. "I'm calling a cab."
"What for?"
"What for? So I can go home." He punched the buttons, realized he'd made a mistake and hung up to try again.
Jessie reached over, took the phone out of his hands, and set it in the cradle. "I can give you a lift home. I figured you knew that."
"That's okay. I can just take a cab." The prospect of being peppered with questions on the ride home didn't appeal to him in the least.
"Listen, you just got released from the hospital with a concussion. You can barely see straight. I can't let you take a cab home." She gently took his arm and as though she could read his mind, she added, "Come on. I promise not to grill you."
Too tired to argue, Mark let her lead him out to her vehicle.
True to her word, Jessie remained fairly quiet on the ride home, just asking him about his injuries. "So, what's the tally?"
Mark fingered the lump topped with stitches behind his right ear. "Six in my head and four in my hand. The hand...that was just 'cause I caught it on a nail." He smoothed down a piece of tape over the bandage circling his palm. The cut wasn't that long, just wide and deep.
"Sure. It could happen to anyone." Jessie's dry tone as she pulled in front of the studio didn't pass unnoticed by Mark.
"What should I have done, Jessie? Just left her there?" He couldn't help the anger stamped onto his voice. He was so tired of the questioning, and not just tonight's drilling, but every time something happened. He ground the heel of his hand against his forehead. Why was it that when he did something good, it practically required an act of God for anyone to trust in him?
"You could have called the cops!" She threw the car into park turned sideways in her seat. In the dim light, he could see the burn of anger in her eyes, but then her expression softened. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
Mark stared out the windshield, trying to recall exactly what had happened. Everything had transpired so fast, some of it was fuzzy in his mind. "No, I don't have a...a...I...I was going to call the cops. I swear it. You know, there were at least a dozen of them, and I knew I couldn't do anything on my own. I turned around to leave and that guy...the leader was there."
The recollection of the man's cold, almost inhuman eyes, elicited an involuntary shudder. Mark turned to find Jessie watching him, a thoughtful look on her face. "What?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah. It's just that guy...he...gave me the creeps."
She nodded. "The officer's initial report has your description of what the leader looked like. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"
"Um, nothing specific. The look in his eyes was...I don't know...cold and...and lifeless." Mark shook his head in frustration, knowing that the description wasn't very helpful. "And his voice was deep...like--never mind."
Jessie cocked her head. "Deep like...like what? You were going to say something."
"It's stupid; forget it."
"If it helps us catch the guy, it's not stupid."
Mark rolled his eyes, feeling ridiculous, but he finished his thought, "He...he sounded like Darth Vader." He grimaced and ducked his head at the snort of laughter from Jessie. "See, I told you it was stupid."
"I'm sorry. It's not stupid. I'm just picturing putting out an APB on Darth Vader." She grinned, and Mark couldn't help wondering when the smiles had stopped. Why hadn't he noticed? He'd give anything to make her grin like that more often. Especially if she directed it at him.
"Yeah, I guess that is kind of funny." Before he could suppress it, Mark let out a huge yawn. "Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head to work out a kink.
She took the cue and turned to face the front of the car. "Go on. Get some rest and try not to think about it too much. The girl's okay and you're okay...for the most part, so everything came out all right." Jessie cleared her throat. "Well, take it easy, Mark. I'll probably have some more questions for you in the next few days.
"Sure. And, thanks for the ride, Jessie." His body aching, he pulled himself out of the car and trudged up to his loft.

Is there anything more daunting...

2011-02-12T12:51:00.000-06:00

than beginning a new book? I took two weeks 'off' (if you can count trying to promote a new release as taking time off) but now it's time to get back in the saddle. To that end, I did a whole outline of my third book, which will probably conclude the Mark Taylor series. (I'm not ruling out a prequel though, that begins before Mark buys the camera and goes up until the beginning of No Good Deed)

The reason I'm doing the third book before the prequel is because I think the series needs a good conclusion, but it doesn't absolutely *need* a prequel. Plus, I have the outline and a theme I want to explore. No Good Deed hits on the details of how Mark found the camera and stuff, but there's enough that I hinted at in NGD that I could flesh out in a prequel.

I suppose if I had more experience at this, I'd have planned it all out in advance, but I wasn't really thinking series when I wrote No Good Deed. I was focused on that specific story.

Do you think a prequel would be a good idea or not necessary? Do you like prequels?

I LOVE my readers!

2011-02-07T16:27:00.000-06:00

I can not say enough good things about the people who take a chance on an indie author and buy my books. I'm not the biggest seller or the most popular, and my books aren't likely to suddenly take off like the amazing Amanda Hocking's books have done, but I seem to have a small group of readers who mention my book or start threads about it on the Amazon Kindle board.

In just the last four weeks, I've been fortunate enough to have not one, not two, but three threads started by someone who had read my book. (two on Amazon, and one on Kindleboards) I didn't know the readers, had never had any kind of contact, and yet they took the time to post some nice comments about my books. I never get over the thrill!

Traditionally publlished books have PR machines, especially ones that the publisher thinks will sell big. Within days of being published, they have hundreds of reviews posted. I'm sure a trad. published author gets a thrill too, but I don't think it's quite as important to them as they have more avenues for advertising.

For an indie author, word of mouth is about all we have. We tweet, we Facebook, and we try to find places to advertise that won't cost more than any sales we might make because most of us can't afford big ads. So, when a reader mentions our books, especially in an active forum, or on a blog, it's magic.

If you're really lucky, the mention can carry your book/books right up the ranks. For about a nanosecond today, March Into Hell was in the top 100 on Amazon for psychological thrillers. I caught it with a screen capture, which was a good thing, because it didn't last long. lol.

March Into Hell: It's Live!

2011-01-30T18:34:00.000-06:00

Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it.

His life takes a dark turn when his heroism becomes the subject of a newspaper article. The media attention and a harrowing encounter while saving a young woman, puts him in the sights of the ruthless cult leader who covets the secret to Mark's power.

Uncomfortable in the public spotlight, Mark suspects he's being tested by the force behind the camera's prophetic magic. Battling his own self-doubt, he must maintain the secret or risk certain death. March Into Hell

At the moment, it is only available on Kindle. I have to do some reformatting for Nook, unless I can upload Html there. If I can, it might be live there by tomorrow. If not, it'll be awhile since my work schedule won't allow me time to work on it until Thursday.

New Indie Review blog

2011-01-27T10:48:00.001-06:00

Hey everyone. I'd like to pass along the news that a wonderful new review blog has just gone live. Books And Pals The blogger has been very active on the Kindle forum and supportive of Indie authors. He's the virtual proprietor of Al's Place in the Kindle forum on the Amazon boards. If you ever in the Kindle forum neighborhood, stop in for a friendly chat and virtual cocktail. ;-)

Books and Pals will focus on Indie books for review, but there will also be book discussion, so be sure to stop in and have a look around. :-)

I also want to give a shout out to Layton Green about his book The Summoner . I haven't had much time to read lately, but I started reading this the other night and I'm really enjoying it. I totally love the main character, Dominic Grey, and look forward to see what all this cult stuff is about.

And a final word, March Into Hell should be up on Amazon by the weekend at the latest. :-)

Kindle Nation Daily

2011-01-21T07:51:00.000-06:00

Today is my sponsorship on Kindle Nation Daily--THE blog for all things Kindle. I'm so excited! Check out the my sponsorship here:

No Good Deed on Kindle Nation Daily

Also, in the next couple of days, I'll highlight some new books by fellow indies, so keep checking in. :-)

Sequel Debut...next week?

2011-01-18T16:01:00.000-06:00

I'm think it's a distinct possibility! I've been working hard on my edits, my betas are incredible and responding very quickly. Also, I've found that I have a really good mix of betas. Some are catching where I skip a word or have two words (the the), one is great at the commas and the extra spaces. All are giving me feedback on what works and what doesn't. With the feedback, I've been able to re-work the ending to make it a LOT better. Hurray for betas!

As I focus on getting the book ready to publish, my sales have dropped because I can't be in two places at once, not even virtually. ;-) However, tomorrow is my Kindle Nation Daily sponsorship, so I hope that helps.

Even if it doesn't, I'm so stoked to get the sequel up, I'm not even worried about it.

So, March Into Hell next week.

Possible Book Cover and a Sales Tally

2011-01-14T16:30:00.000-06:00

I'll start with the sales tally. First of all, it's hard keeping track of sales in several different stores when they all report differently. Amazon is easy. They report a sale almost immediatly unless there's a temporary glitch. That hasn't happened for me, I don't think, but I've hear of others having sales reports delayed a day or so.

Barnes&Noble's Pubit is currently suffering from Christmas whiplash as they struggle to tally all the sales. The sales are in the computers, and eventually they'll show up, but as of right now, January only shows 3 for me, the last on the third. My ranking is getting better, so I'm assuming I've sold about a handful more than that, but who knows?

Smashwords itself shows instantly, and I get a purchase notification. Love that, but it doesn't happen often. I had two this week, and I think that's a record for me. The hard part is the affiliates. Sony sold three of my books the last week of December. I just found out this week when I happened to look. Most of the affiliates only report every three months, so I sometimes forget what I've counted and what I haven't.

All of these reasons are why my sales tally is just an approximate. So far this month, I know for sure I've sold 92 books, giving me a grand sales total of 1661.
I know 92 is a far cry from what I did in November and December, but I'm back to my regular price of $2.99, so I get about $2/sale, meaning I've almost made as much in royalty this month as I did in November, when my sales were about 700, but only gave me $0.35/sale.

Okay, enough business talk. I finished the rough draft of my sequel, March Into Hell, and have sent it off to about four people to beta. I have a couple more who are will get it after I make the corrections from the first four. I have to thank the patrons of Al's Place on the Kindle Forum at Amazon for their generous offers to beta for me. Also, my friend, Deb, aka Dolphin.

While they are all busy doing that, I have been playing around with a book cover for March Into Hell. I plan to change my NGD book cover too, to make them all have a similar feel.

I've been Indieviewed

2011-01-12T07:37:00.000-06:00

Hi folks. A few weeks ago, Simon Royle, author of TAG, requested an interview for his website. He's a huge supporter of Indie authors and does frequent interviews. I was very excited to get the request and filled it out ASAP.

My interview can be found here: My Indieview

While there, check out his site. He has lots of other indieviews, a list of bloggers who do book reviews, and more. It's a wonderful resource for authors trying to get the word out.

In other news, my book on Barnes&Noble is featured on their Pubit! front page with about ten others. They randomly select books to post there, and most usually have an uptick in sales. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Pubit Ebookstore

Super Duper Excited!

2011-01-06T15:35:00.000-06:00

I sent my book out to ebook reviewer,Red Adept, back in early October. She's a busy, busy lady, with a very popular review blog that Kindle users can subscribe to in order to read directly on their Kindle, or you can read the website. She's reviewed tons of books and is very well respected.

Well, today, my review was posted. I would be lying if I said I hadn't been nervous. As soon as I got to work, I checked to see if the review was up. It was and wait for it...I got 5 stars overall! I was hoping for four, would have been okay with three and thrilled to pieces with 4.5, so to see the 5 there was amazing. I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Seriously. lol.

Validation--what is it, and what is it worth?

2011-01-02T16:07:00.000-06:00

Now, we have more choices in regards to publishing, how do you decide which is right for you? We can seek traditional publishing, self-publish a hard copy book, or go the ebook route alone.

How important is validation by going the traditional route? I'd have to say for myself, that a year ago, it was what I wanted most in the world. I would have loved to have some interest in my book by agents. Things weren't working out, so I went the indie route. I'll admit, it was hard to swallow down that desire to have an agent or publisher validate my work. It made it so I wasn't even sure I wanted to tell anyone I'd uploaded it because that would be admitting defeat. When my husband would tell someone, I would get embarrassed instead of talking about the process of self-publishing or promoting my book. Sure, I promoted online, but that was because I didn't have to talk in person.

Six months later, I have to say I'm very happy with my choice. My book is selling at a steady pace. In the world of indie authors, I would probably be a mid-lister, not a bestseller by any means, but a solid mid-lister. Not bad for six months out of the gate. I'm even more comfortable talking about it with friends and family.

Sales have reached about 1550 books, and 1550 readers is a lot of validation, in my book. (no pun intended...okay, maybe it was intentional, I couldn't resist.) I've gone back to the $2.99 price, so sales have dropped, but I'm making at least the same amount of money. With all the new ereaders out there, I can only hope sales will increase.

Even though I'm happy with my choice, a few weeks ago, I sent out a couple of queries. I'm not sure why, and if an agent did show interest at this point, I'd have to think hard about going that route. I kind of like the freedom and control. I guess I sent it out because part of me is still thinking, 'Why didn't agents like it?'. Now that I've heard back from readers in the form of reviews, on discussion boards, and even in emails, I'm a bit more secure, but then I'm left even more puzzled. I'll probably never get an answer to why I had no interest from agents. I guess it doesn't matter now.

What is right for me though, might not be the right choice for someone else. Obviously, if someone sends out queries and has multiple offers from agents, they'd be silly to turn them down and go indie. If they did, they might always wonder, 'What if?'

Does an E-reader encourage reading?

2010-12-17T08:52:00.000-06:00

It's been a little over a month since I've had my Kindle. In that time, I've read about a half-dozen books. That's not a whole lot, and it used to be I'd read a few a week, but those were the days before I owned a computer. I hate to admit it, but computer use pushed reading down to number two on my list of things to do in my spare time. Of course, being on the computer meant I was literally reading constantly, but not novels. I'd read news, message boards, fanfiction, and email. It's not the same as reading a book.

I've noticed that with my Kindle, I'm much more likely to put the computer away earlier at night so I have an hour or so to read before going to sleep. Also, Sunday mornings, I love to lie in bed and read. I don't even turn the computer on until mid-morning. It's not that the Kindle is so much different than a book. Reading on it is no different than reading text on a paper page. The difference lies in the ease of getting new reading material.

I just realized that half of my problem has been lack of time to find books to read in the first place. The nearest bookstore to me was on the farside of the town next to mine, so a good 20 minutes away and through crazy traffic. Then, I'd get there, and have trouble finding a book because the current trends in books aren't meshing with what I want to read. On a good day, I'd find a book. Used to be, I'd find several, but even if I can find several, I can't afford them, so I pick one book, two if I feel like indulging.

I used to live near an awesome used bookstore, and when I'd go there, I'd find a half-dozen books easily, but the problem was the place was only open between 10-4, four days week.

So, now I have the Kindle, and I hang out on the Kindle forum on Amazon. I hear about good books that are on sale, and every day, there are at least a few freebies I snatch up. Not to mention all the Indie books that are inexpensive and often break out of the mold set by the publishers. My Kindle is full of books with a great mix of genres and fiction and non-fiction.

The Kindle itself allows me to read faster because I barely have to move to turn the page. A slight pressure from my thumb is all it takes. Plus the font is so crisp, there's no strain on my eyes when I read. These little things add up, time wise.

For those of you with an e-reader, are you finding that you are reading more than you did before? Is the reading easier?

2010-12-14T17:46:00.000-06:00

The Serpent's Kiss by Mark Terry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book gives new meaning to the phrase 'action-packed'! It lets up just enough for you to catch your breath before a new plot twist sends the story racing on again.

What I really loved is that there is still plenty of character development. Stillwater is fully developed and the other main character, Church, is also three dimensional. I really liked her son's sidestory and I can see him becoming his own series when he gets a little older.

Excellent book and I'll definitely be looking up more of Mark Terry's works.

View all my reviews

More Kindle Kisses!

2010-12-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

This time the author/blogger puckering up to deliver a big fat Kindle Kiss is Helen Smith. All week she's running the Kindle Kisses promo for Imogen Rose's Portal, featured last week in my giveaway. But wait! That's not all! In addition, from now until Dec. 17th every day she is giving away great prizes including signed paperbacks and e-books. A total of 105 prizes consisting of 31 books by 18 authors. As if that wasn't enough, every entry to win one of the above prizes, also enters you into a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!

I think Helen is really Santa Claus. That's why she has to end this on Dec. 17th--to give her time to gear up for the Christmas Eve deliveries! So, head on over to her blog, linked in her name above, and sign up.

Also, FYI, I still have three winners from my Kindle Kiss giveaway who have not contacted me. If you are on the list, and haven't received your copy, please send me your email.

Sales Tally

2010-12-11T12:40:00.000-06:00

Every time I think I'm doing pretty well with my sales, J.A. Konrath comes out with another blog post about Indie book sales. Don't get me wrong, the posts are great and encouraging, but I see all the others with such fantastic sales, and for a moment, I feel deflated. However, then I look at what I *have* done, and know that I have nothing to be ashamed about. I'm doing the best I can right now.

Here are my revised numbers. They are revised because Smashwords just received updates from some of their affiliates, from as far back as September. Not a huge change. lol.

Through October: 479 total sales

November sales after putting my book on sale for 99 cents: 716 books
December sales through 1237 on 12/11: 157 U.S. Amazon
42 U.K. Amazon
20 Pubit!
For a grand total of 1413 books so far. Not bad. Sequel is coming along nicely, and that should help sales when I get it out.

Winners of Kindle Kisses are...

2010-12-10T11:58:00.000-06:00

The lucky winners of copies of Portal are:

From blog comments:

Charity Bradford
Dawn
Anne Best
Caldonia Lass (Mel)
Therese Milstein

From Facebook Kindle page comments:

Barbara J. Helferich
Ruth Johnson
Lynn Marie Storoy
Jennifer Stanghellini
Janet Green
Amanda Cass

Please send me your email addresses. My email is in my profile here. I would like to send all Kindle Kisses out asap. :-) Congrats! Thank you to all the participants.

Come get a Kindle Kiss!

2010-12-08T09:14:00.002-06:00

I'm giving away 10 copies of Portal, the first book in the Portal Chronicle series. This book is creating a sensation on the Kindle forums, so here's your chance to see what the fuss is all about--for free!

Come Find Me Two Years Ago...

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension.

She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it's a life she's always lived in.

Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn't. She is Arizona Stevens.

As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible. .

PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley's attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona's quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed.

PORTAL is the first book of the Portal Chronicles. Fans of time travel, romance, and the supernatural will enjoy Arizona's quest for answers.

TO ENTER:
I'll be using Random.org to choose 10 winners from amongst the entries. You can enter multiple times by doing any of the following:

1. Leave a comment below.

2. Share on Facebook. That's it.

I will post a list of winners tomorrow morning, please email/message me as soon as you can with your email addresses.

Kindle Kisses anyone?

2010-12-07T09:13:00.000-06:00

Watch tomorrow for 10 Kindle Kisses. I will be giving away 10 Kindle copies of Imogen Rose's 1st book in her wildly popular Portal Series. I will post the details tomorrow, so check back!

If you don't have a Kindle, you can download one of the apps for Kindle such as the Kindle for PC, Kindle for Android, iPad, Blackberry and probably some other app that I missed. Even if you don't want to read them on that, if you think you might someday get a Kindle, the book will be there waiting in your archive. How cool is that? By the time I had my Kindle in my hands, I had acquired over 100 books--many of them FREE!

This is starting to sound like a Kindle commercial. Sorry! It's just that there is now the gifting option, which I love! Yesterday I tried it out on the Amazon Kindle forum. I had received a gift card from Amazon due to a faulty description of a computer I'd purchased. It was listed with a webcam, but apparently the computer doesn't have one, so to make it right, Amazon sent me a $20 gift card. I didn't even realize there had been a mistake, so it was great finding that in my mailbox. Since it was "found" money, I decided to gift six books to the first six people who replied to my post on the Kindle forum. I chose six books from six different Indie authors who have been supportive of me and other Indie authors, and who had books currently priced at 99 cents. I think people weren't quite trusting that there was no catch. lol. It took several hours, but I finally was able to gift them all. It was SO easy! Click on the book, choose the Give as a Gift button, click on it, sign in, paste their email addy into the box. There's also a box to personlize it with a note. It took all of 30 seconds.

So, if any of you know someone with a Kindle, you could win the book Portal, and if you supply me an email addy, it can be gifted to someone else. :-)

Happy Cyber Monday!

2010-11-29T10:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, just had to use that term because I had never heard of it before a few weeks ago. I guess today is when all the deals start on the Internet? I was one of those fools who woke up in the middle of the night to go shopping with my husband. We weren't fanatical about any one item, just wanted to see what was out there. I like shopping that day, but next year, I will wait until at least 5am. There was nothing worth waking up before three a.m.

We were able to get a few deals on items, so it was worth shopping early, but I think most of the deals were after 5a.m anyway. Oh, and I bought my husband a NookColor for Christmas. iPad is too expensive, plus he played with one and felt seasick with how fast it moved. lol. NookColor is half the price and it'll do what he wants. He's not a tech geek at all, but wants to be able to see photos in color since he's a photographer. Magazines and newspapers are more his style than books. However, I know that I'm going to play with the NookColor a bit too. :-)

Did anyone else go out early Friday? Score any deals? My best deal was later in the day on Amazon when I was able to get a lightning deal on a laptop. Saved $120 dollars on it, all from the comfort of my bed. lol.

Book sales were surprisinginly steady over the weekend. I did very little marketing, but as Walter Knight posted in a reply to my last blog post, I think I must be in a lot of 'Customers who bought' carousels now. My daily book average is holding at 24, down from 25 it was this time last week. That's fine with me as I know people are so busy right now, who has time to read?

The Ebook age

2010-11-24T17:17:00.002-06:00

'I don't care if it takes a hundred stones for the first chapter, I'm not switching to that new fangled paper!'

Excuse my poor little caveman over there. I was trying to be cute.So, I know some people love paper books, but one week after getting my Kindle, I'm not sure I'd want to go back. Sure, I'll read a paper book if I have to, but it's so nice to look through my library of books right in my hands. If I can't find something I'm in the mood to read, there's a million books just a click away!

So, speaking of a click away, next week I paid for a banner ad on Kindleboards for No Good Deed. Want to see the banner I made? Good. I was hoping you'd say, "Of course!"

I think I did better with the banner than I did my little cartoon. lol. At least, I hope so!

Just a few last things. On Sunday, I sold my 1000th book. I missed the actual moment as I was running errands, but I think I heard fireworks going off somewhere in the distance. As of today, I've sold 590 for the month, and 1065 total. I'm not getting rich by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fun.

Next month, I'll change my price back to $2.99 and I'm sure sales will plummet. It'll be toppling off a cliff kind of plummet. Yeah. Won't be so much fun, but I hope the new book, which is a little closer to being completed, will add a little zip to the month of December.

I GOT MY KINDLE!

2010-11-18T05:29:00.001-06:00

Yes, I'm shouting the title. :-) I have been waiting months for my birthday. Who would have thought that in my mid-forties, I would be anxiously awaiting the next birthday with the anticipation of a five-year old? My husband and kids surprised me with it a week early and I'm so happy right now. I can finally see my own book as it's supposed to be read. I got the 3g/Wi-fi Graphite model. Just the one I wanted.

My ongoing sales data

2010-11-17T14:33:00.001-06:00

I've had quite a few comments from fellow writers/bloggers who are interested in hearing about my sales. I'm happy to share and if it helps any of you decide on a path for your own works, that's great. The only reason I hesitate to post info is because I don't want to be a bore yakking on about my sales all the time. If I don't watch myself, I could very easily be that tipsy person at a party who corners you and talks all about themselves for an hour while you look over their shoulder and try to extricate yourself from the predicament.

Of course, I could be worse. I could be begging everyone to buy my book. I'm not quite there...yet.

One thing I've learned is that everyone's experience in different and we have to try not to compare our sales to someone elses. It's really hard not to, I admit. There are some writers who are experiencing phenomenol success, (Imogen Rose, I'm looking at you! ;-)) and then there's me. I'm doing possibly slightly better than average.

So, drum roll please, my total sold for this month only, at the sale price of 0.99 cents is: 377 books.

322 of them were sold at Amazon.com
27 at Amazon UK
28 at Barnes and Noble.

My total sales are 852 books sold. I have given away about a dozen books to various review blogs or donated as prizes for other bloggers contests. My average is 22.5 books/day. For all you math freaks out there, I realize my average may be wrong. I just had a rash of sales I haven't figured into the equation. I'm fairly confident that since most of my followers are writers, that there are very few math geeks reading this. lol.

I could not have sold all these books without some awesome amazing friends. There is a wonderful mix of readers and writers who hang out at Al's Place, a thread on the Amazon Kindle forum. The thread changes exact titles every few weeks as it maxes out the 10,000 post limit. Yes, we are a chatty bunch. We are now on our 7th thread, so it is aptly titled 7th Heaven.

Most important are the readers. They have enormous power to make or break a writer. I've been on both sides of the fence, but fortunately, there are more readers hoping to see writers succeed rather than to knock them down.

Just the other day, out of the blue, someone posted a thread in the Amazon Kindle forum titled 'Shame on you, Mary McDonald!'. I will admit to being a little nervous about opening it! It was a reader who had started my book, and got caught up in it, but had a lot to do that day and was joking around that it was my fault if she didn't get any of her errands done that day. Thanks to her, and others who then posted later in the thread, I sold 46 books that day and my book shot up the charts until it was actually number 10 on both the Kindle store and the overall Amazon store bestseller list in the Romantic Suspense category. Too bad it's not really a romantic suspense. lol. I have to see about tweaking the categories I have it in. I think it's mashing together the suspence and the romance tags I've put on it.

Sorry this is so long! I told you I'd be *that* person at the party. ;-) Oh, and before I forget, my book is posted for review today at CandysRaves.com

Great Indie Book Contest

2010-11-15T13:05:00.000-06:00

This is not my contest, but rather one by another Indie Author, David McAfee. He promotes other Indie authors and books, and this month, his contest prize is AMAZING! You could win a Kindle + $50 Amazon Gift card to load it up with! With Christmas right around the corner, wouldn't that be sweet? For details, go here:
Win a Kindle!

My 99 cent experiment is still going strong. There are days I don't sell too many, but other days where it takes off. By the end of the month, if sales stay decent, I will have doubled my reader base, so I consider it a huge success in that regard.

I'm finishing up the final chapters of my sequel and have already had a couple of people read the first 2/3 of the book to proofread, and also to get some feedback on whether the book resonates. So far, I'm getting positive feedback. :-) This time around, I'm very fortunate to have a whole bunch of people volunteer to read my manuscript before I upload it. I have three betas, a proofreader and one person who will get the final manuscript to check of any last mistakes.

The monthly tally so far

2010-11-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

This is mostly for myself so I can keep track. I'm constantly re-adding because forget whether I included various sales, so at least now, I have totals through October. Of course, I don't have all my October sales data yet. I could have one or two lurking on Sony, Apple or Diesel, but I doubt it.

June-=16

July=79

August=100

September=113

October=133

Smashwords (including Sony, Apple, Kobo, & Diesel through October)= 21

Barnes & Noble via Pubit=11

Total through October=473

November through 11/6= 138

B&N=13

Total= 624

It's like Christmas in Blogland!

2010-11-05T09:42:00.002-06:00

If you're lucky, you could do all your Christmas shopping via winning various blog contests! Here are a few I found in just a few minutes of looking. I plan to update this as the day goes on, so check back later.

Author Jessica Bell's big Giveaway Time Amazon gift cards are the prizes here, with an additional "Mystery" prize. If she reaches 500 followers, the prize denomination increases! Woo-hoo! Sign me up!

Kindle give away: Sparkling Reviews Kindle Give away. It's a snap to enter. Just follow and repost the contest. Piece of cake!

Here's another Kindle prize. I posted this one yesterday, but it was buried at the bottom of the post. I don't want anyone to miss it, so here's Zack Hamric's Blank Slate Kindle Give Away

Candyland has a Sweet giveaway as well, and entering the contest helps a person in need at the same time. Can't get much sweeter than that. Oh wait, yes it can! The grand prize is $100! Woot! Misadventures in Candyland's Sweet Contest (sorry, it has a much cooler name, but I can't replicate it without the pictures. lol)

An Experiment in Pricing

2010-11-04T06:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning all. I am hard at work on the sequel to No Good Deed, called March Into Hell, and in anticipation, I dropped my price of NGD to 99 cents temporarily. (was $2.99) I have a couple of goals I hope to accomplish by doing this. One, I want to build readership and fanbase. I have a decent fanbase so far, but of course, it's never big enough! ;-)
My other goal is I want to spur myself on to writing more often. The book is about 90% complete. I've had half of the rough draft already proofed. I have three more people who have been kind enough to offer to help beta/edit/proof the book, including one who I've asked to do a final read through after it's been proofed by the others, so I think it won't take too long.

So, I know you are dying to know how the pricing experiment is going. Haha. First of all, I got the idea from Victorine Lieske of Victorine Writes. She's been doing her experiment for over a month now and has had phenomenol success with it. I wish I could say I'm doing as well as she is, but I can't. I'm doing okay though. She had been averaging 3 books/day when she was priced at $2.99. To make the same amount of money at $0.99, she would have to sell 17 books a day. (the royalty is only 35% at that price, not the 70% it is with a $2.99 price)

Last month, I was averaging 5/day. To match my earnings, I'd need to sell 30 books/day! Yikes! Well, I bit the bullet. The price didn't go live until around 3pm on Nov. 1st. I think I sold 13 books that day. Three were at regular price. The next day, when I started posting the new price in a few places, my sales increased. A lot. I sold 48 books on Tuesday. It was crazy fun. Yesterday wasn't as good, but I sold 24 books. Today so far (still very early) I've sold three.

My ranking, which had fallen drastically in the last few days of October, went from almost 40,000 on Amazon, down to the low of around 650. I even made the top ten bestsellers in both the Kindle store and overall books in the romantic suspense category! That was way cool. I'm still hovering in the top thirty, with my overall rank in the low thousands.

For the month of November, I've already sold 87 books, I think. To put it in perspective, in the whole month of October--my best month by far--I sold 146 books. I'm already more than halfway there!

Thank you if you've made it through all of this. As a reward, I'll give you an inside tip. If you want to try and win a free Wi-fi Kindle, go to Zach Hamric's blog, and see how to enter: http://zackhamric.blogspot.com/

The odds are good as there are less than a hundred people entered so far. :-)

Sorry, I haven't been around much

2010-10-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'm working really hard on the sequel to NGD. I hope to have it finished in a few weeks, then sent off to a couple of betas and a proofreader. I would love to have it out by Thanksgiving.

It will be titled March Into Hell, and a little hint--I've posted an excerpt on this blog before. Some of you may recall it as it was intense, and a bit gruesome. I'm kind of afraid to even publish it, but I'll give it a go and hope people aren't too repulsed.

As you can see over on the left, I have changed my cover. As much as I liked my other one, I had some people tell me they didn't like it. They thought my guy in the crosshairs looked fat even! lol. What I love about the new one is the filmstrip. That is so perfect for my story. Also, I can simply change the photo within the filmstrip and the title for the second book.

Oh, and I uploaded to Pubit! It was an easy process for me, which is weird because I had some issues with Amazon, where others had it the opposite. So far sales are slow, but that's to be expected. Like Amazon, they have real time sales numbers, which I find addicting. lol.

That's it for now. I don't know when I'll be back, but hopefully when I am, I'll have my second book finished.

Four months as an Indie author

2010-10-07T19:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been four months already! I started out with my book in Smashwords about a day or so before it went live on Amazon. Via Smashwords, it was distributed to iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Diesel ebookstore, Kobo and Sony E-reader store. When you think about it, that kind of distribution is pretty darn good for someone without a traditional publisher and would have been unheard of just a few years ago.

How has the ride been? Well, so far, I'm actually LOVING it. Is marketing hard? In a way. It's challenging, that's for sure, but it's been fun too. I've met a lot of really wonderful people and readers have been fantastic. For instance, today someone left me a really nice review, and not only that, they found a thread I'd started on the Amazon Kindle board, and posted in it saying how much they loved the book. I know that thread was buried pages and pages back, so the fact that she took the time to search for it really touched me.

At least a few times a week, I find a way to get some notice for my book. The other day, it was listed on DailyCheapReads. Once a week, I update my Kindleboard post on the book. On Fridays, I post a short blurb on the Amazon Facebook page. In between, I chat on the Amazon boards.

Totals are blacked out just because I feel funny posting them. If you want to see, you can just highlight it. I'm happy with them, but they aren't anything close to traditionally published books, I imagine.

This month, I'm easily off to my best start ever. In one week, I've sold over 50 books. Now, for the grand total (and this is combined sales at all places since the book went on sale) 375 books.