K.J. Waters's Blog, page 10
May 10, 2015
#Publishing: 6 Hot Trends in Indie Publishing
#Publishing: 6 Hot Trends in Indie Publishing
This is a reblog of my guest post from Jeri Walker's Word Bank blog Posted on Sep 29, 2014. To see the original post and the 55 comments, click here.
Tips for publishing your book as an independent author
How do you promote your book in this complicated indie author world? Join me for the latest research on indie author trends while I also provide up-to-the-minute indie book marketing advice. As any good marketer knows, you must build your strategy based on what is going on in the industry. The e-book market has exploded in the last few years and the latest research shows some fascinating trends.
Indie Author TrendsAs of July 2014, the Author Earnings Report shows that if the current trend continues for this year in that self-published authors will have 31% of the e-book market on Amazon. This the first time in history that indie authors lead in market share passing the big five publishers, AND the small and medium publishers. The consensus is that indie publishing is here to stay. You can see from all the scrambling of traditional publishers that they can see the writing on the wall and it says “nanny nanny boo boo” to their world domination. To see the full report click here. Other gems that excite me greatly are the following statistics from Publisher’s Weekly article titled Surprising Self-Publishing Statistics.The top five publishers have only 16% of the bestselling e-books on Amazon.A whopping 40% of the e-book earnings are going to indie authors.Indie authors are way ahead of the traditionally published books in sci-fi/fantasy, mystery/thriller, and romance genres.A majority of the bestsellers on Amazon are over 100,000 words.Series are much better sellers than stand-alone books.Non-fiction is selling at a higher price than fiction.6 Hot Trends in Indie Book MarketingThe key factors that affect a book’s sales and reader satisfaction are the quality of the story, pricing, distribution, social media marketing, branding, cover design, and breadth of distribution. Obviously if the book is not written well it won’t sell and none of the other factors are going to help.
#1: Price SmarterThe new “pricing sweet spot” for e-books is between $2.99 and $3.99. If you have been at the .99 cent price point you should consider raising it to be on trend and increasing your revenue. I am selling my ebook at $2.99. Why? I’m a new author and I see this as an advantage to sell at the lower of the sweet spot pricing points to increase my volume. Do not… I repeat DO NOT overprice your book. I have seen a few authors selling their e-books at $9.99 and above, and for a first time author you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Your goal as a newbie is to get a following. When you overprice your book you’re turning away readers who will potentially review your work, talk about it, and be a future reader. They are more likely to pass if they’ve never heard of you and your book is priced too high, no matter how good the rest of your marketing efforts are.
Selling Sweet Spot for ebooks is $2.99 to $3.99
#2: Pre-Sell On Amazon
Amazon KDP recently added a feature that was previously only available to the big fancy publishers. You can now offer pre-sales of your book, up to 90 days before the release date. This affects your rankings before the book is even released! The book is purchased and delivered directly to the customer’s Kindle on the day of release. It has been compared to the previous success of the free book offer of recent self-publishing wisdom. The free book is not as successful of a strategy as it used to be, however, as the market is saturated with free e-books. But times are changing, get on the bandwagon of presales and allow your book to reach new heights. I put my book on presale prior to it's release! I would love to hear from you if you’ve used this new feature and how it worked out for you.
#3: Boost Your Social Media
This is probably the most important marketing tool for indie authors. First of all it is free, the only thing it costs is your time, and loads of it, (OK Facebook advertising is not free, but I’m talking about free stuff). If you compare it to the traditional marketing avenues it is the most successful of your choices in terms of your return on investment, if you do it right. Choose one or two social media sites and do them well. Add new followers every day to grow your following and use tools like Crowdfire App to clear out the dead weight. You can build on this but don’t spread yourself too thin. I covered this in more detail in my previous guest post on Jeri’s site 4 Invaluable Tip for Indie Authors reblogged on my blog a few weeks ago.
#4: Cultivate Your Brand
One important thing to keep in mind with all of your marketing is your brand. What is a brand? How do you develop one? Here is a quote from Susan Gunielus on branding:
Still confused? I’ll use myself as an example. My brand can be summarized as follows: Author, humorous, water lover, with an intelligent and friendly demeanor. The brand covers my novel that a time travel thriller set during a hurricane. My social media posts reflect the brand. Just today on Facebook I posted an article on Time Travel based on Stephen Hawking’s research, a few funny posts, and my favorite watery pics from Instagram. My blog provides writing samples about my water adventures infused with humor, and I try to have people get the tactile sensations of being in the water with me. It’s how I write my novel as well, you will feel what my characters feel. My overall brand is consistent across my media outlets. Where ever my potential readers find me they will see the same message consistently.
How Does This Translate to Book Sales?
Your brand is what people feel when they think of you. You are selling your personality. If they like your brand, or can relate to it on some important key level in their world, and you make a connection when you post your book links they’re likely to support your efforts. When they see your tweet on their feed your goal is to evoke certain feelings of kindred spirit or joyousness, (or whatever your brand strategy is) and they will RT, share, and support your cause, if you’ve done your job correctly, because you’ve created an emotional connection with them.
If you’ve only pushed your book at them without building the relationship they’re more likely to ignore your posts, and even worse, have bad feelings when they see you online. That is a failed brand. Whatever you do don’t tarnish your brand by being petty or arguing on-line. You may enjoy stirring the pot but be sure it is worth the ill-will you’re creating with that person, and the numbers of others who see the interaction who don’t comment. Your brilliance may have won the argument, but in the end if you’ve lost potential customers and that is a shallow (and counterproductive) victory.
#5: Grab Them With Your Cover
You are competing with every author out there, including those with massive budgets. The first thing any reader sees of your book is the cover. High quality covers that hit your target market are a crucial element to your sales. If your cover sucks, all of your other marketing efforts will be hampered because people do judge a book by its cover. Your book cover must: capture the reader’s attention, evoke emotions, hint at the story without being cluttered, be visually pleasing, and be simple. For more on these points, click here.
Your Book Cover Must Be Electrifying -- Or at Least Grab Reader's Attention
#6: Distribute the Hell Out of it!
You can’t just put your book on your website and think you’re done. You need a strategy for distribution as well. Amazon Kindle is the most popular avenue but by all means it is not the only one. What other channels have you used for your success? Barnes and Noble and other e-book outlets are important as well. Will you print your book and sell it at book fairs and local book stores? I recommend as many different avenues as you can get into. I would love to hear about what other outlets you’ve used with success.
I've recently branched out from Amazon KDP select, where I was exclusive for ninety days. As soon as that time was up I put my book on smashwords and D2D that distribute to all of the big players in the ebook market including Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Inktera, Kobo and Scribid.
I hope you have found a few kernels of wisdom here. Thank you to Jeri for providing me with the opportunity to guest post again, it has been an honor and a privilege to join this great group of bloggers, writers and followers. I look forward to connecting with you on my social media sites.
What indie book marketing trends have you tried or been impressed by?
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon
Createspace
Ebook: AmazonBarnes and NobleiTunesInktera and Page Foundry KoboScrbid
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
This is a reblog of my guest post from Jeri Walker's Word Bank blog Posted on Sep 29, 2014. To see the original post and the 55 comments, click here.
Tips for publishing your book as an independent authorHow do you promote your book in this complicated indie author world? Join me for the latest research on indie author trends while I also provide up-to-the-minute indie book marketing advice. As any good marketer knows, you must build your strategy based on what is going on in the industry. The e-book market has exploded in the last few years and the latest research shows some fascinating trends.
Indie Author TrendsAs of July 2014, the Author Earnings Report shows that if the current trend continues for this year in that self-published authors will have 31% of the e-book market on Amazon. This the first time in history that indie authors lead in market share passing the big five publishers, AND the small and medium publishers. The consensus is that indie publishing is here to stay. You can see from all the scrambling of traditional publishers that they can see the writing on the wall and it says “nanny nanny boo boo” to their world domination. To see the full report click here. Other gems that excite me greatly are the following statistics from Publisher’s Weekly article titled Surprising Self-Publishing Statistics.The top five publishers have only 16% of the bestselling e-books on Amazon.A whopping 40% of the e-book earnings are going to indie authors.Indie authors are way ahead of the traditionally published books in sci-fi/fantasy, mystery/thriller, and romance genres.A majority of the bestsellers on Amazon are over 100,000 words.Series are much better sellers than stand-alone books.Non-fiction is selling at a higher price than fiction.6 Hot Trends in Indie Book MarketingThe key factors that affect a book’s sales and reader satisfaction are the quality of the story, pricing, distribution, social media marketing, branding, cover design, and breadth of distribution. Obviously if the book is not written well it won’t sell and none of the other factors are going to help.
#1: Price SmarterThe new “pricing sweet spot” for e-books is between $2.99 and $3.99. If you have been at the .99 cent price point you should consider raising it to be on trend and increasing your revenue. I am selling my ebook at $2.99. Why? I’m a new author and I see this as an advantage to sell at the lower of the sweet spot pricing points to increase my volume. Do not… I repeat DO NOT overprice your book. I have seen a few authors selling their e-books at $9.99 and above, and for a first time author you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Your goal as a newbie is to get a following. When you overprice your book you’re turning away readers who will potentially review your work, talk about it, and be a future reader. They are more likely to pass if they’ve never heard of you and your book is priced too high, no matter how good the rest of your marketing efforts are.
Selling Sweet Spot for ebooks is $2.99 to $3.99#2: Pre-Sell On Amazon
Amazon KDP recently added a feature that was previously only available to the big fancy publishers. You can now offer pre-sales of your book, up to 90 days before the release date. This affects your rankings before the book is even released! The book is purchased and delivered directly to the customer’s Kindle on the day of release. It has been compared to the previous success of the free book offer of recent self-publishing wisdom. The free book is not as successful of a strategy as it used to be, however, as the market is saturated with free e-books. But times are changing, get on the bandwagon of presales and allow your book to reach new heights. I put my book on presale prior to it's release! I would love to hear from you if you’ve used this new feature and how it worked out for you.
#3: Boost Your Social Media
This is probably the most important marketing tool for indie authors. First of all it is free, the only thing it costs is your time, and loads of it, (OK Facebook advertising is not free, but I’m talking about free stuff). If you compare it to the traditional marketing avenues it is the most successful of your choices in terms of your return on investment, if you do it right. Choose one or two social media sites and do them well. Add new followers every day to grow your following and use tools like Crowdfire App to clear out the dead weight. You can build on this but don’t spread yourself too thin. I covered this in more detail in my previous guest post on Jeri’s site 4 Invaluable Tip for Indie Authors reblogged on my blog a few weeks ago.
#4: Cultivate Your Brand
One important thing to keep in mind with all of your marketing is your brand. What is a brand? How do you develop one? Here is a quote from Susan Gunielus on branding:
Rather than asking, “What is a brand?” a better question might be, “Who is a brand?” Every brand has a persona. Think of your brand as a person. What is that person like? What can you expect when you interact with that person? From appearance to personality and everything in between, your brand persona is one that consumers will evaluate and judge before they do business with you.Susan is referring to traditional brands like Land O Lakes butter or Sony Corporation. But in your case, you are your brand. And to be very clear, your novel is not the brand. After all your novel isn’t making friends on Twitter, you are. Most likely our book is just one of many you will write, so you need to broaden your branding strategy to include the bigger picture–you as the author and your future books and other projects. On Facebook your interactions are your brand. Are you informative? Are you snarky? Do you make people laugh? Do you challenge them? Do you educate them?
Still confused? I’ll use myself as an example. My brand can be summarized as follows: Author, humorous, water lover, with an intelligent and friendly demeanor. The brand covers my novel that a time travel thriller set during a hurricane. My social media posts reflect the brand. Just today on Facebook I posted an article on Time Travel based on Stephen Hawking’s research, a few funny posts, and my favorite watery pics from Instagram. My blog provides writing samples about my water adventures infused with humor, and I try to have people get the tactile sensations of being in the water with me. It’s how I write my novel as well, you will feel what my characters feel. My overall brand is consistent across my media outlets. Where ever my potential readers find me they will see the same message consistently.
How Does This Translate to Book Sales?
Your brand is what people feel when they think of you. You are selling your personality. If they like your brand, or can relate to it on some important key level in their world, and you make a connection when you post your book links they’re likely to support your efforts. When they see your tweet on their feed your goal is to evoke certain feelings of kindred spirit or joyousness, (or whatever your brand strategy is) and they will RT, share, and support your cause, if you’ve done your job correctly, because you’ve created an emotional connection with them.
If you’ve only pushed your book at them without building the relationship they’re more likely to ignore your posts, and even worse, have bad feelings when they see you online. That is a failed brand. Whatever you do don’t tarnish your brand by being petty or arguing on-line. You may enjoy stirring the pot but be sure it is worth the ill-will you’re creating with that person, and the numbers of others who see the interaction who don’t comment. Your brilliance may have won the argument, but in the end if you’ve lost potential customers and that is a shallow (and counterproductive) victory.
#5: Grab Them With Your Cover
You are competing with every author out there, including those with massive budgets. The first thing any reader sees of your book is the cover. High quality covers that hit your target market are a crucial element to your sales. If your cover sucks, all of your other marketing efforts will be hampered because people do judge a book by its cover. Your book cover must: capture the reader’s attention, evoke emotions, hint at the story without being cluttered, be visually pleasing, and be simple. For more on these points, click here.
Your Book Cover Must Be Electrifying -- Or at Least Grab Reader's Attention#6: Distribute the Hell Out of it!
You can’t just put your book on your website and think you’re done. You need a strategy for distribution as well. Amazon Kindle is the most popular avenue but by all means it is not the only one. What other channels have you used for your success? Barnes and Noble and other e-book outlets are important as well. Will you print your book and sell it at book fairs and local book stores? I recommend as many different avenues as you can get into. I would love to hear about what other outlets you’ve used with success.
I've recently branched out from Amazon KDP select, where I was exclusive for ninety days. As soon as that time was up I put my book on smashwords and D2D that distribute to all of the big players in the ebook market including Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Inktera, Kobo and Scribid.
I hope you have found a few kernels of wisdom here. Thank you to Jeri for providing me with the opportunity to guest post again, it has been an honor and a privilege to join this great group of bloggers, writers and followers. I look forward to connecting with you on my social media sites.
What indie book marketing trends have you tried or been impressed by?
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon
Createspace
Ebook: AmazonBarnes and NobleiTunesInktera and Page Foundry KoboScrbid
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
May 3, 2015
Thomas Nichols, Police Chief -- Author Spotlight
Blondies Books From Friends' -- Author Spotlight Chief Thomas J. NicholsI'm quite excited to bring you my latest Author Spotlight on Chief Thomas J. Nichols. Thomas is a retired Police Chief and witnessed a lot of crazy things and add that to a fantastic imagination he has created some exciting stories. One of those stories I will share with you today. Please read the summary and excerpt below on Voices in the Fog.
Giveaway!Thomas is giving away one signed copy of Voices in the Fog. To enter to win please send a one sentence summary of the excerpt to copstpd@yahoo.com.. Type BFF in the subject line.
All entrants must live in the United States. Submissions will be accepted through 12:01 May 9, 2015 (central time).
Chief Thomas J Nichols
Voices in the Fog
Christie Cole was ready to begin her career as a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A new graduate of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, she eagerly awaited her first assignment.
Click here for the Amazon page
She was to accept an undercover role in a branch of the FBI she never knew existed – a secret arm of the Bureau that reached into the inner core of governments worldwide. To conceal her true identity and to protect her life and her assignment, she would take on the persona of a newly created woman, Ann Marie Beaudet. Christie Cole would cease to exist on the face of the earth.
Her investigation into the private and professional life of a Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court would take her to the depths of international intrigue, and place her in harm’s way from enemies of the United States. She would soon be at the center of an international conflict of disastrous proportions reaching the countdown to nuclear war.
Here is a sneak peak on Voices in the Fog:With blinding speed, the chopper zoomed directly toward the guardhouse and loosed its rockets and machine guns into the building. The light of the explosions blinded the remote controlled camera. Moments later, the fire died down. Rucinski and Williams saw the charred remains of the building and the pickup truck that was parked in front of it. Less than three hours ago, two guards relieved the others who went back to the house for the night. Now, they were dead. Just like the four at Mi Tios, and the other four in Laredo. The attack group hit the two houses at the precise moment the rockets hit the gatehouse. The assault team came in from three sides. They lobbed flash-bang grenades and high tech hydro-stink bombs through the windows – all of the windows except the one to Gonzales’ bedroom.The flash-bangs were vivid and deafening, the explosive sound of dynamite. They caused anyone near where they landed to be stunned for a few moments, or possibly deafened for life. The hydro-stink grenades, one of the newest additions to their arsenal, were ultra-putrid stink weapons; so powerfully strong that even the bravest of men would have only two reactions, puke and get away! Between them, the grenades that were thrown through the windows disabled the guards. With any luck at all, the judge might be scared out of his wits, but he would be safe.The masked assault team entered the houses with programmed exactitude. They walked methodically through the buildings, room-to-room, closet to closet, their automatic weapons spitting .223 bullets at the rate of seven hundred rounds per minute. It was over in a matter of seconds. Three men and the woman were dead or dying. Only the Honorable Ricardo Huerta Gonzales remained alive – they hoped.
Other Books by Thomas J. NicholsColor of the PrismThomas has realized every author's dream with his novel, Color of the Prism, that has been optioned to Tarantino Productions for a full-length motion picture. Stay tuned, when that is out I'll share more information about that. Here is the movie version of the cover. A blending of fact and fiction into a journey of intrigue, love, betrayal, greed and tragedy in this police thriller set on the Arizona-Mexico border.
Click here for the Amazon link
Sweet Emily
Follow Detective Mike Palotti of the Dallas Police Department as he searches for a serial killer, striking at-will and mimicking the work of infamous serial murders from recent decades throughout the country.
Find it on Amazon here.
The Third DawnThe Third Dawn takes readers on a biblical journey in the company of Jesus of Nazareth. Told through the eyes of the Savior's lifelong companion and guardian angel, Nur, the novel begins shortly after the birth of the Messiah and follows the life of Jesus until His death and glorious Resurrection.
Find the Third Dawn here on Amazon
Connect with Thomas J. Nichols
You can also purchase his books on his website.
Website: www.thomasjnichols.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tom.nichols.39501
IMDB: Amazon: www.amazon.com/Thomas-J.-Nichols/e/B00D681OM
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1860781-Thomas_J_Nichols
Connect with KJ Waters
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon
Createspace
Ebook: AmazonBarnes and NobleiTunesInktera and Page Foundry KoboScrbid
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
Giveaway!Thomas is giving away one signed copy of Voices in the Fog. To enter to win please send a one sentence summary of the excerpt to copstpd@yahoo.com.. Type BFF in the subject line.
All entrants must live in the United States. Submissions will be accepted through 12:01 May 9, 2015 (central time).
Chief Thomas J NicholsVoices in the Fog
Christie Cole was ready to begin her career as a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A new graduate of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, she eagerly awaited her first assignment.
Click here for the Amazon pageShe was to accept an undercover role in a branch of the FBI she never knew existed – a secret arm of the Bureau that reached into the inner core of governments worldwide. To conceal her true identity and to protect her life and her assignment, she would take on the persona of a newly created woman, Ann Marie Beaudet. Christie Cole would cease to exist on the face of the earth.
Her investigation into the private and professional life of a Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court would take her to the depths of international intrigue, and place her in harm’s way from enemies of the United States. She would soon be at the center of an international conflict of disastrous proportions reaching the countdown to nuclear war.
Here is a sneak peak on Voices in the Fog:With blinding speed, the chopper zoomed directly toward the guardhouse and loosed its rockets and machine guns into the building. The light of the explosions blinded the remote controlled camera. Moments later, the fire died down. Rucinski and Williams saw the charred remains of the building and the pickup truck that was parked in front of it. Less than three hours ago, two guards relieved the others who went back to the house for the night. Now, they were dead. Just like the four at Mi Tios, and the other four in Laredo. The attack group hit the two houses at the precise moment the rockets hit the gatehouse. The assault team came in from three sides. They lobbed flash-bang grenades and high tech hydro-stink bombs through the windows – all of the windows except the one to Gonzales’ bedroom.The flash-bangs were vivid and deafening, the explosive sound of dynamite. They caused anyone near where they landed to be stunned for a few moments, or possibly deafened for life. The hydro-stink grenades, one of the newest additions to their arsenal, were ultra-putrid stink weapons; so powerfully strong that even the bravest of men would have only two reactions, puke and get away! Between them, the grenades that were thrown through the windows disabled the guards. With any luck at all, the judge might be scared out of his wits, but he would be safe.The masked assault team entered the houses with programmed exactitude. They walked methodically through the buildings, room-to-room, closet to closet, their automatic weapons spitting .223 bullets at the rate of seven hundred rounds per minute. It was over in a matter of seconds. Three men and the woman were dead or dying. Only the Honorable Ricardo Huerta Gonzales remained alive – they hoped.
Other Books by Thomas J. NicholsColor of the PrismThomas has realized every author's dream with his novel, Color of the Prism, that has been optioned to Tarantino Productions for a full-length motion picture. Stay tuned, when that is out I'll share more information about that. Here is the movie version of the cover. A blending of fact and fiction into a journey of intrigue, love, betrayal, greed and tragedy in this police thriller set on the Arizona-Mexico border.
Click here for the Amazon linkSweet Emily
Follow Detective Mike Palotti of the Dallas Police Department as he searches for a serial killer, striking at-will and mimicking the work of infamous serial murders from recent decades throughout the country.
Find it on Amazon here.The Third DawnThe Third Dawn takes readers on a biblical journey in the company of Jesus of Nazareth. Told through the eyes of the Savior's lifelong companion and guardian angel, Nur, the novel begins shortly after the birth of the Messiah and follows the life of Jesus until His death and glorious Resurrection.
Find the Third Dawn here on Amazon Connect with Thomas J. Nichols
You can also purchase his books on his website.
Website: www.thomasjnichols.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tom.nichols.39501
IMDB: Amazon: www.amazon.com/Thomas-J.-Nichols/e/B00D681OM
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1860781-Thomas_J_Nichols
Connect with KJ Waters
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon
Createspace
Ebook: AmazonBarnes and NobleiTunesInktera and Page Foundry KoboScrbid
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
April 27, 2015
4 Invaluable Tips for #Indie Authors
4 Invaluable Tips for Indie Authors
This is a re post from a guest blog I did on Word Bank Writing and Editing, Jeri Walker's Blog last September. To see the article on her site click here. There are loads of great comments that came along with the post.
I began my indie author career as a creative outlet after I quit my job to raise my family. In 2005 the only legitimate option an author had to get their book in a reader’s hands was to spend two years chasing a publisher and hoping against hope that someone would pick up your book. Rather daunting prospect after writing the book, right? I ignored that fact and kept plugging away at my novel, Stealing Time, until 2012 when I discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing as an indie (independent) author. Thank goodness times have changed. I have learned many lessons as an indie author. Here are some of my top tips:
1. Build Your Social Media Presence Well in Advance of Your Book Release
When I started on Twitter my lofty ambitions were to connect with celebrities in some odd pipe dream that out of the thousands of tweets they received in day, mine would magically glow and they’d respond to me. My life would be transformed. Now I couldn’t give a rat’s patootey about celebrity tweets.
Obviously, I hadn’t considered social media as a tool for selling my novel, in fact, I hadn’t even heard of an indie author at that point. Now three years later I have built a decent social media platform with over 18,000 followers across four platforms (2 Twitter accounts, 3 Facebooks, Pinterest, and Instagram) and will continue to grow it.
Why is this so important? Let me tell you what happens when you don’t. I have an author friend who spent a year writing his book. When he finished he published on Amazon and began promoting to his 100 followers on twitter. The first week he sold 20 copies and that was that. He had a few people re-tweet, but he’d tapped out his potential readership in a week. If he’d taken that year to grow his following by adding 20 people a day he’d have 7300 followers as a potential customer base. When growing your presence find other authors and promote their work by sharing their links and striking up conversations. They will be invaluable when you want to get your work into as many hands as possible because, if you have chosen well, you will have a large number of readers and other authors who will promote your work in their circles.
How do you know which platforms to use? You need to pick a few and do them well. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and spread too thin. For me the most interactive have been Facebook and Twitter. But don’t just push your agenda! Social media is exactly that–social. You have to invest some time talking to people about their interests and lives. There are writers out there who just tweet their books and never connect with people. This is not the venue for your typical marketing push. Your social media empire is built on your personality and charm, so use it and create a following that will find your posts worthy of more than a sales pitch to be ignored. Interact and have some fun.
I would love to know what social media platforms you use and what have you found the most helpful to market your work.
2. Continually Perfect Your Writing
I look back at what I wrote 8 years ago and have to laugh at the clumsiness of it all. To make it as a writer you have to work at improving in all areas of your writing. I am always reading helpful blogs, like Jeri’s, and other articles on writing, social media, and marketing, and strive to learn as much as I can to improve my skills as a writer and promoter of my work.
Every writer has a bag of tricks they use to create the magic of their craft. I’d love to know what you have used in your writing. Along my journey I found two books extremely helpful. One of the first things I did when I decided to write my novel was find a book to help me organize the storyline. I used The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall throughout the story development and writing stages. It also has a workbook you can buy separately that helps you finish each section with a bang, adding to the tension and pace of the novel.
The other book that has been a huge help to me in the editing stage is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King. Written by professional editors it teaches you how to fix the most common mistakes made by new authors including, exposition, point of view, interior monologue and dialog.
3. Pay For An Editor
If you want to be taken seriously as a writer you must have your work edited by a professional. Unless you’re amazing, magical AND a good editor you can’t possibly see all the issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, keep track of your characters, their dialog, and their story lines. There are just too many things to sort through. A fresh set of eyes on your manuscript will make a world of difference, and I don’t mean your fabulous auntie who was an English major.
The very first indie author book I picked up was a time travel story I found at a bookstore “meet the author” event. I was so excited to meet a local self-published novel in my genre until I read the darned thing. The story caught my attention but Jeeze-Louise she should have edited it, if not only for her sake but to preserve the broader reputation of the indie author. It made me pause and think about what I was getting into. Did I want to be associated with the likes of this indie author and her badly written drivel?
Indie authors have come a long way since then, but don’t be that putz that makes it hard for the rest of us by putting out low-quality work with simple typos and storyline problems. Any editor worth their salt can clean up your work and help you sell a lot more books. I have two author friends who have pulled their first novels off the Amazon shelves to re-edit their books. You simply can’t undo the damage to your reputation as an author by putting out sloppy work. Just like making a great book cover, why not put forth your very best professional work and keep that high standard as you move through your writing career? It is so much easier to start right than it is to try to fix it after a poor product is already out there. Yes, it is not cheap, but as an author don’t you owe it to yourself to put out your very best work and build a positive relationship with your readers and fans?
4. Create a Professional Looking Cover
You’ve finished that amazing novel, poured your heart and soul into it, and now you’re ready to release it! Don’t make the mistake of a lot of indie authors and create what looks like a homemade cover. You are competing with the rest of the publishing industry and the first thing a reader will know about your book will be what you’ve given them on the cover. If it is lame an unprofessional how do you expect someone to buy your book when they have James Patterson a few clicks away? Your book cover should capture the reader’s attention, evoke emotion, hint at the story without being cluttered, be visually pleasing, and be simple. I address these five book cover tips in my last guest blog that you can read here.
You can get a professional cover made for a few hundred dollars. There is no better return on your investment to get your book noticed and into the hands of your readers. Think of it as an investment for your social media sites as well because it is the perfect background photo to help promote your work. If you're not sure where to start, please check out my cover business, Blondie's Custom Book Covers on facebook and at www.blondiesbooks.com.
I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Jeri, thank you so much for allowing me to guest blog on your site again. I’m still in awe of your massive following of intelligent and talented writers. Great job on your social media strategy, too, because blogging is another important tool to reach readers and conspiring writers.
What additional pointers can you share regarding tips for indie authors and bloggers alike? I’m eager to learn from you!
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429544342&sr=1-2&keywords=stealing+time
Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Ebook: Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6SBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408ckobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
This is a re post from a guest blog I did on Word Bank Writing and Editing, Jeri Walker's Blog last September. To see the article on her site click here. There are loads of great comments that came along with the post.
I began my indie author career as a creative outlet after I quit my job to raise my family. In 2005 the only legitimate option an author had to get their book in a reader’s hands was to spend two years chasing a publisher and hoping against hope that someone would pick up your book. Rather daunting prospect after writing the book, right? I ignored that fact and kept plugging away at my novel, Stealing Time, until 2012 when I discovered the wonderful world of self-publishing as an indie (independent) author. Thank goodness times have changed. I have learned many lessons as an indie author. Here are some of my top tips:
1. Build Your Social Media Presence Well in Advance of Your Book Release
When I started on Twitter my lofty ambitions were to connect with celebrities in some odd pipe dream that out of the thousands of tweets they received in day, mine would magically glow and they’d respond to me. My life would be transformed. Now I couldn’t give a rat’s patootey about celebrity tweets.
Obviously, I hadn’t considered social media as a tool for selling my novel, in fact, I hadn’t even heard of an indie author at that point. Now three years later I have built a decent social media platform with over 18,000 followers across four platforms (2 Twitter accounts, 3 Facebooks, Pinterest, and Instagram) and will continue to grow it.
Why is this so important? Let me tell you what happens when you don’t. I have an author friend who spent a year writing his book. When he finished he published on Amazon and began promoting to his 100 followers on twitter. The first week he sold 20 copies and that was that. He had a few people re-tweet, but he’d tapped out his potential readership in a week. If he’d taken that year to grow his following by adding 20 people a day he’d have 7300 followers as a potential customer base. When growing your presence find other authors and promote their work by sharing their links and striking up conversations. They will be invaluable when you want to get your work into as many hands as possible because, if you have chosen well, you will have a large number of readers and other authors who will promote your work in their circles.
How do you know which platforms to use? You need to pick a few and do them well. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and spread too thin. For me the most interactive have been Facebook and Twitter. But don’t just push your agenda! Social media is exactly that–social. You have to invest some time talking to people about their interests and lives. There are writers out there who just tweet their books and never connect with people. This is not the venue for your typical marketing push. Your social media empire is built on your personality and charm, so use it and create a following that will find your posts worthy of more than a sales pitch to be ignored. Interact and have some fun.
I would love to know what social media platforms you use and what have you found the most helpful to market your work.
2. Continually Perfect Your Writing
I look back at what I wrote 8 years ago and have to laugh at the clumsiness of it all. To make it as a writer you have to work at improving in all areas of your writing. I am always reading helpful blogs, like Jeri’s, and other articles on writing, social media, and marketing, and strive to learn as much as I can to improve my skills as a writer and promoter of my work.
Every writer has a bag of tricks they use to create the magic of their craft. I’d love to know what you have used in your writing. Along my journey I found two books extremely helpful. One of the first things I did when I decided to write my novel was find a book to help me organize the storyline. I used The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall throughout the story development and writing stages. It also has a workbook you can buy separately that helps you finish each section with a bang, adding to the tension and pace of the novel.
The other book that has been a huge help to me in the editing stage is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King. Written by professional editors it teaches you how to fix the most common mistakes made by new authors including, exposition, point of view, interior monologue and dialog.
3. Pay For An Editor
If you want to be taken seriously as a writer you must have your work edited by a professional. Unless you’re amazing, magical AND a good editor you can’t possibly see all the issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, keep track of your characters, their dialog, and their story lines. There are just too many things to sort through. A fresh set of eyes on your manuscript will make a world of difference, and I don’t mean your fabulous auntie who was an English major.
The very first indie author book I picked up was a time travel story I found at a bookstore “meet the author” event. I was so excited to meet a local self-published novel in my genre until I read the darned thing. The story caught my attention but Jeeze-Louise she should have edited it, if not only for her sake but to preserve the broader reputation of the indie author. It made me pause and think about what I was getting into. Did I want to be associated with the likes of this indie author and her badly written drivel?
Indie authors have come a long way since then, but don’t be that putz that makes it hard for the rest of us by putting out low-quality work with simple typos and storyline problems. Any editor worth their salt can clean up your work and help you sell a lot more books. I have two author friends who have pulled their first novels off the Amazon shelves to re-edit their books. You simply can’t undo the damage to your reputation as an author by putting out sloppy work. Just like making a great book cover, why not put forth your very best professional work and keep that high standard as you move through your writing career? It is so much easier to start right than it is to try to fix it after a poor product is already out there. Yes, it is not cheap, but as an author don’t you owe it to yourself to put out your very best work and build a positive relationship with your readers and fans?
4. Create a Professional Looking Cover
You’ve finished that amazing novel, poured your heart and soul into it, and now you’re ready to release it! Don’t make the mistake of a lot of indie authors and create what looks like a homemade cover. You are competing with the rest of the publishing industry and the first thing a reader will know about your book will be what you’ve given them on the cover. If it is lame an unprofessional how do you expect someone to buy your book when they have James Patterson a few clicks away? Your book cover should capture the reader’s attention, evoke emotion, hint at the story without being cluttered, be visually pleasing, and be simple. I address these five book cover tips in my last guest blog that you can read here.
You can get a professional cover made for a few hundred dollars. There is no better return on your investment to get your book noticed and into the hands of your readers. Think of it as an investment for your social media sites as well because it is the perfect background photo to help promote your work. If you're not sure where to start, please check out my cover business, Blondie's Custom Book Covers on facebook and at www.blondiesbooks.com.
I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Jeri, thank you so much for allowing me to guest blog on your site again. I’m still in awe of your massive following of intelligent and talented writers. Great job on your social media strategy, too, because blogging is another important tool to reach readers and conspiring writers.
What additional pointers can you share regarding tips for indie authors and bloggers alike? I’m eager to learn from you!
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429544342&sr=1-2&keywords=stealing+time
Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Ebook: Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6SBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408ckobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
April 19, 2015
S J Hermann Author Spotlight on Blondiie's Books From Friends
Author Spotlight on S.J. Hermann
This week in my author spotlight I bring you all the way from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, S.J. Hermann, a very creative paranormal, science fiction, horror and urban fantasy author. I met SJ on twitter and I'm impressed with his social media machine and have been grateful for his support.
SJ Hermann, Author of Paranormal, Scifi, Horror, and Urban Fantasy
SJ is two-thirds the way through his YA trilogy, Morium, and is working on the third one now. The underlying theme of this series is bullying. I'm very excited to bring them to you today. SJ also has a short story available for free here, called Eventus, on smashwords.
He is also an award-winning artist. Check him out on Fine Arts America here.
S.J. Hermann and the MORIUM Trilogy are Anti-Bullying Advocates. Here is the scoop on the first two books in the Morium Trilogy. I love the covers and I’m excited to read them when I get a chance.
S.J. has very kindly offered a free copy of Morium until May 22. Just follow this link here to Smashwords and use the code BB36E.
Morium is the story of Alexandria and Nathan... and Stacy.
Three teenagers who were bullied all throughout high school.
They kept their torment a secret from their family and tried
their best to cope in their own way. They only had each
other.
But hope was in sight.. they will be graduating soon. The
vision of a new life away from the bullies and the
constant humiliation gave them something to look forward
to. If only that day comes sooner.
One day, they saw an object fall from the sky and went to investigate. As they touched the rock, a strange power entered their bodies. Suddenly, they're not helpless anymore.
They can get revenge for all the suffering and pain they had to endure all these years.. How will they use these powers?
Morium is Latin for conduct, character, morals. This book discusses the moral dilemma of doing what's right and getting revenge. When your dignity has been shattered and your life has been a living hell... what is RIGHT?
Book Two of the Morium Trilogy, Dark Horizons
When the light of hope fades, all that's left are...DARK HORIZONS In Book 2 of the MORIUM Trilogy, Alexandria and Nathan’s struggle with their supernatural powers continue.DARK HORIZONS will immerse the reader into the intricate psyches of the bullied characters we rooted for in MORIUM. Morals aside, can we really blame Nathan for his anger and his need for revenge? Through indifference, did we not have a hand in creating the monster he has become?Here are SJ's Links:Blog: http://sjhermannauthor.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00NX8B6RM
Official Website: http://sjhermannauthor.blogspot.com/
Official Book Page: http://booklaunch.io/s.j.hermann/morium
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Hermann/250758318466659
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9784255.S_J_Hermann
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/108491467788173986814/posts
Twitter: @Writing_Novel
On Amazon: Buy Morium
Connect with KJ WatersI wanted to share the latest Review on Amazon of my novel Stealing Time.
Breathtaking Read ! Byjaye marieon April 8, 2015Format: Paperback
The first book in this trilogy opens with an idiot thinking he could
outwit Hurricane Charley. Breathless opening sequence as the storm
seeks him out, followed by an accurate and disturbing description of
what happens to somebody caught in a hurricane.
This storm affects the people in this story very differently. Ronnie, the
female lead, is somehow transported back to the eighteenth century.
She feels the same but looks very different, and in this strange antiquated
world, she has an angry and violent brother.
There turns out to be a very good reason for her transportation, and it
has a lot to do with a bracelet she wears. I loved the way the author makes
us jump through time and back again, as we keep track of the storyline.
Going back in time is usually portrayed as an exciting occurrence, but not
in this book. Ronnie has never been treated so brutally before, and the
bloodletting scenes are brilliantly written. It’s not just Ronnie who has
been misplaced, parts of history are not right either.
This book has it all. Mysterious circumstances, violent characters, historical
facts, and more than a touch of the supernatural. Our heroine is subjected to
an arranged marriage, a witch hunt and a little romance along the way. Her
life is threatened more than once, and her struggle to live will leave you breathless.
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429544342&sr=1-2&keywords=stealing+time
Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Ebook: Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6SBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408ckobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
This week in my author spotlight I bring you all the way from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, S.J. Hermann, a very creative paranormal, science fiction, horror and urban fantasy author. I met SJ on twitter and I'm impressed with his social media machine and have been grateful for his support.
SJ Hermann, Author of Paranormal, Scifi, Horror, and Urban Fantasy
SJ is two-thirds the way through his YA trilogy, Morium, and is working on the third one now. The underlying theme of this series is bullying. I'm very excited to bring them to you today. SJ also has a short story available for free here, called Eventus, on smashwords.
He is also an award-winning artist. Check him out on Fine Arts America here.
S.J. Hermann and the MORIUM Trilogy are Anti-Bullying Advocates. Here is the scoop on the first two books in the Morium Trilogy. I love the covers and I’m excited to read them when I get a chance.
S.J. has very kindly offered a free copy of Morium until May 22. Just follow this link here to Smashwords and use the code BB36E.
Morium is the story of Alexandria and Nathan... and Stacy.
Three teenagers who were bullied all throughout high school.
They kept their torment a secret from their family and tried
their best to cope in their own way. They only had each
other.
But hope was in sight.. they will be graduating soon. The
vision of a new life away from the bullies and the
constant humiliation gave them something to look forward
to. If only that day comes sooner.
One day, they saw an object fall from the sky and went to investigate. As they touched the rock, a strange power entered their bodies. Suddenly, they're not helpless anymore.
They can get revenge for all the suffering and pain they had to endure all these years.. How will they use these powers?
Morium is Latin for conduct, character, morals. This book discusses the moral dilemma of doing what's right and getting revenge. When your dignity has been shattered and your life has been a living hell... what is RIGHT?
Book Two of the Morium Trilogy, Dark Horizons
When the light of hope fades, all that's left are...DARK HORIZONS In Book 2 of the MORIUM Trilogy, Alexandria and Nathan’s struggle with their supernatural powers continue.DARK HORIZONS will immerse the reader into the intricate psyches of the bullied characters we rooted for in MORIUM. Morals aside, can we really blame Nathan for his anger and his need for revenge? Through indifference, did we not have a hand in creating the monster he has become?Here are SJ's Links:Blog: http://sjhermannauthor.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00NX8B6RM
Official Website: http://sjhermannauthor.blogspot.com/
Official Book Page: http://booklaunch.io/s.j.hermann/morium
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SJ-Hermann/250758318466659
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9784255.S_J_Hermann
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/108491467788173986814/posts
Twitter: @Writing_Novel
On Amazon: Buy Morium
Connect with KJ WatersI wanted to share the latest Review on Amazon of my novel Stealing Time.
Breathtaking Read ! Byjaye marieon April 8, 2015Format: Paperback
The first book in this trilogy opens with an idiot thinking he could
outwit Hurricane Charley. Breathless opening sequence as the storm
seeks him out, followed by an accurate and disturbing description of
what happens to somebody caught in a hurricane.
This storm affects the people in this story very differently. Ronnie, the
female lead, is somehow transported back to the eighteenth century.
She feels the same but looks very different, and in this strange antiquated
world, she has an angry and violent brother.
There turns out to be a very good reason for her transportation, and it
has a lot to do with a bracelet she wears. I loved the way the author makes
us jump through time and back again, as we keep track of the storyline.
Going back in time is usually portrayed as an exciting occurrence, but not
in this book. Ronnie has never been treated so brutally before, and the
bloodletting scenes are brilliantly written. It’s not just Ronnie who has
been misplaced, parts of history are not right either.
This book has it all. Mysterious circumstances, violent characters, historical
facts, and more than a touch of the supernatural. Our heroine is subjected to
an arranged marriage, a witch hunt and a little romance along the way. Her
life is threatened more than once, and her struggle to live will leave you breathless.
Here are the book links for my novel STEALING TIMEPaperback:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429544342&sr=1-2&keywords=stealing+time
Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Ebook: Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6SBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408ckobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/ Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
April 14, 2015
Shaunna Rodriguez -- Author Spotlight Blondie's Books From Friends
This week’s spotlight is on author pal Shaunna Rodriguez. Shaunna recently found me on facebook and it has been so much fun getting to know her. I’m massively impressed with her work ethic and I’m sure she is hiding a few clones behind the scenes to be that productive.
Shuanna Rodriguez and her husband Eric
Seriously, who writes their first book at age six? Shaunna. Who writes her first novel and ten and then is a published author at twenty-five? Shaunna! Who is a best-selling author at 30? Yeah, you guessed it. And the kicker … she has 11 books published and almost a 100 waiting to be published. Say what? My head is nearly exploding at the thought. I've spent nine years writing my ONE book!
Giveaways
To help launch her latest book, Perfectly Flawed, Shaunna has kindly offered to do an exciting giveaway.
She is offering 2 signed paperbacks of Perfectly Flawed, and 2 ebooks -- 1 Dark Water and 1 Keep Her Safe. AND bundled with one of the signed paperbacks, a $10 Amazon card for the best answer on my blog or my facebook post and the swag bag, pen and journal.
There are 2 ways to enter:
1. Share and comment on this blog. Tell me the biggest way you are perfectly flawed. Extra credit if you make me laugh.
2. Or comment on my facebook post of this blog (here) with the biggest way you are Perfectly Flawed and tag 3 or more people.
More about Shaunna
Just to prove how amazing Shaunna is here are a few of the books she is working on now (See what I mean? Clones, it’s gotta be…or maybe elves?):
One Night Only (Romantic Comedy)
Wings (Christian Comedy)
ICE (Romantic Drama
On Thin Ice (Romantic Drama)
Mine (Thriller)
Shaunna also has eleven books already out including:
Vampires
She is slowly releasing her 25 book vampire series. The first book, "Forbidden" and “Forbidden Escape” is available now on amazon. http://ow.ly/3xJBII
Crime Mystery
Keep Her Safe (Book 1 in the Detective Pain Series) on amazon as well. http://ow.ly/3xJBJo Shaunna’s Links:
You can find Shaunna on twitter @unveiledbooks and @Read_N_Pajamas
Stop by and like her page on facebook! https://t.co/c4LPueGpEF
Or just pop in and visit her website @ www.unveiledbooks.com You can call or text 408-607-1147 for any paperback orders to her anytime and she'll even autograph it for you!
Perfectly Flawed Sample
So let’s give you a taste of your potential prize. Here is a teaser:
You know that feeling of sheer euphoria you get from being organized? Yeah, me neither. But I can imagine it'd be as amazing as the feeling one gets that has been blessed with looks, personality, and money. This is a combo I have not been privy to in all my twenty-seven years. In fact, If you were going to order me off the menu in a fast food restaurant you'd see a lot of additional upgrade charges on your receipt. Oh dear, as you'll soon discover I'm a bit overzealous and a tiny bit disorganized as you see here. I've already gotten ahead of myself in my natural disorganized fashion and have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Grace Galloway. Clearly my mother had high hopes for me when she named me. Unfortunately, my name does not do me justice at all as I lack grace among other things. I'm what you'd call "Perfectly Flawed."
Some things you should know about me. I've managed to get by on my looks alone as the good Lord had mercy on me when he gave me an amazing body to make up for my lack of common sense, judgment and equilibrium. By this I have Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde sense of style, body type, features and cluelessness meets Assassins Julianne Moore's auburn hair, cat-like, curious, green eyes, tenacity and zeal for trouble.
First of all, I cannot walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. Forget me trying to do that while talking on the phone and trying to find my car in a large parking lot, and don't even think about asking me to unlock it at this point because I likely still haven't found it and by this time have lost the keys I just had in my hand.
I tend to lose my phone even though I'm right in the middle of a conversation on it and simultaneously I will have lost my car keys even though I'm holding them in my hands right then. It's not uncommon for me to tell whoever I'm talking to that I have to go because I've lost my phone. I tend to end it on an upbeat note reassuring them that I'll call them right back as soon as I find it only to discover when I'm preparing to hang up it's been pressed against my ear the whole time.
Secondly, I have an atrocious record with relationships both for friendships and dating as this goes without saying that it's connected to my lack of common sense and bad judgement. On more than one occasion my mother has accused me of having a magnet attached to me that attracts psychos, deadbeats and con artists and don't even get me started on the men I've dated. I'm drawn to danger and stupidity. I clearly love liars, thieves, men who forget they are married and those who lose their wallets like I lose my cell phone; because somehow I always end up paying in the end in more ways than one.
A year ago I met Cameron Spencer, a tall, dark and handsome liar whose day job was working as a hedge fund manager as well as a stock broker on Wall Street who I'd later discover enjoyed repelling down walls and studying art which ironically enough, worked well together for him considering he was actually a notorious Cat Burglar and Art Thief that was wanted in Italy, France & Spain and now the US. Of course, the FBI could have informed me of this before he convinced me to invest ten thousand dollars of my own money which I got from selling my car for this get rich scheme. Not only did he convince me to invest ten thousand dollars of my money but fifteen thousand of my mother's. Nonetheless, he stole both our money and now I'm on a payment plan with her, likely for the rest of my life and will never see another Christmas gift ever. ...............................................................
If you've ever seen the movie You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks; you may begin to feel a similar connection in what I’m about to tell you, or at least I did.
With everything I've been through, especially where men are concerned, it was definitely a first for me when one particular man in question told me himself that he wasn't who he was pretending to be. This as opposed to me hearing it from the FBI, an angry wife or other bomb shell, bubble breaker and all around dream smasher.
Six months ago I started dating again because clearly I hadn't learned my lesson from the disastrous, whimsical, one week affair that ended abruptly, with the notorious cat burglar and art thief, Cameron Spencer.
My new beau and next mistake was different. He was nothing like my lying, tall, dark and handsome day trader and hedge fund manager with his tailored Christian Lacroix suits, Ralph Lauren underwear and Prada shoes. No, no Quinton Tolliver, AKA Conan, was John Travotla's Swordfish meets Sylvester Stallone's Rambo. He doesn't even own a suit. Instead, he owns The Hog, which if you haven't already guessed is a Biker Bar.
He's also the leader or captain rather of the Dibble biker gang. I’m toying with the notion that whilst he was at the clothing print shop which I’d assume is the closest he’s ever come to tailored suits, he must have been on the phone at the exact moment the monogramer asked "What’s the name you want on these snazzy vests?" That, by the way, are decorated with so many patches it’d make a girl scout jealous. And that's when I think Conan must have said dabble. As in let’s dabble in some money laundering and drug running say about six tonight. Is that good for you? But instead the monogramer heard Dibble and proceeded to create 50 Dibble Gang vests to which Conan clearly reasoned was somehow more memorable and macho then Renegades or Viper Venom, but I’m just guessing.
Oh and I didn’t tell you the best part. As a happy coincidence, his biker gang "family" frequents the bar so we're ALWAYS together and as a one month anniversary present, Conan and the entire Dibble Gang, gave me my very own vest. Of course, it's nothing like the one of a kind, soft, blue leather Marc Jacobs bag Cameron gave me a week after we were together. After the FBI got involved Marc wanted his bag back. I tried to be understanding that it was a one of a kind and prototype which Cameron had stolen at an event he had attended in Paris, a month before we met, but it still hurt to let go of something so beautiful and rare.
But now I have my very own leather gang vest. After all leather is leather right whether it's Marc Jacobs blue or Skippy's Jiffy Print black? I think I'll watch Gilmore Girls later and Bedazzle it. Maybe some rhinestones are just what this thing needs and perhaps the dry cleaners just to tamp the combination of beer, cigarettes, ode of biker man and gun powder. I think I noticed a glob of chili on the nape of it which really concerns me above all the other things I mentioned that are in it or on it.
Three months ago I was puttering around the one bedroom loft that Conan and I share located conveniently right above his bar, where I also moonlight as a waitress. Don't judge me okay.
After I lost all my money to Cameron who has since fled the country, I had no choice. Plus my mom has me on a payment plan and she's hell bent on me paying her "every last cent back." It's probably a good thing because me and the Dibble boys would be coming for him if he hadn't already left town. With them on their Roaring Harleys they spend every waking second they aren't falling over drunk polishing, and me on my cute pink moped. I have a helmet that matches too!
So here I was agonizing over whether to send my mom a hundred dollars or buy these amazing boots with a zipper on the side, when I got an email alert. Normally I'd have ignored it but curiosity and intrigue got the better of me. So I opened it having no idea when I did, that I would be opening Pandora’s Box. Immediately I was caught in a whirlwind, spontaneous, purely platonic relationship with a man named Ryan Lewis. He seemed normal enough and that's when everything began to change. After that I'd soon come face to face with Ryan Lewis and learn that he wasn't who he said he was after all.
Shuanna Rodriguez and her husband EricSeriously, who writes their first book at age six? Shaunna. Who writes her first novel and ten and then is a published author at twenty-five? Shaunna! Who is a best-selling author at 30? Yeah, you guessed it. And the kicker … she has 11 books published and almost a 100 waiting to be published. Say what? My head is nearly exploding at the thought. I've spent nine years writing my ONE book!
Giveaways
To help launch her latest book, Perfectly Flawed, Shaunna has kindly offered to do an exciting giveaway.
She is offering 2 signed paperbacks of Perfectly Flawed, and 2 ebooks -- 1 Dark Water and 1 Keep Her Safe. AND bundled with one of the signed paperbacks, a $10 Amazon card for the best answer on my blog or my facebook post and the swag bag, pen and journal.
There are 2 ways to enter:
1. Share and comment on this blog. Tell me the biggest way you are perfectly flawed. Extra credit if you make me laugh.
2. Or comment on my facebook post of this blog (here) with the biggest way you are Perfectly Flawed and tag 3 or more people.
More about Shaunna
Just to prove how amazing Shaunna is here are a few of the books she is working on now (See what I mean? Clones, it’s gotta be…or maybe elves?):
One Night Only (Romantic Comedy).jpg)
Wings (Christian Comedy)
ICE (Romantic Drama
On Thin Ice (Romantic Drama)
Mine (Thriller)
Shaunna also has eleven books already out including:
Vampires
She is slowly releasing her 25 book vampire series. The first book, "Forbidden" and “Forbidden Escape” is available now on amazon. http://ow.ly/3xJBII
Crime Mystery
Keep Her Safe (Book 1 in the Detective Pain Series) on amazon as well. http://ow.ly/3xJBJo Shaunna’s Links:
You can find Shaunna on twitter @unveiledbooks and @Read_N_Pajamas
Stop by and like her page on facebook! https://t.co/c4LPueGpEF
Or just pop in and visit her website @ www.unveiledbooks.com You can call or text 408-607-1147 for any paperback orders to her anytime and she'll even autograph it for you!
Perfectly Flawed Sample
So let’s give you a taste of your potential prize. Here is a teaser:
You know that feeling of sheer euphoria you get from being organized? Yeah, me neither. But I can imagine it'd be as amazing as the feeling one gets that has been blessed with looks, personality, and money. This is a combo I have not been privy to in all my twenty-seven years. In fact, If you were going to order me off the menu in a fast food restaurant you'd see a lot of additional upgrade charges on your receipt. Oh dear, as you'll soon discover I'm a bit overzealous and a tiny bit disorganized as you see here. I've already gotten ahead of myself in my natural disorganized fashion and have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Grace Galloway. Clearly my mother had high hopes for me when she named me. Unfortunately, my name does not do me justice at all as I lack grace among other things. I'm what you'd call "Perfectly Flawed."
Some things you should know about me. I've managed to get by on my looks alone as the good Lord had mercy on me when he gave me an amazing body to make up for my lack of common sense, judgment and equilibrium. By this I have Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde sense of style, body type, features and cluelessness meets Assassins Julianne Moore's auburn hair, cat-like, curious, green eyes, tenacity and zeal for trouble.
First of all, I cannot walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. Forget me trying to do that while talking on the phone and trying to find my car in a large parking lot, and don't even think about asking me to unlock it at this point because I likely still haven't found it and by this time have lost the keys I just had in my hand.
I tend to lose my phone even though I'm right in the middle of a conversation on it and simultaneously I will have lost my car keys even though I'm holding them in my hands right then. It's not uncommon for me to tell whoever I'm talking to that I have to go because I've lost my phone. I tend to end it on an upbeat note reassuring them that I'll call them right back as soon as I find it only to discover when I'm preparing to hang up it's been pressed against my ear the whole time.
Secondly, I have an atrocious record with relationships both for friendships and dating as this goes without saying that it's connected to my lack of common sense and bad judgement. On more than one occasion my mother has accused me of having a magnet attached to me that attracts psychos, deadbeats and con artists and don't even get me started on the men I've dated. I'm drawn to danger and stupidity. I clearly love liars, thieves, men who forget they are married and those who lose their wallets like I lose my cell phone; because somehow I always end up paying in the end in more ways than one.
A year ago I met Cameron Spencer, a tall, dark and handsome liar whose day job was working as a hedge fund manager as well as a stock broker on Wall Street who I'd later discover enjoyed repelling down walls and studying art which ironically enough, worked well together for him considering he was actually a notorious Cat Burglar and Art Thief that was wanted in Italy, France & Spain and now the US. Of course, the FBI could have informed me of this before he convinced me to invest ten thousand dollars of my own money which I got from selling my car for this get rich scheme. Not only did he convince me to invest ten thousand dollars of my money but fifteen thousand of my mother's. Nonetheless, he stole both our money and now I'm on a payment plan with her, likely for the rest of my life and will never see another Christmas gift ever. ...............................................................
If you've ever seen the movie You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks; you may begin to feel a similar connection in what I’m about to tell you, or at least I did.
With everything I've been through, especially where men are concerned, it was definitely a first for me when one particular man in question told me himself that he wasn't who he was pretending to be. This as opposed to me hearing it from the FBI, an angry wife or other bomb shell, bubble breaker and all around dream smasher.
Six months ago I started dating again because clearly I hadn't learned my lesson from the disastrous, whimsical, one week affair that ended abruptly, with the notorious cat burglar and art thief, Cameron Spencer.
My new beau and next mistake was different. He was nothing like my lying, tall, dark and handsome day trader and hedge fund manager with his tailored Christian Lacroix suits, Ralph Lauren underwear and Prada shoes. No, no Quinton Tolliver, AKA Conan, was John Travotla's Swordfish meets Sylvester Stallone's Rambo. He doesn't even own a suit. Instead, he owns The Hog, which if you haven't already guessed is a Biker Bar.
He's also the leader or captain rather of the Dibble biker gang. I’m toying with the notion that whilst he was at the clothing print shop which I’d assume is the closest he’s ever come to tailored suits, he must have been on the phone at the exact moment the monogramer asked "What’s the name you want on these snazzy vests?" That, by the way, are decorated with so many patches it’d make a girl scout jealous. And that's when I think Conan must have said dabble. As in let’s dabble in some money laundering and drug running say about six tonight. Is that good for you? But instead the monogramer heard Dibble and proceeded to create 50 Dibble Gang vests to which Conan clearly reasoned was somehow more memorable and macho then Renegades or Viper Venom, but I’m just guessing.
Oh and I didn’t tell you the best part. As a happy coincidence, his biker gang "family" frequents the bar so we're ALWAYS together and as a one month anniversary present, Conan and the entire Dibble Gang, gave me my very own vest. Of course, it's nothing like the one of a kind, soft, blue leather Marc Jacobs bag Cameron gave me a week after we were together. After the FBI got involved Marc wanted his bag back. I tried to be understanding that it was a one of a kind and prototype which Cameron had stolen at an event he had attended in Paris, a month before we met, but it still hurt to let go of something so beautiful and rare.
But now I have my very own leather gang vest. After all leather is leather right whether it's Marc Jacobs blue or Skippy's Jiffy Print black? I think I'll watch Gilmore Girls later and Bedazzle it. Maybe some rhinestones are just what this thing needs and perhaps the dry cleaners just to tamp the combination of beer, cigarettes, ode of biker man and gun powder. I think I noticed a glob of chili on the nape of it which really concerns me above all the other things I mentioned that are in it or on it.
Three months ago I was puttering around the one bedroom loft that Conan and I share located conveniently right above his bar, where I also moonlight as a waitress. Don't judge me okay.
After I lost all my money to Cameron who has since fled the country, I had no choice. Plus my mom has me on a payment plan and she's hell bent on me paying her "every last cent back." It's probably a good thing because me and the Dibble boys would be coming for him if he hadn't already left town. With them on their Roaring Harleys they spend every waking second they aren't falling over drunk polishing, and me on my cute pink moped. I have a helmet that matches too!
So here I was agonizing over whether to send my mom a hundred dollars or buy these amazing boots with a zipper on the side, when I got an email alert. Normally I'd have ignored it but curiosity and intrigue got the better of me. So I opened it having no idea when I did, that I would be opening Pandora’s Box. Immediately I was caught in a whirlwind, spontaneous, purely platonic relationship with a man named Ryan Lewis. He seemed normal enough and that's when everything began to change. After that I'd soon come face to face with Ryan Lewis and learn that he wasn't who he said he was after all.
March 30, 2015
Stealing Time in the Main Stream Free Books From Friends
Comment to win FREE BOOKS -- Stealing Time in the Main StreamThis is not an April Fool's joke. I have a bunch of free books to give away every day this week! Just leave a comment on this blog to enter to win!
My debut novel, Stealing Time, is out on all platforms now -- Paperback, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Scribid, Inktera, Smashwords and more!
It was released in December on Amazon and has all 5 star reviews on both the US and UK sites. These are natural reviews from actual readers, not persuaded or bought. It's such a thrill to have readers love it as much as I do!
Click here for the Stealing Time Prologue and First Two Chapters plus all of the 5 Star Reviews from Amazon!
Please help me get the word out on my debut novel! I'm an independent author working hard to promote my first book. Please share this post and lend a hand. At the end of this post I've included the first two chapters to get you hooked.
FREE Books!
To celebrate I am offering FREE books from many of my past Author Spotlights and a few FREE signed paperbacks of Stealing Time! To see how to win read below!
Half Off Stealing Time on ebookI have a smashwords ebook coupon for half off an ebook copy if you use the code RA85B, for an incredible value of $1.50 for hours of thrilling entertainment. Click here to take advantage of it for a limited time only. Half off Ebook Copy of Stealing Time
How to Win Free Books!Comment on this blog to enter to win a FREE autographed copy of Stealing Time and the other books featured below. One random winner per day will be chosen. Please come back each day to qualify for another free book. My author pals are offering paperback, ebooks and audiobooks, depending on what they have available. I'll ask your preference when I contact you if there is a choice.
In case you don't win but still want a signed copy of Stealing Time, leave me your contact information in a comment or on any of my social media sights below.
Here are my book links:
STEALING TIME
Paperback:Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/
Ebook:
Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6S
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005
inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408c
kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12
scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
Soon on txtr, oyster and flipkart
In Europe:
http://www.buch.de/shop/home/show/http://www.donauland.at/dl/catalog/1/ebookhttp://www.otto-media.de/om/k/ebooks?tsc1=navi_eBookshttp://www.hugendubel.de/http://www.derclub.de/k/ebooks?tsc1=navi_eBookshttp://www.bol.de/http://www.thalia.de/http://www.weltbild.de/http://www.buecher.de/
Author Spotlight FreebiesHere are the FREE books I'm offering this week on my blog and carrying over to next week as well. To win leave a comment below and way for me to contact you (social media link). I'll add new authors each day so come back and comment again for more chances to win. I'll let you pick which book you want as long as it's available.
1. Perfectly Flawed by Shaunna Rodriguez. You're going to love this comedy. Here is what one reader said, "It's non-stop laughs when confessions of a shopaholic collides with naive Grace Galloway in Perfectly Flawed." Jessica Taylor From Missouri. Look for Shaunna in next week's author spotlight here with some cool giveaways.
You can find it here on Amazon!
1. Round and Round by Terry Tyler. Terry is one of my first author friends and has been a great supporter. Her book is her 9th published and is a great novella chick lit read.
Check out the write up on Amazon
2. Savage Payback by Seumas Gallacher is an international thriller. Check out the author spotlight on Seumas here.
3. Thrill by Wendy Potocki, her author spotlight is here. Wendy writes horror and thrillers and this one will keep you on the edge of your seat.
4. Who Are the Fear Fighters by Bradford Scripps is a children's book that helps kids fight their fears. Here is his author spotlight for more on his apps and the book.
5. Any book in the Heart Search Series by
Carlie M. A. Cullen. See her author spotlight here. These are vampire romance stories that you will love!
6. Before Nightfall by Rachel Amphlett. Please check out her author spotlight here and a great story on how she came up with one of book concepts. The story is a suspense thriller that I know you will enjoy.
7. Ocean of Dust a YA thriller from Graeme Ing. Check out his author spotlight with an excellent excerpt on the story. This is a smart, exciting story that even adults will enjoy.
Graeme is also giving away a signed copy of his other sci fi novel, Necromancer, as well. Here is the cover and amazon link to see what it's about.
Check out the Amazon page here for more on this book.
8. The Rejected Writer's Book Club by Suzanne Kelman. Here is the author spotlight on her and the book. It is a heartwarming funny story of an outsider fitting in.
9. Wrong Place Wrong Time by David Perlmutter. Here is his author spotlight with an excerpt from the book, a true crime story of David's trip to Spain gone horribly wrong. He is giving away an audio book!
Come back tomorrow for a few new authors thrown into the mix!
See below for the first two chapters of Stealing Time.
Connect with KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
My debut novel, Stealing Time, is out on all platforms now -- Paperback, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Scribid, Inktera, Smashwords and more!
It was released in December on Amazon and has all 5 star reviews on both the US and UK sites. These are natural reviews from actual readers, not persuaded or bought. It's such a thrill to have readers love it as much as I do!
Click here for the Stealing Time Prologue and First Two Chapters plus all of the 5 Star Reviews from Amazon!
Please help me get the word out on my debut novel! I'm an independent author working hard to promote my first book. Please share this post and lend a hand. At the end of this post I've included the first two chapters to get you hooked.
FREE Books!
To celebrate I am offering FREE books from many of my past Author Spotlights and a few FREE signed paperbacks of Stealing Time! To see how to win read below!
Half Off Stealing Time on ebookI have a smashwords ebook coupon for half off an ebook copy if you use the code RA85B, for an incredible value of $1.50 for hours of thrilling entertainment. Click here to take advantage of it for a limited time only. Half off Ebook Copy of Stealing Time
How to Win Free Books!Comment on this blog to enter to win a FREE autographed copy of Stealing Time and the other books featured below. One random winner per day will be chosen. Please come back each day to qualify for another free book. My author pals are offering paperback, ebooks and audiobooks, depending on what they have available. I'll ask your preference when I contact you if there is a choice.
In case you don't win but still want a signed copy of Stealing Time, leave me your contact information in a comment or on any of my social media sights below.
Here are my book links:
STEALING TIME
Paperback:Createspace: http://createspace.com/5265254
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Stealing-Time-Book-K-Waters-ebook/dp/B00PJMWD6S/
Ebook:
Amazon: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00PJMWD6S
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stealing-time-kj-waters/1121455699?ean=2940151669672
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id977501005
inktera and Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/6ba521d5-da57-4598-b71b-d8d75925408c
kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/stealing-time-12
scrbid: https://www.scribd.com/book/258981760/Stealing-Time
Soon on txtr, oyster and flipkart
In Europe:
http://www.buch.de/shop/home/show/http://www.donauland.at/dl/catalog/1/ebookhttp://www.otto-media.de/om/k/ebooks?tsc1=navi_eBookshttp://www.hugendubel.de/http://www.derclub.de/k/ebooks?tsc1=navi_eBookshttp://www.bol.de/http://www.thalia.de/http://www.weltbild.de/http://www.buecher.de/
Author Spotlight FreebiesHere are the FREE books I'm offering this week on my blog and carrying over to next week as well. To win leave a comment below and way for me to contact you (social media link). I'll add new authors each day so come back and comment again for more chances to win. I'll let you pick which book you want as long as it's available.
1. Perfectly Flawed by Shaunna Rodriguez. You're going to love this comedy. Here is what one reader said, "It's non-stop laughs when confessions of a shopaholic collides with naive Grace Galloway in Perfectly Flawed." Jessica Taylor From Missouri. Look for Shaunna in next week's author spotlight here with some cool giveaways.
You can find it here on Amazon!1. Round and Round by Terry Tyler. Terry is one of my first author friends and has been a great supporter. Her book is her 9th published and is a great novella chick lit read.
Check out the write up on Amazon
2. Savage Payback by Seumas Gallacher is an international thriller. Check out the author spotlight on Seumas here.
3. Thrill by Wendy Potocki, her author spotlight is here. Wendy writes horror and thrillers and this one will keep you on the edge of your seat.
4. Who Are the Fear Fighters by Bradford Scripps is a children's book that helps kids fight their fears. Here is his author spotlight for more on his apps and the book.
5. Any book in the Heart Search Series by
Carlie M. A. Cullen. See her author spotlight here. These are vampire romance stories that you will love!
6. Before Nightfall by Rachel Amphlett. Please check out her author spotlight here and a great story on how she came up with one of book concepts. The story is a suspense thriller that I know you will enjoy.
7. Ocean of Dust a YA thriller from Graeme Ing. Check out his author spotlight with an excellent excerpt on the story. This is a smart, exciting story that even adults will enjoy.
Graeme is also giving away a signed copy of his other sci fi novel, Necromancer, as well. Here is the cover and amazon link to see what it's about.
Check out the Amazon page here for more on this book.8. The Rejected Writer's Book Club by Suzanne Kelman. Here is the author spotlight on her and the book. It is a heartwarming funny story of an outsider fitting in.
9. Wrong Place Wrong Time by David Perlmutter. Here is his author spotlight with an excerpt from the book, a true crime story of David's trip to Spain gone horribly wrong. He is giving away an audio book!
Come back tomorrow for a few new authors thrown into the mix!
See below for the first two chapters of Stealing Time.
Connect with KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
March 23, 2015
Suzanne Kelman Author Spotlight -- Blondie's Books from Friends
Blondie in theWater Books From Friends (BFF) Author Spotlight on Suzanne Kelman
Please help me welcome Suzanne Kelman, one of my social media besties and a true class act. I've worked with Suzanne on the book cover for her latest novel, The Rejected Writers' Book Club last spring and I was blown away by her creative spark, her sense of humor, and her bursting with joy personality. Her book is a spitting image of these qualities and I hope you give it a whirl.
I was also a beta reader for the novel and it is a really good read. It made me laugh, it made me cry and the character development is so good that still, after nearly a year, I find myself wondering what they're all up to. Thank goodness Suzanne is writing a whole series on these crazy characters because I could not get enough of them.
Suzanne KelmanAside from being super fun, talented and smart, Suzanne is a multi-award winning screenwriter who’s accolades include Best Comedy Feature Screenplay – LA International Film Festival (2011) Gold Award – California Film Awards (2012) and Winner - Van Gogh Award – The Amsterdam Film Festival (2012).
Did I mention she has a really cool accent? She was born in the UK and now lives in Washington State. But it's her laugh that gets me -- some would call that infectious, I call it heaven.
Her writing voice has been described as a perfect blend of Janet Evanovich and Debbie Macomber. Born in the U.K. she now resides in Washington State.
Buy your copy here
The Rejected Writers' Book ClubHere is the overview from the back cover. It really is a delightful book, I hope you take a few minutes to download the ebook or paperback. It is totally worth your time.
When small-town librarian Janet Johnson is persuaded to attend a gathering of local eccentric lady writers known as "The Rejected Writers Book Club," she gets pulled into a kaleidoscope of craziness she never knew existed.
Collecting publishers' rejection letters like trophies this quirky society cares nothing for being in print and instead meets to celebrate in style it's members' mutually spurned manuscripts.
However, when disaster strikes, the group's survival hangs in the balance, and Janet is coerced by their formidable team leader, Doris Newberry, onto a crazy cross-country dash with a band of merry writers to save the club.
As the intrepid adventurers race to complete their quest, the women's lives are irreversibly changed as they bond together through landslides, haunted houses, false labor, and first love.
Here is a little watery story she wrote that fits nicely into the Blondie in the Water blog theme and an excellent description on what it feels like to be a writer.
Jumping off a Cliff and Shouting Wheeee!
When I was in my 20's, I had an incredible experience while I was working and living in Spain. I drove out to the lakes in mountains of southern Spain and leapt from a high cliff into the clear blue waters 20 feet below.
Now you are probably thinking, so what? But for me, a confirmed acrophobic, who likes her feet planted firmly on the ground at all times, it took a couple of glasses of wine and a lot of coaxing from my dare-devil friends on that trip.
I still remember as I stepped out into absolutely nothingness, the sheer fear that raced through my entire body, only to be followed by acute feeling of exhilaration and the need to scream “wheeeee” about halfway down.
Being a writer can sometimes feel a bit like that. I think one of a writer’s greatest thrills is to have the work read aloud to them, and one of a writer’s greatest fears is to have their work read aloud to them.
I have had exactly that very experience in a darkened black box theatre on a Sunday afternoon one December in North Hollywood.
It had been just about a month before when I had received the exciting news, that my script “Illusion” had not only placed in the top three in comedy category, but it had been judged by Scott Rosenfelt (producer, “Home Alone”) as the best overall script of the competition.
To say I was ecstatic is an understatement, there was dancing and hooting and hollering as I read the email titled “congratulations.” It outlined in great detail the girth of exciting prizes that I would now be receiving including my main prize, a staged reading of my script by professional actors in a theatre in LA. My husband was practically packing before I finished reading out the sentence to him.
As the weekend of the reading approached, all I could think about was a nice sunny weekend break in California in December with my family and my writing partner who was joining me for moral support. And to be honest I didn’t give the actual read through an awful lot of thought, until the morning of the event.
It was about the time I was staring down at my California breakfast that I realized a group of strangers were about to read my script, out loud, to people. What if it wasn’t funny? Or the story was flat, or it didn’t make any sense!
It didn’t seem to occur to me during this inner dialogue that if the producer of “Home Alone,’ one of the most successful Christmas movies of all time, liked it, and then maybe it wasn’t so bad. This thought didn’t occur to me because the dreaded writer’s curse of self-doubt had leapt up at me from my scrambled eggs like Jaws and wasn’t about to let me go.
So there we were an hour later, in this lovely black box called “The Rose Theatre” in Burbank. We walked inside, and as we did I overheard the actors talking to each other about their characters, my characters, discussing them at great length as if they were real. And it was right then I had that leap in my consciousness.
I had created something that was about to become real; brought to life by these actors, and the rush was intoxicating. So, I just couldn’t help myself as we settled into to the darkened theater and the stage manager read the words, “fade in…” and started the first line of my script; my 5-year-old self couldn’t help but gather herself for a story. So what if it was mine, this experience was exciting.
I did the expected “writer” thing as they read for 90 minutes. I took notes and outlined text that didn’t work in my copy of the script, but honestly all I could think the whole time was about the amazing journey I was on with a group of people who seemed to actually like the story, they laughed, they cried, and at the end they clapped and then I cried.
Yes, it was intimidating, and yes it was incredible, but more than anything it was real, and it was my work and now as the actors claimed their characters it was their’s too.
And as I watched the audience react and enjoy it, I found myself thinking there is nothing more exhilarating then leaping off a cliff with absolute fear and half way down finding yourself needing to shout wheee!!!!
Please connect with Suzanne at her links.
Book Trailer:
IMDB Blog http://www.whidbeylifemagazine.org/suzanne-kelman/
Twitter http://twitter.com/@goody2prodFacebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goody-2-ProductionsLinked in http://www.linkedin.com/pub/suzanne-kelman/32/23a/860 Amazon http://tinyurl.com/p9q8rz9
About Me http://about.me/Suzanne.Kelman
Connect with KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
Please help me welcome Suzanne Kelman, one of my social media besties and a true class act. I've worked with Suzanne on the book cover for her latest novel, The Rejected Writers' Book Club last spring and I was blown away by her creative spark, her sense of humor, and her bursting with joy personality. Her book is a spitting image of these qualities and I hope you give it a whirl.
I was also a beta reader for the novel and it is a really good read. It made me laugh, it made me cry and the character development is so good that still, after nearly a year, I find myself wondering what they're all up to. Thank goodness Suzanne is writing a whole series on these crazy characters because I could not get enough of them.
Suzanne KelmanAside from being super fun, talented and smart, Suzanne is a multi-award winning screenwriter who’s accolades include Best Comedy Feature Screenplay – LA International Film Festival (2011) Gold Award – California Film Awards (2012) and Winner - Van Gogh Award – The Amsterdam Film Festival (2012).
Did I mention she has a really cool accent? She was born in the UK and now lives in Washington State. But it's her laugh that gets me -- some would call that infectious, I call it heaven.
Her writing voice has been described as a perfect blend of Janet Evanovich and Debbie Macomber. Born in the U.K. she now resides in Washington State.
Buy your copy hereThe Rejected Writers' Book ClubHere is the overview from the back cover. It really is a delightful book, I hope you take a few minutes to download the ebook or paperback. It is totally worth your time.
When small-town librarian Janet Johnson is persuaded to attend a gathering of local eccentric lady writers known as "The Rejected Writers Book Club," she gets pulled into a kaleidoscope of craziness she never knew existed.
Collecting publishers' rejection letters like trophies this quirky society cares nothing for being in print and instead meets to celebrate in style it's members' mutually spurned manuscripts.
However, when disaster strikes, the group's survival hangs in the balance, and Janet is coerced by their formidable team leader, Doris Newberry, onto a crazy cross-country dash with a band of merry writers to save the club.
As the intrepid adventurers race to complete their quest, the women's lives are irreversibly changed as they bond together through landslides, haunted houses, false labor, and first love.
Here is a little watery story she wrote that fits nicely into the Blondie in the Water blog theme and an excellent description on what it feels like to be a writer.
Jumping off a Cliff and Shouting Wheeee!
When I was in my 20's, I had an incredible experience while I was working and living in Spain. I drove out to the lakes in mountains of southern Spain and leapt from a high cliff into the clear blue waters 20 feet below.
Now you are probably thinking, so what? But for me, a confirmed acrophobic, who likes her feet planted firmly on the ground at all times, it took a couple of glasses of wine and a lot of coaxing from my dare-devil friends on that trip.
I still remember as I stepped out into absolutely nothingness, the sheer fear that raced through my entire body, only to be followed by acute feeling of exhilaration and the need to scream “wheeeee” about halfway down.
Being a writer can sometimes feel a bit like that. I think one of a writer’s greatest thrills is to have the work read aloud to them, and one of a writer’s greatest fears is to have their work read aloud to them.
I have had exactly that very experience in a darkened black box theatre on a Sunday afternoon one December in North Hollywood.
It had been just about a month before when I had received the exciting news, that my script “Illusion” had not only placed in the top three in comedy category, but it had been judged by Scott Rosenfelt (producer, “Home Alone”) as the best overall script of the competition.
To say I was ecstatic is an understatement, there was dancing and hooting and hollering as I read the email titled “congratulations.” It outlined in great detail the girth of exciting prizes that I would now be receiving including my main prize, a staged reading of my script by professional actors in a theatre in LA. My husband was practically packing before I finished reading out the sentence to him.
As the weekend of the reading approached, all I could think about was a nice sunny weekend break in California in December with my family and my writing partner who was joining me for moral support. And to be honest I didn’t give the actual read through an awful lot of thought, until the morning of the event.
It was about the time I was staring down at my California breakfast that I realized a group of strangers were about to read my script, out loud, to people. What if it wasn’t funny? Or the story was flat, or it didn’t make any sense!
It didn’t seem to occur to me during this inner dialogue that if the producer of “Home Alone,’ one of the most successful Christmas movies of all time, liked it, and then maybe it wasn’t so bad. This thought didn’t occur to me because the dreaded writer’s curse of self-doubt had leapt up at me from my scrambled eggs like Jaws and wasn’t about to let me go.
So there we were an hour later, in this lovely black box called “The Rose Theatre” in Burbank. We walked inside, and as we did I overheard the actors talking to each other about their characters, my characters, discussing them at great length as if they were real. And it was right then I had that leap in my consciousness.
I had created something that was about to become real; brought to life by these actors, and the rush was intoxicating. So, I just couldn’t help myself as we settled into to the darkened theater and the stage manager read the words, “fade in…” and started the first line of my script; my 5-year-old self couldn’t help but gather herself for a story. So what if it was mine, this experience was exciting.
I did the expected “writer” thing as they read for 90 minutes. I took notes and outlined text that didn’t work in my copy of the script, but honestly all I could think the whole time was about the amazing journey I was on with a group of people who seemed to actually like the story, they laughed, they cried, and at the end they clapped and then I cried.
Yes, it was intimidating, and yes it was incredible, but more than anything it was real, and it was my work and now as the actors claimed their characters it was their’s too.
And as I watched the audience react and enjoy it, I found myself thinking there is nothing more exhilarating then leaping off a cliff with absolute fear and half way down finding yourself needing to shout wheee!!!!
Please connect with Suzanne at her links.
Book Trailer:
IMDB Blog http://www.whidbeylifemagazine.org/suzanne-kelman/
Twitter http://twitter.com/@goody2prodFacebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goody-2-ProductionsLinked in http://www.linkedin.com/pub/suzanne-kelman/32/23a/860 Amazon http://tinyurl.com/p9q8rz9
About Me http://about.me/Suzanne.Kelman
Connect with KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
March 15, 2015
Chris Sanders - Author Spotlight Blondie's Books From Friends (BFF)
Chris Sanders -- Author Spotlight on Blondie's Books From Friends
Be sure and follow my blog for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. I will choose a winner on April 1st. Stealing Time will be in paperback and in other outlets like Barnes and Noble and iTunes in the next week. I'll be sure and update you with links and details as soon as I have more information. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out my latest Author Spotlight.
Chris SandersThis week’s Author Spotlight features a dashing fellow from south London, Chris Sanders, and his novel the Thief’s Son. This is Chris’ first novel and since he has written a collection of short horror stories called The Folly and Other Tales.
I met Chris on Facebook and he’s been a great support of my first novel, Stealing Time. He’s always posting pictures that remind me of Humphrey Bogart and classic Hollywood films, so I’m expecting that his novel will have the international mystery and feeling of simpler times.
Chris has travelled extensively and layers an international flair in his fast-paced, edgy thrillers. He was an English teacher in South Korea and prior to that was a realtor in Manila, Philippines, and spent some time as a freelance journalist, and explored Eastern Europe and the Far East. Along with two novels, Chris has also written three high-concept screenplays and a radio play for the BBC new writer’s project.
Show some love and connect with ChrisWebsite: www.chrissanderswriter.comAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Thiefs-Son-Chris-Sanders-ebook/dp/B00A7V8MRUTwitter : www.twitter.com@CSanderswriter Facebook www.facebook.com/chrisshanesanders
Here is an excerpt from his thriller novel, The Thief’s Son Room number six was just like any other cheap room he'd found whilst staying in a small
town Colombia. Nothing special. Apart from the bed and washbasin, only a towel, a tiny piece of used soap and a roll of toilet paper existed. The toilet, Samuel knew, would be hidden somewhere down a dimly lit corridor that he had no intention of locating until it became imperative to do so.
He fell against the hard mattress, letting his arm drape across his face, but woke when he heard the telephone ringing, only deciding to find the machine when its ring persisted.
“Yes...Who is this?”
“You pay for phone calls too English, okay?” the owner barked down the line.
“Fine,” Samuel replied, replacing the receiver and stuffing the ancient contraption back under the bed where he'd found it. He'd been asleep for perhaps an hour, when, upon waking he'd found his cramped quarters filled with dark shadows. As he struggled out of bed, threw open the wooden shutters, a long, narrow street with no sunlight faced him.
Halfway down this street, as he looked to the right, he spotted a second hotel. Only this one seemed to be doing a lot more business. A wild succession of flashing lights blazed out from each of its windows and deep inside loud Vallenato folk music and frenzied conversation spilled onto the street. A fiesta was brewing. The Colombians loved their parties. Even with their country in such a terrible state they still knew how to enjoy themselves, a testament to their national character.
Further down the street a large crowd of people had gathered, and were now making their way towards the two hotels, each of them boasting a silleta full of flowers on their back. Hard though he tried Samuel couldn't remember the name of this particular festival, but he remembered seeing larger versions while staying in bigger cities like Medellin to the north. Soon fireworks would be lit, there would be more music, more noise. Samuel checked his watch. It would be early morning back in London, and sooner or later he'd have to find the courage and phone his editor, who'd been expecting him back for over a week now. He sat back on the bed, dragged the phone from its hiding place, and began to tap in the numbers.
“Yeah?” a gruff voice – his editor’s voice – answered after almost thirty, very long seconds.
“John…”
“Who's this?”
Samuel hesitated. He could still hang up, think up a list of watertight excuses and perhaps save himself a shed load of grief.
“Who the hell is this?” the gruff voice continued down the line.
Samuel knew he should have waited until lunch was over. His boss had usually downed a few pints by then, and generally behaved like a rational human being for the rest of the day,
“It's Samuel...Samuel Locke.”
A pause. The line crackled.
“I said it's Samuel...Samuel Locke,” he repeated.
“Not the young man we sent to Colombia? The little creep who was due back over two weeks ago?”
“I’m afraid so, John.”
“So where the hell are you? Have the rebels stopped their fighting?”
“I have your shots, John.”
“Oh, you have my photographs hey?”
“Decent shots too, you're going to love them, I promise.”
“Well do I get to see them sometime soon Samuel? We don't want to rush you or anything but you've already missed the last two deadlines!”
Leaving the bed, Samuel leant against the window frame, phone caught between shoulder and chin as he sparked up a cigarette, watching as the parade below began to pass by the second hotel.
“I'll be back first thing Monday, John.”
“First thing Monday? It's Tuesday today Sammy boy!”
“I know, but there's not a whole lot I can do about the situation.”
That was a lie. There was a whole lot he could do. He estimated a crowd of maybe a hundred people gathering below his window. He could sink a few beers himself. Chase a few girls. Hell, this was Colombia. LoColombia. He could do anything he wanted.
“You still there Samuel?”
“Yeah, I'm still here John,” Samuel replied, taking a long, slow drag on his dying cigarette.
“Your job’s on the line Sammy. Don't care how good you think you are. We run a team effort here. No room for loners. You understand?”
“I understand.”
They could stick the job. He was good enough to earn a tidy sum working freelance. He took risks. He liked to take risks. The picture libraries loved him. One day, damn it, he'd own his very own picture library. He was still young. He could still make it big. He was still in control of his own destiny. To hell with the lousy magazine.“You out of money yet?”
“I still got enough to get back.”
“Good, because we can't afford to finance your lavish life style any more. You got that Samuel?”
“Every word John, every word.” Samuel was still looking out the window as he'd replied, only now his eyes were sharp, searching. He'd seen something, someone out of place. More than that. He'd recognized a face, a face from his distant past. His unhappy past.
“Sammy? You still there?”
“Yeah, yeah, I'm still here.”
“Now don't you go ignoring me! Don't you even dare!”
Samuel wasn't listening. His eyes were stuck on the passing parade. He'd caught a glimpse of a figure, a, lean figure mingling in amongst the growing mob down below. A figure that stood painfully out of place in comparison to those who surrounded him, pushed into him: A very tall old man who wore a loose, white cotton suit.
“Samuel! Answer me damn it!” the voice at the end of the line continued to rave. Again, Samuel ignored it, waiting for the crowd to part, to reveal its hidden visitor for a second time.
The crowd did part. Samuel let his cigarette slip from his mouth and fall to the room’s grubby tiles, his keen eyes still following the old man as he'd quickly ducked through the packed doorway of the second hotel.
“Dad...” he then whispered, his face pressed up against the window.
“Sammy, Sammy! I know you can hear me, what the hell are you playing at?”
“I have to go now John...See you Tuesday.”
“Don't hang up on me Samuel, and it's Monday damn it! You come back Monday!” Slowly, Samuel replaced the receiver.
Connect With KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
Be sure and follow my blog for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. I will choose a winner on April 1st. Stealing Time will be in paperback and in other outlets like Barnes and Noble and iTunes in the next week. I'll be sure and update you with links and details as soon as I have more information. Stay tuned. In the meantime, check out my latest Author Spotlight.
Chris SandersThis week’s Author Spotlight features a dashing fellow from south London, Chris Sanders, and his novel the Thief’s Son. This is Chris’ first novel and since he has written a collection of short horror stories called The Folly and Other Tales. I met Chris on Facebook and he’s been a great support of my first novel, Stealing Time. He’s always posting pictures that remind me of Humphrey Bogart and classic Hollywood films, so I’m expecting that his novel will have the international mystery and feeling of simpler times.
Chris has travelled extensively and layers an international flair in his fast-paced, edgy thrillers. He was an English teacher in South Korea and prior to that was a realtor in Manila, Philippines, and spent some time as a freelance journalist, and explored Eastern Europe and the Far East. Along with two novels, Chris has also written three high-concept screenplays and a radio play for the BBC new writer’s project.
Show some love and connect with ChrisWebsite: www.chrissanderswriter.comAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Thiefs-Son-Chris-Sanders-ebook/dp/B00A7V8MRUTwitter : www.twitter.com@CSanderswriter Facebook www.facebook.com/chrisshanesanders
Here is an excerpt from his thriller novel, The Thief’s Son Room number six was just like any other cheap room he'd found whilst staying in a small
town Colombia. Nothing special. Apart from the bed and washbasin, only a towel, a tiny piece of used soap and a roll of toilet paper existed. The toilet, Samuel knew, would be hidden somewhere down a dimly lit corridor that he had no intention of locating until it became imperative to do so.
He fell against the hard mattress, letting his arm drape across his face, but woke when he heard the telephone ringing, only deciding to find the machine when its ring persisted.
“Yes...Who is this?”
“You pay for phone calls too English, okay?” the owner barked down the line.
“Fine,” Samuel replied, replacing the receiver and stuffing the ancient contraption back under the bed where he'd found it. He'd been asleep for perhaps an hour, when, upon waking he'd found his cramped quarters filled with dark shadows. As he struggled out of bed, threw open the wooden shutters, a long, narrow street with no sunlight faced him.
Halfway down this street, as he looked to the right, he spotted a second hotel. Only this one seemed to be doing a lot more business. A wild succession of flashing lights blazed out from each of its windows and deep inside loud Vallenato folk music and frenzied conversation spilled onto the street. A fiesta was brewing. The Colombians loved their parties. Even with their country in such a terrible state they still knew how to enjoy themselves, a testament to their national character.
Further down the street a large crowd of people had gathered, and were now making their way towards the two hotels, each of them boasting a silleta full of flowers on their back. Hard though he tried Samuel couldn't remember the name of this particular festival, but he remembered seeing larger versions while staying in bigger cities like Medellin to the north. Soon fireworks would be lit, there would be more music, more noise. Samuel checked his watch. It would be early morning back in London, and sooner or later he'd have to find the courage and phone his editor, who'd been expecting him back for over a week now. He sat back on the bed, dragged the phone from its hiding place, and began to tap in the numbers.
“Yeah?” a gruff voice – his editor’s voice – answered after almost thirty, very long seconds.
“John…”
“Who's this?”
Samuel hesitated. He could still hang up, think up a list of watertight excuses and perhaps save himself a shed load of grief.
“Who the hell is this?” the gruff voice continued down the line.
Samuel knew he should have waited until lunch was over. His boss had usually downed a few pints by then, and generally behaved like a rational human being for the rest of the day,
“It's Samuel...Samuel Locke.”
A pause. The line crackled.
“I said it's Samuel...Samuel Locke,” he repeated.
“Not the young man we sent to Colombia? The little creep who was due back over two weeks ago?”
“I’m afraid so, John.”
“So where the hell are you? Have the rebels stopped their fighting?”
“I have your shots, John.”
“Oh, you have my photographs hey?”
“Decent shots too, you're going to love them, I promise.”
“Well do I get to see them sometime soon Samuel? We don't want to rush you or anything but you've already missed the last two deadlines!”
Leaving the bed, Samuel leant against the window frame, phone caught between shoulder and chin as he sparked up a cigarette, watching as the parade below began to pass by the second hotel.
“I'll be back first thing Monday, John.”
“First thing Monday? It's Tuesday today Sammy boy!”
“I know, but there's not a whole lot I can do about the situation.”
That was a lie. There was a whole lot he could do. He estimated a crowd of maybe a hundred people gathering below his window. He could sink a few beers himself. Chase a few girls. Hell, this was Colombia. LoColombia. He could do anything he wanted.
“You still there Samuel?”
“Yeah, I'm still here John,” Samuel replied, taking a long, slow drag on his dying cigarette.
“Your job’s on the line Sammy. Don't care how good you think you are. We run a team effort here. No room for loners. You understand?”
“I understand.”
They could stick the job. He was good enough to earn a tidy sum working freelance. He took risks. He liked to take risks. The picture libraries loved him. One day, damn it, he'd own his very own picture library. He was still young. He could still make it big. He was still in control of his own destiny. To hell with the lousy magazine.“You out of money yet?”
“I still got enough to get back.”
“Good, because we can't afford to finance your lavish life style any more. You got that Samuel?”
“Every word John, every word.” Samuel was still looking out the window as he'd replied, only now his eyes were sharp, searching. He'd seen something, someone out of place. More than that. He'd recognized a face, a face from his distant past. His unhappy past.
“Sammy? You still there?”
“Yeah, yeah, I'm still here.”
“Now don't you go ignoring me! Don't you even dare!”
Samuel wasn't listening. His eyes were stuck on the passing parade. He'd caught a glimpse of a figure, a, lean figure mingling in amongst the growing mob down below. A figure that stood painfully out of place in comparison to those who surrounded him, pushed into him: A very tall old man who wore a loose, white cotton suit.
“Samuel! Answer me damn it!” the voice at the end of the line continued to rave. Again, Samuel ignored it, waiting for the crowd to part, to reveal its hidden visitor for a second time.
The crowd did part. Samuel let his cigarette slip from his mouth and fall to the room’s grubby tiles, his keen eyes still following the old man as he'd quickly ducked through the packed doorway of the second hotel.
“Dad...” he then whispered, his face pressed up against the window.
“Sammy, Sammy! I know you can hear me, what the hell are you playing at?”
“I have to go now John...See you Tuesday.”
“Don't hang up on me Samuel, and it's Monday damn it! You come back Monday!” Slowly, Samuel replaced the receiver.
Connect With KJ Waters
When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here.Check out my website: www.kjwaters.comFollow me on twitter at @kamajowaI'm on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwatersBrand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here. Check out our website here.We are on twitter here.Facebook link here.
March 2, 2015
Carlie M. A. Cullen Author Spotlight -- Blondie's Books From Friends
(BFF)
Blondie’s Books from Friends Author Spotlight on Carlie M A Cullen
Carlie M.A. Cullen
Today I bring you another Brit, Carlie M A Cullen, who writes fantasy and paranormal romance novels. I’ve seen Carlie out and about on facebook and twitter for several years now. She had been a great help with book selling advice and general social media blitz information. Today Carlie will entertain us with a short sad little story called Underwater. Please welcome Carlie to the watery oasis of Blondie in the Water, and maybe we can cheer her up with a few new follows and purchase of her exciting series, Heart Search.
Want a chance to win another $25 Amazon Gift Card? Follow my blog and your name will be entered into the drawing. One winner this month will be chosen on April Fools Day!UnderwaterI am drowning!
No, not literally; not like when I was five years old. I was on holiday in Jersey with my parents and my Dad was playing ball in the swimming pool with my cousins. The ball came out and onto the side, and as I threw it back, I also threw myself in – at the deep end. Yes, you’ve guessed it – I couldn’t swim at the time – my Dad pulled me out, coughing and spluttering. The proverbial drowned rat. But I digress.
Drowning by Kevron2001 Deviant Art
I am drowning in a sea of grief.
The waves crash over my head, dragging me deeper, catching me in the strong currents of sorrow. I tumble over and over, hitting my head on the beautiful coral; cuts ooze with my life blood attracting sharks. They circle around me, closing in for the kill and all I can think of is joining my Mum, ending the in exhaustive pain of her passing. Even if the sharks take their time, biting a bit off here and there, it would be nothing in comparison.
Fish of all colours and sizes dart past as the riptide keeps me submerged; I see them eye me with mild curiosity as they journey on, but I’m blind to the magnificent colours and sleek lines.Very little has held my interest recently; I fail to appreciate the wondrous sights Mother Nature puts on display. Even now, in the clear depths of the ocean, glimpsing some of Her incredible work, I’m too blind to see.
As I’m catapulted ever deeper by the awesome power of the tide, ancient rocks stand and greet me. I shake hands with each one and am repaid by the shattering of my bones. Pressure builds in my chest, my lungs are on fire, my head woozy from lack of oxygen, yet it won’t take me or let me go.
I start to sink to the bottom. I can no longer see the crested waves crashing above me, nor can I hear the screeching gulls. It’s quiet deep underwater. But, for me, it’s not peaceful – it can’t be while I’m drowning in my misery. It’s too fresh, the wounds too open, the cuts too deep in my heart.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to swim to the surface. Maybe one day I’ll emerge from the darkness of the depths and smile as the sun dries the multitude of tears I’ve shed. Maybe one day I’ll once more appreciate all the beauty the world has to offer. Maybe one day I’ll stop mourning.
Maybe . . .
Carlie’s BooksCheck out the Heart Search Series, by Carlie M. A. Cullen
Heart Search Book One: LostBook Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/HeartSearch-Lost
Trailer link; http://youtu.be/0ka3RqYeKoQ
One bite starts it all . . .
When Joshua Grant vanishes days before his wedding his fiancée Remy is left with only bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written note. Heartbroken, she sets off alone to find him and begins a long journey where strange things begin to happen.
As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges his thirst for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new talents while becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy him. But Remy discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua home.
Fate toys with mortals and immortals alike, as two hearts torn apart by darkness face ordeals which test them to their limits.
Heart Search Book Two: FoundBook Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/HeartSearch-Found
Trailer link: http://youtu.be/3DSssMGyA1E
One bite started it all . . .
Another mysterious disappearance sparks a frightening chain of events for Remy and her family. Events foretold come to pass, and more strange and alarming occurrences assail her life. Where can she turn?
Coven politics continue to threaten Joshua’s existence, but an even bigger menace looms.
And Remy’s life hangs in the balance – can Joshua save her?
Fate still toys with mortals and immortals alike, as hearts torn apart by darkness confront perils which could lead to their doom.
Heart Search book 3: BetrayalLink: http://hyperurl.co/HeartSearch-Betrayal
Trailer link:
http://youtu.be/OtoJwwxtPak
One bite started it all . . .
Joshua, Remy, and the twins are settled in their new life. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. An argument between Becky and her twin causes unforeseen circumstances, an admission by Samir almost costs him his life, and the traitor provides critical information to Liam. But who is it?
As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.
And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?
Fate continues to toy with mortals and immortals alike, and as more hearts descend into darkness, can they overcome the dangers they face and survive?
Connect with Carlie M A Cullen
Website: http://carliemacullen.com
Twitter: @carlie2011c
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarlieMACullen
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=240655941&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B009MWVL5A
About.me: http://about.me/CarlieCullen
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/CarlieCullen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6550466.Carlie_M_A_Cullen
CONNECT WITH KJ WATERS When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here .
· Check out my website: www.kjwaters.com · Follow me on twitter at @kamajowa · I'm on facebook at
· http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39 · I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!· Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/ · Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters · All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwaters · Brand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
· Check out our website here. · We are on twitter here .
· Facebook link here.
Carlie M.A. Cullen
Today I bring you another Brit, Carlie M A Cullen, who writes fantasy and paranormal romance novels. I’ve seen Carlie out and about on facebook and twitter for several years now. She had been a great help with book selling advice and general social media blitz information. Today Carlie will entertain us with a short sad little story called Underwater. Please welcome Carlie to the watery oasis of Blondie in the Water, and maybe we can cheer her up with a few new follows and purchase of her exciting series, Heart Search. Want a chance to win another $25 Amazon Gift Card? Follow my blog and your name will be entered into the drawing. One winner this month will be chosen on April Fools Day!UnderwaterI am drowning!
No, not literally; not like when I was five years old. I was on holiday in Jersey with my parents and my Dad was playing ball in the swimming pool with my cousins. The ball came out and onto the side, and as I threw it back, I also threw myself in – at the deep end. Yes, you’ve guessed it – I couldn’t swim at the time – my Dad pulled me out, coughing and spluttering. The proverbial drowned rat. But I digress.
Drowning by Kevron2001 Deviant Art I am drowning in a sea of grief.
The waves crash over my head, dragging me deeper, catching me in the strong currents of sorrow. I tumble over and over, hitting my head on the beautiful coral; cuts ooze with my life blood attracting sharks. They circle around me, closing in for the kill and all I can think of is joining my Mum, ending the in exhaustive pain of her passing. Even if the sharks take their time, biting a bit off here and there, it would be nothing in comparison.
Fish of all colours and sizes dart past as the riptide keeps me submerged; I see them eye me with mild curiosity as they journey on, but I’m blind to the magnificent colours and sleek lines.Very little has held my interest recently; I fail to appreciate the wondrous sights Mother Nature puts on display. Even now, in the clear depths of the ocean, glimpsing some of Her incredible work, I’m too blind to see.
As I’m catapulted ever deeper by the awesome power of the tide, ancient rocks stand and greet me. I shake hands with each one and am repaid by the shattering of my bones. Pressure builds in my chest, my lungs are on fire, my head woozy from lack of oxygen, yet it won’t take me or let me go.
I start to sink to the bottom. I can no longer see the crested waves crashing above me, nor can I hear the screeching gulls. It’s quiet deep underwater. But, for me, it’s not peaceful – it can’t be while I’m drowning in my misery. It’s too fresh, the wounds too open, the cuts too deep in my heart.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to swim to the surface. Maybe one day I’ll emerge from the darkness of the depths and smile as the sun dries the multitude of tears I’ve shed. Maybe one day I’ll once more appreciate all the beauty the world has to offer. Maybe one day I’ll stop mourning.
Maybe . . .
Carlie’s BooksCheck out the Heart Search Series, by Carlie M. A. Cullen
Heart Search Book One: LostBook Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/HeartSearch-Lost
Trailer link; http://youtu.be/0ka3RqYeKoQ
One bite starts it all . . .
When Joshua Grant vanishes days before his wedding his fiancée Remy is left with only bruises, scratch marks and a hastily written note. Heartbroken, she sets off alone to find him and begins a long journey where strange things begin to happen.
As Joshua descends into his new immortal life he indulges his thirst for blood and explores his superhuman strength and amazing new talents while becoming embroiled in coven politics which threaten to destroy him. But Remy discovers a strength of her own on her quest to bring Joshua home.
Fate toys with mortals and immortals alike, as two hearts torn apart by darkness face ordeals which test them to their limits.
Heart Search Book Two: FoundBook Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/HeartSearch-Found
Trailer link: http://youtu.be/3DSssMGyA1E
One bite started it all . . .
Another mysterious disappearance sparks a frightening chain of events for Remy and her family. Events foretold come to pass, and more strange and alarming occurrences assail her life. Where can she turn?
Coven politics continue to threaten Joshua’s existence, but an even bigger menace looms.
And Remy’s life hangs in the balance – can Joshua save her?
Fate still toys with mortals and immortals alike, as hearts torn apart by darkness confront perils which could lead to their doom.
Heart Search book 3: BetrayalLink: http://hyperurl.co/HeartSearch-Betrayal
Trailer link:
http://youtu.be/OtoJwwxtPak
One bite started it all . . .
Joshua, Remy, and the twins are settled in their new life. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. An argument between Becky and her twin causes unforeseen circumstances, an admission by Samir almost costs him his life, and the traitor provides critical information to Liam. But who is it?
As Jakki’s visions begin to focus on the turncoat’s activities, a member of the coven disappears, and others find themselves endangered.
And when Liam’s coven attacks, who will endure?
Fate continues to toy with mortals and immortals alike, and as more hearts descend into darkness, can they overcome the dangers they face and survive?
Connect with Carlie M A Cullen
Website: http://carliemacullen.com
Twitter: @carlie2011c
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarlieMACullen
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=240655941&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B009MWVL5A
About.me: http://about.me/CarlieCullen
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/CarlieCullen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6550466.Carlie_M_A_Cullen
CONNECT WITH KJ WATERS When I'm not working on the Stealing Time series you can find me on my social media at the links below. My novel is out on amazon here .
· Check out my website: www.kjwaters.com · Follow me on twitter at @kamajowa · I'm on facebook at
· http://www.facebook.com/pages/KJ-Waters/206720056103502 for my author site, or my 'jury-rigged work around so I can like you back' facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/kj.waters.39 · I have some photographs up on Fine Arts America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kj-waters.html for sale, check it out!· Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kamajowa/ · Audioboo voice messages: http://audioboo.fm/KJWaters · All About Me page: http://about.me/kjwaters · Brand Yourself Profile: http:// brandyourself.com/
I am also the CEO of Blondie's Custom Book Covers, a company that helps authors and publishers create stunning book covers. Please follow our links here.
· Check out our website here. · We are on twitter here .
· Facebook link here.
