Randi Lee's Blog, page 3

Author Interview: Kenneth Hart, Author of The Ron Tuck Series

Greetings, Friends!
Today I’m joined by author Kenneth Hart for an interview on his writing, the re-release of his novel, and what his main character would say on his deathbed.
Let’s jump right into the interview, because I’m eager to share this coming-of-age novel writer’s insightful story and advice:
Who: Kenneth Hart
What: The Ron Tuck Series: Reinforcements, Snake Garden Paradise, Time in a Bubble, The Tempo of Experience
About the Book: A coming of age novel spiced with the rock of the late 60′s and early 70′s, Reinforcments is a story of friendship, education, protest, a country divided over the Vietnam War, sexual exploration, mind expansion, cultural mores, and the foundation upon which those conflicts occurred.

Tell us something about yourself—anything you want! Just give us a few details about you, the author, that allow us to relate to you better.I was a professional educator who taught English at the secondary and college levels. I also taught courses in Education at the post graduate level. I now live a quiet life on a lake in Sussex County, New Jersey, surrounded by dairy and horse farms. I love to garden and see what I have grown on the table at dinner time.
Tell us a little about the book(s). What genre is it/are they? What’s it about?I would say that the books are in the genre of general fiction. The first Reinforcements is a coming of age story that is set in the backdrop of the Viet Nam War era. Reinforcements tells the story of two friends who are moving in opposite directions. One has left the working life to go to college and the other has left college to live with a waitress that he met at a bowling alley where the friends first met. The book takes us through an eventful few months of their lives.
Why The Ron Tuck Series? Ron Tuck is the protagonist in all four novels and the primary inspiration for it was my life and the adventures and misadventures that one experiences in very interesting times.
What challenges did you/do you face while writing The Ron Tuck Series? How did you overcome those challenges?
One challenge was getting the time to write. At the start of this series I was only really able to work on during the summer. I was persistent. There was the challenge of moving the story back and forth between the perspectives of the two main characters without being jarring to the reader. I met that challenge in the editing process. Since this was my first attempt at a novel, the challenge of ridding it of typos and mistaken words was maddening and spell check was not always my friend.
Who was your favorite character to write, and why?
Aside from Ron Tuck, I would say that Warren Lashly was my favorite character to write because he evokes the strongest reactions from people both negatively and positively. He also speaks with a very distinctive voice in the novel and after I found that voice it was a lot of fun to revisit it.
Do you engage in any other hobbies, specialties or activities that have enhanced your writing?
I play guitar and there are pieces of various songs throughout the books. I was a football player and coach and that is a theme that weaves its way through the novels. I am a bit of a history buff and I enjoyed the research that gave detail to scenes and brought them closer to reality.
What is the single most important piece of advice you’ve ever received as an author?
The single best piece of advice that I have been given is to write about what I know.
What message do you have for aspiring authors?
The advice I would give is that each story should be about at least two things and do not be afraid of your imagination and where it takes you. Also, the same that was said to me and that is to write about what you know.
Your main character is on his/her deathbed? What are his/her last words?
“I really do hope there is an eternity, but I’m still skeptical.”






Reinforcements: available on Amazon & Amazon UK:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Reinforcements-...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reinforcement...
Find Ken on Facebook! Want to learn more about Ken and/or The Ron Tuck Series? Like his page!
https://www.facebook.com/kennethedwardhart
Upcoming Offers/Information:
There will be a re-release party on September 18th via Facebook. It promises to be an awesome time full of fun, giveaways, and more! Here is the link below:
 https://www.facebook.com/events/10414...
You can also sign up for Ken’s newsletter at his website: www.kennethedwardhart.com           

Thanks for joining me, Ken! I look forward to picking up my copy of Reinforcements tomorrow and rocking out with Ron Tuck! As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay Classy, Blog-o-Sphere!
Best,

—R

Status Update! Thank You for Your Support, Why I’m Posting My Statistics and a Couple of Resources for You to Check Out

Friends,
Thank you so much for your support yesterday. Your posts, purchases and praises mean the world to me! The kick-off to the Affected buy one, get one promotion was quite the success in my eyes, and I want to share some statistics with you—about the Amazon sales in particular.
Why am I posting my statistics, you ask? This isn’t a vanity thing. Far from it. It’s because self-promoting does make a difference, and I want all of you discouraged writers out there to see that! Don’t let the meanies on the internet dissuade you: you can effectively market and self-promote your book. It takes effort, sure. Then again, all worthwhile things do.
A quick look back: my book came out in April, published by a small publishing company that requires their authors to do their own marketing. Due to a myriad of health complications and life events, I was unable to successfully self-promote my book when it came out. I just didn’t have the time or energy. I knew that my book would never find the hands of readers unless I took the initiative to market it. However, it was just not going to happen at that time. Other things in life, such as my health, took precedence.
Life changes, as it does, and this summer I found myself in a place where I could put my book first again. Thus, I began the inklings of marketing for Affected on the 31st of August, 2015. A little over ten days ago, the book was ranked on Amazon at #744,508 in paid downloads and #4,187,643 in paperback copies respectively.
Before I went to sleep last night, I checked my rankings, and couldn’t believe my eyes: Affected was ranked at #46,093 in paid downloads and #67,796 in paperback purchased. It hit #126 in the Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense category—just shy of the Top 100! In just ten day’s time, I’d gone from being ranked in the 4—millions to being ranked in the 60—thousands. Bestseller status? No. But you have to admit, that is one hell of an impressive jump!  










(By the way, if you don't think 67k is that impressive of a ranking, here's some perspective for you: there are over eight MILLION books for sale on Amazon. That said, 67k is a pretty good ranking, in my humble opinion!)
Now then, Randina, if you’re so smart: how do I effectively self-promote? Next week, I’ll be starting a campaign across the internet where I’ll be sharing my story-to-date and what has and has not worked so far (bloggers, if you’re interested in a guest poster, I’m still looking to fill a couple of weeks; please contact me at randi.lee@mail.comto schedule a topic and date.)
Until then, might I suggest two most excellent resources to begin with?
L. Diane Wolfe over at Spunk on a Stick wrote a book that has been of profound assistance to me: at just $2.99 for a Kindle purchase, How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now! is a valued addition to any aspiring writer’s reference library and I highly recommend it.
The folks over at The Insecure Writer’s Support Group also have something that should be in your reference library, and these classy guys and gals have it up at Amazon for free! The Insecure Writer’s Support Group: Guide to Publishing and Beyond is full of healthy advice from writers such as yourself and is well worth the read.
I begin my internet travels next week over at Build Book Buzz. Sandra Beckwith was nice enough to invite me to write a guest post on the power of imagery in self-promotion. Look out for it!
As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay Classy, Blog-o-Sphere!
Best,



—R

Affected Buy One Get One Promotion Begins Today!

Today's the big day, friends! Buy a copy of my novel, Affected, and receive a free copy of my anthology, Snap! A Quite Quick Collection! Simply email your receipt for Affected to randi.lee@mail.com for redemption.
AFFECTED is now for sale at all storefronts:
AMAZON:
http://www.amazon.com/Affected-Randi-Lee-ebook/dp/B00WYBWL9G
BARNES & NOBLE:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/affected-randi-l…/1121688485
ITUNES:https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/affected/id991205704
KOBO:https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/affected
#affected
Thanks in advance for your support, friends! And, as always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay Classy, Blog-o-Sphere!
Best

—R

Prudence The Dog’s Story: Why I Contributed to a Crowd-Funding Campaign

I do not like crowd-funding. It is too easily taken advantage of and I believe that people should work for what they have in life. Just the other day I saw a post from someone asking to crowd-fund the down payment for her house. Before that, I saw someone post a link to a crowd-funding campaign because he wanted a new RV. This system, as many systems do, is becoming blatantly abused so, no. I do not believe in crowd-funding and I never contribute to or promote crowd-fund campaigns—for the most part.
However, there are instances when I’ll admit that a crowd-funding campaign is justified in the same effort that benefit events for cancer patients are justified: supporting others in critical situations is the just plain human thing to do. This morning, I came across a such particular instance that both warmed and broke my heart. It hurt to read about in the beginning, but the end result of it was so wonderful and brilliant that it instilled in me a fresh hope and inspired me to do the one thing I swore I’d never do: contribute to a crowd-funding campaign. Here’s why:
Jaime and John were in Waterbury, CT this past Monday when they came across a stray dog. The dog was hurt—I won’t go into details because just thinking about it brings me to tears, but I will say that her condition was dire. They contacted animal control. However, they were closed due to the holiday. They then contacted the police, who told her the dog would have to stay where it was until Tuesday morning when animal control could be contacted.
This was not acceptable to Jaime and John. They wrapped the dog in a blanket and took her to the animal hospital. After hearing from the doctors that they would be fully responsible for the financial responsibility of the dog because she was a stray, Jaime and John agreed to pay the costs and proceeded to wait through the night and worry about her (they’d been told by the doctor that the next twenty-four hours of the dog’s life were critical to her survival.)
Great news came the next morning when the doctor called to tell Jaime and John that the dog—whom they now lovingly call Prudence—was showing signs of improvement. Better still! Prudence is continuing to improve and was recently released from the animal hospital. She still has a ways to go before she is healed, but she is on the road to mending, all thanks to two selfless individuals.
In order to help with the veterinary costs involved with saving Prudence—$1,970 and counting—Jaime started a crowd-funding campaign. This campaign is what broke my streak of crankiness towards crowd-funding. Two people did the human thing and saved a dog left to die. The least Icould do for Jaime, John and Prudence was click a link, donate a few dollars and use my social media outlets to aware others of this amazing story of a life selflessly saved.
I am so touched, warmed and deeply moved this morning by Jaime and John’s actions. They saved a life they did not know for no other purpose than that it was the right thing to do. I’m so happy to report that Prudence is on the road to recovery thanks to these two wonderful people and I’m thrilled to know that Prudence now has a happy, loving home to spend the rest of her days in. Thank you, Jaime and John, for staying classy.
If you’d like to learn more about Prudence, Jaime and John, or if you’d like to contribute to the “Please Help Prudence” crowd-funding campaign, here is the link to their gofundme page. Thank you for any dollar amount you choose to contribute to support the care and rehabilitation of Prudence.
As always, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting and thanks for giving me someone to write to. Stay Classy, Blog-o-Sphere!
Best

—R

Finally, Some Details! The Affected “Buy One, Get One” Book Promotion

For the past ten days, I’ve been posting cryptic images on my social media outlets. These images have been leading up to a buy one, get one book offer I’m running next week to promote my novel, Affected: purchase a paperback or ebook version of Affected between September 14—22 and receive a free ebook version of my anthology, Snap! A Quite Quick Collection.

No strings attached. Simply email a copy of your receipt for Affected (a forwarded email or picture of the receipt will do) to: randi.lee@mail.comto receive your free copy of Snap! Already purchased your copy of Affected? I’ll honor the transaction! Email me your receipt and your free copy of Snap! will arrive in your inbox during the promotional period next week.


Affected is available in paperback and ebook form from major online booksellers such as: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, kobo and Powell’s.
Thanks so much to the bloggers who offered to help me share the news of this promotion next week, thanks to those who’ve already purchased a copy of Affected and thanks to those who are planning to do so! Stay Classy, Blog-o-Sphere!
Best,

—R

Affected Promos: Day 10

Affected BOGO Promos Day 9