Q. Kelly's Blog, page 9
October 15, 2013
Release of "The Green Pill, One Hour and Other Lesbian Stories"
I have released another collection of lesbian stories. This one features a novelette,
a short novel and three short stories. It totals about 51,000 words. Blurbs are below, and you can read excerpts of all the stories here (link opens a .pdf file).
In other news, I have a Smashwords author interview. Read it here.
Purchase info
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FWG9PSKSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/367463Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-green-pill-one-hour-and-other-lesbian-stories-q-kelly/1117138735?Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-green-pill-one-hour-and-other-lesbian-stories
THE GREEN PILL (about 14,000 words): The year is 2022. A green pill has been developed that cures breast cancer, but in the huge majority of cases, a side effect reverses sexuality. Basically, straight people turn gay, and gay people turn straight. Marcia Brandon, whose marriage to Jim has faded into monotony, keeps waiting for her side effect to kick in, but it never seems to. Marcia is dismayed; she’d counted on the side effect to shake up her life. On the other hand is Byrony Russell, who hasn’t told her husband, Griffin, that she experienced the green pill’s most notorious side effect. She keeps hoping an antidote will hit the shelves, and she can have her idyllic, heterosexual life with Griffin back. Marcia and Byrony meet at a support group and become friends. And eventually, perhaps more.
ONE HOUR (about 24,500 words): English teacher Jessica Harmon and one of her students, seventeen-year-old Riley Jenkins, hide in a classroom closet while a gunman rampages through their high school. They’re the only people in the room because it was Jessica’s planning period, and Riley stopped by with concerns about a debate assignment. When the gunman finds them in the closet, they figure they’re as good as dead. Except Jessica and Riley survive, without injury, their harrowing, surreal conversation with the gunman.
Their shared trauma and their guilt from failing to stop the gunman haunt Jessica and Riley and bring them close. They’re not the same people they were before the shootings, and Jessica, who never had given as much as a second glance to a student, finds herself drawn to Riley.
“One Hour” is the story of how Jessica and Riley help each other through their unique situation. Do they ultimately find happiness and a future with each other?
THE NIGHT THEY DRANK WINE (about 5,000 words): Mallory and Vanessa are sisters-in-law and good friends. One night, they get together to gossip and drink wine. One thing leads to another, and the next morning finds them naked and in bed together. Will they ignore what happened or try to make some sense of it?
STAYING IN (about 3,200 words): Becky Wilson decides one day she’s not leaving her condo again. Her unusual choice brings her backlash—and much more.
TOMMIE (about 4,300 words): Claire has a secret—her first love, Tommie, who died of leukemia twenty years ago, has been reincarnated. Kendall Paulson is nineteen years old, almost twenty, and has no idea who Tommie was. What Kendall does know, however, is that she likes Claire a lot. A heck of a lot. Is Kendall really Tommie? Either way, what does it mean for both women?
a short novel and three short stories. It totals about 51,000 words. Blurbs are below, and you can read excerpts of all the stories here (link opens a .pdf file).
In other news, I have a Smashwords author interview. Read it here.
Purchase info
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FWG9PSKSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/367463Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-green-pill-one-hour-and-other-lesbian-stories-q-kelly/1117138735?Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-green-pill-one-hour-and-other-lesbian-stories
THE GREEN PILL (about 14,000 words): The year is 2022. A green pill has been developed that cures breast cancer, but in the huge majority of cases, a side effect reverses sexuality. Basically, straight people turn gay, and gay people turn straight. Marcia Brandon, whose marriage to Jim has faded into monotony, keeps waiting for her side effect to kick in, but it never seems to. Marcia is dismayed; she’d counted on the side effect to shake up her life. On the other hand is Byrony Russell, who hasn’t told her husband, Griffin, that she experienced the green pill’s most notorious side effect. She keeps hoping an antidote will hit the shelves, and she can have her idyllic, heterosexual life with Griffin back. Marcia and Byrony meet at a support group and become friends. And eventually, perhaps more.
ONE HOUR (about 24,500 words): English teacher Jessica Harmon and one of her students, seventeen-year-old Riley Jenkins, hide in a classroom closet while a gunman rampages through their high school. They’re the only people in the room because it was Jessica’s planning period, and Riley stopped by with concerns about a debate assignment. When the gunman finds them in the closet, they figure they’re as good as dead. Except Jessica and Riley survive, without injury, their harrowing, surreal conversation with the gunman.
Their shared trauma and their guilt from failing to stop the gunman haunt Jessica and Riley and bring them close. They’re not the same people they were before the shootings, and Jessica, who never had given as much as a second glance to a student, finds herself drawn to Riley.
“One Hour” is the story of how Jessica and Riley help each other through their unique situation. Do they ultimately find happiness and a future with each other?
THE NIGHT THEY DRANK WINE (about 5,000 words): Mallory and Vanessa are sisters-in-law and good friends. One night, they get together to gossip and drink wine. One thing leads to another, and the next morning finds them naked and in bed together. Will they ignore what happened or try to make some sense of it?
STAYING IN (about 3,200 words): Becky Wilson decides one day she’s not leaving her condo again. Her unusual choice brings her backlash—and much more.
TOMMIE (about 4,300 words): Claire has a secret—her first love, Tommie, who died of leukemia twenty years ago, has been reincarnated. Kendall Paulson is nineteen years old, almost twenty, and has no idea who Tommie was. What Kendall does know, however, is that she likes Claire a lot. A heck of a lot. Is Kendall really Tommie? Either way, what does it mean for both women?
August 13, 2013
"Woman Unleashed" Is Released!
Howdy! I'm excited to announce the release of my newest novella, "Woman Unleashed." It's psychological suspense/lesbian romance and is a bit different from other stories I've written. It runs about 28,500 words.
Here's the blurb:
Sixty-year-old Melody Thomas has a perfect life—or does she? Melody runs a fairly successful chain of superstores, and she and her husband have two incredible children, a daughter and a son. Melody has long come to terms with the fact that her life, her marriage, her everything, will lack passion.
Then her daughter comes out as gay and soon after becomes engaged to a photographer named Joy. Joy may be Melody’s undoing. From their first meeting, Joy consumes Melody’s mind, her body, her soul, her spirit. They embark on an affair, and Melody has never felt more alive. She thinks she and Joy fill each other’s emptiness, but she is wrong, quite wrong—and she is about to find out what exactly she is capable of.
Buying information:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EI4GRNS
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/346753
Barnes and Noble: still processing, will update when novella is on sale in the Nook store
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/woman-unleashed-1
Here's the blurb:
Sixty-year-old Melody Thomas has a perfect life—or does she? Melody runs a fairly successful chain of superstores, and she and her husband have two incredible children, a daughter and a son. Melody has long come to terms with the fact that her life, her marriage, her everything, will lack passion.
Then her daughter comes out as gay and soon after becomes engaged to a photographer named Joy. Joy may be Melody’s undoing. From their first meeting, Joy consumes Melody’s mind, her body, her soul, her spirit. They embark on an affair, and Melody has never felt more alive. She thinks she and Joy fill each other’s emptiness, but she is wrong, quite wrong—and she is about to find out what exactly she is capable of.
Buying information:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EI4GRNS
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/346753
Barnes and Noble: still processing, will update when novella is on sale in the Nook store
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/woman-unleashed-1
August 5, 2013
When I Lost My Virginity...
Been a while since I blogged! Eeek. Just been busy, I guess, and this post will be short and sweet. I have an interview up on Where Writers and Authors Meet. I weigh on on a wide variety of questions that have to do with writing, self-publishing, losing my virginity, grumpiness, unruly kids and much more! Check it out here.
Also, last month, I guest blogged about my newest novel, "Reality Lesbian," on Patty G. Henderson's website. Read that guest blog here.
Also, last month, I guest blogged about my newest novel, "Reality Lesbian," on Patty G. Henderson's website. Read that guest blog here.
June 28, 2013
Excerpt from Jove Belle's "Love & Devotion"
Howdy, folks! Today, y'all get to read an excerpt from Jove Belle's newest book, Love & Devotion. But wait! There's a giveaway, too--with fantastic prizes. Here they are:
• 5 e-copies of Love & Devotion by Jove Belle
• 1 signed paperback copy of Edge of Darkness by Jove Belle
• 1 signed paperback copy of Split the Aces by Jove Belle
• 1 signed paperback copy of Indelible by Jove Belle
• 1 set of 4 wine charms (heart)
• 1 set of 4 wine charms (cowboy boot)
Note: The eBooks are open internationally; everything else is U.S. only. To enter, click on the Rafflecopter link. You'll then have a set of options. Click on all the options to increase your chances of winning.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
All righty then! On to the excerpt.
Over Easy was over-full when KC finally arrived, fifteen minutes late and without her makeup. Maybe Trina wasn’t totally exaggerating when she complained about how much time Buddy took up. To be fair, though, Lonnie’s phone call and Emma’s departure had distracted her.
“About damn time.” Kendall thrust a menu into KC’s hand before she could even sit down. She dropped the menu onto her plate to keep from dropping Buddy on the floor. Kendall expected KC to be able to juggle children and the rest of life with the same proficiency of Lady Madonna. After all, Kendall balanced a marriage, three kids, and a law practice without breaking a sweat. The least KC could do was show up to breakfast on time prepared to order. “You look like shit.”
KC settled Buddy in his high chair and gave Trina, then Kendall a kiss on the cheek. “If this is how you’re going to treat me, I’m going to start inviting Mama. Then you won’t be able to get away with swearing at me in public.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t look like shit if Mama were here?” Kendall was a litigator. KC had yet to win an argument with her.
A glass of water and orange juice waited in KC’s place at the table. She drank half the water in one go. “I love whoever ordered this.”
Kendall smirked.
“Did you order my breakfast, too?”
“No. And here comes Roxy, so stop talking and start deciding.”
“Hey, girls. You ready?” Roxy held her order pad like a weapon, ready to discharge at a moment’s notice.
“I’ll just have toast. And an egg for Buddy. Scrambled.” Trina handed the menu to Roxy without opening it.
“Jesus, Trina, you’re supposed to be eating for two,” Kendall said.
Trina glared.
“Rox, give me the ranch breakfast. Eggs over hard, bacon, and can you put some gravy over the hash browns?”
“Toast or pancake?”
“Pancake.” KC had a craving left over from Emma’s breakfast.
Roxy nodded and turned toward Kendall.
“Sheesh, KC, you picking up the slack for Trina?” Kendal sipped her coffee. “Can I get the fruit platter?”
KC and Trina regarded one another, then turned toward Kendall.
“What? My suit was a little tight this morning. Too many Sunday dinners with Mama.”
The sisters nodded and Buddy banged his spoon against the table.
KC segued. “Speaking of…I won’t be there this coming Sunday. Don’t let me forget to tell Mama and Daddy.” Not that KC planned to see either of her sisters again before then.
“Why not?” Trina took the spoon from Buddy and gave him a package of saltines.
“He had some Cheerios this morning,” KC said.
Buddy chewed on the cellophane wrapper until Trina took the crackers away and gave him the spoon again. He blew bubble kisses against the back of it.
“I swear,” Trina wiped his face with a napkin, “he’s like a tiny little spit factory.”
“What about words? His mouth produced any of those yet?” Kendall asked.
“No. And Jackson is getting impatient.” Trina’s shoulders stiffened, and she took the spoon and set it just beyond Buddy’s reach. “He wants me to take him to a specialist.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Kendall spoke in her lawyer voice. Good luck to Jackson if he ever mentioned that plan in front of the family protector. “He’s only two.”
“Besides, he said a word this morning.” KC hadn’t intended to bring it up. Trina wasn’t likely to be impressed when she heard about her son’s near-death experience involving KC’s bedroom furniture.
Trina stared at KC, her mouth open slightly. “What? What did he say?”
“He said wow,” KC answered, still not sure she should be volunteering the information.
“When was that?” Trina didn’t look convinced.
KC smoothed Buddy’s hair. “Oh, you know,” she gestured vaguely, “this morning.”
“I don’t know why Jackson is worried about it.” Kendall took up the conversation. As the oldest sister, she also had the most experience raising children. “Melissa started talking before she turned two, but Emily had barely started when Winston was born.” Emily was three when her baby brother was born. The family joked that she started talking specifically so she could welcome Winston to the family.
“I told Jackson that, but he isn’t satisfied.” Trina paused, her brows drawn together in a thoughtful frown. “And I’m sorry, KC, but one word uttered out of earshot won’t help. If Jackson didn’t hear it, it didn’t happen.”
Kendall shook her head. “That man is a fool.”
Trina didn’t respond to Kendall’s disparaging remark. Instead she asked, “Why won’t you be there Sunday?” It was an impressive redirect of topic.
“I’m going to Austin with Emma. She’s taking a job there.”
“Well, give her my congratulations next time you see her. I’ll have my assistant drop a card in the mail,” Kendall said.
“Doing what?” Trina had dark circles under her eyes, and KC wondered if Kendall had told her she looked like shit, too. Trina had managed makeup, so Kendall probably gave her a pass.
“What’s up with the full face, Trina?” KC made a sweeping circular motion in front of her own face.
“Oh.” Trina touched her fingers to her cheekbone and winced. “I haven’t been sleeping well. Foundation and cover-up are required before I venture into public.”
Kendall stared at Trina a beat longer than normally considered polite, her head tilted to the side in contemplation. Finally she sipped her coffee and turned toward KC. “What was the job offer?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Something at an affiliate news channel.” Emma had studied journalism in college. She had designs on production. The details were more than KC could keep up with, but that was true of any career outside of teaching.
“Fabulous news.” Trina didn’t sound excited, just tired.
“You know, I can keep Buddy for the day. He and I get along just fine.” Lonnie would absolutely kill her if she canceled this afternoon, especially after turning her down this morning. But what kind of sister would she be if she didn’t at least offer to help?
“If you’re feeling lonely, little sister, you can take my three any time you want. Mel gets out of school at two forty-five, and you can pick up the other two from daycare right now if you’d like.”
Roxy delivered their food. She’d been waiting tables at Over Easy since her parents opened the restaurant when she was twelve and knew how to do her job without being intrusive.
“Thanks, KC, but Buddy has a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. He can’t miss it.” Trina set the egg in front of Buddy and helped him grip the spoon the right way.
“I can pick him up afterward.” KC stirred the gravy into her hash browns. If she was going to say to hell with her waistline this early in the morning, she wanted to be able to taste her extravagance in every bite.
“He’s getting his two-year-old vaccinations. You won’t want him.”
Kendall snagged a piece of bacon from KC’s plate. “It’ll be good for her. Let her take him.”
“Your fruit’s not going to help if you eat your fill off my plate.” KC buttered her pancake and then spread blackberry jam over the top.
“Just you wait.” Kendall speared a chunk of melon and jabbed it in KC’s direction. “Eventually you’re going to have a baby or turn thirty. Then we’ll see how much you’re laughing.”
“Fat chance she’s going to have a baby.” Trina nibbled her toast.
“And why is that?” KC bordered on scandalized. Trina avoided all talk of KC’s sex life like it was a plague of flying locusts. “Being a lesbian doesn’t render me incapable of reproducing.”
Trina shook her head and kept eating her toast. She didn’t comment further.
Kendall took up the challenge. “Biology 101. Makin’ babies requires sperm.”
Trina nodded. Kendall smirked. Buddy threw a fistful of eggs. KC rolled her eyes. “They sell that stuff. Hell, I can order it off the Internet and have it delivered straight to my door.”
“Really?” Trina’s eyebrows just about climbed off her head.
“Pssshh.” Kendall was not impressed. “You can get it delivered straight to your vagina for free if you do it the old-fashioned way.”
“Yuck.” KC set her fork down. “You’re going to ruin my appetite.”
“I call dibs on your bacon.” Kendall stole the remaining piece.
“You want babies, KC?” Trina asked quietly.
“Of course.” KC hadn’t really thought about it. At some point she’d have a family of her own. It was just the order of things. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Trina shrugged and gave her half-eaten piece of toast to Buddy.
“Really?” Kendall looked like she wanted to say more. KC prayed she wouldn’t.
“Really.” KC tucked into her hash browns before Kendall could target them next. Silence was her best option with the direction the conversation had turned, and keeping her mouth otherwise occupied was the best way to stay quiet.
She tried to picture her future with Lonnie. If she focused on imaginative sex, Lonnie worked fine. The second her musing switched to anything that spoke of longevity in a relationship, Lonnie disappeared from the scenario. Emma hovered in her mind, but she wouldn’t fool herself into thinking her relationship with Emma equaled anything more than friendship. They had no future together. KC put away her uncertainty and focused on the day ahead. She might not know her path to contentment, but she didn't expect to find it over breakfast either. She sighed and took another bite of her breakfast.
END OF EXCERPT
What Love & Devotion is about
KC Hall loves her family, her small East Texas town, and her best friend, Emma Reynolds. All of that takes a backseat when her lover beckons. Lonnie is blond, beautiful, and willing. She’s also married and a lifelong friend of KC’s mama.
KC knows the affair is a bad idea, but she just can’t help herself. When presented with the lush landscape of Lonnie’s body, KC subscribes to the philosophy of “orgasm first, think later.” Unfortunately, a secret that big is impossible to keep in a close-knit community where everybody knows everybody else’s business. The scandal would hurt her entire family.
Emma is KC’s exception, the one woman she loves enough to not have sex with. When Emma confesses that she’s loved KC since high school, KC is terrified. One wrong move and she could lose Emma completely.
Is she willing to let her family pay the price for her good time? Or will she turn to Emma to discover the true meaning of love and devotion?
Find Jove online:
Goodreads
Website
Jove's bio
Jove Belle was born and raised against a backdrop of orchards and potato fields. The youngest of four children, she was raised in a conservative, Christian home and began asking why at a very young age, much to the consternation of her mother and grandmother. At the customary age of eighteen, she fled southern Idaho in pursuit of broader minds and fewer traffic jams involving the local livestock. The road didn’t end in Portland, Oregon, but there were many confusing freeway interchanges that a girl from the sticks was ill-prepared to deal with. As a result, she has lived in the Portland metro area for over fifteen years and still can’t figure out how she manages to spend so much time in traffic when there’s not a stray sheep or cow in sight.
She lives with her partner of twelve years. Between them they share three children, two dogs, two cats, two mortgage payments, one sedan, and one requisite dyke pickup truck. One day she hopes to live in a house that doesn’t generate a never ending honey-do list.
Incidentally, she never stopped asking why, but did expand her arsenal of questions to include who, what, when, where and, most important of all, how. In those questions, a story is born.
June 14, 2013
"Reality Lesbian" Is Out!
Hi everyone! My newest novel, "Reality Lesbian," is out. It is about 66,500 words.
Here's the blurb: Lucy Marshall can’t believe it when her gay best friend, Henry, tells her that he applied for her to be on a lesbian dating show. First of all, she’s straight. Second of all, she’s straight. (And third of all, she’s straight!) When the show expresses interest in casting Lucy, Henry urges her to shove aside her guilt and misgivings. She needs the vacation. She needs the job connections. No one goes on reality TV to find true love, so what is the harm if she pretends to be gay?
Dr. Zara Winters is the lead on “Will You Marry Me?” She’s dark, brooding and sexy as hell. Their immediate and intense attraction brings out Lucy’s competitive nature, and she questions everything she thought she knew about herself. Can Lucy tell Zara the truth? How will Zara react? What about Zara’s connections with the other contestants, who include a gorgeous international model and a hot twenty-three-year-old with whom Zara has obvious physical attraction?
Tune in to your e-reader to find out!
Purchasing links
Kindle
Smashwords
Nook
Kobo
Click here for the first two chapters (link to .pdf excerpt). Happy reading!
Here's the blurb: Lucy Marshall can’t believe it when her gay best friend, Henry, tells her that he applied for her to be on a lesbian dating show. First of all, she’s straight. Second of all, she’s straight. (And third of all, she’s straight!) When the show expresses interest in casting Lucy, Henry urges her to shove aside her guilt and misgivings. She needs the vacation. She needs the job connections. No one goes on reality TV to find true love, so what is the harm if she pretends to be gay?
Dr. Zara Winters is the lead on “Will You Marry Me?” She’s dark, brooding and sexy as hell. Their immediate and intense attraction brings out Lucy’s competitive nature, and she questions everything she thought she knew about herself. Can Lucy tell Zara the truth? How will Zara react? What about Zara’s connections with the other contestants, who include a gorgeous international model and a hot twenty-three-year-old with whom Zara has obvious physical attraction?
Tune in to your e-reader to find out!
Purchasing links
Kindle
Smashwords
Nook
Kobo
Click here for the first two chapters (link to .pdf excerpt). Happy reading!
May 8, 2013
Ebooks Special at $2.99
Hi everyone,
I am running an ebooks special on my novels this week. They're priced at only $2.99. (This price may take a day or so to filter down to Apple and some other ebook stores I distribute to through Smashwords.)
You can find the books here:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6glbcjzBarnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/5sx4ngr
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/658grho
The books are also available at Kobo, Apple, Sony and most any major ebook store. (Note: "Waiting" is available only at Amazon for now. That will change next month.) All of my works are DRM-free.
Blurbs here: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/my-books.html
People often ask me which of my novels they should start with. Good question, and the answer really depends on a lot of factors. Generally speaking, though, if you like series, I have three books in the "Strange Bedfellows" series ("Strange Bedfellows," "Three's a Crowd," and "Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story"). "Third" may be good if you like historical fic and/or sci-fi. It's also a Lammy and GCLS finalist--if you put stock into awards. "The Odd Couple," "Waiting" and "Strange Bedfellows" also won/finaled for GCLS or Rainbow Awards.
List of novels on sale:
"Strange Bedfellows" (Book 1 of series)
"Three's a Crowd" (Book 2 of series)"Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" (Book 3 of series)
"Waiting"
"All in the Family"
"Third"
"The Odd Couple"
"Switch"
I am running an ebooks special on my novels this week. They're priced at only $2.99. (This price may take a day or so to filter down to Apple and some other ebook stores I distribute to through Smashwords.)
You can find the books here:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6glbcjzBarnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/5sx4ngr
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/658grho
The books are also available at Kobo, Apple, Sony and most any major ebook store. (Note: "Waiting" is available only at Amazon for now. That will change next month.) All of my works are DRM-free.
Blurbs here: http://www.qkellybooks.com/p/my-books.html
People often ask me which of my novels they should start with. Good question, and the answer really depends on a lot of factors. Generally speaking, though, if you like series, I have three books in the "Strange Bedfellows" series ("Strange Bedfellows," "Three's a Crowd," and "Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story"). "Third" may be good if you like historical fic and/or sci-fi. It's also a Lammy and GCLS finalist--if you put stock into awards. "The Odd Couple," "Waiting" and "Strange Bedfellows" also won/finaled for GCLS or Rainbow Awards.
List of novels on sale:
"Strange Bedfellows" (Book 1 of series)
"Three's a Crowd" (Book 2 of series)"Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" (Book 3 of series)
"Waiting"
"All in the Family"
"Third"
"The Odd Couple"
"Switch"
April 14, 2013
HOW to Avoid Reading Reviews of Your Own Works
I wrote here about not reading reviews of my own works anymore, and it's turned out to be my most popular blog post. It's also gotten me a few emails from other authors who say they plan to not read reviews anymore.
This blog post will deal with the "how" aspect--HOW not to read reviews. I thought all I'd have to do was stay away from my books on Amazon and similar sites, and in the case of Yahoo groups I belong to, if anyone posts a review of one of my books, just simply not click on that message.
Guess what? That isn't enough. Turns out that friends and fans are in a way, the trickiest aspect of this. I'll explain, starting with the friends/fans angle.
HOW TO AVOID READING REVIEWS OF YOUR OWN WORK:
1) Make sure that friends and fans who email and talk with you a lot are aware of your plan--AND tell them specifically that if they read bad reviews of your work, you don't want to hear about it. The thing is, ALL of the reviews I've heard about came from friends or fans who wrote me to complain along the lines of: "I just read this review of your book XXX. This reviewer is so off base and doesn't know what he/she is talking about. She actually said ABC XZY."
Okay, technically, that isn't reading the review, but the principle (for me, anyway) is that I don't want to hear about reviews that don't offer any constructive criticism or whatnot. The first couple of times this happened, just the fact knowing some of my books had these apparently terrible reviews was enough to make me gloomy a few days. That was exactly the mood I was trying to avoid by not reading reviews.
So, you tell your friends and fans what's up. Also say that if they read a review they don't agree with, they can best help not by emailing you and letting you know, but by leaving a comment on the review explaining any points of contention and/or clicking "No" on "Is this helpful?"
2) Plan ahead. Get your book links stored in a central place and don't lose them. That way, you won't need them later. A few times, I didn't have links for books and had to go to Amazon to get the link again. In these cases, I was able to copy and paste the link before the page loaded, but this won't always happen. (Have a paper to block the screen!) What I do after a book is on sale, on whatever site--Amazon, BN, Kobo, Smashwords, CreateSpace, whatever--is copy and paste the link and put it in a file. There, I have the link if I need it. Not necessary to revisit the product page.
3) Author Central--yeah, this one kind of blows. Author Central is necessary to make sure all your books are grouped under the right author name. There's pretty much no way to log into Author Central (an Amazon property) without seeing aggregate star reviews. Again, this isn't reading reviews per se, but it's the principle of seeing a rating (IMO, that's a basic review in itself). What I've done since I decided to stop reading reviews is just not going to Author Central anymore. I'm taking the risk that my more recent books aren't linked to the older books. I can only hope that the Amazon computer (as it often does) is able to make the link itself eventually.
One way around this is to have someone else (spouse, friend, etc.) do the adding, but the site may be difficult to navigate for people who don't know it.
4) Goodreads. This goes back to #2 and having a link for your book. I like to have my Goodreads link, so what I do once a book is for sale is manually add it to Goodreads, copy and paste the Goodreads link, put it with the sale websites and make the announcements on a few Goodreads clubs that my book is available. Hopefully I won't ever need to return to that book's Goodreads page. This, of course, also necessitates never visiting your author dashboard, changing your author profile pic, etc. Too bad sites don't give authors an option like: "Don't show reviews and ratings!" ;-)
5) Cut down on your browsing for books in your genre (or eliminate such browsing). My #1 inadvertent way of seeing star ratings of my own books has been when I'm looking at a lesfic book in my genre, and one (or more) of my works is under "Also bought." You CAN position the page so that only the top half of these "Also bought" covers shows, but that takes some time and conscious effort to do. You're in trouble if you click on the sample because then in the right-hand column, there are "Also boughts" with the star ratings, and some of these books may be yours.
As a consequence of this, I've become much more careful about browsing lesbian books in general. When I do it, I am very aware of other titles' placements on the page. I always scroll down slowly in case one of my books is there, and if it is, I never scroll far enough down to see the star rating.
6) Proceed with caution. For example, I recently dipped my toe into audiobooks. I'm using ACX to start with two of my short-story collections. One thing I had to do in the application process was enter the book's ASIN so the program could find it in the Amazon system. I had a paper over the computer screen for this (paper covered the estimated area where star ratings might show up). Turns out at this point, you don't see the star ratings (YAY!). This made me happy, so I thought: "I'm home free from now on."
Nope. On the very last step of the application, the aggregate star ratings do show up. Fortunately, for the two collections I was setting up, the star ratings were high (4.7 of 5 and 4.3 of 5). So now I know the approximate place where I need to hold up a paper to block my view on this last step OR pull my wife in to handle that last step so I don't see anything.
Yeah, companies don't make this easy, do they? ;-) But with some time and tenacity, you can figure out little tricks such as these to avoid reading reviews of your own works. It's way been worth it in my case. My mental health has been so much better.
Happy reading and happy reviews (I hope!). :-)
This blog post will deal with the "how" aspect--HOW not to read reviews. I thought all I'd have to do was stay away from my books on Amazon and similar sites, and in the case of Yahoo groups I belong to, if anyone posts a review of one of my books, just simply not click on that message.
Guess what? That isn't enough. Turns out that friends and fans are in a way, the trickiest aspect of this. I'll explain, starting with the friends/fans angle.
HOW TO AVOID READING REVIEWS OF YOUR OWN WORK:
1) Make sure that friends and fans who email and talk with you a lot are aware of your plan--AND tell them specifically that if they read bad reviews of your work, you don't want to hear about it. The thing is, ALL of the reviews I've heard about came from friends or fans who wrote me to complain along the lines of: "I just read this review of your book XXX. This reviewer is so off base and doesn't know what he/she is talking about. She actually said ABC XZY."
Okay, technically, that isn't reading the review, but the principle (for me, anyway) is that I don't want to hear about reviews that don't offer any constructive criticism or whatnot. The first couple of times this happened, just the fact knowing some of my books had these apparently terrible reviews was enough to make me gloomy a few days. That was exactly the mood I was trying to avoid by not reading reviews.
So, you tell your friends and fans what's up. Also say that if they read a review they don't agree with, they can best help not by emailing you and letting you know, but by leaving a comment on the review explaining any points of contention and/or clicking "No" on "Is this helpful?"
2) Plan ahead. Get your book links stored in a central place and don't lose them. That way, you won't need them later. A few times, I didn't have links for books and had to go to Amazon to get the link again. In these cases, I was able to copy and paste the link before the page loaded, but this won't always happen. (Have a paper to block the screen!) What I do after a book is on sale, on whatever site--Amazon, BN, Kobo, Smashwords, CreateSpace, whatever--is copy and paste the link and put it in a file. There, I have the link if I need it. Not necessary to revisit the product page.
3) Author Central--yeah, this one kind of blows. Author Central is necessary to make sure all your books are grouped under the right author name. There's pretty much no way to log into Author Central (an Amazon property) without seeing aggregate star reviews. Again, this isn't reading reviews per se, but it's the principle of seeing a rating (IMO, that's a basic review in itself). What I've done since I decided to stop reading reviews is just not going to Author Central anymore. I'm taking the risk that my more recent books aren't linked to the older books. I can only hope that the Amazon computer (as it often does) is able to make the link itself eventually.
One way around this is to have someone else (spouse, friend, etc.) do the adding, but the site may be difficult to navigate for people who don't know it.
4) Goodreads. This goes back to #2 and having a link for your book. I like to have my Goodreads link, so what I do once a book is for sale is manually add it to Goodreads, copy and paste the Goodreads link, put it with the sale websites and make the announcements on a few Goodreads clubs that my book is available. Hopefully I won't ever need to return to that book's Goodreads page. This, of course, also necessitates never visiting your author dashboard, changing your author profile pic, etc. Too bad sites don't give authors an option like: "Don't show reviews and ratings!" ;-)
5) Cut down on your browsing for books in your genre (or eliminate such browsing). My #1 inadvertent way of seeing star ratings of my own books has been when I'm looking at a lesfic book in my genre, and one (or more) of my works is under "Also bought." You CAN position the page so that only the top half of these "Also bought" covers shows, but that takes some time and conscious effort to do. You're in trouble if you click on the sample because then in the right-hand column, there are "Also boughts" with the star ratings, and some of these books may be yours.
As a consequence of this, I've become much more careful about browsing lesbian books in general. When I do it, I am very aware of other titles' placements on the page. I always scroll down slowly in case one of my books is there, and if it is, I never scroll far enough down to see the star rating.
6) Proceed with caution. For example, I recently dipped my toe into audiobooks. I'm using ACX to start with two of my short-story collections. One thing I had to do in the application process was enter the book's ASIN so the program could find it in the Amazon system. I had a paper over the computer screen for this (paper covered the estimated area where star ratings might show up). Turns out at this point, you don't see the star ratings (YAY!). This made me happy, so I thought: "I'm home free from now on."
Nope. On the very last step of the application, the aggregate star ratings do show up. Fortunately, for the two collections I was setting up, the star ratings were high (4.7 of 5 and 4.3 of 5). So now I know the approximate place where I need to hold up a paper to block my view on this last step OR pull my wife in to handle that last step so I don't see anything.
Yeah, companies don't make this easy, do they? ;-) But with some time and tenacity, you can figure out little tricks such as these to avoid reading reviews of your own works. It's way been worth it in my case. My mental health has been so much better.
Happy reading and happy reviews (I hope!). :-)
April 11, 2013
"Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" Is Out!
"Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" is out! So far, it's available through these channels:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBG208G
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305401
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/victorias-very-awkward-love-story-q-kelly/1046465647?ean=2940016778129
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Victorias-Very-Awkward-Love-Story/book-0J4e9xqibkmkq_-dPR9EJg/page1.html?s=UoFN0aoxM0qkRzc4PfRcsg&r=1
Print: (coming soon, check back here for availability)
Excerpt below. For a blurb, go here.
Chapter Eight
At four a.m., Felicianna pretended she had to pee. She creaked her bedroom door open, snuck a glance into the living room, saw nothing but dim shadows and Victoria under the blanket, and padded to the bathroom. She pulled her boxer shorts down and sat on the toilet.
She’d never quite gotten to sleep, and after the latest batch of sirens, she heard Victoria walking around. Checking out the fridge.
Well. No pee. No light-yellow stream. No piss.
“Come on,” Felicianna muttered, and finally, a trickle began. Grew stronger but didn’t last long. Felicianna wiped, pulled her shorts up and washed her hands. She was either one of the dumbest people alive or…well, one of the dumbest people alive. Why didn’t she just ask Victoria to get in bed with her? They both wanted it, and nothing sexual would happen. Victoria was right that no one had to know. Not Elena, not Frances, not Brenda. Felicianna and Victoria were consenting adults. What they did was their business. Wasn’t anyone else’s business.
Fine. Felicianna would do it. And regret it later, like she regretted most of the decisions she made in the wee hours of the a.m. During the day, her mind kept busy enough. Her body kept busy enough. At night, her body and her mind got so lonely they ached. At night, Felicianna relived the past until she wanted to scream.
She gargled her mouth with Listerine. Tiptoed to the doorway connecting the living room and the hall. “Victoria?” she whispered.
Silence.
More insistently: “Victoria?”
The figure under the blanket bolted upward. “Oh shit. Did I oversleep?”
“No, you’re good.” Felicianna edged a couple of steps into the living room. “I thought that if you couldn’t sleep, you could…you’re welcome to try the bed. For whatever little time before your alarm goes off.”
“With you?”
Felicianna swallowed. “If you want.”
“What…what time is it?”
“A little after four.” Felicianna didn’t let herself think or worry or agonize anymore. She simply went to the couch, sat and wrapped her arms around the woman she’d started falling in love with a few months ago.
END OF EXCERPT
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBG208GSmashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/305401
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/victorias-very-awkward-love-story-q-kelly/1046465647?ean=2940016778129
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Victorias-Very-Awkward-Love-Story/book-0J4e9xqibkmkq_-dPR9EJg/page1.html?s=UoFN0aoxM0qkRzc4PfRcsg&r=1
Print: (coming soon, check back here for availability)
Excerpt below. For a blurb, go here.
Chapter Eight
At four a.m., Felicianna pretended she had to pee. She creaked her bedroom door open, snuck a glance into the living room, saw nothing but dim shadows and Victoria under the blanket, and padded to the bathroom. She pulled her boxer shorts down and sat on the toilet.
She’d never quite gotten to sleep, and after the latest batch of sirens, she heard Victoria walking around. Checking out the fridge.
Well. No pee. No light-yellow stream. No piss.
“Come on,” Felicianna muttered, and finally, a trickle began. Grew stronger but didn’t last long. Felicianna wiped, pulled her shorts up and washed her hands. She was either one of the dumbest people alive or…well, one of the dumbest people alive. Why didn’t she just ask Victoria to get in bed with her? They both wanted it, and nothing sexual would happen. Victoria was right that no one had to know. Not Elena, not Frances, not Brenda. Felicianna and Victoria were consenting adults. What they did was their business. Wasn’t anyone else’s business.
Fine. Felicianna would do it. And regret it later, like she regretted most of the decisions she made in the wee hours of the a.m. During the day, her mind kept busy enough. Her body kept busy enough. At night, her body and her mind got so lonely they ached. At night, Felicianna relived the past until she wanted to scream.
She gargled her mouth with Listerine. Tiptoed to the doorway connecting the living room and the hall. “Victoria?” she whispered.
Silence.
More insistently: “Victoria?”
The figure under the blanket bolted upward. “Oh shit. Did I oversleep?”
“No, you’re good.” Felicianna edged a couple of steps into the living room. “I thought that if you couldn’t sleep, you could…you’re welcome to try the bed. For whatever little time before your alarm goes off.”
“With you?”
Felicianna swallowed. “If you want.”
“What…what time is it?”
“A little after four.” Felicianna didn’t let herself think or worry or agonize anymore. She simply went to the couch, sat and wrapped her arms around the woman she’d started falling in love with a few months ago.
END OF EXCERPT
April 7, 2013
Relationship (Self-Esteem?) Advice
Today, I am donning my therapist stethoscope. What's that, you say? Shrinks don't get to scope? Well, shoot. I'm gonna keep it on anyway because it makes me look all sexy and smart and professional. Besides, this truly is a matter of the heart.
Okay then. I know plenty of people who say stuff like this: "I'll never find a woman." "Why don't women like me?" "Why can't a woman treat me right?" "I'm so undesirable, stupid and fat." "No one wants me." Maybe you're one of these people, and if so, here's what you need to do. Basically, quit the pity party. Quit broadcasting in public how down you are on yourself. You ARE smart and gorgeous and desirable. Even if you don't think you are. You are. I promise.
Here's the thing. As long as you're so down on yourself, finding the "right" woman will be difficult. Why? Bottom line: if you can't treat yourself right, why should anyone else? Certain kinds of people are drawn to people with lower expectations of themselves, and that doesn't make for a tasty dish (though it can make for a dramatic dish). Saying in public that you suck is likely to turn off exactly the kind of person you probably are looking to attract.
So. Take a few days to whine about yourself, but try to save it for private occasions. And then! Then find stuff to like about yourself. There IS plenty to like. Trust me.
You still can't find anything to like? No problem. Fake it. Yep, that's right. Fake confidence. People are drawn to confident people. (Note: confidence is not arrogance. Arrogance is almost as much as a turn off as pity partiers.) Given enough fakery time, you may find that your confidence is turning into the real thing and that you're attracting a more-appropriate caliber of person.
You go, girl!
Okay then. I know plenty of people who say stuff like this: "I'll never find a woman." "Why don't women like me?" "Why can't a woman treat me right?" "I'm so undesirable, stupid and fat." "No one wants me." Maybe you're one of these people, and if so, here's what you need to do. Basically, quit the pity party. Quit broadcasting in public how down you are on yourself. You ARE smart and gorgeous and desirable. Even if you don't think you are. You are. I promise.
Here's the thing. As long as you're so down on yourself, finding the "right" woman will be difficult. Why? Bottom line: if you can't treat yourself right, why should anyone else? Certain kinds of people are drawn to people with lower expectations of themselves, and that doesn't make for a tasty dish (though it can make for a dramatic dish). Saying in public that you suck is likely to turn off exactly the kind of person you probably are looking to attract.
So. Take a few days to whine about yourself, but try to save it for private occasions. And then! Then find stuff to like about yourself. There IS plenty to like. Trust me.
You still can't find anything to like? No problem. Fake it. Yep, that's right. Fake confidence. People are drawn to confident people. (Note: confidence is not arrogance. Arrogance is almost as much as a turn off as pity partiers.) Given enough fakery time, you may find that your confidence is turning into the real thing and that you're attracting a more-appropriate caliber of person.
You go, girl!
April 1, 2013
More Sales Info
I did a post last month detailing my top five sellers for the month on Kindle U.S. and Kindle UK. Figured I'd do the same this month. Why not?
*****
Amazon U.S. -- March
1. THREE'S A CROWD -- Strange Bedfellows Book 2
2. LOVE'S SPELL
3. MISS LUCY PARKER AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
4. STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
5. WAITING
A few things to take from this. (Do check out my earlier post for further observations.) This list is pretty much the same as it was last month. Some place numbers changed and "The Girl Prince and Her Princess" dropped out (it would be tied for #6), but pretty much the same, yep. It's good to see what I am calling a "reverse effect" propelling some sales of "Strange Bedfellows." That is, books later in a series driving sales of earlier books in a series. I wonder if "Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" (Strange Bedfellows Book 3) will have the same effect.
Two other observations of books not in this top 5. "Third" was named a Lammy finalist, and its sales have more than doubled across all platforms. I also did a price drop on my novel "Switch" ($6.99 to $2.99 for "Read an Ebook Week"), and sales on "Switch" soared (across all platforms also). I'm heartened enough to keep it at $2.99 for the time being. It's making way more money at $2.99 than it was at $6.99.
*****
Amazon U.K. -- March
1. THE OLD WOMAN AND OTHER LESBIAN STORIES (by a large margin)
2. WAITING
3. (tie) LOVE'S SPELL
3. (tie) THREE'S A CROWD -- Strange Bedfellows Book 2
3. (tie) MISS LUCY PARKER AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
Not much to say here except that the months-long freebie effect "The Old Woman" had is still reaping benefits. (See earlier post for details.)
*****
Amazon U.S. -- March
1. THREE'S A CROWD -- Strange Bedfellows Book 2
2. LOVE'S SPELL
3. MISS LUCY PARKER AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
4. STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
5. WAITING
A few things to take from this. (Do check out my earlier post for further observations.) This list is pretty much the same as it was last month. Some place numbers changed and "The Girl Prince and Her Princess" dropped out (it would be tied for #6), but pretty much the same, yep. It's good to see what I am calling a "reverse effect" propelling some sales of "Strange Bedfellows." That is, books later in a series driving sales of earlier books in a series. I wonder if "Victoria's Very Awkward Love Story" (Strange Bedfellows Book 3) will have the same effect.
Two other observations of books not in this top 5. "Third" was named a Lammy finalist, and its sales have more than doubled across all platforms. I also did a price drop on my novel "Switch" ($6.99 to $2.99 for "Read an Ebook Week"), and sales on "Switch" soared (across all platforms also). I'm heartened enough to keep it at $2.99 for the time being. It's making way more money at $2.99 than it was at $6.99.
*****
Amazon U.K. -- March
1. THE OLD WOMAN AND OTHER LESBIAN STORIES (by a large margin)
2. WAITING
3. (tie) LOVE'S SPELL
3. (tie) THREE'S A CROWD -- Strange Bedfellows Book 2
3. (tie) MISS LUCY PARKER AND OTHER SHORT STORIES
Not much to say here except that the months-long freebie effect "The Old Woman" had is still reaping benefits. (See earlier post for details.)
