E.L. Johnson's Blog, page 2

Writing mini mysteries - an interview with S.E. Reed

I'm flattered to share that this month, my author friend S.E. Reed, the winner of my selfie contest, interviewed me on writing mini mysteries. 

via GIPHY

Check out this great interview!

Congratulations to S.E. Reed, winner of the selfie contest!!!

This past month, I ran a selfie contest for my newsletter subscribers. All they had to do was post a selfie on twitter or instagram of themselves holding up a copy of my book, The Strangled Servant, the first in the Perfect Poison series published by Dragonblade Publishing. This could be on ereader format or in paperback, but I wanted to see some selfies. 

I'm delighted to share that fellow author S.E. Reed has won the contest!

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Congratulations S.E. Reed! 

She will be a character in my next mini-mystery, be immortalised in print and have epic bragging rights. 

Thank you to everyone who participated. There will be more chances next year to win fun competitions like this.

Thanks all, and big congratulations to S.E. Reed!!!!

It's time for a Halloween Hop!

Fancy taking part in a giveaway? 

This is a Hop for readers to collect candy and hopefully follow/like some excellent new authors.  Below is a list of authors. Hop to each author site to "collect" your candy and have some Halloween fun! Hop to them all to enter for a chance to WIN a $150 GC!

Follow these four easy steps to enter the grand prize drawing:

1. Hop to each link (will be posted on 10/28/22), which will take you to a historical author’s FB page, web site, Amazon page, or Bookbub page. While you’re there please like, follow, or sign up for a newsletter if you wish to stay up to date on our new releases and author happenings.

2. Find the piece of candy the author has on their landing page.

3. Collect the name of the candy from each listed author, and e-mail the completed list of authors and their candies to Heather@HeatherMcCollum.com. Put Historical Romance Authors Are So Sweet in the subject line. The list must be turned in by 11:30 PM ET on October 31st.

4. One grand prize winner, of a $150 gift card, will be selected randomly from those who collected and turned in the list of authors and their candies. Heather McCollum will announce the winner on the event page and e-mail the winner. The winner must respond within 24 hours to claim the prize. Good luck!

If you're anything like me, you'll love the chills and thrills from the Halloween season. Each year I carve a pumpkin and light a candle inside to celebrate, and watch a scary movie whilst giving out candy to trick or treaters.

This year I can't decide what film to watch. Can you choose for me? Answer these horror film questions! What scary movie should I watch? * HalloweenHellraiserThe Evil DeadOtherThe ConjuringAmityville Horror If Other please specify: * What is your favourite scary movie? * ScreamNightmare on Elm Street28 Days LaterNight of the Living DeadDraculaThe MummyCreature from the Black Lagoon Submit
​Since I moved to the UK, I really enjoy eating Haribo sweets (like gummy bears but in fun fantastical shapes).  If you like fun mini mysteries to solve, or historical mysteries starring feisty heroines, why not sign up to my newsletter, or pick up one of my novels?

Follow these great authors for a chance to win!Alanna LucasAnna St. ClaireCaroline WarfieldDeb MarloweElizabeth LangstonElizabeth RoseEliza KnightGina ConkleHeather McCollumHildie McQueenJane CharlesJessica ClementsKatherine BoneKatherine GrantKathryn Le VequeLisa RayneLori Ann BaileyMaddison MichaelsMadeline MartinMichelle McLeanMK RobertNicole LockeRachel Ann SmithRuth A. CasieSamantha GraceSandra SookooTara KingstonTerri BrisbinTracy Sumner
Happy Halloween!​

It's contest time!

This month, I'm holding a contest for my readers!

All you have to do is pick up a copy of my book, The Strangled Servant, and snap a selfie of yourself holding it. This can be paperback or e-reader. Use the hashtag #StrangledServantSelfie and post it to twitter or instagram. 

I'll choose a winner and whoever wins, gets to be a character in my next mini-mystery! You could be a murder victim, the villain, a thief, a love interest or the sleuth. This could be a great gift idea for a friend or family member, so don't delay! Pick up your copy, snap that selfie and you could win! I'll be announcing the winner in November.

Any questions, just ask.

Cheers
​Erin

Author achievement unlocked!

So this week, I checked my book, The Strangled Servant, on Amazon and discovered... It's got 101 ratings. 

Over a hundred people have rated my book. Holy crap. 

I had no idea. Once my book was published I'd check the Amazon page frequently (which you're not supposed to do apparently) and I was shocked. 

I feel like if being an author (or authoring as I like to call it) was a video game then reaching 100 Amazon ratings would be an achievement I've unlocked. 

via GIPHY

I know it's not that big a deal (there are some authors with thousands upon thousands of ratings) but to me, this is huge. 

It feels like it validates me as an author. I've done it. I'm a real author. Like Pinocchio says 'I'm a real boy,' I feel like I'm a real author. It's great. For me this is big. It's a milestone in my writing career. 

So yeah. Small stuff in a big way. 

And if you haven't yet, pick up The Strangled Servant. I'd say it's worth a read. 

Cheers
ELJ

Feature in the Metro!

I was lucky earlier this year to be mentioned in a list of authors on how to create the perfect writing environment. Read on for how I do it! Check out my entry below!  Click on the images to read more, or go here for the full article. How do you create the perfect writing environment? Drop you tips in the comments, I'd love to see.

Cheers

​ELJohnson

Backing the Bluegrass is now available for preorder!

Since December 2021, Kentucky has been devastated by many weather events that are considered once in a lifetime. Most recently, the floods in Eastern Kentucky have crippled the Bluegrass.

There is help coming from FEMA, as well as the state, but we know as authors we can help, too. I've joined over thirty authors in a charity anthology to help the victims recover. Many of them have lost everything they own, and it will be difficult getting their lives back again. 

Backing the Bluegrass features a collection of extended scenes/short stories from over thirty authors with the characters you love. I will be writing A Distillery to die for!

As a reader, you may notice that this is a Payhip preorder, and you may not be familiar with them. No problem! See below for answers to your questions.

What is a Payhip preorder?
It's the same as any other vendor (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Google Play), with one exception. The money comes out WHEN you preorder.

When will my book be delivered?
Books will be live August 31st at 8AM CST (US TIME)

How will my book be delivered?
Through Bookfunnel. If you've never used Bookfunnel, it's super easy. You can read through their app, on your computer, or on any device you so choose.

What happens if I have issues with downloading the book?
In your email from Bookfunnel, there is FAQ link, as well as a support link from Bookfunnel themselves. They will handle all support - all you have to do is reach out to them. There will be very clear instructions in the email.

Why are you doing it this way? Why not use a vendor?
We're doing this to get the money in the hands of the people who need it ASAP. Vendors keep authors money for 30-60 days, and the need for Kentucky is immediate.

Thank you so much for your support!

Preorder here https://payhip.com/b/Ogt1Q

I have a new author logo!

​I am delighted to share that I have a new author logo! I feel like a teenager who's taking those first steps toward becoming an adult, except for me it's a step toward becoming a proper professional author.

My good friend Rachel Ann Smith recommended Anna at The Cover Fling, and I wasn't disappointed. More like blown away at her immense talent. After filling out a detailed questionaire and choosing from some designs, we finessed and polished a design that met my vision and the result is simply stunning. It's like creating your own personal coat of arms. I'm in love with the design.

Authors, if you're after a personal branding kit, go visit The Cover Fling!

Readers, look at how beautiful this logo is. I'm going to share a fun activity relating to it soon!

Cheers
​ELJ

I tweeted and it was good? AKA How a tweet boosted my mental health as a writer

It's Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK! 

This seemed like an appropriate time to talk about mental health as a writer. For a lot of us, writing is a lonely business, and the entire process can be really isolating. I've met full-time authors who are exceptionally talented but can face total isolation and have to work hard not to be overwhelmed by it.

Earlier this year, I was feeling low, but by reaching out to others, I felt lots of love from the writing community and felt so appreciated and like I wasn't alone, it helped me mentally and made me want to do the same for others. So here's my story. 

So the week before my historical mystery novel, The Strangled Servant came out, I was feeling low. 
I'd peeked onto a ARC (advance reader copy) review website and noticed that my novel had a review!

A one star review.

I was crushed. The review pointed out an error in my work, something that had been missed in the line editing. What if this started a snowball effect that led to a bunch of other negative reviews, led to no book sales and people hating my work as an author? 

I worked with my publisher to iron out the kink, fixed it, and sat back, working on the edits for my next novel in the series. But was still feeling low. All week I was asking myself, have I written a bad book? Am I a terrible writer? 

My friends and writing buddies tried to boost my self confidence but seeing those stark words on the page really got to me. 

So feeling low, I tweeted the advice I needed to hear. The Twitter #WritingCommunity is full of like-minded individuals who like me, are sometimes struggling to write, revise, polish, plot, kill the darlings, save the MCs, and just generally write.  I wasn't sure if anyone would notice but this was my tweet:
​Within seconds it got some love, and I was chuffed. I think it resonated with some authors who were struggling too and needed to hear it. So when I logged on the following morning and saw people were engaging and chatting with me, my heart soared. 

I've never felt so connected to a community online before and it's great. I connected with other writers, chatted about the writing process, and even made a book sale! This was a great boost to my mental health, just knowing there's other writers out there who struggle. It made all the difference.

And when I peeked at the reviews again, they weren't all bad. So that was a relief as well. Just goes to show you can't please everyone and you won't with your writing. Just write. Believe in your characters, your plots, your red herrings and subtle details. They're art and best of all, they're your art. 

Most of all, you're not alone. That was the best boost I got that week.  

Cheers
ELJ

Interview with J.J. Barnes and The Table Read

Last month, I was lucky enough to chat with J.J. Barnes and The Table Read, about my historical mystery novel, The Strangled Servant. 
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In it we talk about villains, inciting incidents, pantsing versus plotting, and social pressures in early 19th-century England. Have a read!