Tori Ross's Blog, page 6

How to Help Indie Authors Without Spending a Nickel

Indie authors put a lot of work into the books you love to read on Amazon and other places. But what happens if you’re strapped on cash? Times are tough, and you can’t support your favorite authors without spending money, right?

Here are some ways to support your favorite author and even read some books in the process.

#1- Sign up for their newsletter. Sure, this is my blog that some of you have subscribed to, but I also have a newsletter. My newsletter (and that of other authors) is a goldmine of info. In fact, I give my newsletter subscribers links to all kinds of free stuff. There’s at least one free book from another author and a freebie or sale book from me in every newsletter. Click here to join mine, and look up your favorite author to catch theirs.

#2- Recommend a purchase to your local library. Do you read on the Libby app or with Hoopla through your library? If an author is widely distributed (not in KU) you can request their book at your library. Even if they are in Kindle Unlimited and can’t have eBooks anywhere else, you can request a paperback purchase to your library. Go to your library’s website and search for a suggest purchase link. Most libraries have one. You’ll need the book’s ISBN number from the paperback or hardback version. (Not the ASIN.) No purchase link for your library? Give them a call. Librarians like to talk about books.

#3- Recommend a book you like to your friends. This goes without saying. The best way for an indie author to get their name out is word of mouth. We can run Facebook ads until we’re blue in the face, but we sell way more books if kinky Ruth from your Bible study recommends our books on the downlow. Don’t pretend you don’t all have a Ruth in your life. I know some of you ARE the Ruth. Don’t be shy.

#4- Vote for our books in Goodreads lists. Looking forward to an upcoming book? Did you know Goodreads has lists that can help author books be seen? Here’s one for All I Wank for Christmas this year. Click to give your favorite books a vote or add them to a list!

#5- Follow us on social media and share our book posts. This may seem like a no-brainer, but the more followers we have, the more popular we look. We also don’t want fake followers like User48765739. We want real followers that like and share our stuff. I swear that I’ve sold more books from people sharing my posts on THEIR social media than I have from some promo newsletters I do.

#6- Click on our links on social media, newsletters, and blogs. Why? Many of us do something called group promos. I use Bookfunnel group promos where I combine forces with other authors and promote ALL our work. Why should you click these? Well, because sites like Bookfunnel track how many clicks we get. The higher our click average, the more other authors want to play with us in the sandbox and do newsletter swaps or promos. It’s actually really helpful.

#7- Sign up for an ARC. ARCs are advanced reader copies. We need reviews when we release a book, and most authors send out ARCs to readers so that we can have some HONEST reviews when we drop a book. Bonus to you: You get to read our new book absolutely free. (Don’t ever trust an author that makes you pay for an ARC.) Just make sure you leave a review somewhere for the author. (Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub….dealer’s choice. I appreciate all reviews.) Places to get an ARC? You can follow your fave author on social media and click their link in bio. Most of us have info there. You can also join sites like NetGalley and Booksprout for free!

#8 – Actually leave a review, even if you didn’t read an ARC! This goes with #7, but leaving a review on any book is helpful. The algorithm likes reviews, even if they are 3 star or something lower. Why would anyone leave a low one, right?

Did you know that Amazon allows you to review books even if you didn’t purchase it through Amazon? Did you grab my paperback book through a local used book sale or from that Ruth lady? Go review it for me on Amazon. Did you read it from the library? Review it on Amazon. Amazon has “verified purchase” badges for people that got the book on Amazon, but you can totally review even if you didn’t read it through your Kindle store or by buying the paperback off Amazon. Paste the same review in Goodreads. Paste the same review in BookBub.

Please note: Do not leave reviews on family members’ books. Amazon really doesn’t like that and can take it out on the author.

There you have it. I’m sure I forgot something, but other authors can comment if I missed something!

Happy reading!

Book Suggestions for the Weekend

It’s that time of year. I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but the nights are a bit cooler here, and the mornings are perfect for long walks. It’s also the time of year when I think more about cozy reading ideas.

Check out the book suggestions for the weekend below. You can click on the cover to purchase/download. You can also sign up for my newsletter here where I send a ton of book suggestions with each twice-a-month newsletter.

Last but not least…this is your reminder that Rocks is on sale for 99 cents on all retailers until the end of the month.

Happy reading!

September Sale of the Month: Rocks

Rocks is on sale in eBook format on all retailers for 99 cents ALL MONTH long! (Also available in print and audio at regular price.)

Grab it here or click on the cover above.

Blurb: Three shorts in one volume! Deep in the sticks of Missouri is a bar called Rocks where the bartenders are only similar in the fact that they’re all unlucky in love…

Cherry Burn – Dylan Wilcox has been gone from Highlight, Missouri for ten years. Nobody has seen him or even received an email as to his location. Worse, he left his high school girlfriend, Cherry Moss, without saying goodbye when he disappeared. When Dylan shows back up in town, clearly changed in the past ten years, Cherry needs to decide if his story is worth her forgiveness and if she can get over her own demons about him leaving.

Blue Balls – Piper Peck loves her life, her friends, and her job. There’s only one problem. The local sheriff, Creed McDuffy, has it in for her over her grandma’s old hot tub that’s considered an eyesore by county enforcement. Unknown to Piper, Creed has had a crush on her since high school and will do anything to get her to look his way. When Creed goes too far and arrests Piper in a last-ditch effort to get her attention, can he ever grovel enough to get in her good graces?

Pistol Fire – Libby Dean is known for being the town pistol. Brock Carpenter is known for being the town’s hero fireman. When a fire at Rocks Tavern throws Libby for a loop, Brock wants to comfort her. Libby’s not used to comfort, though, and runs away from any affection as fast as she can. But when Brock needs his own comfort, will Libby put aside her pride and step up?

Each short is 12-14k words. HEA or HFN guaranteed!

Happy Reading!

Promo of the Month

Need some audio book ideas to love this fall? I’ve teamed up with other authors to bring you some romance audio. Some may be in Audible and iTunes. Others may be in Kobo, Google Play, etc. Check the platform and pricing before buying/downloading/using a credit.

Click here or on the picture above.

The Cuffing Season Contract and Rocks are both in there. See covers below.

Happy reading…er, listening!

The First Three Episodes of Copper

Want to read the first three episodes of Copper on Kindle Vella? (Together, they’re chapter 1 of what will be the book.)

You can read the rest of the story here as I drop episodes. If you’re new to Vella, you can grab 200 free coins up in the righthand corner of your Vella screen.

As a reminder, this is darker than my usual romcom.

Happy reading!

Warning: Explicit and violent content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not proceed if you are under 18 or don’t like filth!!!!!!

Ok… One more. This is your last effing warning before reading this!

Lucy

“And then what happened?” I ask, leisurely taking Aaron’s cock out of my mouth and running my tongue up the bottom of it. I look up at him with wide eyes and hope he’ll finish the rest of his story. At least I’m entertained when I suck him off.

Aaron runs his hands through my long, auburn hair and gathers it together at the top, holding it and thrusting a little into my face. He inhales and tilts his head back on the couch. He really shouldn’t do that. No telling how many greasy, bald heads have been on that upholstery tonight and sweating all over it as they get their balls licked.

“That’s the end of the story, Lucy,” he whispers. The sound is husky, a cross between a moan and a sigh. “The guy was dead. Throat slit. No forced entry. No motive. Ex-wife is across the country with an alibi. No friends he owed money to. No wives he slept with that we can find.” He swirls his hips and looks back down, his eyebrows furrowed. “Where’s that mouth I’m paying for?”

I smile up at him and bat my eyelashes as I flick my tongue over the head of his cock. “Do you know why I love sucking your dick, Aaron?”

“It’s your comfort dick since you’ve been sucking on it for close to fifteen years?”

“Funny,” I say, taking a long, slow bob down his cock and pulling off again with a popping noise. “There were several years when your dick was nowhere near my mouth or any other part of my body.”

He’s not wrong about the on-and-off dick sucking. Aaron Dwyer was my high school boyfriend. We broke up when we went to separate colleges. He met his wife. I met my dirtbag ex-husband. I moved to nearby Chicago, and Aaron stayed in our large suburb and had two kids with his wife. He had the perfect house with the picket fence, kids, and even the golden retriever.

Perfect until his wife died of a congenital heart issue three years ago, that is.

Me? I had other things happen. Things that weren’t so perfect – a push down the stairs or a black eye when dinner wasn’t on the table when Beck got home. There was no use explaining to him that he didn’t let me know when he was coming home. How could I possibly know, down to the minute, when he would walk through the door? I’d get a slap across the face if I made a wrong joke at a party, and I’d get a kick to the ribs if I didn’t have the dutiful housewife smile on my face at all times.

I learned to fight back, but the YMCA self-defense course only went so far. I left when I could, hiding with friends until I needed to go home for something I owned. That was back when I still had friends and before he scared them too. Then, there he was – waiting for me with a glare and punch or a kick. When I fought back, blocking his punches like they taught us, it only angered him more and made it worse. A broken arm once. Six stitches where he ran a knife down my ribcage. I soon learned it was better if I played possum and stayed on the floor after the initial hit. I learned that if I was compliant and took my beating, he’d leave me alone faster. I switched up my workout routine to increase my core strength so I was better conditioned to survive a swift kick to a body part. How fucked up is that? Most women work out to maintain a certain weight or even feel comfortable in their own skin. I worked out to condition my body to have its ass kicked.

I eventually started tracking his phone without him knowing and was able to whip something up for dinner if I saw him leave the office. I knew when he was looking for me if he was driving around my friends’ neighborhoods. I knew he followed me to the grocery store, probably worried that a produce guy or cashier would hit on me.

Unfortunately, I also saw him go over to Ellen Quarry’s house after work more than once. He was fucking her. It was obvious. I couldn’t ask the produce manager about banana prices, but he could shag his coworker’s wife.

“Speaking of your other body parts, get the tits out. Or does that cost extra?”

“You’re a fucking pig, Aaron,” I say, taking his cock into my mouth again and sucking on it like it’s lifeblood. I guess it is since I’m broke as a fucking joke. So broke that I had to work for my scuzzy cousin, Peter the Pecker, and strip for the first time in my life.

A stripper can’t be too choosy, and there are worse dicks to suck in this joint if my mouth wasn’t spoken for by the dick I’m more than familiar with. Sure, I don’t have to suck dick. I could just work the pole. The difference between the two jobs in this joint is that one gets ones stuffed in the G-string. The other gets hundred-dollar bills stuck to your face with cum afterward.

Truth be told, I sigh with relief when Aaron walks into the joint. It’s not just the fact that he keeps me from having to blow or dance for other men. I miss his hands on me. His mouth. He’s the only client I ever kiss on rare occasions when we can get away with it. It’s hilarious that the club lets me suck a dick for extra cash if we’re in the VIP room, but I can’t give a guy a goodnight kiss at the front door.

“If it’s any consolation, sweetheart, you’re the only woman who really knows how to suck me off,” he moans, leaning forward a little and stroking the hair he was just fisting. He could be leaning to speak to me so Sheri, if that’s her real name, won’t hear our business as she blows another customer in the next cubicle. More than likely, he’s just reaching for my tits.

I huff and pull my halter tank top down, letting him palm my breasts while I suck him. “You want a tit jack?”

He laughs and a bit of spit lands on my cheek. I used to kiss this man every moment I could, so it doesn’t bother me the way it would if another man’s spit landed on my face. “Why would I want to fuck your tits when I paid for a blow job? Blow jobs are better.”

Aaron tweaks my nipples, and I yelp with the exquisite pleasure of it. Fuck this man and his memories of just what I like. He knows exactly what to do to drive me insane. My body hums under his hands, and I suck harder on his cock, using my tongue on the spot just under the head I know he likes.

“Fuck, Lucy,” he grunts. He grips my face along my jawline and humps into my face. “That’s my good little whore.”

You’d think that would make me take his dick out of my mouth and spit in his face. You’d be wrong, though. Him calling me his whore brings back memories of him pulling my hair and gripping my neck while pushing into my cunt from behind. Sure, I was holding onto the metal supports under the bleachers at our senior homecoming football game, but he fucked me like the state champion he was.

Happy memories.

I move to his balls, pulling the left one in my mouth and humming around it as I look up at him, watching his expression. I will always love his expressions right before he comes. He’s a lip chewer. He gnaws at his lips and moves his mouth in a circle when he’s close. He throws his head back again as his chest heaves. He’s still wearing his work uniform, but the three bottom buttons are undone, revealing a happy trail I’d idly lick if he wasn’t paying me to focus on his dick and balls.

He slouches down in the seat and pulls down his pants that were only pulled down to his thighs. When they reach his ankle, his eyes flick to the door as he kicks one shoe off and pulls the pants off his right foot. “Anyone going to come in?”

“No. Even if they did, is anyone going to cause a ruckus with the sheriff if I’m not putting up a ruckus?”

He laughs, and I’ve missed the sound of his chuckle. It’s low. It reminds me of the way he used to growl when I did something really naughty or when he’d chase me and throw me onto the bed before kissing every inch of me.

But I know what he wants now.

“I charge extra for a rim job, Aaron.”

“It’s me! You’d charge me extra?”

I push his thighs further apart and tongue the head of his dick. “Tell me how the victim was murdered while I lick your asshole, and we’ll call it even.”

“You’re a ghoul. You know that, right?”

I bite my lip and wink before lifting his legs and sucking his left ball again. He reaches for his knees and pulls them to his chest into an unholy position a pillar of the community would never want to be caught in, especially inside The Pineapple Men’s Club. That’s a headline from hell.

“Indulge me, Aaron,” I drawl. “I’m curious. Besides, it’s not like anyone in the press will talk to a stripper.”

It only takes one flick of my tongue over his asshole before my ex-boyfriend sings like a canary.

George Cannon. Age fifty-two. Divorced. No kids. His dog was well-fed and even given fresh water by the attacker. Aaron thinks that’s odd. After all, why would a murderer give the dog water? Cannon was tortured before his throat was slit. Rope burns were found on the man’s wrists, indicating forced restraint while the attacker carved his arms and torso apart. There were no signs of forced entry, so he knew the attacker.

All talking stops when my lips cover Aaron’s asshole and I suck on it like I do for the lonely housewife clits I service on Tuesday afternoons. You’d be surprised how many women need a little pick me up during the day and surprised how women come to the club during off hours. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this job, it’s that women go nuts and throw money at me if I suck on their clits the way Aaron taught me to suck on his asshole a long time ago.

“Right fucking there,” he moans. His thighs tremble on either side of my head, and he adjusts his grip on his knees. He pulls himself wider and allows a whine to come from his throat with little concern for an audience.

“I know, sweetheart,” I coo into the center of him.

My hand comes to his cock, and it takes two jerks before a warm spray of cum coats the webbing between my thumb and index finger. “Mmm,” I purr, licking his asshole one more time before dragging my tongue up his balls and over my hand. Opening my mouth, I show him what I just picked up off my hand and swallow it with a smile.

He bites his lip and looks down at me, still panting from his orgasm. He laughs a little and bends to situate his pants into a decent position as I stand and pull my halter top down. I watch him dress while I take a swig of water from a bottle on a nearby table and marvel that this is probably the millionth time I’ve seen this man pull up his pants. It’s hard not to admire the sculpted biceps and the wide shoulders I used to wrap my legs around. They’re wider now. He lifts more than he did when we dated.  

“Same time next week?” he asks when his pants are buckled. The static from his police radio crackles through the low beat of the music being played for whatever girl is on the pole downstairs. “I’ll bring more gruesome info.”

I swallow the water and push a lock of hair back from my face. “Of course. But I’ll charge you double for the rim job next time. Don’t make me tell Peter.”

Aaron’s already paid me and tipped me an extra fifty bucks, but he throws down an extra twenty-dollar bill on the chair cushion he just vacated like he’s tipping the chair. “Thanks, Lucy. Always a pleasure.”

I don’t take it right away. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me lurch for money from my high school boyfriend like a starving person served the first meal they’ve seen in weeks. I need every nickel I can get to fight Beck in court if my lawyer can find him to serve papers. I also have to pay off his fucked-up debts before I have to pay for it with my body. But I won’t dare grab that twenty while Aaron watches. I’d rather die than show him my desperation.

I adjust my clothes, such as they are, into some semblance of modesty. “And don’t call me that here. I don’t call you Sheriff Dwyer when I suck your dick.”

“To be fair, you didn’t call me Sheriff Dwyer when you sucked my dick a long time ago.”

“Well, you weren’t the county sheriff then, were you?”

He smiles and reaches out his index finger, tilting my chin up so I can’t look away. “What should I call you when I come to pay my respects to this sweet mouth I have such fond memories of?”

“You need to call me by my stage name, especially if you ask for me. Pete will know, but the other girls won’t know me by my real name.”

“What’s your stage name?” he asks.

“Copper. You need to call me Copper here.”

How to Request Paperback Books to Your Library

Yes, I’ve been on a “How to Help Wide Authors” kick lately, but most of what I’ve done revolves around eBooks. (I wrote blogs on Scribd and also on how to suggest books to Libby.)

Let’s talk about paperback books. (This also pertains to hardcover books.)

Some of us just prefer print.

We prefer it because a lot of us, and I include myself in this, started reading voraciously before eBooks existed. It’s what we’re used to. I also read in the pool or the bathtub, and I’m much more fearful of dropping an eReader in the water than a paperback that can be replaced easily.

There’s also nothing like the smell of books. Am I right?

So…How can you get your favorite authors’ books on the shelves of your local library?

#1- Keep in mind that libraries have a limited budget. Some of them work on shoestring budgets, so please don’t be angry at them if they choose NOT to buy your suggested book.

#2- Find the ISBN for the PAPERBACK version of your book. For example, Contact High’s ISBN can be found on its Amazon product page. Simply scroll down to the “Product Details” section and find the ISBN there. (Note – you do NOT need the ASIN. That’s the Amazon reference number. You only need the ISBN!!!)

#3 – Go to your library’s website and search for something like, “Suggest a Purchase.” This is what my library’s page to fill out looks like:

Your library may have different questions, but it should be very similar!

That’s it.

It is immensely helpful for authors if our books are purchased for libraries. Many people may think we lose money, and that is far from the truth. Libraries often pay 2-3x the list price for our books. We definitely get paid AND people check out our books and become fans! They buy our shorts on Amazon or ask the library for more of our books. Don’t sleep on this as a way to help us.

Here’s my shameless plug to get Contact High into yours….see how pretty it is! Wouldn’t it be gorgeous on your public library’s shelf?

And good news! Even if your favorite author’s eBook is in Kindle Unlimited, the exclusivity only applies to eBooks! Your favorite author’s paperback is allowed to be purchased in PAPERBACK format. For example, Meghan Quinn can’t have her eBooks in Libby because they are currently in KU. But your library can stock all the paperbacks of hers that they want.

Happy reading!

Book Suggestions for the Weekend

As usual, here are your weekly suggestions for one of the last weekends of the summer. Click on the cover to grab your copies. Happy reading!

Also…I’d be remiss without recommending something of my own for the weekend. As a reminder, Head Over Heels in Hawaii is ALWAYS free on all retailers!

Let Me Sing You a Song about Scribd

Yes, this is part of my “where can I read widely distributed authors/books that aren’t in KU without breaking the bank” series. You can catch my other blogs on how to request a book from your library through Libby, and I have a have a Hoopla blog coming soon. I also have a blog that mentions Kobo Plus (another great option) from a couple months ago.

But I wanted to talk about a lesser-known platform that is…well, it’s a fucking goldmine for readers.

Let me back up…A long time ago, when Arson was on all retailers, I got a payment through my distributor from a place called Scribd.

Honestly, I was like…

I think the payment was for less than a dollar or something from someone that borrowed my book through Scribd.

But what is it? A library? A book seller.

Nope.

The website is here if you want to check it out. You can also download the Scribd app and sign in with your Google account.

It’s a subscription service like Kindle Unlimited BUT authors do not have to be exclusive to it like they do for KU. Authors that are what’s called “wide” (aka not on Kindle Unlimited) are on it.

Let me show you some pictures.

Oh, look…here’s Contact High on Scribd. Of course, I’m going to lead off with my book. Come on. We all know I’m a slut for promotion. You can read it on a subscription platform! And, if you notice, you can even try 30 days free. You don’t even have to pay Amazon for it. (It’s great if you do, though.)

Who gives a fuck about Tori Ross? I mean, who IS Tori Ross?

No biggie. I don’t take offense. I get it. I’m small potatoes. I bring you exhibit B with some books you may be interested in.

Wait? What? Do you mean to tell me that I can read Icebreaker, all the Colleen Hoover my body can take, and even that book about the woman from ICarly that’s glad her mom died? And it’s all for the same price as KU?

Let’s look at that picture a little closer, shall we?

Those books at the top that are in the ACOTAR series are in audio, Tori.

Why, yes, they are.

See, with Scribd, you not only get all the ebooks you can read at $11.99, you also get all the audio books you can drive your family nuts with on the next long car ride.

You mean I’ve been paying Audible for one monthly credit and paying more than an entire subscription to Scribd costs with all you can read books?

That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Not only do you get ebooks and audio books, but you also get….MAGAZINES.

That’s right.

You also get podcasts and sheet music for the people that can actually read music. (I’m told they exist.)

All right. I’ll leave you with that right there. You get podcasts, magazines, eBooks, sheet music, and audio all for $12 a month. Plus, you’re not supporting the Amazon empire.

And, yes, that’s Fourth Wing up there you can read with your subscription. Hell, you could read it during your free trial.

Happy reading!

More Freebies!

Need some free books in time for the weekend?

Head Over Heels in Hawaii is in this week’s Get That Book promo but grab other freebies along the way.

Get That Book is turning FIVE! Join us for a BIG giveaway plus our author friends are celebrating with us, bringing you over 70 books and audiobooks for zero pennies! https://getthatbookpromotions.com/aug-18-2023-deals/

*Participating authors are responsible for their deals & discounts*

*Always check the retailer page before downloading*

Happy reading.

Book Suggestions for the Weekend

Here are your weekend book suggestions for this week. Click on the covers to be sent to the Amazon page. Happy reading!!