L.M. Preston's Blog, page 25

Does Book Purchase Habits Differ By Genre?

What genre books do you buy and does the format or the genre drive you?

Audio Books...I love to purchase non fiction books in audio

 Paperback Books...got to get those recipes, diet books, and thought provoking books in paperback- Oh, and all the Middle Grade Books are in paperback for my son.


Ebooks, ALL my fiction purchases so far this year for both my teen daughters and I have been in ebooks .



As an author of both Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, I have noticed that my sales numbers differ in formats, genre and sometimes subject matter.

Does your purchase habits differ depending on what kind of book you purchase? Or what you are purchasing it for?

I’ve noticed that my YA Romance Short Stories, sell pretty well via ebooks. It’s like some consumable that people just purchase the first one of and if they like it, then they buy all of them.

As for my Middle Grade releases they still have most of their sales in paperback.

For my scifi, mostly that’s purchased in ebooks also.

Now for my buying habits, I like to purchase my non-fiction in paperback. Usually because I still like to write in my non-fiction books. Either by taking notes or there’s just something about holding the page that makes me feel like I’m absorbing it more.

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU BUY, in what GENRE that have to be PAPERBACK or EBOOK? Like all your YA has to be paper? Or all your short stories have to be ebook?

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Bryna Butler author Spotlight!

Let's get to know author Bryna Butler!


Can you give us your favorite quote from one of your books and explain it?One of my favorite quotes comes from my newest book, Shadows Rising. In this scene, Keira faces off against the leader of a group of extremists that believe her charge is keeping her from her destiny. I think this quote is a great mix of Keira’s courage and her youth.
“You keep yapping about my charge being a distraction, but here I am dealing with you again. Leave us and my charge alone or die tonight at my hand. I mean it, jerk wad.”
What types of things/people/music inspires you and makes you want to keep writing?I’m very inspired by my favorite authors. I often name characters, places and things in my stories in homage to these authors and their work. For instance, in the Midnight Guardian series there is a goth girl named Mikayla Collins whom everyone calls Mikey. Mikey is clearly named in honor of Michael Glass and Shane Collins, two of my favorite characters from Rachel Caine’s Morganville series. Her goth look comes from another beloved character in that series. Also, I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan (who isn’t?). If you look hard enough, you will find several subtle references to Buffy and Firefly sprinkled throughout my books.
Describe your typical writing day or week.Just call me the “Night Writer”, not because it sounds like an insanely cool superhero, but because it is true. For me, writing typically begins after the kids are tucked into bed somewhere around 9 p.m. I grab a soda from the fridge and settle in with my laptop. Typically, I first re-read and edit the last thing I wrote before I start writing anything new. That refreshes it in my mind and allows me to move forward.
Is there a food or drink do you have to have when you're writing? I can’t eat while I write. Sounds good in theory, but it never works in practical application. BBQ sauce on the keys…melted cheese on the screen...a whole chapter about brownies.
Can you tell us what you're working on right now (& possibly provide an excerpt & cover)?Shadows Rising was released on January 18th. In this 4th installment in the Midnight Guardian series, Keira and her friends race to rescue her charge before The Harvest and the rise of a new form of evil, the shadows.
LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

OCEANS OF RED by Willow Cross has uplift

Willow Cross is an author I stalk quite frequently! And I've got to share the transformation of her OCEANS OF RED series with you!

And guess what else...I can't keep a secret, there's going to be a WEB SERIES (shhh don't tell her I told you) featuring this series. So get your hot little hands on this copy.

About the series:

By 2015 the streets of Los Angeles have been transformed from a thriving metropolis to a hostile world ravaged by demons bent on assimilating the human race. Standing between this total apocalypse of humanity and their chance for survival is 19 year old Remy Martin.

A warrior in her own right, trained to think on her feet and kill if the situation requires, she is flanked by her older brother and younger sister.  Together, they devise a plan to take back the streets.  Against the wishes of their father, who commands the resistance forces, they venture into unknown realms of the supernatural in a race against time with the fate of the entire world in their young hands.

Join them on their mission into darkness where death lies around every corner, it is virtually impossible to distinguish your enemies from your allies, and a single mistake could result in the annihilation of everyone you've ever known and loved.

THE BEFORE and the AFTER cover reveals!!!!


The cover now...of BOOK 1
Want it? Click Here



THE NEW COVER BABY!!!! BAM!




 The cover now...of BOOK 2
 Want it? Click Here
 THE NEW COVER BABY!!!! BA-VOOM!


Want to know more about Willow Cross? Stalk her like I do...

website:  http://willowcrossbooks.weebly.com/index.htmlfacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Willow-Cross/185071804869279blog:  http://willowcross.blogspot.com/ amazon page:  http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Cross/e/B0052ZBR6E/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 B&N page:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/willow-cross?view=list Twitter:  @willowcrossgoogle +:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/102325293537769004653/postsLM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

I finally got my action flick fix this season...and can I tell ya...WITCHES ARE 'In'!!!!





The Blurb from IMDb: 
In this spin on the fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel are now bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. As the fabled Blood Moon approaches, the siblings encounter a new form of evil that might hold a secret to their past. Actors: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton

My REVIEW:
So get this, I had no real expectations for this film. I wanted to see it because hey, I like Fairy Tales, I like action and I love the twisted. Oh, and Hansel = Spicy Hot Male goodness :-D

I took my family with me, a 15yr old, my husband, my son who's 18yrs old and little ole me. It started off with a brief retelling of Hansel and Gretel being taken into the woods by their 'father'. He blows out the candle and these poor kiddies fall prey to the lure of a candy covered house. Inside is the witch who tries to fatten up poor little Hansel so she (and let me tell you this chick put the 'UG' in UGLY) could eat them. For some reason her fire blast of magic doesn't hurt them.

After that update, these two are a mean, lean, action packed, witch - killing team. I LOVED IT! Sure the plot was skimpy but it gave just enough of a twist on an old tale to make it interesting. The action was fun. Now the weapons...they seemed off in that some fit in the 'time period' and some didn't, but it didn't distract me from the action, the tale and the shear fun of it all.

When this movie was over, a lot of people just hung around. The credits were like sneaking an extra piece of chocolate before you go. I gave this baby a 4 out of 5 twitches since the plot could've had more punch. My 15yr gave it  a 5 out of 5 twitches. My jaded 18yr old and husband gave it a 3 out of 5 twitches since they got a little hung up on the 'weapons' not fitting or the fight moves being unrealistic. (Just so you know, there is some mild nudity and bloody violence)LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Kindle Only or All In to Diversify

Well the YA Indie Carnival is at it again. Tackling issues that Small Press, Indie Publishers and Self-Publishers have to address on a weekly basis.




E-PUBLISH ONLY ON KINDLE?

I know there are many authors and small press publishers that only publish thier books on kindle with the augument that it's where most of their sales are. It's less work for them, less to manage and the rewards are sustaining to them.

E-PUBLISH ANY WHERE YOU CAN?

Well I'm a firm believer of excess. Put the book out anywhere you can publish it. I have a distributor that distributes my ebook to places that are hard for Indie Publishers to get into alone. And I've published my short stories myself on as many platforms as I've had time to add them on.

Why?

Exposure! If you have your book in as many places as possible, then your book happens to be where ANY ready may hang out online.

In addition the google web crawlers that look for 'like' metadata sees your little book baby out there in the world a lot quicker than if you only have it listed in one place.

And there's more...what if that 1 platform that you didn't publish your book on started to take off? Then you'll be scrambling to diversify your publishing streams.

PRINT? WHY BOTHER?

I do print because again I say...DIVERSIFY! It doesn't cost me too much more to have my distributor print and distribute my books and it gains me more exposure. My books have been in stores, libraries and ordered by places I've never even heard of. That wouldn't have happened had I not had my book in print format.

AUDIO BOOK? Should I?

I hope to one day get some of my better sellers converted to audiobooks. Why? Because I want to tap into that very specific market. Most audiobook readers are loyal to the format, some even belong to clubs, and it's another way to have my book seen by the world.

SO...WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? Do you purchase books in multiple formats? Do you see a reason for a book to be available anywhere?
Other blogs sharing their views on this are on YA Author Club (http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com/)

Laura A. H. Elliott
Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
Liz Long Just another writer on the loose.
Ella James
Maureen Murrish
A Little Bit of R&R
Melissa Pearl
Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
Heather Sutherlin - YA Fantasy

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Movie Remakes, What's to Like?

After attempting and creating two script adaption’s for my books I’ve realized something. I love writing scripts!

But..but…but…my enjoyment of movies have been greatly tested these past years. Why? Well haven’t you seen the mass amount of movie remakes lately?

I mean gosh, I read a ton of books that are wonderful, that would really work as a movie, but all the film industry has to give back to me is a ‘remake’?

Here’s the rundown of some remakes I liked and hated.

LET’S NOT DO THIS AGAIN

DREDD: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/?... ) Sylvester Stallone's 1995 version of "Judge Dredd" is widely considered the low point of his career and led to a decade of flops and cameos. *Totally hated it* to me it wasn’t that great to begin with.

Fright Night (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1438176/?...) I had high hopes for this one. Sure, it had better acting, but it wasn’t good enough to make this movie great. I guess when it was first done it was ahead of its time, but now vampire movies are so much better. I mean…who can top Underworld or Blade?

SURPRISED and LOVED THEM:

TOTAL RECALL: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386703/) I really enjoyed the update to this film. I believe that at the time it was way to advance for the limited technology and set design needed. So this was a favorite.

SPIDERMAN: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/?...) Let’s face it, who can ever get enough of the good old Spiderman. I’d say I enjoyed this remake better than the first movies series um…several years ago. This appears to be the gift that keeps on giving to the movie industry.

CAN’T WAIT TO CHECK OUT THESE:

CARRIE: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1939659/) coming this March, 2013, AND I can’t wait to see this one! I loved the older version but I’m sure they can do some cool things with an update to this.

ROBOCOP: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/) coming in 2014 and has a lot of potential to be good. In a crime-ridden city, a fatally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him.

SO TELL ME…WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MOVIE REMAKES? Go? No go?

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

Celebrate GOOD TIMES! A Prize :-D

Yep! I'm celebrating! My book baby made it to #27 on the amazon's best seller's list for Teens and Fiction.


So...

So...

I'm GIVING AWAY a prize.

If you comment below (with your email address) and give BANDITS a 'Like' then I'll give you a copy of my ebook short story, FLUTTER OF LUV!

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

When Silver Moons Rise by KaSonndra Leigh

The LOST IMMORTALS Series by KaSonndra Leigh



WET YOUR APPETITE on this awesome excerpt!



FarisThe shackles tightened on my wrists and ankles, digging deep in my flesh. Dark magic eased its way through to my skin. I sucked my breath and held it, waiting for the fiery feeling to pass. Curse it. I could hardly move, let alone think. A small band of light eased in through the windows above me, giving the metal chamber a touch of softness."I ask you again, Faris Toulan. Is this girl worth your life? Your immortality? Or what's left of it anyway," Olivia hissed into my ear, a sneer on her face. I stayed silent, refusing to give in. She grasped my chin and forced me to look at her face.I glanced deep in her empty eyes, and said: "Yes. Chela is everything to me. She’s all that you could never be. Your tricks can't remove what I feel for her." Dark eyes glared at me. Her harsh laugh ripped through my soul. The kindness she showed me earlier disappeared at once. I didn't care. All I hoped for, all I ached for was a chance to see Chela again. I promised to return as the protector she needed me to be. I refused to go back as the thing she was cursed to destroy.  That would only hurt her more than I had already done. I intended to keep my word. "I do hope you understand what you've agreed to do," Olivia said in a low, but deadly voice, her breath on my ear, her cold fingers stroking my face.  "By the time I’m done with you, there won't be any other name you'll call except mine. Because that's how long you'll beg for mercy." She moved closer to my face and kissed my lips. I wanted to gag. Inside, I was already screaming. But her torture, or whatever she planned for me, was nothing compared to facing a life without Chela. By thinking of her face, her laugh, even the way she sometimes annoyed me, I could handle anything Olivia did. Hell most definitely existed. I was about to experience it in full force.And then I heard Chela call my name…ChelaIn my dream, I felt his suffering as if it were my own. Every burn, each tingle, the agonizing way he screamed from inside that awful dark chamber. Lying in my bed, I thought of the kiss we shared the last time I saw him. My eyes flew open as I grasped at the air around me, reaching for him, but finding emptiness instead. And then the tears fell, and kept falling.My mind was shutting down one cell at a time. Even breathing took effort. It was as if my lungs were a balloon, and his breath was magical helium; something that only the luckiest girl could find…and lose."Faris." I called his name out loud, hoping with all my faith that he heard me. Was it possible for us to connect even with so much distance between us?  I had to try. If he can hear me, then our link will pull him through whatever they were doing to him.I can't just sit around and wait to hear news about his death. I had to do something."Chela. Can I come in?" My best friend, Alexa, stood in the doorway to my room. I didn't even hear her open it. She walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. Her kind eyes filled me with warmth after so many cold nightmares had left me shivering.  "Baby, you've been in this room almost a week. Jalen and I miss you. Come back to us." She stroked my hair and laced her fingers with mine. Those small gestures were just enough to make me sit up and bury my face in her shoulders. "You got snot on my school uniform. Well, at least that's a start." I pulled back, glancing at Alexa's face as she studied her shirt. Looking up at me, she wrinkled her nose. "Eew, gross," we both said at the same time. And then we both burst out laughing, covering our mouths as we giggled. She was right. Smiling was a good start. And then I heard a boy's voice speak in my mind. "Chela, I heard you. By the lights, I heard you," Faris said.  


I LOVED THIS!For just $2.99, pick up your copy at Amazon check it out on GoodreadsSmashwords
About the Author, KaSonndra Leigh:

http://www.kasonndraleigh.comhttp://twitter.com/kasonndraleighhttp://facebook.com/kasonndraleighbookshttp://facebook.com/kasonndraleighbookspagehttp://pinterest.com/alestasia/

LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

New Adult as a Genre to rival YA?

So lately I've been attending a weekly twitter chat focused on writers, readers, industry peeps and a call to add a new genre named NEW ADULT.

I'm totally behind that.

What is New Adult?

Those crazy, think I'm grown but still got drama years after high school (if you graduated or went to high school). The age of 18yrs to 25 yrs and a genre that allows the characters to do all the things that are in adult novels without it being 'hard core' (or in some cases that's okay too) So it's for the reader that's not a kid, but ain't an older adult yet. They are still finding themselves, figuring things out with still a bit of the high emotion that you find with younger adults.These characters have jobs, maybe even a fiance and still deal with their parents in a 'kid' turning adult role.

IT's OFFICIAL

This new genre has caught on with the big dogs and Harper Collins is launching their line on it now.

WHY HAVE A NEW GENRE?

DRIVE SALES that target a specific age group has helped classify books in the Young Adult age of 14-17yrs and it blew up. Even though I have to admit, at that age I went straight to adult fiction since the YA books seemed goofy to me and didn't really depict me, but I was an old 'soul' who hung out mostly with adults.

ENTICE READERS at the 18-25yrs that complained about it being hard to find 'characters' that applied to their struggle. However, it's still out there as to what the spin on these stories will be considering there are many 'adult' books that have protagonist in the 18-25 yr range. But hey....it's all about 'selling books' and sometimes making a category easy to find, readers will flock more easily towards it.

MY THOUGHTS?

I'm all for it. I wish there was this categorization of books when I was younger. I could've found what I wanted to read much easier. Also, we have to realize that the business of selling books has to continuously improve and slice the product base to make the books that a specific reader wants to be easier to find.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS

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Thanks! And enjoy!LM Preston (www.lmpreston.com) , author of THE PACK, EXPLORER X-Alpha and BANDITS