Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 51

THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP

 



 Welcome to this blog hop.
What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way that readers can discover new authors, because with bookstores closing and publishers not promoting new authors as much, we need to find a way to introduce readers to authors they may not see in their local bookstore.
Here you have the chance to find new authors. Here you’ll find information about me, what I’m working on now.  Also see links below to other authors you might like to check out.
I’d like to thank fellow author Rita Herron for tagging me to participate. Click the link below to find out about her latest work Dying to Tell
RitaHerron blogsite
In this particular hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered 10 questions where you get to learn about our current work in progress as well as some insights into our process, from characters and inspirations to plotting and cover decisions. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!
1: What is the working title of your book.
The working title of my book is Vegas Rift
 
2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Numerous times, my promoter has suggested that short stories are selling like proverbial hotcakes. She warned our group to start producing more to meet the demand. Bridge stories were one example of writing a short. Not sure what she meant, I questioned her and found out that it was a brief record of what is happening in the lives of your characters between two full-length novels. Since at the time, I was actually writing my third book in the Vegas Series “High Stakes Gamble” and I wanted to start the events eleven months after the last book, this bridge story seemed to be the perfect answer.
3: What genre does your book come under?
The genre is Romantic Suspense
4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A young Bruce Willis and Jennifer Lawrence
5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Aurora survives her time separated from the man she loves, the father of her expectant baby.
6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
The Vegas Series is self-published (but not self-edited). There are two editors working with me on these creations.
7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m still working the first draft and more than halfway through. So far I’ve written 5 days at approximately 3-4 hours each day.  The story will be finished in less than 4 days.
8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would say my style of writing is like a Castle TV show – maybe a little grittier, language wise but with the same type of humor.
9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I love reading Romantic Suspense and watching these types of TV shows also. On my last trip to Vegas, I knew where I wanted my setting to be and so the rest fell in naturally.
10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If you’ve read Books #1 and #2 of the Vegas series, this story will whet your appetite for the next full-length addition to the series coming in March called High Stakes Gamble .
As a standalone story, readers might not get the full impact from Vegas Rift. And since I’ve kept the prices as low as possible on all the books (99 cents), I know they’re getting a deal if they buy them in order and enjoy the series as it unwinds.
***
Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!
 
Sylvia McDaniel - http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com Lisa Hannah Wells - http://memorymakerscreator.blogspot.com/
Josie Riviera - http://josieriviera.wordpress.com/about/







     Check out the new, fantastic website selling short stories for those people who only have a few minutes a day to relax!!!
The prices are all 99 cents and most of the authors appear
on many of Amazon's category best-seller's lists. 
 
 

You’re Darn Right Short Stories Sell!!

    Oh yes they do!  Let’s take the new website that I’m promoting for your enjoyment called Lunchtime Reads . If you check the names of the authors on the covers, many can be found on the Amazon best-sellers lists in different categories from romantic suspense, to paranormal to contemporary.

 
These authors know something that is finally coming to light. Readers love reading anything that’s well written. They’ll forgive a story that’s too short by reviewing with remarks like – wished this story hadn’t ended so soon. Or love the story – just wanted it to go on longer.
 
 What they can’t forgive is a badly written book, no matter what the length.
 
I have to admit that on my first try, I wasn't sure if I'd managed to give my characters and plot enough structure. I worried that there wouldn’t be sufficient words in order to properly describe the setting. And emotions…  I love writing emotionally charged
 scenes. Would this have to change?
 
Over time, I leaned something surprising.
 
I realized that I had to make every word count. To think in ways that can minimalize action and ramp up emotion, not with a lot of words, but more powerful ones.  I also decided that there couldn’t be multitudes of characters, but that my two protagonists would most likely have to carry the tale. And only one major conflict or action scene was necessary. I learned that the sagging middle that attacks many novels was a thing of the past. Not enough time for a sagging middle – or at least I bloody-well hoped not. Every word needed to matter, every scene needed to count.
 
Pretty soon I actually enjoyed pitting myself against the challenge. It was fun knowing that a book could be written in a week and edited in the second one. Not to have to work on one project for months before completion turned me on big-time. And from now on, I’ll never hesitate to take on a project with only 15,000 words or less.
 
Give it a try. What can you lose? Better yet—what can you gain?   
****Speaking of short stories, I’m working on a ‘bridge’ story which will cover the time between Roll the Dice and the next full-length Vegas book called High Stakes Gamble . This short is called Vegas Rift, and for those of you who have read the series, it will describe Detective Aurora Morelli’s life after she becomes a killer and before her newborn daughter is kidnapped by a vicious baby snatcher.

Available next month on Amazon.
 
 A BLOG HOP to pay attention to. A free Kindle could be yours on Feb 14th.And there's many other prizes to win as well....check it out!! Oh go on :-)
 

Do Short stories sell? Fantastic new **WEBSITE**

Fantastic new website for short stories at the lowest price!!!
All the books are 99cents
Lunchtime Reads!!!
  
Have you ever wondered whether short stories will sell? If the readers really like to buy these small bits of fiction that seem to be more and more popular? I know that novellas are appreciated, but they normally have from 15,000 – 20,000 words. I’m talking about a story with 5,000 – 15,000 words…a short story.
Recently, I wrote a short prequel to my new Romantic Suspense series “Vegas”. I called it Partners and in this short I wrote the introduction to my characters, the backstory if you will, to the hero and heroine that would be the two main people featured in the full-length sequel Roll the Dice.
Not expecting any great sales, I nevertheless felt it would be a significant addition to the series as a whole. Seems I was right. Many of the reviewers stated that it was short, but on the other hand, the comments were positive and showed that the readers followed through and bought the next book.
Let’s face it. People today have such a fast-paced life. Most women work a full-time job and still have a home and a family to look after.  Therefore their time to relax is shortened. So they read on their tablets, e-readers and phones. I guess not having to struggle through a novel of 300 – 400 pages is an advantage.
So... there are more and more of the shorter stories available to fill the demand.  As an author,  I’m thankful to be able to get a break every so often and produce something that’s fun and fast.
****Speaking of fun and fast, I’m working on a ‘bridge’ story (short of course) which will cover the time between Roll the Dice and the next full-length Vegas book called High Stakes Gamble . This short is called Vegas Rift, and for those of you who have read the series, it will describe Detective Aurora Morelli’s life after she becomes a killer and before her newborn daughter is kidnapped by a vicious baby snatcher.
Available next month on Amazon.
 A BLOG HOP to pay attention to. A free Kindle could be yours on Feb 14th.And there's many other prizes to win as well....check it out!! Oh go on :-)
 

Are the readers buying Mixed Sets?

This month I have released a new boxed set called Mimi’s Mix. I selected a story from each of my three series’ - books that haven’t reached as many readers as I would like. I chose Partners fromthe Vegas Series , His Devious Angel  a full-length from the Angels with Attitudes Series and one of my novellas called  He's Her  from the Vicarage Bench Series. I put the three into a boxed set and crossed my fingers.
This isn’t my first boxed set; I'd made another just before Christmas. In that case I took the three novellas from The Vicarage Bench Series, which hardly got any attention at all, and put them all together. Much to my surprise, the set has sold wonderfully. Of course the fact that I’ve priced it at $.99 might have made the difference. (Ya think?) And I did hesitate to price it so low. Until I realized that the combined word count was less than many single title novels.
Each of the novellas in the anthology was singularly priced at $.99 and still are. Therefore, you would think a fair price would be $2.99 which is an acceptable price for three separate stories. But after the set came off a promotion and took off, I just couldn’t put the price back up. The sales now have justified me keeping the price low and giving the readers a treat.
Not to mention that those book have reached thousands of more readers who hopefully will like my writing and search out my other work. I consider it a win-win situation.
 

 
Another win-win is the fact that there is a FREEPARTAY going on right now! Mimi’s Mix is part of this promotion so for January 9th& 10ththe set will be FREE along with novels from many of Amazon’s best-selling authors. Please visit and download to your heart's content!

****

Write the Darn Book! Part 10

Part #10 Publishing the book on Amazon, or any of the other outlets, is the least work of all but a bit scary when you first do it. Other authors are very good about answering questions for a newbie who is stuck. Hence, the need to join an Indie group.
 
Gosh I shudder to remember the hell I went through trying to put my first self-published work on Amazon. And I’ll admit that it was child’s play compared to downloading on Smashwords. Hells Bells, I’m glad I don’t have to go through that again.
 Talk about staying up half the night, pulling at my hair till my head hurt and cussing a blue streak in a very unladylike manner. Scared my husband so much, he tiptoed past my office and didn’t bother stopping to visit like he usually does a few times a day. Can’t blame him… Who’d want to talk with a crazed, grey-haired nutcase whose chin dripped with saliva from snarling repeatedly and whose features were stamped with a glazed look of hatred and murder?  I still have no idea how the computer survived. I guess I missed the keyboard and only pounded the desk.
Wouldn’t go there again for a million dol… okay I exaggerate—slightly. Chances are I’d do it again and probably better because of the earlier practice. In this business, I’ve found that old adage to be profoundly true. You know the one - if at first you don’t succeed…
And I sincerely applaud anyone who’s taken on the formatting and publishing of their own books on all the different networks like Sony, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. The labor must be all-consuming and keep you up till all hours chewing on ant-acids.   
For me, I’ve chosen to stick with Amazon’s Select program. It gives me my out. I don’t have to face the other sites again. At least in the foreseeable future! And if I did, chances are I’d find someone who’s a professional. As you all know by my earlier blogs, I firmly believe in professionals making us authors look good.
But there is another side to every coin. Some folks don’t have the wherewithal to be able pay others. Especially when they’re first starting as I know from my own experiences. So when you have to go it alone, don’t feel adrift. As I've mentioned before, there are others out there who have gone through similar experiences and would be more than willing to give a helping hand. Hence the reason why you need to watch a lot of how-to videos and be active on the Indie loops.***

 For your pleasure I want to also announce that there will be a... FREEPARTAY January 9th& 10th  Mimi’s Mix is part of this promotion and the boxed set will be FREE along with novels from many of Amazon’s best-selling authors. Please visit and download to your heart's content!  
 

Reviewers deserve recognition!!

           This year, I decided I should start my blog talking about something I'm thankful for…  particularly in 2012. I can certainly say all the accepted stuff like good health, having lots of friends (and finding more in the last twelve months) even about the family I'm blessed to love and who love me.
 
But I wracked my brain to be just a little more creative than using the same glib clichés so easy to write, even though they are thankfully true. Being a happy kind of soul, I went through many themes and then discarded each as not the perfect subject I wanted to use for this special post.
 
During the evening, while getting ready to participate in the Kick Ass Promotion starting Jan 2nd, I went through all my books and checked to see where each was in their ranking in order to start a new statistical spreadsheet. As I did so, I looked to see if there were any new reviews. One of my great joys is reading these messages and leaving a thank you for every person who takes the time to comment on my books. As soon as I started to do this, I knew what I wanted to focus my post on this day.
 
I wanted to tell all the readers who do take the time to write reviews for authors whose work has made enough of an impact, just how much it's appreciated. To those lovely, kind people – thank you. For your positive criticisms – thank you. For taking the time out of a busy day to let others know they should also buy and read the book – thank you.  And for your creative and lovely remarks that can bring a tear to a writer's eye, even choke them up so much that they need to keep a Kleenex close (for the 1 stars  gulp... as well as the 5 stars J) – really – thank you.
 
Sometimes this job can be thankless. It just takes a kind word from a gentle soul to make it worthwhile. So for all of you who have taken the time to make the day for one of our hard-working colleagues ......      As an added thank you, ROLL THE DICE is FREE for January 2 & 3rd in the Kick Ass Promotions this month...as is... SHE'S ME! Plus... many Amazon Best-selling authors who are in the same promo.Please check out these wonderful books to start off your New Year!!!   “You shot me!” Aurora is incensed. Her new partner shrugs and answers. “I saved your life.” From the very first page of this riveting story, these two battle for supremacy in trying to catch the serial rapist who ripped both their lives apart. With all her might, Aurora fights the attraction to Kai's baby blues that tease and start her internal warning devices humming. After all, her job is her life, and determination mixed with courage has always been her lifeline.Kai has a mission of honor to undertake. The man who’d raped his sister can’t be allowed to live—after all, she hadn’t! Revenge fills his soul, while visions of his new partner fills his heart. The sassy woman rattles his calm, and he can’t keep his hands to himself. Doesn’t mean she has the power to stop him from doing what has to be done. *******************************************************  A spoilt model, Jenna McBride, sits on a bench in 2007, pricks her finger on a rose bush and gets transported back to 1963 England to inhabit the body of chubby Lucy McGillicuddy. As her spiritual roommate, Jenna’s cynicism forces Lucy to adhere to a model’s lifestyle of sparse eating and physical exercise. Lucy’s body undergoes changes becoming svelte and beautiful. Conversely, Lucy's kind-hearted, generous spirit leaves a lasting impression on the temperamental fashion plate who exists inside her.  
Lucy loves knowledgeable Dr. John, who has plans to help Jenna return to her own body. Jenna’s Business Manager Jake assists and mistakenly shifts into Dr John. Now the four spirits are vying over two bodies. Meanwhile, Jenna realizes an attraction for Jake, who’s very endearing, and she falls madly in love with him. While you giggle over their antics, these four characters will steal your heart.
 *** 

What does the New Year mean to you?

 
Is it a new beginning? A chance to excel? Maybe a time to meets goals that you didn’t quite reach last year. Or an opportunity to make more powerful goals in order to push yourself further—to challenge yourself to bigger and better dreams.

How about… that you might recreate yourself anew in the next grandest version of the greatest vision you ever had about Who You Really Are.  (Neale Donald Walsch – Conversations with God) This is one of my favorite quotations from his books because it gives us the power to choose to become who we know we can be.

Thinking about what I did accomplish in the past year makes me happy. The steps I took for my writing career to become more successful, the books I wrote and published. The many new friends I made along the way. And probably even more important, the confidence I’ve gained by accomplishing those objectives. 

In fact, I now have the belief that I can reach my dream of becoming an author who is listed on Amazon’s best-selling author list and stay there. Since I had a small taste of the incredible feeling when Lovable hit #302 ranking and stayed there long enough to give me palpitations and visions of greatnessJ, I admit to being rather hungry enough to get back there. (My vision for 2013) 
So this year I challenge you all to set out on a path, whether it be in your personal life or your business world. Create a vision in your mind and see yourself there at the end jumping up and down with the high fives and the YESSS!!! Accept your success as a reality and then do everything you can think of to make sure it happens.
Good Luck!!
May this fresh New Year approaching be your BEST ever!!
 Hug Mimi

Special moments - AMAZING!!!

 
 
 
  This is the time of the year when we all become so busy that we sometimes forget what this season is about. Recently, I received an e-mail that clutched at me, and made me take notice. It was about a violinist playing his instrument in the Washington, DC Metro Station. During the time he played, approximately 2,000 people went through the area, most of them on their way to work. One or two stopped to listen for a short while, an older man the longest. A few people threw money, but the ones who acknowledged him the most were the little ones with busy parents who forced them along so they couldn’t stay and listen.
 
After 1 hour he finished playing and silence took over, no applause, no recognition and a very few dollars for his trouble. No one knew that this man called Joshua Bell was one of the greatest violinists in the world, who played some of the most intricate pieces ever written for a violin, and this day he played on an instrument worth $3.5 million dollars. 
 
The Washington Post had organized this experiment to answer this question. In a commonplace environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty and stop to appreciate it? It raised the uncertainty - if we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the world’s best musicians, playing some of the finest music ever written, on one of the most beautiful instruments ever made - how many other things are we missing?
 
The thought scares me a little. I get so caught up in my writing, editing, promoting, and blogging - in fact - all the many time consuming tasks most authors have, that I must admit, it’s easy to let the world float on by.
 
But should we? And at this time of the year especially? So my request to all you wonderful readers is to stop for a while, enjoy the special moments the season of Yuletide brings us and spoil yourself with pleasures and joy…. ..and lots of chocolate!
Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful season full of friends, warmth and affection!
Hugs & Love   Mimi
 
 
p.s. This is also the time of year to spoil yourself or someone you love with a great Christmas romance. In three days Loveable Christmas Angel received 39 wonderful reviews from readers who got the book during a Free Promotion. So if you have family or friends who love warm, family tales this is the one!! If you don't want to take my word, check out the fabulous reviewsyourself… please!!    
Aloha! Sweet romance, lovable angel, and a prickly little boy’s Christmas wish.
Christmas in Hawaii! How lucky can a girl get? Except Leilani is bringing her mother’s ashes home to Waikiki and has an urgent plea of help from an aunt she’s never even met. After winning two free nights in prestigious Hotel Jordan, things take a turn she never expected. First, she is stuck in an elevator with the prickly, but luscious Mr. Jordan. Secondly, her aunt is a sick woman and only held on for one reason. She wants to pass on her most precious possession… her five-year-old grandchild. The same prickly little fellow that takes one look at Leilani, slaps his fist on his hips and yells, “Go away!”Kale is the owner of the Jordan Hotel Chain and he can’t believe his rotten luck. He broke up with a spoilt brat of a girlfriend and now he’s stuck in an elevator with a big-eyed, effusive tourist. How in the world can a guy who’s so worldly be hooked on a lively beauty with more dilemmas than anyone he’s ever met?    ******  

Promoting can be fun!!??

  
Like everyone else in this book-selling business, I've taken on the added mantel of being a promoter kicking and screaming all the way. I mean... I write books. Love stories. Beautiful romances. Let's face it! There's a huge distance between writing great sex scenes to "Buy my Book" prompts.
 But like we all know, or those of us who desire to actually sell our work, that no one else will do these prompts for us. If we want readers to know we have a wonderful story, one they must read, then it's up to us to get their attention and tell them so. 

I guess there's more ways to do this than I want to go into right now but if you've followed my blog at all, you'll know that I most often promote my work with a group called The Indie Book Collective (IBC) who puts on the Free Partays. They're a fantastic bunch of authors, supportive, kind and very gifted. And I've had wonderful luck with them.

So when I was approached to join in with another small group of fantastic facebook and Triberr friends, I did hesitate before saying sure. But after some soul-searching, I happily agreed because one thing I do know and that is the more experiences I can gather about promotions, the more I'll learn about what others are doing and what works or doesn't. This bunch of enthusiastic authors were going to get together to put all their books free, and as a cohesive group, through Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, we would get the word out.

I'm anxious to see just how this all pans out. I've enjoyed the camaraderie throughout the process and Kirkus MacGowan, our leader, has been super about the details and giving all the help necessary to be sure we're all on board. 

So far it's been a blast!!!
 You might say… AJubilee!!



 
 





My addition to the 12 free books for this promotion is Partners,  Book #1 of the Vegas Series.A short story introduction to the characters in the full-length sequel "Roll the Dice"This book is Free for Dec 21st & Dec 22nd 
 
 
When attractive Las Vegas detective Aurora Morelli makes a friend, she takes the relationship very seriously…and if anyone hurts that person, they’re going down! While Aurora may be slim and dainty on the outside, she has the heart of a lion, and when angry, the manners of a she-cat. The sick schmuck who dared attack her partner is now her prime target, and nothing or no one will stand in her way—except maybe her new partner who arrives in town seeking vengeance on the same culprit.  Kai Lawson, a Bruce Willis lookalike, annoys her. From the very beginning, nothing seems to go right between the two of them, leaving Aurora to question if they should even be working together—especially after he shoots her—and not accidentally! Constant screw-ups on the job and the undeniable attraction building between them makes reaching her goal seem almost insurmountable…almost! You can find all these books on one Jubilee Website!!!    

 

Write the Darn Book! – Part 9

 
7. If possible, either join in with a promoting group like mine - IBC (Indie Book Collective), or start one yourself so that it isn't just you pushing your own work.
 
Have you ever heard of people spamming on twitter and facebook? I have. And I've taken it to mean that it refers to those who constantly "go-on" about their own books.
 
Now it's true we all have to do a certain amount of this type of promotion, and it's acceptable. Especially when we've released a new book or when one of our books goes free. But it can get pretty boring both for the author and the consumer. And I really wonder how many sales can actually be attributed to our constant prompting.
 
Many have decided to go the route of the Authors Marketing Club. If you haven't heard of them yet, it's one page that shows you a lot of places where you can list your free books for special days. Many have guaranteed listings where you can pay a minimal amount to be sure your books are featured on those days they're free.
 
Unfortunately, our books are not always free. Therefore we need to find other ways of advertising. There's places like Pixel of Ink, Romance Reviews, Coffee Time, Ereader News Today, Digital Book Today, etcertera and etcetera! I could go on for the whole page. Many of these sites will give you a short boost in sales, but it'll cost you. Some of the longer promotions cost big-time. If you have more than one book you want to push, it can get really expensive.
 
Personally, I found a group called the Indie Book Collective and started working with them as a constant place to put my budgeted allowance. Twice a month I put one of my eleven books in either their Free Partays or their Kick Ass Blowouts. Going back to March when I first started I have watched my books slowly take off, and little by little, climb the Amazon rankings. (email me at mimibarbour@hotmail.com if you're interested in joining this group. Necessary restrictions – a fairly decent backlist, all books must be listed with the KDP select program on Amazon and your covers will need to pass a strict review.)
 
Finally this month it paid off. I watched with delight as my newest release Lovable Christmas Angel took off and reached the highest point in my career of #302 before it slowly began to fall and then thankfully leveled off at around the #1,200 mark. 
 
Never before have I ever experienced this type of success, and since this one book has excelled, so have my others in the Angel series. It's fantastic. And I know I owe it all to being in a group with others who have reached their success much earlier than myself. It's their attraction that brings the readers who have now begun to recognize my name, accept my work and follow me. Soon, I have no doubt, I'll be one of those on a multitude of lists of the top 100 Best Sellers like so many of my Partay associates (I just looked at the list and today I'm showing on one - #73 in Fantasy & Futuristic - so cool!!)
 
I remember back in the days when I worked so very hard to publicize on my own. I found it difficult and disappointing. My advice to you is to try and find your own niche to join. There's many groups on Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon forums or the Indie Loops. Other authors that want to do free book adverts or giveaway promos, blog hops and book parties, etc. If you can't find a group you like, start your own. They might be a bit of work and time consuming but working this way is relatively cheap or better yet - free. Once you set up events, the magic will last for a few days and during this time the more people who choose your book, the more reviews you will gather and the more people will download you next time because of those reviews, and…and…
 
Slowly but surely, if you keep plugging, maintain some type of a steady exposure and continue to write kick-ass books, you'll be on that blasted beautiful best-selling list also. Now just to stay on it......sssssigh!!!! 
 
Dec 19th & 20th Christmas Runaway is free.
A sweet romance for young and old, with all the elements of a warm and delightful short Christmas tale.
  While driving home in a vicious storm, Sara's white Samoyed becomes agitated and forces Sara to pull over too quickly, which lands the car in the ditch. As soon as she opens the door, the dog takes off into the bush and forces her to follow the tracks that lead to a runaway teen, injured and terrified. When Sara battles the storm outside to try and call for help, an anxious father braving the weather to find his daughter also goes off the road in order not to hit her. Is he a bit furious? Uh huh…     Coming Soon!!!     *****