G.P. Ching's Blog, page 8

Back to School: A New Start

I love the fall.  There's nothing better than the orangey-red of late September's foliage in my state, or the comfort of the season's first fleece. But beyond that, years of schooling have conditioned me to think of  fall as a time of new beginnings.  Of course, I was the type of student who'd get excited by the sight of a new backpack or a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. I went to college not once but twice, the first time for accounting and the second for nursing. I'm convinced that the writer in me simply loves to learn.



But once adulthood hits you square in the jaw, you realize what a gift it is to have a "new semester". New beginnings become happy surprises. Responsibilities snowball. And the calendar doesn't quit flipping for anything.



This week I've been finishing up my new paranormal romance novel titled The Ghost and the Graveyard.  I'm releasing this book under the name Genevieve Jack because it is written for adults and I don't want anyone confusing it as a young adult title.







But a new series under a new name is not without its challenges.  Sure, it's a brand new start to do all of the things I wish I'd done with my first series.  But it also feels like starting from scratch.  I've had to build out a new website www.genevievejack.com, set up a fledgling blog (thank you to BOTH of my followers), and set myself up on Goodreads.  My adult readership will likely be different than my YA readership, so I'm contacting entirely different book bloggers.  You could say I've gone back to school, learning how to market this genre from the ground up.



Maybe it's apt then that I'm undertaking this venture in the fall when everyone else is going back to school too. New beginnings, hope for an amazing future, fresh notebooks and pens full of ink... I hope you enjoy this time of year as much as I do!

Liars and Cheaters, Oh My!

Are we a society of cheaters?

Last week, Cameron van der Burgh admitted to cheating in the 100 yard breaststroke at the Olympics by using an illegal dolphin kick. The south african gold medalist was quick to say that he was not the only one and that it is widely known that if you want to win, you have to cheat. The report came on the heels of a New York Times story about a hospital that was performing unneeded cardiac surgeries to defraud medicare and insurers out of millions of dollars. And today, a report of a young competitor caught cheating at...


As the mother of two daughters, I try to teach my kids to do the right thing.  Honesty is the best policy. Cheaters never prosper. But more and more I see liars and cheaters proliferating in the highest echelon of our society. Our leaders and heroes, caught red handed, issue less than heart felt apologies and act as though their behavior is business as usual.



It begs the question, is our world so complex and competitive that people have to cheat to win? And is winning so important that it's worth compromising your soul? I mean, if the boy came in second at Scrabble, would a room full of puppies die?  And by what stretch of the imagination does a hospital justify risking lives to enhance the bottom line?



I think we often hear about fraud on an individual level, but perhaps cheating has become systemic. Maybe the bar has been raised to a point that no human being can reach it without a little help. But I think the bigger issue is that people still believe the bar is worth reaching.



So, I tell my kids, there is nothing wrong with living a simple life. To be loved and to love yourself, to look yourself in the mirror every morning with a clear conscience, goes a long way toward authentic happiness. And I have to think, if there was someone in the pool swimming against Cameron who did not cheat, that person will have a story to tell to their grandchildren about how they didn't win the medal but earned a more valuable prize--their integrity.

Paranormal Romance Bloggers Wanted

Are you an adult who loves to read hot paranormal romance such as J.R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series or Charmaine Harris' Southern Vampire series? Do you have a blog where you review these types of books? Would you be interested in reading the first book in a new, original, sexy paranormal romance series for free?



I am looking for bloggers to participate in the cover reveal and ARC review of my next series of books for adults written as Genevieve Jack.  I can not stress enough that this is not a young adult novel and it does contain sex, violence, and adult situations. The professionally edited ARCs will be ready by September 1st.



If you are interested in more information, please email me at authorgenevievejack@gmail.com.  Please include a link to your blog.  Thank you!



Author Genevieve Jack on-line is still under construction but you can be the first to follow her at:



http://genevievejack.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/Genevieve_Jack

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGenevieveJack

Barnes and Noble's Six Book Problem

My neighbor from up the street emailed me last week.  He'd walked into my local Barnes and Noble and asked an employee to help him find my books.  After all, I live 4 miles from the store and my books are on both the Amazon and iTunes bestseller lists.  Of course the employee explained that Barnes and Noble doesn't carry my books in stores but could special order them.




Not wanting to wait, my neighbor contacted me directly and I sold him two full sets of my trilogy. I don't mind BN kicking customers my way.  It's happened before and I make more on direct sales.  But the incident got me to thinking about the future of my local bookstore.




See, losing a six book sale isn't a big deal.  It's maybe a couple of bucks of profit.  But when you think about how many self-published books are out there, including the backlists of traditionally published authors, it isn't a stretch to think that this is happening at every store across the country on a regular basis.  Add that to the popularity of self-publishing and that many serious readers are now also writers, and you can see how fast a six book problem can become a six hundred thousand book problem.




It would be unrealistic to think that BN would or could carry every title on their shelves. No one expects that. But if it were my business, I would have the community relations person in each store become more involved in reaching out to local authors and writers groups. Barnes and Noble could be more welcoming, maybe developing a process and/or criteria for carrying indie books. Another idea is a local author bookshelf. Or incorporation of POD machines, such as the Espresso book publishing machine.




I sincerely hope my local Barnes and Noble is still there ten years from now. I'm a bookstore person. I enjoy going there and I still occasionally buy hardcover.  But I can't help but think that my BN just trained a customer to check Amazon or the author's website first before driving to their store. And, in my opinion, that type of policy has long term and far reaching consequences.

Milestones: Better than Gallstones

I've reached a few milestones this month that warrant a blog post.  I'll be honest- I am uncomfortable with self-promotion and I've procrastinated writing this. But I know there are many writers out there who find it encouraging to read success stories, so here goes.




Milestone 1: 50,000 in sales.  




BUT GP, you say, I thought you passed 50,000 a long time ago? This 50,000 is different. This 50,000 includes only books 2 and 3 at 2.99 and 3.99 respectively.  It does not include any 99 cent or free downloads (or other sales) of The Soulkeepers (book 1).  For me, this is a more accurate sales figure because these are not promotional sales.  You don't read book 2 without already reading and liking book 1. I'm super excited about the 50,000 milestone but there's another even more exciting....




Milestone 2: 1,000th 5 star review on iTunes 




This month The Soulkeepers earned its 1,000th 5 star review in the iBookstore. I couldn't be happier with how readers have connected with the series. In fact, it's a dream come true. Thank you readers for the support and encouragement you give me every day.




Milestone 3: I'm incorporated!




For a number of reasons, I incorporated my writing business and Carpe Luna, LTD now publishes the Soulkeepers series.  I'm expecting to release two more books this fall, including the first book in a new paranormal romance series for adults and the first in a new young adult trilogy. More to come on these titles in the future.




So, to all of my readers, THANK YOU!!! And to all of my fellow authors, you can do it! Keep going! And thank you for all of your support this year.

New Covers to Love!

July has been a great month for covers.  Have you seen these updates!






The Cloud Prophet Trilogy by Megg Jensen
















Dream Smashers by Angela Carlie


















This isn't a new cover for Angela but a new release
coming Fall 2012. I just slipped it in here because it is yummy!








My Alien Romance Series by Magan Vernon

















Beautiful yes?  I think so.  And really good books too!

Free Kindle Books and Tips

Just a quick note to let you know that The Soulkeepers is featured today on Free Kindle Books and Tips.  If you have a kindle, please get to know this site.  It's a fabulous source for free Kindle books as well as useful information on getting the most from your eReader. I came across it through a friend and highly recommend.

Dog Days of Summer

I haven't been working much the last week.  Having a new puppy is a lot like a new baby. Jack doesn't sleep through the night yet and he requires constant supervision.  Until today.  Today, I took Jack for a two mile walk after breakfast.  Here is a photo journal of what happened next.







9:00 AM





10:30



12:30









3:30



Got a lot done today but I think I broke my dog.  Have to take it easy on him tomorrow.

Jack Cam

My new puppy Jack faces off against the evil denta-bone.  Enjoy!





















G.P.

Blog Tour: A Princess Broken by Misty Gatlin

Misty Gatlin is visiting today on the A Princess Broken blog tour.  




Sarah defines herself as many things:  broken, damaged, addicted, and hopeless.  Hurt at an early age by someone dear to her, she retaliates by living a life filled with destruction.  Her past has finally caught up with her, and she’s ready to call it quits.  Her story unfolds when she meets a compassionate stranger who helps her realize past decisions don’t define who she is, and what she thought was the end of her story is only the beginning.  A life-changing decision is placed in front of her, and she’s forced to face it head on.  What will she choose, and where will that path lead her?




Buy it:  Amazon.com  BarnesandNoble.com  MistyGatlin.com.




Watch the trailer:   A Princess Broken Book Trailer




I asked Misty the following question about Sarah her MC:




If your main
character was a real person, what would her room look like? Her wardrobe? What
music would be on her ipod? What group would she hang out with at school?




Sarah is the main character in A Princess Broken. 
She’s a 15 year old who has a rather large story to tell.  She has no home and has been on the
streets for a long time, but we get a pretty good glimpse into her style later
in the book. 




She’s simple in her style and would likely dress in jeans
and a fitted T-shirt with some type of colorful design or words.  She’s not into spending hours fixing
her hair and makeup, so her hair would usually be up, and her makeup would
consist of eyeliner and mascara only. 
Even without makeup she is beautiful.  She would always be seen with a simple, feminine tiara
necklace.




Her room would be colorful.  Bright neon colors would radiate from her comforter and
pillows, and one wall would be covered floor to ceiling with pictures torn from
magazines.  You might look in her
room and discover something seemingly out of place; a pink box with pink
feathers on top would be sitting on the edge of her dresser.   Nowhere else would pink be
seen in her room, so it would stand out like a sore thumb.  Once you hear her story in its
entirety, you’ll know why it’s there.




Music would always be playing in her room, but it’s always
different.  Her moods change, and
because she is such a music lover, her music reflects the mood she’s in.  Although her playlist consists mostly
of hard rock and pop, she also enjoys hip hop and rap.  Her philosophy is if you can dance to it, it’s worth listening to.




Sarah would hang out with a small group of people.  She doesn’t feel comfortable in crowds,
so you would usually see her with the same two or three people every day.  She doesn’t pay attention to labels or
cliques and wouldn’t allow herself to be labeled into a particular group. 



Sarah sounds like an interesting character, Misty.  Thank you for visiting today!