Tonya Thomas's Blog, page 5

Happy 4th of July!

I'm a hit?

Like most authors with books/stories available as ebooks, I check my "stats" every day.  (Okay, more than once a day.) I've been disappointed that my women's fiction short stories haven't done as well as I'd hope . . . but something odd is happening.

Suddenly my stories are starting to sell in the UK.  Does that mean the Brits like to read about American women in dysfunctional relationships?

If they do, that's okay with me!

On getting a snotty review . . .

FYI: writing isn't always fun. Once the project is done, you (the author) remembers the triumphs, but are more likely to be bogged down by the never-ending torture of trying to coming up with that perfect phrase, the plot that works, and finding ways for your characters to grow.

Note to readers: On certain days, it's absolute TORTURE to write a book or short story. It may not be as physically demanding as hauling bricks, but man, it can be mentally excruciating. And then the absolute worst comes some 18-24 months later when the work sees publication and someone writes a snotty review and says, "I didn't like the book because it didn't exceed my expectations. Because a character acted like a REAL HUMAN BEING WITH PROBLEMS AND EMOTIONS instead of being a light and fluffy read," or words to that effect.

::Sigh::

(Okay, got that out of my system.)

As authors, the only person we really have to please with any writing project is . . . ourselves. (Okay, aside from our editors.) We LOVE it when readers get what we're doing and thank goodness the majority do, but for those who don't, please STOP READING AND REVIEWING the work of authors you really don't like. It's not fair to them or their potential readers. I read a LOT of reviews and I often see a common thread. "I didn't like this author's last book, and I don't like this one, and you shouldn't either."

::Sigh::

And then come the personal attacks.  "The author is obviously BORED with her characters."  Or "Because she writes more than one series, she rushed through this book."  or the worst yet, "This book only got five-star reviews because the author had her friends write the reviews."

No to all three. 

A book review should be one thing:  a review of the work you read, not speculating on the author's state of mind, his/her lifestyle, or your personal opinions about the author.  A review should be about the work, the work, and only the work.

There's a reason Amazon includes a button for readers to tell them if a review is INAPPROPRIATE.

Okay, now stepping off my soap box.

Last stop on the blog tour!

Today marks the last stop of my mini blog tour.  Today I'm guesting at the Cozy Chicks Blog.  These are a great bunch of gals and I'm lucky to be acquainted with three of them.  (Ellery Adams, Leann Sweeney, and Lorraine Bartlett.)

Today I'm talking about "leaving your reading comfort zone."  I hope you'll come on over and join me.

Blog Tour

Well, it seems I've got a mini blog tour coming up -- or rather, it's already here!

I'm hoping to get the word out about my new box set of stories, THE EDGE AND I, and what better way to find e readers than on the Internet?  

Today I'm guesting over at Lorna Barrett's Dazed and Confused blog.  It's Pet Peeve Thursday and I was invited to post a peeve.  (Or am I just going crazy?)

June 5 -- Killer Characters Blog

June 7 -- Ivy Bend Blog

June 16 -- Cozy Chicks Blog

I hope you'll come and visit me on these blogs.  (And I'm really grateful that they've all invited me to be their guest.)

Who doesn't like to save money?

It was with love and pride of ownership that I sent my women's fiction short stories out into the universe these past couple of months.  They haven't hit the big time yet, but then who has ever heard of their author?

(Hey, that's me--Tonya Thomas!)

Anyway, I know times are hard and so I've decided that in addition to offering the stories individually at 99¢ each, I decided to bundle them into a box set.  I've called it THE EDGE AND I, since all the stories are about strong women who make bad decisions--and how they rectify those mistakes.

Yes, folks -- now you can get all five of my women's fiction stories for $2.99 -- that's FIVE for the price of THREE!

Yes, you can.  And you can get them here:

Kindle
Nook
Smashwords (all e reader formats)

Go on, do it now!

P.S.  Isn't that cover just lovely?

The Kindness Of Friends

Not having a wildly recognized name, I'm finding it hard to guest blog anywhere to help promote my new box set of stories when it comes out in June.

Thanks goodness I have friends who've agreed to host me, even though I'm not writing in their particular genre.

So far I've been lined up to guest blog with the Cozy Chicks, on Killer Characters, Dazed and Confused , and my best friend Ivy Bend's blog in June.

I have to admit I'm a bit discouraged, but maybe some of my friends' readers will take a chance on my stories.

I've got my fingers crossed.

Why is it still cold?

Listen up, Mother Nature -- we're nearly into June here and it's still cold in my part of the world.

We've got Memorial Day coming up, and while I know it's traditional for it to be rainy and cold and miserable, couldn't we for ONCE see the sun?


One of my best friends lives on the lake and it would be so nice to go out on their boat with a picnic. Instead, we'll probably sit in her dining room and eat our fried chicken and potato salad.

Oh well, I'll be with my two best girlfriends and their significant others and we'll have fun anyway . . . but it would be so much nicer to have that fun while wearing a sundress than bundled up in sweats.

Hopefully there'll be other sunny weekends where we can haul out the cooler, the grill, and the six of us for a leisurely boat ride and picnic. But right now, the 4th of July seems a million miles away.

Not that Anyone Asked . . .

These days I'm working on a fantasy saga.  Yes, not what I've been used to . . . but it's fun and has taken me out of my comfort zone.

However, it means I probably won't be uploading any new work for some time. 

Still, I haven't given up on my women's fiction short stories.  They haven't found a large audience yet, and I'm repackaging them in a book-like way.  They'll still only be available as e downloads, but they'll be bundled so that you have the choice of getting five stories for $2.99 instead of buying them individually for a total of $4.95.  Win-win situation, eh? 

The new collection should be ready to go on or about June 1st.  I'll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, back to a strange and alien planet where . . . oops!  No spoilers!

The Luxury Trap

My latest short story (women's fiction) is now available for download:

Erica came from a large family and always had to work hard for everything in life. Then she met Donovan Whitmore—the man of her dreams who could give her everything she ever wanted. Only … it turned out Donovan worked just as hard as Erica—-maybe harder. And then everything she always wanted wasn't nearly enough.

Kindle  ~ Nook  ~  Smashwords