Jennifer Malone Wright's Blog, page 8

A Chance to Win a Print Copy of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Collection.

This is two days only, starting today March 5th!

This is the Facebook post and you must go to the post to participate.

Click Here For The Facebook Post

This is the text from the post to show you what the contest is.
*CHECK IT OUT* Right now, SAVIOR (A Higher Collective Novel) is on sale for $.99 (Usually $2.99) For today and tomorrow only, March 5 and 6th, whoever purchases a copy of SAVIOR and comments on this post with your order number will be entered to win a print copy of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Complete Collection parts 1-6 , a TVHD button and a TVHD bracelet. Winner will be chosen with a randomizer on Friday morning.
Sharing and tagging is appreciated!
*Facebook is in no way responsible or accountable for this giveaway.*
http://smarturl.it/savior

 

Here is a pic of the print book you could win

Good Luck And Spread The Word!

And the winner is ….

The winner of the rafflecopter giveaway for a signed set of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter print copies is, Marilyn Lopez-Ae!!! Congrats

 

The winner has been emailed already. Look for another giveaway coming up really soon!

Those who won from flash giveaways on the fan page, it’s a little bit late, but your prizes went out today.

 

Getting Personal: My Life and Future Books

All right, every single day I get several messages or comments about when something new is coming out. This is good, keep asking, I do my best to answer everyone and it does keep me motivated. I am working on the next Arcadia book and also a few other projects, however, there are some issues that have come up and I haven’t been able to write much at all.

Normally, I don’t talk this much about my personal life. I keep my issues at home where they belong. Rarely ever will you catch me posting or writing about anything that is a serious thing going on with me. Sure I post things like “Oh, my kids, I can’t get any work done.” but that is nothing, I have five kids and it’s a give in that it is hard to get things done when there are kids around making all kinds of racket and always needing something. 

I know your all thinking “Oh my goodness, she is getting divorced” or something of the like. No, it’s nothing like that.

Here’s the thing. When you work from home, it’s hard to separate the home life and the work life. I have five children who are 17, 11, 9, 5 and 3.  When I first published and made this a career, my youngest was a newborn and it was a lot easier to get things done as far as writing goes. At that same time my 9 year old was only in Kindergarten, so school wasn’t such a big deal. Now, they are at very tender ages where they all need different kinds of attention.

My husband helps as much as he can, I won’t describe what he does or his work schedule cause I’m not allowed to talk about that, but mostly it’s me who has to carry out the consistency, the discipline, make sure homework is done, make sure they bathe, brush their teeth, do their chores, attend any activities they have and all that day to day stuff that some people who only have ONE kid have a hard time keeping up with.

On top of that I have housework. UGH! (No dishwasher)

I basically have no time to write.

And on top of that, there is the business side of writing and the social networking. I can do the social networking stuff because it’s easy with my cell phone. Thank goodness.

Because of my schedule, I was staying up all night to try and get work done. I would wake up in my recliner with my laptop and a kinked neck. I got to a point where I didn’t care about myself, it was all about getting the work done because that is what makes the money. Slowly, I fell into a depression that I had been on the brink of for a very long time. I have fought depression my entire life and am familiar with fighting it off, but the stress, the worry and the lack of identity for myself finally spewed over. I broke down.

I could go into all the details of this, but I wont.

I am better now. I’ve snapped out of it and am on a strict workout and eating plan. This helps a lot because it makes me feel better. Exercise is always good for the health and happiness, as is eating well and drinking lots of water.

But, now that I’m feeling better, my kiddos are having issues. One of my kids is having terrible problems in school with concentration and staying on task. There is wayyyyy more to what is going on with this child but it’s something that I need to monitor every minute of the day. It’s all behavioral, not health, so no worries. The teacher and I are working closely to try and get this corrected.

Another of my kids has been dealing with bullies all year.

The smaller two children are feeding off all the chaos in my home and acting like crazy animals half the time.

The only thing that is going to fix this situation is constant attention and a consistent schedule for them. Which is what I have been doing. I am literally on top of everything they are doing at all times.

So … my day usually goes like this now. Wake up at six, wake all kids up, make sure everyone is getting ready and out of bed (up the stairs/down the stairs), make coffee, get little ones breakfast, change a diaper, send kids to bus, go start car (shovel snow and wipe car if needed), get little guys ready and in car, take oldest to school (20 minute drive), drop kid off and head home. Once home, eat my daily serving of plain oatmeal, drink water, drink coffee, do a few chores, check Facebook and all my sales numbers, check emails, check other stuff, work out for an hour, shower, get ready (with clothes, not pajamas), depending on the day, do some ironing, do some laundry (2 loads every day), do dishes, all the other surface housework like vacuuming and stuff, do one heavy cleaning thing like the bathtub. Uh oh, time to go get the oldest from school. So, wake up hubby, rush to pick up kid, rush home to meet the other two so I can make sure they get their snack, do homework, silent reading, chores and showers. I usually start dinner during all of that, by the time dinner is over the youngest is ready for bed so I sit with him until he falls asleep (using my phone to catch up on social networking, emails and other stuff.) After that, I make the kids clean the table and kitchen, then it’s time to go to bed.

This is not everyday, but it’s the norm. Sometimes I have errands or appointments.

So you see what I’m saying. I have nowhere in there to get the writing done, the part where I have to be in the zone. I simply cannot do it. It has come to a point where I have had to pick between my children and my career …. we all know that I pick the children. They are most important, the writing can wait, but they can’t. They need me and I won’t be “that mom.” 

I am not giving up completely. I still need to make money, I still need to make an income for our family to survive and with no new releases that means that I have to sell the old stuff. It means that I have to keep up the social networking so that people don’t forget me. This is hard, I am sacrificing a lot because my income literally pays half the bills, but I know in my heart it is the right decision.

I’m sorry, you have all been so supportive and so wonderful, but my kids come first and I have to be here for them. In addition to this, I am a wife and I want to be a good wife, which means I do nice things for my husband like make his lunch for him and give him the attention that he deserves.

Take what you want from this post, I just wanted to give a good explanation to all those who have been asking about future books. I appreciate each and everyone of you so much and also wanted to say thank you for all that you have done to support me and my books.

 

 

 

Updates and Current Contests

Ok, so I have a few contests going on right now and thought we should update so that there is an easy place to find them.

Click here for a rafflecopter to win a signed copy of SAVIOR (A Higher Collective Novel)

Click here for a Goodreads Giveaway to win one of two signed copies of SAVIOR (A Higher Collective Novel)

If you haven’t left a review for The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter part 1, click here to go and do that, because when I get to 500 reviews (currently at 372) I am going to giveaway a set of signed prints of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter 1-6. If you haven’t read it, it’s free so go on over and get yourself a copy. I need this you guys, so lets get er done!

I currently only have one set of the TVHD prints available, but if you would like one you can pre-order them for my next shipment at the beginning of March. If you would like to do that go to this blog post and use the pay pal buttons.

 

And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. There will be tons of exclusive stuff, contests, featured books and more! The sign up is to your right in my side bar.

 

 

 

Win a Signed Print Copy of Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)

Every one loves a giveaway, so here is your chance to win a signed print copy of my full length vampire novel, Savior.

Enter in the rafflecopter below!

Unfortunately, due to high prices of shipping internationally this giveaway is for United States only.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sign up for the Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse Blog Tour

***ATTENTION***

Anyone who would like to participate in the Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse blog tour please fill out this contact form.

The tour dates are Feb 24th-March 7th.

There will be a rafflecopter giveaway with this tour and a link of your choice will be included as an entry in the rafflecopter.

I am willing to do guest posts with your topic of choice and interviews if you supply the questions within a reasonable amount of time. If you would like K.B to to the guest post or interview please specify and I will ask her, as her schedule is currently very, very full.

Once you fill out the contact form I will get in touch with you to confirm a date and type of post.

 

[contact-form]

 

Pre Order Signed Copies of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Individual Prints!

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter short story series is now available as individual prints. It is already available with all the stories together in one book with it’s own cover. But, now, each one can be purchased separately.  Savior is also available in print now too.  Each of the TVHD series parts in print will cost $5.49 (The lowest it will let me price them.) When you order them from me it will be $7.00 for a signed print, and that includes shipping.

For those who want to order the whole set of all six parts, there will be a slight discount. $30.00 for all six signed copies, that includes shipping as well.

My first order for signed books will be placed on January 25th and then you should allow around a week or so for shipping. They will be live on Amazon before this date though. This is just a a pre-order for signed copies.

If you have ANY issues with the paypal buttons below please let me know and be sure to enter the proper address into the shipping information when you make your purchase.

Thanks Everyone!!

 

 

 Purchase a signed individual print for $7.00

Choose Part




Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6




Name you want signed to

 

Purchase the entire set of six signed TVHD prints for $30.00

Name you want signed to

 

Purchase a Signed Copy of Savior for $15.00

Name you want signed to

Back to the Grind

Well I figured that I’d better write you guys a blog post to catch up on what I’ve been up to. I haven’t written a post for a while, but I’ve been super busy with the kids being home for Christmas vacation and all the holiday stuff that goes along with that. 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I am honestly just glad that it’s over. I know that is really sad, but most of you saw some of my facebook posts rolling through my feed and know that the holidays hit me pretty hard this year. That was the first time I’ve ever had that happen and I hope I can avoid that feeling next year. Anywho, onto better things.

A lot of people have been asking about Arcadia Falls 3. Yes, I’m working on it, no its not done. I’m sorry guys, but it’s one of those things where I have this other story in my head that needs to come out and I can’t write in Chloe’s head when my other characters are dominating the space in there. Also, the little guys take up most of my day as well as the household stuff. In just a couple short years I will be able to write full time when they are all in school.

Also. Something I’ve been working on is getting the smaller stories of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter into prints. Each one will be in its own little print. These will be fun collectors items to have.  I heard from my awesome friend who is helping me with the back covers and she said I should have those tonight. So, cross your fingers, hopefully I will be able to order proof copies soon! I am very excited about this.

While doing the manuscripts for the print copies I took several days to fix the errors that were present in the copies which are currently uploaded to the TVHD ebooks. I will be uploading those soon as well. I am actually a little afraid to change whats up there, just in case I did something wrong and they don’t take. Lol, I’m just a worry wart about everything.

Other than that, I am working on my new WIP. It’s going amazing so far. I am starting on Chapter 9 today. Yay! Yes it’s going to be a full length and yes its a series. I’m not giving any information or release dates anymore because I tend to miss those dates so I don’t want to get you all worked up for nothing.

Well, I better go make some lunch for my little guys! Hope you all have a great day!

What Do You Get a Writer For Christmas?

My husband constantly insists that I am hard to buy for. I honestly have no idea why he thinks this. I am a writer! The things I like and want are totally easy to think of. I am not into all that girly stuff that some chicks like. I don’t like jewelry, I switch between two pairs of shoes, I don’t need a bunch of electronic gadgets because I already have my phone and my computer. (I do want a tablet, but I don’t NEED one.)

To help other people who have the same question I thought I would put a few ideas in my article here.

http://www.bubblews.com/account/83123-jenniferwright

 

KDP Select Killed My Sales

I’m sure  that there are going to be a lot of people who read this who have done really well thanks so Amazon’s KDP Select program. However, I am not one of them.

The KDP Select program is where you can sign up to have your books exclusively through the Amazon, you cannot have your books available through any other retailers except Amazon. That is a downside to the program and the main reason why I refused to use the program at all. I’m just going to copy paste the upside reasons cause I’m lazy today and don’t feel like typing it out.

1. Earn higher royalties – Earn your share of the KDP Select Global Fund when readers borrow your books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. The fund amount is variable and announced on a monthly basis. We constantly monitor all factors that impact the KDP Select fund in order to set the fund amount for our KDP Select authors. You can also earn 70% royalty for sales to customers in Japan, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

2. Maximize your book’s sales potential – Choose between two great promotional tools:  Kindle Countdown Deals (limited time promotional discounting for your book); or Free Book Promotion (where readers worldwide can get your book free for a limited time).

3. Reach a new audience – Help readers discover your books by making them available through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and reach the growing number of Amazon Prime customers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Japan.

Back before KDP Select we had to get our book price matched to make it permanently free by making it free at Smashwords, then all the other retailers whom you select through Smash also make it free, then eventually Amazon will make it free. Yes, you can still do this.

The point of a free book is to sell your other books.

Now, with the KDP Select program the book world is flooded with more books than we can possibly read. My Kindle is FULL of them because I download most free books I see floating around in my FB news feed. This is a good point, because even if people download one to be supportive, most probably wont even read it right away … or at all.

My sales were fine, actually they were amazing, until the start of this program. Now that everyone can get free books in such abundance, they don’t want to purchase any. The pricing of ebooks already bums me out. We work soooooo hard and pay so much to put our books into the world and then we have to sell them for pennies because people just don’t want to pay for anything. I get being frugal, but really… 

Our book world has turned into “Why should I pay for books when I can get them for free”

This sucks.

Really. Effing. Sucks.

Let me tell you guys something. I have lots of people offer to gift me books all the time. If they do send me a copy or gift it with a coupon from Smash. I go and I purchase it anyway because I know that they are trying to make a living off their work.

I’m frustrated about sales lately, but I also get frustrated with people who are only out for a freebie. On that note. I see sets of six full length novels being sold for 99 cents. Ummm… are you freaking kidding me. Do you know what exactly we put into getting these books into the world and we have to sell SIX of them for 99 cents. That is insane. But it is what the readers are expecting from us. Not their fault, I’m not accusing our loving awesome readers of being cheap. Not at all. It is what we, the self publishing community have created as a whole. WE have given them this expectation of pricing on our books.

So… in closing. Comment and let me know what KDP Select has done for you.

Readers, whats your opinion?

Let me have it!