K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 104

Don't Quit On Lost Loved Ones

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, we’re talking about locating lost loved ones, people who have vanished from your life without a word.
One day, you’re having fun with your brother and the next he’s gone without a trace. You didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to him. All you know is that other people you thought you loved are involved and no one is telling you a thing.
Five years pass and you still don’t know where he is. What are you to do? For Suzy, letting her good friends, Wildcat Crew, take over is a solution. The third in the Wildcat Crew series takes the reader through the search for a brother thought lost forever…

Get The Case of the Lost Brother Book 2 Wildcat Crew eBook on Amazon
Blurb
George Adams, brother to Christine and Suzie, disappeared when his parents took him out of their home in Beverly Hills. Wildcat Crew finally has the clues they need to discover where he is and why he’s there.
The crew works hard but runs into all sorts of brick walls. Until they uncover important clues and are soon on their way to the successful conclusion of another case.

Get The Case of the Missing Brother Book 3 Wildcat Crew print book on Amazon
Excerpt
A young man sat in a wheelchair. He stared at the high rock formations around this place where he’d been brought five years earlier and wished that someone would tell him that his sentence had ended. He’d done what he’d been told, never spoken a word about what he’d discovered. Yet, the people that dumped him here, after having him ripped from his home by a couple of men who threatened to hurt his sisters if he resisted, had never once visited him.
I won’t cooperate any longer. I’m almost twenty-three. Christine would be twenty-one. And Suzie, pretty little Suzie, she’d be eighteen. What’s happened to them? When will someone tell me what’s going on?



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Don't Bash Cover Art

Good morning and welcome to Monday Blogs. Today, we’re going to be discussing a disturbing trend, one that has caused a lot of pain for many authors.
Every author’s delight is sharing their cover art. It has a twofold purpose. First, you’re getting a glimpse of a book you’ve heard about for months as this author went through the final steps before submission or to prepare for self-publishing.  You’ve waited with bated breath in anticipation of a cover that will be different from all others in that genre, will wow the world, and will leave you breathless with its beauty.
For a week, you’ve liked the author’s posts about this coming cover art. Their teasers about what it may look like. The hints that it may be good enough to win AUTHORSdb cover art contest. Your nerves are as stretched as this author’s when the long awaited day arrives.
Near noon, you see the cover come across your news feed on Facebook. You stop. Stare openmouthed. A feeling swells within you and you’re soon pounding out a message.
“That is the most awful cover I’ve ever seen. Who made it? A kindergartner?”
You even manage to post this before remorse takes over. Even though you have a microsecond to take back your words by deleting the post, you can’t move, just stare at those awful, heartbreaking words in shame or some people might even experience a bit of pride in their nasty act. In your eyes, this cover is the worst one ever created.
You make a move to delete the post, thinking you’ve managed to avoid anyone noticing your post, but before you can complete your action, the responses are coming in…
“What a jerk!”
“Who made you the cover art queen?”
“Go away.”
“Loser.”
All of those are directed at you and your unkind words. A private message comes up. It’s from the author. You’re being asked to avoid all of his/her posts in the future and just go away. Your bravado rises again. This person asked for opinions. Why are they so upset now? Once again taking a shot from the privacy of your phone or computer, you respond to the private message on the cover art.
“Wow. Like I can’t have an opinion? Like you think this is a book I’d actually buy with this nasty cover on it. I’ll gladly leave you alone.”
Before everyone can get on you again, because they’re obviously morons, you scroll on. That little voice in the back of your head demands that you undo what you’ve done. You ignore it but after a few minutes decide to apologize privately. You’re not going to give the losers following this author a chance to crow at your humble pie experience. Opening messenger, you discover the message from the author is gone. Refreshing your screen doesn’t bring back the message. You check your feed. There is no cover art from this author. In fact, you can find no posts from this person at all. Feeling a bit stalkerish, you go on over to their home page, but the search says it doesn’t exist.
As you’re beginning to wonder what’s going on, a new message pops up, from a mutual friend of the author.
“Dude, you blew it. She’s blocked you. Don’t bother apologizing. Don’t try to get back friends with her ever. Just go away.”
In an instant you’ve become a social media pariah. You and the author have known each other since you were in kindergarten. You thought she knew that you always voiced your opinion like you did. It takes a lot of time but you finally realize you’ve hurt a close friend with something she loved and humiliated her at the same time.
Quite simply, authors sweat their cover art from concept to final product. It’s as important to them as their story is. When someone bashes them publicly, they will back away from that person. There is nothing that can change the rift between you now. Time will not heal this rift. You will have to accept the wonderful relationship you had as buddies is over and will never reignite. Take this as a lesson learned and move forward.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email 

Searching For A Lost Child

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Blog Share. Today, we’ll be looking at a mother’s desperate search for a child taken by her non-custodial father.
Non-parental custodial abduction leaves the custodial parent with a hole in their life. The child they’ve been caring for is no longer around. The parent is at a loss about what they can do or who they can depend upon to help them. This is a murky field and while law enforcement tries,  only 6% of the children abducted are returned to the custodial parent.
With such a small return rate, many parents are left wondering what’s going on in their child. They don’t get updates. It’s rare that a child will call them. In fact, if the child isn’t found within a week, the chances of that happening get slimmer with each year that passes.

Get Puff of Smoke eBook on Amazon! 
Blurb
Her child vanishes in a puff of smoke.
Multi-billionaire Mark Jannson has everything money can buy. If it has no financial value, he wants nothing to do with it. International best selling romance author Sheila Carson lives only for her child, Lanie. Ben Mason fell for the lovely yet reclusive Sheila when she divorced her husband and vows to help her find her child. Eleanor Jannson has questions her dad won’t answer.
An arson to cover up murder and kidnapping in Colorado’s Front Range near Denver begins with a puff of smoke. For almost eleven years, Sheila never gives up hope that she will find her daughter alive, even though officially the child was declared dead in the fire that consumed her ex-husband’s home. Mark lives in constant fear that his former wife will uncover his horrific secret and will do anything, including ordering another murder, to cover his tracks. Ben Mason has connections he’s loathe to disclose but uses them to assist Sheila in this international murder mystery.

Get Puff of Smoke print book on Amazon!
Excerpt
The day began just like any other, only it was far different from any other day Sheila Carson had experienced in a long time. Worry nipped at the edges of her frayed nerves, causing her to jump at the slightest noise in the small cottage she shared with her four-year-old daughter, Lanie. Sheila was hard put to identify what was making her so nervous. For the first time in Lanie’s short life, Sheila had had two blissful weeks of peace, sleeping in, and not worrying about having to entertain her precocious child.
Not that she minded Lanie’s constant questions and playing with her whenever she had the chance, but Sheila had longed for time as an adult, a chance to find someone who would share her ideals, and maybe ignite a romance. All of that had ended when she’d discovered that she was pregnant, only a week after she had decided to divorce her husband.
Why did I ever admit that Lanie was Mark’s? Why did I agree to this visitation where he would have her in that monstrosity of a house above Denver?



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they  .

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Ten Voices

Good morning and welcome to Sharing Saturday. Today, we’re talking about those voices in your head. Not the kind you visit a psychologist to deal with but the voices telling you where to go next in your book and just how the action should play out.
I’ve often been asked what it’s like writing a book. Most non-authors don’t understand how I can hear ten voices in my head, telling me what to do, or how to make this secondary character into a new viewpoint. I’ve even had these darling voices startle me awake in the middle of the night, where they demand that I sit in front of my screen and plot out a chapter or five based on their thoughts.
No, I really don’t need to talk to someone about these voices. They truly are my characters and they are out of control. Hence the name of my blog. They’ll kick me awake during the wee hours, when the rest of the house is happily slumbering, so that I might disturb them with the clattering of my keyboard keys whilst I’m setting a new plot point that must happen. These characters own me, and they know it.
How this usually goes is that I’ve got a story plotted in my head, with sufficient space to add in necessary information as I go along. I’m a hybrid author, both a plotter and a punster. It’s what works for me. But, inevitably, at some point in the book when everything is going to plan, here comes the monkey wrench.
Oh, what a monkey wrench it is. It always involves major rewriting, eyelids propped open with toothpicks, and lots of coffee. Coffee is a rather important author tool when the characters are in charge.
This is why I am awake at odd hours, sleeping at even odder hours, and never seem to take a break from my writing. In addition to the dozen or so stories currently in production, which have grudgingly allowed the others to interrupt their flow, I have folders of notes about other story ideas, names of characters, pictures of things I want to include, and sometimes a rough synopsis lined out.
I’m not alone in this affliction. There are many authors living with this plague. It has no cure, except lots of time on the keyboard. We wouldn’t have it any other way!


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:

Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

Being The Author All The Time

Good morning and welcome to Friday Feelings. Today, we’re talking about being the author in public and especially on social media all the time.
Yes, you’re an author if you’ve had even one book published. That you are crowing about it is to be expected to a certain degree, but there are rules for authors. When I had my first book published, I didn’t know these rules. No one has really bothered to put them down in writing, but they are real and if you don’t follow them, you might find yourself in a wasteland when it comes to getting support from other authors…
Let’s start with the first rule, which came into being in the early part of this month. As I’ve said, there are no hard and concrete rules, but an indie author made a huge mistake and instead of backing down, she threatened other authors with legal action regarding their use of a word she had trademarked…
Another rule is that you are the author twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. This means you can’t post divisive information. You can’t participate publicly in discussions that might be offensive to your fans. You have to appear neutral at all times. And that is darned hard.
When an author releases a book in the twenty-first century, they know they have to get buzz going immediately. Great. Do this – on your Facebook fan page, on your Twitter feed, on Google + or any of the other many social media sites you utilize. Do not do this on your personal pages. Do not inundate your friends with “buy my book” links. They’ll run in droves.
At events, you have to be smiling and interacting with potential customers, even if your life is falling apart. No one can know you just took your beloved pet to the vet and authorized the shot that put them over the Rainbow Bridge the previous day. The customers flocking to your table can’t pick up a hint that you had a huge fight with your significant other before leaving that day. Never let them think that you feel like you’re coming down with a cold and want nothing more than a comfy blanket, a recliner with a wool blanket, and a cup of tea rather than talking to them.
Even grocery shopping you are on display as the author. This is especially important, because no matter where you live, people are excited to see/meet the author being a regular person. They’ll intrude on your personal space just for the chance to tell everyone how nice you are. They’ll gush about how you took the time to talk to them. All the while the only thing you’re thinking about is how fast you can walk away so you can get back to your writing.
A smile when you’re down in public goes a long way. Speaking to strangers who recognize you will give you fans for life. But make one mistake and you’ll soon discover those people will talk about that much more than all the nice things you’ve ever done.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

The Journey to Publication

Good morning and welcome to Thursday Thoughts.  Today, we’ll be discussing your journey to publication.
You’ve written a book. It’s taken you a long time but you feel this novel is ready to be published. Because you want to have the comfort of a publisher, you are now looking at which ones to submit to. Of course, you’re also reading blogs on how best to present your book to a publisher and they have so much advice on that. Things like “all publishers require you to submit a query first of a mere three chapters plus your synopsis and blurb in addition to a little bit about yourself.” Or the ever happy news that you need only email the submissions manager and indicate your interest and sit back to wait for the response they’re happy to read your book.
Hold on there. Have you read the submissions guidelines of the publishers you have on your very extensive list yet? Have you had beta readers or critique group go over your novel, so you can fix those errors you haven’t noticed because you’ve become used to them fitting in well with the story? Once you’ve had your book critiqued by these people, have you let it rest for a while, so you can look it over with a clear eye and catch anything they might have missed?
All you’re thinking at this point is that your book is publication ready but a submissions manager or editor in chief might see things differently. These people are looking for publication ready books their editors don’t have to spend months working on with you, in order to ensure you have a winning book that will attract readers. If you send them a book that needs a lot of work, where they see grammatical errors or missing punctuation, they are going to tell you that your book isn’t right for them. Some of the time, they might tell you exactly what’s wrong or suggest you use beta readers/critique groups to clean up the problems they noticed, but usually they don’t even go that far.
Why?
A submissions manager or editor in chief is a very busy person. They often have many other duties with a small publisher than looking at submissions. Therefore, they go with the three strikes rule – once they see three mistakes, your book isn’t going to be accepted, no matter how good the story is. It’s a sad truth that we must live with.
One other thing you’ll need to consider with small publishers. Very few, if any, have a marketing team. That’s right – there is no team of individuals ready to market your book to the viewing public. It’s up to you, the author, to also become the social media maven, diving into the murky waters of promotion. Have you set up your social media pages with Facebook (a fan page – not your personal page), Twitter, Google +, and any of the myriad of smaller social media sites that abound on the internet. You need to be active on those sites, even if you have a day job, in order to be noticed. Those small publishers look for that kind of activity. But don’t post politically divisive rants or hateful commentary about other people. That will get you a no thank you too. No publisher wants their name associated with someone who is turning off at least half of the readership for your book.
Today’s author needs to learn a harsh lesson fast; a lesson even well-known authors from the major publishers have learned the hard way. In order to succeed in this business, you must never reveal your true feelings on a lot of issues, lest you alienate your fan base.
Now that you’ve decided to submit, now that you’ve made sure all the little pieces are in place, there’s one last thing to refine. Your cover letter. Make it simple but also informative. Don’t go more than a single page. Include your social media links, because a publisher will want to see them. And finally, if you don’t gain entry to the top publisher of your choice, quietly move on.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb
Authorgraph Email 

Event Prep

Good morning and welcome to wwwblogs. Today, we’re discussing a very important topic – how you, the author, must appear for public events.
You have your books all ordered. They’re going to arrive weeks before the event. Good for you. You thought about timing before you were worried the most important item wasn’t there on event day. Bookmarks and postcards have already come. The table banner has been inspected and deemed ready to go. There’s nothing else you need to make a great impression… or is there something missing?
Where is your bling?
“Bling?” you ask. “Why do I need bling? Better yet, what is bling?”
First of all, bling is a giveaway item. You put it in a basket for potential buyers to grab and take, a gift to your readers.
“Uh…” You stare at the screen in shocked disbelief. “You want me to giveaway stuff?”
Sure. Give your fans a gift, a memory of the event they attended. Let them know how important they are to you. That is important. Yes, they can grab the bookmarks and postcards. No, that’s not enough to give them.
What kind of bling are you talking about?
The type of bling you use depends on what type of books you write. Some authors provide goodies such as cupcakes or cookies. There are websites where you can order edible transfers of your book cover to put on them and bakeries that will assist you in making up a professional product for a small cost. This works especially well for children’s books.
Another type of bling, very popular with teens and college students, are wristbands and temporary tattoos. Both are available at 24 Hour Wristbands: https://24hourwristbands.com/. Talk about attracting attention. The formerly surly teen dragged to this book event by their parents is suddenly digging through your basket of bling, searching for the cover or title they want. They’re smiling and asking their parent to buy the book for them. You’ve accomplished two goals – interested a teenager in reading and made their parents happy.
But you write for adults. What kind of bling do you use for them?
Oh, there are tons and tons of promotional giveaway bling items on VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com). You merely have to decide on what. A few of the things they offer are magnets, USBs, key chains, pens, and key lights. Those are the inexpensive items. For a few dollars more per item, you can even get drink cups or coffee cups. It all depends on how much you want to spend.
Other websites offer t-shirts and hoodies. The possibilities are endless.  Investing in these products can be a bit expensive initially but the return could be your books selling much faster, especially if you offer a t-shirt or hoodie, or even a coffee cup or drink bottle with a purchase.
Book events are great for authors but we need to be aware that we’ll have to show up with more than our books, a price list, a smile on our face, and a way for the buyers to pay via debit card on our phones. We have to have giveaway items no one else has. We have to attract buyers to our table not just with our cheery attitude, but also the ability to have a take away the buyer will enjoy.
Be the author these people will remember and return to in future events. Be the person whose smile never wavered when some people walked away with free goodies but didn’t buy a book. Be the author who comes back despite poor sales and rocks their next event, because you remembered the bling!


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often  her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email 


 

How Far Will Someone Go To Protect Their Child?

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, we’ll be discussing how far someone will go to protect their child.
Non-custodial parental kidnapping is a very real thing. The non-custodial parent will go to great lengths to take a child from the custodial parent and hide them. Sometimes, law enforcement can locate the child quickly but other times that child is gone for years or forever. The horror stories of these actions and how the custodial parent is denigrated by the kidnapper are documented on the web for all to see. Even if the child is reunited with the custodial parent, life isn’t easy or normal for a long time, if ever.

Get Puff of Smoke eBook on Amazon
Blurb
Her child vanishes in a puff of smoke.
Multi-billionaire Mark Jannson has everything money can buy. If it has no financial value, he wants nothing to do with it. International best selling romance author Sheila Carson lives only for her child, Lanie. Ben Mason fell for the lovely yet reclusive Sheila when she divorced her husband and vows to help her find her child. Eleanor Jannson has questions her dad won’t answer.
An arson to cover up murder and kidnapping in Colorado’s Front Range near Denver begins with a puff of smoke. For almost eleven years, Sheila never gives up hope that she will find her daughter alive, even though officially the child was declared dead in the fire that consumed her ex-husband’s home. Mark lives in constant fear that his former wife will uncover his horrific secret and will do anything, including ordering another murder, to cover his tracks. Ben Mason has connections he’s loathe to disclose but uses them to assist Sheila in this international murder mystery.



Get Puff of Smoke print book on Amazon 
Excerpt
A smile was on his face. Despite the fact that he was supposed to connect with the egg donor of this lovely child, he had no thoughts of doing that or returning the kid at the appointed time. His timing was perfect. The child—Lanie is such an idiotic name; I’ll have to come up with another one—would be five in a few days. In time, she would forget there had been his loser ex in her life. She—Sheila will regret divorcing me—had battered through his training, all he’d gone through to make her a compliant and complacent wife. She’d run away after he ordered her to get an abortion.
Good thing the bitch ignored me. I wouldn’t have this gorgeous child to raise to be like me.
Granted the child was weak now, but he would fix that, as soon as he made sure they vanished forever. No one would stop him from raising his daughter as he saw fit, and that meant keeping her away from her weakling of a mother.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Facebook Twitter Website Goodreads Amazon Author Page 
Google + Pinterest Manic Readers AUTHORSdb 
Authorgraph Email

No Complaints Here

Good morning and welcome to Monday Blogs. Today, we’re going over a subject near and dear to my heart. Doesn’t it bother you when an author gets on social media and complains about everything that has to do with their book? It sure does me, and I’m an author.
One of the hardest lessons I learned as an author is that I’m on display twenty-four hours a day, year round. I can’t have an opinion that might offend someone. To do that means I’ll end up losing sales. My lesson was early in my career, when I was still learning the ropes, and so harsh I literally stayed off social media for days after it happened. That wasn’t good for getting people to notice my books either.
Once I returned to social media, I didn’t apologize for the error I’d made. I didn’t make any reference to it, nor did I fight the lie that had been told about me in order to kill sales of my books. I simply went on as if the episode had never happened. That worked in that I still had sales of my books and was invited to be on a local television interview show to talk about my first book, Softly Say Goodbye. I wasn’t happy the sales weren’t what I thought they should be, but you would have never known that from the way I was in that interview. I maintained a positive, upbeat attitude and never lost a chance to plug my work.
Since that time, I’ve learned to keep my opposing opinions to myself. I’m careful what I post on social media, but I’m at a loss how to explain this to new authors. Every day, I see posts about how slow their book sales are. Should they change the price? Well, I did but only one book sold. Or authors talking about current trends, either for or against them, and being extremely rude in their commentary.
This doesn’t sell your books. Slamming a political candidate, speaking out against what people are protesting only leaves you open to lose fans and sales. Complaining your book isn’t doing well or your publisher is lousy because they won’t make an exception and market your book because it’s the best thing since sliced bread doesn’t win any points either. Your potential fans are turned off by your complaining. They’re walking away in droves. Your actions are worse than the author who posts nothing but “buy my book” links.
I use what I call the kittens and cupcakes approach to social media these days. Keep it upbeat and happy. Connect with potential readers by appealing to funny and happy things they like. When it comes time for them to find a new book, yours may be at the top of their list.


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they  .

Find out more about my books at these social media sites:

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Seeking Answers

Good morning and welcome to Sunday Blog Share. Today, we’re going to be discussing seeking answers in a mystery.
One of the elements of a good mystery is to have many red herrings, misinformation you use to lead the reader astray. This shouldn’t be huge trips down a separate path, just little deviations that give the reader pause, to wonder if they’re following your clues properly. The plot of your story should never deviate from the main character(s) seeking answers to a question or clues to a long unsolved mystery.
Blurb

The Case of the Scared Child Wildcat Crew 2 eBook
The summer solstice has arrived. Being the sun worshipers they are, Wildcat Crew heads to the beach for a day of fun and a picnic. But first, Marnie gets a huge surprise. Her parents have replaced her Camaro, destroyed in their first case.
At the beach with thousands of other Southern Californians, the crew stumbles over a small, crying child. Instead of checking out the waves and working on their tans, they go on the hunt for the little boy’s parents.

The Case of the Scared Child Wildcat Crew 2 print book
Excerpt
He ducked his head and blinked his eyes. There were baby tears trying to come out but he wouldn’t let that happen. He would be going to kindergarten in September. That meant he had to be a big boy, and big boys didn’t cry.
Luke got off his bed and crept across the room on his tippy toes. He touched a calendar on the wall.
Today was June twenty-first, his birthday. There were some other words under his name but he didn’t know what they meant.
“S-U-M-M-E-R S-O-L-S-T-I-C-E,” he said. “Wish I knew what that meant. It’s on my birthday. It must be special.”
He moved from the June calendar with his name in red letters on today and touched the July calendar with the red, white, and blue American flag on July 4. Mommy had once told him that was America’s birthday. In three more years, when he turned eight, America would be two-hundred years old.
“That will be a really big party,” he whispered. “Two hundred is very old.”
The August calendar didn’t have any special days on it. There was a green circle around a Friday almost at the end of the month. That was when he and Mommy would go shopping for his clothes and supplies for school. She had told him that she had hidden the money to get him everything they would need. Luke had promised that he would never tell anyone where it was—not even his daddy.
I wish my daddy wasn’t always sick. He’s mean when he’s sick.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often given her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

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