Julia Hughes's Blog, page 10

Why I wouldn't be without you ...

With the ebook files complete, I've become extremely fond of all those (you know who you are) who helped make "The Griffin's Boy" the story it has become. I think it's something special. But then, I would say that - wouldn't I? 
 I also want to say a massive thank you to all these fantastic, couldn't be without them, wouldn't be without them, people who have agreed to host what's going to be the most exciting tour ever. I cannot wait to meet all your readers, and talk about "The Griffin's Boy" launch on Sunday 15th December.  The Great Griffin Giveaway Kicks Off Tomorrow - First stop:  It's the lovely Tia of The Serious Reader & Whirlwind Virtual Book Tours. I've only recently met Tia, but I'm so impressed by her achievements, and am thrilled to be guesting on The Serious Reader site. 
So saddle up and fly over to Tia's site - meet you there tomorrow! 

Always the best ...

As though there's not enough excitement around at this time of year, every time I click onto facebook, there's another post from one of my favourite authors, sharing their latest achievements and well deserved success!

This morning I gave an especially loud squeal at this post from Charlie:

if you're still searching around for Christmas Presents, Charlie's collected stories "100 Little Words on Parenthood, as told by Parents, Grandparents and Experts" is sure to be a hit with all ages and genders. Available in paperback or ebook format, I'd be delighted to find a copy under my Christmas tree. 


If you're on facebook, go and say "Hi" to Charlie - you'll be so glad you did, as she brightens everyone's day! 


These last couple of weeks, Terry Lander's kept our family entertained with his new radio show "Train of Thought", broadcasting from Radio Redruth. So while on Facebook, I hopped over to his new page, and now wish I hadn't! If you've listened to Terry's show, you'll know it's packed with fun, music and special guests. So no surprise that one of the big names in entertainment has agreed to play a part in his show. No surprise either that Terry is teasing us - we have to wait until Friday before he makes his big announcement! When Terry says he's snared a big name, you just know it's going to be a BIG name! Can't wait - another reason to count down the days till Christmas!  Terry Lander, CEO of Lyvit Publishing, author of the outrageous "Banned" and the hilariously original "Kama Slumber" adds another string to his bow. Terry now presents "Train of Thought" for Radio Redruth - and good news - there's a listen again feature, and even if you didn't miss his show on Friday, it's so worth listening again. For most of the show, we were on the floor, laughing. "Pound Shop Album" and "Chess Boxing" are just a few of the features that make Terry's show unmissable. 


Also this week, my favourite Italian the ultra talented Monica LaPorta published not one, but two new stories. "Elios" and "Gaia". I've sneaked a peek at the samples, and immediately added to my list of must reads. As always Monica's prose is beautiful, while the artwork for the covers are stunning. These two romances with more than a touch of paranormal are certain to earn Monica even more fans.  These beautiful people tell the story of the same romance, but from their own point of view. Sounds absolutely enchanting, and Monica's agreed to appear on Words Unlimited to reveal the inspiration behind these two mirrored stories. For all her loyal readers, Monica has reduced the ebook price by two thirds. So be quick, and click on the images above to be taken to Amazon's download page, and keep your eyes on Words Unlimited, because you don't want to miss Monica's post! If you really can't wait, zoom on over to Monica's site, where you'll find lots of background information along with artwork to die for, and images of delicious Italian cuisine to kill for. Monica' Blog is here.  The Wonderful and much treasured Doreen "Dody" Cox, entered Words Unlimited short story contest  Cover image: LLPix.com and Dody's story was short-listed as a finalist from the many many entries. Laura Wright LaRoche provided a free book cover, and our entrants based their short story to suit the image. Dody's memoirs "Adventures in Mothersitting"  is a loving tribute to her mom, gaining Dody many admirers and helping many carers who find themselves acting out a parental role for their own parents.
Dody's own blog "Treasured Encounters" contains many short stories and poems, so I was thrilled to learn that Dody continued to hone her short story, and BRILLIANT NEWS has now published on Smashwords. Absolutely the most exciting news of the week - way to go Dody! 

We've invited Dody over to Words Unlimited, and hopefully Dody will share the inspiration behind this mystical mystery which combines spiritual elements along with some very down to earth characters. After all this excitement, I'm off to celebrate down the Soldiers Return - and can't wait to discover what new treats lay in store for next week! 

Being the best (- you can be).

Not who you may think - but having a good time! Ten days to go until "The Griffin's Boy" is launched on an unsuspecting public, and butterflies are getting ready to swarm. At times like this, a pet saying of my first boss rings truer than ever:

"You're not at school now, you don't get points for trying".

Although, writing isn't work, not in the strictest sense. It's a compulsion, a wanting. The need to explore other lives and different worlds, to know what happens next. Everyone has this need to tell a story, to find ears willing to listen. Fortunately, in this internet age, everyone can tell their stories to a wider audience, including me!

Naturally, I want others to share in these fictional adventures. In particular, to experience the magic of flying and the mystic of this other Britain. For the first time in his life, the griffin's boy disobeys orders; makes his own decisions, and so carves out his own fate. I want readers to relive the stomach churning realisation that choosing to follow your own dreams sometimes means going without a safety net; being dependent upon your own strength of character, and of course, the friends you've chosen to be by your side.

Points for trying don't count in the real world, but these stories want to be told, and I can only ever be the best I can be. It helps knowing that some fantastic alpha and beta readers have added their polishing finesse to "The Griffin's Boy". Even with only ten days to go, beta readers are still advising, and I'm especially grateful for their suggestions and even more grateful for their encouraging comments. Another boost arrives from previously unknown fellow adventurers dropping by and saying 'Hi there, enjoyed your story – thanks for the advance read.'
Thank you guys – it helps calm the butterflies a little! 

Psst ... want a good time - for free?

The free promo for "An Explosive Time" is now over, but … "A Raucous Time", Book #1 in The Celtic Cousins' Adventures is free to download from Smashwords, and hopefully it won't be long before Amazon price match. Although some authors are left waiting months and even years before the river gods notice and deign to match their competitors. If you're aware that a title is available free on other sites, but Amazon haven't yet put that title on their free list, there's a link on every 'product page' to alert the sleeping giant of a lower price being offered by a competitor. 


Although the Celtic Cousins' three titles belong in very different genres and can be read as stand alones, you can be sure of an adventurous time! 

FREE! An ancient mystery leads the Celtic Cousins to a legendary treasure & A Raucous Time!

A Classical Cover adapted from an engraving by Gustave Dore.

Adapted from the engraving "Gustave Doré’s illustration of Ludovico Ariosto’s “Orlando Furioso”. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... New classical cover of "The Griffin's Boy" adapted by Laura Wright LaRoche of LLPix.com, from an engraving (now in the public domain, see above license) by Gustave Dore.  "Sleeping Gryphon" by John Tenniel "The Griffin's Boy" will be published on 15th December by TalonPublishing.com. 
The Flying Book Tour commences December 8th until the 22nd. 
Have a book blog? Want to host? I'd love to drop by your place!
There's an out of this world unique prize giveaway for your readers, and a special prize draw for tour hosts only. In keeping with the classical theme, there are ten fridge magnets/pendants of Tenniel's illustration of the gryphon from "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, waiting to adorn your fridge! 
Shot an email across to Mervyn@talonpublishing[dot]com or comment to join in the fun, and for free entry into our Flying Book Tour host only contest.

Are you an eclectic reader?

Day two of "An Explosive Time" free promo, and it's great to see Crombie and the Celtic Cousins has been occupying Amazon's #1 spot for the past twenty-four hours in British Crime freebies.

At the end of this promotion, all three Celtic Cousins' Adventures will be out of KDP select. However, the first in series, "A Raucous Time" is available free from Smashwords, so by extension most virtual booksellers – and hopefully, before long, Amazon too will make the first Celtic Cousins' Adventure free too.

Reading's always been my passion, and various authors and events have inspired and continue to inspire me to write too. So I'm the first in line to hand over my disbelief, and allow fictional characters and plots to captivate my imagination. I know how disappointing it is to be jolted out of a story and feel cheated. That's why I offer not just a sample, but an entire story for free. Although, do please sample first: all three of the Celtic Cousins' Adventures are very different genres; an eclectic reader it seems, makes an eclectic writer!

Book design by LLPix.com Free on Smashwords "A Raucous Time"
An ancient mystery, a legendary treasure, a very raucous time!  Book design by LLPix.com The Celtic Cousins have only a ripple in time to restore our world's history - by ensuring RMS Titanic meets her fate.  Book design by LLPix.com A missing elephant, illegal alligators and a conspiracy that could rock Whitehall? 
DI Crombie's in for an explosive time! 
FREE FROM AMAZON (click on book cover) until midnight Thursday. 

Imagine Dragons or dream of owning a Griffin?

Excitement grows at Priory Towers, as "The Griffin's Boy" launch day nears. Our recent free contest to win literary tickets to board the Titanic was a great success, but left us with a challenge - how could we match that once in a life time prize? 


Simple! Offer another unique, once in a life time prize. So the giveaway accompanying The Griffin Boy's promotional release is a griffin! Again - in literature not literally. There are two griffins up for adoption, more details up on Griffin Rider's own site, or you can enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below - scroll down! 

Or are pet alligators more your fancy?  An Explosive Time - Book 3 in "The Celtic Cousins' Adventures will be free to download from Amazon from tomorrow for five days. 
November 24 - 28 - ending on midnight Thursday EST. If you enjoy London Crime Capers, this is for you! 


SYNOPSIS: 

When a circus elephant goes missing on Detective Inspector Crombie's watch, he immediately thinks of Celtic Cousins Wren and Rhyllann, who have to his mind made a career out of being the collective bane of his existence. And his instincts are correct: the cousins HAVE been up to something--but when Crombie finds out what it is and why, he runs into resistance not only from his immediate superiors, but also from the corridors of power in Whitehall itself. Described by one reviewer as a "Masterful British Thriller" this is the third and shortest of the Celtic Cousins Adventures, and contains adult humour and some strong language. Especially when an unsuspecting Rhyllann discovers what's lurking in his bathroom! 
An Explosive Time starts with a fatal explosion; the action comes thick and fast, and Crombie will need all his wits about him to prevent his world - and London town - going supernova. Cover image LLPix.com Cover image LLPix.com ALSO FREE!  Book 1 in The Celtic Cousins' Adventures "A Raucous Time" is also perma free on Smashwords and Barnes and Noble and all other good virtual bookstores.  GREAT GRIFFIN GIVEAWAY!  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Killer Fiction - first in the UK!

First among Equals. 

With spectacular timing, Michael Connelly's latest Lincoln Lawyer is released in the UK today. Serendipitously, the London Lawyer, Mr Sean Campbell together with his co-author and brother Dan, are currently developing a site devoted to killer fiction. Appropriately, it's called Killerfiction.co.uk. You might think that's a double cause for celebration – but it isn't – it's a treble!

I'm the first to review "The Gods of Guilt" and the first to appear as a reviewer of Killerfiction!

I'm delighted and surprised to be among such illustrious company, and if you do nothing else today, come on over to Sean and Dan's latest sure to be the must go to site for news and reviews of the hottest new crime/murder/mystery titles!

You read it here first! Killerfiction.co.uk is still under construction, but since I couldn't wait to share my excitement and enjoyment of Michael Connelly's "Gods of Guilt" Sean's letting us all in for a sneak preview. That's the way he rolls. 
"The Gods of Guilt" by Michael Connelly is released today in the UK, and available throughout Europe from bookshops and on-line virtual bookshops. Release date for the US and Canada is December 2nd. 

A very unscientific experiment!

Feedback on "The Griffin's Boy".

I've received some very supportive comments from first readers, but then my alpha readers are the absolute top with great taste … and they're always positive with any criticism. The Griffin Boy's real test would be attracting new readers – and keeping them interested!

Although "The Griffin's Boy" is going through a final polish, I felt confident enough in this story to offer it for free, in advance reader copy form on Smashwords.

For an experiment, we took advantage of Smashword's latest tool for authors, the option to serialise stories. We thought offering "The Griffin's Boy" in three parts might provide a rough gauge of the "entertainment" factor: If readers enjoyed the first part, they'd be back for more.

The results were astonishing! Thankfully, over two-thirds of readers seemed to have enjoyed part one, as they downloaded part two. But it gets better! The download numbers for the third and final part of "The Griffin's Boy" is only lagging behind the download figures of part two by six readers.

So it's safe to assume that less than one third of downloads either didn't hit the spot, or were simply grabbed as a freebie and may never actually be read.

However, almost every reader who grabbed part two of "The Griffin's Boy" also downloaded the third and final part.

Of course, free is very different to paid for; but our little unscientific experiment appears to show that having started, most readers wanted to finish reading "The Griffin's Boy". In my book, that's a success! 

Do you know your Algorithms from your River Gods?

Recently, my spare time's been taken up with organising a blog tour for "The Griffin's Boy". Mahousive thanks to all who showed an interest in taking part, details are now up on the Griffin Rider's site. Exciting times, and I really hope you can join in the fun!  But the big question is ... The long awaited sequel by Dan and Sean Campbell is also nearing completion. "Cleaver Square" will feature DCI Morton, a central character in the Campbell brothers' chart busting debut novel, "Dead on Demand"

I love mystery thrillers in general, but police procedural is my absolute favourite – who doesn't love watching the detectives? So I immediately put my hand up and said "Yes please!" when Dan and Sean offered advance readers copies, and the good news is that Cleaver Square is now at its final editing stage.

Even better news: Typically, fellow author Sean has occupied his time with more important matters and asked the big question – 
"Will this book be a success?"

Now that's what I call a very big question, probably one that every indie author ponders when hitting the "publish your book" button. Personally, I say a little prayer to the river gods, and hope for the best. 
Fortunately, Sean's made of sterner and (a lot) smarter stuff, and sat down to find some of the answers.

Sean's also incredibly generous, and having identified the main factors that contribute towards success, he intends to share this priceless information – with us! 

"The Big Question" ... together with Sean Campbell's analysis and answers  ... will be published on Words Unlimited, this Sunday 17th November. 
For any authors who are serious about hitting the big time, this is a solid gold post that you simply cannot afford to miss. Please drop by, especially, if like me, you've ever had to google the word "Algorithm". 

Click here to request an advance reader copy of "Cleaver Square".