Kris Pearson's Blog, page 2

Birds of a feather...

We’ve had some interesting visitors to the garden recently. How about this gorgeous thing? It’s an Eastern Rosella, and really belongs somewhere further north, and warmer.  However, there he or she was - making a huge chirpy din in the tree just a few feet from Philip’s computer - and it didn’t mind at all when we poked the camera at it. We might see one of these a year if we’re lucky. Do you reckon it chose the tree to match some of its feathers?

And then we have the oddest little female sparrow. We thought she had a bit of nesting material stuck to her beak, but no. It’s not the greatest photo because she’s a fast mover. The top half of her beak is wildly overgrown and we’ve named her Stickybeak.  She eats by twisting her head to the side and appears to be doing okay. She’s been here for dinner for several days now, and likes standing on the hose. 

The new old government, and the new old book covers

Thank heavens it’s over! New Zealand has just had a General Election – delayed an extra month because of Covid-19. Things seemed to drag on forever.

Predictably Prime Minister Jacinda Adern was re-elected, but no-one expected the extent of the voting swing in the direction of her Labour party. Old National faces have vanished. New faces will be appearing. Politicians who had ‘a job for life’ haven’t got one any longer. Some who possibly took part in the experience to ‘get ready for next time’ have been voted in and find themselves with much larger jobs than they expected. Real fun!

                      

I sat here ignoring most of it, happily stealing time to search the stock photo sites so I could put new covers on my South & Sexy books.

An adventure in Italy

I love Italy. Lived there for a while when I was nineteen – attending the University for Foreigners in Perugia. Boarded with a local family and learned the lovely language. Three of us sailed there on the oldest Sitmar boat – the Castel Felice. It doesn’t look very big!!!

The stops along the way were wonderful – including Port Said during a revolution, where soldiers stood around brandishing huge guns while I bargained for a portable typewriter. Here I am looking very tanned in Egypt, and rather smart on our balcony in Perugia with my new Italian jersey, my scandalous mini-skirt and huge (for then) plastic bubble earrings.

 

All these years later I’d been hoping for a good Italian translator to take an interest in some of my books, and the first has now been published. This is through a deal where the author, the translator, and an admin company all share the eventual royalties. But this translator lady is a little ball of fire. She’s been prowling my website and has decided we should put out a publication between us of my free prequel novella ‘Maybe by Christmas’ with the notes on why I wrote each of the books. She’s sure Italian readers would find this taster interesting.

A Change of Covers

I’ve been reading about book covers; about how absolutely top authors have their covers changed annually to spark more sales. Really? And the differing fashions in covers, too. Have you noticed this? A lot of my romances have had couples in passionate clinches. Well, many others do, too! That or headless near-naked male torsos. But it seems there’s quite a change going on. Lots more scenery. Lots more flowers. Lots more of 'what might be happening here?’ 

And a single person, even though it’s a romance. Or is it? Might it be women’s fiction? Are authors snagging extra readers this way?

We had a shocker of a storm this weekend. Gales and lashing rain… thunder and lightning all around the hills where we live. I couldn’t get out in the garden, but why not search the photo sites and have a play with some of the covers? That’s the ultimate fun as far as I’m concerned.

My ever-willing husband was keen to help, so you can see one of his big hands in the photo, and the current cover shot for The Boat Builder’s Bed – which I like because Rafe’s looking very possessive without actually locking lips with Sophie. Maybe we’ll soon have a new, more modern font for the title. Will the brown blanket stay or go?

Fun for free

Book 1 is FREE right now. Book 3 is brand new. And Book 2 is just a darn good read.

That's enough news for today! Tap this pic to read more.

 

Painting while I think

I pretty much gave up painting to write. Philip and I worked six full days a week for years. You only have time for a few other big passions on the extra day, and for me it was writing and gardening. My poor old paints had to take a back seat.

I enjoyed the curtain work… adored being out on the road… loved meeting all the people we were installing tracks and rods and curtains and blinds for. Had some great conversations. Saw beautiful houses, gardens, cats and dogs. Might have stolen some bits for the books, too!

But Covid and a new knee joint have altered my life and given me more time by myself. Philip came home from a job this week and found me like this.

 I’m going to need some new paints, for sure. Some of them are very dry and unsqeezable. But I’m finding it a great time to think – and what I’m thinking about is the two Sheikh novels I started ages ago. They wouldn’t hang together the way I wanted them to, but maybe now they will? I’ll keep thinking as I stroke the paint onto the canvas.

One new, one 99 cents

Dead and Disorderly is now up for pre-order on Amazon. The third Merry Summerfield cozy mystery will be launched on my 49th wedding anniversary - September 26th.

Go HERE for a look.

Too busy for lunch

You’d think it would be easy enough to gather up six retired friends for lunch. There’s a nice café over the road from where I live, so not even any cooking required.

But they’re busy. Goodness, this has taken some doing, and I’m really quite pleased about it. These are not little old ladies who have drifted away from full-time employment to sit by the fire knitting.  They’re all past or present members of Soroptimist International of Wellington - a lovely service club I’ve belonged to for more than thirty years now. We raise money for local, national and international projects – and our next effort is on behalf of the new Wellington Children’s Hospital. It's an after-hours get-together at a huge garden centre, with product discounts and a good interesting speaker.  (Quick poster by me - there's always a job to be done.)

                                                    *****************

                                                     ******************                                          

“But I’m on holiday down the South Island for a while,” Paulette said when lunch was mentioned.

“I’ll have to work it around my Dress for Success days,” Bernice informed me.

“Croquet on Thursday, although it’s mahjong through winter.”  That was Wendy.

“I look after my grandson after Pilates that day.”

Ka-ching! Every novel down to $2.99 US

It’s fun running a small company. (Make that a tiny company) But as I’m the e-book production manager, the CEO, the promotions manager, the chief accountant, and heaven knows what else, I’m definitely in charge of a genuine global company and can play to my heart’s content.

A few months ago, knowing that the Kindle Unlimited subscription service was gaining in popularity, I reckoned more people would read my books through KU if they looked slightly more expensive. I put all the English novels up by a dollar.

A little time has gone by so I can see what’s happening now. Yes, more people are reading my books in KU, but fewer people are buying them. Ooops – better adjust that.

 

As you can see from Amazon’s graph, two thirds of my royalties now come from the page reads.  I’ve also added the graph they provide about where my books are selling. Hello USA! I guess this is mostly a reflection of population numbers, but I’m surprised I don’t sell more through Amazon.uk.  My Dad was English. My husband’s family are English. I think my writing voice is very English, although I’ve lived in New Zealand my whole life.

I’ve just put all my single novels down to $2.99. Can I tempt you?

A new Italian translation

That Boat Builder surely does get around!

First he was translated into Spanish (see HERE), then into Portuguese.

  

 

He’s just been released in Italian, too, so you can now search these titles in Amazon, and also in Kobo, Nook, Apple, Scribd, Google Play, and the European stores who distribute through Tolino.

                      

Even though the Spanish translation was done several years ago, I’m still in friendly contact with my translator, Begona  – now living at home in Spain because her job at the EU headquarters in Brussels has been temporarily suspended because of the pandemic.

My Italian translator, Marianna, is likewise affected – staying safe in her southern Italian village in the hills. We’re planning to do some more work together later this year, so watch my website for news.

I wonder if you like the older or the newer cover better?